Sorry, gang - no more tips and tricks permanently! :-(

Hi readers. I really wish that, for Christmas, I could have told you that the current communications issues with Winch Gate have been straightened out, and that I'd have a gift bag chock full of information new and restored alike for you under the tree today.

Instead, it gives me absolutely no joy to report that the "tips and tricks" aspect of this blog will be no more - forever. :-(

What happened to all the tips?!

Oren pyr, readers! You're probably noticing a few things have gone missing. I'm sorry, but there's very little I can do about that thanks to - of all people - Winch Gate itself.

Happy birth, Dai!

In-game, Dainan celebrated his 24th birthday today. So I figured I'd do a short story on what that might be like. Enjoy! Or don't. I'm not here to tell ya what to do! (Credit to Altamira for the snappy title.)

Let's Go! Zora

Oren pyr, folks! Today, we head south from the Burning Dunes to the jungle continent of the Witherings, drawn toward the city of magnetism - Zora, capital of the Zorai and largest of the Cities of Intuition.

A portal from the southwestern regions of the Dunes of Exile, near Marmot Farm, takes us to the Great Outback of the Witherings continent. It's some of the least overgrown - and most dangerous - territory of the continent and is not exactly a safe road to travel. Feeling brave, I decided to try making the run down the Outback's legendary Ramp at the height of kitin feeding season.

Festival of the Lakes entertains, educates fairgoers

FAIRHAVEN (Atysian Press) - Jublas towered overhead for the first time just outside of Fairhaven in recent memory without a single resident batting an eye.

Royal Market reopens in Avalae

AVALAE (Atysian Press) - With typical Matis flourish in the form of a small fireworks show, the Royal Market of Avalae marked its recovery from the Second Great Swarming with its first public sale.

GAME NEWS: Devs explain New Horizons details

Oren pyr, folks! Due to popular demand of the New Horizons dapper grind method, it seems one of the game devs has taken time out to explain (somewhat vaguely, but hey, some explanation is better than none at all!) a few of the new parameters and restrictions on the transporter missions.

You can find the original announcement over here at the official forum, or skip through the page break for a reprint with clarification notes in italics.

Stanzas and You: Magic

Oren pyr, folks! I hope you enjoyed the simplicity of the previous two installments, because today's going to get just a wee bit trickier. We're going to explore the basics of magic stanzas and, as I'm sure you know by now if you're a new player, even the basics can get a little complicated.

We'll try to make it as easy as possible, though. Let's get to it!

The Ghost of Musemere

Hey guys! I know I said I'd have those two other stanza tutorials up today, but I'm drained and I'm just not feelin' it. Can I get away with a short story now and the tutorials tomorrow? I can? Great! Thanks.

Stanzas and You: Fighting

Oren pyr, folks!

We continue the Stanzas and You series with a look at basic fighting stanzas. Most are very similar, but some actions and credits can dictate whether your fighting action is universal or more specialized to cause extra damage or status effects. So, we'll review basic fighting stanzas that take advantage of the three different types of physical damage one can deal - slashing, piercing or blunt - as well as a glance at my favorite style, Range.

Stanzas and You: Harvesting

Oren pyr, folks!

I was checking blog traffic last night and noticed we were getting quite a few searches for "stanzas". Then I noticed there's absolutely nothing posted here on the topic.

We should rectify that with a new fixed-run column - Stanzas and You.

In today's installment, we're going to take a brief look at one of the four basic types of stanzas you'll be using in-game - harvesting, crafting, fighting and spellcasting. Today's how-to: Harvesting.

Now, this by no means will be exhaustive or authoritative. The reality is that stanzas get quite complex as one gains new skills, and taking an in-depth look at each possible stanza one can make would drive the both of us absolutely insane.

So, we'll just stick with the basics and you can develop your own stanza style as you progress. Here we go!

Let's Go! Pyr

Oren pyr, folks!

Welcome to the first installment of the Let's Go! series - a detailed look at the cities, communities, and regions of the planet we call Atys. Since I'm from the desert, I thought we'd make our first step the scenic, historic Imperial capital of Pyr.

Founded in 2483 almost immediately after the Fyros first appeared in these lands, Pyr towers over the Imperial Dunes region of the Burning Desert continent. It is considered the largest city on the planet. Surrounded by impregnable earthbrick walls, the city has a well-earned reputation for being a ponderous maze for newcomers and the place to go for anyone who knows anyone to get anything decent. Open-air plazas and markets juxtapose with taverns, dark alleys and hard stares from the leathery individuals that inhabit them.

Truly, it is a city of opportunity, wonder, and awe.

One New Beginning Deserves Another

Hello, Ryzom fans! In the spirit of Winch Gate's New Beginning, I've decided to dust off this blog and continue with the Ryzom news, writings and general bric-a-brac. Stay tuned!