An update on recent technical problems and more from the admin: https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/250292/on-technical-difficulties-mod-coverage-and-other-things/p1?new=1
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Social game Assassins Ball: Rise of Sorengard at PAX Prime 2015! Make new friends!
MarsChelios
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
As you walk into a large, open space crawling with people, bright lights and sharp sounds grab your attention. Your eyes narrow as you scan the crowd, pursuing your target. A chilling sensation sweeps up your spine; you are being watched. You duck around a corner, sneaking a quick glance over your shoulder and see...
Buildings towering above you, a glint of light shines off the Space Needle in the distance. Maybe it’s nothing, but you can’t shake the feeling that someone's hunting you.
You can grab a kit in our store: store.phenixone.com. Kits are $10.
The Sorengard faction will have a limited quantity. As players join the game, additional quantities will also be added.
Gathering Intel
Intel is valuable information being carried by other assassins (even those in your own faction). You'll be able to interact with any player and gather the intel they are carrying, gaining a small amount of prestige each time.
Your faction needs to verify each piece of intel you gather, once a piece of intel is collected from a player a period of time must pass before you can get new intel off them.
- You can gather intel from a player a limited amount of times.
- You cannot gather intel on yourself.
Moving forward each Assassins Ball game will be adding small but impactful mechanics called seeds. Like their real life counterparts, we hope that these seeds will grow over time, connecting to each other to form new and immersive gameplay.
For Assassins Ball: Rise of Sorengard we have two seeds to announce right now: Bounties and Challenges. More seeds will be coming in time, in this game or those to come.
Assassin Kits include:
- Player Badge - A large button with a symbol and your chosen faction printed on it.
- Kill Confirm - A small card to use when you are assassinated.
- Faction Button - A small button to wear (optional) so you can show off your chosen faction.
- Player Symbol - This large symbol represents you in the game. Viewing another player's badge will let you identify whether they are a potential target at a glance.
- Player Faction - This emblem represents your chosen faction.
- Badge Code - A unique QR and 5-letter code on every badge is used to register your kit on the game website (phenixone.com).
Note: You cannot assassinate players or gather intel if you are not wearing your badge.
Kill Confirm
In addition to the Player Badge, each kit comes with a Kill Confirm card that players use to confirm they have attacked the correct target using the QR or alphanumeric code printed on it.
After assassinating a target, a player can scan or make note of the code on their target's Kill Confirm to verify their mission on the game website (phenixone.com).
To register your kit and play the game, you'll need to create an account requiring a valid email address and login prior to registering your kit.
Registering your kit
Once you've received your Assassins Kit, you will need to register it on the game's website by going here: http://phenixone.com/register-kit. Enter the 5-letter code found on your badge into the field. After the site verifies you badge, you're ready to play!
Missions
Missions are assignments given to you by your faction, detailing the specific parameters of your target. Each mission is broken down into three parameters:
- Primary Target - The specific shape and color target your faction is requesting you assassinate. Assassinating a player that matches this will usually net you the most prestige.
- Secondary Targets - A range of shape and color targets that your faction would accept to complete the mission. Assassinating a player that matches one of these will usually net you the least prestige.
- Faction Target (Optional) - The specific faction your faction wishes you to assassinate. Assassinating a player that matches the Primary or Secondary targets and the faction target will double the prestige earned.
Assassinating Players
If your target is performing an activity that would be disrupted by you approaching them, please wait for the player to finish their activity first. Players are encouraged to be creative when assassinating players, but please:
- Do not use prop weapons.
- Do not do things that could be considered threatening (Physical contact, close proximity, etc.).
- Do not ruin someone's fun.
To complete your mission, you will need to enter the code on your target's Kill Confirm card on the Current Mission page of the site.
Do not take your target's Kill Confirm card.
Being assassinated
If a player approaches you and informs you they are your assassin, show them your Kill Confirm card, but DO NOT let them take it. Once they have recorded the code, they will hand it back to you.
Being assassinated does not adversely affect you, your score, or your mission.
Everything.
Is it the call of the sea... or the dark whispers of an elder god?
Does your heart burn with vengeance or cold, hard logic?
Is it your first day and the end of the world?
Out of bullets, out of time, and out of luck?
If you have a problem, if no one can help, then maybe you can hire... The HAY-Team.
