Monthly Development Update -- February 26th 2013

[Psikie]

Originally Posted by Ciex Thats very rude you guys didnt give us any time to prepare ourselves for server merge. I have characters on both servers and if character limit isnt high enough ill just loose items and money that were on those characters i wont make playable. Money and items id transfer if i knew the merge was coming ... Thats really horrible beginning of a new GD. Would it be possible to make characters back to inactive status via petition system once we transfer items from them if you insist on those "suprises"?

Actually it's been my experience that as soon as something hits testserver you have 2-6 weeks before it hits live. On day one test server merge I got my toons in order on both dims, leaving only 10 total I plan to activate.

Originally Posted by Dancingrage Failure to mention profession rebalancing was probably not the greatest move to start, but as you said, you're new.

Most likely due to oversight from prioritization. From the dev side engine is probably top priority to have symbiosis between supporting all 3 games. GM's and ARK's would benefit primarily from this as all 3 games would be similar enough for same people to support them game mechanics wise.

I also would count on small patches to rebalance over time. Like changing a few nanos here and there. Major things like perks will probably take longer.

[seloth]

Take care Dave (and no i am not going to open the pod bay doors)

Greetings and nice to see you again Joel.

I rarely post anymore. But this is important to me. I have played AO (on and off) since launch. Had to take a break with Shadowlands(it really torqed me) but I keep coming back as the mechanics of the game are some of the most addicting and interesting.
I signed up as a Grand Master (lifetime account) over in TSW because I beleived in the game. The mechanics there are almost as interesting as AO. I have placed that game on hold and am back in AO ad the content there was limited (not the devs fault I think, just the modern MMOs tend to get released now with about 1/3 the space AO has). Joel's time there as the Director has been outstanding. I am comfortable with him attempting to herd 3 MMOs and the vast herd of cats that will be involved (at least until the nerviuous breakdown hits him).

My main is a Doctor and I have heard over and over again about this need for profession rebalanance, and some in here are upset that Joel did not mention it. I am of the opinion that "we have had enough promises of GREAT THINGS coming!" only to not see them appear. Instead I want a producer that is going to promise us things and then deliver. Better to have a short list of changes, fixes, improvements and additions that are met and then changed to the next set of goals.

So the merger is underway: great!, next you promise the engine: good.

From the desk of:

Dr. Lyda Carnalla, Omni-Med.

[Ciex]

Originally Posted by Psikie Actually it's been my experience ...

Customer experience isnt a substitute to companys information policy, at last not in a serious business.

[Lazy]

Originally Posted by Ciex Customer experience isnt a substitute to companys information policy, at last not in a serious business.

calling funcom a "serious business." cute.

[Ciex]

Originally Posted by Lazy calling funcom a "serious business." cute.

Well, actually, this whole merge is one of many proofs they are not

[Thorneee]

Thanks for your work Ilaliya. I really liked your communication with the players. Good job eventually achieving the server merge.

Nusquam, as it's been said before, I wish you the best of courage and luck with directing 3 games.

[kuniali]

I rarely post to any forums, but i am here now to say to Joel that hes our last hope.

Vayde summed it up pretty well, i cannot add more. i wish you luck, give us a very tiny reason and we all will be back in game very soon.

- Druides

[Louderer789]

What is your stance on trolls?

[Pinknpinker]

Sorry to see you go Ilaliya. Enjoyed your posts, they always had a ring of truth to them.

I have concerns that someone who has never played AO, even tho being an employee of Funcom for years, has been given much control over what happens next. Obviously never that interested in what is going on in the rest of the company or its products . Even car salesman's drive every new model on the lot once in a while just to see whats what, even tho they are employed by the corporate luxury sales division. That's if there any good that is.

Pending contracts, its nice to know someone may or may not be employed who knows anything about the core of AO and its patches and workarounds.

If anything, at least corporate speak is definitely in good hands.

As well, I stayed until 2am Pacific Time to see if there would be any last minute surprises as RK2 shutdown. I'd heard of the spectacular ways in which other games have closed down servers, fireworks, exploding the universe etc etc etc. Can you guess how it went?

Im like FC, I cant be bothered to put in a little extra effort in. I cant even be bothered to use quotes from the new guy's post in this post to clarify my comments. New ideas indeed. Pfffftttt. Nice start.

As for taking a toon to 100, how about just to 27 in the subway!! LOL. OM**.

In closing I must say that I will be looking to revive my old paid sub so that I can have 2 paid accounts. This games always had me by the short hairs, I dont need the new engine or balance's or wavy grass to keep me happy. I just hope I can survive the new guy and what he represents.

