Legends of Norrath Tournament Testing Resumes! – 10/05/07
Join us this Saturday and Sunday (October 6th – 7th) for the third weekend of major Legends of Norrath tournaments! We will be loading up the tournament queues this weekend and would appreciate your help. We'll be giving out rewards to those that place well and some even for just participating. Please join us at the two following times this weekend!*
Saturday, October 6th
- Legends of Norrath Constructed Stress Test Tournament
- 11:00 AM Pacific Time (server time)
- Entry Fee: No Entry Fee
- Create your best deck using the cards in your collection and bring it to the tournament.
- 1st place wins a loot card of their choice!
- 2nd – 4th place will each receive 3 booster packs
- 5th – 16th place will each receive 1 booster pack
- One random participant out of every ten participants who complete the tournament will also receive a Legends of Norrath booster pack.
Sunday, October 7th
- Legends of Norrath Constructed Stress Test Tournament
- 11:00 AM Pacific Time (server time)
- Entry Fee: No Entry Fee
- Create your best deck using the cards in your collection and bring it to the tournament.
- 1st place wins a loot card of their choice!
- 2nd – 4th place will each receive 3 booster packs
- 5th – 16th place will each receive 1 booster pack
- One random participant out of every ten participants who complete the tournament will also receive a Legends of Norrath booster pack.
*You must be registered to play in tournaments. To do this you must purchase at least one booster pack or starter deck in the Legends of Norrath Store.
- New Cultural Tradeskill Recipes: The long awaited cultural update has been implemented. You will find the new books you need on "historians" that you can find in some of the more popular shopping zones. You will actually learn the new recipes directly by scribing these books. With this change the old recipes have been disabled.
- Copy Layout Window: Typing either /copylayout or pressing the Copy Layout button within the General tab of the Options window will bring up a list of all your UI_name_server.ini files with each layout stored in them (along with the ones stored in defaults.ini). Selecting one will copy the layout you selected over the current layout, including any custom skin, viewport and alpha/color/fade settings that might be in use. This can also be done directly (for those with a custom UI that does not contain the new window) by typing "/copylayout resolution INI_filename" where resolution is in the form "1280x1024" or "Windowed" for the windowed layout. INI_filename is optional, and defaults to the currently logged in character’s UI INI file.
- Fabled Adventurer Drinks: Criers around the world are carrying news of a new pair of drinks honoring the fabled adventurers.
Will there be a pre-order reward for SoF? Rashere says "yes" in the EQPlayers forums:
"There will be. If it hasn't been announced yet, it will be soon. All I'll say for now is that I saw the near-final art for the item yesterday and its one of the coolest devices I've seen in EQ."
Woot!
And it's not the warg mount, according to Rashere: "The worg mount is the in-box (and equivalent for digital versions) reward, not the pre-order item."
"The Elddar elves fled Tunaria, the land now known as Antonica, to escape the destruction that Solusek Ro wrought upon their land. They found their way east, to Faydwer. Over time on the new continent, the Elddar branched off into two distinct tribes: the Koada'dal and the Fier'dal. A fraction of the Fier'dal population settled in the Hills of Shade, creating a small village they named Kirathas. The elves of Kirathas cherished nature, and resided in simple wooden huts not unlike the structures of Kelethin.
Much later, an enterprising group of humans led by their captain Han Jensen, "discovered" Faydwer while searching for profitable fishing routes. They erected a crude port on the northern coast, opposite from Kirathas in the southwest, and named it Blackwater. Under Jensen's orders, they made a point of keeping Blackwater's location a closely guarded secret. This protected the sanctity of their bountiful fishing port, but it also eliminated any possibility of a rescue should disaster strike.
It was only a matter of time before the elves and the humans met. The first introduction was between a young fisherman, Fendel, and the daughter of Kirathas' leader, an elven girl named Amber. They stumbled upon one another at an elder oak tree. Their initial fear of each other melted away, replaced by curiosity. Curiosity turned to friendship, and friendship blossomed into love. This was a union that was blessed by the goddess of love, Erollisi Marr."
Get an early start on downloading the Secrets of Faydwer expansion files to avoid long update times on launch day! Starting the morning of October 5, 2007 we will be placing the expansion files on LaunchPad for pre-downloading to your EverQuest directory for the live game.
In order to pre-download the files you will need to ‘Enable Background Downloading’. To check your status, open the LaunchPad, log in, and click on Preferences.
From WarCry, an exclusive interview with John Smedley, President and CEO of Sony Online Entertainment:
"As the President and CEO of Sony Online Entertainment (SOE), John Smedley oversees the largest portfolio of AAA MMOs on the planet. With fans as passionate as they are about their games, it's no surprise that he has evolved from a simple game programmer to easily the most polarizing personality in the video game development industry. Today, SOE is a company in transition as Smedley works to bring MMOs into the mainstream. He spoke to us about his company and each of the titles in their library in a wide-ranging interview."
The Vault Network is once again very excited to announce the launching of our latest site, Tabula Rasa Vault. Please take a moment and drop by to see what is going on with this highly anticipated game crafted by MMO legend Richard Garriott.
