Oct 24 2024 Devblog

So Where to Now?

It has been half a year since we last updated our dev blog. Now that we've dealt with a major client and completed a much-needed backend update, where is heRO headed? What does the backend update enable heRO GMs to do?

DB Website Update

We have asked Ange, our TD member, to work on an update for the DB website (https://hero-server-db.herokuapp.com/). It has been a long time since the last update because the summer new client update significantly changed our backend. However, the backend changes also force the DB website to require a complete rework in its backend: we need to recompile our code to interpret and parse the database in a new manner. Due to that, the DB website update will take some time. We hope to give a partial update by mid-November so that at least players can check out the newly released items and monsters from Port Malaya and some Legendary Players quests. However, if we cannot get the backend website update done by then, we'll revert to manual wiki posting of new items and monsters until we can update the DB website. Players deserve to know what items are available from monsters so that they know what to spend time on for hunting and what the rewards out of any new instances or dungeons.

Buwaya Instance Issues

Buwaya and Port Malaya field has been the first content release since the new client update, and unfortunately, it was plagued with more problems than we anticipated. We haven't posted a page yet because the intended mechanics and what actually happens differ so greatly on the live server, even compared to what happened in testing.

• Entering the instance is NOT supposed to split the party where some players enter the box
• On the other hand, you were always supposed to be sent to the box upon any re-enter of the instance
• You were also not supposed to be able to cast warp portal to re-enter the instance endlessly until you enter the dungeon normally

The 2nd/3rd bug should not be fixed until the first one is also fixed though, as these bugs actually work in favor of the players to balance out the extra difficulty caused by the first issue. The original intent is that players needed to keep the Buwaya's Slave count under control and break out of the box quickly whenever Buwaya sends everyone into the box, or else the number of traps in the dungeon will snowball out of control. To do this, you need to act quickly as a team from the beginning. Being randomly sent to the box at the start makes this extremely difficult. So we'll keep the 2nd and 3rd bug in as a way to semi-counter the first issue until a fix can be implemented.

We also noted that Buwaya's first 17 kills did not drop the Kalasag shield item, one of the 2 unique MVP drops from this instance. Once we compile the data on who is involved, we'll pass the Kalasag shield back to the MVP killer recorded in our logs as compensation for the mix-up.

Future of God Items

Ripping the bandage on this one: God items must be obtainable outside of WoE. heRO is by far predominantly a pvm server, and just like how we aim to make all previously unobtainable or event-gated items. We don't have concrete plans to make it happen, but once it happens, it should still take months for guilds to accomplish, just that the way to get all the ingredients will not involve PVP. We don't have concrete plans to achieve this right now, but draft work has started on this endeavour. If this will be done some time within 2025, that will be most ideal.

heRO PVP Future

We have now tried 2 different PVP-related events where both events provide players with the gears and tools needed to compete on fair ground. Results seem positive and put everyone on a level playing field so that everyone can compete with one another via their skill set or to see what is the best build on the spot instead of seeing who has been in the server for the longest time and is the most established to have overwhelming gear advantage. This makes PVP much more approachable for new players, and both Rental WoE + Iron Fist tournaments are mostly received positively. We hope to keep Rental WoE to be something we can run monthly at the least starting in November, and depending on feedback, we can aim to make it more even more frequent than once a month for our PVPers, with constant tweaks to the builds along with how we run these events.

Rental WoE also utilized WoE:SE, and thankfully this time it doesn't seem to have any issues that we've experienced in the previous WoE:SE public testing. Admittedly, Rental WoE don't have the same issues of castle ownership or castle economy, but nonetheless this is still a step towards making WoE:SE a possibility to be hosted regularly and potentially replace WoE:FE in heRO.

Is SinX Overpowered?

There are talks of how Sinx has been overturned with the recent buffs, especially with the Meteor Assault build since it has a relatively low barrier of entry and a relatively low cost to assemble gear used for the build. For now, we'll keep Sinx as is because it is hard to tell if the overperformance results from Monster AI being severely dumbed down compared to the pre-client update. It is not just SinX, but all melee builds seem to be much more capable and have higher survivability, such as the recent resurgence of Grand Cross Paladin builds. They were even shown to be capable of doing some MVPing, which was previously unthinkable for the build. This build is in a similar situation where its cost to assemble is low, and its survivability also hinges on the Hunter Fly/Purple Bat doll combo. For now, heRO GMs want to see if the survivability and viability remain at the same level if Monster AI is fixed and then consider tweaks to the SinX skill customization after that.

To give players some reassurance that GM team does not intend to ultimately make the builds unplayable, some of the likely tweaks for Sinx are:

• Re-implement the 0.5s cast time to Meteor Assault (but retain the 0 cast cooldown) so that it's semi-similar to Bowling Bash, which also has a cast time but no after-cast delay
• Minor tweak to Soul Breaker's fixed damage from the customized 1000-1500 back to the official skill's 500-1000. While a 500 damage nerf seems inconsequential, SBK's build has many potential modifiers such that this should reduce damage mildly without affecting the player's investment on how to maximize a balance of both SBK's STR portion and/or INT portion.

