Friday with Means - November 21, 2008

[Snarfblattt]

I'm excited for what's to come, but I do have one question... Why isn't the "Friday with Means" posted on the main AO site any more? I have been checking there first before I realized that they were posted in the Community Corner section. This is some exciting stuff that new players may want to read about and aren't familiar with the forums yet.

Keep up the great work Means.

[wormx]

Sweet, thanks for the update

Fear immunity sounds nice and I'm curious about the NCU cleanser too

I just wish I could log into game atm... Having massive packetloss/DCs

[speardancer2]

Really disappointed that the graphics engine update isn't making it's promised appearance in 18.0

We'll see if I hold out until summer of '09, I'm getting fewer and fewer reasons to try and wait as time goes on.

Starting to wonder what I'll see first, the graphics update or the release of Duke Nukem Forever !

[Jaroba]

... /huggle Means

[Lupusceleri]

First of all... totally AWESOME post Means, you a whole internets!

Q - What can avid PVPers expect from 18.0?

PVP toolset updates and powerfull Xan Artifacts will ****e up pvp in 18.0.

These are some of the basics we are working to implement in 18.0 (Available for purchase from Ofab Vendors, NOT dependant on purchase of the booster.)

Agent - FP other's nanos

Finally! Believe it or not, I was about to just give up on my TL7 agent... Way too much debuffs flying around in anything other than 1on1 pvp, only one viable Mimic, no real alpha, one team getting /godmode if they have an engineer with them (NERF docs with 7-specialblockers o.O can't even dent it...), etc. :\

Could you please give us any clues as to what nanos we will be allowed to FP? Do we get to FP:

a) Brand new nanos (IE that the 'real' profs can not use), made especially for agents?
b) The other profs' nanos, that that will be coming with 18.0? IE the fear immunity, NCU cleanser, and stuff.
c) Old RK nanos (like fixer NCU buffs/long HoTs, bureaucrat Speeches, adventurer wolf auras, engineer specialblockers)?
d) SL or OFAB nanos, like doctor SL heals, higher adventurer morphs, engineer isochronical blockers, MP Sacrificial Shielding, soldier Augmented Mirror Shield?
e) Mimic Keeper/Shade?
f) New Mimics to be able to cast these new nanos, maybe with less nanoinit and cost debuffs?

Q - Have you at all considered making new maps for the Battlestation, given the enormous amount of time most TL7 players spend in it and since it is the only reliable easy to get to and take part in player vs player even of the entire game?

We will be looking into other pvp alternatives in the new year. Free for all arenas, team events etc. There is a great deal we can do to ****e this up...I'm looking forward to it. At all level ranges.

++, I'm very much looking forward to this along with the agent revamp. So little tower wars lately, and BS with the same scenario over and over, with the same ninjacapping VP farmers over and over, gets boring after a while.

Q - About pets. Mps are getting 2hr pets and what about crat? Pinetti will be still 30 minutes long? Better don't tell me your home adress, if the answer is yes.

Carlo will also be 2 hours. I live very near Oscarshall in Oslo. My dog is huge and not friendly. Better call first.

Lmao..

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

Ibtk!

..and THIS, it made me laugh my ass off.

[Blackdog]

You get paid points when you pay for a month or 12 hence long term subscribers have abunch of "free" paid points and they can use them to pay for part of the expansion and pay for the rest with cash...
thats how it will work xD

Oh and why not only PP?
Well then there wouldn't be any hardcore numbers for the economy department and some players would sorta get the booster "for free"

Paying at least 9.99 guarantees a cash flow to FC in "hard cash" and not only PP thats "kinda cash"

Ah, i misunderstood Means, i thought you only had to pay 9.95$ for the booster, and that you would also recive 1000 paid points but no, it will set you back 1000 PP

Nice idea, sucks that i recently transferd 500 paid points to my chars for the halloween stuff =(

edit: You currently have 167 service points to spend. crap

[Berinda]

Are shades, soldiers, MPs and advies getting anything involving fears, or were they just not listed as an example?

[trousers]

Are shades, soldiers, MPs and advies getting anything involving fears, or were they just not listed as an example?

I think Soldier's shouldn't be a nano, but rather an Item that can be resisted like a Nano.

Item: Barrel Attachment: Shotgun
Unique Nodrop
On use, will lock for x time and consume 1 Shotgun shell from your inventory
Result will be the single target knockback.

Description can be it's just a compact shotgun mounted to the barrel of your weapon for use when things get tight.

[Chrys]

Obviously MPs aren't mentioned so that no one will protest before the Double AS Tigress hits live!

[Glarawyn]

Are shades, soldiers, MPs and advies getting anything involving fears, or were they just not listed as an example?

Seems safe to assume that they were left out of the example. Could be that there were left out because the developers haven't figured out how to fit fear/knockback into that professions toolset.

Knock back for 1he Adventures seems straitforward, but on the other side of the coin you have Pistol Adventurers...so how do you make it fit?

MPs have The Rihwen which looks like he has a good throwing arm, but demons and floating balls don't look nearly that tough.

OK, throwing logic and reason out the window now. On behalf of Adventurers, MPs, Shades, and Soldiers, give us something to look forward to as well!

