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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
Top Men.
843
   |
Posted - 2014.01.03 21:04:00 -
[1] - Quote
CCP Saberwing dropped hints that they're currently planning to elect a CPM before Fanfest. It seems to me, that this being a fairly narrow timetable, it may be time to announce my intention to run, state my primary platform, and open up my inbox to your thoughts, comments, and feedback.
First, I've played EVE for a few years, and I understand what works and doesn't work with that game. I know how the CPM's counterpart, the CSM, is able to benefit players and the game as a whole. Despite this experience with EVE, DUST is my true love. I have so much investment into this game, and throughout the last year, I've felt many times that things could've been better with the right suggestion, or the right bit of feedback, to the right person, at the right time. I feel like I have a lot I can contribute to the CPM. I have a degree in game and simulation programming from the most prestigious of all mail-order colleges, DeVry University, I've personally developed projects using the Unreal SDK, and so I have a fair understanding of some of the programming and art challenges CCP is facing. I also work as a system administrator in the IT field, so I'm no stranger to the infrastructure needs as well. But most importantly, I'm a gamer who has been heaving playing both MMOs and FPS games for as long as I can remember. I love both genres.
I have a few very short goals for DUST 514. These concepts are my core beliefs about the game's future, and what's important in it's success:
- CCP needs to ramp up the EVE/DUST link, particularly by implementing a real economy for DUST 514. CCP has restated multiple times their focus on making DUST the best shooter. And while the idea of a better shooter (and frame rate, for God's sake) appeals to me greatly, the truth is, DUST will probably never beat Call of Duty or Battlefield as a first-person shooter alone. DUST is a niche game. It is a hybrid MMO with links to EVE Online. And most of the people I know who got excited hearing about DUST, were excited because of that link even if they didn't play EVE. CCP needs to commit full throttle to the link.
- CCP needs to embrace it's scifi setting, with unique environments, maps, and equipment. Right now, DUST is a mediocre shooter. It has little to set it apart from other games apart from it's science fiction setting, of which there is far more limited competition. Unlike Call of Duty or Battlefield, CCP isn't constrained to real-world weapons or environments. DUST can explore other worlds, starships, and even the emptiness of space itself. CCP needs to go full-on scifi, and again, focus on it's strengths. Embrace methods of gameplay that Call of Duty and Battlefield can only dream of. That means lava planets, changing gravity between planets of different sizes, and ship-based combat.
- CCP needs to be up-front with it's roadmap. As usual, all discussion of DUST 514 at the CSM summit was again under NDA. While EVE devs have profited greatly from the early feedback of players, DUST devs aren't communicating enough. While a test server is currently unfeasible (thank you, Sony), giving players the facts and the numbers up front will allow people to participate in the process of game development. Players need a better idea of CCP's roadmap for DUST 514, so they can put faith (and AUR-colored credits) in the long-term future of DUST. Laser-focused on PS3 is a nice short-term answer, but it won't cut it for the future. As a CPM member, I'll push heavily for greater disclosure with players on long-term plans, even if they aren't set in stone.
Obviously, DUST 514 is an incredibly complex game with a variety of important issues across the board. These three are the issues closest to my heart. If you chose to help me reach the CPM, you can be assured my inbox will always be open, and that putting your views in front of me will put them in front of CCP.
You can reach me in my DUST inbox at Soraya Xel, my EVE inbox at Crasniya, or my email at [email protected]
I'd like to be your CPM1 candidate
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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
Top Men.
843
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Posted - 2014.01.03 21:20:00 -
[2] - Quote
Reserved for later use.
I'd like to be your CPM1 candidate
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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
Top Men.
868
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Posted - 2014.01.04 06:42:00 -
[3] - Quote
Veka Kari wrote:I wish you the best of luck Soraya Xel!
Thanks, good luck to you as well.
I'd like to be your CPM1 candidate
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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
Top Men.
895
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Posted - 2014.01.06 08:10:00 -
[4] - Quote
Killar-12 wrote:A few questions
In what ways would you wish to see the Connection between capsuleers and infantry expanded?
I see a future where DUST mercs are rewarded materials in PvE which they can sell to EVE industrials to manufacture DUST gear, which, they can then sell back to DUSTies. I want DUST as part of the supply chain in EVE. Of course, that starts with the player market, and requires monetary transfer between DUST and EVE as well.
I'd also like to see EVE teams implement more recognition of DUST features. DUST stats on character sheets, district status and ownership visible in the EVE star map, and the ability to see how a match is going (kill feed, current MCC health, clones remaining) from orbit. Eventually, I'd like to see Planetary Conquest be a direct component of the sovereignty system in EVE, allowing districts to play a crucial part in major alliances owning territory all across New Eden. They need a reason to hire us, and sovereignty is it.
Killar-12 wrote:How high on your list of priorities is having dust able to perform a constant framrate of say 20 FPS?
20 FPS is terrible. A baseline of terrible is not much of an improvement. The thing with game performance, is I feel it's not something you prioritize at the cost of other progress. Game performance improvements needs to be a constant cycle, and CCP needs to ensure they can develop content and new features, while simultaneously improving performance, without compromising either process. Content can't stop flowing in the name of frame rate improvement, but we can't have frame rate continually dropping because of new features, either.
Killar-12 wrote:Would you wish for the return of Corporation Battles or rather the introduction of Team Deploy for Factional warfare?
Team deploy would be nice, and I hope CCP gets it worked out soon, but I think the need for corporate battles is separate. There needs to be a system by which a corporation can schedule a match with another corporation outright. Even team deploy on two different factions can't ensure that two corps that want to duke it out can. And that's why I feel we still need a replacement for Corporation Battles in addition to the gameplay modes we already have.
We need a way for corporations to set up custom battles. And sure, they'd have to be no-SP battles, since they'd be easily exploitable. But ideally, we should be able to set a fight at a time, select the game mode, ISK stakes, and the corp we'd like to invite to take us on.
I'd like to be your CPM1 candidate
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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
Top Men.
995
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Posted - 2014.01.08 15:48:00 -
[5] - Quote
Bear D'Grassi wrote:From your OP "CCP needs to ramp up the EVE/DUST link, particularly by implementing a real economy for DUST 514" As I indicated on Spartacus Dust's CPM candidacy thread Hilmar has stated that this element is basically on the back burner until general gameplay is competitive with other shooters out there. Your inclusion of the above as your first item suggests this is the more important item to you, which is stregthened by your response in Spectre-M's thread. Thread ResponseThe statement by Hilmar was made during the CSM summer summit some months ago however I doubt there is anyone here who would suggest that Dust has become a "kick ass shooter" (Hilmars words) since then. The above would suggest that concentrating on this issue might not be the most productive use of your time on the CPM, how would you respond to that? For what its worth I am in complete agreement with you on this however you may need to "work with what you've got"
jenza aranda wrote:Bare in mind Bear, that this was before the introduction of the new EP. Plenty of things have changed.
Hey jenza! :) Yeah, the thing I was going to point out, is CCP Rouge hasn't said too much to us in public yet, but he definitely showed interest in ramping up the link, and it's importance to gameplay. I definitely feel the new EP's early statements reflect our needs, and I'm hopeful when we see more from him, we'll be impressed.
I don't think Hilmar has much, if any, involvement in that decisionmaking process most of the time, given he has a whole company to run.
In terms of "productive use of my time on the CPM", Bear, I'd guess it probably doesn't work quite like that. I mean, I will do my best to push the concept on a larger scale that I think we as a community need to get and retain new players and long-term engagement with the game. When asked, when not asked, and etc. But there's going to be all sorts of things that are being discussed, and obviously, in terms of the main role of the CPM, we're not going to have an open-ended opportunity to push goals all of the time. But when I can get the ear of a dev with some manner of decisionmaking ability for more than 30 seconds or so, you know what my big suggestions will base around.
I'd like to be your CPM1 candidate
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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
Top Men.
1039
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Posted - 2014.01.10 15:52:00 -
[6] - Quote
A bit of theory/design for the game link, the sort of stuff I want to encourage as much as possible:
One of the most important things about the EVE/DUST link, I think, is to look at it's development from both sides of the game. Many EVE players believe the effort CCP has invested is a waste because it doesn't improve their gaming experience. They're resistant to DUST having power over regions of New Eden for the same reason. (Except for Molden Heath. Nobody cares about Molden Heath.) CCP has to ensure future DUST design not only integrates with EVE, but that it integrates with EVE in a manner that is fun for DUSTies and EVE pilots alike.
The current Factional Warfare, I feel, is a great example. It is both massively desired orbital support for matches DUST side, and the EVE side gets two things: a very lucrative payout of LP for their faction, and killmails, which players in EVE love to collect. Combined, it's a mechanic that offers a lot of value on both sides. And so we finally have people excited about doing orbitals from EVE. The removal of barge strikes has also upped the stakes for the importance of orbital support for DUST mercs.
One of the important things I feel needs to happen is actually EVE side. For as overall more complex as the EVE client is, it is by-and-large blind to DUST districts. There's no way for our territory in Planetary Conquest to be directly visible in the EVE client. This hurts DUST corps' name recognition. As we move towards hopefully being able to hire mercs from EVE, CCP's going to need to devote EVE resources towards showcasing DUST further. Another element to that is the district satellites, which need to more actively relay combat status data during a match. EVE players connected should see the status of the MCC, remaining clones, the match timer, as well as the kill feed info, so that they can monitor the fight from the sky.
Eventually, it should be possible for an EVE corporation, without even owning mercenaries of their own, to claim districts in Planetary Conquest, with a contract system that can hopefully used from both the EVE side or DUST side. And no longer would hiring ringers require the irritation of a guy dragging squads into the match. A district attack should be able to be created from EVE or DUST, and from either game, it be possible to contract it to someone else. If a corp accepts the contract, with a collateral/reward system similar to EVE courier contracts now, the match as a whole would be accessible from the contracted corp's battle finder, and removed from your own.
Economically, I think the way to start tying the game together is hopefully through EVE's industrial machine. One of the worst things about our salvage is getting useless items. Gear that's both outside our fit, and also of poor quality. Ideally in the future we'll be able to recycle this down into base materials, which could be sold to industrial players in EVE for the manufacture of better/different gear. An industrial tie will move the shared economy from just being ISK transfer to making it a meaningful component, and a benefit for engaging with a party from the other game. We need to get more capsuleers and mercenaries talking and interacting.
I'd like to be your CPM1 candidate
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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
Top Men.
1043
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Posted - 2014.01.10 21:51:00 -
[7] - Quote
Jaysyn Larrisen wrote:Soraya,
Below are a few questions I engaged one of the other serious CPM1 candidates (Aero Yessavi) with and if you have the time would appreciate your thoughts on them.
Candidate Questions:
1) Other than the forums how do you intend to collect and communicate requests, needs, POV of the community? In particular, those outside your corp / alliance.
