Rubyia

All monsters on the mainland area of Rubyia have been replaced a series of low level bandits(lvl 10 and lower).

There are quite a few reasons for this, the main one being that since most people train on the main island, the "default" level equivalent monsters are very much pointless on player islands. Another big reason for myself is the fact that I'm not much of a fan of the more fantasy based side of NEaB(as in I prefer to have humans as the NPC monsters). All the new monsters are all humans that are designed to be different from all the NPCs used in the map editor, as well as being different from most "default"monsters. Since Rubyia is based largely on Knights and does not include any fantasy races(although it does include magical beings in quests and a few oddball characters such as Riddle the Scarecrow), the Bandits fit much better on Rubyia for quests(ex. by default a Level 50 player can face level 60 default monsters on the map, then face a level 25 "boss" monster for a quest). As well, they fit in much better with the NPCs on Rubyia and fit the overall feel of the island better.

The new monsters are low level, and killing them is easy for higher level players but there is more than just experience at play with the new Bandits. For low level players (level 10 and lower) the monsters should provide a challenge as most of the monsters have special abilities and varying difficulties. But for players of all levels, Bandits are notorious for carrying loot with them. The monsters are mostly carrying everyday items which will help make your life easier and less costly while visiting Rubyia(potions, bedrolls and matches for the campsite miniquest, ammo, and ingots). BUT, a few of these bandits are known to be carrying some extra special loot stolen from the many merchants, pirates, and adventurers that roam Rubyia. These items are rare, expensive, and powerful. A few very lucky bandits(not so lucky once your done with them) roam Rubyia with these items that will be yours for the taking, should you hunt these said bandits down.

Enjoy :) -Ruby

The Ruby Forest recieved a large update with a big map change, and the Marvin and Smith Housing area is now known as the Ruby Forest Community instead.

The forest has been expanded with a complex maze of paths with no direct road throught the forest. There are still roads to Ascot, the Logging Camp, and the Community, but there is no road leading straight through the forest.

As well, the "Ruby Forest Community" has lost the old Marvin & Smith office although Marvin has reappeared as a resident of the community. The old house building quest has been permanently deleted, and will no long count as a quest completed(I think) but the house reward still exists for all those who have finished the quest.

I finally got off my lazy butt and did a little updating to Rubyia this weekend

 For starters I have updated a lot of maps with new dungeon tiles(my favorite update is the new stone stairs to replace my many carpet stairs) and fixed a few faulty layouts(ex. the Skalmar Inn which was frustrating to navigate). I also updated the church in Yalding a little and updated the throne room in the Gouththas Castle. A small army barracks has also appeared in the northeast corner of Gouththas.

In a small update I have also updated all healing locations and Inns to use the HP percentage function rather than healing a set amount oh hp which should help all high level and low level players alike to get a fair amount of healing for their hard earned gold. This update alos includes some price standardization to allow different Inns and Healers to be better or worse depending on their location. So players will have to do a little exploring to find the best locations for healing as well as unlocking some better healing locations by finishing some quests.

Haven is finally getting a little attention as well. I am currently in the process to doing the map work for NPC shops and homes although anything released over the next few days will be map only, the NPCs and merchants will be added later.

As for the future, I have a few modifications which may seem a little destructive but are rather needed as far as I'm concerned. The first thing on my list is to either remove or relocate the Marvin & Smith housing development and erase the house building quest. The development has become a little to outdated and I have started building a much simpler and more updated housing system which I started with a location in Gouththas(for those who have found it) to replace this rather costly and useless quest. I also want to finish the village of Haven and add another new village to the main island part of Rubyia before trying to put together a storyline series for the whole island involving Morte Island and a few of its shadier characters.

And as a more personal addition, the Rubyia Cemetary recieved a tiny addition that is rather personal to me. Anyone who visits it and knows what it is, please say a little prayer for me and my family.

I found a small bug with the book finder scoreboard for the Gouththas librarian and have had to reset the books found. For anyone who has discovered any books, you will need to restart the hunt at the librarian and find the books over. You will be able to get the payment a second time though, as extra payment for your time.

As well, I added a new book to the hunt for those who want to take the time to look for it.

I've been continuing my efforts to modify and fix many outdated dialogs and also added a few new features. I have also started a few changes to the map in an effort to improve the layout and navigation of some maps as well as adding a little character to a few areas. (More)

I recently have been doing a whole lot of behind the scenes work to Rubyia, most of which will never even affect anyone but me. It was a lot more work than I expected and I'm still far from finished. The most major thing I did was to delete a whole lot of old, unused locations that were really cluttering up my location manager. Some Island Managers may be able to relate to this a little but I'd definitely have to say that it was a lot worse than a lot of IMs would imagine it to be. (More)

The town of Haven on Morte island is now half finished even though all that is available for now is the map. Visit it to see the layout and get an idea of the shops and areas that are available. Haven is the first village planned on Morte and may be the only village for a while until I can decide on a way to release the storyline I have in my head for Rubyia.  (More)