Should the Stars Fall

 
Aluvians

Gharu'ndim

Sho

Viamontians

Ispar History

Auberean History

Texts

Rumors

Event Teaser - From the Zone

November 7, 2000

“Why are they doing this?” Jenavere whispered. Below their treetop lookout, the mosswart tribe was scattering in dismay. The attacking undead patrol toppled the mossies' chubby statue with a mighty shove. The emerald sclavus accompanying them hissed fiercely. The tribe, and their ragged human captive, disappeared into the creaking underbrush of the rainforest, hooting angrily.

Hendac handed a small piece of parchment to her. Bored? it said. He shrugged, rustling the fronds.

“We should have been able to rescue that man,” she hissed. “Where are all these undead coming from?” Since venturing through an uncharted portal yesterday, they had spent most of their time avoiding the undead, sclavus, and unfamiliar beasts infesting the steaming jungle. Below, the undead muttered in their guttural tongue. A whisper of it floated across her mind: “Silly beasts. . . no gods. . . Great Ones. . . reborn.” They wandered off, laughing.

“Oi! You up there!” Jena blinked, and looked down. Four suspicious-looking men glared up at them, pointing spears. They were clothed in rags and reeds, faces smeared with mud. “Watcher doin' here, eh?” their Aluvian leader asked. “Didjer escape the Olthoi too?”

Jenavere glanced at Hendac. “The queen is dead, boys,” she called down.

They looked at each other uncertainly. One mouthed: liar. The leader squinted at her in open disbelief.

“. . . And it's cold on this limb,” she continued, unperturbed. “Put those sticks away and let us come down. I have a story to tell you. . .”


Unlike any other gaming experience, the world of Dereth has changed with each and every month -- be it with the additions of new lands to explore, new creatures to battle, or new quests on which to embark. Towns, and seasons, have come and gone. Players have helped to advance the history of the world, fending off invasions of Shadows. . . and their eerily traveling Spires. This month marks the one-year anniversary of Asheron's Call, and we're set to soon open our next major event, “Should the Stars Fall,”. Considering the past year, much can be expected! Continue your part in this incredible on-going story, and we'll see you in Dereth!


Roll Our Article - From the Zone

November 14, 2000

Unlike any other gaming experience, the world of Dereth has changed with each and every month. Whether the frosts of winter or the leaves of fall, the seasons of this world have come and gone. As have its towns -- following the destruction of Arwic and Tufa, the desert oasis, Xarabydun, was quickly resettled. Heroes have even helped drive forward the history of the world, particularly through the destruction of the Soul Crystals. By doing so, such heroes rescued Dereth from eternal winter, stopped the Shadow invasions, and even stilled the menacing travels of the Spires. Yet fierce debate continues as to whether these actions have all been wise. . .

Should the Stars FallAs November marks the one-year anniversary of Asheron's Call, we've opened our next world-altering event: “Should the Stars Fall.” What can be expected this month?  

 

The world of Dereth has grown. While adventurers have been ever persistent in exploring the wild, the more they search, the more they only seem to uncover. Another of Dereth's far-flung corners has been found -- a chain of islands, each one more dangerous than the next. The islands have proven inhabited, both with two creatures never before encountered -- the fierce moarsmen and serpentine slithis -- as well as unseen varieties of monsters previously known to Dereth. Then there are the islands' mysterious refugees. Long lost since the days of Olthoi rule, the refugees apparently survived these many years within their settlements of Kryst and MacNiall's Freehold. What other secrets these islands might hold, none can say. Only, that they promise much for heroes holding all levels of experience.

In addition to this island chain, explorers have stumbled across numerous uncharted dungeon entrances throughout the rest of Dereth -- including one to the mosswarts' deadly labyrinths. Upon the landscape above, certain monsters also continue gathering into training camps, threatening to organize into deadly legions. The beasts of Dereth have been busy, it would seem, establishing themselves in hidden lairs dark and deep. Again, aid from all levels of heroes has been requested to help clear these dungeon halls.

Yet surely such danger cannot be without its reward. Rumors often spread of powerful treasures carefully hidden away. One of the most recent treasures spoken of: a weapon, a spear of legendary renown.

Dereth has indeed undergone tremendous changes. What's more, its history begins a new, and quite terrifying chapter. Several months ago, the Shadows invaded, their Spires eerily traversing across the land. However, the heroes of Dereth responded. Braving the Spires, gathering mystic keys, they delved deep into hidden Vestibules to combat the crystalline entities stored within. This month, history continues. Heroes will come to face a very grave evil in Dereth -- one primordial to the world itself!

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! Also, some changes provide ways for players to drive our evolving story forward, and thus we won't entirely reveal them here. 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:

  • Exciting new lands have opened for players of all levels to explore.
  • Many dungeons have been discovered on the new chain of islands -- dungeons for every level of player.
  • Two entirely brand new species of monsters have appeared, as well as many new variations of monsters currently known to Dereth.
  • The Crystal Array quests have been made a little friendlier. The keys to the Fenmalain, Caulnalain, and Shendolain Vestibules can now be given away. Also, the final reward items not only weigh less, but are now less likely to be lost upon death.
  • The animation speed for equipping and un-equipping bows and crossbows has been increased.
  • People with the old style heaumes will find that they now have the old style artwork back. The artwork that was used in October to replace the heaume will now become its own type of helm called an “armet.”
  • Improvements have been made to the Atlan spear, mace, and dagger.
  • The Sturdy Iron Key now has a unique icon so that it can't be easily confused with other keys.
  • The upper limit for the Grievous Vault has been removed.
  • Now when you appraise monsters, their levels no longer fluctuate.

    /images/ashe/falls-cathedral.jpg

In order to learn the full scope of November's update, “Should the Stars Fall,” be sure to read the State of the Code and Developer's Notes, November. Continue your part in this incredible on-going story. . . and we'll see you in Dereth!
 


Developer's Notes - From the Zone

November 14, 2000

Dev NotesHere are just some of the additions made in the November 14 game update, “Should the Stars Fall.” 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 roll-out article, Should the Stars Fall.  

 

Detailed Notes for Builds 2450 - 2459:

  • Updated/upgraded the Jahannan Vault. There should now be fewer monster “pigpiles” at the bottom.
  • The male Aluvian town crier now wears his robe, that dirty old man.
  • High-level monsters no longer reset to level 126 when you appraise them.
  • Pumpkins and pumpkin pie fill'n are now stackable.
  • The Dryreach Prisoner quest has been updated.
  • Fixed some inescapable areas on the landscape.
  • Improved the Atlan spear, mace, and dagger.
  • All current heaumes have been returned to the good ole' “cheese grater” look.
  • Alembic can now be used on peas to get 50 infusions, for a savings of 200 clicks!
  • The Atlan Claw now changes color when its stone is changed.
  • The Sturdy Iron Key now has a unique icon so that it can't be easily confused with other keys.
  • Slowed down the *smack head* emote.
  • Fixed the broken lever in the Virindi Fort.
  • Added more portals and lifestones in the Dires.
  • Fixed the Sho Regalia Mask degrade.
  • Removed the upper limit for the Grievous Vault.
  • Updated shreth loot.
  • Made Distillery Dew available at the Floating City Pub. Share and enjoy!
  • Extra word in NoteFloatingCityF removed.
  • The Zaikhal Virindi scholar now wears the correct clothing.
  • Fixed Coordination attribute of the Arwic blacksmith.
  • Fixed a typo in the Arwic barkeeper text string.
  • Corrected the beer stein examine string.
  • Fixed a grammar problem in the pumpkin pie use string.
  • Put out the fire on the Cragstone windmill.
  • Changed the name of the exit portal in the Floating City.
  • Baron's Amulet of Life Giving no longer overrides Healing Mastery.
  • Updated the elemental protections on Aerfalle's Pallium.
  • Celcynd's Directions to Lethe note had the wrong coordinates. . . since beta. The note will now no longer send you to the middle of the ocean.
  • The pools in Yaraq and Zaikhal can now be used to fill a flask with water.
  • Updated the text string and maximum buy price for the Tufa bowyer.
  • Added a roof to Xarabydun's rabbit hutch.
  • Added warning signs near the Xarabydun entrance portal and the Bandit Castle Frore Stone.
  • Updated the bows, shields, and keys in the Crystal Quest.

