Featured Questions #3

Welcome to the third installment of Featured Questions!

If you have any Nodeka-related questions you'd like to see answered, just submit them in the comments section or via e-mail to me (Whim) - I will select and answer several player questions every other Tuesday.

Featured Questions #3:

Are you comfortable with the level Nojohr and Sorcerers are at?

Not really. Sorcerers don't quite scale the way I'd like them to, and they have a couple of significant tricks I'd like to introduce. Nojohrs have defensive/scaling problems as well, although they are a strong base class. They have the additional problem of lernen/magos versatility stunting their development.

Will Necro's ever get sixth sense?

No; at least, not for the spell power benefit. Necros have a different, more flavorful development path to look forward to which does not include "making my maledictions/siphons do tons of damage". The spy-detection functionality might be considered in some necromancer-appropriate variation, though.

Are footpads over powered with shoot?

Tough question. Quick answer: I don't like the fact that enmesh/projectile is, in some situations, equivalent to a slower manual silent malevolence. I do like the fact that footpads have a chance to take down much larger characters with a little work and the proper approach, and in fact I think all pk-oriented classes should have this capability to some extent. I do think it would be good to introduce a little more strategy into this scenario.

I mentioned before that I have a set of abilities in the works, of which every class in the game would be obtaining one variation. These abilities are intended to kind of work towards that goal, giving each class an ability which represents their "role" in pvp to a degree. I'll reveal more about this when design is further along. (Part of the problem right now is figuring out how to introduce and present them in a way which demonstrates their significance, given that they might simply fall into the large sack of abilities each class currently has - making them hard to pick out, especially given individual variations.)

Is unenhance ever coming back? What about a variation of unenhance that does X?

This question is frequently asked, but unenhance is not slated to return in any form. Its existence raises a number of substantial issues, all of which would need to be addressed before we would even consider it. No variation has presented itself which would address these issues.

"Excess pools" (such as mana and spirit on a warrior class) are an issue which I am aware of when designing for the long term, with an eye for justifying their existence. For example, mana and spirit potential now play a very large part in countering evasion; I will also be looking at developing overall rank as a meaningful and desirable attribute rather than just a way to "penalize" players by making missions harder.

Could 'inscriptions clear' return a percentage of the faction spent (on purchasing the inscriptions being erased)?

Unfortunately, no. Inscriptions have no inherent "cost" to them, because they can be obtained in a variety of ways (such as scrolls, which exist and are fully functional but won't actually be seen on Nodeka until the spoils of war are implemented). The faction you paid is just an arbitrary cost which Margrave Krijjkar decided to charge for the privilege of teaching you.

Having said that, I understand that the Invasion inscription costs are pretty high for experimentation right now. I have a few ideas in that regard (such as reduced inscription costs for high accolades) which I may explore.

The scar has been hyped for some time now, is it going to disappoint like Last Air Bender?
How soon can we expect it?
Will there be more areas like pains, except larger, perhaps requiring groups?

I'm sure it'll be a stunning disappointment; hype tends to do that, and well, some people aren't just tough to please, they don't want to be pleased. ;)

Having said that, it will be as good as I can possibly make it. Luckily, that particular benchmark increases over time, as every internal improvement I make for other AI purposes (Invasions, Fields of Guidance, etc.) opens up new doors for areas and events to come. In addition, I think it's evident enough that I'm committed to taking good ideas and developing them, rather than just throwing them out and letting them sit. I think the original Invasion event, as released, is almost laughable compared to what it's evolved into, even if I was proud of it at the time. =) Likewise, I will of course do my best with the Scar, and develop it wherever it needs developing.

Right now, I'm working on Fields of Guidance AI and newbie quest development. After that, I will be working on the Vl'lakian Ramparts (which is similar to what you're asking about a group-oriented Tabernacle) and the Scar concurrently.

Would it be possible for insanity et al. to show up under affects?

Not quite as easy as it sounds. Insanity and havoc aren't simple "add 50 hit, add 100 damage" effects; each affects the barbarian's combat in unique ways, some of which can't be duplicated by current temporary effects. I can, however, let you know what they do:

Insanity:
1. can't be parried
2. increases damage by a random percentage, range is based on strength and mastery beyond 100%
3. decreases hit to a random percentage, range is based on intellect and wisdom
4. drains endurance with each attack, drain can be reduced with mastery beyond 100%
5. makes the barbarian easier to hit

Havoc:
Similar to insanity, with the following differences:
1. the base hit and damage formulae are superior to insanity's
2. endurance drain is greater
3. mastery beyond 100% improves hit instead of damage
4. the "easier to hit" penalty is slightly less than insanity's
5. mastery beyond 100% reduces the "easier to hit" penalty, even going slightly below x1.0 at high %s

Would it be possible to program a 'donation' feature for the repair of Ruushi (during city Invasions) in exchange for faction?

Absolutely, although in a somewhat different form than what you describe. I have planned for the ability for experienced participants to alter the defense effort with certain global tactical decisions which last for one invasion - for example, the ability to increase golem repair rates or to inhibit the spawn rate of a certain invader class which has become too overwhelming. (These aren't slated to incur faction costs.)

This feature isn't on track to be released yet due to the ebb and flow of Invasion difficulty as I further develop the event. Given the recent enhancements, I feel that the event has drifted towards the easier side of the spectrum. (It was somewhat difficult before the golem grouping and shriveled spell nerf were introduced; there was also an unmentioned adjustment to the spawning algorithm which smooths out the spawn curve in certain situations). I have certain challenges I'd like to add to the event to spice things up, eventually; once these are ready, the time will probably be right for adding tactical benefits to balance out the added difficulty. (This is probably a slightly longer-term project, as I think Invasions are running smoothly now and I'd like to address other important areas before coming back to it.)