Ask your Producer: October 2014

Blujixapug

1. how much affinity do you feel with the 'mainstream' game industry, as a game programmer and producer?

2. what r u dressing up as for halloween?

3. do you place much importance on mechanics, eg. abilities, as a means of developing class identity, or do you feel it is all in the hands of players to make up their own stuff? do you think 'class identity' is a real thing?

4. opinions re: disney's planned cinematic universe

5. if you were adding a race to Achaea what would it be

7. do you prefer soft or hardball questions

(#6 was about the pirate class, but I think we both know the answer to that *wiiink*)

Kinilan

You gtfo my piracy! I'll straight up cut a bitch if you make it into a class!

Jukilian

Suladan said:

Jukilian said:

Kayeil said:

Oh. To add on to Jukiliana's question... any chance milking times will be worked on? I heard filling a tun with one venom would take a serpent 2-4 hours each depending on if they have an artefact to help them out or not. That's an awfully long time.

 

Tecton said:
They may (not finalised) lose the ability to milk into vials, whether they can secrete onto weapons isn't decided at the moment.

I think it would make perfect sense for them to be able to milk their own venoms still, and especially to secrete on weapons. But that's just me.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the biggest reason there is to even get transcretion is to secrete onto weapons. Would probably need a good replacement.

@Jukilian‌

Would make sense to not milk into vials as otherwise we have a free tradeskill just because we're Serpents. There won't be shortage of venoms if everybody can milk, so I'm not stuck on it. Would be good to use the opportunity to get something else cool. As an aside though, I do think the milking times need to be adjusted, right now milking takes longer than forging.

The point on transcretion is actually so there's no balance time after secreting. If you don't have transcretion you basically can't bite in a realistic scenario as by the time you flay sileris and then secrete you might get one bite in before their sileris comes back up, you might not. If you have it you get at least two, sometimes three bites in. Envenoming from a vial or from your fangs doesn't really make a difference - except for style.

Envenoming from your fangs means less vials to cart around and no fear of running out.

Secreting without transcretion should be manageable with the right smarts available to secrete X seconds before needing the venom for biting. I still stand by the best part of transcretion is envenoming from fangs.

Edit: quotes oh so broken

Suladan

Secreting without transcretion should be manageable with the right smarts available to secrete X seconds before needing the venom for biting. I still stand by the best part of transcretion is envenoming from fangs.

Umm.. You're off balance when secreting if you don't have transcretion. Plus secreting two venoms for a doublestab. Plus being able to actually bite the right venom when you need it rather than what just got cured because you guessed wrong two seconds earlier when you secreted ... So yeah, def. makes a difference in more than just whether you use fangs or a vial.

Anyway, don't want to derail. Not the purpose of this thread. Just wanted to  clarify.

Jukilian

Last I knew, secreting didn't require or take balance. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm not saying it isn't useful, I'm saying that I rank secreting onto weapons higher. Which is why I would think keeping that on Venoms post trade skill split is a good idea. You need to be able to secrete instantly to secrete onto weapons anyway.

Accipiter

Secreting doesn't take balance. Biting isn't really that important to serpent now that illusions are largely defunct, outside of the unenvenomable venoms. With slickness removing sileris you can bite to keep up a little pressure if they are turtleing with flay/bite, but generally dstab is almost as fast as bite with decent dex and so venoms is only useful for the lack of having to use vials. You could keep the biting flavour with loki/scyth and split some of the more snake/less sneaky things away from sub (which has a huge list of abilities) into a new skillset.

Caladbolg

Accipiter said:

Secreting doesn't take balance. Biting isn't really that important to serpent now that illusions are largely defunct, outside of the unenvenomable venoms. With slickness removing sileris you can bite to keep up a little pressure if they are turtleing with flay/bite, but generally dstab is almost as fast as bite with decent dex and so venoms is only useful for the lack of having to use vials. You could keep the biting flavour with loki/scyth and split some of the more snake/less sneaky things away from sub (which has a huge list of abilities) into a new skillset.

Scytherus murders people, and or makes alot of prio's switch to ginseng to not get murdered allowing tons of stuff!

