In celebration of the much anticipated release of City of Villains™, and as a follow-up to our hugely successful hero contest of the same sort last year...we proudly present the City of Archvillains Halloween Costume Contest!

As it stands right now, the new NPC traders are allocated to a set number of trade routes that exist in the universe: point-to-point routes between a pair of given stations. The routes begin with a certain "threat" level, and the traders attempt their trade run. If pirated, the "threat" level will be increased on the given trade route, and more escorts will be allocated per NPC trader on successive attempts.

In addition, the traders are best-fit to whatever the allocated route requires to be moved. If only 150cu of cargo needs to be moved, it may show up in a few transports or marauders; if 1500cu needs to be moved, mostly Behemoths will appear. It's pretty obvious how we can expand this to also include NPC freighters of a "capital" scale, and tie it into a supply and demand driven dynamic economy, where NPCs respond to given needs (which in turn creates interesting situations where you can blockade a station to drive up prices, and so on).

At present there are (I think), only four types of NPC "traders" which will appear somewhat at random in the first iteration: the 22cu Bus variant, a marauder, an atlas and the behemoth. Three types of "escorts" will be somewhat randomly chosen to guard them, including the Centurion Mk III, a Vulture and a Warthog.

In the future, it's our intention to expand all these "pools" of possible transports and escorts (and their weapon loadouts), and choose them in ways that make sense according to the cargo, nation of origin, faction affiliation, and threat/danger of the particular route. Thus, an "itani ambassador" might be escorted on his trip to the UIT by a pair of itani military capital ships and several Valk/IBG wings, while he stays on board his armored civilian heavy transport. Alternately, an effort by Corvus to deliver stolen technology to a nearby corporation might take place with a nondescript Atlas guarded by a wing of heavily armed Vulturius fighters. All of this would, it is intended, be tied into the mission system and other gameplay to create interesting, dynamic situations that can potentially be used to trigger faction-related or universal story-arc progression, and lots of other fun stuff.

But first, we have to make them not get all confused and wander around randomly. So, first things first. At any rate, that's what we're shooting for tomorrow. We hope you'll join us for the release. Sorry to all those who have come online in hopes of being present for it over the last two days. Best laid plans of bugs and game development..

-john

RF ONLINE CLOSED BETA TOURNAMENT
Rules and Regulations

This is a combination gauntlet battle / PVP tournament to be held on Sept. 23, 2005

HOW TO JOIN:

1. You must be LEVEL 30 to join the Closed Beta Tournament.
2. SIGN UP on the RFBoards registration form underneath the banner of one of the SIX cafes participating in the Closed Beta. Your team must have at least FOUR members and at most SIX members.
3. Be present and online from your sponsoring café at 6:00pm on Sept. 23, 2005

RULES:

There are two rounds, the Intra-Racial Strike Gauntlet and the Tactical Three-way Time Attack.

In the Intra-Racial Strike Gauntlet, teams with the same race must compete with each other to kill 10 level 30 NPC warriors of the enemy race within the shortest amount of time. The GM will summon them to the tournament area where upon his or her command, the time will start.

The players then have to kill 10 random level 30 NPC warriors belonging to the opposing races in the least amount of time. They will be released in two waves of 5 NPCs each. The team that does this in the least amount of time qualifies for the Tactical Three Way Time Attack.

In the Tactical Three Way time attack, teams will be pitted in a PVP match against 2 other teams of different races. Game Development GMs will be joining each team and will add all members of the party to his or her buddy list and will not attack. The objective is to kill the GM of the enemy race within 30 minutes OR kill all members of the opposing team.

Members who die in the battle must remain in HQ. If a member leaves the HQ, then the team is disqualified.

If a GM is killed, the GM will summon all surviving members of the team back to their race HQ. These players may continue to fight until summoned. If all players on the team are killed, the GM will automatically teleport back to HQ.

If an outside player interferes with the tournament, or approaches the tournament area, the account will be banned.

The team with the last GM standing wins the CLOSED BETA TOURNAMENT.

What is this program about?

Tulga Games recognizes and appreciates the efforts of the men and women who have volunteered to be part of the United States military. We would like to show our support and acknowledge their contribution and sacrifice through a program for military personnel and their families.

Starting September 19th, 2005, all Horizons: Empire of Istaria accounts created using the .mil email address used by military personnel and families will have a second CD key added to the account for free. This allows you to play Horizons with another family member together at the same time on one account. We hope that this will allow military families to play Horizons together, giving them a family-friendly environment where they can meet, talk and play together over the Internet.

Does the above exchange sound familiar? It probably does, because that’s the way combat works in just about every MMORPG on the market today. In reality, combat is a complex dance of subtle maneuvers, split-second perceptions, and exploiting opportunities, which is why most RPG battles seem so sterile and monotonous by contrast. It’s tough to get excited about a match of dueling calculators, but one of the things The Chronicle is attempting to do is add a new dimension to RPG style combat, putting more emphasis on strategy and timing than just clicking auto attack to find out who has the best damage per second and hit points.

