101 Reply by Martha Stuart

(17 replies, posted in Open discussion)

Stranger Danger wrote:

its not what you think

this isn't a "drop windows for your pc" type of OS.

All it is, is a Linux based CONSOLE operating system for their upcoming steam box or whatever..its going to be so you can play steam games on their console.

You are not going to want to trash windows and all the functionality of your PC out the window and only play games on your PC...unless you do I guess.

if they can get some decent office software developers on steam (shouldn't be hard) and it has the ability to at least read MS office files...then ill gladly drop windows however.

I don't think you fully understand what Linux is.  Linux is a complete OS.  It can do everything windows can do, and usually do it better. The only reason Linux is not mainstream is because most, if not all, linux builds are not fully GUI capable.  Meaning that to do some of the things that most people take for granted on windows must be done through a command line interface.  Meaning you must have a much deeper understanding of OS's to accomplish what you want. 

As of right now Linux is VASTLY superior to windows, if you know how to get it to do what you want it to do.  Windows is a bloated resource hog, and is very inefficient in many of its functions, not to mention the windows has a ridiculous amount of services and overhead running in the background that eats through a lot of system resources.  On top of this, Windows has massive security flaws, and linux is light years ahead of windows when it comes to security if set up correctly.  I am in no way trying to bash windows.  they have accomplished an incredible feat by making an OS that can work on millions of different hardware configurations.  but that does not mean it is the best thing out there.

Right now there are 2 things holding linux back as a gaming platform. 

1)  Device drivers.  Driver support for things like graphics cards and other things is atrociously bad.

2)  Directx.  For the past 15 years the large majority of games have utilized Microsoft Direct X package to design and implement graphics processing.  But with the announcement of Steam OS, Nvidia has stated that they will be drastically increasing there support for linux based systems utilizing there hardware, and if Steam OS gains traction AMD will also follow suite.  Right now there is an alternative to DirectX, its called OpenGL and it has one main advantage over Direct X and that is that it can be run on basically anything IE: Mac/Linux/Windows with little porting needed.  The problem is that no one uses it because the main gaming platform is windows.  Also, AMD has announced that the next gen consoles will be utilizing something called MANTLE.  It is a low level API that allows access to AMD vid cards at the hardware level.  This alone, will allow developers to make games much more efficient when utilizing AMD hardware, it will also have the added benefit of making porting games to other systems much easier.  You are right, in that, right now you wont abandon Windows.  In 3-5 years, things will be very different.  We are currently witnessing the start of a major change in the OS market, and Microsoft dominance will be challenged, and quite possibly broken.

I personally use Linux on my file server, media center and laptop.  And it is absolutely fantastic what you can do with it.

Edit:  there is plenty of office software and other programs for Linux,  and it is completely free.  Check out sourceforge, and linuxSoftware.org.  There are millions of free programs all developed by the linux/open source community that work great and have all the functionality that proprietary software has.

Go to forum: Open discussion

102 Reply by Martha Stuart

(18 replies, posted in General discussion)

My suggestions:

1) Remove Cortex's from active SAP loot.
2) Make all roaming spawns/Observers Mk II class bots
3) Make all Mk II class bots (Player controlled MK II's included) have a slight chance of dropping cortex's.   (This would make roaming spawns worth hunting down.  Right now they are just a nuisance, and not even worth ratting)
4) Martha is Great!

MK II's, just like T4, have become the defacto standard in PVP.  If you aren't flying a Mk II its a trash fit.  This should not be the case.   MK II's should be somewhat rare.  The standard should be the MK I bot.  Most fights should take place in MK I class bots, so that when one side/person brings out a MK II everyone on the field knows that sh*t just got real.

Go to forum: General discussion

103 Reply by Martha Stuart

(46 replies, posted in News and information)

Ville wrote:

Can we add T2+ and T4+ to the token shop?  Also would it be possible to institute a "daily random". Where the first mission you do rewards you with something good like a CPU cortex or alien probability device or random star beacon or a hand job?


DEV Zoom wrote:

Ville: T2+ and T4+ should stay rare, so the answer is no, at least for now.

We'll probably bring in daily missions in some form or another, but then they'll have their own boxes and missions, not just some loosely attached gimmick.

