We had a great battle last month didnt we? A big congrats to all who fought and won prizes……but a very special congrats to all who worked hard and tried their best.  That is what makes these contests special after all.  If people didn’t create the humorous banter back and forth over who will win, or what will happen, then it just wouldn’t be the same.  It would become quiet…..boring…..routine.  And this type of contest needs the excitement

The sudden influx of contests lately is livening up our forums!  There is something for everyone.  So if you are good at thinking up names for others (ummm……..a Proper DW name that is) well then, we have those.  If you like guessing games, whether they are numbers, words, or what have you, then we have those also.  AND not for the faint of heart, if you happen to like freebie giveaways, it just so happens…………we have those too!  So make sure to head over to the forums, catch up on what’s new and enter a contest or two……or more.

Oh, by the way, if anyone happens to have some extra plats just lying around doing nothing but gathering dust………..I heard that poor poor SwineParrot was in dire need of them, so feel sorry for an old chap will you?  LOL (just teasing Swiney…..you’re not THAT old!!)

As I sit here with my hot water bottle resting comfortably against my back, I reflect on how quiet it has seemed in Dark Warriors all month.  There were no huge movements anywhere that I could see……not in the forums, nor the ven.  It stayed quiet in the Jousting barracks, the Sea, and the Castle grounds.  About the only place that held a lot of life was the local chat, during Mama D’s happy hours!  It is so awesome to see everyone, from all parts of the game come together to partake in some light-hearted conversation, and make their ways past each other to try to get the Party Hosts attention for a prize.  So if you haven’t made it for one yet, make sure to stop in sometime and say a round of hello’s……we shall be expecting you

Now April on the other hand is leading up to be a verrrrryyyyy exciting month!  For those that fight anyway

Feltash himself has set up some completely awesome prizes for the Month of April, and this time it’s not the top 3 clans that will walk away with the amazing loot, it’s the top 5 clans!!!

In case you missed the forum post, these are the prizes:

- 10,000 Game Credits split over the Clan.

-  The ability to unbrand clan equipment from the armory. (Must already have the Armory)

- 10,000,000,000 Clan Vault Extension.

- 10% Potion Shop Reduction. (Must already have the Potion Shop)

- 5% Energy boost for all clan members. (Clan members must have been in the clan for at least 30 days)

So with these type of prizes up for grabs, I have some advice…….

Beef up on your beef stews!  Make sure to start it for a time where you can regularly, if possible, be online to reset it.   For those that dont know, beef stews will make you completely unattackable for 24 hours.

Or, for a less expensive option, pick up some bitter green leaves.  Now these will only hide you from the ven for 24 hours, not make you unattackable.  Others will still be able to search you out, if they wish, and take you out.

If your clan has an INN then these are the costs:  Beef stews are 1,800,000  and bitter green leaves are 800,000.   If your clan doesn’t have the INN then you are still able to use GC’s to get some.  They are found in Potions and Boosters, then chose boosters.  Beef stews are 18 game credits, and bitter green leaves are 8 game credits.

So be prepared for April……it is looking like its going to be a bloodbath!

Now if you remember the old version of jousting, you will remember something like the following:

(After choosing Masters Peak)

You jumped off the platform and your horse dive’s straight towards the ground, the stallion arches his back and straightened his course. You are now galloping at a speed of 33 yards per second with your lance roughly 2 yards above the ground.
Wind Direction: East at 2 yards per second.

Then you see a track of several letters and your tiny horse at the beginning of it such as:

C C C B A C B C C P B C C A

C = clear course
A = archer
P = pigeon
B = bat

Needless to say, I was VERY confused trying to joust every day, and eventually gave up on it.  Some people however, became very proficient at it, and made their mark for all to see.

Now the new upgraded version, is much more user friendly……user being myself  LOL

It is more easy on the eyes with the nice graphics.  And it is a great deal simpler to use with the deck of cards system.  Now we are not just running up against wind speed, and invisible obstacles, we get to visualize the enemy, their position in relation to our own position, and also the cards they play.  This allows us to gather at a quick glance, what the enemy is using against us, and what card we should be looking to play next.  In order to discard we just have to hold down the ctrl key before we click on the card we wish not to use, and that card will go back to be shuffled into the deck until it is randomly brought back into use.

We all start with a basic deck, however there are a great deal of ways to augment your basic deck, so fear not!  We are able to purchase booster packs and complete sets from the GC shop.  We can pick up cards with earned jousting points at Bogarts Jousting Shop.  We are able to find other players that have them for sale……whether or not we can pay their price is to be determined.    We even have the option to try our luck at the Prize Wheel, where we can get a booster pack, win GC’s, win a Mana X card, or quite possibly win nothing at all.  Each spin of the wheel uses up 1000 jousting points that you have worked hard to earn, so be careful with what you chose to do.

