Interview Q.) If we are all going to a University to learn how to pilot giant armed to the teeth mecha... where did we go for High School? A.) Mecha Lecka High of course!
We are still preparing Planet Romero for you - and so for this week we have continued our Buffs and Bugfixes while we're still getting things in shape on the new planet.
Buffs!
1) In the Dropship, the "Fly This Ship" minigame that you can play (go right till you find Worsh flying the ship) got a buff. I set it up so that it now gives much better credit rewards - for example, a score of 20 used to give you 20 credits but now gives you 200!
2) Tyranno Mecha - I made NEW level 14 and level 19 versions as well as the buffed-up level 10 originals - find them in the Repli-Mecha shops after completing the Museum Jobs for Val. blues designed the buffs, and Vivi coded them and has the following info on the new specials.
Specials are NSC (SC,NG) Head: ---> CD=5
- starts with 1.1 (1.3,1.5) times damage - general damage boost BoT of +5(8,10) per turn for 5 turns - frightening attack, enemy BtH reduction of -20 (30,40) for 5 turns - SC/NG only: Disables an equippable enemy's head
Body: ---> CD=5
- starts with 1.1 (1.3,1.5) times damage - combined HP/EP DoT (normal, 1.5 times, double) - Chance for double (triple,triple) EP regeneration. - SC/NG only: damages EP with half damage done
Arms: ---> CD=1
- rage attack: Damage increases by 10% (20,25) per use. Increases stack between the FA and BA.
Shoulders: ---> CD=2
- starts with 1.1 (1.3,1.5) times damage - Chance for an extra Hit with 50% damage - Chance for a HP Dot for 3 turns, stacking - SC/NG only: Chance for enemy EP regen stop for 2 turns
3) Soluna Battle Button!!??!!
Vivi updated the encounter list:
fewer Ghost types, so more chance of variety
At Level 25 and up, Advanced House Mecha opponents can show up
buffed 3 monster specials
Goliath A (flamethrower, bombs) Flamethrower: 120% damage with improved accuracy, inflicts a 1.5x HP DOT Bombs: Rolls between 10% and 50% extra damage, reduces enemy boost by between 8 and 15 per hit
Goliath B (machine gun, ground pound) Machine Gun: Damage and crit chance increased, Inflicts a DOT with strength based on number of hits Ground Pound: Damage increase between 20 and 40%, reduces enemy bonus by between 8 and 15 per hit
Turret (small attack, big attack) Small attack: Less damage than usual, first hit deals EP damage equal to half damage done, second through fourth hits each lower defense by between 8 and 10 Big attack: Increased damage, if all 5 hits connect it attempts to stun you
Thanks, Vivi!
Bugfixes:
1) Korin fixed an issue with the menu bar disappearing from the interface and messages of "undefined" (required another engine change, so please clear your cache and reload).
2) I fixed (with Vivi's assistance) the Hazuko series weapons that were causing NaN values
Hazuko Machete
Hazuko Katana
Hazuko Staff
Hazuko Sai
(Note: I am still working on a head fix - the Tremendous Lightning still gives NaN for now, but I'll get that fix rolled out soon too)
3) Vivi fixed a NaN issue with the Morehawk (which was actually for last week but got included with this week instead)
...and last week some fixes for which I didn't get you Design Notes written:
NaN issues with Korin Bag head series, Subzero Gaze heads, and the AC-490 mechas
SC Xtreme Challenges Necryptos X-A and X-B (rolled Saturday) - losing no longer takes you back to the intro & kicks you out of the quest
I *think* that covers everything we've fixed & buffed so far! More fixes are on my list, and we have other improvements in store - we're eager to bring you new content and it's on its way! It's been an insane few weeks with the pre-production of the new planet getting a couple of delays, but this is actually turning out to make it better that it would have been. Ok - I think that's all from me for now. Have a great weekend - have fun - and of course, thanks for playing MechQuest!
K&S! The long-awaited Knife & Spork Challenge Updates have begun! If you have completed the first set of ten Grand Opening Challenges, click the new "More" button above the Contest button to access the second set of challenges, called the Advanced Contest. Challenges 11 and 12 are playable now, with more in the works.
