MERRY CHRISTMAS MUTHA-FLICKA'S!

[Rabid Scotsman]

Happy New Year {JSS}!
(Long Post, grab some eggnog, get comfortable and get ready for a surprise present under our virtual tree.)

As we ring in the new year, especially given the recent comments of
open source MMOs, and given that our great times on Guild Wars
are slowly coming to an end, (I'm still cheering for you Randy! You're
almost there bud!) the {JSS} it going to need a new hangout.

After a grueling two weeks I have managed to bring up a fully
fledged, legalized, and not to mention FREE, Lineage 2 private
server just for the {JSS} Well, and our friends of course.

So! To get you started out and drooling you may want to visit
a few sites soon. This one for sure:

Lineage2.com -
Definitely check this out. On the left-hand sidebar of this site
you will see a "the Library" button. Open that bad boy up and
down near the bottom you'll see "classes, races..." head there
and you'll see that each race has it own set of various classes that
are unique.
From there you can travel all the way down their skill trees and
see what your options are for specializing your class. (class
changes) And don't bother counting, yes, there are 32 class
options. So you'll have plenty of thinking to do before you get started.

This classic game is filled to the brim with beautiful scenery and
vibrant atmospheres. Raid boss events are up and around all the
time for some great grouping up. You'll be challenged in this
game for sure. And the raw content up to this point is amazing to
say the least. They have some awesome in-game screen shots
and rendered videos to see there as well.

But before you get to drooling too much, start downloading the client
from there as well. (also free) Once it's done installing, let it
update itself to the latest version. Then there's only one quick change
to get in to the {JSS} server, live on the net.

I still have a few in-game changes to make to alter the game for a
smaller population. The game has been re-balanced to the point
that the game's experiences aren't based solely on a player based
economy system and that hard-as-hell-Korean-grind-fest that got
gamers addicted in the first place.
I've kept a goal in the fore-front of my mind to make this game
as accessible as possible to us more casual gamers, without
taking out its longevity enhancing elements. (which is why it's taken
me a bit of time.)

But, as of the 2nd (estimated) of the new year, the server will be in a
stable, yet somewhat beta state. And that leads to the best part...
IT'S OUR SERVER! We can keep it balanced and adjust for
maximum fun at the same time. We'll all have a part in this world.
I'm even planning on changing some of the NPCs names to a
myriad of some {JSS} members names.

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at the "new" Lineage.

I'll keep everyone up to date as I continue to dig through and edit
the game's database.

Anyway, (since I'm poor as dirt) this is my "Merry Christmas" and
"Happy New Year" present to all of you, my "family-away-from-family",
the {JSS}. Hope you like it.

[Zeiram Wing]

lineage 2! oh man... i'm trying to hold out on anything till my month of psu is up, but all i hear is how addicting lineage is... how dare you release this beast on us! i've been reading up on the main site, and it seems to really have a ragnarok online feel to it, which is still my favorite mmo... can't wait to try this out!

[Rabid Scotsman]

Good to hear!
Submit, I say! Submit to the beast!

Today has been a busy day with the database, but every thing still looks to be on time for
the 2nd. (tomorrow) Make sure to start the client DL/Update, both take a while to DL.

Acidbee has been teaching me some code to make some of my mass shop alterations
go a little faster. (Thanks dude!)

[Rabid Scotsman]

The new Lineage 2 server is up!

I haven't seen much of a response on this thread so far, (the season, I know)
but I'm gonna' light 'er up anyhow. I'll give a run down of what needs to be
done, after the client has installed and fully updated. But first, a few things for
new players to consider. And some changes I've made to the game.

1) There are many options available for new players that will make your
acclimation to the game much easier. They're easy to access as well.
- Once you reach level 6 you can talk to some one with the name
"Newbie Guide" and they will give you a few options to select in their
dialog.

- "Receive help from beneficial magic"
This will give you set of awesome buffs that will last for an hour.
You can receive these as often as you want until your mid level
20s. And a list of all the buff names and what level ranges you
will receive them at are also listed here.

- "Get help with a newbie item"
Choosing the top option on the next screen, something like,
getting tickets/coupons, will give you a handful of coupons in
you inventory. If you go back to "get help with a newbie item",
and choose the second option in the list, you will be able to
a weapon of your choice from the list. These weapons are
actually better than what you will get from level 1 - 19.
Awesome, eh? Here's the catch; the longer you use the weapon
or have it equipped there's a durability-like value on the weapon
that will very slowly dissipate. Don't worry though, you most likely
won't have to use more than two of these tickets/weapons by level 20.
And don't worry, you'll never have to worry about repairing items.

2) Remember: Not all shops are created equal.