I'm almost continually available, except for the few hours of sleep I get. I'm happy to open my email inbox, Skype, Google Hangout, IRC, in-game mail, etc. at pretty much all hours, though you have to hit my EVE char's inbox if I'm going to read it while not by my PS3. I do know CCP is a big fan of Skype. I want to be the one guy you can always get a hold of and get an answer from that your view has been recorded and will be brought to CCP's attention.
2) What level of interaction would you like to establish between the CPM and CSM?
I want to blur the lines of which. That's a bit of an exaggeration, but if the game is going to be integrated, and the environment of each will affect the environment of the other. We're going to have to have deep communication lines between the two councils. Obviously, the CSM are experts and representatives for EVE, and the CPM are experts and representatives for DUST, but we're building one universe, and our partners in the CSM are a valuable part of that.
To give an example, you may note I've talked about needing better support for DUST in EVE. That's a valuable part of making DUST relevant in the universe, and making what we do matter more. However, it's going to require support of the CSM, given that they're the ones that have the ear of the EVE team.
3) What are the top 3 short term (next 2mo's) changes you would encourage CCP to make?
Note that my two month goals are limited to what I think CCP can accomplish in two months. I also don't think it's worth noting things they're already doing right now (racial suits, cloaking) or ongoing balance changes that will probably be different before the election anyhow. I'd like to put the Player Market here, though I'm doubting it would make it in time.
- Basic alliance support in game. Alliance names on Show Info, ability for corporations to join them. The mechanics for this already exist, CCP needs to add the UI for it DUST side.
- Either access to the EVE Gate for DUST mercenaries, or releasing a "DUST Gate" version. This is the ability to see your character's skills and other details, as well as read and send in-game mails from your web browser.
- A more complete rollout of the CREST API. This would allow corporations and alliances to integrate people's DUST accounts directly with the game through PSN signin. It would also enable sites like leaderboards to exist, and allow sites like DUST Charts to no longer be reliant on the crippled and aging EVE legacy API.
4) What are the top 3 mid term (next 6mo's) changes you would encourage CCP to make?
- Player market. Grants not only the ability to sell off things you don't need, but people can trade in rarer items like FacWar rewards, officer rifles, and AUR gear for ISK. This gives players a non-AUR method to acquire AUR-type gear if they need it, by buying it from another player.
- Combat on different planet types. These would have to be rolled out gradually, as they would require some new environment work, a couple new mechanics, and they would expand the number of planets available in Planetary Conquest. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dHnJW69fNZImNynEQJR7kIQetLpLtOa5xkihcRAp7WY
- Expanded roles for vehicles. The return of logistics-type vehicles, MAVs taking on the current solo tanker role, and HAVs transitioning to team-play (three-player) devices. Fighters for strafing and antiair, since watching two dropships duke it out is kinda sad, and the skybox is too empty. (I'd like to see dropships excel further into being armored troop transports, as fighters roll in as air superiority/combat vehicles.) LAV passenger and dropship passengers should be able to use light weapons that are not AV while aboard.
5) In Spring of 2015, when CPM1's term is up, what would you want people to have said about your tenure as a CPM member?
I want people to say they felt represented like never before. If someone puts in the effort to reach out to a CPM, I'd like at some point for them to get the distinct impression that their idea made it all the way to Shanghai. I'd like people to say that nobody ever had a hard time getting a hold of me. And I'd hope people came out with a feeling that as a group, CPM1 managed to gain more transparency between CCP, the CPM, and the playerbase.
ps...will you be creating a channel for folks to meet and sqd with you during the period before the election?
I'd be more than happy to. I'll get one made in a couple hours. I'm pretty open to squad up during the US evening hours most nights, unless we've got a Planetary Conquest match and my team needs me.
I'd like to be your CPM1 candidate
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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
Top Men.
1045
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Posted - 2014.01.10 22:28:00 -
[8] - Quote
Jaysyn Larrisen wrote:Thanks for the quick response. I appreciate your emphasis on positive communication between numerous parties...I think that and a good attitude and work ethic will go a long way.
Also, I like your snapshot on planet types with effects that reach beyond just the visual moods. I suspect that numerous planet types as per your description is on a CCP white board some where with the caption "some day!". Lot of areas for them to address before that but I really like the idea.
Thanks for asking!
I think some of the planet types would be relatively easy to hit in the short-term, with the existing moods system, and in some cases, the existing moods already made for that system. But they'd definitely have to roll out one at a time, as the tweaks and mechanics supported it, and also since it would require a rollout of many more districts and eligible planets with each release.
I think it's important to start getting it out there though, because this is a scifi game, and I think the way it's going to compete with other first person shooters, is to do things they can't. Right now, our big selling point is that we can customize our fits in a way CoD and BF4 can't. Right now, we can get orbitals from EVE ships, and CoD and BF4 can't. CoD and BF4 can't go to alien planets. DUST can. DUST may not be the game with the best graphics or frame rate in the industry, but I think DUST can be the game that does all the things that other games can't do.
I'd like to be your CPM1 candidate
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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
Top Men.
1046
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Posted - 2014.01.11 00:25:00 -
[9] - Quote
I decided to skip being clever, and make my personal DUST channel incredibly simple and easy to remember. The channel name is Soraya Xel. And I will be using it as my personal officespace. Come find me if you'd like to squad up. Additionally, my EVE character is Crasniya, if you want to send me an in-game mail when I'm offline, since I can receive those on my phone.
I'd like to be your CPM1 candidate
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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
Top Men.
1049
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Posted - 2014.01.11 05:28:00 -
[10] - Quote
Zion Shad wrote:I would have liked to seen how you will interact with us (the community) Will you hide behind Soon TMs and NDA stamps or get creative and figure a way to show us that both you and CCP are working?
Well, first and foremost, I do have to honor the NDA where it's present. But I will push to the extents of what I can say, wherever possible. I have, under other NDAs for other things, been known to habitually bug people "Can I at least say this?" to try and remain both in the clear, and informative as I can be. One thing that, as far as I know, can't be NDA'd is my feelings. And I'm more than happy to share how I feel, honestly, about CPM progress.
But the most important thing, is that I want to emphasize the level of importance gained by CCP actually directly communicating with their players. The fact that we have to hang on cryptic CPM clues to figure out what's going on is a problem, because it's CCP's job, and the job of their community managers to convey information in a timely way. EVE Online has profited immensely from it's devs putting draft data out there months before it's live, to let people pick over it. The recent ship rebalance project has been a great example, where the raw data of their plan is splayed out months in advance, and often based on player feedback, significant changes are made before it even hits SiSi.
So yes, I'll tell you everything I possibly can, and I will work as hard as I can to get CCP to tell you everything I can't.
CCP Reykjavik has learned how their players can help them produce a better product, and I think CCP Shanghai needs to realize the same.
Zion Shad wrote:How about holding by-weekly player meeting in a chat channel to have us voice our opinions? Things like that. I know what you will do, but what will you do for us?
I am more than happy to schedule meetings if that's what people would like. My personal inclination is, depending on the size, it might get a bit unruly, and some people might get left out or not heard. I try to be available as often as possible though, and I think in some cases, it might be more valuable for me to talk to people individually, rather than in a crowd. Which probably means a much bigger time commitment from me, but I've been letting this game consume my attention pretty much any time I'm near an Internet connection for over a year, so I think I should be able to weather it. My alliance mates can testify to the lengths I go to in order to be reachable. (This morning I had to Remote Desktop to my home computer to add someone to an EVE channel while I was at work.) -- xkcd.com/303 works for SysAdmins too, more or less.
Also, I maybe can't promise I'll see every forum thread on this site, but if someone takes the effort to reach out to me via any messaging method, they'll hear back from me. I would pretty much say that if someone specifically takes and sends me a link to their forum post, I will respond to it. Either privately or publicly, as appropriate.
I'd like to be your CPM1 candidate
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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
Top Men.
1061
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Posted - 2014.01.11 18:23:00 -
[11] - Quote
Bear D'Grassi wrote:You have a job and perhaps family that will demand part of your time, you are part of our alliance leadership, you are part of a corporations leadership, I assume you will still devote time to playing the games of EVE and Dust and finally the time demands placed on you by being part of the CPM. How do you envisage balancing these demands and how much time do you believe you will be able to devote to the CPM?
I don't have a lot of family obligations, I have parents and siblings, but I'm single and have no kids. I spend a lot of time on social networks, and I mean, a lot, and I expect to allow the CPM to consume that time. I talk to a lot of people as it is, and I am a prolific multitasker with holding various conversations online. My job has me sitting by the Internet, and I spent a lot of my personal time in front of computers as well. I will be there.
Corp leadership is doing fine, and the alliance is doing great. One of the big differences between now and a year ago, is that a year ago I was doing a very large portion of our alliance's management work. We now have an excellent leadership team, and we're actually working on bringing more people into that team right now. A good leadership team for an alliance can't be reliant on one person's availability, and I think we've more than accomplished that goal.
I can't say I can measure "available hours" persay, because being part of the CPM isn't something you can schedule. It pervades every waking moment on the Internet. So I sleep like 6 hours, so I imagine I'll be handling CPM stuff like 18 hours a day, between everything else I'm doing.
I'd like to be your CPM1 candidate
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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
Top Men.
1077
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Posted - 2014.01.13 13:48:00 -
[12] - Quote
Bear D'Grassi wrote:You touch briefly on the PS3 exclusivity in your O.P, saying that it is ok for the short term, do you see this exclusivity becoming an issue during the term of CPM 1?
I ask because I have already noted a drop off in game time in F.I due to the release of the PS4. Obviously there is the "its shiny" aspect that will draw people away from the PS3 for a time, but do you believe Dust even with the most optimistic additions getting into the game has the chops to bring them back after the shine fades from Ghosts or BF4? Or should we perhaps be pushing for at least PS4 compatibility sooner rather than later?
The fundamental problem we have, is people setting an expectation that CCP have a PS4 release, with no expectation of how long that might take. There's a possible shorter-term solution in the PlayStation Now service, depending how Sony developed it, it might allow DUST to release for PS4 as a converted PS3 game, though I'm betting there's additional issues that others aren't predicting. On the shortest fast-track mode, I doubt CCP could create a native PS4 client in less than a year. I am doubtful we will see a PS4 client that is release-ready by the end of CPM1's term.
So, the answer is, that players need an actual roadmap. CCP needs to be able to tell the players "Yes, we're working on it." The laser-focused comment indicates that either they're not even working on a PS4 client, or it's not a priority. But if CCP wants players to invest in the game fully, CCP needs to give them some concrete evidence that the game is indeed going to grow forward with them. So CCP needs to give a real estimate, of where in the future the PS4 client comes in their timeline.
I'd like to be your CPM1 candidate
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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
Top Men.
1078
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Posted - 2014.01.13 14:40:00 -
[13] - Quote
Yes, it's definitely an issue. During the course of this year, CCP needs to acknowledge a reasonable plan for supporting PlayStation 4. Because it's going to take time to develop it, especially if they're going to develop it right.
I'd like to be your CPM1 candidate
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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
Top Men.
1085
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Posted - 2014.01.14 14:42:00 -
[14] - Quote
xAckie wrote:dust isnt a complex game.
