SB pulls NGE, I want my monthly fee back!

[sinij]

Well SBG settled in and with Ashen at the helm decided to push A LOT of changes, all at once. SB community just got pages of proposed changes, a lot of needed fixes and a lot of new things. Lets hope it doesn't turns out NGE by law of unintended consequences. At least it still free to play.

http://ubbforums.ubi.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=sbdevcorner&Number=2820675&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1

WORLD
*   When creating a new character, only the main city on the starting island will show up instead of the hamlets when choosing what city to begin at.
*   Non-Player Character combatants that do not reside on either Maelstrom or Oblivion have begun to decend in power; rarely will you see a creature above Rank 4 outside of Maelstrom or Oblivion.
*   Non-Player Character combatants on the Starting Islands of the Aerynth, Dalgoth, and Vorringia mapsets have had their attributes and combat stats lowered.
*   Paracelsus the Alchemist has taken up shop in Sea Dog's Rest.
*   Player-vs.-Player Messages have been changed to solely state who was killed by whom.
*   Adjusted the decay period for refining from 6 hours to 30 minutes, meaning every half hour one point will be removed from the cost multiplier.
*   The building times for the Test Server have been reduced by half for faster build times
*   The upgrade times for the Test Server on hirelings has been decreased for faster ranking

ALCHEMY
   New potions are now available at the Alchemists found in Safeholds.
   These potions have a consumption time of 10 seconds, cannot be used in combat, and will not work if interrupted by taking damage while consuming it.
   The Greater Constitution Potion increases the user's Constitution by +55, has a duration of 3600 seconds, but does not stack with Healer (or Bard) buffs.
   The Greater Strength Potion increases the user's Strength by +55, has a duration of 3600 seconds, but does not stack with Healer (or Bard) buffs.
   The Greater Dexterity Potion increases the user's Dexterity by +55, has a duration of 3600 seconds, but does not stack with Healer (or Bard) buffs.
   The Greater Intelligence Potion increases the user's Intelligence by +55, has a duration of 3600 seconds, but does not stack with Wizard (or Bard) buffs.
   The Greater Spirit Potion increases the user's Spirit by +55, has a duration of 3600 seconds, but does not stack with Wizard (or Bard) buffs.
   The Greater Defense Potion adjusts a user's defense by +145, has a duration of 3600 seconds, and does not stack with other normal Defense Buffs (such as the Healer's Blessed Protection).
   The Greater Concoction Potion includes all of the above effects and rolls them into one potion. While easier to use, this potion is more expensive that the individual potions.

POISON
   Implemented a new Poison System that can be used by Thieves, Rogue-Based Assassins, and the Black Mask Discipline. All of these powers with the exception of Coughing Gas must be used from Stealth with the same limitations as the Backstab power.
   Each Poison requires trains in the Backstab Power; Power Rank 40 for Assassins and Thieves and Power Rank 20 for Black Masks.
   Thieves are granted all Poisons at Power Rank 40, Assassins are granted all powers except Coughing Gas at Power Rank 40, and Black Masks are granted Buchinine, Pellegorn, and Magusbane at Power Rank 20. Each power has a cost of 20 Stamina.
   Buchinine poison inflicts additional melee damage (half of what Backstab can inflict), poisons the target with a disease-based Stamina Damage Over Time effect which does 3% damage of the target's maximum stamina pool every 5 seconds (not modified by Intelligence) and inflicts a Stamina Regeneration Debuff. The duration is 60 seconds on the Stamina DoT for Assassins and Theives and 30 seconds for Black Masks. The Stamina Regen Debuff is -50% with a duration of 150 seconds for Black Masks and -100% with a duration of 300 seconds for Assassins and Thieves.
   Coughing Gas is a Point Blank Area of Effect poison that reduces the OCV and DCV of anyone within 30 units of the caster by -35%. This effect is caster (not group) friendly, has a duration of 60 seconds, a casting time of .02 seconds, a recycle timer of 120 seconds. This power is granted at Power Rank 1.
   Galpa poison inflicts additional melee damage (half of what Backstab can inflict), poisons the target with a -60 Intelligence and Spirit Debuff with a duration of 60 seconds, and a -25 Power Damage Debuff with a duration of 30 seconds.
   Gorgon's Venom poison inflicts additional melee damage (half of what Backstab can inflict), poisons the target with a 40% Attack Speed Debuff that lasts for 60 seconds, and -25% Melee Damage Debuff that lasts for 30 seconds.
   Magusbane poison inflicts additional melee damage (half of what Backstab can inflict), poisons the target with a poison-based Mana Damage Over Time effect which does 3% damage of the target's maximum mana pool every 5 seconds (not modified by Intelligence) and inflicts a Mana Regeneration Debuff. The duration is 60 seconds on the Mana DoT for Assassins and Theives and 30 seconds for Black Masks. The Mana Regen Debuff is -50% with a duration of 150 seconds for Black Masks and -100% with a duration of 300 seconds for Assassins and Thieves.
   Pellegorn poison inflicts additional melee damage (half of what Backstab can inflict), poisons the target with a bleeding-based Health Damage Over Time effect which does 3% damage of the target's maximum health pool every 5 seconds (not modified by Intelligence) and inflicts a Health Regeneration Debuff. The duration is 60 seconds on the Health DoT for Assassins and Theives and 30 seconds for Black Masks. The Health Regen Debuff is -50% with a duration of 150 seconds for Black Masks and -100% with a duration of 300 seconds for Assassins and Thieves.

