Daily Missions - Let's get this straight

[Phuriae]

So let's get things straight about the Daily Missions. What EXACTLY does each NPC do in the Freelancers Inc. building?

The robot seems to be just for RP purposes and information. The NPC straight in the back is for lvl 200+ missions. But the two NPC's to each of the sides don't seem to offer anything different whatsoever.

You guys said we would have the opportunity to get XP, SK, AXP, or VP. So how is this done? Is it random? If so, that kind of puts a dent in how cool the daily missions are. I would like to choose if I want experience or victory points. Any info on this?

I heard people were getting VP missions to go do BS. In my opinion, a daily VP mish should be a way for PvMers to avoid PvP, and PvPers to avoid waiting in queue all day. Not a very good idea. Please remove. Also remove need for team in a 'solo' daily mission such as the CoH mish.

With that said, the daily mish is overall one of the best ideas you guys have ever had - and for the most part implemented very, very well. Thank you!

[Ithnag]

The CoH mish should be elite (as in inteded to do in team/raid) so you don't end up burning a mission slot by getting that one and being unable to complete it solo.

The Mishs that give VPs as of now send you to BS, which makes sens, FC stated that future VP giving missions will not send you to the bS. However, given that the VP and OFAb concepts were implemented with BS (PvP) as the main venue for aquiring them i wouldn't be surprised if FC still makes the missions PvP centric or at least to have some sort of PvP tone.

OFAB always have been portrayed as something more related to PvP (specially in the way of aquiring it) than PvM, sucks if you hate PvP, but also pvPers have had to do hours and hours of PvM to get items that only really matter for pvP purposes, so it wouldn't be shocking having to do some PvP to get OFAB items.

Not that i want it to be like this, but it makes sense within it's context.

[Traderjill]

I'm not sure how to answer this completely without being in game but...in regards to the Clan office (never been in the Omni)

When you Enter:

- Guy straight ahead (thnk he's the secretary) is the person you must talk to first and 'sign' the work agreement.

- Guy in the room to the right gives out regular daily missions. These missions give xp/sk/tokens.

- Guy in the room to the left (kinda in the back) gives out elite missions: These missions give xp/sk/tokens

- In Borealis, kinda across from FT, there is an entrance to the shop that holds the pvp mish guy.. you have to enter a backroom through some curtains and the pvp mish guy is to the right. These missions give xp/sk/vp/tokens.

[Azza]

I think that last part is supposed to be a secret, Jill, so you may want to add some spoiler alert or something.

[Traderjill]

I think that last part is supposed to be a secret, Jill, so you may want to add some spoiler alert or something.

Well technically all information should be a secret not just the backroom piece... someone that reads past the original/first post is obviously not caring about the surprises being 'spoiled'.

[aleah]

I'm not sure how to answer this completely without being in game but...in regards to the Clan office (never been in the Omni)

When you Enter:

- Guy straight ahead (thnk he's the secretary) is the person you must talk to first and 'sign' the work agreement.

- Guy in the room to the right gives out regular daily missions. These missions give xp/sk/tokens.

- Guy in the room to the left (kinda in the back) gives out elite missions: These missions give xp/sk/tokens

- In Borealis, kinda across from FT, there is an entrance to the shop that holds the pvp mish guy.. you have to enter a backroom through some curtains and the pvp mish guy is to the right. These missions give xp/sk/vp/tokens.

Yes, but there is one more NPC.
Robot Secretary, Elite person in the back, then someone in the left & right rooms.
What's the difference between those two?

[Phuriae]

EDIT: What she said.^

FC stated that future VP giving missions will not send you to the bS. However, given that the VP and OFAb concepts were implemented with BS (PvP) as the main venue for aquiring them i wouldn't be surprised if FC still makes the missions PvP centric or at least to have some sort of PvP tone.

OFAB always have been portrayed as something more related to PvP (specially in the way of aquiring it) than PvM, sucks if you hate PvP, but also pvPers have had to do hours and hours of PvM to get items that only really matter for pvP purposes, so it wouldn't be shocking having to do some PvP to get OFAB items.

Not that i want it to be like this, but it makes sense within it's context.

It does make sense within its context, but iirc it was stated awhile back that the daily missions would be a substantial alternative to the normal grind (both PVM and PVP). Not that it would replace it or be as fast, but a unique experience. I don't remember them saying that "future VP giving missions will not send you to the bS" though. Although I hope that is true. Either way, I hope to have a non-BS choice to earn VP or XP/SK at some point.

