Bloodline Champions: el nuevo MOBA

Questions asked on the forums (from this thread)

<Tau> • Puffen: Have you considered using the idea of pre-order = beta invite, and if yes, do you have an approximate ETA and if no, could you give a short reasoning why? (or perhaps this is up to Funcom?)
<Tau> We have been discussing pre-order, but since our business model and pricing isn’t fully decided we don’t want to charge anyone before we know how things will work at launch.

<Tau> • Puffen: Could Tau give a brief description on how an average day as Stunlock CEO is
<Tau> The last few weeks(months..) it’s been mostly to settle everything with Funcom and now it’s to be the main contact to both Funcom and other contacts we got. So a lot of my days goes to e-mails, meetings, skypecalls/chats and more e-mails. Might not sound too exciting, but I also spend a lot of time in discussions with the team and taking care of things that is no one elses job that might pop up.

<Tau> Is Alchemist a male or a female? Why does he/she have hooves?
<Tau> Aronson!
<Aronson> She's a girl. I see her as a nerdy alchemy student of the Academy of Toleen. The androgyn-ness of some of our Bloodlines is really unintended, but we do find the confusioun it causes quite amusing.
<Aronson> As for her hooves: http://zec.nu/Bloodline/Forum/Images/Alch_Hoof.jpg

<Tau> • noertti: Who created gluttonsexy.jpg?
<Aronson> The responsible person wishes to remain anonymous, but apologizes for any mental scarring it may have caused...

<Tau> • LeNyX: How is the work on the "improved" netcode going ? I play usually with 140 ping and I really want to know if some day I will be able to play alittle less laggy...
<ilves_> We are working on finding better solutions to make the game run better at higher latencies but due to the fast paced nature of the game people with lower latency will always have an advantage.

<Tau> Noxiouz: When are you going to make 'Teams' avaible for MM?
<Tau> We’re working on this, and it’s planned to be released within the near future.

<Tau> Noxiouz: Are you going to introduce other brackets to MM? If yes, are you then also going to give us ranking on our profile for every bracket (so you can have a team in 3v3 having grade 9, and in 2v2 you have like grade 5 or something, just an example)?
<ilves_> Different brackets for different sized teams and gamemodes are planned and will probably be introduced when we feel the player base is big enough.

<Tau> Onin: Do you like all the memes going around in the BLC forums?
<Tau> All the devs are lurking the forums more or less and the memes sure entertain us. But I do think Gluttonsexy.jpg has ruined abit to many people by now ^^ We want the new people to stay, not scare them off.

<Tau> Falgern: Have you had any thought about boxed versions about the game? Or will digital download be the only way to get a hold of this game?
<Tau> Our main focus is on digital download and is most probably the only way we’ll distribute the game. But you never know, it’d be awesome with a boxed collectors edition. But physical distribution adds alot of extra costs.

<Tau> PzyCow: Any chance we will see custom player made cups and leagues?
<ilves_> It’s possible

<Tau> PzyCow: How long is a season, and will the winners of a division/league recieve some kind of mark or badge?
<ilves_> The exact length of a season has not yet been decided but my guess is that it will be about 2-3 months long, and yes there will probably be some kind of reward for high ranked players.

<Tau> SlyGoat: Any plans on an editor? If so, to what extent; I.E. just creating terrain for maps, or the possibility to create entire mods similar to SC2's Galaxy Editor? If not, why not?
<Tau> We got a map editor that we use in-house for creating maps. And it will most probably not be released to the public. The reason for this is that it’s not built to be used by anyone but us so it’s not very user friendly if you don’t know it well.
<Aronson> Really, only Ilves knows how to use it well
<ilves_> it's hax!

<Tau> GOKU: My question would be, how the devs are going to fix EUvsAmerica(s)(vs asia) in future. Both will have own MM? Tournys will have to be played 50-50?
<Tau> Noting is settled yet, but since the game is so ping dependent that a person in EU and a person in the US can’t play an even game, tournaments and MM will most likely be held separate in different regions. Like you do in most games.

<Tau> RotundJere: How many heroes are you planning to add?
<Tau> We have planned for 20 bloodlines at release.

<Tau> Moonsinger: Is it going to be with recurring fees to play or just one time getter?
<Tau> The business model is still under discussion and I can’t give any comment on that at the moment.

