Dark Age Of Camelot: Grab Bag Time!

Taken from here.

Pendragon hard cap, design questions answered, and a beta event teaser - read on!

Q: What is the hard cap on Pendragon?

A: We were maybe a little pessimistic when we set it to 2000 - but people are enjoying New Frontiers so much that we've had to set it to 1500. We are attempting to simulate the conditions for a live server, and on a live server with 3000 people, there are definitely not more that 1500 people in the RVR areas at once. We had thought when we set the 2K limit, there would still be people in the other parts of the game... but no. Every last one of you appears to be in the new areas. Hey, we're glad you're having fun. The new limit should make play testing a little more realistic.

Q: I was foraging for the items for the Origin of the Harpies quest, and after I found the fourth item, I was unable to get all the random things my friend got. Is this a bug?

A: Nope. Let me explain (answer edited, sorry for the confusion):

When you're on the quest, you have to forage for four things - Harpy Nest Fragments, Harpy Hair, Harpy Bones, and Harpy Teeth, right? And while you're foraging, you sometimes get "lower case" items, like harpy talons, or harpy feathers. (With one exception - "Bunch of Harpy Feathers" - and I'll find out the week after next why that exception exists :)) The "upper case" items cannot be traded, and the quest is designed to not let you forage any longer than it takes to get the fourth item.

The lower case things are completely random as to which ones (if any) that you'll get, and they can be traded for. So, if you want one of the little trinkets you can get when you turn in the lower case items, look for people who might want to trade.

Q: Is the character copier working?

A: Yes, just a little behind. It's a popular feature this week, as you might have guessed. More than four thousand characters have been copied since we reset the flag yesterday!

(These next questions are excerpted from a Q&A I wrote up for Clay, Steve, Mike, and Alan, hosts of a website that is not at all worksafe - so not worksafe that I can't even post the name of their website. The questions were great, though, so I wanted to get this up here for you all. The answers are all from Balance Boy, except from the first one. If you're comparing the original to this one, please know that here I've edited the questions and the answers for clarity.)

Q: It was said that there would be new classes released with Catacombs, Are those even on the drawing board yet? Or have you gotten that far with development?

A: They're on the drawing board. Specifically, the artist's drawing board! We're not ready to release information; we're still in the "wouldn't it be cool if we had a class that did THIS" stage.

Q: Why Remedy for nightshades? The cost of the ability makes it almost a reactionary defense, while the other two received offensive abilities, I just don't see it being as effective as intended.

A: "It's true that it's not as sexy (note to Sanya: Can I say sexy? - Mike)(Since when have I been able to stop you from saying anything? - Sanya) as the abilities the other two assassins have, but don't let the lack of sex appeal fool you. Viper (a realm ability that will increase poison damage) is one of the most powerful assassin realm abilities, and will play a big role in assassin on assassin battles. Remedy is going to be an extremely potent tool for nightshades, especially in battles against rival assassins."

Your feedback from within the beta is, as always, welcomed.

Q: About the realm point pool feature (Sanya here: In New Frontiers, you gain realm points from killing keep lords, and from being in the area when a keep is defeated): have you considered the consequences of someone "AFK camping" a keep and gaining free RPs without participating in the siege?

A: "Honestly? No. Or should I say, not before you asked this question. Rest assured that we'll make sure it's not possible to scam a piece of the realm point pool pie by hanging out afk someplace. Thanks for bringing that up."

Q: True Sight and Stealth Lore: Will these two counteract each other? Or stack?

A: [I]"Right now the two will stack. True Sight is something we're going to continue to be watching very closely through the Frontier's open beta as it's going to be a very delicate balance issue."[/i]

Q: TS2 currently is allowing sight of stealthers past the ts2 range, but wont re-detect until the ts2 range. Once you "Uncover" someone it seems you can see them to the edge of the ts3 range.

A: "Sounds like a bug. You should only be able to see people within the proper range at all times.

Q: Why did archers gain access to both Physical Defense and Avoidance of Magic?

A: "Mainly because archers are a class that is very vulnerable to both melee classes and nuking classes. This allows an archer to tailor their defenses to the opponents they feel they face the most, depending on their style of play."

Q: The skald's damage add spontaneously stops pulsing from time to time... Has anyone else noticed this? or am I just cursed? =)

A: "This is an issue that has been reported, but we have yet to be able to reproduce consistently. We can't fix it until we can duplicate it." (Note from Sanya - if you can make this happen on command, please spell out the step by step instructions in a bug appeal. That would help a whole lot.)

Q: Why did mentalists get the group evade buff(Strike Prediction)?

A: "They are Mentalists. These are those MENSA high IQ type folks who have really big heads and mess with people's minds and stuff. Where as the other classes who get this ability are using their battle training to help their groupmates evade better in combat, the mentalists use their powers of the mind to for-see strikes before them come, at which point they calmly say, "My friend, if I were you I would duck... right about...NOW!""

***

If you are beta testing, would you please give us the zone name and your /loc when you send your bug emails to frontierbugs AT mythicentertainment DOT com? Some bugs are location-specific, and we can fix them faster if we know where you were when you had a problem. Thanks!

Speaking of beta testing, there will be beta events next week while we're in California. All you people with time to burn during the day, stay tuned... because I'll be peeking in on you while I'm out in Los Angeles. Up for grabs will be E3 Loot, and even permanent in game recognition for you or your guild. I'll go into details on Monday, but let's just say that groups who practice moving up a supply chain this weekend will be at a decided advantage come Wednesday.

That crack of thunder just outside my window was definitely a hint to hit the road. I'll see you Monday with bells on, gang.