Developer Chat - 2000/12/20

{{Microsoft Zone | Link =  http://classic.zone.msn.com/asheronscall/news/devchatDec1.asp   http://classic.zone.msn.com/asheronscall/news/devchatDec2.asp   http://classic.zone.msn.com/asheronscall/news/devchatDec3.asp | Title = Developer's Chat | Text = Dave@turbine> Evening all..

+Chaos@AC> Hi all, soon as I get the go, we're rolling. Welcome to our Monthly Asheron’s Call Developer's Chat. With us today is Producer Nik Davidson. He’ll be introducing the rest of his folks. A few reminders of the ground rules:


 * 1) You must have your question typed out and ready to cut & paste when your turn is up
 * 2) Limit one question per person will be strictly enforced.
 * 3) The question *must* appear in the first line you post. If not, you will be moved back to watching.
 * 4) You may support your question with up to 2 additional lines of text.
 * 5) If the developer needs more information, we will move you back to asking.
 * 6) Repeat Questions will not get a response other then "Asked and Answered". Please watch for your question being asked before you.
 * 7) As always, the Code of Conduct is in full effect during the chat.

This is all in an effort to keep the chat running more smoothly, make it more informative and give more people a chance to ask questions. With that, I will hand over the floor to Nik for introductions and we will be off to the questions.

Nik@turbine> Hey, everyone. I'm Nik "Azeraphel" Davidson, here with Dave "Sausage King" Javier, Ken "Newbie Quest" Troop, Cardell "Hide Master" Kerr, Sean "On Vacation" Huxter, Jesse "Really Nice Demon" Kurlancheek, and Dave "Original Dave" Namerow. And on behalf of everyone, welcome to the chat. I'll turn things over to DaveJ to get things rolling, then head-first into the questions we'll go.

Crowley@turbine> So... a word about the dagger "fix." The fix has not yet been seen. The "fix" in its complete glory will be seen in January. December has a "preview" of the fix. You'll know it when you see it. Beyond that, I can't give any other hints.

Crowley@turbine> and with that, bring on the questions!

Hibby_Jibbies> Hi Q: What are your plans for Lockpicking? Comments : Right now it SUCKS...no where near worth it's 6 required credits...I hope you will turn it into a jewling skill or something (Take Focus VI Gem and Normal Ring-Put Focus VI Gem in Ring-Focus VI Ring

Hibby_Jibbies> Diff Depends on Skill) or you could always Give us some Credit's back....thx : O yea...other people wanted me to say these:

Hibby_Jibbies> Make vassal XP Reduce vitae! plz --Are you actually going to answer most of the questions this time =P (Yay for Sword and Mage Luv)

Nik@turbine> (sounds of mad typing)

ken@turbine> we have some ideas for lockpick...but they mostly involve trade skill functionality...we would love to add more "in the field" functionality to it, but that is still going to take some time

ken@turbine> done

+Chaos@AC> A_Kain, you're up!

Gooopsta> Q: What do you see for the future of this game?

Gooopsta> I've heard things like you are horribly understaffed, and only one person works on the game at a time. I don't know how much of it is true, but I do know that the player base is tiny compared to other MMORPGS, and I think I've seen...

Gooopsta> one ad for AC in the last year. It's also really hard to find AC in many stores, and in some cases they have stopped selling copies. As a long time player, I just want to know what you guys think about the game, it's future, and longevity.

Nik@turbine> Well, I'll be as forthcoming as I can, here.

Nik@turbine> We've got a small staff doing ongoing updates. More than one, less than a dozen.

Nik@turbine> We're still in some stores, and we do intend to grow the game over time.

Nik@turbine> AC's got plenty of future ahead of it, worry not.

Nik@turbine> DaveJ had a comment, too.

Crowley@turbine> I have one comment on small team size: we are few but we are mighty. Yarrr.

Crowley@turbine> Done

Nik@turbine> yarr!

Dave@turbine> Yarr!

cardell@turbine> Stinkin' pirates.

+Chaos@AC> IceBandit, you're up

Mr_Nox> Q: Great game but why a year on are there still so many flaws in the game? For example need 100+ strength to carry the pyreals I need to buy my Master-Robe, some skills are just plain useless (lockpick, thrown weapons)...

Mr_Nox> warriors make poor followers cos' the stat used to calculate their loyalty is useless to them, also if a warrior want's to use magic items he needs Arcane Lore another skill based on Stats he doesn't particularly need...

Mr_Nox> even though a swordsman can be incredibly skilled with his weapon that doesn't mean he'll be able to ID any swords he comes across because the ID skill is again based on a stat he doesn't really need...