Oh yeah and what I forgot to mention in the blog is that we'll remove the current "daily" missions. They aren't really "daily", they have been created with their own concept, but players just don't use them as they are intended.

ok, so no on the T2+ and T4+, but I didn't hear a no on the hand jobs.  How many tokens will that cost?

Go to forum: News and information

104 Reply by Martha Stuart

(249 replies, posted in Balancing)

Arga wrote:

"I'm not saying nerf the EW into uselessness and I have yet to read anyone suggesting that, so you are crying wolf on that one."

Requiring LOS would make EW useless, and that is being suggested, I don't think 'cry wolf' means what you think it means.

You are saying that by making the Zenith LOS it is completely useless and not even worth using.  You are the one claiming that this change would bring about the end of the world for the Zenith.  That is crying wolf.  Your like the crazy guy wearing a sandwich board screaming the end is neigh.  Every other weapon in the game uses LOS.  Ictus and troiar all have to fit Hardeners just like any other bot that wants to use shields EXCEPT for the zenith.  Ever heard of a Glass Cannon?  This is exactly what the zenith should be if you don't use hardeners and fight on the front lines.  Just like every other bot in the game would be if it didn't use hardeners. 

And stop saying missiles are not LOS, at best they are semi no LOS.  True no LOS is what the zenith can do.  I cannot park a tyro behind a mountain and shoot at anything in range with no consideration for terrain.  Yes the missiles can fire over SOME terrain,  but not through a mountain.  This is BALANCED by it being the lowest DPS in the game.  The only offensive mods in game that are true no LOS are suppressors/ECM's.  If Zeniths/Vagas had LOS then I would say leave them as they are.  So long as they are the only no LOS offensive ability in the game they need to be balanced.

Go to forum: Balancing

105 Reply by Martha Stuart

(249 replies, posted in Balancing)

Arga wrote:
Martha Stuart wrote:

From a battlefield standpoint its one and the same.  If you are fighting a group of 6 people,  you jam out 2 of them.  You are now effectively fighting 4 opponents.  Whether they are dead or not, you have removed/dimisnished the opponent by 2.  So for all intents and purposes its one and the same.  After 6 months of play losing equipment means nothing, losing a fight means everything.

And here it is.

6 go out roaming in all combat bots, while group 2 goes out with combat and EW, can't have that, make it balanced so that it's 6 combat bots against 4 combat bots, and 2 EW along for fodder.

I'm not saying nerf the EW into uselessness and I have yet to read anyone suggesting that, so you are crying wolf on that one.  I have a zenith pilot and I don't want it to become useless either, i'm just saying BALANCE them.  Right now a zenith mkII can achieve a range of 760m+ with a 100% jam chance on a heavy with 1 Tuner, and can fire through terrain, that is not even considering adding in suppression. You should not have to break a build to counter a Zenith.  Adding 3-4 ECCMS to a heavy completely destroys its purpose. This is extremely overpowered.  Shorten the range, lower the hit chance, whatever solves it but keeps them useful.  What we are trying to point out is that in EVERY category zenith/vaga reign supreme.  Speed, range, hit chances, effectiveness, mobility, and LOS.  It wins in EVERY category except DPS and tank.   

Your point about the Zenith taking 1 volley from a heavy is not even relevant because a tyro/ictus/gropho with its shield down is just as squishy, and these are bots that are fighting on the front lines. The tyro/gropho has to drop its shields to shoot, which is not true for the EW bots.

Go to forum: Balancing

106 Reply by Martha Stuart

(249 replies, posted in Balancing)

From a battlefield standpoint its one and the same.  If you are fighting a group of 6 people,  you jam out 2 of them.  You are now effectively fighting 4 opponents.  Whether they are dead or not, you have removed/dimisnished the opponent by 2.  So for all intents and purposes its one and the same.  After 6 months of play losing equipment means nothing, losing a fight means everything.

Go to forum: Balancing

107 Reply by Martha Stuart

(249 replies, posted in Balancing)

Arga wrote:
Martha Stuart wrote:

Except not really, Put 1 reactor sealing in a bot and you have effectively negated any Ictus/Neuts on the field.  So why should it be any different for other types of EW?  There needs to be an effective counter.

At least you're comparing Ew to Ew, but the reason why neuting needs a more effective counter is that it effects BOTH offense and defense. Supression and ECM only counters offense.

