Disconnections and a Cancellation

Auzura suffered another disconnection soon after ten this morning, while my second group of characters were doing their attendance; it was the more serious kind where for a few minutes you get the "account is already logged in" message when you try to get back online, but luckily things did settle down after that. This seems to be the time when the servers do their daily full back-ups, so it can often be a bit tricky - thank goodness that it's earlier than it used to be, having it just as a dungeon time hour was starting would be really annoying.

Anyway, my trio logged back in and completed their times, and then SirGalahad logged on to complete the set. While he was mining, Rage moved over to the main computer and checked out the Condition of the Tomb of Theos; it was on 80%, and while a guildie did try to find a guild master or guild adviser for the castle-holding guild, none were available, so it stayed that way.

Still, I decided that that was just about do-able, so Kaerella and MrChuckNorris joined Rage, once SirGalahad had finished his time, and the three of them went in, and headed for the anubis spear men. After that relatively recent disconnection the place was quiet, and the corner I tend to aim for was suitably vacant when my trio got there.

The Tomb's condition meant that the spear men hit harder, but that wasn't a problem, as the 10% suction of life accessory easily handled any damage Rage took; however, it also meant that Rage didn't hit them as hard - a critical hit did around 6650 damage, while at 100% easy she'd do 7290. So, she only killed 45 anubis spear men in the eleven to twelve o'clock dt power hour, using an experience booster each time, earning just 32.44% in level 97, plus 3 skill points.

Luckily by two o'clock the Tomb had been set - though I was warned on the guild chat channel that this may be a one-off, the castle owning guild may go "on strike" due to the continuing ban on GoksReturn, who was, apparently, one of the victims of whoever was making incriminating screenshots on a different server using the names of various high-level players - having "them" admit to hacking, offering to sell accounts, or otherwise confessing to bannable offences. I suppose it is human nature that the GMs don't want to admit that they have been made to look like fools over this, but my sympathy is with the victims.

So, the two to three o'clock dungeon time power hour was back on track, and soon got Rage into level 98; in all she used 53 experience boosters, and went up by 32.93%... the new level is longer than the old one. Rage also added 4 skill points. Rage continued for another hour, though Kaerella just stood next to Chuck for almost all that time. A wizard called Cat5 kindly gave my trio the haste and chakra shield buffs as she passed; she did mention the blog, in fact, but had moved on by the time I responded.

It was shortly after that that Rage got disconnected, though Kaerella and Chuck survived. Rage hurried back, and continued to fight the spear men for a few more minutes - but then, just after four o'clock, UK time, all three of them were disconnected.

Back in Randol, Rage was able to learn the sixth and final level of Controlled Shooting for 1000 skill points, which increases her attack for 60 seconds, though it decreases her defence and stops her from moving. It's not a skill she had ever actually used, but I decided that it might come in handy...

My trio went back in in good time for the five to six o'clock dungeon time hour, and once it began, Rage did try using Controlled Shooting as much as possible, though she couldn't keep it on all the time as sometimes she needed to be able to move forward to get the nearby third spear man. Almost 600 less physical defence didn't seem a problem, her armour was still good enough, coupled with that suction of life accessory - and getting on for 600 more physical attack raised her critical hit by almost 2300, from around 7290 to 9570.

Using Controlled Shooting as much as I could meant that during that hour Rage used 60 experience boosters, so that was roughly 15% better than usual; she gained 37.98% experience, and 6 skill points. Rage logged out after that; her whole session had earned her 107.02% experience, a mere 17 skill points, and 6603 pet points.

At six o'clock UK time on Auzura our one GM-hosted event of the week was scheduled: a high-level mad monster spawn, to which I intended to take Rage. However, it looks as if the GMs are a bit overwhelmed at present, and without any announcement, at the last minute it was all cancelled, to be replaced just with a "Turbo" event, with "mysterious XP and/or SP changes", which is a bit weak, and a great disappointment for those of us who like to go along to such community events.

Kaerella and Chuck stayed on in the Tomb; Chuck's old computer was already a bit "sticky", but he managed to tag on to Kae for a run across to the ancient grey mummies room, since Kaerella is more interested in skill exp than the regular experience at the moment. That earlier disconnection meant that Kaerella couldn't manage a red Ignition run until near the end of the session, but it looked as if the "Turbo" had at least increased the skill exp for a while. Cat5 was in a corridor as Kae and Chuck ran along, and joined us in the ancient grey mummies room, kindly giving Kaerella a level 97 y3 bow she'd identified... she insisted that I should keep it and could sell it.

From the guild chat I'd heard earlier, I had thought SacSalop, MzTickle1 and some others were planning a combat party in the final room of the Tomb, where the sphinx commanders hang out, so MistressDomina logged on about a quarter of an hour before the eight to nine dungeon time hour. There was, however, no sign of such a grouping, so MD ended up helping the level 111 temple knight Dropkick, by giving him a combat party in Floriam's Cave. He had recall, so I just specified a "safe but legal" spot, and he teleported me in, to some strange little sub-cave, where MD was able to just sit within range, and get the occasional five million or so experience. With his pbi and boosters, Dropkick was apparently getting around 380 million, for each level 132 Morakes he killed. Luda came along towards the end of the hour, and actually did some fight-and-recall assistance for Dropkick... though afterwards, she did seem set on trying to act as "cupid" for MD and Dropkick, which was a little off-putting.

That trip for MistressDomina just added 0.19% experience - but Kaerella, backed up by Chuck, had kept busy, and had actually reached level 102 - so I need to shop around for the archers' skill book for that level. By the time she and Chuck logged out, Kaerella had added a total for the day of 8.65%, plus 55 skill points and 5943 pet points, while Chuck himself had got 4.07% and 49 skill points.

RedRackham had logged in when MistressDomina logged out, and was able to give his pale blue horse an hour or so's levelling in Maargadum Jail; on the way there Red got the horse the last two levels of armour increase, since it has now reached level 31. By the end of the evening, the horse had passed the halfway mark in that level. Once Chuck had logged out, CaptainScarlet was able to head for the Jail too - but today SirFrancis would have got more pet points if he had been with Kaerella, for sure.