Deireadh Fómhair (October) 2013


Cead Mile Failte!

Welcome to another edition of the Gaiscioch Family Ceannard Notes! This month we'll be covering the upcoming ExtraLife Event, October's Breast Cancer Awareness Month and what Gaiscioch will be doing to show our support, we'll be discussing some upcoming events, and recent changes to Guild Wars 2. Let's go ahead and dive head first into this months news.

ExtraLife Event
A Full Day of Fun Scheduled for November 2nd!

On November 2nd from 12am to 12am we will be hosting an array of PvE and PvP events for all to participate in. Our tentative schedule is as follows.

  • 12-3am: WvW with Foghladha
  • 3-6am: PvE Event
  • 6-9am: WvW Event with Kaytlyn
  • 9-12pm: PvE Event
  • 12-3pm: WvW Event with Jessica
  • 3-6pm: PvE Event
  • 6-9pm: WvW Event with Spartan
  • 9-12am: PvE Event including Guild Missions with Foghladha

If you would like to volunteer to lead one of these events please visit our forum and reply to our ExtraLife 2013 Event post with your availability. Again be sure to signup and ask for donations from your friends, families, and co-workers and let’s make this event a huge success.

Signup at: http://www.gaiscioch.com/tavern/family_news/post_65529.html

Show Your Support
Gaiscioch Goes Pink for October's Breast Cancer Awareness Month

For women around the world this is one of the biggest opponents they face. This foe has plagued women for centuries. My own mom has battled Breast Cancer over the past two years and has really opened my eyes to the importance of early detection.

To pay tribute to my mom and all the moms, grandmas, sisters, and women out there who face off with this challenging foe, Gaiscioch will be changing its logo as well as the SORC logo to pink and white in honor of October's Breast Cancer awareness month. If you would like to show your support please dye at least 1 item in your armor set pink for the month of October. Lets show our widespread support for these warriors against Breast Cancer.

Read more or post your garb at:
http://www.gaiscioch.com/tavern/family_news/post_65486.html

Monthly Livestream
Getting Started as a Member of Gaiscioch

Last month we covered Joining the Family in episode 2 of our Gaiscioch Family Video Series on YouTube.

In this months livestream we will walk members through the day to day life of being a Gaiscioch. From day 1 to year 1 we will cover the various systems and procedures in place you will use on a day to day basis. We will give a brief overview of the participation system, the leadership system, the marketplace, as well as walk you through the promotion process.

Feel free to tune in October 5th at 12pm to our Twitch.tv feed at:
http://www.twitch.tv/thegaisciochfamily

To watch other episodes check out the Gaiscioch Family video series at:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWRYhlET-aA5-wSO-Ai9U7wvwxCUpan_a

Share your Thoughts
Gaiscioch Family Summit Pubcast

Join us for this month’s Gaiscioch Family Summit Pubcast for news and information about the family as well as discussion about various topics. This month we will discuss our favorite memories of Warhammer Online, our thoughts on the new WvW seasons concept, our perspective of the new Tequatl fight, and our hopes for future content. The broadcast goes live at 5PM on October 5th so be sure to join in on RaidCall: 1101 to participate in this live recorded broadcast.

If you'd like to listen to previous episodes subscribe to our pubcast at:

State of the Family Address
Join us November 9th as we Celebrate 12 Years of Gaiscioch

On November 9th 2013 we will be meeting on RaidCall: 1101 for our annual State of the Family address. In this extended version of our monthly summits we will discuss where we've been, what we've accomplished, and where we are going in 2014. We will also be opening the floor for people to share their favorite Gaiscioch memories and thoughts. Out of all of our monthly meetings this one is the most important. This event will be 2 hours in length and begin at 5pm Pacific. I encourage you all to think about a story, idea, or question you'd like answered at this years state of the family address.

Saying Goodbye to Warhammer Online

In 2008, the Gaiscioch Family was reborn under a new concept, new perspective, and a completely new player base. I think back to the dark days of Gaiscioch when Donaliam, Yulishka, DanCZ, Caelliu, Breel and I would share adventures in free-2-play mmo after free-2-play mmo. We must have changed games a few dozen times. We even tried World of Warcraft for a small period of time. Nothing felt like home.

Alas Caelliu and Breel managed to get their hands on the Alpha for Warhammer Online and got me involved in the Beta. Both Caelliu and Breel were huge Warhammer fans and were committed to seeing the Gaiscioch reborn in this new world. After a short time Don, Yulishka, and I were hooked. It was a ton of fun and we saw great potential for a second coming.

Over the next 2 years we grew to over 1,700 registered members. New friendships were born, memories were made, and a new path was uncovered. By the time things took a turn for the worse in Warhammer our community was involved in the creation of RIFT. In 2011, we closed our Chapter 2 officially and moved on into Chapter 3: RIFT.

