Devchat Summary

[CrazyJoker]

I figured I'd summarize the questions and answers that were asked at tonight's dev. chat. I think I got almost all of the important stuff in but if I didn't feel free to point out what I missed. The first part is introductions, second part is Crazy Mike asking questions and the last is questions from the crowd. Here it is:

I.
<CrazyMike> Like last time lets start off with introductions

<SmokeJumper> Dave Georgeson, Producer, PlanetSide.

<Blackbird> Danny Han, Official PlanetSide Photographer

<BrileyPS> all around artist for the team

<IluvatarPS> Scott Martin, Programmer, Planetside. Damn, it's been a while since I've done IRC. :)

<SporkFirePS> Vic Wachter, Community Relations Representative, Newbie :)

<SmokeJumper> Vic is the new guy, but has lots of experience in
exactly what he was hired for, so it should work out nicely.
<Blackbird> But learning the ropes fast as an NC soldier ;)

<BrileyPS> Forgot to introduce myself properly..Brett Briley, artist for Planetside

<CrazyMike> So Dave.. to start off maybe you can tell us how internal beta has been going lately?

<SmokeJumper> We play the game every day at 5pm CST for an hour or two. Okay...usually two. The tests are going well. We're looking forward to breaking it open to much larger numbers of folks later on. We're ironing out the obvious issues of gameplay before then though...so Internal Beta has been quite useful.

<CrazyMike> And whats the general feeling amongst the devs.. the honest answer, not the one where they blow smoke up the bosses butt? ;)

<SmokeJumper> Ahh...so that's how it will be. :) Okay guys...tell him.
<Blackbird> Fun fun fun.

<IluvatarPS> Honestly... it's fun as hell and getting better. :)

<BrileyPS> in my humble opinion i look forward to planetside everyday, and i play all types of games.

<Blackbird> I wasn't kidding either ... Dave and I are official photo journalists for the ongoing war on PlanetSide. We just gotta learn to duck ;)

<CrazyMike> Roughly how many people do you have testing it these days at one of these play tests?

<SmokeJumper> The daily tests are usually only around 40-60 folks. We have to arrange something special to get more teams involved if we want bigger tests.

<SmokeJumper> 40-60 is about all of dev, all of QA, and all of CS. That's usually who we can count on for the dailies.

<CrazyMike> Well there are about 300 volunteers here you could lean on for that ;)

<SmokeJumper> We do periodic BIG tests...and they will get bigger as we march into External tests.

<CrazyMike> So where do you stand right now with the internal development? Still dropping in a lot of features?

<SmokeJumper> No more features. You won't hear any new big things for some time, I think.
Oh wait...there are features you don't know about yet...but nothing new to implement.
One of those will make a bunch of folks happy, I think. We implemented a "mini-map" on the HUD recently to aid in navigation. It's extremely useful and will stay in the game.

<CrazyMike> So can you give us an example of one of the bigger hurdles you've had to overcome in internal testing and how you overcame it?

<SmokeJumper> Hurdles in testing? Porting to Linux was annoying and compatibility was tricky at first, but we have that going well now.

<SmokeJumper> Linux is for our servers, btw.

<SmokeJumper> The biggest hurdle is getting enough people in the game in order to test our macro-strategies.

<CrazyMike> I can hear the linux users now thinking that PS will be released for them
<SmokeJumper> We're very much looking forward to the External Beta. No linux clients, just servers.

<CrazyMike> So from the screenshots we've seen it seems you favor those guys in red.. the Terran Republic.

<SmokeJumper> Yeah. I'm a law and order guy...and I love the TR MAX.

<CrazyMike> I'm with you on that

<IluvatarPS> Vanu 4 Lunch! :)

<SmokeJumper> But the team is pretty evenly divided between the Empires.

<SmokeJumper> In fact, the poor TR are usually outnumbered. :)

<CrazyMike> What about you Danny.. got a favorite?

<SmokeJumper> All the designers periodically rotate through the Empires though.

