Over-equipping - here we go....

[______RobustBackpack]

First post here .. Just like to say i been playing for about 6or 7 months ,left the game before this one because they started to try to equalize everyone..that is predictable and boring ..to me
The ip reset sounds good

How can one OE? There is a war out there im gonna load my pockets with the biggest bullets i can find...is that OE?

Lvl 142 adv
Lvl 47 ma
Lvl 77 mp
Lvl 91 NT

[______________Mrengi]

Originally posted by Phelisha

what?!!?!? lvl 70 with a slayer droid?!?!?! how in hell si that even possible!
TELL ME!

Thats not passible if u dont explot .. its hard to get it at lvl 100 even harder at lvl 80 but posible but not under that .. trust me i know

[____________Ejeckted]

Gaute, Funcom, please take a look.
I have a much better formula for you.
One that will satisfy the majority
of players on both sides of the issue.


100% overequiped is twice your base skill level.
(eg using a QL200 gun when you only have the base for QL100)
so divide %OE'd in half and you've nullified the OE.

I still believe that extra effort should yield some reward however,
so I adjusted this scale slightly off the null point.


91%-100% OE = 40% total damage reduction
81%-90% OE = 36% total damage reduction
71%-80% OE = 32% total damage reduction
61%-70% OE = 28% total damage reduction
51%-60% OE = 24% total damage reduction
41%-50% OE = 20% total damage reduction
31%-40% OE = 16% total damage reduction
21%-30% OE = 12% total damage reduction
11%-20% OE = 8% total damage reduction
5%-10% OE = 4% total damage reduction
2%-4% OE = 2% total damage reduction

do the math. it's easy. it's simple. it works.

a higher QL weapon will never be worse than a lower QL
but the benefit to overequiping is small enough not to
imbalance the game or make it impossible for more
casual players to compete. what do you think?



just incase this is confusing to anyone else reading:

using a weapon twice your skill level
would reward you with approximately 10% more damage

using a QL150 gun when you only have the skill for QL100
would result in a benfit of approximately 5% more damage


other benefits to this scale:

debuffs no longer become a huge problem.
ATK rating and active buffs much more influential than OE'd QL.

in conclusion:

I believe this formula is much more elegant in that
it actually limits the effect of OE more than the
initial proposal, without removing the strategy
part of the game that the 'overequipers' enjoy.

[Hersha]

I feel after reading this that it will just make the game be even more focused on teaming up with people for so the people that like to solo are made obsilete for what you are saying. I feel that the pets wont obey you is just plain stupid. It makes it where when using a pet oriented class that you cant do any missions stronger than normal. (Thats just dumb in its self takes the fun out of missions.) I would agree with it if it didnt make such a huge impact on those who prefer to solo. i mean if it was 50% instead of 20% that would be fine. I mean I really hate seeing a lvl 50 character using like a 150 weapon. Now thats just plain annoying. but i can under stand using a weapon thats twice your lvl. I mean my agent has such a low dmg out put at lvl 44 that she cant even solo 50% missions. This is my oppinion on this topic.

[Vixentrox]

Normally I don't respond to these boards because it's the same things over and over again. I'm posting for the 1st time to express my displeasure with the planned OE "patch". To add one more disapproving voice. I have played AO since launch date (and a bit in beta 4 on a friends beta account). This is my first MMORPG and I love it. Even with all the bugs and problems I still can hardly wait to get home from work to play. I took my lumps with the first character I built. The character was designed badly and it was really no ones fault but my own (although the FA nerf didn't help). Then I found a great Clan with a lot of people who showed me how to make a charater. I now fall into that OE category. But hey, my 1st few months playing AO my character was crap. I suspected it she was but didn't realize it until my first waxing in PVP. My current character is decent and all her equipment was got on LEGALLY. All the buffs that are in the game, careful IP selection (including a ton in treatment to get good implants), good implants, wrangles, and ransack/deprives. Now FC is saying I wasted my time and money by playing by their rules. Well I think that plain stinks. Everyone who is a beginner will take their lumps. Everyone who chooses not too be in a guild will be disadvantaged. Maybe we should do away with guilds too to help the disadvantaged new people. After all, I can bum a few million credits from my friends to get a Yalm. A newbie who doesn't know anyone is outta luck. Yeah, best get rid of guilds to even it up. Oh...since my friends are in the guilds...best make it so we can't have friends either. That might give us some unfair advantage over a new person who doesn't know anyone. Also, better not allow trades either since my higher level characters can trade stuff to my lower level characters and can run missions for my new Alts...yeah better get rid of the trade window. Now did I miss anything? Oh yeah...since I have only a midgrade computer I think evryone should use a slower one...to even it up. Rats, I have a cable modem...I better go back to dial up since it's not fair that I zone faster. See a trend here...the world is not fair and even. Why should Rubi-ka be? Anyone who sticks with the game WILL make the friends, WILL get the good equipment, WILL have a lot of money, and WILL learn the tricks to making a good character. As for my first character...she is still around...I'll probably never deleter her. Whenever I need a pick me up I log on and think, "Damn, you've come a long way Baby!"

