Monthly Development Update - 28th February 2014

[Dysfunction]

ITT: those who have decent gear go "meh" over the inspect change. Those who have crap gear while somehow still considering it important have wasted the last 5 years without any real content updates.

If you care about your gear, stop being lazy and farm it. There's only so many slots and it doesn't take years to finish. If you don't care about your gear, there's no reason to be upset about the inspect changes. Heck, scratch that. There's no reason to be upset about the inspect changes. Uh oh, someone might see your character's pixels! How scandalous!

I've geared up and leveled 2 characters to 220/30/70 in less than 10 months to full alphas with less than adequate creds for it. You just gotta make your own raids and have friends and be knowledgeable, so anyone that complains that inspect will lose subscribers or get people kicked are just being ridiculous. It's fully possible with a little bit of effort to have an end game setup without being hard-core or being a tryhard. All it takes is effort to make your town into what you want really. If you can't hang with the content or community, it's time to do some self-reflection...

P.s no one is gonna complain if you're in 220-270 symbs because the difference is negligible. Content in ao isn't hard if youput forth the effort to read guides and learn from others.

[Traderjill]

Sry, you are making less and less sense.

If so many have inspect enabled, can't you already do your gear check most of the time?

And you could ask the few who don't have inspect enabled to open it up for you when they join your team.
I know, weird idea to ask people, but I thought you like to be social?
If they don't do it, you'll kick 'em, if they got bad gear you kick 'em, no sweat, problem solved.

So why do you even insist on making inspect mandatory?

I insist because I'd like to be a more social raider.. not just when I'm bored and feel like being nice but as part of my normal gameplay. As it stands now, if I want to work towards my own gear I have a VERY LIMITED pool of people, that I already know ,to team with (or I solo via multi-logging). I'd love to expand that pool but, like so many others, numerous bad experiences pretty much leave me shying away from unknown factors. [Let me expand on this: I can triple log to Beast platform without using any tricks or 3rd party control programs faster than some 12 toon teams. This is no exaggeration.. it is sad fact. "Ain't nobody got time for that."]

Inspect, in its current state, doesn't work remotely. If you recall the first post I made in my thread, I asked if they could extend the functionality to include remote inspect. My hope (maybe its misguided) is that while they're considering the functionality, they'll open it up to make it more useful in general (not just for in your face exploit identification).

Using an example: Say I want to do an APF team. I can spam bots, check LFT. I can even include "must have up to date gear/nanos" but at the end of the day, I will not be able to physically see what people are wearing until they are standing next to me. I don't want to find out that a critical member of my team is wearing tl5 gear and a total gimp when we're ready to go inside. [Edit additon: And yes, this has happened to me many times and the result is that I end up dual or triple logging toons to compensate for someone else.]

So yeah, the current inspect allows me to be nosey when standing around chit-chatting in Bor or OA but its not very helpful when I'm trying to make a team.

[Psikie]

The standards that people have in this game have really fallen over the years or some people are forgetting that the defining attribute of anarchy online is twinking.

I would slightly disagree with this, I always thought it was the versatility to do anything with your toon that was defining. AKA Dread shark enfo etc.

So why do you even insist on making inspect mandatory?

I don't think anyone actually asked for or originally advocated for open inspect. However the more and more I read here I don't see any problem with it. I would have thought the uproar would have been seeing other peoples NCU more than equipment especially the pvp crowd with limber/ams etc. But I guess not.

I suppose it is a sign of pride to see a toon periodically updated. The more posts I read here the more i'm leaning toward the pro side. If you are in SL 200+ with no symbiants, you are darn right I don't want you in my team. If you can't take time to grab at least tier1, or ql 150 ofab, heck even some predator armor some how I can not beleive you actually know how to play your toon other than lft-kite-pocket. Honestly you can't survive SL to do ANY solo content/quests being that under geared. This whole thread is asinine at this point.

Now understand I have had my share of under equiped toons that I power leveled to 60/150/200 before I twinked them out. But I don't try to sneak those toons into leveling teams and leech either. I solo played or dual logged with one on follow so I feel I'm entitled to get away with that.

[Antimony]

I don't think anyone actually asked for or originally advocated for open inspect. However the more and more I read here I don't see any problem with it. I would have thought the uproar would have been seeing other peoples NCU more than equipment especially the pvp crowd with limber/ams etc. But I guess not.