SPRINT
   Sprint has been modified to grant a 50% Movement Rate bonus and does not stack with other Movement Buffs.

TRAVELING STANCE
*   Granted all characters a new personal Movement Buff power called Traveling Stance that is granted at Level 1.
*   This power increases movement speed by 50%, has a duration of 300 seconds, a recycle timer of 60 seconds, lowers Attack Rating and Defense by 50%, and dispels when a player attacks someone, is attacked, casts a power, or sits.
*   This power grants a 200% Stamina Recovery Bonus that dispels with the debuff effects.
*   Players under the Traveling Stance effect are immune to Immunity Powers and cannot fly.
*   This power is solely intended for traveling, not combat.

AELFBORN
   Wildkin's Chase has been modified with a casting time of .02 seconds, a recycle timer of 300 seconds, costs 10 stamina, and dispels any active snares.
DWARF
   Dwarves now have access to the Archery Discipline.
HALF-GIANT
   Adjusted the following attributes: Maximum Strength to 150 (was 140), Base Dexterity to 40 (was 30), Maximum Dexterity to 65 (was 75), Base Constitution to 60 (was 50), Maximum Constitution to 140 (was 130), Base Spirit to 30 (was 35), Maximum Spirit to 60 (was 80).
   Changed the racial power Undaunted to Violent Rage; .02 casting time, 60 seconds duration, a 600 second recycle timer, and costs 10 Stamina to cast. Violent Rage grants a stackable +25 STR, -15% Attack Speed, and +15% Melee Damage buff.
   Health Bonus was increased from 10 to 20.
   Granted the Toughness Skill at Level 1.

VAMPIRE
*   Added a -50% Health Regeneration Debuff to the Race.
*   Vampire's Kiss now drains 15 to 35 health from a target with 40% to 100% efficiency from Power Ranks 0 to 20.
*   The Lesser Kiss is now granted at Power Rank 20 (cannot be trained further).

