After playing since beta 2 (where I met Hollywood) I\'ve finally hit level 126! TcH has been good to me over the years and Hollywood in particular has been the best friend a guy can have.



Hitting 126 felt very weird but it felt really great. I\'ve never managed to get off my arse enough to play as dedicatedly as Hollywood or a good majority of the Asheron\'s Call community seems to. Oh well :)

Thanks to all!

The server opened up 2 days removed from a Green Bay vacation, and a week from my girlfriend coming to visit me in Oklahoma(In October, it's permanent :D)

Several people have contributed to the success of TcH, I cannot name everyone, because some people stand out, but firstoff, Kolthar for getting my chars sworn in, and for his continuous loyalty and support of whatever guild we were in on Wintersebb as well as TcH on Verdantine and helping me enjoy the game on Frostfell.

Second, Phood(food), Tidbar, Bester, Neskit from OtF, for making TcH on Verdantine what it is today.

Panis for being a tremendous vassal as well as friend on this server, didn't really get to know him too well on Wintersebb, but he's a great guy. Jagar is also a part of TcH as well as my long time friend, Raoh, who got me so deeply involved into AC early on, that I keep coming back, who also goes pretty much wherever I do.

Finally, Cogline of Paranor, and Templar of Kali, two new recruits who have helped turn TcH into the guild it is today, without both of their support, I don't know where the guild would be, or how active, thank you all that I mentioned above.

On far Aerlinthe Island, an intrepid band has found the lair of the Dark Lady Aerfalle, at whose whim the earth itself does shake. But the bold Hollywood Shono has driven her back into her hidden crypts, and the ground stills... until she next awakens.

Hollywood Shono has driven her back into her hidden crypts, and the ground stills... until she next awakens.
The withered corpse of Aerfalle hisses in rage as it is hewn in twain... "I shall not be sent to a final rest by primitives like thee, Hollywood Shono!" her severed head says from the stones. "Enjoy this insignificant victory, child. For I have walked this world for over ten millennia, and I shall walk it long hence your little race has returned to the dust that birthed thee!"

Thursday's Run: Hollywood Shono, Bester, Templar of Kali, The Holocaust, H U S T L E R, Panis

Sunday's Run: Hollywood Shono, Bester, Phood, Neskit, Starburn, Initiative

We will continue to work on getting more people their Aerlinthe Recall Scrolls.

For next week, we have a few things in store, I want to try and do a Bobo Run, a Queen run, and some 80+ Olthoi Armor+Matron Hive runs. Stay tuned to your @motd for more information.

There are two major pieces that are preventing me from obtaining my epic, those are Red Dragon Scales, and White Dragon Scales. The Dragons are fairly rare, as a lot of people kill these, however, I am not about to pay 20k for one scale. Therefore, I have organized a public raid of both of these dragons. I have not scheduled a time yet, depends on interest and when I can get the most people on. I do know that my friends in CC raid on the weekdays starting at 8-8:30, and I work on the weekdays from 2-7. So therefore, the best time to do this would be on the weekend. I'm shooting for either tomorrow(Sunday) or next Sunday to raid these dragons, depending on how many people I can get. I should be around ALL day tomorrow, so I will work on getting a raid together. If your main is 65, bring an Alt, if your main is a Shaman, or Cleric, I personally will donate dots for virtue and money for the shaman's time in buffing...C3 is easy enough to get. Let's see what we can get If you need to contact me in game, I'm on as Shonobard, and Shono.

Been so much going on lately I haven't had time to really update this site. Anyways, for those of you wondering where I am at, yes, I am playing Everquest again, yes, I am having a lot of fun thanks to a great friend of mine, Emberdawn, she's helped me enjoy the game on a new level, being able to help her, as well as developing an entirely new character, and quite frankly, I'm having a blast, and learning so very much. To those of you in TA that are reading this, no, I am not gone from AC permanently, and no, I have no plans to leave you guys, you're all awesome people, and my friends outside of game as well. Hit my ICQ at 2477449, or AIM/Yahoo as BShornock if you need to get a hold of me and cant' from IRC. To those of you reading this, that are new to the site....please Register :) Also, you can access our IRC channel by joining irc.sorcery.net #TcH, or #anarchs

I read an article last night that seemed interesting, a new form of PvP called PK-Lite. I won't post the full article here, but I will post the link, here is what was said on ACVault. PK Lite: A Request for Comments srand -- and the ACLive team -- have asked us for comments about their upcoming PK Lite system! This is something that many players have been wanting for a long time. There's a lot to be determined -- and a good summary of what this system will and will not be. Click here for more details! Thanks to Ibn and ButtonsTheClown for letting us know! - posted by Paraduck @ 5:47 PM EDT -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now, PK-Lite is a form of PKing that has NO item drop, encouraging others to PvP. One major difference would be the fact that it would be a lot easier to turn NPK altogether. All I know is that if they put this system in the game, one of my chars(Probably my mage or Archer) will be trying this new system because one of the stupidest aspects of PK, was the fact that your hard earned items would be lost....and the fact that you can get ganked(Now, you can gank too, but I prefer 1v1 fights....at MOST 1v2) Here is the link to the article: http://acdm.turbinegames.com/featuredarticles/?action=view&article_id=237

Disorder Rating
Paranoid: Moderate
Schizoid: Low
Schizotypal: High
Antisocial: Low
Borderline: Moderate
Histrionic: Moderate
Narcissistic: High
Avoidant: Moderate
Dependent: High
Obsessive-Compulsive: High

-- Personality Disorder Test - Take It! --

Well, this week has been interesting to say the least. Tuesday, July 8th was the first day of Jury Duty for me, I had to be in the room by 8:30, left the house at 7:15, took the eastland bus down to the Judicual Court...and turns out I went to the wrong one cuz the moron I asked said it was the Third Juducial Court. But they allowed the transfer. They started the day with a speech, and then a few boring videos, and then at around 9 they started calling names of people. I survived 3 waves before they called my name near the end. Met one older guy who was pretty nice but liked to complain about the government. So we get assigned to our Court, which was # 602 with Vanda Evans(For those of you in Wayne County who read this), I go upstairs....and chill for a bit, I meet another older guy while I was up there, and a middle aged woman who has a child, both of which were really nice. After a little bit....one of the officers comes out and says to report back in about 20 minutes. Didn't hear a peep from anyone again until about 12:15. Just a little before 12:15 though, I met one sweet person, I was a bit nervous talking with her because I didn't know her, but we got along very well, she's a blonde with ohhh so pretty hazel eyes that was attractive. We chatted maybe 10-15 minutes then we sat together in court. There was a complication with the case that the attourney was working on....so they could not be present for this case....votes were taken and it was better to do it all tomorrow morning at 9:30. I talked with Anna for a bit...my sweetie....and then I went to work from 4:30-7....talked with Anna again for a bit, and then my brother came to pick me up to bring the computer to my place and show that everything works. My brother takes me there this time, he woke up at around 8 but overslept, my brother is awesome, he still took me and got me there before 9. So I went to get a little food because I was hungry, some Nacho's for breakfast ;p Once I got done eating I sat down in yesterday's spot, right outside the office.....just to be stupid I was doing some quick nip-ups and cartwheels when I sat down....I noticed the girl I was talking to yesterday was laughing at me and took notice. Then I saw an older lady watching me every 2-3 seconds cuz I was acting stupid....I saw an opening next to her and sat down. Me and the girl(She is 21, oh god she was fun to be around though), started joking back and forth saying she could beat me up....me being the sensitive guy I am allowed that, and the older lady and black man were joking around with me...having a good time...SOOO much more fun than the previous day of knowing nobody, the older lady offered to move over so I could sit next to my new friend...she got all quiet and nervous, you could tell that she either liked me and was shy.....or just playing hard to get, either way I thought it was cute, later, she asked my hobby and I told her I was a butcher and she was kinda shocked, I dunno why but she had a blue looking eraser on her pen....I asked her about it and she told me it was a dick ;p I didn't know they made that. So we get called into the Court room around 11ish(I didn't have a watch with me), they seated everyone, swore the one guy in who missed court yesterday, I sat next to my new girl friend(No Anna, I still love you, trust me on this one, but she was really outgoing and fun to be around too and I don't usually meet girls like that in person, plus it's Jury Duty so I doubt I will ever see her again), they called 14 Jurer's and I wasen't originally picked, but lo and behind they dismissed some older guy cuz he had child issues and work issues, and I got called to the Jurer section, I was in seat # 10. The girl I was sitting next to kinda poked fun at me but I went up there hehe. I get asked a few questions but they picked on #1, 2, and 11 most.....then they asked the question, "Could you be a fair and honest jurer?" And I flat out said, no, she asked why not, and I said because I'm one sided once I come to a conclusion. I got dismissed shortly after ;) I was very excited to be out of there, but in a way I am kinda sad because I don't think I will be able to keep in contact with the 21 year old blonde girl I met...she was awesome, I told her where I worked, and what city I lived in, but I didn't catch her name...and didn't offer a phone number or a way to contact me...just as friends. So I catch the bus back to Eastland, buy a Gatorade, and went home from there. And now when people ask what happened at court, I can show them this link. Please feel free to leave comments. I would appreciate that, pwease? ;) Also register if you can. Now...about the computer, it is 100% in working order now...it is just lacking an ethernet cable and I want speaker jacks so I can play the sounds off my stereo...and of course the Cable jack that goes into my TV tuner card.

