News

Jonathan Steinhauer continues his application of the writings of Carl Clausewitz to MMOGs, this time looking at what happens when victory is yours.

The Grab Bag is back with lots of user generated questions (and answers!) and news about Dark Age of Camelot. Featuring dragons, housing, resting XP and more, you can check it all out after the jump.

This time on RoleCraft, Jim Moreno wants to hear from you roleplayers out there.

Jonathan Steinhauer continues his application of the writings of Clausewitz to gaming, this time examining what happens when you have to turn and run.

As the name implies, the Friday Grab Bag is a collection of community questions taken from the official Dark Age of Camelot forums. Add some announcements into the mix and you have a good read. Check it out.

The latest edition of the Grab Bag is ready to read at the Dark Age of Camelot site. Lots of questions/answers about the upcoming upgrade "Origins" are featured as well as some announcements regarding upcoming events. Check it out after the jump.

In this installment of RoleCraft, Jim Moreno looks at an interesting idea from WoW RP Realms: Full Immersion Roleplaying (FIRP).

The Dark Age of Camelot servers will be coming down to accommodate v1.94. The downtime is scheduled for Wednesday, June 18th. Check the times after the jump.

Jonathan Steinhauer continues his study of Clausewitz and examines the art of the kill.

This week's Dark Age of Camelot Grab Bag is delivered to our doorstep right on time. Featuring the usual plethora of questions/answers and announcements, you can get a peek by clicking below.

After a short hiatus, the Dark Age of Camelot Grab Bag has made a triumphant return. As always, this issue features several questions to developers from the community and announcements of interest to players. Check out all the announcements and snag the link to the rest by clicking 'read more'.

Just in case you may not be aware, RoleCraft isn't the only place where you can find roleplaying related info on the interwebs. Of course you know that, and I'm only joking. During the course of my day, I am given and locating sites which are directly related to or merely referencing some aspect of roleplaying, and I consider it part of my duty to help keep you, my fellow roleplayers, informed as much as possible.

Dark Age of Camelot's producer Christopher Rabideau has posted a newsy letter on the Camelot Herald site. The letter deals with items of interest to players and, more specifically, with the 'Origins' (aka 'Old Frontiers') server.

Hello Dark Age of Camelot and fellow Players,

Many of you have already participated in the new server poll we have been conducting to gauge interest in what we are calling the 'Origins' server ruleset, also referred to as an 'Old Frontiers' server. I would like to thank everyone who has participated so far, as well as thank those who have provided the incredible amount of constructive feedback we have received through the Herald and through the various message forums relevant to DAoC. My team and I were pleasantly surprised by how much interest this poll has generated. The poll is still available to the public on the Herald, and we are still watching its results with great interest.

We have received numerous questions regarding this poll and ruleset. Our Community Team has been working on a FAQ that is now available on the Herald. Also, later this week, we will be organizing two IRC chats in which members of my team and I will be available for Q&A. The dates will be on Wednesday, June 4th and Thursday, June 5th. One will be held at 6:30 pm EDT for the benefit of our East Coast players, and the other will be held at 9:30 pm EDT for the benefit of our West Coast players. Please watch the Herald for any additional information. You should also note that beyond the IRC chats, we are very interested in your continued feedback. Please feel free to utilize the Herald Feedback Form for this purpose. I plan to dig in and read as many of your emails as I can myself, but please keep the feedback constructive.

Lots more to read so click below.

Dark Age of Camelot developers have announced two live IRC chats for Wednesday, June 4th and Thursday, June 5th.

We invite you to join us on Wednesday and Thursday of next week for our very first IRC Dev Chats. We've got east and west coast times available. Come join us as we answer your questions and talk all about Camelot! Here are the details:

East Coast IRC

* Wednesday, June 4th, 2008
6:30pm EDT - 7:30pm EDT

In attendance:

-Chris Rabideau (Producer)
-Robert Mull (Community Director)
-Joanne Laroche (Community Coordinator)
-Other Devs to be announced

West Coast IRC

* Thursday, June 5th, 2008
9:30pm EDT - 10:30pm EDT (6:30pm PDT - 7:30pm PDT)

In attendance:

-Chris Rabideau (Producer)
-Joanne Laroche (Community)
-Other Devs to be announced

IRC information:

Server: irc.gamesurge.net
Channel: #ignvault

There are numerous ways to connect to IRC (Internet Relay Chat), you can either use a stand alone client or many programs have IRC already integrated in them. Once you have connected to IRC, simply /join #ignvault. We look forward to seeing you there!

Check 'em out next week.

Dark Age of Camelot is continuing last weekend's bonuses according to the official site:

For those of you that might of missed the Weekend Bonuses last weekend, we've decided to extend them for a few extra days. They will now be available until Monday June 2nd. Enjoy!

The following Zone Bonuses are live:

On Classic and Normal Ruleset servers, the following bonuses have been added:

200% bonus to XP in all classic zones and dungeons.
200% bonus to BP in all NF zones.

On the PVP ruleset server the following bonuses have been added:

200% bonus to BP in all classic zones and dungeons.
200% bonus to BP in all NF zones.

