Interview Q.) If we are all going to a University to learn how to pilot giant armed to the teeth mecha... where did we go for High School? A.) Mecha Lecka High of course!
Warlic
Star Date : November 6th, 3009 Dimitri's Crypt released! UPDATE : There was a bug in last week's Morrowood quest in which finding the key to Dimitri's crypt was not properly saved. You will have to go back to Morrowood to get the key - To compensate for the error, the drop rate for the key in the woods have been GREATLY increased for this weekend. So, it should only take a couple fights to get it.
Dimitri's Morrowood crypt is now open on Planet Necryptos! First you have to figure out how to get through the crypt, while sighting our toughest Energy Blade enemies yet! It's a good thing Han Velsing just received a HUGE shipment of Vampire Hunter weapons! These weapons awesome against vampires and should help give you an edge against these difficult opponents!
Now we have our sights set on next week's ffriday the 13th release... Hmmm.... I smell a sequel... and another sequel... and another and another? Anyway, enjoy your weekends and have fun with the (incredibly easy puzzle) in tonight's crypt quest!
(Seriously this puzzle was designed to be beatable by zombies...)
Battle On!
Warlic
Star Date : November 4th, 3009 Permanent V-Hunter Mecha! Today we released the permanent Vampire hunter mecha. This version is nearly identical to the mogloween edition, except the back arm weapon has a cannon instead of the machine gun wielding skeleton and it is colored slightly different.
Also, we got many requests for lower level versions of the V-Hunter. So we added new versions from levels 20+! Anyway,we are currently working on the Crypt quest with the Bossfight against Dimitri as well as some cool new Vampire slaying weapons for you for this friday!
Hunt On!
Blues
Star Date : November 3rd, 3009 Halloween Balancing News! There is a lot of discussion about the new Vampire enemies and the new Vampire Hunter Mecha, called Han Velsing.
The Vampires are quite strong and they have heavy draining abilities. Well, they are Vampires and not easy to defend.
Han Velsing is so nice to sell you a Vampire Hunter Mecha. This Mecha is good against Vampires, that´s why he´s called
Vampire Hunter. (I´m sure you guessed this already :P)
Because it´s Halloween, Warlic and I decided to buff it a bit. We got rid of a lot of popups lately, not only for this Mecha, so not every effect has a popup which causes a bit of confusion.
Before the popups caused confusion :O
Here´s the list of the HV specials for all of you:
Head: +20% Bonus damage against Vampires, DoT, +25 Def against normal enemies, +40 Def against Vampires
Body: Blinding effect, starts with 40 and decreases by 8 per round. SC only combo. Each Weapon used before the body adds 20% damage so in total 100% possible.
BS: +30 BTH per Hit against Vampires
FS: crit chance on every hit, far higher against Vampires
BA: DoT, damage boost on 5 Hits, crit chance on 5 Hits, higher against Vampires
FA: One hit kill chance, Damage Boost against Vampires, heals 50% damage done against normal enemies and 75% against Vampires
Made changes: 20% damage boost got added, we forgot it :O, FA CD reduced to 2.
This Mecha is NOT designed to beat hard or X-treme Mode. You can beat normal Mode, thats fine. We just arrived at a new Planet and we can´t expect to get the ultimate killing machine from the first old guy we met there. It is a decent Mecha against Vampires and I´m pretty sure that we will see new Weapons and other things in the Future.
Next point are the Han Velsing Levels. The rare Model is a high Level Model. Don´t worry, there will also be a permanent Version of this Mecha. Slightly changed but not less powerfull.
We are working on a lot of quests and there will also be a lot
of new enemies which will be..... hard....very...very...hard. But nothing can stop a real Gears University Student!
Have fun and
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Warlic
Star Date : November 2nd, 3009 Ninja bug finally goes splat! Today I had an epic struggle with a bug in the Vampire Hunter mecha in which the front arm would always lose it's instance and revert itself back to it's default.... Now, those bugs are usually pretty easy to find - but this one was a highly skilled ninja... It was incredibly difficult to find in the file... I even sent the mech to Korin at one point to verify that I wasn't compltely insane and that the bug was indeed there... Finally after literally checking every single frame of animation on every single part of the mech with Yergen Von Schmergenbergen... WE STILL COULDN'T FIND IT!! This bug was highly skilled in the art of ninjitsu and hid itself from our highly descerning eye - Well, anyway, we finally narrowed it down to a single frame and instead of trying to fix it - which proved to be incredibly futile... We just completely destroyed the frame and put a new one in... problem fixed... WE still don't know exactly what was wrong and therefore classified this one under the category of "Flash Quirks"
-Anyway it's done - ninja bug SQUASHED... You can now equip front arms to your Vampire hunters! Yay!
This week, We have the non-rare permanent Vampire hunter mecha models coming on Wednesday, along with some other miscellaneous and minor tweaks and fixes that need to be taken care of... Then for Friday, we are releasing some new Vampire Hunter weapons and the Crypt Bossfight quest against Dimitri!
FYI - There have been a lot of people requesting to be able to play as Vampires - Well, the main storyline will have you fighting against them, but fear not - Vampire classes and mecha are coming eventually to Necryptos - along with an NPC you will recognize from our other games... shhhhhh it's a secret -
Warlic
Star Date : October 30th, 3009 Mogloween and a New Planet Hey, who gave Evil Jim permission to post on the design notes? I will have to ask Korin about that one when he gets back... Anyway, sinnce the theme Planet Necryptos, is vampires... we figured it would be fitting to launch it on Mogloween! So, today we have a new permanent in-game planet. To celebrate the Mogloween release, we have a special Mogloween edition of our new Vampire Hunter Mecha! You can get the new Mecha from Han Velsing on Planet Necryptos!
The new planet is launching with the town, Lyceum, and the first quest zone, the Morrowood forest. On Wednesday next week, we will have the first bossfight against Dimitri, the vampire lord of Morrowood. Morrowood is a dark, forbidding forest that is full of massive trees that dwarf everything... including your mecha! It is a perfect place for vampires! Dimitri's vampire minions put up quite a fight! You will most likely want to get one of the new Mogloween Vampire hunter mecha models - it is rather effective against them!
Planet Mortis is still available for those who missed out last week. Also, this weekend is the last weekend that the MQ Anniversary content will be available! So grab your Golden Nubertrons while they last!
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this holiday weekend! And remember - Eat candy responsibly!
Evil Jim
Star Date : October 28th, 3009 Crush the Weak! Greetings minions... ehem.. I mean, fans! It has only been a couple short weeks since I was unleashed on the galaxy! Already, I have gained fans in all sectors of space, from Shadowscythe to Arthurian Solar systems! My latest single, "Crush the Weak" unleashed pure rock fury on the unsuspecting Planet of Mortis... Well, now you can grab your own copy in the Planet Mortis Starship shops... Make sure you crank it up REAL LOUD! Listen closely to the guitar solo... it is rather... hypnotic... MUHAHAHAHA!
Why do I do what I do? I don't know... I love the fame... I love the fortune... I love the limitless power! My music will unite this galaxy under a new ruler... ME!!
Anyway, the old man, Warlic, is telling me I have to talk about something other than myself... alright fine.. I'll oblige him... for now..
Today we released a TON of new Mogloween Starship items. You can now decorate your ships with skeletons, candles, Jack O Lanterns, and of course... Posters of ME! There is also a Witch who you can hire for some nova gems. She can make candy ammo for you all year round! Also, the Planet Mortis Starmaps have been updated... They now go to the most current version of Amity. Anyone who bought the maps last year will NOT have to buy a new one!
So, go now...Battle on and CRUSH THE WEAK!
Oh.. and get ready to crush some vampires on Friday too!
Warlic
Star Date : October 26th, 3009 Flash Player Exploits Hello everyone! From time to time, we like to warn you about possible malware exploits that are going around the web. One that has been spreading around lately is a fake "Flash Player 10.37 " upgrade. This is a fake flash player that installs malware on your computer. The latest version of Flash player from Abobe is Version 10.0.32.18. Please be very careful when installing updates to your Flash Players. Make sure that you ONLY get them from Adobe's official website. You can find authentic flash Player updates at http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer
PLEASE Do not get Flash from any other site!
Game Fixes: Today we fixed a couple of issues left over from this weekend's Mogloween Release! You may have noticed that the new mogloween weapons have EP Regeneration buffs that are insanely powerful. Well, that was a complete mistake. Weapons have NEVER had regen buffs before... In fact, we had never even thought of giving them regen buffs before now. The EP Regen numbers were accidentally entered when the weapons were created because they are included in our universal scaling calculations for mecha and weapons. Anyway, after the mistake awas discovered this weekend, we thought, "Oh No!... Hey! Wait aminute... that's a COOL BUG!" So, we have decided to keep the Regen buffs on the weapons. However, they are now scaled to reasonable amounts. This is one of those cases when a bug becomes a feature! Yay!
Also, The new Cauldron weapons had a DoT effect that wasn't doing any damage. that has been fixed too!
Anyway, we are getting back to this week's release. WE are hoping to have some new starship items for Wednesday and of course, On Friday, we are launching a new planet, Necryptos! Spooooky!