<Blackbird> No. I'm still finding my way ;)

[CrazyJoker]

1. <CrazyMike> A lot of discussion in the forums are around a concern regarding the lack of players at odd times in the day. They worry that all thier hard work will be undone. This is even more a problem with the latest info on NTU's. Can you comment on this?

<SmokeJumper> heh. If you want to ask something a bit more specific, it would help. That's a pretty giant question. :)

<SmokeJumper> Sure, it's a valid concern...as long as they're unaware of the gameplay balancing factors...which they are. So totally fair. I'll try to explain... The NTU balance is still being adjusted, but the concept is to reduce NTU consumption when battles aren't raging around the facility. That can be done by a number of factors...NTU consumption increases with respawns at the facility, or when auto-repair features kick on, etc. We're still adjusting those factors so I can't tell you numbers yet. Anyway...this means that facilities will stay owned for long periods of time...unless there are fights around them. <SmokeJumper> Thus, they don't "decay" from just sitting there very much.

<CrazyMike> So from your producers letter it seems like a base left alone long enough will eventually just revert to neutral. Is this how it works?

<SmokeJumper> It will eventually, yes, Mike. But we're talking hours. I shouldn't say "hours". The time is being determined, but is intended to be long. As far as folks taking bases in the middle of the night...that can be trickier than it seems.

2. <CrazyMike> So what do you mean by "trickier than it seems"?

<SmokeJumper> Well...I'm assuming you mean "why can't a handful of people capture the world at 4:00 am", right?

<CrazyMike> Thats the concern we see in the forums

<SmokeJumper> It takes at least one person to sneak in and HACK a facility. As soon as this occurs, all the folks that are on the owning Empire get a message saying "Facility XXX was hacked." Guess what they do then? So...if there's anybody on-line, it tends to develop into a battle. If there's literally NO enemy available, then you have to keep the resources "topped off"...which can be tricky by yourself. If you have a big Outfit all logging in at pre-dawn to take a continent, you might be able to do it...but chances are, there will never be a "no enemy" time in the game, and they'll twig to what you're doing. Communication is EASY in this game...and the battles develop naturally because of it.

<SmokeJumper> Does that answer the question, or am I missing a case here?

<IluvatarPS> You also don't get experience unless you're at the base at the time of hacking *and* the time of capture... so doing a late-night multi-base grab won't net you much in the way of XP.
<SmokeJumper> or any...

<CrazyMike> So with the NTU's and keeping them topped up, will there be a way for the average soldier to know which bases are low and need topping off?

<SmokeJumper> Sure. We're showing that info on the continent map. ANT drivers get good info like that.

<CrazyMike> So the other big question I have is about the whole "you can't win" in planetside? What way are you addressing this?

<SmokeJumper> That question. <grin> Okay...seriously...how do you "win" in CounterStrike?

3. <CrazyMike> How are you going to give the FPS players thier "win" conditions?

<SmokeJumper> Right...my taunt style won't work here. :) I'll try just answering. There are "winners" announced every 24 hours for each continent. Those continent wins are totalled together each night to announce an Empire winner for the world. That's one thing. Then there are facility captures and Continental Locks. There are even bigger macro-goals beyond that which we'll announce later. You can gain certifications and ranks. You can become a better Commander and get new abilities. How many victory conditions do you want?

<IluvatarPS> FWIW... I have fun playing the game even when bases change hands frequently. It's all about breaching defenses and doing the Happy Dance on the coffins of your opponents.

<SmokeJumper> I think what folks are REALLY asking is "Why doesn't the server end and reset periodically announcing a specific Empire as the winner for that Quarter (or something)?" Right?

<CrazyMike> Some people ask that. Some people just can't see past the traditional FPS model

<SmokeJumper> Sure...and that's a legit question. The biggest concern with a server that "ends" is...the end of a game is rarely a tie. Usually, the endgame, if that's allowed, is lopsided. One Empire is obviously the victor before the clock actually expires in the game. And that would be horrible to suffer through if you were one of the two losing Empires. So most folks just...wouldn't. They'd quit and join the winning side.

<CrazyMike> I agree winners or just...quit.

