Author Archive

Server Merges Pushed Until Week of 29 November 2010

Written by Dethdlr on . Posted in Commentary, Game Updates & Maintenance

Amnerys posted this today on the Everquest2.com forums:

As of yesterday afternoon, the decision has been made to hold the merge until next week. We want to be sure we have full staff on hand to make everything goes smoothly.

Commentary: Some of you are probably wondering what the heck is going on with the merges and thinking that if they’re pushing it this many times, this probably isn’t going to end well.  From what I understand, they needed to give people 30 days notice of the upcoming server merges (not sure exactly why but sounds like a good idea regardless).   So I’m guessing that they asked their devs/engineers when they thought would be the earliest that they could be ready for the merges and they said Nov 16th if all goes well and we don’t run into any hiccups.  So they announced the merges would take place starting on Nov 16th.  When Nov 16th rolled around, they were down to the final rounds of testing the process and hit a few hiccups.  They are now in the process of working through the final hiccups in their testing environment before inflicting running the merge scripts on the live servers.

I’m personally glad that they are taking the cautious approach to make sure as few hiccups as possible make it to the live servers.  In the software industry it’s all too often that management forces devs to push something out the door whether it’s ready or not just so they meet the deadline that was announced.  I’d much rather have quality pushed a little late than bugs pushed on time.  These delays are a good thing.  It shows they are taking their time to get it right rather than rushing it out the door.  Even with the delays, I’m sure some things will still go wrong, but hopefully it won’t be very many.

   

Tuesday November 23, 2010 Hotfix Notes

Written by Dethdlr on . Posted in Game Updates & Maintenance

Here are your hotfix notes for November 23, 2010:

MARKETPLACE
You can now use the Marketplace at Login / Character Create to purchase account related items such as character slots!

You can now send gifts to your friends from the Marketplace!
 
ABILITIES
If the caster cancels a maintained spell that he cast, it will cancel the spell for everyone in the group.
 
PVP GENERAL
Fixed a crash bug from Battlegrounds and PvP combat.
 
QUESTS
Sinking Sands: The Beetle Herding quest line should be working correctly now.

Server Merge Schedule: They’re Not Telling

Written by Dethdlr on . Posted in Game Updates & Maintenance

Amnerys posted several messages on the Everquest2.com forums today about the upcoming server merges. The first one happening is Blackburrow into Everfrost which may happen as soon as tomorrow (Nov 16th, 2010). As for the rest of them:

I can definitely tell you that we’re not going to be announcing a full schedule ahead of time.

From this post it looks as though the plan is to do the first server merge tomorrow if they get everything in place in time:

At this time, we are still getting all the I’s dotted and the T’s crossed, and we cannot confirm just yet if the merge will happen on 11/16 or if there will be a delay, but Blackburrow to Everfrost will be the first merge to take place.

As soon as we have official confirmation, I will update this thread and its subject line with a date and time.

It has been asked if at least the order of the merges can be released even if there are no firm dates. We’ll let you know what we find out.

Update:  It doesn’t look like a schedule is forthcoming.  Amnerys posted this on the Everquest2.com forums in response to the the questions about the order of the merges:

We don’t have a schedule that can be shared right now, because we’re still working on things on the back-end, and the details that go into deciding the order could still change. Because this is a very fluid transition, I don’t know that we’ll be posting a master list of order at all. We will definitely announce each one before it occurs, but I’m not sure if we can post an overall sequence.

Also from Amnerys on Everquest2.com:

 The first merger will not be taking place on Tuesday. Possibly Wednesday. We’ll let you know as soon as we know.

Dethdlr’s Dungeon: So Long Longarm

Written by Dethdlr on . Posted in Dethdlr's Dungeon, Itemization

Dethdlr's Dungeon

A Bow to Pull With

Any good plate tank needs a good pulling bow.  You know, one that can hit mobs from way across the room.  You may not use it all the time, but you at least have it on your hot bar.  They come in handy for all sorts of things.  Once you’ve used one with an extra long range, it’s hard to go back to using anything else.  They even make questing easier since you can hit the mobs from so far away (less running around).

