REBIRTH Devblog #2!

Wibbles~!

Been a while, I know, but with mid terms fast approaching, all of our time is stretched.

But, as promised, here's some more peeks into our upcoming new features.


Rebirth Devblog 2- Week of 10/27.


So, as we've stated, we're changing a -lot- of stuff. But what I truly want to emphasize in this devblog is that we're changing not just core systems, but we're focusing on remaining balanced with them. This is a challenge in of itself.

Well, to try and balance this server by "eyeing" it just doesn't work. I think we can ALL agree that in the past there's been some SIGNIFICANT flaws  within  our systems- and it was entirely caused by DM error. This we admit. I won't say that we're bad at balancing.. but, hey, we made some misstakes. And that's human error.

So! No more of that. What we're introducing is a fully automatic, diverse system, that calculates costs uniformly, using a (not so) simple formula. We figured that we needed to find two things to determine token cost-
First, what determines a cost. The way I see it, fights are entirely dictated by their fight length, which changes depending on your bonuses. Fights are either shortened so that you kill the enemy faster, or extended so that you don't drop first. We simply transfer the Adjusted Fight Length from the Average, and boom, you get a token cost.

Here is the formula for Fight Length

Code:

         Average HP
=        ----------
  (Hit Chance)(Avg Damage)(Crit)

From finding that, we subtract the NEW total from the average, divide by the cost of 1 HP (smallest denominator), and you have your token cost.

Pretty nifty huh? Of course, this formula can't find EVERY cost. There will always be stuff that we can't get complete costs of. But that's usually out-of-combat stuff, and we will of course agree on a uniform cost.


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Aside from the above, we've figured out pretty much every # values at this point. We have a series of 4 Excel charts, all stocked full of numbers and totals. We'd rather not post this onto the forums (just looking at it is extremely intimidating), but it will of course be available upon request!

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Change number 2 is a more tangible one.
We have debated for a long time over the switch from 1d20 to 2d10 for ability rolls. Ultimately, there are pros and cons for both sides. And, I'll be honest, when Shadowheart originally introduced this concept, I was a bit skeptical. And, I guess, I still am. But after significant consideration, I've come around a bit.

Quick explanation.

The main issue with 1d20 is that you have a 5% chance to roll any value across the board. Now, the switch would make the chance decrease when moving away from the middle numbers. This would make you better reflect the "Average" rolls, that reflect you skill in combat. It will also make rolling critical hits significantly less likely.

Little chart for visual-


Red bar represents 2d10, blue represents 1d20.

This isn't that big of a change, to be honest. It's a bit more work. The bigger factor AGAINST this change would be that finding the Token Cost of hit bonuses is oddly proportioned (as it'd cost different for every individual bonus, which we won't list for the sake of ease), so it'll be odd. But, hey, it should be worth it.

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Finally, I want to go over some Staff stuff. Real talk time.

Time and time again, a server will go up,  players will get sick, drama will happen and the server will go down. It happens every time, and it's extremely tiresome. Frankly, I'm fed up with it.

So here it is: We want to detach ourselves from the process as much as possible, while still remaining active and in control. We realize that, between the players and the DMs, it's easy to make bad judgments when balancing, or doing administrative stuff. So everything that we're doing, as your DM team, is to set up a system where balancing is a matter of looking at a chart, and plugging in the corrected info. Forum DMs will be doing this exclusively. I'll admit that it'll be a bit more boring, but it won't waver for human judgement. Which is important.

Event DMs will likely be working on a loose schedule. Unlike last time, you won't be required to be as punctual with your eventing- so long as SOMEONE is running an event on our scheduled days, we don't mind. We will ask that you just stay as active DM-side as you are Player-side.
There will be guidelines as to what events you're allowed to run (Basically, don't be stupid and run an S rank mission as your first event, and don't throw Academy students at A rank events).

Builders, like myself, will work on a schedule of your leisure. Myself aside, builders can work however they'd like, giving me whatever areas you finish at the end.
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Because I realize we haven't been clear, so here's a short list of the guys currently working on the server.

Asuma (Sigka)
Blackplauga (Justin)
GreedyShadow
Scrappy (Devil)
Myself (Lord almighty Chiken)
And, as you know, Shadowheart and McNinja have both stepped aside, but will be offering advice as we seek it.

This is just for the pre-launch. We will be completely opening the DM team when the server goes up full-time, so expect more. And remember, we're always open to applications. As you can tell, we're looking actively for more people to throw their heads in the ring as event/forum DMs, Builders, or "Player DMs" (AKA PCC).

If you're interested, PM Sigka on forum or skype, and he'll give you a little template

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Ultimately, remember guys, we love this community. Through hell and fire, we always want what's best. At the end of the day, each and every one of you has such a big role in our community's history. I realize that this community is subject to tensions and drama, but I'm leaving all that at the door.
Rebirth is a new start- For us, and you.


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That's all! Sorry for the wait. There will be a poll below to see what you'd like to see me cover next. There's a lot to talk about!
Cheers!