Dev in Elanthia – GemStone Changelog 2020

by | 20 Jan 2020 | GemStone Changelog, Special Reports | 0 comments

This post tracks changes in the world of GS for the year of 2020, with a focus on mechanics and fluff. Events are only mentioned if they introduce things like new scripts, and likewise storylines are only mentioned if they have a tangible effect on the game world (e.g. destruction of a building, implementation of a new hunting ground). If I miss anything major, please feel free to contact me on Discord (Leafiara#7906) or in-game! (Please note: as edited in to the beginning of last year’s changelog, announcements and teasers of upcoming additions will not be covered due to impracticality of keeping up with everything.)

 

December

Updates and Additions

  • 1st: Physical Fitness now reduces encumbrance; new Porter ascension skill released in Common tier
  • 3rd: Legendary feeder created, to be implemented on January 1st, to be used so that 1-2 auction quality items will go out in high level hunting grounds per month
  • 4th: Enchanting, ensorcelling, and loresong unlocking resource generation converted to exp based system; leftover tempering potions infused with mana from old enchanting system may be consumed up to total resource cap
  • 4th: Numerous other updates to enchanting, ensorcelling, and loresong unlocking: gear difficulty measurable by loresongs; ensorcelling power from the higher of their mana controls increased; zelnorn now enchantable and ensorcellable; adamantine difficulty modifier decreased; razern and sephwir now easier to work on; no penalties for Bless (304), Elemental Blade (411), or Minor Elemental Edge (902); most combat scripts now easier to enchant; ensorcelling now has a script penalty for all combat scripts; mana flares up to +4 easier to enchant (no change on +5); acuity flares up to 6x easier to enchant and 7x+ harder to enchant; dispel flares with more than one dispel harder to enchant; lesser surita easier to work on; greater surita harder to work on; elemental potions that remove enchanting penalty now work for ensorcelling too; minor scars no longer penalize ensorcelling, enchanting, loresong unlocking, or tattooing
  • 4th: Soft caps and hard caps on loot generation created, to be implemented on January 1st, for top 5% of earners among treasure generating characters (presumably as measured at the time of the system’s creation, though this isn’t 100% clear)
  • 5th: Aranthium released, initially in form of Mana Jewelry
  • 7th: Divine Incarnation (1650) now works for F2P paladins
  • 7th: Skill costs and caps changed for most professions: Spell Aiming and Trading cheaper for warriors; Spell Aiming cheaper for rogues and monks; Spell Aiming cheaper and up to 2x cap, Spiritual Mana Control cheaper, spells cheaper, spiritual lores more expensive, and Magic Item Use cheaper for paladins; Survival up to 3x cap and Spell Aiming cheaper and up to 2x cap for rangers; Spell Aiming cheaper and up to 2x cap, Elemental Mana Control cheaper, Mental Mana Control cheaper, and Spiritual Mana Control more expensive for bards; Spell Aiming cheaper, Physical Fitness more expensive, and Combat Maneuvers more expensive for clerics; Elemental Mana Control cheaper and up to 3x cap, Spiritual Mana Control cheaper, Mental Mana Control cheaper, Arcane Symbols more expensive, Survival up to 2x cap for wizards; Arcane Symbols cheaper, elemental lores cheaper, spiritual lores cheaper for sorcerers
  • 8th: Aranthium updated with LOOK and TOUCH verbs to respectively see how much mana and how much cooldown
  • 8th: Loresongs now show the exact difficulty number of enchanting/ensorcelling purposes
  • 8th: Various Open Sea Adventures updates: ships and crew now bound to ports as they’re sailed into; perk of jumping from the crow’s nest to the dock/pier now works at all ports; courier bird time adjusted to be less; Man O’ Wars now have a bird in each crow’s nest
  • 9th: Loresong RECALLs updated: use RECALL for just item properties with no RT or RECALL [item] LORESONG for the usual full loresong output; additionally, loresong unlocking difficulty is explicitly stated
  • 9th: Necrotic rings updated with ANALYZE information
  • 10th: Forging RT reduced, and forging and fletching Logic bonus is now applied correctly
  • 10th: Sweeping paladin spell changes live on test server: Templar’s Verdict (1603), Consecration (1604), Rejuvenation (1607), Defense of the Faithful (1608), Divine Shield (1609), Patron’s Blessing (1611), Faith’s Clarity (1612), Aid the Fallen (1613), Repentance (1615), Zealot (1617), Fervor (1618), Holy Weapon (1625), Divine Word (1640), Divine Incarnation (1650)
  • 12th: RainboWear RUB verb updated to cycle through colors in fixed order instead of randomly
  • 15th: Portmaster chartered voyages now cheaper
  • 16th: Ranger changes on test server updated to make Spike Thorn (616) better on average and animal companions faster
  • 23rd: AoE spells updated on test server so all have CAST and EVOKE options, normalized number of targets based on mana control bonus, and a priority system on what to target
  • 26th: Further test server AoE updates, standardizing targets across player friendly or unfriendly versions and allowing contribution of mana controls beyond 200 bonus
  • 29th: Ensorcell (735) updated so EVOKE does the temporary version, CAST tests the difficulty, and CHANNEL makes the attempt at a permanent ensorcell
  • 29th: Sweeping AoE changes go live
  • 29th: Sweeping combat-maneuver-to-standard-maneuver changes go live
  • 29th: Sweeping paladin changes go live
  • 29th: Sweeping ranger changes go live
  • 30th: Meteor Swarm (525) converted to SMR and only one swarm can be running at a time (full review of 525 to come later)
  • 31st: Confetti cannons released

