Developer Chat - 1999/12/01

Developer's Chat - December 1, 1999

+MrQuazarr@Zone> Hi and Welcome to our Monthly Asheron's Call Developer's Chat.

+MrQuazarr@Zone> I would like to remind you all of the rules of this Chat Room before we begin. All Zone Code of Conduct rules are in place.

+MrQuazarr@Zone> Please do not flame or attack our guests ;-). They are here to answer you questions to the best of their ability

+MrQuazarr@Zone> If a questions has already been asked, please try to ask a different question

+MrQuazarr@Zone> To ask a questions, go to the ROOM and select Ask a Question. You will be placed in the Waiting Queue

+MrQuazarr@Zone> As your turn comes up, you will be placed in the Asking slot. We ask you have your question typed out in notepad and copy and paste it over

+MrQuazarr@Zone> This will help the chat go faster and get the most questions in as possible in the 2 hours we have.

+MrQuazarr@Zone> We will also be limiting each person to ONE question. You will be moved to Watching after your questions is asked.

+MrQuazarr@Zone> If you ask multiple questions, expect only your first question to be answered.

+MrQuazarr@Zone> I would like to first introduce the Program Manager of Asheron’s Call, Matthew Ford. The floor is yours Matthew:

Stucco@Zone> Hello!

Stucco@Zone> First off, I want to invite you to read a new article we have posted called "The State of the Code". It may answer a lot of the questions you have about bugs, lag, etc. Click http://www.zone.com/asheronscall/news/ASHEnewscodestate1.asp

Stucco@Zone> We will of course answer questions here, but that will give more detail than we can state here...

Stucco@Zone> We will be telling all players about this article soon! OK, I'm done for now. Thanks!

+MrQuazarr@Zone> Now I would like to introduce our next guest, Scott Harrington, scotth@turbine. He is the Producer on Asheron's Call.

+MrQuazarr@Zone> Scott, the floor is all yours.

Scotth@Turbine> Hi once again! Let me introduce who’s here from Turbine

Scotth@Turbine> With me this evening are Dave Namerow, our community manager

Scotth@Turbine> He works in sync with the designers to give them feedback about the effects each of their decisions have on the world

Dave@turbine> Hi All

Scotth@Turbine> And Chris Foster (aka Slapp), is the lead designer of the projec

Scotth@Turbine> probably the guy most of you are wanting to strangle…

cfoster@Turbine> ... project.

Scotth@Turbine> Until you hear what he has to say :)

cfoster@Turbine> Don't hurt me! I'm fragile!

Scotth@Turbine> Remember, violating the CoC will get you booted from here…. So please, be gentle….

Scotth@Turbine> he's really a nice guy... give him a chance.

cfoster@Turbine> Hi all.

Stucco@Zone> He squeezes nice ;)

cfoster@Turbine> Eek!

cfoster@Turbine> Let's to the heart of it...

cfoster@Turbine> ... we know that some people have been concerned our first update.

cfoster@Turbine> We've gotten a number of complaints about some changes... particularly to life mages.

cfoster@Turbine> It seems worth taking a minute and explaining how those changes came about.

cfoster@Turbine> When we approached the end of beta, we realized that some of the goals of our design weren't being met.

cfoster@Turbine> In particular, life mages were meant to be best at GIVING life, not taking it.

cfoster@Turbine> With the incredible range on drain spells, they had turned out to be better warriors than our war mages.

cfoster@Turbine> We thought for a long time about how to address this.

cfoster@Turbine> Our first thought was: why address it at all? Just because things don't go as planned, doesn't mean a change is necessary.

cfoster@Turbine> But then we realized we were facing a potential worse case scenario...

cfoster@Turbine> ... where non-life-mages were frustrated that they'd chosen the wrong skills, and life mages were bored at how easy the game had become.

cfoster@Turbine> Then we considered simply boosting all of the other professions to match life mages.

cfoster@Turbine> However, that would have meant changing just about EVERY stat in the game, otherwise EVERYONE would have found themselves rushing through the game and getting bored. That wasn't practical.

cfoster@Turbine> That left us with the one option that we'd wanted to avoid at all costs: removing some of life mages' power.

cfoster@Turbine> We're sorry that we had to do it, but it was necessary to making the game more balanced and fun for everyone.

cfoster@Turbine> *deep breath* okay, that's my spiel. I'm sure I'll come up with more stuff to say when people start asking questions. Anything to add, Scott?

