MUD Announcements

Elvarlyn · 04-11-2010, 03:12 AM

It's been some time since I've posted in these hallowed forums so I thought I'd write up a long update to let those who are curious know where we're at in regard to Lithmeria's development. The list of updates and features below is not comprehensive and in fact begins at around the time of the PvP Beta we held in the second half of last year.
We've been working flat out since then and thought it might be time to show off some of what we've achieved.

For those who haven't been following the game's development, here are some basic facts:

- Lithmeria: The Endless Siege is a MUD in development
- In many ways, Lithmeria is our attempt at creating the MUD we always wanted to play. No feature too complex, no request too pie in the sky.
- Lithmeria is built on a completely custom built engine employing a C++/Lua hybrid
- Lithmeria is set on a fictional, fantasy world of the same name.
- Technology is at a pre-gunpowder level but magic both elemental and arcane plays a huge role.
- Lithmeria will be an RP enforced MUD that will seek to cater to players of every conceivable inclination from PvErs, to duelists, world PvPers, mass PvPers, explorers, crafters, merchants and roleplayers.
- Lithmeria is a 'balance/equilibrium' MUD which means that most attacks are directly activated and have a balance or equilibrium cooldown before another attack can be used.
- Lithmeria has fully afflict-able mobs. All offensive abilities work on mobiles much as they do on players.
- Lithmeria's PvP will be balanced around small group combat, emphasizing tactics and strategy over sheer numbers
- There is no release date set for Lithmeria as of yet. When asked to guesstimate, the head coder threw a shoe at me and yelled that he's not releasing it until it's right.

The Lithmeria forums can be found here as well as in most of the links below.

Note: Lithmeria is always looking for builders and we have what we believe to be the one of the most simple yet powerful building UIs out there. If you feel you have patience, dedication and creative spark, this is the builder recruitment thread. It includes walk through videos and pretty screenshots!

Player Class Skills

The lore and first five abilities in every Tier 3 skill for every class have been fully coded! Lithmeria's class skill character progression involves choosing two out of three tier two skills. The choice you makes effects the tier three skill you receive and thus what your specialization becomes. Below are the specialization for every class:

- Champions (Teladiri Warriors)
- Towerguards (Aspalarian Warriors)
- Marauders (Teladiri Rogues)
- Phantoms (Aspalarian Rogues)
- Callers (Teladiri Mages)
- Arcanists (Aspalarian Mages)
- Shaman (Teladiri Priests)
- Mediator (Aspalarian Priests)

Sailing and the high seas

Sailing has been added into the game! A full tier one skill full of sailing abilities and three tier two sailing abilities of which players will be able to choose two.
- Naval - For organized, fleet actions
- Privateering - For those who wish to cripple and board enemies
- Raiding - For hit and run actions and operations close to shore
Shipwrighting is up and running. A tier two skill stemming from Merchantry, Shipwrighting allows for:
- Building ships of many different types ranging from cogs and sloops to dreadnaughts and galleons
- Customizing your ship by altering the wood composites it is constructed out of, adding modifications, additional weapons bays, more cargo space, armored plating or even a magical battery array to power advanced upgrades
- Customizing the look of your ship by changing the interior, describing each room to your liking
- Building many different kinds of siege weapons from direct firing ballista to arc firing catapults and advanced, weird weapons like grapples and windmasts
- Customizing your siege weapons by adding unique modifications to them, such as converting a ballista to double winged which allows it to fire twice before reloading at the cost of a far greater reload time
- Add magical gems into your ship to give it that last, personal touch
Some screenshots of sailing:
- At the helm. One can steer with commands or by clicking where one wants to go on the map using MXP. More complex ship commands such as raising and lowering the sails or dropping the anchor are done by hand though:
- Manning a catapult. The red area represents where the catapult can fire. One can fire by selecting the X Y offset coordinates or simply by clicking anywhere in the red area via MXP. Catapult gunners will have to guestimate where the target ship will be when their shot lands:
- Manning a ballista. The red areas represent the firing arcs of the ballista, which is located below decks in the hold. Ballistas can be fired with a simple FIRE <TARGET> command, but more advanced users can specify how far away they think the target is and the direction that target is bearing. Guessing these correctly rewards a gunner with bonus damage, guessing incorrectly decreases the damage:

A log of sailings PvE side, as the crew of 'The White Wolf' do battle with a vicious, lightning spitting Spinneret sea monster.

