Rarebit wrote:
NeoExcidious wrote: because the devs are not allowed to touch the original content.Practically the first thing to happen was the assassination of Morpheus
NeoExcidious wrote:
because the devs are not allowed to touch the original content.
Practically the first thing to happen was the assassination of Morpheus
So it's true!OMGI QUIT
NeoExcidious wrote: because the devs are not allowed to touch the original content.This is not the case and never has been. Practically the first thing to happen was the assassination of Morpheus--that should tell you something, if nothing in recent plot developments is giving you any other clues yet. The only thing I've had shot down by the creators since the plotting fell to me was a proposal that the Machines do not in fact use humans as power sources.So, blame us for not having Neo in every chapter, but not for not having the ability to do that if we thought it was a good idea. Our original writer even told me that the brothers gave him a mandate to tear the Matrix apart and rebuild it. It's tricky to work from an established story in a way that will mean something to its fans without, on the one hand, seeming like you have nothing to do with that previous story, or, on the other, with relying on it so much that you're just reliving the past over and over without actually having it grow in new and interesting directions. We've probably erred more in the former direction than the latter over the years, but I don't really want to fall into the cheap trap of shouting "NEO NEO NEO" every episode.... Oh, wait.
This is not the case and never has been. Practically the first thing to happen was the assassination of Morpheus--that should tell you something, if nothing in recent plot developments is giving you any other clues yet. The only thing I've had shot down by the creators since the plotting fell to me was a proposal that the Machines do not in fact use humans as power sources.
So, blame us for not having Neo in every chapter, but not for not having the ability to do that if we thought it was a good idea. Our original writer even told me that the brothers gave him a mandate to tear the Matrix apart and rebuild it. It's tricky to work from an established story in a way that will mean something to its fans without, on the one hand, seeming like you have nothing to do with that previous story, or, on the other, with relying on it so much that you're just reliving the past over and over without actually having it grow in new and interesting directions. We've probably erred more in the former direction than the latter over the years, but I don't really want to fall into the cheap trap of shouting "NEO NEO NEO" every episode.
... Oh, wait.
Does that mean you wanted the Pew Pew eyes? (lazer eyes) So if the proposal of the machines not using humans as a power source did go through, where did the machines get their power source?
Everyone knows this game was rushed, and to prove that fact when it was released they changed the combat system mid game, after it went gold (I think, memory isnt what is used to be). Now if only I can get those cinnamatics to work when not in windowed mode...
Ic3b3rg wrote:
Does that mean you wanted the Pew Pew eyes? (lazer eyes) So if the proposal of the machines not using humans as a power source did go through, where did the machines get their power source?Everyone knows this game was rushed, and to prove that fact when it was released they changed the combat system mid game, after it went gold (I think, memory isnt what is used to be). Now if only I can get those cinnamatics to work when not in windowed mode...
Unlimit was our original writer Paul Chadwick's invention. It fell to me to implement their "powers" in-game, and I probably would have done laser eyes if I'd actually known how to do it on my own. Best I could do was them that green eye code drip effect and use green lightning bolts from the sky.
Does the 11.3 cinematic work for you in full-screen? It's a different format (Flash rather than Windows Media Player) and might behave differently.
Ic3b3rg wrote:Does that mean you wanted the Pew Pew eyes? (lazer eyes) So if the proposal of the machines not using humans as a power source did go through, where did the machines get their power source?Everyone knows this game was rushed, and to prove that fact when it was released they changed the combat system mid game, after it went gold (I think, memory isnt what is used to be). Now if only I can get those cinnamatics to work when not in windowed mode...Unlimit was our original writer Paul Chadwick's invention. It fell to me to implement their "powers" in-game, and I probably would have done laser eyes if I'd actually known how to do it on my own. Best I could do was them that green eye code drip effect and use green lightning bolts from the sky.Does the 11.3 cinematic work for you in full-screen? It's a different format (Flash rather than Windows Media Player) and might behave differently.
To be honost, none of the cina's worked in full screen mode even back when I was using XP home edition, I do hear Sound, but the picture is not displayed. I also could not get the 9.1 - 11.2 to even play, they were deselected.
