Newbie Island clearance

[hotrod2005]

Right, lemme de-lurk from the MP forums and toss out my 2 cents.

Noob Isle drops should be restored to their pre-nerf status.

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Lots of good points.
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Dancingrage, signing out, and you can add my name to that list you've got!

Agree

IMO the starter island should be like the actual game, just a little (or a lot) more obvious, or even led around by the nose (like the new quests).

There's little reason to loot on ICC I, but on mainland you will have to do it all the time. Considering how little solo content there is in game, there should be some team (required) stuff for the Island as well.

PS loved using poison injector bracelets & QL11 alien rifle on my agent, if only energy clips were available...

(yes, newbies should be exposed to the requirement to carry ammo as well! IMO at very least as an option)

HR

PS: you can still get your ICCI armor & be off the island by level 6, then visit the old backyards for "take me to the shop"(s), & some actual game like content.

[Clamdigger]

Right, lemme de-lurk from the MP forums and toss out my 2 cents.

Noob Isle drops should be restored to their pre-nerf status.

Here's why:

It's hard enough getting creds in this game as it is, and if you're just starting out, especially as a froob, you're gonna be mighty disheartened by the fact that you get from the Noob Isle to the mainland and look to see that all that cred, all 10k max you scraped in, equals absolutely NOTHING on the mainland, will be enough to get you bullets for a gun you can't afford. The salable stuff you get on noob isle is laughable...I rolled a froob toon up and hit NI just to see, and it's pathetic, you can't expect to hit the mainland on ANY side and have enough to be able to get implants in, or a reasonable upgrade, heck, ANY upgrade, in the time it takes for you to get through the quests in the time that FC is imagining...you'd have to camp Noob Isle for DAYS to get properly equipped on the mainland.

with a respectable credit balance to start with.

Dancingrage, signing out, and you can add my name to that list you've got!

Glad you've weighed in, Dancing. The list grows...

I will say that if you're willing to grind up 8K on the island, the Omni Library sells for 400K+ if you wait for the proper buyer, and a rangefinder is worth 50K and can be farmed up. Not that a new player would EVER guess that.

So, the starter cash is there if you know where to look. My problem is the starter fun, which is no longer available.

[Werevixen]

Considering the Newbie Island newcomer's armor... If real newbies need it, why not make it upgradable untill ql. 100? It would have no buffs, and not be as defensively efficient as most armors, yes, but a completely new player in a strange world would be so very much with that.

[Clamdigger]

Considering the Newbie Island newcomer's armor... If real newbies need it, why not make it upgradable untill ql. 100? It would have no buffs, and not be as defensively efficient as most armors, yes, but a completely new player in a strange world would be so very much with that.

I dunno, I think there's something to be said for experience here. Let the new players experiment with armor and weapons without having decisions made for them. Once they have the burden of knowing what's good and bad in AO, enough of that is predetermined already. If I knew my NI armor went to QL100, I'd never have gotten Shadowfade on my agent or bothered to get carb for my 'crat. I like it when the game forces you to sink or swim, it's helped me make large strides at later levels.

Ha, got the biggest "sink or swim" so far the other day... you guys seen that QL300 AI Ocular Symb for Agents/Fixers/Soldiers/etc? I looted one thinking, "awesome," and now I'm thinking, "this will look nice in the first slot of my bank, because I'll never get to equip it."

[Werevixen]

How about making all the stuff that noone uses dirt cheap, then?

[Pumpkinmeta]

Massive wall of text...

I agree, add me to that list

[Werevixen]

Over 20 pages and no response.

[cyriluk]

Add me to the list, not been on forums for a while, and making a new toon is soooo boring now, pls pls pls pls get Newb Island back to the way it was.

[Werevixen]

Updated, going back to twiddling my thumbs now.

[meatybtz]

look, we have been reasonable in this thread, for a very long time...


However we have to face the fact people that FC views itself as gods and the rest of us pay tithes of worship to enjoy their fantasy. They couldn't care less about us in the long run. They are always right. This is most evident in their "policies" kept secret from us so they can act arbitrarily to their own ends. The only way you can get a response out of FC is to do as I have done on numerous occasions. Call them names, rabble rouse, and do things that threaten their self image (they care more for it than the game)

So i am calling you out Sil. I am the dog taking a **** in your yard. You gonna come out and speak on this or are you going to, in classic Funcom tradition, hide behind the skirts of your mommy and refuse to show your face in here. I say that you fix only some small problems in the game to try and keep us happy not because fixing them actually matters to you. I say you have taken AO down the wrong path and are an arrogant ass to continue to do so.