 

Bug Fixes

 

November

Updates and Additions

  • 2nd: Plasma flare crits made nonlethal for chest rank 5 and 6, lethal for chest rank 7 and back rank 8 and 9
  • 3rd: Profession guild tasks updated; no longer penalize player for trade-ins, but work on a 15-minute timer like the Adventurer’s Guild
  • 20th: Trash barrel added to Landing TSC courtesy of the mayor’s player asking GM Kenstrom
  • 22nd: Can now ANALYZE some room items like enhanced washroom windows, washbasins, wash clothes, fountains, regular windows, and birdseed
  • 25th: Player System Manager Phase 2 underway (live on test server about a week later): converted Combat Maneuvers to SMRv2, changed racial modifiers against maneuvers, changed stance modifiers against maneuvers, SMRv2 from hiding now uses pushdown, SMRv2 now uses Force on Force, magical SMRv2 becomes easier to defend against when knowing the spell or being in the sphere, Combat Mobility now works against SMRv2, gaining defense against a skill by knowing the skill changed from flat scaling to greater benefit with higher ranks, Cunning Defense now grants phantom Dodging ranks that apply only for purposes of SMRv2 defense, racial size modifiers changed and also moved to post-roll rather than pre-roll calculations, support added for possible custom maneuver messaging, rank 1 wounds no longer penalize SMRv2 attacks, shields now provide defensive bonus against many maneuvers, setups that inflict critical damage normalized based on endroll and power level of maneuver

 

October

Updates and Additions

  • 2nd: Announcements window added to StormFront
  • 2nd: High steel now usable at level 90 and coraesine now enchantable
  • 4th: Weapon bonding double strike can now flare during mstrikes
  • 8th: Trick or Treat candy released
  • 9th: Kroderine Soul, Absorb Magic, and Dispel Magic maneuvers open up on test server
  • 10th: Auto-flarer now works with bows
  • 10th: Bags of Trrix released
  • 10th: FancyGreaves released
  • 10th: Ribbonator 2000 upgrades to make cobbling ribbons, hair ribbons, laceable ribbons, weaving ribbons, and groovy ribbons
  • 15th: Auto-flarer now accepts up to 20 CER
  • 15th: Day Games Pass released for Ebon Gate
  • 15th: Raffle tokens no longer visibly removed from containers inside Treasure Trove (later on candy and fusion tokens followed)
  • 19th: Caligos quest item updated to 5 uses per day per year of favor
  • 2nd: Increased map size in Open Sea Adventures captain’s quarters
  • 27th: SilenceDeath flag released
  • 28th: Wheel of Fortune mechanic released
  • 29th: Kroderine Soul, Absorb Magic, and Dispel Magic maneuvers released
  • 29th: Martial Mastery boost released
  • 31st: Sweeping new ranger spells, skill costs, and caps open on test server: Natural Colors (601), Resist Elements (602), Wild Entropy (603), Nature’s Bounty (604), Barkskin (605), Whispering Willow (old 605) becoming innate, Sounds (607), Camouflage (608), Sunburst (609), Tangle Weed (610), Moonbeam (611), Breeze (612), Imbue (614), Spike Thorn (616), Mass Calm (619), Nature’s Touch (625), Animal Companion (630), Assume Aspect (650), Druid and Archdruid title requirements, and more (note: Resist Nature (620) is also slated to be updated, but is more complex and will take longer to put on the test server and finish)
  • 31st: Werepuppy analyze and following mechanics updated

Note: Other updates during Ebon Gate that I remember but couldn’t find documented include the release of doomicorn toys and perfume, various changes to Trick or Treat including payouts and instanced combat, changing flipping species at ghosts to give seashells, and probably more I don’t know about!