SOE Breaks Out of the Box Unveiling A New Art Direction For Franchise Titles EverQuest® And EverQuest® II!
SOE's new box art for the upcoming expansions signals a new marketing direction for flagship MMO titles, emphasizing that both upcoming expansions will ship with all the previous content to date, and moving away from a literal interpretation of the lore elements in both games as cover art.
Previously, the cover art for boxed sets included a picture of a major character, such as Firiona Vie or Antonia Bayle. The new artwork is more generic and "captures the mystery and adventure of game play, without the strict literal interpretation of the in-game characters and art," according to SOE. The new box art is less stylized and has a more modern feel, while still conveying the feeling of a fantasy-based game.
Currently in development, the EQ expansion, Secrets of Faydwer™, and EQII expansion, Rise of Kunark™, are scheduled to be available at participating retail stores and via digital download on November 13th.
Combined, EQ and EQII have sold more than 4.5 Million copies in the eight year history of the franchise. Traditionally, the graphics of both games have been highly stylized and the key art box fronts have reflected the look and feel of a fantasy novel, complete with characters and action.
EQ veterans may recall that there has been an ongoing concern about marketing efforts for the two titles, and this move seems to be a nod to gaining a larger audience, both by releasing a box for retail distribution, and adding a fresh feel with the artwork. The ability to own the entire game in one box is also new, and may relieve the bottleneck of finding the original game in a boxed set and then purchasing sets of all the expansions.
Letting go of the Firiona Vie icon as the key artwork theme for the boxed set of Secrets of Faydwer is an interesting move, breaking EQ out of the "dungeons and dragons" mode, at least for browsers at retail outlets. The new more generic art on the box cover allows the game buyer to form their own impressions of the game, rather than depicting EverQuest as a specific type of adventuring game play.
By choosing a generic fantasy theme, rather than the now almost decade-old art style of previous box sets, it seems that the inclusive Secrets of Faydwer boxed set is being positioned to attract new players in the increasingly competitive marketplace for MMOs.
Check out the screenshots of Bloodmoon Keep, the werewolf infested, cursed castle:
"Bloodmoon Keep was once the elven holy site known as Faygannen, Temple of the Vines. Decades ago the vampire prince Mayong Mistmoore grew worried at the proximity of the holy site to Castle Mistmoore. He sent his forces to destroy the temple and cover it in a dark curse, trapping the spirits of the slain elves in the halls of the castle. For many years the elven ghosts suffered in silence, unable to pass into the Realm of Growth and the presence of Tunare. Now, with the arrival of Ralkor Bloodmoon, the desolate spirits of Faygannen find themselves twice cursed.
Once the Prophet of Clan Crushbone, Ralkor Bloodmoon failed in a foolish coup to overthrow Emperor Crush. Bloodmoon barely escaped with his life and a small band of loyal orcs into the wilds of the Faydark. Somewhere between the Crushbone court and Faygannen, the Bloodmoon tribe was overtaken by a dark curse and infused with terrible, feral might. The Fangbreakers, a society of werewolf hunters, has begun to investigate the source of their new vigor, but have so far had little success.
Travelers say that a new race of lycanthropes stirs within Bloodmoon Keep. Ralkor may be a beast by nature, but his cunning cannot be denied and his ambition knows no limits. Given time the shadow of the Bloodmoon could overtake all of Faydwer."
Did you ever do anything really unique in EQ? Now there's a place for all that stuff to be recorded and remembered for all time, the EverQuest Hall of Fame:
"The Hall of Fame features EverQuest adventurers who earned titles, artifacts, items named after their characters from the Legends server, won contests and forum challenges, and more.
Over the years, many events, contests, challenges and other activities that gave adventurers a chance to make their mark in the world have taken place. There has never been a place to truly highlight these unique achievements until now."
Curious about Legends of Norrath? This weekend will have extra card drops in EQ and EQ2, so now is a great time to explore what LoN is all about.
Find out more about the game in EQVault's exclusive interview with Paul Dennen, Senior Game Designer for Legends of Norrath. I learned what's coming for the future of LoN, what makes a great trading card game, and what makes LoN unique!
Calling all EverQuest® and EverQuest® II players! What's more fun than defeating opponents in your game and picking up Legends of Norrath booster packs, starter decks, and combo packs? Well, how about the opportunity to get even more of them?
Introducing the Legends of Norrath Promotion Weekend beginning at 2PM (PDT) Friday, September 28th and concluding at 11:59PM (PDT) on Sunday, September 30th. During this special weekend, EQ and EQII players will not only enjoy a significantly increased rate of card pack drops, but will have the opportunity to obtain two brand new cards, Hatred (1P1) and Switch (1P2).
For now, these two new cards will only be available during this three-day promotional weekend, so don't miss out on the chance to get them!
It's not only a great time for current Legends of Norrath players to score big, but the perfect opportunity for EQ and EQII players to come see what all the buzz is about with this great new addition to the universe of Norrath. It will be a blast – especially with such an increased opportunity to win cards!