Mr_Nox> Oh! Specialised War Magic costs too many skill points, didn't we play a beta to sort these things out. ga.

ken@turbine> I agree that there are a lot of issues with balance in AC, as there would be with any game of this scope and reach...that said, I think each month we get closer to shaping AC into a better and more balanced game. However, due to the fact that certain...

ken@turbine> dynamics are now solidly entrenched in the game, it will be very hard to tinker with those dynamics...but we still hope to make the game as fun as possible even with those constraints

ken@turbine> done

DoS_CoRpSe> Sup guys, I was wondering since all of the follwers in a guild can do /m to talk to a monarch, if for monarchs a /j or whatever command can be implemeted so that a Monarch can speak to ALL followers at the same time. It starts to become a hassel when

DoS_CoRpSe> doing things such as guild meetings when you can't talk to everyone, instead you have to tell your vassels, to tell there vassels and so on and on to organize such things like quests and so on.

DoS_CoRpSe> =_-=-=---* Shouts Out To The Lord Allegiance of Leafcull www.CoRpSeY.com (coming soon) *---=-=-_=

ken@turbine> We are currently working on things very similar to this...we recognize the need for such improvements and we want to roll them out as soon as possible

ken@turbine> done

spaman22> Sword swingers need some love, is there a chance for quests, changes in sword damage, or anything related to swords coming up? DT r0x! :) Great game Turbine, keep up good work...

spaman22> I spent 16 credits to SPEC sword, and it isnt worth a damn thing... UA spents 6 to spec, and it does waaaaaay more damage. We need love!

spaman22> UA can spec UA Mlee d and LORE

Crowley@turbine> Sword will shortly be getting some more cool stuff. It's not going to make sword more powerful in a min/max sense, but it'll be really really cool.

Crowley@turbine> It'll make sword look like a "finesse" weapon.

Crowley@turbine> That may sound cryptic, but I'm not at liberty to say more.

Crowley@turbine> done

Seifer_Rules> Whats happening with lvl7 spells exactly? for example, and ETA would be VERY NICE!!! im sure people are also wondering if they will be just +5 over lvl6's or if you will be rewarding us with +10 for our high skill.. great patch by the way loved see'in BZ

cardell@turbine> Additionally, there is another good sword in the chute for January. Keep an eye out.

cardell@turbine> done.

Seifer_Rules> by the way blackjack wanted me to tell you hi nei =)

Crowley@turbine> we can't really say much on the specifics of level 7s

Crowley@turbine> there's a lot of testing involved in level 7s

Crowley@turbine> Jesse and Dell are working on making them unexpectedly neat

Crowley@turbine> as for an ETA... we can't promise anything more than "soon"

Crowley@turbine> done

NightWolf_ES> Q: What are all the different "Death Item Categories" ?

NightWolf_ES> In a zone article a while back, (http://zone.msn.com/asheronscall/tips/ashetipsdying.asp) it was revealed that the most expensive items in certain categories would be the first ones to drop on death. Please tell us all the different categories items are

NightWolf_ES> separated into, for deathitem determination. (e.g., Armour/Clothing/Shields, or All Weapons/All Magic items/All Armour)

NightWolf_ES> If you need to do more research, I can post this question to the QA board (AGAIN! =] )

ken@turbine> We're not going to discuss the specifics of how this works...suffice it to say that some of the categories are obvious, and some probably aren't.

ken@turbine> done

GoD_FiNiXX> Can you plz stop nerfing mages and make them worth some thing.Make mages be able to kill some type of a monster that archers/meless cant kill like grieverse who dropped keys MAGES CODEN TOUCH IT do some thing like that for us.FF Isokilla datefor new serv?

GoD_FiNiXX> and answer this one plz not like last time u dident have answer

GoD_FiNiXX> done

ken@turbine> ok, good idea, we should stop nerfing mages, thanks

ken@turbine> done

nei@turbine> no. we will always nerf mages.

nei@turbine> done.

Fury_KlLLER_X> ok first of all.... SUP TO ALL OF MT!!! SUP TO PICCOLO II, _DES_XPERT, CAMARKILL, RON JEREMY, ANJWAR AL-JAENTH, +SENTINEL ARI (LMAO, y u ban me???), and other people.... hehe.... =)

Fury_KlLLER_X> alright, 2 questions.... 1. IS ANY OTHER SERVER OTHER THAN THISTLE DOWN GONNA GET TO SEE ASHERON??!?!?!?!?! (ITS NOT FAIR!!!!) 2. what is gonna be name of new server and when is it coming out? (should be called "Killer-x_OWNZ_JOO" =)

+Chaos@AC> SOrry Fury, wrong format. Question first

+Chaos@AC> Ulath, you're up

Sir_NightWolf> Hi! , Question: why is the game story and cool quest only for lev60+ player/high rank monarch and Pks? as a "normal" player the only way for me to know what happening to this cool story is to read fan sites :( thanks for this great game !!

Sir_NightWolf> -= Dan Fedaykin II of Leafcull Proud member of the KOT allegiance =-

nei@turbine> ah, you must not know of the mighty jinx highwind!

Nik@turbine> Jinx Highwind is my new hero.

ken@turbine> Over the past few months, we feel there has been a lot of lore that has been accessible to low levels...xarabydun, society quest, first part of martine, and others

ken@turbine> as for the main story line...

ken@turbine> all levels will have to participate in the BZ storyline

ken@turbine> done

+Chaos@AC> FallofEmpires, you're up

Goshii> Hi, love the game. Q:Can you guys do anything to reduce the lag on darktide? ga

Nik@turbine> Yes, DT has a unique problem, and we know about it.

