Alac
is helping Tweak things.

April 28th 2009
Got Bacon?

We've heard that after yesterday's Design Notes announcing that there will be a titan fight this week, some of you have grown concerned that only DragonLords will be able to finish the Zeuster chain. While there WILL be a titan fight in this quest (probably not the titan fight you're expecting, though!), we want all players to be able to finish the chain and discover the secret of element bacon.

If you have finished the Dragon Egg saga as either a DragonLord or a free player, you will have access to the titan fight! If you haven't done the Dragon Egg saga, you'll need to use your wits and keen eyesight to detect the route to the end of the quest. (Not that oddly sparkling bushes are a dead give-away or anything, nope!)

Tomix is busy finishing the monster for the titan fight while Ghost is working on the cutscene for this week. They've also both got orders for what will be needed for the rest of the Zeuster chain. We are hoping it will come out next week, but there's a good chance it might not.

We have some really awesome plans for the end (some of them you guys have asked for, but some of them will likely come as a surprise) and we want to make sure we do them right.

It's been a long time coming, and I'm sure some of you thought pigs would fly before the Zeuster chain ended, but the finale is in sight, so stay with us as your character gets ready to take on the last challenge needed in order to convince Zeuster to divulge his secrets!

Tweak News: Rolith and I met with Aelthai and Lord Barrius last night to continue work on the stat redesign. Before we get any actual numbers finalized, we're going over each of the base class skills and determining whether they should stay the same, be completely changed, or simply... tweaked. So far we've gotten through two of the three classes, so we're making progress!

Rolith
Has productivity!

April 27th 2009
It's Monday!

I'm guessing you guys have noticed we're trying to be a bit better about making sure you know what's going on with the releases in DF. Last week we had a new design notes every single day, and I'd love to see that happen again this week... Sick of us yapping yet?

Today will see another meeting with Me, Alac, Lord Barius and Aelthai discussing details of The Tweaking. We hope to have the base classes sketched out and awaiting specific numbers by the end of the week, and I'd like to see some forward movement on it soon.

The tweaks to stats are going to be more in-depth then a lot of you guys on the forums are assuming, but keep in mind the formulas used for DF are kept hidden. We don't reveal specifics for a reason, because it's fun to make you guys figgure stuff out.

That said, as we have details, we'll be giving you more information, if not specifics, about what we're planning. Keep in mind, while the changes may not be exactly what you want, we're not going to stop until we've made a better, more fun game. Once the designs are done, I'm going to get started on re-working the stats system and the battle engine. This project's still a good few weeks out, but planning should be progressing nicely, even if my schedule is still jsut as full and actually making the changes will be a long-term project.

There are lots of OTHER things in the works for this week. Ash not only should be getting some skills (in a fun, interesting new way we haven't tried before), but he might be running into someone you're VERY familiar with. VERY. Seriously, you totally know this guy.

We're also coming to the conclusion of the Bacon Saga, and you DragonLords will be getting a Titan fight this week, though probbly not the one you're expecting. Alac's been writing this weekend and I can't wait to see your guys reaction this week.

We're also well under way designing the Cooking minigame. Geo, Tomix and I are working on the tradeskill's design and concept. If things go well it'll see the light of day this week, but again, like fishing, we won't settle for putting something out that we don't find fun and engaging.

So, what kind of ingrediants do you see around LORE? we have a few, but I'm curious what you'd like to see. Cya on the forums..

Cysero
Blak5

April 24th 2009
The Braydenball Cometh!

Here we GO!

This week we've got a lot going on. There is a new Zeuster quest in which Zeuster asks you to get a guard dog for him, but no ordinary guard dog will do! Make your way to the underworld and nab one its guardians to be Zeuster's pet and hope that Death doesn't notice. Some pretty sweet rewards drop from that quest too.

In Popsprocket we've got 2 new quests fro you. The first is from Zap, who would like you to cut through some red tape and deliver a special something to a special someone for him. Of course you'll have to fight some of the game's most powerful heroes in PVP battles to get there.

Yix also has a quest for you. The mini-magic-eye is strapped to the flying eyeball and now you get to sit back and listen in on a conversation between Drakath and Sepulchure. What will be revealed? Some very high level rewards drop out of this quest, so be ready to catch them.