Again, you are missing the balance.  Neuts are LOS, Jams and suppression are not.  So make it all LOS and then your point stands.  So long as jams and suppression can hit through cover they are extremely overpowered.  Not to mention that the ECM and suppression tunnings are VASTLY superior to the Enwar tunnings.

What does your offense/defense argument even have to do with this?  If your accum is gone, or your completely locked out, either way your screwed.  I would also like to remind you that there are 2 classes of weapons that don't require accum to use, so neuts only effect the offense of certain weapons, and certain defenses.  If you are jammed out, you are effectively dead to the rest of your fleet.  Yes you might be able to rep a little but you are still effectively and completely out of the fight either way, so it doesn't really matter.

Go to forum: Balancing

108 Reply by Martha Stuart

(293 replies, posted in News and information)

So I'm not sure if certain people have figured this out yet or not, even though it has been stated multiple times by multiple people.

Stop asking for new game assets, the DEV team does not have an artist on staff.  This is not a possibility at the moment, SO STOP ASKING FOR IT.  I get it, we all want new assets, me included.  New bots/mods/ etc etc, but as of right now it is off of the table.  Hopefully steam will bring in more players, which will increase revenue streams for the DEVs and allow then to expand.  But as of now it is an impossibility, so stop harping on about it.  Anyone who is purposing new game assest as a solution are wasting everyone's time, and arguing for a no reason.  Work with what we have, cause that's all we are going to get for a while.

Go to forum: News and information

109 Reply by Martha Stuart

(249 replies, posted in Balancing)

Arga wrote:
Burial wrote:

I'm not saying all the solutions need to be applied and nerf EW to the point it's not used at all, but there needs to be added something to the game to combat it or nerf it.

If ewar isn't effective, that is nerfed to the point it is easily countered, then it's useless. Why? Because combat KILLS things, ewar doesn't. Countered Ewar is dead ewar, suppressed combat is still capable of being 100% effective after ewar is removed.

Except not really, Put 1 reactor sealing in a bot and you have effectively negated any Ictus/Neuts on the field.  So why should it be any different for other types of EW?  There needs to be an effective counter.

Go to forum: Balancing

110 Reply by Martha Stuart

(26 replies, posted in General discussion)

Celebro wrote:
Burial wrote:

Everyone who still plays!
.


I play and I wasn't there. No consensus yet on the sparking issue. Dev's reaction, remove Epriton from gamma.

I win?

Go to forum: General discussion

111 Reply by Martha Stuart

(26 replies, posted in General discussion)

Arga wrote:
Burial wrote:

Also came to the conclusion that it would stay the same regardless of Spark Teleportation or not

Who concluded this?

Everyone but you smile

Go to forum: General discussion

112 Reply by Martha Stuart

(55 replies, posted in Feature discussion and requests)

Tux wrote:

How about needing PL's to make MK3 Mechs ? .. would increase their rarity

I like this idea

Go to forum: Feature discussion and requests

113 Reply by Martha Stuart

(55 replies, posted in Feature discussion and requests)

Sundial wrote:

Stuff

God dam, I would Love to have my Tyro mk2 have a 50% accum recharge rate + a 25% shield absorption.  Throw in a reactor sealing and I would be unbreakable.

Go to forum: Feature discussion and requests

114 Reply by Martha Stuart

(293 replies, posted in News and information)

Ville wrote:
Tux wrote:
Ville wrote:

Tuxs post:  I want cheese with my whine.

Ville you mis understand me ... this will only give me time to take a break from production and focus more on pvp ... I fully intend to take advantage of the changes wink But i do look forward to the whine that will be spewing on the Spark Teleport Thread once these changes happen .. .

Sounds like crying in the other threads... "Oh please remove epi from colixum based commodities....please, I'm so lazy" ....  That's all I read from you.  Suck it up nancy.

From the guy crying about spark teleports?  sniff sniff.  Anyone else smell that?  Ville has the distinct smell of hypocrisy and shame.

Go to forum: News and information

115 Reply by Martha Stuart

(293 replies, posted in News and information)

Ville wrote:

I don't think refined minerals have anything to do with this.  You own a gamma base, you mine epriton then you haul epriton back to your base.  Where's the part that needs to be refined?

another question would be, why would you refine it at all before hauling to gamma? the refining is substantially better on gamma and that's one of the major benefits to gamma in the first place.

