Design Notes

March 25, 2011

Fight Chaos Lord Tibicenas!

The Sandsea Saga comes to a close…ALMOST!

After thousands of years of imprisonment (and after weeks of us hunting him down), Tibicenas the Chaos Djinn is finally FREE! You and Zhoom must follow Tibicenas into the Djinn World and stop him before he takes his vengeance on the King of the Djinn, Efreet... and on the rest of Lore.

LOL! Stratos looks funny! Oh...wait... =(

Thought the other Chaos Lords put up a fight? Had trouble with Wolfwing, did ya? Just wait until you encounter Tibicenas. This Chaos baddie has a new battle mechanic armed with a life-stealing AOE.

 …great.

But wait—there’ more! Tibicenas has 40,000 HP, a 20% chance to Crit, a 30% chance to Dodge, and goes Berserk once his HP falls low enough. You better have a Healer (or two!) in your group if you hope to defeat this Chaos Lord.  

So let’s say you beat Tibicenas. Itchin’ for a tougher fight? Talk to Efreet to try your luck against Ultra- Tibicenas!

Need heals PLOX!

Only the most powerful Members will be able to take on this dangerous foe. Not only does Ultra-Tibi come stacked with a whopping 100,000 HP and an 80% life-stealing AOE, he also has a new ability that will stop you right in your tracks. His Petrify spell cannot be dodged and cannot be undone… and since you can only have 7 heroes in this particular map… you had better hope that your battle-buddies are well-armed and ready for a long ‘n crazy ‘n heated battle against Ultra-Tibicenas!

Both forms of Tibicenas are LOADED with item drops… but the ONLY WAY to get the Color Custom Zhoom Armor, Zhoom’s Dragonbow, and the Efreet Amor, Hair, and Face helms is by being a Member so that YOU can partake in the Ultra-Tibicenas battle!

A Sandstorm of new Sandsea Items

Quibble is staying in Battleon for one more week! And he’s got the new Malani Warrior set in stock!

The Malani Warrior Armor, Malani Warrior Turban, and Malani Scimitar are Completely COLOR CUSTOM! So play around with Base, Trim, Accessory, and Eye Colors to become the most unique Malani Warrior that Lore has EVER seen!  

In addition to Quibble’s awesome new swag, the Chaos Sphinx will now drop the Sphinx pet, new items in the Sandsea Rep Shop, the Harpy in the Djinn world will drop her headdress, Tibicenas drops 7 items (including his Djinn armor morph!), and Ultra-Tibicenas has 8 items for you to obtain…if you can defeat him that is!

But there’s more! 13 more items, in fact. In the player suggestion shop! All of the items in this shop were inspired by our fellow players! All of the items here were inspired by your fellow players from our Forums.  Wanna submit your weapon or armor ideas, too? Head to the forums with your masterpieces because you never know if – or when -- your idea will make it in game and used by thousands!

Woah. Now that’s a lot going on tonight. We wish you the best of luck in the Chaos Lord showdown and hope your weekend is a great one.

“Or else!” Cysero says.

BATTLE ON and ON and ON and ON until you get those item drops!  

March 23, 2011

Bucket Of Stuff

I Tried For 20 Minutes To Come Up With A Better Title

We have a LOT of stuff going on again, so I'm going to tell YOU guys about some of the things you might care about. Keep in mind that for everything we TELL you that we are working on there are abiut 5 other things that can't tell you about.

A Call For Moderators!

Want to be a mod? Want to spend hours a day not getting paid while helping your fellow players, catching cheaters, hackers, scammers and muting people who use abusive language?

If you answered YES to either of these questions, then you should probably check yourself into the nearest psychiatric hospital as soon as you can, but I also have exciting news for you.

Reens and Stratos (the Lead Moderator and her Moderater Majordomo) are looking for new mods for AQWorlds (and HeroSmash), and now is your chance to apply! One thing Reens needs to stress - you MUST be over 18 year old.  If you are under 18, if you don't include your age, or if you start with "I'm not 18 yet, but..." the application will not be considered.

