Incoming Update, XP Changes, And More!

Started by Ellowee, 2018 Aug 02, 20:06:29

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Ellowee

2018 Aug 02, 20:06:29 Last Edit: 2018 Aug 03, 19:05:08 by Galapagois

Hey again, everypony!

It's been a little while since we've had some big news to share, but we haven't been spending that time idly! We've been super duper busy, working on one of the biggest updates to Legends of Equestria that we've ever made!

The good news is that the update is almost ready to go; within days, version 2018.07.01 (the most likely version number, though as with everything, this is subject to change!) will be released for everypony to enjoy. You might notice that that's quite a few iterations along from our last public build, V2018.03.02; that should give you some idea of how much work we've been doing to get all the new stuff added and functional!

This update is going to add a lot of new stuff for you to enjoy, from the crafting system and new Talents, to new quests and a somewhat-delayed seasonal event, to improved targeting and new animations. There's honestly so much coming in this update that we don't have time to go over all of it just now; you'll have to wait to see the changelog for all the details!

There's a few things, however, that we really feel like we should let you know about in advance, so they don't come as an unpleasant surprise to you when the update is released. First things first: if you haven't finished Ponydale's Winter Warm Up yet, time is running out! Ponydale's always a little late warming up winter, but August might be pushing things a bit. When the update is released, the snow 'phase' of Ponydale will be removed, and you'll no longer have the option to finish the quest "Tomorrow, Spring is Here", meaning you won't earn a team vest!

Now, for the couple of new things that are coming out of this update, that we feel you should know about in advance. The most important one of those is to do with experience.

For a while now, Legends of Equestria's experience system has been pretty far away from what was intended. For context, the areas currently available in the Open Access Release, in their intended final state, is expected to be enough to guide the player through the first 20 or so levels of their character's progression, when compared to the full scope of the game. However, this hasn't been reflected in how experience has been given out, leading to much faster levelling than we anticipated. It's taken us a good bit of investigating to work out why that was the case, but we finally nailed it down to an issue with the XP curve as it was implemented, and this is something addressed by V2018.07.01.

What that means for everypony playing right now is two things. Firstly, levelling will take longer under the system as it was intended; and secondly, the fixes being implemented will not only rebalance how experience is accrued, but also the experience that characters already have earned. This means that players currently at level 50, upon the release of the update, will find their characters to be around level 23. You'll still have the same amount of XP; for example, a character who has earned 50,000 experience and is currently level 13 will still have 50,000 total xp after the update, but might be level 7 instead. Importantly, you'll still have the same abilities that you've purchased using Talent Points (as well as all of those that were awarded through your Talent Mark quest for free), and you won't lose any items. This isn't a reset, but a rebalancing!


We know that this might feel like a 'nerf', or that something is being taken away from your characters, but this is essentially us addressing a flaw that has been present for a long time and that we finally were able to work out a fix for. If you feel like you've already seen everything LoE has to offer and don't want to repeat stuff to get back to level 50, we're working on plenty more content that has all been designed around filling out that intended XP curve, so there's still lots to look forward to!

Another brief change to touch on is to do with the options. Under 'gameplay' in LoE's menu, there are two new checkboxes. One is to do with the changes we've made to the jumping animation; the jump can now be executed either when you press the jump key, or when you release it. The second relates to how loot is picked up; loot is now, by default, automatically added to your inventory when your character runs over it, rather than having to manually click to loot. Both of these can be changed at any time in the options menu, as mentioned earlier.


One more minor thing we want to let you know about is some changes that will be coming to existing armor sets. These changes will effect the armor's requirements, to be more in line with both the new XP curve and with what's coming from the crafting update.

Remember, as always, that LoE is still a game in development, with a lot more work to be done on it before it's ready to be called a finished product. That means changes like this are things that should be expected, and that there may well be more in the future, so we can ensure that the game works as intended and is as enjoyable as possible!

Keep an eye out for more news about the cool new additions coming in this update, as well as the update itself, in the next few days! See you soon!

BubbleG


Mike Dragon

Ooooohh! So that's what that big hole in the Heartlands is for! I wonder if that building is the ruins of that ancient civilization Pyrite talks about, so much.
Find me on Deviant Art! :D http://mike-dragon.deviantart.com/
I also stream art and games on Twitch! https://www.twitch.tv/mike_dragon/

Even Tide


Galapagois

Head of LoE Public Relations, King of Support, and a nuisance!



