But oh, you guys already knew! Of course you did! I'm surprised (REALLY surprised) we were able to keep something so huge (to us) a secret for so long.
When Rolith asked me to marry him tonight, I said "yes"! I THINK my exact words something like "yes, oh yes!" but the last couple of hours are a little hazy. I think I'm still a little lightheaded. I am so very incredibly, completely happy. And I'm thrilled that you guys were able to share Rolith's INSANE secret plans with him! Like he said, we met and fell in love thanks to Artix Entertainment, DragonFable, and the amazing community that has grown up around them.
So, how did he do it? That's a funny story:
The last night of the first Dragon*Con we met at, we found a little corner off a small hallway at 3am. We sat down and talked for four hours about nothing and everything. How little we knew that two years later, he would take me to that very same hallway and ask me to marry him!
And, true story, the first people to congratulate us were two strangers (one a man in a black leather kilt. I love Dragon*Con!) who walked into the hall right after Rolith asked me. They didn't say anything, just walked down to the end of the hall, stopped, turned around, and came back to us. The man walked up, shook Rolith's hand and congratulated us. Then they walked away. Strange man and pretty lady, I don't know who you are, or if you'll ever read this, but thank you very much for sharing the happiest day of my life with me!
So, now I know! And you know! And I'm going to sign off now by thanking you all for sharing the happiest night of my life with us. I'm going to go spend some time with Rolith. Goodnight!
Did you guys know we were capable of keeping secrets from you?
Sure, we manage to keep certain story-lines under wraps for a few weeks, or maybe even big ones, like the nature of certain egg meanings, or the big ending to the Orb saga, but those we keep secret because we have to. It'd ruin the fun for you if you knew them. It's not our fault we're normally so bad at it, we get to be extremely creative people, and it's hard to keep that creativity from you guys when it's brought to life before our eyes and there are still so many days until Friday, or whenever the release is due.
So I'd like you to keep that in mind, as I share with you the biggest, and best secret I've ever kept from you guys.
Also remember, I'm not a very public person. While you've gotten to know me through these design notes and on the forums, I tend to keep the big private stuff very much to myself. The idea of how public and personal I'm about to be with you guys blows my mind in and of itself. So remember that too!
Alina and I met for the first time at DragonCon, more than two years ago; but that doesn’t really cover it. Our friendship started over IRC and IM more than a year before that. Neither of us can think of exactly when we started talking all day every day, but it's been more then a couple of years since we've gone a whole day without talking. And for us to meet at DragonCon, brought together by nerddom, and our shared passion for the games we both lived and loved so much felt, well, right.
At DragonCon '08 I got to hang out with an awesome person, who happened to have the most startling blue eyes that I've ever had the pleasure to look into.
For over a year after that we stayed at that point. We were friends, as near enough best friends that it wasn't worth thinking about even though we had only ever met face to face once. We flirted, on and off, but innocently. And still were just friends when our second DragonCon came and went, despite what some here at the underground lab thought. (Looking at you Thyton, Artix, Beleen... actually pretty much everyone.)
Things didn't start changing until Alina worked up the nerve to leave her friends, family, and life in Chicago to make the leap to developing for DragonFable full time and move to Florida. When she arrived, it wasn't long before we got to work together, hang out together, and even spend weekend afternoons watching really bad (and really epically good) British TV. Instead of finding the switch to real life friendship awkward or nervous, both she and I quickly realized we were growing closer and closer.
So, I said we've been keeping a secret. If you haven't figured it out by now, Alina and I fell in love. And yes, secrets are fun, but it's about time you guys got let in on this one, because, and I'm being completely honest here, it's your fault.
Or, I should say, it's all thanks to you.
If it wasn't for Artix Entertainment, this game, it's wonderful community, and all of you, I would have never met the love of my life, and realizing that makes me feel so humbled, and lucky.
So, as you read this (and if you're reading this from the future, sorry for the spoilers) you guys are officially more in the know than Alina. She has no idea I've spilled the beans on the Design Notes (and in game). She also doesn’t know about the very special question I've got in store for her tonight.
