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EpicDuel PVP Game Design Notes

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

June 03, 2014

Lionhart Cometh

Lionhart Saga

Deep-space scans have detected an armada of unknown origin approaching Delta V. A single transmission was received before the ships disappeared from view, “I am Kaiser Saeva Lionhart, and I am coming to claim what is mine!” Saeva Lionhart and his forces are ready to take control of Delta V even if it means annihilating the existing population!

In addition to an army of elite soldiers, Saeva is bringing his most powerful lieutenants, his children Immanence and Transcendance. Once again, Legion and Exile forces will need to unite to protect Delta V from this otherworldly army. This Friday, June 6 at "When It's Ready O-clock", prepare for the dawn of the Lionhart Saga!

Family Portrait

Transcendence

This highly anticipated release will prominently feature artwork from Revontheus, the architect for many aspects of the release. If you enjoy it, be sure to thank him!

 

Fight Lionhart with...Lionhart!

Before the full force of Lionhart’s army arrives on Delta V, you’ll have the opportunity to experiment with Saeva’s technology firsthand! Lionhart’s Avatar Bots (P and E), Lionhart’s Carnage (Physical mutating primary), and Lionhart’s Knowledge (Energy mutating primary) will be available for a limited time with the 10,000 Varium package. This incredible package includes 4 powerful weapons of destruction to help you defeat your foes and repel the invading forces.

Staff

Lionhart Maul

Carnage

These weapons will include a permanent active core Lionhart’s Shield. This defensive core allow you to encase your or your partner in a crystalline prism that prevents enemies from attacking. It literally makes the target untargetable and immune to any debuffs or attacks. This brief reprieve from damage allows you or your ally to deny your opponents from inflicting damage for a turn and forces a change of strategy. It is not possible to heal or buff an ally if they have this shield enabled.

Lionhart’s Avatar Bots include two potent skills, Lionhart’s Claws, a devastating slashing attack, and Lionhart’s Roar, a special ability to unleashes a deafening roar that buffs the Rage of you and your ally. That's right, this new ability will be the first AOE buff.

Lionhart Bots

These amazing items are just a taste of the amazing assortment of weapons and armors that will be available in game as prizes, mission rewards, drops, and items sold at merchants.

These weapons and bots will be available for a limited time through the Varium shop and at the Lionhart Soldier merchant for Varium! To make room for this new package, the Black Abyss and Blood Hawk packages will be leaving permanently. The Black Abyss Bots will be located in the Black Abyss Cache with the other Black Abyss items.

 

Overlord Overhaul

Overlord Facility

Because this new event is bringing focus to the Overlord Facility, this long-forgotten region is receiving a major overhaul. Charfade is working her painterly magic on the facility, creating the haunting, imposing military installation it was always meant to be. Be sure to explore the screens and experience the revamped region for yourself. There will be many more friends and foes to challenge here!

 

Rage Revealed

Since it was first introduced, Rage has been a mystery to many players. You only see your Rage on your turn; the Rage of your opponents and allies remains a mystery until the attack is finally unleashed. You also have no idea how much Rage you accumulate from your attacks or from damage you receive. 

RAGE

In this Friday’s update, you’ll finally be able to see your Rage and the Rage of your opponents throughout the entire battle. The familiar Rage bar will still appear on your turn, but you’ll also have a permanent Rage bar with the rest of your vitals.

 

Fame Game

Lately, we've been seeing more and more people abusing Fame. This is unfortunate as the feature has not served the purpose we originally intended. Our plan to address this issue is to remove Fame from the character page to an in-game system. Since our plate already overflows with Lionhart content, we may not have time make the transition this week. We apologize that fixing this has not been a priority, but we believe that moving this feature in-game will greatly reduce the amount of Fame harassment and exploitation to make it the fun and engaging system we always hoped it would be.

Tags: Nightwraith Varium Package Promotion Lionhart Weapons Armors


Nightwraith

December 12, 2013

Blood Hawks Inbound

Blood Hawks!

A cold wind is blowing through Frysteland...actually a cold wind is usually blowing through Frysteland, considering its climate and all. ANYWAY! We've got big, BIG plans for this upcoming release, and as I mentioned last week, this release is so big we'll need 2 weeks to build it. That means, unfortunately, no release Friday, but next week will be incredible!

 

Blood Hawk Battlegear Bundle

In the year since Alydriah was expelled form Frysteland by the Endless, the Krampus people have slowly begun to recover. In addition to the human toll Alydriah's cruelty took on the harsh Northern land, many indigenous species were devastated or wiped out by constant battling. One such species is the rare Blood Hawk. These creatures were used for centuries by the Krampus people for hunting and taming yetis. Thought extinct, they have returned in force to once again aid the Krampus people in keeping the cuddly but ferocious creatures in line.

Now you will have the opportunity to own the Blood Hawk and the Spectral Hawk (energy variant) along with a host of avian armaments!

Blood Hawk Weapons

The Blood Hawk Battlegear Bundle will be available for a limited time. With this package you will receive:

  • 2 Blood Hawk Slayer swords
  • 2 Blood Hawk Battlegear mutating weapons
  • 2 Blood Hawk bots
  • The swords and mutating items will come with a pre-installed Blood Hawk core!
  • 10k Varium

We realize that the last package offered was not that long ago so we're offering the package items in-game as well. It's definitely a better value to get them all together in the bundle, of course, but if you've got a pile of Varium burning a hole in your pocket...you should probably seek medical attention immediately.