Warlic
Star Date : October 23rd, 3009 Merry Mogloween! Our Mogloween release is live! Those of you who were with us last year will recognize the familiar Planet Mortis Zone! We've expanded the zone quite a bit! This time around, you can actually explore the mountain, woods and Cemetary zones. You will notice the enemies drop candy ammo... Grab as much of it as you can! At the end of the zone, you will get a weapon that you can use with it! We also updated the Frankenmecha and Headless Horse mecha models with improved specials and level scaling! So these legendary mecha models are even better now!
We are are now working on our vampire planet, Necryptos, for next friday! So, this is kind of like a double dose of horror for this most frightful holiday season!
Like all holiday seasons, we have a variety of Star Captain and Nova gem rare items available! If you are running low on nova gems, don't forget Ballyhoo and AEExtras! They are a great way to earn Nova Gems to help you get holiday rare items! For more information, check out our beautiful new Nova Gems info page here!
Battle On!
Blues
Star Date : October 20th, 3009 Balancing News! Game Balance and Upgrade News and not so News:
Trog:
I promised a buff and it is not forgotten, there was just not enough
time but it will happen!
Behemoth:
This Mecha got 2 buffs. First, the taser CD was reduced to 0 so the damage buff/resistance nerf can get activated when needed
and the stun chance got buffed to 100%. This means NOT that you get a guaranted stun, the Headcrusher attack just tries to
stun on every activation. It still needs to hit and the stun can get resisted. Now this is a real good Mecha with a good stun chance and a nice damage output and not to forget it scales up to Level 42!
BC:
The Boomstick was bugged, it did 2 to 3 times the intended damage so it got fixed. The Mecha is still powerfull and it performs
awesome against equippable enemies because of the dismemberment attacks. No, it is NO Warbear.... more of this later.
Drakel Dark Sphere:
The new Drakel Mecha doesn´t need a buff at all and it will get none. This Mecha is exceptional good for NSC players and it can beat hard and even sometimes x-treme Mode and all you need is to beat normal. So, you really really should be pleased with this Mecha :)
Seppy and Skullcrusher:
Both Mechas scale from Level 35 on so the proud owners have now a Mecha for every Level they reach in the future. We buffed the HP/EP values for both Mechas, these were the only
changes. They are still exceptional good. Seppy will not get a damage buff for now, with the new values he is really good enough. Damage for Body and Head and a buffed DoT is something we can do in the future when needed.
The Nubertron:
This is something I must discuss with Maegwyn, she designed the Nubertron. Sadly she is sick since more than a week and I really miss her.... so.... Get well soon Maeg :)
Warbear:
There is a tendency to compare every new SC Mecha to Warbear and always a thread that the new one is "underpowered" and needs a buff because Warbear is soooo much better. The easiest solution would be.... guess.... nerf Warbear and this
discussion will stop. No worries, we will not do this as we promised.
But it makes no sense to compare everything to Warbear and you will only get a No from me when you mention Warbear in a GBD thread.
Now, the Warbear story:
It was 95% my fault, 4% Korins fault and 1% Maegwyns fault. (To be honest, I think it was 95% Maegwyns fault because she is the reasonable person when we guys go crazy and she didn´t stop us but.... anyway :P)
I had the idea to give it high damage output as theme with no defense at all. So, I created the specials. Korin coded them, I tested everything, the damage was nice, I was in a really good mood and it looked awesome, Korin liked the theme, Maeg didn´t say no so.... yay we released it. All of you who bought it know what happened. Not too bad, there will be a bunch of new enemies and also new SC only quest you will not be able to beat with Warbear, but the damage output is really high.
Short and sweet: No second Mecha of this type!
Let us all take some minutes and think of Maegwyn and send her a lot of positive energy so that she feels a lot better soon!
Dear Maeg, hope this helps and.... we miss you!
Have fun as always
Warlic
Star Date : October 20th, 3009 Back to Mortis You may have guessed it already... but this Friday, we're going back to Mortis because it is everyone's favorite holiday...Mogloween! Korin and I are putting together some new spooky weapons and a new quest on Planet Mortis for this week. This time around, Dr. Springenstein's creation, Shelley has fallen under the spell of the latest Galactic Rock Star.... and unfortunately, the music does NOT have a good message...
We have another Halloween related release coming up next week :We are launching a permanent in-game planet next Friday, October 30th... the theme - as you may already know is VAMPIRES! (Don't worry - it is NOT going to be a total spoof of Twilight... however, if you look closely, you may notice that the vampire mecha models sparkle... That's as far as we're going with Twilight references..).
Wednesday mini-release is going to be Sepulchure and Skullcrusher upgrades!
Warlic
Star Date : October 16th, 3009 The End of Westion As I write this, Korin is blowing up Planet Westion... Yes. Planet Westion is no more. The Shadowscythe came. They saw... they blew it to pieces! (Well, they didn't exactly blow it up... the dragonoids did...) Now an asteroid field full of temporal anomalies is all that is left...The zone will be still be replayable in the game through the use of these temporaly anomalies.
This is the first major Shadowscythe victory. However, the taste of their victory is bittersweet. They suffered heavy losses in this terrible war. They barely defeated the allied forces. Honestly, you guys fought extremely well. In fact, you almost won this war that was skewed rather heavily towards the Shadowscythe to begin with... They had intended on using the Planet Westion as their major base of their operations in this Solar system, but now they have laid claim to an asteroid field. Not exactly the most stunning victory for them...
What about the people on the planet? The only thing that can save them at this moment is a bargain with the super-dimensional-omnipotent being known as...
...Korin...
Is it worth it? What is he up to anyway?
And what was that strange sensation on my scalp?
Today is a HUGE mecha release day! We have 2 new reward mechs for the Westion ShS War. the Drakel Power Armor has been buffed with a powerful new corrupted version and the Shadowscythe Behemoth is now a playable mecha. The Behemoth is available at the Nova Gem Valor shop in the Westion War camp. The Corrupted Drakel Power Armor is available for NSCs at the regular Valor Mecha Shop in the Westion War camp.
Star Captains are getting the next Monthly Mecha today- The BC Warrior Class mecha is a trash-talking, shadowscythe-stomping, chainsaw and boomstick wielding juggernaut!! This mecha was developed with the Halloween season in mind and was based on one of our favorite scary movies of all time...
Anyway - I shed a tear for Planet Westion. It was our first major Planet. On the desert sands of Westion, the MechQuest team learned many things. We have been through many struggles and triumphs since those days. The game has evolved a lot since we first took our starships into space. Now the storyline of Westion comes to an end - And a new Chapter in this galactic fantasy sci fi space mecha opera begins... With Korin at the helm of this Starship called M
Battle On!
Warlic
Star Date : October 14th, 3009 House Mecha Tweaks and Bluesy's Notes! Hello everyone - Just quick note to let you know that the level 40 Runehawk and Wolfblade mecha models have been tweaked:
1) Runehawk shoulders now stack so you can get better energy to health draining.
2) Wolfblade's berserk ability no longer drains accuracy. Also, the Damage increase has been slightly boosted.
Everyone has been wondering what our October monthly mecha is going to be... well let me just say - it is a trash-talking, dismembering, chin-killing wrecking machine. This new monthly mecha also carries a forgotten edition of the infamous Mechronomicon... We're testing it now and plan to release it on friday... along with a new corrupted version of the Drakel Power Armor and a playable Shadow Behemoth! Hey wait - that's 3 new mecha designs this week! That's just crazy!
In the meantime, Korin and the rest of the MQ team are working on the grand finale to Shadowscythe war... It was a difficult and close battle... Both sides suffered heavy losses, but in the end the Shadowscythe have prevailed and gained a new strategic foothold in this sector of the galaxy! Now, the Shadowscytheare mobilizing the corrupted Dragonoid to land the final blow to the allied defense forces and begin their occupation of Westion!
We'll find out what Korin has in store for us this Friday! I am at the edge of my seat!
Todays mini-release will be a new evacuation mission for Westion as well as the Runehawk and Wolfblade power tweaks mentioned above..
Blues
Star Date : October 14th, 3009 Notes from Blues! It seems that I´m finding slowly a way out of this portal, at least
more messages seem to go through and the communication works better.
As promised here are my DN´s about the AHM´s.
The AHM´s were my first real balancing and special creating project.They got a completely new look and we decided to change them and giveevery house a special "theme".Wolfblade are the "Warriors", Runehawk the "Mages" and Mystraven the
"Rangers". Now, we had the problem to implement these "Builds" into Mechas. Warriors are closecombat types with a lot of damage so WB got a high damage output.Mages are more the "weaklings" which don´t fight in close combat, bu tthis is not possible in MQ so we gave RH a lot of defensive abilities. Standing in front of an enemy and say: " Please Mr. Alien, give me some minutes to concentrate so that I can cast my ebil spells on you" doesn´t
work good because the Shadowscythes are the "hit first and talk later" kind of species. MR got also defensive abilities and a potential high damage output but with a high deviation
so it´s unreliable. Also smokescreen activates only on hit. There are different opinions on the abilities we gave the houses and some players want to switch RH and WB. This was and
is the way I see it, that´s why they are as they are.
