A small piece of flare from my friends Star Citizen hanger that sums up the season :)
Tuesday 22 December 2015
Dust 514....
I can only hope that CCP does take into consideration the current crop of multiplayer games if they are considering a port or a "new" version of an Eve FPS. To be a success they need to take whats out there improve on it and be better via slapping on the Eve brand or style of the New Eden Universe. Not a thing CCP is known well to do.
A good analysis on current multiplayer value and worth in games, including player expectation is better said by a video that I've seen from TotalBiscuit. Also well worth a listen.
Dust has always had so much potential but little to stand up and say it has achieved. One thing that it has is the Dust 514 community, it is strong and committed.
CCP Rattati I hope will have a major input for any port/new game but not even he will have all the answers CCP needs. Above all for a port there has to be communication. Without it CCP will repeat the mistakes of the past if they do not listen to the current Dust 514 playerbase.
The current community can be a pillar a new game can stand on to be promoted well.
A port would see a lot of people leave no matter what the port moves onto.
Even if it were to a PS4 not all PS3 owners are going to get a PS4. I'm an Xbox 360 owner and I dont' have an Xbox One.
If the future of the new game/port is on PC then there is still the need to recognise Dust 514 players time and efforts from their PS3 days.
I think that it's very important to recognise the current playerbase but without communication from CCP it is hard to say what can actually be moved if at all.
- I'd like to ideally see everything as is moved over from my one room "hanger".
- If not then a conversion of items/suits/fits/skins into an equivalent item on the new/ported game.
- Alternatively to that there should be a system where items are given an isk value, BPO's given an Aurum value and then that ISK and Aurum are transferred over.
That all sounds doable but it gets messy when considering SP.
There is a lot of thought to be had on that front.. There is no easy quick fix. Not without more details. Will the new game/port even have SP. I hope it does as I like that aspect of the game.
If it does maybe players have their old SP amount returned to them slowly over time as an extra daily bonus.
My current main has just over 25 Million SP, if I was to get that back over a year I would get a daily amount of SP that is just shy of 70k. At least knowing that I was getting it back would take the edge off the subject for me.
A lot needs to be worked out and balance is going to be key.
Those that have bought into the game via Aurum should 100% have that reimbursed at the very least.
Only CCP communication can give answers on whats actually happening. Or heaven forbid if they actually ask for input on "What wold you think of" type of questions.
I have bitched a lot on my blog posts about the way CCP has treated the Mystery code holders of the Eve Second Decade box set.
I think CCP sees Dust in the same light as that boxset. CCP has a "working" product, they have taken the players money and can get more cash from players with it. But CCP don't need to change or do anything else.
This article from Polygon shows what CCP says publicly about Dust 514.
Here are the last two paragraphs of that article :
This is one of the most surprising things from Fanfest this year: CCP is happy with DUST 514, and the game is going well. I also asked about Project Legion, the sort of announced game from last year that CCP said may or may not become a product. I was told there was nothing to announce.
"We’re looking into a lot of options for what’s going to happen next for Dust," Pétursson said. "It’s too early to say anything to be honest. The game is now a profitable business for CCP, and that’s a good thing."
That article came before the Legion copyright was abandoned by CCP.
What is certain is that CCP are in some way "thinking about it" and that they are not pushed about it on any kind of timeline. That's it.
All other interviews are the same. As non committal as can be and as vague as possible. The usual CCP way.
A port for a game CCP is not talking about and is not really doing anything with means I have real fears and doubts about a "better" future for Dust.
That is where the community comes in and forces CCP's hand to make them take notice and speak about it. Communication via blogs, podcasts and forums is the only way to get a player base message to and from CCP. When there is enough widespread pressure. Lets hope things on that front ramp up. An Eve style summer of rage really is needed for a port but more than anything else a summer of rage is needed for communication. It all sounds like an uphill struggle. Where is the CPM. Hidden behind a wall of NDA. At least if they pushed for a public comment from CCP no matter how vague that comment would be, at least something would be better than nothing. Maybe they dont' want to say anything to move the applecart from it's knife edge.