[Pomidor]

I hope experience gained by new GD will be like this:

- Fine, I will go gain some leves. Wait..., wth is with all this OST shiat?

Then all OST shiat dissapears from the game.

[Corax]

Yeah, I've been playing for almost a decade now, and I do know what the join date states for this login. I've seen servers merge before. I've seen the player base steadily decrease. I've seen Funcom focus their efforts on other games that failed quite quickly, IMO. All the while, AO has been left to die a slow death. Another server merge, with fewer players, and fewer employees taking care of 3 "live" games...well...it isn't hard to see the writing on the wall. It looks as if the game is still dying, and a less than half-hearted effort is being tried to revive it.

I quit playing EQ to come to AO. The sad thing is, 2 months ago I returned to EQ because there were more players, more of a community, a better engine, and better content.

Perhaps management should really look at their competition, as well as what the players actually want. Then, this game may have a real chance at survival. Unfortunately, when a "skilled captain" takes the helm of a ship he's never sailed, and doesn't listen to the reports, the ship tends to sink. It's a real life lesson. Look at the Titanic.

[Yullaw]

Thx a lot for your work Ilaliya and best wishes for the future

Welcome Nusquam as GD, hopefully you can reach the footstepsize the former GDs have left quickly.

Greets
Yull

[JustinSane4]

Goodbye Ilaliya. You did a great job in a thankless task, and you will be missed. I hope you find a new position worthy of your talent and dedication.

Nusquam: You really, really need to make sure you keep Macrosun and Genele. Macrosun understands the code, Genele understands the game. You need at least one developer who has a knowledge of the game equal to or greater than the average 220/30/70. This is a terribly complex game, which is why we all keep coming back for it despite all the promises FC hasn't delivered on. But it's also a fragile thing that would be very easy to seriously harm. With the departure of Means, Kintaii, and Lindelu there has been a serious loss of institutional memory (for instance, I'm not sure anyone other than Kintaii had a good grasp of the lore), and I'm not sure how much more the game can take and retain its flawed, complex brilliance.

Also: We MPs will harass you without mercy or letup until we hear something about the status of the promised, long delayed profession rebalance/system changes. We've been weaker than every other profession at endgame (possibly excepting keepers) for years, and are counting on the rebalance to resurrect the profession. I've kept subscribed last year and this hoping for them, and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one. Or if not a full re-balance, throw us a bone here in the less than indefinite future. New endgame pet, either attack pet or heal pet? Pretty please?

[RemodCrat]

Originally Posted by Nusquam Thanks Dave, STUFF Cheers, Joel Bylos Creative Director Funcom

Any chance We Pet professions could get our Pet Hunt back. I have no idea what the past Game Directors were thinking.

[Dagget]

Originally Posted by Nusquam The core of the Anarchy development team still exists (pending various contract negotiations) and remains focused on developing Anarchy. Obviously their specialized knowledge of Anarchy and all of the idiosyncrasies of the game is a massive boon in keeping the game moving forward.

If Funcom is serious about AO, this should make Macrosun the highest paid Funcom employee...

[Brampfine]

Servers r back up

GOOD JOB GUY´s

THX

[Homeostasis]

Originally Posted by Nusquam Anarchy Online scares the crap out of me.

Good – You’re off to a great start. However, what scares you (codebase, blah, blah) I have no doubt you’ll learn, but your fear is misplaced. You should have nightmares about mucking up a beloved game with such a devoted fan base. The AO community is a part of what makes this game unique – coding, a firm understanding of AoC/TSW, etc. are all icing on the cake. Don’t forget the cake and you’ll do just fine.

[Shalex]

Welcome aboard! I just resubbed yet again, and hope you can follow through with the long list of promised things we want and have been waiting for.

[AOJUNKIE]

Hope AO gets the love it deserves.

[Esssch]

Originally Posted by JustinSane4 We've been weaker than every other profession at endgame (possibly excepting keepers) for years, and are counting on the rebalance to resurrect the profession.

Keepers were much more powerful than MPs at endgame from SL to LE. NTs and Crats and Traders used to be at the bottom of the pile with us during that same time period, then it all got flipped turned upside down. Now I'd say Keepers, Agents, and MPs are the bottom. At least for PvM.


I hope that video wasn't with maxed settings. It did look good, and this is likely nitpicking, but it seemed like that ground clutter radius was set pretty low, it's really noticeable in the desert area that's first shown.