Nik@turbine> We've got a couple possible solutions, but I can't go into more detail than that at the moment.

Nik@turbine> Done.

acmasta> Would it be possible to implement alchemist made potions into the game that when used on a non elemental weapon would change it into an elemental weapon (element depending on potion) for a certain amount of time? Thanks. Psycho Jellyfish for3ver!! GA

Crowley@turbine> it's something to consider

Crowley@turbine> if we were to do it, it'd be a serious balance issue, because changing the damage type on the weapon would end up being permanent

Crowley@turbine> that's a can of worms I'm not sure we're ready to open

Crowley@turbine> done

Enyx> when will we get a new pk server ? we really need one, i have heard lots of people said they gonna start on a pk server if there came a new......keep on the good work :) this will reduce lagg.done.

Enyx> please giv e me a eta

Nik@turbine> There is no eta at this time. Sorry. :(

Nik@turbine> Done.

drstyle> Will there ever be anything done to recognize/reward the people who play stock templates? Or are we just handicapping ourselves for no real reason? I would like to know if there is a carrot for us non-adventurers down the road. Thanks.

drstyle> done

Crowley@turbine> unfortunately, probably not

nei@turbine> "You must be a level 10 or above aluvian female PK Warrior that has a dagger skill less than 200 and a strength more than 190 to use this item's magic."

cardell@turbine> "and it must be cloudy"

Crowley@turbine> we'd open ourselves up to a lot of questions about fairness and favoritism if we showered favor on certain classes like that

Crowley@turbine> I feel for people who play stock templates (my first character was a stock Blademaster) but I doubt there's anything we can do.

Crowley@turbine> done

Piccolo81> h4y duz ne1 g0ts a prtl 2 teth//?1? d0n3

+Chaos@AC> nice Piccolo, thanks :)

nei@turbine> Bael'Zharon casts Portal to Teth on you.

nei@turbine> You have been teleported.

+Chaos@AC> heh

+Chaos@AC> Kardal, you're up

+zParaduck> Hello! I would like to ask why/how is Paul the Monouga holding a LUGIAN Axe? I didn't think he would be able to shrink enough to be able to fit into the Lugian Citadels.*hint, would be cool for Bael and Asheron to fight there*

+zParaduck> Furthermore, I would have thought he would have eaten Babe by now because he is constantly swinging that axe and doing nothing to the invincible tree. His staminia is low...Give him an elixer!

+zParaduck> Pr0pz to +Astyrrian (The Lightning Elemental) and +Gigas_Lugian (The SIK Dropper)! Done ^_^ Yarr!

nei@turbine> It was the biggest axe he could get his hands on on short notice.

Nik@turbine> Paul camped lugians at Qalabar, back when that was the hip thing to do.

Nik@turbine> Done.

Dave@turbine> :-)

Zares_Kabar> Q : What about creating Macro/Shortcut ? Explanation. It would be so great to be able to program some sort of macro to equip all our rings and stuff with only 1 click, same thing when buying comps. Some sort of programable shortcut....

Zares_Kabar> Right now it take so long to equip everything, click shortcut, 1, 2, 3, .... you see what i mean. Or at least add more shortcuts. And Make Bael log more Often !!!! I'm yet to see him

Crowley@turbine> as far as I can tell, people can already make their own macros to do that

Crowley@turbine> if you're asking us to make macros for you... um, no.

Crowley@turbine> done

putz311> you know how the brighter colored armor is the harder to find stuff. (pyreal green, purple) with the all the new dyes that are coming out, im afraid that the harder colored armor will be worthless. would you plz not implement the bright colors...

putz311> for us 0.o i play on dt and i like to walk around and look r33t. great game.

putz311> shouts to kwij stalker jael skank db dranny jt valoria blue gink kirah kaz and the crew that chillz by da tree. pinkerton r0x0rz j00.

Crowley@turbine> we'll take it under consideration.

Crowley@turbine> however, I think the vast majority of people like seeing more dye colors coming in.

Crowley@turbine> done

Rethil> Hey guys, great game! ... I know some players must have had their characters erased for this event (and some previous to this one, probably), (if they were named Bael'Zharon for instance).. how was this dealt with? (incase some of us get deleted some day)

+Chaos@AC> Hi Rethil, the properly formatted char name Bael'Zharon was held aside - no chars named that were used or played prior to this event

+Chaos@AC> So, no players actually lost a viable character

+Chaos@AC> Done:)

Goofusbrain> Hello, are there any real plans to fix godmode, and if so how much longer will we have to put up with it before it's gone. thanks

Crowley@turbine> we know about it. it's difficult to fix.

Crowley@turbine> it'll take a lot of time from some of the programmers here.

Crowley@turbine> we'll fix it as soon as we can, but we can't promise an ETA.

Crowley@turbine> done

LankySatyr> Greetings! Any plans to increase fellowship size to greater numbers than ten?

