Give us your feedback on "Infiltration"!

[Ibn]

For a moment, Kresovus could not make sense of the scene before him. His own people, dozens of them, slaughtered one another in the streets. Fully armored soldiers fought near-naked warriors, as though half of his people had descended on the other half in their sleep. Skulls were split and limbs were severed. The streets were stained with purple blood.

Read the February teaser here (http://ac.turbinegames.com/index.php?page_id=346)!

[Chrono]

Whoa!

That's all I have to say!

Whoa!

[KPD157]

I'm Afraid now ;!)

Shaking knees and everything :!)

DoppleGangers? Shadows of Life? Oh dear we are in for a helluva year :)!

[DataStria]

"if he could believe that truly was K'rank - swung his axe wildly about, slaughtering a ring of attackers that had descended upon him"

So, if melees get ring attacks now, that means archers will be getting them around December, right?

:rolleyes:

[Chrono]

"if he could believe that truly was K'rank - swung his axe wildly about, slaughtering a ring of attackers that had descended upon him"

So, if melees get ring attacks now, that means archers will be getting them around December, right?

:rolleyes:
:rolleyes:
I doubt they are adding ring attacks for melees, don't read too far into it.

[DataStria]

:rolleyes:
I doubt they are adding ring attacks for melees, don't read too far into it.

Yeah, because they've never introduced new stuff in exactly the same manner before or anything....and they CERTAINLY never cater to a whining playerbase with stuff that's been suggested for years....

*edit* I don't even know why I'm bothering doing this. Arguing with someone that would put Final Fantasy lyrics in every single post...well.

[Chrono]

Yeah, because they've never introduced new stuff in exactly the same manner before or anything....and they CERTAINLY never cater to a whining playerbase with stuff that's been suggested for years....

They aren't gonna add ring attacks for melees, really. I mean, for every 1 thing they've added this way, theres 50 false alarms where people were freaking out "Oh my they are going to add XXXX!!!1" It would be one of the most unbalancing things I could think of, seriously, don't worry about it.

EDIT: "K'rank - if he could believe that truly was K'rank - swung his axe wildly about, slaughtering a ring of attackers that had descended upon him."

Is more entertaining than:

"K'rank - if he could believe that truly was K'rank - repeatedly swung his axe in the same motion until the enemy he was attacking fell. He then moved to the next one and did the same as a ring of attackers continued to swing at him, somehow missing each time."

K'rank is a hero, he needs to act accordingly. He cannot -just- act within the context of the games melee engine, because when put to paper, it's boring and repetative (then again I think it is in game too which why I'm not melee).

*edit* I don't even know why I'm bothering doing this. Arguing with someone that would put Final Fantasy lyrics in every single post...well.
Nice, glad you recognized it. I used to have a death prayer.

It's my signiture, so I don't actually have to put it in like, every time I post. :)

[DataStria]

K'rank is a hero, he needs to act accordingly

Are you friggin' kidding me?

If this is true, Elysa wouldn't spend a VERY large percentage of her time lying crippled on her deathbed, fawning over her son, or being dominated by a primadonna named Antius that cries and pouts like a preschooler every time her orders go against what he wants to do.

*edit* And at least the death prayer fits in with what's currently going on with AC's playerbase.

[Heideggar]

Well, I think K'rank and Kresovus are more of hero-fighters than Elysa. Elysa can't really kill anything without her pocket-asheron to vuln stuff for her. She's old, she's lonely, so I'm not surprised she's lookin for some younger man meat to keep her warm in the evenings.

Really, if Elysa is a hero, then we should roll out ToD as Heideggar's Call :Throne of Destiny, because I could beat them both up irl.

Teasers pics are... ummm... I dunno, they don't really make me go... OH, what's that, I bet that will be something totally new. I see what looks like a cofin, a door, and some marguls. A couple other teaser pics are of a BZ statue'ish kind of thing (glad I've never seen a BZ statue _anywhere_).

