14.2 - Profession Changes

[Ogiebogie]

Originally posted by Tsuneko



riiiiiight.....
so you dont want pet pething fixed?
i guess you dont group with many pet classes or arent one (at least one that doesnt do missions)

....... riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight... im not a pet class owner... im a MP :P

im not saying that pet-pathing ISNT broken, im saying it isnt something that REALLY REALLY needs to be fixed

i solo missions constantly, sometimes with a NT friend, but alot myself. (50 or qls over my lvl or so)

All pet-pathing isnt broken, i mean, the "original" meta pet (AKA meatball in da sky) has really good pet pathing... if you compare it to the engie pets pathing... and the demon pathing

BUT it is still playable. so dont waste the time with pet pathing.

love fixers/adv/nts instead

//// halofire, supa dupa leet meta!!! =)

[_____________Zahriki]

I appreciate the help for Agents, but what about the gimpy Adventurer???

[enkiee]

ive just checked out a database with 14.2 instruction disks..
Some seem to be agent type crit buffs. if these r fixes and they are instruction disks. Agents are going to have hell of a hard time if its as rare as nulity..

[Traumagirl]

Well, I just returned to the game after almost 3 months of absence - before I left I gave away all my stuff and deleted my 2 lvl 120+ (Trader and MA) characters on RK1!
Oh my God - why did he do that?
Because - tadadaaa: levelling above 100 is so immensely boring!
It just takes too long time...and did I mention impossible hard?
I read through the first 4 pages of high level whining (Yes, I call it whining - sue me!) and what I noticed was:
It's mainly 100+ characters complaining. And they are entitled to their outbursts of agony and despair. It is hard and FC is not making it easier...
But after returning I personally realized (ITS A REVALATION!) I dont ever again want to level above 100! It is simply not worth the pain, agony and strife getting there.
I want to be a little happy camper, running around in the wilderness and actually still having fun.
Below lvl 100 everything is still an option: Soloing, team missions, hunting and basking in the sun in Tir while you're flexing your muscular abdomen!
My suggestion to all those poor sobs in the middle of their midlife crisis: Give all your belongings to some deserving souls, delete your characters and start all over again...
So if U ever see a low level Agent on RK2 dancing around in a flowery dress amidst Rhinomen and Rollerrats and this Agent actually appears to be happy - then its proberbly me!

Aservio - lvl26 Agent on RK2 and enjoying it
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"If there were no God, it would be necessary to invent one" Voltaire

[_____________Kwangju]

Well it all comes down to FunComs incompatible design of the Agent class from day one. The Agent has never been compatible for PvP and PvM at the same time.

Agents need concealment for PvM, but is not even needed for PvP. You do not need any concealment skill to AS in PvP. Since you cannot sneak up on someone that can plainly see you on their computer monitor walking around in sneak mode. So FunCom assumes we are always concealed in PvP, I guess.

If an Agent sneaks, eveyone can see him. This major flaw made the Agent silly in PvP, as if no one could see you sneaking around in any zone, much less a political zone. TAB, TAB, TAB >>>>>>> "Look, an Agent over there. Shoot him!" Or maybe "Run away, an Agent is sneaking over there!"

With all the right buffs, an Agent used to be uber concealed from mobs, so Agents were sneaking through missions. So people cried foul, and FC nerfed concealment, several times in several ways. Now concealment is a joke for everything, but you still need it in PvM to get off an AS.

Aimed shot damage - Any high level Agent can tell ya, AS does worthless damage 80% of the time. Worthless I say, when you think of all the IP put into it, and the recycle time & requirements to even attempt it. Burst and Full Auto give a much higher return for your IP investment.

So concealment/sneak is broke, lets delete the skill all together maybe. As a side note, sneak mode shuts off if anyone in your team does a team buff, or the engineer's Sympathetic Armor cycles off/on.

Next patch FunCom wants to make player characters actually turn invisable. Will this invisability apply to non-aligned factions only? If so, then what about if your Clan character is actually teamed with Neutrals or the Omni-Tech folks? What if my Clan Agent switches sides to Omni, as a spy, and I later team with my guildmates, still as an Omni, who will see me then? Who will I be invisable or visable to? Makes it hard to coordinate attacks if you can't see your own team mates.

