Some ideas for the future of DAoC and some rants about the present. Warning:Long Read

[DocWolfe]

When I said server said I meant, that the server tells the client when its snowing, because the client just doesn't decide when its snowing otherwise it would rain and snow at different times for different people.

the server tells the client "oi, it is snowing" ...
and then the client says "ok, i'll keep it snowing until you say stop"
then the server says "it's not snowing anymore".
and the client acknowledges this and says "ok, i'll keep it clear until you say something else"

 

[censi]

they just did a major graffix overhaul with catacombs for the very reason you stated.

DAoc graffix are ok. sure not as good as wow but they aint that bad.

tbh i dont think theres much wrong with the game apart from some badass class imbalances.

 

[SoulFly]

First of all people want the game to look better.

Wouldn't you like to feel a greater sense of realism? I know I would. The fact remains that when you swing your sword and hit somebody, there should be blood. At the moment there is no blood system. Adding blood would bring a new depth to the game, how you ask? Simple. A stealther PA's somebody - blood should FLY. The idea is that they have just slit your throat - blood should pool on the ground. When anybody walks through it, INCLUDING a stealther - a couple of bloody foot prints should follow. It'd give you a better idea where stealthers were lurking and add a more real scenario. To my knowledge war isn't clean.

These among many things I wanted to comment on, though, having very limited time, which would be only a few minutes now, I'll leave it short.

First of, this must be one of the best posts ever made on these boards about insight to the game.

Anyways:

I would take gameplay/atmosphere/environment over any detail of a game, I still feel that stuff like the catacombs GFX update wasn't really needed. What would've been needed was a whole remake of NF. What it was was New Frontiers, but I fail to see how much thought mythic put into it. While introducing "it" as a whole to the game, it completely re-characterized the gaming environment, both PVE and PVP. I'll get back to this when I get home, so I can write a proper reply.

What comes to blood:

Naa, not really needed, what I've always missed is that the killing blow never shows, the animation is cut and your opponent just drops dead

I'll get back to you for some "old player's view on things" stuffs

Thanks for making this post.

-SF

 

[Bahumat]

Wouldn't you like to feel a greater sense of realism? I know I would. The fact remains that when you swing your sword and hit somebody, there should be blood. At the moment there is no blood system.

then there is an age rating on the game....got bored from here on and never read anymore...

piece of advice, when you make a HUGE post use some sort of bullet points to make it an easier read.

 

[DocWolfe]

peice of advice, try reading the other posts in the thread before saying things that have already been said, multiple times

 

[Bahumat]

peice of advice, try reading the other posts in the thread before saying things that have already been said, multiple times

then there is an age rating on the game....got bored from here on and never read anymore...

piece of advice, when you make a HUGE post use some sort of bullet points to make it an easier read.

sorry but i did say i cba to read all that hence i got no clues what everyone else posted.

 

[Gotrag]

then there is an age rating on the game....got bored from here on and never read anymore...

piece of advice, when you make a HUGE post use some sort of bullet points to make it an easier read.

I have to Agree with Bahumat here

 

[Kelio]

two features i would like to see would be:

1. when you loose hp your body starts hang abit as if you where wounded, perhaps your face would get some scars etc etc. blood dripping from arms legs what ever, and stay that way until you are healed.

2. out of endurance, meaning you are tired, why dont add a sound of your char breathing heavy.

 

[old.Whoodoo]

Theres a lot of issues in there that contradict each other, give more GFX and sounds you say, they dont actually imporve the game play, and make the game even more laggy for those on poorer machines, so really they just make your next issue worse; Lag.

Lag is not just caused by GOA/Opentranshite but also by peoples machines themselves, adding more bling to the gfx will just add to this problem, ive yet to see a game with snow "laying" or puddles forming when it rains. As for the blood issue, well tbh its just not needed, again its just adding to more things to go wrong.

Comaring DAoC to WOW's gfx is also hard, where DAoC has gone towards realsism of body movement (ok theres still a lot of work to be done), WOW has opted for the more easy on the eye cartoon look, in which you can get away with more weird things, in fact the weapon styles and casting looks much the same, if not more off the wall.

