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MattScott

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Posts posted by MattScott

  1. Posted

    Hi all,

     

    Back on my regular Friday schedule of updating Customer Support status.

     

    As of today, there are 1,137 total tickets open (unsolved) which is up significantly from last time. Not sure why we saw a spike in tickets this week, but I'll have the team look into it.

    Despite the influx of new tickets, there are only 695 total tickets that have not been touched (contacted). That is down from Monday by a considerable amount.

     

    We have a couple of straggler KTTC tickets, but the majority of regular tickets are now from March 21st. We are so close to being at the 30 day mark for tickets.

    If your ticket is older than that, and we have not reached out, then I recommend updating your ticket and asking for status.

     

    Thanks,
    Matt

    • Thanks 3

  2. Posted

    1 hour ago, Nanometic said:

    I'm a bit confused about the times, it was originally, for EU;

    Friday 26th 11pm to 3am PDT

    which was

    Saturday 27th 7am to 11am UTC

     

    Now its got two testing times? 7pm-11pm PDT and 2pm-6pm UTC?

    Apologies. Our time conversion was way off. I have corrected the post.

    We want Friday evening tests for both regions so as many players can join as possible.

    Test #1 7pm - 11pm London time for EU.

    Test #2 7pm - 11pm California time for NA.

    • Thanks 1

  3. Posted

    Just now, BXNNXD said:

    oh that's actually an interesting mechanic, when you say different loadouts can you force different prices for different weapons? shotgun/smg/sniper/etc-centric seasons would be a neat way to incorporate related new content rewards

    Yes. Each individual weapon or category can be priced separately.
    We did that so that if we see an over abundance of one weapon being OP in the mode, we can balance it by making it cost more.

    Same with individual weapon mods. If we go down that road, we just need a better way to let players see what the RIOT unlock cost will be ahead of time.

    • Like 2

  4. Posted

    7 minutes ago, BXNNXD said:

    will there be any changes at all with either the price of loadouts or how common they are?

    This is an area of the design that is fully built out, but is not being used at the moment.

     

    Currently (I believe) all the loadouts cost the same to unlock. 

    However through testing, we can raise or lower those costs to balance the mode.

    We can also individually price different loadouts to change the meta of RIOT each season.

    • Like 1

  5. Posted

    8 minutes ago, BXNNXD said:

    it depends on the starting cost and how that cost scales per death, i won't worry too much about it until we get hard numbers

    The initial design change is to give one respawn for free with the second respawn for $1000. Then the cost doubles each time after that.

     

    9 minutes ago, BXNNXD said:

    on the minor nitpicks side i find it kind of dumb that in a battle royale game, something like extra lives no longer really has to be found/collected

    The original design had players pickup respawns or even having to buy them from specific locations.

    During testing, when we combined those mechanics with everything else, the players were super confused.

     

    For now we're leaning into the cash part of the game to see if we can create good "tension" in how players choose what to do with their cash:

    - Extra lives that get more and more expensive

    - Purchase their primary and secondary loadouts

    - Or bribe the driver at the end game

    • Like 1

  6. Posted

    Hi all,

     

    It's been a very busy at Little Orbit following the Stress Test.

    The team spent the majority of that time sorting through all the feedback from players, evaluating various options, and then creating a development plan to make changes.


    After I reviewed everything today, I have decided to postpone tomorrow's RIOT Open Test for EU and NA.

    Apologies for the late notice, but it doesn't make sense to put up the same build, since so many changes are coming.

     

    EDIT: Due to the extended outage and issues this week, our devs haven't made enough progress for the test.

    We are going to run the Open Test in both EU and NA at the same planned times on Friday, May 10th.

    OTW EU will be first from 1800 - 2200 UTC time 

    OTW NA will be second from 1900 - 2300 PDT time 

     

    (apologies we got the time conversion wrong in the initial post graphic)

     

    For May 10th, we are going to have 6 RIOT instances online for each test.

