☕Tomo’s Teatime(◡‿◡) #4
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Tomo's Teatime - Shall We Talk?
Hello, Heroes of Bermesiah! This is Director Tomo.
Roadmap Schedule Changes
Before we get started today, I'd like to talk about some changes to the roadmap schedule.
The previously announced "Shared Inventory System" and "Improvements to Item Acquisition" originally scheduled for the February 4th update will be rescheduled to February 25th.
Instead the "Rune Secondary Stat Reset System" and "Equipment Growth Guide Blueprint System" will be updated on February 4th.
I understand that many of those who have been waiting may feel disappointed due to this schedule change, and we'd like to sincerely apologize for that.
But this decision was not simply a decision to delay the update, but rather a choice made to further improve its overall quality.
Now, I’d like to share some details about what we’re currently working on.
Reducing RNG-Based Growth Mechanics
In a previous Teatime, we mentioned that we would gradually reduce the impact of random chance on character progression.
However, we are aware that with the addition of the new Skill Rune System in more recent updates, some players felt that this is different from the direction we had promised.
While we have been moving forward with improvements to reduce RNG in dungeon farming, the Skill Rune system itself may have come across as introducing another layer of randomness. In that process, we also acknowledge that our explanation was not as thorough as it should have been.
We believe that it is difficult to completely remove random chance and repetitive play from all reward systems in the game, and our goal is instead to improve them to a level that still feels enjoyable and acceptable for players.
We hope you’ll see the updates outlined below as steps in that direction.
1) Rune Secondary Stat Reset System
We determined that acquiring desired attributes for both standard stat runes and skill runes placed too heavy a burden on players, and have made improvements accordingly.
We plan to add Rune Secondary Stat Reset items as new rewards through Solene dungeons and events, and we will continue to adjust acquisition amounts over time.
Additionally, when resetting Rune Secondary Stats, we plan to allow players to choose whether to keep the existing attribute or apply the newly rolled one.
We do not want players to feel that a choice made to pursue growth could potentially result in a setback to their progression.
These same concerns led to the reset of the Awakening Core system, and we are looking into extending this direction to GP Item Property Scrolls moving forward.
2) Improvements to RNG-Based Item Acquisition
Improvements to the item acquisition structure will introduce pity mechanics for certain items that previously could only be obtained through random chance.
This is meant to be a safeguard designed to reduce situations where unlucky players receive no rewards despite grinding for an extended period of time.
However, if an item is obtained early due to good luck, the guaranteed reward gauge will be reset as part of the system’s design.
Our goal is to reduce repetitive play by improving drop rates where possible, but because some valuable rewards need to stay rare, we’re introducing this as an additional safeguard.
This system will first be applied on February 25th to the acquisition of Single Property Scrolls in the Tower of Disappearance, and we are also exploring improvements to help reduce the overall playtime required for the Tower of Disappearance.
As this is currently under consideration, we’ll share more detailed information once everything is finalized.
Rewards for Stat Drop Protection Scrolls after Stat Change Scroll Improvements
In the January 14th update, we made a change that merged the Single Stat Drop Protection Scroll with the Single Stat Change Scroll.
Players who owned Single Stat Drop Protection Scrolls had them converted into Single Stat Change Scrolls. However, because this change was implemented rather abruptly, we also received requests for compensation from players who had already used those items.
While we believe the direction of this system improvement was the right one, we also felt it was necessary to address the inconvenience caused by the late notice.
As such, additional compensation related to Stat Drop Protection Scrolls used during the three weeks prior to January 14th is planned for the February 4th update.
Post-Level 85 Equipment Growth Guide System
We are currently developing a system that provides post-level 85 equipment progression in the form of blueprints.
This guide system is designed to clearly show, in-game, the materials required for current equipment progression and the dungeons where those materials can be obtained, while also improving convenience throughout the crafting process.
We hope this will be helpful for adventurers returning after a long break, as well as for those experiencing Grand Chase for the first time.
Improvements to Repeat Mission Location
Mission and Repeat Mission UIs will be integrated into a single interface.
Prior to the update, players had to exit the dungeon lobby each time to complete repeat missions. With this improvement, repeat missions can now be completed directly within the dungeon room.
Though a small change, we expect that will reduce some inconvenience.
Return of the Iris's Diary Event
The Iris's Diary event will return on February 4th.
If the previous diary focused on Iris’s time at the Chapel of Eternity, this new diary will cover what comes after, along with smaller episodes that were not shown in the dungeons.
Additionally, we’ve made a small improvement so that you can revisit the previous Iris’s Diary story as well.
