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EpicDuel PVP Game Design Notes
 | April 18, 2019 Springtime Smash!
EpicDuel will be updating shortly to add part of an epic springtime release featuring new weapons, balance changes, and a new arcade game!
Balance Currently, many ideas for improving balance are being thrown around on the test server but there's not total confident in their viability. It's especially risky to push large balance changes over a holiday weekend when immediate corrective action wouldn't be possible. We're continuing to test and brainstorm ideas to revamp the skill trees to empower struggling classes and encourage build diversity.
Try your luck and spend some tokens at the Springtime Smash Arcade featuring some new weapons from Bido!
Visit Deuce for new seasonal gear! There's still more to come so don't feel too disappointed if some items from the previews, like the awesome Highlander armor, aren't present in the shop just yet!
This the first part of our springtime release, the second part of which should have even more balance changes and seasonal content. In the meantime, have a safe and happy holiday weekend! Tags: Nightwraith |
| April 12, 2019 Patch Notes - 1.7.17We just rolled a small patch with some small adjustments and preparations to make much larger changes to the skill trees next week, changes which will require some extemsive testing to evaluate their viability. We also have a glorious cache of weapons and items in the pipeline
New Features/Changes
Tags: Nightwraith |
| April 05, 2019 Passive Skills Return!
The day has finally come! It's been nearly 6 years and after hundreds of constructive and not-so-constructive comments, emails, and forum posts later Passive Skills have returned to the skill trees of EpicDuel! Party like it's 2013 and experiment with build options not possible in years, if at all!
BalancePassive skills return to replace their former active skills! If you're new to EpicDuel, you're probably wondering why this is significant. Passive Skills haven't been a part of the game since 2013 and the game has changed a lot since then. At the time, we felt that Passive Skills didn't make the battles feel dynamic enough. On the surface, Passive Skills aren't as cool as summoning a lightning bolt or activating a space laser, but because they can impact almost every round for 0 cost, they're extremely powerful and essential for most builds. We replaced them with new active skills hoping that would make energy management more valuable and diversity builds. Sound theory, but the removal of Passive Skills left a large hole in EpicDuel that the new skills never quite replaced. This reversal could have happened much sooner, but many of the Passive Skills were completely shredded in the transition with the assumption that we would never go back. While some were simple to return (Blood Lust and Reroute are still equipped to many NPCs), others had to be rebuilt. This was a big, scary change with many unknown consequences, but hopefully it will all be worth it!
Since this is such a major change to battle dynamics, and the game has changed so much in 6 years, we'll definitely need some follow up updates to balance the returning skills. This'll be an ongoing process, but a major step towards returning something dearly missed by longtime players.
Core Changes
HairstylesSince enough people liked the April Fool's armor, I've separated the head from the armor and added as a hairstyle. Now you can have whatever helm or hair you wish with the armor!
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| March 23, 2019 Bunnyzooka Bunn-anza!
Spring is finally here! Can you believe it? Can you believe there's a brand new edition of the Bunnyzookas with pre-equipped cores? Can you believe HeroMart just restocked a truckload of EpicDuel merch? Believe!
Bunnyzooka Bunn-anza!To refresh the classic Bunnyzookas, we've introduced the shiny new 2019 editions available at Brachylagus in the Biological Preserve Archives, complete with a new active core!
New CoresAvailable at Dage the Evil, these new active primary cores can make a huge different to the outcome of your duels!
Robot ChangeThe Bunny Bot has a sneaky special attack that has been underused for ages. To improve this, we've expanded the triggers for the Egg Rain attack to include regular sidearm and auxiliary attacks. Core attacks and skills are still exempt.
Classic Core UnlocksTo encourage experimentation with some classic EpicDuel items, we've unlocked the cores on the Delta Gear. This was done as an experiment to see if it was something worth doing to other rare, locked gear.
BalanceTo increase the viability of Bounty Hunter Dexterity builds without making them overpowered, we've made the following changes:
HeromartAn incredible bounty of loot is finally available from HeroMart, including new designs to complement the return of old classics!
