EpicDuel PVP Game Design Notes

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

March 20, 2012

Hi there Epic Duelists! I had the awesome idea of writing design notes from my phone (or rather I was bored during my office hours; if you are my student: visit meeeeeeee!) so please forgive any devious Auto Corrects. This update is going to be pretty story heavy, so those of you who like story are in for a treat (warning: contains me).


Bunny Battles

Over the past week, thanks to your assistance, Mr. Cottontail has been able to construct two rabbit Battle Suits: one for leporid Capensis and one for the Captain Brachylagus. However, the suit lacks an on board computer system; Mr. Cottontail needs the assistance of his colleague -- fan-beloved character Ulysses to program the suits. Mr. Cottontail has informed Ulysses that you will be more than happy to assist him in anything is needs.

This quest line also takes you around to other sciencey-type people all over Delta V... For Science!

Beautified

Nightwraith isn't going to just be busy with everything I'm giving him for the missions (and there is quite a bit) but several screens are also getting a facelift this week. No longer will these areas be stuck in the recesses of 2009!

Getting Buff

As you know, the Mercenary class was scheduled to receive a buff, but that didn't happen then. But this is not then, it is now! Mercenaries will be receiving a new passive skill affecting rage. I don't have all the details yet, so keep watching this space for more info!

My Fair Lady

A new (to you) face being introduced this update is Ulysses' lovely companion Galatea. After Ulysses lost his eyes in the Incident, surgeon and laser enthusiast (a diamond is a girl's best friend when it's being used to focus a plasma beam) replaced them for him free of charge. Since then, she has remained loyal to the inventor and grew to become the Apple of his cybernetic eye.

What Gall!

A gall is a fleshy outcropping of plant material, usually caused by an insect or fungal parasite, although parasitic plants such as mistletoe can cause galls on the host. Insects that cause galls form them as microhabitats, and the gall provides protection, a starchy food source and a home for the insect. Typically, gall-forming insects live in the gall as larvae and emerge as adults, although this is not necessarily the case in eusocial gall aphids. Insects that cause galls include gall wasps, gall midges, gall flies, and gall aphids. I just learned today that mites, small arachnids closely related to spiders, also form galls in black cherry.

Call for Mods

We have so many qualified applicants for the available positions! The call is still open, but just a reminder: we are not looking for developers, just mods and testers. Any applications lacking a resume/CV will not be accepted, nor will any applications submitted by those under the age of eighteen.

Tags: Cinderella balance Mercenaries Bunnies War Missions Achievements Ulysses Mythology

March 14, 2012

Hippity Hoppity

Welcome to another Design Notes, EpicDuelists. As I announced on Facebook, we’ve got a lot of exciting things on the horizon for you! We’ve all been super-hard at work these past few weeks, getting stuff prepared for this and the coming weeks.

Rabble Rabble Rabble

RabbleFroth recently got back from the Game Developer’s Conference, the largest annual gathering of professional game developers, and he’s filled to the brim with ideas for how to improve our little game! He’s been working on a few different things that are being released this week. First on the agenda is a revamped leveling curve. Experience gains by level will make more sense for middle levels, although low and high level players won’t see much change. Along with the revamped leveling curve, weapons will be getting a balance to reflect a more consistent increase in power and value across all levels (eg. pricing, resale, requirements, bonus, damages). This is a major undertaking and may take several weeks to complete.

In addition to weapons balancing, the Mercenary class will also be receiving a buff of some kind. According to RabbleFroth's balance data, Mercenaries are having a great deal of trouble at the level cap in 1v1 battles. We've heard many complaints that Blood Shield is not useful enough, so we may be improving it or possible replacing it with a new, more useful skill.

Coming Attractions!

RabbleFroth isn’t the only programmer who’s been hard at work. Titan is releasing several bug fixes, including a bug with the Baby Yeti and a weird faction chat bug. In the coming weeks, we’re moving from CS3 to CS5 (yay Modernization!) to make things better for all of us, and combatting the ever-raging Lag Monster. This may sound like an easy task, but anyone who has developed for Flash knows that it is very picky when it comes to which version you are using, so a lot of the code that worked in CS3 simply will not work in CS5, and the software does little to indicate why. 

We’ll also be replacing the somewhat vague“Power Up!” button on the lost battle screen with helpful tips and tricks to end their losing streak!

The Bionic Battalion Cometh!

The bunnies have escaped from the Biological Preserve, but not every rabbit is a dumb bunny. Several of the rabbits have achieved sentience, and need your help to achieve their plans. These adorable creatures are not seeking world domination, destruction, or greatness- merely answers.

The first rabbit you’ll meet is Brachylagus, the Lagomorph Captain. The first of the rabbits to realize sentience, he is the driving force behind this ragtag group of superintelligent space rabbits. After determining to find others like himself, he was able to find several clever individuals: his lieutenant Myxoma, the strong and loyal Capensis, the gentle Lepus, and the genius Mr. Cottontail.

Brachylagus can be found in Central Station, but you’ll have to search all over Delta V for the other four, as they were separated when all of the rabbits escaped.

Shamrocks from Heaven!

There's now so much green on Delta V, that it's reached critical levels!  That means PvP drops will include, for a limited time, Emeralds of varying quality to redeem at any vendor for mega loot!

On the Silk Road

The Silkworm Bombyx mori is the larval form of the domesticated silkmoth. The moth was domesticated from a wild silkworm species and is completely dependent upon humans for survival. This species is completely reproductively isolated from wild populations and cannot reproduce on its own nor does it have any antipredator defenses, as they’ve been selected exclusively for their silk.

