[Tritian]

Codemasters forum - IRC discussion with Scorch today

Tikigod posted an chat log with Scorch. Lotsa interesting tidbits. Some depth on the economy, and Territory control being the main focus for PvP.

[GrimGriz]

<@[ND]Scorch> certainly many things will drop bits, some of the exceedingly rare, as a way of driving the economy
<@[ND]Translator> There will be grind.

[21:30] <Havok> Scorch, is there going to be a path to get the best items? ...
[21:31] <@[ND]Scorch> the goal is that there is no "best" item or best way to get their, we want it balanced
<@[ND]Translator> We're delusional.

01[21:32] <Petresun> speaking of items... Scorch, in a recent interview Hermann mentioned to the interviewer that he had 'just found an awesome green shield'. Was that a indication that Jumpgate Evolution will have Rare/Epic equipment loot drops?
[21:33] <@[ND]Scorch> yes there is rare/epic type drops in the game
<@[ND]Translator> grind grind grind my little monkies!! mwa ha ha

[21:32] <Impy5> and if you manage to lose the ship with that drop equipped, you lose the item until you find a new one, correct? (just for more consequences to going boom)
[21:33] <@[ND]Scorch> impy5 <- no, a BIG difference is that you don't loose everything when you die in Jumpgate Evolution
<@[ND]Translator> We're not really calling it 'die'...when an enemy does enough damage to your ship, it does an "emergency teleport" to the "shipyard".....

No best weapons, but awesome green epic shields? I want some of what they're smoking.

[-Vomir-]

Originally Posted by GrimGriz

No best weapons, but awesome green epic shields? I want some of what they're smoking.

that's like the "player driven economy" that does not have to produce anything due to magic drops and no equip loss at death.

[21:30] <@[ND]Scorch> certainly many things will drop bits, some of the exceedingly rare, as a way of driving the economy

[21:26] <DLinkOZ> If no one makes stuff, the universe grinds to a halt?...
[21:26] <@[ND]Scorch> yes, it grinds to a halt, however there are other ways to get items. Low level items for example are produced by stations, some items can be found in space.

[21:37] <Impy5> what is the punishment for getting yourself wiped out then? ..
[21:37] <@[ND]Scorch> today the punishment is repair costs

[Ambrosius]

I just don't get it.

[Tobyus]

Maybe some equipment is "bound" to you like it was in EQ (when you died, it went with you) but other equipment can be damaged/lost? I don't know, just taking stabs in the dark. If your ship is teleported just before the "boom", wouldn't that mean there shouldn't be an explosion? If there are no explosions, that would make me sad... I think they should come up with a better explanation for why the equipment isn't destroyed. Perhaps once you acquire an item, it can be replicated (Star Trek/New Knight Rider Style), so when your ship is destroyed, your new ship is an exact replica. That way they can stick with the "Escape Pod" explanation for you surviving the blast.

[Ambrosius]

Well my original understanding is that ships would be pre-equipped with "stock gear" -- not n00b gear like Jumpgate Classic, and that improved, crafted equipment could be installed to improve performance. But in the IRC, Scorch seems to be saying that do do NOT start over with stock gear. I just don't understand how you can "rationalize" this within the game "story." Does special gear automatically get loaded into the "trunk" of the escape pod before it launched back to your /home?It's probably unfair to rush to judgement without understanding the full context (which won't happen until people start playing the beta), but this sounds like more dumbing-down . . . an accommodation for immature whiners who would quit because they lost their golden sword at death.

[Radi]

In other words, WoW in space. Ttheir goal is to make much more money than with Jumpgate Classic. Period.

[netburnr]

Translation: We are not anywhere close to Beta.

[GrimGriz]

Originally Posted by Ambrosius

It's probably unfair to rush to judgement without understanding the full context (which won't happen until people start playing the beta), but this sounds like more dumbing-down . . . an accommodation for immature whiners who would quit because they lost their golden sword at death.

Don't miss out on the part where the golden laser of death (that you don't lose when you die) does metric buttonnes more damage than the crafted "fancy pants laser" that you can buy in the AH, and you have to spend 47.2 hours grinding away at conflux to get the golden laser of death.

The tools that have no life will outgear you in every battle, and combat becomes gear-based, not skill-based...though you won't hear them advertise it.

Twitch gamers want balance, so they can say: The ships are balanced and I still kicked your arse, therefore I am better than you.

Grind gamers want to have the uber gear so they can say: lol pwned!! Go get some gear nub!!

One of the reasons I think autoassault did so poorly, they tried to combine arcade & grind. I think they're trying to combine twitch and grind this time, and I expect them to be disappointed again.

[Ratneck]

I hope they're not making gear more important then skill now. It seems like they're reducing the amount of skill involved in flying (flight model, dampeners) while at the same time boosting the "gear" portion of the equation (epic loot). It's worth the wait to see what the final product will be since I've always been a Jumpgate fan, but I just hope they let people know what is "in" or "out" of the final game...and don't pull a Funcom on release.

[-Vomir-]

we have to see the positives...

possibly there won't be POS

Seriously, the only thing that did somehow balance the "epic" pce-3 (when it wasn't nerfed) was the fact that you lost it when you died.
"Epic" equip will make Jumpgate Evolution a completely different game than Jumpgate Classic except if it is widely available or not really better, but then don't call it epic, that'd be silly.