<SmokeJumper> And I'm sure many would like to play that way. We'll consider a server type like that for after release.

<CrazyMike> Good to hear you're keeping an open mind on that.

<SmokeJumper> Meanwhile, the game we're making has continuous action and goes on 24/7 with lots of micro- and macro-goals going back and forth continuously. Think of a game of CS/T2/UT that just never ends on a scale that you just simply haven't imagined until now. Make sense?

<CrazyMike> I choose not to think about it because it just upsets me that I can't play the game yet..lol

<NearRidgeX7> I can animate the happ dance if you want!!

<rogue13> i can make a stack of ceremonial victory crates!

4. <CrazyMike> Ok.. the big question of the day. You can answer it now or later.. but we want a direct answer and not one of those "Dave" answers... When's beta and when are we going to know WHO is in?

<SmokeJumper> I posted something along this line before and it's the only answer I can give right now. I'm getting authorization now to start letting in beta testers. But I can't announce that date yet without authorization. I'll be honest, I was hoping to announce it tonight, but one of the key management folks was out of town. Info soon, I hope.

<CrazyMike> Well Dave, I appreciate the straight answer..even though it was less than what we hoped for..

[CrazyJoker]

5. <SmokeJumper> BonnieDundee...your question...do you mean "Can Vanu buy AP rounds at an equipment terminal?"

<SmokeJumper> The Vanu energy weapons use energy cells...which can be both types (standard and AP). But they also have weapons that use bullets and shotgun shells, so yes. Everything is available, I think. I'll check to be sure...but I'm pretty sure. And the Punisher uses EVERYTHING.


6. <[PLX]pyre_> How are BEPs shared within a squad? Say a member in a squad of 10 kills someone that's worth 500 BEP. Does everyone in the squad get 500 BEP, does it get split and everyone gets 50 BEP, or does the killer get a bonus of some sort (i.e. he/she gets 50% more than the rest)?

<IluvatarPS> Everybody gets 500 BEP. (Though that's just for the folks who are in the area of the kill) Basically, if you're in a "support role" (close to the killer or the victim), and a squadmate gets the kill, you get the XP. And everybody gets the amount they would have gotten if they'd made the kill themselves. So it behooves you to team up. You level up faster that way. :)

7. <Tairngire> Do the AA and AT MAX variants have any sort of combat capability versus those enemies they aren't designed to kill? For example, could an NC AA MAX use its Sparrow launcher on infantry, even though it can't lock onto them?

<SmokeJumper> If you have a weapon that locks (like missile launchers), then you can "dud" fire them at targets that you can't normally lock onto (like infantry). So yes, the anti-air MAXs can fire at other objects...but not with as much effectiveness or damage.


8. <SO|TheGreatHio> Can we get an in depth description on Kinetic Dampeners, things like: How are they used, do they have a maximum effective height- are they a physical item in the inventory. And do they affect vehicles (say, if i wanted to combat drop a buggy in a hotzone from a galaxy)

<SmokeJumper> SO|TheGreatHio...you pretty much hit ALT+G to bail out of the vehicle, and everything else is automatic. You pick the spot and bail. There's currently no worries about "ripcord"-style devices or anything.

9. <Helstrom109> will there be an appearance made by the aliens which created the wormholes and elder technologies of Auraxis?

<SmokeJumper> Helstrom109...good question...but we reserve the right to answer that much later. :)

10 <Private-Monkey> How exactly is a continent over-run?

<SmokeJumper> Continental Lock is achieved by capturing all the bases on a continent. That flips the warpgates to your Empire and no one can get TO your secured continent after that except via drop pod.

<Private-Monkey> so the only way a continent is "liberated" is via drop-pod?

<SmokeJumper> You have to cap a base, yes. Not hack it. Cap it. The difference is 15 minutes on a hostile continent. <SmokeJumper> With everyone on the continent converging on your location. :) Yes...liberation is done via drop pod

<BrileyPS> hehe good luck...word to the wise..keep a base always..or your in a world of hurt

11. <SkRiGeR> What about when people first start off and are looking for a commanding squad or to make one. Will it be easy for new players to take on Commanding roles? Or will they need some guidance at first from higher ranking players.