LankySatyr> As an aside, I've been asked by the Adventurer's Alliegance (HG) to extend kudos to the developers for the game so far.

LankySatyr> Go ahead :)

ken@turbine> Currently, there are no plans to increase fellowship size...and with some of the new fellowship changes coming down the pipe in the upcoming months, it would make it harder to increase the size

ken@turbine> done

bboylen> Q: Any chance we will see snow all over Dereth again any time soon? I did not play when Sudden Season happened.

bboylen> I just want to see Glenden Wood covered in snow :) Great game by the way! THISTLEDOWN RULES! OK done! -Vlaid'

Nik@turbine> Seasons change. Right now, it's "evil" season.

nei@turbine> liquid evil.

Nik@turbine> Non-evil winter might just involve snow. Done.

Eeezee> Will you add programmable wands into the game? I'd love to use those atlan stones in a staff to get different effects like the atlan weapons, with small life or creature buffs! Set my staff on fire and watch me drop it in pain! :P

Eeezee> BTW, I'm hoping for war luv next month (don't answer that, since it wasn't a question!)! I'd like to see some more r0x0rZ zP311z other than the uber elite bolts!!!! LEAFCULL RULES! :P

cardell@turbine> Mages are going to be feeling more loved soon. As for a programmable wand quest, you may be seing it eventually. It certainly has been brought up more than once.

cardell@turbine> Until it shows up, however, I know that mages will have plenty to be happy about.

cardell@turbine> Done.

Genghis_Magnus> If there are still improvements due for mace, what is the timeframe and basis (e.g lower burden, more quest weapons, more damage, etc.) for implementation? Side comment: Getting access to the Overlord is the most useful and rewarding ability for having

Genghis_Magnus> lockpick now, but a quest timer on his loot is scheduled for January (per the Q&A board) and looks like it's going to be another nerf to lockpickers. We've already had one major nerf in the form of previously pickable chests changing to 5000 resistance!

Genghis_Magnus> Let the lockpick luv flow! Thanks for our monthly gripe session and the Q&A board :) -done-

Crowley@turbine> I'm looking at mace burden, that may drop soon, but I can't promise a timeline.

Crowley@turbine> as for quest maces, Mi Krau-Li may be close to another breakthrough in blunt weapon technology.

Crowley@turbine> we'll see

Crowley@turbine> done

Nephalim_DT> I know a lot of people that can buy d note but have to drop a lot of stuff to buy it. Then cant sell it back. Is it possible with the current tech to buy supplies with trade notes instead of buying pyreal then buying the supplies?

Nephalim_DT> Also, Run casting I have no problems with it. It’s the melee that cannot hit you while you are doing I that is the problem :\

Nephalim_DT> mad love to my patron Bael! Xeno says hi crank and nei :) And ah nei lets battle if I win You give me my dagger wub! What up Sansoo, Houdini of thugs, Goomp, Pulv, mystra, victer, Dariean, and my NBK dogs!!!

Crowley@turbine> sorry, it's not possible to buy merchandise with trade notes with current tech

Crowley@turbine> nor is that likely to change

Crowley@turbine> done

+Chaos@AC> Michaeld you're up

+Chaos@AC> Whyte, you're up

Dagger_Boy> Is there any possible way to have 2 "quivers" in which to "take" arrows from? Each could hold 50 arrows, and we could switch between them during combat....

Dagger_Boy> without having to drop out? That way we could use bludgeon against Golems, then switch to slashing for them pesky shallows sharks?...

Dagger_Boy> I know I hate wasting greater elemental arrows on the nuisance monsters when questing, but it takes too much time to switch... Shout out to Cult Chat...GA

Crowley@turbine> that sounds like a nice idea, but a non-trivial tech task

Crowley@turbine> and we have a LOT of non-trivial tech tasks we want to implement first

Crowley@turbine> done

+Chaos@AC> auyong, you're up

Blitzkad> When I learn a new spell can you make it so it appears in the spell book of all characters on the same account, or offer a way to transfer our spellbooks to other chars on the same account? Comments: We are forced to reroll so much as it is,

Crowley@turbine> no, there aren't any plans to do this

Crowley@turbine> design issue, and it would make our programmers have an aneurysm

Crowley@turbine> done

poll3975> Will monsters ever be able to loot corpses and use the items against you when you return to the area? Intelligent monsters like Shadows and Virindi could certainly use most

poll3975> player items. Others like Lugians, Mosswarts, and drudges might be interested in a more limited selection, while Gromnies might just like shiny objects (hmmm, is Ent wearing

poll3975> anything shiny...). We are allowed to loot them and PvP allows you to loot your opponent, why not allow the monsters to have the same rights?

poll3975> ga

Nik@turbine> No, that's really not feasible. Done.

nei@turbine> i wonder if andy ever put the "monsters will gank your loot" flag....?

AcidMadman> Hello. The hamud's katar quest has been in the game for a long while now, (since the beta) and Unarmed combat is falling by the wayside. Are there any plans to increase the damage on unarmed weapons or introduce a new unarmed quest?