If those weapons weren't enough to intrigue you, we have some special surprises in store. Stay tuned for more details!

 

You're Epic, But Are You...LEGENDARY?

Next week, we're raising the level cap to...*drumroll* 40! Rabblefroth is hard at work smoothing the experience curve to make earning levels slightly less painful. But what happens after you reach 40 and max out all your gear? What then? Ponder the great mysteries of the universe? NO! 40 is just the beginning of a much longer journey as an EpicDuel Legend!

After a player becomes Legendary, you will continue to earn experience as Legendary experience. Your level will not increase, but you will instead earn Legendary Ranks! Each rank earned will unlock a Legendary point that can be placed in a broad array of stats. These stats will be more specialized than Dexterity or Technology which influence a range of battle attributes. We haven't finalized the list, but we will build as many as we can by next week. The beauty is we can always add more later, unlike the current, more rigid stat list.

Legendary players will be defined by a uniquely colored name, an icon in their interface, and several other minor aesthetic changes. We'll have more details as the systems are finalized and polished.

 

Achievement Overhaul Continued

Work on the Achievement Overhaul continues as we wrap up a few features we didn't get to last week, in addition to fixing some minor bugs.

New Layout

You will also have the option to switch view modes. If you don't like the new, larger style, you can always switch back to a more classically styled view to see more achievements at once.

Classic Layout

Titan is also working on a new overall progress bar to see how many Achievements you have total. How close are you to earning them all? If you're close, we're about to make getting them all a bit more difficult with the next feature.

 

AE Arcade Bonanza!

We're going all-out with the Arcade next week, offering several new games based on other AE games. Collect weapons, house items, and other intriguing baubles from MechQuest, HeroSmash, AdventureQuest, AdventureQuest Worlds, and MORE! Each of these new games offers a new achievement and a new leaderboard to dominate!

To make it easier to acquire Arcade Tokens, we'll be softening the requirements for the daily missions. If you didn't already know, it's possible to earn Tokens from completing daily mission chains. Some can be a bit on the grindy side so we'll try to make it a more pleasurable experience to complete them.

 

Party Like They Do in Asgard

As if everything else mentioned above weren't enough...ED Artist Revontheus is crafting some slick Asgardian styles to spice up this release. What does Asgard have to do with Frysteland? Well, they're basically space vikings and vikings lived in cold climates sooooo...yeah.

Asgard!

Asgardian styles

Tags: Titan Winter Blood Hawk Weapons Items Armors Achievements Legendary Legends Frysteland Birds Varium Level upgrade Stat balance Gear Vehicles Cores Holiday Arcade


Titan

November 25, 2013

Ultimate Game Card

Your Key to Victory!

Our players are all over the world. The Ultimate Game Card is available all over the world. So you should try the Ultimate Game Card to easily upgrade your character inside EpicDuel! Ultimate Game Card is the ultimate way to get the gear you want and crush your foes in style! Plus you can get this card practically anywhere!

Find a Store Now!

Ultimate Game Card

Tags: Ultimate Game Card Varium upgrade Titan


Nightwraith

September 19, 2013

Step Right Up 2

*Note: Due to events out of our control, we are unexpectedly short-staffed this week. Still, Titan and I will work as hard as we can to release this on Friday. However, if we feel the feature is too lacking in polish or excitement, we will hold it until next week. Thank you for your patience!

Big Prizes!

You asked for it, and it's back! After a long hiatus, Valestra's Arcade is back in business and eagerly awaiting a flood of players both new and experience! For those of you who don't recall or weren't around, the Arcade used to be a battle mode in which you could deposit Battle Tokens (5 at a time) to join an Arcade Battle. This battle was just like an duel except it offered the chance to earn a prize if you won. The downside was that it was possible to win the duel and not win a prize.

This time, you will win a prize for every play. The prize may not be a jackpot every time, but you'll still never walk away empty-handed!

Excited yet? Read on to learn more about this revamped feature!

 

How Do I Arcade?

To participate in the Arcade, you must have at least one Arcade Token. This is not a new currency, but is a miscellaneous inventory item. You can acquire them by completing certain Daily Missions or by purchasing them from the ArcadeBots in Valestra's Arcade in Fortune City.

Arcade Token

If you're having trouble finding Valestra's Arcade, there will be a link in the What's New page. If you're still lost, then the EpicDuel Wiki has you covered.

Revamped Machines

Once you're in the Arcade you can click on an ArcadeBot to bring up the Arcade interface. From there, you can play, view your current balance of Arcade Token, or buy more Arcade Tokens. Hitting the "Go" button will cycle through a list of possible prizes. You'll win something each time: it could be credits, a weapon, armor, or even a house! However, to keep the game's Credit economy from exploding, sellback on items won in the Arcade may be reduced from the normal values. 

 

Expansion

We're building this feature with expansion in mind. For this release, we will only have one prize pool, but in the future, we plan to include selectable prize pools, allowing you to choose which set of prizes you wish to play for.

