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EpicDuel PVP Game Design Notes

Behind the scenes information about EpicDuel's development and releases, a real-time PVP MMO that you can play online in your web browser.
Nightwraith

October 31, 2014

Halloween Harvest of Horror

epicduel_halloween_browser_pvp_online_mmo_coffin_skeleton_bazooka_undead

This week, in EpicDuel, we've released a horrific harvest of terrifying yet tantalizing gear.

 

Coffinzookas

epicduel_halloween_browser_pvp_online_mmo_coffin_skeleton_bazookas_death

The dead are restless this Halloween, and they wish to rejoin the battlefield! These Coffinzookas were inspired by the work of Reki, who submitted them as a suggestion years ago. Better late than never? I'm happy I was finally able to squeeze them in this year, and I hope they were worth the wait. 

epicduel_halloween_browser_pvp_online_mmo_gear_location_snork_wasteland

These beastly bazookas are available for a limited time at Snork!

 

Paladin Armor!

epicduel_halloween_browser_pvp_online_mmo_paladin_titan_armor_knight

Ever wanted to dress like Artix in EpicDuel? Now, thanks to G00ny, you'll have your chance to adorn yourself in classic Paladin armor! Visit Titan, who clearly ripped a hole in the fabric of the universe to claim the armor from Lore, to check it out!

epicduel_halloween_browser_pvp_online_mmo_paladin_armor_knight

Now you'll be able to take on the undead...if they ever show up in EpicDuel.

 

Bone Hazard Ahead

epicduel_halloween_browser_pvp_online_mmo_coffin_skeleton_armor_mutant_undead

Yikes! That's kind of like an undead. Stop at Snork to pick up the limited quantity season Bone Hazard Armor!

 

Power Weekend!

power_weekend_mmo_experience_credits_loot_prizes_browser

After you're done collecting candy and partying off the sugar rush, hop into EpicDuel for Power Weekend! That means double XP and Credits all weekend! All you need to do to get this advantage is to log in and play!

 

Winter Preview

winter_christmas_holiday_preview_coming_attractions_hawk_frysteland_mmo_pvp_battle_war

We're hard at work on this year's epic Winter release. We can't release too many details yet, but it will be guaranteed to be an event to remember!

 

And now, a special message from Artix about some amazing new cloth armor available from HeroMart!

Armor T-Shirt Pre-Orders Open

Pre-Order at HeroMart.com to guarantee yours

Hiya guys! We found a way to get these amazing wrap-around armor T-shirts created. The process to create them is complicated and pretty expensive so we cannot just order a bunch of them like we usually do.  So, if you want to get your hands on a 1st Edition Paladin or Legion  Armor T-Shirt, lock in your pre-order at HeroMart now!

Legion-TSHIRT-reallife.jpg

 

Real-life Undead Legion armor

You have until production starts (We are estimating around November 25th-ish, Thanksgiving) to place your order and guarantee that you will get your shirt. We are going to produce all of the pre-orders at once and then ship in December.  

Includes exclusive items for AQWorlds!

Each shirt comes with an awesome weapon and half of the "Legion Paladin" class. Combine both halves to create the full class in AdventureQuest Worlds! Themed after the shirts... we merged Artix's Paladin armor and Dage's Paragon armor together into a horrifying and powerful new class. 

Get both shirts to unlock the Class!

  • Get the Legion Light of Destiny when you buy the Legion Armor T-Shirt
  • Get the Purified Caladbolg Sword when you buy the Paladin Armor T-Shirt
  • Get the Legion Paladin CLASS when you buy both T-shirts

 

Have a Safe and Happy Halloween!

Happy_halloween_epicduel_holiday_pumpkin

Trick-or-Treat On!

Tags: Nightwraith Browser PvP MMO Duel Combat Halloween Warfare Weapons Prizes HeroMart merchandise Shirt


Titan

October 29, 2013

Creative Carving Contest

 

Carving pumpkins with a plasma torch!

How To Enter

  • The contest will end on Wednesday, November 6, 2013, at 5pm ET.  
Contest Prizes
  • You may submit multiple entries, but prizes are limited to one per person.

  • Varium prizes will be awarded when we roll the release live on Friday, November 8, 2013.