This past month we received word that come December 18th Warhammer Online would be leaving forever. Here's the official statement issued by Mythic:

"We here at Mythic have built an amazing relationship working with Games Workshop creating and running Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning over the last 8 years. Unfortunately, as with all licensing deals they do eventually come to end and on December 18th, 2013 we will no longer be operating Warhammer Online."

I wanted to share this with all of you so that if you wanted to have a last fling you could. Warhammer Online holds a special place in all of our Chapter 2 players hearts and I know that even though many of us have moved on most of us can remember the fun times we shared in that world. Many of which still today shine bright in our minds.

I want to say to those of you who will read this who worked for Mythic at the time that we appreciate your hard work and Warhammer Online will always hold a piece of the Gaiscioch heart. Thank you for the 2 wonderful years we shared with you. It was an awesome experience and it will be remembered as such.

Guild Wars 2

Things in Guild Wars 2 are heating up. This month we saw the first major change to WvW since it's launch. The middle lake has been transformed into a playground for small scale warfare. Tequatl has been completely redone and turned into a full scale Raid mechanic in the vein of Trials of Atlantis Artifact Raids. Many have thrown themselves at the encounter and have failed. This is the first of many reworks and new raid style encounters entering the fold. Recent Patches

Oct 1st 2013:
Twilight Assault

Rumors have been gathering—whispers of a menace in the shadows. Trouble is stirring in Twilight Arbor!

Features:

  • A New, Level 80 Path In Twilight Arbor
  • World Vs. World Match Rewards
  • New Achievement Rewards
  • Exotic Nightmare Weapons
  • Aether Chests

More Information:

September, 17th 2013
Tequatl Rising

It has been gathering power in the depths.
It is faster, stronger, deadlier.
It has returned to devour and destroy.
It is called Tequatl the Sunless… and it has evolved.

Features:

  • The Dragon Tequatl – Redefined!
  • New Ruins Of Power In World Vs. World
  • Bosses – Updated!
  • New Wvw Ability: Flame Ram Mastery

More Information:

September, 3rd 2013
Super Adventure Box: Back to School

The asuran genius Moto is back with his new and improved Super Adventure Box! This virtual reality simulator was designed to educate young asura, but anyone can enroll! Face new challenges and new enemies in World 2, or put your skills to the ultimate test with the aptly-named Tribulation Mode!

Features:

  • Account-Wide Magic Find
  • Craft Ascended Weapons
  • Legendary Weapon Updates

More Information:

Chapter 5 Outlook
Behind the Scenes

So I felt this month that I would share with you the other candidates that we've been watching for quite a while. With so many titles on the horizon it's been quite a battle to find the place that feels like home. Our Pioneer teams have been involved in several games over the past few months to evaluate potential and see if there's a positive match for our way of life.

Now before I go through the other guys I feel it's important to let you know that all of these are still too far on the horizon to even tell if they can be a potential or not. Many of them we hoped would arrive sooner but were extended and pushed back. At this point the only Contender that fits our timeframe and still scores within our candidate matrix target range is Elder Scrolls Online.

I feel it's important to share the games we have been looking at so that you too might see why we've made the decisions we have and what games we've been carefully evaluating. So without much ado here's our other guys that we will continue to watch for future Saighdear or Branch potential.

#2 Bless Online

If you have not seen any of the trailers and gameplay footage from this game out of Korea you should definitely take a look. It has Raiding, Massive creatures, flying mounts, housing, a beautiful game engine, and traditional MMO style gameplay. It has a massive warfare system with 2 real RvR in the vein of Warhammer Online. The downside however is it's been hinted at having an American release, however 2 years after we began watching we still have nothing even remotely close to proof that it does plan to launch in America anytime in the near future. If and when Bless makes it's way to America it will definitely be something to check out.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2iEhS1Xwio

#3 Camelot Unchained

How could we resist the ability to venture back to Camelot in a new warfront. Playing the Ancient Celts in a world designed with Celtic Mythology at it's very core. From my friend and Mythic co-founder Mark Jacobs, and the team that created Dark Age of Camelot, comes Camelot Unchained. It will likely be a major contender on the Siege Warfare side. In addition I am in close communication with several of their developers and they have a very close connection to the community. The downside is that the game has no planned viable PvE at all. The entire game is built around siege and conquest and all leveling in this game is based on it. There will be no PvE only dungeons or raids. So while this looks like heaven of a Siege Warfare game, it crashes and burns in the PvE players eyes.

