THESE questions and answers are written based on discussions with Vuuar (Lead Game Designer), about the "Open questions" in the FAQ and community forums.
Will players be able to build mana fountains? No, they wont be able to build such things.
What kind of armour can a cleric use? A cleric can use chain-mail and leather armor
How will a kingdom be structured? Ganareth will have the following structure upon release:
- one kingdom will consist of 3 duchies
- one duchy will consist of 3 counties
- one county will consist of 3 baronies
- one barony will consist of 3 to 13 strongholds, each one with a fortress.
However, there will not be 13 strongholds per barony upon release. This number will be adjusted with time, in order to match server population, and to create an interesting challenge at any time.
Is Ganareth a flat world, or a round one? Ganareth is a round world for sure! And people who say otherwise will be condemned to the stake.
How will people take the control of a barony? A barony switches ownership when the barons fortress is occupied by the opposition. Of course, it will be heavily protected. However, the defense system can be weakened if the attackers manage to seize the other baronies first.
How will the building system work? Will we have to call for an engineer to make the plans, then for workers to build the actual house? No, the system will be very simple and straight-forward. The main thing will be a Management skill, related to SXP. This will allow you to start building projects.
How will prices be set in order to repair the buildings and avoid a loss of quality? Many elements will be taken into account for these calculations, such as the type of construction, and the kingdom where it is located. Thus, a cabin on a seashore will cost less than a rich manor.
Can a crafter guild put its own brand on its items? This is not planned.
Can we trade FXP points for SXP, and vice versa? No, no experience transfer can be made.
Can I decrease one of my skills, and even put it back to zero? Yes, but this will be long and hard. Your master will show you how.
THESE questions and answers are written based on discussions with Vuuar (Lead Game Designer), about the "Open questions" in the FAQ and community forums.
Will NPCs be available to enhance the atmosphere? Of course. For instance, you will have dogs and cats in the streets. But most of all, our game masters will play the roles of original and colourful NPCs, in order to enhance the immersion and diversity of the world.
Can NPCs become slaves in Dark and Light? There will be neither slaves, nor associated trader. What is the range for spells and charms? The longest range will be 250m. This range will depend on the level, abilities, and spell type. By the way, here is an additional note about arrows : the longest range is also 250m and depends on the level, abilities, and equipment used. Let us also say that the distance scale on Ganareth and in the real world is the same.
Will there be a way to raise taxes according to character alignment, race, class or religion? You will be able to do this according to alignment.
How can nobles reward their allies when they seize a territory? How can they condemn the traitors who didnt help? A Nobles allies will be registered and paid by him or her. In addition, a suzerain can exclude people who have betrayed him and didnt support him. During battles, defenders get SXP for their actions, and nobles can give them Goths for their help.
Upon seizing a land, will we get the buildings the former occupants created, or will we have to destroy everything and build everything again from scratch? The scorched earth policy will have no purpose, since the new occupants have to destroy the old buildings and rebuild everything.
What is the proportion of FXP lost when you lose a PvP fight? The penalty will not be very high, and will depend on the difference of level between both fighters This will not be a viable and quick way to gain levels. Fighting animals in Ganareth will be more rewarding, FXP-wise.
What is the proportion of water surface in Ganareth? An underwater world will be implemented after the commercial release. This territory is about 30% to 40% of the total surface.
Will be able to put some actions on a waiting list? Yes, however the maximum amount of actions queued hasnt been set yet. Moreover, if you run out of mana, your queued actions will obviously stop.
THESE questions and answers are written based on discussions with Vuuar (Lead Game Designer), about the "Open questions" in the FAQ and community forums. Will the chat bubbles system be optional? Yes. You will be able to enable or disable this option in a control panel. Will you be able become an astrologer, in order to predict the positions of the stars? No, there wont be such a profession. When losing a lot of experience, can you lose a level? No, you cannot lose a level as a result. Can you give examples of the disadvantages when playing an atheistic character? An atheistic character cannot get any bonuses from any god. This can show in different ways: less luck, a lower success rate, the quantity of loot on the creatures... Moreover, atheistic characters cannot be rescued by divine intervention. In stormy weather, do you need to take your plate armor or metallic items off if you want to avoid being struck by lightning? Lightning will never strike you. However, the weather can alter some crafting operations. Crafting components, for instance, can give a better result if crafted when its raining. How can shield-less classes enjoy sledge-riding? Your inventory will have three slots dedicated to parachute, hang glider and another item, that you can use as a sledge. Can players build infrastructures such as bridges, roads, fences...? Payers cannot build roads or bridges; however, these structures can appear when Ganareth becomes more advanced. If a village has no road leading to it, but people keep on using the same path to go there, our team can decide to create a road in order to adapt the universe to its inhabitants habits. Moreover, players can also create infrastructures such as barns and industrial buildings. Will there be group quests? Of course; however, only the members of this group will get a reward from it. How many characters will we get per account? This isnt set yet. Will trade guilds be able to hire both Dark and Light members? Yes, there is no distinction between Dark and Light in this kind of guild. Will murdering a merchant NPC a player hired, have any economical consequences? There will be no penalty for this, except the fact that one of your faithful servants will be dead. Will Dark and Light handle players/NPC collisions? Yes, but it will only be a partial system, in order to prevent abuse (players blocking a place permanently for instance).
