Galanoth the DragonSlayer has created a training ground inside the Coliseum stocked with draconic constructs - perfect for honing your skills in battle and gaining the glory all heroes seek! Take on Lore's most famous dragons and pit your strength against the ferocious Dreadmaw the Defiler!
Battle for fame, fortune, and the thrill of victory against dragons in the Coliseum!
Talk to Nulgath in Battleon to find a Rares shop full of fiendish gear, then head into the Tercessuinotlim zone for all-new quests and merge shop gear!
Team up with your friends to take on the level 60 Dreadmaw boss for a chance to get ArchFiend’s Draconic Destruction Blade!
You voted and these are the results! Thank you to Eukara for help on organizing the voting polls! I'll be updating and releasing at least one of the AQW characters below in the coming weeks.
WHEN: Saturday, Aug 30th @ 2:30 PM WHERE: DragonCon : Grand Salon D (Hilton) WHO: Cysero, Miko, Diozz, Zazul, Stryche... possibly Brutalcorn.
Artix Entertainment Panel & Poster Release
It is that time of the year again. It's time for DragonCon, the largest multi-media, pop culture, science fiction & fantasy convention on the East Coast. This will be our 9th year at DragonCon! Well, it will be for some of us... due to circumstances out of our control several members of the team, including myself, will not be able to attend. We have really good reasons... promise! What do you mean, "How could anything be more important than DragonCon!?" This is not some sort of "My dog ate my homework excuse". This one is legit! Huh? You REALLY need to know why I am unable to go... right now? This very second? For the record, this is not the right place for this. I was planning on making a seperate post. But, alright... well, it has officially been about 9 Months since Trinni and I were married.
*dramatic pause* 9 months... *coughs* We are, um, expecting an epic loot drop. It will be level one, and it is up the server roll to determine if it is a boy or a girl. But one thing is for certain... if the little fella is born during DragonCon, he/she is being named Dragon. O_O. Now THAT is a good excuse :-) So, Cysero, the funniest AE staff member will be running the panel to talk to you about new and existing video game projects!
(Cysero's note: What's this, now? What am I doing when?)
13 Lords of Chaos Poster Launch!
We are commemorating the epic finale of the "current" AdventureQuest Worlds storyline with this freaking incredible 13 Lords of Chaos Poster. Drawn and painted by the collaboration of Diozz and Dage the Evil. It features all 13 Lords of Chaos AND they will be available for sale during our panel in the back of the room for $12. The entire team will sign these posters here at the lab before they are taken to DragonCon. This is means that anyone attending our panel at DragonCon will be able to buy these posters before ANYONE ELSE IN THE WORLD!
If you (like myself) are not able to attend, then rejoice! The posters will officially go on sale at www.HeroMart.com on Tuesday, September 2nd; the same day the team returns home. All posters include codes for in-game items for AQworlds and some of the other games are adding items too.
Poster includes code for in-game items
AdventureQuest Worlds
All-Seeing Spirit Staff
In-Djinn-ious Blade
Chaorrupted Dragonlord's Sword
Escherion's End
One Eyed Claw
Wolfwing's Last Paws
Fallen King's Scythe
Manabranch Staff
Temporal Triune Axe
Kitsune Kitsune Katana
Lion's Fang Blade
Tentacular Whip
BONUS: Quest to create power-ed up versions of each
EpicDuel
Chaos Dragonslayer Sword P
Chaos Dragonslayer Sword E
MechQuest
Chaosawa Mecha (Spoof of the Kurosawa mecha)
If you are unable to afford the posters we are putting together two desktop wallpapers you can download for free. They do not include codes, but they will make your desktop look freaking awesome.
Other merch available at our DragonCon Panel
The team will also be bringing a small selection of items from the HeroMart chamber which you can buy during the panel including: The Card Game, Glow in the Dark T-Shirt, Artix figures and whatever other things Stryche manages to fit in his luggage. These items are available now through our official online shop, www.HeroMart.com but it's more fun to get them from us in person.
WE HAVE A REPUTATION TO UPHOLD!