But, that doesn't mean the content or new tech won't be worthwhile. Then again, they're still working on the XPack, migration, and whatever else non-AC1 related, so we may be up for another month of nofin. LttP isn't out yet, so... I'll hold off further comments for that.

I liked the first section of the Teaser (the lugian fight), but not so much the last part with Elysa.

[Number-Sun]

Very nice teaser. Well written.

[Red Raevyn]

I love it, looks awesome.


And folks, since when are Marguls that big? That's no ordinary Margul! Brarr, let the dragons get big :)

Oh, and the sword on Maggie's exclusive shot looks -wicked-.

[Vlad Morbius]

Sword looks kind of like a shaved piece of ice, perhaps the first hint of the Viamont weapon. I like the look of the new shield with diamond corners, the armor is rather bland, but could just be the color. Now ....Where's the Lttp??

[Chrono]

Are you friggin' kidding me?

If this is true, Elysa wouldn't spend a VERY large percentage of her time lying crippled on her deathbed, fawning over her son, or being dominated by a primadonna named Antius that cries and pouts like a preschooler every time her orders go against what he wants to do.

*edit* And at least the death prayer fits in with what's currently going on with AC's playerbase.
You're funny! :p :D :p :D

Believe what you want. Waste all your energy being angry and freaking out about a feature that won't be added because the writer was doing his job (in being creative) and added some artistic flare and stylization to the scene.

As for my sig, I can't believe I'm talking about this. The death prayer, or the words in this song or whatever, all a form of personal expression. I never once tried to state or imply they had anything to do with AC. They have to do with me (isn't that sorta the point of a signiture?)

[Gouru]

Loved the new teaser. It appears that FINALLY somebody has stolen the writer's thesaurus. :D

[DadgaSilverhand]

all those feb's pic teasers are too dark.

[vellus]

Elysa smiled, though she had to force herself to do so. "Good. But don't promise them much. After that mess with the Burun, we have few pyreals left in our coffers."


Looks like Turbine should make applesauce and health potions sellable again and watch Antius clapping in Samsur, or Yaraq to get the coffers filled up again!! I would even come back to AC so I could work in the scripts some more!!! :D

[Shao Majii]

Well written. WAY more interesting than the Burun arc :D
Shadow clones!
Endless search for notes... (cough) Perhaps some of them could be live events.... (/cough)

[X'avion]

They Killed Balor! No! :mad: :( Do you have any idea how many evil Lugians I will smite in the name of that Matty? :mad:

[Gustaive]

They Killed Balor! No! :mad: :( Do you have any idea how many evil Lugians I will smite in the name of that Matty? :mad:

My thoughts exactly.

[Hamfast]

X'avion and Gustaive,

Think about it, the LTTP (I enjoyed it by the way) starts with a fight in Linvak Tukal, sounds like a town less safe now... Just like the end of one of the quests from last month was a Friendly Lugan turned bad, this month seems that it may turn the town (City?) of Linvak Tukal into a Combat zone...

I will admit, I did not read anything about the Anti-Balor at the side of the Anti-Kresovus...

It's the End of the World!!! or the begining, end, begin, all the same...

[Chrono]

They Killed Balor! No! :mad: :( Do you have any idea how many evil Lugians I will smite in the name of that Matty? :mad:
I know! I loved that Matty!

[TheKnight]

Very well written,

My hats off to you guys for the excellent writting.

Was digging the Lugians fighting their clones, that was some very interesting stuff there. Think I was cheering along when K'rank and Kresovus where puttin the smackdown on them clones. And it made me sad to see ol Balor get stomped, can't wait for the patch to get in game and get some revenge for that cool Matty.

Elysa is having some pretty strong feelings for Antius there, makes me wonder how Borlean is going to react if those to get married. But something strikes me as odd:

Elysa smiled, though she had to force herself to do so. "Good. But don't promise them much. After that mess with the Burun, we have few pyreals left in our coffers."