From the Zone

The Spin From Turbine - November 21, 2000

A Year in the Virtual Life
My first exposure to Dereth came well over a year ago, now. I still remember my first forays into the world back in beta -- I even remember the first magic item I ever found. It was a bronze simi with Blood Drinker II, taken from a barker mosswart. I thought it was awesome.

Reviewing old patch notes, it's pretty amazing how much we've managed to add and improve. Dozens upon dozens of new quests, spells, dungeons, monsters, treasures to claim, and two large new landmasses to explore -- all without resorting to an “expansion pack.” To us, Dereth will never be “done.” It's an evolving world, but evolution is a double-edged sword, at times.

Ideally, the litmus test that we apply to any change is as follows: “Will the long-term effects of this change improve AC?” And that's never an easy question to answer. Rarely can the full effects of something be judged right away.

Whenever we change or add anything at all, the feedback pours in. And believe me when I say that we hear it loud and clear. More often than not, however, that feedback is incredibly mixed -- good points are raised on all sides, positive and negative.

Gamers that play MMORPGs are among the most adaptable and creative beings on this planet. Despite any initial outrage, people tend to come up with half a dozen solutions to any setback. There was a huge outcry when the range of Drain and Harm spells was reduced, but I don't think you'd find too many people today who would say that the change wasn't for the best. On the other hand, there have been issues where the feedback has been pretty unanimous, such as with the difficulty versus reward for the Soul Crystal quests. In cases like this, we'll often make the appropriate changes; with the Soul Crystal quests, this meant making the keys transferable in order to make the quests more accessible, as well as making the rewards a little sweeter.

However, in a few months it's unlikely that people will be talking at all about the previous imbalance, or the improvements we made. Remember what life was like before the Atlan weapons? They simply meld into the world of Dereth -- another subtle evolution, another subtle growth. The one-year anniversary, however, gives us a good milestone at which we can look back and truly appreciate some of the progress we've made.

And yet, as far as we've come, there's still plenty more to do. Some of the changes have had unexpected results. Players continue to amaze us with their ingenuity, and their voracious appetite for new and exciting content. So we'll continue providing such content, with more enhancements, new plotlines, and challenging events to come.

Nik Davidson
Producer, AC
Turbine Entertainment Software

P.S. I'd also like to take this chance to congratulate Dave “Crowley” Javier, who, after several vote recounts and an intervention from the Massachusetts Supreme Court, took over the role of Lead Designer in a (mostly) bloodless coup. Also, a welcome to Ken Troop and Cardell Kerr, both of whom you've probably seen in dev chats and posting on various boards; there just hasn't been any official announcement. Well, here it is!
 


Developer's Chat

November 21, 2000

Dave@turbine> Hey all, thanks for holding on, it will be just a minute

+Sashhenka@AC> Welcome to our Monthly Asheron's Call Developer's Chat. With us today is Dave Javier, AC Lead at Turbine.

nei@turbine> he's the new guy

nei@turbine> you should make fun of him

+Sashhenka@AC> 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.

sean@Turbine> Rule 3: There is NO rule 3

+Sashhenka@AC> You may support your question with up to 2 additional lines of text. 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 Dave for introductions and we will be off to the questions.

Crowley@turbine> Thanks Sash

+Sashhenka@AC> Welcome Chaos

Crowley@turbine> So, hello everyone, I'm Dave "Crowley" Javier, the new lead designer on AC. It's a strange and scary time. But exciting. We've got big plans in store for AC. Year one was a time of honing our leet mystical skills. Phear the future. And now for the team: Jesse Kurlancheek: (not that he needs an intro) designer, systems haxor, devilmouse. Cardell Kerr: designer, monster re-balancer, in-house Soul Calibur mastah. Ken Troop: designer, creator of Candeth Martine and Ketnan, the fairy godmother of AC.  Sean Huxter: AC lead artist, our multifaceted, multitalented art guru. Dave Namerow: online community manager, the guy who keeps the monkeys here in line. Nik Davidson: our new producer on AC (welcome, Nik), organizer and taskmaster, defector from the Blue to the Red. And now, I think Nik wanted to say something, so take it away, Nik.

Nik@turbine> Hey there. Just wanted to clear up what's probably the most pressing question, before we get started. That pesky Thistledown soul crystal... First of all, the bug. It's one that we've wanted to see squashed for a long time, and we've finally nailed it. Barring disaster, it should be fixed in December. That doesn't do much for the situation at hand, however. Despite the fact that the story will go on, one way or the other, I want it to be known that the defense of the crystal will NOT go unnoticed. In fact, we're incredibly impressed with the defense thus far. Still, this issue simply does not meet our criteria for a hotfix, nor can Sentinels get involved in any way. We're as frustrated with the outcome as anybody, but that's the way things are at the moment. As such, we reserve the right to pass on any questions that I've covered. Anyway, I've taken up enough time... on the the questions!

+Chaos@AC> Thanks Nik!

+Chaos@AC> Sorry for the delay folks - the zone wouldnt let me in :) I think we'll be staying a few extra to make up for it!

+Chaos@AC> jkircher, you're up!

jkircher> (Lucky me, being first! :) ) Would it be possible to add a few more keyboard shortcuts for selecting (not casting) individual spells, or select a spell page, ie spell page 3 or 5?

jkircher> I have a MS Sidewinder GameVoice, and it would be nice to be able to say, "page 2, spell 13", that selecting the 2nd page, selecting the 9th spell, moving over 4, then cast spell. Or perhaps say, "Lifestone Recall," or (will the real mage please stand

jkircher> up?) "Shurov Thiguz" :D It would also be nice to have a couple shortcuts corresponding to Peace and War, instead of the toggle. (Can we feel the love, macroers? :) Thank you, gentlemen - Ajianta, Frostfell

jkircher> Done. Thank you.


Crowley@turbine> I think at this point we're kind of lacking for keyboard space

Crowley@turbine> So don't count on those shortcuts any time soon.

Crowley@turbine> Nor are we planning on putting in additional support for Gamevoice

Crowley@turbine> done

TeraPax> Will you please allow characters in warrior combat mode to have a choice on if we want to charge upon our targets?

TeraPax> Another method that could be used would be to make the 'charging range' of a warrior be a calculation of his/her endurance and quickness or something, which would make sense and benefit higher level warriors who have more combat experiance.

TeraPax> When helping another person they are attacked by an enemy, I try to run up and kill it, but my friend keeps running and so does the enemy, I stop and it says 'You have charged too far' GREAT GAME SINCE JULY '99! http://ironlightning.hypermart.net, GA :)


Crowley@turbine> people have asked for a "stand your ground" option before

Crowley@turbine> sounds tempting, but we're not planning on it Crowley@turbine> there are ways around it

Crowley@turbine> be more aware of which creature you've got targetted, and pressing back to halt your charge

Crowley@turbine> done

Drakkar77> Could it be set so that when we are appraising items in a shop, and if we put items in a buy tab they won’t be cleared when the rest of them are cleared? I would also like to see a LOT more time before items are cleared. It’s happened to me several times;

Drakkar77> the shop will clear in the middle of buffs to appraise the items, or in the middle of trying to sell other loot to buy something I want. Also last update a bug was introduced in the shops. When the items clear, their icons will stay. You don’t know the

Drakkar77> shop cleared until you try to appraise something and can’t. Done.


Crowley@turbine> Inventory can't distinguish whether or not someone's mulling the item over in a shop

Crowley@turbine> changing that would pretty much break the vendors

Crowley@turbine so shopkeepers will have to continue to rudely yank the items you were considering if refresh time comes

Crowley@turbine> done

ThriftyTuna> Does Bow/Crossbow get any damage bonus from a skill or attribute, the way that the melee skills do? I thought it didn't, but I have a combat transcript from a fight I had with a couple of Lich Lords that strongly suggest otherwise.

ThriftyTuna> I can include it here if you like. Consistent 30 point hits for most of the battle. Drops to 20 points after Bow Mastery III wears off. Almost no "outlying data points" at all; it's all 30-ish, then all 20-ish.

