Duskruin/saved posts August 2017
General Information
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 7002
Author: SIMU-WYROM
Date: 8/15/2017
Subject: Duskruin Details: A Rundown
I'm just going to give some quick bullet points on what to expect this run. I'll have more details before we go live, but I just don't want to make sure everything in QC is accurate before doing that.
Dates
The event will start on the 18th, but we're going to extend the event until the end of the month. Slips and tokens will not be available after 11pm (ish) ET on the 30th. We'll leave the event open throughout the 31st for purely shopping. The extension is mainly for shopping, but with the solar eclipse happening on the 21st, we're going to give people a few extra days who might be traveling for that.
Arena
- 3 vs 3 matches.
- Can also do 2 vs 2 matches.
- Prizes are individual, but group benefits from winning.
- New drop will be available for certain service (vague on purpose).
Sewers
- New bloodrunes.
- Upped rate of caches (still very rare).
Shops
- Book shop will be back.
- New Spellbound x/day items. We're adding a bunch of offensive spells for the new magic item use updates.
- Custom (premade) bolt messaging.
- Unlock certificates you can REDEEM.
- Slab roulette (from EG) will be here for bloodscrip.
- New Illusion pins.
- New high end scrip shop offerings.
- This is something I really want to make sure is through QC before revealing.
- Weighting/Padding will not be in the scrip shop. It will be handled a new way.
- New shops.
- More on these when they exit QC.
Titles
- New permanent titles unlocked at certain levels of play. Tracking started April 2017. Some of you will have a lot of them going into this run.
I know I'm forgetting something, but I want to make sure you guys have some information before I go to bed.
Wyrom, PM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 7086
Author: SIMU-WYROM
Date: 8/18/2017
Subject: Duskruin Details: Services and Inventory
Okay, the mailer has a different segment when it comes to how we communicate there, so I understand it leaves a lot to be known still. Let me try to answer a few things.
Scrip Shop
Everything in this shop scales in price. You will now see the quantity of items that are left for sale when you appraise an item.
The weapons and armor from last time are returning.
The enchanting potions have been reduced to 10 charges, and their prices have been adjusted to reflect that.
The coraesine relic is 500,000 bloodscrip and only 2 will be for sale.
These are the certificates for sale this time. The certificates all have pertinent information when you READ them. Some have some prerequisites. Prices not listed are the same as last run.
a multi-colored greater element document (upgrade a flaring weapon to a greater elemental flare), 30,000 bloodscrip)
a yellowed rotflare contract (limit of 5, 250,000 bloodscrip)
a violet permabless note (limit of 5, 250,000 bloodscrip)
a master instrument sheet (50,000 bloodscrip)
a white undead bane permit (limit of 5, 400,000 bloodscrip)
a black weight reducing stub
a dark de-fusion certificate
a bleached ironwright contract
a maroon knockout flare debenture
a cyan polearm flare debenture
an opaque bubble flare debenture
a brown open acuity ticket
a puce flat acuity ticket
a golden open mana deed
a silvery flat mana deed
a grey target defense voucher
Weighting, Padding, and Sighting
The new weighting, padding, and sighting updates will be debuting at Duskruin. Our Development team will talk more about that when it gets launched. Due to it being brand new, it's going to be slightly delayed after the opening of Duskruin. Don't worry though, there are no time-based limits involved with how we're offering this service. You will be limited to having an item worked on 25 times under the new system.
You will earn an invite by participating and winning in the arena. Having a perfect run will also greatly improve your odds of getting an invite. Invitations do not stack, but you can earn another invite after using one. Invites are not a tangible item nor can they be traded.
We plan on having a way to appraise costs before going into the smithy so you know exactly what you're getting yourself involved with.
Bloodforge
The bloodforge will be temporarily closed until the weighting, padding, and sighting updates are live.
Spellbound X/day
With the updates to MIU, we're featuring offensive spells this time.
| Spell | Cost |
| Bind (214) | 10,000 |
| Divine Fury (317) | 20,000 |
| Elemental Wave (410) | 15,000 |
| Sleep (501) | 10,000 |
| Cold Snap (512) | 15,000 |
| Immolation (519) | 20,000 |
| Spike Thorn (616) | 20,000 |
| Mana Disruption (702) | 15,000 |
| Dark Catalyst (719) | 20,000 |
| Earthen Fury (917) | 20,000 |
| Bone Shatter (1106) | 20,000 |
| Force Projection (1207) | 10,000 |
| Thought Lash (1210) | 15,000 |
Epic Deepening and Lightening
This service will be offered again over the course of the event for the same price points.
Wyrom, PM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 7143
Author: SIMU-WYROM
Date: 8/18/2017
Subject: Duskruin Details: Services and Inventory
Going to answer a few questions and concerns that came up in various areas here.
>>X/day charges
I forgot to add that all the new x/day items are 20 charges. So they will be pretty useful, compared to something only good for 1 or 2 charges.
>>TITLES
I forgot to mention that the temporary titles are completely gone this run. We added 19 permanent postname titles and 6 prename titles. All your accomplishments from April will go toward unlocking these titles.