Elvarlyn · 04-11-2010, 03:12 AM

Player Divisions

In addition to choosing their class and city, players will be asked to select a 'division' which will provide unique opportunities in a chosen field.
- Rangers (Aimed at hunters, bashers, explorers and questers) - Allows for the recalibration of hunting area rewards to maximize profits and hinder the more lucrative aspects of enemy zones.
- Quartermasters (Aimed at merchants, traders and crafters) - Allows one to exchange commodities in a global marketplace and invest in the fate of competing merchant houses.
- Espionage (Aimed at sneaky bastards) - Incredibly cool *opinion*, recruit, manage and build a globe spanning network of covert agents. Have them perform various missions to strike at your enemies from the shadows.
- Navy (Sailors, both PvE and PvP) - Recruit NPC sailors to help you with the labor intensive task of running a bigger ship.
- Army (World PvPers) - Recruit, equip, customize, train and command NPC squads of soldiers to further your cause

Gods and Religion

Gods in Lithmeria will be a little different. Created by players, they are nourished by faith and provide increasingly greater power the more they are worshiped. Fey beings that do not communicate directly with speech, they will use visions and dreams to encourage players to do their bidding.
Players will be able to perform quests and missions to convert NPC's to their chosen faith, further strengthening their God and weakening His or Her rivals.

Tradeskills

Brewing is up and running. Mix potions, elixirs and salves for a total of over 10,000 possible variations. If it all seems daunting and complicated, worry not... we'll soon be adding step-by-step wizards to make crafting easy!
Smithing is up and running too. Leave nothing to chance, create exactly the weapon you want with the best stats you can get. Customize, customize customize!
Shipwrighting is already described above.
We have heard the pleas of shopkeepers and added a huge range of options for them to make their lives simple, easy and above all lucrative!

Quests

Lithmeria's DynaQuest system is up and running. You'll never know where that NPC will send you next or what he'll want!

Lore

There are over 150 Lore help files in the game already and there will likely be many more before release. Much of this Lore can be found in the forums as we've been trying to post regular lore updates when we have the time and inclination.

Race Art

The very talented Aja over at True Magic has provided some truly awesome concept art for the Lithmerian races!

------

These are just some of the changes we've implemented since PvP Beta! We hope to see you around the forums and eventually, in game.

If anyone has any questions, please do post them here and I'll make a point of checking back and replying as often as I can. Alternatively, head to our forums!

- Elvarlyn

Elvarlyn · 07-03-2010, 11:47 AM

Short note!

In addition to a whole stack of new features I won't list here, Lithmeria now has:

Check them out to keep up to date with the latest.

Ide · 07-03-2010, 12:57 PM

Nice looking wiki + website, congrats!

Elvarlyn · 07-04-2010, 12:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ide

Nice looking wiki + website, congrats!

Thanks a lot!

We'll be adding more game integration to the website once release is at hand!