    The goal is to be able to start matches every 2-5 minutes if there are enough players.

     

    After reviewing the feedback, here is the list of changes we are going to incorporate for the new test:

    • Make it easier to leave the match after dying and immediately join a new match
    • Improve the end of match screen
    • Remove AFK timer while spectating
    • Display the name of the player your spectating
    • Test a different starting weapon
    • Make weapon pickups more accessible across the map
    • Scale Access codes with the number of players
    • Add objective text at the beginning of Riot for finding an Access code

     

    The largest area we are re-working is Respawns:

    • Respawns will have a starting cost that increases every time you die
    • Respawning will now be automated if you have enough cash
    • Rework the location of respawning to be less punishing 
    • Remove Medikits

     

    Thanks,
    Matt

    • Like 7
    • Thanks 6

  7. Posted

     

     

    1 hour ago, BXNNXD said:

    theres no need to buy the pass to get access to the new content

    • Yes. All players can play RIOT without Premium and without RIOT Pass. They can all progress through contact levels and get all the rewards except for the RIOT Tokens.
    1 hour ago, BXNNXD said:

    you get tokens for purchasing a riot pass

    • Sort of. Technically, purchasing RIOT Pass gives you the extra ability to earn RIOT Tokens as you do the normal progression through contact levels. However, @BXNNXD's statement is true if you have already progressed through levels without having a RIOT Pass. If you buy one that season, then you'll get all the past RIOT Tokens you missed and have the ability to earn the remaining RIOT Tokens for the rest of the season.
    1 hour ago, BXNNXD said:

    you get tokens for leveling up the riot contact

    • Sort of. If you have a RIOT Pass, then you get RIOT Tokens for leveling up the RIOT contact.

     

    For clarity:

    • There is no obligation for regular players to play in RIOT. It's just another mode like Fight Club.
    • RIOT Tokens are spendable in the RIOT Store, which will contain a couple seasons of rewards. The idea is to give players who want to grind RIOT the opportunity to get a lot of value for less than the current cost of Premium.
    • Eventually items will rotate out of the RIOT Store, and regular players can purchase them directly off of ARMAS at their regular price.
    • All players who have Premium keep it and the existing benefits, except for the cooldown bonus that we are making standard for all players.
    • All players who want to buy Premium will have a method of getting RIOT Pass for free if they get two months of Premium in the package.
    • All players who want a RIOT Pass, can either get it as part of purchasing Premium or get it separately.

     

    NOTE: The 2 month Premium pass that includes RIOT Pass for free is a little confusing. Sorry about that. Our goal was to find a way to give RIOT Pass for free to players who buy Premium.

    The problem is that RIOT Seasons are 2 months long, and Premium runs on a completely different schedule that can be bought for 30 days at a time. We also give away lots of small increments of Premium.

     

    Hopefully that helps.

     

    Thanks,
    Matt

    • Like 4

  8. Posted

    Hi there,

     

    I can appreciate the work you put into this post.

     

    Unfortunately we are well past the point where we can change the art style.

     

    Also we didn't avoid Yoshida's art style based on any legal inability to do so.

    I made the decision to avoid Yoshida's art style out of professional courtesy.

    Playdek had Yoshida start work, they used his art, and they never paid him, which made it impossible for us to bring him back to the game.

    I felt it would add insult to injury, given the history, for us to rip off his art style.


    Thanks,
    Matt

    • Like 4

  10. Posted

    Hi everyone,

     

    I want to start by thanking all the players that came out today to help us test the new mode and servers.

     

    This thread is for players to share constructive criticism and feedback, but I want to establish a couple quick guidelines:

    • Please try to be courteous. If we don't keep this thread under control, then it wont be useful to the dev team.
    • Please don't debate the merits of adding a mode like RIOT to APB here. We can do that elsewhere on the forums.
    • Please don't criticize the feedback from other players. If you don't like an idea, then down vote it. If you like an idea then like it.