Accipiter

Caladbolg said:

Accipiter said:

Secreting doesn't take balance. Biting isn't really that important to serpent now that illusions are largely defunct, outside of the unenvenomable venoms. With slickness removing sileris you can bite to keep up a little pressure if they are turtleing with flay/bite, but generally dstab is almost as fast as bite with decent dex and so venoms is only useful for the lack of having to use vials. You could keep the biting flavour with loki/scyth and split some of the more snake/less sneaky things away from sub (which has a huge list of abilities) into a new skillset.

Scytherus murders people, and or makes alot of prio's switch to ginseng to not get murdered allowing tons of stuff!

I know! But Scytherus and Loki are basically the equivalent of fullplate or necklace of purity. Nice stuff as consolation for having transed a nearly worthless skill. Biting envenomable venoms now is very edge case, coupling with illusions seems to be more defensive now that before server side curing came in.

I don't think serpents need a rework, just that Venom would be about on par combat wise with the rest of the trade skills if Shrugging, Loki and Scytherus were removed from it.

Accipiter

Oh, and for the topic: Next Mayan crown sale, will the old Shop of Wonders stuff go away before there is a chance to buy crowns or will they go away at the end of the sale like last time?

Tharvis

Any chance of beckon-type abilities being given to non-priest and non-apostates?
Also any chance of reverting the change that made holobombs not harm nature areas anymore?

Jacen

What would it take for you to consider giving Hashan factional abilities, or counters to Devotion, Necromancy, Groves, Woodlore?

Herose

If you add up CON + PRIMARY STAT for the various race specializations you always get a number between 24 and 27.  There are 3 races which can provide an INT + CON of 27 and 3 races which can provide a STR + CON of 27.  There are zero races which can provide a DEX + CON of 27.  The largest you can get is 26.  DEX is also the only primary stat which can yield a 24.   Is this on purpose?  If so, what is the reasoning behind it.

Lum

I didn't read through all the pages, so sorry if this was asked before:

Concerning the knight changes and split trade skills: what about artefacts such as the Hammer of Forging? I'm likely not going to use forging again for a while, but getting only return value back for it when the split skill is out of my control feels like I'm cheated out of credits. I've heard about artefact weapons, but I was wondering if artefacts like the Hammer get a same deal. 

Trey

Santar said:

Did you really just call battlecry a useless ability? 

For 1v1, yes, yes I did. It has applications in group melee, but not only do I tend to like dueling better when I'm in the mood for PVP, I can't recall a time I've seen anyone use it in raids/group either. At best, it's rarely used.

Jhui

battlecry amazing, gtfo

Atalkez

Trey said:

Santar said:9

Did you really just call battlecry a useless ability? 

For 1v1, yes, yes I did. It has applications in group melee, but not only do I tend to like dueling better when I'm in the mood for PVP, I can't recall a time I've seen anyone use it in raids/group either. At best, it's rarely used.

Pretty sure you can battlecry while prone.

Sena

Herose said:

If you add up CON + PRIMARY STAT for the various race specializations you always get a number between 24 and 27.  There are 3 races which can provide an INT + CON of 27 and 3 races which can provide a STR + CON of 27.  There are zero races which can provide a DEX + CON of 27.  The largest you can get is 26.  DEX is also the only primary stat which can yield a 24.   Is this on purpose?  If so, what is the reasoning behind it.

It's because the con spec reduces dex and the dex spec reduces con, so you have to sacrifice one for the other. It would be the same if you compared str+int (can't get a combined total of 27).

Klendathu

Will there be artefact armours available that are better than forged armours? The precedent is there with weapons.

Tecton

Blujixapug said:

1. how much affinity do you feel with the 'mainstream' game industry, as a game programmer and producer?

2. what r u dressing up as for halloween?

3. do you place much importance on mechanics, eg. abilities, as a means of developing class identity, or do you feel it is all in the hands of players to make up their own stuff? do you think 'class identity' is a real thing?

4. opinions re: disney's planned cinematic universe

5. if you were adding a race to Achaea what would it be

7. do you prefer soft or hardball questions

(#6 was about the pirate class, but I think we both know the answer to that *wiiink*)

Aaaand we're back - good morning!

1) Great question! While we're a rather small niche of the gaming market, we're still part of it. As such, I'm always keeping up to date in the happenings and current trends in the sector. 

2) Lorielan

3) Another good one! I think they definitely play a part, yes. That's one of the factors I've been considering when working on these tradeskill splits, along with previous roleplay that has been established both from the Garden and from the players.