Crowley@turbine> Unarmed is plenty powerful as is.

nei@turbine> buh wha bout my hollow guitar!?

Crowley@turbine> maybe a new quest down the road, but we're not going to increase UA damage

Crowley@turbine> done

CableChewer> Why are there no books or quests to improve skills? I recently spent two weeks studying material for a product so I could write the exam. This raised my skill. Wouldn't a

CableChewer> fletcher or alchemist benefit from this? ex: In starter dungeon, recover single use, no drop/give Alchemy book that ups skill by 500xp. Items/quests req. min skill/level

CableChewer> Eventually you outgrow the value of these items, and Turbine can name a new quest item after your character so your wisdom is passed down :)

ken@turbine> actually, we were just discussing the very thing...no comment when, but we are planning something like it

ken@turbine> done

+Chaos@AC> OriginalMister2, you're up

GiX89> Will homes ever be included in the game or just a place to store your inventory so you don't have to take up character slots with mules? The homes could be purchased or given to higher level people. I know you proably have been asked this a few times

GiX89> Also, let Dave speak some. :)

GiX89> ga

Dave@turbine> some

Crowley@turbine> Housing is not going to happen with AC.

Crowley@turbine> Even something like a secure storage chest is a huge coding task. So we can't promise that.

Crowley@turbine> done

SUFFER_MY_WRATH> Hello, Okay my question is, It is said by MANY people that at 250 area skill mana conversion supposedly caps out.

SUFFER_MY_WRATH> Yet on my mage I have noticed that at 265 skill it still seems a little better, is there a true cap out? Or does it jsut get to a certain point and not help as much?

SUFFER_MY_WRATH> Thanks for taking time, love the game! Shout out to Shaw Mishrak... everyone is mesaging me tellign me to say stuff heh

nei@turbine> quick rundown:

nei@turbine> when mana is converted, one of the factors that it looks at is the "power" of the spell that's being cast.

nei@turbine> level 6 spells have powers of 250 for buffs and 275 for debuffs... so you'll notice little to no return above that point.

nei@turbine> ... but then level 7s happen. eep.

nei@turbine> done.

sydcomebak> Is there any possibility for a "component shopping list" for mages? If a mage could mark the components he needed, hand the list to the vendor, and the components were put into the "buying" tab, it would save time. Any improvement would be appreciated

sydcomebak> GO LEAFCULL REPUBLIC!!! (with over a dozen rank 6 people to it's name) http://republic.acsage.com/

Crowley@turbine> component shopping list. convenient, yes, but at this point we have to conserve our resources for things that give us the most bang for buck.

Crowley@turbine> so it's not a high priority.

Crowley@turbine> done

+Chaos@AC> TBright, you're up

SQAFiLCoN> Hello!(from Czech republic) Q: Can you explain me how Healing skill is working?

SQAFiLCoN> After 4 months of playin i still dont know how healing is working. When im healin myself it use stamina (why and for what?) and with skill healing bout 200, i dont see any diference between good, expert and peerless healing kits.

SQAFiLCoN> I found out that healing is workin better in peace mode (less fails). Am I right?

SQAFiLCoN> thnx =o]

nei@turbine> if you want to wait like 10 minutes, i can get back to you with a "decent" answer.

Crowley@turbine> quality of kit determines how many points you get back with each successful healing check.

Crowley@turbine> it is easier to heal when you're more lightly wounded.

Crowley@turbine> so don't wait until you're down to your last 10 or 20 health before you use the kit.

Crowley@turbine> this is also a good question for the Q&A board.

Crowley@turbine> as for the peace mode thing... I think we should wait until Nei has done more research.

Crowley@turbine> done (for now)

Undernourish> Hi. Great Game. PVP Question: Would it be possible to set up a high level spell that, for a short duration, changes a player’s color on the radar circle. E.g. to white, orange or maybe even black (grins). This could be an uber high level war mage spell.

Undernourish> (adding love to the war magic users). Note: This wouldn’t have to be target specific, affecting monsters radar/aggression, just the change in colors for PVP purposes.

Crowley@turbine> (one more thing: QA board is at: www.turbinegames.com\qa)

ken@turbine> An interesting idea, but we have no plans on doing that.

ken@turbine> done

Matzi> Alrighty, my question is that I want to know what you're doing about sentinels that go bad. (There is more, I'm not uber-vague, just uber-un-uber-riffic. Okay, I'm lame, don't make fun of me CoD chat! :\ )

Matzi> There's been reports of Hell Maker on HG having prior knowledge of quest information due to his sentinel status and using it and giving it to friends so they always have first chance at a quest.

Matzi> Now I want to know, what are you doing to look for this problem if it really exists, and what will you do if it is happening and you prove it yourselves? Thank you, this issue is important to everyone involved in AC.... maybe. *cry*

Matzi> Go Arwic cow!!!!! Uber flambé m00!!!!!!!!!!!!! Errr, I mean, yay Turbine for not being associated with Dawn. GA Georgia?? j/k

+Chaos@AC> Matzi, any complaints on AC Team are fully investigated. And I do have the info on what you are referring to and it is being looked into.

