Ryzom: Dev Chat Log

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<Virigl> Hello everyone! Welcome to the latest Saga of Ryzom developer chat.

<Virigl> We'll be starting to take questions in a few minutes, so
get them ready, but first David Cohen would like to say a few words.

<kaeru> Greetings everyone !

<kaeru> very happy to be here with you guys today :)

<kaeru> Before I leave the floor to Vinc, I'd like to give a
little update regarding the recent decisions we took (launching SOR in
september instead of june).

<kaeru> SoR is now in focus beta and we are happy with the
results so far. We are addressing the different USPs and game systems
in much more details and one by one (as opposed to all at the same
time).

<kaeru> The feedbacks we get are much more accurate and detailed,
and we are able to correct and tune things up a lot faster so that most
of the time a bug declared in the morning is corrected the next day
in-game. Also, the tunning process is much more efficient (in the
coming days, we'll have a new patch that integrates the latest
modifications for xp gain).

<kaeru> Also, our investors are very supportive and passionate
about the game, (which is find of rare in this industry). Our partners
(themis, mdo and Jolt as well as mc2 and trisynergy) are also on the
same page and we have been able to reschedule things properly thanks to
everybody's efforts.

<kaeru> I also wanted to let you know that we very well
understand the frustration that focus beta is imposing for all those
who are not in it.

<kaeru> But, but but but... the game is getting better everyday, and soon we'll ramp up.

<kaeru> and we are looking forward to have the open week-end

<kaeru> we are working on the events tools too :)

<kaeru> (which is very cool, because I like this part of the game very much)

<kaeru> (Vinc is mocking me right now)

<vinc> pffff

<kaeru> (the cat is doing this at home, and here I have Vinc)

<kaeru> anyway :) I will let Vinc take over now to tell more about what we do now on the game

<kaeru> but I still here

<kaeru> (my turn to get on the top of his head)

<Virgil> Actually, I'm going to jump in for a moment ;)

<Virgil> We'll be using the same process we did last time -
first, message either Landslide or Moll with your questions, and we
will begin answering them in the channel here

<Virgil> There is no set topic for the chat this time, so feel
free to ask whatever you'd like. Not all questions will be able to be
answered yet though.

<Virgil> Also, Guides and GM's are ineligable to ask questions. Sorry guys :)

<Virgil> You can start sending questions now - please only
message them with questions thouh, they won't be able to answer them or
chat directly :)

<Virgil> And here we go

(Numar|corizo) the story is concepted for 8 years. How will the players be integrated? (roleplay-guilds, everybiody etc...?)

<Vince> this will be done via 3 means (layers):

First is what we call the native content, it is what Nevrax add in the game at a macro level.
Second layer will be done by Events GM.
Third layer is impacted by the players and the guild, the alliances they make :)

<Stormy> Will the game be released simultaneously in all
countries, with local servers, or will there be a rollout schedule?

<Vince> SoR will come out in all countries (US & Europe) in a
small range of days. Servers will be local for Europe and NA, and
available in french, english and German.

<Zaio> why did you decide to postpone on a 3 month basis, and not 1 or 5?

A:
<kaeru> MMO development, and launch is a very, very
thick task. And adding a month simply doesn't give the time to do
anything meaningfull.

3 months for several reasons :

One is because july and august are not a very good time to launch a game
Second, we are after tunning and this requires several iterations of test, feedback, implement / correction, test again, etc.
And third, we also have to reschedule stuff that takes some time to decide and put in operations. (like boxes on the shelves)

all in all, 3 months is not a very wide time frame.

<FLoorfiLLa> Question: Will there be a function to train animals in the final version?

<Vince> You must be meaning 'taming' I presume. So taming will be
incorporated as a skill in game and will come shortly after release. it
is something player will have to learn, in fact it is more like a
secret knowledge that you will have to find back :) So all server might
not discover it at the same time.

