I guess I'm mostly making this post because we've been able to include some new, permanent "quest" type content in the last few updates that seems to have gone over well, but I don't see us being able to get a new quest in for update 56, so I just wanted to kind of mention that and get it out of the way.
The reasons are that I'm going to have to do a bunch of other stuff for 56 that will probably eat up most of my "free development" time, by which I mean time that isn't taken up by all the stuff I have to do every six weeks anyway, like critical missions, story development, events, and so forth.
The time-eaters particular to update 56 will be:
- The Halloween update
This falls between updates 55 and 56, and although it will I think pretty much just be the same zombies and Jack-o-Lanterns deal as last year, it'll take me a bit of time anyway just to get the seven new masks put in, and the pumpkins put back in place, and all that sort of thing.
- New archive missions and rewards
Chapter 8 critical missions have to be available in archive form starting in update 56 (chapter 9.1), so I have to put in some time copying those in and making all the keys and tokens and so forth, not to mention coming up with some kind of FX reward symbolic of chapter 8 in some way (hmm...), and, oh, three new org-specific clothing reward items for doing all the Zion/Mach/Merv missions for chapters 5-8. Hm... As long as you don't mind black, I think you'll like what's planned for those.
Also, starting with the next update, level-scaling resistance buffs on all of the event/archive items that have them now (Security T-shirts, the red Merv archive coat, etc etc etc) will be doubled, meaning that they'll give a level 50 character +22 in all four resistances, instead of the current +11.
- New story stuff for chapter 9.1
Hm I guess I shouldn't say much about it. But there is a lot of work to be done in this area on some distinctly different stuff than what we usually do. Some people will be put off by the difference initially, I think, and all I can say is that *this* time it will actually be relevant to the broader story--and the story is becoming much broader, at that. The Matrix we play in is a tiny place, but one of my hopes for the story is to show how the Matrix is/will be the nexus or hub of a larger (story) universe. Well I hope you're all scared now.
Okay, so by the time I'm done with all that stuff, I don't think I'll have quest-making type time before I have to start churning out the 9.1 critical missions. But I am hoping to get in some mostly visual tweaks and changes to things that could use them and that I'm capable of changing (ie that don't require a smart codey person like Dracomet).
So far I've already fixed up weapon muzzle flashes, so they won't be in the middle of your hands, or the middle of your gun's silencer, or spouting shell casings from the tip of the rifle barrel, or that kind of nonsense like they are now.
Other stuff on my list to get to, if possible (please note that I do not anticipate getting ALL of these items done; it's sort of a working wish-list, if you will; the first two at least I *think* have a decent chance of getting done, but who knows):
- go through all special moves and finishers, add or tweak bullet-time where necessary (this is the main one; not very hard, will just take some time to go through them all and get them looking awesome)
- fix 1500+ animations that are using body-type-specific skeletons instead of the appropriate skeleton for the character's body--this is causing some popping, particularly at the shoulders and hips, when transitioning between the affected animations...except for muscular males (body type 2), who are sort of the default skeletal type (easy for me, nightmare for QA)
- fix positioning of dual weapons in hands so they aren't floating off the palm (kinda tricky)
- tone down the hacker FX besides the already-toned-down red ones (this one could be a pain)
- make all ability icons that float off the target's head semi-transparent like eh whichever one ability tree is now (this could be another pain)
- make the trees in Yuki stop disappearing when you look at them sideways (easy)
- fix the horizon fog blending in the constructs so that you don't see a big icky dark square thing out at the horizon when you hyperjump (slightly time-consuming but not too bad)
The reasons are that I'm going to have to do a bunch of other stuff for 56 that will probably eat up most of my "free development" time, by which I mean time that isn't taken up by all the stuff I have to do every six weeks anyway, like critical missions, story development, events, and so forth.
The time-eaters particular to update 56 will be:
- The Halloween update
This falls between updates 55 and 56, and although it will I think pretty much just be the same zombies and Jack-o-Lanterns deal as last year, it'll take me a bit of time anyway just to get the seven new masks put in, and the pumpkins put back in place, and all that sort of thing.
- New archive missions and rewards
Chapter 8 critical missions have to be available in archive form starting in update 56 (chapter 9.1), so I have to put in some time copying those in and making all the keys and tokens and so forth, not to mention coming up with some kind of FX reward symbolic of chapter 8 in some way (hmm...), and, oh, three new org-specific clothing reward items for doing all the Zion/Mach/Merv missions for chapters 5-8. Hm... As long as you don't mind black, I think you'll like what's planned for those.
Also, starting with the next update, level-scaling resistance buffs on all of the event/archive items that have them now (Security T-shirts, the red Merv archive coat, etc etc etc) will be doubled, meaning that they'll give a level 50 character +22 in all four resistances, instead of the current +11.
- New story stuff for chapter 9.1
Hm I guess I shouldn't say much about it. But there is a lot of work to be done in this area on some distinctly different stuff than what we usually do. Some people will be put off by the difference initially, I think, and all I can say is that *this* time it will actually be relevant to the broader story--and the story is becoming much broader, at that. The Matrix we play in is a tiny place, but one of my hopes for the story is to show how the Matrix is/will be the nexus or hub of a larger (story) universe. Well I hope you're all scared now.
Okay, so by the time I'm done with all that stuff, I don't think I'll have quest-making type time before I have to start churning out the 9.1 critical missions. But I am hoping to get in some mostly visual tweaks and changes to things that could use them and that I'm capable of changing (ie that don't require a smart codey person like Dracomet).
So far I've already fixed up weapon muzzle flashes, so they won't be in the middle of your hands, or the middle of your gun's silencer, or spouting shell casings from the tip of the rifle barrel, or that kind of nonsense like they are now.
Other stuff on my list to get to, if possible (please note that I do not anticipate getting ALL of these items done; it's sort of a working wish-list, if you will; the first two at least I *think* have a decent chance of getting done, but who knows):
- go through all special moves and finishers, add or tweak bullet-time where necessary (this is the main one; not very hard, will just take some time to go through them all and get them looking awesome)
- fix 1500+ animations that are using body-type-specific skeletons instead of the appropriate skeleton for the character's body--this is causing some popping, particularly at the shoulders and hips, when transitioning between the affected animations...except for muscular males (body type 2), who are sort of the default skeletal type (easy for me, nightmare for QA)
- fix positioning of dual weapons in hands so they aren't floating off the palm (kinda tricky)
- tone down the hacker FX besides the already-toned-down red ones (this one could be a pain)
- make all ability icons that float off the target's head semi-transparent like eh whichever one ability tree is now (this could be another pain)
- make the trees in Yuki stop disappearing when you look at them sideways (easy)
- fix the horizon fog blending in the constructs so that you don't see a big icky dark square thing out at the horizon when you hyperjump (slightly time-consuming but not too bad)
Thank you Master Bit!
That's something a bit special.