The AHM´s were the beginning of a new era in MQ. They got completely new special abilities and it took us weeks to create them, code them and balance them. I think we did a real good
job and all 3 Houses have been pretty equal. But there is no way to make them completely equal unless we make them all the same. It worked quite good in normal Mode which was the
only available difficulty mode these days. We always got the "time
needed to win a fight" argument. Well, a defensive Mecha will take
more time to win a fight, thats logical. Because many
players were not longer satisfied with their former house choice, we gave them the opportunity to change houses, but they couldn´t switch back.
I remember when we released the K&S update before the AHM´s and players complained instantly that this challenge is far too hard. It was a preview what the new AHM´s will be able to do
and they did a very good job in this challenge. The problems started when we implemented hard and x-treme Mode. We
didn´t even think about other difficulty Modes when we created the AHM´s so it was clear that they behave different
because I balanced them for a maximum of 8 to 10 turns.
And we also went a bit crazy :P
We created more and more and more fancy specials, things we never thought they would be possible to make but Warlic, the Wizard of coding was able to do every crazy thing we could think about and of course we wanted to release everything to show you what MQ can do. The Mechas and Equipment became better and better and this was a kind of "Power Inflation". The game became easier and we revived a lot of old Mechas and made it much easier for beginners. Also the pricing changed completely for the low Levels. The SC monthly special Mechas are really special and not to forget the promo Mechas. Yes, the game became easier and new Mechas are normally quite good with defaults and that´s good for casual players who don´t have the time to constantly customize their Mechas. X-treme Mode is still a bit of a challenge for our hardcore players and I remember all the discussions when the SC X-treme challenge got released. There will be more such challenges in the future and we are working on new enemies which will need some customization and some strategy. Most of them will be placed in special missions I think.
Oh my god, this is a long story and I must come to an end now.
We will have a look at the AHM´s and WB and RH might get changed a bit. I know that many of you wanted new looks and new specials. This will come one time but for now we changed only the rolls etc.and not the specials. The AHM´s are still reliable Mechas and the upgrades are pretty cheap. When they will get a new look in the future, they will also get a complete special overhaul. For now you can customize them with nice House Weapons and we will release more of them.
See you on the Forums
Have Fun!
Korin
Star Date : Oct 9th, 3009 War, a Magic Number, and Fun!
What a hectic day. What seemed like a simple small list of things to do turned into a great big one.
The magic number today is 80%. As in, you guys better not get to 80% before Monday because some content is not pretty enough yet.
That said, you now have access to 2 new weapons and - if you have over 200 Valor Badges you can open a shop to access a Shadowscythe mecha. Hopefully everyone will enjoy those.
As of right now, Star Captains can reclaim the Galactimecha and battle the Dragonoid. He's harder than Universo. However, as of right now there's no huge rewards but that should change by Monday-Wednesday. So right now, it's just for fun so enjoy it. Although it does count towards the war and get you 1 (count them), 1 Valor Badge. Hopefully more Valor Badges over the weekend but we'll see what I can do.
Big week next week. Probably way bigger than what this one was supposed to be. Should be interesting. I don't have much to say right now which is surprising because I usually babble in this thing but I'm fried right now. But I do have one thing to add. Forum user Chamberino made this awesome thing in Spore Galactic something. Definitely worth checking out. Here's a link to the video.
It's the Steampunk mecha and it looks amazing. So big hoorah for him.
Other than that, enjoy the weekend. Enjoy your new weapons and mecha. And of course, enjoy the weekend.
Maegwyn
Star Date : Oct 0th, 3009 Wildness!
Insanity! Korin is awesomeface and so is Azami for all his assistance today - Korin & I couldn't've completed any of our list of "DONE! Needs testing!" without his help!
Lyris designed the new arm weapons, and Yergen made the awesome animation!
Some gleeful Gremlin temporarily has opened up a very strange shop in the Westion War. There are some sweet mechas (non-equippable, Shadowscythe Trogs) ready as soon as the shipment arrives at the correct shop...
Enjoy your weekend! Remember... 80%...
Korin
Star Date : Oct 7th, 3009 Wed. Mini-Release & Awesomenesses!
Ah. Lovely Wednesday mini-releases. From what I understand, you now have updated House Mechs. We've heard your requests so we decided to roll with it. I would like to start by pointing out that Maegwyn has gone out of her way and has begun learning how to edit effects in our mechas. Basically she's taking on even MORE responsibilities which seems impossible. It's a huge help though and she's picked it up really quick.
Moving on. I hear something about merge shops and new mechas. I only know some of the new upgrades. Maegwyn might be able to shed some more light on what's happening although I'm sure the shops will be easy enough to figure out.
Right now I'm working on something that's a bit hefty but it should make for a fun little game to play on Friday. So there will be that, plus a boss on Friday and a couple weapons and special mecha to buy. Not Galactimecha(sorry) but it's something that people have asked for and I think you'll enjoy them.
As for Galactimecha being a playable mech, I just want to point out that it's highly unlikely. Just wanted to throw that out there. Why? Because thousands of you have just had a dream get shattered. It feeds me. Seriously though. Probably won't happen. I may try to rip him out into a full minigame though so that could be fun. Artix actually kind of demanded I do it. Should I obey? Probably. All I need to do is figure out when.
What other fun stuff has happened? Warlic is out of office this week so it's like officially flying solo for the first time which is exciting yet terrifying. Safety nets are always comforting.
In other news, someone on Facebook has made something super awesome in Youtube but I forgot to ask for his game name and I don't feel comfortable posting it under his full name and since I forgot to ask for his game name, I can't post it yet. But this guy made something totally awesome and I can't wait to link it for you guys on Friday. Very neat.
Other than that, last but not least, most of you remember us announcing that Lyris has become part of the team. Right now she's helping us design some costumes for the next planet. If you remember, she did the birthday costumes(which is staying up for a month so yay!) so I'm sure these new costumes will look amazing. More news on another person later.
I think this is a decent flood of potentially useless information. So stop reading and play MechQuest already.
Maegwyn
Star Date : Oct 2nd, 3009 Jammies - Designed by Lyris! Welcome Lyris! Yes, MQ has a talented addition to the team - Lyris! She's been vectoring actually since sometime in September... so it's WAY past time for a 'welcome' - and I'll see whether she'll let me interview her soon.
The new Jammies uniform is Lyris' design! If you haven't done so yet, ride the Floorivator down to the party, deliver some cake, and wear your own set of Jammies!
Maegwyn
Star Date : Oct 1st, 3009 Happy Birthday - Time for Cake! MechQuest is 2 years old! Head on over to Tek's Mechs to pick up the Nubertron (Level 5, in the regular mecha shop) and then it's that time of year when the Floorivator actually works! So check out the band, win some tokens, and see if you can find a pajama party. Oh, and don't forget the cake! You may want to be prepared with an Energy Blade ... just in case you run into someone you recognize...
Complete your Anniversary mecha collection with a new Silver, Gold, or Platinum Nubertron. A Silver Token plus a regular Nubertron will "gild" it and raise its level - or a Golden Token for the SC-exclusive Gold model - see the "recipes" in the Gilded Mecha shop downstairs! If you would like Platinum, those are available for Nova Gems (no tokens needed). For a "Nubertron," these are pretty uber - Anniversary models have the (small) chance to 'Nuberize' your opponent! Beware, though - if you are "Nuberized" by your PvP opponent, you must get out of Assault Mecha, and re-equip your mecha to restore its proper HP and EP!
Don't forget to browse through the 3009 Starship Items (I'm loving the new Scraps game in my Starship's Arcade Room) - plenty of new things for decoration, and Action Figures, too.
X-Boost is Here! X-Boost items will increase your experience and credits from battles by 10% and come in one week, 30 Days and Unlimited options. One week will cost 100NGs, 30 days: 380 NGs and Unlimited : 1000NGs. You may now purchase X-Boost items at Tek's Mechs.
Westion News: Betting is no longer in the Blackjack gameParents complained and we listened - we are dedicated to going the extra mile to provide games that are enjoyable for the whole family. We listen to the community and you spoke very clearly about this one... and that's the outstanding factor in what makes Artix Entertainment games so great! I myself am delighted to be a part of the AE team, working together with you, our community, to enhance the games while continually bringing out new content, which includes your suggestions and your feedback.
War on Westion Continues! The Shadowscythe War is not going very well... Despite the valor of the Soluna/Westion Alliance, the Shadowscythe invaders just keep pressing forward in countless numbers! Coming Friday - Queenadent Odessa Pureheart needs brave Star Captains to punch through enemy lines and deliver a plea for help to Arthuria and Zargon!
In the Works: I have a list of mechas - House Mechas, Seppy, and Skullcrusher are all in line for their long-awaited higher-level versions. I'll be prepping them for testing to be sure they're rollin' with the big guns - and blues promises to emerge from the transdimensional portal to work with me, Warlic, Korin, Azami, Personater (and anyone else we can steal from staff) to test these out!
We keep promising that the new Knife and Spork challenges are coming soon. This takes a lot of prep-work, and I've already got some of the groundwork laid - it will take some more time, but hasn't been forgotten at all. No, it's not slated for next week... but I'm confident that you'll find it worth the wait when it's all set up and ready to roll!
Happy Birrrrrrthday to US! Thanks for making this another great MQ Year!
