This week Tomix is giving us a sneak peek into what NPCs he's creating (and recreating) for Book 3 Ravenloss!
We will be seeing an older Tomix! He's been working to keep Ravenloss safe, especially with the large influx of new magical monsters seeking refuge there!
Among the new NPCs that will be in Book 3 Ravenloss, is Lanrete! You'll have to wait to find out more about this tough guy though!
We have a great new TwT this week! Tomix has been working on the Book 3 version of Ravenloss and here's a preview of the walkaround. You can click on the edges of movie and explore a bit!
We're still a ways off from the new version of Ravenloss being live in game, but we will be catching up with Tomix, Riadne and more in Book 3!
Friday The final quest for this years Mogloween will be this Friday, where you'll be able to help some four footed friends find their way back to Croft. Some of the 2012 Mogloween masks will also go on sale in Cysero's Superstore, as well!
Tomix is also working on the final animation issues with Pyromancer but Cysero should have some in stock on Friday (as long as nothing goes boooom). We do need to decide where the new fiery Pyromancer barber will be, too. If you were an expert in styling follicular flames where would you set up shop in Lore?
Warlic has been after Alex since he arrived in Swordhaven and Alex has had enough. Now he's looking for some revenge, even if it's not a direct confrontation.... This Friday, log in and help Alex decide just exactly how he gets back at his rival!
Edelian House Dracelix has completed another house inspired by Ravenloss. Kajap will have it in stock soon!
Grenwog Eric Greydawn was last seen laughing maniacally and twirling his moustache. Be afraid for next week's release!
Armor Paint Fairy More colors will be coming soon*! Rolith, in between his 87 other projects, is looking into the possibility** of adding hex code input into the Armor Paint Fairy! Keep in mind, there's no guarentees, but, if he can get it working, you guys should be able to fully color-coordinate your characters! Big thanks to Dracelix for passing on the idea!
* Probably not this week. ** No guarentees! If he can't get it working, we will add more general colors though!
As I write this, the war meter for Greed's side is sitting pretty at roughly 99.5%! You guys are ALMOST done with the rest of the war! And to reward you for all your hard work, we're introducing scythe replicas of the Judgement Wheel halves as soon as the war meter on Greed's side hits 100%.
They'll be sold for Dragon Coins from the War Chest in RavenLoss. They are some of the absolute prettiest weapons we have in-game. DEFINITELY worth your time and DCs to pick up!
So... ready for a peek at the art? I thought so!
Here's the Judgement Wheel: Guilt and below it is the Judgement Wheel: Innocence! I'll be oooh-ing and aaaah-ing; feel free to join in. I won't tell if you do.
OOOOOOH!
AAAAAAH!
And now for some more news on RavenLoss. I've been posting and re-posting this information on the forum all weekend, but I want to share it here for those of you who are not readers of our forum:
We are hard at work getting the art and animation for the Soul-Ally guest, Pellow Village town, and SoulWeaver class done, finished, and put to bed so that we can release it to you with glad hands and a happy heart. (That saying never made any sense to me. What are glad hands?!)
It won't be done this week, but Tomix is pushing his thread-heavy hands to finish the art for you. Once he does, Khelios will code it and I'll put all the pieces together with some more bits of code and tweaking to make it ready for you all to play.
We are sorry that it's not ready for you. We wish it were, because we really, REALLY want to see your reactions to all of it! We will finish them as soon as humanly (or, in Tomix's case, robotically) possible.
In the meantime, please enjoy the Judgement Wheel scythes and have fun continuing to farm the war. The war will be up in its current state until we release SoulWeaver class, Pellow Village, and the Soul-Ally guest.
I got a book. And another book that's waiting for the first book to be finished. So I'm going to go read my book (that I've been waiting EIGHT years for) while Rolith plays with a new toy and makes plans for his newest secret project.
This is the pinkest, heart-iest*, lovingest day of the year, and we want to celebrate it with you! And what better way to do that than with a brand new weapon set? Yay!
Coming later today will be the Poison and Roses weapon set from True Mortal. Be careful how you hold these weapons, because the love these weapons inspire is oh so beautiful, but very, very deadly!
Last week we released the previous years of Hero's Heart Day events, and THIS year's event will go live this Friday!