Scotth@Turbine> I think we’re ready for questions now. And yes, extending a question to sub questions counts as multiple questions. We’re trying to get through as many questions as possible, and want to give each person

Scotth@Turbine> a chance to ask theirs

cfoster@Turbine> Except Scott. :)

Scotth@Turbine> so, let's get rolling with those questions

Scotth@Turbine> erm....

cfoster@Turbine> *tap dances*

cfoster@Turbine> *balances a beachball on the end of his nose*

Scotth@Turbine> Jeff from Des Moins, you're on line one...

cfoster@Turbine> Ta da!

jeffhartsell> Ready...First off...addictive game...great job!! Now...my comments and my ONE question (sort of) :-) ...

Scotth@Turbine> what's on yer mind?

jeffhartsell> Comment: At one point it was mentioned that players could learn any spell that creatures cast. I assumed then that Water Golems would gurgle, "Zojak Quafeth" when they cast acid stream, which is not the case...

jeffhartsell> I have read that some creatures do use the power words. Plus, some creatures cast spells that appear to be unlearn-able, such as missiles, and they don't follow player casting conventions. Now, my question...

jeffhartsell> Q: Do you have plans for all creatures to use power words and a focus when appropriate or do you intend to introduce new spells mainly via scrolls, research, or other nefarious methods? Please elaborate. Thanks! END

cfoster@Turbine> Hi, Jeff.

cfoster@Turbine> We plan on using a mix of ways to introduce new spells. Some will show up first on monsters, some in scrolls, some as new components to explore.

cfoster@Turbine> In some cases, we may do all of those at once, as each player is likely to find only one of those occurrences. (done)

+MrQuazarr@Zone> candy, GA

Scotth@Turbine> hello candyman, you're on Larry King Live. What's your question

candyman107> okay ;) I was wondering if you plan on making any changes to melee fighters in the near future.

candyman107> Its seems like the game is more geared towards mages in the higher levels. Everything casts high level war spells that does big damage that a melee has little to no chance on resisting.

Scotth@Turbine> such as?

candyman107> Being a level 42 blade with 255 sword as a specilized skill I rely on life magic to survive and rarely use sword, espically since the changes to the sword of lost light making it nearly unusable without creature magic or rare magic items to increase stats

cfoster@Turbine> Candyman, we're looking in general at balance across professions and skills as players go up in level.

Scotth@Turbine> The sounds of Chris typing madly echo through the office

cfoster@Turbine> In general, it looks like for many players, professions stay in sync as they rise in level.

cfoster@Turbine> One thing we plan on looking at is the treasure system, to make sure that high-level players have access to weapons that make them even more powerful. Those may be too hard to find now.

cfoster@Turbine> Thanks for the question. (done)

DA_hOsTiLe_DtH> Hi....I was wondering if mabey you guys could create some kind of NPK ring so all the NPK's can fight in like a match. This would make the game alot more interesting..and there could be prizes and I was also thinking of a ranking system. Thanks =)

Stucco@Zone> I can take that

cfoster@Turbine> DtH, don't you know violence is NEVER the solution? :)

Stucco@Zone> We have a LOT of great ideas on the table to keep expanding AC...

Scotth@Turbine> (and a few lousy ones)

Stucco@Zone> and an arena is one of them! We certainly will want to do something, as always, different and better than run-of-the-mill...

Stucco@Zone> We won't speculate till we know we're doing anything, but yes, we do want to find more ways for players to... er... interact ;) (done)

+MrQuazarr@Zone> ==REMINDER: to help get as many questions in, please limit to one question and only get right to that question ;-) Thanks

Dave@turbine> suggestions are gladly taken comments@asheronscall.com

+MrQuazarr@Zone> Instar?

+MrQuazarr@Zone> Voiden, you are up

Voiden> Evening all,.last week my charactor went missing, and have had no assistance with this problem,is this normal not to get responses to emails to comments and complaints and have other people had this problem with character loss as well? thanks end.

Stucco@Zone> I'll answer that one...

Stucco@Zone> We apologize but we cannot answer email personally... there are a LOT of them! But know that we DO read each one. Our "autoreply" was broken for a while (oops)...

Stucco@Zone> As for that bug, we are looking into it. Make sure you are looking in the right world. Also, when clicking through the opening screens, be sure not to click AND press enter...

Stucco@Zone> ...you can click the delete char button then press Enter, which unfortunately confirms it. We need to change that. (done)

mriell> What is going to be done about the availability of aqua incarta? Without a good available supply of aqua incarta, then Fletching, Alchemy, and cooking are useless skills. I ALSO haven't EVER received a response to any emails I send to customer support!

mriell> thanks. end.

cfoster@Turbine> Answer to first question: Alchemy Items and Fletching items will be easier to find in our next update. They ARE too rare now. (done)

_Jericho_X> will all citys (even the little ones) be effected by the minions of the frost king? in other words will some cities see more action then others or is there a central location for the battle? ANY info on the coming event would be awesome!! .......

_Jericho_X> and you guys are doing great,no matter what others might think,thank you for a great experiance. :)

cfoster@Turbine> Frost King?

