Norrathian News ~ September 2012

[Dexella]

It’s a start of a new month, and a lot is happening in our beloved Norrath. Here’s a peek at just a few of the new features and events that will be happening this September. More will be revealed in the coming weeks!

Ethereal Charms (NEW!)

The ethereal winds have shifted in Norrath. In the month of August, mysterious and powerful weapons were randomly appearing across the land. This month, new items with similar power are beginning to appear. What could their presence mean?

Sleeper’s Tomb

What rests within this tomb? Only the bravest of adventurers should dare to enter this new zone in mid-September for new group/raid content!

The Goblin Games Continue!

Step right up! Play one of three new mini-games, released in August, for your chance at potions, armor, mounts, and more! Additional tickets are available in the Marketplace.

Neriak City Festival – September 1-7, 2012

The Far Seas Trading Company is pleased to bring this traveling festival to Neriak once again. The Neriak City Festival is a highly-anticipated spectacle, in which all Norrathians may participate. Also in town is the Neriak Aether Race. Catch them before they leave!

Moonlight Enchantments – September 20-21, 2012

The phase of the moon is nearly right, and with the blessing of Tunare, Norrathians might soon stumble upon an entrance to a magical place. As they journey through Norrath, adventurers should be on the lookout for enchanted mushroom rings. But act quickly; the rings are active for a very short time each month!

Community Meet & Greets

We’re extending summer into September for our Community Meet & Greet events! Join us for dancing, fireworks, chatting, and summer festivities! If there are any necessary changes to the schedule, we will update you.

• Oasis – Tuesday, September 4th, 5:00 pm PDT*
• Valor – Friday, September 7th, 12:00 pm PDT*
• Permafrost – Wednesday, September 12th, 5:00 pm PDT*
• Guk – Friday, September 14th, 5:00 pm PDT*
• Crushbone – Monday, September 17th, 5:00 pm PDT*
• Antonia Bayle – Wednesday, September 19th, 5:00 pm PDT*
• Nagafen – Monday, September 24th, 5:00 pm PDT*

*Convert to local time.

[Celline-Layonaire]

So does this mean the Sleeper's Tomb will be separate from GU65?

[MrWolfie]

This would have been great news, if it wasn't FIVE days late! Why wasn't this posted on AUG 31st?

It would also be nice if this ETHEREAL stuff had a bigger chance to drop in ANY exquisite chests (on top of whatever the "random" chance is). I had TWO metal chests drop off trash in Library, got all excited and then opened the chest to find it was only a Master :P

I can't complain too much, as I did manage to get three of the weapons last month, which is more than many folks, but still...

What do you mean "The Goblin Games Continue"?  Are the Goblin Games going away? They seemed like a pretty permanent feature to me. So that's like no new content, but hey, old content introduced last month is still here. I suppose some people might not know, but new players don't know about Miragul's Menagerie either, so lets remind them that is still there too... Great news for September!

It would also be lovely if /get_hot displayed all the current hot zones on the server and not just the one in DoV. Please fix ASAP :)

[Raienya]

Dexella wrote:

It’s a start of a new month, and a lot is happening in our beloved Norrath. Here’s a peek at just a few of the new features and events that will be happening this September. More will be revealed in the coming weeks!

Ethereal Charms (NEW!)

The ethereal winds have shifted in Norrath. In the month of August, mysterious and powerful weapons were randomly appearing across the land. This month, new items with similar power are beginning to appear. What could their presence mean?

Sleeper’s Tomb

What rests within this tomb? Only the bravest of adventurers should dare to enter this new zone in mid-September for new group/raid content!

The Goblin Games Continue!

Step right up! Play one of three new mini-games, released in August, for your chance at potions, armor, mounts, and more! Additional tickets are available in the Marketplace.

Neriak City Festival – September 1-7, 2012

The Far Seas Trading Company is pleased to bring this traveling festival to Neriak once again. The Neriak City Festival is a highly-anticipated spectacle, in which all Norrathians may participate. Also in town is the Neriak Aether Race. Catch them before they leave!

Moonlight Enchantments – September 20-21, 2012

The phase of the moon is nearly right, and with the blessing of Tunare, Norrathians might soon stumble upon an entrance to a magical place. As they journey through Norrath, adventurers should be on the lookout for enchanted mushroom rings. But act quickly; the rings are active for a very short time each month!