Yes, I am proposing to Alina. Tonight. And you guys are in on it. The idea of asking her this question and not getting you guys involved was inconceivable, so there you go. I'm off to ask the most important question of my life and enjoy the rest of DragonCon. Hope you guys enjoy a wait, because I'm rolling this DNs live from my cellphone, and not sure when Alina will be able to post her answer. Not until very much later, I'm sure. Shhhh. She thinks I'm checking for bugs reports from the release testing right now.
Oh, and if you see us at DragonCon between now and when her answer is posted, CHECK FOR A RING FIRST. Don’t congratulate her before I’ve managed to ask, that’d be highly awkward.
Lim has a kitty! And WE have a release for you! So, it's Wednesday. We don't usually release on Wednesday, but since most of the people in the Secret Underground Lab are going to be at Dragon*Con on Friday, Geopetal said "Hey, Alina. Why not release on Wednesday, and then you won't have to worry?" Geopetal rocks!
So today we have a brand new Clashening quest for you, returning after a Summer-long hiatus! Lim wants to show you his latest experiment, and it stars his favoritest kitty ever, Mr. Poofles! His theory is that if you put a cat in a box, it's impossible to tell if it's in THIS dimension or an alternate one. Makes sense, right? Of course it does. It's SCIENCE! There's just ooooooone little problem: Mr. Poofles doesn't FEEL like being a volunteer, and if you've ever tried to make a cat do something it didn't want to do, you know exactly what is going to happen.
YOU have to track him down; follow the cat-prints through Falconreach and hope you find him before Cysero does! Because Cysero is in the mood to do magic, and you know what THAT'S like, right? (Pssst, remember the Guardian Tower getting turned into a fish? Yeah, we don't want a repeat of that, now do we?)
Four different levels of Mr.Poofles will drop as rewards from the quest, so if you sold or never got your Mr. Mangles pet, here's your chance to get another cutetastical cat for a companion!
Dragon*Con update! Remember, Dragon*Con starts on Friday (and runs through Monday)! If you're in or near the Atlanta area, why not stop on by and say hi? We'd love to meet you, and we'll have plenty of Sharpies on hand to sign shirts, socks, hats, foreheads... whatever you have handy! We'll also be selling some of our swag at our panel:
"The NPCs Critical Hits" CD
Upgrade Cards (4,000 BattleOn Points)
MechQuest Artbook (which you can have signed by our friendly team members for a few extra bucks)
ChickenCow T-shirts (puchase includes the Chickencow Pet in both DF and AQW!)
And remember, if you come up to us at ANY point throughout the convention and say hi, you can ask for a free non-member pet in AQWorlds!
Here's the official stats for our panel and party (remember, we recommend Dragon*Con for players 15+, but if your parents are alright with it, come on over and have fun!):
AE/AQW Panel (3 hours of gaming madness) When: Saturday, Sept 4th, 2010 Where: The Sheraton Hotel - The Savannah Room Time: 1pm to 3:30pm... unless we fall asleep
Gaming Party When: Saturday: Sept 4th, 2010 Where: The Sheraton Hotel - The Capitol Ballroom Time: 10pm to 3:30am (Although... we will probably grab everyone and flee to Voltaire's concert which is scheduled that same night.)
We hope to see you there! I've got a bit more work to do, then I've got to run home and make sure I'm all packed. Kata is staying at a boarders, and I miss her already! But she will get to play with Rolith's kitties, so she won't be TOO lonely!
Enjoy the quest, and we'll have more to release for you this Friday!
Schools are starting up again, which means it's time to wrap up our Summer storylines. The Rise of the DragonMage Saga, starring Nythera, ended last week, and soon the DragonsGrasp storyline will end, too. But not THIS week! Oh, no. This week we have something we think is REALLY fun for you.
"Fun, you say? I like fun!" Well, so do we! Using your imagination is fun, right? We think so! Like Willy Wonka, we try to imagine 3 new things every day.
Stretching your mind and giving your brain a workout when you were younger involved taking your imagination to places it'd never been before. And THAT's what we're going to do this week in DragonsGrasp! More details as the week progresses; I don't want to give away too much today!
Also releasing this week will be the next Clashening quest! Lim needs your help with an experiment (doesn't he always? It's a good thing you are a VERY helpful hero!). It involves a cat and a box, but it's NOT what you think.
Meet Mr. Poofles!
