Steele_Magnolia

Thank you for this information, it is going to be very helpful. I was tinkering with the MA creator this evening and becoming frustrated with the filesize limitation. I now know why, and will adjust my mission plans accordingly.

I checked, unable to get into the Training Room.

There are a *lot* of open beta threads posted in Community Digest now but they're all access denied. What's up with that?

I loved it, Sooner! I just found this and read it all in one sitting.

*waves at UPWARD, a frequent TF teammember (post above)*

I find myself joining the merit march. I'm doing a LGTF or ITF almost every day now, speed or otherwise, usually on my "merit earner" (Rad/Rad Defender 50).

The market is even less friendly now than it was just a few weeks ago, it seems. I'm trying to fill out builds for several characters in their low 40s and I'm one of those people who don't need to maximize everything as a level 50 recipe. I'm sitting on almost 200 mil influence on Liberty and there is very little to buy that I want or am willing to spend that on (I consider 100 mil for a purple recipe to be ridiculous).

The "questions" that have not been answered for me:

1. Was this severe an impact on the markets a developer intention (drying up of midlevel recipes, driving up of prices, reduction in overall recipe supply).

2. Was this severe an impact on IOing out characters the developer intention?

3. Was merit grinding a desired behavior by developers?

4. Was speed running a desired behavior by developers?

Yes, I am serious about all of these questions, because the current implementation seems, to me, to imply it.

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If you're going to review something, then you need to try it first, or your review is worthless. As it is, I could go up and down the list of arcs and star it however I want without having played it or giving it an honest review? What's that do to the credibility of the whole system? It trashes it and makes it virtually worthless.


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First off, if you're 1-starring everything willy-nilly, you will pop up on the devs' detection tools (that they have already told us will be there) and receive an appropriate response. Same thing if you're 5-starring everything willy-nilly.

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And if you're 5-starring your friends' arcs, 1-starring those of people you don't like, and 2-, 3-, and 4-starring those of random other arcs to avoid the grief-detection software....

Then the rating system is worthless and so is the ability to detect griefers. And if I can think of it, so can others. It took me all of one brain cell and one second for this to pop into my head when I read the description of MA.

As it stands now the system of being able to rate arcs without an investment of time is flawed.

I am confused over the level issues, will we be designating the levels of our story arcs for players to see?

Example: Rescue the Fusionette Clones (Level 50)

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However, to avoid players having to play through every mission to rate it - that's unreasonable punishment - at least one more measurement criteria can be added: drop out rate (or completion rate, which is the inverse of drop out rate). After a reasonable number (say: 50) of players have started an MA arc, the proportion of players who have dropped out prior to completing it (or the proportion of players who have successfully completed it) is shown. An arc with a high drop out rate / low completion rate is a big warning sign to players that the content might not be up to scratch.

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This is a very good idea.

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Now, if an arc has a low completion rate but a high rating, it tells players 1) the arc might not be for everyone, 2) it might have been artificially boosted by friends, and / or 3) it might have a great final mission.

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Excellent explaination. This allows for those arcs that are created to present the ultimate challenge (and hopefully are thusly described in the mission text as such, IE: Meat Grinder) or are similar to the Hess TF where the final mission is spectacular.

I am not comfortable at all with a system that allows players to rate content without even attempting it. There is nothing there to stop someone from 5 starring their own and friends' arcs and randomly 1, 2, 3, and 4 starring a bunch of other stuff to avoid being flagged as a griefer.

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I'm willing to listen to ideas on how truly horrible content can get rated without having to endure all of it.

[/ QUOTE ]How about let the player rate without completing only one mission per week or month? To ensure that it's only used to get out of "bad" missions, the rating for such an aborted mission would always be "one star".

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That would have both ups and downs:

Good: It would prevent the mass 1-star griefing and 5-star gaming of arcs without having played them (both things I have heard discussed by actual players).

Bad: It could affect the rating of an undeserving arc simply because a player chose to quit the arc for normal reasons.

If this kind of system is implemented, and I strongly suggest that it be done, then something needs to be done to make it clear to the lesser knowledgeable players that the 1-star drop rating is only for BAD content, not a default because he is dropping the arc.

[/ QUOTE ]They have already said, repeatedly, that they have added the ability to track excessive extreme rating. Since ratings are tracked at the account level (both getting AND giving them), griefers are going to expose themselves pretty quickly.

I think we're worrying too much about this this early in the game.

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Given the requirements for an arc to get into the Hall of Fame, I disagree. If it is so very easy to 1-star, without even the effort of attempting the arc required, just browsing the list of arcs and rating, there will be people doing it, just as there will be people 5-starring their own and friends' arcs.

I hope the developers tracking tools really are good. I can already think of ways to evade them and still grief or game the system, I'll PM my "griefing" theories, but whom would be best to send them to, pohsyb or Positron?

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I'm willing to listen to ideas on how truly horrible content can get rated without having to endure all of it.

[/ QUOTE ]How about let the player rate without completing only one mission per week or month? To ensure that it's only used to get out of "bad" missions, the rating for such an aborted mission would always be "one star".

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That would have both ups and downs:

Good: It would prevent the mass 1-star griefing and 5-star gaming of arcs without having played them (both things I have heard discussed by actual players).

Bad: It could affect the rating of an undeserving arc simply because a player chose to quit the arc for normal reasons.

If this kind of system is implemented, and I strongly suggest that it be done, then something needs to be done to make it clear to the lesser knowledgeable players that the 1-star drop rating is only for BAD content, not a default because he is dropping the arc.

Will we be able to use things like "put out fire" [as in Steel Canyon] or "stop the arson" [as in Safeguards]?