Another feature that may not be ready for Friday, is an Arcade Leaderboard featuring the all-time winners, complete with an evolving Arcade achievement. This achievement will track the value of your prizes so each time you play, you're basically earning Arcade experience! Even if it's not in-game Friday, we will still be tracking the data!

Arcade Achievements

Our goal with this system is to never make an Arcade play feel wasted, and we believe this additions will make for a truly epic Arcade experience!

 

Rare Clarification

In last week's Design Notes, I mentioned that the Arcade would give you a chance to win retired rares. There was a bit of an outcry from those who were concerned that their own rares would be devalued. I'm happy to say, that you need not worry -- your hard-earned rares will remain rares. We've decided on a happy compromise to introduce Arcade exclusives -- items that can only be won in the Arcade. Some of these items will be revamped or reimaged versions of retired items. This preserved the value of the older rares while giving new players a reason to play! However, items like seasonal rares, limited quantity items, or prize-code items are still up for grabs! Also, legacy items like Founder Armor or Alpha Gear will be excluded for obvious reasons. I hope that addresses your concerns about rares in the Arcade!

Tags: Arcade Titan Achievements Missions tokens Leaderboards Prizes Rares Exclusives Varium Valestra


Nightwraith

July 17, 2013

Dread Domination

Prepare for Dread Domination!

Dread Domination

Are you ready?

After weeks of fighting in the Dread Plains, plans for a powerful new weapon have been captured by both sides of the War.  Now, Legion and Exile forces are prepared to unleash their power upon Delta V in the form of the Dread Domination Varium Package!

This package includes 4 unique weapons and is not available in game!

  • 2 Auxiliaries
    • o Dread Desolator P
    • o Dread Desolator E
  • 2 Sidearms
    • o Dread Disruptor P
    • o Dread Disruptor E

We've equipped the Dread Desolators (auxiliaries) with technology of unknown origin in the form of the Improbability Gate Core. This exclusive core uses technology derived from an undisclosed research facility in the Dread Plains to open holes in the fabric of the universe. These tears in reality have been weaponized to allow players to summon creatures and objects from other worlds to come to their aid and help vanquish their foes! Be warned, however, this technology is quite unstable: you never know what will come through!

 

War Objective Leaderboards

New Leaderboards

Can you rule them all?

New leaderboards on each War Objective will display the top Influence contributors in addition to showing your own contribution. With 34 War Objectives to dominate, you have 34 chances to get your name and face out there, showing Legion and Exile forces that you’re a force to be reckoned with and that either alignment should feel honored to hold your favor. Can you dominate them all? We think it’s impossible, but we also know never to underestimate a dedicated EpicDuel player with unlimited access to energy drinks!

 

Alignment Switching

Alignment Switching

Where do your loyalties really lie?

This week we are introducing the heavily requested feature of alignment switching. Our primary concern with this change is that it could irrevocably tip the balance of the alignments, as players with weak loyalties rush to whichever alignment has the upper hand. 

Ongoing War

Delicate negotiations.

To ensure that alignment switching is treated with the gravity it deserves, we are limiting the feature to Varium only. Players will only be able to switch alignments once per month. Players currently in a Faction will need to first leave the Faction in order to switch. There is still no way for Factions to switch alignments with disbanding and recreating themselves.

 

Bug Squashin’

Inevitably, when new features are released, new bugs will pop up, sometimes in old features. We try to make each release as bug free and polished as possible within a week of development time, but often bugs slip by. This update will fix several issues that have arisen since the last update (for specifics check out Rabble’s patch notes leading up to the release). To track down and fix bugs as quickly as possible, we need your help. Posting bugs on Twitter, while appreciated, isn’t always helpful since reports quickly get lost in our feeds. The best way to help us fight bugs is to post them to the official EpicDuel Bugs Forum

Please be as descriptive as possible when reporting bugs, explaining exactly what you were doing when the bug occurred. Giving us those details helps us to reproduce bugs more easily. A reproducible bug is usually an easily fixable bug. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Tags: Nightwraith Factions Dread War Alignment Legion Exiles Weapons Varium Leaderboards Bugs Reports Cores Forums


Cinderella

May 23, 2013

The Dread War

Hey there, EpicDuelists! Ready for your heaping helping of Design Notes, served just the way mama likes 'em? Whose mama I'm not really sure. It's not my mama. But apparently she likes the way I write Design Notes. So, let's get started, shall we?

 

New Package

Exile Battlegear

Legion Battlegear

To commemorate the upcoming war, we'll be offering special packages with Legion and Exile goodies for your dueling pleasure. Each pack comes with a Physical Mutating weapon and an Energy Mutating Weapon, which come equipped with the Exile Strike Core (for Exiles), or the Legion Strike Core (for Legionnaires) that call in reinforcements against the opposing alignment. 

Call in reinforcements to destroy your enemies!

 

Balance Changes

To make battles a bit more engaging, passive skills are being converted into active skills. With so many points to distribute at the level cap, very little is sacrificed by investing in passives, to the point that they become requirements for most viable builds. Although not all passives will be converted to active skills this release, eventually we would like them all to become active.

Another long-overlooked area has been energy regain for mercenaries, so that class will now be given an energy regain skill. Since many of the changes are still in the testing phase, look for more specific balance changes in tomorrow's patch notes!