Warlic
Star Date : Sept 29th, 3009 Planning a party! This week, MechQuest is going to turn 2 years old! To celebrate, we are having a pajama party in Soluna City - Complete with some New Silver, Golden and Platinum Nubertron mecha models! Yeah that's right, I said "Nubertrons". The Newbatron is getting it's first graphic overhaul since MechQuest was first launched. A new level 5 version of the Newbatron, called the Nubertron is being added - with new graphics. Looks like a newbatron with an overdose of mocha cola!
Also, to celebrate our anniversary, we are introducing our next Novaboost item - X-Boost! X-Boost items will increase your experience and credits from battles by 10% and will come in one week, 30 Days and Unlimited options. One week will cost 100NGs, 30 days: 380 NGs and Unlimited : 1000NGs. You will be able to purchase X-Boost items at Tek's Mechs.
Since MQ's Birthday is happening this Thursday, our normally scheduled Wednesday release is going to be the Party in Soluna ans will happen on Thursday instead.
On Friday the war against the Shadowscythe is going to progress on Planet Westion with Alamonia and Khaedron coming under full attack from the Shadowscythe forces. Meanwhile, Odessa is going to try to send a request for aid from Arthuria and Zargon! Unfortunately, she needs an experienced star captain pilot to punch through enemy lines in a desperate attempt to deliver the messages to Zargon and Arthurai!
Blues
Star Date : Sept. 29th, 3009 Notes from Blues! Incoming message through the transdimensional portal.....
I´m still trapped in here but a portal can´t prevent me from reading the Forums
and taking care of Game Balance Issues.
Here the news:
Crabber FA Weapon: We talked about it and came to the conclusion it is
a bit too weak.
Now you get a damage bonus against ShS enemies and the XP Bonus got
buffed. Both have
a roll now.
House Mechas: We know that they need an upgrade to the new Level cap
and they need a buff
so that they can compare with all the new shiny Mechas. We are working
on this, be prepared
for buffed AHM´s. They will not get a major update but better damage.
Super Twang and Master Twang: They have different rewards and the
easier one has higher rewards.
The energy blade fights need a major update and they will get one.
Theres no ETA but it is on our list.
Because the rewards are not too high anyway a change of the rewards is
not top priority.
The SC-X-treme challenge: It is still a challenge for some players,
even with all the new monthly SC only Mechas.
The challenge should be quite easy nowadays and we have a strategy
thread for it. It is meant to be a challenge,
so every complaint about one of the enemies in there will have no
effect. It will not get easier :P
Issues regarding enemies: Please provide some numbers when you think
an enemy is too easy or too hard.
Just saying an enemy is too powerfull doesn´t help. Try different
Mechas and/or Equipment, provide numbers
how often you lose etc., then I have something to work with.Some
enemies are a challenge and they are meant to be one.
Auto Levelling: While this is a nice feature, not every Mecha and
Weapon will get it. There will be upgrades soon for the
promo Mechas.
That´s all for now from me.
Have fun!
Warlic
Star Date : Sept 24rd, 3009 Westion is getting Pwned by the Shadowscythe! The Shadowscythe have started their onslught of Planet Westion and things are looking extremely grim. Allied Forces are vastly outnumbered - even with the aid of Sys-Zero and Queenadent Odessa Pureheart! Shadowscythe forces are racking up victory after victory and are literally pouring out of the wood work! For this war, we have 2 war camps! Star Captains get a separate WAr Camp where they can run special starship missions in Space! This includes an updated version of Pyras Blast that has enemies that dart from side to side and up and down... and shoot at you! The Star Captain missions also feature our newset rockin' MQ Shadowscythe theme song!
Anyway, the storyline of Planet Westion is finally starting to come to a close andnow the Shadowscythe are starting to encroach on our galaxy - There was a brief period of piece after the first few Shadowscythe landed on Loreon nearly two years ago... But now the war is upon us and there are still many alliances to forge before we can stop them once and for all... Remember, we are not just fighting for Planet Westion... we are fighting for the entire galaxy! Battle On!
Warlic
Star Date : Sept 23rd, 3009 Assault Mecha Reborn! Assault Mecha has just been updated along with a few bugs... actually those few bugs grew into a whole boat-load of bugfixes... So, you will probably want to make sure you refresh your browsers to make sure you are running Omega version 3.6.2!
Here's a list of Bugfixes:
1)Assault mecha no longer crashes when you enter an invalid Char ID.
2)You now get actual experience for pvp fights.
3)Exiting quests from your starships should put you back into your starship.,.. at least I hope - starships are powered by voodoo.
4)Mocha Cola mods no longer duplicate stack to infinite amounts when you visit shops.
4)Fixed broken item mergers in Maeg's T-Flan Shops
5)The new Assault Mecha was broken with insane credit rewards...and then fixed again! So for a few minutes a few lucky players made a LOT of credits from PvP fight! Oops 2 Game engine updates in the same Day!!!
6) Fixed some weird problems coming out of inventory shop screens and being stuck in mini-mecha walkaround mode...
7) Korin fixed some Blackjack bugs - things to note are the buttons for betting and how they operate if you have insufficient funds. Also getting a draw shouldn't break the game. and all aces should now go from 11 points to 1 if the score gets pushed above 21.
Cool I Just Pwned the n00b, Korin in an Assault Mecha Duel! I hope you all enjoy playing Assault Mecha Again!
Warlic
Star Date : Sept 22nd, 3009 Assault Mecha Rebirth - Coming Wednesday! So, yesterday I did a little experiment... I had Rolith run some stats for MQ. I wanted to find out what quest caused the most user dropoff. So we looked at the last quest played by people who hadn't logged in for a while and found that there was one quest that won by a landslide... Assault Mecha! That antiquated pseudo-pvp Arcade machine that we implemented back in MQ's beta days.. in fact it was one of the first quests ever created for MQ. It also happens to be one of the buggiest ones... Enter a wrong ID, blam, game crash - reload. Battle Random doesn't actually give you a player character - it gives you one of our least varied monster lists ever!! To top it off, you don't even get experience for your win - Wow! No wonder that quest is the one that people play first... and last... Well, hopefully my little updates tomorrow will make Assault Mecha more fun:
The following fixes and changes are planned for Assault mecha tomorrow:
1) Battle random will actually give you a real player - taken from the approved names list.
2)Entering an incorrect ID in the Battle by ID option will no longer result in an error that requires a reload.
3)You will be able to choose scaling options for the Assault Mecha battles. You will be able to turn scaling on or off and Star Captain difficulty selection will also apply.
4) Winning a battle will now give you a cool close up view of your mech and a somewhat random victory message.
5) Vidtories may be posted to your Facebook pages so you can brag to all of your friends and family about how you finally defeated n00bPwnzor46's Warbear in a fair fight!
Anyway, The changes mentioned above will be applied to Assault Mecha sometime tomorrow. Meanwhile - Korin is cooking up a Shadowscythe invasion of Westion for this friday... scary stuff....
Korin
Star Date : Sept 18th, 3009 Um...
Some people wanted me to make a Design Notes post. So I will. So everyone going "Oh no! Korin's gonna babble like he always does!" can rest assured that yes. That is exactly what will happen. :] Not so much to annoy you, but because I appreciate all players equally. Make sense? I didn't think so either.
Anywho, rather big release this week. I ended up working on the new Saloon project while Warlic helped out with the Talk Like a Pirate Day event that we can never seem to prepare for until 3 days beforehand. So here we are. We managed to make some weapons, one of which is completely awesome and I'm so glad we were able to make it. I don't know if I can say it or not but I will anyway. No one will stop me. It's the Parrot Launcher. If you're laughing now, wait til you see it. Yergen Von Shmergenbergen has done an amazing job animating it and it's just awesome. I believe there's an energy blade weapon and something else. I think a costume.... Something... Words....
While on the subject of Pirates, I feel this video expresses all the fun and excitement one could have during Talk Like a Pirate Day.
Yes I posted it in the Sing like a Pirate thread and yes, you can say what you want but I actually do like Lazy Town. I'm not ashamed. Not completely ashamed, atleast.
On to the Saloon. Some very neat stuff. Amalthea (that's her name, right?) has opened the Saloon but there's a strange Equin in there that likes to play cards. He doesn't like losing though. He doesn't really seem to like anything. Anyways, he'll play you in games of War and Blackjack. You actually have to bet money in Blackjack so be careful. The rules are also explained by Amalthea. If it's still a little hard to follow, I'll post some easier-to-understand rules in the game probably for Wednesday. Hopefully the rules are clear enough. Also, once you complete the quest and get to the maximum rank, you won't have to fight anyone after Blackjack. It (should) become purely a betting card game. I should also mention that the cards are shuffled after each little match so counting cards won't help you.
This was a pretty exciting release to work on. The card games look great. The cards were prettied-up by Yergen. They look fantastic. I personally feel that the card games play really well and flow quick enough to be fun.
So if you don't like it then uhh.... Try living with this on your conscience...
:[
How's that? I know you hate it. It's driving you mad with feelings of regret for not liking it. I know I'm right.
I think I was going to point something special out in the Design Notes.... I can't remember. Maybe I was going to single out a forum member and make fun of them. I'm not sure. By make fun, I mean appreciate...
