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Linnar Wu'ut
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Posted - 2012.07.06 17:23:00 -
[1] - Quote
After about 3-4 hours of time in the game I figured I should note what I've run into so far before I forget. The bulk of it so far is initial learning curve due to the limited manual that is currently available and complete newbie in the EVE universe.
- Inconsistent use of direction pad
In most, but not all, areas you can use the direction pad to move around. In the few that it doesn't work you have to use the left stick. Little irritating to be navigating just fine using the direction pad and get to a screen where suddenly the direction pad simply doesn't work. The first time it appears is where you can assign add-ons to your characters. There are at least a couple other spots that I can't remember at the moment that I'll have to add later.
EDIT: Inside the communications section.
- Map icons
What the heck do the different icons mean in the world map? I've looked in the current manual, nothing there. I've managed to sort of guess what a couple of them are but it would be nice if there was a legend or pop-up text when something was selected.
- Drop point selection
This links to the map icons. The world map overview gives a lot of information, but there is nothing to directly tell you what is a selectable drop point. You have to cycle around and see if it is a drop point or not.
- Skirmish target explanations
Again, not in the manual. Seems there are several different targets possible besides just A, B, and C. Built-in turrets and CRU (Clone Reserve Unit?) come to mind but I believe I saw some other things pop up in the status notifications.
- Default equipment / fitting explanations
I created a scout-class character and found that I had fittings for scout, heavy, assault, and logistics. And apparently some default vehicle fittings as well. Not sure if they are to assist in the beta or if they will be there from the beginning once released. Was also confused trying to figure out why I couldn't edit any of those fittings. Option was there, simply couldn't select it. Trying to create a new fitting simply gave me a blank screen. Eventually realized that I had to go buy drop suits even though it appeared I already had them due to the defaults.
- Blueprint original (BPO) vs Blueprint copy (BPC)
It would be very helpful if the market showed whether the item is BPO or BPC. Right now it requires buying an item then attempting to build a fitting using that item to determine what it is.
- Reorder drop suit fitting list
Since I've now built a few different fittings it's becoming a little time consuming to have to cycle through the full list to choose a specific variant when respawning.
- Skill point assignment screen
Far, far easier to get the skill book from here than it is attempting to find it via the market so I keep looking to see how much ISK I have to determine if I have sufficient funds to buy the skill book as well as other items. With as large as the SP total is, and the physical layout of SP Total over Available SP matching the layout of ISK over SP in other areas, I I keep confusing the SP total value as my available ISK. Not even sure why SP Total is so prominent when really what is important in the skill area is SP Available.
- Dropsuit fitting selection
It seems that after assigning an item to a slot that selecting a new slot is a little off. I don't know if it is slow, or if it takes multiple joystick movements, but something is off compared to when first going into the fitting screen and selecting a slot.
Oh, and something more eye-catching to highlight what slot is selected would be nice. Like highlight the entire slot instead of just the section of the wheel near the slot.
- Market navigation
Easy one first, location in the menu structure. Right now, when navigating into an area it is assumed when you go back up a level the current selection will be the top of what you were just in. That works in most cases, but not at the very top marketplace level. When going into a sub-level, say skills, and then going back up a level to the main marketplace the very top marketplace item is selected rather than skills.
Second, direction pad navigation. Using right to go down and left to go up works perfectly in the sub-levels. However at the top level going right will always go over to the various boxes on the right rather than down into the currently selected item. It could be argued that it breaks the behavior followed in the sub-levels, but it could also be argued that at the top level you always expect to navigate around the top level items and only expand / select by explicit choice. Mainly annoying since I'm using the direction pad to easily look around the various areas and items in the marketplace only to have it promptly break when I hit the top level.
- How to use special items
I had no idea initially that you should -hold- R2 in order to bring up a selection list. The controller map made it appear it was simply a one-touch toggle. Only realized that hold was an option after reading the manual AND skimming through a lot of forum posts.
