Yergen here! It’s Friday, and I thought I would show you something that Thyton was working on. He likes to sometimes just doodle. But his doodles!!!
Look at this creature! Just looking at it makes your imagination run wild. What is this creature? Where would it live? What does it eat?? If it were to attack you what would you do? I know I wouldn’t want to run across this in the middle of the night. Could you imagine waking up in the middle of the night and seeing this perched at the end of your bed? *shudder* We have made a lot of improvements in the game engine and the characters. Next week I'll have more stuff to show from Llusion, and Thyton as well as maybe a model or 3D model or two... maybe. Well that’s it from me. Have a good weekend!
I was going to make this post earlier today and tell you how ordinary the day was. Not a single person had a panic attack yet and no one collapsed from exhaustion. That's no fun... but then the mailman came.
Usually when the mailman comes, he's here to take an elevator full of HeroMart packages to mail to you guys. But THIS time, he came with a package for us. Package deliveries are usually exciting events here in the Underground Lab. We've gotten odd-flavored Japanese Kit-Kats, one-piece toilet paper, delicious cookies, hand-made figures, posters, slippers, etc... you get the idea, every package we've ever gotten always turned out to be really awesome.
Today's package was from Artix.
That's crazy! He's all the way on the other side of the world, fighting off an undead invasion and somehow, between his axe swings, he's found time to mail us a package. Well, that's not exactly true. He mailed himself a package. The package is from Artix and addressed to Artix.
We're all itching to open it. I think at least a handful of people have already sniffed it. We know it's holding something awesome inside because all packages delivered here contain awesome things, but we can't open it until Artix comes back! What do you guys think is inside?
Friday is RELEASE DAY!
Update on this week's upcoming releases. There's a lot of good stuff coming this week!
AdventureQuest Worlds This Friday is AE's first ever author event with Sarah Prineas, author of the Magic Thief fantasy book series. For the first time ever, you'll be able to adventure side by side with characters from a novel! Something is wrong in Lore - all the mages have gone missing! The word around town is that Drakath is involved and he's trying to taint all of Lore's magic with Chaos. Log in tomorrow to meet Conn, a young wizard apprentice, and team up to save all the missing mages of Lore... before it's too late. www.AQ.com
Check out these Event-Rare Mystical Blades:
EpicDuel Bunny Battlesuit Bonanza: Thanks to your assistance last week, the leporids have their battle suits and are ready to rock...almost. The suits lack the onboard computer systems they need to retake the Biologic Preserve. Log in tomorrow to enlist the help of Delta V's top tinkerer Ulysses to program the suits and help the leporids. www.EpicDuel.com
DragonFable Au'Mydas seems to be losing the war, but time is running out! If you don't help the war meter reach 100%, then Au'Mydas will win and all of Lore will be smothered in his golden kiss. Log in this Friday to defeat new bosses and win the war! War Challenge: If the war meter reaches 100% before midnight on Friday, you will unlock a special rainbow lightsaber reward. www.DragonFable.com
MechQuest There is an ancient legend of an underground realm and tales of a magical instrument that could turn the tide, if you can win through to its location! This story will bring you NEW ORIGINAL music, NEW quests, the opportunity to unlock NEW weapons, and NEW starship items! www.MechQuest.com
HeroSmash This week in HeroSmash go scavenging for treasure! Golden Claw in the "Ruins" has found a treasure chest full of exquisite, but damaged, treasure. If you help Golden Claw repair the treasure, he'll gladly share it with you! Don't forget St. Patrick' Day is leaving tomorrow for another year, check it out before it's gone! www.HeroSmash.com
AdventureQuest Classic
This week's second part of the Energy Orb Quest will take you on a hunt with Radagast for the energy orb in hopes of luring in a new numbered beast! Only one slight problem: a mother Thunderbird has mistaken the orb for one of her egg and getting it back might not be so easy. Also coming to the Limited Time Shop this week is the Incendiary Bow weapon. www.BattleOn.com
AQ3D Check back tomorrow to see a new 3D update from Yergen. www.Artix.com
Yergen Here! I am neck deep in dungeon making (and having a blast doing it), but I thought I would give you a sneak peek of a possible future location that we are working on. I'm not allowed to give any details right now on why or what this place is, but the concept art that Llussion is working on is really impressive. First off is a concept for a massive castle wall.
The next image shows a town square like area.
