New Splash Screen on Risia

[Missing_Minds]

Judging by the arms, female elf. And yes, that is a cinderspawn. And here I was, hoping for the 12 to open.

Pretty much what I was going to say. for the Op to think that was a dwarf.... WOW... someone obviously has been drinking the wrong stuff.

And given the complete lack of text on the screen... I'm thinking it is just a splash with no real hint of what is about to come next.

What could we read into it? City fighting? City PvP? (in which case I want godlike city police NPCs to keep the peace) More house K favor?

Personally I think it is just a sign that fluffy pink bunnies will soon be coming as familiars for arcanes.

edit:Second thought. I think it is just a reminder that taxes will be coming soon, and the cinderspawn works for the IRS. Obviously the elf owes back taxes.

[jaitee]

perhaps the terrain is in house k? and we are actually fighting them in between buildings?

[Lorien_the_First_One]

Hmmm...my inital thought was it just meant House K quests...Then I rethought.... Turbine keeps getting in trouble when they broadcast their intent before it is firm enough and from Q's thread yesterday they clearly are afraid to stick their neck out.

I'll bet you 100gp that the screen is just a pretty place holder screen that someone made up in 5 minutes from stock images and it means nothing.

[Qzipoun]

I'll bet you 100gp that the screen is just a pretty place holder screen that someone made up in 5 minutes from stock images and it means nothing.

From the lack of "update" text, that is probably true.

Though it would be fun if you entered a quest with House K as the map!

[ArkoHighStar]

It is also possible that they do not want to release the text of the update as they have been bitten in the past , with people starting to talk about the next update before the current one is in. Also they might be working on a set of quests that would fill the 5.1 and 5.2 updates and they have not decided which ones will be in which.

[Coldin]

I'll bet you 100gp that the screen is just a pretty place holder screen that someone made up in 5 minutes from stock images and it means nothing.

Well, if we were going to pretty placeholders (which I would kinda prefer in some ways), I'd like to see concept art that rotates every time you log in. I'm sure they have a bunch of it floating around the office.

[Qzipoun]

It is also possible that they do not want to release the text of the update as they have been bitten in the past.

They wouldn't "have been bitten in the past" if they had delivered content.

(Notice my wording, I didn't say what content, just content )

You can't have an update splash screen and not have text, that defeats the purpose of the splash screen. When it goes on the live servers it will have text or else it's useless after looking at it the first time. They are probably just too busy figuring out what will make it in mod 5 and what will not before they update it.

[HumanJHawkins]

From the lack of "update" text, that is probably true.

Naw... The text is just a layer in Photoshop or Illustrator that is one click of a checkbox to turn off. It's probably the real deal.

[TossMe_the_Flying_D]

It'd be pretty easy to do a "House K" quest. You go into one of the buildings to talk to the quest giver. He tells you about rumors of an invason and asks if you want to check it out. When you accept the quest, you are teleported "back outside" the building, which is really an instance that uses a map identical to House K.

All the NCs start running and screaming and as you look around to try to figure out what's going on you get stomped flat by something big that you haven't seen before...

I'd love to see quests like this in all the areas. Some of those places, like House D, would be great places to try to clear out.

[Vordax]

It'd be pretty easy to do a "House K" quest. You go into one of the buildings to talk to the quest giver. He tells you about rumors of an invason and asks if you want to check it out. When you accept the quest, you are teleported "back outside" the building, which is really an instance that uses a map identical to House K.

All the NCs start running and screaming and as you look around to try to figure out what's going on you get stomped flat by something big that you haven't seen before...

I'd love to see quests like this in all the areas. Some of those places, like House D, would be great places to try to clear out.

They could do this with the whole city too.. not just house K, that would be fun.. fight your way up from the harbor through the market place and into house K.

Vordax

[Lorien_the_First_One]

It'd be pretty easy to do a "House K" quest. You go into one of the buildings to talk to the quest giver. He tells you about rumors of an invason and asks if you want to check it out. When you accept the quest, you are teleported "back outside" the building, which is really an instance that uses a map identical to House K..

An interesting idea...Except when you die and recall out to house K...you are back in the real house K...kinda weird lol...Oh, unless they didn't let you recall out to a bind point in K...hmm....this could get complicated.

[Tenkari_Rozahas]

An interesting idea...Except when you die and recall out to house K...you are back in the real house K...kinda weird lol...Oh, unless they didn't let you recall out to a bind point in K...hmm....this could get complicated.

or they could just do what they do in the ciity games, and in such quests you spawn at a designated point inside the quest. IE the ever0full flagon of that area, but its like the standard one, but hwen you leave, you cant get back in.

[Ringlord]

Well it could very well mean nothing.

As to the figure on the ground it was easy to identify it as a female character, but that is all and because it is a scene from inside House K ( you know the Dwarven house ) I figured it was a Dwarf. Personally I don't spend that much time studying pixel people so identifying race and or sex when they are in unusual positions is not a strong point of mine

[RavenStormclaw]

You know that little used island that nobody ever seems to go to. How about a small prelude quest. Clear the island just in case we need it. Next thing you know the island is home to a small tent city ala Giant hold. You could then have the city of stormreach itself as an adventure area and quests within. Could be restricted to...like once you intiate the series that takes you there you can't get back to the regular stormreach until the raid was completed. Whole new ball game. No vendors. No bank. No auction house. Now that would be a challenge.

[D'rin]

It means they are going to nerf the dwarves into uselessness.

[Hence]

I wish... /cry

[Pyromaniac]

Hey we had "bbq the dwarf" in burning city, its time for "squash the elf".

Here's to hoping its an optional and you can let the elf get squashed again and again

[Leetsneaks101]

Really cool!

I wish that, what an above poster said, that you start from the beginning of the harbor, all as one instance.

As you walk across the bridge over the river, you notice kobolds (cinematic) running for their lives out of the Waterworks, and then a bunch of (insert mob) come running out, notice you, and call for backup. After you defeat them, as you look through the market gates, you see that big Cinderspawn stomping its way to House K, you clear out the market, get to house K, and kill him. It would be cool if you had to run him through some big trap that the dwarves made. Maybe get him onto the bridge and then watch it collapse and he falls into the cliff, but pulls your raid down, and you survive while still in his hands, he gets up, and you fall to the ground, all raid members take 50% damage from the fall. Now you get up, heal, and fight head on in a pit of darkness (theres light emitting from his fire(cold) shield)

EDIT: After his death, you find the creator, some mad drow, down there next to a bunch of warforged.. You kill the warforged and then kill the drow


Dont ask how the cinderspawn got from house K to market, to house K .. (im tired)