Scotth@Turbine> Hi, on behalf of Turbine Entertainment -- the developers of AC -- welcome.
+MrQuazarr@Zone> Toby [auberon@Turbine] and Chris [cfoster@Turbine] would like to say a few things right now. The floor is all yours, guys.
auberon@Turbine> Thanks for coming, everyone. I want to make an announcement of sorts. With the retail release of AC, I'm going to be taking on a set of new responsibilities. I'm transitioning from lead designer to design director of Turbine. Since I won't be full time on AC, I've asked Chris Foster to take on the role of lead designer. So without further ado: Mr. Foster.
Scotth@Turbine> Chris will be posting some designers' notes on the Zone from time to time that will let you all know what we're working on. Chris, care to say a few words? Or maybe a whole bunch?
cfoster@Turbine> I've been involved with AC for the past two and a half years, and it's been really cool seeing the game come together. I started out designing the game's interface, and then stepped in to help sort out the last design issues as the game got ready to ship. So I'm really excited to see the game hit the shelves and to help bring AC to the world with new events and, um . . . other neat stuff!
cfoster@Turbine> (I also want to apologize for Turbine at this chat... we just shipped, and everyone's a bit giddy.)
Dave@turbine> Hi, all, my name is Dave Namerow. I'm the Online Community Manager for Turbine.
+MrQuazarr@Zone> Now on to our first questions...
MKT_TopGun> *CLAP CLAP CLAP FOR the lovely family of TURBINE* FIRST OF ALL, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY HOW HONORED I AM TO SPEAK TO THE MAKERS! I love you guys!
cpierson@Turbine> Thenkyew.
cfoster@Turbine> *blush*
MKT_TopGun> I never played the game before, *STUPID ME* but I plan on getting it. Where can you find the SoLL [Sword of Lost Light]?
rei@Turbine> Find the clues and talk to the right people. Some players may be willing to help you, but I think most people want everyone to work for it.
Panzoid> When will the lands of Dereth start to change? Also, will there ever be an expansion pack for AC?
cfoster@Turbine> Our hope is to provide so many new events and content in Dereth, that you don't NEED an expansion pack. You should see changes to Dereth in the next month or so . . .
ProfitLoop> Great game. I was playing like mad throughout beta2 and hopefully when I receive my copy of the retail here in Canada (damn city), I'll do the same. I'd like to know what kind of surprises are going to be included for the first month of the game (quests)?
jason@Turbine> They wouldn't be surprises if we told you.
rei@Turbine> If you're talking about normal permanent quests, we'll be continuing to add those. Events, however, will also be occurring, and we can't really give those away!
Fallout16483> Hi, first I would like to congratulate you on making a truly monumental game. That said, concerning the problem of many people not being able to be in the same place at one time -- does this mean there will be no large battles, or have you found a good . . . alternative?
cfoster@Turbine> Our solution to that is what we did with the "Fire in the Sky" event, where we had new content and encounters appearing ALL OVER the world at once. We'll have encounters and larger battles happening across the entire continent, rather than concentrated in the cities.
Cyberkiler2> If you unsubscribe for a month and then subscribe, say, two months later, will your character still be on the server? And what server upgrades and major events do you plan on doing as more people start to play AC? Maybe just a little hint to the first event?
Scotth@Turbine> We'll be doing server updates on a fairly regular basis.
cfoster@Turbine> The first update should happen in the next couple of weeks, if all goes well.
cfoster@Turbine> We'll be announcing more about that during the chat. We don't have the server-techs here, so we can't answer the question about the account. Sorry...
+MrQuazarr@Zone> The characters will stay in the DB should you cancel your subscriptions and come back later
dog320> Are there any plans to balance the abuse of the mage system? That is, the mage is basically unstoppable in the wilderness.
cfoster@Turbine> We're working on some tweaks to mages that make it a little fairer for everyone else, and ALSO make it a little more fun to be a mage. If it all works out, you'll have to be a little bit more of a thinker to be an effective mage.
ElectroTechno> Can you create new unique magic items, spells, and creatures? I'd love to see lots of unique items and creatures in AC. I mean, not just alter existing creatures, items, and spells but to create totally new things =P And can players build houses?
cfoster@Turbine> We can add more unique stuff to the game easily. New spells, new objects, new monsters -- all with only tiny little downloads.
jason@Turbine> AC was designed to allow new content to be easily added to the game world at any time with little to no downloads.
