Best Of
Announcements post #275: Permadeath.
From: Neritus
Subject: Permadeath.
Hello, Sector!
Ever wonder what life might be like for all those citizens of the Sector without INRs? Are you looking to up the stakes of your Starmourn experience? Do you enjoy roguelikes and wish Starmourn supported that sort of play experience? Would you enjoy roleplaying a character and seeing their arc come to a dramatic, perhaps abrupt conclusion?
Introducing a new, optional game mode: Hardcore. In an IRE first, we are introducing permadeath. This is an OPTIONAL game mode only available to NEW characters and there are a number of new mechanics to support this.
In Hardcore, when your character dies after level 20, they are dead, forever, and cannot be revived by any means. Hardcore characters have no INR, after all. No Hardcore character can ever be made into a Normal character, and vice versa, and you can only have one active hardcore character at a time.
You're probably asking, "If I die, what happens to my credits?" In the spirit of roguelikes, your character's credit value on death is added to your Hardcore Credit Pool, which you can claim on any of your future hardcore characters. Hardcore Credit value works a bit like retirement value, but is much more generous. Namely, you get 100% of the value from purchased credits, artifacts, collectibles, and other places, and 50% of credits obtained for free from a wide variety of sources including dailycredits. This DOES NOT, however, include the No Brainer packages. If you intend on purchasing anything at all on a Hardcore character, please do read HELP HARDCORE thoroughly.
NB: Since this is an entirely unique system in the IRE landscape with its own Credit mechanics, Hardcore characters cannot RETIRE.
And since I know you all love RANKINGS, we have 4 new rankings: HARDCOREXP, HARDCOREPK, HARDCOREHACKING, and HARDCORECAPTAINS. Hardcore rankings work a bit differently, taking combined scores from your current Hardcore character and all your dead Hardcore characters. This cumulative ranking has to be turned on manually, though, so you can still easily conceal who your next character might be after your old one die
There is a lot more to address, but that is the gist of it. Have a look at HELP HARDCORE for detailed information. You also probably have an idea now what those Memorial Deeds are all about. Have a look at HELP MEMORIALS! We've added some new memorial spaces to the faction areas, and are adding more neutral ones over time.
We also have two new artifacts: Reserved Plot (reserved_plot) and Last Will (last_will). Reserved plots are covered in HELP MEMORIALS. Last Will on the other hand is a way to transfer half your marks on death either to a designee or to your next Hardcore character.
And now, the credit reel. Hardcore is Eukelade's swan song for Starmourn. It was the final system she designed, overcoming the major design challenges, and we've been working hard on bringing it to life since. The wider IRE team has been super supportive. Tiur from Aetolia loves us so much, he helped code it too, writing the initial framework which I've gradually filled in over time. Credit to Damiel and the ST team for creating some truly breathtaking memorial spaces and rigorously helping test. Heck, even Euke herself volunteered her time to help test and design some memorials for us!
Rest in peace,
Neritus
Subject: Permadeath.
Hello, Sector!
Ever wonder what life might be like for all those citizens of the Sector without INRs? Are you looking to up the stakes of your Starmourn experience? Do you enjoy roguelikes and wish Starmourn supported that sort of play experience? Would you enjoy roleplaying a character and seeing their arc come to a dramatic, perhaps abrupt conclusion?
Introducing a new, optional game mode: Hardcore. In an IRE first, we are introducing permadeath. This is an OPTIONAL game mode only available to NEW characters and there are a number of new mechanics to support this.
In Hardcore, when your character dies after level 20, they are dead, forever, and cannot be revived by any means. Hardcore characters have no INR, after all. No Hardcore character can ever be made into a Normal character, and vice versa, and you can only have one active hardcore character at a time.
You're probably asking, "If I die, what happens to my credits?" In the spirit of roguelikes, your character's credit value on death is added to your Hardcore Credit Pool, which you can claim on any of your future hardcore characters. Hardcore Credit value works a bit like retirement value, but is much more generous. Namely, you get 100% of the value from purchased credits, artifacts, collectibles, and other places, and 50% of credits obtained for free from a wide variety of sources including dailycredits. This DOES NOT, however, include the No Brainer packages. If you intend on purchasing anything at all on a Hardcore character, please do read HELP HARDCORE thoroughly.
NB: Since this is an entirely unique system in the IRE landscape with its own Credit mechanics, Hardcore characters cannot RETIRE.
