Best holiday wishes to all of you! Thank you all for your kind thoughts and concern. I am safely back at home, and hard at work on the system alluded to in the Nov. 14 post. Paper design is done, and I've made a ton of coding progress in the past two days.
In the spirit of the season, as well as the spirit of toying with you all, here's just a few pointers as to what the new system will be about:
1. The gibberish in the Nov. 14th post is part of the foundation of the new content.
2. The name of the Nov. 14th post is significant in some way.
3. Inscriptions.
Enjoy your eggnog; I'll be working hard to get you some much-needed code love!
Friday, December 25, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
Emergency leave
I'm sorry to push back the long-overdue content releases, but I will not be able to provide any updates this coming week. Due to an immediate family emergency, I will be unavailable until the 20th. I'll resume working on updates when I return. Until then, best wishes and good health to you all.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Blast from the past
Hi! Here's a quick progress report, by request, on what's working its way through the Nodeka creation pipeline and how far it's gotten.
Last week, I inquired if anyone talented with the pen would be interested in helping me out with room/mob descriptions (one of the bigger "busywork" obstacles for me in releasing an area, as it tends to take me a long time to tweak these). Several people responded (and thank you all for your willingness!); one of those players is now helping me with the Fields of Guidance descriptions and should get back to me this weekend. Once I manage to integrate those, the Fields should be just about releasable.
For the rest of the players who responded, I may be tapping your talent in the future given the numerous areas I have in the pipeline; I'll work it out via e-mail when the time comes, and thanks again! =)
In the meantime, I've been working out the details of a certain new in-game system which underlies a lot of the new content. One of the challenges in designing new content is the reward aspect - once the "new toy" sheen wears off, how do you keep this content relevant to the players? The current setup of the Ruushi Invasion is a good example of a failure on my part to set up a compelling reward system (compounded by the fact that numbers correlate to success in the current setup, exaggerating the inertia of increase/decline in participants). This is a mistake I don't want to make with the future content, and so I'm cleaning up this particular in-game system to interlock with the next few areas' reward structures.
What is this in-game system precisely? I'll talk about it more next week, hopefully after the Fields of Guidance have been released. For now, I'll just leave you with this indecipherable gibberish: ra znv yd sji. =)
Last week, I inquired if anyone talented with the pen would be interested in helping me out with room/mob descriptions (one of the bigger "busywork" obstacles for me in releasing an area, as it tends to take me a long time to tweak these). Several people responded (and thank you all for your willingness!); one of those players is now helping me with the Fields of Guidance descriptions and should get back to me this weekend. Once I manage to integrate those, the Fields should be just about releasable.
For the rest of the players who responded, I may be tapping your talent in the future given the numerous areas I have in the pipeline; I'll work it out via e-mail when the time comes, and thanks again! =)
In the meantime, I've been working out the details of a certain new in-game system which underlies a lot of the new content. One of the challenges in designing new content is the reward aspect - once the "new toy" sheen wears off, how do you keep this content relevant to the players? The current setup of the Ruushi Invasion is a good example of a failure on my part to set up a compelling reward system (compounded by the fact that numbers correlate to success in the current setup, exaggerating the inertia of increase/decline in participants). This is a mistake I don't want to make with the future content, and so I'm cleaning up this particular in-game system to interlock with the next few areas' reward structures.
What is this in-game system precisely? I'll talk about it more next week, hopefully after the Fields of Guidance have been released. For now, I'll just leave you with this indecipherable gibberish: ra znv yd sji. =)
Friday, October 9, 2009
A steady hand
The latest update is pretty self-explanatory. =) Speed, at least at high values, is now tied somewhat to dexterity - if you're superloaded on speed but completely skimping on dexterity, you'll start to notice the attack degradation. Only speed-based attacks beyond your dexterity-based "steady attack" cap are affected - having more speed is never a liability. The benefit simply scales down if your dexterity is too far behind.