Teaser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z_YKUrabmE

#4 Everquest Next / Landmark

When we first saw the notice of the next Everquest in production we began watching this one. We know many of our players came from the world of Everquest and would love to jump back in. Earlier this year we got the big announcement of Everquest Next and Landmark. The game looks to have some amazing features for the PvE players, however from the PvP side it has no sign of any Siege Warfare at all. If only Everquest Next and Camelot Unchained hooked up and had a baby we might have a serious contender. In addition, SONY Online is the publisher for this one and we've never been able to chisel our way into their development circle. All attempts to make contact with the team have failed.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFWxhGCYAsc

#5 Lineage Eternal

In what looks to be a return to the original style of Lineage, Lineage Eternal returns to over the shoulder Diablo like combat. In it's first few videos that appeared online it showed some massive PvE Sieges and even looks to have a siege system in place for PvP. It has a lot of neat features but pretty much throws conventional MMO out the window. It's completely click to move and it appears the camera is controlled by the game. The major downside is that theres no announced release date or timeline to bring it to America. The good news is that NC Soft is publishing it and we have received word that once Wildstar goes gold the Lineage Eternal alpha in America will make an appearance.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCdbdsFgNGI

#6 Pathfinder Online

Elth first brought this one to our attention. We've been watching it closely over the past few years since it first hit Kickstarter. It has a lot of really neat concepts but release is still not even on the table and they're still trying to get the funding necessary to take it to term. We will continue to watch it but at this point it just doesn't have enough information to be able to get a big picture view.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxT91d_exqQ

The review process has been pretty expansive and very interesting to say the least. We are continuously looking at the horizon for that perfect storm. At this point the only game that stands above the rest is Elder Scrolls Online. If nothing else we have found some pretty fun games that would be nice auxiliary games that our players can dabble with when they come to be. If you interested in being part of one of the Pioneer teams for these games above be sure to update your Testing Profile on your "Update Profile" page to reflect which you're interested in helping test.

A Rare Chance & Opportunity
Gloria Victis, An Indie MMO

Over the past couple months I discovered a Indie MMO being developed out of Poland by the name of Gloria Victus. Upon researching their development team you can find a lot of their key personnel among those that worked on the titles Neverwinter Nights (The Original), The Witcher 1 & 2, Baldur's Gate, and the Gothic Series. I dove a bit more into the project and learned that they are literally building this game for gamers, by gamers, and most importantly WITH gamers. Their design draft includes a massive Siege Warfare system with territorial control, epic PvE raiding systems, crafting, and a massive world to explore. On paper it looks like the perfect game for Gaiscioch. It is a 4 realm system with real world mythology based realms. The Celts (European Version), The Romans, The Persians, and the Slavic.

Now the cool part is when I inquired about the game and expressed interest in helping them build a tier 1 guild system, they not only opened their ears but also asked me to present a guild system to them. I developed a design draft for a guild system and they not only loved it but have asked me to be a part of the core team to help give more direction. While I am only a volunteer for the project they are giving me access to a large portion of their design docs which are all in Polish and they have given me the opportunity to bring anyone I want into the Pre-Alpha to help give feedback, present ideas, and help make this game.

If you're an aspiring game developer, or just have a really cool concept you'd love to see in an MMO this is your chance to get on board on the ground floor and watch a game go from the drawing board to release. At this point the game is in early development and many of the systems aren't even built yet. This is the point at which you can influence the most and see a lot of your visions and suggestions make their way into a game. It's a very exciting opportunity and gives you a chance to be a part of the development process.

If you’re interested update your Tester Profile on your profile page to reflect that you would like to help with Gloria Victus and also create a forum account at: http://forum.gloriavictisgame.com/. Once you have created it, send me your username and I can have them activate your account. Please note that this game is Pre-Alpha, so if you go in expecting a finished product your expectations are going to be poorly placed. They are still developing things like being able to move your character, making buttons, and are using placeholder voices and art.

For more information check out:
http://www.gloriavictisgame.com/

Watch the Trailer at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hICRzBgx6SI

In Closing
Final Thoughts & Momentos

This month kids went back to school, vacations have ended, and from the looks of Facebook we've had a whole new crop of engagements, weddings, and births. For all of those getting married (Looking at you Pookha and Castael!) Slainte! I hope to witness love flourish in both of your lives. To Bivrip who welcomed little Klystora to the family, congratulations! and those who recently took their vows, Olga and Geoff, we offer our utmost respects and hope that all of you are able to share your future endeavors with us.  Many of us can get lost in the Guild or the Game, but when it comes down to it all those connections end with real human beings. Whether we're in game or out we are family and to that I am proud of all of you. If I missed anyone's announcement I apologize. Go into the world this month and live epic. By the end of this month I too shall know the wrath that is known as Teenager. :D. Happy Birthday Allie aka DeathFairy, looking forward to sharing your teenage years :). See you all next month!

Slan Go Foill!
(Goodbye For Now)

Benjamin "Foghladha" Foley
Ceannard De Gaiscioch Treubh