DocWolfe
Part of the furniture
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2005
- Messages
- 2,855
For those who can't be arsed 
Even though the summer is here, the activity is still intense since many of you play during the holidays. We are getting ready for clustering on French and English servers but also for the German Games Convention in Leipzig as well as the next version of the game and, further ahead in time, the emergence of a big island in the frontier zone. As for the new players, they have been offered a 14 days trial on the official website. As well as all of this, we are working on the update of the Roll of Honour. Finally, the background piece will give you some insight on some of the Midgard factions and our continuing special series will present Master 1.4 and 1.5 for those bold enough to discover them.
Tests for server clustering and next version
Following the installation of version 1.75, the next change to the game will consist of implementing clustering (New Frontiers and capital cities) for the French servers Carnac and Orcanie and for the English servers Excalibur and Prydwen. French version testing has just begun and we expect to announce the implementation date in the next news. As soon as these tests are completed, the Dark Age of Camelot Europe team will focus on the next version for which translation is already underway. In the meantime, we remind you that once the server clustering is complete, you will not be able to create characters in different realms on both servers if you don't already have some created - for example, if you have a character on Albion/Excalibur, you will only be able to create Albion characters on Prydwen after the clustering ; whereas if you already have Midgard characters on Prydwen, you will be able to continue playing them and create others, although there will be a one hour time lapse before you can switch realm. If you wish to play on different realms, on two clustered servers, we invite you to create at least one character on each server and realm that you wish to play before the clustering is carried out if you haven't done this yet.
An island will come out of the sea in the New Frontiers
Although the date of its appearance is still a mystery, we recently learned that a new island is going to be created in the North Sea. Announced for August on American servers, it might emerge on European servers before the end of the year. Its name is Agramon and it will be located at an equal distance from the 3 realms. It will be a fighting zone reminiscent of the old Emain Macha zone, well known to older players of DAoC. With a landscape of small hills and vast plains, it offers an open zone ideal for bloody combat and on which the only purpose will be to fight the enemy. Nevertheless, the island will remain close to strategic zones, thus allowing the players to take part in an attack or quickly go back to their realm to defend a keep.
Games Convention at Leipzig from the 18th to the 21st of August
Just like last year, the great German Dark Age of Camelot meeting will take place in Leipzig, at the Games Convention between Thursday the 18th and Sunday the 21st of August. During this meeting of computer gamers, players will have the opportunity to meet Community Managers on the GOA stand. Events and presentations will be organised every day. Darkness Rising will be unveiled specially on Saturday the 20th in the presence of the game's producers. Like the past year, winners of some games and events will be win prizes and special gifts. There will be a DAoC quiz and an emote contest as well as many surprises which we will share with you next week.
The Camelot-Europe website, the 'New Shrouded Isles' client and the free trial offer
As we had announced last week, a new client called "New Shrouded Isles" has just been created for you to play using the "Shrouded Isles" client, while benefiting from the Catacombs graphics engine and the tutorial. This client is coupled with the new trial offer available since yesterday on the official website , which has been slightly updated. From now on, Dark Age of Camelot can be tested free for 14 days with the Shrouded Isles client. You just need to visit the website and register to be able to download the client and take advantage of the offer. If you play using the Shrouded Isles client, you can, take full advantage of this new version. You just need to download the "New Shrouded Isles" launcher and follow the installation procedure. You will then need around 1.7 Gb of free space on your hard disc (you can delete your former Shrouded Isles folder - for this, read the 27th of May tip of the week ) as well as a PC fitted with a minimum 1.4GHz processor, 512 Mb of RAM and a 64 Mb graphics card. Of course, if your PC is below the specifications for New Shrouded Isles, you can keep your current installation to play.
Update of the Roll of Honour
Since the passage to version 1.75, a fair amount of the data reported by the Roll of Honour was not updated because of a structure change in the databank generating the xml code. This means that all the player websites using the game xml data also recieved outdated information. We are currently working with Mythic to carry out these updates as quickly as possible. In the meantime though, access to the Roll of Honour is closed.
The former home cities
Last week we reminded you that the change in starting areas resulting from version 1.75 had triggered a change in monster levels in the former starting zones. In order to give you a better idea of the kind of place you set foot in, here is an list indicating the average level of creatures you could meet in the former newbie areas.