I have no doubt that CCP can cut the Dust 514 cord and not give a damn about it or the players.
It is easier for me to foresee a plan where CCP takes one last hurrah for Dust 514 in an event where the empires in Eve no longer have a need for the Dust soldiers and take action to wipe them out in one fell swoop via an order 66 or a lysine action. With all the dust soldiers dead in one weekend the servers could be shut off and that would be that.
As long as Dust is 0.01 cent/penny in the black and not in the red they won't cut that cord or change Dust from it's current "maintenance" mode regarding development never mind a port.
Speak CCP Speak. I won't accept any old port in a storm.
A good analysis on current multiplayer value and worth in games, including player expectation is better said by a video that I've seen from TotalBiscuit. Also well worth a listen.
Dust has always had so much potential but little to stand up and say it has achieved. One thing that it has is the Dust 514 community, it is strong and committed.
CCP Rattati I hope will have a major input for any port/new game but not even he will have all the answers CCP needs. Above all for a port there has to be communication. Without it CCP will repeat the mistakes of the past if they do not listen to the current Dust 514 playerbase.
The current community can be a pillar a new game can stand on to be promoted well.
A port would see a lot of people leave no matter what the port moves onto.
Even if it were to a PS4 not all PS3 owners are going to get a PS4. I'm an Xbox 360 owner and I dont' have an Xbox One.
If the future of the new game/port is on PC then there is still the need to recognise Dust 514 players time and efforts from their PS3 days.
I think that it's very important to recognise the current playerbase but without communication from CCP it is hard to say what can actually be moved if at all.
- I'd like to ideally see everything as is moved over from my one room "hanger".
- If not then a conversion of items/suits/fits/skins into an equivalent item on the new/ported game.
- Alternatively to that there should be a system where items are given an isk value, BPO's given an Aurum value and then that ISK and Aurum are transferred over.
That all sounds doable but it gets messy when considering SP.
There is a lot of thought to be had on that front.. There is no easy quick fix. Not without more details. Will the new game/port even have SP. I hope it does as I like that aspect of the game.
If it does maybe players have their old SP amount returned to them slowly over time as an extra daily bonus.
My current main has just over 25 Million SP, if I was to get that back over a year I would get a daily amount of SP that is just shy of 70k. At least knowing that I was getting it back would take the edge off the subject for me.
A lot needs to be worked out and balance is going to be key.
Those that have bought into the game via Aurum should 100% have that reimbursed at the very least.
Only CCP communication can give answers on whats actually happening. Or heaven forbid if they actually ask for input on "What wold you think of" type of questions.
I have bitched a lot on my blog posts about the way CCP has treated the Mystery code holders of the Eve Second Decade box set.
I think CCP sees Dust in the same light as that boxset. CCP has a "working" product, they have taken the players money and can get more cash from players with it. But CCP don't need to change or do anything else.
This article from Polygon shows what CCP says publicly about Dust 514.
Here are the last two paragraphs of that article :
This is one of the most surprising things from Fanfest this year: CCP is happy with DUST 514, and the game is going well. I also asked about Project Legion, the sort of announced game from last year that CCP said may or may not become a product. I was told there was nothing to announce.
"We’re looking into a lot of options for what’s going to happen next for Dust," Pétursson said. "It’s too early to say anything to be honest. The game is now a profitable business for CCP, and that’s a good thing."
That article came before the Legion copyright was abandoned by CCP.
What is certain is that CCP are in some way "thinking about it" and that they are not pushed about it on any kind of timeline. That's it.
All other interviews are the same. As non committal as can be and as vague as possible. The usual CCP way.
A port for a game CCP is not talking about and is not really doing anything with means I have real fears and doubts about a "better" future for Dust.
