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Thread: Friday with Means - November 21, 2008

  1. #1

    Friday with Means - November 21, 2008

    This week I decided to try and tackle some of the direct questions and concerns concerning the soon to be released booster "Legacy Of The Xan", the Engine Upgrade, and the future of Anarchy Online. I was a little surprised at the sheer number of requests. If I did not get to your question I apologize and I will try to get through more next week.

    Q - Is there any eta on the engine and how is it progressing?

    The new engine is coming along well. We are slowly being able to strip out the work done by the old engine and soon all basic/core functions will be provided by the new engine entirely. The removal of the old engine means a complete removal of the old effects system...and the re-creation/improvement of all the effects in game. This is of course a very significant amount of pure time consuming work. At the same time work will be done to improve the look of the game where possible...things like character model alterations, new trees etc are all adding to the time required to get this done...and get this done right. We really want to take our time with this to make sure it lives up to all of our expectations. Our current goal is "Summer 2009". I'd like to promise it will be ready...but all I can really promise is that I will not release it until I am certain it looks amazing and is well optimized to ensure excellent performance on the vast majority of systems.

    Q - Since you were previously one of the people directly responsible for change in Anarchy Online, that is to say, the guy who gets its done, rather than the guy who orders it done, and now you're the Game Director - do you find yourself taking on both roles in the team, or are you just the man in the throne now?

    I definitely find myself trying to function in both roles. Making decisions and following them through on a corporate level has definitely been more time consuming than I ever could have imagined. Merely maintaining Sil's exceptional level of contact with the player base is a significant commitment...but one I will absolutely be maintaining. Hosting issues have been occupying my time lately, a permanent solution is in the works and I am certain we can all look forward to better performance in the near future. I am lucky to be surrounded by an excellent staff...one that has been hand-picked over a long time from the player base and knows what and how to get things done. Being surrounded by people I can trust has been a lifesaver during this period of transition. I have not had as much time as I would like to "get my hands dirty" as I used to. That being said I have been very impressed by the work done by the team and I look forward to seeing all the new challenges hitting the live dimensions.

    Q - I'm really looking forward to the playfields but will they require the same amount of organisation (regarding gathering people) as the DB quests and instances?

    A great deal of the new content is made for solo style play. It will not be necessary to organise teams for the majority of the missions. That being said there are two new team instances and a final raid instance that will definitely provide challenge for group play.

    Q - How much the booster will cost?

    There are a three different price options for the booster, based around the idea of rewarding long term subscription players for their loyalty and support through the paid points system. (Note: All prices are excluding applicable taxes.)

    19.99 USD / 19.99 EURO
    OR
    14.99 USD / 14.99 EURO + 500 Paid Points
    OR
    9.99 USD / 9.99 EURO + 1000 Paid Points

    Q - Will we be able to order the booster pack early & if so, will there be a 'reward' for doing so?

    A pre-order is currently being organised and I hope to see it out inside the next week. Players who pre-order will receive the new social Hoverchair. Useable anywhere, comfortable and stylish at any social occasion. I want one for the office.

    (links to renders of the Hoverchair are at the bottom of this post!)

    Q - Why is this content coming out as a 'booster' & not as a normal 'update'?

    This booster is significantly larger...much much larger than any normal update. The resources spent on producing this booster were significant..significant beyond what we can safely produce as a business for free. At the end of the day I have to be able to afford the amazing talents of talented coders like Enno and Macrosun to make us the new engine/features we have all been waiting for. The previous 8 significant updates made to the game have been free... we'll try to keep up that pace and pricing as long as we can. There are elements of 18.0 that will be free for all users...ie: pvp toolset updates for many professions.

    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.)

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

    Q - Will all the new instances/playfields and its loot be requiring to have the booster pack to enter/use?

    You will need the booster to access the content of this booster.

    Q - Combined Combined Combined Combined?

    Not in the booster, not in a future patch. No No No. The last thing we need is more overpowered armor. Alien armor was originally concepted as something players would have one or two pieces of. The original designer of these items did not understand you guys at all.

