Shadowfell is Shadowdone.

[Produktion_Malphunktion]

It's in the can!





Gratz to the development team who did a good job over the past 8 months, and to the kobolds for being troopers and wading though the new enhancement systems, and Wheloon.
A quick shout to Producer Rowan for smoothing out the landing and keeping a level head and quick decisions.
A big shout out to Kookie and Squeak for an outstanding job with the alpha and beta communities. This expansion would not have happened without those two, and all the input from the community at large. Really, Squeak made the best **** reports! Kookie has an uncanny insight into the mind of the hardcore player that was really helpful with the enhancements.

So a deep breath, then torches and pitchforks next week...
No wait...
A deep breath then onward to glory!

[Kamode_Corebasher]

I look forward to seeing and playing the new content and changes!

[droid327]

Great! Sooo....preview week on Lammania? Let Ron et al finish up their planner so we can make better-informed decisions with our heavily-invested Live chars?

Or are we just supposed to jump in more-or-less blind with our LR+20 tokens, just trusting our theorycraft and that our chars on paper will work the way we think they will in the radically different post-EP game? :P

[Talon_Moonshadow]

Umberhulk?!

[gelgoog]

/cheer

[sdrocky]

YAY this means access to protect baudry's interests. lol jokes.

in all seriousness i cant wait.

[whereispowderedsilve]

Maj -- please a comment on guild decay? Nothing has been said at all What's happening with it? Asking nicely/sincerely/politely! Cheers! Keep up the great work! :P! !

[Bridge_Dweller]

Will there be another beta over the weekend?

[Oxarhamar]

Just 1 more cookie?

[Dandonk]

So a deep breath, then torches and pitchforks next week...
No wait...
A deep breath then onward to glory!

Into the valley of death rode the dev team

[Deadlock]

Excellent, now it's all sealed and ready to ship, can we get early Release Notes and Known Issues lists to digest?

Can we get a list of the 12 missing creatures fixed for the monster manual? Makes it easier to check than having to go through all 91 on the current list.

[mikarddo]

Thanks Maj.

Looking from the outside I have been surprised by how little activity there has been on the beta forum. Very few posters, very few posts and in particular very little engaging in debate from the dev team on a constant basis.

I have been in the closed beta of other games with less than 10 people total and those few testers generated many times more debate and in particular got far more debate out of the dev team than has been the case here.

I sincerely hope that actual debate has infact taken place in game or in PMs. Maybe thats needed for a game as DDO, I dont know, but without having taken part in that the beta has seemed void to be honest.

Finally, I definitely find myself short of answers to many design decisions that I and others have posted. Simply explaining the reasons behind the decisions would go along way in my humble opinion. Just one example - whats the reasoning behind the changes to +HP enhancements that means some builds gain +30ish hp while other lose a similar amount? Say a pure human FvS which is set to drop 30ish hp compared to how it is now? Many more such things are left unanswered as far as I can tell.

[Qaliya]

Congratulations!

I hope it works well when launched. I also hope the management-types will take into account all of the feedback regarding the content in this expansion, and what's missing from it, in deciding what to put in the next one.

Trivia: If I'm not mistaken, the image is an illustration from one of the very early D&D Player's Handbooks of the Otto's Irresistible Dance spell...

[Fedora1]

I am admittedly tentative about this.

I hate having to relearn how to build a good character. I hate that I am going to have 30 characters to rebuild.

I don't have a pitchfork or torch, but I do have the phone number ready to cancel my sub if it becomes too discouraging. I am willing to give it a try though, and even if I don't like it I will probably stick around and see what happens in update 20. That's when I will make my decision.

It's make it or break it time.

[CarpeNoctu]

Great! Sooo....preview week on Lammania? Let Ron et al finish up their planner so we can make better-informed decisions with our heavily-invested Live chars?

Or are we just supposed to jump in more-or-less blind with our LR+20 tokens, just trusting our theorycraft and that our chars on paper will work the way we think they will in the radically different post-EP game? :P

I'm in agreement here. I don't need anything special... Just an opened door.

[Thumbed_Servant]

It's in the can!

I REMEMBER that picture of an umber hulk dancing to Otto's Irresistible Dance!

[Miow]

Umberhulk?!

Bout time if they show up..

[Produktion_Malphunktion]

Congratulations!

I hope it works well when launched. I also hope the management-types will take into account all of the feedback regarding the content in this expansion, and what's missing from it, in deciding what to put in the next one.

Trivia: If I'm not mistaken, the image is an illustration from one of the very early D&D Player's Handbooks of the Otto's Irresistible Dance spell...

Trivia- yep AD&D players handbook. I'm old.


Yes Lamannia is open over the weekend.
Guild Decay- I know of no plans to change it from the way it is on live now. I heard some hallway discussions about some small decay for the top 10 levels but I don't know of any concrete plans.

Yes, we are shifting our focus to doing what we do best, a few big tent dungeons instead of a ton of dungeons but most being 'popcorn'.Personally I keep asking for 2- Undermountain- done the size of a landscape and Expedition to the barrier peaks-which has to be the biggest fan service ever..but it would be SOOO cool. Then Gamma World, and Star Frontiers then Boot Hill...well, that was my tabletop campaign back in the 80's.

As for the enhancement system. I'll admit I was dead set against it.(QA and caution) BUT now with testers sharing crazy builds and generally having a good time finding all the new loopholes for uber builds in the system...I've come around and I'm pretty excited about it.Testers never get excited about anything. I understand the long time hardcore being upset--it's how I felt with ED day in City of Heroes many years ago--but please try not to knee jerk.I didn't back then, and that change was better for the game in the long term, and ended up with people making far more interesting builds than pre-ED.
There is some new interesting things in here...and yes there are some older builds that can be busted. Overall this is good for the game...good for new players, good for you guys--something to play around with--and good for us because updating the system now is trivial compared to the old way. Remember nothing is set in stone in an MMO. If this that or the other makes the fans mad, we can change it.We are absolutely listening, we know how risky this is. MMO's are like water, not concrete, in the way of skills and such there is nothing we cannot fix/adjust/revamp/replace.
I'll post a few crazy builds over the next couple of days. I'm sure you guys will surpass them in a week.

Release notes by the end of the week-Kookie,Gazebo and I will work on them today.
I'll find the missing MM creatures...which I saw MM get updated yesterday for I think patch...but it may be Update 20.

[Fedora1]

but please try not to knee jerk.

Of course not, I like the game too much. I said tentative, not gloom. lol

I seriously think that by update 20 I'll know if it is make it or break it for "me" though.

I'll post a few crazy builds over the next couple of days.

That would be great, thanks.

[Hendrik]

Trivia- yep AD&D players handbook. I'm old.




Yes, we are shifting our focus to doing what we do best, a few big tent dungeons instead of a ton of dungeons but most being 'popcorn'.Personally I keep asking for 2- Undermountain- done the size of a landscape and Expedition to the barrier peaks-which has to be the biggest fan service ever..but it would be SOOO cool. Then Gamma World, and Star Frontiers then Boot Hill...well, that was my tabletop campaign back in the 80's.

Nice to read we have the same background MajMal.

Star Frontiers! Wow, there is one I have not heard in a LONG time. If you would have added Paranoia then that would have mimicked my tabletop gaming experiences.