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November
30st,
2007 (yes, 30st) Earlier in the week we rolled out: Then came the intentional updates yesterday: And now, today's release: Guys, that is a LOT of stuff. Thanks
to everyone who broke their brains and fingers (typing) getting all
of this out AHEAD OF SHCEDULE
for you all to enjoy, or complain about, or both. Have a super-duber
weekend, or else!
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November
29st,
2007 1) Merge shops now have the item preview tab, like normal shops and your inventory. 2) You can now use potions outside of combat. If you open your inventory, you will see two potion bottles in the lower left of the screen. A lot of players have been requesting this improvement for a while and we finally got around to building it in. You can thanks Zhoom for those. Some of you have noticed that there are level requirements on the merge shop for butterbomb, the holiday rare pet. This was an error. It was supposed to be JUST the blacksmithing items that had these requirements, but this code leaked to ALL merge shops. We're currently fixing this right now so you will be able to get the higher-level, rare, holidy merge items very soon. We'll leave the war up for a little extra time for those of you who want to get a weapon or pet. Sorry about that. Tomorrow's quest is nearly ready, and you will recognize the setting. You will be asked by Thyton to head to the Ruins of Kordana. Those of you who have run the other Kordana quest will find that taking the ninja entrance changes the map somewhat. Those of you following the story might want to chat with Kordana. She provides a few clues to the history of the Wind Orb. The CorDemi Key will also unlock a new Vendtron machine with two new very nice items. Tomorrow should also see some new weapons in my shop, as well as a new DC pet, and a DA store in Oaklore Keep for our very new players. This should help you get past that nasty Hydra if you can scrounge up the gold! So much time and so little to do.... is that right?
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November
28st,
2007
You will also see a few other small changes to the game. If you head into my shop you can now buy another 5 inventory slots for the same price as the last 5. Another feature you will see is that your Inventory, Quest Info and Temp Inventory icons in the lower center of your screen have been moved around a little. The temp inventory is now a tab in your normal backpack. The quest chest has been moved right a little bit and in the center is a shiny Dragon Amulet. This button will give you access to a host of new features coming soon to the game. Features like the Dragon Amulet only ability to summon your dragon from anywhere... as well as the skill to FEED your dragon, and this is a skill that ANYONE can use! We haven't decided what other features the DA button will include but we have a big list to pick from already. Have an idea? Let us know on the forums, that's where the feed dragon button idea came from. All of these features were INTENDED for a Friday release, but I accidentally rolled them out a few hours ago, noob that I am. There will still be a Friday release with a few other features that I didn't include in the roll, as well as the next Indiana Jones spoof...er... ninja quest. The Thankstaking War grows ever closer to it's silly end. Prepare yourself for leftovers!
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November
27th, 2007 * Actually, only Galanoth traveled... the rest of us were already here. Galanoth: The Game Master of AdventureQuest Our agenda? It encompassed nearly everything. We picked a charity to support this year which Cysero will announce in the near future. We began wildly planning ambitious expansions for all three of our games. Our priorities are getting all of the old projects completed while completing new functionality for houses/spaceships for DragonFable and MechQuest. Since they share the same engine we can develop new functionality for both games at the same time. First step is getting closets where you can pick up your classes/uniforms. Zhoom added a preview item tab to the shop and inventory so you can see what things look like before you buy them. We also moved the temp items into a tab of your inventory (and we going to make potions drinkable outside of battle via your inventory screen). These changes will go live as soon as they are done being coded and tested, most likely on Friday with the release of the new Ninja Quest. Also for DragonFable as some of you now know, we re-wrote the ending of the upcoming Pirate and Ninja chains to guide us right back to the main plot of the game. We trained Geo and Aisha on how to build quests so we can make the quests faster. Rolith moved to Florida on Sunday and starting tomorrow we will have a super boost of bonus programming power. Which is good, because each game now has a dedicated programmer -- previously poor Zhoom was doing DragonFable AND MechQuest (Not to mention the databases, emails, minigames and a staggering amount of additional things...) Our little team is getting pretty strong! Thank you for making this possible. Possibly my most favorite part of these planning sessions is to dream up the wild things we want to do and then actually put a plan into action and make them happen. I believe that the team, you and I are all capable of doing anything. Funny thing though... the more I learn, the more I realize there is to learn. Completely off topic question... do any of you play an instrument? P.S. On November 5th I told you that I was thinking about life goals. Thank you to those of you who so bravely shared yours. Not all of them were serious but I was surprised to see such a mix of real life and game related goals... and realized, I am exactly the same way. You gave me some really interesting ideas that I had to ponder for a long while -- in fact, you changed my mind about a few goals. (Of course this is not something new, you change my mind a lot with your posts, even when you are being silly.) I am working on revising my list and am looking forward to posting it for you soon. It is my hope that we will be able to accomplish some of these goals together. |
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November
26st,
2007 Ghost says: G'day! I can't stress enough that everything
listed here may not come out all this week and / or may change between
what we have planned and what we release, but there ya go, now
you know all the goodies that we're working on this week!