I expect this to be our best panel ever. For the past several years, our panels have been the loudest, craziest, and most laugher filled (and sometimes dangerous-- thank you Brutalcorn) panels on the DragonCon gaming track. Perhaps it is because the other game studios do not show campy home movies or flood the room with ninjas... or sword wielding half-unicorns to fight random members of the audience. From Voltaire showing up and playing songs to George Lowe narrating live-action Twilly punting.... well, we have 3rd party testimony that our panels are "The Funnest!" And Cysero accidentally hit that particular kid in the head with a curve ball candy bar. Did I mention that we throw candy? Lots of candy. Candy Shotgun. So... I am not going to be there this time, and I am counting on those of you who are to do whatever it takes to make this the most memorable one yet. If Cysero randomly asks you to start playing musical chairs in the middle of the panel... or to sing along to the Japanese version of Frozen... go for it. And send me a video! So I can be jealous of not being there. Then little Dragon will not be the only one crying :-)
I woke up so excited to write this post for you that I was literally singing about it in the car. Out of tune.... and an awkward attempt at a high note resulted in the spilling of my coffee. It is ok, I was parked. Never sing about idle games and drive-- it is the law! BEHOLD... A MONOCHROME TEASER POSTER ANNOUNCING WHAT WE ARE BUILDING WITH CRAZY AWESOME WEIRD COOKIE CLICKER RELATED BACKSTORY!
I LOVE IDLE GAMES!
But what is an Idle Game? It is basically a game that plays itself. Well, sort of. You make all of the major decisions. But the tedious, grinding and farming is done automatically by the game. Because of this, you can leave Idle Games running in the background while you do other important things... like work... or *coughs* play other games, like AdventureQuest Worlds.
BUILDING AN IDLE GAME... BACKSTORY TIME!
Personally, I have been wanting to create an idle game FOREVER!!!! Well, at least since 2005 when I registered IdleQuest.com with aspirations of making an animated, self-playing RPG. There was also the idle game that Rolith and I called, THE BUTTON. What started as an inside joke about my obsession with clicking of DragonFable's big shiny red button turned into a skinner-box style game concept. The idea was you got a point every time you clicked the button. You could use the points to buy upgrades that automatically clicked the button for you or made your clicks worth more. Rolith even made a multiplayer version of this that he posted a few years back (anyone lucky enough to have been there for that?) We had so many weird conversations about making this game but it always kept getting pushed on the backburner. Then late one Friday night, we received a link for Cookie Clicker...
COOKIE CLICKER
OMG!!!! Some one made it! It was called Cookie Clicker. And they made it way better than ours would have been... because they were smart enough to build it with cookies! Rolith and I are extremely competitive when it comes to Idle Games. We ended up staying at the lab was into Saturday morning racing to get some absurd number of Cookie Clicker's Antimatter Condensors. You know... so we could make cookies from the space in-between space. It did not stop there. I played Cookie Clicker legit and hard core for months. The only problem was, I needed to leave the game up and running in a web browser-- and I switch computers a lot during the day. So I bought a cheap computer that I left on 24/7 that did nothing other than run the game. I could remote into that machine from anywhere in the world to monitor my cookie making progress and buy more cookie upgrades.
Cookie Clicker was an international phenomenon. The game spawned a huge number of other idle games on the web, was imitated by fake knock-offs like "Cookie Clickers" (note the S on the end of Clicker) on iPhone and inspired other mobile games like "Make It Rain".
Glancing at that screenshot above you might have noticed there is an ad for AdventureQuest Worlds at the bottom right corner. WHAT!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
How did this happen? Well... you know how we have super players of our games who go to pretty incredible lengths to send me messages in-game or Facebook or Twitter or at conventions, or send huge packages of candy to the lab etc? Because, yeah... I totally stalked the creators of Cookie Clicker in a simliar way to how I started a friendship with Voltaire, One-Eyed Doll and our other celebrity guests that appeared in our games. You know... I sent videos, mailed a broadsword, and um... man, this sounds creepier a lot than it was. (Maybe.)
It is not like it was really like that in real life...
Oh man...
Cookie Clicker was created by Orteil. He coded it in notepad and did all of the pixel art from scratch. He is also hallarious... but way too humble to ever take credit for his genius. Cookie Clicker is hosted on Dashnet which is run by the incredibly kind and smart Opti. Because both of their names start with an "O" it is really easy to accidentally respond to the correct person if you are not paying close enough attention. Which is exactly why I did five times in a row after luring them into AQWorlds chat.
