Creating Adventure - January 2018

Words of Wyrom

The Wyrom

Where did 2017 go? It sure did pass us by! The Creating Adventure articles moved into our monthly email campaigns, so they didn't hit the wiki as much as I had hoped, but the bottom line is we are trying to keep you up to date on all the latest and greatest going on in GemStone IV! We're also going to break away from only announcing releases as they near completion or after the fact, to talking about projects we are currently working on. This will be slow to start as we shift our GameMaster culture into new grounds.

We had another amazing year! The game nearly grew another 20%, with new and returning players populating all corners of Elanthia! We've made our returning player promotions a lot easier in terms of the criteria needed to use them. We're finishing up with our GSBACK4WINTER2017 promo, which had over 300 reactivations! I'm very happy to see so many familiar faces coming back and staying with us. We hit some turbulence along the way, but with your feedback, we're shaping 2018 to be a much smoother ride!

This year I plan to challenge myself to overcome the areas where communication and transparency has failed. This is all a work in progress, but it's important to admit that mistakes were made. We're transitioning a few key factors back to where they were, and I hope we can settle into a better routine. It has been a crazy journey, but I am glad to be apart of it all. I hope you're all prepared for a heavy-hitting 2018, because we are!

The Road Ahead

I talked about our growth from 2017, which I feel has much more potential. This is an enriched roleplaying environment that is built with the community. A bigger and stronger community is extremely important to us. Bringing someone new into our game world can come with many challenges, especially with how much the gaming has evolved over the years.

GemStone IV has a ton of layers, which can be really hard to grasp when you're returning or brand new to the game. Most of us rely a ton on muscle memory! This year we are bringing on a new team to help pave the way. This will be our New Player Experience team. Not only do we plan to help with grasping the game, but we're going to do it in a very fun and creative way. During this project, we will also be exploring some of Elanthia's missing geography and history from the days of old. I'm super excited about this, as it's something I've wanted to do for a long time. And as a reminder, we do have an active buddy referral program!

We're going to have a fan-favorite event coming back this May. Unlike previous runs, this one will be completely free for all paid subscribers to attend. What event is it? Well, we will announce that soon enough, but how about some teasers? The area will be completely transformed since the last time some of you have been there. It's east of the DragonSpine. It was once a highly exclusive event to attend! That's all the hints for now!

Phase 2 of our teleportation review is also drawing near. Bigger travel systems are all getting close to completion. Unfortunately, this was a rather big update that took a lot longer than we originally anticipated. It wasn't our intention to leave many of the travel items in limbo. We have an immense number of scripted travel items. The good news is that we're almost at the finish line!

Year in Review

A list of most of our updates!

• Combat and Magic Development
  • Sonic Weapon/Shield DROP/STOW
  • New Character Fast Skill Migration
  • Faith's Clarity (1603) Updated
  • Armored_Casting Updated
  • Armor Blessing Released
  • Room-wide Loresongs
  • Ithzir Champions - Ta'Faendryl North
  • Enchanting Updates
  • Summoning Chambers Updates
  • Armor Reinforcement Updates
  • FORAGE SENSE Update
  • Custom Bolt Messaging
  • Magic Item Updates
  • Zealot and Divine Shield
  • Mage Armor and Charge Item
  • Weighting, Padding, and Sighting Updates
  • INFUSE Update
  • ESN: More Experience
  • ESN: Transfer Effect
  • ESN: Rewards for Patients
  • ESN: Messaging Updates
  • ESN: Scar Tranference
  • ESN: Rapid Healing
  • ESN: Imprint
  • ESN: Solace

• Verb Additions and Improvements
  • Signatures Updated to 50 Slots
  • Prep Phrases Updated to 50 Slots
  • Swear Updates - 50 slots
  • Tones/Speech Updates
  • EMAIL Updates
  • NUZZLE Verb
  • FLICK Verb Update
  • ALTER Updates
  • DUSKRUIN Verb

• Promotions
  • Tolarian Community College
  • Subscription Rewards
  • Facebook Goal: 2000 Likes
  • Double Bounty Rewards
  • Play.net Turns Twenty
  • An Ominous Web Story
  • SimuCon
  • Buddy Referrals
  • Cyber Monday Sale

• World Development
  • Vaalorian Medal
  • Solhaven Citizenship Pin Contest
  • New and Updated Weapon Nouns
  • Caelyna's Boutique
  • CHE Pins Transportation
  • Travel Guide Updates
  • Mayor Elections Conclude: Cruxophim
  • Hendoran Outpost: Expanded
  • Playershop Updates
  • Reim Updates
  • Reim Fortress Defense
  • Reim Base Camp: Shop Expansions
  • Ta'Illistim Keep Grand Opening
  • Sylvarraend Pawnshop Update
  • Solhaven Herbalists Add New Inventory
  • Food and Drinks for Cysaegir
  • Zul Logoth Sorcerer's Guild Workshop
  • Teras Fountain Update
  • Fishing Updates
  • Increase in Non-functional Worn Items
  • Gem Description Updates and Standardization
  • New Material: Elesine
  • Overview of Faendryl Divination Practices
  • Arkati Origins: Tonis
  • Arkati Origins: Cholen