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November
22nd & 23rd, 2007 I am typically not great at math, but let me give this my best shot... P.S. It is also "Black Friday" today marking the beginning of the insane holiday shopping season. The day got its name from the myth that many retail stores are "in the red" (because they used to write down losses in red ink) most of the year until the holiday shopping starts and then suddenly become profitable and can start using the ol' black pen again. Today is reguarded in the states as the busiest shopping day of the year. I hope Yulgar is ready! |
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November
21st,
2007 I have been working feverishly on this war that we're about to launch, Warlic has been working himself blind on the massive MQ release soon to hit the server, and poor Zhoom , Geo and Artix have been running around between both games making changes, testing and fixing code wherever they were needed. I'm really tempted to show this year's war boss because I think he looks amazing. Drawn by Thyton, colored by yours truly, and animated by Ghost, i think it is the best monster that DF has ever seen. I'll save the X-304's as a surprise, but let it be known that Dr. Voltabolt has been reading some How-To books or something because there are light years between last year's X-303 and the X-304. It should make for an interesting boss fight and an even more interesting Titan Battle! Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in America, where everyone tries to take a moment out to be really greatful for the things in their life that they might normally take for granted. Everyone has something to complain about usually, but this is a special day for trying to look at things differently and see what you're lucky to have. We're really lucky to have you all playing our games, and we're REALLY lucky that you laugh at our jokes. They're pretty bad. Thanks for playing, MechQuest, DragonFable and AdventureQuest! We have a lot of stuff coming out that you won't want to miss, so stick around... we'll make you thankful that you did! See? Bad jokes.
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November
19th, 2007
* 10 gold says there is a quest involving doughnuts Lions and Panthers and Dracula and the Opera I am a very simple person*. So you will not be surprised to find out that I have never been to an Opera. However, my girlfriend politely reminded me that I missed our third year anniversary** during the chaotic work frenzy that has been taking place for the last two months. I am not sure if you have ever seen a Paladin in the dog house before.... but let me be the first to say, "woof!". Those of you who have been a long time player know me pretty well at this point. I always have good intentions, but I always bite off more than I can chew*** and get side tracked easily (look, shiny object!). So, to make it up to her, I left early on Friday (first time I have left he lab before 9pm on a Friday in months) and took her to see the Opera La Bohème at the Tampa Performing arts center****. The opera was beautiful, but... never mind that... I SAW DRACULA THERE! * Minus the whole undead slaying obsession The opera was beautiful, but... never mind that... I SAW DRACULA THERE! I am NOT making this up. He was in a black cloak, floppy wavey shirt with sideburns and pointy ears. He even had a cane. But I had to be sure it was the real Dracula, not some weird fella from downtown Tampa with a snake neck collar obsession. Unfortunately there were no reflective surfaces (at least none I could trick him into passing) and it would have probably been in poor taste to throw some garlic from the buffet on him. Fortunately The lady in the seat next to had a digital camera! What luck! But this brings up a very controversial issue. Vampires may not show up on normal cameras... BUT would they show up on digital? To answer this question I had to do a fair amount of research. Of course some of you may be calling "hootanany!" because in classic lore Vampires do indeed have reflections, however they are just scared of them. And in other myth photographs and mirrors take a part of your soul and legend says Vampires do not in fact have souls. I examined their shoes and can confidently say, on my honor, that shoe wearing vampires in fact have two soles. One under each foot. So the lady next to me fired off two shots from her camera of the mysterious vampire looking figure. As I went to examine the results Act 3 began.... and lost in the tears of the emotional closing (I was not crying, my eyes were... um... just a little strained from my constant vigil making sure the actress's character was not going to return as a Zombie.) I never got to see the proof ont he camera. In hind sight I should have given her my card and had her email the picture to post for you. In the future I will not make such a terrible mistake! Then, the next day we went to the zoo and see a baby Panther named Lucy. She was soooo cute! We need a zoo in game. What kind of animals would you expect to find in a DragonFable zoo? (it seems like it might be wrong to actually fight animals in a zoo... but it might be neat to have a zoo-break-out and you have to go recover all the animals pokemon style) See you on the forums! |
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November
16th,
2007 There are a LOT of people living in falconreach and who do they then to when they want a Additional Cow Bell Of The Wharf, or a Skeletal Beacon Of Cheese? Yuglar of course! With all the new business that he's getting, he could use a little help around the shop. Each item that you make will get you one step closer to being a MASTER BLACKSMITH, abd being able to make your own amazing weapons just like Yulgar does. You Doom Weapons fans out there will also be happy to see the latest upgrade to the doomies are available in the recipies that Yulgar is willing to teach you. Once again, those wise individuals who have purchased Dragon Amulets show how wise they REALLY are, as they will be able to craft more than 50 of their own weapons. Free players only get to craft weapons up to level 10. Remember, this is only the beginning. This new crafting system opens up a ton of doors for future updates. Other blacksmiths will eventually become available with their own massive list of items to craft, helm crafting shops, leatherworkers to make your own belts... what about an alchemist to make your own potions, or maybe even your own class builder. Enjoy the update guys, and have a groovy weekend. |