<Tau> Crew: Are there any rewards planned for beta seasons of matchmaking?
<ilves_> Yes

<Tau> Lars: Which factors are present in gaining and losing grades?
<ilves_> http://www.bloodlinechampions.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=2365#p29472 Grades explained by Shelt

<Tau> Demolishor: when are you planning on releasing clan support and which features will be involved? My wishes are: in-game (just in chat and lobbies) tags, in-game and on-site recruiting and member lists, clan matchmaking for multiple playmodes, an automated tournament system and a guild league (rating comes from clan MM and tournaments.)
<ilves_> I can’t say exactly when clan support will be implemented or what features that are coming with it, let’s say there are at least a couple of features in your wish-list that are planned

<Tau> Puffen: Does the statement here (http://www.bloodlinechampions.com/faq.php#c1q3) still reflect your stance regarding replay functionality? If not, what are your aspirations regarding a possible ETA of replay implementation?
<ilves_> Replay functionality is a high priority feature and will probably be released for testing sometime during Beta.

<Tau> • Puffen: Could you three (assuming it's three when writing this) list a few of your favourite games, besides BLC? (you/anyone don't have to be playing the game any longer)
<Tau> Day of the Tentacle, The Sims, Heroes of might and magic (I,II,III,V)
<ilves_> To name a few, Duck Hunt, Megaman, Final Fantasy, Secret of Mana, Half-Life, Diablo, Starcraft, WOW, Shopper Rush
<Tau> (NOT HoMM 4!)
<Tau> Aronson?
<Aronson> PlanetSide was an awesome game. I also liked Portal. And a russian MMO called Allods online because of the amazing texture work in it

<Tau> Puffen: Based on forum posts is seemed you had discussed the idea of achievements - have a final decision on whether to add them or not been made?
<ilves_> A final decision has yet not been made.

<Tau> Onin: By what games was Bloodline Champions actually influenced mainly?
<ilves_> I would say Dota, Diablo, Nox, World of Warcraft, Guild Wars, Alien Swarm and Awesome Fighters

<Tau> LordOfSausage: Why did you change the CTF mode?
<ilves> We felt that the old CTF didn’t work out the way we wanted it to do and that some of the gameplay mechanics just didn’t fit. Switching out abilities felt somewhat strange and the possibility of a deadlock where big which resulted in some boring games (one player from each team standing in her own base with the other teams flag just hoping for her team to kill the other flag carrier first).
<ilves> he new rules fixed those things resulting in more strategy and action. At this moment there is no plan of re-implementing the old CTF

<Tau> PKFire: How do you plan to market the game? (like advertising etc.) im just wondering because this is a fantastic game and it has huge potential to take players that want real pvp away from any game (HoN/WoW/MW2/Xbox live players etc.) but it could easily fall under anyones radar as they dont see the finesse instantly, sorry if its too early or this is a really bad question i had to ask because i think this game deserves to be big.
<Tau> As many of you might know we’ve just signed a publishing deal with Funcom. In this deal Funcom is responsible of marketing of the game, and we’ll work close with Funcom to make sure we reach as many gamers as possible to give them the chance to play Bloodline Champions.

<Tau> BSSacramenti: Is team matchmaking going to limit one player into one 'arena'-team? say one player can be only in 1x2v2, 1x3v3, 1x5v5?
<ilves_> No, though it will limit the same people from having 2 identical teams (same team members, same team size, same bracket)

<Tau> Shamanno1: Any plans for 1v1 mm?
<ilves_> Currently no.

<Tau> Will we get to hear more from the Journal of Ilves Long?
<Ilves_Long> Since the Toleen Guard has increased their security it has been more and more difficult to copy Long’s latest Journal entries. However our intelligence indicates that Long will travel east to Amice. This creates a window of opportunity as he is known to always bring his latest scrolls with him on his travels.

<Tau> It ended quite open with "I will have to coordinate with the Chroniclers from now on?
<Tau> The only thing we know is that we have also lost contact with our agents that followed on that expedition. The ancients might be a more serious threat that we first initially calculated.

<Tau> What happened to the Droi after they took the name The Tioko?
<Ilves_Long> They continued to build their home city Tionillion, which literally translates “The source of home”. Since then they have fine tuned their magics which has created many innovations in their culture.

<Tau> Can you describe further how the Cataclysm changed the world at that time?
<Ilves_Long> Not many writings have been found from this time. This event happened very long ago. However if you are to believe the Tioko stone tablets, then it could have been the Cataclysm that opened up sentient beings to be able to control magic by thought alone. Ancient stone inscriptions from caves and tablets all over the continent contain no evidence of the existence of any magic wielders before this event.