November 3, 2010 Hotfix Notes

Written by Dethdlr on . Posted in Free-to-Play (EQ2X), Game Updates & Maintenance, Raiding

Remember that patch that went in yesterday?  The one that caused raid zones to crash over and over again?  Today we get the patch for the patch.  “Fixed a crash issue related to pet immunity” apparently means, “we fixed the raid zone crashing bug that we introduced yesterday“.  This bug was apparently reported on the website late last week but the info didn’t make it to the developers.  Remember, always /bug when you find a bug.  That doesn’t mean they will always see it, but at least that gets it into their system. Notes after the break…

Pumpkin Carving Forum Challenge

Written by Dethdlr on . Posted in Live Events

From Everquest2.com:

Challenge: To celebrate Halloween, we’re holding a Pumpkin Carving Forum Challenge. Carve a pumpkin related to the SOE game you play and take pictures of the process. Upload the pictures to an external site, then submit them to us for review. Now, let’s get to carving!

Duration: Submissions for this forum challenge start on Tuesday, October 19, 2010 and end on Tuesday November 2, 2010 at 10am PDT. (PDT is -7 hours GMT: 11:00 am MDT, 12:00 pm CDT, 1:00 pm EDT, 5:00 pm GMT)

Bonus Guild XP Weekend Starts 22 October 2010

Written by Dethdlr on . Posted in Live Events

As we previously reported, with GU58, the guild XP levels were evened out to get rid of the hell levels.  Depending on where your guild was in relation to the closest hell level, you may have gained guild levels or lost progress in your current level.  In the grand scheme of getting to level 90, just about everybody ended up better off.  In the grand scheme of making it to the NEXT level, which could have been your long term goal, some guilds lost progress. 

In an effort to make up for this (I assume), SOE has decided to have a Bonus Guild XP weekend.  I’ve been holding off posting this until the official announcement was made.  However, since it’s getting pretty close to start time, I thought it would be better to go ahead and get the word out so people can plan accordingly.  Rothgar posted this on the official forums:

This weekend there will be a guild status bonus weekend where all status that you earn will increase your guild’s XP by 50%.  For example, if you complete a writ that awards you 10,000 status, normally your guild will receive 1000 status (xp).  With the 50% bonus you’ll still receive 10,000 personal status, but the guild will instead receive 1500 status.

The promotion will run from 5pm Friday night until 10am Monday morning (PST).  Look for the official announcement coming soon.

Just remember, grinding tradeskill writs not only gets you guild XP and city tokens, you also make a small profit. 🙂

Server Merges Begin 16 November 2010

Written by Dethdlr on . Posted in Game Updates & Maintenance

Initially released in an email message sent out to players and posted on the official forums by Xalmat, word comes to us that the long awaited server merges will begin on 16 November 2010. The following servers will be merged: 

  • Nektulos merges into Guk
  • Najena merges into Unrest
  • Befallen merges into Oasis
  • Blackburrow merges into Everfrost
  • Mistmoore merges into Permafrost
  • Kithicor merges into Butcherblock
  • Runnyeye merges into Splitpaw (UK)
  • Innovation merges into Valor (DE)

More info after the break…

Haunted Home Decorating Forum Challenge

Written by Dethdlr on . Posted in Art, Appearance, Housing, Tradeskill

The EQ2 Community Team is hosting a unique decorating challenge for Nights of the Dead this year.  You create a new character on the Test Copy server in Neriak and post a response in this thread on the official forums.  The EQ2 Community Team will then give you supplies to work with and PM you when you have your supplies.  Use the provided supplies to purchase a house at 1 Walk of the Dead and purchase items from a special merchant just outside the house.  You then have until the 25th at 6pm PDT to finish decorating your new home.  Further details after the break:

Feedback Wanted ~ Fan Faire 2011 Hotel & Dates

Written by Dethdlr on . Posted in Daybreak Live (SOE Live/Fan Faire), DGC Wants Feedback

SOE wants to know where and when people would prefer to have Fan Faire 2011.  Your choices are Vegas or Vegas.  Go vote for your prefered hotel and dates.   Amnerys posted this on the official forums:

It’s that time again folks! Time to tell us where and when you want to attend Fan Faire 2011! We have two choices for you, both of them in Las Vegas. The first one sends us back to Bally’s, July 7th through the 9th. The other option takes us to the Hilton, August 4th through the 6th. Head on over to the Fan Faire forums to vote in the official poll and let us know which dates you prefer.

The poll includes hotel room prices, as well, to help you make your decision. Registration prices will be announced at a later date.

Thanks so much for your input on this year’s Fan Faire! We can’t wait to see you there, at whichever option is chosen!

