posted 11-22-2000 02:31 PM            

<GL-Jeff> The pure stats are as follows:
<GL-Jeff> Strength
<GL-Jeff> Coordination
<GL-Jeff> Agility
<GL-Jeff> Intelligence
<GL-Jeff> Concentration
<GL-Jeff> Contravention
<GL-Jeff> Physical Resilience
<GL-Jeff> Mental Resilience
<GL-Jeff> Durability
<GL-Jeff> There are 9 stats, 3 apply to pure melee, 3 apply to pure casters, and 3 apply to everyone
<GL-Jeff> Basically everything works on a stamina type basis
<GL-Jeff> There is no "mana" that you have to sit down and regain after each battle
<GL-Jeff> Much like a warrior can swing his sword every few seconds a sorceror can cast a spell every few seconds
<GL-Jeff> Melee and Magic will work with very similiar formulas creating a perfect balance.
<GL-Jeff> Hybrids will benefit from the seperation of mental and physical resilience which allows them to both swing a weapon and cast spells independantly
<GL-Jeff> The statuses (not to be confused with stats) are as follows:
<GL-Jeff> Physical Constitution
<GL-Jeff> Mental Constitution
<GL-Jeff> These statuses are your stored energy. This energy will regenerate at a speed proportional to your resilience stats.
<GL-Jeff> The resists are as follows:
<GL-Jeff> (we may not call them resists, but thats the name for now)
<GL-Jeff> Pierce
<GL-Jeff> Crush
<GL-Jeff> Slash
<GL-Jeff> Heat
<GL-Jeff> Cold
<GL-Jeff> Magic
<GL-Jeff> The resistance system allows for very customized defense
<GL-Jeff> If you are planning a raid on an archers village you will want to wear armor that is good at protecting againt piercing, for example.
<GL-Jeff> All weapons and armors will have pierce, crush, and slash stats.
<GL-Jeff> Tempurature plays an important role in the game as well.
<GL-Jeff> Fire and ice spells don't do direct damage to players, instead they alter the players body tempurature thus causing damage.
<GL-Jeff> If a player is already hot from being near a lava pit then a heat based spell will do more damage to him.
<GL-Jeff> Also a very skilled wizard who is being attacked with a strong fire spell may actually cast an ice spell on himself to conteract the effects of the heat.
<GL-Jeff> The magic resistance has to do with ones ability to resist magical effects spells...the spells commonly considered enchanter-ish
<GL-Jeff> Thats the quick run down of stats, more information will be put on the beta page later tonight.
<GL-Jeff> The whole system has been very carefully planned out to allow for maximum player differences without the use of classes and still preserving game balance.

<Kaim> In order to tame a creature, do they have to be a level 1 creature? I was a bit confused on this and need clarification so I can activily post truth on this.
<GL-Jeff> Taming a creature and attaining a creature as a follower will most likely be two different things.
<GL-Jeff> Followers will ONLY be attained when they are level 1.
<GL-Jeff> And must be trained by you, but can be traded (with the help of spells)
<GL-Jeff> Taming *may* be a process we implement to allow you to get mounts at mid level.
<GL-Jeff> But currently we don't plan on this simply because follower tradability will allow people to cultivate and raise horses and other mounts and then sell/trade them.

<Aego> Are there going to be seasons in Dawn? If so what will they be?
<GL-Jeff> There will be season but they will not be the same as the ones on Earth
<GL-Jeff> As for season frequency I can't comment on that...at this time

<Knaeve> Jeff, are you going to mind when the army of religious fanatics centered around my messianic self sweaps across the world leaving a swath of converts and/or destruction and changing the face of theology in Dawn?
<GL-Jeff> Not at all. Thats what this game is all about.

<Ufgar> (Hanshiro) Dual wielding - we click a button to attack, right? if we carry 2 weapons, will that one button swing both, or can we configure it to have a button for left hand attack and a separate button for right hand attack?
<GL-Jeff> You will have to configure it to be two different buttons
<GL-Jeff> (or you could use some scripting to have one button control both hands and have them alternate swings)
<GL-Jeff> but each arm is considered a different method of attack, its not like you click a button and your player starts attacking and you can leave the computer while he finishes off the beast.
<GL-Jeff> The fighting system will require targeting too...for each swing of your sword. It'll be very interactive and shouldn't lose its luster after a few hours of play.

<Axehandler> If taming has to be lvl 1 mobs... then how would it be possiable to tame a dragon? and how many diffrent dragons u have planned for the game so far? =)
<GL-Jeff> Everything starts at level 1...even dragons. We'll give you more information on this when we release the spawning syste, but it will be possible to attain a dragon as a follower...it just won't be easy.
<GL-Jeff> can't say how many dragons we have planned

<Alerlean> I have to ask ,how will the weather and enviroment be handled how imersive will it be.
<GL-Jeff> The environment will be extremely realistic, probably the most realistic of any MMORPG. Plants will grow right before your eyes, the rain will cloud your vision and possibly slow your rate of travel and cool you off, hail might do slight damage to you, etc.