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@Traderjill - Just as you haven't seen your opposing faction's agency, I haven't seen the clan agency, but we have 4 NPC's in ours. They are: "Automated Agency Receptionist" (the robot in main room), "Senior Agency Handler" (in the back room for elite missions), "Agency Handler" (in the right room), and "Junior Agency Handler" (in the left room).

It seems like this would make sense - junior being low level, agency handler mid, and senior high. But I've pulled a mish from each on my 150 fixer yielding nearly the same rewards. Still not sure what the difference is.

[Colrain]

Yes, but there is one more NPC.
Robot Secretary, Elite person in the back, then someone in the left & right rooms.
What's the difference between those two?

From when I have gone in agency with a 50ish toon, one will not talk to me and the other will, so I assumed there is a level limitation. Also one was named Junior handler and the other just Handler. The 3rd Handler was labelled for Elite ... Senior Handler I think.

Also the receptionist - Robot guy is who I had to go back to to bring items I collected for the mission. My handler would not talk to me to accept items collected.

Colrain

[Traquemort]

Junior agency handler and Agency handler in clan agency gave me the very same mission (rollerrat) on two different tl7 characters, so atm i think they are the same npc with a different shape and name, but give the same missions.
Don't know what's intended tho.

[Ithnag]

It does make sense within its context, but iirc it was stated awhile back that the daily missions would be a substantial alternative to the normal grind (both PVM and PVP). Not that it would replace it or be as fast, but a unique experience. I don't remember them saying that "future VP giving missions will not send you to the bS" though. Although I hope that is true. Either way, I hope to have a non-BS choice to earn VP or XP/SK at some point.

It was genele who stated this

Right now, the only pvp mission you can get, is the battlestation mission. This will be changed in the future. We will add more pvp missions and you will be able to choose between them. They will all give a VP reward.

Again as i pointed out, those are PvP missions, still, as the VP/OFAB wee introduced as PVP aquirable gear, with a secondary venue for them in the battle agaisnt aliens.

I wouldn't expect them to give (good) VP reward on non PvP encounters, due to to this.

[mammothtruk]

wtb AXP/VP PvM missions and I dont really care about everyones love affair with PvP. Ofab equipment isnt PvP exclusive, it was introduced with Lost Eden witch brought about AXP missions. Just because PvP BS came at the same times doesnt mean its exclusive to PvP. Or did I miss why Aliens are dropping VP tokens?

Simple fact is some of us dont want to PvP. Why we dont doesnt matter, we shouldnt be forced to do it to aquire what isnt even PvP directed gear. Think ofab is PvP directed? why then does the trader gear have tradeskills? Maybe if everything about it was directed at PvP would I believe your point of view, but it isnt and I dont.

And why do you want to lock PvM people to your PvP gameplay style? Why do you care how I play? Why do you care if I get ofab in another fashion? Why restrict one style over another? You have no argument.

[Ithnag]

i'm not talking about the gear being intended for PvP, but that from the start FC put the main venue to get it in PvP (BS) and a secondary, very secondary way in VP drops from aliens in ai missions (which should scale witht he level of said aliens, the same way the cost for equipment scales with level of it)

BS was introduced as the main way to get VP's, the new introduced VP mission is a PvP mission and they talk of future PvP misisons that will give VPs outside the BS. It's FC that laid the context not me, nor players.

If FC decides to add AI missions that give more VP's great, but if they stick to PvP mainly there should be no surprise at all, as it has been like that from their conception.

[Mailana]

If FC decides to add AI missions that give more VP's great, but if they stick to PvP mainly there should be no surprise at all, as it has been like that from their conception.

No, at launch it was balanced, or even tilted towards faster pvm vp. IIRC a bs win gave like 100 vp, while a team could get 400-500 in a normal mission.

After the battlestation failed, they skewed the ratio horribly to make that the only reasonable way to get vp. Its still failing, years later, but they don't care how well the game works.

[Ithnag]

The battlestation gave more than that, and the changes were introduced while you had a huge queue for it.

From the FAQ prior to LE VP implementation you can see the design intention of FC on this regards, too

http://forums.anarchy-online.com/sho...95#post4470095

[PhoenixOfAges]

Again as i pointed out, those are PvP missions, still, as the VP/OFAB wee introduced as PVP aquirable gear, with a secondary venue for them in the battle agaisnt aliens.