What they need you to included in your email is:

1. Your real name, age, and country of residence.
2. AQW Game account name and email address
3. Master Account name and email address
4. Forum account name and email address if one is entered. (not required to have one)
5. Languages you speak/read
6. C.V. (Resume)  *please note we'd like the CV in English.

Please send your COMPLETE application to [email protected] .  If the application is not complete, they toss it out.  And please - one application per person.
Reens and Stratos will read all the applications.  If you are chosen to go through a further interview, they will contact you. Unfortunately, they cannot reply to everyone. If you do not hear from us, sorry.

The Next Limited Quantity Shop

Announcing the NEXT Limited Quantity Shop featuring Dage's Prometheus Set!

The next LQS opens at 1:00 PM EST (GMT -4 now thanks to Daylight Savings Time) on April 1st (As much as I love messing with people, this is not an April Fools Joke). The Shop Will Include 5000 of the Prometheus Armor, 5000 of the Prometheus Helm, 5000 of the Prometheus Back Item, 5000 of the Prometheus Sword (shown above). Each of the items listed above will cost AdventureCoins. It will also include a few extra items of various prices and quantities (some AC some not) and the rest of the unsold Scythes from the last LQS.

There will be a female version of the armor. It is NOT color custom. Prices will be higher than Quibble's (as one would expect from a Black Market vendor) but may or may not be announced ahead of time.

You may be asking yourself why we're opening the shop at 1:00 PM when a lot of you are still in school or work or doing something else. I told you that I would roll a random time EACH TIME we opened the LQS to give everyone a fair shot of being first to get the items.

I rolled my dice and the dice do not lie.

I rolled a 13 on my beloved D20. That means 13:00 hours or 1:00 EST. If I rolled a 20 (CRIT) I would roll my D4, if I get a 4, we stick with 20:00 hours. If i get a 1-3 it means I roll again and add the D4 to the D20 for 21:00 - 00:00 (that's 24) hours.

I could have just written a random number generator to pick the hour but dice are more fun. There is a reason I wanted to be the Luck enhancement vendor.

with 5000 rather pricey AC items they will probably last more than 24 hours, but if they do not... maybe next time I will randomly roll the perfect for YOU!

Quibble Is Staying

For another week after this Friday. Little guy has to rest his feet.

HeroSmash Alpha Phase 3 TONIGHT!

If you haven't been following Artix's Play-By-Play on over at HeroSmash, tonight we open our newest game to anyone who has EVER upgraded in any of our games (even EXPIRED AQw upgrades), Anyone who has ever purcahsed AdventureCoins (AExtras are not purchases), anyone who has ever purchased Battleon Points for their Master Account, or anyone who has ever purchased Varium for EpicDuel.

You will also that account attached to your Master Account.

If you meet these requirements then you WILL be able to play HeroSmash Alpha Phase 3 starting tonight at 6:30 EST and experience level 10, try out the new mix-n-match powers system that lets you pick and equip your own powers to customize your hero (or villain's) abilities!

Come log in and help us try and smash our HeroSmash servers!

Sandsea Finale Coming Friday!

After thousands of years, Tibicenas the Chaos Djinn is FREE and seeking revenge for his millenia spent as an outcast.

Follow Zhoom to the Djinn World, Pit your friendly Djinn, Saahir against Tibicenas to save The Efreet... and all of Lore from the insane corruption of Chaos.

There will be FOUR new armors in this release including a Chaos Lord Tibicenas Armor and Zhoom's Sandsea Ranger outfit! Remember that if you haven't completed all of the Sandsea Quests then you WON'T BE ABLE TO BATTLE THE CHAOS LORD!

See ya then! :)

March 21, 2011

Sandsea Showdown

Fight the Next Lord of Chaos this Friday!

This is the moment we have all dreaded. We all knew that we would have to fight the next Lord of Chaos… but who knew Zahart’s djinn was actually the Sandsea Chaos Lord?!