Well, I just got back from a 5 day Green Bay Trip, and like every year I had a lot of fun. I had just been promoted to a High Council Member by Blackhawk, guildmaster of The Anarchs, when we were leaving for Green Bay, so that started the vacation on a positive note. We left around 2:30 am(All times are in EST) Saturday night/Sunday morning. On the way up there, a cop decides to stop us in Escanaba for speeding(Damn you ;p) thankfully the cop just let us off with a warning(Going 71 in a 55 isn't bad, honest) because my Dad was honest and told the cop that he was going to Green Bay and was just speeding to pass the guy. So we get there around 3:30 Green Bay time after we stop in a few stores and grab some grub. The trip ended up wearing me out so after a little snack I went to sleep at around 6 pm, struggled till around 10 pm cuz I wasen't used to the bed. Monday we go to the Casino in Menominee, I played 22 dollars total...blew 10 in quarters right away, then won about 20 dollars worth of nickels by playing random machines, and blew that on a stupid machine an hour later(Guess you should move if yer doing bad no matter what, it worked once to stick around), then after all that I get greedy and put another 10 dollars in of quarters, I win 110 quarters within 5 pulls, me being dumb I blow all that later on. My grandfather ended up being the only one winning by making 68 bucks. So later we head back to eat at like 6ish. We stayed at the Casino for a few hours more than I wanted to because girls are slow and like to waste time(My Mom and grandmother ;p) I ended up calling Derek at around 6:30 but his car wasen't ready yet, and Chad nor Scott could pick me up, so that idea was out for Monday. I ended up staying home and watching Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals...great game, until I decided to make myself popcorn at the start of Overtime and missed the Anaheim goal 33 seconds in ;p So the popcorn went towards watching stupid news then it was time to catch Z's. Tuesday was a lazy day until about 7 pm, Derek called my house around 6:30 telling me that he'd come pick me up with Scott. Of course he went to TENTH avenue instead of 11th so they ended up calling me a second time after wasting like 45 minutes ;p Two minutes later I was in the car, and going back to his house, where he showed me a little Shadowbane. They asked me if I ever saw the matrix...and both Scott and Derek almost pissed their pants when I told them no. So we went to Wal-Mart(Damnit Best Buy, why do you close at 9 now? ;p) at around 9:30 to pick up Ani-matrix and a movie for Derek's Dad(His family is awesome, a mirror image of mine except his mom isn't annoying with 300 questions) Chad stops by and we watch the Matrix. At first I thought the movie sucked and it was confusing as hell, however the plot really improved greatly once I understood what was going on. Morpheus was played really well and so was that other lead guy as well as the Agents. Funny how he can make bullets just bounce off huh? And how funny the love of a girl can revive someone. Oh yes, love is a beautiful thing, this I know {eg} After the Matrix is done...I get the honors of Christening the June Playboy issue, and if I was alone I would've had a little time to myself..{blushes bright red} I ask Scott a bunch of Shadowbane questions, especially about a Crusader, Priest, and Warrior types, since a Paladin, Healer, or Warrior are my strong points no matter what I play, as was the case in EQ with a Cleric/Paladin/Shaman/Warrior, Meridian with Shallies, or AC with Life Archers. We leave Derek's at 1 am, and I get back at 1:30, oh man it was fun. I sleep. Sleep is sex. Honest. Wednesday evening was pretty much just another lazy day, I find out the bad news that we are going back on Thursday, not Friday, so we miss out on a day, boy did we take advantage of it though! Early in the day, I started by studying my Driver's Training Manual(Yes Leslie, Amanda, Lisa, Krissy, and whoever else reads this), I will get to drive someday and I will end up meeting all of you and we will have plenty of fun together. Then after my study time I just played my lil Sega Nomad. At around 6 or so Derek and Chad show up even though they said they would call first ;p So I ended up eating Dinner while Derek FINALLY meets my family after three years of being the unknown guy in the car, who I've been saying great things about. Boy did he fit in with them...his personality is one of a kind, I guess that's why everyone likes him, myself included. So I finish up dinner, and we head to Minature Golf, our yearly Tradition(Yes Mylo, for the second year I didn't win cuz I couldn't cheat and lower the score on the 18th, and 16th or whatever, more on that), for the first 9 holes I played like a god, I was only a couple behind Chad, and was way ahead of Derek and Scott/Amy. The back 9 is when I became a mortal...I had to use my do-over to turn a 6 into a 3 or 4, and then I had 2 other holes that were a 6 because the stupid cup was raised slightly...the biggest one that pissed me off was the 18th where I SHOULD of had a hole in one and got bragging rights and the victory, but nooo, it had to roll OVER the cup and fuck me over with 6 strokes. During the 17th and 18th holes Amy started flirting with me a little...though she barely knew me...teasing my last name etc...so I played along. After Golf we went to hooters(I need to come here more often), I didn't know people worked in their panties and all of which had nice boobs in tight shirts. They tried to get me to eat the 911 wings but I resisted(I didn't want to have to go to the hospital and keep me there...oh wait who am I kidding?), so I just ate a few mild wings and drank some coke(real man's drink, not that crappy Pepsi...Derek musta tried to order 8 things before he could even get something lol). I think Derek had 20 wings and Chad had 14-16, they really outate me but I ate at home so that doesn't count. Amy(Scott's girlfriend) flirts with me a lil more but mentions how quiet I am and how much I remind her of someone(I forget who). I buy a Hooters hat for a souvenier and now I look like a pimp, Anyways we go back to the house now after a lil trip home and some cool songs that I need to steal off Derek I go upstairs to check my email, and am left alone for about 10 minutes or so....then Amy comes up and asks a few personal questions...a few sexual ones...so I turn on my charm and she's into the convo ;p I check my guild site, WWE.com, and the adumbral site and then get off the computer. while checking mail I noticed she had some real low cut shorts...and uhm....I don't know if there were panties underneath, if she didn't already have a boyfriend I would've been a real bad boy ;p Shortly after Scott takes her back home and then we watch the Animatrix. I didn't really care for this one as 6 of the 9 clips made no sense at all. But during the movie I was telling Scott about Asheron's Call and he seemed interested and impressed with the changes, but AE is on Shadowbane so I can't draw them away ;p I've been wanting to play it but I lack the computer. Again we leave at at the same time as Tuesday and we do our goodbyes. We ended up leaving to go back to Michigan around noonish....like usual I tried to sleep during the trip, but failed....so I just sat in the van listening to my WWF CD's ;p It wasen't a metallica kinda mood for me. We stopped off at some used stores around 4 pm then ate dinner. And then stopped off at around 10 to get some snacks(And I stole the sports page with lo and behold, Sammy Sosa and his corked practice bat, on the front page). I do a little better job of nodding off after some reading, and we manage to get home shortly after 1, not in time to bug Amanda but plenty of time to read my mails and talk to a few friends before sleeping. And...here I am..still tired as hell but excited to start the new day. Some butterflies will be in my stomach Monday, as it'll be the first time in 16/17 days that I go back to work, and well, I'm well liked there and I think one of the girls likes me, so we'll see. Enough rambling...guess this is the update of the month ;p

For those of you thinking that Shadowbane is a glorious game....it comes with it's flaws. I got the word from Nomy yesterday that someone hacked into Shadowbane, and created God characters, and destroying towns. [14:21:22] [Nomy_AC] woo, maybe everybody will come back [14:21:30] [Hollywood_ACDM] I'm hoping...Shad will be the hardest [14:21:39] [Nomy_AC] did you here about the SB hack yesterday? [14:21:43] [Hollywood_ACDM] hah no [14:22:02] [Hollywood_ACDM] What were they doing to that game? [14:22:53] [Nomy_AC] somebody hacked in with god powers, destroyed cities and left. SB had to shut the server down and called for police help [14:23:12] [Hollywood_ACDM] Holy shit, on every server? [14:23:49] [Nomy_AC] that I don't know, but they had to shut everything down to stop the hacker [14:23:56] [Hollywood_ACDM] Wow, that's crazy [14:24:07] [Hollywood_ACDM] So glad I have no interest in SB since I'm addicted to AC again. Here is the full article: http://chronicle.ubi.com/Articles/News/052803n1.htm

