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!
Work continues: Our mission to deliver a Gremlin-free quest marches onward - here's a sneak peek at a battle that is working exactly as intended - set against a beautiful background from J6.
Korin & I are working on sorting out a fix for the teenytiny player in cutscenes - can't give you a screenie of that, though, since it'd be a HUGE spoiler.
BATTLE ON! The Shadowscythe themselves seem to have been aligning themselves against the MQ Team - if something could go wrong, it probably did - but we're pressing onward because WE ARE MAKING THIS HAPPEN! Ghost wrote an amazing new soundtrack, "System Overload," which I'll be setting up as a Starship item Stereo player for Star Captains for a low introductory price to thank you for your patience and your continued support.
Everything seemed like it was good to go for today's release. Received the missing background, and the finalized cutscenes. Plugged it all in, and...
BOOM
click...
... click
clickaclicka
...
When it's set to False, it won't loop. It'll play, and then it'll stop playing. Pretty simple, right? Well as it turns out, everything depends on how you define "it." "Song2" can be set to True but if what's playing is "musicTest", which is set to False, you can set "Song2" to True over and over and over, but what you hear isn't going to loop as intended, because "it" is not Song2.
Same thing with the cool sound that should play and then stop playing (except when it doesn't ever stop playing, even when you thought its Loop was at False... but Flash reorganized the component elements, so its Loop was actually still set to True). And what if you really don't want to hear sounds at all? The sound toggle button works everywhere else, so it should just be a matter of inserting a layer and plugging it in. Right? Right? ... how can that not be right?
Testing.
System.
Overload.
All the components are lined up like ducks. In a row. We're now going to get them to swim together in a synchronized dance.
Korin & I worked together to figure out what was going wrong while Plasma Charge worked on testing potential fixes and pointing out issues. I figured out why the player was facing backwards and fixed that, so you won't encounter that Gremlin. We work hard to get everything bug-free and I'd also like to thank Elryn, Gibby, Practel, and Vivi for taking the time to pitch in.
As always, thanks for your support - your responses and messages always affect the team, as we read everything you say even when we don't necessarily have time to write back.
The Cinco de Mayo Weapon Shop is Live! Happy Cinco de Mayo! Pick up a Limited-Time Front Arm weapon - the Go.Oogly. Celebrate the spirit of Maypril Foolery when you attack. (Hint: Turn up the sound!)
Weapon Specials:
3 hits CD = 3
NSC Special Effects: *Good Chance for a critical hit Damage Increasing Over Time!, Increases Boost by +10 per turn for 3 turns. +13 Bonus for every successful hit x 3 turns.
SC Special Effects: *Good Chance for a critical hit Damage Increasing Over Time!, Increases Boost by +12 per turn for 3 turns. +16 Bonus for every successful hit x 3 turns
NG Special Effects: *Good Chance for a critical hit Damage Increasing Over Time!, Increases Boost by ( was +10 every turn for 5 turns) +18 per turn for 3 turns. +18 bonus for every successful hit x 3 turns.
Enjoy the holiday! I left the Clover O.ops shop open because I read on the forums that at least a couple of people are still farming credits for it. So, have fun, enjoy the rest of the weekend, and, as the saying goes....
Maypril Weapon scheduled for SUNDAY 5 May 2013 - Shooting for noon server time!
I think the weapon is looking good! Just needs me to do a bunch of database entries (unless I or another tester finds a last-minute Gremlin) - and I also need to adjust some files before rolling the Go.Oogly series Live.
Going to get some sleep and I'll catch you on the bounce-around! With a shop and lots of nice weapons for you!
Go.Oogly! A Maypril RARE weapon is almost ready for you! I worked VERY late (it's was 5:30 AM in the Undisclosed Location when I started writing this note to you) - and, among other things, modified an old weapon with some new graphical assets and sounds to create a new theme for it. Still need to tweak the specials - everything is functioning so the coding shouldn't take me too long. Oh, and still need to decide the levels, come up w/descriptions & names, and make the database entries - sounds like a lot, but goes quickly. My plan is to give you a Cinco de Mayo Shop. Ideally I'll have it ready to open on Sunday, May 5th - should be doable! Watch this space and the homepage for updates!
Sneak Peek:
The Story Behind the Design: One of our players, known as #Kale on the forums, suggested that we make an O.ops version of one of the starting guns as a Maypril fool. I didn't want to just release a weapon that only players with 5,000,000 credits could get, so I decided to do something different with the o.O part of the theme.
o.O: Gibby recently linked me to a series of photos of googly eyes stuck onto store packaging, and that fed into the inspiration for the weapon. I remembered that we released a carrot weapon - a gun that shoots little carrot flechettes that stuck into the enemy & hung there before exploding. So I thought maybe I could figure out how to convert the existing animation. It was a little fiddly figuring out how it was done, but it's always fun when you get that "aha!" moment. Then I started recoloring and redecorating it. The really fun part was figuring out how to attach the sound effects! I think you'll find it amusing.
Maypril Mecha Delayed: I know that many of you are eager to get the traditional holiday super-RARE mecha and I do apologize for not having one ready for this Maypril. Everyone is working overtime on Finale assets and although we did talk about doing a mecha, the art and animation wasn't practical to schedule in, and had to be put on the back burner. I do still want to give you some kind of foolish, fun mecha this year, but I can't promise you a date.
Upcoming Installment of the Finale Quests - Rescue Jemini: We had hoped to have this ready by Friday - we still are in need of one background, but that gives Vivi more time to code the new enemy you'll be up against (and more time to test & balance). Blues also came up with specials for an SC Challenge version, so Vivi will code that after finishing the regular version. Korin has been building the quests in "bare bones" framework so I/we can add the art assets as they come in. J6 and Minar both made some BEAUTIFUL backgrounds for this mission. Ghost did the cutscenes, which are AMAZING. I really love the facial expressions in the first one - we can hardly wait for you to see them in game! He also has a wonderful new soundtrack, and I'll be making a stereo for those of you who are Star Captains to put in your Starships (along with a bunch of new Starship Items).
NPC Enemies: During some of the upcoming Finale missions, you'll be on foot battling more NEW enemies. I've been working on some new swordfighting monster AI - not a global revamp of the swordfighting engine, but a fresh approach to creating the enemy tactics. These individual enemies are getting unique attacks which should turn out to be fun, requiring a little strategy beyond just hitting Strong Attack (or Magic) with your strongest Energy Blade. I got the Casting animation to work in the monster file I was doing earlier this week, so there's a chance I/we can apply this to make other existing swordfighting enemies do some interesting things in the future as well.
I can't say too much about the NPC enemies because it's an ENORMOUS spoiler, but I can tell you that Alina sent me a WHOLE LOT of files this evening (er, I guess that's yesterday now) and one of them is an NPC I was eager to start working on! So I did get started on converting it to an MQ-style monster in the wee hours of the morning. I learned quite a lot about how the body parts are put together due to a sizing issue when attempting to replace an existing head with the new one. I'm looking forward to doing more with this! And the top-secret NPC whose casting animation now works is one who only had a front-facing view - Minar created a side view so that the battle wouldn't look weird.
Missions After This Next One: Plasma Charge made some backgrounds that will be in an upcoming mission, and he's working on art for a new mecha-battle enemy. He's in the midst of his Leaving Certificate so he's pretty swamped with school. Vivi, Practel, and Arklen are also quite busy at their schools, so I'll add more news about what they're up to when their schedules free up a bit!
Thank you for playing MechQuest! May the Fourth be with you (and I'll update with Cinco de Mayo news when I know
When Jemini's wormhole device scrambles her destination, she finds herself facing an enemy any traveler would run from... across galaxies AND times! Korin, Maegwyn, and the MechQuest team have joined forces with Ghost and J6... and the next explosive (literally!) mission in the March of the Shadowscythe finale isalmost upon us!
I gathered some shots from the cutscenes Ghost is working on* to bring you just a couple sneak peeks! And whispers around the Lab say that the man in the paper mask is poised to make an appearance very, VERY soon! (And you know what THAT means!)
Prepare yourself, pilots, because you're about to battle something that NO sane student (or Master, for that matter) would willingly face. And you'll need to win... or the Universe bites the big one!
* Backgrounds will change; they are not quite done.
Upon the winds you will find a whisper of doom, "Grimskull is coming." We thought he was just something the Paladins thought up to scare the young Knights in training. The slight possibility he could be real sends a shiver down my spine.
The rumors say Grimskull is coming... but if the stories are true, it will not be this week. It will not be when you expect it. It could happen at any time, any place... all that you know is it WILL HAPPEN. When it does, it will happen in AdventureQuest Worlds.
Bursts of white-red-orange flare, their blasts lighting up the night sky. Soundless explosions rock the unforgiving battlefield above Lagos. No screams ring out, no unsung heroes flee in fear. There is nowhere to flee TO, not when they fly miles above Lagos, fighting for their lives AND their home against the Shadowscythe.
On the planet below…
The young boy kicks a rock off the cliff. 1…2…3…4… He cannot hear the thud as it lands. He kicks at the ground until a clod of dirt rips loose. He kicks that off the edge, too. He frowns, and turns his attention to the hard-packed clay runway below. Even up here, on Freedom’s Bay Cliff, he can hear the roar of fuselage engines as the prep crews’ shadowy figures prepare the ships for takeoff.