HEALER
   Updated Blessed Protection with a casting time of .02 seconds, can be cast while moving, has a duration of 10800 seconds.
   Updated Blessing of Strength with a casting time of .02 seconds, can be cast while moving, has a duration of 10800 seconds, and grants +60 at Power Rank 40. This power is now granted at Power Rank 20.
   Updated Blessing of Health with a casting time of .02 seconds, can be cast while moving, has a duration of 10800 seconds, and grants +60 at Power Rank 40. This power is now granted at Power Rank 20.
   Updated Blessing of Dexterity with a casting time of .02 seconds, can be cast while moving, has a duration of 10800 seconds, and grants +60 at Power Rank 40. This power is now granted at Power Rank 20.
   Updated Prayer of Might to have a duration of 10800 seconds and requirews a Power Rank of 40 in Blesseding of Strength.
   Prayer of Vitality has been updated to have a duration of 10800 seconds and requires a Power Rank of 40 in Blessing of Health.
   Prayer of Agility has been updated to have a duration of 10800 seconds and requires a Power Rank of 40 in Blessing of Dexterity.
   Prayer of Protection has been updated to have a duration of 10800 seconds.
MAGE
   Modified Shielding to have 30% Crushing, Piercing, and Slashing Resistances and +400 DCV at Power Rank 40.
   Merged the effects of Enfeeblement into Weakening which is now a -20 to -60 Strength and Dexterity Debuff with a duration of 30 to 60 seconds from Power Ranks 0 to 40. This power can be cast while moving.
   Changed Enfeeblement to be a -20 to -60 Intelligence and Spirit Debuff with a duration of 30 to 60 seconds from Power Ranks 0 to 40. This power can be cast while moving.

ROGUE
*   Removed the movement penalty on the Defensive Stance.

ASSASSIN
   Passwall must now be cast from Sneak, not Hide.
   Slayer's Focus can now be cast while stealthed and costs 25 to 65 mana from Power Ranks 0 to 40.

BARD
   Updated Chant of the Titans to have a duration of 10800 seconds.
   Updated Canticle of Inspiration to have a duration of 10800 seconds.
   Updated Canticle of Cunning to have a duration of 10800 seconds.
   Updated Ballad of Beregund the Bold to be a personal Movement Buff with an increase of 50% movement speed and a duration of 60 seconds. This power has no cost (0 Mana) and takes 300 seconds to recycle and does not stack with any other movement buffs. This power has been granted at Power Rank 40 for free.

CHANNELER
   Flesh of Granite has been modified with a casting time of .02 seconds, a maximum duration of 300 seconds, and a recycle timer of 180 seconds. Mana costs have been reduced to 25. This Damage Absorber absorbs and protects from Crushing, Piercing, and Slashing damage and absorbs up to 2000 points of damage for those damage types.
   Flesh of Lead has been modified with a casting time of .02 seconds, a maximum duration of 300 seconds, and a recycle timer of 180 seconds. Mana costs have been reduced to 25. This Damage Absorber absorbs and protects from Cold, Fire, and Lightning damage and absorbs up to 2000 points of damage for those damage types.
   Cloak of Transparency now has the same de-aggro effect as Hide and Sneak.

CONFESSOR
   Steadfast Soul has been modified with a casting time of .02 seconds, a maximum duration of 300 seconds, and a recycle timer of 180 seconds. Mana costs have been reduced to 25. This Damage Absorber absorbs and protects from Crushing, Piercing, and Slashing damage and absorbs up to 2000 points of damage for those damage types.
   Confessors have been granted a new power called Fire Ward which has a casting time of .02 seconds, a maximum duration of 180 seconds, a recycle timer of 300 seconds, and costs 25 mana to cast. This is a personal Damage Absorber absorbs and protects from Fire damage and absorbs up to 2000 points of damage for that damage type. This power is granted at Power Rank 40 (Grandmaster)

DOOMSAYER
   Increased the Mage-based Offense Stance to Proficient (30).
   Added a Healing Resistance Debuff to Blight of Throol'hroon so the power now is a Single Target -95% Health and -95% Stamina Recovery Debuff and +30 Healing Resistance Debuff at Power Rank 40.
   Removed Corrupt the Flesh.
   Increased the effects of Green Death to a -25 Constitution Debuff at Power Rank 40 and added a Constitution Dispel effect to the power.

DRUID
   Oaken Flesh has been modified with a casting time of .02 seconds, a maximum duration of 300 seconds, and a recycle timer of 180 seconds. Mana costs have been reduced to 25. This Damage Absorber absorbs and protects from Crushing, Piercing, and Cold damage and absorbs up to 2000 points of damage for those damage types.
   Blessing of the Oak has been updated to be a personal Dexterity and Constitution Buff that grants +5 to +25 in both Attributes from Power Rank 0 to 40. This power does stack with Healer (or Bard) Buffs but not with the Blessing of the Grove.
   Blessing of the Grove has been updated to a personal Intelligence and Spirit Buff that grants +5 to +25 in both Attributes from Power Rank 0 to 40. This power does stack with Wizard (or Bard) Buffs but not with the Blessing of the Oak.
   Druids are now granted the Sword Skill at Level 10 and have been granted Sword Powers at Power Rank 15.
   A new Druid Sword is now available called Nature's Wrath that uses Dexterity and Nature Lore as its focuses.