Well, there just hasen't been anything exciting to cover. TcH is still on AC....with it's members on other games like DaoC and SB. TcH regained Rank 9 thanks to help from The Anarchs. For those of you who still peek at this page...and play AC...we'll be running some quests tomorrow, you can read this post for more details. http://www.anarchs.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=3391#3391 Patch day is on Monday, so plat macro while you can ;p

- BETA PATCH 305 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2003-MAR-28 Major Fixes: - We have fixed a bug that occasionally caused unit commands to be ignored by the game. This most commonly occurred when attempting to use healing spells while creeping, as the bug was related to adding units to a selection group and then using an ability. Item Changes: - Lion Horn of Stormwind is now a level-4 item. - Items now have 75 hit points, down from 100. - Clarity Potion, Scroll of Regeneration and Healing Salve are now dispelled only when a unit under the effect is hit by an attack or an offensive spell. They are no longer dispelled by attacking. Changes to Neutral Buildings, Units and Heroes: - Forked Lightning has been rebalanced. It now requires a specific unit target, and hits 3 targets, down from 4/5/6. It also has had its damage per target changed to 110/180/250 from 125/160/200. - Frost Arrows now last 5 seconds, down from 6. - Delayed the initial availability of various mercenaries, such as the Makrura Snapper and Goblin Shredder. - The Pandaren Brewmaster has gained 2 Agility, but lost 1 point of Strength and 1 point of Intelligence. - Breath of Fire damage reduced to 70/140/190 from 75/150/200. - Tornado is now a channeling spell, and does 40 points of damage a second to buildings, up from 20. Undead Changes: - Gargoyle anti-air attack increased by roughly 50%. - Black Sphinx hit points increased to 900 from 800. - Obsidian Statue's Replenish Life and Spirit Touch abilities have been rebalanced. They are much stronger now. - Obsidian Statue mana regeneration increased to 1.25 from .5. - Locust Swarm damage has increased 25%, but its life drain rate per attack has been decreased 25%. - Units created by Animate Dead are now invulnerable. Note that the creep version of this spell does not create invulnerable versions. - Units created by Animate Dead only last 60 seconds now, down from 120. - Carrion Beetle damage increased by 15% at all levels. Human Changes: - Devotion now gives 1.5/ 3 / 4.5 armor per level. Note that this fractional armor will not show up properly on unit information cards, but will work properly on units in terms of damage reduction. We are aware of this bug and will fix it at some point in the future. - Banish range increased to 800 from 600. - Banish now halves the speed of units rather than reducing it to 1/3 of their total speed. - Banish no longer affects mechanical units. - Flame Strike now costs 135 mana, down from 150 mana. - Flame Strike area increased to 225 from 200. - The spell formerly known as Mark of Fire is now known as "Phoenix". - Phoenix cooldown increased to 180 from 120. - Phoenix mana cost increased to 175 from 125. - Phoenixes now shed feathers, which cause both initial damage as well as a certain amount of damage over time to nearby hostile units. Note that the graphics and effects of this spell are temporary, though the functionality is done. - When a Phoenix dies, it becomes a Phoenix Egg. If the Phoenix Egg is not destroyed within 10 seconds, the Phoenix will be reborn. - Phoenixes only lose 10 hp a second now, down from 14 hp a second. - Casting Phoenix when you already control a Phoenix results in the original Phoenix's being destroyed, in much the same manner as Feral Spirit. - Blacksmith cost changed to 140/60 from 120/120. - Gyrocopters now deal 1d2 + 5 damage to air units, down from 1d2 + 8. Note that Gyrocopters with the Flak Cannons upgrade are still extremely effective against other air units. - Arcane Tower now deals 20 Feedback damage, down from 25. - Siphon Mana now drains 12/24/36 mana per second, up from 8/16/24 mana per second. - Siphon Mana can now be cast at range 600, up from 500, and will keep draining until the target is at a distance of 850, up from 800. Night Elf Changes: - Huntresses are now Light armor (formerly known as Heavy armor). - Huntress damage increased to 1d3 + 15 from 1d3 + 14. - Huntress hit points increased to 600 from 550. - Archer damage reduced to 1d3 + 15 from 1d4 + 18. - Archer hit points increased to 310 from 260. - Cyclone no longer affects mechanical units. - Shadow Strike move speed reduction is now 50% down from 60%. - Fan of Knives now deals a maximum of 400/750/1075 damage by level, down from 450/825/1200. - Entangled units are now unable to attack, though they can still cast spells. - Entangle duration on units reduced to 12/24/36, down from 15/30/45. - Hippogryph anti-air damage increased by roughly 50%. - Blink no longer works when the Warden is immobilized. Orc Changes: - Spirit Link is now a "chaining" spell which affects 3 targets. It also now costs 100 mana to cast. Armor System Change: We have switched around the naming of certain armor types for conceptual reasons. Heavy armor became Light armor, Medium armor became Heavy armor, and Light armor became Medium armor. - Light armor units, most of which are air units, take bonus damage from Piercing damage. - Medium armor units, which include basic ranged units such as Archers, as well as peon-type units, take bonus damage from Normal damage, and reduced damage from Magic and Piercing damage. - Heavy armor units, which include both tier-1 and tier-3 melee, take bonus damage from Magic damage. Other: - No Upkeep is now from 0-50 food, Low Upkeep is now from 51-80 food, and High Upkeep is now from 81-100 food. This change was made to compensate for the need to have large amounts of lumber-gathering peons. - Heroes gain more experience from creeps early on, and less once they hit level 3. Once they hit level 5, Heroes can only gain experience through killing units controlled by other players. - Backpack upgrade now requires a shop. - Ethereal units, which include Banished units and Spirit Walkers in Ethereal Form, now take 66% bonus damage from spells and magic, down from 100% bonus damage. - Units can never move at a speed slower than 150 (roughly 60% the speed of a Footman). This means that stacking slow effects such as Slow Poison, Shadow Strike, Slow, etc. will no longer virtually stop units. Note that Ancients still move very slowly. - All standard spellcasters have had their mana regeneration increased by 33%. Examples include Druid of the Claw, Sorceress, Witch Doctor and Necromancer. - All workers (Peons, Wisps, etc.) now have Medium type armor, which was formerly known as Light armor. This means that they take bonus damage from Normal damage, and reduced damage from Piercing and Magic attacks.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------- WARCRAFT III BETA VERSION HISTORY -------------------------------------------------------------------------- - BETA PATCH 304 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2003-MAR-19 BALANCE CHANGES We have made numerous changes to improve the strategic depth of WC3: The Frozen Throne. Please try new strategies! BUILDING & UPGRADE CHANGES - Players now start with 500 gold and 150 lumber, down from 750 gold and 200 lumber. - Barracks-equivalents and Altars are much less expensive. - Technology structures, in general, cost more lumber, while costing less gold. This was part of an effort to make various strategies have a wider window of opportunity, as well as to decrease the cost of switching strategies. - Town Hall-equivalents and the Haunted Gold Mine cost more lumber. - Town Hall-equivalent upgrades cost more gold and a lot more lumber. - Most upgrades cost more lumber and less gold. - Upgrades other than attack/defense upgrades tend to have lower research times now. - Humans and Undead both have new towers, the Arcane Tower and the Nerubian Tower, respectively, which are designed to discourage Hero harassment. - Shop hit points have been significantly reduced, as they should be a prime target when attacking a base. Damage and Combat Hierarchy Changes: - Normal damage now does 70% damage to buildings, up from 50%. - Heroes now have the aptly-named 'Hero' damage type, which works much like Normal damage, except it only does 50% damage against buildings, and 100% damage against Light armor. This was done primarily so that Heroes no longer strongly counter tier-1 ranged units. - Piercing damage now does 200% damage to Heavy armor, up from 150%. This change was made to ensure that Archers and other ranged units can effectively counter air units. - Magic damage now deals 75% damage against Light armor units, as Light armor units typically are supposed to counter units that deal Magic damage. - Tier-3 melee units now have Medium armor in order to encourage their use, and make them more dangerous. - Siege units have been significantly improved by increasing their range and speed. - Heavy air units such as Gryphon Riders and Frost Wyrms now deal Magic damage, which makes them very effective against Medium armor units, and not so effective against Light armor units, which are supposed to counter them. - Air units OTHER than heavy air units have for the most part been rebalanced. You may notice different damage values and other differences. - All air units now have Heavy armor. Experience-Related Changes: - Kills made when no Hero is nearby still result in your Heroes' receiving experience. If one Hero is nearby, but another is not, only the nearby Hero gains experience. This change was made to encourage the use of air mobility in harassing an opponent. - High-level creeps and units give significantly less experience. - High-level creeps have Medium armor now. - Low-level Heroes take 30% longer to revive. Heroes of level 4 and higher still take the maximum of nearly 2 minutes to revive. - Units killed by buildings no longer give experience. Maps: - (4)BridgeTooNear: Goblin Laboratories are now gold mines. Starting gold mines and expansions have reduced gold. Tree circle in middle has thin wall of trees instead of thick wall of trees. - (4)HailStone: Moved the Tavern out of player's base and replaced with a large creep camp. Removed 4 expansion gold mines and replaced them with Taverns and creep camps. Beefed up a gold mine. - (4)IceFlow: All gold mines have been reduced. - (4)Islands: Changed creep camps at Goblin Shipyards. - (4)Tanaris: Middle is now a gold mine. Made creep camps stronger at Laboratory and gold mines. Ripped out the medium-sized creep camps. All gold mines reduced slightly. - (4)Turtle Rock: Starting gold mines reduced slightly. Tertiary gold mines reduced significantly. - (4)WhirlWind: Removed Mercenary Camps and some creep camps. Replaced with high ground, a Tavern, and a strong creep camp. - (6)WheelofChaos: One Goblin Laboratory replaced by a Marketplace. All Marketplaces around the outside became Goblin Laboratories. Gold mine and Laboratory islands are now connected. Island gold mine creep camps are now stronger. - (6)StranglethornVale: Starting gold mines are reduced. Mercenary Camps are now gold mines with strong creep camps. Neutral buildings altered in the middle of the