<w32-pray> Will there be a final open beta before the release and if yes, how many weeks before the release?

<Vince> A final Open Beta is indeed scheduled, and should be 2 weeks before Release :)

<Thelos> Question: What is next on the release list for FocusBeta / what is the next main Focus ?

A:
<Vince> At the moment, we are dealing with XP gain in
SoR. As david said, we gathered great feedback and they should go live
in the coming days; Then the next focus will be combat ! , for
magicians, fighters and assorted roles.

<schizo> hi ! is the server is now able to manage a large amount of users ?

<Vince> afaik, it does :) and we will be doing a 'natural' stress test during the next free week-end :)

<Morpeus> do I have to buy the game or can i use the beta client ?

<Vince> I presume you mean: when SoR goes for release, will you have to buy the game? The answer would be yes.

<Horyatus> Will you add more face or details in the future and what?

<@Vince> It is already in process in house :) Ingame, you will be able to do that via a specific skilltree: 'cosmetic' ;o)

<Zaio> will there be stanza that will be based on 'invisibility' in order to explore Atys?

A:
<@Vince> that is not planed :( However, there is a
specific gameplay for discovering Atys, which goes thru what we call
'encyclopedia'

<alexi> hello, i�m from germany and my english isnt very good. so my question, when does an open weekend come?

A:
<@Vince> I have talked with the devs and also with my
CS team. We all agreed on doing a free week end next week end, so that
would be on the 2nd of July :D

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<Neas> Question: Will other classes be present, i.e an
alchemist class? one who makes potions. Also will other items be
present in the final version. Something to make players Yearn for that
item? for example unique items or rare items which have great value and
do additional things other than the normal version?

<Vince> class ermmm, we are skilled based ;)
Potions will be ingame indeed, maybe not at release tho.
We are in the process of adding items, and FBT (Focus Beta Testers)
discovered some in early afternoon with this week patch. This is an
ongoing process :)
We will also have rare items and Kamic/Karavan artefacts :o)
and also some artifacts based on civilizations, so either Matis, Zora�,
Tryker or Fyros.

<Lostsoul> Does Trykers and their land, will be available during (open beta) free week-end?

A:
<Vince>I will make everything I can so they would be
available. But that will me mainly depends on the state of advancement
we are at with the Trykers : )

<Bulwey> Will it be possible to hire a npc-merchant who is able to store and sell item for the player?

A:
<Vince> We will have something which will enable you
to do that. I don't know at the moment if it will be a NPC you would
hire, or your character that you would need to be logged in game :/

<Scharrer> will the game be openclassed wihout any
restrictions, or will we have to choose a class and be limitted to it
then?

<Vince> as SoR is skilled based, any player can train any skill.
You choose an 'orientation' when you create your character, but that is
not limitating your character at all, you are free :)

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<FLoorfiLLa> Question: Will the ride-mektoub be enabled in the Focus-Beta?

<Vince> Mektoub Mounts are still limited to my CS team for the moment :p

<Daeceleb> Will SoR have some sub aquatic life in the tryker land?

<Vince> yup Daec, there will be sub aquatic life in the Tryker lands. Some you could guess, some you might not :)

<alexi> Will we can use the karavans spaceship/spacecraft in the future?

<Vince> I have been talking about it with David lately.
I can tell you that those spaceship are not the most interesting :)
that's all I can say about that for now ;)

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<Daerile> if I choose to have a descent, when my initial
character dies of old age, I have access on the same account to my
second character? there do I have access immediately?

<Vince> We had a devchat about that a few months ago with
shadowdev. He said that it would be on your account and on your
partners account, and would require some weeks before 'poping' on your
account. I invite you to read that dev, which you can find on
atys.ryzom.com or on any good local fansite :)

<schizo> Are you afraid of World Of Warcraft, which is going to be released at the same time?