04-11-2010, 03:12 AM	#1
Elvarlyn Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 41	Lithmeria development update! A next generation MUD takes shape... It's been some time since I've posted in these hallowed forums so I thought I'd write up a long update to let those who are curious know where we're at in regard to Lithmeria's development. The list of updates and features below is not comprehensive and in fact begins at around the time of the PvP Beta we held in the second half of last year. We've been working flat out since then and thought it might be time to show off some of what we've achieved. For those who haven't been following the game's development, here are some basic facts: - Lithmeria: The Endless Siege is a MUD in development - In many ways, Lithmeria is our attempt at creating the MUD we always wanted to play. No feature too complex, no request too pie in the sky. - Lithmeria is built on a completely custom built engine employing a C++/Lua hybrid - Lithmeria is set on a fictional, fantasy world of the same name. - Technology is at a pre-gunpowder level but magic both elemental and arcane plays a huge role. - Lithmeria will be an RP enforced MUD that will seek to cater to players of every conceivable inclination from PvErs, to duelists, world PvPers, mass PvPers, explorers, crafters, merchants and roleplayers. - Lithmeria is a 'balance/equilibrium' MUD which means that most attacks are directly activated and have a balance or equilibrium cooldown before another attack can be used. - Lithmeria has fully afflict-able mobs. All offensive abilities work on mobiles much as they do on players. - Lithmeria's PvP will be balanced around small group combat, emphasizing tactics and strategy over sheer numbers - There is no release date set for Lithmeria as of yet. When asked to guesstimate, the head coder threw a shoe at me and yelled that he's not releasing it until it's right. The Lithmeria forums can be found here as well as in most of the links below. Note: Lithmeria is always looking for builders and we have what we believe to be the one of the most simple yet powerful building UIs out there. If you feel you have patience, dedication and creative spark, this is the builder recruitment thread. It includes walk through videos and pretty screenshots! Player Class Skills The lore and first five abilities in every Tier 3 skill for every class have been fully coded! Lithmeria's class skill character progression involves choosing two out of three tier two skills. The choice you makes effects the tier three skill you receive and thus what your specialization becomes. Below are the specialization for every class: Champions (Teladiri Warriors) Keepers - Tanks specializing in sword and board Templar - Fully armored behemoths specializing in powerful blows Blademasters - Weapon experts who perfect the art of war Towerguards (Aspalarian Warriors) Sentinels - Tanks specializing in disabling the enemy and mitigation Destroyers - Engines of destruction that fuse arcane power with mighty weapons Blademasters - Weapon experts who perfect the art of war Marauders (Teladiri Rogues) Mutilator - A sadistic and silent killer Executioner - A lightly armored toe to toe fighter Assassin - A silent killer, unseen on the way in, unheard on the way out Phantoms (Aspalarian Rogues) Mageblade - Half conjurer, half rogue, very very tricksy Slayer - A lightning fast combatant specializing in rapid assaults and rapid retreats Assassin - A silent killer, unseen on the way in, unheard on the way out Callers (Teladiri Mages) Firestorm - Burn with fire, strike with lightning Tempest - Wielding the full power of the storm Typhoon - Frost and flame make for a deadly cocktail Arcanists (Aspalarian Mages) Sorcerer - Pure arcane power wielded with the skill of a surgeon Incanter - Destroying enemy minds and bodies with abandon Mesmer - Telepathy at its most dangerous Shaman (Teladiri Priests) Conservator - Healers and druids of the old school Primalists - Those most truly connected to nature wield its true power Berserker - Embracing the beast to make foes embrace death Mediator (Aspalarian Priests) Purifiers - Healers and pain shifters Arbiters - Wielders of fate, sealers of fate Confessors - Raging spirits and twisted fate seal their enemies doom Sailing and the high seas Sailing has been added into the game! A full tier one skill full of sailing abilities and three tier two sailing abilities of which players will be able to choose two. Naval - For organized, fleet actions Privateering - For those who wish to cripple and board enemies Raiding - For hit and run actions and operations close to shore Shipwrighting is up and running. A tier two skill stemming from Merchantry, Shipwrighting allows for: Building ships of many different types ranging from cogs and sloops to dreadnaughts and galleons Customizing your ship by altering the wood composites it is constructed out of, adding modifications, additional weapons bays, more cargo space, armored plating or even a magical battery array to power advanced upgrades Customizing the look of your ship by changing the interior, describing each room to your liking Building many different kinds of siege weapons from direct firing ballista to arc firing catapults and advanced, weird weapons like grapples and windmasts Customizing your siege weapons by adding unique modifications to them, such as converting a ballista to double winged which allows it to fire twice before reloading at the cost of a far greater reload time Add magical gems into your ship to give it that last, personal touch Some screenshots of sailing: At the helm. One can steer with commands or by clicking where one wants to go on the map using MXP. More complex ship commands such as raising and lowering the sails or dropping the anchor are done by hand though: Manning a catapult. The red area represents where the catapult can fire. One can fire by selecting the X Y offset coordinates or simply by clicking anywhere in the red area via MXP. Catapult gunners will have to guestimate where the target ship will be when their shot lands: Manning a ballista. The red areas represent the firing arcs of the ballista, which is located below decks in the hold. Ballistas can be fired with a simple FIRE <TARGET> command, but more advanced users can specify how far away they think the target is and the direction that target is bearing. Guessing these correctly rewards a gunner with bonus damage, guessing incorrectly decreases the damage: A log of sailings PvE side, as the crew of 'The White Wolf' do battle with a vicious, lightning spitting Spinneret sea monster. Last edited by Elvarlyn : 04-12-2010 at 12:25 AM.

