*****Part II of the AC Secrets Trilogy***
<@Modahater> Ok folks, welcome to the latest Tusker Developer's Chat
<@Modahater> I got extra power this evening: I can cut you off at any time; I can cut you off before you've typed it, so don't even think it. Remember only one question each.
<@Modahater> I'd like to thank Tuskine and NanoTough for giving us chimps an opportunity to do this tonight.
<@Modahater> Without further delay, I'd like to introduce Aleister the Virindi of Tuskine to help kick things off.
<+ Aleister the Virindi > Thanks Modahater. Welcome to the May Tuskers' dev chat. With me tonight are Sean Tusker, Jesse "DevilTusker" Curlhischeek, Ken "Male Tusker" Poop and Tony "Wan" Kerr.
<@Modahater> OK, let's go. First up is Njalfr'jaqz the Demigod.
<@ Njalfr'jaqz the Demigod> Why is the loot on hooms so crap? Every time I loot them I just get half a dozen war mastery robes and a ton of portal gems. I mean WTF? Why can't they just drop more food?
<+Sean Tusker> There is a bug in the hoom loot generator. We are working on it, but it is proving quite hard to isolate. And you got to remember that only the higher level hooms are ever going to drop decent food. Done.
<@Modahater> Heh, I got some pies of a hoom last week that were so good I ate em before I ate the hoom. Next up is Plug.
<@Plug> Are there any plans to give Tuskers the ability to use magic, so they can compete with the Virindi? Since reaching level 128 I've spent most of my time in BSD, but it really pisses me off constantly having my kills drained and skimmed by Virindi. Most of the hooms in BSD are running around with half health.
<+Aleister the Virindi> You had the chance to pick your race at character creation. Tuskers already have extremely sharp claws, and we're not about to unbalance things by giving them magic abilities. If you don't like it, you can always reroll as a Virindi
Done.<@Gripper> When are you going to do something about the hoom lag? It's getting ridiculous. Last week I saw a level 18 male tusker kill a level 80 hoom that was stuck in lag. Lower level players can make a vast amount of experience by taking advantage of this bug.
<+Wan> Yes, we're aware of the hoom lag bug. It's a toughie - please bear with us. And remember: it is an infringement of COC for players to gather in large numbers to cause the hooms to lag.
<@Rex> Are there any plans to introduce any new monsters? Don't get me wrong, I enjoy killing hooms, but sometimes I think it would be nice to kill something else.
<+Aleister the Virindi> We decided during game development to provide lots of different playable races, but only one monster. Looking back, I really don't think we could have done it any other way. Right now, it would be difficult to change the coding to allow for other monsters. It just isn't a priority.
<@Kufmud> First, I’d like to say a big HELLO to Borf, Thug, Tro-
<@Modahater> You gotta love this new chat control system. NEXT!
<@Irresolu> Is it my go now?
<@Modahater> You just went. NEXT!
<@Charlotte> Are there any plans to improve the Grooming skills? My Tusker took both Combing and Toothpick, but many other players – especially Virindi – say I’m completely gimped. OK, it's nice to be able to get the little bits of hoom out of my fur and teeth, but I think there should be more to it.
<+DevilTusker> Expect some exciting changes to Grooming skills, especially Toothpick, real soon. From next month it will be possible to use your Toothpick as a weapon. You'll have a small thin pointy weapon that does awesome piercing/slashing damage. I know it sounds crazy, but wait till you see it. There's going to be a lot of people wishing they specced toothpick. Done.
<@Openpaws> Are there any plans to allow Tuskers to moult in the summer? With all this fur, it gets hot, and I get real sweaty.
<+Male Tusker> I really think you need to get out more ...OTOH, maybe we should make you drop your tusker coat on death? Done.
<@Dork> Any chance we'll see hooms above level 126? Most of them are under level 50, and for me - at level 178 - the experience sucks.
<+DevilTusker> When the game was designed, we never expected players to reach level 100, let alone level 178 and above, so we didn't see any need to allow hooms to exceed level 126. There are technical reasons that make it difficult to do it. We are, however, taking steps to try to increase the average level of hooms in the game. Done.
<@King> Will we ever see tree-housing?
<+Sean Tusker> We would like to do tree-housing, but don't expect to see it anytime soon. Done
<@Extas Lugian> Wy carnt we hav an unlimmitted suplie of roks?
<@Modahater> HEY this is T-U-S-K-E-R Dev Chat. Go away. Next.