Log in today!

On the PVE ruleset server the following bonuses have been added:

200% bonus to XP in all classic zones and dungeons.
200% bonus to BP in the capital cities.

The ever newsy, every-Friday edition of The Camelot Herald Grab Bag is posted for fan viewing pleasure. In addition to questions/answers taken from the official forums, there are several announcements:

ANNOUNCEMENTS

All of the dates for the Road Trips have been confirmed! Here is a list for those of you who need to plan ahead to attend one of these events:

San Diego, California - July 26th
Seattle, Washington - August 30th
Austin, Texas - September 13th
Chicago, Illinois - October 18th

There will be free snacks, prizes and of course get a chance to ask your questions to the Developers. Please remember to RSVP! We look forward to seeing you there.

Have you ever said to yourself, "Self! I know all about my class and I want to help improve it." Well, have a look at the Team Lead Positions that are currently available and send in that application today!

If you haven't had a chance to take our New Server Type Poll, time is running out! We need your input if you would like to see a server that includes the Old Frontiers! Go vote now.

If you are out on the roads this weekend, please be safe. If you are out in the Frontiers, make sure to remember to look behind you - just in case. Have a great weekend.

Check out the rest at the link above.

The Camelot Herald is featuring an announcement about huge bonuses that will run on Dark Age of Camelot servers through Tuesday, May 27, 2008:

We've got some bonuses for you to enjoy this weekend, read on:

The following Zone Bonuses are live:

On Classic and Normal Ruleset servers, the following bonuses have been added:

200% bonus to XP in all classic zones and dungeons.
200% bonus to BP in all NF zones.

On the PVP ruleset server the following bonuses have been added:

200% bonus to BP in all classic zones and dungeons.
200% bonus to BP in all NF zones.

On the PVE ruleset server the following bonuses have been added:

200% bonus to XP in all classic zones and dungeons.
200% bonus to BP in the capital cities.

Please note: The bonuses above will last through Tuesday 5/27/08.

Enjoy!

Since we are dealing with computer-generated cyber worlds that are more than likely not our own creations, there are certainly roadblocks and speed bumps in these games that challenge roleplayers to improvise and adapt. These game mechanics come with the nature of the beast, and many are very necessary to the operation of the games, and are often so obvious as to threaten to pull a roleplayer out of character. While they may not be pleasant to experience during roleplay, their effect in-game can be at least lessened through the lens of imaginative roleplaying.

The latest edition of the Friday Grab Bag has been posted at the DAoC site. As always, player questions are gleaned from the official forums and answered by devs. Additionally, important announcements are included:

The New Server Type Poll will be coming to a close soon, so we need you to vote and remind others to vote as well. The response has been great so far, keep those votes coming in. If you haven't already, go on and vote now.

In the mood for some PvE this weekend? The players of the Gaheris server invite everyone to join them in their last in a series of Play on Gaheris weekends. The fun starts tonight, it's a great chance to see what Gaheris is all about.

The Ghost Keep event is in full swing this week. We posted a Guide to help explain the different phases of the quests available. There is also a very sweet reward at the end for all your ethereal efforts; a little something called the Ghostly Medal of Honor.

There's lots to read so put on your glasses and jump over.

The v1.94 patch for Dark Age of Camelot has been released on Pendragon. Called "Repaving Foundations", the goal of the patch is to "give housing some love".

One of the main goals of 1.94 was to give housing some love and tweak the utility of the different tiers of housing available. The idea being that each tier should offer something that would justify the added initial and recurring expense of owning that tier. Based on feedback and internal discussion, we've made the following initial changes to housing.

Purchase Price:

Cottage: The cost of the cottage deed will remain at 1 platinum.

House: The cost of the house deed will drop from 10 platinum to 5 platinum.

Villa: The cost of the villa deed will drop from 40 platinum to 10 platinum.

Mansion: The cost of the mansion deed will drop from 100 platinum to 25 platinum.

Rental Price:

Cottage: The weekly rental price for the cottage will remain at 20 gold.

House: The weekly rental price for the house will drop from 200 gold to 35 gold.

Villa: The weekly rental price for the villa will drop from 800 gold to 60 gold.

Mansion: The weekly rental price for the mansion will drop from 2 platinum to 100 gold.

Along with the changes above, we are working behind the scenes to add additional utility to each of the tiers. This will mean additional hookpoints of various types for the higher level houses and follow in a subsequent 1.94 patch for this cycle.

There's more to the patch so jump over to the DAoC site and see what's what.

This past Monday, DAoC players began an event titled "Ghost Keep". Today, devs posted a guide to the event:

Since the debut of the new Event on Monday, we've seen a flurry of activity as the realms battle over control of the Ghost Keep. Each cluster has seen the ghost keep actively summoned six times or more since the premiere. To help out those who haven't gotten to check out the new content, we've decided to go ahead and put out a quick primer on how the event works and how you can aid your realm in securing the Ghost Keep!