Ofc open ncu is more of a game changer for everyone who PVPs and I don't like it one bit.

I'm talking about inspect more because it affects more people!

I suppose it is a sign of pride to see a toon periodically updated. The more posts I read here the more i'm leaning toward the pro side. If you are in SL 200+ with no symbiants, you are darn right I don't want you in my team. If you can't take time to grab at least tier1, or ql 150 ofab, heck even some predator armor some how I can not beleive you actually know how to play your toon other than lft-kite-pocket. Honestly you can't survive SL to do ANY solo content/quests being that under geared. This whole thread is asinine at this point.

Now understand I have had my share of under equiped toons that I power leveled to 60/150/200 before I twinked them out. But I don't try to sneak those toons into leveling teams and leech either. I solo played or dual logged with one on follow so I feel I'm entitled to get away with that.

Guess that all depends on your circumstances. Got a good org and you are set.
Many people lost their orgs and friends list in the merger, so might be harder for them if they gotta do it via lft.

Using an example: Say I want to do an APF team. I can spam bots, check LFT. I can even include "must have up to date gear/nanos" but at the end of the day, I will not be able to physically see what people are wearing until they are standing next to me. I don't want to find out that a critical member of my team is wearing tl5 gear and a total gimp when we're ready to go inside.

So if FC gives you remote inspect and you can check "critical members" before you invite them to your raid, but enabling inspect is still voluntary, would that work for you?
You can remote inspect and someone has it disabled, you just won't invite him/her.
Or you could be social and /tell them to open it up for you?

Lemme guess, still not good enough, right?

[Esssch]

I have decent gear on all my 35 toons and good gear on many of them.

But I do care about my privacy!

Why do I have to put up with inspect just to satisfy the curiosity of kids or nosey adults?
Why do I have to submit to arbitrary gear checks, based on nothing but their personal opinion?
Why do I have to endure unqualified and derogatory comments that inevitably follow?

The "catching cheaters" premise has already been thoroughly debunked. Even the pro-inspect crowd agrees on that.
AO has nothing positive to gain from inspect, but it has a lot to lose as a consequence.

Nobody will quit because mandatory inspect is NOT implemented.
But some will quit because it will be. Can a game this small really afford more players leaving?

You don't have to do any of those things. You're perfectly within your rights to hide away your pixels from the rest of the world. You can hang out in the corner of some random zone and I doubt anyone would be unduly concerned that they couldn't see your specific pixels.

If you assume people will make derogatory comments about your gear, then you must not be very well equipped. No need to fret, though! Since these changes aren't even on Test yet, and knowing Funcom as I do, you still have a couple more years to catch up to 2009 gear levels! I believe in you.

[Psikie]

Guess that all depends on your circumstances. Got a good org and you are set.

Strongly disagree. That's no different than advocating and saying it's ok to NOT be able to solo or play your toon. I am not expecting everyone lvl 100-130 to be able to solo an ely heckler. But if you can't solo one at 160 you have no business being in Inferno!

[Grandpa]

If you assume people will make derogatory comments about your gear, then you must not be very well equipped. No need to fret, though! Since these changes aren't even on Test yet, and knowing Funcom as I do, you still have a couple more years to catch up to 2009 gear levels! I believe in you.

Ah yes, I must be badly geared because I disagree with your point of view - a staple comment in every MMO forum - well done Sir, well done!

I don't want to be exposed to ANY comment/suggestion/slur/insult/pat-on-the-back as a result of inspect.
Good or bad, I don't want to hear it and I don't want to be forced to ignore anyone if I can help it.

Privacy is such a foreign concept to this generation!

[Traderjill]

Ah yes, I must be badly geared because I disagree with your point of view - a staple comment in every MMO forum - well done Sir, well done!

I don't want to be exposed to ANY comment/suggestion/slur/insult/pat-on-the-back as a result of inspect.
Good or bad, I don't want to hear it and I don't want to be forced to ignore anyone if I can help it.

Privacy is such a foreign concept to this generation!

Privacy in MMO's is an interesting topic. Someone else brought this up as well and I don't want to disrespect anyone's right to their opinion but it seems like privacy in MMO's, AO Specifically, is already missing.