How so? It's one of the most sophisticated first-person shooters ever designed, and that's before you add in it's connection to one of the most unique online universes of it's time.
I'd like to be your CPM1 candidate
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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
Top Men.
1109
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Posted - 2014.01.15 21:36:00 -
[15] - Quote
I've thrown my Skype up in the second post of this thread (and here too, it's ocdtrekkie). I've got a host of other messengers, and if you need me on AIM, YIM, MSN, IRC, GTalk, Kik, Touch, etc. I can tell you where to find me, though Skype has been kinda my staple messenger lately for DUST stuff.
I'd love to chat with anyone else who has questions, comments, thoughts, or ideas.
I'd like to be your CPM1 candidate
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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
Top Men.
1109
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Posted - 2014.01.15 21:59:00 -
[16] - Quote
Spartacus Dust wrote:If the CPM voting is anything like the CSM voting, I will be voting for you, and if elected, you have my full support to elect you Chairman.
Thanks! I've heard from both CCP and CPM alike that it'll be STV, so that much I'm fairly confident in. I'm glad to see we both have a strong view on a unified New Eden!
I'd like to be your CPM1 candidate
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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
Top Men.
1124
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Posted - 2014.01.17 15:55:00 -
[17] - Quote
Deep Shallowness wrote:In another thread you said I should ask people going for CPM what they "have already done". So it seemed best to start in your thread. I read you OP and you talk about stuff you would do, but what have you done for DUST? anything I can have a peek at? I mean non DUST stuff is okay I guess but if you haven't done much for dust yet then doesn't that mean I should go for someone who has proved they do stuff for DUST rather then say a person who just talks words and things?
A few things, yes. My primary focus, however, has been for the last year, on my alliance. We have a very communal leadership style, but it's been a long hard year of building a group and most importantly, providing those players a reason to keep playing. I'm very happy with the point that this has reached, and the group has a strong enough leadership team that I can do this, the CPM, without hurting my alliance. One the recent things I just finished working on with them was our alliance charter, at http://www.dust-gents.com/charter which codifies our traditions and practices we've developed over the last year. As far as DUST alliances go, I believe our charter makes our alliance the first of it's class, and I look forward to sharing that mentality with other alliances in the near future, so that alliances become more than just non-aggression pacts, but communities in their own right, with fierce loyalty and a true desire to defend their friends and allies.
One of my public contributions was that, upon the release of the Districts API for CREST, I released a publicly-available data feed from it within about five minutes. It's at http://www.dust-gents.com/districts.php and has a variety of sorting methods and tallies, as well as a feed of ongoing activity in Planetary Conquest. It's a great way to see trends in behavior on PC active corps. There's a few alternative sites doing it now, both DUST Charts and Dotlan offer great interfaces for seeing PC districts, but mine was first, and I take a no-nonsense data table view of it, that I personally find most convenient. (I also take requests though for additional features from players.)
My hobby is software development, so that's something you will see more of as CCP expands it's API support. Part of my problem is that the lack of a full CREST API has prevented me from releasing a lot of what I've written. For example, I've written an entire alliance management system, but it relies on legacy API keys generated by EVE characters in order to pull corporation rosters. I know a few people are interested in talking to me about how I did it, and I'm more than happy to share the theory behind it, and help people with their code if they have issues. I will likely roll out with some of the features that I currently only offer to the alliance into the public view as soon as CCP provides better API support for DUST players.
In general though, the biggest thing we contribute is communication with CCP developers. I am very active within IRC, and have been for a long time. I try to ensure they are regularly poked about "the right questions". One of the things you might have noticed, is last night they released the new weapon/dropsuit draft stats, and then shortly thereafter, they provided the actual Excel spreadsheet. Even though I don't do it personally, I know a lot of number crunchers were going to want to do some calculations with the numbers CCP was providing, so I bugged CCP Frame and CCP Saberwing to post up the Excel version, which they did. That was a bit of my influence. Small, sure, but likely quite a convenience for the players. There's quite a few of those "little quality of life" things I'd like to make sure CCP takes care of for us.
I can't say I've spent countless hours answering threads in the newbie grounds, I don't have a regularly active YouTube channel full of DUST videos (I think my YouTube channel has a single video of my friend's cat playing with a water faucet), but I am a communicator. I've spoken with most of the CPM and visible CCP developers, doing as much as I can from the position I'm in to promote a better game that attracts and retains new players. I feel that what I am doing will only expand with access to the increased channels of direct communication available to the CPM.
I can go into some out of DUST accomplishments if you like, but I think this is a large enough wall of text for one post. ;)
I'd like to be your CPM1 candidate
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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
Top Men.
1124
|
Posted - 2014.01.17 16:36:00 -
[18] - Quote
Matobar wrote:You mentioned in your OP that you have a degree in programming.
How do you think this will better enable you to be an effective CPM member, if elected? What do you think it would allow you to bring to the table?
I feel some people have some very unrealistic expectations of the software development cycle. Even other developers will post comments like "Why don't they just..." without really understanding the gravity of the request. (This case, in some cases, both be due to technical limitations and limitations of operating within the New Eden universe, and the structures that EVE Online has already established.)
For example, PlayStation Now was recently announced, which will allow PS3 games to be played on the PS4. Within an hour, there were half a dozen threads on the topic here on the forums, including one of my own. The difference is, that I spent most of my time in those threads explaining why it was both a potentially promising option, and still a time-consuming challenge for CCP to implement. It's very potentially an avenue CCP could pursue to getting the game onto the PS4, but it won't happen in the timeframe some people suggested, and it would certainly require some effort on CCP's part.
Realistic expectations is needed if CCP is to take the CPM's feedback seriously, and not dismiss it as unreasonable.
And that's one part of it, a good understanding of the actual process from a technical and practical sense. I can scope out a software development cycle, judge about how much one should expect to get done in it with the resources available, etc.
The other part is more in terms of theory: I understand what makes a good game. A good game is not necessarily something that gives the player everything. It can be easy to fall into a trap of expecting CCP to reward you for sticking with them, in terms of SP or free items, or whatever else. In some cases, and in limited quantities, these are good and wonderful things. But there's also nothing stopping CCP from giving you an infinite supply of ISK. They could do that, right now. And your tanks would be free and my swarms would be free and such. But free stuff has a dark side, in that it removes part of the actual gameplay from the game. So, I mean, in some cases, I may even recommend making life harder for the player. Not to make their experience worse, but to add more depth to the game. There's a thin line between creating gameplay and creating hassle though, and it's important to understand which is which.
CCP needs to create a game that is both challenging and rewarding of exceptional effort and skill, but also friendly enough and available enough for new players to get involved and have fun. Games like EVE Online have strayed too far into hardcore mode, and games like World of Warcraft went full casual. (You never go full casual.)
So that's what I think it brings me, technical comprehension and design theory.
I'd like to be your CPM1 candidate
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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
Top Men.
1124
|
Posted - 2014.01.17 17:15:00 -
[19] - Quote
Deep Shallowness wrote:Your saying that hurting your alliance is a concern. That sounds bad for someone on the CPM (which stands for what btw?). I mean sounds like your saying that hurting your alliance is something you so do not want to do that you would only be a CPM if it didn't hurt it, so sounds like you'll have your alliance in your head when doing CPM decisions. Bit bias sounding.
If anyone ever tells you they don't have any bias, assume they're lying. I won't deny that the players I know and play with are of value to me and the things they tell me will come to mind. But the players in my alliance will benefit most from a better game for everyone. I converse with as many players outside my alliance as I converse with inside my alliance, and I'm committed to ensuring everyone's voice in the game is heard. With the exception of particularly exigent circumstances, anyone can contact me and expect a response within 8-24 hours at most.
Deep Shallowness wrote:Soraya Xel wrote:I can't say I've spent countless hours answering threads in the newbie grounds
I don't have a regularly active YouTube channel full of DUST videos Oh. Okay. Thanks for answering.
Note that I invited you to question people on what they've accomplished knowing there are others who exceed my own in the public space. I did so because it was a good question, not because I thought it would particularly highlight me as the best candidate of all options.
I do feel private contributions to the community have a fair bit of value though. One of the hallmarks of the New Eden universe is the diverse and detailed landscape of player communities, not just the large overarching one. I feel our work in Top Men has seeded an excellent group both for it's own players, and as a potential adversary or ally to others. Unlike many other games, faction-building is incredibly important, because the metagame, the non-shooting portion of this game, is such a large part of the dynamic that makes it fun and enjoyable. A complex network of alliances and rivalries will allow gameplay in this game to grow and expand, and become the sort of game that people write newspaper articles about.
And while I do feel demonstrating accomplishment and competency is important, there is some ways in which I do disagree with the CPM0's beliefs that the most active community members necessarily make the best CPM. First of all, the CPM job requires a specific skill set, and many community members may make excellent contributions to the game, but may not have that skill set. A guy might respond to every newbie question on the forums, but not have the necessary communication skills to effectively work with CCP as a CPM1 member.
But most importantly, the podcasters, the video creators, the newbie trainers, they're fantastic people. They do a fantastic job. And if they become CPM, they will not have time to do that job. Many community members make great contributions to our community, and those contributions may die off if their creators are doing the CPM (an aforementioned horrible, stressful, time-consuming job that makes everyone hate you, see any CPM0 member's post on the topic). Because many of my existing contributions are private, and they've also reached a point where they can continue on well enough without my heavy input, I feel like I can increase my contribution to the game at large on the CPM, without costing the community anything in return.
You might actually notice several people have been told they should run for CPM because of what they do for the community, and responded to this effect I've mentioned.
I'd like to be your CPM1 candidate
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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
Top Men.
1144
|
Posted - 2014.01.18 07:04:00 -
[20] - Quote
Matobar wrote:Assuming you have a successful career on the CPM (assuming also there's some sort of objective measurement for success) do you see yourself running a second time?
I don't think I could answer that at this time. Right now, it's a commitment I can do, and I believe I can make a difference there. Will I feel the same next year? I don't know. Perhaps there will be someone else who I feel can improve on where I left off. With any luck, we will be well on our way to building back up our playerbase, and there will be even more people willing to step up and make a difference.
As I said before, I would like to see a CPM0 member run for CPM1, to help the transition and prevent losing any progress made. I feel that each CPM should ideally have an overlap member for that purpose. I could see that view potentially playing into that decision if and when the time came.
I'd like to be your CPM1 candidate
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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
Top Men.
1175
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Posted - 2014.01.22 19:09:00 -
[21] - Quote
First and foremost, I want to mention that I have balance thoughts, and I'm presenting my own. Obviously, both feedback from the community and statistics that hopefully are made available to the CPM will adjust them.
What are your thoughts on dropsuit tiercide?
Personally, I feel the option to spend more for a more powerful suit is one of the more crucial risk/reward decisions in the game. But it is one that has been ruined by other broken mechanics. Proto should be very cost prohibitive. It should probably be impossible to turn a profit playing matches with proto suits in pubs. Additionally, the problems with Planetary Conquest mechanics, allowing effortless farming of mass amounts of ISK, actually unbalance pubs by infusing certain groups with enough money to fund an endless supply of proto suits.
