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
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 #: 7381
Author: GS4-KAIKALA
Date: 8/21/2017
Subject: The Messy Alchemist [Duskruin]
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
High End Scrip Shop
High End Scrip Shop/shop list August 2017/saved posts
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
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
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