[____________Phelisha]

i took my lumps as well when i was new, only i didnt have friends
but, i ended up making one firend at first, his name was Depiee.
he was lvl 20, with a lvl 30 wep, and i was a MA that didnt even know about how to use general buffs and heals.
then i heard about this buffing stuff and i thought, O WHAT BS THIS IS!!
then i first tryed pvp, and i won! (got lucky person sucked to)
i thought i was god after that
BUT then i fought someone slightly orange to me, nd he did 300 damage! in one shot!! then down i fell.
after that i found buffs to be an exploit sense they could be stacked like they can. i thought everyone was cheating.
but then, i made some more friends, and i asked about these buffs, and i found people that could help me.
(random people, and they were very generous to)
then i joined a guild, and was shown the hunting spots, shown how the buffs work best, and was assisted with armor weps implants etc, etc.

thena fter this is where i started to realy have fun, every time i got some new equipment, it felt awsome, everytime i got certain buffs, and got lvl's i felt very acomplished.(fitsr char is only lvl 30 right now)
then i made my doc, gave her swords, and implants and armor and whatnot, using my knowledge from my earlier experiences.

now, i could never solo anythign realy as a doc at a higher lvl, but when i first got my ql 100 swords on at 60, i thought "Alright! i can finally solo these mutants!"(NW camp ones)

so i darted after one with my so called over powered swords.
and wouldnt ya know it, i had my ass handed to me on a silver platter. then i tryed to fix my armor, and got a suit of ql 80 elite armor from my guild to use.
i equiped it, and went after them again. i did better this time, but still died.
the i got a lvl 70 heal nano, and some posion, and bigger hp buffs (much over my lvl) and with it all i finally killed one! i felt quit acomplished with myself. and this has continued for em like this ever sense with all my chars.

and now im hearing that doing all i can do to do moderate and fight things my lvl is wrong.....
well its not wrong, its needed.
until about lvl 100 (which i dont have the play time to realy get to) over equiping is a must.
its not that difficult to do, but its more of a challange then other games have to offer.
it also makes things un predictable and exciting. unlike in other games. now, this makes AO unique in my opinion, if every game is predictable and the same then there no fun.

i say if you cant deal with it, and dont know how to make firend, or feel you can never be in a guild, then this realy isnt the game for you.

[______________Rez-SN]

After reading this post some more I can understand some what about the way Funcom and some people feel about over equippers like the level 70 Engineer who has a Slayerdroid but thats not over equipping thats more like Exploiting. To my knowledge after doing some numbers and calculating in implants and such there is no possible way for a Level 70 Engineer to have a Slayerdroid without exploiting.

Funcom is punishing people who really work hard to get equipment and or pet at a certain level through legitiment means because of people who cheat and exploit.

I had an extremely hard time at level 106 getting my Slayerdroid. I had QL160 Head, Eye and QL150ish Right hand implant which have my T&S / MC clusters in them, Mochum T&S/MC and 132 Wrangle and a Pillow with Important Stripes to make up for the loss of MC in my QL150 Right hand to get my Slayerdroid out. (I also have a Nelebs robe)

When it comes down to it because of previous and current exploits Funcom did not find sooner, innocent people who work within the rules to get on their equipment or summon their pet are getting punished.

[Sludgeee]

The ip reset is a great thing.
The sooner it's available the better.

[___________Psymantha]

I should have known better, buying a game from a socialist country. What's this everybody should be equal dung? So I invest time researching and /term'ing so I have the money and the knowledge to get into the best equipment, and it all goes bye-bye because a few of our less astute lab-partners don't have the time or the brains to do the same.

This will be a hoot watching the game implode. Good thing that FC doesn't need profits, or those cancelled accounts would hurt them.