We know many of you are expecting 1) a war and 2) Lust from the Ravenloss Saga to be the main villain, but she's run off to who-knows-where. She doesn't want Tomix to find and destroy her! (Would you, if you were a corrupt spirit? I didn't think so.) And since we've JUST come off a huge war (a war we're not even DONE with!), starting another one would be a less-than-great idea. You warmongers need to take a breather! Conserve your strength!
That doesn't mean there won't be a villain this year. It's LORE and a holiday. Of COURSE there's going to be a villain! It'll be someone you recognize, but who hasn't shown their face in a couple of years. Will there be betrayal? Maybe! Tears? Probably! Pink? Most definitely! Happy speculating!
* Yarrrrr, it be Valentine's Day, maties! (Is what pirates say today.)
NEWS FROM RAVENLOSS:
We have some good news and some sub-great news! Which do you want first?
The under-good news? Ok!
We LOVE Hero's Heart Day here on the DF team. And we adore putting out awesome content for the holiday. The holiday that is only one week a year. So if we're going to do something for that holiday, we need to do it NOW. THIS week! So unfortunately we have to delay Pellow Village and the Soul-Ally content until next week.
We are definitely looking forward to releasing all of that, and we know you guys are, too! While we finish working on HHD and the Soul-Ally/Pellow Village content, why don't you guys work on getting the Greed meter up to 100%
Why does that matter? Becacuse of the good news! Cysero has created replicas of the Judgement Wheel from sketches Tomix made! As they are only replicas, they will not grant wishes. But they WILL serve you well in battle! There will be the Judgement Replica: Guilt and the Judgement Replica: Innocence. And since it's Cysero who made them, they'll be selling for Dragon Coins both in his shop and in the War Rewards chest in RavenLoss. These are some of the prettiest weapons we have in-game!
And the Hero's Heart Day event isn't all we're releasing this week! Geopetal is also planning on the next installation of the Earth Orb Saga!
The ChaosWeaver war meter is within 3% of the goal! That means in the next hour or two, you should unlock the Boss battle! And then, oh then, you'll see what has transpired due to your choices in the war.
May the Elemental Lords have mercy on you. But! Thanks to some of your fellow heroes (even possibly yourself) mercy WAS shown in this war, and that may make all the difference in the future. But I won't spoil plans any more than that for now.
Go, fight, win! The hour is upon you, and you will not be found wanting! Not if you're the hero I think you are.
Some news about the war:
Here are the war rewards we have ready for you!
ChaosWeaver Defender scythe series
RavenLoss WarMonger scythe series
The Equilibrium Gate Key scythe series
And if you chose to defend the ChaosWeavers, you'll get access to the ChaosWeaver Champion shop and cutscene. (The shop contains the BabyWeaver pet!)
Unfortunately, we were not able to finish everything in time. So the following will NOT be released when you finish the war tonight:
Pellow Village will NOT be ready to explore at the end of the War. We will work on that next week.
The ??? pet will be found INSIDE Pellow Village, so you'll get that once you are able to explore.
SoulWeaver class will NOT be unlocked for everyone because the SoulAlly cutscene is not ready. SoulWeaver testing for DragonLords will be left up in it's place. REALLY sorry about that! It should be ready in the next week or so.
We're really sorry about not having everything ready, but you guys just BLEW us away with how fast you did the war!
We ALSO have all previous years of Hero's Heart Day for you to play! So once you've beaten the war boss and sated your bloodlust, head on up to Falconreach and get your LOVE-GROOVE on! Deliver Snugglegrams, beat up a beating heart, meet Safiria, and help Ash get a girlfriend! What's the story for THIS year's Hero's Heart Day? You'll find out next Friday!
And don't forget about the Artix Entertainment Gametastic Game Challenge! For the past five days, most of the AE staff have been working on ten teams to get out TEN minigames for you to play! The challenge ended a half hour ago, and we are DONE!
Both Team Robot Unicorn (Rolith, Alina, Geopetal, and J6) as well as Team B055 Fight (Ghost and Artix) finished on time! Ai No Miko is working on the game pages now on the Game Challenge Portal site so that you can test them all!
And as a SPECIAL BONUS, J6 made 11 pets based on the characters in Team Robot Unicorn's game ("Gnome Man's Land") in AdventureQuest Worlds! Log in now and get yours! (I'm buying the airship. SQUEEEE!)
Impeccable coordination and uncanny timing are the hallmarks of the ChaosWeaver Nation's army. Each warrior faces forward, grim eyes fixed on the foe before him, gnarled hands tightly gripping sweat-slicked weapons and they steel themselves for another fight. And another fight.