That is where the community comes in and forces CCP's hand to make them take notice and speak about it. Communication via blogs, podcasts and forums is the only way to get a player base message to and from CCP. When there is enough widespread pressure. Lets hope things on that front ramp up. An Eve style summer of rage really is needed for a port but more than anything else a summer of rage is needed for communication. It all sounds like an uphill struggle. Where is the CPM. Hidden behind a wall of NDA. At least if they pushed for a public comment from CCP no matter how vague that comment would be, at least something would be better than nothing. Maybe they dont' want to say anything to move the applecart from it's knife edge.
I have no doubt that CCP can cut the Dust 514 cord and not give a damn about it or the players.
It is easier for me to foresee a plan where CCP takes one last hurrah for Dust 514 in an event where the empires in Eve no longer have a need for the Dust soldiers and take action to wipe them out in one fell swoop via an order 66 or a lysine action. With all the dust soldiers dead in one weekend the servers could be shut off and that would be that.
As long as Dust is 0.01 cent/penny in the black and not in the red they won't cut that cord or change Dust from it's current "maintenance" mode regarding development never mind a port.
Speak CCP Speak. I won't accept any old port in a storm.
My current thoughts on Eve....
The latest patch has updated effects. I really like the new shield and thruster effects.
I was interested in an article that asks Why Eve is still a thing.
Eve Hermit also has a two part post pondering Isk's value. Pt1 & Pt2.
Those posts have me wanting to evaluate my characters "worth".
There was an interesting video on a first person joystick controlled version of Eve.
I've not been up to much on the Eve front, the usual "daily grind", Skill queue's and planetary interaction.
I've been updating the skills of my Amarrian alt bit in testing her against her first level 4 mission (not a very hard one) she has proved to be very poor. She cannot hit a thing even within what should be optimal range. Tank doesn't last that long either. I've a lot of tweaking to do and might move from the Abaddon to the Apoc.
Given my current addiction to Fallout 4 and the Christmas season I doubt I'll be posting for another while. Not that I'll be waffling about my own gamplay or posting about what I'm reading but we'll see how it goes.
I was interested in an article that asks Why Eve is still a thing.
Eve Hermit also has a two part post pondering Isk's value. Pt1 & Pt2.
Those posts have me wanting to evaluate my characters "worth".
There was an interesting video on a first person joystick controlled version of Eve.
I've not been up to much on the Eve front, the usual "daily grind", Skill queue's and planetary interaction.
I've been updating the skills of my Amarrian alt bit in testing her against her first level 4 mission (not a very hard one) she has proved to be very poor. She cannot hit a thing even within what should be optimal range. Tank doesn't last that long either. I've a lot of tweaking to do and might move from the Abaddon to the Apoc.
Given my current addiction to Fallout 4 and the Christmas season I doubt I'll be posting for another while. Not that I'll be waffling about my own gamplay or posting about what I'm reading but we'll see how it goes.
Slow WoW week....month....
Wow have taken a back seat due to the holiday season and the arrival of Fallout 4.
My hunter got to final go get the Gara pet, this guide gives a great step by step.
http://eyesofthebeast.com/ is a great one for any hunter to keep up on the class.
wow has been a garrison grind and some lower alts have been levelling up some professions/levels and various odds and ends equal to faffing around.
I did update some transmogs:
My hunter got to final go get the Gara pet, this guide gives a great step by step.
http://eyesofthebeast.com/ is a great one for any hunter to keep up on the class.
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| Gara taming |
wow has been a garrison grind and some lower alts have been levelling up some professions/levels and various odds and ends equal to faffing around.
I did update some transmogs:
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| Hunter |
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| Paladin |
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| Rogue |
Squad
I avoided Arma III because it would have taken a large chunk of life from me. I would have started to do mods/maps and joined it's community etc.
But this article shows a game called Squad that appears to be a "lite" version of Arma. May be worthy of more interest.
But this article shows a game called Squad that appears to be a "lite" version of Arma. May be worthy of more interest.
XCom Ironman playthrough....
I found this series interesting, it's being done before the new game hits and it's brought a few things to light on the tactics front that makes a lot of sense. I'm feeling the need to try this game again.
Star Wars Episode III..... As it should have been....