We’re all about the element of surprise here. *snicker* Tibicenas is Chaos Lord number… 6? Or is he 7? Are we still counting the Twins as the second LOC? Where did they disappear to, anyway? And was Kimberly the Mythsong Chaos Lord or was it Discordia… and do they count as the same number?

Chaos over the Chaos Lords. That’s just classic. That reminds me of this one time…

OH right—Tibicenas! Giant crazy Chaos Lord djinn out to destroy the world. How could I forget!

Ohhh Tibicenas... That’s him on a GOOD day. And I can only image what he is going to be like once you, Zhoom, and your djinn Saahir encounter the Chaos Lord for the final Sandsea Showdown on Friday evening…

More Bad News for Bad Guys >:D

The HeroSmash Alpha Phase 3 is coming! If you have upgraded in any AE game and linked that account to your master account, you will be able to log in and play HeroSmash—Phase 3—starting Wednesday evening, March 23^rd.

Be one of the first to try out the new superpower system! Flaming power punches, laser eye blasts and more will be available to use against your enemies!

But… okay… is my Blinding Pink Laser Eye Beam ready yet? And why is it only effective on the Design Notes!? Tehehehe ^_____^

March 18, 2011

Friday, Friday, Gettin Down On Friday...

Fun Fun Fun Fun

Zahart has finally awoken his Chaos Beast...the deadly Sphinx. Classically the Sphinx is regarded as a wise creature full of riddles, but the only riddle THIS Sphinx poses is how to survive his BRUTAL onslaught.

I will go ahead and tell you that this fight is NOT for lightweights. The level 45 Sphinx monster has unusually high hit points and hits pretty hard. It doesn't take a lot of strategy one of your friends SHOULD bust out their Healer or Acolyte armor.

Bring friends.

You will, of course, earn a Chaos Sphinx Achievement badge in your Book of Lore for defeating yet another Chaos Beast. There are several very nice drops for members and non-members in this release but it might take you a while to get all of them from the Sphinx.

Next week... face the Chaos Lord of the Sandsea!

Quibble Coinbither Is BACK!

And he's got TWENTY ONE all new items for you, like the Celestial Sandknight armor, with matching Helms, Wings, Spear, Sword, Axe and Claws all of which have color custom accents which apply your accessory color to the whole set for your own custom look!

You will also find the Ra Armor from Polistar and a number of Nightshock items and weapons from Xyo so you can impress them with your godly might or shock them with your electrifying power!

Or maybe you are more interested in Xyo's EXTREMELY customizable Agile Racer armor, which you can color customize with your Armor, Trim AND Accessory color. Perhaps you'd be interested in Skyline's Obsidian Katanas which will appear to have either red or blue highlights completely at random!

Maybe you're more interested in some of Lodarazs' Color Custon wings or some of the other items that will vainsh soon and may never return. You never know how long Quibble might stay. May be a week. Maybe more.

Enjoy the release and have a great weekend.

or else.

BUGS UPDATE!

During the live release, we pushed a few client changes live and, as usual, we missed a few items. You may have noticed that the TEMPORARY ITEM inventory and the HOUSE ITEMS shops in /buyhouse will open an old-style shop with nothing in it. You also won't be able to close said dead shops.

We are aware of the issues, know the causes and are working to get fixes in place. It might take some time but we will get these issues resolves as fast as we can. Sorry for the inconvoenience

BUGS UPDATE UPDATE!

A temporary fix has been put into place. Temporary Item Inventory and the shops in /buyhouse should now work as intended. Thanks Minimal!

March 14, 2011

Mod versus Dev

Know The Difference

For a long time, everyone with a gold name has been called a Mod (short for Moderator) but there are actually 3 kinds of people walking around with gold names. Mods, Testers, and Devs (short for Developer).

• Moderators: moderate the game, reading reports and keeping AQW safe and fun.
• Developers: developers make the game itself - artists, programmers, writers, designers
• Testers/QA: testers take what the developers make and make sure it's not broken.

Moderators and Testers are usually loyal fans and supports of the game who are helpful and patient with new players, fun, friendly yet responsible with the other experienced players.

