H1Z1 The continued diary of a survivor part 3

Things have started to come together. Having found a spot on the edge of a mostly deserted town, I have now upgraded the ramshackle shed I used as a base, to a fully fledged platform, with outbuildings, dew collectors for water and even a barbecue for cooking that tasty wolf meat.

Thankfully the local bear has kept his distance but the Dead continue to approach in droves, usually attracted by the sounds of me felling trees or the smoke from the Grill. I'm getting quite proficient with the bow. From the comfort of my raised platform, I can take them out with a shot to the head fairly easily and the endless supply of wooden sticks growing around my camp makes for great ammunition. These sticks can also be fashioned into spike traps, which I've spread liberally around the steps leading up and now a pair of barbed wire fences protect the entrance.

Today was a metal run, many of the cars are abandoned so scrap metal is plenty, and having fashioned a makeshift forge, I can melt this down and make sheets of metal that fortify my base. Today, however, I had a mishap that almost cost my life.

I set out at dawn. Visibility was low but I had seen a number of areas of cars and wanted to get round them all by nightfall, as well as a trip to the local river, my supply running low. As I reached the valley, I was suddenly in a bank of fog. I ran into a couple of the Dead and in the panic, lost my bearings. I spent most of the day walking, trying to find my camp or at least a landmark but the fog wasn't helping.

Soon enough, I hit the river, and though I didn't recognise the stretch I was on, following it seemed like a good idea. As I did, I found a load of survivor camps, though no sign of life. Several hours later, after dodging a bear and countless walking corpses, I saw something I recognised..a water tower that sits about a mile from my base. Making a beeline for it, I saw more familiar scenes, and soon hit the edge of town. The sun was going down, so I ran straight through, scavenging more cars on the way and soon enough found my home, to some relief.

Tomorrow I must get more rabbit traps up to keep me in food  and maybe get more metal to fix up more walls. Life is lonely here, but I'm surviving.

H1Z1 The continued diary of a survivor part 2

Having settled on a server I like - low population, PVE, EU server, I've started to find things from scavenging. SOE have worked on loot tables and it seems to be helping, on this server at least, where there's not tons of people vying for the same salvage.

Today I had a breakthrough, in the form of an axe and a knife. Both make excellent weapons, but the knife allows me to skin animals for meat and cut cloth from zombies. The axe can be use to obtain logs from cutting down trees itself hazardous as it attracts for of the Dead. The wood has multiple uses but most importantly it has given me the opportunity to make a bow drill, a tool to light fires. I've found a little house house with a barbecue out back and using a little charcoal I picked up, I got a fire going and not only cooked the wolf and deer meat I've managed to hunt, with my improvised bow, but I've been able to purify river water and make blackberry juice with all those lovely blackberries that seem to be taking over the world. I now have adequate drinks and food for some time along with weapons to defend myself, so things are looking up. I've also found a turbo for an off-road vehicle, not that I've seen any lying around, and I've manufactured biofuel from animal fat. It would be nice to get some adequate way to communicate with other survivors to set up trades. Right now, the game has audio chat so you can shout at someone within distance, but I don't currently have a mic set up and when I see the audio notice next to someone's name, I can't hear them. Otherwise there's is no text chat so I feel frustrated, unable to communicate.

My next task is to find a crowbar. This elusive item, it appears, is the key to getting scrap metal from old cars and the metal can be used for many things, most importantly nails to start forming a defensive base in which to hole up.

Overall, H1Z1 is shaping up to be excellent. SOE are making almost daily updates to fix bugs and add things and the dev tracker clearly shows how transparent they are being in the development of the game.

H1Z1 First Impressions

For the first time I've decided to get involved with an early access game, a few days in to the much talked about Steam Early Access Alpha of Sony's Zombie Survival game, H1Z1.

I heard about this game some time ago and being a fan of The Zed Genre in general and played to bits Left for Dead 1 and 2, it really piqued my interest. When news of the release of forerunner, Day Z came out with it's horrific PVP making it a griefers holiday, I was excited that not only would H1Z1 focus more on crafting and building but would have PVE servers. Being the Care Bear I am, I was sold and when the opportunity to get in early in the game's development appeared, I jumped in, having watched a few Twitch streams first (and reading about Belghast's experience, over on Tales of the Aggronaut)

Being early access, I was ready for a battle to just get in the game, and it was that. A couple of hours fiddling various settings but eventually I got in. Finding a medium populated PVE server, I was thrown in to field of blackberries with nothing but my wits.

