Announcements - 2003/11 - Visions in the Darkness
November 2003 - Patch Page
Turbine:
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Exclusives:
| ACVault | Maggie the Jackcat |
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| AC Stratics | Warcry's Crossroads of Dereth |
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Original Link (now dead) - Original Link (now dead) - http://microsoftgamesinsider.com/AC1/nov_teaser.htm
Visions in the Darkness
She was gone. The Isparians had stood as one against an ancient creature that had seemed unstoppable, and they had emerged as victors, again. The full depth of her hives and tunnels systems was still unclear -- certainly they all hadnt been found yet -- but she was gone. The festival season could commence and all was well.
But all was not well on Dereth. A queen lay in a death-like slumber, struck down by a treacherous hand. The olthoi, without the guidance of their ancient leader, formed into individual hives led by young and old queens. The would-be hero of the Isparians, Nuhmudira, was missing. Those who saw her last report that she appeared bewildered and stricken with some sort of malady. Sharing her mind with the olthoi queens was debilitating and perhaps too much for her aging body to survive. Then there was the singing and the laughter that floated on the wind and rubbed the bones of every living creature.
That was the past. Winter fast approaches, now. The festival season begins, but a melancholy permeates the crisp air. Something is happening in the dark corners of Dereth and its subtle evidence can be found all across the land. Reports of disappearances, shady travelers and a war brewing in the Valley of Death spread. Adventurers search through ruins uncovered by dust storms and new tunnels shaped of earth.
Not all news is disheartening. From Fort Tethana, news comes of the weakening in the ranks of the Renegades. Crafters have focused their attentions on unlocking the great mysteries of the objects coveted by the loyalists who have taken residence in the ruins of Yanshi. Mask makers promise a host of new ideas that they will offer during this festival season. Friends and allegiances have become a little easier to spot in a crowd, so too have enemies that stalk each other across the world.
In a room, light returns, servants stand once again, and an old man rejoices. Beings of a dark duality are separated; one descends deeper into the inky recesses of all there is, the reflection is left behind. A lonely man slips through the shadows, feeding from the fear and death that seeps across the land. A woman sits alone in darkness, shivering, afraid to sleep because of the visions that swell within her dreams; horror made personal. Voices, echoing in ancient halls, speak of righting what has been made wrong. Two figures sit at a fire and listen to the ramblings of a sleeping and feverish third. Darkness peels away from a womans mind and as she stirs from a terrible dream, she is reborn.
Chaos breeds chaos. But even chaos endsRollout Article
Original Link (now dead) - Original Link (now dead) - http://microsoftgamesinsider.com/AC1/nov_rollout.htm
Visions in the Darkness
What? the barkeep asked. He looked the vagrant up and down, careful to note that this wasnt the typical dog-tired patron he saw. Still, there was a haggard look to this one. The travelers eyes were deep set, as though he hadnt slept in months, and his face was pale and thin. He looked half-dead to the barkeep. Then again, there were many men like this wandering around Dereth. But this was a little different.
AleIve got a long journey home. The man said. He opened a hand and dropped a few pyreal coins onto the bar. Dust settled out of his hands and off his clothes.
Been to the desert? The barkeep asked, drawing a mug of ale from a spigot.
Aye, just got back. On my way back to the Keep now. The man cleared his throat and looked around the bar. The barkeep thought he looked like a man with a load of guilt on his shoulders. But he wasnt going to press -- hed keep the conversation polite.
I havent been to the Keep yet. No need of it. Ales still being delivered from all over and Lubziklans delivered his latest batch of cider. Only person missing from the festival is Ulgrim. At that the barkeep rapped his knuckles on the bar top. His patron looked a little startled as he looked over the edge of his brew. Yeahword is that whoever betrayed the High Queen is still at large He clucked his tongue. His guest smiled and set his mug down on the bar, then stood to go.
Thanks for the ale. The haggard man bowed shallowly.
Any time friend. He watched the man pass out through the tavern door. He shook his head and said aloud, to no one in particular, Betrayal never pays. The Ongoing Saga
Last month the heroes of Dereth fought a climactic battle against the broods and swarms of the Ancient Olthoi Queen. While High Queen Elysa Strathelar remained comatose and the Council sought to discover the identity of her assassin, Nuhmudira directed the counterattack.