FURY
   Flesh Ward has been modified with a casting time of .02 seconds, a maximum duration of 300 seconds, and a recycle timer of 180 seconds. Mana costs have been reduced to 25. This Damage Absorber absorbs and protects from Crushing, Piercing, and Slashing damage and absorbs up to 2500 points of damage for those damage types.
   Furies have been granted a new power called Elemental Ward which has a casting time of .02 seconds, a maximum duration of 300 seconds, a recycle timer of 300 seconds, and costs 25 mana to cast. This is a personal Damage Absorber absorbs and protects from Fire, Cold, and Lightning damage and absorbs up to 2000 points of damage for those damage types. This power is granted at Power Rank 40 (Grandmaster)

HUNTRESS
   Amazon's Endurance has been modified to be a personal Health and Stamina Recovery Buff. Health and Stamina Recovery increases from 30% to 150% and the duration increases from 20 seconds to 120 seconds from Power Ranks 0 to 40. The recycle timer is 300 seconds.
   Grace of the Panther has been updated to a personal -50% Attack Speed and 50% Melee Damge Buff that grandmasters with one train. The duration of the power is 30 seconds and it has a recycle timer of 300 seconds.
   Strength of the Huntress has been removed.
   The Fighter-Based Offensive Stance has been increased to Power Rank 35.
   Phaedra's Fury has been updated to be a personal Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution Buff that grants +5 to +25 in each Attribute from Power Rank 0 to 40. This power does stack with Healer (or Bard) buffs.
   Modified Phaedra's Chase to have an increase of 55% movement speed enhancement and a duration of 60 seconds. This power has no cost (0 Mana) and takes 300 seconds to recycle and does not stack with any other movement buffs. This power has been granted at Power Rank 40 for free.
   Vashteera's Blessing has been modified to grant a +25 to +50 Strength and Constitution Bonus (that does stack with Healer or Bard buffs), and a -10% to -25% Attack Speed Buff from Power Ranks 0 to 40. The maximum movement bonus is now set at 30% and no longer stacks with other Movement Buffs.
   The effects of Call of the Wild has been merged with Beast Lord's Boon to be a Pet Only Attack, Damage, Health, and Dodge Buff. Call of the Wild has been removed.
   Cry of Vashteera has been modified to be granted at Power Rank 20.

NECROMANCER
   Mantle of Corpseflesh has been modified to be a personal Damage Absorber with a casting time of .02 seconds, a maximum duration of 300 seconds, and a recycle timer of 180 seconds. Mana costs have been reduced to 25. This Damage Absorber absorbs and protects from Crushing, Piercing, and Slashing damage and absorbs up to 2500 points of damage for those damage types.
   Spectre Form now has the same de-aggro effect as Hide and Sneak.

PRIEST
   Updated Prayer of Haste to be a personal Movement Buff with an increase of 50% movement speed and a duration of 60 seconds. This power has no cost (0 Mana) and takes 300 seconds to recycle and does not stack with any other movement buffs. This power has been granted at Power Rank 40 for free.

RANGER
   Updated Race of the Hare to be a personal Movement Buff with an increase of 55% movement speed and a duration of 60 seconds. This power has no cost (0 Mana) and takes 300 seconds to recycle and does not stack with any other movement buffs. This power no longer breaks on combat and has been granted at Power Rank 40 for free.
   Wolfskin has been modified to have a maximum movement bonus of 30% and no longer stacks with other Movement Buffs.
   Removed Fleet of Foot.