We are very pet-friendly here in DragonFable,* our heroes take their responsibilities to their beloved companions seriously. That's why we're giving this old favorite of a thought exercise a definite DragonFable twist to keep it in line with our humor!
Good luck going back to school! Khelios and Beleen are going back to school, too. In fact, she just zoomed out of here in order to get to class on time. (I LOVED schedules in college. Class 3 times a week, and you could sleep in til 10am! Not to mention all the FREE food. Bonus!) What are you guys looking forward to about going back to school? Or are you dreading a new year of pop quizzes, crowded hallways, and cafeteria food? Let us know on the forums or Twitter!
* Your backpack inventories are VERY spacious. Your pets are not at all crowded due to the compartmentalized nature of the backpack. A space for weapons, a drawer for trinkets, and a large fenced-in grassy area in the side pocket for your pets to frolic in. Gotta love Hammerspace! /nod
PS: Look for the Decadere Youngling pet to go live this week in Cysero's Superstore of Savings! You guys asked for it, and we're going to give it to you!
PPS: Sometime today we're going to be rebalancing the Defender's Belt series. Khelios worked up new stat numbers for it, so look for those later on!
The time has come for Nythera to embrace her destiny as she attempts to reunite the Creatioux and Decadere! Watch as she flies around Lore searching for an entrance to the Void. Always before, the Decadere sent the portals to HER. Now, she needs to find one by herself. And once she manages to do THAT, she'll need to take on the minions of the Decadere before facing Decair, the Eldest.
Nythera has done a lot of growing up this Summer, turning from a spoiled young half-dragon into a much more mature and thoughtful young lady. With her powers unlocked, she has access to MUCH more magic! But will it be enough to shake up the Decadere and make them settle down into Creatioux? You'll find out this weekend in the finale to the Rise of the DragonMage Saga!
With a regular mode and Extreme mode, you'll be able to choose just how strong a battle you want. Void weapons will drop as rewards, levels 45, 55, and 60! Nythera's story might be ending in DragonFable, but it's only just beginning in AdventureQuest Worlds! So if you're left wondering just what happens to her, be sure to watch for her story here!
And be sure to check out the introduction to Willowshire! It's not JUST the beginning of a new (old) town... no, you'll get to flashback to the very second war DragonFable heroes ever faced! When you go to enter the town, you'll have to fight one of those original war waves AND Gorgok in order to gain access to it!
To get to Willowshire, you'll still need to use the Portal by the Falconreach Guardian Tower for now; a path hasn't yet been cleared of brush and debris. But once you get your bush-stomping boots on and make your way through all the brush, you'll find a very nice walk-around path straight to it! (Which is to say, look for one in the coming weeks /givesGhostmorework!)
Also in Willowshire, you'll find a shop with higher level poison and wind weapons, sold for gold! Other weapons will be added to flesh out shops as the weeks progress.
The DragonLord chest in Moonridge has gotten it's first shipment of weapons as well! Make sure to head on over and check out the starting inventory.
Game Card Sale!
Remember, the 15% off AE Game Cards sale at Target ends TOMORROW! So if you've got a Target near you, this is a great time to head over there and take advantage of a really sweet discount!
I've got to go home and start packing for Dragon*Con. (And convince Kata that I'm not abandoning her foreveeeeerrrr. Sadkittyface!)
The battle is won... but the war is far from over!
The zards have been beaten back, the sinister Yaw defeated. Where, and how the zards came to be is still unknown though, so the Zardhunter definately has his work cut out for him! The Friday the 13th Zard Invasion will officially end tomorrow though, which means if you haven't gotten your Rush of Zardlings or Boxar pet it's time for you to get in there and take down Yaw before they go rare! Don't stress too much though... the outbreak will continue this Mogloween!
Moonridge Shops!
A few weeks ago I asked what kinds of weapons you guys would like to see in the Moonridge shops. You guys responded with pages and pages (and paaaaaages) of suggestions! There does seem to be some confusion though, so I wanted to clear up a few points!
Regular items and items created through merges can't go in the same shop. So this chest won't contain any merge items.
We have *lots* of existing elements already so, for now, I've placed a moratorium on making more items with new elements. (So, sorry, no void weapons.)