map. Item Changes: - Clarity Potions, Healing Salves, and Scrolls of Regeneration all have their effects dispelled when units under their influence attack, are attacked, cast a spell, or are hit by a spell which does damage. - Circlet of Nobility price increased to 175 from 125. - Potion of Lesser Invulnerability now costs 150, up from 100. - Crystal Ball now has unlimited charges, but a 60-second cooldown. It is also now a level-5 permanent item instead of a level-2 charged item. - Staff of Teleportation now costs 100 gold, down from 200, and no longer randomly drops. - Orbs no longer cause melee Heroes to deal double damage. - Adjusted the level of several items. Human Changes: - Gyrocopters can now benefit from the new Flak Cannons upgrade, which gives their air-to-air attack splash damage. - Gyrocopters have been rebalanced as 1 food units. - Mortar Teams can now benefit from the Fragmentation Shards upgrade, which allows them to do increased damage against units. - Knights adjusted to have a higher damage output, while being the same overall strength. - Spell Breakers now have the Feedback ability, which causes their attacks to remove up to 10 mana from their target. Each point so removed causes 1 point of damage to the target. - Spell Steal no longer requires an upgrade to use. - Spell Breakers now have the Control Magic ability, which allows them to charm enemy summoned units. The spell's cost is relative to the hit points of the target. Control Magic requires the Control Magic upgrade. - Blood Mages no longer have the Mana Shield ability, but have gained the Siphon Mana ability, which is similar to the Dark Ranger's Life Drain, except it drains mana instead of life from the target. - Banish can now be cast on oneself, and slows its target by 66%. - Banished units, by virtue of being ethereal, now take double damage from Magic and spell attacks. The Sorceress' attack, Storm Bolt, and Flame Strike are all examples of spells that are doubled in damage by Banish. - Mark of Fire no longer requires a unit to create--just the spell. - Dragonhawk Riders now benefit from the Animal War Training upgrade. - Flame Strike now costs 150 mana to cast, up from 125. - Flame Strike initial damage/sec reduced to 35/65/90 by level from 45/75/105. - A bug with Flame Strike was fixed. Now it effectively deals 33% more damage against units. This means that its values have effectively been changed to 45/85/120 damage/sec by level. - War Engine rockets now deal 25 damage down from 75, and have had a range increase to 500 from 400. Additionally, up to 10 rockets can be fired at once, up from 3. - Human Shop no longer sells Scroll of Speed. - Scout Towers now cost 30/20, down from 70/20. - Guard Towers now have Light armor, take less time to build, and cost 80/60, down from 120/60. Undead Changes: - Black Sphinx now has the Absorb Mana ability. - Abominations now have the Cannibalize ability, which works much like the Ghoul Cannibalize ability, except 1 corpse will not always fully heal an Abomination. - When units Cannibalize, the most injured units do so first. - Obsidian Statues have been significantly changed. They now have only two abilities: Spirit Touch and Replenish Life. They are auto-cast area-of- effect mana and health restores which do not stack with other spells of the same type. Two Sphinxes replenishing mana do not do so faster than 1. Note that Statues no longer have Aura of Blight, Absorb Mana, or Replenish Mana. - Obsidian Statues are once again 3 food in addition to now having 800 hit points, being able to attack, and having medium armor. - Black Sphinxes now lose 3 mana per second. - Devour Magic radius reduced to 250 from 400, but cooldown reduced to 6 from 12. - The Meat Wagon's corpse-carrying capability has been improved. Cannibalize and Raise Dead will automatically use corpses in a Meat Wagon as if the corpses were on the ground. - Shade speed increased to 350 from 270, but hit points reduced to 125 from 250. - Scroll of Speed now sold on Tomb of Wonders if a Black Citadel is built. - A Graveyard is once again required to make Spirit Towers. - Halls of the Dead hit points reduced to 1750 from 2000. - Black Citadel hit points reduced to 2000 from 2300. Orc Changes: - Catapults now have the Naphtha upgrade, which allows Catapults to cause an incendiary effect after hitting a target, causing damage to nearby buildings and units over time - Level-1 Serpent Ward now has 75 hit points, down from 135. - Ethereal Spirit Walker hit points increased to 500 from 350. - Spirit Walkers in ethereal form take double damage from Magic and spell attacks. The Sorceress' attack, Storm Bolt and Flame Strike are all examples of spells that do double damage against ethereal Spirit Walkers. - Disenchant radius reduced to 200 from 400, but mana cost reduced to 50 from 125, and cooldown reduced to 0 from 3. - Wand of Neutralization now affects 8 targets per use, up from 5. - Watch Towers now have Light armor, build more quickly, and cost 110/80 down from 155/80. - Reinforced Burrows upgrade is now called "Reinforced Defenses". It also costs 50/200, as opposed to 125/75, and now takes 60 seconds to research, up from 45 seconds. It gives Fortified armor to both Watch Towers and Burrows. - Liquid Fire damage/sec reduced to 5/sec from 10/sec temporarily. - Batrider attack now deals 1d4 + 18 damage, down from 1d5 + 22. This is a temporary change. Night Elf Changes: - Mana Burn cooldown is now 7/6/5 seconds by level, down from 7/7/7 seconds by level. - Mana Flare damage cooldown reduced to .75 from 1.5. - Shadow Strike now affects air units. - Wisps now move speed 270, up from 220. - Tranquility cooldown reduced to 60 from 120. - Tranquility mana cost reduced to 125 from 200. - Ancients now have Medium armor instead of Heavy armor when uprooted. - Mountain Giant Hardened Skin now subtracts 15 damage from every attack, down from 20. - Spirit of Vengeance has been reworked. You can summon the Spirit of Vengeance regardless of whether there are corpses nearby. The SoV will raise invulnerable Spirits from nearby friendly corpses to fight for you. These Spirits will dissipate if the SoV dies, or if their summon time elapses. - Treants (summoned by Force of Nature) now benefit from Nature's Blessing. - Anti-magic Potion now requires Ancient of Eternity to purchase. - Clarity Potion no longer sold on Ancient of Wonders. Neutral Heroes and Units: - You can now buy the Pandaren Brewmaster and Naga Sea Witch from the Tavern. Check the bottom of this readme for full details on their abilities. - Silence range increased to 900 from 700 to allow for easier use. - Level-2 and level-3 Black Arrow now create the same Dark Minions as level-1 Black Arrow. - Black Arrow damage bonus changed from 5/10/15 to 2/10/20. - Black Arrow now works on high-level creeps. - Charm now works on creeps of level 5 or lower, down from 6 or lower. - Charm mana cost increased to 150 from 125. - Neutral Heroes are not as quickly available for hire as before. - Marketplaces have been greatly changed. In no particular order: each Marketplace has its own stock of items; every 30 seconds, a new item is added; Marketplaces remove items once they are purchased; Marketplaces don't stock items until 2 minutes into the game. - Mercenary camps have a number of new creeps seeking to be soldiers of fortune! Be sure to check them out! - Creeps sold at Mercenary Camps and Goblin Laboratories are often available much earlier than before. Some are available as early as 60 seconds into the game (down from 440 seconds previously)! Other: - Second and third Heroes no longer start with Scrolls of Town Portal. - The allied minimap color filter now has a third state: minimap only. In this state, units on the main screen will have their own particular player's color, while units in the minimap will be color coded according to their team. - Group-selected buildings now distribute orders properly. For instance, if you tell two Barracks to research several upgrades and build several units at the same time, the orders are distributed between them equally. - Ethereal units take double damage from spell damage and Magic damage. - All Backpack upgrades now cost 50/25, down from 75/25. Neutral Hero Abilities: Pandaren Brewmaster * Drunken Haze – Causes the target to become extremely drunk, causing it to move slowly and miss attacks. * Breath of Fire – The Brewmaster breathes fire in a short-ranged cone shape, causing damage to both air units and ground units in the area of effect. Units which were under the effects of Drunken Haze are set aflame and take significant damage over time. * Drunken Brawler – Exactly like Evasion. * Storm, Earth, and Fire – The Brewmaster splits into three mini-pandas: Storm, Earth, and Fire. Each is a formidable fighter in its own right, and possesses at least one ability. All have the Resistant Skin ability. After the spell duration ends, if any one of the pandas is still alive, the Brewmaster reforms. - Storm: Can cast Cyclone, level-1 Wind Walk and Dispel Magic. Has a ranged attack. - Earth: Magic immune, has extremely high hit points, and possesses the Pulverize and Taunt abilities. - Fire: Has Permanent Immolation and a strong attack. Naga Sea Witch * Forked Lightning – Similar to Carrion Swarm. A cone-shaped direct damage spell which does fixed damage to a certain number of targets. Amount of damage and number of targets go up with level. This spell is slightly more powerful than Carrion Swarm, but is also a bit more costly, and has a slightly longer cooldown. * Mana Shield – This ability is completely reworked version of the Blood Mage's old Mana Shield ability. It is now an ability that can be activated or deactivated, much like Immolation. When it is activated, damage done to the Sea Witch is instead dealt to her mana pool instead of her health. * Cold Arrows – Similar to Searing Arrows. Deals bonus damage when turned on, and also slows the victim's attack rate and movement rate. * Tornado (ultimate) – Creates a randomly moving Tornado in the area of effect which causes significant damage to buildings and slows the attack rate and move speed of units.