Yes the landscapes are now a little dated, but still fairly realistic. You can go on forever about how towns have little detail, lack the real walls and defences associated with those of the real ones, but its still not that bad. Mythic have already started updating things like the capital cities (1.75) and other things are planned for the future.

You mention mobs growing, like saplings, well moving across the realm, I find that their elder counterparts do exists in other places, and one idea I suggested a long time ago was for mobs to move around and not camp the same areas all the time, so this idea has a base, and IMO could be implemented to a degree.

Ambient sounds have improved a lot since the beginning, every patch adds a few more, and I think most are along the right lines. Forests do have some sounds, and yes I do think the odd "snap" of a twig could replace the common "constant footsteps" every now and then.

Stealthers leaving footsteps is a great idea, and something hunters in particular were supposed to be able to track in the orginal writeup when the game came live, but was never implimented. Stealth most would say is OPd and the introduction of precience nodes proved this, but was an easy way around solving this issue.

People do want new classes, after rolling your xxxth toon, you want something with a bit of a challenge, more than just "hit mob, rinse repeat", necromancers, animists, valewalkers, warlocks and all the newer classes (except BDs ) take a little more playing than the older classes.

Balance is one issue thats always going to plague MMORPGs, especially one like DAoC with its 3 realms. The thing that most people dont see is that the designers are trying to get more people to group and make the game a team effort, and are not looking too much at classes as individuals. One each of my toons (except healer) I can say Ive given every class out there a good run for its money, yes I loose but heck, some I win. Currently Walrocks are the nerf target, why beats me, yes i can take out someone in under 4 seconds, but havnt sorcs and enchanters all the time? Then instas...then MOC, then.....Any well formed group can wtfpwn against another, if you play solo, your just take your chances. This is designed to encorouge group play, if you want to solo, then stealth classes are designed for just that.

Artifacts were laughable upon release, forcing game economy though the roof, again this has now been addressed (1.74 and 75) and should make them more obtainable than ever. Anyone who says "j00 gotta have artis + MLs to compete" is talking crap, my warlock has no MLs, only 1 arti leveled, and is wearing 3 parts of unspellcrafted (no stats at all) armour and still does the job. Many of my toons are still wearing little more than epics and rogs and yet are all still playable, OK they dont do as much damage as others, but they still get the job done. I do have 1 toon would up tight with MLs and Artis, he does no better than the others in terms of RvR.

Without extra content this game would die, plain and simple. Going back to a non-TOA-SI-ML-Arti server would probably go the same way as PvE, FOTM for a month or so then dwindle to little more than "I play there when Im bored" server. Think forward rather than backward IMO, give euro a coop server would be a start.

Rather than look at how things used to be, think of the things that need improving thatwe have now. Artis for all, easier MLs that dont take 8 hours to complete, more group freindly things for toons who have none (like warriors, thanes, friars and zerkers). Some issues like lag we can whine about all day, but whats the point, theres so many things that affect it from your PC t GOAs servers, your just flogging a dead horse.

 

[old.Whoodoo]

sorry but i did say i cba to read all that hence i got no clues what everyone else posted.

In other words +1 to your epeen?

 

[Matriarch|Sneakers]

Hear hear!

I think there are some really good issues there. DaoC population is getting less and less and Mythic need to do something to pull it back.

I think there should be 'DaoC: Classic' servers with NO SI, NO TOA, and NO Catacombs, so people can get to 50 and then just duke it out in RvR like the good old days.

Yah i agree with u another server would mean more option and that would be possitive imo. But if the demand for it isnt wide enough then ofc it wont happend

Here is some of my own ideas ( remb its just my own 'baised' ideas )
https://forums.freddyshouse.com/showthread.php?t=58396&page=1&pp=15

 

[Darksword]

two features i would like to see would be:

1. when you loose hp your body starts hang abit as if you where wounded, perhaps your face would get some scars etc etc. blood dripping from arms legs what ever, and stay that way until you are healed.

2. out of endurance, meaning you are tired, why dont add a sound of your char breathing heavy.

coz i dont wanna hear a norse and a luri panting in a fight

now a saracan female wooot woot (joke btw )

 

[Elricstormbringer]

Asheron's Call had seasons and changes to the landscape with snow, etc. That game had a regular monthly patch so it could be made more seasonal than an irregular patching cycle like DAoC. I am sure it would not be too hard.

