EpicDuel PVP Game Design Notes

April 18, 2012

Design Notes: Straight-up. No chaser.

By now you’ve had the chance to see Nightwraith’s recap from PAX, and some of you have pointed out that “off topic” posts like this aren’t technically “design notes”. As creative people we draw inspiration from all sources- and events like conventions are great arenas for us to meet up with other creative individuals and share our ideas. This is part of the creative process and isn’t to be discouraged. To steal from Neil Gaiman, creative people are people too and life is a GOOD thing for us. It’s where we draw our inspiration. So forgive the occasional con recap, piece of prose, or other post that isn’t a list of what’s going into the update, no chaser.

New Packages: For Realsies this time! (or smack Titan)

Last week, we announced the mid-level packages. Well, with the transfer to CS5, we weren’t able to implement those promo packs just quite yet. Starting Friday, players will be able to purchase varium with Veteran Battlegear or Advanced Battlegear. As an aside: these are additional promotional items, the current promos will still be available.

This enables players to mix and match varium quantities or bonus credits with promo items, and we hope to give players more options in the future!

Escape To the Planet of the Bunnies

As you recall from last week’s missions, the bunnies have been building a spacecraft to get off of Delta V and back to the planet of their ancestors: Orychtolagus, where Rabbits are the dominant species. See Mr. Cottontail in the Barrens to find out how their scheme all turned out!

I realize I wasn’t as kind to the lower levels with the mission chains at Myxoma and Lepus this time around, but never fear! The missions are staying in for a little while to allow you guys time to catch up!

Moderator Applications Closed

Now that we have narrowed down our list to a handful of qualified Mod finalists, it is time to formally close the application process.  Thank you to everyone who applied!  It is truly thrilling that so many of you care deeply enough about EpicDuel to want to devote your time and energy to helping us, but, sadly, we cannot pick everyone.  To our finalists, we thank you for bearing with us during this process and we will get back to you shortly!

Spoilers!

I tweeted a bit ago that I’d been working on a background story for an upcoming storyline that’s been pushing the page limits of a short story (single-spaced even!). Here’s a brief excerpt from what we’ve been calling “the novella”. In this excerpt, which takes place 20 years prior to the events of EpicDuel, the Marshalls- an intergalactic police force- have been sent to Delta V to investigate some of the suspicious activity going on. The Marshalls have sent two of their best- veteran John St. Alban and his green partner Silas Auer to meet with the leader of the Shadow Guard:

Silas took the opportunity to investigate his surroundings. Everything was clean, cold antiseptic white. The long table appeared to have been carved from the room itself, or formed naturally like formations in a cave. The wall opposite their entranceway was made completely of glass, and the view from Alydriah’s spire showed several districts of Fortune City, and as the twin suns were rising over the horizon, the shadow of the mine tower fell over the land.

“So that’s where the varium comes from.”

“We can ruminate on the origin of magic rocks later, kid. I don’t trust Descarl, especially with her sending that obvious red herring after us.”

“Commander Hitchens is not a red herring, I assure you.” They turned to see Descarl at the door. Her black hair was pulled up in a bun high on her head, and she was wearing the Shadow Guard dress uniform in white, indicating her status as an Administrator. On her lapel, next to the rows and rows of medals indicating her military successes, was a pin with a large Roman numeral I- Administrator 1.

“How does the ranking system work here, Administrator?”

“It goes by district, and again John, call me Alydriah. I’m the Administrator for Fortune City’s First District and Supreme Commander of the Guard. Second in command to Baelius himself: may he bring Order forever.”

“Order. Is that what you call it?”

“You may find my methods a bit unorthodox...”

“I heard you brought stocks back into vogue.” 

“...but you can’t argue with my results, John. The workforce is mainly robotic drones commanded by our most talented citizens- we call them Tech Mages- while occasionally a faction or two will pop up, a little public humiliation is enough to make a willful child see the light.”

“And the genocide?”

“Exaggerated! The Krampus enjoy protected status under the rule of the Legion, and many of them have joined our workforces and intermarried with our citizens!”

“And the Dragonmen?”

“Refused vaccinations, believing them to be Outsider poison. We tried to save them, truly. And the non-humanoids are protected under anti-discrimination laws.”

“Now see, what I heard tell was that y’all are threatening to destroy some peaceful planets.”

“The very idea is absurd, John!” She sat, gestured for her guests to do the same, then snapped her fingers to summon a robot butler. “Devil’s Claw, for me as well as for my guests.” The butler bowed and rolled away. “My own private reserve, I’ve bred these fruits myself. It tastes as if you’re drinking the feeling of a gentle sunshine on your face. Now, that noise about us attacking peaceful planets comes from Baelius’s business partners. Since the conversion of Delta V from a mere business venture to an independent state, these huge corporations have been sending their private military forces to attack and subjugate us, demanding repayment upon their investment, especially now that our scientists have unlocked the secrets of teleportation and interdimensional shift! If we are at war, sir, it is a war for our independence!”

A deafening silence fell over the three of them, until it was broken by the butler’s entrance.

“Perfect timing, Servertron,” Alydriah said, accepting the liquid the metal servant poured into her tumbler. The sunlight danced in the faceted silica. “You may investigate the grounds to your contentment, we’ve prepared quarters for you here in the spire. After breakfast, I’ll assign you guides from my guard.” Alydriah drank. “You’ll find nothing.” She stood. “Now allow me to attend to my duties. Paperwork and all that.”

Parasites!

Insects have many strategies for survival, one of which is parasitism. Parasitoids exist as endoparasites (ie. an organism that lives entirely within another organism) as part of their life cycle, but exist as freely-living adults. This strategy is used notably by tachnid flies and brachonid and icheumon wasps. The braconid wasp Cotesia congregata  parasitizes sphingid caterpillars by laying her eggs inside the caterpillar, which causes devastating effects including not only death but associated illness. The parasitized caterpillar experiences a decreased feeding response, which is associated with changes in foregut contraction mediated by the octopamine (a neurotransmitter/neurohormone similar to norepinepherine that’s involved in a variety of functions in insects such as modulation of muscle contractility, learning, memory, and light production by fireflies). Caterpillars combat the infection by forming nodules, aggregations of hemocytes that attempt to kill the parasitoid egg. However, even if the caterpillar manages to clear the infection and survive, often the damage to the endocrine system (particularly management of juvenile hormone) is permanent and the caterpillar experiences extranumerary molts and dies. X^^^> (dead caterpillar)

Arts Livestream in AQW!

Tune in to AQW at 4:00PM EST today for week 5 of the AE Artist livestream! This week features Thyton! Just like last time, players should send their suggestions via the AQW forums and join the live draw map to watch the creation of a new item, and get some pro tips on art!

LIVESTREAM!

Not to be outdone, this Sunday at 9:00 AM EST the EpicDuel developers will be hosting our own livestream at the EpicDuel Artists livestream. If you’ve tuned in to one before, you know that we’ll be answering questions, talking about the game/our inspirations, and apparently I’m required to sing every 10 viewers. So if you want to hear us ramble on about things we find interesting, tune in Sunday! We'll try to keep this to under 2 hours this time, so be sure to get in as soon as you can! Can’t make it to the livestream? The recordings will be hosted there as well!

Tags: Cinderella Nightwraith PAX livestream promotions Bunnies

April 10, 2012

Post PAX Preparations

First things first: welcome back Nightwraith! For those not in the know, our creative lead was away at PAX East over Easter weekend. He got back safely so we can all bother him to tell us all about PAX. Will he do a recap? I dunno. That's up to him.

