Facepunch APB Thread 22/07/11

[img]http://i52.tinypic.com/oqeg6h.png[/img]
[b]Server Statuses:[/b] [img]http://38.106.70.69/dreamss/login.png[/img][img]http://38.106.70.69/dreamss/colby.png[/img][img]http://38.106.70.69/dreamss/obeya.png[/img][img]http://38.106.70.69/dreamss/joker.png[/img][img]http://38.106.70.69/dreamss/patriot.png[/img]

Previous thread [url=http://www.facepunch.com/threads/1095813-APB-All-Points-Bulletin-v4-Stealing-vans-full-of-loot-since-Closed-Beta]here.[/url]
Wikipedia article [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APB:_All_Points_Bulletin]here.[/url]
GamersFirst site [url=http://www.gamersfirst.com/]here.[/url]
APB Reloaded Site [url=http://www.gamersfirst.com/apb/]here.[/url]
APB Reloaded Blog [url=http://apbreloaded.gamersfirst.com]here.[/url]
APB Reloaded Forums [url=http://forums.gamersfirst.com/index.php?showforum=630]here.[/url]
APB Reloaded Facebook [url=http://www.facebook.com/APBReloaded]here.[/url]
APB Reloaded Twitter [url=http://twitter.com/#!/apb_reloaded]here.[/url]

With the game acquired by GamersFirst (creators of WarRock and probably some other games that nobody has ever heard of) APB has finally been given a new lease on life! Will they totally butcher the game with paid nonsense? I guess we'll be finding out soon!

[release][b][h2]PATCH INFORMATION[/b][/h2]

[img]http://i53.tinypic.com/33kyvqc.png[/img][/release]

[release][b][h2]INTRODUCTION[/b][/h2]

[b][u]What's new in the GamersFirst version?[/u][/b]

Progression has been totally re-worked! Progression was really convoluted before, with rewards at seemingly random points, and it had some strange mechanics that needed a lot of explaining by game prompts. Additionally in-game money pricing structure on some of the game items resulted in massive run-away economy problem. But now?

[list]Upgrades are unlocked by performing their relevant tasks, for example you unlock better cas cans by performing Arson.[/list]
[list]Organization Standing has been totally removed, instead all contacts will fall under the guise of either a Vehicle contact or a Weapons contact. By progressing through these contacts you unlock weaponry and vehicles in a much more organized manner.[/list]
[list]All contacts unlock preset and customisable clothing options. Since the presets are now properly named you will now be able to tell which items and combinations are actually meant to be worn together (an annoying missing item in the original release).[/list]
[list]Open slot weapons and weapon upgrades are unlocked through specific roles that are levelled through using that weapon class (so shotguns and SMGs are all unlocked through the Pointman role, along with upgrades such as Magazine Pull and Reflex Sight)[/list]
[list]All Symbols and some pieces of clothing are now rewarded through random rewards at the end of a mission. Players have a very high chance (50%, modified by mission performance) to unlock one at the end of each mission, with different contacts unlocking different symbols.[/list]
[list]High level vehicles are now using a slightly different unlock system. You unlock the base vehicles and presets through vehicle contacts at high levels, with kits and open slot versions gained through completing time trials around the districts with those vehicle![/list]
[list]The "in-game" or "earned money" cost for most items has been drastically increased. It’s better for players to have a load of stuff they want and have to work to get the money together to buy them, rather than be able to buy everything right away and have a ton of money left over.[/list]
[list]Various abilities or modifications have been removed and/or balanced.[/list]
[list]Weather affects have been added/updated.[/list]
[list]Weapon customization has been modified, with changes being made in various places.[/list]
[list][url=http://www.gamersfirst.com]Armas Marketplace[/url] - A online cash store to purchase/rent various items.[/list]


[b][u]In-game Cash Store - Isn't this game butchered similarly to WarRock?[/u][/b]