 

[Bahumat]

two features i would like to see would be:

1. when you loose hp your body starts hang abit as if you where wounded, perhaps your face would get some scars etc etc. blood dripping from arms legs what ever, and stay that way until you are healed.

2. out of endurance, meaning you are tired, why dont add a sound of your char breathing heavy.

i like the idea of number 2 but ppl would here you pant? if so pvp towns would sound more like a porno.

i got a feeling that will be quoted in a sig lol

 

[Matriarch|Sneakers]

Currently Walrocks are the nerf target, why beats me, yes i can take out someone in under 4 seconds, but havnt sorcs and enchanters all the time?

Well the problem is that some classes can take out others withouth any problem in >4 seconds, and thats not balance. And enchanters and sorcs should be looked into aswell ( and other classes too ).

if you want to solo, then stealth classes are designed for just that.

Well I dissagree here, I think the solo aspect of a game is as important as the group aspect. And some classes like paladins for exampel is 100% chanceless vs a bonedancer in a 1v1. From my point of view it is sickening that some classes is IMPOSSIBLE for another class to kill.

my warlock has no MLs, only 1 arti leveled, and is wearing 3 parts of unspellcrafted (no stats at all) armour and still does the job.

Well isn't that just irony. I mean c'mon - Don't you think its wierd that you do so well vs the other ppl ( in 1v1s for exampel ) that have wasted hours and hours of doing MLs/artis etc and then get humiliated by ur warlock wich u obviously havnt invested a whole lot of time in?
Imo, its obvious to me that its ur class that is the diffrence and not "skills"/experiance/items or the situation ur in. Maybe u think thats good but I dont and I think alot of ppl would agree with me that it is imbalanced and should be adjusted. - How should it be adjusted I guess someone will ask? I have nu clue but I'm not the one(s) that get paid to handle the balance issues either.

Many of my toons are still wearing little more than epics and rogs and yet are all still playable, OK they dont do as much damage as others, but they still get the job done. I do have 1 toon would up tight with MLs and Artis, he does no better than the others in terms of RvR.

So ur warlock ( could be a sorc, a savage, a hot-dog whatever ) is outperforming / doing as good as the class u stated u invested alot of time in doing ML's and getting artis for... hmm don't you agree with me when I say "thats f*cked up?" Again this is an issue of balancing things.
Everything cant ofc be 100% fair or balanced but when it is this obvious wich classes are "teh pwn" and wich isnt, then there is no point to play the classes that are "weaker" and invest time in them. - Bad, mythic /slap

Without extra content this game would die, plain and simple. Going back to a non-TOA-SI-ML-Arti server would probably go the same way as PvE, FOTM for a month or so then dwindle to little more than "I play there when Im bored" server.

As I see it, DAoC had alot of issues before ToA/NF/Catacombs and what Mythic did was introducing new stuff. That didn't solve anything... so why not try something new? And step back and make a server (or a few depending on demand) where ToA and all the other addons does not exist and try make it work there.

P.S, some parts here might seem like I critcise you personally, that is not my intention. I'm not trying to flame or whine that warlocks are overpowered and sorcs rr5 ability is god mode etc... not saying they aint either I just want a nice discussion were ppl can speak freely and speak there mind.

 

[Vell]

First of all people want the game to look better. Its about time Mythic stopped flogging a dead horse in the new class area of the game and
gave DAoC a full facelift. When you compare DAoCs classic, SI and even TOA zones,in ANY client, in comparison to newer MMORPGs on the market such as WoW they deffinately appear to be lacking somewhat.

You compare WoW graphics to DAoC graphics and WoW comes out more realistic? Oh pur-lease!

 

[Aoln]

I couldn't care less about most of those ideas, i'd want to turn them off to reduce lag (although i would like blood)

Much rather have the game balance, old things fixed ect

 

[Cylian]

I couldn't care less about most of those ideas, i'd want to turn them off to reduce lag (although i would like blood)

Much rather have the game balance, old things fixed ect

nonono, skip the balance!

