Design Notes

February 25, 2011

Wandering into the Premiere

Cave of Wanders... Get it?

The Sandsea Saga continues as Sek-Duat, the Mummy master of the Sandsea, leads you to the Cave of Wanders. This maze may contain exactly what you need to fight Zahart and Tibicenas... another Djinn of your own.

Miltonius went all out this week in his design of the Kalestri Worshipers, a clan of noble creatures normally, but THESE have been corrupted by the forced of darkness and freeing them from the spell might be the only way to the prize!

In the Sandsea rep shop you will find a host of new items and 2 brand new armors... the Anubis Armor from Polistar and Dage's amazing Kalestri Worshiper armor and helm!

I think we should all give Dage a hand... since he gave you four of them. WAKKA WAKKA!

This armor is so impressive that we have decided to increase its rarity by making is a pretty high Sandsea Rep value AND sells for ACs (although at 400 ACs, you'll never find a more impressive armor this cheap anywhere else).

There are also a TON of drops from the new area, including the Sek-Duat armor itself!

Is Moderator?

Some people have noticed the Is Moderator option when they click on someone's nameplate. We've added this feature for increased security. If the gold name wasn't enough proof for you just check the Is Moderator option and see.

Remember, AE staff will NEVER ask you for your password or offer you free stuff in exchange for your password.

HeroSmash Trailer Premiere & Shop!

The HeroSmash trailer is finally complete and it looks AWESOME. If you want to view it all you have to do is click the HeroSmash button in Battleon or /join hsmovie.

You can also access the Premiere Shop, which contains a male and female color custom helm, one of the fan favorite HeroSmash weapons  with color custom accents and FINALLY the Panda Launcher back item (click on it to fire a panda) from Thyton's Live Draw Event.

"Yeah, that's right. I have pigtails! YOU WANT A PANDA IN YOUR FACE?!"

These items will all be going rare EXCEPT the Panda Launcher which we will be hiding somewhere in game after the shop is locked.

Enjoy the trailer and let us know what you think about it on the forums!

Reminder!

AEXtras is still a great way to get FREE ADVENTURECOINS and even FREE BATTLEON POINTS, and with new Inventory, Bank slots and Primere Event rares to buy there's never been a better time!

 Just CLICK HERE to get started!

Or, You can jump onto your Master Account and start earning free BattleOn Games Points using AExtras and use those Points to get stuff in ANY of our games!

February 24, 2011

HeroSmash Trailer Premiere!

Happening IN AQW this FRIDAY

Join the staff and all of our friends for the World Premiere of our HeroSmash game trailer. It will take place at 6:30pm EST tomorrow (Friday) in AdventureQuest Worlds. There will be a button in Battleon to take you to the video watching room! The video was created here at the lab by Yergen von Smergenbergen and Warlic... and... is really making us anxious for the release of HeroSmash in April! Members of AQWorlds can play and help in the current phase of the Alpha Testing now.

Hero... Smash! 6:30pm Friday in AQWorlds

AQWorld's CARD GAME final proof!

It is happening! It is really happening! The post man dropped off a package with a sheet of the cards for final inspection. We wanted to share this picture with you. The card game is 110 cards of anything goes chaos and mayhem. Unlike other games which try to get you to buy endless booster packs... this game is a single deck containing everything you need for 2 to 4 players to play any where, any time, any place. It will be on store shelves in a few months at Toys-R-Us in the US. If you are unable to get to one of these stores... do not worry, it will be in HeroMart a few weeks after! The box is shaped like a pyramid which is really cool... the proofs for the boxes just arrived. I will take some pictures and post them for you soon. This is so crazy that this is actually happening!!!!!

Believe in the heart of the ca.... oh wait...wrong game.

* WHAT!? Typos in a card game that Artix worked on? Inconceivable! ROTFL!!!!!!

February 23, 2011

The Cave of Wanders

Sneak-Peek at this week’s release!

It’s Wednesday already?! Geesh, time flies when you’re having pun!

Oh wow… that was pretty bad. My apologies! Let me make it up to you by giving ya a sneak-peek at Friday’s release!

