##2 ~ The Hurnscald Herald ~

##3 January 2011

##0 Reports of bandit raids to the west of 
##0 Hurnscald has mobilized the town.  Those
##0 injured by these bandits may have a long stay
##0 ahead of them in Hurnscald's hospital.

##0 In other news, Taro is still missing, but 
##0 Diryn, an agent of Tulimshar, has established
##0 a connection with the Kaizei area, making
##0 travel to Nivalis possible again.  He still
##0 assists the battle hardened travel distant
##0 locations just outside of Hurnscald.  Getting
##0 back can be done by finding Frozenbeard, a
##0 pioneer who is mapping a trade route to get
##0 to Nivalis by ship.

##0 Diryn's re-connection with Nivalis came none 
##0 too soon.  Golbenez, a demi-god who demanded 
##0 a half billion gold pieces for building some 
##0 sort of leisure place, scrapped the idea and 
##0 went for good old fashioned kidnapping to get
##0 whatever he wanted from the world of Mana.
##0 He kidnapped Santa Claus.  Fearful Santa may
##0  not gift the children of the world, wizards,
##0 warriors and archers rallied to pay the
##0 demi-god his demands.

##0 Shortly after Santa was freed, something more 
##0 sinister has come to Kaizei.  The yeti.  
##0 Sightings of this beast returns with stories
##0 of them.  Though aggressive, their behavior
##0 seems out of place.  They've never been known
##0 as cave dwellers nor to kidnap people.

##0 Last, but definitely not least, Dimond's Cove
##0 is observing "Burns' Supper" January 24-26th.
##0 Shanon is hosting the event, which he promises
##0 will be an excellent time for food, drink and
##0 poems.

##2 ~ The Hurnscald Herald ~
 
##3 Countless candy-concerning complaints: council
##3 consequently considers citizen-composed cleanup crew
##3 Eighteenth of November 2010
 
##0 Recently, the ancient tradition of Hallowe'en
##0 was celebrated across Argaes, Tonori and other
##0 continents. Estimated tons of sweets were given
##0 out to happy trick-or-treaters, and as with
##0 most other years a lot of this vast total was
##0 dropped on the night. Even a week and a half
##0 after Hallowe'en, many kilograms of sweets
##0 still litter our pleasant woodlands.
 
##0 After dozens of letters regarding the situation,
##0 the Hurnscald Council has said that the best
##0 solution would be to organise a team of
##0 volunteers to work on collecting dropped sweets
##0 and disposing of them - but it has yet to
##0 organise any such thing.
 
##0 In the meantime, why not do your bit and collect
##0 some sweets for yourself? If you don't mind them
##0 being a bit old, you could be able to make the
##0 biggest Hallowe'en haul in history.
 
##0 Additionally, we've been getting some reports of
##0 a rather creepy skeleton hanging around the
##0 woodland. He doesn't appear to be aggressive,
##0 but he chatters unintelligibly at passers-by.
 