SCOUT
*   Updated Pathfinding to be a personal Movement Buff with an increase of 60% movement speed and a duration of 60 seconds. This power has no cost (0 Mana) and takes 300 seconds to recycle and does not stack with any other movement buffs. This power no longer breaks on combat and has been granted at Power Rank 40 for free.
*   Granted Scouts 50 free trains in the Running Skill.
*   Shot to the Leg is now a Snare.

THIEF
*   Updated Retreat with an increase of 55% movement speed and a duration of 60 seconds. This power has no cost (0 Mana) and takes 300 seconds to recycle and does not stack with any other movement buffs. This power no longer breaks on combat and has been granted at Power Rank 40 for free.
*   Changed the icon used for the Peek Power.

WARLOCK
   Psychic Shield has been modified with a casting time of .02 seconds, a maximum duration of 300 seconds, and a recycle timer of 180 seconds. Mana costs have been reduced to 25. This Damage Absorber absorbs and protects from Crushing, Piercing, and Slashing damage and absorbs up to 2500 points of damage for those damage types.
   Warlocks have been granted a new power called Mental Shield which has a casting time of .02 seconds, a maximum duration of 300 seconds, a recycle timer of 180 seconds, and costs 25 mana to cast. This is a personal Damage Absorber absorbs and protects from Mental damage and absorbs up to 2000 points of damage for that damage type. This power is granted at Power Rank 40 (Grandmaster)
   Mind and Body One has been updated to a personal Strength, Dexterity, and Constitition Buff that grants +5 to +25 in each Attribute from Power Rank 0 to 40. This power does stack with Healer (or Bard) buffs but not with Free Thought.
   Free Thought has been updated to a personal Intelligence, Spirit, and Constitution buff that grants +5 to +25 in each Attribute from Power Rank 0 to 40. This power does stack with Wizard (or Bard) buffs but not with Mind and Body One.
   Increased the healing effects gained in Psychic Healing as the power is ranked up.
   Decreased the recycle timer on Mental Projection to be from 30 minutes to 10 minutes from Power Ranks 0 to 40 instead of 60 minutes to 30 minutes.

WIZARD
   Charm of Protection has been modified with a casting time of .02 seconds, a maximum duration of 300 seconds, and a recycle timer of 180 seconds. Mana costs have been reduced to 25. This Damage Absorber absorbs and protects from Crushing, Piercing, and Slashing damage and absorbs up to 2500 points of damage for those damage types.
   Wizards have been granted a new power called Magic Ward which has a casting time of .02 seconds, a maximum duration of 300 seconds, a recycle timer of 180 seconds, and costs 25 mana to cast. This is a personal Damage Absorber absorbs and protects from Magic damage and absorbs up to 2000 points of damage for that damage type. This power is granted at Power Rank 40 (Grandmaster)
   Conjure Familiar is now granted at Power Rank 20.
   Charm of Illumination is now granted at Level 10 and requires Wizardy Skill (20), has a casting time of .02 seconds, can be cast while moving, has a duration of 10800 seconds, and grants +60 at Power Rank 40. This power is now granted at Power Rank 20 and does not stack with Bard Buffs or Incantation of Illumination.
   Incantation of Illumination has been updated to be granted at Level 30 and requires Wizardry Skill (80) and Power Rank 40 for Charm of Illumination. The power grants +20 to +60 Intelligence and Spirit from Power Ranks 0 to 40 and has a duration of 10800 seconds but does not stack with Bard Buffs or Charm of Illumination.
   Cloak of Obscurity now has the same de-aggro effect as Hide and Sneak.