  • 10 Grand Prizes - 10,000 Varium  
    • 10 players that submit the most relevant and creative pumpkins will be selected by hand by the EpicDuel staff.  
    • Each Grand Prize winner will be awarded 10,000 Varium!
  • The Epic Prize - 50,000 Varium 
    • Any player that submits a picture or video that manages to get a Facebook share or Twitter retweet from Elon Musk, Tesla Motors, SolarCity, or SpaceX will be awarded 50,000 Varium!  

 

Contest Rules
  • You are welcome to think outside the box and submit other non-pumpkin creative entries for our consideration.  Just remember that all entries should be fall themed with a focus on the Elon Musk event taking place in EpicDuel.

  • You can enter as many pumpkins as you like, but remember, please don’t spam your entry or you will be disqualified! You can only win once per person!

  • Get Carving!  We look forward to seeing your submissions!  

 

Tags: Titan Elon Musk Tesla Model S SpaceX SolarCity Blastar contest pumpkin Halloween


Nightwraith

October 31, 2012

Harvest Bounty

We're super busy getting this release out, so I'll try to keep these DNs brief. First, I would like to congratulate and thank all the talented players / artists who contributed their suggestions. It's always a unique pleasure and challenge bringing your art to life in the game. As a reminder, if you have suggestions in-game will receive the Epic Artist achievement along with your suggestion items for free!

Suggestions Part 1

Part 2

Without further ado, here are the artists with new weapons featured in-game:

..trizzzcentrino..

  • Infernal Cannon
  • Soul Raiser
  • Winter Slayer

 

Dillbagel

  • Blinding Blood
  • Blinding Spirit

 

nikzat

  • Shadow of Darkness

 

Vgvib

  • Trigger Buster Gunblade

 

xDeathGuardx

  • Monstrous Broadsword

 

Reki

  • Mecha Sword
  • Dragon Blade 3012
  • Dark Dragon Blade 3012
  • Dragon Battlegear
  • Dark Dragon Battlegear

 

Mieteor

  • Noxious Talon Set
  • Vile Talon Set
  • Azure Vertex

 

VectosAE

  • Vengeance
  • Dark Vengeance

 

Disturbed (not technically suggestion items, but they're going in regardless :P)

  • Ebil SMG
  • Ebil Energy SMG
  • Blood Katana
  • Soul Katana
  • Rip Sword
  • Vicious Rip Sword

You can pick these weapons up from Snork or Naomi. If you didn't get your suggestions in this time, it doesn't necessarily mean your art wasn't good enough -- we only have so many hours to render your ideas so there's always a chance your work will be selected next time around. Remember to submit your masterpieces to the Official AE Forums!

 

Contest Results

Now it can be told! It wasn't easy, but after much contemplation, our judges have finally returned with a verdict. The 5 winners who will be receiving 1,500 Varium, an achievement, and their style featured permanently in-game are: 

Vypie for his entry of the Conductor Mask!
Conductor's Mask 
Mieteor for his entry of Inferno's Guise

Hot!
Acid Rain for his entry of Serendipity

Serendipity
Peek a BoooooO!
Steal for his entry of Demon Reindeer

Demon Reindeer

 

The Grand Prize Winner for the Spooky Head Design Contest who will be receiving 1,500 Varium, a very special 1,000 rating points achievement, all the hairstyles in-game up to the point the winner is declared, and the style he created added into the game permanently is:

Trizkial for his entry of Pandora's Vestige
Teh Winner!

A hearty congratulations to you all! Competition was VERY tight in this contest, and all the winners here were simply amazing. Please give us until the end of next week to render your entries and award your prizes. If you didn't win, don't fret -- we will be conducting more art contests in the future so keep practicing and Draw On!

 

Hurricane Sandy

As you may have already heard, Hurricane Sandy rocked the Northeast Coast of the US this week. The damage and loss of life was tragic, but recovery efforts are currently underway. If you live in this region, we hope you are safe and secure. Our own Practel was in the path of the storm and I'm happy to report that despite being without power for many hours, he's fine. Thankfully, the storm missed the Lab so we experienced no trouble here!

If you wish to donate to the recovery effort, it is possible to do so on the Red Cross's website.  