Challenge 11 is a special feature, incorporating the winning designs from a forums contest to Build Your Own Mecha, held 'way back in 2010! Maverik, Vadriel, Bling bla, and Lyris (who entered that contest before she joined the MQ team) finally got their designs in game! It is recommended that you be Level 28 when facing these enemies. Defeating them all opens up a shop with a higher-level Pan arm and also unlocks Challenge 12.
Challenge 12 gives you a series of L30 opponents - one from each House with some customization and stats trained, and a couple of students with Anniversary models and trained stats.
We had a blast pretesting this. One of the Contestants was a little crazy at first - he equipped mini-mechas to his mecha! (That's a byproduct of the intended weapon being the default to a different chassis rather than a standalone weapon.) So Vivi grabbed the screenshot and after we laughed our heads off for a while, I changed things up a bit - we still used the general theme of Bling bla's winning entry as inspiration.
Updating the K&S has been promised for ages but now that I'm able to set them up myself, I'll keep adding new challenges for everyone - and keep your eyes on the forums because I'm going to be looking for more of your setups for new Challengers!
Wrangler Buff! And now from Vivi, the Wrangler mecha buff details:
Specials are listed as NSC (SC, NG) FA, 3 Hits: ---> CD= 2 - Hit 1: +30 (40,50%) damage - Hit 2: +55 (65,75% damage - Hit 3: High (Guaranteed, Guaranteed) chance for a crit
There's a chance the gun will jam - when it does, no damage is done but there's a good (guaranteed, guaranteed) chance for a stun and your bonus increases by 10 (15, 20) for the rest of the fight
BA, 2 Hits: ---> CD= 2 - Hit 1: lowers immo resist by 50 ( 80, 120) - Hit 2: Good (guaranteed, guaranteed) chance for a crit, tries to stun
Shoulders, 5 Hits:---> CD=2 - in creasing damage by +5 (10,+15%) for every Hit - Good (high, guaranteed) chance for an extra Hit, extra Hit crits ( same base damage of Hit 5)
Head, 2 Hits: ---> CD = 5 - Hit 1: blinding NoT, - 5 (8,10) BtH per turn for 5 turns - Hit 2: normal (1.5 time, double) HP DoT for 5 turns SC / NG only: - additional Hit 1: general damage BoT, +8 (10) damage per turn for 5 turns NG only: - additional Hit 2: 1.5 time EP DoT for 5 turns
Thanks for the details & for coding them, Vivi!! And thanks to blues for designing them!
Persistence Bonuses! Korin went through a TON of early quests and added persistence bonuses, so doing the jobs will go faster. I think after we rolled I updated a total of 15 quest names - the Museum quests, the Police quests, and the Hospital quests were all on the list. Thank you, Korin! We have plans to improve the Ghosthunting quests by changing how soon you earn the rewards - and long-term ideas about making that Ghosthunting training pay off.
New Planet Coming Soon! Lyris and Minar and Arklen have all been working on assets for the upcoming new planet - for which Lyris designed the concept & storyline. I've been working with Lyris on some of the script details while she does cutscenes - Minar has some backgrounds in the works and Arklen & Korin are working on vectorizing & animating some NEW enemies drawn especially for MQ by Thyton!
Thanks for playing MQ - don't forget to send your referral links to your friends and family so you can earn bonuses when they play - and have a great weekend!
Friday the 13th - You can replay Friday the 13th events on the News Screen sidebar buttons!
Tek's Mechs - New Head Weapons suggested by YOU! Many thanks to you for your suggestions! Credit goes to G.E.A.R.S. student MachineMaster for the Cranium Phaser (Star Captains only), .R.M. for the Hyper Helmet (Nova Gem model), and ultimatenoobowner for the Smilie Face (available to all players). You can find these heads at Tek's Mechs. (This shop focuses on low-to-mid-level player equipment, since off-planet shops provide a wealth of equipment for levels 20+ but you will find some higher-level weapons here in various slots.)
