March 27, 2002 -  Paper Dolls

Hello Maggie

You host a fabulous page. Many thanks for your hard work.

I read in this patch update about the use of paper dolls to use mana stones upon. I searched and searched and could not find a walk through on where to get one of these new items. Might you point me & your many fans in the right direction? Thanks.

Footslow of Leafcull
Level 61 - 3 School Bow

Hi Footslow -
I meant to get this letter up sooner. I was amazed at how many people wrote to me, asking me how to get a Paper Doll. You actually already have one! The paper doll is a general gaming term for the picture of your character in your inventory screen (not you in the game world, fighting monsters, but the pic of you to the right of your screen, surrounded by your jewelry slots). All you have to do is double-click on your mana stone, then click on the pic of yourself! Thanks for the compliments, and I hope that helps! It's a great new feature!

- Maggie the Jackcat 

March 27, 2002 -  Key to Fame and Glory?

Hey Maggie!

In case you hadn't heard before, your site is a great source of info! What I really want to know however is:

A) Did you use raw HTML in the site's making for Frontpage or anything in Frontpage's liking, or did you make it period?

B) I want to have my AC II site to be like yours. No I'm not gonna take your entire format, put it on my site and call it Chris' Game Zone. Everyone comments on your information being great, and I think I'm dedicated enough to have a site as dense of information as yours. I just want to know if you think my site has those capabilities (It lacks info, well, because, this is pre-release. Upon release I will have atlases, lore, stats, Bestiary, weapons, quests, etc).

C) Lastly, how did everyone come to know your site so well? I never see any links to it and the only reason I know it so well if because an RL/AC friend showed me. How did you get everyone to come here?

If you could reply to this I'd have a greater respect to you than I already have.

Forceful Chris of SC
Level 45 Sword

Hi Forceful Chris -
Good luck on your new site! I've already received a whole mess of people asking my opinion about their new AC2 sites, but it's really much too early to give critiques! After the game is out and your site has been going at it a few months, ask me again, and I'll be happy to look it over and give you my opinion.

[Speaking of much too early... THANK YOU very much to the many, many, many of you, asking to 1) be my vassal in AC2, and 2) asking to be my Patron in AC2. I'm afraid at this time, however, I must decline all requests! Ha. You guys crack me up! ;-)]

I can answer your other questions, though. I do use Frontpage for my site. The main reason is because it's fast! I can easily import spreadsheets (which I do regularly), or integrate databases (which I haven't on this site so far, but it's easy enough to do). I'm not an expert hand coder of HTML, but I know enough to get by. It just takes a LOT longer. (I know a lot of the hard core coders are now cringing unbearably! ;-) Time constraints are the biggest issue for me, so Frontpage was the way to go. Good coding is nice and all, but I'm sure you've heard the phrase: content is king.

How did I get everyone to come here? If you build it... they will come! (I stole that line from a movie!) Word of mouth, mostly. I've never really advertised it on the other big sites' news pages. There are plenty of links around, though, and most of those have a link to me, as do many allegiance sites. My biggest referring site is the Zone, believe it or not! Then Google, and the ACVault boards and ACTips. For whatever reason, I've still been unable to get a link on the official Microsoft AC pages. They can just bite me! (I'm sure that just helped my case! ;-) Haha.

Remember, the site didn't happen overnight. I've been doing this for over 2 years, a few hours here, a few hours there. I started with 133,000 page views in my first full month, and during the DM release had over 12.8 million for the month! It's a little easier for me now that I have so much awesome help, but still, it's been a tremendous amount of work over time. I think that if you keep at it, and more importantly, *enjoy* what you're doing, you'll build something that others will enjoy too! I look forward to seeing yours and many more amazing sites in the future!

- Maggie the Jackcat

March 27, 2002 -  AC2

I have seen screenshots of ac2. It looks so different. I'm not sure I will like it, so can I still play ac dm???

bowwen of LC
Level 17 Archer

Hi bowwen -
I don't know anything more about AC2 than the rest of you, but I *do* know the answer to this question!

Direct from the Dev Chat 3-11-02:

"newpongo in AsheronsCall asks: Are AC1 devs committed to a LONGTERM future for "Olde Derethe"? Many of us are a little nervous by directions AC2 hints at, and would love to be reassured that old dereth will not be abandoned, and CONTINUE to evolve in 2003

mrquazarr_MS says: There is no end in sight for Asheron's Call 1.0. We envision both products running very strong together.
mrquazarr_MS says: A lot of the change we are currently making is with that in mind. We want players to have fun from the minute they log in to the minute they log out. And we want them to be doing it for years to come."

Hope that eases some of your concern!

