Ryzom Forge meeting report – 07 March 2022

Q : Will we also be able to win plans to make the new outfits ? To combine style and craftsmanship.

A : It was just whispered in my ear.
So, all the outfits that we add have all a creation plan.
It is systematic.
So about the amount of material, it's pretty random, after all, who knows how it was made ?
So if we were to add new outfits to the wheel to replace the old ones, it would be possible to make the plans available through a challenge.
Any other questions ?

Q : Is there a list of gifts that can be exchanged for tickets somewhere ?

A : 2 secondes, I send a screenshot.
https://app.ryzom.com/app_web_assets/assets/694863/Clipboard%20-% 207%20mars%202022%2021%2045.png
So there are : plushies, underwear, refugee outfits, wigs and tattoos.
Others may be added such as pieces of zig / mount.
As well as the exchange of tokens from one type to another (at an abused exchange rate ... Obviously !).

Q : Basic wig traded in, looks like I can't choose which color to trade in.

A : It is now possible to lock an item in the special bag and in this case it will not be exchangeable or exchanged.
This is what allows you to choose which item to exchange with the NPC.
Any other questions ?
If no questions, I'll take the opportunity to talk a little about the content additions.
Because it's true that we haven't had any for a long time, there had been weapons for events OOC but nothing new.
We now have Rizyinshi who makes beautiful weapons (that I modify a little sometimes) and who is very motivated.
No doubt that he will make us many others !
For the outfits, the idea was to create a simple, smooth skirt. This is the case of the new skirt with the wheel.
It is a base of zorai skirt which has been simplified.
In order to have something simple enough to texture.
The model, the texture (in Gimp format with layers for the 3 skins) and a tutorial (as soon as I have some time, I promise) to be able to make our own version will be available on the wiki.
Maybe we'll get some future designers to make us the next skirt for the wheel !
Moreover, all the items, the fixing of the hairstyle were made in Blender.
No need to have 3DSmax, if someone feels comfortable with the tool, it's a pleasure to help him integrate his creation (if it's validated of course !).
The hardest part is often getting started !
It seems that there are very good courses on Blender.
But tell you one thing, whatever you do, it will always be better than the first outfit I made for Ryzom, the PvP potato bag outfit !

Q : By the way, you remember that we talked a long time ago about having Homins sit on their seats. At that time it was impossible. And now you think it would be ?

A : Ah, very good question !
Well, you need 2 things, to fix an attachment point on a seat and to stick an animation on it.
For the animation, I was able to add one (a jumping Homin ... Totally ridiculous but well ...).
For the attachment it is more complex, there are only the mounts which have it.
So we need seat mounts !
It will end up in a merry-go-round !
There are fewer and fewer things we don't know how to do.
And a lot of things at the end of the preparation, not only cosmetic.

Q : Flying mount ?

A : If you talk about riding an izam, it is possible.
But flying in the sense of being able to go where you want in the air, no.
Because your character will collide !

Q : It's ok to sit on the floor, but flat seat cushions as objects on the floor would be great !

Q : Yes, sitting on the floor on cushions. Or making a chair slightly elevated and walkable to sit on a chair is sufficient.

A : Oh, because you don't have any cushions ?

Q : In lake only.

Q : There are many cultures where you just sit on the floor.
But they have cushions !

Q : In my apartment I did that, I put the cushions in the ground to sit on them.

A : Well, we'll have to deliver some !
And with the option to sit on the cushion and not in the cushion !

Q : We have no way of knowing what the outpost will produce as material until we put in a drill ?

A : Well done, you're asking me a trick question ...
We will think about it, but it would be possible that the guild that has just conquered an outpost is aware of the material and the quality.
Without having to install a drill.

Q : Will it be possible to have an outpost without fighting ? Otherwise, how do the Ranger get an outpost ?

A : It was proposed to have also attacks of kitins instead of tribes.
And therefore PvK.
Which is no longer PvP.

Q : This is nonsense !
The Ranger does not aspire to have an outpost at the risk of finding themselve fighting against Homins ...
This is the typology of the faction ...