I've called you out.. Do you got the balls?

[PhoenixOfAges]

Yeah, let's act like asses so that they perform some action in this thread, locking it.

Suggestion threads they and other companies normally won't comment in unless it's to lock threads that have gotten out of hand, to say, to say it's completely impossible or that they're adding it in the upcomming patch. You may get some ARKs, forum mods, there have been the odd dev but generally suggestion threads aren't one you'll see FC involvement in and any involvement is minimal.

[meatybtz]

i've been here long enough to know how minimal their involvement ins phoenix. At this point I really don't care any more if they slap me with an infraction. It just further proves the points that EVERY paying customer is well aware of and has been for years. Hell even a dev popping in to acknowledge our question is not too much to ask.


However you want the truth, here it is: when newbie island was first "overhauled" towards what it is today. People complained. The devs responses were: This is how we think it should be and you all are wrong. They publicly indicated they had no desire to or ever would change it back. They were right.. we were wrong. When FC screws up they say its working as intended until they stealth fix it. They completely lack the ability to admit to making a mistake. They either get all huffy and say its how we (FC) want it and you the people who pay our salaries can go stuff it up our butts. They obscure, condescend, and outright lie to their paying base. Been doing it for 6 years.

I tip my hat to the amazing company who has managed to keep this game afloat by the understanding that there are a reasonable number of people out there willing to pay for the privilege of being screwed with by a company. I can count myself no longer among them. And happily so.

FC in AO had and still does have one of the most complex and interesting and unique MMOs, EVER. But they, through their own attitudes have squandered what had the potential to be the greatest MMO of all times. It continues for these 6 years because the player base is of the obsessive, number crunching, masochistic group. The long standing joke of everyone who leaves comes back. I have left and come back.. lord knows how many times. Mostly because I feel that AO is an amazing game. I am leaving, chances are, because i am obsessive and masochistic, I will be back for more.. and because I will always give them another chance to see if they get their heads out of their lower intestines and push for more customer service rather than more PHAT LEWT. The average response time on a petition is well known to be over 2 hours. Sometimes, 4 to 6 hours. The number of ARKs is pitiful, and has dropped over the years as you see them pulling further and further out of the direct interaction. Sure they still have greeters, but that isn't a significant portion of the customer service need, its more of: welcome from here on out we will ignore you, have fun. Why wouldn't I sign up for being an ARK? Because this is FCs game and its their job to provide the customer service.. NOT THE PAYING CUSTOMERS. Why the hell should we be expected to pay them to be the support staff that FC does not want to provide.

[Werevixen]

Kinda reminds you of the Bush government at this point, doesn't it?

[animaly]

This is just another bump to keep the threat open untill we at least get a reply.

I really don't care at this point if they come out and say "hell no we aren't gonna change it back" or "Sure lets do it!!" I would just like a simple "Hi, we here at FC see this threat and acknowledge its existence, but will not comment on our ideas over noob island at this moment" at least.

I personally think the thread had gone long enough with out a simple " hi i see you" from FC or Dev.

Just my 2 cents

[Clamdigger]

This is just another bump to keep the threat open untill we at least get a reply.

I really don't care at this point if they come out and say "hell no we aren't gonna change it back" or "Sure lets do it!!" I would just like a simple "Hi, we here at FC see this threat and acknowledge its existence, but will not comment on our ideas over noob island at this moment" at least.

I personally think the thread had gone long enough with out a simple " hi i see you" from FC or Dev.

Just my 2 cents

Look, I know a few of you guys have adopted this thread as a project, and I'm grateful that you're here bumping the everloving crap out of it.

However, some of you guys are after the wrong thing.

There will not be an official reply whether they fix it or not. They aren't going to come here and argue with us if they disagree, and if they agree, it's the same as announcing a fix prior to deciding to do it.

Please, if you want proof that we don't need a reply to make a thread work, check out this one:

http://forums.anarchy-online.com/sho...d.php?t=483992

The ONLY situation they will respond to is a fair question that they believe can't be answered by anyone but them.

