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Apr 10, 2008 - 2:28 PM - by Leanthar | 
We wanted to introduce a few skills that are being worked on for the MMO and figured that spell-lines would be a good place to start. Please understand that everything in this post is subject to change during further implementation as well as testing and balancing. We can't answer much more than what is posted here as so much is still up in the air.
Enjoy!
 Spellweaving: The traditional wizard skill, Spellweaving is all about raw power and the shaping of it into harmful and useful ways. They are masters of the Al'Noth, which is our new term for magic (instead of weave) and are able to channel it in pure forms or in more colorful elemental types. To spice things up this time around, each elemental conveyance has been given some sort of triggered ability just so that their utility was clear in multiple situations.
Spellweavers dont have as solid crowd control abilities as Spellcallers do, but to balance that out almost all their spells have side effects that can easily make up for what they lack in that area (for example; freezing spells that cause damage but also slow down the victim). Combined with the ability to dish out more "burst" damage than any other spellcasting class, Spellweavers certainly will have a new way of fitting into their "glass cannon" role.
 Darkweaving: The main idea behind having an individual skill line for a dark magician was to avoid an issue we constantly faced in the nwn community; "Was that spell an evil spell? Or is it how it is used?". At first glance that may seem a simple answer but some of the spells we had really danced along a thin line and it was mostly opinion as to which side it belonged to at any given time. Darkweaving is our answer to that question. If you are practicing this skill you are up to no good or simply ethics and morals hold little influence in your life.
While that was the reasoning behind its existence, it still needed to have a unique flavor, we didnt just want this to be an "evil" spellweaver, we wanted them to have a methodology exclusive to them and that no other caster class had (or had little of). So the Darkweaver became the slow spell-torturer (or damage over time). Their spells may not pack an immediate punch, but they add up over time, ticking dangerously with each passing moment and skillfully draining any useful attributes that one takes for granted. Curses, poisons, diseases are all in the arsenal of a Darkweaver and with their vampiric abilities they will outlast most others.
 Spellpraying: Now this was a difficult one to get a good start on. Layonara has many deities, and they are all completely unique from one another. Sure there is some overlap here and there but we really couldnt say that all Spellprayers were the quintessential "cleric" as other games do because it simply doesnt apply to Layonara. I mean we even have gods that by dogma wouldnt encourage any healing at all. So this was certainly a tricky thing to setup and it is probably one of the skills that will require the most work to get right (and balanced).
For now we think of Spellpraying being in version 0.5, while all the other skills are a clear 1.0. So this skill is subject to much change. The basics of what we do have are oriented in capturing very global themes that all our deities do have, which is the channeling of a divine gift to bless or smite things. In addition, Spellpraying brought the "Deities excluded" field to the game. This field basically disallows followers of certain deities to learn a particular spell from any of the skill lines that are marked as being forbidden by that deity. Basically what this field brought us was the ability to not have Aeridinites casting Venomous Touch (From Darkweaving) and have some form of control and flavor while we inject more flavor into Spellpraying. With the "Deities Excluded" addition we are also able to apply it to entire skills (or spells as stated above).
 Spellgrowing: Layonara has always been based around nature in some manner and we have always had Druids or Rangers of some kind. Clearly we needed a skill-line that supported the nature loving type. Spellgrowing is a very party friendly skill-line, having some very unique buffs, some excellent healing over time spells, as well as spells with integrated crowd control.
Keeping to the tradition of shape shifting, we also implemented that in this version of Layonara, the shape the caster takes depends on animal totems that they acquire through questing in the world and each shape allowing them to do something in particular. Having for instance a fox shape will allow them to scout and cover distances in a somewhat stealthy outfit, or perhaps something more feral like a feline or a wolf to deal damage as nature intends.
 Spellsinging: Next we move on to the bardic skill line. This tends to be the made fun of and underdog in most games, so we figured it was about time it had some severe loving so that it would not become something that was a quirky thing to do but actually something that would be sought after by many. Enter the Spellsinger. At its core, this skill line provides the best party support in the game, hands down. It can restore, enhance, and ward just about every variable that is important to all characters and a well played Spellsinger may be able to keep a party up and running longer than a Spellprayer.
The beauty of the Spellsinger is the fact that one of its main attributes is Agility, which means that it already lends itself to a whole different set of skills than other casters are likely to be using. A Spellsinger will be able to use finesse type weapons and skills with ease due to their attributes and the plethora of aiding spells it will have. Which automatically takes them out of the usual rut they find themselves in with most other games. Sure other casters can use those skills as well but they are likely to not be as "gifted" in them due to their agility.
 Spellcalling: This was a late addition in the design process. We basically needed some sort of summoner class but we werent really happy with what we had. It seemed too much of a copy of a spellweaver with a few summons here and there and that didnt seem to justify an entire skill line. Essentially it is a character whose magic comes from the often thin line between worlds and not generally from their environment.
