May 23rd, 2002

Update the Dun in Tara?

Harry-Potter says, 'can you make it harder to kill some things but also make the XP better'

Shemyaza says, 'what things, specifically?'

LadyAce says, 'that's the sort of question that makes me want to ask what sorts of things you've been killing, and what you mean by harder'

Kaige says, 'best way to address that one is on a one by one basis when you see a mob that's too easy or doesn't give enough exp on the bug or idea file.'

Harry-Potter says, 'perhaps the dun'

LadyAce says, 'It might be that you're killing things that aren't at your level'

LadyAce says, 'are you using consider on them, and they're about the same level as you, or harder?'

Harry-Potter says, 'can you make the dun harder and bigger then'

LadyAce says, 'Have you explored much in Tudor or Canada?'

Lelldorin says, 'we can't make tara more of a hotspot than it already is'

Lelldorin frowns.

Lelldorin says, 'its not right! :p'

LadyAce says, 'or, have you tried Aztec, India, etc.?'

Kaige says, 'well, like I said before, I'm going to be focusing on the less popular areas this summer, but I already made most of the things in the dun tougher (except for 2 mobs last week) which had way more ac than they should have had...the upper level things that should be harder anyway.'

What Affects Power of Summons?

Rulfe'a says, 'okay, my question you may not be able to answer, but someone told me that spirit has a direct relationship to the amount of power and hp my creations have, such as summon greater, is this true?'

Rulfe'a says, 'meaning the more spirit the more power'

Kaige looks up into the sky and ponders.

Ea! says, 'We can't answer that, but you should be able to tell by experimenting some.'

Rulfe'a nods solemnly.

LadyAce says, 'usually we base the power of a spell/skill on *something* -- process of elimination should tell you what it is.'

LadyAce says, 'sounds like a fun experiment :) try it, see how far you get on it'

Rulfe'a says, 'well, I am thinking about going 100 mind/spirit create mage for giggles, to see how it would effect them'

Rulfe'a says, 'not even use a weapon, just kill things with create mages, but I kinda wanted a hint as to if it would be a waste of time or not, but thats okay'

Rulfe'a says, 'and, is there any thought yet to a 3c heal spell like cure critical?'

Ea! says, 'none are in the works.'

Rulfe'a nods solemnly.

Ea! says, 'we don't like replicating functions between spells... diversity adds interest to the game.'

Insane Autoshutting Doors?

Shemyaza says, 'why does the diancecht's lab door shut AND lock so fast? I've had lowbies a) stuck inside because they went for a vial and didn't have the moves to get out, b) lowbies walk all the way there from say, agrabah, and the door's locked.'

Shemyaza says, 'for me, personally, it basically says "marauder is better than in-game knowledge and resourcefulness" Why is the lab so hard for lowbies to get into now?'

Shemyaza says, 'sorry, I'm a bit frustrated with that door'

Shemyaza scuffles his feet around in the dirt.

LadyAce says, 'sounds like a bug to me'

Shemyaza says, 'my lowbie rested up 50 mvs at level 5 and when she woke up she was locked in =('

Haley wrinkles her nose with distaste.

LadyAce says, 'did you report the trouble on the bug channel?'

Shemyaza says, 'I didn't know if it was a bug'

LadyAce says, 'it does indeed sound frustrating.'

LadyAce says, 'Oh dear...it's better to report things, if you're unsure'

LadyAce says, 'otherwise, we have no way of investigating the trouble!'

Shemyaza says, 'I'll report it now then =)'

Shemyaza says, 'I thought it was um'

Shemyaza says, 'intentionally perverse'

Molbech chuckles politely.

LadyAce says, 'one thing about doors -- they don't count down from the time they're unlocked, they just reset every-so-often'

Shemyaza says, 'would it be possible to have it not autolock at all?'

Kaige says, 'well since it was set to LOCKED on startup, I don't think Fionn intended it to be a free item spot for the taking. There's is a key to the lock that can be gotten and used as well.'