And then Antius laughs after she says that? First off they are IN a Castle, and Elysa even says how thousands are out there in small apartments or small cottages, while they are inside the Castle.

If the royal funds are so depleted then why laugh about it? Unless Antius and Elysa know that it's not true, and they are living the wealthy life while the rest of us are suffering outside in small apartments/cottages like she herself admits to.

Something else that bothers me is this quote:

He was so precious to her, so much more important than her crown or castle. More important even than the people who swore their loyalty to her. If she were to lose him...

More important then all of us? I can understand that he is very important to her, and maybe they'll even get married at some point, but to say as the Queen that one man is more important then all the hundreds of thousands of followers you have is...well being very selfish.

We are the TRUE Army, not the Queen's Laughable Royal Guard. The Guards get slaughtered with ease, while we keep fighting battle after battle all in the name of this "Supposed Queen". Sure she is not as evil as Nuhmudira, as she's not killing people outright to prolong herself, but wow is she ever selfish.

She reminds me of a spoiled little rich girl, and how she dare not ever get her hands dirty, and always sends us lower pawns to do all the dirty work for her. And she only does something herself if she absolutly must be there, if only to show herself off as a status symbol.

When you are King/Queen you have a duty to uphold laws,protect the people, and be a unifier for your kingdom. Your duty does not include locking yourself away in a castle tower to be with your lover, while the rest of your loyal followers freeze to death outside in small quarters. To be in love is one thing, but when you start to show blatent disregard for your Crown, something is wrong. When you start to say you'd give up your kingdom for one person, something is definatly wrong.

Love makes you do foolish things as the old saying goes. :rolleyes:

Very well written, very well written indeed. I've not been this into the lore since the Martine vs Gaerlan storyline. Again my hats off to the writers.

Regards

[Mal the Mad]

As the masses climb to the peaks, an unsettled hush sweeps over the mountain.
Without a command, the charge has quickened. The Mountain fortress is besieged in an instant. All voices had merged into one, two words shook the mountain, the valleys, the forest beyond, and rang out as far Qualabar.
FOR BALOR!!!!

The battle has begun.

[zxcvb]

"Kresovus studied the battle again. This time he noticed that each time a naked Lugian fell, he was resurrected at the lifestone. But when an armored Lugian fell, he stayed down"

Something wierd about that. Interesting times ahead :)

[Septa Scarabae]

They Killed Balor! No! :mad: :( Do you have any idea how many evil Lugians I will smite in the name of that Matty? :mad:

Buffing up and recalling to Linvak on patch day. I loved Balor. >_<

[Deven-Kenyon]

gawd i hope some of those teaser images are for red content

[.Kid.]

A+++ Teaser.

I enjoyed reading the 'attack' on Kresovus. Brings up thoughts about the shadows raiding towns.

[Rakulp]

Greetings,

Thoroughly enjoyed the teaser! But I have to agree about the screenshots...all of them are too dark. Can we get a little light on the mayhem? :)

[Shao Majii]

but to say as the Queen that one man is more important then all the hundreds of thousands of followers you have is...well being very selfish.


Interesting times... I have a feeling that she will someday have to choose between him and the realm. All part of her character development as a Queen. She lost Thorsten, there was no choice. But she'll have to CHOOSE the people. (foresight is working, muhahahaha!)

[Rapton]

Wow looks like I am getting kicked out of my home town. That isnt to fun.

However, they killed balor, for that my friends, Bael must feel our wrath.


Now as for the queen

I have always refused to do anything that I know could help her.

The one exception being the Elysa Favor quest, because I was more worried about Martine at the time than with Elysa.

In the end however, I really do wish that we were picking a mask of elysa on that tower instead

[.Kid.]

Wow...I was about to post "Bael can't be back already. 300 years before he comes back" but Antius making a visit to Yaraq makes me think. And to add, shadows have raided Yaraq. Yaraq is the town that gets destroyed when Bael comes back too.

