Supporter newsletter 41

Issue
This is a copy of Eternal and Diamond Supporter Newsletter #41, published by Grinding Gear Games.

Hey Diamond, Eternal and Unique Item Creator Supporters,

The 1.0.2 patch went out Friday. It was a little delayed, but was a huge patch. It contained two game system overhauls: Maps and Damage Over Time. It also included the new supporter packs.

The new supporter packs are doing well. The new top tier pack does not include a unique item design, but is still selling at a really pleasing rate. We are hoping to clear the considerable backlog we have, before assessing whether we want this to be available again.

The next patch will include a new skill, new microtransactions, achievements, recipes, and of course, uniques. At this stage there are no new reworks to systems planned for this patch, although it may include some readjustments to damage over time, and possibly some related passives.

1.0.2 Uniques

All the 1.0.2 unique items have been discovered. The supporter uniques were Wings of Entropy, Lifesprig and the map Olmec’s Sanctum.

Belly of the Beast was a Brother Laz unique. I really like the clarity of the design of this item. It’s deceptively straight forward, but fulfils more than one role in the game. It also has kickass 3D art which I expect to be skin transferred frequently.

1.0.3 Uniques

Among the 1.0.3 uniques, we’ll have a diamond unique that has been in the works for a very long time, going through many different iterations until we’ve finally come up with a version that fits the original design goal and the current game.

We’re hoping to get a new unique map in with this patch, though these are far more time consuming and it’s easy for something to go wrong that extends the schedule by another few weeks.

Insider Info

Path of Exile has a design document, written reasonably early in its development. I thought I could have a series of Insider Infos with Excerpts from it, either because the current game fulfills that design plan or does not. Here is an excerpt from very near the beginning of the design document (written by Chris in 2007):

Important Characteristics:

Online: Path of Exile is an online game (technically not an MMORPG), with instanced areas. Players are encouraged to play in groups, but can play alone if they wish. There is a PVP component and ladder rankings for players who wish to compete against each other.

Strong economy: Careful design has gone into itemisation so that the in-game economy is robust and makes players feel proud of their items.

Visceral combat: There is a strong emphasis on the combat feeling intense and visceral with plenty of gore and dismemberment.

Easy to play: The control scheme should be familiar to players of other games in this genre. The controls are very easy to guess and should be obvious even to players who have never played a similar game before.

Free: The game is free to download and play. Monetisation is via micro-transactions (the sale of non-transferable perks and services in the game).

Dark Setting: The theme/setting of Path of Exile is dark and foreboding. Most games of this genre recently have been bright and cartoony, so Path of Exile is designed to appeal to fans of the gothic horror or dark fantasy subgenres.

Deep Website Integration: Many game features can be accessed via the game’s website (in addition to through the game itself). These include trading and sending messages to other characters.

And for no particular reason, an image highlighting a Small Life Flask. http://i.imgur.com/onOlE7T.jpg