I'm sure next patch won't change this - Will we still see nano bot damage posting from invizo Agents that are using a cloaking device? How about DoTs posting from an invizo Adventurer? Yeah, you can't see him, but you know he is near cause you keep seeing damge posting from his cloaking device. How about nano buffs, will we see an invizo character buffing themselves?

As it is now, if I team with a neutral, I can TAB that person, as well as the opposite faction. When will FunCom fix it so I do not TAB my team mates, if they happen to be Neutral or of the opposite faction??

I say, just make Aimed Shot cycle faster and give it a base 50% chance to crit. And if you want to see fur fly, then put an additional skill on all weapons with AS, add concealment to the weapon's skills. This way AS is tied to Concealment, and no more Concealment checks need to be made. Only if you have the proper skills in concealment, can you perform an Aimed Shot. With all the Concealment buffs around out there, the skill may have to be as high as the rifle skill, or close to it. Ithica Traders would love that change eh?

See how broken the Agent, Aimed Shot and the entire Concealment skill are!?!? What a mess!

[mrbbad]

I created an agent, as many people have said, to be an Agent, I want to be that guy in the dark, or anywhere, that you never see coming, and BLAM your head is gone and you're greeted with a friendly white screen.

When I created my Agent, I was totally under the impression that being an agent would be exactly like this. Wow was I wrong.

I go out to missions, huntings, etc. start sneaking, next thing I know I got 56,435,867,234 " ... DECTECTED ..." _FLOODING_ my screen - everyone and their damn monkey knows I'm there, I just look stupid sneaking.

Aimed Shot is so useless I FORGET TO USE IT ALL THE TIME, because it never does any better than a normal hit really. Then, if I use it, I'M DEAD BECAUSE I JUST AGGROED A MONSTER ONTO MYSELF! Ah, but it would be nice while I'm in a group, to sit back, take a nice Aimed Shot at that mean monster...but how when the monster, MILES AND MILES away from me, MAGICALLY knows I'm there?!

The new changes to Agent class are nerfs, NERFS I SAY. After I use IPR I better see significant increases in my ability to fight or I'm going to take my brothers account (which I pay for) and my account and hit that nifty cancel account button.

I don't want to play any other class, the rest are so dull to me, I was attracted to the Agent from the start, and I DAMNED want the power of being able to hide and rip your guts out from a mile away without you even seeing me.

... the nanos suck, i don't even do team missions anymore, hunting is better, so i'll NEVER get any of those new nanos, not like they are at all helpful...

FC - nerf my class and I nerf my accounts. That's all there is to it, all I want out of this next patch is the IPR and new agent clothes - or do those clothes come in that upcoming upgrade that I'M NOT GOING TO BUY.

Anyways....I'm watching...I hope FC doesn't make my Agent more of a joke than he already is.

[Flapsie]

Originally posted by mrbbad
Anyways....I'm watching...I hope FC doesn't make my Agent more of a joke than he already is.

Look to the NT's and take a wild guess

[________________Gold]

Originally posted by Flapsie


*Agents are now able to learn and use all the agent-specific nano programs (except for the False/Assume/Mimic profession line) when in a false profession. Essentially you can now execute nanos from two professions - the Agent nanos and the ones from the false profession.

*Agents: added two new lines of self-only critical hit increase buffs - Concentration and Sureshot. Check out the boss monsters in team missions, they might be carrying one.

Now u can use Agent nanos while FP'ing...
And where do it say u loose the critbuffs ??? It sure look like it is ADDED MORE...

And why should you be worrying about that u can't use the MA critbuffs ? You are AGENTS...

1. Yeah, woot, double profession nanos. I am gonna run around and cast semi-crappy nukes with -2000 nanoinc, wooohooo. "Hello mr Mob, u mind waiting 20s? Ty...ok, starting casting....it's on the way...yeah...here we go...fumble...sh*t...ok, 1 more? Thx...ok...casting...oh, hi Mr Reclaim, nice to see u again..."

