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=== April 6, 1999  News Bit from John Smedley ===
 
  
Music works on all sound cards. If you still aren't getting music,
 
double check to make sure that music is turned on in-game. In addition,
 
you may not have correct drivers, and/or you may not have it set
 
properly. In any case, either call our tech support or go to the tech
 
support area in chat. Please be advised that music DOES have a
 
performance impact on the game, although it is a small one.
 
 
Frame Rate Speedup - Our resident graphics genius sped up the game a
 
fair amount. Those of you in areas like Greater Faydark should see some
 
real improvements.
 
 
Corpse Bug - We've been tracking a nasty little bug that would make
 
corpses disappear. I'm sure many of you know firsthand about this one.
 
We finally nailed it and it should be safe to die again ;)
 
 
There's a whole bunch of other stuff that has been fixed as well and is
 
listed in the patch message.
 
 
Just as an FYI we did find a server-side bug that's been fixed and we
 
will probably have to down the servers one at a time to update since
 
this bug is one that really needs to be fixed.
 
 
One final Item: Yes, glide on banshee's is coming back. It should be in
 
later this week.
 
 
- John Smedley, President and CEO: Verant Interactive, Inc.
 
 
 
=== April 29, 1999  News Bit from John Smedley ===
 
 
Here's a summary of what was done in the last 2 days
 
 
1) We did a major hardware upgrade to our primary router here in San
 
Diego.
 
2) We worked with CERFnet to do a router upgrade to their facility here
 
in San Diego.
 
3) We moved Karana over to CERFnet
 
4) We brought up Rodcet Nife
 
 
I think you will find now that the packet loss should be basically
 
gone... at least on our end. We were definetely causing some of the
 
loss before (only when we hit major numbers) but now things are very,
 
very clean running and that is with 23,582 people on just as I write
 
this (a new record).
 
 
Does this mean that EVERYONE'S Packet Loss is gone? Absolutely not.
 
BUT, I did some surveys in most of the worlds and about 750f the people
 
told me their Packet Loss was great. If you are having problems now, do
 
a traceroute to chat.everquest.com and send it to the email address
 
traceroute@verant.com and we will take a look. We take our customers
 
connections very seriously, and if a whole lot of people on one network
 
are having a problem we will do our best to look into it. It doesn't
 
mean we can always get the reaction we want (some networks are just
 
plain bad) but many times we can help find a legitimate problem and
 
help correct it.
 
 
=== September 13, 1999 ===
 
 
Bug Fixes:
 
* Players levitating should be easier for other PCs to see.
 
* When charmed/feared and killed players should not be returned to the character selection screen.
 
* Lore items in containers that are dropped should not be destroyed.
 
* Charged items, such as the Staff of the Observers, should correctly report the number of charges remaining after zoning.
 
* Corpses should remain lootable even if a player goes linkdead while looting
 
* A player under the effect of charm or fear can no longer open their spellbook or sit in order to escape the effects of these spells.
 
* A player using online help should no longer be locked into the help screen if another party initiates a trade.
 
* Non-melee items equipped in weapon slots should no longer mutate if the pc is charmed.
 
* Extremely large NPCs, ie Vox, should not suicide when stuck.
 
 
New emotes:
 
* Here is a list of new emotes that have been added to the game: agree,
 
amaze, apologize, applaud, plead, bite, bleed, blink, blush, boggle,
 
bonk, bored, brb, burp, bye, cackle, calm, clap, comfort, congratulate,
 
cough, cringe, curious, dance, drool, duck, eye, gasp, giggle, glare,
 
grin, groan, grovel, happy, hungry, introduce, jk (just kidding),
 
kneel, lost, massage, moan, mourn, peer, point, ponder, puzzle, raise,
 
ready, roar, salute, shiver, shrug, sigh, smirk, snarl, snicker, stare,
 
tap, tease, thank, thirsty, veto, welcome, whine, whistle, yawn.
 
 
PVP Changes:
 
* In order to make PVP combat between spellcasters and melee types more
 
viable some changes to PVP spell effects have been made. All damage
 
spells cast in PVP combat will do less damage to the PC than the same
 
spell would do to an NPC. When a PC is under the effect of a root-type
 
spell there is a 20% chance that they will break free when a direct
 
damage spell is cast upon them.
 
 
Spell Changes:
 
* Levitate: All players may now cancel this effect.
 
{{Relevant}}
 
* Paralyzing Earth now Wizard and Necromancer useable.
 
* The Mana cost on some Magician damage shields has been slightly
 
reduced.
 
* Alter Plane: Hate and Alter Plane: Sky have been changed into higher
 
level spells.
 
* Succor: Ro (Druid) is now a level 39 spell (previously a typo as a
 
level 49 spell.
 
* Curse of the Simple Mind (Enchanter) now lowers both Int AND Wis.
 
* Selo`s Consonant Chain (Bard) should now work better.
 
* Shadow Vortex (Necro) is more effective.
 
* Screaming Terror is now an all or nothing save. This should stop the
 
'train' problems that it was causing.
 
* Gravity Flux will now research correctly for Wizards.
 
* Lich and Bond of Death are now researchable for Necromancers check
 
your tomes.
 
* The different types of Words of Collection and Words of Acquisition
 
are now more easily identifiable.
 
* Dead Man Walking (Necromancer) has been renamed Dead Man Floating.
 
* Ignite Bones (Necromancer) has had the movement component removed. 
 
This means that it will no longer break root and snare spells, and that
 
it will now stack with the darkness line.
 
* Syvelian`s Anti-Magic Aria (Bard) has been fixed.
 
* A bug in some of the AoE code has been fixed.  AoE spells will now
 
effect more monsters.
 
* Some Magician Summoned items are now lore items.  Items that have
 
turned lore have had other small benefits added to them.
 
* Dance of the Fireflies (Druid) has been changed from Divination to Conjuration.
 
* Rangers have gained the spell Dance of the Fireflies (level 15)
 
* High Level Enchanter Illusion spells have had the remainder of their
 
effects implemented.
 
* Magi research components have been added to more monsters throughout
 
the world.
 
* There is a new pet command: /pet taunt and /pet notaunt. Pets default
 
to /pet taunt
 
* The Rods for the Ice Comet quests will now pop much more often.
 
* Envenomed Breath (Shaman) has had its damage raised slightly.
 
* Scourge (Necromancer and Shaman) has had its damage raised slightly.
 
* Enchantment of Light and Enchantment of Brilliance (Enchanter) have been replaced by new enchantment spells.  These spells have been added to a hidden vendor somewhere in the game.
 
* quests for Necromancers to research their pet}}
 
* Alter Plane: Hate and Alter Plane: Sky have been changed into higher
 
level spells.
 
* Succor: Ro (Druid) is now a level 39 spell (previously a typo as a
 
level 49 spell.
 
* Curse of the Simple Mind (Enchanter) now lowers both Int AND Wis.
 
* Selo`s Consonant Chain (Bard) should now work better.
 
* Shadow Vortex (Necro) is more effective.
 
* Screaming Terror is now an all or nothing save. This should stop the
 
'train' problems that it was causing.
 
* Gravity Flux will now research correctly for Wizards.
 
* Lich and Bond of Death are now researchable for Necromancers check
 
your tomes.
 
* The different types of Words of Collection and Words of Acquisition
 
are now more easily identifiable.
 
* Dead Man Walking (Necromancer) has been renamed Dead Man Floating.
 
* Ignite Bones (Necromancer) has had the movement component removed. 
 
This means that it will no longer break root and snare spells, and that
 
it will now stack with the darkness line.
 
