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We have tried to make Anarchy Online an MMORPG where you can solo through a large part of your gaming experience, if this is indeed what you want to do.
Soloing is good if you don't have a lot of time on your hands, but it's often too boring. The missions part is the most boring, since it's soo predictable. It's very easy at low levels as long as you keep your fighting abilities high enough (and if you don't it isn't really a problem).. when you hit 40 it gets a bit harder for some classes and fights take much longer solo. When you hit 80, it takes 8 minutes to kill a yellow mob. If you still are able to, at that lvl of course.
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I think it works quite well for the most parts. I know there are occurrences where people report problems fighting "experience-giving monsters" (non-grey monsters). To me, those are to be considered bugs, or imbalances, and will be looked into. It might take time, but we shall get there.
It works 'ok' but now in the way we would like this. You are killing all the time so we want to have some surprise elements and fun in hunting.
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What I would like to ask your opinion about, is to what degree you feel you are able to cooperate well in teams.
It all depends. I know I can trust some people but when fighting with new people, mostly at lower lvls (1-50) I often notice lack of skill in bigger fights with more monsters. Playing an MA is of course easier then playing an MP.
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it might be our (Funcom's) fault?
50% right. You could add so much more elements for more complex and thus more fun combat. Not just 'q' and 'b' bashing (for an enforcer, some other keys for other classes)
[quote]Thus I would like to ask you for ideas on how to improve your abilities to cooperate. For example:[quote]
Improve teaming, teamwork and overall combat. Good idea.
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Do the professions with an adequate number of hit-points to "tank" (survive with monsters bashing them) have enough ways to keep the monsters focused on them? (As in viable "Aggression Enhancers" and Nano Programs?) Are you able to do your job?
I saw alot of enforcers who don't even know what an agression enhancer IS. Better game documentation for n00bs might be a point.
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Do the professions that heal (Doctors, Martial Artists and Adventurers) have any use / purpose in the team? Do you really need a healer when the monsters drop in 5-10 seconds?
It depends what kind of mobs you are hunting, and how 'red' they are. MP heal pets can easily replace the role of a doctor if not much healing is necessary. Which is a bad thing since the doctor won't have work to do.
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A natural follow up question here is: Should we increase the unpredictability of monster spawns so that they are more "surprising", and different - so that more healers are needed. (More on this later.)
You should make an interactive spawn depending on how much teams are hunting in the area. So if there's lots of teams killing a BIG BAD MUTANT with maybe some cool loot might show up. Would be very cool.
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Do the "crowd control" (the ability to temporally suspend monsters from battle by "freezing" them, "slowing" them down, or totally "wiping" their mind) professions have any use? Do you need a Bureaucrat, Agent, Fixer or Trader to keep monsters at bay?
Often very hard to see if a mob is charmed, if you are camping a place full of shades for example. The only thing is the nano effect above their head and the message -starting attack failed- maybe it would be better if it's more clear which is charmed.
Agent roots are useless.
Slow-down nano's ar rarely used.
Trader roots are good, I had a team member (Mczero) which kept the mobs from attacking the MP's with good use of rooting tactics.
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A question to those of you venturing into static dungeons: is there any difference here?
I haven't seen much of static dungeons. But one thing I can say is that the mobs have insane much HP and hit insane hard.
30-70 you say? at 36 I go in, 6 lvls above the min lvl, with my MA fully buffed with good healing capacities and a few friends of course) and we get slammed by the 15 monsters in the 1st room.
Next try two days later, the first room only has some mobs. We kill them and go on 2nd room is full of insane hard creatures.
Ļ*give up the whole thing, BAH!*Ļ
don't understand me wrong I like the concept but the ranges are too wide and the mobs WAY too hard.
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Do enough professions have crowd control capabilities? Which do you lack? Suggestions?
I think this is well balanced.
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Does support people have any real use? I have noticed many players on low levels having an inadequate number of NCUs to really take advantage of the beneficial nano programs ("buffs").
Make NCU show up more often as mission rewards.
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Do you meet monsters that require skill and tactics to fight other than in the static dungeons?
Nothing more then the usual tactics. Mobs in statics are just more harder even though they are grey to the higher lvls who can't kill 'em.
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Would you like us to add them, or would that seem like we are reducing your capabilities to solo?
YESS! More tactics = better combat.
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Imagine going to the mines in Mutant Domains or Lush Fields to fight monsters. Suddenly, larger and tougher monsters spawn among its fellow "cannonfodder" friends. It would have more hit-points, higher damage output, and a higher chance of unique item-drops (Loot). Would that be fun, or a pain in the ...?
It would be fun. Or a pain in the ass if you lose 55000xp because of it (and next lvl was 57000). Of course this is an 'imagine' thing i would be very surpised (positively) if this was coming soon.
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Do you have enough time for socialisation?
About 40% of the population is ASSOCIAL. The only words they say are 'ding', 'grats' and 'heal me plz'
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In some other MMORPGs there is a much higher "down-time" factor. (Down-time, the time you wait before you can fight again after last battle.) You can sit for several minutes just gazing at your spellbook or such. The only thing you can do in that period is chat with your team or friends. Do you miss this? Is AO too hectic, too fast-paced? Remember the downtime is very much created for your ability to play solo, so in a team - you are a non-stop-fighting-machine. (Pardon the pun :p)
Downtime isn't fun, that's a fact. But sometimes I would wish for downtime if it's just too chaotic and the team needs me. Sometimes you don't even have the time to buff up or even spend you ip.
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Does the GUI support you in your effort?Is the Map GUI with your team members listed, the team GUI with health and nano enough for you to cooperate? Any good suggestions here?
One thing I liked about an opponent of AO in the MMORPG market was that it had a small dragable screen where you could see all your pet's health and what it was fighting or who it was healing.
Of course we have report but then you are on the wrong shortcur bar when you really need to see where your pet is etc..
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I wouldn't dream of changing the rules in such a way that you would be less effective in what you do, or "nerfing" your abilities. What I could consider would be to make life less predictable, and in turn more rewarding. In addition there should be new ways of fighting so that tactical abilities and cooperation are more frequently needed. Examples:
Give more professions the ability to "crowd control" to some degree. (Adventures getting lower-aggro range nanos i.e.)
Make more interesting monster camps.
Check for a quick death-respawn cycle. If so you increase the chance of a "boss monster" to spawn.
They will have higher level, more hit-points, and an increased chance of dropping unique loot.
We could do this from monster level 50 and up i.e.
Give monsters a more complex AI when you meet them with a team. Let them pick dangerous opponents, basically be "nastier", more challenging... (More fun?)
Go through each profession and make sure it has something unique, or at least very good, to contribute to a team in a fight.
If you feel that this is the problem with your team, please supply suggestions of what you would like.
Include different team-missions. Finally turn on the team-mission booths and give them tougher monsters, more of them, better loot and several levels. Maybe with a boss at the end? + Multiple reward and tokens.
And please supply any way in which teaming up can be improved in any way! Thanks!
Let me stress again that this should in no way change the way you solo, or your ability to solo. Those aspects should remain as good as they are today.
Ok, that concludes my thoughts for today. I look forward to some more excellent feedback on this!
Thank you very much
Gaute Godager
Game Director
Anarchy Online
I think your ideas are wonderful. Increase AI and cut down HP.