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Monday, May 16, 2011

US East being set up and release of 1.5.0.82

US East is being launched today - and patch "82" just went live on the servers. Enjoy!

We will post more info as we steam toward the OB, and alert the gamers of any issues if they arise!

Cheers
/TechMech


Game Update 1.5.1 (82)


Here are the patch notes to the latest version 1.5.1 (82) update hot off the press. 

Matchmaking Update Part 1

  • APB Reloaded now uses a Bayesian enhanced version of the Glicko rating system to determine the relative skill of players, based on the outcomes of opposed missions. The believed skill of the player is known as that player’s Skill Rating, which is then translated into the player’s Threat Level (shown on the UI), and also used by the matchmaking system to construct matches where the skill of each side is as evenly matched as possible.
  • The total number of Threat Levels per faction has been increased to 30 and spread across 3 tiers – Bronze, Silver and Gold – with each tier consisting of 10 ranks. For example, a ‘Silver Rank 5’ player is believed to be better than a ‘Bronze Rank 10’ player.
  • All players will start from Bronze Rank 1, as the new system has to start from scratch in order correctly calculate the Threat level.
  • Note that we expect players to see large fluctuations to their Threat early on, as the system narrows in on your actual Threat level over time. So don’t be surprised to jump between tiers as well as ranks for the first few matches.

Witnessing and Open World

  • Fixed an issue when players went out of bounds on a witness mission. The mission now ends immediately and the stash is lost.
  • Fixed Enforcers on opposed missions sometimes seeing the ‘witness’ icon on criminals.
  • Fixed Enforcers in vehicles not seeing the stash value on criminals.
  • Fixed the heat multiplier not updating while in a vehicle.
  • Fixed an exploit where players were abusing the ‘AFK’ state.

General

  • Updated DXT settings to match the following rules:
    • 64-bit OS users will no longer have any character or vehicle textures compressed at any time.
    • 32-bit OS users will not have their OWN character and vehicle textures compressed at any time, but all opponents’ character and vehicle textures will be compressed at all times due to 32-bit memory restrictions.
    • These are not to be confused normal ‘Level of Detail’ (LOD) shifts as well as standard texture streaming that occurs when customisations are being built – these have not changed.
  • Fixed a separate issue that could cause your own character symbols to have lower detail based on distance and relative screen space (affected small characters more).
  • Added 1280x720 as an officially supported resolution. Also resized the in-game browser to 1024x720 for all resolutions.
  • Updated inventory and kill icons to match the weapon’s silhouette where this wasn’t the case.
  • Updated Contact icons to match some updates to the Contact models.
  • Fixed several issues where the expiry time tooltip could display wrong values about the time remaining on leased items. Note this was an interface issue and did not affect the actual expiration of any leased items.
  • The ‘auto-AFK’ timer now kicks in at 2 minutes, instead of 5.
  • Fixed a parking symbol that was floating above the ground (diagonally opposite LeBoyce spawn point).
  • Fixed an out of bounds error near the Church in Financial that some used as an exploit.
  • Added Pallet stack to roof under Freeway in Financial to simplify an irksome route onto the freeway and to make it possible at all for those with Kevlar implants.
  • Added new double ramp so that the troublesome one-way jump near the ruined warehouse is now possible in both directions, no matter what the vehicle.
  • Added new “use at own risk” ramp behind ‘Planetaget’ building on the turnpike. Best jumped in a Cisco. Best avoided in a starter car.
  • Fixed wall decal bug where decal was bleeding across floor outside Stu Phoenix’s spawn zone.

Modifiers and Weapons

  • Modifier Changes:
    • Hunting Sight and Reflex Sight: Now Increase or Decrease Movement Accuracy and Marksmanship accuracy.
    • Slightly lowered fire rate increase on Cooling Jacket.
  • Decreased effective range on both SMGs and reduced their minimum damage at 100m to 0 (so the ramp off is more drastic). Also lowered their marksmanship modifiers slightly.
  • Upping ammo counts of Obeya CR762 and OBIR to match other weapons (5 clips rather than 4/3).
  • Replaced the base STAR with a new model to differentiate it from the leased STAR ‘LCR’.
  • Slightly increased maximum reticule bloom when firing STAR full auto.