2. Woot, 6s crit buff that locks nanoskills and can't be used again in 14min, I am gonna kick every mobs butt now!! Yeah, ofcourse..critting aggroes, and agents can't heal, so I better be in a team...and I have an anti-aggro thing, so I can actually do good in missions, just as this patch. Tip for the morons: u may think agents are good only for taking an ma's place...read up on agents. My agent outdmg everyone cept traders, and sometimes traders. And no, I don't use snakemaster, smart agents use other guns. And yeah, we are agents. And we are supposed to be able to cast every professions buffs. Therefor we don't like it when funcom lies to us. I'd like to see ma's fight without heals...hell, I'd love to have a nice heal with crappy recharge to whine about, sure as hell better than RESTITE at level 140+.

[________________Gold]

Originally posted by Flapsie


Look to the NT's and take a wild guess

Try soloing without calms AND heals. Agents have neither.

[Flapsie]

Originally posted by Gold




Try soloing without calms AND heals. Agents have neither.

Try soloing with nukes that do less damage than a crappy rifle over time in addition to ALOT of fumbles +++ and nano running out so u have to use calm to recharge before you can keep on attacking, and by the way calms also fumble...
Try THAT with a nanomage without dying...
And by the way, we got just as much heals as you, it's called "Healing" a ql10 or so general nano that heal you for 10-15 HP or something... Or actually you got better heals, cause u can FP... we can't even THAT...

[Trillius]

I dunno how things will work out on my agent OE might kill her =( but the new nanos might be good, and i'll have fun with FP=)

[______________Beeker]

Alot has changed in this game...but one thing always remain the same....Agents are the biggest whiners in the game. Fixers complain but have the right to....they have issues but agents...cry so hard its sickening.

[________________Veha]

Here are the new crit buffs for MA ....

http://auno.org/aodb.php?t=ag&cmd=search&req[or%3Aprofession%3Avisual+profession]=%3D2&patch=1420&name=Nano+Crystal

KEWL!!!!

MA's can self only cast SG at QL 157!! Sweet!

(sigh)

[______Soldats/Chloei]

First they kill implant stepping, now they have OE patch, no more LLTS, nondrop krys knives, and crit buffs will become self-only. For those of you who can't see it yet, this is an all out NERF! Do you realize how much of a difference the MA crit buffs make in latter lvls?! it increases the team's damage output by at least 100%, for a team of 1 MA and 4 or 5 traders (My favorite team now) it increases damage output by a good 300%. Without implant stepping and equipping the best equipment, lvling will slow to a crawl. But I suppose that this would be in the best interest for Funcom because if we lvl slower, we'd have to play longer to achieve some of our in-game goals, thereby paying more money. If that is what they were planning, that plan is going to back-fire on them big-time with the release of Star Wars Galaxies comming out in December. For those of you who haven't heard of it yet, DO SO IMMEDIATELY! The game is AMAZING! totally blows away any game I've ever seen! The trailer will absolutely knock you off your feet! My guess is that if Funcom gets the slightest bit greedier, they will be out of customers. BRING IMPLANT STEPPING BACK!

[Flapsie]

GIMP !

[Lord]

hmmmmm Cosmik... listen up a bit.

im a ole player of ao. I,just by being ole player, get a bit of a "buff" with what ever char i make. Not all ppl are ole player's.. not all ppl are equally briliant. generaly its a bit hard for any class to do anything alone. ole players know their way around, and can some what "work" along with what ever fc giv us. but not all.. seems you (fc) keep forgetting that.

i have a agent.. and since im a ole player i havnt spend 5m ip in psychic/int to put on psy/int amor. im on full mk1
(until mk2 can be put on

you see... i dont like my dark blue body dev.. but.. mmmm.. i imagine the outcome of spending ip in it.. so i save some 200k ip.. close my eyes and place some points in it anyway. im a ole player so i know it will be of my best interest.. save a bunce and then do it.. dont think.. just do it.. so i have 4k hp unbuffet.. yea.. it cost me alot.. i know.. but now i have a chance on that 500k hp ace over there.

