Originally posted by bobbler

Originally posted by Superman0X

The internet is open to everyone. If you don’t like that, I suggest you make your own private network that you can limit the access to. However for now, business is open to everyone regardless of race, color or creed. That is how things work in the US (but not everywhere else).

I happen to play with several players that are from Vietnam. I would not know that is where they are from, except they told me. I personally don’t care where they are. As for what level they are... who cares? This isn’t a competition. You should work at improving your game... as that is all that you can control.

As for speaking another language.... well we have that problem in the US. There are plenty of people in the US that don’t speak English, and cant communicate with those who do. It is actually more common for me to meet one of THOSE online, that it is for me to meet a foreigner who cant speak English. Foreigners at least TRY to learn English to communicate when they play on US servers.

 Yes anyone can get the internet. yes i already have a private network its called my network...

so what about cabal blocking IPs not from the country where the game is hosted? that must be my imagination right? see what gets me is the vietnamese already have their own version why should they beable to go in here knowing every trick about the game while others are maimed by just learning how to play. So if this game isnt a competition what is it? do we not try to get the highest level and conquer all other opponents. or i guess we could be leveling for no point and when we go into the opposite clans  territory we make peace because its not a competition. also most countries force kids to learn english in schools. id really like people to stay in their own countries games.

 Well, if you want to stay in your own countries games... feel free. However, if you want Akklaim to limit acess, you are going to have to give a business reason (and not some personal bias). For them this is a BUSINESS. The more money they make, the better.

They have released thier business model. They plan on selling advertising in the game, and to offer a premium version that does not have advertising. They are also going to have an item shop, that sells personalizations for characters.... and experience increases. Yes, experience increases. That means that anyone can pay a little money, and end up higher level than you.

I guess you need to re-think what this game is about. This game is about ENTERTAINMENT, not about being rewarded for your time. If you dont enjoy the process, then if you are not one of the 9 that 'win' you get nothing out of this. How others play isnt something you can control or restrict... in fact the game makers are providing advantages for sale, so that you specifically cant do this.

I suggest you rethink YOUR mentality, because your goals are in direct opposition to how the game makers wish to make money. I am fairly sure that they will not give up thier income, so that you can have your own private game... unless you are willing to subsidize this game, so that they dont need anyone else to make money. Are you that rich?

The internet is open to everyone. If you don’t like that, I suggest you make your own private network that you can limit the access to. However for now, business is open to everyone regardless of race, color or creed. That is how things work in the US (but not everywhere else).

I happen to play with several players that are from Vietnam. I would not know that is where they are from, except they told me. I personally don’t care where they are. As for what level they are... who cares? This isn’t a competition. You should work at improving your game... as that is all that you can control.

As for speaking another language.... well we have that problem in the US. There are plenty of people in the US that don’t speak English, and cant communicate with those who do. It is actually more common for me to meet one of THOSE online, that it is for me to meet a foreigner who cant speak English. Foreigners at least TRY to learn English to communicate when they play on US servers.

Of course they should block all IP's from other areas. You wouldnt want people from other countries talking to each other. And everyone knows that thier money is no good. Forcing players to be limited to what is available locally is what the internet is all about...

(sarcasm intended)

I started playing on the Akklaim (US Servers) servers, because they were already running. The population seems higher than was on the PW (EU Servers).

The game is fairly interesting. There is not a lot of documentation, so there a many things that you have to pick up via word of mouth. It is definately a grind game, and it doesnt have support for keyboard controls or target selection. However it is a fun change of pace with a martial arts feel.

I disagree with your basic premise. An adaptive economy is NOT the only way to go... nor is it always the BEST way to go.

I will agree that a Dynamic Economy would certainly be the most advanced form, and offer the best all around options. However it is also the most complex, and has the most possible complications.

However, the reality is that the economy must match the overall level of the game. If it is more advanced, then it unbalances the other parts of the game. If it is to simplistic, then it pulls down the other parts.

Having skimmed (not read in detail) some of your work. I have not seen a broad understanding of the different types of economies that exist (but I might just have missed that, having not read your work broadly). There are very different styles of economic systems, and they are an integral part of game design. Sadly they are often tacked on at the end, and have to be constantly 'fixed' because no real thought was given to them. That is not JUST because they are poorly designed, but more often than naught, it is because the economy was not included in the overall game design, and as such is less of a system, than just a mix of whatever was available at the time.