So we last left off with you and Zhoom capturing the immortal god-king Sek-Duat.

BUSTED!

Sek-Duat says that the only way to defeat a Djinn is with another Djinn. And luckily for him, he knows where to find one (I still say we should have handed him over to Zahart but NONONO, I wasn’t the one who wrote the cutscene, hahaha). This Friday, Sek-Duat will lead you and Zhoom to the magical Cave of Wanders where a supposed Djinn resides.

Thought it was difficult navigating through the Pyramids? Just wait until you try to find your way through these caves. Each door leads to a different passageway that will most likely get you lost. It IS called the Cave of Wanders for a reason =D

Sek-Duat says that a magical lamp is hidden in the deepest cavern within the cave. What’s so magical about this lamp, anyway? Energy-efficient light bulb? Made from amber? Houses a Djinn? I don’t know… but we will find out Friday!

We will also uncover new items! Here’s a sneaky-peeky of some new Sandsea gear to get you all hyped up. We’ve researched Hindu mythology and are incorporating this art style into new weapons, armors, and the monsters that will be seen within the Cave of Wanders.

And lookie what Lodarazs made!

It’s a beautiful lotus spider! But heads up: it’s a monster. AND a spider. And those two attributes together make it a MONSTER SPIDER! Ewwewweww kill eett kill eeet kill eeet!

I don’t like spiders. But that one is so lovely I might have to make a one-time exception. Maybe I’ll even have one as an in-game Pet... hmm… ^_____^

February 18, 2011

Sek-Duat and LQS

The Limited Quantity Shop is LIVE

Due to a few technical bugs the Sandsea release will be coming a little later tonight, along with a few player suggestion items and a fix to the Password Recovery Page.

But NOW, the Limited Quantity Shop is LIVE in Battleon, and we've also added the Accessory colors to the base and Trim color selections for Armor/Weapons etc.

Here's a little info about the Limited Quantity Items...

The Plague Scythe: There will only be 9000 of this weapon (with color custom trim). They are non-member but will cost 900 ACs each.

Wings of the Pharaoh: 5000 of these bad boys. They are also non-member but will NOT sell for ACs. They will go for 11,000 Gold. (SOLD OUT!)

Cursed Pharaoh's Blades: These Dual Swords are member ONLY weapons and will sell for 15,000 gold. There are also 9000 of these.

Remember, once the numbers drop to 0, they are GONE. Close and re-open the shop to refresh the number of items left.

Good Luck!

UPDATE!

WOW! You guys are ANIMALS! All 5000 non-member wings were gone within TWO MINUTES of the Limited Quantity Shop opening. Grats to the lucky 5000 players who were able to grab a pair. Let this be a lesson to us... Next time add at least 10,000 non-member items (so they can last a whole 4 minutes).

As I write this, there are less than half of the member dual blades left and the AC Scythe is selling better than we expected. There are still a few left.

If you miss out this time, be sure to keep your eyes on the Design Notes to see when the next shop will be released. We WILL announce it at least a few days in advance but remember... it could open at ANY HOUR so you might need to stay up late.

The Search For Sek-Duat!

In DragonFable, Zhoom helped heroes free The Sandsea from Sek-Duat's tyrannical rule, but his power is undeniable. In the centuries he has lived, his knowledge of The Sandsea and his understanding of its magics have grown very deep.

If anyone knows how to fight Zahart and his Djinn, Tibicenas it's the immortal mummy, Sek-Duat... But he vanished when Zahart began to display his power. Zhoom suspects that the mummy-lord is still hiding within his dynasty pyramids.

Can you find him amongst the monsters roaming the halls?

Additional Releases!

We have also added three items to the Player Suggestion Shop in Yulgar's Inn, and Dage has added the much anticipated Blade Master armor to his Undead Legion shop! Have fun farming for that one!

Additional Note:

After the Limited Quantity Shop had opened we had a small issue with the bank, that has been fixed and the bank is usable once again. We have also fixed the broken password Recovery page. Sorry for any trouble this has caused any of you.

Have a GREAT weekend!

February 17, 2011

Limited Quantity Shops

Rare Collectors... Starts Your Engines!

