Kol Trance

Kol Weekly Issue #2.

Welcome To Kol Weekly.
Welcome to the second issue of Kol Weekly, after the success of the first issue, and the constructive criticism, a lot of changes have been made this time around. Firstly, some vacancies have now been filled, by Luren, Bragi and Lacey, who will have a section each. Secondly, new sections, and a lot of renaming, the Wordsearch has been scrapped for its unpracticalness, and it makes way for sections on Radio Kol, Chat Moderating and various other surprises. Remember, for any queries, entries, contributions, criticism or entries, there is the stickied forum thread in discussion, or (less preferable) you can E-Mail me at aantliff@hotmail.com. Firestorm ZERO: Editor.

Welcome To Kol Weekly.

Welcome to the second issue of Kol Weekly, after the success of the first issue, and the constructive criticism, a lot of changes have been made this time around. Firstly, some vacancies have now been filled, by Luren, Bragi and Lacey, who will have a section each. Secondly, new sections, and a lot of renaming, the Wordsearch has been scrapped for its unpracticalness, and it makes way for sections on Radio Kol, Chat Moderating and various other surprises. Remember, for any queries, entries, contributions, criticism or entries, there is the stickied forum thread in discussion, or (less preferable) you can E-Mail me at aantliff@hotmail.com.

Firestorm ZERO: Editor.

News.
Clan Purchase Changes: This weeks first big change was given to Clan Purchases, gone are the days of buying beer, fotie, moxie weeds and whatnot. The new system allows player with the privilige of purchasing things to buy temporary or permanent boosts for each clan member, there are three temporary purchases, and three permanent ones. With each purchase you have the option to choose cheap (small boost), medium (ok boost) or expensive (high boost). Onto the negatives, firstly, the boosts are very small, even when expensive is chosen, and secondly, only fifteen can be bought each day. All in all, a changed with mixed opinions. Suspicious-Looking Guy: A suspicious-looking guy has showed up at the Wrong Side Of The Tracks, selling Goofballs, the price starts at nothing, but increases by one thousand meat with each purchase. Golden Mr. Accessory Image Change: The Golden Mr. A has gone through a revamp this week, with the image being changed to make the golden version sparkle. New Effects: A total of five new effects this week, the first three are from the new clan purchase system, and increase Muscle/Mysticality or Moxie, depending on the purchase bought, they last for 5/10/15 adventures depending on whether or not cheap, medium or expensive was chosen when the effect was bought. The other two are from Goofballs, one is positive, that being when you use the Goofballs the first few times, the second screws you up after getting an addiction. Three More Ultra-Rare Items Found: After the Hypnodisk extravaganza last week, more animated items have been found, the Crazy Bastard Sword, first wielded by Werebear, the Talisman Of Baio of Jimmy The Mysterious, and the Incredibly Dense Meat Gem, not beared by anybone at the time of press, but known throughout the game, these caused more extravaganzas, and now thats the lot of them, or so we're led to believe . Cards: Card fever seems to have hit Kol this week, with threads about playing cards, top trumps and a game based on Magic: The Gathering. I too, have been hit by the craze and started making a new game from scratch, more news next time. Newsflash: Kol On news.com and Gamespot: Yup, the article can be found here. The exact same article is also on Gamespot. Alliance From Hell Disbands: One of the most popular clans in recent Kol times has disabanded, AFH is no more. Mozilla Bug Fixed: The bug where /w and /? would screw up the scrolling of the chat in Mozilla (and its ilk) has finally been fixed. Changes To MP: Maximum MP is now based on your modified Mysticality, rather than the base. So, yeah. You now can hold a lot more MP if you're buffed up. Mall Limits Change: Due to popular demand, Mall limits now reset at the nightly rollover, rather than on a rolling 24-hour schedule. Also, search results that point to items you can't buy because of these limits are now grayed out. MP-Restorative Items Usable From Skills Page: You can now use MP-restorative items directly from the skills page. It's convenient, and it's fun!

News.

Clan Purchase Changes:
This weeks first big change was given to Clan Purchases, gone are the days of buying beer, fotie, moxie weeds and whatnot. The new system allows player with the privilige of purchasing things to buy temporary or permanent boosts for each clan member, there are three temporary purchases, and three permanent ones. With each purchase you have the option to choose cheap (small boost), medium (ok boost) or expensive (high boost). Onto the negatives, firstly, the boosts are very small, even when expensive is chosen, and secondly, only fifteen can be bought each day. All in all, a changed with mixed opinions.

Suspicious-Looking Guy:
A suspicious-looking guy has showed up at the Wrong Side Of The Tracks, selling Goofballs, the price starts at nothing, but increases by one thousand meat with each purchase.

Golden Mr. Accessory Image Change:
The Golden Mr. A has gone through a revamp this week, with the image being changed to make the golden version sparkle.

New Effects:
A total of five new effects this week, the first three are from the new clan purchase system, and increase Muscle/Mysticality or Moxie, depending on the purchase bought, they last for 5/10/15 adventures depending on whether or not cheap, medium or expensive was chosen when the effect was bought. The other two are from Goofballs, one is positive, that being when you use the Goofballs the first few times, the second screws you up after getting an addiction.

Three More Ultra-Rare Items Found:
After the Hypnodisk extravaganza last week, more animated items have been found, the Crazy Bastard Sword, first wielded by Werebear, the Talisman Of Baio of Jimmy The Mysterious, and the Incredibly Dense Meat Gem, not beared by anybone at the time of press, but known throughout the game, these caused more extravaganzas, and now thats the lot of them, or so we're led to believe .