Your intentions are good, but your timing is off. The servers are not actually online yet. Also, you do NOT need to download a new client, you can patch your old client instead. Here is a quote from the last status update:

I have recently started to describe Face of Mankind (FoM) as a game based on the conflict between FPS and RPG ideologies.

On one hand it is a FPS, where anyone can kill anyone, based on the skill of the player. There is very little in the way of 'levels' or equipment that can artificially give a player an edge in combat. Those with the better FPS skills win (more often than naught).

On the other hand it is a RPG, where any group of players can form a soclai structure, and change the events of the game. They can make the rules, and set the tone for how the game is played. Those with the better RP skills win (more often than naught).

The conflict arises when the two idealogies come in conflict. The FPS crowd can have thier game affected by the rules, and restrictions that the RP crowd makes. This is basically 'cheating' in thier point of view, and degrades the purity of thier game (where there were no artificial rules imposed to 'equalize' the combat). The RP crowd can have thier game affected by the interference, and lack of complaince with the rules created by the FPS crowd. This basically diminishes the results of thier work, and degrades the value of the game that they are contributing to.

The game is inherently balanced so that niether side can really push out the other, nor can they avoid them. Both sides have to live with the other... despite thier inherent conflicts of interest. This helps create a closed loop... where there is always a level of conflict, and tension between the players. It is this tension (and other similar tensions) that are the 'content' for this game. This is why it is critical that players form groups, and work within thier social circles. This is why the players are responsible for the content, or lack of it. This game has no solo content... as it is based on social interaction (not RP or FPS).

This makes FoM a very unique game, and one unlike many others. This game ENCOURAGES that players form 'clicks' and that they come into conflict with each other in different ways. There are conflicts of ideals, conflicts of interest, and conflicts of beliefs. This game is not about winning or losing... it is about the struggle... it is about being human.

I would like an invite please.

TIA

The content in this game is player made (as it is a sandbox game). This means that there really is no content for those that do not play with others. It also means that when the population is low, so is the content.

That is the weakness of a player driven game. The players get to have an effect on how the game plays... both good and bad.

---

Originally posted by stamgren
There will be a free trial on FoM, soon.

---

Please dont state 'soon'. This is a relative statement at best, and often leads to disputes. The realiity is that they are aware of the need for a trial program, but are in the midst of 2 major revisions that have a much higher priority.

The first issue is timeouts, and is related to the net code. This is currently under revision, and is the highest priority.

The next priority is the list of upgrades for Milestone 2. They will be working on these as soon as they have resolved the first issue.

There are several other items that are 'known', but are not the the priority list. A trial progam is one of those. We do not know when this will become available, or how it will work, but we know that they will implement it when they have time (for all we know, it could be rolled into parts of MS2).

The economy in this game is 98% player crafted. There are a few exceptions to the player crafted issue: clones, medical terminals, apartments, vortex (travel) tickets and starting clothes/equipment. This means that all the armor, weapons, medical supplies, and misc (clothes etc) are made by the players.

This is also a zero sum game. All the money/colonies are already in the game... and for someone to gain, someone else has to lose. This means that no matter how good you/your faction is, you have to be better than others to get ahead.

There are some 'imperfections' in the economy. The first is that some items do not wear out. Guns, implants, and clothes do not wear out, or need replacement. This is scheduled to be changed, and this will prevent those parts of the economy from stagnating. The next problem is that resources are not limited. You can mine 1000 of x mineral, and the price does not increase (to reflect supply and demand). This means that there is no inflation, and that there is no change in cost over time. The last major problem with the economy is that the minerals, and formula to make items has not been properly balanced. There are some minerals that are not used for anything, and others that are used for just about everything. This might be resolved once they finish the large expansion under development.

If you have specific questions about the economy please feel free to ask, myself, and others will answer them if we can.

There are no real 'outside' zones. There are just city/colony zones. Some of them have outdoor areas, but nothing major.

This game is all PvP, so there are no mobs anywhere. There are no vehicles (to use) some are in the background, but none are usable by the players.

They are developing some things that will change my answers... but for now, this is what is in the game.

I agree that there is a lot of OOC comments, and just plain spam on the forums. It is mostly coming from the CS stlyle players that have seen the content coming for MS2.... and are against it, because it will interfere with thier run and gun game.

