MQ is Back to Posting Design Notes!

If you were watching Korin and me on Twitter this past Friday, then you know we accidentally got locked out of our Design Notes site... and now, as you can see - we're back!  You already have the link to Warlic on Twitter on the Design Notes Page but did you know that you can also follow Vivi and Azami and lots of members of the Artix Entertainment  BattleOn Games team?!!?

Evil Jim Replica Axes:

We have been reading your forums posts, and it does make sense that if you have one of the Energy Blades from Necryptos, you want something that will compete with that blade.  We are putting together a merge system so if you've already bought one of the Evil Jim Replica Axes for the art style, you can "Amplify" it for more power. It will cost a few more credits or Nova Gems to convert your "Axe" into the most powerful Energy Blades currently in game.  Note that the level requirement will raise to L21 after the merge! 

We have lots of cool holiday stuff and I had better get back to work on it, so for now I will just say Thanks for playing MechQuest, and Battle ON!!!

Buggy Monday on Tuesday! We worked yesterday and this morning on fixing some of the Gremlins that crept in to things - here's the list

• Removed an incorrect description from mod SC dB5

Skelapunk:

• Fixed missing color on Skelapunk FA hand & finger   
• Korin added color to missile popups
• Corrected the HP values on the chassis to display correctly for NSC  
• New Feature: Korin added Color-Customization feature for SC players and on the NG models

AC-490:

• <s>Back Arm</s> HEAD no longer causes NaN bug when battled in PvP 
• Body of AC-490 can trigger damage-increasing effect now - and Back Arm

er, ooops - durrrrr - (via IRC: 

• <&Vivi> oh Mae, it was the head causing the NaN bug in PvP XD
• <~Mae|Highlight> oh ha 
• <&Vivi> BA and Body are for triggering damage boost
• <~Mae|Highlight> I'll just quote that shall I?

This was a fun set of fixes - Vivi showed me how to fix the missing color stuff and he fixed AC-490 - Korin added the extras on Skelapunk and we decided to wait until today to roll everything ... which was great because he got a letter in the mail from a player who reported that his HP value on the Skelator model wasn't displaying correctly.  I was able to fix that so it is live in this set of fixes as well.  As always, thanks for reporting your bugs in the Gremlins forum and even by mail!   

Calendar Pre-Orders!

Great news - we are doing a second print run on the calendars!  You still have time to get a Chronomech in MQ and the other games' promo items as well!  Go to HeroMart  now to pre-order your 2011 "Year of the Moglin" AE Calendar!  Hurry before these all sell out... 

Thanks for being patient & waiting for the more-detailed Design Notes!  Yesterday I did a terrible haphazard job of vacuuming but I had a lovely time at the corner store and spent some time out with my cousins and brother-in-law plus some friends.  Later, my cousin came over and played guitar with my husband - I played a little trumpet, but that is a loud instrument for late-night jam sessions in a quiet neighborhood...

Anyway, I was a little surprised that the Encore War wasn't going very quickly - until Terosin asked whether there was a reward... it does help to know that you're fighting for something, doesn't it!?  There is a brief mention in the newsletter also, but here's the scoop. Jack has some new mods for your mechas, but you'll have to get through the groupies and have a facedown with Evil Jim himself before those shops will unlock.  Azami and I worked together on these - even though they're holiday rares, the idea is to create some that fill an empty niche.  So you won't already have something with the same stat boosting values.  There are NSC, SC,  and NG mods waiting for you in the shops, and Korin made a really cool cutscene... I think I'll wait until you get to 100% and have a chance to see Evil Jim in action before I talk more about Mogloween-related stuff - so Battle ON!  

So if you've battled the character IDs in PvP from yesterday's DNs - 8367666 and/or 304236 - you've gotten a little sneak peek at the Chronomech's capabilities.  When you have one of your very own, which you can get by ordering the AE Calendar at HeroMart (right now these are just pre-orders and they have not begun shipping yet- so there will be a wait before you can get your calendar with your code) you will be able to click an area of the body during battle.  This is a new thing for MechQuest - with this button you can choose between two specials on the body attack.  The regular special - that happens if you don't toggle the button - triggers the Time Warp Drive that wears down your enemy's weapons and armor (Nerfs Over Time) while increasing your own speed (Buffs Over Time).  By toggling the button, you can choose during battle when you want your next body attack to do its healing special.  This is available once per battle, and has a VERY rare chance of restoring your HP and EP back to where they were at the beginning of the combat.  So this is something that is impossible to see in Assault Mecha, and just one of the cool innovations - Vivi and I will post all the specials for you in much more detail.  They are very interactive specials so the PvP AI can't display the real power and potential for you.  Also we'll get a picture up.

