Announcements - 2001/09 - Keep Your Enemies Closer
September 2001 - Patch Page
Original Link (now dead) - http://zone.msn.com/asheronscall/news/septemberteaser.asp
Keep Your Enemies Closer
September 7, 2001
Gideon opened the window hesitantly and scrutinized the perimeter. This is a fine mess I've gotten myself into, he thought, grimacing as he nocked another quarrel. These Virindi just don't know when to quit. He fumbled for his healing kit, but found that he wasn't able to tend to his wounds, so great was his pain.
“Gideon!”
Gideon looked up to see Amara glaring down at him, equal parts anger and concern blazing within her eyes. “You just don't know when to quit, do you?!?”
Gideon smirked through the blood in his mouth. “ Nope.”
Amara seemed to calm down and sat next to him, peering out the window. “Are they gone yet?”
Gideon nodded. He had lost sight of the Relic Bones amidst the storm, and the only thing he could see was a curtain of rain, and the strange purple tinge in the sky. What was a Relic Bone doing here, in the Direlands?
“According to the Zharalim, the Virindi have used that strange island to tamper with portal space, causing monsters to? shift. I wonder if everyone in Kara is okay?”
Gideon glanced around, looking for an exit to their current predicament, but knowing there was none. Empyreans sure built things to last. Too bad I never got to meet one. I would have shaken his hand, right before I beat him senseless for getting me into this mess.
Gideon finally looked at Amara, and said, “Portal.”
She nodded, and used her magic to rip a hole in reality. She bent down, picked him up, and staggered through the gateway.
Upon their arrival in Uziz, they saw a strange man wearing purple armor wielding a Quiddity Blade. He smiled at them and waved. Gideon and Amara walked towards him, relieved to see a friendly face.
“Beware, stranger. The Storms, they've changed portal space, causing creatures to be places they shouldn't.“
The man raised a hand, smiled, and said, “I know.” His eyes changed to a strange purple color, and sprang at them, his blade swinging into the attack.
Unlike any other gaming experience, the world of Asheron's Call continues to evolve. What strange new forces will the Virindi bring to bear on the defenders of Dereth? Join us, as the Keep Your Enemies Closer event opens.
Be sure to continue your part in this incredible ongoing story, and we'll see you in Dereth!
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Rollout Article
Original Link (now dead) - http://zone.msn.com/asheronscall/news/septemberrollout.asp
Keep Your Enemies Closer
September 12, 2001
As the autumn winds begin to howl forlornly through the valleys of Dereth, the patterns of leaves and hides begin to shift to those of winter. Ripples of change radiate across Dereth as creatures find themselves seeking shelter in locations outside of their normal dens. Travelers recount many a tale of encounters in locations and numbers far different from the usual.
Some travelers have even reported groups of creatures banding together for protection under the leadership and guidance of a more dominant force. Some of these travelers display intricate and powerful new items recovered from these new enemy leaders.
The weary warriors locked in the struggle with the Virindi have found some small measure of respite, as the assaulting Virindi forces retreat into their fortified holdings. This slackening of their direct assault on the capital cities of Dereth has not resulted in a slackening of the frequency or ferocity of the Virindi raiding parties.
Are the Virindi preparing some devastating new weapon, or are they merely rethinking their strategy and calculating their losses? Reports trickle in of new enemies fighting at the whim of the strange masked creatures. Have the enterprising Virindi created yet another new servant to support them in their conquest of Dereth, or is some other strange new foe entering the fray?
Following is a list of the most interesting additions made to the game this update. However, please note that not everything has been included--that would spoil the fun of finding out all manner of things added or changed! As usual, though, the town criers, barkeeps, and scribes may know the latest news. Also, the trades of crafting and selling are always in flux, so changes to prices and features are not always listed here in their entirety.
Highlights include:
- The Chat window can now be enlarged without opening the side panel.
- The Right panel can now stretch to adjust for higher screen resolutions. And there was much rejoicing.
- The Compass can now display the player's coordinates. And there was even more rejoicing.
- A spell duration countdown timer has been added. No more guessing how much time is left before your spells run out. And the crowd goes wild.
- New Creatures have sprung into being to oppose the defenders of Dereth.
- The spawn patterns of creatures all across Dereth have altered? some for the better, and some for the worse. Travel with caution.
With the arrival of fall and the cooling of the air, there is a slight respite in the onslaught of the Virindi. Yet all is not well in Dereth, as new enemies appear to challenge those who would protect Dereth. Be sure to check the Developer's Notes for September, the new addition to Asheron's Lore, Homestead, and the Letter to the Players, to learn more details of the Keep Your Enemies Closer event. Join us as we continue the ongoing saga of Asheron's Call, and we'll see you in Dereth!