At the current numbers, the change should be mild for anyone who isn't on the crazy side of imbalanced (say, rocking 1000 speed while augmenting their dexterity down to 200). In addition, the renown additions will provide a constant 5% boost to your incoming xp and gold from now on once you've accumulated renown up to the base of 500. (Assuming, of course, that you don't get pkilled!)
Questions are welcome, as always. It's a super busy time for me - back to work!
At the current numbers, the change should be mild for anyone who isn't on the crazy side of imbalanced (say, rocking 1000 speed while augmenting their dexterity down to 200). In addition, the renown additions will provide a constant 5% boost to your incoming xp and gold from now on once you've accumulated renown up to the base of 500. (Assuming, of course, that you don't get pkilled!)
Questions are welcome, as always. It's a super busy time for me - back to work!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
We're driving 60 miles an hour
As promised in the MotD, here's a slightly more in-depth discussion regarding the new speed change.
Before this update, entities gained an additional attack at certain speed "breakpoints" (388 speed, 412 speed, etc.) At higher speed values, these breakpoints were absolute - you either had enough speed or you didn't. There was no difference between, say, 320 or 381 speed in terms of attacks; the extra speed points were "wasted".
Now, however, every speed point contributes slightly to your attack frequency. The base underlying "breakpoints" remain similar (for example, about 490 speed will net you about 12 base attacks, just as before). However, that number of attacks is no longer set in stone. For example, at 400 speed, you will usually perform from 10-11 base attacks, with more 11-attacks than 10-attacks. As your speed increases beyond 400, your 10-attack rounds will decrease and your 11-attack rounds will increase, slowly increasing your average. By the time you hit about 440 speed, 10-attack rounds will be rarely seen, 11-attacks will be much more common, and you will start to see 12-attack rounds beginning to pop up. As you approach 500 speed, you'll be doing 12-attack rounds more often than 11-attack rounds... and so on.
The net result is that speed is no longer a game of "hitting that breakpoint", but a stat that scales just as the other stats do. This should make gearing for speed a bit less restrictive, as you won't have the "I can't take off my speed wristband because it will drop me below a breakpoint" problem anymore. If you were previously right on a breakpoint and had more than 300 speed, you may notice a slight decrease (half an attack, or slightly more at very high speeds as those breakpoints were shifted up a few points).
This change was implemented and tested with crafted gear in mind. If things work out as I hope (with balance remaining fair and the restrictiveness of speed easing up a little), I may be able to leave speed gear at its current levels rather than tweaking it as mentioned on the Nodeka 411 discussions. (I have some ideas in store for the attributes that are just slightly undervalued at the moment by many classes, such as hit and dexterity.)
And, in the meantime, the wood-based crafting fix should open up more crafted gear possibilities for you in certain slots (such as caster/finesse weapons). I pushed this particular fix up the timeline because of a serious bug which was brought to my attention by Iron (with a wonderfully descriptive, analytical e-mail, I might add - makes bugzapping so much easier, thank you!). In fixing that bug, I had to rewrite some of the same AI that was causing the wood-based crafting anomaly, so I mashed the bugs together and made an update stew. Now, I need to step away from this little distraction and get back to the Fields of Guidance. =) Thanks for playing, and thanks for your patience - great things are coming, folks!
Before this update, entities gained an additional attack at certain speed "breakpoints" (388 speed, 412 speed, etc.) At higher speed values, these breakpoints were absolute - you either had enough speed or you didn't. There was no difference between, say, 320 or 381 speed in terms of attacks; the extra speed points were "wasted".
Now, however, every speed point contributes slightly to your attack frequency. The base underlying "breakpoints" remain similar (for example, about 490 speed will net you about 12 base attacks, just as before). However, that number of attacks is no longer set in stone. For example, at 400 speed, you will usually perform from 10-11 base attacks, with more 11-attacks than 10-attacks. As your speed increases beyond 400, your 10-attack rounds will decrease and your 11-attack rounds will increase, slowly increasing your average. By the time you hit about 440 speed, 10-attack rounds will be rarely seen, 11-attacks will be much more common, and you will start to see 12-attack rounds beginning to pop up. As you approach 500 speed, you'll be doing 12-attack rounds more often than 11-attack rounds... and so on.
