Design Notes

April 23, 2024

AQWorlds: Infinity For Dummies Guide Book

Excruciatingly Available at Bones & Gnomefells

Peek inside (read on) for an Infinity progress update, new animation sneaky peeks, intentionally confusing tech mumbo jumbo, and (REDACTED).

The "Dummy" is called... Mr. Guy

You may already know Mr. Guy. We have covered him before in previous posts. He is the "dummy" character. Sorta like a digital mannequin. He is a placeholder that is replaced my all player pieces in the game, cutscenes, and for previewing items in your inventory. His skin is gray and his hair is white for color customization reasons. He has one of every possible piece of equipment that a character to can wear. When creating a new animation, they must use Mr. Guy to create it. This is why you will almost always see Mr. Guy in animation previews.

While appearing to spend a lot of time at the digital gym on his 8-pack, Mr. Guy thinks that every body type is beautiful. Probably because he is... literally.... every-body. Also, sometimes Monsters. One way of thinking about it... everyone has some Mr. Guy (or Ms. Girl) deep within us.

We discovered a number of problems with Mr. Guy across the various projects that form together like Voltron to make AdventureQuest: Infinity. (Does anyone even know what Voltron is any more? Originally I was going to go with Transformer Constructicons forming Devastator or enough skulls forming Vordred... shared pop cultural references are in such a weird place these days) Now that we have cinematic cutscenes working, we started finding issues when making them. Mr. Guy needs rebuilt. So, Ghost is biting the bullet and rebuilding Mr. Guy as you ready this. (Sorry Ghost!) ...also, Ms. Girl.

New Animation Sneak Peeks!

The DragonSlayer class (Infinity version) is getting some new animations. Spider & Immortal Joe have the Skill Forge (a tool to build new classes & monsters) functional. Nulgath just sent in these new animations.

Spinning like a large Hadron Collider.... potential risk of creating a DPS black hole.

Bladed upper cut. This technique is probably barred from the upcoming Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul fight. But you will be able to perform it in game without having to wear mandatory head gear.

Rolling a 1 when attempting to start your camp fire. Use this technique to smoke the competition.

Sticking your knife into the electrical outlook.

"DragonSphere Y power up!" OK... so my kids watched Goku go Super Saiyan for the first time last weekend. But since we always do everything out of order, it was the one where he went Super Saiyan 3 against Majin Buu. The power up goes on for quite a while in that episode. My oldest son turned to me and said, "Seriously... how long is this going to go on?" My wife glanced at the TV, worked on something in the house, went outside to water her plants, came back in, looked at the TV and said, "Is he STILL powering up?" As Goku powered up the Earth started shaking and breaking apart. The other two kids are watching unblinkingly as Goku's hair starts getting awkwardly rock-star big. I was sitting there on the couch thinking, "Ah, now this is peak parenting!"

Running to get groceries during a multi-episode power up.

Mr. Guy got lonely. So, our animator, Ghost, started working on Ms. Girl. This is important because these two models are animated differently.

Why... the Green!?

"To mess with green screens, of course!"

Some armors and skins are color customizable. To make sure they work, we often test using extreme colors. Reens, for example, really likes using green. As the saying goes, "It is not easy being green..." when "...the color customizer breaks."

New Loot Inventory System

When you get items, they will go into a special loot bag. This means you can pick up a bunch of stuff and then decide what to do with it later.... with previews. The loot inventory persists when you log out. We limited it to 20 items... and as you get more items, it should auto destroy the oldest ones. It would be nice to make an option to prioritize rare items over trash drops. But I think you will agree, we need to get the base functionality working and get the game up for you to play before adding those sort of quality of life features.

Destruction to all Dialog Boxes!

I hate modals (those pop up dialog boxes). Sometimes, they serve a purpose... but as a general rule, we should get rid of them whenever possible. This was put here to make sure you knew you got an item. Instead, we are going to move the item from your loot bag to your inventory... and have the new item be up at the top of the list where you can instantly see and use it. If you close and re-open your inventory, everything will go back to being in alphabetical order.

