The Dragon's Neck Dev Update
TDN Community,
As we've been adjusting and fixing numerous aspects of the server from our initial launch, we have continually considered the idea of a narrative & itemization reset for The Dragon's Neck. We have decided to pursue this reset (note: Possible narrative exceptions outlined below). There are a number of reasons for this which I will cover below (These updates take precedence over any earlier announcements related to relaunch):
* NOTE: This change means that any pre-launch rewards (elaborated on in the "Itemization" section), can be applied to ANY new character you make. (Whether they be a replica or one of the new classes).
Narrative
- Narrative Cohesion: During our first few months of launch, there was little cohesion amongst storytelling from the team. The Dungeon Masters did a great job operating during their events and created a fantastic experience, however they lacked the support from server leadership necessary to draw together an overarching theme or story for the server. This led to scenarios where the impact of some stories were not properly maintained by the rest of the team.
- Factions: This lack of Narrative Cohesion was especially felt in the Faction experience, which was altogether a mess in terms of execution. This will be rectified in our new iteration with a system that aims to be mostly autonomous in nature; where DMs can add flavor and fun to a Faction, rather than being Gatekeepers.
- Records & Perception of Events: Although the DM Team maintained a reference document of events that were run, it was not maintained by all DMs. There is no way to validate that the events happened in the manner outlined in the document (in particular for DMs who are either no longer with TDN or do not intend to return upon our launch). This could lead to uneven experiences for everyone, and rather than give a 25% chance of executing on this front properly, I would prefer that we pursue a 100% reset so we can approach each character's story with a united front.
- What does this Mean for my Character?
- The server year will be reset to 1368 or 1369 depending on the date of our launch. (1369 represents a great deal of upheaval in the region, so we want to maximize the amount of content we can represent of said upheaval.)
- Any & All events or stories from the first few months of launch will be erased.
- If you wish to build in some revision of events into your character's backstory, feel free. However, names, areas, etc. will need to be changed.
- Exceptions: If there is a particular character relationship, affiliation, or experience that took place for your character that you feel is integral to their backstory and took place during our first launch. PM Aschent_ on the Forums to request that it remain intact.
- This gives both old and new characters an opportunity to start fresh.
- Note: Characters that have gained experience and get that paid back are welcome to RP as if they have been within the region for some time (6-12 months), and therefore have some level of knowledge of the area/region. As a reminder, our XP award system will work as follows:
- Player Experience
- All PCs level 5 and up will be reset to level 5.
- All Existing PCs (including those de-leveled) will receive a bonus to their XP Poolbased on their level.
- Example:
- A level 6 PC will be de-leveled to Level 5, and the XP pool will be filled with enough XP to reach level 6.
- A level 3 PC will not be de-leveled, and the XP pool will be filled with enough XP to reach level 4.
- Example:
- Player Experience
Itemization
- Overall Item Balance: As many are likely aware, itemization became an issue as we transitioned from our initial Beta into Launch.
- Efficiency & Logical Solutions: Simply put, developing a system to fairly exchange and swap out items or item properties is beyond the scope of what we're looking to do. We would much rather put the weeks' worth of design and coding work into new systems to drive engagement for the playerbase instead of designing a system that assesses each item, determines if the IPs are balanced, and either swaps them or grants gold for them. Given that there are hundreds of potential Item Properties, it would be a significant undertaking to make this happen.
- Additionally, asking DMs to swap out hundreds/thousands of items on their own is not reasonable.
- What does this mean for my Character?
- If you have an existing character, we will apply a reimbursement similar to our Permadeath Rewards to a new character or replica. (We encourage players to use this gold in conjunction with a newly implemented system where items have a % chance to randomly generate with affixes inside of shops multiple times throughout the day. This will allow players with surplus gold to purchase several magic items as replacements above and beyond normal starting gear.):
- GP: 500gp/Level
- Examples:
- Level 6 PC = 3,000gp
- Examples:
- GP: 500gp/Level
- Crafting XP
- 50% of all CXP can be redistributed as the player sees fit, within Profession guidelines.
- Learned recipes above level 6 will not be lost, however, they cannot be crafted until reaching their required level.
- Crafting Level Maximums will now be tied to PC Level + 2 in order to curb power-inflation in situations where a player far exceeds profession level in comparison to PC level.
- Before these rewards are accessible, you will need to login to TDN and interact with an NPC. You will then be given the option to delete your current character and receive these one-time rewards for a future character.
- If you have an existing character, we will apply a reimbursement similar to our Permadeath Rewards to a new character or replica. (We encourage players to use this gold in conjunction with a newly implemented system where items have a % chance to randomly generate with affixes inside of shops multiple times throughout the day. This will allow players with surplus gold to purchase several magic items as replacements above and beyond normal starting gear.):
- What about Item Appearances I want to save?
- We are aiming to revamp all Item Appearances, so there is a strong likelihood that your current appearances will be broken with these updates. Items cannot be saved/transferred. If you have a one-time request for something that is specific to your PC (that does not require unique Item Properties), you can inquire with the DM Team.
Please know that we have not make this decision lightly. We are viewing this as a complete relaunch and reset. And for the long-term improvement of the server it is best that we do not risk any scenarios where players have amassed massive amounts of gold or stronger-than-intended items due to either poor execution early on, or poor decisions by DMs to grant said items. I apologize for this if it strikes you as disrespectful for your time. This is perceived as necessary to even the playing field at launch and ensure we start fresh across the board with only slight variations in initial gold value and crafting experience separating old players from new.
Thank you,
-Aschent