As we need help moderating the growing game we bring on more moderators and we almost always look for players (usually over the age of 18) like the ones i just described above.For the most part being a Mod is a volunteer position, although they do enjoy other rewards like free memberships, free ACs and access to pretty much any item they would like.

You might see Reens (the Lead Mod) and Stratos (the Mod General) running around the game with some of their team muting people who try to spam chat, flood chat or curse or possibly handing out kicks and bans to players who are being rude and trying to ruin other's fun in AQW.

Testers also do exactly what the name implies: they test our releases to make sure we squash as many bugs as possible before sending something out to you guys. They are not in-game moderators and cannot mute/kick/ban any other players.

Devs develop the content for the game. Content can be anything from writing quests and cutscenes to building weapons and armors to crafting the beautiful maps and bacgrounds to programming the game so everything works! Devs build AQW.

As we need help building the game we usually look to our community to find some talented volunteers to help craft items and adventures for you. Most of the Dev positions start as volunteer (Assistant Dev) and if things work out, it may turn into a paid position as a part of the AdventureQuest Worlds team. We try to only take on volunteer developers who are 18 or older. RARELY an exception will be made, but the chances of that are slim to none.

I'm sure you've seen me, Artix, Alina, Beleen or some of the other Dev's running around.

Dev's have all the same powers as Mods plus they get to create content for the game on a weekly basis. That keeps us very busy so we usually leave the moderation to the very capable Mod team but sometimes when we see someone breaking the rules we are forced do a little moderation on our own.

Although we both have gold names we have very different responsibilities, and the criteria we use to finds Mods is very different from what we look for in potential Devs. Testers usually start out by being a mod or dev on another game. RARELY we will put out a call for new testing help. I think that's only ever happened once before, though. 

Now you know the difference but we will all probably just keep calling everyone a Mod. It's eaiser sticking to one name and it's not like you can tell the difference between one gold name or another.

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 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!

January 14, 2011

The Sandsea Port

Funny Place For A Port

The Sandsea Saga beings this week as Zhoom drags us into the hot, hot desert to help him find a small-time mage named Zahart.

Zhoom believes that Zahart might know something about the mysterious and unnatural sandstorm that recently uncovered the forgotten ruins of the city, surrounding the Sandsea Oasis Village. Track him down and get some answers.

Zhoom would clearly be able to track Zahart down by himseelf but with two of you that makes the hunt go that much faster. Don't worry, Zhoom has your back.

This is one of my new favorite areas of the game. Miltonius really outdid himself with the monsters and the amazing cutscene, Warlic's Sandsea Adventure music is one of the best he's produced for the entire game and J6's unbelievable backgrounds all come together to transport you to the dry wastes of the Sandsea.

Beware of Sandsharks!

Sandsea Oasis Village Updates!

This week we have updated a few of the Oasis shops. Zhoom has some brand new items in his Sandsea Rep shop, like the Assassin of the Sands armor and helm crafted by Dage and helm, and several new weapons!

You might also find that scimitar somewhere in today's release. Cassim the House Item vendor is also getting in a shipment of new items, which might be of interest to you.

A Change Of Items

The Staff that Dage is holding in the picture above is one of the new items coming to our friend Khuddar, the Black Market Vendor.

That is a face you can trust. I heard him say that some other items are arriving and some of his current items are vanishing!

Player Suggestion Changes

Last week we released Reddy's Solarflux Armor and he wasn't happen with Miltonius' version of his art. We stand behind each and ever one of out staff member's work, but Reddy was so unhappy that he said he'd rather have it removed from AQW than have it in as it is.

In a show of what I think makes BattleOn Games great, Miltonius listened to what Reddy had to say, looked at his own work and decided that Reddy had a point. Miltonius, on his own time, took a second shot at the art creating Reddy's EVOLVED SOLARFLUX ARMOR and HELM which will be added to the player suggestion shop today.

You have to admit, it's pretty hot. The first version of Solarflux will stay in the shop cause we like it, but the new version will ALSO be available.

