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Agrippa Technology Tips And Observations


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Content takes time, and there was a glutton of content in a limited progen space that needed other content to catch up before other stuff can be done.  Now done.

 

Read patch notes.

Yeh read patch note, clear as mud as usual, I even think I understand what they are saying. So what....

 

Congratulations, another former Progen loving tester/player mothballs their toon....

 

Bet I'm not the only one.....

 

At least I hear Jenquia toons are fun, as well as Terrans....

 

Hope folks don't need progen gear, looks like I'm not in the ranks for that anymore....

 

Good Job

 

Sorry to sound so pessimistic, I'm fed up with road blocks.

 

But I appreciate the work and efforts Devs, don't mark me down as ungrateful.

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I don't even want to bother with Agrippa because unless you build up the necessary ores and alts in advance, it takes far too long to complete for a "meh" reward.

 

Well, that and as I read this whole thread, I'm just extremely confused as to the state of Agrippa right now. So my PP is OL 85, hasn't touched any agrippa missions or started them, does that mean I can't touch the Stage 1 Agrippa because I'm past the 50 HU mark? Maybe I'm too stupid to grasp the restrictions, but this all seems way too confusing and time consuming.

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From what I understood...Agrippa restrictions were being removed (you could do them when you wanted or could do them).  B returned from what I assume to be an extended vacation or break (enough so that the restrictive nature of the missions were being removed) and wanted them put back in.

 

Now that the original HU caps are or are in the process of being put back in there is a better than even chance that you have a two choices.  1.) Re-roll that character or 2.) Play on and forget the Agrippa content.

 

Is this pretty close?

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From what I understood...Agrippa restrictions were being removed (you could do them when you wanted or could do them).  B returned from what I assume to be an extended vacation or break (enough so that the restrictive nature of the missions were being removed) and wanted them put back in.

 

Now that the original HU caps are or are in the process of being put back in there is a better than even chance that you have a two choices.  1.) Re-roll that character or 2.) Play on and forget the Agrippa content.

 

Is this pretty close?

From here sounds like it. Per previous patch notes the level crap (err cap) was taken out now back in..Hmmmm.

 

The tier 1 agrippa weapon content is useless (aka chem ammo for the blowgun) by the time you can do it as even my PP with higher EL & TL as there are other weapons with higher dps than blowguns at those tiers. It may be great when that weapon is the "best you can get". But useless to the majority that can even make that ammo. And is the same exact dps as normal blowgun ammo.

 

I really see no point in the level cap per tier other than just making it a royal pain and headache. So what are the tokens really for A: to use yourself or B: for non progens to start the series?  If A that is kinda ridiculous as progens are the same race and PPs are apparently the same faction so restricting them is just to cause a headache IMO. I can understand a TT/TE/JD having some difficulty but for a progen that is "not a good thing"....

 

Sorry Baykhee but I really think making it a total pain for the faction/race of Agrippa is from kinda lame in my book. If you are not a progen I can understand difficulty in it and needing tokens, but not for the same "perfection based DNA manipulating" race.

 

I will use my tokes the way "you" want so I can make it to the flechette 9, the reactors and shields at L9 are decent but there are better ones out there so the majority only go for flechette 9 for L9 equip so that makes others as a bonus to the recipe list for most and not much else.

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From what I understood...Agrippa restrictions were being removed (you could do them when you wanted or could do them).  B returned from what I assume to be an extended vacation or break (enough so that the restrictive nature of the missions were being removed) and wanted them put back in.

 

Now that the original HU caps are or are in the process of being put back in there is a better than even chance that you have a two choices.  1.) Re-roll that character or 2.) Play on and forget the Agrippa content.

 

Is this pretty close?

Yep pretty much.  Since he was gone and we didnt know when he was coming back, the decision was made to take the reqs out (none of the rest of us can follow his missions, and that solves 90 percent of the tickets and bug reports), but when he came back, it was his thing again.

 

There is a little more to it, but thats internals and the like.  Basically with B back, Agrippa is his thing.

 

I ate the crow on that one, and Im sorry for it, but there isnt much more I can do besides work on the bugs with it.

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So here is a thought...anyone who was in game after we went live and started a Progen based on the relaxed draconian restrictions, be given a pass and allowed to continue with the Agrippa missions.  This is the only fair way of doing this as many were excited (myself included) to be able to gather the funds/faction and misc. needed for these missions without fear of gaining too many levels.  

 

Issue a new token...a "Grandfather token" that if in your hold allows you to bypass the restrictions.  Remember it was not our fault for following the rules.  

