Developers Desk Review 2011

I know I say it every year, but it really is hard to believe that another year is coming to a close! It seems like I was just sitting down to write a letter about 2010 and now it’s time to write about 2011! I began preparing for this letter by looking back at the various Content Updates we’ve released during the past year and, I must admit, I am pretty impressed. Before I go on with specifics, here’s some of the statistics of 2011:

• In 2011 there were Content Updates applied to the live servers in 6 of the 12 months!
• June and October were the only months that there wasn’t a new patch applied to Blight for testing. There were 28 patches applied to Blight throughout the course of the year!
• We started the year off with a major client update and have another just about ready to go!

For those who’ve been with Istaria throughout the past year we’d like to thank you. You’ve helped us improve the game with your testing, your bug reports, and your feedback. Your help with making Istaria a better game to play has been invaluable. As I look over the list in front of me of what we’ve accomplished over the past year, your input truly shows.

We began 2011 with a major revamp of the loot system, the “what do I get when I kill a monster, besides experience” end of things. This included the removal of coin drops from monsters that wouldn’t logically drop coin. We introduced “junk loot” for many mobs that can be sold to Oddities Brokers as an alternative. Based on your feedback and through the revamp we’ve been able to make technique components and trophies drop more consistently as well as improving many of the spawns where there simply was not enough of a particular monster to keep up with the demand. And while improvements on the system will continue into 2012, the supply versus demand for most technique components in game has greatly improved over what it had once been. As part of the loot revamp, we also introduced a system where players can collect various “Broken Items” to be repaired, providing an alternative to the more customized weapons and jewelry that requires technique components.

Another area our players desired to see again was the return of seasonal events. We listened and spent resources to bring about the return of summer and fall events on two of the special “Resort” islands. While smaller than previous years, these events are the sort of thing that we hope to build upon each year and we plan to continue in the future. A major part of the seasonal events this year was the introduction of new plot structures for players to build. In addition to the special banners and lair murals available in 2010, this year saw the introduction of decorative plot tiles, new vault structures as well as smaller items such as a park bench, ponds and bonfires just to name a few. And what event wouldn’t be complete without the introduction of social clothing items? This year’s new summer items were seen at many a gathering, as we know the fall ones will be in the coming weeks. And as fall gives way to winter in Istaria, we know that players look forward to the return of Gnomekindle sometime in the first quarter of 2012!

The team wasn’t just busy with events this year. Throughout the course of the year the team worked hard to improve the directions given in quests so that those who were out questing could find their way around the world easier. This included adding a new icon over the heads of NPC’s involved in a quest to make the NPC easier to find as you approached. This ongoing project will continue as the team looks at different areas of the world and gets feedback from players, but many of the basic quests in game such as the Trophy Hunter and Dragon Ability quests have had their directions updated.

And speaking of dragons, if you haven’t played a dragon in a while then you’re missing some pretty major changes to them! In addition to the revamping of their ability quests to make it easier for players to complete quests and add a bit more by way of storyline to each, both the Rite of Passage and Ancient Rite of Passage have been reworked to now be a part of the quest book system. What this means for players is that anyone doing these quests will find them much easier to follow and, should you get lost during the series, you can pick up where you left off without having to have the whole of the series reset! In addition, the quests have been reworked to move players through the world in a manner more consistent with the level range of the quests and be more straight forward in what is required to start them. Oh, and of course, dragons in khutit form now will have a head shape that matches that of what they’d chosen when they created the character!

Crafting has also had some significant changes during the course of the year as well. As part of the most recent update to the game, confectioner foods underwent a major revamp such that eating a full meal of the appropriate level will reduce much more of a death point than before. And making food became much easier due to the reduction in resource requirements for intermediate steps. In the most recent patch the alloy system was also removed, thus making the use of metals and creation of metal based products across tiers three through six more streamlined. Scrolls were introduced in 2011, which are crafted by scholars. Many of the scrolls which are available duplicate player abilities of the same name, but can be used by anyone of the appropriate level range without having to become a specific school. And possibly the most valuable of all are the travel scrolls. These items which are uniquely crafted by scholars allow players to travel to any major city from anywhere in the world.

And speaking of travel... Getting around Istaria has been simplified as well with the revamping of the teleport system. Whereas before it might take 3 or more teleports to get from one location to another in the world, now everywhere is just a port or two from anywhere in the world. With the addition of a new “teleport hub” in Genevia, moving around the world has been greatly improved.

As you can tell, we were rather busy in 2011, and we’ve no intention of stopping! If you haven’t played Istaria in a while, now is a great time to return! We’d like to extend a special invitation to anyone who has not played to give these many changes a try. Go to support.istaria.com and let us know that you’d like to return. We’ll add some complimentary time to your account so that you can see for yourself what has changed with Istaria in the past year.

Of course, if you’ve never played Istaria before, now would be an awesome time to give us a try! The game is truly better than ever! 2012 is our “Year of the Dragon” and we're going to Roar in the New Year like never before!

Amarie and Istaria Development Team