ThriftyTuna> Great job on the Q&A web site, by the way! Done.

nei@turbine> (x)bow uses coordination as it's modifier

nei@turbine> through the same formula that computes melee damage (it just uses coord instead of str)

nei@turbine> done.

egeckolizard> Q: Why is Life Magic inconsistent with other unusable skills? Anyone who can figure out how to get Life Magic Mastery cast on themselves can use just about any of the level I spells, yet a person who has healing mastery (one example) on them . . .

egeckolizard> can't even make a feeble attempt at healing themself. The ability to cast life spells far outweigh any advantage that could be gained by allowing the same for healing (or lockpick, etc.) since the person's skill is going to be so low. . .

egeckolizard> Sorry for the length of the ?! (And ya I know its gonna tick a lot of ppl off..) Love the work you all are doing, great game! Wazzup to Guinness, StlBlues and the crazy cats on HG! Open Xarabydn (the city only) to 25+! Done/GA.


Nik@turbine> (we're debating, here)

Crowley@turbine> okay...

nei@turbine> it's by design, no debating.

Crowley@turbine> so originally, back in the day, all "unusable" skills were useable with a mastery spell

Crowley@turbine> trade skills were changed to be truly unusable, but magic schools were not

Crowley@turbine> this was by design Crowley@turbine> done

TLMaze> A parser for limited conversation would be ideal, but it would be swell to see shopkeepers who sleep once in a while, NPCs who are just there for local color (a la Ulgrim), or even different reactions to players (such as a barkeep who tells PKs "we don

TLMaze> t serve your sort here") . . . Oh, my five-year-old (lvl 11 life mage on MT) wants you to put in skirts . . .

TLMaze> Love the game....done :)


Crowley@turbine> our NPCs are fairly limited in the things they can do

Crowley@turbine> giving them some semblance of AI would be a "non-trivial" extra load on the servers

Crowley@turbine> so we can saucify their dialogue, but not their interactibility

Crowley@turbine> done

nei@turbine> i saw we equip our NPCs with the mighty shadow lt AI!

sean@Turbine> Tell your five-year-old (I have one too) I could do skirts, and still may.

+Chaos@AC> MattHawk, you're up!

MattHawk1> You seemed to be talking about 2 different things at once at the start. You saying the Crystal defense is a bug? What about the unstoppable damage bug? Those Vesayen Isles critters shouldn't be able to ignore armor, it just ain't right. ga

Nik@turbine> Ok, let me clarify. :)

Nik@turbine> The bug I mentioned (poorly - should have clarified) is one that allows people to portal places they shouldn't be able to.

Nik@turbine> That one, and the Spinning Dillo Of Death, should be fixed for December.

Nik@turbine> Done.

DaggerQuest> why is dagger such a bad weapon to specialize in? I am lvl 43 dagger and i get beat by every other class out there from lvl 30 archers to lvl 36 ua, and then some. Are you going to make dagger equally as powerful, being close melee its the best weapon!

DaggerQuest> Thanks,,,,done


nei@turbine> dagger. better next month.

nei@turbine> part 2 of 3 next month.

nei@turbine> pt 3 sometime after.

nei@turbine> done.

Don_Shaw> It would take more than 2 lines of text to qualify my statement. Not doing so will get me blown off, again. Basically, at level 49, xbow sux, and is no longer a playable option, and if anyone knows what an xbow can do, it's me. ga

nhaskell> Q: Lockpick ... Where is our love?

nhaskell> I have heard so many rumors, but I am starting to lose faith. Have we been completely forsaken??? Please give us some hints and any idea on how much longer until it happens, we won't hold you to it.

nhaskell> BTW ... @age = 24+ days ... you have ruined my social life ... but thanks for the addictive game :) Done


cardell@turbine> Well, I can't do anything for your social life, but I can assure you, Lockpick is being scrutinized.

cardell@turbine> We want to make sure it's done right this time, which will mean trying to get in some other features for it.

cardell@turbine> There are at least two separate options being mulled over as we speak, but I can't give you a definite date on when you will see these features in game.

cardell@turbine> Done.

Mandalore4> Are there plans to improve war magic?

Mandalore4> It is the single most expensive skill to be found in the game and with the addition of many many high magic res creatures to discourage drains and such it is now one of the most useless (to the frsutration of many many mages {ahhhmmm...musashi}).

Mandalore4> A thought I had was a set of war spells that act as missiles and must be missiled def'd rather than magic def so us war mages might have a chance to do more than make pretty fireworks (aside from a few understandable issues A+ game you got goin here)


Crowley@turbine> yes, there are plans to improve war

Crowley@turbine> how to improve it without breaking it in the other direction

Crowley@turbine> that's the tough one

Crowley@turbine> we've had to reject some ideas

Crowley@turbine> so I can't promise when we'll have something in to make war more worth its cost

Crowley@turbine> done

nei@turbine> mu makes bad brisket.

msauper> Would you consider changing the radar so that individuals in your friends list would show up in a different color? And perhaps add a /track command to do it for non-friends? (BTW, I love your Q&A page. Please keep it up. :^) GA

ken@turbine> We are planning (long-term) wise to do some things regarding radar colors. Not that, exactly, but some good stuff.

ken@turbine> done

Collosis> Could we get a preset emote to kick the dead body of a creature? A lot of times I know ppl get frustrated with nuisance monsters and having played Dragon Realms(another zone game), it's natural for me to want to kick the dead body of the monster

nei@turbine> lol

Collosis> frag

Crowley@turbine> lol

nei@turbine> we'd need to add a horse too

Collosis> ah well that's it

Collosis> cut and past messedup

Crowley@turbine> I like that

Crowley@turbine> I'll see how much time we got for emotes

Collosis> i loved it in dragonrealms

Crowley@turbine> but good idea, especially for Peekay

Crowley@turbine> done

S_nowcone> Can you take the last years worth of updates and compress it somehow and place on the website. Everytime an update comes out the only way I can download it w/o errors is to uninst. ac and reinstall, that makes a 4+ hour wait to log into AC :(

S_nowcone> i worry about a year from now and for new guys done

S_nowcone> hmm its been a week to download the patchfor aug 2001


Nik@turbine> We're all in total agreement, here. It's something we want to happen, and sooner than later.

Crowley@turbine> lol

Nik@turbine> Can't give more specifics than that yet. Done.

CableChewer> Why are there no children in Dereth? Do the portals sterilize new arrivals? I don't propose you let characters make new children (would change the game rating

CableChewer> drastically). You could add some playgrounds to towns, some small NPCs, and have quests to recover portal-stormed kitties, stolen rattles, secure food, etc.

CableChewer> In the far distant future you could have a 4th heritage group of native Derethians. Yes Virginia, there are Olthoi. (Editor, Holtburg Herald) :)) Done

Crowley@turbine> Asheron only makes sure to summon hardy adventurers to Dereth

nei@turbine> we can only have kids when two people love each other very much... and well... i don't think our rating allows for that...

Nik@turbine> Officially, per ChrisL, children are "off camera", for story purposes.

Crowley@turbine> (done)

poll3975> Are any new uses for Chorizite being considered? Should make decent shields and armour pieces that cannot be enchanted. If dissolved by alchemists it might

poll3975> make a fluid that can be applied to spools of silk, yarn, etc for making unenchantable protective garments. Maybe apply it to existing dresses and robes. Such garments

poll3975> would probably reflect and refract light from the disolved metal. Would look cool even if AL & weight were poor. Beat Matty grey any day.


Crowley@turbine> chorizite... a versatile metal, to be sure

Crowley@turbine> there are no immediate plans on the drawing board

Crowley@turbine> we thought people were kind of sick of the unenchantable bit

cardell@turbine> In the future...

cardell@turbine> I expect there will be more uses for it that the Lugians may let leak out.

cardell@turbine> Done.

Grey_Bow> Wasssupp....ok, Question time...

Grey_Bow> We have noticed that some new textures were introduced into the game at the Cathedral (which are great but the lag is c###). Something that I have never heard asked is, will we ever be seeing anything new as far as graphics when casting spells? Cont....

Grey_Bow> Meaning, will we ever see anything else besides the same old circle of light that swoops around us when we cast a spell, etc, etc? Besides content of the game, graphics are another part of a LOT of players...It would be nice to see new casting.

Grey_Bow> Done

Grey_Bow> Thanks

sean@Turbine> Sure.

sean@Turbine> New spells could have new art.

sean@Turbine> Jesse's actually been doing most of the new spell particle effects, and he's doing a bang-up job!

sean@Turbine> done

Deadlock27> Tomfoolery! Flabsnaffery! My lockpick question was taken...So I'll ask Crank's question instead. Here is a direct quote from him. "IS IT TRUE THAT CRANK THE LEGEND IS A TURBIE???" -Xeno Also-can you introcuce some type of ferocious

Deadlock27> peacock into dereth?

