ZAM News (full)

ZAM News (full) http://www.zam.com/ ZAM gaming news rss feed SOE Maintenance Notice Sept 2, 2010 [General News] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=23149 <img style="float: right; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px;" src="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/175834.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="100" />Aimee "Ashlanne" Rekoske posted on the <a href="http://forums.station.sony.com/station/posts/list.m?topic_id=11500017867" target="_blank">Station Community Forums</a>: <blockquote> Account services, including account maintenance, all commerce, and Station Store will be down for maintenance for 3 hours on Thursday, September 2, 2010, from 5:00 am PDT to 8:00 am PDT. The Station Store and all commerce avenues will be unavailable for the duration of maintenance. This may also affect the performance of the forums and any or all accounts' abilities to log in. </blockquote> Here's our handy <a href="http://eq2.zam.com/cgi-bin/tzconv.pl?year=2010&month=9&day=2&hour=05&minute=00&zone=US%2FPacific&tozone=UTC&submit=submit" target="_blank">Time Zone Conversion Tool</a> to help you plan! Bonus Experience Week [EverQuest] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=23135 We're in for a week-long <a href="http://forums.station.sony.com/eq/posts/list.m?topic_id=168099" target="_self">50%</a> experience bonus set to begin on Thursday. Here is the word from <a href="http://eqplayers.station.sony.com/news_article.vm?id=52004" target="_self">EQLive</a>: <blockquote> Greetings Norrathians! In honor of the Labor Day holiday we'll be turning on bonus experience for a week! Bonus exp will be turned on starting at noon PDT on Thursday, September 2nd and turned off at 10am PDT on Thursday September 9th. Safe and happy gaming to everyone! </blockquote> House of Thule Preview: Al'Kabor's Nightmare [EverQuest] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=23101 From <a href="http://eqplayers.station.sony.com/news_article.vm?id=52000" target="_self">EQLive</a>, here is a preview of "Al'Kabor's Nightmare," one of 13 zones making their debut with the upcoming House of Thule expansion: <blockquote> Al'Kabors's Nightmare Here, level 90 adventurers can explore the deepest fears of the greatest wizard Norrath has ever known. What makes him so great? After all, he never uses the nearly infinite power at his disposal. What makes him so afraid?   In this nightmare version of Norrath, the world is well and truly shattered. All that remains are a few floating islands in a desolate void.   Exploring the region of Al'Kabor's nightmare, adventurers will discover what his greatest fear is and why his nightmare takes the form of a shattered, broken world. </blockquote><a name="pause" title="pause"></a><blockquote> Background Lore Al’Kabor is rumored to be the greatest living wizard, though some Norrathians openly mock him.  The spells that he has painstakingly developed and given to the magic users of Norrath are considered, to put it politely, not very good. He has earned his fame, however, as a frequent companion to the hero Firiona Vie.  He has stood beside her against many great foes and his power has made the difference in many of her successes.  If asked, any member of the companions might name him rude, boring or simply uppity, but none would call him weak. Al’Kabor has travelled many lands, visited all of the greatest libraries of Norrath.  Some say he has found knowledge lost for ages in the ruins of long-dead civilizations.  He is one of the oldest living Erudites, old enough to have battled with the Heretics to save Erud’s great library.  What could such an experienced and powerful wizard fear? <a href="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/175249.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 5px;" src="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/width=250/175249.jpg" alt="" width="250" /></a><a href="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/175250.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 5px;" src="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/width=250/175250.jpg" alt="" width="250" /></a> <a href="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/175251.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 5px;" src="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/width=250/175251.jpg" alt="" width="250" /></a><a href="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/175248.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 5px;" src="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/width=250/175248.jpg" alt="" width="250" /></a> </blockquote> You can check out several more screenshots over at <a href="http://eqplayers.station.sony.com/news_article.vm?id=52000" target="_self">EQLive</a>.