In today’s DevBlog I will be going over changes to our character models, introducing spell tooltips, and giving an update on the status of the Arcane patch (F2P and 48 new spells progression system). If you are looking for more details about the upcoming F2P transition please check out the last two DevBlogs 38 and 39.
First up is an exciting update to the look of each character model. A player's team is currently indicated by a colored glow around their character. This has always been a temporary placeholder measure so that we could start using the new models. Soon they will be changed to more of a Team Fortress 2 style where each team’s color (Red and Blue) is much more obvious in the character’s clothing.
The new progression system will be introducing a ingame currency called Arcane points which will allow players to purchase the 48 new class spells (8 per class). In order to help players make an informed decision on which spells they will unlock we will be adding tooltips to each spell. As you can see below these will be in the traditional style and will include the spell name, description, range, and type.
In addition to the above changes we have also been making great progress on the backend systems needed to make the F2P transition work. I don’t want to give an exact date yet but unless we run into some huge unexpected problems you should see the patch go live within a month. Once that happens everyone who purchased the game will be automatically given the Ultimate pack which includes all six classes. Old players and new will then be able to begin earning Arcane points which can be used to unlock the new spells and/or classes. All players will have access to all servers and game modes and the only paid content that won’t be unlockable with Arcane points will be purely cosmetic. We are designing the system in a way that avoids Pay-To-Win so while paid players may be able to look cooler they will never have an in-game advantage over free players.
Thank you so much for being patient with us while we work on this large patch. I know that it has been a long time coming but we need to take our time with it and not rush things so that everyone has the best possible experience. Next week I will be releasing some more detailed information about the 48 new spells. As always please let me know what you think in the comments or through email!
-Brent