I am not sure if I can accurately explain this... but Orteil and Opti have that honest and true indie game making spirit. You can see how much heart was put into Cookie Clicker. Just talking to them re-inspired in my everything that made me want to make games in the first place. So I asked them one very important question...
Do you like Dragons?
Artix: Orteil, what do you think about Dragons?
Orteil: they're uh Orteil: they're radical. Orteil: then again i call everything radical Orteil: oh Orteil: "dragons : they're alright"
...then I, uh, begged them until they said they would help us with the project anyway :-)
ADVENTUREQUEST: DRAGONS
Dragons is an idle game where you hatch a Dragon egg and then raise it to a full size, element-breathing, world conquering, Dragon. Except there is not one Dragon... there are lots. Each Dragon will have a unique story told through the simple Idle Game style interface. Each Dragon is also obsessed with a different type of Gem which is what you will initially click on to earn points for your Dragon until you get upgrades so the Dragon can earn gems on it's own. True to the way of the idle game, we are adding a feature so your dragons will continue earning gems even when the app or website is closed.
Baby Energy Dragon - drawn by Oishii, Painted by Dage.
The Dragons are being drawn by Dage, Thyton and Oishii. Originally we were going to anime-style shade them, but both Dage and Thyton's painting skills are getting so amazing that we asked them if it would be possible to paint them all. So far the results have been breathtaking. Yergen is working on subtle animations to give them even more life.
We painted the interface too. Warlic is coding it as you read this. It is hands-down the most beautiful thing our team has produced yet. Meanwhile, I have been working on the writing the stories and progression system with the Cookie Clicker guys. I *REALLY* enjoy working with them. Hope they feel the same. This game is a lot smaller in scope than our other game projects. So, why am I more excited about this than I have ever been about a game before?
Check back often to find out how you can help us test and brainstorm for our upcoming mobile/web idle game, AdventureQuest Dragons! (Cysero's Note: If you REALLY want to know how to become a tester for our games, FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS)
Chaos rages high above the DoomSkull plains, as the Dracolich Castle and the Skyguard's ships fill the sky. The time has come for Empress Gravelyn and the Shadowscythe to attack Drakath in the heart of his realm! Meanwhile, in the Underworld, YOU face the battle of your life... against Death himself!
Fight for your life as you battle towards your fight against Death while Gravelyn attacks Drakath!
Infernal Warrior, IShadowscythe’s Light sets, and Blockbuster Battle gear are all in your game menu!
Hunt through Yokai for our Blockbuster battle gear or find Guardans of the Galaxy gear in the MQLesson zone!
The dark and inspirational story of AdventureQuest World's writer and community manager, Beleen, was poted today. You can read the exclusive on video game review site, GameSkinny.
This week will probably be remembered best as the week we dropped all of our guards and explosed our soft underbellies. After writing that I looked up at the picture of Beleen and realized her stomach was exposed... which was completely unintentional, but so funny that I left it in then wrote this line to qualify it. Diozz drew that outfit with a lot of skin.
On the way to the lab this morning, I saw Beleen as she was riding her bike. She had just turned the corner into the plaza where the lab is located. We have been friends and co-workers for a long time now... but there were some things in that article that I did not fully appriciate until I read it. Beleen is a really special person, and it is inspiring how she found her happiness.
The post previously scheduled for today (Idle Games) will be coming tomorrow. See you then!
Thank you for being so understanding and supportive in yesterday's Design Notes post. I am a little embarrased to admit just how much fuzzy warmth I felt in my heart after reading your comments on the post, on Facebook, via email, and also several heart felt private messages -- including some surprising ones from staff members. "Never give up!" and "Go for it!" and "Battle on!" were the tenants echoed through the messages. The internet can be such a brutal and cruel place-- but you were there for me during this rough time. I will always do my very best to be here for you too. My email is Artix (at) AQ.com -- keep that somewhere safe for emergencies. Please do remember, the best way to send me a message is to post it as a comment below-- because then multiple staff and myself will see it.
NEW VIDEO GAME PROJECTS
"So you want to make a game?" I have two green lit game projects that I am excited to announce. One is a project of passion, the other is a long overdue game that is part of a bigger plan to move us toward our ultimate goal.
