Xeno wars
We finished the development documentation for the new event planned for this month. Here is a short extract of it, please feel free to comment it, especially reward power and comparison of rewards.

Duration: 3 weeks.
There will be categories, for level 3-10, 11-20, 21-30 etc. Each category gets an epic opponent to defeat. If they win, they can help the next higher category. If that is dead as well, they can help the next lower category, etc. Attacks cost APt or DPt. If you win: in case of APt, you get the SE and XP you would get for a normal hunt (including quiz bonus, if you answered the quiz in advance under Hunt). In case of PPt, you get SE and XP only if you have EH skill (as if you defeated a doomlord 0-10 less level than you). Pets get experience and morale. For every 12 victories, you get a small potion reward (+3 APts, +3 DPts, healing, mana, and 5 crystal points). Besides combat, you can build as well. Each manaconstruction (with full mana) counts as 1 build. You can also build for a fix amount SE (roughly equivalent to 3 hunts), and that counts as 1 build as well.
Rewards: You can choose from the reward list 1 item depending on victories, and 1 item depending on building.
You get level 1 reward from 100 victories, level 2 from 200, level 3 from 300, and level 4 from 400. If until the end of the event attaining 400 victories will not be possible, the limits will be lowered. For building, level 1 reward needs 10 builds, level 2 needs 20, level 3 needs 30, level 4 needs 40.
If after the 3 weeks there are any xeno motherqueens alive, there is no reward at all.
Reward list:
2 ring focus crystals: +2, +4, +6, +8% soul-draining (only if you don't have the following focus crystal!)
2 necklace focus cryszals: +2, +4, +6, +8% soul-draining (only if you don't have the above focus crystal!)
1, 2, 3, 4% bonus for half year to quest reward SE
2, 4, 6, 8% bonus for half year to AA points
spacerift potion (switches your Energy Harness with Disadvanced Development skill or vica versa at no cost): 3, 6, 9, 12 potions.
soul diamonds: level x 50, level x 100, level x 150, level x 200.
increase or decrease infection by 1, 2, 3, 4%
10, 20, 30, 40 bonus to trade skill for half year (but does not increase the skill beyond maximum)
Bronze/Silver/Gold/Platinum motivating whip: Your pets gain experience faster for half year, by 5, 10, 15, 20%
Bronze/Silver/Gold/Platinum anti-magic void: Your magic absorption increases by 5, 10, 15, 20% for half year.
Bronze/Silver/Gold/Platinum tiara of dread: During duels, for the next half year, the absorption of your opponent's pets decreases by 4, 8, 12, 16%.

Top lists: there will be 3 top lists. Most victories, most builds, and a fun stat, most unconscious pets. Every top lists will show the top 10 in that category, and they will get a small extra reward at the end of the event. Most victories: xeno combat medal (+10 execution), Most building: medal of doom (+ building, -1 sec to hunt), Most unconscious pets: squeezing medal (+1% soul energy squeezing)

Additional info:
- building the prison increases your clan's soul-well
- xeno motherqueen's regeneration depends on how much time passed, they get weaker later and regenerate slower
- the efficiency of prison building also depends on time, the weaker the mother queen, the faster the building goes
- you can find singular anomalities during xeno-fights for the clan quest
- capturing pets during xeno fights count towards Temple of Doom task
- you can acquire helm shard for xeno fights just like for hunts
- killing a xeno works as a prerequisite for rolling the wheel of fortune
- killing a xeno does not count as hunting for the Temple of Doom

sounds like fun and i love the building aspect

only question would be and not that im a "builder" but from what ive seen of alot of builders in game some of them coudlnt hit a brick wall with a shotgun, not sure how effective soul drain reward would be?

Does the +1% SE squeezing go over maximum like the building medal? That's hardly a fun stat at all if that is the case...deadly serious!

The space rift potion, you say it exchanges energy harness and disadvanced development and you can get 3, 6, 9, 12 pieces? Does that mean if you use the 12 pieces and you start from EH 50, you will end up with 12 DA and 38 EH? Or 12DA? Or something else?

I like the idea, seems well thought out to me.

Idézet: Phalanxii - 2011.01.06. 22:36:12

My guess was that you got DD 50 for a limited time. Or perhaps you got DD 50 permanently, or until you used the next space rift potion to get back to EH 50.

Can you have multiple Medal of Dooms, and will their effects stack?

Are the Focus Crystals removable (like relic crystals)?

Also, a comment on the ManaCon - making your full "dispersal" equal to 1 isn't really fair. If I have 10,000 SP and ManaCon L50 - and I use it all - that needs to be worth more than someone who has 5000 SP and ManaCon L1. If I've invested in those attributes and skills, I should get a better payoff than someone who hasn't. Something to the effect of Level * 500 = 1 Build Point seems a lot more fair to the Builders out there.

Medals of doom do stack, I am curious about manacon too, since we do have different lvls of participants shouldn't manacon lvl also be different?

I am also in favour of the focus crystals being removable, it will make players A LOT more motivated into participating.

I think there are few imbalanced things:
1) dedicated builder will be in real disadvantage against universal players and duelers (They can easily get the rewards from both building and attacking xeno-epic). Maybe player will choose a category building or attacking?
2) Low level players can't have manaconstruction. It just doesn't seem fair to them.
3) Low level players don't have so many duel/action points...

