Now In This Hush

Gharu'ndim

Sho

Viamontians

Ispar History

Auberean History

Texts

Rumors

Event Teaser - From the Zone

January 3, 2001

Amurra, perched on a stone outcrop, blew on her hands. The late frost was sinking into everyone's bones. “I still can't believe they managed to defeat the Hopeslayer. A demon of this world, thousands of years old, and more powerful than Asheron! It is truly a testament to the human spirit, isn't it Gideon?”

Gideon looked up from fletching quarrels. Can she not see that I'm busy? One of us must have a clue as to what's going on around. These mountains are dangerous! “Yes, sure. Human spirit. Testament. Huzzah for the war mages. Why don't you stop talking and hand me that letter MacNiall gave us?”

Amurra glowered at him, but dug in her pack until she found it. Eyes narrowed, she walked over and handed him the letter with testy deliberation.

Gideon perused it while packing his gear. He was curious about what MacNiall would have to say to his cousin.

“Look Gideon,” Amurra said crossly, “I'm tired of you treating me like some second-rate vagabond. I know what I'm doing! Even the Zharalim respect me more than you do.”

Gideon frowned. How am I supposed to concentrate with her prattling on like this? He turned to her, impatient--

--and saw the Iron Golem charging from behind. An old and scathing Aluvian curse fell stillborn in his mouth. “Golem!” he simply yelped instead, and scrambled for his crossbow.

Still scowling, Amurra turned around as Gideon fumbled to load a barbed quarrel he'd paid for through the nose. Yet instead of backing away from the Golem, she began to cast, an odd purplish glow manifesting between her fingers. Titanic gouts of acid surged from her hands, reducing the Golem to its base components.

“Bet you won't treat me like a sidekick now,” she proudly chirped.

Bemused, Gideon nodded, wondering from where the Iron Golem had come.

Unlike any other gaming experience, the world of Asheron's Call continues to evolve with each and every month. New lands have been discovered, new creatures battled. Towns and seasons have even come and gone. Last month the dread Hopeslayer, Bael'Zharon, walked abroad, spreading terror with every step. One can only wonder what changes and additions will soon take place when we open our January event, “Now in this Hush.”

Be sure to continue your part in this incredible ongoing story -- and we'll see you in Dereth!  

Roll Out - From the Zone

January 9, 2001

Carefully. . . cautiously. . . 

. . . cellar doors have begun to unlock. Hastily erected barricades have started to come down. Once more, the people of Dereth poke their heads back into the world to see if all is well. 

Last month, the dread Hopeslayer, Bael'Zharon, walked the land. In his path -- epic terror. Many a good hero fled, or perished in trying to face him. Yet just at hope's end, a valiant quest -- organized by Lord Asheron himself -- succeeded, imprisoning the dread Hopeslayer within a second, stronger crystal prison. 

Yet will this prison hold? 

As the people of Dereth reemerge from their cellars and other places of hiding, they'll find that with Bael'Zharon defeated, the world has reverted to its more natural order. Along with the dread Hopeslayer, also gone are the rivers and rains of blood. The skies have cleared, and there are even signs of mild winter setting in. The world, seemingly, has recovered. 

Still, no one believes all danger has been forever banished. Not here. Not in Dereth. 

As a result of the struggle against Bael'Zharon, improvements have developed in certain ways of war. Veteran mages from the School of the Arm now cast spells mightier than anything yet seen before -- mighty enough to reduce fey and feral beasts to smoldering piles of ash. Then there are those warriors who took up, not magic, but blades against Bael'Zharon. From the perilous lessons learned in the fighting, many claim that deadly new feats with light swords and daggers are now possible; yet it may be that such swashbuckling tricks remain the secret of Dereth's bandits. In addition, a further quest has come about, concerning the land's most famous sword. . . somehow related to the site of Bael'Zharon's former prison, now marked with a tribute to its defense. 

Is this improved sword, then, a reward from Lord Asheron? Or a subtle reminder of evil's power, from the dread Hopeslayer himself? 

Following is a list of the most interesting additions made to the game this update. However, please note that not all changes have been included -- that would spoil the fun of finding out everything that's been added or changed! As usual, though, the town criers, barkeeps, and scribes may know the latest news. Also, the trades of crafting and selling are always in flux, so changes to prices and abilities of items are not always listed here in their entirety. 

Highlights include: 

• A new dagger quest has been introduced.
• In addition, the Sword of Lost Hope quest was added as a result of Bael'Zharon's defeat.
• New level VII War Magic spells have been introduced. Now you can really show the monsters of Dereth who's in charge!
• Fellowships that consist entirely of players level 50 and above now share XP equally, regardless of how far apart in level players are from the fellowship leader.
• Wintertime has come to the land of Dereth. Let there be snow (and snowmen, too)!
• The level restrictions to the Fenmalain and Caulnalain portals have been increased.
• Master archmage vendors now sell portal gems. A good way of getting rid of some of that extra pyreal bogging you down. In return, recall to some of your favorite towns.
• The Tumerok Overlord now carries a key; his loot has been moved to a chest. The key is quest-flagged with an interval of one week.
• On Thistledown, look for a tribute to those who defended the Soul Crystal.

In order to learn the full scope of January's event, “Now In This Hush,” be sure to read the State of the Code and Developer's Notes, January. Continue your part in this incredible on-going story. . . and we'll see you in Dereth! 
 

Developer's Notes -- January - From the Zone

January 9, 2001

Here are just some of the additions made in the January 9 game update, “Now in this Hush.” The following list is comprised of detailed notes straight from the developers themselves. For a summary of things of most interest, be sure to consult the official event article, Now in this Hush.  