<a name="pagebreak" title="pagebreak"></a> Hotfix for August 23, 2010 [EverQuest] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=23078  Several adjustments to Tier 7 Underfoot raids were pushed live in a hotfix yesterday (from the patcher): <blockquote> *** Hotfix *** Changed several Underfoot raids to make them easier. Many of these changes came from feedback we received from the community. <ul> <li>The Death Beetle The type and number of hatchlings that spawn from the Death Beetle will no longer be randomly decided. The same hatchlings will spawn each time they spawn. The hatchlings have also been renamed. </li> <li>The Death Beetle Rapid hailing of the elder sporali will no longer cause the event to advance phases. </li> <li>The Death Beetle Reduced the number of fungi (and their equivalent sporali) that spawn at the beginning of the raid by half, but increased their HP. Overall there are fewer targets and less total damage to deal in order to kill the waves. </li> <li>The Death Beetle The raid event will reset if the Death Beetle is left idle for more than 60 seconds after it is first aggroed. </li> <li>The Death Beetle Hatchlings will now spawn less often and at a more reliable interval. Instead of spawning every 10 percent (with some variation) they now spawn every 15 percent. </li> <li>Masked Invaders A message will now reveal the character responsible for causing the greken to be healed. </li> <li>A Cunning Plan Further reduced the DPS of the mephit keyholders and minions for a total of about 20 percent. </li> <li>A Cunning Plan Reduced Taskmaster Yeorick's DPS slightly. </li> <li>Trial of Destruction Reduced the DPS of the rotocopter, gnomework, and skittering sentinels. </li> <li>Trial of Creation Many enemies in this trial have had their DPS reduced. </li> <li>Trial of Creation Many enemies in this trial have had their hit points reduced by approximately 10 percent. </li> <li>An Audience with Brell Brell and his Armored Visage have had their DPS reduced. </li> </ul> - The EverQuest Team </blockquote> SOE Maintenance on Wednesday, August 25th, 2010 [General News] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=23067 According to a post by Aimee "Ashlanne" Rekoske on the <a href="http://forums.station.sony.com/station/forums/list.m">Station forums</a>, there will be an estimated five hour downtime at SOE on Wednesday, August 25th, 2010, at 2:00 AM PDT.  The services impacted are: <ul> <li>EQII Voice Chat</li> <li>EQOA</li> <li>Star Wars Galaxies all servers</li> <li>Vanguard log in</li> <li>EQ Marketplace</li> <li>The EQPlayers Website</li> </ul> Here's our handy <a href="http://www.zam.com/cgi-bin/tzconv.pl?year=2010&month=8&day=25&hour=02&minute=00&zone=US%2FPacific&tozone=UTC&submit=submit">Time Zone Conversion Tool</a> to help you plan! House of Thule Preview: Miragul's Nightmare [EverQuest] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=23054 From <a href="http://eqplayers.station.sony.com/news_article.vm?id=51994" target="_self">EQLive</a>, here is a sneak peek of "Miragul's Nightmare," one of 13 zones that will be introduced with the House of Thule expansion: <blockquote> Miragul's Nightmare In this zone, adventurers level 85+ will explore the dreaming mind of a madman. Miragul, having made the choice to become a lich, is locked within his phylactery. The dream keeps the waking horror at bay. Or does it? As adventurers explore the zone, they will see what looks like remnants of Old Paineel. It's surprising empty, with no sign of living beings anywhere. Delving deeper into Miragul's Nightmare, adventurers will discover the growing madness and despair of the once great mage. They will directly confront Miragul's greatest fears. </blockquote><a name="pause" title="pause"></a><blockquote> Background Lore </blockquote> <blockquote> In ancient days, Miragul studied all the disciplines of magic to which he had access. Eventually he mastered them all and became the greatest mage in Norrath. But it wasn't enough. He thirsted for more and began to chafe at the restrictions his race put on which schools of magic were permitted. He eventaully broke with the rulers of Paineel and fled to pursue knowledge and the art of Necromancy. As age crept up on him and began to take its toll, Miragul turned his powerful intellect to finding a way to cheat death. He directed more and more of his study to Necromancy in his search for unending life. He found it. But like all attempts to defy the natural order of things, something went wrong... </blockquote> <a href="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/174826.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 5px;" src="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/width=200/174826.jpg" alt="" width="200" /></a><a href="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/174827.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 5px;" src="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/width=200/174827.jpg" alt="" width="200" /></a> <a href="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/174828.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 5px;" src="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/width=200/174828.jpg" alt="" width="200" /></a><a href="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/174829.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 5px;" src="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/width=200/174829.jpg" alt="" width="200" /></a> You can check out a few more screenshots of Miragul's Nightmare over at <a href="http://eqplayers.station.sony.com/news_article.vm?id=51994" target="_self">EQLive</a>.