There were no cinematics for 10.1-11.2 .
Direct links for browser viewing/download
I think its nothing to do with the content your providing rarebit, I haven't once thought to myself... this isn't plausible. It has however, now more than ever, presented itself as a problem with the way your delivering the narrative. You have to understand that this new method is failing miserably (From what i've heard and im sure you have too). Personally speaking i would be satisfied with removing the cinematic again and re-establishing the Daily live events.
For what its worth the cine's take up too much time for the end result. The narrative to time ratio is incredibly unbalanced with them, where as with live events the narrative albiet slightly restricted in particular delivery methods can actually occupy the player for longer. Which is ultimately proved to be the better situation. I'll admit, its a veil for us, and illusion but i'd rather have the illusion of money well spent than what we have now.
I think if a fusion of the two methods was created where live events dropped the items and trades could still be made we would have a more involved feel but as some have said. At least before we had a conscious being to interact with, its this interaction that most feel has caused this void of enthusiasm for the current delivery method.
All my opinion and referenced opinions of others paraphrased into a polite plead to establish a more customer satisfying narrative delivery... :/
Either way im staying for now i love this universe even without the story i see this game as a tool to express those ideas (RP etc) i see that are connected with the matrix universe.
I understand (and I said this in my first post on the subject) that people who have been used to playing in daily live events will feel their loss. I think events are cool too--after all I did however many hundreds over several years. But the vast majority of our players did not make it to live events; as I eventually came to realize, it was like one or two dozen people who I was seeing over and over under different guises. So from my perspective, what you aptly call the "narrative to time ratio" looked something like
close to half of my dev time = 1-2 dozen players entertained for several hours per day
which to me is inferior to the present scheme, which gives *everyone* (possibly after some levelling or teaming) several hours of play time--probably more if they aren't charging through it--and (and this is important to me) makes the story much easier for everyone to follow.
I realize it's an apples and oranges thing--most live event regulars will no doubt say they find the *everyone* content dull by comparison--but it just felt wrong to me to spend that much of my dev time on the small number of players who were hitting up the daily live events.
Whether or not there's a viable compromise point, I don't know yet. It will mostly be finding out how many live events I can fit in around the current scheme, I think, although as I've also said, I'd prefer to keep the events I do spend time on central to the story (or the large ones that nearly everyone has a shot at attending--eh unless they work the same hours I do and can't get off--which is what the meetings and parties are for), so it will depend on how good I can get at seeing/leaving important spots in the story where vital personal player interaction is required--the recent Ghost event, for instance, came along because I realized that players weren't quite putting something together that I wanted put together before 12.1; it wasn't something I'd planned to do while I was developing 11.3. For 12.1 I already know of one event I'll need to do, and I'll have to see based on how players react to the story of 12.1 whether there's anything else I'll need to cover with an event.
I may as well mention that planning, preparing, running, and documenting even these smallish events I'm able to do on my own generally takes somewhere in the neighborhood of three to four hours of dev time; I think players generally don't realize that. Some people will say that I should just do quickies--just jump in with some character and fool around for a bit--but I don't want to get sloppier with our characters and our story than I have to; I'm just not interested in that at all, at least not as long as there's a story to maintain.
The only thing I've had shot down by the creators since the plotting fell to me was a proposal that the Machines do not in fact use humans as power sources.
I remember you talking about this at the time :)
... but I don't really want to fall into the cheap trap of shouting "NEO NEO NEO" every episode. ... Oh, wait.
Wow.. I think most of us have been living in denial for so long we didn't even give this a thought.
We feel your pain Rarebit, And I am happy to see that your becoming involved in this thread. As a person who has ran a few player events I can understand the time it takes. Thats why I would hope creating these items or story teller tools, might take some pressure off you.
