Hey, thank you so much for responding to me! We love hearing back from you guys! Also, sorry if I assailed you with inane questions! Think you're right about limiting sedentary dialogue.
Here's a few ideas, based on what I'm hearing from you. (Also, Spoilers, everyone else)
What about combining dialogue with battles to avoid walls of texts? For instance, what if at the end of Empyrea we'd gotten into a three way battle with Raven and Spider who are fighting us AND each other at the same time (and arguing, too). The logistics of this wouldn't be so complicated (Raven and Spider on the same side of the dueling circle, using "sacrifice minion" type spells on each other), but maybe with every 25% of their health depleted we see some dialogue flash above the dual. I say this because wearing them out might have extended the tension and FORCED them to have the heart to heart, making the reconciliation less abrupt. Not that you need to go back and change it, but I'm thinking in the future. It's not inconceivable to talk and fight, and the dual can deepen the plot more than just defeating the enemy and getting to the next scene. A thought.
I think I might still suggest some more moments where we see the characters acknowledging unanswered questions. At the end I was sure (and excited) we'd hear more about Nothing in Part IV, but didn't get a sense that the Cabal had any role left to play. If someone had said "I wonder if this is the end of the Cabal" at the Arcanum, that would have assured me they weren't just being dropped and intrigued me as to their new role (as I am now, based on your comment!). Or having the characters try to interrogate the cabal members during the fights would have helped, too. Just a few more moments like that would have been nice, having the characters acknowledge the loose threads/the unknown to give us confidence that they're still important.
Once again, nitpicking aside, we're loving this convo and your hard work! You're awesome!
Thanks for the feedback. I get what you're saying about the ending - there are lots of ways the climax could have gone down, but I assure you the choices we made were driven by dramatic reasons as well as concerns about logistics. Fights get really tricky really fast, as folks on Test found out quickly in Husk.
I had wondered if we removed too much dialogue from the confrontation between Raven and Spider, and judging by the feedback we may well have.
As for lingering mysteries, I hear you. It looks like we were a little more subtle with the "To be continued" than I thought we were being. I really don't know how the assumption took hold that this was the last arc, but trust me - the story is far from over. If there's a lingering question or mystery, it's more than likely we left it there to pick up later. Yes, we haven't gone through the barred door in the Arcanum yet. That doesn't mean we never will, not by a long shot.
As for the earned moments, expecially with Bat, I think you need to consider Empyrea as one world and not too - remember, Bat and Mellori spent a lot of time off screen in Zanadu before Medula took Mellori away from him. He also healed the ring of Mandalla with Mellori, which I figure was a pretty bonding experience. As for the Wizard, Ithe adventures in Speidious was some good bonding time, and even taught Bat a lesson or two about teamwork - he may have turned away from them when the chips were down, but he certainly didn't forget them. We may not have had much time with Bat in Empyrea 2, but we've had some time with him in Empyrea. Ultimately this is all subjective - your mileage may vary.
But thanks for the feedback - getting into involved conversations with the community is one of my favorite parts of my job!
Lead writer for Wizard101 here. Some of you know me by a different moniker: Blind Mew of Pirate101 fame. I took over as lead writer for Wizard in March of last year. So why am I only posting now? I wanted to wait until Empyrea was finished and had had some time to soak in to make my presence known here on the Wizard forums. As to my persona, it didn't seem right to use my Pirate name here, so I adopted The Custodian as my new nom de post. Being the guide through a realm of dreams and imagination was definitely appropriate for my position, and I figure I can be as mysterious as I want without breaking character. Pirate101 fans will tell you how much I love to be mysterious...
I must admit, it was with more than a little trepidation that I joined the Wizard team: as much fun as I had writing and worldbuilding for Pirate101, writing for Wizard is on a whole different level. Instead of starting with a blank canvas, I found myself painting a panel of a huge mural, a mural with 10 years worth of backstory, continuity, and themes already in place. I was also coming in to create the end of an arc, and not just any arc: the stakes were higher than ever before, and the dramatic demands of the climax were off the scale compared to the last two arcs. How do you handle Gods in a narrative, who in theory should be able to destroy the Wizard or even the entire Spiral, with but a thought? How can you solve their problems and keep the Wizard a central part of the story, and not just an observer?
Luckily, I'd been in the planning meetings and brainstorms for Wizard for a long time - I was there when when the shape of the 3rd arc was first sketched out, and my predecessors left me an excellent road map. I'm also blessed with a superlative team of writers: Zander, who you already know, and a second writer who shall remain nameless. Zander helped me get up to speed with the storyline, and keeps us on course with the continuity and lore I only sort of remember from my playthroughs so long ago . He's my rock. And my other writer? He's great too.
