Duskruin/saved posts July 2015
General Information
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 1374
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 7/11/2015
Subject: Duskruin Updates Discussion
I'd like to discuss the plans for Duskruin on the next run. Outside anything new added to the grounds, this is the last overhaul planned for the bloodscrip earnings structure.
Arena Updates
There will be a 250 cap on earnings. That cap will be achievable. Earning bloodscrip won't be about massacring everything as quick as possible. Time will still be an important element to being a top earner, but there will be more things at play when earning bloodscrip. Dodging the traps will play a minor role. Dying and surrendering will no longer have any penalties to your bloodscrip earnings, but will still result in no chance of a randomly created item in your prize package. Prize packages are also getting a small revamp to offer a little more variety. Losing will now earn a good showmanship bonus to bloodscrip, meaning people who can't always win will still have a chance to earn more depending on how long they last on their final opponent. For example, if you can't defeat the your 12th opponent and you had 3 minutes to defeat them, you'll earn for making it to the 12 opponent, for dodging any traps, and a bonus for lasting 3 minutes (dying/surrendering won't get you that bonus). The spells haste and rapid fire will be dispelled during the combat sequence of the arena matches. While they both offer an advantage, the reason is due to the crashes many of you experienced in the arena.
Ratacombs Updates
Bloodscrips earned while searching the Ratacombs will have a higher range of their value. It will still not compare to the arena, but it will be closer to the hopeful median. The random directions in the Ratacombs will be lessened with some more static areas to walk through.
Shop Updates
I will be going through the shops to try to make some items more appealing for purchase. The limited release items will be discussed as we get closer to the first run under these ravamped conditions.
~Wyrom, APM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 1440
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 7/22/2015
Subject: Platinum Beta Testing
I don't know why I haven't earned some of your trust (general you). We might not agree on some topics, but I think I've been a very fair with my rulings and forthcoming with information, not just with this event, but with the game as a whole. My goal here is to make the game a better place, and that usually starts with making sure it's fun. Speaking strictly about Duskruin, I wanted to address concerns with people who struggled. Unfortunately, I had to address the lag issue as well which was a blow to wizards. I actually have an idea I'm going to try to rush in to automate the disconnection issues so you don't need to chase down a GM for a replacement item. Hoping to have it ready for Friday (but it might not happen). That said, if we discover the lag/disconnect persists with the Rapid Fire being barred, I'll add it back.
Since this is going to be a hot topic, I guess I'll just lay everything out so you can make the decision if Duskruin is right for you.
Arena
+The arena is slower by about a second per "round" that is being cycled throughout your placement. This means you have about ten minutes to get through the arena instead of eight minutes.
++This does mean that creature clean up will be a second slower as well.
+There are a couple new creatures in the arena. Hobgoblins have moved to becoming champions where kiramon moved to being regular foes.
+Creatures have less bolt and ranged DS equivalent to a negative modifier of your level / 2. This means at cap, you'll see a reduction of 50 DS.
+Creature health has had a reduction across the board. Characters under level 10 still get the biggest bonus to health reduction.
+Hazards go off about twice as fast now, and there is no immunity for the first 30 seconds. Creatures will not use hazards until they are established as your enemy.
+Dodging a hazard will now injure the creature, giving players who might not be able to overcome an opponent a chance.
+Scoring is based on winning, killing, speed, and dodging hazards. If you don't win, your speed bonus changes to what I've named the showman bonus, which awards you bloodscrip based on how long you lasted. All four categories have a hard cap of how high you can score. I'll leave it up to you to figure out the range you score for each. The only way to score 250 is by winning. The temporary titles and item prize have been adjusted to be distributed at specific bloodscrip won. Exp and silver awards are equivalent (in some manner) to the bloodscrip you've earned. Prior to this, silver was randomized.
Ratacombs
+There are 25 less rooms in the Ratacombs and the maze layout shifts less often.
+Bloodscrip amounts are now displayed when you search, eliminating the need to LOOK to see what you got.
+Survival ranks will help you stay on your feet when entering and exiting the sewers.
+A small handful of new descriptors have been added to the rats (if you want another one, Cruxophim)
~Wyrom, APM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 1441
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 7/22/2015
Subject: Stil starting tomorrow night? Any word on the ultra-high-end stuff?
It starts Friday at around 9pm. It will be open until Sunday the following week (so 10 days). That means you have 2 whole weekends (not not two whole weeks).