I won't lie, there was a definite feeling of excitement entering, something I've not felt from a game in some time. I had no clue where I was or what to do, but I set about picking blackberries, knowing food would be scarce, and found a nice solid branch for a weapon. After filling my pockets, I spotted a deer, so started stalking it. I couldn't get close enough so set about sprinting, trying to smack it down. I failed miserably. Hunger was setting in and the blackberries weren't cutting it. I stumbled across a road  full of deserted wrecked cars. Searching about twenty, I found nothing. It's hard to know if that's as intended, they'd be ransacked already or it's just bugged. Either way, it was disappointing. Soon enough I found a town, a deserted church offered nothing until I spotted a police station. I figured there must be an armoury of some kind, if not a gun in a desk somewhere, so I moved in, dodging the odd zombie on the way.

I searched every desk and drawer and went to the basement where I found the armoury. Nothing. Again, cleared out or bugged, but very frustrating. Hunger had almost killed me, so I headed upstairs, noticing wooden spikes on the stairs. I must have stepped on one, as I collapsed onto them and died.

Not a great start to my career, but it was fun if frustrating. I had to log out and have been unable to get back in following a patch, something a number of players have reported.

Overall, I'm enjoying H1Z1. My main complaint, aside from the lack of loot, are the zombies. Graphically they are not great, Left 4 Dead did a better job, but I'm assuming that will improve as the game develops. They are also not especially active. One stood stock still, arms out, staring at me then vanished as I got close. The patch today has apparently dealt with loot issues, though not much use to me if I can't log in. Hopefully will get to try again tomorrow.

2015 in LOTRO and what's coming!

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The new Producer's letter has just been released with some very exciting news for PVMP players.

Major 2015 Initiatives:

Legendary Items: With the Osgiliath update, you will be able to Imbue Level 100 Legendary Items. An Imbued item continues to gain experience and will no longer need to be deconstructed to advance. These items are already in internal testing! There are many details still to work out, but you should expect a developer diary on the topic early this year.

Osgiliath is one area I've been excited to see from day one, and I always felt it would make an awesome PVP zone...

New Fellowship Challenges: As we push into the heart of the War of the Ring, this is the perfect time for us to renew our focus on group content and instances. Expect new instances in Osgiliath, along with additional Roving Threats and group content on the landscape.

Much of the playerbase will welcome new instances. I'm not much of a raider myself but I'd love to get involved for this area.

Quality of Life: We have been working to identify your most persistent bugs. You can expect a renewed focus on resolving issues that may be small but troublesome, to improve overall gameplay experience.

Finally!

Episodic Content: We are currently in development on a new type of quest content that will roll out like an episodic TV show, a little at a time, as you follow a new friend across Middle-earth seeing familiar places in a new light.

This sounds very interesting. Perhaps Turbine are taking notes from Guild War's Living Story and Star Trek Online's episodic model.

Server Populations: Based on your feedback, we’re taking measures to get everyone onto the more populous servers, so that finding parties is easier and festivals and live events are more fun. We are working on both improved server transfer tools and upgrades to our environments to improve playability. Also we will be moving our European servers back to the EU! More details on this coming soon!

Key for me is that they drop the price, or do away with charging altogether.  Making it easier is all very well, but if I wanted to transfer all nine toons from Windfola to Landroval, we're talking $200+, plus the charge for extra slots to accommodate the characters.

PvMP: The team is also seriously investigating a new PvMP map in Osgiliath. This landscape would tell the story of the Battle of Osgiliath, and the layout of the city (split by the Anduin) is perfect for smaller and more tightly focused conflicts than the Ettenmoors. This would make the perfect platform for gradual improvements to the PvMP experience, overall. We’ll provide additional updates on this initiative as we get deeper into 2015.

I Called this back in 2009. Awesome idea and I really hope it pans out. Turbine have made promises about PVMP before and not fulfilled those promises.

December Sale at Crystal Lake Publishing

Our friends at Crystal Lake Publishing are having their biggest SALE ever, and it will last till end of December. Be sure to pick your Christmas books now. Paperbacks will range between $6.99 and $11.99, and eBooks between 99c and $2.99.

And if you share your purchase on Facebook (remember to tag Crystal Lake Publishing or Joe Mynhardt) and you get to ask the author of one of our Single Author collections/novellas a question related to their book (characters, plot, motivation, etc.).
Plus, whoever invites the most people to our Facebook event (based on accepting the invite) will receive a Crystal Lake Publishing paperback of their choosing. Free eBooks to runners up who gave it a serious go.

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/559318504170222/

Website: www.crystallakepub.com/books

Celondim Comedy on the Lotro Landroval server

Celondim Comedy is on 22nd November at 4 PM /servertime Landroval!

The event will feature stand-up and improv comedy and games, including some with audience participation. There will also be a fashion contest with fun, themed prizes.