ARCHER
   Shot to the Leg is now considered a Snare.
BELGOSCH
   Crimson Feast now drains 10 to 25 health from a target with 40% to 100% efficiency from Power Ranks 0 to 20.
BLADE MASTER
   Scouts can now apply the Blade Master Rune.
BLACK MASK
   Passwall must now be cast from Sneak, not Hide.
BLOODHORN
   Modified Blood Hooves to have an increase from 10% to 25% in momement speed. This power does not stack with other Movement Buffs.
COMMANDER
   Removed Forced March.
DARKSWORN
   Blight of Chaos now has an efficiency of 100% at Power Rank 20.
FORGE MASTER
   Changed the recycle timer on Lore of the Forge to 0.0 seconds.
GORGOI
   The Blood is the Life now drains 10 to 25 health from a target with 40% to 100% efficiency from Power Ranks 0 to 20.
RAT CATCHER
   Modified Plague to have a casting time of 1 second, a recycle timer of 60 seconds, a duration of 60 seconds, and a -50% to -100% Health Recovery Debuff from Power Ranks 0 to 20.
RUNECASTER
   Changed Beorc Rune to be a Personal +10 to +25 Cold, Fire, and Lightning Resistance Buff from Power Ranks 0 to 20.
   Changed Eolh Rune to be a Personal +10 to +25 Magic Resistance Buff from Power Ranks 0 to 20.
   Changed Man Rune to be a Personal +10 to +25 Mental Resistance Buff from Power Ranks 0 to 20.
   Changed casting time on the Nyth Rune to 2.5 seconds.
   Changed Ur Rune to be a Personal +10 to +25 Strength Buff from Power Ranks 0 to 20. This does stack with Healer (or Bard) buffs.
SAPPER
   Balefume has been modified to a 5% to 25% Healing Resistance Buff and -10% to -50% Health Regeneration Debuff from Power Ranks 0 to 40. The Snare Effect now lasts for 10 seconds from Power Ranks 0 to 40.
SKY DANCER
   Aracoix Warlocks are now allowed to apply the Sky Dancer rune.
STRIGOI
   Feral Fury has been updated to have a duration of 1 second to 30 seconds from Power Ranks 0 to 20.
TRAVELER
   Removed all restrictions from the Traveler Discipline; all Races and Professions can now apply it.
   All Traveler Powers are granted at Power Rank 4 so they only have to be trained once each to be used.

[stray]

Wow, that doesn't even sound like the same game. Makes me wonder how many decisions were and were not being made directly by Wolfpack in the past.

[WindupAtheist]

You play motherfucking Shadowbane?  UO may be a toothless old whore, but at least I'm not fucking a corpse.

[stray]

/shrug

At least I've played both.....Instead of talked about things I don't even know about.

[WindupAtheist]

I was aiming that at Sinij.  Also, I don't need to have played Shadowbane in order to relish it's utter failure.  All I have to do is think back on a bunch of old "UO is ruined by trammies, see you in SB suckers" forum posts.

[stray]

I was aiming that at Sinij.  Also, I don't need to have played Shadowbane in order to relish it's utter failure.  All I have to do is think back on a bunch of old "UO is ruined by trammies, see you in SB suckers" forum posts.

Sinij? My bad then.

I'm not gonna defend any of that Trammel stuff (Nor do I care...Nor was it the reason most people were playing SB), but you have to understand there's a need for that kind of thing. Most games are of the competitive combat variety. It's only natural that some RPG's are too. Get over it.

I would say an equivalent thing to others who think all RPG's need to competitive as well though. I.E. Get over it too, Sinij. Etc.

Anyways, I rather liked SB. In fact, it's my favorite MMORPG to date. Sure it had a boatload of problems, but it did aim high. It might have failed miserably -- But it aimed high nonetheless. That's better than aiming low and failing. And it's even better than aiming low and succeeding.....

I can think of a couple of things you'd probably like about it, Windup: 1) Extremely flexible class system. It wasn't a bonefide skill tree system, but it was close. 2) Cool world. Interesting and original lore. Quite a few GM Driven game events. There was a lot fun rp'ers playing SB as well (I think you've mentioned a liking for that sort of thing).

[WindupAtheist]

My brother (who lurks here) used to play.  Some of the stuff he'd tell me about it sounded pretty fun.  But he also said it went completely to hell a long time ago.

And of course there's room on the market for a pwnfest, I just like kicking SB in particular.  You won't catch me trashing EVE or whatever.  Plus I just have to pay Sinij back for all his "quit raping the corpse of UO" trolling in other threads.  I mean, at least they can still convince people to pay money for UO.

[Der Helm]

Damm it. Now I need to level my druid to level 75, to powerlevel my Thief and Scout.