These are beautiful concept sketches. It’s going to be a blast making them, and more importantly, running around in them! Good job Llusion.
What Makes Thyton Awesome…
In coming up with these concepts Thyton, Llusion, and I sat around discussing the mechanics of a kingdom. Thyton takes the extreme tactical approach building an impenetrable fortress. A super fortress! He thinks through and problem solves all major attacks (air, sea, and land) options. He then designs, and places elements that will counter, or slow down the attack. The ideas are flawless! He plans it out as if he were the king, protecting the people. That’s the approach he takes on everything. To him it has to be believable. It has to work. And that’s what will make this game amazing! Then of course I ask how a farmer will take his fruit from outside the impenetrable wall, to the town market, passing wall after wall, guard after guard, swerving back and forth in a maze of streets every day? “Hmm.”, he says. “Maybe I went a little too tactical…”.
Chaos in your veins... And in Lore's magic?! THAT sounds catastrophic! Join the AQWorlds team and 30,000 of your fellow players at aq.com for a massively-magical special in-game event! Featuring characters from author Sarah Prineas' novel The Magic Thief, you'll have to race against time and treachery in order to save the missing mages of Lore. And if you can't prevent Drakath's plot from succeeding, ALL of Lore's magic will be tainted with Chaos!
During the event, you'll get a chance to learn about how magic in AQWorlds operates: ley lines, nexuses, and focus stones are all crucial if the mages of Lore are to guide and guard the home they love! Look for a new piece of information on how Lore's magic works AND get event updates and sneak peeks each day on the AQW Design Notes!
WHAT:
The Magic Thief guest author event with Sarah Prineas!
WHEN:
March 23rd, 2012 at sundown!
WHO:
The cast of The Magic Thief novel, the AQWorlds team and YOU!
WHY:
Sometimes even the greatest magicians need a little help from a thief!
AQWorlds' lead artist, J6, is astronomically talented! So who better to be Artix Entertainment's ambassador to the galaxy? He has a chance to win a contest to go on the ultimate quest - into space! And YOU can help send him up there, where he belongs! All you have to do is head tothis site and vote for him. You can vote once per day, per computer and with all our help, he'll have the chance to draw the first-ever extra-orbital AQWorlds reward!
As of this writing, J6 has 24,949 votes, and 99.9% of that is YOU guys helping one artist realize a life-long dream. It's amazing what the power of the AE community can do when they band together. Nothing is out of reach, not even the moon!
Look fly like a J6 with HeroMart's newest t-shirt!
Head to Heromart, Artix Entertainment's real-life loot store and snag your very own J6-style shirt! These fly off the shelves faster than the speed of light, so if you want to look like a bounty hunter* as you battle through life, this is the shirt for you!
And any bounty hunter worth their guns wants to score the critical fashion hit they'll get when they equip the epic promotional rewards that come with purchase - the J6 Helmet and the J6 Cowboy Armor!
* This shirt does not give you license to act like a bounty hunter. Unless you're in space.
This morning Artix sent word to the Underground Lab. He has made it safely to the other side of the world and has already slain several undead. An anonymous source sent us this picture: It's very dark, but the blurry person jumping to attack with his axe is Artix. Our source tells us that none of the undead shown in the picture survived.
It's going to be tough, but I believe Artix will be able to quell the invasion. So far, the undead have lost every battle, but there are still many more to come.
A Day in the Underground Lab
Some of you have asked what it's like working in the Underground lab. It's crazy... and awesome! There's never a dull moment with so many games to work on and new projects to keep track of. Depending on what day it is, sometimes I hear people running through the halls of the lab, screaming. Usually this means it's Friday or very close to Friday, and someone's lost a piece of art or code. Sometimes it means there's such a huge bug in the systems that the whole lab will detonate if we release it. But no matter what it is, the situation gets resolved and the work atmosphere becomes calm and creative again.
Report for Artix
I'm going to send Artix a report from the lab later this week. If you have anything you'd like me to include, like any new tricks you've found to be effective against the undead, leave them in the comments and I'll add them in!
Yergen here! The AQ3D team and I have been working steadily on creating the Dungeons of Skulldor. Llusion, and Xero have been modeling amazing dungeon props, and walls, and pillars, and everything else you can think of that would thrive in a spooky, dark, and dangerous dungeon. Thyton has designed some exceptionally creepy undead skeletons, but there appears to be some sort of a gooey fluid sticking to them. Gross. Mido has been adding textures to the base female models. What have I been doing? Taking all these amazing pieces and using them like building blocks and putting together the Dungeons of Skulldor.Thank you childhood building blocks! What secrets lurk in the dark recesses of these walls? I’ll never tell. Well maybe I will... later.