Cards:
Card fever seems to have hit Kol this week, with threads about playing cards, top trumps and a game based on Magic: The Gathering. I too, have been hit by the craze and started making a new game from scratch, more news next time.

Newsflash: Kol On news.com and Gamespot:
Yup, the article can be found here. The exact same article is also on Gamespot.

Alliance From Hell Disbands:
One of the most popular clans in recent Kol times has disabanded, AFH is no more.

Mozilla Bug Fixed:
The bug where /w and /? would screw up the scrolling of the chat in Mozilla (and its ilk) has finally been fixed.

Changes To MP:
Maximum MP is now based on your modified Mysticality, rather than the base. So, yeah. You now can hold a lot more MP if you're buffed up.

Mall Limits Change:
Due to popular demand, Mall limits now reset at the nightly rollover, rather than on a rolling 24-hour schedule. Also, search results that point to items you can't buy because of these limits are now grayed out.

MP-Restorative Items Usable From Skills Page:
You can now use MP-restorative items directly from the skills page. It's convenient, and it's fun!

New Items.
Goofballs: This is a bottle of pills labeled "goofballs." Something tells you that it'd probably be a bad idea to take these. Ah, Goofballs, the Kingdom's equivalent to crack, coke and cannabis. These are from the Suspicious-Looking Guy on the Wrong Side Of The Tracks, and are a highly realistic item. The first few bottles you use make you feel good, but after a while, they start losing you stats, and if you are in this state after the rollover, you go into withdrawal for one hundred adventures. A brilliant item on Jick's behalf. Crazy Bastard Sword: This is the sword formerly wielded by a crazy bastard. He wanted to hit you with it, but instead, you hit him with something and took it. Go, you! The second ultra-rare item to be found, see the news story above for more details. Its attribute makes you tougher, much tougher. Talisman Of Baio: This is an amulet that contains the purified essence of the Baiowulf. The container is, unsurprisingly, shaped like the face of Scott Baio. The faces of Ronald and Grimace are reflected in its beady little eyes. The second ultra-rare item to be found, see the news story above for more details. Its enchantment makes your attributes increase in harmony with the moons. Incredibly Dense Meat Gem: This is a gem made out of incredibly densely-compressed meat. It throbs with meaty gravity, in both the "importance" and "attraction to other physical bodies" senses. Plus, it has a handly belt clip! The fourth ultra-rare animated item, little is yet known, apart from the description and the phat enchantment it gives.

New Items.

Goofballs:
This is a bottle of pills labeled "goofballs." Something tells you that it'd probably be a bad idea to take these.
Ah, Goofballs, the Kingdom's equivalent to crack, coke and cannabis. These are from the Suspicious-Looking Guy on the Wrong Side Of The Tracks, and are a highly realistic item. The first few bottles you use make you feel good, but after a while, they start losing you stats, and if you are in this state after the rollover, you go into withdrawal for one hundred adventures. A brilliant item on Jick's behalf.

Crazy Bastard Sword:
This is the sword formerly wielded by a crazy bastard. He wanted to hit you with it, but instead, you hit him with something and took it. Go, you! The second ultra-rare item to be found, see the news story above for more details. Its attribute makes you tougher, much tougher.

Talisman Of Baio:
This is an amulet that contains the purified essence of the Baiowulf. The container is, unsurprisingly, shaped like the face of Scott Baio. The faces of Ronald and Grimace are reflected in its beady little eyes. The second ultra-rare item to be found, see the news story above for more details. Its enchantment makes your attributes increase in harmony with the moons.

Incredibly Dense Meat Gem:
This is a gem made out of incredibly densely-compressed meat. It throbs with meaty gravity, in both the "importance" and "attraction to other physical bodies" senses. Plus, it has a handly belt clip!
The fourth ultra-rare animated item, little is yet known, apart from the description and the phat enchantment it gives.

CrazyAnnie Interview.
What sort of player would you class yourself as? As a moxie class player, I find myself flaunting the attitude. Sometimes I think CrazyAnnie is a hyper-version of my real self, without insecurities or doubts or regrets. I'm pretty sassy in person, but the Crazy verion is drunk, feisty, and wearing schnazzy pants, too. Seriously, though, I play because I'm interested in the possibilities of the game. Not only have I made some awesomely dorky friends here,but I think the game is a fascinating microcosm of how the world works, and I like seeing what patterns emerge. There's so much potential everywhere. How does it feel to be respected by lots of players? Honestly, I get a little wierded out when strange people message me to say hi or get excited when I show up in a chat room. It's flattering, but strange. It feels like it was only yesterday I was a noob with no clue, trying out this crazy game for the first time, and I try to stay in touch with that. On the other hand, some days I feel like a raving diva, and I have to remind myself to keep my ego in check. Despite my blatant moxiousness (haha) I'm really goofy and down to earth at heart. What makes you so loyal to your clans? I think this has to do with my philosophy about playing the game. What makes playing worthwhile for me is the interaction with other players, and the realization that there are really cool and interesting people participating. I'd feel bad screwing anybody over, just as i'd feel horrid ripping off my friends. By the same token, I'm loyal to the peeps who have helped me, and I don't know where I'd be without the support i got from MandraClan and AFH. What makes Villa shine for you? I know everyone likes to say crap about the Villa, but I really feel that it's an awesome community. Despite the mistakes we've made, or how we each ended there, or any of the bad stuff that's gone down, I'm really proud of the Villans. We are like a family, and we truly stick together, which is an amazing thing. There have been countless times when the shit has hit the fan and we've come together to help one other out, both in-game and in real life. Dorky though it may sound, I feel really lucky to have found such good friends. Oh, and we have the best pie fights. Ever. How would you feel if Villa was taken away? I think you could probably equate my reaction to what'd happen if you took away Paris Hilton's credit cards. The spoiled diva goes on a rampage!! hehe. I'd have a massive tantrum. But i'd get over it. I'd be sad to see the end of an era, but the truth of the matter is, like I said earlier, the villans stick together. Having a fictional mansion or even a chat room doesn't dissolve ties like that. Do you think Villa could be improved in any way? The cool thing about villa is that it's constantly evolving and morphing itself to suit our imaginations. Personally, I could do without the tacky 16th century Italian baroque decor, but the penguins are stubborn and have bad taste. We also have a running joke about throwing jackasses in the "deep dark well", and lately we dreamed up an imaginary olympic-size swimming pool. We also have a pie-cannon! Mostly, I like seeing new faces coming into villa- I've brought in a few myself- and I always try to be helpful and welcoming. I know some of us are insular and don't like change, but I think that the fact that new people are investing their efforts in getting a V-Doc means that we have a great thing going, which is a worthwhile part of the game. I think we can build that good vibe even further. Where did you find your talent for art? Artistic ability runs in my family, so i think that i was probably born with a modicum of talent. I think that everyone has the potential to do creative things - it's just how you look at the world and how younurture your abilities. I've wanted to be an artist since I was a little kid, so i drew as much as possible, and tried out as many kinds of art as I could. When i went to art school i worked really hard to improve my abilities, and seriously got my ass kicked - but it was a great experience, and gave me the discipline I needed. What inspires your artwork? I'm mostly inspired by stories and characters, which KoL certainly provides. I guess I have an irrepressible urge to make the things imagine somehow real, and long ago I realized I could do this by putting pencil to paper.