~Wyrom, APM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 1566
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 7/24/2015
Subject: Schedule Update
>>So basically, those of us without 300k script now, still have a chance to get the script by next Sunday.
Yes, you'll have 9 days to try to knock that out.
I've received at least 3 emails on the subject since I posted the schedule update, and I 100% realize obtaining 300,000 bloodscrip in 9 days is impossible. While many of you want to achieve it on your own, there are plenty of people who will work in teams, buy and sell bloodscrip, and give it a college try to amass those numbers needed. That, coupled with at least 2 people on right now with more than 200,000 bloodscrip, I fear I just can't extend the timer beyond Duskruin's run. August will have some gear as well. I'll try to keep the high end loot exciting. Hopefully this limited release works. Who knows, maybe come August we'll do something else. Platinum will be playing a game of White Urgh (aka Dirty Santa or White Elephant), as well as having an auction for their stuff.
I do want to remind everyone about our POLICY 18 issues with scripting gaming. It's a zero tolerance thing for Duskruin. You'll be banned from the arena and Ratacombs and you will have all your bloodscrip confiscated on all accounts that have ever been linked to you. So don't be reading another website or using the bathroom while you're actively in the sewers or arena. No excuses will be accepted
~Wyrom, APM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 2350
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 8/27/2015
Subject: Spell Knowledge Enhancives
Hey everyone, as you all likely know, the ELR will be having some changes to how some spells work. I mentioned this before, but if your spell knowledge enhancive that you received from Duskruin's July release is affected, you can have the spell swapped out or you can be refunded the bloodscrip for the enhancive altogether. Please email me ASAP though.
I'll also be posting some additional information about spell knowledge enhancives shortly in the Items and Inventory topic.
~Wyrom, APM
Arena
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 1379
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 7/11/2021
Subject: Duskruin Updates Discussion
>>Re: Dispelling
Both spells will be dispelled at the beginning of every 3 second interval that the arena mechanics use. I plan on testing it some, but I might be able to leave 506 alone. The problem really boiled down to 515.
>>I am looking forward to relearning a new arena, but you mentioned 12 opponents and at least 3 minute timer for one opponent with speed bonuses sounding reversed like the first release.
The timer is a total timer, and that was the case last time. So you have 6+ minutes to defeat all 25 opponents. You can spend the entire time on one opponent if you're not very good at killing.
~Wyrom, APM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 1394
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 7/13/2021
Subject: Teaser: New Arena Mechanic
You appraise the situation and notice the kobold servant may press you into a spike, you could try to lean out of the way!
You set yourself up to lean out of the kobold servant's way!
A horned kobold servant raises his fists to the sky.
A horned kobold servant rubs his hands together!
A horned kobold servant suddenly looks more powerful.
A horned kobold servant spins around repeatedly and then whines, "Oh nooooes! Where'd that rolton go?!"
A horned kobold servant attempts to press you into a spike, but you lean out of the way!
... 20 points of damage!
Attack punctures the eye and connects with something re.ally vital!
The kobold servant crumples to the floor motionless.
The deep blue glow leaves a horned kobold servant.
The light blue glow leaves a horned kobold servant.
The powerful look leaves a horned kobold servant.
G>
An announcer boasts, "Combatant Wyrom vanquished the kobold servant!" A gornar-shackled ogre lumbers in and drags the servant out of the arena, ridding him of any lodged projectiles or equipment!
G>
An announcer shouts, "Send in another one!" An iron portcullis is raised and a craggy fog beetle enters the arena!
~Wyrom, APM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 1400
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 7/21/2015
Subject: Platinum Beta Testing
506 and 1035 are still intact. But the stress test needed to know if they are okay won't be present in Platinum.
~Wyrom, APM
>>They call him Wyrom, not afraid to get dirty; work all day, in game by 5:30; loresongs eloquent, item embellishment, double speed development... ~Silvean
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 1402
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 7/21/2015
Subject: Platinum Beta Testing
>>Oh, good to know, Wyrom. You threw a pretty fat nerf at bolting wizards when you removed rapid fire. Aside from the immolate (which requires heavy fire lore to be effective!), wizards don't have spells that bypass huge health pools if they can't crit kill with a standard AS bolt attack. Some of those champions in the previous arena required hundreds of mana. It simply wouldn't be feasible without a better way to conserve mana on the easier opponents. Rapid shock filled the gap nicely. Now? Well, hopefully if we can't hit them we can use this new mechanic to gain a crit kill at least.
