Blight Patch 9-23-05

[PJ]

Blight Maintenance

Updates/Additions:

The Ancient Template has been updated to the following:

Inate Base Stats

Flight Height of 2000 max
Flight Speed of 85 *new
Health +250 *new
Power +75
Strength +50
Focus +15

Passive Abilities

Drulkar's Scales 133% Armor
Dimensional Mastery I +500 Capacity
Drulkar's Wing's Fly Speed Increase *removed
Breath of Flame Burst I - Area of Effect Flame Breath Attack *damage increased

*NOTE: The fly sprint would of given +50 flyspeed for 20 seconds every 3 minutes. We worked out what that would make your average flyspeed if you used it exactly every time it was usable: 80.5. Since we need to remove it due to the difficulties of in-air usage of spells/items/abilities, we decided to make the Ancient flyspeed 85 to be a little generous.

Dragon Breath skill now receives benefit from the following stats:

Power - .05
Focus - .02
Strength - .02
Dexterity - .01

Dragon Head Scales of the Ancients will now be required to turn in before receiving the Rune of Ascension. In it's place we have added dragon crystals that will replace the head scales given at the time of the turn in.

Changes/Fixes: [*]Ice Bolt can has the proper amount of technique slots.[*]Expert Padded Handwrap formula now available on the loot tables.[*]Artani now has Expert Platemail Boots form.[*]Description of Soul Fragments corrected.[*]Corrected the casting delay on Purify V.[*]Updated the dialog of Gerix the Dragon Adventurer in Kion.[*]Updated the following Dragon ability quests. They are now given out by Gerix the Dragon Adventurer in Kion and direct you to the proper NPC who will help you gain your new ability:[*]Accurate Breath I: Kill 20 Forest or Jungle Crawler Breeders[*]Drain Strike I: Kill 20 Cedar or Massive Cedar Treants[*]Hardened Scales I: Kill Gritus Maximus, the Sand Beetle[*]Spiked Scales I: Kill 20 Malachite Golems[/list][*]Silken Padded Handwraps now required level 65 and an unarmed skill of 650 to use.[*]Saris Skeleton Marauders levels 6 - 9 will now have treasure.[*]Half-Giant Skeletons (level 40-60) will no longer drop Tier 4 components.[*]Armor Dye Resources have had their bulk reduced.[*]Armor, Weapon and Tool Dye Kits have been changed to 8 bulk.[*]Applying Armor Dye during item creation now only requires 1 Armor Dye Resource.[/list]

[Razon]

Dragon Head Scales of the Ancients will now be required to turn in before receiving the Rune of Ascension. In it's place we have added dragon crystals that will replace the head scales given at the time of the turn in.

Well, this is ok, as far as loosing the scale is concerned. If we get the crystal as soon as we loose the scale, that is. It does look like that is the case however.

I STILL want to know were the haste went to, and if the shrunken Ancient models that are on blight now are the new models being shipped to Live.

[Leviathan]

I figured you were a Dev PJ. ;)

does that crystal stack with WD crystals? if not, then it's useless.

[Helcat]

does that crystal stack with WD crystals? if not, then it's useless.

that doesn't make it useless. Many dragons started playing
after WD crystals were already removed from the loot tables.

[Leviathan]

To me, and many other dragons, it makes it useless. There are alot more WD crystals around than most realize. I don't think that asking it to stack should be a problem, and is only right, since it is to replace our headscale which we currently use.

Just asking for an answer from a Dev regarding this. by the way, you guys are spending alot of time in the dragon forums for a biped. ;)

EDIT: You and PJ seem to be the main contributors. hmmm. :P

[PJ]

I figured you were a Dev PJ. [img]/Web/emoticons/emotion-5.gif[/img]

does that crystal stack with WD crystals? if not, then it's useless.

Yeah but my salary sucks

[Helcat]

by the way, you guys are spending alot of time in the dragon forums for a biped. [img]/Web/emoticons/emotion-5.gif[/img]

EDIT: You and PJ seem to be the main contributors. hmmm. [img]/Web/emoticons/emotion-4.gif[/img]

1) this is the General forum

2) did it ever occur to you that maybe I have a dragon
that I play as well, but don't "advertise" ?

3) Zodias spends far more time on the dragon forums
than any of us [:P]

[Leviathan]

1) Yes, but lots of dragon topics. EDIT: I guess they are hard to avoid now.

2) No, it never occured to me. But I bet you don't have a dragon, and if you did, you probably wouldn't play it much, if at all. Because, if you did, you wouldn't be so adamant against them. Just my observation, I could be wrong. ;) But the two most vocal opponents have been you and PJ, although I don't know why. But I am sure you have your reasons.

3) I didn't notice. He mustlurk in the Dragon Crafting forums.