Community Meet & Greets

We’re extending summer into September for our Community Meet & Greet events! Join us for dancing, fireworks, chatting, and summer festivities! If there are any necessary changes to the schedule, we will update you.

• Oasis – Tuesday, September 4th, 5:00 pm PDT*
• Valor – Friday, September 7th, 12:00 pm PDT*
• Guk – Monday, September 10th, 5:00 pm PDT*
• Permafrost – Wednesday, September 12th, 5:00 pm PDT*
• Crushbone – Monday, September 17th, 5:00 pm PDT*
• Antonia Bayle – Wednesday, September 19th, 5:00 pm PDT*
• Nagafen – Monday, September 24th, 5:00 pm PDT*

*Convert to local time.

Ethereal Charms=Time sink that is going to tick many people off, just from the posts about the Ethereal Weapons.

Sleeper's Tomb=Possibly interesting, depending on how many bugs make it into live.

Goblin Games=money waste. I know one guy on my server played 275 games to try and get the flying lion mount, never did.

City Festival and Moonlight Enchantments=NOT new, they occur every month, with the city festival changing venues.

Community Meet & Greets=ok, but usually a lagfest and not much to do. Remove the no-zone tag from the beverages and you might have something people would spend gold on.

And isn't Windstalker supposed to be posting these things? No problem with Dexella at all, just wondering when SoE is going to get things stable on who does what over there.

[Onurissa]

Are we still getting goblin tickets each month as well?

[Natsume]

I have visited Neriak yesterday trying to find the festival and I found nothing, not a single new quest

[Tylia]

Natsume wrote:

I have visited Neriak yesterday trying to find the festival and I found nothing, not a single new quest

The Neriak city festival is actually held out in Darklight Woods, near the entrance to Neriak. 

[Natsume]

Tylia@Butcherblock wrote:

Natsume wrote:

I have visited Neriak yesterday trying to find the festival and I found nothing, not a single new quest

The Neriak city festival is actually held out in Darklight Woods, near the entrance to Neriak. 

Well that's something they don't tell you! Thank you! /bow

I read somewhere that Gorowyn and Freeport have there own versions or is it one city every month and that's it?

[Finora]

City festivals only happen once a month, each month in a different city. It's like a travelling fair.

If you look on the in game calendar you can see which city it will be in next.

[Dexella]

Onurissa@Antonia Bayle wrote:

Are we still getting goblin tickets each month as well?

The next monthly grant will be in October, but yes, those will continue. 

[The_Cheeseman]

Aemm@Splitpaw wrote:

It would also be nice if this ETHEREAL stuff had a bigger chance to drop in ANY exquisite chests (on top of whatever the "random" chance is). I had TWO metal chests drop off trash in Library, got all excited and then opened the chest to find it was only a Master

You are aware that this request makes no sense, right? The type of chest that appears (ornate, exquisite, etc.) is determined by which items the MOB dropped, not vice-versa. When you kill a MOB, the game generates loot which is determined by the various loot tables that MOB is hooked-up to. The chest that appears is based on the highest tier of item that gets generated. If the MOB drops a fabled item, an exquisite chest will appear. You can't change the drop rates based on what type of chest drops, because the type of chest is determined by the items that dropped.

[Dexella]

Natsume wrote:

I read somewhere that Gorowyn and Freeport have there own versions or is it one city every month and that's it?

Gorowyn and Freeport do have Festivals! The featured city does rotate each month. We've already gone to Gorowyn twice in 2012, but we will return to Freeport before the end of the year. 

[Natsume]

Dexella wrote:

Natsume wrote:

I read somewhere that Gorowyn and Freeport have there own versions or is it one city every month and that's it?

Gorowyn and Freeport do have Festivals! The featured city does rotate each month. We've already gone to Gorowyn twice in 2012, but we will return to Freeport before the end of the year. 

Thanks for clearing that up, I was a little confused because I had gone to Gorowyn twice and found it at both times. Can you please post somewhere to tell people where in Neriak the festival is? If it wasn't for what Tylia told me I wouldn't have participated at all. 

[Dexella]

Raienya wrote:

And isn't Windstalker supposed to be posting these things? 

