Equipment Lines

[Fredjan]

Greetings,

After today's update I was checking some of the adjusted gear and noticed something that's occuring with plasm gear more than it did beforehand. Before the update, I mainly noticed this occuring with Bokwus Circlet.

My Soothsayer Staff, for instance, has 4 lines of text outside of the box (the two lines using the job info, the RP line, and the item level line). If the item lacked any augments at all or the RP line, it'd be right at 12 lines which seems to be the cap for how big item info can be as far as lines go.

What it looks like in-game for me:
---box top---
1-Soothsayer Staff
2-(Staff)All Races
3-DMG:145 Delay:366 MP+50 INT+10
4-MND+10
5-Magic Accuracy+135
6-"Magic Atk. Bonus"+19
7-Magic Damage+151
8-Staff skill+162
9-Parrying skill+162
10-[1]"Mag.Atk.Bns."+10
11-[2]INT+8
12-[3]MND+5
---end of box---
Lines 13/14-Job info
15-Rank points info
16-Item Level

I'm sure I'm not the only one that's noticed this. I think it's bothersome to see stats extend outside of a box, but maybe that's just me. I decided to specifically list that one because it's the worst one I've seen yet and the way the plasm augments work you need 4 lines just for the augments (3 augment lines + 1 for RP info). Given that fact I'd like to suggest condensing the lines used to be up to 8 max for plasm gear so that the extra 4 can be used for the augment system.

Idea I thought of:
---box top---
1-Soothsayer Staff
2-(Staff)All Races
3-DMG:145 Delay:366 MP+50 INT+10
4-MND+10 Mag.Acc.+135 Mag.Dmg.+151
5-"Mag.Atk.Bns."+19 Staff/Parry. skill+162
6-[1]"Mag.Atk.Bns."+10
7-[2]INT+8
8-[3]MND+5
Lines 9/10-Job info
11-Rank points info
12-Item Level
---end of box---

[Unelonborro]

Greetings, Fredjan!

Thank you for your report. The EN, DE, and FR teams are all looking for solutions to this issue, because the addition of item levels, rank points, and the like to Seekers of Adoulin items has caused text box overflows to items that would otherwise previously fit in the space allotted.

From a technical standpoint, previously we were allotted seven lines for item stat-related help text, but the addition of extra lines at the bottom has shortened this amount to as little as four lines in certain instances (such as the one you pointed out). This issue affects all non-Japanese languages, but DE and FR get hit particularly hard.

We are currently considering ways to add extra space to item help text to see if this alleviates the issue.

In the meantime, we ask for your patience while we work toward a resolution.

Thank you very much.

Yours,

Unelonborro
Localization Team

[Ophannus]

Could try streamlining abbreviations. Like why does Evasion have to be spelled out but Strength gets to be abbreviated STR and Dexterity as DEX?

Attack-> ATK
Defemse->DEF
Accuracy->ACC
Ranged Accuracy->R.ACC
Magic Attack Bonus->MAB (Always wondered why JP version says Magic Attack but NA says Magic Attack Bonus. Why does Magic Attack Bonus have the word Bonus in it for gear but gear with +Attack in it doesn't say +Attack Bonus?)
Magic Accuracy->M.ACC
Critical Hit Rate-> CRIT%

etc..

[Kristal]

Adds "Refresh" effect -> Refresh+2
Adds "Regen" effect -> Regen+2

Another possibility could be to have the middle section of the text scroll up and down if the number of lines exceeds the maximum space. Or, you know.. increase the size of the window (assuming there is still room on a matchbox PS2 window)

[Mirage]

Could try streamlining abbreviations. Like why does Evasion have to be spelled out but Strength gets to be abbreviated STR and Dexterity as DEX?

Attack-> ATK
Defemse->DEF
Accuracy->ACC
Ranged Accuracy->R.ACC
Magic Attack Bonus->MAB (Always wondered why JP version says Magic Attack but NA says Magic Attack Bonus. Why does Magic Attack Bonus have the word Bonus in it for gear but gear with +Attack in it doesn't say +Attack Bonus?)
Magic Accuracy->M.ACC
Critical Hit Rate-> CRIT%

etc..

Agreed. Some stats are excessively verbose. Abbreviations are fine, we'll still understand what the items do.

Personally, I've wanted "Refresh +X" and "Regen +X" for a long time now. Not only is it shorter, but it also lets us know exactly how much the refresh/regen effect is, instead of having to manually memorize it for each different item.

For critical hit rate. I think perhaps it should be abbreviated "Crit. rate +X%", along with abbreviating critical hit damage to "Crit. dmg".

[FaeQueenCory]

Personally, I've wanted "Refresh +X" and "Regen +X" for a long time now. Not only is it shorter, but it also lets us know exactly how much the refresh/regen effect is, instead of having to manually memorize it for each different item.
THIS. SO MUCH THIS.
And while we're at it... how about a numerical value for fast cast... dual wield.... basically anything that says "enhances" changed to "ability"+XX(%).
It's really annoying because some of the new gear does it like that ("Fast Cast"+5) but some of it doesn't (Enhances "Dual Wield").

[Mirage]

Yes, that would be greatly appreciated too.

[Ophannus]

I think they want to keep the "Enhances X Trait" for some items. It keeps up their policy of being mysterious and they like hidden/ofuscated stats to make players test them or whatever. Personally I think it was fine back in 2004 where there were millions of players. At this stage in the game, there are way too many pieces of gear to just say "Enhances Double Attack Effect" instead cut the crap and put Dbl. Atk+X%. No more "Enhances Jump Effect or whatever either. The template should either be:

Ability: +/- Effect Bonus, % if applicable
or
Enhancement + X

i.e:

Berserk: Crit. Rate +14%
Jump: Dbl. Atk+5%

The only time it should ever say "Enhances X Ability" should be when it enhances more than 1 property of an ability. If it's just one bonus to the ability, just say what it is!