CrazyAnnie Interview.

What sort of player would you class yourself as?
As a moxie class player, I find myself flaunting the attitude. Sometimes I think CrazyAnnie is a hyper-version of my real self, without insecurities or doubts or regrets. I'm pretty sassy in person, but the Crazy verion is drunk, feisty, and wearing schnazzy pants, too. Seriously, though, I play because I'm interested in the possibilities of the game. Not only have I made some awesomely dorky friends here,but I think the game is a fascinating microcosm of how the world works, and I like seeing what patterns emerge. There's so much potential everywhere.

How does it feel to be respected by lots of players?
Honestly, I get a little wierded out when strange people message me to say hi or get excited when I show up in a chat room. It's flattering, but strange. It feels like it was only yesterday I was a noob with no clue, trying out this crazy game for the first time, and I try to stay in touch with that. On the other hand, some days I feel like a raving diva, and I have to remind myself to keep my ego in check. Despite my blatant moxiousness (haha) I'm really goofy and down to earth at heart.

What makes you so loyal to your clans?
I think this has to do with my philosophy about playing the game. What makes playing worthwhile for me is the interaction with other players, and the realization that there are really cool and interesting people participating. I'd feel bad screwing anybody over, just as i'd feel horrid ripping off my friends. By the same token, I'm loyal to the peeps who have helped me, and I don't know where I'd be without the support i got from MandraClan and AFH.

What makes Villa shine for you?
I know everyone likes to say crap about the Villa, but I really feel that it's an awesome community. Despite the mistakes we've made, or how we each ended there, or any of the bad stuff that's gone down, I'm really proud of the Villans. We are like a family, and we truly stick together, which is an amazing thing. There have been countless times when the shit has hit the fan and we've come together to help one other out, both in-game and in real life. Dorky though it may sound, I feel really lucky to have found such good friends. Oh, and we have the best pie fights. Ever.

How would you feel if Villa was taken away?
I think you could probably equate my reaction to what'd happen if you took away Paris Hilton's credit cards. The spoiled diva goes on a rampage!! hehe. I'd have a massive tantrum. But i'd get over it. I'd be sad to see the end of an era, but the truth of the matter is, like I said earlier, the villans stick together. Having a fictional mansion or even a chat room doesn't dissolve ties like that.

Do you think Villa could be improved in any way?
The cool thing about villa is that it's constantly evolving and morphing itself to suit our imaginations. Personally, I could do without the tacky 16th century Italian baroque decor, but the penguins are stubborn and have bad taste. We also have a running joke about throwing jackasses in the "deep dark well", and lately we dreamed up an imaginary olympic-size swimming pool. We also have a pie-cannon! Mostly, I like seeing new faces coming into villa- I've brought in a few myself- and I always try to be helpful and welcoming. I know some of us are insular and don't like change, but I think that the fact that new people are investing their efforts in getting a V-Doc means that we have a great thing going, which is a worthwhile part of the game. I think we can build that good vibe even further.

Where did you find your talent for art?
Artistic ability runs in my family, so i think that i was probably born with a modicum of talent. I think that everyone has the potential to do creative things - it's just how you look at the world and how younurture your abilities. I've wanted to be an artist since I was a little kid, so i drew as much as possible, and tried out as many kinds of art as I could. When i went to art school i worked really hard to improve my abilities, and seriously got my ass kicked - but it was a great experience, and gave me the discipline I needed.

What inspires your artwork?
I'm mostly inspired by stories and characters, which KoL certainly provides. I guess I have an irrepressible urge to make the things imagine somehow real, and long ago I realized I could do this by putting pencil to paper.