Vehicles

  • Adjusting handling for Dolton Broadwing and Sungnyumun Morai.
    • The Broadwing has slightly improved handling, better acceleration, more health and weight and heavily increased ramming damage. It's a good car for intercepting and taking others off the road.
    • The Morai has been tweaked considerably. It’s now much quicker to respond, with a fairly loose rear end allowing for some advanced manoeuvres. Acceleration is up heavily, top speed is up slightly. Health and weight are reduced very slightly (though weight is not really noticeable since you have a lot more punch with the increased speed). This is more of a 4-door sports vehicle now, able to keep up with the roadster (though not quite as nimble and the larger size means it can't squeeze through the same gaps).

Known Issues

  • Localisation/Translation
    • Much of the new and edited in game text has still to be translated and entered into the game. Playing APB in languages other than English may result in English text being shown anyway in some places.

56 comments:

  1. Can you pleeeeasssee fix the SHAW....it has no use right now and is useless,dont believe me make a poll and you will see im not lying....THANKS

    ReplyDelete
  2. The ‘auto-AFK’ timer now kicks in at 2 minutes, instead of 5.

    What... The...

    Why? This will be a real pain for people who have display points up. Get up to go to the toilet, your display point is gone. Have a quick chat with someone, gone. The AFK timer was already too short, this is just ridiculous now.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love you Qwentle. You really made my day by hearing me out on the Broadwing (and that other guy out on the Moirai :D) <3 <3 <3 <3

    ReplyDelete
  4. About AFK timer: That happens when people exploit game mechanics, blame them.

    Yay to new Threat Level calculation system!
    Can't wait to test it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ugh i get butterflies in my belly when i think about OB, great work G1!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm a tad bit curious how the new TL system works. Does it still only take into account each player's mission win / loss ratio, or does it also use other data points, such as KDR, targets, and overall player performance?

    Also, great job, and thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  8. @bjorn hello....i got a question....ur team never though about making the party ingame more bigger?... hope you answer me

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  9. @bjorn. could you please give more specifics on the TL system. Does it account for individual performance aside from the groups? . ie. hypothetically a true rank 30 player is playing with friends. However, those friends drag him down and that TL30 is now deranked and in the lowbie district.

    Are there other factors, such as KDR, that are taken into account on TL? or is it still the same ole system where wins and losses of missions is the 100% impacting factor of TL. does the game now take into account your rewards when fighting an opposition of higher/lower ranks?

    ReplyDelete
  10. if the enforcers can see my stash, why grind for money? it should be a roll of the dice for them, do you have a stash of 200 or 200k, now that is real fun.

    ReplyDelete
  11. The ‘auto-AFK’ timer now kicks in at 2 minutes, instead of 5...Come on...2 minuts to go in bathroom wash my hands and back is very little time

    ReplyDelete
  12. @ electroMan

    I'm pretty sure that the AFK only applies to people in an active mission. I go AFK for hours at a time in game outside of missions and never in kicked.

    ReplyDelete
  13. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  14. and my other question would be... did they fix the number imbalance. i found it quite annoying that Skilled players were penalized for being good by having zergs thrown at them.

    ReplyDelete
  15. @Genjimaru
    nah it kicks in out of missions too its just not all that easy to notice since its just a little message in the chat and not like wow where you char sits down with a giant neon sign over their heads or anything

    ReplyDelete
  16. nfa actually has faster ttk than an mpg with lvl3 upgrades now

    ReplyDelete
  17. Really looking forward to FINALLY (lol) being able to check out what you guys have been working on and get to run w/ my old crew again. Thanks for all the hard work!! =-D

    ReplyDelete
  18. So the spawn system is still screwed up?

    What's new exactly with the threat calculation?

    Do you drop TL when you join a match which you lose because you joined as backup in the last 10 seconds?

    Do you still drop in TL if you lose a match because your backup was noobish, idler, fuckedup spawn, no matter how much you kicked ass?

    Do you still get the same drop in TL if you lose to a slightly higher TL, with the one you get when losing to a much higher TL?