Secret Game Project #1 - to be announced this week (will need your help)
Secret Game Project #2 - to be announced next week (will need LOTS of your help!!!!!)
Technology Experiments - will be talking about this randomly (want to help test?)
While the teams are working on projects for their specific games, I have been directly involved in the following things for AQWorlds. You will quickly notice that my list is focused on the less glamorous, "under the hood" base improvements. things like reverse enginering the amazing questing system that we had built for AQ3D and retrofitting it into AQWorlds for the upcoming new storyline. Once these changes are finished I would like to work on PvP/Stats improvement-- which will require a server rewrite. Contrary to speculation, those new character models and NPCs I have been getting your opinion on in Facebook are not for AdventureQuest Worlds. Although, depending on how we all feel about it-- it might be very closely related.
Writing Drakath finale with Geopetal which includes the final battle then opening up AQW's "real storyline." If you think the last few parts of this saga's finale were amazing and surprising-- you are REALLY going to enjoy the things that happen next. We really need help from our video-making friends in doing some recaps of what happened in the storyline for people who are not up to date.
Optional Facebook login (improved account security) - In Development
Improved Quest Interface system - Designed, but Dev starts after Facebook
Improved World map with storie-mode, cutscene buttons, and shops built in - In Development
The Art and Lore of AQWorlds Book - In Development
JAPAN... Anime, Manga, Robots, Sasuke & Video Games
If you follow me on Twitter and/or Facebook, then you know I recently returned from the otaku/geek capital of the world, Akiba. (Akihabara the "Electric town", located in Tokyo, Japan.) I brought you back lots of weird stories... and would really love to share them. No-one in the lab knows why I was there, or what I was doing. But needless to say my creative batteries are fully recharged. Half way through my trip, our friend Aersion showed up in Tokyo and we went to Sasuke park to do the obstacle course.(The TV show American Ninja Warrior is based off the Japanese TV show "Sasuke".)
O_O Did I just write a post loosely summarizing the potential topics of future posts? Here we go! Tune in tomorrow for an obessive posts about games that you do not need to play to win! Thank you again... and BATTLE ON!
P.S. Anyone else excited about Doctor Who starting back up with the new Doctor!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
The hardest part of writing a design notes is writing the first few words. So I asked you and my other friends on Twitter to give me a hand...
"A Short time ago, in a galaxy exactly here...." - @Dashing_Knight
"random shoutout to Slinky!" - @SlinkyAE
"It was a daarrrrrk and storrrrmy niiiight" - @Aeonarial
"I've just slain another undead army wearing underpants and using a toothpick!" - @ViddyFoxy
"Cheeki Breeki" - @Green_Leaper
"Milk!" - @CoffeeAQW
"Fluffy bunnies" @Cisco_HS
"This week, lemons will be added in to aqw!" - @lord_mianite_aq
"Server hampsters diet includes;" - @Zoshi_AE
"Artix please answer my question1" - @Mo345_AE
"I scream for ice cream!" - @TheRamzor
"Okay so for this week our targeted windows are..." - @BobbYow_
"Ladies and Gentle Men and Moglins I now Present to you etc...." - @Draeceroth
It seems like it would be easier... especially considering that for 9 years I started every day writing a design notes post about what the team and I were working on. Occassionally, a design notes posts would unexpectantly go viral. This was the case when we were building DragonFable and I made a rap spoof of the Aqua Teen Hunger Force theme song. 4chan and the Something Aweful forums lit up with comments like "OMG! This game creator just publically lost his mind!" Those of you who read the design notes always knew secrets and had a deeper insight into what was going to come. We also built things together-- which was the most special and unique thing about AE and players like you.
"This one time while i was at band camp" -@RockLeaAQW
Which is why, of course, the best, my favorite Design Notes memories was from AdventureQuest 3D. We broke all of the rules. It was just a black page full of daily updated randomness. We first posted about the USB powered super computer couch-- and posted diagrams and pictures. We posted "found footage" of EbilCorp breaking into the lab and started a really over the top youtube video storyline. Between you guys and the team, it was a truly amazing inside joke we shared. Although... shockingly, some folks believed those crazy videos were real. Meanwhlie, we were creating 3D art, animation and designing a world. Every time we made a post we would read your feedback and make changes and revise our plans. You could just feel the creative engergy. Everything seemed on the right path... then, literally overnight, it happened. AQ3D came to a screeching halt. It broke my heart when the project abruptly fell apart. It was a disaster. You can read the painful details of what happened in any number of older posts. But if you are a long time player of our games, you probably noticed something equally disturbing... I stopped writing Design Notes posts.
