New Horizon AMA with Matt!

[MageLO 136]

Exciting News!
 

Our CEO, Matt Scott, will be hosting an AMA on the official Little Orbit Twitch Channel this Saturday, August 24th at 5 PM UTC.
 

Don't miss your chance to ask your burning questions and get the inside scoop!
 

Please use this thread to submit your questions ahead of the AMA!
 

We can't wait to talk to you all again and answer your questions - See you on Saturday!

[Hexerin 1140]

For anyone that wants that time translated to their local time, I've got you covered:

https://www.wolframalpha.com/input?i=August+24th+at+5+PM+UTC

 

Bear in mind that if you use a VPN, that link will show you the local time of the region you have your VPN set to. In this case, add "convert to X" to the end of the input string (replace "X" with your local timezone designation, or ideally your UTC code if you know it). How this would look:

 

Edited August 20 by Hexerin

[MACKxBOLAN 431]

When will ToS be enforced again?

n Don't give me that noise about sard has to 'Learn and Analyze'.

I want the Date that the Button will get Pushed???

and I'm not just talking about hackers.

That, is all I have to Say. 

[Roxl 120]

Oh neat

My question would be:

 

As a long time APB fan who slowly drifted away due to the rushed, lacking, or otherwise incongruent additions to the world building and lore, is there any chance LO would be open to suggestions on updating the contacts and faction they've created to better suit the games aesthetic and world?

Or would that be a pointless endeavour to pursue?

 

Hope it all goes well regardless though

[sneekface 87]

Hey Matt, question: How does the current influx of players affect Little Orbit, does it translate to revenue at all? Is APB: R still viable for you, and if so, are there any possibilities to hire developers and add features and improvements to the game? As a long time fan, i'm disappointed in the clear lack of resources put into the IP.

[CookiePuss 5378]

17 minutes ago, sneekface said:

As a long time fan, i'm disappointed in the clear lack of resources put into the IP.

Semi joking but if you want them to have more resources, you need to spend more money.

[xnyuu 23]

Dear Matt, dear AMA Team,

 

1st Question: From which date on will SARD be active and compromizing those accounts being cheated on?

 

2nd Question: Would you ever reconsider rolling back on the acceptence of modifying config and game files? 

 

 

Thanks for your attention. I’m looking forward to your reply.

[MACKxBOLAN 431]

25 minutes ago, CookiePuss said:

you need to spend more money

Bad thing is the more money you spend the more patootie the trolls treat you. 

Every time I spend money something bad happens in apb. 

I'm not real interested in his ama, surprised he showed up twice in a year.

And I would be willing to spend more, if the game was cleaned up. 

We have zero gm's in game. We have zero anticheat effectiveness,

Lo let hundreds of hackers and trolls in.

Lo put the new contacts in WF where trolls and hackers live.

Lo allows 6 eastern servers to fill with hackers but won't force them to west. 

No I'm not buying anything now, If I buy they will find another 200 hackers to add 

to the 300 they added by unbanning, and the 300 more they added by adding contacts. 

I might be crazy but I'm not stupid.

It is one for LO to control hackers, but controlling toxics seems real ez, just read the chat logs. 

Lost a mission yesterday because of a troll, crashing me and pushing me a good mile past the point.

All of this is seen or able to be seen by gms, n ya never see em. 

So its been the wild west or in this case the wild far east.

I believe sard is just another eac smoke screen. 

They should have given pre max ranks, max rank. 

Now we've lost fin so one less amenity, lost all the guns, cuz they don't work the way hacker guns do.

in allot of cases you fight hackers and participate, fight hard and get Zero xp or cash because you're called into 

an attack mission and stopped at the A point by hax, or if defense, the hax speed hack from A thru D and have their friends 

crash into you and push your car away.

 No offense to U Cookie, sorry for the long rant. 

