Any ETA on the new engine?

[Lusos101]

Anarchy Online. Do you like it? Then enjoy it while it lasts.


Becuase after Q1 is finished and all the awsomeness comes out it will be a totally new awsome game.

The rebalance will be awsome with all new ways of being overpowered.

It will be awsome how much the new engine makes everything have the same awesome classic " vintage" look as before.

New player experience will have awesome new ways of powerleveling ingame, starting directly at noob island and with awsome new equipment on ingame shop, buyable with RL $, for your totally awsome convenience.

[Armus]

New ground textures and a few new buildings will make things look nicer, but really it's just AO in "HD", there's a few better effects here and there, but it's not like it'll be all new or superduper fantastic. Just look slightly better. I don't really see what the HUGE deal is about it and why it's the be all and end all for some people to play it. I can understand that playing Doom or Duke3D today is meh without using a modern rendering port, but AO?

The deal isn't about the improved gfx (not that I won't mind being able to run it more smoothly). It's all about the hope of an influx of old and new players that may revive the game.

That's why the engine is so important.

[Armus]

The rebalance will be awsome with all new ways of being overpowered.

Not that it belongs in this thread but YES. That's exactly what will happen.
It's been proven time and again that it has been very hard (for some) to predict the impact of even comparatively minor changes. Now they want to changed pretty much everything at the same and then just hope it turns out for the best. Some of us have ideas of what classes will be overpowered ofcourse but noone knows for sure. How is FC going to handle when half the game population feels their gaming experience is lessened? It took 3 years to correct sb+os. That was ONE thing. So how long will correcting and finetuning a totally "new" game? My guess alot longer than the playerbase will accept.

[Mastablasta]

Not that it belongs in this thread but YES. That's exactly what will happen.
It's been proven time and again that it has been very hard (for some) to predict the impact of even comparatively minor changes. Now they want to changed pretty much everything at the same and then just ???e it turns out for the best. Some of us have ideas of what classes will be overpowered ofcourse but noone knows for sure. How is FC going to handle when half the game population feels their gaming experience is lessened? It took 3 years to correct sb+os. That was ONE thing. So how long will correcting and finetuning a totally "new" game? My guess alot longer than the playerbase will accept.

Why is it always so negative. I mean right now the state of things is rather heinous, a mixmatch of bandaid fixes where half the professions aren't played or are considered gimp, and the other half are considered totally overpowered by eachother. Having a new angle on everything, and then working with that instead of the old multilayered history of this or that, in an environment where things aren't set in stone for fear of breaking everything, seems way more preferable. But of course the only thing that it's about is doom and gloom and who's overpowered and who doesn't get fixed.

[Myreyliib]

*snip*
So how long will correcting and finetuning a totally "new" game? My guess alot longer than the playerbase will accept.

So you agree with Means that it would be counterproductive to launch the new engine, before rebalancing is done?

[Megasis]

Not that it belongs in this thread but YES. That's exactly what will happen.
It's been proven time and again that it has been very hard (for some) to predict the impact of even comparatively minor changes. Now they want to changed pretty much everything at the same and then just ???e it turns out for the best. Some of us have ideas of what classes will be overpowered ofcourse but noone knows for sure. How is FC going to handle when half the game population feels their gaming experience is lessened? It took 3 years to correct sb+os. That was ONE thing. So how long will correcting and finetuning a totally "new" game? My guess alot longer than the playerbase will accept.

And you know who the best people are for testing stuff like that? All the people they banned for exploiting and taking advantage of the mechanics.

[Strupstad]

No, there were some "???es" and various other "maybes", the one definite official report posted in a FWM was Q1 2011.

(14:14) Cromage: Teh ultimate question: Can we expect the new engine this year?
(14:14) Means: Cromage: Yes

Yeah, we believe you masta...

[nanobots]

And you know who the best people are for testing stuff like that? All the people they banned for exploiting and taking advantage of the mechanics.

sploiters deserve to be banned. thats what testlive are for....

[Mastablasta]

Yeah, we believe you masta...

Random talk ingame doesn't really stand out as an official report.

[Graftmage]

Random talk ingame doesn't really stand out as an official report.

Random /tell chat, no.
Official Q/A session in vicinity, most definitely.

[Mastablasta]

From April :| at which point it probably seemed likely with the present work. Of course that could've meant "this fiscal year" too

[Megasis]

sploiters deserve to be banned. thats what testlive are for....

