Satange
05-03-2004, 10:48 PM
Here is a clean log of the devchat. Enjoy it and thanks again for your support !:)
<[HB]Yama> Hello everyone.
<[HB]Teila> Hi there!
<A_Merville_[AD]> Hi everyone
<[HB]Teila> You all are in for a treat. Since the group is small, we decided to talk to you in here. :)
<[HB]Surric> Hello Everyone ! :)
<[HB]Teila> Be kind to us though.
<[HB]Yama> I am David Dougher the Lead Programmer for Adellion. We decided to go with a more informal chat since we have a more cozy crowd of the faithful today.
<[HB]Surric> Brian Collins here, Sakoian Lore Lead, pleased as well :)
<[HB]Yama> If it does we can always move back to the question route.
<[HB]Teila> I am Laura Wampfler, Lore developer for the Dalmites and the Landscape Designer..and all around grunt worker.
<[HB]Teila> I do get the pleasure of meeting most of you on the forums. :)
<Crydee> ok guys .. we're just going to have a general chat atm. Anyone got any questions?
<[HB]Yama> Actually since Crydee let me out of the closet for weekly walks it has been really nice. Of course the chains and metal collar are hard on my neck - not to mention I speak terrible Arabic.
<fastjack> my only real questions are whether everything is on schedule and whether the plan has been altered at all (major features dropped)
<[HB]Colin> Art wise I believe we are on track . Everything will be ready for Alpha1
<[HB]Teila> We are still heading toward open, as in selected participants from the fan base, alpha in the fall. That is the plan.
<Crydee> The schedule is alpha 1 by the autumn.. about 6 months time. We are roughly on track and no planned features for Alpha 1 have been dropped
<[HB]Yama> And no features have been dropped in the Alpha so far. A couple have proved to be a bit more challenging than I would like, but nothing has been dropped.
<fastjack> cool
<sevenn4> what's the average poly count of the models you're using?
<[HB]Colin> which models do you mean?
<[HB]Colin> we could discuss the character models , the architectural models ...
<sevenn4> umm...character models?
<[HB]Yama> Actually, the poly count is currently pretty high compared to the old days.
<[HB]Yama> I am currently experimenting with some character models up to about 2800 polys
<[HB]Colin> Architectural models we try to keep around 1k max
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> Lots of games have art work, how come we haven't had the pleisure to see any for Adellion so far ?
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> By artworks I mean drawings, paintings, etc...
<[HB]Colin> oooh ... well ... you want artwork?
* [HB]Colin wonders if he should release today's piece of art by our secret new artist ...
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> Not really the game itself, but complementary stuff. You know, things such as the drawing of a Dalmite girl in the forest, things like that.
<[HB]Teila> Oh, Blood Wolf, have you been sneaking into my computer??? We have a lovely concept drawing of a Dalmite woman that will be released soon!
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> Would it be possible to get more news, on a more regular basis ?
<[HB]Yama> A reasonable request. But I have a question for you? What would you like us to tell you more about?
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> About the game mechanics, screenshots, interviews, well... like other games you know. Even if some news are totally useless, such as "Hello boys, we wish you a Merry Christmas", it shows that you are not dead.
<[HB]Surric> so quick poll to fans here, what Adellion news are you most interested in hearing?
<Zora> possessions, clothing...
<sevenn4> everything.
<[HB]Teila> Zora, a character will have clothes on their back and probably a tool set related to their chosen skills. We are still debating the money they might or might not have.
<SweetH2O> I would assume that the different cultures would start with different clothing
<[HB]Teila> Yes, the different cultures will have different clothing.
<Zora> Thanks, Teila
<sevenn4> I'm assuming AI will be implemented for alpha...how complete or advanced is it?
<[HB]Yama> AI will be VERY simple for Alpha. The reason is that it has a major impact on performance and we don't want to crowd the issue with to many performance issues at once.
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> When will the FAQ be updated ?
<[HB]Surric> weve actually been working on that presently
<[HB]Teila> The FAQ will be updated sometime before alpha, but it will be updated more often once we start actually testing with players.
<sevenn4> I haven't dug into the Torque engine yet....is it implemented with OpenGL?
<[HB]Yama> torque is abstracted. it serves up both OpenGL and DirectX depending on a user choice.
<sevenn4> interesting.
<[HB]Yama> We went with that to allow support for Max OSX and Linux as well as Windows.
<sevenn4> right.
<SweetH2O> A lot of people will be happy to hear that
<sevenn4> OpenGL is friendly like that.
<[HB]Surric> we hope so
<[HB]Yama> OpenGL is actually the preferred method but there is an internal emulator that will translate to DirectX if that is what you need. Some cards just don't have good OpenGL drivers.
<[HB]Colin> not many mmos are available on the mac huh ...
<sevenn4> very true.
<Hobart77> You mentioned that you haven't dropped any wanted features for the proposed alpha date... any chance of finding out what those features are? or some of them anyway?
<Crydee> Alpha 1 is fairly basic. It has character creation, terrain, buildings, some skills and a story line. As we move towards beta other skills, terrain, NPCs etc.. will be added.
<[HB]Colin> Model wise , alpha one will include building interiors and exteriors implemented
<[HB]Teila> Alpha 1 will take place in a portion of Sala.
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> What about the communication system in Adellion ? How will it work ? T4C-like ? DAoC-like ? EVE-Online like ?
<[HB]Colin> T4C?
<[HB]Colin> Team ... Fortress ... Classic ...?
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> The Fourth Coming... hm :D
<[HB]Teila> Adellion-Like!
<[HB]Surric> no lol
<[HB]Colin> hehehe
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> Maybe the best chat system ever created in a MMORPG in my opinion.
<Zora> will there be animals in Alpha?
<[HB]Teila> Probably not, Zora. But there will be cooking utensils! :)
<Crydee> No animals in alpha 1 but they will come in in alpha 2
<sevenn4> how's the collision detection?
<[HB]Yama> Collision is currently based on the collision for Tribes 2 - which is a high speed FPS. We are modifying it to include hand to hand combat
<[HB]Yama> So it is very fast and quite robust.
<sevenn4> When you're attacking something...is it going to register a hit via plane intersection, bounding box, or true form?
<[HB]Yama> We currently have plane intersection for distance weapons and we are testing out bounding box for hand to hand. It is unlikely with the potential lag involved in large combats that we would need true form.
<VenomByte> presumably there are crops then? Or else players might be getting a little hungry :)
<[HB]Teila> Farming will be in later alphas.
<Crydee> Crops and livestock .. fish and foraged foods
<Zora> So there will be fishing? Nice
<VenomByte> you might struggle at fishing if there are no animals :)
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> The communication system will be channel-based, or will it be really realistic from a medieval magic-less point of view ?
<[HB]Colin> ... i want to say realistic ... correct me if I'm wrong someone ..
<[HB]Teila> Realistic to a point.
<[HB]Colin> painfully realistc ... erm ... I mean!
<mongoyl> let us have another mean of communication that the couriers for the long distance?
<[HB]Colin> and im pretty certain mail is the only means of long distance communication
<[HB]Colin> and of course ... AIMing and ICQing will be discouraged ...
