ZAM News (full)

ZAM News (full) http://www.zam.com/ ZAM gaming news rss feed WAR Producer Q&A: Free-To-Play "Endless Trial" [Warhammer Online] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20550 <a href="http://www.zam.com/game.html?game=12" target="_blank">Warhammer Online's</a> latest patch, <a href="http://herald.warhammeronline.com/patchnotes/index.php?id=2009_1-3-2" target="_blank">v1.3.2</a>, continues to address many of the <a href="http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=18905" target="_blank">long-standing obstacles</a> the MMO has faced since its launch. As we <a href="http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20162" target="_blank">reported</a> in October, 1.3.2 brought about the removal of forts, the <a href="http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=19983" target="_blank">New User Journey</a>, the Apprenticeship system and more. Many fans consider the recent changes—and those upcoming in 1.3.3—vital to WAR's continued survival in today's cut-throat MMO market. One of the newest additions to the patch 1.3.2 is the <a href="http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20453" target="_blank">Endless Trial</a>, offering new players the chance to "try before they buy" without the former 10-day time limit. Mythic's new Endless Trial essentially changes WAR's entire Tier 1 experience (Ranks 1 through 10) to a free-to-play MMO. We here at ZAM think it's an ambitious move, and a great way to offer potential subscribers the time they need to make an accurate, informed decision; a trial model that many other subscription-based MMOs could learn from. In an effort to learn a bit more about the details of the Endless Trial, ZAM held a Q&A with Mythic producer Josh Drescher. Read on to learn more about the free-to-play trial, as well as the New User Journey that Mythic added to help new players.<a name="pause" title="pause"></a><hr /> <img src="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/148059.jpg" alt="" /> ZAM: After trying out various re-enlistment programs and retail box price points, was the Endless Trial the next logical step for WAR? Does the research indicate that "partial free-to-play" models are more enticing to new and returning players? Josh Drescher: Absolutely. In the wake of our recent 1.3.2 update, WAR is truly better than ever and we want to give people a real chance to come and see the great improvements the game has enjoyed since launch. Beyond that, there’s always been a concern that time-limited trials force players to have an unnecessarily stressful first interaction with the game. Especially if you’re a more casual player, 10 to 14 days may only be enough time for you to log in once or twice to try things out unless you force yourself to play more frequently. We want players to have time to come to WAR, kick the proverbial tires and try things out at THEIR pace. ZAM: It seems like a great way to showcase WAR without time limits or obligations; but is it a fully-featured trial, without restriction until Rank 10? Drescher: The primary restrictions relate to things like the Auction House, mail system, guild control, access to zones outside of Tier 1, etc. These limits are largely intended to reduce opportunities for abuse by spammers, gold farmers and so forth. Beyond that, trial players have access to everything that subscribers can access in Tier 1—including scenarios, RvR and Public Quests. ZAM: How does the Endless Trial leveling mechanic work? Does it automatically cap players at Rank 10, yet allow them to continue playing in Tier 1 indefinitely, without obligation? Drescher: Once players reach rank 10 they no longer level. However, they can continue to participate in Tier 1 content such as open RvR, Scenarios and Public quests. ZAM: Is the Renown Rank also capped at 10? Drescher: Because your allowable Renown Rank is dictated by your overall Rank, it’s automatically limited as well. <img src="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/148058.jpg" alt="" /> ZAM: Can players still experience all that professions have to offer, up to a certain skill cap? Are there any restrictions on the potions and talismans they can create? Drescher: Endless trial players can craft potions and talismans; however, their crafting skills are capped at 125 and will only allow them to make items for players level 10 and under. ZAM: Since players can participate in RvR and the T1 dungeon, is there a limit to the resources they can accumulate, when it comes to things like gear and gold? If not, do all those items carry over if the player decides to become a subscriber? Drescher: There are no limits on resource accumulation (aside from personal storage space) and everything carries over once a player chooses to subscribe. ZAM: Can you tell us a bit about the "New User Journey" for new players? Was it introduced for the sake of accessibility, more than anything else? Drescher: Accessibility is definitely the primary, driving force behind the initiative. Internal polling and metrics had made it clear to us that one of the things that had been 'turning off' newer players was a sense of