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 .......Remember it was not our fault for following the rules. 

 

Yes it was Mimir, it was totally our fault:

 

We expected  fairness and any sense of logic to prevail...we expected missions that made a lick of sense, we expected rewards commenserate to effort, we trusted official statements to actually be official rather than hearsay.....it was totally our fault for being so gullable  and trusting given past experience.

 

Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me....don't expect logic, sense, rewards, or statements from CDevs in the future and you won't have your expectations fall far, far short of reality.

 

*shrug*

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For those that can't translate stupidese, the "hint" given in the patch notes (I believe) means the following:

 

Once you pass L135, and get shut out of all aggripa stuff, because you missed some piddling step or other, or trusted in one phase or other of the ever changing content and its ever changing "prerequisites" and got burned...there is held out to you a carrot-on-a-stick that you might be able to go back and do some of that screwed up stuff again, in (probable vain) hopes of fixing what you got screwed over from before.

 

...that carrot is a "gold token" mission, i.e. you get to combine 3 of those optional content tokens that are white, into a golden one, the gold ones that were tradeable before and maybe still are.

 

It was promised before that PP were going to get a "slight" advantage in the token exchange due to being traders and get a 2 for 1 rather than 3 to 1 exchange, given once again past experience, don't hold your breath.

 

As to weather the gold token method will work or not, once again, not suggested you hold your breath,( I won't, I've got addicted to oxygen myself.)

 

Of course I might have misconstrued all of this from the "hint" and past statements and promises...i.e. I may be totally wrong (highly probable, given reliability of past Dev/GM statements).

 

*shrug* It is what it is. *sorry*

 

P.S. of course this could all be solved by making agrippa race based and remove token sillyness and HU restriction for everything other than tessting of gear, then end stuff invites for other races, through content completion item rewards (i.e. the already in "invites" you earn 2 of)...but then that would make sense..why do that?

Edited by Mattsacre
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Ok, so basically I should stay away from Agrippa until Byakhee is no longer a developer. That's really all I'm gathering from this. Being a developer is about taking majority player feedback and implementing it, not doing what you want because it's not how you want it. It's clear from this forum, majority of us want to see changes to Agrippa because currently it's broken, it's too strenuous, it isn't logical. 

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Ok, so basically I should stay away from Agrippa until Byakhee is no longer a developer. That's really all I'm gathering from this. Being a developer is about taking majority player feedback and implementing it, not doing what you want because it's not how you want it. It's clear from this forum, majority of us want to see changes to Agrippa because currently it's broken, it's too strenuous, it isn't logical. 

Eh, Byahkee has done good stuff, don't take from my posts that he hasn't....he frustrates many of us however, because he is stuck in "my way" mode most times as well..it is as it is. I don't personally want him "no longer a developer" (there are others that do..not me.)

 

Being developer isn't also about "taking majority player feed and implementing it". there are many factors that go into deving, sometimes tech won't allow player wishes, sometimes they have supervisors that constrain them, and honestly 100 players have 101 opinions, you can't please everyone. With that being said..it is always a good idea to take others ideas into account, especially to try and elleviate their frustrations if possible, if for no other reason than to make it easier on the GMs, frustrated players submit exponentially more tickets.

 

As to broken, thats a personality driven factor, one dev wants it one way and they are the CDev, other Devs/GMs would wish it another way. In the CDevs credit they were trying to do something new within the constraints of the client..to mixed results. With much frustration on test/player/GMs part it "sort of" works...

 

But it's so convoluted content it drives players nuts: with hull upgrades and tiered constraints you have to factor into already credit sink, mat sink, harvest camp and failure rates...

And sketchy instructions, and player interdependancy, and potential changes to requirements on a patch by patch basis if not daily.

 

The players repeatedly ask for a bit of give on this or that (usually the HU restrictions, it's a real griefer to miss a easily missable step in the content and pass a threshold with no "RE-DO" remedy available)

The other Cdevs/GMs would like a little relief, w/ the progen content being the number one generator of tickets..GMs have gotten a bit frustrated. Other CDevs have had to alter their concepts and work to not have content conflicts.  Even if they wanted to do something like agrippa for their racial content, the whole thing has caused such headaches and ill will from the fan base, I get the feeling they tread lightly, not wanting to complicate their lifes needlessly.