<IluvatarPS> You can advertise to other players that you're looking to join a squad... we've tried to make it as easy as possible to form squads.

<SmokeJumper> SkRiGeR...a lot of that happens naturally. We've spent a lot of time making the mechanisms in the game very obvious to players when you join. That should help. In addition, there are a lot of tribes/clans/guilds/etc that want to come to PlanetSide. When they do, they'll have a natural command structure of their own and others will learn that it increases their effectiveness to be organized. And the "Looking for Squad" features, as Iluvatar mentions, are very strong. As a squad leader, you can search for anyone, or even specific certs (like looking for a Sniper or Combat Engineer). Even better, as a player looking for a squad, you can advertise all your certs...or only some of them if you want to be picky about what you get "hired" for.

<IluvatarPS> It's also easy to be a commander... all you need is somebody who's willing to join a squad that you form. Poof! Instant commander.

<SmokeJumper> Getting RANKED as a Commander is the tricky part. ;)

12. <Firez[MI]> Are multiple certifications required to crew a multiman vehicle? eg. does the driver need to be certified in addition to each crew member, or just a certified driver and 'any grunt' running the rest of the positions?

<SmokeJumper> Only the driver needs to be certified.

13. <PSI|Dr-X> Will you ever release the TR and the NC concept art (like you did with the vanu)?

<SmokeJumper> hmmm...I guess I have to answer that because I'd be the one doing the authorization. :) Yes...sure...if the art is cool.

14. <Deathbunny> Hi, I was wondering what kind of things you had planned for the day/night cycle, will lighting play a role in battle, are you thinking of adding flares to the equipment list sometime? And most importantly, can we turn off the dang headlights on the vehicles so we don't look like 80 year olds when we drive the tanks? :)

<SmokeJumper> Deathbunny...PlanetSide has a dark twilight condition as its night. (I can give you the fictional background if you'd like but that's not really your question, so I'll skip it for now.) The headlights are mostly cosmetic at this time...but they open up opportunties for us to do things later on.

<IluvatarPS> I think the headlights look pretty cool, personally...

<BrileyPS> well a switch to turn them off would be cool, then you line up 14 tanks over a hill and turn them all on at once....wow:)

15. <Spectra260> Will aircraft vehicles be able to take cover in the sky within clouds?

<SmokeJumper> Spectra260...sort of...but probably not the way you're thinking. We don't have multiple cloud layers in the sky that you can fly through and around, no. But when storms roll in, you'll be able to escape view fairly easily...of course it's harder to see the ground too...so you have to be careful also.

16. <{XoO}dash> I'm curious what type of stats will be available and if we will be able to portal them to our website?

<SmokeJumper> We have plans to make them available externally on our web page, but we're not sure if they can be grabbed to use on other sites yet or not.

17. <Private-Monkey> MrVulcan has the following question: Will there be a situation where enemy soldiers can enter an enemies sanctuary?

<SmokeJumper> Private-Monkey...we can't answer that one right now. Private-Monkey...we have something on the table that we're experimenting with. SO maybe.

18. <CrazyJoker> Will commanders be able to designate back-ups/second-in-commands in case of unforeseen incidents (computer crash, connection problems)?

<IluvatarPS> If a squad commander goes LD, the next guy on the list will automatically be promoted.

<SmokeJumper> CrazyJoker...yes...but that would be mostly a verbal agreement. I saw a suggestion on the forums today saying that autopromotion to Squad Leader should be based on Command Rank, and I think that's a good idea, but we usually just rely on the players to make their own decisions.

19. <[PLX]pyre_> It's been noted that balancing of under-populated empires is handled via incentives for the empire in need. With the loss of the economy, it seems these incentives can only really include increased BEP -- something that seems to become pointless as the server matures and more people reach battle rank 20 (Estimated 4 months of play). How do you plan to balance empires afterwards? Are there other incentives in place?