    Do you still have your TL rise because you won the last round although you sucked at the previous x ones?

    ReplyDelete
  19. Also one more question on skill calculation. Will a just-started character have the same skill rating with a newly created ALT character (whereas the main character is not a skill rating zero)?

    @BJORN - VERY PERSONALLY !!!!112333445566 :P
    I am still waiting for an answer to this :
    "Is teamspeak and ventrillo allowed, or that's included in the 3rd party software group that is bannable?"
    I have done the same question twice in forums and once more earlier on this blog and it seems none cared to answer.

    ReplyDelete
  20. @Bjorn
    So those car fixes are cool and all but how about the broke cars? Like the packer vaquero not shifting out of 3rd gear?

    ReplyDelete
  21. Sorry for the wall of text...

    Just to deepen @Rm4g3dD0v's question:
    Will there be a list of allowed programs to run in the background? I seriously doubt this method. banning people for running other then APB:R.

    A LOT of people have all sorts of programs running in the background. Like Winamp, Teamspeak, Ventrilo, MSN, Skype, All sorts of mouse and keyboard controlling software.. The list is long..

    So please explain how this 3rd party registry is going to work. And since it is rather impotent to all, I suggest you answer these questions very detailed.



    Another thing:
    When are you going to fix the range of OCA and shutgun? ect.
    aren't they suppose to be short range weapons?
    Then how is it possible that both me and my teammates get killed by 60-70m range?

    Either it is hacks, or you failed to set the range right. That is what i think.


    I know there are still a lot of things to do for you guys. Put fixing the spawn system would be a real treat for us players. And it would be nice to have it out before OB, since there should only be smaller stuff left to fix.
    And I don't think this is small problem..

    Scenario: You need to deliver item. 3+ enemies
    are guarding the place. You get killed, and in the kill cam, you spot an enemy getting killed.

    how is it possible that, that enemy, spawns 50m closer then me, EVERY TIME. This has nothing to do with luck. This is a fault in the spawn system!

    -PacManiac out

    ReplyDelete
  22. Wow, 1st impression is that they didnt fix the TL calculation algorithm at all... Seems like they only designed a few damn icons.

    Not to mention that team balance is really fucked up now. 4 Bronze 10 vs 2 bronze 1 and when bronze 1 call for backup they dont get any.

    If this doesnt fix itself up, I 'll start thinking that you hired George Bush Jr to decide to release this (fuckup-of-a-system if it proves to be so), 1 day before open beta. A new record in the Guiness book.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Ehm - @Rm4g3dD0v

    Instead of posting here on the blog, I suggest you go to the forums where there are several threads on the topic.

    The system will take at least 24 hours (if not 48 hours) before rating will start stabilizing. Which should put things in line for the open beta. As a frequent poster I suggest you start hanging out on the forums for some additional information instead.

    ReplyDelete
  24. In particular - remember that we just took tens of thousands of players and set their scores to "1 of 30" - so things will be wild as the ratings start normalizing.

    ReplyDelete
  25. "Fixed the heat multiplier not updating while in a vehicle."

    Does HEAT MULTIPLIER mean prestige for criminals?
    Anyone who knows?

    ReplyDelete
  26. @Rm4g3dD0v Agreed. Just tested it out and it seems worse than before. Im still being put against higher threat level players with full mods! 3 against 3. 3 people with no mods and 3 with full mods. Not really fair. Your 9 times out of 10 going to lose.

    ReplyDelete
  27. This patch working in really good way!
    I'm enjoing every mission again!

    ReplyDelete
  28. wow what an artful dodger you are Bjorn!!

    Two people have asked you INTENSELY to answer about 3rd party programs, and you ignored us like we never asked.

    ReplyDelete
  29. I am finding problems trying to log in on the game after this patch... It says my password or account is not valid :/, and when I try to log in onto gamersfrist main web it sens de to a Not Found web... ¿Is there a problem with login servers?

    ReplyDelete
  30. Remember when I toldya about hackers?
    Now we cant login to our accounts... Whazzup? did your login servers get hacked, bcause u housed in this game too many hackers?