Scotth@Turbine> Like we did for the end of the beta event (ask someone who was there for the details).
cfoster@Turbine> As for letting YOU make more items and property . . . It's on our list for future enhancements.
Memorex4> I see many/most spells being "weakened" inevitably by "spoiler sites" on the Internet. How will this be combated, if at all? What measures will be taken to keep spells fresh? New ones added frequently, some type of rotation?
cpierson@Turbine> I'm currently maintaining a big ol' list of possible future spells.
amr@Turbine> We hope to add many new types of spells in the future to keep things interesting.
Scotth@Turbine> We're going to be adding stuff constantly, including new spells, features, etc. It just takes us some time to get it all done.
RoBz26> First off, thanks for the great game. Now, on to my question... I've been in beta since beta 0, and I was wondering, what caused you guys to give higher level drudges (raveners, stalkers, etc.) magic? With the decrease in loot, it doesn't make a lot of sense to make them harder to kill, especially when most people have low magic defense.
cfoster@Turbine> We needed to balance Drudges, because they were providing too much experience. So we made them tougher. As for the loot, we gave them a bit more treasure at the very end of beta. And we're working to keep balancing treasure as the game goes forward.
rei@Turbine> We will be rebalancing monster treasure in the near future.
HonestRocket> With all the land in Asheron's Call, how did you guys develop that large of an area? I read that it's over 500 square miles! That must've taken a lot of time! Thanks. BTW, AC is great.
jason@Turbine> It did . . .
cfoster@Turbine> I wish Pete Macdonald was here to take a bow.
rei@Turbine> We have special systems that allow us to develop that fairly quickly. However, the buildings and forts you see were done by hand.
Scotth@Turbine> brick by brick
jason@Turbine> We have some very cool tools which allow us to make rapid changes to large parts of the world. Very cool stuff.
cfoster@Turbine> A lot of Turbine's tech is devoted to making it easy to make a little content go a LONG way. Hopefully, we need to make content for a LOT of players to have fun with!
KoLDeron> Hail! 1st I'd like to send congrats for AC turning gold from a long-time (60+ hours a week) beta tester! How has spell consumption improved in the gold version? My mage carried 249 spell components at one time 'cause of burning them. Didn't have room to carry anything else.
cfoster@Turbine> We're looking at component burn. However, having to carry extra components is one of the ways we balance mages. If you want to carry more, then consider raising your strength.
jason@Turbine> And having a higher skill burns fewer components.
JarJarBinksII> Hello there!! Love the game! When will the Heraldry feature that I read about be added to the game, and when will the ability to buy houses or horses be added?
cfoster@Turbine> Wow! That was an old article! :) Heraldry is one of the things we might add in the future. In the meantime, allegiances have gotten pretty creative "striking their colors": matching outfits and such. One person's even been making pictures out of ASCII text in our parchment pages!
jason@Turbine> On that front, I'd also like to add some more clothing/armor options in the future that aren't being used right now.
cfoster@Turbine> As for horses and houses, we're trying to plan out with MS when we might add features to the game. Let us know what you consider important! There'll be a forum set up soon for players to see what updates we're considering, and to comment on them.
JediSmj> I have one question. What is the most powerful monster in Asheron's Call? Thanks for a GREAT GAME too...if only it was out in Australia ;( please tell if u can when it's coming to Australia! Horses will be good too!
cfoster@Turbine> You don't have horses in Australia? :)
rei@Turbine> [Judging the toughest monster] depends on whether you have armor, magic defense, melee defense, missile defense, or whatever; what spells you have on you; who your friends are.... And besides, you never know if a new nastybad is lurking in the dungeons, one never seen before.
cpierson@Turbine> And there are certainly big baddies we're not gonna tell you about. Yet. Last I heard, international release of AC might happen next year. That's in MS' court, really.
avalon_grey> Great job on the game, and thanks so much for the beta. Are there any changes being planned to introduce more role-playing elements into the game? It's really quiet most of the time. I see very little role-playing (beta and retail). Am I just in the wrong places? (Final night was exception.) Maybe changes in the chat commands to make it easier.
jason@Turbine> If you didn't know, you can use things like /t instead of @tell.
cfoster@Turbine> Avalon_grey, a lot depends on where you go, and who you know.
