This patch focuses on two of the major issues affecting Meridian, namely the difficulty for some in updating the client, and the complexity of the game’s leveling system.
Updating currently requires the user to use the Open Meridian Patcher, which is incredibly useful for playing on multiple servers but has some extra requirements not needed to run the classic Meridian client. In addition if this service goes down, it leaves servers unable to release updates for their players. To fix these issues, the original client updater (club.exe) has been repurposed to work using the same process as the patcher updates, so servers can set up updates via the patcher and at the same time users will be able to use the (automatic) in-client updating feature to download the update if they cannot run the patcher. Updating via the patcher is still required to download this patch, but future ones can be downloaded using the patcher, or just the client itself.
Meridian 59’s method of player leveling (“gain chance”) is unique but fairly complex and difficult to explain to new players. The numbers it produces (i.e. how many monsters to kill for each hit point) resemble a traditional XP-based system but with an additional random factor to gain the hit point. Opinion is likely to be divided on whether to change this system at all, but in the interest of making the game more accessible, this patch will see 105 switching to an XP-based hit point system. For the most part this should feel similar to the existing system except for the removal of the random component – players will be able to see exactly how far away they are from the next hit point.
General Changes
- Now that guild hall chests obey the weight limit, the capacity of a wooden chest has been raised from 15000 units to 40000 units, and a metal chest from 21000 units to 60000 units.
- Room chest storage raised from 9000 units to 15000 units.
- Mollusks creatures now take players to 150HP and give -100 karma.
- Narthyl worms now take players to 130HP.
- Added more skeleton spawners in the main room of Castle Victoria, and fixed an issue causing mob spawn on this screen to periodically not generate a monster.
- Players under 50HP no longer drop items on death.
- Added settings to lower the time between token spawns, and increase the time between token scandals. Both currently set to the default times, however tokens will be made to spawn quicker as population grows.
- Changed Purge weapon spellpower from a random roll of 25-75 to a flat 60 spellpower. Can now be modified live if a higher or lower spellpower is required for balance.
- Any spell that has an area or multiple target effect will no longer cause faction loss. This applies to radius enchantments, room enchantments, flash, dispel illusion, discordance, mana bomb, final rites, earthquake and ice nova.
- Attacks made by minions will no longer cause faction loss, unless the minions are forced to attack by the master (by direct attack on the factioned target).
- Wall spells also no longer cause faction loss.
- Increased vault item limit from 100 to 300.
- Many German game text translations added or updated.
- Leather armor now has 10% fire resist and gives 5 spellpower.
- Riija sword now heals an amount equal to the level of the Riija spell cast.
- Spiritual hammers will now display the time remaining in the weapon description.
Experience Points System
- “Tougher Chance” bar now has two display choices, controlled by the “Display XP as percent” option in the Preferences menu. The default display is 123 XP / 456 XP, or current-level XP / amount-to-level XP. Enabling the Preferences menu option will cause this to display as a percentage of current level XP gained.
- Hovering the mouse over the XP icon will show the total XP the player has gained since starting their character. All existing characters are awarded the equivalent XP for their level.
- Magic items can now drop with an XP bonus on kill attribute, which is available on armor, shields and melee weapons. This attribute can be found as a rare drop from any monster, but tougher monsters will drop items with a higher XP bonus.
- Monsters give a base XP equal to their level (e.g. 75 for skeletons) modified by the player’s stamina, whether the monster is too easy for them, whether they were attacked by the monster and any XP bonus items they are wearing.
- If the player doesn’t get the kill on a monster they are fighting but were attacked by it, they will gain 66% of the normal amount of XP.
- Group kills award 25% of the XP from a normal kill, as do monsters at the same level as the player.
- Monsters with a slightly lower level than the player (within 5) will award 10% XP.
- Characters with a guardian angel (below 50HP) will receive +10% XP.
- Dying will now subtract XP rather than remove hit points directly. Players lose 20% of their current level’s max XP on death, and dropping below 0 XP for that level will cause loss of a hit point.
- Total XP is tracked past max HP, and may provide bonuses (beyond not losing HP on death) in the future. Players at or above the XP required for their max possible HP should not use the stat reset system to alter their stamina, as it will reset their XP to their new HP/level.
Bug Fixes
- Fixed infinite guild hall chest storage.
- (Hotfix 1.2.2) Fixed some illusioned mobs being dispelled inside safe zones or elsewhere without any safety checks.
- (Hotfix 1.2.1) Fixed sent tells playing the received tell sound.