Though we do have the capacity to make new types of accessories (like boots, gauntlets, bracers, earrings, etc) every new type of item we add is another thing you have to gear for, another thing you need inventory space for. Remember that free players only have 20 slots to start with. Keeping weapons of different elements, helms, capes, belts, rings, pets, and resources tends to eat up those slots pretty quickly. So in order for me to approve the introduction of a new type of equippable item... lets just say it'll take a really, really good argument for it.
There won't be anything going in that chest that will replace "X-item-type" for all time. ;P
What I would like to put in that chest (and in the Moonridge Armory) are reforged weapons for gold. So this means I'm looking for the answers to a couple questions:
Is there a particular element that's really hard to get a drop for?
Is there a gap in the existing weaponry (i.e. there are tofu-element scissor weapons from levels 1 to 35 and then from 50 to 60, but I can't find anything for level 40!)?
Is there weapon artwork you want to be able to use again (i.e. I loved the art for the Angel's Wrath, so I reforged it for Angel's Ire.)
Gold weapons, due to the fact that they're relatively easy to get compared to chasing a drop on a loot table, tend to have a slightly lower stat allocation and do slightly less damage. This chest will follow that same basic tenement, but I want to use it fill in gaps in inventories and to make weapons that will be useful as you finish leveling. I also want reforge some of your favorite weapons so that you can wield that amazing artwork again! :)
So, for this Design Notes thread, try to think about the answers to those questions when you make your suggestions for both the regular free player shops and for the Dragon Amulet chest! (And, if you guys can make me a nice list of the forum favorites that's easy for me to go through... <3!)
It's that kind of Sneak Peek day when we show you something WE'RE really excited about! And we hope YOU are, too!
With the Nythera Saga ending this week, that means we can return to finishing the other side storylines we've already begun: The Clashening chain and the Ravenloss Saga!
There will be a brand new Lim-laden, Cysero-soaked Clashening quest next week while most of the AE team is at Dragon*Con. (I finished this quest parodying a famous paradoxical thought experiment ahead of time for JUST this reason!) And the week after the Clashening comes back, you'll see the return of the Ravenloss Saga! We're very excited about this; it's been such a fun chain to build! So for your Sneak Peek this week, we have a gloom-filled glimpse of one of the backgrounds from the next Ravenloss quest!
Are you up for venturing into the dimly-lit and deserted depths of the Dark Tower Pentientiary? Get ready to start the hunt for Riadne and the Icicle Key in two weeks!
I hope that's whetted your appetite for some of the releases in the coming weeks! We'll also see the return of the DragonsGrasp quest chain starting next week! Get ready to have fun, because we are going to be throwing some seriously awesome releases your way!
And if you want to join in ALL the fun we'll be having, now's the perfect time to upgrade your account! DragonLords get the best weapons and some of the most amazing battles and storylines in DragonFable, not to mention perks like Titan battles and getting to customize your very own Dragon companion!
We appreciate all our players (you guys ROCK!), but the DragonLords keep our game going and the server hamsters fed so we strive to make sure that when you buy a Dragon Amulet for your character, you are getting the very best game we can make for you!
And I feel fine! No, no, just kidding. That describes the end of the LAST Nythera Saga! This one won't destroy anything. We hope. It all depends on you, and if you can help Nythera achieve her ultimate goal: reuniting the Creatioux and Decadere! Can you tame the Decadere? Will they bow before Nythera's might? (Not to mention her AWESOME fashion sense. Who doesn't love a good pair of purple feathery shoulder-things?) You'll see this week in the Nythera Saga: Rise of the DragonMage finale!
Ghost is working doubletime on the Nythera cutscene AND the project I'm going to tell you about in 2 or 3 sentences. The Nythera quest will drop some REALLY nifty Void weapons that Lim made this past weekend.*
Ok, maybe it was less than three sentences. But onwards and upwards (or outwards and downwards, if you prefer those directions instead), because as I type, the construction of a brand new town is taking place! Those poor construction moglins have assembled another unit in... Willowshire! You'll finally get to find out what happened to the Falconreach stable! No, we did not leave the stable door open for the horses to escape. It's MUCH more fun than that! /widegrin
As always, we are working ahead to prepare for future releases. And speaking of future releases, with the end of the Nythera Saga this week, you'll see the return of the Clashening and Ravenloss in the next couple of weeks!
