Unfortunately, poor Ghost is sick with pneumonia. Even though he's been zombified he still bravely tried to get the final war cutscene done for you guys, but the combination of zombie and Ghost had Artix on high alert. I've sent Ghost off to rest so that he gets better.

Though, this means that the geologist gets to make the final war cutscene.

On Friday.

From scratch.

(Well, with existing artwork but, still, I'm slightly panicking here.)

True Mortal has made some cool foam weapons as war rewards in addition to his contest weapons. (I could totally see the guys chasing each other around the office with these.)

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Special Addendum to the previous Design Notes!
Happy New Years Eve to you all! I just wanted to clarify what's going to be released this weekend so no one misses anything and to firmly establish what the War Challenge is!

This week's release is:
* War boss fight with foam weapons as rewards
* Suggestion shop weapons in Serenity's Suggestion Shop
* Fireworks for New Years
* A special weapon set, helm and cape from True Mortal in Cysero's Shop at midnight
* The presents opening at midnight
* AND the Togicide from Rolith!

The War Challenge is, if you guys get to 100% before midnight on Saturday (EST)  and beat me to finishing the final war quest you will get new levels on select defender's items (I think rings and necklaces, but I haven't decided 100% on that) and something special in Cysero's Shop.

Lim, being the evil genius that he is, has added a little taste of the special items that will be in Cysero's Shop as a rare drop the war waves. He's saying that he'll add a new ones when he notices the war is at 75%, 85% and 95%.... D;<

Today sees the long awaited (by...well...some of you at least) return of Code Monkey Challenges.  It was going to be yesterday, but I've spent the week eating far too well in Chicago and by the time I was able to get close to being able to roll, it was well after dinner time and the siren of Chicago Deepdish Pizza (sort of, I'd subscribe to the consideration that Deepdish is more casserole then Pizza...but still very very tasty) was calling my name. So I took my leave and decided to work tonight, New Year's Eve, and get the release ready to go.

As some of you saw in the design notes or my twitter, two weekends ago I took it upon myself to make a game in 48 hours.  Well, you didn't think it's engine wouldn't wind up in DF somewhere, did you?  More or less unchanged in appearance (with a few minor new features...most of which will frustrate you) from the game completed over the weekend, I submit to you this month's Code Monkey Challenge.  These shouldn't take you very long, but as it's a holiday, I'm still hoping for 48 hours before you guys see Quest Complete.

Just a note:  Your progress is saved only on a game-session  level.  If you leave and come back to save experience progress you will be on the same map you left at, but if you restart your browser or re-login to the game you will have to make your way through the maps again.  That said, once the solution's been found, there is no need to fight a single tog, making this one of the friendlier CMCs I've ever done. 

You guys are amazing! Awesome job getting to 50% and just in time! True Mortal's very own plushie has been added to the war waves now.... but it's not your average plushie! Will you be able to beat it?

The special DA random dungeon is also now open for you! Fight your way through the Plushies in the Snow and collect Bit's O' Stuffing to forge the new Icicle Scythes in the Defender's Rare Shop!

Battle On! The Boss Plushie awaits you at 100%!

True Mortal has been skulking around looking for something to do (so many souls burnt!) and so... A Challenge Appears! I have tasked him with creating his first monster!

His monster is due by noon tomorrow. IF you guys get to 50% before noon the special mystery plushie will be added to the war waves! Will you be able to beat True Mortal? Or will the souls being burnt end up being yours?!

I hope everyone is having a good holiday season! After a looong trip up north, I've been spending it with family and trying to make sure my parents cat, Lucy, doesn't beat up my cat (or vice versa).

Pure Evil.

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It's Tomix's birthday! Everyone please wish him a happy birthday on the forum or on his Twitter!
In his shop you'll find helms which will allow YOU to wear a hair style just like his! (Goatee not included.)

We've ALSO got a Dark Moon Rising shop in Falconreach to celebrate the full moon Lunar eclipse that occurred late last night!  Made by True Mortal, these deep, dark Silver weapons will be sure to imbue you with the power of the night and the essence of the moon!

Once more, happy birthday Tomix, from all of us here in your Artix Entertainment family!

So, I’ve been working on numerous projects lately.  The upcoming Frostval releases and next week’s CMC are two I can talk about, and there are several more.  I’ve been so busy, in fact, that I’ve missed a good part of the Holiday season and didn’t get shopping for presents until far, far too late in the game.  Good thing for express shipping!  

So what did I do the last weekend before I leave the Underground Lab for first my homelands in PA then the great city of Chicago to meet Alina’s family for the first time?  Finish up some project or another to get ahead for the busy week to come?  Wrap presents?

I made a game in 48 hours.  From scratch.  With no help.  Artix and I entered a competition whose goal is to create an entire game in 48 hours based on a theme (DISCOVERY) provided at the start. 