[Uzi-El]

"Bael can't be back already. 300 years before he comes back"

One hundred years, at least. The Fifth Sending occurs at the end of Dereth's Golden Age, with is (by my estimate) approximately one hundred years from now.

And before we start jumping on the BZ's Back Bandwagon, let's not forget that there are other Shadow creatures running around out there.

[.Kid.]

Oh. Haven't been keeping track of the time.

Good point.

[jfilip112]

Keep in mind Aerbax made an alliance with the shadows, my guess is that whole hibernation thing he went through altered him to a half virindi half baelzharon species state. So he might be out of his slumber now (the statues in the pics might be a model of what he is now).

[Televangelist]

Are ACVault, COD, and Jackcat the only ones with exclusive pics? Are stratics and Mystics no longer considered 'supported'? :X

[Brandias]

OMG! Love it! Finally (and I have to say that I wasnt paying too much attention until just now) there are characters I've actually met!! I've been to Linvak and talked with K'rank and the rest. Wow. Plus, did I catch that dig that we poor slobs are living in such cramped quarters hehe? Does that mean there is (finally) an upgrade to that end coming soon? I got to say, congrats to the writing team. I dont know what kind of shadow is coming, but I look for to trying my best to kill it...unless that means that I have to be naked or I dont come back when I die.

[X'avion]

As the masses climb to the peaks, an unsettled hush sweeps over the mountain.
Without a command, the charge has quickened. The Mountain fortress is besieged in an instant. All voices had merged into one, two words shook the mountain, the valleys, the forest beyond, and rang out as far Qualabar.
FOR BALOR!!!!

The battle has begun.

Well said, when we are done, the forces behind this tradgedy will rue the day they set eyes on Linvak!

[Merubin]

First part of the teaser was good, second part seemed like the type of stuff I try to avoid reading. Good choices for the teaser shots

Televangelist: The german site always puts up their teaser pic later if they have one, check tomorrow sometime :)

[Phelan Wolf]

First part of the teaser is AMAZING! The idea that when I read it I could picture Looking down at a mob frenzy was great.

Second part is alittle too blah for a followup to the first, but it does have its good points. It's the start of the search for the new Viamontian area :D

Teaser Pics are.. very well done if u want us to guess alot (never a bad thing)

Props to the writer and photographer :)

[Jin Saotome]

Good thing I've stored up 20 or so Linvak gems in my chest for quict quest-trips. Are these Shadow-Lugians? So far we've only seen shadow humans. So the good lugians are returning from the LS like us, nekkid and with vitae, battling the armored 'dopplegangers' right? So obviously these armored dopplegangers aren't real lugians because they don't hit the LS. Interesting!

Great, another scavanger hunt! And why are the coffers almost empty? You know I never see Anitus hunting in the 80+ hive, or VoD for that matter. Do we pay them taxes? What about all that maintaince for our housing, does that go to the Arcanum that goes to Elyssa?

[Silifi Of Death]

Good thing I've stored up 20 or so Linvak gems in my chest for quict quest-trips. Are these Shadow-Lugians? So far we've only seen shadow humans. So the good lugians are returning from the LS like us, nekkid and with vitae, battling the armored 'dopplegangers' right? So obviously these armored dopplegangers aren't real lugians because they don't hit the LS. Interesting!

Great, another scavanger hunt! And why are the coffers almost empty? You know I never see Anitus hunting in the 80+ hive, or VoD for that matter. Do we pay them taxes? What about all that maintaince for our housing, does that go to the Arcanum that goes to Elyssa?

There are no Shadow Humans except the ones made by the Order of the Raven Hand.

I think you have the lugian sides mixed up. It said that K'rank was in armor, so.. then again he might have been an imposter version. *shrug*

[Uzi-El]

There are no Shadow Humans except the ones made by the Order of the Raven Hand.