Creating Empyrea was a great experience, and I'm very proud of the results. The feedback we've gotten so far for the story and the reaction we've seen in streams has been very gratifying. But, being creative types, me and the writers hunger for more feedback! So let's talk Empyrea: what did you like? What didn't you like? Did you come away with any questions? Feel free to comment away.
Oh, but before we dive in too deep, I'm placing some bounds on our conversation. To save me the trouble of repeating polite denials over and over again, note the following:
I have nothing to do with systems design, in any capacity. Therefore, I cannot have a conversation about how useful spells are, relative difficulty, PvP, boss fights, or any such things. Trust me, with the head I have for math it's better that way.
I will not not NOT talk about what world we're going to next. That would be telling...
I really enjoyed going in the memories, and seeing the corrupt wizard city, and the mutated marleybone. I hope more content like this is to come, the dream quests where my favorites and I think it would be really cool to see maybe even an entire side world, of dark, defeated wizard city!
Lead writer for Wizard101 here. Some of you know me by a different moniker: Blind Mew of Pirate101 fame. I took over as lead writer for Wizard in March of last year. So why am I only posting now? I wanted to wait until Empyrea was finished and had had some time to soak in to make my presence known here on the Wizard forums. As to my persona, it didn't seem right to use my Pirate name here, so I adopted The Custodian as my new nom de post. Being the guide through a realm of dreams and imagination was definitely appropriate for my position, and I figure I can be as mysterious as I want without breaking character. Pirate101 fans will tell you how much I love to be mysterious...
I must admit, it was with more than a little trepidation that I joined the Wizard team: as much fun as I had writing and worldbuilding for Pirate101, writing for Wizard is on a whole different level. Instead of starting with a blank canvas, I found myself painting a panel of a huge mural, a mural with 10 years worth of backstory, continuity, and themes already in place. I was also coming in to create the end of an arc, and not just any arc: the stakes were higher than ever before, and the dramatic demands of the climax were off the scale compared to the last two arcs. How do you handle Gods in a narrative, who in theory should be able to destroy the Wizard or even the entire Spiral, with but a thought? How can you solve their problems and keep the Wizard a central part of the story, and not just an observer?
Luckily, I'd been in the planning meetings and brainstorms for Wizard for a long time - I was there when when the shape of the 3rd arc was first sketched out, and my predecessors left me an excellent road map. I'm also blessed with a superlative team of writers: Zander, who you already know, and a second writer who shall remain nameless. Zander helped me get up to speed with the storyline, and keeps us on course with the continuity and lore I only sort of remember from my playthroughs so long ago . He's my rock. And my other writer? He's great too.
Creating Empyrea was a great experience, and I'm very proud of the results. The feedback we've gotten so far for the story and the reaction we've seen in streams has been very gratifying. But, being creative types, me and the writers hunger for more feedback! So let's talk Empyrea: what did you like? What didn't you like? Did you come away with any questions? Feel free to comment away.
Oh, but before we dive in too deep, I'm placing some bounds on our conversation. To save me the trouble of repeating polite denials over and over again, note the following:
I have nothing to do with systems design, in any capacity. Therefore, I cannot have a conversation about how useful spells are, relative difficulty, PvP, boss fights, or any such things. Trust me, with the head I have for math it's better that way.
I will not not NOT talk about what world we're going to next. That would be telling...
Hello my good sir, welcome to the Message Boards!
Before I begin, I just want to say I love the writing as a whole, and you are doing great, and I know no one is perfect, however, I do have some concerns about where we go from here and also what I thought about Empyrea.
First, I do LOVE seeing how far little wizard101 has come, but at times I feel like the writing contradicts itself, and makes things unrealistic (again I know now one is perfect).
Empyrea (Dislike)
Why didn't our Wizard just go to the Fates in Grizzleheim/Wintertusk? They could have told us about the past, present, and future, and what was at stake, and what to do. Their very existence plays a HUGE role in the entire Spiral.
Spider had a soft spot for Raven? Being next to his chaos heart he decided to be passionate toward her after spending eternity in torment because of her... all that build up for THAT? Just seemed a little disappointing
This one was the worst one. Our wizard stepped through a mixture of Shadow and Light and destroyed probably the most powerful being in the Spiral -WHAT? So, if we have a problem then let us just give Mellori and Bat a call.
Empyrea (Loved)
I'm so glad Merle was able to make an appearance again. He is way more than the headmaster of Ravenwood, he is the greatest Wizard alive (or at least he was)!
I love returning to old locations, and it's great to see an old world treated more than just a "level".
Everything about the Reverie is GREAT!