Again, we don't plan to change this for now without seeing if Monster AI tweaks further alter the situation.

What Else is Coming Up? Part 1

This is a rough schedule of what we hope to accomplish in the next few months, barring more real-life changes for GMs and the volunteer TD team:

• Nov: Port Malaya phase 2 (2nd instance; return of first set of townsfolks) + bugfixes
• Nov: DB update that complies with our new database
• Nov: Thanksgiving event
• Mid Nov: Return to normal server rates (5/5/5, 10 for OCA cards), return to normal reward rate for Prize Medal sources
• Dec: Replacement monthly quest for players to acquire one ToH Voucher per month, per account
• Dec: New repeatable custom event as Christmas celebration
• Jan: Port Malaya final phase (3rd instance; with more town update)
• Jan/Feb: tweaks for Christmas celebration to be released permanently
• Jan/Feb: Mystic Tower reopening

Mystic Tower will serve as the "hard mode" compared to the recently revamped Kaldheim Arena, where the monster choices will primarily focus on custom monsters and Kaldheim Arena exclusively uses official monsters. It'll serve as a less time-consuming version of Endless Tower, but its final floors should reach a similar difficulty setting with some of heRO's toughest custom MVPs and monsters. However, it seems like this first reopening only provides the necessary qualifications to enter its final floor later. What awaits any worthy parties such that the final floor deserves a separate instance?

What Else is Coming Up? Part 2

These are smaller items with no fixed release schedule by month: they will be done when GMs and volunteer developers can squeeze it in, so they will happen whenever they happen.

More Sources for "Class Hats"

There were the "class hats" where the intended wearer is one of the trans classes. Events or contests almost always gated their availability. We want to continue to release them in a regular manner be it via direct monster drops or via quests, but no we don't want just to throw them into Biolabs yet again. Ferre's Playground released the gypsy/clown hats, and hopefully we'll find new suitable sources for all the other hats too. It is the heRO GM team's goal to make previous contests/events unique gears to be more and more accessible for all players.

Note that similar to the clown/gypsy hats, we'll look to rebalance them for mass release as necessary, especially changing the 99 stat requirement into a base level 99 bonus so that they are not so build-restrictive for the class.

Crafting Update

Blacksmith and alchemist have not had any updates in almost 20 years, it's about time they get caught up to modern times so that they are worth doing again. We'll tackle the age-long issue of ranking. Similar to Taekwon Ranking update, we want to provide bonuses to people who brew/craft without it being an all-or-nothing for the top 10 ranks only. Top 10 is too hard to crack for such an aged server, yet wiping out the top 10 or resetting/decaying the points goes against heRO's philosophy, where we never wipe out anyone's progress in the game. We hope to strike a balance with new fixed point count bonuses and new possibilities in what you can create via these systems while still maintaining some exclusive power to the top 10 that is not "mandatory" either. Perhaps it'll even play a role in other updates as well.

We also want to add some new formulas and new weapons to forge. While the existing gears are usable with the star crumbs mini-update we did to boost the damage output from normal attacks in heRO, we want to add some brand new forge weapons so that there's a smoother path toward the next set of beginner-friendly gears or even some usable forged weapons at high refines for certain specific builds that can use the boost with new weapons. New forge recipes may use old gears that have lost their value or gears that have neat effects, yet they are stuck with bad base stats/card slots.

Box Item Update

Likewise, OBB and OPB were last updated by Gravity in the Nameless Island and are severely outdated. There's no joy or surprise in opening OBB or OPB. heRO has minor touch-ups to add in some of the etc. items or heRO exclusive items, such as Pumpkin Mojo, Ice Scale, and [Biolab_Item_Exchange Biolab item exchange] items. Still, they are a tiny portion out of all unexciting options from the box. We hope to give its list a much-needed update so that they are worth something again from MVPs and Events. We'll also look at other "gacha" box items accordingly as well.

More Costumes and Hatter Update

This is a no-brainer: costumes are end-game, and therefore, we will have more costumes. Be it weapon costumes that we've released at some events as testing grounds or classical costumes in events similar to what we have released at anniversary/Halloween events, we'll continue to have new costumes out for players to customize their characters.

Who knows what else?

Both GMing and TD staff members are volunteers: it's still essential for them to have fun and be given the freedom to work on something they are interested in. We also reserve and give TD staff members the liberty to work on whatever is interesting to them yet still beneficial to the heRO server. Sometimes, we may have releases out of nowhere because they result from a passion project for our volunteer staff. We appreciate their hard work and want to give them chances to work on whatever they are passionate about!