The Campaign Continues! (08/15/2008)

[Septimus]

The Campaign Continues! (08/15/2008)
http://wiki.bluegartr.com/images/2/2...08-15-2008.jpg

In the ever-present attempt to render Campaign more agreeable to the player palate, the September version update will play host to a veritable smorgasbord of additions and tweaks, adjustments and tunings!

Get the scoop right here.

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In the ever-present attempt to render Campaign more agreeable to the player palate, the September version update will play host to a veritable smorgasbord of additions and tweaks, adjustments and tunings!
And now is as good a time as any to let the players in on some of what we've got in store.

• Beastman Confederate Stronghold Notorious Monsters

In a turn of events that bodes only ill, a new class of beastman elite will be garrisoned at each of the strongholds located in La Vaule [S], Beadeaux [S], and Castle Oztroja [S]. Each group is comprised of a total of eight notorious monsters, their very presence mocking the Allied Forces' efforts from behind well-defended walls.

Defeating these new NMs will result in a marked decrease in the defensive capabilities(*1) of the strongholds under beastman control. In addition, they may drop treasure items which can be used by players to increase the defenses of the Allied Forces' own strongholds. Thus, their significance in the outcome of the war can hardly be overlooked.

Further, amassing a collection of eight Key Items by felling all of a stronghold's NMs will grant players the opportunity to enter a battlefield (*2) where even more dangerous foes await...

*1: Defensive capabilities refers specifically to a total of eight Campaign-related factors, such as funds, tactics, reconnaissance, etc. These statistics can be checked by either talking to the proper Campaign NPCs in any of the three nations, or from the Region Info option under the Main Menu.
*2: Only one of the members entering the battlefield is required to be in possession of the eight Key Items.

• Influence Over Areas

It has been noted that the trend on many servers since the implementation of Campaign has been for the Allied Forces to fall well behind the Beastman Confederate in terms of influence over areas, with the disparity being quite difficult to overcome once in place.
Therefore, the coming version update will usher in several changes that will make it easier to win influence, with the goal of increasing the likelihood of areas changing hands as the war rages on.

Another area of the Campaign system which will see further enhancement in September is that of freelances. To take just one example, players can look forward to a new wandering scholar NPC who, once recruited, will take up residence in your nation's capital and aid the war effort by readily dispensing invaluable information.

Campaign Battle Performance Assessments
The judging of player performances in Campaign battles at the hands of Campaign Arbiters will see several adjustments. These changes will focus primarily on the use of enhancing magic and songs, though there will also be adjustments to the methods of calculation, as well as limits placed upon single assessments.

• Simplification of Campaign Evaluation Standards

The requirements needed for each medal become more and more stringent as a player progresses in rank. However, recent trends indicate that as the conditions necessary in the upper ranks become more demanding, considerably more time is demanded of players to either maintain their current rank, or to advance via further promotion. The end result is an inability for players to enjoy the ease of participation and simple battle system as originally intended.

In response to this, players can expect the standards of Campaign evaluations to be simplified in order to make the entire process more agreeable and accessible.

• New Campaign Ops

New Campaign Ops focusing on the wartime training of physicians are also in development. Successful completion of these Ops will ultimately serve to ease the strategic defense of the Allied Forces' areas, and hold the Beastman Confederate at bay.

EDIT- Changed image to one hosted on BG-Wiki

[Mifaco]

Oh wow, new NMs in the stronghold areas that nobody will ever touch!

[Koeta]

Oh wow, new NMs in the stronghold areas that nobody will ever touch!

if it wasn't for this:
"Further, amassing a collection of eight Key Items by felling all of a stronghold's NMs will grant players the opportunity to enter a battlefield (*2) where even more dangerous foes await..."
i would say you're pretty much right lol, but I'll wait and see what this "Even more dangerous foes" are, and what/if they drop goodies.

[Septimus]

if it wasn't for this:
"Further, amassing a collection of eight Key Items by felling all of a stronghold's NMs will grant players the opportunity to enter a battlefield (*2) where even more dangerous foes await..."
i would say you're pretty much right lol, but I'll wait and see what this "Even more dangerous foes" are, and what/if they drop goodies.

I would imagine that they would drop stuff. It is a just matter of how good.

[miokomioko]

Finally! Balestarius, Orcish Gauntlets, and... those... Yagudo... boots.