_Jericho_X> the coming coldness,there have been rumors

cfoster@Turbine> I guess this is a good time to reveal a bit more about the event.

_Jericho_X> dont play dumb guys lol

Scotth@Turbine> Event?

cfoster@Turbine> Frost? :)

cfoster@Turbine> The event will take place across the world, but it will be a little different than our "Fire in the Sky" event from Beta.

cfoster@Turbine> First, it will be a little more contemplative, in the spirit of the Winter Holidays. No minions of death falling from the sky. :)

cfoster@Turbine> There WILL be lots of new stuff to play with -- new items, new monsters, a new look to the world.

Scotth@Turbine> carrots!

cfoster@Turbine> AND there will be a major quest, spanning Dereth, for players to discover in the game.

cfoster@Turbine> It's one of the biggest quests we've done yet -- at about the scale of the "Sword of Lost Light" quest.

cfoster@Turbine> (done)

Scotth@Turbine> ok Chris, that's enough! (slaps gag on chris)

cfoster@Turbine> mmnfh!!!

cfoster@Turbine> (hmmnfh)

silku> What is the highest lvl i can get in the game?Great game but 2 easily exploited!!!

Scotth@Turbine> what are you at now?

cfoster@Turbine> With a LOT of work, you can reach level 126.

cfoster@Turbine> That's a LOT of work.

cfoster@Turbine> A LOT.

cfoster@Turbine> Heaps.

cfoster@Turbine> More than is healthy.

cfoster@Turbine> :)

cfoster@Turbine> (done)

kdavid1> I have two good questions, 1) On the Harvestgain World, I and many others experience "lag" problems. This sudden drop in response time to our computers during a fight has led the the loss of many good lives in Dereth. Killed by a drudge(shakes head)...

Stucco@Zone> I can take that (one question please)...

kdavid1> 2) Why are the grommies and armoredillos faster than normal, I have a run of 130 and can barely outrun the Grommies.

Stucco@Zone> When is the last time you got lag?

kdavid1> Yesterday at about 8pm

kdavid1> eastern

kdavid1> (done)

Stucco@Zone> If you get a spike of lag, try contacting an Advocate right away (using /list (town)) so we can track this. Please read http://www.zone.com/asheronscall/news/ASHEnewscodestate1.asp

Stucco@Zone> ...it will help explain the lag a bit more than I can here. But please know...

Stucco@Zone> ...that if there is ANY lag that we can do anything about, we are working hard at it! (done)

Lord_Xorus> [My Comment:] Love the game, yada yada.. =P The 'spell chats' like "Zojak Quafeth" in crowded/camped areas can be very disturbing and 'laggy'. An option to disable these messages would be nice!

Lord_Xorus> [My Question:] How about 'Random Events'? - Like portals appearing throughout the land for a limited time to a temporarily available dungeon where one could find 'random' items. (More elemental weapons, enchanted armor, or even a secret town!? =))

cfoster@Turbine> Hail Lord Xorus!

Stucco@Zone> Please send any comments to comments@asheronscall.com; we read them all!

cfoster@Turbine> Random elements are possible for events, and we're starting to use them in our first one.

cfoster@Turbine> If it goes well, expect to see them used more frequently in the future. Thanks for the question. (done)

Spaxillian> If we have fallen victim to the dreaded 'Skill we Didn't want and didn't click on that we know of' bug, can anything be done to help, perhaps a sentinel can remove the skill and reclaim points (Maybe with a penalty of lost experience or level(s))?

Stucco@Zone> I can testify there are some VERY cool things they can do with existing features for events.

Spaxillian> And in responce to Jason Booth on Cod, "Happy?" Yes, I am :)

Stucco@Zone> Spax, that skill bug is very elusive, and we can't rule out any number of causes....

Stucco@Zone> I'm afraid that in line with our policy we simply cannot do an equitable and safe job of restoring characters or objects. I'm very sorry it happened, and we are urgently looking into it.

Stucco@Zone> (done)

RoBz26> Hey Turbine Guys and MrQ. First off, I would like to congratulate you guys on the current success of the game. I'm not playing retail YET, but I will soon, and loved beta :) ...

RoBz26> Anyhow, on to my question. Is it possible to get Magic Defense so high as to be immune to magic attacks, like with Melee defense.....

RoBz26> In other words, if i keep pumping and pumping XP into it, would I be able to resist all spells up to a certain point (Like how a level 20 warrior cannot be hit by a skulker :)? Or would it go by luck also? Thanks in advance.

RoBz26> Oh, and 'hey' to you too Stucco :)

RoBz26> Done

Stucco@Zone> Hey!