Real life calls again for now - I need to do a better job of vacuuming (haha) and also help my husband, who is trying to figure out some issues with our plumbing... I know some of you are awaiting answers to your PMs on the forums too, so I'll get to those later also.  See you on the forums when I have my household tasks done!

Hey, Free Stuff!

Here's your chance to win a HeroMart item of your choice totally FREE! All you need is a Battleon Master Account!

On December 10th, 2010 Artix Entertainment LLC. will randomly select FIVE winners for our Holiday Sweepstakes. Each winner will be contacted via e-mail and be allowed to select ONE item of their choice from our new AE Store, HeroMart. We're even setting aside five AE Year of the Moglin 2011 Calendars just for the sweepstakes, since those are nearly all swept up via the pre-orders already!

The item will be sent to the winners anywhere in the world (even if it's not on the HeroMart delivery country list), completely free of charge - and shipping is free.

The AQW team will announce the winners on the AQW Design Notes on December 10th!  Then we'll post them up here on the MechQuest Design Notes also!

Rules and How To Enter:

1. All you have to do to enter is start* a Battleon Master Account on our portal site (Register a Free Account here!). That counts as one entry into the AE Holiday Sweepstakes. 
   *If you already have an account, see #3.

2. For each AE GAME (not game account, but game. i.e. AdventureQuest, AdventureQuest Worlds, EpicDuel, MechQuest, & DragonFable) that you have linked to your Master Account you get ONE additional entry into the sweepstakes, for a grand total of SIX entries! *****

3. If you already have a Master Account and/or have already linked your game accounts to it then you are already entered into the sweepstakes, but if you want to increase your chances be sure to link each AE GAME to your account!

4. You must also have a valid e-mail linked to the Master Account. We will be alerting winners via e-mail, and without a valid e-mail we will not be able to contact you!

5. The number of game accounts that you have linked to the Master Account and the upgrade status of those game accounts will not be considered in the drawing.

6. If we get no e-mail response from one of our winners after two weeks, a new winner will be selected.

7. AE reserves the right to disqualify entries based on a history of hacking, cheating or other violations of our Terms of Service.

8. Good luck and happy holidays from Artix Entertainment!

Here's a link to everything I just said plus all the legal mumbo jumbo that we are required to post. Be sure to click the SHARE button if you have a Facebook account!

***** Please pay special attention to rule number two. It doesn't matter if you link 1 or 6 or 19 or 300 MQ accounts to your Master Account - it only counts as ONE entry for MQ.  Each GAME counts; each ACCOUNT does NOT.

We're starting the holidays a little early, which is especially hard for me to wrap my mind around since the weather where I live has been unseasonably warm.  (I am not at the Secret Underground Lab - I work from an Undisclosed Location.)  Anyway, all of us on the whole MQ team are excited about everything that's coming along in the next few months, not just in MechQuest but in all of our games! Here at Artix Entertainment we've got more contests, events and surprises headed your way before the end of the year - so be sure to check back every day!

Happy Early Holidays from all of the MechQuest team!

Incoming transmission from Vivi:

Normally I would only give you guys the quick-and-dirty details of a new weapon or mecha, but with how awesome Chrono is I decided that a more extensive write-up would be worth the time. So here is what Chrono is capable of. 

First off is the Front Arm - Chrono-Meter. This weapon's effect changes depending on how long you've gone without using it or the body attack, so be sure to plan your timing with this weapon to get the best effect possible! 
-1 round (body was used last turn): 125% damage 
-2 rounds: 130% damage, boost increased by 15 for 3 turns 
-3 rounds: 140% damage, boost increased by 20 for 4 turns 
-4 or more rounds: 150% damage, boost increased by 15 per turn for 4 turns 

Next is the Back Arm - Chrono-Cannon. This attack deals 125% damage and also inflicts your enemy with a Nerf Over Time that will decrease their bonus by 12 points each round. A simple weapon on its own, but it plays well to Chrono's strength as a long-term battler and has great synergy with Chrono's head and body attacks. 