<mongoyl> let us have another means of communication that the mails for the long distance? a system of message on line is perhaps a good idea but that would remove realism...
<[HB]Teila> Mongoyl, mail is sort of in debate still. Personally, I would like a courier service with a short delay. So you can send messages but they take time to arrive.
<Zora> Teila, NPC couriers or e-mail courier?
<[HB]Teila> We WILL have in-game bulletin boards where people can post IC messages to each other.
<[HB]Teila> Well, probably a combination. The npcs might take the letters, but they would be delivered via 'magical means'.
<[HB]Teila> We won't have npcs running all over the place delivering mail.
<Zora> got it Teila, NPC would make it more immersive
<[HB]Teila> Yes, but I think having them at the courier stations might be good enough as opposed to having them running over hill and dale and taking up resources. :)
<Zora> I understand
<[HB]Teila> Of course, the concept of long distance messaging is still up in the air.
<SweetH2O> So go to a courier station to have a letter delivered. An imaginary horseman takes the message to the town designated within a reasonable timeframe that a horse could carry someone that distance I assume
<[HB]Teila> Right, Sweetwater.
<sevenn4> what style of AI will be eventually implemented?
<[HB]Yama> I don't want to say too much about the AI just yet. We have a couple systems we are looking at. Performance will drive the final choice, unfortunately.
<Zora> how dangerous will it be to explore? More or less dangerous than say SWG? (hoping less)
<Crydee> There are no monsters other than what you would find in the wild.. bears, lions, wolves. But you need to be able to survive as an explorer
<[HB]Teila> Zora, it should be less since we don't have all those aggressive mobs, of course, we do have aggressive players so its sort of difficult to tell. Depends on the impact of permadeath I guess.
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> Will there packs in kit form created for the fansites, with official texts, buttons, pictures and banners ? As the Warhammer Online team or the Dragon Empire team did ?
<[HB]Teila> Blood-Wolf, that is an excellent idea. :)
<sevenn4> Are you aiming for low end more mainstream computers or somewhat top end? I'm assuming main stream.
<[HB]Yama> We are actually aiming for as low end as we can reasonably get. I use the TNT card on one machine to remind me how low to go. It works by the way, but a lot of the graphics quality is lost.
<sevenn4> hmm...k.
<sevenn4> Is there an optimizer on the team?
<[HB]Yama> Why? are you good at optimizing?
<sevenn4> not really.
<[HB]Colin> :-P
<[HB]Yama> Always looking for somebody skilled to help me carry the chains... ;)
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> Do you know approximately what will Adellion monthly price be ?
<Crydee> We won't decide the price until shortly before release
<sevenn4> is C++ the driving force?
<[HB]Yama> C++, assembler for critical sections. We are also looking at python and XML for some sections, but that hasn't been nailed down. It will be server side if it goes that way.
<sevenn4> takes sooooo many lines of code to do things in Assembler.
<[HB]Yama> Which is why you don't optimize until the end... ;)
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> Will a Drulon cultural leader be appointed ? I can't find any on the staff page (even if it seems not updated).
<[HB]Teila> We have a Drulon CL. His name is Glen and he is a very talented guy.
<sevenn4> how much man hours/week are you expecting out of your additional help?
<[HB]Teila> 24/7, Sevenn... :P
<Crydee> IWe don't ask volunteers to do more than they can cope with .. otherwise they unvolunteer
<[HB]Teila> Seriously, many of us have other commitments, aside from me, of course.
<[HB]Surric> Teila is amazing, she has done 100 things at a time and still said 'oh yeah i can handle that' *shakes head*
<[HB]Yama> Basically, I try to work with what they can afford. If makes scheduling more difficult. But we are moving slowly because we let people contribute and don't drive them to produce. After all, we are making a game - the process should be work, but it should also be fun.
<[HB]Teila> Yeah, well, I don't have a life.
* [HB]Colin is under constant stress ... 70% of which is from Teilas heckling
* [HB]Teila hits Colin over the head with her club.
<[HB]Colin> Here comes some art
<[HB]Colin> http://www.colinsrealm.com/concept1.jpg
<[HB]Teila> Thanks, David!
<[HB]Colin> dont expect that image to be there for long! I don't want my poor monthly transfer to die
<[HB]Teila> I am sure Alchemic Dream will be happy to put it on our website.
<sevenn4> What areas of programming in particular are you looking to have someone help with?
<[HB]Yama> Well, for people who are just getting started we have scripting to help out with the artists. For people a bit more knowledgeable there are positions developing the various server routines we will need. Of course then there are the fun things - like accounting linkages, secure login etc.
<[HB]Yama> But you probably would be more interesting in the dull stuff like AI, terrain paging, and shaders.
<sevenn4> I really just want to branch out and be able to work on a real project.
<sevenn4> I'd take what you give me.
<[HB]Teila> Sevenn, send your resume and info to David. :)
<sevenn4> already did. : )
<[HB]Yama> Contact me at David_Dougher@hotmail.com with a resume. I'll see if I can find a niche. No promises though. Depends on what you can do.
<sevenn4> I believe we've already spoken.
<[HB]Yama> You did? When?
<sevenn4> umm...2 days ago?
<sevenn4> different email address.
<[HB]Yama> LOL. Got 5 applications that week. don't recognize your handle though.
<sevenn4> that's ok. : ) I'll let you know when I get on my work email account again.
<mongoyl> have an other question for the dev, i've see on website of Adellion : free beta test in october, it's still good or not ? if not have you a date ?
<[HB]Teila> We are alpha testing in the fall.
<[HB]Teila> If you get involved in the forums, you can be selected to participate.
<[HB]Teila> We are allowing fans to help us with the alpha testing, unlike many games.
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> I heard that the number of NPC a player will be able to control was not fixed yet. Even if you don't know exactly, do you have an approximate number ?
<[HB]Teila> Blood_Wolf is dangerous. :)
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> Well... I'm just trying to answer French JeuxOnline fans question... :D
<[HB]Surric> Wolf is indeed dangerous when it comes to answering questions :-p he likes to corner you and then ask the tough ones
<Crydee> Control of NPCs will depend on a number of factors .. for example a lord will control more than a baker.
<[HB]Teila> David, do you want to take Blood_Wolf's question or should we make him suffer and wait with the rest of the fans?
<[HB]Yama> Blood Wolf, the number of NPC's has not been fixed.
<[HB]Yama> We have a set of tests that actually had several thousand NPC's at one time, but the test was highly suspect.
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> Okay thanks :)
<[HB]Yama> So until I have some more reasonable AI to drive them I can't lay down a fixed number.
<[HB]Teila> I wouldn't count on that many, folks.
<[HB]Teila> Plan on a small number and then if its larger, be happy. :)
<Zora> Will we be able to have pets? Don't remember that from the facts
<[HB]Teila> Zora, pets are in the plans.
<[HB]Teila> They are much easier than npcs. :)
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> What will you do against people playing only to kill other players ? We had a great discussion on "griefers", and it seems than Adellion could be a paradise for them. They arrive, they kill a very famous character when they are two or three, they die, they create a new character, wait for one week, and do this again..