I haven't seen anyone complaining as much as I have in this thread about:

- The fact that anyone can add you to their friend's list and track your online status.
- The fact that character information is publicly view-able
- The existence of bots that track your org affiliation, leveling pace, AI levels, breed, gender, etc.
- The fact that your damage is publicly view-able with no ability to hide it from others.
- The 220 and AI 30 leveling message not being optional

I'm sure there's stuff I'm missing but these all seem like much bigger concerns than an equipment window, in terms of privacy issues. Oddly enough no one seems to care.

[Esssch]

Privacy is such a foreign concept to this generation!

I have this thing you may want to check out, it's called a single player video game. It's okay that you haven't heard about them yet, they're pretty new.

[Grandpa]

Privacy in MMO's is an interesting topic. Someone else brought this up as well and I don't want to disrespect anyone's right to their opinion but it seems like privacy in MMO's, AO Specifically, is already missing.

I haven't seen anyone complaining as much as I have in this thread about:

- The fact that anyone can add you to their friend's list and track your online status.
- The fact that character information is publicly view-able
- The existence of bots that track your org affiliation, leveling pace, AI levels, breed, gender, etc.
- The fact that your damage is publicly view-able with no ability to hide it from others.
- The 220 and AI 30 leveling message not being optional

I'm sure there's stuff I'm missing but these all seem like much bigger concerns than an equipment window, in terms of privacy issues. Oddly enough no one seems to care.

Your name, level, breed and profession are essential to the game mechanics.
Any of your abilities, nanos, damage, etc. are also crucial parts of the game mechanics.
Privacy is not an issue here, since you agreed to that when you started playing the game.

You also voluntarily agree to join an org and its bot, and by doing so you give up some of your privacy in exchange.
Again, you do that knowingly and out of your own free will.

However, tracking of character history by Funcom and sending congratulatory messages for 220 and AI 30 should be optional.
Neither is critical to the game mechanics nor did any of us voluntarily agree to that (in fact, when we started the game, we had no idea these features even existed).

Notice, that inspect is also NOT critical to the game. That's why it is appropriate to keep it optional.

I have this thing you may want to check out, it's called a single player video game. It's okay that you haven't heard about them yet, they're pretty new.

Now you are just trolling.

[Susi]

I don't mind it being public, seeing other player's setups might give me ideas for my own. I approve of the debate though, it's most amusing.

[Freqflyerdnt]

I'm not a heavy PVPer and I guess I can see why some people are complaining about the inspect thing.

I've only used it to look at someone's gear to see what I could change in my PvM setup. Or a couple of times to "remote twink"(Which was the most fun).
Helping someone relatively new twink into some semi decent gear.

GA with B&E as req. Makes more sense to me, as for using it in SL. Well, I've always loved running around with it in Social(when the window came about) and lots of people screaming about how I got it to work in SL.
Though it's not new in social now, I loved that "uniqueness" of it. Which will go away now.
It does make things a little easier(if you follow the train of thought) for a leveling fixer that found a useful disc by luck.


The other changes, Open NCU and the ring changes, sad though they are I guess aren't the end of the world.


I'm not actively playing, and haven't for a while. But my best guess is, that as has been said, these are part of a larger group of changes we aren't aware of yet. So I for one am content with waiting and seeing what is on the way.

There is at least movement in my eyes, which is good.
I can however see a couple of morbid directions all this could be going, but I'll keep mum about it until more comes to light.

I have this thing you may want to check out, it's called a single player video game. It's okay that you haven't heard about them yet, they're pretty new.

I heard about these, apparently all the rage now.

[Difs]

confirmed: haters gonna hate!

[Lheann]

I been thinking about this GA with B&E req and while easier to raise than MC I still think it is the wrong skill if they are changing it.

Reading the description of GA you see that you are wrapping yourself with the grid. Now the game requires Comp Lit for grid access. So why would it not be based on Comp Lit? I mean really that would make um well actually role play sense fit with the establish concepts in the game.

Anyway, if they are going to change it at least consider the description of the nano in choosing the skill to change too. B&E is um just stupid from a story line perspective.

[McKnuckleSamwich]

I been thinking about this GA with B&E req and while easier to raise than MC I still think it is the wrong skill if they are changing it.

Reading the description of GA you see that you are wrapping yourself with the grid. Now the game requires Comp Lit for grid access. So why would it not be based on Comp Lit? I mean really that would make um well actually role play sense fit with the establish concepts in the game.

