Strange Thing Sighted (8/4/00): A strange wandering construct, metallic and green in color, has been sighted roaming the countryside of Southern Koguryo and inside the town borders of Nagnang. Wielding an incredibly big axe, the creature, although not as tough as many of the veteran adventurers, still has caused many a wound and death amongst the citizens. Where this creature comes from and what is its purpose is so far unknown, but he seems to have appeared shortly after the first series of attacks from Blight, the supposed Primogen of the enemy clan, The Forsaken. To see a photo of the Strange thing, click here.

Open forum with the Dream Weaver (8/10/00): Kismet, Game Master and Dream Weaver for Nexus, Kingdom of the Winds, will be holding an Open Forum in the game on Thursday, August 10th at 5pm PST running until around 8pm. The meeting will take place in Dae Shores at the coordinates 63,22. Through messages sent to his helpers, the Archons, Kismet will address many of the society's concerns and suggestions, allowing the players to know where the game is headed and have input on its course.

For a transcript of the questions asked at the forum:

	What news is there about the new client?		We have received a new client, V 4.81 and are testing it out. At the moment, it does not work with our current server. It will not require a new download. I hope that it will be out by 9/1.
	When will the incomplete Quests-Staff of the Elements, etc., be ready?		I have just begun to look into the notes of Grin's regarding these quests. I want to put out the remaining class quests in Nagnang, plus one other Event and then will begin to work on them. I am aiming to have the Staff of the Elements done by the end of September.
	What are your plans for the new area of Nagnang?		The plans are to unleash many Role Playing events about the neighboring Kingdoms and put in more Korea based Myth events as well.
	What does Nexon think about Large Web Site that support Nexus and what will they do to support them?		Nexus will add links to them from our homepage and we can also send the URLs in our NextAeonNews.
	When will Ju jak evocation/drain be fixed, or will they stay as they are now?		They both are set to be fixed, along with a list of a few others. However, the server team is working on other major troubles. I hope that these spells will be fixed in the near future.
	Will nexon switch ISPs?		Nexon has been on 4 different ISPs since being in the US, and believe it or not, AboveNet is the best so far that is still in business. We also get a special rate through them so we have no plans on changing ISPs at this time.
	What are the long term goals for Nexus?		Simply put, the long term goals for Nexus are to give you a great game to enjoy, to continue to build and expand and give you a fun place to come and play.
	What new items and spells are coming out soon?		Although I can not reveal exactly what items and spells are coming, so as not to destroy the surprise, we are working at incorporating new graphics, weapons and spells into every new quest we make.
	What new areas will there be and what expansions to current areas can we expect?		You can expect a great many new areas showing up in Nagnang, as well as some additions to the existing ones - such as a new Carnage arena. We have been given a new map editor so there will be new land graphics that can be used as well as the possibility of using the lighting effects for some interesting dungeons.
	Will there be new crafts in the future?		Although there were no plans for new crafts, after reading Genji's page about Flower arrangements and granary, I might just have to look into that.
	What about the rumor of shields in the new version and will only warriors be allowed to use them?		About 15 seconds, I saw a character carrying one. So shields will more than likely be in the new version. As for what classes will use them. I do not know at this time. Perhaps small bucklers for rogues.
	When will people be allowed to be "Neutral" or be allowed to join the "Nagnang" Kingdom?		Currently, if you belong to another kingdom other than Kugnae or Buya, your client crashes when looking at your legend. However, with the new client this won't happen. To become citizens of those nations, you will have to figure out how in the game.
	Are there any undiscovered quests out there?		I believe that all current quests have been discovered. However, I do know of a secret shop that I believe no one has found yet... That sells different types of weapons.
	Will dye colors, when morphed into an animal, be like in the past where it showed that dye color?		This spell and others are on the engineer's list. So any spells that are not functioning the way they used to (COW, Endear,Mimic) are all on fix it list. I do not know when they will be ready though.
	Will characters ever be able to own their own house?		We are currently working on a program add in that will allow you to build areas for certain costs. This can easily be turned into a house. So yes.
	Will more Angels be selected in the future?		I believe that Hroth currently has a list of 8 candidates that I am waiting to hear back from him. We want to keep the Angels around as they have been a positive influence on morale and crime prevention.
	Are there any plans for some BIG events soon?		Yes. Some big events are coming down the pipe. I am hoping to have one within the next few weeks that deals with the Strange Thing. Hopefully before the end of the month.
	What is the current role of Archons now?		The Archon's primary role is to monitor the boards and take down the important/significant info and then either pass it onto me or deal with it themselves. Believe it or not, this takes up a GREAT deal of time.
	When will clan functions be fully operational, including Council member functions?		Hopefully this week. The "f" key is gone but not all the commands are working with the current server so we are trying to tweak them. Actually, maybe next week we'll have more functions working. Although it may not seem like it now, the new clan program/system will be much better than the old one.
	Will there be any new paths or subpaths coming?		Not at this time. We will, however, look into what we can do to improve the current ones. Realize that the subpaths were created as a Role playing device and not simply as a way to get cool stuff. We also have plans on diversifying the subpaths we have already.
