Creating Adventure - January 2017
Words of Wyrom
Boy, 2016 was a blur. With all the new updates and a busy event schedule, there was hardly time to really stop and smell the acantha. We managed to grow the game in a big way last year, but those efforts aren't stopping with 2016. We plan to start working on better marketing campaigns to attract new and old players. We've been doing a bit of this lately, with a rather robust Premium promotion that brought back over 300 players back to the game!
We took a break from in 2016, but they are coming back for 2017! While this one will focus more on our Year in Review list, future Creating Adventure pieces will feature more sneak peaks on things to come. The State of Elanthia will also be addressed at SimuCon or around the time of SimuCon. This is to streamline the process and let you know what to expect. We're also going to encourage more OOC meetings among staff this year to help address concerns and announcements in an open forum.
I was able to achieve something I've wanted to do since I was hired. Brought back a large-scale auction to the masses, similar to the 90s. I can't thank the staff who helped pull that off enough. It was an amazing feat! I hope everyone had as much of a good time as we did creating the items.
GemStone IV has been a passion of mine for a long time, and I never thought I'd actually be in the position I am today. We might not all agree on everything that happens for this game, but I certainly cherish my time I get to spend with everyone here. I look forward to working with everyone for another year, and hope we can shape Elanthia into an even better place to spend your time.
The Road Ahead
It is our goal to stive for excellent communication with our players. While we made some efforts in the last two years, we can do better. We're going to start sending out monthly and quarterly updates to both or past and current players on what's happening in Elanthia. We're also going to help shape the proper way to communicate with us, updating some of our HELP information in game. We've also been working on our wiki and and trying to improve what we can there as well.
We are in the works of updating a popular event for February that will allow more people to participate than we usually can handle. We are moving away from the box office this year, which severely hinders our ability to improve attendance. More details on this will be available as we get closer to the event!
We have pushed out many new spell updates in the last year, with another big one around the corner. The release for the spell Enchant Item (925) is almost here! This will round out our pending wizard spell updates that started back with HSN 2015.
Phase 2 of our Chronomage/Teleportation updates are still being worked on. We have a vast number of items that need to be updated properly, some a bit harder than others. I know many of you are waiting for specific items, but we'll get there with a little bit of patience, I promise.
Year in Review
A list of most of our updates!
- Combat and Magic Development
- Guild Night Implementation
- Troll's Blood Update for Animate Dead (730)
- Quickstrike: New Combat Ability
- Celerity (506) Updates
- Haste (535) Updates
- Rapid Fire (515) Updates
- Immolation (519) Updates
- Channeling Bolts Update
- Elemental Blade (411) Update
- Tend Lore (206) Update
- TEND, DIAGNOSE, and HEALTH updates
- Minor Elemental Edge (902) Updates
- Elemental Confluence: Plinite
- Familiar Talisman Alchemy Addition
- Ensorcell Remove Potion Addition
- Striking Asp Stance - New Combat Maneuver
- Empathic Link (1117) Update
- Cold Snap (512) Release
- Elemental Attunement Reset Quest
- Loresinging Updates
- Elemental Confluence Creature (TD) Updates
- TARGET NEXT Addition
- Updates to Spell Active
- Upgrades to Profession Guild Taskmasters
- Updates to Group Spells
- Carn's Cry Update
- Daily Spell Cooldowns Update
- Time Stop (550) Release
- Core Tap (950) Release
- Fusion Updates
- Enhancive Recharging Updates
- Mage Armor (520) Release
- Experience System Updates
- Earthen Fury (917)
- Creature Bane addition for Runestaves
- Standard Maneuver Roll (SMR) Updates
- Hunting Grounds
- World Development
- POLICY updates ( 18 and 6)
- Updates to ANALYZE (containers)
- Chronomage Updates (Extended Distance)
- Aelotoi Wing Feature Expansion
- Increase of BEFRIEND Slots
- House Clerk to Ebonstone Manor (CHE)
- Update to Cleric/Deity Titles
- Updates for Multi-Setting Teleporters
- Premium Alter Scroll Sale
- Festivals
- The Trine
- Winterberry Festival
- Festival of Lumnea
- Pickle Festival
- Frontier Days
- Festival of Frost
- A Midsummer Night's Festival (Premium)
- Feast of the Immortals (Premium)
- Verb Additions and Improvements
- RUB Updates
- SHIVER Updates
- SHUSH
- POUT Updates
- SQUIRM Updates
- Storylines
- Path to Palestra
- Mayoral Race
- Windcrafters
- Return to Sunder
- We Need More Ale
- Birds of a Feather
- Going with the Flow - Sea Sprites
- The Red Forest
- Eyes of the Dawn
- Sanctum of Scales
- Ta'Vaalor Voln Recruiter
- Prisma Relics - Flight of the Dawn Rose
- Prisma Relics - The Last Enclave
- Prisma Relics - Firemage
- Prisma Relics - World's Finest
- Swan Song
- Events and Quests
- Briarmoon Cove
- Wonders of Elanthia
- Sylinar's Spire
- Duskruin Arena
- MoonShard Pendant Updates
- Bloodrunes
- Simucon with Auction
- Duskruin Dig
- Ebon Gate
- Delirium Manor
- Great Auction of 2016
- QOL
- Numerous Bug Fixes
- Forum Category Reorganization
- Password Security Updates
- Implementation of the TEST server
- Various Updates to the Web FE
- Promotional Codes for Free Play Time
- Player Wiki Updates
- Numerous SimuCoin Store Sales!