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November
15th,
2007
That mysterious figure will be your blacksmithing trainer. If you do some pretty simple work for him around his forge then he will gladly tell you how to make a HUGE assortment of brand new weapons! You will be able to make weapons up to five levels higher than your current level. This means that if you're level 10 you will be able to make up to level 15 weapons from the recipies that the trainer will teach you. This trainer will teach you how to make weapons all the way to level 35, which will be some of the strongest weapons in DF! He will give you free use of his forge any time that you like, all you need is the skill, the materials (which you will be able to buy from him in most cases, some powerful weapons may take a rare-ish world drop), and the will to craft your own finely honed weapons of monster bashing! Fun, right? |
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November
13th, 2007 Blacksmithing: Forge your own Weapons Leveling your skill Recipies Example: As I am sure you can imagine... we can go wild with this. For the first Blacksmithing release there will be a reasonable selection of recipies you can unlock. Then we can add more and more! (Also, as I am sure you are thinking... if this goes over well, we can also add Jewlery Crafting, Sewing [for cloaks], Armor making, etc) Check back again for more infomation as we build it. Have any ideas for combining items that are currently in the game? Let us know on the forums! (Actually, you guys are going to have a lot of ideas.... can someone maintaina list? Be sure to make things level specific since certain items are found in specific level areas) |
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November
9th,
2007 For as long as anyone can remember the pirates of Osprey Cove have dominated the seas off the coast of Sho Nuff Island. Finally the ninjas have a secret weapon to hit the pirates where it hurts the most... in the ocean. Using their ninja wind magic, the ninas have built a watercraft capable of matching their own inhuman speed and stealth. The Kessel is ready for it's trial run against the pirate blockade, but the ship is experimental and the test will be dangerous. Do you have the courage and spilt second timing to make it through the blockade in one piece. Find out in DF's new quest, including the game's first in-game-minigame! While you're in the shadow of the moon village be sure to check out SnakeEars' ninja pet shop for top of the line ninja pets to accompany you through your adventures becoming a true ninja! I liked that so much I think I'll put it on the homepage! |
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November
8th,
2007 One thing, tho, stuck out above all others... the food. I've had food before, and i've had good food but I've never had food like this. Every single meal that we ate was an experience worthy of it's own story complete with illustrations, but there was this one place that was beyond legend.... It's called E Tutto Qua (270 columbus ave.)! It is locted on a street corner right where Little Italy and Chinatown meet. The four of us were walking along (Mo was giving us the So I Married An Axe Murderer tour of SanFran), and this guy start telling us how hungry we looked from the front door of an Italian restaurant . We were inclined to ignore him, but he was a fantastic salesman and soon we were all looking at the very reasonbably priced menus and promising him that we would be back for dinner. Several hours later we walk into the place, and it was hoppin'! The line was halfway around the block but the guy recognized us, greeted us like we were family and ushered us inside where we sat down and were treated what I can only describe as THE BEST MEAL THAT I HAVE EVER HAD! All of us agreed, the food was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I've had good food of all kinds, but I've never been moved close to tears of joy by a meal before. Do you understand what I'm saying? I almost cried. If you live in San Francisco, or plan on going any time soon, do yourself a favor and eat there. You'll thank me. This
Weekend. Thyton
and the other ninjas have got a surprise in store for the pirates
surrounding
Sho Nuff Island, but this new secret weapon is not entirely safe.
They need someone to test it out. This quest will be a race
against time and will require split second timing. Do you think
that you are ninja enough to take the challange? What other kinds of ninja or pirate pets would you like to see? We've got two shops that we need to fill up. Let us know on the forums! |
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November
5th, 2007 Forum Question |
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November
2,
2007
There IS a chance that WHEN we add housing to the game (big porject but it is on the to do list) that DA WARDROBES will be available, with some or all of the armors that you've unlocked available for easy access. Want to be a ninja? want to be a pirate? Want to be a pumpkin themed powerhouse? just open your closet. In addition to having your own place that you can decorate and show off some of your most prized items, we've been talking about a lot of the little things that we want to put into the game. Of course, our heads are filled with the most insane ideas imaginable but we have to try and keep it possible. Even still, we have a LOT of new ideas that have come from working on MechQuest, this event and chatting with some of the mods and AKs so don't be surprised if you start to see a lot of little things that will make DF a lot more fun to explore! |
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