Shotbow

Time and again MineZ has gone through many changes over the years, and this time of year is no different! Spookfest was busy and happening with constant balance changes, and we've gathered lots of valuable community feedback over the recent months about the state of the game. While we were hard at work on Spookfest, behind the scenes we've been toiling away at the next update, and we're so excited to share it with you all! Some of you likely already know what's about to come, but let's dive into the latest and greatest!


When speaking of change, nothing is more palpable than the environment that evolves around us as the year passes us by, and MineZ is following suit! Many areas of the MineZ map have been in their current state for many years, and we're excited to launch our next Biome Rework - The Autumn Forest! Comprised of what was once the Northwest Forest, you'll find that same forest has received a well deserved facelift, along with several rebuilds and new additions! We're excited to have breathed new life into a part of the map that certainly needed it, while still trying to maintain some of it's previous identity. This change also reflects our mindset about the future of MineZ, as we try and bring livelihood and content to areas that have been historically lacking or altogether empty.


Historically a staple of Spookfest and other holiday events, supply drops have been a fantastic opportunity for great loot, fun pvp, unique builds, and hype for each season. The cyclical nature of these events during the Holidays has proven to be a great way to keep the community engaged, and these kinds of in-game events are exactly what we want to see more of, so we're doing just that! Supply Drops will now be spawning more regularly outside of event seasons. However, while we want the loot to be worth fighting for, we don't want every supply drop to be a mandatory event that people would hate to miss out on! As such, these versions of supply drops have been toned down from the massive server wide events that Treat Chests usually are, which allows us to perhaps do them more frequently, with gear that's worth finding, but not too good to necessitate skipping out on other gameplay you're enjoying!

For now, Supply Drops will be running every other day (Mon-Wed-Fri-Sun), at 3pm EST (9pm CET).
We hope to continue to add schematics to the rotation that will bring us to the point of being able to do multiple drops every single day! Please be patient as we continue to monitor this system, and continue to improve upon it in the coming days, weeks, and months.


Alongside this wonderful Biome Update, you'll find just a few hidden heads scattered throughout some of the new biome! As usual, claiming the heads will grant a small xp bonus and a bit of goodies for those who find them all! This headhunt takes place exclusively in the new biome, and is a fair bit smaller than the ones of Headhunts past! As we continue to improve the Headhunt system, expect to see these fun activities return more often! As with last headhunt, you'll find some info about it in Meridian! Check under the tree to speak with Mako, the Headhunter!


Alongside a slew of adjustments to various locations around the map, which you can find in more detail in the MineZ Changelog, there are some new additions to the loot pool! Two new tiers of chests are coming to the game - Civ Rares and Tool Rares! Both of these chests serve as opportunities to diversify the loot pools for Civ and Tool chests, while also allowing us to add new items that are stronger, without throwing off the current balance of already existing chests. Keep an eye out in the near future for some more magical additions for loot!


Following many of the above loot changes, we're continuing to explore new ways of looting, obtaining gear, and interacting with the environment of Valar. To aid us in that, comes a new form of terrain you may find in a few places around the map: Grenade-able Walls!

These walls are marked by telltale signs of chipping away with visual particles. Simply throw a grenade at the wall, and it will blow it up - revealing whatever secrets may lie behind it! For now, these walls are in a select few locations, but you can expect to see more like them in the near future. As we explore that fun term of "active looting", the team will continue to explore more engaging ways of gearing that don't just involve tipping a location, and will be excited to continue to add fun, interactive elements to gameplay.


As many have been discussing within the community, there is much to be done in the world of MineZ, as we seek to make improvements to the game for the long haul, while also continuing to try to keep our current devoted community engaged. We've recently shared a few announcements about some of these changes, such as the continued search for more staff (check out the Admin and Builder applications!), the recent Team Restructure, and even our partnership with the Fair Play Saturday community Discord. Though we know changes such as these are only the beginning, we hope both recent changes, as well as these, serve to prove we are looking in the right direction. Keep an eye on the horizon and keep giving us all that valuable feedback - we're in this together. Till next time!

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Annihilation Update - Serious Gallium (2.14.0)

Hello!

We are pleased to announce the release of Serious Gallium: The SCOUT update!

From the 3rd to the 7th of November, the Annihilation Team hosted test matches allowing you to play with the options from our community vote; options A, B and C were on the table. Check out the voting thread here: SCOUT Community Vote.

And the winner was...

Option A: Combat Tag

The voting tally was as follows:

• A) 51.1% with 24 votes
• B) 23.4% with 11 votes
• C) 25.5% with 12 votes

Changelog

Scout

• Unlimited Grapple! The cooldown on the Grapple has been completely removed
• Permanent Speed has been removed
  • This means that Scouts can now benefit from the Speed effect at any tier!
• Combat tagging added! If you hit or get hit by an enemy, you will incur a 5 second combat tag. While tagged, you cannot grapple. Hitting or getting hit while already tagged will reset this timer.
• Fire and Slowness debuffs are still in place so you can handle those pesky void bungee Scouts!

Credits
Many thanks to the Annihilation Team for hosting the test matches but most of all, a big thank you to all who could make the tests and voted in the poll!

Hello Shotbow! Things have been busy all across the Network with gamemode updates, staffing changes, and so much more. As we witness all of this change, one thing echoes in our mind, and that's to film it all so others can experience it too! For the first time in quite a while, Film Crew Applications will be open! We're looking for a dedicated team of individuals so we can begin churning out content for the Shotbow Community and beyond!

As members of our Film Crew, you'd be responsible for the creation of lots of different content - tutorials, promotional videos, cinematics, and much more! Working closely alongside our Marketing Team to ensure our content gets to where it needs to be, we're looking for those who have a passion for the Network, and want to see Shotbow grow. Our Film Crew will be here to entertain, inspire, and bring the existing community together while also reaching new audiences!

Our Film Crew will work as a team on a multitude of projects, and as such, cooperation is essential! We're looking for passionate members of the community, and we know there's already a fair few of you out there! As such, you can apply to the Film Crew either on your own, or as partners with a friend. Those of you who may have experience with another person may have a great working relationship already, and we'd like to preserve that as best we can! So, if it interests you to apply as a team of two, make sure you both fill out the application appropriately, so we know who already has experience working together. Applying as a team does not affect your chances of being selected.


You can find the application for joining the Film Crew here. Please keep in mind that applying does not guarantee you a position on the team. We're looking forward to all who apply, and are excited at the prospect of having a dedicated Film Crew team. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible, so get your portfolios ready! Please DM either MrJack or PokeTheEye if you have any questions.