<Amarok> Will there be transformation spells in the game, as opposed to just illusions?
<GL-Jeff> Yes, but those would definitely be some high level and difficult to cast spells. (when i say high level i simply mean rare)
<GL-Jeff> just make sure you put it in the beta tester database in the forums and we'll be sure to consider it

<Kaim> About the GUI, will you be posting any screenshots of it anytime soon? If not, then how will our staminas and health be monitored? What new "features" could we expect in the GUI?
<GL-Jeff> Well with our unlimited group size and flexible inventory you can expect to see some well organized, possibly window-like UI
<GL-Jeff> Its important that you be able to switch to items quickly, and cast the proper spells, and communicate easily with groups/guilds/friends
<GL-Jeff> We probably won't have any GUI screenshots for a while tho..but we will have screenshots very very soon.

<Svendor> When??hehe
<GL-Jeff> oh well we'll press on We expect the beta to be released spring 2001

<Ufgar> (Hanshiro) Throwing weapons: With things like throwing knives and axes, will we be able to use them as melee weapons? perhaps have a "throw weapon" and a "swing weapon" button - and can we throw knives we are carrying in either hand? will they be stackable?
<GL-Jeff> every item in fact will be able to be thrown or swung, so to answer your question yes
<GL-Jeff> you could throw a loaf of bread at someone or try to pierce them with it

<JLBesser> /pray "May all my questions be answered and not cut off " Ok, all done, let's begin: When we log, will be able to customize the AI to automatically poke the captive?
<GL-Jeff> We haven't made a final decision on what your player can do when logged yet.
<GL-Jeff> I can't say one way or another, we're going to have to mess around with that during the beta.
<GL-Jeff> Keep in mind tho if you DID program AI to keep poking a captive you would be vulnerable...and if you have a captive there are probably a few people who want to kill you.

<Selanar> Will spell effects be visible on characters (not like EQ with random graphics and a stupid icon on your screen)? For example, with a fire shield will you see flames surrounding a person, or with a thorn shield will you see the thorns on them?
<GL-Jeff> Yes we're working on quake-like effects for spells...so you'll know when Ufgar has the quad damage spell on him

<JLBesser> Will weather affect terrain and abilities, i.e. will holes fill up when it rains, will ground traps be neutralized by heavy snow, will fireballs not work as well in cold, etc? Also will seasons affect players and terrain, and will we be able to see what season it is through the use of a /time command (I hope not) or will each of the seasons having differect effects added to the game themselves?
<GL-Jeff> Yes to all of those except for the /time command

<Janoddyn> Will seasonal and weather patterns in game and how large a role might they play (ie person from tropical region goes north and suffers ill effects to stats from cold)
<GL-Jeff> Definitely. Tempurature will play a large role in the game...we don't have any plans for things like humidity tho

<Farwen> How detailed will you be able to make your character? With 100,000 people per server is it possible to have everyone look unique? (Sorta leads into another question you'll see later which was a hot topic on the boards the past 2 days)
<GL-Jeff> Its hard to say at this time if we'll be able to make every character look unique
<GL-Jeff> as far as player uniqueness tho, its important to realize that there is more to identificatino that looks alone
<GL-Jeff> player behavior and secret codes can play a big part in identification if you RP well

<Axehandler> how many polys are you shooting for per Player Model? and are Textures diffrent for the Eyes/hair/face etc seperate?
<GL-RazM> Yes, the Eyes/Hair/Face textures will be seperate
<GL-RazM> I can't comment on the poly count now however, it's confidential

<Selanar> What is the average rate of aging, or does it depend on race? (will certain races appear to age faster than others)
<GL-Jeff> That will depend on whether or not we include an age limit
<GL-Jeff> we don't have any plans to implement race specific ages, or agability...whether it be classic fantasy to have an elf live longer than a human or not it doesnt fit well in a balanced game

<Amarok> Will swords be able to be sheathed, visors raised, hoods drawn up, etc? if so (in the case for sheathed weapons) can we choose where we wish to wear our weapons (back, side, boot etc)?
<GL-Jeff> You'll be able to put items like swords into containers like sheathes (sp) but visor and hood manipulation will probably not find their way into the game.