*Devs and AD staff pop in the Teamspeak vocal server *Everybody thanks AD for the quality of their simultaneous translation... *Everybody is grateful for the news regarding the graphic engine.
Q : What are the other disadvantages of wearing an armor, apart from the weight ? R : Tiredness.. since it is linked to the weight of your equipment.
Q : And if one finds himself in the desert, wearing a plate armor ? R : Two of DnL characteristics aren't classical : "hot save and cold save". They are the hot and cold parameters generated by the environment (and they have nothing to do with magical fire and ice damage). It is conceivable that a warrior mith too many "warm clothes" on him would suffer from disadvantages in the desert because of the heat. (except if he's wearing a magical armor)
Q : Will magical armors be hard to find or quite common ? R : We are in a magical world where one can practice magic and get access to magical ingredients quite soon in the game. The basic magical objects will be common, and the higher level their magical quality will be, the rarer they will be... some of them will be very hard to find.
* little talk...
Q : Can a cristal mine change its alignment... and how will it happen ? R : The Light will extract Light cristals and the Dark will extract Dark cristals.
Q : Can Dark and Light people work in the same mine ? R : Yes if it is a public mine, no if it is a private one.
Q : Will a Light be able to extract Light cristals in the north ? R : A Light wishing to extract Light cristals in the north of the map (where Dark cristals are more numerous) will have a thinner extraction density that will eventually reach "0" when he finds himself in Dark territory - the extraction efficiency will suffer from this.
Q : Will the Xml interface be integrated ? R : The "save" function works, but as regards skins, it wasn't our priority. Today it looks easier with the new interface, you can skin icons, modify the "look" of it, but you can't re-design the whole thing. Maybe later.
Q : As regards character animation, will you improve the way movements are linked or the animation as a whole ? R : For now, this isn't motion capture, but manual and artistic work. Altering character animation costs time, there are more or less 230 different animations. A lot of thing weren't "great" in the way movements were connected, they have been redone and now look more fluid. The animations made up by the artists are very good, fluid in Loona, but when they were integrated in the game engine with all the "real time" restraints.. they did look "a bit rigid". With the new patch, the result is far better...
=> We do plan on giving you a specific version of Loona, "our modeling software", to allow the community to create "emotes" for DnL.
*Everyone agrees ! - Calcineur pees in his pants ^^
Q : Who will have access to this tool ? Will it be "freely distributed" ? R : Ideally, we would give it to a maximum of voluntary people wishing to see their work integrated in the game, after we check it. The real advantage is that Loona is quite easy to use (when it comes to animation), especially in its "Light" version. This should allow you to bring your creative touch quite easily working from a base (that would be provided).
Q : Is it worth for the players getting to know how to use the program ? R : YES IT IS !!!... Players like getting involved...
* little talk...
dnl: Q : Will some of these emotes be only available to one race, one class, one guild ? R : It is technically possible, and it could be cool, it could allow individuality for players.
* little talk on the subject...
Q : About buildings and what's in them... will DnL avoid database problems like those encountered by Swg ? R : We have worked on this a lot, and we are trying to limit the amount of information stored in the database in order to generate a large quantity of information. We therefore have a very small database with a lot of information inside and I think we are safe for a fair amount of time.
Q : Will houses suddenly appear in front of the players ? R : No, you won't see them appear just in front of you, except if another player builds it next to you. We have set up proximity detection systems anyway. You won't have a lot of data to download in order to generate buildings and they will generally generated "far enough", we did some tests on it, and it's working quite well. We'll see how it goes when everyone starts building his house..
* laughs
Q : Can we expect to create facial expressions ? R : We thought about it, but for now the idea isn't one of our priorities. But you can do it with Loona, so why couldn't you with the "light" version of Loona ?
Q : Will the presentation of the class ways in the gameletter be more roleplay or more technical ? R : More roleplay, so that it doesn't get "too arid".