Nights of the Dead 2010

Written by Dethdlr on . Posted in Live Events

Everquest2.com has a news items up anouncing this years Nights of the Dead live event:

It’s time to enjoy spooks, frights and other creepy festivities in Norrath! Beginning at at 12:01am PDT Thursday, October 14th and running until 11:59pm Monday, November 8th, the Nights of the Dead celebration brings a bit of seasonal fun to adventurers of all levels!

Nights of the Dead summons goblins and ghoulies out of the shadows of Norrath. Those inclined to celebrate the holiday through crafting will find a new book of recipes full of new house items being sold by official event merchants. Those feeling more adventurous can trick-or-treat within Qeynos or Freeport or investigate the multiple haunted locations! But be wary of the strange illness that has been reported near the docks in Nektulos Forest, and of the headless guardsman that has been rumored to wander the paths of the forest, too!

New for 2010:

  • Be sure to visit New Halas as they join in the celebration this year.
  • Show your holiday spirit with the new “Nights of the Dead Devotee” quest and get the dish on its cool reward.
  • New rewards for some of the returning Nights of the Dead events.
  • Check out the new costume illusions, a new recipe book and new house items available from Nights of the Dead merchants.
  • The Headless Horseman is back and tougher than ever, and he’s carrying some new loot in his pack.
  • Wandering through Nektulos Forest might provide some spooky fun, too!
   

Down Time and Hotfix Notes for 12 Oct 2010

Written by Dethdlr on . Posted in Game Updates & Maintenance

Update: This has been pushed to Wednesday.  Unknown if the update notes will stay the same.

The current estimated down time is 3:15 PDT with an uptime of 4:00 PDT 12 October 2010.  Here are your hotfix notes for the downtime:

GENERAL

  • Fixed a bug causing the client to crash when using a third-party UI that hasn’t implemented the mount or currency windows.
  • Fixed a server side crash bug.

Guild XP Went Down? Not Really

Written by Dethdlr on . Posted in Game Updates & Maintenance

Wondering why the XP bar for your guild went down with GU58?  Don’t worry, you’re actually closer to level 90 than you were before.  Rothgar explains on the official forums:

Your XP value behind the scenes, which is some number like 183627, did not change unless your level would have gone down.  For example, that number may have put you at 54 prior to the change but would now put you at 52.  In this case, we added XP to the number to increase you to level 54 but it would look like you lost progress in 54 when in fact you would have been 52 on the new curve.  The total amount of XP needed to get to 90 was lessened, so you are now further along than you would have been before.

In some cases, depending on where you were in the curve, you just passed a hell level and will now be further along than you were before.

Regardless of what the progress bar shows, when you reach level 90, everyone will have put in the same amount of work.  It just depends on whether or not you’ve already been through the “hell levels”.

I’m really sorry this is confusing and looks like you’ve lost XP, but everyone should have benefited from this change in the long run.

If its not already as clear as mud, to summarize:

If your guild looks like you lost XP on the progress bar, you were one of the guilds who had XP added to get you up to your old level when you would have been behind.

If your guild gained levels after this, you unfortunately didn’t receive any “free xp”, but since you just went through a hell level that required more XP than the other levels, you now are higher than you were before.

Totems Now Go In Potion Cabinets

Written by Dethdlr on . Posted in Game Updates & Maintenance, Tradeskill

Prior to GU58, totems didn’t stack.  If you wanted to sell large quantities of these, you could get a Jewelry Box and stuff a bunch of them in there to sell.

With GU58, new totems now stack up to 100 (old ones remain the same).  Because of this, they no longer fit into Jewelry Boxes, they go in Potion Cabinets.  DominoDev explained this on the official forums:

Due to the new format of the totems (essentially acting like potions, and stacking) they are now considered potions by the sales crates and would now fit into a potion cabinet instead of a jewelry box.  Apologies for the confusion, it hadn’t occurred to me that this would be a side effect of the change or I would have called it out in advance.

Update: Apparently, this change currently only applies to the following totems:  Fearstalker, Void, Otter, Jaguar, Butterfly, Owl, Turlte, Chameleon, and Escape.  I’m sure this will change one way or another eventually.

GU58 Crashes Profit UI

Written by Dethdlr on . Posted in Game Updates & Maintenance

Once GU58 went live, some users reported crashing while using Profit UI.  Rothgar loaded up Profit to see if he could reproduce the problem.  Fairly quickly he came up with a work around.  Amnerys posted this note on the official forums:

Some players are reporting a crashing issue after today’s update. If you are experiencing this, here’s some info from Lead Programmer, Rothgar:

The crash is related to having a UI without the Mount tab.  We will have a fix for it as soon as possible but in the meantime, you can delete your eq2ui_mainhud_persona.xml file from your custom directory and revert back to the standard Character window.

