ZAM News (full)

ZAM News (full) http://www.zam.com/ ZAM gaming news rss feed BioWare Mythic Comes to GamesCom Cologne! [Dark Age of Camelot] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=22997 If you happen to be in Cologne, Germany on Saturday, August 21st, then be sure to stop by the Hard Rock Café and join the <a href="http://www.camelotherald.com/news/news_article.php?storyid=4157" target="_blank">BioWare Mythic</a> crew for a few hours at GamesCom : BioWare Mythic Comes to GamesCom Cologne! BioWare Mythic is bringing the good fight to GamesCom Cologne. We invite our Dark Age of Camelot and Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning communities to join us for a GamesCom Fan Gathering at the Hard Rock Café in Cologne, Germany on August 21st, 2010 at 6:30 PM Local Time! Come out and get your free shirt, free in game items, and a limited in game item for WAR players! We’ll be providing appetizers, soft drinks and conversation, so bring yourself and your passion for games as we celebrate our communities. The Hard Rock Café: Cologne is located at Gürzenichstr. 8, 50667 Köln. Come join Carrie Gouskos, Stuart Zissu and Andy Belford and raise a toast to DAoC and WAR. We’ll see you in Cologne!<a name="pause" title="pause"></a>  <hr /> <a href="http://www.camelotherald.com/news/news_article.php?storyid=4158" target="_blank">BioWare Mythic kommt zur GamesCom in Köln! </a> BioWare Mythic bringt das Beste des Kampfes zur GamesCom nach Köln. Wir laden unsere Dark Age of Camelot und Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning Spieler zu einem GamesCom-Spielertreffen am Samstag, den 21. August 2010 um 18:30 in das Hard Rock Café in Köln ein! Kommt und holt euch euer freies Hemd, freie Ingame-Gegenstände und zusätzlich einen besonderen, limitierten Ingame-Gegenstand für WAR – wer zuerst kommt mahlt zuerst! Wir bieten euch kleine Häppchen, kühle Softdrinks und interessante Gespräche – teilt mit uns eure Leidenschaft für Spiele and lasst uns gemeinsam feiern.   Das Hard Rock Café befindet sich in der Gürzenichstr. 8, 50667 Köln. Trefft Carrie Gouskos, Stuart Zissu und Andy Belford und stoßt mit ihnen auf DAoC und WAR an. Wir sehen uns in Köln!<a name="pagebreak" title="pagebreak"></a> Mon, 16 Aug 2010 19:40:26 -0000 Patch 1.105 Comes to Live Servers! 8/11/2010 [Dark Age of Camelot] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=22958 <a href="http://www.camelotherald.com/news/news_article.php?storyid=4151" target="_blank">Servers are down</a> while the BioMythic crew works hard to bring patch 1.105 live, look for the servers to be back online early this afternoon: We will be bringing all North American and European servers offline tomorrow, 8/11/2010, at 6:00 AM EDT/12:00 CET to deploy Patch 1.105. At this time we anticipate that all servers will be back online no later than  2:30 PM EDT/20:30 CET. As always please be sure to check the Herald for updates regarding this downtime. Highlights of this version include: <ul style="padding-left: 30px;"> <li>The training window has been updated! Players can now train multiple abilities on each specialization and Realm ability at once! For full details on all of the updates to the training window, be sure to check the full patch notes. </li> <li>Bainshee Class Improvements! </li> <li>Continuing Itemization improvements to Classic World Dungeon Loot Drops! </li> </ul> <a href="http://www.camelotherald.com/patches.php?mode=live" target="_blank">Be sure to read the full 1.105 Patch Notes here</a>! Thank you for your continued support and we'll see you in the Frontier! Wed, 11 Aug 2010 10:32:41 -0000 The Infernal Auction is Coming! [Dark Age of Camelot] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=22911 New DAoC Developer <a href="http://www.camelotherald.com/news/news_article.php?storyid=4147" target="_blank">live event</a> starts this Thursday, August 5th! Merchants have been sighted across the Realms, bringing with them powerful items scavenged from the battlefield of last months the recent  demonic invasion.  Denizens of the Realm of Albion will find these peddlers of mystical wares in close proximity to the Smith's Forge in Cotswold. In the lands of Midgard, a caravan of merchants has been spotted setting up camp just outside of the portal leading to the Shrouded Isles outside the town of Mularn. Finally, travelling salesmen have taken refuge near Ardee in the Realm of Hibernia, drawing in supplies and tempting passersby with their goods near the well just to the North of town. Travelling with these Merchants throughout the Realms, Jonda Dawn seeks to reward those brave souls who participated in the vanquishing of the demonic hordes during last month's Live Event, Infernal Awakenings. Those who bear the titles of Destroyer, Conqueror or Vanquisher of Arnak as proof of their deeds may speak with Jonda and choose a prize for their efforts. Please be sure to choose carefully, as all selections are final.<a name="pause" title="pause"></a>Those who have visited these merchants have reported that fine food, drink and displays of fireworks are plentiful. As the day wears on and the wine flows freely, there are slurred whispers of a special auction to be held in the coming weeks (August 19th 2010 to be specific) where buyers can bid on the most potent of items salvaged from the battlefield. Only the most venerable of their merchants are entrusted to sell these goods, so be on the watch for more information about this special Developer Lead Auction. Be sure to visit the merchants and browse their wares soon, as they are only visiting for a limited time!