<@Sparky> Why is the hoom AI so erratic? Like, some hooms employ sophisticated tactics and are hard to beat, while others are complete plonkers and just stand still while you beat the crap out of them.
<+Sean Tusker> We're very pleased with the hoom AI. We deliberately set out to create a monster that exhibited a wide variety of different behaviour. At one end of the spectrum we created some hooms with AI comparable to that of real players. At the other end, some of them behave like total morons. We think this adds to the realism of the gaming experience. Done
<@Winja> When can we expect to see some Tusker love? I've been playing the game since beta, and when the game started Tuskers were one of the strongest races around. Now we're always falling back relative to the other races. I'm level 128, but I find it difficult to kill any hoom over about level 50. On the other hand, I've seen Skeleton Bone Lords of level 85 trashing hooms in their 70s.
<+Aleister the Virindi> Some of the other races started off much weaker than Tuskers and the changes have simply balanced things up in favour of these other races. You’ll like the improvements to Toothpick, but don’t expect much more. Done.
<@Lassie> When are you going to stop the constant harassment from the Virindi? Whenever I hunt in the Dires there’s always a couple of leet dewds playing Virindi who show up and either start taking my kills, or drag the hooms over on to me when I’m not ready.
<+Aleister the Virindi> Sigh … it’s not our job to police this problem. If you don’t like it just move on somewhere else. And don’t forget that Dereth is a huge place: you don’t have to hunt in the BSD or the Dires. Boy I can’t even remember the last time I saw Tuskers hunting in Holtburg. Done.
<@Ulaing> Wen wil we see the weppon skils fixxed? UA is too strong. Theres no way som Tusker uzing his clawz shud kil faster than a mity Lugian with an ax.
<+Male Tusker> *Sniffs the air* I think we got ourselves a troll here... possibly even a Lugian in Tusker's clothing. Done.
<@Princess> When are you going to fix the bug that prevents several hooms from mobbing you at once. It’s real unexciting when one hoom attacks you while the others just stand by watching.
<+Male Tusker> Programming out the so called “courtesy bug†has been one of our biggest challenges. We think have fixed the problem in the citadels and the BSD, but Olthoi players have reported that in the OHN the bug is still quite common. We’re working on it, but we can’t guarantee you won’t still see some unexpected anomies. [Osito: oops – sic]
<@Mophead> Have you got any plans to fix the direction control? I'm getting fed up with spending all my time running blindly into walls.
<+Wan> This is another toughie. Until we crack it the work around is to stand still and let the hooms come to you. You’d be surprised how effective this tactic can be. Done.
<@Siouxsie> Is there any chance of seeing a chat system introduced so you can talk to other players in game? After all, there's an entire AI system allowing the hooms to talk to each other. BTW, the AI controlling their incessant chat is awesome - last week I watched a dozen lines of chat between two hooms that actually made complete sense.
<+Aleister the Virindi> There’s been a lot of demand for this. Expect to see a fully fledged chat system for players within the next few months. Done.
<Stirra> Is it true that the Virindi are the best player race?
<+Aleister the Virindi> I can honestly say that is not true *looks away and blinks rapidly*
<#Virindi Executioner> HEY NOOBS -
<+Male Tusker> how did he get in here-
<#Virindi Executioner> THE VIRINDI WIL REWL U
<#Virindi Executioner> ALL YOUR DEV CHAT ARE BELONG TO US-
<@Modahater> Don’t worry, I’ll soon shut him up -
<#Virindi Executioner> U WIL NEVER SHUT ME UP I O\/\/|\|Z U GIM-
<@Modahater> Got him.
<+DevilTusker> I heard they permabanned his butt over at the Virindi Executive Lounge
<@Modahater> OK people, the excitement's over; next up is Doppleganger
<@Doppleganger> Is there any truth in the rumour that some of the hooms are played by employees of Tuskine or NanoTough?
<+Aleister the Virindi> Heh, I wish we could do that, but we just don't have the resources.
<@Modahater> ROFL, someone once said that maybe the hooms are the real players and we're the monsters.
<+DevilTusker> LOL, how would we ever get a real player to spend 24/7 beating the crap out of you guys in BSD? We could never afford to pay them enough!
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[All characters are fictional. In so far as there appears to be any criticism of Turbine staff, this is entirely intended in fun. Personally, I think you guys are doing a great job. Also, I think you moderators are doing a great job too. Please don't ban me from anything.]
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"Come on baby light my fur"