Don't worry. I've written enough to punish him for having too much fun.

Roll On Roll Up Roll Out

We are finally moving the game to CS5. For realsies this week. If all goes well, you guys won't notice a thing! Maybe a reduction in lag, and better performance with Flash Player 11. For us it means enormous changes and vast potential for implementing all the cool features we've had to put off until we upgraded.

Some of you might be wondering why we didn't just use CS5 all along. Well, at the time EpicDuel was first being developed CS3 was new, and it was impossible to forsee it's limitations. This happens all the time in software development, but it was an extremely valuable lesson to learn and formidable challenge to overcome. Hopefully, we can wrangle Titan into giving us more details in the next EpicDuel Q & A.

Last week we also rolled out quite a few backend things. For example, you can now hit shift while you click to add or subtract 5 points from a skill. Armors got a little cheaper, and you can now buy misc or mission items with a full inventory.

Nerf a Derf

RabbleFroth is planning a nerf for Tech Mages. What is it? I dunno, nobody tells me anything. Watch here for details.

New Promo Packs!

I am sorry to report that these new packs will be delayed by another week. This week was very trying with all the CS5 testing, so we were unable to implement and thoroughly test the new packages. We really wanted to get this in, but it's not something that can be rushed out. Again, I apologize for the inconvenience.

--Nightwraith

This week we will be adding new items to packs at different price tiers and different levels. This should increase the usefulness of promo items for our players who wish to upgrade but have not yet reached the level cap. In case you are wondering, the Bionic Battlegear will remain as promotional package for the time being. 

The new packs will include sets of brand-new weapons that can asist players who are having trouble climbing the ranks or finding just the right set of gear for their level. Behold!

These new packs will also give us more flexibility for players to mix and match Varium quanities with promotional items, and will allow us to give players more exciting options for packaged gear in the future.

Happy Dueling!

Bunnies!

We will be continuing the Bionic Battalion saga by accompanying Myxoma and the others on their mission to save little Lepus. While in the Biodome, the bunnies will discover the secrets of their origin. What else will the rabbits uncover in the Archives?

Maybe they know!

Addendum

Two points I want to address. Yes, I'm helping out with words on HeroSmash, but I am not leaving EpicDuel, as I know many of you were concerned.

Also, if you are a fan of EpicDuel on Facebook, you are now able to send me a direct message. I don't care if you use it to send reports, ask why you were banned, or things of that nature. However, if you have an account issue, payment issue, want to ask for free things/varium or send me death threats, please don't. Account issues must be dealt with by the help team (thru the help link on portal.Battleon.com) and I am not authorized to deal with master account issues. I also cannot give you free varium. Even if I wanted to. Threats, it should go without saying, are unwelcome and can lead to bans or worse if they're serious enough.

Mechachillids

When the first miners came to Delta V, it became increasingly apparent that Varium mining is not for humans. Varium does not form like a typical ore, and after one too many fatalities in the subterranean caverns, the workers began to imagine sentience in the stones themselves. In response, scientists and tech mages worked on a form of artificial life. The idea was for robots that could build and maintain tunnels, keeping them safe from the dangerous earth. But the mages took it one step further: the robots could replicate themselves, repair and evolve. The inventors were amazed that after only a few generations, the mechanical bees had formed a caste structure and had started building infants with different qualities: workers who dug the tunnels, repaired the machinery, nurses who tended to the sick and injured, and warriors who protected the workers from wandering Hazards. The mechanical bees were nicknamed "Mechachillids". For generations, the Mechachillids and mine workers worked in tandem, but as the human workers turned into slaves, they grew distrustful of the social robots, who recognized Baelius's authority without question. When the citizens were exiled by Baelius, the Mechachillids were forgotten by the humans, but happy to evolve without human interference. They've been working and living in the tunnels beneath the minetower for a while now, and mostly don't trust any animal who keeps their skeleton on the inside...

Wednesday Livestream at 4pm with Mido!

Mido comes to AQW! If you've played through Etherstorm, you'll have met him already. If you have only played EpicDuel, we can only assure you that he is an awesome artist and now you get to see his incredible art skills in action! This Wednesday at 4PM server time, log in to AQWorlds and /join stream to see Mido take YOUR suggestions and turn them into an awesome in-game item (AQW that is)!

Real Life Kraggor

Kraggor and her people are based on real life animals called Megachillidae: the family that includes mason bees and leafcutter bees. While Kraggor's people are eusocial, many megachillids are solitary, including the creatures which serve as Kraggor's visual reference: the orchard mason bee. This shiny bluish purple bee will find a natural hole or opening in which to build her nest, and she protects her babies by building a house out of mud bricks. They are gentle, industrious bees and rarely sting. They are cosmopolitan across North America, and are efficient pollinators, keeping the pollen on the underside of theory abdomen rather than on their legs like honeybees. They do not produce honey, feeding their young with pollen.

Tags: PAX East Cinderella Nightwraith CS5 Flash development programming livestream Art Bugs Bunnies Promo packs

April 04, 2012

Go East, Young Nightwraith

Nightwraith here, delivering you some delectable design notes on this week's EpicDuel release. The ED crew is short-staffed at the moment, as I will be attending PAX East, the premiere gaming convention on the East coast and hopefully having more fun than a barrel full of fun while absorbing secret learnings from the game industry's best and brightest. Expect incessant tweets from me about various awesome things throughout the weekend!

Upgrades

Titan is wading knee-deep through the game code, updating it to Flash CS5.5. We've mentioned this happening awhile back, I'm sure, but the game has finally reached the point where CS3 is simply too limited to allow us to make forward process in developing EpicDuel. Titan is quickly moving system by system to get the game to publish in Flashplayer 11, which will (hopefully) mean a smoother gameplay experience for everyone and allow us to  gear up to building the new features you guys really care about. 

Hunt for Mods

As the flow of mod applications has slowed, we've been able to catch up to just about all the  potential mod candidates.  The process has stalled a bit since I will be out of the lab with questionable internet connectivity until Monday.  For those who have received interviews, congratulations on making it that far in the process, and sorry the process has been drawn out as long as it has.    

Artist Livestream

Log in today at 4pm server time to AQW to see J6 draw a brand spanking new weapon in-game livestream art event! While you watch, send him suggestions by replying to Alina's Twitter account, @alina_ae! The item will be put into an AQW shop after the event so you can wield what J6 has crafted!

Stay tuned in the upcoming weeks to see even more livestream events from AQW artists! EpicDuel will also be streaming on our Epic Livestream Channel throughout the following weeks as we ramp up for a mysterious summer event! Oooooo!

Mission

To give you guys some time to complete the Bionic Battalion Missions and slake the thirst of those eager for more, Cinderella has added several more missions to various NPCs across Delta V.  Their rewards are succulent, so seek them out, post-haste! (After the Friday update, that is!)

Hard Knocks

A few weeks ago we conducted a Livestream Q&A featuring the entire EpicDuel development staff, and the response was overwhelming.  We talked, sung, drew, and answered questions for 3 hours and still didn't get to all of your questions!  There was one question in particular that seems to strike a chord with some, and that question was concerning our college education and what recommendations we would make for aspiring game developers seeking to expand their minds.

