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August 03, 2011
Rebalancing the Equation
Hi there EpicDuelists! It’s that time of the week again, time to let you know what’s on our agendas for this week!


Balance Changes

Last week I promised that we’d implement some balance changes soon, and we’re finally ready to release the planned balance changes!


Here’s what we’ve confirmed:
• Static Charge gets a buff, no longer being reduced by the enemy’s defenses when calculating the energy gain (similar to Atom Smasher)
• Slight nerf to robots, now using either the robot’s attack or its special ability will send both options into cooldown
• Buff to Plasma Rain, and Multi-Shot as they will now improve with each 4 points invested in Technology or Dexterity (to match Artillery Strike)
• Fixed Damage skills will now improve with your character’s level
• Percentage based skills (Berzerker, Bludgeon, Double Strike, Massacre) will now work like Deadly Aim, applying to the relevant equipped item instead of the entire attack amount


This is not meant to be the “be-all, end-all” Ultimate Solution to Balance, but as I’ve said before, we’d rather go in with a scalpel than a sledgehammer. The improved scaling with cast spells required Titan to program a new scaling system, which is a big reason for the delay. This list is subject to last minute changes as testing progresses!


Code Improvements

We’ve managed to fix a few bugs, including one where removing a buddy does not unlink you as allies, one of the sources of lag (hung battles), and a few bugs on our moderator tools.

I’ve also been getting a lot of questions as to why we haven’t implemented more bots into the game, or added more dynamic options (such as battle pets) to the game. The system that bots currently use needed fixing, and Titan is currently building a better system for robots, as well as several other new useful features. We like building new features, and it’s really fulfilling to be able to set the ground work.


New Banners!

Charfade’s back from her holiday, and she’s been working on giving the webpage a facelift. I’m not sure when this’ll go up, so I don’t know it has gone up or not when you’re reading this. If it has, good job Charfade! If it hasn’t, also good job, but not as enthusiastically.


LQS Restock

As stated in last week's DNs, we plan on restocking the Telsa and Lady Tesla Armors once again with the new release on Friday. This restock will be small, but we'll try to give everyone who missed out on it last week a chance to grab it! This is the last guaranteed restock. After this weekend, restocks, if they happen, will be very small and entirely random. We want to provide a fair chance to as many players as possible to grab the LQS items, but we also want to retain rarity and value of the item for those who were lucky enough to grab it immediately.


More?

We'll see what we can squeeze in before the end of the week! Could be anything!


Now we’re E/I!

Not really, but when I asked on Twitter how the players would respond if I started putting an “Insect Fact of the Week” on the Design Notes, the response was overwhelmingly positive. So, this feature will be a regular occurrence!

Here are a couple facts about insect maturity!

When insects mature, they molt- that is, shed their exoskeletons- until they are mature. The developmental stage between each molt is called an “instar”. Since insects do not molt after reaching maturity, the term “instar” only refers to larval or nymphal forms of the insect.

The process of maturing in insects is called “metamorphosis”. Homometabolous insects undergo complete metamorphosis, where the larva forms a pupa, and undergoes a dramatic change. You know about this if you’ve ever seen a caterpillar turn into a butterfly. Hemimetabolous insects go from a nymph to an adult through gradual changes, and the nymph often resembles the adult. An example of this kind of insect would be a dragonfly.


Tags: Cinderella balance Bug-Fixes bug-facts charfade

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Slight nerf to robots, now using either the robot’s attack or its special ability will send both options into cooldown

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• Percentage based skills (Berzerker, Bludgeon, Double Strike, Massacre) will now work like Deadly Aim, applying to the relevant equipped item instead of the entire attack amount

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gama bots were rarely even used now