"Next time on Dragonhall AE" - @JudgeAcumen
I titled this post: "How to Write Design Notes 101" for a darn good reason. There is a single, secret truth to writing design notes. But it is not a "how" it is a "why".... and the reason WHY is because when you wake up in the morning, and you are so bursting with excitement about whatever you are working on that you will litterally explode if you do not tell people. It is a compulsion. Like an itch that you can never scratch.... or if you do scratch it, it just gets itchier. SO ITCHY!!!!!! AND NO ITCH CREAM CAN HELP!!! Every morning, I would write the design notes in my mind, while standing in the shower... I could not wait to get to the lab, boot up my computer and start typing it in. Your comments, messages and posts would fuel my creativity and passion... even if you were literally the only one to make a comment. (This would often drive the team crazy because they all know I listen to you more than any of them.) From video games to toys, music, art and videos-- I live and breath for the excitement of our high paced, real-time creative cycle. So "how to Write a Design Notes?"... easy. Do what you love and allow yourself, and others, to fall deeper in love with it the more you work on it.
"just say what come the first in your mind artix and tell us what goes to happen coz u r great in writing design notes .Xoxo me" - @RelaxBleu
It is obvious to anyone that I love our games. So... why did I stop writing design notes? Honest answer-- I still, to this day, feel unbelievably terrible about AdventureQuest 3D. I feel terrible because, everyone worked so hard on it, everyone was so excited for it-- but it just did not happen. I feel terrible, because there is no way for us to just pick up from where we left off. Really, there is not. Everything would need to be redone from scratch now and we do not have the money, the number of team members, nor the talent to build a game of that scope correctly... and we shot down any suggestions to do it half-arsed. Like a heavy iron chain and shackles, the ghost of that project has kept me trapped in place. If I have never apologized about what happened with the AdventureQuest 3D project before... then please... sincerely... from my heart...
I AM SORRY....
You might be thinking "You are apologizing for something we all got over a year and ago?" To which the answer is Yes x 9,999. It has been haunting me... and this is one type of undead that only you can slay. Every time I go to make a post it is the thing that stops me. Our game plans and projects have changed and shifted a lot in the past year. Like we have been caught in some sort of ground hogs day where everything we want to build is infeasable. Technology and games are changing fast... and I feel like we are trapped. New indie game makers are experimenting with new game concepts and buliding fun projects. WE should be buliding fun new experimental things together.... right? As we speak, Major game studios are releasing 2D games that look terrible. Our 2D art is amazing-- so why are we not competiting against them with our artists and animators current skill? If we are really going to accomplish all of our goals and dreams, we need to start doing the the things we are good at-- and we should keep improving until we are the best in the world at it! I want to unlock the shackles and get back to making and getting excited about making awesome games. AQ3D is still a goal for the future. Just not the immediate future. You probably already know that the very reason I wrote this to you is because I cannot personally do this without you.... your enthusiasm, your encouraging words, and your eagerness to help build crazy game projects with me whether they contain the term "3D" or not.
"Paladin Shouts Out Battle Cry and Destroy All the Neighborhood's Windows" - @HuggiestWolf
I am very eager to announce the new things we have started working on and get you involved in them. There are two perticuarly big projects involving the pictures I have been posting to Facebook and Twitter. Of course, a lot of this depends if enough people have the same itch I do after reading this. Also... having not posted in so long has left me with an enourmous pile of untold stories and adventures-- some embarrasing. Some REALLY embarrassing. I know you can never go back to the 'good old days'... but as sure as the sun rises in the morning, we can create all new 'GOOD NEW DAYS!'
It is a good day for adventure.
P.S. Thank you for reading this.
P.P.S. If you missed out on suggesting a starting sentence for this post, you are invited to post it in the comments below!
Empress Gravelyn has watched the Alliance crumble and Chaos spread like a plague across her world... and she is DONE preparing!
This Friday, she is readying for the first step in her assault on Mount DoomSkull - raising Shadowfall, her dracolich fortress! She will need help from all who wish to defeat Chaos! Will you stand by her side?