Empyrea was great 9/10!! The ending just made me scratch my head saying WHAT???? And this makes me nervous from this point forward because it just makes me think that Sybil said we have nothing to fear because there is literally nothing that can threaten the Spiral again if our Wizard is alive. AND PLEASE!!!!! Try to go back and re-read every piece of dialog/lore so nothing gets contradicted.
Nice to see you around, Blind Mew! I'm more of a pirate than a wizard, but seeing as I'm subbed for Empyrea pt. 2, might as well drop by and say hi.
I'm not done with the world, though I did skip ahead due to a glitch and saw the ending; so I'm just missing a chunk post-Death Star'd Mandalla and pre-Husk. I definitely felt your hand at play, especially at the Citadel, and it was most welcome. There's also some neat themes tied into Mandalla and the beliefs of the people of Samsara Village. Overall I do think the world is less of a fit for Wizard101. I always said that part 1 felt like a scrapped Pirate101 world and part 2 feels even more as such. It'd have been an absolute joy to sail through Mandalla, but I digress. I look forward to seeing what you and your team produce from here on out. I'd also like to chime in and say that, being a fan of Avellone RPGs, particularly Torment and KOTOR 2, I'm absolutely for full blown NPC theater, though I understand my tastes are not those of the majority. Regardless, I do especially look forward to anything coming up with Pirate101. I'm quite vocal about my distaste for Book XV, but I'd still love to see Book XVI and onwards be produced.
Before I begin, I just want to say I love the writing as a whole, and you are doing great, and I know no one is perfect, however, I do have some concerns about where we go from here and also what I thought about Empyrea.
First, I do LOVE seeing how far little wizard101 has come, but at times I feel like the writing contradicts itself, and makes things unrealistic (again I know now one is perfect).
Empyrea (Dislike)
Why didn't our Wizard just go to the Fates in Grizzleheim/Wintertusk? They could have told us about the past, present, and future, and what was at stake, and what to do. Their very existence plays a HUGE role in the entire Spiral.
Spider had a soft spot for Raven? Being next to his chaos heart he decided to be passionate toward her after spending eternity in torment because of her... all that build up for THAT? Just seemed a little disappointing
This one was the worst one. Our wizard stepped through a mixture of Shadow and Light and destroyed probably the most powerful being in the Spiral -WHAT? So, if we have a problem then let us just give Mellori and Bat a call.
Empyrea (Loved)
I'm so glad Merle was able to make an appearance again. He is way more than the headmaster of Ravenwood, he is the greatest Wizard alive (or at least he was)!
I love returning to old locations, and it's great to see an old world treated more than just a "level".
Everything about the Reverie is GREAT!
Empyrea was great 9/10!! The ending just made me scratch my head saying WHAT???? And this makes me nervous from this point forward because it just makes me think that Sybil said we have nothing to fear because there is literally nothing that can threaten the Spiral again if our Wizard is alive. AND PLEASE!!!!! Try to go back and re-read every piece of dialog/lore so nothing gets contradicted.
Thanks, Goodluck, and Well Done!!
Dislikes:
Grizzleheim and Wintertusk pose a tricky problem for us. They're side content, so we can't assume a given Wizard has done them. Other than Raven herself, we deliberately decided to keep Grizzlehiem and its elements at arm's length. Not an ideal situation, but it's one of the ground rules we set for ourselves. Besides, given their ties to Raven, how can you be so sure the Norns would be at all interested in helping us?
Ain't love grand?
Mellori and Bat channeled all of their essence into the Wizard to stop the Titan. They kept just enough to stay alive. As I hinted too coyly in a previous post, this is not something the wizard can ever do again.
Loved:
We couldn't end the arc and culminate the 10th year without having some fun with Merle. When the idea came up in story meetings of him leaving his office and seeing him upset with people, we couldn't resist. And then there was the chance to use him in Reverie...
I'm glad you dug the Reverie. I was a little worried about it going in, and story wise it was a bit of a gamble. But the visuals were fantastic, and the final result was spectacular. It had exactly the effect and impact we were aiming for. I couldn't be happier with the result. As for visiting old locations, we definitely wanted to do a lot of that - it being the 10th anniversary, it just wouldn't have been right if we hadn't taken some walkes down memory lane.
Hey! So Why exactly was bat trying to break into the temple of light in athanor? why did he build an essence cannon? was he trying to break the chains and take the heart for himself? In the dialog nightwyng says he has a plan cooking up on athanor but surely the last time they spoke mellori was not taken away from him?
As a long time Pirate101 fan, I hope all the Wizard101 fans understand just how great Curator/Blind Mew is in terms of a writer. His stories are gripping, funny and give out secrets/nods to other Spiral elements. He is one of the all time best video game writers around.