* Syvelian`s Anti-Magic Aria (Bard) has been fixed.
 
* A bug in some of the AoE code has been fixed.  AoE spells will now
 
effect more monsters.
 
* Some Magician Summoned items are now lore items.  Items that have
 
turned lore have had other small benefits added to them.
 
* Dance of the Fireflies (Druid) has been changed from Divination to Conjuration.
 
* Rangers have gained the spell Dance of the Fireflies (level 15)
 
* High Level Enchanter Illusion spells have had the remainder of their
 
effects implemented.
 
* Magi research components have been added to more monsters throughout
 
the world.
 
* There is a new pet command: /pet taunt and /pet notaunt. Pets default
 
to /pet taunt
 
* The Rods for the Ice Comet quests will now pop much more often.
 
* Envenomed Breath (Shaman) has had its damage raised slightly.
 
* Scourge (Necromancer and Shaman) has had its damage raised slightly.
 
* Enchantment of Light and Enchantment of Brilliance (Enchanter) have been replaced by new enchantment spells.  These spells have been added to a hidden vendor somewhere in the game.
 
* quests for Necromancers to research their pets have been added.
 
 
Pets:
 
* High level pets (44th and 49th lvl spells) do less damage
 
* Pets will now navigate some outdoor and dungeon areas better
 
 
DoT Changes:
 
* If the monster is in melee with you, there is no change to how a DoT spell works.
 
* If the monster is running away from you (fear, wounded, etc.), there is no change to how a DoT spell works.
 
* If the monster is moving when the damage from the DoT is applied (happens every few seconds), it will take 66% of the damage that it would have taken.
 
* DoT spells have all had their duration slightly increased.  If the monster moves for 18 seconds during a fight, it will take as much damage from the DoT as it would before the patch.  If the monster moves for less then 18 seconds during a fight, your DoT will do more damage then it would have done before the patch.  If the monster moves more then 18 seconds during the fight, it will take less damage then it would have before the patch.{{End}}
 
 
=== September 22, 1999 ===
 
 
Magic:
 
- Illusion: Werewolf (enchanter) now stacks with other attack speed
 
spells.
 
- Casting times on the higher level Ward series (Cleric, Magician,
 
Necromancer & Druid) have been slightly lowered.
 
- The Lich (Necromancer) spell will now provide more mana.
 
- Surge of Enfeeblement (Necromancer) should now work consistently.
 
- Enchanter Wolf Illusion is now Outdoors only.
 
- Paralyzing Earth can now be scribed by Necromancers.
 
- Thicken and Crystallize Mana now produce their proper potions.
 
- All research quest combinations should now work.
 
- Eyes of the Cat now provides infravision as the description states.
 
 
General:
 
- Summoned food and water will now disappear when the user logs out.
 
- If the player is under the effect of Minor Illusion, and exits the
 
game, upon reentry to the game, the Minor Illusion icon will remain.
 
- Summoned items will no longer remain indefinitely when placed within
 
a bag in the bank.
 
 
 
 
=== September 28, 1999 ===
 
 
The following changes have been implemented with the latest patch, most
 
importantly, changes to corpse resurrection.  It should be noted that
 
all corpses generated previous to this patch may not be resurrected,
 
however, all corpses generated from this point forward may be
 
resurrected with the changes listed below applying.
 
 
- Corpses that are older than 2 hours cannot be resurrected.
 
- Corpses that are produced from a duel cannot be resurrected after 10
 
minutes.
 
 
General Enhancements
 
- A Yes/No request window is now brought up when ever turning in the PK
 
note to the Priest of Discord.
 
- It is now possible to manually reorganize icons within the spell
 
book.  This may be performed by right-clicking on the currently placed
 
icon (the icon will then be highlighted), then right-clicking on the
 
desired slot you wish to move it.
 
- Pet damage inflicted during PvP combat has been slightly reduced.
 
- It is now possible to place items marked as "No Drop" in the bank.
 
- NPC corpses will only remain for 8 minutes, even while looting.
 
- If a party member goes link-dead, the remaining members will be
 
notified.
 
- Pets with less than 20 hit points cannot receive hit point buffs.
 
- When viewing an invisible PC with See Invisible, the name will be
 
shown in parentheses over the character.
 
- All beneficial speed spells may be canceled left-clicking on the
 
spell icon.
 
- We have also made revisions to the /text command section of the
 
EverQuest manual.
 
 
Fennin Ro Specific Enhancements
 
- Experience and looting rights is now awarded based on group aggregate
 
damage (i.e. If a group's combined damage if greater than an individual
 
player, the group members will be given the exp. and looting rights). 
 
We will be gathering the results of this data throughout the day, and
 
if need be, incorporate this change on other "live" servers.
 
 
=== October 13, 1999 ===
 
 
Optional Patch
 
 
- A new zone, The Temple of Solusek Ro, is now available via the
 
optional patch.
 
 
General Enhancements
 
- Experience and looting rights are now awarded for group aggregate
 
damage.  This is now true for ALL servers.  We still consider this
 
change in 'TEST' and will conduct a poll as to whether it positively
 
addresses the kill stealing situation in approximately 2 weeks.
 
- As mentioned on Saturday, Rubicite armor will no longer spawn.  The
 
new class specific quests to obtain the new armor are now in for each
 
class that could wear Rubicite.
 
- Journeyman's Boots will no longer spawn where they did but rather are
 
the products of a quest.
 
- To address trade fraud (players removing items/money immediately
 
prior to trading to deceive the other player), items/money may only be
 
removed by clicking on the "Cancel" button.
 
- When receiving a text message from either an NPC or PC speaking in a
 
language other than "Common Tongue", if the user's language skill is
 
high enough, the language being spoken will be noted preceding the
 
text.
 
- The fishing pole will now appear in the player's hand whenever the
 
fishing skill is used.
 
- A number of quests were both added and enhanced throughout the zones.
 
 
Trade Skills
 
- A number of new items have been added to Blacksmithing.
 
 
Spell Enhancements
 
- Some of the Items that Magicians summon with their spells have been
 
made better or had their effects increased.
 
- Fufil's Curtailing Chant, Tuyen's Chant of Flame and Tuyen's Chant of
 
Frost have all had their effects slightly increased.
 
- The Burnout Series has had the negative HP component reduced
 
(improvement) and the stat buff increased (improvement).  Because of
 
this, the spells are no longer permanent. They now have a 15 minute
 
duration.  Burnout III has also had its casting cost reduced.
 
- Illusion: Werewolf attack speed component now works as intended.
 
- Insipid Weakness will research as intended.
 
 
=== November 1, 1999 ===
 
 
[Kunark News Release]
 
 
EVERQUEST POSITIONED TO AGAIN CONQUER ONLINE WORLD WITH EVERQUEST: THE
 
RUINS OF KUNARK EXPANSION PACK
 
- Expansion Pack Features All-New Continent, More Than 20 New Adventure
 
Zones and an Enhanced 3D Engine -
 
FOSTER CITY, Calif., November 1, 1999 -
 
 
989 Studios, a Sony Computer Entertainment Group Company, announced
 
today that its highly anticipated EverQuest®: The Ruins of Kunark™
 
expansion pack, which is an add-on to the most successful online role
 
playing game ever released - EverQuest -will be available in March
 
2000. The expansion pack will provide the more than 225,000 current
 
EverQuest gamers with an all-new continent, more than 20 new adventure
 
zones, numerous characters, an additional playable race and an enhanced
 
3D engine.
 
