Here we are with some of the most popular questions this week:
Q: I was standing on the steps above the sapphire pit and someone went to engage the Archivist Borath. The Archived souls then nuked everyone in the not so immediate area, including me. I was not grouped with the guy who engaged the Archivist. Is this a bug?
A: No, not exactly, but we're still making adjustments to the ag radius, and one of those adjustments (making the radius smaller) should go up next week.
Q: The patch note on artifact trades says "- Please note that any artifact trade-in will result in a brand new level 1 artifact."
A: Wince. Not anymore, it doesn't. We corrected the original draft, but somehow that change did not make it to the final version. The note now says level 0, as it should have from the beginning. I'm sorry about that.
Q: (Insert question here about the champion weapons in Darkness Rising.)
A: From the Really Evil Overlord of Camelot, Jeff Hickman: "We are aware that there have been some concerns about what we are doing with the champion weapons and encounters in Darkness Rising. We want to clear up a few misconceptions:
"1. Champion weapons are almost identical in power to many popular artifacts, and we are looking forward to user feedback during testing.
"2. Champion Quests can be done with one group (eight players) or fewer. Players can of course bring MORE players to make the encounter easier, but please note that due in part to our “one group” design decision, many steps are instanced. And as you know, no more than one group can get into an instance.
"3 - Champion Weapons can be obtained either by completing the Champion Quest OR through helping to defend the realm in RvR combat. Both options are available, depending on your preferred style of play.
"4. For that matter, ALL rewards in Darkness Rising can either be obtained through a PvE or RvR related method. It is your choice as to how you want to help your king and realm.
"We will follow up with information similar to this if we see any other confusion or concerns about Darkness Rising. Please send us your feedback forms ("Questions" category) if you have any specific questions about Darkness Rising that we can help clear up. Thanks!"
Thanks for the information, Jeff!
Q: Will you be able to get Crowd Control or Heals by using Champion Levels from Darkness Rising?
A: Regarding crowd control - not no, but HECK no. There is plenty in the game right now. We are not adding more in Darkness Rising. Small heals, however, will be one of the options. Think "bandaid" or possibly "field dressing" as opposed to "replacement for the healer in your party."
Q: You guys gave us a choice on task dungeon, either catacomb dungeons for the melee classes or long corridors for the caster classes right? Some of the caster layouts aren't that caster friendly. I will give you an example, I am on this task dungeon now where there are these ramps that go up well just out of sight is a mob that I cannot blast unless I get almost to the top of the ramp.
A: I've gotten the feedback that some of the "caster" instanced layouts are actually not caster friendly, but rarely enough detail in the feedback to request the right changes.
We CAN change the dungeons, but we need some pretty specific information to do so. The instances are generated from a toolbox full of difference pieces and mob sets, and to find the bits that you find problematic, we need the following information when you send in your feedback:
The zone/location of the instance
The name of the taskmaster that generated the instance
The exact name of the monster that is sitting at the top of ramp (or right inside the door, etc).
Thanks in advance for the information.
Q: I have searched both the herald and the knowledge base, but cannot find an answer to my simple question. What is the maximum length of a guild name? Before we form a guild and end up with a truncated name, we would like an answer to this simple yet perplexing question :)
A: 30 characters, says Code Ed - that includes spaces. Plan away!
Q: Since the new 1.78 patch, I can no longer cancel shade form on shades of mist and still receive the 200hp ablative reactive proc. Any reason for this?
A: Yes. The ability to cancel the form and keep the bonus was a bug. Basically, the bonus was meant to be a nice one, but one with a price to pay. You get the bonus in return for advertising to enemy players that you have it, so that your enemies can decide how/if they want to attack. TANSTAAFL.
How you feel about the APPEARANCE of the shade form is a completely different kind of feedback, and one that has been passed on to the team in all its glory and volume.
***
http://camelotvault.ign.com - These guys are going to have an EXCLUSIVE Darkness Rising video this weekend. It's the very same video we debuted at the game show in Leipzig , Germany . (April Roundtable attendees will recognize the first thirty seconds of the video, of course - we try to give our Roundtable guests all the true "first looks.") Three different movies will take their bow at Gamezone, MMORPG.com, and IGN Vault on Monday, and all four flicks will be available for download on Wednesday. But our friends at the Camelot Vault will be the only hosts this weekend - join them at 3 PM EDT tomorrow, Saturday the 20th , and see for yourself many of the new champion weapons.
Why are you not signed up for the weekend of games and general outrageous behavior in Las Vegas ? Sign up and be guaranteed a spot in the Darkness Rising beta test beginning on September 1. The first three hundred to register will also receive a copy of the released version of DR. And last but not least, everyone who attends will get a special in game item - your very own Gargoyle trophy.
Go here now: http://roundtable.darkageofcamelot.com/Sept_05_LasVegas.php - and don't forget to save your hotel room, as the reserved block in our name will soon be released to the general public.
Why have you not entered the Roundtable Roadtrip Photo Contest ? The sender of every photo I receive by August 23rd will receive a Darkness Rising Beta. Remember, it's Sanya AT mythicentertainment DOT com. If I don't reply (with a form letter, though I wish it could be a personal note), please send it again. This is the easiest, cheapest way to get the Roundtable to come to YOU.
A wave of the hanky and a salute to SSG D. Black of Bedevere - come home soon and safely.
Don't forget our calendar contest . A little bird tells me that the calendar is going to be used as a promotional item for Mythic this year - your artwork could be sent to hundreds of game industry professionals in 2006. What are you waiting for?
See you Monday, everybody.