The net result is that speed is no longer a game of "hitting that breakpoint", but a stat that scales just as the other stats do. This should make gearing for speed a bit less restrictive, as you won't have the "I can't take off my speed wristband because it will drop me below a breakpoint" problem anymore. If you were previously right on a breakpoint and had more than 300 speed, you may notice a slight decrease (half an attack, or slightly more at very high speeds as those breakpoints were shifted up a few points).
This change was implemented and tested with crafted gear in mind. If things work out as I hope (with balance remaining fair and the restrictiveness of speed easing up a little), I may be able to leave speed gear at its current levels rather than tweaking it as mentioned on the Nodeka 411 discussions. (I have some ideas in store for the attributes that are just slightly undervalued at the moment by many classes, such as hit and dexterity.)
And, in the meantime, the wood-based crafting fix should open up more crafted gear possibilities for you in certain slots (such as caster/finesse weapons). I pushed this particular fix up the timeline because of a serious bug which was brought to my attention by Iron (with a wonderfully descriptive, analytical e-mail, I might add - makes bugzapping so much easier, thank you!). In fixing that bug, I had to rewrite some of the same AI that was causing the wood-based crafting anomaly, so I mashed the bugs together and made an update stew. Now, I need to step away from this little distraction and get back to the Fields of Guidance. =) Thanks for playing, and thanks for your patience - great things are coming, folks!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Everything old is new again
Busy busy busy! Still hacking away at that Fields of Guidance update; it should be pretty soon now. =) There were a lot of underlying issues I had to poke at, and even tasks that sound simple (such as writing the quest text) present some surprising challenges.
In the meantime, I've addressed a few of the current discussions over at Nodeka411, so if you're feeling a little information-starved, mosey on over to these threads:
http://www.nodeka411.net/forum/showthread.php?t=423
http://www.nodeka411.net/forum/showthread.php?t=433
In the meantime, I've addressed a few of the current discussions over at Nodeka411, so if you're feeling a little information-starved, mosey on over to these threads:
http://www.nodeka411.net/forum/showthread.php?t=423
http://www.nodeka411.net/forum/showthread.php?t=433
Sunday, August 16, 2009
In the not too distant future
Here's a little what's-happenin' update, by request, along with some extra babble (no cost!).
Last weekend's life nova + wild calling + convocation's mark update marked the end of a pretty good run of class adjustments and additions. I'm not done updating base classes yet, but class-based work is on very temporary pause, probably until the end of the month or so.
Touching on the updates briefly - the new daja spells (life nova and unearthly rapture) are pretty spectacular in potential. It took a fair amount of time to get the rapture working right, as it's a pretty unique effect. :) Both abilities reach their fullest potential when used on an overwhelmed target; whereas the rapture is the sicker effect with the longer prevention, the nova is somewhat more utilitarian, as it has a short prevention and can even be used as a running tool (even a single target struck will give the target at least some percentage of holy light attack). Both are useful for granting the daja some breathing room in reviving an overwhelmed ally.
Wild calling and the convocation's mark are pretty unique. Wild calling basically grants the druid access to a variety of targetable buffs, including faerie fire, lateral deterrence, or delayed-action healing bursts... but never more than one at a time. The druid must commit to a specific council when acquiring the convocation's mark, and that decision governs which effect the wild calling provides until the mark fades.
The weeks before that update were pretty intense in terms of adding "shine" to classes that needed it; while the task isn't quite done yet, my focus will be changing for the next few weeks. I'll be working primarily on content updates, in this order: Fields of Guidance revamp, cleanup in Mejath, Invasion additions, finishing the Hallowed Scar, improving the Trials of Karmova, adding the Vl'lakian Ramparts group dungeon, adding more Ruushi functionality tied to Invasion damage levels (gambling?), and finally some crafting system updates.