Based on some e-mails we received from concerned players, I am afraid that we may have come off as unsupportive of higher education, but this could not be further from the truth. After all, without college, Titan and Nightwraith never would have met and there would be no EpicDuel. Nearly everyone at AE has some form of higher education, with several having attained or in the process of pursuing advanced degrees.  Many of our Moderators are also pursuing degrees.  Most positions at major game companies require at least a Bachelor's Degree.

What we were attempting to convey in our response to the questions about higher education was a reflection on our own experiences and the value we gleaned from our own respective degree programs.  In our experience, college coursework was only a part of a much broader skill set we needed to compile in order to begin work on a project like EpicDuel.  Hundreds of hours of outside training and cold experience were needed to get the game's art and code to what it is today.  To use a gaming metaphor, if life is an RPG, you will need to do a lot of grinding in addition to the main storyline quests in order to defeat the final boss easily.

The fact remains that the video game industry is very competitive, and one cannot rely on coursework alone to secure a job in the field.   There are also many for whom college is either inaccessible, or not the best learning environment.  We would not want to close the door on game design for those without financial resources or lackluster academic records.  While there are some universities that offer specific game design programs, many of these are either very expensive or so specific in their curriculum that switching majors if interests change is nearly impossible.  A good college education can be the foundation of a great career, but it is not a guarantee.

Again, it was not our intention to steer people away from higher education, and we are sorry if you interpreted our answer as such.  The Livestream event was meant to be unscripted and candid, so perhaps we could have measured our responses more carefully and made it more clear that we were speaking only from our own experiences, and not offering blanket advice for everyone in all circumstances.  Only human, and all that.  Education, like anything in life, will yield the most benefits to those who are actively engaged in its pursuit.

Tags: Nightwraith Missions pricing CS5 programming education

March 28, 2012

March Marches Away

Hi there EpicDuelists! It’s your friendly neighborhood Cinderella, here to let you know about what we’ve got on the agenda for this week.

Bunnies and April Fools

All the classic April Fools / Bunny-themed weapons and armors will be returning this update. Will Nightwraith’s BioDerp weapons (seen here: http://twitpic.com/8sj6wq) be placed in-game? I don’t know! Will there be a new bunny-type auxiliary weapon or sidearm? Maybe! Maybe we can bug Nightwraith to "Make it so!"

These items and more will be available at Naomi in Central Station or Titan in the Bazaar!

Item Stat Rebalance

If you saw our livestream on Sunday, you know that RabbleFroth is rebalancing the stat modifiers and damage of the items in the game based on price, level, and damage. Since he didn’t put details in his document to which I have access *shakes fist at the sky* I don’t yet have the details for you. Unless he posted it in the forum and I missed it. The basic idea is that a standardized formula will be applied to all weapons to determine their power to eliminate the problem of having a clear "best" item at any given level. This forumula will give items a steadier power curve for each level.

MEESHUNS!

The Bionic Battalion Saga will be continuing this week. Brachylagus and Capensis are not the only rabbits preparing themselves for battle: Myxoma will have her day as well. It’s come to her attention that little clueless Lepus is still in the Biological Preserve, and Myxoma needs your help in preparing a rescue mission for Lepus.

We may also be adding some new perma-missions, but I haven’t written any yet you’ll have to search for them! Like a treasure hunt!

Where’s Nightwraith?

You may notice that our resident murderer-for-hire with a heart of gold is missing from his normal hangout. You’ll be able to find him this week in HeroSmash, where he’s been transported due to a personal teleporter accident (that's what happens when you text and warp!). Be sure to check out his special HeroSmash gear, designed by Randor the Red, and his reaction to the world of HeroSmash.

Nightwraith will be selling his awesome armor on Friday and will remain in for one week.  Rumor has it that he may return for one day in November, but you never know. Those teleportation devices are notoriously finicky. Timey-whimey and all that.

Stay tuned to the HeroSmash Design Notes for more information!

Gently Down the Livestream

Thank you to all of our wonderful players who participated in the first EpicDuel Artists livestream where all the EpicDuel development staff were in attendance! It was really great to be able to answer some of your questions, and you gave us a lot of ideas! Hopefully, our listeners got a better insight into the development process, as well! The whole thing is still available to view on the EpicDuel Artists channel on Livestream so check it out!

In related news, give us your requests for songs we’ll be forced to sing well in advance. I think I still owe you guys, like, 5 songs. 

I Can Has Mod?

The call for Moderators is still ongoing- we’ve already made a list of some of the people we want to schedule an interview with, and we’ll be adding to that list as fast as I’m able to type it. Remember, patience is a vitrue we value when considering potential moderators, so sending e-mails asking if we've read your resume yet will affect our judgement of your application.

Tags: Cinderella Missions Item Balance Bunnies April Fools Nightwraith Moderators

February 29, 2012

This post only exists every 4 years

Geez, don’t take me so literally. I don’t constantly put hidden meaning into every syllable I type.

Happy Leap Day, players! Happy Birthday to all of you whose calendar age is 1/4 their chronological age. We’ve got some awesome stuff in store for you this week, so let’s say we jump right on in! (har dee har har)

Please, don’t leave me...

The Heartbreaker saga has come to its, well, heartbreaking conclusion. Players should go to the Guard Outpost in Fortune City to see how your plans turned out. I don’t want to spoil it for you guys, so you’ll just have to report to the Outpost to watch the cutscene.

Since we’ve concluded the Heartbreaker Saga, these missions will be going rare, as well as the Frysteland Aftermath missions, so now is the time to get those in if you haven’t done so already.

New Promotional Pack!

By popular demand (yes, Facebook fans, I’ve seen your constant posts and tweets begging for a new promo pack and “WHEN NEW PROMO PACK? ANSWER NOW!”), the Heartbreaker/Azrael promotional pack, along with all the other Heartbreaker-themed weapons will be going out NEXT week, so players still have another week to purchase this amazing item package.

The Celtic Cleaver, with its "Lucky Strike" skill, and all the other Celtic items from last year are coming back next week as well. What luck!

If it ain’t broke...

Due to the overwhelming popularity of PvP drops, we’re planning to add 50 more broken items! These broken items can be fixed by Ulysses for a mere fraction of the original varium cost, and these new weapons go all the way up to level 33! By Grabthar’s hammer, what a savings!

Balance Changes

A wild Tech Mage appears! Rabblefroth uses Balance Changes. It’s Super Effective!

The balance changes for low-level Tech Mages seemed to work really well, so this week we’re focusing on addressing balance at higher levels. Go Rabblefroth! :D

There goes the neighborhood...

If you follow me (@Cinderella_ED) or Nightwraith (@Nightwraith_ED) on Twitter, you may have seen us conversing with two of the NPCs, specifically Lysander Cox/the NegaWraith (@Negawraith_ED) and Alydriah Descarl (@AllWillObey). If you tweet, feel free to follow all of us on Twitter! In addition, if you haven’t already, “like” us on Facebook at facebook.com/EpicDuelOfficial

Drink! :D

This week’s Insect Fact is based on a brand spanking new paper (seriously, it was just published 10 days ago), so I’m super-excited about this. Endoparasitism by parasitoid wasps is a huge mortality factor for insect larvae across taxa, and insect species have various ways to combat parasitoid infection. One hypothesis for how insects combat parasitoids is the “nasty host hypothesis”, wherein in addition to normal immune response (insects do not have adaptive immune responses like we do, but they do have an immune system that allows them to fend off infection and encapsulate parasites) insects larvae are able to sequester allelochemicals from their host plants and sequester them in their hemolymph and body fat, which poisons the parasites. In the case of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, fly larvae that are exposed to ethanol are not parasitized as often by wasps, and when larvae are infected, consumption of ethanol causes increased death of the wasp larvae. Also, after infection, the fly larvae will search for sources of ethanol to consume. Infected fly larvae are twice as likely to survive parasitism by a generalist parasitoid after consuming ethanol than those that did not, indicating that the fly is self-medicating with ethanol. This is not the first time that this has been observed- flies infected with bacteria will give themselves fevers by seeking out heat sources to kill the bacterial infection.

