· on 7/21/2010 8:07:04 PM
Time for some more updates!
Most resources will have a chance of dropping from slain enemies, within reason. Boulders and the like probably won't, but smaller amounts of stone, metal, gems, wood and so on could drop. Rare metals could drop, but it would be a rare occurance!
Metals such as Kertig, Glaes, Damite, Lumium and Niniam will become a bit more common, but due to changes with mixing, forging will require greater quantities of them. Magic metals are also planned, and those are slated to be even rarer though required in smaller quantities.
Mining is not a crafting skill. Neither are lumberjacking, foraging, growing stuff (someday perhaps), or sigil gathering. So we cannot make correlations between what skills they use, and what skills the crafting disciplines use.
To expound on the current mixing strategy a bit here...
Right now you could take 2 volume of some rare metal, and by slowly adding 1 volume of heavier metals, make it into 100 volume of that rare metal if you wanted. In reality you have 2 volume of something, 100 volume of something else, but the mix takes the properties of what was added first - a mathematical nightmare! The system isn't very realistic or practical for game balance.
In the new system you'll only be able to alloy by about 30%. This will still allow you to make things lighter or heavier, but there are limits. Now, Kertig will be changing to a 7 density metal. Its range will be about 5.6 - 8.0. Glaes, will have properties similar to kertig, but is a 4 density metal. Its range will be 3.0 - 5.4. Steel will be 5.0 and range from 3.6 - 6.4. This gives every metal a niche in terms of density.
Damite, Lumium and Niniam offer varying shades of stats vs construction, and/or elemental protection bonuses to armor. Thankfuklly, appraising a metal will show how good it is and what it does much like stone and gems currently do.
Another change is how steel will exist in low, medium and high carbon states. High carbon will be very close to rare metal in terms of stats, but have very poor construction. Medium carbon steel will be about what we have now for capped steel. Low carbon steel will be a bit worse state-wise, but have much more durability than medium-carbon steel. Analyzing during the forging process will explain just how much carbon is present in the mix, and you'll be able to easily gauge what is needed to get where you want to go.
Also, the process of making steel will still be dust + iron, but the dust itself will have no volume or weight with which to modify the mix with. New, common metals of 1 and 2 density will be available for alloying mixes with.
Ultimately it becomes a choice. If you can only alloy by ~30%, do you alloy with a light metal to make the kertig lighter, or do you alloy it with a magic metal and make it potentially more enchantable? Do you alloy it past 30%, making it even more enchantable, but hurt its stats in the process?
While this might sound like a whole lot of numbers, the simplification comes from a base metal retaining its "properties" if alloyed below 30%.
So..
1). 10 kertig + 1 nickel still has the base stats of kertig, and is called "kertig".
2). 10 kertig + 3 nickel still has the base stats of kertig, and is called "kertig".
3). 10 kertig + 5 nickel results in an alloy that has mathematically derived stats from the ratio of ingredients. This is called "kertig-alloy".
I hope that all made sense! Its a big change, and I know everyone is really concerned about how it will pan out. Like everything, once its out we'll give it time and tweak as necessary.
"I have no data yet. It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories instead of theories to suit facts."
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes
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