Neo LoneWolf
14-11-03, 03:02
Well, my cable connections fucked again, so I find I have time to write (I apologise). What follows are some thoughts on Epic rewards. it should be noted that the purpose of this piece is to provoke thought rather than to try to change the game into what I want it to be. All the suggestions are simply that. Suggestions. Ideas thrown out to provoke more thought, and to give more of an idea as to where I'm coming from.
Anyhow, enjoy (if you can):
It is my opinion, that all faction epics should satisfy the following three criteria:
* Theme - Each Epic reward should be closely linked to the faction which issues it.
* Desirability - Each Epic reward should be something that the vast majority of the playerbase would actually want. By vast majority, I'm talking 90%+ ie, all non-extreme variant characters.
* Unique - This is the part that may need a little explanation, and what most people won't have thought about. Each Epic reward can be issued once, and only once to each character; and each character may achieve all the Epic rewards. These items will never fall apart, nor be dropped due to death. These factors mean that an item which will compete with other, non-Epic items for use (for example: weapons) will not be able to be balanced with the current hierarchy-system of such items.
Take the Tangent Epic laser (rifle, if like). When choosing a weapon to use, any rare weapon outperforms the Tangent Epic (as it should - if Epics compared to Rares, there would no longer be a need for rares); the only time a capped character would use the Tangent Epic, is when damage isn't as critical (ie non PvP), but the Epic-status of the weapon makes it more desirable to use (hunting without fear of dropping or wrecking it). Before people point out levelling characters benefitting from these items, I'd like to pre-emptively respond with "And?". Assessing Epic rewards should only look at a capped/near-capped character's perspective for their usefulness for one reason alone - Epic rewards are meant to be epic, and not fade in usefulness when your character finds something better.
Anyhow, I will now try and assess the currently avaiulable Epic rewards according to these three criteria, and make suggestions to improving or replacing them appropriately.
NEXT :- Reveler Chaincraft
Theme :- 9/10 *NEXT do vehicles. It's a vehicle
Desirability :- 3/10 *The high VHC requirement means the Reveler is restricted in it's use to those seriously into driving. 3/10 is generous.
Unique :- 1/10 *It's virtually identical to another vehicle, but slightly upgraded (and benefitting from Epic status)
Alternative Suggestion:- NEXT Reveler Hovertec
Basically a standard Hovertec but with a massive speed boost. I think the vast majority of players have enough dex points to spare for the requirements, and having the fastest form of personal transport as a reward for an Epic seems to fit marvelously. True, it's just an upgraded bike, but whereas the chaincraft competes with the top-end vehicles, a bike competes with the bottom end - and hence wouldn't compete, IYSWIM.
Biotech :- MOVEON CPU
Theme :- 9/10 *Biotech do impants. It's an implant.
Desirability :- 7/10 *Every character can consider using this chip for it's bonii, but there are quite a few who don't have much of a use for it.
Unique :- 7/10 *For non-tanks, it is indeed unique; but for tanks, it becomes something almost identical to the Marine.
Alternative suggestion:- MOVEON CPU
There isn't a lot wrong with the MOVEON, tbh. I would like to see the M-C & H-C bonii removed, though. The chip should add solely to secondary subskills, not primary ones (like combat skills). Replacing these bonii with a combination of some form of Ath, Agl and/or End, I would find eminently more appropriate.
Protopharm :- Resistor CPU
Theme :- 6/10 *I hope the epic itself explains why this is a Protopharm Epic item, otherwise, this would have scored a 3/10.
Desirability :- 6/10 *With desirability, I'm working on an estimated total of the population that would intend on using the items, and I've yet to see many monk or spy setups considering this chip much, so I'm guessing about 60% of the population do.
Unique :- 8/10 *You can't find any brain imp that has a close effect.
Alternative Suggestion:- None
The chip itself isn't too bad, if only it could be tweaked to be more desirable beyond tanks and PEs.
Diamond Real Estate :- Storage Appartment
Theme :- 8/10 *If it was in plaza or Via Rosso, this would be a 10/10.
Desirability :- 3/10 *If/when DoY comes out, and then if the OZ1 underground mall becomes the major trading area due to pro-city/anti-city stuff, then they may become more wanted.
Unique :- 5/10 *It's an App. Wether it be cabinets or boxes, it still amounts to the same thing.
