The Auto Assault team released more information about Outpost changes that will be a part of Update 3 today.

Auto Assault Update 3 ¨C Dev Diary ¨C Changes to Outposts and Outpost Tokens a Direct Result of Player Activity

The development and implementation of the Outpost Token system taught us many things, not the least of which is the lesson of unplanned results. Whenever you design large systems, you never really know what the players are going to do with them. No amount of theorizing in the office can predict everything that will happen once a system goes live¡­and that is one of the great things about online worlds, though it can also be one of the great frustrations as well.

When we initially designed Ground Zero ¨C our high-level Player vs. Player (PvP) zone ¨C we wanted a system to focus PvP combat somewhat and give players a goal. So, we placed fifteen outposts in the zone. These Outposts cast beneficial skills on players who capture them. They also gave out experience. Most importantly, though, is the fact that they gave Outpost Tokens over time to players who successfully capture an outpost. Players got one token after fifteen minutes, then two tokens at thirty minutes, and four at an hour.

Outpost Tokens are a form of alternate currency. Players can spend tokens in special stores to buy some of the best equipment in the game. It¡¯s not easy, though. It represents a lot of work to purchase items in the store¡­and the more impressive the item, the tougher it is to get enough tokens to purchase it.