This and that
Pure Power leveling
Chakron Flux Dungeon

Hot Shot said the path dead-ended into a room with a deep pit. We were kind of lost as to what to do. Hot Shot saw a switch inside the pit, so he jumped down. A short time later my door opened. I over-jumped and ran back up the ramp. The door closed and I had to ask Hot Shot to hit the switch again. Either Hot Shot hit the switch again by mistake, or the timer is very short.

That led to my own dead-end room with a pit. I found that the pit dropped into a room with an exit. There were a few rooms like that on the quest.

The path led to several rooms with pits in front of them. I never bothered to look, but I’m guessing a miss there ends your quest. There were two or three Virindi on the other side, so it was a little tight for the combat. One was Virindi is ok, but any more and there was a potential for their chain casting and taking me out. I slowly fought my way to a switch in a cubby.


http://www.crackednuts.com/asheron/index.php3?journal=3

That's What Friends Are For

"Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever be able to go more than a few minutes on Darktide without doing something stupid. So far I think my record is like 2 hours, but then I managed to get the group I was hunting with killed FOUR TIMES in a row. The karma builds up, you see."

Kwip's run-ins with the Bloods always seem to get him in trouble... Read it here!

We've just posted a new Transition Diary from Jessica, touching on Turbine Nation, Throne of Destiny, the billing migration and a change for the Live Team.

Read it here.

Give us your feedback here.

---
Alex Beckers
Asheron's Call 1 Online Community Relations
Turbine Entertainment Software

Missed Jessica Mulligan's presentation at Turbine Nation?

Desperately seeking more info on the next Asheron's Call expansion pack?

Pictures and fan write-ups not enough for you?

We have the solution!

We've taken Jessica's presentation and converted it to PDF format, now you can download it and read it at your leisure!

The Stratics Network and the Dragon Empires Stratics staff is proud to present you the new, shiny, cuddley Dragon Empires Stratics!

Besides the new looks, especially for the relaunch of DE Stratics we've added a beautiful set of new forums. We're hoping that you will all join us there to discuss all the interesting (or perhaps less interesting) aspects of Dragon Empires.

Also, we've added and revamped quite a few pages on the site. Check out our new classes database for example, or the slightly revamped Atlas of Fortitude. And while you're at it, take a look at our new Races pages, our very complete Crafting Guide and vote on our weekly Poll.

Last but not least, I've put up the first of two beautiful renders we've received, featuring the famous Twins of Dragon Empires. Be sure to check her out in our exclusives gallery!

In short, we've done as much as we can to make you enjoy your stay at Dragon Empires Stratics even more. If you have any comments, suggestions or feedback, feel free to tell us so in our Suggestions and Feedback Forum.

What do you feel are your Sims experiences that could add to
UO?

I am thinking you mean my experiences from being on The
Sims Online team. I learned a lot about: developing MMORPGs while
working with some of the most knowledgeable people on the topic;
launching them successfully (technically speaking), and understanding
what it means to maintain a live service.

Now speaking about similar experiences about TSO and UO - What scares
people most about this topic is when I say how much these games share
various elements. Don't go bonkers on me - hear me out: There is
chatting, buying, selling, homes, decorating, levels (way more intense
in UO), rares, clothes and a desire to achieve. These elements can be
more turned up or down depending on the game. I think UO has some room
to crank it up on a few of these elements, as Sims has, in particular.

What do you believe is the future direction of UO?

UO needs an update, that's a given. It's a great game;
don't get me wrong, but it needs a facelift and some of the game play
issues sorted out. I'd love to see some of the not-so-small details get
the attention they deserve. I have all kinds of interest to perfect this
game!!

What are your responsibilities in UO now? What area would you like
to do in
the future?

As the Team Lead and Associate Producer I am responsible
for everything. Even if I didn't touch the code or create art (which I
didn't!) I am responsible for the game's entirety. I spend my time
scheduling, talking, surfacing issues, finding solutions, reviewing, and
having heaps of fun in the meanwhile.

Can you reveal some secrets from the upcoming expansion?

Let's see: you've heard that we're adding creatures,
close to 20 was my last count. There will be player housing on each of
the Tokuno Islands; we think it is well balanced and not like
track-housing in suburbia. We are adding Japanese decorations and
craftables that you will get a kick out of (sushi!) and enjoy (rock
gardens!). The variety of new roof tiles are looking really good, too.
And my favorite are the professions. I've always wanted to be a ninja -
now I can stealth around, sneak attack and trick you!

Read both at the August event page: From the Darkness Born.