Anyway, if they are going to change it at least consider the description of the nano in choosing the skill to change too. B&E is um just stupid from a story line perspective.

I agree. I like things to fit from an RP perspective.

The best (proposed) reason I've seen to raise BE is for a proposition that it's included as one of the skills on some PVP nanos like program override.

If it was something like Fixer BE checking opponents Comp lit... hell ya now that's something I can live with.

[Freqflyerdnt]

I see your point with CL, but I kinda kept in mind you're "hacking" into the grid be partially within and without. And that's why B&E makes sense to me

To make it fair take the MC req /2 and split it over CL and B&E hehehe that way it fits both

[Geriatric]

You and others with your attitude are the reason I keep inspect disabled on all my toons and most if not all the people I know in-game and/or share chat channels with keep their inspect disabled as well. I am not a PvPer nor are the folks mentioned above.

You must play in a vastly different circle of players to get such a different impression on who does and does not have inspect disabled.

Emma

3 more pages of whine whine whine!

So people will either quit or find other ways to get the gear you want them to have.
Easiest and fastest way is to buy it and for some that might be the only way.

With inspect, we'll lose some people and we'll turn others into cheaters, that's a fact.
Imo, neither is good for the game.

Ya small game, can't lose people, whatever.
If I have to choose 100 in good gear or 400 scrubs, its an easy choice, lol!

Newsflash:
every MMO has credit sellers and they sell to baddies like these losers.

If you got no skills, you better have a wallet.
If you got neither, just get the fudge out! Truth!

[Snakebite]

3 more pages of whine whine whine!



Ya small game, can't lose people, whatever.
If I have to choose 100 in good gear or 400 scrubs, its an easy choice, lol!

Newsflash:
every MMO has credit sellers and they sell to baddies like these losers.

If you got no skills, you better have a wallet.
If you got neither, just get the fudge out! Truth!

With an attitude like that, I'm glad you have no say in policy, and hopefully I don't know you ingame either...

P.S Someone remind me how to ignore someone on the forums, I've only done it once but this sort of thing I can do without hearing. Thanks.



Edit. Never mind, worked it out...

[Raggy]

I been thinking about this GA with B&E req and while easier to raise than MC I still think it is the wrong skill if they are changing it.

Reading the description of GA you see that you are wrapping yourself with the grid. Now the game requires Comp Lit for grid access. So why would it not be based on Comp Lit? I mean really that would make um well actually role play sense fit with the establish concepts in the game.

Anyway, if they are going to change it at least consider the description of the nano in choosing the skill to change too. B&E is um just stupid from a story line perspective.

As much as I hate retcons:

"The Fixer uses his/her innate knowledge of Rubi-Kas data streams to hack the grid around his/herself in an attempt to make his/herself less susceptible to damage in realspace."

Or some other fluff.

[Gimpynoob]

There is no intrinsic problem with having open inspect. It can be a good feature in some games. For example in a game with progressively harder dungeons with better loot it would make sense that players would only be allowed access to higher level dungeons after they had achieved a certain quality level on their gear. IE you can only join teams to farm purples if at least half of your gear is blue and you dont have any whites.
This is not what happens in AO. What happens in AO is that while most of the so called "endgame content" can be done with a team of gimpy toons it can be done with much less people with well equipped toons. Most playfields are easy to farm* and most loot is easy to sell. This associated to huge inflation ingame pushes most veterans to try to maximize profit. The smallest possible team with the best gear is the rule in AO**. It already is hard to find teams for almost anything nowadays and open inspect wont help one tiny bit.

The argument that open inspect is to catch cheaters doesn't make any sense. Open inspect will give an excuse to petition to everybody who suspects someone cheated. And to every little prick whit no scruples who wants to take revenge for anything or just for "fun". It would require a team of VERY knowledgeable GM's working 24/7 to go through such a list. We all know how fast petitions are processed in AO. The most likely outcome is that most cheaters will not be caught and a few legit twinks will be punished.

*If I can solo Alapalapa on my gimpy soldier, guess how many people I usually see LFT to do it on level adequate toons Jill.
**This is not a critique to players, it is normal human behavior to try to maximise the reward to effort ratio. Its up to the devs to make a game that rewards teaming and helping others more than being selfish.