If you're a fan of EpicDuel then you already know what about Limited Quantity Shops. Some people love them, some people (the ones who forget to set their alarms) hate them but it has added an interesting new element to ED for Rare Hunters and it's about to come to AQW!

If you have ever lined up to buy a limited edition of some video game, stood in line for concert tickets, tried to win a prize by calling into a radio station or tried to get into a popular movie on opening night then you know what to expect.

What Is the LQS?

The Limited Quantity Shop is just what is sounds like... it will have a certain number of items in it and once that number has sold out then that's it. The total number of items is the same across all servers so if you see 300 items left on the Galanothserver, everyone on all the other servers will see 300 left also.

The LQS will look a bit like this (NOTE: The amounts of items are only sample quantities) ...

Will There Be Enough Items For Everyone?

No, of course not. The number of items will vary depending on the item (the lowest quantity items being the most rare). The point of a Limited Quantity Shop is that the there is a limited number of them to sell. If we made enough for everyone it would defeat the purpose.

However, we are looking into some of our other Limited Time Items, AC items and Seasonal Rares, seeing how many were purchased, balancing that against server traffic at the time and coming up with what we believe to be a reasonable quantity for the LQS items in most cases.

How Will You Make It Fair For Everyone In Every Time Zone?

After discussing this idea with a lot of you over Twitter you have helped us come with a way to make the LQS as fair as possible for everyone.

1) SOME LQS items will return. We might have a small number of items that will appear once a month so that only a few people each month can get the item but you know it will return next month.

2) We will announce the release times of most Limited Quantity Shops at least a few days in advance of the shops arrival in-game so everyone who reads the DNs will know exactly when to line up.

3) We will randomize each LQS's release time. For example: The first one might open at 7:00 PM Server time, the second one might be released at 5:00 AM Server time, the third at 1:00 PM Server time and so on.

This last step will ensure that, at some point, EVERY rare hunter has to set their alarm for some unreasonable hour to make sure they get one of the items.

Will The Items Be Member, Non-Member or AC?

Generally most of the LQS items will be sold for AdventureCoins, but there will be some Member items and a few Non-Member items from time to time. For the FIRST LQS we plan on having one of each.

Will I See Quantities Dropping Before My Eyes?

No, however every time you purchase an item from the shop or re-open the shop you will see the updated amounts of remaining items. If you see only a few left, click quickly... the LQS might already be sold out!

When Will The First LQS Be Launched?

This Friday at 6:30 PM Server Time (Eastern Standard Time or GMT-5) Khuddar Khamundi, the Black Market Vendor, will return to Battleon with the first Limited Quantity Shop. This week's Sandsea release might arrive before or after that.

February 16, 2011

Show off ‘dem Badges!

Facebook integration & a sneak peek at this week’s release!

Have you heard about this “Facebook” thing? Apparently it’s a social network site that has taken over the world. And now it’s inside AQWorlds!

Thanks to Minimal’s super fancy pants coding skillz, you can NOW show off all your shiny badges on your Facebook page! It’s simple, it’s free, and it’s available for everyone who loves this MMO. And who has a nice collection of achievement badges inside their Book of Lore.

All you gatta do is click the Settings button on your toolbar. Looks like 3 gray gears. You can’t miss it.

And theeeen you check that red bubble next to the “Facebook” option.

And theeeeeeeeen you open your Book of Lore, click on the Badges section, and begin making your family and friends jealous over your shiny sparkly awesomesauce badges by clicking the Share button!

After you log into your Facebook account (a prompt will appear asking you to do so), that’s all there is to it and it’s time to show off those hard-earned badges! Now, we don’t encourage bragging… but… well… yeaaaah, these badges are wicked cool and everyone deserves to see them =D

This is only our first step into Facebook integration. What other updates would you like to see posted on Facebook? Leveling up? Maxing out a Class? I just Upgraded? Let us hear about your ideas on the forums!

Sandsea Saga Expanding: Spoilers Ahead Below!

