Overequipping and the IP reset: A follow-up

[______________Enchew]

First let me preface with the fact that I have over 25 years of programming experience with very complex system behind me.

It has become evident that the programmers have lost control of the game system. To their credit it is a HUGELY complex system, but it has become clear that due to all the modifications and fixes that the system has lost continuity and is no longer coherent.

There are so many interdependencies that it has become impossible to manage them in a logical manner. What you are attempting to do is KLUDGE the system with an overall modification to the entire system to fix a wide range of problems that you have failed to address individually.

This is a common fix for computer systems, but the point I really want to make is that it is a very difficult thing to do with something as subjective as a gaming system.

Your attempt to balance the system by limiting the OE will have a HUGE impact in very unexpected ways. The math on this is very clear.

I know that you are attempting to fix the sytem, but in the end you may be placing the straw that breaks the camels back, if the system becomes unstable (unplayable) enough, it will cease to be functional for your customers.

I would urge you to consider a LONG run on the Test server. You have the potential create a great many more problems that you are attempting to solve. There are countless unresolved bugs that will impact your prospective change in an ever widening spiral of problems.

REMEMBER FUNCOM, we play because it is fun, If you take the FUN out of it all you have left is the COM.

[___________x-genesis]

In your message you listed the reason for this OE measure as follows. and I QUOTE...

A lot of people used stepping implants they normally wouldn't use.

There was a Surgery Clinic exploit that could boost your Treatment skill all the way to infinity. It made the Treatment requirement on implants negligible.

They wore special items that buffed their skills.

They received Wrangles and other high-level buffs affecting needed skills. Normally guild mates and "friends for hire" would supply these buffs.

Then, the character could squeeze in the needed weapon or summon the needed pet.

After that, all stepping implants were replaced with the normal implants. All buffs went away and stepping items were removed.

The result was a character fresh from the "over-equipping-doping-laboratory" with three or four times (at least on low levels) as high Quality Level a weapon as they could equip on their own! This was unpredictable and unbalanced, favouring veteran players with tons of money and friends.

END QUOTE

Very well, so WHY would a person who did NOT engage in this behaviour be suddenly placed under the description (programatically) of an OE-er when they get debuffed in combat??? A debuff from another player or an NPC does not MAKE you an OE-er. So follow all the rules as you are RETAILORING them to be and after a few debuffs you are treated as an OEer?? This is ridiculous that a pet class player should suffer total loss of their pet under the description OEer when they have NOT overequipped!!!! THEY HAVE BEEN DEBUFFED! Frankly, you MADE the rules, and players operated within them. If you didn't like those rules fine, please, change them. But this is NOT a change. You can still follow the requirements rules as set but still be officiallyt an OEer. How frustrating! If you feel there should be a cutoff point to how many QLs above your lvl u should be equipping PLACE A LVL REQ ON ITEMS. Dont make us do the math to equip it AND do the math to see if its then even worth it. How complex SHOULD this GAME be. We want fun, not math class. Frankly, things were fine. Traders made the money their profession should by doing wrangles, players were always hungry for better weapons/armor and the implant stores never did better business. I understand fully not wanting to allow exploits and cheats. THEY SHOULD NEVER BE ALLOWED ---BUT--- these things you have a problem with were LEGAL in your system. And please don't another person tell me wrangles were not intended for weapon equipping, its ridiculous and only makes u look silly. Its obvious to a reet that they were and allw as just fine. Those that complained they were suffering in PvP because their opponent was equipped better I have news for you....we've won most wars in the US for the same reason. No one ran over and said, "please, forfeit the war, you're overequipped!!