 
##3 Rollback
##0 2010-11-17
##0
##0 Everything should now be running from a
##0 complete save state (including storage, banks,
##0 parties etc) that is even two days more recent
##0 than what we were temporarilyrunning on before.
##0 All credit to Platyna for speedy recovery and
##0 even more recent backups. :)
##0
##3 Server outage
##0 2010-11-16
##0
##0 Things running on the four day old backups,
##0 restricted to account save info and character
##0 save info for now while we try to get other
##0 databases working.
##0
##0 This means no party data or storage data for
##0 now, we'll try to recover that along with
##0 everything else, as we should be able to get
##0 a full saved state from within the past week.
##0
##0 The current setup is more to have something
##0 partially up, and so that people know what's
##0 going on while we try to fix things; any
##0 in-game progress made right now ##1will not
##0 persist.
##0
##3 Server outage
##0 2010-11-16
##0
##0 Okay, apparently even that won't work right now.
##0 Servers will remain ##3offline##0 until we figure out
##0 what we can do.
##0
##3 Server outage
##0 2010-11-16
##0
##0 We've just had a serious server crash, and the
##0 databases seem to have been affected here. We're
##0 currently running on some four-day old backups;
##0 whether this will be a temporary measure or
##0 whether newer ones are usable is yet to be
##0 determined.
##0
##0 Please note that the current state may only
##0 be ##3temporary##0, and that if usable newer backups
##0 are found within the next 24 hours, those will
##0 be used instead, and any character progress 
##0 made may be lost. If no usable backups are 
##0 found during this time, the four-day rollback 
##0 will have to be permanent.
##0
##0 More news updates will follow once we've
##0 investigated further; we're doing what we can...
##0
##2 Freeyorp
##0
##3 Testing server.
##3 2010-09-25
##0
##0 As you've probably noticed, we've set up a
##0 testing server accessible from the same
##0 login-server as usual.
##0
##0 All characters have been copied, so you
##0 should have all levels, money, equipment etc
##0 as normal.
##0
##0 Changes are far from complete, but it should be
##0 a good start, and the fundamentals should be
##0 there.
##0
##0 The server will be used for balance efforts;
##0 a number of combat mechanics have been reworked.
##0
##0 Note that while game mechanics have changed, no
##0 new content has been added to this server, so
##0 you won't have to worry about spoilers.
##0
##0 Experiment, and remember to give feedback!
##0 Contact us using either:
##0 The forums at ##1forums.themanaworld.org##0,
##0 Our irc server, at ##1irc.themanaworld.org##0.
##0 /join #themanaworld and/or
##0 /join #tmw-dev
##0 The fate of this world's reality lies in your
##0 hands. :)
##0
##0
##3 2010-08-29
##0 Throughout Argaes, new trade regulations from
##0 Tulimshar have concentrated wealth and power
##0 inside Tonori's largest city.  The primary 
##0 resource of Argaes, iron ore, now must be 
##0 refined into ingots within Tulimshar's
##0 imperial capital.
##0
##0 Argaes miners, in search of new iron deposits,
##0 have discovered a hostile mine north west of
##0 the woodland town of Hurnscald.  More details
##0 are coming in about this mine.
##0
##3 Tulimshar's Power Expands
##3 2010-08-18
##0 The impact of the Great Earthquake has brought
##0 a rising evil to the land.  After much debate
##0 Tulimshar's Wizard Council has begun to expand 
##0 its influence in the world to meet the new 
##0 challenges presented.
##0
##0 While still slow to act, Tulimshar has begun 
##0 monitoring the changing monster threat in the
##0 sandstorm and sent agents into Argaes.  The 
##0 landbridge that long united Argaes with Tonori
##0 has fallen into the sea, prompting Tulimshar's 
##0 merchants to charge a hefty fee for trade and 
##0 travel between the two continents.
##0
##0 Something sinister has happened to Taro, Nivalis 
##0 and the magical connection Kaizei had with
##0 Argaes.  Some speculate it has something to do
##0 with the evil while others think Nivalis and the
##0 Sages of Kaizei want to isolate themselves from
##0 Tulimshar's influence.  Either way, all portals
##0 to Kaizei have been closed.
##0
##3 The Candor Challenge 
##3 2010-08-18
##0
##0 In the lost island of Candor, a skeletal figure
##0 stands, awaiting for fresh blood to wander right
##0 in and pay him for the privilege of being killed
##0 in nasty ways. How long are you and your friends 
##0 able to survive in the cave of horrors?      
##0
##0 In other news, you may also have run into an  
##0 evil obelisk, trader of strange items, a water
##0 pump, a flood and some new insect life recently!
##0
##3 The End is not nigh
##3 2010-06-09

##0 Content and technical development is currently
##0 split between the new server and the current
##0 tmwAthena server. Once the new sever is ready
##0 to be opened for public, you will be able to
##0 create a new character there or keep playing
##0 your old character on tmwAthena - or both!
##0 The tmwAthena server will keep running as
##0 long as there are people who want to play there.

##3 Keep an eye out for temporary events!
##3 2010-06-09

##0 The Easter 2010 and Christmas 2009 special quests
##0 were enjoyed by many, and we will try to announce
##0 such events more visibly in the future. But though
##0 they are gone now, players are actively organizing
##0 random events: there's quizzes, searches for missing
##0 people, player-vs-player madness, drop parties, you
##0 name it. You do not need any special status to run
##0 an event yourself, just ask for help if you need any.

##3 News backlog continues
##3 2010-06-09

##0 There were a few quick server crashes last weekend
##0 and on Monday. The server has stabilized for now,
##0 and there's a project to buy more memory for it to
##0 avoid future crashes. Thank you for your donations!