I have to say that Role Playing is not for everyone... and that including it in the basic game structure is going to make those that dont like it, have to deal with it more often... and they are generally not happy with this. To each thier own... (I expect to see some drop in numbers when they start releasing MS2 content) but I also expect to atttract a lot more new players once that content is available.

---

Originally posted by Mrbloodworth

---

Originally posted by complexiator

---

Originally posted by Scorpion7666
I only got to play this game a few weeks before release. It was a great game with good potential. But once release came around I stopped playing because I didn't think it was ready. But this new patch looks real good, wish I was there to see it.P.S. Is there still rampant PKing/ganking? My appartment was in GZ and a lot of time I got ganked coming out of it. And later in GZ, I almost got into a full scale firefight between my squad of FED and a few (hacking) Mercs.

---

It is a PvP game. Ofcourse you'll get pk'd. The thing is how the game mechanics and the players react to improper use of force.

Game mechanics are the penalty points/prison and turrets. But these are more used for faction politics these days.
Roleplaying and faction structure holds some control over improper killing. A player can be fined if they don't confine to the rules of engagement and even kicked from the faction if they repeat their offence. Also the player versus player confrontation doesn't have to end in bloodshed if you can talk it out.

Now for the new plans. We will be getting a court system. A new game mechanic to enhance the rp controll over improper actions. Since the judges will be from different factions I think this system could actually work. The problem with the police is that it is just another faction and also treated as such. They are not treated as law enforces. But now this court system offers an unbiased controll over crime.

---

I can grantee that no one ever Role-plays the reason "why" they gank new players as soon as they come out to the world. oh, but im sure there is a very valid reason , that has been expressed as to why random, non-declared, but yet apparently "its role-play" reason as to why people camp the spawn points for newly killed (and re-cloned) players....

I would love to hear that back story.

Oh, and the one about why its ok to runaround like a mad man and shoot anyone you see... That must be a good RP story too...

*listens with bated breath*

I can grantee that no one ever Role-plays the reason "why" they gank new players as soon as they come out to the world. oh, but im sure there is a very valid reason , that has been expressed as to why random, non-declared, but yet apparently "its role-play" reason as to why people camp the spawn points for newly killed (and re-cloned) players....

I would love to hear that back story.

Oh, and the one about why its ok to runaround like a mad man and shoot anyone you see... That must be a good RP story too...

*listens with bated breath*

---

I dont know. The CMG (my faction) has never condoned ganking new players... we just kill those who would compete with us (it is harder to compete when you spend your days in cloning).

If you are talking about the MoTB (mercenary faction), well they may (you would have to ask them) believe that the best way to learn is the hard way...

There is a lot of RP in this game... however there are some players that try to make this into CS.. and get frustrated when RP interferes with this.

---

Originally posted by Rimoku
Hey, I played this game during beta and REALLY liked the concept, however the freeloading 12 year old kids totally ruined the experience. And over time, I lost interest. I'm just wondering how the game is ever since it went P2P. Does it still play like a steaming pile of shit, or actually work now?

---

There is an issue with population and problem players. The amount of problem players does not scale well. They are the first to join a game, and it takes a very large(or very dedicated) popluation to overcome the damage that they do. This means that they ruin the game for everyone equally... and that all new players have to endure thier abuse, and either stay because the game is good enough, or leave because they tire of the problem players.

This game has not had the advertising and promotion to give it the population that it could, but it does have a very dedicated community. So, if you band together with the good players in this game, you will find that the problem players are not such a big deal.

---

Originally posted by Bensin304

During the beta the game was great and really fun. You didnt have to grind the xp and it was all player based and players made the rankings and raised them and what not. As I found out after I start yesturday to play this game again it is not as I had thought it was anymore. You now have to do hour long missions (In game time) and sit there and do nothing well you wait for the timer to end. It's sad that they changed there style of game play to what everyone knows as the GRIND. Once you get past the GRIND though you then go back to how they should have kept it which is you get ranked up by other users.

---

Hour long missions where you dont do anything are not REQUIRED... however they are the easiest. People often choose the method that requires the least of them... even if it is the most boring. You could have chosen missions that had combat, or production... or at least some interaction. It is your DECISION to grind (and you dont even do it any faster than those who are interacting with others) rather than just play the game.