confusion about how some of the most basic parts of the game function. As MMOs become more popular with a broader audience, we need to be mindful that not everyone is automatically aware that—for example—you get quests from NPCs or that you need to train in order to learn new abilities, etc. The New User Journey initiative was squarely aimed at helping new players—and especially players without any prior MMO experience—understand and feel comfortable with how WAR operates on a very basic level. By offering a much more detailed, but still non-intrusive system for informing players, we’re hoping to make their first experience with WAR as enjoyable as possible. ZAM: Placing new players in a single, paired starting zone does seem like an effective way to nudge RvR and social gameplay in the right direction, but what about the other Tier 1 zones? Even though they will still be accessible via Flightmasters, isn't there a risk that all content could become "ghost towns?" Drescher: All three of the pairings are available to new players; the only difference is that they need to travel to the Dwarf/Greenskin and High Elf/Dark Elf pairings if and when they choose to adventure there. As for the reasoning behind the choice, it was largely a function of us wanting to make sure that new players were entering the game would be able to easily find one another, regardless of the race or career they chose. <img src="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/148057.jpg" alt="" /> ZAM: Does the "New User Journey" in any way affect existing players who have long since left earlier zones? Drescher: The New User Journey is, as you might imagine, primarily targeted at new players. My expectation is that existing players would largely ignore it if and when they choose to create new characters, since it covers things they are almost certainly already aware of. It was important to us that we kept that in mind, which is why we don’t force new characters into a tutorial prior to entering the game world. That being said, I think having more and better informed new players will provide cascading improvement for other players over time. As those new players progress through WAR, they’ll be better allies for existing players to fight beside. ZAM: Can you explain the "Apprenticeship Program?" Drescher: Apprenticeship went live with version 1.3.2 and allows higher level players to apprentice lower level players. This increases their effective combat level to match their master’s and allows them to adventure and fight with their friends regardless of the level gap. ZAM: Many long-time WAR fans were a little worried when they heard the news about the recent layoffs at Mythic; a <a href="http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20480" target="_blank">reported</a> 40 percent of staff. Will the current situation slow WAR's continued development of new content, or the refinement of existing content? Drescher: As stated in our Executive Producer’s <a href="http://herald.warhammeronline.com/warherald/NewsArticle.war?id=980" target="_blank">letter on the subject</a>, we remain committed to our games. Beyond that I can’t comment. ZAM: Thanks for your time, we appreciate it! Producer Reaffirms Support for Warhammer Online [Warhammer Online] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20544 Warhammer Online Producer Jeff Skalski has <a href="http://herald.warhammeronline.com/warherald/NewsArticle.war?id=983" target="_blank">written a letter</a> to follow the one Mythic Executive Producer <a href="http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20496" target="_blank">Jeff Hickman wrote</a> to address the <a href="http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20480" target="_blank">recent layoffs</a> that hit the company. Skalski wants to "reaffirm that our support and dedication to making WAR the best RvR experience in the market has not changed." Skalski said the team is currently working on patch 1.3.3 to get it ready for the test server. The patch will include bug fixes and enhancements to RvR, as well as updates to the graphics that include improved lighting options and bloom. "Over the course of 1.3.3 you’ll get to enjoy three live events including the return of the Battlebrew Backpack in Keg End and the much beloved Night of Murder event in addition to an all new event in the new year," he said. You can read Skalski's full letter after the jump. What are your thoughts on the future of Warhammer Online? <a name="pause" title="pause"></a><blockquote> Hey Fellow Waaaghers, Just wanted to drop a few lines to follow up where our fearless leader, Mr. Hickman, left off reaffirm that our support and dedication to making WAR the best RvR experience in the market has not changed.  