And since I know you all love RANKINGS, we have 4 new rankings: HARDCOREXP, HARDCOREPK, HARDCOREHACKING, and HARDCORECAPTAINS. Hardcore rankings work a bit differently, taking combined scores from your current Hardcore character and all your dead Hardcore characters. This cumulative ranking has to be turned on manually, though, so you can still easily conceal who your next character might be after your old one die
There is a lot more to address, but that is the gist of it. Have a look at HELP HARDCORE for detailed information. You also probably have an idea now what those Memorial Deeds are all about. Have a look at HELP MEMORIALS! We've added some new memorial spaces to the faction areas, and are adding more neutral ones over time.
We also have two new artifacts: Reserved Plot (reserved_plot) and Last Will (last_will). Reserved plots are covered in HELP MEMORIALS. Last Will on the other hand is a way to transfer half your marks on death either to a designee or to your next Hardcore character.
And now, the credit reel. Hardcore is Eukelade's swan song for Starmourn. It was the final system she designed, overcoming the major design challenges, and we've been working hard on bringing it to life since. The wider IRE team has been super supportive. Tiur from Aetolia loves us so much, he helped code it too, writing the initial framework which I've gradually filled in over time. Credit to Damiel and the ST team for creating some truly breathtaking memorial spaces and rigorously helping test. Heck, even Euke herself volunteered her time to help test and design some memorials for us!
Rest in peace,
Neritus
Re: Starmourn is currently down due to technical issues!
I'm looking forward to the implementation of consequence mechanics(?) I really liked the original version of station missions, although i didn't feel like the downside was bad enough (I'm wierd like that). There's probably nothing like that in the pipes, but I'll wait for it anyway.
I don't think I'm in any big or small plotlines, but I could be for all I know since Zarrach has a tendency to go swinging hammers into any problems he identifies.
I will reveal only one thing from his past right now.
He was not born in Scatterhome. He moved there.
I don't think I'm in any big or small plotlines, but I could be for all I know since Zarrach has a tendency to go swinging hammers into any problems he identifies.
I will reveal only one thing from his past right now.
He was not born in Scatterhome. He moved there.
Ikchor
1
Re: BEAST/Heavy armor and balancing it before the upcoming Mod overhaul
Good discussion. See: recent announcement on armor changes.
Neritus
1
Re: Returning Player - State of Factions?
I think now's a good time to get into the game if you want to push people and factions towards fighting over the systems we have, but probably not a good time if you want to jump into an active PVP scene. So if you want to develop RP around conflict, that might be cool, but it also might mean you, as a player, arrive and the party hasn't started yet, so to speak.
CA has finally rebuilt but is still blossoming; many newer players. Song's been hanging out ready for whatever for a long while (and is doing organized PVP content weekly, but I hear there's not much actual fighting). SH is in the middle with a mix of older and newer players.
CA has finally rebuilt but is still blossoming; many newer players. Song's been hanging out ready for whatever for a long while (and is doing organized PVP content weekly, but I hear there's not much actual fighting). SH is in the middle with a mix of older and newer players.
Steve
1
Re: Returning Player - State of Factions?
Agree totally with the previous post. Cosmpiercers are currently the biggest faction on faction stuff. And about every week to every other week there's some sort of fight either on the piercer or in space surrounding them.
CA has better map management! Yay!
Overall though I think the faction competition is more like "we can do better at getting more rewards or accolades than you" as opposed to "go rot and die you swine". Heh. Either way, content is coming out at a really fun clip and it's a great time to come back!
CA has better map management! Yay!
Overall though I think the faction competition is more like "we can do better at getting more rewards or accolades than you" as opposed to "go rot and die you swine". Heh. Either way, content is coming out at a really fun clip and it's a great time to come back!
Jaidyn
2
Re: Returning Player - State of Factions?
Welcome back! This is an amazing time to return.
All three factions have lots of activity lately, which is great. It's cool to check COSMPIERCER MAP and see four colors almost equally spread around (three usual factions plus one for Ishvana, which takes over some CP over time).
I haven't seen too much action on caches, but I may have just missed them by chance. There are a fair number of people who PvP in every faction. If you meant more the RP side of conflict, there isn't currently any big war of any kind to my knowledge, but that doesn't mean that there isn't an opportunity to get things heated up between factions for whatever reason.