Detailed Notes for Builds 2480 - 2484:

• The ten level restriction between players joining a fellowship is now ignored if the leader and new member of the fellowship are both level fifty or above.
• Removed "the" from wand names.
• Changed the text string that players receive when they try to cast a beneficial spell on a monster. "You can't cast beneficial spells on monsters," now reads: "You cast the spell, but beneficial spells do not affect monsters."
• Removed heritage group names from doors.
• You no longer end up with a negative AL when failing to dye an item that has had its armor level raised with magic.
• Yoroi and scale mail cuirasses no longer use the same icon.
• Fixed the text strings and collection behaviors of collectors.
• Master archmage vendors now sell portal gems.
• Certain archmages now sell tapers; lead, iron, copper, and silver scarabs; and all trade notes. Other archmages now sell gold and pyreal scarabs.
• Certain vendors have been updated to carry health potions and stamina elixirs.
• Fixed the bug that created ten bundles of barbed arrows instead of one bundle.
• Lightened the encumbrance of Shreth gauntlets, making them more user friendly.
• The Tumerok Overlord now carries a key, and his loot has been moved to a chest. The key is quest-flagged with an interval of one week. This change has been made to reduce spawn camping for his treasure.
• Fixed the Soul Fearing Acolytes who summoned portals upon death, so that they no longer cast them into a wall.
• Fixed the Mausoleum Guardian and Warden. They will no longer be the one-eyed men in the land of the blind.
• Placed proper exit portals in the Heart of Darkness dungeon.
• Upped the maximum level limits of the Fenmalain and Caulnalain portals.
• The Shade Stronghold portal generator no longer creates two portals.
• The Empyrean Cloister portal is no longer tie-able.
• Fixed the prison room in Aerfalle's Keep where some players were drain macroing. Players should note that two Umbris Shadows have been placed in a formerly prime buff location. Their spawn rate is ten minutes as opposed to the dungeon standard of three minutes.
• Lifestones now have a two foot usability radius. This fixes a bug involving players using lifestones from a distance.
• Fixed the damage types for Slithayr Tendrils and Sulthis Tendrils.
• Fixed data errors in Skeletons and Wisps.
• Changed the value of notes and letters in newbie quests to zero.
• Changed the value of keys acquired for free in newbie quests to zero.
• Changed the value of weapons acquired for free in old newbie quests to zero.
• Changed the value of jewelry acquired for free in old newbie quests to zero.
• Changed the value of general items acquired for free in old newbie quests to zero.
• Quest-flagged Lou Ka's yaoji and Lou Ei's bracelet.
• Changed the spawn rate on Lou Ei's bracelet chest.
• There are six stackable quest items in the newbie quests that bypassed the quest flags; changing the max stack size to one seemed to fix this problem.

  ---

Developer's Chat

January 17, 2001

+Chaos@AC> Welcome to our Monthly Asheron’s Call Developer's Chat. With us today is Producer Nik Davidson. He’ll be introducing the rest of his folks. A few reminders of the ground rules:

1. You must have your question typed out and ready to cut & paste when your turn is up
2. Limit one question per person will be strictly enforced.
3. The question *must* appear in the first line you post. If not, you will be moved back to watching.
4. You may support your question with up to 2 additional lines of text.
5. If the developer needs more information, we will move you back to asking.
6. Repeat Questions will not get a response other then “Asked and Answered”.

Please watch for your question being asked before you. As always, the Code of Conduct is in full effect during the chat. This is all in an effort to keep the chat running more smoothly, make it more informative and give more people a chance to ask questions. With that, I will hand over the floor to Nik for introductions and we will be off to the questions.

Nik@turbine> As we say in the industry, "w00t". With me tonight are: Dave "Sausage King" Javier, lead design, Dave "Original Dave" Namerow, Ken "Where have my thrashers gone?" Troop, Sean "Sean" Huxter, Cardell "No hope for you!" Kerr, and Sandra "Too New For A Tagline" Powers. And someone let Jesse in. Will we ever learn? Me, I'm that mean producer man, Nik Davidson. And without further ado, let's get right to it. Fire away, Chaos!

nei@turbine> no love. they toss me out like yesterday's meatloaf.

sean@Turbine> Hi. I love my new car.

Xeno_RhubarbPie> Well after leaving the chat on for over 2 days straight, then camping it in hopes that it would be purged, I got lucky! Anyway, my big question is: What did you guys do to Crank!? :) He has been working so much that he is now home sick. After Nei told me about this horrible tragedy, I decided to make a little film about what could have happened to Crank. It can be viewed at http://www.geocities.com/pwochaz69/cranknei.gif . Tomfoolery! Anyways, Crank and Nei r0x0r!!! Hogwash. Tomfoolery. Flabsnafflery.

Xeno_RhubarbPie> Done :) Oh yeah and DT owns ;p btw carebears: STOP messaging me saying "ask the devs about pink dye plz!!!"

Crowley@turbine> Crank was struck by illness as karmic retribution for constantly avoiding paying the train fare.

Dave@turbine> heh

Crowley@turbine> Done

SageZ_MeRcEnArY> With the recent lag issues on darktide and in a prior Dev chat you had mentioned that you are aware of the situation that is causing the lag in DT and are going to fix it....morean you enlighten us as to the cause......is it God Mode or another issue all
SageZ_MeRcEnArY> together

SageZ_MeRcEnArY> and also I gotta say, ASHERONS CALL RULES< SAME WITH DARKTIDE~~~~~~~

Nik@turbine> Well, as far as we can tell, it's not god mode. Some of it has to do with the way DT population spreads out - at any given time, there are people in more places on DT than on other worlds.