<[HB]Surric> it wont be that easy to get away with such crimes wolf, lol
<Crydee> This is unlikely Blood Wolf .. the griefer would have pretty low skills, remember
<[HB]Teila> They won't be very powerful in a week, Wolf.
<[HB]Teila> And they could die, and will die. There is no con system either.
<[HB]Teila> Besides, we will have a player justice system.
<[HB]Surric> indeed, this game isn't like others where you can gain immense levels of power in just a few weeks time, and starting off its doubtful you'll fight that well ;-)
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> Well, even if they are three, they will not be able to kill a famous warrior for example ?
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> If he is alone of course.
<Zora> yeah, with daily skill maxes they won't have the patience to train..I hope
<Crydee> It's possible but unlikely
<[HB]Teila> They might, Wolf, but my guess is at least one or maybe two of them will die.
<[HB]Yama> Finally remember that all records go into a database. You can always monitor griefing activities on a macro level and deal with it there if necessary.
<[HB]Teila> So if they constantly try this, they will be permanently dead before long.
<Crydee> And in the towns NPC guards would help the warrior
<[HB]Surric> highly possible, but to be honest most high level warriors are going to be 'generals' or some such... It would be rather difficult to catch one alone for one reason or another, and the player justice system would help in preventing a *known* criminal from continuing their dastardly deeds
<[HB]Surric> of course that's not to say that it isn't impossible for a mob to attack high powered people, just difficult, as it should be.
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> There would be actions against such persons creating characters only to kill other people. They barely care about dying, and that's the problem.
<[HB]Teila> There will be actions taken against griefers, Wolf.
<[HB]Surric> and back to wolfs question, yes as Teila said there are actions taken against griefers, both from the player community, and the developers/support side.
<[HB]Surric> also remember though
<[HB]Surric> that in Most OTHER games where dying didn't mean as much, like Everquest, griefers didn't care as much about dying.
<[HB]Teila> And the GMs. Alchemic Dream has a lot of experience in games and they will be a huge help.
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> Thanks, it's exactly what i wanted to know ^^
<[HB]Yama> There are several things that we can do to halt griefing, since you only have one character in a realistic world.
<[HB]Teila> Wolf, I hate griefers. I will make it a personal crusade to chase them out of Adellion. :)
<[HB]Yama> For example, we can tag a player as a griefer, disallow him to suicide, and throw him in a jail cell for a while...
<SweetH2O> I still think it would be funny to have someone put into stockades to throw tomatoes at :P
<[HB]Surric> Its almost impossible to let you understand that impact that permadeath would have in this kind of activity, because most griefers train for long periods of time to do their crimes against others, and knowing they could risk all that work its unlikely that some of them will continue their plans.
<sevenn4> how many people are on the team and helping with the project?
<Crydee> We have about 25 on the team
<[HB]Surric> yes, we try hard to make sure everyone is doing something on the project at all given times
<Mef_ADS> Do you plan to offer a lot of social emotes to player in order to roleplay with style :) ?(like SWG does)
<[HB]Teila> Mef, we probably will not have as many as SWG, but we will have some. Because Adellion is roleplay based, we want players to have the freedom to create their own emotes via the chat channels.
<sevenn4> is there a skill for the town drunkard?
<[HB]Yama> Yes, and Colin will be giving lessons to him on a regular basis.
<Crydee> Not a skill as such .. perhaps we should introduce a 'balance' skill
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> I read on the official forums that you planned to make jobs such as thiefs and murderers very dangerous to avoid having murderers and burglars everywhere. How will you deal with this ?<[HB]Teila> With forensic skills, town guards, personal guards, and a player justice system so players can finger criminals to law enforcement.
<sevenn4> think on the site somewhere there was something about being able to invent new technology if you had a certain skill?
<sevenn4> to what extent would this be implemented?
<[HB]Yama> sevenn4 - Invention is being tested as a skill. One idea - NOT set in concrete is that as the game progresses we will introduce new skills. Those skills will be invented by a player with the invention skill. In addition they may improve or change an existing skill. They would also get credit for the invention.
<[HB]Yama> Also since the cultures don't generally mix, the same skill could be discovered in several areas using different forms.
<Crydee> It may have to work by us telling a guy with a good invention skill what he has to invent.
<[HB]Teila> Kind of like a puzzle, he figures it out and then wala! He can make something new.
<fastjack> will there be coded sports? for instance the drulon gladiatorial events?
<Crydee> Yes fast .. in Sala, for example, there is the annual Tournament of Edohein's blade.
<fastjack> im really interested in the possibility of making a gladiator stable, and other sports if available
<Crydee> We definitely want sports in .. but it may not happen until after release
<fastjack> one interesting thing i saw was the fact that religion, that i had previously thought pretty useless, will be used to affect npcs, it this true?<Crydee> Partly, fast. For example you have an npc army. The religious authorities in your culture take against you. Some of your NPCs will desert.
<[HB]Surric> alright guys i have to leave in a few minutes, any sako specific questions you want to ask before departure? :)
<fastjack> will the sako leader get super powers?
<[HB]Surric> you doubt the power of surric?! *thunder clashes in the background*
<sevenn4> well, I'm originally from a desert out in Arizona...
<sevenn4> gonna be anything like that?
<[HB]Teila> Its going to be beautiful, Sevenn.
<[HB]Teila> and deadly.
<[HB]Surric> The desert life will be a mix of a lot of different desert areas and cultures and a bit of stuff you may not have seen before ;-)
<sevenn4> the desert is the most beautiful place on earth> : )
<[HB]Teila> It will have dry canyons, sandstone cliffs, dune areas...
<sevenn4> sounds like home. : )
<SweetH2O> exotic flowers?
<SweetH2O> love cacti in bloom
<Zora> That sounds like the forest, Sweet
<fastjack> will players be able to die from exposure? i.e. when traveling while ill-equipped? or only get very weak?
<[HB]Surric> to be honest, in Adellion, if you can think it then in some way, shape, or form your likely going to be able to do it if it pertains to the correct setting
<[HB]Teila> In the desert? Maybe at the oases.
<sevenn4> there are exotic flowers in the desert.
<sevenn4> serveral types of cactus grow flowers.
<[HB]Teila> True, I have cacti outside my window with flowers. :)
<[HB]Teila> Jack, it will affect your stamina. So you can't run or fight well, unless you are acclimated.
<[HB]Yama> Each area has its own set of challenges. death from exposure is possible in all of them for those unfamiliar with the way to survive in the area.
<sevenn4> so you gotta read the army's survival handbook before you play? : )
<[HB]Yama> You need to spend time in an area to get the experience to survive in it.
<[HB]Yama> So don't stray too far from that desert town if you are used to living in a Drulon swamp.
<[HB]Surric> we've got some really interesting spots in the desert, forest, etc. I think everyone will enjoy
<[HB]Surric> like in the desert there's the city of Verem, tucked away deep in a canyon. At the very heart of the canyon is the city surrounded by trees that survive in the shade of the canyons, a bit of beauty hidden behind the unforgiving stone walls :)
<[HB]Yama> Over time your survival skills improve - just like any other skill that you practice. But there is a price. Skills that don't get used also begin to atrophy. They never go to zero but you won't be as good as you were at your peak.
