Duskruin Arena/saved posts
March 2015
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 11
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 2/27/2015
Subject: Options to buy more
The arena is PvE. So you fight through a progression of creatures and deal with random hazards!
I had hoped to get info tonight, but I'll try for tomorrow.
~Wyrom, APM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 20
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 2/28/2015
Subject: Duskruin Arena - A Primer
Creatures scale to level, yes. Creatures are "tough" though, and have hit points depending on scale grouping.
~Wyrom, APM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 125
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 3/7/2015
Subject: Duskruin Arena Testing
>>Btw, Wyrom, will there be the possibility of teams fighting team foes or is this purely solo???
Just solo. Maybe down the road. But not for the initial release.
~Wyrom, APM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 141
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 3/8/2015
Subject: spell restrictions?
>>The creatures in the arena are typically much higher level than you (10+) so that limits the effectiveness of some spells.
Capped people will see the highest leveled creatures. It scales downward for lowbies (but everything is technically either like level or a bit higher).
>>Do demons and animates follow in?
No. No companions of any sort can go inside.
~Wyrom, APM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 212
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 3/20/2015
Subject: Quick suggestion.
>>Thus far I LOVE the arena but would it be possibly to add a visible timer in when we're fighting? I'd like to get a general sense of how long I've been in there if I need to eat herbs and stuff.
There is a 30 second warning that is now in bold. I'm a little leery on adding anything more due to how the arena works.
~Wyrom, APM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 274
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 3/21/2015
Subject: Question - crits in the arena
The crits/bleeding out feature is intended. That's why it says they may feign death. You can still crit them, but it takes a massive amount of damage. It's one of the few ways I could ensure the battles be challenging.
~Wyrom, APM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 297
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 3/22/2015
Subject: Arrows
>>Anyway, just bringing it to your attention. I've just now finally gotten to tinker around in here, so I don't have much else to add at this point. Overall, this is very fun and exciting. I'm enjoying it all, thank you.
Sadly it's intentional for the creature to be pulled away.
~Wyrom, APM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 349
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 3/24/2015
Subject: Duskruin Feedback
Since the area is shut down for the night, I wanted to take a moment to address some feedback I've been hearing in various areas.
>>Re: Difficulty
I understand that difficulty isn't the same between all professions and levels. It's one of the hardest parts of balancing something like this and the Necropolis from EG. This was one of my biggest motivators to make bloodscrip a physical item so you weren't locked into using a single type of character.
The reason you can lop off the creatures head over and over is just a lack of control over the damage system and how I've turned off crits. Yes, I know you can still crit things, there are certain quirks to the system. But this is an attempt to level the playing field.
>>Re: Progression of creatures
I struggled with how to handle the matches for this event. It's probably the biggest reason for the delay in release. The original code was a one-on-one match against a VERY hard champion. You had up to 5 minutes to defeat it. You earned "crowd favor" points for doing feats in the arena. Don't think to yourself, "Oh that sounds so cool!" It was a guess the verb game through a rotating stock of verbs every 3 seconds, and spamming every single one of them caused you to lose points. There were subtle cues on which to use, via SENSE. It's something I hope to get back in after I can work out the horrible kinks. This would allow there to be SOMETHING else to do while you are in the arena. But doing this will also mean the time bonus will be changed dramatically and the bloodscrip earned will need to be re-calculated. I'm pretty proud of that formula I made. I read someone mentioned it "isn't good business" but actually it's the delicate weight of time and money. You can earn more by spending more time in the arena. Since both are a commodity, those that have more time than money can still maximize their profits.
>>Re: Different matches
If you look at the artwork, you'll see it's called Duskruin Arena: Bloodgames. That's because I do hope to revisit other types of matches. We came up with 3 forms of the event. One match scenario where you fight many creatures was definitely something I'd hope to do, and challenge players against each other for high scores. Not PvP, just a scoreboard. I talked about that in Platinum a little. I wanted it functional for this portion of the event, but no dice there.
Having multiple creatures and multiple characters in the arena at a time is just something I don't think I can work in without completely redoing all the mechanics. And I don't see that happening this time. Sorry on that!
But I missed 3 deadlines for Duskruin, and continually second guessing the mechanics were something I had to stop. And I always knew we'd have another form of the event, so I saved the idea for that.
'>>Closing notes
So I kind of explained a lot of the inside details on everything. If and when we change the arena mechanics, it would be on a reboot, not in the middle of the run. The competition form of the event (scoreboard) won't really be much different than what you're seeing now, just another set of arenas you can enter for a different challenge. We'd likely keep both forms (the one you're seeing now and a new secondary challenge) out for you to enjoy, you just pick which you'd like.