Cranium Phaser Series:
Each hit increases damage of next by 12%
"Cranium Power! +X to Boost!" - Boost BoT of +10 per turn for 4 turns
Hit 3: "Armor Penetration!" -30 Defense for 4 turns
Hyper Helmet Series:
Starts with 1.25 times damage
Each hit has a chance for a Critical Hit
Hit 1 general damage BoT of +12% per turn for 4 turns
Hit 2 enemy BtH reduce NoT, -10 per turn for 4 turns
Hit 3 double HP DoT for 4 turns
Smilie Face Series:
Hits may increase your Bonus to Hit by +10 BtH, stacking
if hit 3 is successful, chance for: 1-turn stun, or damage BoT, or enemy damage NoT.
Thanks to our 'Pedia Archknight golden1231 for the assistance with the specials details! And thank you all for playing MechQuest!
Zeke has made good on his promise! Visit him now if you've helped him and he has a pile of brand new weapons for you. While we credit Zeke on these, we should also credit Minar for their designs and animations and Blues for the specials and Vivi for programming them!
So what's next!? Well, Liath technically isn't done but it's next part won't come until a little bit later. This is intentional so no worries. Meanwhile, we'll start on the next planet. We've had it planned for awhile. Now it's just gathering assets and trying to make it manageable. Lyris has a nice big script laid out and it looks good for the most part. This will be something to look forward to but I don't want to give out many more details than that.
Of course we're also wondering what to do about GEARS Games and the final GEARS Class as well as the next House mechas which have a few things to tweak before we really go full steam into them.
Look forward to more and I hope everyone's new year began with a bang.
Well, almost. Soon it will be a new year and to celebrate, we tossed up the fireworks again. Our main focus this week was Planet Liath which has received it's update. It will have loads of reward weapons next week while we start planning out the next planet that will be a part of the main storyline again which should be a doozy.
The reason we don't have Liath rewards this week is because there's just too much! We've got the gifts getting pumped out and primed for unwrapping and we have the calendar mecha getting prepped for its big switch. So if you haven't gotten your gift yet or you haven't ordered your calendar yet, better do it quick! Well I guess the calendar can wait a little since there's shipping involved but the gifts are happening now!
This year MQ went through a lot of changes and a lot of people have stepped up to help out. Everyone on the team right now is putting a lot into this and I think it's showing. Lyris has made some amazing cutscenes, Minar has made some amazing weapons and backgrounds, Arklen has been going crazy with these animations and you'll see that first-hand when you get a look at the new house mechas. They're coming soon. Blues comes up with some crazy special ideas that test Vivi's knowledge of actionscript which leads into how much Maegwyn and Vivi have stepped up. They've designed their own quests and towns before, and have even run a whole release on their own. They're a power team and MechQuest is lucky to have them.
So here's to next year. Thanks for playing everyone. And a big thanks to the staff for helping make this game awesome. Because it is awesome, right?
The War Is Over! Rewards are all unlocked already!
You can still play through it so don't worry - it's just all unlocked and here is how it went down. Freddy Yeti was trying to send you tech as a Frostval present, and Mr. Z sent EC units to intercept the shipment and get hold of it for EbilCorp. There was a war - and you won it in what just might be record time! You went out on Thoh to find the parts that went missing when the starship crashed, and you had to fight mini-bosses to get each piece of the mecha. (You can still do this.) You are able to collect them for a build-a-mech style or just to use as weapons as you go along - and if you can defeat Mr. Z you open shops with a chassis (NSC, SC, and NG versions) and a fully-decked-out mecha model (for Nova Gems only).