<Tau> What about the Artifacts created by the rogue Eternal?
<Ilves_Long> Once in a while an artifact is found, however the Ancients are usually quick to seize hold of that location. We suspect the Ancients can travel using these Artifacts somehow. It seems the Malevolent (Harbingers) have an Artifact in their swamp, and we know they wield a very powerful magic and that might be no coincidence. We also have reports that the Ancients built an Arena in their Swamp, yet again, is it a coincidence?

<Tau> Why aren’t Artifacts mentioned anywhere in the Cultures lore?
<Ilves_Long> While large monuments are mentioned in folk lore all over the world, few, if any Artifacts have been found to our knowledge. There is simply a lack of information, however due the Ancients current activity all over the continent that fact might change.

<Tau> And was there no magic at all in the world before "intelligent beings" found Artifacts and learned their secrets?
<Ilves_Long> This or the cataclysm is strong contenders for the source of magic. However depending on where you travel you will hear a different explanations relating to Whispering Spirits, Large Intelligent Animals, Sentient plants and similar imaginative creations.

<Tau> Will anything from the lore ever get mentioned or in some way associated with the game, or is it just going to be stories?
<Tau> Not decided atm, but if BLC has a long lifetime, building on the story in-game as well is indeed a possibility.

Questions asked during the session

<Tau> Now I'll let BLC handle the question!
<BLC> And that was all of the questions that were asked on our forum before this session, we will now take care of your live questions! Ask questions by typing /msg BLC [your question here], for example: /msg BLC What's your favourite hero?

<BLC> <adinth> What is your take on skill-based gameplay? Will fights be always dodging your enemies' projectiles and firing your own?
<ilves_> well, I would'nt say that the current gamepley is all about firing and dodging projectiles but the way you engage in combat will probably not change very much until release

<BLC> <Nazgul> Question for Tau: Will the game be a one type payment? What about every major patch? Any rough estimate on how much the game will cost at release?
<Tau> The business model and pricing of the game is not yet fully decided so I can not comment on it at this time.

<BLC> <jopode> When u gonna put some more beta keys out?
<Tau> Within the near future, be patient. ^^
<Tau> And try out the new awesome contest on the forums if you need a key!

<BLC> <rexas> Can we get a high quality version of gluttonsexy? I want to make a T-shirt!
<Aronson> Glutton + sexy + high-rez is not a good combination

<BLC> <Jeffan> How would you describe the learning curve in BLC? Is it hard to get into? Do you find new stuff all the time the more you play?
<ilves_> I would say it's easy to get into, you will learn the basic gameplay in just a few games, but learning all different bloodlines and how to fight good together with your teammates could take an eternity and yes people come up with new stuff and new tactics every day

<BLC> <Zilix> What is the point of a leveling system(I.E. Level 63) is there a point to this or any benefits?
<ilves_> at this momenet there is'nt any benefits with the levling system, its basicly a simple system showing how much a player has played the game

<BLC> <Mezm9r> How exactly are the bloodlines implemented? What does their class/structure contain?
<ilves> public override void OnHit(CollisionReason reason, cNetworkEntity entity) { if (reason == CollisionReason.SpellCollision && Owner.Team != entity.Team) {
<ilves> ObjectManager.ChangeStats(mVariables.Damage, entity.Id, Owner.Id, this.Id, StatsEffect.Damage, StatsReason.Projectile, StatsType.Damage, true); ObjectManager.ChangeStats(mVariables.EnergyGain, Owner.Id, entity.Id, StatsEffect.Energy); cNetworkPlayer player = entity as cNetworkPlayer;
<ilves> AxeStrikeDebuff buff = player.GetBuff("AxeStrikeDebuff", Owner.Id) as AxeStrikeDebuff; if (buff != null)
<ilves> something like that :p

<BLC> <Nazgul> Have you taken my suggestion about making a Trivia bot that would (or not) reward the best players with a beta key into consideration? Got any other plans for IRC or is it just a place to idle? =P
<Tau> Our moderator Stagnation actually got a trivia bot we used a long time ago. We've talked about updating it to host a couple of trivia sessions with beta keys as reward.

<BLC> <adinth> Will the game be region-locked when it's released?
<Tau> At this time we can not give and answer on this question, we're just starting our discussion with Funcom on how the servers will work.

