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NIGHT

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  1. NIGHT
    Hey Aincradians. NIGHT as PST GM here. Need an address today on two fronts.
    1. 3.0 Conversion Compensation
    This is a change that affects a minority of our players. Also, to clarify, while this compensation was discussed and approved internally with staff, this is a move I am choosing to make as PST GM.
    At the start of 3.0, the Paragon Rewards table used to look as such:
    Lv. 25 | Gleaming Scale (3), Equipment Change Ticket (1), Free SP Reset (1)
    Lv. 50 | Custom Sword Art/Skill Creation.
    Lv. 60 | Paragon Tier Up Tickets (3), Demonic Shards (3)
    As time progressed, the Lv. 50 reward for players to submit a Custom Sword Art/Skill was removed from the table and the game. This resulted in a gap between Lv. 25 and Lv. 60 where players were missing rewards. Not many players were able to acquire a Custom Sword Art/Skill during this period, and in addition, the duration of their existence for players who managed to acquire them was short lived.
    In 3.1, the Paragon Rewards table saw a redistribution of Gleaming Scales and Demonic Shards across the different tiers. Players that fell into the Lv. 25 / Lv. 60 gap in 3.0 mentioned earlier would not have a chance of collecting the shards that previous rewards had offered, especially with the introduction of a new reward listed at Lv. 50, hence the call for compensation.
    Players that met the following criteria during 3.0 Conversion will receive x1 Gleaming Scale and x1 Demonic Shard:
    Were eligible to submit a Customs Skills/Sword Art request, Were under Paragon Lv. 60. The reason behind these specific rewards being distributed is because they match 3.1's current Paragon Rewards at Lv. 50. 
    I understand that this does not entirely address the Demonic Shard shortage in players that fall into this reward gap. This also circulates more Gleaming Scales in the player base than should be necessary in Paragon Rewards distribution. However, in the interest of fairness to players from previous tiers that did not receive Demonic Shard compensation for conversion during 3.0, this quantity will be kept at 1. Similarly, it is my hope that the additional Gleaming Scale helps in justifying the value of this compensation.
    To the players, I seek your understanding as I make this move.
    2. Acquisition of Extra Skills tied to Quests 
    During the transition to 3.0, some 2.6 quests were updated with the added reward of offering new Extra Skills that players could attain via quest recompletion (seen here). This was intended to be maintained as the status quo. However, due to staff miscommunication and a bit of player pressure, this system went undermined. 
    As PST GM, I'd like to sincerely apologize for this move. Because clarity in the game's rules and regulations are under my jurisdiction, a misinterpretation from me on behalf of staff can drastically alter the workings of the game. The sole responsibility of this fault should be on my shoulders alone, and to the players, I ask for your forgiveness, co-operation and understanding in moving forward.
    To reiterate, Extra Skills may only be unlocked upon Quest completion in 3.0. The following Extra Skills and Quest pairings count as exceptions, meaning players will retain these skills had they completed their corresponding quests in 2.6:
    Meditation, from Calming the Soul Survival, from The Traveller Forgotten King's Authority, from Betrayal of the King Concentration or Disguise (depending on your past outcome), from The Gemini More information regarding quest completion in past content may be seen here.
    I understand that past threads in 3.0/3.1 had been closed in our understanding of the alternative. By GM powers on my behalf, the mistakes on these thread closures shall be waived. I'd also like to ask players to abide by the rule of quest recompletion to attain these Extra Skills. This will be reinforced by my PST team in the approvals to come.
    Should there be any questions or concerns regarding the topics addressed above, please direct your feedback to #ask-a-staff and/or #feedback channels on the SAO-RPG Discord server. The route of submitting a ticket via #modmail is also encouraged.
    In addition, I appreciate all complaints (if any) be directed towards me specifically, rather than the whole or another representative of staff. As I had mentioned in both sections of this address, these are moves that I am taking sole responsibility for.
    Once again, this has been NIGHT as PST GM. Thank you very much for your time. 
  2. NIGHT

    [2021] Halloween Celebration!