[__________Maxtor 1-7]

Awwww, this is the second time I have to type this because I created to many s while typing this last time to make it noticed
.
well, the points which I had before the entire thing was deleted when I pressed the BACK button were: crats and engies major hits with this, my confusement if buffs from the player wearing the item will be included in the OE check, if my robe from Neleb will be unequiped (I had to get past super-ubers to get it so I dont think that it should be counted). An idea that FC should change the crat pet skill from a deep blue to a nice St. Patricks day green like MPs have it (I had to make a joke about this, sorry). And how glad I am that FC is putting the OE nerf and the IP reset in the same patch, so the player base doesn't get killed by NPCs and monsters which should be easy to kill.

I recomend that crats get some small buffs for their nano skills, which are STACKABLE ONLY WITH THE GENERAL BUFF, I am thinking a +30ish around lvl 50 so MPs arn't nerfed, even though uberness has spoiled them rotten (I have created an MP and gotten them to a nice level, I am not targetting anyone without knowing the facts).

I also recomend that Funcom puts in an anti-debuff nano, it should restore a % of what was taken away and can only be casted when the player, or their pet, are not being attacked. I am tired of waiting for five min after I kill an NPC so I can actually cast a nano attack which does more then 1% damage.

I do like the overall patch a ton though, even if I still want changes

O yeah, people who still want an upper hand in PvP will try to hack through their comp for a few advantages, I have seen a low level crat say something like "hello, I am a cheater" (I cant remember exactly) then hit the person whom they talked to for 5k HP points, which is a bit beyond the amount a lvl 25 crat or any other player should hit. I have no idea what can be done for this other then a server-generated check for things like this, but it would eat resources and create tons of lag.
please put this patch in ASAP

[____________Ejeckted]

I am just really disappointed in my fellow gamers.

It's frustrating that so many of you can't see the
difference between being against THIS solution
versus being against ANY solution.

It's not a 'yes' or 'no' question.

You do have the option of being FOR a solution
to balance overequiping, and at the same time
being AGAINST this particular piece of nonsense.

These guys are supposed to be professionals,
and yet they offer us this garbage math..

It's no surprise that those against overequiping,
the ones who dont want to be bothered with math
in the first place, don't see how horrible this scheme is.

.. but it's too late now.
You cast your votes without considering alternatives.

and for that the whole game will suffer.

All of you selfish short-sighted people who post
"if u dont like it, quit!" really dont understand the economics.
Will AO fail? probably not. The game has built up a large enough
playerbase that it can now survive another mass of cancelations.
but it will definatly rival the 12.6 disaster in how it affects the
community. I was here the last time this happened. It sucked.
Funcom had to let go of many of its developers.
(the really smart creative guys who built this game)
subscriptions = money = salarys = content and bugfixes.
Why are there no more movies? because Funcom couldn't
afford to produce them. Why are these silly little bugs like
green stomachs on female flowers tech armor still here?
Why do profession-fixes and promised features take so long?
because Funcom doesn't have the resources to devote.

People quitting affects you.

It's regretable that so many of you couldn't listen with
an open mind to the concerns of other palyers who
- have a different playstyle than you
- have been learning this game longer than you
and that you just swallow the first thing FC spits out
like it's the word of god. Gaute is not holy or infallible.
He has made a mistake here.

but as usual, masses of eager desperate people who are
afraid of what they dont understand accept everything blindy
and view any opposition to their arbitrary point of view
as sinners who should be punished.

[______________Enchew]

One more quick post,

FUNCOM is aserting that the OE is an exploit and was never intended to be used as it is now being used. If that is true then why did they consider a bug one that de-equiped a wep if your skills were not of the correct lvl when you zoned.

They fixed that, wonder why?

[Cambist]

Hopefully you want to hear much from the 10 or so crats that actually play at level 100+ and post on the boards. *Hoping*

I'll say this twice for emphasis.. There's a reason bureaucrat's only make up 1% of the population past level 150. There's a reason they're the smallest group past 100, too.

21. What will happen to Bureaucrats and their "charmed Pets" (i.e. monsters turned into pets) since the "Crats" cannot use lower-level nanos due to Psychic skill-checks?

