Design Notes
June 28, 2010
Mulligan Time!
First of all, I want to say Thank You to all the amazing players all around the world who were able to stay up and help is make the One-Eyed Doll LIVE event one of our biggest events ever.
Everyone who was there played along with us as we revealed some HUGE Mythsong surprises (which were very hard for us to keep but totally worth it for the OMGs we got) and suffered through the AMAZING amount of lag cause by 31,000 heroes all fighting to save Lorestockapalooza, got kicked, off, logged back on, hung while loading the cutscenes... it was chaos in the purplest sense of the word, but it was a GREAT time.
Kimberly could not have had more kind words for all of you. The band was truly stunned by your enthused battle crys and "Battle On" attitudes! Thanks guys, you really made us look good!
There have been a number of complaints about the fact that we were running the LIVE event at a time that was inconvienient for the person complaining, but that is the nature of the beast.
For it to be a LIVE event, most of the core AQW staff and One-Eyed Doll had to be online and we only had a window of a few hours that everyone could be on at the same time.
A LIVE event in AQW is very much like a concert in real life. It might be a pain for you to get there, it might be too late or be in a city that you can't get to, but the band isn't going to stay on stage for 24 hours because YOU can't make it to THEIR show.
Either you make it, or you can't.
One-Eyed Doll had to get back to music and we had to get back to making video games so we couldn't stay up for a full day nd night and keep the event going. For those of you who missed it, make sure to catch the NEXT live event.
That being said, things didn't go as smoothly as we'd hoped. There were freezing problems, and disconnection problems. Our servers were in overdrive but just couldn't keep up with the flood of hereos AND Flash had recently patched their Flash Plyer which caused ALL KINDS of issues all over the net including your own AQ Worlds.
There are PAGES of e-mails to us from people who were AT the live event, fought with us to the bitter end and made it all the way through, but didn't get the "Eye Was There" achievement badge.
So, this Friday we're having a Mulligan day. If you Join the re-play event this Friday, as soon as you join, you will get the "Eye Was There" achievement.
(Mulligan: A mulligan, in a game, happens when a player gets a second chance to perform a certain move or action. The practice is also sometimes referred to as a "do-over.")
It stinks that we had so many technical errors but we have thought about it a lot. While this will allow lots of players who weren't actually there to get the badge, it's the fairest thing we can think of to allow those that WERE there to get the achievement that they fought for and earned.
Beleen has asked me to mention that she is starting up a new contest soon. I'm curious if you guys would rather get ACs or BattleOn Points (which you can use in ANY of our games, using the Master Account system) as prizes. Let us know on the forums!
I'll let you guys know what is coming this week a little later on this week. Once we know.
June 26, 2010
The Play by Play
Wow... what an adventure
The live event was a huge success with 31,000 players showing up to battle the Chaos Lord! Below is a recap of what happened starting Friday morning. Thank you to everyone who came! Especially everyone who stuck through the really tough parts.... we hope you had a lot of fun! Also, we would like to thank One-Eyed Doll for being so awesome! This is one event that we will never forget!
11:00pm - The re-run version of the event is available for ALL PLAYERS! Enjoy the cutscenes!
10:45pm - Server restarting for re-run mode to begin! The shops, special backstage area, and re-runnable version of the map will be available all of next week!
10:00pm - "Best Event Ever!" Thank you so much for being a part of this! The team is getting ready to restart the servers for the re-run version of the event.
9:59pm - VICTORY TO THE HEROES!!!!!!!!!!!
9:32pm - The 3 part REAL CHAOS LORD FIGHT STARTED!!!!! (in the sky!)
9:20pm - CHAOS BEAST FIGHT!!!!!
9:00pm - ..... THE BIG SURPRISE HAPPENED! (and all of the servers crashed.... everyone is relogging in)
8:45pm - The battle with Discordia begins!
8:00pm - The EVENT STARTED!
7:00pm - Only one hour until the show starts! (Is it bad that we are still coding)
6:15pm - Please join us in game in the waiting area....
6:08pm - Servers coming up! /join Live to prepare for the event.
6:00pm - Thank you for choosing to fly AQWorlds airlines. Before we begin our flight, please pay attention to the following in-flight emergency procedures. In the event of a crash... you will find floatation devices under your browser... We will be cruising at about 764MB/s and expect mild to game destroying turbulance.
5:50pm - Servers restarting in 10 minutes! old on to your helms.... or hoods.... or.... hair?