Fight for your life as you battle through Death’s Realm to help Gravelyn!
Find the Living Shadows Rares shop with the Infernal Caladbolg and Living Shadow Assassin sets!
Next Wednesday: login for the Gaurdians of the Galaxy and Teenage Mutant Yokai Kappa shop and item hunt!
The Wheel of Doom leaves August 23rd; make sure to get your last spins in before it goes rare for good!
You guys had some really good questions for Titan. There were a few rage posts posing as questions, a few questions about AQW (Titan works on ED not AQW) and a few things that were just statements or suggestions but for the most part people asked a lot of really great questions.
Titan went through them all and picked his favorites to answer. The ED team is in crazy crunch mode right now, coming in early and working very late (16 and 17 hour days) so the fact that Titan was kind enouhg to take some time out to answer your questions was very generous of him.
You asked. Titan answered...
Mr.Butter: Favorite Number?.. Because why not..
7
YamiKakyuu: What games inspired you as a kid when you were creating EpicDuel?
As a kid I played Zelda on NES (had the gold cartridge) loved it. Dragon Warrior 1, and an awesome game no one has ever heard of called the Magic of Scheherazade. Later I got into RTS games like Warcraft, Age of Empires and more strategy based games. I was in college when I started the EpicDuel project from my dorm room. ED started a class project, my goal was to beat Artix Entertainment to PvP, but now we’re all on the same team.
Ellonnah: How do you like your eggs? :D
Over-medium with hot sauce
D.A.N.: Where do you see EpicDuel's future in 5 years?
Our goal is to empower our most creative players to help us create content, drive the storyline, and maintain balance. EpicDuel’s future will be in the player’s hands.
D.A.N.: Do you have any siblings? If so, how many? Can you tell us a story about one?
I have an older brother. Really smart guy. He works for the same company that makes both Frank’s Red Hot, and Durex Condoms. He’s a category manager responsible for 8 major brands in the US. When I was little he setup a zipline in our backyard and built a pulley out of legos, then proceeded to convince me to be his test dummy and jump out of a tree 15 feet up. Scream, Ouch. Hospital. Fail.
One Winged Angel: What was it like working at your old local before moving down to the Underground Lab?
Working on ED before joining Artix was scary but exciting. Had absolutely no money, shared a small apartment with Nightwraith, lived on $80 / month for food for both of us. I remember when we sold our first “Elite” upgrade (that’s what we called it before Artix)... I was so excited I broke the handle off the screen door trying to get outside and tell people.
Vejix: If you had the option of going back in time to change anything you want. Would you?
Nah, that’s OP.
jackhunt: who or wat inspired you to make epicdeul ?
I was in a college Flash authoring class for my Computer Science degree, and for a project I was going to make a Flash-based resume that I could potentially show to future employers. My professor basically told me that was a super-boring idea and suggested I do something more fun. So I changed the idea to a turn-based fighting game.
D.A.N.: Could you describe with lots of details how you make a sandwich?
Grilled cheese and tomato-wich coming up. Gotta have a good bread, this is critical. Something flavorful, maybe Rye, or Sourdough. Next, melt some butter, spread a little on each slice of bread. Get yourself at least 2 different cheeses, one mild, one strong, and cut a few thin slices off each brick. Get your pan on med-high, assemble your sandwich with tomatoes between the cheese to prevent the bread from soggin’. Cook on each side til golden awesome, and you’re done. Bonus, stick some bacon in there because why not.
2046808: Do you like potatoes?
Sure, boil em, mash em, stick em in a stew.
PyroPuppy: What do you like the most about the AE community? Sure, we can be a real pain, with all of our annoying questions (Right here!), but we also have our great moments. Is there something in particular you're proud of?
I’m proud of the game as a whole and everything we’ve learned along the way. It started as nothing, an experiment, a class project, and then evolved into something pretty amazing overtime.
PyroPuppy: I know many staff members don't work from the lab, and some don't work from the US at all. Did you had the chance to meet any of them?
Sure, I’ve met some volunteers and remote staff at conventions, and others have taken trips to visit us at the lab.
PyroPuppy: Have you ever had the the chance to see a AE player in real life at a random place? Did they recognize you? What was their response after recognizing you / finding out who you are?
