Word from Professor Greyrose!

Welcome to our first 

Mount-a-palooza!

Between April 8th 2011 and April 17th 2011, almost everyone can afford to travel the Spiral in style!

All our permanent mounts are on sale up to 50% off their regular Crowns price! For this special event, we've brought back some previously retired mounts and there are some new mounts you have never seen! 

Visit the Crown Shop to buy your mounts today - you're going to want them! 

There's a special surprise coming up in the Spiral that will let your mounts roam around your house! Watch the video here for more information and look for this roaming mounts feature to arrive in the Spiral before summer.

Looking through the video, it looks like the wings are allowed to float alone, as well!  That's going to be perfect for surreal scenery, similar to Salvador Dali's works.

Also, it looks like the Level 58 pets are going to be non-Rank 8 attack spells (we see a surfin' Kraken [probably from my state!], a "grossly," obese Humonogofrog, "who looks like it's going to eat its owner" (quoting Cassandra Hexthorn), and a slim Scarecrow.  We can only guess what kind of Innate cards they'll have (hopefully new utility spells??)...and if there are new Talents or Derby Skills as well.  Over on the Petnome Project, we've had sightings of a few new abilities over the past couple of weeks.  I wonder if these pets may provide passive bonuses of "Block" as well, to offset the use and reliance on Critical Gear to win in PVP?

Paige Moonshade reckons there's a new plant somewhere, and Angel Winterbreeze points out the odd-looking, bulky outfit on one of the mount riders.  

Did you also notice that some of the wizards are holding their weapons while riding their mounts?  I wonder if that's just for the concept art, or, [gasp], if it's going to be a visual revamp?  

Whatever is coming: we're ready for you.  And, Mrs. Test Realm, I'm ready for you, too!

Vlog #2

Topics: Battleblood Updates and News (BUN), school recap, "PvP Plants," Winterthorn commentary.

Gardening: Minimalist (Part 3)

After today's update, plants must be on the same vertical level to be maintained.  So, let's see what kind of floor-based maximums we can come up with:

Going back to the measurements in Part 1 and Part 2, it turns out that the maximum diameter of a group of Medium Plots is 7.  With the Baconator gear, your energy capacity can reach up to 100, which will accommodate for all 5 Large AOE Gardening spells (15 energy each; 75 energy total), plus the Rank 5 Pest Control spell "Fly Swatter."

Filling in the rest of this circle:

Before the updates, I could aim the cursor right on the middle plant and I could hit all 29 of these pots.  But, after the patch, the cursor no longer forces you to aim on a plant.  You can aim at every pixel on the ground now.  Quite honestly, my garden is a little bit tedious to take care of after this fix.  It's tough to find the exact spot for the perfect fit.  But, that won't stop me from trying :-)

So, where do the Likes fit in?  Well, as shown in the above picture, they're going to be floated directly above these plants.  Remember from Part 1 that there is a decent amount of range a Like can be away from a plant. I was planning to cluster my Likes instead of placing them along the perimeter (like I did when my Garden was in my MFP, in Part 2).  That way, if I wanted to Harvest, I wouldn't run into obstacles like before.

But, now I realize that you can Click to Harvest from a distance.  That's right:  I can stand where that Krokotopian tomb is lying and Harvest a plant that's closest to the stream, with a simple click of my mouse!  (Thanks KingsIsle!).  In case you're wondering how I would have Harvested without a "distant click" feature (i.e. before the patch), I assembled a makeshift platform that I can easily set up and remove:

Can't stop me from Harvesting from the middle!

I also planted in a way so that a tall plant was in the center and so I could use it to aim my spell no matter what stage the plants are:

But as I mentioned above, this wouldn't matter anymore, due to the new aiming flexibility.

Later, I took this idea to another level, on another character:

Dandelion Fanboy!!!

The large AOE spells also cover a diameter of 9 Small Plots.

Once again, I floated my Likes above my plants, and created a makeshift platform for harvesting plants towards the center.

