Voice acting, 0.9.12m features and PvP update

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Serika wrote:

Sounds good to me.

Don't like the slow scrolling text though, usually don't have the patience to just stay a while and listen.

Can we have the voice acting continue when we leave the npc until we either talk to another npc or it has finished anyway?

So I can listen to them while I'm rummaging through my chest and inventory for example. (Also, make it disable in the options menu for some people won't like that.)

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pod11 wrote:

Chris since you are already testing pvp, could you give us insight about how it works?

(1) are there any rewards?

(2) Is matchmaking automated or you just challange someone specific?

(3) Can you have your team arranged automatically or have to premade?

(4) Is there any rating system for individual players/ teams?

(5) Is there 1v1 arena?

(6) How are bodies for summoners provided?

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rabidwolf9 wrote:

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pod11 wrote:

Chris since you are already testing pvp, could you give us insight about how it works?

(1) are there any rewards?

(2) Is matchmaking automated or you just challange someone specific?

(3) Can you have your team arranged automatically or have to premade?

(4) Is there any rating system for individual players/ teams?

(5) Is there 1v1 arena?

(6) How are bodies for summoners provided?

Through my years of keeping up with PoE dev posts and interviews I think I can answer some of your questions. Please correct me if I fudge anything or if design goals have changed. Keep in mind that all features may not be available initially on the launch of PvP.

(1) It has been stated that the devs would like pvp rewards. The conditions and actual rewards are still a mystery. One would assume rewards would only be for tournaments and certain accomplishments like defeat x amount of y rank opponents via match-making service. I have some suggestions and comments about the actual rewards I'd like to see later on in this post!

(2) Both match-making and custom duels. GGG as players understand the importance of having a competitive mode as well as desire to battle your friends.

(3) Most likely both options will be available.

(4) We don't know yet. Hopefully everything that uses match-making will count towards your rank. I imagine that any arranged (non match-making) duels will be exploitable thus won't count towards your rank.

(5) Yes to 1v1. Why on earth would you not allow this?

(6) A limited amount of corpses on the ground that refresh between rounds is the plan. I asked one of the devs while they were online answering questions when 0.9.12 was just being deployed. Note 'planned' and not set in stone. I can't think of a better way to handle it though.

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Now I've got some suggestions of my own! I'm sure most of these have been suggestion or considered previously.

*Pink slip dueling: Winner takes ownership of losers character

*Spectator mode: Watch other players duke it out. This would especially be awesome for tournaments. Of course there will need to be a delayed feed to prevent exploits.

*Cutthroat Duel: Items drop on death for non-cutthroat leagues.

*Lootable corpse: The winner gets to pick off a single item from the loser

*Betting: Place bets on your preferred duelist (had to use that one) before the duel begins.

*Battle Royale: Through a huge amount of players into an arena at once. The one that survives is declared the winner

*Indirect Pvp modes: You're competing against other players, but not actually fighting them (or at least not right off the bat) Instead, you would be performing a certain task like killing as many monsters in x amount of time and comparing that to what your opponent's party has killed.

*Friendly Fire map mod: Not really related to the arena, but it could be a fun alternative. It could sport the prefix "Griever's"

*Pvp only league: You level up though pvp, you gain items from pvp. All character progress is restricted to pvp.

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Also some pvp rewards I'd like to see

*Cosmetics (Special effects): Could be an aura like effect on the player or something. Hands that are dripping with blood. Bloody armor decals.

*Cosmetics (Items): Possibly a flag standard.. of heroes. A head on a pike. Human-hide armor. Necklace of skulls. Special cloaks, capes, or elegant armors. Tournament winners could get a crown.

When not in battle, perhaps your character could put his great sword of slaying away, and carry around the heads or bleeding hearts of his victims.

*Cosmetics (Taunts): Could be low tier cash shop taunts, or special pvp reward only taunts. Disembowelment and general corpse mutilation is always fun.

*Title: Self-explanatory. Will let the global chat know that you are proficient in kicking people's butts!

*Special Unique: Something along the lines of Demigod's. Not overly powerful, but something flavorful. It should either be account bound, or sport the name of the person who originally won it.

*Random loot drop: Could be random x amount of y tier currency or an appropriate ilvl item.

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Ok that's it for now. Great job on finding good voice actors. Some of the voices weren't how I imagined they'd be, but they are pretty decent. Can't wait for the rest. Especially Bestel. He's practically the coolest npc in the game.

Also about the scrolling text. I liked the way how it happened in D2 where the text would scroll and then stop at the top so that you can still read it after the npc has stopped talking.

I don't want the npcs to keep talking after you leave them, but I do want their voices to fade out instead of abruptly stop.