...fair fights get boring fast

 

[Commandment]

Wouldn't you like to feel a greater sense of realism? I know I would. The fact remains that when you swing your sword and hit somebody, there should be blood. At the moment there is no blood system. Adding blood would bring a new depth to the game, how you ask? Simple. A stealther PA's somebody - blood should FLY. The idea is that they have just slit your throat - blood should pool on the ground. When anybody walks through it, INCLUDING a stealther - a couple of bloody foot prints should follow. It'd give you a better idea where stealthers were lurking and add a more real scenario. To my knowledge war isn't clean.

this alone would make me come back to daoc

 

[Dancingboner]

then there is an age rating on the game....got bored from here on and never read anymore...

piece of advice, when you make a HUGE post use some sort of bullet points to make it an easier read.

Read the title. You were warned it was a long post.

Oh, and to the bloke who said I turned it into an anti-vamp thread. Far from it. Balancing was not any part of my origional post. I merely stated that balancing was NEVER going to happen. I even stated that I had a vamp. If I had a problem with a class I wouldn't be a hypocrit and play one. Jesus.

 

[Dancingboner]

You mention mobs growing, like saplings, well moving across the realm, I find that their elder counterparts do exists in other places, and one idea I suggested a long time ago was for mobs to move around and not camp the same areas all the time, so this idea has a base, and IMO could be implemented to a degree.

You been reading a different post?

Sapplings as in the baby trees in the map rather than mobs that roam. I merely meant wouldn't it nice to see the face of our realms change with time? Small trees growing bigger, some trees being cut down, other trees dieing, whatever.

Fact is that DAoC has a /time command to show ingame time, though apparently time isn't applied to anything ingame other than spawn times. If the world of DAoC is effected by time surely the environment should be too?

It was just an idea

 

[Dancingboner]

One last post on the matter.

DAoC has an ELSPA rating of 11+ (I just checked the back of my nearest DAoC box to hand (SI if you must know)).

WoW has a 12+ rating.

The difference? 1 year and blood.

Ok, if games with blood in are illegal in certain countries that certain players come from - then that is a valid excuse not to include blood.

HOWEVER. If it is just because of the younger audience then tbh i'm lost. A troll hitting somebody with a two-handed axe is somehow dramatically more terrorising when there is a little bit of blood? Do you mean to tell me that a feature which imo would seriously enhance the gameplay and would have the possibility of bringing people back to the game (i.e. Commandment) would be overlooked because of some kids who shouldn't be able to play the game without parental concent anyway. These very kids are apparently quite capeable of telling me to "Fuck myself" when we have differences of opinion but somehow will be scarred and taumented for the rest of their lives due to blood in a video game? I think not.

<anxiously awaits some smart arse to tell me not only am I "classist" for "hating vamps" im now "agist" for "hating" immature kids who shouldn't be able to play the game without mommy or daddys permission anyway, due to the fact that they aint walking round with credit cards.>

 

[Kagato]

To be honest whilst those things are nice im not especially bothered about any of them, my one and only major concern is game balance, anything else is a bonus.

 

[SoulFly]

First of, this must be one of the best posts ever made on these boards about insight to the game.

Anyways:

I would take gameplay/atmosphere/environment over any detail of a game, I still feel that stuff like the catacombs GFX update wasn't really needed. What would've been needed was a whole remake of NF. What it was was New Frontiers, but I fail to see how much thought mythic put into it. While introducing "it" as a whole to the game, it completely re-characterized the gaming environment, both PVE and PVP.

Having wondered around in snowdonia and feeling all the space and wildernessiness (that a word? ) was the best of feelings. Was nice to xp there too and get some items. And uh oh the feeling of "MIDS IN SNOWDONIA!" and see Enki, Loki, Thina etc there Loki and his black armor, red boots and gloves + purple weap was a terrifying sight! Then what happens, when all that is taken away and replaced with complete useless crap which, in my opinion, doesn't even fit the game in any way? You guessed correct, it feels like /quit time. Porting to the frontiers never got tiring, miss the pad and the wait. Milegates were a bit flawed, but it was okay, could push through, but recent additions to the game like NF and the RA revamp, oh man, let me tell you, those smelled.