After your latest encounter with Zahart and his Djinn, Zhoom thinks that the only one who can help is the god-king of the Sandsea, Sek-Duat. Accompany Zhoom as the two of you head to the Sek-Duat Dynasty Pyramids to track down the immortal mummy on Friday!

New fiends, a new minigame, bunches of Sandsea gear, and a cutscene await your arrival inside these ancient pyramids. Lodarazs, the Team’s newest artist and animator, has a sneak peak of an Anubis Guard monster that is dying to meet your acquaintance!

Hey… that guy looks pretty sketchy…

HEY! Now that’s what I’m talking about!

It’s been a crazy couple of weeks and we’re as excited as you are to get back to the Sandsea action. With the return of the Sandsea… I wonder if the Black Market dealer will come back as well? Will he have new items in his shop? Will any of his old loot return?

There is only one way to find out… and Friday can’t possibly come any sooner!

February 14, 2011

Love Is In The Air!

Babies and Weddings for everyone!

Happy Heroes Heart Day, guys! It's really good to be back. If you weren't aware I've been gone for the last 2 weeks. On February 2nd at 7:50 AM server time, my second (and final) son was born. We named him Jetson.

Jack and Jetson.

Since Jet's birth I've been at home helping my wonderful wife as much as I can and helping Jack get used to having a new family member, and generally being a very attentive husband and father.

My first son, Jack is now a big brother. He's got a 13 month head start but i'm sure that he'll teach Jet everything he needs to know about being my kid like: Which buttons to never press, Where daddy keeps his secret stash of socks, Which of his parents knees are the tastiest to chew on,  How to sense when Mom and Dad have just drifted off to sleep so he can wake up and start fussing, How to eat, drink, spit-up, burp, fart, poop, pee and cry all at the same time, and many other fun talents.

For those of you following me on Twitter, Nursey and I were completely blown away by the number of very nice messages flooding in washing over my happy family, blanketing us all in good vibes. You're all far too kind, but I humbly accept those kind wishes and pass them on to my family. Thank you.

But Wait... There's More!

Nythera is getting MARRIED!

She is the half-dragon who recently lead us into the void (and head of AE Player Support) and she's finally tying the knot with her long-time fiance'. We're happy to let you take part in her wedding in a special ONE-TIME ONLY wedding event on Friday March 4th. (Not this weekend, I'm just leading with this because it's exciting news and because Heroes Heart Day is a day to celebrate Love)

We'll have more details on that special event as we get closer to it, but for now please join me in saying a big GRATS to our favorite snarky half-dragon!

But Wait... There's STILL More!

We just found out today that AQW/HS super coder Llussion just asked his long-time girlfriend to marry him and she said YES! No date has been set and we may or may not have an in-game event but we're all VERY happy for those two crazy kids. Llussion has saved my bacon more times than I can count so I'm going to have to build him a truly excellent wedding present.

CardCaster Is Now CardClasher!

Very soon we will be releasing our Artix Entertainment Battle Cards card game, which comes with the exclusive in-game CLASS, CardClasher!

We had to change the name from CardCaster to CardClasher due to an unforseen copyright issue with another game. 

The Class will be for everyone who purchases the card game, but we also plan on releasing a Member-Only CardClahser area to give you some backstory on what a CardClasher is and provide the AQW Members with some additional content to really trick out their Class.

There is still no set release date for the card game but we WILL be selling them on HeroMart, which currently delivers to 57 countries and we are adding more ALL THE TIME! Is your country on the list?

As soon as we have a fixed release date for the card game and Class, I will let you guys know.

This Week: Back To The Sandsea

This Friday we will be continuing the Sandsea Saga we you and Zhoom head to the Sek-Duat Dynasty Pyramids to track down the immortal mummy, Sek-Duat. It will also feature a brand new mini-game and lots of new Sandsea gear, both in the release AND in the Sandsea Rep Shop.

Don't forget that the Chinese New year event will be leaving this Friday, as well as most of the Heroes Heart Day content and rares. The Heroes Heart Day Limited Time shop will be closing tomorrow at NOON, server time.

I've also heard a rumor that Black Market vendor will be returning on Friday.