5:45pm - Wooohooo ready to.... *BREAKS* ... one moment!
5:38pm - Preparing to roll the files to the live servers... 42 items, songs, maps, monsters, and cutscenes.
5:30pm - We just had a few very embarrasing things happen what are too long too write here now... but I assure you they were VERY embarrasing! Bonus Live event tip -- If you crash... and have problems getting back in. Try restarting your browser.
5:00pm - Cysero broke. Not the server... the real one. We are attempting to fix him now. Does anyone have any duct tape?
4:00pm - Only four more hours till showtime! *whispers* Hurry guys.... hurry!
3:40pm - Evil Sir Ver, the "other" Member-Only server is now online for the event. Apparently the server has become self aware and is publically picking fights with the original, and very whomesome Sir Ver.
3:30pm - With each tick of the clock the moment draws near. The team is working frantically to get ready in time. Will the heroes win the war in time? Will the live event happen on time? Will 20,000+ players face Discordia? Will we win? lose? crash? ..... tick... tick....
3:00pm - The war in Mythsong wages on... but things are looking desperate for our heroes. If Chaos Lord Discordia has kidnaps all of the bands and reaches Lorestockapaloosa before us....
2:45pm - We have so many "One-Eyed" items in this release we should rename the game to CyclopsQuest! Miko just saw one of the cutscenes. Her response was "........................" Oh yes, you are going to enjoy this!
2:30pm - Oh wow... over 5 hours till the show and there are ALREADY 17K players online!
1:00pm - Lots of rares in tonight's event - Free, Member, and AC. We bought super-bandwidth for this event so the cutscenes and audio should stream fast... even though they are HUUUUUGE. Now, the only question is can we reconfigure the servers to use it in time! ... oh, and we are adding an other Member-only server, EVIL SIR VER for the event.
12:35pm - Zhoom says something is causing the map not to load. We are loading 13 different types of monsters in the event... we might have too many! He is editing the engine now.
12:25pm - Friday Release-Pizza Delivery! The delivery boy brought in 2 GIANT dufflebags full of Pizza boxes and mentioned, "You guys are very loyal....", smiled then added, "believe it or not this is a smaller order than normal!"
12:01pm - Zhoom writes, "Artix, we have a problem."
12:00pm - Only 8 hours until the show! It is so wierd that we have not had any problems yet.
11:50am - If the war is not won... then Discordia will beat you to Lorestockapaloosa... we have no idea what will happen if that happens! There are supposed to be thousands of people at the concert already!
11:45am - I was up veeeeeeeeery late last night testing functionality with Stratos and the team. So I am sufficiently sleep deprived to be controlling all 13 servers at the same time tonight. O_O This should be interesting!
11:30am - Cysero is reporting for duty at the Lab.
11:15am - Miltonius has entered the War Room! (He "borrowed" MechQuest artist, Thyton's, wacom monitor...to build the event on.)
11:00am - Artix, Beleen, and J6 are in the warroom. With only 9 hours before showtime... the pressure is on! A live release is the most difficult thing to build and run in game. Beleen is wearing pink.... Artix moved to the far side of the table so he did not spontaniously catch on fire.
Yesterday - One-Eyed Doll band members were spotted on AQWorlds Servers!
June 25, 2010
The Live Event
Musical Guest One-Eyed Doll & Chaos Lord Fight
This is one event... that no one will want to miss! We will restart the servers an hour early and let everyone join the map to get ready. Then.. when the event starts.... well.... ANYTHING CAN... AND WILL... HAPPEN! This is so exciting! (62.45% chance... not including electrical storms and tornados.... that this event will crash our entire game network. It has been waaaaay to long since we enjoyed a good train wreck together. See you tonight for some REAL Chaos!)
What to do before the Event
- Read the Play by Play on the homepage
It is at the bottom of the first post from me)
- Complete all of the Mythsong Canyon Quests
Then... you will get full achievements and quest progress saves during the live event! But do not worry, if you have not completed all of the quests you will still be able to do the event.
- Battle in the War!
The war going on now will determine what happens tonight..... things are not looking good!
- Upgrade to Become a Member
Members will get to go backstage after the show for bonus quests, a special shop... and yes... our first Weapon Enhancement with a Special Effect: The One-Eyed Gem! If you enhance your weapon with this weapon it has a % chance to cause ongoing Fire Damage to monsters. The stats are balanced so it is good for all classes.
EVIL Sir Ver?! What The Floop?