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Spotlight on Staff
GameMaster Estild
Assistant Senior GameMaster on the Development Team
I started out as a GameHost in 2005. It wasn't what I really wanted to do, but I figured it would help get my foot in the door to potentially be hired on as a GameMaster. Fortunately, GameHosts get to pick their schedule, so my shift was from 4:30 - 6:30 AM, to minimize my interaction with players. After only a few months I was hired on as Development GameMaster for the Cleric/Empath Team. Over the years, such teams have dissolved and every Development GameMaster, myself included, have worked on a number of professions and systems. In 2014, I was promoted to Assistant Senior GameMaster, with my primary focus on magic (i.e. the Ministry of Magic), but in reality, the entire Development team is always involved with every change regardless of individual members' focus.
Where were you born?
Wichita, KS
Where do you currently live?
Wichita, KS
Do you have any pets/kids/both?
I have an almost 7 year old German Shepherd therapy dog named Maggie, who my wife (a social worker) takes to an elementary school a few times each week, and a 14 month old son named Perry, Destroyer of Neatly Put Away Toys and Consumer of Parental Free Time.
What is your current occupation?
Software Developer
What did you want to be while you were growing up?
A lawyer, but by the time I was done with my bachelor's degree, I was done going through school.
Favorite TV shows?
Lost, Battlestar Galactica, Game of Thrones, Silicon Valley, the Tudors, House of Cards, Westworld
Favorite actors/actresses?
Nichole Kidman, Emma Stone, Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman, Tom Hanks, Bruce Willis
Favorite musicians/bands?
I don't really have any favorite music or bands. I pretty much will just listen to whatever is on the radio, outside of heavy metal. Tend to prefer pop and alternative rock, and country, depending on the mood.
Favorite books/authors?
Despite having been involved with an online roleplaying text based game for over 20 years of my life, I hardly ever read books. But the few I have read, A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin and Magician by Raymond E. Feist are my favorites.
Where did you go to school and/or what did you study?
Computer Science
Favorite/least favorite job you've ever had?
My first job was as a seasonal cashier at a water amusement park. Being that it was seasonal, you could get hired to start working there when 13 years old, but it only paid $3.25 per hour. It wasn't the worst, but working 30 hours for $100 wasn't fun either.
Favorite hobbies?
Ignoring the fact that GemStone easily consumes a majority of my limited free time, computer gaming in general. I almost exclusively only play online games, as I prefer interacting with other players. I tend to pick a particular game and play it exclusively for 3-6 months at a time, then rotate to another game. Games include all of the Blizzard titles (World of Warcraft, Heroes of the Storm, Overwatch, Diablo III, etc), Guild Wars 2, Marvel Heroes, etc, and just about every new online game that comes out.
Favorite foods?
Italian food with red marina sauce.
Favorite board games or computer games?
Risk, Werewolf, and the Resistance for board games. I noted computer games in my hobby.
Favorite sports/sports teams?
I have about zero interest in watching sports on TV, but do enjoy live games.
What would you do with a million dollars?
I'd probably take a 2 week vacation to a Caribbean resort or Glacier National Park, then invest the rest.
What three people past or present would you invite to dinner?
Benjamin Franklin, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Albert Einstein
What is your favorite quote?
In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Name something you'd like to do before you die.
Ideally, travel the world, but more specifically, at least visit New Zealand and Switzerland.
What's your favorite acronym?
MAD - Mutually Assured Destruction
Who is your hero or heroine?
Shrek
If you could have any musical group or artist, past or present, play at your birthday party, who would it be?
David Bowie, as his final encore performance.
If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
The ability to manipulate time or if I had to be more narrow with the limits, the ability to stop time. There are so many things I would like to do in a given day and you could do almost anything if you could just voluntarily pause time while you go about your day. It could be for small tasks, like getting something done around the house before everyone gets home, or even big undertakings like learning a new language or trade skill. You could stay up all night consuming information, then pause time while you caught up on 8 hours of sleep. Or you could be more heroic and stop crimes and accidents from unfolding before you.