- Does not eliminate you from the game
- Does not affect your score
- Does not affect your current mission in any way
If you're having trouble tracking down your target the meetups are a great place to camp out! Specific details about meetups will be announced in this section closer to PAX. There will be at least two meetups every day; one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
Meetup Schedule
All meetups will be in the International Meeting Place on Level 2, in front of the Juicy Cafe. From main entrances head up escalators to Level 2 then around (not up) the the escalators to Level 3.
Meetup Schedule
All meetups will be in the International Meeting Place on Level 2, in front of the Juicy Cafe. From main entrances head up escalators to Level 2 then around (not up) the the escalators to Level 3.
Friday, Saturday, Sunday Meetups
- Morning Meetup: 10:00AM-10:30AM
Stop in to pick up or buy a kit, ask a question about the game, find a target or grab some intel. - Afternoon Meetup: 3:00AM-3:30AM
Stop in to pick up or buy a kit, ask a question about the game, find a target or grab some intel.
Monday Meetups
- Morning Meetup: 10:00AM-10:30AM
Stop in to pick up or buy a kit, ask a question about the game, find a target or grab some intel. - Afternoon Meetup: 3:00AM-3:30AM
Stop in to pick up or buy a kit, ask a question about the game, find a target or grab some intel, and join in on the group photo for the game! - Final Meetup (Unhosted): 6:00PM
Stop by to grab one final kill, gather one last piece of intel, and say goodbye to all the friends and enemies you've made!
At all meetups look for my sign to find me:
Don't see something covered here or uncertain about something? Got a suggestion or constructive criticism? Think this is awesome? Let me know below! I'm very excited about this years game and I hope you are too! If you're posting a question for me, please place @MarsChelios in your post so I can be alerted and respond promptly.
Current Mission
Assassins Ball grows primarily through word of mouth. With the all or nothing nature of Kickstarter I need your help to make sure Assassins Ball is at PAX Prime! Help me get the word out or let me know any suggestions you have on reaching people!
Your current mission is to get the word out. Tell your friends, tweet about it, bookface it, link it on linked in, do that google thing that didn't take off very well... you get the idea. Every person who hears about it is a potential player for you to kill.
MarsChelios on
+1
Posts
FTC: HONK.
PAX Prime 2014 Resistance Tournament Winner
Thanks @Dragon6860 and @Karick! :biggrin: What factions do you plan on picking?
FTC: HONK.
PAX Prime 2014 Resistance Tournament Winner
PunkJr
Pirate, Stormtrooper, Decepticon
Yes, my middle name really is MEGATRON
Former Ravenclaw Death Eaters Head of House
"Brilliant! Oh wait, if we were meant to fly, we would have been born with little bags of nuts."
PunkJr
Pirate, Stormtrooper, Decepticon
Yes, my middle name really is MEGATRON
Former Ravenclaw Death Eaters Head of House
Contributing writer at Marooner's Rock
Twitch broadcasting! Currently playing through Wing Commander: Privateer
Pinny Lanyard
Thanks @PunkJr and @shdwcaster! This years game is going to be even better!
Welcome @DashD and @DapperPumpkin! Let me know if you have any questions!
PunkJr
Pirate, Stormtrooper, Decepticon
Yes, my middle name really is MEGATRON
Former Ravenclaw Death Eaters Head of House
Meetups
Meetups are pre-specified places and times where I'll be available for things like handing out kits, answering game questions, resolving issues you're experiencing, or just chatting. Meetups are also a way to meet and assassinate your fellow players! Meetups are a great way to rack up a few quick assassinations or grab some intel in between PAX activities and we advise you hit up as many as you can.
Specific info about meetups will be announced closer to PAX but expect that there will be two meetups every day; one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
Murder Spots
Murder Spots are unhosted places and times where players can gather, meet for a bit and get quick assassination or collect some intel. Like meetups Murder Spots will be scheduled throughout each day but you can start your own Murder Spot by tweeting a place and time to us @PAXAssassins and add the #murderspot hashtag. We'll review and retweet to players as fast as we can to get the word out.
Hotel Booked: check!
Sitter for the kids: check!
Excitement level rising: check, check and triple check!
Sorta. In years past it was much as you describe, since once you got assassinated, you were out of the game. However, with the new rule update, there's no real penalty for dying, so everyone can keep playing!
PunkJr
Pirate, Stormtrooper, Decepticon
Yes, my middle name really is MEGATRON
Former Ravenclaw Death Eaters Head of House
As you can see above a mission has three elements: Primary Target, Secondary Target and Faction. To successfully assassinate a player (meaning the website confirms the kill, you get prestige for it and a new mission) your target will need to have a symbol on their badge matching a symbol shown in the Primary or Secondary Target sections of the mission.