- Item differentiation
It's difficult to determine what the differences are between some items at the moment. A compare feature would be extremely useful. |
Linnar Wu'ut
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Posted - 2012.07.06 17:54:00 -
[2] - Quote
I'm pretty sure these are already being worked on:
- Skill tree map
- Current issue / bug list (for example, missing Electronics Upgrade skill book)
- Spawn camping
I know there are several threads on spawn camping and options to work around it. Randomization seems to be the prevailing theory, but another option used by some other games (DeathSpank is the one I'm thinking of, I'm sure there are others) is initial invulnerability that lasts for a few seconds or until you move/fire. To fit the idea within the universe the spawn point could be feeding power to the drop suit shield on spawn and then detaches when the player makes an action. Looking would not count as an action.
From a balance perspective, it seems like it might work. From the descriptions it appears that drop uplinks can only support some finite number of spawns. Any one of (action|move|time) would stop the power transfer, rendering the player vulnerable as normal. If someone from the opposing team is within line-of-sight of the spawn point the spawning player gets, at most, 1 "free" protected shot against the opposing player.
I supposed opposing side could still camp until the shield drops which would defeat the purpose. Could be balanced by adjusting the initial timer and/or allowing for some movement. For example, 10s while standing still but timer runs at double speed when moving; firing would still immediately cancel the effect. It would at least provide some time for the spawning player to gain situational awareness. That's at least a little bit better than spawning and immediately getting killed 2 seconds later while trying to figure out where to go.
Also, it would be great to have an initial training / tutorial to bring new players up to speed in an "offline" area. Basically, somewhere to learn the mechanics and operation outside of a live battle area where it costs money and negatively affects player & corporation stats.
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Linnar Wu'ut
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Posted - 2012.07.06 18:10:00 -
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Oh, and some better explanation of what the heck is happening when using the Merc Pack items during the beta.
I know that AUR will be refunded with reach reset and at launch, that's great. What about the other items though? I don't want to waste the consumables or SP bonus during the beta if they aren't going to get reset as well. So far I haven't been able to find a single clear, concise statement of what exactly happens to the various items at reset beyond the AUR refund.
The initial item assignment screen also reads as if an item can be assigned one time only to a single player. Meaning if I have multiple characters I couldn't move an item between characters (remove from one to put on another). That's a very strong one-time choice that has to be made at the very beginning by a potentially uninformed player. Heck, there isn't even a "Show Info" option at that screen to explain what the heck the items even are so I'm hesitant to assign anything to a character until I have a better understanding of what the heck the items are and how the different character types play.
Which reminds me, there doesn't seem to be any way to get back to the character selection / creation screen within the game itself. Looks like you have to quit the game and restart to get back to that spot which means going back through all of the EULA agreements for the n-th ime as well as the various upgrade checks, file checks, and whatever other stuff happens at startup. If I have to quit to try a new character, and then wait a few minutes to even get back to that point, I'm just as likely to go play something else than wait through all of the startup stuff again. Not a major negative point during the beta but it is something to keep in mind. |
Linnar Wu'ut
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Posted - 2012.07.06 18:32:00 -
[4] - Quote
- Dropsuit fitting
Since you can't edit the default drop suit fittings, you can't see what items are assigned to what slots. Not seeing what items are in what slots you can't get an idea of what a normal build is so you can create your own without trial, error, lots of deaths, and frustration. Admittedly, being able to view the items within the default builds won't necessarily resolve those, particularly the dying and frustration, but it would at least give a starting point for understanding what goes into a build and what/where you want to adjust little by little.
I don't have an issue with the lack of d-pad in the fitting screen itself. That fits within the design layout of that screen. After you've selected a slot I believe the direction pad does work within the selection list. |
Linnar Wu'ut
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Posted - 2012.07.06 18:53:00 -
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Quote:-main objective of skirmish is to secure A, B, and C to either shoot down or defend the MCC overhead depending on if you're attacking or defending. The other hackable installations just help you towards that end; blasters will shoot enemies, CRU's provide spawn points, etc. You don't need these to win, but they help a lot.