We're just a few weeks past the launch of 1.3.2 and heavily testing 1.3.3 as we speak to get it ready for PTS. 1.3.3 brings with it a focus on continued polish and bug fixes, enhancements to RvR as well as other features to improve the quality and enjoyment of your experience. We’ll be sprucing up graphics with improved lighting options and bloom to make the skies pop to life and create some spectacular sights, in addition over the course of 1.3.3 you’ll get to enjoy three live events including the return of the Battlebrew Backpack in Keg End and the much beloved Night of Murder event in addition to an all new event in the new year…yarrrr. We’re anything but bored as you can see and we can’t wait to open the gates on PTS to hear your feedback. Your feedback is vital to ensuring 1.3.3 is a hit so make sure you share it! Till then, we are continuing to actively monitor how the RvR campaign is playing out across the servers and making adjustments as we develop the Underdog system which we look forward to sharing the details about with you soon. In case you haven’t heard the news we’ve now made WAR more accessible than ever! We’ve brought RvR to the Mac for the first time ever so you don’t even need Boot Camp to play (It made me a Mac user!). Additionally your friends and family can play the intense, fast paced action of Tier 1 forever with the new Endless Trial and Windows users only need a quick 1GB download to get into the action while the rest of the game downloads as you play. PQ's are full, scenarios are popping and there are plenty of players scouring the RvR lakes looking for revenge – so why are you still reading? See you on the battlefield, Jeff Skalski </blockquote> WAR Developer Mythic Lays Off 80 Employees [Warhammer Online] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20480 Poor <a href="http://war.allakhazam.com/" target="_blank">Warhammer Online</a>; it just can't seem to catch the break it so desperately needs to get that real second chance it's been waiting for. Earlier today, Gamasutra <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=25999" target="_blank">broke the news</a> that EA's latest round of layoffs hit Mythic Entertainment particularly hard; 80 of its employees were recently laid off, which consists of around a staggering 40 percent of its total workforce. Gamasutra claims Mythic is expected to make an official announcement in its quarterly report, although the website quotes several Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/Athryn/statuses/5565314202" target="_blank">postings</a> from former employees. What's all this mean for Warhammer Online? Nothing too positive, unfortunatley. The Gamasutra story quotes an industry analyst: <blockquote> Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter said in an EA investor note on Monday, "Recent industry weakness will likely cause the company to lower its full year industry growth expectations to negative 'mid single digits' from 'flat' previously. In addition, we believe the company may take a more proactive role in additional cost cuts and may announce additional restructuring initiatives." </blockquote> While the MMO hasn't specifically been addressed in light of EA's newly-focused agenda, any long-time Warhammer fan should know that the game already needs all the help it can get from a publisher's resource poolâ€•one wrong move could push WAR over the edge, doomed to another year of dwindling subscriptions. On the other hand, we can only hope that WAR's new <a href="http://war.allakhazam.com/story.html?story=20375" target="_blank">Endless Trial</a> will attract both new and returning players, and that many of those players will stick around for the MMO's upcoming expansion, whenever it's released. In the mean time, let's hope Mythic keeps up the trend of continuing to <a href="http://war.allakhazam.com/story.html?story=20453" target="_blank">patch and fix</a> WAR, as it's been doing. Praying couldn't hurt, either. Hotfixes, Hackers, Endless Free Trial Discussed [Warhammer Online] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20453 The WAR Herald is full of interesting news today, from City Siege hotfixes to a dev diary on combating hackers. To start things off, Mythic has officially introduced the <a href="http://herald.warhammeronline.com/warherald/NewsArticle.war?id=975" target="_blank">endless free trial</a>. It should come as no surprise since we <a href="http://war.allakhazam.com/story.html?story=20375" target="_blank">reported on it</a> earlier this week, but you can now play the free trial for as long as you like if you remain in Tier 1 content, below Rank 11. Check out the <a href="http://www.warhammeronline.com/faq/index.php?section=11" target="_blank">FAQ</a> for more information. Now that we've got that out of the way, let's look at <a href="http://herald.warhammeronline.com/warherald/NewsArticle.war?id=976" target="_blank">today's hotfixes</a>. According to the notes, Mythic is "making a number of changes that will improve the overall Capital City invasion experience for all players." For example, guild halls, the Emperor's Palace and the Eternal City will now remain open to players at all times, regardless of the city's current rank. You can read all the changes after the jump. Lastly, Development Manager John Cox has written a diary entry explaining how Mythic <a href="http://herald.warhammeronline.com/warherald/NewsArticle.war?id=973" target="_blank">deals with hackers</a>. While it doesn't contain and earth-shattering news, it is an interesting read. "Believe it or not, any of you hackers out there, we’re members of your online communities, sometimes silently listening, sometimes actively participating. The best place to figure out what hackers are trying and what they’ve figured out about us is to hide among them," he said.