Vyzion Eyri
WarRavens
2574
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Posted - 2015.03.20 04:13:00 -
[1] - Quote
Actual video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_RgGJpoUeg (filmed by Soraya Xel)
It's a 40 minute video, yes, but it's surprisingly easy to watch through; do it! However, as the title of the video suggests, they are suggested learnings. New stuff we haven't heard of isn't really mentioned, it's a summary of where CCP have gone since Hotfix Alpha, when they more or less decided they had to give up the vision of the DUST they had to unshackle themselves, I guess, and give themselves a bit more freedom to move on.
Presentation section
1. Discussion about the introduction of hotfixes, starting of course with Alpha, and growing to Echo.
Rattati talks about how CCP tried to shake up the 'stagnating meta' of FOTMs, and 'introducing new content by fixing existing content'. Essentially, balancing weapons to bring other weapons into use which were previously too underpowered to be viable.
He moves on to the usage of Google docs to share numbers and all that with the community, an initiative for getting player feedback on the hotfixes, before they were even deployed.
Then progressed to the return of releases, summarising the content that hit with Uprising 1.9 and 1.10. New maps, daily missions, and the most recent Warlords, called a 'foundation for future work'. (5 out of 14 empty Warbarge slots)
2. The present and the community
The slide summarises this portion of the talk pretty well. Rattati goes over the ways CCP have been trying to reach out to us in terms of DUST development, including:
- CPM (Trello, Skype)
- Trello development roadmap
- Trello (community crowdsourced)
- Big board of things (once again, Trello)
- And he gives a big (loving?) shoutout to our wonderful forums, hearty chuckles ensue.
2. The game currently
Describes where DUST 514 is at right now:
- Overall much more balanced, 'every single weapon' is being used, at least showing up on the killfeed if not popular. Hotfixes played a big part in this.
- Teambuilder logic developed with Mu. He clarifies that this isn't part of matchmaking logic, however he comes back to this in question time.
3. NPE
This part is very interesting, gave it its own section. Rattati talks about their research into why new players are leaving, it's not as in-depth as I would've liked. (starts at 10:40) Worth watching through. Hell, I'd say if you're up to date with most of the forum threads and hotfixes, you could start the video here.
4. Roadmap for future (!!!)
-Performance improvements. Rattati explains they've 'already done everything they can do' on the code base, and are looking for smarter ways to improve frame rate. He mentions things like deleting old e-mails, clearing chats, removing profile avatars from the client.
-New Content. One aspect of that is a NEW GAMEMODE. "Acquisition", from MAG. Dynamic battlefield, moving objective that jumps between ~25 different positions as the game progresses.
-Matchmaking. New matchmaking code using the classic elo differentiation to separate players based on skill. Divides playerbase into two, hopefully giving newbies another 'academy' to join.
-Player trading. Send items to corporation (?), was a bit unclear, but trading is definitely coming. All items will EVENTUALLY be trade-able, however it will probably be introduced with ISK items trade-able first, then certain Aurum items as time goes on. From what he says, ISK can be on one side of a trade transaction: it doesn't have to be item for item.
-User experience/feedback. A bit more on NPE I guess, messages for newbies and keeping them informed as to what happens after they win a battle, what they can do with their ISK/SP, etc.
-PC revisited. Lots of this is already mentioned in the thread here. New UI for districts, dotlan view. Also mention of a new currency earned through PC, which can be used to purchase things from a new store.
Question time
Rattati puts up three questions for us to consider:
1. How can we strengthen the EVE lore connection, without enforcing 1 to 1 relationships. (which essentially means having connections to NEW EDEN as in the universe, without having people whining about the game not being 'gritty' enough)
2. Making PC lucrative but not exploitable, TO ALL.
3. Progression that is rewarding yet fair.
Good points to base discussion around, but the attendees more or less ignore them for now. I presume forum threads will address these points soon.
Question 1 (starts at 21:50): New player struggling with learning controls, as there isn't an environment to do so after the academy. No where to learn how to move.
Answer 1: Rattati mentions (no promises) a 32-player non-PvP mode where you shoot simplistic AI drones, perhaps for little or no WP/ISK reward. Experimenting with it currently, however, again, don't get your hopes up.
Question 2: Couldn't quite hear, something about dropships. I think it was a follow-up from question 1 about having somewhere to practice flying assault dropships rather than have to take them into games filled with Wiyrkomi-wielding maniacs.
Answer 2: Rattati agrees somewhere to practice flying them would be nice, doesn't elaborate?
Question 3: A question on redlining and what is being done to fix it, the lore behind dying randomly, and the issue with people hiding in the redline with no penalties.
Answer 3: Rattati brings up an idea to do with portals, most likely one-sided, where you enter somewhere inside your redline and appear somewhere between the objective and your redline. This would mean you could 'hop' over people camping your redline. He draws a diagram and explains it around 27:45. He calls it more or less a 'gimmick', though, but also that it would be trialed.
> Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
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Vyzion Eyri
WarRavens
2574
|
Posted - 2015.03.20 04:13:00 -
[2] - Quote
Question 4: How much of the playerbase would be 'casual'?
Answer 4: Those who stay will stay. Rattati reckons the playerbase consists of '50/50 of new players, and players who won't leave'.
This question developed into a discussion about how to keep players in DUST, a little chat about early progression for casual players, as well as getting EVE players more interested with links to lore.
Turns into talks about PC raiding, once again found in that "PC Revisited" thread in Feedback.
Question 5: Is it possible to turn PC raids into contracts for money? (Not sure if that was the question, or whether it was just a question of having NPC missions to run for ISK in general)
Answer 5: Interesting idea, however player contracts haven't really been implemented in-game, could be NPC contracts.
Question 6: What kind of economical links could there be with EVE, is there a chance of that happening?
Answer 6: Lots of features were held back by the dream of DUST, and the vision of it 'paralyzing' development because they had an image of what they wanted DUST to be. The links with EVE were one such part of the dream.
However, it'd be interesting if materials could be found on planets could be extracted by mercs, and sold to capsuleers. Overly complex links, though, are probably not going to happen.
Question 7: Similar to LP stores in EVE (for those who don't play EVE, it's pretty similar to DUST except it's spaceship gear), could there be a "Mercenary LP store" which links EVE-DUST.
Answer 7: Linking economies is pretty darn difficult, the right way hasn't occurred yet.
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And that's the end. Not succinct but hey, you'll read through this in less than 40 minutes.
> Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
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