    Q - So are shades finally getting QL 280-300 Spirits?

    Yes.

    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.

    Q - Fix for Parry/Riposte soon'ish?

    Adding parry and riposte was tried 4 years ago with horrible results. It ended up making life harder for melee classes. If anything life will become easier for melee classes in the near future.

    Q - Will the booster pack have new personal/global research goals?

    No. It is possible later...but not in this booster.

    Q - Will there be new playfields a la Pandemonium/Sector 42, which will provide guilds (and hopefully not bots) with encounters that need a higher level of organisation/skill than your average APF/DB instance pick-up-team?

    There are two new team instances included in this booster and a 12-man final raid instance. The new raid interface has really opened possibilities for more guild-raid style content. I look forward to implementing some evil ideas in the new year.

    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.

    Q - Can we expect to be have fr00b Org Members allowed into our HQs?

    Hopefully soon. I keep hoping we'll get this done in the near future. 18.0 is a maybe...depending entirely if we can find time.

    Q - Pandemonium instance, when?

    Very carefully early 2009.

    Q - Old entrance hall back to game, yes or no?

    Never. This area of the game represented a huge drop-off point for new players.

    Q - You or one of your developers been to Croatia/Bosnia lately?

    Yes. One of the new playfield names is inspired by a real world Croatian location.

    Q - When will we get some solo AI content?

    A great deal of the new Alien Quest line is meant to be done solo and should help significantly with AXP.

    Q - Do you like puppies?

    Yes. I am a dog person...My dog is currently on vacation in Sweden with my wife and kids. I miss my dog :P .

    Q - Is it possible to implement an option where a sound plays anytime we get a /tell ? Sometimes I'm not paying attention or in the other room and it would be nice to hear a sound if I get a tell.

    I'll think about it...but only as an option. Otherwise when I play it would sound like a slot-machine.

    Q - Regarding Symbiants, do I have to redo the 2 month of twinking that took me to wear a EOE 300 again?

    We have plans to significantly reduce the time spent in perk reset. This should also arrive with 18.0.

    Q - If you came to Philadelphia would you come visit me to view my Powerpoint Presentation on Roleplaying's Significance to the future of Anarchy-Online?

    Sorry, I would be too busy running up the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and doing the Rocky dance.

    Colin "Means" Cragg
    Game Director
    Last edited by Means; Nov 24th, 2008 at 12:00:21. Reason: Forgot to add tax bit on price information.
    Colin Cragg
    This "Means" Cake
    Past Game Director (2008-2011)

  2. #2
    Awesome info for the most part...thanks Means!
    Autohead 220/30/70 Solitus Soldier - Synergy Factor
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  3. #3
    Ibtk!
    Colin Cragg
    This "Means" Cake
    Past Game Director (2008-2011)

  4. #4
    Can veterans get a cane with their chairs to shake at the young folk?
    Omutb - President - Ring of Destruction

    If you only knew the power of the Frosted Strawberry Poptart....

    "Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; Or close the wall up with our English dead." - because Wales just isnt a country

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  5. #5
    Thanx for the update. Dissapointed about summer 2009 the earliest and over-looking pvp content (arenas/new battlestation) which I wished for more than any new instance in the booster-pack, but looks like something worth buying. Can you compare, by size, the new team instances with... let's say... Albtraum ? Smaller/larger ? Oh, and as a suggestion, make perk resets instant with a certain vp cost, perfect incentive for battlestation pvp and keeping vps useful.

    Martial Artist - Single Target Fears
    Engineer - AOE Knockback Mines
    Fixer - Fear Immunity - NCU Cleanser
    Agent - FP other's nanos
    Trader - Single Target Shotgun Knockback
    Crat - AOE Fears
    Enforcer - Knockback Stun and Single Target Fears
    Doctor - Fear Removal from Friendly Targets
    Nanotech - AOE Knockback
    Keeper - Fear Immunity Aura
    Soldier - Can Now Be Charmed
    Last edited by Marduk; Nov 21st, 2008 at 18:53:07.

  6. #6
    The original designer of these items did not understand you guys at all.
    Ibtk!
    Means remains my favorite!