##0 In older news, a month ago there was some data
##0 lost on the Manaworld wiki and bugtracker due to
##0 briefly running out of hard disk space - not due
##0 to a new censorship system, as someone seemed to
##0 have thought. ;)

##3 Skill Changes
##3 2009-10-27
 
##0 For simplification and realism purposes, the old
##0 basic skill has been removed. Emote, trade, and
##0 party-related abilities are now available in
##0 three completely new and independent skills. To
##0 get these new skills, you'll need to find NPCs
##0 that give them out in Tulimshar. Don't worry,
##0 this won't affect existing parties, and sitting
##0 will always be available from now on.
 
##3 Undead?
##3 2009-10-27
 
##0 Reports of undead south west of Dimond's Cove
##0 been pouring in. More later.
 
##2 ~ The Hurnscald Herald ~
 
##3 Magic Fixes
##3 2009-09-15
 
##0 The second tier healing spell no longer works on
##0 yourself, it will still take mana if you try to
##0 cast it on dead players. We're working to fix
##0 that. It will halt health regeneration when used.
 
##0 Making lifestones now prioritizes bug legs, then
##0 maggot slime, then the herbs.
 
##3 Technical updates
##3 2009-08-16
 
##0 GMs will now have their nicks highlighted in
##0 newer clients.
 
##0 The automatic bans for spam have been
##0 adjusted. You will no longer be banned for
##0 trade spam, it will just be ignored by the
##0 server. Sit spam is now checked for and extra
##0 packets are ignored.
 
##3 Has Magic Returned?
##3 2009-05-31
 
##0 A string of curious incidents have left Hurnscald
##0 citizens baffled, and raised questions about
##0 whether magic might have made a come-back in
##0 our peaceful province.
 
##0 Tulimshar healer Elanore reports that a small
##0 group of novice healers have sought to become
##0 her apprentices-- for the first time in years.
##0 Farmer Hinnak, tells us of a mysterious woman
##0 who reportedly bewitched his garden. Also,
##0 someone seems to have moved into the
##0 abandoned hut west of Hurnscald-- repairing it
##0 over night! Can there be any natural explanation
##0 for these events? We do ask our readers to keep
##0 their eyes open!
 
##2 ~ The Hurnscald Herald ~

##3 Central Tulimshar
##3 2009-02-11
 
##0 Central Tulimshar is now open again. Work
##0 continues on the rest of the city.
 
##3 Rebalancing
##3 2009-01-19
 
##0 The rebalancing done on enigma (our official
##0 test server) is now on our main server. Work is
##0 being done on getting the next testing period
##0 ready. All monsters have been rebalanced and
##0 the desert especially has different monster
##0 positions. Monster exp has been reworked as
##0 well.
 
##0 The cotton boots are finally available in
##0 certain shops. Also, as most of you have already
##0 seen, hair styles have been reorganized so both
##0 genders can use all styles. Note that only 0.0.27
##0 can see them all. Older clients will only see the
##0 male styles. New hair colors are in the works as
##0 well.
 
##3 Open Testing on Official Test Server
##3 2009-01-04 through 2009-01-11
 
##0 A testing period on enigma (our official test
##0 server) has started. Experience and drop rates
##0 are 10 times higher than normal during this
##0 period. We're testing new monster placement,
##0 new monster stats, and our new experience
##0 formula. Use of 0.0.27 for this is encouraged,
##0 though all currently supported clients are
##0 welcome. Please direct all feedback to the
##0 appropriate thread on the forums.
 
##0 To participate in this testing, set your server
##0 to enigma.dy.fi. Enigma shouldn't be used
##0 between open test periods, as the content
##0 may be in an unusable state. Characters and
##0 accounts may be wiped at any time between
##0 testing periods.
 
##3 Monster Mutations and Experience Point Changes
##3 2008-12-10
 
##0 We have rebalanced monster experience points
##0 and added two new mechanisms to make the
##0 game more challenging:  monster mutations, by
##0 which monster attributes (and experience points)
##0 are slightly modified for each individual
##0 monster, and increased boni for shared kills:
##0 killing a monster with a group of fighters now
##0 yields significantly more experience points than
##0 killing it alone. To adjust for the latter
##0 increase, we have reduced base experience points
##0 for low and medium-level monsters, though we
##0 expect levelling to be easier overall.
 
##2 The TMW development team
 
##3 Mines and weddings!
##3 2008-10-11
 
##0 A new mining operation has started north of
##0 town. The company's director has stated that
##0 the mine's output has been sufficient and no
##0 problems have been encountered.
 
