Cavadus
Fri, 15 Feb 2008, 15:45
What are you guys working on at the moment?
As of now we’re working hard to get 1.5 out the door and on to the Public Test Server and ready for public consumption. Along with fixing any issues found by our QA Team in 1.5, the Developers are on their second week of working on the 1.6 build. Go devs go!
When will real info be released about PAUs? While drawings or computer models would be nice, I have more practical questions, such as if skill points will be necessary.
We’re glad to hear all of the excitement from players about implementing PAUs into the game. As of now, we can provide the basic outline of the PAU system (http://www.playtr.com/community/community_news/elder_game.html) that our Lead Designer has shared and then our lips are sealed! Once PAU’s are closer to being implemented into the game, we will start disclosing both images and design features.
I noticed Item rarity does not affect tools repair or healing amount, is this the intended workings of tools or will this be changed to affect item rarity? Secondly with the changes and thus over all increase to the players health and armor levels will both repair and healing tools have the amount of healing changed to reflect this?
1. The issue that caused item rarity to not affect healing or tools repair is being fix in an upcoming patch.
2. We are still investigating if any tweaks need to be made in this regard, but no changes have been made yet.
Injection Guns - what is the expected behavior of initial shot and dot damage as it applies to damage increases from pumps and armor penetration. For example should the % increases apply to both the initial shot and the dot or both? Same with armor penetration should the initial shot armor penetrate then the dot armor penetrates, or does the dot always fully penetrate, what is the expected behavior?
The Injector Gun was originally envisioned as a “fire and forget” weapon with a relatively weak initial hit but a powerful DoT. Bugs in its implementation and the overlap of its armor penetration skill-based effect and the natural armor penetration of Virulent damage have caused some balance problems with these weapons. Basically, there should be little difference between an initial strike and a DoT tick with this gun: they should do the same amount of damage with the same amount of armor penetration. Injector Guns have hard 20m range limits and they suffer no damage falloff within that range. We are currently working on fixing bugs and adjusting the damage output of Injector Guns.
Do the attributes that you choose for your character transfer to your pets? What about clones?
No to pets, yes to clones. Clones of yourself and clones of you made by Reconstructor Bots are pretty much exact duplicates of your character, including attribute and skill point distribution. Also, when you Polymorph, the attributes of your Polymorph form are not influenced by your character attribute distribution.
Do I have unlimited clones?
No. Your character receives 1 clone credit per completed Target of Opportunity quest in addition to the 1 clone credit you receive at levels 5, 15, and 30. There are also other missions in the game that award clone credits, such as the hybrid missions.
Original Link (http://www.playtr.com/community/community_news/elder_game.html)
Time for another quick, or not so quick update. Right now, the team is working hard getting the game ready for the next patch. I think balance has greatly improved, and a lot of the features that have been implemented are excellent additions to the game. You will see those on Tuesday and we look forward to hearing your feedback.
As we move closer to launch, some may think that now would be a good time to finally relax after months of crunch, but that’s not what making an MMO is about. So the question “what’s in store for the upper level player?” has come up, and I thought I would share a sneak peek of some of our plans. Some of these will come sooner rather than later and as with any development, nothing is set in stone and our plans could and will invariably change. Still, here are just a few of the features we are working on:
Personal Armor Units (PAU’s): When players get to level 40, they won’t just get a pony! Promotion to Level 40 comes with the option to train for certification in the PAU. Each PAU will have bonuses such as movement, more firepower, and different abilities per type. Each type is unique to the military career the player has selected. When visualizing the PAU, visualize the AFS Mech, although each will be very different… and may not necessarily be a mech.
Sneak peek: PAU for the Grenadier: Grendel – The surprisingly nimble Grendel, has two machine gun turrets on each arm, providing a cone of doom a short distance in front of the Grendel. More impressive is the Hornet’s Nest capability of the Grendel, which when unleashed uses the remaining power of the user to determine the number of rockets unleashed on the opposing forces but does massive damage to surrounding units.
Command Opportunity: When you climb the ranks to level 50, you need someone to order around. Command Opportunity is the privilege the AFS commander has to control their own subordinate squad of NPCs. Teach them, outfit them, and give them commands on the battlefield. The more successful you are with your squad, the bigger and better your squad will become, granting you Command Points.
Flashpoints: The Neph generals aren’t happy with the setbacks in their bid to rid the universe of Eloh manipulation, therefore they have begun attacks on various worlds. Each Flashpoint will require multiple squads to solve. Certain objectives will need to be done simultaneously to fight back the Bane and each objective will require a dedicated squad that is at their best. Conquer flashpoints with squads formed of all players, or have a few players that have NPC squads at their command.
Clan Warfare: Clans will gain their own abilities for their members over time, meaning the leader will be able to select a passive buff that all members of the clan will have. This buff will grow in strength the larger the clan. Clans who go to war can wager these buffs and loot in clan wars. Eventually, clans will be able to lay claim to Control Points fighting off rival clans, and earning bonuses while they control them. There will even be AFS sanctioned Rivalry Zones where players have strategic objectives to fight over such as Capture the Flag, and Hold the Location.These are just a few of the things that the team will start working on after ship. (Which essentially means we are working on them now.) It is going to be an exciting next few months as we launch the game and watch how the game grows. As always your feedback is very welcome and encouraged via our feedback form.