RoBz26> And merry christmas

cfoster@Turbine> Hiya RoB...

cfoster@Turbine> There's probably the ability to block low-level spells totally, but since Magic Defense gets less boost from Magic Defense than the Spellcasting skills, it's unlikely to completely block high-level spells.

cfoster@Turbine> (phew -- done)

Drobb2> Any changes in the works to how player corpses are going to be handled? Between Items vanishing from them, and rumors of loot bugs, unrecoverable corpses due to lag, is the corpse time going to be increased (and can they please disapear once emptied?

Drobb2> They're embarassing :)

Drobb2> (done)

cfoster@Turbine> Turns out empty corpses ARE going to disappear much more quickly, to aid in managing "lag" (actually frame-rate slowdown). As for the rumors of items disappearing and loot bugs, please send specifics to an e-mail address that someone else will now post...

Stucco@Zone> complaints@asheronscall.com

cfoster@Turbine> ... there ya go. (done)

Stucco@Zone> We will not rest until every bug is gone.

SaberLayne> Great game, Visual (A+), Audio (A+), Interface (A+), Story (A+). I would like to see a more permanent type residence in Dereth, say after a succesful quest some place to stash your loot and call home. Has this been considered for future updates?

Stucco@Zone> I'll answer that, since it's about future features...

Stucco@Zone> We really want to develop the world and part of that is a "home"....

Stucco@Zone> For now life is nomadic and we like it that way. But we certainly are considering doing residences, BUT doing them right... not creating clutter. (done)

peterwie> i'm wondering if the monster behavior will become more complex in the future. creature behaviors like territoriality, hunting, flight & migration seem basic and not impossible to approximate and would really increase the "reality" of the environment ...

peterwie> (still typing) ...

Scotth@Turbine> jeez, I can hear Stucco typing from here!

peterwie> think of shreths expanding territory into empty towns and gettting fought back. banderling guards going off post to hunt for bunnies.

peterwie> any plans down the line?

peterwie> (done)

Stucco@Zone> I agree that monster AI in all ORPGs is in its infancy. We have big hopes for where we can go in this area. Some will come in updates, others we dream of for the farther future. Stay tuned, we love the idea! (done)

S_t_r_i_k_e_r> Hi!, in any time soon will some of the weapons follow their reqs as in lets say a sword has no spells but requires 200 sword skill to use will you not let the swords be equipable or maybe if that is too harsh maybe to lower the potential...

cfoster@Turbine> Hmm...

S_t_r_i_k_e_r> of the sword like say the sword needs 200 sword skill but you have 100 so maybe the damage or speed would be decreased by 50% or so?

cfoster@Turbine> The restrictions are intended solely for enchantments. If an item has no spells associated with it, I don't think it should have a restriction at all.

cfoster@Turbine> If you have such a treasure item, it should be looked at.

Scotth@Turbine> probably by a jewler

Scotth@Turbine> or maybe a blacksmith...

ShAdOw9d9> Hey, I am an archer, and I number 1...want to make sure the incanta will be sold as much as mage ingredients are in stores...will this be the case? or at least like 5 incanta per respawn? I want to make sure my 200 fletching and 150 alchemy wont be wasted

ShAdOw9d9> Q-Why doesnt coordination affect bow damage as much as strength to melee..and why doesnt quickness or even swift killer affect bow reload speed or bar speed?

Scotth@Turbine> Sorry, one question per customer

cfoster@Turbine> I'll take the latter, since the first one was answered already (they'll be enough).

cfoster@Turbine> Coordination SHOULD do as much to affect missile damage as it does for strength, I believe. As for the animations, we hooked the speed only into the attack itself, for technical reasons. (done)

+MrQuazarr@Zone> Zaynder, GA

cfoster@Turbine> (argh -- make that "as strength does for sword attacks")

Zaynder> um

Zaynder> why are mobs

Zaynder> so much FASTER now?

+MrQuazarr@Zone> We are moving Zaynder up because we slipped and moved him out of the queue when it was his turn ;-(

cfoster@Turbine> Mobs?

cfoster@Turbine> Got it.

cfoster@Turbine> Some monsters were just too danged slow. They were getting exploited.

Stucco@Zone> I remember "mobs"... DikuMUD vet, me... ;)

cfoster@Turbine> We made a last minute change at the end of beta to adjust everyone's speed, and some monsters fell out of whack. We didn't catch the problem until after we were getting the game wrapped up and off to manufacturing.

cfoster@Turbine> So we knocked them back into line.

cfoster@Turbine> (done)

heIIgo> will the frost event include cristmas presents? or atleast the equivilent of a flicker (only an ice version of course), btw this game needs a segen generals warning for "this product my cuase uncontrolable addiction"...

heIIgo> lower the gromies they worse then mtn rats now adays

heIIgo> there speed sorry

cfoster@Turbine> There will be some neat "presents" throughout the world, of a sort. And something sorta like flickers, but different. (Vagueness is fun!)

cfoster@Turbine> (done)

Scotth@Turbine> As we’ve reached the halfway point of the chat. Please take a second and stop staring at your monitor. Stretch a bit. Ok, let’s continue.