Now for the shoulders - Timestopper. These shoulders work together to keep your opponent immobile while you set up your buffs and nerfs, ensuring that you won't ever be left vulnerable at the start of a battle or after effects begin wearing off. The first time you use either Timestopper shoulder, it will attempt to stun the enemy mecha. If it fails then your next Timestopper use (whether it's the same shoulder or the opposite shoulder) will lower their immobility resistance before making its attempt. On top of all this, the one turn stun will occasionally turn into a two turn stun, buying you even more time to do what you want! Quite a duo indeed. 

Next up is the Head, Chrono-Graph, which is a very important weapon for Chrono. It deals increased damage, and by itself also inflicts a 1.5x EP DoT. However, if you've activated one of Chrono's over-time buffs or nerfs (such as the ones on the arms), the effect changes! This weapon is capable of moving the clock back and increasing the duration of an over-time buff that you've applied to yourself by 1 turn, OR moving the clock forward and causing an over-time nerf on your enemy to skip a weaker nerf for a more powerful one! With all of the over-time effects that Chrono has access to this weapon is sure to play a big role in any of your strategies. 

Last but not least, Chrono's body: Time Warp! The body attack will buff your bonus and defense by 10 points each turns for 5 turns while nerfing your opponent's boost and defense by the same amount. Once per battle, it can also restore some lost HP and EP. Normally it will restore 1 attack's worth of EP and give back the HP you lost from the last enemy attack that did damage, but occasionally it will restore ALL of the HP and EP you've lost in the entire battle. When does this once-per-battle effect kick in? You decide! By clicking the center of Chrono's body during your turn you can toggle this effect on or off! This feature has NEVER BEEN SEEN in MechQuest and is definitely one of the coolest things Chrono has to offer.

Thanks, Vivi!

It was really fun working together on this - now that we have a working button mechanism set up, this opens up all sorts of possibilities.  Exciting!  

Well, have a great weekend!

Quick note for now about tonight's release! More news later - promise!!

The Evil Jim Encore war has begun! Log in NOW to battle through waves of groupies for a chance at a shot at Evil Jim himself!  Caution- his greatest fan (the miniboss of the last war) is probably going to show up...

Chrono mecha calendar promo - fight 8367666 and/or 304236 for a sneak peek at some of what it can do!  It's our first "clickable chassis" - but you can't see the full glory of this feature in a PvP fight, alas. Clicking your Assault Mecha opponent's button isn't at all the same as having one of your own with its special toggle.

I will return later with more chatty notes, but I have to vacuum and do a corner store run first!  Battle ON!

Timescramble! What to mention first?

Novel: MQ's Promo Item - Dragon's Secret Head

Specials:

125% damage 
Randomly selects one of the following specials. Head has a CD of 3 to make up for the randomness. 

1) Crit 
2) +50 BtH for 3 turns 
3) +50 def for 3 turns 
4) +25% general damage boost for 3 turns 
5) 2x HP and EP DoT for 3 turns 
Thanks, Vivi, for the specials list!

Get your copy of the novel, The Dragon's Secret, by Lyra Trice Solis, at HeroMart and redeem your code for this novel item in MQ today! Check out the promos in the other AE games as well!  Be A Hero!  Why not consider donating a copy of the novel to a classroom or library, if you would like to unlock promos for more than one character per game?  

AE Calendar:

The calendar goes up on HeroMart for Pre-orders on Thursday, November 11th! (That's tomorrow!)  We only have a limited number of calendars, so you'll definitely want to be one of the first in line to get your pre-order in to make sure you get ALL these AMAZING rewards!

The calendar is only $12.00 USD, which is a GREAT deal!

MQ's Chrono Mecha:

We worked together to get this amazing promotional mecha assembled - if you've been watching Twitter and/or facebook you might be aware that Vivi & I collaborated on a never-before-seen feature for this!  Here on the Design Notes I can tell you that while I cobbled together a rudimentary, working-ish prototype-y version of the vision, and we danced a little when certain features worked, the real excitement (complete with jigging and dining room Zorbo-dancing and similar shenanigans) came when Vivi's fancy code tested out as "Working as intended!"  We solemnly called Korin in to the (virtual, as in chat) room, and had him test the mecha without much explanation.  He later referred to us as "becoming a power team of awesome" - which is teamly... and awesome!  Anyway, this is an amazing mecha and you should totally pre-order a calendar just to get one for your very own. Because that's the only way to get this, and it's got a cool new feature.  Plus some timely specials.  

