Developer Chat - 2002/09/23
Original Link (now dead) - http://classic.zone.msn.com/asheronscall/news/ASHEdevchattran0902.asp
Transcript of Developer's Chat, September 23
On Monday, September 23, the Turbine team met in the Zone Theater Chat Room to discuss current issues with Asheron's Call and the world of Dereth. The following transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
Tim_Turbine says: Hello everyone, and welcome to yet another Asheron's Call dev chat. Hopefully you've been enjoying the September Event, next month's is shaping up to be quite interesting.
We'll field as many questions as we can in the time that we have. Ken Karl unfortunately will not be joining us tonight, but with me here are Sandra (bounty hunter extraordinaire), Allan (author of "Flying with Elvis: Two Years in a Vegas Air Show), Todd (professional yodeler on the Swiss circuit), Brent (former gator wrestler), and Les (inventor of the interstellar drive, patent pending).
So, without further babbling from some producer type, let's see the first question!
Tim_Turbine says: Btw, I seem to be having a problem of getting kicked out and then having to come back in, so if I cut off in the middle of a sentence, that's the reason.
Callador in AsheronsCall asks: What will you do about the ability to get in to the cit by jumping through the mountain surrounding it?
Tim_Turbine says: It wasn't intended, but it didn't ruin things, so we decided to leave it alone for this month. But we'll be fixing it next month.
Damuell in AsheronsCall asks: Are we going to see any changes to the way Magic Tinkering works?
srand_Turbine says: We have no plans at this time to change the mechanics of magic item imbuing. We do, however, have plans to introduce other magic item tinkering effects that use the `standard' tinkering mechanics (rather than the imbuing mechanics).
_boneyard_ in AsheronsCall asks: why was nothing done with the worlds that defended the last cistern? It looked like it was totally ignored.
Orion_Turbine says: We had plans to do something for those worlds that had successfully defended the cores. But now that all of the worlds have defeated the crystal cores it shall forever remain a mystery.
Thrust5000 in AsheronsCall asks: Now that hilted weapons aren't the best of the best, will we see the timer on them lowered?
Orion_Turbine says: At this point there are no plans to adjust the timer on the hilted weapons. There are also no plans to remove triple strike dagger or double strike swords from the game. We are still considering an increase in the skill required to utilize the triple strike to bring them more in line with the other weapons. We will let you know when and if those changes come to be.
DaMuleBoyz in AsheronsCall asks: Are there any plans to revisit life magic and do something about Drain Stamina and Mana which now are sadly lacking and left mages in a bad place?
srand_Turbine says: We have no plans at this time to revisit the Life Magic changes. We may continue to do some minor tweaking, but overall we are satisfied with the effects of the changes.
peebee929 in AsheronsCall asks: Did you really intend for Arc spells to move as fast as streaks and do full level 7 war damage?
Toddb_Turbine says: Yes, the arcs are working exactly as intended. We decided that instead of further increases to the power of war spells we'd just make it easier to hit your target instead.
The DoT of war magic is very respectable, but only if you can actually hit things.
I do wish that I could have convinced our physics code to make the spell arc higher than they currently do, though.
One other thing that many folks have thought was a bug is the spell words. They are intentionally the same as the old war spells to add some spice to PvP combat, again to make it easier to hit your target.
Not knowing what's coming at you means there is no "always best" dodging method, although both spells can be dodged using the right tactics.
Ghoti42 in AsheronsCall asks: How long have you guys been working on this newest quest. GREAT job btw.
Orion_Turbine says: This quest took us last month. The team really pulled together and made this one of the most fun quests to develop and we hope you found it one of the most fun to play.
Atticus30 in AsheronsCall asks: Hollow Arrows, when?
Tim_Turbine says: Hollow arrows were not included in this month's update for the reasons stated--we weren't happy with their balance and decided to wait until we were.
This is the main reason we don't promise content on certain dates, as if we are not 100% satisfied, it won't go out.
Believe me, my archer is eagerly waiting as well!
wburgess in AsheronsCall asks: Are the two staves and the shield the only variable rewards available from the Gaerlan quest?
Orion_Turbine says: The reward chest is not broken it is functioning as designed. In fact I would say that it will take players at least 6 weeks to discover all the rewards.