>>High End Scrip Shop: Prices
There are a few things here when we go into the pricing. The biggest concerns are always things like over-availability. We experiment a lot when it comes to pricing. Not just with pay events. But for Duskruin specifically, we try to let the market control itself, which is really hard to do. We get one shot to handle it properly. Look at Dark and Dangerous as an example of what can go wrong. Whether you think the price was fair or not, look at how we struggled with that one.
There is also a sense of panic when we release something we weren't confident to release in large quantities. After each run, we look at the numbers that sold and decide if we want to roll the dice again. Not in all cases we feel comfortable with giving it another try. We do not look at banked bloodscrip as a pricing structure for items. And millions aren't accumulated on single characters or even players. The circulation of bloodscrip isn't that deep.
Item pricing in the Scrip Shop is also not intended to be flipped in many cases. You look at the market in the beginning of the event, and yeah, those prices are tough to swallow if you're buying bloodscrip from other players. I saw people using 1500 silver per bloodscrip in a discussion. But come next week, it drops to under 1000 per bloodscrip. Every run has been the same. This is very normal in limited markets. Not just in this game.
>High End Scrip Shop: Rotate vs. Retire
I feel like I'm being confusing here, because I'm inside my own head when I talk about these things. Part of the reasons are described above why we might retire something. But one thing I know I'm not being clear on is rotating. That's on me and I apologize for that. Mostly rotate means to rotate to another event. Sometimes we might rotate them back into Duskruin after we solved why we pulled them in the first place.
I'll use two examples of items that feel good at Duskruin, but it's tough to solve the release distribution. VolnArmor and IthzirArmor. Both are high demand unlocks. Armor can have a lot of properties. Enchant, padding, TD, AS bonus, bless, flares, spikes, banes, temp (everything), and a bunch of other very specific things. We generally have to price things with many of those properties in mind. When we move into more automation, we have to account for it. We were going to try for that this run, but it's a lot of stuff, and it just didn't make it into the final production of Duskruin. Those two services are a bit better when we limit offerings by other means (raffles, auction, spinners, etc). Until we can solve that component, it's hard to offer those things at Duskruin at a price point that is more appealing to a wider variety of players.
>>Item Limits
The Scrip Shop has a one certificate per item rule, but the weighting, padding, and sighting area is not part of that. And the 25 services per item will make sense when more information is released there.
>>Closing Notes
I know the way I post sometimes comes off as arrogant to some of you. I'm not an arrogant man. I'm very humbled to be honest. I work on this game because I want to see it prosper. I work at all staffing levels personally and I'm very hands on. When I post something that you feel should not be said by the Product Manager, it's not that I'm being snide. I'm being honest with you. I don't sugar coat it or manipulate the words. Sure I spend some time choosing my words, but I rather be honest with you and myself. I could do what other companies do and have my responses go through some sort of QC and approval (if you didn't know that, now you do), but it would likely stifle communications pretty severely.
I know people don't play this game specifically for Duskruin. There are things you enjoy with GemStone IV outside this. If this event disgusts you or a specific aspect of this event disgusts you, I hope there is still enjoyment elsewhere in the game. I feel that we have people who get upset that OTHER people will buy items or have fun. I never understand that mindset, but it's real.
I want you guys to have fun. Focus on what is fun for you. Ignore the rest! Good words to live by even outside this game.
Wyrom, PM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 7147
Author: SIMU-WYROM
Date: 8/18/2017
Subject: Forging Slabs @ the arena
The forging slabs are separate from the arena ores. This works strictly like they worked at Ebon Gate, for bloodscrip. It was requested, we fulfilled that request.
Wyrom, PM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 7352
Author: SIMU-WYROM
Date: 8/20/2017
Subject: NEW VERB: DUSKRUIN
Hey everyone, I just rolled in a new verb, DUSKRUIN. This will give you your individual stats on how you've been doing in the sewers and arena starting April 2017. It will also tell you if you've earned an invite to the smithy. Enjoy!
Wyrom, PM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 7427
Author: SIMU-WYROM
Date: 8/21/2017
Subject: Promotional Drop: New Items in the Arena and Sewers
Starting in just a few minutes, new envelopes will drop in both the arena's winning packages and the sewers random searches. The envelopes will in most cases contain a small amount of bloodscrip. If you're lucky enough, you may find larger amounts of bloodscrip! There are other items that can be inside the envelopes, such as RPA orbs, magic items, and character customizations!
This promotional drop will last for the duration of Duskruin in August 2017.
Wyrom, PM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 7463
Author: SIMU-WYROM
Date: 8/21/2017
Subject: Arena and Sewers Update
I went ahead and removed the trolls (reskinned tomb trolls). They were regenerating all their health, which was not a side effect I wanted. You will find 2 new creatures that are new to the arena.
There was too much confusion about the 8 bloodscrip finds in the sewers, so I went ahead and eliminated the chance. Prior to this update, there was a 50% chance when you received 8 bloodscrip that it could be an envelope. Now it's a 100% chance to always be an envelope, instead of an 8 bloodscrip find.
Some other things...
Alexandrite automatons are now possible. This means all possible metals can be found for transmuting at this point.
Krodera automatons will not hinder spellcasters any more than normal.
Rarer automatons spawn rate has increased by about 50%.
Sewer caches are just a touch more frequent.
Enjoy!