Coming SoonSpring is officially here and Easter is right around to corner, so Bido and Deuce are hard at work crafting some awesome new sets worthy of your extensive collections!
Cut ContentNot among the new cores were a handful of new passives that were designed to give players a big advantage if their health dropped below critical levels. However, there were some problems in the battle engine that kept them from triggering properly at the health threshold, meaning they would be active the entire fight! I fought my own battle against the code for a bit but had to cut them for this update. Hopefully we can get them working as intended and in game in an upcoming update!
Status ReportOne major project I've been planning to implement is the return of Passive skills to the skill trees. I'm very close to having the logistics ironed out for this project but I will need some programming advice to make sure nothing breaks. Changing Passive skills to Active skills was a major change that took a long time to implement so it shouldn't be surprising that reverting the change is taking longer than anticipated. Some of the Passives no longer exist so they must be recreated. Plus, modifying the skill trees is a complicated process that is very unforgiving. It's possible to break every character in the game with small mistake! No pressure, right? Next week, I will be traveling to visit family so I there are no updates planned for next week. I know that's a bummer, but I haven't taken a real break since... Hmmm... I don't remember. Anyway, I should return ready to tackle this major project to restore a bit of what you loved about the old battle engine. Hopefully, we don't prove the old saying true, "Be careful what you wish for..." Now where did I put that Gamma.exe? Another issue I'd like to address is the speculation of plans for EpicDuel's future. In the near term, I've been able to secure additional help with creating art assets to make meatier releases. The increased attention EpicDuel has received also motivated HeroMart to restock old merch and create new merch. I've noted people expressing fatigue with the weapon releases, but developing new or restoring old features is mostly beyond my capabilities alone. Many of the new features you've enjoyed have been due to snagging snippets of Titan's time for consultation or development. Larger features that require days or weeks are trickier as he has regular obligations to AQ3D. It's frustrating, but Titan's new role comes with less autonomy than he enjoyed as the EpicDuel lead. That's part of the tradeoff when you sign up to work for a company rather than running your own business. What about EpicDuel 2? ED2D? EDBR? I see people demanding these new projects enter the pipeline constantly, and I agree with you! You don't have to convince *me* that EpicDuel is awesome and deserves an awesome future. I don't need convincing, but I don't have the autonomy to greenlight a project. As I understand it, the plan is to use AQ2D as a basis for converting the Flash games to Unity. Why does AQ2D get preference? AQW is much, MUCH bigger than EpicDuel. Even at EpicDuel's peak, it was orders of magnitude larger by nearly every metric. For those of you clenching your fists like the Arthur meme, note I said bigger, not better. Big is big. If that weren't the case, why on earth would EpicDuel only have one dev? That said, EpicDuel's players are some of the most enthusiastic and devoted fans of all the games, and that doesn't go unnoticed. I love our humble little PvP game, but I understand the rationale, especially when working with limited resources. I can't build the game on my lonesome as I've tragically dumped all my stats into art and charisma (obviously). What I can do is continue building on EpicDuel, creating new releases, updating balance, and adding features whenever I can. It's in my interest, and AE's interest to see EpicDuel thrive, contrary to claims of sabotage I've seen. I've lashed myself to the mast of this project for over a decade and I really don't know what I'd do beyond it -- a scary thought that's kept me up many nights, but maybe that's a nudge toward better personal development. I'm 100%, full-time EpicDuel and plan to continue for as long as you'll allow it. That's what I know at this current moment. That knowledge is always subject to change based on news I hear from on high, and I'll certainly update you all when that happens. I won't tease a project before it's 100% official. Thank you for your patience. If you're frustrated, know that it's mutual, but I aim to make the best of the present situation. Duel On! Tags: Nightwraith |
| March 15, 2019 Dage Overload!