	What happened to Grin?		The player of Grin is working on new projects with Nexon. As for the character - he's out there... No one has found him yet though...
	Will higher level 3 caves be made more appealing to hunt in?		Actually, we may be making a "level 4" cave in the near future, or a whole new set of caves, since you all are advancing so quickly. ;) On a side note, about the increasing of Monsters vita. I have NEVER increased any existing monster vita. Only new monsters have I tweaked (such as the skels during the Crypt event). I realize that many of these answers do not have a "They will be done by X date" on them, that is due to the fact that I do not want to promise you something and then not be able to deliver due to system problems or other emergencies. But I do plan on getting them done ASAP!
	Are there any plans for quests and events that focus more on Role Play than killing?		Yes. Many of the "Korean Myths" ones I plan on making are mostly RP than hunting.
	What reasoning is there for bosses not giving experience?		There are many reasons however one that I have found today might be that the monster can switch targets and whoever the target of the monster is, gets the experience - even if someone else one shots him.
	Will we ever be able to play chars. other then other human?		Currently, no since it would require a great amount of restructuring the system, however we may create quests that allow you to transform into another creature for a very long time - and that form will not be dispellable.
	Like NPC subpaths, will there be NPC clans?		At the moment, only the Forsaken.
	Any plans to enhance monster AI (Artificial Intellence)?		The monster AI has been slightly modified, but the real change has been with the Merchants. We have not used them yet in their full capacity but they are now able to act like monsters as well.
	Would Nexon ever make a single player (offline) version of Nexus?		No. The main feature of Nexus is the ever-changing online environment and the multiple players who add their own uniqueness to the game.
	How do you feel about Leechers?		I don't like them at all.
	Will Wony or Orb ever return to the Kingdom?		Orb has sacrificed himself to the kingdom and will never be seen again. Wony is off in the retreat but may stop by once in a great while.
	When will the "5.0" graphics, and the "kingdom" clothes be here?		There are currently no plans on having the 5.0 graphics implemented. As for Kingdom clothes, we have a large selection of new clothes from the new client.
	When will the marks for Ee san be released?		I am currently trying to gauge the proper levels for higher marks but none are currently scheduled for release.
	Do you plan on ever reducing/getting rid of aethers?		No. They are needed to keep the balance of power with some of the spells. Delphi is now leaving. Thank you for your help.
	Will there be new emotions in the future?		Not in the near future, they require a bit of programming and I'd rather get the rest of Nexus working before adding more emotions.
	If Angels are for the Peasants, and Archons for the boards, will there be those like Constables for in-game action?		Judges are for in game law troubles. Other player are for assistance. The Constables were an attempt that did not work out well.
	Will players be able to get more support for player run event and plots?		From Nexon, we can offer some minimal support. And we need to have a good amount of lead time so you can expect some help from us, but you will need to email daedalus@nexon.net.
	Will the laws we have now be revised?		We are actually working on restructuring the law system and Justice system in the game. Hopefully, you will see their effects within the next two weeks.
	Is Blight going to attack us? What are his plans?		I can not reveal Blight's intentions. That would take all the fun out of your deaths.
	Will there ever be special contests again with one-of-a-kind items like "Caligraph" for example?		There aren't any plans as of yet, but I do not see why we couldn't.
	There are pauses in between clicks when crafting will this be changed?		That has to do with the client speed, and that may be improved only slightly. Because as we add more features, it slows it down. So to maintain current speed while giving you more is doing good.
	Are their any plans for changing current weapons or items?		Although there are no plans, we sometimes find a item that we feel needs a bit of tweaking (blood) or have misassigned values to a new item so we change them. But as of now, there are no plans to change any items.
	Will there be more programming to stop thefts?		We are trying to implement a system that will alert you if an item is bonded or not but other than that, if you don't want something stolen don't let go of it.
	Will weather graphics be returning?		I would like them to but will need to ask the programmers what effect they will have on lag. At his point, I don't think so.
	Will you be having regular Forums?		I would like to but because of the irregular schedule this game causes, I can't promise to be somewhere every date of the month.
	Will there be any new music/sounds soon?		Yes. New music pieces were added to the new client. They will be added in at the update.
	When will the new Portrait application and instructions be available?		The programmer is currently busy with the new client and the user area building program so there is no ETA on a new portrait program. I may, but want to get a few public ones out first.
	Will there be any "hidden" quests coming out that players have to discover without hints?		There maybe, but I want to get a few public ones out there first...;) How about that, I know the question before asked.
	Will you be developing the non-hunting aspect of Nexus more in the future?		Absolutely. It is just a little tricky since the quest style for the game is hunt intensive.
	Will you be working on the economy of Nexus soon?		It is difficult in the current state of things and duplication throws it out of whack but I will be looking into it after a few quests are done.
	Will Nexus ever have 3D graphics, with a players view perspective?		Unfortunately no. To do so would require a whole new server and client and if Nexon is going to do that, it would make more sense to make a new game with those.
	What are the plans to deal with abusive peasants?		We are actually developing a new tutorial area for beginning characters that all new peasants will have to go through. We hope this will deter them a bit. Plus we will be adding in new Angels to get those that still go through it.