Change Log for WoWRage.US
A.0.0.1 Server Rates being adjusted for solo-play and quick progress in instances, even raids.
All characters now receive One (1) Gold on creation; as a "leg-up" on early training costs, and as a temp-fix for the lack of low-level bags in the starting areas. This is too little money to be exploitable (efficiently) or to impact the realm economy much. Any player found to be abusing this feature can be spoken to, have their money mod'd down to zero, and any problems they may've created with the "zombie balloon" of nameless level one characters in the database can simply be flushed with one config-setting-change and a server restart
Introduced Transmogrifier NPCs in Stormwind (Trade District), Orgrimmar (The Drag), and the very center of Dalaran. Also introduced Reforging in the core, though no Reforging NPCs are spawned
Adjusting Auction House "Bot" rates for supplying ordinary and rare items without trying to break the top end game ("cheap" tier 7, 8, 9 BOE epics)
A.0.0.2 Added mailboxes at every newbie starting location. They are correct "blizz-like" in placement and in appearance for those accustomed to the post-Wrath expansion world(s)
Authored centralized Alpha Changelog on WT Free Server forum
A.0.0.3 Added a Transmog~ NPC to Shattrath on the Terrace of Light, also added a copy of Auctioneer Beardo (Neutral Auction House, Gadgetzan faction) there, and an additional copy of this Auctioneer in the very center of Dalaran. Faction ID changed to 35 (friendly to all) to avoid faction problems for players who become KOS to Gadgetzan and/or the Steam Wheedle Cartel.
http://file3.guildlaunch.net/6951/WoWRage_Shattrath_NPCs.jpg
http://file3.guildlaunch.net/6951/WoWRage_Dalaran_NPCs.jpg
NOTE- Presently all three Auction Houses are linked by configuration, and they are likely to remain this way for the foreseeable future. However should the need arise, we can add four extra Auction NPCs to Shattrath to be more "Blizzlike"-- two copies of an Alliance-only Auctioneer and two copies of a Horde Auctioneer; one each, on Aldor faction in the Aldor bank, and the others set to Scryer faction in the southern bank.
Added several mailboxes to Acherus: the Ebon Hold in the Eastern Plaguelands for newbie Death Knights; quite a feat, given how many "phases" had to be accounted for. Mailboxes spawned in the the earliest phases are placed on the "top level" where new DKs enter the world, and in the later phases (after completing the bulk of the ground quests) and the final phase after completing "The Battle For The Ebon Hold" and recurring "The Light of Dawn" event, the mailbox(es) is(are) spawned in the lower level, next to the skeletal Gryphon merchant, where Death Knights teleport to with their Death Gate ability
Config rates changed. Severe nerf to level 80 Gold on_quest (10x down to 5x), but to compensate, dropped gold rate increased from 2x to 3x. Player can no longer do three dailies and expect 1400+ Gold. This too will be revisited if I find Heroic Raid Bosses dropping thousands (rather than hundreds) of Gold.
Config settings also changed for Auction house Supply Bot; it is still be possible to acquire tier 8, 9, or 10 BOE weapons and armor, but it will not be daily or frequently. AH supply rates of grey items and epic items set to only 24 each (two dozen items), while ordinary and tradeskill items were boosted from 2000 to 3200 to facilitate player crafting endeavors.
NOTE- IF this drastically impacts the bot's supply of mid and lower level epics, I will again boost the supply of purples in the AH, but at the price of never being able to buy i-Level 200+ epic items from the BOT again. Players in the mid-to-high 70s should be working on crafting and Heroic dungeons to gear up; not sit and spend their daily cash buying top tier BOEs and skipping Naxx, Ulduar and ToC.
A.0.0.4 Added permanent Field Repair Bot 110 in front of The Great Arena (Gurubashi, Stranglethron Vale) for players of all levels to use. Faction ID# changed to "friendly to all" for best prices and to avoid any engineering exploits with mechanical-effecting devices
Added additional Forge and Anvil GOs in front of the Orgrimmar bank, the ones that the EMU guys added to be "blizzlike" were added incorrectly; left those up as well, rather than move them
Spent a ridiculous amount of time placing Invisible Forge GOs #4090 everywhere that I could think of that needed "area smelting" such as the Links shop in Dalaran, Warsong Hold in Borean Tundra, the Scarlet Onslaught area of Dragonblight, and a few other places. Players knowing of a forge that isn't working fill out a ticket with the location. Thanks
A.0.0.5 Operating System updated. Downtime was minimal, AutoRestart did not work due to how Windows programs run or rather don't- on StartUp. DB backed up.
Newbie Starting Area quests for Horde 99% done and working. All Sunstrider/Eversong/Ghostlands quests are working, all Deathknell/Tirisfal/Silverpine quests working, almost all Den/RazorHill/Durotar quests working (Priest Robe quest bugged), all RedMEsa quests working, almost all Bloodhoof quests work (Kyle's Gone Missing is bugged), rest of Mulgore and Thunderbluff working so far.
A.0.0.6 Box updated. Several Windows 7 patches and restarts. NO- I don't want Windows X or 10 or whatever... power outage yesterday corrupted the DBs, but I repaired them. Haven't found a bad account or character yet. Added a copy of Tassia Whisperglen <Stable Master> (NPC# 28690) to GMI for S's & G's. Be sure to hack your way to old GMI with your Huntards!
"We'll leave the light on for ya..." -Motel 6 Ad slogan
UPCOMING
Adding permanent copies of a couple Darkmoon Faire NPCs to the game (most likely in Shattrath and Dalaran), working on adding a couple custom NPCs that sell helpful items not always found in the Auction Houses (Jillian and Ursula, for example; flasks, feasts and refreshment food, PTR items, etc)
Adjust RBAC Account Permissions to allow "sanctioned" player teleports, also will allow the introduction of extra special accounts, like Donor, VIP, Guides,and GM-in-training type accounts
We'll be taking a second look at player-bots in the future, but I am not impressed with what I've seen so far; it uses a lot of server resources for a gimmick which does not make up for low player population
We hope to introduce expanded/relaxed Race/Class combinations, possibly even a few custom races and/or classes, but the main goal is still a functioning world and time efficient fun where players can set their own progress and conquer almost any content alone or with a partner
Revisit Diablo-style global random loot, attached to the on_kill hook. I want players to have some BoJ's to spend before they'r even level 70, and even other emblems and badges to spend on rare pets and shit
ADD vendor(s) for rare pets and stuff; sell for badges or gold
We will be procuring FusionCMS within a month or so, and moving server discussion and operations there. I will eventually move the front page and web site to a DDOS-proof, agile-IP arrangement and perhaps even to a dedicated box, but I will then likely have to rent another chunk of IP addresses from WideopenWest and that would raise my monthly costs dangerously near the "hundred bucks per month" expense constraints that I am presently attempting to work within. We will have a couple regular donors, thanks to family, but we will not be set to accept any sort of payments until the end of this year; note to self to explore shell payee options- either a registered NPO (hassle but would free me personally of liability, damages, or taxable income issues), and LLC (which I could insure against, but I would not be lawsuit-proof, though it would be no cost to start up, or, (preferably) some kind of direct payment to my ISP. Public NOTE- Donations were so good on the original WoWRage.NL that it operated completely ungoverned for over two years, and even then- the forums still functioned for another 3+ years (with banners and ads, however).