Midgard :
Current home city : Mularn
Former home cities :
Haggerfel : level 1
Vasudheim : level 10
Fort Atla : level 20
Galplen : level 30
Aegirhamn (SI) : level 1
Hibernia :
Current home city : Mag Mell
Former home cities :
Ardee : level 1
Howth : level 20
Connla : level 30
Domnann (SI) : level 1
Albion :
Current home city : Cotswold
Former home cities :
Pridwen Keep, Ludlow, Humberton : level 5
Lethantis Association : level 20-25
Adribard's Retreat : level 25-30
Gothwaite Harbour (SI) : level 1
If your low-level characters are still in these zones, you will have to be careful when you go to the home cities, except for the former Shrouded Isles starting zones which are still level 1 and accessible directly through a portal from the current starter areas.
Background Piece - Midgard : Prove your valour
Once more, strange curls of smoke were coming out of the shaman's hut. Crouched close to the fire and snug in heavy mammoth furs, the old man recited the ritual words to the young Bergklan who strove to hold his gaze with dignity.
"Gorm, you now have trod Mother Earth for many moons, and you have gained in strength and bravery. The time has come for you to show that you are worthy of your clan, and prove that the ancient teachings made you a hunter as cunning as you are brave. Go seek the enemies of the clan, confront one of them and bring us back the evidence of your deeds or never come back again !"
The Morvalt pack was howling cheers whilst the last-borns gathered before the dominant couple who were settled on the great stone where no intruder was tolerated. Crouched, chin resting on his right hand and eyes half-closed, the male was nodding to every word the female uttered : he was trying not to appear too anxious about his offspring's lot.
"I can see that, as you were being fed by the pack, you gained in strength and speed, and you lost your milk fangs. It is now time for you to prove that you are worthy of the pack and capable of feeding it in return. Go my cubs, roam about our hunting territories and bring back prey worthy of your valour. May the Matriarch lead your claws !"
Gorm progressed cautiously, clenching the spear made by his uncle in his right hand. He was trying to read the prints in the snow as he had been taught but he had to admit that it was far more difficult than he had thought.
Raorn rushed forward, quickly outdistancing his brothers and sisters. He had always had the upper hand when they were playing, he was moving fast, confident in his valour, and only stopping to sniff the air, engrossed as he was in the search for a prey worthy of his ambition.
Turning around a rock, Gorm suddenly froze : a dreadful sabre tiger was lying there, on its side. It seemed to him it was licking its wounded flesh. The Bergklan grinned broadly : the wind was covering his smell and his prey was already weak. Anticipating his victory, he imagined himself coming back with the dead body of such a terrible beast. No doubt the most beautiful women would fight for the honour of becoming his wife ! He came closer to the prone animal, trying to be as silent as possible.
Raorn could not hold a snort of satisfaction : his nose had not betrayed him. The mother was here, lying on her side, too busy licking her kits still soaked with her water. It would be easy for him to thrash out the exhausted female, and her offspring would make up a tasty meal for him to delight in without anyone from the pack ever knowing about it. Confident in his strength, he attacked.
But the kits felt the threat and began to whine all together. The sabre tiger suddenly lifted her head and time stopped its course. Gorm was here, his spear high, ready to strike, but it wasn't his prey he was observing, a look of stupefaction on his face. Raorn was standing on the other side, suddenly still though grumbling dully. He defiantly faced the intruder that his unerring nose had not detected.
Meanwhile, as the mother, snarling ferociously, strove to block this threat to her kits with her body, the hunters threw themselves at each others, their mutual attack testament to the ancestral hatred each of their folk held for the other. Gorm clenched his teeth whilst the Morvalt's claws slashed his flesh. Then, remembering the lessons of the elders, he struck a lethal blow with his spear, piercing Raorn's body. With a spasm of surprise, Raorn collapsed on the Bergklan, and their feuding blood soiled the snow in chromatic unison. Weakened by his many wounds and crushed by his opponent's weight, Gorm lost consciousness never to feel life again.
Still on her guard, the she-tiger, sniffing, approached this unexpected though copious meal. Her kits were lucky : they had been bred by a strong and replete mother and the majority of them would most probably reach the age when it would be their turn to prove their valour.
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Amity and enmity between the different kinds of creatures in the game depend most often on the factions that they are linked to. If you kill several creatures of one faction, you will eventually attract the enmity of every creature linked to this faction. Nevertheless, this is also a good means to win the trust of the opposed factions, to gain access to their services or even to work for them. For example, on the island of Aegir, if you fight against the dangerous cats roaming around, or against the Morvaltar, you will most likely be offered tasks by the native Klan's tribes.
Special series : the Master Levels, step by step
Master Level 1, fourth and fifth trials
Last week we went through the second and third trials. This week we will show you the fourth step which is quite difficult and has to be performed in group. The fifth one is simpler and you can do it on your own.