+Chaos@AC> Instances of cheating will result in removal of the team member.

+Chaos@AC> Done

bnrilfunson> why does blood get to swear to BZ in darktide yet no one else can in the regular world and why does BZ lvl everyday like 7 or 6 lvls hes lvl 923 now he was lvl 906 a fewdays agodoeshe havesomewhitebunnyhekilsevry5sec & an you mke more staff quests(melee

bnrilfunson> My dad was also wondering if you could if you could make the death Animations more real like when you get kiled by a lugain you fall back off a cliff and bounce off walls and change the thing if you die by fire you get chared acid dissolved so it look

bnrilfunson> Also can i tranfer 1 toon from 1 acount to another if i own them both?LET DAVE TALK COMON PLS SHout OUT TO LARS THE SLIVER ALLIGENCE!!!!!! Harvest rules

nei@turbine> simple answer as to why blood got to swear: really good luck/timing and some decent RP and some vague similarities between Blood and bz's "ideals"

nei@turbine> (and there are a few people on white worlds that are sworn... just not huge masses)

nei@turbine> done.

Sunset_Kidd> Is somthing going to be done about all the macro's out there? These people are doing nothing but causeing lag to everyone around them, and I would assume...

Sunset_Kidd> that they cause lag to the entire server. Talk about takeing the fun out of the game how lame can you get.

Sunset_Kidd> Great game, and I hope the dagger fix is as good as you guys say, cause I have being waiting a long time it.

Crowley@turbine> we have no plans to do anything officially about macroing.

Crowley@turbine> we certainly don't plan on making it any easier.

Crowley@turbine> done

Zantax_25> Is there a possibilty of getting the chorzite ore refined at a quicker rate, instead of hours could we get it reduced to nothing?

Zantax_25> I would really like to be able to go get 100 unrefined ore and then run up and refine it but right now it is a waste, because my character will be out of the fighting for the next month refining ore.

Zantax_25> Thanks for a great game.

Crowley@turbine> we have no current plans to speed up the quest timer on chorizite refining.

Crowley@turbine> there was a design decision involved in making the quest timer what it was.

Crowley@turbine> we may re-evaluate it, but it's not likely to change.

Crowley@turbine> done

Tarlok> Q: Could you put in a Portal untie spell?

Tarlok> My character was nerfed this patch because you made it so I could no longer summon portals that could not be tied too. The whole point of me never learning Portal Tie was so I could do that very thing…

Tarlok> A portal untie spell would allow me to tie to a portal for maybe a day or two (for a quest maybe) and then untie to it when I don’t need it anymore. Then I could still get to untieable dungeons to get my corpse, but still enjoy the benefits of Portal tie…

Tarlok> I think many players besides just me could benefit from such a spell ;) BTW, props for the last two updates, you guys rock! (Give us some Lockpick luving!) Shpidah and the Tribe of the Broken Sword on Solclaim are not afraid of BZ! ga

Nik@turbine> We need untieable portals to be unsummonable. If they're summonable, it sort of defeats the purpose of having untieable portals.

Nik@turbine> More content options are available, with relatively "secure" dungeons.

Nik@turbine> Done.

Madman_177> Q - What about having more human controlled baddies? Similar to bz, but differing in levels. (much easier than bz) Only problem I see with this is lack of personnel.

Madman_177> Love the game! Good job on the letter quests. Kudos go out to my patron (Hg), Ikan, and monarch, Ronge, for being sooooo cool. (Please send BZ to AB) Done.

Crowley@turbine> there are plans for more admin-run events in the future (in the uncharted, non-specific future)

Crowley@turbine> they'll likely not be on the scale of the BZ rampage, but they should be entertaining

Crowley@turbine> personnel certainly is an issue, but we're willing to devote some time to it

Crowley@turbine> done

Nutty_quijibo> with the current tech can you fully change your avatar?!?! ill put a example lets say you swear to bael he acepts you and he pfff makes you a shadow ;P lol would be pretty col ..or if you swear to asheron a undeath avatar *drewl* i want a new avatar!!

Crowley@turbine> changing avatars on the fly makes servers go boom.

Crowley@turbine> BZ and Asheron were verrrry tricky to do, and even then they have to be played with caution.

Crowley@turbine> so it's not going to happen

Crowley@turbine> done

vtrii_too> Have you seriously considered that an easy way to make a lot of mages happy and give them some love would be to make monsters no longer cast life and war inept spells?

vtrii_too> I am getting ever more frustrated that I run around the Dires and ObPlains with the equivalent of 20% vitae on my mage while archer/melees of equal level take laughable hits (maybe 8-10%) to their attack skills. Basically, spec'ing magic schools is 'deb+

vtrii_too> f insurance' and little more. And yes, new mage items or quests would be neat, but man, with all the current and upcoming non-mage nasties why do mages have to keep taking it on the chin this way? Oh, and thanks for a great game :)

Crowley@turbine> We are looking at rebalancing monsters and their spellbooks.

