You know what I love? I like trying to think of interesting and sometimes funny things to say in public. So I like blogging, so when I don’t for many days it usually means something is stopping me like a fully body cast or another kidnapping attempt. But this week nothing quite so interesting has happened except a whole lot of game work.
One big thing that we were really wanting to try out is offering subscriptions for free for those that purchase points. We figured no one would complain, but we weren’t sure if it was really wanted. So we ran a little test to see if there was interest in such an offering, and we did it as an event this week. Basically the first time you buy the 5200 or 10,400 pt package during this week we will give a 30 day subscription free to that account. Due to it being a test it is all done by hand (rather than auto and instantly upon point purchase), so the day after we check all that made such a point purchase then by hand add the subscription. Due to this we won’t get subscriptions added until about 6pm on the FOLLOWING day. Paybycash purchases may take a day or 2 more due to the roundabout billing processes that Paybycash uses. But if this goes well maybe we can make it more often, and automatic for the first purchase of points that month or something. We’ll see, but I like what I’ve heard and the feedback we have received about it.
Much happened while in Austin. So it was catch up time!
- Saturday WoE went off with much drama.. so we did what we could to undo and rerack the situation.
- Requiem with its Memento Mori update is gearing up for launch on Thursday, and that time is always a little extra busy and little extra stressful, but we are still working hard on it with HQ to make sure it launches with a positive bang!
- Wednesday WoE for RO was less than great, and chaosians were not amused by the situation. We weren’t either, truth be told. So to at least let Chaos know that we did listen and were aware. I never reasonably expected that anything we could say or do in-game would make the feelings flip to positive; heck I know how I feel as a player and I don’t think my underlying feelings would be any different.
Now for some little secrets that I will only tell the people that read the blog… Several of the departments here, myself included have been discussing what we can do with hardware we have to do an optimal load test, to once and for all prove or disprove where the bottle neck is for WoE. Some situations are not good for a long term solution but are great for a 1 shot test. I’m sure when we run the test it will be noticed of course as it would require a special maintenance for whatever server we run that test on.
So in conclusion, because I have to go back to responding to emails and such,
- Requiem, Get ready to powerup your game!
- ROSE the dev team is working feaverishly (seriously those guys are in cold sweats all the time, maybe fewer whips…) for you to get you the game you all remember, want and have.
- RO.. oh RO our veteran title with so many great people and memories, you still have our full attention and we know the fire of life burns just as strong today as in 2003, we’ll show it off again!
Oh and here is a Pic I took this morning when one of our ROSE devs found the dichotomous relationship,
that his shirt and the 2 lemons a Leaf Cat gave me at AX this year, could create.
Good evening!
Heimdallr
hehe nice picture
keep up the good work(waiting 4 the client >.<)
What a exciting week it’s been for Gravity.
Will the buying points and getting a free subscription become permanent, or will it just be a event thing every now and then. 5200 Kafra Points + 30 Day Subscription seems like a good deal.
The problems for do a test that simulates something like it’s happen is:
If the people don’t go for test (you see that today in pvp perhaps they go like 1/3 of the people that WoE just some minutes ago)
Also the difference of spamming of skills/pots etc, i mean in WoE for example there’s lots of ground skills that range from support, attack and status, usually in small area and stacked one on top of others, people attacking from range, close range, magic. Supporting etc…
Then people entering in castle and getting all those skills on top…
If you do it like “let’s get the GM castle”, usually people just attack and there’s less ground skills for example, less spamming of pots (unless the people start attacking each other). When the times i see that WoE you do in sakray, or the test you do some months ago, i never see as many skills running at the same time in a small place like i see in normal WoEs.
Another way it’s simulating it making two teams and one defending and one attacking, but even when people want to do it, perhaps without wanting it, they don’t put all the effort they put in normal one…
And the last way it’s doing the test in the WoE itself, but for optimize it, it’s necessary to change parameters in one place or another (probably), the question is, is possible to change those parameters without breaking the WoE?
Also changing a bit the topic of this comment (this looks like more a post)…
never know that lemons can stay ok that many weeks.
They are super (Plastic) lemons.
We have the test environment worked out, its more a matter of actual implementation of it.
And the point event, we need to see how it turns out in the end. It certainly could be a repeat offering or permanent I think but a few rough spots would need worked out.
Give subs upon points purchases sounds really nice. It’ll go for requiem? (sorry, haven’t played ROSE yet, only RO, and I dunno if there’s mall points there too.. ignorant here, plz)
I’m sure Fayd is happy to know her lemons are being treated well xD