Well, at least I won't have to pay for it, at the moment... :-D

[squirrel]

I dunno - SB roxxored my boxxors so to speak, at least when it wasn't horribly broken. The changes sound immense and impressive - but have they fixed backstabbing with a bow or using a commander's rod to create an uber pet? At some point the exploits and bugs unite to eliminate any semblance of gameplay that existed irrespective of how good the original design may be.

[HRose]

I only see a bunch of class changes. Not much about the overall game or mechanics.

[stray]

Speaking of free MMO's, I might give PlanetSide another whirl before thinking about trying SB again. PS isn't perfect, but it's free in a more important way.

SB may be one of my favorite MMORPG's, but I need a long break from anything with leveling and heavy item dependency in it. Even if it's a relatively short grind like SB (not sure how much that's changed though), with cool things to actually do when you're done (what a fucking grand idea, huh?!!), I don't want to be bothered with it. Because it's not the game. It's never the game. In any given game with grinding, it's not really the game. And all I want to do is play "the game", damnit. Nothing else.

I only see a bunch of class changes. Not much about the overall game or mechanics.

Umm.....To be fair (yeah, after that little tirade), don't you remember what a fucking nuisance "stam" was? Cutting down on traveling times is a significant improvement, for one.

[Venkman]

I'm over two years outta SB at this point, but the changes listed above look relatively minor compared to the NGE. They're not replacing the combat system and swapping from a class system to UO, so how bad can it be? :)

And, when did Planetside go free? I thought they were adding ad-support but not dropping the fee.

[stray]

Darn, you're right. Don't know what I was thinking.

[Venkman]

Darn, you're right. Don't know what I was thinking.

Bah! I wanted you to be right dammit! PS ranks up there as one of my favorite games to get into and out of. I just can't justify the fee. There's just not enough else there.

[HaemishM]

You can put tits on a bull, but it's still just going to be a bull with tits.

Until they completely rip out the asstastic graphic engine that makes monsters and people appear right on top of you, remove the leveling completely and just have massive PVP battles, it's not worth the time.

[Modern Angel]

You can put tits on a bull, but it's still just going to be a bull with tits.

Until they completely rip out the asstastic graphic engine that makes monsters and people appear right on top of you, remove the leveling completely and just have massive PVP battles, it's not worth the time.

That's precisely what I told some friends of mine. They went back to SB after Guild Wars left them high and dry. So they beg me to come play a little bit, give it a whirl. Jesus Christ in a can, why do they have levels? They obviously realize that nobody wants to level in the game so why not rip them out? And then there was the bane I got suckered into. What a bad, bad play experience. Lag so bad I couldn't move and when I COULD move I couldn't target anything. There's no tab target, just a mass of people to click in the middle of and hope you get the right one. I asked if there was an easier way to target, they told me to type /target (name), I reiterated the EASIER qualifier and then logged off, never to return.

High marks for concept but the execution didn't cut it even a tiny bit.

[sinij]

Until they completely rip out the asstastic graphic engine that makes monsters and people appear right on top of you, remove the leveling completely and just have massive PVP battles, it's not worth the time.

Graphic engine asstastic only due to its limitations - i.e. terrain and such. As to how everything looks, who gives a flying fuck, PvPers will be always at minimum specs regardless of how powerful rig they got since it almost always gives some form of an advantage.

[Trippy]

And, when did Planetside go free? I thought they were adding ad-support but not dropping the fee.

Ads went in last year. Free play (through March 2007) went in in March. The max BR/CR is capped very low though (6/2) so it's more like a trial/free play hybrid, though if you don't mind being in a very limited role you could keep playing for free till next year.

[stray]

If I can recall, 6/2 BR/CR is all I need to have a little fun. I don't give a shit about Command Rank, and I think BR 6 is when I got enough points for a Lightning. Sounds free enough for me.

[edit]

Uh, wait, I was wrong. From what I've looked up, I can get it much earlier than that. Like BR3, I think?

Basically everything you'd need as an on and off solo player can be had almost right off the bat.

[edit] Though it'd be nice to know if any of the kills you rack up after getting rank 6 would translate into extra Battle experience later on, if and when you subscribed. I can't find the info for this.

