FINALLY, a Dev Update, Hamma's in the news.

[MrVicchio]

Author Topic: Hamma's visit to SOE- good lord, no! (devs read)
Fungeneer
Station Member
Registered: Jul 2001

posted 12-08-2002 12:00 AM user search report post
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Everything was fine and dandy in the little debriefing he did (now posted over at PSC) until I got to this:
SO|Azhreal: Hamma: the cert is tree-branched right? so you kind of have to specialize
SO|Azhreal: wont be any sniper/medic/vanguard/hackers i hope
PSU-Hamma: With a 20 battle rank you can have 2/3's of all certs
PSU-Hamma: some certs require you to have others as well

DEVS: Are you joking? Please, for the love of god, you can't do this. This would allow any smacktard to get 2/3s of the certs available. And don't give me that "takes 3 months so its not a problem" BS, because we all know that powergamers in any MMOG will achieve every goal in around half (or under) the "predicted" time. So level with me, and the rest of the community: just how bad do you want to screw this game up? If everyone, no matter how long it takes, can get 2/3s of all the certs at some point, here's a list of what the game loses:

1. Need for combined arms. If everyone can do practically everything, there's no need for a specialist medic, or a specialist pilot, or anyone who has spent a lot of time getting good at one thing. Just have Jones, your grunt, carry a medical applicator. Hell, he can carry an AR too! There's no downside!

2. Teamwork. Everyone will just grab some basic medic certs and lonewolf it if possible, and since everyone has a fav gun in most games that they use for everything, there is really no need to save that other holster, if the medical applictor or Nano dispenser or whatever evn takes a holster. Just grab one and go! Two powergamers in a Harasser or Reaver could have the skills of an entire squad!

3. Organization. Who the hell cares about protecting the guy with the nano dispenser or the medical applicator if anyone can just pick it up when they die? NO ONE, that's who. This is the general public we are talking about, not super-army people.

4. Outstanding outfits. If every powergamer and their mom has the skills required to not only take a base, but also to fly there, shoot a guy in the head, and heal themselves afterward, what happens to outfits? Forming into an organized unit won't offer many advantages, and seeing as you and some random guy can cover all the roles necessary to cap a base, even if it's defended, there's no reason to be in an outfit. And those outfits that exist simply for the love of the game will be ignored out of existance due to their inability to triumph over the smacktards.

Don't screw this game up. It's too cool and too pretty to break its proverbial nose this way. I hope you know what you are doing.

*** DEV REPLY!!!!********

SmokeJumperPS
Station Admin
Registered: Sep 2001 posted 12-12-2002 09:01 AM user search report post
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I need to doublecheck this, but the last time I looked, there were over 60+ possible cert points you can "purchase", but you can't get more than 21 certs on a veteran character.
Therefore, I think the ratio is more like 1/3rd of all possible certs.

Also remember that you can "unlearn" your certs and spend those points elsewhere (after a real-time delay after releasing the original certification). Thus, your character will not be gimped and you can be explore various features of the game as it progresses...and as you group with other Outfits or Squads