More Worried About the Graphics Engine Changes
Once, just once, I'd like to see Funcom post a set of patch notes and not have 75% of the replies be complaints about what isn't in them. If it's not in the patch notes, don't comment about it in the patch notes thread. Man, I wish the moderators would go through this thread once or twice a day and prune the off-topic posts. After a couple of days, people might take the hint.
As someone whose primary character has been an MA, I am thrilled beyond words about the damage type change. I can pretty much understand why nobody else is. In 13.9, they're right, I'm no longer jealous of shotguns. I am still jealous of MP attack pets (my secondary character). Changing the damage type should just about make MAs equal to MPs. And boy, won't that have some people crying in their beer.
And words can not begin to express how much I hope that Funcom actually comes through with the Team Missions change. You know why I play mostly solo missions? Because finding mobs of the right range, in manageable numbers, with actual loot, is just not possible in the wild. Now you're going to give us actual incentives to form teams and run missions? Man oh man. For one thing, wow, the first real incentive I've seen yet to get in groups more often than to solo. Also, wow, missions with boss mobs and uber loot BELOW charlevel 80. I am so, so there.
The one thing that terrifies me is that the section on graphics engine changes. There are so many, and so fundamental, as to make me suspect that they've licensed a new graphics engine altogether. I almost hope so - because changes that big are going to break something. Probably break it altogether. No offense, but Funcom's track record on software engineering is not something to be proud of.
In particular, there had better be some serious major improvements to rendering speed before they link object texture quality to ground texture quality. One of the things I had to do to get my frame rate to manageable was drop ground texture quality to medium. (I'd go lower, but then I couldn't see contour.) I had to stay at high texture quality to be able to read signs, tell shops apart, and so on.
Look, I play on a 192MB Celeron 566. That is way, way above the "minimum" system requirements, and within spitting distance of the "recommended" ones. Don't tell me to raise it to 512 MB; this box tops out at 256. If the graphics rendering changes make it slower or more memory dependent, then they will make me choose between spending hundreds of dollars to replace my CPU and quitting AO. And I don't have hundreds of dollars to spare.
I'm eagerly waiting for 14 to hit the test server. But my god, I hope they listen to the users and ARKs on the test server this time.
Balance and restrictions based on level is garbage
If one were to say that a level 10 character can only use up to lvl 12 items then EVERY lvl10 character in the game would be completely geared out in lvl12 gear.
EVERY lvl100 character would be completely equipped in lvl120 gear head to toe.
How g-d f-ing boring bs kind of game is that? Introduce something as childishly simple as that and I and half the game is gone in an instant. "Sorry little Johhny, I know you can do calculus backwards in you sleep, but you can't go to college because you're only 10 and we say so" Screw that let Johnny take non-linear equations if he's capable of doing so.
First it was sexism, then racism, now we got levelism. "Go to the back of the bus you sub-50'er. Make room for the plus-100's"
Yeah, that's what we need to do: encourage leveling just for the sake of leveling. Novel concept. Not.
The fact of the matter is that there should be no 10X damage spread. There should not be a single player in the game stupid, broke, anti-social, or ignorant enought not to be at least up to 50% of the total power potential of the most tweaked and tuned power gamer at the same level.
If you are less than half of what the number one player in your profession is at then you are pathetic. I believe pathetic players need to be in the game. They give the rest of the playerbase something to feel good about. Kind of how the good looking chick likes to hang out around the not-so-good-looking chicks.
But 10X power difference at the same level? How could you come up with such a number?
When do Docs get some love?
Quote:
Originally posted by Detonate
Wow, sounds kinda good. Unfortunatley no new game additions.
Meaning us Adventurers will still suck just as much for another 4 months.....
Ha! At least Adv is on the list at all. My main char is a Doc and I've heard no plans to give us any aid.
We can't solo missions effectively so we can't make money on rewards and chest loot. We can't make any money off our tradeskills because the components cost a zillion times more than the value of the stims and treatment labs you get from them. Unlike weapon components, medical tradeskill items NEVER show up as loot so there's no chance of finding them or trading with other players to get them inexpensively. We don't have buffs like Mastery or Wrangle or Feline Grace that people are willing to tip for. Sometimes I can get small tips for doing monster parts but since ANYONE can use a biocommuter there's not much reason for people to find a Doc to get it done.
I enjoy playing on teams as a Doc and I really want to stick with the char. But I am sick of being poor. At level 50 most of my friends are flying Yalms and I can barely scrape enough loot to replace the nano rechargers I go through in a session (at 6K a pop). Forget about buying a better gun or upgrading implants (and incidently, the gun and the implants I have currently were all gifts...I didn't have the money to get my own).
It's been 8 levels since I've been able to purchase upgraded equipment for this char (I did invest in two new nanos and that pretty much wiped my savings). It's reached a point where there's no enjoyment playing the character anymore.
Please please please Funcom...adjust tradeskills, improve our ability to solo, or offer Docs some other way to make money!!!
Re: Preliminary 14.0 Patch Notes
Quote:
Originally posted by Cosmik
-It is now possible to alt-tab from AO running in full screen mode.
I already could alt-tab