 

But you know, its Byahkee's baby, he wants to do what he wants to do, be-damned to anyone that don't want it that way. As the progen CDev it's his perogitive to do that way. Of course it's players perogitive to say F'it and just bypass that crap and either level without doing it, or even more and more prevailant, just roll other class/race toons and mothball progens until relief from it is provided.

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Id like to point out that I am a Progen CDEV as well, I just dont mess with Agrippa.  I was going to, but B came back.  That being said, there is progen content outside of agrippa.  Agrippa is mostly on Nostrand Vor, most of the other stations have NPCs that give missions totally unrelated to Agrippa at various levels.  There are no upper limits, but I doubt the end gear is "as good" as some of the agrippa tech.  Though a couple arent bad.

 

Its a long train of missions, but when all done, gives some decent stuff for around level 100 and 135. 

 

Check out some of the NPCs on the major progen stations with the class leaders especially (the class leaders are generally not the main givers, usually its another NPC nearby), like Zieg.

 

Youll find stuff to do.

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Is there not a hierarchy to the DEV team? Or does each department have a lead that makes decisions on their own outside of everyone else's consensus?

 

If a DEV went inactive and changes were made and the decision was accepted by everyone else, then that DEV becomes active again and starts making things "their way" is that not just ignoring the decision?

 

If that were the case to me I would give that DEV two choices accept the majority decision or step down.

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Is there not a hierarchy to the DEV team? Or does each department have a lead that makes decisions on their own outside of everyone else's consensus?

 

If a DEV went inactive and changes were made and the decision was accepted by everyone else, then that DEV becomes active again and starts making things "their way" is that not just ignoring the decision?

 

If that were the case to me I would give that DEV two choices accept the majority decision or step down.

Another voice of reason... 

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Yep pretty much.  Since he was gone and we didnt know when he was coming back, the decision was made to take the reqs out (none of the rest of us can follow his missions, and that solves 90 percent of the tickets and bug reports), but when he came back, it was his thing again.

 

There is a little more to it, but thats internals and the like.  Basically with B back, Agrippa is his thing.

 

I ate the crow on that one, and Im sorry for it, but there isnt much more I can do besides work on the bugs with it.

Actually I (possibly we) applaud your efforts, and hold you in the highest regard.  I wonder if the recent problems we are having is related to the reinstating of the Agrippa code. I know beating a dead horse here but it is pretty intertwined in the other code as well. 

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Id like to point out that I am a Progen CDEV as well, I just dont mess with Agrippa.  I was going to, but B came back.  That being said, there is progen content outside of agrippa.  Agrippa is mostly on Nostrand Vor, most of the other stations have NPCs that give missions totally unrelated to Agrippa at various levels.  There are no upper limits, but I doubt the end gear is "as good" as some of the agrippa tech.  Though a couple arent bad.

 

Its a long train of missions, but when all done, gives some decent stuff for around level 100 and 135. 

 

Check out some of the NPCs on the major progen stations with the class leaders especially (the class leaders are generally not the main givers, usually its another NPC nearby), like Zieg.

 

Youll find stuff to do.

See, this I did not know. This gives me some motivation to actually play my PP now, and I thank you for it. I remember a small bit in a patch around live where it said some new missions were added, but in general the community is pretty quiet about it or no one has tried them.

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Yeh Stanig's missions are in and with very few noted exceptions (he was right on top of it and fixing what got crossed up) work fine, they are mostly straight forward and concise, those that aren't straight forward are that way on purpose, a "to-be-revealed-and-discovered" mission line. The only beef I have them has nothing to do with Stanig, it is the clients limitations that hampers him being able to do anything about it.

 

That being us actually knowing when, and if, there is a mission to be taken, or qualified for or what prerequisites are required, and at what levels to even look for them, without going to every NPC in the universe and wading through thier talk trees to see if they are available or doable by you. And then doing that alll over again 10 lvls later. Because of clients limits, there isn't really a notification method, like some graphic indicator, or mail system. Other MMO handle this with symbols over npcs heads or aural effects, or even letters sent telling you to return to trainer etc.

 

Stanig currently is limited to you "stumbling" over a npc with a mission for you at the correct level and requisites (race, class, skill..whatever) and flowing through thier talk trees. He has at some, been able to have NPC X tell you to see NPC Y and Z, so you at least get a clue were other mission hub npcs are...but then you had to go through talk tree NPC X's to find that out without any visual or notificational clues to put you on that path. Like I said before, it's a client side limitation, until something else can be figured out, not much can be done about that.

