Asherons Call: Some Q&A from ACPL

Question: How is an idea or story line created?
Answer: An idea is generated with an end goal in mind, but what occurs in-between is developed as the story line grows using the history of the game, the lore that comes beforehand and many many team meetings.

Question: Will Candeth Martine be coming back?
Answer(from Orion to audience): IWill he?

Question: Are the storylines between AC1 and AC2 starting to merge?
Answer: Not yet.

Question: Will Aerbaxes energy source be explained?
Answer: Mmmmmm....Maybe.

Question: What is hiding under Marae Lassel?
Answer: They've yet to make that up, so stuff?

Question: Why are the Olthoi tunneling?
Answer: A) That's what Olthoi do. B) They're coming to get you.

Question: What is the purpose of the Tall Trees on Marae Lassel?
Answer: Trees give prophecy of what was, what is and what is to come so they use them to help forward storyline.

Question: Will anything ever be done with Paul and Babe?
Answer: No.

Question: Will the Gromatross return?
Answer: Can't say. No. Yes. Maybe. It would take a lot for it to happen but anything is possible.

Question: Why did creature rebalancing occur?
Answer: Creature rebalancing really needed to happen but they understood it was very dangerous as players had become accustomed to their hunting areas yet some monsters made no sense with their levels, skills and placement.

It was also known that rebalance and redistribution would be huge and time consuming. But, they tried to make niches for people to fight in using previous lore for placement of monsters, location to dungeons containing those monsters, etc.

It was done using Photoshop and many many many layers of creatures by adding each layer as a creature set on top of another until each was placed as a spawn set keeping in mind they wanted to keep that single-player feel that AC has always had yet allow for group play.

Question:Why do quest items stay in game when tinkering regularly outclasses them?
Answer: A tinkered weapon will always outclass a quest weapon, however new weapons are designed to at least be competitive. As far as old weapons, they can only redo so many each month and continue to produce new content but they do try to do as many as possible. It's simply a case of limited resources.

Question: Why do spawns act oddly? They sometimes jump from the sky and land on my head, other times I see them running through town after who knows what?
Answer: The land in AC is no affected by gravity therefore monsters spawns are affected by height - this is why they fall from the sky on to your head at times or other times you see pyramids of banderlings or drudges.

As far as a monster running right passed you through town and ignoring you, its running to the lifestone of the player it just killed. Even if that player died in Ayan Baqur and is lifestoned in Holtburg...its GOING to go get them.

Question: Is it possible to adjust the spawn rate in a dungeon based upon the population in that dungeon? (ex. Faster when there are more people, slower when there are less.
Answer: Don't believe its possible with this engine.

Question: Will Crystal Lords spawning in outdoor areas that are hotspots (Mt Lethe) that immediately kill you upon entering be fixed?
Answer: This could change soon.

Question: Why are dangerous monsters spawning so close to my mansion?
Answer: The landblocks around housing were actually cleared of spawn points, however generators have a scattering radius and perhaps one is too close and the scatter is spawning close enough to allow the monsters through. If you have this issue please inform ibn@turbinegames.com and he will forward your particular housing issue.

Question: Is it possible to make an admin controlled army?
Answer: Would take a LOT of work.

Question: Any chance of an open test server?
Answer: That's up to MS.

Question: Why is everything so laggy?
Answer: They know there is regular lag across all servers currently and are working to find out why.

Question: Is there a Wi-flag for Magic Item Tinkering?
Answer: srand has reviewed the code based upon feedback of this exact question several times and simply cannot find one. It appears to be working correctly.

Question: Armor Imbues - is a 66% failure rate really worth the +1 to your melee defense skill?
Answer: They've started off conservatively to see how it's used, if it does seem to be a disproportionate trade off. But, it can be changed at later date.

Question: Will slippers or gloves ever be tinkerable?
[/b]Answer[/b]: Under clothes never will be but there is a possibility for slippers and gloves.

Question: Will there be an expansion pack and/or graphics upgrad?
Answer: From Jessica Mulligan - get together make a petition and she will go to MS with it.
Answer: From Ophelea - I'll make the petition on WCoD but I'll need 10k+ responses so if everyone will respond, WCoD will host it.

At this point I left to go get more chairs for the room, etc and missed the remaining questions. Hopefully, one of the other staff members can fill you in.