Once again, Evil Sir Ver has claimed a server of his own. We are expecting a LOT of people for the One-Eyed Doll Rock Show / Chaos Lord Fight tonight so we added another server. Yay us!
ALSO: We have confirmation that there will be a "Eye Was There" Achievement Badge for anyone who finishes the event while it is still LIVE! You can ONLY get this Achievement during the show TONIGHT and it WILL show up on your character page. Be there or be somewhere else!
There will be 3 shops in the event.
First is a Pre-Show Merch Booth, as any good rock show should have. This will contain all AC items and this shop will only last one week. Next Friday... when the event becomes a permenant part of the game... THIS shop vanishes forever.
The second shop is the One-Eyed-Doll Event Shop. You will have to complete the event to unlock this shop. It contains Member and Non-Member gold items and will never leave the game.
The last shop is in the Member-Only Backstage area. In this area you will have access to the last shop full of One-Eyed Doll and Mythsong house items, Special quests with a CHANCE to recieve a new type of Enhancement as a reward (this Enh will add stats to your weapon AND has a chance to cast fireball at your enemies!), and you will be able to interview One-Eyed Doll after the show!
a HUGE 35 TOTAL items including armors, pets, weapons, color custom helms, and Enhancements with Specials... not to mention out biggest (and WAY coolest) event to date with several animated cutscenes, voice acting and the powerhouse muscial talents of One-Eyed Doll.
ALSO ALSO.... the Summer Break shop returns for one week (that's 9 MORE items!) celebrating the end of school and the beginning of summer break for kids all over the world.
This will be a night to remember!
June 24, 2010
Live Event Tomorrow!
Best prepare yourselves now for the…
Mythsong Canyon grand finale, Chaos Lord showdown, special Musical Guest appearance, possible Chaos Beast encounter, tons of Event Rare items, Summer Break Shop, Backstage passes, the first-of-its-kind proccing Weapon Enhancement, One-Eyed Doll House items, cutscene-a-palooza… and this is just the gist of it!
If you can’t already tell, tomorrow’s release is going to be E-P-I-C! You thought the Voltaire Live Event was huge? Just wait ‘til you see the File Size on THIS bad boy! The awesome insanity begins tomorrow, June 25th at 8pm EST/5pm PST.
This Event is available for ALL PLAYERS of ALL levels, so tell all your friends (even if they have never played) to come join us and become part of AQWorlds History! And lookie here: you can use the Refer A Friend feature to earn BONUS gold and EXP, just in time for the Live Event! Pretty cool, huh?
Spoilers Ahead! Erm, Below!
Since tomorrow’s event is going to take place LIVE, no one is too sure exactly WHAT will happen. The War is still going on (around 63% last time I checked) and victory doesn’t look too promising. We have never lost a war… so no one (not even Zhoom or Llussion!) knows what will happen if Chaos Lord Discordia wins…
What we DO know is this: there WILL be Rare Items… lots and lots of ‘em! And they will ONLY be available during this one-of-a-kind event. But let’s sweeten the deal even more: all the items will be selling for AdventureCoins, so you can store ALL OF THEM in the Bank for FREE forever!
Here are just a few One-Eyed Doll Rares...
Running low on ACs? Didya know that Artix Entertainment Upgrade Cards can be found at a store near you? It’s true! There are so many ways you can Upgrade your account that Artix would smother me in marshmallow fluff if I flooded the DNs with EVEN MORE pink to list each option. To save time (and your eyesight), click here (http://portal.battleon.com/store/points/buy.asp) to see each available method!
By Upgrading your account, not only do you gain access to the most epic features, areas, and items in AQWorlds, but you also support the Team who works so hard to make Live Events like this possible. Without your kindness, none of this would ever be possible! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
AND! We have a special surprise just for you Members! If Discordia doesn’t completely destroy the world of Lore (or the servers over at the Lab), a special Backstage Pass will be awarded to every Member, granting you SPECIAL access to meet Kimberly, Mr. Socks, and Jr from the band One-Eyed Doll!
As a VIP (Very Important Pwner), you get to chill with the band backstage, ask each band mate some personal (and hilarious) questions, unlock a special One-Eyed Doll shop (with even more items OMG!!!), and partake in some behind-the-scenes quests that award a VERY special prize: the first-of-its-kind proccing One-Eyed Gem Weapon Enhancement!
Seared Tune-a-Fish, anyone?