Deadlock27> done.


nei@turbine> LOL

Crowley@turbine> lol

nei@turbine> Yes, Crank is a mighty hero of dereth.

Crowley@turbine> Crank is no legend, but a dirty old wive's tale

sean@Turbine> Crank came to Turbine never having played AC. We got him started, and now he's HOOKED!!! Can't pull him away!

Nik@turbine> And before this gets worse... DONE.

Crowley@turbine> and jesse is a ferocious peacock

Crowley@turbine> done

nei@turbine> grr

Airwalker88> Q. Why must all the new content be mage proof? Every patch new monsters appear that mages cannot hit even at exceedingly high levels. I would like to participate in the new quests and fight like the others, but I am reduced to healing others or rebuffing

Airwalker88> them, or just standing around and watching them fight. You really should think of the viability of a mage when dealing with new content. All the new quest items for mages appear to be always drop or not worth keeping. Great game guys, just quit ruining it


nei@turbine> i am mage proof.

cardell@turbine> New monsters in Dereth are coming in at increasingly high levels. In any skill based system, level is not always a direct indication of what that monster excels in.

cardell@turbine> Many of the new monsters are very resistant to magic, whereas some of the older monsters are not.

cardell@turbine> Done.

ashputtle01> Can we expect any improvement in the tracking for war spells? It seems that once the critter moves, ever other spell spins off at strange angles. It's a waste of precious mana,

ashputtle01> and kind of unsettling when a mob of angry monkeys is bearing down on you! I saw the phrase "healthy slab of lovin'" on the Q&A page (which rocks, btw), but am scared to get

ashputtle01> my hopes up yet again. I appreciate the difficulty in balance, but darn it - I spent 28 points to specialize! Help us - Sorcerers need love too! (done)

Crowley@turbine> no plans to improve tracking, sorry

Nik@turbine> Love, yes. Tracking, no.

Crowley@turbine> there are other ways we're looking into to help War Magic.

Crowley@turbine> done

Recursor> Do you guys have any plans to make item magic more interesting? Right now, all I use it for is portal spells, which I consider a necessity. There aren't any high level item magic spells I need, so I see no reason to raise the skill.

Recursor> Suggestion: add the ability to enchant golems to fight for you: golem heart + item magic programmed mote + dead golem = golem slave.


ken@turbine> Item Magic is not on our list for improvements any time soon.

ken@turbine> done

Gastrin_Gobel> Hello, and thank you for such a great addiction! :) Question: After dying and respawning at the lifestone, all spells, positive and negative are removed from you, should the same be said when fighting a creature who cast debuff...

Gastrin_Gobel> spells, shouldnt those spells and debuffs be removed after said creatures death? Thanks for all the lond days and nights! Respect to Knights Of Dereth, Ely and Cadd. Done.


cardell@turbine> When a creature dies, the spells it casts last until the duration of the spell is over.

cardell@turbine> Currently, we cannot track the status of caster anyway...

cardell@turbine> So therefore, the spells will stay with you when it dies, much as item buffs stay on your equipment when you die.

cardell@turbine> As it is, we are trying to find another way of making debuffs less crippling.

cardell@turbine> I think we might have a solution, but it will take time.

cardell@turbine> Done.

_William_g> Q: Are there plans to deal with the rampant phat lewt inflation in the near or even distant future?

_William_g> As players level and fill their mules, they pass down their good stuff to lower level players, so lower level content will be unused.

_William_g> Without some phat lewt sink (slot machine to either give you +5 AL or destroy your item or something) this situation will worsen.

_William_g> done


ken@turbine> Actually, we are thinking of some ways to introduce "voluntary" loot sinks into the game. There's a couple of nifty ideas Nei has, and we'll be looking into it

ken@turbine> done

HugeRasputian> When will Rithwic be destroyed? They are so damn Yee-less! Boo *wic! And to Nik: How about those Vorous Shreth? Please answer in the form of a haiku. Done

HugeRasputian> Yee Az :)


Nik@turbine> Not the vorous shreth!

Nik@turbine> On the mainland, they're so weak!

Nik@turbine> Please don't camp my corpse.

Nik@turbine> Done.

nei@turbine> whoa whoa, back up, i have a ideas? ...

Crowley@turbine> back it on up, Jesse

cardell@turbine> Vorous shreth are cool.

nei@turbine> ignore me.

dennis_nedry> When the storyline is over, is it technically possible to have a scaled-down server that people could run privately? I know it's Microsoft's decision, but I'm curious whether it could be made to run on a standard PC or if it's simply impossible).

dennis_nedry> (P.S. Why hasn't Nei gone postal? :) Some people are never happy, but I'm not one of them. Awesome update.) Done


ken@turbine> Nod Jesse, if it doesnt work, this way I can blame you

Nik@turbine> Too soon to tell - the storyline won't be done anytime soon. :)

Nik@turbine> Done.

Crowley@turbine> as for your question about Nei... sedatives

nei@turbine> mm.. downers.

Crowley@turbine> and the occasional whippit

Crowley@turbine> done

ken@turbine> involuntarily given

Ganthorp> Question: When will incoming @tell messages be reverted to bright yellow (just as the rest of the incoming drected messages are, i.e. patron, fellowship, etc.)?

Ganthorp> Comment: Ever since the update where you guys made it so that @reply won't talk to NPC's (June I believe), incoming @tell messages have been dull yellow just like outgoing ones. This makes it very difficult to tell (especially in the middle of combat),

Ganthorp> at a glance, whether you have receveived a message or sent one. My friends and I have been very annoyed with this little change and had hoped that you would catch it in the past few events. (Oh and we ARE sick of unenchantable) Great Game, I'eve been pla

Ganthorp> playing since July '99! Today is my retail character's (mage) birthday in fact! He's one year old!

Ganthorp> Shoutout to Stryfe on FF! Welcome Back!

Ganthorp> done


ken@turbine> There's a couple things on the soon-to-do list regarding text and colors, that being one of them. It may take awhile though.

ken@turbine> done

AmaZed2k> Hello, first i want to thank you for this game.. my question is, Have you guys thought about talking to m$ about new servers? Also could a group take down BZ right now? Or will we have to wait till next update to kill him? Thanks Matrix Mage @ HG

+Chaos@AC> Hi Ama. I'll pass on the comment about new servers to the powers that be :) Would be nice to see a new world, eh ;-)

Zotar99> Hi! Do you think that we could get a better Archmage at the Hilltop Castle (60N 4W). The current "Archmage" has very little in the way of component and mana charge selection. Perhaps the Aluvian Mage might want to move farther south to get more customers.

Zotar99> A jeweler would be nice too. A lot of people live at Hilltop Castle (at least on Thistledown) and improved vendors would really help. Thanks!


Crowley@turbine> we'll take it into consideration, along with other towns that may need some upgrading

Crowley@turbine> done

snow65border> Lower the advocate age!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'd make a good one!!!! and, BUFF THE BAEL!!!! :) Thanks, Wodrith the man of TD

snow65border> done


Dave@turbine> ok... thanks wodrith

Crowley@turbine> little man, you know not what you ask, Bael is already powerful enough to squish you all

+Chaos@AC> Thanks Snowboarder :) I wish we could, unfortunately at this time there are legal restrictions why we have it set the way we do. If it changes, we'll let you all know.

Crowley@turbine> (done)

+Chaos@AC> UniversalChurch, you're up!

NekatEman> Would it be possible to give melee fighters the ability to frenzy? Where they can do twice as much damage whith any hit including criticals. But at the expense of twice the stamina loss.

Crowley@turbine> erm... it's possible

Crowley@turbine> whether we want to or not... that's something we'd have to debate for a while

Crowley@turbine> we're thinking of other ways to give melee some new tricks though

Crowley@turbine> done

TempGSV> Well... Airwalker took my question. Anyway, cardell, could you expand on WHY new monsters are ultra magic resistant? It really has made the quests for the past 2 months rather borring for mages. (We get to sit back and watch the melees do all the work)...

