Wakfu vs. Stasis 2009-06-05 18:10

Yeeeeha ! My first post in the devblog!

I’m blushing all over!

Right, let’s be serious now, and get down to the business in hand. I’ve come to talk to you about recent developments and I know you’ve been waiting to hear about them for a while. We can’t wait to get your feedback as they’re subjects we care greatly about. As everything has to start somewhere, let’s start at the beginning.

At the heart of Wakfu there are areas where the flora and fauna flourishes more-or-less peacefully. We’d noticed that the edges of these areas were rather quiet. Sometimes they sheltered little heavens-on-earth, earthly paradises created in minute detail by the inhabitants of Astrub, where monsters could live their cushy lives, their numbers only reduced by the occasional raid organized by those very same Astrubians. Back in Astrub, the sound of the wind in the trees had been replaced by the cries of travelling merchants going about their business. They used the resources they’d harvested to craft various objects. Hmmm. I don’t think I’ve forgotten anything.

Yeah, so, all that is very nice, but what does it really change?

Er, what? Ah, the ecosystem! You’re a real bunch of geniuses, aren’t you? Yes, the ecosystem. It’s the ‘little jewel’ we hand over to you that you can do whatever you want with. But ultimately, when I want to scythe down a field, or plant a bunch of seeds, or chase a group of monsters, I don’t really appreciate the impact I’m having. I’ve already received an ear bashing for chopping down too many trees (thank you anti-insult filter ?). I have an order of 15 Bundles I need to deliver this evening and I know there’s no way I’ll be able to! But hold on, weren’t we talking about an ecoSYSTEM? Yes, and like all systems, it has rules. We all know rules are there to be respected, or better still, broken…

With harmony comes beauty !

Keep in mind that each environment zone will include an indication of the balance of its ecosystem. This indicator, visible next to the name of the area, will vary from green to brown, from perfectly balanced to total chaos, according to these three factors:

• The balance between groups of monsters
• The balance between groups of resources
• Environmental pollution

There's work to do to balance this area, but it could be worse…

To bring the species, animals and plants, into balance, you’ll need to pay attention to the gauges next to each group. The ‘W’ Wakfu symbol signifies balance. Two upward-pointing arrows next to Thistles, for example, means the area is full to bursting with thistles and they’re becoming intrusive. It’s possible to bring the area into balance by cutting down enough thistles, or hammer the final nail into the coffin by planting more thistles, and chop down all the remaining species while you’re at it if you need to make some room. Notice as well how the different environments change as you travel through them. Certain areas suit some species more than others. In the forest, for example, the presence of a huge field of wheat would completely destabilise the existing ecosystem! Later on, each area will be visible on a map, but I’m not going to tell you about how this map works, that’d be revealing too much! :p

“ I can feel something changing …inside of me!”

It starts at first with a strange sensation and a feeling of power and it finishes with a complete understanding of your chosen inclination, be it Wakfu or Stasis. Of course, I’m here to tell you about the ecosystem, and I still haven’t told you the most important bit (you might notice I even managed to gloss over pollution, well done me!). Through your actions in balancing the ecosystem, you start on the long journey that might eventually lead to a daunting achievement - the complete understanding of and investment in Wakfu or Stasis. The more you undertake to bring an area into balance, the more your understanding of Wakfu will grow. Conversely, the more you work to destabilise an area, the more Stasis will flow through you. Your inclination will be represented by the Wakfu/Stasis gauge, the pointer swinging between the bewitching blue of Wakfu and the enigmatic purple of Stasis.

This gauge show you I'm in tune with my Wakfu

Before undertaking any action (harvest, combat , craft…) that could change the balance of an area and, as a direct result, your Wakfu/Stasis gauge, the consequences of your action will be shown : Wakfu, Stasis, or no consequence.

Representations of Wakfu and Stasis are even in the URM.

Your inclination is not only a representation of your actions, it’s a complete philosophy that will gradually begin to make sense and guide your future actions. Some refer to it as ‘alignment’, and it will soon become synonymous with good vibes, social adherence, and even political choice.

To correct a little ‘omission’: pollution.

If earlier on I managed to avoid the topic of pollution, it was because this post is already long, and talking about pollution would make it much, much longer ^^. All I can tell you at the moment is that machines for crafting pollute the environment, and using those machines increases the Stasis of the crafter. Using recycling machines rids the environment of pollution and draws the player back towards Wakfu.

I’ll stop there for the moment, but bear in mind we’ve got plenty of other ideas around how the levels of pollution could fluctuate. Likewise, to balance areas, we will inevitably talk about what governors can do, or the existence of a changing climate. Anyway, that brings us nicely onto something else…

Don’t worry! It’s not the end yet!

So, while I’m here I’m going to tell you a bit about what we’re developing at the moment (even if it is a little bit secret). From now on, I’m no longer going to argue the following points on the forums because they’re still open to big changes on our part. :p

The more you lean towards Wakfu, or towards Stasis, the more you will master them, and be able to develop special abilities as a result. You must unlock 2 levels in an inclination before you can unlock all the abilities in that inclination. Each level conveys 4 abilities. The last 4 abilities in each inclination are obviously the most powerful.

Each ability belongs to a certain category. The first category concerns monsters specifically. It will give you mastery over the families of monsters present in the ecosystem, to balance them, to reorganise them or to destabilise and tarnish them. The second category, still concerning the ecosystem, will split between creatures found in earthly paradises, and monumental destroyers of resources. The third category will allow you to specialize in the finer details of your inclination and will increase your Wakfu or your Stasis in every area that touches them. With the help of the fourth category, your combat skills will be optimised according to your inclination.

Pfft, I bet it doesn’t come for free !

Well, no. You’ll need a little bit of condensed Wakfu, Wakfu crystals, to trigger these powers. But that’s yet another enormous topic to discuss. All you need to know for the moment is that a sacrifice has to be made to trigger the powers, which should be used in moderation (especially the big ones ? ).

Remember as well that you can always move back and forth between Wakfu and Stasis to keep a certain balance. That might seem stupid given what I’ve just told you, but think a little about what could happen when other players can see you’re more (or less) inclined towards Wakfu or Stasis than they are. It’s also possible that the conduct of opposing players towards each other will render unstable those areas where Wakfu and Stasis are in total conflict. Of course, staying neutral also means staying free of those problems.

We hope that these powers, as well as being impressive, will on the one hand help the struggle towards balancing an area, and on the other hand address the challenges presented by PvP (see Zeorus’ post on the devblog) and running dungeons. Not only will you have the health of the entire ecosystem in your hands, but a strong advantage over other players. Initially the Wakfu/Stasis gauge will “only” allow you to use special, powerful objects. We will integrate these powers as soon as they are ready.

One final ‘little’ thing…

Above all else, I wanted this post to introduce you to the tools of your inclination as a Wakfu player. Now you’ve had time to digest all this information, I invite you to check out Daryl’s posts on the devblog to soak up the secrets of Wakfu and Stasis.

Beta test players will be able to see my new post about interfaces. To limit the number of bewildered souls I will be explaining the new layout, the improvements made to them and their new functionality. I just need a bit of time to sort it out, with Bouillie’s help.

Well, there you go. That’s the end of my post (I think I’m going to cry). I’d like to thank Zidrune for leaving me fill up the devblog with my ramblings and for letting me create this post for you. Thank you as well to Fry for having faithfully recreated my mugshot, David and Jérôme who I hassled and who gave me the interface apps in record time, Theturtle, my co-developer, and without whom none of this would have been possible (I’ve always dreamed of saying that). Finally, thanks to you for having continued to read this far! I hope to see you very soon.

Talentyre