 

 

[suicideking 1]

It may be a weird/insignificant question but I wonder when bridge surface in Waterfront will be fixed, New Horizon includes changes to Waterfront but this bug/oversight is still there.
I'm talking about road surface on the bridge over road near parking lot and abandoned houses, it looks and sound like you're driving on dirt while you're actually driving on asphalt.

[StevenDeckard 280]

Did post that question a bit later last time, so here it goes again:

Hey Matt, I wonder will the "open world part" of APB get some love down the line? More to do for enforcers, more to do for criminals, including BOTH sides being reliant on the other (i.e. more cops on patrol = more gain for the criminals, less cops out = less gain for criminals), as well as "drop off" points not spawning right next to where the witnessing happens, but on the opposite site of the town for both sides, so we can have MORE chases happening (after all we got cars!)?

Oh and if there is any chance that clan groups could be larger than just 4 people?

Thanks!

Edited August 22 by StevenDeckard

[TackoGirl 130]

I quote from the post SARD Anti-Cheat: FAQ:
 

"Configs / .INIs: These files can be edited to optimize your experience, but they don’t allow for the creation of new functionality. All these settings are supported by the developers, so modifying them is allowed for all players.

Localization files (.INT / .GER / etc): These are the language files that control the text appearing in-game. Since APB's localization is outdated, the community is allowed to update these files for personal use. However, streaming or sharing these files with offensive content will result in action from Little Orbit.

Use of Crosshair-X / Hudsight: These third-party programs are currently allowed, but there’s a chance they might be banned in the future."

Now, I have a couple of questions and suggestions:

1. Why not integrate a crosshair option directly into the game? By adding a simple option for players to choose a point as their crosshair, you would eliminate the need for third-party programs like Crosshair-X or Hudsight. This would also reduce potential conflicts with the Anti-Cheat system.

2. Why not incorporate all configuration options into the in-game settings? By doing this, players wouldn’t need to manually edit .INI or other configuration files, reducing the risk of conflicts with the Anti-Cheat system. This would also level the playing field, as everyone would have access to the same settings directly in the game.

By allowing players to edit game files within certain limits, it can lead to an imbalance. While I personally don’t mind, integrating these options directly into the game settings would make things much simpler and fairer for everyone. It would also prevent players from having to navigate the gray area of editing game files.

In the long run, if these changes were implemented, APB could become a more streamlined and user-friendly experience—a game that you simply download and play without needing to tweak or modify anything manually.
 

 

Conclusion:
Why don't you just lock all files so that no one can experiment with your product?
The game should ultimately be in the hands of the developers. No one should be tampering with game files to gain an advantage.

If players argue that their computers are too weak and that they need to manually adjust settings by editing config files, then the solution is simple—do exactly what I mentioned in point 2: incorporate all these options directly into the in-game settings.

Otherwise, APB will always be the game where players try to outdo each other by tweaking config files to get the absolute best performance. For the average player who just wants to enjoy the game, this creates an unfair imbalance.

You can’t expect a new player to be told, "Hey, you need to disable muzzle flash by editing the config file and tone down grenade smoke so you can see your enemies better."

The game should be downloaded as a complete product, with all necessary settings accessible in-game, tailored to meet each player's specific needs.

By making these changes, we would not only create a more level playing field but also make APB more accessible and enjoyable for everyone—without the need for manual file edits or third-party tools.

That would finally “finish” the game. With all the editing of config files the game will never feel complete.

Let's strive to make APB a game where skill and strategy determine success, not who has the best-configured setup.

Edited August 22 by TackoGirl

[Y2Venom 219]

Question : When you took over you, unbanned cheaters, dropped FFBans, classed hackusating as griefing and gave non cheaters absolutly no feedback on bans etc..... Creating an extremly frustrating enviroment for your customers, whilst simultanusly creating a quiet/safe enviroment for cheaters to get away with their cheats and making cheating as normal as buying a gun in arma's.  How will you approach cheating to appease the playerbase of non cheaters, or to discourage players not to go down the buying cheats route ?