With the game going to [url=http://www.gamersfirst.com]GamersFirst[/url], the host of such other games whereby you can pay for weaponry, premiums or other benefits, many players have speculated APB could be ruined by this. However with the game being into its bloom and players thoroughly delved into the game it doesn't seem to be tumbling down, but this could just be attention-grabbing enjoyability. To quote GamersFirst - [i]"Our goal is to ensure everyone has fun in the game, while simultaneously encouraging premium activities, since that ensures we can stick around and pay for the costs of running and expanding the game over the next several years. We are also in the middle of creating weapons that can be leased that aren't necessarily better than the ones you earn, just different, more specialized or has some other specific benefit."[/i]

So far the store seems balanced, I myself have paid for premium as well as several of my friends and also several Facepunchers. The weapons that you can rent or purchase permanently seem balanced currently, however there is speculation that the tactic of bringing out unlockables considered "overpowered", as is considered with this method of gaming, just to reel in paying customers as well as keeping both the game alive, and the players around it. Le'ts face it, we don't want it to turn out like [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realtime_Worlds]RTW[/url] do we?

[b][u]Will I keep my characters from the game?[/b][/u]

GamersFirst have had old RTW character reclamation services available since the Open Beta, however some things will not be returned:

[b]YES[/b] - Your original character, in terms of who you made in the player creation screen is offered to you, as well as the option to name them and the server you place them on. You also retain the clothing/symbols you have created/designed that you had during the first run of the game.

[b]NO[/b] - You won't get back the money or progression data you had from the previous APB, as both of these and more have been restructured to make for better gameplay as well as incorporating the Pay2Play systems.

[b][u]What's in store for the future?[/b][/u]

Though GamersFirst haven't said much about what they're planning in terms of brand new content, there are a few things that aren't in the Beta at the moment that they are planning for the release.

[list]A more meaningful Clan system with improved League Tables. Tables were removed for the time being as to implement them in a more controllable fairer manner[/list]
[list]The "Asylum" is a new district in the works. As in the name, this is presumed to be an old Asylum with scattered wheelchairs and beds laying around. More in the Media section about this.[/list]
[list]Chaos Districts, whatever you thought when you read that, you're probably right.[/list]
[list]Major changes to the Upgrades system. They plan to substantially up the effects of upgrades but also add negative effects to add balance as to ensure players fall into different roles.[/list][/release]

[release][b][h2]GUIDES[/h2][/b]

[b][u]FAQ[/b][/u]

[b]Q:[/b] How do I change my clothes?
[b]A:[/b] Navigate to the Social District and Press M (Default for Map), then on the right side of your screen is a key, use this throughout APB.

[b]Q:[/b] My game looks rubbish, runs rubbish and I think its rubbish, why am I wrong?
[b]A:[/b] Don't give up just yet, there is no doubt a fix. If you're on a 32 bit system you're no doubt going to come across errors this runs best in 64 bit. There are many pages out there (Google is your friend) solving issues for various problems. It is likely that if you relay your information across to Facepunch and suggest your error it will be fixable. Don't fear.

[b]Q:[/b] How can I get a shortcut of APB without having to use the GamersFirst launcher?
[b]A:[/b] First you will need to run the game (not the launcher) at least once. If you're trying to shortcut without having played once you need to sort that OCD out. Next go to the location on your harddrive you installed APB, e.g. c/programfiles/apbreloaded. Navigate to the binaries folder, and use the application "APB" as your create shortcut point. Do not use the others within other folders, they are to do with the launcher.

Suggested fixes, not guaranteed so don't sue anyone:

[quote]32 bit constraint removal:
1. Open up APB Reloaded/APBGame/Config/APBCompat.
2. Scroll down to the bottom, you'll find [AppHWConstraintsBucket3] and some shit underneath.
3. Copy everything under [AppHWConstraintsBucket3] and paste it OVER the contents of these "constraint buckets":
[AppHWConstraintsBucket2] and [AppHWConstraintsBucket1](they're above this one). There's a lot of weird stuff and numbers under them, you have to replace it all with the compression-free settings of the third bucket. So in the end all of the three buckets should look the same, except the numbers.
 Also, using the launcher will reset everything to standard, you might want to keep a copy of all these. If you MUST use the launcher, do all of this after everything was checked and updated everytime before starting the game itself, but after you start the launcher.[/quote]

[quote]Reduce your lag today with the new Pando Media Booster Uninstallation kit:
This pretty much explains all the lag issues everyone has been having, as it opens like 20 connections and eats upload bandwidth which can sometimes cause you to ping higher to the servers.