"Use this skill when the fighting is starting to Drag-on!"

Techno Mumbo Jumbo Engage!

There are two major topics we did not discuss in today's update. The biggest one is major issue with the armor importer. Warlic & Spider built a system to automatically import (most) AQWorlds armors. They will not have animations or any special features, but hey, at least you will have the art when you login! But Unity's default way of importing things was not designed to handle importing the insane volume (Hundreds of thousands?) of individual armor parts through the sprite packer to export asset bundles. During some tests of the armor importer, the process said it would take 60 hours for just the armors starting with an "A"! ...but the process would never actually finish. Honestly, there are a lot of things I do not understand about the importer and its complex set of daisy-chained systems. Anything I am writing now is probably oversimplified and inaccurate. Warlic & Spider (and now Zhoom, too) have been experimenting and working on potential solutions. As of Monday's full team sync up, things are finally looking promising.

A More Lively Undead Game

The second thing.... while working on Willow Creek, the team noticed that the new game did not look "as alive" as the existing AQWorlds. The NPCs are not animated and do not blink. So the the content team lost their minds and started rebuilding the NPCs as fully functional actors with all of the player animations. (I love this about this team so much.) This happened while I was out of the country. Both Zhoom and I were out of the country-- hence the eerie radio silence. The original AQWorlds has a whole lot of super weird bugs baked into it. Things that we did when we were first making the game that would haunt us for the decade and a half that followed. We only get one shot at making the base of AQWorlds Infinity right. Once the game is live and you are playing it, it will be too late to change the core stuff. We are already running super late... so we are going to get these things right now, while we still can.

We are currently preparing the DragonSlayer Class and updated Dragon's Lair for the next Tech Demo.

If you enjoyed this book, please rate it 5-stars & look forward to future Artix Entertainment Press books including

• Of Dice and Men
• How to Win Games & Influence Players
• Hairy Potty & the Chamber of Secretions
• The Catcher in the Jimmy the Eye
• Bored of the Rings
• War and Peas
• To Kill a MockingTweet
• Grave New World
• Slime and Puns'I'Ment

Until the next design notes post...

Battle on!
Artix & the AQWorlds Infinity Team

November 18, 2021

Darkon's Birthday Art Contest

Darkon Saga Fan Art Contest

With Darkon’s Saga reaching its halfway point, we decided to hold a Darkon fan art contest to celebrate! Can you channel your nightmares into creating something truly dark for him? Just make sure your tribute features the lord of nightmares himself, or at least one member of The Scale!

Date

November 18th 2021 - December 22nd 2021

Rules

• Create one piece of art featuring Darkon, and/or at least one member of the Scale.Note: The Scale is a group of individuals who help Darkon to achieve his goal.
• Include your in game name in your submission post
• Use the hashtag #HappyBDayDarkon
• You have ONE chance to enter! So make your art and then come back here!

ANOTHER IMPORTANT NOTE: To reward the members of The Scale, Darkon has generously decided to create 2 items for the winners, based on the 2 most popular members of The Scale, so make sure you vote!

Prizes

1 Grand Prize Winner

- Artix Points

- Character Page Badge

- An in-game item based on Darkon

- In-game items from the other winning tiers.

Winner’s Circle

- Artix Points

- Character Page Badge

- An in-game item based on the Scale member with the most votes

- An in-game item from Runner Up tier.

Runner Up

- Artix Points

- Character Page Badge

- An in-game item based on the Scale member with the second most votes

Darkon, The Scale, and the whole team at Artix Entertainment wish you luck!

Darkon's Birthday Fanart Contest

You can check out all the entries, and also enter your own fan art RIGHT HERE

October 27, 2021

AQW's 13th Anniversary Set Contest

AdventureQuest World's 13th Anniversary Contest!

October is AdventureQuest Worlds 13th birthday month, and since it's almost over, we thought we'd do a nice big contest so the best community in the world can show off!

We've got oodles of AC's to give away to the most creative fashionistas among you.

There are three themes you can use for inspiration:

• Good
• Evil
• Chaos

Enter the contest using the nifty little tool below, and make sure you say what alignment your set is!