But I think your concern is "protostomping", and I don't actually think protostomping is the issue. Protostomping is not caused by people using proto suits. It's actually caused by professional organized teams of six players being matched against random newbies. Often, the game will match TWO full squads of organized teams against an entire team of newbies on the other side. This is primarily a matchmaking issue, not a suit design one. Organized teams on voice comms will always beat random solo players. If you gave everyone militia suits, but still had the same matchmaking issues, it would still be a protostomp.
A good game theory for pushing a sandbox game is that you want to always give players more options, not less. But you can use the mechanics we have to incentivize or disincentivize certain behavior. (An example of this is a suggested KDR change. We can't make KDR nerds care about logistics. However, we can make them care about logistics if we allow a needle pickup not to count against their deaths.) Similarly, rather than take away the option for players to run proto in a pub match, I feel it'd be more beneficial to make it less beneficial, and more costly.
What are your thoughts on making basic frames have a purpose?
Totally in support. Basic suits should be generic suits of midrange capability, for an extremely low cost. They should middle the road, design-wise, between the two specializations in slot layout. I fully agree with you here. They should be cheaper, and more general.
What are your thoughts on game modes, and how big a priority they need to be?
Game modes take a lot of dev investment to work on, but are well worth the cost. New game modes, I think, should be a relatively high priority. I've always taken a view that I want to never see the same battle experience twice. The number of battles you can play, are kinda like this:
No. of Game Modes * No. of Maps * No. of Socket Sets * No. of Moods/Environments
Adding anything to any of the items in that equation multiplies the variety of battle settings you may encounter.
Ambush definitely needs work (there's a few different avenues CCP can go down there), Domination is extremely one-sided (90% of the matches I've been in, the first one to capture the point will win the match and the point is often too defensible). Skirmish is a robust game mode, thankfully, that I feel is roughly where it should be, design-wise. But one well-balanced game mode is obviously not enough.
I'd like to see game modes that place defenders in the base, and attackers on the outside. I'd like to see game modes where the objectives move. One of the things I'd love to see, is game modes where vehicles like tanks have a dedicated role and purpose, as opposed to just being "better slayers than dropsuits". There's a lot of possibilities to go into there.
PvE is important, but I think the player market needs to come first, as PvE should reward people with unique wares, and players will need a way to peddle various FacWar, PvE, and officer gear. Additionally, I'm not confident in the quality of PvE we'll get if we rush it. AI is not exactly CCP's strong point, and really dumb AI would make PvE bad.
What are your thoughts on the new player experience, and how to improve it?
Once PvE is here, an actual tutorial match running on PvE would be great. I could definitely see a staged match, with the addition of directions and beacons to tell you where to go and what to look for. Narrated by Aura, perhaps. At an agreeable pace, a pretty good amount of this stuff could be gone through in a single faux skirmish match.
The Academy has always seemed to be a stopgap measure for bad matchmaking to me. In a just world, everyone can join the same game mode, and newbies will get matched against other newbies. I see it going away entirely, but not until CCP has fixed their stuff.
What are you thoughts on elevating Dust's beyond that of a basic shooter, and daring to do crazy cool things? and how big a priority it should be?
I want the game to go full-out on being scifi. Absolutely.
With equipment and installations, I do want to note that it should fit the lore and universe of New Eden, and most critically, it has to have a purpose that makes it a worthwhile decision to use. Flying through the air is cool and all, but would not a more controlled device be considered more... tactical by those developing combat equipment? A jetpack makes more sense than a catapult.
I've actually documented my ideas for planet types in a Google Document, here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dHnJW69fNZImNynEQJR7kIQetLpLtOa5xkihcRAp7WY/view
Environments is a big thing for me. I'm a map nerd. I absolutely love maps. We have nine types of planets in this game. We should be using them all. DUST's competitors, Call of Duty and Battlefield, for example, have to stick to their modern military realism, which removes a lot of possible game mechanics. We can add all sorts of crud.
Continued on next post, apparently.
I'd like to be your CPM1 candidate
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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
Top Men.
1175
|
Posted - 2014.01.22 19:18:00 -
[22] - Quote
Continued from previous post.
Every planet in New Eden already has gravity strength values stored on CCP's servers. I'd love to see CCP represent this in DUST, affecting jump height and projectile movement. It'd vary the experience even more between different planets, and give you a feel of being on another planet.
Alien vegetation will be a big deal, but biological forms are very high-polygon, and for the moment, DUST's maps are already pushing the edge of what the game can handle. I want to see it, but I don't want vegetation at the expense of the game running smoothly. So to me, that's secondary.
I definitely want to see fights on ships, even if they're special match types, or ones that don't affect the universe at large in the short term. I love interior map design, and DUST needs more of it. Zero-G will be pretty cool too. Fighting on the exterior of a space platform in orbit would be pretty cool.
The MMO aspects are hugely important to this game. The player market especially, a tie to EVE ISK and industry. I'd love to see PvE in DUST reward materials that EVE players can use to make DUST gear. Giving another branch of EVE a reason to care about DUST, and a reason for DUSTies to want to work with and do business with EVE folks.
Both EVE and DUST suffer from a complete lack of an in-game social space more sophisticated than a chat box. I have long been a huge supporter for the careful, but continued development of the work started in Incarna on Walking in Stations (WiS) gameplay. While combat could never happen between DUST and EVE players in such a space, stations should have common areas where both can mull around, to bring a true feel of integration to the game universe. As it is, Merc and Captains Quarters are the same design. Perhaps the model designed for the DUST area in PS Home could be adapted as a station common area. It's a huge project, and a lot of work, but I feel CCP needs to at least be dedicating someone to it, whereas right now, they have nobody working on it at all.
I'd like to be your CPM1 candidate
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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
Top Men.
1191
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Posted - 2014.01.22 21:35:00 -
[23] - Quote
I personally don't see reducing dropsuit options as beneficial. My personal opinion, hope you won't hold it against me. ;) Still would be willing to put it in front of CCP if given the chance.
Another point of note, is that doing so would require that we once again refund all skills and reimburse all items, not to mention scrapping BPOs entirely and half the other crud people gave CCP money for. It might be a bit of a throw-the-baby-out-with-the-bathwater approach than reducing the benefit of higher tiers of suits/gear, while simultaneously increasing the cost.
I'd like to be your CPM1 candidate
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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
Top Men.
1193
|
Posted - 2014.01.22 22:13:00 -
[24] - Quote
KAGEHOSHI Horned Wolf wrote:BPOs wouldn't be a problem
Standard dropsuit BPOs would be updated to have the same stats as the new better standard drpsuits.
Militia dropsuit BPOs would be updated to have the same stats as the new better militia dropsuits
There are no ADV or PRO BPOs to have to remove
Modules, weapons, and equipment would be unaffected since I'm only proposing it for dropsuits.
So you'd suggest, with this plan, that we let people have infinite free suits of the best quality suit in the game? The reason BPOs were removed from the market in the first place is that even having the worst suits in the game available free has a somewhat harmful effect on the economy.
In the short term, that would equal veterans (who were able to buy BPOs) having almost no costs compared to new players. Those players with BPOs would even be able to play in Planetary Conquest with drastically reduced costs compared to other players. In the long run, once the player market exists, it would be extremely damaging to providing demand for the supply.
If we only had two suit tiers, we'd have to remove BPOs and refund the AUR, I think. And those who only bought the AUR for the purposes of getting BPOs... that's a lot of angry veterans right there.
KAGEHOSHI Horned Wolf wrote:As for respecs, I don't see them as this big horrible thing since I know FOTMs get nerfed anyway. I never saw the value of forcing players to stick with something they no longer like anyway, people get bored of things, people change.
The concern with respecs is actually that they widen the effective gap between vets and new players. (This seems to be an important issue to you, which I do agree is one.) In a system where you can gain infinite skill points, veterans will always have a continually rising SP gap over new players. The way this somewhat equalizes, is that they can't use all of them at the same time. Invested into different weapons, different fits.
"Wasted" SP in skill categories they no longer use, however, is also a major consumer of veteran skill points. While a veteran like myself might, at first glance, consider that a bad thing, it does keep us closer to new players in skill level. If I want a new fit, I can't reallocate my points, so I have to start back at standard on that suit. I work my way back up the chain, into the specialized skills and such for the new fit. During that time, I'm again, playing much closer to a newbie, even though I'm actually sitting on close to 30 mil SP.
KAGEHOSHI Horned Wolf wrote:I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one. But so far you seem like a candidate I could support.
I can't agree with everyone, but I can make sure their posts don't get ignored. ;)
I'd like to be your CPM1 candidate
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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
Top Men.
1202
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Posted - 2014.01.23 15:03:00 -
[25] - Quote
I mean, if your argument is that it's not a complex game because some large problems have mitigated most of the game design's effectiveness, I suppose that's true. (Low time-to-kill kinda mitigates the point of suit fittings entirely.) Nobody's arguing that the game doesn't need work.
xAckie wrote:what experience IRL do you have that will help you in your CPM role?
As mentioned before, I have studied game design fairly extensively, a college saw fit to give me a degree in it. So I understand the game not just from a player perspective, but from a design perspective. What makes a game challenging but not frustrating, being a major pain point CCP often struggles with. During this study, I worked on multiple projects using the Unreal engine, and I saw every major component of development with it.
In my day job, I'm a system administrator. My job is to maintain and repair systems. For example, right now, we're working through some latency issues in a cluster of servers used by customers on our website. In my day job, I have to consider all of the dependencies involved, and determine where the pain points are, and how they can affect the other systems in the cluster. Two seemingly unrelated things are often connected in a difficult to predict way.
So, when it comes to things like balance changes, for example, I can predict how a series of changes are going to horribly backfire. A notable point I've been trying to convince CCP of for over a year, is that changes need to be made diagnostically. Rather than changing 3 or 4 figures at a time, to change one, and see what happens. When CCP nerfs or buffs so many aspects of a weapon at a time, they often make a OP weapon useless, or a useless weapon OP. Whereas if they made gradual changes, they could nudge things into balance, bit by bit.
That's probably the biggest thing for me, that I feel my education and job experience are directly applicable to the problems CCP is facing with this game.
On top of that, I am a prolific forum reader, and the nature of my on-call job, means I'm used to getting contacted at all hours of the day and night, and responding quickly. Players will be able to get in touch with me probably close to 20 hours a day. And I can pretty much assure anyone who contacts me directly will get a response. Want a CPM to respond to your epic game mechanics thread? Have some odd desire to get a CPM tag somewhere on every single one of your threads? I can probably accommodate you. As you can see, I do like to post on forums. ;)
I'd like to be your CPM1 candidate
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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
Top Men.
