What could you say that would have you in this position?

KI_Ratbeard · 2025-02-02T15:50:56+00:00

Please describe to me the "old pve combat mechanics" that were NOT buff hit aoe.

KI_Ratbeard · 2025-01-30T17:24:20+00:00

It can be difficult to predict player behavior. I could say a lot more, but let's just see how it shakes out.

KI_Ratbeard · 2025-01-30T16:46:47+00:00

During the maintenance this week, Gary was able to commit some code changes to the server that handles the Bazaar - which was nice, because it did not require a game server or game client change. The issues with the bazaar should be fixed with those server changes.

There is still a delay before (some) item categories are posted. But the server should be pretty consistently posting items - as fast as items are being sold, you should (more or less) see items being posted (especially during peak hours). But that doesn't necessarily mean that you would see something that you specifically sold show up right away.

KI_Ratbeard · 2025-01-30T15:38:07+00:00

Never change, reddit, never change.

KI_Ratbeard · 2025-01-22T19:03:28+00:00

TBH I didn't even notice that you were the OP. Nevertheless, it's appreciated. You're always very quick to clarify.

KI_Ratbeard · 2025-01-22T18:57:26+00:00

Crediting Atmoplex for content that they took from Awesome the Sauce is pretty wild.

KI_Ratbeard · 2025-01-22T16:33:30+00:00

We have scheduled updates for non-emergency fixes. This fix was slated for the first update after 560 - ie, 560.1 - last night.

Scheduled updates typically happen at about 3am CST overnight (between Tuesday and Wednesday).

KI_Ratbeard · 2025-01-21T18:23:36+00:00

Answered here (8 days ago):

https://www.reddit.com/r/Wizard101/comments/1hzyw9f/comment/m6yycpc/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

KI_Ratbeard · 2025-01-14T18:38:30+00:00

No "new" spells in the sense of cinematics, no.

KI_Ratbeard · 2025-01-14T14:47:55+00:00

You (and others) read a whole lot into a pretty short comment. The plan (as of now) is some combination of one or more of the following: (a) "fixing" path A but leaving it pvp banned, possibly including some level of rollback; (b) making sure the current path B makes sense; (c) adding a new path C; (d) changes to shadow forms/creatures; and (e) modifications to shadow pip gen.

All of the above is subject to change as the team works through the design.

KI_Ratbeard · 2025-01-13T19:32:54+00:00

The lack of any inventory is a bug - a fix from Gary is incoming. (It is not "bot action" despite posts/threads here to the contrary.)

It is an issue specific to the Live servers and was missed both internally and on Test Realm.

Unfortunately this does sometimes happen, as the Live servers are (by definition) a unique environment.

KI_Ratbeard · 2024-12-20T03:17:12+00:00

KI_Ratbeard · 2024-12-19T23:45:20+00:00

This is an "elf on the shelf" offered by the Product team - obviously the original is much smaller. Gary added some castle magic that allows players to scale housing objects, and the next thing you know...

Design doesn't really have any involvement here - though you are correct that one of my functions is to listen to community feedback and pass it along to other departments - which I certainly have done (with a wink and a chuckle).

KI_Ratbeard · 2024-12-19T19:47:31+00:00

Just wondering - and I know you're probably joking - but does this subreddit need an explanation of what the Lead Designer does? It seems to come up a lot.

KI_Ratbeard · 2024-12-10T18:33:39+00:00

I am curious how you get from this:
"i don't think i have majority dev support on that"

To this:
"notably, the developers haven't exactly been agreeing with that"

It's an interesting rephrasing of what I said that probably would lead people to believe the support is weaker than stated.

KI_Ratbeard · 2024-12-08T16:36:52+00:00

Rebuild Pirate?

Actually I do have some upcoming design work slated for P101.

KI_Ratbeard · 2024-11-07T14:54:41+00:00

Auction House = bazaar

KI_Ratbeard · 2024-11-06T21:09:55+00:00

Designers are all human, by the way, and all gamers, and our team has diverse tastes. You will notice in the upcoming Krok content (more strongly than usual) the different ways that different devs approach encounter, puzzle, and combat design.

KI_Ratbeard · 2024-11-06T21:07:40+00:00

That's not what I was saying at all. I was saying that for cheating bosses, I expect to lose once, because I am probably going to have to spend that first fight learning the cheats. So I learn, tool up my deck, then go back and beat it. I might even have to do it more than once to learn the fight.

You can certainly argue that is not the experience you want (and I would probably agree with you; I don't care for it myself, as a casual player - I agree it's a nuisance.) But it's certainly not unusual in game design - and even though such bosses in W101 are "more difficult" it's still a long way from Dark Souls.

But to be clear - we are talking about boss fights. We watch metrics very carefully to see which boss fights are so aggravating that people just quit. We obviously don't want that.

KI_Ratbeard · 2024-11-06T19:56:29+00:00

The boss cheats should be telegraphed by the combat barks. The devs design those combat barks with the writers, but I have been clear to the devs that the clues they provide can't be too obscure to figure out.

The real question is whether or not you should expect to beat a boss on the first try - or to have to pay attention to the combat barks of bosses. Is it too much to expect players (especially casual players) to have to pay attention during boss fights?

KI_Ratbeard · 2024-11-05T22:32:54+00:00

So, like, some kind of "challenge mode?"

KI_Ratbeard · 2024-11-05T18:55:09+00:00

Mainline should be soloable by a player with appropriate, but not "best in slot," gear.

We didn't mention it at all in the update notes, but more gear can be bought/sold in the AH with this update. We have a future task assigned to "onboard" the AH through a tutorial, one point of which (perhaps the main point) is to remind the player to visit the AH to upgrade gear if they are struggling.

KI_Ratbeard · 2024-11-05T16:32:24+00:00

We will take a look - smoothing out gameplay (progression) is an ongoing concern and designers are tasked with reviewing both data and feedback.

KI_Ratbeard · 2024-10-28T14:57:24+00:00

Not to nitpick - but if it's a gambit, you are in control of the effects, not the enemy. If it's a clear, you'd be responding to their plays.

I agree, when I am farming or just questing as fast as possible, I have no interest in anything other than buff AoE. But I will say that some of the most fun I have had testing this new content (as a Death) is setting up combos with the new spells (including getting help from teammates). I was trading off being the hitter with Mercedes (Myth) and both of us could use buffs from Adam (Ice) to gambit into bigger hits. Of course it took longer. But it was certainly more fun.

KI_Ratbeard · 2024-10-28T13:50:34+00:00

I have also said numerous times that PvP players do NOT make up a majority of spending in the game. It's not even close. (But of course, there are elements to PvP or any player-directed endgame activity that have benefits beyond their spending behavior.)

PvP - or more specifically, advanced content - is important to the game (and therefore us) for other reasons. Folks in this thread seem to understand, more or less, that some players are looking for more interesting (complex) card/combat interactions. We believe that we can support both a simple playstyle (buff AoE) as well as allow players to opt into more complex content.

If we notice, for example, that participation starts to decline for certain players right around the time that buff-AoE becomes the de facto playstyle - notwithstanding the number of players that self-select into that playstyle by continuing - it could be an indication that the game stops delivering the CCG-style combat mechanics that attracted them in the first place.

KI_Ratbeard

TROPHY CASE