<Morlack> ok with races.. will certain races be better with magic then others? cause like in EQ, human casters all are pretty bad.. and I want to be a gnome caster but if they arnt good with magic as others, that might make me not want to be a gnome
<GL-Jeff> Different races definitely have different magic strengths and weakness...its all tied into the stat system. A solon's magic may do more damage than a gnomes, for instance, but the gnome will both be able to take more abuse than the solon and perhaps cast his spells more frequently and with less resists.
<GL-Jeff> Its pretty clear which races are best for pure magic, pure melee, and hybrids...but its possible to do crazy stuff like make a solon warrior and as long as you are using SOME magic you should fare ok.
<GL-Jeff> Granted you play very smart

<Ufgar> (Hanshiro) Helmets: it's a 1st person view, right? any chance of having helmets obscuring your view to a certain extent? This would help RP: noone would walk around with helmets on in towns and so on, and battles would be even more confusing ;-)
<GL-Jeff> Thats definitely a possibility. Your own player model will be very much a part of your game...for instance when you look down you will see your body, when you swing your sword or use a bow you will see your actual bow and arm, not some premade archery animation.

<Knaeve> question about followers: you've answered this to a degree, but my brain needs clarification. if I am, say, lvl 5 and have 4 lvl 5 pets, will i need enough xp to hit lvl 26 (sum of the followers & my level) for just ME or ONE follower to level to 6, or will all level to 6 more-or-less at once, after the xp for a lvl 26 has been gained?
<GL-Jeff> In that scenario you are treated as a single entity, a level 25 entity. You have several options, you can have all the experience divi'd equally among you and your followers, or you can focus on leveling just one of you. In the case that you focus your exp efforts on one person then it will take the same amount of experience to level that one person as it would to level a level 25 player.

<Farwen> I know there will be no set names but will there be a label system based on your charcter's memory for naming characters you see? Possibly based on the level of interaction you have with the charcter and your int to see how long you can remember that person's name? Maybe even have cloaks and masks to have others "forget" your name temporarily or something?
<GL-Jeff> We're generally against such systems but if the graphics don't permit enough visual differences then we will add it so that its not a big guessing game.
<GL-Jeff> visual differences among players that is

<Morlack> Will we be able to cast spells with weapons equiped?
<GL-Jeff> Of course, but you will only be able to cast spells with equiped items
<GL-Jeff> so a hybrid could be hitting someone with his sword while casting a "slow" spell on them at the same time

<Morlack> How fast is the regeneration of Stamina? is it like EQ's everlasting sitfest? hehe
<GL-Jeff> constitution, both physical and mental regains at a rate proportional to their respective resiliences. On average you will regain energy fast enough so that you can move from one battle to the next whether you are caster or melee given you haven't taken too much damage.
<GL-Jeff> The constitution system is designed to make it so you can do things at different rates...its not a storage system like EQ's mana was

<Morlack> Will casting spells time be very long? cause you mentioned u can counteract spells if they are casting em.. instance like countering a fire with a ice spell on urself, how long would it take to cast a spell so you have enough time to know you should cast it on urself?
<GL-Jeff> spell casting will vary from spell to spell
<GL-Jeff> some spells will have the traditional "casting time" but we won't call it that we'll call it charging time, where you have to hold down the cast button to charge the spell to a certain degree of power then release to let the spell cause its effect
<GL-Jeff> other spells will work instantly, but you will determine the duration of the spell
<GL-Jeff> for instance you can immediately begin to cast a spell to entangle a foe and you can keep him entangled for as long as you like....but as you keep him entangled the spell will be draining on your constitution and when you run out your spell will fizzle

<Aego> If warrior starts to walk near a lava pit with heavy armor would he be damaged by the heat?
<GL-Jeff> Certain armors will hurt your resists. Think metal plate mail would probably have a -X on your heat resist causing the player to take damage if the amount of heat was sufficient

<Ufgar> (Hanshiro) Will agility / coordination / whatever "movement" style stats there are affect movement speed and jumping ability
<GL-Jeff> Thats currently undecided...we're still working out player speed details
<GL-Jeff> we don't want this to be a big kiting fest

<Axehandler> has there been a final decision on the Resurection by players issue yet?
<GL-Jeff> Ressurection spells will exist, but the price will be extremely high. For instance you may only have a 48 hour window of oppurtunity to ressurect and in order to do so you may need to steal another person's lifeforce of equal or greater value.

<Ufgar> Will we be able to manipulate the movement of our shields when we have them equipped? (i.e. Move them over our heads, Straight in front of us etc, etc) Or will they be static and basically just be a "wall" that people have to avoid when attacking someone with a shield.
<GL-Jeff> your shield is bound to your arm and there may be emotes that will move your arm
<GL-Jeff> its possible that you could make use of these emotes during combat to say move your sheild in the proper position
<GL-Jeff> for example if you were attacking a castle gate and there were archers up above shooting arrows down on your head you could do an emote that would move your shield above you to block more arrows

<Makco> Is GL attempting to manipulate the plot of Dawn somewhat now? It seems as if things such as the Drow being forced underground by the Sylvain is leading the plot in a certain direction (Drow would hate Sylvain)
<GL-Jeff> We're planting the seeds for some racial hatred yes, but we're not forcing any behavior on the players.
<GL-Jeff> We sure as hell aren't going to have any rules such as "its ok to kill such and such race, but if you kill any other race then you get an NPC assasin on your butt"
<GL-Jeff> There is more to the storyline than we've told you...more will be released on that in the near future.