[_____________Gyrmyth]

Originally posted by MSag
This article doesnt mention debuffs. So are debuffs included into the formula used to determine how much overequipped one are? If they are not I say thumbs up, if they are, well then its thumbs down from me.

Well, considering that debuffs are only temporary, I don't agree with you here. Addtiionally, if a debuff is cast on a Nano User, they can't cast thier nano at all until the debuff wears off. Why should weapons or armor be immune from the effects of debuffs?

[_____________Gyrmyth]

Originally posted by Intra
hopefully this will not be the case as it will mean that wrangles can effect battles for a short duration of time and will mean that traders are wanted in teams for battle situations rather than buff merchants in cities

I fail to see why this is such a bad thing. If a trader is invited to tag along in a team just to keep them buffed so they can keep thier equipment on, then the trader gets a share of the XP just for being in the team. Sounds like a great deal for traders to me, and I happen to be a trader.

[Xaielao]

ok.. I'm going to say this one more time.. even though I know it's not going to get into the thick skulls of those who think just because they have the time and the money they have the right to be gods.

OE'ING WILL BE NERFED BECAUSE NOT ALL CLASSES CAN OE TO THE EXTREME LIKE SOME OF YOU CAN!


MA's CANNOT over-equip there fists perminantly
NT's CANNOT over-equip there nukes perminantly
Fixers CANNOT over-equip there SMG's to the extreme (+100 burst is crap nothing at lvl40+)

Don't you ever wonder why the Arena's and MMD are full of Enforcers, Agents, Traders and Engineers and 99% of the time the other 7 classes are no where to be found in PvP areas? GET A CLUE!

Yes this was a flame.. I am so sick and tired of you uber-oe people *****ing and moaning that you won't be able to be uber anymore. If you DON"T OE to the extreme (weapons within 50% of your lvl or so) completely ignore the above.. unless of course you wish to back me up.

[_____________Gyrmyth]

Originally posted by Arila
hmmm, i dont understand how the heck they exspect the Ip reset thingy to work, how do the point system work? 90 points? what do that mean? and so on, besides that, then the engineers no longer can solo missions besides thos on their own level, which is tottaly bad

My interpretation of that article is that each point will allow you to reset one skill. When you reset the skill it goes back to its starting value and you get the IPs you had previously invested in it back. You can then spend those IPs to raise other skills and invest some back into the skill you reset if you want it up a little higher than the starting value.

Hope that makes sense.

[____________Phelisha]

*comercial starts*
*small skinny guy walks into a group of more small skinny guys*

woho this is great, everyone is happy where all equal here!
*Arhnols Swatzinager walks onto set*

HEY, HES BIGGER THEN US! THATS NOT FAIR! WAAAAAAAAAA
*crowd of skinny people start to cry and whine tot he point of ears bleeding*

Arni- o shut up, or ill beat you to death with my manly pinky finger!

*FC exec walks into the scene with a can in his hand*

Small guys- who are you?
Exec- im god!
Arni- o damn..........
Exec-Worrie not little skinny dudes! this big brute wont show you up any longer! for what i have ehre is a merical product!

*shows can to the viewers*

Thats right folks! Nerf in a can!!!!!
watch as i turn this brute mindless and generic like all the rest!
*sprays Arni*

*in a magical cloud of lag Arni is reduced to the size of everyone else!*

Exec- Amazing isnt it!
*little letters appear at bottem of screen that go by extreamly fast and you need a magnifine glass to see*

Only 999,999,999.99! plus shipping and handeling.
could cuase seizures, vometing, stomach achs, sever diarear, blindness, cancer, aids, diabeties, painfull and temporary(sometimes perminant) blindness, and has been known to be the cuase of 99.9 perent of deaths in ohio, mass, arizona, and even in canada.

[Cheetra]

I know for a fact that Trader Npc's can stack 2 skill debuffs, let's just look at what happens with BOTH, since some folks don't seem to understand what this patch means for ALL weapons that are NOT overequiped. This is assuming that the player has every single point needed to use these weapons on their own. Keep in mind, that similiar results will be encounters at EVER SINLGE LEVEL OF PLAY. Also keep in mind that this assumes your fighting an NPC or PC where you are roughly equally level, if you're lower level... kiss your butt bye bye, you just had your weapon gimped to -100% damage from one debuff likely as not.

I use the high end because of the high skills requirements, none of which you can not simply put more points into to raise past the points where you'd be uneffected.


The nano info.

