Bootleggers has seen several updates these past weeks, but has also been missing a certain Buzz article to comment on both those and on what will be coming in the (near) future. The latter is the reason that I, Mika, have written my own 2000 characters for all of you to enjoy and to make sure that you are up to speed with what is happening behind the scenes. It should be noted that the information in this article comes from Aldarion, Sky and myself, and that I have in no way been asked by anyone to write this article to replace another article. Any similarities can be regarded as unforeseen, though not inconvenient, circumstances (and may not even be so unforeseen in the end).
First things first: the reasons for the updates that have been released. As you may have read in the previous issue of the Buzz, most of the updates that were released had been pending for a longer amount of time already, some were almost, if not entirely, ready for release (such as the graveyard and updated Swiss Bank) whereas others did not take that long to implement and were completed quite easily after the decision to implement them had been made (the reduction of rank requirements, for example). The reason that most had not yet been released was that they were awaiting permission from BSF2000 for release. However, it became apparent to Sky, Aldarion and myself that BSF2000 was (and is) MIA, and without having told us what exactly was going on and us being unable to reach him we decided to go ahead and release the updates Sky had already been working on.
Of course we are aware that these updates were not the ones that BSF promised in his 2000 characters. These promised updates that he has been working on, as well as the scheduled crew update, remain BSF his projects and will not be touched by us. As such, the wait for these updates continues, and sadly I cannot say anything about them that is not already known. For as far as we can tell, the Achievements should be very near completion and the Black Jack still needs a bit of work. However, as long as BSF remains as active as he currently is (reasons for which are unknown to us) it is impossible to release more relevant information on the subject.
Next up is a subject on which we can, and are happy to, offer more information: what's in store next! While we are aware of the danger of doing this it can be considered a test of whether or not this format actually works. No deadlines wil(2000)l be provided, but at least you guys will have some idea of what to expect.
As has been stated by both Sky in this issue and myself in the previous issue we are intending to release a feature that is a combination of Bootlegging and an Organized Crime. The feature will not a simple copy of the Organized Crime feature but will include several new options when completed, as well as a way to incorporate a (small) sense of strategy into committing the crime that this feature lets you commit. At the moment we are still in the process of developing the theory behind the feature, discussing what should be possible, equipment costs, potential dangers players can encounter, etc. No actual coding has been done yet and, bearing in mind that I am not a coder myself, you can probably expect that the release of this feature will still take quite some time. Should this article be repeated, either by another Elite Guard member or myself, then more updates regarding this project will no doubt be released.
Finally I would like to let everyone of you guys know that Sky, Aldarion and myself are happy with any constructive criticism or feedback regarding the features that have been released by us (read: Sky) or will be released in the future. It is important to us to know that what we have come up with works for the people who are actually using it in standard game play. While we may not always directly implement or use what you have suggested, you can be certain that it is all being read and considered, even if you do not always see a result.
Thank you all for continuing to play Bootleggers and for giving us the chance to make it a more enjoyable experience for you. Until we meet again, be it on the appeals forum, any of the public forums, a BootMail or a future Buzz issue. Take care, and happy gaming!