    By NIGHT,


    3.1
    Hey fellow players! From now until the 30th of November, the site will be under effects of the Halloween Event that may be found [here]!
    Here's a quick rundown of what bonuses you players stand to gain from:
    Golden Gingko Scatter
    All threads closed within the event period will gain the following benefits:
    +15% EXP +30% col +50% materials Furthermore, for each loot-minimum monster slain that has a loot roll of natural CD9+, rewards gained from that loot roll is doubled.
    Oni's Skeleton Hunt
    For every thread made and closed during this event, stand a chance to encounter that guy and try to land tags against him! Fair warning, for he's hard to hit; tags made against him would earn players bonuses for themselves and their parties! Furthermore, each player will gain additional rewards from Oni for every successful tag they land against that guy. Visit the thread to find out more!
    Kuni's Collection
    Writers rejoice! For every thread closed during this event period, players will gain some pumpkin seeds to exchange for a variety of wares Kuni has to offer. Rainbow Scales, Demonic Shards, Bottled Vigor and even the elusive  DELTA RUNE  is available for trade! Visit the event thread for more details.
    A Growing Buttercup
    Here's a bit of reflection in time for thanksgiving; writers may see EXP bonuses in the event thread itself by answering prompts with regards to events that their characters have been through during their time in Aincrad. While these prompts have a word minimum and do not count towards the post minimum requirement of 150 words, prompts are also considered towards EXP calculations during thread closure, so feel free to expand upon your character's reminiscence to your heart's desire! More information in the event thread above.
    * that guy
    * he's just that guy man.
    From all of us at staff, thank you for playing SAO-RPG!
    Have a happy Halloween (and subsequent Thanksgiving)!
  3. NIGHT
    Hey! Staff is currently looking to update 3.0 systems. From previous discussions, this has meant ideas like working on Sword Arts to remove cooldowns. Today, we'd like to gauge interest on another aspect of the game that 3.0 has brought about: Unique Skills (US) and Custom Skills (CS).
    The way to obtain a Unique Skill is simple: at the time of writing, Level 31 characters may submit a thread every week to roll for a US. There are 10 US available to players at the moment, meaning that once ten Level 31 characters have succeeded in obtaining a US, no other players may roll upon it to obtain it unless one of these US players relinquish their skill due to death, choice or inactivity.
    Custom Skills meet a similar requirement; at Level 31, characters may submit a skill for evaluation and staff will determine if the skill works within system parameters. If it does, it gets approved. Otherwise, word gets returned to the player for edits.
    Here are the issues with this setup:
    Unique Skills are limited, which makes their system biases unfair in viability for players who may want a Unique Skill. Its limitation may foster unrest in the community due to exclusivity. Imagine a player who wanted a Unique Skill entering the community at a later date and noticing all US in the system had been taken up. Unique Skills have a specific niche with regards to their story and history, which may make for intriguing experiences but conflicting gameplay for a specific character's backstory at times. Custom Skills are often seen in the community as 'Unique Skill-lites', and hence skills that are unsuited for their intended power balance in the system are sent our way. Our current solution is to suggest the removal of Unique Skills and increasing the power scaling of Custom Skills. This would mean that all players may effectively own something similar to a Unique Skill in terms of balance while being able to express their character's individuality with it. These Custom Skills would then be evaluated and approved by staff.
    Custom Skills submitted in this manner will be locked to the character who had submitted it. Players who would like to use another player's CS may do so at their own CS' cost and require consultation from the CS' original owner. Custom Skills, unlike Unique Skills, will not have their own unique Sword Art; a different system will be implemented to allow the use of Custom Sword Arts.
    Players who've already rolled and succeeded in obtaining a Unique Skill have the following accommodations:
    The ability to keep their Unique Skill as a Custom Skill (with the US Sword Art removed), The ability to maintain their Unique Skill's flavour if they would like to change their Custom Skill (eg. name, description) A flavour-specific addon in the future that designates the character as the original recipient/title holder of their Unique Skill. We weren't sure what the community's perception of this change might be, and so wanted to put the option to a poll first. Between these two choices, which would you prefer?
    If you have any additional suggestions we could take into consideration when developing these systems or if you have a different approach to the CS/US divide, leave a comment below or in the suggestion-box in our Discord server.
    Thank you very much for your time!
  4. NIGHT

    [3.0.1] Patch Notes

    By NIGHT,


    Patch Notes
    Systems & Development Comments: ah jeeves here we go
    Crafting/Shop Changes:
    Item Fusion for consumables is now available. This includes the fusion of Demonic consumables. The cost of materials sold in General Merchant has now been increased from 300col to 700col. System & Development Comments: There was a concern over the value of player-obtained materials since the price of materials in the General Merchant was considered cheap. The price has been raised, although staff will be looking out for potential issues amongst players with this price hike. This price increment may be reversed in the future. Thread Mechanics Changes:
    Demonic Shards and Gleaming Scales have been added to the following: Treasure Chests, Monster Loot Tier-gating for Dungeons' Wave EXP rewards has been removed. Skill Changes:
    One-Handed Weapons that utilize the [MA] tag on their Sword Arts now benefit from +1 extra base DMG at Rank 1. Custom Skills, Custom Sword Arts and Unique Skills are now available to players at level cap (currently level 31). Consumable Changes:
    Limits on the number of consumables players may use in a thread has been removed. This limit has been shifted over to Boss Raids specifically for the time being. Tier locks on Field Boss consumables have been removed. Quest Changes:
    [F-01] Black Iron Dungeon: Items from a Black Iron Dungeon Chest may now be collected by all players in the party. [F-01] Nature's Treasure: Gilded Hands will only spawn on a CD 1. Systems & Development Comments: Please note that all edits to quests are currently rubber band solutions. Staff is looking to overhaul either these quests or systems related to these quests in the future.
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