On February 25th, we’re preparing a unique event similar to the current Spot the Difference event, so please look forward to it.
Improvements to "Coordi Fusion Scroll" Acquisition
We’re aware that the current stat effects on Coordi items can make it difficult to freely customize the appearance players want.
More specifically, this is because customization is only possible if you have a 'Coordi Fusion Scroll', which is currently sold for VP.
We plan to make it easier to customize appearances and give players greater freedom when styling their characters.
However, due to development priorities, we don’t expect to be able to release this update during the first half of the year.
To ensure this inconvenience isn’t left unaddressed before the update, we plan to add an option on February 25th to purchase Coordi Fusion Scrolls using in-game currency as well.
So to be clear, we want to emphasize this: if you’re not in a hurry, we recommend holding off on purchasing Coordi Fusion Scrolls with VP, and instead buying them with in-game currency after February 25th.
Improvements to Communication and Community Events
We’re continuing our efforts to improve how we communicate with players.
We’re currently discussing the possibility of delivering patch notes not only as written announcements, but also in video format.
Moving forward, videos uploaded to YouTube will include subtitles not only in English, but also in Korean and Portuguese.
Regarding recent improvements to Twitch Drops, we’ve extended the viewing period from 3 hours to 3 days, and expanded eligibility beyond official broadcasts to include streams that feature Grand Chase as their main content.
In addition, to better support regions where Twitch viewing is less common, we’ve also enabled simultaneous streaming on YouTube.
We also check the feedback and question channels on Discord daily.
While responses may occasionally take some time, we’re making sure nothing is overlooked, so please feel free to share your thoughts and questions with us.
New Dungeon 'Sanctuary of Divine Beast'
Lastly, we’d like to introduce the new dungeon “Sanctuary of Divine Beast,” which will be added in the February 4th update.
As you may have noticed from the revealed monster images, underwater combat will be making its return for the first time in quite a while.
A powerful divine beast also awaits you, so we hope you’re looking forward to the challenge.
1) Underwater Monsters
2) Powerful Divine Beast
That’s all for today.
We apologize once again for any inconvenience caused by the schedule changes, and we’ll continue preparing so we can make it up to you with a better experience.
We’ll talk again during the next Teatime. Thank you for your time.
- Sincerely, Tomo.
[/p]
Hello, Heroes of Bermesiah! This is Director Tomo.
Roadmap Schedule Changes
Before we get started today, I'd like to talk about some changes to the roadmap schedule.
The previously announced "Shared Inventory System" and "Improvements to Item Acquisition" originally scheduled for the February 4th update will be rescheduled to February 25th.
Instead the "Rune Secondary Stat Reset System" and "Equipment Growth Guide Blueprint System" will be updated on February 4th.
I understand that many of those who have been waiting may feel disappointed due to this schedule change, and we'd like to sincerely apologize for that.
But this decision was not simply a decision to delay the update, but rather a choice made to further improve its overall quality.
Now, I’d like to share some details about what we’re currently working on.
Reducing RNG-Based Growth Mechanics
In a previous Teatime, we mentioned that we would gradually reduce the impact of random chance on character progression.
However, we are aware that with the addition of the new Skill Rune System in more recent updates, some players felt that this is different from the direction we had promised.
While we have been moving forward with improvements to reduce RNG in dungeon farming, the Skill Rune system itself may have come across as introducing another layer of randomness. In that process, we also acknowledge that our explanation was not as thorough as it should have been.
We believe that it is difficult to completely remove random chance and repetitive play from all reward systems in the game, and our goal is instead to improve them to a level that still feels enjoyable and acceptable for players.
We hope you’ll see the updates outlined below as steps in that direction.
1) Rune Secondary Stat Reset System
We determined that acquiring desired attributes for both standard stat runes and skill runes placed too heavy a burden on players, and have made improvements accordingly.
We plan to add Rune Secondary Stat Reset items as new rewards through Solene dungeons and events, and we will continue to adjust acquisition amounts over time.
Additionally, when resetting Rune Secondary Stats, we plan to allow players to choose whether to keep the existing attribute or apply the newly rolled one.
We do not want players to feel that a choice made to pursue growth could potentially result in a setback to their progression.
These same concerns led to the reset of the Awakening Core system, and we are looking into extending this direction to GP Item Property Scrolls moving forward.
2) Improvements to RNG-Based Item Acquisition
Improvements to the item acquisition structure will introduce pity mechanics for certain items that previously could only be obtained through random chance.