The Spellcaller, at its most basic is a summoner. The summons have unique abilities and grow in power as the Spellcaller increases on their own. But why stop there? If these guys can control forces from beyond, they should be able to manifest it in all sorts of fun ways, and thats what we did. In the end Spellcallers ended up with a lot of utility and some really fun mechanics in addition to having a way to strengthen and use their summons cleverly in combat.
__________________
The compiler runs
Like a swift-flowing river.
I wait in silence.
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20 Replies | 1,413 Views | | MMO Screenshots - Pre Alpha | |
Jan 17, 2008 - 2:21 PM - by Leanthar |
Here are a few screenshots from the MMO. Sorry in advance for the load time.
Enjoy!!
Here is another image (3/30/2008 ):
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57 Replies | 4,356 Views | | FAQ - General | |
Jan 17, 2008 - 11:17 AM - by Leanthar | This project, is this a standalone game?
Yes
If it is, will it be using its own engine?
We are using a heavily modified version of the engine (TGE) from Garage Games and it is geared for an MMO.
Will it cost money?
Yes. There are some factors that could change this, but they are not very probable. We are not willing to discuss this any further at this time.
Will my character be able to re-created in this project?
This is a complicated question that is difficult to address without getting more into detail about the project. Characters will not be transferred over from NWN in any way of that we are certain.
What about my approved (CDQ, GCDQ, WLDQ). Will I have time to complete that, and what if I am approved and the plug is pulled before I can begin?"
We understand that characters are important to everyone and we will keep that in mind, but there is only so much we can do here. We have a lot of things to consider and a lot more to go to complete in order to get the next version of Layonara out to everybody.
Most likely development quest applications will be given a cut off date at a not yet determined time, likely in the early fall, not guaranteed but likely but we are not sure of the date. With the expectation of a rush, we may ask game masters to curtail normal run quests to handle a greater in flux of applications for PCs looking to make their final mark on the world in the NwN version. This is all up in the air and we will have to play it by ear as we get closer to NwN being brought offline, which is a ways off as it stands now.
If GMs want to run CDQs then they are free to do so, that is not changing from anything we have been doing for years. We may shut down WL applications at some point down the road, but mainly due to the amount of time it takes to plan and execute them. Those WL apps that are approved and pending or in-progress will likely be allowed to continue or be completed if that happens; but no new ones after whatever date we pick (if we pick one even).
The other thing is that while our intent is to keep the player base, we are really not counting on it very much as we have seen how the community ebbs and wanes. We hope everybody stays but we are also quite positive some (or a fair few) will not, but that is all their choice and their actions and not ours. To those who do continue to commit to develop their character to the end of the NwN we will make as many efforts as possible to make the transition an amicable one and give them as ample opportunity as possible to put their final stamp on this incarnation of Layonara with their current character; within reason.
What is happening with the disputes forum?
That greatly depends. Dorganath will continue to work on the technical and db stuff but he will not be working on the administration part of the disputes. Administration is the part of moving posts around, working through to see if the request is approved or denied and all of that stuff. It takes a ton of time and effort to handle that front end and we can not spend our time there, sorry. We are looking for a GM or a few GMs to help out on this front. If we can find help on this front then we will likely keep them in operation until the help fades away (if it ever does), if not then they will be shut down.
If/when the servers go down, will the website still remain up and running?
Yes, the new website was partially done in order to prepare for the future growth of Layonara.
Will there be a forum created for "The next stage of Layonara" where people in the community can post ideas and suggestions?
Yes, and in fact since you are reading this FAQ you are in the new forum. Please be aware that we do not have millions of dollars backing us and are doing this in our "spare" time and that means we need to concentrate on creating/finishing the game before implementing ideas and suggestions on other systems.
Will the community of Layonara be able to first purchase the final product?
That is up to each of you as an individual, not us. You will likely be the first ones to help beta test and all of that, past that it is really up to each of you as individuals.
Will the new game run on Linux?
Every effort will be made for native WinXP, OS X and Linux support "out of the box".
For those of us who wish to help out, what is the best way to do this? Just donate cash? Or are there other ways we can be helpful as a community?
Please help keep the community alive and tell more people about the world. Everybody you know. Oh and money goes a long ways in helping us to reach our goals; a long ways.
This may seem obvious, but I guess if Layo is going to be sold and such, character approval process is gone?
This is an area we cannot discuss at this time. But to touch on it our current plan is to find ways to cut down on the nightmare administration workload that NwN brought to us. With that said I will not say it will or will not be gone, it can not be fully answered at this time. As such, we will not answer it in any way other than what is stated here.
Will this be just multiplayer or are there plans to have a single player campaign as well?
I wish we could do both but we simply can not with the small amount of money we have and the resources that we have on hand. It is an online game as mentioned above. Who knows what will happen in the future but a single player game/campaign is not in the cards at this time.
Is Layo still going to be a D20 (aka DnD) world?
