Dev Diary Feedback: New Monster Creation

[Clover]

For this Dev Diary I’ll walk you through the broad process of how a monster comes together, what components of a monster I work on and how they are created, and our broad goals for the monsters in Mines of Moria™.

Read more from Tim “Raskolnikov” Lang's latest Developer Diary: New Monster Creation and post your comments here!

[Wisdomandlore]

The mobs in Moria definitely are more fun to fight. Standouts include the annoying little drakelings, the frightening grodbog hive defenders, and the purely awesome Fiery and Shadowy Grims (for which Raskolnikov and the art team deserve an award!).

[Dean340]

Tim has hideous babies?
i'm...so sorry to hear that


btw, the buffs, defuffs, stances and corruptions are a blast!
keep up the awesome work

[Thurindras]

Fire grims are definitely awesome. I thought the trolls in the Shadowed Refuge were especially nasty - very creative on the buffs and debuffs in general out there! It really does convey the sense of a harsh environment.


Overall great work!! This was probably one of the better dev diaries so far

[KainXI]

I absolutely loved the new monster AI's in Moria. They really really take away a lot of the boredom that comes from dealing with "trash" mobs.

[ETSubmariner]

Um, yeah . . . we're going to have to move you to the basement . . . but we will let you play your music at a reasonable level.

So, great diary. I will have to wait to see what this all means. Usually these beasties are dog meat before I have time to see what the creature was doing, but then again the ones I've fought so far aren't MORIA BEASTIES!

[klyth]

Everything sounds REALLY fun and exciting...

But...

I'd trade all of it (or some of it, anyway) for buff/debuff icons that don't dance wildly around under the vitals bar, jittering to and fro each time a new 2-3 second buff/debuff appears or disappears, like a spastic child in a yo-yo factory... It's impossible to mouse over to see what does what!

It sounded like this is being addressed... but - when??!?!?!?!?!?

[SirIsaac66]

*clap* yay for Batman!! Great dev diary and cant wait until i see those new grims

[Grampsaz]

Great diary man.

Those Gobsnaga trolls are the suck...

Actually, you did such a good job in the Shadow Refuge specifically, that I officially hate that place

[willwheels]

I really like the Hollin lizards as well. Nice job!

[gildhur]

Shadow Grims, Fire Grims, Nameless, Globsnagas, Grodbog Spitters, Warg Riders, Goblin Scouts, Goblin Sneaks, Dragonets, and best of all, ACID FROGS! Moria mobs rock, man. Great job.

[BIGeyedBUG]

Great diary.

Question: Are pre-MoM babi...err, monsters getting the benefit of some of these revisions? I'm thinking specifically of "improved feedback" as written about on page 7.

[Wisdomandlore]

Shadow Grims, Fire Grims, Nameless, Globsnagas, Grodbog Spitters, Warg Riders, Goblin Scouts, Goblin Sneaks, Dragonets, and best of all, ACID FROGS! Moria mobs rock, man. Great job.

Oh, I forgot about Hypnotoad!

[gildhur]

Question: Are pre-MoM babi...err, monsters getting the benefit of some of these revisions? I'm thinking specifically of "improved feedback" as written about on page 7.

Inductions and auras, yes. New skills, no.

[Amoryn]

Thanks Tim, one of the most entertaining Dev diaries yet. I especially like the Troll "momentum" buff.

P.S. I sincerely hope I don't see any monsters going for a take-down or trying any ground-and-pound on my character any time soon... that is, of course, unless I'm able to try for a triangle choke or an arm-bar. Can't wait for 11/15 and 12/27.

[Jeffrai_NO]

Great Dev Diary - looks like great changes/improvements overall. Must...have...more...details on icon changes. Any chance of ever getting independent scaleable buff and debuff windows for players ?

[swisskdl]

I really enjoyed the new 'tough' mobs of Moria. Basic fights became a bit more fun, so well done.

One thing I'd still like to push for would be more audio 'indicators' and less over-the-top fx's used.

I'd love to hear an orc have a nasty thing to say to me and that is my indicator he is going to do his big attack instead of a big red glowy circle. Perhaps a tobble?... you could have audio indicators or the visual indicators, or both. Make the tobble checkboxes not radio buttons


Also, I'm still waiting for the day that a troll actually picks someone up and either throws them or bites them or something mean.


Anyway, I think the changes to the mobs in Moria is one of the better things going for it. Well done.

[Thurindras]

Also, I'm still waiting for the day that a troll actually picks someone up and either throws them or bites them or something mean.

Well, at one point during the Watcher fight, some of his tentacles can pick people up and they just hang by one leg out of the water... It was so funny to see hobbits being picked up



...and then they died and we wiped

[NameAlreadyTaken]

Oh my God...the Trolls. I finally fear Trolls and I love it, they're extremely nasty. There's a lot of other little baddies that I like too (or despise, but like for the difficulty).

Special kudos for all the new 'What will this Orc or Goblin say' text that some of these folks use. Running through the Mithril Slaves instance is especially amusing. Nice work!

Actually, you did such a good job in the Shadow Refuge specifically, that I officially hate that place

Amen to that Gramps. It's quite awful and I love every square foot of it as a result. Gamil Filik [sp.] rocks too. You've got to stay on your toes there, even at 60. Nasty little Goblins.

Edit: LOL at this passage:
“So, let me get this straight: you want a dude on top of a mammoth who throws spears while the mammoth attacks and then you want the mammoth to go into a rage and buck the rider off and then it will attack on its own…”
‘Yes!’
“*sigh*… I’ll see what I can do…”

[Sylux14]

This sounds like it will be awesome!




Just one thing, by 'avoidance', did he mean actually using the W,A,S, and D keys, or B/P/E? If it's B/P/E, champs are dead...

[gildhur]

Oh my God...the Trolls. I finally fear Trolls and I love it, they're extremely nasty.

And yet my Hunter wife can still solo them at 60. /boggle NARPH HUNTARZ!

Just one thing, by 'avoidance', did he mean actually using the W,A,S, and D keys, or B/P/E? If it's B/P/E, champs are dead...

WASD, not BEP. The same way you currently "avoid" a salamander setting you on fire.

[KainXI]

This sounds like it will be awesome!




Just one thing, by 'avoidance', did he mean actually using the W,A,S, and D keys, or B/P/E? If it's B/P/E, champs are dead...

WASD keys

[Benucio]

I don't care about corruptions, mezzing, roots, dazes, stuns, clobbers, fear, disease, poison, wound, inductions, knockbacks, or any of that stuff. I don't care about level caps, new classes, gloom, radiance, farming, spamming, weapons, jewelery, armor, block, parry, evade, teal, purple, orange, loot, buffs, debuffs, crafting, questing, buying, selling, grouping, fighting, defending, or any of that "Lore" stuff.

Let's face it, the only thing that matters is: Do the goblins in Moria shout GET HEEM!!
THAT, is what I want to know.

[NameAlreadyTaken]

And yet my Hunter wife can still solo them at 60. /boggle NARPH HUNTARZ!

I didn't say I couldn't kill one, just that they scare me.

I'm not touching them with my Captain though...if I can't stop their Momentum I'm gonna get pounded in to goo.

[LeviticusD]

Hehe,

I managed eye-rolls and small smiles at most the jokes and references, but you got me to laugh out loud at the Plane made of biceps...That gets played at least once a day in my office! LOL

Sounds like a fun and exciting system. Kudos to you and the other teams working on these monsters.