Ravenau's right - we could add XP books and such. I'll pass that idea along.

He's also right that, starting tomorrow (we hope) for a few days and then periodically in the future, you'll be able to copy a character from the Live clusters to Testbed to help circumvent the grinding.

To update everyone: we're planning on releasing a specific system for dueling in 1.3, prior to the release of the skirmish system.

We're doing this because it let us build the back end to the Skirmish system while still producing something for you guys to play with pretty quickly.

The way this system will work is pretty simple. You target someone you want to duel and type /duel. Alternately, you can use /duel <name>, where <name> is another player's name. That player receives a pop-up asking if he's interested in fighting a duel, and if he is, the two of your are zoned into an instance and can fight it out.

You won't lose your outfitting or durability off your ship, though any cannon balls you fire, or consumables you trigger, are still expended. You can't trade during a duel, and you don't get any experience or loot from sinking the other guy.

After the duel you're both returned to the ports you started in.

This is in internal testing right now, and should be ready to go for the 1.3 patch. Currently we only ship duels up and running, but we definitely intend to do avatar duels eventually. We have a meeting today about whether or not we're going to be able to get those in to 1.3 as well, of if they'll have to wait for another patch. Obviously, we're trying for 1.3, and I have high hopes that we'll be able to make that happen.

1.2.80.0 has the server fixes that were in 1.2.69.2.

I can't look at the PSD right now, but generally speaking I use a greyscale texture overlay for flags, using a color blending mode such as "burn." I always suggest experimenting with the different modes available, as each behaves differently and could be exactly what you need to achieve the effect you're looking for. The strength of the texture can be adjusted by that layer's opacity.

Also I should note, I never start with pure white as a base color, or even greyscale. An off-white (e.g. around RGB 235, 230, 220) usually works better. Some blending modes will wash out what's beneath them and could require an even darker start.

Lastly, it often happens in flags and sails that what works for one design element doesn't work for another. The solution: use a different texturing layer for different parts of your design, clipped to affect just that part. E.g. if your eagle is in its own layer, you can select it with the magic wand tool and then switch to your texture layer; then either cut/paste your selection into a new layer, or "promote" it to its own layer. That way you can ensure the base flag is textured, without necessarily overwhelming the eagle (or vice versa). (This last trick applies to weathering as well.)

Hope that helps. Happy drawing!

When I get a moment, I'll snag Brendan and we'll take a closer look at this. The difference is intentional, though perhaps unnecessary. The world viewport uses (x,z) coordinates, while images use (x,y) coordinates, so we have the API returning different values based on the kind of coordinates you're looking at.

That's a great idea; I'll try to make that happen.

If I'm not mistaken, LiMuBei actually based the sculpture off of a historic, period figurehead. I think he may even have photos to share, but don't be angry if I'm wrong.

Looks like you're off to a running start with a program that makes me want to toss my computer out the window Good work!

Incidentally: I'd recommend saving a few polys by not cutting the lading port amidships. Unless, of course, your intent is to give the Sweep-Stakes even more guns than she had historically...?

This is a French ship of the line, using Danish plans.

That's not as strange as it sounds at first, considering the Danish systematically studied foreign shipbuilding practices during the 18th century. Around 1700 or so France began taking the lead in terms of advancements in maritime technology, and the Danes made it a point to learn much from them.

And with a link to the correct thread provided, this duplicate gets closed.