 

The Dread Plains

Dread Plains

East of the Barrens lays the plains of Kiirdosh. At least, that's what they were called long ago. After the Kiirdosh Mountains were leveled for Varium mining, the plains were not suitable for human life, and the mountain lizard-goats and dire wolves took over the abandoned mining outposts. However, below the rich volcanic soil and pure groundwater are lodes and lodes of precious gems, and fuel sources, so Legion and Exile forces alike venture into the Dread Plains for the economic resources it contains.

The Plains are currently held by the Legion and overseen by the terrifying Administrator 10. There is a name he uses for official records, but like many coming from the Syndicate, it is not the name he was given at birth.  During the Uprising, many of Delta V's criminal element aligned themselves with Oz and the Exiles, and seeing his opportunity to forge a new life for himself, he traded his criminal allies for a cushy spot in the Administration. However, excepting all of her bad qualities Alydriah values loyalty and trustworthiness. This dishonorable man could not be trusted with the health and welfare of Delta V's populace, so although he is technically the administrator of Fortune City's 10th District, his talent for underhanded tactics is much better suited for a post far, far away from the seat of the Administration. But his hold on the area is tenuous, and after feeling the sting of defeat at the hands of John St. Alban last year, Administrator Descarl isn't taking any chances and is personally supporting the Administrator in this endeavor.


            The miner grasped onto her holdfast and watched the pebbles crumble beneath her foot. The foothold was apparently not as sturdy as she'd hoped. Moreso than falling, she feared awakening the dire wolves who might attack the rest of the expedition. Finally, she got to the pit, attached her holdfast and lowered herself down into the infinite blackness.

 

            “Oi! Neris!” a male voice echoed up the shaft. “What took you so long?”

            “Your fat feet crushed up all the good footholds, ain't my fault.” She unhooked herself, landed, and turned on her helmet light to illuminate her partner's face. “Why's your helmet off?”

            The man's skin was blue from the silver deposited just below the surface, as is traditional for those from Delta VI, and his weathered face scrunched up. “You kiddin'? This feels just like home.” The surface of Delta VI is uninhabitable, so the people live in subterranean cities, illuminated by the bioluminescent fungi. Neris nodded, this was exactly like Taryn's homeworld.

            “Come on, we've got glass to harvest. The first sunrise is in 6 hours, so we ain't got long.” They ventured further, chiseling out a path along the way. After about an hour, she spotted a sparkle in the rocks. Varium. She waved Taryn over.

            “Man, this is better than glass.” Taryn shone his spectrophotometer on the crystal. “150 units for this rock. Ain't much, but there might be more.” Neris prepared the extractor, and cracked open the vein, revealing the beautiful gleaming varium.

            “A whole lot more than 150, Taryn. This is gonna change our lives” Overjoyed at their fortune, they gathered the precious crystal, losing track of time. Before they knew it, the time limit had passed. Panic fell over the two of them as light streamed through an opening in the wall. When they heard the growls, they knew the worst had happened. The wolves had awakened, and they were hungry.

            Taryn pointed toward the shaft. “We can take our chances with the mountain. Come on.” The two ran back through the cavern, the growls of the dire wolves echoing throughout. They reached the shaft, seeing two of their colleagues. Neris shouted for them to send down a cable, and began to scramble up. Neris reached the top first, while Taryn lagged. Neris pointed a gun straight down.

            “What are you doing?”

            “Don't move.”

            “What?”

            “You don't think I'm going to let you take this with you. I have better uses for this varium.”

            “Neris, what do you mean?”

            “I know you've been turning in Exile sympathizers. It took far too long to get close enough to do this.”

            “You're one of THEM?”

            “Don't act so innocent. I know you'd do the same. No, worse. I'll only kill you. You'd have handed me over to Baelius's goons. See you on the other side.” She shot- it went cleanly through his forehead and the body fell into the pit. One of Neris's companions shot a flare, causing the shaft to fall in on itself. The second sun rose, and the three Exiles traveled back to camp, the only witnesses to the murder a pack of wolves.

            Neris removed her helmet, revealing long black hair. Her companion who was not driving removed her helmet as well, displaying the pointed ears and delicate features of a Tech Mage.

            “My husband will give you a new name, and a new occupation as thanks for this.”

            Neris shrugged. “Anything for the cause, Calissa.” She took a knife out of her boot and started sawing at her hair. “Who am I now?”

            “Your name,” Calissa said “is Anya.”

Tags: Legion exile Varium Promotion War balance Cores balance Cinderella


Cinderella

December 18, 2012

Omega Mission

Omega is almost here! Can you feeeeeel it? We've been working tirelessly to bring you the highly anticipated Omega update and everything is really coming together. As I type this, Titan and Rabblefroth are working furiously along with our equally hard-working testers to troubleshoot the newly reconstructed battle engine. The statting system is looking really promising, and allows for extraordinary flexibility with your gear loadout.

Statting

Be sure to view our development on The Official EpicDuel Youtube Channel:

Titan Fuel

 

Pricing Reshuffle

One new feature you may notice in Omega is that many items have credit OR Varium options, both to purchase and to upgrade. In order to emphasize credits as an effort currency and Varium as a convenience currency, some credit prices will be increasing. However, this is balanced by the fact that you can still upgrade your existing weapons for a credit fee that would be less than purchasing and unlocking a new set of level-cap gear. Also, with unlimited NPC battles, farming for credits will be a much less painful endeavor.