The silk itself comes from a cocoon the caterpillar spins over itself as it pupates. Typically, the silk is retrieved by boiling the cocoons, which kills the pupa. Alternatively, certain types of wild silk can be produced from wild silk moths or tussock moths (from family Saturniidae or Lymantridiae) that have eclosed from their pupae, thus negating the need to kill the pupa. This kind of silk is often called Ahimsa silk, but is not always as desirable, since the silk threads are cut when the insect emerges.

Call for Moderators!

We saved the best for last! With EpicDuel’s continued growth and expansion, we’ll need a few more people to join our team! Here’s a message from Nightwraith about it:

Want to be a mod? Want to spend hours a day not getting paid while helping your fellow players, catching cheaters, hackers, scammers and muting people who use abusive language?

If you answered YES to either of these questions, then you should probably check yourself into the nearest psychiatric hospital as soon as you can, but I also have exciting news for you.

We are looking for new mods / testers for EpicDuel, and now is your chance to apply! One thing we needs to stress - you MUST be over 18 year old. If you are under 18, if you don't include your age, or if you start with "I'm not 18 yet, but..." the application will not be considered.

What they need you to included in your email is:

1. Your real name, age, and country of residence.

2. EpicDuel Game account name and email address

3. Forum account name and email address if one is entered. (not required to have one)

4. Languages you speak/read

5. C.V. (Resume) *please note we'd like the CV in English.

Please send your COMPLETE application to beamod@battleon.com . If the application is not complete, we will toss it out. And please - one application per person.

We will read all the applications. If you are chosen to go through a further interview, we will contact you. Unfortunately, they cannot reply to everyone. If you do not hear from us, sorry.

Tags: Titan Bionic Battalion Bunnies Green Emeralds St Patrick's Day balance RabbleFroth GDC Moderators

March 07, 2012

New Gear!

We need to lighten up the mood a little bit around here- after the tragic loss of Administrator 12 at the radioactive hands of Alydriah's lackey, I think we all need a little rest.

This week is going to be focused on the new gear as well as give us a chance to prepare for the next big story arc. In the weeks to come, expect more missions, features and unique NPCs as we explore Delta V's greenest zone.

Bionic Brigade!

With the Azrael pack going rare, we are introducing a new Spring Promotional Pack! This awesome assortment includes the Bionic Battlegear drawn by Nightwraith during his Livestream and the new bot: The BioBorg.

Bio Borg in action!

The Bionic Battlegear features a potent new skill: Thorn Assault. Each normal strike will offer the chance to unleash a flury of metal barbs against your foes!

The bot's special skill is a unique new buff called Thorns.

This potent buff reflects a large portion of damage dealt by a melee attack back at the attacker. This will make high damage dealers think twice before trying to deliver that knockout punch!

Along with being available for free with the largest Varium package as soon as our release goes live Friday, these promotional items will also be available in-game from your favorite squid-headed archival alien, Xraal in the BioDome!

Lucky You!

The Celtic Weapons with the special ability Lucky Strike, which increases your chance to connect a strike by 7% will be returning this week. They are replacing the Heartbreaker weapons, so if you want to grab one of the Heartbreaker weapons now is your last chance to do so this year.

Lagomorph Lagomorph Lagomorph

The Biological Preserve is not only home to plants and Hazards, but also cute little fuzzy lagomorphs- the Bunnies! However, some of the bunnies have chewed through their protective caging and have escaped to other areas of Delta V. Are they just adorable or have some master plan?

Adorable. Going with adorable. =:3

Tags: Cinderella Bionic Battalion Weapons Promotion Bot Bio Borg Admin 12 bunny Celtic

March 02, 2012

This letter was recovered from the ruins of the Guard Outpost in Fortune City. 

From the Desk of John Williamson III: Administrator of Fortune City’s 12th District

 

To my most loyal employee, Mr. Lysander Cox:

 

Lysander, if you are reading this, I can almost assure you that I am dead. I can’t imagine that there isn’t a bounty on my head, regardless of how our endeavor turns out. Whether I perished in battle or executed, I cannot say- maybe I was felled by your long-lost twin brother, then? In any case, I hope that my words can soothe and comfort you, or at least assure you that I had anticipated my demise.

 

Since I first met you, Lysander, I have considered you my son. I know I’ve told you this many times before, but my own wife and child died years ago from the Plague that struck my home planet. When you showed up on the steps of my office- starving, dirty, homeless- you reminded me so much of myself. We had both lost everything, but they say that two lonely hearts can beat as one. You are my legacy, Lysander; my heart, my life, my child.

 

But you are not my flesh and blood; I’m afraid that the answer to your origins has plagued me for quite some time. I did not find out much, but what I did find distressed me quite a bit- to put it mildly. In the 10th District, there’s a man by the name of Dr. Atropos Melianthus. Your mother saw him before you were conceived, and he’s been keeping detailed notes on you since that time. He has notes on many others, but I’ll admit that I only cared to look at the details of your life, my son. I can’t make sense of much of his shorthand, and I’m sure that there was much he’d kept out of those records. But, if anyone can tell you about who you are, Melianthus is your man.

 

There’s most assuredly a price on your head, son. I’m truly sorry for that. But Descarl and her tyranny must be stopped. Her idol worship of Baelius (May he bring Order forever!) has addled her mind, though I’m not sure how sane she was to begin with. It is worth dying to bring her down, even just a notch.

 

You are my life, Lysander. Live for me, and make life on Delta V a life worth living. A life of Discipline, Order, and Prosperity. You can make Delta V great again. I trust you. I love you, my son.

 

Your late father and brother-in-arms,

 

John Williamson III.

 

Tags: Cinderella