This is true. Sadly, we cannot change that. We have decided to make the resist-rate of most nano-programs so low, that even a fairly low-level Bureaucrat could charm a high-level monster if we took out those stats. It used to be that way, and it was totally imbalanced. To avoid that imbalance reappearing, we have to stick to the way it currently works!

This is completely true at the lower end of the spectrum and I will be the first to concede that crats below lvl 70 do need this check to balance the power of controlling your uber-billion-hitpoint-having-death-monsters.

BUT if you would look at what skill caps do to us on the Psychic checks, I think you would see how useless charms are past title 3 and any time we group.

You could add a crat psychic debuff line at higher levels to aleviate the problem or look at how imbalanced/worthless our defining ability is at the mid-levels due to Psychic checks.

Overall, I'm relatively happy with the changes and think you are going in the right direction. Though, I'm suprised you didn't include NCU after that last exploit.

I completely don't understand the need to nerf crats again, though. I understand how powerful they are at the low end. If you have a problem with that, could you fix the low end and not destroy the mid to high level game. Please?

There's a reason bureaucrat's only make up 1% of the population past level 150. There's a reason they're the smallest group past 100, too.

[Sebast12]

The more I go through all of these replies to this topic the more my opinion is enforced I'am 100% against this OE change because I feel it will do more damage than good. also it will make traders even more powerful than ever

[Pneuma]

HELLO? This hits the middle of the road the hardest. You are making the Uber Twinks & well connected even more powerful than ever. There are so many less drastic ways to deal with this. How about stopping implant stacking for one? I stack, & it amazes me that I can. Also, being debuffed into an OE penalty is complete BS! Having a 21% OE item becoming less effective than a 19% OE item is BS! There are so many other things broken in this game & you do this. I'm tired of being called a cheater (my armor is 25% OE & my weapon is about 30% OE) by ppl too lazy or ignorant to do the same as I have WITH OUT buddies or a higher character to fund/twink me. Please, I have spent nearly 8 months learning how things work & raising the money to get myself to this point! They feel twinking belongs to the ppl with connections. Wrong, it is (or at least was) available to ANYONE willing to invest the time & money. You are bending to a bunch of whining children who want the game handed to them. "Mom, can I have some money so I can go to the mall?" " Well, how much do you need?" "Let me see, I need money for gas, ice cream, food, a cookie as big as my head. Everyone is going to see a movie then go ice skating. I need shoes, a new basball cap, a new car, a pony & ...." You know what my mom said. "Get a job, or go make rich friends." So I got a job & prioritized my needs. Should I have been entitled to everything the wealthy have? Hell no, but I managed to buy a car & some new shoes and because I'm vain I bought a new baseball cap. See my point? BTW, going to the arena & getting smoked by a twink is NOT a requierement of the game. The ppl in the arena are gladiators, not everday chumps. Not one of my chars has ever been killed during normal game play by another player. If you aint a good fighter, then stay out of the arena or bring your own fight. Plain & simple. I have been smoked in the arena sooo many times. I learned a lot from those beatings. (which I still receive 8 out of 10 fights even being 30% OE) If you talk to the ppl who beat you like an adult they will share their knowledge with you. That's right, it aint cheatin', it's the implementation of knowledge. I have spent the better part of the last 8 months working on my lvl 57 Agt.. Why shouldn't he be stronger than a lvl 65 character with a fraction of the time spent on development or by a player with a fraction of my knowledge? IPR, sure I'd like to change some things, but once again, where is my reward for patience & better than average knowledge? Most of the real trouble seems to me to be the result of a litany of loop holes & bugs that were never intended. I can't wait to see how many other holes there are in your plans. I guess I'll just lvl a few times & poor every IP point into comp lit so I can squeeze into that 6 slot belt & the highest NCUs I can find, then reset my my comp lit with the IPR points. Well thought out gents.
Agent Pneuma
"I am what I am, and that's all that I am"

[Sebast12]