1250
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Posted - 2014.01.28 15:07:00 -
[26] - Quote
I'm thrilled to see how positive everyone's campaign posts have been so far. I've chatted with several announced CPM1 candidates, and a lot of us seem to be on roughly the same page, which I think is fantastic. A bunch of us are both in a Skype channel and an in-game channel. If you're a CPM1 candidate who isn't in either, get in touch on Skype (with ocdtrekkie) or in-game and we'll try to get you in. Hopefully a solid mutual communication network between us during the campaign and election period will lead to an extremely cohesive and functional group after the election as well.
I'd like to be your CPM1 candidate
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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
Top Men.
1270
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Posted - 2014.01.28 17:04:00 -
[27] - Quote
True, though even with 14 seats, I've seen some of the CSM stuff get pretty heated.
I'd like to be your CPM1 candidate
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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
Top Men.
1270
|
Posted - 2014.01.31 04:08:00 -
[28] - Quote
Matobar wrote:Hey Soraya, wanted to see if you've seen/commented on this idea.
My opinion is that district locking needs to be fixed. People shouldn't be able to earn that much ISK with that little risk. I actually kinda would like CCP to just confiscate all the ISK generated by locked districts, and class the behavior as an illegal exploit.
I don't think encouraging donation is a particularly New Eden-y thing to do. (Though, as with any good sandbox, I welcome people to do whatever they want.) If new players need ISK so badly, that actually speaks to possibly the need for CCP to make it easier for new players to make enough ISK. Or a better training area, so new players can test things out without spending SP and ISK to do so. Player-based initiatives are great, but especially at this point in DUST's lifetime, they are also often indicators that something's wrong with the game. I don't think anyone will disagree with me when I say the new player experience needs work. ;)
I'd like to be your CPM1 candidate
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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
Top Men.
1271
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Posted - 2014.01.31 07:07:00 -
[29] - Quote
Free Beers wrote:Why are you obsessed with punishment here. Locking districts started day 1 of PC and the locking + not showing up was known since summer. CCP put in a fail safe (or error handling since you are a code nerd) that roles back the attack and refund clones or clone packs in case of server crash. Sadly the great and amazing ccp devs didn't do a good enough job and allowed dual no show to give a false server crash effect. Now ccp hasn't said this but a server crash and dual no show has same results so do the math.
That said, you and I agree on the issues surrounding PC but you cant say they deserved to be punished for it. Players have gone thru enough bad stuff with PC, thats punishment enough.
How many people have stopped playing due to others exploiting the game? How many are outright prevented from playing due to others exploiting the game? It has to stop. CCP needs to start enforcing some sort of rules against game exploits, as they do in EVE. Removing the ISK isn't even wholly punitive, my opinion is in it's importance because it vastly destabilizes the economy. It makes thinks prohibitively expensive for some groups, but completely trivial for others. In specific rewarding people for being exploiters. Punishment aside, exploits should not be rewarded.
Free Beers wrote:The second thing is PC isk for the most part funds groups for FW. You can't just take that away without putting it somewhere else. Since isk cant be brought to FW till the can change the client (which i doubt is 1.8 because ccp said it would be temp only and throw away code blah blah blah). Trust me i hate isk farming in dust and in eve all the same but for now dust needs isk in via PC.
The problem is, it's not funding FacWar. It's funding a group of players to have a massive advantage over others on FacWar. If the ISK is so crucial for FacWar being viable, CCP should be giving it out to everyone else so they can play. Justifying the ill-gotten gains value because it helps an incredibly small number of people exert further imbalance over others, is not a good justification. If anything, it's proof the ISK needs to be revoked.
Because now your Planetary Conquest exploit is no longer just ruining PC, it's ruining FacWar balance too.
Free Beers wrote:Now the NPE is a huge issue and i solo a lot on my toons and its pretty rough. Sadly ccp has to balance the game to squads and to proto gear. Not to mention dust has a small and very casual population. There is only so much ccp can do with match making on top of that. In the current set up NPE is aweful and isn't going to improve much.
I definitely agree here. I feel squads have a much stronger pull there then proto gear in creating imbalance, but both surely play a part. The biggest issue with matchmaking though, isn't actually finding 32 people for a match. The biggest problem is that CCP doesn't balance players between the two sides. Commonly, two full squads of six players will be on one side, and almost entirely NPC corps will be on the other. Even with the current playerbase intact, CCP's code should be trying to balance squads across the game, and putting squads on opposite sides of the match from each other.
I'd like to be your CPM1 candidate
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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
Top Men.
1271
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Posted - 2014.01.31 14:53:00 -
[30] - Quote
Beers, a big part of the problem is the spread of ISK, not how much is created. And having to actually defend their districts would also keep them out of pubs, and burning their proto gear in actual PC matches.
I'd like to be your CPM1 candidate
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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
Top Men.
1271
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Posted - 2014.01.31 15:56:00 -
[31] - Quote
Just to set this out there: I'm telling you what I believe will fix the game and make it enjoyable for everyone. I'm not going to tell you what I think will get the most votes. PC ISK generation is harming the game. Whether you call it punitive or not, CCP needs to act on it. There wouldn't even have been a question about it if CCP had responded to it immediately. When it was discovered people were exploiting this, CCP should've deployed a fix in 24 hours. Not allowed it to loiter for months.
AFKing is also hurting the game, though I suppose in you AFKing on the sides that win almost every fight, you almost might be helping balance it, oddly enough.
Beers, how do you suppose the economy can develop when 98% of the game considers 100 million ISK to be a fortune? For certain groups, the risk/reward choice between using proto or not isn't even an issue. Hence we get protostomps in every match type. Any price you set for clone packs will make them trivial for those 2%, but insurmountable for the rest of the playerbase. People don't even get a chance at PC, because their corp has to farm a month or more of taxes to afford an attack.
I'd like to be your CPM1 candidate
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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
Top Men.
1271
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Posted - 2014.01.31 17:59:00 -
[32] - Quote
CPM candidates can't "promise" anything, Killar. Though I do vastly support the ability to make custom matches between corps, and I'm salivating about the possibilities of PC 2.0. ;)
Regarding PC ISK generation, I'd almost suggest massively ramping up active generation, and making it actually cost ISK to hold territory. So you have no incentive to hold more than you can actively use. Similarly to EVE, where you actually have to pay a sovereignty bill to maintain your territory.
I'd like to be your CPM1 candidate
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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
Top Men.
1286
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Posted - 2014.02.03 18:53:00 -
[33] - Quote
Jaysyn, thanks for the question.
While I am part of an alliance's leadership team, I feel that in many cases, I and many of the people I play with represent the average playerbase in a lot of ways. I have been around since closed beta, yes, but I wouldn't call myself an elite player by any means. When I participate in PC with my alliance, I'm usually rounding out the bottom somewhere on the scoreboard. I tend to play a lot of public matches solo, which is not common among top tier players, but very common for newbies. I've experienced a lot of the same terrible pubstomping experience newbies face, as I'm almost always matched up with NPC corp members, and facing up against top tier corp squads. As I both run solo and with squads, in both pubs and FacWar, I feel I have a grasp on what those players experience, and just how dire the situation is.
Disparity of ISK is a huge issue. I'm not sure what is the best solution for it. Obviously, in a sandbox game, there will always be players that are space rich. However, thanks to PC district locking, most of the space rich players had to exhibit little to no actual ability or work in order to get there. The biggest problem with ISK disparity is that ISK is usually used for the game's risk/reward mechanics. For those with near infinite ISK, there is no real risk to any ISK cost CCP puts forth. Larger ISK costs can bleed those members dry, but only by completely excluding younger players' ability to participate.
My alliance isn't one of those who only takes players with a certain KDR or similar. We have many newbies we've picked up. And our members range from some incredibly talented and skilled players with plenty of money to work with, to folks who have to ask for some extra cash to buy their fits before we go into a match.
Beyond that, as a CPM member, I will be soliciting feedback, and playing with players from all over the game, not just my alliance. So I should get a good perspective on how things are going for all of them.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.02.03 20:48:00 -
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Everyone shouldn't get a participation trophy, no. The problem I see with PC, though, is it isn't rewarding gameplay skill. It's rewarding exploits. He who finds the bug in CCP's design first wins. Whether it be melee glitching or district locking. PC should reward those with the most skill at playing the game on a roughly balanced ground. This isn't a fault of any group of players, it's the fault of CCP providing a poor environment for competition.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.02.03 21:02:00 -
[35] - Quote
Indeed, Canari. It is the CPM's responsibility to push for those fixes, and I intend to, should I be elected.
I definitely am in support of fixing PC. I know there are others, including current CPM0 members who think PC should just be removed or shut off, and I disagree with them. It's really the only thing we currently have to put team against team in a absolutely all out fight for dominance and supremacy.
I'd like to be your CPM1 candidate
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.02.04 00:48:00 -
[36] - Quote
I guess I'm hosting the interim War Room in here, for the moment. I guess I appreciate the free thread bumps. ;)
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.02.04 03:19:00 -
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Fox Gaden wrote:Soraya Xel wrote:I guess I'm hosting the interim War Room in here, for the moment. I guess I appreciate the free thread bumps. ;) Well I guess it is good to know how he handles trolling before we decide wether to vote for him. Free Beers is just performing a public service. 
I am pretty used to being trolled. I have a fairly relaxed view of it. Some of it is very much a part of the culture of the game and the community that we have. As long as it doesn't get personal, dragging people's real life identities or situations into it, or particularly demeaning, I think it's part of the game. A good troll post can start a pretty decent in-game war.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.02.06 00:59:00 -
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This thread is probably the heart and center of everything I want to convey should I be elected. Some of it is summed up incredibly well, and I wanted to share:
https://forums.dust514.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=140503
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.02.09 19:45:00 -
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This is a really high concept document I threw together a while back, and I wanted to share. I went way beyond what I actually see happening in the next CPM term, and possibly well off what will actually happen overall. But the idea was just to let my mind run on what could make a more dynamic play experience for PC and nullsec in EVE.
So I want to prep you that this isn't a plan of action, and certainly not a promise. Just a concept of the sort of design I picture in my head when I watch those epic DUST trailers. It roves from EVE sov mechanics, to PC design, and to the actual game mode for the battle itself.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vZk4tx6PTR4V-JXxgEOLrHvwJ7OEyrQXUaQxCRR5jNc
I welcome comments, of course.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.02.20 17:11:00 -
[40] - Quote
I want to shamelessly bump my thread.
As a note, I'm a big supporter of the concept that you shouldn't have a death counted against you unless you lose your clone, because it encourages players to wait on logi support, even if they only care about stats. It encourages bad players to use good gameplay.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.02.26 00:22:00 -
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This is a simple, yet awesome idea to come out of a Subdreddit thread. They may be bad at EVE, and bad at DUST, but TEST can indeed come up with some good threads. I wanted to see if I could broadcast this thread a bit:
https://forums.dust514.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=144316
It would really help boost communication as well as make maps feel more like real places with real purposes.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.02.26 14:56:00 -
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Thanks for your questions, Phazoid!
1) what do you think regarding Dust EVE link in-combat?, what ideas do you have on this front?, of course, besides orbital strikes.
