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Calelena - Welcome to another great Stratics house of commons with the developers of Horizons! Tonight’s topic’s are recent changes (staff, ARoP, Lairs, Confectioner, PSB Quest, etc) and the Expansion. So please keep your questions to this topic. Please send those questions to [QT]Elm - to do so type /msg [QT]Elm My question here. Please only send questions to our QT's as those sent to myself or the developers will not make it into the lineup. The full logs will be posted on http://hz.stratics.com after the chat. We'll begin with a quick intro from our guests...now would be a good time to send in those questions!

DavidBowman - Hello everyone. I'm David Bowman and I'm the CEO of Tulga Games and Creative Director for Horizons. Thanks for coming!

Jasagron - Hell all, I'm Jason Eubank one of the Client Programmers for Horizons.

Fridlekh - Hello, I'm Timothy Wells, Intern and Map-Maker who is also responsible for the missing assets you [don't] see in the game. :P

Jasagron - that was a Hello*

DavidBowman - Hell all? Wow... you tell em Jasagron

AmonGwareth - Hello, I'm Jason Murdick and I'm the Design Lead for Horizons.

Smeglor - Hi, I'm Adrian "Smeglor" LaVallee - Simulation programmer, database programmer, technical designer, and client dabbler.

Illyist - Good Day, eh, and welcome! I'm the Blight shard WA and head up testing here on Horizons.

Ophelea - Hello, I'm Kelly Heckman, Online Community Manager

Calelena - *Foxtrick* Hi to the staff, I'm a recent new player to the game and was wondering if you had any - even very rough, time scale for release of the expansion?

AmonGwareth - At this time we do not have a time-frame for release of the expansion. We're sticking with the goal of "when it is complete".

Calelena - *Arcat* - Expansion: Will the expansion be available for Europe? If yes, will it be free of charge for existing EU customers?

DavidBowman - The Horizons: The Settlements expansion will be available to all existing customers. It will be part of the regular updates to existing customers, but Horizons will no longer be free to download from that point.

Calelena - *Arcat* - Expansion / Furniture: Will furniture offer any kind of influence to any game mechanics? e.g. buffs, access to quests or storage.

Smeglor - Yes, there will be functional furniture. In addition to storage, you will be able to build and place machines, rather than machines being pre-placed as part of a structure. We are also exploring other types of functionality with furniture as well. And of course, some furniture will be just for decoration.

Calelena - *Varangaard* Mandatory question - is there any ETA for dragon hoard rooms?

DavidBowman - Dragon Hoard Chambers will be added in the future. They are a very specific new type of information message that is not currently sent. We've prioritized other things in front of this, but will be adding it later. No ETAs.

Calelena - Welcome to tonight's Horizons House of Commons chat! Tonight’s topic’s are recent changes (staff, ARoP, Lairs, Confectioner, PSB Quest, etc) and the Expansion. So please keep your questions to this topic. Send all your questions to [QT]Elm

Calelena - *Varangaard* The upcoming expansion will have mounts and familiars. Will there also be summoning spells for conjurers using this client/server technology?

AmonGwareth - Some types of Familiars and guardians will be summoned, though I cannot describe the exact method of how it will work or who will be able to do it at this time. Conjurers are definitely one of the strong possibilities, though not the only one since familiars will be accessible by others.

Calelena - *Arcat* - PSB Quests: Will Peter provide stories in the future that influence the overall world storyline or will his work stick to 'substories'?

AmonGwareth - Peter and all of us here at Tulga have gone through an extensive learning process, getting to know one another and learning to work together. In addition, peter had an extensive learning curve to get over with regards to online gaming and our technology. He is currently at work on another quest that will complement the current Wedding quest. At this time I do not know if it will involve the wider lore of Istaria or not, but it wi At this time I do not know if it will involve the wider lore of Istaria or not, but it is not something we would be against. sorry about that

Calelena - *Dael* It's been said that player will be able to "grow" resourses. What will be the limits to that? Just herbs and veggies or will trees be on the list too??

Smeglor - There will be limitations to what you can grow on your plot, but that does not exclude trees. You may find, however, that *how* you grow things will be the greater limitation.