<SmokeJumper> Pyre...yes there are. We do our most severe penalties/rewards with xp because it encourages younger characters to shift. But we also have more draconian measures that can kick in when the sides are seriously unbalanced that affect things like actual maximum health. If the sides are so dramatically unbalanced, then we shift some of the game mechanisms to give the underdogs a chance in a fight. Not huge shifts, but signficant. We're also going to allow folks to Defect to another Empire. Details on Defections are to be announced later. There ARE penalities with Defections.

20. RocketFodder> hey briley, what sort of character customization can we expect?

<BrileyPS> there will be a choice of a head, and that head will have up to 5 different looks, such as a scar, or different eyes

21. <Tairngire> Can you give some examples of command features that are unlocked with CEP? What sort of goodies can aspiring commanders expect to get at higher command ranks?

<SmokeJumper> Iluv...only up to Command Rank 2 for now until more is finalized, please. :) To be clear...we have all of command stuff designed, but we're not announcing some of the really elite command features until we get a chance to test them with more folks.

<IluvatarPS> We have lots of cool features planned for command rank... a few of the lesser ones include some organizational abilities for squads (including waypoints) and the ability to get a snapshot of all friendly players on a continent. There are other, much juicier abilities that I'd love to talk about, but I can't. ;)

22. <Prontera> What triggers loss of ownership to a vehicle? Getting out, a certain time out of a vehicle? (I ask this due to trying to get all the equipment in the trunk to a locker to see if I have to worry about anyone just 'taking a look')

<SmokeJumper> Prontera...if you acquire a different vehicle, you lose ownership of the first one. Also, if someone jacks your ride, you lose it. Also if you log out for more than a couple minutes, your ride will get removed from the world unless someone else sits in the driver seat and "assumes ownership".

<NearRidgeX7> You can lock your ride too

[CrazyJoker]

23. <[PLX]pyre_> Art Q, Are there any plans to allow characters to gain distinction as they advance (either through visible medals/awards ..etc)?

<BrileyPS> you will stick with the initial face that you choose in startup for that character, but we will have a body skin change as you gain rank, along with noticable addon items for commanders

24. <Ookami> small question: does weather affect vehicle handling?

<SmokeJumper> Ookami...not currently...except for visibility, which can alter your strategy signficantly.

25. <Ezcactus> How does resurecting players work? Is it instant (point, click, back in action), or will it take a few seconds? Also will res'ed players have brief immortality?

<SmokeJumper> Revive takes some time to accomplish, but when someone is revved, they get up with all their stuff still in their inventory (after all...it was on their corpse, wasn't it?).
They are at a reduced health and armor, however.

<IluvatarPS> It takes a few seconds... and only players with the appropriate certs and equipment can res players

<SmokeJumper> Right...Advanced Medical is required.

<NearRidgeX7> But if you have a medic in your squad...you should never get to that point!! ;)

26. <Galgorth> Okay.. this concerns the base energy resupply.. will ANYBODY be able to drive the ANTs to resupply the base, or will it be a cert? Also, will towers have to be resupplied?

<SmokeJumper> ANTs do not require a cert. Towers do not require NTUs...currently. And probably never. But Towers don't have much to power... :)

27. <RocketFodder> can you tell if enemy bases are low on resources?

<SmokeJumper> RocketFodder...actually...yes...by looking at the silo. But not on the overhead map. Everything we do is about giving players an excuse to do something new and interesting. Very few systems are automated for that reason. There are a lot of styles of play in this game and we're working hard to give them things to do. ;)


28. <Private-Monkey> dance would like to know: how extreme is the wheather? tornados, quicksand, sandstorms, monsoons?

<SmokeJumper> How extreme is the weather? Rain and<[PLX]pyre_> With the in house testing going on, are there any specific playstyles appearing for the different empires?

29. <BonnieDundee> OK, here's a question on beta. Did you ever make a solid decision on whether Europeans would be allowed into beta?

<SmokeJumper> BonnieDundee...no. Not yet. Probably at the mass external, but possibly sooner.

