Tonight’s grab bag, on the wings of the storm:
Q: "I gathered the 50 Magical Scarab Wings that Tey wanted. He gave me the Magical Scarab Gloves, but when I put them on, the Cursed Scarab-wing Vest was nowhere to be seen. Is this encounter bugged?"
A: The answer from our Quest Lady-In-Waiting: ”The Cursed Scarab-wing Vest does not spawn when the player receives, nor does it spawn when the player equips the gloves. The Vest has its own independent spawn that works the same way as most monster spawns. And, like most artifact-related spawns, the Vest is a fairly rare spawn. Check Tey's camp from time to time, and you will eventually catch the Vest when it's up.”
Q: Will there be more character slots with the new expansion?
A: Yep, two more. No need to delete any alts.
Q: Did you change the agg range on the setians? First we thought it was just a fluke, but we got aggro from across clipping range. My group was very upset that the range was CLIPPING range.
A: I asked someone on the live team to investigate – we have not changed anything on the camp recently, and in her words, “no setians are set to have an aggression radius longer than a standard archer range.”We took a look, and the camp in question seems fine.
Now, anyone with ten minutes of experience with an MMORPG knows that sometimes things can go all hinky even without the developers changing anything. Therefore, our lady on the content team continues: “If you experience unusual aggression range or behavior by any mob, please file a bug appeal with the name of the monster, the /loc of the camp, and the zone so we can check for any problems.” I would also ask that you tell us what it used to be, as well as what it seems to be now.
Q: Is the camp bonus resetting to zero a bug that happened with the server room reorganisation, or can we expect that to happen every time the servers go down to be patched?
A: Right now, it’s not a bug. It really was designed to be that way, for a bunch of technical reasons having to do with memory and server storage and performance. However – we are investigating ways to streamline the process and record the information for all nine billion monsters when we have to take down the servers. I make no promises and give no ETA’s, but we have heard the feedback on the topic requesting the bonuses be saved, and are looking into it.
Q: Does Mastery of Focus, level 2, benefit my Minstrel when its instrument specialization is 50 + 11 + RR?
For example, since Stunning Below is a level 40 instant, and with Mastery of Focus level 2, I interpret the ability as meaning it will be assumed to be a level 49 instant when calculating resists.
The Major Cacophony is a level 44 shout, and with this ability I interpret the ability as meaning it will be assumed to be a level 50 instant when calculating resists.
I've read comments by other players stating that I would only benefit if my specialization was lower than 50, indicating that having 50 specialization in instruments has the same effect as Mastery of Focus 2 would have on someone with only 41 in instruments.
A: I really appreciate the detailed question with such clear examples, by the way, it vastly improves my odds of getting a good answer back from the team. Here’s what I got back from the Oracle when I sent him your question, and asked for the intent behind the design:
”Mastery of Focus in no way has anything to do with how you spec. It has everything to do with the level of a spell. Mastery of Focus 2 provides a nine level bonus to all spells, for resistance purposes. So his level 41 spell (with a power level of 41) would be boosted up to level 50 for resistance purposes - meaning that his level 41 spell would have just as much of a chance of landing on a level 50 enemy as a level 50 spell would. It really is that simple.
“So yes, the other players are "sort of" right. It caps at 50. Thus, if you have 50 specced in a line that has a level 50 spell at the top, that level 50 spell will be unaffected by Mastery of Focus, regardless of level, and that's because Mastery of Focus caps at level 50. The ability is intended to bring spells which are NOT already level 50 up to level 50 for resistance purposes.”
(I need to point out here that charms may not be entirely this straightforward, and should be considered an exception to the rule until I can do a column specifically on charms.)
Q: I recently had some keep supply chest keys pop in my inventory after taking a keep. I didn't notice them immediately and by the time I had, the keep had been taken back. If the keep is retaken by Hib can I still use these keys?
A: Our Item Mistress (who really needs a different nickname, considering how much more she does these days) replied, ”Yes, if you aren't able to use the supply chest keys before losing control of the keep, you will be able to use them later if your realm regains control.”
Q: What is used in determining if a shield style lands? I remember in a previous grab bag that shield has its own weapon skill. All tests I've seen show that landing a shield style seems to be determined by main hand weapon skill. Is this true?
A: That old grab bag is correct (shield styles use your shield skill level to determine hitting odds and damage). I can’t say one way or the other about the test you’re referring to, since I don’t know what kind of shield, what style, etc. If you get me specifics I can have the guys look into it.
Q: "Testudo. Free at RR5. Warrior with shield equipped covers up and takes 90% less damage for all attacks for 45 seconds. Can only move at reduced speed (speed buffs have no effect) and cannot attack. Using a style will break testudo form."
That is what your site says about the RR5 RA for warriors. I rvr with a small shield for many reasons, and when I try and use ML5 with a small shield, it says I must use a large shield for this ability. I was wondering if you were going to change this in the future.
A: No, the intent behind the design was that the warrior is crouching behind his large shield in the thick of battle. Here’s the actual quote from the designer: ”The idea is that they are hiding behind this big [honking] shield to protect themselves. Imagine someone with a tiny pie plate shaped small shield covering their face with it and trying to protect themselves from all attacks. :P”
I should apologize for the lapse in documentation. I’ll have it updated to reflect the large shield requirement.
Q: Can you reset the character copier so I can participate in Missy’s event on Pendragon tomorrow night?
A: Sure thing. Thanks for the reminder; we reset the copier this afternoon.
Q: I no longer have an item that my trainer is asking for. I remember receiving it, but not losing it. Is there anyway to get it back?
A: Yes. This is a classic example of a quest appeal. Says our Quest Lady in Waiting, “Yes, all the player needs to do is file an appeal saying they are missing the item. We'll replace it once we verify that the player needs it, (is entitled to it/earned it), and cannot get it again on his/her own.”
Q: Is there any benefit to "overspeccing" stealth? What I mean by this is having your effective stealth over whatever level you are, say 50 at level 50. Some say that overspeccing stealth does nothing, others say that it helps. Can you please tell me what exactly overspeccing stealth does, if anything. Thanks a bunch.
A: I sent this over to Code Ed to investigate from a server perspective. Here’s his reply: “In normal situations, the level of stealth skill (and the skill of the player trying to find you) affects the radius at which you will be detected by other players. The only restriction on this is that there are certain minimum and maximum radiuses, such that when someone is within the min radius, they will always see you and outside the max they will never see you in normal cases. So, depending on your skill and the player you are hiding from, overspeccing may get you closer to the minimum if you are not already there.”
My understanding from some players (meaning others will disagree) is that overspeccing makes such a tiny difference that it’s impossible to judge from the kind of tests that players generally run – it’s something you’d see only over long periods of time in controlled circumstances. But that faint difference does mathematically exist in the code, so if you’re the sort of player to whom it matters, go crazy.
Q: I am a stormlord and love casting my ML9 storm while tower or keep taking. The problem is, when I die and have to release, because the whole group got wiped, I am not able to port while the enemy is still getting hit by my storm. I have to zone out at CS and rezone so I can teleport.
So my question is: Is it possible to change this?
A: What you describe is listed as a bug on our list. I do not know when it will be fixed, but it is on the schedule.
Q: When you have two artifacts equipped that receive experience from a particular kill, ie. a lava beetle during the day, does the exp gain get halved due to both items getting exp?
A: Nope. Each equipped artifact just checks to see if something it can level from has died, and does the math on its own.