 
"EverQuest has a wildly devoted fan base who are constantly craving new
 
challenges and experiences in the massive world of EverQuest," said
 
Jeffrey Fox, vice president, marketing, 989 Studios. "EverQuest: The
 
Ruins of Kunark continues the legacy of EverQuest and takes it many
 
steps further with a more detailed world that offers 40 percent more
 
gameplay and breathtaking graphics."
 
 
EverQuest: The Ruins of Kunark takes players on a mystical quest to the
 
continent of Kunark, home of the Iksar race. On the continent, players
 
face all-new challenges and rewards in their quest for dominance and
 
survival. EverQuest fans can get more information and an early look at
 
EverQuest: The Ruins of Kunark by visiting the exclusive expansion pack
 
web site at www.everquest.com/kunark.
 
 
Existing EverQuest players will be able to purchase the expansion pack
 
directly online; pricing information is currently under discussion. New
 
players will be able to purchase a retail version, which will include
 
all aspects of the original EverQuest, along with the increased
 
features included in the expansion pack EverQuest: The Ruins of Kunark.
 
 
989 Studios - EverQuest: The Ruins of Kunark
 
 
EverQuest: The Ruins of Kunark Key Features
 
 
New continent "Kunark," located south of Faydwer
 
More than 20 new adventure zones featuring both beginner and advanced
 
zones including: lakes, jungles, crypts, caves, dungeons, ancient
 
towers and underground castles
 
New playable race, the Iksar (Lizardman)
 
A new cast of visually stunning non-player characters; grey dragons,
 
reptilian monsters, giant scorpions, man-eating plants and more
 
More object animations featured throughout Kunark that include
 
earthquakes and other violent natural phenomena
 
A highly detailed world with three times the amount of polygons and
 
larger textures than the EverQuest world
 
All-new ships that will sail from both Antonica and Faydwer to Kunark
 
Newly created art by famous fantasy artist Keith Parkinson
 
Increased level difficulty range allows players to advance further in
 
the game.
 
 
The most successful online role-playing game ever released, EverQuest
 
features a multitude of adventures and quests with an interactive
 
storyline that evolves according to a player's individual decisions.
 
Players can choose to begin the game in any of the three continents,
 
with more than 90 adventure zones and 13 cities. Each of these
 
continents feature: diverse species, economic systems, alliances and
 
politics. Throughout this adventure, players form groups, strategic
 
alliances and gather magical artifacts in their perilous and exciting
 
quest to conquer the world of Norrath.
 
 
The Station@sony.com is the official provider of EverQuest, with
 
software updates and news about the game, message boards and other
 
community features, as well as an easy-to-use billing system for
 
EverQuest's monthly subscription fee of $9.89.
 
 
Verant Interactive is an independent development studio that develops
 
cutting-edge online games. Based in San Diego, California, Verant
 
Interactive has a staff of over 70 employees who consist of the
 
development teams responsible for the online games Tanarus and
 
EverQuest.
 
 
989 Studios, a Sony Computer Entertainment Group Company, is a wholly-
 
owned division of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. and is the
 
third-largest PlayStation® software publisher in North America.
 
Headquartered in Foster City, California, with additional development
 
studios in San Diego and Santa Monica, 989 Studios develops software
 
for the PlayStation game console and online markets. 989 Studios is a
 
recognized leader in the entertainment software industry, with top
 
franchise titles such as NFL GameDay™, Twisted Metal®, Jet Moto®, Cool
 
Boarders® and EverQuest™.
 
 
 
 
=== December 1, 1999  7:00am ===
 
 
The following changes and enhancements have been introduced with the
 
latest patch:
 
 
*Monk Enhancements*
 
-The Feign Death changes which were mentioned on November 16th are now
 
live.
 
 
*Spell Enhancements*
 
-Tishan (Enchanter) and Malise (Magician/Shaman) spells now stack.
 
-The Pet bug (where if you have a pet, certain monsters can attack its
 
owner anywhere in the zone) has been fixed.
 
-Alenia`s Disenchanting Melody (Bard) should now work.
 
-Screaming Terror (Necromancer) has changed. It is no longer a "Run
 
Away" Fear spell - instead the targeted creature will cower in terror
 
until it takes damage (similar to the Enchanter's Mesmerize spell).
 
-The Environment limit (Dungeons only) has been removed.
 
-Pact of Shadow (Necromancer) now has a 12 second recast time
 
-Summon Waterstone (Magician) has been added to the game.
 
 
- The EverQuest Team
 
 
=== December 8, 1999  7:00am ===
 
 
The following general enhancements have been introduced with this
 
patch.
 
 
- /Pet No Taunt and /pet taunt now works
 
- Bard Levitation is now working as intended.
 
- A number of spears are now available to the Shaman class.
 
- Dazzle and Entrance (enchanter) have had their casting times reduced.
 
- A number of NPC guards have received an increase in stats.
 
- Screaming Terror is now functioning as intended.
 
 
*Zone Specific Enhancements*
 
 
As previously mentioned, Paw becoming a mid-level dungeon is imminent.
 
So heed our earlier warning!
 
 
Both Fear and Hate planes have been enhanced, in terms of how often
 
loot is dropped by NPCs.
 
 
*Race Enhancements*
 
 
Barbarians, Ogres and Trolls may now slam magic mobs when equipped with
 
magic shoulders.
 
 
- The EverQuest Team
 
 
 
 
=== December 14, 1999 ===
 
 
- A revision was made to a bug with Dragons, which was introduced with
 
the patch last week.
 
- The new Necromancer spell, Summon Corpse, is now live and functioning
 
as intended.
 
 
 
 
=== December 21, 1999 ===
 
 
After a week of thorough testing, the Summon Corpse spell is now
 
functioning properly (we promise!), and available on all servers.
 
 
- In addition, it is now possible to cast Cancel Magic on non-grouped
 
players on the PvP and PvP-teams servers.
 
- All changes were made on the server-side, therefore no patch is
 
required.
 
 
From everyone on the EverQuest team, and Verant Interactive, we would
 
like to wish all of you safe and happy holidays.
 
 
 
=== February 3, 2000  8:00 am ===
 
 
The following changes have been implemented on the live servers:
 
 
*Spells*
 
 
- Lay On Hands: Enhanced to heal more hitpoints per level.
 
- Enveloping Roots: Casting time reduced to match Immobilize
 
- Skin Like Nature: Small Damage Shield added. This will stack with
 
other shields.
 
- Insidious Fever: Casting time reduced.
 
- Insidious Malady: Casting time Reduced.
 
- Burnout series: Negative HP component removed to bring it in line
 
with the Necromancer's Intensify/Augment death series.
 
 
*Songs*
 
 
- Syvelian's Anti-magic Aura: Potency increased.
 
- Shauri's Sonorous Clouding: Now also grants See Invisible. Party
 
members can now see each other while under the effect of this song.
 
 
Additionally, the following songs have been given a slightly larger
 
radius:
 
 
- Selo's Accelerando
 
- Agilmente's Aria of Eagles
 
- Shauri's Sonorous Clouding
 
- Tarew's Aquatic Ayre
 
 
*PvP-Teams Change*
 
 
Customers on the PvP-Teams servers have been plagued by a tactic known
 
as "Bind Rushing". Casters would bind themselves in a hostile area or
 
dungeon, and attack everyone of an opposing race in the area. Sooner or
 
later the caster would die. They would then respawn, memorize a few
 
spells, then jump back in to attack their wounded opponents.
 
 
As a first step in combating this practice and improving life for those
 
on the PvP-Servers, casters will now respawn with zero mana after being
 
killed by another player in a duel or open combat.
 