Woah…what is that?!? It’s a JPG. No not that… THAT! Well, this unique enhancement equips your weapon with killer Stats AND the ability to cast Fireballs when attacking! No other Enhancement is quite like the One-Eyed Gem. AT ALL. And it can be all yours starting tomorrow night! It’s a Lvl 30 Enhancement too, so you know the Stats on it are going to be HOT!! (c’mon, I had to throw a horrible pun in there somewhere)
So let’s wrap this downpour-of-pink-text up with a little Story Time! You may not know this, but tomorrow’s release will be my FIRST ever Live Event! Yup, that’s right—I got hired on right after the live Voltaire/Friday the 13th event last year, so I cannot wait to share this experience with all of you ^___^ I don’t plan to sleep at all tomorrow night, so I had better meet each of you personally in game—screenshots galore!
Grab all of your friends and let’s make this the biggest, awesomest, and most totally epic (with-lvl-100-cherries-on-top) Live Event ever!
I’ll be seeing ya at 8pm SHARP. Don’t be late!
June 23, 2010
They May Have Lost the Battle…
…but WE’RE losing the War!?!
Woah woah woah WOAH. What is going on here? Do you see this?
You know what that is. That’s the War Meter. At 56%. On Wednesday afternoon. And do you know what that means? WE ARE LOSING THE WAR AGAINST THE MUSIC PIRATES!
This is bad. For many reasons. The first being: you made me use Caps Lock! The second: the War Shop that unlocks at 100%. And let’s not forget about the Chaos Lord’s Music Pirate minions. If they reach Lorestockapalooza this Friday… well… we don’t know exactly what will happen...
Honestly folks, we planned out this upcoming Live Event based on you guys winning this war. But, um… unless you get 13,256 cans of Mountain Dew and stay awake for the next 48 hours slaying Pirate after Pirate… yeaaah, ummm…. help plz?
Mozzy, blissfully unaware of the upcoming devastation.
Help us fight, you lazy moglin!
June 21, 2010
One-Eyed Doll!
Live Musical Event this Friday at 8pm EST!
I am so excited! Join us this Friday for the grand finale of the Mythsong saga in a band new live event featuring the rising star band.... One-Eyed Doll!
Chaos Lord Discordia missed..... ONE band....
If you have never been to one of their concerts... brace yourself! Their beautiful and sweet lead singer, Kimberly, has a tendacy to erupt with explosive energy that would even catch our Chaos Lord opponent off guard! This crazy event is available for all players (and Members will get a VIP backstage pass for after the show.)
Friday is going to be.... CRAZY!!!!!
June 18, 2010
The Mythsong War & More
Music Pirates, Mythsong War, Father’s Day Items…and on time!
First things first: we gatta wish Safiria a very Happy Birthday! The entire AE team celebrated Safiria’s real life level-up with a delicious bday cake that suddenly disappeared 3.7 seconds after the picture was taken. Mmmmm, who knew vampires were chocolate-filled?
On to the release! War has broken out in Mythsong Canyon, giving a whole new meaning to “battle of the bands.” Chaos Lord Discordia and his fan-club of 1,000,000 Music Pirates are not only stealing music… but the bands themselves! You and your friends must team-up and stop the Pirates before the Lead Zeppelin makes it way to Lorestockapalooza. The Chaos Beast is believed to live deep beneath the concert… but if Chaos Lord Discordia reaches it first… well… heh…. <gulp>!
New War Items!
Stopping Music Pirates is a reward of its own. But if you want more of an incentive, then the War Shop is your best bet! Mozzy has an assortment of Mythsong Weapons for you to help achieve victory during this war: Bass Clef Bow, Shadowscythe Reaper Guitar & Swordhaven Battle Guitar (player suggested!), and the Megaphone MegaGun. The Music Pirates on board the Zeppelin drop some weapons too… but they’re pretty rare… so good luck getting them!
Inspired by our fellow player RedLeafChannel!
Father’s Day
Father’s Day is this Sunday! Show the world of Lore that your Dad is #1 with a bundle of Event Rare Items! Last year’s favorite rares have returned to Battleon along with 5 new never-before-seen gifts (all of which were inspired by our twitter-friendly friends). Get your hands on these 100% Dad-approved items:
- BBQ Spatula ‘10
- Meat on a Stick ‘10
- The Ol Fishin’ Garb Armor ‘10
- Gravity Defying Coffee Mug ‘10
- The Ol Fishin’ Rod ‘10
- Golf Suit Armor ‘10
- Golf Club ‘10
- BBQ Apron ‘10
- Golf Bag ‘10
- The Ol Fishin’ Hat ‘10
- Newsparchment ‘10
Oh, and there’s a NEW gun in the Upgrade Shop in Battleon. Get your Precise Assault Magnum today!