i usually, in team/single missions, go Enf.. even if there is a enf in team. i get hes essens and cast mongo bash on my self (cant find that mongo smash

when i do that i get 1100 xtra hp.. not includet the essens
(might eve get a Doc buff as well

see, then i can tank a bit, even thou im a agent. i dont get panick face wenn i get a critt for 2x1300 in same sec. but the other ppl does.. if not they get reclaim face


but still... not all are ole players, not all know where to find mk amor (obtru are also fine(refering to agents)). if they do.. they cant survive alone where it is, before they reach a lvl where its not worth to put on.

not everybody have a yalm and can get to the sfh, find the entrance and fight their way. nor does everybody know you can polymorph to parrot and use the backdoor in Bor.


ole players can somewhat handel all the stuff FC comes up with.

but the rest cant, they die like trapd in death loop.

so.. point is.. let me relax a bit more.. i dont wanna place so much effort in getting above standard armor to stay alive, nor maxing my black blue body dev, nor do i like the feeling that i have, almost forcing me to get bigger implants to feel i can co-xist for more than 1sec in my missions with that vet/rm what ever.


and many other ppl want avoid that reclaim, lower the HP a bit on the moob's.
cant be that the grey mantis are stronger than me. but nm that, i dont care if the moob's has "only 500hp" sign on it.. the color code's are worthless.. because we cant trust it. so i dont shoot at anything i dont know. (sirmordred1 still gonna get a shot nxt time i see him hehe )


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

i've read about all the fine new nano im getting.. read the cost and req.. that's going to be nice.. seems i can get my AS to work now.
but it takes sometimes 30sec to do a AS on a moob.. "the bla,bla is aware of your presence", and my so called 100% critt buff last 6sec. so.. i have to cast it,hide, move around the corner to the moob and shoot. but if i cant shoot same sec i get around the corner i cant have another try for was it 12-15min ?


i was wondering.. all those auras.. cratt,engineer what ever.. and the doc heal stuff, and trader as well.. why do i get knocked out of my hide every time they use it ? i dont need heal (scenario) but the enf and the sol does.. so the trader/doc use team heal.. and just as i hit the AS button i get "monster is aware of you presence" and i realise the doc/trader/ma knocked me out of hide mode.

or.. another.. were all in the front room.. the Enf pulls.. on hes way back i spot him down the hall with a moob chasing him.. and here goes" uhmm.. im going to AS that damn Vet right now..wtf?" and again.. the crat/engi aura knocked me out of hidemode.. wich they do EVERY 30sec.. i just love it. my only special getting broken by atleast 2 ppl in every mission i've ever done.. every 30sec but often.. far more often.. lesser than 30sec

Cz promise me 5min of your time.. i NEED you to do me that favour.. make a lvl xxx agent.. cast Rouse of blabla phase 3 and take a run out of Tlr.. or somewhere else.. you also need to know that this aint i joke, im absolutely very serius about this and im veriy much looking forward to you feedback, after.. you have tryed it. the flaw you will discover is ...hmmm.. 2 years old.

i wont guess how fast souch "stupid" error can be fixt.. but i bet it's super fast.. but then again.. FC...zzzzz




i have a engi.. on another acount.. im going to make him change side. to omni.. hes then going to run aura in MMd and then im having a 100% shot at the first unsuspecting person that gets knocked out of hidemode.

oh.. but first i need to do another ting. see.. im doing up to ql 204-206 missions in team.. depends on how well stuff works out (if the team can work together at all). that is my max so far.. but im usualy after 190ish missions. vet's rulez

if i want to do a 100% shot.. or use any other of the listet Nanos below..