This week EpicDuel is overloaded with new Dage the Evil weapons available in class-specific varieties to let you craft a truly killer build! Also, production is still underway for EpicDuel's HeroMart bounty. The proof is in the proofs (printing humor) as the new posters arrive hot off the presses!
Balance:To help Focus builds, some changes were made to the following skills:
Weapons -- Located on Dage the EvilDage wasn't done sharing his bounty with some glorious class-specific weapons for EpicDuel! Some of these are very low quantity, so the collectors will want to hurry to get them before they run out!
HeroMart
Coming SoonAs I write this Bido and Deuce are hard at work on more Spring/Celtic/Easter content that should be hitting the game soon! Be sure to follow them on Twitter for updates! Tags: Nightwraith |
| March 08, 2019 Epic Merchandise!
Greetings! This week we have some very exciting news for those who have been hankering for a piece of EpicDuel merch, which have been out of stock for ages: HeroMart will soon be restocking sold out EpicDuel merchandise and selling brand new merch, which will include items in EpicDuel AND AQW! This should be great news for those of you who wanted another chance to get a piece of EpicDuel you can hold in your hand, hang on your wall, or cover your body! Be sure to follow HeroMart for the latest updates when these new products hit the shelves! We don't know how many they're producing, but we wouldn't sleep on it very long!
Balance
Bug Fixes/ Changes
Hairstyle
These achievements will be available with codes from the upcoming new Heromart items!
Weapons These weapons will be available with codes from the upcoming new Heromart items!
Home Items These items will be available with codes from the upcoming new Heromart items!
New Artist Arrives We'd like to formally welcome Junny Osan to the EpicDuel Team. He'll be working with us, joining Bido and Deuce for some much-needed art assistance! Tags: Nightwraith |
| March 01, 2019 EpicDuel and Dage's Birthday!
Today Dage the Evil and EpicDuel are both celebrating birthdays! Visit Dage the Evil in the Wasteland for an amazing armory of epic new undead wares! Also, today marks the 10th Anniversary of EpicDuel's Alpha Launch! WeaponsMeet Dage the Evil at the base of the Wasteland Minetower to inspect his amazing inventory of new weapons. This is already an impressive arsenal, but there are many more weapons on the way (next week)!
Travel FormsDage can gift you with the ability to warp your form into a new twisted abomination. Want to run throw Central Station as an undead horse? Now you can!
ArmorsDage's Paragon armor has a new coat of bling. Those with heaps of Credits to spend couldn't ask for a more imposing way to show off their post-gifting wealth!
Styles
BossTake on the ultimate challenge with a trusted ally. Regular Dage the Evil was already on of the most challenging bosses in the game. Will you be the first to defeat his Legendary form?
AchievementsBoost your rating score with 3 new achievements! That Legendary Dage Achievement is going to be tough to get!
HomesBuy an underworld dwelling of your very own!
Home ItemsWhat would an underworld home be without plenty of Dage/Undead-themed decorations? If there's one thing all Dage fans can agree on, it's that you can never have too many skulls, bones, or blue fire!
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| February 22, 2019 Azrael's Buff
A voice cries out from the Void. It screams "BUFF ME!" We answer, "Oh...Ok." This update sees a substantial buff to the skills of Azrael's Evolution promo pack in addition to a huge blast from the past you probably thought you'd never see again in EpicDuel!
BalanceIn response to player feedback, we've buffed the damage from the promotional cores to make them worth the sacrifice of precious HP for the boost to damage output. We've also made some adjustments to class skills, including an change that could make Intimidate a much saucier skill for Mercenaries and Blood Mages!
BossStep into the Afterlife with a partner and challenge the Legendary Void King for the battle of your life (or unlife)!
CoresIn desperate need of energy? Temporarily sacrifice some armor for a full tank with this potent new active armor core available from Endless M4tr1x.
As a blast from the past, the Health and Energy Packs and Boosters have returned to Vendbots and Valestra! The Health Packs and Boosters are affected by Heal modifiers like Critical Heal and the Medical Mastery Legendary Skill.