Plunder Skills (Advanced)
Description Lowers all attacking and nano skills of the target by 211 points, transferring 178 points back to the caster.

QL 185
NCU 57
Nanocost 429
Duration 180 s
Attack time 4.52 s
Recharge time 6.52 s

visual profession trader
Effects
modify target sensory imp -211
modify target 2h edged -211
modify target assault rifle -211
modify target shotgun -211
modify target smg -211
modify target rifle -211
modify target pistol -211
modify target bow -211
modify target heavy weapons -211
modify target grenade -211
modify target sharp objects -211
modify target melee energy -211
modify target piercing -211
modify target 1h edged -211
modify target 2h blunt -211
modify target 1h blunt -211
modify target martial arts -211
modify target time and space -211
modify target matter creation -211
modify target matter meta -211
modify target biological meta -211
modify target psycho mod -211
modify target ranged energy -211


AND


Name Divest Skills (Advanced)
Description Lowers all attacking and nano skills of the target by 204 points, transferring 170 points back to the caster.
QL 179
NCU 55
Nanocost 426
Duration 180 s
Attack time 4.49 s
Recharge time 6.49 s
Range 25 m
visual profession trader
Effects
modify target sensory imp -204
modify target 2h edged -204
modify target assault rifle -204
modify target shotgun -204
modify target smg -204
modify target rifle -204
modify target pistol -204
modify target bow -204
modify target heavy weapons -204
modify target grenade -204
modify target sharp objects -204
modify target melee energy -204
modify target piercing -204
modify target 1h edged -204
modify target 2h blunt -204
modify target 1h blunt -204
modify target martial arts -204
modify target time and space -204
modify target matter creation -204
modify target matter meta -204
modify target biological meta -204
modify target psycho mod -204
modify target ranged energy -204


Now for a little eye opener about what that 2 debuffs will do, IN ADDITION TO REDUCING YOUR ATTACK RATING BY 415 POINTS, and keep in mind this is STILL not worst case scenario as the different plunders, deprives, ransacks etc STACK with lower versions. Which you can bet PC traders will do even if npc's don't.


Premium Slegdehammer of Doom >>>>>>>>>-50% damage from 2 debuffs.
QL 200 Damage 1-906 (100)
Requirements
2h blunt 807
brawl 485
dimach 162

Premium Support Beam >>>>>>>>>> -50% damage from 2 debuffs.
QL 200 Damage 33-519 (519)
Requirements
2h blunt 1008
brawl 605
dimach 202
breed atrox

Premium Notum Staff
QL 200 Damage 44-372 (158) ....... !!!!!!! -100% damage from 2 debuffs ( hits 2hb and energy melee )
Requirements
2h blunt 921
brawl 614
melee energy 614
fast attack 512
sneak attack 512
dimach 205


Premium Rider Executioner ........ !!!!!!!! -100% damage from 2 debuffs. ( hits 1he and hvy weapons skills )
QL 200 Damage 10-484 (140)
Multi melee 832
Requirements
1h edged 851
brawl 568
heavy weapons 568
dimach 190

Disguised Zenith Taichi ..... !!!!!!!!! -100% damage from 2 debuffs ( hits MA and 1he )
QL 200
Damage 75-95 (300)
Requirements
martial arts 1064
brawl 710
1h edged 710
dimach 237


Lotus Parry Stick ............!!!! -100% damage from 2 debuffs ( hits MA and 1hb )
QL 200
Damage 50-60 (300)
Requirements
martial arts 725
brawl 483
1h blunt 483
dimach 162

A Well Shaped Tool of Torturing .....you guessed it.... -100% damage from 2 debuffs ( hits MA and 1hb )
QL 200 Damage 111-111 (666)
Requirements
martial arts 1108
brawl 739
1h blunt 739
dimach 247

High Quality Nova Flow - Mark I ....... thought soliders where gimped now? -100% damage from 2 debuffs. ( hits Assault Rif and Ranged energy )
QL 200 Damage 1-410 (260)
Requirements
assault rifle 847
burst 706
ranged energy 565
fling shot 471

Premium E-Beamer .... HEY SOLIDERS ...-100% damage from 2 debuffs. ( hits range energy and assualt rifle )
QL 200 Damage 10-297 (101)
Requirements
ranged energy 874
assault rifle 583
fling shot 486

Premium Stigma Rifle >>>>>>>> -50% damage from 2 debuffs
QL 200 Damage 12-326 (101)
Requirements
rifle 859
aimed shot 430

Krutt Assault 219 Waltzing Queen Special .... Doc's....-50% damage from 2 debuffs
QL 184 ( highest I could find stats for )
Requirements
shotgun 794
fling shot 398


Is any of this sinking in yet?