In other Player Suggestion news, the SSS Sword has been removed, and everyone who purchased it has been given a full gold refund for the weapon.

NEW HEROMART ITEMS!

Just so you know we have gotten some new HeroMart items in. Some of the player favorites which sold out a while ago have come back in very VERY limited supply.

Faith tells me we've got:

150 calendars (which come with Chronomancer)
30 Twillies
10 sm chickencow
10 med chickencow
5 XL chickencow
20 2XL chickencow
20 3XL chickencow

EpicDuel shirts will go on sale next weekend. The come with the really cool robotic color custom Cyber Hunter armor. I'll get some pix for you next week.

Reminder!

AEXtras is still a great way to get FREE ADVENTURECOINS and even FREE BATTLEON POINTS! 

 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!

Thyton Says Thanks

For those of you who were able to attend Thyton's improptu Live Drawing Event last night, thanks. It's a rare treat for us to get to interact with you so directly and you got to see how much fun we have in the lab.

You might not have seen this but after I threw the box at Thyton, he threw it right back. Hard.

For those of you who didn't get to catch it, check out Artix's Write-Up of the event! Have a great weekend!

Or else!

January 11, 2011

A Most Reputable Black Market Dealer

So, Uh... Who's The New Guy?

A strange item vendor has mysteriously appeared in Battleon. We don't know much about him but he looks... friendly.

I always try and start conversations with new and interesting people. Maybe if you chat with him, he'll tell you more about himself.

Friday, The Sandsea Saga Begins

Just like it says in the header above this line of text, the Sandsea Saga begins on Friday. For those of you who are big DF players, this will be a vast departure from the DF sandsea with a new storyline and several new characters, but it will keep the original DF Sandsea flavor.

Mmmmm, sand flavored release.

Originality

Some of Artix's Twitter followers have been giving him a hard time over the Cactus Creeper monster being a rip-off of the exploding Creeper from another another great game. Those of you who have been playing BattleOn Games for a while know that every single release is stuffed with puns, or own original ideas and TONS of pop-culture and gaming references. We LOVE taking our favorite things, bringing them into our games but we don't steal these ideas.

It's a fine balance. You want everyone to see it and say "OH LOOK, they're making a reference to THAT thing from that one game we all played or anime we all watched," but it can't be exactly the same or we would be dishonoring the originality of the creators.

Part of why most of the BG Players like our games is our sense of humor and references like the Cactus Creeper are a Large part of that.

It's a lot like when we were playing World of Warcraft and duing a cutscene the high paladin yelled "Battle On!". We were so flattered.

Speaking Of Originality

Thanks to some of our other Tweeps, it was pointed out that the SSS Blade was ALSO art stolen almost directly from another original design found on the web. Remember that fine balance I was just talking about? It is one thing to take your inspiration from another source or to make a satirical reference to it, but if you steal the art directly and we put it in AQW... We really can't stress this enough... people might sue us and shut the game down, and it will be all your fault. 

We're pretty web savvy but there is no way we could see everything that's out there so we depend on you to use your own limitless creative potential to make great designs for the game. As I said above, we all enjoy AQW's funny references, but there's no honor in taking credit for someone else's idea or hard work.

We will be removing the SSS Blade from game this Friday and crediting everyone who purchsed the item for the full amount of gold that they spent.

Thanks to everyone who is keeping an eye out for the game and making sure that we are not stealing anyone else's work.

January 07, 2011

Fun In The Sun

I Hope You Don't Mind Sand Inbetween Your Toes

The Sandsea has finally made its way from DragonFable to AQW. As usual, we've kicked off the zone with the central town, the NPCs and all of the shops in the area.

Zhoom, the master tracker and ranger, will be your guide to the zone. He's what we call the ZONE NPC. He will guide you around the zone, much the way that Rayst does in Arcangrove and Dorian Mode does in Mythsong.

Once we get the area going, just talk to Zhoom if you're lost and he'll let you where you need to go next to continue the all new Sandsea storyline adventures. He will also be the item vendor for the Sandsea Reputation you will earn doing quests around town and through the story.