Lastly, my shop has a few new additions to the pet section. The first are a few of the puppies from the underworld.... NOW YOU CAN HAVE YOUR OWN!

The second.... is the Braydenball. They're cheap. 25 DCs (as simple as one or two AExtras) and you can have one. These little guys....girls.... things.... whatever... don't act like anything in any universe that I've ever been to.

Play with them for a while and see what you can find out about their attacks.... they are chock FULL of mysterious mysteries. Their actions are unpredictable. Their origins are unknown and no one can seem to figure out anything about what they might one day become. Warlic and I have been up for 3 days straight trying to learn something. Anything. So far we've learned exactly nothing.

I'm usually up for a good mystery but these things just SHOULD NOT BE. Buy one. Buy them all. Just get them out of my shop.

Blak5.

Rolith
Can Be Busy!

Cysero
Is Creepeed
Out.

April 23th 2009
It's still being planned!

There have been a LOT of projects happening behind the scenes lately. A few of them are starting to come together to the point where we can pull some curtins back. Today is going to be a GREAT day in the minds of a lot of players who love stratagy.

Last night, long after the underground lab was emptied of most of it's occupants, and the sock cages were chained shut, I sat down and chatted with Alac, Aelthai, and Lord Barrius to discuss the core balance and mechanics of the game and how we could make them more fun.

What resulted is that we'll be tweaking!

Yes, tweaking. Over the next couple of months we'll be orginizing a series of tweaks to pretty much everything.

What this'll imeditatly mean to you guys is the three base classes will be getting rebalanced and refocused on what they're best at, resulting in three equal but different playstyles that will take full advantage of the strengths of each skillset.

Other changes we hope to make when the first set of changes rolls live:

- Every character will get five statpoints to spend per level allowing for more customization.

- A new stat will be introduced called Wisdom, which will be the base of all different class's mana instead of Int.

- Such major changes to stats system means we're going to be refunding all stat points (and gold spent on them) when this rolls live.

A lot of what's coming is still a while away. A lot of things require not so little changes to the game's core engine, but we felt it very important to get you guys in as soon as we had any kind of decsions made. These changes are a starting off point for a lot bigger and better things in the future, and are long overdue.

Remeber, they're not coming any time soon, we're still in the early stages of planning on these, and none of the details are set in stone. I'll see you on the forums!

Tell ya what. These things... I think they're called Braydenballs, don't ask me how I know....they give me the screaming heebie jeebies. I don't like the way they watch me. Seems like they've stopped growing but I think they might possibly change further in the future. Maybe.

I just want to get rid of them. I'm going to start selling them tomorrow in my shop... cheap.

If you decide to take one home.... play with it for a while. Try things out. See what you discover about them and let me know.

Cysero
LOVES ALL
ART BOOKS!!!

April 22th 2009
Art Books, Updates and Bradeynballs

Let's talk about the MechQuest Artbook.

I'm sure most of you know that we're very close to publishing our first book of AE Art Work.

This book contains about 120 full color pages of some of our top artists best work, including art from J6, Thyton, Oishii, Aisha, Korin, Jemini, Miltonious and even Artix himself (who is not technically one of our top artists). You also get sneak previews of things to come like the Transforming Starships and the MechQuest Comic, a how to draw section.

You ALSO get a special code that unlocks the mother of all mechs, the SKULL CRUSHER in MQ as well as unlocking the Skull Crusher ARMOR in AQW!

Keep in mind that there is no publishing house backing us so we're doing and paying for this entire thing ourselves... we are SELF-PUBLISHING the art book which is not easy or cheap. We're trying to get the book and all the extras to you for as low as $19.95 USD.

We know that not everyone is into art books as much as we are, but every one of our artists has about 15 art books on their shelves from their favorite games and artists and we want to know if this sounds like a deal to you?

Let us know on the Forums!

I wanted to let you guys know that there have been a few changes to the line-up this week. We will still have another Popsprocket and Zeuster, Ash will be replaced with a new Pen Pal quest from Zap in Popsprocket, and cooking will have to be put on hold.

We have just been leaning on Rolith for everything lately INCLUDING trying to fit some of our games into Facebook as apps so we decided that he needed a little breathing room before we killed him.

Speaking of curious, inhuman creatures from the space between realities... Grams came to me yesterday with the oddest box of.... things. I don't know what else to call them.