- Some variations of the same shops (weapons, armor, etc..)
will not always have the same stuff as their counterpart in another
town. So explore and use the teleporters ("gatekeepers" on the map)
located in each town. After all, they're free! (prices were HUGE)
And don't worry too much, when it comes to buying armor, weapons,
and whatnot at level 20+ most (if not all) shops will be mirrors of each
other so that you can get what you need, wherever you are.

3) Getting around the world:
- First off, I've altered the values of a players run speed. But, only slightly.
Since we are on a smaller player-base getting to your group shouldn't
take quite as long. Plus, there's no need for excess suffering when it
comes to getting around at the lower levels.

- There are mounts in the world of Lineage 2. Although, you will get
the unique and fun privilege of raising your pet from just a baby.
I know what you're thinking and yes it was retardedly hard to raise
your mount in levels until it got to the point that you could ride, or
eventually fly the bad boy. Well, not any more. I have not only made
the values for their XP gain more realistic (definitely not too fast) but
also upped it slightly for a lower player base that wants to achieve
and experience this for themselves...in their lifetimes. (lol)
And I've kept this in mind for all the Lineage 2 experiences. Like...

4) The grind:
- A lot of use grew up in there era where the grind WAS the game.
Lineage 2 keeps that aspect as well as adding a ridiculous amount
of extra content, plus weekly, monthly and holiday events.
But, the grind has been lowered by about half. Making the early levels
go at a much more acceptable pace. And making the "end levels" grind
much less about maximizing your time camping in one area for the grind,
and more about doing what you want to do and still gaining good XP from it.

- The lineage 2 universe was extremely player-based in terms of economy.
(And managing to be completely bloated and way out of proportion.)
While you can still gain money from selling hand crafted items, and other
players can still benefit from buying these items. I have made most all of
the more "required" "top end" items for each tier available in shops.
And at thier available "base" value in Adena. (Gold) This makes it so
that, even if there aren't many crafters, you can still enjoy the best
armors and weapons the game has to offer.

- Now that doesn't mean that crafters haven't gained from better values,
or have been forgotten on our server. The crafters, (dwarves) are actually
quite fun to play, but usually getting materials during you daily grind,
was very slim. that's been changed so that you have an adequate
amount of materials. And you will be able to find slightly more
patterns and-the-like in you daily travels. Making it so that you can
level with your friends and still have fun making all their gear.
Where usually, Dwarves weren't picked up by groups. Now the
Dwarves bring a new aspect and usefulness to the battlefield,
including making the groups drop better!

- "Now with less farming!" I have upped the Adena drop rates to the point
that affording gear later in the game is achievable simply by going about
your usual, fun, experiences. now, the drop rates reflect, not only the
adjusted speed at which you level, but to the default shops prices.
So that more is affordable. And, so that our Dwarf friends aren't left out
in the cold, at the same time.

5) Above all, have fun!
- I did the work so you don't have to. Most of the neat, more "user
friendly" features, I added myself so you don't have to go through a
bunch of content that doesn't make sense for a smaller scale server,
and still, not miss out on any thing.

6) Finally, just as a side-note, class changes:
- When you reach level 20 you will come to the point where it's time
to specify (more) what you want to do as your base class.
When you start, your only options are: Fighter and Mystic, for your
class. And although there is some customization for how you want
to play, your class change will focus some of the skills you've been
playing with since level one. Example: a Fighter can generally become
a tank-like class, a rogue-like class or a Good-DPS/Good-defense mix.
Where Mystics can become summon-like, DPS mage-like, or healer-like.
If you were to choose healer, you can specify again at level 40 whether
you want to be more of a buffer, or a healer.

- It used to be that you had to do very long ang grueling quest lines
that just don't make sense for a smaller server, to actually achieve your
class changes. (Ala Final Fantasy XI) But now, you need only talk to
you friendly, local, "Event Manager" (Known as "Roy the Kat") and
select what class you would like to advance to.

Well, I hope this was informative and hopefully not too awfully long.

Getting in game with the {JSS}!
- Now all that's left is to slightly edit a file on your PC. Don't worry,\
it won't affect any thing other than letting you connect to our server. And it's easy.

- First, head to <root>:\Windows\System 32\Drivers\etc\
and double-click the file called "hosts". you will be prompted to choose a
program to view it with, select "notepad", it'll do the trick.
Once there you should see a bunch of crap with "#" in front of it.
Ignore those entirely. When you get to the first line that doesn't have a # sign,
it should read like this:
127.0.0.1 localhost
That line needs to be there, so don't change it.
Every thing else in the file can be deleted if you so-wish.
On a new line below the important one type in exactly this:
75.145.115.17 l2authd.lineage2.com
That's: <Our Server IP Address><single space><where the client used to look>
After that just save and close the "hosts" file and you're almost done.

