Test Server Patch 168 Notes

[COMBAT RANK]
- We have intensively worked on a solution for the combat rank problem. The combat rank is now based on the following influence factors:
* Average mainskill rank (20% weight)
* Specific mainskill rank (50% weight) - depends on the current weapon (i.e. for APU it is PSI)
* Average resistance skill value (10% weight)
* Average armor value (10% weight)
* Maximal health value (10% weight)

In addition, certain factors have been added to consider the different classes' properties:
- Offensive factor: corresponds to the weighting of the damage generation (i.e. APU is 100%)
- Defensive factor: corresponds to the resistance cap of the different classes/orientations (i.e. PPU 92%) - this factor corrects weak armor values
- Health factor: corresponds to the possible max value for the main skill 'Constitution' - this factor corrects weak max health values

- Combat rank will also not update as frequently, the rank difference has to be higher than 2 to update.
- Vehicles can have a combat rank of up to 80. The vehicle's combat rank replaces the runner's combat rank while he is using it.

[GENERAL]
- Fixed a bug that prevented LE runners from doing damage to NPCs.
- Adjusted jump height. It is now possible to leave the Abandoned Cellar Lvl.4 again

- Reduced the runspeed penalty caused by a damaged leg hitzone. Runspeed is now reduced to 75% (was 50%) of the normal value at most. The penalty appears when the leg hitzone drops below 25% of the normal value (was 40%).
- All stamina boosters can now be used without restrictions or stamina reduction.

- Calculation of skill modifiers re-adjusted. If you add more than necessary skillpoints to one ability (i.e. Pistol Combat -> damage with P-C), you will get more out of it.
- Increased the possible damage loss for badly aimed PSI casts, the damage is reduced by 65% (used to be 50%).
- The frequency factor removed in patch 167 caused PSI casts to be "lost". Therefore the frequencies are lower again, but in return the damage was increased by 20%.

- Weapons below TL 10 do more damage now.
- Changed the Mr. Jones stealth tool's duration to 5 seconds (was 3 seconds).
- Updated the tutorial character's skills to more reasonable values.

- Fixed a bug with updates of armor values.

- The Neocron Evolution 2.2 Client will run on the first processor/core per default - this solves different timing problems
- The framerate will be locked at 66 FPS (15 Milliseconds per Frame) to guarantee a stable client and 'normally timed' netupdates.

Sounds pretty good all the way through.

Especially the changes to the leg breaking problem and apu aiming are great.

Some nice changes there.

Framerate locked at 66fps? That reminds of the issue that Quake 3 had, where people with very high FPS could make a certain jump in a map, and slower PC users couldn't.

glad to see the jump height put back up and stams not needing/taking stam to work =]

@brammers: the 125 fps bug in q3 is pretty much used as the standard physics now <3 q3 =]

I dont really understand how you fixed psi monks.
HL freq is still low @ 40
and the high frequency beams still have the same problem of not doing any damage (chainshooting 3 in a row only the first one did any damage)

Hmm, 66 FPS framerate max kinda sucks for people who have a monitor with a 74hz refresh rate and want to vsynch.

Seems quite nice, will give it a blast now.

The locking the client to one CPU and capping the framerate to 66FPS does not look pretty at all.

Before I would have a steady 90FPS in empty zones, with both of my cores in my AMD 4600+ X2 running NC.

Also I'm not getting 66FPS on the framerate readout either. I'm getting 40-44FPS in DoY sector 2.

i dont like the combat rank instantly dropping when you put away your gun. whats the point of being able to see someones CR if it means nothing unless they have their gun out...? i see the purpose in having a lower one perhaps but displaying it loses purpse?

is runspeed faster all around, i feel quite a bit faster.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Thanatos

- Calculation of skill modifiers re-adjusted. If you add more than necessary skillpoints to one ability (i.e. Pistol Combat -> damage with P-C), you will get more out of it.

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Excellent. Though clearly the imp effects will need to be adjusted.

Good patch. Sad to hear about the FPS limit but at least it's there for a good reason, to stop potential cheating/exploiting, which would clearly make in-game activities unbalanced in that respect.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Thanatos

All stamina boosters can now be used without restrictions or stamina reduction.

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Excellent. This was of the immediate peeves we all had, so the less things to annoy us the better. :)

FPS Limit is nice
no more 2 second logouts.

And i'm glad its above what the human eye can see.

i stick at 41fps ... :(