Nik@turbine> It's something we're working on. Beyond that, I can't say much.

Nik@turbine> Done.

Lilmage> Turbines adds of the bandit weaps totally nuked my high level U/A guy, not to mention there has been no luv for u/a. I feel 2x the pain since 2 wks after I got lifeM, prots were nerfed. 3x pain on add of Sturdy Irons and L/P. What Gives guys? done....

Lilmage> Good game folks!

Crowley@turbine> okay

Crowley@turbine> UA does not need further help

Crowley@turbine> prots were not nerfed

Crowley@turbine> done

nuway> Greetings, could you please tell us what is the length of the timer for the Bandit hilt? It has been rumored as little as 3 weeks and as much as 3 months, more...

nuway> While I think we can all live with 3 weeks, 3 months is a little unreasonable as I think people will start losing interest and we don't want that do we hehe, more.

nuway> If it is 3 months or more, please shorten the timer, thanks. Fantastic game BTW, done.

Crowley@turbine> it's a long time

Crowley@turbine> it has to be a long timer, because we need to strictly control the supply of bandit weapons in-game

Crowley@turbine> aw, we'll just spill the beans, the timer is 4 months

Crowley@turbine> done

Cynnamonn> Are stacking healing kits, potions in larger than groups of 12, mana stones, or same vender-same denomination notes, going to be implemented?

Cynnamonn> You have a tough job keeping all of us backseat Devs in line with great updates and coding. And most of use are very hard on ya, but don't think we don't appreciate the hard work.

Cynnamonn> Great game. Must say HEY to best group in Dereth, Allegiance of Derethian Honor. Done

Crowley@turbine> we're not expecting to change much in the inventory system, so I wouldn't hold my breath for it

Crowley@turbine> done

NekatEman> When will the lugian fortress near Qualaba'r be open? It's been there about 5 months and still no way in. The few spawn locations for the Tiatus Raiders are always camped. Nice job with the Blade Hilt ! Done.

cardell@turbine> The Lugian Fortress is still a project in the works. Hopefully, they'll get their act together and hurry it up, but as you all know, Lugians is slow.

cardell@turbine> Done.

Blitzkad299> Im wondering if there is anything neat you can do to make UA lethal with your fists? I know UA is a very viable skill but when I choose UA a long time ago it was to fight with my fists and be deadly not wave my nekode around!

Blitzkad299> Shout out to A Sorcerer, who's hitting level 101 as we speak! Only 72 mil to 102 and he will be there before you wake up baby!

Blitzkad299> A suggestion to MS, please get some new PR and get your act together

Crowley@turbine> UA is pretty deadly with plate gauntlets.

Crowley@turbine> especially when you slap a BD on them.

Crowley@turbine> I've also heard of people killing Olthoi soldiers with two kicks from steeltoed boots.

nei@turbine> nerf boots!

cardell@turbine> Nerf Olthoi!

Crowley@turbine> so UA without "weapons" is viable, but there won't be elemental weapon types on bare fist action

Crowley@turbine> done

netmage01> UnArmed is totally undesireable now, why is it you find nice swords with magic, where are all the decent Cestus/Katar? Please do something about macro'rs, Suggestion, 30 mins in pool=auto PK:) They ruined this game, especially since they talk now.

netmage01> It Seems like Turbinists insists on Gharu with Sword for melee. Also the War Mages should share /3 value like all the other offencive skills. War magic Imp, Feeblemind and Bafflement is pretty powerless.

netmage01> Crowleys wrong

Dave@turbine> 1 question only please

Crowley@turbine> all the decent cestuses and katars are in the hands of the massive numbers of people who play UA

nei@turbine> or in my pants. *sideways glance*

Crowley@turbine> UA weapons don't spawn as often as, say, swords or axes, but there's still a bunch available

Crowley@turbine> it's just that any decent ones get snapped up and hoarded

Crowley@turbine> done

doh_jhed_con> Q: Can you make the Health Elixirs available for sale somewhere, and/or else greatly increase their loot spawn rate? Once a character gets more than 100 HP, the Health Potions are basically useless cuz whatever you're fighting

doh_jhed_con> takes off more than 25 HP in the time it takes to drink one, and Elixirs are really rare, so much so that I can't use them regularly. I suggest you make one person that sells them, and put him/her in a town that's almost never used.

doh_jhed_con> How about Underground City? You could charge a lot for them (5000p or so) to make sure only those who really need them can afford them. And no it's not too powerful cuz it takes like 6 seconds just to drink 'em... GA.

Nik@turbine> There's some debate going on...

ken@turbine> At this time, we are not going to make health elixirs available for sale...l

ken@turbine> Either by judicious use of Melee D, or a skillful combination of prots/banes I would suggest that a simple health potion can indeed be your best friend

ken@turbine> done

DarkMarcus> My question: availability of arrow supplies and special arrows in general. Currently if archers want to use all damage types you have to run to 3 out of the way cities for heads which cost a fortune. Other bowyers run out of BASIC fletching supplies...