     

    As a starting point, here is a quick survey that we gave to the SPCT team members:

    1. How does RIOT compare to other APB game modes?
    2. Would you encourage your friends to play RIOT?
    3. How would you explain RIOT to someone who has never seen it?
    4. What ONE THING would you change about RIOT if you could?
    5. What is your favorite aspect of RIOT?
    6. What about RIOT do you like the least?

     

    EDIT: Here is the full list of bugs that we know about that will be addressed soon:
     

    • Currently there is no way to go to district select when you're in the mini-game, which was frustrating for players who died and wanted to jump into another match
    • Players can sometimes experience a poison zone while not actually in one
    • Players who load into a district already spectating will enter the skybox when the minigame ends
    • Unlocking a weapon will cause you to sometimes drop your other equipped weapon
    • “Buy Weapon Unlock” pop up messages are displayed to players who are spectating
    • Access Codes can still spawn during the final stage
    • Emitters and VFXs do not despawn after the minigame ends and can persist
    • Players are sometimes prompted to use their Hazmat Suit when they dont have one to use
    • The RIOT Scoreboard currently does not communicate relevant stats
    • Players are not able to buy and unlock a weapon more than once in a single life
    • Spectating players may see -1/1 lives
    • "Arm RIOT devices" message still appears after the player's mission expires
    • After closing or letting the timer run out on the weapon pop-up message, it remains partially visible on the screen
    • Players are able to see enemy names through the RIOT van
    • A team's total cash is being displayed on the HUD instead of individual totals
    • Environmental effects and sound don't always match with what's happening to the player you're spectating
    • Lives counter reads "0/1" during the minigame-start countdown
    • Text for the RIOT Tutorial is still being worked on
    • RIOT Outsource Manager is not an available contact in the player progression dropdown menu
    • Players spawning into the minigame for the first time after the minigame has started can cause the player to spawn outside of the minigame
    • Access Codes and weapon drops do not scale based on district population
    • Player spawning and respawning mechanics are currently not working as intended

     

    Thanks,
    Matt

    • Like 14
    • Thanks 4

  11. Posted

    Hi all,

     

    I meant to post the stats on Friday like normal, but missed it.

    Instead here are the stats from this morning with a small disclaimer. We tend to be at our worst on Mondays, since tickets accrue over the weekend when less staff are working.

     

    As of today, there are 1,064 total tickets open (unsolved) which is slightly higher than last time.

    However there are only 773 total tickets that have not been touched (contacted). That is substantially less than last time (even more so because its Monday).

     

    As of this morning, Customer Support was following up on tickets from March 7th, which means we've been able to pull the response time in to slightly more than 1.5 months.

    If your ticket is older than that, and we have not reached out, then I recommend updating your ticket and asking for status.

     

    Thanks,
    Matt

    • Like 3
    • Thanks 3

  13. Posted

    15 minutes ago, introlapse said:

    From first quarter review blog: We do have a collapsing map, but it closes off block by block based on player interaction

    RIOT rundown: The order that the blocks close is random.

     

    Excuse?

    It's actually both. Sorry for the confusion.

    Teams have the option of collecting PDAs and choosing blocks to close to get large amounts of cash.

    But if they don't, the game will close down blocks at random.

    8 minutes ago, SpeedyCat said:

    I have a question, what is with players that still have verry much Premium time, is there a chance to get something other than Premium time as side benefit if you buy the RIOT Season pass?

    I have around 9000 days of Premium and i think i dont need more atm. 😎

    Idk, i think it would be cool if there is another pass to choose from for such a case...

    The plan is to also sell he RIOT Pass on its own, and for players who have Premium, you'll get the discount.

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1

  14. Posted

    5 minutes ago, vfterlife said:

    I hope that with the launch of riot you will “make noise” to attract NEW players, not just the old ones. Tell about APB: Battle Royale wherever. 

    "HYPE" should not be limited to forum. I hope you have thought about this moment.

