ALTER guidelines updated May 2017
Posted4 May 2017
Last Updated On20 September 2018
ByNewsby
GM Kaikala posted that alteration guidelines have been updated. She specifically points out ALTER 10, 13, and 17 for special note.
http://bit.ly/2qw7nET
Category: Game Design Discussions
Topic: Items and Inventory
Date: 05/04/2017 01:26 AM CDT
From: GS4-KAIKALA
Subj: ALTER Updates
Hey all,
We have made quite a few updates to some of the content of ALTER, enough so that a post is warranted to give ya’ll a head’s up about it.
While most of the updates are fairly minor, a handful are a bit more impactful and/or more clearly lay out some of the guidelines that the GMs are following while performing alterations on your items. This particular set of updates was done to ALTER 5 through ALTER 22 (though not every single category in that range got an update!). Of special note are part of ALTER 10, part of ALTER 13, and ALTER 17. Hopefully those will help a little with easing frustrations regarding why some merchants will work on some items and reject others.
You can type ALTER in-game to see these changes.
~Kaikala
From nearby, you hear Ordim yell, “Dont eat meeeeee!”
Date: 05/04/2017 02:34 AM CDT
From: ARCHSENEX
Subj: Re: ALTER Updates
Noooo! I was going to hand out Shaalk-lined hotpants for Thrakmas!
Date: 05/04/2017 09:57 AM CDT
From: ARCHIGEEK
Subj: Re: ALTER Updates
That’s a lot of guidelines. Holy buckets.
Kerl
Date: 05/04/2017 11:38 AM CDT
From: SHAD0WS0NGS
Subj: Re: ALTER Updates
From ALTER 13
“Some materials, such as black alloy and white ora, are considered “reserved” materials in that current releases of them are associated with specific underlying properties or lore. However, not all items already existing in-game with these materials reflect those properties. As such, aesthetic alterations on items that already exist as these reserved materials are perfectly acceptable. For example, both a black alloy weapon that isn’t aesthetically “evil” in description or a coraesine item that does not have a sentient-type script can be altered — though they cannot be altered to indicate they have properties that don’t actually exist on the item. Note that some materials have specific alteration restrictions (such as no dyeing white ora) that must still be followed.”
To clarify, does this mean non-weapon items made from coraesine and do not have a sentient-type script can be altered, or only weapons, still?
Date: 05/04/2017 12:35 PM CDT
From: KRAKII
Subj: Re: ALTER Updates
Also, I recently ran across a bunch of different things that ‘inspect’ as… other.
(Like a Tier2 Iasha weapon that I thought I had–and I actually do!–but it inspects as rolaren of all things.)
Mostly it was <something> that inspected as white ora; I ran across a BUNCH of those. They’re all in Ardwen’s Museum, now, though. 🙂
Date: 05/04/2017 01:23 PM CDT
From: GS4-KAIKALA
Subj: Re: ALTER Updates
>>That’s a lot of guidelines. Holy buckets.
Yes. Yes, it is. That’s why we write ’em down 😉 (And why having them in ALTER is helpful — so that ya’ll can plan out things ahead of time instead of finding out you can’t do something while you’re right in the middle of explaining your idea to a merchant.)
>>To clarify, does this mean non-weapon items made from coraesine and do not have a sentient-type script can be altered, or only weapons, still?
Yes. We won’t alter something non-coraesine into a coraesine item. But if you have an existing coraesine item, like a coraesine armband that doesn’t have any combat utility/special scripting, you can have it altered and not lose your coraesine. You just can’t imply via the alteration that that item is sentient in nature. If you decide to do a happy dance about this, please let me know when so that I can send you a bouquet of bolts as you finish up. <3
~Kaikala
From nearby, you hear Ordim yell, “Dont eat meeeeee!”