<BLC> <Zilix> How will you guys go about planning to help promote fansites, or even build a fansite kit for the community!?
<Tau> We have been working on a fansite kit, it's just not that high prio since we have alot of work to do for the game. But one will most likely be availibale soon.
<Tau> available*

<BLC> <noertti> When are you (dev teams) going to play in the weekly 3v3 tournament again? >:I
<ilves> Me, shelt and phalanx can hopefuly participate again this weekend! If Shelt's now away carrying bags..
<ilves> not*

<BLC> <MarkyX> have you guys contacted any eSports leagues or media figureheads yet? Any secrets you can spill?
<Tau> WE've been in contact with alot of e-sport sites and leagues, but there's nothing official yet.

<BLC> <ProgrammerarN> What's the name of the Bloodline Champions World?
<Ilves_Long> All diffrent tribes and cultures have their own name of the world, so nothing is quite official...

<BLC> <Zilix> Have you guys thought about making actual social Lobbys that you can select the character you play the most and actually be able to hang out in a city such as Tionillion?
<ilves_> We've thought about it! might be something for an upcoming game

<BLC> <Nazgul> Can you please respond at "Which factors are present in gaining and losing grades" on an open forum? The link ilves supplied was from the beta forum which not everyone can read
<ilves_> we will post about it on the public forum as well

<BLC> <Dinos> How long until servers from Funcom are added to your server pool?
<Tau> We're going to Oslo to have a chat with the Funcom server-guys next thuesday to see what needs to be done. But hopefully within a couple of weeks.

<BLC> <PUFFEN> Is there a concensus among stunlock regarding whether draft or blind pick is a preferred future method (upon release, for instance)?
<ilves_> for matchmaking there will probably be a type of draft where players from both teams simultanously picks 1 bloodline each, taking turn.

<BLC> <adinth> As a SEA player, i've gotten locked out of games like LoL and HoN. Is BLC going to do the same?
<Tau> We're not sure how this will be handled yet, of course we want everyone to be able to play with whomever they want, but the computergame business works in certain way that sometimes doesn't make this possible.

<BLC> <Mezu> Could you offer any hints or details on the four new bloodlines to released ?
<ilves_> some hints can be found amongst the WIP bloodlines that somehow managed to sneak inside the beta :p

<BLC> <ProgrammerarN> How much do I have to pay to get a BLC T-shirt?
<Tau> At the moment you need to deserve a BLC t-shirt, and this is hard work. Maybe in the future they'll be buyable, we'll see. How much you willing to pay? ;P

<BLC> <TGD> Tau has been appointed the CEO of stunlock studios, how did this come to be? since you were all university students when the game was developed
<Tau> Uhm... well... No one else wanted to handle the CEO stuff I guess. And I was here, and being a girl within this business gives alittle extra attention so that's probably good. But the game's great and does most of my work. ^^

<BLC> <Mezu> Will team mm be implemented before the end of the current Beta session or is it destined for future sessions?
<ilves_> team mm will not be available this weekend but we will probably start testing this part of the game in a near future

<BLC> <TGD> Do you see bloodline champions reaching the Asain market?
<Tau> WE'd love to see BLC on the Asian market, and we do feel that the game could do quite well there. Funcom has worked some in Asia with their other games so there's possibility, but probably not at the same launch as EU and US

<BLC> <MileLoL> Hey, You there?
<BLC> I'm here! \o

<BLC> <PUFFEN> Are the hidden ratings that are currently used to calculate grades and/or rating gain going to remain hidden?
<Tau> I'm here aswell!
<ilves_> yes they will remain hidden for now

<BLC> <an2x> are we going to have more bloodline soon?how much?
<Tau> Can not comment on this, time will tell

<BLC> <Stagnation> When will we see the next Lore and Concept Art update?
<Aronson> Within a few weeks

<BLC> <PUFFEN> Do you have plans on making the statistics more extensive and visible to players (like most played BL, winning with each BL etc)
<ilves_> we are planning more advanced statistics, can't say when it will be implemented though.

<BLC> <TGD> Stunlock studios being a newely formed company, with support from funcom, does this mean stunlock studios are looking to grow in size? venture into more games in the future or is BLC a one hit wonder? and if stunlock studios has future plans, will there be employment oppotunties within stunlock studios.
<Tau> WE're not looking to grow right now, but we do plan to keep Bloodline champions up and running for a loong time and also to create new games. And for the next projects we mmight increase in number of people, but we'll probably grow slowly to keep our stability.

