Announcements - 2000/07 - To Raise a Banner of Flame

Event Teaser
''Material retrieved from original Zone caches available at http://web.archive.org.

''Original Link - http://www.zone.com/asheronscall/news/ASHEJulyteaser.asp



 

July 7, 2000

Lo Ma, Jeweler of Lin, smiled as he accepted the payment from Kouron. "Thank you," he said, with polished professional gratitude. "It's hard to make a living in a forest town - "

Lo Ma was cut short as the ground swayed; he stumbled, but Kouron, who was not only (in his own opinion) a masterful item enchanter but a fine archer as well, rode out the movement with ease. “Another one!” Lo Ma cried. “And the sky's turning colors, the air feels oppressive - ”

“And there are golems in the mountains that I haven't seen since the last time I went to the Dires, ”Kouron said, with a cool hunter's smile. “And I hear of drudge lurkers in the forests to the far north - what a pleasure that will be.”

Lo Ma shook his head and muttered under his breath; Kouron's smile remained.

“Imagine!” To Za-I, Lin's Weaponsmith, stomped over, both irritation and wonder on her face. “Krau-Li! I haven't heard that name in years!”

Kouron shrugged, but Lo Ma exclaimed, “That old warrior with the fine jitte, said to be Ben Ten's rival! Has he been found?”

To Za-I shook her head. “I doubt it - I think he joined his ancestors long ago - only, some idiots are throwing the name around as if they had found him! But look at this. ”She held up a tiny cloth sack. “Lo Ma, you are a jeweler. You know metals as well as I do. I was given this today. What do you make of it?”

Lo Ma carefully opened the sack. Curious, Kouron casually reached out and touched the cool, gritty powder, letting it slide across his fingertips. . . and suddenly recoiled. “Oh no, ”he muttered in alarm and distaste. The others stared at him in blank surprise. “I think - I think this metal. . . never mind! Who gave it to you?”

Fulfilling our commitment to bring players a world-altering event each month, we'll be opening “To Raise a Banner of Flame” next week! These days in Dereth have grown dark indeed, the sun's light filtered through motes of ash in the air. Along with these dark skies, the orange burning sun - threat of fresh danger fills the realm. If your travels bring you to the northern and southern mountains or the deep north forests, be forewarned of increasingly powerful monsters. Adventurers unprepared for fierce battles should remove themselves from these areas at once!

Continue your role in this incredible on-going story - we'll see you in Dereth!

Rollout Article
''Material retrieved from original Zone caches available at http://web.archive.org.

''Original Link - http://www.zone.com/asheronscall/news/ASHEnewsbanner3.asp



 

July 11, 2000

Fulfilling our commitment to bring players a world-altering event each month, we've opened “To Raise a Banner of Flame”. These days in Dereth have grown dark indeed, the sun's light filtering through motes of ash in the air. Along with these dark skies, the orange burning sun - threat of fresh danger fills the realm. High-level heroes have been seen staggering back to safer towns, claiming to have come from a hereto unseen land; their claims have been questioned, however, since none of these survivors seem able, or willing, to map this land's location. Instead, content to nurse soot-blackened faces and anoint searing burns, they vehemently warn all listeners against retracing their steps. Tis not a land for the novice, they warn. Tis a place sure to see bones of the mighty among us. According to their tales, new and stronger monstrous kin have surfaced in Dereth, include one unnamed horror of terrible strength. A beast worse than a veritable rain of fire! those heroes claiming to have faced it cry.

Whatever beast these men allude to, true evidence of fearsome monsters has surfaced just east of the Direlands. The straights leading in have become flooded with tougher creatures, apparently fleeing eastward from their old home, pushed out by the stronger forces appearing there last month.

Whether these stories are to be believed or not, July's event promises some prominent changes in the game. Other strange new rumors have spread through the towns - rumors of a powerful new force effecting the magic of all of Dereth's adventurers. A force these rumors call: “anti-magic”. The implications of this force are dire for some - already many magic shops have begun hiring guards and boarding their windows in fear, as if this “anti-magic” would march from the hillsides like an army of Olthoi soldiers. In addition, entirely new weapons, including strong variations of maces and spears, have been discovered - some weapons comprised of elements never before seen!

Read the new State of the Code and Build Notes, July, to learn the full scope of the update. Be part of this incredible on-going story - we'll see you in Dereth!

Build Notes
''Material retrieved from original Zone caches available at http://web.archive.org.

''Original Link - http://classic.zone.msn.com/asheronscall/news/ASHEnewsJulybuild.asp



 

July 11, 2000

Here are just some of the details from the July 11, 2000 game update: To Raise a Banner of Flame. This list is culled from "check-in" notes submitted by the game developers themselves. Notes of greatest importance are listed first.

Not all changes have been included with these build notes - that would spoil the fun of finding out everything that has been added or changed! Also, some changes provide ways for players to drive our evolving story forward, and thus we won't entirely reveal them here. As usual, though, the Town Criers, Barkeeps, and Scribes may know the latest news! Also, the trades of crafting and selling are always in flux, so changes to prices and abilities of items are not always listed here in their entirety.

Detailed Notes for Builds 2370-2389:


 * Squelch has been updated. There is now a new set of commands to enable a user to take more control over their gaming experience. The improved functionality will allow you to squelch all characters from a single player. You can also filter out unwanted messages, such as assessment. All other previous functionality of squelch remains the same. For a complete list of all commands, try the in-game help by typing: /help squelch, /help filter, /help advancedsquelch and /help messagetypes.
 * All wands, whether new or previously owned, fire more slowly.
 * All quest-item wands, whether new or previously owned, use half as much mana.
 * Only new non-quest-item wands will use half as much mana - we were unable to change old non-quest-item wands.
 * Certain monsters, such as Olthoi, Lugians, Zefirs, and Phyntos Wasps, are more likely to switch their targets than before, and attack those who are hurting them the most.
 * It less likely that you will pop off the edge of a mountain and slide down the slope.
 * Strange new weapons with properties unseen before in Dereth have been added.
 * More powerful spears and maces have been introduced.
 * The maximum stacking size for spell components has been increased to 100 and for craft items to 50.
 * New spells to discover have been added!
 * New extremely powerful monsters, residing in a place yet to be discovered by powerful adventurers, have been added . . . be careful where you tread!
 * The problems with players receiving " You are not a Player Killer " error, or (if PK) hurting themselves while firing arrows, have been fixed.
 * Using mana stones on Compound Bows now brings up a confirmation panel.
 * Monsters in some dungeons now regenerate a bit more slowly, to prevent the dungeons from getting too overloaded.
 * New and exciting dungeons have been added for all to enjoy.
 * Added alchemy/fletching/cooking mastery to the treasure system - magic hats now have a 5% chance of having one of these spells on it.
 * Chances that a Diamond Golem will drop a heart have been increased.
 * The odds of getting a trophy from certain banderlings have been increased.
 * Corpses no longer float! Gravity has sucked them back down to earth.
 * Ambient sound upgrade project has begun. The center of the Obsidian Plain and volcanic regions have received love in this update. More to come.