---
Alex Beckers
Asheron's Call 1 Online Community Relations
Turbine Entertainment Software

As I indicated yesterday, it is necessary to bring the official
AC1 forums down for maintenance. The forums should be back up sometime
before 9PM PDT today.

Turbine's AC forums are back up and have an updated look and
feel! Check them out at http://forums.ac.turbinegames.com!

---
Alex Beckers
Asheron's Call 1 Online Community Relations
Turbine Entertainment Software

This and that
Leveling dungeons
Lugian post
Old Mine
Lair of Death
Black Death Catacombs
Acid Vault
Olthoi Horde Nest, Hills Citadel and Black Spawn Den
Aerlinthe
Training Camps
Conflict
Expansion and today
Why are people happy over this?

When Black Spawn Den was put into the game, the Mages had a dungeon they could level in. Tuskers were, and still are, great mage food. Because of their easy of killing and high xp for their difficulty, the mages had to share the dungeons with melee’s. This created a lot of discontent.

Some mages would use drain to almost kill a group of Tuskers. Then they would move on to the next group. A melee would come along, finish off the mob, only to find his reward, barely work the effort, with most of the xp going to the drain mage. Another conflict was mages draining what a melee was fighting.

I should point out here that drains worked far differently then than they do today. Back then, a single drain took half the health of a monster, even a level one drain! This worked even when a mage was at full health.


http://www.crackednuts.com/asheron/index.php3?journal=3

The official Asheron's Call forums at
http://forums.ac.turbinegames.com now have Throne of Destiny forums, for
the discussion of the upcoming Asheron's Call expansion pack!

---
Alex Beckers
Asheron's Call 1 Online Community Relations
Turbine Entertainment Software

Make-a-Monster Winners posted!

For those who couldn't make it to Turbine Nation, we've posted the winners of the Make-a-Monster contest on our website.

Click here!


__________________
Alex "Ibn" Beckers
AC1 Online Community Relations

Just an FYI that the official AC Forums are down for maintenance. They should be back up later today but we do not have an specific ETA.

Today's maintenance was completed quickly, and the AC Forums are back online. However it may be necessary to perform additional maintenance later this week, I'll be posting more details when I have them.

The State of the Network has been updated to confirm that the August event will go live this coming Wednesday, August 11.

---

Don't You, Forget About Me...

Kwip dreams of what the ACPL would be like without him there... (http://www.neenerneener.net/absolutenm/anmviewer.asp?a=679)

We've posted the 3rd and 4th place finalists in our Make-a-Monster contest. Check them out on our Make-a-Monster page!

---
Alex Beckers
Asheron's Call 1 Online Community Relations
Turbine Entertainment Software

Killing the golden goose
Chakron Flux
Chakron Flux Two
Caul recall
Spec’ leadership
A case for spec’d Tinker skills

After my buff was over, I loaded up Fist and did a full buff. I was sure I would only need fire and cold weapons, so it was a quick buff. Daemon was already running there, and Cobra the Warrior asked to go. I think Ken’ helped him get there.

I did a few wrong turns, but I’m sure I have the best route now. I’ll know if I’m right on the next run.

The second I got in, I knew there was a big problem. Instead of low level Hollows and Tusker Guards, there were Telumiat Hollows and Assailers. It did not take me long to find there were also Virindi Inquisitor replacing the low level Virindi that were there before.


http://www.crackednuts.com/asheron/index.php3?journal=3

We've just posted an article about coming hardware upgrades for Frostfell, Leafcull, Solclaim and Thistledown.

Read the article here.

Give us your feedback here.


---
Alex Beckers
Asheron's Call 1 Online Community Relations
Turbine Entertainment Software

Just a note that advance tickets to Turbine Nation are no longer available via our website, and that the Asheron's Call Player Luncheon part of Turbine Nation is completely sold out.

Tickets to Turbine Nation will be available at the door for $40 per person.

---
Alex Beckers
Asheron's Call 1 Online Community Relations
Turbine Entertainment Software

AC website and forum maintenance on Wednesday Aug. 4

On Wednesday August 4 at 9:00 AM EDT (6:00 AM PDT / 1:00 PM UTC) we will begin moving the Asheron's Call website and forums to a new datacenter.

The website should remain available during this time, but the forums will need to be disabled during the migration. This is expected to take 2 - 6 hours.

Once the migration is complete, we will switch over DNS records and bring the forums back online. However as DNS propagation can vary from ISP to ISP, some users may be unable to access the forums for 24 - 48 hours after the move.


__________________
Alex "Ibn" Beckers
AC1 Online Community Relations