Nikatoni's Jick Interview.
What inspired you to make Kingdom of Loathing? There were a couple of things, I guess -- one was that there weren't any comedy RPGs out there, as far as I knew. At least not any real ones -- I thought it'd be fun to make sort of an interactive version of Progress Quest. The other thing is that all of the other web-based RPGs out there seemed almost entirely focused on PvP, and had almost none of what I'd call "single-player" content. Since I couldn't find one I liked to play, I figured why not make one? How did you come up with the title "Kingdom of Loathing" and the classes? When I was uploading the initial build of the game to my server, I needed a name for the directory it was going into. I typed "loathing," and it stuck. Pretty arbitrary, I guess. The classes were pretty similarly spawned -- I was writing the character creation script, and needed some classes, so I just sort of wrote down the first things I thought of. In the first few weeks of the game's development, there was essentially NO revision -- whatever I thought of went in. What kind of programming is involved with building the back-end for the game? It's all written in PHP, with MySQL on the backend. You recently mentioned that you get 25,000 players per day. Did you ever expect this kind of following? No, not at all. I remember thinking, when I was first starting to see some traffic, that if this thing was a total runaway success I'd end up with maybe 10,000 people total having played it. I guess there were more people out there who shared our sense of humor than we were previously aware of. What do you think about all the KoL fan sites and KoL radio? In general, I'm thrilled that so many people have cared about the game enough to put so much effort into the various fan sites. The radio is one of my favorite things to have come out of the community. I can honestly say that I prefer it to ANY other radio station I've encountered, physical or net-based. SeveredToe has really created something worthwhile. There is a variety of play styles available in KoL. For example, adventurers, players that just work the market, hoarder of specific items, PvPers, clan warfare, and power gamers. What play style do you prefer? What play style surprises you the most to find in KoL? If I were playing the game, I think I'd get the most satisfaction out of just exploring the different areas, and trying to at least SEE, if not understand, all of the jokes and references. But there's obviously a finite amount of original stuff to see, so I'm glad that people find other ways to have fun with the game, and we actively try to provide more avenues for them to do so, even if they're the sorts of avenues we don't find particularly appealing ourselves, as players. New things are being added frequently lately, give us an idea of a typical day for you with regards to KoL. I'm still sort of adjusting to having KoL be my full-time job, so there's not really any such thing as a typical day yet. In general, though, I'd say my game related time is divided pretty evenly between the following things: 1. reading and answering mail, messages, and bug reports 2. fixing bugs and working on non-content stuff (system administration, interface improvements, etc.) 3. dealing with the business end of stuff 4. implementing new content 5. having rambling conversations with Mr. Skullhead about future content Some days have more of one than the other, but that's what I do, in general. There are so many different tangents in this game, how do you keep yourself from burnout? Well, I think the question sort of contains the answer, here. There's such a variety of stuff to do that if we get bored with one thing, we can just work on something else. Of course, this also means that certain things get left on the back burner for longer than the players would like... This game revolves a lot around food, and what can be made from different foods. Where do you get your recipes? I just pull 'em out of the air, for the most part. My own personal knowledge runs more towards the cocktails than the food recipes... :) Most things you will find in KoL are plays on words and phrases, or references to pop culture. What one thing has inspired you the most? It's hard to pin it down to one thing. I grew up on the usual geek staples -- Monty Python, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, that kind of thing. I always had friends in a lot of non-geek subcultures, though, so I also got exposed to all of THEIR stuff, which I now mock with impunity. Will we ever see new land masses added to the map, aside from the mainland and the Mysterious Island of Mystery? A while back, we were thinking of adding a second continent, filled with premium content, which would only be available to people who've donated. We've pretty much changed our minds on this, deciding instead that all new content should be available to everybody. But yeah, there'll probably still be a second continent, probably tied in to a big multi-part side quest. Have you ever considered making equipment deteriorate or break over time, as another meat sink or way to increase the use of the market? There are a couple of reasons I haven't done anything like this. First, the way the database is structured, items do not actually have an individual identity. That is to say that the game can't differentiate between the asparagus knife you've been carrying around since your first day in the Pantry, and the one you just bought at the Flea Market -- it just knows you've got two asparagus knives. Second, I played a lot of Diablo II, and I hated having to repair stuff. It's sort of the same reason I ultimately decided against imposing inventory limits -- I want KoL to be a game where you're fighting with the monsters, not the game mechanics. That said, sometimes there are cases where I can work some new content in, or balance a certain mechanic, by having some stuff break. Like the recent change to the bartenders-in-a-box. Will the game become subscription based once the beta has finished? Nope. As long as donations and merchandising are sufficient to keep the servers up, KoL will be free.

Nikatoni's Jick Interview.

What inspired you to make Kingdom of Loathing?
There were a couple of things, I guess -- one was that there weren't any comedy RPGs out there, as far as I knew. At least not any real ones -- I thought it'd be fun to make sort of an interactive version of Progress Quest. The other thing is that all of the other web-based RPGs out there seemed almost entirely focused on PvP, and had almost none of what I'd call "single-player" content. Since I couldn't find one I liked to play, I figured why not make one?

How did you come up with the title "Kingdom of Loathing" and the classes?
When I was uploading the initial build of the game to my server, I needed a name for the directory it was going into. I typed "loathing," and it stuck. Pretty arbitrary, I guess. The classes were pretty similarly spawned -- I was writing the character creation script, and needed some classes, so I just sort of wrote down the first things I thought of. In the first few weeks of the game's development, there was essentially NO revision -- whatever I thought of went in.

What kind of programming is involved with building the back-end for the game?
It's all written in PHP, with MySQL on the backend.

You recently mentioned that you get 25,000 players per day. Did you ever expect this kind of following?
No, not at all. I remember thinking, when I was first starting to see some traffic, that if this thing was a total runaway success I'd end up with maybe 10,000 people total having played it. I guess there were more people out there who shared our sense of humor than we were previously aware of.

