I just got the following press release ... ohmy!!!

VANGUARD: SAGA OF HEROES FINDS A NEW HOME Sigil Games Online and Sony Online Entertainment In Talks To Co-Publish Sigil’s Ground-Breaking New Game

May 5, 2006 – Carlsbad & San Diego, CA – Sigil Games Online and Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE), a global leader in the online games industry, today announced that Sigil is working with Microsoft Game Studios on an arrangement to acquire the rights to its highly anticipated massively multiplayer online (MMO) game, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. These efforts have resulted in a tentative agreement for Vanguard to be co-published by both Sigil Games Online and SOE. All three companies will be showing the game at the upcoming Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) as they work closely together for a successful transition. Vanguard: Saga of Heroes is scheduled to launch this winter.

“As the development process is ongoing and constantly shifting, it became clear that MGS and Sigil had varying visions and direction for the title’s development,” said Brad McQuaid, CEO of Sigil Games Online. “In the best interest of Vanguard, it was decided that we would buy back the publishing rights from Microsoft.”

As co-publisher of Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, Sigil assumes greater control of marketing and PR, while maintaining responsibility for game development, community relations, media relations, customer support, and quality assurance. Under the terms of the agreement, SOE will provide distribution, marketing, hosting and back-end support -- including billing and technical support -- for the game. Additionally, SOE is tentatively planning on adding Vanguard, upon its release, to SOE’s Station Access™ subscription plan. Station Access allows players to enjoy all of SOE’s MMO titles for one low monthly price.

“We are very excited to be working with so many old friends at Sigil,” said John Smedley, president, Sony Online Entertainment. “Vanguard looks beautiful and has an incredibly rich game world. It’s the type of game that will appeal directly to SOE’s hundreds of thousands of players and should fit in perfectly with the current line-up of games available in Station Access.”

”This decision was made mutually by Sigil and Microsoft, in the best interest of the long-term goals for the title,” said Phil Spencer, General Manager at Microsoft Game Studios. “As a key Windows development partner, we will continue to work with Sigil to ensure Vanguard’s ongoing success.”

Vanguard: Saga of Heroes is the next generation of massively multiplayer online games. The journey takes place in the fantasy setting of Telon, a vast and ancient world of magic, intrigue and adventure. Facing the challenges of a war torn world, the diverse people here struggle to rebuild their once great civilizations. A fragile alliance has been struck, with the lands set upon by invading forces, the races must band together to survive.

Vanguard: Saga of Heroes is currently in a closed beta phase. The game will remain available via Fileplanet for existing beta testers during the transition to SOE. New information will be sent out to testers as the changeover occurs.

May 05, 2006 - EoF Tradeskill Goodies!

The features page of the EoF expansion website has a nice little snippet of tradeskill yumminess in it:

New Tradeskill Adornments - Artisans, now you can further customize your creations by adding adornments that provide new bonuses. Metal studs to increase the durability and protection of your armor or enchanted embers which add fire damage to your sword.

May 03, 2006 - LU23 is Live

Ok, so, for once, I didn't log into the game, nor check the forums in the m*rning like I usually do, so I kinda missed the fact that LU23 went live today. Whoops! The biggest news for tradeskillers is the following:

• Level 60-70 Scout recipes will now use Spongy Loam instead of Moonstone.
• Level 60-70 Mage recipes will now use Acrylia instead of Moonstone.
• Scintillating Dust will now be produced as a by-product of pristine Marquee spells.

May 03, 2006 - Expansion/Adventure Pack Art Teasers

There's not a lot available, of course, since these are in development, but we've been given a couple of art teasers for the new expansion and adventure pack.

May 02, 2006 - Echoes of Faydwer and The Fallen Dynasty

SAN DIEGO, CA - May 3, 2006 - Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE), a global leader in the online games industry, today announced details on its latest plans for EverQuest II, which include a new expansion pack featuring an all new playable race and an adventure pack introducing an Asian flair to the popular massively multiplayer online game. Echoes of Faydwer, the third expansion for EverQuest II, is expected to be available on or around November 14, both at retail and via digital distribution for a suggested retail price of $39.99. The Fallen Dynasty is the third adventure pack for EQII and will be available this June by digital download only for a suggested retail price of $7.99 or at no additional charge to Station Access subscribers of two months or longer.