Happy Frostval to All! You really pulled together and fought valiantly - great job!! This release was a lot of fun to put together. It was kind of crazy and a lot to do - and with it being a short week & people on the team having limited time with school committments, travel, computer issues I have to say I'm amazed & proud of us for getting this release out to you! Also even knowing that, for some reason I decided I should make a bazillion levels of everything so everyone would be able to have nice rewards so I gave myself a ton of extra work - but it all came together in the end! I like to try to fill you in on who did what, and I'm hoping I don't forget anyone's contribution... Lyris did the opening cutscene and Korin set up the mecha & did the war questing. When Korin finished vectorizing and animating, Minar shaded & colored the mecha. I learned how to break off the weapons to make into standalones and also how to make an empty chassis. Vivi's laptop is having serious issues so I asked blues for relatively simple specials design & then I coded the weapons with Vivi's help when he could get online on his family PC, and then when Korin finished the quests & came back from a bit of Christmas shopping, I turned the chassis (body attack) and fully-equipped mecha over to Korin to code so I could do some Christmas shopping. Vivi & Korin are really good teachers and Warlic laid a good foundation in helping me understand the basics - not that I was writing new code or anything, but you have to know what to modify and where it belongs in order to get things working as intended. The worst thing that happened (that I know of so far anyway) wasn't a coding issue - I made some kind of weird error when setting everything up in the database and for a few hours the weapons were unsellable and un-destroyable. That's fixed now, though. I'm hoping there aren't any major bugs with any of the specials!! If you find one, please let us know on the Gremlins forum.
A facebook friend of mine, David Lark (a.k.a. davids8765 if you play AQWorlds), helped me with names for the rewards - huge thanks!! The language of Latvia is featured - and it's my fault if anything is misspelled! Also a forum member, Master Merlin, mentioned on the forums that he had suggested pricing the Build-a-Mecha chassis the same as a standalone weapon - I used that concept (& it may be that others have suggested the same but his came to my attention) with a bit of tweaking from Vivi to keep it affordable and in line with our 1000-NG pricing of a completely-built model.
Specials:
FA Sniega Lielgabals SC only ---> CD=0- starts with extra damage- adds +20% damage per use (only the weapon), caps at 300%- adds +10 BtH per use (only the weapon), caps at 100 BtH
BA Ledus Bumba (NSC, SC, NG) ---> CD=3- starts with extra damage- normal (NSC) /1.5 time, double) HP DoT for 3 turns- SC and NG only: 20 roll for stopping enemy EP regen for 3 turns- NG only: 40 roll for a crit
FS Laasteka Shot (NSC Only) ---> CD=3- starts with extra damage- Chance for a 1.5 time EP DoT for 3 turns- chance for a critical strike
BS Laasteka Shard (NSC, SC, NG) ---> CD=3- starts with extra damage- Chance (NG guaranteed) for a normal (NSC) / 1.5 time (SC) / double (NG) HP DoT for 3 turns- SC and NG only: chance for a crit- NG only: chance for stopping enemy EP regen for 3 turns
HD Sniegapika Volley (NG only) ---> CD=5- starts with 1.5 times damage- general damage boost of +12 per turn over 5 turns- general BtH boost of +15 per turn for 5 turns- defense BoT of +10 per turn for 5 turns
Chassis Milziiga Sniegapika (NSC, SC, NG) ---> CD=5- Uses 0 EP- gives the mecha higher EP reserves. - starts with extra damage- NSC & SC have a chance and NG guarantee for damaging also EP with half of damage done to HP- SC and NG only: double HP DoT for 5 turns- NG only: chance for a critical strike.
If you have the fully-equipped Nova Gem model, in addition to the NG specials described above, the weapons which don't sell as standalones for NGs have the following: FA: - starts with extra damage- adds +25% damage per use (only the weapon), caps at 300%- adds +15 BtH per use (only the weapon), caps at 100 BtH FS: starts with extra damage- double EP DoT for 3 turns- chance for a crit- additional chance for damaging EP with half of damage done to HP
Ok I think that should cover it all! Oh - also if you are a Star Captain be sure to grab the gift boxes - they will open on gift-giving day which is traditionally New Year's Day so I'm shooting for that as our deadline for having them all ready but if we have to be a little later this time it'll still be early January - and the wrapped gifts are fun to play with before they open, anyway!
Have a very happy Frostval! Thanks for playing MechQuest!
We are kicking off Frostval with a trip to Planet Thoh where you may go back in time to replay events of past years. You should go all the way back to '08 and visit Dr. Kringle in that first cabin in town - his NG Holiday Weapons shop is now stocked with 3011 versions of these classic designs: "The Kringler," "Candy Cane," and "Mint-Zooka." This year they come with a new feature - along with their new specials, if you have the head, the arm, and one of the shoulders equipped, you get a Set Bonus! Each use lowers your opponent's stun resistance for that turn and attempts to stun. So it's definitely worth getting the whole set.