• Adventurer - ?
• Agent - FP other's nanos
• Crat - AOE Fears
• Doctor - Fear Removal from Friendly Targets
• Engineer - AOE Knockback Mines
• Enforcer - Knockback Stun and Single Target Fears
• Fixer - Fear Immunity - NCU Cleanser
• Keeper - Fear Immunity Aura
• Martial Artist - Single Target Fears
• Meta-Physicist -
• Nanotech - AOE Knockback
• Shade - ?
• Soldier - ?
• Trader - Single Target Shotgun Knockback

[Rktim]

Btw i have some good news also O.o

Looking at Funcoms Q3 report and comparing it to the Q2 report i suspect that FC might actually be able to turn the current financial crisis around for Q4 landing on a over all profit after taxes for the full year of 2008, thats only a speculation tho but its the way its leaning atm, if the booster is out before the end of the year that might just be enough to push it over the top or if nothing else push FC in to a slightly bigger profit (no pressure on AO devs :P) ^_^
FC is atm (september 30 so not really "atm" but.. as far as we know.. :P) on -3mil USD for the full year so far HOWEVER they went +3mil in Q3 alone so if that keeps up in Q4 they will end at about 0 or more, also to be noted is that the Q2 report was -7mil so thats quite a nice turn around only between those 2 quarters...
Also FC have about 100mil USD in "cash" standing so they can survive a negative balance this year if there would be one...

And im guessing FC will do pretty good in 09 seeing how the economy is crashing.... yes it sounds stupid but more people get more "spare time" (to put it nicely) and 10bucks a month is still affordable even if your on welfare (for most, depending on where you live, also during a regression people are more pron to escape reality hence you can see a increase in drug-use, alcohol-use and *drummroll* gaming^^ )
Now the normal game industries wont do as good tho seeing how 50 bucks spent one day is more then 10 bucks spent one day (even if the 50 bucks lasts a life time and the 10 bucks only a month, the students out there know what im talking about...)

Anyway enjoy!

Hope you people out there feel abit more secure in FCs, AOs and your toons future!

(Disclaimer: This of course is no indication of how AO is doing seeing how most of this is tanks to (and because of i might add) AoC... Only Means and FC know the future for AO itself but the company wont go belly up before summer 09 so im 99% confident that we will see the new engine ^_^)

[Berinda]

Item: Barrel Attachment: Shotgun
Unique Nodrop
On use, will lock for x time and consume 1 Shotgun shell from your inventory
Result will be the single target knockback.

That's a great idea, I've been clamoring for the three useless barrles on sharks to get some use.

[Chrys]

Actually if you see FC's projected Q4 earnings, they'll barely be able to keep up with overheads (if they're similar to Q3) by their own estimates so don't get your hopes up on that. I also suspect their Q4 earnings will be even less than they expect

[egadsrk2]

You know, the reason the best option for payment on the new booster is half-n-half, might be because its been delayed. We've had paid points in the system since prior to 17.6 now. And that has got to have been nearly a year ago by now.

A quick look at my main account (and the only one I've physically bought paid points on) shows me at over 2K points at the moment. In addition to the 2000ish that have been transferred, and however many I spent on unlocking old content - I didn't pre-order Lost Eden, and arrived in game after Alien Invasion.

In this particular case, Funcom could have given me the expansion without seeing a cent, for it. 1000 points came from my annual re-sub, 700 from the birthday, and 300 from Gee, I don't really know. Leftovers from the ones I bought I guess. 300 points. 3 dollars.

In contrast, even my second account has nearly 2000 points on it. That one only transferred a very small amount in game, whatever the minimum was. Enough for a vehicle or two, nothing else. This particular account has no paid points on his payments page.

So yeah, I'm sure Sil very badly wanted to provide the option for the booster to be 'free', but this version of free was probably meant to come at a time when noone actually had a large volume of paid points, meaning we'd have to buy the points then spend them. Now we don't, too much time has passed, everyones got a lot of points and zippo to spend them on.

Still, think of it this way. If you had a subscribed account during the 7th anniversary, you've almost certainly got 1000 points to burn, of which you were gifted 700. Think of it as a 13 dollar booster.

[Famine]

Means 4tw!

[Darkripper]

Nice Friday with Means!

Bump for new BS maps. I'm glad those combined combined combined combined are not coming out.
Instead of bringing Old Arrival Hall back just give new players a cool intro movie to the game, like a summary of the story and some action moves that will get them addicted to AO at first sight
I'm glad ur getting some new solo content into the game!
and i think you're doing a much better work than Silirrion! keep going Means ;D

[Rktim]

Actually if you see FC's projected Q4 earnings, they'll barely be able to keep up with overheads (if they're similar to Q3) by their own estimates so don't get your hopes up on that. I also suspect their Q4 earnings will be even less than they expect

Uhu but as i ended with saying: They got deep pockets so they can take a loss this year, and then we will just have to wait and see what 09 brings but unless something unexpected happens 09 SHOULD produce a profit (lots of small games and stuff on the way)...

And for all we know Q4 might even bring more earnings then they expect...

[ninor]

means 4TW! famine gets the rest =)

But honestly Means, u can't be that surprised that there are so many questions. Mostly Hardcore players left that really are interested what news to their lives AO brings and FC is not really known for it's public information management.

So great job of you to start changing that!

[Biggysmallz]

First of all... totally AWESOME post Means, you a whole internets!


Could you please give us any clues as to what nanos we will be allowed to FP? Do we get to FP:

a) Brand new nanos (IE that the 'real' profs can not use), made especially for agents?
b) The other profs' nanos, that that will be coming with 18.0? IE the fear immunity, NCU cleanser, and stuff.
c) Old RK nanos (like fixer NCU buffs/long HoTs, bureaucrat Speeches, adventurer wolf auras, engineer specialblockers)?
d) SL or OFAB nanos, like doctor SL heals, higher adventurer morphs, engineer isochronical blockers, MP Sacrificial Shielding, soldier Augmented Mirror Shield?
e) Mimic Keeper/Shade?
f) New Mimics to be able to cast these new nanos, maybe with less nanoinit and cost debuffs?

C D and possibly E ofcourse

[Snugglebug]

Great job Means! Love the steps you've taken!