A Mid-Week Mini-Release?!!?

As I hinted on the forums, all did go well, and Vivi coded up more specials for the Non-Star-Captain Dropship weapons!  He's putting together a note on what everything does so I'll add that in when he's done.  Oh he's done already!

NSC FA

• Salvaged Pulse Laser: Good chance at -25 bonus for 3 turns on hit
• Squire's Volt Sword: Good chance at +25 boost for 3 turns on hit
• Double Autogun: Very Good chance at -30 defense for 3 turns on hit

NSC BA

• Used Gatling Gun: Good chance for EP DoT for 3 turns on hit
• Mecha Boomstick: 140% damage
• Bargain Bin Laser: Good chance for -25 boost for 3 turns on hit
• Refurbished Machine Gun: Very good chance on each hit to raise bonus by 10 for 3 turns 

NSC BS

• Freshman Laser Pointer: Good chance for an extra shot that does 50% damage 

Thanks, Vivi!  We'll have a part three with some Heads - ideally next week but we're not promising an exact timeframe on those yet.

Update to Dropship Interface:

In response to some feedback (thanks for passing this along, neodiabolus) Korin has given SysZero a button to Tek's Dropship Shop, with a bit of extra dialogue.  

Yokai Mantis Quest Bugfix:

A couple of Gremlins reports came in with people being unable to unlock the Mantis Master.  I found where the problem was hiding, and Korin helped me with updating the code!  I'm starting to understand those kinds of bugs a little better, so this was a really exciting fix.  

Exciting Week: Monday Bugfixes, Friday is Almost Here, Azami is Back from Hiatus, and Other Notes!

This has been an exciting week already!  On Monday, we got a few bugs fixed with the new minigame 

• Invincible enemy on stage six is no longer invincible 
• The triple shots now work on a timer, so you don't have to wait until all the bullets fly off the screen, but only on the triple shots 
• Level skipping bug is gone 

Also I am going to be insufferably proud of myself and make a big deal out of this: I found and fixed the Hoverscythe A infamous "damage oover time" bug!  It was the weirdest thing ever - "oover" just didn't exist - everything looked A-Ok - and then he would attack with that arm and it would pop up again... "damage oover time."  Well, I tried something new and different, and Vivi & I tested it, and it worked!

Speaking of testing - Azami's schedule has freed up enough now so that he is back with us on the pre-testing and planning and bug-squashing again!  I'm so excited I'm dancing...

...Speaking of dancing... the forum member caneyempor was inspired to post a thread about having a Mechquest dance!  Circe, who is very excited about this, showed me the thread - and I got very excited about it as well.  I was hesitant at first, because these kinds of decisions are made by Korin, whether we are even considering an idea - so when I saw Korin online this morning I pounced him  and gave him the link.  He said he is game for a "prom" - some kind of Spring Dance!  When he said that, I danced, and then I messaged Circe (because  we're both so excited) and emailed Lyris (because her pre-staff suggestions post had something related to this) and put something up to alert the whole MQ team. So please use this link http://forums2.battleon.com/f/tm.asp?m=18243761 to discuss your ideas - the MechQuest team is listening and starting to put together plans for the future. In fact, as I'm writing this, I'm IM-ing with Lyris!

...Speaking of plans for the future... Korin has given his blessing to me and Vivi to work on the parts of the S.O.O.N. list that we can tackle without needing the entire team!  As in, stuff that doesn't require completely new art, or complex coding, and so on.  So we are going through the list making an assessment - we'll have news and results for you... er... soon (haha! get it? soon!)

The Traveler has received a new shipment: he is keeping it quiet regarding from where, exactly.  He will be in Soluna City for the following week, and he'd like you to drop by and see what he has to offer. 

I think we haven't gotten you specials for a while (sorry!) so I will add the specials on the new Arms and Shoulders in a nother note in a little while.  Anyway Korin wasn't kidding about how Serious the Gatlings are, nor about how Pretty the new Lasers are!  We think you'll like them.

More shops on Yokai now have higher-level versions of some items and also now some of the Necryptos shops have a few (this week the focus is on Heads).

A quick list of this week's additions:

Necryptos:
Vampire Hunter shop
Skull of Holiness SLE (SC) L43

NG Sekali Desert shops
Hound Lasque (NG) L44
Dimitri's Glance (NG) L43

Yokai:
Miko shop
Straw Hat XXL (SC) L41

Crane Master

Crane Master Head (all 3 types) L42

Short and sweet DNs for now - where does the time go?  I swear I just posted Design Notes the other day, but apparently it was over a week ago.  Time definitely flies when you're having fun - I love working with Korin & the MechQuest team, and I have so much fun helping get the releases together!  There is a LOT more being prepared so I'll try to tell you more about all of that too.  Have a great weekend and I plan to write again before Monday :)

Star Captain Monthly: Cosmic Talon!  The NEW SCMM is now released - wouldn't it just figure it would give us technical difficulties when we were SO CLOSE to releasing it right on schedule... Well it's in Tek's special monthly shops NOW - and we're hoping that it is now Gremlin-free (as in, no bugs) and that you all enjoy it.  I or blues will write up its specials later, but for now you should have fun playing with it and putting it through its paces.

What's Next?  Well we had a few things planned in a certain order - and then Korin reassessed "popular demand" as we were all reading the forums, and so the playable "Bruce" and "Chuck" mechas are now next up in line.  You really really really want those.  So the Star-Captain-Only quest on Yokai will be delayed, and the Soluna Art Museum's next exhibit may also have to wait a bit longer. Those things are still coming though as well.

