3dent

Not sure "alternate client" idea would work for CoX... UO was based arouind tiles with some simplistic physics, - something easily translated into 3D and back. CoX was true 3D from the get-go, so, since collision detection is server-side, and should be different for different clients if we update zones along with models... twice as much work, four times as much bugs for dubious (business-wise) benifit of supporting really old hardware...

If we don't update zones, then new client isn't needed at all, - you can add it as option to the current one, as was done once already.

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Look on the CD, there's usually a manual on there in PDF format.

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which, in case of essential hardware like vidcards, is a bit like that old pkunzip.zip joke

But yes, look there and/or on manufacturer's site.

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Are you sure of this EU/US Sharing the market?.

cuase i been looking at some specific IO sets somewhile back, and on my home server( Defiant ) they where very expensive, then i hoped over to Union and i noticed the prices where way lower on there( both done with Villians and Hero's).

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There are just 2 market servers, one for blues, one for reds. In fact, market maintenance downtime is as if it was US server, not EU server. Not sure how to explain that Defiant/Union discrepancy... Maybe someone bought a ton of the things while you relogged?

But if you have INF to burn it's easy to test for yourself... Make some ridiculous bid (1 mil for common vendtrash or something) and check the history on the other server. It ought to show up after some delay. (although, won't work on highly traded items...)

QR
"steadfast protection (knockback resist) is over 20 mill" But as ebil US marketeers noticed, it's just 50 merits/pool A drop. 1 Posi run and you're guaranteed to get it one way or the other. Or, as someone suggested, just get Ouroboros and farm low-level arcs for it. In fact, I've got it once as a "natural" drop (yes, it's rare, yes made my week... But yes, not all random rolls are rubbish.)

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Was an ATI 512Mb something or other, I use XP.

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Did you uninstall ATI drivers? (since there were no builtin ATIs, IIRC, the bit about disabling builtin in BIOS is irrelevant.) Again, sorry for idiotic questions, - it's always like that when you try to give tech advice remotely.

Hmm... One more idiotic question... Do you use XP or Vista? (and that one about old vidcard, - was it builtin or an actual card, and was it Intel, ATI, Nvidia or something obscure? )

Looks like driver issue or some hardware conflict...

Do any other games work? Did you try all the usual fixes (reinstalling drivers, reinstalling Direct X, etc.) Did you try to run CoX in safe mode? (an option in license agreement screen, basically it resets all the fancy graphic options.)

If safe mode works, then you may try to enable all the cool graphic options again (one by one or all at once, you canm safemode back again.) and see if they work now. (you need to restart the game after that, safe mode ignores options you set.)

You may also look at Device Manager (My Computer|Properties|Hardware|Device Manager) for any conflicting/out of order devices (they're marked with yellow and red warning icons.)

And, almost forgot: What was your OLD video card? (that's important.)

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RWZ arcs are Zone Arcs (red ones). The limit is 2 gold ones.

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They still count as if they were gold for arc limit purposes (see the wikilink someone posted.)

Well, actually "Depowering" is one of the (saves vs use of teeveetropism, success.) mainstays of superhero/villain plots. (was there any iconic super who wasn't depowered at some time?) Even CoX comics themselves had classical "FP members dealing with being depowered" issue.

So, some sort of depowering mechanics (besides auto-exemp) should be here... Although making it playable isn't anywhere near this side of "easy"...

QR.
hmm.. Aren't there 2 different resolutions for UI and the 3D? Maybe on your system one is widescreen, while the other isn't?

Have widescreen at home, circles are (almost) right...

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Why I covered myself with the "Can't actually recall all the restrictions on trials" line.

I can't recall them, but it wouldn't surprise me either way on invites - though it'd probably be better if trials can invite other trials (so friends trying it out together could team).



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IIRC, they can't unless someone sends them invite, then transfers the star and waits a little until the team is more than 2 people before quitting. I may be wrong though.

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I'm not sure, but I always thought it was 3 major+unlim minor arcs, and clearly remember having Nemesis prototype+2 RWZ arcs being open simultaneously last week.

RWZ arcs and certain other (Ganymede?) count as "major arcs" irregardles of their length.


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Pretty sure that's correct - but, when in doubt, this wiki page is my usual reference.