 
This code is new for those on Tallon and Vallon Zek. It has been in
 
place for some time on Rallos Zek and works very well there.
 
 
*The Plane of Sky*
 
 
All spells that grant levitation will no longer function in the Plane
 
of Sky. This affects spells cast by Wizards, Enchanters, Shamans,
 
Druids, Necromancers, and Bards. The Plane of Sky is designed to be
 
completed in certain fashion, and the existence of these spells allowed
 
the islands to be completed out-of-order.
 
 
A teleporter will be placed on the first island in the next patch to
 
allow people access to the room below.
 
 
- The EverQuest Team
 
 
=== February 17, 2000  7:00 am ===
 
 
==== Announcements====
 
 
The City of Paineel, home to the infamous Heretics of Erudin, is now
 
available via the Optional Patch. In addition, Erudites may now also be
 
Shadowknights in addition to the other classes available to them. All
 
Erudite Necromancers, Shadowknights, and Clerics who worship the God of
 
Fear, Cazic-Thule, now start in the City of Paineel. As such, if you
 
wish to create a character of this type from this point forward, you
 
*must* download the Paineel zone-files via the Optional Patch.
 
 
Please note that if you downloaded the Paineel zone files recently, you
 
must run the Optional Patch again to insure you have the correct
 
version of the files.
 
 
In related news, all of the entrances to the Qeynos Catacombs have been
 
fixed.
 
 
Enjoy!
 
 
The following changes have been implemented on the live servers:
 
 
==== Spell Changes ====
 
 
- The recast delay for many of the Shaman buff-spells have been
 
reduced.
 
- "Reoccurring Amnesia" has had its casting time reduced.
 
- "Yaulp" and "Augmentation" should now stack.
 
- "Solidarity of Vision" has had its duration increased.
 
- The Druid spell, "Skin Like Nature", has been returned to its former
 
status due to popular opinion. As such, the damage-shield component has
 
been removed and the regeneration component has been re-applied.
 
- "Sense Magic" has been replaced in all cases by the "True North"
 
spell. If you have already inscribed the "Sense Magic" spell, the spell
 
icon will now automatically reflect "True North".
 
- A bug that existed with several damage-shield spells, causing their
 
damage to be subtracted rather than added when stacked, has been
 
corrected. The spells will now stack properly.
 
- The "Feign Death" spell, when cast by a Necromancer, will now have a
 
fixed duration. The Necromancer will receive several warnings prior to
 
the spell wearing off. This change was necessary because some
 
Necromancers found a way to gain experience through their pet while
 
being AFK for an extended duration, such as being in bed for the night.
 
Note: This does not affect Shadowknights or Monks.
 
- New Necromancer spells are now in game. Check your spell vendors.
 
- Alchemy has been revamped. Check with your local Shaman.
 
- DOT (Damage Over Time) spells will no longer hinder camping.
 
 
==== General Changes/Fixes ====
 
 
- The dungeon of Paw has again received a minor update to slightly
 
reduce the difficulty of the zone.
 
 
- All known issues with the SBLive soundcard have been corrected.
 
 
- From this point forward, deleting a character will cause all corpses
 
belonging to that character to likewise be deleted. This change was
 
made primarily to stop a no-drop transfer bug. It also has the added
 
effect of cleaning up corpses for characters that people no longer
 
intend to play.
 
 
- Crippling Blows will now display the correct damage in the "You have
 
scored a Crippling Blow (###)" line.
 
 
==== Corpse Looting Exploit ====
 
 
Recently, an exploit was discovered that allowed certain unsavory
 
individuals to loot the corpses of other players without their consent.
 
The precise symptom of this is that the owner would find their corpse
 
stripped of everything except for no-drop items, and items in a bag
 
with no-drop items. This exploit was fixed in this patch.
 
 
If you were affected by this exploit recently, you are entitled to a
 
reimbursement of your lost items assuming that we still have a record
 
of what you had. Please contact a GM in-game to arrange for an
 
investigation.
 
 
During the course of the investigation, people who have exploited this
 
bug will be subject to disciplinary action by our GM staff up to and
 
including item wipes, suspension, and/or banishment.
 
 
==== Rogue Enhancements ====
 
 
Rogues received several enhancements as part of this patch:
 
 
- The chance to score a critical hit with a throwing weapon has been
 
increased significantly.
 
 
- When throwing a weapon from behind the NPC in question, a rogue now
 
has a chance to score a "Deadly Strike", for enhanced damage above and
 
beyond that of a critical hit.
 
 
- A new rogue-specific ability has been added to the "Hide" skill. It
 
is called "Evade". This skill has the effect of lowering the amount
 
that the targeted NPC hates the rogue, and has the potential of making
 
the engaged NPC switch to another target (preferably a tank) within the
 
rogue's group. It is essentially a "reverse taunt". This ability helps
 
mitigate the negative effects of the rogue's exceedingly high damage-
 
output potential. It also will in-turn help the rogue do even more
 
damage as the NPC is much more likely to expose its back. It is engaged
 
by targeting the NPC you wish to "Evade" and pressing the "Hide"
 
button. As a note, you must not be in combat mode in order to use this
 
ability.
 
 
==== Mistwalker ====
 
 
The Mistwalker will once again cast its spell as often as it used to
 
prior to the last patch. However, the resulting pet will now
 
automatically "dissipate" after one combat round. The change that
 
reduced the "proc" percentage on the weapon was made due to an
 
unintended interaction between the pet and the target when several
 
users of this weapon were attacking the same target. Since the new pet
 
now automatically dissipates after one round, the reduced "proc"
 
percentage was no longer necessary.
 
 
==== Class-Specific Armor Quests ====
 
 
Class-Specific armor quests, especially those belonging to Clerics,
 
Paladins, and Shadowknights, have been reduced in terms of how long it
 
will take the average person to acquire the armor. These classes, and
 
others that found particular pieces of their armor exceedingly
 
difficult to obtain should find it much easier now.
 
 
In addition, a bug that hindered completion of the Bracer of Ro quest
 
for some races has been corrected.
 
 
==== Tallon Zek ====
 
 
Loot rules for PvP deaths on the PvP-Teams server, Tallon Zek, have
 
been changed from "Coin + 1 item" to "Coin Only". This change was made
 
to study the impact of loot-rules upon server population in reference
 
to the loot/efficiency disparity between caster and melee characters.
 
This change is a test, and may or may not be retained or rolled out
 
across the other PvP servers, pending the results of the server
 
population study over the next few weeks.
 
 
==== Plane Changes ====
 
 
Several changes have been implemented in the Planes as part of this
 
patch:
 
 
- Characters will now lose all enchantments upon entering the Plane of
 
Sky.
 
 
- Due to the fact that the levitate-series no longer works within the
 
Plane of Sky, a teleporter has been placed to allow entrance into the
 
quest room.
 
 
- A teleporter has been placed within the Plane of Hate in order to
 
give non-casters a way out of the zone besides death, potion, or group
 
teleport.
 
 
==== Loot Messages ====
 
 
Messages indicating what has been looted from a corpse will now be
 
broadcast to everyone within the looters group. This change was made
 
due to public request and to encourage trust within the group. We may,
 
in the future, employ filters to allow people to choose whether or not
 
they wish to receive loot messages.
 
 
==== Fiery Avenger ====
 
 
The greatly anticipated defining blade of the Paladin, the "Fiery
 
Avenger", is again available within game via a quest. The *first*
 
devout Paladin to wield this blade and be validated by a GM in-game
 
will be publicly congratulated within a patch message and on the
 
Official EverQuest web-site at www.everquest.com.
 
