Tales From an Alpha Tester Part 2

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kungfooe wrote:

Interesting. Does that mean that 0.8.1 is about to hit? And just from curiosity, while you've been in the alpha, how frequently do server resets/wipes occur?

We're expecting 0.8.1 very soon. I imagine this will coincide with the server wipe. GGG tries to avoid server wipes but in this case there were some serious imbalances that necessitated it. Unfortunately, at this stage of development you simply can't get too attached to your character. I imagine as the game gets closer to beta server wipes will become less common.

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kungfooe wrote:

I'm also wondering, do the refillable flasks play out as a gameplay mechanic as well as it sounds on paper?

Hell yes. I'll never go back to trying to manage dozens of little potions. What a hassle that was. The flask mods certainly help to keep things interesting as well.

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kungfooe wrote:

One other thing I just thought of, what is your response to the skill tree? I know we haven't heard much about it, but is it really as massive as it sounds (i.e. more builds than you can shake a fist at)? Can you tell us anything about it?

I can't say much about the passive skill tree but I will say that it is big. I was a little overwhelmed at first. I'm not sure but I think GGG plans on making it even bigger. Planning out the optimal routes through the tree will certainly be a task to keep you stat crunchers happy. It's still something that's actively being developed so don't expect it to be revealed publicly anytime soon. Sorry.

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kungfooe wrote:

Even though it's still in the alpha stage, is there much trading going on or do players tend to look for currency items to upgrade their own gear?

Unfortunately, there aren't a whole lot of alpha testers yet so trading isn't very common. Of course, I can't vouch for other testers.

Out of all these RPG's, POE is perhaps the one I'm most excited about. I'm in the Alpha+Beta of Grim Dawn, the Closed Beta of Hellgate: Resurrection (I Beta tested it way back in the day), and it would be an absolute thrill to test POE. Here's to hoping.

How many skills were you using constantly?

Is it possible to get intelligence skill slots to drop on strength items or vice verca?

Its good to hear about the gore!!

How often are skill gems dropping at the moment?

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Covert wrote:

How many skills were you using constantly?

I use about 4-5 skills on a regular basis. Cleave for crowd control, 2 or 3 single target attack skills, and Leap Slam to get at pesky ranged enemies (or just for fun).

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Covert wrote:

Is it possible to get intelligence skill slots to drop on strength items or vice verca?

Yes. It's not very common but you do see them occasionally.

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Covert wrote:

How often are skill gems dropping at the moment?

They're fairly rare at the moment. I haven't even had the opportunity to try many of them. I imagine with vendors and more players to trade with, finding gems you want won't be too much of an issue. Also, these sort of things will continue to change as the game continues to be balanced.

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tpapp157 wrote:

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Also, are you playing on max graphics settings? And with what kind of spec did you come to this conclusion regarding graphics?

I'll try to test it out on a laptop and get back to you.

I just tried it out on a laptop. I turned the graphics all down to minimum and impressively the game still played pretty well. It wasn't the smoothest or prettiest experience but it was certainly playable even with about a dozen enemies on screen. If you have a graphics card then I doubt you'll have anything to worry about. Also remember that the system requirements are likely to change as the game gets closer to beta and release.

This just made my evening (it's after 11pm here in central IL). Thanks to both Chris and tpapp for the great information and quick responses. I can't wait to see you both in game!

Here's a question. How's the variety on item affixes? Games that contain a focus on PVP have to limit the variety of stats found on gear. Games like POE don't (as much). My team and I are working on a RPG using the UDK. We have a working list of roughly 50 affixes right now, and that's just for starters.

I don't think this was mentioned before, but Chris with the passive skill tree are there any groups of skills that when they have points allocated into the give an addition benefit like chain passives? Or should we assume that each passive skill is independent even if it works well with other skills?

Oh and Tpapp just asking how much time have you already dropped in the game?

trapper i really want to know what league do you play now,did you try pvp ,and i want to ask about items also ,is they are class only or everyone can use avrious items like in d2.becouse class locked items are shit