<a name="pause" title="pause"></a><blockquote> Capital City Changes In the wake of game update 1.3.2 we have seen a marked rise in the number of Capital City sieges across all servers. In response, we are making a number of changes that will improve the overall Capital City invasion experience for all players. Specifically, these changes include the following: <ul> <li>The guild hall in each capital city will now remain open to players at all times, regardless of the city’s current rank.</li> <li>The Emperor’s Palace in Altdorf will now remain open to players at all times, regardless of the city’s current rank.</li> <li>The Eternal City in The Inevitable City will now remain open to players at all times, regardless of the city’s current rank.</li> <li>If Altdorf is in a captured state, players may choose to not take part in the city battle and instead face their foes inside of the Reikland Factory Scenario shortly after the city becomes captured. Players from tiers two through four will be pitted against one another and earn increased renown and experience for their efforts. All players under rank 40 will be bolstered to that rank. Players cannot queue for this Scenario from inside of a City instance.</li> <li>If The Inevitable City is in a captured state, players may choose to not  take part in the city battle and instead face their foes inside of the Twisting Tower Scenario shortly after the city becomes captured. Players from tiers two through four will be pitted against one another and earn increased renown and experience for their efforts. All players under rank 40 will be bolstered to that rank. Players cannot queue for this Scenario from inside of a City instance.</li> </ul> Combat and Careers General Bug Fixes <ul> <li>Players will no longer be able to remove the effects of a Stagger by right clicking its icon.</li> </ul> Chosen <ul> <li>Dreadful Agony: Damage dealt by this ability will now correctly break Staggers.</li> </ul> Knight of the Blazing Sun <ul> <li>All-Out Assault: Damage dealt by this ability will now correctly break Staggers.</li> </ul> Crafting Cultivation <ul> <li>Fixed a bug which caused some rare seeds to enter the world far too frequently</li> </ul> Items General Changes & Bug Fixes <ul> <li>Tentacle Pies now properly stack to 20 and will no longer vanish upon zoning or relogging.</li> </ul> Realm vs. Realm Capital Cities <ul> <li>The Gates leading to the Altdorf War Quarters will now remain closed once the city has been captured.</li> </ul> </blockquote> Warhammer Online Going Free-to-Play Through Tier 1 [Warhammer Online] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20375 We all knew Mythic Entertainment was getting desperate for new and returning players in <a href="http://war.allakhazam.com/" target="_blank">Warhammer Online</a>. All the signs were there; massive server merges, "re-enlistment" campaigns, even drastic retail price drops for the game client...but who could have ever imagined the MMO would partially turn free-to-play? That's right, as announced in the latest edition of the <a href="http://www.warhammeronline.com/newsletterarchive/2009/October2009.html" target="_blank">WAR newsletter</a> (a footnote in the Patch 1.3.2 article intro), Mythic will be extending its 10-day free trial to unlimited playtime as long as you're still in Tier 1 content, below Rank 11: <blockquote> "We’ll soon be lifting the 10-day restriction on our Free Trial! You'll be able to enjoy the trial experience and New User Journey for as long as you like!" </blockquote> This is a pretty drastic move to encourage new player retention, but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing. The new trial system will undoubtedly allow players to get a better sense of what WAR offers, at their own leisure, instead of trying to get the most informed opinion possible within a mere week and a half. Full details have yet to be announced, but it's safe to assume that some of the restrictions listed in the <a href="http://www.warhammeronline.com/faq/index.php?section=11#ans11_2" target="_blank">"Trial Accounts" section</a> of the official FAQ may carry over, such the inability to create auctions or send mail. Warhammer Online Mac Client Now Available in NA [Warhammer Online] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20325 Today marks <a href="http://herald.warhammeronline.com/warherald/NewsArticle.war?id=967" target="_blank">the launch</a> of the official Warhammer Online Mac client in North America. Current subscribers can <a href="http://www.warhammeronline.com/download/index.php" target="_blank">download</a> the client for free on the official WAR site, while new players can purchase a digital download of the client through <a href="http://www.gametreeonline.com/ea/warhammer-online/" target="_blank">GameTree Online</a> for $19.95. You can also try out the Mac client for free by signing up for a 10-day <a href="http://www.warhammeronline.com/trial/" target="_blank">free trial</a>. The Warhammer Mac client FAQ can be found after the jump. The Mac live client will be available in Europe soon, so keep on eye on the official <a href="http://www.war-europe.com/" target="_blank">WAR Europe</a> page for more information.