<BLC> <YourSister> Are you planning on releasing more bloodlines before the release?
<Tau> We got 16 Bloodlines right now, and we've said that atleast 20 will be ready at release. Cannot comment on if they will be released before release or at release tho.

<BLC> <Stagnation> what format are the spell saved in? i e the exact formatting is used so that we can make our own spell descriptions, that could be implemented in the game.
<ilves_> spells are currently scripted in the enginee, tooltips will be saved in XML's

<BLC> <PUFFEN> Do stunlock do inhouse games just for fun or are the majority of the (inhouse) games simply to test bugs and new stuff?
<Tau> Most games are for testing.. but most of the testing turn into just playing for fun... which means we'll need more testing ^^
<Aronson> Even the games we play purely for testing often get pretty intense too
<Tau> I'm on a anotehrnetwork so I hardly get to play on the test server

<BLC> <Stagnation> Will you make a map of the world available? is there one?
<Aronson> We have a work in progress world map lying around, and a post-it note saying "finish the world map!"
<Aronson> so there'll be one eventually

<BLC> <adinth> You mentioned that a player with low ping will have advantages over a player with high ping. Will there be lag compensation of sorts in the netcode?
<ilves_> there is different types of lag compensation in the netcode aldready, we are ofcourse trying to improve it to close the gap between high and low latency players as well as trying to make the game feel less laggy.

<BLC> <Mezm9r> How many lines total is the game? What design problems have you run into and what design problems do you currently face? [In the coding sense]
<BLC> 294 894 lines total, 2426 files, 40 733 empty lines. We can't really think of any specific problems we encountered

<BLC> <caito> if you had to come up with a name for a fansite, what would it be?
<Tau> happycaster.com, but that's prolly no good anymore..

<BLC> <PUFFEN> Who came up with the name Bloodline Champions? Or was it a joint effort?
<ilves_> it was a joint effort, not entirly sure who came up with the exact name, it was during a big brainstorming meeting

<BLC> <Unknown> Any updates regarding council?
<ilves_> we don't have any news about it at this moment, we will tell you more about it in a near future

<BLC> <toopok4k3> What is the reasoning behind having the beta servers up only during weekends? To keep the addicted players from Overdosing?
<Tau> There's a bunch of reasons for this and it will probably stay this way for quite some time. The greatest reason for this right now is that we don't have so many testers so we need to limit the time to make sure you always have someone to play with.

<BLC> <Stagnation> Do you have an official Stunlock logo yet?
<Aronson> We're working on it
<Aronson> http://zec.nu/Bloodline/Forum/Images/StunLockLogo.jpg

<BLC> <YourSister> How far are you planning to go with the netcode issues? can we except any major changes?
<ilves_> its one of our highest priority and we are working on it, there will probably be small changes every week

<BLC> <rexas> Will 1-1 blindpick be released tomorrow?
<ilves_> probably not tomorrow

<BLC> <TGD> When the game is released, what is your target player base for this game? 10k 50k 100k? how many do you need for it to be a business success
<Tau> Within the e-sport scene you need quite alot of player for people to care, and we also need quite alot ot player to make sure people always have new people to play against. And we believe that we together with Funcom can reach a big playerbase to make Bloodline Champions a success.

<BLC> <Quintai> The aiming mechanism of some champions, like inhibitor, seems a bit "off". Can you clarify how it works, and might it be changed?
<ilves> all projectile spells works in the same way, there is no difference between inhibitors attacks and others,
<ilves> spells are casted towards the last mouse cursor when the spell goes off, because of latency the last mouse cursor position might not be the exact position at which you think you are aiming if you have moved your mouse quickly.

<BLC> <adinth> How long has the game been on development? And what is the size of Stunlock Studios?
<Tau> The game has been in development for abit longer than 1,5 years now. And at the moment we're 15 people at Stunlock.

<BLC> <Dinos_> Are you still on schedule with the 6 month closed beta plan? If no, how far to you think till open beta?
<Tau> We're not on the 6 month closed beta plan any longer. We're in discussion with Funcom on how to proceed with the beta in the future, so at the moment we can not answer the question.

