POL NEWS : Battle System Improvements (02/22/2008)

Dayner

Dayner

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Improvements to the battle system have been scheduled for the next version update.

Please click here for details.

mprovements to the battle system have been scheduled for the next version update.

Battle Music

Up until now, battle music would only be triggered when the player executes the "attack" command on an enemy. This has meant that battle music is not triggered when other commands, such as "magic," are used instead.

The development team has made considerations for battle music to be triggered based on factors such as distance from the enemy, and whether or not a party member is engaged in battle. However, it was raised that triggers that would cause unexpected and abrupt changes in BGM would not be well received by our players.
Furthermore, depending on platform, sound playback can be a hardware intensive process. Frequent changes in music would result in lowered hardware performance, e.g. a delay in log messages. For these reasons, the battle music system has been left untouched until now.

For the next version update, however, our programmers have been working hard to make improvements to the battle music system become reality. These adjustments should allow battle music to play if you are within the vicinity of a party member currently engaged with an enemy, even if you yourself have not executed the "attack" command. This way, even those who play with long range attack characters such as mages, will not have to miss out on an essential atmospheric element in the game. While it may not be possible to account for all scenarios, due to the nearly limitless ways in which battles can be initiated; we believe this will improve things significantly.

Monster Name Text Color

A new text color will be added to monster names, in order to differentiate those that are engaged with an alliance member as opposed to those engaged with players from another party. The names of monsters being engaged by an alliance member will now be displayed as reddish-purple.

Macro and Marker Data

Until now, it has been possible to store character macro and marker data only on the hard disk drives of players' game machines. However, the next version update will make it possible to also store this data on PlayOnline's servers. Now you can enjoy the convenience of using your very own user-defined macros no matter where you go!
Click to expand...

http://www.playonline.com/pcd/topics/ff11us/detail/2901/detail.html

where is my drk update ? !
 
1. They address they myth of PS2 limitations by giving us new...battle music rules?
2. IMAP for PlayOnline! woot!
 
The programmers are hard at work fixing the battle music.

Good to know.
 
Nice to see they work on making the game more enjoyable. Does this mean no more Dynamis-xarcapard music ?
 
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I was pretty excited about this topic as I was logging in, until I read the contents.

Amazing how "Battle System Improvements" can have such a little affect on the actual battle system.
 
Macro and Marker Data

Until now, it has been possible to store character macro and marker data only on the hard disk drives of players' game machines. However, the next version update will make it possible to also store this data on PlayOnline's servers. Now you can enjoy the convenience of using your very own user-defined macros no matter where you go!
Click to expand...

This means be careful if you are using windower macros that are triggered via your in game macros. I imagine it would be a quick process to check the macros table for entries beginning with "/exec" etc.

They didn't hint whether this was a mandatory 'improvement' though. I don't know how I feel about having yet another aspect of the game server side to be affected by lag.
 
Bigboy said:
This means be careful if you are using windower macros that are triggered via your in game macros. I imagine it would be a quick process to check the macros table for entries beginning with "/exec" etc.

They didn't hint whether this was a mandatory 'improvement' though. I don't know how I feel about having yet another aspect of the game server side to be affected by lag.
Click to expand...

I don't think it would make you lag. People keep their bazar comment forever without lagging, and it is stored on the server. You will load your macro at start then everytime you change them they will be stored, that's about it I think.
 
pchan said:
I don't think it would make you lag. People keep their bazaar comment forever without lagging, and it is stored on the server. You will load your macro at start then every time you change them they will be stored, that's about it I think.
Click to expand...

It depends how they do it. They haven't shown a strong understanding for stuff like this in the past. A bazaar comment is accessed very rarely in comparison to a macro. How it worked previously was a command sent into the system via the same mechanic you could send any other command. A direct retrieval. If SE is receiving separate commands to trigger their macros which are then processed server side (so you are just sending them a location for the macro you are accessing on the table) that will put undue strain on their machines. However, if they are smart, I would imagine they are just storing them server side and sending you the pack upon login (unnecessary traffic for so little return) and any time a change is made to your macro pallet.

Basically, this has so little benefit to the average user that to do it this late in the game, at the machine cost it will have for them, that I can't see any reason for them to do it beyond seeing what people have in their macro pallets. I hope it isn't mandatory though, because I know I don't really want to have the same macros my friend has when he uses me to PL.
 
Bigboy said:
This means be careful if you are using windower macros that are triggered via your in game macros. I imagine it would be a quick process to check the macros table for entries beginning with "/exec" etc.

They didn't hint whether this was a mandatory 'improvement' though. I don't know how I feel about having yet another aspect of the game server side to be affected by lag.
Click to expand...

I never used windower macros for the extra spaces - though they are nice. I started using them because I got fucking tired of losing macros everytime i reinstalled. This might be nough for me to use the game macros again.

(Anyone that doesn't directly bind the keys to a macro is silly though)
 
Don't you love how misleading SE's updates tend to be? Get you hopes up and they are dashed in an instant?

Good job SquareEnix.
 
Furthermore, depending on platform, sound playback can be a hardware intensive process. Frequent changes in music would result in lowered hardware performance, e.g. a delay in log messages. For these reasons, the battle music system has been left untouched until now.
Click to expand...
lol hi2u PS2 limitations.
The monster color and macros thing are pretty neat though.
 
Nyosan~ said:
I was pretty excited about this topic as I was logging in, until I read the contents.

Amazing how "Battle System Improvements" can have such a little affect on the actual battle system.
Click to expand...

This is the 2nd piece of "Information" over the last 3 days that SE has given us that has been about as useless as tits on a bull. Seriously now. I hear tomorrow there's an announcement lined up to explain the new GM shift scheduling conflict, followed by improvements to the maintenance system that will shorten downtimes from 3 hours to 2 hours and 45 minutes. Pictures included, of course.
 
Tagrineth said:
The programmers are hard at work fixing the battle music.

Good to know.
Click to expand...

I'd be happy if i could swap out the battle music I for the battle music II or change the music to any kind based on any zone I've been in previously....

I got my hopes up too tag=/
 
who gives a damn about when you hear the game music. I have ituns running the majority of the time. the only sound i listen for it when i get a tell. just pay attention to the fight you're in.
 
To be honest, when I saw Battle System Improvements...

This is pretty much what I expected.

There's not much they're gonna do to "improve" the battle system without rewriting it completely anyway, so changes are almost always minor and cosmetic.
 
*facepalm*
 
Someone please tell me how server-side macros is a bad thing?
 
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