     

     

    There has been a lot of planning and work done on the rollout.

     

    We need to properly test and tweak RIOT with the community, which is why we are rolling it out now.

    My hope is that we can line up the official launch with the engine upgrade, and then kick off all the marketing.

    • Like 2

  15. Posted

    38 minutes ago, Helix Reloaded said:

    Also, I can't seem to understand whether the items in the RIOT pass are earnable for free or not? What does buying the pass get you that playing for free doesn't?

    Essentially there are 10 contact levels that all players can progress through each season.

    All players will get the rewards for reaching each level. Sometimes those are APB$ and sometimes those are items. These are entirely free.

     

    RIOT Pass players will also get RIOT tokens at certain contact levels that can be spent to get additional Premium items from the RIOT Shop.

    Over time, once we have enough items in the shop, we'll start rotating older items out and adding them to ARMAS. We might possibly do the same with the seasonal free items.

     

    We haven't locked in the pricing, but let's assume that RIOT Pass costs $5.99 (it will definitely be less than Premium is right now). Then players who have purchased that pass and been able to achieve all 10 levels will have tokens they can spend for a couple items in the RIOT Shop that might later be available in ARMAS for $9.99-$19.99 each. In other words, our hope is to make RIOT a less expensive way to get premium items.

     

    We're also lowering the cost of Premium (pricing hasn't been locked in), but let's say the new price is $6.99 ($1 less than it is now). In this example, all players will benefit from less expensive Premium. And there will be a new 2 month Premium deal for $13.99 that includes the RIOT Pass for free. Those players will get less expensive Premium benefits and access to the RIOT shop for no extra cost.

     

    EDIT: We didn't include any pricing examples in the blog, because I think it would have further confused people.

    However I am using hypotheticals here to illustrate our overall goal.

    • Like 5
    • Thanks 1

  16. Posted

    1 hour ago, Kewlin said:

    On a serious note though, limited time content is limited time content, and I don't care if it's through the season, the RIOT shop, or comes directly from Matt Scott's pleasant fellow, I don't want it in APB. If it goes on ARMAS afterward, fine <snip>.

     

    I think there are a percentage of players who love the idea of exclusive items that they earned and no one else can get.

    Alternatively, there are players like you that hate exclusive items.

     

    I'm actually more in your camp right now, but Little Orbit lives in G1's shadow.
    We are applying a lot of caution in what we choose to put in ARMAS until we can get more free content into the game.

    Anything we release specifically to ARMAS needs to have a nice well designed, feel to it.

     

    Having said that, I also have no problem giving players a chance to earn items for free during a time limited period, then putting those things on ARMAS later, as long as we don't do it right away. For me, going straight to ARMAS cheapens the effort of some players who spent time to earn the rewards. Additionally there are a *small* amount of things that I do want to keep exclusive, but most of those shouldn't be desirable outside of the players who participated.

     

    I acknowledge that we haven't followed this strategy yet, but mostly because enough time hasn't passed yet, and some of the items we have given away so far aren't really ARMAS-worthy.

     

    Thanks,
    Matt

    • Like 8
    • Thanks 3

  17. Posted

    13 minutes ago, Kewlin said:

    Everything about this new progression shit you're adding is so fucking convoluted and stupid: just add shit to ARMAS to make money.

    Clearly you're frustrated by some of my decision making, and for that I apologize.

     

    All of the paid pass or extra token elements will launch down the road. So we have time to continue tweaking them prior to launch in order to be easier to understand.

    But we intentional did not toss new things in ARMAS, since that's what our predecessors focused on.

    Instead we decided to add a fair amount of new content for free to everyone who wants to play the new mode.

     

    14 minutes ago, Kewlin said:

    Also, requiring players to play RIOT, which sounds really shitty and like it has nothing to do with APB, to progress, needs to not be a thing at the very least. Just allow people to play what they want to play, not force them to play your new mode.