04-11-2010, 03:12 AM	#2
Elvarlyn Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 41	Re: Lithmeria development Update! A next generation MUD takes shape... Player Divisions In addition to choosing their class and city, players will be asked to select a 'division' which will provide unique opportunities in a chosen field. Rangers (Aimed at hunters, bashers, explorers and questers) - Allows for the recalibration of hunting area rewards to maximize profits and hinder the more lucrative aspects of enemy zones. Quartermasters (Aimed at merchants, traders and crafters) - Allows one to exchange commodities in a global marketplace and invest in the fate of competing merchant houses. Espionage (Aimed at sneaky bastards) - Incredibly cool opinion, recruit, manage and build a globe spanning network of covert agents. Have them perform various missions to strike at your enemies from the shadows. Navy (Sailors, both PvE and PvP) - Recruit NPC sailors to help you with the labor intensive task of running a bigger ship. Army (World PvPers) - Recruit, equip, customize, train and command NPC squads of soldiers to further your cause Gods and Religion Gods in Lithmeria will be a little different. Created by players, they are nourished by faith and provide increasingly greater power the more they are worshiped. Fey beings that do not communicate directly with speech, they will use visions and dreams to encourage players to do their bidding. Players will be able to perform quests and missions to convert NPC's to their chosen faith, further strengthening their God and weakening His or Her rivals. Tradeskills Brewing is up and running. Mix potions, elixirs and salves for a total of over 10,000 possible variations. If it all seems daunting and complicated, worry not... we'll soon be adding step-by-step wizards to make crafting easy! Smithing is up and running too. Leave nothing to chance, create exactly the weapon you want with the best stats you can get. Customize, customize customize! Shipwrighting is already described above. We have heard the pleas of shopkeepers and added a huge range of options for them to make their lives simple, easy and above all lucrative! Quests Lithmeria's DynaQuest system is up and running. You'll never know where that NPC will send you next or what he'll want! Lore There are over 150 Lore help files in the game already and there will likely be many more before release. Much of this Lore can be found in the forums as we've been trying to post regular lore updates when we have the time and inclination. Race Art The very talented Aja over at True Magic has provided some truly awesome concept art for the Lithmerian races! ------ These are just some of the changes we've implemented since PvP Beta! We hope to see you around the forums and eventually, in game. If anyone has any questions, please do post them here and I'll make a point of checking back and replying as often as I can. Alternatively, head to our forums! - Elvarlyn

07-03-2010, 11:47 AM	#3
Elvarlyn Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 41	Re: Lithmeria development Update! A next generation MUD takes shape... Short note! In addition to a whole stack of new features I won't list here, Lithmeria now has: A website A facebook page A Wiki Check them out to keep up to date with the latest.

07-03-2010, 12:57 PM	#4
Ide Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Seattle Posts: 273	Re: Lithmeria development Update! A next generation MUD takes shape... Nice looking wiki + website, congrats!

MUD Announcements

Lithmeria development Update! A next generation MUD takes shape...