Absolute Concentration 142
Blanket of Shadows 66
Cloak of Night 129
Enhanced Sureshot 126
Enhanced Trueshot 146
Form of The Executioner 179
Gnat's Wing 169
Guidance of The Executioner 93
Meld With Background 169
Path of The Executioner 149
Shadow Filter 17
Steps of The Executioner 132
Sureshot 40
Total Concentration 24
Training of The Executioner 53
Trueshot 76
Utter Concentration 73

you then telling me to actually KILL the boss ?

not sure if FC know this.. but a boss in a ql 179 mission.. hes far worse than the Tarsque (dragon in camelot), and the chanse of getting that precise nano in that loot is like... zippo,nada,gone,puff,bye,adios,has'ta'la'vista.


i really hope that im mistaken here.. that on wedensday im going to try a bunch of new crystals.

i really hope im not going to pay 80m for ql 40 sureshot if wanna try it out someday.

tell me that im wrong and FC aint BS me again.. ?

Hollowpower

[Jaesic]

Originally posted by Argulace_MoK


WHOA Horsey! Pull that bus over to the side of the road and get the .... OUT!

If your an NT who can't solo 2 orange mobs with those calms, you got issues.

I'd give my right arm + my fav suppressor for a calm.

I'm LVL 185 Fixer, Intra is right on... Fixer's hit a brick wall which requires riding on the shirt tails of other professions from about lvl 120, no if and or buts.

Arg

You want my calm... and you'll give me your right arm and your fav suppressor? Deal!

Can I get a witness on this?

Jaesic
132 NT (rk2)

Edit to add an explanation: When you calm a mob, it goes on super-regeneration mode... unless you have enough treatment and first aid to use kits that heal and recharge nano fully on one use (tops two)... then by the time you are ready to continue a fight, the mob has fully healed up. So yes... an NT can calm, nuke, calm... and then pause to heal and recharge... but do you want to spend 20 hours clearing a mission? I don't..

[_____________Kahsiki]

Seriously,

And I know that I may be way off base with this, but come on! Agents are getting the shaft?! I don't think so. I'm sorry but I can't feel bad for you because you're no longer able to do the things that are supposed to be primarily the domain of a different profession. You're an agent not a pet magnet. I think maybe Funcom should reconsider the sniper damage caps but even so.

And what is this nonsense about all of the sudden we can't solo missions over 40%? I play a Fixer and I can barely solo at 10%. Where's my help? Besides if you hadn't noticed this is supposed to be a team based game. Team nano's, team missions. You do the math if you wanted to solo all the time you got the wrong MMORPG!

I do agree that this trend of having the bosses holding the new "Items" that come into tweak a new profession is a little silly and lopsided. I can't find Grid Armor for less than ten trillion. Can you? (That was a joke by the way)

Overall I'm pleased with the patch though. I think agents are missing the boat though with this new PvP sneak. As a fixer I know I'll be taking as much advantage of it as I can. I think agents should consider it a major blessing. And buff up those B&E skills. You're supposed to be good at that black ops stuff. Lockpicking XP just went up. You don't have to be the tank to get good XP especially in teams. If you're the only one who can pick locks you get 10% more xp then the rest of the team. I don't call that a bad deal either.

Anyway, these are just my thoughts.

[____________Hitokage]

Originally posted by Kahsiki
Besides if you hadn't noticed this is supposed to be a team based game. Team nano's, team missions. You do the math if you wanted to solo all the time you got the wrong MMORPG!

Not meaning to flame at all, but where did you dig up this little nugget. You're not the first one to make this claim.

Pre launch, one of the main advertising and selling points of this game was that you wouldn't need a team to advance/play the game.

Off course... a lot has changed since then... it's almost a whole different game from what was promised in several ways, but that's a bit beside the point (not even sure why I put that in here).

Anyways, a lot of ppl came to AO on the promise that you wouldn't be dependant on others to play. In addition, time available for playing varies significantly from player to player, and some don't allways have the time to spend near 1 1/2 hour just getting a teeam together or even getting into one.

And a little personal gripe related to teaming/not teaming, based on my illusion of a profession containing of spies and assassins: Nothing compromises a spy more than constant mingling. An efficient spy/assassin mostly tend to be a loner, with no ties, who is able to blend in anywhere. The more ppl that know your name, the harder your job will get.