I've never seen anything like them before which worries me. I've seen a LOT of things that no one ELSE has ever seen before.

I wouldn't say that they are evil exactly, but they simply pulse with a kind of wrongness. Being near them gives you the same feeling as seeing the color hot, or tasting things with your finger tips. It's a very powerful kind of "just not right".

Want one?

Cysero
Will Accept
The Burden
Of The
Braydenball

April 21th 2009
What Are These?

"I'm not sure. Someone just left them on my doorstep. I was hopin' you could tell me."

"Was there a note?"

"Nope, No note. No Nothin'. Just a box full of 'em."

"...What was the box made of?"

"Does that matter?"

"It might. It might matter very much. Have you tried to... feed them?"

"I've TRIED. They don't seem to eat but they're gettin' larger. What kind of livin' thing gets bigger without eatin'?"

"Oh, They're not alive."

"You mean they're undead?"

"No..."

"They can't be robots, can they? They're too... bouncy"

"No, they're just... something else. They're smart. Have you tried to train them yet?"

"I... I tried to train one of 'em."

"What happened?"

"Nothin'. It just sat there and watched me."

"It was learning. It's probably taught the others by now. If you try again, you'll get better results.

"You think so?"

"I know it."

"How could you know anythin' about them if you've never seen them before."

"I can smell the concepts they pass between them. They just figured out what the concept "time" means."

"Do you know where they're from?"

"I only know where they're not from. The Universe. Bring them back Friday and I'll make a place for them. Oh, keep them in their box and don't let them bounce too much."

"Why not?"

"If they grow without eating, they probably get stronger when they use more energy. Not sure what'll happen. Be careful but have fun.

...I know that they will."

"Now you're just trying to scare me."

"Is it working?"

"....Yeah."

Rolith
May Be On An Anime Kick

geopetal
totems, TOTEMS, TOTEMS!

Cysero
Is Issuing
A Warning!

April 20th 2009
Cooking is so fun! Cooking is so fun!

There's a bit of a short-notice anoucement I've got to make. We're going to be at Jacon in Orlando this May 23rd. We'll be holding a pannel for AQW (though Cysero and I and a few others of the AE staff will be there for the rest of the games too) to be held at noon. For more information on Jacon check out Their Website, and for more information about our panel (location at the con) check out the panel page!.

This week things are getting off to a quick start, as we all have a general idea of what we're working on. I've got a few behind the scenes projects in the works that will be taking up a big boatload of my time, but also am trying to make time for another tradeskill minigame. We've wanted to do Baking/Cooking tradeskill for about as long as I can remember. We've got a LOT of fun ideas for this minigame and I'm not going to rush it out, so I won't hesitate to not release it this week if it's not ready, but it's in the works. Fishing isn't done either, as a side note, we're working on making it bigger and better moving forward as well.

Cysero is also working on the next quest in the Popsprocket chain, and had me laughing pretty hard when discussing where he wants to take this chain before it's all said and done. I'm looking forward to where he leads us.

Geo's also working on the next Ash quest. For those of you playing along at home, you should realize we're getting pretty close to the point where the old-school ArchKnight ended and where we'll get to move forward into the unkown. Geo and Artix are working together closely on this too, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they come up with.

Alac is also moving forward with the Zeuster chain, and all you fans of greek mythology (and who isn't?) will also note that we're running out of tasks for Zeuster to send you on. This one, however, will be a big one. Zeuster is starting to be impressed by your skills, and has a rather intemidating task laid out for you.

I'm sure they will be chiming in during the rest of the week to fill you in on what' they're working on. See ya' on the forums.

My friend, Pancing, has recently started playing DragonFable again. It's been sooo much fun answering his questions about the game and seeing it again through his point of view. He made me literally laugh out loud today (as he usually does) when he pointed out today:

Pancing says (1:09 PM):
I like
how death
can be hit with metal

So, now Death has a weakness for metal. \m/ O_o \m/

...

It is coming. Beware!

Beware...the Braydenball!

Cysero
Knows How
To Make An
Omelette!

April 17th 2009
!ereH erA uoY

"No matter where you go, there you are.' -Buckaroo Banzi

I'm sad (happy, actually) to report that if you are the proud owner of the You Are Here trinket... you will have to live with the face that if you turn to the left, you see the back of the sign and the words appaar backwards.

