Here we go!
Q: It is taking forever for the CSR to change this one bad name on my server.
A: Be sure to target the person with the bad name and send an appeal. And please try to be patient - those whose names we change always try to fight it, and we owe them the courtesy of a hearing whenever possible. Today, the CSR responsible for changing names spent a ridiculous amount of time explaining that a certain word meaning (roughly) "getting entirely too personal with a corpse" did NOT mean "one who loves playing the Necromancer class." You would not believe the lengths people will go to in order to try to justify a name like that.
Please note that to get the email explaining that we changed your name, and the way you can present a case to keep the name, you need to have an accurate email address on file, AND set your spam filters to let through our emails.
Q: I'm doing one of the new RVR missions, the one that wants me to follow an Assassin. I'm halfway through the mission, and poof, he's gone! Did he despawn?
A: No - he's programmed to use Vanish, and move (he doesn't teleport, he actually moves) to another location.
Q: The Taskmaster in Cotswold gives level one characters the choice for Labyrinthine Dungeons, but when you click the option, he doesn’t give you a task. Is this a bug?
A: Your friends on the content team investigated this for you, and it seems that the Taskmaster will only give you the task if you are a real, true blue level one. If you've used /level (even if you haven't yet spoken to your trainer to actually GET the levels), the Taskmaster won't give you a task.
Q: I'm confused, my battlegroup just completed the encounter for the Cloudsong artifact, but only one group got credit. Is this a bug, or is it only supposed to give a single group the credit? How can I tell which encounters give battlegroup credit?
A: Another one for the content team! "
The Cloudsong encounter is indeed a group credit encounter, not battlegroup. (In 1.76 we will be adding new delve text to scrolls that will note whether you will get battlegroup or group credit for that encounter. The Apprentices in the Havens will also provide this information to inquiring players.)
"Until 1.76 goes live, here's the list of single group credit encounters: Eternal Plant, Ring of Dances, Fool's Bow, Eerie Darkness Stone, Belt of the Sun, Belt of the Moon, Traitor's Dagger, Harpy Feather Cloak, Crocodile Tear Ring, Mariasha's Sharkskin Gloves, Ring of Unyielding Will, Gem of Lost Memories, Orion's Belt, Scorpions Tail, Nailah's Robe, Band of Stars, Snakecharmer's Weapon, Healer's Embrace, Stone of Atlantis, Golden Scarab Vest, Ring of Fire, and Cloudsong.
"All others not listed should grant battlegroup credit (with the exception of the Flask encounter which gives credit to players within a set range)."
Q: As a guildmaster, I would really like to use the autoremove feature to get rid of inactive or retired members. Are you ever going to put in a feature that will show me who those are?
A: Putting one in the game would be difficult, but the Code Warrior recently put a little upgrade on the Herald. There's a new link on each guild page that says "Include characters inactive over 90 days." If you click it, the web display will kick out a list of every single character that still wears a guild tag for you - even if he has long since retired. We hope this new web feature proves useful to you.
Q: My question is in regards to a crafter's ability to salvage and trinket "drop items." I understand how the system itself works, but I am curious if there is a formula that is used to determine what a particular item will yield in a salvage without actually salvaging the item first? Or is it just a set value given to an item?
A: We've got a new Item Prince to break in, so let me turn the floor over to him: "
Typically, the salvage value of dropped gear (i.e., equipable items) is based on several factors, primarily: main material component type, and level compared to the size and cost of the "base item." When you attempt to salvage, the game then performs several checks and varies the output as well, based upon your skill in comparison to the item's difficulty level.
"Salvageable common loot is derived similarly although it uses a different approach as there are no "base items" or pre-set material types/levels.
"The salvage values are set on each item individually, and the way we determine that value has changed a bit since launch, so you will occasionally get an item that falls outside the norm.
"While there is no way to determine with 100% certainty what you'll get from salvaging something until you actually try, you'll be able to guess pretty quickly what range something will fall within after a few tries."
Q: I've got an Orion's Belt, and I love the ability that gives the 5% bonus to earned experience. But I was wondering, does this bonus experience also go to the artifacts that I'm leveling, or does it only affect MY experience?
A: The Mistress answers, "
The additional experience earned from an artifact experience bonus is only applied to the player, not any artifacts they have equipped."
Q: How come the Greater Necroservant casts faster than the Abomination Necro Servant?
A: The Patch Goddess is now the holder of the ancient knowledge, and she tells me, "
The slow casting times from the abomination are a result of the weapon it wields.
"The slower sword makes for a longer "out of combat" timer, which in turn affects the cast time on the necro's spells. The greater necroservant has a faster dps, thus a shorter "out of combat" timer."
I learn something every day around here.
**
Time for Linkapalooza!
I got an email from a nice fellow who wanted me to send a shout out to a new raid planning website:
http://www.raidplanner.com. I haven't tried it myself, but I'm told it's based on the old Hib/Guin planner. Hey, anything that makes coordinating a raid more fun for the leaders is terrific in my book. But don't forget to announce any free for all events here on the Camelot Herald - Missy's Community News page has that little submission button just waiting for you to send your announcements!
The
Spring Roundtable is coming up soon, and an ugly winter in the DC area has given way to a beautiful and balmy spring indeed. Come on out and meet your old friends and enemies - and heck, make a weekend of it, spend Sunday in DC at the National Zoo, or the National Air and Space Museum. I'm always up for the Smithsonian, assuming I can put myself back together after the party that always seems to spring up at the hotel after the Roundtable…
Another terrific article has sprung forth from the little media tour we hosted last week - check out Jonric's spin here:
http://rpgvault.ign.com/articles/601/601809p1.html
Did you like the new and improved starting towns and city facades? I sure hope you grabbed the files to enjoy them for yourselves. If you don't know how, here's the Herald post you missed:
http://www.camelotherald.com/more/1997.shtml
In humor news, I got a good laugh over what happened to Kwip when he tried to do an interview with his local news channel:
http://www.neenerneener.net/index.php?p=85
Speaking of Kwip! Before the Camelot Roundtable, there is the annual MS Walk (on Sunday, April 17 this year), and that means the annual participation of Team Neener. These gaming guys and girls will walk four MILES to raise money towards the cure of multiple sclerosis. Gamers, people. We do not traditionally walk ANYWHERE unless it's time to heat up another hot pocket, so this must be serious. And it's a darn good cause, too, one I hold dear to my heart. So dear, in fact, that I am going to go walking along with a backpack full of prizes to hand out. If you can't join us in Lancaster, PA, I know the team would really appreciate your support if you feel so inclined -
http://www.neenerneener.net/ms.php
Attention webmasters:
The logo has been updated, so if you want to grab the latest and greatest, there it is!
And while I have your attention, webmasters, I'm starting my E3 planning. I'm not yet ready to make appointments with the general playing public who are lucky enough to get in, but if you manage a Camelot news site and need a little help getting into the show, feel free to let me know. The email is my first name at mythicentertainment.com.
Man, that was a lot of announcements. That should keep you surfing for a few hours! It's what happens when you fold two short columns into one, I guess. Thanks for reading, thanks for playing, and we'll see you on the frontiers.