Community answers - the system

[Cz]

Spambastard, do you mean before or after the preliminary patch notes get released?

There are few examples indeed about changes being done after we bring the patch to the test dimension. However, what goes into the patch in the first place is based almost solely on the community (and Community; not sure whethere you meant the players or the team).

Recent examples of changes made due to player feedback after patch notes went out: Dying penalties (what level they kick in at) and Grid Armor modifiers (added due to feedback on the new wear requirements), both in 14.2.1.

[_______________Intra]

Originally posted by Cz
Recent examples of changes made due to player feedback after patch notes went out: Dying penalties (what level they kick in at) and Grid Armor modifiers (added due to feedback on the new wear requirements), both in 14.2.1.

Emailed you over this, since I strongly disagree with it...

[cold]

Originally posted by Cz
Recent examples of changes made due to player feedback after patch notes went out: Dying penalties (what level they kick in at)

http://forums.anarchy-online.com/sho...threadid=21448

Yup, did listen a bit. 47.46% said level 10, or actually, 'no change at all', but you set it to 20. And, since your original plan was 30, you listened 50%


(sorry couldn't resist )

[____________Greystar]

Originally posted by Cz
Recent examples of changes made due to player feedback after patch notes went out: Dying penalties (what level they kick in at) and Grid Armor modifiers (added due to feedback on the new wear requirements), both in 14.2.1.

Just an addon to the riot in the fixer community, caused by the change to the Grid armor wear requirements. I mean the riot that made you add those modifiers in the first place.
You could have prevented that if you had at the same time released an info about the NCU Hacker Interface, which made it wearable again easily.

Another small lapse in communication, but with the result that Grid Armor is even better now, so I can live very well with that one occurrence of bad customer care

[PhoenixKebab]

Cz, MY big problem with patches containing "bad things(tm)" is that it is always TOO LATE for the players to have any significant input into what is put into the next patch, what should be changed in it or what needs to be altered.

e.g. The first time we knew what was finally going into 14.4 was when the preliminary patch notes were released, and at that point it's too late for any significant changes to the patch.

The first time we will know (for almost certain) what will be in 14.6 will be after the preliminary patch notes are released -- at which point it is once again too late for players to have any real say about the patch.

Suggestion: As soon as you post the 14.6 preliminarys, you need to post a pre-preliminary (?!?) list of what you aim to be in 14.8 so players can discuss it and raise issues before it is too late to make any big changes. A very vague list would be fine, and you can even tack on a disclaimer about it being highly changeable, but at least it would let the community discuss their issues with enough time for it to make a difference. I know this will mean you will get complaints about breaking promises - but I would rather be able to contribute to a patch 2/4/6 months down the line, than be too late and have any input missed.

The way the system currently works for most of the changes in a patch it's usually a case of "too late - maybe next time, but maybe not", that is why we all moan at the patches.

Why are there not more player discussions on (example) non-used skills such as "Sharp Objects & Thrown" / "Adventuring"? These threads surface from time to time, but without even a vague hint at a patch number, it is hard for the player base to get a good rolling discussion going without it just fizzling away. Very hard to keep a topic live if you don't know when something will be done about it - but much easier to keep a short notice whinge and moan topic going

p.s. I don't recall the players asking for the res-penalties to be changed at all, that change was a Funcom decision - glad the players managed to affect the levels where they kicked in tho' (shame there was no poll option for "keep everything at 5 and let 'em suffer ")

[Nepenthea]

Originally posted by Nepentheia
(http://forums.anarchy-online.com/sho...0&pagenumber=1)

Greetings.

My..."issue"...is lack of thorough communication from Funcom.


As an example, I'm still quite pissed that the MA Special Attacks BwT and BoP were taken out of the advanced and superior stores in the 14.2 patch....with no prior notification, no mention in the patch notes, nor any acknowledgement after the patch, by Funcom. I finally received confirmation from a GM via a petition requesting a "yes" or "no" whether those two MA Special Attacks were INTENTIONALLY removed from stores, and not a bug. His reply was a terse: Yep.

When will gaming companies realize they must needs communicate clearly, thoroughly and professionally to their end users? What "thing" is it that seems to exempt gaming companies from basic customer relations and communications that is standard for other types of software development companies?

Why are gaming companies so wishy washy about communicating? Is it that gaming companies are so intimidated by the "vocal, rabid players" that they avoid communication? Do they not have clear and confident control of their own product? Lack of communication with one's end users defies logic, and professional business protocol.

I truly hope, one day...some day...in the future of MMORPG gaming, that this dynamic changes--that gaming companies will be professional and thorough in the intent, communication, implimentation and support of their product.

Be well.

*smiles gently*

Well, it appears that Funcom is moving forward, making a positive effort towards that "best case scenario" of communication.

I look forward to this, and truly hope that this will be actualized to it's fullest and most productive potential.

Funcom has the opportunity right now to do something which too many gaming companies have failed time and time again to do. It is my wish that Funcom rises above the mediocrity and the "norm" of what communication is in the gaming community, and sets a precedent by which all future expectations for the gaming industry will be set.

Anarchy Online, in more than a million different ways, is far above the "standard" of MMORPGs. If Funcom can match that quality in their communication, it will be a magnificent thing indeed--very much needed and very much welcome.

