As developers, we've learned that money is way too easy to acquire when players don't actually fear death, so testing our economic balance has been impossible. We will gain a better grasp of the financial ability of each type of player after the death and health systems go in. Ultimately, the final tweaking of the economy will happen after the open beta starts, and we have a chance to watch a macro-economic system at work.
In other news, the city of Saotan nears completion, not just of its many dark streets and overgrown parks, but also its buildings, institutions, hideaways and places of interest. Our testers enjoy the full services of the bank, storage warehouse, several eateries, a gem shop, a clothing shop, the bath house, an inn, the city militia, and several trade booths in the open-market bazaar. Three hunting areas are completed, and many more are in the works. Proto-critters fill the hunting areas, but these are pale reflections of the multi-dimensional creatures which will inhabit the Isles after all the foundation creature code is implemented.
Stay tuned for more progress updates in future newsletters, or check out what's new on the Lost Isles website at www.lostisles.com/news.php.
Digging around in the Tombs of Moh Cirath, the grubbers are throwbacks to the original goblinesque creatures which were run out of the Tsume Bay area when the humans settled. Those which survived went underground, adapting to live in the warrens and tunnels created in the cliffs from ancient waterways long since dried up. The humans turned the lowermost levels into burial grounds, giving the grubbers access to resources, and dare we say, sustenance. They scavanged bits of cloth, metal, leather and carrion from the corpses, and carried them back to their dens, where their numbers thrive despite the Saotan citizen's constant efforts to eliminate, or at least decrease, the grubber population.
There is nothing overly intelligent about grubbers, and they stand only about three feet high. The most experienced warriors scoff at bothering to kill them at all, but grubbers are a great fodder for the Saotan youth to practice their martial skills on.
In the words of intrepid warrior, gem-collector, lover Ovak "Gotta love them grubbers, remind me of my ma, but dang it if there ain't a lot of them!"
Once, we were quite content living in the wretched, dried-up water spurs beneath the ground. Never mind that we used to live right where you do now, and were forced underground. But I cannot complain about that, no, since now that is the only way of life we know, and there are some who are content with it.
I don’t know at what point we suddenly became fodder for your sniveling-nosed, would-be warriors. Lnsed’via’snisd! (translator’s note: word unknown.) I don’t know at what point we became your “practice.” And not only that, but it is not just these “humans,” but also the short folk, the hairy folk [and they think we look ‘ugly?’], and even the aoru, who once treated us at least with a touch of dignity. At least they took the attempt to refer to us by our true name, and not “grubber,” which the humans coined for us, no doubt after seeing one too many of their own children soiled and filthy, and having to lash out at something. Oh yes, we know of your behaviors and traditions. We see you amble about your great city, we see you wipe the faces of your ugly children, and we see you sleep. We are always watching, and there are more of us, far more of us, than you even wish to think about.
What finally forced me to write and express my great displeasure and rith’szfowpvna’nd (Trans note: word unknown) was an incident that happened recently. A young couple of humans made their way into the tombs of Moh Cirath, and began groping and being intimate. Now, perhaps your excuse for a culture has no sacredness, but we certainly have no interest in witnessing any sort of mating rituals of our own kind, much less of other animals. Perhaps you take an interest in watching your own livestock mate. Perhaps it is a rite of passage for your snotty children. But I’ll be a dead grubber (Trans note: grubber’s word for their own kind, untranslatable.) before I allow any of you to tarnish our sacred home with any sort of nasty behavior. Luckily, I ran in, claws flashing, and scared the would-be mates from any sort of unmentionable acts. I frightened them so much, one of them left behind an article of clothing, which I heard screamed as a “bodice.”
As a token of my triumph and victory, and keeping our home clean of your vermin, I proudly wear this “bodice” around my head as a sign for victory, and a symbol for the rest of you to just watch yourselves… for we are watching you.
Letter sent in by Klizkana’an Stri’zka’atur, grubber (translated by Josel Jatinger)
My name is Dulgar. I am the eldest son of Mulgar, who owns and operates the storage warehouse down near the Saotan city docks. My Ma says I got her good looks, but seein' as how my ma is bigger than a house and only has three teeth left, I'm not so sure I be wanting to believe that. Anyways, I've got my eye on the pretty Miss Massina who helps out at the bank. Problem is, she has her eye on that obnoxious Grom, no-necked son-of-a-troll that he is. All muscle, no brain, but he looks good in that leather studded vest, and it pains me to think that's what Massina is after. One day I'll inherit my Da's warehouse, and when that time comes, ol' Grom will be a toothless old coot with a sagging gut. Then we'll see who Massina fancies. Oh yes we will....
- GM Raef, while watching the alpha testers explode in a spontaneous bout of friendly player killing
"I'm impressed, even if I have to combust him now."
-GM Shai, commenting on alpha tester Ovak's assist during Customer Service assist training
"We'll be doing this again very soon, so start thinking up more of your "I'm clearly on crack" assists."
-GM Estella, after a successful night of Customer Service training with the alpha testers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Get Lost at www.lostisles.com.
News and Updates found at www.lostisles.com/public/news.php
Room Samples available now in the Library section. Come Check out our world! www.lostisles.com/public/
library.php
If you know someone who would like to receive the Lost Isles newsletter and isn't already on our mailing list, write news@lostisles.com
If you received this newsletter, and would like to be removed from the mailing list, please write feedback@lostisles.com
© 2002-2003 Diving Sun Interactive, All rights reserved.