See the lone seeds without soil on either side of this garden patch?  I remembered that Dandelions also like Snap Dragons, which all require Large Plots.  Combining planting with the floating bug, I managed to cover every Dandelion with yet another Like.

Feel free to ask any questions in the Comments below -- I'll do my best to answer them!  Thanks for your time~

Official Word From Greyrose - Floating and Harvesting

**Thanks to our very own Jacob Legendheart for pointing this out:




About the Exploit that Caused the Downtime

I want to take this opportunity to clarify what occurred to cause us to close all the Wizard Dorms and Castles & Lands for a day. Players found a way of exploiting a gardening bug in their houses which allowed for infinite harvesting of elder plants.

Players who obviously exploited this bug have been banned, and we will continue to investigate others who may have also taken advantage of something that was clearly not intended.

I obviously won't go in to the details of how the infinite harvest worked, but part of this exploit involved another bug that our community affectionately calls 'stacking'.

This 'stacking' bug allows you to stack rugs, tables and other furniture pieces in your home to create new levels and interesting structures. This has been a long standing bug, and every time we bring up whether or not to 'fix' it, we realize that this stacking bug is a harmless bug that in fact allows our community to be very creative. We're always delighted to see just how much our players enjoy being creative and we feel that removing the functionality to stack housing items would stifle that creativity, and we obviously don't want to do that!

While we have fixed the gardening exploit that relied on this 'stacking' bug, at this time we do not plan to remove the ability for players to stack their housing items. However, should other exploits be discovered that use this 'stacking' bug, we will have to reassess whether the harm outweighs the creative freedom.

-Lydia Greyrose

Test Realm: Testing and Analyzing the Updates (February 2011)

As the first biggest perk in the game for this new year, the multitude of changes shown in the current Test Realm are definitely impacting modern strategies and playstyles.  Not only will a home with an Arena Ring be available for players without a Massive Fantasy Palace or the money to purchase one of them, but there are some significant benefits (and nerfs) that have been applied to the overall game.  This post will not explore every update, but it will focus on the changes that might need further clarification, or changes that were not included on the changelog.  Thus, consider this an active post, so any updates/changes to the Test Realm after publication will be shown in red:

• "Once a plant is in a pot, you cannot pick them up!" --(Celestia Housing TR Notes)

Apparently, this literally applies to the mechanics in relation to the Floating Bug.  While the notes do not specifically state it, it also means that plants within the soil cannot be picked up OR moved.  When you try to relocate the plants, you cannot lock them onto the ground or another item.  Luckily, for those with bulging backpacks, this counteracts that dreadful mistake of creating Fake Seeds within your inventory when you pick up Mature or Elder Plants!  Unfortunately for housing designers, the Fake Seeds that currently exist in their "Inventory" are now endangered species.  

• "Jade Oni and Earthwalker pets will now have the chance of manifesting spells that match their school." --(Celestia Housing TR Notes)

Like with the Level 48 Pets -- though not as complicated, considering pre-update version has been completed -- the Jade Oni pet will have two different Petnomes:  one that is represented by the old Myth and Balance versions before this update, and one that is represented by Jade Oni pets that are acquired after this update.  As for the Earth Walker, we will have to see if there are the two determined Petnomes as displayed on the site, or if there is a third version.

• Pet Abilities have bugged Petnomes, whether manifested or not.

This is a little ambiguous.  Because of the fact that some abilities have the option of being called "Common" when they are unrevealed, it suggests to us that there are actually five tiers of rarities:  Common, Uncommon, Rare, Ultra-Rare, and Epic.  But, since the Advanced Pets system was created without the intent of having "Common" abilities, is there a chance that new Pet Talents or Derby Skills are in the works?  If so, then why don't Pedigree Numbers and Petnomes match, by definition?  

If there is meant to be a fifth tier of abilities, then the Pedigree numbers are bugged, and aren't accounting for the fact that a lot of abilities have dropped a single point (Rares becoming Uncommon, Ultra-Rares becoming Rares, etc.).