Celestine used to be the smallest for a really long time, but there's been a huge influx of players and interest and now it's doing great. No matter what faction you prefer, you'll have a good time and cool people to meet.
All three factions have lots of activity lately, which is great. It's cool to check COSMPIERCER MAP and see four colors almost equally spread around (three usual factions plus one for Ishvana, which takes over some CP over time).
I haven't seen too much action on caches, but I may have just missed them by chance. There are a fair number of people who PvP in every faction. If you meant more the RP side of conflict, there isn't currently any big war of any kind to my knowledge, but that doesn't mean that there isn't an opportunity to get things heated up between factions for whatever reason.
Celestine used to be the smallest for a really long time, but there's been a huge influx of players and interest and now it's doing great. No matter what faction you prefer, you'll have a good time and cool people to meet.
Announcements post #268: We're gonna need a bigger...
From: Heroically Concise Damiel, Pew Pew Pew
Subject: We're gonna need a bigger...
BASHING AREA!
I've just extended a couple of popular bashing areas so that hopefully more people can bash there.
New Dikamazi:
31 new rooms
72 new mobs
Accessed via room 8632 (down)
Ixsei Desert:
30 new rooms
75 new mobs
Accessed via 7816 (s) - and a couple of other points.
Mapped already via the system, but it'll take a little while for Nexus to catch up, as ever.
Have fun!
Damiel
Subject: We're gonna need a bigger...
BASHING AREA!
I've just extended a couple of popular bashing areas so that hopefully more people can bash there.
New Dikamazi:
31 new rooms
72 new mobs
Accessed via room 8632 (down)
Ixsei Desert:
30 new rooms
75 new mobs
Accessed via 7816 (s) - and a couple of other points.
Mapped already via the system, but it'll take a little while for Nexus to catch up, as ever.
Have fun!
Damiel
Announcements post #260: The Floating Market is over!
From: Heroically Concise Damiel, Pew Pew Pew
Subject: The Floating Market is over!
... and it seems like just as it arrived, it floated away again, into the unknown.
The Floating Market is over for now, but don't fret, it will be back!
Sales figures have gone out to our brilliant player vendors and those who weren't logged in when the honors were handed out should have a separate message advising them to seek out the robot at Fontain Station to get theirs. I also felt bad pressing the reset button when DESPITE MY WARNINGS most of you left things there... so I've put anything left in the market into the owners' inventories.
In case you were wondering...
Afesotinuilar sold the most individual items (shortly followed by Shulamit)
Poet made the most money (shortly followed by Sabika)
Rylek had the highest average price per sale (by a country mile - but Poet came second)
Song and Celestine really need to up their game next time I think, Scatterhome across the board there! Congrats folks!
It was all an amazing, overwhelming, wonderful success and I want to thank you all for just embracing it so much. I'm pretty sure our players are the best playerbase of any game anywhere right now. STOP IT I'M NOT CRYING.
If you missed out on getting Heot's extraordinary weapons and armor you still have a chance to do so by playing MISSIONCONTROL until the end of the month! The stats on the weapons and armor gained from the 'Extraordinary Weapons crate' will be completely random, like redeeming a gear token, though they do have an extra 5% boost on most loot drops - but the benefit of ALL the items in these crates is that they are nondecay, and you have a chance to get one with full stats!
That's it for now! I'm gonna go collapse in a heap. <3
Damiel
Subject: The Floating Market is over!
... and it seems like just as it arrived, it floated away again, into the unknown.
The Floating Market is over for now, but don't fret, it will be back!
Sales figures have gone out to our brilliant player vendors and those who weren't logged in when the honors were handed out should have a separate message advising them to seek out the robot at Fontain Station to get theirs. I also felt bad pressing the reset button when DESPITE MY WARNINGS most of you left things there... so I've put anything left in the market into the owners' inventories.
In case you were wondering...
Afesotinuilar sold the most individual items (shortly followed by Shulamit)
Poet made the most money (shortly followed by Sabika)
Rylek had the highest average price per sale (by a country mile - but Poet came second)
Song and Celestine really need to up their game next time I think, Scatterhome across the board there! Congrats folks!
It was all an amazing, overwhelming, wonderful success and I want to thank you all for just embracing it so much. I'm pretty sure our players are the best playerbase of any game anywhere right now. STOP IT I'M NOT CRYING.