This is meant to be a safeguard designed to reduce situations where unlucky players receive no rewards despite grinding for an extended period of time.
However, if an item is obtained early due to good luck, the guaranteed reward gauge will be reset as part of the system’s design.
Our goal is to reduce repetitive play by improving drop rates where possible, but because some valuable rewards need to stay rare, we’re introducing this as an additional safeguard.
This system will first be applied on February 25th to the acquisition of Single Property Scrolls in the Tower of Disappearance, and we are also exploring improvements to help reduce the overall playtime required for the Tower of Disappearance.
As this is currently under consideration, we’ll share more detailed information once everything is finalized.
Rewards for Stat Drop Protection Scrolls after Stat Change Scroll Improvements
In the January 14th update, we made a change that merged the Single Stat Drop Protection Scroll with the Single Stat Change Scroll.
Players who owned Single Stat Drop Protection Scrolls had them converted into Single Stat Change Scrolls. However, because this change was implemented rather abruptly, we also received requests for compensation from players who had already used those items.
While we believe the direction of this system improvement was the right one, we also felt it was necessary to address the inconvenience caused by the late notice.
As such, additional compensation related to Stat Drop Protection Scrolls used during the three weeks prior to January 14th is planned for the February 4th update.
Post-Level 85 Equipment Growth Guide System
We are currently developing a system that provides post-level 85 equipment progression in the form of blueprints.
This guide system is designed to clearly show, in-game, the materials required for current equipment progression and the dungeons where those materials can be obtained, while also improving convenience throughout the crafting process.
We hope this will be helpful for adventurers returning after a long break, as well as for those experiencing Grand Chase for the first time.
Improvements to Repeat Mission Location
Mission and Repeat Mission UIs will be integrated into a single interface.
Prior to the update, players had to exit the dungeon lobby each time to complete repeat missions. With this improvement, repeat missions can now be completed directly within the dungeon room.
Though a small change, we expect that will reduce some inconvenience.
Return of the Iris's Diary Event
The Iris's Diary event will return on February 4th.
If the previous diary focused on Iris’s time at the Chapel of Eternity, this new diary will cover what comes after, along with smaller episodes that were not shown in the dungeons.
Additionally, we’ve made a small improvement so that you can revisit the previous Iris’s Diary story as well.
On February 25th, we’re preparing a unique event similar to the current Spot the Difference event, so please look forward to it.
Improvements to "Coordi Fusion Scroll" Acquisition
We’re aware that the current stat effects on Coordi items can make it difficult to freely customize the appearance players want.
More specifically, this is because customization is only possible if you have a 'Coordi Fusion Scroll', which is currently sold for VP.
We plan to make it easier to customize appearances and give players greater freedom when styling their characters.
However, due to development priorities, we don’t expect to be able to release this update during the first half of the year.
To ensure this inconvenience isn’t left unaddressed before the update, we plan to add an option on February 25th to purchase Coordi Fusion Scrolls using in-game currency as well.
So to be clear, we want to emphasize this: if you’re not in a hurry, we recommend holding off on purchasing Coordi Fusion Scrolls with VP, and instead buying them with in-game currency after February 25th.
Improvements to Communication and Community Events
We’re continuing our efforts to improve how we communicate with players.
We’re currently discussing the possibility of delivering patch notes not only as written announcements, but also in video format.
Moving forward, videos uploaded to YouTube will include subtitles not only in English, but also in Korean and Portuguese.
Regarding recent improvements to Twitch Drops, we’ve extended the viewing period from 3 hours to 3 days, and expanded eligibility beyond official broadcasts to include streams that feature Grand Chase as their main content.
In addition, to better support regions where Twitch viewing is less common, we’ve also enabled simultaneous streaming on YouTube.
We also check the feedback and question channels on Discord daily.
While responses may occasionally take some time, we’re making sure nothing is overlooked, so please feel free to share your thoughts and questions with us.
New Dungeon 'Sanctuary of Divine Beast'
Lastly, we’d like to introduce the new dungeon “Sanctuary of Divine Beast,” which will be added in the February 4th update.
As you may have noticed from the revealed monster images, underwater combat will be making its return for the first time in quite a while.
A powerful divine beast also awaits you, so we hope you’re looking forward to the challenge.
1) Underwater Monsters
2) Powerful Divine Beast
That’s all for today.
We apologize once again for any inconvenience caused by the schedule changes, and we’ll continue preparing so we can make it up to you with a better experience.
We’ll talk again during the next Teatime. Thank you for your time.
- Sincerely, Tomo.
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