All Posts by Stradden

The Stress Test Event is over and was a complete success…everyone at Turbine is thoroughly stressed!

Seriously, despite some downtimes the stress test went even better than expected. For this week’s Beta Journal, we thought we’d share a bunch of quotes from the Stress Test Event and Beta players.

Overall Impressions

“Hear Hear...3 Cheers!!! My overall first impression of the game is positive. First impressions go a long way... and you guys have nothing to worry about...hell of a job. I can see this game satisfying my need for a complex, no hand-holding or dumbed-down RPG... and it's an MMO!!! I can see this replacing all the wanna-be MMOs I play out there that reward people with a lot of time on their hands, rather than questing or hanging out for the fun of it. AWESOME JOB!!! I will be a paying and playing customer.”

“I just love the game so far. Great graphics, great design, great mood...It really feels like DnD. I like the beginning quest...content-wise/quest-wise, I feel like I'm playing an MMO version of Baldur's Gate II, and that, for me, is a compliment, since I think BGII was the best Dungeons and Dragons based computer game. Great job Turbine. Great job.”

“I can climb wheeee :) ”

“All I can say is:

Jumping!

Swimming!

Breaking Barrels!

I know these are simple and usually found in hack and slash games, but almost all MMORPGs nix at least one of those. It is so little to ask to have those things and I'm glad they're all in. Plus the fact that you can improve your skill in swimming/jumping, great idea. That makes rogues (if they so choose) literally all agile little nimble things bouncing around all over, which is how it should be. The switches/levers/etc. are awesome too. These things alone set DDO apart from all MMORPGs really. Always wanted to play a Gothic/Zelda-esque type MMORPG and finally it looks like I may have one. The interaction is 'key'. Can't forget the pulling yourself up ledges either. That is definitely a first.”

EverQuest II continues to expand at a dynamic rate, not just in the type of adventures available in EverQuest II, but also in the physical size of the world.

Below are a few reasons why we believe that if you aren't currently playing EverQuest II, you should be. We are committed to our player base and are very passionate about making EverQuest II the best MMO game.

Tons of Content Added Since Launch

Since launch, an enormous amount of content has been added to EverQuest II at no additional cost to EverQuest II subscribers. In addition to changes that made the game more fun for soloists and group players alike, more than 1100 quests have been added to the game since launch on November 8th. We've added more than 1200 new items to the game, including more craftable items for tradeskillers, and more loot around the world. Almost 400 new spells have been added and we've worked diligently to make sure our spell effects are as eye-catching as they are powerful. Recently, we added 8 new areas to the world, so there are now well over 100 zones in the world of EverQuest II to explore.

That's not all. Our ongoing Live Updates include a very long list of new features, additions, and gameplay enhancements that make EverQuest II even more fun to play. They are:

• EverQuest II celebrates its first birthday by introducing Veteran Rewards!
• Griffon tamers are seeking your assistance in the Thundering Steppes and Nektulos Forest!
• Give the residents of Norrath a fresh look with the new SOGA character models!
• Two new iksar scale patterns now available for each gender!
• Crusaders, Mages, and Priests can now equip symbols in their ranged slot! 
• Carry extra ammo in quivers you can equip!
• Using clickable items is now even easier, and food and drink get their own inventory slots!
• Population and item improvements made in some of Norrath's deadly dungeons!
• Can't reach your spirit shard? Now you can have your spirit restored... for a price!
• Guild quest raids now scale according to player level and reward additional status!
• The user interface gets a spiffy new look!

We’re closing in on the start of the Beta testing process. In the last week we’ve been making selections and preparing to send out invites. We’ve also been busy getting the Beta hardware and software up and running, and working out action plans for the beginning of our tests.

All of that can seem awfully dry and uninteresting though, so we figured we’d be better off just giving you all something new every day until Beta begins. If you want, take a look at this little gem:

This is a shot of a combatant in the Quarterstone Arena. What’s that behind him . . . ?

Make sure to check out the concept art section for a new image featuring Arionite accessories as well!

While traveling, the Great Magus Ahuron Raulian of the Ivory Tower helped a poor injured pixy who had broken her leg. As a special gift of thanks, the pixy sent him a box of pumpkin seeds. However, the pumpkins grown from the seeds have begun annoying him by asking for nectar day and night.

Refusing to throw the pumpkin seeds away for fear of angering the pixy, Magus Raulian has asked his agents to travel across the land and give away the pumpkin seeds to whoever can get the nectar to raise them. Those who grow their pumpkins and give them nectar just may hit the jackpot!

Nectar Collectors

Event Managers are stationed in villages across Aden and Elmore. Nectar can be found on monsters throughout the world and traded in to the Event Manager for pumpkin seeds. After planting a seed, feeding the Young Pumpkin enough nectar will make it grow. Hitting a pumpkin before it has fully grown will cause it to wilt from lack of nutrition, so be careful!

Once grown, you can break it open to receive a special prize. Prizes can include potions, armor and weapon enchantment scrolls, A Grade Crystals, soul crystals, and more. You must work to break the pumpkin open quickly or the pumpkin will vanish.

Large Pumpkins can only be broken open with a Chrono souvenir weapon, and will require many people in order to break it before it escapes. Chrono Campanas may be purchased from the Event Manager during this event.

Good luck!

In the next version update, major changes are scheduled for the dragoon two-hour ability.

The development team does not consider the dragoon to be particularly weak when compared to other jobs, but we are aware that a large part of a dragoon's strength depends on the presence of his or her wyvern. After taking into account the wyvern's tendency to be quickly defeated in heated battles, and the dragoon's lack of a powerful special ability for use in missions and other critical situations, it was decided that improvements were necessary.

