end.earth

Ridiculousness.

2010-02-18T17:27:00.000-08:00

For all of our followers who are into this twitter nonsense, miscellaneous updates can be found at @endearthgame.

I don't get it either.

-Nick

Victory!

2010-02-04T15:01:00.000-08:00

Finally finished a damage formula that works in all realistic cases. It has been a long time in the making, and this is most certainly post-worthy.

-Nick

Now! While we have the upper hand!

2010-01-06T10:41:00.001-08:00

Dimensionists were the hardests class to design a skill set that felt complete and unique.

Back when I first put together the list of skills that seemed to fit the summoner hat, there were two that I was kicking around for a while: Power Link and Armor Link. These skills would combine the Dimensionist's power and the power of another target, and then evenly divide it amongst the two. As far as the universe was concerned, it seemed fine. The problem arised when I put that into numbers.

Since Dimensionists can't attack, they have very little use for attack power. Their magic stat does control how powerful their summons are, but we'll ignore that at this point.

Let's say we have Emily, king of defense, and Martin... well not so much. They split defense, and the result is?

Emily @ 100 Defense
Martin @ 40 Defense
= 70 Defense each

This is a great buff for Martin, but Emily stops being an epic tank and starts sinking to the realm of average.

So what if the difference isn't so great?

Hannah @ 60 Defense
Martin @ 40 Defense
= 50 Defense each

+10/-10 is... hardly noticable.

Another problem with the link skills is a lack of means by which to remove them. Ultimately, the skills were too complex for too little of a debatably existent gain.

So they were scrapped.

I turned my attention back to rule 3 of end.earth skills: it must fit the playstyle of the class. Dimensionists summon minions, buff them and send them off into combat to either defend the non-expendable allies or fight the enemy. Between Infighter buffs and the ones already written for Dimensionists, there wasn't any stats left to up... except speed.

Speed is a tricky stat, though. It determines a lot of factors: attack speed, accuracy, as well as avoidability. For that reason, messing with SPD has always been on my list of things to try to avoid. But there was a way to affect only attack speed, and that was with the Quick Draw token.

I toyed with the idea of a skill that gives allies one turn of quick-draw speed. It worked beautifully, and I moved on to filling up the next missing slot.

As far as defenses go, dimensionists seemed very binary. They are inherently very killable, since they can turn a 3v3 into a 6v3 given a few turns. With proper protection, though, they may never see a single hit, making their health nearly useless. From such was born Spirit Heal, which trades some of the Dimensionist's health to heal a summoned creature. In a way, things came full-circle. The dimensionist can still trade away some of its power, but now it is to a more direct and understandable gain.

Slow down, buddy!

2010-01-05T17:12:00.000-08:00

When designing the various skills characters can use, I had three rules that I designed around.

1. The skill must be fun to use
2. The skill must be unique from all other skills
3. The skill must fit the playstyle of the class

Today I was running through the list again with rule 3 in mind. Specifically, with the Infighter class. As it stands, their primary function is to buff their allies, then themselves, and then wreck face with attacks that often induce the stun effect. This is to mimic the concept of knocking the wind out of someone.

Both Jill and Bruce have immense strength stats, and combined with their buffs they have the potential to be the most destructive physical attackers in the game. To keep this balanced, they were given a unique "stamina" counter, which drops as they deal damage. The lower their stamina, the less damage they would deal until they rest. Resting, being defined as not doing damage. While being on the offense is debatably more fun, there's something to be said for the enjoyment from clever planning and, consequently, efficiency. For this reason, I timed all buffs to last either (1-3) turns or (3-5) turns.

The 1-3 turn buffs are usually the game-changers; the ones that increase the power of an ally to the point of effectively having another ally (a power reserved by dimensionists). If one wants this effect constantly going, they are going to have to devote most of the source character's time to buffing.

The 3-5 turn buffs, however, were designed to keep battles on an even high-low-high-low tempo. The time it takes an infighter to rebuff the party is about the same time to recover their stamina.

Of course there are some who just won't stand for this buffing nonsense. I'd say they're missing out, but I won't argue with them. I gave them an ability to do nothing for a turn and recover their stamina completely.

welcome.to.2010

2010-01-01T08:13:00.001-08:00

Greetings, and Happy New Year!

endearth.net seems to have been completely inactive since October, but that does not mean the project is on hiatus. Far from it!

