Warfare switch will be tonight at midnight. The new map will be the "Catacombs" map designed by GAGANB in the Main Forum. Why does the tile-set look rubbish? This is our new virtual reality tile set and while it doesn't look as good as the other maps I can throw out new map designs for it in under a few minutes. So we can try all sorts of layouts with it quickly until we settle on some that we like, I can also make quick adjustments to the layout if something doesn't work without having to draw new artwork.

The new objective is called the Grounding Station. Every hour the central tile gets 100% controlled by whichever gang got the lowest score in the final minute of the hour, although it can be contested normally it will keep resetting to the weakest gangs control on the hourly ticks.

Whoever controls the Grounding Station can pick up to 2 conduits that will lock every hour, an additional 4 will lock at random. The conduits are the 1 x 2 tile gaps that join the different sections of the map. A lot of these mechanics are new and experimental, I guess we'll just see how they go. Feedback is important, if everyone hates it we wont use this design again.



The starting positions shown above will also be used when the map goes live, although it's symmetrical so I guess it doesn't make much difference.

EDIT: An additional note, red zone restrictions will not prevent access to the grounding station. So there is no need to move the Gang HQs away.

So quite a few things have happened and quite a few concerns have come up. Which is understandable. So lets go through the list shall we?

-Yes, Scott is no longer with us for reasons listed in an earlier blog made by Zorg. Details on what happened and who was involved is not going to be divulged no matter how many times it is asked.

-Yes, I am now the Lead Volunteer Helper (VH) and yet do not have a yellow name and am still a player. I was setup as a player staff before and that is as far as it went. I am currently working with Zorg to sort that out or change how it works entirely.

-As Lead VH with only Wolf as my other VH member, that means only 1 gang has a Staff Rep officially. Meaning until as such time that there are other VH members to fill the spots, I have to be the Staff Rep for the other three gangs. Why is this a problem? Well in short this means I have access to all the forums when needed. Which leads into my next point.

-I am currently a member of the Black Hand (Rank 17) for Dark Flame. This puts up two conflicts of interest as a player being a VH. And unfortunately all I can do is let you guys know that I have no interest or desire to browse through your forums for your plans or anything going on within your gang. I am only interested in the gang I am currently affiliated with.

If the above point is cause for great concern, then I will in time remove myself from that position to allow someone else to take up that spot.

-I intend on hiring at the absolute minimum 2 more VH members. This will occur after I have worked out a couple of details with Zorg.

I realize there are a lot of concerns with how I am setup currently and how things are being run. And no matter what I say there are going to be a few people who are always going to be concerned. And unfortunately all I can tell you guys is to relax, buckle up, and try to enjoy the ride.

So the Shadow Facility is gone apparently. New items have also been added to the Crystal Exchange for Avatars along with some price cuts for Tier 1 Avatar items. If you can't see the new T2 items in Crystal Exchange, you need to purchase and use the Journal from Joe's Merchandise.

In other news, a lot of interesting stuff will be making its way to Legacy in the coming weeks. While we wait for that as well as news on statistics and rewards for the last key, there's a new vote up concerning Player HP. Do check it out as well as the main forum thread.

???

Residents of the hive,

As many of you know, the Shadow Facility has disappeared. This seemed to have happened right as the Shadow Forge gained power. There were various electrical disturbances reported in the hive but the strangest report was that the Shadow Facility kept phasing in and out of existence.

We are working on figuring out what happened. There are no traces of the Shadow Hunters anywhere in the hive save for Journals they have left behind. There have also been witness reports of strange crystal formations growing across the hive. These crystals don’t seem harmful nor are they harvestable, but we advise caution regardless. Otherwise, Sector 2 is safe to roam about except the area that once surrounded the Shadow Facility.

These are troubling times and we fear that it is only just beginning.

We will keep you updated with reports as they come in.

Until then, please stay safe.