Scotth@Turbine> Balance is important in life and gaming!

Scotth@Turbine> (done)

cfoster@Turbine> So take a break from this chat and surf the web for a minute! :)

cfoster@Turbine> (more than done)

+MrQuazarr@Zone> Storn, GA

alecmuzzy> What's a good quest for someone around level 15? I'd like to find ones with a story behind it instead of some sort of Hack-n-Slash. (done)

cfoster@Turbine> Dagger of Tikola is good for your level. Go fer it! :)

cfoster@Turbine> It's a bit tough, but it'll be fun. You might want to bring some friends, tho'.

cfoster@Turbine> (done)

Scotth@Turbine> The Underground City Glendenwood and the Glendenwood Dungeon

Scotth@Turbine> (done)

ZA30> yeah my turn... First, great game second I have killed banderling ravers and gotten nothing and in major towns I get heavy lag what do i do about these 2 problems (pertiularly the lag)

ZA30> its za's turn its za's turn

Stucco@Zone> I will answer about the lag. If you read http://www.zone.com/asheronscall/news/ASHEnewscodestate1.asp you can see a bit about "bandwidth lag", it explains it better than I can here. Hopefully you are not fighting in the major towns!

Stucco@Zone> (done)

DesignLord> Has there been any thought of adding some sort of coordinate logging system to AC? It seems to be quite a break in the suspension of reality provided in AC to suddenly stop and drop your mouse and keyboard to grab a pen and paper to log coordinates.

DesignLord> Something simple such as logging the coordinates and allowing the user to add a description would work, seeing as coordinates play such a large role in navigation of Dereth. (insert customary kissup closing statement here) =)

cfoster@Turbine> That's a cool idea for enhancing our maps. It's on our list of ways to expand AC in the future. We're forming plans to keep the game expanding in lots of neat ways!

Stucco@Zone> Please remember we read everything sent to comments@asheronscall.com, so if you have a suggestion, send it in!

cfoster@Turbine> In the meantime, there are some excellent fansites with online atlases. They make navigating easier. (done)

oPerrin> Observation: The best ways to level are finding spots where you can hit monsters and they can't hit you prefferably with monsters a good deal higher level than you. However you have already nerfed some of these spots.

oPerrin> Q: If you are planning on trying to eliminate camp spots, why since many players find quick leveling and easy kills to be really fun?

cfoster@Turbine> That's a good question.

cfoster@Turbine> Leveling-up quickly CAN be a lot of fun. (I'm playing Ultima: Ascension at home right now, and I'm enjoying the hell out of its AI exploits.)

cfoster@Turbine> The problem with these exploits is that they let players tear through the game much more quickly than we'd intended. While it's fun now, it risks making the game boring in the long run. We want to keep the game interesting for the long haul.

cfoster@Turbine> We also want to use these changes to make the game more interesting overall. For example, expect certain monsters to learn from the mages attacking them... :)

cfoster@Turbine> (done)

IronWolf92> First of all great game, the emphasis on magic may make me leave though

IronWolf92> My question

IronWolf92> Why were Dual wielding (which is in your advertising and material pictured) and two handed weapons left out? Theyve been staples of RPGs for years now...

cfoster@Turbine> Dual weapons weren't done, mainly because there was so much more to do. It's something we'd like to consider adding in the future.

cfoster@Turbine> (done)

oyouno> Are there any plans to improve enemy creature animation skating problems and rubberbanding during chase scenes in exterior combat? Currently creatures often travel great distances without animating when pursuing other players even though at my clien

oyouno> ac rocks :) (done)

Stucco@Zone> I'll take that...

Stucco@Zone> Yes, I've seen that too and it does bug me. Dealing with latency, while keeping the world accurate, is a big challenge...

Stucco@Zone> All ORPGs can do better with it and I want us to be the best. We won't ignore it, thanks! Rest assured at least that though it looks sketchy, the code underneath is quite accurate. (done)

Buffy_Becca> Will turbine create any gender specific armor, clothes, quests, etc: i mean even UO has female armor. I know about the polygon problem with flowing clothes but something to distingush gender choices.

Scotth@Turbine> Yup, there will be some gender specific stuff coming up shortly. Armor though, is actually gender specific in terms of its look

Scotth@Turbine> already

Scotth@Turbine> (done)

Bytenator> BTW great game! I haven't slept since I got on beta phase 2... anyway is there plans for "trade skills" like black smitihng (ability to craft weapons/armor from supplies found), or allowing (high level) players to make items that cast spells? (END)

Stucco@Zone> Future plans....

