Friday with Means - May 14th, 2010 - Multipatch

[nakper]

The Engine

Sergey the magical Russian coder came in on yesterday's vacation to do more work on the engine optimization. For the first time he managed to get the new client to run FASTER on old hardware than the old one. This is spectacularly good news. We had currently been planning on a "dual" client that would include everything for BOTH clients...if things continue to improve we might be able to do away with the old one entirely. We don't want to shut anyone out if we can at all help it...and this was a great day. It feels like it is really coming together. We will be working next week to try and build a "complete" client that will be NOT using any internal resources. Should be fun 100+ hours of exporting...fun for coders.

It's not the first time we ask for this but I didn't find any answer yet:

And what happens with the old unsupported hardware of Conan Engine with integrated graphic cards as Intel 940 so common on laptops/netbooks? I can congratulate you for the work on doing the engine working faster on old hardware...if it works. Conan is not working on Intel because the lack of hardware geometry processing as far as I know, but AO runs "fine" on a laptop, and "ok" on a Netbook at low settings with Intel 940/945...

So I can imagine the new AO engine won't work and will give the same error msg as Conan... http://forums.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?t=35830

If the new engine won't work on old hardware, it's a good idea to maintain the 2 engines...

When will we have the hardware reqs of the new engine? Will they be aprox. the same that in Conan? - So we can start plaining in our next hardware upgrade, or new netbook/laptop buying - An yes, there are many people who play in laptops so the phrase "integrated = no gaming" is not true. Or even if our lack of time force us to play often on laptops when we can...

Thanx.

[Effrit]

It doesn't link to "prophet without honor", but tells some about aliens, introduces factions and if player is interested in RP side of game, he can find lots of dialogs with NPCs. If you search for story you'll always find it.

There isnt as much as you would think, and ive walked the length and breadth of RK, talked to every npc i can find. Unless you start delving the forums your not likely to realise that theres more than just two or three large npc clans or that they have different ideals.
Or that Omni-Tek is often a beaurocrats wet dream and a meritocracy.
The state of Borealis isnt explained. If there was a little more explaining that the clans are fragmentory, that OT has a dept for everything, and explain the current situation a little more. AO would likely retain higher numbers of new subscribers, some people are simply out there for the RP.
However i agree that it shouldnt be shoved down peoples throats without them asking for it.

If you open equip window and find window called implants, then enter first shop and see door with same word, it's logical you'll go there and buy some. Then you see trade section of shops and wonder what all that crap is for and you find manual terminal, which tells how to build basic stuff. If tradeskills consume too much of IPs, you can come to conclusion it's not your business and you should ask someone which profession which name is obvious - engineer. Nanoprograms is easy to understand, which is better shows QL, requirements and effects statts

You would be supprised how many dont do this or run round with implants that are ql 20 at level 60. Adding in some explanation of implants would go a long way.
At the moment in my org it is often the case that a veteran has to sit down for a good 1/2hr to 1hr and explain this to a new player, and help them into a better set.

I hope they will never tell that to players, it's core thing of AO and if you have brains, you should figure it out how to increase one skill to put some gear on.

I agree they should not tell them about all the tricks of the trade, but i would still think that having an npc say "There is stuff out there that will help you equip better equipment if you look." and also giving away the med suit "secret" would not be detrimental, if anything it would give new players an example of what and how which would grab their interest.

FC will never tell about shop items quality or how they are lazy or unable to remove useless junk.

They need to admit mistakes such as the fact that all shop sold weapons and armour is pretty much useless.. Even to just have someone say, "I wouldnt bother buying any of those you can find better in unusual places." might help stop newbies from wasting money on useless stuff.

I think when you enter mainland there's some hint directing to subway and until you reach end of it you will proly know about totw. This game is MMO not single player, where you need directions for everything.

There is your right. However i was more worried about the people who play when there are few others around.

I still don't know slider purpose without looking them up in web

Neither do i without looking at a website. Which is pretty bad.

In short, if you read item descriptions, chat with NPCs and have some common sense it's not hard to get started. This game isn't for brainless kids where everything is put on silver plate and with big flashing arrows directing to it. I understand beginning is hard with creds and about items like cushions you find out when it's too late [/QUOTE]

Yes common sense comes into it alot. I am not asking for it to be dumbed down to a point where everything is on a silver platter, Im just saying that there are areas to improve in that would increase new player retention and make them feel like they are accomplishing something more.
Its no good having a game where the new player experience doesnt introduce you to all aspects of the game nowadays, unless we want less players.

[Traderjill]

Quoting one of my responses in a different thread because I think its something we all need to keep in mind when talking about 'new players'.. especially those nearer to my age.

