From Matt Firor on the Herald:

We've just updated our Dark Age of Camelot: New Frontiers web site with information about the upcoming RvR expansion's Realmwars map, as well as a description of the transportation changes we've designed. Go to the official New Frontiers Website to see the new information. All of these items are designed to make it easier for RvR players to find and get into battles faster. As always, use the feedback forms here on the Herald to let us know what you think of the proposed design.

Frontiers Transportation Page

Most of you have probably seen Matt Firor's post on the Herald about ToA bonus changes. I'm not going to summarize it, because everyone should really read the entire thing (and carefully, too) for themselves. If you haven't, go do so. We'll wait!

Long-time readers will remember my comments about how aspects of Trials of Atlantis were not tested adequately - or at all. For months I've been predicting dire consequences, and aside from ToA being more or less necessary to compete in RvR, it looked as though perhaps I was wrong. I now wish that were the case... but my predictions have turned out to be all too true.

Mythic did not test Artifact abilities. Stealth Lore has been nerfed; Radiant Aura has been nerfed; items created by Artifacts have been nerfed. Mythic did not test Master Level Abilities. Sphere of Rejuvenation and Font of Power have been nerfed; Prescience Node has been nerfed; over two dozen MLAs have been semi-nerfed by moving them to the same reuse timer as one or more other MLAs. Mythic did not test overall balance, and now special ToA bonuses have been nerfed with a lower cap, and with lower bonuses on many items.

Whether these nerfs were warranted or not, I think we can all agree that they should not have happened months after the expansion was released - if they had to happen, they should have happened during testing. MMORPG beta tests exist for two main reasons - to make sure things are working (and fix any bugs), and to balance the game. The Trials of Atlantis beta test clearly met neither of those goals.

Mythic seems to have learned from their mistakes, and with New Frontiers have attempted to be more open, which will certainly help. They have not, however, made any moves to deal with the second problem, the population of Pendragon. Until they do so, the possibility remains that another extreme testing failure can occur - if not with New Frontiers (Mythic will have no problems finding people to test out a new RvR system), then with their next retail expansion. We have no more than Mythic's verbal assurances that a year from now, we won't be feeling the impact of the nerf bat again - they have yet to back up words with actions.

In hopes of preventing this promise of theirs from being nothing but a post on the Herald, as well as saving a server near death, I've put up a little subsite here at Classes of Camelot, where you can go to learn more about the situation, and can see what to do if you'd like to help out. Check it out at http://www.classesofcamelot.com/pendragon!

And remember... A vote for testing is a vote against being beaten senseless with the nerf bat!

Discuss this news!

Have you ever wanted to support the site, bring others the information you find, or maybe just have your name prominently displayed where thousands of people per day will see it? Do you spend a lot of time reading DAoC fansites or message boards?

Right now Classes of Camelot is looking for new staffers, as the old ones are pretty much gone. You've probably noticed that our news has been, to say the least, pretty slow; updates of some of our pages have also been less common than I'd like. There are two different positions we need to fill - though multiple people can have the same position...

• News. To be a news poster you have to be willing to peruse all the various DAoC news sources and post what you find that might be of interest to CoC visitors. You also need to be able to write a coherent sentence. Knowledge of basic HTML is a plus.
• Information. Info gatherers should be able to find the information needed and make changes to the appropriate files. Knowledge of HTML and FTP basics are necessary.

You may be wondering about perks. The site is completely non-profit, so there's no money involved, of course. Generally, active staff at fansites receive access to beta tests. Other than that, there are no tangible rewards - but there is the knowledge that what you have done has helped someone, even if in a small way.

To apply, simply send me an email with whatever credentials you think may be relevant. Please apply only if you think you will have the time and interest to continue for at least a couple months.

Mythic released a new section of their New Frontiers website yesterday, which outlines some of the basic changes Mythic plans to make to the Realm Ability system. A few highlights:

• Each RA will fall into one of two categories: RAs with five levels and RAs with three levels.
• Instead of the very powerful ten and fourteen point class specific RAs of the old system, the new system will grant each class a free RA at Realm Rank 5.
• "Free" Abilities based on player level or spec level. Additionally, some classes will receive what were former RAs that are deemed to be essential to their nature automatically as they reach certain levels and spec levels.

You can see more on the Herald's New Frontiers RA page or on our thread about the changes.