Right, I've got the point of the skirmish, but my question is what are the other installations? There isn't any list or explanation beyond A, B, C and the MCC.
Quote:-only militia items are infinite, but no equipment is infinite, militia or otherwise. This goes for vehicles, modules, weapons, dropsuits, etc.
That's a confusing statement: militia items are infinite but militia equipment is not. What's the difference between an item and equipment? Now that I've messed with purchasing and fitting, I think I know what you mean.
From a new player's perspective though, it isn't clear. Militia items are described as items that everyone can use, regardless of skill. No mention anywhere, nor differentiation in the market, that Militia items are infinite (BPO). You only find that out after 1) buying a militia item, and 2) trying to build a fitting.
Heck, I'm still not certain about the actual drop suit. I know the Dragonfly Scout from the Merc Pack is BPO/infinite, but what about any other drop suit? You can't see a drop suit count on the fitting screen that I've noticed. You can't even see which drop suit is the basis for the fitting. Nor can you change the suit.
Quote:-default suits/vehicles provide something to use that's free and prefit, and to serve as a model to make your fittings after. Not sure if they will persist after launch, but I imagine they will.
I didn't realize that there were default vehicles. From the market it appeared that vehicles were purchasable, and they are, but I wasn't expecting there would be default ones available at no cost to the player. That's why I'm wondering if at least some of the current free defaults are specifically there to assist in the beta test.
Quote:-when you go to buy the skillbook from the skills screen, a pop up will tell you how much the book costs before you buy it. Most of them are pretty cheap.
32,000 ISK I believe. My point was it doesn't tell you how much ISK you actually have available. I may only have 33k ISK. Buying the skill book would work fine, but them I'm left with only 1k ISK to replenish supplies. Nothing in that dialogue provides insight into how much ISK I actually have.
Quote:-to select a fitting slot, you just have to hold the stick in the correct direction. There's a small white arc on the inside of the wheel that indicates which direction the stick is pointed. Oh, if you saw it, what's the problem?
Yep, it does, but only on the inside of the arc. What I'm suggesting is also highlighting the slot itself in addition to the inside of the arc. I'm looking at the slot, not the arc. Highlight what the person is looking for / at. Minor user interface point, that's all.
EDIT: OK, I figured out what this is. When you first go into edit the fitting, the inner arc has the slight highlight but the slot itself doesn't get highlighted. No selection noise either. When you release the stick and then attempt to select again, now the inner arc has the highlight, the slot itself is highlighted, and the selection noise appears. It only happens immediately after you go into edit mode and only the first time you move the stick. |
Linnar Wu'ut
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Posted - 2012.07.06 18:59:00 -
[6] - Quote
Ronin Odachi wrote:Linnar Wu'ut wrote:- Dropsuit fitting
Since you can't edit the default drop suit fittings, you can't see what items are assigned to what slots. Not seeing what items are in what slots you can't get an idea of what a normal build is so you can create your own without trial, error, lots of deaths, and frustration. Admittedly, being able to view the items within the default builds won't necessarily resolve those, particularly the dying and frustration, but it would at least give a starting point for understanding what goes into a build and what/where you want to adjust little by little.
I don't have an issue with the lack of d-pad in the fitting screen itself. That fits within the design layout of that screen. After you've selected a slot I believe the direction pad does work within the selection list. When you have the default fit highlighted, you can see the fit items on the right side. You can't see which particular slot they're in, but you can see the module names.
You can? I've tried and failed to see what they are.
Ahhh. Ok, the stats button will let you see the items on the right side. I kept trying to go in and select the individual items to see their descriptions and statistics. |
Linnar Wu'ut
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Posted - 2012.07.06 19:03:00 -
[7] - Quote
- If you hit L1/R1 in the item information screen in the marketplace instead of L2/R2, it causes a few second delay before L2/R2 work.
- No way to see from inside the marketplace if you already have a skill. It will tell you if you have the skill book, yes, but if you already used the book to get the skill you can't tell. With the way the various skills tie together it would be helpful to see if you have already purchased that skill book.