If there isn't meant to be a fifth tier of abilities, and the Pedigrees are NOT bugged, then there's a major visual problem with the Petnomes.  Hopefully, for all pet enthusiasts' sake, the bugged manifested abilities won't carry over to the Live Realm.

• Stun Block now reads "Block next 2 incoming Stun attempts."

So far, we've tested Earthquake on Stun Shields, and unfortunately they're still removed.  Boo.

As for single stuns, it seems that this spell does not literally follow its description, in 1v1 at least.  Cassandra Dragonheart and I were casting Chokes/Blinding Light/Freeze at one another, and did manage to stun on the turn AFTER the final Stun Block is removed.  So, it's as if there wasn't any change to this spell, other than it being moved to Dueling Diego's textbook -- which I believe was done so new Wizards wouldn't pick up this spell so early in the game, believing it would be useful in PvE in their near future.

Moreso, I think the description was changed to technically state that a single Stun Block will void a Medusa's attempt to "stun twice," thereby being less confusing to Myth players and their opponents who believe two Stun shields are needed to counter the spell.  Instead of this shield having a counter that waits for another Stun to break it, it supposedly will block at most two, while one Stun will do the trick to remove it.

BUT, I wonder if the description is missing the requirement "...in a single turn."  I'm very passionate about fixing the Earthquake-removing-Stun-Shields issue, as that allows for chain stunning to happen (stun, Earthquake, stun).  So, in bright hopes, I'm going to continue to test this spell in a larger environment: teamed games.  Though, logically, if a Stun Block is removed by an Earthquake, it shouldn't prevent the next incoming stun, since the special effect is then out-of-play-by-removal.  I'll certainly keep us updated on this!

• Gardening Towers are no more.

Gah, the end of the "Industrious Revolution" of Gardening is here.  So much for "going green" and "saving energy," huh?  What has happened -- as mentioned in my and Sierra Starsong's Tweets -- is that floated pots and soils may still accept seeds, but maintaining the crop is no longer allowed by vertical means.  In other words, AOE Gardening spells will NO LONGER affect items from bottom up.  Instead, they'll target all plants that are surrounded by the literal circle (imagine using the AOE ring like a rubber band.)  So, it's back to these ground plans:  Part 1; Part 2.

Floating Large Soil

Small post today, but "large" results! Thanks to Jacob Taleheart for revealing that soil can indeed be floated too!

Gardening: Minimalist (Part 2)

(here’s the last post if you haven’t seen it yet)



Now that we know how far a “Like” can be away from a plant, let’s determine how many plants we would be able to maintain at a time.  I’ve decided to use the highest rank to help determine our minimums and maximums, so you’re looking at the AOE range for mass Pollination.  In front of me are Medium pots (I have a huge liking for Honey Sickles, Prickly Bear Cacti, and Fly Traps, so this will be used as my personal foundation), showing a rounded estimate of the AOE diameter: 6 Medium Pots.  Take note that this does not mean I will be able to maintain 36 Medium plants.  We do have a circle opposed to a square, so trying to make a complete “grid” would mean that we’d have to use separate spells for the ones on the corners.

Tip:  You do NOT have to click on a plant or its plot to cast a spell. As you may have noticed (accidentally), it’s possible to conjure some magic simply by clicking in an unoccupied area of land.  So, if you have trouble “centering” your AOE spell, try aiming at just the ground (which allows you more targeting mobility). 

Once you have your area spotted out like this, you can begin designing your “Go Green” garden. 
Tip:  Keep in mind that you do NOT simply want to fill in the entire area, since it will prevent you from harvesting if you cannot reach the plant.  Each plant does have a Harvest Range, so you don’t want to barricade a single or group of plants with a wall of other plants.  Allow yourself to come into contact with every pot.