Wyrom, PM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 7469
Author: SIMU-WYROM
Date: 8/22/2017
Subject: Bloodforge and Smelter Open
I've gone ahead and opened the bloodforge and smelter. The blacksmith assistant in the workshop is just a husk right now. You can go ahead and transmute pendants or try out the new smelter. The smelter area works like the one at Ebon Gate. Just 'ASK MINER about COST and ASK MINER about ORE.
We're still working on the smithy. More information will be posted about weighting/padding before the smithy opens.
Wyrom, PM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 7505
Author: SIMU-WYROM
Date: 8/22/2017
Subject: Booklet Sale at Duskruin Arena
In about 2 hours or so, we're going to offer a limited sale on booklets. You will be able to purchase a 50-count booklet for 10,250,000 silver. We will not be selling any other sizes of booklets or jars (note, you can use booklets for the sewers as well). There will be an in-game announcement just before this takes place.
Wyrom, PM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 7686
Author: GS4-RETSER
Date: 8/25/2017
Subject: Portal issues - Returning
The portals should now properly break up your group when leaving Duskruin if you didn't enter from the same location.
Retser, ASGM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 7711
Author: SIMU-WYROM
Date: 8/25/2017
Subject: Duskruin QoL Updates
Moments ago I went ahead and added a number of updates to both the sewers and the arena.
Sewer Update
The bandit caches now announce every cache that is found. Prior to this update, it was random whether or not it would announce a cache. Typically, only the bigger caches were announced. The smaller ones will also announce now.
Arena Update
The messaging you receive after a match will reflect the level of reward a bit better. Perfect wins will now boast about your achievements, if you have one of the champion post name titles unlocked.
Smithy Invites Update
The way invites are rewarded has been changed a bit. Invites now have a chance to be rewarded if you score high enough to get a piece of gear or jewelry, but do not fully win. The messaging update above will help indicate this as well. Your odds are greatly improved if you win though. And perfect wins are the best odds. You still have to live and not surrender.
Once the smithy goes live and you use your invites, I've added in some checks where over time, your odds will improve to get additional ones. Once you find one, it resets.
Bloodrune Stones and Archaeologist Update
Bloodrunes, while in stone form, can be TURNed to prevent them from being sold to the archaeologist NPC. It is up to you to TURN them to mark them.
Envelopes
A very rare prize can be found that will grant you access to the smithy. It will contain instructions on how to redeem it. Because the envelopes draw from the same prize pool, it can be found in the sewers or arena. Keep in mind, this is very rare. You will need to redeem it before this run of Duskruin closes up. If you already have an invite and want to hang onto this as a secondary invite (after you use your first), you can.
As for other prizes, obviously the most common are just the 2 extra bloodscrip. There are levels of extra bloodscrips, like 100, 500, 1000, 2500, 5000, and 10000. There are some RPA orbs. There is a few will-o'-wisps and amulets from Coraesine Forest (Field). There are a few unlock certificates for some of my fluff.
Wyrom, PM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 8060
Author: SIMU-WYROM
Date: 8/29/2017
Subject: Duskruin Extension Updates
Hey everyone, with the smithy opening late, we're going to do several things to make up for the time you were waiting.
Duskruin will stay open until September 4th at 11:59pm ET. The booklets and jars in the SimuCoin Store will stop being on sale at the end of the month (August 31st) at 11:55pm ET. The extension is mainly for shopping, but if you have booklets or jars after the 31st, you can continue to use them to run either the arena or sewers.
We're going to add 2 multi-setting, permanent gold rings for sale in the High End Scrip Shop. They will go on sale tonight. They will be made from rare materials.
I also realize many people bought certificates earlier on that were redeemed already. I know some of you have emailed me about changing what you had done due to the smithy's release changing your mind on what you'd like to do with your one service. For just this run only, due to the lack of information on the weighting/padding prices, if you want to redeem a second certificate on a single item, that is allowed.
Lastly, I've added a number of smithy invites to the envelope feeder. I've also added another special certificate that is good for +100 service points for padding only. Just follow the instructions on the certificate to get it redeemed, if you happen to find it. There are two of them total. This will be the only time we offer this at Duskruin. Good luck!
Wyrom, PM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 8144
Author: SIMU-WYROM
Date: 8/30/2017
Subject: More Extras
Starting tomorrow, we'll have some live action merchant work at Duskruin as a bonus offer this run to make up for some of the delays. This will include some services like general alterations, features, tattoos, and possibly some other services in line with what you'd find at a wandering merchant. Services will be very low cost in bloodscrip (between 100 to 500). Since the area will be open over the weekend and through Labor Day, you'll have several opportunities to gain some work!
Wyrom, PM
Arena
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 7313
Author: SIMU-WYROM
Date: 8/20/2017
Subject: Traps in the Arena and Lower Level Combatants
While nothing in the arena changed when it came to traps, I've gone ahead and changed the logic on how traps will activate. The update will appear to slow down traps by about 50% (or 2 seconds) on average.
Investigating some of the bugs that came through, I do want to help clear up some misunderstandings.
If the creature is disabled, the trap won't go off.
If you are disabled, it's a 100% success for the trap to hit you.
If the creature isn't injured, traps won't hit you.
In team arenas, it chooses a random person.
In team arenas, you only have to dodge once, not three times.