If you all have been simply hitting space bar as fast as possible to get to the end of the world....my recommendation is to slow down and read/listen to the character lines. It will be worth it, trust me.
Is it possible to have the AI that we fight become more intelligent? I feel most of the fights I am in are relatively easy due easy predictions of the enemy. Or maybe give some insight on how the AI works in the game.
Grizzleheim and Wintertusk pose a tricky problem for us. They're side content, so we can't assume a given Wizard has done them. Other than Raven herself, we deliberately decided to keep Grizzlehiem and its elements at arm's length. Not an ideal situation, but it's one of the ground rules we set for ourselves. Besides, given their ties to Raven, how can you be so sure the Norns would be at all interested in helping us?
Ain't love grand?
Mellori and Bat channeled all of their essence into the Wizard to stop the Titan. They kept just enough to stay alive. As I hinted too coyly in a previous post, this is not something the wizard can ever do again.
Loved:
We couldn't end the arc and culminate the 10th year without having some fun with Merle. When the idea came up in story meetings of him leaving his office and seeing him upset with people, we couldn't resist. And then there was the chance to use him in Reverie...
I'm glad you dug the Reverie. I was a little worried about it going in, and story wise it was a bit of a gamble. But the visuals were fantastic, and the final result was spectacular. It had exactly the effect and impact we were aiming for. I couldn't be happier with the result. As for visiting old locations, we definitely wanted to do a lot of that - it being the 10th anniversary, it just wouldn't have been right if we hadn't taken some walkes down memory lane.
Thanks for answering everything, I genuinely appreciate that.
Just one more thing... I wish the rest of the council of light could have spoken and contributed (Lady Zen Zen, The Emperor, and of course our dearest Lydia Greyrose.) I know the possibilities of your great sound team not having all the appropriate voice actors at their disposal.. I was incredibly impressed the lady of the lake still sounded like her original self.
1) How big is the spiral? By design it's at least a massive galaxy. But Bartleby said it's a magical thread that holds together an entire universe. I would think it's a universe too, as in the background of the husk you can see a few galaxies
2) How many timelines are there in the spiral? In the B.O.X quests we do travel to other timelines, but the amount is unknown. Are there an infinite amount like in DC or Marvel?
3) How did The Aeythr Titan harm Spider and Raven? I'm confused as I would think they are stronger. I'm guessing it's because they couldn't fully manifest their full body and power in Empryea due to the Aeythr
4) Bartleby mentioned "The Creator" as the being who created the First world. He sounds like some sort of supreme being. Is it possible for such a being to exist!?
And just an off topic fun question, do you think Spider or Raven at full power can defeat Thanos W the Gauntlet?
Grizzleheim and Wintertusk pose a tricky problem for us. They're side content, so we can't assume a given Wizard has done them. Other than Raven herself, we deliberately decided to keep Grizzlehiem and its elements at arm's length. Not an ideal situation, but it's one of the ground rules we set for ourselves. Besides, given their ties to Raven, how can you be so sure the Norns would be at all interested in helping us?
Ain't love grand?
Mellori and Bat channeled all of their essence into the Wizard to stop the Titan. They kept just enough to stay alive. As I hinted too coyly in a previous post, this is not something the wizard can ever do again.
Loved:
We couldn't end the arc and culminate the 10th year without having some fun with Merle. When the idea came up in story meetings of him leaving his office and seeing him upset with people, we couldn't resist. And then there was the chance to use him in Reverie...
I'm glad you dug the Reverie. I was a little worried about it going in, and story wise it was a bit of a gamble. But the visuals were fantastic, and the final result was spectacular. It had exactly the effect and impact we were aiming for. I couldn't be happier with the result. As for visiting old locations, we definitely wanted to do a lot of that - it being the 10th anniversary, it just wouldn't have been right if we hadn't taken some walkes down memory lane.
Thank you so much for answering my concerns, I genuinely appreciate it!
I just have two more questions if you don't mind.
I noticed that you keep asking for feedback about dialogue length. I think that if you always give the option to skip it, I think you're being fair for both sides. Me personally, I love listening to it, with it being the end of the arc, I was kind of hoping for more between Raven and Spider. Which this actually brings me to my question.
My question is, Why didn't the rest of Merle's council contribute to any conversation? (The Emperor, Lady ZenZen, or our dearest Lydia Greyrose?) I hope in the future they can be seen again, and Lydia plays a part somewhere down the road.
My other and final question is about the storm titian. There seems to be confusion on its appearance, as some people believe that he is supposed to look the storm lord. Who is the storm lord really?