    RIOT is separate just like Fight Club. No need to play that mode if you don't want to.

    Additionally, we've built in a way to skip any seasons you're not interested in, which allows players to quickly grab the stuff they might want.

    46 minutes ago, Sentaii said:

    You wrote that players with the pass can only get 15 Tokens.
    Can they buy every single limited item in the shop or do they need to decide between them?

    Initially 15 Tokens will be enough to get everything in the RIOT shop.
    However, over time we might add enough that players will need to choose.

    Ultimately we'll work with the community to determine the right amount of balance there.

    • Like 12
    • Thanks 4

  18. Posted

    Hi all,

     

    As promised, we've just put up the full walkthrough on RIOT.

     

    You can check it out here:

    https://www.gamersfirst.com/apb/news/2019/4/19/riot-rundown

     

    The goal of this article is to provide as much information going into Wednesday's stress test and Friday's open testing of the mode.

     

    This mode has undergone lots of changes during development and testing. Some of the territory control elements have been changed. We still want to introduce those mechanics, but it's more important to launch with something simple and fun before we add anything else. Our hope is that each season we can change one central gameplay element to keep the mode fresh.

     

    With this in mind, I view RIOT as something that we can build and evolve alongside the community members that enjoy it. 


    For those that don't enjoy Battle Royale style games, then this likely wont be for you. Just know that RIOT != APB. I walked through some of my thoughts in yesterday's blog. This is a very specific way to get new content to the players, but we fully intend to roll out new missions and contacts to the main game once the engine upgrade goes live.


    Thanks,
    Matt

    • Like 21
    • Thanks 8

  19. Posted

    Hi all,

     

    I made an update in my blog yesterday, but I'll repeat it here.

    Innova / 4Game have made every attempt to retrieve the payment backups, but they have been unsuccessful.

    According to them, it is impossible to send that data now.

     

    We are looking at other options.

    In the meantime I am going to unpin this thread, and I'll make a new one once we have a new plan.

     

    Thanks,
    Matt

    • Like 3

  21. Posted

    3 hours ago, CookiePuss said:

    Will Key To the City and Designer VIP pack owners be getting the new symbols for free?

     

     

     

    Everyone with Key to the City will get the 420 symbols and decals.

     

    I had to look up the Designer VIP pack, because it was removed from ARMAS before we took over.

    unknown.png

    Based on the wording, it looks like the pack was a 50% discount on the existing symbols and decals at the time, and didn't include future symbols or decals.

    However, we might update the VIP pack itself to include all the symbols and decals so far, and then re-release it.


    Thanks,
    Matt

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 3

  22. Posted

    Hi all,


    Email from APB is hit or miss across the board - this includes the Forgot Password emails as well.

    This started for us since GDPR last year when we had to spam 9 years of players.

     

    I have found that some providers direct our newsletters to spam because they have links to the site in them.

    Others direct them to quarantine. I recommend going to webmail for your provider and seeing if you can find the quarantine folder and then whitelisting our email address.


    Thanks,
    Matt

    • Thanks 3

  25. Posted

    3 hours ago, CookiePuss said:

    This is actually a very good point.

    We are currently operating under conflicting rulesets.

    On the on hand as Saxtus points out, any editing of game files is clearly stated as being against the rules.

    Without even getting into custom configs, even the Advanced Launcher does this.

    I've no idea why the official rules haven't been amended to match the new stance of Little Orbit, nor do I know why we cant seem to get concrete answers as to exactly what IS and ISN'T allowed as far as file edits go. Its done nothing but further divide our tiny little community and well... that sucks.

     

    3.5 can't come soon enough.

    This is fair criticism. 

     

    The plan is to revisit the ToS and EULA prior to launching 3.5, so that we can provide the concrete ruleset that the community is looking for.

    We're close enough now that I didn't see the point in amending the rules and then amending them again once the engine upgrade comes out.

    • Like 4
    • Thanks 5
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