Ask SoE 32
Sassee: Do you plan on removing furniture merchants so that crafted furniture becomes wanted by the player base, similar to how you fixed provisioner foods and drinks that merchants sold at less then the cost to make? Presently better furniture is sold on merchants that players cannot make, and sold for a lower cost.
Steve "Moorgard" Danuser: In the case of provisioners, we didn't remove store-bought food from NPC merchants; we made crafted food better. Similarly, crafted furniture has advantages over furniture bought in the stores.
While there is some duplication in appearances between crafted and store-bought furniture, there are hundreds of furniture appearances that are unique to artisans. Some of the coolest furniture simply hasn't been made yet, perhaps because it requires very rare components to do so. High-level furniture made with rare components will provide a status symbol that can definitely earn admiration for the owner.
A key advantage to crafted furniture is that it defers far more of the status cost of rent than store-bought furniture. Unfortunately the examine window on furniture doesn't properly convey that information, which is something we will address just as we did with food so players could see its value.
We are currently planning a system wherein a comfortably furnished house will provide tangible benefits, such as enhanced regeneration of Vitality. We'll release more details on this system when it goes into testing.
We are working on all tradeskill professions to ensure that they have unique and desirable items that they can sell to players. All artisans will soon be able to craft magical items that either provide new benefits or that enhance goods they've already made. Again, more details will be coming in the future.
Sassee: Are there any plans on allowing players to /hide other parts of their armor besides helmets? Currently, lots of players have tattoo, paint, etc. that run down other parts of their body. Some feel that allowing players to show them off would help a lot with player variations.
Steve "Moorgard" Danuser: We introduced the /showhood command to make helms invisible because many players (myself included) enjoy showing off our facial customizations. While hiding other armor pieces would make sense for certain professions, it also has the potential for detracting from the game world. I don't know of many paladins in literature, for example, who run around with bare legs.
There will be additional armor appearances coming, typically for monks and bruisers, that will allow races with body art to show off their customizations.
Sassee: With the first adventure pack set to release in three weeks, players naturally have a lot of questions. One of them is whether or not new spells and abilities will be included in the adventure packs. Can you get more specific on the features included in the $4.99 price of these packs?
Steve "Moorgard" Danuser: There will be new spells, combat arts, and treasure available in the Bloodline Chronicles. The two main zones, the Tombs of Night and the Crypt of T'Haen, change and evolve as you work your way through the storyline. There are instanced areas for soloers and small groups, full groups, and raids. Add in new enemies to face, destructible walls and objects, and new spell effects, and you're getting a significant addition to the game for less than you'd pay for most fast-food combo meals.
Sassee: A ton of solo content has been added to the game recently, anyone who keeps track of patch notes (like myself) can attest to that. Can you elaborate on more plans towards solo and small group content in more detail? Currently, a lot of players are still asking what’s next.
Steve "Moorgard" Danuser: Live Update #4, currently on Test and moving to the live servers next week, includes big changes for soloers and small-group players. Experience has again been increased (especially over level 30), and new types of treasure are available. Many players on Test have reported being extremely satisfied that they can now accumulate worthwhile loot and spell upgrades without requiring a full group to obtain them. We're also in the continuing process of adding solo quest paths that guide you through all levels so that solo and small-group players feel they have direction and goals. Plus, there is a new solo adventure area available called the Valley of the Rogue Magi, located in Commonlands. Expect to see more such instances in the future.
Sassee: Will trustees of someone else's house ever be able to pay rent in place of the owner? It is currently kind of inconvenient for two (or more) players to share a house if one of them were to go out of town for an extended period of time, for instance.
Steve "Moorgard" Danuser: In Live Update #5, coming to Test server very soon, we'll be some making some oft-requested changes to player housing. The "Pay Upkeep" button will allow you to prepay rent before your next upkeep payment is due. There will also be an account linked to each house that allows any character with Friend access or higher to contribute coin, status, or both to the toward rent. Characters with Trustee access or higher will be able to pay the rent from this account. You'll also be able to view a record of who made contributions, how much those contributions were, and when they were made. The account also retains a history of the last 52 rent payments made from the account, who paid them, and when.
This should make sharing houses among characters even easier, and in the case of guilds, much more manageable.
Sassee: A lot of information has already been released about the new upcoming feature, Mentoring.
Scott Hartsman stated that: "The Mentors and Apprentice will receive experience, loot, and quest credit as if the Mentor were the same level as the Apprentice. Mentors do receive viable amounts of experience and advance toward their actual level while mentoring, though at a slightly reduced rate. The rates will fluctuate while this feature is in testing."
Can you give us more specifics on the rewards as a mentor in terms of experience and loot?
Steve "Moorgard" Danuser: The exact XP values given to the Mentor are being adjusted as we test the system. We'd prefer to start out low and increase the amount of XP if necessary rather than start high and need to reduce it later. As of now, Mentors gain little XP for taking an Apprentice that is below level 20, while earning a reasonable amount if the Apprentice is level 25 or higher.
While we want Mentoring to be an enjoyable experience for both Mentor and Apprentice, the main goals are to let friends play together and to help the lower-level players catch up a bit easier. One thing that we don't want is for the act of Mentoring to be a preferred way to gain XP or to be used as a means to bypass sections of the game that are seen as challenging. This is why we have to make gaining XP as a Mentor somewhat less efficient than playing at your actual level.
Some may think this will discourage people from Mentoring, but I disagree. There are many players in game right now who turn off their combat XP altogether in order to stay closer in level to friends who don't play as much. The act of Mentoring has an inherent altruistic element, and I really believe that most people who use the system won't care how much XP they are earning, but rather will just be pleased that they're helping a friend. The other main benefits to the Mentor are the chance to experience content and loot they may have missed while advancing their own character.