Hypothetically let's say they don't match. You can still walk up to that player and gather Intel from them for a small amount of prestige and you'll continue to be able to gather intel from them over the course of PAX (unless you kill them, in which case you won't). Basically, you will be able to interact with every player in some way, either by assassinating them or gathering intel from them.
Now, let's say that player does match the mission above, with this badge:
This player would net you 100 prestige for the kill, since their badge symbol matches up with with Secondary Targets. Because this players faction is Sorengard, they don't match the optional faction of the mission, so points would not be doubled.
@PunkJr is right on the money here. While you can try to not be noticed, and there are players who will do this
Great questions! Let me know if you have any more.
Performing certain actions in the game will now cause a bounty to be placed on your head. Step lightly or you may get more attention than you bargained for.
Bounties are an add-on to missions and, like missions, don't target just a single player but a group of them. When you step out of line you'll endanger those who share your traits as well.
Bounties can be broken down into two parameters:
Redeeming Bounties
Bounties are redeemed when you assassinate a player that matches the symbol and faction for an active bounty. The game will automatically detect if a bounty exists for a player and redeem the highest prestige bounty available.
Each bounty is worth a set amount of prestige that is added to the mission that you redeemed the bounty on. Only one bounty can be redeemed per kill, so make them count.
Depending on the action that generated the bounty there may be restrictions that allow or prevent a specific faction from redeeming the bounty.
In the event a bounty goes unredeemed for too long then that bounty will "escalate", causing restrictions to be relaxed and opening the bounty up to the general population of players. As bounties escalate their prestige increases and will continue to increase as long as the bounty goes unredeemed, up to a maximum limit.
Excited yet? I hope so, because just sharing these updates with you is giving me goose bumps.
Let me know your thoughts, ideas, and constructive criticisms in the comments below. I'd love to hear about other situations where you'd like to see a bounties created!
Hotel Booked: check!
Sitter for the kids: check!
Excitement level rising: check, check and triple check!
Thanks!
Mission Difficulty
The game now attempts to estimate the difficulty of the different mission parameters (Primary target, Secondary targets and Faction target). A mission's difficulty is set when it is generated based on the current population of the game. Difficulty is a representation of how hard it will be to find a missions possible targets. The game estimates a difficulty from a simple kill (Secondary target only) to the perfect kill (Primary target & Faction); Missions deemed too difficult will not be assigned.
The difficulty of a mission affects how long it takes for it to be reset; as difficulty increases the reset time decreases. This means that should you receive a mission with a hard difficulty you won't have to wait as long to reset it as a mission with an easy difficulty.
Mission Ranking
A missions rank is set when it's confirmed and represents how closely your target matched the mission parameters. A simple kill receives the lowest rank (D) while a perfect kill receives the highest rank (A).
Mission ranks are currently used as a tie breaker. Players who complete missions that overall rank higher will show up higher than similar scoring players with lower ranked missions in the leaderboards.
I should add that having a bounty on your head has no negative effects, aside from giving players extra prestige when they assassinate you. Bounties are less something for you to avoid getting and more something that you should be aware of when choosing a target.
Good question.
Prestige is the measure of an assassin's skill but it can't give the full account of your deeds, just the magnitude. Challenges in Assassins Ball: Rise of Sorengard fill this role: recognition for completing specific tasks. Challenges are based on your interactions with other players in the game. A simple challenge would be to 'Gather Intel 5 times' where a more complex challenge would be to 'Kill one or more players from each enemy faction'.
You'll be able to complete challenges based on, but not limited to, the following actions:
- Assassinating Players
- Gathering Intel
- Redeeming Bounties
- Completing Challenges (Meta!)
Almost all challenges can be viewed, along with your progress in them, on the website. Some challenges will be hidden from view until completed.There will be some challenges you'll have to unlock to work towards, though. More info on these closer to PAX
PunkJr
Pirate, Stormtrooper, Decepticon
Yes, my middle name really is MEGATRON
Former Ravenclaw Death Eaters Head of House
Thanks in advance.
There's no guarantee you'll find a player regardless of how many people are playing, though the more that play the higher the likelihood you will. As @DapperPumpkin mentions, there will be meetups throughout the day (morning and afternoon) to meet players and find targets, gather intel, etc. A lot of people employ friends or team up with other players to help find targets as well.