Tags: Cinderella Leap Day balance promotional package Twitter Nightwraith NegaWraith Heartbreaker alydriah

February 10, 2012

Drop Addendum

I would like to take this opportunity to address some questions I've been seeing about the new PvP drop system.

For this first iteration of the system, we will be releasing primarily low level weapons. Why add weak, lowbie items? EpicDuel is attracting more players than ever, but EpicDuel is a very, very complex game. Many players may duel for hours and not even realize that they can equip items like guns and bazookas, or that their default weapon can be sold for a new, shiny implement of doom. This drop system will make those first confusing few battles more exciting to new players and make it easier for players who are on a losing streak to reverse their fortunes.

Don't fret if you don't have any use for these weapons. You will still be able to sell them back for credits, and Titan has created a system that will be robust enough to offer hundreds of potential drop items for players of all levels to enjoy.

Hidden Arcade

One of the advantages of having a feature-rich, complex game like EpicDuel that we have THOUSANDS of lines of code that we can potentially improve upon or recycle. Sometimes this is easy, sometimes this is impossible and requires the old code to be thrown away and rewritten. In this case, we were able to use much of the old arcade code to help us build the PvP drop system. It doesn't work exactly like the arcade, but there are many similarities.

You may notice that the arcade pods scattered across Delta V were deactivated or removed from many screens. This was done because had to remove the old arcade code to make way for the new PvP drop system. The advantage is now there is no limit to the prizes we can offer, and all the chances to win will be completely FREE!

This also means that the prizes of the Hoverbike and Assault bot will be reassigned to the PvP drop system in the next update.

Where's Raymus?

Because the PvP drops have eaten up so much of our time, we didn't have enough left over to implement our housing changes. This means that Mr. Alexander will be sidelined until next week.

Tags: Nightwraith

December 09, 2011

Sorry EpicDuelist, but it looks like this ambitious Frysteland War has become a bit too ambitious for one week. The upshot of that is that next week you will be able to participate in the largest, most polished EpicDuel event ever! We're very excited about this feature, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we're enjoying building it!

In the meantime, I'd like to give you a brief rundown of the rules. The NPCs scattered throughout Frysteland will do their best to explain it, but its a very complex feature and it may not be clear what to do at first.

The Rules:

To participate you MUST be in a Faction.  This is a Legion vs Exile conflict and will affect the rest of the story, so it's crucial to join or create a Faction to participate.  We will be reducing the cost to create a Faction to help those who may be on the fence about getting involved in the war.

Once you enter Frysteland, which you can do by clicking the Map icon or visiting one of the NPCs that can take you there (Hank, Alydriah, or the Krampus Traders), you will meet a number of NPCs imploring you to choose a side to support in the war.

Most prominently, you will see a new type of Faction Flag. This is a Faction War Flag, which will be used to indicate which side is currently winning the Frysteland War. The leader will be determined by points. But how does one earn points you might ask?

Once you have chosen a side, you can venture to the Legion (left) or Exile (right) bases, where you will meet Alydriah and her Yeti army or a host of Krampuses ready to defend their homeland.  

If you are Legion, you will want to defeat as many Krampuses as you can to crush their puny resistance against your dominion, whereas the Exiles will want to unleash their fury against the army of corrupted Yetis and Arctic Guards to push the Legion out of Frysteland for good! You can challenge these NPCs as much as you want regardless of your level or rank. They will not count toward you battle record or earn you XP. More challenging NPCs will be worth more points.

Some of these NPCs will offer missions, which are worth even larger point bonuses! 

However, that's not the only way to earn points. The other way is a jovial little game of sabotage! By purchasing bombs from a special VendBot located in Frysteland, players can strike at their enemy's home base on the opposite side of Frysteland.

Bombs can also be dropped by NPCs.  This will give everyone an opportunity to inflict massive damage against their foes.

The vulnerable point in the enemy's base is this Dark Matter Generator hidden deep within each compound!

Click the core as you would an NPC and you will be presented with the option to plant a bomb.  If you have a bomb, plant it on the core as see a cutscene of a volent explosion. Please note that you cannot plant bombs on your own core. As the war progresses and the core takes more damage it will become progressively more unstable. Enough bombs will knock it offline for an enormous point bonus!

Each day, we will keep track of all the points earned by each player.  The top players in each alignment will be displayed on the War Hero Boards in each alignment's base. 

At the end of each day, the point leader for the Legion and Exiles will each receive the Frysteland War Hero medal!

We still plan on releasing last years Frost Weapons along with some unexpected new arrivals.  These weapons will give you a big damage bonus against the Frysteland NPCs and should make that War Hero medal much more attainable!

Tags: Nightwraith

November 08, 2011

A Delicious Part of Your Balanced Breakfast

We meet again, EpicDuelists. How did you like our Monday update? I hope you’re enjoying the new quests, low-level bazookas, and Guy Fawkes masks all the cool kids are wearing. And we have more stuff ready to come your way this week!

So, let’s get right on down to our milk and cereal!

You’re older than you’ve ever been, and now you’re even older...

So have you figured out what’s so special about this Friday? Besides that it’s all 11’s? Why, it’s Nightwraith’s birthday, of course! Our wonderful creative lead Nightwraith is older than he’s ever been, and he’s celebrating it with you! Some of the denizens of Delta V- the ElectroHazard, Hank, Charfade, Big Tuna and Cinderella, to be exact- have teamed up to throw our fearless creative leader a surprise party! Between mischievous squidlings running off with his presents, a backlog of orders of exactly 11 slices of cake and other misadventures, battling Nightwraith will give players an 11% chance of a dropped item, the OneX6 Key, which unlocks Nightwraith’s personal stash!

Level 34! Limited time only seasonal rares!

This release is a bit more complicated than most.  In order to access Nightwraith's personal stash, available in the new ArmoryBots across Delta V, you'll need to collect the OneX6 Key.

You can obtain this key as an 11% drop from Nightwraith if you accept the OneX6 Key mission, or purchase it from him outright.

This is just one of many ArmoryBots across Delta V in the Barrens, Fortune City, Central Station, the Biological Preserve, and the Minetower.  They all have the same inventory, but we felt it would keep screen populations down to have more options.

Portuguese Support

You may have seen that part of the delay of the last update involved incorporating support for Portuguese into EpicDuel as a step towards making our game friendlier for our International Player Community. Titan and Hudelf will be working on translation, localization, and special characters. The system they are building is especially exciting because it will make adding additional languages in the future very easy, and provide a template for localizing the other AE games! Hopefully we won’t lose visuals on our text. Again. D:

The Arctic Guard

Baelius’s presence is felt all over Delta V, including its frigid and mountainous Northern Continent. Protecting both the miners working in the dangerous conditions- including the great carnivorous Beasts as well as Delta V’s indigenous mountain people- and Baelius’s interests are the Arctic Guard, specially trained soldiers who are well prepared to deal with the frigid temperatures the Northlands offer.

