Update - September 8, 2007

[GodBeastX]

We have some nice things to toss at the playerbase once again. Some effort on everyone's part coming together.

- Preliminary Secret Door Code
This isn't as good as I'd like, but Obsidian messed up on our request for SetUseableFlag(). It doesn't work on Doors. So secret doors will be locked until someone nearby succeeds spot rolls. The rolls are made silently and automatically every 6 seconds you are near the door. Once you succeed you will know The DCs are based upon spot rolls. Hope you have spot!
- New Dungeon & Revised Areas!
Whispers and rumors circulate, speaking about a smuggling operation taking place right under Aquor's nose!
- Area Walkmesh Chagnes and Bug Fixes
- Play Cards within Jimmy's Dice table with a new playing card add-on

[undeadsteak]

ooh, another update, awesome.

[RXeD]

Yay, Hop is more useful now, except being sarcastic.

[undeadsteak]

What is the new dungeon and the revised areas? I know the cavern in Aquor has been changed with smugglers from the Cartel, but what else?

[Ithildin]

Whats the intended level for Aquor now? Tass and I did fine there with the bugs, some close calls but nothing like it is now. First an Ice storm I think it was, then a fireball right after killing us both.

Are all areas being changed into having strong aoe spells added? Same thing happend to us when we tried exploring the once low level ghost cave in sestra just with different aoe spells.

[Tassafina]

*sighs and nods* It is getting a bit frustrating constantly walking into instant death zones. I dont see how a party larger than ours would fare much better since they tossing out aoe doing 40 damage....I only have 45 hp. I cant believe it was designed for too much higher than us since we were only getting 56 xp at level 5.

[Saulus]

*sighs and nods* It is getting a bit frustrating constantly walking into instant death zones. I dont see how a party larger than ours would fare much better since they tossing out aoe doing 40 damage....I only have 45 hp. I cant believe it was designed for too much higher than us since we were only getting 56 xp at level 5.

The server is in beta, balance is part of what the beta is for. That being said a lot of zones are being reworked or already have been, and new ones are being added. I'm working on something that will illuminate which places new players can go to adventure, for everyone else you have to play the caution game. That's part of exploring.

[undeadsteak]

Well,its just two of you.. Not going to be that easy, you'd need a few more. The smugglers place is harder then Ogre caverns IMO, you'd be safer there, if you want to simply try fighting with only two ppl.

[Tassafina]

Well,its just two of you.. Not going to be that easy, you'd need a few more. The smugglers place is harder then Ogre caverns IMO, you'd be safer there, if you want to simply try fighting with only two ppl.

Well dont really see how more people would help...they cast AOE that kill us almost instantly...it would just kill more people at the same time I dont mind things not being easy its that we dont even have a chance to run before were dead that is aggravating.

[undeadsteak]

Mmm, i suppose so, but a simple scroll or mage casting protection from elements or whatever would help you greatly. And stay spread out. And shouldnt lvl 6 or 7 warriors have loads of hp by this time? Like 60-100 or the such.. They are much more harder then the beetles for sure, and they can cast stoneskin which is annoying. Its best to go for the mages first.

[Raksha]

Well, the bottom line is that the current encounters in the caverns are way beyond the encounters in places like the Necropolis, basically because there is no good way to defend against them.

Protection from Energy? Great. A third-level spell that displaces other things and will last for about one or two mages. Or from a scroll, that costs over a hundred gold a pop.

I have had two and three mages spawn in the same group, which I think is just a little insane. >_>; There's simply no way to defend against three simultaneous Ice Storms followed up by three simultaneous Fireballs that don't even hurt the mages casting them to do right next to themselves.

So, the point is not that the caves are difficult, but that they are difficult in a way that a) can barely be defended against and b) are far harder than equivalent-CR encounters on the server. And even greater ones.

I think that if a maximum of one mage spawned in each group, and there were no groups waiting to gank people immediately upon entrance, it would probably be better.

My $0.02 U.S. :P And balance is indeed a work in progress. This is beta.

[Scourn]

Yea, find a mage or cleric, have them cast protection on everyone, then take out mages. Granted you'll proably have to recast protection again after the fight, but if it keeps you alive

[GodBeastX]

1) Only one mage CAN spawn in a group. I verified this 30 times. What might have happened is someone went down before you, spawned a bunch of things, tried to get away, and died. When you came in there might have been mages all over the place.

2) Yes, some other areas are way too easy compared to how we want general difficulty, however, I do think the mages need tweaking. When I was play testing I noticed some things they did that was a little overpowered so I removed it. If they have too much in the lines of AOE or switch damage types too much, I can change that too. There is always other strategies though. Have someone stealth up to the mages and ambush their faces, or hold person spells and other of such things that become useful.

We don't want the game to just become diablo where you just kill as fast as you can by yourself. If you see something that is kill people with death spells, try deathwards from clerics. If fire spells, try protections from elements, etc. Everything isn't meant to just have 3 fighters in a party and you'll win every time

3) Other encounters, like the necropolis, are all getting redone too. As much as I have fun screaming "BOG ZOMBIE" On the microphone to Saulus, the Bog Zombie method of killing made them a bit easier, and also, turn undead doesn't work on immortal creatures. Many issues with the way the spawns work. Not to mention the whole interior of the Necropolis is being completely redone.

[Raksha]

GBX, it's happened to me and my groups so many times in a row that I'm really doubting you're correct. I'll try screenies if I can. Regardless, if that's true then yes, the caverns are quite manageable.

[GodBeastX]

Screenshots are worth 1000 words. It's definitely working this way. Like I said, you may be running into more than one group at a time, which might be because encounters are too close together or something else.

Next update the mage's spells have been redone. I've verified only one mage spawning many times.