 
- The EverQuest Team
 
 
=== February 23, 2000 ===
 
 
Today's patch was primarily comprised of server-side changes in
 
preparation for the release of EverQuest: The Ruins of Kunark. Only one
 
gameplay-affecting issue was updated as a result of this patch:
 
 
- Being killed by another player in a duel will now cause you to re-
 
spawn with zero mana.
 
 
This change was implemented to counter a strategy used by casters where
 
they would duel to reduce downtime between fights, thus allowing groups
 
to engage creatures that they normally would not be able to.
 
 
- The EverQuest Team
 
 
 
 
=== March 29, 2000 ===
 
 
This morning's update consisted primarily of server-side changes to
 
improve performance of the game engine in general. No items, spawns,
 
spells (with the exceptions below), etc., were changed as a result of
 
this patch.
 
 
Area Effect "Fear" spells will no longer work in PvP. This affects a
 
bard song, as well as the Cleric "Wave of Fear" spell.
 
 
Corrected a bug with some of the Resurrection spells that caused them
 
to return too little experience.
 
 
We plan on publishing data and item changes next week if all goes well
 
on the Test server. We apologize to those who are inconvenienced by
 
having to wait for the expected changes.
 
 
- The EverQuest Team
 
 
 
 
=== April 10, 2000 ===
 
 
==== Patch Day ====
 
 
The following is a list of changes that were implemented on the Live
 
EverQuest servers today:
 
 
==== Spells ====
 
- You will now receive a message when attempting to mesmerize a
 
creature that is immune to that type of spell.
 
- You can now right-click-and-hold on bard songs to determine what
 
instrument skill is used by the spell.
 
- Dyn's Dizzying Draught has had its casting time lowered
 
significantly.
 
- Corrected a bug in the Druid root + damage spells (Enveloping roots
 
series) that caused the spell's damage to have a chance of breaking the
 
spell. They work much better now.
 
- The Magicians Phantom Armor series now grants HP regeneration.
 
- The Druid spell, dance of the fireflies, has been changed from
 
"Outdoor only" to "Night only". It may now be cast in dungeons.
 
- Corrected a typographical error that allowed high level magicians to
 
inscribe the Malosi spell. It was not intended for magicians under
 
level 50.
 
 
==== General Changes/Fixes ====
 
- Items have gained the ability to be restricted by Deity. If a deity
 
restriction is placed upon an item, it will show when you right-click-
 
and-hold on the item.
 
- The AC on the mid-level cleric quest armor has been increased.
 
- The Terror Mask will now cast "Fear" instead of "Call of Bones" as
 
previously announced. The "Call of Bones" effect was placed on this
 
item by mistake.
 
- The Mempo of Likato now grants AC.
 
- The Quest for the Short Sword of Morin has been fixed.
 
- Some spawn-time problems in Mistmoore have been repaired.
 
- Five spawn-time problems were identified in regards to the Armor of
 
Ro (Paladin) quests. They have been fixed and Paladins should have a
 
much easier time of obtaining their armor.
 
- Pets should now attack Willowisps on command.
 
- Many spell-gems and icons have been changed to reflect the
 
appropriate action of the spell. Be sure to reacquaint yourself with
 
your spell line-up.
 
- Fixed a bug that caused targetable bard songs to ignore the
 
instrument in use.
 
 
==== Kerra Ridge ====
 
Kerra Ridge has been completely revamped. The target level-range for
 
the zone has been slightly increased. In addition, many new quests have
 
been added to the zone. The faction for Kerrans has been changed so
 
that those who killed them indiscriminately before today's update can
 
take part. Be warned that the Kerrans still do not like everyone.
 
 
==== Paw ====
 
Paw has received another minor difficulty adjustment. In addition, item
 
drop percentages have been increased.
 
 
==== The Plane of Hate ====
 
The Plane of Hate has received an item-drop/spawn-time revamp. Take
 
care in your exploration of this zone as many things have changed.
 
 
- The EverQuest Team
 
 
=== April 17, 2000  4:00 pm ===
 
 
EverQuest: The Ruins of Kunark (upgrade) should now be arriving on
 
doorsteps around the world. Please note that attempting to create an
 
Iksar character will not work until the expansion zones are officially
 
opened within the next week.
 
 
We ask that if you attempt to create an Iksar character out of
 
curiosity that you do not proceed past the "History" page (the page
 
that speaks of your lifestyle) in the character creation process. Once
 
at this page, please use the "Back" button to get back to the character
 
creation screen. Pressing "Next" on this screen will cause the name you
 
have selected to go into the "used name" list, making it unavailable
 
for future use.
 
 
We appreciate your cooperation.
 
 
- The EverQuest Team
 
 
*Today's Patch*
 
 
Today's patch consisted of preparations for the launch of Kunark, as
 
well as some new art. The following spell changes were also included:
 
 
- Corrected a bug with a new bard song that allowed them to charm
 
anything, such as deities and dragons.
 
- Added a lesser included wisdom effect with "Brilliance" as well as a
 
lesser included intelligence effect with "Insight". These spells will
 
no longer stack.
 
 
- The EverQuest Team
 
 
 
 
=== April 19, 2000  4:00 pm ===
 
 
As part of the emergency update completed last night, a change was
 
implemented that increases the amount of damage done by someone
 
wielding a 2 handed weapon.
 
 
This change was made due to a statistical imbalance in the way that
 
damage is calculated at the mid-to-upper levels. A person wielding a
 
one-handed weapon of a given ratio was able to do more damage than when
 
wielding a two-handed weapon of the same ratio.
 
 
We would like to stress that no change has been made to the amount of
 
damage done by people wielding one-handed weapons. The net result of
 
this change is that people choosing to wield two-handed weapons will
 
now do more damage than they did before.
 
 
-The EverQuest Team
 
 
 
 
=== April 21, 2000  7:00 am ===
 
 
Greetings everyone!
 
 
This morning's update is one of the final updates necessary for the
 
EverQuest: The Ruins of Kunark launch scheduled to take place on
 
Monday.
 
 
As part of this update, a new EverQuest Patch Program was sent to your
 
system. For those who have installed the Ruins of Kunark, this update
 
has added a button labeled "K-Patch" to the patch program control
 
panel. Within these patch messages, Ruins of Kunark players may be
 
asked from time to time to press the "K-Patch" button following the
 
download of the regular patch. This will allow them to download Kunark-
 
related updates when they are required.
 
 
If you have not installed EverQuest: The Ruins of Kunark, you will not
 
see a "K-Patch" button.
 
 
In addition to the Kunark-related changes made today, a bug that
 
lowered the maximum damage of two-handed weapons that was introduced
 
earlier this week in the Emergency Update was also corrected. Finally,
 
the art update yesterday implemented a solution that we've been
 
promising: Male barbarians can now see their shields.
 
 
We continue to appreciate everyone's patience while we get the servers
 
ready for Kunark.
 
 
Thank you.
 
 
- The EverQuest Team
 
 
 
 
=== April 24, 2000  3:00 pm ===
 
 
Hello All,
 
 
Due to the unfortunate problems we have had with our order processing
 
system, it doesn't look like every person that ordered Kunark will
 
receive it in a timely fashion. We sincerely apologize for this
 
unanticipated problem. We expect that roughly 90% of the people who
 
ordered will be receiving their orders by today.
 
 
Because of the problems we have had we will be refunding anyone who
 
ordered Ruins of Kunark on or before Wednesday April 19th and does not
 
receive their orders by today for their shipping costs, as well as
 
crediting their accounts for one month of gameplay. This applies to
 
International orders as well.
 