A : OP Refactoring is about gameplay, how each player plays his character, it's not really a question that the project answers.
I continue.
There will be small subtleties in the rotation of materials.
Outposts in low level areas will have more chance to change the quality of materials but less chance to change the type of material.
Outposts in high level areas will more easily change the type of material but are less likely to change the quality.
Thus, an outpost 250 that gives Q250 Vedice will be more likely to switch to Q250 Egiros than to Q150 Vedice.
And for an outpost 50 that gives the same Q250 Vedice, it will have more chance to switch to Q200 Vedice than Q250 Egiros.
Then, along with the rotation of materials, 50% of the outposts will be taken over by tribes.

Q : Is there a way to predict what ressource an outpost will produce in the future ?
To see what it will be before I battle it ?

A : Never at 100% because it remains random.
But there is a logic and a fixed number of materials and qualities.
So by combining the information it would be possible to know more.

Q : That's just the point, not to know. You'll have to ask around to find out what the outpost is producing before you attack it.

Q : Is the rhythm of the rotations known in advance ?

A : It will be indicated yes, but never accurate to the day.
It will depend on a reboot, but if we start on a 3 months rotation, it will be 3 months and some days.

Q : If I ever attack an outpost and suddenly, rotation. What happens ? The attack keeps on going or I get my money back and the rotation takes over the attack ?

A : The easiest way is to block the attacks just before a rotation, which will avoid this scenario.

Q : Will we have a chance to fight against the tribe that wants to take over our outpost ? Or will there be a rotation and suddenly, no more outposts ?

A : They are very vicious, they attack when you are sleeping ...
In any case, you can imagine that if you could fight them and we can't reach 50%, we would modify the levels to have 50% of the total. So it would just be impossible to win.
You can't balance an attack so that a guild of 5 players has the same chances as a guild of 20 players.

Q : Will the price of the attacks change ? And the one of the drill ?

A : Yes, they will go down.
There will be only one model of drill per faction.
Once the rotation and the taking of the outposts, there will be a wagering session on who will be able to attack which outpost.
The session could last about ten days.
The way it works has changed a little from the initial project, especially to give everyone a chance.
Each guild will have 50 points that they can bet on, either on a single outpost or on several by dividing them up.
For example, the guild could bet 30 points on the X outpost and 20 points on the Y outpost.

Q : The taking of outpost(s) will be done by combat ... Can't we buy an outpost from the tribe ?

A : Yes, it is mandatory.

So the bets, at the end of the 10 days, are very simple.
For each outpost taken by a tribe, we look at the highest bet and the guild that has bet the highest amount wins the right to attack the outpost (the guild will have about 7 days to do so).
Attention, in case of a draw (you were going to ask me the question ?!) if two guilds bet exactly the same amount, the bet doesn't count and we look at the next bet.
So if two guilds both bet 50, but a third guild only bets 10, the two 50 bets are ignored. Congrats to the guild that only bet 10, it felt a good opportunity !

Q : Can you only bet at the time of the rotation change ?

A : Yes.
Bets are used to determine which guild can attack an outpost that is held by a tribe.

Q : So if I follow what you say, at the time of the patch OP refactoring all the outposts bellong to Marauder NPCs and therefore at this moment we will have 10 days to bet on the outpost that we wish ?

A : 50%, not all. And then there will be bets on the 50% of tribal outposts.
The other 50% we will just have to launch the attack.
The other 50% remain in normal mode.

Q : Okay and we agree that this 50% changes target at each rotation ?

A : It is totally random. We take the list, we choose half of it.

Q : We bet on a tribe, okay. But do we know what the others are betting on and do we know what this outpost will produce ?

A : We don't know anything !
These are blind bets.

So once the wagering session is over, the guild that has the right to attack can do so.
Or not to attack if it wants to (or if it can't).
The threshold of the outpost is systematically 5.
So if you want to train, go to Nexus and attack an outpost at threshold 5.

Q : So for this type of outpost it is only GvG ?
At this point I mean.

A : It's GvE.
It's your guild against the tribe.
And only.

Q : Yeah we can't call any reinforcements so.

A : No, none.

Q : So the guilds of 2 players for this type of outpost are screwed.

A : Also, members who joined a guild after the start of the wagering will not be able to participate either.
If I'm not talking nonsense, according to the tests at Nexus, a guild of 3 players on an outpost 50 can reach the threshold 5.
But obviously not on a 250 outpost.