Endless battles, each a small war unto itself. All parts of the whole, greater War for the Nation! Fear is not an option. The interlopers must be annihilated! Invaders, ruthless, destroying Homeland and People in the name of... what? Conquest? Glory? Helping a friend?
BAH! All those might be good reasons for a hero. But NOT for the ChaosWeaver Nation, a wounded people who are fighting to take back what was stolen from them. And take it back they will! Through force, through strength, by blood and steel.
Djissek, the time hasss come for djyou and djyour brethren in armsss to break away from the Army. Djyou vill lead a sssmall group- asss other Chosssen Onesss ill lead their own sssmall groupsss- and djyou vill ssseek out thisss Wheel and djyou will TAKE it and it vill become OURSSS! There vill be MANY groupsss sssearching. Ve mussst find it before the greedy Ssspirit!
Yesss, General. I underssstand. Ve vill not falter. Ve vill NOT FAIL!
Small groups, numbering no more than four or five soldiers, break away from the newly formed ChaosWeaver Convocation formed by ex-General Arrakksi. He is determined to see his Nation restored to Greatness and wielding Power. He must stay with his warriors, but he knows that the best, most able of his soldiers are on the path to Glory.
The ChaosWeaver Nation will rise. The ChaosWeaver Nation will soar. The ChaosWeaver Nation will rule!
A lone figure rushes through the almost empty streets, peering into buildings, tunneling through moldering piles of trash. Looking, looking... always searching for a goal, THE goal. The best, the only prize.
As he searches, he takes the time to corrupt the creatures of the village, be they spirit-like Embodiment, lowly sneevmole, or cannibalistic cave creepers and death widows. He grasps their heads in his dirty-yellow hands, brushing his fingers over their eyes, whispering softly to them. Entracing them. Converting them. Swaying them to his side, corrupting them as their souls slowly, irrevokably become his.
As he releases each creature, their eyes glaze over and a greedy, hungry rage fills them. And fear. Fear of failure, fear that they will find the Hero, the SoulWeaver, and the PrettyPretty Girl and NOT stop them from following their new Master. The figure flings them away from him, disgusted that he has to take time from searching in order to create stumbling blocks in his pursuers' paths. But he knows that they are the only things that lie between him and his enemies. So he takes the time. And he searches. Somewhere, surely, is his prize. He needs only to find it.
He is rushing through the streets, and muttering all the while:
Wheel so fine, so fine to grab, to take and hold; hold the prize, to grasp, so nice to grasp the wheel, so nice, so hungry the power that consumes; power so much, so much, so sweet; sweet power, pretty power, power that devours, dream your power, power your dreams...
If you haven't heard what the Artix Entertainment game crew is doing this week, let me fill you in. We've got 9 teams ranging from 1-5 people per team and we have five, count'em FIVE, days in which to make NINE minigames! (That's roughly double the content AE puts out in a normal week!)
It should be an awesomely fun challenge! Most of the DragonFable staff are on one team: Rolith, geo, and I are all on Team Robot Unicorn along with J6 from AdventureQuest Worlds. So... what are we making?
A castle defense/DOTA style game set during the time of the Popsprocket War! It'll be gnomes (and robots) versus undead. Fun!!! Rolith is taking care of coding, J6 is on art, geo's helping with brainstorming and storyline, and I'm responsible for the storyline and PR.
Speaking of the storyline... Anyone up for making this all the Mysterious Gnome's fault?
Ghost is on Team BOSS FIGHT with Artix, Miltonius, and Leviathan (our newest business coder). But Team Robot Unicorn will triumph! GO ROBOT UNICORNS!
MORE COMING UP THIS WEEK!
Also this week, we've still got more war for you to finish! The ChaosWeaver Nation is being decimated, but do you have enough numbers to take them ALL down? Just how many of them ARE there? A "Nation" sounds like a LOT! But you can do it, we believe in you!
And don't forget to take down some of Greed's minions! There is a new set of monsters on the Greed side: the embodiments! Now, you might think those should be on the ChaosWeaver side, and that would make sense. Except that when Greed entered Pellow Village early, he got a head start on corrupting the creatures in the Village. And MANY of those creatures were Embodiments! The Greed-side monsters will randomly switch between embodiments and the regular minions starting today. This should keep the fighting fresh!