<Zora> can you describe the forest, home of the Dalmites, Teila?
<[HB]Teila> The forest will be beautiful too. Lots of trees, lakes, streams, waterfalls. It will be a place all of Adellion will want to preserve because of its beauty. :)
<[HB]Teila> It will have hills and valleys, and even some mountainous areas.
<Zora> Waterfalls..nice!
<Spooks-> Can you jump off the waterfalls?
<fastjack> check behind waterfalls, that's where people hide stuff ! :)
<[HB]Teila> and beautiful shrines tucked deep in the forest.
<sevenn4> will there ever be world events that could change the face of the political structure...such as huge volcanoes or something?
<Crydee> It's possible .. look at the history of Adellion. Who knows?
<[HB]Yama> Just because I sunk 7 continents and forced the refugees onto a 320 mile square island everybody says I'm ruthless. Wait till they see what I do to the survivors!
<fastjack> will npcs/towns require food and other 'standard goods', thus providing a market for crafters/gatherers, possibly affected by famine/season etc.?
<[HB]Teila> Npcs will sell only newbie items. Players will sell food and other items, creating the market.
<Mef_ADS> do you plan to make food and drinks affects mind or health of a character ? is food and water required to survive ?
<Crydee> Food and drink is required. Cooked foods are better than raw. You won't die if your stamina is at 0.. but you won't be able to do much either.
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> Will a "little" player who plays 7 or 8 hours a week be able to become integrated in Adellion's communities ?
<[HB]Yama> Blood Wolf - Yes. It's not all about experience points.
<[HB]Teila> Yes, Wolf, because the communities will be very focused. You will be part of a smaller group and can make a difference there.
<[HB]Teila> Unlike most games where community is the entire world.
<[HB]Surric> Adellion will be a world where you can play very much or very little and still make a difference
<[HB]Teila> We will be encouraging communities through our design and game mechanics.
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> This is really interesting !
<Zora> I agree, Blood!
<sevenn4> Will there be a mission board for PC's to post tasks they want accomplished?
<sevenn4> I was thinking of being a crafter...I'd need materials...etc.
<[HB]Surric> yes and no, you can for instance run a blacksmithy, and post your orders to your apprentices of what needs to be done and what needs to be shipped where
<[HB]Surric> but from what i know no general mission board for everyone
<sevenn4> interesting.
<[HB]Surric> but the village boards are available
Day/Night cycle for NPC ?
<[HB]Yama> NPC's will close up shop during the night. Yes they're will be Day and Night. Adellion is a smaller planet than earth and due to the light leakage effect of the sun thru the atmosphere the "dark night" period is shorter than the Day period.
<sevenn4> can you create a seal or crest to symbolize your family name/lineage?
<[HB]Surric> unknown yet - possibly - David? :P
<sevenn4> will Stamina drain faster if you've been up longer than a day?<[HB]Teila> Okay, I need to run. Thank you all for coming and feel free to ask questions on the forums as well. Sorry I have to leave but I am starving! :)
<sevenn4> will there be like a table for random name lookups for NPC's or will NPC's be unnamed?
<Crydee> We're still working on the details. It's aimed at being part of Alpha 1 so we can test it at character creation. But basically at the start there will be CL designed families you can join
<sevenn4> interesting.
<[HB]Surric> believe me we've been all over this subject, we have come up with ideas for families ranging from wacky to impossible, to bland, to amazing, and there was such a reaction to the team in the case of families that it made my head spin at times o.o
<fastjack> will there be a selection of coded laws that municipalities can institute?
<Crydee> There will be basic laws .. after that it's up to the players to develop them.. which will be easier in a democracy like Sala
<[HB]Yama> A selection of coded laws... Hmmm. An interesting concept. Have to think about that one. Right now the CL makes the rules, but giving him some that he could set at the beginning might be interesting. Especially f the town guards enforced them. Makes a note...
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> Maybe the question has already been asked, but will it be possible to play with a 56K modem ?<
[HB]Surric> i hope so, because I'm on a 56k now!!
<sevenn4> can you play an instrument...like if you want to be a traveling minstrel?
<fastjack> will music have a game mechanic effect?
<Crydee> Heh .. there's a lovely program that lets you actually play a harp online. But it's difficult to add in atm
<sevenn4> maybe have a table of music based on instrument and race....
<sevenn4> then either do a random pick when instrument played...
<sevenn4> or let the user choose...user would know x number based on skill lvl...
<sevenn4> and could possibly learn another races/cultures songs based on skill as well.
<Crydee> Yeah .. it would be good .. we'll have to see though. We have a pretty tight timetable atm
<[HB]Yama> Two problems wit the music. First is how hard it would be for the average player to manage such a complicated system. Second is that the system would have to work on three different operating systems.
<[HB]Yama> That's why Asheron's Call 2 had music that you could play - it was only DirectX based.
<sevenn4> second is a problem...by why the first?
<sevenn4> user would only possibly see songs he knows and be able to choose which one he wanted to play.
<sevenn4> but yeah...cross platform is a pain...have you looked at OpenAL at all?
<[HB]Yama> Well imagine what happens if somebody decides to hold a concert. How do you generate that much music? Can't do it server side - too many people. Do it client side and you have the issue of it lagging peoples systems to cover the construction process.
<[HB]Yama> By the way we are using OpenAL. Unlike Direct Sound it does not have Music Producer
<[HB]Yama> Which is basically how AC2 generates the music.
<sevenn4> well..I would assume all songs would be installed with client...and the client would just recieve the song file, position of epicenter, and volume.
<[HB]Yama> Ahhh. but how many instruments?
<sevenn4> ohh...you're thinking multiple participants in the song?
<[HB]Yama> It could be done if we were to write the equivalent of Music Producer for OpenAL. Bit of extra work there.
<Page_Noldor> How about pre-made tunes...as your skill increase, so does the length that the song plays. All users would get all the pre-made songs and playing duration would be based on the skill of the player?
<SweetH2O> I can't imagine more than like a quartet for the Adellion setting
<[HB]Yama> Exactly. If 20 people gather they expect to hear 20 instruments not 1 and if 3 people gather they can't hear 20 musical instruments. Wrecks the immersion.
<sevenn4> a quartet wouldn't be hard to do...each musician could just choose which piece he's playing...clients would receive 4 positions, 4 tracks, and 4 volumes.
<[HB]Yama> Well, I think I have something for you to look at... Do a bit of research on it and we will chat offline.
<Mef_ADS> i don't think u have to go deeper in a technical point of view...just use midi files for music and I'll be happy with it ;). But music is a must have I think personally
<Mef_ADS> Will we be able to customize our character (face, weight, height...and so on ) ? do you plan to offer a great variety of clothing ? (swg does and that's a good point..also for the music profession, great social interactions ;))
<Crydee> Mef you will be able to customize your character and there will be a range of clothes. Players with the sewing skill will be able to make different types of clothes
<[HB]Yama> Hello everyone.