So whatta you still doing here for? Mythsong Canyon needs you RIGHT NOW! Gather an army of your friends (and possibly some well-armed ninjas) and bring the battle to those Music Pirates!
Battle On... the Lead Zeppelin!
June 17, 2010
Who would steal Musicians?
Music Pirates...
This Friday (tomorrow) we are beginning the week long journey to the biggest concert in the world -- Lorestockapaloosa! When we get there, next Friday (June 26th at 8pm), there will be a LIVE event! Well... that IS the plan but all of the bands in the world suddenly went missing. You only have one week to uncover who is behind this nefarious plot and save the concert*!
* In the secret language of gamers... THIS MEANS WAR!!!!!!
Beleen: ALL of the bands have gone missing?
Artix: I am afraid it seems so.
Beleen: What about...
Artix: Yes.
Beleen: And...
Artix: Yes, them too.
Beleen: What about your band?
Artix: I am the only one left. Zhoom, Warlic and Safiria are all missing as well!
Beleen: EEEEEEP! Do you think that the new Chaos Lord is behind this?
Artix: Dischordia?
Beleen: Yeah, that Phantom of the Concert looking guy.
Artix: I have no idea... I am not caught up on the last releases yet.
Beleen: WHAT!? Hurry up... you need to be up to date in the Mythsong storyline before the release tomorrow!
Artix: ...
Meanwhile, in the real-world: I received a surprise call at 3am. It was the female lead singer of a band that has not dissapeared... and she offered to help!
Forum Question: Which class has the best skills for battling in a War? Is it the new Starlord class with its area of effect attacks... possibly the mage because of ranged spells... or a healing class like the Paladin because of its survivability?
June 15, 2010
"I LOVE MUSIC!"
He is really excited about Lorestockapaloosa
HA HA HA HA.... MORTAL... PREPARE YOURSELF FOR.... OH. WHOOPS. SORRY. FORGOT I AM OFF THE CLOCK. REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THE BIG CONCERT! YOU GOING? CHUCKLES, MYSELF, A FEW OF THE BOYS FROM THE UNDERWORLD ARE GOING TO START THE WEEK ONLY JOURNEY TO THE CONCERT ON FRIDAY. WORD IS GETTING AROUND THAT SOME OF THE BANDS HAVE GONE MISSING. ALARMING. SINCE I HAVE NOT "SEEN THEM" IF YOU CATCH MY DRIFT. SO -- I AM CALLING IN ONE OF THE FAVORS YOU OWE ME. WHAT DO YOU MEAN "What favor?"!?!?!?! WHO DO YOU THINK SENDS YOU BACK EVERY TIME YOU GET EATEN BY A MONSTER? BOARD THE "LED ZEPLIN" THIS FRIDAY WITH THE BANDS. FIND OUT WHY MY FAVORITE BANDS ARE MYSTERIOUSLY DISSAPEARING. MAKE SURE THE CONCERT IS NOT CANCELLED!!!!!!!!!!! GOOD LUCK. HA HA HA HA!
June 14, 2010
Coming next in AQWorlds!
LIVE EVENT: The Phantom of Mythsong in 2 weeks
They say music has the power to change the world*. Have you been following the story that is unfolding in Mythsong canyon? Do you think our hometown of Battleon is actually safe from what is about to happen there? Lorestockapalooza is the biggest musical event in the world**... and the live event with new musical special guest ????? is taking place in 2 WEEKS!!!!!! (Live Event, Friday, June 25th @ 8pm EST) Well, it SHOULD take place... we just discovered an insidious new plot that could stop the event and destroy our hometown. Check back here tomorrow to learn more! (Remember, this is AQWorlds -- ANYTHING can and will happen***)
Forums Question: It is Father's day this weekend too! Item ideas?
* If you are indirectly quoting Bill & Teds excellent adventure, we may need Beleen to smack you for us.
** Do you mean attendance or filesize? Cause those audio files can be pretty big!
*** .... ya'know, as scary as that is, that's why I love this game!
How did the wedding go?
We want to know!