Each of the NPCs in the Oasis Village has quests for you, some of which you can repeat as much as you like for a small amount of Sandsea Rep, or MEMBERS can do Daily Quests around the town for much larger rewards and faster rep so you can buy rewards like the Sandrunner Armor, Helm, Cape and Longbow.

You will be able to visit the Oasis Bazzar...

...where you can speak to Cassim for all new Sandsea themed House Items (thanks to Skyline) or Nkuku, the Sandsea Pet Trainer for a bunch of new desert loving pets (thanks to Miltonius)!

If you need a trim, head to Kephri's Barber Shop.

Dage has designed a handful of new hairstyles that are sure to keep you cool in the hot desert sun! As usual, we will be adding more as the area develops.

If you get tired or hungry, head to Bastet's Oasis Inn for a quick rest.

Each of her foods has a different effect on you. You could try the MEAT for double damage or the refreshing water for a helpful Heal Over Time effect! TheSuper-Coder Minimal has designed these to be some of the most powerful effects we've added to date so be careful not to over-eat.

Too much dessert in the desert.

Around the Oasis, something has disturbed the desert wildlife. You may have to defend yourselves against exploding Cactus Creepers, and the fearsome saber-toothed BUPERS CAMEL! If the phrase Bupers Camel makes no sense to you, read Beleen's earlier post. She explains it all. Like Clarissa.

Enjoy this intro and keep in mind that we will add more and more to the shops in town until the zone is finished!

Player Suggestion Shop Update

We have poured over the Suggestion forums and picked some of our and your facorite items suggested by players just like you, to add to the Player Suggestion Shop (Found in Yulgar's Inn in Battleon). Miltonius has taken all of these great suggestions and brought them to live in AQW!

• The SSS Blade by Second State Sauske
• The Solar Flux Armor by Reddy
• The Piercing Light Gun by Reki
• The Spirit Sword by Ichidori
• The Dual Terosin Blades by Terosin

We are always happy to pick a few great suggestions that we really like or get the most attention from you guys on the forums and bring them into the game. Keep up the great work guys and we'll keep adding your impressive items!

There was supposed to be another great armor and helm in the shop but thanks to our wonderful and attentive community, it was pointed out that the art was taken from another game entirely.

It was probably accidental. We all have things we really like. TV Shows, other video games, card games, movies, bands, and so on and we know you want to see those things in AQW, but remember that some other artist worked really hard on their own creation and we don't want to steal their stuff. Please, when you suggest stuff in the forums, make sure that it's either original or you credit the original source for your suggestion.

Minor Dage Update

Just a hint, Dage might have updated his shop today as well. If you're a fan, take a look!

Reminder!

AEXtras is still a great way to get FREE ADVENTURECOINS and even FREE BATTLEON POINTS! 

 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!

Artix's Inventory Post

There has been a lot of confusion surrounding Artix's revelation that we are working on a way to provide a HUGE boost to Inventory space, both for normal game items and possibly house items.

Please be patient with us, we're still trying to see IF it is even possible. Once we find that out, then we will figure out exactly how it is going to work, what it will cost, if it will only be available to Members who pay to support the servers or if they will be AC purchases available to everyone... we have a log way to go before we make any of those calls.I can tell you one thing... it will cost a LOT in terms of server storage and game bandwidth, so it won't be entirely free.

Just know that we have heard your cries of pain during Frostval, tossing away old rares for new ones... and we are, as always, doing our level best to listen to you and give you what you ask for, but this is a BIG DEAL that will require a LOT of work for us so it may take a while.

Right now, it is out #1 priority project.

January 04, 2011

Sneak Peek at the 1st Release of 2011

Arm they pink-protective eyewear and get ready for a massive spoiler regarding Lore’s newest zone, Player Suggestion Shop update, brand-new NPCs, and the fabled discovery of Bupers Camel.