 

September

Updates and Additions

 

Bug Fixes

 

August

Updates and Additions

 

Bug Fixes

 

July

Updates and Additions

  • 2nd: ESP overhauled; new ESP HELP, TUNE, UNTUNE, IGNORE, UNIGNORE, and WHO verbs added; OOC channels introduced; custom channel creation added; THINK updated to allow tones, verbiage, and directed thoughts; crystal amulets no longer needed; possible to think while dead; THINK LOCATION added to send location (burns a crystal amulet); CHAT verb released
  • 4th: Shimmarglin Inn now open to all races
  • 6th: HOUSE TRAVEL reward for CHE officers introduced, replacing Glaesen Star tickets
  • 7th: LTE granted from boon creatures now flat rate instead of diminishing with more field exp
  • 7th: Ta’Illistim bath house now open to all races
  • 11th: EMPTY now takes a flat 3 RT
  • 11th: GROUPMOVEMENT flag released
  • 11th: Spirit Beasts 3.0 released, including easier capturing, less inventory usage, experience for the first ten matches each day, weekly arena challenges, rewards for top three in Listed Fights, 100 unique Spirit Beasts, and more
  • 15th: Veythorne Manor now open to all
  • 19th: More spirit beast changes: listed fights now PvE only, armament leech ability buffed, experience gain based off Eastern time instead of GMT, can bank up to 9 wins at max Talondown level, lockboxes now reward marks and other prizes, bestial soulstones bring a beast to extraordinary quality, ORDER and INQUIRE WEEKLY work in the arena areas
  • 20th: Moonglae Inn now open to all
  • 20th: More spirit beast changes: new ones in the Rift, changes to various ability costs, changes to Mother Superior’s damage and Hanged Man’s self-damage, special costs now appear in BEAST INFO
  • 22nd: Targeting a missing eye now auto-targets the other eye
  • 24th: More spirit beast changes: NPC beastmaster beast usage rates changed, Listed Fights less gameable, Haste and Berserk abilities changed
  • 25th: Compartmentalized Quiver T3 updated with creature attunement and creature bane features
  • 26th: Ta’Vaalor paper system removed
  • 27th: Light Armor Mastery updated to use same Armor Use requirements as RT
  • 29th: Old Ta’Faendryl Symbol of Return spot and decay spot in Platinum changed

Bug Fixes

  • 2nd: Bug fix to prevent going over item limit on mounts
  • 3rd: Bug fix with the Weaving Lathe not working with some gems
  • 4th: Bug fix with the Ribbonator accepting wands and Solhaven fabrics
  • 9th: F2P monks who pay to have a Gift of Lumnis now correctly get weekly motes to reset
  • 13th: Magic immune creatures no longer immune to Empathic Link (1117)
  • 19th: Spirit beast fixes: blood mages no longer kill players prematurely, animal companions no longer interfere with beast commands, TURN and FLIP messaging fixed on enchridions
  • 22nd: Stacking rank 3 wounds on a crit immune creature can no longer kill it
  • 24th: Talondown Arena Leaderboard fixed

 

June

Updates and Additions

 

May

Updates and Additions

Bug Fixes

  • 19th: Bug fix with LOOT ROOM not respecting item limit
  • 20th: Mountain dryans typo corrected to mountain dryads
  • 26th: Bug fix with Symbol of Recall sometimes not working
  • 30th: Various Sanctum-related fixes: pale scaled shapers fixed so Condemn (309) always uses puncture, among other bugs of inconsistent Condemn messaging and crit types, and Core Tap (950) fixed to not bug with Soul Ward (319)

 

April

Updates and Additions

Bug Fixes

 

March

Updates and Additions

Bug Fixes

  • 24th: x/day items can no longer be placed in treasure sacks while on cooldown

 

February

Updates and Additions

Bug Fixes

 

January

Updates and Additions

Bug Fixes

Leafi

Leafi reports on current events in and around Wehnimer’s Landing, where she can often be found dashing about day and night! She also hosts public Town Hall meetings in the Landing and helps with numerous TownCrier projects behind the scenes, including entirely too many proposals that create more work for Luxie. Does this lass’s troublemaking know no end?

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