Shemyaza nods solemnly.

Shemyaza says, 'locked on startup is fine but does it have to relock?'

Kaige says, 'well if we're stable, that means it's never locked again, and then no reason to ever find the key.'

Shemyaza says, 'I don't know how doors work, I just noticed that some stay unlocked after you pick them and some don't'

Shemyaza says, 'oh, so it's not supposed to be repeatedly relocking itself then?'

Shemyaza is confused.

LadyAce says, 'it seems like bad luck that it relocked so quickly...'

Shemyaza shakes his head.

Kaige nods her agreement with Shemyaza.

Shemyaza says, 'it's not bad luck'

Shemyaza says, 'it's been doing that for months'

Shemyaza giggles.

Shemyaza says, 'I didn't realise it was a bug'

LadyAce says, 'did it unlock/relock repeatedly?'

Shemyaza nods solemnly.

Shemyaza says, 'I pick it myself sometimes, walk in'

Shemyaza says, 'it shuts on me, I have to pick it to get out'

Shemyaza says, 'in the time that I'm figureing out with 12345.vial it is I want to pick up'

Kaige says, 'does it lock immediately again then?'

Kaige says, 'once you get out?'

Shemyaza says, 'not immediately'

Shemyaza says, 'something like'

Shemyaza looks up into the sky and ponders.

Shemyaza says, 'less than a minute sometimes'

Kaige says, 'that sounds way wrong looking at the number that's in the file.'

Shemyaza nods solemnly.

Kaige says, 'I'll check on it after this is over'

Shemyaza says, 'thanks =) done with the door'

Shemyaza scuffles his feet around in the dirt.

Ea! says, 'And here I was hoping it wouldn't be a code thing.'

Ea! giggles.

LadyAce smiles at Shemyaza.

Haley giggles at Ea!.

New Housing Area?

Harry-Potter says, 'would it be posible to create a whole new place in legendmud were its open land to build homes were its not costly but not safe eaither, you can make angree mobs that come and attack people for no reason make legend funner kinda'

LadyAce says to Harry-Potter, 'In general, housing is designed to fit into the history and myth of the area where it's set'

Harry-Potter nods solemnly.

LadyAce says to Harry-Potter, 'so we wouldn't create an area designed around housing or mobs, we make areas designed around times and ideas'

LadyAce says to Harry-Potter, 'there are a few lower-cost housing options available if you seek them out, but it's true that housing is expensive, and meant to be so.'

Harry-Potter says, 'but cant you make a spacific place like a complex'

LadyAce says, 'There are a few places that are designed to have fairly high-density housing...'

LadyAce says, 'but in general, we want housing to fit into the feel of the mud'

Harry-Potter says, 'but are they dangerous'

LadyAce says, 'it'd feel sorta funny if you were walking through the world and all of a sudden, you were surrounded by a suburb of player housing, and no "real" area to support it'

Harry-Potter says, 'pittsburgh'

Shemyaza says, 'pittsburgh does have apartment complexes, I thought?'

Kaige nods her agreement with Shemyaza.

LadyAce says, 'it's worth investigating all your options, all over the mud.'

Harry-Potter nods solemnly.

Secondary Rooms Before Buying?

Shemyaza says, 'would it be possible to have a command that shows when you type "build" if any of the rooms buildable in that house have the option to rent in?'

Shemyaza says, 'case in point. I think there are at least two housing sites in romania where not only can you not rent in the first room. You can't rent in any of the rooms that you can build in that house. A warning would be nice.'

Shemyaza says, 'something like warning: none of the adjoining rooms in this house can be rented in, etc'

LadyAce says, 'I think that a way to preview secondary rooms is on the To Do list for housing'

Shemyaza says, 'it's a little annoying to spend 300k just to make sure you can't rent in your nice new house =/'

Ea! nods his agreement with LadyAce.

Ea! says, 'It is... it's also not an easy bit of code to write, otherwise it'd be done.'

LadyAce says, 'in general, though, it seems like a risk if you buy a non-residential-sounding room :/'

Shemyaza nods his agreement with Ea!.