No. You are allowed to write books and such with the open d20 license but you are not allowed to do a game (coding and such) in d20 (or DnD) in any way without licensing through Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast. That is just not going to happen for us which is pretty clear so we are forced to go down another path. With that said, rest assured we will make the best decision to allow for Role-Playing in an immersive online game world. I happen to think that is better though as it gives us complete control over all decisions instead of trying to fit in to a glove that was created for us in the first place. I can not say more than this at this time.
Will this new game incooperate static quests, or have a player accesable DM system ala. nwn?
Layonara is about GM'ing and the players changing the world, we need this sort of tool to continue on in the fashion that we all know and love about Layonara.
When your saying a long time until a beta is out, are we talking 2 and half year more, or smoething within a reasonabble tmieframe since you disclosed the news now?
We are on a time constraint, due to funds and real-life in general, and will do our best to get it out as soon as it is done. That is all I can say at this time, sorry.
Is the studio working with a game company in cooperation to distribute and finance this game?
No publisher is involved at this time.
Will it be an off the shelf game, or something more revolving an internet launch?
As it stands now it will be an internet launch with a download via the internet. We do not have the millions of dollars to get it in to stores, that is the minimuim it would cost; a few million. If a publisher picks us up (which I doubt) that may change but time will tell. The problem with a publisher picking us up is that it will delay us getting to the market by at least a year, of that you can be certain.
What is the current aim on the system requirements?
We hope to allow a number of players that can not currently play online due to poor systems to play in the game. We will have multiple levels of video performance buttons (low, mid, high, very high levels of detail). Right now as it stands people within the Low - Mid range will be able to play the game we think. Our goals is to have as wide of an audience as possible without sacrificing quality, time will tell how well we do on this front. We know a few in the community have low end machines and are doing our best to keep them in mind while creating the game. Other than this we can not go in to any further details about hardware requirments and such, but know we will do our best to reach out to as many as we feasibly can.
Does this announcement, and the reaction to it, mean that the Handbook release is now later than before? Will that be coming out far in advance of Layo NextGen?
The books will be out as soon as we can get them out. They have been in the works for quite some time and are getting closer to being released for sure. We are now having to re-write several sections though so that will delay them by at least a few months. The plan is to have them out before entering beta, but I don't know how possible that will be with the new work load that we have based on the re-writes.
Do we get to know when the beta will begin?
We willl announce the beta, but we don't know exactly when that will be yet.
Is your new game engine being paid for by people on the team?
Yes, we are paying for use of the engine but not in the MMO Licensing sort of way. TGE has a great licensing scheme that works well for us. We are also paying for various aspects of development, when/where we can. All I can say at this time.
Or do you have investors giving you money?
Right now? No.
How will you attract consumers to the new game?
We can not get in to this right now.
What is the current progress of it? 20% done?
Sorry, I will not state where we are at this time.
Will there be NWN-style area transitions or a more seamless environment?
There will be transitions, however an area is much larger (by a large amount) than in NWN. It is not a seamless world and there are area transitions.
Will indoor areas be visible through outdoor doors and windows? (eg. Looking through an open door of a tavern to see occupants, or evesdropping beneath an open window.).
Yes, taverns and meeting places will be directly accessible and in those locations you can see out the doors and windows. Other buildings will be transitioned into at the door and will mean you can not see through doors/windows to the outdoors.
Will the skills be set on skill trees, where one skill may require another skill as a prerequisite, or is each skill meant to stand alone? Some of one and some of the other?
As it stands now every skill stands on its own. There are no skill trees. With that said, every skill gets better as you use it. There may be sub-skills that are opened under that given skill that can be further improved upon. So for instance there are refined combat skills (as it stands now) that fall under specific weapon skills, but it is not really a skill tree as they are thought of most of the time; it is just access to another skill for that given weapon. And that new skill can be improved upon with use, just like all other skills (as it stands now).
Will skills have skill levels, with more focus in a skill granting a greater benefit, or will skills be more or less like D&D and NWN feats, either on or off, you have it or you don't? Or, again, some of one and some of the other?
All skills can be improved upon and improving that skills means you will be better at it. They are not just "on" or "off". As you use a skill it improves. If you don't use a skill it does not improve. To add to this, your attributes modify all skills so it will be important to improve the proper attributes when "leveling up" in order to fit a "class" that one is trying to become better at over time.
Will there be support at at least two names (for and last for instance)?
Yes. At this time in development we have this in place. I am not saying it will not change over time, but right now this is possible.
Can there be shared names?
By this I think you mean can two different players have characters with the same name. Right now at this stage in development, can not have the same name as another character; they must be unique. However, Orth just implmented a new feature (for other reasons) about a month ago that may allow us to change this answer to a yes. The real question is, do we really want it to be a yes, and I am thinking we probably don't. There are a lot of issues, engine wise and community wise, with two players having the same character name; more than most realize. So it will probably remain that characters can not have the same name. Time will tell.
__________________
The compiler runs
Like a swift-flowing river.
I wait in silence.
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0 Replies | 948 Views |  | |  |
Hello everyone,