They would leave him, just like they left him before the Battle of Crow’s Nook. They always left him! His father, his brother… it wasn’t FAIR. And he – he didn’t know if they’d be back. Not THIS time. Not with how –
He sniffles. Wipes his nose on a ragged sleeve, torn earlier that day as he raced through the high hills up to watch the first fleet of ships depart. HE would wave goodbye even if no one waved back. Someday HE would board the ship. HE would blow the aliens out of the sky FOREVER! Then, maybe…
"Oh!" He jumped at the hand that thumped down on his shoulder. "Boy. You can’t spend your life staring at the stars if you want a future exploring them. Get back to your Nana. She’s made fishloaf and greens –" He mutters, repeating the end of his Nana's favorite saying. "An’ I won’t grow up to be a pilot if I don’t eat my greens…"
His grandfather smiles down at him, then turns his face towards the sky. A shower of comets rains down, remnants of a ship that didn’t fly fast enough.
"Is – is it one of ours?" He can’t quite get the words out around the clot of dread rising in his throat. "Is it Bre –"
His grandfather shakes his head. "I can’t tell from here. You know that." "But…"
"Your brother is up there. Somewhere." His grandfather’s trembling arm raises high, brown and wiry from years spent hauling nets at sea. "And we won’t know where he’s been or what he’s seen until he comes home." "But he… WILL come home?"
The Future of the Universe is in Your Hands
His grandfather kneels down next to him, pulling the young boy close. Even up here, the air is thick with ship exhaust, the screech of metal on metal, and the cries of crewmen shoving to board the great transport ships. The war-weary elder sighs, remembering days before the war. Before the young ones had to board ships bound for space instead of for sea.
His grandson scrubs at eyes too dry for tears. "I won’t lie to you, boy. But I WILL tell you that your father fought bravely. He risked everything to make sure your momma and her babes would grow up free from fear. Safe. "And now your brother fights that same war. The same enemy. ALL of the young men and women down here – and all those up there – are fighting to make sure we stay safe."
The two stare, transfixed, as explosions blossom and fade overhead, dying in a furious blaze of white-hot glory. A tear rolls down the boy’s cheek as he vows to himself that someday, someday HE would make the Shadowscythe share his pain. He does not speak as his grandfather hugs him close.
"There is only one universe, and if the Shadowscythe control ANY galaxy in it, we will have no refuge. No home. They will not leave us in peace, and we will not surrender. Your father knew that. So does your brother. So do you.
"What the sea cannot tame, the Shadowscythe will NOT conquer!"
Note: These story Design Notes do not hint at where YOU will battle next in the MechQuest finale. But this conflict spans ALL the planets, and it is good for a Hero to know what battles are fought in the far-flung corners of the universe. Remember: while you fight bravely, others wait and watch and hope for your victory!
The new springtime look of Soluna City is here! Practel did the decorations (I made the blooms) and he melted all the snow. And did you find who it is that has a flower tucked perkily behind one ear? (Could there be more than one?)
Please join the MQ team in wishing Lyris a happy birthday (almost missed it... I really need to change my calendar settings to alert me in advance...) Happy Birthday, Lyris!
Last chance for the O.ops: The 5000000 credit O.ops Clover Shot will be available in the shop button in Soluna City for the duration of the weekend. It is available for all players to purchase (as long as you have enough credits) and has received a buff - if you are a Star Captain, it now does the Star-Captain- powered specials.
Small bugfixes: the Arthuria vs. Pirate (AvP) war quests should now give all the credits you earn.
Working on a very exciting quest that you'll unlock at the Queenadent's War Camp - most likely we'll have it ready for next Friday (the 26th).
This morning I met with members of the team for Mechfast (the most important meal of the day!) In addition to eggs, bacon, grits, coffee, pie, and ketchup... I had a copy of the MechQuest's "End of the Galaxy" script.
Korin & Maegwyn (The co-leads of MechQuest) and I have revised and improved the script a lot over the past two weeks. We were showing it for the first time to Warlic (who was the former MechQuest Lead before he programmed OverSoul) and Alina (AQWorld's co-lead). Warlic read this final script for the first time. He put down his coffee cup, looked us square in the eyes and said, "This is wonderful. Absolutely wonderful." We all smiled and nodded in agreement. So my friends... as of this post, history is starting to unfold. We are just 5 releases away from the "End of the Galaxy."
Writing the perfect script to tie all of the seemingly unrelated stories in MechQuest into one, final, epic confrontation against Lord Valoth's Command Fleet was hard. But building these 5 releases will be a lot harder. MechQuest's small team does not have enough people to do the art and animation required for the HUGE 5th and final release. Needless to say every artist and animator that worked on MechQuest is coming back to help... and many more members of the team are volenteering to take on the extra workload. The final cutscene and battle will be the combined efforts of J6, Ghost, Arklen, Oishii, Jemini, Korin, and more. It really feels like we are doing this right. "If you are going to go out... go out big!" Play MechQuest and get ready for the big event!
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