Shemyaza says, 'well some of them have names like'

Shemyaza says, 'Above shop abode'

Shemyaza says, 'abode - sort of indicates to me it's a _house_'

LadyAce says, 'it could be an ommission, error, or bug, too.'

Kaige prods the bug channel, it's not going anywhere Kaige.

Shemyaza says, 'well I never know these things are bugs!'

Shemyaza blushes bright red.

Kaige says, 'if you're not sure and it seems wrong, BUG it.'

LadyAce says, 'And even if it doesn't look like a bug per se, "this isn't what I expected" is a valid bug report.'

Kaige tickles Shemyaza.

Shemyaza says, 'oh'

Kaige nods her agreement with LadyAce.

Shemyaza scuffles his feet around in the dirt.

Shemyaza says, 'I only report things that are obviously buggy to me, not erm'

Shemyaza gulps nervously.

Shemyaza says, 'calculated perversity'

Shemyaza cringes in terror.

LadyAce says, 'if you try to do something and it doesn't work, report it as a bug. We might disagree and think that it shouldn't work that way, but it's better for us to have the chance to make that decision'

Shemyaza nods solemnly.

Shemyaza scuffles his feet around in the dirt.

LadyAce says, 'they call us immortals, but it doesn't make us omniscient'

Shemyaza says, 'understood on the preview rooms then =)'

LadyAce says, 'I'd say "calculated perversity" should be about the LAST explanation you come to when things seem "strange" :P'

Kaige nods her agreement with LadyAce.

Shemyaza scuffles his feet around in the dirt.

LadyAce says, 'we really don't have enough time to calculate that much cruelty into design. We're far more likely to attempt something that seems great & sensible to us, and not realize what odd directions we're unintentionally sending you in.'

Shemyaza looks up into the sky and ponders.

Shemyaza says, 'I tend to think that it was one of the intentional area updates'

Shemyaza says, 'I didn't mean to ruffle any feathers, it's just that sometimes it says the area's been updated and things happen and..'

LadyAce says to Shemyaza, 'your new assignment: whenever you find something that makes you wrinkle your nose, roll your eyes, or grit your teeth ... BUG IT.'

LadyAce says, 'it's not ruffling! It's more like, I'm begging :)'

Shemyaza says, 'which is why I've been fuming outside that door of the lab for months'

LadyAce says, 'It kills me to hear that people are frustrated and upset about something that might well be a 2-second fix that we didn't even know was needed.'

Shemyaza will bug it bg it bug it!

Shemyaza hangs his head.

LadyAce says, 'the frustrated hundreds who don't come to Q & A will thank you :)'

LadyAce hugs Shemyaza.

PR Game Ideas?

Harry-Potter says, 'how do i go about making a game to go up on the event list'

LadyAce says, 'If you'd like to run an event, you can just talk to an imm about it'

LadyAce says, 'is that what you had in mind?'

Harry-Potter nods solemnly.

Harry-Potter says, 'but i would like to create a game and have an imm run it'

LadyAce says, 'well...that's a bit more complex :)'

LadyAce says, 'by create a game ... I'm not sure what you mean. Did you have something specific in mind?'

LadyAce says, 'Like, you have an idea for a game? That can go on the idea channel.'

LadyAce says, 'idea is how that works.'

Kaige says, 'or you can talk to a pr imm about it, if you think it's more complicated to see if they'd be interested in taking it on.'

Harry-Potter says, 'for example have a puzzle split it into about 100 part and spread then around legend the one who can put most of the puzzle together wins'

LadyAce says, 'for more complex ideas, you're probably best off sitting down with a PR imm as Kaige said'

LadyAce says, 'you'll want to consider how it all would work in a text-based format, and what the game might do to improve the mud community'

Harry-Potter says, 'ok'

Kaige says, 'and how it can bring people to work together instead of just against each other. Games with more than one winner are more popular and better in the long run'

Kaige says, 'or ones that can be run quickly to achieve multiple winners'

Tan and Tailor?