30(devdiscussion) <SmokeJumper> I explained my "stealth engineer" on the PSU website. How do you other dev folks play? Any particular configs you prefer?

<IluvatarPS> Re: playstyles: Lots of people are starting to specialize... personally, I prefer sniping or the infiltration suit. Especially the latter. I like being sneaky.

<IluvatarPS> Nothing beats capping a base under the noses of Vanu MAX units who don't notice you sneaking in... :)

<BrileyPS> im hitting the tr personal heavy..usually for support, if not i just run in for some fun

<SmokeJumper> I have trouble deciding still. My faves so far are stealth engineer, MAX-man, and the "as many vehicles as possible" guy. :)

<NearRidgeX7> Illuvatar...speak the truth my friend

31. <Solarance> How is clan identification going to be shown in game? Will players have to put the clan abbreviation before thier name on player setup or will it be like in T2 where players join a roster and the game automatically enters the clan tag to thier name. And will their be an ingame community browser like in T2?

<SmokeJumper> Solarance...your Outfit is formed in the game and is permanently recorded in the database. We even track your Outfit's statistics for you. The name of your Outfit appears below your name when friendlies look at you. There is no ingame community browser...and yes, I loved that about T2, so we're thinking about something in the future.

32. <Xennon> Hi :-) What are the current point costs for each of the certifications? (understanding that they are subject to change)

<SmokeJumper> Xennon...current points for certs? Ack. I'd have to release that in a much longer format somewhere...but I probably won't for a while as we are still tweaking those values.

<IluvatarPS> Xennon - Most of the certs are 2 or 3 points. I don't remember the exact costs off the top of my head (and they're still being tweaked). You get one cert point for each battle rank you gain, so it takes a couple of ranks to add to your certs.

<SmokeJumper> There is no advantage to being in Standard Armor.

33. <[PLX]pyre_> Art Q related to Outfits while we're on the subject. Outfit badges and logos. Where will they be located on the person, and how visible will they be? Any word on if we can get a screenshot of them anytime soon?

<NearRidgeX7> The soldiers have it on their chests and the MAX's vary from chest to thigh's. They're rather brilliant, so you'll be able to see em. They're also on the vehicles if I'm not mistaken?

34. <BonnieDundee> By the way, which Vanu weapons are instant-strike? (specifically the Lancer)

<SmokeJumper> The fastest weapon in the game is the Bolt Driver, which is common pool. Most beam weapons have a little travel time, but the Lancer is pretty dang fast, not instant though.

<NearRidgeX7> Lancer is the shiz nit.

<IluvatarPS> You do have to lead a little with the bolt driver.

35. <SO|Spectrum> Second question: In other MMO's, there have been problems with kill stealing. Will a squad be able to KS another squad? If so, what, if anything, is being done about it?

<SmokeJumper> No safeguard has been made against that at this time. We're discussing some ideas about this, but honestly, the only xp that would matter on that level would be facility captures. And that's *totally* taken care of by the fact that anyone that participated gets xp. The system is very kind that way.

36. <SO|SubMerged> Will I be able to hear a bullet whoosh past me in real time? (IE hear it coming from a mile away, and past my head.) How advanced is PS's positional audio? Will PS ship EAX enabled?

<SmokeJumper> SO|SubMerged...yes. Absolutely. Not sure about EAX yet. We have the gear...we'll see if we have the time.

37. <sniperumm> Hello Dave, you answered part of my question not long ago, but I'm wondering if there is a certain time limit until the vehicle you own self-distrusts. So say you get out/off the vehicle to snipe some TR/VS (NC Slaves) scum, could you sit there for 10mins and then run back to your vehicle and fly/drive/hover away or will it be gone?

<SmokeJumper> sniperrumm...yes. You could do that. Your vehicle will still be there, even 24 hours later, if a) you don't log off, b) the enemy forces don't decide to destroy/jack it, c) you don't acquire another vehicle in the meantime, and d) you set your vehicle permissions to 'SELF ONLY' so no friendlies can drive it off.