With all the Star Wars Hype and a need to avoid spoilers I avoided a lot but did find this video and it makes episode III a waaaaaaaaay better film.... It does spoil Episode III so avoid if you want to watch it....
Tuesday 15 December 2015
Eve Changes To Trial Length & Content Packs....
CCP has decreased the trials back to the way they used to be and changed the content packs to include more time....
Normal trials are 14 day free trial
Recruit invite email or link gets a 21 day free trial
The Explorer, Colonist, Skirmisher and Industrialist Content packs will now include 20 additional free trial days, applicable once per trial account, in addition to the ships, items and AUR in the packs.
Full details are here.
Normal trials are 14 day free trial
Recruit invite email or link gets a 21 day free trial
The Explorer, Colonist, Skirmisher and Industrialist Content packs will now include 20 additional free trial days, applicable once per trial account, in addition to the ships, items and AUR in the packs.
Full details are here.
Cities Skylines..... The Eternal Problem....
Traffic.
No matter what I try there is always something that creates massive amounts of traffic. Bottlenecks everywhere!
Great game and I love playing it. I'm still not tempted to play a map with all unlocks and unlimited money.
I just need to find the right "trick" with the road networks.
No matter what I try there is always something that creates massive amounts of traffic. Bottlenecks everywhere!
Great game and I love playing it. I'm still not tempted to play a map with all unlocks and unlimited money.
I just need to find the right "trick" with the road networks.
Star Trek Online.... Winter Wonderland
I've been having a bit of fun with the Star Trek Online's winter event "Q's Winter Wonderland".
I'm glad that the winter rewards have a currency that you can keep year on year as well as gain that currency from your Bridge Officer Missions so it builds up passively.. Every token helps.
Even if I spent a bunch on a scarf......
I've reached a bit of an halt with the commendation ranks. The remaining categories I need to level up in are harder to get as missions.
The only officer I have that offers one is my Ops officer who gives me Colonial missions. So I may have to switch some officers around and see if that helps.
It's a fun free game to play and I'm still tempted to buy into it and get some items, mainly a better ship for my main....
I'm glad that the winter rewards have a currency that you can keep year on year as well as gain that currency from your Bridge Officer Missions so it builds up passively.. Every token helps.
Even if I spent a bunch on a scarf......
I've reached a bit of an halt with the commendation ranks. The remaining categories I need to level up in are harder to get as missions.
The only officer I have that offers one is my Ops officer who gives me Colonial missions. So I may have to switch some officers around and see if that helps.
It's a fun free game to play and I'm still tempted to buy into it and get some items, mainly a better ship for my main....
Eve Valkyrie free with Oculus Pre-Order....
It's an interesting yet unsurprising announcement to have Eve Valkyrie free with Oculus pre-order.
I do like the game and the latest video does look good. I hope there is longevity in the game.
The official Eve post linked three articles but this one gives a lot more detail as a review.
I do like the game and the latest video does look good. I hope there is longevity in the game.
The official Eve post linked three articles but this one gives a lot more detail as a review.
Multiplayer only games....
There has been a lot of chatter good and bad about the latest big games being multiplayer only. I was disappointed at the details on release of Rainbow Six Siege but not surprised by the kerfuffle surrounding the latest Star Wars (FRANKIEonPCin1080p) game despite it's good looks.
Another great YouTuber TotalBiscuit, has some really good video's and the latest is no exception. Well worth a listen and while doing so I was applying what he was saying to Eve Online, Star Citizen and Dust 514 among others....
Another great YouTuber TotalBiscuit, has some really good video's and the latest is no exception. Well worth a listen and while doing so I was applying what he was saying to Eve Online, Star Citizen and Dust 514 among others....
Continued Dusting....
I'm still getting to mess about with Dust 514, checking the dailies and if they are worth getting (1 win = 6 lockbox key's) then I'll game. Otherwise it's a matter of collecting my war barge items and allocating skill points while suit spinning. Of the rare match I do have recently I've enjoyed them. My character feels like he can hold his own against the "average" player. There are still the veterans since Beta that sway the field of battle.