GAMETASTIC

The GAMETASTIC challenge is over and we have a handful of great new mini-games which you can find HERE. A winner will be decided soon and Artix will announce the winner here on the Design Notes. As I was out, and on none of the design teams I will be a fair and impartial judge who doesn't want to get fired by his Boss who i'm told has an EXCELLENT mini-game.

HeroSmash Heroes Heart Day Items

Dumoose literally just PMd me to let me know that he will be releasing a number of new Heroes Heart Day items in HeroSmash in just a little while. Remember, right now you can only Alpha test HeroSmash and get these items if you are an AQW Member.

February 14, 2011

Happy Valentine's Day!

Limited-Time Shop is leaving tomorrow!

Here is your last chance to get those Valentine Limited Rares in the Limited Time Shop in Battleon!

The clock is ticking…even though you cannot see the timer in game due to some strange bug that we haven’t been able to squash! Lol!

We were going to take out those items today, but since they ARE Valentine’s Day themed… and today IS Valentine’s Day… these items will be available until Noon EST tomorrow, February 15^th.

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! =D

February 11, 2011

PLAY 9 NEW GAMES!

GAME-TASTIC! Happy Heroes Heart Day

Which game will you love the most? Today is day 5/5 of our one week game making challenge and the games are ready for you to play! As you may already know, this week the entire company split up into small teams of 2-3 with the goal of creating new games. You can say we took a break from building games... to build games! It was challenging, exciting and everyone had a good time unleashing their creativity. The entires include an organism music game, 3D mecha game, a live action game, a fat panda, an isometric scroller with Thyton making wierd noises for the music and more! Play them all and vote by clicking the face book like button and by voting on the forums. We cannot wait to see what you think!

Play ALL 9 of our new minigames

P.S. Also.. the AQWorlds BattleOn Battle Cards went to the printers!!! We are going to have a card game soon!!!!!

February 11, 2011

It’s the Final Countdown!

Limited Time Shop, Heroes Hearts Day Event, Seasonal Rares, and the Game-Tastic Game Challenge are all a part of Tonight’s Release(s)!

So I wanted to post these Design Notes earlier… like waaaaay earlier… but for the past couple of hours… I haven’t been able to pull myself away from the Fat Panda minigame! OMG it is just sooooo addicting!

My high score! Can you beat it? Wahhaha >:D

This past week, the entire Artix Entertainment team (from all of the games) broke into 10 small Teams and produced 10 never-before-seen games from scratch! Each Team only had 5 days to create a game… and starting at 6pm EST TONIGHT…or something close to that... YOU get to play them AND judge to see which game is the best!

I’m rooting for Fat Pandas ^___________^

You can find out more about each game by clicking here!

Now on to Tonight’s Release in AQWorlds!

Limited Time Shop: Valentine’s Day Limited Rares!

Valentine’s Day is this Monday… but tonight begins Heroes Hearts Day! In Battleon, you can get your hands on 5 Limited Rare weapons that will ONLY BE AVALIABLE until Monday, February 14^th!

• Pink Hedgehog Plushie of Doom

• The Dark Heart Blade

• Blade of the Gemmed Heart

• Red and Pink Heart Reaper

• Hero Heart Slasher

The best part about this shop: all of these weapons were suggested by your fellow players (or given as a gift to yours truly)! Get your hands on these Limited Rares before they disappear and are never offered again <3

The Power of Love… and Chocolate

It’s that lovely time of year again! Big Daddy, the CEO of Big Daddy Chocolates & Cards LLC, is bringing Heroes Heart Day to Lore and bringing back last year's Valentines Seasonal Rares… as long as you can help him on some very important—and very pink!—missions throughout the Forest of Infinite Terror.

Complete all of the quests Big Daddy and Prince Jim have to unlock their shops loaded with 2011 Heroes Hearts Day Seasonal Rares!

Game-Tastic Game Challenge In-Game Items!

Dage the Evil started it all with his ridiculous Triple Rainbow Cheetah helm. And then Fat Pandas came around and made an in-game armor and two fat panda helms. And then J6 from Robot Unicorn saw what we were doing and snuck 11 Pets in the shop from their game!

