Research the problem a bit more
Quoting: "To call this "lag" is actually a wrong definition of the problem. Most of the time this is not network lag, or the server running slowly, but what we call the "Resource Manager" loading new meshes and textures from the hard-disk of your computer or the loading of textures and meshes into the 3D card - to be able to display it all gloriously on your monitor :)"
This is not true. When the ping reaches 10K+, my harddisk is hardly working, memory bandwidth (RAM and 3D card memory) is not strained at all and the network monitor shows very little activity the problem is not MY computer, it's the Internet and YOUR cluster of servers.
I am probably connected to one of the best connections available. (100Mbit fully switched fiberoptic net directly connected to Uninets backbone). When I recieve very little information from your servers, the problem is either the Atlantic cable or your system. To test the Atlantic cable I can connect to a N-American server. Upon recieving 500Kilobyte+ per second, I can't see any other problem than your servers.
Hmm.. easilly exploitable
All it would take to unbalance this system is for one side to warp in sit-in characters of the opposite side for the purpose of limiting the number of people who could come in.
Example:
Let's say it's camelot, and the limit is 100 people, 50 clan, 50 omni.
Let's say I'm Omni. A dirty trick would be to warp in 25 clans and park them. Then Clan could never have a substiantial enough force to take box. Or, vice versa. With the number of people with multiple accounts/multiple computers, it becomes very easy to exploit... and it's not "really" an exploit... I mean.. there's no rule saying that the player on a separate account can't be there, and not doing anything... right?
Another thing....
Would this mean that if Omni left 50 clan parked in Camelot, that Omni could *always* own that GS (and vice versa)? That seems silly.
Proposed solution:
Leave it the way it is, but make beacon warp fail when limit is reached. Indoors PFs, the current GS mechanism works great, except for warping.
ahh.. yes.. I can see it now..
Just a few comments...
AC uses a similar system. It works, but its annoying as all hell.
AC isn't trying to focus their game on PVP, AO is. Big difference there.
Notum Wars - Stress the WARS there. This isn't Notum SPORT.
This is - I have something, you don't want me to have that or want to have it yourself.. then come and get it!!! This isn't a friendly match in some game where you'll recieve points for what you do. You'll be fighting for resources and power.
You don't defend those resource, you stand to lose them - time spent building them up, creds spent and the time getting the credits, and the bonuses you recieve from the base.. etc. Yes, I'd like a fair fight.. but I won't be counting on it ever. Thems the breaks... there's always someone(s) that'll be bigger, better, and badder then you.
Just a suggestion.. this is a online rpg, but take a look at Tribes in its pure unmodified form. Offense, defense, bases, and vehicles. Bit similar don't you think? This little blurb really means nothing.. just something to ponder.
It was mentioned - "will be monitored". By who? When? How do you get this person to be impartial?
The reasons I ask this are simple.... you can't even fix a invent rearrangement bug. It was around for a long time, then was fixed, and back, and supposedly fixed, and back, and then fixed.. now its back. This is just a one of MANY examples out there of this sort of thing. Gun init being messed up, wrong types of init on weapons, things being deleted from invents or banks, etc.. the list goes on for a very lenghty time. Yes I give you credit, you've done some wonderful things in the past to make this game better. However, I can't think of any of them that didn't have some glitched involved with it. Your track record looks something along the lines of - for every 15 things fixed/added, 3 new bugs are created or are recreated. With this track record your going to put in a new system that is supposed to have a low profile to the players... I can just about image the fallout from this and the amount of time and tweaking to get it working right.. all the while your players having to put up with it, complaining about it, and whining.. etc. I'd like you to prove my hunch wrong on this, but I won't be holding my breath.
Don't give me any crap about my it being my systems fault on how crappy AO runs on it. I'd like to see a current survey of players and their systems to back your comments up. Since I started playing AO I've increased my overall system power by a factor of 5. The same can be said of my bandwidth. Hardware is pretty cheap on the overall and is improving at a good rate. I'm not rich by any stretch of the imagination.. I pretty much consider myself to be the average online gamer when it comes to hardware. Put the blame where the blame is due..
Back to the track record.. add another one to the notch on the belt of putting a bandage on it instead of actually fixing it. You sure seem to have a large supply of tweaks, nerfs, and bandages.. but a very small and limited supply of actual fixes.
As to what I think of this system.. well.. to put it lightly.. it blows. I see more negatives coming from it then positives. I see a huge amount of bugs and potential issues with it that will most likely be addressed by your beta testers and then be promptly ignored by the devs like always.
Your world is pretty small.. there are places that tend to get crowded.. your adding in a booster that will increase crowding issues... instead of developing other areas, making some of the huge outposts out there into towns that are worthwhile to go to other then for missions.. or adding just blank very basic zones that have just been recently opened to the public from terraforming... instead of having just H2O as a hot spot adding in several other areas similar to it that are clan vs omni hot spots.. instead of having only a very small number of zones with decent reasonable length missions changing it so there's more areas like Broken Shores.. the list goes on and on.. of all the possible things you could do to strain off some of the overcrowding issues.. you chose one thats completely new to the game, storyline, and system... BEFORE trying any other options.. sigh..
hehe.. I just realized something.. what the hell am I doing? Wasting my time basically...
Everyones can have a opinion.. this is mine.. if you don't like it, please feel free to say so.. but keep it civil please. 8)
Luck in the Shadows,
Datawight
Read and research before answering
Many people here have clearly only skimmed the article in anger and others clearly have not read it at all, and are responding to what they are reading from other mis-informed posters.
First of all: advanced word from beta-testers is extremely positive on the code clean-up that has been done in patch 14.7, which works in conjunction with the booster. So, it very well may be that many more folks will be able to share space smoothly after "boosting". Word is that the frame-rate hit in crowded areas will be much better than it is now. Do some research on this before you lay down too much hostility.
The first big hot button issue here, the messy code, apparently IS being worked on, so, perhaps, stop harping on that...?
Second: Read and re-read the article with an objective eye. I don't think it's as bad as you are imagining.
Re: Read and research before answering
Quote:
Originally posted by Wiccaman
Second: Read and re-read the article with an objective eye. I don't think it's as bad as you are imagining.
I have re-read the article, several times. And here is what I found:
Quote:
Originally posted by Gaute Godager
Or we can make a "fair" Crowd Limiting system that tries to understand the PvP situation and balance the fight.
They can't make a good AI system for their NPC's, how can they make a system that "tries to understand the PvP situation?" They will try to balance the fight, but sometimes fights aren't balanced. If the attackers show up with an overwhelming force, why should they be handicapped by an arbitrary system? Same goes for the defenders.
Quote:
Originally posted by Gaute Godager
As defenders move in, and the sum of characters is above the legal limit - attackers will actually be moved out. (And vice versa.)
There you go, players will be "moved out." No way to soft sell this one, you get over the limit, and we'll kick some folks out. Forget planning and tactics, just make sure you have 50 folks who are all 200th level, and you stand a chance of keeping enough of them in the fight. Don't worry about being outnumbered, the system will "balance the fight" for you.
Quote:
Originally posted by Gaute Godager
Players trying to gain access to a too crowded area through teleportation, logging in or "zoning" (shifting playfield) will be stopped or get an alternative log-in place.
So if you aren't even involved with the fight, but you need to get to something in that playfield, or you must pass through that playfield, you'll be told to just chill out for awhile. Go play EQ, we've got more important customers to please.
Every time this happens people will be forced into thinking about how much they like playing AO. That's not what Funcom wants people sitting around thinking about.