"Our newest offerings to the EverQuest II product line offer great fun for EQII fans," said Laura Naviaux, senior brand manager, Sony Online Entertainment. "Echoes of Faydwer is a content-rich experience for both the seasoned EverQuest II player and the newbie alike, since the new content is accessible from the start. With The Fallen Dynasty, higher level veterans of EQII can explore a unique adventure and gain all-new weapons that they can bring into the rest of the game world."

Echoes of Faydwer is the third expansion pack for EverQuest II, and introduces a new playable race, The Fae. An enchanted race of winged creatures, the Fae dwell on the continent of Faydwer, in the arboreal city of Kelethin, the new starting city being added to this latest chapter in the EQII saga. Echoes of Faydwer includes over 350 new quests, a new selection of profession hats, cloaks, armor, and new horse mounts available to players of all levels. EQII players will encounter over 40 new types of creatures to face, more than 20 new zones and adventure areas, and will be able to compete against other players for new PvP (Player vs. Player) rewards, plus all-new items, equipment, spells and tradeskill recipes. The Achievement system introduced in the Kingdom of Sky expansion has been enhanced to include additional sub-class abilities, allowing players to further customize their characters’ abilities.

Developed in conjunction with SOE's Taiwan studio, The Fallen Dynasty Adventure Pack promises to deliver the same downloadable story-rich content seen in the previously released The Bloodline Chronicles and The Splitpaw Saga, but this time with Asian influenced adventure zones, weapons, tradeskill rewards, as well as all new quests.

The Fallen Dynasty introduces EQII players to a mysterious city shrouded in secrets and once ruled by a powerful entity. The Whistling Fist, an ancient order of monks, guard its veiled past, but seek adventurers brave enough to explore the mysteries of this forgotten civilization.

EverQuest II: Echoes of Faydwer Features

• New playable race - The Fae
• New starting location - Kelethin
• Over 350 all-new quests
• Content and zones available for players of all levels (1 - 70)
• Cloaks that can be worn by your player character
• All-new Profession Hats and Armor
• Over 20 new adventure zones
• Over 40 new types of creatures
• New rewards for PvP (Player vs. Player) combat
• New player housing, items, equipment, spells and tradeskill recipes
• Levels for Guilds raised from 50 to 60

• Heroic and epic encounters available for players of level 55-70
• All-new weapons and items with a unique look and flair
• All-new quests and storylines
• Seven unique adventure areas
• Asian-influenced style and design
• Available via digital download only
• Station Access players with EQII will receive as part of their subscription

April 27, 2006 - T7 Adept III Changes

This just went onto TEST server. I repeat, this is on TEST, and will go live with LU23:

• Level 60-70 Scout recipes will now use Spongy Loam instead of Moonstone.
• Level 60-70 Mage recipes will now use Acrylia instead of Moonstone.
• Scintillating Dust will now be produced as a by-product of pristine Marquee spells.

April 24, 2006 - Adventure in Plant Sitting

When she agreed to plant-sit her odd new neighbor's house plant, little did she know exactly how hungry such a plant could be! Join Mum and the Rolling Pin of Doom for Adventures in Plant Sitting over at Ten Ton Hammer.

April 21, 2006 - Random Update from Mum

I have put together a rough guide for the KoS quest, "Kicking the Bird Out of the Nest", for those who want information on the special tradeskill books that can be quested for in the Nest of the Great Egg.

You will also find a new article on Care & Feeding of Your Carnivorous Plant. While this isn't really tradeskill-related, it is something of interest to many tradeskillers, and I think we have most, if not all, of the valid combinations figured out now.

April 15, 2006 - Spicing Things Up

I was feeling a bit mischevious after we finally got spices and such in all the tradeskill instances, instead of just the wholesaler instances. Check out Spicing Things Up over at TenTonHammer!