(Hi, Lauren!)  As you can see, I didn’t fill the entire area of the AOE Garden spell with pots, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to harvest the ones in the very middle.  Also, if I was better prepared, I would have every plant on Enchanted soil, which would give me further flexibility on what I want to plant after some become Elder.  For example, I may become tired of taking care of Honey Sickles and want more Prickly Bears (more snacks, less blades).  That means I would have to replace the regular Medium pot with an Enchanted one (more gold out of pocket!).  But if I wanted more Honey Sickles instead of Prickly Bears, I would not have to use regular soil.

In the picture above, I thought I had a great layout to reach every single plant.  But, if we look at the picture below, I realize I’m missing out on some of them:



The ones closest to me, and the one on the Enchanted Large soil near that dragon statue’s tail, are just a hair out of range. 

Tip:  When you are testing your AOE range on your garden, you can remove your hand from the mouse and use the arrow keys or WASD to travel around, while the AOE range stays in place.
Based on this tip, this is the same circle from the picture that Lauren Ironbane was in; I only changed my position and angle without moving the AOE one bit.  After seeing that my circle doesn’t include everything, I have to choose a different angle and position to aim for.



This is the exact same circle from the last two pictures.  I can now see that I need to shift it a bit to the right from this angle to include everything (see how much extra space I have to the left?).

Also, you may have noticed that there are some plants floating.  That’s how you can double how many plants you’re maintaining!  I chose to float Small Pots instead of more Medium ones so I could allow more vision to what the pots underneath “Need,” rather than have my view blocked by rotund containers.  If you’re unfamiliar with how to float objects, click on the picture below (and click on it once more for maximum zoom) for a very basic tutorial.  True, I could always link to a resource or existing guide, but instead of showing you what specific “tools” you need, I decided to elaborate on the “general formula” for floating.  Once you understand the concepts illustrated, you can experiment and float just about anything!

So, once you have determined AOE spell range, a suitable ground-level layout, and floated some extra plants, you should have a large quantity of plants considering you need only one of each “Like” to affect the entire patch.  It may or may not look something like this:



The yellow mist you see is what I deem “Pixie dust.”  It’s actually the Rank 10 Repellant spell you receive from the CL Gardener, which prevents any Rank 1 pests from appearing for 48 hours (cost of only 10 energy!)  With this compressed layout, I only need to cast it once to protect all 38+ of my stems.  Also, see how many plants need Pollination?



I marked the ones needing Pollen with blue lightning bolts…11 plants, maintained by one cast using just 15 energy.



Anyone else hear “Flight of the Bumblebee” playing?

Skills!

Happy Harvesting!

Gardening: Minimalist (Part 1)

Nothing is more frustrating than finding you’re too short on energy to take care of every single plant.  Especially during harvest time, when you are looking at valuable crops and plants, you may feel inclined to purchase an Energy Elixir to save that Silver Trumpet Vine or Maelstrom Snap Dragon that you’ve been so attentive to.  If you’re more interested in aesthetics, this post may not be for you.  If you’re focused on obtaining the rewards from Gardening rather than building the greatest looking field, please continue!  The purpose of this guide is to help you design an energy efficient layout for your plants, in addition to understanding a few more mechanics of the game.

First, let’s determine how far you can position a “Like” from a plant, as some furniture items do take up collision space (the amount of room around an object that prohibits movement or placement of other objects).  The main idea is to allow yourself to understand how much you need to compress your plants together so that they can all benefit from the same “Like” (Tropical Garden Gnome) without using up too much House Capacity (how many items you can place in your home).  Each Garden Gnome does represent a loss of a unique or interesting housing item, so let’s find out how large their “Like” aura covers.

I used pots here not only because it is indoors, but to save me energy from having to dig a hole, and energy from having to remove that plot.  If I wanted to save more gold, I could always use Enchanted Pots over regular ones; plants that don’t need Enchanted Soil can use it anyway!  (There was a question during Ravenwood Radio last night about the difference between regular and enchanted soil; the only difference is what the soil looks like, but there is no change in a plant’s growth rate).

I mouse-over my plant to show that the Garden Gnome is indeed taking effect on the Stinkweed.  Keep in mind Stinkweed requires a Small plot.