<[HB]Teila> Hi there!
<A_Merville_[AD]> Hi everyone
<[HB]Teila> You all are in for a treat. Since the group is small, we decided to talk to you in here. :)
<[HB]Surric> Hello Everyone ! :)
<[HB]Teila> Be kind to us though.
<[HB]Yama> I am David Dougher the Lead Programmer for Adellion. We decided to go with a more informal chat since we have a more cozy crowd of the faithful today.
<[HB]Surric> Brian Collins here, Sakoian Lore Lead, pleased as well :)
<[HB]Yama> If it does we can always move back to the question route.
<[HB]Teila> I am Laura Wampfler, Lore developer for the Dalmites and the Landscape Designer..and all around grunt worker.
<[HB]Teila> I do get the pleasure of meeting most of you on the forums. :)
<Crydee> ok guys .. we're just going to have a general chat atm. Anyone got any questions?
<[HB]Yama> Actually since Crydee let me out of the closet for weekly walks it has been really nice. Of course the chains and metal collar are hard on my neck - not to mention I speak terrible Arabic.
<fastjack> my only real questions are whether everything is on schedule and whether the plan has been altered at all (major features dropped)
<[HB]Colin> Art wise I believe we are on track . Everything will be ready for Alpha1
<[HB]Teila> We are still heading toward open, as in selected participants from the fan base, alpha in the fall. That is the plan.
<Crydee> The schedule is alpha 1 by the autumn.. about 6 months time. We are roughly on track and no planned features for Alpha 1 have been dropped
<[HB]Yama> And no features have been dropped in the Alpha so far. A couple have proved to be a bit more challenging than I would like, but nothing has been dropped.
<fastjack> cool
<sevenn4> what's the average poly count of the models you're using?
<[HB]Colin> which models do you mean?
<[HB]Colin> we could discuss the character models , the architectural models ...
<sevenn4> umm...character models?
<[HB]Yama> Actually, the poly count is currently pretty high compared to the old days.
<[HB]Yama> I am currently experimenting with some character models up to about 2800 polys
<[HB]Colin> Architectural models we try to keep around 1k max
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> Lots of games have art work, how come we haven't had the pleisure to see any for Adellion so far ?
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> By artworks I mean drawings, paintings, etc...
<[HB]Colin> oooh ... well ... you want artwork?
* [HB]Colin wonders if he should release today's piece of art by our secret new artist ...
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> Not really the game itself, but complementary stuff. You know, things such as the drawing of a Dalmite girl in the forest, things like that.
<[HB]Teila> Oh, Blood Wolf, have you been sneaking into my computer??? We have a lovely concept drawing of a Dalmite woman that will be released soon!
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> Would it be possible to get more news, on a more regular basis ?
<[HB]Yama> A reasonable request. But I have a question for you? What would you like us to tell you more about?
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> About the game mechanics, screenshots, interviews, well... like other games you know. Even if some news are totally useless, such as "Hello boys, we wish you a Merry Christmas", it shows that you are not dead.
<[HB]Surric> so quick poll to fans here, what Adellion news are you most interested in hearing?
<Zora> possessions, clothing...
<sevenn4> everything.
<[HB]Teila> Zora, a character will have clothes on their back and probably a tool set related to their chosen skills. We are still debating the money they might or might not have.
<SweetH2O> I would assume that the different cultures would start with different clothing
<[HB]Teila> Yes, the different cultures will have different clothing.
<Zora> Thanks, Teila
<sevenn4> I'm assuming AI will be implemented for alpha...how complete or advanced is it?
<[HB]Yama> AI will be VERY simple for Alpha. The reason is that it has a major impact on performance and we don't want to crowd the issue with to many performance issues at once.
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> When will the FAQ be updated ?
<[HB]Surric> weve actually been working on that presently
<[HB]Teila> The FAQ will be updated sometime before alpha, but it will be updated more often once we start actually testing with players.
<sevenn4> I haven't dug into the Torque engine yet....is it implemented with OpenGL?
<[HB]Yama> torque is abstracted. it serves up both OpenGL and DirectX depending on a user choice.
<sevenn4> interesting.
<[HB]Yama> We went with that to allow support for Max OSX and Linux as well as Windows.
<sevenn4> right.
<SweetH2O> A lot of people will be happy to hear that
<sevenn4> OpenGL is friendly like that.
<[HB]Surric> we hope so
<[HB]Yama> OpenGL is actually the preferred method but there is an internal emulator that will translate to DirectX if that is what you need. Some cards just don't have good OpenGL drivers.
<[HB]Colin> not many mmos are available on the mac huh ...
<sevenn4> very true.
<Hobart77> You mentioned that you haven't dropped any wanted features for the proposed alpha date... any chance of finding out what those features are? or some of them anyway?
<Crydee> Alpha 1 is fairly basic. It has character creation, terrain, buildings, some skills and a story line. As we move towards beta other skills, terrain, NPCs etc.. will be added.
<[HB]Colin> Model wise , alpha one will include building interiors and exteriors implemented
<[HB]Teila> Alpha 1 will take place in a portion of Sala.
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> What about the communication system in Adellion ? How will it work ? T4C-like ? DAoC-like ? EVE-Online like ?
<[HB]Colin> T4C?
<[HB]Colin> Team ... Fortress ... Classic ...?
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> The Fourth Coming... hm :D
<[HB]Teila> Adellion-Like!
<[HB]Surric> no lol
<[HB]Colin> hehehe
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> Maybe the best chat system ever created in a MMORPG in my opinion.
<Zora> will there be animals in Alpha?
<[HB]Teila> Probably not, Zora. But there will be cooking utensils! :)
<Crydee> No animals in alpha 1 but they will come in in alpha 2
<sevenn4> how's the collision detection?
<[HB]Yama> Collision is currently based on the collision for Tribes 2 - which is a high speed FPS. We are modifying it to include hand to hand combat
<[HB]Yama> So it is very fast and quite robust.
<sevenn4> When you're attacking something...is it going to register a hit via plane intersection, bounding box, or true form?
<[HB]Yama> We currently have plane intersection for distance weapons and we are testing out bounding box for hand to hand. It is unlikely with the potential lag involved in large combats that we would need true form.
<VenomByte> presumably there are crops then? Or else players might be getting a little hungry :)
<[HB]Teila> Farming will be in later alphas.
<Crydee> Crops and livestock .. fish and foraged foods
<Zora> So there will be fishing? Nice
<VenomByte> you might struggle at fishing if there are no animals :)
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> The communication system will be channel-based, or will it be really realistic from a medieval magic-less point of view ?
<[HB]Colin> ... i want to say realistic ... correct me if I'm wrong someone ..
<[HB]Teila> Realistic to a point.
<[HB]Colin> painfully realistc ... erm ... I mean!
<mongoyl> let us have another mean of communication that the couriers for the long distance?
<[HB]Colin> and im pretty certain mail is the only means of long distance communication
<[HB]Colin> and of course ... AIMing and ICQing will be discouraged ...