Yesterday was the first Monday of the first week of the first month of the new year. Artix, Cysero, Safiria, Zhoom, Minimal, and I journeyed into the War Room for a little brainstorming session about this week’s release… and that somehow evolved into a 4 and a half hour discussion regarding the amazing new future for AQWorlds! Omgomgomgomg =D

I can’t really tell you what we have in store for you… but keep in mind that it’s HUGE. We know how much you love AQWorlds – and you know how much we love making AQWorlds for you! We listened to your comments and concerns and have come up with many ways to improve your favorite MMO in 2011. Many, many, many, many, many, many, *deep breath* many, many, many, many, many ways!

But let’s not focus on that just yet. There’s still another 361 days left to discuss our new plans. We’ve got a massive NEW release arriving in just a couple of days that I’m sure you wanna get the low-down on. Bring on the spoilers!       

The Sandsea

This week you will travel to Lore’s seemingly endless desert known as the Sandsea. DragonFable heroes should be familiar with this parched paradise full of palm trees, sand dunes, and desert monsters surrounding a prosperous oasis city.

Recently, a very unnatural sandstorm has blown across the Sandsea and revealed that the oasis community was just the center of a much larger town… once devoured by the sands and forgotten by the people. Here you will meet Zhoom the Ranger (and full-time programmer) along with many other oasis inhabitants.           

A Bazaar of new NPCs, Shops, Items and Monsters

Much like the thriving cities of Arcangrove and Mythsong Canyon, the oasis town features many NPCs and Item Vendors. Zhoom is the main NPC and Reputation guy offering you all sorts of necessary Sandsea armors, weapons, and various gear. The town also has a Barber with new hairstyles, a House Item Vendor, a Pet Shop owner, and an Innkeeper who sells consumable food!

Oh yeah, you heard read correctly. Consumable food. Food and drinks you can actually EAT to give you all sorts of different buffs! These will act just like the equipable Scrolls and Potions… but comes in delicious food form! Mmmmmmmmmmm tasty!     

There are also two new baddies making the scene. Since the oasis is just about the only source of fresh water and vegetation in the Sandsea, exploding Cactus Creepers and Bupers Camels have made their way to this desert sanctuary.

…Bupers Camel?

Ah yes, the legendary Bupers Camel. No one knows exactly what a Bupers Camel looks like… or even what it is for that matter… but it’s revealing itself this Friday for the first time ever.

Here’s how Bupers Camel came about, quoted from Cysero himself:  

“I was showing Warlic the Google voice recognition app. You just say what you want to search for and it googles it for you. I played with it quite a bit and it did really well but Warlic held the phone to his head and said "Dissertations on Bruce Campbell" and what came back was "Dissertations Bupers Camel". I don't know what a Bupers Camel is but I think we're going to have to add it as a monster when we add The Sandsea to AQW.”

Currently, Bupers Camel is a mythical beast that has been used in newbie trickery. Veteran heroes convince new players that catching a Bupers Camel in Greenguard Forest will grant them Mod Status.

Psh, that doesn’t even look like a Mod. At all. Where’s the gold name?

Please note that a Bupers Camels does not look like that. Or wait...maybe it does? I don’t know, I’ve never seen one myself. Gatta love our creative players out there -- thanks Loki Bloodstone!

Who will be the first to capture a screenie of the Bupers Camel in its natural habitat? Prt Sc! Prt Sc!    

Player Suggestion Shop

Because releasing a whole new zone with all the amenities isn’t enough, we are even expanding the Player Suggestion Shop in Yulgar’s Inn. There are already 40+ masterpieces in this shop created by your fellow players… and we will be adding a whole lot more Friday!

You never know if your idea will be put in game… but there is only one way to find out! Head to the forums and submit your awesome weapon, armor, or helm, cape, or pet idea!  

Before I leave…

A quick reminder! This is the last week to get Quibble’s Items and all of the items from the Big Red Bag and Tinsel’s quests! Quibble and the rest will be leaving town this Friday, January 7^th, so make sure you pay them a visit before then.

Give your eyes a rest now. You deserve it =3