Date: 05/04/2017 02:39 PM CDT
From: KITHUS
Subj: Re: ALTER Updates
| Mythical huntable in-game creatures that are NOT generally skinnable (such as krolvin, gremlocks, etc.): if you are able to supply the body part, you may alter and/or add these into alterations. |
Umm I’m gonna need you to make some sort of krolvin skinnable. You’ve completely ruined my ability to add to my full krolvin hide wardrobe. Coincidentally Issalya is in love with this change.
| Keith is correct |
|
| -Wyrom, APM |
| Keith is correct. |
|
| -GameMaster Estild |
Date: 05/04/2017 02:41 PM CDT
From: COLEMANJ
Subj: Re: ALTER Updates
Yeah, Issalya is weird. “full krolvin hide wardrobe” She likes to see him in the nude.
Date: 05/04/2017 04:27 PM CDT
From: GS4-KAIKALA
Subj: Re: ALTER Updates
I’m pretty sure that that isn’t what qualifies Issalya as weird =p
~Kaikala
From nearby, you hear Ordim yell, “Dont eat meeeeee!”
Date: 05/04/2017 04:30 PM CDT
From: AGONY42
Subj: Re: ALTER Updates
?_?
~Issalya
You see High Inquisitor Brinret Ithillote the Executor of Vengeance.
She appears to be of elven descent.
He is very tall and appears to be full grown.
You whisper aloud, “I’m so confused right now.”
Date: 05/04/2017 06:20 PM CDT
From: GS4-KAIKALA
Subj: Re: ALTER Updates
Awww, you know I meant that in the most loving of ways — it
is Issalya, after all. You’re exactly the right brand of what makes everything sugar and spice (and everything nice). !!!
~Kaikala
From nearby, you hear Ordim yell, “Dont eat meeeeee!”
Date: 05/04/2017 07:49 PM CDT
From: OM1E5GA
Subj: Re: ALTER Updates
<Umm I’m gonna need you to make some sort of krolvin skinnable. You’ve completely ruined my ability to add to my full krolvin hide wardrobe. Coincidentally Issalya is in love with this change.>
There’s a critter that will scalp dead players and will have the scalp on them if later killed and searched (the scalp can be sold at the pawn). I’ve been trying to remember what it is for the last year so I can get an alteration I want (that isn’t a new guideline and I will have my elf-skin hat). If you can find what it is, get a player krol to die there for your purposes and tell me what it is so I can start sniping any elves hunting there…. erm, wait, I mean bribe them with exorbitant sums to die willingly… yea, that’s it….
Starchitin
A severed gnomish hand crawls in on its fingertips and makes a rude gesture before quickly decaying and rotting into dust. A gust of wind quickly scatters the dust.
Date: 05/05/2017 12:29 AM CDT
From: SHAELETHE
Subj: Re: ALTER Updates
How does that work with the “No playable race (eg. elf, human, etc. — races that come out of the Character Manager) parts are allowed to be incorporated into any alteration” bit?
Date: 05/05/2017 01:53 AM CDT
From: OM1E5GA
Subj: Re: ALTER Updates
No clue, I’ve got better things to do then comb through all that mess. I just know when I asked for one from a merchant I was told I couldn’t have it cause I couldn’t provide the skin. When my warrior and another were later scalped, and were able to retrieve the scalps I saw my chance to get it…. until a storyline interfered and I forgot what scalped me.
Even if a merchant won’t make a hat for me I get them, I figure I can always get a warrior to make me a sheath.
Starchitin
A severed gnomish hand crawls in on its fingertips and makes a rude gesture before quickly decaying and rotting into dust. A gust of wind quickly scatters the dust.
Date: 05/05/2017 08:23 AM CDT
From: COLEMANJ
Subj: Re: ALTER Updates
>>There’s a critter that will scalp dead players and will have the scalp on them if later killed and searched (the scalp can be sold at the pawn).
Krolvin warriors. 😛
Date: 06/01/2017 11:00 AM CDT
From: GS4-KAIKALA
Subj: Re: ALTER Updates
Hey all,
Couple more updates — most of them to clarify some of the questions or issues that were brought up as a result of May’s bigger update (and are thus fairly minor), and one is what I’d say is a huge change for us. Brief outline of them below, since this list is waaaay more manageable than the previous one (other super minor stuff — wording/typos/etc. — not included).
