Post by Vio on Sept 30, 2022 9:00:24 GMT -5
Hey, folks! We’re here to drop some new information regarding our ongoing site development and system updates! There’s a couple of things that we’ll be addressing with this instalment, the meat of the matter being our previously talked about update to Ships! Thanks to everyone who gave their input in the survey and on the Discord server—seeing the kinds of things people wanted helped us create a better streamlined system.
Anyway, let’s get started with the title~!
Classes: Expanded!
For the longest time, even before the Overhaul, “S” was the pinnacle of characters on site. It was the capstone at which everything became available and while for many it’s still a while away, some of you have proven that dedication and enjoyability are the gateway to getting there. That, and the recently implemented changes to Grading and basic X-Poinz earnings have chipped a fair bit off the time required to reach it. So, we’re actually going to be adding three new Class thresholds to the list!
“SS” 10,000 X-Poinz “SSS” 12,500 X-Poinz “X” 15,000 X-Poinz
Now, if you’re asking: “Why ‘X’ Class?” This is One Piece, a story about pirates, and ‘X’ marks the spot!
These new Class Thresholds will still offer all of the same benefits as the previously established thresholds have done—there was no reason to make them unique—so that includes further upgrades to Fighting Styles and additional Traits! Certain other systems will be merged with these changes, with Haki Advancements following these thresholds as requirements now that they exist, as well as the modified version of the expanded Traits system we originally implemented…
Traits: Recalibrated!
We originally introduced a system for purchasing additional Traits and Legendary Traits at certain points once a character had reached “S”. We wanted to use this as a gateway to further progression for characters that had hit the ceiling, but this was done with the idea that “S” was (and would always be) the maximum Class. With this no longer being the case, we’ve had to extensively review how this system functioned, and came up with a much more versatile (and cheaper) option that we feel truly accentuates ‘late game’ and the stresses of the New World.
Starting from “S”, characters will now have different Trait options from the normal progression, representing a characters’ type of growth as well as the fact they’re fast approaching the strongest individuals on the sea. You can choose at each Class Threshold (or when ready if you’ve passed it) to either take an additional Trait, or to upgrade one of your existing Traits to its Legendary equivalent! The ability to remove a racial Negative Trait will also remain in this system for those who want it, taking up one of these threshold requirements to escape what might have normally been a crippling weakness.
This means characters can have up to 11 regular Traits (or 12 if they’ve eaten a Devil Fruit), being generalists in their approach, or can have a minimum of 7 Traits, 4 of which could become Legendary Traits! Those would be specialist powerhouses! You can also just mix and match as you go—you aren’t forced to follow either of these two suggested tracks all the way!
And as if that wasn’t enough, passing “S” will also offer an additional possibility to characters! Legendary Switch Traits! The most incredible example of this is more than likely King, whose Lunarian abilities either made him practically impervious to harm, or exceptionally swift, all depending on whether or not his flame was ignited. Adding this option allows for even more monstrous potential later in the game, truly befitting the New World and what we’ve been seeing of it!
We’re Shipping It!
As mentioned at the start, we’ve finally worked out the new system for Ships, and have narrowed them down to having just a handful of things that make them versatile enough to serve their purpose and maintain unique identities. Ships will also be coming out with the new Class Thresholds in mind, and the vessel’s Class will be limited by the owning character (or crew leader’s) Class.
Ships will start at “E” Class for the much more affordable amount of 300 X-Poinz, offering them 2 Traits—things that represent a ship’s direct physical capabilities such as being speedy, durable, or large enough to comfortably carry large individuals (Giants). They’ll also provide 100 Rebate for the ship’s usage, to be spent on Assets.
An Asset is a catch-all term for a ship’s defences, special attachments, or nondescript crew. These are the ship’s equivalent of Equipment and Techniques, and will use the same X-Poinz Costs as Equipment, but will not provide any further Rebate (they’re the lowest tier available to ships). Their Rank will also be limited by the ship’s Class, just as a character’s Equipment and Techniques are limited based on their Fighting Style Class. Just like Equipment, Assets gain access to Trait-like (+1) and Aspect-like (+2) Qualities, so you could use this in various ways to represent special cannonballs (like the patented “Buggy Ball”), a propulsion system, or even a specially equipped team within your crew!
From “D” onwards, ships will also gain access to a special modification—Advancements of their own! Using the same costs as Fighting Style Advancements and providing the same amounts of Rebate to the ship, Advancements represent significant alterations to a ship’s hull and structure that are naturally more permanent in nature than an Asset. Some of these will be limited behind certain Class or other specific requirements, as is typical of certain Advancement features in other parts of the system, but here’s a few examples we came up with:
Ships can spend their Advancements on upgrading an existing Trait to its Legendary version (requiring “C” Class for the first and “S” for the second), such as constructing the hull out of an incredibly strong material such as Adam Wood, or creating an absolutely colossal vessel that can house massive weapons and crew. Another option is building a ship into or onto a sufficiently large animal, like a turtle or whale, making it a Living Vessel. Another still could be converting the entire ship into a Submarine, a Landcrawler or an Airship—each being mutually exclusive options requiring the ship be at least “C” Class. Many other possibilities exist and will be included in the full update, including a spooky friend, configuration systems, and the most extreme examples of ships!
Soft Reset Adjustments
A rather new system has had some test drives and a few changes already, but we’ve decided to implement another quality of life change just to make things cleaner for players aiming for them. Currently, a character needs all of their threads to be finished for their Soft Reset to go through, but that will no longer be the case! A character that is being Soft Reset back into a redesign of themselves, keeping their history and such, can do so even while threads are ongoing! However, the threads must maintain continuity, so do respect the iterations of the character involved. The new version will still be awarded X-Poinz for the threads that have transferred over!
And finally, a mention…
Site Clean-Up!
Spring has long passed, but it doesn’t mean we can’t afford to do some cleaning here and there. Both on Bon Voyage and on our Discord server, we’re looking into some changes to clean up superfluous boards and such. One of the biggest ones is merging The Armory and The Dojo into a single board where both relevant things can be applied for in one go, which should help streamline processes, especially as some things are dependent on one another.
Anyway, that’s all for now! Stay tuned for these changes and more updates!