No Buggy Monday News This Week?!??  Well I have some typos fixed in various areas but I didn't want to put those up for testing until after we had the SCMM ready.  Because I probably didn't break anything while fixing typos in a zone, but imagine if we didn't have time to test it & it rolled Live by accident when the SCMM rolled and what if I somehow broke an entire planet... I have nightmares about this... so yeah, holding off another week on those typos. 

Thanks for playing MechQuest & enjoy your week - be talking with you again soon!

This week's release brings you back to Yokai, where you should begin to explore the reclaimed Town!  A door has opened, and if you will help the brother of a friend, you will be rewarded. 

Yes, there is a new NPC, and Jemini really did a fabulous job with him. He reminds me of an old friend, in fact.  The newsletter mentioned quests - in this area there is a chance to get either the minigame or a single battle.  So technically that's 2 quests!  And if you are a Star Captain, you might want to check out Hard and Extreme modes here - there's a boosted RTK (Rounds To Kill) to kick things up a notch.  Korin did an amazing job with the minigame - there's nothing like it on any other planet. 

After you complete the process (I don't want to be too specific due to spoilers) then you will gain access to some shops with new weapons.  I'd like to say what a grand job Minar did with the designs, and thank blues as always for the terrific specials.  Vivi tested with me to be sure everything is working as intended, so unless some Gremlin snuck in, things are looking good.  I'm feeling confident that our team-fu is strong this week! 

There's something going on in the Dojo as well. You should poke your head in & check it out for at least a minute.  I realize that this may be as exciting as kicking the box in the Museum ( ) - but Korin did something amusing - and if you want to see Everything in MechQuest, you will grin ... at the very least.  (I guffawed.)

Ok for now I think that's it - I should probably take a little break!   Thanks for playing MechQuest - please tell your friends and don't forget - if you give them your special recruitment link (see the News Screen in Soluna City - Recruit button) to sign up, then YOU will get a daily bonus equal to 10% of all the experience and credits they earn. A lot of people ask me how to earn free Nova Gems and I mustn't forget to include this part: If your friend upgrades, then your character will receive 250 Nova Gems!

Yes, in Soluna City - go West until you see the banner! It's no secret any more, actually - check out the new wing of the Museum! Watch your step (and watch for hidden "mouseovers" as you go - did you find them all yet? There's also a little hidden 'feature' if you stand in the right place next to a pair of boxes - I kind of doubt whether anyone will discover it without more hints, but you might surprise me...) It's all under construction, because the Museum's Board of Directors is waiting for your submissions! Talk to Circe to find out more! And be sure to click the link she gives you! Or you can just click here also, to get to the Mech Quest Art Museum submissions forum! (It's the same link she gives you in-game.) Please do read the rules before beginning your amazing creations, to be certain that they fit the guidelines, and be sure to follow the forum rules when you post :) We're all totally excited about seeing what you submit for consideration! This is an on-going feature, so you'll have plenty of chances to post - and perhaps your artwork will be selected for a month-long display in the Museum! Good Luck!

Also new: Travel to Yokai using the New Release button in Soluna City, and speak to Miko at the Dojo about the Crane Master! Don't forget to check her shops, as we have new weapons, again more awesome by Minar with specials designed by blues!! (Oh and blues will have Design Notes about those specials plus the Crane Master reward later this weekend.)

Thanks for playing MechQuest! Have a fantastic weekend!

Memorial Day Weekend! Here in the US, we celebrate Memorial Day on the last Monday of May - which is this weekend! So I'm sure lots of you will be busy with parades and picnics and barbecues and cookouts and parties. Have fun - and don't forget that your MechQuest team is still working to get the new Star Captain Monthly Mecha ready! (And yes, that's fun for us! We'll get some celebrating in as well.)

This mecha is yet another amazing design by Thyton, with specials by blues. The AC-490 mechas will be rolling in to Tek's Monthly Shop in Soluna on Monday, so if you're inside cooling off, why not log in to MechQuest for a peek!

New Weapons in Miko's Shops! Minar, whom some of you may know from the forums, designed and animated some very cool new weapons for Planet Yokai this week. Visit Miko's shop to check these out - there is a Front Arm, Dragon Fury, in the Nova Gem shop; in the regular shop you will find the Straw Hat for Star Captains and also the Scroll Beam Front Shoulder (available to all players).

Snake Master Reward Shops: We discovered that some of you were having trouble unlocking these shops after completing the new Temple of Masters mission from Miko on Planet Yokai. There was much emailing and texting and instant-messaging, phoning and testing and troubleshooting - many thanks to Korin for rolling Fix #1 (which alas didn't completely solve this for everyone - Fix #2 will come soon) and to Vivi for posting the following workaround on the forums:

Gremlin Workaround by Vivi: If you're still having trouble accessing the reward shops after beating the Snake Master, please complete the Assault Mission one more time. This should cause the lock next to the shops to become an exclamation point and then defeating the Snake Master will unlock the shops properly. We'll try to get the quest fixed so that this isn't necessary, but for now this is how you get into the reward shops. Sorry for any inconvenience.

So have a wonderful weekend, and thanks for playing MechQuest! Please tell your friends, too. We have a lot of exciting things planned for the upcoming weeks!

What with all the shop-gremlin-busting activity, I completely forgot to deliver the Design Notes from Blues! So here they are: