Bonta's Drago-Expresses Open

The Drago-Expresses in Canis Plains and Kara are now open. With these, all Drago-Expresses in Bonta are now open.

More Broken Facilities

I noticed more facilities affected by Brokenness in Canis Plains.

Two broken facilities.

I went to take a look at the first victim of Brokenness back in Bonta Ruins.

Still not fixed.

The Sawmill in the Bonta Village Sawmill has yet to be fixed. And the resources donated were missing - I remembered that there was more Kama stored there previously. It looked like someone had been stealing resources (probably during maintenance).

With the increase in broken facilities all over Bonta, there may come a time when the economy is affected because of the lack of facilities to process material.

Broken Light

I came across another broken facility in Canis Plains. Seems like Brokenness is spreading.

Looks like Brokenness is spreading.

This one was easy to fix, though.

And the material was easily found nearby.

Baking Boom Ends

The sudden demand for baking products have ended. Prices and availability for bread has gone down to normal.

Here is a screenshot of a Tofoone eying the Wheat Grains I was feeding into the Millstone.

Batting eye-lashes wont get you any!

Thicket of Yurbut Drago-Express Open

Thicket of Yurbut Drago-Express open!

The Drago-Express in the Thicket of Yurbut is now open.

It appears that the cost of travel has been reduced to 1 Kama, making the Drago-Express a very cheap means of transport around Bonta.

Baking Industry Picks Up

The recent maintenance on 27 March 2012 has brought a boost to the Baking industry in Bonta.

The maintenance had brought about a change in recipes, including some for the Baker profession. These changes made the crafting of bread much easier. However, existing Bakers were inconvenienced when they suddenly found that stockpiles of certain ingredients are no longer necessary.

In addition, the reduced HP regeneration has created demand for bread. This led to an increase in price for the product.

With easier recipes and better sale prices, the Baking industry is begining to develop with more Bontarians taking up the Baker Profession.

Cania Swamps Drago-Express Open

Cania Swamps Drago-Express open for business.

The Drago-Express in Cania Swamps is now open.

Special thanks should be given to Zplinter, Ecologist of Bonta, for organizing the efforts to raise funds for the Drago-Express.

Drago-Express Development 1

I decided to visit the various Drago-Expresses around Bonta to see their state of development. I found that the Drago-Express in Bonta Ruins had been completed.

For two Kamas, I assume that the Drago-Express will take me to any other Drago-Expresses in the nation that I have discovered.

Bonta Ruins Drago-Express, complete.

My next stop was Cania Plains. Unfortunately, the Drago-Express there is incomplete for the lack of funds.

Canis Plains needs Kamas.

The Drago-Express in Kara also has a lack of funds.

Kara needs more Kamas.

The Drago-Express in Cania Swamps needs both Kamas and Planks of Ashwood.

Cania Swamps needs Kamas and Planks of Ashwood.

The Drago-Express in the Thicket of Yurbut too requires Kamas and Planks of Ashwood.

Thicket of Yurbut needs Kamas and Planks of Ashwood.

During my travels, I came across an interesting island in a lake.

Pixel island?

I also noticed that Bontarians are taking advantage of the warmer weather to cultivate Barley. Barley grows best at 10° to 30° with a sunny weather.

Ideal weather for Barley in a gloomy land.

The hot weather is expected to last three days, so it is best to stock up.

Barley everywhere!

Do watch out for barley thieves who would cut down Barley without replanting them. They would even do it while you are right there standing in the middle of the field glaring at them.

Stoodeep Mine Exploration

The other day, I heard a rumor of a plan to 'blow up Atto Grotto'. I thought I would go take a look at how the Stoodeep Mines beneath Atto Grotto looked like after that.

In Stoodeep Mines level 1, I easily found the new path down.

The path down at the bottom right of the screen.

Level 2 of Stoodeep Mines.

There were more Primitive Iron on level 2, but most of it was still sealed up. Exploring the various paths, I came across the stairs down.

Stairs down in level 2.

Level 3.

I found Primitive Iron and Finest Sea Salt on level 3. The way to the stairs down was lit brightly.

Stairs down on level 3.

Level 4.

As soon as I stepped onto level 4, I noticed a problem. There was no blue circular tile indicating the portal to another level. It looked like I would have to find a Zaap to get out. Or /suicide.

The stairs down was nearby.

Stairs down.

Level 5.

In a large cavern on level 5, I found a dungeon entrance.

Dungeon entrance on level 5.

In addition to the dungeon, there were a couple of other exits. I decided to try one of them.

I tried that exit.

On that level, I found a Zaap. Looked like I had found a way out.

Amakna Zaap.

I decided to explore further by climbing more stairs up. I went all the way back up to level 1. However, at level 1, I could not find my way out. So I made my way back down to level 5.

I decided to try the other portal I had found earlier.

The other portal I had found earlier.

Weird, no level number.

Near the place where I entered the level, I found another Zaap.

The famous Sufokia Zaap.

I had also found the stairs up. So I decided to climb up to see how far I could go. I made it all the way to the surface.

That place did not look familiar.

I easily found the mine exit.

I was in Sufokia!?

My guess is that the Stoodeep Mine is connected to all four nations at level 5. The first path I had taken earlier probably led to Amakna.

Found where Albatrocious may be hunted.

More Broken Facilities

It appears that the epidemic of broken facilities has spread to Canis Plains.

Another Facility infected by Brokenness.

Previously, there were already broken facilities in Bonta Ruins. Since then, only the Wells had been fixed. The main trouble with fixing the other facilities is that the gathered resources disappeared after server maintenance (twice so far). It would probably require a coordinated effort to get any of these facilities fixed.

Disobedience Law Enacted

Clayez, Bonta's Governor, has enacted Article 87 of the Enlightened Prometheus, a.k.a. the Disobedience Law. The result of this law is a penalty of 3 Citizen Points for performing an action against the Clan Member's wish.

This law has been implemented in response to the many players who harvest Bonta's resources without replenishing them. It has been a serious problem for some time with people chopping forests of trees and harvesting fields of crops without replenishing the stock. Hopefully with this law, there will be less rampant damage to the ecosystem and natural resources.

Word has it that the law is temporary, just to teach players to respect the efforts of Bontarians who care for the ecosystem.

In other news, a major operation will soon take place to open up more of Atta Grotto mine.

State of the Economy 2

There is a serious shortage of Gatherers.

Checks at the Auction House reveal that many resources for Crafting were not available. Those that are tend to be overpriced.

It is possible that many players are more focused on the martial aspects of the game. Players more interested in the production side of things tend to Gather in order to advance their own Crafting Professions.

A pack of resources that I offered on the Auction House had quickly been sold. Players could make a lot of Kamas gathering resources for popular crafting products and selling them at suitable prices at the Auction House.

Training Crafting Professions 2

Crafting goods take a lot of resources. So much that my Gathering Professions are overleveled. Because of that, I hardly gain XP from gathering resources, if any at all. In addition to that, gathering is a tedious monotonous activity.

It would be better to buy the resources I need from the Auction House.

Unfortunately, there are not much resources available in the Auction House. Those that are available, and which I need, tend to be overpriced. Considering that I have trouble selling my goods, I have to price them cheap. Because of that, I cannot afford high prices of natural resources.

So it is back to gathering resources the hard way.

Atta Grotto Mine Development

The Atta Grotto mine in Canis Plains have been developed. Blocks have been cleared to allow access to the mineral deposits within.

Mine Entrance.

The top level of the mine has deposits of Primitive Iron, Finest Sea Salt and Classic Carbon. The deposits for the latter two minerals are found further back in the mine. A short distance from the entrance is the stairs to Stoodeep Mines, Level 1.

Stairs to Stoodeep Mines.

A route has been blasted in Stoodeep Mines connecting several deposits of Primitive Iron. The place is not well lit, so one will be left groping in the dark if one does not bring some light.

Start of the route.

Primitive Iron along the route.

At the end of the route is a Phoenix and a door that leads back to the upper level. There is also one final Primitive Iron deposit next to the door.

End of the route.

The Kandee and Craft mines in Canis Plains have also been developed. The Kandee mine has deposits of Primitive Iron, Finest Sea Salt, Classic Carbon, Bright Copper and Shadowy Cobalt. The Craft mine has deposits of Shadowy Cobalt and Bronze Nugget.

Training Crafting Professions

At the time of writing, people hardly window shop at the Haven Bags. Instead, they usually buy from the Auction Houses.

I would prefer to sell stuff from the Haven Bag because there is no time limit. And since I put my Haven Bag within Bonta, it is more likely that the citizens of Bonta will benefit from my wares. Unfortunately, no one seems to want to buy.

This is bad for my Crafting Professions since I have no one to buy the items I create while training those Professions. No money from my work means less motivation to train.