Release Notes
Original Link (now dead) - http://classic.zone.msn.com/asheronscall/news/septemberbuild.asp
Developer's Notes
September 12, 2001
Here are just some of the additions made in the September 12th game update, Keep Your Enemies Closer. The following list is comprised of detailed notes straight from the developers themselves. For a summary of things of most interest, be sure to consult the official event article, Keep Your Enemies Closer, the Letter to the Players, and the new Asheron's Lore article: Homestead.
New Functionality
- Major changes to the spawn locations of all creatures on Dereth as part of an ongoing improvement to the outdoor hunting life of players.
- Players can elect to have their map coordinates displayed underneath their radar.
- Players can elect to have spell durations displayed on their spell-in-effect list (note that spells that items cast upon you are permanent spells subject to the item's mana, and therefore do not list durations).
- Players can elect to stretch their right panel so that it displays across the entire length of the screen.
- Players can now have a full-sized chat box without using a right panel.
- Players can elect to have their sounds turn off when they alt-tab away from the client.
Miscellaneous Improvements and Changes
- For August (not mentioned in last month's build notes): The Chosen of Asheron now appears on Wintersebb, allowing WE to complete the SOLH quest.
- For August (not mentioned in last month's build notes): There was a bug with the particle system where any particle effect in the vicinity of your character would queue up in your client if not directly visible. This has been fixed.
- Sanctuary Recall and Recall to Aerlinthe spells have now been fixed. Players using these spells should no longer experience client lockups after they arrive at their destination.
- Fixed no-drop bug, where players could exploit the secure-trade interface to make their items temporarily no-drop.
- Fall foliage is spreading its way across Dereth.
- The Four Towers Impious Staff npc was not spawning due to a bug, this should be fixed now.
- Scalemail cuirasses did not undergo the earlier changes to metal armor. This has been fixed; cuirasses should now have protections comparable to other pieces of chainmail.
Minor Details
- Removed black border from two icons: Shreth and Black-dyed Sho dress.
- Tibri now returns Tibri's Fire Spear when given to the NPC.
- Gap in Koujia armor between abdomen and chest has been removed.
- Greater Broadhead Quarrels are now properly labeled as such, instead of "Broadhead Quarrels."
- Ascendant Drudges had a bug where their actual skills were much lower than their intended skills. This has been fixed.
- Many creatures in the Virindi Towers have been made resistant to drain and harm.
Letter to the Players
Original Link (now dead) - http://classic.zone.msn.com/asheronscall/news/septemberletter.asp
Letter to the Players
September 11, 2001
As we approach the eve of the September update, I want to highlight some of the exciting changes that Microsoft and Turbine have prepared for you this month:
Traveling across the Dereth landscape, you will come upon ornate structures of wood and brick and stone --Houses. Homes. Yes, player housing is coming to Asheron's Call! With the coming of our expansion game, Asheron's Call: Dark Majesty, owners of the expansion will be able to purchase these homes that you will be seeing on the landscape with the September update. So explore and enjoy!
As you explore, you will notice other changes as well. As part of our commitment to the long-term health of Asheron's Call and our desire to present the new players of AC with fun and compelling hunting challenges, we have undertaken a massive redesign of the creature landscape of Dereth. The goal has been to make each area in Dereth appeal to a more focused set of level ranges and abilities. The creature spawn in almost every area of Dereth has been touched and redesigned in some way; for the first time in AC's history, nearly every player in AC, regardless of their level or skill levels, should find an outdoor hunting spot that is fun and challenging for them.
I want to emphasize that this will be an ongoing process as we continue to make tweaks and balance changes to optimize the fun for all of our players, high level and low level, experienced players and new. We welcome your feedback and suggestions and we will be monitoring the various fan sites closely.
With some of these changes, you might find it a good idea to make sure when you log in for the first time after the September update, you log into a town.
Finally, not only have we given you reasons to explore, but we have also made improvements to the very way in which you explore. Starting with this update, players can elect to optimize their client in a number of different ways, by going to the Character Options panel (We are planning to make the radar coordinates and spell duration options default with the October client, with options to turn them off):
- Map Coordinates right below your Radar. By choosing the “Show Coordinates” option, players can see their map coordinates underneath their radar screen.
- Spell duration times. Choosing the “Display Spell Durations” option will show you the duration of all enchantments cast upon you (not including enchantments from your items) in your spell-in-effect panel.
- Stretch UI. By choosing the “Stretch UI” option, you enable your various side panels to stretch the entire height of the screen. For example, instead of seeing 3 rows of items in your backpack, you can now see all 17 at the right resolution.
- Sounds disabled when AC is not active application. By choosing the “Play Sounds?” option, players turn off sounds from the game when they have alt-tabbed away from AC.
- Ability to enlarge chat box. This is not controlled by an option, but is rather always on. Regardless of whether you have a side panel open or not, players can enlarge their chat panel.
We hope you enjoy these changes made to Dereth, and we look forward to the improvements to come in the following months.
Ken Troop
Producer, Asheron's Call
Turbine Games