I definitely would like to see more chances for this. A lot of it would be possible if we had maps that took place on space platforms, or even EVE ships, so that we could be brought to a location and deployed to cause damage or capture things. I feel it's a long way off though, in terms of the vast number of things that have to be done. Maps on space platforms would likely have very different methods of balance, as vehicles would probably not be usable and maps would be much more close quarters.
2) thoughts and ideas to improve academy and new player interaction to dust?, including the New Eden lore.
First and foremost, the Academy is a stopgap for pubstomping, but it doesn't offer anything in terms of introduction or training. One of the big places I feel PvE will eventually help a lot with NPE is the ability to have a voiceover'd training scenario where you can be instructed through a map as drones are spawned to demonstrate how to use the game mechanics. With regards to lore introduction, race-specific introduction videos should really play during character creation. It's a big overhead in terms of file space unless it's streamed off the Internet, but it's important that people feel a connection to their race. And ensuring each racial video portrays their race in a particularly positive light should add to the fierce inter-race conflict of EVE Online, and put some meaning behind Factional Warfare.
3) how would you make the in-combat dust more immersive at short term, human vox sounds?, more blood?
I don't imagine you should actually see much blood from a DUST merc. Their suits are like mini-spaceships. And in the event that something breaches the "hull", I'm willing to bet those nanites seal the hole pretty darn quickly, in order to maintain environmental containment. (Dropsuits should work in alien atmospheres, outer space, etc.) In terms of immersion in the overall universe, I think it's important to find new ways to differentiate matches from each other, especially in terms of the map and mood. Differing the planet type, the strength of gravity, etc. should add to the feel that different places are different. I'd like to see the cargo containers and civilian vehicles on maps spawn in different locations rather than make it obvious that everything on the map is entirely static.
A lot could be done with the War Room as well. Right now, neither the War Room nor the match start screen actually tells you what planet and district you're fighting on. And the War Room holo-table, a year later, still remains completely blank, rather than giving people the map info they need to plan for the fight ahead of time.
4) how do you fell regarding gunships?, similar to assault dropships only smaller faster with more weapons and no troop capacity, designed to destroy enemy ground vehicles, nimble enough to avoid enemy fire?
Fighters should be entirely different in feel to dropships. Dropships are like armored troop transport helicopters in many respects. They fly in a very helicopter like manner, and that works very well in their role. I feel fighters/gunships should feel like jets. They should move much faster, only in a forward direction. Fighters should probably dominant aerial combat, by actually having lock-on weaponry to use on other vehicles, though dropships should be much stronger than fighters. I could see a low-accuracy strafing mechanic against infantry, to deter infantry from an area without making it impossible to survive it. Some of this may have issues with the size of current maps though, I admit. Given the speed at which I'd expect fighters to move, they need to be able to operate well outside the traditional redline for maneuvers.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.02.27 22:17:00 -
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Medic 1879 wrote:A quick question, eventually we will get player trading and the NPC market will go. How do you think DUST equipment manufacturing should be handled? EVE players make stuff only or EVE and DUST players can make things. If you believe EVE and DUST players should be able to make things do you think there should be a crossover like DUST players making parts for EVE guys and Vice versa or each stick to their own gear?
Well, as a note, the issues we have with corp theft via shares is one of those victims of trying to implement the same game mechanics in both EVE and DUST (namely, corporations), but DUST not having "the whole thing". EVE industry is ridiculously complicated, and heavily involved around freight mechanics of moving things through space. It would be somewhere between fairly hard and ridiculously impossible to replicate the full industrial system of EVE in DUST. And I don't think it would be a good experience either.
I think DUST manufacturing should be one of the ways EVE pilots can benefit from interacting with DUST mercs and vice versa. EVE pilots should handle manufacturing. However, DUST equipment should require things only found in DUST to create. For instance, DUST gear blueprints should need to be found in DUST. (Perhaps as a PvE reward?) A ore/mineral that can only be acquired in DUST that's required for making DUST stuff would also make sense. The idea being that it's a two-way transaction. DUST mercs sell materials to EVE industrials, EVE industrials make crud with it, and sell it back to DUST mercs. In that way, it isn't just a system for EVE pilots to make money off of DUST, DUST pilots are part of the materials chain for those items.
(It would make sense, similarly to EVE, for you to be able to reprocess gear you don't want into base components that could be used to manufacture different gear. So useless salvage could be grinded down into mats you can have the gear you want made with.)
As a note, some things should probably be seeded. I would think Militia gear should probably still be sold by CCP as a baseline for the benefit of newbies, but I'm not an economist. AUR stuff will of course, also be provided by CCP, since that's what they do, though players can resell AUR gear for ISK. (And in that way, indirectly, get ISK for AUR.) FacWar, currently not ISK generating at all, gains relevance through the player market, as faction gear can and should be sold above normal gear rates. And officer gear will be expensive as heck, and finally tradeable.
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Soraya Xel
The Corporate Raiders
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Posted - 2014.02.28 14:44:00 -
[44] - Quote
Medic 1879 wrote:About you mentioning ore etc... that can only be acquired in DUST used to make things how would you prefer that to be collected? Salvage from battles, rewards for building and holding infrastructure, DUST players actively mining or something else?
I really don't think it'd be outright mined, I can't see DUST mercs with a pickaxe on the battlefield.
For one, as mentioned, I see DUST getting a reprocess feature like EVE, where items in your assets you don't want can be melted down into base components. Additionally, in whatever future model PC districts possess, maybe certain structures can generate/mine those minerals for you. (Though, as a general thing, I think holding districts should actually cost you money.)
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.03.06 06:56:00 -
[45] - Quote
Hey Dux. When are you coming back to play with us? ;)
There's going to be an actual election before Fanfest. It should likely be fairly similar to the CSM election. Obviously, figuring out how to ensure people can't game the voting system is a top priority for CCP and the current CPM to determine.
Thanks. :)
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.03.14 17:23:00 -
[46] - Quote
I'm really excited about the announced equipment changes from today's dev blog. I've long felt equipment was perhaps the most overpowered-yet-underrated mechanic in DUST. Ever since the early days of PC, the team with the most uplinks has won. With 3-second uplinks, it's easy to die, respawn, and kill a hacker on a point before they can finish the hack. Forcing logis to specialize into specific types of equipment should breed a lot more variety in logistics players. (Since before, any logi could have three out of the five logi equipment tools, and be equally awesome at all of them.)
The cloak looks a lot better in the dev blog than I thought it would, and I'm really excited to see how it plays in combat.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.03.25 15:36:00 -
[47] - Quote
One of the things I'd like to be able to promise people is a guaranteed response to any thread. (Not that you are guaranteed to get a response that fully gives you all the information requested, since that may not be possible due to the NDA or having outright no information. But that it will get a response from a CPM, and a direct assurance that I've read it.) Everyone should feel like at the very least, a CPM read their thread.
I can essentially assure you that as a CPM, any thread anyone sends me personally via email, private Skype, in-game mail, etc. would be guaranteed to get either a private reply or public response from me, depending on what was warranted, within a reasonable period of time. I have a somewhat religious addiction to inbox zero, and I will ensure every inbox item gets an answer.
Additionally, I will prod devs to respond to posts that deserve blue posts. Because those that do often get buried under piles of garbage. Though I obviously can't promise anyone will actually do it. Pushing the general atmosphere of open communication starts with proving on a case-by-case, how open communication can settle concerns quickly.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.03.25 19:12:00 -
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Nomed Deeps wrote:I think CCP should go off a predetermined number of WP to allow players to vote. Not outstanding mind you but a number that would take quite some time to get to. That way even if someone has enough WP under an alt, they spent enough time in game to of earned their additional vote. After all, it's those that truly care about and actually play the game that should pick (and be) CPMs.
While I personally would've gone with a WP limit myself, this is the methodology CCP and the CPM agreed upon:
In order to be eligible to vote, an active DUST 514 account must be at least ninety (90) days in age, and must have had at least sixty (60) hours of playtime in the twelve (12) months before voting begins (to the calendar day of the preceding year).
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.03.26 15:19:00 -
[49] - Quote
I think there's a lot of merit to that, Matobar. I think, however, that future iterations will need far more changes than just that. The proliferation of thousands of districts across null and FacWar do create an issue where it may be hard to generate enough content that way.
For one, I think that "districts" should be replaced with planets outright, so that the game can spread wider over the EVE map without ending up with too many districts. A justification can be made for why that one map area handles control of the whole planet. Perhaps a tie-in to an orbital defense system.
I think FacWar would want to limit things by picking specific planets to be having open combat between certain factions on any given day, and opening up new fronts throughout the day as more concurrent players showed up. There's a lot of options to the idea, though I do feel there still needs to be a match begin/ending of some sort. SP and ISK needs to be handed out during the day, because instant gratification rewards play, and it helps newbies skilling into things as they play. And there should be some sort of reset phase that allows the losing side to regain some ground to fight on.
I could definitely see a spawn time favor to the defenders, but I do think overall, the game mode needs to be redesigned around the concept of the defenders starting inside the base, and the attackers surrounding it.
Sitting in districts in null, sure, could be available for the purposes of training, but I think there's also a big thing to be said about where PvE will fit into that down the road. If players don't attack your district, pirates or drones should. So you can always go get content.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.03.26 20:30:00 -
[50] - Quote
Well, as I said above, I think you need to reset throughout the day and hand out rewards for those participating, but that doesn't mean you have to dump the queue or move the match.
For instance, the let's say there's a fight on... Enaluri. Cal/Gal. At the end of downtime, a magical pony process decides that system's worth fighting over today, and opens it up for battles on that district/planet thing. As soon as the fight ends, it immediately starts again. (Perhaps, if you keep districts, on another district on the same planet.) You can stay in the fight for multiple matches, so there's maybe a brief war room respite between fights. The number of these persistently active fight areas can be increased as the concurrent players queuing increases, to ensure that there's enough of them, but not so many that the rooms are empty.
Therefore, you'd still have beginnings and ends to matches, but the EVE ship staying with your team would, at best, have to warp to a different district on the same planet.
You could also keep everyone on the map for the entire day, but I think you'd still need some sort of huge buff phase to push the enemy back every 20-40 minutes to kinda reset people's odds.
EDIT: Also, I'd like to continue to emphasize that I'm trying to demonstrate how my mind works for these sorts of topics, it's well understood the CPM may only occasionally have the ability to directly suggest ways of fixing design issues.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.03.28 03:04:00 -
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Thanks. :)
By the way, on Tuesday night I was on Podside talking about DUST 514, and a little bit about the Oculus VR/Facebook purchase: http://s8.multiplexgaming.com/downloads/PodsideEp190.mp3
I also spoke about it a bit on episode 188 as well: http://s8.multiplexgaming.com/downloads/PodsideEp188.mp3
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.04.03 22:14:00 -
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Did not see this reply, sorry for the delay.
Why do you think someone so invested in game design like yourself would interface well with the professionals that are actually living your dream?
I actually really enjoy what I do in the IT field. I also like game design and development. I'm not unhappy with my career choices. In the least tacky way I can manage, I do feel like I am 'living my dream'. Life is good and stuff.
