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Dear Ninja, Here's another long form design rant. If you haven't seen the first one, read about the balance philosophy here. These development logs are less visually appealing, but give just as much insight about the future of the game. So if you're interested in game development, you'll probably enjoy my walls of text! The Problem This one is titled "the case against punishing for PvP crimes" to emphasize how much of a choice and dilemma this has been for the game. In the past, when a player for example, killed an enemy ninja repeatedly too many times, they were in a situation where they could squeal on the killer in order to get justice. There was a gray line between what was allowed and what wasn't in some situations eg. which paths can you block / how many tiles away your traps have to be from the entrance, and even if it was clear in cases, the moderation and punishment of said crimes would come down to subjective bias (how close are you to the moderation team, what terms are you on with an admin, your reputation as a player, what village you're from and the GM handling your case etc.). Not all players would report being harassed, because some players can deal with it and understand that dying to enemies in an Open PvP world is part of the game experience. Before I go any further, because I think your rage meter is filling up and you're about to comment how stupid I am down below, I'm going to state that I completely understand that it is not fun once a certain threshold is passed and that no single player should have that much control over another player's experience. It is not fun to be dominated (unless you're into that) by another player and spawn killed for hours. It is not fun to be surprised by traps when you walk into a door (unless you're into that) with no counter play possible. My point in this case is only to explain why moderation is not the solution, and explain the real solutions and why it takes awhile to get them done. If the game allows you to do it without cheating or exploiting any glitches, you should be free to do it. In the same way that Tigers not being able to walk on water or swim can be used to the ninja's advantage. These design choices. In the past, rules seemed grey about trapping enemies around corners to deal damage to them without getting damage in return. But they were always very clear, as long as you did not abuse any glitches (eg. using 3 players to block off the mob's target player, making it endlessly try to hit that player specifically, and not hit any), it is part of the game's design. You are free to use the terrain to trap enemies. In the same way, if the game allows you to place traps on the warp tiles (not a glitch) we cannot punish you for doing what the game allows you to. In the past, moderating these crimes on a case by case basis was a he said she said situation of finding out who is guilty. Which is like bringing two players to court for one persons accusations each time somebody is unhappy about being harassed. We would then have to hear the other side of the story and then the other side again, and again to find out when the cycle of hate began. The biggest lesson I learned from trying to moderate this is that - rarely ever will anyone just decides hey I want to spend the next 3 hours killing the same guy to ruin his day. In most cases, the player has good reason to. Sometimes that player has a mission that requires him to kill X number of enemies (and since the game allows you to kill the same people, why not?) - design problem not moderation problem. Sometimes that player has a bounty, so is being rewarded for repeatedly killing the victim. A lot of the time the player being killed endlessly had triggered feelings of injustice by killing another of that player's lowbie villager whom is now being avenged. In all of these cases, the moderation of said case is grey. It is also design problems, that the game doesn't punish you and sometimes even rewards you for hindering another player's experience. In some of these cases, it is intended. A world where open world PvP and leaving your village to find being a missing ninja is hard for example. In some cases, it isn't intended. A world where getting spawn camped for 3 hours is okay for example. So what defined harassment in open world PvP with actual factions that are opposed to one another? Is killing a player 3 or 4 times in an hour too much? Even if it is completely within character to do so (eg. Sand killing leafs is intended). Regardless so, it is still not the moderation team's job to ban each case of people deciding to play the game - the way the game allows them to. The job of the moderation team is to ban people who are playing the game in ways the game doesn't allow them to by cheating or using 3rd party programs, or offending another player out of character. The solution As time goes by and cases of "this isn't fun" happens. We learn what kind of behaviors to encourage in the game, and what kind not to. There are things overlooked like placing traps wherever you want sounds great in theory, but is highly annoying when done on warp tiles and around them. The solution is from a development and design. For example, preventing putting traps on tiles that are too close to the warp tile manually. Not fun being killed 4 times in a row by an enemy just because it completes his mission? The game shouldn't allow him to complete his mission that way. Not fun being killed for 3 hours in a row for now reason? The game should make it harder for him to accomplish that with guard NPCs or No Fighting Zones which allow you to sneak out. Not fun being killed for 3 hours endlessly because you killed a lowbie from his village? Stop being a dick and expect to get away with it you dumbass. Regards, Rory

One of the reasons I think there should be a proper war/peace mechanic. For instance, if Leaf and Mist are at peace, Leaf ninja would not be given a "Kill 1 Mist ninja" mission and the Leaf Jonin wouldn't attack Mist ninja.

Exactly what I wanted to ask for, switching between them is hard when you want to combo into something fast.

Then can we get 2 hotbars one on top of each other when that happens? Switching them out in middle of combat is kinda awkward

Just thought I'd explain the game design reason why most gear don't increase stat points in Nin Online. Introduction In a typical MMORPG, every few levels you are able to wear new clothes/armor that increase your stats. Normally it's a defense stat coupled with a few additional stat points that give you more power (eg. more damage, more mana, more attack speed). So why does Nin not follow this proven formula? To explain this, I need to explain why Nin Online is not a typical MMORPG. While a lot of the focus of the game is PvP combat, there is a huge focus on role-play as well. There doesn't have to be modifiers in clothing to make combat more engaging. Stat modifiers in these items would actually play a role to imbalance PvP in a way that doesn't feel right to the universe we're inspired by - Naruto. In the series, there is almost never a mention of what people are wearing, and every ninja looks kinda awesome. How would stat modifiers in clothings affect gameplay negatively? Players will have to choose their look based on their stat build, limiting their options for clothings heavily. Every level up would make the clothes the player is wearing increasingly weaker than the next tier of gear. Meaning every player at level 20 will be pressured to discard the level 10 clothing for the new ones for the additional stat benefits, making every level 20 player look alike and limiting their options for viable looks. The focus of gameplay will shift heavily to grinding to get rare gear as opposed to interacting with and engaging other players in combat which is the focus of game play in Nin Online. What would NOT having stats in clothings do for gameplay? Players can look almost however they like, dress their character up to their desired ninja look or OC's look without worrying about being less powerful or giving another play with "better gear" the edge against them. So why do some items have small stat modifiers? I give certain items bonus stats to give that small incentive to having the item equipped when doing a specific task. Flak Jackets and Forehead protectors add some bonus fortitude so players will be inclined to put them on before going into a fight. Certain masks add some bonus Intellect which allow players to use conceal identity and cloak of invisibility more effectively. So wearing a mask makes you better at hiding, so if you're planning on hiding or sneaking around, get a mask. What about players who do like chasing after and grinding rare items? Weapon Ninjas. If you love to find rare and legendary equipment and tools, we've designed the Weapon Ninja specifically for you! Swords, knuckles, rare shurikens, spears, fans, these are all coming your way. These will not only have stat modifiers, but each kind will have slightly different game play.

We can add that. Although, no one would use it.