Anywho, sounds like Warlic is just about ready to roll. I don't know how much more I can stall these Design Notes. Actually, I'm pretty sure I could stall for a good amount of time. But I won't bore you with more stalling as I've already bored you enough. So that said, I hope you all enjoy the release today. I hope to hear great things. Some things may not work, as always. So on that note, I'm out.
Thinking about it, I probably should've made a funny Kanye West interruption reference. I could've. And I should've. But I didn't. For that, another one of these...
:[
Alright I'm done for real. Later friends (and foes?).
PS. If your hands are wet, and there are no paper towels, just stick your hands in your pockets. Don't have pockets? Use your friends face. He or she will love you forever for it. Trust me. I'm a pretend-scientist.
Maegwyn
Star Date : Sept 16th, 3009 Nova Gems Notes: What are Nova Gems? Nova Gems are a special currency used in MechQuest. With Nova Gems, you can purchase more hangar space (which allows you to keep more mechas) and additional item slots. Also, you will find special Nova Gem shops throughout the MechQuest multiverse, selling powerful mechas, stat-boosting mecha mods, devastating weapons and energy blades, extra-special Starship items, and the Mocha Cola temporary health and energy boost (just to name a few of the extra-special things that Nova Gems can get you).
Here's a list of the ways you can get Nova Gems:
AExtras: By participating in the AExtras offers, you can earn Nova Gems. Most offers require you to sign up to a website, answer a survey, buy something,or sign up for a trial. Each offer will show you how many NovaGems it is worth if you complete it. If you are eligible and you complete the offer, your character will automatically get the NovaGems in MechQuest! Read all about AExtras and log in on this page to participate http://www.mechquest.com/aextras/offers/default.asp
Ballyhoo: Every day that you play MechQuest, you have the opportunity to go to the movies! Just go to Cinemech in Soluna City - or click the camera button on the menu bar on your screen - and as a reward for watching the daily advertisements, up to the daily limit, you will earn a reward - which includes the chance to get Nova Gems!
Captain Rhubarb's Ballyhoo Update:
1) Doubled the Credit drop rate
2) Added chances for getting 25 or 50 Nova Gems
3) Decreased volume of Dragonfable ad
4) Fixed ads that were "buggy"
We also offer purchasable Nova Gem packages. Just click the link on the Homepage "Get Nova Gems" (beneath the Play button) to choose the Nova Gem package that suits you - whether you prefer them in a large bundle or a smaller quantity!
Warlic
Star Date : Sept 16th, 3009 Mocha Cola! Today we have a fancy new feature in the game engine. Please refresh your broswers to make sure you are running Omega Version 3.6.0! We now have expiring item types that can be used for temporary stat boosts and other various effects! The first of these new Stat Boost items is Mocha Cola! The newest formula of Mocha Cola has been recently been approved as a Mecha-Grade booster fluid! This awesome stuff not only tastes great and is less filing... It will give your mecha a 10% Boost to Hitpoints and Energy! Maegywn had to give a hefty bribe to the SFDA (Soluna Food and Drug Administration) to get approval for this new mecha beverage! Mocha Cola costs 100 NGs and lasts for 1 week. So, it is a great way to get past that nasty boss monster or extreme challenge that has been nagging you for a while....
Note: Mocha Cola boosts cannot be sold back because of the fact that it expires after a while and immediately applies to your character in the form of a stat boost..
In other news- One of my latest projects is daunting task of making MechQuest translatable into other languages! This is going to involve a fairly drastic update to every single quest in the game! However, it is not impossible and I just got my proof of concept working! This is incredibly exciting news because translation will allow us to reach a much wider audience! I will keep you updated as I make more progress!
Also, if you didn't notice yet, I put a Mohawk teaser ad on the home page so you can get a preview of our latest incredibly awesome Star Captain Monthly mecha!
Finally, We recently discovered a nasty bug in some Ballyhoo ads that caused the game to completely glitch out! This has been fixed.
Warlic
Star Date : Sept 15th, 3009 Coming up! This week, Korin and and the rest of the gang are busy putting together the Saloon in Alamonia. The Saloon will be a unique zone for us. Yes, you will be able to play card games and battle some disgruntled (evil?) patrons too!.. We are quickly approaching Westions big doomsday - The Shadowscythe have been a little quiet in the recent weeks... Oh.. the calm before the storm.
Yergen Von Schmergenbergen is putting the final touches on the Mohawk mecha - it should be out this Friday! Sorry the Mohawk is running a little bit late - The Steampunk project was admittedly a little more intense than we had anticipated... For Tomorrow's mini-release, I am going to try something new - Maegwyn is about to get her first shipment of mecha-grade mocha cola! For a few Nova Gems, you will be able to get a weeks supply of it for a nice boost during your battles! The mocha cola involves a few engine tweaks - so hopefully it will all work out for tomorrow!
We also have talk like a pirate day coming up this weekend... Hey wait a minute, which Rhubarb are we using for that? Arrrrrrr!
Maegwyn
Star Date :September 11th, 3009 Meeting on the Battlefield!
The Shadowscythe Invasion!
The Drakel Town Hall is now open! Planet Westion is in trouble! Mayor Kho-Gekh needs you - on the battlefield with the really-really-very-insanely-amazingly-extra-awesomely-extremely-super-long-seems-like-it-might-never-end name...
This is an even longer name than the town in Wales known as Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch... can you say that three times fast? (I can't even say it one time, slowly.) It's a fascinating town to read about - if you're interested in things like fricatives ... and even if you're not - yes, even if you wouldn't know a fricative from a frigate - it's still fascinating.
But it's not as fascinating as Korin. Korin is actually more awesome and fascinating than the entire Neolithic era! Seriously, Korin did a fantabulous job putting this release together, getting the ranks to rank up properly was challenging and he got it running perfectly! - OH - Important! - The enemies come in waves of five, and it saves after each five! This rank stays with you when you log out! So let's give five cheers for Korin!
Coming Next Week: Mohawk! The September Star Captain Rare Monthly Mecha is rolling along the assembly lines now! It is the Mohawk, and it is rumored to be a real beast of a heavy gunner. I can't wait to see it (I don't have a preview yet) and I'm very excited about working with everyone to get it ready for next week's release!
Maegwyn
Star Date :September 9th, 3009 Friday Release Only - due to US Holiday
Focusing on Friday!
Korin is preparing something superawesome - we will be focusing on opening up the Drakel Town Hall! Look forward to fighting on a battlefield that has an extremely long name...
This past weekend, we were at DragonCon! Check out the AQWorlds Design Notes for photos - some awesome people even dressed as their favorite AE characters!
Thank you to everyone who was able to attend our panel - it was so much fun! Here is what Zorbak was up to:
Warlic
Star Date : Sept 4th, 3009 New Steampunk Weapons! Greetings Everyone! The General Store in Khaeldron is now open for business! The shopkeeper, Don Tei, recently made an exclusive deal with Buckaroo Badhorse to districute weapons designed specifically for the Steampunk mecha models! These weapons are only compatible with Steampunk models (and therefore look great with them...) I like to also note that Personator and Azami helped immensely with the testing and balancing of these new weapons! Thanks!
The addition and variety of these new weapons make the Steampunk our most customizable mecha yet! Some of the weapons also feature never before seen specials... The Nova Gem machine gun in particular has a repeating shot that is just awesome... In fact, you should post on the forums about how many shots you can hit with it!
The general store has a very short quest associated with it. You will have to fight off a few gangs of Shadowscythe invaders to open up the new weapons...
Anyway, everyone is safely at Dragoncon and having a blast! I am working from home today as I could not attend this year :-( Maybe next year... Anyone who has worked from home with a family should know that having a secret underground lab to go to has its advantages... and if anyone asks... No, I did not jsut say that!
Warlic
Star Date : Sept 2nd, 3009 Steampunks buffed! Greetings Everyone! Today we buffed the Steampunks as promised: the following changes wer made:
1)BA and FS Energy costs have been lowered significantly.
2)Star Captains get the awesome new "Smart Nerf" special added to the Back Arm: This special looks at your enemy's Defense, Attack Bonus and Damage Boost stats and nerfs whicheverone is higher. To make this even cooler, if your enemies Defense is the highest stat, the smart nerf applies before the hit - therefore allowing you to punch through high defensive effects (like the Magmars "Rock Synergy" special). BEWARE: In the newart future, new Enemies are going to start getting the Smart Nerf AI added to them and will start choosing their attacks accordingly....
3) The The Steampunk's Head weapon : Attack Bonus and Damage boost effect have been changed to give an increase of +12 point per round.
4) The FA weapon now has a random chance to do a double damage DoT!
In addition to the Steampunk buff, today we made Pyras stronge and gave hime more resistancesr. I kept pulling my hair out trying to figure out why he was so weak - then realized that I made a really dumb mistake in the quest's scaling code that resulted in him scaling way too low... So he should now be more of a challenge... Also, you will no longer lose your tower progress when you lose the fight against Pyras.
In addition to the buffs, we also added two new starship items to Clyde's NG Starship shop - An Arcade machine that allows you to play the fireball shooting game and post your highscore to Facebook and a Gramophone that plays the new Westion Music! I hope you enjoy them!
