From the /r/mmorpg post:

https://www.everquest2.com/news/eq2-producers-letter-04032024

"Now that that’s all out of the way, let’s get down to the nitty gritty of why you’re all here. It is time to talk about the new TLE server. When last I spoke of it, I explained it is not like any TLE’s before it, and now I will explain why. 

This new server will be called the Origins Server, and it will take you way back to old school EverQuest II from back in 2006! We'll start in The Shattered Lands era (no expansions unlocked), and you’ll get to experience the look and challenge of the classic world of Norrath. The seas have calmed enough for sea faring to resume, and you are plucked from the waters by none other than Captain Varlos. Soon you will find yourself on an island and then given passage to your racial neighborhoods in Qeynos or Freeport. Systems will seem less complex, stats and gameplay will be reflective of the 2006 era, and there will be more focus on grouping with that old school MMO feel! If you did not have the chance to play back then, or just want to revisit for nostalgia, then this server will be on your list to play. Beta will begin on May 2, 2024. "

From Kandor's post (lead designer)

1. There will be no spell research. There will be a 6 week beta, so make sure you participate if you have questions. We restored old art, and old hoods, we need lots of testing.

2. All stats do something, like they used to. all bosses will be original stat/buff packages. no potency, no crit, no blue stats.

3. Unfortunately, not all the code is still there, so weight was lost. No weight, weight is unfortunately, gone.

4. So as to unlocks, none of that has been decided, but we did put in new forums, so now we will be able to poll and discuss unlocks before we launch.

5. There wil be a marketplace, but it will be very limited. It will not be free trade.

6. This server is on its own depot. Meaning, it cannot be affected by Live, at all. It literally has its own patches, etc. We've never done this before, so the server exists entirely separate from the rest of the game.

7. Freeport and Qeynos are back to old school. Old quests are back.

8. no persistant instances, its old school.

9. No subcombines. The current build is right after we took out subcombines for crafting.

As an author who normally writes a lot of thrillers with dark subjects, I found at the outset of last year that I just couldn't add any more darkness to the world. Lisica is a story I've been incubating for over 20 years, about a fictional island 1600 km off the coast of Oregon in the middle of the Pacific. I've just finished the series and it needs a new set of eyes to take it to the next level.

It is pure escapism, a love story about eleven researchers who are sent to Lisica for eight weeks to categorize the island's life before a new global satellite agreement comes into force and the USAF has to reveal the island to the wider world. The novels are equal parts scientific discovery, (with special emphases on data science, field biology, geology, meteorology, marine science, archaeology, and linguistics) and equal parts torrid romance between all these beautiful people. In many ways it is a utopian story, about people in paradise doing valuable work who can also love without hurting others. There is no toxic masculinity or bullying on this island, no sophomoric communication problems, no jealousy nor regret. It is my belief that natural challenges such as storms and cliffs and the mystery of the unknown is enough. This isn't Lost. There is magical realism here but it is more realism than magic.

I'm hoping to find a few qualified beta readers who have a background in these sciences, to help me make sure I present them correctly. But it's a lot to ask, for sure. Each of the four volumes is 15 chapters of exactly 26 pages each. 1560 pages in all. 425,000 words. If anyone knows a retired biology teacher with plenty of time on their hands, that's basically who I need at this stage.

My next step is to turn each chapter into audio episodes. As well as an author, I'm an Audible narrator and professional character actor. It is why each chapter is exactly 26 pages long. They make for sixty 42 minute audio episodes. I will eventually release the series week by week for free on my literary podcast over the next year.

Hopefully, this scratches someone's itch. Thanks for reading!

I'm wondering if there's anybody here who plays the original Doom/Doom II that might be interested to try some of the maps I've been working on. I primarily make maps for the first because I prefer the episodic format and theme progression. Having someone else to try your maps can help to identify issues that you may have overlooked during testing or refine clunky design. I've been trying a new approach where instead of working room by room, I sketch out a rough outline of the entire map flow in the editor and gradually fill in the details as I see opportunities to do something interesting with what I've got laid down.

I make maps in Doom Builder using GZDoom, so you'd need some form of Boom-compatible source port since I used a few generic linedefs for more complex map features (most common non-ZDoom ports I can think of like Zandorum have this). Generally I stick to old-school map styles without scripting and excessively-detailed architecture; think '94 WADs but better detail. Primarily I make singleplayer maps that are open to being modified to work in co-op.

Trying to get the mapping mojo back, so any help is appreciated!

EDIT: Here's the link for the map. It's E3M1 of Ultimate Doom.

This book uses cartoon mascots assigned to three areas of music training on the keyboard: dexterity skills, reading/writing/listening, and repertoire performance.

Each mascot starts off as a cute lil’ dude and evolves into huge powerful creatures as the child “levels up.” My ultimate vision is a book or book series that utilizes the mascots in figurine form for prize-incentives and mascot videos to offer help and guidance for individual activities.

The first prototype will only feature the books, and I expect to finish it in the next 1-2 months.

I was hoping to get a list of potentially interested parties that would beta-test the book without cost in exchange for feedback/testimonial.

If you’re interested, please send a message through my website— https://alexgoodhart.com/lessons (you won’t see any mention of the book there, but can send your contact info through the inquiry form).

If you’ve any thoughts to share here I’m all ears! Thank you — Alex

Happy Friday everyone! I'm making a post to see if anyone wants to beta test my Tildes.net iOS app Backtick.

Background

I've been wanting to create a Reddit app for quite a while, and just when I got started, the API change chaos happened. Thankfully, I remembered signing up for Tildes.net a few years ago and decided to pivot to make an app for this site instead! The app is still a work in progress, but I believe releasing early and getting as many eyes on it during development results in a better end product (and it's more fun for me 😊).

Features

Here are the current features of Backtick:

• Light mode/dark mode
• Login to Tildes.net (suports 2FA)
• Front page feed with sorting support
• View, vote, and comment on posts
• Reply and vote on comments
• Collapse comments
• View notifications
• Full markdown rendering
• Text-to-speech for posts and comments

Here is a video demo of the app in its current state (updated for v1.8.1): https://youtube.com/shorts/iukQJyJbtw8?feature=share

I know there missing features, but as I mentioned before, I would love to get as many people in as early as possible to help shape Backtick's future.

Testing

If you're interested in testing the app as I continue to work on it during my free time you will need:

• An iOS 16 device
• TestFlight (Apple's testing app)

You can access the beta here: https://testflight.apple.com/join/gNH18NE9. If you have any issues please DM me your Apple ID email and I will send you an invite manually.

Thanks, everyone! Have a great weekend.
- Ash

Edit:
Getting some great feedback! I'll be tracking bugs and potential features here if anyone is curious: https://chatter-brick-3d3.notion.site/Backtick-Tracker-888150b641ae4c0ab39dc0345783bc50?pvs=4

Edit2:
I created the Discord server to help facilitate better collaboration with those who wish to be more involved. It will be a place for discussion around potential features, bugs, and general chat. I will still be taking in feedback via TestFlight and Tildes.net, so it's perfectly fine if you don't want to join.
Join here: https://discord.gg/aah7nkfpBY

I immediately installed iPadOS 17 Beta 1. Apart from quirks with saving images from the browser, it's been about as solid as the latest 16.x.x.

Anyone running the other betas as your daily drivers?

I'm also eager to hear from Sonora users. Considering updating my i7 Mac Mini.