They intend on having some short downtime later today to patch in a server side fix for this as well.

It should be noted that this workaround will also get you the new currency and mount tabs regardless of which custom UI you are using if the author hasn’t updated their UI to be GU58 compliant.  By deleting this file from your custom UI folder you are telling the game to revert back to the default version of that window which contains the new tabs.  This is the same thing that my GU58 bandaid patch does for FetishNightfall.

Profit has apparently been updated for GU58 but it seems as though you may need to manually drop in some files from TalTal to get it to work properly.

Update:  SmokeJumper just posted this on the official EQ2X forums.  Basically, by telling people to delete their eq2.ini file, he’s telling them to not run Profit until after today’s patch since that’s where the game reads which UI it should load.  If it doesn’t find this file, it loads the default UI.  Not sure all this is needed since I’m pretty sure the workaround above would work fine but here goes just in case it’s helpful to someone out there.  In his instructions, replace Freeport with the name of your server:

I don’t know if this has been posted on these forums yet, so here goes:

If you are running Profit UI, then there is a crash issue. We have it fixed and will be updating the servers in a couple hours with the fix…however…in the meantime:

You may want to make backups and then delete the following files and folders from your game folder:
cache folder
eq2_recent.ini
eq2_default.ini
EverQuest2.exe
eq2.ini

As well as the character specific files, these will appear as such:
Freeport_CharacterName_EQ2_uisettings.ini
Freeport_characters.ini

That will let you run the game now, and then after today’s update, you can restore those files back into your game folder and run Profit normally.

If you are crashing and NOT running Profit UI, please speak up! SMILEY

Update 2: Reading through some of the threads about crashing clients, people are reporting the same crashes with the default UI.  If the game is crashing on you repeatedly and you’ve tried the steps above already, it might be a good time to find a good book until the server patch a few hours from now.  Looks like this one really caught them off guard.  I tried it out on Test this Saturday and it was working fine.

GU58: Arcanum Revealed – New Zone

Written by Dethdlr on . Posted in Game Updates & Maintenance, Grouping

EverQuest2.com has been updated with the first of several previews of Tuesday’s Game Update 58, named “Arcanum Revealed”. A news item has been posted which says that each time a new instance is created, there is a chance of an additional named spawning in each of the Vasty Deep zones. Check out the original news item for pictures of each new named.

Update Notes for 5 October 2010

Written by Dethdlr on . Posted in Daybreak Cash, Free-to-Play (EQ2X), Game Updates & Maintenance, Raiding

Here are your update notes for 5 October 2010:

EVERQUEST 2 EXTENDED

  • Bronze members will now be able to view chat channels (Silver or higher is still required to participate in chat).
  • You can now purchase Gold memberships directly in game.

MARKETPLACE

  • You can now buy extra character slots in the marketplace!
  • You can now redeem station cash cards directly in game by going to: Marketplace – Add Funds – Station Cash Card.
  • You can now add a credit card to your file directly in game by going to: Marketplace – Add Funds – Credit Card – Add New Card.
  • Check the marketplace for “New” and “Hot” items!
  • Marketplace items that are discounted from normal price will now show “SALE” on the icon in both the welcome window and the marketplace window.

PERAH’CELSIS’ ABOMINABLE LABORATORY

  • Homicidal Madness (the charm spell) no longer affects fighters.
  • EQ2X: Bronze Chat Channel Restrictions Relaxed

    Written by Dethdlr on . Posted in Free-to-Play (EQ2X), Game Updates & Maintenance

    SmokeJumper just announced some changes to the bronze level chat channel restirctions on the EQ2X Forums:

    As of Tuesday, October 5th, the chat restrictions for Bronze players will be eased somewhat.

    Bronze players will now be able to *see* the chat that’s occurring in broadcast chat channels (like /auction, /Level 1-9, etc.).

    However, they will still be unable to *send* chat in those channels.

    In theory, this allows Bronze players to hear what’s going on in the world, and opens up a huge pool of potential customers for Silver and Gold players that are /auctioning items in chat. (Bronze players can /tell back to the auctioneer if they’re interested in the item.)

    The world should feel a bit more filled with people for Bronze players now, as well.


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