Changes in SS2 - Actually HCS participation in forums, repair kits, more money and so on...

[Nestor]

Hey all who dont read this,
i think it became obvious that SS2 is changing a bit in the last days. The participation of HCS in the forums, namely Biggrim has risen tremendously. And we got some "updates":

1. Repair kits
   
2. Rise in credit drop rate
   
3. Rise in XP gain per entity killed
   
4. Removal of inventing, step by step
   
5. Obviously messing up the Image server...
   

All in the name of getting more players to SS2 and actually have them stay there. I dont know. While the idea of repair kits is actually an old idea (back from the very first days of SS2) it is debatable if they are introduced the right way, especially with the introduction of more credits. I think i read somewhere that the kits should have been the costly, luxury alternative to the repair centers, but right now its so easy to get the money that most players dont have to worry about the cost. And then the stupid repair kits from artifact points: whats the point in making a L50 set for 1AR if i could make a L200 one for the same cost with greater versatility? Something has to be changed there too. Furthermore the rise in the credit drops will lead to an inflation of the FC market, in favour of higher levels (since there the cr drops are REALLY excessive).
Now the rise in XP per entity: Why that?? In my opinion that was really unneeded, leading only to faster sublevelling at end of content and (in some missions) probs even before.
But maybe im wrong. Most of the comments on the SS2 forums are from players with highly upgraded chars, and things are very different for non-donating casual players. Imagine a energy gain of 50/h and 550 max energy. Its a pain to level later, and no fun being in one level just grinding for days.
Removal of inventing: Much debated, loved and hated. I think loosing the inventing is loosing a core part. And then having entities drop gear - i hate that! And i think i hate getting armour from creeps more than loosing inventing actually. It would have been nice to have entity class specific drops, so that minerals drop crystals, robotics drop elecs and so on. Then the creation of blueprints (and the associated art) should be way easier.
All in all i think HCS is trying to take fast measures to improve the player base of SS2, but they seem to loose the long term goal.

What do you think where SS2 is going in the next months?

Its clear with the coming of biggrim to SS2 - and his Fallensword (FS) background - we will see features much alike those in FS.

I shiver with the thought that SS2 will evolve into a FS2 (PvP - bounty board, credit sinks now credits are getting plenty, endless leveling without a gameplay etc.) - I sure hope that this is not going to be the truth.

Now I just hope that Biggrim and co. will see the outcome with this batch of updates before implementing more new features or dropping old SS2 features - If there is no increase in new players compared to now - we can laways hop they will roll back the inventing feature

Well, since part of the charm is already lost with the creation of items by blueprint, the game will most likely lose even more of it's appeal if things keep heading this way.

Thing is, when one thinks that SS2 is in essence just a template of FS, It could seem that HCS may want to bring SS2 as close to FS as possible, while making us think it's still original. This would cut out a lot of their work. I base this on the fact that when SS2 was still an original creation, with major differences to FS, updates where a lot scarcer, and quite high quality.

Now, they get spammed on us by the bucketload, and SS2 is changing into something we don't even recognise anymore. FS players will now find more ground with SS2, and soon we'll find the SBox spammed with messages along the line of:

"lolz. where r teh blacksmitzh!?" or ome other form of incoheretance.

I'd love to have more players to ensure SS2's survival, but I don't feel we need more players looking for (as it's termed) "Fallensword in space".

Now, they get spammed on us by the bucketload, and SS2 is changing into something we don't even recognise anymore. FS players will now find more ground with SS2, and soon we'll find the SBox spammed with messages along the line of:

"lolz. where r teh blacksmitzh!?" or ome other form of incoheretance.

*cringes* I can surely do without people that massacre the english language.

As can I! A player once told me an interesting reply he always gives on the the following request for buffs:

Player X says: Can I have sum buffs, pls?

The reply:

"If you can't be bothered to type out "please", I can't be bothered to type out "yes"

Needless to say: I found this to be utterly hilarious!

If you can't be bothered to type out "please", I can't be bothered to type out "yes"

Hahahahahaha!!! That is indeed hilarious!

I too, have shaken my head at the SBox messages, we might be facing in the future, but then again... I am the last to call anyone a spammer.

I think, I have come to terms with the changes. I absolutely hate the fact, that entities are dropping pieces of gear and I think, it´s a loss for the game, that blueprints will be history. On the other hand, we do need more players and if the Swordification can give us that, I have to learn to live with it. The alternative could be the game closing down.

I hope, the Cows keep up the excellent storyline, awesome missions and mission item inventing. After all, missions are what I like the most about Sigma. As long as we don´t lose them or get them Swordified (read: lame), I will endure the other changes and keep enjoying the game.

In one of the other games I have played (in fact I was a Gameadmin there), I once replied a post with similar language abuse like this:

I am sorry, yet I do not speak Jibberish, can you clarify?

Can there be any end to the hilarious comments that one can actually give?

On a serious note, and more in line with the topic:

It is true that HCS has made some truly game changing changes, but we still have RC, and we still have our great community, and we still have external friends who manage to keep the game up on a high level! Therefore, in lieu with what Annika has said, I will add this:

The game will inevitably change, perhaps beyond recognition, and we, as single players, cannot really even register a ripple in the pond of change. However, Red Cell and their friends can, together, form a barrier of changes, resistant to the waves of change in gameplay. For it is simply we, as a gaming community, who will withstand the test of gaming time.

<Dismounts Soap box>