Now just head to your Lineage 2 directory. Default is <root>:\Program Files\
Lineage 2\system\ (Program Files(x86) for Vista users.) and look for the file:
"L2.exe". You can right-click and chose "send to" --> Desktop (Create Shortcut)
to put that puppy on your Desktop. From now on, until instructed otherwise,
you will need to start Lineage 2 with this file. Instead of the updater "exe" found
in: <root>:\Program Files\Lineage 2. This is only because our server runs on the
current update, until they release another and we can upgrade our server,
respectively.

well, that's it. I know most of us don't need the very detailed instructions,
but you never know. Better safe than sorry.

When you get in the game and you are prompted to enter a username and password
just type in the username and password that you want for your account.
If it's available, then the account will be created automatically. At least for now.
After the first week of the server being online I will turn this feature off.
So if you need to create your account still. Just send me a PM, or even better,
I'll see you in game! Have fun guys!

Also, I'd like to thank my buddy Steve (Tyraney here on the forums) for looking
up all the random crap that I needed every other minute, downloading all the
updates and extra progs it turned out that I needed, and just "pwning" google.com
in general. Thanks bro. you saved me a bunch of extra research and DL time.
Without him, I would have an extra week of work on my hands. And that would
have made me a sad panda... err... yeah.

[Tyraney]

Well... It is very interesting setting up a new server... We welcome all of you who read this to come and join us... Its a lot of fun and we would like to see more... So see ya there!!!!

[Zeiram Wing]

wow... took all night and half the day to get it dl and updated, but i got it all done now! now i'm hitting a big snag. i did all that you said, but when i go to log in, it gives me a gameguard error that it detected a hacking program. from searching around some other private servers, it seems they usually have another ip to add to the host file for gameguard.

but problems aside, i'm sorta interested in trying this out. the whole pet thing reminds me of the awsome lufia 2 on the snes (if you remember this game, give yourself a gold star.)

[Rabid Scotsman]

Due to some changes I made server-side, the server shouldn't even request game guard
authorization. So the extra line in your hosts file shouldn't even be necessary. But if your client is
detecting something... hmmm. that is odd. I recommend deleting your game guard folder in your
Lineage 2 folders. Once you start the game up again, it will write a fresh GG directory.
Most GG issues are solved this way. Another thing is; I have used Ccleaner to scan my
registry and fix errors and that has cleared up a few GG problems as well.
(If nothing else works.)

Also, you still have my ph#, right? You can always give me a call if that doesn't work.
the last few problems we've had with clients connecting have been fixed by giving them
my L2\System folder. So last resort, I'll host that file. It's not very large at all.

GL man. Let me know what happens.

[Zeiram Wing]

ok, so i did some research and such, and added

216.107.250.194 nprotect.lineage2.com

to my host file, and now it seems to be working. i checked the ip addy and such and it seems to be a ligit ncsoft site that has an older version of gameguard. so if anyone else has a gameguard problem, try it out... now i just need to figure out the character to make... i'd like to have an assassin-y char...

edit: well, looks like the dark elves get the ol assassin

edit 2: hrm.. seems i can't create a character. it keeps saying that my title is limited to 16 characters even if i put in only 1 letter...

[Rabid Scotsman]

No spaces or symbols are allowed. It says that for any error in the name, not just the limit.
Kinda' weird.

I can also edit what *is* allowed in the name, if so desired.
I know I'd personally use ' in a name every once in a while. heh.

edit: I'll also be on TS from here on today. Look me up there if you need to.
Still let us know here if that helped you with char creation.

[dragonarse]

it is now 5:45 p.m. EST, Friday, Jan.2nd...
I'm heading to L2 site to start the client DL so I'm hopeful that Saturday night I'll be hooking up with some of you for a taste of brand new adventures.

i'm guessing if i can run GW my machine will be okay for this?

Oh and thanks you guys... what a great gift

[Rabid Scotsman]

Sweet! XD It'll be awesome to have you!
And yes; L2 shouldn't have a prob running on your machine.
You may have to turn down some of the options, because of the
recent graphical updates to the engine

Also, please add:
216.107.250.194 nprotect.lineage2.com
as a new line in your hosts file, as well as the one I gave above originally.

[dragonarse]

WOOOOT!

successful download and update

no problem with creating acc't or character

My character's name is MORTHEN, a dwarf of course ;D

completed a few quests and did a little exploring
and the game runs okay...

...now i'm off to find me some Gemstone Beasts to finish a quest.

See you IN GAME soon i hope

[Zeiram Wing]

ok, after playing for a bit, i found alot of useful options that i recommend people use. it may make things alot easier or help to transition from other games.

1. Settings- Video- "GPU Animation" - if this checkmark is greyed, you have to turn off the used enhanced shaders option to check it, then you can turn your shaders back on. this unloads animations and tracking onto your graphics card, instead of the cpu. for some, it may have an adverse effect, for others, it may help remove stutter and make the game run smooth. i don't think L2 is multithreaded, so i was being cpu bottlenecked, so in my case, it helped smooth things out.