This is our first month trying out the feature this way. It's a new idea and a new structure. We've got some components we're still working out, but I can tell you that you will be hearing from Windstalker as well.  

Also, since this is new, any feedback about how to format it and what to include is very much appreciated. I'm already working on a new introduction/set-up to highlight what is "New" versus what is "Featured/Returning" in order to avoid confusion.

Thanks. 

~Dexella

[Vinyard]

Dexella wrote:

Raienya wrote:

And isn't Windstalker supposed to be posting these things? 

This is our first month trying out the feature this way. It's a new idea and a new structure. We've got some components we're still working out, but I can tell you that you will be hearing from Windstalker as well.  

Also, since this is new, any feedback about how to format it and what to include is very much appreciated. I'm already working on a new introduction/set-up to highlight what is "New" versus what is "Featured/Returning" in order to avoid confusion.

Thanks. 

~Dexella

Reading is hard. We want pictures.

Also, I see nothing about heroic scarecrows returning. So this post must be in error, and obviously a trial/error thing.

[Dexella]

Natsume wrote:

Dexella wrote:

Natsume wrote:

I read somewhere that Gorowyn and Freeport have there own versions or is it one city every month and that's it?

Gorowyn and Freeport do have Festivals! The featured city does rotate each month. We've already gone to Gorowyn twice in 2012, but we will return to Freeport before the end of the year. 

Thanks for clearing that up, I was a little confused because I had gone to Gorowyn twice and found it at both times. Can you please post somewhere to tell people where in Neriak the festival is? If it wasn't for what Tylia told me I wouldn't have participated at all. 

I can absolutely add that to the articles in future months. I'll also post a comment on this month's article directing people to the Darklight Woods. 

~Dexella

[Silzin]

1.      Is there going to be any new Group Content with the new raid content?

2.      Also how many X4 and X2 raids is involved in Sleeper's Tomb?

3.      Is Test Copy going to be opened ... Very sown so these zones can be tested and debugged or are you only using the Beta Server for this?   If you are only using the beta server can you open Beta Copy's so we can get people to it and test stuff for you?  since I am sure you are doing a wonderful job doing  internal testing.  

[Lizabethan]

Regarding the city fests, would it be possible to have a one-time quest showing you the way each month? I imagine it to be under level 20 (for new players) but mostly so that flashing red book would make the location impossible to miss.

In other news, yay meet and greets! Will we see the Guides?

[Cyliena]

Lizabethan wrote:

Regarding the city fests, would it be possible to have a one-time quest showing you the way each month? I imagine it to be under level 20 (for new players) but mostly so that flashing red book would make the location impossible to miss.

Very nice idea but I imagine a lot of people being angry (like the ones for the house quests in FP/Qey).

Our City Festivals guide on zam keeps track of which festival is where each month (and the text up top will auto-update itself when a new month rolls over). We also have info on where to find each festival location. Not a great solution for in-game but just an option!

[ranga]

Please get rid of the centred text and justify it pref left lol. That is all.

[Celline-Layonaire]

Raienya wrote:

Dexella wrote:

It’s a start of a new month, and a lot is happening in our beloved Norrath. Here’s a peek at just a few of the new features and events that will be happening this September. More will be revealed in the coming weeks!

Ethereal Charms (NEW!)

The ethereal winds have shifted in Norrath. In the month of August, mysterious and powerful weapons were randomly appearing across the land. This month, new items with similar power are beginning to appear. What could their presence mean?

Sleeper’s Tomb

What rests within this tomb? Only the bravest of adventurers should dare to enter this new zone in mid-September for new group/raid content!

The Goblin Games Continue!

Step right up! Play one of three new mini-games, released in August, for your chance at potions, armor, mounts, and more! Additional tickets are available in the Marketplace.

Neriak City Festival – September 1-7, 2012

The Far Seas Trading Company is pleased to bring this traveling festival to Neriak once again. The Neriak City Festival is a highly-anticipated spectacle, in which all Norrathians may participate. Also in town is the Neriak Aether Race. Catch them before they leave!

Moonlight Enchantments – September 20-21, 2012

The phase of the moon is nearly right, and with the blessing of Tunare, Norrathians might soon stumble upon an entrance to a magical place. As they journey through Norrath, adventurers should be on the lookout for enchanted mushroom rings. But act quickly; the rings are active for a very short time each month!