4) I think that as they branch out more, they're kinda preying on fanboys/girls. They'll put little tidbits in their minor franchises to guilt people into going to see them just so when the major films come out, they've got the whole backstory.

5) I've always pondered an elemental race, with its specialisations being the prime elements (fire/water/earth/air).

6) Mum's the word.

7) Either!

Shara

@Lum said:

I didn't read through all the pages, so sorry if this was asked before:

Concerning the knight changes and split trade skills: what about artefacts such as the Hammer of Forging? I'm likely not going to use forging again for a while, but getting only return value back for it when the split skill is out of my control feels like I'm cheated out of credits. I've heard about artefact weapons, but I was wondering if artefacts like the Hammer get a same deal. 

I give you the bottom of the first page , scrub.

Tecton said:

Aelios said:

Will there be an avenue of a refund for those who will lose virtually all value from their Hammer of Forging when the Knight changes go through? 

We'll make a decision on that when the forging changes are finalised.

Tecton

Accipiter said:

Oh, and for the topic: Next Mayan crown sale, will the old Shop of Wonders stuff go away before there is a chance to buy crowns or will they go away at the end of the sale like last time?

Undecided at this point! What would you like to see (maybe in a new thread)?

Tecton

Tharvis said:

Any chance of beckon-type abilities being given to non-priest and non-apostates?
Also any chance of reverting the change that made holobombs not harm nature areas anymore?

1) Magi have a beckon too! So do Sirens!

2) Potentially, but not on its own, we'd definitely do something to make forest conflict a little more compelling (especially for the forestals).

Lum

Shara said:

@Lum said:

-snip-

I give you the bottom of the first page , scrub.

---
Shaddap, I'm on my phone, the forums only half work for me and load like crap.
Not to mention responding, I don't know how to get out of this quote box. 

Ty tho

Tecton

Jacen said:

What would it take for you to consider giving Hashan factional abilities, or counters to Devotion, Necromancy, Groves, Woodlore?

Probably not doing any more factional classes, sorry! 

Tecton

Sena said:

Herose said:

If you add up CON + PRIMARY STAT for the various race specializations you always get a number between 24 and 27.  There are 3 races which can provide an INT + CON of 27 and 3 races which can provide a STR + CON of 27.  There are zero races which can provide a DEX + CON of 27.  The largest you can get is 26.  DEX is also the only primary stat which can yield a 24.   Is this on purpose?  If so, what is the reasoning behind it.

It's because the con spec reduces dex and the dex spec reduces con, so you have to sacrifice one for the other. It would be the same if you compared str+int (can't get a combined total of 27).

Gold star for Sena.  

Tecton

Lum said:

I didn't read through all the pages, so sorry if this was asked before:

Concerning the knight changes and split trade skills: what about artefacts such as the Hammer of Forging? I'm likely not going to use forging again for a while, but getting only return value back for it when the split skill is out of my control feels like I'm cheated out of credits. I've heard about artefact weapons, but I was wondering if artefacts like the Hammer get a same deal. 

Answered earlier in the thread!

Tecton

Klendathu said:

Will there be artefact armours available that are better than forged armours? The precedent is there with weapons.

Yes, we'll most likely be adding artefact armour in with the forging/knight changes.

Tharvis

Mainly asking about the beckon because the magi beckon (adduction) respects mass, while apostate and priest beckons ignore mass.

Synbios

Tecton said:

Klendathu said:

Will there be artefact armours available that are better than forged armours? The precedent is there with weapons.

Yes, we'll most likely be adding artefact armour in with the forging/knight changes.

@Tecton: Finally! Hm, will there be room for 'decorative' armor bits for Forging, like pauldrons, helmets, faulds and the like? Preferably with the ability to make designs the same way as the other crafting skills?

EDIT: Might as well add a few more, in the non-zero probability that the idea can be considered viable for addition: greaves, sabatons, vambraces, gauntlets, and gorgets.

Lum

Synbios said:

Tecton said:

Klendathu said:

Will there be artefact armours available that are better than forged armours? The precedent is there with weapons.

Yes, we'll most likely be adding artefact armour in with the forging/knight changes.

@Tecton: Finally! Hm, will there be room for 'decorative' armor bits for Forging, like pauldrons, helmets, faulds and the like? Preferably with the ability to make designs the same way as the other crafting skills?

this, pls

Edit: Or at least things not inherently "covered" in forging, like helmets, gauntlets or greaves.