There are many different ways to set up your deck.  You can be a speed demon, where you fly past any and all opposition with the fastest horse around.  Maybe you like to get ahead while you push the enemy back at the same time…….poison and enemy reverse movement cards work extremely well with this personality.  You can even build up your starting speed and shield so that you are not so weak at the beginning of every match.

The enemy’s we face range from 75 Farlongs, right up to 1000 Farlongs so there is something for everyone to work on, to gain strategies against these enemies.

And still to come are the Player verses Player option, where we will be able to joust against other Dark Warriors members.  And also Knightrider Mode, which I must confess, I know absolutely nothing about.  It is a total and complete mystery to me at this time LOL so if any of you who would know more about this option would care to fill me in, I would appreciate the increase in knowledge!

No matter if you are still a novice at jousting, or if you have been playing since the change over, whatever you do,  remember to have fun!

Who knows……maybe we will even see YOU there at the jousting Fame Hall soon……..

Stop!  Hold on —-  Wait just a minute!  Did that greeting actually echo??

What is up People of DW?  Where are you? I know there are people here enjoying themselves.  I’m sorry but you have left me no choice.  The echoing silence seems to be multiplying rapidly, and damage control needs to be put into place just as fast.  Just where are the people who are reading the Posts and Blogs?  Few and very far between, that’s where.   Oh yes, I did.  I went there!  I mean come on…. to actually have to read in a text based game? Astounding!  That’s simply craziness isn’t it?  What can I be thinking??  And responding….well pfft.  That would be asking too much now.  Or is it?  If you are reading the forum posts and blogs then prove it!

Admittedly there are some people who are regular readers, at least in the forum posts. They are quick to read up on any new post that comes along, and usually type in a reply or two…..or maybe, possibly three. That’s not so true for the blogs though.  Its looking pretty dead over there.   Folks the fact of the matter is, collectively we need to be a great deal more active in our flow of comments and ideas with each other.  This continued quiet is a trend that needs to stop.   After all, if I’m facing up against all of this silence, having been here almost 3 years now……what are the new people thinking?  They are seeing days and days go by without anything new being put in front of them. We are teaching them not to put forth their thoughts, ideas, comments and concerns.  Now, I do realize that there have been quite a few fun things added for us to do, so we find less time to do the more “boring” stuff.   But……

No more of this I don’t need to say anything because someone else will come along and do it. Well guess what?  You are the one that came along.  So smarten up.  Take that minute or two and get replying!  That is all it takes…..just a little feedback.

Now, for the other end of the proverbial stick.  It seems to be a little too hard for people to even create new posts anymore. It looks more and more like the same ones doing it.  And where might I ask are all the other bloggers?  That’s right…..I see you….there!   Aaaaand….there!  And also riiiigggghhhttt oveeeerrrr….there!  Listen up. (errr….I guess since you happen to be reading this I should say Read On).   The people of Westland are counting on us to do our absolute wordy best to keep things creative, informative, possibly funny, but most definitely above all, entertaining. It is not so strange how a few words typed out in front of a person can change their perspective for even just a little while.  It takes them away from their cares, their worries, and stresses of life.  Some have even been known to have cracked a smile or two.  I know I have.  There are some amazing bloggers here.  I have greatly enjoyed reading so many of them.  I even shared a giggle or two with my computer.

I’m counting on you to help me not to leave the same blog up there day after day    after day      after day *yawn* after   dayyyyy……zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz       Huh? Not now…….zzzzzzzzzzzz…..What?   OH!!    Sorry about that.  Too much waiting creates a dark void of nothingness in which my pillow plays a very major part.

Now remember this if you remember nothing else I’ve said.  If we expect people to make responses and replies, we need to write something first.  And if we want them to respond intelligently, then we need to be, ourselves, thought provoking.   So this is a Wake Up Call for all the people of Dark Warriors.  Get out your thoughts, ideas, and make ready your replies.  We need to make our home once again lively.    

Post Script:  As I write this I find that there has been one, (1!!), forum post written that is creative, informative, a little bit funny, but most of all Entertaining! So here is a thank you to that person…..you know who you are…..don’t ya SquidyCent, Gangsta Rapper! LOL too funny.

I was reminded of how important it is for us to say Thank You to other people.  And it is very important.  But not because it’s expected of us. Not because “our parents raised us right and we do the polite thing”.  And not because “everyone else is doing it and you just want to get in on it”.  In fact, the people we need to say it to actually don’t expect it at all.  They are the people who do things without expecting the glamor,  fame,  and fortune or even thanks out of it.  They are not doing these things either out of obligation for anything, or because they “owe” us something.  They are simply, out of the wonderful kindness of their own hearts, the type of people who do nice things.  That is why we need to stop once in a while, in our busy daily lives, and say sincerely, without hesitation or expectation, Thank You to them.