I wouldn't expect them to give (good) VP reward on non PvP encounters, due to to this.

Back in the beginning of LE BS gain amounts and LE mission gain amounts if BSs ran well and people did both as intended would have been in proper balance with BSs giving a bit more but both still giving decent amount relatively speaking. They even stated that should you not want to PvP you could get all your VP perfectly well in LE missions without ever PvPing. So which method you picked was up to you and both would be reasonably functional. VP also was just a new currency, not a specific PvP or PvM reward. All that is still stated in the FAQs up in the LE forums.

Then they adjusted LE missions to add difficulty options which resulted in a drop in VP from LE missions. After that came the non-stop tidal wave of VP in BSs which they kicked off by telling us flat out it was meant as an incentive to get us to go there since they weren't running as well as expect or they wanted.

There is now no where near any sort of reasonable balance what so ever between the two gain methods. Yet they continue to add more and state plans for more in the future despite the fact the only ones really looking for more VP are those not satisfied with the current PvP targeted gain method and how all PvP content in game is currently dead or dieing.

They need to look at what works and what doesn't as well as what people want to do and what people don't want to do. AO is MMORPG and that means we're not buying a finished product, we're paying for a service to play a changing one. As a service the whole the customer is always right credo comes into play. It's obvious that the bulk of the customers don't want more PvP considering how dead it is in game yet that's what they keep adding in regards to VP.

If people don't enjoy the service they leave, these days there's plenty of other options. Since the population in game these days is getting rather bad I'd say a decent number of people decided they don't like the service and quit. This would indicate they've been making some mistakes, this matter is one of them.

[Ithnag]

I am not opposed to them giving VP's in non PvP encounters, however, the very FAQ from LE, prior to the changes to VP rewards state that the BS is intended to be the optimal way of getting them, and the aks for increase of VP rewards in BS didn't come from lacking people for it, up till i quit 2.5 years ago the BS was still running in severa level ranges oftent, and TL 7 almost nonstop. the ranges that werent going on never had woked, cause people were levleing and were of no twinking interest either.


FC expressed their intention of making BS the main venue for VPs, from the start, made adjustments to enphasize that, and keep doing so, can they change it? yea, they could, no problem about it, but acting in surprise when they keep the logic of design they have since the VP/OFAb were introduces is not warranted, FC said that it was their intention form the start.

That's my point, not that PvMers shouldn't get this or that, but FC implementation of them as a whole.

VP's in non BS non PvP content other than AI missiosn is something that i haven't seen FC promising, offering or hinting at, tho as i mentioned i was out for quite some time.

[Genele]

The junior agency handler and the agency handler currently gives out the same daily missions. I plan to turn the junior agency handler in to an alien agency handler that only gives out alien missions with alien xp as reward.

[Phuriae]

There are many good opinions and statements here so I will just say:

1. Who cares what was intended? As was mentioned, this is a constantly changing product/service. It should take on the shape most suitable for the majority of people that keep it alive (hint: customers).

2. I agree that PVMers should not be forced to PVP, but unfortunately, I don't think the opposite is true. The majority of video games, by default, are meant to focus on a player interacting with a virtual world... NPCs & Environmental Elements. Although being online has changed that a lot, I still think that central theme applies. AO was not built on PVP based progression, so yes, PVPers will have to do PVM sometimes, but PVMers are doing what games do... let you go out and kill bad guys. Not that PVP should be left out, I think towers are as fun as the next guy, but it isn't central to character progression.

3. Most importantly, thank you Genele for the reply. I'm looking forward to some of that AXP!

[LyraJ]

The junior agency handler and the agency handler currently gives out the same daily missions. I plan to turn the junior agency handler in to an alien agency handler that only gives out alien missions with alien xp as reward.

Sweet.

Can we have an elite mission to get poor Aime Jet saved *off* the alien ships? (I would assume not because of it being Xan but I can hope)

[Quilluck]

The junior agency handler and the agency handler currently gives out the same daily missions. I plan to turn the junior agency handler in to an alien agency handler that only gives out alien missions with alien xp as reward.

Should've just not added him to the live server and had a "Out for Lunch" note on the desk so we didn't get confused and think the Junior one gave different missions or less XP/SK or something