Q : How frequently will these infos be released ? R : Weekly.
Q : Will we be able to fossilize dwarves, paint them and put them in our garden ? ^^ R : laughs...
* talk on "musical" macros and their technical feasability... * talk on guilds, and so on..
Q : Are you planning to represent stars very realistically ? R : Cosmogonies will be visible at night, and they will be highlighted when activated. Each god has his own cosmogony, and they are part of the gameplay. Constellations wil be improved too.
Q : Will faeries have the same number of equipment slots than the other races ? R : Yes indeed. Their equipment will be light (no faeries in plate armor ^^)
* talk on Loona, and testing of an evaluation version for a few people.
Q : Will we be able to propose housing objects and general content for the DnL universe ? R : It could be cool, especially for objects that are simple to create, like decoration objects. But their would be a specifications and requirements to respect.
Q : Any precision on the future communication policy ? R : We weren't able to cummunicate ideally until now, for a lot of reasons, but things are slowly evolving. We are learning from our "mistakes" and we have more staff in charge of communication (like Geraldine). DnL is more and more mature, it's now time to talk about it. Right Now, DnL's efforts are focused on the community, on the wishes of you, players, and your guilds. The E3 is not the most important thing for us right now.
* debriefing, comments and thanks...
- AD : all questions that have not been asked are kept and will sustain the "Questions to Vuuar" thread and other topics...
- quick reminder : Game-letters are NOT News-letters !
- AD : Everyone has received the second game-letter in the language he has picked on the forum.. they have not all been delivered at the same time to avoid technical problems.
- AD : We are already woring on the third game-letter, and a little scoop for you, you will soon receive some info on "Markel, the dark-elf necromancer" in the next article to be published on the website.
- AD : 74 profiles on important characters do already exist, and their rate of publication will increase to reach 2 or 3 publications per week.. same thing for the bestiary with systematic screenshots and animations.
- AD : As for the "secret societies" contest, we will soon name the winners without revealing the backgrounds. Some of these elements will be progressively integrated in articles, bestiaries or various texts...
- AD : As regards the integration of guild names in our different articles, it is not a coincidence, we don't consult them but we study their backgrounds. Player names and rumours might be circulating, spread by PNjs or discovered in ancient books. Parameters like language and number of members in each guild are NOT taken into consideration. Chances are therefore equal for everyone.
- AD : Guilds could be involved in quests and various other.. things. (surprise, surprise !)
- AD : Religious guilds will also be involved...
- AD : If you have ideas or concepts, don't hesitate to share them with us through Laellyra and her new "project" on the forum, be it personnally or in the name of your guild. Anyway, your ideas are welcome !
Q : About key figures ? R : At first, they will be played by PNJs or AD staff, but the latter could be replaced by players worthy of it (following RP animations for example). Some animations, some schemes might exist to hunt or destabilize key figures. We love this kind of animation veryyy much... ^^
* Debate on the DnL and AD Girls for the E3 event
- AD's commercial strategy : Quality is better than Quantity. They do decline most of the proposals from other mmos.
Originally posted by ShadowWan => We do plan on giving you a specific version of Loona, "our modeling software", to allow the community to create "emotes" for DnL. *Everyone agrees ! - Calcineur pees in his pants ^^ Q : Who will have access to this tool ? Will it be "freely distributed" ? R : Ideally, we would give it to a maximum of voluntary people wishing to see their work integrated in the game, after we check it. The real advantage is that Loona is quite easy to use (when it comes to animation), especially in its "Light" version. This should allow you to bring your creative touch quite easily working from a base (that would be provided). Q : Is it worth for the players getting to know how to use the program ? R : YES IT IS !!!... Players like getting involved...