Official Rules

• Must be your character, using in-game items on your account.
• No editing screenshots.
• You may submit multiple entries.
• Images entered must be in .jpg format.
• All entries must be completed and uploaded by November 3rd at 11:59PM EST
• Images must be no larger than "1920 x 1080"

Not following the above rules will warrant immediate disqualification

May the most stylish win!

AdventureQuest Worlds 13th Anniversary Set Contest

April 04, 2018

Server Update + Action Plan

Greetings and salutations,

During this Spring Break some of AdventureQuest Worlds and AdventureQuest 3D servers have been temporarily down. This is a result of DDoS attacks (Distributed Denial of Service) intended to disrupt the servers and interfere with your gameplay.

We are not the only game studio experiencing an increase in these attacks. Learning from how other studios are handling the same issue, we are now taking two additional actions. The first is to add a new service that will expand our existing protection to non-web based traffic. The second, and we really hope we have your support, is to take legal action on the individuals responsible for these attacks. If you have any additional information or tips, please send it to [email protected]

Thank you for your incredible understanding and patience. As heroes and Guardians of our community, we hope you join us in our firm stance to never back down to network attacks or threats. We are certainly here to stay.

Battle on!

Artix, Alina, and the AE Team

December 29, 2017

Year In Review

On behalf of all of us here at the Artix Entertainment “Secret Underground Lab”, thank you for being a part of our amazing video game community. I wrote you a special "Year in Review" post and am very greatful to be celebrating our 15th year of making crazy games together with you.

December 29, 2017

Unboxing of the Blinding Light of Destiny!

Watch the YouTube video as the team unboxes the real life version of Artix's axe, the Blinding Light of Destiny. It was forged by the legendary MichaelCthulhu.

June 01, 2017

Honoring Daimyo the BattlePuppy

The Heart of Battleontown just got bigger

Thank you to all of you on Twitter and Facebook and our forums who were so passionate about having the statue in Battleon change to honor Daimyo.

Equal thanks to whichever of you sneaky staff members went and actually made the change! It was heartwarming to see that the fountain in town now has a statue of our very own symbol of loyalty, hope… and extreme moonlight undead-slaying.

So today is the start of a brand-new holiday… Wishing Day. We are going to add a series of quests onto the fountain, which will be a story that people can enjoy year-round. And on this day next year, a very special thing will happen, just as, today, and today only, everyone can get the Daimyo statue to place in your in-game house and members can get the Daimyo member pet.

March 25, 2017

Battle on, Daimyo!

Tribute to the immortal battle puppy

It is with deep sadness that I write to tell you that during the night, the real life Daimyo, my faithful companion of over 15 years, has left our world. The veterinarian said that his heart was just too big… which was true both figuratively and literally. If you did not know, he was with me when I wrote the first line of code for the original AdventureQuest. He was the inspiration for Daimyo, the Undead Slaying Pomeranian, who appears in many of our video games-- where he will live on forever, as an iconic symbol of hope, loyalty, and cuteness.

Daimyo’s Birthday

 It is our tradition, that every year on Daimyo’s birthday, we release a different version of him as an in-game pet. This year, on his birthday of June 1st, we will do something special. If you would like to show your respect to the real life version of this legendary video gaming puppy, you can like this Facebook post, or favorite this Twitter post. If you would like to share any fan art of Daimyo, please post it to those links. 

This is the only time I have ever cried writing a design notes post. Much love to you all.

September 30, 2016

Letter to our players

Greetings friends,

It has come to my attention… though a flurry of angry and concerned messages, that one of our former artists made a completely inappropriate, gender-bended, not safe-for-work parody of one of our childhood mascot characters.

Needless to say, we do not approve. I am going to contact the artist and do whatever is in my power to have it removed, and ensure their future works do not involve any of our beloved family-friendly characters. 

Battle on!
Artix - still a Goodie Two Shoes Paladin.

