[Bellatrix]

Phase 2 of the Beta Test - Now Open!

Welcome to Phase 2 and thank you for your willingness to test out the game - we really appreciate your help and feedback!

Please note that we will be holding weekly Stress Tests every Saturday from 11 AM to 2 PM Pacific Time to help test the game's capacity - please log in as often as you can each Saturday to assist us in this process.

Release Notes - September 24, 2007

Mac Version

• Beta test version now available

Optimization

• Improved game performance and higher frame rates on all machines

General Interface

• Eliminated dual mode interface:

1. The mouse cursor is now always available by default
2. For camera controls, you can now hold down the right mouse button to move the camera

• Weapons:

1. Weapons are no longer equipped; they are mapped to the F1-F6 keys
2. Only your current weapon is shown on screen
3. Skills are now visible/clickable at the bottom of your screen - they are no longer in a radial menu
4. Tonic button has been added to the screen. Pressing "T" or clicking on this icon will allow you to use the most effective tonic for your health level
5. Added gamma control so the brightness of the game can be adjusted

Chat Interface

• Added Open Chat
• The text now scrolls from top to bottom
• Interface is less intrusive - it is minimized when you are not chatting

Quests

• Quest interface has been simplified
• Only one window at a time is active when receiving a quest
• Tracking quests is more intuitive and ties in better with the radar
• Jolly Roger has been integrated into the game more
• Undead creatures now all use the same "Jolly" effect when spawning and dying
• Staged scenarios have been added to give enemies a purpose in the game world: burning town, mining operation, voodoo ritual, etc.

Ships

• Ship boarding system has been greatly simplified
• To board a ship, approach a dingy on the shore and, when prompted, select the ship you want to board from the new interface
• We've added the ability to see when a friend or crew member is on a ship, and you can now teleport directly to them
• The ocean areas have been named. Trade routes have been added where you can find certain types of ships
• Balanced enemy ship AI and fixed bugs associated with cannonballs not hitting ships
• Stopped avatar from accidentally falling out of ship

Parlor Games and PVP

• Blackjack and Tortuga Hold'em have been completed
• Mayhem and Team Battle PVP have been completed

Other Polish

• Collision fixes have been made to stop avatars from falling out of the world
• More effects added: waterfall spray, ripples, lava steam and bubbles, digging dirt, etc.
• New music has been integrated into the game

IT WORKS!

-scream-

But I have homework! NOOOO.