 

Mission Guide

Hi there, EpicDuelists - there's a ton of new missions for your playing pleasure. Alydriah has returned to Frysteland and her capture of the Krampus Shaman Aldhagrimm has forced the Krampus and sympathetic Legion forces in Frysteland to join together to drive her out. The main story quest starts with Commander Edgar Boothe (Legion)

Edgar Boothe

and King Alaric (Exile).

Alaric

Players should report to them to complete the mission “A Frosty Reception” for a Legion Token or Exile Token. This token is your ticket into a class-specific chain. Exiles will turn the Exile Token in to Raymus if they're Bounty Hunters or Cyber Hunters, the Krampus Technician if they're Tech Mages or Blood Mages, and Hank if they're Mercenaries or Tactical Mercenaries. Legion Bounty Hunters and Cyber Hunters should visit Valestra, Tech Mages and Blood Mages should visit Talia, and Mercenaries and Tactical Mercenaries should visit Negawraith to turn in their tokens. For those who want the well-rounded story experience by changing class, Alaric and Boothe have two additional missions that award this token! These all culminate in a single turn-in mission on Rabblefroth, with the same reward for both Legion and Exiles that will conclude part one of this Frysteland saga.

Rabblefroth

This means that, should you complete this chain 3 times, you'll have extra Misc. items, but fortunately they don't take up space in your inventory.

In addition, there are missions that allow you to train up your Baby Yetis and/or Dark Yetis by giving them a Yeti Growth Serum.

Yeti Trainers

Hulnas the Beast Tamer can train your Baby Yetis into Warrior Yetis, and Ylwa the Beast Rider can train your Warrior Yetis into Omega Yetis. Would you rather have a Dark Baby Yeti? The Arctic Trainer can train your Dark Yetis into Dark Warrior Yetis, and the hard-as-ice Captain Murdoc can train your Dark Warrior Yetis into Dark Omega Yetis. Both can be “convinced” to give you some Omega Yeti Serum as well, if you don't want to go through all the trouble of training them.

I'm very excited about the Omega update! For the first time, there are missions requiring you to turn in multiple disparate objects; that is, turning in different kinds of objects. So, if Hank had a mission asking you to help him out with a mirepoix, you would be required to turn in 2 onions, 1 carrot, and 1 celery in the same mission!

Plus, there's a secret mission. What is it? If I told you that, it wouldn't be a secret! /mysterious

Tags: Omega Cinderella Update NPCs Skills Stats Testing Credits Varium


Nightwraith

September 25, 2012

Corporate Restructuring

This week, after surviving a Dragonoid attack, Delta V will be invaded by another threat.  However, rather than being motivated an instinctive desire to destroy, this evil is motivated by money and power.  This evil is...

Nice place...I'll take it!

Chairman Platinum of EbilCorp is leading an army of corporate ninjas and mercenaries to Fortune City to claim the entire planet in the name of his corrupt enterprise.  The Chairman is confident, but he's no fool -- he knows that he'll need to offer something good to win over the battle-hardened populace.

 

Platinum's Pride

Chairman Platinum believes you must dress for success, whether it's in business or intergalactic domination.  For that reason, EbilCorp scientists have created a specially-designed power suit, engineered to withstand superhuman amounts of punishment, and has the ability to mutate along with its wearer's class.  It also allows the wearer to unleash a devastating special attack.

Platinum's Pride

Chairman's Fury is a one-time use, selectable skill that can be used at any time in battle to unleash a powerful unblockable uppercut attack that steals 25% of your opponent's rage for yourself. It can be used once per battle.

Fear the Chairman's Fury!

This item will be available as a 5-Key Varium package as soon as we release on Wednesday September 26th.  A level 25 version will also be available as a 3-Key package.  Both will be available in-game.

Just when you thought EpicDuel couldn't fit any more evil...

 

MOAR EVIL!

A wild Dage appears!  That's right, Dage the Evil has taken up residence on Delta V and he will come offering new LQS items of his own twisted creation.  This new color custom bike, Dage's Blood Rider, is just a taste of the twisted treastures Dage is bringing to EpicDuel!

Dage Bike!

Leaves a trail of blood and bones in its wake.

Dage's Shotguns

Find Dage in the Minetower to access his shop of limited quantity items!  He's packing some serious heat with the Skull Boomstick and Haunted Boomstick, two shotguns with the amazing Spreadfire ability which allows you to attack 2 targets at once!  Grab these items before they're gone!

 

Bye-Bye Infernal Weapons

Due to the addition of Platinum's Pride promotional armor, we will be removing the Infernal Interdictor and Pyro Fly packages from the Varium shop and all the other Infernal and Mechachillid items from the in-game merchants.  The Infernal Interdictor and the Pyro Fly will also be sellable.  The key exceptions are the Infernal Android and the Mecha Cruiser, which are permanent items.

Tags: Chairman Platinum Nightwraith EbilCorp Promotion Varium Dage the Evil Armors Weapons LQS


Nightwraith

July 06, 2012

Victory!

Almost...

Victory!

Baelius was no fool and whatever he buried in the mines, he didn't want it to be uncovered. The first door has fallen to the Legion, and Mechachillids are already hard at work removing the rubble to reveal the next door, moving the Legion forces one step closer to claiming the Vault's contents for their own!