DarkMarcus> (normal heads and shafts - imagine the outcry if you were able to exhaust the supply of, say, scarabs, charges or kits). You nerfed the value of greater elemental arrows so that it was no longer financially desirable to make arrows and sell them…

DarkMarcus> Either add more places to buy blunt, AP, frog and broad heads or allow us to retrieve arrows off our kills. But for Asheron's sake, fletchers and bowyers should NEVER run out of plain heads so that we have to wait for a restock. Deity Arokh Rules! done

ken@turbine> This is one thing we will be looking at over the next two months, done

_cell_> What happen to the mage love for the lvl 1 to 40's?They have no shot in casting a lvl 7 so Where is there love? When ever there is love it always seems to always go to the high lvl mages,archers or anything like that.Are the lower lvl's mages getting love

_cell_> STAFF NNEEDS LOVE ALSO !!!!!!!!

cardell@turbine> Well, we've increased the availability of spell components all across Dereth.

cardell@turbine> That alone aids mages of all levels for convenience.

cardell@turbine> Done.

Sir_Lancelot_I> Hello, Will there be any bow updates... new quests for bows? i want elysa's bow!!:P shouts out to sai jai monarchy, turbine, all the archers for hangin in there, and all the peeps out there!!

Sir_Lancelot_I> GA

Crowley@turbine> There are certainly going to be more bow quests in the future

Crowley@turbine> whether or not bow is going to get significantly more powerful, which is what people seem to want, that's another question

Crowley@turbine> we're kicking around ideas here

Crowley@turbine> that's really all to be said on it right now

Crowley@turbine> done

jmcconnell1> When is ua gonna get a new quest item ???? all we have really is hamauds katar actually just for ua, oh and any comment on when wintersebb will be up plz!!!

Crowley@turbine> UA will get a new quest weapon some day

Crowley@turbine> there are other melee classes with a more pressing need for quest weapons though

Crowley@turbine> so don't look for it in the next few months

Crowley@turbine> done

+Chaos@AC> For the folks eagerly awaiting the arrival of Wintersebb - it will be here soon! When we posted the announcement, we felt confident it would be up shortly after that. We encountered some technical setbacks, and those are being resolved now. We apologize

+Chaos@AC> for the delay and thank you for your continued patience.

JVande6028> Will you guys make a new bow quest anytime soon? a new bow that doesnt need "crystal arrows" to operate would be cool.high mod/spells. choose your own color cuz of different gems. long / hard / level 50+ quest thing ;)can u guys make something like that?

JVande6028> black dye would be cool too. done

+Chaos@AC> This questions been answered previously

SN_Zenogias> Will Atlan Weapons ever be givable in the Future?

SN_Zenogias> I don't see why you couldn't do this. Sure you may have newbies running around with peerless atlans, but that is no worse than newbies running around with Shadow armor is it? Also this would help the majority of people that rerolled atleast once and . . .

SN_Zenogias> . . .have atlans on their old chars that are just gathering dust. January's patch was great, Sword and dagger love was awesome, keep up the good work! GA.

cardell@turbine> Atlan weapons were meant to be a reward for higher level players since they are crafted using that character's ability.

cardell@turbine> Therefore, I doubt you will be seeing them change to giveable anytime in the near future.

cardell@turbine> Done.

whiskey62> I was wondering what your reasons were for removing the "exploit" that allowed us to tie a bit away from the LS.

whiskey62> Of all the people I have talked to, both anti and PK, no one had a problem with this. It allieviates lag when recalling into the LS area, makes the lame practice of LS camping more difficult, and just overall does way more good that bad.

whiskey62> So, please put it back in!! :) Oh ya, greetings to the Darktide Shadow Warriors. And FIX DT LAG!!!!

Nik@turbine> If people were sly, they could previously lifestone anywhere they could run. This was an unacceptable bug, so it was fixed. Done.

CableChewer> Is anything coming for a mid-range no-drop mage quest item? Items w/ Casting Mastery II or III (boosts all trained schools) or maybe a wand that can be cfged with gems

CableChewer> (like the Silifi). Target users w/War skill of ~150. Limiting mage love to lvl 7 spells will dissapoint. Eagerly awaiting rebalance of monster resistance mentioned in prev chat...

CableChewer> PS Please remove the mana pools. I've seen up to 10 macroers in the Yaraq M.H. abusing them. Multiply by the number of meeting halls -perhaps 100+ of them per night per server.

CableChewer> ga

ken@turbine> There is currently a quest that results in wands with casting masteries II on them

ken@turbine> they are also effectively no drop

ken@turbine> im not sure that answered your question...but done

BluMonkey> What are the current plans for lvl 7 item magic(IE:Will we be able to cast spells like the ones on the ravenous weapons or will it be something different(read:new types of spells)), if any at all?

BluMonkey> I'd also like to say "WAAAZZZZZZAAAA" to Valkis, Tarod, Errhandler and Zomerous of Leafcull, done.

cardell@turbine> Well, the spells on the ravenous weapons are unique to the process. Therefore, Level 7 item spells will not be able to duplicate their effects.

cardell@turbine> Level 7 items will be unique in their own way, however, much like level 7 war spells are. Those Essences sure are tricky.

cardell@turbine> Done.

poll3975> Do the Client and server have to negotiate or agree upon your position within Dereth? My characters are often outrun by chars with lower run and the same burden percentage. Does

poll3975> the server require confirmation I am still in Autorun? Does the server move me to where the client thinks I am so that I perceive a smooth (but slow) run?

poll3975> ga

nei@turbine> *tags in*

nei@turbine> basically, the server has final say in where you are at all times.

nei@turbine> the client will attempt to aproximate it, but the server can pull you back if it decides that the client is wrong.

nei@turbine> (this is where you see the blipping effect)

nei@turbine> the client is forced to take what the server says... once you start auto-run, the server will keep on going until it's told to sto.

nei@turbine> so yeah.

nei@turbine> done.