Community Meet & Greets

We’re extending summer into September for our Community Meet & Greet events! Join us for dancing, fireworks, chatting, and summer festivities! If there are any necessary changes to the schedule, we will update you.

• Oasis – Tuesday, September 4th, 5:00 pm PDT*
• Valor – Friday, September 7th, 12:00 pm PDT*
• Guk – Monday, September 10th, 5:00 pm PDT*
• Permafrost – Wednesday, September 12th, 5:00 pm PDT*
• Crushbone – Monday, September 17th, 5:00 pm PDT*
• Antonia Bayle – Wednesday, September 19th, 5:00 pm PDT*
• Nagafen – Monday, September 24th, 5:00 pm PDT*

*Convert to local time.

Ethereal Charms=Time sink that is going to tick many people off, just from the posts about the Ethereal Weapons.

Sleeper's Tomb=Possibly interesting, depending on how many bugs make it into live.

Goblin Games=money waste. I know one guy on my server played 275 games to try and get the flying lion mount, never did.

City Festival and Moonlight Enchantments=NOT new, they occur every month, with the city festival changing venues.

Community Meet & Greets=ok, but usually a lagfest and not much to do. Remove the no-zone tag from the beverages and you might have something people would spend gold on.

And isn't Windstalker supposed to be posting these things? No problem with Dexella at all, just wondering when SoE is going to get things stable on who does what over there.

1) It isn't even a Producer's Letter

2) Does posting these kind of news require any specialized knowledge?

[MrWolfie]

The_Cheeseman wrote:

You are aware that this request makes no sense, right? The type of chest that appears (ornate, exquisite, etc.) is determined by which items the MOB dropped, not vice-versa. When you kill a MOB, the game generates loot which is determined by the various loot tables that MOB is hooked-up to. The chest that appears is based on the highest tier of item that gets generated. If the MOB drops a fabled item, an exquisite chest will appear. You can't change the drop rates based on what type of chest drops, because the type of chest is determined by the items that dropped.

I am aware that the type of chest is determined by the loot that drops, but the request makes sense if the type of chest is known (which it is) and further loot can be rolled (which might be possible - I certainly don't know one way or another).  You know there are multiple loot rolls determined before the chest appears to the players, right?

For all I know, it may be easy to implement a fairly simple IF/AND/THEN statement to determine if there's an additional loot roll. But, no, you're right, it's probably impossible.

Whether I'd *want* to is another question; personally, I think they're a little too rare atm. Rarer than (Master) upgrades off trash, which surprises me - I would have thought they'd want these things to drop more than exquisites usually do.

[The_Cheeseman]

Aemm@Splitpaw wrote:

I am aware that the type of chest is determined by the loot that drops, but the request makes sense if the type of chest is known (which it is) and further loot can be rolled (which might be possible - I certainly don't know one way or another).  You know there are multiple loot rolls determined before the chest appears to the players, right?

For all I know, it may be easy to implement a fairly simple IF/AND/THEN statement to determine if there's an additional loot roll. But, no, you're right, it's probably impossible.

Whether I'd *want* to is another question; personally, I think they're a little too rare atm. Rarer than (Master) upgrades off trash, which surprises me - I would have thought they'd want these things to drop more than exquisites usually do.

So you're asking for them to add an additional chance to drop an ethereal weapon any time a MOB drops a fabled item? There are too many MOBs with a guaranteed fabled drop for that to be a good idea, I think. It would encourage farming specific MOBs, which runs counter to the intent of the event.

[Dexella]

Edit: Guk's Meet & Greet was moved from Monday the 10th to Friday the 14th.

Thanks.

~Dexella

[Destria]

Dexella wrote:

Ethereal Charms (NEW!)

The ethereal winds have shifted in Norrath. In the month of August, mysterious and powerful weapons were randomly appearing across the land. This month, new items with similar power are beginning to appear. What could their presence mean?

O yay, more cool stuff that a few people will get 5-10 of, while noone else will see one without shelling out several thousands of plat.  This might be a worthwhile and get people excited if there was a real chance of getting one, not just a few accounts with special flagging, or whatever it is that makes them so special.