Here's the deal with this game which has been obvious to me for awhile but seems to escape alot of people:

I just turned 34 years old IRL last week. My first computer was an Atari 800XL personal computer and I used to play Pong on my Atari 2600 and loved it. I actually did my first programming in Basic on that Atari and I remember when websites were text only. I owned a tape drive, a dot matrix printer and I remember when 9600 baud was considered fast. And no I didn't have to walk uphill to school in the snow, both ways.. that was my dad.. but I digress...

There is a point to this little blurb.. People my age +10 years/-7 years will understand what I mean. Anyone more than about 7 years younger than me probably can't identify. We (that age group I listed) are used to having to 'figure it out' with minimal documentation and no beautiful graphical interface. That is simply what we considered 'normal'. But today's generation (hate to sound old) can't remember a time before beautiful graphics, amazing GUI, etc. So they come to AO, where you have a lot of folks in my age bracket (+10/-7) saying "what's wrong with these dumb noobs?" while the newbies are going "WTF is up? I don't get it? It's not being spoon fed to me.. I quit"

So I think when Tech is saying that he never had any trouble back when he started.. he's probably (I'm guessing) like me in that he could figure it out. I had NO ISSUES figuring out AO... but.. I recognize that the newer generation of gamer is going to need more guidance than we had...

Society is supposed to get smarter as time goes on but technology sometimes makes people dumber and this game has to adjust to that.

And my comment about making people dumber isn't an insult. There are things that my mom knows how to do, like milk a cow, that I wouldn't even begin to know how to do (I just buy milk from the store if I want some). So in that way, I'm dumber than my mom when it comes to milking a cow. If I get thrown on a farm for some reason, it would be expected that I'd need to get hand walked through the process whereas my mom could probably get right to work. Weird comparison but I'm sure you get the point.

[Ebondevil]

Your post really doesn't make much sense to me. The new start-up experience is more important to you even though it won't affect you at all, but would bring less people to play the game then a new graphics engine. Your contradicting yourself here.

Then you're misunderstanding my point So I'll write it down clearly for you:

• I don't expect a revised start-up experience to bring in new players.
• I don't expect the rebalancing to bring in new players, or bring back old players.
• I don't expect a rework of the shop system to bring in new players.
• I don't expect a rework of the mission system to bring in new players.
• I don't expect more APF's for a larger amount of the player base to bring in new players.

• I do expect the new engine to bring in new players.
• I do expect the new engine to bring back old players.

• I do expect nearly all of those new players will go away if the start up experience isn't improved before the new engine is released.
• I do expect nearly all of the returning players will go away again if the rebalancing isn't complete before the new engine is released.

Therefore I do not consider the new engine to be high on my list of priorities of things that 'need' to be done. The Engine upgrade still needs to be done but there are, in my opinion, more important things that need to be ready before the engine is released.

[Mekh]

Then you're misunderstanding my point So I'll write it down clearly for you:

• I don't expect a revised start-up experience to bring in new players.
• I don't expect the rebalancing to bring in new players, or bring back old players.
• I don't expect a rework of the shop system to bring in new players.
• I don't expect a rework of the mission system to bring in new players.
• I don't expect more APF's for a larger amount of the player base to bring in new players.

• I do expect the new engine to bring in new players.
• I do expect the new engine to bring back old players.

• I do expect nearly all of those new players will go away if the start up experience isn't improved before the new engine is released.
• I do expect nearly all of the returning players will go away again if the rebalancing isn't complete before the new engine is released.

Therefore I do not consider the new engine to be high on my list of priorities of things that 'need' to be done. The Engine upgrade still needs to be done but there are, in my opinion, more important things that need to be ready before the engine is released.

Spot on...

[SoapTarder]

Then you're misunderstanding my point So I'll write it down clearly for you:

• I don't expect a revised start-up experience to bring in new players.
• I don't expect the rebalancing to bring in new players, or bring back old players.
• I don't expect a rework of the shop system to bring in new players.
• I don't expect a rework of the mission system to bring in new players.
• I don't expect more APF's for a larger amount of the player base to bring in new players.

• I do expect the new engine to bring in new players.
• I do expect the new engine to bring back old players.

• I do expect nearly all of those new players will go away if the start up experience isn't improved before the new engine is released.
• I do expect nearly all of the returning players will go away again if the rebalancing isn't complete before the new engine is released.

Therefore I do not consider the new engine to be high on my list of priorities of things that 'need' to be done. The Engine upgrade still needs to be done but there are, in my opinion, more important things that need to be ready before the engine is released.

this pretty much ends any argument, well put. you hit the nail square on the head.

[JenShay]

I didn't do any of those things.
The only things I sell to players are some bots for the city rent via GMS. I occassionally buy a SoM weapon or a nano.
That is all. Otherwise, shop food and good will.

Yeah, I have a pretty stress free game life.