Traps taking you out of hiding is intended.
For combatants level 33 and under, there has been a reduction in health on opponents. For non-champions, that will be a reduction in about 33% of their health on average. For champions, it is between a 10% to 66% less health(earlier champions being 66%). This should also help low level team matches get to the halfway point a little easier.
Wyrom, PM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 7426
Author: SIMU-WYROM
Date: 8/21/2017
Subject: New Automatons
Several new automatons are now available in the arena!
You can run into black ora, gornar, urglaes, veniom, and krodera! Magic users, be very careful with the krodera automatons, they resists quite a bit of magic!
Wyrom, PM
Shops
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 7234
Author: GS4-HALISTE
Date: 8/19/2017
Subject: Spellbound Illusion Pins:
Water: Glistening water drops hover in a constantly shifting halo around him/her.
Steam: Churning droplets shroud him/her and glimmer faintly with the heat of a mirage.
Acid: A hazy miasma of verdant droplets swirls chaotically around him/her.
Mud: Muddy droplets churn in an earthen haze around him/her.
Sand: Golden sand whirls loosely around him/her in a hazy shroud.
Lava: Globules of molten rock form a dimly glowing halo around him/her.
~ Haliste ~
The Forest Gnome of Silverwood Manor
ASGM, Events
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 7493
Author: GS4-HALISTE
Date: 8/22/2017
Subject: Moon-phase Necklace
This item has been added to the inventory in Spellbound. This was a player request from April.
~ Haliste ~
The Forest Gnome of Silverwood Manor
ASGM, Events
High End Scrip Shop
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 7003
Author: SIMU-WYROM
Date: 8/15/2017
Subject: Minor enchant certificate
Enchant certificates are not returning this run. That was announced several times last run. Voln Armor unlock, Splitters, AsG changes, Animated Cauldron, and the censor are all items that are 100% retired.
Wyrom, PM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 7424
Author: SIMU-WYROM
Date: 8/21/2017
Subject: Certificate Redemptions
We have a lot of first time buyers this time around, so I want to make sure it's clear what sort of expectations on turnaround times are for this.
I try to redeem a bunch when we first open up the Scrip Shop. This was done, but not a lot of people who purchased redeemed that night. After that point, I'm usually absorbed with Duskruin for the opening weekend and the next day or so. I typically don't get to many of these until Wednesday. GM Haliste also may look for you in game to get your certificate redeemed as well.
These are very inefficient distribution methods, and one of the big reasons I want to move away from them.
Wyrom, PM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 7701
Author: GS4-HALISTE
Date: 8/25/2017
Subject: How about some Ithzir love?
Tomorrow around 2PM ET, I will have some Ithzir Armor certificates available in the Scrip Shop. These will be 50k BS each and will scale with each purchase. These will also be limited to 1 per account. The user will have his/her choice of which tree to unlock, initiated with TURN.
As a reminder, there are 4 tiers per tree, and only 9 total tiers can be unlocked.
~ Haliste ~
The Forest Gnome of Silverwood Manor
ASGM, Events
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 8288
Author: SIMU-WYROM
Date: 9/3/2017
Subject: Certificate Redemption
Since the event was extended, the final date to email me by (which is on the certificates you buy) will be September 10th (instead of the September 6th). This date is to get in touch with me. I'll also try to aim to have them all done by then too, but sometimes there is some back and forth or scheduling issues.
There was an extremely high turnout this run, and likely 4x the amount of certificates sold than any other run to date. I realize a lot of you have emailed for your redemption early on and may still be waiting. We're working through them as quickly as we can.
Wyrom, PM
WPS
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 7209
Author: GS4-ZISSU
Date: 8/19/2017
Subject: Weighting/Padding/Sighting - Cost Guidelines
Hi all,
We're pretty excited to announce details on the Weighting/Padding/Sighting mechanics (RSN!), but I know there was some concern for planning bloodscrip earnings so I wanted to drop by and give some very rough guidelines on cost. These are JUST guidelines, and what I give here will probably raise more questions that I won't be able to answer until later, so best to not make assumptions.
For padding a plain jane 6x armor:
Using 20 'services' will cost you 6125 bloodscrip
Using all 25 'services' will cost you 13825 bloodscrip
For padding 6x armor with some TD and some resistances:
Using 20 'services' will cost you 10500 bloodscrip
Using all 25 'services' will cost you 23681 bloodscrip
For weighting legit vorpal sword of doom (I'm talking borderline unobtainable stats):
Using 20 'services' will cost you 27765 bloodscrip
Using all 25 'services' will cost you 62700 bloodscrip
Happy Duskruin'ing!
Zissu - Combat and Magic Systems Dev Lackey
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 7212
Author: GS4-ZISSU
Date: 8/19/2017
Subject: Weighting/Padding/Sighting - Cost Guidelines
Cumulative - Yes. These are the summed cost of those amount of services.
Can confirm it is not 1pt of pad/weight/sight as you know it today, but that's all I'll say for now.
Zissu - Combat and Magic Systems Dev Lackey
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 7925
Author: SIMU-WYROM
Date: 8/29/2017
Subject: Smithy Price Quotes
The dwarven blacksmith assistant outside the smithy will now give you a quote on your items. Simply ASK ASSISTANT ABOUT SERVICES with the gear in hand. This does not require an invite and will give you an idea of bloodscrip costs so you're prepared for the smithy!