I don't foresee the second form of this event happening anytime soon. But giving mini challenges during the arena matches is something I hope to address in April.
~Wyrom, APM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 352
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 3/24/2015
Subject: Duskruin Feedback
>>Not sure what I would change, but in my opinion the traps need to be toned way down.
Yeah, and the mini challenges will be a way to do that. But as it stands now, it's intended to go off the wall crazy toward the end because it's the risk of trying to maximize bloodscrip. I hope Roblar doesn't mind me talking about it, but his top score in Prime of 224 was an insane battle. He waited to the 30 second limit and got disabled pretty badly. I was thinking he was done for due to being RT locked. And literally, with less than 3 seconds before he lost, he berserks and wins. To score a perfect 225, you'd have to do that EVERY time at the end of each round, which I don't think is very feasible. And for that reason I think 224 will likely go untouched with the current setup.
~Wyrom, APM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 447
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 3/29/2015
Subject: Duskruin Feedback
I just rolled an update into the live instances that will help speed up the intro. If you've got the Duskruin Arena Hero, Heroine, or Champion title displaying, it will skip the introduction and jump right into combat within about 3 - 6 seconds! No more waiting out the whole minute intro after winning a match.
~Wyrom, APM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 479
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 3/31/2015
Subject: Critical Feedback Needed
After watching over hundred matches the last couple of days, and hearing a lot of the concerns for the arena comparing to the sewers... I'm thinking of moving away entirely from the current setup for the arena matches. While the math works, it's still too slow, and the herb munching was never an intended feat.
My goal is to change the arena to be a kill count match. You keep going until the time limit is up, you die, or you surrender. The time would be drastically reduced to 5 minute matches. I'll also look into ways to offer mini challenges during the matches to aid people who want to avoid hazards.
What I want to know from all of you is, would you welcome this change?
~Wyrom, APM
May 2015
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 614
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 4/27/2015
Subject: Arena and Ratacombs Updates
I'm excited to say I've spent the remaining amount of my sanity on some Duskruin Arena updates! HOORAY!
Just kidding, I never had sanity.
The arena matches are much more action packed now. No more herb munching and waiting an obnoxiously long time to maximize your bloodscrip. Matches will be roughly 6 to 7 minutes long where you face 25 creatures one-on-one. Every 5 matches you'll face a champion similar to the champions in the previous version of the arena. There are over 20 new creatures in the arena to face. Most creatures can perish to a critical blow, outside the champions. You earn bloodscrip for each creature you kill. You also earn a bonus if you defeat all 25 creatures in the time limit. Dying no longer incurs a bloodscrip penalty, but surrendering still does.
I've also introduced new hazards. I removed the darts, arrows, spiked ball-and-chain, and boulders. Hazards can now be avoided in a small mini-game during arena matches. I will leave it to you to figure it out. It's not terribly hard, and the term "mini-game" probably is an exaggeration of what it is. But it adds flavor. Hazards are a little more deadly though.
You can now earn a time bonus too that works in a more favorable way. The quicker you make it through, the higher the bonus. You can earn a max of 225 bloodscrip plus the time bonus.
The Ratacombs have also had a minor update. It seems more wildlife has escaped into the sewers, as well as some other sort of rats. So you may find something different this time around. There are also some minor obstacles in the sewers when you SEARCH to add some flavor.
We'll be relaunching this Friday and staying open for a week.
~Wyrom, APM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: [1]
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 4/28/2015
Subject: Arena and Ratacombs Updates
>>Do the traps still get progressively more challenging later in the match? Or are they the same level of mini-game 'skill' throughout?
You get a 30 second leeway where they are VERY slow. After that, it's random throughout to when they can fire. You can prevent them 2 different ways. Through the mini-game or by simply disabling the creature. I don't want to give too much about the mini-game away just yet.
>>Any teasers on the new limited item, or any new items?
Yes new items. I'll tease after we set the shops back up.
~Wyrom, APM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 638
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 4/30/2015
Subject: Deeds
One thing I changed this time is the need for deeds. You lost deeds in the arena, but you incurred no penalty if you had none. If you have no deeds, your death will be treated like a normal death, and you'll drop all your spells. Stock up, or Lorminstra awaits!
~Wyrom, APM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 647
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 5/1/2015
Subject: Projectiles (Ammo and Thrown Weapons)
I updated the arena mechanics to discard lodged arrows and thrown weapons before the creatures are pulled from the arena. They will be dropped to the ground where you stand. Make sure to grab them before you're moved or you die!