<a name="pagebreak" title="pagebreak"></a> House of Thule Preview: Feerrott, the Dream [EverQuest] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=23049 From <a href="http://eqplayers.station.sony.com/news_article.vm?id=51992" target="_self">EQLive</a>, here is a preview of the House of Thule zone, Feerrott, the Dream: <blockquote> There are lots of great new zones and features coming with the House of Thule expansion! Here's a sneak peek at one of the zones. Feerrott, the Dream Everyone’s favorite jungle has received a facelift!  The team has smoothed out the zone’s geometry and added some new art, as well.   All the familiar features are still here.  Lizard men abound, ogres hulk in corners and guard the entrance to Oggok, and the entrance to the Lost Temple of Cazic-Thule still lurks to the south. </blockquote><a name="pause" title="pause"></a><blockquote> <a href="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/174722.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/width=250/174722.jpg" alt="" width="250" /></a> Most importantly, however, is the new addition to the zone.  There is now a gate leading into the House of Thule.  As to what you’ll find inside, only the bravest adventurers will find out! Finally this dream version of the zone is for adventurers with much more experience.  The beings inside will challenge adventurers of level 85 and beyond. The waking dream has brought new mysteries to Feerrott.  Some people have started to explore this new area and ask for help in this very dangerous place.  The denizens in their waking dreams also dream of power, and have gained in power as well.  Tread lightly! <a href="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/174723.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/width=250/174723.jpg" alt="" width="250" /></a> Background Lore This dark and dangerous jungle is home to many wild and deadly creatures, including the Alliz Tae Ew and Alliz Evol Ew tribes of lizard men.  It is said that a portal to the Plane of Fear is located somewhere in the Feerrott and that fearsome minions loyal to Cazic-Thule himself prowl the murky terrain. Within the depths of this harsh, swamp-like jungle, it is rumored there resides the ruins of an ancient temple erected in reverence and homage to The Faceless, Cazic-Thule.  This lost temple has become a subject of legend and fascination for both scholars and crusaders of the Lord of Fear – though some believe that what has been lost to history is often best left in the shrouded haze of the forgotten. </blockquote> You can check out several more screenshots of Feerrott, the Dream, over at <a href="http://eqplayers.station.sony.com/news_article.vm?id=51992" target="_self">EQLive</a>.<a name="pagebreak" title="pagebreak"></a> Patch Notes for August 18, 2010 [EverQuest] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=23022 Here are the patch notes from a game update pushed live today (from the patcher): <blockquote> *** Highlights *** <ul> <li>We were able to make several changes in response to feedback we received at Fan Faire. These changes are noted with an asterisk. Additional changes are scheduled for upcoming updates. Thanks to everyone who joined us and participated at the event! </li> </ul> *** Items *** <ul> <li>In-game rewards from this year's Fan Faire are now Heirloom items. The Draught of the Craftsman buff will now tick down in the guild lobby and guild hall. </li> </ul> </blockquote><a name="pause" title="pause"></a><blockquote> *** Quests & Events *** <ul> <li>Beware! Unrest, Cazic-Thule, Blackburrow and Lower Guk will be getting more dangerous for a while! </li> <li>The bonus experience modifiers have been removed from Underfoot zones. We hope you enjoyed them. </li> <li>A Cunning Plan Reduced the damage done by the Minions, Keyholders, Architect and Monarch slightly.* </li> <li>The Cliknar Queen In order to avoid having two pabulums stack on top of each other, they will now be spawned one at a time (but twice as often).* </li> <li>Magus Sisters Corrected an issue with the raid reset. </li> </ul> *** Spells *** <ul> <li>Beastlord Corrected a skill issue for Spirit of Hoshkar pets focused by Enhanced Minion IX, X, and XI. They had several skills set too low. </li> <li>Beastlord Raised the AC of Spirit of Hoshkar pets focused by Ritual Summoning, Minion of Discord, Servant of Chaos, Spire Servant, and Servitor of Scale. </li> <li>Beastlord Swarm pets summoned by Bestial Empathy, Howling at the Moon, and Bark at the Moon lines will now be much smaller.* </li> <li>Enchanter The effect from the Aura of Abstract Acumen will now go to the short duration buff box.* </li> <li>Magician Reduced the recast time on Summon Ring of Flight. </li> <li>Magician Renamed the Ring of Levitation to Ring of Flight so that it matches the name of the spell that summons it. </li> <li>Necromancer Restored the innate lifetap proc to necromancer pets focused by Enhanced Minion V and above. </li> <li>Paladin The global cooldown for the Burst of Dawnlight spell has been reduced to three seconds.