<Vince> I haven't heard of any release date for WoW so far, blizzard... ;)
WoW and SoR are not based on the same universe.
They don't attract the same players imo, and we do not have the same gameplay neither :)
So there is nothing to be scared about, imo

<jeoff2> Concerning gameplay suggestions, do you plan to implement a few features by patching, or the add-on way?

A:
<Vince> It will be both; some features will be by
patching such as the death system and legacy, and others will be by
addons :)

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<lerrys> As soon as one approaches the large cities, one can
noticed that it is unplayable during a certain time. Is what to suit
you to do something for eviter this? Like a small time of loading for
example?

<Vince> Gotta be talking about Pyr ;)
FBT know that we do statistics about the game and report are sent to us, for better optimizations.
Our 3d client tech guys are optimizing that atm with our 3d artist, and from what I have seen I should get way better soon(tm)

<LaLuneNoire> How will you manage guilds fame? How will you treat guilds which are too powerfull?

<Vince> we talked about that in the devchat about guilds, shadow
was there also :p
So I have to invite you to read it again, I remember we even gave out
the % of how guild fame will work. GL and officers will have a bigger
impact on it then normal guild members :)

<Daerile> Did you have a date for September's release?

<Vince> all I can say for now is: early September :/

<Horyatus> Will you give more informations about hommin's cultures (f�tes, rites, ...)

<@Vince> that question was done by a french ;)
You will need to find those info in game.
They will be linked to the storyline and to a question which came earlier about how players will impact the world.
I know there is already some info about online on www.ryzom.com, but not as deep info as you would wish.
About rites, there are some in game and are linked to tribes where you learn the custums of a part of Atys :)

<tarius> will there be a skill cap? or will we be able to max
all the skills to 250? eg. cap at 500 so you can max 2 skills to 250 or
one to 250 ant 2 others to 125?

<Vince> you can cap all skills at 250 atm.
There is no plan for changing, but there are plans for adding more skills tree, as the 'cosmetic' skill I mentioned earlier :o)

<Korigon> When Z problem will be fixed? I mean like bridges,
where you get hits from nowhere, mobs are under. same Q for tryker sea,
where we are bloqued in swimming by a Rock 50m under rock/plant/else..

<Vince> This issue is in process in house lately, so the mob will
stop exploiting jOO !
About the Tryker, it is also in process, I am sure our Euro English
Community (who plays Tryker during FB) will help us on that :)

<Bulwey> Will the enzyclodadia-feature be ingame for weekends/final beta?

<Vince> Encyclopedia won't be available before release :(
Not for OB afaik, neither during free week ends

<dam23> hi there, how do you plan to make melee fighting more
interesting in pvp ? because a mage who trains high in fight has a lot
of HP, and can deal a lot of damage in a few seconds... so everyone
will do that

<Vince> This is part of FB, at the moment FBT are helping us on
XP gain, and the conclusion we got from their feedback will be live in
a few days.
Then comes the Focus on Combat, this is where/when your inquiry will be
solved :)

<Daerile> Can you tell us more about the "cosmetic" skill please?

A:
<Vince> I'm afraid I cannot tell as much as you would
like about it. But if/when you want to change your haircut, have
another tatoo or other visual effect on your appearance, you will need
to have that skill train or know someone who did :)

<Bulwey> Will accessoirs like earrings, anklets be visible on chars in game?

<Vince> not at release :(

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<Ceccil> Are you not afraid that after a while every body will
be a "all-in-one-wonder" and that everybody will be the best in
everything ?

<Vince> It is all about trade-off.
We will be adding new skills tree regularly (eg: cosmetic),
and it will take you a fairly large amount of time to max them all. FBT are a great help on this feedback :)

<Bulwey> I heard something about musician/bard skill. Will
players be able to craft instruments for bards? Can the bards compose
their own songs and play them for example in battle to support their
team (aura-effect-like)?