And we don’t do that nearly often enough here in Dark Warriors.  In our busy lives we sometimes act like this is just a game.  But it’s not just a game, and we have proven that, each and every one of us!  It is a huge, worldwide community of people who have become friends and Dark Warriors family members.  We are a social community that is in constant communication with eachother.  Well, as a social community, we have a commitment to eachother to be at the very least civil, and at the best, kind.  And one of the most important things in either civility or kindness is to say thank you.

The kind of things we could say it for are not always so very obvious, either to ourselves or to others.  They are the kind of things others do, like someone changing a word in a post simply because someone else didn’t like it.  See, it’s a simple matter between only two people, but there’s a great kindness involved.  Another example is what Clan Owners do for their members.  They sacrifice thinking only of their own characters, in order to be the best mentor, and…..well, “father/mother” really that they can be to the other members of their clan.  It is what builds amazingly great loyalty in the best of Clans.  The other members know what the owners and co-owners have to give up so that they can do the best they can for their people, and are loved for it.  But do we remember always to say thank you? Not usually.  We forget with all the other things we have to do day to day and our lives become a sea of the “same old thing”.  So make it a special note to remember next time to send off a thank you to them.

I also would like to remind us to say a Big Thank You to all of the volunteers that make this game a special place for us to come to every day.  For making it safe for us to play against hackers, and spammers, and all of the many other things they deal with so we don’t have to.  They are not doing it for glory.  They are certainly not doing it for a paycheck because they don’t receive one.  They are not looking for recognition or honor.  They are doing it for love of Dark Warriors, so we can keep loving it too.  They are some of the kindest of all, because they have a hard job to do.  We can be so ungrateful, inconsiderate and simply thoughtless at times.  So let me be the first, and hopefully not the last, to say thank you for all that you give up so that we can keep playing the game we love.

And last, but never least, we would not even have a Dark Warriors community to come to if it weren’t for the developers.  You didn’t actually think I would leave you guys out did you?  I won’t make you blush.  I just want to say my own personal Thank You for this most favorite game of mine, Dark Warriors.     So,  Thank You 

Alright, my first prediction was that the Master Bovine, Ox, was going to be parting souls.  Drum roll please…..thank you.  Aha! I have here in my logs…. Ox’s partings, and I bet a great many others do too  

The next prediction was that SwineParrot, a.k.a. PigBird was going to be saying something funny, and/or something Canadian (most people don’t know the two don’t always go hand-in-hand).  Now lets see here…….and I quote from Feb 3rd  “wait your turn, you whippersnapper!
geeze, these youngins’ – no patience and an exaggerated sense of entitlement, eh?”  LOL see, he couldn’t help himself, afterall he’s a Canadian eh?

Ok, now the prediction about Romance was a harder one to distinguish.  I looked, and looked, believe me I looked all over the place and was not getting anywhere! Either people are still single, or they have been married forever.  Or felt like they have been.  So, instead I took a quick look over to the brand new World 3, and guess what?  Romance is doing plenty of blossoming over there, so that means I’m still 3 for 3.

Now, for the last prediction of the end of January, I said that Feltash would make an update, and people would talk about it.  He created some new casino slot machines, and very graciously gave us all $200 to spend on them to try out our luck. Then we got to make posts, and talk about it in the local chat room during a party, to give some feedback, good or not so good, in order to help.

Ta Da!  There you have it Folks.  We have proven that we could have plenty of fun in the first half of the month and kept away those February blues.  Now we just need to finish off the rest of the month with a BAM!  So get out there, play the game, and make sure to have FUN doing it with your friends and family here.

The kind of recipe with a little bit of everything all thrown together to make a tasty surprise. Does that seem strange to you?  It did to me at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I agreed with my original idea. (Whew, thank goodness it wasn’t because I fell asleep at the computer and hit my head….ahhhhem um….nevermind!)  Now what was I in the middle of…..oh right!    Food  

After all, who doesn’t love food?  Take a cookie for instance……
Some like it mild, with not much spice…..maybe they are the people who come just to chat with friends they met here, and liven up the forums.  Some like it soft and chewy….they may be the people who create the romance of the game, and start families that make people feel special.  Some like it tangy….could it be that those people are the ones who come to simply fight and win…to prove to themselves and others that they are strong in heart and character?  Some like it sweet and chocolaty….they are the people who not only enjoy being sweet themselves, they are also the ones who make it a lot more wonderful for others playing this game.
Now I personally like it crunchy, with a light nutty flavor…..quite possibly because I’m a bit of a nut myself.  But…only a small one 

There is also the ones who like it sour…..these are the people who are simply a recipe for disaster…..there’s always a few of them floating around the world.

That’s right folks! Any way you like it, Dark Warriors is the game for you! We have a little bit of something for everyone in this recipe.

After all, everyone has to eat, so why not make it as good as it can be?