cfoster@Turbine> For example, there's one allegiance monarch who was hanging out in Tou-Tou, holding council with his vassals on most nights. I visited him once and was blown away by how well he carried himself. It was honest-to-goodness regal. I could see why he had over 500 people in his allegiance.
yazikcr> Great game, AC team! Loved my time online during the beta test period and am ready to get my copy of the real thing! This question is for whoever deals with the social issues of AC. I wanted to know what you envision for the role of religion in AC. Will there be churches and such (and what role might they play, other than healing places)?
cfoster@Turbine> Eri, your thoughts?
rei@Turbine> For the most part we have let that be up to the players. The Heritage Groups each have their own beliefs (the Sho, for instance, have a belief in elder spirits). But we aren't going to force the issue with people. So if you want a Revival, go for it!
Scotth@Turbine> Uh oh... it's bad enough there are sorcerers, now we've got to add religion? I can already sense the hate mail.
cfoster@Turbine> That said, it was cool to see people start prophesizing when the world started blowing up at the end of beta. :)
rei@Turbine> Yes, the backstory supports religion, but how it's "enforced" is up to you.
sSs_ThRiLla> Can you list five good reasons why my parents should let me get this game (they're not too crazy about the monthly fee)?
cfoster@Turbine> We'll each take one.
rei@Turbine> Friends online.
Scotth@Turbine> Social skills and teamwork.
cpierson@Turbine> You get to be part of an ongoing story.
rei@Turbine> If you went to the same kind of high school I did, you'll find your best friends online.
cfoster@Turbine> It gets you in front of your computer, where they can keep their eyes on you. :)
jason@Turbine> Well, I think you'll find that in many cases it's cheaper than many other forms of entertainment, or even gaming. Hour for hour of entertainment, it's probably the cheapest thing going. And most games aren't played nearly as long as MMP games are.
letoile@turbine> Cheaper than cable.
cfoster@Turbine> Lowfat...
Scotth@Turbine> Good Code of Conduct rules to keep out the Internet nasties that your parents worry about
cpierson@Turbine> Cheaper than a couple movies a month.
+MrQuazarr@Zone> Cheaper than one movie . . . with treats, of course.
jason@Turbine> many people play 20-40 hours a week, and that's really cheap when you consider it at $10 a month.
The_Evil_Eye> Hello, Turbine, congrats on AC! Best mmorpg so far in my eyes. My question is . . . how will u tell the story development? Will u use Web pages to tell the story like in beta2, or will u connect the story-telling more to the gameplay itself? I missed in beta2 a real storytelling. Okay, I could read stories and visions on the Zone AC page. There were 15 parchments of a vision, but the real story -- how will it be told?
cfoster@Turbine> Evil Eye, we'll do more INSIDE the game to tell people about the events as they happen. The Beta event was really just a test. Look to the festival stones, barkeeps, more parchment pieces, etc. Or just call me! My home phone is 555-xxx<cut off>
rei@Turbine> Have you found the libraries? Definitely, [there will be] more backstory in the game.
_EE_ST_Amoeba> Why didn't you make different races or body frames for AC like in EQ? Or are you planning on doing this?
cfoster@Turbine> To be honest, we thought that making facial and clothing variety, as well as different human heritages, was more interesting. But looking back, we probably would have split the variety between those subtle changes and body-types. There's a chance we might add it down the road, but it's a lot of artwork to download. We'll see.
_Cyber__> Hi, people, I tried the game in the 10-days demo, and I really loved it, I am hooked, but I don't have a credit card. Will there be other ways to pay for the monthly fee (like for Ultima Online, they sold three-month packs at retail stores)? And horses are a good idea too . . . since the map is soo Huge!
cfoster@Turbine> Um, that's really in MS' court. Any thoughts, Ken? What's the deal on having "Asheron's Calling Cards?" :)
Scotth@Turbine> Right now, billing for Zone premium games is only with a CC. Sorry...
+MrQuazarr@Zone> Right now there are no plans for having alternative payment methods such as UO's.
cfoster@Turbine> But remember that you can use debit cards too, depending on your bank. That's what I'd use (if I had to pay :).