We will have the smithy fully available tomorrow afternoon.
Wyrom, PM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 8038
Author: SIMU-WYROM
Date: 8/29/2017
Subject: Duskruin Smithy Open!
Hey folks,
I've opened up the Smithy and you can now go ahead and purchase your services. I am currently updating the first batch of reported scripts and will post again when I have done so.
I have also added a new question you can ask the assistant about (ASK ASSISTANT ABOUT SPECIAL). If your item is scripted, the assistant will be able to tell you whether the script has been reviewed or not for costing purposes. If your script has not been reviewed and you feel the item's combat properties deriving from the script are not powerful enough to warrant the full cost modifier, please use the BUGITEM command targeting the item in question with the problem description of "Please review this item's script cost for weighting/padding/sighting."
Enjoy!
Coase
Night Shroud Cloak
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 7037
Author: GS4-RETSER
Date: 08/17/2017
Subject: For those that dwell in darkness...
Introducing, The Night Shroud!
As you swathe yourself in the blackened cloak, it seemingly shifts as it takes on a darker hue.
As an Ithzir adept attacks you a cyclone of shadows emerge from your blackened cloak. The shadows swirl around in an attempt to conceal you! You attempt to blend with the surroundings, and feel confident that no one has noticed your doing so.
About
This uses the hide system and will take into account the normal factors. It can flare/proc on cast or attack from a creature.
Those with at least 1x in hiding will get different messaging on some of the verbs.
The item has 1 fluff tier and up to 5 auction tiers. They are separate unlock paths.
Each auction unlock gives you a 1% chance to have your cloak attempt to hide you. This starts at 0% without any unlocks and maxes out at 5% at a maximum.
Where do I buy it?
They are somewhere in Bloodriven Village...
They won't be cheap and the unlocks are even less so. There will only be up to the 3rd auction unlock available this Duskruin; all of which will be a limited quantity.
Good luck!
Retser, ASGM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 7673
Author: GS4-RETSER
Date: 8/25/2017
Subject: Night Shroud Cloaks: Light & Deep change
I went back into the shop and changed all the cloaks off the shelf to be max light and deep.
If you purchased one and it is not max light deep yet, please place an assist and someone will apply it to yours.
If you purchased one and used waivers to L/D, please place an assist and someone will replace the used waivers as well as max L/D it.
Retser, ASGM
Forest Armor
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 7045
Author: GS4-HALISTE
Date: 8/17/2017
Subject: Forest Armor
Here's your chance to get some Forest Armor, which hasn't been available since Briarmoon Cove.
Oh, and there are unlock certificates available, too, for T2 (2000 BS), T3 (4000 BS), T4 (6000 BS).
Reminder: Forest Gnomes (yay!) get a small boost on the enhancive as well as the flare debuff. Each tier carries 1 enhancive/1 flare, and these are cumulative as the tier is increased.
~ Haliste ~
The Forest Gnome of Silverwood Manor
ASGM, Events
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 7076
Author: GS4-HALISTE
Date: 8/17/2017
Subject: Forest Armor
>you really did mean to include T4...
Yes, I did.
>option to add...
Not at this time.
>is it safe(-ish) to assume...
Nope, it's never safe to assume! T1 (OTS) armor is available for 3k BS. They are 5x.
~ Haliste ~
The Forest Gnome of Silverwood Manor
ASGM, Events
Parasitic Weapon
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 7060
Author: GS4-RETSER
Date: 8/17/2017
Subject: Parasite-Life 3 confirmed
(Parasite weapons and their unlocks are available again)
Retser, ASGM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 7075
Author: GS4-RETSER
Date: 8/17/2017
Subject: Parasite-Life 3 confirmed
Pricing, limit, and scaling will be the same. The scaling value will be reset back to the starting point
Retser, ASGM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 7132
Author: GS4-RETSER
Date: 8/18/2017
Subject: Parasite-Life 3 confirmed
10k weapon, 5k first unlock, 25k second unlock, 50k final unlock.
For this run there will be no hard cap on the second unlock. The limit of T3s is up to 5 now. T2 and T3 unlocks will still scale.
Retser, ASGM
Disguise Elixir item
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 7381
Author: GS4-KAIKALA
Date: 08/21/2017
Subject: The Messy Alchemist
As if you need more shopping...
This shop is now open along Gloam Pike -- a slipshod building. Hard to miss given its garish paint job.
There are some signs in the shop, but to alleviate confusion prior to buying: each of the items has 10 charges. At this tier, these are purely cosmetic in nature and should be considered illusory.
Very likely (but not guaranteed) I'll do a few second tiers during the week: those just allow a lot more customization in terms of displaying your features to better match up to the racial/culture/gender disguise you might be going for... i.e. Elanthian spy games.
~Kaikala
Topic: Duskruin
Message #: 7384
Author: GS4-KAIKALA
Date: 08/21/2017
Subject: The Messy Alchemist
>>Interesting stuff, any idea how often there would be chances to refill/recharge them?
Not positive yet, given how new they are... I suspect part of it will depend on demand. They're open for any merchant to do the recharge, though.