THESE questions and answers are written based on discussions with Vuuar (Lead Game Designer), about the "Open questions" in the FAQ and community forums. Which elements change the attitude of a monster towards a character? The major element is the divine faction. A monster can decide not to attack you if you have the right divine faction, and according to this relation with its own faction. An in-game command will be at your disposal to show this aggressiveness level. What is the influence of the constellation you are born under, compared to your divine constellation? Both constellations will have an influence over your character. However, your birth constellation will only bring secondary bonuses, while your divine constellation will play a major role for your character. Can a character warp directly to someone listed in his/her buddy list? No, unless you are married to that person! When two people with the same divine faction fight, do they get a divine faction penalty? No, only the attacker gets a penalty. The defender doesnt get a penalty, even if he wins the fight. The same system applies when a low-level character attacks a high-level character: as the latter only defends him/herself, no penalty is applied to the defender. Since monsters wont spawn according to a visible pattern, how can we locate the creatures we need for a quest? You will have to look for them for some time, even if monsters spawn in a pre-determined area. Rangers will be very useful allies here, thanks to their tracking skills. Is the hydrapteron the only way to tell the difference between a Dark crystal and a Light one? Yes, this tool will be a must-have for people seeking for crystals. Will fairies have a limited role because of their small size? Not at all. Fairies will, among others, have access to every spellcaster class. And of course, they will be able to craft as well. If a player-made house is destroyed, will the player have the possibility to move back to the house he/she first got when he/she arrived in Ganareth? Of course, your character wont have to sleep in an abandoned barn or under the stars. Your first house will always be there, and your items automatically transferred there. Will there be a command line to follow someone automatically, such as /stick or /follow? Yes. But if you are too far from the person you are following, the command will automatically be cancelled. Do the gods of Ganareth have special "servants"? There are many questions about the gods of Ganareth and their minions. Maybe you will come across one of these mysterious messengers one day, while involved in a twisted investigation or a thrilling adventure. How can we know a characters divine faction? No indication will be shown before a fight starts. However, you will get warning about possible penalties, and you will get the opportunity to stop the fight. Faction penalties arising from such fights are not very high. Only people who maintain this attitude for some time will have significant penalties in their divine faction. What are the cultural differences between Dark and Light? The idea of culture applies to races, rather than to alignments. The source of magic and crystal use are the elements that create conflicts between Dark and Light, since both sides try to control the mana fountains. But cultural differences come from the ethnic level, not from this opposition. Is there a queen or king in Ganareth? The hierarchy of powers isnt completely defined yet. However, the role of king of an alignment (Dark of Light) could, at first, be held by a game master. Then, as we do for princes, this position could be handed over to players.
Q : Any precision on the future communication policy ? R : We weren't able to cummunicate ideally until now, for a lot of reasons, but things are slowly evolving. We are learning from our "mistakes" and we have more staff in charge of communication (like Geraldine). DnL is more and more mature, it's now time to talk about it. Right Now, DnL's efforts are focused on the community, on the wishes of you, players, and your guilds. The E3 is not the most important thing for us right now.
Definitely a step in the right direction. The community - whether people actively involved or ones just following the game - need to be kept involved and updated with developments with beta testing i.e. how beta is progressing, what is being tested, what stage are they at, etc. Like most, I'm keen to see how all the ideas have been implemented and actually work. I really do like the game-letters as a tool to communicate on various aspects of the game and provide an immersion factor, hopefully in the next few weeks and months there will be more updates on the actual game engine with more video releases.
I don't intend to play any other MMOG until DnL is released - which will make it just over 2 years since I last played a MMOG (Eve Online - quit in Oct '03). Also, gives me 6 months to update my Pc.
Regards, Riotgirl
"If you think I'm plucky and scrappy and all I need is love, you're in way over your head. I don't have a heart of gold or get nice. There are a lot nicer people coming up. We call them losers."
People will exploit the marriages when getting attacked by another player, and then youll get the people who come up with the idea to petition for gay marriages so they stop getting ganked. Good idea i geuss but i can see problems coming from this.
DnL will allow same-sex marriages from the beginning. Us Europeans are a little further along the social progression path than Americans, thus gay marriages are a-ok
THESE questions and answers are written based on discussions with Vuuar (Lead Game Designer), about the "Open questions" in the FAQ and community forums. Will inventory load have an impact on swimming abilities? Yes, definitely.
Will armour give negatives in speed, strength or dexterity? No. However, some armours can give bonuses to these statistics.
If you fight against a monster that is much weaker than you, does the monster still drop items? No, you get no reward if there is no challenge.
Can we save skill points for later, or do we have to use them at once? You can save your points for later, and use them when you feel the time has come.
Will we become totally invulnerable to some spells, thanks to a high level in resist skills, item, or protection spells? You will be able to have a very high level of protetion, but you will never be totally protected.
How will extraction work? Will the character need specific tools? You will need specific tools for this task. When the extraction job is done, the extracted resources can be loaded into carts and sent to a mana tower or a city. Of course, these convoys can be attacked.
Except crystals, what else will you extract? Extraction is a skill, it allows you to extract different resources, such as wood, metal, or gas. Note that there is another skill related to this called Exploitation.
What about the types of siege engines available? You will have catapults, balistas, trebuchets and rams. You will also have the possibility to use magic projectiles, for instance flame projectiles instead of the regular ones.
Will we have pots of boiling oil? They will not be visible, but we will use special effects to represent them.