<a name="pagebreak" title="pagebreak"></a> Mon, 02 Aug 2010 19:48:46 -0000 Producer's Letter - Stuart Zissu [Dark Age of Camelot] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=22898 Upcoming Patch 1.105, promise of a new Live Event, and new payment options for EU are the hot topics for Stuart Zissu's latest <a href="http://www.camelotherald.com/news/news_article.php?storyid=4146" target="_blank">Producer's Letter</a>: I love Summer time. Warm temperatures, longer days, lighter clothes, it all points to the relaxing days of summer, and what better way to relax than taking the fight to your enemies on the field of battle. Here at BioWare Mythic we believe that the fight is what it's all about, and that's why we're excited to continue bringing you new and compelling changes to Dark Age of Camelot. I want to start off by thanking all of our players who came out for the very first Developer Lead Live Event, "Infernal Awakenings".  We (literally) had a blast playing on the Live Servers with everyone, especially when it came to dropping a spark or two on some heads. (For the record, Demons don't have Facebook pages... they're on MySpace). Community reaction was so overwhelmingly positive that we immediately dove into development of the next Live Event. We're extremely excited about the opportunities that this new program presents and can’t wait to share more details on the next Live Event very soon. And not to worry, we're planning on making the next event continue through multiple time zones in order to make it accessible to more players.<a name="pause" title="pause"></a>Next, let's talk about what's in store for 1.105. For starters, if you haven't checked out the new training window on the Pendragon Public Test Server, I suggest you log in and see what all the excitement is about. To say that we've merely just upgraded the training window UI is an understatement! With the new training window UI, players can now work out their specialization lines all at once. Want to see what it will take to get to that new style? Just slide the sliders and see what you can do. You can even see the most recent styles and skills you will get with your setup. <a href="http://mythicmktg.fileburst.net/daoc/us/herald/images/DAOC%20TrainingWindow1.png" target="_blank">Here's an example of the new training window in action</a>. Want more details on which Styles you will attain through training?  Then check out the Ability Summary tab. Here you can page through all the abilities your character will have at his or her disposal once you train with the current setup, <a href="http://mythicmktg.fileburst.net/daoc/us/herald/images/DAOC%20TrainingWindow2.png" target="_blank">as you can see in this screenshot</a>. The new Realm Abilities tab can be used to train your Realm abilities in the same manner as you did your spec lines. Ignore Pain 3? Just slide over until 3 is displayed. First Aid 2? <a href="http://mythicmktg.fileburst.net/daoc/us/herald/images/DAOC%20TrainingWindow3.png" target="_blank">Slide it on over</a>! Once Specializations and Realm Abilities are to your liking, hit the train button once and everything is immediately trained. No more endless clicking to use all your spec points. No more training one point too far in a spec line because you clicked the train button too many times. Trainers (and players!) in all three Realms are rejoicing - no longer must they suffer the endless poking and prodding of countless training clicks! So there's the UI, but now it's time to talk Europe. When last I wrote, I alluded that we were working on implementing a solution that allowed players on the Kattraeth and Glamorgan clusters to play together while still letting them play in their own languages.  This is still our long term goal, however in the interim, we have decided to open transfers from Kattraeth to Ywain. Please remember that if you plan on taking advantage of this free character transfer to Ywain, the English Language client is needed to play the game without issue. <a href="http://www.darkageofcamelot.com/download/" target="_blank">The English Language client can be found here</a>. Be sure to select English when running the installer. In an effort to make Dark Age of Camelot accessible to more players, we have also added new payment methods to the account center.  In addition to time cards, European players can now pay with Visa, Master Card, American Express, and Discover cards.  If your payment method of choice is not currently supported, rest assured that we will continue to investigate supporting other payment methods as demand allows. Finally, Die Silver Fox is coming to GamesCom: Cologne, along with Andy Belford and Carrie Gouskos (Producer, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning). While in Germany, we’re looking forward to getting together with the community and throwing back a few Kölsch. We'll be posting more information in the coming days on the Herald about when and where the BioWare Mythic Fan Gathering will be at GamesCom. Until then, I'll see you in the Frontier.