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Means View Post

    Q - Old entrance hall back to game, yes or no?

    Never. This area of the game represented a huge drop-off point for new players.
    Surely it can be redesigned to not suck. The arrival hall provided more assistance to a new player then just "Plop you're on a Beach". It worked for LOST, but it doesn't work for a MMO, imo.

    Q - If you came to Philadelphia would you come visit me to view my Powerpoint Presentation on Roleplaying's Significance to the future of Anarchy-Online?

    Sorry, I would be too busy running up the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and doing the Rocky dance.
    Nerf

    Always with the PvP <3 and not the RP <3

    Again,
    TOTOTOTOTOTOTOTOTOTOTOTOT
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    TOTOTOTOTOTOTOTOTOTOTOTOT|||||||||||
    OTOTOTOTOTOTOTOTOTOTOTOTO|||||||||||||||||||||Serve Omni-Tek
    TOTOTOTOTOTOTOTOTOTOTOTOT||||||||||||||||||||Join the ROTFLMAO
    OTOTOTOTOTOTOTOTOTOTOTOTO||||||||
    TOTOTOTOTOTOTOTOTOTOTOTOT|||||||||||||||||||||||||
    OTOTOTOTOTOTO TOTOTOTOTOTO||||||||||||||||
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  8. #8

    Angry

    I Guess most of the companies in the gaming industry would do a brand new MMO in the same time that fc tries on a new engine. Also I remember a posting from Enno that states that the work on the engine had began Oct/Nov 2007 - Summer 2009 as a "goal", hm thats a really long time just for an engine.

    Hm.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by SoldiTwo View Post
    I Guess most of the companies in the gaming industry would do a brand new MMO in the same time that fc tries on a new engine. Also I remember a posting from Enno that states that the work on the engine had began Oct/Nov 2007 - Summer 2009 as a "goal", hm thats a really long time just for an engine.

    Hm.
    If Anarchy Online was being pondered -today- with the current # of players it would never even be created. New MMOs have millions of dollars under their belts and as twice as many -texture artists- as AO has total contributers. And the minimum projections for a successful MMO population have to be in the realistic 100K+ realm, which AO hasn't hit for awhile, and 1M+ to get big buck backing.

    It should come as no surprise that when only 1 or 2 people can be dedicated full time to an engine that its gonna take a couple of years.

    And its actually -harder- to write a modern code -replacement- if it has to retain 100% backwards compatibility with 8 year old technology (which this has to do ... the DB, abilities and the maps will all be the same) than it is to write something from scratch that can use all new code and technology from the ground up without having to be regression tested against an existing system.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Means View Post

    Q - How much the booster will cost?

    There are a three different price options for the booster, based around the idea of rewarding long term subscription players for their loyalty and support through the paid points system.

    19.99 USD / 19.99 EURO
    OR
    14.99 USD / 14.99 EURO + 500 Paid Points
    OR
    9.99 USD / 9.99 EURO + 1000 Paid Points

    Q - Will we be able to order the booster pack early & if so, will there be a 'reward' for doing so?
    That's really interesting imho. Funcom makes some sort of currency withe the Paid Point, but does not fully accept it as payment for the booster pack?? I can't see the option to fully pay the booster with only paid points.

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by SoldiTwo View Post
    That's really interesting imho. Funcom makes some sort of currency withe the Paid Point, but does not fully accept it as payment for the booster pack?? I can't see the option to fully pay the booster with only paid points.
    Yeah, I thought that was very odd as well...I thought the whole point was to make paid points the only "means" of buying it.
    Autohead 220/30/70 Solitus Soldier - Synergy Factor
    Auron 220/25 Keeper ::: Shadowslave 220/23 Shade ::: Radius 211/21 Nano-Technician
    Sunza 207/21 Martial Artist ::: Voss 182/15 Engineer ::: Shadowhead 150/16 Agent

  12. #12

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Means View Post

    A great deal of the new content is made for solo style play.
    It will not be necessary to organise teams for the majority of the missions.