Will there be very powerful monsters and NPCs, requiring teamwork and organization to defeat? Yes, you will sometimes need to group and organize in order to defeat specific foes
Comments
QUESTIONS TO VUUAR #9 by Satange
THESE questions and answers are written based on discussions with Vuuar (Lead Game Designer), about the "Open questions" in the FAQ and community forums.
Will players be able to build mana fountains?
No, they wont be able to build such things.
What kind of armour can a cleric use?
A cleric can use chain-mail and leather armor
How will a kingdom be structured?
Ganareth will have the following structure upon release:
- one kingdom will consist of 3 duchies
- one duchy will consist of 3 counties
- one county will consist of 3 baronies
- one barony will consist of 3 to 13 strongholds, each one with a fortress.
However, there will not be 13 strongholds per barony upon release. This number will be adjusted with time, in order to match server population, and to create an interesting challenge at any time.
Is Ganareth a flat world, or a round one?
Ganareth is a round world for sure! And people who say otherwise will be condemned to the stake.
How will people take the control of a barony?
A barony switches ownership when the barons fortress is occupied by the opposition. Of course, it will be heavily protected. However, the defense system can be weakened if the attackers manage to seize the other baronies first.
How will the building system work?
Will we have to call for an engineer to make the plans, then for workers to build the actual house?
No, the system will be very simple and straight-forward. The main thing will be a Management skill, related to SXP. This will allow you to start building projects.
How will prices be set in order to repair the buildings and avoid a loss of quality?
Many elements will be taken into account for these calculations, such as the type of construction, and the kingdom where it is located. Thus, a cabin on a seashore will cost less than a rich manor.
Can a crafter guild put its own brand on its items?
This is not planned.
Can we trade FXP points for SXP, and vice versa?
No, no experience transfer can be made.
Can I decrease one of my skills, and even put it back to zero?
Yes, but this will be long and hard. Your master will show you how.
Make of it what you will.
THESE questions and answers are written based on discussions with Vuuar (Lead Game Designer), about the "Open questions" in the FAQ and community forums.
Will NPCs be available to enhance the atmosphere?
Of course. For instance, you will have dogs and cats in the streets. But most of all, our game masters will play the roles of original and colourful NPCs, in order to enhance the immersion and diversity of the world.
Can NPCs become slaves in Dark and Light?
There will be neither slaves, nor associated trader.
What is the range for spells and charms?
The longest range will be 250m. This range will depend on the level, abilities, and spell type. By the way, here is an additional note about arrows : the longest range is also 250m and depends on the level, abilities, and equipment used.
Let us also say that the distance scale on Ganareth and in the real world is the same.
Will there be a way to raise taxes according to character alignment, race, class or religion?
You will be able to do this according to alignment.
How can nobles reward their allies when they seize a territory? How can they condemn the traitors who didnt help?
A Nobles allies will be registered and paid by him or her. In addition, a suzerain can exclude people who have betrayed him and didnt support him. During battles, defenders get SXP for their actions, and nobles can give them Goths for their help.
Upon seizing a land, will we get the buildings the former occupants created, or will we have to destroy everything and build everything again from scratch?
The scorched earth policy will have no purpose, since the new occupants have to destroy the old buildings and rebuild everything.
What is the proportion of FXP lost when you lose a PvP fight?
The penalty will not be very high, and will depend on the difference of level between both fighters
This will not be a viable and quick way to gain levels. Fighting animals in Ganareth will be more rewarding, FXP-wise.
What is the proportion of water surface in Ganareth?
An underwater world will be implemented after the commercial release. This territory is about 30% to 40% of the total surface.
Will be able to put some actions on a waiting list?
Yes, however the maximum amount of actions queued hasnt been set yet. Moreover, if you run out of mana, your queued actions will obviously stop.
Nemo sine vitio est
THESE questions and answers are written based on discussions with Vuuar (Lead Game Designer), about the "Open questions" in the FAQ and community forums.
Will the chat bubbles system be optional?
Yes. You will be able to enable or disable this option in a control panel.
Will you be able become an astrologer, in order to predict the positions of the stars?
No, there wont be such a profession.
When losing a lot of experience, can you lose a level?
No, you cannot lose a level as a result.
Can you give examples of the disadvantages when playing an atheistic character?
An atheistic character cannot get any bonuses from any god. This can show in different ways: less luck, a lower success rate, the quantity of loot on the creatures... Moreover, atheistic characters cannot be rescued by divine intervention.
In stormy weather, do you need to take your plate armor or metallic items off if you want to avoid being struck by lightning?
Lightning will never strike you. However, the weather can alter some crafting operations. Crafting components, for instance, can give a better result if crafted when its raining.