One might say that TOA ruined things bubububuuuh, but it didn't. It gave the game more depth, though, 1vs1 fights versus some classes got thrown on the unbalanced side abit with all those casting speed things, but however I still see that 8vs8 balanced group fights were quite balanced, if you had people who knew what they were doing. Every realm is given their cards to win a fight. Ofcourse some might be considered "overpowered" but every realm has something nice, some more, but can still fight that and use the mighty tictacs to win over them aswell.

What comes to blood:

Not really needed, what I've always missed is that the killing blow never shows, the animation is cut and your opponent just drops dead. If you want to add such realism in the game, as breathing, blood and all other minor details you people have come up with, it wouldn't quite be daoc anymore, though it hasn't been for quite a while, not for me atleast. This game was used to be fast paced when you encountered enemies, so having blood and so on would have made no difference. From a stealther's point of of view, it however is completely different and those additions would be nice.

All this from the eyes of a PvP elitist with a heart.

Thanks for making this post.

-SF

 

[Sinnica]

agree with threadstarter, the environment music sucks and the battle music? HAHAHHA same two songs as it was in BETA ffs.. such a joke, I could make better (seriously)

 

[Cylian]

Ok, if games with blood in are illegal in certain countries that certain players come from - then that is a valid excuse not to include blood.

it's not illegal, but excessive violence in games can cause a game to be put on a blacklist which denies any form of advertisment in germany.
No advertisment -> bad sales, so most companies just skip the blood or change a texture and say "it's not human, it's a robot!"

...thankfully there's shops that specialize in selling uk/us versions of games

 

[Svartmetall]

/gifv blood.


Lots and lots of blood. Hell, have it toggle-able like in so many other games. Blood would make combat so much more fun. Have black or green or blue blood from different mobs and player races (Inconnu would bleed blue...hmm. What would troll blood look like?). A troll with a 2H weapon batters away at something and there's no blood? It's silly.

I don't recall anyone making a fuss about blood in Halo on the X-Box, where you can bludgeon dead enemy bodies to make a huge blood-splat around them.

 

[Dancingboner]

it's not illegal, but excessive violence in games can cause a game to be put on a blacklist which denies any form of advertisment in germany.
No advertisment -> bad sales, so most companies just skip the blood or change a texture and say "it's not human, it's a robot!"

...thankfully there's shops that specialize in selling uk/us versions of games

Where did I ask to be able to rip off somebodys head and skin and run around with it like a cloak? I didn't? Blood is NOT excessive volience. Even Neocron (A GERMAN GAME) had blood. Blood that pooled on the floor (granted no foot prints or anything) insect mobs had green blood and so on.

Not putting blood in a game which simmulates warfare and emense battles is political correctness gone mad.

I really doubt there would be a law case in the future where some drugged up hippie says "the blood in daoc warped my fragile little mind and thats why I went on a killing spree"... as if.

 

[Cylian]

Where did I ask to be able to rip off somebodys head and skin and run around with it like a cloak? I didn't? Blood is NOT excessive volience. Even Neocron (A GERMAN GAME) had blood. Blood that pooled on the floor (granted no foot prints or anything) insect mobs had green blood and so on.

Not putting blood in a game which simmulates warfare and emense battles is political correctness gone mad.

I really doubt there would be a law case in the future where some drugged up hippie says "the blood in daoc warped my fragile little mind and thats why I went on a killing spree"... as if.

Wasn't meant as an offense to you. It's just the wording of the guideline for putting games, videos etc. on that blacklist.

Games aren't automatically put on it just because there's blood or violence in it, someone (parents, teachers, whoever) has to send in a request for the game to be tested on 'display of excessive violence' by that institution. Those testers are more often than not rather clueless <sigh>

Half-Life for example was put on it too ... after it had been in stores for 2 years.

 

[Dancingboner]

I didn't take offense at what you said. I take offence that a feature which has the possibility to significantly improve the game would be overlooked due to such silly reasons.

PC is the downfall of society these days. Thats what it spawns from.. you can't have blood cos it might scare somebody, you can't do this cos it might offend somebody. Its come to a point where you arent allowed to sing Ba Ba Blacksheep because its racist! What is this world coming to for gods sake?

Polotics can take a hike! I want my blood!