April 13, 2006 - LU22 Now Live

There's quite a bit to today's Live Update, though little of it has directly to do with tradeskills. The one tidbit that did make it in, courtesy of whimpers at the Fan Faire: "Provisioner supplies can be now found in the Craftsman specific tradeskill societies as well as the general city tradeskill zone merchants." This means that provisioners no longer need to leave their professional society instance, or Ironforge Exchange/Coalition of Tradesfolke and run back to their wholesaler every time they run out of spices and such. You can read the LU 22 Patch Notes here

Additionally, we've a nice image of the sticker that was handed out at the Fan Faire that may contain hints about the next expansion. Have fun with it! :) (edit: the sticker link should now work)

April 10, 2006 - Fan Faire Notes

I had quite a few notes to go through after returning from the Fan Faire, but I've finally got them semi-organized and ready for the public to read. You can read my Fan Faire Notes here. Mind you, the article only includes game-related facts, and not the various hijinks with Mum's rolling pin, costume antics, etc., but I'm sure more than enough stories, photos and such are going to be circulating on the SoE forums regarding those, so I'll spare you repetitions... for the moment, at least. ;)

edit: Oops, typoed the link! It is fixed now. Also, I snuck in a member-submitted totem quick reference guide onto the site yesterday.

April 09, 2006 - Back Home

The Fan Faire was a lot of fun. I have a ton of notes to transcribe, but they'll wait until tomorrow. Must sleeeeeeeeeeeep. :)

April 03, 2006 - Potion and Poison Chart

In between packing flurries for the Fan Faire (I leave Wednesday m*rning), I put together a potion and poison chart. Until the revamp is complete (I'm guessing somewhere around the time of LU23) it is mostly useful for tier 7, but it will give you a good feel for the new organization for potions and poisons, as well as show you which items will/will not stack together.

March 29, 2006 - Change to Offline Sales

From this morning's patch notes:

*** Offline Consignment *** - Vault consignment now pays the seller (and removes the item from their vault inventory) immediately if they are logged in when the sale happens (no matter what zone the player is in).

March 24, 2006 - ROUGH ETA on the tradeskill revamp

I know folks have been getting antsy about there being no fresh word on when the tradeskill revamp will be completed. Yesterday afternoon, Blackguard made the following post in the SoE forums in a thread regarding the issue:

The subcombine changes are still being worked on. Changing thousands of recipes is quite a monumental task, and as such it will likely still be at least a couple updates off. We thought about making the changes one class at a time or one tier at a time, but this would introduce further complications and we will most likely be making them all at the same time in one big update. I understand that many of you are looking forward to the changes, as are we, but this big of a task takes quite a bit of time and we'd rather not break things just so the changes can be on live servers.

March 23, 2006 - Live Update 21

LU21 has gone out to the servers this m*rning. There is a lot to it, including changes to tier 7 crafted armor sets, stacking to 50 of the gems and foods that were missed last month, and so on. I have reprinted the patch notes here for those who haven't had a chance to read it yet.

March 21, 2006 - Fan Faire Reminder

Just a reminder that you need to register for the Fan Faire by Monday (the 27th) if you want to qualify for your in-game item.

"ALL NEW THIS YEAR - Attendees who pre-register online will receive a special Fan Faire souvenir! If you register online on or before March 24th, 2006, you will receive one (1) in-game item for one character in the game you select as the “primary game” during the registration process. You must be a subscriber in good standing for the specified primary game. You will be able to claim your in-game item after the close of Fan Faire, and a Fan Faire representative will contact you after registration to instruct you how to claim your item."

It is my understanding that the hotel is fully booked, however, for those of you registering late, I have been told that the Days Inn Atlanta is within walking distance and that the more expensive The Hilton Atlanta is right across the street.

Edit: Note that the deadline date was changed from the 24th to the 27th!

March 10, 2006 - Non-Rotating Sculptures :)

From this morning's hotfix:

• We've temporarily adjusted the Azurite Rotating Sculptures to avoid a crash with these items. They will return to rotating furniture once we fix the crash issue.

March 01, 2006 - Q&A With Beghn Regarding Tradeskills

Beghn has started up a Q&A on the SoE forums regarding some of the issues raised regarding KoS tradeskill items. Below is an excerpt from the thread:

Lately there have been some questions and concerns about the rare tradeskill-made items available to level 60+ players in Kingdom of Sky. I'd like to take some time to explain a few of the changes that are going on with the tradeskill system and address some of the points that have been raised. The three major issues that we've seen come up are mitigation/damage values, rare crafted items being labeled treasured instead of legendary, and the lack of resistances on some of the crafted armor...

February 25, 2006 - Harvesting Requirement Change

From today's patch notes "Harvestable objects in KoS zones can now be harvested with a minimum skill of 250. They still have a difficulty of 315, so you'll need to skill up on them for a bit before you start getting items regularly." This is lowering the base required harvesting skill for this tier from 290 to 250.

Edit: Offline selling should once again be working!

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