CloseHealer in AsheronsCall asks: Do you plan to update the starter quest? Lore wise.
Orion_Turbine says: Yes, though it will be a matter of time available to revisit the lore aspect of the quest.
ShinsFortress in AsheronsCall asks: Any chance of Mana Conversion love? (I know it's useful, but I'm an old "loyal" char that "can't" re-roll.)
srand_Turbine says: We haven't forgotten about Mana Conversion.
kbartrum in AsheronsCall asks: Why was nothing done about the wall-climbing to get the Martine items? One would assume that this was not intended.
Orion_Turbine says: When we found that the citadel was climbable we talked about whether it had an impact on the quest as a whole and we decided that the only thing that it truly impacted was the players that did not get the full effect of going through the quest as a whole.
Orion_Turbine says: At this time we have no plans to punish any players that used this path to obtain the items. The other players will be attaining the awards through the means as originally designed.
MongrelGuts in AsheronsCall asks: When will we see Prismatic Peas? For a mage to carry enough tapers to hunt for any reasonable amount of time, he has to carry far more burden than he did under the old component system.
Toddb_Turbine says: We aren't currently planning to introduce Prismatic Peas, we're happy with the length of time mages can stay in the field using this new system.
Ol_Dogg in AsheronsCall asks: What's going on with that harbinger monster? Did he die with Gaerlan?
Orion_Turbine says: Wait and see.
peebee929 in AsheronsCall asks: Any plans on making Isparian weapons muleable?
srand_Turbine says: We've been looking into various options for allowing players to mule and hook all sorts of no-drop items. With luck, you'll begin to see some of these options soon.
acdtdude in AsheronsCall asks: Can we expect to see more quests like Gaerlan in the future? Like will each month be on this scale?
Toddb_Turbine says: . . . dies from exhuastion
Tim_Turbine says: We strive to make each month exciting, however not every month will contain something like Gaerlan.
Sean_Turbine says: *runs screaming*
ReinMaster in AsheronsCall asks: I seem to have lost romside's question, essentially it was how long was the quest timer on Gaerlan's quest.
Orion_Turbine says: The timer is for a full cycle of days. This roughly translates into 7 days. And give Keth a break, the client is giving him an aneurysm.
KahlansMom in AsheronsCall asks: Are your plans to have more of the riddles and traps involved in more dungeons. I loved everything this month.
Orion_Turbine says: We are very excited about being able to introduce new tech such as this. So you can be assured that this is not the only time you will see such quests or dynamics.
gollumone in AsheronsCall asks: Are there any plans to update the look of any more monsters. I.e., Banderlings.
Sean_Turbine says: Yes. We like to do that every now and then, and there is one in the hopper waiting to get out.
TroubledPublicAgent in AsheronsCall asks: Why is AC locking up when we ALT Tab.
Toddb_Turbine says: We are aware of some problems this month when people Alt-Tab away from the client. We will continue to investigate this problem and see if we can figure out what's going on.
If you are experiencing Atl-Tab problems please use http://bugs.zone.com to report the details of what is happening, including information about your video card and Direct-X version. This will help us to fix the problem.
TwinklyCoyote4 in AsheronsCall asks: Will it be possible to dye Covenant Armor? With the number of shades (especially rare ones like pink or bright red) it is hard to get a matching suit made.
srand_Turbine says: We are working on extending Derethian dyeing technology to a number of new items. It is likely that Covenant Armor will be included in that list.
JarJarBinksII in AsheronsCall asks: What is that human looking figure in a red shirt and black pants from the portal.dat from this month? Someone on a message board said that it's a turbine employee?
Orion_Turbine says: That could be your worst nightmare. In fact it just MIGHT be.
Rean_Slayter in AsheronsCall asks: Cast Heart Seeker on Missile Weapons. Any effect?
srand_Turbine says: It wastes mana. . .
Sorry to be blunt. *grin* No, as we stated in a Letter to the Player a few months ago, Heart Seeker and similar attack skill modifiers on missile weapons does not and never has helped you hit your target.
duckonthehunt in AsheronsCall asks: What happen to Martine?