<Axehandler> how much JD do you guys drink? and do you use coke/pepsi with it? or staight shots? =)
<GL-Jeff> Well JD doesn't help the programming mind so I don't have any...but these guys are artists and maybe that helps their creative ability or something... i'm not gonna question it
<GL-SevenOsix> Tons, hehe j/k, actually, we started the joke about JD and it got carried away
<GL-RazM> Yeah, I like Schwepes
<GL-RazM> Sorry, Schweppes
<GL-RazM> But Axe, with some of your Q's, I'm thinking of switching over to JD

<Kaim> Will we be able to render someone unconcious before their HP reaches 0? If so, what would keep us from killing them then after they are unconcious?
<GL-Jeff> A "KO" feature that would allow players to be knocked unconscious before reaching 0 HP is too exploitable and will not be implemented in Dawn.
<GL-Jeff> There will be ways to reflect the pain felt by a character however, visually
<GL-Jeff> if you get slammed in the head you might see a quick flash of light for instance...

<Makco> Will there be other kinds of player plantable plants besides those already mentioned (crops.) Things like bushes, trees, flowers, maybe some thorn plants, etc.
<GL-SevenOsix> Makco, there will be nothing to stop players from planting any kind of plant if they can get the seeds, after the planting though, the plant(s) wil lgrow naturally

<Ufgar> How are starting points going to work again? I've heard that it's only going to be decided by race, or that if you have a viable roleplaying reason why your character would be starting someplace different then they will start there. If that's true, how will that work? Just getting a little clarification on an old topic. DOn't worry no perm death questions.
<GL-Jeff> This is unanswerable until the release of the spawning system

<Amarok> Have you considered adding any more racial abilities beyond infravision, etc. and if so, what abilities?
<GL-Jeff> there might be skill bonuses...but thats probably going to be the extent of racial differences (besides the stats of course...which are the biggest of all)

<VorDaj> Will there be destructive weather events (ie, floods, tornados, etc)
<GL-Jeff> Yes but nothing that cause grave danger to players (unless perhaps its an act of a god)
<GL-Jeff> But yes natural disasters may very well destroy or damage houses etc

<Morlack> u said plants can grow before your eyes, are there any spells planned that mabey make plants growth rate accelerate? , would be a good way to get inside of a castle or block off of enemy troups
<GL-Jeff> Yes definitely

<Alerlean> With what you said on weather will passes be blocked by snow in winter and rivers flood in spring etc.And will the plants be similar to what has recently been revealed at Horizons.?
<GL-Jeff> Yes weather will make certain areas untravellable
<GL-SevenOsix> Alerlean: the vegetation will be as realistic as game speed allows
<GL-Jeff> we're not going to sacrifice playability for eye candy vegetation, however....we're placing the ability to have large scale warfares on a far higher priority level than the looks of the vegetation

<Kaim> Could you explain how the "naming" system will work, assuming you are allowed to? Please don't say that, in our time, we will only know roughly 100 or so people and each of those people will look different. I expect to play multiple characters, and to remember 300 or so names by myself IRL is near impossible (I know this isn't what you've planned, but just thinking about it does hurt my head).
<GL-Jeff> It simply depends on how varied the character models will be as to whether or not we will have a naming system.
<GL-Jeff> We will definitely allow you to write and remember names of people, and assort them into groups, but if you can't match them with their faces then perhaps you are playing too many characters.
<GL-Jeff> But remember we did say that you would be able to remember a persons name for message purposes
<GL-Jeff> which means if you meet a person and write down their name for message purposes you will be able to send them private messages to be sure of their identity

<PiRo> what will the gravity be like?
<GL-Jeff> The planet is smaller than earth, of course, but we dont intend to make the gravity any different. I supposed we could justify this by saying the planet is much denser...its filled with so much adventure that it weighs the same as Earth

<JLBesser> Will we be able to make more than one customizable AI? What I mean by this is will we be able to customize "AI1" to be directed toward tradeskills and "AI2" towards going to sleep and activate one of the two AIs when we log off?
<GL-Jeff> You may just be able to choose from a list of premade AI's...we're running into some problems with scripting exploitability and we may limit you to AI templates.

<Selanar> Will graphics (such as crests and player drawn items) be able to be emblazoned on anything? (such as shields, any peice of armor, a chair, doors...) or only on certain things?
<GL-Jeff> Players will be able to make their own symbols to place on items and player skin.
<GL-Jeff> This is definitely a first in MMORPG's...you'll be able to collect dyes and create patterns and then have the patterns burned, or drawn onto objects...