Alternative suggestion:- Genrep or shops
Genreps: Give the Apps Genreps [only one storage cell genrep may be activated at any time]. To be able to genrep to a storage app in addition to your primary app, dump/pickup stuff, and genrep away would definitely increase the usefulness of these appartments.
Shops: If Player-vendors are ever introduced, a nice way to limit the number of shops around is to give the shops away as DRE Epic rewards (want to open a shop? Must do the Diamond Epic . . .).
Obviously the former idea is easier to implement . . .
Tangent Technologies :- Laser weapon (pistol/rifle/cannon)
Theme :- 9/10 *Tangent do weapons. It's a weapon.
Desirablity :- 6/10 *Rarely a high-priority when it comes to Epics, and even then, it is only desired for it's epic qualities (no cond loss when repped; can't be dropped; 120% all stats).
Unique :- 1/10 *How much can I hate an Epic reward?
Alternative suggestion:- None
I've had a few ideas, such as having the reward be a weapon mod (not usable in rares) which will give the weapon the epic qualities of not dropping & repping to full cond, and maybe an odd bonus like reducing the runspeed impairment of the weapon. However, I can't thin of any that would do Tangent justice.
City Mercs :- Tangent Speed Gun
Theme :- 4/10 *Mercenaries use guns, yes, but . . .
Desirability :- 3/10 *It's essentially a tank-only weapon. Not only that, but 95% of that desirability would be gone if the spot in the rare-cannons for a gatling cannon was filled.
Unique :- 2/10 *Only better than the Tangent reward while there is no rare gat cannon.
Alternative Suggestion :- None
What would make an appropriate Mercenary reward? Answers on a postcard to: . . .
City Admin :- Copbot Power Armour
Theme :- 4/10 *City Admin != NCPD, both are seperate branches of Reza's influence.
Desirability :- 1/10 *Hands up who wants to look like a box, and be restricted to being in CA? Hmm. Thought so. With the advent of PE PA, and consideration that tanks and monks have better anyway (and that spies tend to have too much pride to wear that travesty)
Unique :- 4/10 *Given a few points, as it does give some characters access to some resistances they may be unable to getand wil be willing to wear the armour for (but having to be in CA as well? Hmm . . .)
Alternative Suggestion :- None
If everything bad about this armour was created by one person, that person deserves to be shot on sight. With a 12-bore. At point blank range. In the genitals. I'm intriqued as to what the Law Enforcer #2 was meant to do, but another brain imp would have been too much anyhow.
*yawn*
ttfn
Anyhow, enjoy (if you can):
It is my opinion, that all faction epics should satisfy the following three criteria:
* Theme - Each Epic reward should be closely linked to the faction which issues it.
* Desirability - Each Epic reward should be something that the vast majority of the playerbase would actually want. By vast majority, I'm talking 90%+ ie, all non-extreme variant characters.
* Unique - This is the part that may need a little explanation, and what most people won't have thought about. Each Epic reward can be issued once, and only once to each character; and each character may achieve all the Epic rewards. These items will never fall apart, nor be dropped due to death. These factors mean that an item which will compete with other, non-Epic items for use (for example: weapons) will not be able to be balanced with the current hierarchy-system of such items.
Take the Tangent Epic laser (rifle, if like). When choosing a weapon to use, any rare weapon outperforms the Tangent Epic (as it should - if Epics compared to Rares, there would no longer be a need for rares); the only time a capped character would use the Tangent Epic, is when damage isn't as critical (ie non PvP), but the Epic-status of the weapon makes it more desirable to use (hunting without fear of dropping or wrecking it). Before people point out levelling characters benefitting from these items, I'd like to pre-emptively respond with "And?". Assessing Epic rewards should only look at a capped/near-capped character's perspective for their usefulness for one reason alone - Epic rewards are meant to be epic, and not fade in usefulness when your character finds something better.
Anyhow, I will now try and assess the currently avaiulable Epic rewards according to these three criteria, and make suggestions to improving or replacing them appropriately.
NEXT :- Reveler Chaincraft
Theme :- 9/10 *NEXT do vehicles. It's a vehicle
Desirability :- 3/10 *The high VHC requirement means the Reveler is restricted in it's use to those seriously into driving. 3/10 is generous.
Unique :- 1/10 *It's virtually identical to another vehicle, but slightly upgraded (and benefitting from Epic status)
Alternative Suggestion:- NEXT Reveler Hovertec
Basically a standard Hovertec but with a massive speed boost. I think the vast majority of players have enough dex points to spare for the requirements, and having the fastest form of personal transport as a reward for an Epic seems to fit marvelously. True, it's just an upgraded bike, but whereas the chaincraft competes with the top-end vehicles, a bike competes with the bottom end - and hence wouldn't compete, IYSWIM.