+MrQuazarr@Zone> Yes, we do accept debit cards with visa/mc logo on them
DiReCtX4> BTW, I think being able to carry an AC card in my wallet would be nice . . . I'd like to say *Hi* to all the **Turbinites** and *Hi* to **Ken** . . . and now my question =) There's only so much you can do with the events. Monster invasions, town destruction, new monsters and towns, etc. After awhile the events may get dull. How are you gonna keep people on their toes on the events? It was just WAY too clear with the "Fire in the Sky" event that towns would be attacked. It was how, and by what, that was unknown. There has to be more than just attacking towns and changing the land.
cfoster@Turbine> Fair question, DirectX4.
cfoster@Turbine> (Hey, weren't you upgraded?)
cfoster@Turbine> Anyhoo, the events can have MANY facets.
Scotth@Turbine> Who says events have to deal with monsters or invasions, or town destructions?
cfoster@Turbine> The prophecy-puzzle was just one way to make them something other than big monster-killin' sprees. We'll be finding more cool ways to involve groups of players in events.
jason@Turbine> Don't forget the disco . . . haha . . .
rei@Turbine> Everyone thank Jason and the interns for the disco.
cfoster@Turbine> There'll also be smaller, more social events, hosted mainly by players with help from the Zone staff.
BBQ_Bob> Will the retail version have events, you know, big ones? BIG, like the apocalypse in the beta? Town-melting big? Can I have a cow -- you know, in the game? Not a horse, a pet cow, that follows me around.
cfoster@Turbine> Bob, try attacking a cow, and you'll get your pet.
cfoster@Turbine> We have BIG stuff planned. That's all I can really say. The beta was only a warm-up.
Dave@turbine> It's gonna be awesome.
MTF_S_L_> Hi, will there ever be any type of banking system to store some of your stuff in so you might not lose as much if u die?
cfoster@Turbine> That's on our list of possible future features. When we take a look at property ownership, we'll be looking at storage as a feature of houses, too.
Zen_Skier> First off, as I played the Beta I got more and more involved, meeting new people and making allegiances. It sucked me in, and I got hooked. Just what you like to hear, I know. =) The End of the World was great, except for the few MAJOR LAGS that happened as you pushed the system. But it was the best role-playing I had seen and I even liked just standing there chatting, since I couldn't move. I wish I had seen one of the giant monsters, but anyway my question: just before the End of the World I found the Archmage tower, and inside he sold me two scrolls, the flame blast and volley. I read them and learned the spells on the first try. Now my problem: I tried that exact sequence of ingredients MANY times and could not learn the spells. Is learning off a scroll different from testing them yourself? I am hoping that you make magic totally unique to each person and that they can trade their flame bolt spell for yours via scrolls (IE: same spell different ingredients???). This way you can introduce new spells via scrolls no prob (maybe a new skill scribe, to write/trade the higher level spells) and cheat sites can't be made, since you need to read the scroll to actually learn a spell you didn't create/invent yourself.
amr@Turbine> If you have the wrong target selected while testing a spell it'll fizzle. That sometimes gets me
cfoster@Turbine> As for the lag on Sunday, yes, that was a drag . . .
Scotth@Turbine> . . . but that's what a stress test is all about.
cfoster@Turbine> Exactly. And that's NOT anything we're planning in the live game. We have better ways to make our invasions and assaults happen.
MoonW> What incentives do you plan to offer to veteran players to make a lasting impression on the community, such as housing? For instance, in the beta, it felt difficult to make a place for yourself in the world, though I am sure this will change.
cfoster@Turbine> MoonW, I guess that depends on your perspective. Some people made significant impacts by forming lasting allegiances (like that person in Tou-Tou I mentioned before).
rei@Turbine> (We're in awe :)
sean@Turbine> Home is where your friends are.
cfoster@Turbine> That said, property ownership and such are being considered for the future, as are ways for people to rank themselves against other players.
