Uadjet: Hello and welcome to the Developer's Q&A!
Uadjet: This is where you hear about the development of the game and get to ask any questions you might have. I may not have the answers, but I'm sure I can make something up.
Uadjet: If you have any questions, please step up to the lecterns at the front of the stage.
Uadjet: Mohonin?
Mohonin: Sir, if i may ask a question... from the glimpse of what i saw in Talad Sir's stream and some chat in the discord... would there be 3 different dryken planes for the different races?
Uadjet: No, though it may be different depending on which race you are.
Uadjet: One thing we discussed was having NPCs in the Dryken Plane. Some would be the same for everyone, but others could be of the same race as the PC. That would make for more interesting dialogue.
Mohonin: oh i get it
Mohonin: Now i have an idea to propose...
Mohonin: Some ideas of game mechanics on how the tent/tarp can be made... items required stick/rod, leather strings, and just the raw hides or tanned and prepared leather piece. Keep the sticks in smith table and leather string in 1 hand to tie 1 stick with another stick, thus making a reverse U shaped support for the tent using 2 sticks/rods. Then put the number and type of leather(small, medium, large) in smith table and hold as many as strings required in 1 hand and then combine to make big leather sheet for the tent. Then using smith table combine reversed U shaped rods/sticks and leather sheet to make Tent/tarp
Mohonin: And the entrace to the tent/tarp wud be like the door icon used in entry to a building. And after the person enters the tent/tarp, only outter of the building can be see as the inside wud be very cramped to screen the camera there.
Uadjet: I think discord might be a better place to post something that long. That being said, being able to make tents is a good idea.
Anysu: Yes under ideas... PLEASE!
Gonger: Or in the forums...
Uadjet: It fits with what Talad is doing with bedrolls, too.
Mohonin: ok, i'll post it in ideas channel in discord chat and in forum 'my wish' topic'
Uadjet: Now, I'm thinking about the entrance. Collision enabled, of course. A flap could open or close. It's not easy to lock a tent, though.
Mohonin: Thanks
Anysu: Well I will look on forum or discord ideas.
Mohonin: Another idea i wud le to propose..(this is a small one)
Mohonin: Sir, how about a picnic in 1 of the events. if it can be made in wilderness much more exciting. A bit of area surrounded by trees, carpets can be laid down, and giftboxes can be kept on the middle with various food and drinks. we can name the event "A picnic in Wilderness"
Mohonin: Looks like some more event idea coming to your mind as happened to me when i was writing this picnic idea. like a sudden invasion of clackers, forest arangma or as such for some action for those who wud find it exciting.
Uadjet: Invasions require scripts to work properly. Some could be done in Legacy, but the pathing and aggression in Legacy makes that more problematic.
Mohonin: Ok i'm done with my ideas, will post it in discord and forum for ya all to read it properly
Mohonin: Aah! that what i was worried about, spawing multiple NPC creature, 1- wud it can be done with present system and 2- Can the server take on so many pressure of NPCs
Uadjet: I've tried reloading Marangma, but it doesn't help. Sometimes Marangma is well above the city. Like 3 km up.
Uadjet: I can't spawn new creatures, but I can teleport them about easily enough.
Uadjet: And the system handles high NPC populations rather easily, as I recall.
Gonger: A few words from the PR team...
Gonger: I have started to reach out more to websites for Indie games, since commercial websites tend to ignore my efforts - we are Fully Free to Play, and Indie, so we do not have much of a budget for advertising with them....
Gonger: I have some positive feedback already and will keep things up there... let's see what comes of this.
Gonger: Also on one big website I saw they had interviewed the makers of Guild Wars 2, so I reached out to Talad whether he would be interesting in such an interview, and if yes, I would try to get it organised with that website. No answer from Talad yet.
Gonger: And as usual, if you find a website where PlaneShift is not mentioned at all, or is mentioned not correctly, please let me know, and I will try to correct things there.
Gonger: Thank you.
>Anysu claps for Gonger.
>Mohonin cheers happily!