Ok... story time! First, I want to tell you about the "Bach-Lords" party. If there is one thing I like about Cysero and the gang -- all of our real-life adventures are surprisingly suitable for the design notes! So... all of Cysero's male friends met him at a restaurant and we told him we were going to take him to a museum. He was suspicious to say the least. We walked to the museum... and around the corner... into a dark mini-ally where we surprise captured him and put a giant black potato sack over his head. (He was still checking twitter through it so we had to use 3!) He was put in a car, driven around the block a few times and finally when the bag was removed from his head.... we were standing on the dock, all of us completely dressed in pirate-outfits with eye patches, hats, hooks and even a parrot (ok, it was actually a pterodactyl. Pre-historic parrot?!) Cysero, who did not seem surprised at all, was told that to prove his bravery for marraige that he had to perform a test. And this test... was Piracy! YAR! We gave him a skull and crossbones flag... pointed to a boat anchored out in the middle of the bay and said, "Be bringing that one back, matey! Arrrr!" So Cysero jumped into the bay and swam out to capture the boat (Yes, we had rented that boat... and oh yes, have video of this, hehe) We had an amazing time at sea. Well... I am pretty sure right here is where I am NOT supposed to mention how the whole bag + car + super heat == Cysero w/ a wee bit o' sea sickness. A good show for the folks dining at the fancy restraunt at the end of the bay. But he got his sea legs just in time to walk the plank. (LIterally, they gave him a piece of wood with a leash attached to it.) Great memories!
The wedding was also sea-side... and beautiful. Seeing the whole AE team there dressed up fancy (minus some crazy footware) was really cool! Who would have guessed we cleaned up so well. Beleen, in her long fancy dress... somehow kept bringing in unidentifiable objects from the water and having everyone guess what they were. It took the combined might of Thyton, Zazul and several others to break open a long fiberous thing which was... apparently an undead coconut. The tables at the reception were identified by pictures of different Artix Entertainment characters and 1,000 origami cranes (folded by C and Nursey) were hung all over the room. We thought of you and wished you could have been there too. At the wedding, one of C's family members asked me when he was going back to work. I gave a puzzled look and said, "What? He is not working right now?" <cracks whip> Put that cake down.. we have a live event in 2 weeks!
Minimal
Dumoose
Khoa
Circe
Zazul
Lim
Korin
Jemini
Rolith
Alac
Titan
Nightwraith
...and
the whole
AE team!
June 11, 2010
Cysero's Wedding Weekend!!!!!!
Starts when you login,. ends when the servers crash
First.... I would like to tell you that Beleen actually cried during the TESTING of the wedding event. Also, the battle between Zhoom, Warlic and myself over who gets to be Cysero's best man and stand with him at the alter has spiraled out of control! As you can imagine, the team is so incredibly excited about our friend's wedding -- your friend too! Morale is at an all time high! Cysero the Mad WeaponSmith and Nursey the Dwarfhold Gem are getting married -- for real! Of course... But before the ceremony can begin, Cysero needs your help on the most important QUEST of his life....
I am so happy for you bot...woah... WEDDING RARES!?
Following the wedding ceremony is the reception, full of cake, embarrassing dance moves, and, most importantly, gifts! Cysero and Nursey want to share their presents with their favorite guests (pssst... that is you), so here is your only chance at getting your hands on some very... um.. unique... “Cysero-approved” Wedding Event Rare Items!
So no one can see you cry...
J6's Weapon shop in Hyperium
J6 has installed 2 new missions inside the HAL Room in the Hyperium… if you can get past his impervious security system… and figure out how to access the VR Room… and figure out where Hyperium is in the first place. If you are successful on your bounty-hunter-in-training quests, you can gain access to J6’s secret weaponry.
We have no idea what or where this is... or how to get it.
We have also received reports that the Vulture Men aboard the Zephyrus are dropping some items. If you are lucky enough, you can now equip their Hooklaws, Vulture Wings, and Vulture Hood!
New Pet of the month: World Cup style!
The newest pet of the month has arrived in Aria’s Pet Shop! Head on over to Battleon Town and get your very own AQWorld Cup Ball. Best thing about this pet… you’ll never have to feed it or clean up after him. Have a ball!
Wedding On!
Looking for gift ideas?
June 09, 2010
Happy Birthday DragonFable!
Special 4th Birthday for the webs craziest game
Why are you reading about DragonFable's birthday party here? I made a special design notes post for you over at DragonFable.com where they have just started their crazy month of releases early! I love DragonFable!
Balloon Chickencow sez, "Eat more Baconz"
Breaking AQWorlds news!