But don't count the Exiles out just yet.  This is still The Lawman's turf, and he's not going to give up so easily, especially when the fighting just got interesting.  What tricks does he have stored up those dusty sleeves of his, anyway?

 

Credit Where Credit Is Due

The brave Legion warriors who aggressively smashed through the Vaults millions of hit points in under a week deserve a hearty round of applause.  The AI-based entity, M4tr1x will be waiting for you beyond the first door to offer you a Vault Breaker Achievement and rare Mechachillid Armor!

Vault Breaker I

 

My Skeleton; Your Shield

Mechachillids reproduce by gathering scrap metal from derelict mining facilities and the surface to build new Mechachillids.  Sometimes, a Mechachillid will "outgrow" it's current shell and seek to replace it with newer metals and more efficient power supplies.  This process is known as molting, and the end result is tons of empty Mechachillid husks scattered throughout the mines.  The technology necessary to reanimate these husks is expensive and rare on Delta V in its current state, but it still makes an effective combat ready armor.  Mechachillid armors come with an inherent Exoskeleton skill.

Which one is real?

Exoskeleton

Exoskeleton - The Mechachillids were designed to withstand conditions lethal to humans, especially those found in the Infernal Mines.  By wearing Mechachillid armor, players are granted increased resistance against the Vault's lethal security systems.

Because you'll need it!

Remember to check the style change bots around Delta V!  Each gender and class is getting 3 new Mechachillid styles (a total of 18).

 

Infernal Interdictor

Infernal Interdictor

Forged from the same rare crystals as the Infernal Slayer, the Infernal Interdictor is a sight to be feared on any battlefield.  Help your alignment secure the Vault by acquiring this rare, impressive weapon, which comes with a devastating new skill, Massive Strike.  Visit the Light Mechachillid at the screen just beyond the Refinery Entrance to purchase it in game or get both level 25 and 35 variants for free with the 10K Varium package.

Hit Harder!

Massive Strike - The mysterious crystals powering the Infernal Interdictor grant its wielder superhuman strength.  The reinforced steel of the Vault doors yield to its power and critical strikes have the ability to knock even the strongest opponents to their knees, inflicting massive damage.

 

One Level Deeper

As players from both alignments descend deeper into the mines, be prepared for more exciting new content as this conflict continues to boil beneath the surface of Delta V!

 The War Rages On!

Tags: Titan War Nightwraith Legion Exiles Faction Silas The Lawman Infernal Interdictor New Promotion Varium Achievements Mines Summer


Cinderella

May 01, 2012

Keys, New Gear, and a Welcome to our newest Moderators

Hi there EpicDuelists! It’s your friendly Neighborhood Cinderella here with your weekly dose of design notes!

 

Confounding Keys

As we noted last week, and many of you have noticed, we now have a new system for building your own promo pack, where instead of a set promotional item, you get “keys” with which you can use to unlock weapons, extra credits, and other goodies.

Keys. How do they work?

To clarify some things: all keys must be used at one go, you cannot stock up keys.  You can purchase multiple bonuses to use up your keys if you wish or use them all in one go.  Players who purchased packages prior to this system will not be receiving more keys.  The keys are simply a way to allow you to unlock more bonuses with higher tier Varium packs.  You cannot purchase keys independently from the Varium packages.

If you need some help figuring out how to purchase promos using the new system, Practel has helpfully made this video guide to purchasing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXuVB_TQQZM

 

Infernal Armaments

Our newest addition to the creative team, Disturbed, has been hard at work on some new weapons as a preview to our next war: the Infernal Infiltration War! Again, we are super-excited to have him around, and he’s going to start working on backgrounds and items for this saga.

Disturbing Items

I should have an outline turned in by the end of this week for the first part of the saga. As before, player action will have a profound effect on the outcome of the story and impact on the aftermath.

 

New Mods!

We’re proud to announce the selection of the new members of our moderation team!

In no particular order:

 

Fay Beee

Daimyo

G00NY

ORDER

Elf Priest Jzaanu

Digital X

Basicball

Practel

 

Congrats all! If you see them running around with a green name, be nice to them- they’re new!

I also realize that at least one of our selections comes with quite a bit of controversy. Practel has been a tester and a personal friend of the development team up to and including Artix himself for quite a while. While he is not quite of age, AE has made exception for exceptional teens in the past, and we have confidence in Practel that he will live up to our expectations.

 

Artix & Sepulchure Toys

Cysero of AQW has already done a great job describing the new action figures, so Imma just rip it and post here.  Riiiiiiiiiiiiiip :3

 

They are nearly here!

My sources (at least the reliable ones) tell me that they are on their way to the U.S. Toys R Us locations right now. They should arrive there a week or two before theyn reach us here and become availible on HeroMart.Com.

People often ask us why we can't get them to Toys R Us locations in other countries and that's mostly because there are different branches of the company and our relationship is so far only with the American branch of the company.

If our stuff keeps selling well in the American branch then we might be invited to start up a relationship with various other branches of Toys R Us... but that's really up to you guys.