>Thosor claps.
Karzela: Good ideas Gonger
Uadjet: Good to hear!
Mohonin: Unfortunately i had a bad experience trying to promote PS to a multimedia, graphics and animation institute as advised to me by Talad sir, and I was something like kicked out from the reception itself
Thosor: From mentioning Fecebook?
Mohonin: No facebook mentioned
Gonger: You mean, you went there personally, and got kicked out?
Mohonin: just mentioned i was looking for people for graphics designing in an international project named Planeshift
Mohonin: ya Gonger, i went there personally and got kicked out
Gonger: Did you have an appointment?
Anysu: Or a portfolio or presentation written up?
Mohonin: No, i didn't had any appointment and seeing their attitude i don't think they will gimme appointment
Gonger: I applaud the effort, but I think you tried a very wrong approach...
Anysu: There are procedures for such things, and proper channels.
>Anysu nods at Gonger.
Mohonin: A portfolio or presentation i had with me as a leflet/flyers i distribute for PS promotion
Gonger: With institutes of all kinds, you need an appointment first. Make some internet research WHO in the institute might be the right person for your ideas, and get in touch with that person.
Mohonin: Tried their website but it was down before going personally to them
Gonger: What kind of institute is it? Private, University, ...?
Anysu: Or need to contact the head of proper department with the information via like maybe an e-mail.
Gonger: An institute where the website is down? Well...
Mohonin: Its a private institute, no university
Gonger: You might be more lucky with an university institute, approaching the Student Body there. Students are more likely to be enthusiastic about games.
Mohonin: ok thank you for the ideas i'll try it
Uadjet: Now for a little update...
Uadjet: The Dryken Plane and Labyrinth are being rather drastically altered.
Uadjet: It... actually looks really good!
Uadjet: The labyrinth portion will be smaller and less confusing.
Gonger: Hear! Hear!
Uadjet: The Dryken Plane portion is getting islands added that allow players to learn about Yliakum and actually interact with things. Puzzles, too.
Mohonin: Interesting
Anysu: If it is not done can't go there yet, Mohonin
Anysu: How can you see it or participate if it hasn'r been incorperated in game yet?
Gonger: So that new Plane is active already?
Uadjet: It's not active yet.
Uadjet: I assumed Mohonin meant when it's done.
Gonger: Ok, that is more clear.
Uadjet: Actually, I can reset that quest when I teleport your alt there.
Mohonin: yes sir , when it is done
Mohonin: actually we have already done it before, tp to dryken plane then myself finding way to labyrinth, then tp back to Home
Uadjet: Sounds good.
Uadjet: Okay, what else? Oh!
Uadjet: The plan is for each faction to have their own guildhall.
Uadjet: The Observatory is the home of the Applied Knowledge faction, for example.
Uadjet: Talad had someone make a building for the War Smiters faction.
Uadjet: The initial idea for the faction is: The War Smiters is the newest and promising academy in the arena, dedicated to the blunt weapon users.
Uadjet: I believe it's grown to be more than that, however. A role in society has been added to it, not just the physical whacking of things.
Thosor: How is one involved with a faction guild?
Anysu: So can anyone enter these guild halls? Or must you have a certain faction level to enter?
Uadjet: Well, the factions are similar to the factions we had in Legacy.
Uadjet: You know how you would get a bonus (or penalty) to a faction when completing many quests? That's what these are.
Uadjet: There are professional factions, religious factions, combat-style factions, magicl Way factions, and then the Octarchy and Criminal factions.
Thosor: As Anysu said, how do you qualify?
Uadjet: There are 24 in total.
Uadjet: Basically, you do quests for the faction.
Mohonin: Thosor, the faction you can find it in the last tab of stats window and your relation with the faction
Anysu: Yeah and can you ONLY get the faction pointss if use the hall not other quest?
Uadjet: So, essential trail is the crafting faction. Do smithing quests and you get faction and standing with them.
Gonger: Factions and faction points already existed in the Legacy version.
Uadjet: Herbalism and alchemy? That's the Care Takers.
Thosor: I understand that, do you have to be at certain faction levels to attend a guild hall?