The leader of the Arctic Guard is one Arctic Outpost Commander Edgar Boothe. As a young man, Boothe rapidly rose to prominence in the Shadow Guard. Perhaps because of his tactical skills, or maybe because of his handsome appearance, he quickly caught the eye of Alydriah Descarl. She assigned him a command position in the frozen Northlands- something about it just seemed... right.

Commander Boothe is one of the characters you’ll be interacting with closely during the winter event, as well as helping to shape his destiny.

Balance Adjustments

We’re still planning on readjusting the Tactical Mercenary skill tree, but due to the addition of support for Portuguese language, I’m told it is unlikely to be released this week.

I can confirm adjustments to Frenzy and Smoke Screen. Following this update, Smoke Screen will now have a Support requirement. Frenzy should be a little less powerful after this update, as the healing factor will no longer take into account the damage adjustment, which was what we intended in the first place, but it was not working correctly for some reason. The practical effect of this is that Frenzy will heal you for less than it did before.

New Identity

I'd also like to make a quick announcement that our Mod and tester formerly known as Rainaka, is now known officially as Lycus!  His green name should update by the new release!

Paper or Plastic?

Certain social wasps build their nests out of cellulose fiber that’s been wetted and crushed, then reconstituted (a material known better to you as “paper”). The families of wasp that do so are the yellowjackets and paper wasps.

 Members of the genus Polistes are the most common and recognizable type of paper wasp. The European paper wasp is often mistaken for a yellowjacket, due to the similar yellow and black coloration. However, they can be distinguished from yellowjackets due to their more slender figures and long legs which dangle distinctively during flight. Colonies are founded by a single female or a small group of often, though not exclusively, related females. The foundress lays her eggs directly into the hexagonal cells of the nest, and she and her sisters will feed the emerging larvae by regurgitating masticated caterpillar flesh. In the early summer, workers emerge and co-foundresses are often exiled to found their own nests. Males emerge from the broods during the reproductive phase of the colony, along with reproductive females, and colonial cohesion breaks down, with intercolonial aggression increasing. Over the winter, the colony huddles together in a hibernative state.

One type of paper wasp, the Mexican Honey Wasp, is one of the only insects other than bees that produce honey. These dark golden-brown and yellow wasps construct paper nests and produce honey from plant nectar in the same fashion as honeybees. This honey is the larvae’s sole food source and is also consumed by humans, although the nectar from some plants can result in the honey being toxic.

Tags: Titan 11-11-11 Nightwraith Cinderella Missions balance Portuguese Achievements Loot

October 18, 2011

Some may be wondering why this particular release is taking so long.  First we push back the Friday release, then we push back again on Monday, now it's looking like we'll have to wait until Wednesday to release the new retrain along with the new Harvest content.  I could use the tired excuse "because programming is HARD", which is still true, especially for right brain people like myself, but that doesn't really satisfy your frustration or anxiousness to try out new features.  Instead, I will try my best to explain what it is we're doing with this newfangled retrain features and some of the complications that make this such a nasty beast.

Basically, we are rebuilding the retrain feature from the ground up.  After the feature goes live, you will be able to distribute all of your skill and attribute points in one go.  The system will also calculate a price based on your level, so lowbies won't have to sell all their gear just to have that extra point in Dexterity.  To sweeten the deal, every time you level up, you will have an opportunity to redistribute all of your points for free.

Many seem to be unclear on the nature of this feature.  Some were under the impression that we were just building a new way to retrain; keeping the old system, while the new one would become a premium "express retrain" similar to the way we can add more item types or battle modes.  This revamp of the retrain/level up system is not as "simple" as a new battle mode.  Battle modes are somewhat modular and share a lot of code.  That allows us to have many different types of battles and makes it much easier to change one type without breaking all the others.  This latest feature is not a new method for retraining, but a complete overhaul of all the existing code that handles retraining.  It also affects all the systems connected with retraining, like how many stats you need to put into a skill to improve it or how quickly your damage improves as you put points into strength or what new skills you'll have if you change class.  This affects all players in and out of battle and is a truly intimidating bit of game logic.  Think of it as rebuilding a home from the basement up rather than adding an extra bedroom.

Large features like this are especially frustrating because they make releases nearly impossible until the feature is 100% complete.  In EpicDuel, adding just about anything new to the game requires a server restart and introduces the possibility of overwriting game code on the live servers with incomplete or broken features.  This becomes more and more likely as a feature is closer to completion.  Now you have an absolute disaster.  A much as we hate to do it, it's better to postpone a release a few days or more to insure the feature is throughout built and tested than to release a broken feature that puts everyone into retrain limbo or worse.

In spite of the delays, none of this would have been possible without Hudelf.  Without him, this feature would have taken much MUCH longer to complete.  He and Titan are working together wonderfully, but it's still taking some time to train our new programmer in the intricacies of EpicDuel's hundreds of thousands of lines of code.

I wrote this post because we felt you were owed an explanation, and also because some were unfairly taking their frustration out on Cinderella and our mods who were just relaying the best information we could give them at the time.  This may not make you feel any better, especially if you stopped reading at the part where I mentioned another delay, but I hope it at least gave you some idea of the scope of this new feature.  Believe me.  We don't enjoy delays any more than you.  Delays mean we have to work at home when we should be relaxing and eating dinner.  They mean we have to work on the weekend instead of having fun.  Worst of all, they mean we have a load of disappointed players who were devoted enough to wait for the each release so they could be the first to login.  Moving forward, we'll try to do better for you in terms of accurately assessing release times and communicating our progress, because without you , there's no us.  Thank you for your patience, loyalty, and understanding.

Tags: Nightwraith

September 06, 2011

There's nothing quite like it.  At least, not in my limited experience.  A mini-Universe of condensed nerd culture that forms and dissipates every Labor Day weekend is truly remarkable, and I'm happy to have participated in it for the second time this year.

Departure

Just after the crack of dawn, we loaded the Awesome Party Bus of Doom with costumes, luggage, and laptops, snacked on coffee and muffins, and began the long trek to Atlanta, GA for Dragon*Con (after waiting for Stratos, of course).  The journey was long and fraught will peril...in the form of ZOMBIES!  Well, not real zombies, but zombies on a popular TV series Korin brought for us to watch that happens to actually take place in Atlanta!

Pizza N E 1?

After we arrived safe and sound at the hotel (no zombies other than cosplayers!), we promptly received our badges and checked into our rooms to decompress and gear up for the fan meet-n-greet pizza party in Artix's suite.  It was great fun to see you guys in real life, even if you didn't look anything like your in-game counterparts.  I guess hotel security confiscated your armor and weapons!  Voltaire even stopped by for a special guest appearance!

The Panel

It was extremely amusing to see AE staff dressed as their in-game counterparts.    We had more cosplaying staff than ever before, and Artix's paladin armor received a major, full-metal upgrade!  I can't even imagine what the players and hotel staff were thinking as we filed into that room on Friday. 

This panel was even longer than last year's, but it didn't feel like it.  If anything, we could have gone for another hour or two!  There's always so much to do and show and tell and so many questions to answer.  We hope to post some clips on our DNs once they're edited, but if your Youtube-Fu is strong, you may be able to find a camera phone clip or of the panel's highlights. 

Thanks again to everyone who was able to make the journey out and see us in person!