<a name="pause" title="pause"></a><blockquote> Q. Where do I download the Mac live game client? A. You can download the Mac live game client right from our website! Like the Windows version, you'll download a small installer that will allow you to patch the client. You can find it on our <a href="http://www.warhammeronline.com/download/index.php">Downloads page</a>. Q. Do I need to be a subscriber to try out the Mac version of WAR? A. Not at all! Anyone interested in trying out the Mac live game client can download the free trial, which is available on our <a href="http://www.warhammeronline.com/trial/">trial page</a>. Just follow the steps and you're off! If you are already a subscriber, and would like to download the Mac live game client, it's even easier to get into the game! Simply follow the instructions on the link above and login using your existing Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning account. You do not need to purchase another copy of the game. (If you're a returning player, you can take advantage of the <a href="http://www.warhammeronline.com/call_to_arms/index.php">Call to Arms Re-Enlistment Campaign</a> to jump back in the action!) Q. What if I want to upgrade from the free trial to the full WAR client? Can I keep playing the game with the characters I started? A. You sure can! We provide multiple ways to upgrade your account—you can digitally purchase and setup your subscription right in the <a href="https://accounts.eamythic.com/">Account Center</a>, or purchase a Windows copy of the game from your local or online retailer and use the key included to become a subscriber and keep on playing the characters you created with your trial account! (Note: You do not need the install disks included with the retail version of the game.) Q. Do Mac users play on the same servers as Windows users? A. Absolutely! The only difference between the Mac and Windows Client is the computer itself! Q. How does the Mac client work? A. Just like installing any other game or application, you simply download the client. The game is exactly the same as the Windows version! WAR for the Mac is made possible using the CiderTM Portability Engine from TransGaming (TSX-V: TNG) that acts as a "wrapper" around the game software, enabling it to run seamlessly on Intel-based Macs. TransGaming's Cider technology allows Mythic Entertainment to rapidly enable and deploy WAR for the Mac, providing a new high-quality gaming experience to the ever-growing Mac gaming community. Q. Will the Mac live client also available for European players? A. GOA and Mythic will be bringing the Mac live client to our European players soon—keep an eye out on <a href="http://www.war-europe.com/">http://www.war-europe.com</a> for more information! Q. Where can I find support if I'm having issues running the client? A. Before seeking support, please ensure your Mac meets our minimum requirements. These can be found at the bottom of the <a href="http://www.warhammeronline.com/mac/">Mac download page</a>. Your feedback and bug reports are very important to us! Be sure to visit the <a href="http://forums.warhammeronline.com/warhammer/board?board.id=bug_mac">Mac Community and Support</a> section on the Official Forums to help us improve your experience. (You'll need to have created a character in-game before posting on the forums.) Can't log into the game and need help? EA Technical Support should be able to assist you. For their number and hours, please visit our <a href="http://herald.warhammeronline.com/support/">Support page</a>. </blockquote> Developer Explains AP Regen Changes [Warhammer Online] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20312 The recent implementation of <a href="http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20162" target="_blank">patch 1.3.2</a> brought some changes to the way Action Points work, so Combat and Careers Team Lead Nate Levy has taken the time to answer <a href="http://herald.warhammeronline.com/warherald/NewsArticle.war?id=964" target="_blank">some questions</a> about the bug fixes that affected AP regeneration. Basically, the team needed to address a couple of bugs that were causing many players to have infinite AP. The fixes corresponded with patch 1.3.2, which is why some players have noticed a difference in their AP regeneration. "Right now, Action Point recovery works exactly as it was designed: You gain 25 AP per second (and we fixed the issue which heavily tied AP rates to server performance, so that fixes the second bug and means AP will be more consistent), and you do not gain AP while you're in the middle of a combat action (which fixes the first bug)," Levy said. Levy feels this change should actually have a positive affect on game balance since it should increase the amount of time players can survive in RvR and makes AP efficiency a factor in ability decisions. You can read Levy's full <a href="http://herald.warhammeronline.com/warherald/NewsArticle.war?id=964" target="_blank">letter</a> after the jump.