You will also find a L45 version of the Magic Bag arm (non-Star Captain) in the Arm weapon shop in '09, and there is a L45 Face of Frostval Past in the NG '09 Vilmart Back Room shop.
Star Captains have a new mod this year - you'll find it in the YourZelf mod shop at Freddy Yeti when you arrive in Frostvale. You may want to keep it for its benefits, or you may want to use it in the Merge Shop to merge your old Zorbo into this year's model. Caution: merging will REMOVE your older, RARE Zorbo from your inventory, so DO NOT merge if you want to keep your older Zorbo!!!! We have made one available for Nova Gems for the people who like to collect rares.
I had fun turning Zorbo into an elf! His specials remain the same, but he looks a bit different. I love how I get to do a little bit of all sorts of different things. Vivi sent the new code for the set weapons before he got on the road to travel and Korin helped me figure out how to tweak things so that it all functions as intended. And if something doesn't work quite right, Vivi will be around to fix it on Monday, or to explain to me how to fix it, so thanks for your Gremlin reports on the forums - they really help!
We're also working on the new Frostval content for next week - there is a new mecha on its way, and Korin has a screenshot of the work in progress here!
Good luck to everyone with final exams and safe traveling to everyone with holiday travel plans! Thanks for playing MechQuest - please don't forget to tell your friends how much fun it is to play!
Travel back to Planet Liath via Val at the Museum in Soluna City West to find out what we added this week!
Prerequisites: To access the new content, complete Val's previous missions (main entrance of the Museum, all the way West in Soluna City, to the left of the Art Museum). Also make sure that you have completed all the missions from Dean Warlic to reach the Kingadent, and have received flight clearance.
This week, there is a new puzzle designed by Korin, and then there is a quest - and Verified players can open a special shop back at the Museum after completing them! (You need to be Verified to open the shop - inside the shop if you are Verified and a Star Captain there is something for you, and if you are Verified and want to use your Nova Gems as currency, there is also something for you.)
Still to come (in relation to this section of the Liath storyline) is an animated cutscene of the airship landing - cutscene by Lyris and Liath Cityscape by Minar. I'll get it put together for next week so that you will feel like you glide into the city before you just appear there.
I don't want to say too much about today's release because of the spoilers - so go to the Museum and travel to Liath and see for yourselves!
There is more to come on Planet Liath in the upcoming weeks, and Frostval is on its way - we've got a lot of things in the works, which we're really excited about!
Have a great weekend and thanks for playing MechQuest!
Flavescent Friday! The Event section of the Shops interface is where you will find the Flavescent Friday Discounts and Rares! There is a limited selection of Rare mecha models as well as non-rares. The non-rares are 50% off the normal selling price! The weapons selected are 50% off as well. The version of the RARE Chronomech that is in the shop is not quite identical to the one that was offered with the 3011 Calendar. It scales only to Level 50 and has been named differently to help distinguish it from the promotional version.
We took your input on the forums and considered the pros and cons of everything you said you would want to see (and not to see) in the shops this year. It turned into a lively debate again, and it was fascinating to see what interests you. Honestly I was originally considering limiting this year's offerings to mechas only, but everyone was interested in having a weapons shop - and I'd like to remind you that we have the Salvage quest in Soluna City which really does fill that niche nicely. This year's selection of weapons is mostly for over level 20 - but you can stock up now in advance for when you attain that higher level! (The level range is my fault - I was so focused on getting just the right mecha models selected that I ended up putting weapons on the back burner.) There is a chance that I might add something for the neglected levels, as suggested by ZamuelNow on the forums - Korin gave his blessing so it just depends on how the weekend plays out. I do love the name "Saturated Saturday" that ZamuelNow came up with!
Korin & I decided that Flavescent Friday will last for the entire weekend, so you have time to decide what you'd like to add to your inventory! Keep an eye on the shop, in case we have time to add anything. No promises, but if I add something I'll put out a quick Design Note!