Eight pots were placed in a straight line, and the Stinkweed is still affected by the Gnome.  I ran out of Small Pots, but that doesn’t limit my distance in this experiment!  I can just bring the second pot to the end and count that as a ninth:

Take note of where the Gnome is positioned on the pot farthest to the left (ninth).  When I placed the Gnome on the very end of that pot, the Stinkweed no longer had any “Likes.”  But, when I moved it to the middle of the ninth Small pot, Stinkweed is happy again.  There are various interpretations to how you can quantify this, but I’m going to say that the maximum distance a “Like” can be away from a plant is eight-and-a-half (8.5) Small plots.  How about the distance for Medium and Large plots?

About 5.5 Medium Plots or 3.5 Large Plots, based on the picture above.  So, linearly from left to right, the Gnome can affect a single row of 19 Small Plants or 11 Medium Plants or 7 Large Plants.  Now that we know our range for “Likes,” we understand how far away our Pet Cannons or Regal Dragon Statues or Piles of Sand can be before they lose effect.

In my next post, we’ll look at diameters of AOE Gardening Spells to determine some strategic layouts.  Thanks for reading, Happy Harvesting!

Gardening: Quality of Life(cycles)

So with handling Petnome Contest and in-game gardening and farming taking up a lot of time of the day, it’s been a long while since I’ve gotten to write anything technical.  Well, let’s jump into some game mechanics, shall we?

With a tennis-style exchange of information, news, and tips, Paige Moonshade and I have been bouncing the ball on Gardening over the past few days.  I think we’ve managed to dissect the system fairly well.  So, while Paige will cover the basics tonight on Ravenwood Radio, let us take the journey into the “whys” and “hows.”
Wikipedia defines quality of life as the “general well-being of individuals and societies.”  For example, it can mean that those with toilets generally have a better quality of life than those without.  Another example (so we aren’t mistaking this with the concept of having technology) is that those with retirement plans, insurance, and health care have a better quality of life than those without.  Salaried, full-time graduates have a better quality of life than college students living on Top Ramen and cheese macaroni.  The more benefits you have, the healthier you feel, and thus, the happier and securer you are.  Instead of dreading what you don’t have, you’re able to focus more on your goals (and not your hindrances), allowing you a clearer path for your pursuits.

Let’s apply this idea to our plants in the game.  Simply put, the better quality of life your plants have, the less needier they become, and the faster they are able to produce for harvests.  Also, they will reach the Elder stage much sooner.  To provide them with such “happiness,” you will need to place what they “like” around them.  From the observations we’ve made so far, it seems that all plants enjoy having a Tropical Garden Gnome around them, so having a few of these on hand is a great idea.

Keep in mind that you need only one of each Like-item for a group of plants.  Think about it this way:  if you had a toilet as opposed to the bushes outside, you’d be happy.  However, having two or three toilets does not mean your happiness will significantly be any different than if you had just one.  So, unless you are aiming for symmetry in your garden, you really need just one Tropical Garden Gnome per patch of plants; the range of its effect is pretty long (I’ll cover how wide in my next post). 

But, having a sink and a bathtub in addition to the john will definitely boost your morale!  The more “Likes” that your plant shows when you mouse-over it, the more noticeable their development will be!  For example, Evil Snow Peas have the following preferences, allowing them to jump from Seedling to Young in about 45 minutes:



Let’s take a visual perspective on how Likes affect a plant’s life cycle. 

As you can see, the more various “Likes” around the plant, the less time it takes to become an Elder.  But that’s not the only benefit.  In an experiment where I placed a single plant without any “Likes” in Mistblood’s dorm, and the same plant in another dorm with four “Likes” around it, it turns out the plant at Mistblood’s required more pest control.  In the picture above, you can see how spoiling your plant with “Likes” will decrease its chance of becoming infected or bothered by a Pest.  From careful observation, I can say that pests arrive randomly, but the diagram still holds true:  the shorter the plant’s life cycle, the fewer times you will have to treat them, thus reducing energy use in the long run.