This is pretty exciting, I think. You're right in that some of the answers
aren't what we wanted to hear, however, I think it's pretty much to be
expected. Few probably care, but here's my take on these answers:
> GZ: This missing songs are being saved for the expansion pack. We might
> break down and put some of them in sooner, but I really wanted to
> be able to
> add new abilities to Bards as the game continued.
I'm a little bit disappointed in this, but it's not that big a deal to me.
I'm not on the list of people who feel that the game is "unfinished", but I
was hoping those songs would make it in, especially now that I'm approaching
39th ;) The songs that we have in our repertoire are sufficient to get
things done all the way through 50th IMO.
> Alenias Disenchanting Melody
>
> GZ: I will check this one out. It *should* cast cancel magic on
> your entire
> group - and did at one point of beta. It is high on my list of things to
> check out/get fixed.
Holy cow! This would have been more than just a little bit useful in
Befallen at level 22. It would have saved me several nasty DoT deaths. FIX
THIS ONE! When I'm hunting (err.. dying) in Kithicor now I'd have it memmed
right beside Selo's. This would allow me to at least be in motion when I
died.
> GZ: Well, i just fixed the horn. We should have a drum at some time - I
> just don't know when. Sorry. I think we will try to sneak it in on our
> next graphics patch.
"We should have a drum at some time" implies that they simply don't have a
drum graphic to give us. Therefore it wasn't something that they could have
fixed in the last emotes animation patch. If that's the case it might be
some time before we get the drum. It'd be nice, but it's not keeping me up
nights.
On the other hand, I have been pleasantly surprised with the new emotes.
Most of them are pretty funny and/or well done. It's nice to actually bow,
point, etc. The other nice thing that happened to us is that we no longer
look like we're standing when playing Hymn with an instrument after battle.
Many times I've had to explain to someone in my group that in fact I *was*
sitting, it just didn't look like it.
> right click on a spell can see what skill the spell uses
This would be nice. At 31st I still have to look up a couple of the less
frequently used songs to see what skill they might use. More importantly
newer bards would be able to find out that Selo's was "Skill: Percussion" or
that Lullaby was "Skill: Strings".
> Some of our skills (Hiding, Forage) cap at such low levels...
>
> GZ: A lot of these skills are 'given' to Bards, even though they
> won't ever
> get good at them. I'll check on the caps with one of the
> programmers, but I
> doubt that will change much.
I tend to agree with this take believe it or not. Bards are an amalgamation
of various other classes. We have a very impressive list of skill and
capabilities. True, few of our skills are the best version of those skill
when compared to the other classes that receive them, but we do *get* them.
A 30th level necro friend of mine (Hi, Evanya!) has started a bard based in
no small part on grouping with me a lot and seeing how much fun I have.
Cyricc, the new bard, was asking questions about our skills when confronted
with leveling up to 10th. I put it thusly: "Bards have very many of the
skills that other specialize in. Since we have skills from all other
classes it is only just and fair that we either get the skill later
(Clarity: Enchanter 29th, Bard 32nd) or that it isn't quite as strong or
quite as useful (Forage, Safe Fall, Charm, Melee)"
We have all had virtually every other class say to us "Damn! You bards get
that skill TOO?" You've got to expect that in the name of class balance
that some of those multitudinous skills be weakened from their parent class'
versions. So when I think of these skills I may be envious of how much
better another classes' version works (i.e. Forage, Charm, even Melee), but
I take solace in the fact that I even *have* all of those skills.
> GZ: Selo's breaking root has been back and forth since Beta 1. We had it
> breaking root for a while, but this proved to be just too
> powerful, since it
> is a free song that bards keep mem'd all the time.
I think we had all suspected that Selo's breaking root had been deliberately
changed while they were in fixing the Selo's/SoW issues. Selo's breaking
root *was* very powerful, as you not only broke root but were in Turbo Mode
when it broke. That said, the song that we wouldn't keep memmed all the
time and that *should* break root is Disenchanting Melody, and it's broken.
So let's hope ADM gets fixed very soon.
> A) make Selo's work indoors, or B) to not allow SoW and Jboots to work
indoors?
>
> GZ: Possibly. But remember - Bards are similar to Hybrid spell casters on
> their power levels - they are not pure spell casters - their
> songs won't be
> as powerful as a pure caster.
GZ's comments reiterate what I said above. As for Selo's not working
indoors, its a real bummer alright, but again I don't see it as being the
end of the world. I'm just one more gal standing in line in front of the
Druid before we go into Permafrost. If they fix this, it is likely the SoW
and JBoots will get cancelled indoors IMO.
> memorization time being reduced in the future?
>
> GZ: That is something that we will be talking about at our next tuning
> meeting - possibly.
Not much to say. I hope they help us out here.
> Crisson's Pixie Strike seems to be bugged.
>
> GZ: I'll check on that one - not sure.
mumble, mumble, mumble. Pixie Strike is BROKEN. So is Lullaby. I was
TRYING to use Lullaby in Cazic-Thule last night and I'd get a "nods" message
for EVERY mob and then get hit by two or three. This is really aggravating.
It's gotten so my groups are saying "That song's not useful, quit using it."
> GZ: Hope that helps a bit. :)
It does..
Crier Sharpsong - 31st song bard on Fennin Ro