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------- WARCRAFT III BETA VERSION HISTORY -------------------------------------------------------------------------- - BETA PATCH 302 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2003-MAR-11 MAJOR ISSUES - "Your CD key is already in use." message now displays appropriately when connecting to Battle.net with an already active key. - Fixed an issue with transports that allowed players to instantly teleport units to any location on the map. - Fixed a crash that could occur when morphing a buffed unit when "Spell Detail" was set to Low or Medium. - Sleep is temporarily making units sleep for .5 seconds. This will be fixed in the next patch. MAP CHANGES - (4)HailStone: Adjusted a couple creep camp locations & strength. - (4)IceFlow: Slightly reduced an item drop. - (4)TurtleRock: Slightly adjusted creep location. - (4)Whirlwind: Slightly adjusted creep location. - (6)StranglethornVale: Adjusted an item drop. BALANCE CHANGES Human Changes: - War Engine, formerly known as the Rocket Tank upgrade, now costs 150/50, down from 200/50. - Dragon Hawks now benefit from the steel weapons upgrade. - Dragon Hawks are now built at the Gryphon Aviary. - Dragon Hawk build time reduced to 45 from 65. - Flame Strike now costs 125 mana, up from 80 mana. - Flame Strike area is now 200, down from 250. - Flame Strike secondary DoT lasts 6 seconds, up from 4 seconds, but also does 33% less damage per second. - Flame Strike cooldown is now 10, down from 13. - Banish cooldown increased to 10, up from 6. - Banish durations modified to non-Hero(Hero): 12(5) / 24(6) / 36(7), from 8(6) / 16(7) / 24(8). - Banished units can no longer cast spells. - Arcane Vault cost increased to 130/30 from 70/30. Undead Changes: - Locust Swarm damage reduced by 50%, but life transfer rate doubled. - Impale now does 100/200/300 damage a level, down from 120/240/360 damage per level. It also no longer stuns, beyond the fact that impaled units are in the air for a while and lose any channel spell they are casting. - Obsidian Statues now regenerate .5 mana per second, down from 4 mana per second. They are now similar to a slightly improved Moon Well for mana regeneration. - Obsidian Statues are now 2 food, down from 3. - Obsidian Statue cost reduced from 215/50 to 200/35. - Black Sphinx hit points reduced to 800 from 1000. - Black Sphinx cost increased to 100/50 from 85/35. - Tomb of Relics cost increased to 130/30 from 70/30. - Devour Magic range increased to 600 from 500. - Spirit Towers no longer require a Graveyard to be built. - Spirit Tower gold cost increased to 145 from 135. Orc Changes: - Spirit Walkers have an attack range of 400, up from 250. - Spirit Walkers now start in corporeal mode, and can enter ethereal mode as a defense. When Spirit Walkers leave ethereal mode, they cannot become ethereal again for 30 seconds. - Ethereal Spirit Walkers can no longer cast spells. - Troll Batrider's Unstable Concoction now does 750 damage to the unit it attacks (up from 500), and 100 damage to surrounding units (down from 200). Additionally, its splash radius is now 200, down from 300. - Batriders now have 400 hit points, down from 500 hit points. - Batrider range is now 300, down from 550. - Liquid Fire damage per second is now 10/sec, down from 25/sec. - Wind Walk now has a cooldown of 5 seconds. - Wind Walk costs 75 mana at all levels (changed from 100/75/25). - War Mill now takes 70 seconds to build, up from 60. - Watch Towers now take 65 seconds to build, up from 55. - Voodoo Lounge cost increased to 130/30 from 70/30 - Hex duration is now 24 seconds on units, up from 15. - Hex cooldown reduced from 17/13/9 to 14/11/8. - Attacking while under the effect of Healing Salve removes the effect. Night Elf Changes: - Spirit of Vengeance now has Resistant Skin, which renders it immune to Kodo Beast Devour, among other things. - Mana Flare can only hit 1 target per 1.5 seconds. Previously, Mana Flare could hit an infinite number of targets. - Mana Flare now costs 50 mana to cast, down from 100. - Phase Shift now has a cooldown of 6.5 seconds, up from 3.5 seconds. Its duration has also changed and is now 1.5 seconds, down from 2 seconds. - Phase Shift no longer turns Faerie Dragons ethereal--instead, they are temporarily removed from the game, and reappear a short time later. This still causes attackers to switch targets, and causes any projectiles en route to a Faerie Dragon to miss. - Faerie Dragons can no longer use Phase Shift when casting Mana Flare. - Phase Shift no longer dispels Web and Ensnare. - Enchanted Bears and Enchanted Crows now cost 100/50 to research, down from 150/75. They also take only 20 seconds to research, down from 30. - Ancient of Wonders cost increased to 90/30 from 40/30. - Ancient of Wonders attack increased from 1d3 + 12 to 1d5 + 20. - Ancient of Wonders hit points increased to 550 from 500. - Blink can no longer escape Entangling Roots and other immobilizers. - Mountain Giants will now use the 'War Club' ability when you right-click on a tree with them. Item Changes: - Boots of Speed now give a 60 movement speed boost, up from 40. They are also a level-2 item now (up from 1), and cost 150 gold (up from 100). - Tome of Power is once again in the game as a level-8 artifact. However, it has been reworked. It now gives you a level's worth of experience, rather than just promoting your Hero to the next level up. - All player shop Orbs give a +5 damage bonus now, down from +6 in most cases (+9 in the case of Orb of Venom). - Orb of Venom poison damage per sec increased to 6/sec from 5/sec. - Claws of Attack +9 no longer sold on Goblin Merchant. - Circlet of Nobility now sold on Goblin Merchant for the low, low price of 125 gold. - Ring of Regeneration is now a level-3 item (up from 2). - Sobi Mask is now a level-4 item (up from 3). - Potion of Omniscience no longer drops in multiplayer games. - Staff of Teleportation is now available at the first nightfall, as opposed to dawn of the second day. - Periapt of Vitality now costs 350, down from 400. - Tiny Great Hall gold cost increased to 600 from 450. Other: - All normal spellcaster upgrades (i.e., adept and mastery) now cost 100 at first level, and 200/50 at second level. - Summonables give 1/2 the experience they used to when killed. Powerful summonables such as water elementals and the Spirit of Vengeance have been increased in level to preserve their old values, while small summonables such as skeletons have been left as level 1. - You can now buy neutral Hero for free if it is your first Hero. - Life Drain now costs 75 mana to cast. - Life Drain now deals 20/35/50 damage per second by level, down from 25/40/55. - Charm cooldown increased to 45 seconds, up from 30 seconds. - Becoming ethereal now makes a unit unable to cast spells. - Backpack upgrades now take 20 seconds to research, down from 75. - Magic damage does 100% damage to Unarmored now, up from 50%. - Magic damage does 50% damage to Heroes now, up from 40%. - Item sell price reduced to 50% of base price (down from 75%). - Instant revive now costs 2.5x the Hero's base revive price, up from 2x. - Level-10 Dragons are once again magic immune. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- - BETA PATCH 301 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2003-MAR-04 MINOR ISSUES - Several Battle.net Clan related message improvements. - Several minor button and art related fixes. BALANCE CHANGES Human Changes: - Flamestrike area of effect no longer increases with level. - Flamestrike initial damage decreased. It now does 45/75/105 damage per second down from 70/105/135. - Arcane Vaults can now stock an inventory of up to 3 Ivory Towers. They also restock towers much more quickly (30 sec down from 120 sec), and charge 70 gold for them, down from 80. - Dragon Hawks now deal piercing damage and have heavy armor. - Dragon Hawk cost increased by 50% (Food, lumber, gold) - Dragon Hawks now have 650 hitpoints. - Dragon Hawks now deal 21-26 damage, and attack 12% more slowly. (Cooldown increased to 1.7 from 1.5). - Banish is no longer auto-dispelled by dryads Undead Changes: - Obsidian Statue and Black Sphinx both now have 400 mana. Obsidian Statues previously had 750 mana and Black Sphinxes previously had 300 mana. - Obsidian statue mana regen increased to 4/sec from 3/sec. - Orb of Annihilation mana cost increased to 25 from 20. - Carrion swarm max damage increased to 375/700/1000 from 300/550/800. Orc Changes: - Spirit Walkers now have 150 less hitpoints in ethereal form than in corporeal form. - Spirit walkers are now called “Spirit walkers” regardless of their current mode (ethereal vs corporeal) - Spirit Link now lasts 75 seconds, up from 45 seconds. - Orb of Lightning damage bonus reduced to 6 from 12. - Orb of Lightning now procs 50% of the time on summoned units, and 35% of the time on units, up from 35% and 25% respectively. Night Elf Changes: - Blink cooldown is now 10/10/1 by level, and Blink mana cost is now 50/10/10 by level. - Entangle now interrupts channeling spells such as Starfall and Blizzard. - Fan of Knives maximum damage decreased to 450/825/1200. - Fan of Knives now costs 110 mana up from 100 mana. - Faerie Dragons now do piercing damage. - Taunt no longer affects units that are casting spells or units that are repairing something. Item Changes: - Sobi mask no longer sold at goblin merchant. - Boots of Speed now sold at the goblin merchant for the low, low price of 100 gold. - Dust of Appearance cost reduced to 75 from 200, but number of uses reduced to 2 from 3. - Items now sell for 75% of their base price rather than 50%. Changes to Neutral Buildings, Units and Heroes: - Transport ship hitpoints upgraded to 1500 from 600. - Silence now costs 75 mana regardless of level, and has a cooldown of 15 seconds regardless of level. - Silence Area of Effect is now 150/250/350 by level. - Silence duration is now: Units(Heroes) by level: 16(8)/20(10)/24(12) Other: - All races now have a backpack upgrade on their town hall equivalent. This upgrade gives units the ability to carry items. It currently costs 125/75. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- - BETA PATCH 300 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2003-MAR-01 ** Welcome to the Warcraft III Expansion Beta ** -------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is a portion of the email I just received: ---------------- Welcome to the Warcraft(R) III: The Frozen Throne(TM) Battle.net(R) Beta Program You made it! Once again we are in the process of putting a new Blizzard game through its paces in preparation for launch, and we are excited that you can join us. We have been playing a lot of The Frozen Throne around the office and find many of the new features and units hard to play without. Since you need a copy of Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos in order to install The Frozen Throne Beta, we assume that you have a basic understanding of Warcraft III's functionality. However, included in the Beta Readme (available after you install the Beta) is a list of some of the new features that are found in the Expansion, as well as some of the new units. You can look this list over prior to getting into your first Beta game, or feel free to just jump on Battle.net and start playing. The new units and functionality are all pretty self-explanatory. This Battle.net Beta includes all four of the game's races as well as many of the new items, creeps, and neutral buildings. However, the Beta is playable only through Battle.net. You can play as Humans, Orcs, Undead, or Night Elves against other players on Battle.net. Excluded from this Battle.net Beta are these features of the full game: single-player campaign, multiplayer LAN games, cinematic sequences, computer opponents, the campaign editor, and saving and loading. The principal purpose of this Beta is to test game balance, anonymous matchmaking, and some of the other new functionality on Battle.net. We prefer that you help us test anonymous matchmaking in Warcraft III by logging on when others are most likely to be playing--for example, during the evening hours of Eastern Standard Time. Of course, we appreciate all bug reports and suggestions about play balance, game features, and interface ease-of-use no matter when play occurs. We expect the Beta to run a minimum of eight weeks. Although the Beta may run until the release of Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, it may also be stopped prior to the release of the finished game.

