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EpicDuel PVP Game Design Notes

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

February 08, 2012

Everybody Loves Raymus

Welcome to another week, my EpicDuel droogies! This week’s going to be a little short on content, but big on features that all players should find something to their liking!

 

Drip Drip Drop!

Starting on Friday, EpicDuel will feature PvP drops. Essentially, every PvP battle in EpicDuel will work like an arcade battle, and every time you defeat one of your friends (or a complete stranger), you’ll have a chance at adding something nice to your inventory. It could be a weapon, it could be a gem, it could be a useless tin can... it is a mystery! Who knows what your opponents could be hiding?

 

Inventory Clearance

We’re not implementing stackable items yet, unfortunately, but Mission Items like the Skull Card, or special items you get for missions will no longer count toward your inventory space. This should benefit players, especially low-level non-varium players who have had to find ways to clear out enough space for mission items. With gem drops, one could stockpile a little treasure with this update...

 

The Realtor

We’ll be making improvements to the Housing system in EpicDuel, starting with the presence of a Realtor. Due to the increase in the housing market since the Exiles started returning to Delta V, there is an increasing demand for Realtors, who are able to lead customers through the benefits and risks of purchasing real property. One man, known simply as Mr. Alexander (or “Raymus” as it says on his deskplate) has stepped up to the challenge. Visit his office to learn more!

The Realtor

 

Heartbreaker Continued

We’re not continuing the Heartbreaker Saga this week, but be prepared for new faces (maybe someone who the exiles can use to their advantage?) and more chances to use that infinite mission item inventory space!

 

Teh Fixed!

Here is a comprehensive list of some of the minor fixes and features in this update!

  • Mutating Weapons now appear in the finder search
  • Retrain cost caps at 500 credits
  • Juggernaut now awards more credits for a victory (for the Juggernaut)
  • FIXED Tactical Mercs can no longer use Blood Shield when do not have enough HP to use it
  • FIXED FinderBot laggy when multiple filters are selected
  • FIXED Scrolling too far down in FinderBot 
  • Added drag and scroll functionality to the FinderBot

 

Bad Aftertaste

Some insects store the toxic chemicals from the food they eat in their body fat, which makes them poisonous.  Think about the Monarch Butterfly caterpillar, a Nymph butterfly that is the classic example of this system.  It eats milkweed and stores the iridoid compounds from the plant on its body fat which makes the caterpillar nasty and poisonous. Insects that sequester toxins from their diet, such as caterpillars in the family Nymphalidae do so as a protection from predators. However, this leaves them open to parasitic and viral infection.

:3^^^>

Tags: Cinderella drops PvP bug facts Heartbreaker balance Finderbot Fixes Raymus


Cinderella

August 03, 2011

Rebalancing the Equation

Hi there EpicDuelists! It’s that time of the week again, time to let you know what’s on our agendas for this week!

 

Balance Changes

Last week I promised that we’d implement some balance changes soon, and we’re finally ready to release the planned balance changes!

 

Here’s what we’ve confirmed:

  • Static Charge gets a buff, no longer being reduced by the enemy’s defenses when calculating the energy gain (similar to Atom Smasher)
  • Slight nerf to robots, now using either the robot’s attack or its special ability will send both options into cooldown
  • Buff to Plasma Rain, and Multi-Shot as they will now improve with each 4 points invested in Technology or Dexterity (to match Artillery Strike)
  • Fixed Damage skills will now improve with your character’s level
  • Percentage based skills (Berzerker, Bludgeon, Double Strike, Massacre) will now work like Deadly Aim, applying to the relevant equipped item instead of the entire attack amount

 

This is not meant to be the “be-all, end-all” Ultimate Solution to Balance, but as I’ve said before, we’d rather go in with a scalpel than a sledgehammer. The improved scaling with cast spells required Titan to program a new scaling system, which is a big reason for the delay.  This list is subject to last minute changes as testing progresses!

 

Code Improvements

We’ve managed to fix a few bugs, including one where removing a buddy does not unlink you as allies, one of the sources of lag (hung battles), and a few bugs on our moderator tools.

I’ve also been getting a lot of questions as to why we haven’t implemented more bots into the game, or added more dynamic options (such as battle pets) to the game. The system that bots currently use needed fixing, and Titan is currently building a better system for robots, as well as several other new useful features. We like building new features, and it’s really fulfilling to be able to set the ground work.

 

New Banners!

Charfade’s back from her holiday, and she’s been working on giving the webpage a facelift. I’m not sure when this’ll go up, so I don’t know it has gone up or not when you’re reading this. If it has, good job Charfade! If it hasn’t, also good job, but not as enthusiastically.

 

LQS Restock

As stated in last week's DNs, we plan on restocking the Telsa and Lady Tesla Armors once again with the new release on Friday.  This restock will be small, but we'll try to give everyone who missed out on it last week a chance to grab it! This is the last guaranteed restock.  After this weekend, restocks, if they happen, will be very small and entirely random.  We want to provide a fair chance to as many players as possible to grab the LQS items, but we also want to retain rarity and value of the item for those who were lucky enough to grab it immediately.

 

More?

We'll see what we can squeeze in before the end of the week!  Could be anything!

 

Now we’re E/I!

Not really, but when I asked on Twitter how the players would respond if I started putting an “Insect Fact of the Week” on the Design Notes, the response was overwhelmingly positive. So, this feature will be a regular occurrence!

Here are a couple facts about insect maturity!

When insects mature, they molt- that is, shed their exoskeletons- until they are mature. The developmental stage between each molt is called an “instar”. Since insects do not molt after reaching maturity, the term “instar” only refers to larval or nymphal forms of the insect.

The process of maturing in insects is called “metamorphosis”. Homometabolous insects undergo complete metamorphosis, where the larva forms a pupa, and undergoes a dramatic change. You know about this if you’ve ever seen a caterpillar turn into a butterfly. Hemimetabolous insects go from a nymph to an adult through gradual changes, and the nymph often resembles the adult. An example of this kind of insect would be a dragonfly.

Tags: Cinderella balance Bug Fixes bug facts charfade

 

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