There have been plenty of Shadow humans ever since the Fourth Sending. The most obvious is, of course, Hamud, but there's also Cortrima and Varel, the family of the woman Celdiseth and his students found on the Night of Thorns, as well as others the Shadows probably got around that time.

It said that K'rank was in armor, so.. then again he might have been an imposter version.

But it was also implied that the only reason K'rank still had all his armor was that he hadn't yet been sent to the Lifestone.

[Silifi Of Death]

It said that K'rank was in armor, so.. then again he might have been an imposter version.

But it was also implied that the only reason K'rank still had all his armor was that he hadn't yet been sent to the Lifestone.

Not exactly. He said "No trips to the lifestone for him". So if he dies, he would end up permanently dead. It's not like K'rank is no longer K'rank just because he's wandering around naked.

[Uzi-El]

Where/how is it specifically said that K'rank had never used a Lifestone? "No trips to the Lifestone" is way too vague to equal "he'd never *used* an LS", and I think someone having never used one would be significant enough to get a specific mention.

Unless (and you had to know this was coming) we're talking about Morgluuk.

[AlphaSwift]

He blinked, his head throbbing in pain. He wiped the tears from his eyes and looked up through blurred vision. A gray hulking mass stepped into view.

Kresovus' breath caught in his throat. He looked up at the Lugian. He looked up at himself.

This sounds like an idea I proposed more than a year ago:

http://forums.turbinegames.com/showthread.php?t=41&highlight=anti-self

Note Ibn's comment at bottom of thread. If it goes this way, I'm honored.

[BrightYellow]

Tougher marguls! :)

[Silifi Of Death]

Where/how is it specifically said that K'rank had never used a Lifestone? "No trips to the Lifestone" is way too vague to equal "he'd never *used* an LS", and I think someone having never used one would be significant enough to get a specific mention.

Unless (and you had to know this was coming) we're talking about Morgluuk.

What I'm saying is that if K'rank dies, he doesn't go to the LS. If he doesn't go to the LS, he *should* perma-die. Of course it doesn't always work that way.

[Uzi-El]

What I'm saying is that if K'rank dies, he doesn't go to the LS. If he doesn't go to the LS, he *should* perma-die. Of course it doesn't always work that way.
And what I'm asking is, where is implied that he *wouldn't* go to the LS? Isn't it just simpler to assume that, should K'rank's death be permanent, that they would explicitly mention this fact, and that such an offhand remark about "no trips to the Lifestone" instead just means that he's so UBER H@RDC0RE that he hadn't died to the Shadows yet?

[Silifi Of Death]

And what I'm asking is, where is implied that he *wouldn't* go to the LS? Isn't it just simpler to assume that, should K'rank's death be permanent, that they would explicitly mention this fact, and that such an offhand remark about "no trips to the Lifestone" instead just means that he's so UBER H@RDC0RE that he hadn't died to the Shadows yet?

Because he's noting that K'rank is wearing armor, and that all lugians that wear armor never return to the LS. It's not as if the armor he is wearing will make him completely invulnberable to any attacks.

If they weren't in the same paragraph, they would be unrelated and you would be right. But when you put them right next to each other, it pretty much implies that they are somehow related.

[turnstyles]

interesting. i read the k'rank bit about 'no trips to the lifestone' as being said out of pride.

like: "there he is, k'rank, defending our town honourably - still yet to fall to this invading horde."

[Uzi-El]

Yes, there's the possibility that K'rank was a fake, as shown by the line "if he could believe that truly was K'rank". However, the line we've been quoting the last little while was also prefaced by Kresovus noting with satisfaction that K'rank was still wearing his armor. Why would he be satisfied or happy knowing that there was a fake K'rank down there? More importantly, why would he feel that way, assuming that the warriors attacking K'rank were real Lugians, knowing so many of his men were getting their great gray derrieres kicked by one opponent?

There's still the chance that it was a fake K'rank, but given the context of those last two lines, it sounds more like Kresovus was assuming it was the real deal.