Stucco@Zone> ...are vast! We really like the craft skills, and as Dereth moves out of its frontier days, it makes sense for more skills to become popular...

Stucco@Zone> ...the nice thing is that we have a great infrastructure to work with, so expect good things on the way. The hard part will be choosing what to do! (done)

+MrQuazarr@Zone> War?

war_zealot> during last sundays "freak accident" I was traveling up to the crater to meet my patron, in the middle of my trip... I froze. (lag) and watched in horror as a male tusker bounded up and devoured poor gyran, (I lost a GMC and a sweet sword)...

war_zealot> so, I'm thinking retribution lol, lets say.... hmmmm, well a new GMC would be nice... but a matt coat would be better, lol. (done) (and don't be saying you can't do that, because you said you can only do that once it's in retail, and it is in retail.)

Stucco@Zone> Please have your question ready to paste in if you can, thanks!

Stucco@Zone> I'll take that....

Stucco@Zone> Well, we never released anything official about doing reimbursements in retail. If you heard that, it was not from an official representative...

Stucco@Zone> ...we decided a long time ago that we would not reimburse due to bugs. There is no way to do it equitably and not create a lot of hurt feelings, and a lot of work for our staff. No game I have played has done it well...

Stucco@Zone> ...we need our staff to be helping in other ways. We truly regret any loss from bugs or lag, and we are doing all we can to prevent them, but we will not be reimbursing players. Loss must be bourne as best you can. (done)

Sir_Ralph_I> what lvl will the event quest be aimed at, or character type? Please more about the Quest.

cfoster@Turbine> I'll take that.

Dave@turbine> think snow:-)

cfoster@Turbine> We're not saying much about the main quest yet, but it IS similar in some ways to our epic quests, like Sword of Lost Light. That's not for novices. Draw conclusions as you will. (And expect more info in the future.)

cfoster@Turbine> (done)

Xforn> Wow.. my turn finally. Well, first off, I think AC is a great, addicting game. I really like the trade skills, but I think there could be more. I can think of a major one being setting gems into weapons and armor... (more typing)

Xforn> It could make them worth more, or if a magic gem was set it, it would give the item magical properties. There has been talk before of players being merchants (maybe they could own their own buildings for players to shop in).

Xforn> What new trade skills do you guys KNOW are going to be in the game eventually(which ones are going show up in the next update)?

cfoster@Turbine> We have no specific trade skills in mind for the future, but a lot of cool ideas to make trade skills more interesting.

cfoster@Turbine> For this event, expect to see some of your current trade skills used in new ways.

cfoster@Turbine> Captain Vague, signing off! (done)

noptov52> Will there be anything done to counteract life mages power leveling of magmas?, it is really a problem for melee fighters on Darktide... I love the game... these chats are a great idea *forsees Brad Mcquaid stealing idea and using it in EQ*

cfoster@Turbine> Hi Noptov...

cfoster@Turbine> Yes, we are addressing that. Turns out magma golems are attentive AND learn from their foes... :)

cfoster@Turbine> (done)

Scorsha> I rescearch everything befor I buy it or have anything to do with it. I was recomended Ac from a very good fried. The last week and a half I have read up on your wonderfull program. You almost have me, but I'm a little ify on the start up coast of 45 d

Scorsha> dollors. I located a demo to see if it was worth it, but apprently beta3 is not useable for the ten days any longer? Is this true. If so, why? By the way, you guys are funny ;) Oh and can Mr.Q get rid of the enter and exit bits. They bug me.

+MrQuazarr@Zone> Sure can Scorsha... go to OPTIONS, its an selectable option there for you.

Stucco@Zone> Yes, the demo is no longer active. We may do a demo later, but we did not want to risk the server load from a demo. I advise you play with your friend's account a bit and decide....

Scorsha> Can't differn't state

Scorsha> ;)

Scorsha> thanks

Stucco@Zone> I've seen people who have played the equivalent of 13 consecutive DAYS of AC. That's a lot of value for your dollar compared to ANYthing else, besides perhaps the works of Shakespeare! (done)

_7_Cha0s> Please read my short build to my question for many that are waiting have the same issue and it is a real bad problem in the game code that needs to be addressed....

_7_Cha0s> Im a level 28 blademaster specialized in sword skill of 205. I use an Olthio sword with Blood drinker III and Swift killer III making it 6-23 damage speed 6.

_7_Cha0s> I hit a level 11 zombie with the attack bar half way and can only hit it for 5-15 damage but yet a level 25 archer can kill it with 1 shot.

Stucco@Zone> I've seen your email! ;)

_7_Cha0s> You have taken away the SoLL from every blademan that is trained in item enchantment. By the time anyone can use it they will be able to cast those same spells on a sword that hits harder than 5-11.

