04-15-2012, 12:50 PM
The changes will be applied in the form of an extensive testing area on the live server tonight.
Updated changes:
- Weapon damage changes will not be included in the region controlled testing for scripting reasons. They are minor though, just bear in mind that spears and axes will not be doing their additional ~+10% damage.
- The way mana adjustments work by region is buggy, the spell checks against its global value to decide if it can be cast, even if there is a new higher or lower value. If you notice this bug do not worry, if the changes go global it will not exist. I am sorry but there isn't a nice (non-pain in the ass) way around this particular bug during the testing period. Please report any other bugs though!
- Lightning and Harm have been swapped. Harm does high damage on a slow cast, lightning does moderately high damage on a very fast cast (exactly like a lightning scroll, only you don't need the scroll any more!).
- In the testing area the following scrolls serve no purpose (in other words they are exactly the same as the book spell): Heal, Harm, Mind Blast, Lightning, Fireball. If the changes go global this will also apply globally.
Also to reassure people, these are issues I am thinking about and will hopefully address in a future (smaller) patch (as always, only if Taran approves!):
- Buffs for Archery if it is still useless after the existing changes.
- Improving hits in general, either with region control limiter for duels and tournies, or some sort of Stamina-dependent system. This is very sketchy, don't start arguing about it, I haven't had time to think about it yet.
- Might make wall of stone 5 tiles long instead of 7 to stop/reduce the whole tetris wars thing. 5 seems like it would still serve its primary function pretty well.
- Area damage (such as explosion or firefield) revealing hidden/invis people.
Finally some notes about the probable test area (exactly location not yet decided, will broadcast and post it later):
- The area will be no loot, no cut and no skill gain. Also NPCs will not be killable (mounts).
- You'll have to use your own gear. But the no loot means you have to be honest with yourself, the testing will be what you make of it, if you try to run around in the testing area with Sapphire plate and an SDK you aren't really testing things for yourself, for me, or helping anyone else either.
- The idea is emulate a real world PvP area so it will be something of a free for all, there may be dueling, ganking, group fights, anything really. I'm interested in feedback in all those things.
- I cannot state this firmly enough: This is a real world PvP patch, not a dueling patch, dueling may be slightly messed up after this, I am ok with that because I can fix it by region control. In other words I am not interested in what affect this has in 5 x 5 box dueling, I don't expect 5 x 5 dueling to be perfect with these changes and I am not going to adjust things (globally) for the sake of 5 x 5 dueling.
- If Taran allows I may also apply these new rules to the DM for a while so that there is also some "standardised gear" testing going on.
The same rules apply to the testing areas as anywhere else, exploiting bugs for personal benefit, griefing and harassment are all prohibited. I expect to see good testing, good PvP, but not bullshit like res killing and jackassery. However, ganking is allowed and in fact needs to be tested. I hope people may cooperate to test things a little bit, but at the end of the day I do want to see a bit of the real dog-eat-dog environment that is UO. Anyone seeking to actively derail testing will end up keeping Big Bubba company for a long time, because I'm vengeful like that.
That's all I can think of for now. If any testers have any further things they wish to feedback before the server restart time is running short, if I hear nothing more I'll assume things are looking OK for now.
Updated changes:
- Weapon damage changes will not be included in the region controlled testing for scripting reasons. They are minor though, just bear in mind that spears and axes will not be doing their additional ~+10% damage.
- The way mana adjustments work by region is buggy, the spell checks against its global value to decide if it can be cast, even if there is a new higher or lower value. If you notice this bug do not worry, if the changes go global it will not exist. I am sorry but there isn't a nice (non-pain in the ass) way around this particular bug during the testing period. Please report any other bugs though!
- Lightning and Harm have been swapped. Harm does high damage on a slow cast, lightning does moderately high damage on a very fast cast (exactly like a lightning scroll, only you don't need the scroll any more!).
- In the testing area the following scrolls serve no purpose (in other words they are exactly the same as the book spell): Heal, Harm, Mind Blast, Lightning, Fireball. If the changes go global this will also apply globally.
Also to reassure people, these are issues I am thinking about and will hopefully address in a future (smaller) patch (as always, only if Taran approves!):
- Buffs for Archery if it is still useless after the existing changes.
- Improving hits in general, either with region control limiter for duels and tournies, or some sort of Stamina-dependent system. This is very sketchy, don't start arguing about it, I haven't had time to think about it yet.
- Might make wall of stone 5 tiles long instead of 7 to stop/reduce the whole tetris wars thing. 5 seems like it would still serve its primary function pretty well.
- Area damage (such as explosion or firefield) revealing hidden/invis people.
Finally some notes about the probable test area (exactly location not yet decided, will broadcast and post it later):
- The area will be no loot, no cut and no skill gain. Also NPCs will not be killable (mounts).
- You'll have to use your own gear. But the no loot means you have to be honest with yourself, the testing will be what you make of it, if you try to run around in the testing area with Sapphire plate and an SDK you aren't really testing things for yourself, for me, or helping anyone else either.
- The idea is emulate a real world PvP area so it will be something of a free for all, there may be dueling, ganking, group fights, anything really. I'm interested in feedback in all those things.
- I cannot state this firmly enough: This is a real world PvP patch, not a dueling patch, dueling may be slightly messed up after this, I am ok with that because I can fix it by region control. In other words I am not interested in what affect this has in 5 x 5 box dueling, I don't expect 5 x 5 dueling to be perfect with these changes and I am not going to adjust things (globally) for the sake of 5 x 5 dueling.
- If Taran allows I may also apply these new rules to the DM for a while so that there is also some "standardised gear" testing going on.
The same rules apply to the testing areas as anywhere else, exploiting bugs for personal benefit, griefing and harassment are all prohibited. I expect to see good testing, good PvP, but not bullshit like res killing and jackassery. However, ganking is allowed and in fact needs to be tested. I hope people may cooperate to test things a little bit, but at the end of the day I do want to see a bit of the real dog-eat-dog environment that is UO. Anyone seeking to actively derail testing will end up keeping Big Bubba company for a long time, because I'm vengeful like that.
That's all I can think of for now. If any testers have any further things they wish to feedback before the server restart time is running short, if I hear nothing more I'll assume things are looking OK for now.