P.S. When AdventureQuest 3D got a “T” for Teen rating.. this was NOT the intended outcome. 
P.P.S. Also, Twilly is a boy >_<

June 23, 2016

Throne of Darkness: 4D Pyramid

Throne of Darkness Sekt Story Update

I just finished the full script for Sekt and the 4th Dimensional Pyramid and am waiting to see Alina's response. 

This was a challenging assignment. I broke three big rules and think you will enjoy it.

1. You will have a surprise NPC which you WILL NEVER guess. 
2. 2.) Sekt is the Pharoah of the Black Hole Sun. He is telling the story and starts it out in a way that I do not think we have ever done before. Finally - 
3. 3.) It ends in a way we have never ended a story before... 

This is the 5th Chapter of the Throne of Darkness saga which starts this Friday with a war... then next Friday with a challenge arena, and the story part will begin the following Friday. I really hope you enjoy it.

Alina reaction: I LOVE the story we're telling here! The twists (both in the art and in the plot) are awesome. As a note... NEXT week we are releasing the 4th Dimensional Arena. Artix's 4D Pyramid release is not one we want to rush, and now that the story and design are done... we can REALLY begin building it!

June 08, 2016

Ninjas, Babies, and Drakel Warlords

Most legit post ever.

Greetings friends! I am writing to you from my super uncomfy seat at the hospital with a triple dose of exciting news. 

American Ninja Warrior: Drew, Mack, & Reko

On tonight’s episode of the American Ninja Warrior TV show, 3 friends of AQWorlds will be running! Pleaase join us in cheering on our very own ninja trailer, Drew Drechsel. Also, the “King of Obstacles” Mack Roesch who declared on AdventureCouch that he would try out for the show… well, he made it on! Finally, my close friend Reko Rivera who will be unmissable with his red ninja outfit, haircut, and… well, he normally shows up breathing fire. 

Baby Mia “Warrior Princess” 

At the stroke of midnight on Sunday, we got a very… very…  special surprise. See the official announcement video on my Facebook page. It should be noted that she was born on 6/6/16 during a storm -- likely future member of Dage’s Legion? 

Special secret story: Our AdventureQuest 3D Kickstarter was funded, we were Greenlit on Steam, and I found out we were having Mia all on the same day! I was asked not to publically announce this because, you know, things can go wrong… but as you can imagine, that was THE BEST day ever. 

Drakel Warlords

On Friday our new main storyline, Throne of Darkness, continues with a much more serious and deadly release… Pax and the DEATH ARENA. It should be noted that these are Elite Drakel… they claim to be the descendants of the ancient great Dragons themselves and believe they are the rightful heirs to this world. Pax has several Elites with him including one very rare Albino Drakel. This character was based off of a close childhood friend of mine-- perhaps I could tell you a more funny story about this in a later post. 

May 06, 2016

Main Saga Soundtracks: Paradox Portal

Listen to the soundtrack for this week's release before it is live!*

Xeven's themesong from the new www.AQ.com Throne of Darkness release was written and performed by Ghost. You may recognize his style... he did most of the music in DragonFable too! I am really excited to see you reaction to tonight's new story release. The map looks crazy, but the actual adventure is a fun, daring, and often deadly chase through time and space. Who are you chasing exactly? Xeven the time traveling assassin of course! After the first release, a lot of players commented that Xeven was too cute and nice to be a villain. As usual, I rewrote the script for this week's release to intertwine our player's comments into it. Be sure to let me know how you feel about her *after* you make it through the Paradox Portal. Her attempts to kill you may be offset by the promises of cake. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TldT2LB9BuA

* MAN, time-travel is cool!

April 15, 2016

Throne of Darkness is Here!

Enter the Castle of Bone

The moment we have been waiting for is finally here, a brand new main storyline for AdventureQuest Worlds has just begun... and you, if you are reading this, you are going to be a part of this from the very start.

As our new story opens, a rogue's gallery of powerful villains have gathered for a secret and terrible purpose...

Our first adventure is told by the DeathKnight Vaden. He hails from a castle that is completely made of bone. Legend has it that any hero who ventures into the castle and perishes will either become an undead servant OF the castle or WORSE... part of the castle of bone itself!