Calelena - *Foxtrick* How are the new staff fitting in, are they working as a seperate department to TG or is it very much communal?

DavidBowman - We've only been hiring for Horizons at the moment. The technology team is separate within the building to keep them focused on platform development, but the Horizons team is all centered in the same location. We have 3 new employees starting next month, and we'll be introducing them as they come aboard. I think they'll be a powerful extension of our existing team.

Calelena - *Xarog* Will mounts offer carrying capacity? If so, how will this compare with cargo discs?

Smeglor - Companion animals will most certainly be willing to carry things for you. The pros and cons of such a beast of burden versus cargo disks have not been finalized. Also, while Istarian scientists are working on riding saddle technology, they are unsure when they will make a breakthrough.

Calelena - *Dael* I heard about the new additions to the Tulga team. Are these new members primarily for Horizons or will they be used for other projects (Dark World Online)??

DavidBowman - As I briefly mentioned above, all new hires at this time are to apply themselves to Horizons and all things Horizons. Other projects have their own assigned members and we will not increase staffing until it is needed. We've learned many lessons from making Horizons, not hiring too early is one of them.

Calelena - *Varangaard* Dryad and Dwarf housing - can you tell something about them? For example how will dwarf dwellings differ from dragon lairs, and will dryad trees have any unique features?

AmonGwareth - Dryad housing will be constructed up from your plot and be modular, like lairs. The really neat part, and one thing we're excited about, is that they will be viewable by everyone so you will see the modules as they are attached (and constructed) from a good distance. You'll see the tree grow as more modules are added. Dwarven Tunnels, on the other hand, will be constructed below ground much like lairs are now. However, players will be able to choose where to place the entrance on their plot unlike with Dragon lairs. Other features are still in development and so it is too early to say more about them.

Calelena - *LO* It's been mentioned that lairs will be the first structures that will be able to use the furniture technology. What kind of furniture do you see lairs having?

Jasagron - Dragon lair furniture will mostly be aesthetic items such as crystals and columns of stone, there will also be functional objects such as machines. However useable furniture for dragons will be quite large (how big of a bed does an ancient need :P) so I would say it will be mostly eye candy.

Calelena - *Varangaard* I feel quite excited about the upcoming confectioner revamp and can't wait to get to play with it. Have you decided on next 'target' for renovation yet?

AmonGwareth - Post-Confectioner we're planning on continuing our revamp of the early stages of the game, but the big thing we're looking forward to really sinking our teeth into is a complete overhaul of the loot system within Horizons. We don't feel that the current loot system really meets the players (or our own) expectations for the rewards for effort and so we'd like to change that and make loot within horizons something that people find We don't feel that the current loot system really meets the players (or our own) expectations for the rewards for effort and so we'd like to change that and make loot within horizons something that people find useful and enjoyable, something to look forward to.

Calelena - *Aramat* Will buildings be more freeform? Or will we still have to struggle with pre-defined lots?

Smeglor - With the new furniture system, buildings will be considerably more freeform. Instead of selecting a building for its contents (such as machines/NPCs), your choice will be for appearance and space. You will then fill that space with the furniture, functional or otherwise, of your choice. You will still be limited to construction within your plot. "Claim jumping" isn't fun.

Calelena - *Foxtrick* Between here and the expansion : The Settlements, are they any big updates planned, if so can you shed any light on what they are?

DavidBowman - He's typing... it's coming

Jasagron - Currently there are many updates underway for client improvements, both visual quality and performance increases. We currently have a Blight client that has improved terrain loading and view distance with about the same performance as the previous client. We are also working on more changes to support effecient loading of housing furniture and the like.

Calelena - *LO* Are there plans to continue the type of contests Baela was holding, and, if so, when would you anticipate them resuming?

Ophelea - Yes. At the moment I'm working with getting my bearings around the office and completing the last of the community website. Then I'll complete the projects Baela had oustanding and start some new ones!

Calelena - *Dael* What about "mob" placement? I've heard that more mobs will be moving into the lands to fill "gaps" and add a greater variety.