Everybody's Workin' on the Weekend

Dragon*Con is a time for work and play. A time for AE staff to recharge their batteries, make connections, and converse with fans.  This convention, a much higher percentage of time was devoted to work than previously. Most of our games were releasing major updates and some staff even stayed behind to put in insane hours over the weekend to make sure the releases were as polished as possible. Titan himself rolled THREE DIFFERENT RELEASES for EpicDuel to install interface fixes, improve stability, and, of course, release the Draconic Multi-class Weapons! Did you pick them up? If not, you're in luck, because we decided to keep them in game until we roll our next release (possibly Wednesday) to ensure everyone has a chance to get them since we released so late on Friday.

New Game?

As if the stresses of preparing for Dragon*Con and our panel weren't enough, we decided to launch a new game  (a several major game releasing) during the convention: Ponies Vs Ponies.  There were some technical problems with the launch, made even worse by the fact that it was impossible to communicate with the outside world during the panel in the Sheraton, which had apparently just installed their dwarf star alloy walls.

Why do we do this to ourselves?  Because we love you, that's why!

Nightwraith Is Bad at Cards

Truth.

Card games are games for which I have zero skill.  The gaming public learned this fact  when  Practel challenged me to a vicious game of BattleOn Battle Cards.  I was utterly devastated by his relentless onslaught.  He used every opportunity to counter my attacks, negate my blocks, and steal my paltry defenses.  Such spectacular failures are often the stuff of myth and lore, the details too fantastical to be accurately recounted.   This monumental defeat will haunt me until next Dragon*Con, when I have a stack of "custom" cards (maybe?).

Though I wasn't able to capture any cards, we DID manage to give away ALL of Charfade's signed EpicDuel postcards at the fan table!  If you have one, congratulations!  You're one of 100 people with a card!

The Road Home

It seems to be tradition that the weather for the last day of the con reflect our emotional state upon leaving -- sad and gray.  Once again, we trudged to the bus and loaded our collective experiences in the overhead bins on the bus and began our trek back to Florida.

For those of you who have never been to Florida, we have some fascinating weather patterns here.  Within the span of a minute, the weather can go from sunny and dry, to a torrential downpour, and back again.  This happened the entire ride back on the bus as we watched awful cartoons from the early 90s (THEY WERE COOL  AT THE TIME), recalled the best con stories, and tried our best to sleep.

When we finally arrived at the lab, the sky was angry yet again, but there was no rain in sight.  We had finally unloaded our costumes and luggage from the bus and were about say our goodbyes (until the next day) when suddenly: Drip, drip, drop, ASLPPPPPOOOOOOOOSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!  The entire sky opened its fearsome maw and instantly soaked everything and everyone not  loaded in a vehicle.

Now, it's back to business as we work on another release for Wednesday!  Bye Dragon*Con!  Dragon*Con 2012 can't come soon enough!

Tags: Dragon*Con Nightwraith

August 26, 2011

Titan vs. Adobe

After a struggle spanning many days, from the darkest cavern, to the highest peak, until at last, Titan threw down his enemy and smote its ruin on the mountainside! That is to say, Titan and our wonderful crew of testers made it known to the software behemoth that their latest "update" was ruining performance in EpicDuel (and a few other Flash-based MMOs) so they essentially released an update just for us! I'd call that a WIN. Get the latest version of FlashPlayer here!  Thanks Adobe!

We've also been making some important changes to the backend of the game -- changes we can't go live with until they are completely.  Because of this, we won't be releasing until later tonight.  I'm predicting a... *summons the guidance of the mischievious time faeries* 9-10 PM EST release time.

Localization

As a byproduct of the efforts to optimize EpicDuel and streamline performance, Titan has been replacing all the interface components in the game.  This paves the way for another very important feature going forward: localization.  Soon* EpicDuel will be available in multiple languages, starting with Portuguese. It's a good thing we don't have as many quests as the other AE games, or that task would be monumental!

*Soon as in sometime in the future that may or may not be near at all we don't really know

Ye Olde Fortune City

Tonight, you will be introduced to the newest area of Delta V, or is it a sub-area?  In any case, Old Fortune City, the current headquarters for the Exiles is accessible through the staircase in the back of Hank's in Fortune City.  All the new equipment will be there, so you'll want to hurry if you want to be the first to check it out!

New Gear!

Of course, we didn't forget all the lovely implements of destruction we showed you last week!  They're still coming, and thankfully, there's plenty for Varium and non-Varium players!  You might also check out the Limited Quantity Shops.  Just sayin'.

A New Champion Rises

We've been teasing at a new character to be introduced to EpicDuel since the early Delta previews.  We're finally ready to drop him in game, but not quite ready to reveal his true identity.  Some of you may already have figured it out, but the explanation will shock you!

DragonCon 2011!

It's that time of year again, folks!

Time to dust off your plastic lightsabers and Doctor Who fezzes and join us for the 2011 DragonCon in Atlanta, GA! This will be AE's 7th consecutive year attending and if you plan on going, we would love to meet you!  

What is DragonCon?

It's basically a four day long, 45,000-person costume party with games, comics, anime, robot battling, art galleries, vendors, concerts, celebrity guests, and panels on everything from how to swordfight, write novels, make costumes, meet the cast of your favorite TV series…AND you can go to our panel and meet US! DragonCon is for audiences age 16+ (unless accompanied by a parent.) DragonCon is not run nor operated by Artix Entertainment.

PIZZA PARTY!

Thursday Night at 8pm to 10pm
Everyone is invited up to our suite at the top of the Mariott (Room 4724) on Thursday to eat pizza and hang out with Artix, Cysero and the team. This pre-DragonCon party is for ALL AGES and is very casual and informal.

• Meet the Staff
• Mmmmmm.... Free Pizza, Soda, Water and Air.
• No costumes. You can dress up if you want, but you should save yoru costumes for the AE Panel that happens the next day!

ARTIX ENTERTAINMENT PANEL (Main event!)

Friday at 2:30pm at the Sheraton, Savannah room
Join us as we kick off DragonCon's gaming track with the official AE panel. It will take place on Friday at 2:30pm at the Sheraton hotel, in the Savannah room. If you brought a costume, dress up for the panel!

• Meet the AE Team!
• Learn... secrets......
• See brand new cheesy videos
• Quiz questions for the audience with prizes and giveaways!
• Yes... the rumors are true. We have ONE, still in shrinkwrap, 2011 Calendar with the Chronomancer class that we will give away during the panel. (For those of you who cannot attend, we have one more that we will be running a contest for in-game)
• X-treme real-life Moglin Punting!
• Bring things if you want them signed by the staff. (This year we are making sure we have PLENTY of time to hang out after the panel and talk and sign things.)
• Bring your art to drop off in our art box
• We received a letter from EbilCorp that Chairman Platnum is going to "stop by" our panel.
• Official release of the game *shivers* Ponies vs Ponies!

Fan Table

Also this year, there will be an Artix Entertainment fan table located in the Hyatt. Stop by each day for a special ribbon to hang on your DragonCon Badge (Jemini made them... there is a different dragon for each day!) There are limited quantity of badges for each day... so first come first serve! We will always have two members of the team and any volunteer players who want to hang out and play battle cards with us. There will also be an art drop-box on the table if you want to submit any of your artwork in person.

-----

Pack your energy drinks and assorted totems of nerd culture and join us for the biggest AE party of the year!  Remember: what happens at DragonCon, stays at DragonCon...until it's posted on the Internet!