<a name="pagebreak" title="pagebreak"></a> Fri, 30 Jul 2010 20:30:13 -0000 Character Transfers: Kattraeth - 5/8/2010 [Dark Age of Camelot] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=22892 Starting <a href="http://www.camelotherald.com/news/news_article.php?storyid=4145" target="_blank">August 5th</a>, EU players on the Kattraeth server will have the option to permanently transfer their characters to the North American Ywain servers: We're pleased to announce that free character transfers for EU players from (FR) Kattraeth to (NA) Ywain will be enabled Thursday, 5 August 2010. Please be sure to read the <a href="http://www.camelotherald.com/news/news_article.php?storyid=3903">Free Character Transfer FAQ</a> and the <a href="http://www.camelotherald.com/news/news_article.php?storyid=3901">Free Character Transfer Instructions</a> for any questions you may have about the process! Please remember, if you are transferring to a server which is a different language from your source server it is highly suggested that you download the appropriate language client for the server you wish to play on. If you use a mismatching client you will encounter some technical difficulties, not allowing you to perform certain actions in the game. <a href="http://www.darkageofcamelot.com/download/">Players who need the English Language client can download it here</a>. Please be advised that all transfers are final and cannot be reverted, so please choose your destination server carefully. Please be sure to watch the Herald for updates regarding the status of these free character transfers. Thu, 29 Jul 2010 17:13:08 -0000 EU Billing and Pricing Updates [Dark Age of Camelot] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=22834 BioWare Mythic introduced a <a href="http://www.camelotherald.com/news/news_article.php?storyid=4142" target="_blank">new playment option</a> for EU players. In addition to the current payment method with game time codes, EU players can now make payments via valid Visa, Mastercard, American Express or Discover cards. We have some important information to share regarding European subscription pricing and payment options for Dark Age of Camelot and Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning as well as an important message regarding the BioWare Mythic Account Center (<a href="https://accounts.eamythic.com/">https://accounts.eamythic.com/</a>). European players will continue to have the option of purchasing game time codes by visiting the EA Store (<a href="http://www.eastore.com/">http://www.eastore.com</a> - following this link will automatically direct you to the EA Store specific for your region). 30, 90 and 180 day codes are available for purchase for both DAoC and WAR.<a name="pause" title="pause"></a>European Players now have the additional option to sign up for automatic billing by using your valid Visa, Mastercard, American Express or Discover card. To set up your recurring payments please visit the BioWare Mythic account center to confirm your payment options. We are in the process of implementing support for a wide selection of European billing options.  As a result we’re offering introductory pricing until we transition to a complete offering of billing options. All of these prices will be billed in USD and include Value Added Tax (VAT). Please note that your financial institution may charge a conversion fee for this payment, so please be sure to contact them regarding the cost of this fee and current exchange rates.  GBP: <ul style="padding-left: 30px;"> <li>1 Month - $ 13.99 USD</li> <li>3 Months - $ 37.99 USD</li> <li>6 Months - $ 69.99 USD</li> </ul> Euro: <ul style="padding-left: 30px;"> <li>1 Month - $ 15.99 USD</li> <li>3 Months - $ 43.99 USD</li> <li>6 Months - $ 79.99 USD</li> </ul> We also ask that all European players please take a few minutes to visit the BioWare Mythic Account Center (<a href="https://accounts.eamythic.com/">https://accounts.eamythic.com/</a>) to update and confirm your contact information. To update your contact information, log in to the account center using your Master Account name and select “Account Management” at the top of the page, then select “Contact Information” to update your contact information including your current email, country and phone number. While updating your contact information, please be sure to let us know if you would like to receive the WAR Monthly Newsletter and promotional offers from Electronic Arts. BioWare Mythic would like to thank our European community for their continued support during this transition and look forward to many more years with you all on the battlefield!<a name="pagebreak" title="pagebreak"></a> Wed, 21 Jul 2010 21:11:36 -0000 Joyeux 14 Juillet Ã Tous! [Dark Age of Camelot] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=22767 Be sure to log in and play DAoC tomorrow and enjoy the <a href="http://www.camelotherald.com/news/news_article.php?storyid=4140" target="_blank">Bastille Day treats</a> of XP/BP bonuses and fireworks! Bonjour! BioWare Mythic invites our community to join us in celebrating La Fête Nationale, this Wednesday, July 14th. We commemorate the momentous occasion of the storming of the Bastille with fireworks and a 100% bonus to XP/BP across the Realms! So please join us in celebrating France’s day of national pride. Bonus XP/RP is now enabled and will last until Thursday, 7/15/2010   Joyeux 14 Juillet à tous! Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:45:26 -0000 Holiday Weekend Bonus! - 7/2/2010 - 7/6/2010 [Dark Age of Camelot] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=22704 Be sure to sharpen your blades, study your spells and gear up to play DAoC this weekend. It's a <a href="http://www.camelotherald.com/news/news_article.php?storyid=4139" target="_blank">holiday bonus weekend</a> in the Realms: Please join BioWare Mythic in celebrating the U.S.A's Independence Day this July 4th weekend as we kick things off with an appropriate bang by enabling a 100% Bonus to XP/BP and a 25% bonus to RP on all servers! This bonus is now live on all servers and will continue until Tuesday, 7/6/2010. Thank you for your continued support and we'll see you in the Frontier! Sat, 03 Jul 2010 00:31:19 -0000 Producer's Letter - Stuart Zissu [Dark Age of Camelot] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=22695 Curious to what is up and coming in DAoC? Then be sure to read Stuart Zissu's most recent <a href="http://www.camelotherald.com/news/news_article.php?storyid=4136" target="_blank">Producer's Letter</a>. In it he touches on the new item improvements to the old world dungeons, EU servers maintaining their native language and the current Live Event being run by Mythic Developers: Hello? *tap, tap* is this thing on? It's been a while since we last spoke.  In my last Producer's Letter, we were in the middle of welcoming the EU players from GOA to our servers.  Well, here we are, a few months and 2 versions later and the laundry list of improvements and changes is quite extensive. With improvements ranging from the introduction of a new encounter for Cathal Valley on Gaheris to Epic Currency in Caer Sidi, Tuscaran Glacier and Galladoria, removing bind on equip from the game, and new Race/Class combinations we've been quite busy.<a name="pause" title="pause"></a>Now, we continue our commitment as a development team to make constant improvements to Camelot for all of our players, both existing and new.  After almost ten years we still regularly welcome new faces to the Realms.  The challenge we face is how to keep a game with such a rich lore and immense amount of content fresh and engaging to both new and existing players. It's a difficult balancing act, and one that we constantly strive to attain. There's an adage that rings very true when it comes to MMO development; You can't please everyone. However sometimes we make a change that everyone can enjoy.  In Patch 1.104 we introduced the new and improved buff display UI improvements, allowing players to customize how they see which buffs or debuffs are affecting your character.  We've re-itemized some of the high end classic world PvE dungeons such as Stonehenge Barrows, Spindelhalla, and Coruscating Mine, so players can go and explore those areas and reap reasonable rewards (say that 3 times fast).  We've even gone into the depths of Darkness Falls and updated the gear so players have more options for templating at higher levels. We're working hard to make sure that all our servers have a fun and engaging gameplay experience.  This includes finding ways to keep player populations focused and concentrated so people have others they can adventure with.  Here's a prime example of this: .  Due to player feedback, we are now investigating ways for the European servers (Kattraeth and Glamorgan) to play together while playing in their native language. There's still a lot to be sorted out, making sure that we're implementing the right solution for everyone, so we can't give any more details just yet. Not to worry though, as we intend to give you more information about this in the near future. In closing, I want to talk about an exciting new feature.  We are in the middle of running our first Mythic Developer run Live Event.  This is a unique event run by the development team for you, the players.  I don't want to spoil anything (since that is part of the fun of this event), but know that if you have even half as much fun experiencing the content as we have making it, then we are all in for a great ride.  As always, we will be looking for your feedback on the event, so let us know what you think.  If it goes well, we'll may do more events in the future.  But please, don't let Anger, Rage, or Hate fuel the demons within and just have fun.<a name="pagebreak" title="pagebreak"></a> Thu, 01 Jul 2010 21:11:50 -0000 A Grim Warning.... [Dark Age of Camelot] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=22676 The scholars and mages of the realms were bearers of <a href="http://www.camelotherald.com/news/news_article.php?storyid=4132" target="_blank">bad news</a> this afternoon concerning the darkness that has befallen the lands of late: Citizens of the Realm, I write you today with a grim warning. The scholars and mages sent to investigate the darkness which permeates our countryside have made an alarming discovery. Demons and Infernalists are no longer bound to Darkness Falls. These creatures are able to traverse back and forth from its gates as easily as any denizen of the Realms, although they have only come as far as the gateway. These infernal ones seem to be locked in a ceremony or ritual of some sort upon the threshold to Darkness Falls.   Though the scholars and mages have intently studied the magics, they have been unable to divine its ken. Some believe this may be a part of a dark ritual of summoning, but none are certain. To make matters worse, spectral fragments have been seen flying from the gates and out into the countryside, spreading their infection throughout the Realms. The scholars and mages are convinced that, be it a summoning or some other malicious incantation, these dark energies being thrust upon our land will soon reveal their true purpose. Their divinations leave us scant days left to prepare for whatever lies ahead. Prepare yourselves, these are dark times indeed… Tue, 29 Jun 2010 00:35:38 -0000