Biotech :- MOVEON CPU
Theme :- 9/10 *Biotech do impants. It's an implant.
Desirability :- 7/10 *Every character can consider using this chip for it's bonii, but there are quite a few who don't have much of a use for it.
Unique :- 7/10 *For non-tanks, it is indeed unique; but for tanks, it becomes something almost identical to the Marine.
Alternative suggestion:- MOVEON CPU
There isn't a lot wrong with the MOVEON, tbh. I would like to see the M-C & H-C bonii removed, though. The chip should add solely to secondary subskills, not primary ones (like combat skills). Replacing these bonii with a combination of some form of Ath, Agl and/or End, I would find eminently more appropriate.
Protopharm :- Resistor CPU
Theme :- 6/10 *I hope the epic itself explains why this is a Protopharm Epic item, otherwise, this would have scored a 3/10.
Desirability :- 6/10 *With desirability, I'm working on an estimated total of the population that would intend on using the items, and I've yet to see many monk or spy setups considering this chip much, so I'm guessing about 60% of the population do.
Unique :- 8/10 *You can't find any brain imp that has a close effect.
Alternative Suggestion:- None
The chip itself isn't too bad, if only it could be tweaked to be more desirable beyond tanks and PEs.
Diamond Real Estate :- Storage Appartment
Theme :- 8/10 *If it was in plaza or Via Rosso, this would be a 10/10.
Desirability :- 3/10 *If/when DoY comes out, and then if the OZ1 underground mall becomes the major trading area due to pro-city/anti-city stuff, then they may become more wanted.
Unique :- 5/10 *It's an App. Wether it be cabinets or boxes, it still amounts to the same thing.
Alternative suggestion:- Genrep or shops
Genreps: Give the Apps Genreps [only one storage cell genrep may be activated at any time]. To be able to genrep to a storage app in addition to your primary app, dump/pickup stuff, and genrep away would definitely increase the usefulness of these appartments.
Shops: If Player-vendors are ever introduced, a nice way to limit the number of shops around is to give the shops away as DRE Epic rewards (want to open a shop? Must do the Diamond Epic . . .).
Obviously the former idea is easier to implement . . .
Tangent Technologies :- Laser weapon (pistol/rifle/cannon)
Theme :- 9/10 *Tangent do weapons. It's a weapon.
Desirablity :- 6/10 *Rarely a high-priority when it comes to Epics, and even then, it is only desired for it's epic qualities (no cond loss when repped; can't be dropped; 120% all stats).
Unique :- 1/10 *How much can I hate an Epic reward?
Alternative suggestion:- None
I've had a few ideas, such as having the reward be a weapon mod (not usable in rares) which will give the weapon the epic qualities of not dropping & repping to full cond, and maybe an odd bonus like reducing the runspeed impairment of the weapon. However, I can't thin of any that would do Tangent justice.
City Mercs :- Tangent Speed Gun
Theme :- 4/10 *Mercenaries use guns, yes, but . . .
Desirability :- 3/10 *It's essentially a tank-only weapon. Not only that, but 95% of that desirability would be gone if the spot in the rare-cannons for a gatling cannon was filled.
Unique :- 2/10 *Only better than the Tangent reward while there is no rare gat cannon.
Alternative Suggestion :- None
What would make an appropriate Mercenary reward? Answers on a postcard to: . . .
City Admin :- Copbot Power Armour
Theme :- 4/10 *City Admin != NCPD, both are seperate branches of Reza's influence.
Desirability :- 1/10 *Hands up who wants to look like a box, and be restricted to being in CA? Hmm. Thought so. With the advent of PE PA, and consideration that tanks and monks have better anyway (and that spies tend to have too much pride to wear that travesty)
Unique :- 4/10 *Given a few points, as it does give some characters access to some resistances they may be unable to getand wil be willing to wear the armour for (but having to be in CA as well? Hmm . . .)
Alternative Suggestion :- None
If everything bad about this armour was created by one person, that person deserves to be shot on sight. With a 12-bore. At point blank range. In the genitals. I'm intriqued as to what the Law Enforcer #2 was meant to do, but another brain imp would have been too much anyhow.
*yawn*
ttfn