In Dust 514
Character name
Appia Vibbia
Alliance
General Tso's Alliance
Campaign statement
EVE & closed beta vet. Omni-Soldier. Spreadsheet Warrior. Meta game expert. Experience with NDA and community forums.Using alts I've played with every role, weapon, module, and vehicle. Meticulous examination gives me understanding of meta game letting me see problems before they arise.
EVE vet for 9 years favoring cloak ships and mining/refining. DUST closed beta vet as well. Having played since 1/10/13 I've got lots of SP, I've invested it in a way I can use all suits and all weapons at least at standard level, I am an Omni-Soldier. I'm also a Spreadsheet Warrior making tables and charts for all new data to compare and contrast. I have multiple alts to play as a low SP character and know how the difference in SP affects the game. These make me a meta game expert. I know the best fits and what will be FotM as soon as stats are released because I make chart and I have experience will all items in the game I can understand changes to them. I prefer a one on one or small group approach to discussions and gladly help out anyone that asks. One of my favorite parts of playing DUST is when I receive a mail thanking me for helping someone out. With your vote I can use these skills to help as many players as possible.
I've shown the ability to analyze the data on upcoming changes-or as soon as they are released- and make nearly 100% accurate predictions on how they will affect the state of the game. I am intimately familiar with the process of creating a new character and the issues that surround the differences in player SP. While also experiencing all race, roles, weapons, and modules. I recently fell into a lull in game-play until a player joined the Scout community asking about Nova Knives and the Minmatar Scout suit. The thrill of watching someone learn how to play the game and enjoy it was absolutely rejuvenating and just so very fun.
What happened at Fan Fest and with no announcement of upcoming Client Side updates lots of people are giving up and leaving the game. I want the game to continue and I want to get people to play it again.
The player was devastated when the changes from Hotfix Alpha hit. They made it impossible for a low-SP player to enjoy the game in the role he just learned. He's still playing the game but he's not having as much fun. "Hotfix Alpha" made changes that make "proto-stomping" more prevalent. Hotfix Bravo looks to be doing a similar thing. I want the position of CPM to be an advocate for lower-SP players so that they can enjoy the game just as much as I do when I have tens of millions more SP than they do.
Experience in Dust
Gameplay; I have a number of Alt character, through them I've played with every suit, weapon, vehicle and modules. Had this all been on 1 character I'd have to have over 100 million SP.
Sentinel: I've played with a proto Amarr Sentinel from 1.6 to present, a proto Caldari, proto Gallente and STD Minmatar for the past few months of them existing. I've used the Amarr and Caldari in Planetary Conquest.
Commando: Proto Caldari and Amarr since 1.7, ADV Gal and STD Min for the past 2 months. I've used Caladri in Planetary Conquest.
Assault: Proto Gallente, Amarr, Caldari and Minmatar from November to present.
Logistics: Proto Galletne, Amarr, Caladri, and Minmatar from August to present. Used Minmatar, Gallente, and Caldari in Planetary Conquest.
Scout: Proto Gallente from March 2013 to present, Proto Minmatar from 1.0 to 1.1 and again from 1.7 to present. Proto Caldari from 1.7 to present. STD Amarr from Hotfix Alpha to present. Have used Gallente, Caldari, and Minmatar in Planetary Conquest matches.
Pilot: ADS from 1.6 to present, have used ADS in Planetary Conquest. Gunnlogi and Madrugar pilot from 1.5 to present.
Real life experience
I've signed Non-Disclosure Agreements with a few companies as a play-tester. I've been actively involved in the forum community for those games so I've got experience in speaking to both developers and the community under an NDA
I think that that is my most relevant outside experience but an entire post on that can be found here: https://forums.dust514.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=2050028#post2050028
Questions
What are the top three issues currently facing Dust 514 and why?
Assault suits: The Amarr Assault suit, with the current slot equalization, is now the best assault suit. Its bonus to the Scrambler Rifle just makes it amazing for ScR users but the rest of them are lacking. The bonus to just an aspect of their racial weapons is very limiting, there's no bonus to mix and matching rifles and suits and there are no bonuses to play-styles. This makes them very limiting and by focusing on weapons for bonuses there's too much overlap with Commandos. The Sentinels get innate resistance bonuses and Scouts get innate bonuses to Cloaks and 2 other things. Nerf the Scouts and everyone goes to Sentinels. Nerf the Sentinels and they go to Commandos, nerf the Commando and they go to Logistics. There isn't a problem with these other suits, it is the Assault suit that is lacking.
No clear future: With Project Legion announced at Fan Fest it made us feel disenfranchised as console gamers and loyal DUST 514 veterans. CCP Rattati and CCP Logibro have been on the forums and helping to build trust back up between the playerbase and CCP through hotfix alpha and getting the CPM1 going respectively, but these current iterations of hotfixes aren't solving the big problem. How long will the game persist, what are the plans for future updates (patches, not hotfixes), what's going to happen to the console gamers when DUST finally shuts down?
SP Disparity: This is the biggest issue and it is equally as broad. Matchmaking is forever limited by the number of people playing at a single time so we have to understand that low SP players and high SP players will always be in matches together. A G-I assault with all modules at STD level, no Dropsuit Upgrades skills invested and an Assault Rifle is going up against gk.0 Assault with all complex modules and a Duvolle AR. The skills and items don't give you a moderate advantage at the cost of ISK, they give you a monumental advantage. SP Disparity can be seen in vehicle vs infantry. A MLT tank is indestructible against MLT Swarms and can dance around MLT Forge Gun, get in a STD tank and it is even stronger compared to STD Swarms and Forge Gun. Then it caps out because there are only module progression and we get "close" to balance between complex modules on a STD tank and Prototype Anti-Vehicle weapons. This is terrible for low-SP vehicle users against prototype AV and horrendous for low-SP infantry against complex modules on a tank. situations like this go on and on in DUST. It's hard to get a player-base to grow when they are constantly surrounded by people that are both experienced at the game, its controls, and mechanics that can just take them down with relative ease.Why will you be an effective CPM member?
I'm both experienced with the game as a whole, from corp battles of yore to Planetary Conquest now. I know each and ever racial and role item in the game intimately. I also have experience with talking to game developers as a small group of people. I know how to properly communicate with the rest of the community when I am under a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).
I have an understanding of each perspective from the game. That experience in unique among the other candidates, and the number of people that have had the intimate levels of discussion with game developers is also very small. I'm maticulous when it comes to information about this game, you won't ever see me basing an argument on how something in the game "feels" unless I'm asking for clarification on hidden mechanic (e.g. Rifle ranges are not displayed in game and the SDK only offers effective range, without Dev posts and mid-match examination we would not know the optimal ranges of the rifles)In what way do you think the CPM can be improved?
I think the best way to improve the CPM is to get more developers to speak up about what has happened in discussion with the CPM. A lot of misunderstanding exists about what the CPM does and having a developer speak about what goes on in meeting will bother generate a better relationship between the players and CCP.If a player wants to get in touch with you, the best way to contact you is:
In-game mail to Appia Vibbia, Tepet Ejava, or email to appiavibbia@gmail.com.
Ejava is an EVE character.What is your opinion on Project Legion?
My opinions on Project Legion are all over the place. Once it is green lit DUST will be closer to an end date. I don't have PC that could run it and I lack the means to purchase a new PC just for Legion. We all new there was a life expectancy of the PS3 and I'm glad DUST's legacy can continue and whenever I get the chance I'll play it, but that won't be for a few years.