As a solo player in this game it's harder when against larger more organised groups. That's when I go all covert and get hunkered down in a sniper mode. Like Eve Online it's the game you create as much as whats provided to you by CCP. There is still "that something" that makes the "feel" the game is special and that brings me back to it. Perhaps it's the similarities to Eve. If this comes to pc then it will be very interesting. I'm still finding jumpy, shotguning explosive dropping players the most annoying. Sniping them in mid jump is therapeutic. I've not played my "alt" in a while but still collect the war barge and missions list just in case there is anything useful.
Not that I do be on the forums but a google search for some info gave me this post about the top 5 YouTuber's, I've seen and heard maybe two of them but some info is better than none. Others are comedic if nothing else.
There was some interesting "leaked" images the last week. With luck there is still work in progress on something close to a port to PC....
The latest in game event will be the rewards for the season that's in it.
http://dust514.com/news/2015/12/twelve-days-of-dust-1/
It will be interesting to see what the rewards will be, I can foresee some matches being done to find out. Will there be a Fedo.....?
As a solo player in this game it's harder when against larger more organised groups. That's when I go all covert and get hunkered down in a sniper mode. Like Eve Online it's the game you create as much as whats provided to you by CCP. There is still "that something" that makes the "feel" the game is special and that brings me back to it. Perhaps it's the similarities to Eve. If this comes to pc then it will be very interesting. I'm still finding jumpy, shotguning explosive dropping players the most annoying. Sniping them in mid jump is therapeutic. I've not played my "alt" in a while but still collect the war barge and missions list just in case there is anything useful.
Not that I do be on the forums but a google search for some info gave me this post about the top 5 YouTuber's, I've seen and heard maybe two of them but some info is better than none. Others are comedic if nothing else.
There was some interesting "leaked" images the last week. With luck there is still work in progress on something close to a port to PC....
The latest in game event will be the rewards for the season that's in it.
http://dust514.com/news/2015/12/twelve-days-of-dust-1/
It will be interesting to see what the rewards will be, I can foresee some matches being done to find out. Will there be a Fedo.....?
Star Citizen playability....
The current 2.0 Alpha build is the first build that "feels" like I'm playing a game I can control. At least in first person mode. The latest focus with the inclusion of the star marine changes and updates all have a marked improvement on handling a character in game. Fast and responsive. There will be many an FPS that will envy Star Citizen for that.
The latest video for it shows the best of it off.
That's not to say that the current build is flawless, it is still an Alpha build.
I've only gotten to play around with this latest release a little but due to my hours being taken up with Fallout 4 but like always Star Citizen keeps on making me think that the game does have a lot of promise. If it deliverers on most of those promises then the game will blow away many competitors.
There is a lot more that needs to be done but I think they can pull it off.
This is a release that finally shows the evidence of the work being done on the game. It's starting to deliver at long last. I hope that they see the value in continuing to deliver new builds instead of having it's consumer base listening and viewing another video/demo/talk. I'm optimistic about the game now and I'm looking froward to seeing a lot more.
The latest video for it shows the best of it off.
That's not to say that the current build is flawless, it is still an Alpha build.
I've only gotten to play around with this latest release a little but due to my hours being taken up with Fallout 4 but like always Star Citizen keeps on making me think that the game does have a lot of promise. If it deliverers on most of those promises then the game will blow away many competitors.
There is a lot more that needs to be done but I think they can pull it off.
This is a release that finally shows the evidence of the work being done on the game. It's starting to deliver at long last. I hope that they see the value in continuing to deliver new builds instead of having it's consumer base listening and viewing another video/demo/talk. I'm optimistic about the game now and I'm looking froward to seeing a lot more.
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| New Main Menu |
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| First Person View with HUD |
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| Long hanger view |
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| The Greycat showing some grit |
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| Aurora Hanger View |
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| Rear hanger view |
Thursday 3 December 2015
Dust 514 update....