Why would I ever do that?  For fun. 

Sometimes I have a weird idea of fun.

But sometimes, with the massive todo list I have, it’s nice to take a step back and produce something self-contained that isn’t just a piece of what feels like an unfinishable puzzle. 

So Friday Night at 9pm, after I finished the DF Release, I ran home, set up at my home desktop and started to work in a caffeine induced fervor.  Which was considerably more helpful then Artix’s caffeine deprived fever, which he realized he had only just before the competition started.

So the weekend was full of half-started ideas and rapid coding for those of you who follow my Twitter, you got to see all of it in an incredibly fun live stream of my desktop, as well as got to play the different versions along the way.

48 hours after we started, we both have not unredeemable games for submission.

Play My Entry:

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As the sun slowly sets in Falconreach, it's time for you to return to Frostvale.  The kidnapped moglins depend on you!

So open up the Frostval book, take a moment to grab the Red, Green, and Blue presents from the Frostval 2010 shop (accessible in any of the book's chapters) and point your cursors towards Act 11!  You'll be headed into a factory of fear patrolled by the cutest monsters you'll ever have to take down. In fact, you could say you'll have to beat the stuffing out of them!

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The holidays are here, along with the best BattleOn Games events of the year, like the awesome George Lowe "Lowe Down Throw Down" at EpicDuel.com!  Did you know that you can use our AExtras special offers system to earn FREE Varium in EpicDuel, AdventureCoins in AQWorlds, and Dragon Coins in DragonFable?  Just go to this page!   You can also earn BattleOn Games Points using AExtras by going here for your Master Account and use those Points to get stuff in ANY of our games!

Happy Holidays from BattleOn Games!

Things have been crazy here at the lab as we all work furiously on each game's Frostval releases in a flurry of new art and a frenzy of new code! (But the only flurries we've seen are here at the Secret Underground Lab. The sky remains, as usual, free of snowflakes. /sadface!)

And what can YOU expect from DragonFable this week? An avalanche of new content!

We've got the second Frostval release full of perilous plushies that will actually move to intercept you as you try to rescue the moglins trapped by that treacherous- oh, wait, you don't know who the villain is yet. No matter, you'll find that out this week! It's not Frostval unless some villain somewhere is plotting to bring an end to the season's merriment and joy, right? Right! And it's YOUR job to restore them!

We've also got a major update to the Falconreach Guardian Tower Arena! Where once there was only one arena with a couple monsters, now there will be FIVE arenas! And five different groups of monsters to battle! Can you become the Champion of the Arena? Take a look at some of the rewards that you'll be able to claim with enough wins there:

And that's not all! We've also got a HUGE walkaround area coming this Friday! Ghost has outdone himself with a pathway filled with new art that will connect FIVE different zones and towns! You'll have a LOT of exploring to do, Adventurers! Those armored boots were made for walking, and that's just what you'll have to do! (Only enchanted armor boots will walk all over you, and the only pair in Lore are owned by Cysero, and he's not sharing. Too dangerous.)

Have fun speculating on what you'll find in this week's release, guys! And before I go, a forum question: What villain would you like to see return in the next holiday event? (Heroes Heart Day looks like it's next, right?)

Welcome to the first week of Frostval!

Serenity is inviting you to come to her in and sit by the fire with a glass of warm moglinberry juice while the sun begins to set on the town of Falconreach.  But don't think the day is done for you, Hero! Oh no, you've still got a whole release left to battle through!

If you click on the Frostval button in Falconreach, you'll be magically transported to the Frostval storybook, which is sitting in the center of the cheery moglin town of Frostvale.  But the moglins aren't full of Frostval merriment right now; they're too busy worrying about what will happen to them THIS year! Can you go and reassure them that they're safe, and that there's nothing to worry about? (You believe that, right?) Spread some joy, share some holiday tales, and play with the little moglins running about the shelter where they've hunkered down. 

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In the next Ravenloss quest, you'll have to travel deep underground (even MORE underground than you have been) because you'll be venturing through Ravenloss' sewers!

If you can, while you're down there, try to remember to look for the Aurora Key! Golden and shining, in the Ravenloss sewers the key should stand out like a shiny thing in a puddle of sewage. Which is what it will be.

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That's right, heroes and heroines, Frostval is starting THIS WEEK! And boy do we have a fun game-plan laid out for this year. During last year's Frostval was full of hugs; this year's? Well... I'm not going to spoil the overarching plot of this Frostval (sorry!), but it's full of things that most of you SQUEEEE about whenever you see them!

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The house smells like a Christmas tree, I have hot chocolate next to me, Christmas carols are playing on the TV... all I'm missing is SNOW!  And that's what inspired me to have a late-night update for you!

So without further ado....