<mongoyl> let us have another means of communication that the mails for the long distance? a system of message on line is perhaps a good idea but that would remove realism...
<[HB]Teila> Mongoyl, mail is sort of in debate still. Personally, I would like a courier service with a short delay. So you can send messages but they take time to arrive.
<Zora> Teila, NPC couriers or e-mail courier?
<[HB]Teila> We WILL have in-game bulletin boards where people can post IC messages to each other.
<[HB]Teila> Well, probably a combination. The npcs might take the letters, but they would be delivered via 'magical means'.
<[HB]Teila> We won't have npcs running all over the place delivering mail.
<Zora> got it Teila, NPC would make it more immersive
<[HB]Teila> Yes, but I think having them at the courier stations might be good enough as opposed to having them running over hill and dale and taking up resources. :)
<Zora> I understand
<[HB]Teila> Of course, the concept of long distance messaging is still up in the air.
<SweetH2O> So go to a courier station to have a letter delivered. An imaginary horseman takes the message to the town designated within a reasonable timeframe that a horse could carry someone that distance I assume
<[HB]Teila> Right, Sweetwater.
<sevenn4> what style of AI will be eventually implemented?
<[HB]Yama> I don't want to say too much about the AI just yet. We have a couple systems we are looking at. Performance will drive the final choice, unfortunately.
<Zora> how dangerous will it be to explore? More or less dangerous than say SWG? (hoping less)
<Crydee> There are no monsters other than what you would find in the wild.. bears, lions, wolves. But you need to be able to survive as an explorer
<[HB]Teila> Zora, it should be less since we don't have all those aggressive mobs, of course, we do have aggressive players so its sort of difficult to tell. Depends on the impact of permadeath I guess.
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> Will there packs in kit form created for the fansites, with official texts, buttons, pictures and banners ? As the Warhammer Online team or the Dragon Empire team did ?
<[HB]Teila> Blood-Wolf, that is an excellent idea. :)
<sevenn4> Are you aiming for low end more mainstream computers or somewhat top end? I'm assuming main stream.
<[HB]Yama> We are actually aiming for as low end as we can reasonably get. I use the TNT card on one machine to remind me how low to go. It works by the way, but a lot of the graphics quality is lost.
<sevenn4> hmm...k.
<sevenn4> Is there an optimizer on the team?
<[HB]Yama> Why? are you good at optimizing?
<sevenn4> not really.
<[HB]Colin> :-P
<[HB]Yama> Always looking for somebody skilled to help me carry the chains... ;)
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> Do you know approximately what will Adellion monthly price be ?
<Crydee> We won't decide the price until shortly before release
<sevenn4> is C++ the driving force?
<[HB]Yama> C++, assembler for critical sections. We are also looking at python and XML for some sections, but that hasn't been nailed down. It will be server side if it goes that way.
<sevenn4> takes sooooo many lines of code to do things in Assembler.
<[HB]Yama> Which is why you don't optimize until the end... ;)
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> Will a Drulon cultural leader be appointed ? I can't find any on the staff page (even if it seems not updated).
<[HB]Teila> We have a Drulon CL. His name is Glen and he is a very talented guy.
<sevenn4> how much man hours/week are you expecting out of your additional help?
<[HB]Teila> 24/7, Sevenn... :P
<Crydee> IWe don't ask volunteers to do more than they can cope with .. otherwise they unvolunteer
<[HB]Teila> Seriously, many of us have other commitments, aside from me, of course.
<[HB]Surric> Teila is amazing, she has done 100 things at a time and still said 'oh yeah i can handle that' *shakes head*
<[HB]Yama> Basically, I try to work with what they can afford. If makes scheduling more difficult. But we are moving slowly because we let people contribute and don't drive them to produce. After all, we are making a game - the process should be work, but it should also be fun.
<[HB]Teila> Yeah, well, I don't have a life.
* [HB]Colin is under constant stress ... 70% of which is from Teilas heckling
* [HB]Teila hits Colin over the head with her club.
<[HB]Colin> Here comes some art
<[HB]Colin> http://www.colinsrealm.com/concept1.jpg
<[HB]Teila> Thanks, David!
<[HB]Colin> dont expect that image to be there for long! I don't want my poor monthly transfer to die
<[HB]Teila> I am sure Alchemic Dream will be happy to put it on our website.
<sevenn4> What areas of programming in particular are you looking to have someone help with?
<[HB]Yama> Well, for people who are just getting started we have scripting to help out with the artists. For people a bit more knowledgeable there are positions developing the various server routines we will need. Of course then there are the fun things - like accounting linkages, secure login etc.
<[HB]Yama> But you probably would be more interesting in the dull stuff like AI, terrain paging, and shaders.
<sevenn4> I really just want to branch out and be able to work on a real project.
<sevenn4> I'd take what you give me.
<[HB]Teila> Sevenn, send your resume and info to David. :)
<sevenn4> already did. : )
<[HB]Yama> Contact me at David_Dougher@hotmail.com with a resume. I'll see if I can find a niche. No promises though. Depends on what you can do.
<sevenn4> I believe we've already spoken.
<[HB]Yama> You did? When?
<sevenn4> umm...2 days ago?
<sevenn4> different email address.
<[HB]Yama> LOL. Got 5 applications that week. don't recognize your handle though.
<sevenn4> that's ok. : ) I'll let you know when I get on my work email account again.
<mongoyl> have an other question for the dev, i've see on website of Adellion : free beta test in october, it's still good or not ? if not have you a date ?
<[HB]Teila> We are alpha testing in the fall.
<[HB]Teila> If you get involved in the forums, you can be selected to participate.
<[HB]Teila> We are allowing fans to help us with the alpha testing, unlike many games.
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> I heard that the number of NPC a player will be able to control was not fixed yet. Even if you don't know exactly, do you have an approximate number ?
<[HB]Teila> Blood_Wolf is dangerous. :)
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> Well... I'm just trying to answer French JeuxOnline fans question... :D
<[HB]Surric> Wolf is indeed dangerous when it comes to answering questions :-p he likes to corner you and then ask the tough ones
<Crydee> Control of NPCs will depend on a number of factors .. for example a lord will control more than a baker.
<[HB]Teila> David, do you want to take Blood_Wolf's question or should we make him suffer and wait with the rest of the fans?
<[HB]Yama> Blood Wolf, the number of NPC's has not been fixed.
<[HB]Yama> We have a set of tests that actually had several thousand NPC's at one time, but the test was highly suspect.
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> Okay thanks :)
<[HB]Yama> So until I have some more reasonable AI to drive them I can't lay down a fixed number.
<[HB]Teila> I wouldn't count on that many, folks.
<[HB]Teila> Plan on a small number and then if its larger, be happy. :)
<Zora> Will we be able to have pets? Don't remember that from the facts
<[HB]Teila> Zora, pets are in the plans.
<[HB]Teila> They are much easier than npcs. :)
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> What will you do against people playing only to kill other players ? We had a great discussion on "griefers", and it seems than Adellion could be a paradise for them. They arrive, they kill a very famous character when they are two or three, they die, they create a new character, wait for one week, and do this again..