• Storylines and Festivals
  • Ties That Bind
  • Shake, Rattle, and Roll
  • Windcrafters
  • Orphans
  • Pickle Festival
  • Winterberry Festival
  • Keeping Up With The Kestrels
  • Teras Anniversary Celebration
  • Water Sprites Return
  • Frontier Days
  • Ghost Ship
  • Festival of the Fallen
  • Grand Arts Gala
  • Mentor Arkati Event
  • Festival of Frost
  • A Midsummer Night's Festival (Premium)
  • Sweetheart Festival (Platinum)
  • Order of the Beast (Platinum)
  • Ciphers of the Coin Chapter 1 (Platinum)

• SimuCoin Events and Additions
  • Summit Academy (February)
  • Duskruin (April)
  • Delirium Manor (June)
  • Duskruin (August)
  • Ebon Gate (October)
  • Summit Academy (December)
  • Guild Night Form & Attunement Reset

• QoL
  • Vulgarity Updates
  • POLICY Updates
  • Forum Policy Updates
  • Avalon 4.3.5
  • PREMIUM 7 & 9 Update
  • Alter Scrolls Updates
  • Official Discord Server

Spotlight on Staff

GameMaster Kynlee <breaks things> "Sorry! My bad." Rank FGM Team Subscriptions Guru Private Properties

GameMaster Kynlee

Private Property Guru, Premium Co-Guru

Where were you born?

Dayton, Ohio

Where do you currently live?

Utah

Do you have any pets/kids/both?

I've had a few dogs in the past, but none currently. No kids.

What is your current occupation?

I'm a Nationally Certified Pharmacy Technician

What did you want to be while you were growing up?

I wanted to be an astronaut, doctor, and an archeologist. Then I turned about 11 or 12 and changed my mind. I never really decided after that, and still have no idea.

Favorite TV shows?

Archer, Will & Grace, and lately Seal Team

Favorite actors/actresses?

Meryl Streep, Tim Curry

Favorite musicians/bands?

I don't really have any favorites, but I pretty much always have a playlist of some sort going on Spotify while I'm working on GM stuff, playing GS, or just messing around.

Favorite books/authors?

Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series.

Where did you go to school and/or what did you study?

I went to East Tn State University on a music scholarship. After about 2 years I realized I didn't want to play professionally, and I didn't want to be a music teacher. I switched majors to computers, then lost interest in school completely shortly afterward and dropped out. It's not a huge regret, though. I didn't know what I wanted to study, so I didn't spend a lot of time racking up a ton of student loan debt.

Favorite/least favorite job you've ever had?

Favorite: 3rd shift at an ISP. When things were slow, I could play online all night.

Least Favorite: I worked at a Dairy Queen when I was in high school. The manager liked to hit on the female employees and give all of the hours to the guys.

Favorite hobbies?

Gaming has always been one of my favorite ways to pass the time. As a kid I had a Commodore 64, and I'd sit for an hour or more typing in the code to something just so I could play a game for about half an hour, then move onto something else. I'm a sucker for a casino, especially with Three Card or Blackjack. I also like to read or just hang out with my besties.

Favorite foods?

Pizza, sushi, and REAL tacos.

Favorite board games or computer games?

Trivial Pursuit, GS, and Half-Life 2 (at the moment)

Favorite sports/sports teams?

I'm not a huge sports watcher, especially on TV. If hockey's on, I'll watch it. I'll watch soccer, but usually only if the commentators are speaking Spanish. (I love the GOOOOOAAAAALLLLL! I can't help it, they're just so much more exciting than the English-speaking commentators.)

What would you do with a million dollars?

Buy a house, a car, then travel.

What three people past or present would you invite to dinner?

Nicola Tesla, Hedy Lamarr, and Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots

What is your favorite quote?

"Trust me. I'm the Doctor." ~ The Doctor

Name something you'd like to do before you die.

Visit Mexico.

What's your favorite acronym?

Time And Relative Dimension In Space

Who is your hero or heroine?

My grandfather.

If you could have any musical group or artist, past or present, play at your birthday party, who would it be?

The Cranberries. I wanted to go see them when I was in college, but the show was canceled. I never made it to another concert.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

I'd fly, so I could go where I wanted, when I wanted. I love being up in airplanes, adrenaline rushes, and traveling. Being able to just go when I wanted to would be amazing. Especially if I didn't have to pay hundreds of dollars to do it.

Would you rather live in the Star Wars or Marvel Universe?

Marvel! I've always been a bigger fan of Spider-Man, the Hulk, and the X-Men than Star Wars. Until maybe 6 or so years ago, I'd never even sat through an entire Star Wars movie from start to finish.