I found this out when I noticed a lag spike and opened comodo to see what was using what, and I found PMB.exe eating tons of bandwidth with tons of connections out. After some research, PMB is Pando Media Booster, basically a bittorrent application.

The Fix: Go to Program Files\Pando Networks\Pando Media Downloader and uninstall it. This uninstalls the software, and should allow you to keep playing the game as normal.[/quote]

[b]Simple Guides[/b] - Various screenshots and images with numbered annotations and such.

[quote][img]http://i53.tinypic.com/14qlnp.jpg[/img][/quote]
[i]1)This is your cash multiplier, the game will multiply your handed in cash by this amount 2) This shows your Notoriety/Prestige 3) Example of a player increasing their standing with a contact. 4) This is the standing the players earned from taking part in a mission. 5) The cash this player currently has.[/i]

[quote][img]http://i51.tinypic.com/2ih9yqg.png[/img][/quote]
[i]1) Click this to open the vehicle purchase screen. You can view locked and unlocked vehicles here. 2) Clicking the X will no longer make the current car your default. 3) Shows the details of the highlighted (yellow outline) vehicle. 4) Opens the Vehicle Editor screen for the current highlighted car 5) Opens the chat window whislt in the editor. Esc to close 6) Shows the current decal limit on the highlighted vehicle. Depending on your account depends on the amount allowed[/i]

[quote][img]http://i56.tinypic.com/vxdw7l.png[/img][/quote]
[i]1) Used to input various search terms, you can alter what you find with this 2) Click this to add your own auction. 3) Shows the High Bid and Buy Price. 4) Clicking this on a highlighted auction opens a window to view the auction in. 5) The details of the selected auction[/i]

[quote][img]http://i52.tinypic.com/25h27ue.png[/img][/quote]
[i]1) Click this to send a message. 2) Mail telling you of the remaining lease time on weapons/items. 3) This contains attachments or money sent via mail. This could be player to player or from somewhere like the marketplace or a reward from playing the game 4) This is used to delete the currently selected mail.[/i]

[quote][img]http://i56.tinypic.com/258qq90.png[/img][/quote]
[i]1) This takes you to the page you can buy new clothes from. 2) Add or remove clothes from your outfit with these buttons. 3) These keys place clothing above/below another piece of clothing. Their are constraints here, but can be useful. 4) This shows the details of the seleced clothing, such as gender, faction, rating and such 5) This button will open the clothing customizer where you can add decals and such to clothing. Only usable with clothing you bought from earning, not the Marketplace (as shown here). 6) This is the outfit selection. You can add a number of outfits to save, editing when you choose.[/i]

[quote][img]http://i56.tinypic.com/dbtlab.png[/img][/quote]
[i]1) Decal window, from here you can select which decals you wish to put onto your canvas (3) to edit. 2) Tools, similar to that of MSPaint or such, use these to manipulate or change the shape of the layers. 3) The canvas, where you edit your symbol. 4) Background, simply displays a different coloured background for reference. 5) Colour palette, colour picker and numerical colour controls. 6) Layers window shows the layers currently on the page. For layering, top of the window for above, bottom for below. 7) Effects such as gradients, camouflage and masks. Various others also.[/i]

[quote][img]http://i55.tinypic.com/4hrs6w.png[/img][/quote]
[i]This window is the Ammo window from press F (default) on a Joker Ammo Machine, its pretty basic, buy ammo here.[/i]