That's a lot of work, yeah. :) I'm pretty far along in the Fields revamp; I think you should see that coming out in a few days or so. This past week has been spent primarily on designing and implementing that revamp, while adding a few specific features to the mob AI system to support some of my plans for the above. The updates beyond Mejath might fluctuate slightly in order; some will require substantial amounts of time to fine-tune (Scar, Ramparts, crafting) whereas the others are a bit easier to work with (Trials, Invasion), and I might push up the easier stuff if updates become too sparse, just to keep everyone happy with shiny new toys. A lot of the development will be concurrent as well, since so much of it is linked (the Trials affect the Scar, new rewards will be available from Scar/Ramparts which are used in the crafting system, etc.)
The Fields and Mejath are definitely first in line, though. We now have both a sidebar icon and in-forum banners on zuggsoft.com, as well as an icon in new Cmud/Zmud installations; we're also making some impressive work climbing the mud site rankings (keep up the voting at nodeka.com; you're all making a big difference and we appreciate it a ton!). Because of this, our newbie experience is at the top of my plate right now. :)
So that covers the past week and the next few weeks, at least. As always, I'm happy to address any questions or concerns you may have, and thank you for your patience, active voting, and support in helping to bring out the excellence in Nodeka!
Last weekend's life nova + wild calling + convocation's mark update marked the end of a pretty good run of class adjustments and additions. I'm not done updating base classes yet, but class-based work is on very temporary pause, probably until the end of the month or so.
Touching on the updates briefly - the new daja spells (life nova and unearthly rapture) are pretty spectacular in potential. It took a fair amount of time to get the rapture working right, as it's a pretty unique effect. :) Both abilities reach their fullest potential when used on an overwhelmed target; whereas the rapture is the sicker effect with the longer prevention, the nova is somewhat more utilitarian, as it has a short prevention and can even be used as a running tool (even a single target struck will give the target at least some percentage of holy light attack). Both are useful for granting the daja some breathing room in reviving an overwhelmed ally.
Wild calling and the convocation's mark are pretty unique. Wild calling basically grants the druid access to a variety of targetable buffs, including faerie fire, lateral deterrence, or delayed-action healing bursts... but never more than one at a time. The druid must commit to a specific council when acquiring the convocation's mark, and that decision governs which effect the wild calling provides until the mark fades.
The weeks before that update were pretty intense in terms of adding "shine" to classes that needed it; while the task isn't quite done yet, my focus will be changing for the next few weeks. I'll be working primarily on content updates, in this order: Fields of Guidance revamp, cleanup in Mejath, Invasion additions, finishing the Hallowed Scar, improving the Trials of Karmova, adding the Vl'lakian Ramparts group dungeon, adding more Ruushi functionality tied to Invasion damage levels (gambling?), and finally some crafting system updates.
That's a lot of work, yeah. :) I'm pretty far along in the Fields revamp; I think you should see that coming out in a few days or so. This past week has been spent primarily on designing and implementing that revamp, while adding a few specific features to the mob AI system to support some of my plans for the above. The updates beyond Mejath might fluctuate slightly in order; some will require substantial amounts of time to fine-tune (Scar, Ramparts, crafting) whereas the others are a bit easier to work with (Trials, Invasion), and I might push up the easier stuff if updates become too sparse, just to keep everyone happy with shiny new toys. A lot of the development will be concurrent as well, since so much of it is linked (the Trials affect the Scar, new rewards will be available from Scar/Ramparts which are used in the crafting system, etc.)
The Fields and Mejath are definitely first in line, though. We now have both a sidebar icon and in-forum banners on zuggsoft.com, as well as an icon in new Cmud/Zmud installations; we're also making some impressive work climbing the mud site rankings (keep up the voting at nodeka.com; you're all making a big difference and we appreciate it a ton!). Because of this, our newbie experience is at the top of my plate right now. :)
So that covers the past week and the next few weeks, at least. As always, I'm happy to address any questions or concerns you may have, and thank you for your patience, active voting, and support in helping to bring out the excellence in Nodeka!
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