How can shield-less classes enjoy sledge-riding?
Your inventory will have three slots dedicated to parachute, hang glider and another item, that you can use as a sledge.
Can players build infrastructures such as bridges, roads, fences...?
Payers cannot build roads or bridges; however, these structures can appear when Ganareth becomes more advanced. If a village has no road leading to it, but people keep on using the same path to go there, our team can decide to create a road in order to adapt the universe to its inhabitants habits. Moreover, players can also create infrastructures such as barns and industrial buildings.
Will there be group quests?
Of course; however, only the members of this group will get a reward from it.
How many characters will we get per account?
This isnt set yet.
Will trade guilds be able to hire both Dark and Light members?
Yes, there is no distinction between Dark and Light in this kind of guild.
Will murdering a merchant NPC a player hired, have any economical consequences?
There will be no penalty for this, except the fact that one of your faithful servants will be dead.
Will Dark and Light handle players/NPC collisions?
Yes, but it will only be a partial system, in order to prevent abuse (players blocking a place permanently for instance).
Nemo sine vitio est
Originally posted by Clcenieur on DnL forums:
http://www.darkandlight.net/forums/showthread.php?t=15888#post256029
Summary of the Teamspeak meeting that followed the >>> devchat <<< of the 6th of April 2005.
(length is about two hours and ten minutes)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Devs and AD staff pop in the Teamspeak vocal server
*Everybody thanks AD for the quality of their simultaneous translation...
*Everybody is grateful for the news regarding the graphic engine.
Q : What are the other disadvantages of wearing an armor, apart from the weight ?
R : Tiredness.. since it is linked to the weight of your equipment.
Q : And if one finds himself in the desert, wearing a plate armor ?
R : Two of DnL characteristics aren't classical : "hot save and cold save". They are the hot and cold parameters generated by the environment (and they have nothing to do with magical fire and ice damage). It is conceivable that a warrior mith too many "warm clothes" on him would suffer from disadvantages in the desert because of the heat. (except if he's wearing a magical armor)
Q : Will magical armors be hard to find or quite common ?
R : We are in a magical world where one can practice magic and get access to magical ingredients quite soon in the game. The basic magical objects will be common, and the higher level their magical quality will be, the rarer they will be... some of them will be very hard to find.
* little talk...
Q : Can a cristal mine change its alignment... and how will it happen ?
R : The Light will extract Light cristals and the Dark will extract Dark cristals.
Q : Can Dark and Light people work in the same mine ?
R : Yes if it is a public mine, no if it is a private one.
Q : Will a Light be able to extract Light cristals in the north ?
R : A Light wishing to extract Light cristals in the north of the map (where Dark cristals are more numerous) will have a thinner extraction density that will eventually reach "0" when he finds himself in Dark territory - the extraction efficiency will suffer from this.
Q : Will the Xml interface be integrated ?
R : The "save" function works, but as regards skins, it wasn't our priority. Today it looks easier with the new interface, you can skin icons, modify the "look" of it, but you can't re-design the whole thing. Maybe later.
Q : As regards character animation, will you improve the way movements are linked or the animation as a whole ?
R : For now, this isn't motion capture, but manual and artistic work. Altering character animation costs time, there are more or less 230 different animations. A lot of thing weren't "great" in the way movements were connected, they have been redone and now look more fluid. The animations made up by the artists are very good, fluid in Loona, but when they were integrated in the game engine with all the "real time" restraints.. they did look "a bit rigid". With the new patch, the result is far better...
=> We do plan on giving you a specific version of Loona, "our modeling software", to allow the community to create "emotes" for DnL.
*Everyone agrees ! - Calcineur pees in his pants ^^
Q : Who will have access to this tool ? Will it be "freely distributed" ?
R : Ideally, we would give it to a maximum of voluntary people wishing to see their work integrated in the game, after we check it. The real advantage is that Loona is quite easy to use (when it comes to animation), especially in its "Light" version. This should allow you to bring your creative touch quite easily working from a base (that would be provided).
Q : Is it worth for the players getting to know how to use the program ?
R : YES IT IS !!!... Players like getting involved...
* little talk...
dnl: Q : Will some of these emotes be only available to one race, one class, one guild ?
R : It is technically possible, and it could be cool, it could allow individuality for players.
* little talk on the subject...
Q : About buildings and what's in them... will DnL avoid database problems like those encountered by Swg ?
R : We have worked on this a lot, and we are trying to limit the amount of information stored in the database in order to generate a large quantity of information. We therefore have a very small database with a lot of information inside and I think we are safe for a fair amount of time.