And you've got the 50% cutscene to look forward to, as well! I won't spoil what it's about, mostly becacuse the cutscene itself is spoiler-tastic. So if you want to know the answers to many of the questions that have been raised throughout this Saga... get that war meter to 50%! (It doesn't matter which one!)
We are racing to finish all the art and animation for the war. Will we beat YOU trying to beat US? I don't know! But we're certainly going to TRY! (As Artix would say: "Don't give up now, we're just about to win!")
But the Gametastic Challenge and the new Ravenloss war content are not all that we're releasing this week! On Friday, we'll also open up Big Daddy's Pad so that you can replay all the old Hero's Heart Day content. On Monday, February 14th, we'll release the HHD 2011 weapons set, and then on Friday, February 18th, we'll release THIS year's Hero's Heart Day content. Along with a shop full of VERY fun pets!
Stepping through the Gate is like walking through a waterfall; power slowly washes over you, coursing down your skin and soaking inside you, covering you in a thin layer of chill that vanishes with a POP, remisiscent of a bubble bursting, as you break through to the other side. Find yourself standing on the edge of an island in the middle of the Void. Welcome to Pellow Village, once a part of Ravenloss, but now ripped from the land it was formed in, left to float in isolation. Containing power and greed, hunger and ambition, trapping them in a place where they can do no harm. As long as the Gate stayed locked.
But all that has changed now. A lone figure hurries through the streets, pausing every now and then.
Mine mine mine, it will be MINE! Here little undertog, hello lovely deathwidow, hellow ugly sneevmole. Come to me, here to me, feel me weave inside your mind. Remember the SoulWeaver, the Hero, and my pretty pretty oh so pretty girl. Remember them and keep them from following me!
Past the building, through the shadows, oh the shadows, deep dark shadows. On my way to destiny! On my way to immortality! No one will stop me, no one CAN stop me! The power will be mine!
The Hero is NOTHING. The SoulWeaver is a FOOL. Tainted by magic he does not understand. And more prey than predator. They are nothing to fear! And my little lovely one, she has turned against me. She would have stayed with me, she would have been mine all mine all mine, but now she is dead to me. I will take her to the Other Side and leave her there, where no one else can have her!
Aaaah, you are a funny creature! You feel like the spiders, but not. I do not have time to understand you. You will become my creature! Do you like the feel of me inside your mind? Can you feel the stirrings of greed inside you? Yesss? YESSSS? You will guard my back, too! ALL the creatures of Pellow Village will guard my back!
Down the street, around the corner. Evidence that the villagers went mad! Look into the eyes of the children. The ones who learned to be nothing aren't sad! I am the voice of reason! I am the power that will be! The Judgement Wheel will be mine, and Greed will become all that IS!
The ruins of old buildings line the streets, concrete corpses of a time long gone. Empty of life, no more than shells. The darkened windows resemble lifeless eyes, silently watching the streets. Creatures stalk the avenues and alleys of Pellow Village, eyes glazed over, entraced by the weavings Greed tied into their minds. Hungry to attack the enemies of their new Master.
This is the future of Lore if Greed reaches the Judgement Wheel and grasps the mantle of immortality. The fate of the world rests with you, hero!
Since the death of their Queen at the hands of the interlopers, lost and unsure ChaosWeavers have been staggering about the city, searching for a purpose and a leader, knowing only that the seed of rage taking root inside of them will begin to grow, and grow fast.
A susurrus of whispers is echoing through the streets of Ravenloss, calling to individual ChaosWeavers and groups alike, enticing them into the shadows, where secrets and plans are being made. Passed from soldier to noble, artisan to guard, what two weeks ago was a scattered, broken nation has formed into an army of warriors bent on the destruction of those who have violated their race: the greedy Spirit and the SoulWeaver, the Hero, the Spy. Enemies of the Nation, enemies of each other.
The urgency of the whispers bores into the hearts of each ChaosWeaver who hears them. The message, passed from warrior to warrior, is this:
There is no meaning to the adage "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." The ChaosWeaver Nation has no friends. The ChaosWeaver Nation has no leader. But each ChaosWeaver is a warrior trained and a hero born. We will fight until those who have wounded our Whole are rent into pieces, good only as carrion to feed scavengers. Our race will rise again. We will take down those who would hold us back; we will climb over their corpses until we reach the AboveGround. We will take back Ravenloss, and then we will soar higher until we are dancing under the open skies as their cities burn. The battle is for our city. The war is for our Nation!
