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|  | Posted By: Sanya Thomas | 2003-06-13 18:39:45 |  |
| |  |  Those of you here on the East Coast know what I'm talking about. I swear I just saw a row of animals go by in twos. Anyhow, on to this week's installment:
Q: (Insert question here about the Lost Seed Bow and how it has no proc.)
A: We are aware of this – there are no procs currently tuned for archer and archer damage. We completely understand how the Lost Seed bow owners feel, and we're discussing possible options. Thank you for your suggestions.
Q: I have a simple question about the damage penalty you get when using a left hand axe without any LA spec. My SB wants to use 2 1H and be a crit blade, but people tell me I must have spec in LA, else I will lose X% damage on my main hand. How much do I need in LA to get rid of this penalty?
A: There isn't a penalty. Here's what one of our lead programmers had to say when I forwarded your question to him: "That's a very odd way of viewing it. That's like saying in order to get rid of the -1000% damage penalty my level one character has, I must reach level fifty and spec to fifty in such and such skill.
"You're not under a penalty for not training left axe, you just don't get the bonus that each extra train would give you. Wielding two weapons but not putting points into a dual wield type of skill isn't really a great idea…"
Q: Hi, I'd like to ask a question about the way that dex affects block,
parry, evade (dex/qui for evade). Is the dex bonus to these skills "additive" or "multiplicative"?
Example: if it's additive, let's say that having 200 dex will add the same evade % to a player with evade I (5% base chance) and to a player with evade V(25% chance). Let's say 200 dex gives +X% evade, first player will end with 5+X% evade chance and second with 25+X% evade chance. Similar for parry and block.
If it's multiplicative, let's say that having 200 dex multiplies your base evade chance by X. So 1st player would end with 5*X chance to evade, and second player with 25*X% chance to evade.
A: I used the whole question because it was an excellent and clear description of the difference between additive and multiplicative. What a cool word. Anyhow, the answer is "it's multiplicative."
Q: I heard that Healing someone while they are in battle (and you are not grouped with that person) will steal their xp. I thought that I read on the Herald that healing a non grouped person would not steal their xp. Could you clarify this for me please?
A: Healing does take some experience (and builds ag, so be careful lest you draw the attention of the beast) for the healer on the monster or monsters being fought. That's why it's considered polite to ask a soloing player if they want your help before you heal them. A nice buff never took any exp, of course!
Of course, if you're a slow typist and he's about to die, go on ahead – and if he gives you attitude for saving his life, don't ever save him again =)
Q: (Insert question about possible changes to drop rates.)
A: I always look into this sort of question, to make certain we made no accidental changes or fat fingered database entries. Our mighty Item Princess has thoroughly looked at our material, and tells me there have been no adjustments to drop rates in months. I do thank you for asking, as we can't fix problems we don't know about.
Quick reminder about drops – every monster has a loot table. A loot table has several different fields. Those fields include the percentage chance that an item will drop, and then a subset of percentages indicating the sort of loot that will drop (most creatures drop different kinds of loot). So, it is possible to have a bad run of luck while repeatedly killing a particular monster, and not get anything.
Oddly enough, no one ever asks me if something could be wrong when the same monster drops the same rare object each and every time.
Q: What is your policy on the word "rape"? I believe that to use this word in casual conversation is wrong, and that people should be appealed for using it.
A: The meanings of the word, according to my American Heritage Dictionary, are as follows:
1) The crime of forcing a person to submit to sexual intercourse.
2) The act of seizing and carrying off by force; abduction.
3) Profanation.
4) A plant with oil rich seeds used as fodder
See also rapine: the seizure of property by force; plunder.
I respect your sensitivities. On the other hand, it is a word that may be used legitimately in our game. As with all things, context is everything. If you were to ask a person (who was perhaps cheering about having raped a dragon) to, as a friend, not use that word around you out of respect for your feelings, and he responded, "What word? RAPE RAPE RAPE RAPE RAPE," then he's a jerk and you should probably ignore him. If he then followed you around spamming the word at you, you should appeal him for harassment. If someone were to send you messages that he wanted to rape you, that is considered to be a real life threat, and should be reported immediately. We log everything, and we will find out the truth of the conversation.
But if people are simply celebrating the utter defeat of an enemy, I'd say, this is an excellent time to /follow a friend, and go AFK. Perhaps to the kitchen for a little snack, or maybe now's a good time for a bathroom break. At least until the celebration is over. It's not the word – it's the intent behind the word.
****
All right, let's end on a happy note. The family feature was such fun – anyone want to tell me if they met a friend in game? Friend, future spouse, future spouse who is currently your spouse, reunions with old friends thought to be lost in the sands of time, I'd love to hear about it. Let me know if your friendship is new, or ongoing ever since DAOC was launched. Tell me if you've met in real life. I'll print a selection of the responses, should there be enough to make a good column. The subject header should be MET IN THE GAME, and addressed to Sanya@mythicentertainment.com.
I had a lot of technical and billing questions in the Questions folder this week – please note that you do not want me answering anything to do with your hardware or your credit card. Insert your own joke here. Seriously, contact support@darkageofcamelot.com (or look at the top of the Herald, click the little guy with the Red Cross symbol on his shield, click "Contact Mythic" on the top yellow bar, and select the web form option). Don't use either of these methods for anything but a technical or billing issue! I think you'll be pleased with the response time. Our techies rock.
Have a terrific weekend, everyone!
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