Otherwise I like the idea very much. It just seems it needs some polishing and balancing.

For every 12 victories, you get a small potion reward (+3 APts, +3 DPts, healing, mana, and 5 crystal points)

^ That will give a helping hand to lower level players.

Wouldn't it be better if Mana-construction was something like:
"If you use Mana-construction building at least 1000xLevel SE you gain 1 Build point. Mana-construction can still be used only once per day"

The exact amount of SE would have to be adjusted of course (just grabbed a number). But having it like this would mean that you would have to invest something into it, and not just grab Mana-construction 1 and having low Magic.

If one wants to benefit builders even more, you could allow this use of Mana-construction to be different from the one you use in the clan buildings, i.e. you can both build in the clan buildings and in the event with mana-construction.

Since there are categories in this even I doubt low lvl players will be in disadvantage. They will have it easier on their own lvl comparable to bigger ones.

What happens if I start the event at level 29 and go up to 32 during the 3 weeks?
Do I get to compete on 21-30 category like the championship, that only counts the moment of registration?

Cruel.

You can have more than 1 building medal and I see no reason why they wouldn't stack (I can't confirm it but there is nothing against it)

The focus crystals can't be removable otherwise they would surely only offer 1? If it were removable, there is a massive imbalance in the prizes.

I thought hard about if it should be removable but I think this is more an event that is designed to get enjoyment out of participating, rather than the rewards at the end. It rewards you constantly throughout, unlike zarknod which was a massive drain. One of those events which is fun to do, repeatable, offers small (but often) rewards.

Idézet: Sbart - 2011.01.07. 11:23:47

And this is a good point... Right now, Builders will either have to choose to help their Clan -or- participate in the event. Therefore, either a player doesn't participate, or Clan growth suffers... Hardly seems fair, since an attacking based player sees no disadvantage between killing Doomers or Xenos.

Solution:
If you have ManaCon L30+, you are able to Build twice per day - once into your Clan, and once into an event (this one or any future). This gives incentive to actually develop the skill rather than just throw only a point into it, but get all the event benefits.

Thanks for your comments and questions!

Space-rift potion directly exchanges your EH and DD. So if you had an EH, you will have a DD instead. So with each potion, you can swith it to here and there.

The +1% squeeze simply increases the SE you get when squeezing.

Multiple medals of doom stack.

We decided that the focus crystal will be removable (but will last only for half year - until the next turn of this same event), and only 1 will be awarded. We also drop the pet equipment and cake (too weak items), and add something more fun rewards to the list (decrease infection, temporal bonus the AA points etc)

The manaconstruction will count 1 for everyone - it costs the same for everyone anyway, and we want to make this so players of all levels can participate with nearly equal chance. Even so, level 3 characters will not make it to the top ten, as you state correctly: "Low level players don't have so many duel/action points..."

"dedicated builder"
Sorry, there is no "building only" character in my dictionary only "slaves", "multies" are who only build. A normal player does other things besides building, like adventures, quests, duels, dimension door etc.

"What happens if I start the event at level 29 and go up to 32 during the 3 weeks?"
No, you will stay in the category you started off at the beginning. In any case, the epic you fight will be designed so you have a good chance to defeat it, regardless of your level.

"Builders will either have to choose to help their Clan -or- participate in the event"
Yes this is a valid point, actually, it sounded fun that players have to make a choice. Btw, if you are dedicated to your clan (and why you wouldnt be), you can still build for SE, and use your manacons for your clan.

This is still the first design, we are discussing it now, some things will change for sure. Kethios will keep you updated on any news.

Idézet: Miklos - 2011.01.08. 22:29:12
Thank you Miklos.
Your answer left me a little confused though.
The original message said "Each category gets an epic opponent to defeat. If they win, they can help the next higher category. If that is dead as well, they can help the next lower category, etc." So I thought all players in one category would fight the same epic creature. Isn't it the case?

Also, when do you expect the event to happen?

Thanks,
Cruel.

Idézet: Cruel01 - 2011.01.09. 00:03:11
That was my understanding too.

Thanks for the updates

Idézet: Miklos - 2011.01.08. 22:29:12

No, it doesn't cost the same for everyone. A player who invested heavily in Magic and built up ManaCon 50 SPENT exponentially more than someone who invested nothing more in Magic, and a few thousand SE on ManaCon1 - are you really saying their contributions are equal?



Brutal... So your solution to those who built heavily into Magic and ManaCon is to CONTINUE spending MORE SE so that they can actually utilize their prior investment properly (to help the Clan).

As for "dedicated builder" - stop trying to create a problem - you know what I mean.

Remember, this is an Event BY the players FOR the players... So start listening to the players - nobody has agreed with you on the ManaCon point.

Do you have an estimated time as to when this event may start?

"So I thought all players in one category would fight the same epic creature. Isn't it the case?"
Yes they will fight the same creature with the same hp but it will have slightly different stats if you are level 31 or 39 to make it a fair fight.

"Do you have an estimated time as to when this event may start?"
The programmer started working on it, will take 2-3 weeks at most.