<JLBesser> How much different will a corpse look from a sleeping body (I can imagine little "Z-Z-Z"s hover their heads)?
<GL-RazM> The dead won't be breathing...
<GL-RazM> BTW, certain corpses will just be body parts
<GL-Jeff> yeah, remember we are implementing "quake-ish" gore

<PiRo> Will we have foot prints when we walk? will they disapear after a few seconds.. or what?
<GL-Jeff> probably no footprints...we could add them but they just aren't high on the list of things to do

<Janoddyn> have you started work on any sort of spell animations?? If so what might they be like (EverQuest or other??)
<GL-Jeff> We haven't gotten to that part yet actually
<GL-Jeff> we'll definitely show you when we do, however
<GL-Jeff> you'll be seeing what we've been currently working on really soon...sooner than you think

<Ufgar> If I put on a heavy coat, thereby raising my cold ressistance, will I take less damage from a cold spell?
<GL-Jeff> yes

<Ufgar> What sort of "detection" skills or abilitys will be available to people so that the people who plan on playing big large lumbering oafs can protect their cookies, but still maintain the persona of their character without having become a super sneak?
<GL-Jeff> i think what you are asking is if the ability to detect a sneaking person will depend on your own ability to sneak?
<GL-Jeff> In that case the answer is that the detection skills and skills themselves will be unrelated.
<GL-Jeff> in fact detection may not be a skill at all, it may just rely on stats
<GL-Jeff> the same goes for sneaking
<GL-Jeff> for example, sneaking would be an ability, but its not something you'd have to practice to be good at
<GL-Jeff> it would simply depend on your "sneaky" stats
<GL-Jeff> in EQ you'd see monks running around feign deathing all the time to get their skills up...we'd rather have actions like taht simply depend on your stats

<Axehandler> who will be able to beta test? and are you going to start with just like a 100 the 1st beta.. and move up? if so how will those 100 be selected?
<GL-Jeff> We're having quite the untraditional beta...we're just going to throw everyone into the game just like we would with the release...what better way to test the product than to test exactly what its designed for?

<Kaim> You say 100,000 people per server - offline or online? (And I do know that it's possible for 100k online)
<GL-Jeff> online
<GL-Jeff> just to give you an idea of the size of the world: If our world was to have the same population density as EQ then we would have over 5 million offline players per server

<Farwen> Will there be any type of facial animation? winking eyes, pouting lips, smiling, etc.
<GL-RazM> yes

<Svendor> In regards to resources;if I spend 8 hours cutting down trees then have to log for RL things;what becomes of trees?
<Axehandler> 12I just wanted to remind everyone to VOTE.... /ctcp Axehandler Vote yes/no/dc =)
<GL-SevenOsix> Svendor: the trees you cut down will remain as you left em

<Amarok> Will items be accurately displayed when dropped on the ground, or will all food have the same appearance, etc... ?
<GL-Jeff> in the beta they'll probably all look the same
<GL-Jeff> but we're gonna do our best to provide 3d models for every item

<Janoddyn> Will changing armours, clothes, weapons, ect take time? If not, how will you counter act people charging the archers with high peirce resistance armour, and the instant they get attacked by the footsoldiers change into plate mail or other high slash resistance armour?
<GL-Jeff> armor is big
<GL-Jeff> armor is hard to carry
<GL-Jeff> you won't be able to carry a bunch of different outfits around with you
<GL-Jeff> but switching probably won't have any delays other than the time it takes you, the player, to do it

<Selanar> Will there be waves in the oceans (visible ones) and wind patterns (used for sailing) or even underwater currents?
<GL-Jeff> wind is a definite yes
<GL-Jeff> we're still messing with water and can't give a final answer on that at this time

<Tez> how will things like crests be handled. I have seen that the ability to create custom graphics will be offered. Can these be put on shields or maybe flags?
<GL-Jeff> You'll take the item and initiate the process (be it burning, painting, carving etc) then using our UI you will position and size the graphic
<GL-Jeff> then you will be able to manipulate it, as a 16x16 image with different colors
<GL-Jeff> colors of course only being available for the proper processes, you can't carve in color

<Ufgar> How will we know if there's a god for a certain thing we're praying to. For instance my character might keep praying to the all might cookie god, wishing for this war against Kingdom B to reap massive amounts of chocolate chip cookies. Yet there is no cookie god, but he continues to pray.
<GL-Jeff> To answer your question simply: you won't know one way or the other.
<GL-Jeff> Thats why we're calling it religion
<GL-Jeff> But i suppose if the cookie god came down to you and gave you an oreo then you would have a pretty good idea of whether or not he existed
<GL-RazM> yum, oreo

<Morlack> Would it be possible as mabey a smaller race, *gnome* to climb on bigger races backs? lol that would be fun.. In combat situations and normal walking situations that is
<GL-Jeff> yes there's nothing keeping you from doing this

<Farwen> IN ship battles will it be possible to burn the sails so as to stop the ship from sailing away....or perhaps knocking over their main mast?
<GL-Jeff> burn the sails: yes, we'll make the sails of the ship a different object so that you can focus fire attacks on it