Do you think you would stumble over NDA information conflicts more often then someone not in the industry?
I'm not actively working in the game design industry, nor am I pursuing a job in the field.
How do you intend upon representing all players and not just your laundry list of desires?
I've kinda put some of my desires and ideas out there as any example of how I suggest solving problems, and to indicate some manner of understanding of the game, players' needs, and what would make the game a more compelling product. It's actually not the CPM's job to suggest features or define the product roadmap, so while I can try to get some ideas running around in dev's heads, really, it's up to them. I'm very big on ensuring everyone has their own way to play, so I don't have any intention to underserve any part of the community. I intend to keep a very open door for suggestions and advice.
What plans do you have that are new to engage more players in giving their feedback to CCP to improve game playability and enjoyment?
As mentioned, I intend to be incredibly easy to reach, and I'm going to personally respond to everyone who tries to get a hold of me. I'll also be seeking out those who seem to have a very good grasp of game mechanics, and see if we can focus the more widespread forum feedback into more concentrated venues. We also need the feedback of people not on the forums (a small group compared to the non-forum community), which means channels and in-game mail. I'd like to get something on the Updates screen at some point encouraging players to contact their friendly CPM with game feedback through in-game mail, so players have a way to get that feedback in if they don't have a computer.
Where do you stand on CCP constantly reshuffling skill training so players have to reset their training schedules with some new patches?
I don't like it. New things will come out from time to time, but I don't feel that's a good reason to refund skill points from the existing things that people have already skilled into. Over the years as the game changes and evolves, people will abandon things they used to use, and later pick up things they may have thought they'd never use again. There's nothing wrong with that.
Do you think along with skill points should CCP have reimbursed isk & arum for the fits and weapons their patches made unusable for current players?
No I don't. You're free to reskill into those things so that you can continue to use them. Also, CCP has made clear that a player market is coming, and at that time, it'll be possible for you to sell off items that you no longer intend to use.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.04.03 22:52:00 -
[53] - Quote
Temba Fusrodah wrote:Some of what you offer as answers here are in direct conflict to how you have responded to me in my thread about the 1.8 patch, how do you reconcile those facts?
I don't like refunds. Neither does CCP. As I stated in your thread, the player demand for a skill respec that CCP was pretty near forced to grant one. I think that, at the amount of demand they had for a respec, they had little choice. They would've lost a very large amount of players if they didn't. And while I personally dislike refunds, had I been on the CPM, I would've also had to push for a skill respec, in order to properly represent the playerbase, even though it disagrees with my personal view.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.04.03 23:26:00 -
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I feel you misrepresented several of my responses there, and I feel you're misrepresenting the thread here.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.04.15 13:52:00 -
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SgtMajSquish MLBJ wrote:" As a CPM member, I'll push heavily for greater disclosure with players on long-term plans, even if they aren't set in stone."
This is the reason that Dust is the way it is now. Talking too much and not delivering.
Indeed. I think a lot of players might still be here if they had some general concept of where CCP was going next with it. Not concrete, but less ethereal than the information we have now.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.04.22 15:01:00 -
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Draco Cerberus wrote:Part of being a CPM is listening to players and delivering their desires for the game to CCP, based on recent discussions with you on the forums I would say you are more interested in arguing your desires than anyone elses due to the fact that you insist on ignoring what players have indicated are the actual issue and saying things are different issues. Do you care about player issues or are you in it for yourself please at least be honest with us about this.
In order for me to respond to any post, I first have to listen. And I do. I also have my own opinions and feelings, of which I will also convey. In some cases, a reasoned discussion can lead to a higher tier of thought than the initial complaint, which might provide more information or perhaps find ways for CCP to dodge the overreactions to player complaints that have also occurred.
I hope that when you read that part of being CPM is always listening, you don't believe part of being CPM is always agreeing. And a big part of being CPM as a conduit for player feedback is separating the wheat from the chaff in terms of player suggestions and complaints. Please don't mistake my disagreement as not paying attention to the viewpoint or unwillingness to convey that view to CCP.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.04.22 15:12:00 -
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Draco Cerberus wrote:Sorry maybe I was unclear. What I mean to say is that you ignore the issue being brought forward by players sir, not that you are not listening, in one ear and out the other seems to be the problem.
In the thread in question, I'm actually trying to nail down how people find it an issue to begin with, to be honest. I'm still actively engaged in the discussion, and if you feel me getting off of it, please steer me back towards your point. Though I have a distinct view we won't come to any agreement on it, hopefully I can get a firmer grasp on your view of it.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.04.22 17:19:00 -
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Hopefully we have a chance for more productive discussions in the future. I can't really promise everyone will like me, but I'll do my best to take everyone's comments to heart.
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Posted - 2014.04.22 23:57:00 -
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Badgerr Rager wrote:I believe CCP has this as their top goals for the game as people have been saying this for about a year now.
You need to have creative and unique views and those are just too generic and the most talked about. I wish you luck against Appia as I think she is a solid contender
I actually don't feel like CCP has done much to exemplify that sort of focus. But I go into a lot more detail on a lot of my views in other posts as well, both in this thread, and all around the DUST forums. If you have any questions for me, feel free to get in touch via Skype (ocdtrekkie) or in-game.
I don't really feel like I'm "against" Appia. I've conversed with Appia (and about a dozen other candidates) at length via Skype. I'm really excited to see which of us will be on the CPM. There's not really many "bad choices" among the candidates I've spoken to, and I hope I get the chance to work with some of them on CPM1.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.04.23 19:28:00 -
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Matobar wrote:Soraya, will you be attending/viewing Fanfest?
If so, do you intend to discuss what you hear with your fellow candidates/the voters?
I won't be attending this year. I had a pretty big trip last year, so I'm trying to save up vacation time and money for future trips. Particularly if I do get elected, I want to ensure I can attend more events than just Fanfest during the term, or take off of work if needed for meetings or what-have-you.
I will be watching it online either live, or as soon as possible after (schedule depending) and I'm sure the Skype channels between myself and the other CPM candidates will be lively. I'm hoping I can get some of the other candidates who will be there this year to pass on some things if they get the chance.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.04.28 15:42:00 -
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Hi, kiarbanor!
It's a tough question. Largely because CCP hasn't even so much as stated using these bugs are exploits. In the EVE side, CCP declares exploits, and they'll ban people for using them. But they haven't so much as spoken a word on them in DUST. It's very hard to expect everyone to not break a rule that nobody's enforcing. If CCP had so much as threatened to ban people for using exploits, a lot less would probably be used.
But, from a community standpoint, I can see good cause to hold exploiting against someone. I would personally focus on such as individuals though, not as the corp they belong to. District locking, melee glitching, etc. are enacted by a specific person, and you should target that person with your ire, not a corp or alliance as a whole, when talking about things like the CPM vote. I say this without considering whether any individual being discussed has directly been responsible for the use of exploits or not. Personally, I avoid using any game exploit.
I would not hold against someone the mere fact that their alliance was able to completely take over the game, as "conquest" is the point. However, as above, if that person specifically was using exploits to do it, then I'd factor that into my decision.
I generally don't believe in-game actions should really speak to the character or capability of the CPM candidate***. Plenty of people can be fierce enemies in-game, and share a drink at Fanfest. Some people specifically decide they want their character to be a pirate, or a no-morals mercenary, or what have you in-game. But they might have a true respect for people, and a great vision for the future of the game outside of it. Some people separate in-game and out-of-game very well. Some do not. It is, perhaps, then, the responsibility of the voter to determine what capacity a candidate has to do that.
***There are extreme cases that cross boundaries. EVE history has several examples of players crossing boundaries that shouldn't be crossed, like encouraging suicide, or berating and harassing other players to tears. The game is supposed to be harsh, it's not supposed to go to the extent of harming the emotional states of it's players. CCP has intervened when players have gone too far, and I support CCP in those cases.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.05.02 14:15:00 -
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I am of very mixed feelings about today's keynote. As a PC gamer, I'm kinda excited, I know it'll solve problems like the lack of a test server or the hardware limitations or the time to releasing patches.
But the biggest issue here is how CCP mistreated it's community. It was talked about how it was what everyone wanted, but that was true only of EVE players. Console players have been pretty much screwed, and CCP didn't even bother to announce anything content-wise, or regarding what DUST players have to look forward to. They just showed a prettier graphics PC client, and then walked off the stage.
I will be continuing my plan to run for CPM.
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Posted - 2014.05.04 01:10:00 -
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Sure, Matobar. It's a big issue, so this might get long.
First, just to knock it out of the way: EVE Legion is DUST 514. Nobody buys the "it's a new product" garbage. Same weapons, same maps, same game design. The fact that they failed to implement the game design in DUST doesn't make it any less DUST when they finally get around to it. My assumption is the name change is because they feel people will give the game a second chance as a "new game", and are going to sell that name hard.
So, what we have is a platform change. The decision to move to PC over PS4 is a mistake. A very large portion of this community would've accepted a PS4 move, but a very small portion will accept a PC move. Add that to the larger variety of issues CCP will face operating DUST in the PC market, and it becomes very clear just how bad this decision is.
It was also presented in the worst possible way. While CCP claims DUST will still be developed, they had nothing to show for it. They came to Fanfest with no news whatsoever about DUST. That's unacceptable. Furthermore, they don't even have a green light to make this game: It's just a "prototype". Multiple devs used the expression "if it becomes a product", which isn't what we should hear on the project that's been decided as more important than our game. A DUST 514 keynote should've started with what they're going to do, in the near future, for DUST 514. Then, at the end, they could've introduced what they're working on as well.
With regards to the CPM, it is very hard to say for sure. First and foremost, they're legally bound to uphold the NDA. I don't feel you can fault them for being tossed in that incredibly awful situation of knowing that and not being able to tell people. I guarantee you that kept CPM members up at night. I highly doubt CCP asked them to vote on what platform to support, so perish any notion that they are responsible for EVE Legion. This is on CCP, and it is solely their fault.
Some CPM members have told me a few things that can help us judge their performance. For one, that they pushed very hard for this to be announced ahead of Fanfest. This would've been better, and helped avoid some of the truly humiliating stories coming out of Fanfest this weekend. Similarly to the World of Darkness cancellation, bad news is not for Fanfest. There's no "fest" in having your game headshot. I know we had been told several times that Rouge's vision for DUST would be announced before Fanfest, and that didn't happen. Whether something wasn't ready, or CCP was more concerned with appeasing EVE players by announcing a new PC game on stage, I don't know and can't tell you.
We also know the CPM have been campaigning hard for PS4 support to remain on the table, and very importantly, for our progress in-game to persist into the new platform. As we're not privy to their internal dealings, we really can't say if they're being as effective as they could be or not. I really hope the minutes for the CPM summit in the next few days becomes public very quickly, so we can see a bit more of how this process currently works for them.
I think a few things are very important in the short term future for this game. First, I think CCP needs to, this week, lay down what's coming in the next patch of DUST 514, and when it's coming. They've been screwing around for six months, and they need to be clear on this. We were led to believe some manner of roadmap was coming, not a prototype of a future concept with no details or deadline.
