Friday with Means - May 27th, 2011 - Screens

[Weltall]

welp I vote for the wings to stay. If the major concern of it is to 'prevent ppl from avoiding battles' then that's pointless as well since:

-Anyone can apt up in decon

-Anyone can just afk and just touch the mouse every minute or so to prevent getting booted out.

Those were decent areas to pull ppl to avoid getting adds and other such stuff.

A better idea is to put a cooldown on teleporters.

[Notcrattey]

so you can't do any clever flanking with mechs, any kiting, and sneaking past or anything like that when one side decides to camp the teleporters

Except almost no one does that so it's a moot point, but whatever.

[-Klod-]

Except almost no one does that so it's a moot point, but whatever.

Such horrible things happen when you start to lose customers...

[SSK]

FwM started to get 3 pages of posts in whole week, so they used dirty trick and posted PvP related stuff and look, it's alive

[Ctrlaltwin]

Asking for more dates that eventually get missed because of AoC/a natural disaster/someone quitting/whatever is just setting yourself up for further disappointment.

Yeah, just say "we hope to get the engine up Q3 2011". Therefore, no REALISTIC expectations are to be had.

I love the fact that Means talks to the players and Kintaii as well. The fact of the matter is that I think they are probably really nice guys... thus me using the term "Funcom" because it is ultimately the company's responsibility to provide accurate communication to its customers and to insure that its employees have the tools and resources necessary to make good on publicly promised deadlines.

Agreed, Means (the person) has done more for this game then what Funcom (the company) did for many years. I have all the respect and love for them...but making promises has lost a lot of respect for the company (and of course some hate the person).

Anyone else see from miles away that the new BS will in effect be a huge boost to "spawncamping"?

Can't go 'silent' anymore now, which is gonna kill bs more I betcha!



It's the class, chase! I play a profession thats designed for evac's and stealth, as opposed to one designed for healing and direct combat. Not gonna run sucessfully from any (skilled) pursuers for sure now, which is the intention of my toolset. FC...

I got two opinions Lletah.

1. I almost thought to agree that spawning camping could get worse, but I don't think it will get any better or worse. If you can move to different spawn points, Mech more if you need to, and more importantly make the Battlestation count. Bottom line - there will always be flaws in PvP, guaranteed.

2. A tool set should not be designed around running, hiding, and too many dirty tricks. That is also the reason there is re-balance, so many perceptions of PvP mechanics are going to be completely erased, and re-written.

Such horrible things happen when you start to lose customers...

I've found this game has gotten better since losing customers, which is rather odd.

[Tanana]

The biggest problem with the changes are that they do nothing to even the balance between the two extremes of the scale, the PvP set up and the new, Leveling set up.

While you still give incentives for both extremes to be inside the BS you'll get greens being steamrolled by decent PvP'ers and nothing will actually change within BS. You may get more random wins since it could be easier for each side to cap points but in terms of the PvP inside BS, nothing changes.

So you either remove the incentive for one group or you give the weaker group a tool/tools to improve their ability to take part.

It seems a shame to me that FC's thoughts on spawn camping seem to centre not on the fact that this happens because players are too weak to defend themselves but because they spawn in the same location.

[Kamarar]

I don't think FC is really giving them much in terms of funding. Why do you think those heads are taking so long? Even when they're outsourced to the Chinese for mere pocket change. It's kind of sad to see things end up this way, but... it is what it is.

[Cyberleet]

It seems a shame to me that FC's thoughts on spawn camping seem to centre not on the fact that this happens because players are too weak to defend themselves but because they spawn in the same location.

I concur...and to get the charracter-boosts, repetoir and means of customation at the appropiate level they have to grind content from 01-03, alone...fix plx. We wanna play our profession to it's complete and full potential! A TL4 agent played by a normal player updating nano-repetoir and some stuffz in 2days situation is just...no. You can't expect that from gamers in 2011 So it's skipped and thus the charracter peforms thereafter... -_-

The real underlying issue here is population-decrease/lack of competable players.

Closing in on enemy areas, comprimizing them is a tactical process in warfare/battle, but the ability to 'fall back' and choose another spawnpoint will be k00l!

Are FC going to do something about /follow?

I'd suggest that on BS the /follow command be disabled, remove the black screen when blinded and just have it set your AR to 25% of your Norm (or something).

Can decrease blind-lenght on perks. The rings aren't so bad and is something players pull out when they want something.

Please FC, nothing is worse than a meaningnless death in a playfield with absolutely no penalty for dieing but there will be a penalty for not actually pvping and trying to hide, which is also known as losing. Battlestations should be like most of our PVM zones, hours upon hours where you see no one.

Funneh!
Playing stealth, counter-stealth, evacuation and pursuit is pvp too, not just direct combat is.

So if you want to distract the pvpers that will prevent me from capping with the useless losers who like to hide while the few of us attempting to win are struggling

'Useless losers'...At least players can make an effort to get to you, and newbies can 'in&out cap. With wings gone it will be like a duel-area void of active and strategical combat. What PF would for example sniper-platforms/heights be placed in for pvp if not this?

Huge step in the wrong direction.

I'd like a complex and advanced, challenging game, thank you.