<Penneywize> Will characters appearance be affected by what they do during the game? like for instance, a dwarven blacksmith's skin will probably be dark and tanned because of all his forge work?
<GL-Jeff> Yes, i'm not sure how detailed we are going to be able to make these changes
<GL-Jeff> but after the beta we'll be hard at work on all the little eye candy perks

<Aego> will kiting be possible in the game?
<GL-Jeff> Its hard to say at this point....we realize that keeping a creature at a distance and firing at him is a strategy, not necessarily an exploit
<GL-Jeff> but we're doing our best to make it so that a players speed won't be the deciding factor in who wins every battle

<Amarok> With the messaging system, since you'll see the message travel toward it's recipient, will you see the words flying accross the sky (so anyone can read) or will there be a graphic associated with them (like a beam of light, or glowing orb)?
<GL-Jeff> But it will be very hard to kite because EVEYRONE should have some sort of range damage inflicting ability in dawn
<GL-Jeff> just a graphic
<GL-Jeff> Its intended to be a wisp messenger

<Selanar> Will there be migration patterns with NPC's? (such as certain races migrating depending upon seasons)
<GL-Jeff> Possibly, they will go where they feel comfortable...

<PiRo> Will I be able to make my own planting pots and put them around my castle?
<GL-Jeff> you may be restricted to planting in the ground
<GL-Jeff> pots is kinda stretchin it

<Morlack> Will it be possible to some how scientificly alter any of plant-life in the game? mabey some sort of a interbreeding with the plants and make cures for certain illnesses?
<GL-Jeff> remember this game is medieval
<GL-Jeff> there probably won't be any bioengineering

<PiRo> Will we be able to grow a "man eating plant" or something of the sort?
<GL-Jeff> possibly
<GL-Jeff> and you could tame it at level 1...
<GL-Jeff> (yes plants have levels)
<GL-Jeff> but it wouldn't be mobile

<Janoddyn> What sort of seige tactics might there be. We know there will be ballistae and catipults, but how about boiling oil and naptha??
<GL-Jeff> and dwarves?
<GL-Jeff> You will be able to hurl anything you want with the siege...we'll give you plenty of things to choose from that all cause different damage
-GL-Jeff:@#glitchless- yes

<Selanar> Will mounts have to be "trained" to be used in battle? for example, will a horse run away from fighting the first time it encounters it, or are mounts already used to combat situations?
<GL-Jeff> if your mount is your follower then it will be completely loyal
<GL-Jeff> if the mount is just a creature you have subdued then there's no telling what his behavior will be like in a combat situation

<yes_you_should> reasonable question: if dawn is in fact not a fraud, how come there are no respectable media organizations (Gamespot, stratics, vault network, etc) covering or even acknowledging its existance? ....... or anywhere for that matter.
<GL-Jeff> Believe it or not we still consider Dawn to be underground. Everyone who knows about the game has learned about it by word of mouth, we have made no attempts to get outside networks to advertise our game for us, we simply don't need the general public knowing about the game yet.
<GL-Jeff> We're trying to collect the elite hardcore gamers for testing purposes...not the casual web browsers
<GL-Jeff> before we release the game as retail we will of course seek outside advertising help

<JLBesser> You mentiond earlier that if you conentrate on leveling one follower he would have to have to get the experience a level 26 player would? How much experience would it take to level all 5 of the units mentioned? And if it is more than all of their levels added together, isn;t that a bit unfair to the player, because since followers have the same as a grouped friend, shouldnt they act the same?
<GL-Jeff> Followers should _not_ act the same as group members and this is why
<GL-Jeff> if you are level 5 and have 4 level 5 followers (previous example) you approximately have the power of a level 25 player
<GL-Jeff> leveling ONE of those creatures would give you the power of a level 26 player, and thus takes the same amount of experience to achieve
<GL-Jeff> if we treated the followers as grouped members then a person with 1 follower would gain twice as much power as a person playing without any followers in the same amount of time.

<Amarok> Will there be a text box (Eq style)? or some other way of interacting with typed script?
<GL-Jeff> there will of course be text...there's no other way to visually show words...whether its in a box or not will depend on the screen mode you are in

<Amarok> What do you guys think about the gender stat questions? Some very good points have been raised about that, are you still against it?
<Axehandler> the Votes are at 50/50 on that question
<GL-Jeff> We are still against gender based stat differences.
<GL-Jeff> *big hint here*
<GL-Jeff> We're against it much because of the way the spawning system works.
<GL-Jeff> And i'm only telling you that because we're releasing the system very soon

<PiRo> Can high level casters be able to levitate when they sit down? or something neto like that?
<GL-Jeff> you betcha

<Selanar> will we be able to grow facial hair or is it merely a texture to be chosen at character creation?
<GL-RazM> Facial hair will grow
<GL-Jeff> facial hair gud
<GL-RazM> Facial hair will not just be a texture, but a seperate model
<GL-RazM> Same applies to head hair
<GL-Jeff> don't ask about any other hair though