Pumpkin Glow

Yay! The update sounds great! Really looking forward to it.  ^-^

Thanks to the team for all the hard work!  <3  <3  <3

SunnySkie115

YAY!!!! :D CAN´T WAIT FOR THE NEW UPDATE! :)

marshmallowfluff

super excited! :D it will be great to go in parties again to fight monsters! :D just like the good ol' days of launch

then once herds is implemented well a whole new world will be opened and we can have herds specifically for trading etc....

ugh I'm so excited LOE exists ^^
Skype: Spottedllama1431
Discord: Marshy_fluff (#4884)

Feel free to add me! And look for me in LOE, I need friendos! <3

Crimson Tail

Oh goodie, now I can stop saying Soon™.. for now.
Profile image by LunaEclipsa, uncropped

Honey Bell

You get to say it? Lol now I can stop hiding.
Hello I'm Honey Bell. Got a problem, I'm all ears, and hooves *giggles*. You can always find me right here, in Discord or Ingame



Fluttershy Cloud

Oh no, you're telling me I have to level up all 30 of my lvl50 ponies again from lvl23??  >.<
"Everypony's contribution is important, no matter how small. If you just keep your head high, do your best, and believe in yourself, anything can happen!"
- Fluttershy

Galapagois

Quote from: Fluttershy Cloud on 2018 Aug 03, 05:22:37Oh no, you're telling me I have to level up all 30 of my lvl50 ponies again from lvl23??  >.<

You don't have to, nobody's forcing you to hit max level. You can enjoy the content we have available, and then wait for us to implement more of the quests, areas, and systems designed to support higher level play, if you'd prefer.
Head of LoE Public Relations, King of Support, and a nuisance!


Fluttershy Cloud

Haha, it's alright, I'm partially kidding. I enjoy combating and leveling in the Evershades. In fact, the total time I spent in the Evershades are probably even longer than other ponies spending their time idling in the Sugarcane Corner.

I just hope the lvl65 dragon can be defeatable in the next update. It is what I enjoyed the most in the past, running around them using the old transfusion.
"Everypony's contribution is important, no matter how small. If you just keep your head high, do your best, and believe in yourself, anything can happen!"
- Fluttershy

kcSaya

an update?  0:) Maybe I'll come back to this game  :]

NightFlame

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

EpicEnergy

I can't wait for the new update! My only problem is that my level 50 character and my other high-level characters will get their levels almost cut in half; however, it doesn't bother me at all as long as I have fun! One of the best parts of this update I'm looking forward to - I don't have to manually pick up loot anymore! Best update yet!  :D

Quote from: Ellowee on 2018 Aug 02, 20:06:29When the update is released, the snow 'phase' of Ponydale will be removed, and you'll no longer have the option to finish the quest "Tomorrow, Spring is Here", meaning you won't earn a team vest!

I better get a move on then! I still have some characters who don't have the vest!  O:

My in-game character is Fire Bolt!
I love to hang around Ponydale, SCC, and the Everfree!
See you around :)

Hallow Night

 :o  Yay a big awesome update! Looking forward to it! ^-^

Stardust Dragon

I'm just hopeful the flight talent marks for pegasi start working. I've been unwilling to play my pegasus because of that issue...

Asriel

This sounds great, and I'm glad things like this are being addressed.

The level cap always seemed kinda low to me from the beginning, and now I'm seeing why it might have felt that way.

Also, I've been waiting for more talent-related quests and things. Crafting seems like a great way of spending time as well, especially as combat grinding is more rewarding when looking for specific materials and items (rather than just "I need to get to level 50 to use the Sun and Moon armor")


It also looks like you've overhauled some combat elements that I wasn't really satisfied with (most importantly, targeting).



Anyway, this sounds like a great update. Though if I were to suggest something for the future, more quests and non-quest goals can be enhanced by alternate or "sneakier" ways to complete them. It helps those certain people whose personalities tend toward "hacking." Like me. (I would never hack in-game now, but that attitude helped me find bugs in the LAR.) Finding secrets, especially ones that are beneficial, is something a lot of gamers enjoy.


Though I already see some promising things in some of the quests, and based on what you are fixing, I have no doubt you know what you're doing.
"Henceforth," Ditzy continued, "you shall observe Muffin Monday on the first Thursday of every August! You shall commemorate it... with a minute of solemn silence for reflection on the fragility of life. And then, muffins!"

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