Second, it's well past time to get the CPM election running. Whether the CPM did their job to the best of the ability or not, they were never elected. They weren't chosen by the players. What was supposed to be a short term job has dragged on due to CCP's inability to get things done. A lot of hate is thrown their way, some perhaps deserved, some perhaps not so much. The players need to select their own people to fill this role, as it was intended.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.05.19 18:55:00 -
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I'm really excited that CCP devs have stated actively engaging the community on balance. You have to wonder how many more people we'd have playing the game if CCP had started doing this a year ago. Though we'll have yet to see how effective it is when we get a new patch.
For those who want to catch me chatting more, be sure to tune in to Biomassed every Sunday night, live, or at www.biomassed.net
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.05.26 01:51:00 -
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Thanks, Cross. :)
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Posted - 2014.05.28 15:22:00 -
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Firbolg Barun wrote:What is your stance on the following: Quote:CPM1 will have limited involvement with Project Legion. ?
I think it's expectation management. Where it seems suitable to run an idea past a few players to see what they think, they will probably go to the CPM first. But they don't want people to run under the expectation that they'll get to be the game designers for Legion. CCP has it's own game designers. CPM are and will continue to be, the community's voice.
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Posted - 2014.05.28 18:21:00 -
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Llast 326 wrote:The term Community is an important part of the CPM position, indeed every candidate uses the term at some point. However it is an abstract concept, so what I would like is to hear your definition of community. No right or wrong answers here, just looking to get a better feel of where you are coming from.
The community is not just the sum of our playerbase, but the culture that lives around it. It's the corporations and alliances, the third party sites and tools, the friendships and grudges. It's not just who the players are, it's what the players have built. CCP provides the game, and that game is a platform. EVE and DUST are just that: platforms. The community is what the players have built on top of those platforms.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.06.02 06:05:00 -
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Really had a great time on Biomassed this week chatting with eight other CPM candidates. http://www.biomassed.net
m621 zma wrote:You'll be getting my vote.
Thanks!
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.06.07 01:27:00 -
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Biggest thing we need in the next hotfix should be ISK in FacWar. FacWar isn't rewarding right now. And if FW offered both ISK and LP, at a significant greater total benefit than pubs, veterans could farm there, and not in pubs. Which would keep the protostomping out of pub matches.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.06.09 01:04:00 -
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I believe the loss of two members of the DUST community team both highlights the need for a strong CPM, who can reach past the community reps and to the developers directly, but also the importance of the creation of the ISD. The ISD offers the possibility to allow volunteers to supplant the community team in doing their jobs. As CCP downsizes the community team, it becomes even more valuable for the concept of the ISD to become a reality in DUST.
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Posted - 2014.06.12 13:58:00 -
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Medic 1879 wrote:No idea what an ISD is to be honest (and I play EVE lmao) but by the sound of it this boils down to CCP are getting rid of community reps which is bad we well be heard even less so CCP should ask for volunteers to help out. That a good simple version of did I fall out of the stupid tree once more?
ISD, or Interstellar Services Department, is a volunteer group that CCP has for EVE Online. They're players that supplement CCP's efforts in several key areas:
- Forum Moderation
- Quality Assurance/Bug Hunting
- In-Game News Articles
- Fiction/Lore
- New Player Support
- The Official Wiki
In many cases, the ISD members answer a lot of basic questions on the forums, and help keep the community running smoothly in EVE Online. With less community team members on CCP's staff, these volunteers are needed now more than ever.
You can see more details on the ISD program here: http://community.eveonline.com/community/volunteer-program/
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.06.27 20:57:00 -
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Really glad to see an election date is set. It's been such a long time coming.
I do feel it might be a bit early though, given that we're only ten days away, and the final candidate list is not yet approved. This gives the community a very short window of time to evaluate the official candidate list, and I'm concerned that candidates whom were not accepted early in the candidate application window may suffer from decreased attention and exposure leading up to the moment people can cast their ballots.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.06.30 02:11:00 -
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Who we vote for is indeed going to be very important. CCP will simply ignore members who aren't able to work well as a team and communicate effectively with both players and the developers, and that's bad for everyone.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.06.30 15:41:00 -
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Thanks for the questions, Pyrex!
Yeah, the important preface here, is that I've kept my thread intact since well before Legion was announced. Unfortunately, CCP has made it clear that things like more maps and an economy isn't coming to DUST 514. While I am excited about Legion as well, it's extremely important to me that the CPM1 continue to nudge CCP into pushing the envelope of what they can do with DUST 514. CCP Rattati has done a great job with the recent hotfixes, but imagine what he could do with the ability to make minor client changes as well. I strongly want to encourage CCP give even more latitude to Rattati in continuing to iterate on and improve DUST 514.
As Legion development continues, one of the first questions that I think we should be asking is "Can we port this back to DUST 514?" While maps may be outside of the scope of possibility, I'm hoping additional weapons, vehicles, and equipment might not be. As Legion development revamps skills and gear design, I'm going to want to know if those are things that could be ported back to DUST.
For as long as players log in and play DUST, CCP should be trying to push out new things for them, even with the reduced development team it now has. And while the game's life on PS3 may be limited, it's important to continue to support this community, and hopefully, secure word someday of a version of Legion for PS4.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.07.03 14:23:00 -
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"Quick wins", yeah, no problem: Make FacWar payout worth it. Absolute number one item. Either add ISK back in, or raise the payout of LP significantly and remove the ISK cost of the LP items in the store. FacWar should be a sustainable game mode. Players who enjoy FacWar should be able to sustainably live in FacWar without having to go farm pubs for ISK. This could be done with a hotfix, right now. It could, and should, be a Hotfix Charlie item. If the payout is overall more valuable than pubs, it'll encourage higher end players to play there, loosening the load on pub matches. In that way, this not only fixes FacWar, it helps fix pubs too.
Fix weapons CCP broken in past nerfing passes: The swarm launcher and the flaylock pistol. Swarms need range, more than anything else. I never was much for the flaylock, so I'll leave it to others to tell you what's wrong with it.
I know I spoke about this on Biomassed last weekend, but I'd like to see a few more events or criteria opened up for allowing players to name things permanently in New Eden. I loved the "name a planet" reward given out at earlier tournaments, as it gives DUST players a meaningful reward to strive for at the top end. Maybe something like picking a particular planet in Molden Heath, and stating whoever can control the entire planet after 60 days can name it permanently. (Currently, there is really no reward to strive for at the top end of play, since the "conquest" in PC is relatively pointless. I am glad it is relatively pointless, but they could find specific events and targets to keep that crowd entertained.) This of course, requires no code to do, you just announce it, and see what happens.
If we can get an actual client patch: Split the Ambush and Ambush OMS queues into two separate ones.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.07.04 03:04:00 -
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Just a side thing, I've announced which other candidates I am endorsing the campaigns of here: https://forums.dust514.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=167215
There are many excellent candidates, but we can only vote for seven. This is my choice seven.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.07.04 19:56:00 -
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Thanks, Ken.
I've had ups and downs with Spero. Not a bad guy, but he's made some mistakes, both with his in-character politics, and his outward image. I worked on the PFC Council because I earnestly believed it was providing great experiences for a lot of players. I don't feel Kane Spero ended up holding up his side of the bargain in the end though, and players suffered for it.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.07.07 06:12:00 -
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Thank you, sir.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.07.07 12:04:00 -
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501st Headstrong wrote:I am very impressed with your core beliefs for where the game should go. My question, and this is not an attack, would you comprimise your core beliefs if the overwhelming playerbase (for the craziest of reasons), disagreed with it? Or would you work to modifiy and make a "satisfy all parties" type of arrangement?
Good luck in your election, 07
The playerbase has to win in the end. If there's a problem, and maybe the playerbase at large doesn't understand why it's happening... and you can fix that problem the right way... sometimes the playerbase will be happy it's fixed, and not pitch a fit about how (particularly if you suggest it get fixed a better way).
But certainly, the playerbase has to be happy with the solution. And I have already in the past, accepted occasionally that I dislike something (namely respecs), but that CCP has to give one because of simple player demand. And you have to bring all perspectives to the table. We're here to represent players. and we can't ignore an opinion we disagree with. Our personal experiences as CPM members is used to help filter the feedback for CCP, but not to be the sole determiner of it.
I want to be extremely transparent with relaying player concerns, and I'm going to endeavor to directly inform people of what messages I'm conveying to CCP, even in situations where I'm forbidden to relay what they had to say back.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.07.07 21:02:00 -
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Voting is now open at https://dust514.com/community/cpm/ ! Go vote!
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.07.07 21:29:00 -
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Smoky Fingers wrote: votematch says youre a 96% fit. Did i do something wrong? Should i vote right now with votematch as my only reference?
I would never recommend voting solely based on the vote match. Though I'd be happy to have your vote. If you want to be sure of where you vote, check out my campaign thread, other peoples' campaign threads, and make an informed decision. :)
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Posted - 2014.07.09 00:25:00 -
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Thanks, Mathew. In some cases I think I end up with, perhaps, a unique perspective than others. And as a combined team of seven representatives, along with a mountain of player feedback, I hope we can create a great resource for CCP when working on both DUST and Legion.
Oddly enough, most of the candidates I endorsed are also very far away from me on the VoteMatch. Some of it is just the awkwardness of some of the questions, some of it is slightly different priorities.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.07.14 07:07:00 -
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Roughly a week to go for the voting period, folks. Make sure you get your votes in.
Win or lose, I'm truly grateful for the support I've gotten and the quality of discussion that's taken place here in the CPM areas of the forums over the whole campaign.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.07.21 05:56:00 -
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We've just posted up episode 12 of Biomassed at http://biomassed.net/podcast
One of the topics we discussed, that I feel very strongly about, is the amount of EVE link in Legion. Rumor has it that there may be none at launch, and I am extremely concerned about it. I feel the EVE link is one of the defining features of the game, and one of the top selling points, both to EVE players and other players who want to know what sets it apart from Call of Duty or Battlefield.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.07.22 14:58:00 -
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Well, there's a wrap on seven months of campaigning. Win or lose, I'm happy with what I accomplished. Best of luck to all the candidates.
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Soraya Xel
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Posted - 2014.07.24 20:35:00 -
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CEOPyrex CloneA wrote:GO read the PC Gamer article that JC gave - its clearly stated that there will be ZERO eve integration at launch (if it ever happens) im surprised this is news to you? Linked if its too hard to find it: Quote:GÇ£Project Legion will have its own economy,GÇ¥ says Julien Dulioust, producer and monetisation director. GÇ£WeGÇÖll have a link at an account level, where youGÇÖll be able to trade virtual currency, but at a game level itGÇÖll be its own thing.GÇ¥ Go read the proper press and not just this wasteland of a forum
You might've noticed my post you're responding to was three days before that article was posted. But yes, I've read it. And I'm very disappointed to hear it. I am hoping the CPM1 can convince CCP they are on the wrong track with that thinking.
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