Saffron_Dusk> Where is that scoundrel Asheron? A year, now, a year spent toiling as pawns in the Empyrean's games. Illservian, the shadows, the Yalain, they all see us as fools, as mere cattle. I long for the fields of my people,

Saffron_Dusk> the bright spires of Thrushaven, the great halls of Tirethas, the soft flow of the Canfeld. I am tired, the scars on my body enough to cover the steppes of the Souia-Vey. Agents of Asheron, when will I see my Ispar? When will I rest?

Saffron_Dusk> (Sorry, had no other good question :) Best game I ever played, but you don't need that coming from me. Done.)

Crowley@turbine> oi Saff

nei@turbine> *panics at the sight of IC-ness*

Crowley@turbine> Chris L'Etoile says:

Crowley@turbine> "Asheron has spent the last ten years trying to find a portal back to Ispar for your ungrateful butt."

Crowley@turbine> done

Dave@turbine> That is a quote... I heard it.

asheys_world> Hello. Have you guys considered putting in horses with say 500 run? Or any other type of mobility to get from town to town faster? Also, have you considered varying the day and/or time of the dev chat? Done.

Crowley@turbine> to help with mobility.... there are portal gems in game

Crowley@turbine> horses is an old-time issue that's been debated endlessly and we decided we can't do with the current resources

Crowley@turbine> so yes, we've considered it

Nik@turbine> We could put in horses with 500 run. But you wouldn't be able to ride them.

Crowley@turbine> no, it's not going to happen

Crowley@turbine> done

nei@turbine> i have a horse.

nei@turbine> but he's actually a cow.

Buffy_Becca> Q: Can you give us any hints as to who will be our next adversary after the shadows and Bael'zharon? Suggestion (olthoi!!) and if you cant answer that Why does Nei smell? ;) ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US! ;)

nei@turbine> da*n, y0 - that's cold. and here I am about to turn on Temptation Island and i get the slam from hehind.

cardell@turbine> Nei smells cause he's a dirty hippie. That was the easiest question yet.

ken@turbine> I think the next nemesis will soon become obvious

Crowley@turbine> I think our next adversary will, by necessity, be a unified Europe.

Crowley@turbine> done

Genghis_Magnus> What is the ETA for eliminating the runcast/godmode issue? It seems like it could be fixed by not allowing someone to jump while in casting mode (or while switching between casting/peace modes) & not being able to toggle into combat mode while in the air.

Genghis_Magnus> If it isn't that easy, any clarification on a potential fix would be appreciated. Thanks again...don't forget the mace/lockpick/appraisal love and please add body armor with the regeneration spell to the loot generator. You're welcome, Trai ;)

Crowley@turbine> (sorry, really, I have nothing against Europeans)

nei@turbine> Hi Trai's guy... =p

Nik@turbine> There is no ETA yet. There's not much more I can really say on this one just yet.

Nik@turbine> Done.

Kakarotte> Do you guys ever plan on beefing up the graphics and sound alittle? I personally think the graphics are great but what I have read in reviews it seems to be the only thing that is behind other ORPGs. The game is awsome by the way. Good work guys. done

sean@Turbine> Do NOT get me started!

sean@Turbine> :-)

Crowley@turbine> I actually think our graphics are pretty good in comparison to others. Some areas are strongers than others, definitely. But this is Sean's deal, I think.

sean@Turbine> To allow for a huge set of options, much of the graphic work in AC had to be limited in appearance...

sean@Turbine> ...for example, palettizing images allows us to have a bu-zillion colors for clothing, but to get that we sacrifice a little detail.

sean@Turbine> Also, when we shipped, we had to meet a minimum system requirement that is now generally considered to be obsolete. But you can still play AC on a low-end system.

sean@Turbine> Ok, you got me started. :-)

sean@Turbine> When it comes to game reviews, I honestly think that most of the people who put our graphics below some of our competition played for a few hours (like most reviewers) then gave up, and judged us on a very small set of game graphics.

sean@Turbine> I have never heard of any other game where people have e-mailed us telling us that after running over the crest of a hill, they just stopped and stared at the sun until it set.

sean@Turbine> Added to that we have a firmly established commitment to improve graphics where we can.

sean@Turbine> New models for tuskers, drudges, and higher poly models for NEW creatures are just a few steps we have taken.

sean@Turbine> The thing is that we still are committed to running on low end systems as well, and while graphics scale fairly well, with degrade modes, and graphics settings, our sound engine is not as scalable, so adding lots of great new sounds would increase memory

sean@Turbine> requirements so that lower-end users (and we have quite a few) would lose out.

sean@Turbine> Personally, I'm aware of some of the sacrifices we made in detail so we could have diversity, and I would never change that. Diversity is very important.

sean@Turbine> However, note that in most content added since we shipped, we have tried for higher-end appearance.

sean@Turbine> Sorry to be so long-winded, but then again, I feel pretty passionately about this topic.

Dave@turbine> air need air

sean@Turbine> done

BaDSeeD5> TD guy here, since my Q was already answred, im gonna ask a Q for somone else (great game btw, it feed addiction well :) *drools from the brain damage*)(nerf UA, give staff and AXE some love!)<-that wasn't what i wanted to say tho.. :P wootwoot :P

BaDSeeD5> ok, so here goes, what are you devs going to do to rebalance the melee weapons, now that the addition of the bandit handle for swords and dagger has made all other melee classes obselete? BTW, i'd love to see you put Nei riding a cow in the game -GA-

Crowley@turbine> oh, probably cut to the chase and remove all other melee weapons

Crowley@turbine> just kidding

Crowley@turbine> okay, so dagger is pretty good, and sword, as far as I can tell, is now worth the skill credits

Crowley@turbine> axe may need some help, mace and spear need some help, definitely, but beyond that, I don't see a need to improve other weapons

Crowley@turbine> so we've got some plans in mind. but no guarantees that things will be changed. certainly no drastic changes.