It was a time of strange discoveries and stranger allies. Surprisingly, the Undead provided a key ingredient to victory vials of poison that were used to contaminate the Olthoi food stores. While some heroes poisoned the food supplies and others battled the Ancient Queen directly, Nuhmudira cast a powerful spell that joined her mind to that of the enemy.
Faced with an alien presence in her mind, surrounded by Isparian weapons and spells, and sensing that her broods would be poisoned if they remained, the Ancient Queen fell back. She collapsed the tunnels behind her and fled from Dereth.
After months of battle, the Olthoi have been stopped! Those Olthoi remaining on Dereth are still a threat and even now Sentinels have taken up residence in the Queens chambers but the immediate danger is past.
Questions remain, of course. What were the songs that Nuhmudira sang as she left the caverns? What did the Undead gain from this bargain? Whose voice was laughing on the wind?
Now its time to think about whats happening this month. Here are three of the more interesting changes to the game being made in the November event. Fort Tethana Renegade Raids
The Tumerok and Lugian Renegades who laid siege to Fort Tethana have pulled their forces back. The power levels of the three Generals have been adjusted to make them challenging to fight, without the time commitment that the quest previously needed. Quadruple-Bladed Axe
While making these changes to the Renegade Raids, we discovered that the Quadruple-Bladed Axe was not working as designed. It was intended to have a hidden quality similar to that of the Renegade Bow and Renegade Crossbow, but we discovered that the hidden quality was not working properly. This made the Axe considerably less powerful than we wanted it to be. Starting today the Axe is working as designed. Axe warriors may want to give this weapon another try! Crippling Blow
After watching the dynamic carefully for some time, we decided that the Crippling Blow imbue was not quite as powerful as we had intended it to be. Therefore we increased its maximum critical hit multiplier on melee and missile weapons. Because war magic critical hits are handled very differently, no change was necessary to Crippling Blow imbues on wands, staffs, and orbs.
Those who will benefit most from this change will be those who were already getting the maximum effect from the imbue. However, all should see some benefit. Crippling Blow should now have approximately the same level of effectiveness as the Critical Strike imbue.Build Notes
Original Link (now dead) - Original Link (now dead) - http://microsoftgamesinsider.com/AC1/nov_devnotes.htm
Visions in the Darkness
New Functionality and Content
- The radar blips for fellowship members and PK/PKL players have been changed, and the charge radius has been removed from radar. See the Letter to the Players for more information.
- It is now possible to alter the color of your Sunstone Gauntlets. They cant be dyed, but they can be altered you just have to figure out how.
- Leather and armoredillo hide armor has a new look! See the Letter to the Players for more information.
- Its festival season in Dereth! The mask makers have come up with some new designs and costumes are back in fashion!
- Olthoi are no longer infesting the splash screens and character selection screens. If you want to download the old screens, you can find them in the Letter to the Players.
- @lifestone, @marketplace, and @pklite have new animations!
- You can now obtain a Chalk Board for your cottage, villa, or mansion! See the Letter to the Players for more information.
Miscellaneous Improvements and Changes
- The maximum effect of the Crippling Blow imbue has been increased for melee and missile weapons. See the Rollout Article for more information.
- Alchemy life protection gems can now be stacked, up to 25 gems per stack.
- Flying Olthoi can now be found on landscape.
- The Renegade Raids on Fort Tethana have finally ceased. The Renegades are maintaining a camp nearby, however, so we must remain vigilant. See the Rollout Article for more information.
- The upper level restrictions have been removed from Aerbaxs Holding, Gerents Compound, and all four Matron Hives for the Asherons Raiment quest.
- You should now be able to assign fellowship leadership to a fellowship member even if that member is very far away.
- The hidden enhancement of the Quadruple-Bladed Axe should now be working as designed. See the Rollout Article for more information.
- Sturdy Steel Chests should regenerate more quickly now.
- Some spawns that were too close to villas have been removed, as has a spawn that could cause monsters to fall into Wai Jhou.
- Ciandra will now direct you to Alain to learn about Isparian weapons after handing you a copy of The New Alchemy.
- Misplaced Olthoi that could trigger parts of the Marae Lassel Queen Quest have been removed from the Olthoi Armor quest dungeons.
Minor Details
- The olthoi door in the Renegade Garrison now has a lockpick resistance of 9999.
- The Reedshark Slasher Hide now has the correct name.
- Jalehs Necklace and the Runic Helm of Knorr can now no longer be sold.
- An odd sand bar off the coast of Olthoi North has been removed.
- A typo in Sialla Jiros greeting has been corrected.