The premise is simple. The realms race to complete 'Supply' quests that will allow the 'Ancient' NPCs enough power to begin a summoning process that will bring forth the spectral essence of a former Keep Lord for each realm (Lord Berkstead the First for Albion, Jarl Nottmoor for Midgard, and Chieftess Crimthainn for Hibernia.) Unless noted otherwise, the quests described below are available for levels 45-50.

The rest can be read at the Camelot Herald.

The Camelot Herald has been updated with the news that changes are forthcoming to the Ghost Keep Event:

Based on observation and feedback, we've made the following changes to the Ghost Keep Event:

• The RP/BP reward for participating in the defense of the Ghost Keep during the summoning phase has been decreased slightly.
• The repeatable maintenance quests offered when the Ghost Keep has been summoned have had RP/BP rewards added to them.

A walkthrough of the event will be posted to the Herald soon to help understand the different phases of the event and how you can aid your realm secure their own Ghost Keep and keep it!

When the walkthrough becomes available, we'll let you know.

The latest spooky announcement has come down via the Camelot Herald and involves decreasing numbers of doppelgangers but an increasing sense of foreboding:

With the Doppelganger forces thinning out, a strange ethereal calm has fallen over the Frontiers. Scholars in the capital cities have been discussing this strange feeling and what it could portend for the realms, but have been stymied at every turn. However, practitioners of ancient dark arts, arts that in some parts are forbidden, have come forward with more information about what this strange halcyon repose means for the war-torn Frontiers.

Based on investigation by these dark artists, it is believed that the incursion of such strong ancient evil as the Doppelgangers has weakened a number of magical boundaries, notably the boundary between life and death itself. In fact, reports from the primary border-keeps of each realm indicate the appearance of a ghostly champion, bringing news and hope that these weakened boundaries could be used to the realm's advantage in the ongoing realm war. It seems that the Doppelganger's interference may have inadvertently given the realms a strange new weapon or stratagem in their battle. The Kings of each realm are asking that adventurers meet with these spectral champions and aid them in procuring an advantage before the other realms can. The race is on!

Hot off the heels of the Doppelganger Invasion, a new event is making its debut today in the Frontiers*. Nicknamed the "Ghost Keep" around the office, the new event is available starting today and offers quests and content designed to promote RVR for characters level 45-50. There are PVE and RVR related goals in the Frontiers for this event so players can participate however they see fit. To participate, see the 'Ancient' NPCs at the primary border-keep of your realm.

Check out the PvE and PvP details at the link above.

As game worlds become more and more advanced, they also grow larger and larger. The by-product of this improvement is the long distances that must be traveled between locations. For some reason, with this increase in world size, there is not a corresponding improvement in traveling systems. Indeed, there seems to be almost a perverse joy in sending players on quests that involve running back and forth between two distant points with no other objective but carrying a bickering message between a pair of NPCs.

The weekly Grab Bag has been published at the Camelot Herald. As always, the Grab Bag features community questions with developer answers and announcements of interest to players:

We've got a new poll that we announced on the Herald this week that asks if you would be interested in a new server type that would include Old Frontiers. We really do want your input if this new server type interests you. If you haven't had a chance to vote yet, please do. Don't forget to let your friends know too. Go vote now!

Have the disappearing doppelgangers got you down? Worried you won't have any good eldritch horrors to eradicate? Well worry not; the doppelgangers have left untapped energies in their wake, and it's only a matter of time before someone puts them to use. Who will dare to claim this power? Keep an eye on the Herald for upcoming details!

Tomorrow night the Camelot crew hits the road for a journey about 20 miles west of our studios at the Dave & Busters in Bethesda, Maryland. Come on out and join us as we give away prizes, answer your questions about Camelot and munch on some free snacks. The festivities start at 7:00pm EDT and we can't wait to see you there! For more information of where it is and where our Road Trips will lead us in the future, please click here.

That's it for me this week, it's time for a bit of relaxation then onward to the Road trip tomorrow night. Take care everyone.

Check out the Q&A at the Camelot Herald.

Jim Moreno tackles the difficult task of roleplaying a merchant in this edition of RoleCraft: "Even roleplayers are known to struggle with this cookie cutter gameplay, and with keeping their characters from looking and acting just like every other character in game. What to do? One sure way to avoid the pitfalls of routine is to realize that there are many other classes in game besides adventurer. It's time to become a professional roleplayer!"

The weekly Grab Bag has been posted and, as usual, contains questions/answers gleaned from the official forums and announcements from developers.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

We have some more Road Trip dates to announce for you. We'll be in San Diego, California on July 26th just in time for the Comic Convention going on there. We also have our Austin Road Trip stop on September 13th. Our Road Trip map is still in the process of being updated, but more details will be coming soon.

Speaking of Road Trips, the Bethesda, Maryland one is almost here. Word here in the office says that there will be Devs-a-plenty at this event, so if you have a chance to be there, don't miss out! It is on May 10th and we would love to see you there. Please RSVP!

The players of Gaheris had such fun during last weekend's Play on Gaheris event that they are going to do it all over again this weekend. If you are a veteran or new to the Coop server it's a great time to get some playtime in. The list of raid times can be found here.

Do you believe you are an expert in your c