Original Link (http://www.playtr.com/community/community_news/elder_game.html)
As of now we’re working hard to get 1.5 out the door and on to the Public Test Server and ready for public consumption. Along with fixing any issues found by our QA Team in 1.5, the Developers are on their second week of working on the 1.6 build. Go devs go!
When will real info be released about PAUs? While drawings or computer models would be nice, I have more practical questions, such as if skill points will be necessary.
We’re glad to hear all of the excitement from players about implementing PAUs into the game. As of now, we can provide the basic outline of the PAU system (http://www.playtr.com/community/community_news/elder_game.html) that our Lead Designer has shared and then our lips are sealed! Once PAU’s are closer to being implemented into the game, we will start disclosing both images and design features.
I noticed Item rarity does not affect tools repair or healing amount, is this the intended workings of tools or will this be changed to affect item rarity? Secondly with the changes and thus over all increase to the players health and armor levels will both repair and healing tools have the amount of healing changed to reflect this?
1. The issue that caused item rarity to not affect healing or tools repair is being fix in an upcoming patch.
2. We are still investigating if any tweaks need to be made in this regard, but no changes have been made yet.
Injection Guns - what is the expected behavior of initial shot and dot damage as it applies to damage increases from pumps and armor penetration. For example should the % increases apply to both the initial shot and the dot or both? Same with armor penetration should the initial shot armor penetrate then the dot armor penetrates, or does the dot always fully penetrate, what is the expected behavior?
The Injector Gun was originally envisioned as a “fire and forget” weapon with a relatively weak initial hit but a powerful DoT. Bugs in its implementation and the overlap of its armor penetration skill-based effect and the natural armor penetration of Virulent damage have caused some balance problems with these weapons. Basically, there should be little difference between an initial strike and a DoT tick with this gun: they should do the same amount of damage with the same amount of armor penetration. Injector Guns have hard 20m range limits and they suffer no damage falloff within that range. We are currently working on fixing bugs and adjusting the damage output of Injector Guns.
Do the attributes that you choose for your character transfer to your pets? What about clones?
No to pets, yes to clones. Clones of yourself and clones of you made by Reconstructor Bots are pretty much exact duplicates of your character, including attribute and skill point distribution. Also, when you Polymorph, the attributes of your Polymorph form are not influenced by your character attribute distribution.
Do I have unlimited clones?
No. Your character receives 1 clone credit per completed Target of Opportunity quest in addition to the 1 clone credit you receive at levels 5, 15, and 30. There are also other missions in the game that award clone credits, such as the hybrid missions.
Original Link (http://www.playtr.com/community/community_news/elder_game.html)
Time for another quick, or not so quick update. Right now, the team is working hard getting the game ready for the next patch. I think balance has greatly improved, and a lot of the features that have been implemented are excellent additions to the game. You will see those on Tuesday and we look forward to hearing your feedback.
As we move closer to launch, some may think that now would be a good time to finally relax after months of crunch, but that’s not what making an MMO is about. So the question “what’s in store for the upper level player?” has come up, and I thought I would share a sneak peek of some of our plans. Some of these will come sooner rather than later and as with any development, nothing is set in stone and our plans could and will invariably change. Still, here are just a few of the features we are working on:
Personal Armor Units (PAU’s): When players get to level 40, they won’t just get a pony! Promotion to Level 40 comes with the option to train for certification in the PAU. Each PAU will have bonuses such as movement, more firepower, and different abilities per type. Each type is unique to the military career the player has selected. When visualizing the PAU, visualize the AFS Mech, although each will be very different… and may not necessarily be a mech.
Sneak peek: PAU for the Grenadier: Grendel – The surprisingly nimble Grendel, has two machine gun turrets on each arm, providing a cone of doom a short distance in front of the Grendel. More impressive is the Hornet’s Nest capability of the Grendel, which when unleashed uses the remaining power of the user to determine the number of rockets unleashed on the opposing forces but does massive damage to surrounding units.
Command Opportunity: When you climb the ranks to level 50, you need someone to order around. Command Opportunity is the privilege the AFS commander has to control their own subordinate squad of NPCs. Teach them, outfit them, and give them commands on the battlefield. The more successful you are with your squad, the bigger and better your squad will become, granting you Command Points.
Flashpoints: The Neph generals aren’t happy with the setbacks in their bid to rid the universe of Eloh manipulation, therefore they have begun attacks on various worlds. Each Flashpoint will require multiple squads to solve. Certain objectives will need to be done simultaneously to fight back the Bane and each objective will require a dedicated squad that is at their best. Conquer flashpoints with squads formed of all players, or have a few players that have NPC squads at their command.
Clan Warfare: Clans will gain their own abilities for their members over time, meaning the leader will be able to select a passive buff that all members of the clan will have. This buff will grow in strength the larger the clan. Clans who go to war can wager these buffs and loot in clan wars. Eventually, clans will be able to lay claim to Control Points fighting off rival clans, and earning bonuses while they control them. There will even be AFS sanctioned Rivalry Zones where players have strategic objectives to fight over such as Capture the Flag, and Hold the Location.These are just a few of the things that the team will start working on after ship. (Which essentially means we are working on them now.) It is going to be an exciting next few months as we launch the game and watch how the game grows. As always your feedback is very welcome and encouraged via our feedback form.
Original Link (http://www.playtr.com/community/community_news/elder_game.html)