!!!!! I SEE WAT YOU DID THUR, J6. So… Lodarazs and I made 6 Derp Food pets last minute! Wahahah! Insane competitiveness brings out the best in us all =D

And YOU get to reap the rewards! So… in the Game Challenge shop in Battleon… you can get 21 Game-Tastic Inspired Items! Some are for everyone… some are for Members… and some of the Pets are JUST ACs! All of the items are selling for extremely low prices so that everyone can have a fair chance at getting this totally awesome loot.

In addition to all of this… the Chinese New Year celebration will be staying put for another week. I know it’s a challenge to get all those Emblems, but I know YOU can do it! Get a group of friends together and farm those quests over and over again to get all those Emblems for the merge shop!

Also… I heard that Princess Ai no Miko upped the drop percentage for the Emblems in the Freeing the Animal Spirit quests… hint hint wink wink nudge nudge =D

The AQWorlds release is live! Happy Valentine's Day and Battle on!

February 09, 2011

Game Challenge Competition Heats Up

Keep up-to-date on the Game-Tastic progress!

This competition is fierce! It is day 3 already… and only 2 days are left before each team releases their very own game crafted from scratch… and lots of caffeine.

Check each Team’s progress by clicking here!

February 09, 2011

An Early Valentine’s Gift!

Your fellow player SUBMEOBI made my day week month!

After class yesterday, I headed to the Underground Lab and found a package on my desk from our fellow player SUBMEOBI. O_Ooohh? What could this be? I carefully ripped the packaging apart and found:

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG! Hooooowwww cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute! SUBMEOBI, how did you know I loved the color pink?! =D

I am glad you understand that PINK is the new evil. You said that I could use the hedgehog plush as a grenade against Artix in real life… and also IN GAME!

SUBMEOBI, I made this Pink Hedgehog Plushie of Doom with you in mind. You went out of your way to make my day, so please accept this plushie weapon as a token of my gratitude ^___^

And this Friday night during the Heroes Hearts Day release, everyone who wants this adorable loveable plushie can get one of their own!

But don’t let the Huggy Bears take it! Thanks again, SUBMEOBI!

February 07, 2011

Gametastic! Day 1 of 5

Let Mortal Game Making Combat... BEGIN!

This week, the entire Artix Entertainment team (from all games) are making game! Read the original Game-tastic design notes post for full details. We just had our kick-off meeting and 9 teams have entered the competition. With only 5 days to for each game to create a game, the pressure is on! (We have a funny idea of what it mans to "take a break".) Ai No Miko is creating a special page where you can see the... bizzarly named teams... and the list of games they are making this week. In addition to the 9 new minigames we are making for you this week -- look forward to the Valentine's Day releases in all games this week! Man, this is so EXCITING!
Which will go live here (Work in progress!)

AQWorlds the CARD GAME

We are preparing to send the official AQWorlds Anything-Goes BattleOn Battle Card game off to be produced. It is 110 cards of crazy battle mayhem for 2 or 4 players. It is simple to play, but there are so many exploitable rules that you can use your Armors, Pets, Weapons, Traps, Blocks, Specials, and Counters to do unthinkable creative and sneaky moves. Unlike most card games, everything you need for 2 or 4 to play comes in a single box.  It has been a hit with people who play AQWorlds and fans of card games who have not heard of us... yet. It comes with a code to unlock a special color customizable Card Caster Class (Name picked by players following me on Twitter!) For the past week, Mido and I have been working on the final card art and the wierd Mayan pyramid shaped box & art layout. In about two months it will appear on shelves in Toys-R-Us stores in the US. About 2 weeks after that it will be available at HeroMart so that everyone, anywhere can get it. Needless to say we have been in crunch mode which is why you have not heard from me.. in fact, before my team can start on the competition we have to finish the rule sheet and make sure everything for the card game is ready!

LAST CHANCE: CTRL+ALT+DEL RARES!

Today at 5pm EST, the rares shop from the special event will be closing. Forever! This is your very last chance to get items from the CTRL+AL+DEL Shop.

February 04, 2011

Tonight’s Release is live!