1.) The Cysero Wedding Event starts Friday!
2.) We have recieved confirmation for an all new LIVE musical event with a special guest. It will happen this month.... <coughs> likely on the same day we battle the Chaos Lord! Stay tuned for more...
Forum Question: What is your favorite DragonFable memory?
June 08, 2010
Cysero... is getting married!!!!
Who gets to be the mad weapon smith's best man?
This weekend everyone's favorite "mad weapon smith" is forging his most powerful creation ever... eternal love*. Cysero's wedding is happening in real-life AND in a special AQWorlds event! I have never seen anyone more happy and in love than Cysero.... we are so happy for him**.
Story time! I first met Cysero nearly 5 years ago when we started building DragonFable. He was by far the most unusual person I had ever met. He comes from a long line of dowsers (people who locate water sources using sticks?), he inherited half an island (in another country), is a ordained minister (via a form on the internet), and asking him how his weekend went often yields a story like "Well, we found a way to cram 12 people into a single outhouse at the renaissance fair and then spent the day jumping out and surprising people.***" As a shining example of someone who believes in living life to the fullest, his strong leadership inspires creativity and fun in the 12 members of his game dev team... and he is the tallest mage I have ever met. He is truly one of a kind! Exactly what will his wedding event be like....? <gulps> We are going to find out this Friday when the quests for the event start! This is one event that we would not miss for the world****!
* Zorbak says, "Meh... Love? Have you fools even seen what the Necrotic Blade of Doom is capable of?"
** Meanwhile the lab has been thrown into chaos as Artix, Zhoom & Warlic battle over who gets to be Cysero's "best man".
*** All true....
**** Pssst... Cysero, tell Nursey to throw the garter toward Zhoom or I! (Note: At the end of some weddings the bride throws the bouquet for the unmarried girls, and the garter for the unmarried guys. Legend says who ever catches it will be married next.)
June 07, 2010
We tested it, no lies!
Release is live with 68% of the content inaccessible!
Wow, friday's release was a trainwreck of unreachable madness! I have no idea what to say except that we really did test everything, and it *was* working. Most available staff helped all week long to test J6's zone and everything was running really well. There were a few speedbumps on Friday which pushed the release back 'till late but when we put the servers back up we were sure everything was working. Minor problem though, players couldn't reach the release! So we goofed, and by the time everything was out it was too late, the only people left awake were Beleen and I, and we no code good. We were able to reach Llussion late friday and he fixed the problem preventing people from joining saloon but when he left again it was too late for us to tell him Zephyrus was also un-joinable.
So all of that is behind us, its a new week, new problems to create! Hopefully we've fixed everything and you'll be able to enjoy the release and actually finish part 1.
Apparently the only thing preventing people from getting to the map was a letter was lower-case when it should have been upper-case. Things like this make me really glad I'm an artist. Imagine having a map not work because of one misplaced blade of grass...
This week: junkyards and rings!
June 07, 2010
I'm Getting Married!
And You're invited!
We always say that AE is a real gaming community and If this isn't proof of that, I'm not sure what is.
Some of you may have been playing DF back when I proposed to my beautiful fiance', Rebekah. (I snuck her into the game as Nursey from the Dwarfhold tavern).
My Future Bride!
If you missed it you can read about it on the March 26th, 2009 DF Design Notes!
It was the happiest day of my life when she said yes, until our son Jack was born on December, 26th of last year. You can read all about on the December 27th, 2009 AQW Design Notes!
If you do the math, our son was born 9 months and 1 day after I proposed to her. Heh.Frankly, I would have prefered to do things in a more traditional order (Propose, Wedding THEN Kids) but I've never been very good about doing things in the right order. As I have said before... sometimes you have breakfast for dinner.
Now, finally the day of our wedding is upon us. This Sunday (if she will still have me), Nursey finally becomes Mrs. Cysero! Artix, Warlic and Zhoom are all arguing over who gets to be the best man.
How can I use that to my advantage? I know... a contest to see who has what it takes to stand beside me. DANCE, PUPPETS!
I'm so happy that I found the one person that I want to spend the rest of my life with, and there has never been a single doubt in my head that it was her.
I'm also really happy that I get to share all of these wonderful times with you lot!
SO... We're having a wedding in AQW and you're ALL invited!
One Ring To Rule The Mall
My wedding is on Sunday, but the Wedding Event will be released THIS FRIDAY and will last for ONE WHOLE WEEK (That's MY kinda party)!