 

HeroMart

Heromart

Remeber, AE's own epic merchandise superstore HeroMart has just released THREE new items, two of which unlock a sweet prize in EpicDuel! Check them out now while supplies last!

 

Oversoul!

Do you like games? Of course you do! Otherwise, your visit to this site would not be very fruitful for your, no siree. Well, you'll be happy to know that Artix Entertainment is releasing a new game called Oversoul that's available for open Alpha. Check it out. I hear they have pie!*

*May not actually have pie

That's all for now! Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Tags: Nightwraith suggestions Items Achievements Halloween Contests disaster relief Hurricane Sandy


Cinderella

October 24, 2012

Happy Harvest!

In my part of the world, the leaves are changing, cool air is blowing on one’s face, everyone’s wearing (or, if you’re me, knitting) sweaters hats and gloves, and everything is pumpkin-flavored. Yes, it’s autumnn, and with the cool weather comes Nature’s bounty: a harvest. Delta V’s Harvest Festival is also soon approaching, with the return of last year’s Harvest content. This includes missions, the Harvest Husk, and the Harvest Reaper and Soul Reaper. These powerful limited rare mutating weapons include a 13% chance to attack your enemy with a rain of gourdy pain with the Jack O Fire skill!

The Return!

Remember these? 

The Harvest is also pulling up some new Harvest content, such as the Cardboard Crusader. This armor will be available for credits... though you probably shouldn’t wear it outside in the rain.

Don't wear it in the rain!

 

To commemorate the Harvest of Souls, Snork is forging an item commemorating his people’s history. What is it? Well, he hasn’t told me, but he did say that the most valiant warriors who can prove themselves in armed combat with him will have a chance to hold this mysterious rare item!

 

Oh My Gourd!

The amazing Charfade just revealed that she's created a big ol' pile of pumkins for your home decorating pleasure! Get your home ready for Trick and/or Treating this Friday!

Gourd gravy!

 

I Can Has Suggestions, Plz? 

But that’s not all! After sifting through the bounty of awesome player suggestions, the Player Suggestion Shop will once again be open! Everyone whose item was chosen will receive their item in their inventory (regardless of cost, level, or class) and the Epic Artist achievement!*

Suggestion Shop

*Massive apologies, but the Player Suggestion Shop will take a bit more time to finish. We tried to work through some technical difficulties, but ultimately couldn't finish it for today. We will have it out next Wednesday, fittingly enough, for Halloween! Stay tuned for more previews on Nightwraith's Twitter.

 

Spooooooky Countdown! 

The Spooky Head contest is still going on, but you’re running out of time- the contest ends this Friday, just before midnight Saturday. More details here: http://forums2.battleon.com/f/tm.asp?m=20723387

 

A Balanced Diet

Speaking of the forums, you may have noticed that, rather than cramming all balance discussions into one topic in EDGD, we’ve implemented a Balance Discussion subforum in the EpicDuel section of the AEF. If you’ve been on the fence about joining the AEF, now seems to be the best time to do so! http://forums2.battleon.com/f/tt.asp?forumid=415

 

Cover Your Torso!

As the cold autumn winds start to blow, now is the perfect time to acquire some coverings for your torsos! To help with this, HeroMart is introducing a new shirt to commemorate our 10 Year Anniversary as a company. Among the bonuses this shirt will give in the other games, in EpicDuel you will receive an exclusive sword, Artix's Triumph.  

Artix's Triumph

Stats

Level: 30
Damage: 32
Strength Req: 30
Dexterity Req: 30
Technology Req: 30
Support Req: 0
Strength +: 2
Dexterity +: 10
Technology +: 10
Support +: 2

 

Something About a Dragon?

In addition to new shirts, HeroMart will also be stocking One-Eyed Doll's latest Album, "Something About a Dragon" which includes music from AE's games! 

World Premiere!

As an in-game reward for purchasing the CD, in EpicDuel you will receive both One-Eyed Axes!  If you missed them in-game, this is the perfect opportunity to pick them up! If you already have them, you'll still have an awesome CD and two weapons you can resell for bonus currency!

One-Eyed Axes!

 

Onward! To Victory!

So, what’s next? After this week, we’ll be plunging into building the next phase of EpicDuel, along with a pretty cool winter event (will it involve yetis? Quite possibly!) and Nightwraith promised to have some preview art up for you guys. Obviously, we’re all very excited about this prospect and we hope our players will be as well! :D

What's this?