Originally posted by Pneuma
The ppl in the arena are gladiators, not everday chumps.

bravo
I agree with you and there are many more quotes in your post that I wanted to use but I didnt want to spam the forum hehe

[Painsmaiden]

Originally posted by Pneuma
The ppl in the arena are gladiators, not everday chumps.[/B]

Haha, this is what I have tried to get across to people in some of my posts against this idea. For everyone that whines about PvP balance and how this will magically make it better, here is a massege for you. It won't. The people that are hardcore into PvP are HARDCORE. They dream about the best way to gank your silly ass. If this goes through, then they will be 100% optimized and min/maxed for the new rules. They might not be quite as powerful as before, but the chances are they will still gank your silly ass (Unless you are a Trader). These people are really good at one thing...killing other PCs. PvP isn't for the jealous or the squeamish. If you have any illusions that everything is magically going to become balanced and you think you will waltz into a 25% area and be on even footing, think again. The classes still aren't balanced and now it's even worse as a trader will be able to beat ANYONE. If they don't it will be because of bad lag or bad luck. I hope you are all happy. You made the bed, time to sleep in it. Hopefully FC comes to their senses soon, but I doubt it.

[Thegrimblade]

I am focussing mainly on one element, OE as it relates to weps and armor. To say that 20% is quite a buffer is not completely true. A stacked str/stm buff of 12+10+17+8+8 equaling 54 is achieved quite early on, and approaches a 100% buff at some lowbie levels, add in the buff from a str/stm plant set for putting on your armor and it is much more so. Agreed that at higher levels the buffs alone become less significant, but this across the board Killer Nerf patch seems to slam newbies pretty hard.

Also, I did not see anything really relating to why people feel forced to rely on OE in the first place, simply one post about a Mob with 10x HP compared to other Mobs.

I am not sure the percentage of folks who PvP on a regular basis, non-ganking. It's a given that over-equiping is a neccessity in that arena, but those conflicts are generally entered into by choice. Look at ALL mid to High level chars and I imagine the % of folks maxing out their equipment options is well over 75%. Then look at the boards and read how many people of that level feel their profs are nerfed based on their own inabilities and inadiquacies (sp). This should tell you something. If people are complaining about being unable to solo now, while armed to the teeth, what do you think things will be like when you implement this patch. Do you believe that this will address the concerns of those who are still unable to solo a 50% mission.

I can only believe that your focus here is on PvP. To believe anything else is to believe that you are completely ignorant of the game which you, yourselves, have created.

[_____________Skyxxis]

All I have to say is the sorry ppl that are in favor of this EO patch are the ones that die in PvP. Damn took me 5 chars to finally get with the program. Heck the only thing that attracted me and many others is the "WAR" Storyline. Now just like everything else in AO this too is being taken away. Better check your #s FC you may have a large playerbase now but pulling this at the time that Starwars Gal. is about to be released for Xbox and PC bad choice.

Me to meet another player that is yellow to me and me being a old vet versus a 2 week old player and it be an EVEN fight!!! Heck no! He deserves to get toasted that makes him angry and then starts those wheels turning of revenge and how to get better to so he too can conqure like that. Im sure if you take the "WAR" away you gonna take alot of revenue. you say a few 1oo leave ne biggie?? ok take this for your math...

100 people leave thats $13 a month so $1300 a month less and over one year well you do the math.. Im sure AO wont get the best MMORPG next year and they probably barely made it this year...What you are doing is flat out wrong..

Try this idea..UO*cought..no good anymore* turn RK2 into a PvP relm as did UO with Fel and Tram..
Those who wish to war and PvP go to RK2 those that wish to PvM well leave them on RK1....
Problemed solved balanced servers no more whinners about losing in PvP...RK1 wont have so much of a player/Data drain..
just make it possible to go between the dimensions Via Whampa or special gen nano..