Uadjet: Some things will be restricted to faction level. Like the improved repair kits. Those require a certain level of Eternal Forge faction to purchase.
Uadjet: As for entering the guild hall itself... I don't know. The Observatory is free to enter for all.
Uadjet: Maybe entrance will be a part of the faction's quest chain? The main chain, I mean. There will likely be side quests as well.
Anysu: Ehy I was wondering along same lines, can you only get faction points by going in hall and doing those quests?
Anysu: Or can you do quests outside of hall for those faction points?
Uadjet: That's not how it's worked so far. Most factions you get faction points by doing the little quests you find.
Uadjet: There may be quests in the halls themselves - it would make sense - but I doubt entrance will be required to start the quests.
Thosor: If you have a negative faction, do the doors slam in your face?
Mohonin: I think the question is what do we get if we can enter the faction guild hall?
Uadjet: Rewards for faction level will be things like the ability to purchase things that aren't available to the public, or to purchase things at a discount.
Uadjet: That's just an example, of course.
Thosor: I guess negative rat faction did not go to PSU
Uadjet: Sadly, no.
Uadjet: I did get asked about odd factions at one point. Maybe by Venalan? I gave negative rat faction after an event.
Uadjet: So you can see the hall in Talad's streams - 1488-1490 - or you can wait until it's added and I take you there in an event.
Anysu: Or why you would need hall if you already get faction points from quests.
Uadjet: It's a cool place that will probably have nice features.
Uadjet: There's a great spot to have tea.
Thosor: no ale?
Uadjet: It's a guildhall dedicated to people who like to smash things with giant blunt weapons. I assume ale is consumed everywhere.
Gonger: Great spots to have ale are everywhere.
Gonger: See? Great minds think alike!
Uadjet:
Uadjet: The work on Ylian F chain and plate armor is, I believe, complete.
Uadjet: Those will probably be added in the next release.
Uadjet: Talad is also working on adding other attachment points to character models. That will allow people to do things like have a weapon on their hip, or a quiver on their back.
Gonger: Will the Whisper bug also be fixed in the next release?
Anysu: Great question, Gonger
Uadjet: I do not know.
Thosor: yes, that is really bad.
Anysu: It and the mount bug thing.
Uadjet: The mount bug issue is proving hard to pin down. It seems to be happening at random. It must be caused by something, but we dont' know what that is yet.
Uadjet: It may be related to cameras. You've noticed that clicking on a mounted person shows the mount's name, right?
Mohonin: ya right
Thosor: I just caused a similar thing here a few minutes ago. I opened inventory, examined an item and I was flashed that nowhere login screen
Uadjet: The game could be switching from a player's camera to their mount's camera, and sometimes getting glitched along the way. Why the bug only showed up recently suggests it was related to something we changed, as I don't think we changed Unreal engine version recently.
Thosor: To get out of mounting bug screen, I open inventory, eyball an item, and then Inspect it, right click and come back.
Uadjet: I'm hoping drinking horns will be added as something that can be attached to the belt.
Uadjet: I'm looking at the list of streams to see if I missed anything. One of the titles is "Sequencer with choices" and my brain immediately went: "Minor Sequencer or Spell Sequencer?"
Uadjet: We're half an hour past the usual closing time. Any questions?
Anysu: Will the calendar be updated?
Uadjet: My schedule will be very busy in the near future, so I might have to miss some weekends.
Uadjet: I've added the market and Q&A times, but the calendar needs a kick to get them to show.
Anysu: Understandable. Dev meet and markets are also listed on calender though
Thosor: Thanks for the updates, and... other things.
Gonger: Uadjet, try to let us know a few days before, so we can get something running by ourselves.
Anysu: Hmm, we players have a chance then to try and come up with events... when Uadjet is away.
>Anysu nods at Gonger.
Thosor: When the Enkie's away, we will play.
Gonger: And of course it is perfectly ok to have busy schedule!
Uadjet: I should be able to let you all know at least a few days ahead of time.