Q : Will houses suddenly appear in front of the players ?
R : No, you won't see them appear just in front of you, except if another player builds it next to you. We have set up proximity detection systems anyway. You won't have a lot of data to download in order to generate buildings and they will generally generated "far enough", we did some tests on it, and it's working quite well. We'll see how it goes when everyone starts building his house..
* laughs
Q : Can we expect to create facial expressions ?
R : We thought about it, but for now the idea isn't one of our priorities. But you can do it with Loona, so why couldn't you with the "light" version of Loona ?
Q : Will the presentation of the class ways in the gameletter be more roleplay or more technical ?
R : More roleplay, so that it doesn't get "too arid".
Q : How frequently will these infos be released ?
R : Weekly.
Q : Will we be able to fossilize dwarves, paint them and put them in our garden ? ^^
R : laughs...
* talk on "musical" macros and their technical feasability...
* talk on guilds, and so on..
Q : Are you planning to represent stars very realistically ?
R : Cosmogonies will be visible at night, and they will be highlighted when activated. Each god has his own cosmogony, and they are part of the gameplay. Constellations wil be improved too.
Q : Will faeries have the same number of equipment slots than the other races ?
R : Yes indeed. Their equipment will be light (no faeries in plate armor ^^)
* talk on Loona, and testing of an evaluation version for a few people.
Q : Will we be able to propose housing objects and general content for the DnL universe ?
R : It could be cool, especially for objects that are simple to create, like decoration objects. But their would be a specifications and requirements to respect.
Q : Any precision on the future communication policy ?
R : We weren't able to cummunicate ideally until now, for a lot of reasons, but things are slowly evolving. We are learning from our "mistakes" and we have more staff in charge of communication (like Geraldine). DnL is more and more mature, it's now time to talk about it. Right Now, DnL's efforts are focused on the community, on the wishes of you, players, and your guilds. The E3 is not the most important thing for us right now.
* debriefing, comments and thanks...
- AD : all questions that have not been asked are kept and will sustain the "Questions to Vuuar" thread and other topics...
- quick reminder : Game-letters are NOT News-letters !
- AD : Everyone has received the second game-letter in the language he has picked on the forum.. they have not all been delivered at the same time to avoid technical problems.
- AD : We are already woring on the third game-letter, and a little scoop for you, you will soon receive some info on "Markel, the dark-elf necromancer" in the next article to be published on the website.
- AD : 74 profiles on important characters do already exist, and their rate of publication will increase to reach 2 or 3 publications per week.. same thing for the bestiary with systematic screenshots and animations.
- AD : As for the "secret societies" contest, we will soon name the winners without revealing the backgrounds. Some of these elements will be progressively integrated in articles, bestiaries or various texts...
- AD : As regards the integration of guild names in our different articles, it is not a coincidence, we don't consult them but we study their backgrounds. Player names and rumours might be circulating, spread by PNjs or discovered in ancient books. Parameters like language and number of members in each guild are NOT taken into consideration. Chances are therefore equal for everyone.
- AD : Guilds could be involved in quests and various other.. things. (surprise, surprise !)
- AD : Religious guilds will also be involved...
- AD : If you have ideas or concepts, don't hesitate to share them with us through Laellyra and her new "project" on the forum, be it personnally or in the name of your guild. Anyway, your ideas are welcome !
Q : About key figures ?
R : At first, they will be played by PNJs or AD staff, but the latter could be replaced by players worthy of it (following RP animations for example).
Some animations, some schemes might exist to hunt or destabilize key figures. We love this kind of animation veryyy much... ^^
* Debate on the DnL and AD Girls for the E3 event
- AD's commercial strategy : Quality is better than Quantity. They do decline most of the proposals from other mmos.
* thanks
* end of vocal chat
Translated by Yaven . Tous droits revers
ive seen it done in second life :P
"It's the darkness that brings us power"
THESE questions and answers are written based on discussions with Vuuar (Lead Game Designer), about the "Open questions" in the FAQ and community forums.
Which elements change the attitude of a monster towards a character?
The major element is the divine faction. A monster can decide not to attack you if you have the right divine faction, and according to this relation with its own faction. An in-game command will be at your disposal to show this aggressiveness level.
What is the influence of the constellation you are born under, compared to your divine constellation?
Both constellations will have an influence over your character. However, your birth constellation will only bring secondary bonuses, while your divine constellation will play a major role for your character.
Can a character warp directly to someone listed in his/her buddy list?
No, unless you are married to that person!
When two people with the same divine faction fight, do they get a divine faction penalty?