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So, I was wrong, that's 2 open major arcs+unlim minor... Explains why I had problems yesterday, but how did I get 3 major arcs open then?
Hmm... IIRC I got them in that order: Levantera #1, prototype Fake Nemesis, Serpent Drummer, completed Levantera #1, got Levantera#2... then completed the Fake Nemesis arc... Bug?

QR.
I'm not sure, but I always thought it was 3 major+unlim minor arcs, and clearly remember having Nemesis prototype+2 RWZ arcs being open simultaneously last week.

RWZ arcs and certain other (Ganymede?) count as "major arcs" irregardles of their length.

That said, been there yesterday... I was sure I only had 2 RWZ arcs open, yet Madeline Casey disagreed with me... Not sure which arc I did that made the difference, but eventually I've got her arc.

Aren't recipes always dropped at team's actual lvl, not exemped lvl? (mnever tested that with exemping, SKing of course does make recipes you get higher lvl than normal)

And (as that 1 billion+50 in a month guy on the US boards noticed) Steadfast -KB is as good in value per merit as random roll, slightly better in fact. Not all toons can slot it though, so, if you HAVE to get Zephyr...

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You will NEVER stop in-game farming. Real-money trading should be hunted down and stamped on, sure, but in-game stuff shouldnt be a bugbear. If some people want to play the game that way, so LET them. It SHOULDNT be a factor that influences everyone else who plays, often for the worse.
/fume

[/ QUOTE ]Farming itself wasn't problem. Problem was that non-farmable TFs were pointless (Been there, done that and all I've got was Edict of the Master (blueside) and badge.) Which led to the problem of people simply ignoring most of them most of the time. And if (under rolls+merits system I mentioned) there again would be something that's just silly to not to farm, well, it was all for nothing.

That said I have nothing against farms as such, and I suspect neither does anyone.

And yes, pools work. But they're quite, well, byzantine, and that's another reason people are afraid of random rolls. There still should be risk, of course, but just making some understandable categories like "Ranged+Sniper", "AoE+Mez" etc, instead of C and D pools might be a solution too. Or it might not... (Dependinfg on how exactly it would be done)

Well, I may be overestimating the risk myself here But it might be bad enough.

Plus, it won't solve another problem, - people hoarding until lvl 50. It's again, rather logical thing to do (for everythiong but procs), and it will continue specific recipes or no.

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(5 and a half random rolls from Doc Q!).

Sounds fair, no?

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Well, no. You and I both know that random rolls are the smart choice both for you and the market, even when you get 3 PotTs in a row, but most people overestimate risk of getting rubbish, and would riot if ability to get specific recipes would be removed... Someone on the US boards suggested one mandatory random roll per TF and somewhat reduced TF merit revards (say, current-15).

That's more like it, although it would make KHTF farming popular again, one of the the thing merits were introduced to solve in the first place, so I don't know.

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1> At low levels sell everything, there's little reason to keep salvage or recipe's
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3> Rare salvage is the only real exception to the 'sell everything' tip.

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Another one is that certain recipes, -KBs, Celerity +Stealth and such, are actually better at low levels. (and some -KBs are pool A, so that's not an academic question even if you aren't fan of merit rolls.) In other words, if price for the recipe/enhancement (and those of similar level) looks too good, (10s M for sub-15 Steadfast -KB), chances are you want it yourself. Of course, everyone knows that, but...

I like TP as it is. as for "lag kills", - Raptor! doesn't eat power pick, drains no END, available perma now... you can rest mid-tp, lag merely delays you, like with any other travel pool, and is great for all sorts of situations where Flight's ability to hover midair is useful. Seriously, I only consider flight now for concept reasons. (Ok, you can chat/go AFK inflight too... Although that may kill as well.)

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I think you are mixing two things, the shortage of recipes in AH/BM is related to the institution of merit system because the majority of players are not using the random roll, or if they're using them, they're keeping most of the recipes and not putting them for sale in the market, while the datamining Synapse is doing is mainly around TF completion times and his new formula 1 merit per 3 TF minutes.

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Not as much "mixing" them, as using market situation as an example of why devs can't "just quickpatch it, it's easy!" and why they and do what they do instead.
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Besides the moaning (justified I think) in US forums regarding the unbalance between hero/villain merits, what is being discussed there is quite unrelated to how many merits you earn per TF,

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On the contrary, prior to me mentioning market, the thread was mostly about merit reward values themselves Sorry for derailment.
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since, as I said, no matter how many merits people get, if they don't produce random rolls and leak them to the market, the AH/BM will continue almost empty, in fact, if not random rolling, the more merits, the emptier the markets will be since it will make easier to get most of the recipes solely by merits.

