MattScott Q&A Sep 8th Overview

[EllaC 53]

Hey guys,

I have to say I really gravitated towards the Q&A between MattScott, Nysek and the community today. I have some personal opinions and reflections to come from it, but first I'd like to sum up everything that was said for those who missed it and don't fancy an hour long stream.

Thank you MattScott and Nysek for doing this- I finally feel like I can relax a bit knowing FE is in good hands.

I'll be summarising each point into a small paragraph for the sake of this post- I may have missed some small and/or big points as I was trying to write as much as possible down during the stream, so let me know if I missed anything.

The Interview

1. The situation with game code?
There is an established team looking after this, but it's difficult due to the code and software being outdated. Unity is being introduced to host client-side models and a test server is being used to experiment with these models. "We are not trying to change the mechanics- this first wave of development is literally just taking the game we love and bringing it up to current standards."

2. Anniversary event?
Something will be put together regarding FE's anniversary, but next year it will be made a much bigger deal. "I'm gonna try get on the server- hang out with players a bit on the anniversary."

3. Nysek's involvement?
Nysek noticed the Q&A post went dark and decided to step it up to "get the information out to the community." He has been involved with small-time testing on the Private Test Server (PTS) and also helped to set up LO's Mixer.

4. Stacksplitting?
It is returning. It will be back ASAP, but there's no specific time frame. "There is a core-level issue we're trying to address related to duping."

5. Clan vaults going away?
No, nay, never. "It needs work but we wanna keep that."

6. Waves of unbans?
LO need to figure out how to handle reports from players, related to unfair play, duping etc. They are aware that some people were unbanned that didn't deserve it. "It really came down to what was in the records- what we could look up and verify." The situation was dubbed a "complicated scenario". They are working towards unbanning everyone- anticheat will be established so that constant offenders will be rebanned. "Give everyone a second chance and if they mess up, re-ban them."

They apologise for the absence of GMs- their tools are still being figured out since they weren't explained during the handover.

7. Tickets taking a long time? 
LO are overwhelmed with tickets. "They're being worked through- wait time with customer service is inexcusable."

8. Monthly rewards returning?
Yes. Subscription model will be altered, but monthly rewards are difficult to establish due to the game's old software etc.

9. Possible change in marketplace?
The economy situation needs to be looked at, but it will all be refreshed. "I have to be careful there a little bit." 

10. Daily maintenance?
It's a fix for lag. It's either daily lag or daily maintenance. This will not change until the server packets are changed.

11. Hazmat powers?
There's no opposition to giving Hazmats muting powers etc, but there is a fear of abuse.

12. Faction system change?
No changes will be made to core systems like factions, quests etc- not yet anyway. "I wanna preserve everything as it is- I kinda feel like that's a Fallen Earth 2 discussion."

13. PVP / PVE additions or changes?
They'd like to address these things- some things need to be changed, but the situation needs to be- as Matt put it- surgically picked apart. This is to ensure the MMO feel is retained.

14. Potential wipe? What's that about?
The game data is too broken to fix entirely, so in future when everything is set, there will be new servers but the old one will also be kept so you can continue on as you wish, if you don't fancy taking over. Progression and premium items will be carried over, but otherwise it's a fresh start.

15. Server stability currently?
Working on current code base is kinda a waste of time, but the new system will be designed correctly. Some kind of PTS may be open to premium players.

16. Compatibility issues?
The new system will actually be more supportive for low-end and high-end devices alike. It will run extremely well.

17. Will FE have a comeback?
Yes. It's a unique game that shouldn't be discarded, "I think it's unique- (work on) making it viable again."

18. PVP / PVE mechanics?
Both will still be very much applicable, unlike APB which is only PVP. "I don't think there's enough systems out there that do both."

19. Player housing?
He sees it as a core, endgame mechanic. "I don't wanna rule it out- I love the concept."

20. Achievements, badges etc?
They are a huge deal and will be addressed, "We should fix those- don't know if they'll be (fixed) for FE 2 or not (before then), it depends."

21. New player-friendly environment?
Matt agrees that the controls etc aren't similiar to that of FE's larger counterparts. "It doesn't have standard shooter controls- it took a lot of external research for me to figure out what was going on there (regarding him investigating an in-game feature)." Work will be done on the tutorial and standard controls.

22. Still using the PTS?
Yes. "I'm a big fan."

23. Is Tiggs still around?
Give Tiggs a break- she loved the game dearly and contributed to it massively. "Tiggs has had a rough go of things- she's no longer with the company."

24. Gathering and crafting revamp?
"This is a whole area- implement it as is." A new analytics system will be developed to better understand items and their features etc. "We don't want it (gathering and crafting) to be abusively grindy."

25. Online statistics rather than Steam chart?
Population is low currently, but can't be counted confidently because some players don't use Steam to play. "(Other games) closed down at this level." The new objective is to attract players to the game. The mobile app may also be reintroduced, "expanding the platforms it's on in some fashion."

26. Crafting times / slot adjustment?
They want to focus on fixing the bigger things first, then focus on these aspects. "How can we improve that experience?"

27. VOIP?
Plausible in the future, sort of like APB. Possible private chat groups for friends, like parties on a console etc.

28. New rules to follow?
Get more GMs on first to enforce the rules. Terms of Service and Code of Conduct were updated recently, so maybe implement a new usable reporting tool.

29. Is Blackjack coming back?
"I don't know- I love the idea. (Love to) restore the Bunker Bars..." Possible new alternative to Blackjack, or using the ingame pool tables.

30. Will there be new furry pets?
"(To Sloth pet) I'm gonna say no comment." New pets will be looked at.

P.S:
Keep an eye on Forums.
Follow LO's Mixer and a reward may or may not be put together for the followers.

Thank you.


Ella Clinton.
Director of Survivor's Refuge, Fallen Earth clan.

[Shambler 1]

Thank you for that clear summary of the Q&A session

Was definitely a good one, Mr Scott is really invested in FE !

[Fortune Runner 796]

Thank you for the summary. Good to know. I was with family so I missed the Q&A.

[Kayleigh Stanway 32]

Sloth pets FTW.

[Kishoot 36]

Thank you a lot Hella Ella for the written english, far easiest.

[EllaC 53]

2 hours ago, Kishoot said:

Thank you a lot Hella Ella for the written english, far easiest.

You're very welcome!

[Riverwind 26]

Thank you.
 

[watakelly 1]

Thanks for the overview.

[KatArus 5]

Appreciate the breakdown.

[forrower 7]

What is PTS?

[Lone Wolfson 1]

PTS =  Public Test Server. A server you could join instead the normal one to test updates before they went live and give feedback or play around with your build.

[cobraz 6]

On 9/9/2018 at 2:57 PM, Hella Ella said:

14. Potential wipe? What's that about?
The game data is too broken to fix entirely, so in future when everything is set, there will be new servers but the old one will also be kept so you can continue on as you wish, if you don't fancy taking over. Progression and premium items will be carried over, but otherwise it's a fresh start.

in short term its a good idea but it gona split the community.

what if on the new server new dupe will be found? make third server?

duped items\resourses can be made unwanted by adding new content and/or nerf of old. also dont let npc to buy it.

chips is a bigger problem but could be solved too. convert all chips to some currency that has a good value. like you can buy random item lottery boxes, win some stuff, sell it, like light premiums, cosmetics. people can try to AH it but it would be reds and not yellows, when fe become f2p and they added wardrobe, wardrobe unlock was 2red.

you can make some funny missions with counterfeiters so it will fit the game