 

Answered somewhat

Edited August 24 by Y2Venom

[tedix 4]

Greetings,

 

Do you intend to create a kit for the mirage? 

 

Some new weapons "Stabba" type in project ?

 

That's all

 

The Sheriff

 

 

[Ichinose 64]

Hello,

 

What is the long term plan for the game? Are we going to see new vehicles? new weapons? a new map perhaps?

Will the missions system ever be reworked to be randomized? 

 

And some of personal questions:

Could we get a connoisseur skin in the armas? (white and gold)

 

Thanks

[Yapopal 168]

Hello. I don't see the point in asking questions because I don't trust your words. But I have a proposal. Hold a competition to update the merchandise in the social district cinema.

[yourrandomnobody74 106]

Game balance questions
1.) Will you consider lowering overall RNG of the game and transitioning to a bit longer TTK, as the game was originally intended to (perhaps even make ADS 100% accurate for all guns). Perhaps even properly done RTW/High TTK districts without the original RNG garbage the old administration served us?

2.) Trimming/slimming down mod selection since they interfere with balancing (some mods should not exist at all, such as some red mods - CJ3, IR3,.. on top of my head. RS3 is useless, Slimming down green mods & adjusting blue mods for characters is also something to look at). WIll this ever occur?

3) Unbalanced missions (or even simpler, obscure game mode choices for FC) when are they getting tackled?

4.) Waterfront is long due for an overhaul (old forum had a great thread on suggestions as to what to change with screenshots of problematic spots) Will you ever detail the your plans with it? With proper full before-after screenshots. (using https://imgsli.com/ for example to showcase a before-after)

5.) When are we getting new movement mechanics? Walljumping, sliding, air strafing (such as the unreleased air control mod). Akin to GunZ, Double Action; Boogaloo, The Specialist (HL mods)

6.) Vehicle top speed & stats in general need fixing, any plans for this?

7.) Crouch movement speed needs attention, any plans for this? [take a look at Dopefish suggestion thread at my post below]


UI questions
1.) UI changes / unification of UI interfaces (inconsistency between Scaleform & Kismet frameworks) When will this happen? The UX is hideous right now (queue system, hello?..)

2.) Why can't we have all 3 FC maps simultaneously running, now that the game is 64bit? Is this a UI limitation? That was the last answer I had on this topic.

3.) You still cannot preview ARMAS clothing items individually, as seen with the release of the new bundles), Will this ever happen? Considering APB's main monetization relies on customization, I'm baffled this wasn't considered yet.

4.) Why are we still not able to uncap FPS in-game and have a adjustable in-game FPS cap? (using WaitablSwapChains for proper CPU/GPU synchro, even Trackmania in 2009 had this...)
Can we also get a OneThreadFrameLag toggle in-game already too? There are too many toggles hidden under config changes.

5.) We don't have a proper in-game VOIP system for YEARS now, are there any plans for this?

6.) Crosshair customizations (dot, X, colors, etc.), along with crosshair actually displaying real accuracy of gun. Oh and resolutions and crosshairs dont play well together When will this get tackled?
https://forums.gamersfirst.com/topic/2804-resolution-differences-affecting-crosshair-and-perceived-recoil/

 
New content
1.) New hair styles? When?
2.) Any plans on new clothing that isn't the hideous poor leather effect BDSM? Take a look at the clothing suggestion thread once in a while, or at least use web-archive to access the old forum ones (examples I can think of rn: jewelry is heavily missing on both genders)

3.) Are there any plans on a new district/map, such as the Midtown (EllixOnline has great assets which could be re-used imo), which would drive the new contacts

4.) Are there any plans for a new game modes, such as BR or the legendary sought-after racing district? RIOT was a good concept but poorly implemented. Perhaps even a competitive district to segregate the casual & comp crowd of the game.

5.) Any plans to add Melee weapons? Fists, katana's axe's, frying pans etc. I think it would freshen up gameplay mechanics.

6.) Motorcycles, when?