If you missed out on getting Heot's extraordinary weapons and armor you still have a chance to do so by playing MISSIONCONTROL until the end of the month! The stats on the weapons and armor gained from the 'Extraordinary Weapons crate' will be completely random, like redeeming a gear token, though they do have an extra 5% boost on most loot drops - but the benefit of ALL the items in these crates is that they are nondecay, and you have a chance to get one with full stats!
That's it for now! I'm gonna go collapse in a heap. <3
Damiel
Hacking should be more integrated into other systems. Here are some ideas regarding that.
Currently with hacking, the big ultimate goal is to get through a door and the big proximate goal is to get to the processor. That's fine for a mini-game, but it seems like hacking is supposed to be at least as much of a 'thing' as Captaincy in Starmourn. So why not have more tie-ins to the rest of the game?
1. Junk Data. Just like bashing drops junk and incursions drop space junk, why not have hacking give you junk data? This would give FRAY information brokers an extra use, since you could JUNK SELL DATA at one in order to cash in your mailing lists, security logs, sex holo tapes and grandma's secret waffle recipes for money. It would give another variation for quest design - think a version of the creeper shells quest from Ixsei, but with Windishu ICE dropping quest items instead.
2. Hacking CAC Quest. Same idea as the current 5/5 Incursion Enemies or Obtain Samples quest, but with ICE instead. It could either be hack a certain number of terminals or (more interestingly) to delete a certain number of a specific kind of ICE 20 antivirus, 10 firewalls, 10 scanners, etc. (Antivirus ask for should be more because of how SRA work.) Alternatively, a contract reward which gives you a sliver for 50 FRAY Credits.
3. Crafting/PVP integration! Add special terminal in Tranquility Deepness where people can do HACK TERMINAL PIRATE <skill> [<org>] in order to get five random designs for a particular skill (and optionally from a particular org) added to a temporary shop in the same room at the cost of earning a bounty from that org. Want bootleg Song jumpsuits for some sort of plot? Data piracy is your answer!
1. Junk Data. Just like bashing drops junk and incursions drop space junk, why not have hacking give you junk data? This would give FRAY information brokers an extra use, since you could JUNK SELL DATA at one in order to cash in your mailing lists, security logs, sex holo tapes and grandma's secret waffle recipes for money. It would give another variation for quest design - think a version of the creeper shells quest from Ixsei, but with Windishu ICE dropping quest items instead.
2. Hacking CAC Quest. Same idea as the current 5/5 Incursion Enemies or Obtain Samples quest, but with ICE instead. It could either be hack a certain number of terminals or (more interestingly) to delete a certain number of a specific kind of ICE 20 antivirus, 10 firewalls, 10 scanners, etc. (Antivirus ask for should be more because of how SRA work.) Alternatively, a contract reward which gives you a sliver for 50 FRAY Credits.
3. Crafting/PVP integration! Add special terminal in Tranquility Deepness where people can do HACK TERMINAL PIRATE <skill> [<org>] in order to get five random designs for a particular skill (and optionally from a particular org) added to a temporary shop in the same room at the cost of earning a bounty from that org. Want bootleg Song jumpsuits for some sort of plot? Data piracy is your answer!
Grek
3
Announcements post #250: Kithed for the very first time.
From: Neritus
Subject: Kithed for the very first time.
Hello Sector!
Today we have another batch of class changes! Fury was indeed up next, but the majority of the work for Fury is a part of a larger discussion on damage and damage scaling mechanics. That said, we are skipping Fury for now, including some love for Fulmination, and will return to Fury when Scoundrel is finished. So today it's all about Nanoseer! We have, however, made one critical change to Fury:
- The affliction scaling on Legspike and Swiftcut has been toned down a bit. Essentially, the damage of Legspike/Swiftcut+Slice no longer outclasses, by leaps and bounds, every other ability in the game.
Damage is a difficult thing to get right. We believe that the PvP experience can be vastly improved by toning down how damage is calculated when modified by subsystem damage or afflictions on the target. But we also don't want to hinder PvE rewards in the process. Additionally, we also want the pace of PvE to be balanced between the classes. Thus, we will be working on collecting better metrics server-side so that when and if we do make larger changes to damage output as a whole, we can scale PvE rewards appropriately. This will also let us approach the pass on Fury from a more informed place. When the metrics are implemented, you'll hear about it :)
That all said, on to Nanoseer!