Tags: Nightwraith DragonCon Titan adobe flashplayer localization fortune city

August 19, 2011

Another week gone by, another week of battling the recent animation lag that was introduced by the latest Flash Player update.  After talking with Adobe and many other programmers, Titan was finally able to make headway in fixing the damage.  The problem is the fix is very time consuming and will involve a massive overhaul of some critical components, which is why we didn't feel confident in updating this Friday.  With some luck and a few long nights and early mornings, we'll be back on track for another update next week.

Problems like these are about as fun to solve as they are for you to endure, so we appreciate your patience as we deal with them as quickly as possible. 

Old Fortune City

Many years before the war, Fortune City was a small mining colony that quickly grew as work of the Varium boom spread across the galaxy...perhaps too quickly.  Unregulated mining created a massive sinkhole that caused the entire colony to collapse beneath the surface of Delta V, burying thousands of miners and their families with it.

Far below the bustling metropolis of its predecessor, the colony now exists as Old Fortune City, a terrifying reminder of the callous excess of Baelius' reign. 

Since it exists outside of the patrols of Legion guards, Old Fortune City is also contains a heavy concentration of Exiles.  It's rumored that the Exile leader's base is deep within the ruins, just below the home of his mortal enemy.

New Weapons!

Here's a taste of the new high level guns and bazookas (varium and credit only!) coming next week to EpicDuel!  Look for them in the newly-opened Old Fortune City! 

New ED Site!

We've been looking at the websites of competition and we feel it's time to step up our game.   Charfade has been a busy bee painting this beautiful EpicDuel scene for our new website.  

Balance!

There were several items we hoped to include in this week's balance update, but due to time or oversight were not included.  These changes will be included in an update next to *hopefully* address imbalances remaining among the new and original classes.  Our testers have been battling relentlessly all week and coming up with a comprehensive list of ideas to make balance stronger than ever!  Despite arguments to the contrary, we don't favor any one class, even if certain classes are easier than others.  EpicDuel is at its best with a diverse assortment of opponents!

P.S. It doesn't do anyone any good to berate Cinderella if we miss our mark on updates.  In many cases there are circumstances beyond our control that cause an update to be delayed, and it's hardly her fault.  She's just going based on the information we can provide.  Thanks for your understanding.

Tags: Nightwraith

August 12, 2011

Flash Fight 2000

Just when we thought we were making some good progress in improving EpicDuel's performance, Adobe swoops in and releases a sneaky, ninja update to Flash Player of their own that is just crushing animation performance in EpicDuel.  Titan is talking with Adobe to find a solution to the problem, but it may take some time, especially if the problem is on their end.

We first noticed this while playing EpicDuel on Chrome, which installs the latest version of Flash Player (10.3.183.5) automatically (convenient, right?).  Firefox and Internet Explorer worked fine until we updated Flash Player on them.  

Until this issue is resolved, you may want to try a different browser without the latest version of Flash Player, or try uninstalling Flash Player and then installing an earlier version of the program.  We apologize for the inconvenience, but this issue seems to be beyond our ability to control.  Such is the double-edged sword of Flash game development.

Balance Update

With this release we are rebalancing all skills that have fixed effects by adding a improvement faction based on level.  This includes buffs, debuffs, shields, damage dealing skills that have fixed damage, and a few other skills that see limited use at higher levels.  The net result of this is that all skills affected will be slightly weaker at lower levels and stronger at higher levels.    

For those who want a complete list of affected skills, here it is:

Because of this huge, sweeping change, and because we've spent so much time combatting Flash's performance issues, we have decided not to raise the level cap this week.

ADDENDUM (red means important!)

Due to the unexpected performance problems form Flash Player and the extensive nature of the balance changes, we have decided to postpone the release until next week (mid week) to include more thoroughly tested balance changes and actual content.  We'll be usuing this weekend for additional balance testing in addition to solving the Flash Player issue.  Again, we apologize for the inconvenience, but this time it wasn't actually our fault!

Tags: Nightwraith flash player adobe balance lag

August 05, 2011

Sorry fellers, it looks like we didn't get to most of the features and balance improvements we planned for this week.  We've been undertaking what has become and increasingly more massive project this summer to essentially rebuild the foundations of the EpicDuel game code.  What started as a modest rewrite has turned into a full scale war against bad, old code and confoundingly inefficient database designs that should allow us to do things that we previously deemed to difficult or outright impossible to implement.  The parts of the game being rewritten are the same things that have prevented us from introducing more bots, more quests, more class changing items and more of everything you like about the EpicDuel.

We're still planning on implementing the balance change next week, but it looks like we'll need to squash a few more bugs fore we start building new.

Thanks again for your patience and understanding as we usher in a bold new era of features and content for our humble little game.

Tags: Nightwraith

July 19, 2011

Let me just amend that last update.  We PLANNED on having a update ready for Monday, but due to circumstances beyond anyone's control, we were unable to do so.  We worked all day Monday to try to get the security update live for the both the Master Account (or is it Artix Account?) and EpicDuel, but we only had time for the Master Account.  I announced it on my Twitter account, but I forgot to update the design notes to reflect that.  Oops.

Many of you are also probably aware of the network-wide downtime this Sunday.  That was due to the notorious load balancer.  Since it's silly to remain dependant on one fickle piece of hardware, we are freeing ourselves of its clutches this Friday (or possibly Thursday) when we go live with an content/balance/security update.  Should be good times.

Stay tuned for more info.

Tags: Nightwraith

July 14, 2011

Tags: Nightwraith

July 08, 2011

Titan is still wraslin' with performance improvements so we'll need a bit more time to roll an update.  As we add more features it gets more and more challenging to find areas for improvement.  We're also making some HUGE backend changes that nobody will notice and will probably not be too excited about (unless you get excited about cloud networking and subdomains).

We've also got a round of balance changes that still need major testing.  

Charfade and I aren't slouching with this extra time.  We've decided to use the extra time to deliver another 2v1 Boss, more missions (finally get rid of those lingering quest items), and whatever else we can squeeze in a few more days.  The rest of Fortune City is still getting a much needed overhaul to match with the main thoroughfare, but we're also updating the content in all existing screens as well!

Expect a mid-week release next week.  If all goes according to plan, this will be an update that drastically improves the overall experience of the game for all players.  As always, thank you for your patience and support!

Tags: Nightwraith

April 22, 2011

Tags: Nightwraith Netflix Offers Enhancements balance Central Station Naomi contest

April 18, 2011

AdventureQuest Worlds Card Game!

That's right!  The AdventureQuest Worlds: The Anything-Goes Battle On Battle Card Game is in stores now and ready for purchase!  Specifically, Toys-R-Us store in the US and HeroMart for everyone else!   

But what else do I get with this amazing battle card game?  You know, aside from a box of cards (it's a really nice box, too!).  Well, you'll also unlock the exclusive CARD CLASHER CLASS in AQW! 

Do you like dueling?  Do you like cards?  Do you like free stuff?  Well, what are you waiting...oh, it's not out yet.  Well, you can still get excited!  Who wants to get excited with me?  Anyone?

Tags: Nightwraith

April 15, 2011

Inventory Backend!

Wow!  That sound...boring.  The best part is, if it worked, you won't even notice it.  However, Titan has spend most of this week restructuring the item tables to allow for better long-term performance much greater flexibility for adding things like defense/resistance armors, new bots, items with buffs, and, most importantly, quest items!  If all goes according to plan, this feature should pay off immensly in the upcoming releases!