##0 A new wedding officiator has been
##0 commissioned. She has set up shop west of
##0 town. Many couples are rejoicing that a new
##0 officiator is in the region.
 
##2 ~ Hurnscald Gazette ~
 
##3 Volcano erupted!
##3 14/09/2008
 
##0 A volcano has erupted east of the city, causing
##0 major damage. Repairs are under way. The guard
##0 has cautioned that the new beach area that was
##0 opened up by the rumbling should be explored
##0 with caution.
 
##0 In related news, local alchemists have stated
##0 that the ash from the eruption is what caused
##0 many items of clothing to be bleached.
 
##2 ~ Tulimshar Herald ~
 
##3 Strange stones appeared and pass cleared
##3 15/04/2008
 
##0 Strange stones appeared in towns all over The
##0 Mana World. No one knows how they appeared
##0 and what they are good for. Can you solve their
##0 riddle?
 
##0 In other news: The pass to the southeast of the
##0 desert has been cleared and a mountain area
##0 with a lot of snakes has been discovered behind
##0 it. Rumors say that an eremite lives in that
##0 area who is a genius at leatherworks.
 
##2 The Mana World News
 
##3 Fast attack bug fixed, gameplay changes
##3 07/04/2008
 
##0 This weekend a fix was applied for the bug that
##0 allowed you to attack with light-speed with
##0 several weapons. We understand this changes
##0 gameplay quite a bit, and as a result the game
##0 will probably need to be adjusted. The existence
##0 of this bug has effectively prevented us from
##0 ever being able to balance the gameplay
##0 properly.
 
##0 Please stay with us and allow us some time to
##0 make the necessary adjustments. Suggestions are
##0 welcome!
 
##2 TMW Development Team
 
##3 The Mana World 0.0.24 released
##3 24/12/2007
 
##0 Female-specific hairstyles, XP gaining
##0 notification and improved resource caching are
##0 but three examples of the new features in this
##0 release. A lot of bug fixes where also made.
##0 See the full details on the website!
 
##2 Bjorn Lindeijer
 
##3 Village of Hurnscald released
##3 21/08/2007
 
##0 The village of Hurnscald has been released
##0 today. You will find this little village in the
##0 woodland (try to explore paths you found
##0 blocked before). In Hurnscald you will find two
##0 new quests, new items and a lot of little
##0 surprises. Enjoy!
 
##2 Crush
 
##3 The Mana World 0.0.23 released
##3 04/06/2007
 
##0 A particle engine was added, which allowed us
##0 to add several nice effects to various locations
##0 in the world as well as effects based on hitting
##0 enemies or going level up. A series of bug fixes
##0 was also made.
 
##2 Bjorn Lindeijer
 
##3 The Mana World 0.0.22.2 released
##3 17/02/2007
 
##0 Several small fixes have been made and we
##0 hope to have solved some updater problems.
##0 Upgrade whenever you're ready.
 
##2 Bjorn Lindeijer
 
##3 Soulless characters deleted and money cut
##3 21/01/2007
 
##0 A long time ago we have allowed characteres to
##0 sell their soul in order to gain additional
##0 powers. They were explicitly warned that they
##0 would be eventually deleted. This time has now
##0 come.
 
##0 In addition, we have cut the fortune of
##0 anybody who had more than 10.000 GP.
 
##2 Bjorn Lindeijer
 
##3 Server address change!
##3 17/01/2007
 
##0 The animesites.de host is no longer available.
##0 We thank Ultramichy for hosting us for so long
##0 at no cost! The new server address is:
 
##1  server.themanaworld.org
 
##0 We are now kindly hosted on platinum, thanks
##0 to Platyna.
 
##2 Bjorn Lindeijer
 
##3 The Mana World 0.0.22.1 released
##3 15/01/2007
 
##0 A minor update was released based on the new
##0 Guichan 0.6.0. Some small fixes are also
##0 included.
 
##2 Bjorn Lindeijer
 
##3 The Mana World 0.0.22 released
##3 24/12/2006
 
##0 On the edge of Christmas, we've released a
##0 new client version. A Christmas event is
##0 expected to start soon and you'll need the
##0 new client for it, so go get it! Read the
##0 NEWS for file details on what's new.
 
##2 Bjorn Lindeijer