What will the the Overequipping Fix do?

[PhoenixKebab]

I'm not after shouts for or against this fix, I just need to know WHAT it will do as currently envisioned (subject to the usual Funcom changes). I've tried searching for the answer, but I can only find threads that say it's a good/bad thing.

1) Will it cap item QLs to my level or a certain percentage of my level?

2) Will it stop existing equipped items over this limit from working?

[__________starknaked]

I don't have the link to the article Gaute wrote on this, but what he said was that it would work based on your skills.

So, if you need a shotgun skill of 500 to equip a shotgun, and yours is only 300 because the temporary buffs and implants you used to get it in place are now gone, it will still work, but substantially worse than it would if you had the proper skills.

He also said that as long as you were somewhat close to the proper skill level, it would still work normally. So as long as you had 80%, say, of the skill needed, it would still work at full strength.

The 80% figure was the one he used, but Funcom may well change this, no reason to assume this number is cast in stone.

[Bionitrous]

It would also make Engineer robots refuse to fight if the master's skill was less than that magic number.

A lot of people conveniently forget this part.

I could deal with it if the number were set to 60% instead of 80%. Then it would simply catch the freaks and exploiters.

80% is just plain wrong. Too many legal tactics can take you way above this level with almost no effort at all.

[Grupert]

I predict 12.6 all over again. Mark my words.

[________________Unas]

Originally posted by Grupert
I predict 12.6 all over again. Mark my words.

That's my fear as well. Since these changes will rework the majority of the basic game mechanics, I foresee a period of time where:

1. Mobs are overly reduced in AC, HP, castable NF's, etc; making the game a cakewalk.

2. Mobs are insufficiently reduced, making the game completely unplayable.

3. Some combination of the above, depending on level.

I've been playing for about 5-6 months now, have seen a number of patches of questionable quality and have no faith that Funcom will be able to get this right in one patch (or any other number you care to name).

We'll just have to see how it goes, since it's painfully obvious they will do what they want, regardless of the feelings of any or all of their playing community. If it gets bad enough, I guess I can always go back to playing D2 LOD (which says a lot).


Unas

[Pneuma]

I am very concerned that the over-equipping patch (nerf) will finally seal the fate of this game. Too much time has already elapsed. Too many balancing changes have already been implemented with over-equipping as part of the equation. Now, do they un-nerf aimed shot? Do they LOWER MA damage? Do they lower MOB hp further? My mind is already formulating how their apology will go : We ..." would like to extend an apology on behalf of the Community team in this matter. We should have stayed more updated, and kept you, the players, in the loop on these schedule changes as they happened, not as they became obvious without any word from us. We need to be more aggressive towards getting information, and also share more of it with you."
Sound familiar? More than once? They say they'll try to do better, but this s a lot like a classic abusive relationship. They apologise, we forgive them & we hug kiss & reaffirm our love for each other. Then Funcom goes out & gets drunk only to come home & beat us to a pulp again. IMHO it is WAY to late in the game for an change of this magnitude. It should have been done 6 months ago. My lvl 55 agent self equips a ql98 Tsak, wears a full set of ql89 Obtru & a full set of ql90 implants & getting through the first room of a mission my own lvl (the usual group of 3 yellow/green mobs) is impossible without exiting the mission to heal. It sounds to me like things will only be worse. You know who will escape the over equipping? The professions with the O-E buffs i.e. Traders & MPs, who already OWN this game! FUNCOM mark my words, an over-equipping nerf will CRUSH your (our) game. YOU MUST INVOLVE ALL OF THE PLAYERS IN THE PROCESS FORM THE BEGINNING. Involve us with the SPECIFIC DETAILS. You say you'll try to let us know more, but everything still seems to be shrouded in secrecy.

Agent Pneuma
"I am what I am & that's all that I am."
-Popeye the Sailor

[locomdenom]

I think this is the third time I've posted this today.

AGENTS ARE A SELF BUFF PROFESSION.

Like in Full Metal Jacket - you should be sleeping with your rifle. You get pretty solid rifle/AS buffs. Are they wrangles? No. But you can buff yourself into a nice rifle with no help at all. Keep those buffs running, and you can run around with a damn fine rifle.

[Grupert]

Fact of the matter is, over equiping will still go on, maybe not by the buff route, but by implant stacking. Mandatory de-equiping of items? Heh, that was tried as an idea around 12.5 or so. Did not go over to well with folks.
Best way may be to adjust some classes up, and tweak the mobs down in some ways.
Like one poster stated, this should have been done long ago.

[Pneuma]

Kiryat, I just don't know where to start. First off, let me say yes, we do have self buffs for rifle & AS. 2 of them, woohoo! Therefore, Agents use Trader false profession to OE their weapons & keeping those buffs running is not realistic. This has always been part of the balancing equation and the proposed changes are going to seriously limit us (& many others). Many changes will have to be implemented to offset this rebalancing. One thing I would like to see is more weapon buffs of varrying strength, like the Deprives/Ransacks & Wrangles.
BTW, where did you get the idea that Agents can run fixer NFs before Fixers can? We take a -25 penalty in all nano skills & a +200% penalty in nano cost as well as the -2000 Nano initiative penalty. I couldn't run Grid Phreak (ql20 I think) until I was lvl 50 even with my nano pool maxed & using a CPU upgrade. Now, sure we can go MP & run Nano skill buffs, but you can get them from your friendly MPs too, without getting stuck in a FP.
I could go on, but I'll spare everyone. =p
Agent Pneuma
"I am what I am, and that's all that I am."
-Popeye the sailor

[Arinia]

Grupert, you are a smart guy both in and out of game.

Of course overequipping will still go on.

I maintain that if ONLY implant stacking was changed (such that you can't r-click on an implant to install in an existing slot, using the old requirements to check for the replacement), things would get a LOT better.

There is only so much you can do with buffs. A lot is done with implants.

And even if this change DOES go in as stated, nothing has changed, it's just been made a little more complicated. Now instead of shooting for the highest possible equipment, you will shoot for the highest possible not to break the 20% rule.

People will still be overequipped.

Things will not change drastically, except for the people that leave the game because of it.

[_______________Chill]

People will have to learn how ot play with their implants and self buffs like MAs did since the beginning of this game.

I don't see the problem at all. My MA is lvl 118 and can solo dark orange mobs with her self buffed fists.
I also don't overequip with my enforcer beyond implants and self buffs and he can solo 75%+ mission (he's only lvl 62 but still).
Same deal with my soldier who switches weapons for alpha strike and my MA engineer with his self made bot.
And I did it before funcom lowered mobs AC and fixed fists damage.

I refuse to overequip because what's the point of having the best weapons, armors and pets you will ever get when you are only lvl 100. Remember there's still a hundred lvl left, it must be boring to do them without changing anything at all in your character equipement.

If you think you won't be able to solo without overequipping then you're just a newbie.

[Snuble]

Bump to danae

[____________Jeremiah]

How about been hit by debuffs???? Engie/Bea/MP walks along, gets debuffed bot goes, not today thank you, engie/bea/cp dies, repeat and rinse.


Game over.

Engies are one of the 'weakest' classes in the game already, one root and their bot is useless.

Go on, make us worst