Toys R Us gets to set their own price and we want the HeroMart price to be competative with the Toys R Us price so we have to wait and see what they set their prices at before we can set ours. If we decided early and went too high with the HJeroMart price, then we would be shooting ourselves in the foot and losing sales to Toys R Us. If we go to low, then we undercut Toys R Us and they might decide to cut ties with us which kills any future deals we might make with ANY branch.

SO... soon they will get theirs, we will find out what the decide for the price and then we will be able to tell you the HeroMart price whicl will be very close to the store price.

For the special Limited Edition BLACK version of the toys, I'm pretty sure that the price will be $50. It comes with the same in-game items as the normal versions but we made a LOT less of these and you will ONLY be able to get them from HeroMart. These are for hardcore collectors ONLY (or maybe people who want to resell them on E-bay for double price when they sell our and go rare).

More news on that as it arrises.

 

LiveStream Event with Dage the Evil

Always have a spotter when using a paper cutter.

As you know, AQW has been inviting their artists to take part in live stream events in the game. The 5th and final artist participating in this particular event is Dage the Evil. I know many of our players are huge fans of Dage, so head on over to AQW around 4 PM EST/Server time.

 

Tents!

I was in the field a couple weeks ago and I had the opportunity to get up-close and personal with a web full of Eastern Tent caterpillars (Malacosoma americanum)- probably first instar. The tent was at eye level so I could see the caterpillars clearly. This species forms nests in woody roses including cherry, apple, and black cherry. The caterpillars are capable of consuming the cyanide compounds in these plants, but instead of sequestering the compounds in the hemolymph or fat, or metabolizing them, they keep the cyanide in the gut and vomit on would-be predators.

Of lepidopteran social behaviors, those of the Eastern Tent Caterpillars are among the most complex. Eggs are laid by the adults in spring or early summer, and the clutch contains 200-300 eggs. Upon hatching, the caterpillars construct a silk tent where they live communally, venturing outside the tend only to feed. They use vibratory and chemical signals to communicate with their siblings, and thrash as a group when the tent is attacked by a predator. 

They emerge as cute little fuzzy pink or brown moths.

 

Infernal Infiltration Preview Continued

This is another excerpt from the backstory for the upcoming war. Interstellar Marshalls John St. Alban and Silas Auer are investigating suspicious happenings on Delta V during their war for sovereignty. The two are separated, with Silas being guided by a Shadow Guard Commander, and Alydriah’s right-hand woman, Valestra Hitchens. Known throughout the galaxy as the “Angel of Death”, Valestra is an expert at hand-to-hand and ranged combat, a skilled sniper, and an accomplished poisoner.

 

They ventured into Fortune City's tenth district. A center for research and innovation, the district was marked by a large hospital, which Valestra explained is where she had learned pharmacology.

"There's someone I want you to meet. He isn't the administrator, but I think you'll like him."

Valestra led Silas to a back office in the basement where a lanky man wearing navy blue was working with his back turned.

"Ulysses!" 

The man turned. He was a man of about 30; tall and long all over, with a visage that seemed to be stuck in a perpetual wonder. His face was thin and wide gray eyes hid behind tinted goggles. A shock of unkempt dishwater blond hair perched awkwardly upon his head.

“Valestra! And is this a boyfriend?”

Valestra laughed. “Aww, Ulysses. You know I’m waiting for you.” She turned to Silas. “Ulysses is a Master Craftsman, brilliant engineer...”

“And a lover of beauty.” Ulysses extended a gloved hand to Valestra, took her hand, and kissed it. “If you’re not Val’s boyfriend...”

“He’s one of the Marshalls. Making sure we’re playing nice.”

“Oh! Well, Marshall, let me show you my latest project... I’m sorry what did you say your name was?”

“I didn’t. It’s Auer. Silas Auer.”

“Auer. Like gold. Splendid!” He picked up a golden object. It was oblong and was carved with strange markings. “Do you know what this is?”

“No. What is it?”

“I have no idea!” He smiled broadly.

“Your project...” Valestra interjected.

“Yes, of course. Pygmalion. That’s the name I gave my creation. It’s a method for extracting the central nervous system of a sick or dying creature and placing it in this ingenious metal suit! So far I’ve only tried it on rabbits and squidlings, but it could revolutionize medicine as we know it!”

As he said this, Ulysses produced a cage containing a little robotic bunny. The cyborg rabbit sadly chewed upon a corncob, and looked despondent and confused. 

“He looks sad.” Silas blurted.

“The alternative was dying from his injuries. This little guy was run over by a ground vehicle,” he said defensively, replacing the rabbit cage. “Lovely to see you, Valestra, but I’m sure I don’t want to waste any more of the Marshall’s time.” Valestra and Silas turned to leave when Silas heard his communicator beep. He read the text message- “Do not trust Alydriah. There’s more than she’s telling you. Find the Delta Vault.”

“What was that?” asked Valestra.

“Spam.  Apparently, there are Fortune City singles who wish to speak with me.” He closed the communicator and smiled rakishly at Valestra, "Intriguing."

She laughed. “Your wife must be jealous.”

“You looked at my background. You know I’m unmarried.”

Valestra smiled to herself. “Come on, there’s more to see, cowboy.”

Tags: Cinderella Infernal Infiltration Delta Knight Keys Varium promotions Moderators Armor Weapons War Toys


Cinderella

April 27, 2011

Player Appreciation Week!

