Date: 12/07/2005 [img]/images/com_images/spacer.gif[/img]
Goals:[*]Confectioner should be a necessary part of the Horizons system. That is, the products that are created should be in demand by the player-base.[*]Confectioners should be able to create all foods through Tier5 (and eventually Tier6).[*]Confectioners should be a source of social interaction for the Horizons player-base.[/list]
Food Breakdown:
There are three types of products that Confectioners will be able to create with the proposed system; Mundane, Beverages, and Mystical.
[*]Mundane - These foods are your standard foods for Horizons. They provide death-point reduction and contain normal harvested resources.[*]Beverages - Brewed using natural and mystical resources, this area of the Confectioner school has yet to be fully defined.[*]Mystical - Using resources that must be fought for, or are dangerous to obtain. Mystical foods provide buffs and augmentations in a manner similar to (but not encroaching upon) potions.[/list]
Currently at this time Mundane foods are being worked to be made available to the players. The other two parts of Confectioner will come at a later date as time within the design schedule permits.
Mundane Foods are broken down by Tier. Each tier requires an increasing number of ingredients; 2 at Tier 1, 3 at Tier 2, 4 at Tier 3, and so on. In addition, each Tier of food requires a mixture of unprocessed, single-processed, double-processed and sometimes purchased ingredients. What does this add to food? Well, it adds complexity while at the same time adding some predictability. Mundane foods rarely use any foods that are guarded, or are dangerous to reach for harvesting. No gruok meat, almost no fish, etc. These more dangerous resources are reserved for the Mystical foods that are to come later.
Within each Tier foods are divided into parts of a meal. You have Appetizers, Side-Dishes, Main Dishes and Desserts. Each part shares a timer so you will not be able to consume five Appetizers in a row. Rather, you will be encouraged to consume "meals" to reduce your death point timers.
DP Removal
The amount of time that each unit of food removes from your DP timer will be greatly increased. These numbers will be greatly increased over the current foods because of changes with the death point penalty as well as the length of time it takes to lose a death point. To ensure that there is demand for food at all tiers and to also not force players to eat certain tiers of foods, we're going to introduce a scaling to the amount of DP that food reduces. As you progress to the higher tiered food, the effectiveness of lower-tiered food is reduced. So if you are over level 80 then consuming a Tier 1 food will result in an 80% decrease in its effectiveness.
Finally, to encourage the more social aspect of confectioner and food consumption in the game, Taverns are being beefed up. We're lowering the fees for items sold at taverns as well as a significant increase in the effects when eating food in a tavern.
Example of Tier 1 Foods:
[img]/images/temp/t1food.jpg[/img]
Conclusion
Confectioner is being revamped with the goal of providing a more robust and entertaining experience for the school while at the same time fleshing out the school's products through Tier 5. Furthermore, we feel that the Confectioner school and its products should be in demand by the player-base.
Question & Answer
What does this mean for existing Confectioners?
First, a complete revamp of their existing formulas, foods, and resources. Some will remain the same, many will change.
Will Confectioners Lose their formulas?
No, not at all. Though some will change into other types of foods.
Will Confectioners use the Primary Skill System like the Lairshaper school?
Yes, the Primary skill system will be implemented with the revamp of Confectioner.
How will food be restricted?
Food will be restricted by highest adventurer level. So, for example, if your highest level is 80, then you will need to consume Tier 5 foods to receive the full benefit. However, the reverse is not true? As a level 80 or higher player you will be able to consume foods from the lower tiers, though the effectiveness of that food will be reduced.
What will happen to Ambrosia?
Ambrosia will no longer be craftable by Confectioners. Instead, it will become a rare loot-drop that will be coveted and sought after.
What about Brewing, Beverages and other types of foods?
These other aspects of the Confectioner school are being worked on and will be released at a later date. They include beverages and mystical foods.
How much will Taverns increase the effectiveness of food?
The figure currently being tossed around the office is double the effectiveness. This helps ensure that eating food in a tavern is far more effective than eating it outside of one, such as in the wild.
Will the length of time that death points last and the death point penalty be increased?
Yes, the length of time it takes for a death point to decay will be increased to 24 hours. And the death point penalty cap (the highest it can reach) will be raised to 75%.