    Quote Originally Posted by Means View Post

    Q - So are shades finally getting QL 280-300 Spirits?

    Yes.



    I love you.
    Aleah, MA :: Zhoie, Doctor :: Scarlett, Soldier
    Neutral, (former) President of Art of War


    Dipping my toe back in, thinking of returning.

    Quote Originally Posted by Kintaii View Post
    For the record, this is an exploit I am totally cool with people using. :P

  14. #14
    New trees!!! *hugs Means to bits and pieces* so worth the extra 6 months!!! =D

    Oh and character update is cool to but im really really really sick of the trees in AO atm theres so fugly and low poly and the new engine wouldn't give the same impression on folks AT ALL without them!

    Honestly Means you better deliver new trees now (as you might know i have done several posts about these) because if you don't i will come to Oslo for real just to slap you, oh and seeing how it will be summer, yes i will have time to do it -.-


    Ps. IBTK!

    No answer on the possibility of notum bases in SL after a new engine tho =/
    Rktim - 220/70/30 Omni Soldier.
    Imdrunknow - 157+/XX/15+ Omni MA
    Quote Originally Posted by IHaveHugeNick View Post
    Messiah has spoken.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Means View Post

    Q - How much the booster will cost?

    There are a three different price options for the booster, based around the idea of rewarding long term subscription players for their loyalty and support through the paid points system.

    19.99 USD / 19.99 EURO
    OR
    14.99 USD / 14.99 EURO + 500 Paid Points
    OR
    9.99 USD / 9.99 EURO + 1000 Paid Points
    How will this work exactly? Will you look at how long ago the account in question was created? How long all-in-all its been active(not frozen)? Or what? More info plx :3
    Gender 'Blackdog' Bender 220/26 Soldier
    Den 'Beskyddaren' Utvalde
    220/18 Keeper
    Kane 'Blacrat' Lives 218/15 Bureaucrat
    Bleeding 'Rofflewaffle' Screaming 180/13 Shade
    Den 'Tempelherren' Trofaste 165/19Fixer


    My AO vids:
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  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Blackdog View Post
    How will this work exactly? Will you look at how long ago the account in question was created? How long all-in-all its been active(not frozen)? Or what? More info plx :3
    I believe long term subscribers have been given some free paid points, which can, in theory, be used to go towards purchasing the booster.
    Ebondevil - Omni Level 220 Agent on Atlantean, Feel free to contact me any time if you have questions, in game or out.
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    Feel free to send me any tell in game or a Private Message if you require anything.

  17. #17
    Mmmm Christmas has come early for agents!

    <3 j00 long time Means, Metaing, Kintaii, Enno, Macrosun, other Devs I don't know and ofc FC hamsters!

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Blackdog View Post
    How will this work exactly? Will you look at how long ago the account in question was created? How long all-in-all its been active(not frozen)? Or what? More info plx :3
    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"
    Rktim - 220/70/30 Omni Soldier.
    Imdrunknow - 157+/XX/15+ Omni MA
    Quote Originally Posted by IHaveHugeNick View Post
    Messiah has spoken.

  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Blackdog View Post
    How will this work exactly? Will you look at how long ago the account in question was created? How long all-in-all its been active(not frozen)? Or what? More info plx :3
    The more time you are a paying customer, the more PP you have on your account, don't remember the formula off the top of my head but surely I didn't purchase all the 1600 or so PP I have on my account.

  20. #20
    Another great friday with Means!
    I hope you are doing well and will get better soon Means.

    Those answers really made me enthousiast.
    Too bad that the engine will take more time than expected but couldn't agree more with not-rushing it.
    The new pvp stuff, faster perk resetting, solo content, spirit love, new content... I think I'm in love.

    The answers on the questions are proof of FC listening to it's customers, keep up the great work....


    Altho I would love to talk with you about remaking the Blunt Perklines!
    Last edited by Harios; Nov 21st, 2008 at 19:16:44.
    Harios - [Enforcer] cookies 220/30
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    Docios - [Doctor] healsplxz 220/20
    Cratios - [Bureaucrat] tape 220/19
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