Hey all!

Obviously some of you noticed a couple of weeks ago that we've been trying out some new area-based weather things.

These are entirely meant just for flavor/immersion, but a very small amount of them do pose some mechanical obstacles, as they believably would. These are not meant to affect PvP or PvE, but as in real life you will need to somehow counter the extreme environmental effects in places to carry on as normal.

The only effects in place at present affect Tosmar, and are as follows:
- Snowblindness
- Freezing Fog
- Trudging
- Slipping

And not yet implemented there but on the cards is some random environmental damage.

Snowblindness - blocks your view of the room desc and exits whilst the snowstorm weather is in effect.
Freezing Fog - hides the room's exits whilst the fog is there.
Trudging - in snowy and icy rooms you will find that your move speed is increased by 1 because either you're trudging through snow or being careful on ice.
Slipping - In icy rooms you have a 1/4 chance of slipping when you enter, which just sends you prone for a tick.

All of these effects can be countered with items that are available in the lodge shop, and if any other areas in the future are subject to weather effects, they will be counterable by items available for marks in the area. The intention of this is very much not to paywall or create obstacles that are only overcomeable by artis etc. It's just because it's cool and thematic!

Goggles (of any kind, including nano googgles) counter snowblindness and freezing fog.
Snowshoes (not available yet) counteract trudging.
Ice skates (not available currently but you might have some from winterflame) counteract slipping.
Spikedboots (available in the lodge shop) counteract both trudging and slipping.
A tundra coat will protect you from environmental damage from the cold when that's a thing.

If you want to customize your protective wear you may do so using the usual means - you can use suspended decay facilitators to stop them decaying and can customize their appearance using a customize request.

I'll also add them as fashion design types in just a moment, so that should be done by the end of the day.

We'll also be making an artifact to counter all of these effects, should you not want to wear all the bulky clothing, but that's just for convenience and isn't made yet.

There will no doubt be bugs and inconsistencies, as with all new things, so please resist the temptation to loudly complain about how awful and unfair it is and just submit a bug - we know things are rarely perfect right off the bat, and very much appreciate your feedback and experience in helping us to make things better!

There are also quite a few areas waiting for a new climate type (desert, arid, smog for example), and indoor rooms should not have weather effects, so let us know if you find any that do! We'll also be attempting to add windows to rooms that would have them, but it's... quite a job.

So... weather here, wish you were beautiful.

Ilu all - Damiel <3