 
We'll be taking care of these refunds via email at
 
kunarkrefund@verant.com, and it will be necessary for anyone that wants
 
to take advantage of this refund to send us your Station Name, billing
 
name and address on the account and the date you placed the order.
 
Please also include "Kunark Refund" in the subject line.
 
 
We are very sorry for the problems that have come up.
 
 
The EverQuest Team
 
 
 
=== April 27, 2000 ===
 
 
Hello all,
 
 
I wasn't able to get this in the patch message this evening, but I'd
 
hope you'd help spread it around. I'm also having new /MOTD's put on
 
the servers to be sure that people get the word.
 
 
/movelog registered accounts from Veeshan and Bristlebane will be
 
moving to Saryrn, Xegony and Bertox to The Seventh Hammer.
 
 
I'd like to remind everything that corpses will not follow the account,
 
so everyone will want to make sure that there corpses are looted, or
 
they will be lost. I'd also like to note that more people requested the
 
move than we will be able to accommodate, and we appreciate everyone's
 
understanding in this matter.
 
 
-Gordon
 
 
 
 
=== May 16, 2000  10:00 am ===
 
 
***Patch Day***
 
 
*General Changes*
 
 
- Sounds have been updated for NPCs in Kunark. Your Iksar should no
 
longer sound like humans.
 
- Dark Elven worshipers of Solusek Ro and Bristlebane will no longer be
 
natively KOS to the outpost in the Overthere. Take care that if you
 
have taken actions allowing you to be judged sufficiently by your
 
deeds, you may still find yourself KOS.
 
- Increased the number of frightfingers in the Plane of Fear.
 
Previously only 3 frightfingers would pop per respawn.
 
- Several problems with the guards that were buffed up last week have
 
been addressed. Some guards that should not have been buffed have been
 
fixed. In addition, due to the level of the new guards, they all gained
 
the ability to innately see-invisible. The level of those guards has
 
been reduced so that they no longer automatically get this ability,
 
making it a bit easier to sneak by them.
 
- Many quests have been updated and/or fixed, both in terms of ease of
 
completion and reward.
 
 
*Item Updates*
 
 
- Corrected a typo that had the Canyoneer's Pike marked as NO RENT,
 
causing it to disappear on logout.
 
- Corrected the model for the Axe of the Iron Back. It was showing as a
 
2H sword when equipped.
 
- The Halcyon Broadsword was mistakenly marked as an artifact. This has
 
been corrected.
 
- Corrected item icons for various pieces of Burynai Hide Armor. It was
 
displaying improperly in the inventory slots.
 
- The Skull Mask of Innervation has been changed so that it must be
 
worn to activate its effect.
 
- Corrected a problem with the Scourgetail Whip whereby the damage and
 
delay figures were transposed yielding a 30 damage, 5 delay weapon.
 
- The "Illusion: Iksar" spell scroll is now droppable/tradeable.
 
- The Goblin Eye Poker now looks like a dagger instead of a small sack.
 
- The Cone of Mystics, which incidentally also looked like a small
 
sack, now looks as intended.
 
- Corrected a typo that had the Goblin Skull Crusher's effect set to
 
the "Lull" spell, which is not appropriate for a melee weapon. The
 
"Lull" effect has been replaced with an appropriate effect.
 
- The Pouch of Mistletoe Powder will now impart its effect on the
 
targeted character.
 
- Mosquito Wings are available in game once again.
 
- Many items had incorrect usage restrictions, and have been repaired.
 
 
As always, we strive to avoid making negative changes to items that
 
already exist in game. However, there are cases where a particularly
 
unbalancing error has been made, such as with the Scourgetail Whip
 
mentioned above, where the item in question must be fixed in interest
 
of maintaining game balance.
 
 
We will continue to repair problems, add content, and enhance gameplay
 
in both Kunark and EQ proper. We appreciate everyone's support.
 
 
Thank you,
 
 
The EverQuest Team
 
 
 
 
=== May 25, 2000  8:00 am ===
 
 
*Patch Day*
 
 
Greetings all! The following changes have been implemented on the Live
 
servers:
 
 
*Spells/Songs*
 
 
- Voltaic Draught, a high level wizard direct damage spell was
 
improperly saving versus resistance to cold. It now appropriately saves
 
versus magic.
 
- The higher level bard song by Brusco was improperly healing the
 
target instead of damaging it. This has been corrected.
 
 
*Items*
 
 
The Shadowknight class-specific quest armor, Darkforge armor, has had
 
its weight decreased substantially.
 
 
The Runed Fighter's Staff, previously useable by Monks and Warriors,
 
has been restricted to Monks only. The statistics on this staff are
 
much more powerful than normally allowed for warriors. This change is
 
retroactive and will be reflected on items currently in inventory.
 
Though we strive to avoid negatively adjusting items after they have
 
been earned, this item presented a balance issue, making the change
 
necessary. We apologize to warriors that currently own this weapon.
 
 
A data error with the Symphonic Saber, causing it to report "Item out
 
of charges", has been corrected. Due to the dynamics of this particular
 
issue, current owners will need to contact a GM to trade this item out
 
for a new, properly working version of the item.
 
 
The Burning Rapier (rogue weapon) has been enhanced. In addition to an
 
increase in statistics, it received a stronger spell effect. The
 
lightsource effect on the weapon has been removed due to an aesthetic
 
rogue desire to be "sneaky" :)
 
 
The effect on the Hangman's Noose will now work properly.
 
 
*General Changes*
 
 
- Some NPCs in Dalnir were casting spells much too powerful for their
 
level. They have been adjusted.
 
- Pathing information has been updated in Highkeep. NPCs and pets
 
should have a much easier time of navigating the zone.
 
- Some Quest-NPCs were not spawning properly in Rathe Mountains. These
 
issues have been corrected.
 
- A handful of problems reported with research practice via the
 
Concordance of Research have been corrected. All practice-rune recipes
 
should now work correctly.
 
- Gorilla's in Burning Wood now have a new texture set that properly
 
reflects their undead status.
 
- Fishing should now work properly in Kunark zones.
 
- /yell now reports the proper direction to people hearing the yell.
 
- Corrected a bug that gave some races the impression that they were
 
allowed to start their character in Cabalis. They were never actually
 
allowed to create the character there, however the indication that they
 
could has been fixed.
 
- Corrected sound issues that were causing some crashes to the desktop
 
in certain cases.
 
 
We are in the process of patching music files (*.XMI) for zones in
 
which music does not currently work. There are 55 small files (around
 
2K each) that will be patched over the next couple of days to enable
 
music in all of the affected zones.
 
 
The zone of Timorous Deep has been tuned and itemized. Certain aspects
 
of the changes have made certain areas of the zone more dangerous, but
 
the reward should be well worth the risk. Feel free to visit this zone
 
and search out its treasures at your leisure. Note: These changes went
 
in on Monday.
 
 
Upon investigation, we discovered a deficiency with the amount of
 
experience being rewarded in many Kunark zones (mostly dungeons). The
 
affected zones have been updated, and adventurers should notice the
 
greater experience reward in return for the increased risk and
 
challenge associated with these zones.
 
 
- The EverQuest Team
 
 
 
=== June 6, 2000  8:00 am ===
 
 
*Patch Day*
 
 
Greetings! The live servers have been updated to reflect the newest
 
data on the Test Server:
 
 
*General*
 
 
- Some new spells are available for the hybrid classes. Check your
 
Kunark spell vendors.
 
- Found and corrected a problem causing people to fall to their deaths
 
upon zoning. The majority of these issues should no longer occur.
 