–Alter 9 — RL flora/plants
–Alter 10 — playable race body parts are allowed in alterations now — see the “Playable race” paragraph for info and some other clarifications below that paragraph. Please be mindful that if you’re wearing body parts from another race, you will undoubtedly offend some characters (i.e. be sure to wisely choose your RP!)
–Alter 16 — updated “ASG 1” to read as “AG 1 (ASG 2)” to prevent confusion (hopefully)
–Alter 13 — “Some materials, such as” paragraph clarifies that this also applies to existing non-combat items.
–Alter 17 — #1 — items built as pinworn are exempt; #1 — old-style katanas are an exception (i.e. they may keep ‘katana’ and alter poor normal); #2 — the 2nd paragraph is new (i.e. merchants are not auto converters!) The exception is, of course, ICE terms (see ALTER 9).
As always, you can type ALTER in-game to see these changes.
~Kaikala
From nearby, you hear Ordim yell, “Dont eat meeeeee!”
The shaggy mutt sniffs at a vine-painted mistwood keg, then grabs it in its teeth and greedily wolfs it down before anyone can grab it!
Date: 06/01/2017 11:06 AM CDT
From: ARCHSENEX
Subj: Re: ALTER Updates
The big one is the plants, isn’t it?
Date: 06/01/2017 11:19 AM CDT
From: GS4-KAIKALA
Subj: Re: ALTER Updates
>>The big one is the plants, isn’t it?
Definitely. It’s the one we’ve all been waiting for.
~Kaikala, whose dream of having a green thumb has finally come true… albeit only digitally
From nearby, you hear Ordim yell, “Dont eat meeeeee!”
The shaggy mutt sniffs at a vine-painted mistwood keg, then grabs it in its teeth and greedily wolfs it down before anyone can grab it!
Date: 06/01/2017 11:26 AM CDT
From: OM1E5GA
Subj: Re: ALTER Updates
Aha! Finally removed any sort of ambiguity about playable race skins…. time to stalk krolvin go get those elf scalps! Maybe if I get three or four this gnome can have a kilt made out of them instead of my original idea….
Starchitin
A severed gnomish hand crawls in on its fingertips and makes a rude gesture before quickly decaying and rotting into dust. A gust of wind quickly scatters the dust.
Date: 06/01/2017 11:52 AM CDT
From: LADYFLEUR
Subj: Re: ALTER Updates
Thank you very much for these clarifications! <3
Date: 06/01/2017 12:14 PM CDT
From: NAAMIT
Subj: Re: ALTER Updates
> ALTER 10: Including general body parts pilfered from the dead in alterations (“a belt of linked skulls”, “a knuckle bone talisman”) is perfectly acceptable and will not, outside of specific exceptions and/or merchant RP, require you to supply anything.
Slight aside – Has this 2nd to last line in ALTER 10 been there for quite some time? I recently asked to have a bird’s skull added as a topper on a staff but was told it wasn’t feasible (I even had dead bird props).
Date: 06/01/2017 12:59 PM CDT
From: SIMU-WYROM
Subj: Re: ALTER Updates
That’s not new. Did they say anything else about it? Maybe they thought the bird skull was too small or something?
Wyrom, PM
Date: 06/02/2017 03:26 AM CDT
From: GS4-KAIKALA
Subj: Re: ALTER Updates
>>NAAMIT’s query
It actually is new to this round in terms of being spelled out in ALTER (just not new overall). Hopefully it’ll help with situations like what you described.
~Kaikala
From nearby, you hear Ordim yell, “Dont eat meeeeee!”
The shaggy mutt sniffs at a vine-painted mistwood keg, then grabs it in its teeth and greedily wolfs it down before anyone can grab it!
Date: 06/02/2017 08:09 AM CDT
From: NAAMIT
Subj: Re: ALTER Updates
> It actually is new to this round in terms of being spelled out in ALTER (just not new overall). Hopefully it’ll help with situations like what you described. ~Kaikala
Thank you very much!
