Bard Songs on New Telon

[Faux]

Hi everyone.

This weekend saw the implementation of bard songs (well, the backend for it at least) on New Telon. Despite one funny bug that allowed a player to achieve 7000+ dexterity, things went well. I just wanted to use this post as a place to discuss what is implemented and what is not. And as a reminder, the song components are not scripted yet, so your songs won't do anything. But scripts will be generated over the course of the next 1-2 weeks, so you can expect some new scripts almost every day!

1) Energy cost. This is working internally and will make it onto New Telon this week. Energy regen is currently very high though so I doubt you can actually run out of energy. This is committed and will be active with next update of New Telon

2) Improper stacking. Certain song components can only be used once in a song. I don't have these rules in place yet, so you can load up a song with whatever you want. This should be working in the next 2 weeks.
This is committed and will be active with next update of New Telon

3) Support for voice and instrument mods is in, but I still have to add code to modify those values based on equipment. The scripting end is done, but the equipment end has to be put in to make the scripting end work.
This has been committed and will work on NT after next server update.

Known bugs:
1) If the bard dies, the song may not properly remove the modified attributes/stats. Camping out and back will refresh your stats.

2) One report of a bard logging out and back in with his warrior and the song stayed up somehow. I'll need to add a check upon camping to remove any song effects. I put in a check that will stop the song if the bard logs out or crashes. Needs a bit more edge testing though.

[OncaLupe]

1) Does anyone know what level additional song components opened up? I'm pretty sure a level 1 bard didn't have 16 available song component slots. Or were all slots opened from level 1, but it was gated just by the level at which you got the components?

Slots opened as the bard leveled, but I don't remember details. I believe when you started, it was just the Melody slot and one Lyric slot. The other slots/types weren't even visible until they unlocked. My guess is you got all slots open around level 40-45? I powerleveled my bard after I got to the 20's and soloing got painful, so I can't be sure.

[Jakkal]

This shows when at least some of the song components were available: http://vanguard.wikia.com/wiki/Bard

[Faux]

I do have level limits for each song component. The question I have is, when did the UI unlock those elements. From what I understand, you could have 3 choices for verse components, but maybe only 2 can be slotted at level 35, and 3 can only be slotted at 45 or something.

We'll also need to figure out how to hide and open those slots.

I'll try this struct when I am home later:

Code: Select all

<Struct Name="WS_ServerBardSongComponents" OpcodeName="OP_ServerBardSongComponents" PacketType="2" Origin="Server" >
<Data ElementName="Verses" Type="uint8" />
<Data ElementName="Embellishments" Type="uint8" />
<Data ElementName="Bridges" Type="uint8" />
<Data ElementName="Lyrics" Type="uint8" />
<Data ElementName="Choruses" Type="uint8" />
<Data ElementName="Codas" Type="uint8" />
</Struct>

[Faux]

Song component slots opening up as you level will be in the next commit to New Telon. Please tell me if you remember it differently from live and we discuss changes. Its all database driven, so changes are easy.

[Faux]

Equipping items that give voice mods and instrument mods is now working locally and committed. It will be live next time Xinux updates the server. I have to implement using only the highest mod level equipped. Right now equipping a 1.06 and 1.21 voice mod will grant 1.27 mod instead of just using 1.21.

[Faux]

Having multiple modifiers equipped will now properly only utilize the highest level modifier. So equipping a 1.21 mod and a 1.06 mod will only use the 1.21 mod. Unequipping the 1.21 mod will reactivate the 1.06 mod. It'll be active on NT at next server update.

[Cyrcle]

It's been so long I honestly don't recall off the top of my head. I want to say the slots opened up as you leveled. My wife Femi remembers the same. I referenced some of the web sites I archived back then and The Telon Project reads

You begin your bard career with a single pre-made song in your composer entitled "Mellarien's Anthem of War". It will contain…you guessed it…Anthem of War and will contain melody and embellishment slot. You receive your final song slot at L48 when you get your second Bridge. We will discuss the song composer briefly and then move on to the different component categories.

which seems to confirm what I originally thought.

Also, looking through the Vanguard Prima Strategy Guide, it reads:

Songs
The process of creating songs is unique to bards. Essentially,
it works as follows:
1. Open your Song Book window, and click on Compose.
2. Click on Melody, and select one from the list. (Hover over each melody to see its effects.)
3. Do the same with the other available parts of the song; at first, you have two Embellishments slots and one Lyrics slot in addition to Melody.
4. Give the song a name, and optionally, a description. Then save it.
5. Drag the newly created song from your song book onto the hotbar. Now, whenever you want to play that song, click on the song icon.

The Melody provides the main effect of the song. Add Embellishments and Lyrics to provide extra effects, though each extra effect increases the song’s cost (in energy per second). If you want to reduce a song’s energy cost, click on Rests and drag a Rest into a particular slot. Each Rest you add to the song decreases the overall casting cost. As your bard gains in level, you gain more slots for Embellishments and Lyrics, as well as new categories of add-ons, including Bridge, Chorus, Coda, and Verse. Each new slot gives more opportunities to enhance the song.

I cannot seem to find when each slot opens up on any of the sites I have archived however.

I have something like 15+ GB of data backed up from various web sites. Granted it did not get everything I wanted (it sprawled to a lot of sites not pertaining to Vanguard), I would like to think I have a fair amount of Vanguard information saved. Please don't hesitate to ask me (PM or email) if I have any info you may need!

[Jakkal]

If you have VGTact or VanguardCrafters.com, we could use it.

[Moldew]

Anything in Mekalia too. I've reconstructed the city, but there's not a heck of a lot about quests and diplo.