The shadows suffocating the dark undercity were once empty, stretching tendrils of inky black towards any point of light hapless travelers might dare to bring below the surface. But now, oh now, the shadows are filling, and they are filling rapidly. Filling with the sounds of a frenzied Nation poised to rage into action.
That's right, DA-only testing of SoulWeaver Class is coming THIS Friday!
Before you get TOO excited- Oh, who am I kidding, go nuts! Get excited! You've waited a year for this!
There IS one caveat, though. The class isn't done. We're gearing up for the end of the Ravenloss Saga and we want to get what we have of the class out to you for testing so that you can preview it! (Especially since so many of you have been anticipating it for so long.)
So, here's what you WILL be testing this Friday:
ONLY DragonLords will be able to test. (that's right, you'll NEED a Dragon Amulet to test.)
Only the Male version of the armor is ready. (Sorry heroines, Tomix is still working on yours!)
7-8 skills will be animated and coded for Friday (But the full class will have all 14 skills.)
And here are names for SIX of the EIGHT skills you'll be testing this Friday:
Valour Impact
Soul Pierce
Concentration
Enslave
Sealing Slash
Retribution
And if you're willing... Tomix and I would like you to help us come up with names for the other two skills. Here are descriptions of the animations:
A skill which summons...magical...butterflies.
A skill setting a protective field around SoulWeaver
What do YOU think we should call them? But that's not all we need your help with! Tomix is looking for ideas for the last two skills (number 13 and 14). We'd like your input on those, as well! Give us descriptions of the animations and what they'll do, and we'll see what WE can do to put them in-game!
We're REALLY excited to get this armor out to you for testing! It's one of the most anticipated classes we've ever done. We're still talking over some of the features we want it to have, but we're sure that you'll gain the ability to weave MANY new tales for your hero once you equip this armor after we finish it!
Have fun speculating on what the class will be like! We're just as excited to have you guys test this as YOU are!
UPDATE: Good news! If you don't have a Dragon Amulet on a male character but still want to be able to test the SoulWeaver armor this Friday, Rolith says we can make it so that female characters can test the male armor without you having to change gender! Everyone give the codemonkey a banana!
My fingers are flying as I race to write this Design Notes amid the other work I need to get done today. But we want to make sure you guys learn of these new awesome things, so here you go: SoulAlly background info, SoulAlly pic, and news about the Equilibrium Gate!
Tomix sent me some information to pass on to you all about SoulAllies!
I know he's mentioned them on the forums before, but here's a good deal of great information that no one's ever known about them before:
In order to become a SoulWeaver, you need to have a SoulAlly.
SoulAllies are Elemental Spirits.
Elemental Spirits are a completely different beings than normal spirits and souls.
SoulAllies are the spirits of SoulWeavers who have been reborn.
Each SoulAlly has an element and an attribute, both of which are dependent on their nature while alive.
SoulAllies make threads, and soulweavers use these threads in weaving ritual.
Soulweaver can't weave without a soulally
And to set the match to the dry tinder of your imagination... a picture of your SoulAlly!
And if you're intrigued, entranced, or merely captivated by the idea of what rests behind the Equilibrium Gate, the wait to get inside is almost over! But not before all the Keys are in the locks! We've mentioned that Tomix has been placing the Keys in the Gate as he finds them, but the Gate itself hasn't illustrated that before now. But starting this Friday, you'll have a visual record of what locks you've managed to open!
We've wanted to do this long before now, but there was never enough time in a Ravenloss week. This week, though, I equipped my Chronomancer class so that I could MAKE time! (+15 time management!)
So this week when you head down underground to the dark and deadly undercity, check out the Equilibrium Gate to see just what you've unlocked. And what you have left to find!
Speculate away on the forums and Twitter! We look forward to reading your theories!
New news is better than old news, just like new sparkleponies are cuter than old sparkleponies! And what's better than a NEW sparklepony? A pink, DERPING sparklepony!
(Anything to make Beleen happy. A sad Beleen makes for a sad Secret Underground Lab.) I put this up on Twitter last night to show Beleen that DragonFable is not totally devoid of pink (even if True Mortal rebels at the thought of having to make pink gear...) and so I put together this pet for her.
You MIGHT get the pet (I love that jonny bravo has already named his "Bob") this Hero's Heart Day. Which... speaking of Hero's Heart Day... is coming up in a little over a month. What do YOU want to see included this year?
