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INTRO
Things we like in 1.09:
Platinum difficulty
10-Wave Gold mission
Batarian Scrapper
Kishock
New MP maps
If possible we'd love to have more of the above.
& 1.10
Thanks for being here to answer questions! For this week BSN used ‘dot voting’ to arrive at consensus around question categories.
Pleas for Mercy
Bioware survey questions around same topic
imgur.com/a/Wj5OxThe #1 category: ‘pleas for mercy’ re: the new loot. Players want to obtain specific cards (vs. everything else in the pool), and some want to complete their manifests.
Would you consider methods to alleviate the ‘grind’? -- ex. increased payouts (beyond Apex / Plat.), pack discounts or sales, higher double-card drop rates, packs with *only* chars / wpns (no boosters), etc.
Would you consider an *option* (toggle-able in U.I.) to skip weapon variants until base weapons are at X?
Because there are now 2x as many UR char. cards to unlock, would you reduce the MF price for the Random UR Character? (currently 960 MF)
Because of so many new cards, the chance to rank up a char. / wpn. you like is dwarfed by the chance to rank up one you don’t care about. Would you give players more control over what they get, somehow?
All of the above partially addressed in 1.10: Veteran ranks of characters will only drop after all characters of that rarity have been unlocked to rank 10.
(thread about impact of new guns, note comment that user is disappointed rather than excited to open packs)
bsn.boards.net/post/800041/threadFor Mod Variants, would you add stronger explanations in-game/in-app that these can only be purchased with MF and won’t drop in packs? We’ve seen bug reports about it.
(illustrative thread on reddit)
www.reddit.com/r/MECoOp/comments/6n7v8m/bug_not_getting_new_common_weapons_mods/With so many more cards, the chance to get ammo as a booster is proportionally reduced. Can we please have an 'ammo only' pack?
(technically not a loot question, but:)
We like the Equipment (gear) rotating through the store, but: will you ensure we get 1-2 *new* equipment each week? And see all new equip. w/in reasonable timeframe? Rather than truly random.
Some quick math shows it will take 6-12 mos at near max MF accumulation to have enough to purchase all the Mod Variants.
-- I think this includes Credit pack drop-able mods too, need to recheck…
-- also not sure what the question is, here
(MFunds math)
www.reddit.com/r/MECoOp/comments/6n8vgd/the_math_behind_why_it_is_going_to_take_you_more/question about unlocking first rank of new character / weapon vs. ranks 11-20 of already unlocked… observed results don’t match intentions???
(we would need data to show this happening, don’t have any data so not asking until we do)
Re: weapons, Bastiaan stated on reddit: “Weapons have pretty much always worked this way. It currently has a very small (less than 10%) chance to drop a variant IF you have rank 10 guns. We did that so that you are getting some of the new things sooner, and it isn't just for the people at the end of the progression curve.”
Source:
www.reddit.com/r/MECoOp/comments/6qqbj9/veteran_ranks_fixed/dkz97rc/Weapons
From 1.06 to 1.09, Assault Rifles received significant improvements, but semi-auto rifles are all inferior to semi-auto pistols. Ex: Sidewinder (despite smaller clip) has better DPS compared to Mattock, Sandstorm, Halberd. Semi-auto ARs need love badly!
Sidewinder
Clip DPS (no reload) 1081
DPClip 2420
Halberd
952
4116
Sandstorm
726
5057
Mattock
923
4102
Sniper Rifles (SRs): currently the URs Valiant, Black Widow, and Inferno still don’t feel strong enough for their rarity until close to Rank X. Would you look at the UR SRs again, please?
-- is this question still true after Shadow nerf, BW buff??
Why do most SRs have a hipfire penalty? Shouldn’t SRs do the same damage regardless of whether you ADS or not?
User Interface
Note: Lobby-specific questions were a separate category that didn’t get a lot of ‘dot votes’
Will you please add stronger / better sorting of weapons & boosters, now that there are so many different types? Perhaps allow ‘group by’ base weapon / booster in addition to ‘sort by’ rarity.