<Sayver> Will there be clothes, like a robe, that covers half your face. If you want to play a dark character and want to be mysterious I think there should be some way to hide your face.
<GL-Jeff> yes
<GL-Jeff> mystery is a big part of the game

<JLBesser> Also, about sleeping, how much will we be able to do while sleeping? Surely we need a "Log off" button, but will we be able to hear other people talking near us, will we be able to look (not move around) our inventory, or look at our stats, or program our AIs?
<GL-Jeff> you'll be able to do OOC stuff
<GL-Jeff> like program your AI
<GL-Jeff> bind buttons
<GL-Jeff> but you won't be able to hear things
<GL-Jeff> you won't be able to see
<GL-Jeff> we may implement a dream feature...but thats just a concept right now

<Amarok> If you were almost dead (hp wise) and you slept for 8 hours, would you awake with full hp? and along the same lines, how fast is hp regeneration comparitively?
<GL-RazM> Just think of it like you've drank too much JD
<GL-RazM>
<GL-Jeff> yes HP goes up at normal resting speed while you are asleep.

<Selanar> Will there be counterspells (nullification, reflection (maybe reflect cold, or reflect magic), etc...) or just a general cancel magic or none of the above?
<GL-Jeff> the only counter spells that will exist will be things like casting an ice spell against someones fire spell

<Amarok> What is your estimation on the number of different possible combinations of unique appearances per race?
<GL-Jeff> there will be thousands of different appearances for sure but the differences will be very small...i cant give an exact number at this time

<JLBesser> What will the "eyes of the gods" look like? Will they be distinguishable from regular players? And what exactly are the Eyes there for and what are they supposed to use their powers for?
<GL-Jeff> they will be completely UNdistinguishable
<GL-Jeff> in fact if you go around bragging that you are an Eye the gods wil probably become angry
<GL-Jeff> you are supposed to be a silent watcher, not a power tripper

<JLBesser> And also about the Eye email, you said the people "make a name for themselves and earn our respect during the beta process - be it in the forums or in the beta itself - will be offered Eye status accounts." Does this mean that there will be no Eyes during beta?
<GL-Jeff> no...there just won't be as many

<Aego> How is the digging system going?
<GL-Jeff> its going...its a very basic system, the system itself is not whats revolutionary, its the fact that we have made it compatible with an MMORPG scene
<GL-Jeff> everyone else seems to be afraid of dynamic terrain...and for good reason its not as easy as you might think.

<JLBesser> And a question I had that I posted on the boards: How will NPCs react to such things like a fellow being kidnapped, or a death in the camp? Will they make politics and organizations resembling our's?
<GL-Jeff> Yes, they'll try rescues, they'll offer rewards for heads, they'll form governments

<Morlack> Can candy be made in the game? , sorry I just had to ask... and can it make u hyper if so? hehe
<GL-Jeff> yes there will be a large variety of foods available
<GL-Jeff> nothing goofy tho like lollipops

<JLBesser> Just curious, aproximatly how many people are currently registered as Beta testers, and how does that number affect you?
<GL-Jeff> we currently have about 2300 beta testers...we'll accept up to 10k probably.

<Farwen> What will the terrain be like, will we see water falls and steep drop-off cliffs and so on?
<GL-Jeff> yes

<Morlack> Jeff I forgot to ask one question, in response like 2 the wind effecting boats.. if that is implemented, will they make it so there are wind spells making boat go forward? god I cant remember that book I read, but they used that all the time to travel in the boats
<GL-Jeff> wind spells are a possibility, yup

<JLBesser> jeff: Will there be an emote attached to prayer and will prayer take a certain amount of time remaining idle? And do the gods accept sacrifices and gifts (meaning will they disappear if we offer them)?
<GL-Jeff> as far as sacrificing goes that'll be more like a santa clause thing
<GL-Jeff> you can leave the cookies under the tree but no one is really gonna eat them
<GL-Jeff> and we can have a prayer emote that won't be a problem

<Ufgar> So Jeff, basically what you've done with the religion for Dawn is made it one of faith? You can keep praying to a certain god and never see anything but if your faith is strong enough it doesn't matter. Or you could witness somethings happening that can't be explained that's originating from another religion?
<GL-Jeff> pretty much ufgar
<GL-Jeff> we're not encouraging or discouraging religion, we're simply putting it in the game just as it is in real life

<JLBesser> jeff: Will the amount of time taken to go to sleep be based on stats?
<GL-Jeff> JL: no

<Selanar> Oh, will Eyes of the Gods be informed as to what Gods are true Gods? (would kinda make sense...)
<GL-Jeff> No selenar they actually won't be