 

Stanig, if you read this, has there been any discusion had about possibly adding the "message" key to your mission lines to tip folks off, or perhaps an actual forum list of available missions (even if it was just a briefing list to  identify hubs, and acceptance levels etc.) I know I personally would love to have a "see npc Bob at x level about (insert mission type hint)" listing on the forums, it need not give the mission specifics or spoilers etc. , just whats available and when to look to start, even if it don't totally list the whole mission arc, just  a who and @ lvl X see Y list wold be most helpful....if it wouldn't be a breaker, if it's a repeatable etc.

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My only thing about that would it should be a player constructed and put together thing.  I want you guys to explore and figure things out, and if you want to make a list, hey by all means do what you gotta do, but i dont want to spoil it for the explorer folks that dont want the "training wheels" sort of game guide.

 

Ive got nothing against it, and if you guys wanna make a mission list with who is where for what, im down with that, but in the sake of preserving the newness and discovery aspect (only a few people have ANY of the new items out of my content) id like to keep it "fairly" ambiguous from my end.

 

 

For the other thing, the blinking message icon at top you mean?  I have no idea whats being done with that right now, because everything is being focused on server issues and fixing bugs.  So right now there isnt much else being looked at.

 

And yeah omg would it ever be nice to have something floating over an NPC's head to tell you HEY I HAS SOMETHING FOR YOU TO DO..  but theres no mechanic for that in this client, so unfortunate.

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The blinking message icon would be a cool way to tip off players about missions in an area, maybe along the lines of (Triggered by certain level/class possibly?) "Hey *player name*, I heard you might be interested in some extra work, *NPC name(s)* has been looking for explorers/warriors/traders to assist him/her, you should stop by and see if they still need any assistance"

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The blinking message icon would be a cool way to tip off players about missions in an area, maybe along the lines of (Triggered by certain level/class possibly?) "Hey *player name*, I heard you might be interested in some extra work, *NPC name(s)* has been looking for explorers/warriors/traders to assist him/her, you should stop by and see if they still need any assistance"

Yeh thats what i was talking about stanig, like the messages that tripped off for the original token notifications (back in ST4) when you buzzed through your class sector the blinking "message" button went off and told you to see NPC so and so for tokens and info. Or like when you buzzed past the N7 nav and it informed you about the Moto conflict and how to get recruited.

 

Perhaps that could be harnessed to help notify people, say as they pass a station, that trips that there are NPC in that station with level appropriate content for them, thereby steering them to mission hubs. It saddens me to miss content because I've blown well past it's approprietness, the only reason missing out was I merely didn't know it existed.

 

Realisticly, how many CL45 toon players are going to go back to a NPC and do kill missions that are geared for CL25 or 30? They know they aren't going to get any XP from the kills for sure, and the xp from the mission is going to be paltry in comparision from other sources. And highly probable that they will have drasticly outgrown any gear awards from it as well, the only reason most would do that is if that gear was xferable to a alt toon, and from what I've seen most that gear is unique, so no chance of that.

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I do not mind the complex nature of Agrippa it is a pain but being shutout because of one too many dings or HUs is my main issue with it. 

 

Most MMO games today even if you are max level and happen upon some obscure mission from a NPC out in some boondock region you can still run it. The rewards are not worth it for your level but still many will run them just to do it.

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I do not mind the complex nature of Agrippa it is a pain but being shutout because of one too many dings or HUs is my main issue with it. 

 

Most MMO games today even if you are max level and happen upon some obscure mission from a NPC out in some boondock region you can still run it. The rewards are not worth it for your level but still many will run them just to do it.

Agree, I think most mmorpg devs have found that alienating the player base is not the way to go.  This may be a different situation here in that it is basically free and loosing a player or 100 (read Progen class) is not the end of the world.  I'm not sure B has really ever played his maze or not.  I would love for him to start a low level ton and play it through with someone else on the dev team throwing in a few curves so he does not have the play book.  Perhaps then the limits would really be removed.  Then again, perhaps not.

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Agree, I think most mmorpg devs have found that alienating the player base is not the way to go.  This may be a different situation here in that it is basically free and loosing a player or 100 (read Progen class) is not the end of the world.  I'm not sure B has really ever played his maze or not.  I would love for him to start a low level ton and play it through with someone else on the dev team throwing in a few curves so he does not have the play book.  Perhaps then the limits would really be removed.  Then again, perhaps not.

I'd like him to see it in the game as it is now where it's extremely rare to find anyone who makes Agrippa items (which kind of sucks when some require items made from another class)...kind of forces us all to mothball our char until we either find someone to make that item, or make the class and do the mission on our own.

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