<Vince> that is not planed for release :(
David will have a few word about music in SoR:

<kaeru> we are going to implement a music system, based on sample
banks, so that each player with the right skill + instruments can
compose his own.
Everyone in the game will be able to hear it since all samples are
installed on client side.
We'll patch new samples regularly too, and some famous DJs will
contribute too.
Using these samples, they'll do some tunes.
Talented players will be able to become famous too.
There is also some gameplay implication for the music, but that is not
for release.

I am kinda of obsessed with this music system, so I will push it in as soon as humanly possible.

<alexi> �hm i dont know about asking before, but is the price now known for SOR in the months?

<Vince> SoR price will be comparable to other MMO when it releases.
I know our marketing team is heavily discussing about it atm, doing plans for 3 months subscription and such.
Unfortunatly, I cannot say more then that at the moment.

<fAtkOs> will be any music in game and what it will be ???

<Vince> David is in the process of deciding whom will be doing
the music in SoR, he has several proposition and need to make a choice
;)
We will definitly have a SoR theme.

<Landslide> disco!

<Vince> and you can expect to have a theme per civilization also (if David finds the right person)

<Vince> I bet landslide is some kind of Tryker!

<thirdEYE> Q: Do you have some details, how to make a ranged fighters life easier? I am talking about costs for ammo.

<Vince> I don't have details atm, I know FBT are not all happy
about the changes that took place on that issue. This is still being
looked into. Crafter friends are nice to have :)

<saxon> will the map be bigger in the future ? Are there PVP areas planned like in Matis land?

<Vince> You already have a PvP arena in Matis land, next to Yrkanis.
And you can expect to find more as the game progresses.
stay tuned on coming patches :)

<Ceccil> Have you thought about the possiblity of dynamic
landscape changes? so that earthquakes/explosions/massive rain would
leave permanent changes in the landscape? (sth. like populus)

<Vince> This is one of the point on which the prod team is looking into it. We have that idea for years now :)

<Horyatus> Can i be a Kami in other life ? :-)

<Vince> not in version 1.0 :E

<Amrill> Hi, it's about the (beta test) Free WeekEnd. Is there
only some specific free WE or All WE will be concidered as Free beta
test WE ? thx

<@Vince> it will be specific week ends.
On those week end, anyone will be able to log in game, well anyone who
was in the beta before it turned into Focus Beta; or anyone who
recently 'join the community'. You will find the join the community
application form on www.ryzom.com / .fr / .de.
The first free week end is next week end (2nd of July)

<Stormy> Will there be a Ryzom RPG book? Ryzom action figures? Ryzom music CD? T-shirts? Other Ryzom memorabilia?

<Vince> hehe, I do have a t shirt :p
Even a figurine that a fan sent us (it is right here on my desk).
Potentially, we will have all you ask for, it all depends on the success of SoR or not :D

<Virgil> I have a hat, it's very nice. :) Anyway, before we wrap this thing up, Vince has an announcement to make.

<Vince> oo yes, tomorrow will go live the Focus Beta Tester
Application Form, yogin and the CS have been working on that this week
:o)

<Vince> You will be able to find it on atys.ryzom.com

<Virgil> So, if you'd like to apply for the focus beta test,
please head to the community site and fill out the application over the
weekend :)

<Vince> you might have to join the community in order to access that page tho :)

<Virgil> Thanks for coming everyone, and if your questions didn't
get answered, please save them for next time. We weren't able to
discuss some topics this time, but every chat more things have been
finalized enough to talk about.

Landslide waves

<Moll> Bye everyone, thanks for coming :)

<kaeru> just to say that we have been preparing new community websites

<Virgil> Thanks for coming everyone :)

<kaeru> they'll be up soon (tm Vinc)

<Vince> tsstss

<kaeru> and speaking of goodies I made 2 SoR posters :D (one being 2 meters tall)

<kaeru> okay, thx everyone ;)

<Vince> see you soon on Atys on Fair Haven /wave the Fyros

<Landslide> baaai!