AmonGwareth - Part of the revamp we've been doing on NEw Trismus (and previously on Lesser Aradoth) involved making sure that the world felt more populated, that there is often something to look for (to explore) over that next hill. We will be continuing this work forward and we will continue to address areas of the world that need help, that need flavor and a purpose, as we go. Both numbers of monsters and variety are part of what we are int Both numbers of monsters and variety are part of what we are introducing with these revamps.

Calelena - *Arcat* - General: You introduced the PvP Area. Have you got any statistics how many players use it?

Smeglor - My little PvP arena pet project was something I did on my own time, so I wasn't really able to take it to that level. I know from my in-game contacts that it does see use, and was encouraged to see a tournament being organized through the forums on Unity. I'd love to see more of that.

Calelena - *Kipeo* It's been said that among the plans to improve the client and ultimately increase view distance by 2-3 times for good PC's. How exactly are you going about that?

Jasagron - The view distance increase comes from a change in the way visible objects are being loaded. We are working on a method which will allow us to display larger objects sooner than smaller ones, allowing the importantly visible objects at the end of the view distance to be loaded when they would become visible. This method also reduces the work done by preventing the smaller objects to be displayed only when close enough to be seen, then unload as necessary. As well we are reviewing and improving a number of the assets used in Horizons to be more in line with optimal polygon usage and retain their visual appeal.

Calelena - *Dael* Will elves get there own buildings too? And if so, any hints to there appearance.

AmonGwareth - Currently only Dwarven and Dryad structures are planned as part of the Expansion. However, it is entirely possible that at a later date Elves will re-discover how to build structures in their own Elven style.

Calelena - *Cerjar* Is it be planned that you can combine the dryadtrees (if the plots are near enough) with e.g. a bridge anytime in the future?

Smeglor - The rule that your structures cannot exist outside the boundaries of your plot will remain. However, they may be pieces that are open at the end (something not possible underground), so if your neighbor's plot is very close, you could set it up that you could jump from one to the other.

Calelena - *Eonis* If Bipeds are allowed to ride dragons, how much input will the dragon get over who gets to ride them, and how would having a rider affect their flight?

DavidBowman - We haven't committed to allowing Bipeds to ride dragons. However, it is definitely a goal of ours for the future. But, it would always be up to the dragon to invite a rider, and to choose when to drop that rider (unless they bailed out). And, we'd probably have to add falling damage at that time too. ;-)

Calelena - *Varangaard* With the freeform furniture placement to houses you described, will we have an ability to name houses, or do people need to lok inside to knwo what type of machines are housed within?

Smeglor - Yes, by the time the new furniture system is in place, you will be able to assign a custom name to your structures. It's even possible that feature will be available prior to the expansion's release.

Calelena - *StarnaPixie* Dryad/Dwarf Plots: Are these going to be new plots we need to buy, or will our current plots be convertable?

AmonGwareth - We will be adding new communities in the expansion that will be race-restricted, meaning they will only allow buildings of a certain type. And if our technology allows it, then we may allow construction of Dryad and Dwarven housing on older plots as well.

Calelena - *Jayne* There has been discussion to remove DP's in the arena, so that it truly doesnt effect the person's in game (Istaria) play per say, is there any chance of this?

Smeglor - To clarify, the rule about the arena is that it not affect anyone who doesn't want to participate. Those who choose to go there and partake are not so protected. Anyway, as I said in the forum thread requesting the feature, I have no intention of changing that at this time. There's a reason the Challenge Tavern is right next to the Isles of Battle teleport pad...

Calelena - *Aramat* With buildings being made more free-form, how will that affect specialized housing now in existence?

Illyist - Buildings being more free form will be new buildings. Like the last time we added to the buildable structure list we left the old buildings in with their functionality as it was, and added new ones to support the newer features. We'll do the same so that existing structures remain what they were when you chose to build them, and new ones will be available with the new feature.

Calelena - That will wrap it up for tonight. I'd like to thank the developers for coming! The log for tonight's chat will be up shortly on http://hz.stratics.com Thank you all for joining us! You can join #Horizons to chat more about the game.

DavidBowman - Thank you all for your interest in Horizons. Thanks to you we have grown over 7% this month alone and we know that this will lead to a better game for everyone. Thanks for coming.