February 2001
Latest FFA tidbits
 Posted Monday, February 19, 2001 by
Stagnynt
Just dropping by a few lines to keep you up on the latest changes.
---Fireball and a couple of other spells are no longer listed as options, which is just as well since we couldn't use them anyway. The spells and actions currently available are Melee, Heal, Feeb, Mystic Mine, and Teleport. All of these work except Teleport right now.
---Heal works!!! however it only heals 1-8 points of damage. in a game where you can recieve up to 75 hp's of damage in a single blow it doesn't help much unless you're left alone for an extended period of time. There are ways to assure that though, so it is even now a big help in a prolonged fight. When the damage dealt gets dialed down to normal levels it will help just that much more. The outrageous damage inflicted now is merely for testing purposes.
---Movement is now 11 spaces. There were reports that it was 12, but count them for yourself, As of this moment we're being cheated by a step people!!!
---The playing area is 19 wide by 18 height a respectable size and the terrain is getting increasingly complex. The play window shows a 7x7 chunk of the world often making it tough to follow someone if you aren't paying attention and they decide to run off to heal.
---New Terrain!!! Thanks to Mav we have trees!!! they take up only one space, you cannot move through the base, but the upper part can be freely traveled. Mav has been in the process of making new terrain all day and we expect to see that in game soon. Some of the new obstacles will take up 2 squares. THANK YOU Mavralyn!!!
---With the new mystic mine time limit the game is MUCH more enjoyable and no less dangerous. It's a vast improvement guys. I know how long the mines last, but I'm NOT telling you. ~efg~
---The first reportable case of lag has struck!!! There was some uploading going on today and it caused a noticeable amount of lag it didn't last long and was more a source of amusement for me than a bother.
All in all there has been significant progress since just last friday. It's getting to be very exciting around here again gang. I hope to see you all on the field of battle soon!!! (There's only so many times a person can be amused feebing Nef)
FFA Browser Game Update!
Posted Monday, February 19, 2001 by
Mavralyn
The FFA (dubbed Fluffy's Shack) is up and running again folks... as of this morning the current IP:Port is 63.225.199.129:6667. The FFA-FAQs page has already been updated with the new IP.
Some update news:
Heal works now. You can target yourself or someone next to you and heal them for 1d8 points of damage!
Mystic mines no longer stay indefinitely (or until someone steps on them). They disappear after several rounds.
The dreaded lock-up when someone left the game while in battle (during someone else's turn) has been FIXED! So now it's time to test it hard to find any other bugs :)
And lastly (but definitely not the least) the shack will gain some added decorations soon... a few trees.. some boulders maybe... etc. I look forward to seeing what is planned for these additions.
More Screen Shots from Fluffy's Shack!
Posted Saturday, February 17, 2001 by
Mavralyn
The hostess herself greets you upon entering:
Fluffy's Shack
How to lay a mystic mine.
More Feebs!
And another Feeb!
Targeting the enemy.
Friday's FFA Testing
Posted Saturday, February 17, 2001 by
Stagnynt
Click here for Screenshot
If you missed the test of the FFA game the evening of February the 16th you really missed something. I personally got into it late due to some cookie problems, but believe me it was worth the wait. The scenery was different than our beloved home, but there our icons stood, big as life and twice as ugly. At first I just stood stupidly as my timer wound down and I tried to get my arrow keys to respond in the way they always had, to no avail.
I soon figured out that I had to use the mouse to click on the compass rose if I didn't want to grow roots and I was off to the races. Within my first few minutes I was the honored victim of my first feeb in nearly four years, thank you Mav. I wandered the battlefield drooling and without scrolls, but hardly helpless, it was time to try my luck with melee. I rained furious blows upon my enemies before dying. I could have sworn I heard my ass smack the gate, but then maybe it was my imagination after all.
Soon it became clear that some of those that didn't find themselves feebed were actually daring to use such things as tactics and long forgotten strategy. Mavralyn loved her mines, she mined bridges, and she mined here and there and everywhere. She mined and ran and mined some more. Those mines killed more people than melee ever did. There were friendly fire mines and people that ran over their own mines. Body parts everywhere, it almost brought a tear to my eye. (Ok, no actual body parts, or even bodies, damn my imagination to hell).