My Dust 514 update that is...
There seems to be a lack of info about the next Hot-Fix, changes or patch coming up.... A lack of news is disappointing.
There would be no point in comparing other shooters from other companies saying that 2 years after launch they are in X,Y and Z condition with free this and that.
Dust is like an underdog, despite it's flaws it is compelling. In saying that if it were not for the daily missions I check on it would be a lot longer between login's for me. Particularly the lock box key missions, it is nice to try and get an item that is above par, BPO's for example.
The Events help as well. The last one the Logi Event was a lot better than previous versions as the requirements for completion were not so stringent. I did the logi event with 2 characters over 3 days and wasnt' rushed about any of it.
There is increasing talk about a port of the game from the PS3 to "something/anything" else.
Crossingzebras has a good article on why they think Dust 514 is not a dead game and what positive hope is in the future.... With luck there will be a port to PC (not PS4, not PS4). #PortDust514
There seems to be a lack of info about the next Hot-Fix, changes or patch coming up.... A lack of news is disappointing.
There would be no point in comparing other shooters from other companies saying that 2 years after launch they are in X,Y and Z condition with free this and that.
Dust is like an underdog, despite it's flaws it is compelling. In saying that if it were not for the daily missions I check on it would be a lot longer between login's for me. Particularly the lock box key missions, it is nice to try and get an item that is above par, BPO's for example.
The Events help as well. The last one the Logi Event was a lot better than previous versions as the requirements for completion were not so stringent. I did the logi event with 2 characters over 3 days and wasnt' rushed about any of it.
There is increasing talk about a port of the game from the PS3 to "something/anything" else.
Crossingzebras has a good article on why they think Dust 514 is not a dead game and what positive hope is in the future.... With luck there will be a port to PC (not PS4, not PS4). #PortDust514
Blast from the past....OFP Demo 0.36
I'm a person that holds onto a lot of "stuff". In software terms for games I hold onto most of what I get and keep my "lots" of saves and settings files and make sure they are backed up. Aaaaaaanyway while having a look through some older files I came across my Operation Flashpoint folder. It's a series (Flashpoint, Resistance & Elite) that I really liked.
I had a lot to look through as I had spent many an hour with modding, maps and mission scripting. Hidden in the back was the original demo, version 0.36 from around May 2001. The demo that sparked in me a love of the game despite it's "pre alpha" looks and flaws. The game did for the time take a lot of steps forward. The demo needed no installation and could run from the folder so I unzipped it and took a look. I could see that I messed about with the files of the demo, adding in reworked missions and changing the in game assets. Ah fun memories!
The gif below is a small clip from my first playthrough after rediscovering it.
Not much to show but a lot of feelings on this demo; The game is very nostalgic driven but I am surprised that it still "felt" the same when playing it. The graphics the same now as they were then so no wonder about the nostalgia feels.
The video below from YouTube will give a better view of the overall demo....
I had a lot to look through as I had spent many an hour with modding, maps and mission scripting. Hidden in the back was the original demo, version 0.36 from around May 2001. The demo that sparked in me a love of the game despite it's "pre alpha" looks and flaws. The game did for the time take a lot of steps forward. The demo needed no installation and could run from the folder so I unzipped it and took a look. I could see that I messed about with the files of the demo, adding in reworked missions and changing the in game assets. Ah fun memories!
The gif below is a small clip from my first playthrough after rediscovering it.
Not much to show but a lot of feelings on this demo; The game is very nostalgic driven but I am surprised that it still "felt" the same when playing it. The graphics the same now as they were then so no wonder about the nostalgia feels.
The video below from YouTube will give a better view of the overall demo....
Eve Online continues....
I've not been up to much in my Eve Online gaming. It explains why I have so little to talk about and why I've had this post in drafts for so long. I've been doing the usual bouts of P.I./passive isk making. Some level 4 missions, the odd bit of hacking anom's and general faffing about have rounded out the time.
