Volume Twelve Issue Thirteen
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...../ Celebrating / /./ /./ /./ /.../ /./ /
..../ our 11th year /_/..\______/./_____/./__/.../__/./_______/ MUD
.../________________/ running on mud.legendmud.org 9999
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VOLUME TWELVE, NUMBER THIRTEEN July 28, 2005
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Editor's Note
Mutterings from the Imps
LegendMUD Calendar of Events
RECENT UPDATES
Area Updates
Code Updates
Clan News
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OTS Sponsered Trivia Game
DeathBringer Moves On
A Cool Evening in Pittsburgh
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/__| The Editor's Note |__\
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Everyone read this next sentence! This weekend on Saturday, 7/30 and
for most of Sunday, 7/31 the mud will be down! (Booooo! I know I know
its horrible) but theres a good reason for it. The Mud Machine is moving
to a new location and is also going to get all sorts of new and exciting
programs that people who know more about how things work then I do feel
need to be done. Unfortunately that means the website and forums will be
down as well, but if you're just out of control in need of a fix you can
always visit the yahoo group thingy.
On a unrelated topic if you havent visited the forums I highly reccomend
it. Not only can you Vote! Vote! Vote! for Legend at all those nifty MUD
websites, but there are a lot of cool forum topics to get involved in.
The future of clans, recent movies, Harry Potter, offers from PKillers to
mentor people, ideas for new games and for newbies and everything in
between are all there. If you have any ideas, or just wanna see what
people are talking about, it's definately the place to be.
Keep on keepin' on folks,
Humz0r
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/__| Mutterings from the Imps |__\
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Is it that time again? A time for another one of these updates? Well, here
we go.
On the newbie front, the ball has been passed at this point in time to the
builders who will soon be busy adding journal quests and a few nice
things, especially for young spell casters in the near future. We are
continuing to investigate code side additions to enhance the new player
experience.
We finallly have news on the PK front! After letting a bit of test code
fester (er, mature) in one of the new damaging abilities, we have moved
the code into wider distribution into all of the fight skills. We're going
to let that simmer (or fester, or mature) for a week or so and see if
there are any bugs that rise to the top.
What does that all mean? It means we're going to be squeezing all of the
damage one character (player or NPC) does to another character through
one central function. This will allow us the ability to finely tune the
whole of PK damage in one place, rather than having to make hundreds of
changes throughout the code. The downside? It requires making hundreds of
changes to the code up front.
This is only the first step. After we make sure that the bugs are whittled
out of the new system, we'll move that code to the rest of the code base.
>From there we will likely open up a couple testmuds and see what people
think while we fine tune the numbers.
We will of course continue our efforts to analyze the hit table, all of
the skills and how they relate to one another and so on and so forth, but
we will soon be able to address the largest problem facing pkill . the
fact the fights are far too short.
We are increasingly impressed at how few bugs made their way into the new
board code. Snapper has done a bang-up job on this and deserves some major
congratulations. A lot of it looks the same on the surface, which was one
of our primary goals, but the internals are much nicer to deal with. We
hope you've been enjoying the new editor and trying out some of the new
features.
After much debate, the general focus of the regeneration spells have been
changed. Details are on the welcome board as well as in Huginn's code
updates. We hope these changes meet with approval. On the regeneration
note, we are also investigating skills and abilities that are not spell
related that also use this code. Look for these in the near future.
On the crafting front, this issue was backburnered for a short bit to make
way for a few new filter features and some further prep work for some
other wide-scale changes. We'll be back to work on those shortly and have
more information to everyone very soon.
PR is setting up to host the semi-annual heavyweight PK tourney next
month. Keep an eye on the events calendar for the exact date.
On the building front, Nestor has been slaving away at the final polishing
for Tartarus. Look for an exciting new area aimed at high-level players
in the very near future.
On the admin front, besides there being a somewhat record-low in the
numer of warnings issues (a thrill unto itself), at Haley's direction we
have somewhat recently removed the restrictions on help files. Help files
for skills and spells are now available to everyone.
The Short List
o The Era Exp addition for the post-50 game has started its development
process and is currently in the design phase.
o We have decided to put the 'levels in who' addition on indefinite hold
for now.
o We believe we've found all the nooks where bugs in the autosave code
were hiding. If you are still experiencing any issues, please mudmail
Rufus.
o Bondable items have had a bit more work done on them, and you will be
able to see most all of the stats on these items prior to wearing them.
Thanks again, and as always, the communication lines are open!
Rufus and Sandra
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/__| LegendMUD Calendar of Events |__\
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July 2005
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31
Thursday, July 28th, 7:30 pm Q&A in the OOC Auditorium
Sunday, July 31st, 6:00 pm Complete the Sentence with Chaykin
Coming Next Month!
- Semi-Annual Heavyweight PKill Tournament!