So many features have undergone changes that I simply did not feel like posting them on the site. Things snowballed, one after another, and starting today that will finally change.

endearth.net is no longer your primary source for all things end.earth. All content information is currently being transferred to the end.earth Wiki. This includes all the changes that I've made and not said a word about.

As things are changed on the Wiki, and under the hood, I will make announcements on this blog. As it happens, blogs are rather good at that kind of thing. These news announcements will be anywhere from daily to weekly (as is my usual schedule for tweaking and polishing the design of the game). However these posts will not contain art because, as you may have noticed, I'm not artistically inclined. There have only been a few high-quality art pieces over the last year that I'd even consider calling official art.

The first update of this nature, I will be tagging all the old posts as "old". While some of their content is still valid, it will help keep things a bit more organized.

With that, I bid farewell to 2009, and welcome in a new decade. May it be the decade of end.earth!

-Nick Paavo

lead designer, friendship and teamwork studios

september.monthly.poll

2009-09-02T22:50:00.000-07:00

July/August's results are in.

Question: How important is earning achievements to you?

I don't care about achievements: 0 (0%)

Completing small milestones is fun: 0 (0%)

I must earn every achievement! : 4 (100%)

Total Votes: 4

September's Poll has been added, and expect more updates in the coming weeks.

on.the.table: august 2009

2009-08-05T20:21:00.000-07:00

Hello readers!

A few ideas have been put on the table recently, and I thought I'd give some insight into the ones that are being considered for end.earth. Feel particularly strongly about any of the following? Voice your opinion via email to comments@endearth.net!

Combat Related:

A brand new weapon/armor system has been taken into consideration, allowing for a broader team customization. This mostly relates to weaponry, though there are some tie-ins to armor. Essentially each character would have two weapon slots- main-hand and off-hand. Certain weapons, such as a swordmaster's broadsword, would utilize both hands. However they may also wield a one-handed saber in one hand and a shield in the other, or perhaps even dual-wield swords.

Each of the options would have stat advantages and drawbacks. For example, a broadsword would give you more strength at the cost of speed, where the opposite would be true for a one-handed sword.

The problem with this system is not every class has a reasonable pool of options. Wraiths for example will always be using knives in both hands, and upon running out of knives automatically switch to katanas. To break this would mean reformatting the wraith class to have a different tempo in battle, and they already fill a specific niche unfillable by any other class.

Online Co-Op/ Tagteam / Free-for-all

In addition to the typical 3v3 battles, another idea being considered is 6v6- two players merging their parties for a larger scale battle. The idea of 3v3v3v3 has also been brought up- four players would meet with their parties of 3 and duke it out.

Since the combat system is a primary focus of end.earth Friendship and Teamwork Studios wants to give players as many ways to enjoy the system as possible for maximum replayability. However there is a significant amount of time involved in implementing such a dynamic system, codewise, and it would be wasted time if it becomes an option players would not use or enjoy.

Achievements/Progress/Stats

A statistics system would keep track of record damage, shortest battles, longest battles, most damage healed, such on. This would be a more useful tool for gamers and may not necessarily be important to the casual type.

Stay tuned for more updates on the above stated!

august.monthly.poll

2009-07-25T00:15:00.001-07:00

June's results are in.

Question: Do you listen to music while playing video games?

No, I listen to in-game music : 3 (37%)

Yes, but only if there is no in-game music : 4 (50%)

I don't listen to in-game music : 1 (13%)

Total Votes: 8

August's poll has been added early, to make up for the lack of a poll in July.

From the diary of Toshi

2009-07-24T23:31:00.000-07:00

East River bank - Sunset

Some adept came in the forest today. Instead of running once I found the dolt, he put up his fists like he was going to blast me to death with a spell or something. I feigned fear, ran away, only to later sneak up on him and knock him out for a bit. Dumped the body outside the woods. He actually thought I was afraid. Hah.

They're getting too brave. Talking with the commander tonight about organizing a raid. Knowing him, though, he'll be all "that's dishonorable" and shrug me off.

I can take him.

From the diary of Jonas

2009-06-26T01:15:00.000-07:00

Day 129, Phase 4 of Metis, Year 872

Per suggestion of my mentor, I spent the evening at the waterfall, practicing magic of fire.

The history books claim fire magic was the first taught to man by the vyrrm. It seems like a peculiar choice on their part- fire is so destructive. The vryrrm had no reason to trust mankind... why would they have trusted us with fire first? Perhaps they wanted to use our destructive nature against ourselves, purging our race from this world.