No different than the worlds best hackers work for most governments for that reason.

No fun intended but I always come across broken game mechanics since I think outside the box when playing around with my toons or notice them with dumb luck. I have always reported them but not everyone is the same.

[nanobots]

if the hackers stole top secret info and sold it it would be the same as sploiters using it for themself.

[Armus]

Why is it always so negative.

We're not always being negative. For instance when they fixed sb+os I was very happy with things. It took them a good three years to swallow their prestige and listen to the playerbase though.

But in this case I submit there are two good reasons why it's very hard to be positive to the way the rebalancing is being handled.

1. Changing many things at once is a bad way of "fixing" any process.
You just don't do this because you risk ending up with something that is way worse than where you started.
2. FC's track record.

I mean right now the state of things is rather heinous, a mixmatch of bandaid fixes where half the professions aren't played or are considered gimp, and the other half are considered totally overpowered by eachother.

I agree that some things are bad as it stands today. But how do you or anyone else, including FC, know how things will play out if you change everything at the same time? The answer is noone knows. It may end up much worse than today.

Having a new angle on everything, and then working with that instead of the old multilayered history of this or that, in an environment where things aren't set in stone for fear of breaking everything, seems way more preferable.

Things aren't set in stone as they are today, are they? In my humble opinion it would be much more sensible to take a look at each class and when and if blatant imbalances are found they are fixed either by finetuning existing parts of their toolsets or by the addition to new ones. Then they are left to sink in because it takes time to find out the impact of new stuff.

But of course the only thing that it's about is doom and gloom and who's overpowered and who doesn't get fixed.

Dunno about the doom and gloom part. But about the overpowered/not fixed part, isn't the whole point of the rebalancing act to not leave certain classes as overpowered as they are today? personally I believe Fc is going about it the wrong way. I believe the vast majority of the existing playerbase is hanging by a loose thread. If you change the classes into something that ppl did not choose when they selected class and if you make them spend hundreds of hours rebuilding just to be competetive again then I think we have big trouble. Game breaking trouble.

So you agree with Means that it would be counterproductive to launch the new engine, before rebalancing is done?

Uh. I don't understand why you ask me that question.

Personally I think the engine needs to be released asap. No, not if it isn't ready. But the need is there. AO needs more ppl yesterday.

And you know who the best people are for testing stuff like that? All the people they banned for exploiting and taking advantage of the mechanics.

I have no idea what you're talking about.

[drainbamage]

And you know who the best people are for testing stuff like that? All the people they banned for exploiting and taking advantage of the mechanics.

Maybe those people should have reported the exploits instead of using them for their own benefit.

But in this case I submit there are two good reasons why it's very hard to be positive to the way the rebalancing is being handled.

1. Changing many things at once is a bad way of "fixing" any process.
You just don't do this because you risk ending up with something that is way worse than where you started.

This is (partially) false. Incremental changes are generally the best way to balance things, but they only work if the underlying system is fundamentally sound, and AO's isn't. Many of the balance issues and bandaid fixes we have now are a result of FC's previous aversion to major changes.

If anything, I'm worried that the changes aren't ambitious enough.

2. FC's track record.

Now this, I agree with.

[Armus]

This is (partially) false. Incremental changes are generally the best way to balance things, but they only work if the underlying system is fundamentally sound, and AO's isn't. Many of the balance issues and bandaid fixes we have now are a result of FC's previous aversion to major changes.

If anything, I'm worried that the changes aren't ambitious enough.

I guess we agree on the principal then but not on whether the existing system is beyond salvation or not.

Meanwhile, here is some interesting reading about AO in FC's quarterly report q3 2010.

http://www.funcom.com/funcom/fronten...esentation.pdf

[Annasan]

I m glad i opened another account

J/k Well it doesn t show anything besides usual choices of a casual company, is it?

[Autohead]

Meanwhile, here is some interesting reading about AO in FC's quarterly report q3 2010.

http://www.funcom.com/funcom/fronten...esentation.pdf

Yes, very interesting read about AO...considering it's not mentioned at all!

[Gridpain]

Yes, very interesting read about AO...considering it's not mentioned at all!

90% of the former PDFs had 0 line about AO...

[Annasan]

A former is usually aimed at investors so they can keep a track at a company margins and esspecially invests.
You usually mention actual and future products.
It's pretty normal that AO isn t in there as he is considered as an "achieved product" (don't flame me, it's true market wise...).
I m not worried at all