14.2 - Welcome to Quake 4

[_____________Debitte]

I am a L93 Trader.

I wield a QL200 SA Tranquil Home Defender
My armour is Flowers around QL120-140.
I have a QL130 Secondus Decus cloak on.
I have a 250 token board.
I have Pads of Interest.
I have a full set of Ql125 implants.

Now, in any estimation of how this game should work; I should be moderately "uber". I should FLY through L93 missions, because L 93 missions should be balanced around a moderately equipped character. They are not.

I managed to die (as we all do) in a L93 mission to a chem-shield wearing Nano-Tech from melee damage! Close to the end of the mission (as we all do).

Now....if you implement 14.2. That mission that I died in..would not be difficult. Would not be challenging ...it would be unplayable.

So if you really do feel the need to turn AO into a 12 y.o. standard, console ready version of "Quake 4" with the 14.2 patch, by all means go ahead. You will need to rebalance the game before this is implemented.

You are admirable for listening to your player base, but the views of a level 25 player have little to do with the experience of the higher level players in the game. Unlike some other MMORPGs I have played I really dont see the incentive to level? What will I do differently at L 150 than L 93? After L75 or so - no one continues to fight outdoors. No class of mobs drop any "special" items. I had a QL200 weapon equipped at L80 - which apparently now will be useless.

After the 14.2 patch I certainly doubt I will be able to solo. I think teams used to playing L150 missions will have to play L110 missions. I think Engineers used to playing with slayer droids will be playing with large tin garbage cans again. I think there will be no concept of being "superior" anymore, and no reward for taking the time to make a truly working character. I think a lot of people will get frustrated that that cannot do anymore what they have developed an expectation of.

With the IP Reset I will give up my shotgun and grab a couple of riders executioners. Who really cares after the patch because we will all be brought down to the lowest common denomiator. Level, not planning and knowledge, will determine the power of a character.

...look for the duel wielding 1he Trader out there - ill be coming your way...or maybe I'll get a full auto weapon like a OT Escorpio (they used to be crap)

or maybe...we will have "pickup" weapons in trade with no stats...oh look is that a rotating chain gun!

"Hi I am new to the game? Where can I find the quad damage pickups?"

[____________Ironheel]

Yeah the game is completely destroyed because you can't equip the best weapon you can ever get at level 80. No thought is required anymore because you can't just hook up with an uber-guild and follow in the footsteps of all those who came before and over-equip yourself to godness. There's no point in playing because you can't OE and own some casual player who spends time to make sure his armor matches rather then trying to figure out what's the highest QL he could possibly wear with enough stepping implants.

Give me a break, the OE patch is going in because people were quiting after getting sick of all the l33t twelve year olds who got their kicks from finding the best way to abuse the rules of the game.

[______________Leumas]

Huh? level 93 trader can't solo 50% mission, you said. Whatever happen to your mezz? Don't blame funcom when you have either poor tactic or screw up your character.

[Lazz]

There will be just as many possible ways of overequipping after 14.2 as it is now before, just as many ways to tweak the characters and the game will require equally as much (or more)thinking and knowledge to master as before. What 14.2 does is take away the extremes which made the game unbalanced, it will put the level system into play again and I welcome it. I have always thought it was strange that only the equipping required the skills and not the using.

[_____________Debitte]

Was very interested at this post (in retrospect) after having returned to the game eight months later.

I cannot say I disagree with a thing posted there. I still believe whole heartedly that 14.2 was the worst thing to happen to the game.

Perhaps what we need now is an OE server- as before we certainly need items over QL 200. OE gave ****e to the game, made you push your character constantly out of the comfort zone.

The game is certainly easier now. But is that a good thing? I loved building a combat character at low levels from nothing and dueling it like two experiments in a petrie dish. Give us back that! Our intellectual fun. I don't know how..but

I got back to "The Pit" concept; an arena with special rules where people come to watch duals with big automated readouts on the players completing and special rules governing combat. Its just an idea - but we need to bring back the ****e!

Debitte
L 108 Trader
RK2



P.S. I am interested in decenting opinion, not juvenile flames

[______________Saruzi]

Well, just be glad Traders aren't nerfed bad. They go out lucky compared to gimpdom other classes had. Currently, soloing was never meant to be easy.

[engelstein]

Just because YOU like to OE does not mean that others do. I'm glad that the OE rules went in, and I'm thoroughly happy with the patch as a whole.

The game is certainly easier now. But is that a good thing? I loved building a combat character at low levels from nothing and dueling it like two experiments in a petrie dish. Give us back that! Our intellectual fun. I don't know how..but

I loved team healing and not getting any agro. Boo hoo, broken game mechanic gets fixed.

P.S. If you can't solo 50% with your equip, then you did something wrong. Seriously. You've got plunders, hagglers, calms, drains. Use that noggin before you start complaining.

P.P.S. Saruzi, Traders are far from gimped. They just aren't gods anymore. Some of them are still pissed off from that.