No, only the attacker gets a penalty. The defender doesnt get a penalty, even if he wins the fight. The same system applies when a low-level character attacks a high-level character: as the latter only defends him/herself, no penalty is applied to the defender.
Since monsters wont spawn according to a visible pattern, how can we locate the creatures we need for a quest?
You will have to look for them for some time, even if monsters spawn in a pre-determined area. Rangers will be very useful allies here, thanks to their tracking skills.
Is the hydrapteron the only way to tell the difference between a Dark crystal and a Light one?
Yes, this tool will be a must-have for people seeking for crystals.
Will fairies have a limited role because of their small size?
Not at all. Fairies will, among others, have access to every spellcaster class. And of course, they will be able to craft as well.
If a player-made house is destroyed, will the player have the possibility to move back to the house he/she first got when he/she arrived in Ganareth?
Of course, your character wont have to sleep in an abandoned barn or under the stars. Your first house will always be there, and your items automatically transferred there.
Will there be a command line to follow someone automatically, such as /stick or /follow?
Yes. But if you are too far from the person you are following, the command will automatically be cancelled.
Do the gods of Ganareth have special "servants"?
There are many questions about the gods of Ganareth and their minions. Maybe you will come across one of these mysterious messengers one day, while involved in a twisted investigation or a thrilling adventure.
How can we know a characters divine faction?
No indication will be shown before a fight starts. However, you will get warning about possible penalties, and you will get the opportunity to stop the fight. Faction penalties arising from such fights are not very high. Only people who maintain this attitude for some time will have significant penalties in their divine faction.
What are the cultural differences between Dark and Light?
The idea of culture applies to races, rather than to alignments. The source of magic and crystal use are the elements that create conflicts between Dark and Light, since both sides try to control the mana fountains. But cultural differences come from the ethnic level, not from this opposition.
Is there a queen or king in Ganareth?
The hierarchy of powers isnt completely defined yet. However, the role of king of an alignment (Dark of Light) could, at first, be held by a game master. Then, as we do for princes, this position could be handed over to players.
Nemo sine vitio est
Definitely a step in the right direction. The community - whether people actively involved or ones just following the game - need to be kept involved and updated with developments with beta testing i.e. how beta is progressing, what is being tested, what stage are they at, etc. Like most, I'm keen to see how all the ideas have been implemented and actually work. I really do like the game-letters as a tool to communicate on various aspects of the game and provide an immersion factor, hopefully in the next few weeks and months there will be more updates on the actual game engine with more video releases.
I don't intend to play any other MMOG until DnL is released - which will make it just over 2 years since I last played a MMOG (Eve Online - quit in Oct '03). Also, gives me 6 months to update my Pc.
Regards,
Riotgirl
"If you think I'm plucky and scrappy and all I need is love, you're in way over your head. I don't have a heart of gold or get nice. There are a lot nicer people coming up. We call them losers."
teleport to the person your married to
sounds like theys going to be a lot off roleplay in DnL
DnL will allow same-sex marriages from the beginning. Us Europeans are a little further along the social progression path than Americans, thus gay marriages are a-ok
"Fire is never a gentle master..."
THESE questions and answers are written based on discussions with Vuuar (Lead Game Designer), about the "Open questions" in the FAQ and community forums.
Will inventory load have an impact on swimming abilities?
Yes, definitely.
Will armour give negatives in speed, strength or dexterity?
No. However, some armours can give bonuses to these statistics.
If you fight against a monster that is much weaker than you, does the monster still drop items?
No, you get no reward if there is no challenge.
Can we save skill points for later, or do we have to use them at once?
You can save your points for later, and use them when you feel the time has come.
Will we become totally invulnerable to some spells, thanks to a high level in resist skills, item, or protection spells?
You will be able to have a very high level of protetion, but you will never be totally protected.
How will extraction work? Will the character need specific tools?
You will need specific tools for this task.
When the extraction job is done, the extracted resources can be loaded into carts and sent to a mana tower or a city. Of course, these convoys can be attacked.
Except crystals, what else will you extract?
Extraction is a skill, it allows you to extract different resources, such as wood, metal, or gas. Note that there is another skill related to this called Exploitation.
What about the types of siege engines available?
You will have catapults, balistas, trebuchets and rams.
You will also have the possibility to use magic projectiles, for instance flame projectiles instead of the regular ones.
Will we have pots of boiling oil?
They will not be visible, but we will use special effects to represent them.
Will there be very powerful monsters and NPCs, requiring teamwork and organization to defeat?
Yes, you will sometimes need to group and organize in order to defeat specific foes
Nemo sine vitio est