~Kaikala
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 7392
Author: GS4-KAIKALA
Date: 08/21/2017
Subject: The Messy Alchemist
>>Can I use these to sneak my way into Vaalorian citizenship? I'm sure if I have the right papers the guards will be so busy looking at them that they won't know a thing's amiss once the effect wears off, right?
Nawp -- just cosmetic ;) I don't want to promise anything and not be able to deliver -- but perhaps in the future as an expanded tier or somesuch will allow for that; that was one of the original intents of this project (going into areas that are race-restricted), but it ends up that there is a huge number (understatement) of things that need updating in order for that to be a reality. Cosmetic seemed a good compromise.
>>It didn't mesh well with my forehead gem or hairsticks at first but when I took them off and put them back on they were fine. However my old tattoo and additional feature line still displays as "her".
Aware of this! It may take me a bit to find a workaround to the his/her discrepancy in custom wording, but definitely want to try and get it as fixed as possible.
>>The talisman doesn't show up in my inventory either. Not sure if that's intentional.. would be awesome if it is!
It was intentional, yes. I'll take a look at whether a toggle is a possibility... but probably when I'm more awake.
>>Any chance you can put a mirror in the shop?
Will do at some point on Monday.
Also, a few people have already asked me about what Tier 2 is... once I've got the above kinks worked out, I'll post an analyze of Tier 2 so that you guys know what it is.
~Kaikala
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 7420
Author: GS4-KAIKALA
Date: 08/21/2017
Subject: The Messy Alchemist
>>How long do the illusions last? 8 hours of real time, or in-game time?
Real time on these, for whatever timing the items are set for (these ones just happen to be 8 hours).
>>Ate tier 2 unlimited use?!
Not necessarily. You can have a Tier 2 without it being unlimited, and you can have an unlimited Tier 1; unlimited use is independent of tier on these. Also, they are not for eating ;)
~Kaikala
Topic: Duskruin
Message #: 7541
Author: GS4-Kaikala
Date: 08/23/2017 07:30 AM EDT
Subject: Re: The Messy Alchemist
Fixes/notes and answers to some questions (some of these are emailed questions, but answering here for everyone's benefit):
Couple of things now in place now:
- Double features - should not be a problem now. If it is, absolutely bug it. SUPER THANK YOU to the people who did bug/report this -- it wasn't occurring in Dev, so definitely wouldn't have realized this was happening quite so soon without you.
- Aelotoi who had wings showing up while other races -- your wings will not show up in LOOK anymore, wooohoo! However, you will still have your wing verbs... for now...
- Gender items - gender pronouns within specific custom features not converting properly. LOOKing at a character should display properly now -- however, this is for LOOK only. Some feature items get set up based on the gender you are when you initially wear them -- the system should still display LOOK <character> properly, but if there's a mismatch, just remove said item and then put it back on. (Same goes for if there's a mismatch with verbs that the item does -- if it's a gender-based item, just remove/put back on). If it's still showing a mismatch in LOOK <character>, submit a bug report for me. Just bear in mind that there's only so much 'smarts' that I can build into the system for LOOK 'knowing' which words to switch out for the gender items -- if what you bug something beyond the capabilities of the elixir item, I'll let you know.
- Gender items - "general" spot tattoos that have 'his' or 'her' manually tacked on to the description. This should also now show up properly via the LOOK <character> display. Your underlying tattoo build will NOT change (nor will any show descriptions), though, so bear that in mind if you are using certain verbs on it. If you end up with a tatt that is still showing the wrong gender when someone LOOKs at you, submit a bug report.
- Item visibility - the elixir item will always be set to invisible when it is initially activated. You can now RUB while the item is active to toggle that on and off.
General note about bugging these. The majority of any outlier bugs at this point where the LOOK is concerned will be because of specific item/script conflicts. If you have a conflict where things aren't showing properly, definitely bug BOTH the elixir item AND the other LOOK-related item, and note in both that there's an issue with the disguise showing up properly -- that should help funnel things to me.
>>Given the nature of how they work, is there any possibility that they might be refillable in the future with alchemy-made elixirs? Pretty please!
I'm not sure on this. I have some other things I'd like to do with them first that will take priority before this can even be a consideration (and read: the other things I want to do are by no means small projects, so it may be a long while before I can say yes or no to this particular request).
>>How long does each use last for?
This is per item. The ones sold in the shop at Duskruin: each charge lasts for 8 in-game hours. You cannot toggle it on and off once the charge is in effect. There is a very small chance that the disguise will fall off early (to allow for awkward situations. Because there should be some IMO). Dying will absolutely cause the disguise to fall off. ANALYZE for the info on how long each charge lasts for.
>>Once out of charges, can they be recharged?
Yes. Any merchant is allowed to bring the items back up to their standard 10 charges. It's just a matter of finding one willing to do so. There will be some infrequent merchant opps to offer a higher number of charges. And just to reiterate here -- these are NOT CRUMBLY items. ANALYZE has this info.
>>Is there a way to get an unlimited use one? Will that be part of the services you are offering?
There is definitely a way to set them unlimited. It is not tied to their tier. I will look at releasing at least one or two before the festival closes -- likely it'll be tied into the Tier 2 offerings. Regardless of the tier, it will not be cheap. The ones off the shelf are pretty reasonable, I think -- but that's in large part due to their limited charges.