<IluvatarPS> Vehicles will also auto-deconstruct if you leave them on their construction pad (to avoid griefing)

38. <[PLX]pyre_> HART's. Can they be shot down while landing? Also, can a Max fit in a HART?

<SmokeJumper> pyre...HARTs are invulnerable...and yes, MAXs can go in them.

39. This new tower idea sounds great, but I'm wondering what kind of spacing you're talking about. Will the towers be within viewing distance of each other (i.e. potentially no real unobservable wilderness)? I'm just thinking of the drop-ship assault scenario. Will every area on a continent potentially have a couple turrets giving you the hairy eyeball?

<SmokeJumper> Deathbunny...some towers are within view of each other. Others are quite a ways out away from an SOI. Basically, we use them to vary the tactical situations quite a bit on the continent. They work in conjunction with the geographic features to make "flows of control" to the maps.

<IluvatarPS> Some towers are near strategic choke-points, such as bridges. Those are fun. :)

[mistled]

Good job man, you are on the ball.

[Sol]

Very nice. This game is gonna be teh juice!

[Sturm]

I got a little confused a this part...
28. <Private-Monkey> dance would like to know: how extreme is the wheather? tornados, quicksand, sandstorms, monsoons?

<SmokeJumper> How extreme is the weather? Rain and<[PLX]pyre_> With the in house testing going on, are there any specific playstyles appearing for the different empires?

Rain and......?

[mistled]

haha.... he said there was rain and snow at the moment and that there would be other things later

[shadowwolf]

nice :) go cj

[CrazyJoker]

Yep..my bad on that part. Like I said I'm sure there's a few screw-ups here and there that could and should be edited but what mistled said was correct.

[BonnieDundee]

Now I look like a Vanu wannabe. Can Vanu do this? Can Vanu do that?

http://www.workingclasspunk.com/whitesun/monkeyone.gifhttp://www.flaginstitute.org/elements/fi_gifs/uktoday.gifhttp://www.workingclasspunk.com/whitesun/monkeyone.gif

[WhiteSun]

You're definately a Vanu. Traitorous scum. Check my spelling!

[Airlift]

Still nothing on the amount of damage that dampeners eat from a fall?

[Hamma]

lol good job hehe, we are working on getting up a color coded log with just questions and answers. Should be up soon

[Yogi]

I'm not sure why they want to host this game on Linux servers rather than a real OS that might actually be able to shoulder the load.

You have to look past the Linux bandwagon and see what you really need.

[Mazelmavin]

Originally posted by Yogi
I'm not sure why they want to host this game on Linux servers rather than a real OS that might actually be able to shoulder the load.

You have to look past the Linux bandwagon and see what you really need. :scared:
Are you suggesting they should use Microsoft?

[Hamma]

:huh:

[Yogi]

Originally posted by Mazelmavin
:scared:
Are you suggesting they should use Microsoft?

Not at all.

If they want a Unix environment, there's plenty of other options.

I'll give you a story of Tribalwar.

We used to be hosted by OGL. We had two servers, a web, and database server. Both were Redhat Linux. We'd crash the data server every few days, and a powerful web server was always slow.

Now we're on 3 new servers on a new host (web, data, mail/dns). All servers run FreeBSD 4.x. We had uptimes of over 100 days (until a brief power outage at the colo).

I personally don't believe in Linux as a server platform. They make too many concessions trying to make the OS a good desktop and good server at the same time.

Of course if you take a brute force approach (big cluster with big machines with massive amounts of memory), I guess anything is possible.

[mistled]

ok yogi... I think you were scaring us all for a minute there :)

[Yogi]

Originally posted by {BOHICA}mistled
ok yogi... I think you were scaring us all for a minute there :)

I'm glad to see them move away from MS. Who in their right mind writes a server that spends half it's time refreshing the screen when there's never gonna be a monitor on it?

Oh that's right, Windows servers need constant attention that's not possible.

[julio]

The good folks over at Planetside.info posted a post-Dev chat log. Andrew Risch answers some questions from the crowd.

http://www.planetside.info/MainCP/Articles/PostDevChat.shtml

[mistled]

very cool julio