Planet Liath: The Black and White Planet! Liath is now open to everyone who has completed Val's quests at the Museum and also has flight clearance! There are now Non-Star-Captain shoulders in the reward shop (the Nova Gem Preview weapons are Rare FOREVER) and Star Captains still have a nice shoulder in the shop as well, although it is a bit different from the SC Exclusive Preview version. blues designed the specials and Vivi coded them up - and Vivi also made their database entries and did the shop work! Huzzah! (Debut in the database!) (And many many thanks!)
Minar arted up the cool and all-new backgrounds for the town and new element for the new quest, and there's an 'establishing shot' he also made that isn't LIVE yet, because we are adding a landing cutscene next week. (I'll be plotting that out next, along with a little extra dialogue.) Many thanks to Minar for being such an integral part of our dev team while still going to school, etc. !!
Korin let me put together the general visual design for this planet and much of the storyline planning and specific dialogue - I tell you this because I am starting to hear that people don't know who does what, and I generally tell you what everyone else does but not too much about what I do. We do a lot of collaboration as well. So for example I'm hoping Lyris will have time to work with me on one of her awesome animated cutscenes for the landing ...
Korin has introduced a brilliant feature in the quest after you arrive in the town - making rolls to advance much easier and more hopeful - it actually made me not care about rolling under the required number while testing, because I was given hope that I'd succeed and the end was really in sight - and it was! What do you think of this new feature? The new 'organic' dinosaurs are Korin's brainchild (or should that be "brainchildren") too!
*Teaser*Arklen has sent along a something that is animated and relates to Planet Liath... something blues and Vivi will definitely be involved in working on, and something I'll have a hand in... speculations welcome, but no further spoilers are forthcoming anytime soon!
Have a fantastic weekend - thanks for playing MechQuest!
ONLY available from release time today (Friday the 18th of November - whenever everything is ready) to noon Server Time (Eastern Standard Time) Monday (the 21st of November)
priced at 594000 credits
a Star Captain Exclusive Super-Ultra-Uber-Rare Back Shoulder weapon.
a Level 45 version of the Star Captain Bazookas rewards for the SC Sneak Peek of the Black and White Planet
visually 'shinier' than the 'normal' SC version
costs much, much, much more than the 'normal' version due to a pricing typo that I sent out in the weekly newsletter
So what's this all about? As usual, I put together the weekly newsletter - and I heedlessly sent it upward without triple-checking my figures. Even when my new Gremlins ArchKnight, NaturallyMaria, said something to me about the crazy-high pricing on MSN, I was oblivious. You can read about it while the thread is still active here. The reaction on the forums upon seeing news of a weapon priced at 594000 credits was fascinating - players with insane amounts of credits stockpiled were simultaneously going O.O and interested in having a limited-time insanely-expensive weapon for rarity/novelty value.
So Korin gave the go-ahead, and I - well, the technical term would be "recolored" but ... let's just say I - changed the look of the weapon slightly.
The 'normal' SC weapons are going to be in the reward shop for the duration of this Star Captain Sneak Peek. After the new planet opens to everyone, this version of the SC shoulder will go rare forever. Nice stand-alone weapons that become insane in synergy with the Nova Gem Front Shoulder counterpart. Their levels and pricing are
7 - 2100 credits
10 - 3000 credits
13 - 15600 credits
19 - 22800 credits
22 - 26400 credits
26 - 31200 credits
29 - 34800 credits
32 - 38400 credits
37 - 44400 credits
41 - 49200 credits
45 - 54000 credits
The Nova Gem Front Shoulder weapons synergize with the SC Back Shoulder weapons to create insane power! They are good stand-alones, but amazing as a pair!! These shoulders will also go rare forever after the new planet opens to everyone. Levels and pricing:
7 - 84 NGs
10 - 120 NGs
13 - 156 NGs
19 - 228 NGs
22 - 264 NGs
26 - 312 NGs
29 - 348 NGs
32 - 384 NGs
37 - 444 NGs
41 - 492 NGs
45 - 540* NGs
*(Newsletter also had a pricing typo, stating the cost as 594 Nova Gems. The correct Nova Gem price for the Level 45 version is indeed 540 NGs)
I'd like to send a shout-out to Warlic and superjars for the proofreading and editing work today!!!!
NOW back to breaking everything before it's time to release it!!!