I just want to let you know, that you, Zander, and Fitzhume are all doing SOOO good!! Since Polaris, the writing has been much more interesting and not as snoozy. It is almost as if, as soon as our wizard graduates we step into adulthood and see the world for real. I hope your team keeps up the great work as we head to the 20-year milestone!!!
Good Luck My friend! I hope to see you on the wizard boards again soon!
hello Mr Curator. there is a serious question that the players on the other side of the spiral (us pirate players) need to know. is pirate101 going to fold? there has been no major updates ever since Florenzia. i know this is the wrong board to talk about it but i found a link on the other side talking about your musing and since i still have access to here from my crowns i figured i would see if i can get any answers here. but anyway, the little things are ok for like a month at most but then it gets stale. PVP is the only thing left seasoned players do in pirate. all of us have given up hope on an update and stopped playing since there is nothing to do. so could you please shed some light on info for pirate? and please, none of the "that'd be telling stuff" it doesn't help at all in giving us hope. if there is nothing coming up for pirate is it going to fold? cause i feel like you have forgotten pirate to work on wizard (the evidence is clear as day). if pirate is going to fold can you let us know so we can jump ship before it sinks? this is a simple and serious question. no holding back, no "that'd be telling", no opting out. we need to know. please. the fate of the pirate community rests in your hands my friend.
Lead writer for Wizard101 here. Some of you know me by a different moniker: Blind Mew of Pirate101 fame. I took over as lead writer for Wizard in March of last year. So why am I only posting now? I wanted to wait until Empyrea was finished and had had some time to soak in to make my presence known here on the Wizard forums. As to my persona, it didn't seem right to use my Pirate name here, so I adopted The Custodian as my new nom de post. Being the guide through a realm of dreams and imagination was definitely appropriate for my position, and I figure I can be as mysterious as I want without breaking character. Pirate101 fans will tell you how much I love to be mysterious...
I must admit, it was with more than a little trepidation that I joined the Wizard team: as much fun as I had writing and worldbuilding for Pirate101, writing for Wizard is on a whole different level. Instead of starting with a blank canvas, I found myself painting a panel of a huge mural, a mural with 10 years worth of backstory, continuity, and themes already in place. I was also coming in to create the end of an arc, and not just any arc: the stakes were higher than ever before, and the dramatic demands of the climax were off the scale compared to the last two arcs. How do you handle Gods in a narrative, who in theory should be able to destroy the Wizard or even the entire Spiral, with but a thought? How can you solve their problems and keep the Wizard a central part of the story, and not just an observer?
Luckily, I'd been in the planning meetings and brainstorms for Wizard for a long time - I was there when when the shape of the 3rd arc was first sketched out, and my predecessors left me an excellent road map. I'm also blessed with a superlative team of writers: Zander, who you already know, and a second writer who shall remain nameless. Zander helped me get up to speed with the storyline, and keeps us on course with the continuity and lore I only sort of remember from my playthroughs so long ago . He's my rock. And my other writer? He's great too.
Creating Empyrea was a great experience, and I'm very proud of the results. The feedback we've gotten so far for the story and the reaction we've seen in streams has been very gratifying. But, being creative types, me and the writers hunger for more feedback! So let's talk Empyrea: what did you like? What didn't you like? Did you come away with any questions? Feel free to comment away.
Oh, but before we dive in too deep, I'm placing some bounds on our conversation. To save me the trouble of repeating polite denials over and over again, note the following:
I have nothing to do with systems design, in any capacity. Therefore, I cannot have a conversation about how useful spells are, relative difficulty, PvP, boss fights, or any such things. Trust me, with the head I have for math it's better that way.
I will not not NOT talk about what world we're going to next. That would be telling...
I'm so happy that another story thread has been launched! Here are my burning questions...
Back in Polaris, we learned that the Scorpion was a master alchemist, and that he was prophesied to rise from the desert sands and steal the sun. What ever happened with that?
Also in Polaris, Spider told the Rat that they would turn "his frustration into greater strength," but that never went anywhere either. In the Husk, he had basically the same exact spells, health, and cheats (not counting the Titan cheats) as he did back in the Horizon Hold.
How was Raven able to realize she loved Spider, if she took out that part of her heart to make Mellori?
In Ione's room in the Arcanum, there's a painting of a huge floating white castle. Was that a scrapped location for Empyrea, or did it end up turning into the Nimbus Citadel? Sorry if this question is related to systems design.
Likes:
My biggest problem with the story in the game overall was that we never got a glimpse of what the villains are doing behind the scenes. I thought that seeing what Spider was doing before we got to Empyrea, as well as how he planned for Mellori to be used, added a lot of depth to his character and the world as a whole.
