Developer Journal 03 - Part One (Archon) - 12/07/2005 Discussion Thread

ZCash

16,000 animations. :smileysurprised:

...

:smileysurprised:

:smileyvery-happy:

**Roukan**

By the way this whole revamp thing sounds a hell of a lot like the Combat Idea I pitched in Beta. The whole "Same roll = no hit or both hit." thing. I wish I could find it but SOE deleted all those threads.

Reiatsu

.....mmmmmmMMMMMMMMM AAAAHHHHHH:smileyvery-happy:

PLEASE when will the test server be up?!?! I'm DYING here =P

The first time the test server went up i tried to get in but to no
avail... I'm getting in this one if i have to kill my RSI's off (let's
hope that won't happen O_o )

Dodge_THIS

Archon wrote:

Convert the combat system to a damage-per-second (DPS) model.

Can you give us more info as to how a DPS model works, compared to what we have in the current system?

All the changes sound really, really great, btw! I can't wait! :robotvery-happy:

Dodge_THIS

Chuui wrote:
Addition: To try to further explain my question. Currently each time you put one point in a stat it gives a very tiny bonus for example 0.1 to lock picking or something, but you won't get any return from that bonus until you place 10 points in it.So although each point is adding a tiny amount, it's useless to put, say 34 points in perception unless you can somehow gain enough points to push that to 41 with clothes/items as you'd be wasting three points. (Hope that makes sense, I got a splitting headache right now).

So with the new system, the first bonus kicks in at point number 6. So we will start with the first bonus in four of the stats. But to see a return in additional points, how many more do we have to place in it? Will we actually see a return (addition to bonuses) with every subsequent point after the sixth or will we have to build up x points first?

Message Edited by Chuui on 12-08-2005 09:02 AM

I think I know what you are saying, although I'm not sure about your numbers. As it is now, you apparently don't get an 'influence' bonus each time you add a point to a particular stat. You have to add multiple points (maybe 2, I'm not sure) before you get any bonus. So essentially that means that unless you have enough points to get the stat up to the next bonus level, the points you've spent on it in the meantime are essentially wasted (at least for the time being).

I don't know the answer to your question, but personally I would like to get SOME benefit from each stat point, even if it means that my bonus is not a full point -- i.e., you could get a bonus of, say, 0.5.

Kivo

Im a little worried about something. It said that there are 8 new specialties. Among them were Viral, karate, kung fu, aikido, rifles, smg, and pistols. The reason I am worried about this is because hacker still seems like it has the advantage. A Kung Fu grandmaster will still rely on their kung fu stats, and if they branch into aikido their kung fu stuff will not affect the aikido rolls. However, there is only one viral attribute. This means that no matter which branch a hacker is they still have the same advantage. This would leave Operatives crippled if they change trees but hackers could do it without a penalty.

I suggest there be network hacker, selective phage, and patholigist, as well as kung fu, karate, etc. but eliminate Viral. This would eliminate the inequality between hackers and operatives, and turn hacker into a respectable tree. Whatcha all think?

P.S. Walrus, a comment on this would be great! I am a little worried at the moment.

Sykin

manicvelocity wrote:

**EndlessVoid**

Excellent journal, Archon and Walrus.
Looking forward to seeing how this revision comes together in the next one, but I'm liking what I've seen so far.

- Void

**Paige6**

Roukan wrote:
By the way this whole revamp thing sounds a hell of a lot like the Combat Idea I pitched in Beta. The whole "Same roll = no hit or both hit." thing. I wish I could find it but SOE deleted all those threads.

I remember your posting Roukan. You did in fact post a combat concept that is quite similar to what's described in the journal.

Now, I wonder where my post went about all of the Spy abilities looking more like wrestling moves. lol.

Trebor

I saw no mention of how stealth attacks would fit into this equation? Is stealth going to be addressed on this new combat revision?

Thanks

bonobi

I'm happy to say that this combat revision puts the new combat into much more detail than I thought it was going to be in...meaning that skill in knowing what to do at the specific time is going to play a big role. WONDERFUL JOB GUYS!!!!

On a personal note...thanks for puting in those comments Walrus, you made sure we saw the points we've been asking for on the forums clearly. aka unlimited amount of attribute hacks and such...nice!

I'd have to say that this combat revision will make MxO the most "technical" fighting system I've seen in a game and is extremely impressive for an MMO. Now if SOE doesn't forget about LET and makes sure that they rely on good storytelling and character interaction after this is implemented, I'd have to say that with this combat backing up the game we'll have an extremely impressive game on our hands.

good job guys...

**Shinryu**

Hmmm... I'm still not convinced about the revamping of interlock, and I don't like the fact that it's essentially being called a "new" game (I'd still rather they just fixed the "old" one), but I do like some of the things mentioned in the journal.

Positives:

- Attributes actually meaning something (could a crafting revamp be far behind?)

- More strategy in combat

- Buffed clothes having less impact (assuming buffed clothes count as "ehanced items")

One extra note that kind of scares me, the one about tuning item bonuses to meet the requirements of the new system. Makes perfect sense, but please tell me this isn't going to mean everything buffed that we currently have will become insta-garbage just like the collector/hideout/archive items after the reflow "retuning".

Detrius_MXO

I must say im excited at the fact that atrributes will cap at 30. This will definately add a balance to the game. It will also allow someone to be profecient in more then one class as opposed to a zerging knife thrower who never misses . It will make us think more at to where our attributes will go. Have a good day.

SephyX

Man, If we could test it right now, and see all these
changes in
actions, and me likey...I'll renew, for a year...Oh wait..christmas is
coming. Well, I'll be sticking around for the long haul.
Definate improvements guys, keep it up! /slowclap
Excellent! My excitement cannot be expressed on these
boards.

Message Edited by SephyX on 12-07-2005 09:16 PM
Message edited by SephyX on 12/07/2005 20:16:21.

thenightmare

However much documentation you think we as the players will need come
go-live for the QA server, double it. We'll need 2 documents
specifically. First is a short paper written in language a 6 year
old can understand about how the new system works in a nutshell.
Once we can all read through that and gain a base understanding of how
to manipulate the system, then we can proceed. Second, we'll need
an extensive, exhaustive document on all the nuances, subleties, ins
and outs of the new system, so that we can start turning this set of
game mechanics into a proper art form.

We'll need an updated listing of caps for everything (i.e. Will the
viral deflection numbers change? If so, how much?) We'll
need to know how attributes affect influences in a very specific way,
resembling this.
We'll need details on how the new "Contested Withdraw" system works,
and other pertinent elements (Will there still be a 5-second rollout
immunity? How will enrage be affected now that it becomes less
important?) We'll need to know specifically if and how any
abilities will change. You get the point.

We, as players, will be assembling a great deal of information
ourselves on the QA server, and we will be making a great deal of
suggestions to you, the DEV team, on what we like, what we dislike, and
what we feel you can do to make it better suit our needs. I'm
certain that you have every intention on listening to our input,
otherwise you wouldn't be bothering with a QA server at all. It
is vitally important, however, that you get this one right. We
all know what happened to the SWG player base in the wake of the CU,
and we know that MxO doesn't have the kind of player base that it can
survive that kind of hit.

Paul Chadwick wrote a years worth of storyline. It would be a real shame if we didn't even get to see all of that.