Silverion> Guys, first I must say that I was amazed with great planning and technology already seen in game. It was a way to go. Thanks to all! Allegiance system in PK world can show its real strengths. It needs a system to take over a city or an allegiance's main base . . .
cfoster@Turbine> Nothing like a little competition... :)
Silverion> . . . and also a system to guard against city against attacks, for resolving a problem of not all members online at all times. A takeover can be scheduled only once in a week, so all allegiances can concentrate their forces to get a major battle on. Do you plan any similar systems of massive takeover of cities soon?
cfoster@Turbine> Silverion, making the PK experience more interesting is something we'd like to do in the future, and not only in the PK world.
cfoster@Turbine> We're watching to see how the systems play out with thousands upon thousands of players involved, to see how you all want them to develop. And then we'll rip off all your ideas. :p
jason@Turbine> I personally do most of my playing in the PK world. While it's much more dangerous and annoying sometimes, you see some really amazing things happen.
war_zealot> What has changed from beta? Will there be new base equipment anytime soon?
cfoster@Turbine> Right now, we're focusing on making the game run smoothly for our first group of customers, and balancing game systems. We'll probably start bringing in new content with our first event.
war_zealot> [I mean] base equipment as in not magic, not gold, just different stuff from chain, plate, and yoroi.
cfoster@Turbine> That's possible in the near future.
Loviegal> Yesterday, I created a Sho unarmed + lifemage specialized, creature ench+mag/mel def+manacon-trained adventurer, and I am wondering whether or not this would be a good setup at higher levels (Id hate to find out my char is worthless at lvl35). I am currently level 9, and really want to know whether I should make a more specialized character since I have the chance now... BTW, thanks for a great game so far.
cfoster@Turbine> (Wow, lots of stats. My brain hurts!)
Dave@turbine> I like that setup. You should be able to go far
cfoster@Turbine> So stick with it!
jason@Turbine> Depends. Each person has their own strategies. I tend to specialize in the beginning and branch out.
Adreis> Hello, fellow Canucks at AC (Canadians are the best!), I would like to know what ever happened to the Dynamic Load Balancing thing that I read so much about? Also please comment on why Canadian pre-orders are taking so long.
cfoster@Turbine> Last I checked, it's working. :)
cfoster@Turbine> We do redistribute load across different servers, and it works pretty smoothly.
Scotth@Turbine> Canadian mail is holding [the preorders] up. Apparently we've got a huge fan base made up of Canadian postal workers....
Adreis> I mean that that there is only one Dereth.
cfoster@Turbine> Ah. There was some misinterpretation in our earlier interviews, I think.
jason@Turbine> Having only one Dereth is more of a content/user ratio problem than a server problem.
cfoster@Turbine> What Jason said. When we were talking about "one Dereth," it was before we realized how popular MMP's could be! :)
LordKrutex> Thank you. I would like to know, are there any plans for a trial version of AC to be made? Obviously there is the free month, but people still have to buy the game in the first place for that, and $50 isn't free, so a trial would probably draw more people who didn't have the chance to play the beta like myself;)
cfoster@Turbine> LordKrutex, a downloadable version of the client is possible. (Some people used such a thing during beta.) But it's still pretty huge at this point. Don't know of any plans to use it with the shipping game in the near future.
Cheeseman_BOTS> A few things: first, what's the maximum level you can attain; second, what's the maximum you can pump up your stats; and lastly, about player heroes -- will there ever be a time (as I heard a rumor there could be) when a single person or group of players that could be worldly known heroes for something they do or find or anything?
rei@Turbine> You can technically go over level 100, but it's pretty difficult to do so.
Scotth@Turbine> Foster, I think Cheesman has been going through company e-mail about the hero idea.
Cheeseman_BOTS> NO! I have been detected!
rei@Turbine> Player fame: we're looking into how we can make some players famous. (Not rich, but famous.)
jason@Turbine> Dr. Jay estimates at least two years of almost solid playtime before someone reaches the cap.
jason@Turbine> people want fame more than fortune.
_Cyren_> Why were the player and monster models made with such low polygon counts and somewhat undetailed textures? The parts of the models also seem unconnected from the whole (they don't "stretch"). Other than that, I love the game, thanks!
cfoster@Turbine> Cyren, when we started AC, we were trying to support software renderers and slower machines.
cfoster@Turbine> As a result, some of our graphics are a bit restrained. In future games, we'll be aiming at a higher processor/3D standard, and things will get much snazzier.
sean@Turbine> But we HAVE retooled some of the models in recent months, so many are much higher poly-count than they used to be. We will probably enhance as we go.
jason@Turbine> There're also huge advantages to the system we have in terms of memory and creatures on the screen at once. We can have a lot more animation, and a lot more creatures.
CorkCleric> Congratz on a ground-breaking game. Beta was a smash in Canada and the UK. I loved the disco in Shoushi. Suggestions: need to add health info in fellowship window to aid cleric's role. Need to raise fellowship limit from 20 to 45 for big war parties.
cfoster@Turbine> Fellowships are actually smaller than that. As for larger parties, I recommend using allegiances.