This is NOT the awnser, every single weapon is this game will be subject to 50% shutdown, ever weapon with 2 basic weapon skills will be subject to COMPLETE weapon damage shutdown.

WAKE UP FOLKS. You may or may not support and end to Over Equiping, but PLEASE you can NOT support this patch. This is NOT the way to do it, it opens up balance issuses bigger then all of Asia.

[_____________Gyrmyth]

Originally posted by Rolller
I have been playing since 12.6 ( the ultimately horrible patch ) so I have to say that I don't have much faith in them (FC) changing things for the better. A soldiers life blood is over equipping. What is Funcom smoking if they think I can kill a QL 104 mob with a QL 104 nova flow.

Has it occured to anyone that, in it's current state the game is next to impossible to balance? How can Funcom be expected to balance against players when they have no idea what that player's abilities may be due to overequipping? Funcom is in business to make money. If the game is grossly unbalanced after the patch, I am sure they will make the necessary adjustments. Do I think this is goinna be pefect coming out of the gate? I doubt it, but once this is done at least they can start to look at the balance issues that a great number of players spend a great deal of time complaining about.

Originally posted by Rolller
Once the cat is out of the bag you really can't put it back in. This is going to be a broad, across the board nerf for all but those classes who can self buff. I have zero ability to buff myself into decent armor. This will pretty much negate my ability to tank as I will be relegated to using armor that is around my level. FC has claimed to reduced the AC humanoid mobs have. Thing is they have made no mention of reducing the dmg they do. I cannot take on QL 104 mobs wearing QL 104 armor let alone QL 180 mobs with QL 104 armor.

Now [B}this[/B] is just plain silly. I want to know what has lead you to believe that soldiers (or any other profession) were ever intended to be used to tank mobs 76 levels higher than thier current level. Please provide me with any valid information source that has ever made this claim.

[________Chipforbrain]

I wonder if they'll give more free months to get people back after this patch.

[_____________Gyrmyth]

Originally posted by starknaked
The only players really hurt by this will be traders, agents, and enforcers, they were the ones who at midlevels could massively overequip.

I'm going to repeat again that traders should be PRAISING this patch. If they are wise, traders will be able to create a very nice situation for themselves where they will be able to level without every even wielding a weapon. How? Because the teams are going to want them out there in the field to provide team wrangles and to debuff opponents. Simply by being in the team they get a share of the XP and, like docs, could even charge for thier services. How is this a bad a thing?

[_____________Gyrmyth]

Originally posted by Omniscient
I'm a trader so i can speak what i think about how the 14.2 is gonna affect the traders.
First of all. Our wranglers are our prime source of income.
I guess everyone agrees with me. But how good will they be if they only last 3 min? Total nerf.
And we will be wanted in teams in battle maybe. Wow how fun...we will be buffing machinces to buff the team every 3 min or so. And if i'm a lvl 80 trader i'll maybe be able to wield a QL 50 Vektor shotgun since The wranglers decreases our skills BAD!
So, Traders will be PvP only! We will maybe be good in PvP still but to lvl with teams will be sooo boring that i'm gonna start a new character or leave AO completely if this isnt going to be looked into.

Yes, you will be wanted in a team as a buff mechanic. If it negatively affects your ability to fight in the team SO WHAT. You are a TRADER, not a SOLDIER. If you wanna be a gun toting soldier, be a soldier. Don't cry because you chose to be a trader (a profession which was never meant to be or advertised to be particularly good at combat) and your combat skills are weak. If traders were meant to have high combat skills, what would the point of having soldiers be?

[_______________Intra]

a suggestions...

make wrangles last longer, but also make guns alot more dependant on attack rating. meaning that getting wrangled when wearing a 20% OE gun is an effective way of increasing damage output by a noticable amount.

this noticable amount would have to be around 20% unfortunately though, as the trader debuffs him or herself when casting a wrangle and their own damage output would drop by that much much most of the time.
wrangle needs another use other than over equipping all of the time.
I suggesting making it so in a tight spot (ie against a boss mob), the trader can wrangle the tank in order to increase his output and so his aggro. or the person doing lowest damage to give more even damage if it is not going to harm their output itself

anyway, still waking up
/me goes to put the kettle on