Warlic
Star Date : Sept. 1st, 3009 Korin Leveled Up! Greetings! As many of you know, Korin has been taking a more and more active role in developing MechQuest. In fact, for the last few months, we have been secretly training him for a very important task... Today, I am very proud to announce that Korin is now officially in charge of MechQuest! That's right! Korin is now in charge of our weekly releases!
Now, this doesn't mean that I am pulling myself completely out of MechQuest... I still have the dubious honor of being guy who will take responsibility if things go wrong! I will also be helping Korin out as he makes his transition into this new role... I will also be responsible for client side game engine updates and new features, etc... In fact, I am involved with several MechQuest projects right now as we speak. This is a very exciting time for all of our current and future games!
Anyway, I am extremely proud of Korin. I had him in mind for this position since way back when he first started working for us! Please wish him luck if you see him on AQWorlds and on the forums!
Warlic: Congratualtions Korin! You are now in charge of MechQuest!
Korin: Billy balances bobbling bubbles on his elbows.
Warlic:... *gulps* Um... okay... Please don't blow up any more planets...
Korin: What makes bobbles bubble?
So, this week's update will be the Khaeldron General store. This is more of a mini zone with a quest and several new items (the new weapons will match your steampunks in visual style)
The newly buffed Steampunks are currently up for testing and will be released for tomorrow's mini-release. I believe we may have some new starship items for the war coming this week too... there were a couple of items (a grammaphone and an arcade machine) that I still wanted to release that weren't quite ready last friday...
Thursday, everyone is heading to DragonCon, So Yergen Shmergenbergen and I will be in charge of holding down the fort at the secret underground lab!
Warlic
Star Date : August 31st, 3009 Adding Some Steam to the Punks Hello Everyone! The war is done, Pyras is defeated and now the Shadowscythe are knocking at Westion's door... with a big scary present! Anyway! the Fire/Bug War was a lot of fun! Hopefully, it was even more awesome than the first Bug War! Oh the memories... This war had a lot of really fun moments and I am incredibly proud of the MechQuest team for making some incredible stuff for it!
Now, There have been some reports that the Steampunk is under powered... Do not fear, we are working on it! (One thing I forgot to add was bonus damage to fire enemies when I created the original versions... so that is definitely going to be added - alaong with a few extra buffs and tweaks (See Blues's post below...) One of the new buffs is going to be an SC-Only special called a "smart nerf" which looks at your opponent's best stat (Defense, Attack Bonus or Damage Boost) and nerf's it. We'll be testing and tweaking over the next few days - So we will keep you updated as we make this mecha well worth the effort of the war.
As many of you may already know, this week is DragonCon week! On Thursday, everyone at the Secret Underground Lab is going to drive down to Atlanta for our favorite convention! Yay! Unfortunately I will not be able to make it there :( maybe next year..., But just about everyone else will be there! As an added bonus, if you come to our DragonCon Panel (Saturday, September 5th at 2:30pm - Sheraton Hotel, Augusta Room) with your MechQuest Artbooks, the team will be autographing them at the end of the panel! (If you forget your artbooks, don;t worry, we will have some on hand to sell, along with some t-shirts too!)...
Also If you saw Cysero's DNs on AQWorlds, then you would know that AE is Hiring Now!
From Cysero's DNs:
Now Hiring!
IN OTHER OTHER OTHER NEWS... *sigh* we are hiring.
/me kicks over table and hides behind it to avoid deadly hail of questions, resumes and letters asking that we make a ONE time exception and hire them for some position that we don't need or doesn't exist... like Door Trimmer, or Salsa Polisher.
The time has come once again for AE to expand its talent base and once again we come to you, loyal AE fans, to give us your very best. We know there is a limitless pool of talent out there from all the great suggestions and fan mail that we recieve daily, but we are only looking for the best of the best. a HUGE number of the AE Game Development Staff came from the community, from Rolith to Reens, From Ghost to Tomix. Right now, what we need are Experienced Flash Programmers, and Flash Animators.
You MUST be 18 years old, or older.
You MUST be able to fill one or both of the positions listed above. WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR PEOPLE WHO CAN DRAW OR WRITE. We only need skilled ANIMATORS (who usually CAN draw) and PROGRAMMERS ONLY.
If you feel like you've got what it takes to be a programmer or animator for Artix Entertainment, please e-mail a cover letter, resume and samples of your coding work/your animation reel/ samples of your animations to me.
CyseroHiresYou@battleon.com
Thanks, and good luck!
Blues
Star Date : August 31st, 3009 Notes from Blues! Hello through the transdimensional portal :)
We tested the Steampunk Mecha again and discussed the power issue....
and we decided to buff it a little bit.
It gets a general +20% damage buff against fire enemies
The FA will get a chance for a double DoT
The BA will get a SC only special: It is called smart buff
Warlic will explain this and I´m sure you all will like it.
We have another discussion about Weapons with the wrong attack types.
Well, for now attack types don´t really matter but we plan to add resistances
etc. in the future. Thank you for pointing this out, we will take care of it.
Another discussion point is the new scaling.
Scaling is a good ways to close existing gaps and also
future gaps. New Mechas are already scaled for the next cap raise
so you have already something to play with and you save credits.
Of course this does not mean that new releases get obsolete because we
have scaled Mechas. The scaling works only for some Levels and we are carefull
with it. The scaling of rares is a good thing so you can enjoy your powerfull
rare mecha for some Levels.
Now to power inflation.
Currently we have really good and powerfull SC Mechas.
The monthly SC rares are powerfull and they are meant to be powerfull.
Do they make normal mode too easy? Depends how you define too easy but
you can´t lose on normal mode. Also normally not on hard and x-treme mode
gives you a bit of a challenge. Does this mean they are overpowered? No, I don´t
think so. They are powerfull and they make the "normal" game easier
for SC players,
but we will release more SC only missions where you will see and reach your
limits. Get prepared for them. NSC players still have a challenge
nearly everywhere
and SC players have different modes, they can use different Merchas
and they will get
more SC only missions.
The "promotion" Mechas are something special and I´m sure all of you
understand why.
We have Seppy, the Skullcrusher and now the the new Dragonguard.
I know that none of the really powerfull Mechas is needed to play the
game but for many
players it is more fun to use them.
For now the enemy AI is not too smart. Enemies with certain attack
patterns are far
harder than normal ones and we have ideas for some really nasty new enemies....
you will see.
This is all from me for now....
Have fun! :)
As always, please correct it, change it, whatever is needed.
Thank you :)
Warlic
Star Date : August 28th, 3009 Bossfight is done, Steampunks are waiting! Well, the bossfight is ready... The Steampunks are waiting! Everything is finished and published...
All you have to do now is finish the war and go get them!
Good Luck and Battle On!
Star Date : August 28th, 3009 Almost There! Hello Everyone! The war is nearing completion. We are still working to finish up the bossfight and it is currently in testing to be rolled live later tonight! Since this is a bossfight, you will have to get the war meter to reach 100%.
This is one of the biggest release days in MQ history! We have our 2nd coolest bossfight (possibly the coolest...) in our history with an intense shooting minigame... We also have 2 major Mecha releases: Dragonguard Bonus Mecha and the Incredibly beautiful Steampunk mecha models. The Dragonguard is one of our biggest mecha releases in MQ history and the Steampunk is also shaping up to be quite epic!
In addition to the 2 major mecha releases, we also have some new starship swag coming your way - I recorded a new acoustic guitar part for a new acoustic guitar too...(cut me some slack on the playing... it was one take and it was kinda tricky! :P)
Anyway, We are still polishing off some bugs - but we are very close to release...Of course you will have to get the war to 100% to see this INSANE BOSSFIGHT!!!!
Maegwyn
Star Date : August 26th, 3009 Mini-Release: L34 and L35 Weapons!
Visit Planet Westion!
On Planet Westion (Chapter 1 areas) higher-level versions of a few weapons are now in shops. Visit Jhaek and Arin-Ha in Khaeldron for the Grand , Majestic, and Epic Vul'khar Shoulders (L35).
Check out the Space Station Elevator for the NG-Only Mr. Z's Noggin SE (L35).
Drop by the Town Hall in Alamonia for the new Zeus Arms (L34 Adamantium Zeus Arm (Nova Gem version) & L35 Zanadium and Mithril Zeus Arms for non-Star Captains and Star Captains)
Embers or Valor Badges?
When you defeat Magmars, if you pass the roll to find Loot you now have a choice between taking a Valor Badge or an Elemental Ember. What to choose? If you don't have 50 or more Embers yet, you may want to take an Ember. Valor Badges are a good choice as well, because the more T-Flan you can get, the better off you will be! (Or you can use your Nova Gems to get the Fire Resistance mod from Tikala's shop in the War Camp)
Warlic
Star Date : August 26th, 3009 Coming Up! BTW - Here's that Steampunk Screenshot that I promised!