Shemyaza looks sheepish.

Shemyaza says, 'I have a question but I think I'll get told to take it to idea'

Shemyaza blushes bright red.

LadyAce says, 'well, you can always say it anyway :) get a little feedback before we send you to idea!'

Shemyaza chortles with amusement.

Shemyaza says, 'Now that we have this wonderful new option to make bags with tailor, would it be possible to have more mobs around the mud selling sheets of tanned leather so that there's no need to find the sole mob in the mud that sells those...'

Shemyaza says, 'and also no need to get the tan skill which is a bit er... Unuseful'

Shemyaza waits for the Idea.

Shemyaza giggles.

LadyAce giggles.

Kaige says to Shemyaza, 'you can also make cloth ones.'

Shemyaza nods solemnly.

Shemyaza says, 'but I like the leather ones!'

Shemyaza hugs a small soft leather satchel.

Ea! says, 'Well, of course, if we do that, we make the tan skill even less useful...'

Kaige says, 'there was also a skin skill to go with the tan one... for furs at one point'

Kaige looks up in the sky and ponders.

Shemyaza says, 'this is true'

Kaige nods her agreement with Ea!.

Shemyaza says, 'but it's almost utterly unuseful anyway'

Shemyaza says, 'unless you add features to it, people are just going to carry leather belts around to mend things with'

Kaige says, 'well with more things like those bags that you could make, like waterskins, and other items....'

LadyAce says, 'but this is a way it might find more usefulness :)'

Shemyaza says, 'hmm. if tailor's range expanded then that's possible =)'

Kaige says, 'it's in one of those weird catch-22's... nothing available to push/pull the demand for the leather goods market'

Shemyaza giggles at Kaige.

Shemyaza flops about helplessly.

New Skills?

Harry-Potter says, 'LadyAce is it posible to create more skills maybe to make fighting funny,fun, and more interesting'

LadyAce says, 'we do have plans to add more skills eventually'

Harry-Potter says, 'for example limb brake- were a character can break a mod limbs'

Ea! says, 'We have a bunch of new fight skills planned eventually. Things like suckerpunch, flip, charge, set, chivalry, etc.'

Tobias says to Ea!, 'Chivalry? That sounds spiffy.'

Ea! says, 'However, we don't currently have any time line as to when they would be put in... they're not the highest priority for the coding department.'

Harry-Potter says, 'do you mind if i send some examples and what they do'

Ea! says to Tobias, 'I forget just what it does... I think it had to do with a combat bonus when leading a group into combat, but I'm not sure.'

Tobias says, 'spiffy.'

Tobias says, 'set does extra damage vs charge?'

Ea! says, 'We're always interested in ideas, though we've got more than we have time to implement at the moment. But either drop them onto the idea channel (if they're short) or e-mail them to me ([email protected])'

Ea! nods his agreement with Tobias.

Tobias says, 'very cool.'

Tobias says, 'might give people a reason to use pole-arms!'

Ea! nods solemnly.

Ea! says, 'Huginn's idea.'

Tobias says, 'good idea ^_~'

Harry-Potter says, 'will do'

Ea! says, 'We also have an extensive list of non-fight skills planned -- everything from runes to stage magic.'

Ea! says, 'just no free time to write the code for them all.'

Ea! sighs loudly.

LadyAce says, 'in general, though, all that stuff is a ways off and has to stay there -- it's a major project'

LadyAce says, 'so we hope you'll have fun with what we have to offer'

Harry-Potter says, 'its been fun today with the Q & A thanks for the time out of you busy scheduals and see yall next time i hope'

Kaige smiles at Harry-Potter.

LadyAce says, 'if you see ways to improve what we have, as you go along, let us know'

LadyAce smiles at Harry-Potter.

Ladyace waves happily.

Ea! waves happily.

Kaige waves happily.

Tobias stands up.

Kaige says, 'see ya'

Tobias says, 'Catch ya later ^_~'

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