<[HB]Surric> it wont be that easy to get away with such crimes wolf, lol
<Crydee> This is unlikely Blood Wolf .. the griefer would have pretty low skills, remember
<[HB]Teila> They won't be very powerful in a week, Wolf.
<[HB]Teila> And they could die, and will die. There is no con system either.
<[HB]Teila> Besides, we will have a player justice system.
<[HB]Surric> indeed, this game isn't like others where you can gain immense levels of power in just a few weeks time, and starting off its doubtful you'll fight that well ;-)
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> Well, even if they are three, they will not be able to kill a famous warrior for example ?
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> If he is alone of course.
<Zora> yeah, with daily skill maxes they won't have the patience to train..I hope
<Crydee> It's possible but unlikely
<[HB]Teila> They might, Wolf, but my guess is at least one or maybe two of them will die.
<[HB]Yama> Finally remember that all records go into a database. You can always monitor griefing activities on a macro level and deal with it there if necessary.
<[HB]Teila> So if they constantly try this, they will be permanently dead before long.
<Crydee> And in the towns NPC guards would help the warrior
<[HB]Surric> highly possible, but to be honest most high level warriors are going to be 'generals' or some such... It would be rather difficult to catch one alone for one reason or another, and the player justice system would help in preventing a *known* criminal from continuing their dastardly deeds
<[HB]Surric> of course that's not to say that it isn't impossible for a mob to attack high powered people, just difficult, as it should be.
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> There would be actions against such persons creating characters only to kill other people. They barely care about dying, and that's the problem.
<[HB]Teila> There will be actions taken against griefers, Wolf.
<[HB]Surric> and back to wolfs question, yes as Teila said there are actions taken against griefers, both from the player community, and the developers/support side.
<[HB]Surric> also remember though
<[HB]Surric> that in Most OTHER games where dying didn't mean as much, like Everquest, griefers didn't care as much about dying.
<[HB]Teila> And the GMs. Alchemic Dream has a lot of experience in games and they will be a huge help.
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> Thanks, it's exactly what i wanted to know ^^
<[HB]Yama> There are several things that we can do to halt griefing, since you only have one character in a realistic world.
<[HB]Teila> Wolf, I hate griefers. I will make it a personal crusade to chase them out of Adellion. :)
<[HB]Yama> For example, we can tag a player as a griefer, disallow him to suicide, and throw him in a jail cell for a while...
<SweetH2O> I still think it would be funny to have someone put into stockades to throw tomatoes at :P
<[HB]Surric> Its almost impossible to let you understand that impact that permadeath would have in this kind of activity, because most griefers train for long periods of time to do their crimes against others, and knowing they could risk all that work its unlikely that some of them will continue their plans.
<sevenn4> how many people are on the team and helping with the project?
<Crydee> We have about 25 on the team
<[HB]Surric> yes, we try hard to make sure everyone is doing something on the project at all given times
<Mef_ADS> Do you plan to offer a lot of social emotes to player in order to roleplay with style :) ?(like SWG does)
<[HB]Teila> Mef, we probably will not have as many as SWG, but we will have some. Because Adellion is roleplay based, we want players to have the freedom to create their own emotes via the chat channels.
<sevenn4> is there a skill for the town drunkard?
<[HB]Yama> Yes, and Colin will be giving lessons to him on a regular basis.
<Crydee> Not a skill as such .. perhaps we should introduce a 'balance' skill
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> I read on the official forums that you planned to make jobs such as thiefs and murderers very dangerous to avoid having murderers and burglars everywhere. How will you deal with this ?<[HB]Teila> With forensic skills, town guards, personal guards, and a player justice system so players can finger criminals to law enforcement.
<sevenn4> think on the site somewhere there was something about being able to invent new technology if you had a certain skill?
<sevenn4> to what extent would this be implemented?
<[HB]Yama> sevenn4 - Invention is being tested as a skill. One idea - NOT set in concrete is that as the game progresses we will introduce new skills. Those skills will be invented by a player with the invention skill. In addition they may improve or change an existing skill. They would also get credit for the invention.
<[HB]Yama> Also since the cultures don't generally mix, the same skill could be discovered in several areas using different forms.
<Crydee> It may have to work by us telling a guy with a good invention skill what he has to invent.
<[HB]Teila> Kind of like a puzzle, he figures it out and then wala! He can make something new.
<fastjack> will there be coded sports? for instance the drulon gladiatorial events?
<Crydee> Yes fast .. in Sala, for example, there is the annual Tournament of Edohein's blade.
<fastjack> im really interested in the possibility of making a gladiator stable, and other sports if available
<Crydee> We definitely want sports in .. but it may not happen until after release
<fastjack> one interesting thing i saw was the fact that religion, that i had previously thought pretty useless, will be used to affect npcs, it this true?<Crydee> Partly, fast. For example you have an npc army. The religious authorities in your culture take against you. Some of your NPCs will desert.
<[HB]Surric> alright guys i have to leave in a few minutes, any sako specific questions you want to ask before departure? :)
<fastjack> will the sako leader get super powers?
<[HB]Surric> you doubt the power of surric?! *thunder clashes in the background*
<sevenn4> well, I'm originally from a desert out in Arizona...
<sevenn4> gonna be anything like that?
<[HB]Teila> Its going to be beautiful, Sevenn.
<[HB]Teila> and deadly.
<[HB]Surric> The desert life will be a mix of a lot of different desert areas and cultures and a bit of stuff you may not have seen before ;-)
<sevenn4> the desert is the most beautiful place on earth> : )
<[HB]Teila> It will have dry canyons, sandstone cliffs, dune areas...
<sevenn4> sounds like home. : )
<SweetH2O> exotic flowers?
<SweetH2O> love cacti in bloom
<Zora> That sounds like the forest, Sweet
<fastjack> will players be able to die from exposure? i.e. when traveling while ill-equipped? or only get very weak?
<[HB]Surric> to be honest, in Adellion, if you can think it then in some way, shape, or form your likely going to be able to do it if it pertains to the correct setting
<[HB]Teila> In the desert? Maybe at the oases.
<sevenn4> there are exotic flowers in the desert.
<sevenn4> serveral types of cactus grow flowers.
<[HB]Teila> True, I have cacti outside my window with flowers. :)
<[HB]Teila> Jack, it will affect your stamina. So you can't run or fight well, unless you are acclimated.
<[HB]Yama> Each area has its own set of challenges. death from exposure is possible in all of them for those unfamiliar with the way to survive in the area.
<sevenn4> so you gotta read the army's survival handbook before you play? : )
<[HB]Yama> You need to spend time in an area to get the experience to survive in it.
<[HB]Yama> So don't stray too far from that desert town if you are used to living in a Drulon swamp.
<[HB]Surric> we've got some really interesting spots in the desert, forest, etc. I think everyone will enjoy
<[HB]Surric> like in the desert there's the city of Verem, tucked away deep in a canyon. At the very heart of the canyon is the city surrounded by trees that survive in the shade of the canyons, a bit of beauty hidden behind the unforgiving stone walls :)
<[HB]Yama> Over time your survival skills improve - just like any other skill that you practice. But there is a price. Skills that don't get used also begin to atrophy. They never go to zero but you won't be as good as you were at your peak.