What do you think about all the KoL fan sites and KoL radio?
In general, I'm thrilled that so many people have cared about the game enough to put so much effort into the various fan sites. The radio is one of my favorite things to have come out of the community. I can honestly say that I prefer it to ANY other radio station I've encountered, physical or net-based. SeveredToe has really created something worthwhile.

There is a variety of play styles available in KoL. For example, adventurers, players that just work the market, hoarder of specific items, PvPers, clan warfare, and power gamers. What play style do you prefer? What play style surprises you the most to find in KoL?
If I were playing the game, I think I'd get the most satisfaction out of just exploring the different areas, and trying to at least SEE, if not understand, all of the jokes and references. But there's obviously a finite amount of original stuff to see, so I'm glad that people find other ways to have fun with the game, and we actively try to provide more avenues for them to do so, even if they're the sorts of avenues we don't find particularly appealing ourselves, as players.

New things are being added frequently lately, give us an idea of a typical day for you with regards to KoL. I'm still sort of adjusting to having KoL be my full-time job, so there's not really any such thing as a typical day yet. In general, though, I'd say my game related time is divided pretty evenly between the following things: 1. reading and answering mail, messages, and bug reports
2. fixing bugs and working on non-content stuff (system administration, interface improvements, etc.)
3. dealing with the business end of stuff
4. implementing new content
5. having rambling conversations with Mr. Skullhead about future content
Some days have more of one than the other, but that's what I do, in general.

There are so many different tangents in this game, how do you keep yourself from burnout?
Well, I think the question sort of contains the answer, here. There's such a variety of stuff to do that if we get bored with one thing, we can just work on something else. Of course, this also means that certain things get left on the back burner for longer than the players would like...

This game revolves a lot around food, and what can be made from different foods. Where do you get your recipes?
I just pull 'em out of the air, for the most part. My own personal knowledge runs more towards the cocktails than the food recipes... :)

Most things you will find in KoL are plays on words and phrases, or references to pop culture. What one thing has inspired you the most?
It's hard to pin it down to one thing. I grew up on the usual geek staples -- Monty Python, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, that kind of thing. I always had friends in a lot of non-geek subcultures, though, so I also got exposed to all of THEIR stuff, which I now mock with impunity.

Will we ever see new land masses added to the map, aside from the mainland and the Mysterious Island of Mystery?
A while back, we were thinking of adding a second continent, filled with premium content, which would only be available to people who've donated. We've pretty much changed our minds on this, deciding instead that all new content should be available to everybody. But yeah, there'll probably still be a second continent, probably tied in to a big multi-part side quest.

Have you ever considered making equipment deteriorate or break over time, as another meat sink or way to increase the use of the market? There are a couple of reasons I haven't done anything like this. First, the way the database is structured, items do not actually have an individual identity. That is to say that the game can't differentiate between the asparagus knife you've been carrying around since your first day in the Pantry, and the one you just bought at the Flea Market -- it just knows you've got two asparagus knives. Second, I played a lot of Diablo II, and I hated having to repair stuff. It's sort of the same reason I ultimately decided against imposing inventory limits -- I want KoL to be a game where you're fighting with the monsters, not the game mechanics. That said, sometimes there are cases where I can work some new content in, or balance a certain mechanic, by having some stuff break. Like the recent change to the bartenders-in-a-box.

Will the game become subscription based once the beta has finished?
Nope. As long as donations and merchandising are sufficient to keep the servers up, KoL will be free.

Debate.
Are the punishments given to bug abusers fair?: Points for: . Skorpio - Yes, they shouldn't be abusing the system. . Charr - Yes they are fair. . Luren - If you don't report a bug, you deserve the largest punishment possible. . Quato - They shouldn't be exploiting it, it basically ruins things. Points against: . Kyller - The punishments are not enough, we have to suffer because of what they caused. . FaQ - There should be a warning the first time. . Lord Blade - Some people get punished. Others are allowed to continue to abuse the system.

Debate.

Are the punishments given to bug abusers fair?:

Points for:
. Skorpio - Yes, they shouldn't be abusing the system.
. Charr - Yes they are fair.
. Luren - If you don't report a bug, you deserve the largest punishment possible.
. Quato - They shouldn't be exploiting it, it basically ruins things.

Points against:
. Kyller - The punishments are not enough, we have to suffer because of what they caused.
. FaQ - There should be a warning the first time.
. Lord Blade - Some people get punished. Others are allowed to continue to abuse the system.

Poetry.
The best Item Limericks submitted by you! Three limericks are chosen each week, and the author of each published one recieves 50k. My favorite accessory? Mister! They're the ultimate combat assister. And if you get bored, Toss 'em down on the floor, For an all-yellow version of Twister! By Cynn. There once was this suspicious looking guy, Who said he could help get me high. I listened to his deal, But could it be real? And then I felt like I would die. By Muhahahaha. That bum, he bummed my bum, That bum ain't got no mum, KER-THWACK! He's dead, Now I rest my head, On the cheek of the bum of that bum. By YterrbiJum.

Poetry.

The best Item Limericks submitted by you! Three limericks are chosen each week, and the author of each published one recieves 50k.

My favorite accessory? Mister!
They're the ultimate combat assister.
And if you get bored,
Toss 'em down on the floor,
For an all-yellow version of Twister!
By Cynn.

There once was this suspicious looking guy,
Who said he could help get me high.
I listened to his deal,
But could it be real?
And then I felt like I would die.
By Muhahahaha.

That bum, he bummed my bum,
That bum ain't got no mum,
*KER-THWACK!* He's dead,
Now I rest my head,
On the cheek of the bum of that bum.
By YterrbiJum.