<a name="pause" title="pause"></a><blockquote> So Nate, something seems different with the way my Action Points Regenerate since 1.3.2. Nate: As most of you know, we fixed some bugs relating to Action Point regeneration recently, correcting a problem which had temporarily led to many people having "infinite AP."  Action Points are a core combat mechanic in WAR, and the bugs which prevented a character's AP from being correctly paced lead to undesirable reductions in kill times, making combat less about tactics, timing, and coordination, and more about simply slamming a single ability as fast as possible.  These bug fixes will create a much better game-play experience for everyone, and we realize that many of you have concerns and questions, so we wanted to take a moment and address some of them. What were the bugs that we fixed, and how did they affect game-play?                 Nate: Since 1.3.1 went live, we discovered two major bugs relating to Action Point regeneration.  The first was causing Action Points to regenerate during the Global Cooldown in certain situations, but unfortunately, it was very difficult to detect because the second issue masked the first.  This second issue was a bug which caused server performance and load to drastically impact AP regeneration rates—so, while Action Points would sometimes be regenerating when they weren't supposed to, the AP-regen rates were also slower all-around, especially in high-stress situations such as Keep captures.  The combination of these two factors essentially resulted in a wash, with AP on the whole being no faster or slower than intended overall. However, patch 1.3.1 brought significant performance improvements to the game, and we began getting reports of players with "infinite AP"; it was the investigation of these reports which resulted in the discovery of both issues.  Due to the severity of the issues,  we wanted to get them corrected as quickly as possible, which meant that we aimed to get the fixes pushed to the Live game as soon as they passed internal testing. That ultimately corresponded with patch 1.3.2.  It is important to note that these bugs were largely affecting players who were constantly within the Global Cooldown, while players who were primarily using abilities with buildup times or channel times were not affected, since AP regen was properly paused at those times. How does Action Point recovery work in version 1.3.2?                 Nate: Right now, Action Point recovery works exactly as it was designed:  You gain 25 AP per second (and we fixed the issue which heavily tied AP rates to server performance, so that fixes the second bug and means AP will be more consistent), and you do not gain AP while you're in the middle of a combat action (which fixes the first bug).  Specifically, "combat actions" include building up abilities, channeling abilities, and being within the Global Cooldown.  In essence, if you're using abilities back-to-back without pause, then your AP will go down, while if you stop for a brief moment, your AP will go up. How does this affect my game experience?                 Nate: Fundamentally, these fixes affect everyone, since nearly every action that you can perform uses AP.  However, the biggest personal impact will be felt by anyone who strongly relied on constantly using instant-cast abilities without pause, which put them constantly within the Global Cooldown.  This is because those players were previously gaining the most from the occasional recovery of Action Points during the Global Cooldown.  Since AP regeneration was already correctly pausing during buildup and channel times, anyone who was primarily using those types of abilities should see minimal-to-no impact. How does this impact the overall game balance?                 Nate: These changes touch on several aspects of the game, and many of which are very positive!  The areas of impact include the following: <ul> <li>Increasing the amount of time that you survive in RvR, since some enemy attackers were previously churning through instant-cast attacks virtually without end.  These bug-fixes mean that someone who "bursts" a rapid string of instant-cast attacks will bottom out their AP correspondingly quickly.</li> <li>Increasing the value of Action Point-modifying abilities and Tactics, both beneficial and hostile.  Managing your own Action Points is a more important issue to pay attention to, and effects which deny AP to your enemies will once again be impactful and worthwhile.</li> <li>Making AP efficiency a factor in ability decisions.  A high-cost ability should be, literally, exactly that - the cost to use it should be noticeably high, and the choice of when to consume a larger chunk of AP is an important decision to make.  Previously, these bugs resulted in somewhat of a "cost doesn't matter" feeling for some players, whereas in truth, an ability's damage is simply one aspect, and its AP cost, cooldown time, etc. are also all factors which can not simply be ignored.