This Isn't Nearly Enough...
This post seems small in comparison. I guess I’ll have to ramble on a bit… ok. What have I learned while putting together the dungeons? Lighting is key. Here is a work in progress of the dungeon lit with bright light.
Not too spooky, and what an awful color choice. Now here is it lit dimmer.
Muuuch better. It’s amazing what a few setting can do. Anyhow. back to the dungeons power people. This game is going to be amazing! Btw - Monday the 19th I am going to hop onto the forums and answer some of those AQ3D Q&A questions. You have great questions, and I know I'll have some definitely adequate answers.
As Artix mentioned yesterday, I have no memory of my life prior to coming to the Underground Lab. My first memory is standing in AE's lobby, looking up at the gigantic dragon with red glowing eyes hanging on the wall. But it isn't a scary memory. Neveya found me right away and took me to meet Artix. That day I joined the AE team. Though I remember everything that has happened since then, none of my old memories have come back to me, not even my real name. Eventually I hope that I might remember something, but it's already been a year... Thank you all so much for helping Artix come up with a new name for me! Due to a minor bug, I won't be able to post under my own name until next week.
New Action Figure in Development
Last week, before he was called to take the undercover mission, Artix started development on a new top secret project: a third action figure. It's so secret that I can't even tell you who or what the action figure is of, but I can tell you that everyone in the Underground Lab is really excited about it. It's going to fit on our shelves right next to the figures of Artix and Sepulchure. We're expecting the first progress pictures of the sculpt sometime next week.
Friday (Tomorrow!) is RELEASE DAY
Weekly update on the games' releases, a day early!
AdventureQuest Worlds It's Lucky Day in AQWorlds tomorrow and the Shamrock Fair is coming to town. Log in for some fun fair games, seasonal rares from last year, new rares from this year, and a new Evolved Leprechaun class! www.AQ.com
Take a look at one of Dage's concept sketches of the Lucky Knight armor coming out tomorrow:
EpicDuel "Lagomorphic Uprising" - A race of sentient lagomorphs (look like a rabbit, talk like a man) have escaped from the Biological Preserve and scattered across Delta V in search of part for a robotic suit, but to what end? Log in tomorrow and help them construct the suit and take a step closer to uncovering their mysterious and adorable origin. www.EpicDuel.com
DragonFable This week is Lucky Week! Log in tomorrow to play through last year's Lucky Week release with some exciting new additions: new items, new quests and the return of the piggish Au'Mydas. Rumor has it, he has his golden kiss back. www.DragonFable.com
MechQuest An unusual, strange force is wreaking havoc near Soluna City! Braddock Steele is investigating. Visit Braddock in-game to find out more! www.MechQuest.com
HeroSmash St. Patty's day shop opens tomorrow in Aurora Park! And of course, you should check out the daily random item shop - some items will return and some may never be available again! www.HeroSmash.com
AdventureQuest Classic Today is the start of the Blarney War. The Leprechauns are running out of gold and need a new power source. They decided to go with unicorn horns. Log in to save the unicorns! www.BattleOn.com
AdventureQuest 3D Come back tomorrow for a full update from Yergen!
If you login to this site, using the Artix Entertainment "One Login to Rule them All", you can now comment on posts! Login and give it a try... post a hearty battle cry or let us know what you think of the project so far. The first time you login to post, the system will ask you for a "Display Name." Because our logins and passwords are all super secret now, you will need a display name to make posts. You can make it anything you would like. I highly suggest using the name name you picked for AdventureQuest 3D. Kiara is currently moderating ALL posts by approving them before they are visible on the site. Players who have a history of making good posts will be promoted and their posts will instantly be made live. Make a post and let us know it works... BATTLE ON!
Urgent Mission from the Secret Order of Undead Slayers
It has been a few years since the order has last sent me on a mission to thwart the evil forces of the undead. So you can imagine my surprise when I received an undercover assignment that will take me and my trusty battle axe to a place on the other side of the world. Packing and getting that thing through customs is always a pain. I have always returned from my missions with interesting stories & lore which we work into the game plots. That is good timing because we will be launching DoomWood Part 2 when (if) I return. I will be leaving immediately. Since I will not likely have internet access, Kiara and Yergen will be posting here to keep you updated on all of the game projects! (Note: Kiara will be using my Email, Twitter and Facebook accounts. If it is her, she will post (Kiara) at the start of the message so you know.)