[quote][img]http://i53.tinypic.com/jjv4bb.png[/img][/quote]
[i]1) Character and Vehicle, similar to Weapons. 2) Primary Weapon modifications, clicking clear returns to inventory. 3) Use this to change a weapon after selecting it. 4) Stats of the selected weapon. 5) Using this button allows you to purchase ammo.[/i]

[quote][img]http://i55.tinypic.com/1zz2ety.png[/img][/quote]
[i]Opening a contact screen gives you the option to pledge, buy/sell items and even open the Armas Marketplace.[/i]

[quote][img]http://i52.tinypic.com/2zfiwz5.png[/img][/quote]
[i]This is the contact tree. It is the order in which you unlock contacts, shown is both Criminal (Red) and Enforcer (Blue) trees.[/i]

This may have only been for informative reasons, but the above screenshots will have hopefully made you eager to try out APB.[/release]

[release][h2]MEDIA[/h2]

Within this section I will be adding various screenshots or links to informative or useful articles or videos. Feel free to PM me [url=http://www.facepunch.com/private.php?do=newpm&u=313486]here[/url] if you have anything you wish to share. Whether it be a video of you creating a sweet car, or a video of you raging about the waterfront in a dumper truck, its all fun.


[b]Example of Symbol Creator[/b]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9ZVycR_85A[/media]

[b]Example of the Car Editor[/b]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8ZXg3OhwZI[/media]

[b]Example of Character Customization[/b]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WhOTrc5554[/media]


[b]In early Summer 2010 Realtime Worlds decided they were going to do some PR for the game by getting the community to vote on various options to do with the character creation screen, which would then be translated onto a real life human. It happened, the guy got tattoos, haircuts, new clothes, it was brilliant. It's in 6 stages, and is here:[/b]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-VE68yqwT0[/media]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diHifvbJagg[/media]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9jQBfisQTs[/media]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DLh5fPw3So[/media]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmsE0Y--V58[/media]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvm0MI421fA[/media]

[b]Asylum Screenshots[/b] - New Map Due

[quote][img]http://i54.tinypic.com/mu7qsz.jpg[/img][img]http://i52.tinypic.com/352rgab.jpg[/img][img]http://i55.tinypic.com/9zm360.jpg[/img][img]http://i53.tinypic.com/t5rcs5.jpg[/img][img]http://i53.tinypic.com/16krgag.jpg[/img][img]http://i56.tinypic.com/6sgv8w.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i55.tinypic.com/2qaprg0.jpg[/img][img]http://i53.tinypic.com/snm040.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i56.tinypic.com/2lmx4rs.jpg[/img][img]http://i52.tinypic.com/2zjaqm0.jpg[/img][/quote]

[b]APB at E3[/b] - Clan Warfare System

With APB: Reloaded at E3, many players were curious as to what they'd be showcasing and promoting. Well E3 week marked the beginning of closed testing for the most welcomed Clan Warfare system that is due to be introduced. Check this quote out:

[quote=DinNarcotic]http://forums.gamersfirst.com/index.php?showtopic=178332&st=0&#entry1649728

Up until now, having a clan to play with in-game is a nice perk and a handy way to socialize with your friends, but doesn’t really offer any real incentives for players to utilize it as a feature. Clan warfare will turn that on its ears by opening up a third action district that players will fight to control. Running missions against enemy clans is one thing, but being able to see your custom graphics displayed on buildings throughout a district under your control adds a much greater sense of ownership to the core activities found within the game.

Clan warfare will allow between 8 and 20 clan members to fight one another in ranked deathmatches in the new Clan Districts being added specifically for the new gameplay type. Not only will this add a much-requested gameplay mode into the mix, but it gives clans more purpose since you’ll be able to fight your way up the clan ladder and rankings. The Reloaded team is currently deciding whether or not same-faction clans will be able to battle it out, but discussing it with Bjorn we both agreed that it would be pretty cool to have criminal vs. criminal or enforcer vs. enforcer warfare, though we'll have to wait and see if that's implemented in the official release.[/quote]

[b]Shots from around APB[/b]

[img]http://i52.tinypic.com/301ix5u.jpg[/img][img]http://i55.tinypic.com/14vpxqd.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i55.tinypic.com/es23p0.jpg[/img][img]http://i54.tinypic.com/2qwmqsp.jpg[/img]

[/release]

[release][h2]FP COMMUNITY[/h2]
[img]http://i54.tinypic.com/18denn.jpg[/img]
Facepunch has many players on APB, across various servers and from many parts of the world. If you'd like to find out about the players of APB on Facepunch, then Hezzy has put together a Google Doc containing players information.