Warlic
Star Date : August 24th, 3009 Coming Up! We are currently working on the boss fight against Pyras that will unlock at the end of this war. There has been a lot of speculation about whether this will be like the Galactimech fight against Universo on Planet Zargon. The Fight with the Magma Lord will NOT be another Galactimech battle - The Galactimech is intended to be a Star Captain-Only experience. This bossfight will be available for all players. However, it will be very exciting and will be another "first" for MechQuest. This battle will be unlike any other battels... and you should be forewarned: You really should equip some type of fire reistance for this one... don't say I didn't warn you! Of course, some of you more adventurous types might want to try it without fire resistance.... Go ahead... just see what will happen.... Anyway, we're making good progress on the bossfight and it will be there when the war hits 100%! Battle On!
This is a pretty huge week for MQ... We are also releasing the awesome Dragonguard Bonus Packages for Star Captains who have been with us for more than 6 months. These are very special offers and include and insane amount of nova gems and the special Dragonguard ranks and mecha items! Here's a sneak peak at the Dragonguard mecha:
Join the Ranks of the Dragonguard starting this Friday!
We put an incredible amount of work into the Dragonguard mecha and it is literally a wrecking machine! You can find out more about the Dragonguard Special Offers hereand here.
Also coming out this week is the incredibly awesome Steampunk mecha models which will be offered at the end of the Fire War. These new mechs are absolutely wonderfully animated by our newest animator - Yergen von Shmergenbergen! Steampunk mecha is full of gears and pistons that are constantly in motion... It also blows puffs of steam from time to time. It is truly beautiful and is currently in Jemini's hands for coloring.
Yergen has been around with us for a few months now- in fact he is responsible for animating many of our newest monsters including the awesome Mini Magmars, new ShS units as well as the Aegis and Reaper mechas... We have been working on some new top secret visual techniques with the Steampunk mecha and the Magma Lord... :D
Steampunk screenshot coming very soon!
Update: Valor Badges have been added to the Fire Ember Loots shops in the Fire War! Now you may choose either a Fire Ember or a Valor Badge when you loot Magmars!
Warlic
Star Date : August 21st, 3009 Fire War Update! This week I made some significant changes under the hood of MechQuest! Last week, you may have noticed that the Fire monsters had "Fire" resistances... Well, those resistances were a little broken - so we had a little bug war of our own this week. As a result, I only was able to bring out one new quest for the war, but the plot revealtions coming should be EPIC... And of course we have another awesome cutscene from Korin...
The other more significant engine change that happened this week was the ability to add resistances to weapons and mods! So, today, Maegwyn is going to allow you to melt down some of those valor badges to create a fireproof armor coating for your mecha! The latest engine is Omega Version 3.5.2. So refresh and reload just to make sure you have the latest version!
Trust me, you WILL need some fire resistance... Because The Magma Lord Pyras has just popped up out of that Crater, and now many of his his Magmars have become more powerful... So be sure to visit Maegwyn at the War Camp and talk to her about "Fire Safety"!
To make matters worse, A GEARS University starship was landing just as Pyras was waking up and crashed out in the desert... Talk to Clyde at the War camp to rescue the very important passengers from that starship... FYI. A Major plot revelation is happening in this war tonight.
Tikala also has a couple new relics for your fire extinguishing enjoyment...
The war is currently at 42% - So, it should hopefully end next weekend... We have mae some very good progress developing the Bossfight and it is most likely the most stunning fight in MQ history - We have some awesome new attacks in store for you with this EPIC fight... Pyras is one of the Galactic Masters... So, it is not going to be easy!
Lord Valoth is also extremely excited tonight... you'll find out why very soon!
I hope you are enjoying this Bug War as much as we are! We still have a lot of enemies to destroy... So go out there and Battle On!
Warlic
Star Date : August 19th, 3009 Level Cap increased to 35! Today we raised the level cap to 35 and made a few other bugfixes and tweaks!
1) There is a new Game Engine : Omega Version 3.5.1. Please make sure you refresh your web browsers to ensure you are running the latest version! The new game engine fixed some issues with Elemental resistances - So now those Magmars really do resist Fire! Sorry - They are harder now!
2) Wrangler Uniform bonuses have been added to the Fire War rolls and to reputation rolls in Westion Chapter 1 quests! Reputation will come MUCH easier to you if you are wearing the Wrangler uniform! Also, the leftover Lagos War uniform penalties/bonuses have been removed from the Bug War rolls...
3) Scaling Code has been fixed on the Trog set
4)Equipping Bug Spray to Shadowscyther Floater mecha no longer scales to undefined levels.
This Friday we will be adding some a new quest/storyline to the War. If everything goes like it is going now, you should reach the bossfight sometime next week... Let me tell you, this bossfight is going to be absolutely insane! you will, afterall come face to face with a planetary fire lord... should be interesting...
Hey, have you every wondered what the game would look like from inside the cockpit of your mecha?
Warlic
Star Date : August 18th, 3009 Dragonguard Updates Lasst week's announcement of our new Dragonguard bonus package offer led to several question on our forums... Here are some answers!
1) When will it be released? We are planning to release the Dragonguard bonus offers next week, Friday August 28th!
2) What if I have a fully upgraded account with all characters being Star Captains? This is the most exciting news! If you have a fully upgraded account, then when you purchase one of the bonus packages, you will get the Bonus items and Special Rank for ALL OF YOUR CHARACTERS!
Note: The Nova Gems will only apply to the character that you choose at the time you purchase the bonus package. The other characters will only receive the Bonus Item and Special Rank.
3) What if I get a bonus package but then upgrade all characters AFTER I purchase the Bonus Package?More great news! If you upgrade all characters on your account AFTER purchasing a bonus package for one of your characters, you will still get the Bonus Items and Special Ranks on your newly upgraded characters!!
4) What if I delete a character and then create a new one on a fully upgraded account?Even more excellent news! If you create any new characters on a fully upgraded account with bonus packages, you will get the special rank and bonus items on the new characters.
4) What level are the new Dragonguard items and mecha?The new Dragonguard items and mecha will feature our newest mecha scaling feature! The Dragonguard will have UNLIMITERD Scalability! That means it will always scale itself to your level! (Remember: It does take 2 years to get all of the bonuses so, unlimited scalabillity is definitely required for this extremely special mecha and items).
I hope this answers any questions that you may have regarding the Dragonguard Bonus Packages! Remeber, the bonus packages are special deals that will be offered every 6 months that your characters are upgraded to Star Captains. Loyal Star Captain veterans that have been with us for a while can expect to start receiving these special offers next week!
Anyway, this week we are continuing the Fire War on Westion! Tomorrow we have several bugfixes and we will be raising the level cap to 35! We will also have some new missions coming for Friday... We have also started working on the Final Boss fight with the awakening Magma lord - can anyone say EPIC battle?! Oh and I just got the animated Steampunk mecha I am getting ready to start programming it's special moves! It's one of the most beautifully animated mecha models yet! The Steampunk mecha will unlock at the end of the war and will require some fire embers to get!
Warlic
Star Date : August 14th, 3009 The Second Bug War Begins Planet Westion: Well greetings there folks! This is Mr. Ed Equine from Channel 1,000,000,010 news, "100% News... no horsing around!" This just in: The massive bug swarm has reached the border of Alamonia! Town defenses are scrambling to hire mecha exterminators... unfortunately someone got the order wrong and a bunch of retired EX-Terminators arrived! Luckily for Alamonian residents, a field trip consisting of thousands of talented GEARS University students is currently visiting Alamonia and have offered to help.
Expert sources are saying that this bug swarm is an unnatural phenomena. The bugs of Westion have never been known to exhibit fear of anything... What ever is causing this stampede must be extremely frightening...
In other news: Chief Duncan was seen poking around The Knife and Spork diner in Soluna city. Rumors have sread that he wishes to question Maegwyn about a rather large shipment of bugspray that was recently delivered to her shop. Maegwyn was not available to comment...
Be sure to tune in tomorrow for weather! Brought to you by EbilCorp "A name you can trust".
Well we did it... I am still in a state of disbelief. Ask me just 3 months ago and I would have NEVER said we would EVER do another Bug War... What War? Sequel? I've heard of pigs flying, but this is ridiculous!
Well, I'll be a donkey's uncle... we did it! We just launched our second Bug War! Korin thinks I've lost it.... Anyway, this bug war has a couple tricks up it's sleeve.... Enjoy!
Warlic
Star Date : August 13th, 3009 Oh No... Not Again! Planet Westion: Well greetings there folks! This is Mr. Ed Equine from Channel 1,000,000,010 news, "100% News... no horsing around!". Last year around this time, Alamonia residents were literally bugged by swarms of mecha-sized insects! Well, it looks like it is about to happen again! There have been reports that a huge swarm of mecha-sized bugs is about ONE DAY away from trampling the city of Alamonia! We had the opportunity to speak to Alamonia's Constable, Clyde, about this situation and this is what he had to say:
Clyde:"Oh No... not again! Something sure seems to have spooked these bugs this time! Wait a minute? What could possibly spook a bug that is bigger than a building? I guess it really is the end of days talked about in that Vul'Kharim Prophecy..."
We here at channel 1,000,000,010 apologize for the disruption in your normally scheduled news program. We assure you that nothing could possibly be scary enough to actually frighten a huge swarm of mecha sized bugs... Residents of Alamonia can rest assured... This time around we have plenty of bug spray to fight off the apocalyptic swarm of mecha bugs!