Bug Fixes

Here is a list of the major bugs fixed for this release:

• Power Hour bug fixed!
• George Lowe repowered!
• Banana Suit load error while enhancing
• Weapon encumberance display error

New Mods

We would like to welcome two new members to the EpicDuel in-game moderator team: Dorumon and IcyGlacier.  If you see them, be sure to say "hi"...or they'll ban you!*

*not really**
**maybe 0_o

*Preview* Train Hub 2.0 *Preview*

In preparation for the new update to EpicDuel's revamped engine, next week we are giving a few old screens a much needed facelift.  One of the oldest areas on Delta V is the Central Station (known to our experienced players as Oz World 7).  Since this is the first place new players see, we determined it would be beneficial to revamp all 9 screens to reach the standard set by the latest worlds.

Also, we will be adding teleporter pads across Delta V to expedite travel, meaning remote regions like the mines below the Minetower and Talia's Science Facility will be a click away! 

The next few updates should have the biggest and baddest (in a good way) releases EpicDuel has seen yet!

Tags: Central Station bug fix power hour Nightwraith

April 08, 2011

Eggzooka Egg-stacy!

To celebrate the beginning of the Spring season, we are introducing the Eggzookas.  These ferocious, wabbit-face auxiliaries are capable of dealing intense damage and feature amazing stat bonuses. 

But how will you acquire these beauties?  Both the energy and physical Eggzookas will be avaible with purchase of the 10,000 Varium package or in-game from Titan and Nightwraith.  Get them before they're gone!

Level Up!  Again!

Numbers will once again go up as we raise the level cap to 33!  It may seem far away, but all the level 32 have been clamoring for this for ages.  It's not an easy journey, but once you get there, it's totally worth it!

To make life easier for those eager to reach the level cap and get the most out of the new Eggzookas, we've introduced a few features to make the leveling process less of a grind. 

Epic Power Hour!

Starting at 10:00PM ET and 10:00AM ET, players will receive DOUBLE XP from all victories for an hour!  This also means that players using XP Boost will receive QUADRUPLE XP!  This puts level 33 easily within reach.

Level Ranges and Encumberance:

To keep the latest and greatest weapons from being out of the range of hardworking players, we have introduced a level range requirement to weapons.  You will now be able to equip a weapon as early as 4 levels prior to the highest requirement, as long as you meet the stat requirements.  However, there is a catch...

We have introduced a restriction to this feature called Encumberance.  You may equip a weapon before you meet the highest level requirement, BUT you will take one point of damage reduction for each level you are below the highest requirement.

Actuall, this block of text explains it better:

This new feature applies to Primary, Sidearm, and Auxiliary weapon types.  Armor, Robot, Bike, and Booster are unaffected. 

Focus Change

Since raising the level cap makes it easier to pour more and more points into one attribute, throwing off balance, we have removed the Focus damage bonus and rewrote the calculations for increasing stat effectiveness.  This means after a certain point, it becomes increasingly difficult to gain more damage and defense.  This will prevent one-sided builds that favor loading up on one stat for an almost guranteed victory.  This change is largely experimental and it can be adjusted as it's been through some more thorough battle testing.

Please note that while the player damage bonus from Focus is removed, Focus will still directly affect Bot damage.

Tags: Titan Nightwraith spring bunny egg Easter Bazooka focus balance

March 25, 2011

Be Famous!

This week we decided to give everyone their 15kb of fame.  With our new and improved character pages, you can search, view win records, and increase the fame of different players.  You can vote for as many characters as you like, once per day.  We've even added an in-game leaderboard to list the most famous, and infamous, players!

Are you more famous than me?  Probably.

Grab Your Popcorn!

To make EpicDuel more cinematic and create a more immersive experience for new players, we have implemented a short intro cutscene leading up to your first confrontation with a new and improved City Guard!

The new and improved City Guard would like to assert that his lawn is not an acceptible venue.

You can also click on Oz in Central Station to view the EpicDuel Trailer.  It's pertinent to the story, and it's been off the site for awhile, so we decided it was time to bring it back in-game.

There goes the property values!

New Missions!

While you're at Oz, you might want to try his latest missions, including our very first PvP mission!  You'll need to win 12 challenge matches to prevail and win Oz's respect.  Can you do it?  We plan to add a new mission type each update until EpicDuel has a mission system to rival any other AE RPG!

Server Lock!

Anyone's who's played in the wee hours of the night may have seen very low player numbers on Doom or Legion.  Few players means few matches, making EpicDuel especially frustrating for new players who don't know to log into more populated servers.  Low population servers will now automatically lock if the number drops below a certain point, encouraging dense servers with quick matches.  As an added bonus, it will make practices like dummying and piloting much more difficult.

Where's Titan?!

Titan and Nightwraith have been relocated to other parts of Delta V.  We're starting a big renovation of Central Station to make it more streamlined and accessible.  Also prettier.  Much prettier.

Ongoing Engine Improvement!

We're still working to update the Engine to the new standard.  Titan tells me it could be finished as soon as next week!

Tags: Nightwraith Cutscene Character Page Fame Titan Engine Missions

March 17, 2011

Happy St. Patrick's Day, EpicDuelists!  Did you bring your green hat?  To celebrate, we've got a piping hot batch of new content for you, including new holiday rares, new Faction flags, and our very first EpicDuel quest!

New Holiday Rares!

Out with the old, in with the new.  The Heartbreaker rares are going into storage for another year and for the first time in EpicDuel's history, we are introducing a whole batch of high level St. Patrick's Day rares to vanquish your foes and impress your friends.  

Let's not forget about the centerpiece of the new rare set: the Celtic Cleaver.  This weapon will replace Azrael's Bane as our new promo weapon, which will come free with the 10,000 varium package, in addition to being sold by Zedmyr in-game.  This soon-to-be legendary sword will offer a +7% bonus chance to connect on regular strikes.  For clarification, this means that you will be more likely to hit your opponents, and, conversely, they will be less likely to block you.  It does not effect your personal block rate.

For anyone interested in how this awesome weapon was made, I created a time-lapse Toutube video of it's creation.  I hope I made a better music choice this time. :p

Quests:

After much sweat and feverish coding, quests are now a part of EpicDuel.  Of course, we want to make sure it doesn't break first!  That's why we are offering an achievement for completing this proto-quest and helping us test the engine: Mission Possible.  This should be a gimme if you're lucky enough to talk to Oz while the quest is offered.  Hopefully, it's only the start of bigger and better things for the quest engine!

Ongoing Engine Progress:

Titan is still gradually shifting the Engine over to 2.0 standards.  Again, it's a tedious, exhaustive process that goes largely unnoticed until it's finished.  We don't want to do it all at once and risk not knowing what we broke, so it will continue in phases as planned and should be finished sometime next month.  As usual, report any bugs in the EpicDuel forums.

We are also experimenting with a new graphical change that could allow EpicDuel to perform much faster on slower computers and mobile devices.  If it works, we could significantly reduce animation lag (which is based on your computer's CPU, not to be confused with server lag, which is based on connection speed and stability).

Tags: EpicDuel celtic cleaver pvp mmo quests Nightwraith

March 09, 2011

Tags: Nightwraith quests pvp mmo EpicDuel

February 23, 2011

Tags: Nightwraith