The ‘new stuff!’ exclamation points re-appear even after you clear them. Can you please look at this? Also can we have a *global* ‘mark all read’ button?
Because of so many weapons in the list now, will you add a way to group the weapons in the selection list? Would make choosing one faster when in a lobby.
Below are vaguely U.I.-related...
Can you please notify us when balance changes are made? (esp. to char. skills) -- on the blog, in-game, and in Apex HQ. Currently we have to figure it out by process of elimination.
(Ex: several weeks ago, Turbocharge had its cooldown and evolutions changed; and Angara Exemplar’s cooldown bonus was reduced.)
Is it possible to have separate game settings for MP vs. SP? Some players like different graphics settings or keybindings when playing MP vs. SP.
Could you add better + louder audio cues and controller rumble when enemies approach?
(Ex: Wraiths, Fiends, Destroyers, Ascendants are nearly silent / non-rumbly even when right behind you.)
The Kishock has a helpful charging indicator bar. Is this something you can add to other chargeup weapons?
Enemy Behavior
Enemies continue to spawn behind players. Not our imagination nor being flanked. Feels unfair and makes smart map control impossible. Will you please revisit?
Enemy evasion behavior is unnaturally precise and fast, with apparently no cooldown on their dodges. “Infuriating” in one BSN-er’s words. Will you please revisit?
Enemies seem supernaturally aware of player approach, reacting instantly to acquire players rounding corners or peeking out of cover. Will you please revisit?
Sharpshooters are still annoying to fight due to their run speed, which is faster than player sprint even on-host, so not due to latency. Will you please revisit to make Sharpshooters less obnoxious?
(video showing annoying enemy behavior)
bsn.boards.net/thread/10481/yo-bw-funnyObservers: we appreciate the tell-tale red light and chargeup time, but multiple Observers are still vicious and frustrating to fight because of how quickly they drain you. Will you please revisit?
Just for Fun
What is the Angara Avenger saying when her shields drop? We think we’re hearing something risque, but may be misunderstanding.
OUTRO
Thank you very much for answering our questions! We appreciate that you take the time to talk about the game.
[end of Twitchy Questioning #13 top priority questions]
[everything below this line is in the backlog for future weeks]
Game Mechanics
Powers (even at max evolution + boosters) do considerably less damage than weapons. ‘Space magic’ is what differentiates MEA from other shooters, so we’d like it if you could re-examine the overall power-to-weapons balance.
(this post shows max damage of Incinerate is ~6300 impact + ~5900 DOT = ~12,200 total)
bsn.boards.net/post/799972/thread(scroll up, compare to 20,000+ damage for charged Kishok X shot)
The damage done by barrels was reduced massively in 1.09. Why?! This was one of the most fun parts of the game!
How does matchmaking work? Does it take into account geographical distance? (like Europe to U.S.A. or vice versa)
Two questions on ammo priming.
Ammo Priming 1 of 2: The Dhan uses the same formula as other pellet-based shotguns even though it does not fire pellets -- is this intended?
Fixed in 1.10: Dhan shotgun now properly primes enemies.
Ammo Priming 2 of 2: Why does Cryo Ammo have penalties to the number of bullets it takes to prime certain enemies, but Incendiary and Disruptor Ammo don’t have such penalties?
(link to relevant thread)
www.reddit.com/r/MECoOp/comments/6dhrvx/correlation_between_rof_and_ammo_priming_rate/(link to 1.09 ammo priming thread)
bsn.boards.net/thread/12067/patch-priming-weapon-variant-matrix(Bioware working on ammo priming for variant weapons)
www.reddit.com/r/MECoOp/comments/6n2dpf/new_map_imminent_new_map_challenge_added_for/dk6o0cb/Fixed in 1.10: Fixed issue where Bulwark, Siphon, and Concussive variants of pistols and sniper rifles would prime enemies too slowly when using special ammo.