Was this NWN? Hell no, was it a kick in the pants and a helluva good time? Oh you better bet your ass. There were vendettas, there were feebs, the thrill of victory, and the agony of slamming into the gate. (OK, there was no gate, but there always will be one in my mind). Best of all, there were friends tossing out insults, yelling out thud, and talking shit. It felt like home to me.
The interface was different and takes a bit to get used to, but it's simple once you've played for a while. There was no sound, except the ones you provided through the haze of distant memory. There were only three offensive actions you could take, feeb, pummel, and mine. If you were feebed there was only one option, fisticuffs. There were no bodies. There was the occasional crash or lock up. There were no green message that said 'Stagnynt is stupid' when there was a feeb landed. (This one disappointed Mav to no end).
The spells work on a points system right now. Instead of memorizing spells in your Grimoire, you start with 100 spell points. When those points are gone, you're done casting. (Feeb knocks those points to zero). This lets you cast any spell on your spell list as many times as you have points to support it. In the future some spells will cost more points to cast and others much less. Someday there MAY be grimoires again, but right now that's not one of the top priorities, nor should it be.
This first outing was a far cry from the battles of the past, in pretty much everything except the camaraderie, the fun and the feelings it engendered. The FFA game as it was last night is worth playing and I guarantee that if you're an NWNer you will love it. There will be improvements, of course, and it will allow all of us to relive a little of what made NWN great back in the day. Not only all of that, but Fluffy was there to oversee the proceedings!! Who doesn't hold a special place in their hearts for that lovable holder? For all of this, I cannot thank Scott and Culdraug enough.
Now on to the future...
Scott has passed a few things down that make the future of the FFA sound bright indeed.
1) We will be able to cash in our cards for random treasure that we can use in FFA. The higher the level of the card, the better chance you have to get a primo item. A level one card still has some chance to get the best items, and a level five card may still get you junk. Everlast cards will exchange for a top item directly. Scott says they MIGHT even allow you to choose a specific item with the everlast cards ONLY. Scrolls will be some of the possible loot.
2) There will be a market of sorts for FFA. You can enter and sell your cards, then buy the items you want, OR you can choose to exchange a card for a random treasure as I described above.
3) There will be a vault area, (hoorah for the Lurkers). We will be able to trade the items we have and there will NOT be secure trading... I can see the Lurkers sharpening their skills even as I type this. Be careful, trusting young newbies, the vaults are no place for the unwary. ;> The vaults will have LIMITED capacity. All you people with tons of cards are going to have to make some hard choices. What to keep, what to trade, and what to toss in the trash.
Click here for Screenshot
Nooze
Posted Saturday, February 3, 2001 by
Kevin
I have been busy....I realize that most of you keep up with whats what and who's who in the news you have prolly seen this. The economy is quite horrible right now and layoffs are abounding in the automobile industry. I happen to work in the auto industry...Shana also. We have been fortunate enough not to be affected by the downturn in the market by job loss. We have however been affected in the working hours department. "Less folks means more hours for those of us on salary cause it all pays the same..." Hmmm...doesnt sound like such a good deal now. =scratches head=
Anyway...I will get some work done this afternoon and we will have a test tonight .
Kevin
Vixen of the Vaults Sings Solo!
Posted Thursday, February 1, 2001 by
Mavralyn
Abidabi, the mischievous midget drow and creater of PlanetStar, has made a new track starring that sweetest of thieves: Chyanna, Vixen of the Vaults, star member of the Spirit Lurkers, the female who will steal your heart and soul (as well as all your gold).
Dabi has made a new tract in which Chy sings all the vocals, name of this musical wonder is "Almost Dreaming." There are two versions of it in Progressive Electronica (Almost Dreaming - Banging Dub Mix!) and Deep House (Almost Dreaming - Deep in the Dub!) so head on over to PlanetStar and check it out :)
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