Comics.
Elp's Comic Of Loathing: Issue #53. Circle's Action Figure Stadium: Issue #59. Issue #60.

Artwork.

Master Bates:
Legend Dan.
VornVolken.
Widowmaker.
Turdopotomus.

Xyloart:
JCM.
Grunj.
Boaz182.
Peterinsano.

Igbert:
Luren.
Betrayer.
DaPaper.
TeenageLobotomy.

HeyGurlfriend:
Igbert.
Zargon.
Aelfrhian.

CrazyAnnie:
Jayo.
TennisPL.
Mandragon.
Joshingaround9.

Quiz.
This Issue's Topic - Kol's Cuisine. 01. What is the name of the unimplemented item originally planned for the Evil Golden Arches? 02. Which food is made by cooking Boris's Key with a Lime? 03. How much fullness does a Papaya give? 04. Which food comes only from a Crimbo Pressie? 05. Which food is dropped by Fiendish Cans Of Asparagus? 06. How much fullness does a Hell Ramen give? 07. How is Bat Haggis made? 08. The Pregnant Mushroom is a food, true or false? 09. Which monster in The "Fun" House drops Lemons? 10. Which cheese drops at the Outskirts Of Coob's Knob? 11. Which food items can be found in Knob Kitchen Grab Bags? 12. Which foods does The Hermit carry? 13. Which food is made from pixels? 14. What do the hippies use instead of chocolate chunks? 15. Which two foods drop in the Dungeons Of Doom? 16. How many types of cookies are found in the Kingdom? 17. How many things can be made from Plain Pizzas? 18. What restaurant do the Evil Golden Arches rip-off? 19. The menudo is made from a Cat Appendix and spices, true or false? 20. How many types of Chow Mein are there? 21. How many foods can only be made by a Pastamancer? 22. Which food was recently implemented into the Spooky Forest? 23. Which food does the Killer Bee feed you during battle? 24. Which popular food had it's image changed recently? 25. Which two ingredients make up Sneaky Pete's Key Lime Pie? 26. How much fullness does a Spectral Pickle give? 27. How many Tofu Chow Meins can be eaten in one day? 28. Which food is an ingredient of the Heart Of Rock And Roll? 29. Which crafting item used to be an ingredient of Bat Haggis? 30. Can Of Red Minotaur is a food, true or false? Answers Next Issue.

Quiz.

This Issue's Topic - Kol's Cuisine.

01. What is the name of the unimplemented item originally planned for the Evil Golden Arches?
02. Which food is made by cooking Boris's Key with a Lime?
03. How much fullness does a Papaya give?
04. Which food comes only from a Crimbo Pressie?
05. Which food is dropped by Fiendish Cans Of Asparagus?
06. How much fullness does a Hell Ramen give?
07. How is Bat Haggis made? 08. The Pregnant Mushroom is a food, true or false?
09. Which monster in The "Fun" House drops Lemons?
10. Which cheese drops at the Outskirts Of Coob's Knob?
11. Which food items can be found in Knob Kitchen Grab Bags?
12. Which foods does The Hermit carry?
13. Which food is made from pixels?
14. What do the hippies use instead of chocolate chunks?
15. Which two foods drop in the Dungeons Of Doom?
16. How many types of cookies are found in the Kingdom?
17. How many things can be made from Plain Pizzas?
18. What restaurant do the Evil Golden Arches rip-off?
19. The menudo is made from a Cat Appendix and spices, true or false?
20. How many types of Chow Mein are there?
21. How many foods can only be made by a Pastamancer?
22. Which food was recently implemented into the Spooky Forest?
23. Which food does the Killer Bee feed you during battle?
24. Which popular food had it's image changed recently?
25. Which two ingredients make up Sneaky Pete's Key Lime Pie?
26. How much fullness does a Spectral Pickle give?
27. How many Tofu Chow Meins can be eaten in one day?
28. Which food is an ingredient of the Heart Of Rock And Roll?
29. Which crafting item used to be an ingredient of Bat Haggis?
30. Can Of Red Minotaur is a food, true or false?

Answers Next Issue.

Contests.
Riddle Contest - By Jehanatu: View the thread here. Avatar Contest - By MentalBoy: View the thread here.

Lacey's Modhouse.
List Of Chat Moderators: Lacey. TheGreatYak. Fruity Vuish. Lady Arryn. Dementia. Kabuki. Elven_Princess. Werebear. Bragi. biohazardman. Vida Londres. Inari. Birdy. Trog Dor. Weekly Summary: The mods seem to be getting more respect, not as much flames aimed at them. The trends of bans this week have been spamming, flaming and giving out spoilers. Chat Rules.

Bragi's DJ Decks.
Life Of A DJ: Hi, and welcome to the first installment of the Radio KoL section of the KoL Trance Magazine. This first issue will be primarily an introduction to my column and what I hope to include in future issues, but there will also be some actual content. First, the actual content. In future issues Id like to include short interviews with the other DJs, or perhaps one question answered by all of us. But for now Ill just relate some of my own thoughts and experiences on being a DJ. For me, being a DJ is a lot more than just getting on the air and playing some music. My show is about the listeners. I play some of my own selections, but for the most part I try to run an all request show, playing what the listeners want to hear. And when I do giveaways, I try to make them as fair for all of my listeners as possible and give away what they want to win. If it werent for the listeners, I would have no show. That being said, I have a blast every time I go on and wouldnt trade it for anything. I see the reactions from the listeners when I come on, and the messages that I get in my inbox while Im on just blow my mind sometimes. I have one listener, for instance, who has donated well over two billion meat, including items. In one show alone he donated 1.3 billion in meat alone. Another listener actually bought me a USB headset because I was having problems with my mic. Its things like that that keep me coming back day after day. Sure, I get a few who dont like the overall theme or tone of my show, but I dont expect everyone out there to be a fan. The positive outnumbers the negative by about a million to one. Well, thats a little peek into being a DJ from my perspective. In the future I hope to include similar stories from other DJs, as well as a Q&A from submissions from listeners and readers alike. If you have any questions for any of the DJs, or about the radio in general, feel free to drop me an email at bragikol@gmail.com and Ill see what I can do about getting it answered for you. Also, if you have any stories about the radio that youd like me to consider for inclusion in my article, feel free to send those as well. Well, that does it for this week. Next week Ill have an interview with SeveredToe, the man who started the awesomeness that is Radio KoL. DJ Schedule