Is there a cap or point of diminishing returns with weapon accuracy?
Ex: stacking a weapon scope, the Turian Soldier passive tree, Turbocharge, and Fortify accuracy.
On XB1, consistently, about 30 seconds after you join a game, the game stutters and then recovers. What is happening at that time?
Lobby
Game In Progress indicator, Host Ping indicator, points shown in lobby not matching points scored in game, visibility of kick votes
Any update on a Game In Progress (GIP) indicator and/or a way to tell what wave a game is on from the lobby?
The Host Ping Indicator is a great addition, but it raises a few questions.
Host Ping 1 of 2: What does the indicator mean for the Host? (ex. you receive < 4 bars to yourself)
Host Ping 2 of 2: For non-Hosts, could you explain what the bars mean in terms of latency, packet loss, etc?
compare XBL Detailed Network Statistics which shows: DL/UL speed, DL/UL packet loss (percentage, > 5% is problematic), MTU (1384 needed by XBL), latency, wireless strength (percentage)
support.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-one/networking/network-settingsWe noticed that the points shown in the lobby no longer counts points from medals. Does this have any effect on XP/Cr earned for a game?
Would you allows us to see kick votes on ourselves? Sometimes players use that as a way to communicate ‘please hurry up’ or ‘you’re too low level’ or so forth.
Critical Bugs
respec bug still exists (respec < Rank X or Level 20 may not refund all skill points),
extremely bright shot particles that could induce epilepsy,
screen coloration with neo-weapons
You encourage us to report bugs on EA Answers HQ, but there’s little engagement there from EA_(people). Out of 30 bugs on home screen, only 3 had EA response. What can we do to get some attention?
Also re-iterating our request for separate MP vs. SP bug reporting areas.
Some weapons (ex. Avenger, Ghost) have extremely bright shot particles that are borderline epilepsy inducing. Can you please reduce the strobe effects?
i.imgur.com/uGmrxJL.gifi.imgur.com/9pvtIlK.gifi.imgur.com/uhqHUx9.gifi.imgur.com/kH0sooa.gifSee also my thread on BSN listing 21 bugs introduced with patch 1.09
bsn.boards.net/thread/11975/1-09-bugs-introduced-patchChallenges
35,000 points too much for some Daily challenges,
frustration of Daily challenges expiring while player is on a mission,
why not Melee challenges?
Daily Challenges for Combat / Biotic / Tech are 35,000 pts, which is hard to get within 2-3 games (your stated goal for Dailies) because Combat / Biotic / Tech pts only count base dmg (not combo dmg). Would you please reduce the number of points required for these Daily Challenges?
Would you consider a mercy period for in-progress Daily Challenges? It’s frustrating when you start a game with ~20 minutes to go, the game takes unexpectedly long, and you get no credit for what-is-now-yesterday’s challenge.
Would you consider adjusting the Map Challenges so they don’t require playing on specific difficulty levels?
Will you add Platinum difficulty Challenges? It would be cool to have red & silver nameplates!
Why are there no Melee Challenges? There are Challenges that track almost everything else.
Packs and Rank 11+ Drop Rates
intended drop mechanics and whether observed results match those intentions
How do the new cards for ranks 11 to 20 of characters and weapons interact with various states of someone’s manifest? Example 1: everything other than new cards at rank 10 for Uncommon rarity; Example 2: some old cards below rank 10 for Rare rarity.
Partially answered by Bastiaan above.
Platinum Difficulty
what telemetry Bioware examines, feedback they've seen, mix of enemy types (heavily Armor now), Plat-specific objective questions, player survivability
We’re curious: have you collected data on Platinum missions and if so, what are your thoughts? (What's working well? What can be improved?)
Do you have data on how changes to Hacks and Devices has impacted the player base? Overall sentiment was Hacks were changed for the worse, and that the timer on Devices is a little too short.
Would you shorten the time it takes to complete a Hack on Gold/Plat? Even with perfect coordination the current time is too long and the objective is more tedious than fun.