Q : What happens if the guild that won the bet does not attack the outpost ? Or doesn't reach the threshold ? How long does the outpost stay in the hands of the tribe ?

A : I was going to come to that !
In case of defeat or non-attack, the outpost goes to its maximum threshold.
And it's up to whoever wants to attack it.
If successful, the outpost will remain unattackable for several days before returning to normal mode.
So that the guild can enjoy it a little.
Finally, there will be a 3rd type of PvP.
It will be possible for a guild to declare (after the session of bets and tribe attacks) 2 times per cycle (the number may change) a GvG.
This will engage only the 2 guilds, the one that attacks and the one that defends.
In a single phase.
If the guild wins, the outpost will remain unattackable for a few days in the same way as for GvE attacks.
Then it will be attackable only in GvG and that for a few more days.
In any case, an outpost can only be attacked once a week in GvG.
In FvF it's limitless.
The idea is to finally have the three types of PvP and that each guild can practice its play style.
The periods when the outposts are not attackable are used to reward the guild for taking advantage of the outpost before a possible massive FvF attack.
I don't think I missed anything and if I did, it will be a surprise !

Q : How long is the no attack period please ?
And if PvE is 50%, whats the % for GvG ? And FvF ?

A : The 50% concerns the outposts which will be taken over by the tribes.
These will have a 10 day period without attack.
But for the others it does not change.
It will remain in FvF as now.

Q : How about you try your new little experiment with outposts below 150 to see how the system works or if it even works before you destroy what's left of the fragile commmunity ?

A : The outposts will tend to evolve, we plan new things.
But the current system does not allow any evolution.
If we want to add real value materials, it should not unbalance the game more.
For this to happen, outpost's attacks must be the key to the gameplay.
And no, keeping it otherwise, what will happen is that we will be forced to add new things elsewhere, better balanced.
And the outposts will end up being just ruins.

Q : So how do you stop people from joining the attacking guild before the attack ?

A : Ah, I knew I had missed something.
To join a GvG or a GvE you must have integrated your guild at least 3 weeks before.

Q : Currently, an outpost fight draws players to the game, if they happen. Dozens. A GvG ... Will draw much less. Especially if you cannot join the sides or include new players.
Doesn't that trivialize it ? We tested a GvG, and it was hard for the opposing party to rally 4(!) people.

A : Sorry, we have already discussed this several times.
And work for several months with many players on the subject.
Of all factions.
I know that the project has been dragging on ... Unfortunately.
But I'm not going to go over every point.
For new players, 3 weeks is nothing.
Also, we are talking about GvG and GvE, not FvF.

Q : I drop guild on daily basis, for alt GHs ... The bulk is a huge issue. Does that mean I cannot do that anymore ?

A : Yes, you can still do it. In the case of GvE, if you are in the guild at the time of the bet, you will be able to ask to participate in the attack against the tribe.

Q : So on the day of bet, I am in the guild, and between after bet and attack I still can drop and come back to guild ?

A : In the case of the GvG it is not simple, it could work too, if at the time of the declaration of the GvG you are in the guild, you will be able to participate.

Q : So why don't you just add a button for GvG declare and make this whole thing easy ?

A : There will be a button, I promise !

Q : Will there be a dashboard or something to track which outposts are being taken by tribes, which outposts are producing what, etc ?

A : There will be a table to know which outposts are taken by the tribes, yes.
It will be used to put the bets.
But not which outposts produce what.

Q : Sorry, back to the 3 weeks game mechanics. Does that mean we don't need to consider the 3 weeks anymore ?
As long as we are present in guild at time of GvG declare.

A : If you declare a GvG, at this time, there is a list of saved members.
If you leave the guild, you can ask to recover the date of entry in the guild that had been registered.

Q : Can a guild refuse GvG if a smaller guild wins GvE and then get GvG declare ?

A : No, a guild cannot refuse the GvG.

Q : Do I understand it right : a guild can win an outpost in GvE. But then the outpost can be taken away from them in GvG ?
What's the time they are guaranteed the OP ?

A : Or in FvF.
10 days.
And all the outposts become as they are now, eventually.