<JLBesser> jeff: Will items be limited in that either a) only a person of a certain level, race, discipline level, or skill level can use the item; b) only a person of a certain level, race, discipline level, or skill level can create the item?
<GL-Jeff> JL: only stats will effect what items you can and cant use

<Dolgo> Can we use D&D diety names in Dawn for prayer, or is that a problem with copyrights?
<GL-Jeff> no that wont be a problem dolgo

<JLBesser> jeff: How often do you think we will actually whitness godly occurences?
<GL-Jeff> not often maybe once in a lifetime if that

<JLBesser> last one, jeff: I have noticed that your amount of activity on the Discuss board has been increasing (I am crossing my fingers). Is this to be a growing trend?
<GL-Jeff> hopefully JL

<Ufgar> Oh hey now, just because they said you could ride larger races don't think I'm gonna sit around and open up a "Ride the Ogre" booth for only 2 cookies.
<GL-Jeff> lol ufgar

<Aego> HEey....are you able to poisen food?
<GL-Jeff> you can poison any item

<Vyxxyn> will any plants be deadly if ingested?
<GL-SevenOsix> Vyxxyn: palnts can be naturally posionous or soemone might have posioned it

<Axehandler> Jeff with your current Landscape Manipulations... your altering the X/Z cords - shouldn't it be possiable to also change the Y/Z cords based on the same system to effectivly make tunnels?
<GL-Jeff> Axe: its not as simple as choosing which ways to alter the vertices...the biggest problem is the size of the world. the vertices alone uncompressed take up over 100 GIGS of data. we have to take short cuts and one of those shortcuts is disallowing certain directional tran
<Axehandler> yea but instea of sending the whole map.. you coul just make the Holes XXX size.. an when someone igs a hole.. just have the client upate that X/Y/Z cord
<Axehandler> and since the system is based on "Servers" per say... only update the players on that Server with the manipulated terrain.. an when another player gets to that erver area upate them at that time.... an when they log-in... should be VERY good for banwidth
<GL-Jeff> The problem, Axe, with saying there's a hole at XYZ is that you then have to say what type of hole, what direction the hole is in...but thats not event he biggest problem. that would work fine if we could keep the world size at 100 gigs, but we can't. and the optimizations we are making aren't compatible with the "hole at XYZ" system

<Sayver> I got a question! Can you walk on your hands while wading through a pile of dead gerbils?
<GL-Jeff> no sayv, not in the beta

<Gamerpunk> Can one train RELIABLE combat mounts as a living?
<GL-Jeff> yes gamerpunk, but they would be classified as followers and would have to be attainted at level 1

<Ufgar> I'm assuming since there's poison there will be a stat that will allow for some form of poison ressistance?
<Ufgar> Or did I miss the "poison" when Jeff listed the ressists?
<GL-Jeff> ufgar we may go without poison and disease resistance...we'll see

<Brenen> So pretty much everything in the game will be collected, grown, made, built, fought for, and destroyed by Pcs, with npcs being alive, but acting much like pc's?
<GL-Jeff> yes brenen

<Gamerpunk> hmmm, not many lvl ones would be able to afford a reliably trained combat mount...
<GL-Jeff> gamer: YOU dont have to be level 1, the follower has to be level 1 when first taken from the wild. After that he can be leveled and traded/sold to whoever

<Dastin> It has been stated that Dawn will appeal to both the caual gamer and the power gamer. Can you give us a few examples of ways in which you plan to accomodate both of these gaming types in camparison to current games such as EQ?
<GL-Jeff> Dastin: we give you the freedom to do basically whatever you want to in this game...that should appeal to anyone

<Gamerpunk> if one is involved in a situation that doesnt allow one to log rapidly, what happens if a RL emergency comes up? what about getting out of game fast?
<GL-Jeff> gamer: AI will take over for you and attempt to go to sleep so that you gain invulnerability

<Ufgar> Jeff, you said that you were setting up for some racial prejudices but not necessarily dictating that such and such a race will kill another race on site, do the gods have any predisposed prejudices? Or can an Ogre who think's he's a "insert elf lik race name here" pray to that god and not get squashed?
<GL-Jeff> i can't answer that ufgar
<GL-Jeff> the god's behavior is not predictable

<Aego> so the spawning system will be released within 2 months?
<GL-Jeff> probably within 2 weeks

<Rowlen> 7o6!!!! did they let you talk tonight at all?
<GL-SevenOsix> Rowlen: where were you, I answered many Q's tonight? :-)

<GL-Jeff> OK everyone I've been dying to say this
<GL-Jeff> Don't open the forum yet
<GL-Jeff> We've got a surprise for you all
<GL-Jeff> We've been hard at work with environmental effects and have for you tonight some time lapse videos of things like Sunsets and moon movement
<GL-Jeff> We will not officially be releasing them to the public until tomorrow but we have put up a web page for all the people who participated in the IRC Q&A
<GL-Jeff> The URL is www.glitchless.com/graphics.html