- Maggie the Jackcat

March 27, 2002 -  AC2

I'm curious about your feelings about AC2. Will you be starting over on AC2, or sticking with ACprime. My daughter doesn't want to switch, but I'm a tech junkie.

It would also be interesting to know how many people will be sticking with ACprime vs. how many will be going on to greener pastures.

Yoshi Kwang of SC
Level 18 Vagabond

Hi Yoshi Kwang -
I can't possibly answer the 2nd question about how many people will leave AC for AC2. I can't even really answer the first yet. Here is what I suspect will happen, based on my previous experience of switching from Ultima Online to Asheron's Call. I played UO for quite a long time -- Grand Master Warrior, Grand Master Fletcher (I think those were my titles. It's *really* been a while). I had my house, my vendors (quite a successful little operation -- I sold regs, runes, XBows, Greater Heal Potions? I think. I can't *believe* I can't remember this stuff!). The game was starting to get to be a drag for me. I'd log on, restock my vendors, boost back up the skills that had decayed, then... I was out of time! (I *hated* the skill decay in UO). Since I actually do have very little free time, no matter what many of you who visit this site seem to think ;-), this was just no good. Where was the fun? Where was the adventure? Stock the store, boost the stats; stock the store, boost the stats. After a while, it felt like a JOB! And, really, I get enough work at work.

A friend of mine who first got me playing UO convinced me to sign up for some beta he heard about. I got in; he didn't. I'd send him email: OH MY GOD THIS GAME IS SO COOL!!! P.S. Can you pleeeze refresh my house for me??? I would alternate play days: one day in Britannia, the next in Dereth. Eventually, I found myself spending more and more time in Dereth, and less and less in Britannia. When I realized that I probably hadn't logged into UO in several months, I finally cancelled the account. But it was HARD! I was attached to my UO life. Sort of.

UO tried hard to get me back! They would send me emails, saying, your character has not yet been purged, it's not too late! Then: your character may be purged. Then: your character is gonna be purged, we are going to KILL YOU OFF FOREVER, but it's NOT TOO LATE, send money NOW! Agghhhh! I couldn't resist! Not my little UO sprite me! But, alas, it was not to be. It had been so long, my downloads and stuff were all outdated, and I couldn't log in properly. Faced with the pain-in-the-ass next step of having to seek out tech support, I said screw it. (Let that be a lesson to you, Zone! We find it hard to leave, but we should find it *easy* to come back! ;-)

Er... what was your question again? :-) Oh yes! Will I leave AC for AC2? Who knows! I suspect I will keep a foot in both worlds initially, and one of them will eventually win me over. I'm not at the point in AC that I was in UO. AC doesn't bore me. I think it's fun. I have stronger social ties in-game. I am probably more heavily invested in AC than I was in UO (the web site and all, plus my legion of adoring fans ;-). I think that I'll find it difficult, time-wise, to devote my attention to two different games long term. I'm sure a lot of my decision will be based on where my good friend plays. I could even end up in Norrath one day! (hee hee)

- Maggie the Jackcat

March 27, 2002 -  The Persuasion Writ Quest

I am proud to announce I solved this mystery. I handed in my lightning prism to the agent and he gave me 2 Writs of Refuge!

Also, you get to keep the prism after you hand it in. He gives it back!

Cyrano De Bergerac of TD
Level 59


Hi Maggie,
I recently went back to the Fire Prism Dungeon, in hopes that the timer was up after one month. It was. I got my prism, and turned it into the Agent of Arcanum. This is what he said: Agent of the Arcanum tells you, "Wow! You were able to navigate that place again. Great Job! We are not giving repeat offenders the Writs, but everything else is still available."

So just so you know, the writ part of the prism dungeon can only be done once.

Jake_the_Swift of FF
Level 65 UA

Hi Cyrano De Bergerac and Jake_the_Swift -
Thanks for the info on the writs! My vassal has been whining for a Villa for weeks (just kidding), so the information will really come in handy!

- Maggie the Jackcat

March 27, 2002 -  Curtains Quest?

I was just wondering if you know of any quests for house furniture. I already know about the fountain, lawn drudge, plaque, and snowman. I was just wondering if your site had any information on other quests. I'm not sure if this is true, but I heard a rumor about curtains. Just wanted to know what else I can put in my house.

Stabbing Westward of SC
Level 58 Extreme Dagger
 

Hi Stabbing Westward -
I haven't heard the curtain rumor. There's been a lot of speculation about an Ursuin Rug that was shown in a teaser screenshot, but it hasn't yet made it into the game. When that does, I suspect it will be one of the crafted items the apprentices hint at. As far as I know, you've gotten them all, other than the furniture and wood products sold by the vendors and woodsmen.