<BLC> <PUFFEN> When creating a new Bloodline, do you start with an idea of how it should look and work according to that or do you base the BL a set of skills and everything else is worked to fit that?
<ilves_> its quite different for each bloodline, it might be an artist having a really cool idea about a bloodline that could look awesome, or it might be a design issue where we want to fit a bloodline into a specific role. It could also be very experimental testing out different ideas that at the end results in a new bloodline

<BLC> <YourSister> when will the servers be online full time? any rough ETA?
<Tau> wE do not have a ETA, there's many things to consider before deciding when to let the servers be online full time. There's both pros and cons, even if you players don't see them ^^

<BLC> <noertti> "<@Tau> WE'd love to see BLC on the Asian market" are you sure about that? when the KOREANS start playing BLC we europeans would have no chances at being the best, resulting in overall depression amongst all european BLC players
<Aronson>
<Aronson> Then so be it! It's all about the skill, just suck it up and get better! >

<BLC> <Quintai> Do you have any rough estimated date of release? this year, next year, 2019?
<Tau> We'd love to see BLC on the asian market, we want as many gamers as possible to be ableto play the game!
<Tau> The official statment of release date is end of 2010.
<Tau> or late 2010

<BLC> <YourSister> Will you add a voice chat option to the game?
<ilves_> we're looking into it, so its possible.

<BLC> <ComradeOne> What sort of retail models are you/funcom considering? Eg/like HoN: one time purchase
<Tau> Sorry, we can not comment on this at the moment.

<BLC> <Dzarg> how and why did you decide to create the game using XNA?
<ilves_> it was the framework we had the best experience in at that time, that's basicly it

<BLC> <Zilix> Will you guys be recruiting more members to your team such as (Promoters for the game) and how can we go about signing up if so??
<Tau> Funcom will be handling most things aroudn marketing, but of course with our co-operation. But we do not have plans to recruit promoters

<BLC> <Stagnation> What happened to our old friends MesSeR and Lasthund? are they still involved in anyway or have they quit entirelly?
<ilves> Lasthund was deported to Russia for beeing an illegal imigrant, well, that's what the rumors say.
<Tau> Messer moved away to live with his gf, far far away.
<ilves> poor Lasthund...
<Aronson> Temps misses him very much ;_;

<BLC> <Icehotflame> are you planning on allowing custom content, such as custom maps, skins og perhaps even add ons?
<ilves_> currently no

<BLC> <MarkyX> how will team ranking work? Is it ELO system, a modification of the SOLO MM, or something completely new?
<ilves_> its a modification of our current system, but it's more like a ELO system, we're currently working on it so this might change

<BLC> <PUFFEN> Any chance we can get to see more 'insults' and tips in the daily tip thing?
<ilves_> yupp

<BLC> <Baskot> Hey, when are you gonna fix the forum accs for some of the beta testers that registered in the client? From when the first wave of beta keys.
<Tau> Most of those accounts have been merged by us, if you got any problems please contact [email protected]

<BLC> <YourSister> Where can we get more info about you guys? age/bio/pictures etc
<Tau> at the moment you can't, or you can see our .gif's at http://www.stunlockstudios.com
<Aronson> I'm the monkey!

<BLC> <Stagnation> When will the moderators get their orange names? http://stagnation.se/images/misc/stagmod.png and can I speak to Ilves?
<Tau> No! There's no speaking to Ilves allowed, has has to work! It's just me, Hjulle and ZEc who's allowed to disturb him.
<Tau> he* has to work*
<Tau> meh! >.<
<BLC> work work
<ilves_> wurkwurk

<BLC> <Quintai> What would be the most appropriate reward in this game; Cake or Ice-cream?
<Tau> I bake failcake...
<Aronson> Cake obviously
<Tau> Cake!
<Tau> http://s71.photobucket.com/albums/i139/Taureien/CAKE%20n%20PIE/?action=view&current=CIMG1922.jpg
<Tau> That cake was not a failcake. On that one we did good.

<BLC> <PUFFEN> do you have any plan of implementing a tour system as a game feature (instead of relying on external people using custom games)?
<ilves> do you mean like a tour bus?
<ilves> we've been planning a railroad around the world of blc where you can see all cultures and people living their lives
<Tau> -.-
<Tau> WE've talked about it, but we'll probably not be bale to fit it before the release.

<BLC> <jopode> what plans do you have for advertising?
<Tau> Funcom is responsible of our marketing and we're in discussion of how this will work with them. But nothing is sure yet.