TempGSV> I've played as a mage in both UO and EQ... and in both mages are good at things besides just sitting back and watching the melees do everything. Sitting back and watching is what TV is for after all...

TempGSV> Done


ken@turbine> We've heard a lot from mages about this recently. I don't play a mage on the real world, I play sword, and since I am relatively new to the game, (since July) I like to experience stuff directly, not through the test server....

Crowley@turbine> (in that case, Ken, you can play our mage on DT)

ken@turbine> However, I will make a concerted effort to take mages out of different skill abilities on mages on the test server, and see whats what

ken@turbine> And design accordingly

cardell@turbine> Anyway...

cardell@turbine> Recently, in order to make new monsters more challenging, they have been made more resistant to magic.

cardell@turbine> It is still quite possible to land spells on many of the new monsters, as none of them are totally immune.

cardell@turbine> In the future, we are moving away from totally immune monsters such as the Lugian Miner/Raider, so that the entire playerbase can sample what is new each month.

cardell@turbine> Keep in mind, monsters are built utilizing cp just as characters are, and some are better at certain things than others (note Virindi vs Archers).

cardell@turbine> Done.

_Black_Hayato_> Hi =) Basically I just wanted to know if anything with the swordstaff is gonna be happening soon? I think its a great spear item and really could use a quest touch =) Not for the stats (just gave us a great new spear), just for the novelty of having a...

_Black_Hayato_> 'unique' swordstaff =) Also, many people ask 'Oh, the _Black_Hayato_> Not giving everything BD V, HS V, etc, don't matter what ya use then...

_Black_Hayato_> Ok that's it thanks, AC rocks =) ga


Crowley@turbine> there was a spear quest this month, it'd prolly be bad form to put in another right on top of that

Crowley@turbine> but I have a special place in my heart for underutilized melee items, so it's not totally out of the question to see one of those quests some day

Crowley@turbine> prolly after Mi Krau Li improves his jitte further, though

Crowley@turbine> done

jmoney454> Will we ever see an automatic restock button for spell components?

jmoney454> I know this has been asked before, but it's something I would really like to see.

jmoney454> Thanks for an incredible game, the last update was great!

Crowley@turbine> the restock button, while incredibly useful, is not supported with our tech

Crowley@turbine> nor is it high on our list of things for further code development

Crowley@turbine> so I wouldn't count on seeing that restock button

Crowley@turbine> done

Quixotic_COD> Q: Have we seen the extent of the Tumerok culture? Here we have a race that appears to rival human intelligence and profeciency with tools as well as magic, yet aside from their biggest boss, the highest level one is around 45, and a push over.

Quixotic_COD> I've greatly enjoyed the fleshing out of the back story of the Mosswarts, Virindi and anxiously await more on the Lugians. I am just curious as to whether Tumeroks attention is already planned...and can you hint at it, just a little?

Quixotic_COD> After watching the Simpsons Sunday, did anyone else realize that the name Jesse translates as "Granola Flavored Tree Hugging Hippie." (Buff Leikotha! Hi COD, IRC, etc. (leave me alone!))


Quixotic_COD> (done.)

nei@turbine> O.o

Dave@turbine> go Quix!

cardell@turbine> Well, after wandering through the dires and hearing the distinctive grunting of Tumerok culture...

Nik@turbine> But what does that have to do with cows?

cardell@turbine> I'm all about adding more flava to them.

cardell@turbine> So expect more tumerok love in the future, but expect lugian love sooner.

cardell@turbine> Done.

+Chaos@AC> Kevlar, ga

Kevlar5678> Q: Will non-quest/collectors items ever be useful ever again?

Kevlar5678> At a current standpoint the system for loading treasure is virtually less useful because of the dominance of quest/collected items. If it isnt an Atlan or other somesuch weapon it is useless in most's opinion. Also you would think that this...

Kevlar5678> "ultimate sword of something or other" would be a bit rarer and more awe-inspiring if everyone and their cousin didnt own it. Maybe making a few of these weapons the true ones and the others cheap bargain bin knock-offs. Thanks Shout out to Seanigulous.

Kevlar5678> ga

Crowley@turbine> sounds like you're asking for a re-tweak of our treasure system

Crowley@turbine> that's... tough

Crowley@turbine> there is divided opinion on the power level of loot-o-matic weaponry vs. quest items

Crowley@turbine> at present, we're starting to gear further content to actually make use of the treasure system

Crowley@turbine> sounds cryptic, I know, but we got stuff planned

Crowley@turbine> done

aphony> I really like the idea of Creature Assesment, is there any way to make it a viable skill?

aphony> Perhaps making it more like ID'ing armor showing how the enemy handles elemental or weapon attacks or ability at blocking things, or showing melee/missle/magic defense abilites.

aphony> :) to cardell, the archmage holds a little black spot in my heart - it has ruined the pure mage, life, and escpecially enchanter, I like the new resistance, specialization and challenge is good.


cardell@turbine> Heh, at least I know I'm not universally reviled.

ken@turbine> We know that the assessment skills have little use for non-new player, there is no plan we have in the near future to upgrade their usefulness

ken@turbine> done

JAGBigguy> My question is simple..... Server wide Honors not just certain people? Not just this time but future events done the same way. Seems like this is boiling down to egos not pride of server! and i'm not even on the server in question.

JAGBigguy> I'd hate to see a good thing ruined due to egos. Loving the game since summer of 99' FrostFell most unorganized but fun loving server!! Rock on Lagtanic! GA


Crowley@turbine> so it sounds like you want competition between worlds, rather than players...

Crowley@turbine> we haven't really given thought to distinguishing one server over another...

Crowley@turbine> but if you want us to give props to TD for holding this defense, well, we'll see what we can do. tech permitting.

cardell@turbine> To be honest, the idea has come up on occassion...

cardell@turbine> And I'm all for it, again, tech permitting.

nei@turbine> unfortunately, my server is cooler than theirs so they don't like the idea much =p

cardell@turbine> Done.

Crowley@turbine> done

Kal_Jarel> Will the Olthoi ever play a major role in Dereth again and more to the point has it ever been discussed seriously? Thanks and you guys do an awesome job! Keep up the great work!

Nik@turbine> Oh, if only you knew...

Kal_Jarel> Oh! And thanks for the Archer love. Nik@turbine> These guys wiped out the Empyreans. Lately, they've been slacking. Not forever.

Nik@turbine> Done.

Akmahon> Do you ever plan on making thrown weapons useful? It can't be that difficult. There have been several ideas presented such as slings, or things like the atl-atl that ancient indians (or something like that) had. Something you can buff with item spells.

Akmahon> Also making thrown weapons fletchable or at least easier to find with elementals would be good. Been busy lately so I havn't been able to explore all the new island stuff, but from what I've seen its great! Thanks guys.

Crowley@turbine> we still have some hope of making thrown weapons better

Crowley@turbine> a bunch of ideas have been discarded because of tech limitations

Crowley@turbine> but we keep coming up with new ones!

Crowley@turbine> while I doubt that TW will ever be as cool as bow, they're still slated for some wub

Crowley@turbine> done

Sephiroph4415> Hi , I am specilized in crossbow on the 45th level and with this new update with bows crossbow is horrible. Is there going to be any change? I don't midn the speed but if the mod was higher it would be more realistic. Another thing could you change the

Sephiroph4415> speed for it to get to the target, xbow is apparently a lot stronger then bow, addicting game its awesome! and now with new update everyone are archers instead of xbows =)


nei@turbine> um... xbow sped up 33%, bow sped up 42%. there are no plans to change this. xbow got better, not worse... what's the problem with getting better?

nei@turbine> done

Olesh> Out of curiousity, are there any plans to add heavy spears in the future? (Naginata, Halberd, Glaive, Longspear, etc)...

Crowley@turbine> more spears? yikes.

Olesh> ...I've always had this image in my head of big spears and stuff, so I was hoping that something would be added...

Crowley@turbine> I won't rule it out.

Crowley@turbine> But just remember, for every weapon that goes into the treasure system, other weapons come up less. And there's only so much I can do to cut down the odds of yags coming up.

Nik@turbine> Swordstaff = misnamed naginata.