No, the champions aren't crittable, but 20 of the 25 creatures are. The issue with Rapid Fire isn't to nerf a profession, it's a performance issue that was arising when people were pounding the arena. Only people who were scoring over 240 bloodscrip were causing the issue.
But I'm not a terribly big fan of woe is me arguments when there are tools not being utilized. I'd not consider myself a veteran wizard player, so very limited tactics. No third-party software, no macros, no scripts, I set out as a level 92 wizard only 1x in HP to test how hard it would be as a wizard. I didn't use SIGNS of SYMBOLS. I did prepare and make about 10 imbeds and made sure I had an arsenal of wands fully recharged. I rarely had an issue with mana concerns. First few times I was missing the speed bonus being maximized, but after about 3 more times I was able to get into swing of things and hit the cap on the speed timer (yes there is a cap this time so it's not AS pressing to finish each creature in 3 seconds).
Given that, if I were to add 515 back in, it would come with a disclaimer that by using that spell, any disconnects or freezing issues that you experience in-game would result in no refunds of any bloodscrip or dueling slips. My only concern are other players who get booted due to it. From my understanding though it's not actually a game performance issue coming from our end. It's something to do with Lich in the room checking conditions. But I don't know what.
~Wyrom, APM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 1415
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 7/21/2015
Subject: Platinum Beta Testing
In my testing, I mostly used spells at everything but champions. Once a champion came out, I tossed down a few disablers and switched to wands only. A champion typically wiped out an entire gold or metal wand (I used stock stuff at full charges). I could leech early arena foes, so I was pretty much at max mana until around round 15. Toward the end I was nearly tapped entirely on mana, but that's without using signs or symbols. If I was using sign of wracking, I'd be set for sure.
Switching gears to a 15mil post cap rogue (a copy of my character), if I removed my stamina regen enhancives, I actually struggled. I disable a ton in the arena, so I couldn't keep my stamina up and popped my muscles at least 3 times (I carry some imbeds to fix that). I have a hard time hitting the 243 number from the previous run of the arena. I didn't test this time as a rogue. I think just capped archers probably have the hardest time in the arena.
Anywho, the arena isn't suppose to be a walk in the park. Even with all the alpha testing and beta testing, it never prepared me for how hardcore people in Prime would be. And like I said, this (hopefully) last update to the arena mechanics will be good. It's not easier than last time, but you can slow down a little and enjoy yourself. I don't think many people in Platinum have really figured out how to hit the 250 cap in bloodscrip. There is a whole new thing involved to get the final 40 points.
~Wyrom, APM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 1422
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 7/21/2015
Subject: Platinum Beta Testing
>>I have to say this is a false argument or I question whether you really tested those champions. Wracking wasn't really a possibility at all, even with max stats, skills, enhancives, and max offensive spells (over 600 sustainable AS) because of the champion's high AS and the fact that if you wracked, bolt AS plummets. More than a handful of those champions weren't able to be immolated at all, so a bad luck of the draw on the champion and you could be stuck twiddling your thumbs trying to stay turtled for several minutes until your spirit regenerated.
You can certainly question my testing. I've documented over 500 hours of coding and testing into Duskruin. Question all you'd like. The champions from Duskruin are akin to the end boss at the Necropolis. In fact, the code is about 90% the same. I ran into trouble a few times, I died a whole lot during my testing as several professions. But to say it's not possible and still shoot down the feasibility to use wands is kind of odd to me. I was able to save myself hundreds of mana using wands.
>>I would ask you to test a capped wizard and see how things generate. Even with all of the aforementioned spells and skills, at 3x HP, 2x mana control, and carrying an unlimited supply of charged blue crystals, rapid fire was necessary to grind through 25 champions with my items and mana, and I won't even mention how many enhancives I've had for years burned out.
You only have 5 champions, the other 20 can be crit killed. This has been the case ever since there were 25. In the original set up, all 5 were crit-proof.
>>I don't consider a fully charged wand per every champion to be sustainable. There are bandaids and then there are crutches and this is even beyond that. That's like suggesting I should have carried a stock of 6000+ charged wands just to get through the normal grind of the arena.
Why? I used about 5 a whole match. It's an extension of my mana pool. The bigger issue was you couldn't sacrifice seconds to score high. That's been altered so the time bonus isn't so crucial.
>>Given that I experienced MAYBE 3-4 disconnects over 1200+ runs, to say that people are taking advantage of the lag and getting reissued slips sounds beyond ridiculous. I'd honestly rather have lag than deal with no rapid fire. No, I don't use Lich, and no, I don't just sit on the enter key to spam rapid fire or script it so it does any more damage to other people's lag time than normal hunting does with a few casts per creature.