It does seem like I am the odd man out here, I could really care less if any of our side stories are acknowledged by the LE characters or it to be Matrix Cannon. I just want to have some fun with stories. We have such potential in this world. I just think having story teller tools would be a great advantage to the roleplay community, and make more things to do for other players to get involved in. Just something that can help us plan events, a way to spawn specific types of NPC wether its a tool or a consumable, that would require farming. Personally if Runtimes were still around I would be farming those Runtime bits, cause I see alot of potential in that idea just need to broaden it.
deffdog wrote:
We feel your pain Rarebit, And I am happy to see that your becoming involved in this thread. As a person who has ran a few player events I can understand the time it takes. Thats why I would hope creating these items or story teller tools, might take some pressure off you.It does seem like I am the odd man out here, I could really care less if any of our side stories are acknowledged by the LE characters or it to be Matrix Cannon. I just want to have some fun with stories. We have such potential in this world. I just think having story teller tools would be a great advantage to the roleplay community, and make more things to do for other players to get involved in. Just something that can help us plan events, a way to spawn specific types of NPC wether its a tool or a consumable, that would require farming. Personally if Runtimes were still around I would be farming those Runtime bits, cause I see alot of potential in that idea just need to broaden it.
It tends to be griefers rather than RPers who are into spending time farming repeately for things they can use on other players. I've been on the receiving end of enough Runtime Bits not to have any urge at all to try something like that on a repeatable scale.
Sati's Playground was in part an effort to establish a place where players should spawn their own bad guys. Currently your story options there are limited to ninjas and Cypherites. ;) I do want to add more variety to the boxes you can use there, but I don't want to add boxes without rewards to go with them, and that takes time, which I'll just have to make time for at some point(s) as we go along.
The other more complicated option you have currently I guess--aside from using the street gangs for your stories (and there's a great variety of those guys hanging around), or having other players play the enemies, which is probably the best solution all around, although I'm sure you've thought of that--is to track down the archive missions that drop the type of NPC you want as an early between-phase ambush--the ones that drop on your out of the sky, I mean.
I respect your choice Rarebit, its logical and makes sense. More and more I see from other companies the old mantra of do more with less, and once that starts to happen someone has to suffer the outcome of that. MxO has had this problem, we kept losing Dev's and CSR's and eventually fans but the game still continues.
To be doing what you did, and are still doing, for so many years is a testiment to your commitment to this game and its fanbase. In these lean times I think it is important to use all available resources to help aid in the story telling.
Sorry for the double post, however I wanted to comment on the new RSI capture feature with the Gangs. I have always thought a Spy would do this when the game first started. Using masks and stuff is ok and all, but a Spy should blend into the enviroment and try to gain access to secret meetings and intel through divertion and trickery.
The problem I noticed right away is even with a mask on you are still having a name and org and faction tag being displayed for the world to see (depending on what options you set) so your really not fooling anyone. I havent tried the new RSI capture tools from the Gangs but I imagine it has the same Game mechanic limitations as a mask does?
I've stated this numerous times, and I'll probably do so again, but I think it bears repeating. We do not need daily live events. In fact, given the reactions to the filler events, one could say we don't even want daily events. We do, however, want some sort of continually moving story. The way things are set up now, we do get "several hours of play time" but then we can nothing, zero, until the next update unless we want to farm items (which, of course, has no story impact anyway).
I understand that live events take up a lot of time particularly if viewed through the frame of how many players they reached, but that wasn't all we had that was taken away. We had time released critical missions that "everyone" could experience. We had cinematics, at least at some points in MxO's history, that "everyone" could experience. We had liaison interaction which, when done right, "everyone" could experience.
If we can't go back to the way things were done before, and I'm not necessarily saying we should, we do need some sort of compromise.
Rarebit wrote:Sati's Playground was in part an effort to establish a place where players should spawn their own bad guys. Currently your story options there are limited to ninjas and Cypherites. I do want to add more variety to the boxes you can use there, but I don't want to add boxes without rewards to go with them, and that takes time, which I'll just have to make time for at some point(s) as we go along.
Sati's Playground was in part an effort to establish a place where players should spawn their own bad guys. Currently your story options there are limited to ninjas and Cypherites. I do want to add more variety to the boxes you can use there, but I don't want to add boxes without rewards to go with them, and that takes time, which I'll just have to make time for at some point(s) as we go along.
I think unlimits would be a nice fit in there.
Shinryu wrote:
We do not need daily live events.
Perhaps not daily but we do need them regularly.