Crowley@turbine> done

Aphonous> Are the new war spells the end of current efforts to make war more viable at high levels? War(with life) has never had a problem with damage done when a spell hits, but the issue has been the difficulty in hitting at all due to bad pathing...

Aphonous> slow casting animations, and the permanent 15% vitae for mages (life/war inepts) in high level play. 40k scarabs?! Congrats to everyone's hero "A Sorcerer" who just hit level 101. :)

nei@turbine> they let me answer the fun ones... whee!

nei@turbine> nah, it's never the end... it'd get boring if new things didn't happen...

nei@turbine> those *crazy* mages are always up to no good..

nei@turbine> it just is a matter of getting them out and trading power for... um... erm... reliability?

nei@turbine> ah never end though...

nei@turbine> done

Thieves_Knight> I was wondering if u had any plans on mayeb adding a boat across the inner sea(or anywhere were boats could be used) like in Everqeust, That would make travel more fun and easier, Also u think u can get low lvl monsters to drop stuff actually usable......

Thieves_Knight> like armor newbies can use

Thieves_Knight> not just fruit

Crowley@turbine> no boats. you'll have to settle for portals.

Nik@turbine> Portals are easier than boats. And much, much faster.

Nik@turbine> The Society quests address the low-level-loot issue quite nicely, too.

Nik@turbine> Done.

LionHe4rt> Q: Will you please add a new island with Powerful melee monsters - like a olthoi with 3000hp that even a fully buffed mage would be hit for 20-50 a shot, something fun for high lvl groups to actually hunt, not just mobs of spell casting bandies or shadows

LionHe4rt> I've played since beta, love the game, just tired of rerolling each time I get a character to lvl 60+ range, again great job on the game, GA

ken@turbine> no concrete plans on when, but we have been discussing something along these lines, vaguely similar at least

ken@turbine> done

I_own_j0> Wanted to kown if there is any chance for housing! or somting of the sort.

I_own_j0> I played Ultima Online for 3 years and what kept bringing me back was the housing because it felt like I had somthing to come back to. AC would excel much more if it had this type of system.

I_own_j0> Also, like to give props to Lost Warriors on SC and my hero Cryptic! And for anyone who thinks they can kill cryptic in PVP, keep dreaming, hes going to own you all on WE!

I_own_j0> Done!

Nik@turbine> At this stage in AC, don't expect it.

Nik@turbine> Done.

ulti_r0x0r_j00> lockpick luv: u promise luv for it, but continue to nerf it! sturdy chests where good idea, but nerfing the overlord w/o giving "small tools" luv... dont promise luv when im not seeing any, and the nerfing continues!

ulti_r0x0r_j00> i_0wn_j0 r0x0rz! LONG LIVE THE KNIGHTS WHO SAY "NEI" DEVILMOUSE + COW = DEVILCOW? also could we replace done with just plain old W00T?

ulti_r0x0r_j00> cyrptic rox j00

ken@turbine> there are two quests being planned for lockpick for march...they may change somewhat from now to implementation time, but we are working on it

ken@turbine> done

Drexus1> Will war VIIs stay as is or will they be altered? Some think they are to expensive, others think they are to powerful. My first opinion, war was utterly broken. I still feel that way to an extent, but I know life will never be nerfed. War VIIs are NOT to

Drexus1> powerful. The burn rate is perfect. The cost of plats is a tad bit high. I could see 22k or 25k but 40k is just to much. Other than that two thumbs up on VIIs. Now where did you hide that war VI-life VI orb...

nei@turbine> i'm in again! yay me.

nei@turbine> no... war 7s wil pretty much be staying as they are now... (the spells themselves, that is -- mana cost, power, diff, etc)

nei@turbine> the surrounding elements (specifically the comps) are still being ponderized.

nei@turbine> (that wasn't a word...)

nei@turbine> done.

GoD_FiNiXX> i would like to ask this question. Why arent ther any spells on staff of light bringer i think ther should be some kind of a spell.When i walk people always ask what does it cast and i say it dont cast any thing and they say that sucks i think it should

GoD_FiNiXX> cast some kinda spell any spell that no one can learn that would be rly cool.It wasent that easy to kill Bael'zharon and all we get is staff with nothing.Is it posible some kinda spell will be added l8ter on?Done

Crowley@turbine> no spells will be added to the staff.

Crowley@turbine> the adulation of the masses ought to be enough of a reward.

Crowley@turbine> done

dysan1> any thoughts of lowering the burn of comps for spells. it seems they burn so fast and costs so much money just to restock after fighting. especially being on the DT server, it gets to be quite expensive to be a mage...thanx

Nik@turbine> It's a balance-of-power thing, and isn't going to change. Done.

+Astyrrian> What is your stance on the reverse engineering and third party development with Asheron's Call, which includes things such as, mapping of the cell/portal.dat files, reverse engineering of the client, and disassembly of the protocol?

+Astyrrian> "pr0tal to t3th" for Mr. TroyMcClure, "gr33tz" (Uh..) to Ghede,Dantrag,Skitz,Duck,Cmos.NET,+Gigas_Lugian,+zParaduck,
Wembly,Cibo...Ugh this is *lame*...ga :-)

nei@turbine> dear god it's in bold!