Celebrating the Chinese New Year and Super Bowl Sunday!

Gong Xi Fa Cai! That means “Happy New Year” in Chinese! Ai no Miko taught me it =D

So Gong Xi Fa Cai my friends! The time has come to celebrate the Chinese New Year in Akiba!

But it’s not like we can just sit back and party the night away. Thanks to an evil chaorrupted spirit known as the Nian, the Four Creatures of the World are in danger so there is no time to waste! The newly made-over Princess Ai no Miko is waiting for you in Akiba to help save these sacred creatures.

Each Creature—the Black Tortoise, White Tiger, Red Bird, and Blue Dragon—symbolizes the four directions, seasons, and elements of Lore. These Creatures are deeply rooted in the Chinese Mythology and we cannot let them succumb to the Nian! You must save them!

Miko will send you on 8 different quests in order to save the Four Creatures. But these quests are unlike any other you’ve been on. You will have to search the entire world of Lore in order to get the required items to forge the necessary Emblems to free each Creature’s spirit from the Nian. Only then will you be able to set their spirits free!

Ai no Miko also has a Seasonal Rare House Item and Merge Shop loaded with Chinese New Year items. Some items in here sell for gold… some sell for ACs… but most of them require intensive Item farming for their item requirements! You’re ganna have to get creative—and super lucky!—if you hope to get the coolest gear in the Shop!

There is even the Non-Member Chinese New Year Bunny Pet! Last year for Chinese New Year, we offered a very special non-member pet for AdventureCoins. It’s only fair to keep the same pricing as last year, so this year’s non-member AC pet is selling for only 300 AdventureCoins! 300 ACs is fairly easy to get, using the AExtras page (make sure you have a REAL but SECONDARY e-mail set up to avoid possible spam!) and even the basic 3 month membership comes with 1000 ACs standard =D

This adorable ball of fur will only be available during this Chinese New Year release for the Year of the Rabbit. The next Year of the Rabbit is 12 years away… so you can wait until then OR you can get your little Rabbit pet now ^___^ I wouldn’t miss this opportunity if I were you!

Ctrl+Alt+Del Event—extended ‘til Monday!

Speaking of opportunities… this is your last chance to play through the Winter-een-mas special event! Make sure you get all the Event Rare Items in the shop because they will NEVER be available again! The Event Rare shop will disappear forever this Monday, February 7^th but the Event itself will still be playable for upgraded Members after that.

SuperBowl Sunday… on Friday!

This Sunday is Super Bowl XLV! So we are celebrating in the only way we know how—with pigskin weapons, deadly pom-pom chakras, giant foam fingers, moglin referees, protective headgear, football armors, and cheerleader costumes!

/Cheer your favorite team to victory while showing your Super Bowl spirit! You can also play the classic minigame, Punt Twilly, and bring your team to victory (and a Moglin Punter Achievement to your Character Page) with a perfect score of 100 Yards!

Pet of the OMGFINALLY Month!

Calm down, calm down—we’re only a *few* months late on releasing the next Pet of the Month =p But thanks to the super-awesome Lodarazs, Aria has a new Panda Bear cub in her shop!

D’aaawwwww! It’s even got some bamboo in its mouth! But be careful—you know what they say about panda bears: they eat, shoots, and leafs. HA GET IT? ‘Cuz like, there’s this joke that goes something like… oh never mind…. It’s been a long week, my friends  ^____^    

Wow… now that’s A LOT going on in just one night! If tonight’s release doesn’t score a touchdown in your score book then I don’t know what else will! Everyone worked REALLY hard on this week's release so on behalf of the entire team... ENJOY! Or else!

Happy Chinese New Year and Battle On!

February 03, 2011

GAME-TASTIC!

The ENTIRE AE Team is taking a one week break from making games... TO MAKE GAMES!

Yes my friend, you read that right! Next week, starting on Monday we are having the 1st ever one-week-long AE Game Making Challenge!