<BLC> <MarkyX> besides avatars, is there any way to personalize our profiles such as taglines (e.g. "Sexy Glutton") ?
<ilves_> there will be ways to personalize your account later on

<BLC> TIMES UP! NO MORE QUESTIONS WILL BE RECORDED, WE WILL ANSWER THE REMAINING ONES! CAPS FTW!

<BLC> <ProgrammerarN> What was the first game you ever made? And at that time, did you expect yourself to come this far with Game Development?
<ilves> Shopper Rush!
<ilves> http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/game/shopperrush
<Aronson> My first game was a text based game made with Qbasic a long long time ago.
<ilves_> and yes, after this great game we expected to come this far, and we're aiming higher!
<BLC> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbNwUcYxAIE

<BLC> <YourSister> Are you planning on introducing a new mechanic/play mode in the near future?
<ilves_> we will see about that

<BLC> <MarkyX> any chance of announcer or medals, along the lines of Quake Live?
<ilves_> different types of rewards are possible, can't go more into detail on that right now

<BLC> <PUFFEN> A few months ago you weren't very open to the idea of having the in-game UI being fully customizable in terms of size/position of stuff (as in GW or WoW). Has your view on this changed?
<BLC> At the moment, the engine does not really support it. It will not be a feature at release, though its not impossible that it will become a feature in a far away future

<BLC> <Stagnation> While I am aware of your stance on an editor, I can't help but wonder if there is any chance you could hold a map competition in the form of 3d models? (or even 2d models) from eg maya or 3ds max, and maybe you could take inspiration from thse maps
<Tau> Have not thought about it, maybe...

<BLC> <Dinos> for team matchmaking will you have a different rating per team?
<Aronson> I think it sounds cool
<ilves_> yes there will be different rating for each team

<BLC> <rexas> Have smurf improved or is it still okay to say "you smurf that one" when someone miss ulti?
<ilves_> smurf still misses all his ultimates, he will probably never learn :<

<BLC> <Stagnation> is there any chance that you would implement somekind of CD display floating over your bloodline, below the name?
<ilves_> it might be possible, as an option -if it does'nt get to cluttered

<BLC> <PUFFEN> When will the video of your HQ's be released?
<Tau> Oh that video.. We don't talk about that anymore..
<Tau> No I don't know, maybe if we start a blog or something ^^
<Tau> That was an answer to the video question..

<BLC> <adinth> Are there going to be leagues running in game? If yes, are there rewards (either in-game, irl, or both) to be awarded?'
<ilves_> official leagues and player made leagues (beside the current matchmaking league system) is possible, maybe not in the nearest future but it is something we're looking into. Rewards of different types could be very possible as well.

<BLC> ONLY FIVE MORE QUESTIONS

<BLC> <YourSister> How exactly do you know when\if to balance a bloodline? Does the community effect your decisions?
<ilves_> balance changes can happen for many reason, we are ofcourse listening to feedback from players, as well as testing the game ourself alot, we're also tracking stats to help us see ability and class usage.

<BLC> <TGD> outside of playing BLC within stunlock studios, what other games are popular within the company to play?
<Aronson> Some of they guys are currently playing the Starcraft II beta. Gergalanx rages because Smurf is harrassing his workers
<Tau> I play viva pinata... my laptop's to crapy to play on...
<ilves_> Gerganlanx is playing alot of sims as well and he gets really freaked out if you bother him

<BLC> <noertti> Why can't Alchemist's Deadly Injection be dispelled? It's not an Ultimate debuff
<ilves_> the slow component of it can be dispelled, its the alchemist only big damage attack and needed to be somewhat resistant to dispell mechanincs

<BLC> <rexas> Can you make some advertisment for our weekly tournament http://weeklyblc.tourney.cc/ ? It will have livestream and some recorded matches after. That would be nice
<Tau> I think everyone should participate in Rexas and Kae's weekly tournament!
<Tau> Maybe we can move it to the beta news and announcement part of teh forum so people have it easier to find it.

<BLC> <Zec|Tired> Can I go get a cup of tea now?
<Tau> Yes, if that's the last question BLC?
<BLC> Yep
<BLC> \o/
<Tau> You deserve a cup of tea then ^^
<Aronson> Thanks for all the questions!
<BLC> Time for tea! I will take care of posting and formatting a log of all the questions later!
<Tau> Thanks everyoen for participating, we hope you got alot of questions answered! I had a great time!
<ilves> See you ingame next weekend!
<ilves> this weekend as well.
<ilves_> duh.