Nik@turbine> Our stance is, we have no stance.

nei@turbine> hey, i have a stance.... i dig it =p

sean@Turbine> But I thought we agreed it was a jailable offense... I was wrong? Ooops.

Nik@turbine> I think the real question is, Will you be banned? Nope. That's not our gig.

Nik@turbine> Done.

MrScruffleNuts> Hey guys/gals, Ever considered a level cap for asheron's call! Leveling up is basically what asheron's call has become for some people, Having a level cap would allow those competitive people to say Yay i'm the level cap now! i can finally see the game!

MrScruffleNuts> This type of I want to be better than the next guy mentality ruins what I feel asheron's call should be(But i aint no dev), Which Direction are you planning to take Asheron's call in the furture? Social Type game, Exploring, Leveling, LOot? etc?

Crowley@turbine> there is a level cap. the XP required to get there is astronomically high. the cap may be changed in the future, as the game continues to grow.

Crowley@turbine> done

nei@turbine> "I'm the tallest guy on the island!."

BrendaRacko> can the new shreath pants be made into leggings instead so we can wear them with a matty coat, armadillo shirt or ursiun coat?

BrendaRacko> done

cardell@turbine> Actually, the pants were designed to be just that, pants.

cardell@turbine> Therefore, changing them into leggings will not be happening. But in the future, perhaps there will be other leggings added.

cardell@turbine> Done.

WhIp_My_Tool> Q: What programing language is ac based on or uses and if I wanted to work for Turbine what languages do you suggest i learn =) Dave sleeps during the dev chats if you havent noticed or he is busy watching temptation island...

WhIp_My_Tool> .. =)) Asheron says," d03$ n31 h4v3 a P0rT4l t0 I$p4r//?/ " done. no mace!!!

WhIp_My_Tool> done

nei@turbine> AC is all C/C++...

nei@turbine> that is all. done.

Atrus41> Storage chests would be nice, any plans to add them? They would elimate the need to mule...... Please! UA LOVE!!!!

Atrus41> Id like to shout out to Storm is-risin on Solclaim and X-Factor!!! done.

Crowley@turbine> as a resource-monger, storage chests would only be slightly less complex than housing

Crowley@turbine> so it's not going to happen

Crowley@turbine> done

KOF_megumiH> My question is what is the timers for obs dagger, virindi amulet, rumors of a 3 weeks of gameplay? and Hi all Devs and POF since first line must be a question. :) that's it done. thank you for your time.

Crowley@turbine> three weeks, real time

Crowley@turbine> done

The2HitLagBeast> Can you add cloaks and capes plz??? All my friends on DT are dying for a pink cape to wear to our fashion shows. I figured I would ask this stupid question since the real questions never get answered, and the tech doesnt really support

The2HitLagBeast> much other than more useless junk we dont really need to increase our download... =p BTW Have you seen the comic at http://members.fortunecity.com/joeohio/onefour.html ? I have heard it is Based on a true story.

The2HitLagBeast> Also if you needz a l33t DT acct check out this auction: http://

nei@turbine> Jason is having relations... hehehe..

ProfitLoop> Hello, I'd like to know what made you guys add Banderling Strikers and Bezerkers around the northern Osteth area? These monters are incredibly hard for lower level folks(1-30) and i don't think they belong there, thanks!

ProfitLoop> I'd like to give a shout out To my Mom, and i would like to say THAT MAN I LOVE HOOTERS!!!

ken@turbine> The idea was to toughen up Northern Osteth some, we have heard many responses from people: some liking, and some troubled by the changes: we will continue to look at the spawns and make adjustments on them

ken@turbine> done

Thomas1099> Are the barbed arrows supposed to do double hit/damage? If so at what skill level?

Crowley@turbine> no, there's nothing tricky about barbed arrows.

Crowley@turbine> done

robdahn> What's the latest on peerless arrows/quarrels? If they are just a rumor (if so, ignore first part of question), then what information can you give us on possible high-level archer/xbow love? Idea: Allow the infusing of an HQ ingot

robdahn> with an arrow/quarrel glyph, then given to motey to yield 100 peerless arrowheads. (expensive, but worth it to the high levels) (Fill-in-the-blank, if you would... normal arrow:AP, broadhead:FC, blunt:?) (Hail to the Lord's of LC!)

robdahn> done

cardell@turbine> Peerless arrows/ quarrels are a myth. When archers get further love, it will probably be in a different format than you have presented.

cardell@turbine> Done.

GD_AC> Can it be made so clicking on a weapon or shield of a monster in combat mode selects that monster? Or so shields are "click through-able" while in combat mode?

GD_AC> Currently, if you click on an object in combat mode it gives you an error (cannot target that). As an archer, I'm often targeting far away monsters hiding behind tower shields, and it's very hard to click on their head or feet when it's half a pixel big.

GD_AC> I've also noticed times when monsters are quite visibly right in front of me, but don't show up on radar so I can't cycle-target them. Any improvements would be much apreciated, GA.

Crowley@turbine> If you weren't able to select people's shields or weapons, you wouldn't be able to cast negative item spells on them

Crowley@turbine> which some people find useful against especially tough opponents

Crowley@turbine> so this mechanic is not going to change

Crowley@turbine> done

B_Neely> Q: Since Devilmouse posted a rant area for Macros and Anti-Macros will you (the Devs) be taking an active look at other issues? (IE: the Starter Template gimps) I would hope so, as it was very disappointing that my 20th lvl Blademaster ...more...