WHAT!? You are making 7+ new games next week?
The entire staff (everyone from AdventureQuest, DragonFable, EpicDuel, MechQuest, AdventureQuest worlds) will be forming into small teams of 2 to 3 people. Each team's goal is to create a new game in only 5 days. The rules are: Anything goes & make anything you want! So far there are 7 teams. The competition starts on Monday and ends Friday night... at which time we all get to play everyting that they make!

How will the contest be judged?
You and the staff will both judge. We are going to post several polls on the forums which will rate the completed games in different categories (Overall, Fun, Graphics, Sound/Music.)

Is this a good idea?
100% YES. After doing the weekly releases every week, for so many years, the team needs to mix things up and get their creative juices flowing. That is something that all of the big games will benefit from in the following weeks. Also, it will be really interesting to watch and see what happens!

What will the games be like?
Everyone is making whatever they want... so your guess is as good as mine, LOL! But there is only one week to make the finished game so they will likely be mini-game sized or prototypes/alphas for larger game concepts. Teams can create their own artwork, sound, and engine from scratch or are free to use things thay have already made. The goal is to be as creative as possible and have fun, there are no rules... just games!

Can I watch?
We would love for you to watch and help us with ideas while we are working on the games! We are going to post a special design notes for all teams and we are going to periodically stream live video in AdventureQuest Worlds. (A sneak peek into the secret underground lab... about to be 3.14159% less secret.)

What about the normal Big Game releases?
This Friday (just like every week) we have exciting releases coming out for you. Next weekend the games will all be running their special Valentine's Day events. So this really was the perfect time to do this. The best part is... if all team are successful, you could get 7 new games to play next Friday too! Maybe we can add achievements for beating all of them to the Master Account?

AWESOME! I cannot wait!
Enjoy the releases this weekend. Starting Monday... we are making some games! (I cannot believe how much I am looking forward to this. It feels like Christmas.)

February 02, 2011

Happy Groundhorc’s Day

Special 1-day only Event in Battleon!

Happy Groundhog Day! One this day every year, Philip, the weather predicting groundhog pops his head out of his hole and peers around. If he comes out to play, then spring is here! If he sees his shadow and vanishes back into his warm cozy burrow, then we know that we are in for SIX MORE WEEKS of winter!

Well… considering how Battleon is still covered in a blanket of snow… things don’t look too promising for Phil. But things aren’t on the up-and-up anyway for that poor groundhog because General Porkon in the Horc Fort has kidnapped him!

If you can save Phillip from that most fiendish boss, you just might be the lucky new owner of the Groundhog Hat ’11, Groundhog Hood ’11, or even Phillip, the weather predicting groundhog ’11 pet! Click the giant red button in Battleon and accept the Groundhorc's Day quest to save Phillip to possibly receive 1, 2, or all 3 of the Groundhorc's Day 1-Day-Only Seasonal Rares!

"Grounghorc's" Day, huh? Horcs can't spell.

And don’t forget that the clock is ticking on other things: the Ctrl+Alt+Del Event! If you haven’t already gotten your mitts on the CAD Rare items and helped recover the Winter-een-mas Crown… then what are you doing reading this? Ahahah! The Event and the Rare items will only be available for a bit longer so make sure you get the goodies while you still can!

February 01, 2011

Heroes Heart’s Day Item Suggestions!

Have a great weapon, armor, pet, or item idea for this year’s Heroes Heart’s Day?

My favorite time of year is approaching! Can you guess why? Hehehhehehe =D

Heroes Heart’s Day is only a week away. And I wanna see what great ideas YOU have for this lovey dovey occasion! Heroes Hearts Day will be released next Friday, February 11^th, so there’s not much time to waste.

Use this thread to post you suggestions, art, and ideas for Heroes Heart’s Day related items.

You can post your other wonderful ideas in the various suggestion forum threads – but that thread up there is just for Heroes Heart’s Day related items =D

Will your idea make it in game for this year’s celebration? One way to find out!

Best of luck to you all! Brainstorm on!

Ctrl+Alt+Del Character Page Badges FIXED

Breaking news! The Ctrl+Alt+Del achievement badges now appear on your Character Pages!

If you don’t have your badge yet… you had better help Ethan get back his Winter-een-mas Crown right now! I got my achievement =3