2. Settings- Game- "Show Region" - This will make the name of the region pop up on the middle of your screen when you enter a new one. very helpful to help you keep your bearings.

3. On the side of the chat window, there should be a "Chat Window Options" buttion, in there i recommend unchecking the top "System" and "damage" options, and rechecking them down in the middle under "System Message Window" and "damage" in the same option screen. this will separate the system messages from the main chat window, to its own window, so you wont miss any messages.

4. Up on your radar there should be a "Radar Options" button, it will allow you to alter how the radar works. i recommend checking the "Show Location" checkmark, to make it easier to see where your going.

5. this one is VERY helpful. Need to find a low level quest and where to take it? or need to find a hunting ground to level at? well, open the "Map", should be in the bottom right cluster of buttons, then click on the "World Info" button in the top right. A panel will slide out with different tabs, one for "Quests", one for "Hunting Grounds", and a bunch more. from there, click on the tab you want, and you can get your info. you can also click on the headers to sort by lvl requirement, region, name, etc. when you find what you want, click on it, and a flag will appear on the map where you need to go.

6. "Macros" are your friends! down in the bottom right cluster of buttons there should be a system menu button. this will bring up a menu with all sorts of things you can do, one of them should be a "Macro" option. from there, you can set up macros to have you alot assist someone, to having your pet attack when you attack, with a push of a button.

7. Newbie Items- Talk to a newbie guide in town, select ask about newbie weapons, then select recieve 5 apprentice adventurerer tickets, then talk to the guide again, select ask about newbie weapons, then select USE apprentice adventurers ticket to exchange 1 ticket for a good weapon. these weapons will last you till around lvl 19, thats when you'll probably want to buy a new one. one thing about the newbie weapons: they are spirit weapons that use mp over time (by clicking on the weapon you can see how much mp they have left) when they start to get low, you will get a warning. the weapon will disappear when it runs out, so just go back to the guide and exchange another ticket for a new weapon. (note that the mp drain is time based, so don't get a new weapon until the first is ready to die)

8. Soulshots and other "shots"- after you do the first quest you will get some soulshots, these up you attack power when you use them, so you should ALWAYS have some on you. First drag the shots from you inventory to your skill bar, then left click to just make you next attack more powerful, or right click them to make all you attacks more powerful until you run out. you can buy more at the grocery stores. 2 notes
1- make sure to buy the right shots, soulshots are for p attacks, spiritshots are for magic, so make sure to click on the icon to see what kind they are.
2- make sure you get the right shots for your grade of weapon. d grade shots only work with d grade items, etc.
you can also buy compressed packs that have 1000 shots in them that weigh less. its best to carry alot of these.

9. Gatekeepers- USE THEM! talk to these guys to warp to other towns, or even some areas out in the field. because they will only warp you so far, sometimes you may need to make 2 or more "jumps" to get to the area you want. if you warp to a town, you will start in that town next to a gatekeeper to keep jumping, but warp to the field and you'll either have to use an escape scroll to get to the nearest town, or run.

10. Your skill bar starts with the pickup items shortcut on F4, this allows you to pick up all drops on the ground without clicking them. But heres a helpful little tip: just hold down the button, and you'll auto pickup everything.

11. Down in your bottom right cluster of options there is an "Action" button, click on that to bring up a window that allows you to do emotes, party options, etc. One of the options in the top is a Target nearest enemy button. drag this to one of your skill bars so with a press of a button, you will target the nearest attackable enemy. this is great when fighting a mob.

12. Settings- Chat- "Enter Chat" - Now this one, doesn't work at the moment, or at least, not as intended. i'm researching right now as to why that is. but this is SUPPOSED to make it so that you have to hit the enter button to chat, but also change the controls to WADS controls, like guild wars and alot of other games. unfortunately, this doesn't work, so as of right now, if all you want is WADS control, i would just leave this unchecked.
However, as the game is set up a the start, you can start typing a message in the chat without hitting a button, just start typing. with this you would have to hit the enter key, then type you message, then hit enter to send it. so basically using this will free up all your letters on your kb for shortcuts.

13. waiting for someone who went afk? just wanna try something different? try /minigame
hope these help someone out.

oh, one last thing. Last night me and Rabid Scotsman did some Catacombs together, and it was a friggin BALL. i didn't even realise it was 2 am! And i was taking screenys like crazy, so expect another screenshot thread from me... what, you think i WOULDN'T start a new game and start poppin off screenies? You lost your damn mind!

[Rabid Scotsman]

what, you think i WOULDN'T start a new game and start poppin off screenies? You lost your damn mind!
lol, right on.

[De Filer]

Hey guys after I installed on Vista L2.exe was located here:
C:\Program Files\Lineage II\system

-De Filer