The player base also has a responsibility in this, to ensure these changes happen. It is the responsibility of the player base to communicate clearly, effectively and rationally to Funcom. The player base needs to be open and willing to work WITH Funcom towards a change for the better in communication. If the player base expects--nay, DEMANDS--for Funcom to communicate with them, then the player base needs to be in a position to receive and respond to that communication in a mature, rational and unreactionary, unvolitile manner. The player base and Funcom both have the responsibility to uphold the standards of effective communication. Effective communication absolutely is a two-way channel, and nothing less than that.

I truly hope much good can come of this. It's up to all of us to ensure it does.

Be well.

[Jayde]

Quick question for ya, Cz...

What's the status on this?
http://forums.anarchy-online.com/sho...948#post549948

This has been an ongoing discussion, and the neutral community has been getting mixed reports on it. I was told at E3 that it's Funcom's vision to force people to "pick a side" in Shadowlands...does this mean the afformentioned talk about the role of neutrals has been closed?

Thanks.

-Jayde

[hhli-china]

Ya know, I still remember the days of bugs mentioned in guild chat yesterday.

hitting backspace in yalm over 2ho = death
gridding to newland meant you fell from way up repeatedly and died from fall dmg
things like that, we've come a long way, but many things left to fix.
zoning in a yalm over water

HP bars - been a problem forever.. lordy
black doors in missions (better than the fuzzy ones from way back?)
ghost dmg from being hit after mobs die?

these effect everyone. I just hate seeing something in patch notes that says HP bars were "fixed", but it makes everyone laugh and wonder how many fixes it will take. Like fall damage in team missions?

communication

[Darkbane]

Originally posted by TheSkeezix
things like that, we've come a long way, but many things left to fix.
zoning in a yalm over water

What about zoning in a Yalm over water?

[hhli-china]

you'd be stuck swimming like you had no yalm, unable to do anything about it

[________________Nomy]

Hi there CZ and Cosmik, this petition falls under the "other issues." A number of players including me would like to request funcom to put in some tools or open some ways to allow us to change our face-models due to roleplaying, social and other special reasons.

Please do not mistake our plea for an irresponsible "I want to change my face today because I fancy the change" demand. For those of us who do not have the time and energy to re-roll another character because our wrong choice with the facial model at the very beginning, a one time face change (one change per character is all I ask) would make us want to continue playing again with our mid-level yet heavily invested characters.

here are the possibilities of implementing character skin change, please comment on their possibility of implementation if you can.

1) Symbio Graft: Face Graft introduced into the game, everyone can use it, but need to search abit to get it and Bio Met has to be high enough.

2) Cosmetic Kits useble by the Doctors/or Fixer. Limited charge and moderate treatment requirement, moderate cost to purchase the kits.

3) Cosmetic Stations. Similar to the ones in character creation screen, however the machine charges for a specific amount of money per use.

4) GM/ARK involvement.

Which do you think would most likely to be implemented IF funcom decides to allow character skin change? And what kind of difficulty is involved with each of these possibilities?

here is the offical petition post:
http://forums.anarchy-online.com/sho...threadid=32465

[hhli-china]

I've seen this mentioned on the doc board a while back, for plastic surgery.
fixer's could also be a good one like you mentioned, kinda that underground hack job

[________________Nomy]

now I can go to the doc and fixer board and recruit more allies

Also to Cosmik and CZ: even though many of us would like to see this change implemented soon, but we do understand there are more pressing, game-breaking, and urgent balancing issues that funcom's programmers are working on. Currently, all we really want is a decision by the funcom design team on this issue. If they allows the possibility of changing our faces, then there is hope for us to keep playing our characters with their undesirable faces.

To us, this issue is as important as fixing bad pet pathfinding and level-restricted nanos, but currently all we want from funcom is a confirmation reply of "you are allowed to change your face, and we are still deciding the ways to implement it."

Agents can already change their faces repeatly with Face Graft. And I only want a one time change, nothing more.

[hhli-china]

Another thing I posted in suggestions, was the ability to have user created missions working again, something else that will help the roleplay environment.

[____________Norreaga]

I hope this reply reaches the ears of FunCom, because I have a gripe I believe many may identify with. I can guess that 90% of the AO community, levels in Missioning. This isn't that bad, but what ever happened to leveling in the Wilderness?

Once a Morningthaw resident of Asheron's Call, I remember the days of hunting the wilderness, and all its excitement and variety. Missions are boring. Period. I know many who would agree with me they wish to hunt the wilderness more, but lets face it, hunting in the wilderness JUST ISN'T as effective at leveling or at increasing their numerical worth.

This is my gripe: Could you please make wilderness hunting on the whole, more profitable? Could monsters carry more loot, for example, actually drop the gun they shot you with? Somehow, and I'm sure it can be done, I know that this issue could easily be remidied with a few 1001101101000101 here and there. Thank you.

[Cz]

Closing this thread now. Looks like the system is workig nicely for now, though some adjustments will always be needed at time. Please bring profession specific issues up through the Professionals, and other issues directly to Community (posting on the forums, e-mail, IRC, etc).

/me hands out some ice cream and locks the thread