Revamped Mercenary concept by Thyton!

Tags: Cinderella Fall Autumn harvest balance Rabble Forums pumpkin Halloween Cardboard Crusader Snork Missions Seasons suggestions Shirts HeroMart


Nightwraith

September 27, 2012

Spooky Head Design Contest!

Hey there! Just to let you know, there a totally rad contest we're hosting in the AE forums!  Dust off those pencils and grab that printer paper because it's time to DRAW!

As many of you know, Halloween (or Mogloween) is celebrated widely among every single game Artix Entertainment makes! Delta V celebrates a Harvest Festival, but the spirit of dressing up in cool, scary and twisted ways is still a major part of the holiday. For this reason, the team and I thought it would be a great idea to kick it off this Harvest season with a contest. This contest is all about “Player Head Designs!” Since it is the time of year that Halloween rolls about, we are looking for some very awesome Scary, Funny, or Creative head designs. However, it is not required that it is related to Halloween. To be clear, all head designs must be drawn, either traditionally or digitally, but in-game screenshots are NOT allowed at all. To make life easier for you, I've uploaded head templates for all the classes and genders. You can deviate from the template, but it's a good place to start if you're running short on inspiration. I recommend printing them out and drawing over them using a lightbox to perfect your design. You can also import them into your drawing program of choice!

 

EpicDuel Male Template

 

EpicDuel Female Template

 

To award the wonderful artists of the community, we have the following awards to give out: 

 

1 Grand Prize Winner will receive 1,500 Varium, a very special 1,000 rating points achievement, all the hairstyles in-game up to the point the winner is declared, and the style they created added into the game permanently!

5 Winners will receive 1,500 Varium, an achievement, and their style featured permanently in-game!

The contest will run from Thursday, September 27th till Wednesday, October 26th at 11:59pm.  You have plenty of time to work on these entries to make thems as polished as possible so please use your time wisely!

The rules and guidelines are short and to the point, but we advise you to follow them otherwise your entry will be disqualified.

 

  • Design must be inspired by EpicDuel
  • Your entry must be entirely made by you, and must be original work.
  • You must include your EpicDuel Character Name with your entry.
  • You may use any form of media for your entry. (Pencil, Flash, etc)
  • No Screenshots.
  • Do not change your entry or edit your forum post until the winners are selected.
  • Only ONE entry can be submitted per person.  An entire set of styles for all classes and genders can count as one entry.
  • The head design must be made in the theme of Scary, Funny, or Creative
  • Make sure that you provide a VALID URL to your photo. Try using a reliable photo uploader like Photobucket, TinyPic or Twitpic.  Entries without working links or entries requiring a login to access will not be considered.
  • You have until 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, October 26th to submit your entry.

 


The team and I look forward to seeing all these awesome head designs, and may the odds be ever in your favor!

Stay safe and good luck to everyone!
Nightwraith

Contest Entry Format (Can adjust for the contest)

EpicDuel Name:
Title of Entry:
Image:

Well, what are you waiting for?  Head to the official forum topic right now and get drawing!

Tags: Nightwraith contest Halloween styles Drawing Art Forums


Cinderella

October 13, 2011

A Very Scary Design Notes

Harvest Festival

Boo!

Hi there, EpicDuelists! Hope I didn’t scare you! With Halloween just around the corner, we have some scary and sweet things in store for all you players! This Harvest Festival (which will involve several updates) should be full of yummy treats for players (and only a few tricks ;3 ).

 

First, some Treats!

If you’ve been following me on Twitter or the ArtixEntertainment forums, you know that, due to my wide creative streak, my talent for wordsmithing, or (most likely) my willingness to work a full-time job for no money (seriously, guys, you can at least subsidize my caffeine habit), I have inherited the storyline of EpicDuel. We haven’t had a designated writer for the game in quite a while, and having a writer means that things like story arcs, plot lines, and missions will be coming out at a faster rate.

My first assignment was to write a few missions for EpicDuel's Harvest Festival, and players will be able to complete several new quests, with unique attributes and special rewards!