Simply raising the wyvern's HP and defense to increase its survivability would cause balance issues in other parts of the game. However, it was judged that improving the dragoon's two-hour ability would have less of an impact on overall balance, and so the following changes have been planned for the upcoming version update:

The results are in, and our fans have made it clear: Over 70% of those polled chose PotBS as the official acronym of Pirates of the Burning Sea!

You can check out the final results by visiting this link! Many thanks to everyone that participated in the debate!

Spectre
Creature Type: Undead
Environment: Any
Attack: Incorporeal bad touching
Special Qualities: Incorporeal, energy drain
Organization: Solitary or ghost gang (2-4)

Among the most powerful undead, yet still common enough for you to be likely to encounter it, the spectre is tougher and more dangerous than the typical wraith. It must be evaluated for its potent offensive ability and its dangerous (and annoying) ability to phase in and out of our plane. This will cause the creature to vanish occasionally, reappearing a few seconds later, often very close to you or one of your companions. Be alert, and keep moving when the creature phases out. It's the best way to make yourself less vulnerable to the creature phasing in behind you.

Once again, as was the case with other incorporeal foes, the apprentice's handy Magic Missile spell is your friend. Just about every other form of attack - missile, melee, and spell - involves a coin flip as to whether the attack will strike true or will be ignored as the creature twists between the ethereal plane and the one on which we live (unless you've been lucky to recover one of those relics of Xen'drik imbued with a ghost's touch, in which case, spectres and other incorporeal creatures shouldn't be much concern to you at all). Despite this powerful form of evasion, the best approach to dealing with the spectre is an all-out frontal assault. Spare no effort, save no energy as you reduce this creature to ectoplasmic tendrils and grave dust.

You must strike quickly, lest its most fearsome ability come into play: level-draining. These life-sucking spectres have the ability to channel your life essence out of your body. They feed upon your very soul, drawing nourishment from the living to the dead. The only time you should pause in your effort to destroy this creature is when your keen eyes detect that hideous negative energy has gathered about the spectre's hands. In that moment, run, block, tumble, or jump. Do whatever you can to not be touched by the spectre. The creature cannot harness the terrible energy forever, but should it strike you in that time, you will soon be among the living dead yourself, all of your energy draining away as you sit in one place for hours or days, staring lifelessly forward into oblivion as you engage in one rote task after another.

This game is huge! We're not certain that we can adequately explain how big World of Warcraft: the Board Game is. We're not talking blockbuster, worldwide phenomenon huge - although it's that, too. We're talking pure physicality here. How big is this game? Glad you asked. 10 pounds. No bull. Not for a n00b.

Updated Website Content

We have recently updated our website with tons of new content and media, including glimpses of the power and beauty of the new look and feel of the game The Chronicle. Included in these updates are new in-game screenshots, character renders, concept art, developer journals, developer blogs and news about what’s around the corner…

Contest

On MMOCenter.com, we are hosting a new Scavenger Hunt contest for The Chronicle. The first 50 people to complete the Scavenger Hunt completely will receive a guaranteed Beta spot! Pre-Order Scavenger Hunt winners, who already have Beta Access, will receive a free month’s subscription! Please check the official Scavenger Hunt rules and regulations at www.mmocenter.com/v2/scavenger_hunt.php.

The Fellowship system was created to be enjoyable to players of a wide range of levels in response to player comments regarding features such as garrison and escort quests in past version updates. Whether adventuring with your fellow for the first time or the fiftieth, there is a Fellowship quest suited for you.

In the first stages of development, we had to carefully test how the player was affected in the presence of player-dependent NPCs such as avatars, wyverns, and chocobos. VRAM (memory used for the game's display) is not infinite, and there is a limit to the number of characters that can be shown on screen. After an assessment of the difficulties to surmount, the adventuring fellow was created.

Several additions and adjustments have been made to the Fellowship system after its introduction in July 2005, including a series of quests involving a story about legendary mirrors. The next version update will bring a new quest that will conclude the first part of the series' main story. A quest designed to further raise the adventuring fellow's level cap is also in the works.

Refinements to the balance of fighting styles and an increase in wearable equipment are also among the new content planned for adventuring fellows in the upcoming version update.

Information about changes to the Fellowship system is released on the FINAL FANTASY XI main page on a regular basis.

The access to the account registration and management will be closed from 11am to 12am on Tuesday 22th (Paris time, GMT+1). We'll perform a maintenance to improve Customer Support tools and change some texts displayed there.

Gosh, I wonder what the most popular questions were this week! (Though Poisonspike users tried hard, they didn't break the top three.)

Q: I realize that there may not be an answer for this yet, and that I'm probably not the first one to ask, but,...

Is the new artifact system going to be retroactive, or do we need to re-do the encounters? For example, I've done Golden Spear many times in large battlegroups, always for a chance to roll on it and never winning, heh :) So I have the encounter credit and book already. Do I have to do the encounter again after the new system goes live?

A: Most…popular…question…ever.

And the answer according to the Content Queen is yes, the system is retroactive. She says "It will indeed be retroactive. Players that already have encounter credit will be able to turn in the scrolls and receive the level 0 artifact."

It's time for another Guild Wars contest! And with the Design-a-Weapon Contest, you have a chance to be immortalized forever in the second chapter of the Guild Wars story. We will be offering many new weapons and shields in the upcoming installment, and we'd love to include items based on your concepts. To enter the contest, simply send us a drawing, sketch, or printed image of a weapon or shield that you have designed.