We felt that Nanoseer did not need a whole lot of work. It is a fully-realized class with three achievable instakills. That said, there's always room for improvement, and one area that Nanoseer has struggled with is its ability to maintain the number of affliction stacks on the opponent needed for Minddrain and Mindmelt, especially in the heat of combat with all its hindrances. We also felt that Nanotech damage deserved some love.
- NANO ENVELOP: Envelop now fades after 10 minutes, after arena events, or after 10 minutes. When the Nanoseer and the target are in the same room, Envelop additionally reports when the target's wetwiring heals an affliction, and the subsystem of that affliction. This does not apply to any other means of afflictions healing such as afflictions completing their duration or active abilities.
- VOID RATTLE: The Rattled state from Voidism Rattle has changed. It no longer influences healing power. Instead, the next two afflictions that would be cured by wetwiring do not cure, but rather deal their subsystem damage instead. Wears off after triggering twice or 20 seconds. This has a per-target cooldown of 40s. Envelop additionally reports when Rattle's effect occurs so long as the caster and target are in the same room, including the specific affliction the target failed to heal.
- NANO ECHOING: Now a non-curable affliction and its damage is up from a quarter of the echoed damage to a half of it.
- Nanotech damage previously scaled to the presence of Frozen. It now scales to Mind subsystem damage on the target. This applies to Swarm, Multistrike, Multiswarm, and Zap. We will be watching this closely, it might be too strong with Nano Affinity.
- Extend should now work on items in your inventory and it adds more duration now.
- OBLIVION MARK REMEMBER should now work correctly.
Hugs and kithes,
Neritus
Subject: Kithed for the very first time.
Hello Sector!
Today we have another batch of class changes! Fury was indeed up next, but the majority of the work for Fury is a part of a larger discussion on damage and damage scaling mechanics. That said, we are skipping Fury for now, including some love for Fulmination, and will return to Fury when Scoundrel is finished. So today it's all about Nanoseer! We have, however, made one critical change to Fury:
- The affliction scaling on Legspike and Swiftcut has been toned down a bit. Essentially, the damage of Legspike/Swiftcut+Slice no longer outclasses, by leaps and bounds, every other ability in the game.
Damage is a difficult thing to get right. We believe that the PvP experience can be vastly improved by toning down how damage is calculated when modified by subsystem damage or afflictions on the target. But we also don't want to hinder PvE rewards in the process. Additionally, we also want the pace of PvE to be balanced between the classes. Thus, we will be working on collecting better metrics server-side so that when and if we do make larger changes to damage output as a whole, we can scale PvE rewards appropriately. This will also let us approach the pass on Fury from a more informed place. When the metrics are implemented, you'll hear about it :)
That all said, on to Nanoseer!
We felt that Nanoseer did not need a whole lot of work. It is a fully-realized class with three achievable instakills. That said, there's always room for improvement, and one area that Nanoseer has struggled with is its ability to maintain the number of affliction stacks on the opponent needed for Minddrain and Mindmelt, especially in the heat of combat with all its hindrances. We also felt that Nanotech damage deserved some love.
- NANO ENVELOP: Envelop now fades after 10 minutes, after arena events, or after 10 minutes. When the Nanoseer and the target are in the same room, Envelop additionally reports when the target's wetwiring heals an affliction, and the subsystem of that affliction. This does not apply to any other means of afflictions healing such as afflictions completing their duration or active abilities.
- VOID RATTLE: The Rattled state from Voidism Rattle has changed. It no longer influences healing power. Instead, the next two afflictions that would be cured by wetwiring do not cure, but rather deal their subsystem damage instead. Wears off after triggering twice or 20 seconds. This has a per-target cooldown of 40s. Envelop additionally reports when Rattle's effect occurs so long as the caster and target are in the same room, including the specific affliction the target failed to heal.
- NANO ECHOING: Now a non-curable affliction and its damage is up from a quarter of the echoed damage to a half of it.
- Nanotech damage previously scaled to the presence of Frozen. It now scales to Mind subsystem damage on the target. This applies to Swarm, Multistrike, Multiswarm, and Zap. We will be watching this closely, it might be too strong with Nano Affinity.
- Extend should now work on items in your inventory and it adds more duration now.
- OBLIVION MARK REMEMBER should now work correctly.
Hugs and kithes,
Neritus