- No explanation for what the star is over on the right side when in the merc quarters.
Kept trying to get over there via d-pad or stick to expand it to see what it was and failing. Finally realized it was part of communications after hitting Select. Communication is explained in the manual, which is where I saw Select, but no mention of the star in the text or the diagram explanations. It was a "well, I haven't hit this button yet so let's see what it does" moment. |
Linnar Wu'ut
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Posted - 2012.07.06 19:13:00 -
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Garrett Blacknova wrote:I don't have a link, but I'm pretty sure someone's mentioned that the free Militia vehicles aren't going to be free like that in the release version of the game.
I'm personally hoping players are given no free vehicles, and no infinite-use combat vehicles (maybe a jetbike/jetpack/something), so any non-infantry combat will REQUIRE you to spend and risk your money.
That's what I was expecting, and it fits with the whole skill point concept. Didn't make sense to me at first why I would have the vehicles, and could use them, when I never assigned the skill points. If I had them then what was the purpose of the skill points?
As part of the testing process though, it makes sense. Let people use them up front so they can see how they are used rather than waiting weeks for people to invest the skill points to finally start using them. |
Linnar Wu'ut
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Posted - 2012.07.06 19:52:00 -
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Mirun Hirute wrote:Edit: By the way, good feedback post. Pretty thorough without ranting about quality issues that are clearly a part of the beta. Props on that.
Thanks. I've done usability testing before so I'm familiar with the process. This was mainly someplace for me to capture all of the initial things I ran into or thought before I forgot or discounted them. Some things may be basic knowledge to EVE players, but since I haven't played EVE I may be able to point out where assumptions on basic knowledge of new players are being made incorrectly. Or show that my point of view is rather skewed :)
That said, I'll admit getting frustrated after getting killed within 5 seconds several times in a row. From other posts, I'm not the only one so I'm sure it's being looked at. Ranting about it won't change anything. |
Linnar Wu'ut
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Posted - 2012.07.06 20:01:00 -
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Ronin Odachi wrote:-there is a compare item option once you've bought the item, but I too would love to see an option for that in the market.
There is? Where/how? All I can find is Show Info.
Ronin Odachi wrote:-randomization seems to be the best option. Providing more spawn points would help as well, depending on map.
Probably. Does raise a question about what happens with Drop Uplinks though. They may be placed strategically, but if you appear in some random area around it instead of at it then the placement is negated a bit.
Ronin Odachi wrote:-I only use just the one character. I don't see a point in creating extras personally.
Ditto, although I do sometimes create multiple characters just to get an idea of how they play to find what I prefer. Eventually I'll settle on one and that one gets my full attention. I know others who have several different characters that they'll rotate through depending on mood and need. May be more of an MMORPG thing though. |
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Linnar Wu'ut
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Posted - 2012.07.06 20:11:00 -
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- What is the purpose of the star map?
Looks neat and gives some sense of just how large the universe is, but what is it for? Anything right now or just planned?
Navigating the map is difficult. Not sure what system I am actually in. YOU ARE HERE doesn't appear to be selectable and no system I've selected nearby seems to include my position. Ah, finally found the system, Stain. At 5VN-B7, DSS-EZ, DSS-EZ V.
OK, so what are the individual pieces? I can make sense of part. DSS-EZ is the solar system and DSS-EZ V is the planet. 5VN-B7 is the galaxy? Then what is Stain?
Edit: I was thinking it would be neat to zoom in and look closer at the planet but there wasn't anything on screen saying there was zoom option. L2/R2 work to zoom out / in, respectively. Unfortunately, the YOU ARE HERE marker simply stays in the middle of the screen regardless of how I move the planet around. On an invisible satellite rather than the planet?