---

Originally posted by Veustuh

No I got the point of Face of Mankind though you just reaffirmed that there is a grind within and I was just pointing out that from all the fanboi posts who spew on about "Get out of the grind mentality" when defending this game.  This game like most other MMOs does have a grind within though unlike other MMOs it doesn't involve tedious quests or killing of billions of creatures to move up in levels per se.  Face of Mankind does track experience to which the first 3 ranks are given automatically based upon XP.  Grind plain and simple.

Furthermore, I must know a bit about the game due to in fact that I've posted several reasons why Face of Mankind is suffering the low population as well as why this model will never work for an MMO.  Additionally I've also offered several suggestions that would help alleviate some of these problems one of which is the system generated missions.  From what I've read on these forums it does sound as though somebody at DPS was listening for the current statement about missions is that you guys are planning on implementing some sort of random/counter missions to help when GM's aren't around to create missions for players as well as to help spice up combat a bit when other factions are roaming around in enemy territory.

As it stands now Face of Mankind is some sort of quasi CounterStrike knock off with maps smaller than most FPSs offer today mixed with horrible lag, in part to using a centralized server, graphics sub par to that of the original Half Life and a social aspect that requires its players to login to a voice server (to which damn near everybody can get on regardless of faction).  Essentially the game has no direction other than kill the other side or your team if bored and bootlick if you want any type of power within a faction.  Sure high ranking players can make missions but what's the point if they are never contested and/or it's mind numbing remedial tasks such as "mine 2 units of this and make one clip.. wait 20 minutes then bing! 10k and 100xp"?

---

The choice is up to you. You can GRIND out the exp required in one day by doing boring, pointless missions... or you can interact with the other players, and do the missions that have some purpose and be done in a week. It is the people with the GRIND mentality that have to do everything in as little time as possible, that then complain that it is boring. If they would just spend a little of the effort interacting with the other players, and trying to play the game, rather than 'beat' it, they would have a lot more fun.

DPS introduced automated missions for traders, and has plans to do the same for everyone else. This will help those that dont want to play with others... as they can 'solo'. They will be able to get thier exp even easier. However for those players that are interested in working together, this will just be a minor side issue. Mostly used for training, and the odd 'filler'. The real core of this game is the other players...

---

Originally posted by Veustuh

---

Originally posted by Bensin304
Face of Mankind

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Basic Components of the Game

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As a former GM I have found ways to work the FOM system.

After you have selected your FACTION, that is when the real fun begins. You can start earning experiance in a variety of ways.

Now that you have learned some of the many ways to get xp now you will learn about RANK. Not sure how each FACTION does ranking but Mercs (MERCANARIES) basically have people who have missions up to get xp and some kills in. Once you get so much xp your higher ranked people will start looking and thinking HEY MAYBE WE SHOULD RANK HIM UP.

---

---

For all the slamming of ex-players who dislike Face of Mankind by foaming fanbois with quips like "you have to get out of the grind mentality" these lines coming from a supposed ex-GM are priceless.  So if FoM doesn't have the "grind" found in all other MMOs then why is it important to gain experience and rank?  Oh the sweet irony.

---

Honestly it does have a grind... that last for all of 3-5 days. Experience is used to demonstrate that a player is no longer new to the system, or new to the faction. Promotion for for ranks 2 and 3 are based on experience. Rank 2 is 10k, Rank 3 is 50k. An experienced player, in a faction that knows him can do this in a single day. New players usually take a week, or more if they are not that active.

Technically this is a grind... but it is not significant enough to be an issue. It is more a method to demonstrate that players are competent before they are given leadership roles.

Sigh... please try to keep it civil here. You are scaring the kids.

Lion, I 'believe' that CMG may have you on the number and size of FACTION contracts, however there is a good chance that VI may have had us on personal contracts when you posted that (since then several people have joined the CMG that do many personal contracts... no need to name names, we all know who they are).

The CMG has the best bonus' for mining/production. The EC second best. The VI third. However this may change (as not all the faction bonus' are in play). The EC has the best colonies (at the time of this post).

The reality is that both players and corps (not necessarily clans or gd) seek to make a living in this game. This means that just as individuals need to do contracts, and make a living, the factions need to do the same. Some individuals are out for personal wealth, other are out to be part of a wealthy faction.

The only way to get RICH is to make someone else POOR (be it a faction or player). The money in this game just circulates out of various pools... and eventually someone will decide that they dont have thier fair share... and that is when this game gets interesting.

So... a better goal is to always be 'wealthy' but never be 'rich'... because when someone comes looking for what they feel should be theirs... if you have too much, you are the likely target.