Think about it... have you ever seen Funcom reply to a thread that says "Hey Sil" or "Dear FC" or "FC is teh suckz0r?" I know I haven't. The only real response you can get is Famine blasting your post to oblivion.

What I'm saying with all this is, bump the thread, make your point, but forget about a response from anyone, because it wouldn't be in line with their past behavior and is therefore unlikely. Would you rather the devs fix bugs or argue on the internet?

[meatybtz]

well since they are not really fixing old bugs, just doing showy things to try and quell the masses as of late... if they are not going to fix 3 or more year old problems, might as well chat with us. What are they spending their work time doing? Playing WOW?

[Clamdigger]

well since they are not really fixing old bugs, just doing showy things to try and quell the masses as of late... if they are not going to fix 3 or more year old problems, might as well chat with us. What are they spending their work time doing? Playing WOW?

Heh. That I don't know. I think the reason they don't chat much is based on the playerbase's tendency to hold them to what they say. Think about it. If Sil admitted that NI sucks and said "yeah, I'll try to get them to fix it," that would be great, right? Well, not for him. After saying something like that, he'd actually have to do it, and if he didn't deliver, we'd post his quote ad infinitum on forums and whine. If he says nothing, and he fixes it, we'll all be happy. If he never comments, and it's never fixed, that's ok too because he never promised that it would be.

So, I say we should refocus, and make this thread more of an advertisement for our opinions and less of a lonely answering machine message for the game director. "Sil! I know you're there! Pick up! Pick up Sil! Famine's siggy says you read feedback and you dooooooooooon't! Waaaaaah!!!" He's not gonna call back.

However, if they buy our argument that the place was better off before it was neutered, they might just repair it. I will say that if their goal was to get me to stop rolling alts, they've succeeded. I no longer look forward to NI, and it used to be something I enjoyed.

One other contingency worth considering: FC realizes it sucks too, but doesn't want to admit the mistake. The most likely scenario there is that they will make additional changes to it in an effort to "improve it" instead of "restoring it."

So, bump to the top. Forget about getting a reply. What's important is that we keep the thread high on the list and on topic.

[meatybtz]

who knows. NI is the "first impression" of AO. It fails so miserably, no wonder our numbers diminnish.


It should be noted that when examining "other" MMOs. You know the first place I go to check if its a game I want to play? The forums. Not because of the whiney minority or the noise disgruntled... I go because i know of those kind of people and who there is ALWAYS an inkling of TRUTH behind the whine adn cheese. Filtered you get a good idea of what is working and is not. Regardless of dev interraction. When your noise portion of your player base is scathing the company on a regular basis over unfixed problems that are 3-5 years old or to see the fact that the devs and the company care little for the players, it doesnt look good. Besides NI, FC needs to think about the 'repuation' they have developed. Its not a good one. Not good at all.

Sometimes I think even IF they fixed some of the old problems it wouldnt be enough to "save face". They have been behind the 8ball for soo long sometimes I think the lack of caring came from the fact that they realized that it was impossible to save their rep and just threw in the towel and decided to march along as best they could knowing that they really wont get any accolades anymore because they are so far behind.


First time I see a new player complaining about this or that glitch that we have lived with for years. I laugh and bring them up to speed on what it is to play a FC game. The bad rep spreads and grows. New players are quickly transformed into the rest of us sour, tired, long time players.

[Clamdigger]

New players are quickly transformed into the rest of us sour, tired, long time players.

Sour, tired, long time players. Why keep going? The answer is because the game is good. It just needs a little updating from time to time. Here's hoping FC's next few patches and the engine update get the job done. Bugs are inevietable in video games. The only real bug is when the devs stop trying to repair them.

If you want to fix NI:

Start with the morningstar and toon selection, followed by the ICC Space Station, complete with NPC's. Put them in the ship, let them watch it crash (but in an updated and more graphically enhanced video). The crash may not be the best story ever, but at least it's A story. As of now, I pop out of what must be a sand crab hole on a beach.

Restore the loot, in all of its obscurity and mystery, including TMTS's. Give the aliens back their drops, and let players walk into the alien ship, which can be tiny, and allow very short instanced missions. Other than that, let NI go back to the way it was, but leave the new missions in. That, combined with the engine upgrade, should really give AO a boost. New froobs will come, stay, and eventually upgrade.

[animaly]

Bump!