No one is taking advantage of the lag. But people who aren't casting the spell were also experiencing issues. And Rapid Fire might not be the only cause. Platinum doesn't generate enough interest to really help me stress test it. I'm the one that needs to make the tough decisions to help fix the issue. We might get to Prime and find out it's also Haste. I hope it's not.
>>Yes, adding a game within the arena game may be fun, but to say we should "slow down a little and enjoy ourselves" is also a bit hypocritical given the sheer amount of grinding that any decent item takes to acquire. Most people don't have MORE time to put into the arena, however fun it may be. Maybe you're saying everyone should buy even less stuff, but then just say that instead of saying we should be happy to just take longer to get it, because that's not achievable for many.
The event was never intended to be a grind-fest. In fact, the higher end items were added after player interest. Most things can be purchased after a few simple matches. Obviously "decent" items are going to vary, but buying a single item compared to a dozen is a lot different, as well as a player decision. We're glad that many of you enjoy this set up. But it's definitely not hypocritical of me to say my main interest is that you're entertained. That comes first in my book. The event started as a social experience, with people being able to watch you in the arena. My goal is to make sure it stays there for a lot of you. Some of you are going to enjoy the hunt for the best items. We're offering that too.
>>I just don't understand the idea that the goal here is getting through the grind. I get it from the player's perspective, because that's the task that was presented, but is grinding supposed to be fun now? Can't we go back to pay quests that are more entertainment and less grind? I guess we're suckers for it since we all apparently are willing to pay for it, but I'd much prefer something more entertaining in an arena environment and less grindy.
Pretty sure I've answered this already, but it's not intended to be a grind. It's a cheaper social event that allows you to buy in to the level you care for. We've had a lot of events over the years. And we'll continue to make things that please different people. Not every event is for every player.
>>So are they beta testing the new limited release items? Any hints on what we can expect that is new(or changed) in the shops?
No, they aren't beta testing shops. They didn't get the shop updates. Those come Friday for all instances.
>>Or any talk about the new limited high end item(s)?
I'll be posting about that tomorrow and how it will all work.
>>I don't know what to say. You seem to have ignored a key part of my question toward you. The fact that you seem to have relied entirely upon bolt spells to do your killing in the arena indicates to me that you never encountered any champions that were unhittable by bolts. How is it possible that you did not encounter this but I did when I have just about the highest bolt AS a wizard can possibly have?
I never tested this as a wizard (much) prior to the updates. But the updates have made champions a little more manageable. Also, there is a new feature that does help offset some issues (but they can be time consuming). I've mentioned this a few times. All the creatures are a little more manageable in the arena. No, I haven't given you all the details, but some of it will be seen in just a few days. I don't think the majority of Platinum players have discovered all of the tricks though.
~Wyrom, APM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 1579
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 7/25/2015
Subject: Updates
First of all, big thank you to everyone who helped test some things tonight. It was extremely helpful.
So here are some updates.
+Due to solving some arena lag issues, you were regaining 1 second per "round" in the arena, which made the arena about 100 seconds quicker (the ACTUAL time it should have been). So the intro messaging has been updated to state you have about 8 minutes, not 10. The exact is about 8 minutes and 15 seconds +/- 15 seconds.
+Grasp from the Grave has been disabled from the arena. Anything that is a creature by nature cannot be in the arena.
+Rapid Fire has returned, but for wizards only.
To help clear up some misconceptions, the dodging traps bonus (which is needed to score 250) doesn't require you to wait for it to happen. You just need to do it.
Good luck in the arena!
~Wyrom, APM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 1653
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 7/28/2015
Subject: Please do not allow 720 in the arena
Okay, open voids, webs, darkness, and light will all properly be cleaned out when entering an arena. Please post any ill behaviors, since this was a quick fix while I was doing a few other things.
~Wyrom, APM
Shops
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 1537
Author: GS4-TAMUZ
Date: 7/23/2015
Subject: A teaser
We've also added some items that may appeal to more RP-centric characters instead of purely mechanically-inclined prizes. Spellbound is now home to a new tome and codex which are chock full of verbs to help you express yourself!
For example...
Tamuz flicks a bit of dust from a page of his leather-bound tome.
Tamuz flips through the pages of his leather-bound tome.