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True.

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Some of the solutions proposed are good imho, others are plainly stupid, but in any case they are questioning the merit system itself, not the quantity of merits you get from X or Y TF (mainly).

You may propose Positron for King if you wish, what is undeniable so far in my humble opinion is that devs misjudged greatly the amount of players who were going for the instant gratification of the random roll. At the current recipe prices in merits, it is silly to even consider getting every single set IO recipe through merits, the market should still be the main source and merits act as a complement for those elusive/unbelievebly expensive recipes but that's not happening.

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Again, no argument.
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It was of course predicted when I13 was on beta, but devs got it their way,

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Well, many things were predicted. As all predictions tend to be, it's quite obvious in retrospect, but back in beta days, I quite well remember myself thinking of at least 3 scenarios (including one we actually have got) and not being sure about their relative merits. (pun intended).

Some people guessed right and earned "I told you so" rights now. Some other people, including devs, guessed wrong. Some people, who unlike the devs, didn't have to guess one way or the other, like me, saw that any "predictions" are just that: guesses, and decided to wait till the next issue before crying DOOM!!11!!!(tm).

EDIT: The difference beetween then and now is that now there are records of 10,000s of people actually using the system for actual, non-beta gameplay. Something that devs may base their decisions on.

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the fact that they're increasing now the merits rewards somehow proves that misjudgement, but again, for that to be an effective solution people should be more involved using randoms and they are (understandably) not doing so.

Of course you can think the situation is not THAT desperate, for everyone who just sticks to SO's, the situation is pretty much same than before I9, for everyone who just uses a -KB recipe or a Numina Unique in their builds, the situation is great, they only have to run the TF Commander accolade et voilà, but for people who like using serious set builds, the situation is THAT desperate.

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I only think it isn't THAT desperate because i think it will be eventually fixed this year. If not, well, it will be THAT desperate. I can wait, level alts, and enjoy the scenery. And yes, do random rol or two selling stuff I don't need, thinking that INF would eventually regain its value (not that it's really 100% useless right now either.)
EDIT2: And yes, I'm mostly in SO+few shinies category atm, although I of course want a set build eventually, but no, I'm not saving towards specific recipes.

And your point is? Synapse hinted that global disparity might be due to "playstyle differences", so these sorts of things are considered as well as solutions that aren't just price/reward adjustments he's responsible for. That's as much as he can say in public, I suspect. (if your theory is indeed true, any datamine should reflect that, BTW.)

/3dent, still completely in the tank for merits and devs.

You know... Judging by all the "how to fix auctions" bright ideas here and on US boards (one half of those would've made those same proposing players mass-quit if they were part of the original I13 and two thirds of the rest would make situation worse if implemented...) I'm all for doing baby steps and relying on datamines more and gut feelings less. The situation needs a good dose of evidence-based medicine, not voodoo.

Seriously, Synapse said that
1) Villains indeed get less merits, there's objective evidence of that.
2) He's thinking how to fix that.
3) I 14 would ease diminishing returns from TFs.
4) Shared an actual formula aand some data.

In other words, he does his job and does it well. What else anyone expected? What devs have perfect economical theory? If they do, I nominate Positron for POTUS and Synapse for his Secretary of Treasury. (Or we may try and coax them to become PM and CoE.) What they would act on wild guesses? Come on, situation isn't THAT desperate. They do exactly that they ought to do, IMVHO.

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It could really do with a diagnostic panic button in the client

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But... But that'd spoil our department's OBJECTIVE METRICS! Number of issues resolved and closed goes down, percentage of issues answered by form letters goes down, clients satisfaction (objectively mesasured) would go down. Besides, we don't have dev's time for such silliness anyway. It's your ISP, honestly. Don't touch our bug report farm!
/sarcasm off

That said, I did receive quite good replies from the tech support. Not on the lag though. Never /bugged it.

Welcome

Sorry, didn't notice that you also suggested to make language selection clientside. Not sure it's the way to go, though... 1st rule of netcoding is that yes, Yossarian was right, they all are trying to hack you, and the less is decided on the client, the better. But in this case this might be just paranoia.