[Kitsune-gari]

Great work on this! Glorious battle! Shadow deception! Never before has a teaser had me want so much to BE there, to lend my sword to the battle. (well, my fist ... but that just doesn't have the same ring to it)

And I love the opening line -- "Fellow warriors, aid me!" :D


In meta-game terms, this seems a good cue to put K'rank under close scrutiny. But, the cue doesn't make sense in context.

It surprises me that Kresovus wonders at that point in the narrative whether or not K'rank really is K'rank. He hasn't yet seen his own duplicate, so why would he suspect that someone who looked like K'rank - and apparently fought like K'rank - was not?
Does Kresovus suspect K'rank merely because K'rank still wears his armor?
Odd, when the Lord of Linvak notes in the same thought K'rank's still armored status 'with some satisfaction'. Until Kresovus sees his own image, he really would have no reason to suspect the assault was by anything other than renegades.
Any lugian attacking Linvak whoud not likely be lifestoned there, so the invaders naturally would not ressurect in town. The lugains defending Linvak would be lifestoned there, so when killed they would revive there, ready to leap back into the fray. (reappear armorless, but maybe lugians haven't gotten the hang of DIs yet)


In any case, it looks like Linvak (and maybe Yaraq) will be the place to be this patch.

[Talon of Vale]

The first part describing he battle was pretty interesting. The part about the queen qualifies as a "quick brush over glance".


I can only assume from the teaser pics that there will be a near total eclipse of the sun and moons and that this effect permeates into the dungeons as well, for I could see absolutely noting but blackness in any of the pics.

Please oh please have your cameraman take along a source of illumination, flashbulbs can't be that expensive in Dereth.

[Zenra_Icewind]

Not a bad tease. First place I'll be going on patch day will be Linvak. :D

[Mac Furious]

i like the whole lugain think looks like its gon b pretty fun, other then thatehh nothing to crazy looking :/ .

[Daggers]

When is the patch? Have they firmed the date yet?

Sorry if I missed that somewhere.

[Silifi Of Death]

When is the patch? Have they firmed the date yet?

Sorry if I missed that somewhere.

Tomorrow.

[-jz]

uhhh...
Someone's been reading Halequin Romances! :D

Cool Teaser all the same.
And :eek: @ Kresovus and the other friendly Lugians getting killed... and it sounds like perma-killed. :(

[Ceredwyn_HG]

I went to honour Balor one last time this morning :( Let's hope we can avenge his death :mad:

[Uzi-El]

I went to honour Balor one last time this morning :( Let's hope we can avenge his death :mad:
Urleg kicked the wounded Mattekar into the cell, then slammed the iron gates. The beast roared and crashed its massive body into the bars, rocking them in their stone moorings. "We cannot keep it here," Urleg growled. "This cage cannot hold."

What death? :p

Then again, if what I think is gonna happen is gonna happen, he'll wish he'd died. (Then again, it'll probably backfire on them as well...)

[jamminman]

I love the thought of New tier weapons , Glad you Announced it before i started imbueing the new tier weapons from last month >> DOH !!!

[Alissa]

People I think the infiltrators are not shadow/virindi specific. Sure you can see the touch of those there. However think ahead. The Viamonters are coming, the virindi have shown them how to transform their people.

Sending in spies/assassins in before you come to conquer is an old tried and true tactic. Using the rebels as the softening up force leaves them a fractured Dereth to come conquer/liberate depending on if your not or are a viamonter.

IMHO these are the precursor to the viamonters coming to visit. And I am sure their are lifestones in their areas that is why they did not come back, too far away.

[HolloTip]

Who decided to put the 20-49 dungon on AL? How the heck are new players supposed to reach this? The other two higher level dungons are actually much easier to get to. Where is the logic in that?

[Erlic]

Why not a level lever on all worlds? you could fix it so only one toon on each account could use it and put what ever other controls you wanted. As it is only those who fellowship or are already higher levels can get the good items. this would help level the playing field some what.
OK, flame away.