RvR-Revamp and common roadmap
Posted: May 24, 2010 05:39
Hello Uthgard!
Some time passed since we released our last news and as you eventually already have noticed, the main focus of our todays news are the upoming changes regarding the rvr-system. We want to thank every single player who intensively participated in the discussions on the rvr-system within the last weeks. Grab a coffee (or a tea), lean back and take some time, because these news are a little bit longer than usual.
General News
Staff
We welcome Nidhoggur, Sethor and Trishin[ENG] to our Staff and we would like to thank Endiku for his quick assistance. Unfortunately Endiku had to leave again short after his return due to lack of time. The same goes for Ascarael who has left us before finishing his trial-phase. We thank you for your effort and wish you good luck. Thanks also go out to Therion, who left us before his trial-phase ended.
Account-Security and Email-Registration
Further we want to talk about account-security and -responsibility. We have noticed an increase of lack of understanding when a shared account was banned. Please notice that any infringements caused by your account will be punished, no matter who's responsible for the happenings. So, it is in your own interest to avoid sharing your login information.
In addition we are now enforcing players to register a valid email-address for your game-account. It was a hard decision to introduce such an enforcement, but we simply had to take this step in order to prevent attempts of account phishing. Because there have been several misunderstandings on how to register an email-address we are offering a detailled tutorial on how to do so.
http://uthgard-server.net/modules.php?n ... ic&t=18433
Housing
The work on our MarketExplorer is almost finished. Currently we are testing the system and will implement it as soon as we have fixed the last flaws. Due to the fact that the MarketExplorer actually means the finalisation of our housing system we are going to adjust the prices for lots, houses and rental fees. The new pricings will be announced 2 weeks before they will be activated in order to give you the chance to adjust your houses if necessary.
Character deletions
One question that is commonly asked is: "Are characters deleted on Uthgard?" The answer is: "Commonly, no." So far we have only deleted characters once. The reason for that deletion of characters in 2009 was a database-cleanup after 5-6years. The following rules were used in the deletion process
- Accounts containing characters below lvl10 that are not crafters and have not been logged in for more than 6 months
- Accounts containing characters below lvl7 that are not crafters and have not been logge in for more than 3 months
- Characters below lvl5 that have not been logged in for more than 1 year
- Accounts not containing any character that have not been logged in for more than 90 days
- Characters and Items without account
This is nothing new and was written down a few times. Nevertheless we want you to remind it.
RvR Revamp
After taking a closer look and analyzing the grievances and problems of our current RvR system, as well as reading the numerous forum topics describing these problems, we quickly noticed that an enduring improvement may only be achieved by addressing and working on the root of the problem which would obviously lead to a vast revamp of the whole system. In addition such a revamp should help finalizing the concept of a classic DAoC server that Uthgard strives to be. Due to the fact that these changes will have a deep impact and could potentially lead to imbalances if implemented seperately, we are going to release the system-wise (patch standart & RAsystem) changes at once.
- New patch-limit 1.69
The topic of switching the patch standart has been hotly debated within the staff. However, after analyzing every single patchnote and our current server-progress, we decided to introduce 1.69 as new patch-limit. Currently we are working on a list containing all changes and are going to release it for public review within the next days. Please note that we are of course not going to revert obvious bugs.
Introduction of the OldFrontier realmability system
The introduction of the OldFrontier realmability system has been discussed over a long time. We have decided that this realm ability system is fitting better into our server setting, since the New Frontiers realmabilities contain lots of features, that are designed for a ToA setting.
Rework of OldFrontier levelspots
Players in Midgard eventually have noticed changes in Uppland and yes, something is going on in the frontiers. The task is to rework every single zone in order to offer you an interesting alternatives besides DF. In addition we are glad to announce that the work on the RvR dungeons (Halls of the Corrupt, Dodens Gruva, Marfach Caverns, Summoner's Hall) has already begun.
Rework of the Exp-Bonus System
In a nutshell - a rework of the exp-bonus system is in progress. By now we may not talk numbers, but the overall bonus is not going to be lowered. Actually you are going to experience a slight boost to experience gain on certain occasions.
Rework of the Battlegrounds
Over years we have tried to perform a tightrope walk between reasonable Engame-RvR and Battlegrounds. Unfortunately we have to admit that we have not succeeded performing that tightrope walk. All past attempts have taught us one thing - a modern Battleground System can not unite with the basic principle of RvR on a low population server. Thatfor we decided to rework the battlegrounds so that they fulfill their prior purpose - an entertaining playground offering a first glimpse onto RvR.
- Abermenai (lvl15-19)
- Thidranki (lvl20-24)
- Murdaigean (lvl25-29)
- Caledonia (lvl30-34)
In return for such a drastic change we are currently working on an additional concept to ensure a more fast and pacing RvR-experience within the frontiers, so that prior pure battleground players may enjoy their new homelands.
As you see, the next weeks are going to mean a lot of extra-work for our staffmembers. We hope that we could offer you an expedient view on our roadmap.
Have fun in game,
Your Uthgard-Team
