Editor's Note
by Alac
We're on issue number four already! I know, it's hard to believe for me, too. For this edition of the Editor's Note I'd like to talk about some things that have been happening on the forums mainly, but I'll touch on game content as well (the articles focus more on those, so I'm leaving the heavy coverage to our expert authors).
Forum news:
Give a welcoming shout (or perhaps a welcoming PM if you're using a computer in a library) to the newest editions to the ArchKnight team: Doubleoh4 (Dragonfable Q&A), Cubal (AQ Suggestions), Balos (OOC and Polls), and the returning Spikerslayer (Dragonfable Q&A). These assistants to the moderating staff have generously decided to donate their time and effort to improving the forum experience for everyone. Welcome, guys!
On Monday, July 2, 2007 the forum was shut down for about an hour so that some necessary reorganization and database cleanup could take place. Changes made include shifting the Forum Issues board up towards the top and combining it with Newbie Help and IRC Chat Help under the heading General Support and Assistance. The Speculations and Theories board was also moved out on its own (it used to be under AdventureQuest) since it encompasses theories about both AQ, DF, and eventually, MechQuest. You might also have noticed that your post count was drastically reduced. This is due to a database cleanup that was performed during the shutdown. As post count has absolutely no bearing on your membership after you've made 10 or more posts, this reduction is really of no concern.
Friday, July 6, 2007 saw the OOC board shut down until Sunday, July 8th for a thorough cleaning and restructuring. Recently there was some discussion over the prevalence of flaming and trolling in the OOC board. A newly reworded OOC rule highlights the lack of tolerance staff and ArchKnights will show towards any of this behavior:
"No spamming, flaming, or trolling
Contrary to what seems to be popular belief, flaming/spamming/trolling is NOT permitted here. We see plenty of comments made
along the lines of "This is the OOC, it's the way things are here." That attitude is unacceptable. Flaming is not okay "because it's OOC,"
and it's not some "initiation ritual" that everybody has to go through."
Game updates:
DF players saw the release of the Dragonrider PVP arena. This excellent addition to the AI PVP content includes new backgrounds with breathtaking art. The Dragon Arena will be a great incentive for those who are struggling to finish leveling up their full-sized dragon. Baby dragons can now be un-trained by speaking with Lady Celestia (as long as you have a spare 1000 gold, of course). Also new on the DF front is the second Treasure Chest Hunt! No one knows which chest will contain what, so be sure to try and find at least one of each kind. If you don't have the time to farm, though, you can always purchase the chests in Cysero's DragonCoin shop.
Happy Fourth of July (just a little late). To celebrate the American Independence Day holiday, AQ players saw fireworks and the release of the Transformer armor. It's description reads: "This armor is more than meets the eye! You ride in a special pod that can transform into several different shapes, each with different attacks. This version offers better defenses and more powerful attacks." The Sinister 7 war also ended. The Zardmaster, Drakonnas, Nepto, Calladus, Jack Frost, Drakonnan, and Sila the serpent witch were all defeated and the boss was revealed to be Drakath. Prizes included: the Drakaxe, Nepto's Spine, and Sila's Staff along with an armor, spells, and helms.
Once again, thanks to all those who've worked to make the ezine and the AE games! I look forward to what we'll do next.