[tar]

If I can recall, 6/2 BR/CR is all I need to have a little fun. I don't give a shit about Command Rank, and I think BR 6 is when I got enough points for a Lightning. Sounds free enough for me.

[edit]

Uh, wait, I was wrong. From what I've looked up, I can get it much earlier than that. Like BR3, I think?

Basically everything you'd need as an on and off solo player can be had almost right off the bat.

[edit] Though it'd be nice to know if any of the kills you rack up after getting rank 6 would translate into extra Battle experience later on, if and when you subscribed. I can't find the info for this.

The Lightning is 2 cert points with no pre-reqs, you start at BR1 with, um, I think it's 7 cert points now. Was 4, but they took the points from BRs 6, 12 and 18 and moved them to BR1. You get your implant slots at those levels so they moved the points to make the game more accessible to beginners without changing the overall number of cert points you get, while still getting a reward for those BRs.

So at BR1 not only can you get the lightning you can also pick up engineering to repair it in the field and still have 2 cert points left over. You can also get to around BR4-5 just by doing the new-ish training missions. By BR6 with 11 cert points, you have a fair few options.

I'm pretty sure that if you're on a trial account, once you hit the cap you don't get any more BEP so no progress is made/saved for later.

Oh yeah, they also made it so that for the first week of a new character's life you have unlimited free respecs I think and after that the timer for dropping a cert has changed from 24 to 6 hours so trying different things out until you find what you like is easier.

[HaemishM]

Until they completely rip out the asstastic graphic engine that makes monsters and people appear right on top of you, remove the leveling completely and just have massive PVP battles, it's not worth the time.

Graphic engine asstastic only due to its limitations - i.e. terrain and such.

Yes, it's limitations being that it SUCKED ASS. The character graphics were decent but the terrain was shit, and it did not improve the entire time it was released. But it wasn't just the looks of the engine that were awful, the performance was awful, the clipping issues were awful, and it brought nothing to the table. Hours and hours of walking through featureless land with trees that stuck through hills didn't help it any.

As to how everything looks, who gives a flying fuck, PvPers will be always at minimum specs regardless of how powerful rig they got since it almost always gives some form of an advantage.

I give a flying fuck. While I don't care if the game has a billion pixel shaders, it should at least look like more than refried monkey ass. Other than its character graphics, it was worse than anything on the market at release, AND it was buggy.

[sinij]

I give a flying fuck

[HaemishM]

You've discovered my secret identity.

[sinij]

Patch went live mostly as-is. Threw game balance out of the window completely gimping half the classes and making few nearly-invulnerable, made winning with numbers even easier and didn't fix the lag.  SB’s NGE went live. If this won’t kill SB I don’t know what will.

[sinij]

Some changes that went in:

* removed all stacking run buffs in hopes of improving lag - now everybody is slower and just as laggy. Problem is that not everyone was slowed down equally and snare/root mechanics were not adjusted.
* added A LOT of damage absorbers trying to bring more mages into play - this resulted in healers equivalent classes (i.e. healer channies, healer doomies) getting damage absorbers and becoming A LOT harder to kill
* removed /tar and blue dots - intention was to slow down large fights and to give glass classes a bit more chances in a large fight. It ended up brining stacks back in force and made numbers even more important

Overall - poorly planned, too amny things thrown in at once Grade A train wreck.

[Der Helm]

Some changes that went in:

* removed all stacking run buffs in hopes of improving lag - now everybody is slower and just as laggy. Problem is that not everyone was slowed down equally and snare/root mechanics were not adjusted.
* added A LOT of damage absorbers trying to bring more mages into play - this resulted in healers equivalent classes (i.e. healer channies, healer doomies) getting damage absorbers and becoming A LOT harder to kill
* removed /tar and blue dots - intention was to slow down large fights and to give glass classes a bit more chances in a large fight. It ended up brining stacks back in force and made numbers even more important

Overall - poorly planned, too amny things thrown in at once Grade A train wreck.

Are this the changes that went to test a few weeks ago ?

I can't be bothered to read the patch notes, but I am still having fun.

(playing on test eleminates the grind to a minimum)