_7_Cha0s> yes tyou have =)

_7_Cha0s> There is no sword anywhere that hits as hard as a force bolt III which is 18-35, they are all 5-12 3-10 4-14 Ive worked my butt of on my blademan to get that SoLL but now that i have it, it is useless to me.

_7_Cha0s> Me and my 2 vassals are all level 28 with the same exact build. We sat in the hall of the helms for 2 hours trying to get 1 helm but we never did there were 2 archers in there lvl 25 and 26 killing the guardian in 2 shots.

_7_Cha0s> We all used a 6-23 speed 6 sword and did barely any damage. I have screenshots of my super sword that i have in action on a lvl 11 zombie 12,13,23. A goldenback tusker 4,4,5,2,3 same sword mind you except for 1 difference

cfoster@Turbine> Hail, 7.

_7_Cha0s> This time i have buffed up my sword skill to 227. My question is....

_7_Cha0s> Why are not all characters created equal? A skill in a certain class lets say bow 0-100 hits for 20 max sword 0-100 hits 20 max mage 0-100 20 max? that will make it more fair to everyone and give you total balance. Since the blademen cannot camp on a r

_7_Cha0s> ridge and shoot at mobs that are 50 levels higher than they are.

cfoster@Turbine> We've been looking at balance between professions.

cfoster@Turbine> And the data is VERY interesting. In many ways, it looks like on average, characters are all leveling up at about the same speed.

cfoster@Turbine> That makes it MUCH harder to address balance issues like this.

cfoster@Turbine> One thing we are going to look at is the treasure that is generated, to make sure that everyone is getting what they need to support their high-level skills.

cfoster@Turbine> Beyond that, we're going to keep surveying players, and see what we can do to balance the game for the majority of players. Changes are possible, but we want to make them CAREFULLY.

cfoster@Turbine> The last thing we want to do is create and endless series of shifts in game-balance. That's upsetting to everyone.

cfoster@Turbine> (done)

+MrQuazarr@Zone> Azilex?

Azilex> What do you guys have to say and/or comment about the large grief many PVP oriented players disgust about the "quick-log-out" ability players have to "escape" from PVP combat? And is this something that will ever be changed? (Azile is done like dinner)

Stucco@Zone> I'll take that one...

Stucco@Zone> I believe there is already a task item to look into that. Personally I think it is a bit lenient, but it's not the highest priority to fix. Do what I do: put him on Friends, and have your friends patrol the area...

Stucco@Zone> ...keep in mind it does help those who are truly picked on, and that losing your honor is worse than losing your life. (cue anthem) (done)

Albuterol> will you be changing the sowrd skill on the soll? i think its a bit unfair..we need something good ya know :)sword skill is 202 right now by the time i cane use it i can cast magic on it myself

cfoster@Turbine> Hi Albuterol. We set the SoLL's restrictions high so that using it would be a sign of prestige.

cfoster@Turbine> Future quest items will probably be a bit more manageable.

cfoster@Turbine> (done)

Sir_Sherwin> Hi, I've been working on getting the SOLL(sword of lost light), the day I started the game! I now have the sword but unable to use it's magic!(latest patch)I would like to know how you'd feel on lowering the SOLL's Requirements (more typing)

Sir_Sherwin> To Around the numbers of 100 AL and 200 Swr(still hard) instead of 158 AL and 280 Swr(Way too high). I understand having them higher gives people a long term goal but when is frustration a good thing? And about changes to the game let the community vote

Sir_Sherwin> done, thanks

Scotth@Turbine> Hold on, we're huddling back here....

cfoster@Turbine> (whispers)

Sir_Sherwin> hope it's a good huddle =)

+MrQuazarr@Zone> Sir, as for SoLL restriction, it is anwered above. You are alway welcome to send comments to comments@asheronscall.com about improvements or changes you would like to see. We read them all ;-)

Lowgrey> Thank you for taking the time to do this. As a webmaster of www.pcpunks.com a fairly large AC website I am a little dissapointed in how this patch was done. Not what was done so much as that people were never consulted about what was about to be done...

Lowgrey> to their game. They are also very frustrated with the product support. The Senitels are given about no authority or power. This is how a lot of people ended up on AC from EQ. Is this what we can expect in the future? (done)

cfoster@Turbine> Lowgrey, the patch was announced well in advance. We covered the changes being considered.

+MrQuazarr@Zone> Reminder gang, we are only going to be able to answer one question per person.

BoaBoa> First off this game tops 'EQ' hands down I.M.H.O, and I see more potential here, keep it up! Now for my Question...

cfoster@Turbine> We also explained some of the rationale behind the changes, but in retrospect I think we could have given more explanation. We've drafted another "Spin from Turbine" article that gets into more detail.