Obviously those mysterious Plucking Feathers, Cracking Shells, etc Campaign Ops will be the new battlefields in need of those 8 keys.

[Guitarman]

You'll have to excuse me if i dont jump at the thought of going 1 on 1 with Softstep, and eating his constant 1100 Ore lobs.

[Cow_k]

How about letting us warp straight to the beastmen strongholds... Is that too much to ask? I'm sure it's one of the main reasons no one's ever there =/

[bercus]

Further, amassing a collection of eight Key Items by felling all of a stronghold's NMs will grant players the opportunity to enter a battlefield (*2) where even more dangerous foes await...

*1: Defensive capabilities refers specifically to a total of eight Campaign-related factors, such as funds, tactics, reconnaissance, etc. These statistics can be checked by either talking to the proper Campaign NPCs in any of the three nations, or from the Region Info option under the Main Menu.
*2: Only one of the members entering the battlefield is required to be in possession of the eight Key Items.

Maybe new NMs in those battlefields too which would be a cool reason to do Campaign and also farm for instanced Area Fights to get new Items? Can´t wait to see this and I will do Campaign in those areas for sure if it´s good .
Hurray^^

[Jkun]

I bet the eight key items are used to unlock the BCNM to get the new Nyzul's relic WSs.

Hurr hurr Hurr spekulashun.

[Spira]

finally.. goodbye song bots...

[Amok]

Simplification of evaluation standards? What the hell does that mean? Lower requirements or just different?

[Lordwafik]

Simplification of evaluation standards? What the hell does that mean? Lower requirements or just different?

lower, so probably instead of needing 30k AN to rank up , maybe 20 - (or hopefully) 15k.

[Gilthas]

I hope they lower the requirements, it gets annoying to be forced to do Campaign for several hours just to not lose medals. Hopefully they'll also stop "campaign rank points" from degrading.

If those new BCs actually drop interesting stuff (as opposed to campaign only equipment) hopefully those 8 NMs won't be on a retarded pop system.

[LD]

All things considered, most of that crap doesn't matter and the bit that does tells us nothing. Even if these NMs have the same troop weakening ability as TOA's ancient mirrors, just like beseiged, the actual battle adjustments are going to mean the most. In Beseiged, after balancing and rebalancing all of the mirror stuff, they eventually realized everyone did the city fight and only a handful of people bothered with the mirrors, so they finally reduced the total length of besieged to 1 hour to keep the whole thing in the player's favor. That isn't to say that breaking mirrors isn't currently used to great effect or that the 1 hour limit makes it easy for players (or that there weren't other attempts at balancing everything), but honestly, which did we notice more? If the campaign battles themselves don't alter the course of the war the way you'd expect them to (i.e. a long string of allied wins moving farther than a sliver), we'll all just be waiting and complaining for the next ham-handed fix. Will it work the way it needs to? Maybe, but the problem is how and how much?


I never really understood how people have problems ranking up, it was a little more difficult than the last string, but I got through wings ok.

[Toth]

Looking good!

I just hope that these new pop system leads to some goodies that people will actually want.

[Guitarman]

...How many forms does the mob in the bc have...

[aznmajiktaru]

Really I don't see this being any different than ToAU beastmen kings. People might go kill them for fun once in a while but if it's not gonna drop anything good why bother. No one really cares about campaign as long as the nation owns at least one zone so they don't get attacked in cities so they can port around, hell some people even prefer city campaign so they don't have to run around.

While it makes sense to have beastmen generals in the war it really doesn't change anything at all if no one is going to bother with killing them. I mean how many people actually go out of their way to La vaule or oztroja when battle happens? The forces there are so overwhelming you just can't win. I went to La vaule once on blm and slept like droves of shit while npc was picking them off and in the end all our npcs died and beastmen still won lol.

Though I do like the ranking up bit since due to some shit luck battles I go to always end in like 15-20 mins making me spend a whole day's worth of campaign with 3 days left before medal expiring to keep rank >_>

[The Blackrose]

finally.. goodbye song bots...

No shit... There goes my pasttime of Manifestation + Bind.

[LD]

Bind =/= enhancing or song. I think that's fine, but accession prot might be in trouble. What they need to do is give healing the same cap as damage.

[kayn]

Maybe I'll finally be able to get those n.legs I've always wanted.