After much struggling and setbacks due to not meeting system requirements and resolution dependencies, I was finally able to experience this addition. Immediately my question was: so, players cannot be native to Yliakum at all? Every single player character now comes through a portal? That also means that the species who get changed upon the traversal (Ylian mages losing their native magic, Klyros being severely weakened, etc.) will have this as a starting point? If so, however, this would be a traumatic experience that cannot be relayed through bits of lore that one may never even read. Voduls avatar would need to tell them, at least, while it's at it, anyway.

This has been and still is one of my major lore-wise concerns.

I decided to decide myself whether a char I created or will create has been coming through a portal or has been born in Yliakum. Lore-wise both is possible, cause according to a lot of in game books there have been generations of people living on Yliakum already and people came in through portals already generations ago. We even had quite a few GM events with exactly that lore as background. In my point of view it is even more likely to be born on Yliakum than to come through a portal these times, see below for reasoning.

Damola has been born on the lower plane of Yliakum were many Nolthrir live. Her parents still live there and that's it. In fact she has mentioned that some times in GM events as well. Nothing of that will change due to Dryken Plane addition.

There is a culture in Yliakum already. And it should be the players decision whether to build a new char upon that culture. This combined culture of people from different races for generations, be it from a race like the Nolthrir who originally fled their home world or a race like the Kran who have been created on Yliakum by Talad, makes the medieval world we love to RP in. Additionally given there have been cataclysmic catastrophic events in home worlds generations ago it is unexplainable to me that still a huge lot of people would be coming through the portals. Unless those events have been spanning hundreds of cycles, but in my point of view a cataclysm does not last that long. It is sudden, massive and most people would have to flee in a short period of time. The people coming through the portals would all be severely traumatized from these cataclysmic events. Especially in case one would argue a cataclysm has lasted this long and developed slowly over time.

After much struggling and setbacks due to not meeting system requirements and resolution dependencies, I was finally able to experience this addition. Immediately my question was: so, players cannot be native to Yliakum at all? Every single player character now comes through a portal? That also means that the species who get changed upon the traversal (Ylian mages losing their native magic, Klyros being severely weakened, etc.) will have this as a starting point? If so, however, this would be a traumatic experience that cannot be relayed through bits of lore that one may never even read. Voduls avatar would need to tell them, at least, while it's at it, anyway.

Not to mention that chatting with Vodul AND Xiosia would elevate every PC to at least "prophet", IDK how the local priests should react to this. They could dismiss the first few as liars and deranged, but after the next hundreds they'd be forced to reconsider, since the experiences will be extremely consistent. Unless I've not discovered that bit of lore yet, as I've yet to redo all quests; the previous posts seem to hint that this indeed is an overarching narrative.

On the technical side: I also had my share of running around in circles to get the scenes to trigger, especially on the first island, and that was after having read about these issues. Maybe there could just be sorts of glowing, translucent clouds or something hovering above the triggers? Locking the player in place might not be good since they might be oriented wrong and thus not see the scene (then again, what really matters is the audio, plus the scene can be re-triggered, so it's no real issue).

1) It could be made a bit more clear what the player is expected to do. Maybe add one more popup with an explanation?

The entity is telling you what to do in an rp-way. A popup with "search the spots" seems unecessary to me.

2) Why are not always real objects used, but only graphics? This can look very bad.
Collision is done server side, so we cannot have colliding objects if we want each player to discover their own set of pieces. If I add collision players will collide with invisible objects of other players, so it's not possible. The only solution will be to instance this level for each player, not making it multiplayer anymore.

3) If you pass this rock on the right side, the scene will not be triggered.
that has been fixed already last release

4) This mini-scene seemed particularly difficult to trigger. Maybe the trigger space is too small?
it has been increased in size and moved more toward the walkable area already in the last release

5) These mini-scenes I triggered in the sequence given by the numbers. Can this be more streamlined, or did I do something wrong there?
I simplified the prerequisites already in the last release, now only the 3 elements where the fire is are triggering in a sequence, as otherwise those make little sense.

6) different versions with increasing complexity at different points of the general storyline of the same Dryken plane.
Maybe in the future.

7) Where does the name Dryken Plane come from? Nobody I talked to seems to know...
the Dryken are the higher gods of our universe, something you know little about, but are the ones explaining to Laanx and Talad what they should do. Talad and Laanx are minor gods in the universe scale.

Hello everyone!


Well, I wanted to post this in discord and that too following the last Dev meeting or QnA (11th Jan), and on this particular topic. I also wanted to do this,- especially so now – given we are due for an upcoming steam release.

I am here, however so as make it a bit more presentable than it is usually possible in discord (TLDR and all). To keep it simple, I would simply like to add a few words towards my first impressions, on this topic, - as I have returned to PS, after a long hiatus.

Part I:

First of all, I’d like to mention that I do like the thrust of the suggestions from both Gonger and Daevaorn here, - “we do not get a second chance for a good first impression” and that “’the Dryken Plane return in the form of a quest at a later point,”, respectively. [I have only heard about Mentia’s puzzle, so maybe something akin to that, as Daevaorn possibly hinted of or say once you are either adept in all/some ways of magic or master in one, or even without such prerequisite but as a choice but at a later date- at one’s leisure, could be much meaningful.]