What I do is to craft items that are greater than my Profession level. That way, I will get more XP for each successful craft. There is a risk of failure, but since I cannot sell the items anyway, the risk is acceptable.

Training Leather Dealer.

Training Baker.

Maybe I should consider putting up my stuff on the Auction House instead.

Update 9 February 2012:
It seems that items on Auction Houses are only available on the Auction Houses of the same nation. If that is true, then items I post on the Auction House will still be restricted to Bontarians. One less excuse for me not to use the Auction House instead.

Hero Wounded

A hero of Bonta is injured and needs the help of fellow Bontarians to help it recover. Sawmill 1 of the Bonta Village Sawmill has been wounded in the line of duty.

Rest there, buddy.

Nameless Handyman 1 has said that the condition is serious and has forbidden Sawmill 1 from performing any work. He also said that Sawmill 1 shall easily be fixed with the required resources, which is 250 Kamas, 100 Copper Ores and 200 Planks of Hazel Wood.

Sawmill 1 is a familiar hero to many Bontarians, tirelessly sawing wood after wood of many kinds into perfectly straight planks. Its dedication to its duty is great and it has graciously helped any Bontarian who seek its aid. Be he or she a lowly newbie or a seasoned veteran, Sawmill 1 treated all of them with the highest quality of service without complain or charge.

May fellow Bontarians donate in order to help speed our hero's recovery.

Update 4 March 2012:
It seems that Sawmill 1 is not the only casualty. There are other facilities of lesser fame around Bonta Ruins that are also damaged.

First, Kama Minting Machine 1 in the Bonta Village Coin House is damaged. Also damaged is the Armorer's Workshop to the north of the Coin House. Each require 100 Copper Ores and 200 Planks of Hazel Wood. Also, the workshop requires an additional 250 Kamas.

There are also damaged wells, one to the south-west of the damaged Armorer's Workshop. The other is to the north of the Bonta Village Sawmill. Each require 50 Humus and 50 Clay to fix. It should be noted that almost half the required resources have already been donated to fix these wells.

There is still a working well to the south-east of the Bagrutte Tavern.

Lastly, Torch 8 to the south of Jonk Lees looked like it needed fixing. However, the facility itself is unselectable. Thus, it could not be repaired at the moment.

State of the Economy 1

Bonta's economy at the moment is still adapting to the recent influx of residents. This has a great effect on the availability of certain low-level resources.

Dawn in Canis Plains.

There had been a shortage of Wheat and its related products but that has stopped for now. The best time to work with the crops in Canis Field is at night while the other players are asleep. However, currently, the temperature is very low at night, which is bad for Wheat.

A small cluster of Artichoke had been spotted in Canis Plains later in the day. Hopefully, that resource shall become more widely available.

There is serious shortage of wood, especially Ash and Hazel in Gnarled Braklee's Forest. Because of the cold weather, trees grow slower. In addition to that, there are a few players who chop forests of trees without replanting them. Gnarl Barklee the Clan Member is no help either, demanding that there be a limited number of trees in the area. Bonta Ruins, where there is no limit to the number of trees, should be considered as an alternative place to grow trees.

It appears that there shall be a shortage of Chestnut soon as Lumberjacks gain the level to work with them.

Plants for Herbalists are plentiful. Crowned Thistle and Plain Flax can be found everywehere.

At the moment, the mines have hardly been excavated. Probably the most excavated mine is Atta Grotto.

Sad to say that this is the most excavated mine.

The marketplace is still 'migratory'. A look at the designated market area on 5th Bond Avenue revealed that it was empty.

Marketplace on 5th Bond Avenue.

Instead, there was a small marketplace at the border between Gobbello Prairie and Bonta Ruins. Most of the items for sale were low-level equips commonly available from the local fauna, which is of little interest except to Craftspeople looking to craft Royal Piwi items. There are little resources for sale at the market. Those that are were expensive.

Nomadic Market.

The best way to find a marketplace at the time of writing is to look around the low-level area at night, when the players are away.

The Governor of Bonta, Clayerz has increased the market tax to 15%. Granted that the treasury is in dire need of funds. We shall see what he intends to do with the Kama.

Update 4 March 2012:
I discovered that there is quite an amount of trade going on. I was probably in the wrong places. Or all the trade could have been conducted in the Auction House (in the screenshot of 5th Bond Avenue above, it is the blackboard in the back).