Neat, the cloud cover actually moves. Makes me wonder if the day/night cycle is there too. |
Linnar Wu'ut
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Posted - 2012.07.06 20:48:00 -
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Ronin Odachi wrote:Linnar Wu'ut wrote:There is? Where/how? All I can find is Show Info. Select the module slot, then choose replace, then hit square. The panel on the right that normally has your HP, speed, etc, will instead show the currently equipped module's stats and the stats of the module you have highlighted on the list to the left. You can then hit R2 and L2 to compare different aspects of the two.
Ah, you meant the overall suit statistics inside the drop suit fitting area that updates based on what you have assigned, or are potentially assigning, to a slot. I thought you meant an actual side-by-side item comparison. |
Linnar Wu'ut
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Posted - 2012.07.06 22:34:00 -
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Ronin Odachi wrote:Linnar Wu'ut wrote:Ah, you meant the overall suit statistics inside the drop suit fitting area that updates based on what you have assigned, or are potentially assigning, to a slot. I thought you meant an actual side-by-side item comparison. Lol no, I do mean a side-by-side comparison of individual modules. You just have to do it by fitting a module first, then buy one of the module you're thinking of replacing it with. Select the fit module, choose "replace", then hit square. Finally, highlight the module you want to compare with the equipped one by putting the cursor over it on the left side of your screen. When you've done this, you can see the side-by-side comparison of the two modules displayed on the right side where the suit statistics normally are.
OK, I was all set to say nope, but apparently I had never hit square while editing a module. I don't think I ever hit square while inside a fitting, only while viewing the overall fittings. At that level square only toggles between overall suit statistics and listing the modules equipped.
I think I tried square initially when I just had the default fittings as one of the attempts to try to view the information about the items on the default builds and found it didn't do what I wanted. Later attempts after I had some custom builds were probably only at the top level still. Since the text never changed when going into edit mode it never occurred to me that it would have a different action in edit mode versus overall view mode.
What's the very top slot supposed to be for? Possibly for the drop suit itself or for something else entirely?
Thanks! |
Linnar Wu'ut
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Posted - 2012.07.22 20:00:00 -
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Odd bug last night. Mid-game, for some reason, R1 simply stopped responding. Changed controllers, still no response. Every other button worked fine, just no R1. After the game ended, I quit back to the XMB then turned off the controller. Turned it back on and it wouldn't pair with the PS3. Plugged it in, the controller found the PS3. Unplugged it, controller couldn't see the PS3. Reset the controller, plugged it back in to pair it again, then unplugged it and the controller still wouldn't see the PS3.
Wound up turning off the PS3, unplugging it for several seconds, then turning it back on. After that, plugged back in the controllers to pair them. No problem. Didn't go back into Dust at that point since I didn't want to go through all of the initial warnings, logos, checks, agreements, and other assorted crud that means it takes 3+ minutes just to get to the merc quarters. Plus I've had bad luck the last few times connecting. Once it hung in limbo after confirming the character. After quitting and trying again it would never join a match.
UI notes:
1) Missing the blue outline on Militia Scrambler Pistol. I thought there was a second item too but I can't find it.
2) It would be helpful if there was something on the item to denote if it is an ISK or AUR item when fitting a drop suit or vehicle. The only way is to attempt to restock the specific item beyond the current stock level and see if ISK or AUR increases. Or leave the fitting area, go back to the market, find the item, leave the market, go back to the fitting area, and now try to remember what you were doing originally. Perhaps add cost to the right of Qty?
3) Ability to reorder the fittings would be great.
4) Ability to clone / duplicate an existing fitting to then edit would be great.
5) Ability to change the drop suit within a fitting versus having to create a new fitting from scratch with a different suit would be nice.
6) Something in manual or on-screen to explain the vehicle controls and on-screen diagram, particularly for drop ships.
7) Add a date to the What's New list that comes up when starting. Link somewhere in there to actual release notes with any further details would be a bonus.
8) This is trivial, but it would be nice to be able to view the last match stats after the match ends and you're punted back to the merc quarters. I've missed a couple of the stats I was looking for.
9) At the character sheet level, show unused skill points in addition to the total skill points. Makes it much faster to see if the currently available SP is enough to go into the skill being worked on.
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