AchievementsNeed a boost to your Rating Points and have a few credits to spare...or a few million? Give yourself a belated Valentine by with the new upgradeable Tiny Heart Achievement! Tags: Nightwraith |
| February 15, 2019 Patch Notes - 1.7.10We just rolled a small patch with some skill adjustments and a major bug fix for the Azrael's Artillery auxiliaries. New Features/Changes
Tags: Nightwraith |
| February 15, 2019 Azrael's Evolution |
| February 01, 2019 Legendary Artist Challenge
It's a legendary artist fight, but this one won't be fought with pencils or pens.Throw down with LegendaryBido and Legendary Deuce, then take a spin on the new Heartbreaker Hoard Arcade machine!
Balance
War BalanceEarlier today, the Dread War went live, but something was wrong with the damage output. It turns out, the defenders had a damage bonus that was tilting the war in favor of the defenders. This has been corrected and a few effective war rallies could bring the deficit between the Legion and Exiles.
New Arcade!Have an inventory packed full of Arcade Tokens? Check out the new Heartbreaker Hoard Arcade machine with some unique variations on classic Heartbreaker and Azrael gear in addition to some decorations to help you get in the holiday spirit! Will you be the first to max out the achievement?
New Legendary Challenges!Welcome Bido and Deuce back to Delta V by challenging their new legendary forms to battle! Nothing says, "Welcome back!" like a bazooka to the face!
Coming Soon!Check out this preview of upcoming Azrael / Heartbreaker Seasonal Rare as well as Deuce's awesome new armor and Tyrant Tank!
Tags: Nightwraith |
| January 25, 2019 Azrael Returns!
First StrikeDue to numerous complaints that first strike RNG doesn't favor the player with the most Support enough, with too much weight given to level, we've adjusted the formula to really make those investments in the stat count.
Balance
War BalanceWhen the next war comes online, we're trying something a bit different -- making all the objectives deal standard damage. The currently system allows for one side to create a huge lead, leaving the other demoralized and unable to close the gap. Also, the multiplier for 2v2 war drops was greatly increased, making drops nearly guaranteed for 2v2 wins. I'd like to make bigger, bolder changes to the war system -- and there have been some great ideas proposed -- but I'm not ready to implement anything big yet.
Juggernaut and BottingDue to the prevalence of botters, particularly in Juggernaut, we've taken a few steps to make life more challenging for these lazy cheaters. We know bots are frustrating, but it's also a challenging offense to prove. Accused botters can claim, "I just didn't feel like talking." or, "I was experimenting with builds." There is also the issue of false accusation made out of spite to challenge rival factions. To try to address this plague, we've implemented a few changes to help discourage and identify botters.
Botter behavior is constantly changing, and we do take it seriously, so we will do our best to adapt as their methods do. Preferably without ruining the user experience for players trying to play legitimately.
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| January 18, 2019 Gifting Aftermath Part 2Gifting is officially over and the work to reward the most generous gifters continues! Although our primary focus has been on granting the wishes for the winners, we've still managed a major quality of life improvement, especially for those with inventories overflowing with Arcade Tokens. We still haven't heard back from one of our winners so if you're a winner and haven't been contacted by Nightwraith, please check your spam filter or contact player support.
Wishes GrantedAs of this update, nearly all the winners of the 2018 Gifting Event have received their wishes! If you received your reward, I hope you like it! I've been impressed by the creativity the winners have put forth in ideas for custom touches to their items, including custom colored core, effects, and armor animations. It'll be an incredible challenge to top the prizes next year! Bandit J......In Progress
Secret PackagesThe Secret Packages will be opening today. Since this is a manual process, it may take awhile, but we'll announce when all the items were awarded. You will receive rewards based on how many packages you received, so if you received 2 packages, you will receive 2 sets of rewards. Secret Package Rewards are:
I tried to set the sellback up earlier this week for the rewards, but it was easier to give everyone bulk credits per package they won. This amounted to 500K per Secret Package and 100K per Silver Secret Package. This was awarded earlier this week so you don't need to do anything to claim it.