And heeeeeeeeere's what coming up this week in DragonFable!
We'll have TWO new quests for you, and they'll both return to storylines we've had to delay while we celebrated Frostval. Yes, that's right, that means you're heading back to Willowshire AND back to Ravenloss (you're going to be TIRED after all of that running around)!
If you thought we'd forgotten the catacombs and fruity-ness of the Stone Orb Saga, you'll be happy to know that we've got plans, plots, and ideas for the rest of the chain. And you won't expect what's coming next!
Ravenloss will take you to a whole new area this week! A cold, hard section of the city where the captured are put on display and the unholy chants of the ChaosWeaver priests fill the air with the sound of ominous and forboding music.
Enjoy your trip to Altar Hill, the place to meet and greet old friends and new enemies! And engage in some REALLY big battles!
And IF Ghost gets time, you might see True Mortal's NPC find a permanent home in Lore. We'll just have to see how far we can stretch Ghost's ectoplasm! (If it gets too thin, he disapoofs until he can generate more. Funny how ectoplasm works, isn't it?)
Tip for the day: Do not put a can of soda next to your laptop's fan. It will turn a cold, tasty, carbonated treat into a warm, flat, tongue-curdling can of terror. EWface!
Don't forget to let us know what you'd like to see in this Hero's Heart Day! I've got some ideas already, but I'd like to see what you'd like included.
In the next Ravenloss quest, you'll have to travel deep underground (even MORE underground than you have been) because you'll be venturing through Ravenloss' sewers!
If you can, while you're down there, try to remember to look for the Aurora Key! Golden and shining, in the Ravenloss sewers the key should stand out like a shiny thing in a puddle of sewage. Which is what it will be.
Look high, look low, just don't look in that hole! (Unless you're looking for Murk. Then by all means look in that hole.)
And here's an update! Ghost has slipped me a preview of his next walkaround zone, and I get to show it to you! But this isn't coming this week. It'll be released NEXT week!
You won't want to miss this weekend's release! With the first week of Frostval AND the continuation of Ravenloss, it'll be a week to remember!
That's right, heroes and heroines, Frostval is starting THIS WEEK! And boy do we have a fun game-plan laid out for this year. During last year's Frostval was full of hugs; this year's? Well... I'm not going to spoil the overarching plot of this Frostval (sorry!), but it's full of things that most of you SQUEEEE about whenever you see them!
We've also got the next Ravenloss quest coming! It's been a while since the last quest release in it, so let me refresh your memory. When we left off, you were imprisoned in a prison (of course) and you finally found a way out, but did NOT find Riadne. So now it's time to make your escape and the only way to do THAT is through the sewers! Think happy thoughts, because you definitely won't be smelling happy smells!
And IF Ghost can squeeze the ectoplasm into action, we'll ALSO have a new walkaround path for you sometime this week. But that's just a MAYBE! He's got a LOT to do for the cutscenes for both releases; Ghosts might not be able to die again, but they can drop from exhaustion!
If you missed out on Alpha testing AQW, you DO NOT want to miss out on Alpha testing our newest game!
There are some pretty reasonable limitations to character creation and Alpha Testing as Artix mentioned is his earlier AQWorlds Design Notes post.
You will need a BattleOn Master Acccount to create your character and/or Alpha Test. Without a Master Account you won't be able to do anything.
You will be able to create your character AND claim your name if you have ever spent a SINGLE DOLLAR on ANY BattleOn game account that you have tied to your Master Account. If you don't have that account tied to your Master Account then you will not be able to create your character.
If, and only if, you have a current, active AQW MEMBERSHIP tied to your Master Accountthen you will be able to enter HeroSmash and help us Alpha Test.
Please keep in mind that this is just a bare bones version of HeroSmash. We have a long way to go before we event get to Beta Testing and we NEED your feedback to lead us unto Beta phase and make the game great, but keep your expectations reasonable, and above all else have fun.
As Artix mentioned, we will only be Alpha Testing on ONE server which means that only about 1500 people at a time will be able to play. If the server is full, KEEP TRYING! You may be the next to enter the game as soon as someone logs out or lags out.
We have some great and horrible stories from AQW's Alpha Phase. We expect huge disasters in the HS Alpha. HS isn't scheuled for full release until NEXT SUMMER so Alpha Testers will not only be the first ti test HeroSmash, they will be the ONLY people to test it for a long while.