B_Neely> was unable to take part in the Dec. quests because he couldn't hit anything or make the pit jump. I would also like to shout out to my beloved fiancee Jennifer (Where are the PICKLES in AC?), she got me hooked on AC, and the d00dz on the best AC Server

B_Neely> Solclaim took BZ down first) …DONE GA Whatever

ken@turbine> templates...retroactively making them viable...i dont expect any major changes on that front, except by changing dynamics on appraisals in some cool ways at some point...as for changing the templates for new chars (sorcerer, etc.) we would love to do ...

ken@turbine> that, but its a question of time and resources which means it gets put low on our priority list

ken@turbine> done

Daluran> Q: Could minor magical cantrips be implemented, such as a light spell etc.

Daluran> Possibly added as “Illuminate self/other” =) I feel it would help during an AC night for those of us that hunt the wilderness.

Daluran> Might be a technical task, but would definitely be neat. - - done.

cardell@turbine> Actually, there has been a lot of thought around here about new spells that deviate from the research norm.

cardell@turbine> As for a light spell? Sounds like a promising idea.

sean@Turbine> Dynamic lighting such as you ask for, (ie: a spell) does not work outdoors. Works fine inside houses and in dungeons, but not outdoors. There is no way to change that in this engine. Adding a spell to add light to a character, would do nothing outside...

sean@Turbine> ...where many people would want to use it.

sean@Turbine> done

p0rt79> I've heard reports that you as a dev team are "working on" the lag problem specific to DarkTide(horrid unplayable lag). It makes little sense that the actual number of people on the server is whats wrong at this point, when you can log into any "NPK"

p0rt79> server with almost double the people and a heckuva lot less lag. As for population-centric... I think you could log into FF and find WAY more people in AB than you could on DT.

p0rt79> Is it true or false that there is a code solution to DT's problem, or is it simply a lack of hardware allocated for our unique "need"?

p0rt79> ps don't cry nei, and done.

nei@turbine> aww baby, you're so sweet.

Nik@turbine> One of the things that we've discovered when researching the DT lag situation is, that even though there are fewer players on DT, there are more areas of the world active at any given time.

Nik@turbine> This is one of a few issues with DT, all of which we're making progress on.

Nik@turbine> That's about the extent of the update for now. Done.

_pine_> hello

_pine_> I was curious

_pine_> If some time, there was going to be a shift select feature in the game, to select multiple items

nei@turbine> aside: ahh! she watched the tape! there is no hope for the world!

Crowley@turbine> no doubt that would be a useful feature.

Crowley@turbine> there's quite some enthusiasm for the idea.

Crowley@turbine> but there are a lot of technical complications that. "retrofitting would be a nightmare" is one opinion here.

Crowley@turbine> so nice as it is, don't count on it.

Crowley@turbine> done

+Chaos@AC> Time for just a few more.....AC_White_Star will be our last caller of the evening.

Imperveus> i wanna see more text descipt ... is this possible, ie ... somthing that should be easy to change.... like "you blister gigas luigan for 70 points dmg" or " you crush brown rabbit" . the text pool that you pull from ...could we update it?

Imperveus> i like the ones like ... " ancestors felt it " and " lifestone shakes " more along these lines...maybe where dmg is done....head, chest ..ect

Imperveus> excellent game btw... oh yeah .... would it be possible to drop (one, just one skill) our pre-trained weapon ..like drop dagger for aluv...so i could learn fletch skill instead... thanks Imp..

Crowley@turbine> we'll look into the possibility of changing damage and death messages

Crowley@turbine> we're not sure how much of a task it is right now, but it's a good idea

Crowley@turbine> done

nei@turbine> next week, billy is going to even the score with one of the singles!

OriginalMister2> Is it doable to have guards/monsters in town that attack those who attack other players? Golems make great protectors, and would be great as guards. If they attacked those who attacked others. Certain creatures react to provocation of "their" kind. more..

OriginalMister2> Is it doable to make the provocation for Guard Golems be the attack of players? In essance making the guards aware of attacks on "their" kind This is primarily a Darktide issue, but with Player Killers on every server, it would be nice to see some safe

OriginalMister2> zones, or at least safer zones, around towns. I can't imagine the local vendors are pleased to watch their customers slaughtered over and over. If I were a vendor, I'd want some one/thing to keep a little order around my place of business.

Crowley@turbine> there are some design questions on this. it's something we'd have to debate around here.

Crowley@turbine> but don't ever expect to see town guards

Crowley@turbine> that's not a box we want to open

Crowley@turbine> and PKs should be able to take care of themselves ;)

Crowley@turbine> done

AC_White_star> Are there any changes in the works to make Magic Defense a more viable skill other than to PK?

AC_White_star> Creatures seem to have such a high magic skill that it would be impossible to resist the level 6 spells cast by them.

AC_White_star> Oh yea...FEH!

cardell@turbine> Magic resistance is not a worthwhile skill as it currently stands.

cardell@turbine> We've looked at it for a while, and we've begun fixing the issue. Currently Wasps have already been modified, and hopefully the process will not stop there.

cardell@turbine> But then again, it is a free skill.

cardell@turbine> Done.

+Chaos@AC> And this concludes our January Dev Chat!

+Chaos@AC> Special thanks to our friends from Turbine for taking time out to be here!! And thank you all for coming in tonight - we had another great crowd!

Dave@turbine> thanks everyone!

sean@Turbine> They got me started!

sean@Turbine> It's not my fault!

Crowley@turbine> good night all

nei@turbine> *looks around*

Dave@turbine> what are you looking for?

Crowley@turbine> so d00d, was temptation island totally shameless?
 

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