* </li> </ul> *** Miscellaneous *** <ul> <li>Fixed a crash issue when clicking on Achievement links in the Welcome Screen. </li> </ul> *** UI *** <ul> <li>Fixed issue with Effects and Short Duration buff windows vanishing when minimized. </li> <li>Added "Is Lore" and "Has Lore Augment" to the Recover tab. </li> <li>Added ability to inspect the items in the Recover tab. </li> <li>Changed <ul> <li>EQUI_MerchantWnd.xml </li> </ul> </li> </ul> - The EverQuest Team </blockquote><a name="pagebreak" title="pagebreak"></a> House of Thule Expansion Features [EverQuest] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=22969 From <a href="http://eqplayers.station.sony.com/news_article.vm?id=51986" target="_self">EQLive</a>, here is some more information about the upcoming House of Thule expansion: <blockquote> At Fan Faire, we announced EverQuest's newest expansion - House of Thule! Over the next several weeks, we'll provide you with sneak peeks at the many exciting features. Here's a little more information! Across Norrath prominent figures are falling into dream-induced comas. The clerics and mystics of the land are powerless to wake their leaders from their unnatural sleep, evidence that something is deeply wrong in the world of dreams. </blockquote><a name="pause" title="pause"></a><blockquote> New Features! <ul> <li>+5 Level Increase – Achieve a New Max Level of 90 and set a new standard of gameplay </li> <li>More than 800 AAs – Elevate your power and abilities beyond the norm </li> <li>In-game Housing Addition – Make your permanent mark on the world! Collect and display  treasured items </li> <li>New Housing Trophy System – Display your trophies and receive statistical benefits </li> <li>Hundreds of new housing items to decorate your house to your own style </li> <li>18 Raids – Collect valuable rewards from all new adventures </li> <li>13 Zones – Be the first to discover untouched lands of Norrath </li> <li>450+ Spells – Exponentially add to your caster’s arsenal </li> <li>17 Missions – Experience intriguing lore and immersive Missions </li> <li>120+ Quests – Challenge your skills and gather useful loot </li> <li>Inventory increase – Indulge the packrat in you and collect even more game goodies</li> </ul> <a href="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/173951.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 5px;" src="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/width=200/173951.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="113" /></a><a href="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/173952.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 5px;" src="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/width=200/173952.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="113" /></a> <a href="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/173953.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 5px;" src="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/width=200/173953.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="113" /></a><a href="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/173954.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 5px;" src="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/width=200/173954.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="113" /></a> </blockquote> Also on <a href="http://eqplayers.station.sony.com/news_article.vm?id=51986">EQLive</a> is a flythrough video. <a href="http://download.station.sony.com/patch/web/eq/EQ_HoT_FanFaire_Legal_short.wmv">Click here</a> for its direct download link (about 185mb in size and 3:18 in length).<a name="pagebreak" title="pagebreak"></a> House of Thule Announced as EQ's 17th Expansion [EverQuest] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=22931 It's official! "House of Thule" will be EverQuest's 17th expansion. Here is the announcement from <a href="http://eqplayers.station.sony.com/news_article.vm?id=51982" target="_self">EQLive</a>: <blockquote> EverQuest® House of Thule™ is the seventeenth expansion of the groundbreaking EverQuest franchise. Now in its unprecedented twelfth year, EverQuest continues to add immersive gameplay, captivating storytelling and exciting worlds to its legacy, now set in a never-before-seen dreamland full of mystery and adventure. House of Thule offers an expansion rich in content and packed with game-changing features including a level cap increase and the addition of player housing, which new players, veterans and MMO fans will relish.   Stay tuned for more information! </blockquote><a name="pause" title="pause"></a><blockquote> <a href="http://eqplayers.station.sony.com/images/articles/fanfaire2010/eq_hot_fob.jpg" target="_self"><img src="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/173173.jpg" alt="House of Thule" width="375" height="499" /></a> </blockquote> Beta registrations are now being accepted. You can find sign-up instructions in <a href="http://eqplayers.station.sony.com/news_article.vm?id=51983" target="_self">this EQLive article</a>.<a name="pagebreak" title="pagebreak"></a>