>>Well what about one sneaky step further, and instead of having "[Lord Vader] walks into the room." with an illusion on, how about it reflects our illusion and allows people to only see the illusion in the room instead of the actual character name.
>>IE: I drink my elixir to change my appears to a lanky half-krolvin. Instead of seeing [Lord Vader] just arrived in the room...And looking at me shows I'm a lanky half-krolvin.
>>What if instead it acts as the following after using the elixir: "a well dressed, lanky half-krolvin arrives in the room." And then people only see that, both with LOOK and in the room description.
Messaging everyone else sees when you walk into/out of a room showing race/etc. instead of your name -- I'm not sure if it's easily possible or not (and by easily, I mean doable at all by me). I can look at it eventually to find out either which way, but it's not a priority at the moment.
Messaging from LOOK AT <character name> not showing your name in the output, like some of the moonshard pendants -- technically possible. Will have to think on this one; either which way, it will not be available at Tier 1.
Messaging from the general room LOOK showing race/etc. instead of your name -- this one I can 99.9% say will not happen; there's simply way too much room for abuse here. With responsible players, not a problem; with griefers... this could easily become hugely problematic. Though I left .01% of uncertainty because if this ever changes, well... ;)
Hope that helps. I'll set a date/time for some Tier 2s (along with info on them and pricing) in the next day or two; expect it to be slated for sometime on the weekend.
~Kaikala
Topic: Duskruin
Message #: 8089
Author: GS4-KAIKALA
Date: 8/30/2017
Subject: The Messy Alchemist [Duskruin]
>>Kaikala - I'm guessing this fell by the wayside in the quest to squish bugs and life in general. (Thank you!) Do you have any updates on what T2 looks like, what to expect pricing-wise, and if any T2s and/or unlimited will be going out before Duskruin ends? (Or after, really, I'm not picky.)
Yes, of course ;)
Tier 2's ANALYZE (which is a 2-parter) is at the bottom of this post. In short, it lets you toggle on feature fields specific to the item while it's active (and toggling off just goes back to your regular features) for the LOOK; i.e. a feature "concealer" of sorts that replaces features in your LOOK rather than completely hides them so that you can deck out your race/culture/gender appearance to be totally different than your base features without having to rely on other feature items. Technically any merchant can set those feature fields for you once the item is unlocked (i.e. anyone has permission), but not every GM will be comfortable doing so (or may not necessarily be qualified to) due to how the item is set up. Just bear in mind that the features will need to follow regular feature alteration guidelines -- in their current form, these are definitely not meant to take the place of glamour tatts with all of the magical blue fire and demon wings and such ;)
We'll do 4 total Tier 2s this coming Saturday, all 4 with unlimited charges. 2 will be placed out in cert-equivalent form as first-come first-serve; the other 2 will be by raffle. That's for Prime. Plat will get 2 total, 1 of each method (and the price will get adjusted down slightly, in case ya'll Platters are looking into these at all). When I have the raffle set up, I'll post exact times for everything -- but I'm a PST night owl, so definitely do not expect these to go out early in the morning.
They'll be set at 35k BS (and the raffle will have, of course, a buy-in cost). Will include modifying the race/culture/gender option to your choice of appropriate setting(s) and getting the various feature fields customized -- i.e. making sure it's fully set up out of the gate for what you've got in mind.
Also, THANK YOU to the people who submitted bugs and/or were my guinea pigs for some of the more bizarre issues. As of Tuesday, everything bug-wise I've received so far should be squashed, but if you submitted something and it is still not showing properly for you, definitely feel welcome to get in touch so that we can hunt down what's up with it.
~Kaikala
The analyze is taken from the blue sapphire talisman in the shop -- this one is set to unlimited charges, Tier 2, but no features set in it yet -- should still give you the general idea.
G>analyze my talis
You analyze your blue sapphire talisman and sense that the creator has provided the following information:
DISGUISE ELIXIR ITEM - ANALYZE INFO
This is a Disguise Elixir item. Depending on its setup, it will change the appearance of the race, culture, and/or gender of a character. This is a temporary effect -- not a permanent change.
This item provides an aesthetic disguise without any mechanical benefits. It is Tier 2 (of 2 currently). It also allows for illusory features as part of the disguise. Note that these are only illusory via LOOK -- your base features will remain the same and will still be utilized by most verbs. The illusory ones must follow regular feature alteration guidelines. Any merchant may alter these, but they MUST be appropriate for the race/culture/gender that the item is set to.
To see what, if any, illusory features are set up, ANALYZE the item again within 15 seconds.
The talisman has unlimited charges and will never run out. Each charge on this talisman nets the character roughly 8 hours and 0 minutes of disguise time until the disguise is eliminated (either through naturally running its course, removing the item prematurely via PULL). There is a very rare chance during each charge cycle that the disguise will prematurely end on its own well before the full time has elapsed. Also note that death automatically ousts the disguise from a character.
The talisman is set up to place the following aesthetic attributes on a character. Altering these settings may only be done on rare occasions by qualified persons; it is not a general merchant service.