Second idea to promote war..
Towns Gas 100%
1st zone outsied towns 75%
All other zones with exception of Neut 25%

Neuts with power?? shouldnt happen..Neuts should not be able to be attacked cept in mayhem zones including arenas then more people that want to PvP will choose a side those that dont can keep their neutral guilds and be neutral and stay outta the friggn war...
Im not appolgising for nothing Ive been around since the open release of AO and it was bad then got alot better now its turrning to LISTEN TO THE NEWPLAYERS ONLY.. same reason UO failed and the creation of Tram. FC dont become another UO im sure you will crash and burn as they did..

I have alot of ideas that would be way better than this NERF for PvP..Geesh why not remove traders and false professions while you are at it.. Ant eh largets Exploit was the NCU remove NCU from the game and give a STANDARD ncu skill or amount based on comp lit then watch things totally balance..or can you explain a lvl 5 with 200+ NCU..Makes me kinda bummed i dont exploit i find leagle ways to kill the exploiters and trust me thats hard enough and rarely done but it is possible just takes alotta MATH!!

Well guess im out now and done ready for the cancell since this news i have been on DAoC with my two guilds already we not gonna put up with this nerf and we account for 68 people so do #s there alone FC alot will follow...

[Kithraks]

Posted from the bureaucrat thread
http://forums.anarchy-online.com/sho...threadid=16016

Originally posted by Gaute Godager

4. Will the OE have any effect on "charmed" Pets?

Yes. We will store the requirements of the nano-program being used to "charm" a certain pet, inside the charmed pet. A loss of buffs, or an extreme de-buff, will then affect your ability to control the charmed pet.

21. What will happen to Bureaucrats and their "charmed Pets" (i.e. monsters turned into pets) since the "Crats" cannot use lower-level nanos due to Psychic skill-checks?

This is true. Sadly, we cannot change that. We have decided to make the resist-rate of most nano-programs so low, that even a fairly low-level Bureaucrat could charm a high-level monster if we took out those stats. It used to be that way, and it was totally imbalanced. To avoid that imbalance reappearing, we have to stick to the way it currently works!

We as a bureaucrat community have been very patient and forgiving. Before the improvements to our charms and pets that you see today bureaucrats were on the verge of extinction. Our profession has been improved greatly since then but we are not anywhere near as "balanced" as the other fixed professions. Our envisioned paperwork tradeskill has dissappeared from the list and our XP loss reduction nanos are nowhere in sight.

Right now the psychic checks are broken and unreasonable. There are gapeing gaps caused by the psychic checks where the old nano is no longer effective against even con monsters and the next nano is still unusable at that level.

There have been a strong showing of bureaucrats at the last two bureaucrat conventions recommending that something be done to rebalance the psychic checks. We have offered reasonable suggestions and alternatives to remedy the problem. There have been no responses.

We have suggested that a percentage of our psychology skill be used as a way to increase the psychic checks. There were suggestions for our psychic checks to be rebalanced in a team environment to better reflect the diffculty of the monsters being faught. There have been no responses.

Now when there is an indirect response they are reaffirming that nothing will be done to remedy the psychic checks that are in need of rebalancing?

The bureaucrat profession has been underpowered in pvp due to having several of our nanolines such as mez, fear and charms having no effect on other players. Our charms and fears are still unbalanced by having the psychic checks leave us too advanced to use the old version and not able to use the next.

-------------------------------------------------
Proof of this can be seen in our extremely broken fear nanoline. Prey on Fear(Ql 57), Sneaking Terror (Ql 70) and Crush Bravery (Ql 90). These three nanos have psychic checks of 163, 140 and, 201 respectively. The ql 70 Sneaking Terror auctually is a downgrade from the Ql 57 Prey on Fear.
-------------------------------------------------
Another situation that shows that the psychic checks are in need of rebalancing is the current situation I am experiencing. I am currently a level 112 Bureaucrat and is able to use Captivated Thoughts (Ql 109 Stable Charm, Psychic Check: 243). I am unable to use it on missions at my level because of the psychic checks.