Bragi's DJ Decks.

Life Of A DJ:
Hi, and welcome to the first installment of the Radio KoL section of the KoL Trance Magazine. This first issue will be primarily an introduction to my column and what I hope to include in future issues, but there will also be some actual content.
First, the actual content. In future issues Id like to include short interviews with the other DJs, or perhaps one question answered by all of us. But for now Ill just relate some of my own thoughts and experiences on being a DJ.
For me, being a DJ is a lot more than just getting on the air and playing some music. My show is about the listeners. I play some of my own selections, but for the most part I try to run an all request show, playing what the listeners want to hear. And when I do giveaways, I try to make them as fair for all of my listeners as possible and give away what they want to win. If it werent for the listeners, I would have no show.
That being said, I have a blast every time I go on and wouldnt trade it for anything. I see the reactions from the listeners when I come on, and the messages that I get in my inbox while Im on just blow my mind sometimes. I have one listener, for instance, who has donated well over two billion meat, including items. In one show alone he donated 1.3 billion in meat alone. Another listener actually bought me a USB headset because I was having problems with my mic. Its things like that that keep me coming back day after day. Sure, I get a few who dont like the overall theme or tone of my show, but I dont expect everyone out there to be a fan. The positive outnumbers the negative by about a million to one.
Well, thats a little peek into being a DJ from my perspective. In the future I hope to include similar stories from other DJs, as well as a Q&A from submissions from listeners and readers alike. If you have any questions for any of the DJs, or about the radio in general, feel free to drop me an email at bragikol@gmail.com and Ill see what I can do about getting it answered for you. Also, if you have any stories about the radio that youd like me to consider for inclusion in my article, feel free to send those as well.
Well, that does it for this week. Next week Ill have an interview with SeveredToe, the man who started the awesomeness that is Radio KoL.

DJ Schedule

Quotes.
Humorous Quote Of The Week: Jick: Hey Y'all. Jick: So, I just went and saw Sky Craptain and the Lame Acting of Tomorrow. Random Quote Of The Week: Feared Al Yankovic: OMFG ONEHUNDREDELEVENMILL IONONEHUNDREDELEVENT HOUSANDONEHUNDREDAND ELEVEN Fruity Vuish ponts and laughs at all e-penises. Deadhead: Woo. Werebear: .ban feared al yankovic PhilANThropiSt: My e-penis is tiny:( Feared Al Yankovic: Feared Al Yankovic banned for EVAR. PhilANThropiSt: maybe they are related? Small e-penis=big penis, big e-penis=small penis? I'd like to think so anyway.. Jacka18l: Mine is so large i need tailor made trousers to contain it.... err ignore that Fruity Vuish: omfg1`1`1~!~!!~11one one111~!!! cud i plz hav sum meetzz1!`11`!!!eleve n`~!!exclamationpoin t1!!! Jacka18l: Lol Fruity Vuish has been banned from the chat (64 hours). pikajew: ack! loumge = newbie! Lotsofgoats: FV - you seem a little too good at that ZOMG Fruity Vuish: loumge!?~!? PhilANThropiSt: loumge? Fruity Vuish: balam and I will tear everything apart with our n00b-speak. Werebear: loumge, I'n im the loumge, amd havimg fum. -hic- pikajew: yeah, i cant type today, sue me ;) Jacka18l: how do i gt nto lounge???!! Feared Al Yankovic: h0// j00 g37 1n70 10umg0rZ? Fruity Vuish: i wan 2 geht in2 teh loumge11`!~1! plz let mee in11`!! noaw plz PhilANThropiSt: u all r teh sux0r Lotsofgoats: j00 g075 74 b d4 c00l3s7~!!~`~!11!~!~ !!11! -hic- balam: zomgwtfbbqpbjqed f343d A! iz hax0r 2!!!1!~ v00 d1d u 1 Lotsofgoats: j00 h4v3 2 k1ll d4 h3rm17!1!11 Nytmare: Sweet Jesus. Fruity Vuish: omfg111!!1 phuck u all i h8 all u modz0rz i wil phind u n kik j00 st00dpid @$$3$!~~!1! Feared Al Yankovic: Okay. Now I'm getting sick. Lotsofgoats: hahaha pikajew: argh! my eyes are bleeding! Jacka18l: hw do i kl t3h hermit???!!!!111oneo ne!!eleven!!??!?!!1 balam: b0t l0tz0fg04tz iz jzt a pZr s3n7 2 1nf1l7r4t3 r w0rLd!1!!!~! kekekekekekedie -hic- Fruity Vuish: wherh d0 u ph1nD teh l3g3ndaree "L0umG3 4><35" plz!@!?~?! Deadhead: ruffle mayo. Werebear: cowers Pachelbel: 60852 Lotsofgoats: d00d h0w d0 1 0p3n d4 sunk3n ch357?!111!!!! ZOMFG d00d!1!1! OMGWTFBBQWAFFLES Fruity Vuish: omfgwtffbbqqq giv me metsez!?!~1 plz1` Lotsofgoats: shall do no infiltrating, thank you very much balam: i gotz h3rm17k1113r tr0\|>Hy but j00 c8n 0n1y s33 17 1n m1 c4mPgr0vn\|>!!!1!~ -hic- pikajew: please can we stop? Jacka18l: N0!! Fruity Vuish: z0uNds`!~!1`1`!!!! plz dun bazn0rz mee!! or i wil cum phiNd u n kik u 12@#$#!`1 Fruity Vuish: Good God. My ribs hurt. Ouch. Lotsofgoats: we can, but we'd go through 1337 w17hdr4w41 balam: Yes, Pika, because you are the best. Vu... be nice to Pika and STFU. Fruity Vuish: Curses upon you for making me laugh so hard.