- Corrected outstanding issues with several quests, including the Brain
 
Bite, Shackle of Rock, and the Barnal Flamehands quest.
 
- Increased treasure in many Kunark zones including The Emerald Jungle,
 
Sebilis, and the Frontier Mountains.
 
- Upon review we've increased the drop-rate of level 51+ spells in
 
Kunark. They should be more plentiful now.
 
- Updated pathing information in many zones, making it easier for pets
 
and other NPCs to get around the zones.
 
 
*Items*
 
 
- A problem with the spell effect for the Luminary Two-Handed Sword.
 
Current owners of this weapon will need to contact a GM to trade their
 
sword out for a working one.
 
- The Gunthak Harpoon is now rentable. It will remain in your
 
possession when you leave the game.
 
- A couple pieces of Blood Ember armor have been reduced in weight.
 
- Reduced the weight on several Monk weapons found in Kunark.
 
 
*PvP Teams Servers (VZ/TZ) and Illusions*
 
 
Due to an outstanding bug that allowed a player to permanently
 
mesmerize or stun opposing team members when coupled with an illusion,
 
illusions will now automatically cancel when the person wearing the
 
illusion casts an offensive spell upon any player-character. Players
 
should keep this in mind before attacking with spells in an area where
 
their faction standing is less than desirable.
 
 
Illusions are defined as any spell that makes a character look
 
different than they actually are. This includes all racial illusions,
 
as well as other illusions such as Treeform, Wolfform, and the Call of
 
Bones series.
 
 
*Risk and Reward*
 
 
The concept of risk and reward is very important to the game of
 
EverQuest. Ideally, situations that provide a greater reward should
 
also provide substantial risk. Over the past several weeks, we've been
 
identifying areas in game where risk and reward are at a disparity, and
 
making necessary adjustments.
 
 
In most cases, those adjustments are in favor of increasing the reward
 
for a specific action. For example, we recently increased the
 
experience awarded in many Kunark zones to offset the sometimes-
 
considerable risk associated with adventuring there. We also do this
 
quite frequently by increasing the reward associated with a quest by
 
enhancing the item, as we did last week with the Burning Rapier quest.
 
 
However, in some cases there are instances where reward is far in
 
excess of the risk involved, and we will be correcting these issues
 
like those above as we come across them. For example, there are many
 
cases where a solitary and stationary outdoor creature has a "fast
 
spawn", yielding the reward of fast experience-gain without the
 
commensurate risk.
 
 
Though it is not our policy to announce changes to individual NPCs, we
 
did want to let you know that you will see risk/reward disparities
 
corrected over the next several weeks.
 
 
*PvP Teams (VZ/TZ) Character Transfers*
 
 
As many people playing upon the PvP-Teams servers are aware, Vallon Zek
 
and Tallon Zek have different rules regarding looting rights from PvP
 
combat. Vallon Zek allows the victor to loot all coin plus one item
 
from the fallen, whereas Tallon Zek allows only coin-loot with no right to loot items.
 
 
Due to the fact that the looting rules were changed on Tallon Zek post-
 
production, we've decided to allow characters on both servers a one-
 
time character-move. Registration for the move will open at 6:00pm PDT
 
on Friday, June 9th, 2000, on both servers, and will be open through
 
12:00pm PDT on Monday, June 12th, 2000. You can register for the move
 
by executing the "/movelog yes" command during the registration window.
 
There is no limit to the number of people that we will allow to move
 
between Tallon and Vallon Zek, so there is no reason to rush to enter
 
the command.
 
 
Please remember that once you register for the move, your decision can
 
not be rescinded. The actual character-move will take place sometime
 
next week, at a time to be announced later. Please keep in mind that
 
corpses are not moved in a character-move, so we'd recommend against
 
leaving unclaimed corpses around after Monday of next week if you've
 
asked to be moved.
 
 
Questions about the move process will be addressed in the Gameplay
 
Message Forum available via www.everquest.com.
 
 
 
- The EverQuest Team
 
 
Updates Not Included in This Patch Message:
 
 
* Banshee Aura has had its duration increased.
 
* Scale of Wolf and Spirit of Scale will no longer be canceled by being
 
the target of a melee attack. Ranged attacks and spells will still
 
cancel the spell.
 
* Shaman can now cast Charm Animal
 
* Some enchanter and shaman spells have had their casting times/mana
 
costs altered.
 
* Augment, Glamour of Kintaz, Rapture, and Clarity II have had their
 
mana cost lowered.
 
* Root spells that cause damage (Druid roots, Hungry Earth) now work
 
properly.
 
 
 
=== June 15, 2000  8:00 am ===
 
 
*Patch Day*
 
 
Hello everyone,
 
 
Over the past few weeks, a portion of the EQ team has been working on
 
The Hole, in preparation of its release in the near future. Even so, a
 
number of changes and additions were made in today's patch. Most of the
 
changes are in regards to quests:
 
 
- The "Fleshy Orb" quest has been completed
 
- We've received word that "Fabian" has been spotted somewhere on
 
Norrath.
 
- Froglok Foragers and Hunters should been seen more regularly.
 
- Lord Grimrot should be seen more frequently.
 
- Skill in tailoring is no longer required to craft The Robe of the
 
Lost Circle.
 
 
A few items have also been changed this week:
 
 
- The Robe of the Lost Circle has been enhanced.
 
- The Staff of Temperate Flux and the Rod of Insidious Glamour now have
 
a short casting time associated with their activatable effect (See
 
Below).
 
- The Gunthak Harpoon is again NORENT, meaning that it will disappear
 
when you log off (See Below.)
 
 
 
*Casting Times on Staff and Rod*
 
 
We received word a few weeks ago that some people were using these
 
items to "spam" other players with their spell-effect messages, causing
 
them to disconnect. Though /ignore will allow you to filter out text
 
messages caused by people on your /ignore list, it will not allow you
 
to filter out spell-effect messages for spells cast upon you.
 
 
The short casting time should prevent the problems associated with the
 
targetable and activatable effect on these weapons, however you will
 
have to stand still to use them now.
 
 
*Gunthak Harpoon*
 
 
In the last item patch, we made the mistake of making this weapon
 
"rentable", meaning that it does not disappear upon logoff. Basically,
 
one of our game designers heard that the weapon was NORENT, concluded
 
that it must be a bug, and took the initiative to fix it.
 
Unfortunately, the stats on this weapon, despite its disadvantages of
 
weight and its non-magical composition, make it much too powerful for
 
its location and difficulty in obtaining it.
 
 
For these reasons, the weapon is once again NORENT, and will disappear
 
the next time that you log out. This is a retroactive change and will
 
affect weapons already in possession. We do apologize to those who
 
acquired it within the last week expecting that it would be a permanent
 
weapon.
 
 
*Chat / Login Process*
 
 
The Chat and Login server components are now completely separate,
 
meaning that players will no longer have difficulty logging in due to
 
an excess of people in the chat server.
 
 
 
- The EverQuest Team
 
 
 
 
=== June 22, 2000  9:00 am ===
 
 
***Today's Updates***
 
 
*The Hole*
 
 
We are pleased to announce the opening of The Hole, a high-level
 
dungeon on the continent of Odus. The Hole is a complementary addition
 
to EverQuest, available to all subscribers regardless of their Kunark
 
status. The files necessary to enter The Hole are available via the
 
"Optional Patch" button at the bottom of the patch program interface.
 
The files are quite large (about 9MB total), so if the download is
 
going slowly, you may want to postpone downloading the files until
 
later.
 