At the same time I am unable to use Siren Call (Ql123 Unstable Charm, Psychic Check: 265) or Allure of Servitude (Ql136 Stable Charm, Psychic Check: 287). The psychic checks left me at a "gap" where my old stable charm is no longer functional at the next stable charm is completely out of my reach.
-------------------------------------------------

The unstable charm is a tradeoff with risk vs the chance to have an extra charmed monster. I thought this was supposed to give us a choice and not be forced to use an unstable charm which I am unable to use for another 11 levels because the next stable charm is still more than 24 levels off.

My patience is being strained with each passing patch by the lack of concern for these glareing problems that are not acknowledged. The 14.2 patch is also hinting at not only ignoreing the problems but strike another blow at it by imposeing yet more restrictions.

To anyone working for Funcom that may be reading I ask you this.
Will my efforts to bring attention to this imbalance to the bureaucrat profession go unanswered?

[Rubirango]

No-one from Funcom is going to comment and what has been said here?

[_______________Siksi]

Before I couldn't waut for the patch. Now it is worst, I go jumpy

I know some people will flame it down because they don't like things to change (how paifull should those people be IRL ) ; but I honestly think that patch will be great (OK, after maybe a week of adjustment because there will obviously be some troubles with it : since UO, it's always been the same story).

And you know what ? I'm quiet sure the servers will be down much longer than announced

Anyway, this patch will kick... euh... bottoms

Cheers

[____________Ejeckted]

Hello Again

so I've been tinkering with formulas and
I've got an even better one than my first.

infact, it's perfect.

it's better because
- there are no 'sweet spots' where a lowerQL is temporarily better
- it uses Funcoms measurement of overequiped
(using a weapon twice your skil level =50% OE)

take a look!


50% OE = 46% total damage reduction
49% OE = 45% total damage reduction
48% OE = 44% total damage reduction
47% OE = 43% total damage reduction
46% OE = 42% total damage reduction
45% OE = 41% total damage reduction
44% OE = 40% total damage reduction
43% OE = 39% total damage reduction
42% OE = 38% total damage reduction
41% OE = 37% total damage reduction
40% OE = 36% total damage reduction
...
..
[sniped for length - same pattern]
..
...
20% OE = 16% total damage reduction
19% OE = 15% total damage reduction
18% OE = 14% total damage reduction
17% OE = 13% total damage reduction
16% OE = 12% total damage reduction
15% OE = 11% total damage reduction
14% OE = 10% total damage reduction
13% OE = 9% total damage reduction
12% OE = 8% total damage reduction
11% OE = 7% total damage reduction
10% OE = 6% total damage reduction
9% OE = 5% total damage reduction
8% OE = 4% total damage reduction
7% OE = 3% total damage reduction
6% OE = 3% total damage reduction
5% OE = 2% total damage reduction
4% OE = 2% total damage reduction
3% OE = 1% total damage reduction
2% OE = 0% total damage reduction
1% OE = 0% total damage reduction


now for some real math using my scale.
i will give 2 examples.

the first is a level77 adventurer using a flamethrower.
(i picked this weapon because my girlfriends adv uses one)
with QL110 implants and general buffs, this adventurer
will be able to self-equip a QL100 flamethrower.

with +60 assault rifle mastery and a +132 wrangle on top
of that, she will be able to equip a QL140.

here are the stats:

---------------------------------------------------------

QL 100 Flamethrower

Damage 7-197 (105)
Requirements assault rifle 507

---------------------------------------------------------

QL 140 Flamethrower

Damage 9-267 (143)
Requirements assault rifle 709

---------------------------------------------------------

now compare the damage with my new formula.
for the sake of these equations,
these are MAX damage non-critical hits.