Aside from at conventions, this has actually never happened, really glad I’m not that famous, haha.
PyroPuppy: I'm sure there's quite a difference between your real-life appearance and your NPC's look. Was a player ever really surprised by your real-life look?
People are probably less shocked that I’m not a mysterious mountain dwelling bearded guy in neon yellow and green armor, and more surprised that I’m I am 6’6” skinny white guy.
PyroPuppy: Do you picture yourself working on a new game, other than ED, in the future of AE?
Definitely, although making the time to do so hinges on our ability to empower the ED community. In the past few months we’ve worked with several amazing volunteers to teach them how to create visual content. We’re in the process of expanding our toolsets to allow the community to also balance the game on the data side of things.
shayshay: Why won't you ever listen to your player base and want they want in the game instead of just what you think might be good for us?
While at times it may not feel that way, we’re constantly trying to deliver what the players want. Our primary goal is to empower the player base to create content, balance the game, and drive ED forward.
Epfmaster: Are you a star trek fan?
I’ve watched my fair share. Not sure I’m a fan of the newer movies though, I really enjoy episodes with the Borg.
GhostGod: How often do you play ED?
Every day, although unfortunately mostly on the dev server because that’s where the work gets done.
GhostGod: Will you ever let us fight Dage?
This is a good idea.
Trans: Do you often find yourself struggling to release something, balance and non-balance related, due to engine limitations?
Sometimes. I like to say that nothing is impossible in the game, it’s just a matter of how long it will take to build. Our dev cycles usually involve a cost-benefit analysis in terms of time. So we list what we could do in a given week, and then select the changes, features, balance updates, and bug fixes that would have the most positive impact on the game.
GogetaSS4: Will you guys be ever bringing back agility?
Probably not.
SMGS: How do you feel about the current state of EpicDuel? If you are satisfied with the current state, what plans do you have to keep the player base? If not, what do you plan to do to attract new players?
I’m difficult to please, so I don’t think I would ever be completely satisfied with the current state of ED. EpicDuel needs to be better balanced, and we need to make further improvements to our content creation pipeline.
SMGS: What is the biggest challenge you've faced as a developer?
The most difficult thing I’ve ever done was rewrite the battle engine for EpicDuel during the transition to Omega. Over 10,000 lines of code we’re written in a matter of 40 days. I barely slept, was over caffeinated, and probably did permanent damage to my body trying to get it done. In hindsight, I wish we spent even more time on the engine but due to pressure from the company to get it released by Christmas, we had to make some sacrifices. If there is one thing I’ve learned from EpicDuel and from working at Artix Entertainment is that it’s better to spend the time upfront to do things right or you’ll pay for it later. Measure twice, cut once.
SMGS: How has the acquisition of AE affected EpicDuel (positively or negatively)?
Artix and I have very different philosophies about games. Artix likes to crank out games super quick, dive right in and fix things on the fly as problems arise. I on the other hand like to plan things out, and shoot for a longer-term solid plan. It can be be difficult for us at times to work together, but in the end a mix of both strategies is probably the best way to go. In general, it's been a very positive experience. Bringing the AE community into ED has been great.
The_Argonaut: Why are there so few Skill Cores being introduced?
Now that any weapon can have the same stats, Cores are crucial for diversity. But you have cases like guns, which now have a wide selection of exactly one non-Rare Active Core
MohamedM: Serious Question ! how old are you ^_^ ? :D
I’ll be 30 on August 11.
GhostGod: How old were you when you started Epicduel?
Hmm, I started the class project around 2006, so I would have been, 22 or 23.
GhostGod: Why can't we have a lot of simple features implemented into the game every week? Like 3 new missions, weekly challenges, 2 cores a week, a win/lose counter, solo options on some bosses.? etc etc. I'm not a programmer but these sound simple enough.
We do try to implement some content and smaller features each week, but sometimes to make engine level progress we have to sacrifice the smaller content releases in order to get the larger features out.
Withered: Why Titan of all names?
Started out as an ED character name way back from the first iterations of the game and just stuck I guess. Not really inspired from any sources.
One Winged Angel: We've seen the pictures on twitter of you towering over the other ED team members but how tall are you actually?
6’6” on a good day.