Robmagi> First off, I loved the beta -- had never played an online rpg before it! The screen shots I saw on your Web site looked awesome, and even though mine didn't look like that, I am hooked on AC. My question in on 3D accelerator support. Will AC support specific 3D chipsets (like the ATI Rage 128) or rely on DX7/OpenGL for that 3D acceleration checkbox (under options/setup)?
jason@Turbine> We use dx6, actually, and support any chipset that fully supports dx6. The nVidea cards are my personal favorites.
Lord_Xorus> AC is the BEST! I love you guys!!! =P The beta R0CKED and I can't wait to get my hands on the retail! (D@mn Expensive International Shipping!) I hope to play this game for YEARS to come! :) Q: What about the possibility of adding more "domestic/role-playing" features in AC like the ability to buy houses/castles? And could I get big church wedding in AC? =P
cfoster@Turbine> There've been some weddings in AC already. As for houses, we'll be having a separate horses/houses chat next time. Keeps things moving. :)
Scotth@Turbine> I just want to let everyone know that we are looking into property ownership, horse ownership (yeah, we'll look into cow ownership, too).
Blaze_Xavior> Will there be the same effort put into creating quests and the such on the PK server as on the normal servers. I have seen a lack of this kind of support on PK servers in other games, in particular a game made by a company known as Erantvay (Pig Latin). Two more points: 1. We need a PvP event switch and 2. Scotth is the man! That's all!
cfoster@Turbine> Blaze, the events should take place across ALL worlds. One thing we'll be watching is how these events work on a PK world.
Scotth@Turbine> Thanks, Blaze!
Infomage> Thanks for the great game. With 38,000 or so combinations for spells and, I think, about 1,600 active spells, it is safe to say you will be adding spells in the future. Will there be any kind of notice that new spells have been added or are we on our own to figure out the new spells?
cfoster@Turbine> Look to events to clue you in on new content like this.
cfoster@Turbine> Or call Chris Pierson at 555-43<cut off>
jason@Turbine> For instance, you might see monsters casting the new spells.
Scotth@Turbine> You'll be hearing a lot more from the design staff in the coming weeks. We'll be posting our notes as to what things we're tweaking, what we're considering changing, and any other significant things you should know about. We'll include a forum for your comments and suggestions as well. We'll have it up on the zone pages, and will continue to look at polls on the fansites as well as newsgroup discussions to see what we need to address.
Winstons55> What is the funnest class/type of character to play in your opinion/experience (personal fav)? Also, is there an AC patch for withdrawal? :)
Dave@turbine> I like alchemist/chef myself:-)
jason@Turbine> Well, zboog had a character strictly focused around run in beta0 -- he had a 240 run skill.
cfoster@Turbine> I like cooking, personally. Nothing freaks out new players like dropping some chocolate-chip cookies on them! :)
rei@Turbine> Cooking!
Dave@turbine> You can make some really weird food!
rei@Turbine> Dave gets tons of pies.
sean@Turbine> Cooking! I like making sushi!
letoile@turbine> I'm a Gharu'n vagabond specialized in healing/lockpick/staff.
cfoster@Turbine> I'm a meat-and-potatoes blademaster myself.
Dave@turbine> Hearty mana rabbit pie!
K_A_N_E> Eagerly waiting AC in Canada here, and I wanna know if I can customize more (IE: have a few more faces, and be able to choose ALL your skills instead of being stuck with Dagger, Unarmed, etc., in the future and for new armors weapon types what's going to be added?
cfoster@Turbine> You can choose ANY skills for your character.
sean@Turbine> But you can't have them all in the beginning
cfoster@Turbine> As for additional faces and such, that's content we can add down the road fairly easily.
jason@Turbine> We probably won't add new faces -- they're not noticeable enough as it is. However, I definitely want to add some new clothing options..
rei@Turbine> You can get a "freebie" skill depending on Heritage Group.
sean@Turbine> Jason's right. We'd rather concentrate on body styles than more faces.
