Well, they have gotten a lot of the server issues worked out. The main server is having its database software upgraded so it is down till further notice but they opened up another with the new database software. I have been playing for hours and just got dropped. It is laggy in many places but that could be due to the logging they are doing with the new code they just put in. When the regular server comes back it is said to be better. Even with some lag it is realy not that bad due to the Rainbow Six style "Cone of fire" system. I actualy like it even though we don't benefit from precise hit location (headshots do not do more damage, aim for the body). The hit system is good and bad but it eliminates a lot of cheezy stuff (like everybody being a sniper) and allows those with slower reflexes to compete. I've gotten used to it and with the gameplay it is a fine system.
I actualy got into some squad combat tonight. Squads in this game are the equivalent to groups in EQ, right down to having armor and hitpoint status of group members and group speak. Outfits are your basic "guilds", guildspeak and all. Squads share xp and everything.
Experience is a cool feature without the treadmill feel of EQ. Right now you get a lot of XP for taking a base (or inviting that solo stealth guy that just hacked the base into your squad, then you all still get the thousands of experience points... 100 to 200 for getting an infantry kill). You then level up with Battle Experience Points, you get one certification point (certs are like skill points, you buy access to equipment with certs) per level. In beta right now we all start at Battle Experience Level 10, when the game is live you start at 0 with 3 cert points. For reference the ability to use the machine gun armed quad runner (the Basalisk, common to all empires) costs 3 cert points. You could spawn that and be stuck with the default weapon and armor till you level up. Right now starting with BEP level 10 we get 13 points at character creation. I am going to hate having to choose with only 3 points. With 13 points I still have a small limit to what I can drive or weapons I can use but that is enough to specialize in one or two things with aenough left over for something fun to drive.
I believe the max BEP level is 20, but I can't confirm that.
Then there is Command Experience. We start with 0 just like when it is live. This dictates the number of implats that you can have. With 0 level I can have one implant. I normaly choose the Darklight implant, when I toggle it I use a small amount of stamina (none when crouched) it drops my veiwable distance to like 10 meters or so but then I can see those invisible infiltrators that sneek by and hack a station out from under you. Useful in defending the command console (where you hack to take a station). I believe you get more implant slots, up to 3 maybe as you get command levels. You get command experience by being the leader of a squad (group), never done it myself. Not sure if there are any other benefits of command experience.
I expect some of the gameplay stuff will be tweaked.
By the way, I am into the Terran Republic right now. Kind of fun being the Evil Empire, besides I like the red detailed look and the Heavy Assault weapon is a mini chaingun, very nice with both regular slug and armor piercing ammo. I like it better than the new conglomorate's shotgun (NC is the blue team). Those weirdo alien lovers in purple on the Vanu Sovereinty I have no idea about. Never realy played them much, I'll have to try them out someday, their weapons look cool... right before I die.
The NDA gnomes are scratching at my screen again. Got to go get the can of raid, they won't get my nose hair without a fight.
Don't tell anyone where you heard this stuff =)
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