Crowley@turbine> There are some good ideas bouncing around here that should make people happy.

Crowley@turbine> However, tough monsters need to cast some kinds of spells, lest they become chumps.

Crowley@turbine> done

SirGlasko> Hey this question is directed to Chaos, little longer then 3 months ago SirBlasko was banned from ac , and they said he could come back in 3 months Ive emailed 10 times to complaints and no answer, ive waited my time PLEASE UNBAN me

+Chaos@AC> Go check your email. I wrote you hours ago

Blahsko> ok i just wanted to ask will i ever be able to Specialize something that is trained right now, if you practice something long enuff wont you naturally soon specialize it? and please Unban SirBlasko

ken@turbine> No, there is no plan on allowing characters to specialize a trained skill post creation.

ken@turbine> done

FumblerMJM> Hi, great game :) How about making the dye from plants *mixable* -- FumblerMJM> Love ya' Golden Hunters: Sepria, Wolf, Nat, Nal, Justis, Kliza, CH, Joth, TGA, Cortaro, Harnet, Blackdeath, Corellia, Lao, and our *whooping boy* pk mage -- Lodi :p ga

nei@turbine> one word: *shudder*

nei@turbine> doing a few colors takes bout a week...

nei@turbine> doing the infinite range (or even a small, though flexible set) scares me.

nei@turbine> eek.

nei@turbine> done

KivakWorld> I have 3 quick questions..Will arrow heads,oils,and made qurrels ever auto stack? And when will i have a list of my peas to look at to see how many i need to buy:} Will ther be a new kind of high lvl olthoi possibly for for a quest.Awsome game!!!! Its the

KivakWorld> new drug of the millenium!!

Crowley@turbine> first question only...

Crowley@turbine> it's certainly a good idea

Crowley@turbine> we'll look into the tech needs to do that sort of thing

Crowley@turbine> it may well prove to be impossible, which may be why it isn't done that way now

Crowley@turbine> but we'll look all the same

Crowley@turbine> done

BrendaRacko> Great game :) Is it possible to have rooms for allegianceys with say over 50 or 100 people?

BrendaRacko> I know the meeting halls were made for meeting but anyone can go in them and I know many who have had meeting interuped. Maybe have a hallway accesable by any meeting hall and have rooms with portals for allegiance's that have so many people.

BrendaRacko> A portal going in that can check the name of the monarch but a door going out so people can invite friends in. This would help some with muleing and non members intrupting meetings. Sepria of MY monarch of the Golden Hunters

Crowley@turbine> this sounds like something very similar to housing

Crowley@turbine> so it'd be a bear for tech and content to implement

Crowley@turbine> I wouldn't count on seeing that sort of functionality

Crowley@turbine> done

Arcath> Q: i was just wondering if Asheron (or any story based RP event) could/would roleplay and cater more to the non monarchs and low-mid range players in dereth. Arcath> I know the people contacted over the last 2 months were the same that got picked to accept/reject BZ's guantlet. And i also know that its hard to cater to everyone. And you guys have my utmost respect for the job you do.

Arcath> but i just wish some of the other less fortunate people who arent level 50+ and who arent a monarch could get in on some of this action. thanks in advance and for making a great game.

Arcath> done

Nik@turbine> We've been having a lot of discussions lately about events like the ones we've done lately.

Nik@turbine> We know we can't reach every single player with them, but we do want to get as many as we can.

Nik@turbine> BZ hurt^H^H^H^H interacted with a lot of people, after all.

Nik@turbine> So, we do still want to keep doing these types of events. The goal is for as many people as possible to have a chance. "It could happen to me", is the feeling we're going for.

Nik@turbine> Done.

Methos23> What are your plans if any on fixing lag on the servers?I play Asheron's on a cable modem and my lag is as bad as it was when I played it with my old 56k modem.GA

Nik@turbine> Well, a new server was announced today, which should help some.

Nik@turbine> We've also got a few other plans in the works.

Nik@turbine> We'll tell James to pump the bellows more furiously.

Nik@turbine> Done.

dxapps> Would it be feasable to modify the 'stickiness factor' so that rubberbanding is eliminated? As it is, I'll often end up behind a monster once they bounce off me and return. In delicate situations, it's dangerous for melee folks.

dxapps> And one request: a lockpicking sword staff that also fires thrown weapons with a switch to choose damage type

dxapps> Finally, I love the game. Hi to Vomvamuse and PoA's!

dxapps> ; )

Crowley@turbine> Stickiness is not going away. It's an unfortunate cosmetic effect resulting from lack of a "swinging while running" animation.

Crowley@turbine> no one likes to see it, but it's part of the game

Crowley@turbine> done

Blink_un82> Is it possible to create a safer form of muling, such as "container locks"? A lot of times, my friends aren't on to help mule, and it's too risky to drop on the ground, even in an isolated place. For example, it could be just like a corpse lock, except...

Blink_un82> it is an optionable feature on packs, and can only be accessed by characters with the same CD key?