BoaBoa> Will it be made so that all levels can participate in all dynamic quests in some way and not geared to the high level characters? This was a major problem in EQ where you needed to be close to level 40+ to stand a chance!

BoaBoa> And add some true dragons to the game! It just doesn't seem right without having huge dragons crashing down on a party in an adventure game ; ) And Gromies don't cut it! (Done)

cfoster@Turbine> (done)

cfoster@Turbine> Events are designed to cover a broad range of players -- high level and low, lone-wolves. fellowships and allegiances.

+MrQuazarr@Zone> A Reminder, we have 15 minutes left.

cfoster@Turbine> The Beta event was a good sign of this (typing quickly!), where there were fire children for EVERYONE to play with! :)

cfoster@Turbine> (done)

blueheeler> 4 q's 1 why alt tab never work, i can get out but not back in 2 what is up with the arcane lore, why so high, lev restric and wepon skill seems like a better way to go 3 i am waiting and looking for something in zackhail what the deal? 4 2&3rd tapers.mor

blueheeler> seem random what is up with the randomness also love the books fav is "to be a shadow" think that is name

+MrQuazarr@Zone> We are only going to be able to answer the first question. Sorry.

Stucco@Zone> I will cover #1

Stucco@Zone> If you cannot alt-tab out and back in, it is likely a configuration issue. Most people are able to. Please use the technical support on the inside cover of the manual. Also make sure you have latest video drivers, they may be the culprit. (done)

JamesWeb> Thanks for the great game! I'm totally addicted (ask my wife). One observation - Dillos are now faster than Matts! ;-) Now my question....

JamesWeb> There have been rumors that Turbine has found the politics in Darktide interesting at best. Are there any plans specific to PvP or the DT server? I know about the much needed Jump/heal and Jump/Log bug that will be fixed in the next patch...

JamesWeb> i.e. monarch radar colors, more defenable fort towns, etc.... (done)

cfoster@Turbine> We DO find the PvP situation on Darktide cool, and a good source of inspiration when planning future features.

cfoster@Turbine> Our challenge is not just to make the PK world cooler, but to find ways to take its elements of social risk and player-conflict and bring them to ALL players...

cfoster@Turbine> ... without making the game an exercise in frustration for devoted NPK's.

cfoster@Turbine> Suffice to say there are cool ideas on the table... (done)

wirthit> I am concerned that this is going the way of EQ and UO with constant changes. When people get a strategy it is gone and they are weakened or forced to group. This game was advertised exactly the opposite. Is this what we are to expect?

Stucco@Zone> I'll give Chris a break here...

Stucco@Zone> ... we do NOT want or plan to shift the balance a lot. We know "other games" have done that a great deal. It's very hard to have perfect balance from the very start....

Stucco@Zone> The tweak we did was necessary to the long-term health of the game, an extreme case. We did all we can to make the big shifts in the first update only. We take this seriously, and hope you have faith in us for the future.

Stucco@Zone> (done)

+MrQuazarr@Zone> OK, Wyvern101 will have to be our last question for this evening.

wyvern101> Greetings, will it be possible to wear clothing over ones armor instead of under it. There are many different types of clothing in the game and it seems a shame not to use them. If not all clothing, maybe the use of surcoats or vests (done)

Scotth@Turbine> Chris, busy typing like a court stenographer on ampetamines….

Scotth@Turbine> says...

cfoster@Turbine> Wyvern, there are technical limits right now to how armor and clothing interact. Placing clothing over armor isn't easy, but we ARE considering other types of clothing to wear. Cool stuff. I've seen it. :)

cfoster@Turbine> (done)

+MrQuazarr@Zone> Before we go, Dave@turbine +MrQuazarr@Zone> ops... ignore that little glitch

Dave@turbine> heh

Dave@turbine> anyway

Dave@turbine> We are always looking for feedback from our fan base, please send comments to us

Dave@turbine> Or if you see me in game, please say hello .....I'm +Sarneho

Dave@turbine> WE hope this has been helpfull to you all... thanks for coming.

+MrQuazarr@Zone> I want to thank everyone for coming this evening. We hope you enjoyed yourself.

Stucco@Zone> and remember to read http://www.zone.com/asheronscall/news/ASHEnewscodestate1.asp

+MrQuazarr@Zone> Thanks to our guests. We will be holding these monthly. Look forward to an announcement about the December chat coming soon.

cfoster@Turbine> Thanks much for coming!

Stucco@Zone> and write comments@asheronscall.com or complaints@asheronscall.com

Scotth@Turbine> Goodnight folks!

+MrQuazarr@Zone> For those who did not get a chance to ask a question, you can send your comments to comments@asheronscall.com

+MrQuazarr@Zone> Thank you and good night!

(c) 1999 Microsoft Inc.