What is this madness?

Hey there, EpicDuelists! You might have noticed that there’s something... different about this week’s DNs. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Cinderella, EpicDuel’s lovely Warrior Princess. I’ve been a part of EpicDuel since December 2008, when Nightwraith asked me to participate in a private Alpha test (as “Belka”, my name on the EpicDuel Forums), and I was one of the first players during the public Alpha. I’ve been a forum moderator (first on the EDF and now on the AEF) since early 2009, and I’ve been an in-game moderator since the merger with ArtixEntertainment. In addition, I am the administrator for the official EpicDuel Facebook page.  As the game has grown since launching in 2009, Nightwraith and Titan have become very busy, and the need has been pointed out for additional staff to take care of some of the public relations responsibilities- that’s where I come in! I am the liaison between the Developers and Players. So, you’ll be seeing a lot more of my face in the weeks to come!

But that’s far enough about me. This week, it’s all about you, Players! That’s right, an update chock-full of goodies for the people who make it all possible: YOU!

 

Spotlight on Fame

First things first. A lot of our players are very excited about the Fame feature- maybe a little TOO excited. Begging for Fame has become a problem not only in-game but in the social media connected to the game.

However, this was never our intention in introducing Fame- we’d anticipated that it would bring recognition to some of our best and friendliest players. In light of that, we’d like to turn the spotlight to one such player: Elf Priest Jzaanu, whose YouTube Channel features battle, weapon and armor demos, NPC strategy videos, and general videos that act as Public Service Announcements for the EpicDuel community. Jzaanu has always been friendly and helpful as long as I’ve known her in-game, and is one of our more diligent players.

It would be good for some of our players who grief for fame to take a look at how classy our players can be.

 

Mission Drops!

With the success of the recent update introducing NPC drops, we’re adding drops to completed missions! Following this update, completion of certain missions will result in a reward for completing said mission! Naomi Page needs rare flowers from Xraal over in the BioDome and Valery needs your help in supplementing her gun stash. We have a LOT more missions in development as well, to give players a more important role in the evolving EpicDuel storyline (we might even release some of these super-secret missions on Friday- time permitting).

Quest Items

Missions released this week:

Flower Power!: Naomi needs your help in gathering precious Bio Orchids from Xraal in the BioDome.

Restock!: Valery’s decided that the bike business just isn’t enough anymore, and is branching out into the weapons business. She needs you to get her some Imperial Blasters for a unique reward.

We have a LOT more missions in development as well, to give players a more important role in the evolving EpicDuel storyline.

This is truly an exciting time for EpicDuel, as we move forward from being simply a repetitive PvP game to a fully fleshed-out MMORPG. In the coming weeks and months we’ll be fleshing out the storyline more fully- Baby Steps!

 

Founder Appreciation

There’s been some concern lately that we’ve been ignoring a small but significant portion of our player base- our Founders. We are eternally grateful for everything the Founders have done for us, without them there would BE no EpicDuel, so we thank you from the bottoms of our hearts. In recognition of the valuable contribution you have made to the community at large, every Founder member (that includes Elites and Founders without the armor) will receive a gift of 1,000 Varium. Which will come in handy since we’re also introducing...

Founder

Varium Sellback

Yes, the long requested feature is finally here! The vendors all around Delta V have upgraded their outdated returns system and have agreed to give all players selling back premium items 15% of the item’s varium price across the board. That means that, if an item originally cost you 1,000 Varium, you will recieve 150 varium back from the sale of that item.  For enhanced items, 15% of the Varium enhancement price will be factored into the sellback.  For those who enhanced with credits before the update, those purchased slots WILL receive a Varium sellback.  However, going forward, credit ehancements will not receive sellback.

Varium Sellback!

Graphical Update 

More convenient travel options have been implemented throughout Delta V! Look for increased Teleportation Pads that will take you to the furthest reaches of the planet! 

Transport Upgrade

Relay for Life

This weekend, Titan and Nightwraith will be participating along with the rest of the AE team in the 2011 Relay for Life!  I think Artix's Design Notes post summarized the situation nicely: 

This weekend, the Artix Entertainment team will be battling one of the most dangerous diseases on Earth by walking around in circle for 18 hours straight.  That is right! We will be sponsoring our first American Cancer Society Relay for Life this Friday, April 29th at 6pm at Sunlake High School in Land O' Lakes, Florida (Mmmmm Butter). The relay will begin at “game release-time” on Friday night, and last 18 hours with at least one member of the AE team walking the track at all times. (Yes, they are allowed to carry their computers…)

Faith is setting up a tent on the track with HeroMart merchandise. 100% of the proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society. If you live in the area, you are welcome to come down and hang out and walk with us. There will be a lot of other teams from other local companies participating too... and hopefully selling lots of hot cocoa to keep us awake all night!

The AE team has donated $1,000 to the Relay for Life to help in the fight against cancer. If you would like to make a donation on behalf of the AE team, please visit the official Relay for Life Website. Oh, and because you are probably going to ask...  no, sadly, that is not a picture of us. They would have taken a picture of us, but they were too scared we would break the camera :-)

 

There’s so much more to come in the weeks ahead! And we can’t do it without you guys- thank you for being awesome.


Tags: Cinderella Missions Founders Varium Sellback Players Fame

 

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