Rolith assures me that there MIGHT be a coding solution to this graphical glitch but A) It would take a lot more time and energy than any of us want devoted to fixing it and B) it's pretty darn funny the way it is!

So it stays.

The forum responses on the OTHER hatched treasures seem pretty favorable which is great because we really wanted to come up with stuff that would please most of you.

If you happen to have gotten the Chickcalf... just equip it, take it into battle and wait for a while. He's SO CUTE!

We have more releases today too! Ash is going to face Klatuu, the 3rd and final necromancer as he continues his silly quest to save a princess.... ANY princess. If you're a fan of Archknight you know that we are reaching the end (sorta) of the original tale but we have all new chapters coming to you that were never in the original Archknight! We've been working with the original script writer (Artix), the original artist (Artix) and the original coder (Artix) and gotten the whole original team back together (Artix) to continue Archknight with the same insane flavor!

ALSO don't miss the next quest in Zeuster's chain. You must REALLY want to know the secret of the bacon element because you're still completing Zeuster's impossible tasks. This week he has sent you to the Queen of the Furies (Not FURRIES) to retrieve a very special fashion accessory. Valencia will be waiting for you in the usual place to start your adventure.

Enjoy the releases and the newly hatched toys and have a GREAT WEEKEND! OR ELSE!

Rolith
can has new laptop!

April 14th 2009
It's Like the Plague, only spread by game developers instead of rats...so exactly like the plague!

The laptop that I've had since I started working for AE finally started to show signs of the constant abuse I've delt towards it over the past few years. So, after almost 3 years and thousands of hours of my life, it is time to say goodbye to the beloved laptop named Red Dwarf, and say hello to the shiny new TARDIS*! I've been on a British Sci-Fi tilt for naming my computer devices for a while now (My MP3 Players have all been named Starbug).

Silly names aside, I've got some curious news. Artix's Office Exorcism (say THAT three times fast.) didn't seem to stick quite so well, as it appears Cysero, Geo, and Alac are all still suffering from the Underground Lab's Undead Plague, or it's afteraffects, still. Ghost, Tomix and I the only one of the DF's team sttill standing come 3pm this afternoon. Be sure to wish them well on the forums!

As for some big annoucements about what's coming this week, we'll have to play it by ear. Hopefully everyone will be up on their feet with a day or two of rest and we can finally declare the plague dead!

Due to Geo being sick, the eggs lasted a bit longer then intended. They've been removed now.

*Sorry BBC!

Cysero
Warned You!.

April 10th 2009
Egg Hunting TIme!

Welcome to Friday! We've got a pretty big release today but not as big as we had hoped.

Sad to report there is no Zeuster quest this week. Alac fell ill and wasn't able to finish it but it will be ready for next week. It will actually be nice to have a little head start for her! Everyone say "FEEL BETTER ALAC!"

We DO have a holiday egg hunt on! There are 27 seperate quests which contain eggs, All of them contain more than one egg but No single quests holds ALL the eggs. If you want the full collection you'd better get hunting!

Or you can buy them from the hgoliday shop for DC's if you don't want to put in the time. Kinda defeats the point of a treasure HUNT tho, right?

Either way, get them THIS WEEKEND! Monday the eggs and the shop will vanish! And you'll have to wait until next Friday to see what's inside! Heehee, we're evil sometimes.

Remember to check the forum to see where other players have found their treasure eggs!

In Popsprocket, Yix has a plan for spying on Sepulchure. Do you trust gnomish technology enough to try to sneak into Sepulchure's flying fortress and convert a flying eyeball into a spy for you?!

Probably not. I mean, who would. Do it anyway. it's fun.

Finally Ash continues his less than metoric rise to Archknightdom as he seeks the necromancer Verata in this week's quest. You can also find some of the treasure eggs in HIS quests if you want to see if he can use anything that hatches from them.

Have fun guys, LET THE TREASURE HUNT BEGIN!

Cysero
Hunts
Treasure.

April 9th 2009
Community Matters matter

Got some updates for ya, warm up your reading eyes.

FIRST, some of you may have noticed some changes to the DF Pedia, our forums own best resource for all things DragonFabley. The pedia is undergoing some construction to help keep the spam posts out of it and help keep the wonderful pedia staff (PaperClip, pjc, latedog and Andy8... thanks for all your tireless work guys) a little closer to sane.