Quotes.

Humorous Quote Of The Week:
Jick: Hey Y'all.
Jick: So, I just went and saw Sky Craptain and the Lame Acting of Tomorrow.

Random Quote Of The Week:
Feared Al Yankovic: OMFG ONEHUNDREDELEVENMILL IONONEHUNDREDELEVENT HOUSANDONEHUNDREDAND ELEVEN
Fruity Vuish ponts and laughs at all e-penises.
Deadhead: Woo.
Werebear: .ban feared al yankovic
PhilANThropiSt: My e-penis is tiny:(
Feared Al Yankovic: Feared Al Yankovic banned for EVAR.
PhilANThropiSt: maybe they are related? Small e-penis=big penis, big e-penis=small penis? I'd like to think so anyway..
Jacka18l: Mine is so large i need tailor made trousers to contain it.... err ignore that
Fruity Vuish: omfg1`1`1~!~!!~11one one111~!!! cud i plz hav sum meetzz1!`11`!!!eleve n`~!!exclamationpoin t1!!!
Jacka18l: Lol
Fruity Vuish has been banned from the chat (64 hours).
pikajew: ack! loumge = newbie!
Lotsofgoats: FV - you seem a little too good at that ZOMG
Fruity Vuish: loumge!?~!?
PhilANThropiSt: loumge?
Fruity Vuish: balam and I will tear everything apart with our n00b-speak.
Werebear: loumge, I'n im the loumge, amd havimg fum. -hic-
pikajew: yeah, i cant type today, sue me ;)
Jacka18l: how do i gt nto lounge???!!
Feared Al Yankovic: h0// j00 g37 1n70 10umg0rZ?
Fruity Vuish: i wan 2 geht in2 teh loumge11`!~1! plz let mee in11`!! noaw plz
PhilANThropiSt: u all r teh sux0r
Lotsofgoats: j00 g075 74 b d4 c00l3s7~!!~`~!11!~!~ !!11! -hic-
balam: zomgwtfbbqpbjqed f343d A! iz hax0r 2!!!1!~ v00 d1d u 1 Lotsofgoats: j00 h4v3 2 k1ll d4 h3rm17!1!11
Nytmare: Sweet Jesus.
Fruity Vuish: omfg111!!1 phuck u all i h8 all u modz0rz i wil phind u n kik j00 st00dpid @$$3$!~~!1!
Feared Al Yankovic: Okay. Now I'm getting sick.
Lotsofgoats: hahaha
pikajew: argh! my eyes are bleeding!
Jacka18l: hw do i kl t3h hermit???!!!!111oneo ne!!eleven!!??!?!!1
balam: b0t l0tz0fg04tz iz jzt a pZr s3n7 2 1nf1l7r4t3 r w0rLd!1!!!~! kekekekekekedie -hic-
Fruity Vuish: wherh d0 u ph1nD teh l3g3ndaree "L0umG3 4><35" plz!@!?~?!
Deadhead: ruffle mayo.
Werebear: cowers
Pachelbel: 60852
Lotsofgoats: d00d h0w d0 1 0p3n d4 sunk3n ch357?!111!!!! ZOMFG d00d!1!1! OMGWTFBBQWAFFLES
Fruity Vuish: omfgwtffbbqqq giv me metsez!?!~1 plz1`
Lotsofgoats: shall do no infiltrating, thank you very much
balam: i gotz h3rm17k1113r tr0|>Hy but j00 c8n 0n1y s33 17 1n m1 c4mPgr0vn|>!!!1!~ -hic-
pikajew: please can we stop?
Jacka18l: N0!!
Fruity Vuish: z0uNds`!~!1`1`!!!! plz dun bazn0rz mee!! or i wil cum phiNd u n kik u 12@#$#!`1
Fruity Vuish: Good God. My ribs hurt. Ouch.
Lotsofgoats: we can, but we'd go through 1337 w17hdr4w41
balam: Yes, Pika, because you are the best. Vu... be nice to Pika and STFU.
Fruity Vuish: Curses upon you for making me laugh so hard.

Hints.
Ultra-Rare Item Drops: Hypnodisk - The Gates Of Hell. Talisman Of Baio - Spooky Wulf. Crazy Bastard Sword - Bread, Yeast and Chowder. Rare Effects: The Smile Of Mr. A - Blasted by a bearer.

Ideas.
Whizkey: By Arkannoyed Noob Clubbing Club: By Grogum and FaQ. Jellybeans. By Circle.

Last Laugh.
Fatman, fatman, fatman Running down the motorway, a lorry comes the other way Flatman, flatman, flatman. Next issue scheduled for release on the 11th of October.