 
As mentioned above, The Hole is a high-level dungeon, designed to
 
support characters starting at about level 40. It should be regarded as
 
extremely dangerous. As a note, jumping in The Hole from Paineel is NO
 
LONGER A SHORTCUT TO TOXXULIA FOREST. The GMs will not recover corpses
 
for people who fall, or jump, or attempt to levitate into The Hole.
 
 
*Vallon Zek is now Coin-Only*
 
 
As we announced earlier this week, due to the number of people
 
specifying interest in "coin-only" loot on Vallon Zek, versus those
 
wishing to retain item- loot, we have implemented "coin-only" looting
 
rules for PvP combat on Vallon Zek.
 
 
*Resurrection*
 
 
Previously, players had to be resurrected within two hours after death
 
in order to receive any experience back as part of the resurrection.
 
Due to the increased size and difficulty associated with Kunark zones,
 
we've raised this limit from two hours to three. This should assist
 
players and make it easier for them to obtain an experience-returning
 
resurrection within the time limit.
 
 
*Warping*
 
 
We put in some code that should help decrease the "ghosting" (NPCs
 
appearing to be some place they aren't) being reported in some of the
 
larger Kunark zones. Please let us know how this goes.
 
 
*Locked Doors*
 
 
We noticed few weeks ago that it is common practice to use NPCs to open
 
locked doors rather than by using the services of someone that is able
 
to pick locks. In order to protect and increase the value of the
 
abilities of the lock-picking classes, NPCs have gained the ability to
 
walk through locked doors without opening them.
 
 
*Vox and Nagafen*
 
 
Over the past couple of weeks, we've received more and more reports of
 
these dragons being bested by smaller and smaller groups of higher-
 
level (high 50s) adventurers. As we've always felt that Dragons should
 
be special encounters that require a large number of people, we were
 
left with some choices.
 
 
One choice available to us was to increase the power of the dragons to
 
a level where the level 60 folks would find them challenging. This
 
would have the disadvantage of forever placing them out-of-reach for
 
those who did not buy Kunark, and place them further out-of-reach for
 
those who did, but are just now approaching the levels where they could
 
go on Dragon raids. Another possible solution was to make the dragons
 
flee (depop) when engaged by a more powerful group of people. This
 
would have the undesired effect of allowing some people to deny others
 
the experience of fighting a dragon.
 
 
Instead of raising the bar as mentioned above, we've instead decided
 
that dragons, or at least these two dragons, should have the magical
 
ability to pick their own fights. Players of level 53 or above will now
 
encounter some difficulty when attempting to assist in combat with
 
these dragons. This should help 40s and low 50-level characters with
 
their chances to encounter a dragon without worry of getting forced out
 
by much higher level players. In addition, it also has the added effect
 
of creating a natural progression from the younger dragons of Antonica
 
to the elder and more formidable dragons of Kunark.
 
 
 
-The EverQuest Team
 
 
 
=== June 29, 2000  7:00 am ===
 
 
***Patch Day***
 
 
Though today's patch is primarily comprised of fixes to various bugs
 
that have been reported by the players, we're also pleased to announce
 
a few enhancements:
 
 
- Ranger spell "Jolt" now has a lesser casting time.
 
- Many new recipes for the "Make Poison" skill are now in game.
 
Features include: Several new poison books, stackable components, new
 
suspensions, some purchasable components, and players now have the
 
ability to purchase vials. Please check your vendors.
 
- Increased spell-drop percentages in three difficult Kunark zones
 
where drops were less than should be expected.
 
- Corrected an error in the drop rate for a couple cleric spells making
 
them unavailable.
 
 
*Quest Fixes*
 
 
- Fixed the "Minotaur Horns" Quest
 
- Fixed a misspelling in the guild-note for Erudite clerics worshipping
 
Cazic-Thule.
 
- Fixed a misspelled keyword in the Trueshot Longbow Quest.
 
- The guild note for gnome clerics now states the appropriate gender
 
for the guildmaster.
 
- Fixed the "illegible cantrip" Quest.
 
- Fixed the "Hunt for Meat" Quest.
 
- Removed Jinkus Felligan's doppelganger from Halas.
 
- Fixed the "Travis Twostring" quest.
 
- Fixed the "Algthin Dasmore" quest.
 
- Fixed the "Gather Components" quest.
 
- Fixed the "Lion Meat" quest.
 
- The Fleshy Orb quest and "Fabian" should really be fixed now. These
 
were not correct after the last patch due to a data export issue.
 
 
*Item Fixes*
 
 
- Fixed spelling of "Basilisk Egg"
 
- The Brass Ring is now worn on the finger, instead of the waist.
 
- Fixed the "Broken Minotaur Lord's Horn"
 
- Fixed race/class restrictions listed for the "Bullsmasher". Item
 
listed some inappropriate classes.
 
- Fixed race/class restrictions listed for "Patchwork Armor". Items
 
listed some inappropriate classes.
 
- Fixed the model for the "Cast Iron Rapier".
 
- Fixed Race/class restrictions for the "Crushbone Belt". Item listed
 
some inappropriate classes.
 
- Fixed the mundane "Electrum Peridot Bracelet" so that it would equip
 
in the proper slot.
 
- The "Bloody Mantle" may now be equipped.
 
- Fixed the effect on the "Canyoneer Pike". Current owners of this item
 
will need to trade it out with a GM in game.
 
- Fixed the "Howling Harpoon". Item was previously casting its spell
 
upon the wielder, rather than the target. The fix will be automatically
 
applied to existing items.
 
- Fixed the icon for the Degenerated Guk Weed.
 
- Fixed the icon for the Enshrouded Veil.
 
- The Splitpaw Hide Tunic will now look like "Leather" when equipped.
 
- "The Crusade of 1312AG" and "The Forbidden Tome" will now remain with
 
the character after logout.
 
- Fixed race/class restrictions listed for the "Mortificator Staff".
 
Item listed an inappropriate class.
 
- Fixed the icon for the Spectral Bow. In addition, removed "BRD" from
 
the class listing since Bards do not have the Archery Skill.
 
- Removed excess classes listed on the "Silk Lined Steel Helm".
 
- Fixed the effect on the "Theurgist Mace". Current owners of this item
 
will need to trade it out with a GM in game.
 
 
*Miscellaneous*
 
 
- Fixed bug that caused NPCs to say "cant open politethnks.txt"
 
- Fixed bug that caused NPCs to say "Can not open file NERDRGATT.txt"
 
- Fixed "cannot open file guards.txt" bug with Butcherblock dwarves
 
- Fixed "Cannot open item2monster.txt" problem with goblin whelps in
 
Butcherblock.
 
- Lizardman Mystics no longer think that the Feerrott belongs to the
 
Sabretooth Gnolls.
 
- Fixed a ghost in Field of Bone who was inappropriately labeled as
 
living, causing "undead only" spells to fail.
 
- Improved pathing in Sebilis.
 
- Improved pathing in West Freeport.
 
- Fixed the color of several spell-gems.
 
- Fixed recipe for a "Block of Clay" in the Basic Pottery book.
 
- Stone Skeletons in Lake Rathe can now be affected by "undead only"
 
spells.
 
- Fixed several merchants who did not have wares to sell.
 
- Fixed several dozen spelling and grammar errors in NPC text and the
 
spell database.
 
- "Folded Sheet Metal" may now be crafted via blacksmithing.
 
- The "Unfired Urn", "Onyx Encrusted Urn", and "Small Bowl" may now be
 
crafted via Pottery.
 
 
- The EverQuest Team
 

Revision as of 22:12, 20 September 2019