---------------------------------------------------------

with QL100

(1 + (500 / 400 =1.25)=2.25) * (197)
= 443 -200(2000AC) = 243

---------------------------------------------------------

with QL140

(1 + (500 / 400 = 1.25) = 2.25) * (267 -20%[53] = 214)
= 482 -200(2000AC) = 282

---------------------------------------------------------

summary:
using an overequiped QL140 (that requires the soldier
nano assault rifle mastery and a traders +132 wrangle)
vs a same-skill self-equiped QL100 results in +39
points of extra damage. (that's +19 in PvP)



now for the second example.

a level80ish agent with a QL200 rifle.
everyone knows this is possible.

so lets go straight to the stats:

---------------------------------------------------------


QL 100 Stigma Rifle
Damage 7-172 (56)

Requirements rifle 430
aimed shot 216

---------------------------------------------------------

QL 200 Premium Stigma Rifle
Damage 12-326 (101)

Requirements rifle 859
aimed shot 430

---------------------------------------------------------

now this agent has a base of 430 skill,
conveniently exactly enough for a QL100 stigma.

lets play with the numbers...

---------------------------------------------------------

with QL100

(1 + (430 / 400 = 1.075) = 2.075) * (172)
= 357 -250(2500AC) = 107

---------------------------------------------------------

with QL200

(1 + (430 / 400 = 1.075) = 2.075) * (326-46%[150]=176)
= 365 -250(2500AC) =115

---------------------------------------------------------

summary:
with a rifle literally twice his skill-level,
this agent will be hitting for 8 points
of extra damage. that's 4 points in PvP.

( now noone should tell me that's too much )


so what do you think all?
(am i a genius?)

if you support this solution, please bump the thread about it here.
http://forums.anarchy-online.com/sho...threadid=16027

[Turin]

Originally posted by Bluetec
I mean..its ok to OE 20% of your wepon requirements and
armor..(thats how it shud be)

But..make 20% both for wepon and pets..is unbalanced!!!

Why..not make a different OE % for Enginers? i wont say
%..thats..up to FC designers.. but 20% OE on Enginers..
is unbalanced..(i cant say this to much)

Keep up the good work.. the 14.0 patch is grate..!!
dont make 14.2 bad for Enginers..please listen to us..

Regards

Bluetec -107 Enginer
Aloues - 113 MP
Tecscope -103 NT

Yes, thats right, Lets make this FAIR and nerf all the other class's Except Engineer!!! Not that! I play one!!! Dont nerf ME!!! Nerf the others!!! Thats fair!!! PFFFFFFFTTTTTT. get real. If a nano caster has been subject to it all his life since lvl one, you get NO sympathy for me. No OE has been something I have head to deal with since 1'st lvl. Welcome to my world now, you "I can solo 80% missions with red smonsters anymore".

[______________Remiel]

*I* am among the casual gamer base that appearantly wants this change. Truth told, I actually like the majority of what the OE will be doing for the game.. BUT..

Please reconsider the effect of debuffs when calculating OE, especially in the case of pet classes. (!!!)

Of course I am biased, as I play a crat and several engineers. My pets are usually self cast - if an MP is offering their services, then I'll take the extra buffs but I also do NOT go out of my way to find them. If nobody is advertising or offering, I buff myself and hit the field. Have good, but not great, implants on my chars(an OE for implants would, of course, have a sting due to the loss of clinic and suit buff.. but I have never done implant stepping or doctors buffs).

*Wearing/wielding equipment that is qlvl = charlvl, up to 6 qlvl above charlvl, two greens can take my highest level engie apart in a short amount of time(despite an engie's most excellent armor buffs). This is while the char has full functionality. If weapons and armor drop drastically in effective qlvl, a single green will piecemeil a pet class in moments.

