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Esteemed fellow Genesis Enthusiasts,

It has been too long since my last update (gee, I say that a lot) and so
here comes some news and updates on the current status of the game as a
whole, with insight into the behind-the-scenes developments of the
wizarding world.

In terms of player numbers, March and April were fairly sleepy months,
with player logins dropping quite a bit from what had been 6 straight
months of very decent activity from September through February. We hit
a very low ebb in early April, with two straight weeks of only 8.0 APH
(average per hour) for logins, compared to a high of 17.0 at the
beginning of January. Wizard activity during these months sunk quite
a bit, which is often both influenced by and bears infuence on the
player population. 

So, now that we've got the glum news out of the way, on to more interesting
and exciting things which are either in the works or have taken place
since my last overview ...

  1. Skippern has returned! Skippern, a talented Gondorian wizard from
     the dawn of the new millenium has found a renewed interest in
     the donut, and has ample time in his life to return and develop
     old projects that he was forced to abandon over a decade ago. He
     has rejoined the Gondor domain and swung into full action on his
     nearly completed project of the proud city of Dol Amroth and its
     many denizens, their protectors, and their quests. 

     Having taken stock of the current needs of the game, we have
     discussed having this function as a much-needed area which can
     satisfy the needs to challenge much larger players, as well as
     reward those adventuresome players who enjoy exploring and a good
     puzzle or two to solve.

     So ... expect to see the southwestern continent of Gondor grow
     further in the latter parts of 2014!

  2. A new domain has arisen! Long in secret development, approval has
     at last been granted to Nerull to become Lord and Liege of the
     forbidding pan-dimentional realm of Ravenloft. With two large
     cities and a number of regions already well underway, the domain
     is already shaping up to offer opportunities for new ideas of
     gameplay and content based on this well-beloved lore. Expect to
     hear announcements from Nerull himself as development nears
     completion for opening of the first areas, which is expected to
     be sometime in late Summer or early Fall of this year.

  3. Development of the previously announced pvp arena is now in full
     swing by yours-truly. I have built the basic infrastructure which
     will support pvp play including:

        - over 800 rooms of varied terrain
        - raiding/capturing and defense of a central keep
        - resource management of randomized materials different each
          Army in the various locations of the arena
        - Meaningful "buffs" for teams/guilds who successfully conquer
          and defend the keep
        - npc armies which will both defend and raid the keep with/against
          players
        - many randomized strategic anomalies that will appear in
          new locations that must be scouted, discovered, and utilized
          by enterprising players in new locations each Army.
        - Death in the arena will result in no loss of exp or equipment,
          but instead removal from the battlefield for a short time and
          a "debuff" that will last for a period.
        - Crafting of structures/devices/equipment that will aid
          in raiding or defence of the keep.

     There is much yet to do, and many of these features may change or
     grow in their actual application as development progresses. But,
     I wanted to formally announce this as something that I have put on
     the front-burner as something to introduce to the game in this, our
     25th Anniversary Year. :-)

  4. The wizard Leia has re-activated and is experimenting with creating
     a wizard-training-and-support website that will make much easier
     the goal of becoming a developer for Genesis. Many people exist who
     have good ideas and would like to help grow the game, but the steep
     learning curve (cliff) of LPC for someone untrained in computer
     science has always been a formidable barrier for entry. The goal
     with this site is to have that barrier softened and see if we can
     provide a support tool and resource that acts as a teacher and
     mentor for new would-be wizards in this modern era of a much smaller
     available staff of wizard trainers. It is a very hopeful goal and
     we like what we've seen so far in terms of the design!

  5. Cherek has taken very seriously his position as Liege of Promotion,
     and has begun in earnest a complete redesign of our website in
     anticipation of a full-blown promotional blitz. In addition, he has
     taken governance of the Facebook Genesis site, and plans to 
     redesign our Official Forum so that the aesthetic matches the visual
     brand of our website and Denis Loubet artwork. His dreams of full
     promotion and varied strategies extend much further and deeper, but
     I will leave it to him to elucidate on those details as he sees
     fit in the not-too-distant future.

  6. Cotillion has continued to tinker with the Official Client,
     experimenting with new features and bringing more things onboard
     with his excellent notions for needed improvements. Rumours are
     also in the wind that he's been seen riding some form of large
     flightless birds in Krynn. We're not sure what that means.

  7. Petros completed his recode of the Elemental Worshippers of Calia,
     bringing the number of magic guilds officially (re)coded under
     the new magic system to three: The Academics, the Morgul Mages,
     and the EW. Way to go, Petros!

  8. Mini-events have been occurring in which the Balrog has offered a
     supreme challenge for our largest and toughest teams of players,
     with luxurious imbuements as the reward. This is, as yet, merely
     a wizard-triggered thing. The fun players have had has been
     undeniable, though, and I would like to see about giving the
     Balrog a proper set of gear on a more permanent basis. Keep your
     ears open for more news on this.

  9. Lilith has been spotted sprinkling various magicks on the Avenir
     domain, again. Official reports on what may have transpired are
     vague, but murmers of the happy sighting persist. 

And these are just the bigger-ticket items. As always, small improvements
are ongoing that are hard to remember or mention. The slow climb to guild
recodes continues at its glacial pace, but regardless, the game advances
in many ways that will be fascinating to behold!

We look forward to seeing where things sit at Summer's end, and are all
happy whenever we see the welcome new players receive - especially those
that some of you continue to invite to the realms yourselves.

Onward and upward!
G.