MogloWhat? Mogloween? It's still not over! Evil Jim is still around for some reason... 

Random Fact: Ketchup is classified as a liquid in the US, in certain places where such things are regulated and classified.  It's classified how and why I know this random fact.  Until maybe Saturday, when I might say more.  Or I might not!  Muahahaha!

First-off - you guys were amazing, tearing through the waves of enemies so quickly to get the rewards shops open and reach the Boss fight in record time!  Again, Happy Mogloween!  Now here are the specials for the war rewards weapons and Skelapunk mecha: thanks to blues for the design and to Vivi for the coding!

Weapons

Pumpkin Shoulders, 4 Hits, NG 

FS: 
- Increasing damage per hit 
- Hit 1: -30 enemy BtH, 3 turns 
- Hit 2: chance for a crit 
- Hit 3: -50 defense, doesn´t wear off 
- Hit 4: chance for a crit 

BS: 
- Increasing damage per hit 
- Hit 1: +30 player BtH, 3 turns 
- Hit 2: chance for a crit 
- Hit 3: +30 defense, doesn´t wear off 
- Hit 4: chance for a crit 

Tombstone Launcher 
Front Arm , 1 Hit, NSC 

- chance for a normal HP DoT, lasts 3 turns 
- chance for a normal EP DoT, lasts 3 turns 
- chance for a crit 

Ectorifle 
Back Arm, 1 Hit, SC 

- 1.5 times damage 
- chance for a 1.5 time HP Dot, lasts 3 turns 
- chance for a 1.5 time EP Dot, lasts 3 turns 

Skelapunk Mecha:

Specials are mostly decided by the player's upgraded status regardless of whether they're using the NSC or NG variant, unless otherwise noted 

Head (1 hit) 
NSC: -25 bonus for 5 turns 
SC: 125% damage, Bonus NoT (-10 per turn for 5 turns), General Damage Boost of 15 for 5 turns, 25 against shadowscythe and doesn't wear off 
SC on NG model: General Damage Boost is 25 instead, 35 against Shadowscythe 

Body (3 hits) 
NSC: 
Increasing damage per hit 
First hit lowers defense by 30 for 5 turns 
Second hit lowers boost by 15 for 5 turns 
Third hit has a high chance to crit 
SC: 
Increasing damage per hit 
First hit gives a defense NoT of -12 per turn for 5 turns 
Second hit gives a damage NoT of -10 per turn for 5 turns 
Third hit has a high chance to crit 

Front Arm (3 hits) 
NSC: 
First hit has a chance to inflict an HP DoT 
Second hit has a chance to inflict an EP DoT 
Third hit has a chance to deal damage to EP equal to the HP damage 
SC: 
First Hit has a chance to inflict a 1.5x HP DoT 
Second Hit has a chance to inflict a 1.5x EP DoT 
Third Hit has a chance to deal damage to EP equal to the HP damage 
SC on NG model: 
Third Hit special deals 1.5x EP Damage 

Back Arm (2 hits) 
Both hits do increased damage 
Additional special if the second hit connects: 
NSCs: chance for an extra shot 
SCs: chance for an extra shot, if that connects it deals damage to EP equal to the HP damage they took 
SC on NG model: third hit is more powerful, EP damage is 1.5x the HP damage of the third hit 

Shoulders (2 hits) 
Start off at 120% damage for NSCs/125% damage for SCs, increase by 20% per use for NSCs/25% per use for SCs if the second hit connects 

Thanks to Vivi for writing up the specials!

Many people commented on the forums in hope that the mecha would be color-customizable, and Korin does plan to add this feature for Star Captains and also for the Nova Gem model.  

Mogloween 3010 isn't over! The story continues this week and next week!  New side-quest before everything wraps up, plus more rewards and holiday items!  I don't want to say too much, so I'll simply note that Evil Jim has some interesting fans - and that laying the smackdown on a certain someone will open up another nice reward - and that if you are a Star Captain, you'll want to have a look in the Swag shops!  And that's not even all...