Overequiping Test

[Blyzzard]

I understand that Funcom feels that over equipping is not how they want to run AO. There is a test that should be done to confirm that over equipping is a problem or a necessity at higher level.

Copy a 120th level duel pistol welding advent. Why that class/equipment? It is suppose to be the benchmark by which all others are measured, and pistol is the weapon they start with. Just pick one at random from the database so there is a good chance that it was made the way a “typical” advent would be, some wasted IP, not ultra optimized for combat. Now change out the equipment that was on it and replace it with weapons and armor of “appropriate” ql.

Now in a test field/mission (there has to be a way they at Funcom test equipment to be sure the code works) run the copied Advent against an NPC of equal level.

Fight 10 battles to the death. If the PC Advent can will 50% of the battles then I guess over equipping could be done away with.

I’m going to bet that the PC Advent will not win a single battle. This would mean that ether the NPCs are too strong at high levels (as we all know they are), or that PCs are too weak, (and over equip to survive).

[______________Yazule]

nice job picking advent

umm... i have yet to get a good definition of overequipin from funcom.

at level 82 I equipped a Q166 hammer. am I overequipped?

Well the overequiping bashers will say *YES*

Everyone else (mostly) would say, no, just a wrangle.

Guess what folks I SELF ARMED IT. With implants, maxed skills, expertice, and brutal thug.

so NO I am in NO WAY OVEREQUIPPED.

So I would like to know what IS overequiped! (from funcom, not any of you that say 1.5x level or whatever, as I have shown that over 2x your level is doable by self equiping)

If this is such a problem why did they give us trader buffs that last only 3 min !!!!!!

for this reason alone they cant do the "adjust to level".. it would not only make the nano's absolutly useless, it would make them look like idiots for ever putting them in the game!

[________Transcendent]

Why did they put it in there if they didn't want people to use it.

If they in some way cap this and make the trader wrangle useless or simply change it all together, it will be the final prof I need for my old statement that the designers lack the ability to think cause and effect.

[______________Lictor]

I think over-equipping was meant into the game. It's part of game balance that some professions can better equip than others, so they have buffs for this. The problem is with the linear progression of QL. What I mean, is that adding +10 QL to a weapon has a much higher effect on low QL than on high QL (percentage wise). The difference between a QL10 weapon and a QL20 is *much* higher than between a QL100 and a QL110. But all the buffs are fixed numbers, not percentages. Also, QL tops at 200. So, at higher levels, over-equipping is not *that* bad. Especially since min damage starts to mean a lot more than at lower levels, and min damage raises slowly with QL...
So, one of the greatest problem is lower level over-equipping. Like level 10 people using QL100 weapons. Because, it's *huge* in net gain, way way more than a level 100 using a QL200 weapon (and he won't be able to get higher anyway, so it's only a short term advantage).
When looking at over-equipping, you have to consider three categories :
- self over-equipping (using self buffs, implants). I think this one was meant in the game; it's a way to balance the classes (after all, an Enforcer is good at melee weapons because of his buffs). That's why a fixed QL above level is silly; it will just make it so that any class can use uber-tweaking to push itself at an Enforcer level for melee weapons.
- over-equipping with wrangles. This one is meant too. I mean, that's one of the whole point of the Trader profession. It's *supposed* to be balanced, because of the NCU cost. The trouble is that Funcom didn't predict that people would get the Traders comp lit buffs to increase their NCU. I play a Trader, but I think the fix to make Frequent Customer self cast only was a very good move. Another fix would be to terminate nanos when you unequip belts/NCU (right now, it's possible to have 50/8 NCU)... There is no way a level 10 should be able to get a +50 wrangle... Also, wrangles don't increase secondary requirements.
- uber-tweaking. That's the main problem. This one is the main problem. That's using every possible ways of buffing : very high level stuff, high level wrangles, cushions. Daisy-chaining them to push yourself even higher. One fix was correcting the clinic bug (using stat buffs, stat implants, you could effectively just pump yourself higher and higher on implant QL). But this is where the real problem lies. I don't think Funcom had predicted they would see level 10 characters using QL100 gear...

[____________DarkOmen]

Dont you think funcom should have thought about this stuff in the 4 years they had to build the game or maybe in beta. Jeezsh 6 months into retail and NOW they are figuring things out.I really love the game and i do belive it is way in front of the other contenders today in new technology and ideas but i really think some of the people at funcom should get a clue and get one soon before they destroy what they spent so much time and money and love to build.
Just my 2 cents

[Megabio]

THE PROBLEM IS not people using Trader buffs to overequip. But their class speciality.

Dnastyone, you forgot about the MOST IMPORTANT one.. CHALLENGER.

Challenger to Titan adds +88 to all weapon skills. That is slightly overpowering.
~Chris

[______________Yazule]

sorry bud, switch out guy here.. dont use challenger to arm :P

yes I did not talk about it, I switch out weapons IN combat so would be rather pointless *unless I decided to never cast mongo and lose agro king status*

I did it without challenger, so Im even using *gimpy* weapons in compairison, but I hit twice as fast... and MMMMMMMMM do I love those beam hits.

I see a guy with a Q200 hammer critting for 300 or so more than me, but I get a beam hit between each hammer that easily makes up the difference! Plus I get to do more than hit q and wait. I like to keep buisy .