News 1 16 - DR3 frequently asked questions

NEWS article 1-16:

Dateline 1/20/2013: DR3 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: The game was fine the way it was! Why did you change it?

A: DragonRealms was originally designed for circles 1-20, with 100 ranks being a huge deal. Today's game is the result of years of patching the original design. While these patches kept the game running, the years of piecemeal tweaks created an unbalanced game, both in terms of content (i.e. not enough high level hunting) and mechanics (i.e. skills that do almost nothing, 1-shot deaths, varying spell damage between guilds for no good reason). Little has been done to renovate the game to take advantage of modern gaming culture, design principles, or coding standards.

"DR3" is a massive effort to bring DR into balance and allow it to scale from 1 to 1500+ ranks in a way that keeps the game fun. If we want to continue releasing interesting systems and fun content, we need to be able to build those things on a solid foundation, in a game designed for current players.The only way to do that was to make some changes.

Q: Will I have to change what I'm hunting?

A: Maybe. Previous changes to combat dropped people down the hunting ladder, but we tried to avoid that here. However, since the underlying mechanics of combat have changed so much, you may find yourself being over- (or under-) whelmed by your current "foe of choice." Because combat will take longer, you should notice if things are going poorly for you well before you get killed.

Additionally, since skill gain will now be more more based on challenge, you may find that critters which taught you while hitting you don't teach as well.

Q: I got an AFK scripting warning recently. How will that affect me?

A: Due to the magnitude of these changes, warnings will not prevent you from being grandfathered. All characters will receive the full montage of upgrades and increases, regardless of their sordid past.

Q: Will I have to re-quest for my quest spells?

A: Not for most of them. Aside from a few, most quest-requiring spells remain in your known spells.

Q: Will there be a spell wipe?

A: Yes, by necessity. Since so much has changed with magic, we wouldn't force you to abide by your old choices.

Q: Will there be a Global Magic Preview?

A: Yes. For several weeks (or more) after the release of "DR3", all spells will be on preview. You'll be able to cast all spells available to your Guild without having to choose them from your Guildleader. In fact, you won't be ABLE to choose spells from your Guildleader.

Q: What happens to Magical Devices?

A: Some Magical Devices will survive the transition. Others will not. Some scrolls that contained one spell will now contain a different one, and others will simply (by necessity) crumble away. Additionally, several older magic items will be nonfunctional for a while after we release.

Q: Are Khris getting converted to the Supernatural skillset?

A: Not for "DR3". It's an eventual goal, but Khri work really well as they are now, so there's not a high need to convert them to Supernatural before we release to "DR3".

Q: Will there be bugs?

A: Absolutely. It would be foolish to even suggest that such a major rewrite would be bug-free. When the release happens, I'll post a guide to help you decide what needs to be BUGged vs what you should assist about. The reason we're happy with the release happening, though, is that we're pretty happy with the current level of playability the game is at.

Q: Will we get a Stat Respec?

A: Yes. When you're converted, you'll be able to restore your stats to your racial minimums and receive a refund for all TDPs spent. When you do that, re-training your stats will not cost you any money.

However, please follow these rules:

• Be civil and be constructive. No guild vs guild, attacking other people, flaming, nastiness, unbridled negativity, etc. You'll find that is eerily similar to the normal Forum Policies and Posting Guidelines.

• No "Chicken Little" posts. Crying out that the sky is falling will not solve anything. Ask your questions and post your concerns in a constructive manner and somebody who knows the answer will have it for you.

• Again, remember to please be constructive.

For new and updated commands associated with DR3, please read NEWS 1 18