Master Level 1.4 Fadrin's Barrier.
This step is meant to be completed by a single group and can be found in Oceanus Hesperos a little way to the South East of Hesperos Haven. Fadrin dwells on the seabed in the midst of a forest of tall weeds. He has found an ancient Atlantean device which gives him power over the creatures in the area. By using it he can control and change the sea creatures around him and he can summon a powerful barrier to keep him safe.
You will see the barrier as a pale, glowing globe on the sea floor containing Fadrin. While the barrier is up, Fadrin cannot be hurt so you must first break through this. The barrier is completely impervious to all spells so you will need to bring some strong warriors to break the mystical energy protecting Fadrin. Once the barrier has been broken, Fadrin can be attacked and this time the spellcasters can join in the attack. You must keep attacking Fadrin as, if he is given a moment to recover, he will restart the barrier and you must break it down again.
Of course the barrier is not the only thing protecting Fadrin. All the time that you are fighting him or his barrier, he will be directing his controlled and morphed creatures to defend him. You will be constantly battling against a stream of frenzied sea creatures, desperate to protect their master. A good strategy is to start by clearing away some of the creatures first from a short distance away and then send in your warriors to attack the barrier while the spellcasters deal with the remainder of Fadrin's beasts. As soon as the barrier drops, everyone should concentrate on Fadrin and prepare for a fighting withdrawal once he dies. As soon as you defeat Fadrin you will have successfully completed Master Level 1.4 !
Master Level 1.5 Krojer's Challenge.
This is one of the very few Master Level steps that are designed for a solo player. To complete this you must be ungrouped. Krojer is a Triton who lives in Oceanus Anatole in the harbour of Volcanus Haven. Jump off the southernmost pier and you will see him just to the south, on the seabed. Krojer is surrounded by his champions and, a short way away is his wife, Lady Farahnaz. To complete this trial you must defeat any one of the champions, however Lady Farahnaz has a special reward for those who are able to defeat all six.
When you are ready, speak to Krojer and he will ask you to choose which of his champions you wish to challenge. Each champion has different skills so you will need to use a different strategy to defeat each of them.
Agnon is a Hunter, he uses a spear and has a summoned crocodile to harry you while you fight.
Sethrendar fights like a Friar with a staff
Xalarian is a master of magic and will teleport himself around the arena while unleashing powerful spells upon you.
Jilena is a heavy tank who will fight with a axe and shield.
Malison fights like a Cleric, like Jilena he uses a weapon and shield but he will also cast stun spells to hinder you.
Finally Regent is another heavy fighter who uses a two-handed weapon.
Once you have chosen who you will fight, they will proceed to the centre of the arena and give you a few seconds to prepare for the combat. Make sure that your friends are standing well back and then begin fighting ! If anyone else is within the arena once the combat has begun, they will be teleported away. For this step the champions will adjust their skills to the level of the person issuing the challenge so do not worry if you are only just beginning the Master Levels, the champions will be exactly as difficult for you as they would be for a level 50 to defeat. Should you fail, you can simply keep trying again and again. There is no penalty and you are not limited to the number of times you can issue a challenge. Once you have defeated a champion, you cannot challenge the same one again however.
When you are victorious you have a choice. You can either return to Lord Krojer and challenge another champion in order to win Lady Farahnaz's special ring or you can simply finish the trial and move onto another step. Be warned though, if you choose to end the trial here, you cannot ever come back to try again for the magical ring. To finish the trial, either after defeating all six or only one of the champions, you should speak to Lady Farahnaz who will grant you credit for the trial and (if you defeated all the champions) offer you a choice of magical rings.
Because this trial can be completed solo and the magical ring is quite powerful, many people prefer to do this step well before they set out on any other Master Level steps. In fact it's well worth attempting as soon as you are eligible for the Master Levels at level 40.
Note that, in order to help you organise your expeditions to Atlantis, you can visit websites allowing you to schedule outings and conveniently sign your characters up. A couple of these websites are linked below :
https://forums.freddyshouse.com/forumdisplay.php?f=17
http://www.cfmike.com/daocml/web/index.cfm?setlang=en
Tip of the week
Mood emotes
Following this lengthy piece of news, here is a short tip linked to the new face customising options implemented with Catacombs. As you would certainly have noticed, you can give a smiling or sad mood to your character since version 1.75, but you can also use the emotes to show your character's mood in real time. If you type /smile, your character will smile whereas you can type /angry for him to pull a sour face…
A good weekend to all and see you next week !