D.A.N.: Could you explain the origin of your name, and how the name EpicDuel was created?
In college I had several working titles, but when it came down to it, we needed something that was short, somewhat explained the game, and that wasn’t already in use. I snatched up the domain name early on and the name stuck.
Fredy: Scorpion or Sub Zero?
Easy one, Sub Zero all way. I actually really like fighting games. My now wife and I used to play Mortal Combat 3 in the dorm all the time on her old SNES. She was a force, but I could usually take her as Sub Zero. (She will probably argue otherwise).
Aero: What is the most effective way to get a question answered by a Dev? because Twitter is not an efficient option anymore.
Create a forum topic that clearly states the question with support from other members in the community and we or our volunteer staff will generally respond with our thoughts.
DualThrusters: We all know you like bacon, but have you ever tried the Bacon Bowl :O
Nope. That’s a dangerous concept for someone like me.
DualThrusters: Where did you graduate?
Bachelors Degree - Computer Science and Information Systems Masters Degree - Business Administration Youngstown State University, Ohio
s.michael: Can we have a trade system in epicduel?
Really common question, but at this point we have no intention to implement a direct player to player trade system. While it would be really cool, this would introduce many new risks that our systems are not prepared to deal with.
Vertice: What are the required qualifications to become a member of the AE team? And which did you posses when you joined?
The best advice I can offer anyone interesting in getting into this industry is to simply make a game. Concept it out on paper first if you need to… even if you have no coding or art experience, just come up with the concept. What you’ll find is that once you have a general idea of what you want to build, you can always break it down into smaller chunks. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. I think there may be a misconception that you need a specific set of degrees or school coursework to get a job in the gaming industry. This is false, you need to prove that you’re someone who is willing to work hard and learn independently. Making your game or learning by volunteering is the best way to get experience, and ultimately that’s how I am now working with Artix Entertainment.
(Cysero's note: Read more about how to become a member of the AE team HERE)
ExodusRaven: On a scale of 1-10, how much do you enjoy home fries?
Some where in the 9er range.
Desti_ED: How would i go about becoming a moderator if you are searching? i am a very old player haha , all the way back to elite days. So i was just wondering thanks!
Get really active in the forums. Do something positive that forces our attention. Some of our currently volunteers have been discovered because of how frequently they would show up being helpful in the forums or because they created amazing volunteer artwork and have now joined the ranks of Charfade’s Awesome Army of Art.
(Cysero's note: Read more about how to become a member of the AE team HERE)
Rui.: why does the titan bike have onions rings and not smoke ?
Because Nightwraith and Charfade like to play up the fact that I’m a deranged burger and junk food-aholic. Might have to ask them for more details on that one.
LillyBird: Titan, Do you find working on EpicDuel as a leisure activity or is it just a job. And How much time do you actually spend playing your own game? and do you find your own game enjoyable?
EpicDuel started as a hobby, then it became an obsession, and now I'm fortunate to say it's my career. I've enjoyed building and playing EpicDuel from the start, and I think like anything, if you don't love what you're doing you should probably be doing something else. I play ED all the time throughout development, but I don't play on the Live servers as much given our obvious time constraints. I enjoy making games, but make no mistake, it's not always a walk in the park.
Godrickk: do u speak another language?
I took Spanish and French in school for what ever that's worth but let's go with no.
Omega Stuff:
Finally, while I have the opportunity, I wanted to address a common theme that keeps popping up in the forums, on Twitter and even in many of your questions. There seems to be a strong notion that the changes implemented in Omega negatively impacted the game and additionally comments that suggest we should just revert back to a previous phase of ED to make things "better." I want to be extremely clear that Omega was a necessary system change to allow us to continue developing the game. It's difficult to concisely explain the technical limitations we faced prior to Omega, but by overhauling the battle engine and other back-end systems, we were able to continue adding new features and content. Without Omega, EpicDuel would be more or less stuck. System changes are understandably under-appreciated, and with that I can understand player frustration, but at the same time, it's important to realize that EpicDuel could not have continued without many of the back-end improvements. Regarding any player-facing features that may have fallen short of your expectations, I apologize, and we expect to continue making improvements to the game per your feedback.
Once again, thanks to Titan for taking time to answer these questions. Let us know in the comments below if you enjoyed this Q&A and we'll do more.