- Maggie the Jackcat

March 27, 2002 -  The Collector

Hi Maggie,

Have you heard of The Collector? It's a Virindi (level 130) that hangs out with a bunch of Plated Tuskers and Altered Drudges--seems to be a random spawn somehow relating to the queen's quest on the Plateau. The first time we found it I tried to kill it with 4-5 meleers, including an archer. I got it to 18% but that was it.... Found The Collector again last night and was easily able to it in 5 minutes with the help of a level 69 mage who yielded, imperiled, and vulned the nasty. Pierce seems to do more damage than acid or blades. The Collector dropped a few peas, some miscellaneous weapons and a Habitat Gem. Do you know if there is something else the Collector is supposed to drop--perhaps a percentage of the time? Also, is there any way to find out (without using it) if the Habitat Gem is the same as the Ahruenga Gems of portal recall (it says it is, but I want to double check if possible).

Thanks!

Tzantali of TD
Level 56 Mage

Hi Tzantali -
The Habitat Gem is not the same as the Ahruenga Gem (see the Gems page). It leads to a Level 70+ dungeon where you can get the Virindi Scalpel. You can find out more in the quest write-up!

- Maggie the Jackcat

March 27, 2002 -  Teen Digital Diva

Just wanted you to know I really like your site and I go to it as often as I can. It's a great site with patch info and all that stuff. Anyway, I was just lookin thru some old patches and I came across one of teen digital diva with a picture of a magazine. I couldn't find a link or any info (aka laziness) on the page about it. Is that you?

BTW- If you need any help with the site I'll be more than happy to help you with it :)

Shoguat of TD
Level 43 Og

Hi Shoguat -
No, that's not me! I'm the one two pics down, on the same page. In the purple outfit. ;-) Teen Digital Diva was a game given as door prize at the 2000 AC Player Luncheon in Boston. In the game you can try on different hairstyles, and makeup and stuff. Turbine Dev Jesse was the lucky winner, and envy of all! ;-)

- Maggie the Jackcat

March 27, 2002 -  Whoo Hooo

Man I love this site. I was looking for a site that had quests and orbs and all the cool stuff. I went to a bunch of sites on the related links of the AC website. I couldn't find any with as much content as this site. It's really cool to see someone so devoted to AC :P But anyways, it's really cool. Even the AC Stragedy guide wasn't as good as this site. Well I gotta go. If you're ever on Leafcull, why don't you message me. Well cya later and keep up the good work.

Debonaire of LC
Level 29 Og Mage
 

Hi Debonaire -
Well, it wouldn't be a Letters section if I didn't indulge myself by publishing a few "effusive praise" letters. Thank you very much for the enthusiastic appreciation. I'm glad you like the site!

- Maggie the Jackcat

March 27, 2002 -  Your Website

Maggie,

As a loner I've been at this quite a while.  The info in your site is a god-send to people like me. Thank you for what must be an over-whelming effort.

Aarel of SC
Level 32 Blademaster

Hi Aarel -
You're welcome. But even though it's a lot of work, don't worry; it's not over-whelming. If it was, I'd quit! ;-)

- Maggie the Jackcat

March 27, 2002 -  Elysa's Favor Quest Tidbit

Dear Maggie,
I recently completed the quest for the second time. I, however, did something slightly different. After retrieving the letter from the Reformed Bandit's house near Holtburg, I spoke to the Bandit again. He replied with the following:

The "reformed" bandit has an extremely guilty look on his face. He even
looks as if he might run for the hills.
Reformed Bandit tells you, "Look! Behind you! Is that the white bunny?!"
Reformed Bandit says, "Shurov Thiloi!"

And he was gone. I did not have time to wait there before the server went down for restart.

Robin-the-Brave of SC
Level 36 Spear Gimp


Hi Robin-the-Brave -
Pretty funny! Thanks for passing it along!

- Maggie the Jackcat

March 27, 2002 -  Hollow Armor

I've gotten quite a few letters asking what Hollow Armor is. They see people selling it in the Hub (Subway). What is it, they ask me. How do you do the quest? How do I get a Hollow Suit? But every last one of the letters I got checked the "do not publish" button! Doh!

Don't be embarrassed, letter writers! Turns out lots of people had the same question!

There is no Hollow Armor quest. Hollow Armor is armor that is worn to fight Hollow Minions. If you hear someone say, "wear your hollow armor on the quest," it's a signal to mages *not* to wear a buffed robe (hollow attacks ignore armor protects)! It can be any armor at all, but usually it refers to a very high base AL. There you go. End of mystery. Now where can I get my curtains? ;-)