Some standings were increased with my newer Gallente based character and finalising his new home base's all worked out. I'm still looking to get him into another corp which may take a bit longer to find. There are way too many people war dec'ing smaller corps looking for easy effortless kills.
The next release/update/expansion to Eve Online is less than a week away. There seems to be a lot of improvements and enhancements to the game on the way. The quality of life seems to continually improve.
The Operation Frostline dev blog was of interest with the usual information which leaves you asking a lot more questions. For me they are mainly questions about the "event".
A lot more details are written about over on Crossing Zebras.
The recent changes to scanning were good. I've no real need to scan down ships/players but the changes to probe scanning make the experience a lot more fluid. Evehermit had a good writeup on his experience with using it.
The Drifter's story has been ongoing even if more recent events have made them take a back seat. For an overpowering race that has vastly superior firepower you think they would have cut to the chase already.
Those recent events are the creation of the Upwell Consortium and their lore/storyline/intro for the new structures. A far greater storyline than the Drifter shenanigans imho. I have to say that the Legion has always been a favourite "pirate" faction for me. ORE always treating my characters with negative standings for some reason. The Legion were always the opposite. Must be a Caldari thing after all.
The Omber changes are a nice touch that makes it a little bit better to mine, especially in hi-sec. Not quiet the ignore rock it was but starting players will find it's value.
The new ship effects are shaping up to make the game "feel" a while lot better. I'm really looking forward to seeing these in action. The other changes like the module effects are also shaping up to be worth looking for. The hull marks are also going to be interesting. I won't have any use for the kill marks but I will be interested to see how dirty a lot of my ships will be.
There has been a lot of chatter about PVE in Eve Online and I think it's about time that there was an interest in developing it. There are good articles about that, here, here & here
The one thing that does stop me from doing PVE is the new A.I. I absolutely hate the new burner missions. And if all missions are being turned into them then there is no fun in that for me. I dont' mind having difficult missions or "enhanced" A.I. but there is not need for PVE to slam dunk your ship into oblivion because your not doing a PVP/max dps fit. I find that really annoying.
Not that I'm bitter or anything but I decline more missions than I take and that's on my 80+mill SP character. CCP needs to also factor in all levels of players including the 5 mill SP "got me a battleship now" newbies. PVE needs to be adaptable but not so much that is stops play. If A.I. reads that an 80 mill toon is in a shit fit T1 battleship it should know that and not be the same as if that same player was in a faction BS with a massive "bling" fit. There are soooooo many complexities I hope that any changes made are done in baby steps. Two years away sounds like a long time but it will creep up fast.
On other story news the Amarr trials are are done. I wonder what the next few steps will be. Perhaps the Drifter story will be connected to the new leader of the Amarr.
The new command destroyers coming on the 8th are looking interesting and I'm sure they will shake up a lot of fleet compositions.
My characters may not be using them but skill plans were changed and some characters got to learn leadership V and Warfare Link spec IV in anticipation of getting the Command destroyers skill book.
A good writeup about these new destroyers over on sand cider and spaceships gives more information.
It's not all happiness as there do seem to be a lot of nerfs on the way for the Logi community... some good and some bad. Changes bring testing in a "live" environment.
Again time will tell.
Some standings were increased with my newer Gallente based character and finalising his new home base's all worked out. I'm still looking to get him into another corp which may take a bit longer to find. There are way too many people war dec'ing smaller corps looking for easy effortless kills.
The next release/update/expansion to Eve Online is less than a week away. There seems to be a lot of improvements and enhancements to the game on the way. The quality of life seems to continually improve.
The Operation Frostline dev blog was of interest with the usual information which leaves you asking a lot more questions. For me they are mainly questions about the "event".
A lot more details are written about over on Crossing Zebras.
The recent changes to scanning were good. I've no real need to scan down ships/players but the changes to probe scanning make the experience a lot more fluid. Evehermit had a good writeup on his experience with using it.
The Drifter's story has been ongoing even if more recent events have made them take a back seat. For an overpowering race that has vastly superior firepower you think they would have cut to the chase already.
