The window for Frost Giants will close some time today.

The current plan is to open up the next seasonal race on March 22.

With the new seasonal race will come a change in how these races are released. In an effort to not flood the game with a new race but still allow players access to the race, we will have a staged release (X slots open for the first week, 2X slots open for the second week, then unlimited slots for the final six weeks). These races will be available for a limited time (we're currently looking at a lifespan of 4 months) after the first eight weeks, after which they will autodelete.

I would like to see the termination date not result in a Left Behind scenario, so there may be some flexibility there.

Thanks!

For the moment anyway, you could just type SEASONAL RACES into the help search box.

A very basic race page has been added to the website for each of the two seasonal races and the ranger page has been updated to reflect their expertise/terrain options.

As is usual, the helpfile search updates nightly so all the new seasonal race related helpfiles are available as well.

If I missed anything or made any spelling/factual typos, let me know.

http://forums.carrionfields.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=6&topic_id=41441&mesg_id=41444&page=

I'm mostly kidding. I don't have the time or desire to play a limited race that will disappear in 4 months... Especially since paladin didn't make the cut as a class choice. Of course if I got to play the one centaur paladin I might change my mind Anyways... I did say it first in the thread

Is it possible next time to post help files about the new race few days (maybe 3?) before the race actually becomes avaliable?

And is it possible to make it 5 months instead of 4? Because i think we can realistically ignore the first 2 weeks anyway.

Thank you for this, best addition (change) in many years i think

>Is it possible next time to post help files about the new
>race few days (maybe 3?) before the race actually becomes
>avaliable?

Why would we ruin the surprise? Unless you are in the first handful, you've got 1-2 weeks to decide if the race is something you want to try and come up with your role/description/etc.

>And is it possible to make it 5 months instead of 4? Because i
>think we can realistically ignore the first 2 weeks anyway.

How about we try 4 and see how it works. Also, why don't you look at the stats I posted in this thread as to why I'm comfortable with starting at 4 months.

>Thank you for this, best addition (change) in many years i
>think

So long, and thanks for all the fish!

>Why would we ruin the surprise? Unless you are in the first
>handful, you've got 1-2 weeks to decide if the race is
>something you want to try and come up with your
>role/description/etc.

Would 3 days ruin the surprise? These would be exactly these 3 days to decide if the race is something i want to try and come up with my role/description/etc.

>How about we try 4 and see how it works.

Got it.

> Also, why don't you
>look at the stats I posted in this thread as to why I'm
>comfortable with starting at 4 months.

I don't consider level 30 as somewhat serious character. I made maybe about 100 characters to level 30 myself, but only seriously played few after.

Stats about characters of level 35-40 and above will be very different, i'm sure.

>The current plan is to open up the next seasonal race on March
>22.

So, since you're opening them right as my birthday hits, that means I get a slot right away, right? Right!? Hehe. Anyways, in seriousness.

>With the new seasonal race will come a change in how these
>races are released. In an effort to not flood the game with a
>new race but still allow players access to the race, we will
>have a staged release (X slots open for the first week, 2X
>slots open for the second week, then unlimited slots for the
>final six weeks). These races will be available for a limited
>time (we're currently looking at a lifespan of 4 months) after
>the first eight weeks, after which they will autodelete.

1) Your timeline only accounts for two months (8 weeks). I assume you mean unlimited for the final fourteen weeks? (Or, looking at #3, guess you might just mean two months to roll them up)

2) By unlimited, you're saying free reign, as in non-minotaur-limited?

3) I'm understanding you're saying that once these four months hit, they all fade out? Even if you happened to role them up three days beforehand?

>I would like to see the termination date not result in a
>Left Behind scenario, so there may be some flexibility
>there.


Some of that's verifying that I'm understanding correctly, but I also had two thoughts regarding some of these questions.

I know the minotaur process has been around forever, but I also know many people have just never had the luck to catch one, or skip over to roll one up right after reboot as it sounds is the best luck to catch one. Would it be possible to make it so that if a minotaur slot is available, you have a *chance* at getting a limited-race slot? I suppose you could spam creation a dozen times or so to make a slot's not available, but offhand it seems like it might spread out that window of opportunity a little. If it were theoretically possible to make it so that once you've failed your chance at a limited slot you didn't get a new chance for X period (hour, two hours, something like that), perhaps that might make it a little more random chance to get a limited race, rather than the rush that happens after a reboot. If that makes sense?

Secondly, don't Lvl 1s and Lvl 10- autodelete at a faster rate than other characters? Would it be feasable to make it so that limited races do in a similar range such that you'd either be forced to play your character in a reasonable fashion where you'd naturally play out your character within the desired timespan, or autodelete would catch them. I suppose you'd theoretically still be able to log in just to avoid the autodelete, but it seems like it might be relatively easy to spot this with a limited number of these races, and could force a delete as nessecary for the remaining few.

Anyways, I might be misinterpreting some, but ideas.

Think of it this way.

3/22 = 6 race-X slots
3/29 = 12 race-X slots
4/5 = unlimited race-X slots
5/22 = no more rolling race-X
7/22 = no more playing race-X

So you could be playing anywhere from 2-4 months on your character depending on when it's rolled up.

Even if you have a limited race char and your playing avidly, after 2-4 months, they die anyway? As in, all that work you just did, and you don't even get to con or age die them?

I know what I'm asking may seem a little stupid to ask, but ouch.

>Even if you have a limited race char and your playing avidly,
>after 2-4 months, they die anyway? As in, all that work you
>just did, and you don't even get to con or age die them?

Yes (not that most people con or age die anything).

>I know what I'm asking may seem a little stupid to ask, but
>ouch.

I looked over 2365 player files, level 30 and above that have deleted, and here's the data I gathered.

- 2365 pfiles
- Average lifespan in calendar days = 65 days
- Average playing time in hours online = 90 hours
- 1991 of 2365 players have less than 105 day lifespan (84.19%) - roll up the first day they are open to everyone
- 1454 of 2365 players have less than 60 day lifespan (61.48%) - roll up the last day they are open to everyone

Does it cover every scenario? No, but I think it's pretty good. You know what you're getting into when you roll it up.

So long, and thanks for all the fish!

nt

Great solution! Nice work.

nt