</li> </ul> So, where will we go from here? Nate: These fixes allow us to get the game back on track where we expect it to be, letting us move forward with continued adjustment and balance.  In particular, the fixes will let us take a good overall look at AP-related abilities, which were otherwise very difficult to tune when the underlying system was not working correctly.  As with every facet of an MMO, remember that nothing is set in stone.  We're going to be monitoring the results of all of our 1.3.2 adjustments, including the corrected AP regeneration, and if anything needs to be adjusted, we'll work those tweaks into future patches.  As always, your constructive feedback is welcomed and appreciated! </blockquote> Grab Bag No. 23 Contains Daemon Moon Rising Q&A [Warhammer Online] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20244 Grab Bag No. 23 has been released and Mythic decided to use the oppounity to <a href="http://herald.warhammeronline.com/warherald/NewsArticle.war?id=958" target="_blank">answer questions</a> about the <a href="http://herald.warhammeronline.com/liveevents/2009DaemonMoonRising.php" target="_blank">Daemon Moon Rising</a> live event, which kick off tomorrow, Oct. 23, at 9 a.m. EDT. The team answered 13 questions, which seems fitting for the Halloween festivities. So what's changed from last year's The Witching Night live event? Well, everything! "In fact, the only thing the same from last year are the masks. This year there's a new, unique RvR Public Quest, a event Scenario, a special daemon encounter, and unique quests, to name just a few." The full Grab Bag Q&A can be found after the jump. Enjoy the live event! Waaagh!<a name="pause" title="pause"></a><blockquote> Q. How is this year’s Daemon Moon Rising Live Event different from last year’s The Witching Night Live Event? A. Everything! In fact, the only thing the same from last year are the masks. This year there’s a new, unique RvR Public Quest, a event Scenario, a special daemon encounter, and unique quests, to name just a few. Q. Is there a special reward for completing all ten Daemon Moon Rising tasks? A. Yes, there is a special title for completing all 10 tasks, but you can earn the Elite reward after completing only eight tasks. Q. Are the masks from the new Live Event all Event Slot items with stats, or are some of them cosmetic and only a few of them stat-based? A. The masks can be equipped in your helmet slot (not the event slot). Each mask has a unique ability that you can use against your enemies. Q. Can anyone, no matter what Rank they are, participate in the Daemon Moon Rising Live Event? A. Absolutely! There are tasks for every Rank, including those in the open RvR areas. <div>Q. Is the Magnus Daemonarium mask going to be the same graphic as last year’s Mask of the Bloodletter?</div> A. The Magnus Daemonarium is actually not a mask. It's the event slot item reward that you can earn for completing eight event tasks. Q. What do the Magnus Daemonarium and Malleus Daemonarium do? A. The Magnus Daemonarium and Malleus Daemonarium provide career-specific statistics into the event slot on the character sheet, and decays in real-time. Q. Where does the Daemonball Rally Public Quest take place? A. The Daemonball Rally Public Quest takes place in each of the Empire and Chaos RvR areas. Q. What is the length of the Daemonball PQ? How often will the PQ reset after it is finished? A. The length of time that the Daemonball PQ lasts depends on the players. Similar to football, the Public Quest requires you to deliver a demon skull to your Realm's goal.  Scoring five points wins the Public Quest for your Realm. Watch your goal, however as the enemy can destroy delivered skulls to remove points you’ve earned! <div><a href="http://mythicmktg.fileburst.com/war/us/herald/images/liveevents/2009DaemonMoonRising/ss_leatherface-mask.jpg"></a></div> Q. How many gold bags will be awarded/how easy will it be to win a gold bag and get that awesome Leather Face Mask? A. You will be able to obtain the Leather Face Mask by completing the Daemonball Rally open RvR Public Quest. Three gold bags are awarded to the victors of the Daemonball Rally Public Quest, and the Leather Face Mask has a 100% chance to be in the gold bags. As stated earlier, this takes place in each of the Empire vs. Chaos RvR areas, so anyone can participate! Q. How do I obtain the Face-Eater’s Mask? A. Obtaining the Face-Eater’s Mask is achieved by defeating Goreslake the Bloodthirster. It is a strictly PvE encounter located somewhere within the Chaos Wastes. There are two versions of this PQ, one for Order and another for Destruction. For each successful win, three gold bags that contain either the Face-Eater's Mask or the Magnus Daemonarium will drop. Q. Will the masks from last year's event become tradeable? Some of them, such as the Silver and Bloodletter mask, were not. (One was an influence reward, the other was PQ loot.) A. As a general rule of thumb, if a mask was not tradeable last year, it won’t be tradeable this year. Q. Will the masks, even the ones from last year, feature stats or something to make them useful to wear instead of armor (particularly armor sets)? A. Each mask is imbued with a unique ability that can be used in battle.  