    (for the dim of wits, this is supposed to be a joke) >D

    ReplyDelete
  31. @Rm4g3dD0v

    Yeah he just did the Matrix-move right there...

    ReplyDelete
  32. @PacManiacDK
    nah, the matrix move requires first that you ackgnowkledge the bullet. I think he did the politician combo!!! Completelly ignored it...

    @bjorn
    this is a serious issue man. Dont ignore us.

    ReplyDelete
  33. I can't log in, neither on gamersfirst site! What happened?

    ReplyDelete
  34. I can't log on either. I know my password, so what's the deal?

    ReplyDelete
  35. mm system is worse than it was.being tl1 bronze im getting on the misssion against silver dudes with tl 5 and 6(1v2) im with the basic star vs 3 lotted smgs(3 rank upgrades).damn this is sooooo balanced.good job,as always.and yeah,login server is dead.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Concerning the login issue:
    http://forums.gamersfirst.com/index.php?showtopic=162201&st=100&p=1502342&#entry1502342

    If u cant read the forum post:

    Revoemag:
    We are aware of the issue and are currently working to resolve it, please be patient, you'll be able to log in soon.
    And no, we aren't wiping the characters
    -Revo

    ReplyDelete
  37. It might just be me, but i failed to find anything on the forum regarding me and Rm4g3dD0v's question about 3rd party software..

    Now please Bjorn. Go get some answers out of your colleagues. Cos we NEED to know alright!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Are people seriously asking if using Teamspeak/Vent/Mumble/etc while playing APB is bannable?

    I've spent a lot of time just reading random things on the internet, and there's no chance you guys are serious unless something is critically wrong with you in a bad way.

    ReplyDelete
  39. after this Patch i get now every 5-10Minutes a DC

    ReplyDelete
  40. Server down again...still maintenance?

    ReplyDelete
  41. wow man who told you that using team speak,ventrilo etc you will get banned or that is something illegal to do.......i use Team Speak 3 and i never got banned

    ReplyDelete
  42. I think it would make more sense to move from TL1 (Bronze) To TL1 (silver) to TL1 (Gold) to TL2 (Bronze) etc.
    Rather than go through the bronze TLs, to Silver, to Gold. The icons already represent a certain level at the moment. Silver 1 being better than bronze 10 is... odd.

    ReplyDelete
  43. LAME LAME LAME... i skip this game if a ever again end up in a 2v4 match... my second mission with the new patch was a match like that... and my m8 had threat lvl 1. like I had, but the enfors had higher...??? know it is beta... but dont patch the game if the patch fuck things up... patch to fix things. ARH! Have spend to must time on this game... it just makes me angry!

    ReplyDelete
  44. I'm getting so many General Protection Faults and 'APB has stopped responding' crashes, I'm about to saw off my own privates and use them in a stew. iMaD?

    ReplyDelete
  45. You all cry like little babies a few hours after they makes changes to the game? How about you get out of the house for a few hours and let all the non complainers test the new stuff for you?

    ReplyDelete
  46. @Bjorn

    no more expensive vehicle bonus for patriot vegas.
    no more district notifications on bounties.
    still no fix for last.fm.

    ReplyDelete
  47. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  48. So the SMG can kill me a 100 meters but hey, the minimun damage at that distance now is zero so...
    WTF? Put a limit to the distance of the weapons SMG Maximun Damage over 50 meters ZERO!!!
    It's stupid try to sniper from 80 meters and die because a SMG with more cadency of fire... and BTW you can't see at a distance superior than 100 meters so...

    ReplyDelete
  49. Creative Threat Levels #ironic
    Why do not made a new design?

    ReplyDelete
  50. Added new “use at own risk” ramp behind ‘Planetaget’ building on the turnpike


    Where is that? Can someone post screen or coords?

    ReplyDelete
  51. You guys killed my Morai :( It was nearly perfect before, just needed a boost to acceleration. Its handling was great, now it is trash.

    Revert it, please!

    ReplyDelete
  52. Finally,the textures are fine for once for 32-Bit OS's hoorah!

    ReplyDelete

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