So combat those EQ and EQII enemies this weekend and loot, loot, loot! Then use your card bounty to continue on your way to becoming the ultimate Legends of Norrath player!
Beginning at 11:30 p.m. PDT (12:30am MDT, 1:30am CDT, 2:30am EDT, -7 GMT) on Monday, September 24th, all SOE services will be unavailable so that we can perform significant upgrades to our authentication and account management systems. Currently we expect this maintenance to take approximately 14 hours. But as first indicated, it could extend to as long as 24. Customer service, chat and support will also be unavailable at this time. Phone support will still be accessible. SOE websites will continually be updated throughout the day as to the progress of the maintenance. We apologize for this interruption, however when service is resumed you will have an enhanced user experience to manage your accounts at Station.com.
You can find a transcript of the September 19th House of Commons chat with the developers here with player comments. The full text of the chat is below.
How does your gaming setup look? Check out these home photos of what people's rigs look like.
One poster's point is well taken -- it might cost a bit to purchase all the computer equipment and accounts some people have, but when compared to other entertainment choices, video gaming is still a bargain.
Discover the upcoming Curse of the Bloodmoon in the Loping Plains in this edition of SOE's lore series for the Secrets of Faydwer expansion, due out in November.
Werewolves and other more malevolent forces stalk the Loping Plains (EQII players will be quite familiar with the future Loping Plains and it's strange inhabitants!). This expansion appears to be bringing back some of the horror elements to the game:
"Curse of the Bloodmoon
The Loping Plains occupy the central area of Faydwer. Once a healthy habitat for a large variety of Tunare's creations, the Loping Plains has become cursed and twisted by the influence of dark powers. From the south, the dark forces of the Bloodmoon tribe creep out from Bloodmoon Keep threatening to consume the land, while the curse of an angry god pulses from the northern coast and the Hills of Shade.
Little is known about this new tribe of orcs, but they are believed to be a splinter group from the Crushbone clan led by Ralkor Bloodmoon also known as, "The Prophet". Several rumors that these orcs are lycanthropic have drawn Norrath's most famous werewolf hunters, the Fangbreakers, to the Plains. Larquin Fangbreaker and his band of hunters have come in hopes of whipping out this new curse before it can spread beyond the plains. An unlikely ally has also emerged from the depths of Darkhallow to combat this new curse, but their ultimate goal is as yet unknown.
Along the north coast lies the Hills of Shade, a once lush landscape cursed by the fury of an angry goddess. Damned spirits of Humans and Elves roam through the ruins of their once beautiful cities, cursed to replay the fateful actions of their final days for eternity. The powerful energy of the curse has drawn several visitors to the hills. A holy order of paladins hopes to cleans the curse and free the damned spirits from their torment. Nearby, a conclave of necromancers hopes to harness the power of the curse and use it for their own malicious plans.
Meanwhile, in a dark crypt beneath the hills, the Soulbleeder continues to amass the power of thousands of souls and an army of undead. Soon the Soulbleeder will run out of spirits to consume in the Hills of Shade and certainly head south to begin the culling of the living. "
Sends shivers down the spine! Check the link above for zone screenies.
Legends of Norrath Tournaments Testing Begins this weekend - 9/19/07
Join us this Saturday and Sunday (September 22nd - 23rd) for the first ever Legends of Norrath tournaments! We will be loading up the tournament queues this weekend and would appreciate your help. We'll be giving out rewards to those that place well and some even for just participating. Please join us at the two following times this weekend!
Saturday, September 22nd
Legends of Norrath Constructed Test Tournament
12: 00 noon PDT (server time)
Entry Fee: FREE
Create your best deck using the cards in your collection and bring it to the tournament
1st place wins a loot card of their choice
2nd – 4th place will each receive 3 booster packs
5th – 16th place will each receive 1 booster pack
One random participant out of every ten participants who complete the tournament will also receive a Legends of Norrath booster pack.
Sunday, September 23rd
Legends of Norrath Constructed Test Tournament
12:00 noon PDT (server time)
Entry Fee: FREE
Create your best deck using the cards in your collection and bring it to the tournament
1st place wins a loot card of their choice
2nd – 4th place will each receive 3 booster packs
5th – 16th place will each receive 1 booster pack
One random participant out of every ten participants who complete the tournament will also receive a Legends of Norrath booster pack.
The players have a discussion going on about using Microsoft Vista with EverQuest on the EQPlayers boards.
It can be done, but needs some workarounds. Player Nedrom posted:
"Vista runs your whole UI off your video card which leaves less video ram for EQ to play with.
The best way to speed up EQ in Visa is to right click on eqgame.exe and on one of the tabs you can turn off "desktop composition" this disables the Aero interface and stops the GUI from running on your video card.
I found this was a huge performance increaser for running EQ in Vista.
Vista isn't officially supported either so it's really try it, like it, go back to XP, like a lot of folks."
Thanks Nedrom for the tips! You can see what other people have experienced with the thread link above.
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