Some of you were afraid that our pedia would become like AQ's pedia system, and that no one would be able to make individual posts or be the first to claim pedia rights to a new addition to the game.

This is not so!

Seahawk and Maegwyn, the recently promated co-heads of the forums, have decided to give birth to the Dragonpedia Masters! This is a new elite group of forumites, just like you, who can contribute freely to the pedia, as much and as often as they want... Want to know how to become a member? (it's free!) Click Here and let the mighty Seahawk explain...

The AE Community (you guys) are really the most important thing to us. We shape the games around your wishes, try to keep it fun for you and try to listen to your suggestions whever we can. Without you playing the games... there would be no games.

We know how much fun the pedia is, but some people tried to use it for discussion, arguments or plain old spam. We need the pedia to be a magnificent archive of your heroes adventures, and the world they live in and we want everyone to be able to feel connected to that world by entering in pictures and descriptions of new items, people, places and events as they occur.

We really want you do everything that we can to keep everyone talking, coming up with ideas, making suggestions, and basicly helping to build the world of Lore into something we can all be proud of and claim a part of.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to the pedia so far and I hope to see every single one of you in the Dragonpedia Masters continuing to archive and record the world of DragonFable for future generations of heroes!

In other news... Tomorrow we've got some more Archknight, a new Popsprocket quest AND one of DragonFable's own TREASURE HUNTS (VERY limited time.... one weekend only!). Get excited.

Cysero
Is Goin'
Fishin'!

April 3rd 2009
ARCHKNIGHT continued, Inns and Fishing!

We spent a lot of time this week fishing up some unfinished business! We've got 3 pieces to this weekend's big release!

First is the continuing tale of Ash Dragonblade as we we-live (or, if you've never played it... just live) the hilarity of Archknight. This week, Warlic sends the young knight-in-training sends you to stop the necromancer Nicto from turning himself into an undead Liche (not lich). Once again Ghost and geo have worked tirelessly to recreate the original adventure with better graphics and comedic timing (poor, poor Twilly!). Remember, that this adventure is ONLY for Dragon Lords or Varified Guardians so be sure to pack your Dragon Amulet. Adventure awaits ash!

Next, Alac spent the week fulfilling a lot of unfulfilled promises that we've made. Namely, a few inns and a shop that has been closed too long. Popsprocket's Inn is now open, where you can set your hometown, refill your potions, take a nice restful nap and maybe get a little information. Meanwhile in Dragesvard, the Inn at the top of the town has finally opened THEIR doors as well. Curl up next to the fireplace with a nice warm cup of cocoa or a nice hot cup of tea. Again, potions and a night's rest are free! Lastly, Happy Hatshepsut's Helms is now open at long last in The Sandsea. Stop in and browse through her HUGE array of new, interesting, powerful and colorful helms but be sure to bring your Dragon Amulet... because they don't accept American Express.

Dragon Amulet, It's Everywhere You Want To Be.

Finally, one of my personal dreams is coming true as we add fishing to DF!

This is just a simple minigame for people out there who want to take a break out of grinding for gold or slaying monster. People like me who are addicted to collecting things...

You will be able to get to Falconreach Bay directly from the button in town OR take a stroll down the new path next to the entrance to Surewood Forest. There any player (free or DA) will have to purchase and equip their angler armor to begin fishing. There are 20 fish, and each time you catch a new one it will be added to your aquarium where you can watch them swim around happily. There are also 20 fishing ranks and each rank makes it harder for you to miss catching a fish. Each fish is worth a certain point value that get added to raise your rank and the higher you go the better fish you can catch! your Luck plays a part in how often you catch valuable, rare fish. You might even catch a bag of 300 to 500 gold! People are always throwing the oddest things away in the bay.

Don't forget to turn on your music option to hear Ghost's happy, peaceful fishing song. Can you catch all 20 fish, including the ultra rare Mr. Fish? Can you get to rank 20 and become a Hook Lord?!

This is just the beginning of fishing. We will be adding shops for different fishing ranks, more places to fish all over DragonFable, special fish that go into your temp inventory that have special uses like the Crit fish that ads to your crit score for a few rounds, or even an XP fish! In the future you might even pull a gilled monster from the depths and battle using him your Angler skills (which you will be able to level and do battle with anywhere)!

Enjoy the release guys and have a good weekend!