February 13, 2003 Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne Beta Test Signups Announced! Beginning Friday morning, February 14th, individuals will have the opportunity to log on at http://www.battle.net/register/war3xbeta and register for their chance to be one of 10,000 players chosen to play-test Warcraft III®: The Frozen Throne™. These players will be the first to experience the new Expansion to Warcraft® III: Reign of Chaos™. The beta signup is scheduled for a seven-day period beginning at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Standard Time (GMT -8.) on Friday, February 14th and ending at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Standard Time (GMT -8) on Friday, February 21st. Applicants must be at least thirteen (13) years of age, have the bandwidth capability to download 100 MB of data, have a valid email address, and possess a valid Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos CD-Key to be eligible to enter the beta test. Following the registration period, we will randomly select 10,000 testers to participate in the initial phase of the expansion beta test. Please note that multiple submissions will result in disqualification. The beta, which will be playable only over Battle.net™, will give selected testers a chance to play-test many of the new features that are available to each of the races in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos--Humans, Orcs, Night Elves, and Undead. For more information on the new features in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, please visit the official web site. http://www.battle.net/war3x/

Hollywood-Shono has defeated Gaerlan's electric aspect. As the illusion crumbles away a deep voice thunders over the world, "A doomed eternity to relive this life. Stasis within the walls of a crystalline prison. How could I have fallen to you vermin. Nuhmudira, my revenge upon you shall be as painful as yours upon me." A good day for TcH in AC....proves we still have some force on Asheron's Call even with a 7 month break in May of 2002. Hoosta and myself now have Black Elemental Robes, they look awesome.

For all the details to this month's patch, please follow the link here: http://microsoftgamesinsider.com/AC1/devnotes_01-03.htm