[Cyberleet]

2. A tool set should not be designed around running, hiding, and too many dirty tricks. That is also the reason there is re-balance, so many perceptions of PvP mechanics are going to be completely erased, and re-written.

Hah! CH will get a 20sec cooldown and agent's unique repetoir will be revamped, so...BYEBYE Assaultdoctor!

[Parranoid1]

Why did they bother to block off the little area underneath the bridges in core?

That doesn't even make any sense? They got used all the time?

I don't even...

[Parranoid1]

2. A tool set should not be designed around running, hiding, and too many dirty tricks. That is also the reason there is re-balance, so many perceptions of PvP mechanics are going to be completely erased, and re-written.

I disagree, why cant there be a toolset based around that. There is and should...whats next, there shouldnt be a toolset about changing the combat effects of your target?

[-Klod-]

Why did they bother to block off the little area underneath the bridges in core?

That's how they fix pet pathing lately. If you can't fix pathing, then you fix the path itself.

[SoapTarder]

I disagree, why cant there be a toolset based around that. There is and should...whats next, there shouldnt be a toolset about changing the combat effects of your target?

in pvp outside BS, its very advantageous to survive/run/hide, because going to reclaim sucks.

In BS however, People have no excuse for being scared to just have fun and let loose because dying there is irrelavant. and now, its a way to get a free teleport somewhere else so whos complaining? yes, your deaths are tracked, but only you can see it via !stats, so its pointless to worry about that aspect. and really, who says you won't be able to hide and run with the new BS design? 99% (based on my experience) of people who sneak around and gank people, or run away from fights for whatever reason, do so within the areas that will still be open. advies run in circles at the capture points/spawn points... which must get boring. shades and agents always hide and gank at capture points, because thats where you get the easy pickings. and lets just skip over teleport pad abusers, what a useless bunch.

lets face it, people would scream and moan to no end if someone had a 100% reflect shield (which traders did have at one point), and cry incessantly that its unfair and remove it. then the same people abuse line of sight with the ramps/tunnels/machines which is effectively the same as having 100% reflect, because no one can hit you, and that should be part of a toolset? wtf...? I can see running around a corner or behind a structure, but theres obviously a line of reason, and the devs are drawing that line in the sand with these changes.

[Zandibel]

Big glass walls... really?

Probably the ugliest/laziest bit of level remoddeling I've ever seen.

[tzalman]

Wanted New Engine screens...didnt get New Engine screens. Honestly that should be No.1 priority right now if you ask me. Have enough to show off at E3, make a good impression, media rounds, etc...then mid summer advertise and even maybe try for a commercial or two (like rift did), then BAM re-relase of the game treated as a "new" game and people will flock to it, even if just to check it out. But hey, even if they stay only a month or two then cancel, at least that influx of money can help keep the game alive and maybe speed things up. Guess i will continue randomly logging on with my Fr00b until the new engine is ready...then hopefully the world isnt over and ill still be able to reactivate my old acct. le sigh.

[Arlancor]

But the wings? why? THAT much removed? for what reason? Why why why remove such an area for no apparent reason that is used by many people for many different uses?

Or do you really just want to promote teleport camping?

I agree with this guy, leave the wings as they are. Its very much needed

[Ctrlaltwin]

I disagree, why cant there be a toolset based around that. There is and should...?

No one should have a toolset that is based around not being able to fight a proper 1v1, it kills the reason behind SOLO PvP and DUELS. If you know you have absolutely no chance, how is that fair?

whats next, there shouldnt be a toolset about changing the combat effects of your target?

What's next is re-balance, not crazy "what ifs". If a tool set is based around being squishy and getting rocked by alphas every time that is not an effective tool set. To me, and I hope anyone else that is true. Fixers, Agents, Ma's, Shades shouldn't have to run when they see an Enforcer or NT (depending on how they match up).

[SoapTarder]

Big glass walls... really?

Probably the ugliest/laziest bit of level remoddeling I've ever seen.

would be cool if there was a storyline behind it all, like

Earlier this week, an alien mothership bombarded the battlestation before the unicorns could shoot it down. some areas were left unrepairable, while other areas like core were repairable, but some modifications had to be made. areas that were left unrepaired have been (insert Fringe rip-off here) filled with a special resin that expanded and solidified into diamond-hard glass. these areas are now off limits and are inaccessible. anyone who was caught in the blast was unfortunately caught in the resin sealing process, and are forever in limbo inside the glass. Our hearts go out to their loved ones.

this would allow them to put random bodies inside the glass, giving the BS some cool atmosphere, as well as fulfilling a storyline of sorts that draws people in to it.

hell, I actually hope they do something like this so its not just another change that gets forgotten, where new players scratch their heads wondering wtf the glass areas are for.

yeah, agreed with Zandibel. plain glassed in areas is kinda blah without something gnarly/tragic stuck inside it.

[Obtena]

so you can't do any clever flanking with mechs, any kiting, and sneaking past or anything like that when one side decides to camp the teleporters

Good news is you get to choose one of many places to start before you get telecamped!

You call that clever? It's about as clever as a monkey smoking a cigarette.

[lazarus]

I agree, Adventures need some stuns also!