duplex
12-08-2008, 07:55 AM
Face of Mankind – Changes and New Features
Part 1
As mentioned before, you will see many changes and a few new features in this relaunched version of Face of Mankind. Also, some features have been removed. The general intention was to make the game concept rounder, more transparent, but still keeping the original vision of player freedom.
During the coming weeks you will be presented all the changes and new features bite by bite. We are doing this because you are dying for information out there. We will do this in these forums only, because those who are hungry for information shall get it. The features are not listed in any particular order. I will try to present a good mix in each update, though.
The role of gamemasters
The role of GM’s will change in this relaunch. GM’s will no longer interact in the storyline, faction business or any other player content related things.
Faction leaders will be elected by its members. That will most likely be the first thing to do. All factions will start without leadership in some sort of newborn state. They are all neutral to each other until the leadership is settled and faction relations can be changed and possible wars may rise. This time can be used to setup faction business, rule and all that matters. Again, we (the developers, gamemaster or forum administrators) will not mingle in faction business. Gamemaster will be your first contact for all sorts of in-game problems.
Item Decay (new)
Usable items (weapons, implants) can loose durability per usage. Default durability per Item is 10,000. Durability loss depends on the quality level of items.
Mining + Production
Mining and production has been simplified and made more straightforward as well. Before starting the mining or production process you can define how many items you want to mine or produce. The processor will automatically stop when that amount is completed.
Factory units have been removed. On the production terminal you can see what items can be produced (production materials, production components and all items for which you have bought a production module). You can also see those that you can’t produce yet by filtering for an item type. Production modules can be bought directly at the production terminal.
Once you click on a producible item, its production schemes for the selected quality level will be listed below. They are no longer requested from the server, but hardcoded into the client as well. The server will of course verify everything, but transferring the data is no longer necessary.
Teleporters
For several reasons, Tubes have been removed from the worlds. Instead, we have implemented Teleporters for quick in-world travelling from one area to another. Teleporters are also useful to improve world rendering performance, because the engine doesn’t have to “see” from the location of one Teleporter to another. Areas can be separated from each other more easily this way.
Storage
The storage system is more simple and straightforward now. The storage terminal displays storage contents and one (instead of 2) temporary list for transfer or transport. Items can be moved between all lists via drag’n’drop, also from inventory, weapon slots and equipment slots.
The terminal also shows all your market offers on the current world. Plus, you can put items to the market directly from your storage and/or remove them from the market.
Another important change is that you can put all kind of items to your storage now. Half filled weapons or ammo clips, half destroyed armor and used weapons/implants. There will be a stack for each combination.
Removed Features:
Professions
Squads
Safes (item storage inside apartments)
Chemical Lab (edit: this does not mean chemicals or drugs were removed, this is integrated into the normal production system)
Tubes
There are more removed features, but we will not list them all at once. ;-)
First, because it makes more sense to name them when you know more about the other changes and second, it’s less of a shock.
There are many other topics to cover. Watch out for updates in the future.
-duplex
You can discuss this update here: http://forum.fomportal.com/showthread.php?p=13749
Part 1
As mentioned before, you will see many changes and a few new features in this relaunched version of Face of Mankind. Also, some features have been removed. The general intention was to make the game concept rounder, more transparent, but still keeping the original vision of player freedom.
During the coming weeks you will be presented all the changes and new features bite by bite. We are doing this because you are dying for information out there. We will do this in these forums only, because those who are hungry for information shall get it. The features are not listed in any particular order. I will try to present a good mix in each update, though.
The role of gamemasters
The role of GM’s will change in this relaunch. GM’s will no longer interact in the storyline, faction business or any other player content related things.
Faction leaders will be elected by its members. That will most likely be the first thing to do. All factions will start without leadership in some sort of newborn state. They are all neutral to each other until the leadership is settled and faction relations can be changed and possible wars may rise. This time can be used to setup faction business, rule and all that matters. Again, we (the developers, gamemaster or forum administrators) will not mingle in faction business. Gamemaster will be your first contact for all sorts of in-game problems.
Item Decay (new)
Usable items (weapons, implants) can loose durability per usage. Default durability per Item is 10,000. Durability loss depends on the quality level of items.
Mining + Production
Mining and production has been simplified and made more straightforward as well. Before starting the mining or production process you can define how many items you want to mine or produce. The processor will automatically stop when that amount is completed.
Factory units have been removed. On the production terminal you can see what items can be produced (production materials, production components and all items for which you have bought a production module). You can also see those that you can’t produce yet by filtering for an item type. Production modules can be bought directly at the production terminal.
Once you click on a producible item, its production schemes for the selected quality level will be listed below. They are no longer requested from the server, but hardcoded into the client as well. The server will of course verify everything, but transferring the data is no longer necessary.
Teleporters
For several reasons, Tubes have been removed from the worlds. Instead, we have implemented Teleporters for quick in-world travelling from one area to another. Teleporters are also useful to improve world rendering performance, because the engine doesn’t have to “see” from the location of one Teleporter to another. Areas can be separated from each other more easily this way.
Storage
The storage system is more simple and straightforward now. The storage terminal displays storage contents and one (instead of 2) temporary list for transfer or transport. Items can be moved between all lists via drag’n’drop, also from inventory, weapon slots and equipment slots.
The terminal also shows all your market offers on the current world. Plus, you can put items to the market directly from your storage and/or remove them from the market.
Another important change is that you can put all kind of items to your storage now. Half filled weapons or ammo clips, half destroyed armor and used weapons/implants. There will be a stack for each combination.
Removed Features:
Professions
Squads
Safes (item storage inside apartments)
Chemical Lab (edit: this does not mean chemicals or drugs were removed, this is integrated into the normal production system)
Tubes
There are more removed features, but we will not list them all at once. ;-)
First, because it makes more sense to name them when you know more about the other changes and second, it’s less of a shock.
There are many other topics to cover. Watch out for updates in the future.
-duplex
You can discuss this update here: http://forum.fomportal.com/showthread.php?p=13749