I loved my time in the Aeroplains, as well as listening to all the new music that came with this update.
I thought the problem with Raven and Spider being too powerful was handled very well, since they were prevented from making an appearance until the very end because of the Aethyr.
Dislikes:
I just never really got the impression that this was a "high stakes" adventure. I like having comedy in the story, but when it is used excessively in a story that is meant to have high stakes, then it's pretty hard to feel it. I felt that if even the characters aren't taking the story seriously, then why should I? I thought Khrysalis Part 2 handled this much better than Empyrea Part 2 did.
The Cabal wasn't explored into that much, but I'm fine with waiting until the 4th arc.
I don't know if this is just me, but I'm completely fine with going through walls of text. If it takes 30 minutes of walls of text to wrap up the story, then I'm 100% okay with reading all of it. In this regard, I thought the ending of Empyrea was rushed because of the lack of large amounts of text, and it seemed like all the buildup in this arc was for nothing. It would've been nice to see what all the baggage between Raven and Spider was that you mentioned
I only just noticed this today lol, but in the Northeastern Aeroplains, there's this one area where one of the streams goes up one of the hills and then flows down into the main river. I thought it was unrealistic that water that is moving THAT slow would be able to go up the hill like that lol.
It would've been really cool if we could've picked which side we wanted to fight on, but I can see from a technical standpoint why it didn't happen.
Final thoughts:
I overall really enjoyed questing in this world! I thought the music and scenery was some of the best that you guys ever released, and I loved playing Whirlyburly! I've been playing it for fun lately, and I also enjoy walking around the Aeroplains when bored.
I would love it if we got more content in the Reverie in the future :P
Oh, and this is my last question: what did the Update Notes mean when they said we would travel to "Empyrea... and beyond!" I can't remember ever leaving Empyrea, unless you count the Nexus as "beyond" it.
Hey! So Why exactly was bat trying to break into the temple of light in athanor? why did he build an essence cannon? was he trying to break the chains and take the heart for himself? In the dialog nightwyng says he has a plan cooking up on athanor but surely the last time they spoke mellori was not taken away from him?
Bat broke into the Temple of Light on Athannor to stop Medulla from using Mellori to break the Chain. Once Medulla took Mellori from him, he deduced which chain Medulla would go for first and raced to stop him.
Bat made an essence cannon to blast Medulla with. See above.
And yes, Bat had researched ways to get to the chains in case he needed to (and also to make it look like he was doing what he was supposed to do for his father). Nightwyng is referring to those plans and schemes.
As a long time Pirate101 fan, I hope all the Wizard101 fans understand just how great Curator/Blind Mew is in terms of a writer. His stories are gripping, funny and give out secrets/nods to other Spiral elements. He is one of the all time best video game writers around.
If you all have been simply hitting space bar as fast as possible to get to the end of the world....my recommendation is to slow down and read/listen to the character lines. It will be worth it, trust me.
I cannot claim full credit! As I said above, I've got a team of writers who make me look very, very good.
Is it possible to have the AI that we fight become more intelligent? I feel most of the fights I am in are relatively easy due easy predictions of the enemy. Or maybe give some insight on how the AI works in the game.
Not my purview - that's more of a design and tech question. Perhaps Professor Falmea might be of more assistance...
@Blaze03554 - There were a few things that constrained us with regards to the Council of Light, and voiceover was one of them. For the Lady of the Lake we went the extra mile to get her into the game. Our sound team does fantastic work.
@Logann12 - 1) I'm more than content not to define the size of the Spiral. Right now, it's as big as we need it to be.
2) That's a really good question. Given the presence of two potential time meddlers (that we know of!), there could be quite a few. Again, I'm content not to speculate until I need an answer.
3) You're right about the aethyr limiting their power, and also bear in mind that raw aethyr is like their kryptonite - it's the one thing that could hurt them that badly.
4) Anything is theoretically possible...
Comics Thanos or movie Thanos? Two very different things.
@Blaze03554 -
As to the Council, space and time constraints kept more of them from speaking up. We had drafts where they were much more vocal, but ultimately the scenes ended up slowing the dramatic momentum too much for my tastes. Voiceover was also a factor, as mentioned above.
The Storm Titan: I've been waiting for this question too! The Storm Lord is a powerful storm elemental, mighty indeed but not on the level of the Titan himself. As to why Storm looks the way he does, remember that you did fight an Avatar of the Storm Titan in Celestia - you already knew what he looked like!
@Blue Fire Elf - Pirate is not folding. Progress is slow, and there's much less for me to do there than I'd like, but I haven't forgotten it to work on Wizard. When I can say more about story updates, I will. Trust me.