The expansion to one of the best RTS games out there, with hundreds of customs mods for playing any style of game....has been announced! Here is the entire Press Release: BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT® ANNOUNCES WARCRAFT® III: THE FROZEN THRONE™ IRVINE, Calif. - JANUARY 22, 2003 - Blizzard Entertainment®, a division of Vivendi Universal Games, announced today plans for Warcraft® III: The Frozen Throne™, the expansion set to the fastest selling PC game ever*, Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos™. Since the game's release in July 2002, Warcraft III has now surpassed 2 million units sold worldwide. * "We are very pleased by the success of Warcraft III," said Mike Morhaime, Blizzard Entertainment president and co-founder. "Our plans for the expansion set include increasing the strategic gameplay possibilities and depth of the Warcraft universe by introducing a wide array of new Heroes and units, specifically designed to enhance each race." Following in the tradition of previous Blizzard expansion sets, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne provides gamers with a vast new chapter in the epic Warcraft saga. In the single-player campaign, players revisit the war-torn world of Azeroth. Several months have passed since Archimonde and the Burning Legion were defeated at the battle of Mount Hyjal, yet a new threat has arisen throughout the land. The evil Lich King Ner'zhul has been imprisoned inside the Icecrown glacier, deep within the arctic continent of Northrend. Although the former Orc Shaman lacks physical form, his soul lives on, forever seeking a means to escape his icy prison. As the saga continues, it is revealed that both the Night Elf renegade, Illidan, and the traitorous Death Knight, Arthas, seek the Icecrown glacier and the mysterious powers found inside. While it is uncertain as to what is being sought inside the icy tomb, players must traverse uncharted lands and battle treacherous new enemies to uncover the schemes of these nefarious beings, and save all of Azeroth from the forces of darkness. Key features include: One new Hero per race, each possessing powerful spells and magical abilities specifically designed to enhance each race A host of new units, each equipped with new abilities and spells, giving players the opportunity to create diverse strategic and tactical forms of combat 3 new tilesets featuring extraordinary new lands to explore, complete with numerous creeps and critters to wage war upon Player-built shops, unique for each race, equipped with items carefully designed to improve and aid the units of every race Neutral buildings, which will provide players with numerous new upgrades, items and abilities Neutral Heroes, available for recruitment by all players, that can supplement and strengthen a player's army with all new spells and abilities An advanced world editor that allows players to create their own custom campaigns, complete with cut-scenes and voiceovers Many new multiplayer maps Expanded multiplayer options over Battle.net® including multiple new game types, clan and tournament support Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne is currently slated for worldwide release in the summer of 2003, and is expected to retail for approximately $35.00. The game is expected to receive a Teen Rating from the ESRB. Since its debut in 1994, the #1-selling Warcraft series has won industry acclaim and has shattered sales records worldwide with over 8 million copies sold. In 1995, Blizzard followed the well-received Warcraft: Orcs and Humans™ with the critically acclaimed Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness™, which won multiple Game of the Year awards and is still considered by many critics to be one of the best games ever made. Best known for blockbuster hits including the Warcraft, StarCraft®, and Diablo® series, Blizzard Entertainment (www.blizzard.com), a division of Vivendi Universal Games, is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating many of the industry's most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard's track record includes seven #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company's free Internet gaming service Battle.net reigns as the largest in the world, with millions of active users. *Based on EDI sell-through, internal company estimates, and reports from key retail accounts around the world. You can read about it here: http://www.battle.net/war3/ http://www.blizzard.com/war3x/ http://www.battle.net/war3x/pressrelease.shtml

Patch Day Announced! The AC servers will be down on the morning of Thursday, January 23rd to prop the January event, The Slumbering Giant. Here’s the updated State of the Network: Thursday, January 23rd: from approximately 6 AM PDT to 11:00 AM PDT Worlds will be brought down to prop the monthly update for January ---- It's about damn time ;p Everyone was thinking Tuesday, ah well....at least I was able to play on my day off heh. This just means that today I get to stay up late so I can play more

Last night, a small, private quest for the Focusing Stone was done, Tinkers Bell, and my UA, Hollywood Shono, finally got their Focusing Stones, with Forsakin's help from Soldiers of Sin. Now Tinkers Bell has an additional 25 Focus, and will help greatly with her tinkering skills.....I can't believe after all this time, she just now gets her stone, this should help her guildmates. Kolthar al Magus, and Shono's Alchey Mule are both in the XP chain, with the new Tusker Island, leveling without an XP chain is easy. Spinal Tap got Level 87 while hunting for Little Green Seeds that Rampagers drop(for black plants), Headache the Mage is 73....and my Alchemist got 66. For you ACers....you can keep an eye on TcH's progress, just follow the links. http://beta.treestats.com/index.php?Name=Hollywood+Shono&Server=0&Type=Char http://beta.treestats.com/index.php?Name=Hollywood-Shono&Server=0&Type=Char http://beta.treestats.com/index.php?Name=Shono%27s+Alchey+Mule&Server=0&Type=Char http://beta.treestats.com/index.php?Name=Headache+the+Mage&Server=0&Type=Char http://beta.treestats.com/index.php?Name=Kolthar+al+Magus&Server=0&Type=Char http://beta.treestats.com/index.php?Name=Hoosta&Server=0&Type=Char http://beta.treestats.com/index.php?Name=Tinkers+Bell&Server=0&Type=Char http://beta.treestats.com/index.php?Name=Etruscan&Server=0&Type=Char http://beta.treestats.com/index.php?Name=Arafel&Server=0&Type=Char

A few of these sites have been presented to help explain some of the effects of tinkering. One of the more important sites is calculating Melee Damage....how much Granite, and how much Iron you should use in your weapons. Remember, the damage variance gets 25% tighter with Iron....and using Granite for your final 2-3 tinkers is critical for getting the most out of your weapon. Caeryn Dryad's Weapon Damage Calculator: http://www.code-poets.org/WP_damage/WP_damage.html And here is a general Tinkering Calculator...it does not have all the formulas, but it is the best resource guide on the net. Keep in mind, higher workmanship salvage is EASIER to tinker on an item....generally for Work 1-4 items....you can get 10 tinkers easy, with a Work 5, 10 IS POSSIBLE, but a huge gamble. 9 Tinkers on a Work 6 is a HUGE gamble, 8 tinkers on a Work 7 is a HUGE gamble, even 7 tinkers is a risk, though less of one. 7 Tinkers on a Work 8 Item is a HUGE gamble, 6 on a Work 9(7 is a BIG risk though you may luck out), and 5 on a Work 10(6 is playing with death's door hehe) The Tinkering Calculator: http://www.code-poets.org/tinkering.html Here is a good Armor Rendering/Critical Strike/Crippling Blow table guide for you Missle users: http://www.students.tut.fi/~juicy/ac_bow_dot.html And finally....a basic general tinkering guide: http://acvault.ign.com/guidebook/tinkering/ And, January Letter to the Players: http://microsoftgamesinsider.com/AC1/letter_01-03.htm Enjoy.

Well, I finally decided to play some Asheron's Call, and get reacquainted with some of the things I missed in previous updates since May. They have added a lot to the game, including Tinkering, which is great for tradeskill mules and tinkering mules. XP chains are still rampant, but macroing is at a minimum, it is still allowed, but if you are caught idleing while macroing you're suspended for 24 hours first offense, and second offense your account is gone. All weapons have gotten a boost in damage, Bows, Swords got the biggest boost, Daggers, Axes, etc. Staves got some really cool tweaks as far as eyecandy. They redid the Impious Staff...and monsters no longer leave corpses though their bodies last for 5 minutes. Recently, I have reunited with Hoosta, who's been playing AC alone for the longest time....I brought Headache the Mage(Mr Nice Guy) back with me, reuniting some of the old TcH core, Akilla still plays there but not very often. They added a really cool Tusker island, as well as a quest to get the Recall Scroll. Last night, Hoosta and I along with about 13 others, went on this quest to kill Babo, and succeeded without many problems. We got our scrolls, and also completed a lot of the Tusk quests two days prior to it. We also found a REAL good leveling spot...the Tusker Tunnels. For loot, I'm killing on the Dires, I am told that the OP got a boost in spawns(The old school huge clumps of monsters are back, the usual stuff), there are also Platnium and Pyreal Golems, which give a lump of XP, some new elementals, and other surprises. Life Magic finally gets a good offensive spell, Martyr's xxx, for Life, Mana, and Stamina. It takes 25% of one of those pools, and drains a % from the enemy. Level 7 drains 200%, Level 4 is like 125%, etc. War gets Arc spells. Level 7 scrolls come from directly now, no more running to the essense. Also all loot generated goes up to +12% Attack, and Melee Defense, I am not sure if this applies to Hilted weapons though. Covenant Armor, very potent Hollow Armor, is unbuffable, it is possible to get armor exceeding 400AL, but requires either Melee Defense, or Missle Defense, to use. Tassets(Upper leg armor) finally is in the game, which means that Greaves actually have a use now. You can find me, on Wintersebb, as Hollywood-Shono, a Level 118 Life Archer.