Yet, given such a change or transformation may not be easily implementable (may bring in more known/ unknown issues to address), that is as in case the Dryken Plane introduction remains, so as aforementioned I would like to add a few suggestions:


1> Let the scenes that trigger NOT override and trigger the next scene (say, if a player is accidentally running) till the scene is played in full?
[This part is fixed as tested a couple of days back: overlap in loop, or cut while another scene is already playing. In other words, let the scenes DO NOT LOOP or play together (both audio and text) over one another. It is/ could be very jarring even to a new player.]


Also, if a player runs accidentally to return to the same scene trigger, - the audio accompanying text starts quite immediately from the beginning, - and that sometimes causes an echo/ overlap: maybe this could be looked into, too, though this only happens the first time after the scene triggers (i.e. the window for such a trigger is small).

An alternative approach could be to “immobilize” the player (like a cut-scene) and let the scene play over with both the audio and text in sync. Maybe even do it in the intended order, and not the ad hoc ‘proximity trigger’.


2> In the second ‘island’ there is an audio without any scene (afaik, it used to trigger in the empty room besides the dwarf with four bunk-beds), “After a long day exploring … Stop snoring!”, -maybe this could be looked into, like made into another scene (in the empty building next).
 
3> Lastly, maybe give players a “small note”, after successfully completing the full scene of an island, (say like the Dermorian poem called "Spreading Roots" that you get from Aerayau Strongwill). It could even show the “intended order” of the events that just transpired [something akin to what Gonger has tried with the above screenshots].

Also, if possible, maybe introduce this “note” with some extra lore (or link to, say, https://www.planeshift.it/Settings) which a player can read later, if so desired … as well as keeping the doorway open to return here someday, down the line.



Part II:


This brings to my last remark which to be honest is rather subjective, that is as far as first impressions go the plane was a bit gloomy (like the death realm gloomy) to my taste. Herein I partially agree with Mohonin’s suggestion that maybe, maybe - “the new player will get a choice in the start”, whether to bypass this or not, for the time being.

But again speaking honestly these could be minor issues and I am hopeful that the place will get better as time passes. Still, given it may not be feasible, I would like to add my last suggestion for consideration, and especially so before the upcoming steam release.


The idea is from last Dev meeting (Jan 11^th) as mentioned before.

It is a request to add or highlight of the fact, -
 

• be it on the Steam page, game description, or
• be in in the Character creation or the Dryken plane intro, or
• be in once you have made it to the Hydlaa Plaza,

that,
1) that PS is strongly RP-oriented, and more important
2) that PS is FULLY Free to Play (FFP), [Gonger’s idea from discord], or
add anything but of a similar nature.


Maybe this could be achieved with a popup in-game, that you need to click to get on with.  Say like, "The game is RP- heavy and bug-laden but is a work in progress and where yours patience maybe tested but if you choose to maybe you can help too to make a better game (could link http://hydlaaplaza.com/PlaneShift/flyspray/ here, as such)", etc.


I am asking to add these kinds of highlight, since in a recent stream Talad had mentioned that ‘our’ game is an anomaly, … an anomaly in the Matrix.

It is as such to not to preach to the choir (those who will read and make through the plane to the plaza alright), but those who may not even give the depth or the labour of passion, of the game even a chance. It is for them, maybe / kindly consider some such (passive/ interactive) addition?

Ofc, one may say 'good riddance to 'em all but well, who knows what if they had stuck a bit more and they too then had 'become one of us', all because we had stretched - at least, tried, - a bit more? 


To precis, the part where a player if chooses, could help the game with bug hunting to donation, imho, could really be added/ highlighted (as an USP) to the game and especially so with its FFP aspect.


In 2023, even Massively-op get some (or most or all?) of it right, and so maybe we can do it again!
https://massivelyop.com/2023/01/03/the-game-archaeologist-planeshift-the-poster-child-of-open-source-mmos


Once again, irrespective of ‘che sara, sara’, I wish all the very best for the upcoming steam release and thank you for your time!
-GW/ FN.

[Goes to hide under the wall, for the wall above!]