Most of these quests have to do with the Candy Harvest. An amalgamation of harvest tradition from the colonists’ home planets, young citizens of Delta V were encouraged to wear masks and collect candy from their friends and neighbors. The giving of sweets represents the sharing of joys in life, the masks represent generosity to all, regardless of who they are to you, and prosperity. All players, including low level players, will be able to visit Steve 1.0 in Central Station to earn a unique achievement, or visit Brunson outside the Mine Tower to collect some ingredients for his Mama’s Pumpkin Pie.

There are sweet treats for our higher-level players as well! Collect some candy from several shopkeepers for Naomi Page in exchange for a handsome sum of Battle Tokens!

But not all is light and sweetness. The indigenous people of Delta V celebrate the Harvest Festival very differently- as the Harvest of Souls. Delta V’s native people believe that the souls of the dead can only enter the Afterlife one day a year. The living collect and display bones and all other things dark and distressing, along with brightly-colored flowers, rich clothes and delicious food. This juxtaposition of the frightening with the familiar is both to celebrate the lives of those who passed during the year as well as to ease the dead into the Afterlife.

The weapons dealer beneath the Mine Tower is a member of Delta V’s native people, and hides his identity behind a mask depicting the indigenous War God, Snortivit, from whom he takes the name “Snork”. In exchange for a certain amount of won battles, Snork may be convinced to part with one of his special designs, a valuable and rare weapon, exclusively available from this quest!

I’m super excited to get started on some longer story arcs, fleshing out the world’s mythos, and working with Nightwraith to bring the characters to life!

Stay tuned for more supernaturally awesome quests next week!

 

Tricksy Playerses...

In addition to all of those things listed above, you’ll be able to trick your friends by hiding behind one of 30 (!) new hairstyles!  There are credit only and credit + Varium styles!

Harvest Styles 1

Harvest Styles 2

Also, Hudelf has something in his bag of tricks for you- the retrain revamp is HOPEFULLY being released! I know many of the players were getting impatient, but it ended up needing a little more care.  We'll see if the EpicDuel programming team can work some miracles tomorrow!

We’ll be continuing with balance updates, including a slight revamp to the Tactical Mercenary skill tree in the coming weeks. I know many of our players were upset by the addition of requirements to the Tactical Mercenary skill tree, but when 40% of high level players are playing as one class, and defenses of the class reveal that there are only a handful of highly-specific builds that can defeat one build of the class (while being completely weak to any other build the class can put together), there’s something wrong with the class. Which class one choses should not determine the winner before the battle has even begun.

As for the revamp of Feld Medic, we determined that support and Field Medic were being abused to a point which was frustrating and painfully unfair to other builds. However, we are going to look at the speed at which the skill improves with level, and see if we need to make it improve faster.

With the new adjustments, we’ll also be reexamining the level range for Juggernaut battles for future releases.

 

*** Stay tuned for more Harvest releases as we move into the month of October! ***

 

They Might be Giants in AQW

AQW They Might Be Giants Event!

To celebrate AQW’s third birthday, AQW is running a special event with special guests They Might be Giants! On October 14th, Join Us for a very special two-week event “The Collector”. The Collector collects special people before their greatest moments, from not only Lore but other worlds as well (maybe someone from Delta V?) Read more about it on the Event Page and the AQW Design Notes!

 

They Call Me Doctor Worm

Good Morning! How are you? I’m Doctor Worm!

Insects and worms are often studied together (being abundant invertebrates), so this week, we’ll be talking about Earthworms! Earthworms belong to the class Oligochaeta in phylum Annelida (round, segmented worms). Their bodies mainly consist of a tubular digestive system surrounded by a muscular outer body formed of segments. They move by means of waves of muscular contractions to shorten and lengthen the body. They are covered with tiny bristles that act as claws, allowing them to tunnel through soil- which, along with decaying plant matter, make up their diet. Worms have a variable number of “hearts” (technically aortic arches) which pump blood through their simple closed circulatory system. They do not have separate sexes, and baby worms reach adulthood within one year. Worms live for 4-8 years in the wild.

An interesting attribute about worms is their ability to regenerate lost segments, and it is theoretically possible to grow two whole worms from a worm cut in half. 

Tags: Cinderella TMBG retrain balance styles Halloween harvest Missions Achievements Weapons

 

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