Not sure what to make, or what everything does? That's okay, I don't either ;p But this Calculator is VERY useful for getting a basic idea of what you want out of your character. You can untrain anything that you don't want on the fly, with a small vitae-like penalty to the assigned XP(You get it all back, kinda hard to explain) when you untrain. There are two calculators, the bottom one is my favorite of the two http://ac2.warcry.com/compendium/skilltree/index.php http://ac2hq.gamespy.com/~ac2hq/?dir=races There are masteries for each basic tab, and the two class related buttons within, specializing them is very useful if you are going one route. So far, from the Human Tree, I like the Enchanter(Most of it, I don't really care for the weapon enchants but the weapon/armor enchanting is really useful), and parts of the main Melee and Magic Trees. I'm not too fond of the Alchemist Tree, however, I could see it very useful if someone specialized in it. Ranger is okay, it seems pretty much damage oriented, not a lot of defense, the ability to make food sounds really cool though for emergency heals on the fly, like Health and Stamina Potions used to do on AC 1. Sorcerer's sound like very good debuffers, add in some ranged attacks and it could be a very good support unit. Defender's seem like very powerful fighters that are self-sufficient, like a Paladin, they have several heal/buff spells, shield attack and melee skills that make them powerful if you combine some of the main melee tree. Bounty Hunters have a few cool attack skills as well, however, they don't sound as appetizing, then again, I don't know the usefulness of some of the skills/spells to really comment. From the Lugian Tree, I am very impressed with the entire Main Melee Tab, lots of useful skills. The Berserker tab adds into it, the Juggernaut tab seems to have a lot more area affect skills, a few beneficial skills. The missle tab doesn't seem very impressive, but it does contain some of the Lugian's drain skills, so it could be useful. Raider's have some really cool ranged attacks, though. The Tactician is interesting, to say the least, it creates a Turret that can do a wide variety of attacks, also a skill that heals the turret, could be very useful in groups. The main magic tab has some heals, some buffs, a few attack spells, Earthquake sounds interesting as does the lightning spells, the Elementalist has some powerful attack spells, as well as a good selection of pets. Lugian Sage is like a real cleric, LOTS of heal spells, with only a few debuffs, mixed in with the main magic tree this could make for a powerful spellcaster.

This is something that will need to be discussed, I took a look on http://ac2.stratics.com/ to get a list of servers. I am not sure which of these is best, you can be the judge here... http://www.microsoftgamesinsider.com/ac2/articles/kingdoms-detail.asp The first server, Coldeve, features Kingdom Conflict. Kingdom versus Kingdom play, also known as "KvK," is possible throughout the entire world. Snowreap is also a Kingdom conflict world. The second server, Darktide, is a Free-for-All world. On this world, the whole server is dedicated to a Player versus Player (or PvP) game. Any character can attack any other character anywhere. On the third server, Frostfell, and most of the other servers listed after it, PvP and KvK play are optional. A few areas have been set up for this type of gaming, but if you stay out of those areas, you won't need to engage in PvP or KvK conflicts. FULL SERVER LIST: Coldeye(Kingdom PvP) Darktide(Full PvP) Frostfell(Most populated carebear server) Leafcull Harvestgain Morningthaw Solclaim Thistledown Wintersebb Dawnsong Soleilcouche Abendgrau Snowreap(Kingdom Conflict but less people) I want to hold a meeting over IRC to discuss this in the near future, you can also place comments by clicking the link and speaking your mind. I would like a full blown PvP server, however, there are times where no conflict is good, however, even those of your own race can be utterly stupid, and if I was on Darktide choads like Legion of Light would not get away with what they do.

No, it's not a rumor anymore, it is true. Meridian 59, Near Death Studios, has brought a lot of fun to the game, and has unified and reunited some of my good friends who I have lost contact with since the 3do days. But, at least for me, it is time to move on. I see no fun in NDS anymore, the patch did not adress some of the problems at hand as far as PvP, and only added to the problems. Asheron's Call 2 is something that I have wanted to play since August, to try it out when it was in Beta, but I did not have the system to play it. I own a copy of the game, and once I have the system(Now it's a problem with the processor, when will the problems with my computer stop? Argh!). I have heard some mixed feelings about the game, but you know what? I need to personally try something before I can get an opinion about it, everyone is different, even those who still worship EQ sucking down food while camping their favorite item for 735 hours on end. It's how they have fun, and I'm glad. M59 is not fun anymore, it's the same thing, and some of my actions have pissed friends off...so rather than add gas to the fire...I'm taking the initiate and moving on. I will only log in to pay rent, to keep in touch with friends, and to make sure that the TcH guild is still around. If AC 2 sucks, then I guess I am back in Meridian until something else comes up. To anyone who will be getting AC 2 in the near future, or already has it, I would like to take the time to let everyone know that we are having discussions in our IRC channel, to see who all will be playing, and where. I do not have a server etched in stone yet, and I am leaning towards Frostfell because Nomy DOES play there already, but with enough influence, that can be changed. One thing that may also be brought up, PvP, it's a strong part of every game out there, some more than others, and that is an area that I want the guild to take an active part. Over the days to come, I will be posting more info, to discuss different ideas, guild balancing, allegiance structure, etc.

The following I first found out from Nomy on the Adumbral Pages. Shadowbane Beta Expansion! Tuesday, Dec 03, 2002 The Shadowbane Closed Beta Test is expanding! We will be selecting 750 additional testers from our Shadowbane Beta waiting list over the next three days. We will be selecting roughly 250 testers a day, starting today. These new testers will help Wolfpack Studios and Ubi Soft focus more resources on our new weekly feature character events, as well as overall balancing. We are extremely excited to allow more of our community the opportunity to help us test this great MMORPG! If you are interested in beta testing Shadowbane, please use our Beta signup form to apply. http://www.shadowbane.com/home/news.shtml

Thanks to Kolthar I got the new info for modifying the TcH pages....expect many things to come in the near future. Any suggestions, comments, or flames, please email or ICQ me.

Just added forums. Thanks to Shadow for the hosting here at adumbral.com! We can now use nifty software like pMachine and keep this dynamic, which is always good. Anyways, head on over to the Discussion Forums and be a part of the guild! Thanks, bryce.

The crew on Meridian 59 is doing rather well, everyone is working together on Money Raids, and other events, keep up the good work, I look forward to working with everyone in the near future. And as far as AG goes, stay white...they will get bored and make a mistake if there is no fun. And then they will end up ruined just like Ogre, Anarch, and Hercules are failed. I will be adding more info to this page soon, about some of our members, server events, etc. Don't forget to join our IRC channel - irc.sorcery.net #TcH

I got this link in an email yesterday, sent this to the guildmates from Meridian that were online at the time, as well as to Raiven. I will continue to advertise about the Beta so more people sign up. It should be a very good game, I am looking forward to it. I just hope that the Beta does not turn out as crappy as Anarchy Online and Dark Age of Camelot were. As much as I hated Everquest, the early levels of this game were very fun.....being able to solo, as well as having a LOT of fun with 2-3 people. Asheron's Call was fun too, until XP chains and Macroing became rampant, although having fun without doing those things are still very possible, as they continue to make changes to the game. If a serious campaign was re-formed here...I would consider spending some of my time on AC again, if just for friends. I am looking for a few specific people to register to the TcH site....to be able to post information about games that I am not playing or Beta testing. Mr Nice Guy for Dark Age of Camelot, Nomy and Hoosta for Asheron's Call information, and whoever gets into the ShadowBane beta. They will be responsible for posting information about these games. Warcraft 3 and Diablo 2, most of the important information will be listed on the sites provided....however, we will announce important events guildwide. For the Shadowbane Beta information, please go here: http://www.shadowbane.com/home/beta.shtml

I'm not sure how long this is going to last, it usually lasts no more than a couple days, but we have re-declared war with the Assassin's Guild, in an attempt to get some more PvP in for our members. If ONE member of AG unguilds during this war, we will drop all efforts in fighting their whites, and stick to their coloreds/reds. So far, here is the score. This is the ghosted body of Anarch, who's consciousness has travelled to another plane of existance. You reach for your nerudite arrows, and nock one back for a shot. Your arrow pierces Mother Superior. You reach for your nerudite arrows, and nock one back for a shot. Your arrow pierces Mother Superior. You reach for your nerudite arrows, and nock one back for a shot. Your arrow fells Mother Superior. You killed Mother Superior. ### Mother Superior was just killed by Hollywood Shono. Hail your guildmate Cinder! You can't pick up all the mushrooms. You're unable to pick up the blue mushrooms. You can't pick up all the orc teeth. You're unable to pick up the robes of the disciple. You're unable to pick up the lightning wand. You're unable to pick up the circlet. You're unable to pick up the wand of healing. You're unable to pick up the wand of healing. You're unable to pick up the wand of healing. You're unable to pick up the battle bow. You're unable to pick up the wand. You're unable to pick up the wand of healing. You're unable to pick up the a magical ring. Your eyesight returns to it's former mundanity. Not much happened, but a good start for our day.

As soon as I get my new system, I will be playing this a lot more, as I can stay on ICQ while I play the game, making communicating with others much easier. For those of you who haven't given Warcraft 3 much thought, or are still learning, this is my favorite site. http://www.battle.net/war3/ There is almost nothing that you won't find here. Another good site(Although I haven't been to it in a while) is http://www.war3pub.net This was a very good Beta Site, and it may still have info about the free version. TcH is stationed on USWest, although we have no problems going to East to play individual opponents. Two of my favorite types of games, are various Hero Arena, as well as Capture the Flag...all can be a lot of fun with 8+ people. But as I said, I haven't played this in over a month, so I may be missing a lot of the new maps and custom scenarios.