Pencil Sketch
Gearing Up
Beta 1 is a smashing hit by our calculations, which means we have even more work to do. The entire team would like to thank you for your
continued support and dedication through these tough times.
-The WTIH Team
Celebrating our 30th day of Beta 1
The release of our newsletter this month coincides with the thirth day anniversary since the release of the beta 1 client. While we still have a good
amount of territory to work through, it is very clear that we have gone through a tremendous number of updates in the last month!
Combat is more solid
It took a few passes for us to get it right, but the new combat rules are vastly superior to our previous incarnations. Finding the mix and balancing
out risk versus reward is never an easy task, but we did a pretty good job of finding a healthy dosage of both. Special thanks to Shadow, Taliesin and
others for helping us to evolve the combat rules.
Interfacing is improved
Starting out from the main menu all the way through to gameplayelements, we've updated and are in the process of changing out interfaces based on your
feedback. Early on in the process it was fairly difficult to figure out where your equipment should go, but this is no longer the case. Coming up in
the next few weeks are further updates to the quest engine, tracking, and a few other interfacing pieces.
Itemization and Zones
Initially, we set out with just the one zone and started adding in the other areas. However, as we began play testing through things with you, it
became clear that many of the zones needed improvements. While the zones are not yet where we want them, you can definitely walk around in the world
now and begin to feel that tug of .I'm somewhere else..
In this same period of time, we've also let loose the carnage of the depths with the launch of Rhapsody. Rhapsody, based on the story behind the NPC of
the same name (Hint: the Gorge) carries forward a cave in the depths of lost hills where the undead seep out into the wild. Without a doubt, Rhapsody
has been our most favored visiting place for adventurers and we're glad you've enjoyed it. The principles learned in building and putting Rhapsody
together are what we're now applying to other areas.
Included in this zone process is a revamp in progress for the Outskirts Zone. It is still early on in the process for the revamp and there are still
areas that need some gentle correction, but a casual tour of the new zone scale will reveal a tremendously larger and more interesting place.
Lastly, as itemization goes we continue to add in item drops at a fierce rate to coincide with zone deployment. There are zones where itemization is
clearly lacking (Graveyard, halfblood) and other areas where it is doing quite well (Rhapsody). Regardless, it is only a matter of time before
itemization of these zones runs it course. At last count, there are over 2,000 unique items in the game.
Revised skills, spells and abilities
As we continue to playtest through the various levels with the different character concepts, we have a working, iterative cycle of improving player
abilities. On the immediate horizon are improvements to the ranger class and spell upgrades for the spell casters to make their dungeon going
experience a bit more fruitful.
==Dev Shack==
See what we're working on and be part of the excitement!
Beta 2 Dev 0 Begins in July
The beta 2 process will soon begin. There are several areas that require a bit more time to implement and are beyond the scope of content additions to
the game. There are engine related changes that we need to put in place, functionality that needs to get fixed, and a few surprises that will really
set us away from the pack.
When Beta 2 starts, we'll be providing basic maintenance and content for the beta 1 client and will be focusing on the functionality items that you'll
be able to see in the Dev Shack.
As part of this process, we'll no longer be accepting registrations for the game and will be making it temporarily unavailable for new players. Anyone
interested in a further beta account will need to wait until we launch the official beta 2 client before being capable of signing up for a new account.
Those of you who have active accounts will be able to enjoy the current game, any content additions we make, and will be automatically enrolled in the
beta 2 process.
The tentative start date for beta 2 is mid-july, but it could come sooner. We'll post an official announcement about the release of beta 2.
To ensure that work gets done on beta 2, we'll be locking Claus and Nick in a very dark room where we have hired a contingent of seventeen Disciples of
Mivalich to whip them and torment them. Malevolent will slowly be fed to hungry junk wolves until he finishes that quest engine rewrite.
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