*Mobs and NPCs ALWAYS slip past the robot.. always. The engineer doesn't have the luxury of roots or mezz's. An engineer sports no more physical offense than the typical NT or Crat, and has the same very dark blue defensive skills as all non-combat classes. As already evidenced in PvP, removing the pet from a pet using proffession pretty much shuts down the character. No ifs. No ands. Root the robot, and the fight is over, even when facing considerably lower level opponents. If mobs gain the ability to do this(re: remove the pets from the pet proffession equation), esp with the frequency of encountering MP and Trader NPC's... I would switch to playing another proffession, but then the equipment dependant proffessions are hit just as hard by such debuffs as the pet proffessions.

*When a Bureaucrat or Engineer gets nano debuffed/deprived currently, they already lose the ability to effectively heal their robot(!), among the more obvious drawbacks. In the event that the reader hasn't taken the opportunity to experience this, I'll add that two yellows tend to beat the unliving bolts out of an unattended orange robot(two oranges usually beat down a red robot too, for those wondering!). Without those heals, the robot is demoted to a decoy, stalling the mobs long enough for the engineer to get a head start for the zone. A single yellow of ANY type WILL beat down an engineer, at least once beyond the early levels. Even a combat engineer is a fairly sad creature in combat, and sacrafices their ability to get criticalled less often by being unable to trimmer their pet.


Bottom Line: I really do like the majority of the proposed changes for the 14.2 patch, but strongly urge Funcom to review the impact of permitting DEBUFFS to be taken into account when determining OE. Isn't it enough that rampant-mad-phat twinking is curbed to some degree? I'll gladly accept a 20% OE cap - this would have absolutely no impact on my current play. Greatly slowing down and adding considerable frustration to what is already an, often, tedius aspect to leveling will only drive customers away. Especially considering that the high level content already tends to do this.

I'll give Funcom the benefit of the doubt and, while they may not be Burger King, I'll try it their way. If the changes reduce my enjoyment of the game, then I'll confess to probably lacking the patience to wait until it is fixed - esp considering the large number of various warnings/suggestions already in this official thread, albeit some are a bit on the "knee jerk reactions" of varying extremes side. Now we're watching you, Funcom, to wait and see.. please don't drop the ball when you are getting so close to *actually* starting the game!

[Necremis]

My title says it best, if AO goes live will i like it, I don't know, because i probably won't be playing anymore.....lol. Way to dilute every aspect of excitement that drew me to the game in the first place Fun Com. I've only been playing for a month, and if you think that slowing down the progression of the game is the way to go, you're sadly mistaken. Why not make better weapons? If someone's not smart enough to utilize their intelligence to so-called "over equip", even though OE'ing is just smart game playing, how the heck do these morons find the time to post positive messages about 14.2. This is the worst business decision Funcom has made, i know a handfull of people that are going to cancel when this goes live.

Nerfing classes, engies, and making others Uber pvpers, like traders, is so utterly dumb-founding. If you're worried about the 1-50 level people that pvp you're hearts in the wrong place how about advance the 100 + people, by making higher ql weapons than 200. How hard can that be?????? I mean really, what's the point of the patch, if it's to take all the INTELLIGENT THINKING of how to get better gear on your char away, then mission accomplished. Leaving us with a dilluted game with the bland boredom of every other RPG i've played is the leftover, reheated 14.2 future of AO. Good luck all when it goes live, i won't be on, and i want my money back when it does............I didn't sign up to play a game where i spend hours hitting the attack key with no rewards for smart playing.

very dissappointed,

I've really got into this game lately and it will be a shame to leave, guess i won't be referring this game to my friends anymore.

[Turin]

Originally posted by silmaril
Very nice article. Made the changes clear and easy to understand. Looking forward to 14.2 (and 14.0 with the team missions).

One thing I'm afraid with the IPR though, is that Rubi-Ka will be even more flooded with shotgun wielders. It takes som fun out of it when almost everyone you meet use a shotty. To avoid this, you need to introduce some other weapons that can compete with them before or at the same time as the IPR introduction.

--sil

WAit!! I know!!! Lets NERF the shotgun, so people will be forced to play something else.