With Halloween fast approaching the Dev team has been working hard to make sure this year's goodies pass muster.
I'm looking forward to planting an "I Win!" button right in the middle of major cities next weekend... and watching the explosive results. I'm also going to be riding the new "Skullbox" Hoverbike first chance I get. It was made by one of our new artists, and let's just say I'm looking forward to his future work here on the team.
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Uncle Pumpkinhead has already dropped in to the forums to warn of dire times ahead... be afraid.
The Engine:
Work progressed well this week as the team worked on animation blending and item animations. Replacement of these systems is a "two steps back, three steps forward" process... so unfortunately no sexy screens this week. Hopefully soon!
The Booster:
The Xan Ruins are starting to take shape in the outzone canyons. I'm really pleased with the way work is progressing. I think we can all look forward to a December release.
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Click image for high-res picture
This week:
It was an interesting week. With a team entirely staffed by players any time we address game mechanics that might affect balance you can count on some heated arguments. The introduction of Fear and Knockback mechanics into Anarchy are going to have to be done very, very carefully. Every member of my team is going to have an opinion and they will not shut up until I agree to listen. When putting together the team we tried to make sure every profession was represented. Today I had visits from Shades, Crats and Enforcers. Soon the open discussion with the community will have to start so we can all agree on these significant changes together.
In preparation for the next update Anarchy team activities this week have included:
Issues with latency are being seriously investigated and more permanent solutions are being fully planned out. These issues are being taken incredibly seriously and will not ever be viewed as acceptable. The operations team has given up a great deal of sleep and perhaps some sanity chasing these issues. I owe them personal thanks for going well beyond the call of duty on these issues and working hard towards a solution. When plans are finalized I will make them public as soon as possible.
Significant adjustments have been made to the "Inside The Machine" instance. No longer suffering death when falling, and a new/painful way of getting back up.
PVP flagged players pets should no longer be possible to kill without consequence.
The complex issue within Sector 42 has been isolated and repaired. The Artillery Commander will have additional drops to more adequately reflect the effort this raid requires.
Thanks to all the players who again have taken time this week to help us adress these problems in a constructive way. Development is never easy. The support the team gets from the community make it worth the blood, sweat and tears.
TGIF!
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