I'm so happy that another story thread has been launched! Here are my burning questions...
Back in Polaris, we learned that the Scorpion was a master alchemist, and that he was prophesied to rise from the desert sands and steal the sun. What ever happened with that?
Also in Polaris, Spider told the Rat that they would turn "his frustration into greater strength," but that never went anywhere either. In the Husk, he had basically the same exact spells, health, and cheats (not counting the Titan cheats) as he did back in the Horizon Hold.
How was Raven able to realize she loved Spider, if she took out that part of her heart to make Mellori?
In Ione's room in the Arcanum, there's a painting of a huge floating white castle. Was that a scrapped location for Empyrea, or did it end up turning into the Nimbus Citadel? Sorry if this question is related to systems design.
Likes:
My biggest problem with the story in the game overall was that we never got a glimpse of what the villains are doing behind the scenes. I thought that seeing what Spider was doing before we got to Empyrea, as well as how he planned for Mellori to be used, added a lot of depth to his character and the world as a whole.
I loved my time in the Aeroplains, as well as listening to all the new music that came with this update.
I thought the problem with Raven and Spider being too powerful was handled very well, since they were prevented from making an appearance until the very end because of the Aethyr.
Dislikes:
I just never really got the impression that this was a "high stakes" adventure. I like having comedy in the story, but when it is used excessively in a story that is meant to have high stakes, then it's pretty hard to feel it. I felt that if even the characters aren't taking the story seriously, then why should I? I thought Khrysalis Part 2 handled this much better than Empyrea Part 2 did.
The Cabal wasn't explored into that much, but I'm fine with waiting until the 4th arc.
To be continued.
As to the Scorpion prophecy, Spider's directives for him changed after the events of Polaris. As the Cabal became involved, Spider decided the Sands of Time offered a much better way for him to achieve his goals. Not every prophecy comes true, you know...
Rat spent Mirage and Empyrea trying to learn from his failures, and didn't make much progress. He needs to learn some humility. He's still working on it.
Bear in mind that that moment was the first time Raven was in Mellori's presence since she left the baby with Baba Yaga. Just as the Chaos Heart affected Spider, proximity to the embodiment of her love affected Raven.
That painting is something Ione did herself, her vision of a paradise. Her childhood memories of Nimbus influenced the results, but it's not a direct portrait.
Likes: I love the music too - the last few updates have been really stellar.
Dislikes: As to humor and walls of text, good to know. Ultimately, the sweet spot on both is subjective. I can't speak for that Aeroplains river issue, but I'll mention it to Art.
Final thoughts: Glad you liked Whirlyburly! We're very fond of it. I also dearly love The Reverie. It's too cool of a place never to visit again, though I wouldn't want to go there too often...
Last question: "and Beyond" definitely refers to the Reverie. It is the very definition of Beyond.
Lead writer for Wizard101 here. Some of you know me by a different moniker: Blind Mew of Pirate101 fame. I took over as lead writer for Wizard in March of last year. So why am I only posting now? I wanted to wait until Empyrea was finished and had had some time to soak in to make my presence known here on the Wizard forums. As to my persona, it didn't seem right to use my Pirate name here, so I adopted The Custodian as my new nom de post. Being the guide through a realm of dreams and imagination was definitely appropriate for my position, and I figure I can be as mysterious as I want without breaking character. Pirate101 fans will tell you how much I love to be mysterious...
I must admit, it was with more than a little trepidation that I joined the Wizard team: as much fun as I had writing and worldbuilding for Pirate101, writing for Wizard is on a whole different level. Instead of starting with a blank canvas, I found myself painting a panel of a huge mural, a mural with 10 years worth of backstory, continuity, and themes already in place. I was also coming in to create the end of an arc, and not just any arc: the stakes were higher than ever before, and the dramatic demands of the climax were off the scale compared to the last two arcs. How do you handle Gods in a narrative, who in theory should be able to destroy the Wizard or even the entire Spiral, with but a thought? How can you solve their problems and keep the Wizard a central part of the story, and not just an observer?
Luckily, I'd been in the planning meetings and brainstorms for Wizard for a long time - I was there when when the shape of the 3rd arc was first sketched out, and my predecessors left me an excellent road map. I'm also blessed with a superlative team of writers: Zander, who you already know, and a second writer who shall remain nameless. Zander helped me get up to speed with the storyline, and keeps us on course with the continuity and lore I only sort of remember from my playthroughs so long ago . He's my rock. And my other writer? He's great too.
