CM Notes
All is quiet in development country . . . well, not really, but it sounded good. In fact I can hear the sounds of an interview going on behind me, an animated discussion of a game mechanic off beyond the bathroom, and some of the artists talking about one of the newer pieces of work just up ahead. All of this while the soft strains of a movie soundtrack pour through my headphones. So yeah, we're making some noise still!
We're taking a look at a cool new system in this issue. This also marks the addition of (what should become) a couple of new regular features. We've been looking around and listening to some of the comments we've gotten back on the Newsletter from various sources. So we're looking to make improvements here as well as in the game!
Go ahead and read things over. I think you'll find some interesting stuff below . . . maybe even the chance to win some TCoS swag!
- Mathew “Corwynn Maelstrom” Reuther, Community Manager for The Chronicles of Spellborn.
Dev Team Update
- Our gameplay programmers are tying the system code together. Quests, items, skills and all other parts are being revisited, upgraded, and generalized into a system that will allow the gameplay department to create additional kick-ass content. In essence we're trying to get our content-pipeline into a final state.
- The GUI code is being upgraded to incorporate the new GUI designs. Additional features, such as moving and resizing of windows, transparency, minimization, etc. are being implemented as well. Our GUI is becoming an easy to use, comprehensible game interface.
- I have gotten our guild/team system implemented at the network-level. The goal is to provide as much information as possible (on team/guild-members) to the players with the (usual) minimum amount of bandwidth necessary.
- We have worked on improving the build/release cycle, as well as integration of our in-house editing tools into the networked environment. This allows for easier/quicker gameplay and art development.
- Our graphics coder has finished his work on the deco-layers (grass and other small growth) and just started work on optimizations. First off is the character rendering since this is one of our major concerns in terms of client-side performance.
- The whole sound system is finished and implemented. This has become quite a complex and extended feature, allowing our sound designer to really add some atmosphere to the maps.
- In terms of AI we've now got NPCs using advanced attack-patterns, but this still has to be rigorously tested during Beta 2, so it's not final yet.
Feature Story: Housing
The Chronicles of Spellborn will offer player housing to all characters. Since all characters on a player's account belong to the same family, each character on the player's account has access to the same instanced house.
Players will not be able to access their house right from the start. At a certain point between level 10 and 20 players can do a quest that will reward them with access to their own private house. Players can decide in what town they want to place their house and they will have the option to move to another city by paying the cost of moving.
Once a player enters a house the following features become available:
- Personal storage space.
Personal storage, like inventory, is a place where players can leave items / equipment etc. This storage can be accessed by all of the player's character on that server. Players will be able to place several chests here. When players get their house they will be given one chest. If the player wants more chests he will need to buy them. Right clicking a chest will open it and display a window similar to the player's inventory window. The player will be able to set the chest name. This chest name will be displayed on or above the chest when it is closed.
- Mail system.
The player can send mail messages to other player characters.
- Change active character.
The player will be able to see his other characters in his house. These characters are represented by a portrait with the name, class and level of that character under the portrait. Left clicking a character's portrait and then left clicking the 'change character' button (located under the character portraits) will set the selected character to the active character. This way the player doesn't have log out to log in with another character.
- Catalog system.
The catalog system allows players to auction their items and buy items from other players. When players open the catalog they can see all the items that other players are selling. Players can bid on the items that are for sale by placing a 'blind' bid that will result in a transaction when the bid is higher then the minimum selling price of the item. Players pay a fee for each bid that they make. When players want to sell an item themselves they have to specify a minimum sale price that will be hidden from bidders. When multiple players are selling the same item, the item that has the lowest sale price will be sold first if a bid is placed on the item.
You can read below about the new Dev Chats that are being introduced next Saturday, so get your Housing related questions ready!
TCoS Dev Chat 1
We're going to be bringing you a Dev Chat every two weeks until release. These chats are scheduled for the Saturday after the Newsletter has been released at 20:00 GMT. Each chat will be done in Q&A format with the QAbot open to receive questions slightly before the start of the chat. If you want to participate, or just listen, the chats will be held in #spellborn-qa on our irc server: irc://irc.tcos.com. A log from each chat will be made available on the forums after each session.
The next chat will concern Housing (see the feature story in this issue) and will be held on the 29 th of April, 2006 at 21:00 CEST in #spellborn-qa on irc.tcos.com.
Fansite corner
In the last few weeks we have been working hard to deliver exclusive material to members of our Recognized Fansite Program. We are happy to let you know that this work as finally paid off and we encourage you to visit our four Recognized Fansites (Spell-born.de, TCoS JeuxOnline, Spellborn-Welten.de, TCoS @ Gamesrider.it) and take a look. The latest material we have released to them includes exclusive blogs from members of our development team and some juicy video diaries showing our hard work on the game. On a side note: we are currently getting ready to add new sites to the program in the next few days and look forward to giving you more details in the next Newsletter.
Community Artwork
We highlight submissions provided by our members in this spotlight. If you've got some creative juices flowing in you, make sure to submit your own work on the forums!
Ever wanted to know what it takes to create a 3d character with 3d art software? SinTao is taking you on a journey where he explains to you the steps of bringing a 3d model to life. As it is still work in progress you may follow the development of SinTao's work by checking on the thread located right here.
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Also, we recommend you to check out JappMe's Wallpapers. They sport a different style from the other fan-submitted wallpapers. You may without a shade of doubt find room on your desktop to welcome these pieces of art. |
Forum Highlights
Recent News
The TCoS website updated on an almost daily basis. Some of the more recent news items can be found below.
- New TCoS screenshots posted on the web.
- Character statistics article.
- Fansite developer diary movies released.
TCoS Contest
This issue kicks off our monthly Newsletter contests. Each even numbered issue you will see a new contest, so make sure to sign up and get the scoop! We've got a number of great prizes to get started with including two TCoS T-Shirts and a very cool etched crystal which features an early oracle prototype. What do you have to do? Easy! Send an email to forums@tcos.com with the subject line “Newsletter 6 Contest” which includes no more than 250 words about what makes you want to play TCoS. Be sure to include your real name and forum name or we won't be able to figure out who you are! The best testimonials will be chosen by our crack panel of judges! Who knows . . . you may even see your words turn up again some day! The contest closes on Friday the 28 th of April, so make sure to get those entries in!
Closing Comments
That wraps it up for Newsletter 6! We hope you enjoyed the Housing article and look forward to seeing you all at the first Dev Chat on the 29 th ! Make sure to stop by the forums and chat about the development of the game and send those emails in with your contest entries! Remember:
What Lies Hidden . . . Must Be Found. |
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