I'm sure there will eventually be treats in HeroSmash for those who help test, but who knows what they will be. Maybe you can tell US what to give to Alpha Testers in our HeroSmash Forums!
The BattleOn Holiday Sweepstakes
It ends THIS FRIDAY, and with HeroSmash on the way there is NO REASON to not have a BattleOn Master Account. Get one. Friday we will have the drawing and (if we can) we will announce the winners on the AQW Design Notes!
Happy Monday, and here's to the start of a happy holiday season! I've got all MY presents wrapped; how about you? (Rolith doesn't have ANY presents wrapped. Slacker! :D)
One of the most popular characters in the Ravenloss story so far is Greed's little minion, the Greedling. I know many of you have wondered what happened to him after your hero and Tomix let him go in the first quest.
Well, that's easy to answer. He's been wandering around mournfully, sadly searching for his Master: Greed. And tonight that search is over! After Greed escaped from the clutches of the Chaosweaver High Priest, he put out a call to his most loyal minion. And this week YOU get to play AS the Greedling as you and Greed finally reunite!
But Greed's not all roses and sparkles and candy canes, oh no no no. Greed has a REASON for calling the Greedling to him, and you're about to find out what that is! He demands your help, but first he must ascertain whether or not you, as the Greedling, are bright enough to assist him. So take Greed's memory test and see if you meet his high standards.
Rewards for this week's minigame quest are the Horned Greedling Mask in levels 26, 36, 46, and 56! A junk item copy of Greedling Game (non-functional) will also drop for you to sell for gold.
Hello, all! Sadly, I have some bad news for you if you're a fan of Ravenloss. Tomix is feeling a little under the weather and has had to take the last week off, plus an indetermined amount of the future to get better.
We don't want him to stress about work AT ALL, so we've told him not to worry about working on the Ravenloss backgrounds while he recuperates. We knew you'd understand!
All the scripts are written out for Ravenloss; we just need the background art and cutscene animation to finish the quest chain! So we're NOT going to forget about the chain, we promise. What this means for you is that for the next couple weeks, we'll release Clashening quests (only 3 left!) while we give Tomix some time to relax and get back on his feet.
turtle string time machine << These words have NOTHING to do with the three quests in the rest of the Clashening chain. Nope. Not a thing. Nada. Zilch. But if they DID, they might give you an idea of what to expect. :)
We'll have the next Resident Sneevil quest for you on Friday (Resident Sneevil: Genesis!) along with (hopefully) the next Clashening quest! AND some new weapons in the Player Suggestion shop from Clyde and Tokijin!
Please wish Tomix speedy healing while he rests up; we'll definitely be doing the same!
It's another Wednesday Sneak Peek, and this one is all about the Ravenloss quest this week!
So, you know that you're headed back to Ravenloss, and you know you're looking for Riadne and the Icicle Key, but what does the key look like? Take a peek at Tomix's "Guide to Equilibrium Gate Keys"!
You found the first 4 keys (the Cloud, Flax, Ember, and Shell keys) but did NOT manage to get ahold of the Bolt Key! If you don't know what happened to it, now's a great time to replay the last Ravenloss quest to get caught up! The newest Key is the Icicle Key, and you'd better make sure you get your hands on it! And, while you're searching for it- and Riadne- why not keep an eye out for the Bolt Key? It couldn't hurt!
These keys are so pretty, I think I just might turn them into weapons. They resemble daggers in a way, but we'd have to make them scythes so everyone could use them. Thoughts on this idea? If we DO do them, they'd come as end-of-the-Saga rewards. Gate Key scythes: yes or no?
And in case you missed the preview of the Dark Tower Penitentiary's art style in the Design Notes a few weeks ago, here's another look!
It's been a LONG time since we've visited Ravenloss, and we're all happy to get to work on this Saga again! Remember, it takes Tomix a bit of time to do the art for each quest, but we'll hopefully be alternating Ravenloss quests with Clashening quests from now on so that we can get both chains finished up!
See you Friday for Talk Like a Pirate Day (Ahoy! I spy new booty AND returning seasonal rares!), the Player Suggestion shop, Willowshire and the Dark Tower Penitentiary!
*** Update to the Design Notes ***
After realizing that we already HAVE a staff member named Geno (he writes for AdventureQuest), we've decided to go with some Kenog and Sator for the Stone and Nature dragons! Thanks very much to UltraPowerPie, a forum ArchKnight, who became our human anagram-machine and suggested the new names!
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!