The Valewalker and Animist classes were new to Hibernia. The Animist is a unique pet class in that he or she can summon various types of plants, from “turrets” to “bombers,” instead of typical pets. The Valewalker, on the other hand, is a hybrid tank limited to cloth, but capable of casting powerful self-buffing spells making the cloth much more powerful. Valewalkers also specialize in the large Scythe as a main weapon.

Lastly, Midgard picked up the Bonedancer and the Savage classes. The Bonedancer is another pet class, but he or she can create an army of pets, depending on the Bonedancer’s level. The player only controls the commander of the army, the size of which is limited to three pets at the highest levels. The other pets follow and assist the commander. Conversely, the Savage is a furious hand-to-hand fighter who exchanges hit points for buffs of every sort, from evades attacking speed, and makes for a high-DPS light tank.

Frank Ross: The description is exactly right, a dream job. In fact it doesn’t really feel like a job. When you look forward each day to making some headway on the game, it makes starting the day enjoyable. When you really enjoy what you are doing, the job becomes so much more satisfying.

I think there are many parts that are great fun but here are a few that stand out. I myself have little artistic ability but when our talented artists make images come to life that were only a rough concept, it makes my day. We are fortunate to have some very creative people using their gift to create the world of Dark Solstice. You have seen the results thus far and from the early comments, it seems their efforts will be a hit. So, as I watch the world get created, I know this is my favorite part. I admit there are times when I simply stare at the artwork or go back to view it again and again.

Aside from the artwork, I really enjoy creating the concepts for Dungeons and Quests. All of us here feel that there is a lot of latitude for creativity in these two areas, and we think that Dark Solstice will offer some unique approaches to both.

Treasure Chest!

Apply For Our Beta Test Now!
(Seattle, Sep. 19) Flying Lab Software announced today that in honor of Talk Like A Pirate Day they are opening registration for gamers who want to participate in the upcoming beta test program for Pirates of the Burning Sea, a new massively multiplayer online computer game. Later this fall, approved beta test applicants will join Flying Lab online to exhaustively playtest the game and get it ready for launch this winter.

Set in the Caribbean in 1720, Pirates of the Burning Sea is a game of naval combat and conquest. Pirates, navy officers, and adventurers explore a world of danger, glory, and intrigue, fighting it out in real-time tactical naval battles. Every player is the captain of a ship right from the start, facing the challenges of a region in conflict. Britain, France, Spain, and the pirates go to war over the ports of their rivals in a strategic server-wide competition while individual players pursue their own destinies.

Online gaming sites Gamespot and IGN recently previewed the game, with Gamespot noting "it's the naval combat in Pirates of the Burning Sea that makes it vastly different from that of most online role-playing games" while IGN hailed it as "one of the bolder moves I've seen in the MMO world."

To sign up for the beta test program, gamers can go to:

http://www.flyinglab.com/pirates/beta.php

'Bandits!' as a Scenario Example  by Sadge (2005.September.15)

This article describes one possible player-made 'adventure' scenario for the Ryzom Ring. If you are new to this series of articles, The Ryzom Ring, also known as R², is the groundbreaking new extension for Nevrax’s science fantasy massively multiplayer role-playing game, The Saga of Ryzom.

In past articles, we’ve described some of the tools and processes that Ryzom players will be able to use to build their adventures; in this one, we’ll look how such an adventure might be played out and the challenges a player/designer might face.

Introducing 'Frank'
For the sake of simplicity, we will refer to the player behind this scenario as Frank. Frank has decided to build a scenario based on a treasure hunt concept. He wants his audience to face a series of small enigmas and to have to think and explore as they play.

Frank is using a Bandit Camp 'Component' as the key element in his scenario ('Components' are complete scripted game systems that can be dropped into a scenario with a couple of mouse clicks). By using a series of Bandit Camps that all share certain behaviour traits, Frank is hoping to make his scenario fun and easy to understand for his player friends.

In order to make the most of the number of creatures that he's allowed to use at a time, Frank has opted to break his scenario up into a number of 'acts' (the concept of 'acts' is explained below). The first and last acts take place in one land map, where the scenario's hero lives. The other three acts each provide a different challenge with one or two bandit camps to deal with on a different map...

Beneath the Karamja volcano there lies a hidden city, inhabited by strange mysterious creatures known as TzHaar.

While they're normally secretive creatures they have decided, for reasons best known to themselves, to open up part of their city to outsiders. Dare you take on the might of the TzHaar Fight Pits?

Access to this area can be found via the Karamja volcano dungeon.

This new underground city includes:

• 2 brand new map squares featuring some of the greatest graphics ever released into the game
• 7 new monster types
• 7 new pieces of combat equipment (above rune level) for all 3 of the combat types
• A bank and new shops
• A new minigame, the TzHaar Fight Pit.

The TzHaar Fight Pit

Following the success of our Castle Wars update last year, we have decided to make another player versus player combat minigame. To give players more variety, this is a somewhat different formula to Castlewars, with less focus on the team tactics and more on the me versus the world style of gameplay. The objective in the pit is simple Kill or be killed. Last one standing wins. If death does not flow freely enough for your TzHaar spectators they will hurry things along, so dont spend too much time guarding your friends - eventually you'll find they turn on you or face the wrath of the TzHaar.