Also, half of the DragonFable team is heading to Dragon*Con next week for crowd-filled fun (and crowd-borne germs. I REALLY hope no one gets the Con plague this year!). We'll be having a panel on Saturday (on the MMO track) and a party hosted by Artix Entertainment on Saturday night. If you're in the Atlanta area, we'd LOVE to meet you! So stop on by and chat. We'll be selling merch and, as usual, giving away free stuff! (Like the non-member pets in AQWorlds. What will it be? Possibly a derp-dragon, maybe sorta?!)
Big SALE news! And finally, we have some very exciting news! For the week of August 22nd (that's RIGHT NOW!), our AE game cards will be 15% off in Target stores! That means they'll be $16.95 instead of $19.95. Now, I'm not a numbers person (seriously, I took Math for Liberal Arts majors in college. We did word problems all semester...), but that looks like savings for you to me! You can also find our ad in the Target circular (the pages of coupons Target sends out).
If you're a fan of our games and are looking to help support our ever-growing and always-friendly team of designers, then consider picking up one (or more!) of our game cards. We always appreciate the players who take the time to show how much they enjoy the game, and this is a great - and discounted- way to do that!
Have a great week and hopefully I'll have something to Show and Tell on Wednesday for a Sneak Peek!
* Altogether now: We miss you, Lim! Shouting SCIENCE! just isn't the same without you!
In a race against Zards, time, and Geopetal's 100% Challenge, you guys did it! The release was SO close! I worked my potion-stirring fingers off to get the Nythera quest out in time, but... it looks like the heroes DEFINITELY won the war! As I write this, the war meter is at 100%.
Throughout the war, players on the forums were going strong with poetry, pictures, and battlecries to inspire each other onwards to VICTORY! This has been an amazing war; so many people have responded to the call to battle! Some have even brought in family members and spouses to aid the war effort! (I'm looking at you, Eric and Lady Ravenwing! BattleOn!)
Can you battle through the Zards and Boss monster to get to the cutscene in time?
Ghost is finished with the 100% cutscene. He's pushed all of his ectoplasm into overdrive in order to get the cutscene to you on time! And let me tell you, your Zardling Rush and Boxar pet rewards for winning the 100% Challenge are pretty awesome!
The 100% cutscene will tease you and and please you and definitely leave you wanting more information, because let me tell you... the reason for this war does NOT. END. HERE!
Run the Gauntlet to face the Creatioux!
Nythera has undergone training with her great-great-great-great grandmother, Azhura, a fierce and adventuresome dragon who died while performing Void magic.
Nythera is ready to take on ANYthing!
She's trained Nythera in the hope that that never happens again, and now Nythera is ready to use her Void skills to prove to the Creatioux that she CAN handle her unlocked powers to take on the Decadere.
Run the Creatioux Gauntlet and face Elucidas (in ALL his forms!) to prove that Nythera is capable of handling her newfound powers! Four levels of the Creatioux Fireflies pets players on the forums have requested will drop from the quest as a reward! (They're sure to brighten up the release!)
Next week will be the finale of the Nythera: Rise of the DragonMage Saga! If you haven't gotten caught up yet, you'll want to make sure to do it before next Friday!
So you guys pretty much shattered all expectations this weekend and hit 50% in the war Monday afternoon (beating Rolith in his coding frenzy to finish the zard cuisine, something that we were tossing around on Friday as a cool idea for fun battle buffs)! Since you guys took to my *cough* unofficial challenge Saturday, I'm now going to put forth....
The Official 100% Zard Frenzy Challenge!
Reading through the war threads on the forums, it's become clear that you guys want a zard pet. So Ghost is going to take some time out of his busy schedule of making amazing things to make one (maaaaybe two) more amazing thing(s)... a Rush of Zardlings!
Why, yes, I did spend way too much time animating this random cutscene.
IF you can get the war meter to 100% before the release on Friday, then the Rush of Zardlingswill be added to the loot table of the boss monster in addition to the other war goodies. If you guys don't make it, then those poor little zardlings will have to be content to play in whatever giant, empty box Ghost is going to trap them in until the next war.
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