7.) Music studio overhaul or additions, when?

8.) Clan progression / warfare content, when will this get looked at? For example: https://forums.gamersfirst.com/topic/2042-game-clan-progression/



Misc
1.) Why is the server still running at the abysmal tick rate it's running at right now? Can we get any updates on whether you have any plans for upgrading server infrastructure on any news on current state of server performance?


A few helpful links:
https://web.archive.org/web/20160503010949/http://forums.gamersfirst.com/topic/386708-new-ui-aka-scaleform-warning-there-are-a-lot-of-images-be-aware-of-internet-traffic/

https://forums.gamersfirst.com/topic/5968-am-i-the-only-dude-that-dislikes-the-slow-ttk/?do=findComment&comment=71943 

https://web.archive.org/web/20150128031946/http://forums.gamersfirst.com/topic/288723-dopefish-list-of-suggestions-and-issues-v2/  [great thread]

[i got a few more in my post history]
 

Edited August 23 by yourrandomnobody74

[Hexerin 1140]

4 minutes ago, yourrandomnobody74 said:

5.) When are we getting new movement mechanics? Walljumping, sliding, air strafing (such as the unreleased air control mod). Akin to GunZ or

No. Such things have zero place in APB.

[yourrandomnobody74 106]

48 minutes ago, Hexerin said:

No. Such things have zero place in APB.

Your comment clearly showcases your overall mechanical skill in shooters and lack of basic foresight as to what makes a game great and competitive.
I don't see a reason for not to ask this question.
It is clear that APB's gameplay mechanics have not stood the test of time and that the game is spiralling downwards.
People would stick to the game if the fundamentals were good.
The only reason people are coming back is because of nostalgia and the invested time in customization (or in general, wanting to roleplay)
Sprintshooting was removed because of technical debt / lack of server infrastructure / dumbing the game down.
Look at old games such as CS1.6, the game has more players than APB just because the original mechanics are great, fluid and timeless.
I'm not gonna derail the thread w/ elaborations of my questions and the thought process behind them.
HF.

Edited August 23 by yourrandomnobody74

[ninjarrrr 255]

2 hours ago, yourrandomnobody74 said:

Akin to GunZ

secrets is that you?

[Mutarenebula 36]

IRT Fallen Earth Port how is the Unity dev kit issue going to effect any future ports or games?  I.E. What does that mean for FE? What is the future timeframe for Fallen Earth Port.   Please and Thank You.

[Hexerin 1140]

9 hours ago, yourrandomnobody74 said:

Your comment clearly showcases your overall mechanical skill in shooters and lack of basic foresight as to what makes a game great and competitive.
I don't see a reason for not to ask this question.
It is clear that APB's gameplay mechanics have not stood the test of time and that the game is spiralling downwards.
People would stick to the game if the fundamentals were good.
The only reason people are coming back is because of nostalgia and the invested time in customization (or in general, wanting to roleplay)
Sprintshooting was removed because of technical debt / lack of server infrastructure / dumbing the game down.
Look at old games such as CS1.6, the game has more players than APB just because the original mechanics are great, fluid and timeless.
I'm not gonna derail the thread w/ elaborations of my questions and the thought process behind them.
HF.

The introduction of Car Surfer, a mod that changes mobility in the game, was literally the single worst thing that has ever been done to this game. Just be quiet, you clearly haven't the slightest clue about even the most basic fundamentals of the game. Not even going to dignify the rest of your word salad with comment.

[thrown. 11]

Ban wave when? All the blatant cheaters are still here.

[EIm0 2]

please let us know when you will unban tradelocks.. after second chance logging in

[Deadliest 385]

New fight club map would be cool

[MACKxBOLAN 431]

On 8/22/2024 at 10:36 AM, StevenDeckard said:

"open world part" of APB get some love down the line? More to do for enforcers

I just want to agree and bump this post, Cops need more open world tasks 

 

 Will the AMA Moderator put this on the List of Questions and Concerns