Kiara, the mysterious girl in white... who is she!?
One year and three days ago, we encountered a beautiful yet mysterious girl wearing white robes. (Things like this happen a lot at the Secret Underground Lab) She could not remember her name... in fact, she could not remember anything at all. Since then, she has become a good friend and an extremely important member of our team. You may have seen photos of her from last DragonCon. Players on Twitter & Facebook helped give her the new name -- Kiara. Perhaps one day she will remember her full story. But starting tomorrow... she will be taking over posting game updates. I am curious to see what she writes!
Thank you to all of the players who have been linking me to this video which was posted on the OverSoul homepage. Is that... the Blinding Light of Destiny? It has been a while since we have heard anything from EbilCorp and their nefarious leader Chairman Platinum. But Nulgath's new game certainly seems to be making progress. If you guys find out anything else, please let me know!
AdventureQuest 3D Update
This morning, the team laid out a week-by-week plan to get to Beta. It is going to be a long and perilous road with MANY, MANY, MANY alpha tests in between. More on this coming tomorrow! In the meantime, I am making a giant list of all "Awesome Things." (Examples: Dragons, Vampires, Time Travel, Undead, Cyborgs, etc.) Think movie themes, iconic monsters, and things that make you go "cooool!" Do you have anything to add? Post me AWESOME THINGS to add to the list on my Artix Twitter!
Crypts and Bloods? ...actually, "Crypts and Slimes."
Villagers near Skulldor crypt are spreading rumors of the walking dead. While the shape and species of these undead vary from creature to creature, all reports describe them being covered in a sickly glowing green ooze. None of the adventuers sent to investigate the crypt have ever returned. Considering that each party of heroes was armed with their finest weapons, armors and magical artifacts... who knows what has become of them and their treasure.
Building a multiplayer 3D game engine from scratch is trickier than our pervious games. We have a lot left to do before you can protect the nearby town from the horrors of the crypt. I hope you check back each day as we share our progress and other fun game making stories with you. Skulldor Crypt is our "prototype dungeon." Join us monday and get the first glipse of our dungeon concept art converted into 3D!
Friday is RELEASE DAY!
Each week our friendly team of game developers updates the games with.. um... "NEW!!!!!!!!!!"
AdventureQuest Worlds "Xan's Plan" Last time you fought your way to the top of a volcanio and Xan escaped your grasp... this week, the adventure continues! Last seen riding a wave a lava towards a defenseless town, Xan is masterminding a MUCH larger scheme. Can you discover what it is in time... and stop him? Also this week: Spring-Themed Limited Time Shop, Treasure Chest Update, and the start of the last "I CAN HAS MOD" contest! Read more on the AQWorlds Design Notes.
EpicDuel "Bionic Battalion" After the tragic loss of Administrator12 at the radioactive hands of Alydriah's lackey in the previous release... a new Saga is beginning. New items including the Bionic Battlegear (drawn by Nightwraith during his Livestream video cast last week) will be available with the new release. See Charfade's post on the EpicDuel design notes for full details!
DragonFable This week you will get the first glimpse into the mysterious background of Warlic, our world's greatest mage. Find out how he came to start over on Lore. Get even more into the story by reading Geopetal's DragonFable Design notes
MechQuest New weapons arriving on the zombie infested planet Romero!
Pony vs Pony A redesign of the game is currently in progress. Rolith is resizing it to be widescreen 960x550 and making a lot of improvements.
AdventureQuest 3D Pre-registration & Alpha Testing Supporters of our previous games can still reserve their names for our upcoming 3D game. You can reserve your name here which is worth 200 Alpha Points. The next test has not been scheduled yet, but will likely be to test the multiplayer chat server or to walk through our prototype dungeon "Skulldor." Be sure to check in each day, and if you can, hit the like button on my Artix Krieger Facebook page. I always post new updates there too.
As of this writing, J6 has 24,949 votes, and 99.9% of that is YOU guys helping one artist realize a life-long dream. It's amazing what the power of the AE community can do when they band together. Nothing is out of reach, not even the moon!