General
War and the Artix LauncherFor those playing via the Artix Launcher, the War Bar was not working earlier this week. This should now be fixed! If you notice any other bugs in the launcher, please submit a report using the official Artix Bug Tracker. Tags: Nightwraith |
| January 11, 2019 Gifting Aftermath
Gifting is officially over and what a end it was! On behalf of EpicDuel and all of Artix Entertainment we'd like to congratulate the winners and thank them for their generosity. If you're a winner and haven't been contacted by Nightwraith, please check your spam filter or contact player support.
GiftingOnce again, congratulations! Your rewards are certainly well-deserved, and we've been impressed by the thought and creativity put into the wishes so far. As of this update, several of the winners will have received their prizes. Some are still in progress, but I hope to have all aside from Bandit J's rewards completed soon. We can't wait for you all to receive and show off your prizes! Bandit J......In Progress
Silver Secret PackagesThe Silver Secret Packages will be opening today. Since this is a manual process, it may take awhile, but we'll announce when all the items were awarded. If you have a Secret Package, it will not open just yet, but you will receive the silver rewards. You will receive rewards based on how many packages you received, so if you received 2 packages, you will receive 2 sets of rewards. The Silver Secret Package Rewards are:
General
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| January 03, 2019 Celebrating the End of Gifting
All good things must end, and that means EpicDuel latest Gifting event is finally coming to an epic conclusion! We'd like to extend a special thanks to all our gifters and giftees who helped this season shatter all previous records for generosity and excitement! Gifting will end officially at the server reset at the end of the day on Friday January 4th. The reset happens at midnight EST. That means Friday will be the final day for gifting. After that, the leaderboards will be locked in place, celebrating the grand champions of this epic gifting season!
Gifting ended and I'm in the top 15! What now?
What do I do with my Secret/Silver Secret Package?
Endless ChallengeWrap up a spectacular Gifting season with a battle against Legendary Endless M4tr1x and win the Legendary Endless M4tr1x achievement!
New WeaponsBefore you challenge Legendary Endless M4tr1x to battle, check out her new items!
Also check out the Epic Legendary Arsenal for a new armor for those with a mountain of credits to spare!
Items LeavingWe'll be saying goodbye to the 2018 Omega Weapons, which will be leaving Nightwraith when when EpicDuel reboots for updates.
Epic Supporter 2018Since the other games have extended their currency bonuses, we're extending our 15K Varium Epic Supporter package to January 11th! After the update on that day, the 15K package will be replaced with the 12K package and the Epic Supporter achievement will no longer be available with purchases of Varium packages. The Omega Wolf Package will be available awhile longer.
20192018 ended with a huge victory for EpicDuel. The level of generosity and excitement from the community encouraging, surprising, and inspiring. We knew gifting would be a big deal, as it always is, but this year you knocked it out of the park and into the stratosphere. Where do we go from here, though? Lots of people want lots of different things in EpicDuel: New phases, new wars, new classes, new features, even a whole new game. More than a few want all of the above! Any one of those tasks would be extremely ambitious, but this year's resurgence was also ambitious. The passion in EpicDuel's community is undeniable and will usher in a new year of great possibilities for the game. This post is vague because while there are so many directions the game could go, including making real progress on EpicDuel's modest gameplan goals stating in a Design Notes post last summer, it's still difficult to see past the holiday haze and the work involved in the aftermath of gifting. That's why one immediate goal is acquiring an art assistant to help beef up EpicDuel's content and make it easier to focus on mid-long term development projects. However, that's only step one in the thousand step journey to an even greater 2019 for EpicDuel. The challenges facing Flash and the indie gaming industry from 2018 haven't vanished, but we know we'll have plenty of supporters willing to continue on the journey with us into an epic new year! Stay tuned as more plans coalesce in the new year!
Bug Fix
Tags: Nightwraith |