To view the document click [url=https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AoO2RppUSHP6dHF3eE5fZThsU0dzdzU0TnhTdUlnZVE&hl=en&authkey=CKbW-NMH#gid=0]here.[/url]
To add your name to the document click [url=https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHF3eE5fZThsU0dzdzU0TnhTdUlnZVE6MQ]here.[/url]

[b]Facepunch Enforcer Clan[/b]

Clan is based on the EU1 (Obeya) Server. The "leader" is [url=http://www.facepunch.com/members/54557-Taggart]Taggart[/url], and officers include simkas, SEKCobra and aarong11.

Uniforms are handled by Taggart for males and simkas for females. Vehicles can be handled by the player if they wish, or they can get a clan-standard vehicle (or, ask Taggart to make them one if they want e.g. a Moirai or Ceresco) from Taggart.

Players with invite rights are:

FP name - Ingame name

Taggart - JohnBadass
simkas - JillBadass
SEKCobra - SEKCobra
arong11 - aarong11
rangrangpkpk - Pronix

Our [url=www.mumble.com]mumble[/url] server is here:

Name: rwhited
address: rwhited.gamecack.com
port: 64738

[quote][img]http://i56.tinypic.com/5ex16u.jpg[/img][img]http://i56.tinypic.com/vamug.jpg[/img][img]http://i55.tinypic.com/hs54yt.jpg[/img][img]http://i51.tinypic.com/1pb98o.jpg[/img][img]http://i56.tinypic.com/2wnpvzn.jpg[/img][img]http://i54.tinypic.com/2n1ge2w.jpg[/img][img]http://i56.tinypic.com/1zvx655.jpg[/img][img]http://i54.tinypic.com/fwkho8.jpg[/img][img]http://i51.tinypic.com/23gzc3p.jpg[/img][/quote]

[b]Facepunch Player Screenshots[/b] - Various screenshots from the Facepunch Community

[quote][img]http://i56.tinypic.com/157zmvn.jpg[/img][img]http://i56.tinypic.com/xbef4k.png[/img][img]http://i51.tinypic.com/25k55d0.jpg[/img][img]http://i54.tinypic.com/2uegxv4.jpg[/img][img]http://i52.tinypic.com/w83i4g.png[/img][img]http://i52.tinypic.com/2nsc3mf.jpg[/img][img]http://i56.tinypic.com/9k46mq.jpg[/img][img]http://i56.tinypic.com/2nvgzvc.jpg[/img][img]http://i51.tinypic.com/atvrm8.jpg[/img][/quote]

If you'd like your content featured in the OP, or know of media that it could contain, then please feel free to PM me [url=http://www.facepunch.com/private.php?do=newpm&u=313486]here.[/url]

[b]Throughout the creation of this post, some people helped in certain ways (such as letting me use their screenshots, etc), as is right I shall name these people in the form of credits:[/b]
Dude Meister
SpartanApples
StupidUsername67
Nohj
Parakon
koekje4life V2
second-gear-of-mgear
RedRibbonMurderer
FalcoLombardi
SEKCobra
simkas
SolubleShoe
Taggart
rangrangpkpk
Legolas

If you believe you should be featured in the credits [url=http://www.facepunch.com/private.php?do=newpm&u=313486]PM me[/url], I do not mean to not include anyone deserving.

[i]Pastebin of OP: [url]http://pastebin.com/KqP6csBk[/url][/i]
[/release]