YOU have ventured into this place... this dungeon of horror... and we know this because Vaden is telling the story about it in-game RIGHT NOW!

Bonus Member Dungeons Coming Next Week!

We have been listening to you and it has going to be quite some while before we do any fillers, musical guests, or releases that draw away from the main story. Because it will take a minimum of TWO WEEKS to create all of the art, animation... and monsters... and items... and NPCs... and quests... 

We will be doing special bonus releases, giving MORE backstory into specific areas and sub-bosses from Throne of Darkness. The majority of these releases will be member only, which will satisfy a long-time desire for more content for the players who are making these releases possible.

Thank you for making this story a reality. If you read my previous Design Notes, you know that this story is incredibly important to me... it has one of the things I have been saving for so long. And to see it happening, well, let's just say you can see misty eyes through giant skull helmets.

I really, truly hope that you enjoy the unique way in which this story is structured, and that the twists and turns that you'll experience from these seven incredible villains will leave you smiling...
sometimes angry...
sometimes crying... 
sometimes banging your head repeatedly on the table over and over and over saying "why, why, why, Artix why,"... and most importantly... laughing.

Thank you. 

The Throne of Darkness has begun...

BATTLE ON!

PS- oh, and if you'd like the score for this week's music track "Death has a name," I'd be happy to put them ALL up for you! Let me know what you think. (And please, subscribe to our Youtube channel while you're there!)

April 15, 2016

BattleGems Founder Leaving Soon

Unlocks the exclusive DragonKnight set inside AQWorlds!

This is your very last chance to get Founder in BattleGems, our mobile RPG Puzzle Game. Considering that you had.. oh wow, nearly two years now, it is finally time to make BattleGems Founder go perma rare!

Rolith and his team have upgraded BattleGems to the newest version of Unity improving the game's speed and giving it 64 bit support. Along with this release, we will be removing the Founder package which basically gives you ulimited turns, unlimited keys, special in game armor set, special AQWorlds armor set, well... EVERYTHING for a single in-app purchase of $10. Founders will be pretty proud of that they got it, because after the new patch goes live, the armor will be perma rare and will have to pay double to get the upgrades and perks.

So if you have been wanting the DragonKnight armor from BattleGems in AQWorlds and BattleGems... this is your final chance to get it on the Apple iOS or Android versions of the mobile game!

April 14, 2016

Your Lair or mine?

Upcoming Dungeons of Throne of Darkness

The Throne of Darkness begins this Friday… a brand new main storyline for AdventureQuest Worlds. There are 7 villains in this story, each will unlock a new major dungeon. I like using the term dungeon… even when describing an outside area like a forest or clouds you can walk on. To get a flying eyeballs view of the land we shall soon explore together, let us sent forth our scout… Jimmy the Eye!

Jimmy the Eye is a flying eyeball. 

He is blue. 

As he flies North, he thinks to himself… why is so little known about the North?

It starts to rain. 

The rain blurs his vision, and every clap of thunder makes him jump. 

The red eerie glow of the setting sun silhouettes a castle…

The castle appears to be growing… the castle appears to be made of bone…

He flaps harder against the turbulence or tornados…

They seem to be coming from a series of portals. 

Is it a rip in time and space?

Or perhaps it is… WHAT THE!?!?!

The sun has gone black and he obsesses on an indescribable twisted shape of triangles. 

Perhaps the rumors of the 4th Dimensional Pyramid were true?

If that is true then… but before there is time for another thought, he hears weapons clashing and screams. The Death Pit Arena… a half-Dragon General stands watch as gladiators do battle.

The flying eyeball tries to look away but is blinded by what he sees next…

A Tower...

A tower made entirely of mirrors. He notices a parade of young girls being led into the tower… 

No less strange than what he thought he had seen in the clouds just moments before.

But if he ever said what he thought he saw up on those clouds... with all its bacon and cats they would just call him crazy.

So he flies on to his final destination...

It is a secret place. 

A place where THE COUNCIL used to meet...

Meet to scheme and solve their "problems."

That place, without question… was the THRONE OF DARKNESS.