Go to forum: News and information

116 Reply by Martha Stuart

(13 replies, posted in Q & A)

DEV Zoom wrote:

Ville can be sometimes so sane it's scary.

I think its more like "The sun even shines on a dog's *** some days"

Go to forum: Q & A

117 Reply by Martha Stuart

(165 replies, posted in General discussion)

Arga wrote:

Ingenuity = 800K EP, 100 million nic , and/or 3 to 5 squad members.

STC for the first 3 months of our existence mined Epri out of NC with constant attacks by HUN, Eharm, and many others, which just goes to show that it can and has been done before.  So stop with all this doom and gloom, its pointless and not even remotely accurate.  And as of right now the game world is far less hostile then it was back in those days.

That was with static ore spawns so everyone knew where we were, and no walls.  We also, like many others, successfully ninja mined huge quantities in hostile territory, and made good NIC doing it.

TLDR: Suck it up buttercups

Go to forum: General discussion

118 Reply by Martha Stuart

(165 replies, posted in General discussion)

Heliaso wrote:

it's you who was talking about walls in first , not me.

My point was that with a little thought and some effort you can solve the NPC problem.  its not as big of a deal that everyone is making it out to be.

Go to forum: General discussion

119 Reply by Martha Stuart

(165 replies, posted in General discussion)

Heliaso wrote:
Martha Stuart wrote:

a little ingenuity.

It doesn't allow to build wall outside 3km.

ingenuity != walls

walls are a part of "a little ingenuity"

Go to forum: General discussion

120 Reply by Martha Stuart

(293 replies, posted in News and information)

Burial wrote:

Guess I just rush ahead wanting to see the results. tongue

I want it to be immediate

Go to forum: News and information

121 Reply by Martha Stuart

(95 replies, posted in General discussion)

Shadowmine wrote:

Merkle, your membership in STC is coming up for renewal....... smile

RAWR would take him

Go to forum: General discussion

122 Reply by Martha Stuart

(165 replies, posted in General discussion)

Heliaso wrote:
Martha Stuart wrote:

I don't think you need an active ECCM at all, STC ran into this problem when we were running missions on Norhoop,  you corral the NPC's inside a box of walls.  We did it all the time, its not hard, just takes about an hour to do.  No biggie.  Its not like all the Beta islands are gonna have every field under a NPC spawns.  Adapt and survive.

You can't wall everywhere, you know the 3km around terminal ?

Trust me, we ran a TONNE of missions and burned through quite a few fields and this was never a problem/the problem could be solved with a little ingenuity.

Go to forum: General discussion

123 Reply by Martha Stuart

(293 replies, posted in News and information)

DEV Zoom wrote:
Martha Stuart wrote:

Right now its T4/T4 + some T2 or trash fit.

I didn't want to say this because it would have seemed like some hidden intention with purely this goal, but tbh I also hate to see T4 becoming the de facto standard equipment.

it's really hard on the new players being at both an EP disadvantage and then also being totally outclassed in equipment.  not to mention the fact that most new players can't afford to lose a full T4 fit bot anyway.

Go to forum: News and information

124 Reply by Martha Stuart

(293 replies, posted in News and information)

Ville wrote:
Martha Stuart wrote:
Shadowmine wrote:

As a miner, I say HOORAY for 14 nic per unit of Epi! Mining is a viable profession again!

I second this, the market has been in a slump recently.  for any marketeers out there this is gonna be good, its gonna force prices up to where they should be.  Not only because Epri is harder to get, but from what i can tell there will be fewer people mining it.  this will drive the entire market up.

It will be over 6 months before that happens.

Better than never

Go to forum: News and information

125 Reply by Martha Stuart

(293 replies, posted in News and information)

Shadowmine wrote:

As a miner, I say HOORAY for 14 nic per unit of Epi! Mining is a viable profession again!

I second this, the market has been in a slump recently.  For any marketeers out there this is gonna be good, it's gonna force prices up to where they should be.  Not only because Epri is harder to get, but from what I can tell there will be fewer people mining it.  This will drive the entire market up.

Edit: This will also have the added effect of making T3 equipment viable as an alternative to T4.  Right now its T4/T4 + some T2 or trash fit.

Go to forum: News and information