<Zora> can you describe the forest, home of the Dalmites, Teila?
<[HB]Teila> The forest will be beautiful too. Lots of trees, lakes, streams, waterfalls. It will be a place all of Adellion will want to preserve because of its beauty. :)
<[HB]Teila> It will have hills and valleys, and even some mountainous areas.
<Zora> Waterfalls..nice!
<Spooks-> Can you jump off the waterfalls?
<fastjack> check behind waterfalls, that's where people hide stuff ! :)
<[HB]Teila> and beautiful shrines tucked deep in the forest.
<sevenn4> will there ever be world events that could change the face of the political structure...such as huge volcanoes or something?
<Crydee> It's possible .. look at the history of Adellion. Who knows?
<[HB]Yama> Just because I sunk 7 continents and forced the refugees onto a 320 mile square island everybody says I'm ruthless. Wait till they see what I do to the survivors!
<fastjack> will npcs/towns require food and other 'standard goods', thus providing a market for crafters/gatherers, possibly affected by famine/season etc.?
<[HB]Teila> Npcs will sell only newbie items. Players will sell food and other items, creating the market.
<Mef_ADS> do you plan to make food and drinks affects mind or health of a character ? is food and water required to survive ?
<Crydee> Food and drink is required. Cooked foods are better than raw. You won't die if your stamina is at 0.. but you won't be able to do much either.
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> Will a "little" player who plays 7 or 8 hours a week be able to become integrated in Adellion's communities ?
<[HB]Yama> Blood Wolf - Yes. It's not all about experience points.
<[HB]Teila> Yes, Wolf, because the communities will be very focused. You will be part of a smaller group and can make a difference there.
<[HB]Teila> Unlike most games where community is the entire world.
<[HB]Surric> Adellion will be a world where you can play very much or very little and still make a difference
<[HB]Teila> We will be encouraging communities through our design and game mechanics.
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> This is really interesting !
<Zora> I agree, Blood!
<sevenn4> Will there be a mission board for PC's to post tasks they want accomplished?
<sevenn4> I was thinking of being a crafter...I'd need materials...etc.
<[HB]Surric> yes and no, you can for instance run a blacksmithy, and post your orders to your apprentices of what needs to be done and what needs to be shipped where
<[HB]Surric> but from what i know no general mission board for everyone
<sevenn4> interesting.
<[HB]Surric> but the village boards are available
Day/Night cycle for NPC ?
<[HB]Yama> NPC's will close up shop during the night. Yes they're will be Day and Night. Adellion is a smaller planet than earth and due to the light leakage effect of the sun thru the atmosphere the "dark night" period is shorter than the Day period.
<sevenn4> can you create a seal or crest to symbolize your family name/lineage?
<[HB]Surric> unknown yet - possibly - David? :P
<sevenn4> will Stamina drain faster if you've been up longer than a day?<[HB]Teila> Okay, I need to run. Thank you all for coming and feel free to ask questions on the forums as well. Sorry I have to leave but I am starving! :)
<sevenn4> will there be like a table for random name lookups for NPC's or will NPC's be unnamed?
<Crydee> We're still working on the details. It's aimed at being part of Alpha 1 so we can test it at character creation. But basically at the start there will be CL designed families you can join
<sevenn4> interesting.
<[HB]Surric> believe me we've been all over this subject, we have come up with ideas for families ranging from wacky to impossible, to bland, to amazing, and there was such a reaction to the team in the case of families that it made my head spin at times o.o
<fastjack> will there be a selection of coded laws that municipalities can institute?
<Crydee> There will be basic laws .. after that it's up to the players to develop them.. which will be easier in a democracy like Sala
<[HB]Yama> A selection of coded laws... Hmmm. An interesting concept. Have to think about that one. Right now the CL makes the rules, but giving him some that he could set at the beginning might be interesting. Especially f the town guards enforced them. Makes a note...
<[JoL]-The_BlooD_Wolf> Maybe the question has already been asked, but will it be possible to play with a 56K modem ?<
[HB]Surric> i hope so, because I'm on a 56k now!!
<sevenn4> can you play an instrument...like if you want to be a traveling minstrel?
<fastjack> will music have a game mechanic effect?
<Crydee> Heh .. there's a lovely program that lets you actually play a harp online. But it's difficult to add in atm
<sevenn4> maybe have a table of music based on instrument and race....
<sevenn4> then either do a random pick when instrument played...
<sevenn4> or let the user choose...user would know x number based on skill lvl...
<sevenn4> and could possibly learn another races/cultures songs based on skill as well.
<Crydee> Yeah .. it would be good .. we'll have to see though. We have a pretty tight timetable atm
<[HB]Yama> Two problems wit the music. First is how hard it would be for the average player to manage such a complicated system. Second is that the system would have to work on three different operating systems.
<[HB]Yama> That's why Asheron's Call 2 had music that you could play - it was only DirectX based.
<sevenn4> second is a problem...by why the first?
<sevenn4> user would only possibly see songs he knows and be able to choose which one he wanted to play.
<sevenn4> but yeah...cross platform is a pain...have you looked at OpenAL at all?
<[HB]Yama> Well imagine what happens if somebody decides to hold a concert. How do you generate that much music? Can't do it server side - too many people. Do it client side and you have the issue of it lagging peoples systems to cover the construction process.
<[HB]Yama> By the way we are using OpenAL. Unlike Direct Sound it does not have Music Producer
<[HB]Yama> Which is basically how AC2 generates the music.
<sevenn4> well..I would assume all songs would be installed with client...and the client would just recieve the song file, position of epicenter, and volume.
<[HB]Yama> Ahhh. but how many instruments?
<sevenn4> ohh...you're thinking multiple participants in the song?
<[HB]Yama> It could be done if we were to write the equivalent of Music Producer for OpenAL. Bit of extra work there.
<Page_Noldor> How about pre-made tunes...as your skill increase, so does the length that the song plays. All users would get all the pre-made songs and playing duration would be based on the skill of the player?
<SweetH2O> I can't imagine more than like a quartet for the Adellion setting
<[HB]Yama> Exactly. If 20 people gather they expect to hear 20 instruments not 1 and if 3 people gather they can't hear 20 musical instruments. Wrecks the immersion.
<sevenn4> a quartet wouldn't be hard to do...each musician could just choose which piece he's playing...clients would receive 4 positions, 4 tracks, and 4 volumes.
<[HB]Yama> Well, I think I have something for you to look at... Do a bit of research on it and we will chat offline.
<Mef_ADS> i don't think u have to go deeper in a technical point of view...just use midi files for music and I'll be happy with it ;). But music is a must have I think personally
<Mef_ADS> Will we be able to customize our character (face, weight, height...and so on ) ? do you plan to offer a great variety of clothing ? (swg does and that's a good point..also for the music profession, great social interactions ;))
<Crydee> Mef you will be able to customize your character and there will be a range of clothes. Players with the sewing skill will be able to make different types of clothes