Blink_un82> great game, thanks

Blink_un82> w0000t!

Crowley@turbine> that's an issue I think we touched on earlier

Crowley@turbine> some kind of "secure chest" you could keep stuff in or something like that

Crowley@turbine> huge tech task, and not high on our list of priorities to implement

Crowley@turbine> though it's not an idea we are hostile to

Crowley@turbine> done

Druidenzirkel> Is there an Account flag in game, wich influence the luck of the player when hes for example looting chests(monsters), be attacked? ga

Crowley@turbine> there is no flag of that sort, Wi flag notwithstanding

Crowley@turbine> it's all randomized

Crowley@turbine> done

Catlord1> I know it's difficult to make changes with UI, but can some way to change your running speed be added to the game?

Catlord1> That way higher level characters can reduce their speed so they don't constantly outrun their fellows but still boost it to max in a pinch when *stuff* hits the fan. Perhaps a scroll bar of some sort. Yee.

Catlord1> Side note for alchemist, how about peas of Auqua to make making those oils a little easier. Done.

Catlord1> You guys rock BTW

Catlord1> GA

Nik@turbine> I don't think we've even assessed the technical difficulty of that one. It's not a likely change.

Nik@turbine> Done.

sspecies8472> I was just wondering if it is technically possible to have spells in the game that would temporarally change a NPK to a PK and a PK to an NPK? Almost everything about this patch I wanted to happen happened except Bael'Zharon isn't on long enough :D

sspecies8472> How bout during storms random level 1 lighting strikes from the sky in and around towns and roads. Not gona happen

sspecies8472> ga

Crowley@turbine> very complex issue

Crowley@turbine> even if it were technically possible, there are all sorts of abuses that could spring up from that kind of spell

nei@turbine> like me ganking n00bs.

Crowley@turbine> exactly

Crowley@turbine> done

+Chaos@AC> Our last caller tonight will be Thanatos_Doom.

+Chaos@AC> Crystal_Fox_57, you're up!

B_Neely> Q: It’s about lore. I and others have a great interest in gathering knowledge. It would be nice to see "mage" types find books and lost lores that would lead to quests to far away lost lands. …

B_Neely> Not exactly hand out coords but tell a story of a lost city in the desert or a lost island. Give a feel more like some other book and dice RPG. Except some of us can play the mage when we find the book.

B_Neely> GA

Nik@turbine> If I understand your question, you want more lore leading people into quests? Yes, that's something we can do. Some quest have been a little sparse, hint-wise.

Nik@turbine> Done.

Kavad6> Can you comment on fixing magic resistance? Seems it may or may not work as designed in pk, but haveing never gone pk I wouldnt know. For pvm, I'm of the opinion that its "borked".

Kavad6> Seems that the creatures keep getting harder and harder to land spells on if not impossible for some all together.Any help you can throw the gimps of the world?

Kavad6> My main character is a first generation mage(fights with magic), born in november '99, Spec life mage (got lucky on that part), 80 for self and life (makes things interesting).

Kavad6> done

Crowley@turbine> Magic Resistance, yeah, it's not all that useful these days

Crowley@turbine> monsters have such high skill you can never resist them, and their magic D is so high you can't hit them

Crowley@turbine> we're looking at rebalancing monsters very slowly over the next few months

Crowley@turbine> magic skills and defense are prime candidates for re-evaluation.

Crowley@turbine> done

Thanatos_Doom> 2 questions: first is about the new server will we ever see a server that starts over? from the beginning of the story, its not that much fun to jump into the middle of the story, or not even be able to do events/quests because i didnt buy it 6 months soo

Thanatos_Doom> what is the reason for some portals being untieable? Down with Asheron!!! go BZ!!!

Nik@turbine> No, there's no way to have server data diverge. And planning one event per month is kinda rough as it is. :)

Nik@turbine> Done.

+Chaos@AC> Thanks Nik!

Dave@turbine> Thanks all!

Crowley@turbine> night all

+Chaos@AC> Thank you all for attending, and asking some great questions! Thanks to our pals at Turbine, for another great montly update, and another great Dev Chat

cardell@turbine> Later people.

Crowley@turbine> a word for Killerwolf of Thistle... you have much temerity to strike at DJ Muggs

+Chaos@AC> Happy Holidays Folks!

Crowley@turbine> and oi to Nick in England

Dave@turbine> captured! send help

cardell@turbine> A word for Killerwolf: Next time, take him out!

Crowley@turbine> thanks for showing, happy holidays all, good night

Nik@turbine> Shush, you! Back to pumping the server bellows!

nei@turbine> but but but but what about .... what about.... shollos?

Nik@turbine> Doesn't he suck?

Dave@turbine> hey now,,,, not my man Shollos

nei@turbine> that's the word on the street... he's being a punk and watching dune right now...

nei@turbine> he'll feel the pain of public shame in the morning

Nik@turbine> There's no pirates in Dune! Shame!

nei@turbine> sand pirates!

Dave@turbine> yar!

Nik@turbine> Yarr!

nei@turbine> uh oh.. }}