Tamuz gazes intently at a page of his leather-bound tome, lost in thought.
Tamuz moistens his fingertip with his tongue and slowly turns a page of his leather-bound tome.
Tamuz emphatically pokes a finger at a page of his leather-bound tome.
Tamuz turns his leather-bound tome over and shakes it vigorously, but it seems there's nothing stuck between the pages.
Tamuz turns a page of his leather-bound tome.
Tamuz pulls a small stylus from the binding of his leather-bound tome, scribbles something on a page, then puts the tool away.
Tamuz slams his leather-bound tome shut with a loud THWAP!
Tamuz drums his fingers on his leather-bound tome, lost in thought.
And that's only half of the verbs available on them!
___
ASGM of Events and Festivals
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 1580
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 7/25/2015
Subject: Spellbound
The wands and rods in Spellbound cast multiple spells at once.
an entwined three-stranded vaalorn rod - Casts 401, 406, and 414 1x a day
a rune-carved fireleaf wand - Casts 611, 511, and 419 1x a day
an entwined iron and bronze rod - Casts 417 and 119 5x a day
an entwined white and green crystal wand - Casts 509 and 606 2x a day
The tome and codex are fluff (with a ton of verbs).
The jars and bottles are the same as last time.
The parchment and such behind the brick are premade spell preps.
~Wyrom, APM
High End/Limited Items
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 1443
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 7/22/2015
Subject: Limited High End Items
So we have a handful of items we'll be selling in limited quantity. But I know there has been a lot of concern to how this will work. Well, good news. It's not a set number of items. So the faster fingers aren't going to win the arms race here.
How it will work is, Sunday afternoon (ET) I will put out the rare items. You will have a couple of hours to decide and make your purchases. The schedule is tentatively from 1pm to 3pm on July 26th. Any items that don't sell will be offered at another run.
So the items?
| Item | Price* | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Spell knowledge certificate | 300000 | Create an item or use your own to make a spell knowledge enhancive. The spell list to choose from has some limitations, but not many. |
| Coin hand certificate | 250000 | Create a coin hand from your own flesh! Description will be [a something][your race][hand]. Don't want to use your own hand? No problem, we can find something more to your liking. |
| Blink certificate | 175000 | Create a 5x "blink" weapon. Most weapon profiles allowed with exception to naginatas, katanas, and claidhmores. |
| RotFlare certificate | 125000 | Add RotFlares to a weapon of your choice. Some exceptions would be a "blink" weapon or fusion. Others may exist on a case-by-case scenario. |
| * Item price may be subject to change before they are placed out for sale. | ||
~Wyrom, APM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 1548
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 7/24/2015
Subject: Info on non-limited high end items
>>How about those pirate harnesses? Would you consider lowering the cost or upping the capacity?
They hold 50lbs, which is already pretty over the top. And they were fully unlocked with special features. I think the price was actually low on them. They aren't here this run, but if there is any demand, I can bring them back.
>>If these limited items aren't really limited why can't they be just put in the shops to buy? Why do you need to set a date for purchase?
We are limiting it still. This way anyone who comes short of typing BUY ITEM before the other person still walks away with the item. The window is 2 hours to try to accommodate personal schedules. Like I said in the previous discussion, it's a breath of fresh air for limited releases.
>>Maybe we could see those in the August list?
Item development, coding, and QC unfortunately needs way more lead time than 4 weeks. I don't think we'll see something like this at this venue.
~Wyrom, APM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 1553
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 7/24/2015
Subject: Schedule Update
I've thought long and hard. I'm going to put the certificates out the first Sunday, but only from 2pm to 3pm ET. I will then put them out again the following Sunday (8/2) at 9pm until we close (which I believe is 10pm) ET. While the layaway, downpayment, and being overly lenient methods are desired, I feel this is still the proper direction to go. It's not intended for everyone who wants one of these items to get one. It's intended to be something very rare still. I think allowing the items to be purchased during the last hour of this event will open it up to many others though.
Because of this update, I am going to put a HARD DEADLINE of August 5th on the certificate redemption. There will be instructions on the certificates. If you plan to be out of town, out of reach, or simply away from GS after you purchase that certificate and do not attempt to redeem it by that deadline, the certificate will be forfeit. If we pass the deadline date because of legitimate reasons, such as we can't find a qualifying item after something gets rejected, you've had something terrible come up, or you accidentally fall into a time rift and find yourself in a quest to save the universe, then we'll be okay about the deadline passing.
~Wyrom, APM