While you weren't looking, snow has fallen on Falconreach!  Isn't it beautiful?  Just don't eat the yellow snow! (BAD Spots the Three-headed Puppy!)

And for all you rare hunters and Defender's Medal farmers out there, Thanksgiving is going away this Friday, so battle battle BATTLE ON! as you fight to reach your goals!

And expect an update to Falconsnest sometime this week.  The Theater is going to open and with it, the permanent home of the Falconreach Idle event!

Also, the Day of the Ninja appeared quietly and has left just as stealthily in the shadow of the falling snow. (Ninjas can move BETWEEN snowflakes!)  Enjoy your rares, those of you who got them!

I'm going to go bake some cookies! If the attempt works, maybe I'll bring them into the Secret Underground Lab tomorrow!

And DragonFable is celebrating it for all you ninja-nuts and pirate-pwnzer's out there! So grab your naginatas, stash your kodachis, and hide yourselves in the shadows because Thyton is coming to town and to help you celebrate, he's got TWO new Day of the Ninja shops for you!

Day of the Ninja Revered Pet Shop!

Thyton's first nin-tastic shop offering is the Revered Pet Shop! These pets may look familiar if you've been to the Shadow of the Wind Village pet shop.  Thyton keeps an eye on ALL the occupants of his town, and the pet shop is no different.  But these pets are special; they've grown and been trained in the ways of assisting heroes.  So martial your courage and equip one of these higher-levelled favorites and charge into battle, full of the ninja spirit!

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Our first release tonight (there will be TWO!) will give you a glimpse of Vayle's tortured existence after the events of the Darkness Orb storyline in Doomwood.

Remember, time works differently in DragonFable than it does in real life. In game-time, it's only been a few weeks since you and Artix shone so brightly in the Darkness Orb quest chain.

Journey through Amityvale as you search for Vayle's lair. Once you find it, you'll need to convince her that you want to help her. But beware, she's NOT very happy with you! IF you can manage to talk through her rage (and with as upset as Vayle is, that's NOT guaranteed), then it'll be time for Tomix to do his stuff!  He IS a Soulweaver, after all!

Rewards will be:

• Viridian Circle necklace (level 53)
• Serpentine Band necklace (level 43)
• Jinxie Charm necklace (level 33)
• and a trinket (DA only) which will raise your defenses for 3 turns while healing you

Geopetal's Stone Orb Saga quest will be going live later tonight, so be sure to keep checking back for news on that!

We hope you have fun with Part 1 of this weekend's release, and if you're getting ready to celebrate the holidays, now's the time to start thinking about what we'll be doing for Frostval, because it's coming up. FAST.

And since the holidays ARE coming up so fast, what better time than to treat yourself or someone you love to a swanky swag item from HeroMart? We’ve got many items in stock, all based on art and concepts from our hit online RPG and MMO games! What kind of items? How about the 2011 Year of the Moglin calendar, which comes with a Chronomancer class, armor, or mech in four of our games! We’ve also got our first full-length novel, “The Dragon’s Secret” in stock, as well as ChickenCow T-shirts (cluck cluck mooooo!) and more! And don’t forget about our newest item, BattleOn Points virtual gift certificates which you can print out or email to yourself or your friends. And that’s not all, because we’re planning on many many new and exciting items for the future!

Now I'm off to drag Rolith to a craft store. I want to learn how to crochet like Jemini and Ai No Miko. And maybe I'll be able to talk Rolith into learning, too! We could be grannies together in rocking chairs, crocheting scarves that we'll never use (what with living in Florida and all).  Sounds fun to me!

Enjoy your weekends, whatever you do!

So, reading the response to Obsidian Tog made me realize something: I’m not being evil enough.
Also there have been several bugs with the combat engine that have been left alone for far too long and it was about time I stopped avoiding the maze of code that is our TWO separate battle engines (one for new quests and the legacy one from pre-9.0 era that runs the majority of fights in DragonFable even still) and fix the problems.

What’s been fixed in 9.8?  I’ll do a quick list for those of you wanting a cliffnotes:

• Having negative stats will no longer deal zero damage – true for both players and monsters
• Weapons with on-hit specials will now only affect the hit they trigger on – not continually hit every strike after the first one in a special

These bugs were both in the player’s favor and as such lower priority, but they lead to a very unbalanced game that resulted in some armors being far more powerful than ever intended (looking at you ChickenCow Lord).  These bug fixes will let us make more classes with fun animations and more weapons with on-hit specials.

These bugs were tracked down thanks to the help of the community, a bonus big props to our bugs lead Verlyrus!

The Battle Engine is held together with string and sheer force of will, so playing inside it is like poking a cobra with the Cobra Annoying Stick (Patent Pending Ebil Corp).  Things will go badly.  Very badly.  It went about as well as you’d expect.

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