Those recent events are the creation of the Upwell Consortium and their lore/storyline/intro for the new structures. A far greater storyline than the Drifter shenanigans imho. I have to say that the Legion has always been a favourite "pirate" faction for me. ORE always treating my characters with negative standings for some reason. The Legion were always the opposite. Must be a Caldari thing after all.
The Omber changes are a nice touch that makes it a little bit better to mine, especially in hi-sec. Not quiet the ignore rock it was but starting players will find it's value.
The new ship effects are shaping up to make the game "feel" a while lot better. I'm really looking forward to seeing these in action. The other changes like the module effects are also shaping up to be worth looking for. The hull marks are also going to be interesting. I won't have any use for the kill marks but I will be interested to see how dirty a lot of my ships will be.
There has been a lot of chatter about PVE in Eve Online and I think it's about time that there was an interest in developing it. There are good articles about that, here, here & here
The one thing that does stop me from doing PVE is the new A.I. I absolutely hate the new burner missions. And if all missions are being turned into them then there is no fun in that for me. I dont' mind having difficult missions or "enhanced" A.I. but there is not need for PVE to slam dunk your ship into oblivion because your not doing a PVP/max dps fit. I find that really annoying.
Not that I'm bitter or anything but I decline more missions than I take and that's on my 80+mill SP character. CCP needs to also factor in all levels of players including the 5 mill SP "got me a battleship now" newbies. PVE needs to be adaptable but not so much that is stops play. If A.I. reads that an 80 mill toon is in a shit fit T1 battleship it should know that and not be the same as if that same player was in a faction BS with a massive "bling" fit. There are soooooo many complexities I hope that any changes made are done in baby steps. Two years away sounds like a long time but it will creep up fast.
On other story news the Amarr trials are are done. I wonder what the next few steps will be. Perhaps the Drifter story will be connected to the new leader of the Amarr.
The new command destroyers coming on the 8th are looking interesting and I'm sure they will shake up a lot of fleet compositions.
A good writeup about these new destroyers over on sand cider and spaceships gives more information.
It's not all happiness as there do seem to be a lot of nerfs on the way for the Logi community... some good and some bad. Changes bring testing in a "live" environment.
Again time will tell.
Wednesday 2 December 2015
Ongoing voyages of..... FTL
It's been a while since I dusted off and played FTL. I've been having some fun with it the last few day's.
For anyone just starting off with this game it's best to start your first few playthroughts on easy mode. The harder the game mode the more hammered by enemies you will be. So no need to curb your learning experience by being dumped on.
There is a lot of complexity and the random acts are all par for the course. Some of those actions benefit your ship and crew but most are "bad".
A good review of the game when it came out is still of value for an insight on the game:
For anyone just starting off with this game it's best to start your first few playthroughts on easy mode. The harder the game mode the more hammered by enemies you will be. So no need to curb your learning experience by being dumped on.
There is a lot of complexity and the random acts are all par for the course. Some of those actions benefit your ship and crew but most are "bad".
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| Onward to victory!!!! |
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| Advanced Ships are worth the journey. |
Wow goes on....
When asked by my wife to help her with a rep grind I couldn't just let my wow sub lapse. I've taken some more time and decided to level up more characters to 100 rather than try and gear out the current 100's any more. I levelled by Shadow priest from 92 to 100 in two day's, mainly with dungeon running. The XP gain has really been buffed for this expansion. I'm planning my Rouge and Boomkin next. I may not push them to level as fast but to have three new characters to take on time-walking dungeons would be great for gearing them.
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| Shadow Priest Transmoged |
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| A lower level Shaman took advantage of the harvest to update cooking. |
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| Sometimes your on a journey you can't get off.... |
Boldley having fun....
Star Trek Online is still giving the gift of fun, maybe a bit more slowly but fun all the same. I'm still progressing in the Delta Missions and have been trying to finish off some of the commendations. I'll be interested to see the Winter Event.
Online communities....
Sounds like all online communities have elements like this.... between the trolling and "one-upmanship"
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