Loops79> Hiya, gang! I was wondering if the monsters' levels would better represent their strength. Two critters that come to mind are mountain rats and gold phyntos wasps, both level 12, I believe, but MUCH stronger than most level 20 or so creatures. Also, can something be done about the creatures' stamina levels? They seem way too high as compared to any character of similar level.
rei@Turbine> We're looking into monster balancing in general.
jason@Turbine> If people feel creature levels are out of whack, please let us know on the message board. Specifics and suggestions are always welcome. Also, keep in mind, what's hard for one person may be easy for another due to differences in their characters.
rei@Turbine> We'll be addressing issues as they come up. (Regarding feedback: the more specific and constructive, the better.)
Djobo> Hi there, and congrats for all your great work, guys! I would like to know if the demo version of the game will be transferable to a full version (with a full subscription) once the 30 days are finished.
cfoster@Turbine> DJobo, you have to uninstall the Beta before playing the full game.
Scotth@Turbine> Sorry, Djobo, you've got to start up a new character.
cfoster@Turbine> And for the moment, there are no demos planned.
rei@Turbine> Really, folks, uninstall cleanly before re-installing!!!
cfoster@Turbine> But you can continue your characters after the free month, if that's what you're asking about.
cfoster@Turbine> And brush your teeth after every meal! :)
+MrQuazarr@Zone> You are required to buy the CD. You will have to use the subscription coupon on the back of the jewel case to enable your subscription.
Tafflehos> Will archers be given something in the way of a bow that will at least put them on a semi-equal footing with all the warriors carrying around a couple of SOLL'S. And expect to see a strong Lost Order of Akalabeth presence in-game as well. :)
cfoster@Turbine> The SoLL is pretty cool, huh? :) We're going to be spreading around neat quest items as the game goes forward.
Tomas_Krieger> Since mages are overpowered, grouping with a mage is pretty worthless for a melee fighter. IE: No exp and no loot. How are you going to solve this? And how many lines does the game code consist of? :-)
cfoster@Turbine> Tomas, there are three lines of code, but they're REALLY long.
jason@Turbine> Last count about 2 million lines of code.
rei@Turbine> Lots of semi-colons.
cfoster@Turbine> As for mages, we'll be posting details as to our plan for rebalancing them in the next few days. And we want your comments!
Shags_on_AC> After playing an archer for about a month and getting to a high level, I was almost forced back to fighting low-level drudges after you "fixed" my bow. I was wondering how you're planning to balance out the archer class.
cfoster@Turbine> As for archery, we DID increase archers abilities in the end. Make sure you have a cool bow, and up your coordination.
jason@Turbine> Archers rely more on magic bows now.
avandegrift> Hey, great game but I have one complaint. No secure trade window will hurt player-to-player economics. Do you plan on implementing one in the future?
cfoster@Turbine> Secure trade is a possible future feature.
Luc1f3r> It's a pleasure speaking with you people :) I've never played this type of game before, and I am looking for something of the type. AC seemed to catch my eye, though. What sets AC apart from the others (makes it special)?
cfoster@Turbine> AC has lots of social features that are unique, and we can update the world dynamically.
sean@Turbine> Plus it's darned cool!
cfoster@Turbine> Events are going to be a big deal as AC goes forward.
jason@Turbine> Thats one of the biggest things about AC tech -- we can change our world without having to create a huge patch to download.
cfoster@Turbine> Also, we hope to do more with the allegiance system as the game develops . . .
Scotth@Turbine> and cow ownership...
cfoster@Turbine> Right now, I think we have the most potential to create TRUE massively-multiplayer gameplay.
rei@Turbine> The game's core and heart is about people.
Gerwin03> What does the real game have to offer that is different from the beta (and are the beta characters dead)?
sean@Turbine> Not to mention we have cool dance moves!
cfoster@Turbine> The real game will have more cohesive and expansive events, and new content as the game goes forward. Also, it'll have a larger audience, which means more potential for neat social interactions.
aFrog_fr> Hello there! I'm wondering how much a game like AC costs to develop and maintain.
cfoster@Turbine> (checks his wallet) A lot.
jason@Turbine> More than you can imagine.
letoile@turbine> $1.37
rei@Turbine> A lot.
sean@Turbine> You mean the financial cost, or the cost in human lives?
jason@Turbine> . . . or aging costs on the developers?
johnski0> There is a sword-specific quest for the Sword of Lost Light. Can we expect similar quests/items for non-sword-skill characters, i.e., MACE hint hint , bow, etc., etc., equivalent to the SoLL?
rei@Turbine> I think we touched upon this?
cfoster@Turbine> We're looking at making sure everyone has their all-powerful, envy-inducing trophies.
cfoster@Turbine> We'll even have some in the game, too! :)
letoile@turbine> I'm already plotting some of these uber-weapon quests. :)
Aabott> Will the monsters' AI routines ever be altered, providing new challenges for us all? Thx for the open Beta, very enjoyable.
cfoster@Turbine> Aabott, we're looking at making monsters more interesting in the future.
rei@Turbine> Ayup.
cfoster@Turbine> Look for interesting stuff to happen as the game develops.