- OTS Sponsered Trivia game!
- More CTS, More Q&A!
- Chicken A La Cheese! (Editors Note: This is supposed to be funny)
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/__| Recent Updates |__\
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Area Updates
**************
Alaska: Learning from animals now requires you to be more specific about
who you're learning from in a room. Clues improved.
Carnival: The ammo pouches are now lighter and carried in the AUX slot.
Crusades: al-Rashid and the GMA are somewhat tougher. The clues for
finding how to remove area post-titles are improved.
Dante's Inferno: Rent on morning star has changed. Lucifer is worth more
xp now.
F&I War: is now officially maintained by Sandra! You should now be
able to find a wider variety of equipment geared for lower
level characters. Braves should no longer scavenge dropped items.
Greece: Hades should have more to say. The Golden Armband is now AUX.
Legends of the Past: The knight breastplate is now repair.
Pittsburgh: John Marx's difficulty should be more proportional to his XP
value, and his special abilities should work properly now. the train
should move a bit faster.
Assorted other small fixes went in to:
Carnival, F&I War, Dante's Inferno, North Africa, Pittsburgh
The following in-progress areas had updates this week:
Industrial Hawaii
Items relevant to the newly-added spells will begin to make their way into
the game this week. Look closely in Greece, Arabia, and Dreamtime
Australia more items will be going in with future updates.
We've made a few changes in the services offered by mobs -- visit
Pittsburgh, Boston, and the Crusades for new options and enhanced service!
More spellbooks have made their way into the game. Look for them in the
Crusades and in Tortuga!
Code Updates
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GENERAL
o Experience will now be given to characters who die but still finish
off their targets after returning to combat.
o New regeneration spells - both schools.
o No component is required for any of the spells, even create.
o Second and third circle cause are targettable on other people as well as
self in all cases.
o Duration formula is 60-80 ticks depending on mind.
o Mana/hp regens reduced to 1 per update (so investment of 50 mana results
in 180-240 extra mana over the next hour and a half or so)
o Move regen is 2 mv/update
o Create spells are now higher mana cost (135), but affect the whole group
with 1 mana/1 hp regen.
o All 8 spells stacks (max 4hp/mana/mv)
o spell fail cost reduced to 5 for cause, 10 for create (temporarily,
while spellbooks are added and used)
BUG
o Lag fix for areas with a large number of walls.
o innate timing will no longer give you a message about X being
less alert if they're no longer living.
o Iron will type parry messages will now be displayed to the person doing
the parrying.
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/__| LEGENDITES: Information Regarding the People of Our World |__\
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Jupiter has reached 100 million experience!
Dogbert has reached 100 million experience!
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/__| Clan News |__\
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CLAN USANDME Clan formed on July 22, 2005
Their mission... to look out for ourselves and each other!
Their rules... to induct random members and be weird!!!
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Foundation of Ormus Clan disbanded on July 13, 2005.
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o O | Wonder what folks are |
`\|||/ | doing over at LegendMUD?|
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OTS Sponsored Trivia Game!
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Greetings and salutations fellow Legendites!
Let it be known that the Order of the Scroll, your most humble scholars
of all things trivial, will be sponsoring a trivia game on Friday, August
the 5th at 6:00 pm system time! So bring your best game for such subjects
as "Obscenely Trivial" and "You Know You're a Geek If You Answer These
Correctly."
The event will be hosted by yours truly, and prizes will be awarded!
See you braniacs on the 5th!
Your friendly neighborhood vagabond poet,
Dietric Silbermond, OTS
PS - if you happen to have things prize-worthy hoarded away somewhere
and also happen to be generous enough to donate them as prizes for the
game, it would be greatly appreciated. Contact any member of the OTS!
DeathBringer Moves On
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The assassins guild had long been the home of Xulin Paledune, known to
the clan as DeathBringer for his 'achievements' in the profesusion.
In the middle of last autumn the Grand Master of the guild betrayed
DeathBringer out of fear and jealousy by sending him on secret assignment
to dispose of Bauer, the third ranked assassin, whom he told DeathBringer
was a traitor to the guild. The Grand Master then proceeded to tell Bauer
that DeathBringer was planning to kill him in order to improve his rank in
the clan.
Due to the Grand Masters involvement the assassination failed and the
Grand Master quickly dispatched messengers to the entire assassin's guild
that DeathBringer was a traitor and had conspired against the clan.
Never more a member of any society and excommunicated from his guild,
DeathBringer is now forced to live a vagrant's life in the world.
He now wanders as a harbinger of pain and despair, caring only for
himself, indifferent to the changing world around him.
A Cool Evening in Pittsburgh
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"Wha? Wha?! No! No! Noooo! Start over! I can't print this crap. You
know if I keep hearing you talk like that round here... I'll pull ya
right off this gosh darn story!"