Race: Dwarf
Culture: Reznek Clan
Gender: Female
Currently you are able to try to PUSH (to activate), PULL (to deactivate), NUDGE (toggles tattoo visibility), TICKLE (toggles custom features visibility), GAZE, LICK, and RUB (toggles item's visibility while active) the talisman.
Aesthetic alterations to the item itself are acceptable -- they just must make sense for where the item is worn. Note that needles come out of the underside of the item, so nothing in the alteration should prevent that from logically occurring.
You get no sense of whether or not the talisman may be further lightened. G>analyze my talis You analyze your blue sapphire talisman and sense that the creator has provided the following information:
DISGUISE ELIXIR ITEM - ILLUSORY FEATURES
AGE DESCRIPTOR:
HAIR COLOR:
HAIR STYLE:
HAIR TEXTURE:
HAIR QUIRK:
EYE COLOR:
EYE CHARACTERISTIC:
COMPLEXION:
NOSE:
FACE:
HEIGHT:
BODY:
DMARK:
WINGS:
WINGQUIRK:
UNIQUE:
The above features WILL NOT show up in the LOOK. To toggle, use TICKLE on your talisman. Features marked with "none" will be blank -- this is only possible for features that are not required by the feature system.
Tattoos on your person WILL show up in the LOOK. To toggle, use NUDGE on your talisman.
ANALYZE again for main info.
Topic: Duskruin
Message #: 8248
Author: GS4-KAIKALA
Date: 09/01/2017 10:32 PM EDT
Subject: Re: The Messy Alchemist [Duskruin]
>>Will all T2s have unlimited charges?
No. Unlimited charges is completely separated from tiering.
>>Or is the unlimited charge a Duskruin thing only?
The unlimited charge is currently just the ones going out for raffle/FCFS with the Tier 2 unlock. There will not be any other unlimited offerings (nor unlockings to Tier 2) during this run. For the time-being, unlocks/unlimited are definitely a Duskruin-only thing. Recharging the OTS back up to 10 charges, however, can be done outside of Duskruin.
>>Is there also a way to upgrade OTS ones to Tier 2, unlimited at some point?
Sure, in theory -- but even then, it won't be a common offering. I truly have no idea how much actual (vs. perceived) interest there is in these -- how this set of raffles/FCFS goes will help give me a better feel for how many will go out the next time they're offered.
>>Can the race be something other than the normal PC races? Such as Storm Titan, for an example.
Not with this current set that's going out, no. The development for this script is currently focused on playable races. That doesn't preclude future offerings, but that's not what their focus is at this time.
~Kaikala
Topic: Duskruin
Message #: 8247
Author: GS4-KAIKALA
Date: 09/01/2017 10:13 PM EDT
Subject: The Messy Alchemist - Tier 2/Unlimited Raffle and FCFS Timing
Hey all,
Below is information on the few Tier 2/Unlimited upgrade options going out for the Disguise Elixirs found in The Messy Alchemist.
In both situations, the "win" is for upgrading an existing item. The upgrade includes: (1) set the charges to unlimited; (2) unlock from Tier 1 to Tier 2; (3) choose new race, culture, and/or gender settings; and (4) customize illusory feature fields.
Customization choices must be finalized by 9/6/17. If you know what you want right away after the win, awesome -- Rashiva will get as much done as she can before I her to need to run off to the next release set. If you don't know what you want right away, we'll converse via email as needed until that noted deadline.
Some notes on customizations: racial/cultural options are limited to existing playable races/cultures. If you're choosing a culture to be set with the item, it actually has to match up to the race on the item (or if you aren't choosing a race, note that only races that the culture applies to will be able to use the item) -- you aren't able to just suddenly become an Ardenai Halfling, sorry. If you're customizing any of the features, they must comply with ALTER.
I mentioned it before, but I'll mention it again -- the current set up is for playable races and mundane features (i.e. this release set is not meant to take the place of glamour tatts, crystals, legendary bloodrunes, etc.). So if you win and ask me to make you into a troll, or you want your elf to have butterfly wings in his features or blue flames running up and down his arms -- sorry, no. ALTER has the guidelines you'll need to follow. Don't go into this crossing your fingers that you're going to be able to get features that you shouldn't on this set of releases.
Raffle
The raffle to upgrade the Disguise Elixir to Tier 2 + Unlimited charges is set up in the shop in the Hallway (i.e. the second room). It's set up Wyrom-style -- i.e. you do not need to be logged in during the drawing, but it also means the time noted for the drawing is an estimation and may not be exactly exact since I have to manually draw. There's very basic information to read on the ticket, but in short:
- Plat Raffle: 1 winner. Drawing will be ~6:00p EST on Saturday, 9/2/17. Winners will need to pay 29k bloodscrip to redeem.
- Prime Raffle: 2 winners. Drawing will be ~7:00p EST on Saturday, 9/2/17. Winners will need to pay 35k bloodscrip to redeem.
FCFS
First come first serve will also go into the Hallway (i.e. second room). The times are rough estimates.
- Plat FCFS: 1 will be placed out. Will be in place ~8:00p EST on Saturday, 9/2/17. 29,000 bloodscrip.
- Prime FCFS: 2 will be placed out. Will be in place ~8:15p EST on Saturday, 9/2/17. 35,000 bloodscrip.
~Kaikala