Although dying in the city itself will still mean normal death, dying in the fight pits themselves is exactly the same as dying in Castle Wars (no item loss and no deathtrip to Lumbridge), so you have no excuse not to visit! Try out the fight pits today!

[APOSTLES] LEYFEA - by Elhavius

Ice Flenser
Creature Type: Outsider (Cold, Chaotic, Evil)
Environment: Any
Attack: Claw, cold damage, chilling attack,
Special Qualities: Damage reduction, spell resistance, acid resistance, cold immunity, fire vulnerability
Organization: Solitary or gang (2-5)

Should you encounter an ice flenser in the midst of your explorations into the dungeons of Xen'drik, flee. Flee immediately before your feet are encased in ice, and do not cease running until you are well away from the creature - or at least have a few companions lagging behind between you and it.

Quite seriously, the ice flenser represents a threat that most adventurers have no ability to deal with. The ice flenser is supremely difficult to kill, like all of its powerful demonic kin, and simultaneously demonstrates powerful and damaging attacks that lead to a quick end. Should you face the creature in combat, you must overcome its damage reduction with blessed weapons of cold iron and its resistance to many forms of energy attack. Then you must deal with its punishing reign of claws encased in chilling ice, which are backed by a strength greater than that of a hill giant. Worse yet, rumors abound that the ice flenser itself is not above summoning help of its own when it is threatened...

So, heedless of these warnings, you've heard of an ice flenser and are going to do your best to destroy it. Once your accounts are settled and your will is written, my advice is to rely on only the few tools that have proven successful in the past. If you don't have access to the weapons the creature is vulnerable to, then your fighters must simply intimidate and distract the creature while you pound it with fire spell after fire spell. If the
situation grows desperate, you can attempt a banishment or dismissal, though the creature's resistance to magic (spell resistance and the excellent saving throws of an outsider) make it deeply unlikely to succeed. But then again, your chances were never that good anyway...

This week's Fansite Friday interview involves nearly 20 Guild Wars fansites. Each site staff collected dozens, sometimes hundreds of questions, and then submitted what they felt were the best and most pressing questions to us for our response. We in turn sorted the questions for popularity and immediacy, and in some cases, we combined several into a single question. We hope you'll enjoy!

Greetings, fellow Azerothians. We here at the RPSA bring you news of the direst nature. Criminals, ninja-looters, and raid wipers have been showing up in increased numbers all over the world. It's time someone did something about it, and we charge you, the adventurers of Azeroth, with that task! What we need are talented artists to create Wanted posters depicting their arch nemeses, kodo thieves, two-headed ninja-looters, or any monster or character that has otherwise gotten on their last nerve.

Some of you might be afraid to speak up and name these ne'er-do-wells, but don't panic. This contest is presented by The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and five winners will receive the fantastic prize package listed here. Interested? Click the button below to read the official rules, and start snitching!

Prize Package includes:

• 1 2GB iPod nano ($199)
• 1 Apple iPod nano Lanyard Headphones
• 1 Apple iPod nano Tubes
• 2 iTunes Music Store Card $50

With millions of people playing World of Warcraft, it is simply impossible for everyone to play together in the same place. This is the reason why the different "realms" were created. A realm is a game world that exists only for the few thousands of players within it. Each realm is an exact copy of the game world with one exception: the player characters there are tied to that particular realm. You can interact with all the players on your realm but you cannot interact with players on other realms. Characters also cannot normally move between realms.

Each realm is defined by its name (like Burning Legion) and its realm type (see below). Choosing your realm is the very first decision you will have to make before playing World of Warcraft. In any case, you can speak with, search for, and group only with other players that have created characters of the same faction (Horde or Alliance) and on the same realm as you. If you encounter players of the opposite faction on your realm, you can battle against them or try to ignore them...

Hello everyone, have some Sunday afternoon news for you all! Firstly you will notice that the safe zones have made their return! If you notice any missing safe zones please let us know via the forums and we will get back to negotiations with them to start doing their job again.

Some other updates that went in as of last night were:

Mounts: You will now sit on your mounts and vehicles correctly! All bugs regarding this issues should now be resolved, as always if you experience any issues let us know so we can smash the bugs with our hammer of, bug, smashing.

Name changes: Name changes are no fully functional, now those of you that have been waiting to get your name changed can do so from your profile. You will notice the name change link on your profile on the left side.

In development:

Character Transfers: Character transfers will once again be active and its looking like they will be active later today/tonight so keep a look out for those.

Private Messaging: In game private messaging is now being worked on and will be making its appearance pretty soon here, we know you have all been asking for this ability for some time now, we heard you asking, and now your wishes are being granted!

Ignore Player: This is also another popular feature request which will be coming up very soon, especially with the implementation of private messaging, the ability to ignore a player is a must.

Stay tuned every day for news and updates for all things MMOLands related!