Hack time was shortened in unpublished balanced updated week of ~27 July 2017.
Given the Platinum enemy composition is mostly Armor, this reduces considerably the effectiveness of some characters, esp. Biotics and crowd control. Are you willing to revisit enemy composition on Platinum to improve diversity?
Is player character survivability where you want it to be, esp. with Platinum here?
Needs to be rephrased - what is the actual question here?
When looking at your telemetry for Platinum, what can you tell us about...
(telemetry 1 of 3) - usage / success rate for certain characters (particularly infiltrators)
(telemetry 2 of 3) - usage / success rates for weapons
(telemetry 3 of 3) - success rates in games when Hack is an objective vs. games without
Supply Buffs
questions / proposals to buff First Aid, Ammo, and Revive packs to their ME3 equivalents
First Aid Packs: could these please refresh player shield- and healthgate and/or grant damage + stagger immunity (i-frames)? Would make them more useful for skilled play and encourage players to use them more frequently.
Ammo Packs: could these please grant bonus weapon damage? Would make them more useful for skilled play and encourage players to use them more frequently.
A Cobra RPG will often *not* kill even basic enemies, let alone bosses, due to enemies’ high health and/or shieldgates. In April you were looking at Cobras. Any updates? This is particularly relevant for Plat enemies with even more health/shields!
(in 1.09 Cobras had damage reduced but radius increased)
cf. my post about Cobra damage - “Cobras are useless”
bsn.boards.net/post/788452/threadThere’s apparently no upper limit on the number of Consumables a player can own. Would you make one? So we can obtain Boosters once we have a large supply of all four Consumables.
New Equipment in the Store (for reference)
www.reddit.com/r/MECoOp/comments/6n2s1r/2_new_equipment_in_the_store/LONG-FORM QUESTIONS
(for future ‘talking heads’ episode)
What areas of the game do YOU consider important to address?
(as the developers / designers / producers)
What is Bioware's philosophy in introducing balance changes to a running game? What do you want to achieve for the game, long-term?
Which criteria do you apply when deciding on a balance change?
Which rationale/justification do you take for their balance changes?
Do you review game data from your servers analyzing game statistics?
Do you consider criticism/praise from the player base? If so, how do you know if someone’s feedback is truly representative of a larger portion of the player base?
DEPRECATED QUESTIONS
(no longer interesting, or feature requests extremely unlikely to get done, etc.)
For the record: with 1.09, were there any changes to drop rates in Premium, Arsenal, or Reserves packs?
(observed drop rates are holding steady around 25%, no point in asking this)
Is there any inclination to unhide the "hidden" stats on weapons? For example, reload time (in seconds), headshot multiplier, modifiers against defense types, etc. Previously you stated this might fit into a U.I. update.
(Bioware is likely never going to do this, and we have the Numerical Master Databook anyway)
Would you consider adding an optional, more detailed killfeed with damage information and timings? This would make testing much easier for both you and the dedicated fan community.
(never going to happen)
Would you consider adding a ‘shooting range’ to MP where we can more easily test out weapons and powers?
(hahah… no)
On Apex missions, ‘Combotastic’ awards less XP/Credits than normal. Is this intentional? If so, shouldn’t the XP/Cr penalty be listed in the Mission Modifiers?
(who cares?)
Could you add a more noticeable cue when a teammate is about to get synch-killed? Louder, more rumble, more visible, something!
(irrelevant (?) now that most enemies don’t permanently kill you)
Fortify’s movement speed penalty seems too high compared to the amount of DR it offers. Being slower means you take more damage, which vitiates the DR. Could you look at Fortify again?
(Fortify was just adjusted in 1.09 - do we still need to ask this?)
When 1.09 came out, there were conflicting reports on the items available in the store. It seems that some items were only available for a few minutes. Was this intended or what happened?
(a glitch of some sort, which was quickly fixed, so ‘what happened’ doesn’t really matter)