The ability will only be useable during the Daemon Moon Rising Live Event. Q. Will there ever be a Skaven-themed mask? A.  Never say never, but not this year. </blockquote> Today's Hotfixes Adjust RvR Scenario Populations [Warhammer Online] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20203 Mythic implemented four <a href="http://herald.warhammeronline.com/warherald/NewsArticle.war?id=957" target="_blank">hotfixes</a> today on Warhammer Online servers that include bug fixes and a change to Realm vs. Realm scenario populations. The team has made sure that Action Points and Morale will regenerate at a consistent rate regardless of server load, and Summoning Stones can no longer be used to teleport players into areas they can't normally enter. This will stop trial players from using the stones to leave Tier 1. As for RvR scenarios, Mythic has listened to players and adjusted on scenario population minimums and maximums. This means players will see scenarios launch more frequently. Also, "players will once again be able to post item links to the Party and Guild chat channels." FAQ for New Features [Warhammer Online] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20192 With update 1.3.2, Mythic introduced a host of new features.  Today they <a href="http://herald.warhammeronline.com/warherald/NewsArticle.war?id=956">answered</a> some questions regarding two of those features, the New Player Guild and the Advice channel. <blockquote> Q. Is it okay for my guild recruit players from the New Player Guild? A. Yes! And we absolutely encourage you to do so, but we do ask that you do not spam the New Player Guilds with recruitment chat. The best way to recruit from the New Player Guild is to create a Rank 1 character and invite new players to group up for Scenarios, Public Quests, or guild recruitment events. </blockquote> Check after the jump for the full Q & A.  <a name="pause" title="pause"></a><blockquote> The New Player Guilds Q. When I create a new character, when can I join the New Player Guild? A. All characters created prior to the launch of the New User Journey (game update 1.3.2) will automatically join the New Player Guild (called The Forces of Order or The Forces of Destruction) when they reach Chapter 2 Empire vs. Chaos. If you created a new character prior to the New User Journey changes in game update 1.3.2, and are in one of the other pairing’s starting areas, you will not be placed in the New Player Guild when you reach Chapter 2. Q. I have a preexisting, low-Rank, unguilded character that I started out in one of the other pairings (Elf vs. Dark Elf or Dwarf vs. Greenskin), and I want to get into the New Player Guild. How do go about joining? A. A “New Player Guild Recruiter” NPC is located in each capital city, near the Flight Master, and in the Tier 1 Empire vs. Chaos warcamps. As long as your character is below Rank 20 and unguilded, you may speak to any of the New Player Guild Recruiters and join up! Q. Is it okay for my guild recruit players from the New Player Guild? A. Yes! And we absolutely encourage you to do so, but we do ask that you do not spam the New Player Guilds with recruitment chat. The best way to recruit from the New Player Guild is to create a Rank 1 character and invite new players to group up for Scenarios, Public Quests, or guild recruitment events. Q. I’m in one of the New Player Guilds, but I’d like to join a different guild. How do I leave the New Player Guild? A. When you’ve found a new guild to call home, you can simply type /guildquit to leave the New Player Guild. You will also automatically leave the New Player Guild once you reach Rank 20. Advice Channel Q. What is the Advice Channel for? A. The advice channel is a global channel in which you may ask your fellow Realm-mates questions about the game. It's also a great place to meet new players and for veteran players to share your knowledge of WAR! Q. How do I join/leave the Advice Channel? A. The easiest way to join or leave the Advice Channel is to right-click on the tab labeled “Chat” on your Chat window and open your Filters Menu.  Click the box next to the Advice Channel to join, or uncheck it to leave (you can also type /adjoin and /adleave). Q. I’ve seen some people in the Advice Channel flagged as “Advisors.” What is an Advisor and how do I become one? A. You can flag and unflag yourself as an Advisor by opening your Social Window (press the O key, or right-click or left-click on the Social Menu icon above your chat window), going to the “Options” tab and checking or unchecking the Advisor option. Q. Someone is causing problems in the Advice channel (spamming, harassing, etc.). What should I do? A. You can place the offending person on ignore by right-clicking their name in your chat window and selecting “Ignore”. If the situation warrants it, you can also report the person by opening your Help Menu (press the H key), and send in a CSR Appeal under the “Violation” category. </blockquote>