"Look.. you're a good reporter. I know that, the Dispatch knows
that.. hell even the San Franscisco Times knows that. But you're gonna
lose our readers with this crap. You're killin me.. I don't want to
have to pull you off this story and.. and have you cover the Little
Dodgers' tee-ball championship. Don't flirt with danger, Jerry.
Don't make me pull you."
The semi-disheartened reporter crumbled the "ever so badly" written
article to the satisfaction of his angry boss. Sure everything about
his "surperior" made him equally pissed. But he knew if he were to
argue back it wouldn't serve any purpose other than to give his
perfusely sweating boss with a very bad comb-over a heart attack. Jerry
knew it would only be a matter of time before the guy gave himself
one.
"Whatever happened to that kid?"
"I want a finished copy on my desk tomorrow 10:30am, Jerry."
** Meanwhile somewhere downtown **
Cling clang! A food can skips along the pavement from one of the
burrough's dark, windy alleyways. Steam from the local buildings fog
the alley with the moon's glow.
SSSSSS!
Ugh!
A bum of an old man goes flying to the ground! Shaken and frighten he
scuffles back until he pins himself against a red brick wall.
"I dun hav nothin. I's told ya! Don keel me. Please..."
With his beg for mercy, a dark figure steps forward from the behind
the steamy shadows.
"What did you see? WHAT DID YOU SEE!?"
SMACK! With the back of his hand, the dark figure strikes the old
bum.
"I don no know whatcha talkin bout mister. I don have no money in my
wallet either. Heh I don even got a wallet!"
"You were outside the Cafe... where the Milano Family work from. The
back window. It goes to the kitchen... what did you see?"
"I saw nuttin! By golly, I dun saw nuttin. Now yers better just shoot
me or lemme die out her on the streets. either way you be just wastin
boths of our time."
BANG! The old bum receives a bullet hole in his right leg. The
gunshot echos throughout the alleyway. An unwise move for any
professional hitman. But then again they were mafia, they never
really strive for army-like accuracy, just eye-witness efficiency.
"Ahhh!! Ahh!!" The old bum cries out in pain. "Ok ok.. I...I remember
now... ok.. just just dont shoot no more. ok I.. I.. know what I saw
in in that winder."
"Go on," The shadowed mobster said sternly as he placed another
bullet into his revolver. He was going to kill him anyways. Once the
police finished interviewing him, he was fair game. It was just a
bum. One less worry. One less smelly, old guy begging for change. Why
change? If you were going to beg, beg for some food. Otherwise, just
be honest and ask for liqour money.
"I saw through that winder... people baking. Look good, too.
Ahehehe."
The gun wound was causing hysteria to settle in. But any information
was good information.
"Yea yea what were they using? What did they have?"
"Flour, eggs, hehehe broads.. ahehhe--"
"Don't waste my time, you son of a... What other ingredients did
they use?" This time the gun wasn't aimed at his leg.
"They also seem have a some rico--"
Just before the worse-for-wear bum could finish, three men turn the
corner. Semi-concealed in the shadows themselves, the contour of
their shadows reveal three fedoras and three Thompson guns.
"What the? Oh, no..."
RAAATATATATATATATAT!!!! BZZZTHP! TWANG! BEEOOW!
RATATATATATATATAT!!! TAT! TAT!
The mobster performs the dance of death as he's jerks around,
wobbling on his feet as exitwounds burst from his pinstripe-suit
before finally falling on a pile of trash--dead.
The bum manages to stagger up, leaning on his good leg, but mostly to
the wall.
"I didn't remember what I saw. Heheh. Alcohol'l do that to yas, you
better believe it," The old man finishes as he also finishes the rest
of his cheap liquor. "Sppose yer gonna do the job right and finish
her up! Gone now jus make er quick."
Just as the bum expected a cleanshot, he's hit in the head.
"OOF!"
A box with 'Cucina di Milano" written in green letters lands on the
ground near his feet. As the bum leans down to open the box, a camera
flash goes off from atop one of the building's fire escapes. The bum
looks up to see a man take off. He returns to the three gunmen to
find they, too, left the scene.
** Back at the Office: 10:35am**
"This is fantastic! This.. this is fantastic! Ooh Jerry. I could hug
you. But, I won't. You know, I never doubted you. Listen to me, I
never doubted you, Jerry... Jerry"
Jerry grabbed his coat and left, shutting the door on his boss
mid-sentence. Another day, another story, another cab until the car
gets fixed.
** The city seems so quiet from the sky, when you decide not to get
personal, things have a way of harmonizing with nature. The big red
sign outside the Dispatch was the only glow to Jerry's cab. And while
he called it a night, so did the locals... **
"Mmm.. Damn... mmmph.. those are good.."
"Now sir, you can finish those at the hospital."
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The Legendary Times is published by the immortals of LegendMUD. Please
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