Creating Empyrea was a great experience, and I'm very proud of the results. The feedback we've gotten so far for the story and the reaction we've seen in streams has been very gratifying. But, being creative types, me and the writers hunger for more feedback! So let's talk Empyrea: what did you like? What didn't you like? Did you come away with any questions? Feel free to comment away.
Oh, but before we dive in too deep, I'm placing some bounds on our conversation. To save me the trouble of repeating polite denials over and over again, note the following:
I have nothing to do with systems design, in any capacity. Therefore, I cannot have a conversation about how useful spells are, relative difficulty, PvP, boss fights, or any such things. Trust me, with the head I have for math it's better that way.
I will not not NOT talk about what world we're going to next. That would be telling...
Hello there, I have some questions and concerns relating to the 3rd arc
. At the end of Polaris, Ivan said that if we needed him for another adventure, we should call him. After following the story line, there were diffidently moments we could of needed his strength, so it was kind of disappointing that we weren't able to revisit his character for the finale. What happened with Ivan?
. At the end of Mirage, the disappearance of Sandiago was very un-satisfying with me and I thought his mysterious personality could of progressed the story more, so what every happened to Sandiago?
. In Polaris, the bat is described as a brilliant shape shifter and has a heart as black as the night. Is the heart bit metaphorical? Because throughout Empyrea, the bat is portrayed as a protagonist with good intentions instead of an antagonist. Also we don't see a lot of shape shifting throughout Empyrea. Maybe if met a friend in the beginning of Empyrea and towards the end of the world, the friend would reveal himself as the bat or something.
One continuity error I noticed was throughout the game play, we always had the narrator that narrated our thoughts out loud so what happened to the narrator in Empyrea?
All in all, I really liked the 3rd arc and the creative story lines added. It's good to have a game like whirly-burly so that not every quest is an old defeat and collect quest
It's my personal theory that there are thousands, maybe even infinite timelines since the sands of time are supposedly endless!
I was talking about comics. Mostly because I'm in a community where we use feats and abilities characters have to determine who they can go up against in other franchises! I think even you would be surprised how strong Spider is compared to other fictional characters!
I know anything is possible, but do you see a possibility for Merle and Lydia to return again? I feel like Lydia had a small role in the game, yet she seems pretty old and unique like Merle. For Merle, do you think one day we could go on a really difficult quest with him, kind of like how Harry Potter did with Dumbledore in Half-Blood Prince?
It would be nice to see that different side of Merle and reveal what ancient spells he has hidden up his sleeve, would they even be "spell cards"....OH, the possibilities are endless... sorry not exactly related to Empyrea, but back in the Dream of Avalon, Merle told Morganthe that one day he was planning on teaching her all his magical arts, but not after she betrayed him.
What happened to Medulla? I feel like we might see him again. He by far is the best character from Empyrea haha.
Will the story take us back to Old Worlds/new areas of Old Worlds moving forward? I would love to having to visit familiar places in a more Pirate-esque vibe, but don’t want to miss out on new places too!!!
That’s what I mean as far as why I didn’t like the Star Trek references. Spark, Beans and Pork are all meant to be important to the story, but because they are all parodies I feel like it undermines the gravity of the situation. Even Mellori’s humor/sass is too much.
I agree that more exposition/dialogue is needed. I think what might be better is instead of a wall of text. Use a cutscene like we had with Mellori and Raven on the Astral Plane. That was totally epic but I think worth the extra time and effort. I would prefer another cutscene to Whirly Burley.
I am not privy to the details of Whirly Burley, but I feel like this passion project of someone’s was not necessarily the best use of resources. It is still hard to understand the rules and to see what you’re doing. And the fact you have to be level 120+ to even get to the Arena is a little Troubling.
Why do the Primordial Trees all look like Sybil? I thought School Trees embodied more of their School? Like Bernie and Ashley looking Fiery.
Are we going to learn more about the School Trees? Why are they important? Where did they come from? (Mortis says Ambrose brought him to Wizard City from Darkmoor?)? Are the ones in Ravenwood more significant than others? How powerful are they? What happened to Morris the Doom Tree (Shadow)
Are there other schools of Magic?
Is my theory that all magic is magic and that the schools are like specialities correct? Hence why a Diviner can cast a Fire Dragon, but can much more effectively cast a Storm Lord?
Are Bats Children part of him like how Mellori was part of Raven’s heart?
How do the Immortals play a role in all this? Are they Raven’s children?
Oh, thought of another question! What is your personal scale of the characters in power?
Mine would be The Creator> Bartleby=Raven=Spider (full power)>The Divine Paradox>The Aeythr Titan>The Storm Titan>The CaC (without the divine paradox essence)
Andrew GoldenCoin