If this truly was their intention, they failed. If one follows the records, mankind became less destructive following the introduction of fire magic. Perhaps it was precautions made in self interest, but however it came to pass, we as a species persevered.

The vyrrm saw something wrong with us, though. However fickle and idealistic they may be, the vyrrm did serve as a barometer for cultural tension among man. As whispers of war turned to shouts, sightings of these magnificent creatures began to dwindle. Oh, to be alive before those harsh times. I would trade all of my worldly possessions to be taught by one of the ancient masters of magic, if only for a day.

I can only hope they return once more.

how.will.wraiths.play?

2009-06-25T03:30:00.000-07:00

Beneath the numerous sharp objects found on a wraith's person is a relatively fragile fighter. To maximize speed, their armor is lightweight and doesn't provide a lot of protection. This is probably for the better, though, since a wraith's speed will act as their armor. Faster characters have a better ability to dodge attacks.

Unlike other physical classes, wraiths don't have immense strength or particularly deadly weapons. Because of this, they perform best as a support to your offensive front, using their poisoning, stunning, and incapacitating abilities to aid their allies. They also perform well in finishing off opponents that have already suffered a huge beating from your primary offense.

The one job a wraith should never have do, however, is guard. By guarding another character, they lose their speed-based defenses and intentionally take hits for others. To contrast this, a wraith will probably never need guarding, as they don't rely on support from other classes.

music.preview: Honor Among Thieves

2009-06-23T19:28:00.000-07:00

Even the world's deadliest assassins see moments of peace. This tune is played in parts of Patrimony Forest- the home of the wraiths.

june.monthly.poll + mosaiq

2009-06-01T12:25:00.000-07:00

May's results are in.

Question: Should your main character have slightly better stats than your recruits?

Yes : 3 (50%)

No : 3 (50%)

Indifferent : 0 (0%)

Total Votes: 6

This is a question that has been tossed around development for quite some time. The debate goes on!

June's question has been added.

Also, a quick bit of news from Friendship and Teamwork Studios. A new project has started, titled "Mosaiq". It's a simple puzzle game expected to be completed by the end of summer. More information about Mosaiq can be found at The Official Mosaiq Blog.

adept.gear.part.two

2009-05-20T22:53:00.000-07:00

Adepts are quite heavily armored for magic users. Beneath their bright cotton robes are several layers of leather and padded armor designed for long and dangerous travel.

Female adept gowns can be distinguished from their male counterparts in that they go down to the ankles, whereas the men's robes extend to the knees. High ranking members in an adept community bear their tribe's unique symbol on their sleeves. Both Hannah and Samuel are from the Draco tribe, whose symbol is the dragon.

adept.gear.part.one

2009-05-14T16:00:00.000-07:00

Adept weapons are unique in the way they also serve as armor. Their heavily plated gauntlets can also augment their non-magical attacks, but not nearly as much as infighter weapons.

music.preview: Canyon Culture

2009-05-09T00:31:00.000-07:00

Like this particular song? The northeastern mountains will feel like home, then. Enjoy!

On this note (pun, my appologies), all music previews and future end.earth videos can be found on the official end.earth YouTube channel.

may.monthly.poll

2009-05-01T15:31:00.000-07:00

April's results are in.

Question: The key to victory is...

a good defense : 0 (0%)

all-out offense : 1 (4%)

clever mind games : 4 (16%)

crippling the opposition : 18 (72%)

strategic use of resources : 0 (0%)

an army of many : 2 (8%)

These results will be taken into consideration when deciding combat balance.

May's question has been added.

music.preview: What Remains is Empty

2009-04-19T21:32:00.000-07:00

A environmental musical piece composed to feel "empty, fearful and desolate". Enjoy!

what.is.lie

2009-04-14T19:15:00.001-07:00

Lie is a very strange breed of Nox. It doesn't have violent, anti-human behavior. In fact, it doesn't have any behavior at all.

Lie is the Nox dimension's equivalent of grass. It covers most of the ground and structures, and survives by feeding off the residual magical energy in the air. It doesn't work in teams with itself or other Nox, it just... exists. So why is it so interesting?