Crowley@turbine> hush, n00b

Crowley@turbine> done

coder_1024> Would it be possible to add the ability to chat with all characters in your allegiance tree currently logged on? i.e. maybe a command similar in nature to @m, @p, and @v, but expanded to send to the entire tree (above, below, and beside you)?

coder_1024> This would of course require another kind of squelch command so you could toggle whether or not you received these messages. But it would be a great feature! Thanks :-) Done.


ken@turbine> Right now it could be a server nightmare to allow allegiance wide communication...

ken@turbine> We are looking into more limited forms of Allegiance communication, maybe limited to a section of the tree, and/or allowing monarchs more communication privileges than the rest of the allegiance

ken@turbine> the actual details and other allegiance wide improvements will be one of the next focuses of development time for our programmers

ken@turbine> done

Peter_of_Ispar> Master, might I have a portal to Tethana? - Revenant vioce, q-bar spammers, and a whole bunch of d00ds.

Peter_of_Ispar> Now my question: do you see never learning portal tie, and therefore being able to recall to places unlinkable as a bug? Personally I have a level 50 staff fighter who never learned portal tie. He suffers a bit from this, but the gain is worth it. Rec

Peter_of_Ispar> though I've been hearing tell of "fixing" the "bug." My problem with this is that it's clear in the desc. of Portal recall that you "Recall to place you're linked or last portal you went through." I just don't see how that is a "bug." (Done I guess...)


Nik@turbine> That's not changing - that aspect IS by design.

nei@turbine> bug... feature.... blurry line.

Nik@turbine> But the log-out-point bug is going away.

Nik@turbine> And actually, I'm getting shouted down here... uppity n00b that I am...

nei@turbine> they're arguing in there... it's precious.

sean@Turbine> boys, boys, boys... calm down...

ken@turbine> It cuts down on our design options when people are able to recall to supposedly unrecallable portals. While that is not changing next month, it is something that I would like to see fixed soon.

ken@turbine> done

Umatic> Q. Why aren't robes available through the loot generator? You guys have repeatedly said that the quest robes should never be better than what you can get randomly... but you can't get robes in loot, why not? will this be changed?

Umatic> I'd love to see robes appear on the same type of generator as clothes do. Linen Faran Robe. Velvet Suikan Robe, Casts Acid Protection IV. (btw, yay to Knights of Dasterdly, and thanks for the game Turbine)

Umatic> done. nik rulez :)


Crowley@turbine> it's a matter of squeezing stuff into the treasure system

Crowley@turbine> we didn't think that robes were enough of a concern to stuff them into the loot-o-matic

Crowley@turbine> but, if people want them to be randomized via the treasure system, well, we can consider it

Crowley@turbine> done

sean@Turbine> And I have to investigate whether there are technical limitations which would not allow us to put them into the treasure system.

awzman> Is this sense of community derived from the crystal battle (specifically on TD) the major purpose of doing it this way, and if so, are there plans for further community building like this? Amazing design, btw. ga

sean@Turbine> You may think they are like clothing, but they are significantly different. Done

nei@turbine> and i will make the bread!

The_GreatMage> Hello and thanks for your time. I have been playing AC for almost the entire time it has been out. I am wondering when Mages will get some help with there Space, Burden is nothing much but annoying, Space in pack's is used all up by Peas and comps.

The_GreatMage> When will we get some more spots in a Pack or Belt Pouch? let us stack items up to 999 it would help everyone out ALOT (Wheres Rei? Never not seen him in here) Shout Out to UFF and Princess Leah on Solclaim!!

The_GreatMage> When will we get some more spots in a Pack or Belt Pouch? let us stack items up to 999 it would help everyone out ALOT (Wheres Rei? Never not seen him in here) Shout Out to UFF and Princess Leah on Solclaim!!

The_GreatMage> doh! sorry bout that


nei@turbine> q/a page rules:

nei@turbine> http://www.turbinegames.com/qa/view_question.html?id=183

nei@turbine> done.

incabrain> Excellent job on content updates and new ideas. Even so, I find so often I'm fundamentally doing the same things over and over, it just takes me longer. What's on the horizon that might change this? Any candy to drop?

incabrain> Oh, and how can I tell if that guy with the AWP who keeps "1-shotting" me mid-air isn't cheating?!? Long live the MacAskills and the Ravels! ((done))


ken@turbine> I can't speak for Stormwaltz, but this certainly was one of the goals of the quest...and yes, we are definitely planning more events to accomplish this sort of thing in the future

ken@turbine> That was the answer for Awzman

ken@turbine> Sorry about you getting skipped there, Awzman.

+Chaos@AC> thanks Ken, sorry Awzman

nei@turbine> he is cheating. he probably uses modem-doubler. i blame john and dave for this. *awaits the real answer to the real question from one of the real people*

ken@turbine> Yes, I think that this event shows many different sorts of possibilities for where AC can go. There are also many new communication and allegiance features on the slate for the future of AC, which will improve many of the non-leveling dynamics of AC

ken@turbine> plus we are thinking of new skills and other things to add depth to playing in Dereth

ken@turbine> done

_hbd_> Simple Question, Is Bael'Zharon possible for us to kill this month? I would just like it confirmed so i dont have to keep struning my corpses about for no reason ;)

_hbd_> And comment: Seeings you guys keep raising the bar on Magic Defense on enemies, how about a few enemies that raise the bar on Melee Defense... something that a melee cant hit with their 300-350 skill either. Thanks.

_hbd_> Finally, fix for thrown weapons = Shield Equipable

_hbd_> done


Nik@turbine> I don't think I could kill him, but you're free to try.

Nik@turbine> (Decoded: We can't tell you just yet.) :)

Nik@turbine> Done.

seth_god> my question was taken so i'll leave you with this.... <^ (O.o) PS: The shield equipable for thrown weapons is probobly the best idea i have seen all day, no joke..

Crowley@turbine> fair enough, thanks

Crowley@turbine> done

alt98> Great game Turbine! What was the intended future [at time of design (aka pre-destination)] of mages in general?.....more to come.....

alt98> When Turbine created the Mage and all there powers; was the Mage (in general) supposed to be a support character? Im a lvl 32 mage on Thistledown and i was reading a post on Acvault and someone asked for some mage love reguarding War spells.......

alt98> Then some other poster by the name of "Dallyboy" replyed by saying " I think Turbine needs to make the mages back into what they were designed to be.....Support Characters".......

alt98> Just wondering what your thought on this topic was. Im a mage and was pissed at this comment made by Dallyboy. Again, great *moderated* game!...Id like to give a shout out to Arbin Rynesun, Curfax and Disciple on Thistledown!!!....Done...Go ahead ;o)


cardell@turbine> Mages were intended to be versatile based off of the spells that you can cast.

cardell@turbine> With the way the spell economy has turned out, the mage is the most versatile character on Dereth.

cardell@turbine> However, I do not think that mages were ever supposed to be "support" characters exclusively.

cardell@turbine> Done.

smackphat> I may be dense and/or silly, but are there any plans to help archers take slightly less damage in combat ? Or any form of archer love (excluding better arrows) in the future ? I believe many (including myself) don't feel as though it was quite enough...

smackphat> but rather a step in the right direction. Any hints would be great ! I appreciate the amount of effort you guys spend on this amazing game! Many thanks from Smackphat (TD) of the LOL. Good luck defenders!!

smackphat> PS. Please consider some kind of cheesy trophy for when you PK someone; for example, an ear or maybe something along those lines. ;-) GA


cardell@turbine> By being able to shoot faster, you are taking less damage in combat.

cardell@turbine> In no case were archers supposed to be tanks, though they are quite effective, especially against Golems and PK's that don't have room in their templates for Missle Def.

cardell@turbine> Done.

Dunklezahn> With many mages out there feeling sad that there aren't many mage quest items (and I realize mage "items" are tough), what ideas are there will be quests that mages and melee's can do together for a spell scroll that would require a high skill to use-

Dunklezahn> and perhaps a low arcane so it would be something that a 4-school mage might find useful and would not be needed nessasarily for the fighters and archers, something that mages can say proudly, I Did This. I know more melee'ers with the impious staff than-

Dunklezahn> mages- is just isn't a useful item for 2/3rds of the population. If not a scroll, than a Focus that would be geared towards magic users, and not your every day item/life warrior. -Rafiki of Morningthaw


Nik@turbine> I know Letoile's got a quest in the works. But it's harder to make mage items, simply because mages aren't as item-dependent.