As I plan on never getting married again, this will be a ONE-TIME ONLY event and every item that comes from this event will be a guarenteed RARE!
Some of them will be Cysero themed versions of the original wedding map rares and there will be some brand new items too!
We have a LOT of stuff to do to get thigns in order so I'll be doing wedding stuff later this week, leaving J6 in charge of AQW once again.
Speaking of J6... We will also be releasing the next section of the J6 Area and we PROMISE that it will work MUCH better than the last section. Llussion is still fixing the maps from Friday's release. He'll have them up and running soon.
Anywhoo, thank you all in advance for being a part of our happy day!
Wish me luck! :)
June 04, 2010
The Release is FINALLY LIVE!
A New Level Has Been Added to Battleunder!
Yara has found her way down to the second level of battleunder, but that's not all she has found.
Yara's Enchanted Treasure Chest!
She has also stumbled upon a magic trasure chest! The items inside change depending on which of the 4 keys you reassemble. You might get one of several all new weapons, including the Deathknight weapons... or you might get nothing at all. Want to try your luck?
If you have never discovered battleunder, look around Battleon. You will find several secret entrances hidden around town. Happy hunting!
J6's Impossible new Area!
Many of you know J6 as one of the brilliant artists who devotes his time and effort into making AQW one of the coolest, slickest looking MMO's out there...
Tonight we are releasing the first part of his MIND TWISTING area where nothing is as it seems.
You will start your adventure in his J6 map, where he grew increasingly lazy as time went on. You'll see what I mean when you read the quests.
Looks Like J6 Got Disctracted...
Do battle with his half-finished monsters and you might find yourself in a sketchy version of the full J6 armor!
Will The Real J6 Please Stand Up?
Or maybe something a little more silly...
Slightly Used Spittoon Helm. Gross.
But if you're clever, that will just be the start to an amazing adventure that J6, Beleen and llussion have been working on for quite a while. You will visit far off places and might even find yourelf on J6's spaceship!
The Hyperium!
I won't give away too much, but this will finally answer all the questions about the Dwakel Decoder!
Remember... NOTHING in this area is what it seems to be and you'll have to team up with other AQW players to find your way through. Remember, if you get stuck... ask another player or head over to the AQW Forums and see what others did when they were stuck!
You can find the J6 Area Forum Thread HERE. (thanks Circ)
This is only the beginning of the area, and there will be more coming in a future release!
The Ticklish Zorbo Ticket!
if you are one of the skilled few who have beaten the top level of the Mythsong /Dance Evolution Mini-game then you have been waiting for a few weeks to see what your Ticklish Zorbo Ticket will turn into. As of tonight you will be able to talk to the Great Godfather of Soul and redeem your ticket for a special member only pet or non-member sword!
Ticklish Zorbo!
The Necromancer Token's Final Form!
If you were one of the early PTR testers and you grabbed the necromancer class, you were warned that the class would not make it to the live servers.
Upon release of the PTR engine the Class was transformed into the Necromancer Token and tonight it will assume its final form... the Guardian Shadow!
This is a back item that will show everyone your evil necromantic power, as you are followed forever by the ghostly Guardian Shadow. This is a back item, NOT a pet, so it will be for members AND non-members alike.
Tonight's release is pretty big, and it might take some of you all weekend to make your way to the stopping point in the J6 area... I'll see you at the Saloon!
June 01, 2010
SMS Bug
It’s not our fault this time!
One of the many ways you can Upgrade your account is by using SMS mobile payments straight from your Cell Phone. But there’s a bug out there that is totally refusing to cooperate—and it’s not our fault this time around! There are a number of outages currently ongoing with SMS that won’t let you upgrade your account OR let you purchase Battleon Points. The following geographies / carriers are impacted:
- USA, SMS mobile payments (Verizon and Virgin mobile)
- Canada, SMS mobile payments (across carriers)
- Australia, SMS mobile payments (across carriers)
So what does this mean? Well, as of now, you won’t be able to Upgrade or purchase Battleon Points using your cell phone. BUT! Captain Rhubarb is talking to the folks over at Allopass (the ones in charge of SMS) to get this straightened out as quickly as possible.
Don’t worry, no payments have been accepted from SMS during this buggy time. So if you tired to make an SMS payment but got back a funky “invalid number error” text message, your account—and wallet—is still intact as it was before. And as soon as SMS is back up and running, we’ll let you know ^__^