~Wyrom, APM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 684
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 5/1/2015
Subject: Traps
>>If there's a mini-game or some methodology to avoiding the traps, there needs to be a hint or some sort of indicator that I can avoid it. I've tried Duskruin twice tonight and each time I'm mowing through opponents only to be randomly insta-gibbed by being pushed onto a pike. No messaging indicating I'm near a pike or being pushed toward a pike or pike-adjacent. Just "Wham, you're dead, go home."
It says it in the intro. But you have to think about it. If you need to see the intro again, TITLE CLEAR [title] so you can see it. Or set your prename titles.
~Wyrom, APM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 736
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 5/3/2015
Subject: More Updates
Okay, based on feedback I made some updates. Also, due to the quantity vs quality argument, I've made changes to loot in the Ratacombs.
Arena
- Creatures that are bound should stop causing the hazards.
- RT locked creatures will still be able to fire off the hazards.
- Extra death messaging with no deeds is resolved (you weren't dying more, it was just being silly).
- Matches are roughly 8 minutes, not 6. This hasn't changed, but the intro messaging reflects this.
- If a GameHost or GameMaster enters your arena, it will pause the match briefly (not the creature), but they need to leave, and you need to ASSIST or REPORT when you're done.
Ratacombs
- >The sewage sweeper doesn't strike much at all anymore. It should be a rare occurrence. And it doesn't ever take you to the starting spot. This NEVER uses up a search attempt. Just because I said rare doesn't mean it can't strike twice in a trip. It can happen, but not that often. This is a 1% chance now.
- I've decreased the number of loot you can find in a single trip into the Ratacombs and stabilized the loot to not be so random. Loot drops at a rate of 10% of all searches. As an FYI, this is now better than anything you experienced on opening night last time. Loot is still random though, like a slot machine (this is the nature of GS). There will still be times you don't win great things, but you have better chances at a jackpot find now.
~Wyrom, APM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 781
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 5/4/2015
Subject: More Updates
Added some safeguards for characters level 10 and below so creatures don't have an overwhelming number of health. Some creatures do have higher attack strengths though.
Fixed a typo in the intro.
Gave the ability for creatures to spawn with more mana.
~Wyrom, APM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 818
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 5/5/2015
Subject: Hazards in the Arena
I've added one more sanity check where creatures won't fire off a hazard as soon as they enter the arena.
~Wyrom, APM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 913
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 5/9/2015
Subject: Max Bloodscrip Achievable in the Arena
It appears that right now, the max you can gain is 243. You could, technically, get to 245 with some extreme luck. When testing this, we can get to 250 when we are in GM mode, which is the figurative cap. However, getting 225+ bloodscrip regularly is not intended.
On the next reboot, the bloodscrips you can earn will be a little more tightly defined into a normal distribution, where earning closer to the max should be a σ of 3.
~Wyrom, APM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 1002
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 5/11/2015
Subject: What is going on here?
Traps intentionally take you out of hiding. That's working as intended. The hazards have been toned down way lower than I would have liked. So while I can understand the frustration if you can't figure out the mini-game puzzle, it's really easy to avoid now.
~Wyrom, APM
Topic: Duskruin Arena
Message #: 1182
Author: GS4-WYROM
Date: 5/20/2015
Subject: Don't bother with Arena for a low level caster (10 or so) - Scaling it terrible
Lots of assumptions and anecdotal information being thrown around here. So guess it's time to squash that. Characters under level 25 actually had a lot easier of a time in the arena. Champions spawned by characters 25 and under had 1/3rd the amount of blood as a capped character. Characters level 10 or under always got an extra bonus of making every creature that spawned in the arena with 100 less blood (that's on top of that 1/3rd for champions).
Creature level is always determined by progression in the arena, but the first 5 rounds creatures are between -3 to 1 level higher than the player. It slowly scales up until the last 5 rounds, where it's between 5 and 10 levels.
Earning 200 bloodscrip means a player managed to kill all 25 creatures. Anyone scoring 192, managed to kill 24. Each creature was worth 8 bloodscrip. This is changing in the next variation of the arena to add more emphasis on a few different factors of the challenge. The time bonus is going to be greatly reduced, but you'll have chances to earn other bonuses. The cap will still remain 250, but this time it will be achievable. The reason the arena's figurative 250 isn't able to happen is because you're losing on average 35 seconds for creature clean ups and the new creature entering.
I think those that felt underwhelmed because they couldn't complete the arena or struggled with defeating all 25 will feel a little more confident in the next edition.
~Wyrom, APM