Crowley@turbine> we're looking for ways to give mages (not hybrids, but actual pointy-hat-type mages) more toys

Crowley@turbine> look for those in some of the quests we got coming up

Crowley@turbine> done

ProfitLoop> Hello, Currently some towns in the game have a lack of people in them maybe due to them having a lack of portals to other towns or because they buy your items at such lower prices, are you planning on upgrading any of these towns?

ProfitLoop> Maybe giving the out of the way towns like plateau village a healer, neydisa' a Jewler, this could also help with the crowding that is apparent in such places as Ayan baqur.

ProfitLoop> spank you very much and hooray FOR BOOBIES!!! and that guy asking about a long spear *unzip pants* there you go...............


Crowley@turbine> we already commented earlier on wanting to revamp some towns

+Chaos@AC> Profit, lets keep it a tad cleaner next time puhlease

Blitzkad> My Q: Why not add bonuses to wands? as it is as a mage at level 67 I have NOTHING to fight for whatsoever, you may say item VI wand man! ....no sorry doesnt cut it, melee can always hope for that great weapon I cant hope for crap cept a great weapon

Blitzkad> to trade... for what ? got me...Do we need +25 wands NO do they need to be enchantable NO but couldnt we get somethinghalfway useful with a variance of +2 to +8 (non enchant) as a skill Magic caps out so early and now mages can't hit anything as it is,

Blitzkad> we have nothing to get from a loot generator its sad give us something to actually pull that is useful. I cast all my own masteries what good is a item VI staff bleh to that Should be a staff with nothing but +2 to item or +8 as ultra uber DONE

Blitzkad> Thanks for your time Great game shout out to Massive, Zol, Karandras, and Khao of Solclaim


Crowley@turbine> unfortunately, we can't add % bonuses to magic schools, like melee skills get bonuses

Crowley@turbine> so any kind of boost has to be done with Mastery spells

Crowley@turbine> that's an unfortunate situation for mages, yes

Crowley@turbine> so we'll try to find clever ways to work around this limitation

Crowley@turbine> done

haywir3> SINZ I WUB JOOOOOO (my question was answered) done

+Chaos@AC> Haywur3 will be out last of the night.

haywir3> :)

Dave@turbine> that was easy!

+Chaos@AC> well thanks for the emotion there haywir :) No question?

haywir3> couldnt come up with one =), its 4am here

Crowley@turbine> lol, have a cuppa

Nik@turbine> Go to bed, man!

+Chaos@AC> No problem :) Get some sleep!

Dave@turbine> thanks everyone!

Crowley@turbine> thanks folks

+Chaos@AC> Thank you all to our pals at Turbine for taking time to answer those burning questions! Thanks to all of you for being patient while we got started!

ken@turbine> We all love Jesse and his QA page

nei@turbine> *unf*

Crowley@turbine> props to the IRC kids

nei@turbine> www.turbinegames.com/qa

sean@Turbine> Props to the nooob, Nik!

Crowley@turbine> happy Thanksgiving everyone

Crowley@turbine> good night

nei@turbine> gobble

Dave@turbine> you guys are great! send cookies!

Nik@turbine> Yee, and good night. Remember to tip your moderator, and drive safely.
 


State of the Code - Nov. 22, 2000

I now have the Healer's Heart but I cannot get it to cast the Heal Other VI spell. Am I doing something wrong?

No, you are not. We have discovered a bug that is preventing the Healer's Heart from casting the Heal Other VI spell. We will be fixing this soon.
I am on the new island and I notice that the island armoredillos have a slashing/piercing attack that I cannot defend against. Is this normal?
No, but we are working on fixing this situation. In the meantime, caution should be used when approaching these creatures.

I notice that non-Player Killers are getting into the Ithaenc Cathedral Catacombs. I thought this was a Player Killer only dungeon?

The intention of this dungeon was, in fact, for it to be Player Killer only. However, there are some players using a bug that allows them to summon any portal in order to get into the Catacombs. We are working on a fix to this bug, but unfortunately, it is not likely to come this month. We apologize for the inconvenience.

I tried learning the Recall the Sanctuary spell but every time I do, I end up stuck in portal space and have to log out. When I return, the spell does not appear in my spellbook. What is going on?

We are aware of this situation and are investigating it. We hope to have it fixed soon. You may also want to look for the scroll that teaches you this spell. It is working as expected.


Annals of Dereth

The Asheron's Call Newsletter - Dec. 1, 2000 (#12)

go to MSN Home Annals of Dereth  

In this issue:

1 -- OUR SAGA THUS FAR
2 -- MAJOR EVENTS
      SHOULD THE STARS FALL
      REBATE OFFER
      FRIEND REFERRAL PROGRAM
      A LETTER TO THE PLAYERS
      A GATHERING OF MONSTERS
3 -- COMMUNITY HERALD
      THE ALLEGIANCE HALL
      RELATED LINKS
      PLAYER CHRONICLES
      PORTAL SPACED

ANNALS OF DERETH

The Asheron's Call Newsletter
December 2000

Play it on the Zone!
http://zone.msn.com/asheronscall

 

 


Welcome to the Annals of Dereth, the newsletter for the Asheron's Call online role-playing game! We bring you this bulletin every month to give you a wide view on Dereth's evolving community, events, and features.


1 -- OUR SAGA THUS FAR...

The fiercest enemy Archibald and Cuthbert faced thus far, hiking across the Vesayen Isles? Jungle branches.  The two knights had been forced to use their weapons not as swords of justice, but as brush-clearing machetes.

Where in Dereth is that next bridge?" Cuthbert of the Pyreal Halo spat, pausing to wipe the sweat from his brow.

His partner, Archibald of the Crooked Arrow, planted his sword into the muddy earth, leaning against its hilt.  "They did say somewhere along the edge of this island. Perhaps we should head back to MacNiall's Freehold and ask again?"

"And pay those pirates more? Never! We'll find the true path."

The explorers who originally found the archipelago chain claimed each of the thirteen islands grew more dangerous along the way.  Though, of course, they had not made it to the last island to verify this theory. When asked of the dangers that turned them back, the explorers paled and spoke of certain creatures never before seen. Archibald and Cuthbert, hearing the tale, vowed to the reach the isles' end.

Chopping through a final tangle of vine, they finally found themselves on the far shore of the island. No bridge, however, could be seen.

"Any danger?" Archibald asked, stooped over to catch his breath.

Cuthbert scanned the horizon, shielding his eyes under one hand.

"I see no shallow sharks nor water golems…."

"Fine! Then here we'll rest!" Archibald threw his sword down to the sand, his weary body following close behind.

Cuthbert turned to chastise the fallen knight. With his back to the sea, he failed to observe the slithering of what he'd taken to be mere seaweed. "Ware, Archibald! We've come too far along not to worry about danger striking any moment."

When he turned back around, he found that the "seaweed" had arisen. Tentacles poised in the air. An eyestalk wavered. The knights had met their first monstrous denizen of the islands. A slithis.


2 -- MAJOR EVENTS

SHOULD THE STARS FALL
The latest monthly event, "Should the Stars Fall," opened November 14th -- marking one full year of Asheron's Call! As promised, every month has seen a major world-altering event, from "Shadows of the Past," to "Thorns of the Hopeslayer," to "Sudden Season."  These events have added new lands, new monsters, new dungeons and quests; with the latest event, all this and more has arrived in Dereth!

The Vesayen Isles, off the southeastern coast near Mayoi, have been found and explored by many. (Exact locations can even be found on the Crossroads of Dereth site.) While the islands are open to all levels of players, and two towns, Kryst and MacNiall's Freehold, offer brief respite -- beware! Many creatures lurk just within the fringes of the nearby jungle. These include over twenty-five new variations of known monsters, not to mention two species completely original to the game -- the moarsmen and the tentacle-draped slithis. The count rises to three when considering the fearsome idols in the latter islands…. For more information on these latest creatures, be sure to check out the updated bestiaries of AC Stratics, Asheron's Lore, and AC Tips.