Orion_Turbine says: What happened to Martine? That's a good question. How would you answer it?
ddrrds in AsheronsCall asks: Based on the most recent Gaerlan quest, I plan on extending my stay in AC1, I still believe its the best game on the market, can we expect more quests of the same epic nature?
Orion_Turbine says: The future is still very bright, the only thing that I can say is that the amount of work that goes into a patch like this is staggering. We would like to, that is for certain.
Marshall_ in AsheronsCall asks: Will the Gaerlan quest/event be permanent or end at the next patch?
Orion_Turbine says: Yes. The quest is going to become permanent. Again we have plans to remove the landscape access to the area, which will restore the quest to the way that it was originally intended.
henrys in AsheronsCall asks: So are Lugian and Tumeroks are friends now?
Orion_Turbine says: I think that you can surmise that things are looking up here. But remember you've been out there for a good long time killing them so the process may well be slow and filled with a few bumps along the way.
UBJK_Rjmig88 in AsheronsCall asks: Can we have new dye colors such as orange and pink?
Sean_Turbine says: Adding new dye colors is a huge, gargantuan task that requires going back over every single thing you can wield or wear and adding data to it. With such a tremendous effort required, it is unlikely you will get more dye colors.
However, pink and orange are freely available now, by failing to dye things. So if you are really bad at it, you will get those two colors.
OptimShi in AsheronsCall asks: With October just around the corner, will the tradition of the past two years continue and we'll have more fun masks to play with? (Like a Squid Mask!)
Orion_Turbine says: October has always been a "fun" month.
Sean_Turbine says: Do squid even HAVE faces?
Crovax_X in AsheronsCall asks: Any way you could make a bow/crossbow/atlatl with a cool effect on it? Wands/staffs/orbs and melees all have cool effects on there weapons, give missile some graphical love!
Sean_Turbine says: Sure, it's possible, but it's unlikely you'll get flame, lightning, etc, effects on it like you would with melee weapons because the damage type is inherent to the ammo, not the weapon, so it may not make sense to do those. Others, however, sure.
Sean_Turbine says: If the design calls for it.
AC_DM_Freak in AsheronsCall asks: Was the fact that the Gaerlan war staff does not have Moderate War Aptitude a bug?
Orion_Turbine says: Yes. This is a bug and the item will be upgraded for the next patch.
KahlansMom in AsheronsCall asks: Is there any chance of weapons like the Silifi of Crimson Stars getting an upgrade to make them more like the weapon damage of today?
srand_Turbine says: Yes.
ChillyCibbe in AsheronsCall asks: Does War eco really work as it's supposed? With 360 base War I don't hit any harder then a guy with 300 base it seems.
Toddb_Turbine says: First of all, there is no more War Economy, it was removed. The skill based damage bonuses seem to be working correctly though.
The maximum bonus a spell can receive is determined by the level of the spell though, so two high level mages casting level 3 spells might be doing exactly the same damage.
Tim_Turbine says: That seems to be all the time we have for tonight folks, thanks for stopping.
Toddb_Turbine says: Stopping what?
les_turbine says: by.
Tim_Turbine says: Errr. Stopping by.
Keth_Turbine says: glad I wasn't the only one having trouble tonight.
les_turbine says: Later, guys!
Sean_Turbine says: Or as they say in Newfoundland, "Thanks for stoppin', b'y".
Orion_Turbine says: Thanks all see you next month and sorry about the popping in an out the client is acting poorly this evening.
Tim_Turbine says: Before we say goodbye, I did forget to introduce Sean H, creator of the X-tra Hum Florescent light and purveyor of fine mints.
Orion_Turbine says: Bye-Bye.
Tim_Turbine says: Feel free to ask more questions at http://www.accmty.com and http://forums.turbinegames.com.
Tim_Turbine says: Thanks to all for joining us this evening, as always we've enjoyed fielding your questions. Enjoy the rest of this month's content, and we'll see you next month!
Keth_Turbine says: oh and I saw the Leikotha question. . . when I bring it up they just roll their eyes and mock me. . . but I'll keep trying!
Keth_Turbine says: and if you did not enjoy this Dev Chat, please return the unused portion for a full refund.
Toddb_Turbine says: . . . slaps Keth.
srand_Turbine says: *shakes her head sadly*
les_turbine says: *sigh*
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