The Remediators start playing at 3:30, so arrive early to hear their wonderful music! This event will take place just south of Celondim at 29.2S, 92.7W.

Crystal Lake open for pitch submissions

This just in from Crystal Lake Publishing....

Crystal Lake Publishing will be open for pitch submissions between the 15th of November and the
15th of December, 2014.


We’re looking for DARK FICTION, be it horror, suspense thrillers, fantasy, action adventure, sci-fi (no space operas, please), supernatural, or noir. We’re interested in reading your novels, novellas, short story collections, non-fiction books linked to dark fiction topics, and poetry collections. All books should be above 60,000 words (novellas need to be at least 40,000 or accompanied by one or two extra short stories - otherwise it'll be eBook only), preferably below 110,000.

That’s a pretty wide spectrum, so here are some of the authors and books we enjoy (that does not however mean that we want you to rewrite their work or copy them. Be original. Be yourself):
Richard Matheson, Robert Bloch, Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, Jack Ketchum, Elizabeth Massie, Joe Hill, Ramsey Campbell, Jonathan Maberry, Richard Laymon, Robert McCammon, Adam Nevill, Ray Bradbury, J.R.R. Tolkien, Bram Stoker, F. Paul Wilson, Charles L. Grant, Mary Shelley, John Connolly, Peter Straub, Shirley Jackson, Ambrose Bierce, H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allen Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle, Algernon Blackwood, Dean Koontz, M.R. James, Joe R. Lansdale, Jules Verne, Cormac McCarthy, William Peter Blatty, Thomas Harris, Alexandre Dumas and Roald Dahl.

We are not looking for reprints (out of print books will be considered – please inform of when you submit), previously published or self-published books, although up to 50% of your collections can be reprinted stories or poems. Novellas that form part of a collection may be reprints, as long as the majority of the collection are original stories. Please make sure the rights to all reprints have returned to you.

Simultaneous submissions are okay, but please withdraw your story immediately if it is accepted elsewhere.

Your book does not have to be finished at the time of your pitch, as long as it’s at least 70% complete and you can provide the opening chapter plus any other two chapters when asked.

Compensation:
You will be entitled to lifetime royalties on sales, or until a mutual agreement to withdraw the book is reached.
Advance:    $400 against royalties
                 $200 for anything other than a novel
Royalties:   40% of net profits on all online sales (Amazon etc.)
                 25% of net profits on all bookstore sales

Your book will be available to bookstores for a period of two years, after which it will be available via online retailers indefinitely.
Novels will also receive a $400 marketing budget you can spend as you please, as well as a lot of online publicity from us. Anything else receives a $200 marketing budget and the same treatment from us.
You will also receive 5 contributor’s copies before the book is launched.

Submitting your pitch (not before November 15th, please):
We are not looking for sample chapters or your entire book just yet. If you have more than 1 book to pitch, please send them separately.
Send us an email (to crystallakepub@gmail.com) with a polite introduction, and attach an author photo if you so please, along with one Word document containing the following information:
1.   Your 2 page max pitch (genre, projected length, why only you could write this book, biography; 1 or 2 sentence logline, portray your voice and style of writing, similar books – but what makes yours unique. You should also go into detail about your marketing or promotional plans.
2.   Your 1 page synopsis (a step by step summary or walk-through of your book, including all subplots, twists and reveals, or in the case of a short story or poetry collection, a paragraph on each story or poem).

Formatting guidelines:
This single attached Word document should be in 12 point Times New Roman, single spaced. Do not change text color or add graphics to your pitch. We will acknowledge the receipt of your pitch within three days at the most, but please allow up to 12 weeks for a response on said pitch. Please query if you haven’t heard from us in 12 weeks. Please make sure your pitch and synopsis are properly edited.

Staff (some prefer to remain anonymous):
Submission readers: Joe Mynhardt and Emma Audsley
Initial chapter and manuscript readers: Joe Mynhardt, Emma Audsley, Ben Eads, Ben Jones, Dave-Brendan de Burgh, and LelaniViljoen.
Once the submissions period is over, we will evaluate all of the submissions, and invite the very best of the bunch to submit the opening chapter and two chapters of your choosing (or stories and poems in the case of collections).
Feel free to email any questions you may have
to crystallakepub@gmail.com.

Professionalism:
Please remember we are a small press and can only handle a set number of projects a year. So a rejection will not also comment on your writing prowess or talent. There are a lot of factors that go into accepting a project, including personal taste, marketability, timing, professionalism and collaboration of the author etc. I will try to give helpful rejection letters where possible, but please leave your hate mail for the politicians.