Throughout the course of Dereth's history, the largest roles have been played both by powerful crystal entities and the heroes facing them. As player actions directly advance the story of the game, their assaults on the crystals have led to the release of evolved crystalline varieties, the end of winter's spell, and the defeat of the Shadows Spires. The destruction of the Vestibule crystals has even resulted in the discovery of unique and mystic treasure. Yet can every outcome benefit the world? Though the Spires have been faced, fresh danger blossoms constantly across the land. A score of new dungeons, for players of all levels, have been discovered. Monsters continue to assemble in their training camps. And the Vesayen island chain, while welcoming to all, will only allow the most determined to reach its end. There, sages whisper, the secret of the crystals but continues…. Full details on November's event can be found in the official roll-out article, "Should the Stars Fall." A more comprehensive, and technical list, of changes can be read in the official developer's notes.

REBATE OFFER
In celebration of the one-year anniversary of Asheron's Call, Microsoft has announced a special rebate program for this award-winning game. With the purchase of Asheron's Call at any retail or online store location, gamers will receive a $20 rebate by mailing in the sticker on the box. With an estimated street price of US$29.95, gamers now have the opportunity to own Asheron's Call for only US$9.95!

FRIEND REFERRAL PROGRAM
If you love playing Asheron's Call, your friends will too! If you are a registered user of Asheron's Call and you refer up to three friends to purchase and register Asheron's Call between November 14, 2000 and January 8, 2001, you will receive a one-month coupon per referral. These coupons, when redeemed, allow you to play Asheron's Call for free! Further details can be found here.

A LETTER TO THE PLAYERS
The true consequences of shattering the last Soul Stone are known at last. Bael'Zharon, the dread Hopeslayer, has been unleashed upon Dereth. While the Soul Stone has fallen on every world save one, as of yet, the defense still holds on Thistledown. The AC team recently composed their thoughts on this valiant defense and its possible impact on the game, stating, "Regardless of the outcome of this effort, Thistledown will still always be remembered as the site of an epic battle never before seen in gaming." The full letter can be read here.

A GATHERING OF MONSTERS
"In recent days, hints, and captured notes, and even occasional sightings tell of further danger in the land. Certain creatures of Dereth have begun organizing into camps." Begun in last month's "Hollow Victory" event, monster-training camps have sprung up across the landscape, providing heroes with plenty of good hunting. The first of such camps appeared in Osteth and on the Obsidian Plain. Now with the latest event, even more camps have been spotted. While many kills, and much experience, can be gained in these areas, their very presence in Dereth troubles many.… More on the monster training camps can be read here.


If you want any events listed in our official Zone schedule, go to our Events page to register them. Remember, when submitting an event or a gathering, please:

1. Submit the event at least two weeks before you intend to run it.
2. Include ALL information requested on the form. We've received many events we couldn't process because the form wasn't complete.
3. Be sure that your event abides by the Code of Conduct and the End User License Agreement. The License Agreement is included in your game box, and the Code of Conduct can be found on the following page: http://www.zone.com/asheronscall/tips/ashetipsconduct%2Easp
4. Do not hold events within towns. You may call people to gather at outposts, however.

We look forward to promoting your events! The Events page is located at: http://www.zone.com/asheronscall/tournament.asp


3 -- COMMUNITY HERALD

THE ALLEGIANCE HALL
A new monarch has come to rule Dereth: Thase Skotoso. A rank 8 Taikou boasting 3000+ followers, Thase Skotoso's throne can be found in the world of Leafcull. The Thase Skotoso allegiance also runs one of the finest Web sites in the game, with a rescue service, quest tips, and an incredible opening Flash animation movie. Also appearing on the list of monarchs, Briboru of Clan Briboru, and Elder of The House of Elder, have become the first level 8 monarchs to appear in the world of Morningthaw.

Please note that while we do appreciate tips on other monarch's levels, it would be unfair of us to act on them without proof. For this reason, we ask that all monarchs send in updates at least once every two weeks, including a screenshot to verify information, or we will have to remove the monarchy from the Allegiance Hall. Also, when submitting your allegiance site for review, please be sure that the site is complete, the content is appropriate, and the server world you play on is indicated. Send all monarchy updates and allegiance site URL addresses to: website@asheronscall.com. For the list of Dereth's rulers and their clans, look no further than the Allegiance Hall!

RELATED LINKS
Several new fan sites have made their way to the Related Links page this month. The comprehensive AC Outpost and lost in Dereth have opened, and helping to organize player-run events down under is Ozeron's Call. For those more interested in the culinary arts than the martial, there's Cooking with the Elite Brotherhood. Also be sure to check out AC Quest, offering a comprehensive database of quests, points of interests, and hunting sites where one can binge on XP gains!

Please note that when submitting a site for the Related Links page, the site must not only be complete, but must also relate to the world of Dereth in general. If you run an AC fan site, and would like to be included on the Related Links page, please submit your URL address for review to: website@asheronscall.com.

PLAYER CHRONICLES
Of the new sites appearing this month, AC Outpost must be mentioned yet again for hosting a fine selection of player fiction. Our personal favorite? "Devil in the Dires," penned by Psygnal. Meanwhile, Role Play Fantasy has selected Chapter 3 of Alisdair's "Silveran" as their latest story of the month. Also, on the Player Chronicles page of the AC site, two new stories have been added:

-- Letters to Hopto: "A series of letters, from the frontlines to a longed-for love back home." Courtesy of Valen Hawk and WarriorWraith of the Asheron's Call -- Texas Players Site.

-- Shadowy Reflections: "A firsthand report from the battlefront… though not one penned by human hands." Courtesy of Huanto Shian Maul of the Paladins of Fate.

Be sure to keep contributing links to your stories. Please note, though, that we cannot accept direct fiction submissions. However, if you run a fan or an allegiance site, feel free to send in links to fiction pieces you currently host on your site. Again, URL addresses can be submitted for review to: website@asheronscall.com. As always, content must be appropriate for Microsoft's Zone or, regrettably, the piece cannot be included.

PORTAL SPACED
Organizing a rampaging mob is not as easy as it sounds, as Fargo of GameSpy.com recently discovered. Disturbed by the current events ongoing in Dereth, he began the campaign to "burn the beast."

"Here's a handy checklist for inciting a mob to riot in your favorite massively multiplayer online RPG:"

1. Buy a bunch of torches
2. Distribute them to a nearby mob
3. Prepare some handy speech macros for easy chanting. I suggest:
"Burn the Beast"
"Burn the Beast!"
and the always-influential, "BURN THE BEAST!!"

For full coverage of Fargo's campaign, be sure to check out the GameSpy.com article.

Also, GameSpy.com has recently composed its own top 10 list, this time of the best items in the game. "In celebration of the one-year anniversary of Asheron's Call, we present to you a list of 10 of the most famous items in Asheron's Call. These aren't necessarily the best items in the game, the phatest of the phat, or the most common, but are items that most players know about and want at some stage of the game. Most of these items are still available in the game to players with enough desire and experience." The list can be found here.


SEND THIS NEWSLETTER TO A FRIEND, AND LET THEM KNOW TO:

PLAY IT ON THE ZONE!


If you have any problems with Asheron's Call or the Zone, check out our Troubleshooters and Frequently Asked Questions and find the answer to your problems there.

Troubleshooters:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/games/zone/asheron/tshoot/default.asp
http://support.microsoft.com/support/games/zone/tshoot/default.asp

Frequently Asked Questions:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/games/zone/faq/asheron/default.asp
http://support.microsoft.com/support/games/zone/faq/default.asp

Play it on the Zone!
http://www.zone.com/asheronscall

You registered to receive this newsletter on the MSN Gaming Zone. To unsubscribe, do the following:

1. Go to MSN Newsletters:
http://g.msn.com/0NL33946/117

2. Log in with your Zone ID (not your AC character name) and password.

3. Uncheck the box that's labeled "Send me the Asheron's Call newsletter every month to: (your e-mail address)."

THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. The information contained in this document represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation on the issues discussed as of the date of publication. Because Microsoft must respond to change in market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented after the date of publication. INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED 'AS IS' WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND FREEDOM FROM INFRINGEMENT. The user assumes the entire risk as to the accuracy and the use of this document. This document may be copied and distributed subject to the following conditions: 1. All text must be copied without modification and all pages must be included 2. All copies must contain Microsoft's copyright notice and any other notices provided therein 3. This document may not be distributed for profit.

c2000 Microsoft, Inc.


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Contents

Event Teaser
Roll Out Article
Build Notes

The Spin from Turbine

Dev Chat
State of the Code
Annals of Dereth
Town Crier Rumors
Ulgrim Sayings
Patch Page


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