[PJ]

"opponent" is the wrong word.

Honestly I don't care what the hell the ARoP rewards are. I just ask that if you're going to keep getting stat buffs and new abilities, you take a rating penalty, just like every biped who wants stat buffs and new abilities.

Sure it means nothing now. To all the level 100 Dragons. But eventually it will mean something, when the ancient schools are released, or when the cap is raised.

Although it does seem silly to keep asking endlessly for buffs and new abilities when Dragons will get those through the new ancient Schools. Getting too many stat buffs and abilities now, will just make your ancient schools worse.

[Leviathan]

I would agree with that except that it will be at least 6 months before they even have dragon schools defined, let alone released. I honestly don't think they know what they are going to do next. If They do come out with the dragon class info within the next few days as stated, I think it will be riddled with vague generalities and no concrete information.

Just basing it on past experience, I don't have anything that would lead me to believe otherwise.

[PJ]

Heh but as we've seen, if they wait till they release schools, then it'll be a "nerf", completely disassociated from the bonuses of the ARoP. And as its not actively hurting you...I doubt it'd matter when it occurs, other then the perception of it.

[Goriax]

I figured you were a Dev PJ. [img]/Web/emoticons/emotion-5.gif[/img]

Don't scare me like that.

In it's place we have added dragon crystals that will replace the head scales given at the time of the turn in.

Assuming these crystals providethe proc(would it be asking too much to also provide the haste I wonder) andassuming they stack with the same things the scale stacked with, then this would remove one of my remaining two problems with the final step. Even if it doesn't provide the haste it'll probably be good enough for me although I won't vouch for my fellow dragons.

The remaining issue is the fact that they made ancients not much bigger then adults and easily confused with adults.

[Theolaerynn]

I just ask that if you're going to keep getting stat buffs and new abilities, you take a rating penalty, just like every biped who wants stat buffs and new abilities.

And again I say, I will gladly take on the AR penalty appropriate for the benefits we get that are above the equivalent level 100 Bi-Ped, just as soon as you take on a Hoard Cost equivalent for any abilities similar to what Dragons have to pay for. And by equivalent cost, I mean effort to obtain solo. Since Uber-Peds farm much better than Dragons, that does of course need to be factored in to the effort required.

Should be pretty interesting to see. If point-blank AE flame spell costs 500 hoard and has a 3 minute recast, what would be the Bi-Ped equivalent cost given it does more damage and resets much faster?

Yep, yep, I will take that AR rating just as soon as you take the hoard cost. Or hey, if that doesn't suit you, I would gladly take the AR rating for removing the hoard cost entirely. You know, free abilities like you Bi-Peds have.

[PJ]

What's the hoard cost on your

133% base armor (~+200),
+250 health
+75 power
+50 str
+15 focus
+10 flight speed
+500 bulk


I might as well answer that for you its obvious. Zero.

[Goriax]

What's the hoard cost for your bipedarmor buffs, speed buffs, etc. etc.

I'll answer for you.

Zero.

What's the hoard cost for your rez?

Zero

What's the hoard cost for a dragon's rez?

5000

When do you get your rez?

I dunno since not a biped but I bet it's no where near 100.

When do dragons get their rez?

100.

Again, I'm not really complaining, but some of your assertions go WAY too far in the opposite direction.

[BKBanzai]

hmnn...

I have about 3+ mil hoard just sitting in a tent atm, there's easily 20x that in various vaults. I can get a mil HV in a day or 2. So, if peds could get really cool specials and use up hoard, awesome.

The exchange rate on hoard is pretty crappy so right now a good chunk of the hoard I find is so when I make a dragon, I can get it to 100 mil HV as a level 1 hatchling.

[Goriax]

Congrats on the hoard but there's a LOT of dragons who would kill for that much hoard.

It's easy when you're twinked. Not so easy when you're not.

I myself have about 10 mil hoard and many dragons my level have less.

[PJ]

Right I've got no hoard costs, but I've got one hell of a rating penalty. I"m fine with that, that's a tradeoff.A small one for all of those free ARoP buffs isn't out of the question.

[BKBanzai]

especially when you consider that when the rating cap is lifted, all ancients will get even more skills/abilities, hp, etc.

[Leviathan]

especially when you consider that when the rating cap is lifted, all ancients will get even more skills/abilities, hp, etc.

"When" is a long way off. Nobody knows how long. best guess would be at least a year.

Theol and Goriax raise some good points too. When I hunt with my biped I can farm lots of hoard because I am mass killing. For a dragon that MUST USE HOARD to fight effectively, what I have found is that you pretty much use most (not all, but most) of what you find maintaining your current hoard level.

So it's not as one would think if most of your hoard drops are used up hunting for hoard drops.