Lie flourishes on the edge of the two dimensions- it literally grows in the "stuff" separating the two lands. It's not uncommon to find Lie growing in consistently dark, damp places in the human realm. In high concentrations, Lie can open up a gateway for other Nox to travel through. This is a problem, of course, but especially since the Nox creatures normally draw on their own energy to hop between dimensions. Any Nox that uses Lie colonies to travel has spent no energy, and is many times more dangerous.

This plant is easily distinguishable from anything in the human realm, due to its telltale pale blue body covered in thorns and dead leaves. The eye-like growth in the center doesn't seem to actually be able to "see", as it always stares straight ahead, and never blinks.

how.will.dimensionists.play?

2009-04-08T18:20:00.000-07:00

A dimensionist's standout trait is their ability to spawn more allies, prioritising quantity over quality. While their summons are nowhere near as durable or powerful as a character of the 5 other classes, they are completely expendable.

This class is particularly fragile due to a lack of defensive abilities. Since their armor does not provide a lot of protection, they will be relying on their allies (summoned or otherwise) to take hits for them, while they stay in the background strategizing and augmenting their allies' abilities.

Since dimensionists do not have any means of attacking, turns not spent summoning should involve using the class's extensive repertoire of buff and effect spells. These enchantments can be used on any of your allies, so don't hold off on enhancing your personal army just because they are expendable.

A dimensionist can also be treated as a healer. If you have a few more summons out than you really need, you can sacrifice one of them and give their health to another ally. Once again, this health can be given to both humans and other summons.

april.monthly.poll

2009-04-01T20:04:00.000-07:00

March's results are in.

Question: The sun just got blocked out! What's your first worry?

Survival of plant life! : 2 (22%)

Being able to see! : 0 (0%)

I'll miss daytime! : 0 (0%)

It's going to get really cold, really fast! : 2 (22%)

I'm cool with this. Why do we need daytime? : 2 (22%)

NOX CREATURES! : 3 (33%)

Friendship and Teamwork Studios would like to take this opportunity to remind you that Nox creatures do not actually exist, however you should leave a light on at night as a safety measure.

April's question has been added.

what.is.the.sheath.charm?

2009-03-29T17:20:00.000-07:00

Every class in end.earth has a special accessory only they can use. The swordmaster's accessory is the Sheath Charm!

This accessory gives the swordmaster a 100% chance of landing a critical hit for the first turn of a battle. However, there is a draw back: the swordmaster cannot critically hit again for the rest of the battle.

what.is.the.dove.jewel?

2009-03-28T00:57:00.000-07:00

One of the many unique accessories in end.earth is the Dove Jewel. It is a powerful trinket, but choosing to use it definitely requires some forethought.

The Dove Jewel grants it's holder incredible defensive bonuses, but at a cost: If the wearer deals damage, they are immediately brought down to zero health. Risky! If one of your party members is going to be a supportive character, it's an excellent tool. Just don't forget you have it equipped!

toshi.the.wraith

2009-03-21T23:59:00.000-07:00

Life is a game to Toshi, and if you aren't playing along, you may as well be dead. Sneaky, cunning, and competitive to a fault, he is the epitome of the fear associated with the forest tribes. But despite his skill, Toshi's role within his community is that of a simple hunter. He tracks down and ambushes game animals to feed his village.

Toshi's most recognizable feature is his eye patch over his left eye, though contrary to popular belief it has nothing to do with any sort of injury. Rather, it is a small piece of his family history that he deeply treasures. You see, Toshi's ancestry dates back to when the Desert of Madmen was still a lush jungle. Back in that day, wraiths would train for many years with blindfolds over their eyes to sharpen their other senses. One of the legendary wraiths of ages past wore his blindfold years after his training was complete, and still was considered to be one of the most deadly assassins in the land.

Though the practice of blindfolding has since faded when the tribes merged in the northwestern forest, Toshi still commits himself to this level of training. This has been the cause of many heated debates between his sworn rival, Karina. The two, upon seeing each other, drop anything else they are doing and duel. Strict discipline from the village elders has done nothing to quench this rivalry. Some people just never give up, they say.

march.monthly.poll

2009-03-01T19:00:00.000-08:00

February's results are in:

Question: "What will be the single most deciding factor in choosing what characters you recruit?"

Their personality: 2 (33%)

Their synergy with my allies : 2 (33%)

Their appearance: 0 (0%)

Their gender: 0 (0%)

Their stats: 2 (33%)

Their name: 0 (0%)

Whatever side a coin lands on: 0 (0%)

Total Votes: 6

March's question has been added.