[MrPete]

Strafe Running
Some of you may have noticed that strafe no longer offers a small speed benefit. This was playing havoc with positional sync...and it is importa....

Yeah, I've been lagging out of pande like there's no end to it, strafing in pande since the last patch is synonymous with jumping off the edge.

[Ruffixx]

While you're looking at Runspeed, I think this should be said. I'll preface my post with acknowledging my bias as a Fixer main.

I believe no one should be faster than a Fixer, preferably ever. At best, perhaps some professions that can already outspeed Fixers (Adventurers, Agents, Enforcers) should be able to match Fixers given the ideal circumstances - Raging Enforcer for instance. Still, the Fixer is known to be freaky fast and it's ridiculous being a 220 Fixer with max RS and the SL buff getting blown away by certain professions.

[ElBoogy]

well there is a problem with "fixers should be the fastest" they are ranged... how do you think should funcom be able to put a balance into it, if a melee class, let´s take martial artist for example, isn´t even able to reach the fixer ever to attack him in pvp?

Give all Melee professions the chance to snare and we could talk about giving a ranged prof the highest runspeed ever.
Sure a fixer should be the fastest considering the profs description, but it isn´t pssoible from my point of view to make it this way and making pvp "fair" again.

[Traderjill]

Funcom won't ever be able to successfully balance 1 v 1 PvP as far as I can tell. If you're concerned about being melee and not being able to catch up to some professions due to runspeed then might I suggest you team up with a profession that can snare/root them. Asking Funcom to balance things so you can get more solo kills on battlestations doesn't make sense.

[ElBoogy]

That wasn´t what i was asking for, but i don´t see the point why Fixer should be "unpossible to kill" for a melee adv, i know Funcom won´t ever be able to balance the game for 1vs1 pvp or something else, but it should be possible for every professions to have a chance against any other profession on the same "level" and with giving Fixers more RS than adv or ma could ever reach is a step in the wrong direction.

[Traderjill]

That wasn´t what i was asking for, but i don´t see the point why Fixer should be "unpossible to kill" for a melee adv, i know Funcom won´t ever be able to balance the game for 1vs1 pvp or something else, but it should be possible for every professions to have a chance against any other profession on the same "level" and with giving Fixers more RS than adv or ma could ever reach is a step in the wrong direction.

I recognize that this is outdated.. but I think it is the spirit of what the fixer profession is supposed to be.. fast as heck. That is one of their offensive and defensive tools.

Fixer

A Fixer specializes in getting people what they need when they need it. By
hacking into what is known as The Grid from anywhere in the world, Fixers
can use it to transport themselves or their entire team in digital form around
RubiKa.

The Fixers move fastest of all and special armours make them the
hardest to hit as well. A Fixer's main combat strategy lies in limiting the
manoeuvrability of opponents and they favour weapons from the submachinegun
category.

[ElBoogy]

Sure but you need something to kill him aswell....

Maybe a fixer should have something like a short buff that boostes his runspeed above all other professions (wait enforcers have this... how stupid is that?), so a fixer could be the fastest, but not the whole time.

I don´t really care how funcom changes everything, but playing melee sucks nowadays and with some of the incoming changes it looks like it will even get worse, and this can´t really be the way to go.

[Pronium]

How about adding a runspeed perk that lasts like a minute or something?

[ElBoogy]

That could be an idea

or like someone said, a "run" button that has a short duration sprint and a cooldown, like in other games ...

[Jerusha]

Awesome FWM... Glad to hear that the new engine is progressing. When do you think that normal players might have a peak into it? Would really be nice .
And I second that request to acknowledge the new players experience problems. And I second the request to round that up together with the engine. I would you help if I could, but well you are not developing Open Source here :P. Ok, a bit arogant but you know .
regards
Jerusha, AO Enthusiast

[haavarst]

Strafe Running

This was playing havoc with positional sync...

This was players fix to sync issues. How about finish the job all at once instead of screwing us that are beeing kited? AS pistol still inn game - why? what are the plans here? what was the original plan`?

[Omutb]

Theres an easy distinction between "player types"

froob - one that has the basic free account

sloob - one that either was free and then upgraded to the Just SL option, or a player that quit after SL and then returned.

players, bastards, eliteists, veterans - anyone with a full account

Im sure theres other terms too

[haxi]

Awesome FWM... Glad to hear that the new engine is progressing. When do you think that normal players might have a peak into it? Would really be nice .

What you are asking for has to be the most requested post on these forums. He knows we want to see it, be it screencaps or vids yet it rarely materializes. He could make the forums fill with freaking glee with a decent vid of the engine yet weeks and months go by with only vague progress reports. Better yet, some weeks Means employs a Jedi Mind Trick and sends the FWM responses off on some wild tangent that skillfully deflects comments on the engine progress.