Will players have to complete arcs before they are able to rate them (please, please, to make it harder to grief or game the system).

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Quote:
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Makes me a happy scrapper

Is there a limit to how many AVs/EBs can be in a mission?


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Yes, the amount of spawn placements on the map.

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That's pretty much the reaction I had, especially after some of the "planning" chat I have heard on VU2009 about making the ugliest, nastiest, pwnunoobs AVs/EBs possible with the intent of ganking players.

I'll be using "1-star" for "pwnunoobs lolstory" content, believe me.

Will MA have a "asterick" system like Ouroboros that marks the arcs that you have already done?

If so, by character or by account?

Wow, way to resurrect a dead thread!

You made me blink, I knew Budokai quit the game. It was a surprise seeing his avatar again. (Points up a few posts and a year earlier)

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Okay i just got a message from supportncsoft.com and does this mean i can enter the closed beta?

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Actually, just in case it is a beta invite (and not a support ticket or other type of email)... don't risk your Nondisclosure Agreement by posting your email here, or pushing that issue. Send a private message via your "My Home" page to Ex_Libris and ask her for assistance. She is the Community Rep.

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*checks email to see if he has an invite*

Nope, which is par for the course today, Worst Friday the 13th ever.

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*cries*

I could have gone out with that tall, dark and handsome MA, but my date for tonight is... Snaptooth?!?!?!

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/checks e-mail repeatedly for hours/

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This.

I put my account on 6+1 awhile ago, it renewed for one month. When I contacted support, they tried to explain to me that when it finally did renew again that it would renew at 6+1 but I don't really believe it.

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I'm now downloading LotRO and will try it out as soon as the patching completes. It looks promising and I am likely to go Lifetime if I like it.

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I did the same, in November.

My opinion (I'm not stating this for anyone except myself):

At the time the promise of the Merit System and the way it would be brought about instead (merits replacing end of TF recipes instead of being an option) and watching half my global friends list cancel their accounts depressed me enough to seriously look at another game since the first time since Everquest.

Watching all the chickens come home to roost (Super-speed TFs, PuGs that exist to get the mission holder's arcs done, empty PvP zones, unobtainable or extreme scarcity of recipes on the market, rising prices) is still depressing.

This is still my favorite game of all time, just not for PuGing anymore. The patch on Test is an improvement. More needs to be done.

Sidenote: The "speed LGTF" I was on this weekend (I didn't realize just how speedy) was as about as fun as eating dirty socks. I already knew run of the mill speed TFs weren't my cup of tea, this made me want to swear off the TF outside of my SG forever. The "speed ITF" isn't as bad because there are objectives that have to be achieved inside at least the first mission. Earlier TFs like Positron, Hess, Dr Q at least have some defeat alls or other objectives. However, by and large, except for a "no stealth" TF marathon I joined or TFs I have personally run, nearly every TF I've joined since I-13 has been "speed" and it sucks. Merits have turned this into "City of Farming" and it was alarmingly predictable.

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Adding to my post above:

I am waiting to see where the developers go with the Merit System, and how they modify it. I am really hoping to see some improvement in Merit System within the several months. For the game economy and the game's long term viability, I believe it needs it.

I am also awaiting the Mission Architect as this will give me something new to work with and much, much more to work and play with in the future, and an alternative (at this point merits are not my goal) to Task Forces. While I enjoy the currently available story arcs, I am looking forward to new content.

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That's exactly it. You are keeping Sally from being taken over by the Red Caps. Just hit her with brawl. There is no way brawl will actually hurt her.

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*brawl Sally*

"Dive, Sally, dive! The Red Caps are coming!"

Seriously. That's what I do.

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I'm now downloading LotRO and will try it out as soon as the patching completes. It looks promising and I am likely to go Lifetime if I like it.

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I did the same, in November.

My opinion (I'm not stating this for anyone except myself):

At the time the promise of the Merit System and the way it would be brought about instead (merits replacing end of TF recipes instead of being an option) and watching half my global friends list cancel their accounts depressed me enough to seriously look at another game since the first time since Everquest.

Watching all the chickens come home to roost (Super-speed TFs, PuGs that exist to get the mission holder's arcs done, empty PvP zones, unobtainable or extreme scarcity of recipes on the market, rising prices) is still depressing.

This is still my favorite game of all time, just not for PuGing anymore. The patch on Test is an improvement. More needs to be done.

Sidenote: The "speed LGTF" I was on this weekend (I didn't realize just how speedy) was as about as fun as eating dirty socks. I already knew run of the mill speed TFs weren't my cup of tea, this made me want to swear off the TF outside of my SG forever. The "speed ITF" isn't as bad because there are objectives that have to be achieved inside at least the first mission. Earlier TFs like Positron, Hess, Dr Q at least have some defeat alls or other objectives. However, by and large, except for a "no stealth" TF marathon I joined or TFs I have personally run, nearly every TF I've joined since I-13 has been "speed" and it sucks. Merits have turned this into "City of Farming" and it was alarmingly predictable.

Hero 46-50
Project World Wide Red
Contact: Crimson
17 Merits (+6)

Hero: Gordon Stacy: Project Revenant Hero
Merits: 12 (+4)

Working on Freakolympics now.

(Edited for completion to add information, and next project)

That's the explanation for MA?????

I'm going to pretend I never read that. It never happened. Seriously. That's incredibly immersion breaking and doesn't fit at all.

/facepalm

I have one level pact.

Now that the bug with xp gain has been fixed, and xp gain is as normal (being split, received with each mob defeated, mission completed), I am quite happy with level pacts.

I will be using this again when I make my VEAT.