Be sure to tune in tomorrow for weather! Brought to you by EbilCorp "A name you can trust"
Blues
Star Date : August 13th, 3009 A message from the Trans-dimensional Portal Oh.... a wormhole in the transdimensional portal.... let me try to get a message through it!
Let´s start with some GBD issues from the Game Balance Discussion forum:
Some have expressed the opinion that "Rare" items should have a higher sellback. This is something that will not be implemented.Rare Items are normally more powerful than "standard" equipment. Enjoy them when they get released, keep them for rarity's sake but don´t expect to make a profit. This isn't how MQ is set up.
Another discussion goes on about whether the Geekatron mechas are overpriced. Yes, I agree, for todays standards it is a bit too expensive, but when it got released it was fine. Because credits are not too hard to get in MQ, this is not a big issue but we will think about the pricing.
House Mechas: They will get changed with the next upgrade. We know that they are not up to date any longer with all the new Mechas so we decided to buff them for the next level upgrade. Please be patient: we already have a plan.
Then there is a discussion about whether Monthly SC Mechas are problematic.
I don´t think they are problematic. Yes, they are good and we try to make them special. They are a "thank you" for our Star Captain players. Many of our players enjoy them and many use other Mechas when they want a challenge. Also, they seem to be sometimes too good because we don´t have the smartest enemies. We are working on new ones which will give all of you a real challenge and we will also release new SC only missions and challenges so that our SC players have something to look forward to.
We are working hard behind the scenes and I´m sure that all of you will enjoy the upcoming releases!
Have fun!
Rolith
Star Date : August 12th, 3009 Character Pages: First Round of Revisions complete! The new and improved character pages are up! Go log into the game now and check out your awesome new character pages. This is the first of a list of several planned revisions for the character pages. So, check it out and let us know what you want changed or modified on the forums!
Warlic
Star Date : August 12th, 3009 Character Page Updates Coming! Today's Wednesday mini-update is going to be a little bit off the beaten path. Rolith is cooking up some overhauls to your character pages! Pretty soon your Character pages will load your currently equipped mech and highlight your equipped items! We are also adding your upgrade date to the pages. Yes it is a small update but I have always wanted the char pages to show your actual mecha. Today's char page updates are the first of several overhauls that we have planned to make your character pages even more awesome.
Rolith is still working on the new char page updates, but should have them ready later tonight! Keep watching the DNs to see when they're finished!
Warlic
Star Date : August 11th, 3009 Dragonguard Bonus Upgrade! An ancient order of galactic guardians is about to be reborn! Back in the days when Dragons roamed the galaxy, an elite group of mecha warriors fought at their sides! The Dragonguard were some of the most fearsome warriors in the history of MechQuest and they are about to make their triumphant return!
Existing Star Captains who have been with MQ for a while will be able to join the ranks of the Dragonguard through our Dragonguard Bonus Offer - Coming Very Soon!
The Dragonguards earned their mechas one piece at a time through their loyal dedication to the order. Now, you too will be able to build your own Dragonguard mecha one piece at a time!
For every 6 months that you have been an upgraded Star Captain, a new piece will become available to you! You will also receive 10,000 Nova Gems and a new Dragonguard Rank for you Character pages!Each Dragonguard Upgrade will cost $19.95!
Dragonguard bonus offers will include:
6 Months: You will receive 10,000 Nova Gems, the Fearsome Dragonfist Arm Weapon and the rank of Dragonguard on your character page when you take advantage of the Dragonguard Bonus Offer!
12 Months: You will receive 10,000 More Nova Gems, the Devastating Dragon Lance Shoulder and the rank of Superior Dragonguard!
18 Months: You will receive 10,000 More Nova Gems, the deceptively cute Mini-Dragonoid Shoulder Pet and the rank of Elite Dragonguard on your character page!
24 Months: You will receive 10,000 More Nova Gems, The Full Dragonguard Mecha Chassis Including all of the above bonus weapons and the: Dragonhelm, Dragon Chassis and Dragonfist Back Arm! and the rank of Master Dragonguard on your character page when you take advantage of the Final Dragonguard Bonus Offer!
Since MQ has been around for almost 2 years now, if you have been a Star Captain with us from the beginning (attention all Founders!), you will be able to purchase ALL 4 of these offers at once! Then you can save 15 bucks and will recieve 40,000 NG, and all four pieces of the Dragonguard Mecha Set, and the rank of Master Dragonguard on your character page for $65.00 ALL AT ONCE... This is bluntly the best deal ever in MechQuest. Cysero did the math... I trust him with my arithmetic!
We will be announcing the release date for the Dragonguard Bonuses very soon!
Now, you are probably wondering to yourselves what we have in store for you in MechQuest this week ! For those of you who Remember the Alamo...nia.. Bug War...
Would I be crazy enough to start BWII (Bug War II)? Well, Yes...
A huge Starship just erupted out of the planet, leaving a HUGE crater in its place.... Something is going to just have to crawl out of it... Hey, did that ant look scared to you? Can ants even feel fear? What could possible scare a bunch of Ants and Scorpions? You are about to find out! Get ready for the second (and final) Alamonia Bug War!
I never thought I'd hear myself say that...
Warlic
Star Date : August 7th, 3009 Don't Fear the Reaper! What an awesome week! Today we release the newest monthly Star Captain mecha. The Reaper is a DoT dealing, Scythe wielding wrecking machine with 2 very exciting new features: The most exciting new feature is its ability to level up with you! One of our biggest limitations in MechQuest is our reliance on our mecha to determine our stats. Well, now we are breaking with tradition and releasing a mecha grows with you! There will still be multiple levels to purchase, but each version will have level up to certain maximum level. For Example, the Level 2 model can level up to 5 and the Level 10 model can level up to 14! This is so exciting! I love this new mech! Also this mecha has another minor little feature: It can apply color effects to enemies in battle! One of it's attacks is a red dye that gives you a Bonus to Hit your opponent. Hmm...paintball anyone?
Also this week we have opened up the Alamonia General Store. this store is a little different than you'd expect... It is run by Buckaroo Badhorse, an ex EbilCorp employee who wants to get rich from a new Steampunk mecha that he is designing. You are going to help him build it. The first thing he'll need is some Shadowscythe Scrap metal. So, he is sending you deep into the Alamonia Mines, where you will fight legions of Shadowscythe Units, grabbing as many tons of Scrap metal that you can!
This quest is another farming quest, but I decided to break with MQ tradition a little... You will need to fight enemies and roll for scrap metal, but you will be able to get all of the scrap metal you need without returning to town. The map file is another mines map, but it is full of randomly spawning Shadowscythe Units. The enemies will be in different locations and will change each time you go into the dungeon. If you manage to clear all of the enemies before you get all of the required metal, the quest will spawn new enemies for you so you can continue without going back to town.
Korin is like the most wonderful gourmet ketchup! He created another awesome doomsday cutscene for the end of this quest! I'm starting to feel bad for poor Planet Westion....
Maegwyn
Star Date : August 5th, 3009 Star Captains: Add Mod Slot!
Visit the Artillery Area in the Star Captain's Club Now!
The "Add Slot" shop is open now, in the Star Captain's Club, Artillery Level. You may now add a second slot to your mechas that were created with Star-Captain-exclusive specials on their default weapons.
The 'Add Slot' Process:
When you click "Add Slots," you will see the shop button for "SC Awl Shop" - this is your first step. Get your Star Captain's Awl - yes, it's 0 credits, and yes, it says "Level 999" - go ahead, get as many Awls as you need - you'll need one for each (qualifying) mecha to which you wish to add a second slot..
Now that you have your Awl(s) you're ready to enter the "Add Slots" area (underneath the SC Awl Shop). This works in the same way as other mecha merge shops - Awl plus the compatible mecha model in your inventory gets you the SCm (2-mod-slot version) of your mecha!
House Mecha Merge Shops:
Star Captains using the SC Upgrade kits for L25 and above House Mechas can now get the SCm version of these House Mechas directly from the House Mecha Merge shops.
Warlic
Star Date : August 4th, 3009 What's Coming up? We are dilligently at work here at the underground lab with a multitude of projects.... For This week, we have the next Chapter 2 zone for Planet Westion - The Alamonia General Store. The Shopkeeper is an ex-employee of EbilCorp and has get-rich quick scheme to exploit the Shadowscythe invasion for his own personal gain...
Planet Westion's situation is about to get a whole lot worse! The Shadowscythe are almost ready to rip their ancient ship right out of the ground... Westion Entomologists are currently speculating what effect the sudden collapse of miles of desert ground will have on Planet Westion's giant bug population... Also, Westion geologists have been recording all sorts of strange seismic activity from deep beneath the planet's surface. The current belief is that the sheer force of the ship being forcefully upheaved will cause devastating and unpredicatble damage on a global scale. unfortunately very little can be done to stop the Shadowscythe at this point - The suddeness of their attack took the planet by surprise and they have a strong defense force established withing the Westion Mines!
Also, coming up this week, we have the August SC monthly mecha - The frightening Reaper mecha model has deadly blade attacks and has a limited ability to automatically level up with your character (Each version of this mecha has a maximum level that it can scale up to...).
Korin
Maegwyn