StormFa11> Will your (more dynamic, GM-controlled) events occur during (say) US peak time, and if so, what about those non-US players who need to sleep outside PST peaks? :) Are we resigned to static events like parchment searches :P
StormFa11> *drinks more coffee*
jason@Turbine> They'll occur during large time spans, sometimes spanning several days or longer.
cfoster@Turbine> StormFa11, we can only schedule so many large events at a time. We will spread them out as much as we can, tho. Also look for smaller, socially oriented events to happen around the clock.
Raistlan> Right to the point: How do you guys feel about muling? I.e., creating a character to hold items/ID/do trade skills/sacrifice possessions for your main character? BTW, great game! You have created many addicts. :)
sean@Turbine> (Not the least of those addicts are us!)
cfoster@Turbine> Raistlan, that's a fact of life, I guess, without a LOT of tricky coding/designing.
cfoster@Turbine> (To be honest, we almost considered calling them "Squires...")
jason@Turbine> I remember watching Ping play a squire -- some of the best role-playing I've ever seen.
Sharkboy_> Thanks for the killer game, guys... YOU ROCK!! I have no life, all thanks to you... *sniff* It's beautiful... Having a friend fedex it out of the US for me =]... All I would like to know is if there is a possibility of incorporating a two-handed weaponry skill in certain classes in the future . . . perhaps as a trainable skill for higher-level characters. Such as a sword in each hand, sword & dagger, etc.
cpierson@Turbine> I pester people on a regular basis for two-handed weapons. Again, we're looking into it -- I even have stats all made up for the two-handers. :) It's a definite possibility for the future.
sean@Turbine> The cost in extra animations would be fairly enormous, both in time creating the animations, plus memory for loading them all in. However, it's something I think we'd all like to see added.
jason@Turbine> Personally, I'd rather see houses and stuff come in first.
Tharcarious> What will you do if we have to open clinics for the people deathly addicted to AC? (I need help. Free me from AC's grasp!!)
rei@Turbine> At least you can't drive and play AC at the same time (I think).
sean@Turbine> Laptops, Eri!
rei@Turbine> "AC-alyzer testing"?
cpierson@Turbine> Ask for a cut of the clinic fees, of course.
Scotth@Turbine> Ummm, can we charge monthly rates???
cfoster@Turbine> I hear Spades is fun...
mrname> Will you be adding more spells anytime soon? And why don't spells become more mana-efficient as you increase their level? Also, have all of the spells currently in the game been discovered? I'm sure that you can see the spell economy for any spell anytime.
cpierson@Turbine> As far as the spells' becoming more mana efficient . . .
jason@Turbine> Mana conversion skill reduces your mana costs on spells.
cfoster@Turbine> Look at our notes on upcoming updates for more details.
cpierson@Turbine> So if you train Mana Conv as you go up in level, the mana costs _will_ go down.
Scotth@Turbine> Not all the spells have been found.
cfoster@Turbine> Folks, thanks for supporting AC! Hope to see you all in Dereth!
Dave@turbine> Thanks everyone for coming! Hope to see you in AC!
rei@Turbine> It's been a long many years. Thanks, all!
+MrQuazarr@Zone> On behalf of Turbine and Microsoft, I would like to thank you all for coming out this evening.
sean@Turbine> Folks, thanks for coming, and thanks for your questions! Thanks for helping make AC a success. After all, it's a Role-Playing Game; it would be nothing without you all!
+MrQuazarr@Zone> We look forward to seeing you in Dereth!
rei@Turbine> Yeah!
cfoster@Turbine> We'll be holding these chats regularly, so we hope to see you all again here soon!
jason@Turbine> And remember, if you have ideas or would like to see changes post them in the newsgroups and message boards. Specifics are good; we're listening.