Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Retiring Lineage 2

I haven't updated this blog in ages because I've been busy and the game has no shine for me anymore. I won't go into details as to why I' ve retired just when the big updates for Final Gracia were coming.

I wish all the Lineage 2 SEA players good luck in their lives both in game and in real life.
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Sunday, November 2, 2008

Sicil: The Abyss Walker

As promised a week ago, Sicil will become an Abyss Walker, and here he is.



Thanks to Gracia's Vitality Points, and upgraded quests, it's so much easier to level up this time. Unlike the last time, I had no 3 million adena nor clannie to help me out. This was done by me alone. I completed the three quests to become an Abyss Walker:
Here's a tip: always start your second class change quest at level 39. If you start it around 35 or 38, you'll have an extremely hard time and just get frustrated.

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Thursday, October 23, 2008

Final Gracia Korean PTS Notes


Here are a couple of updates regarding Lineage 2 Final Gracia (CT 2.3). First of all, it's great to see that the Lineage 2 SEA community has decided to actively report on such changes. You can see the treads here and here. It just shows that the players are looking forward to great changes in the future. 


Anyway, here we go.

Final Gracia Korean PTS Patch Notes

The Land of Gracia


  • Located west of Gludin
  • The only place where you can get S82 and S84 weapon parts through quests
  • You can travel there via airships

Airships


  • Any level 5 clan can own one
  • There will be airship-to-airship battles
  • These can only take place in Gracia
  • Only toons level 75 and above with "Flight-mode Transformation" skill can participate
  • Those signed for the Olympiad or other PVP related events cannot participate.
  • Winners get 5 items for Gracia-related items

Clans

  • Clan level max is now 11 (req: 170 members, 75 CRP)
  • Guard units has been increased to 30.
  • New class skills will be included in the update.

Weapons

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA
  • New S84 armors
  • 3 dual daggers added:
*S80: Dynasty Knife and Soul Separator
*S82: Icarus Dispenser and Soul Separator
*S84: S84 dagger and Nada Storm
  • Belts will have their own inventory
  • Capes for the Dynasty and S84 armors
  • Mage shields with enchantments

So many changes and updates coming in the future. For a very old MMORPG, it sure has a lot more to offer!


Acknowledgement:


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Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Sicil: The Assassin

Yup, going to another server means starting from scratch. The good thing about this is that you'll be starting at level 0 with everyone else (that is until the botters get high in their levels). Anyway, as mentioned last time, I'll be re-rolling into an Assassin.

Meet Sicil:



I was able to get get to the second job in just a few hours thanks to this guide. Anyway, my next target is for him to become an Abyss Walker within fourteen (14) days; meaning he should level up twice in a day. Anyway, here I go!

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Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Lineage 2 Final Gracia Korean Teaser Site

Last week, we had such a lot of info flooding the interwebz regarding Gracia Part 2. There were some changes though when we got the patch notes last week. Usually we'd be scrounging for info based on the L2 NA PTS boards regarding the upcoming patch, but now we got news that the Korean Final Gracia teaser site is up!


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Monday, October 20, 2008

Re-rolling to Cadmus

As I mentioned a few days ago, the Cadmus server will be opening tomorrow, Oct. 21, 2 PM. However, that won't mean the end of Alcarcalimo: the Bladedancer, as I will still use him, although sparingly. I'll be re-rolling into Cadmus tomorrow as another character, same race, different job. I've had experience of being a buffer and "always at the back"--it's time for me to move up front.

Tomorrow, I become an Assassin.

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Friday, October 17, 2008

Lineage 2 NA Gracia Part 2 PTS Notes



It's been confirmed! Lineage 2 NA will get the Gracia Part 2 PTS on October 28. In support, they've also provided Patch Notes! No more mistranslations here anymore! This is what we get for Gracia Part 2!

Hunting Grounds

Kamaloka - Labyrinth of the Abyss

1. The instant zone hunting ground "Kamaloka - Labyrinth of the Abyss" has been added.
2. To enter Kamaloka - Labyrinth of the Abyss, you must meet the following requirements:
  • Entry NPC = Guard Captain
  • Group = 2-9 member party
  • Type of Instance = Beathrough Type Raid Boss Battle
  • Duration of Instant Zone = 45 Minutes
  • Entry Restriction = Each PC can only enter once per day
  • Instant Zone Reset = Zone resets after 5 minutes if no PC’s are inside
3. Entry NPC locations and required levels for Kamaloka – Labyrinth of the Abyss:
  • Gludio / Captain Bathis (levels 24-34)
  • Dion / Captain Lucas (levels 34-44)
  • Heine / Captain Gosta (levels 44-54)
  • Oren / Captain Mouen (levels 54-64)
  • Schuttgart / Captain Vishotsky (levels 64-74)
  • Rune / Captain Mathias (levels 73-85)

Pailaka

1. The instant zone hunting ground "Pailaka" has been added.
2. Only characters who are in the process of a Pailaka-related quest and who meet the entry level requirements for the corresponding instant zone can enter.

|| Classification || Level || Required Quest || Time Limit ||

|| Pailaka – Forgotten Temple|| 36-42 || Pailaka – Song of Ice and Fire||60 mins. ||
|| Pailaka – Devil’s Isle|| 61-67 || Pailaka – Devil’s Legacy|| 90 mins. ||
|| Pailaka – Varka Silenos|| 73-77 || Pailaka – Injured Dragon|| 90 mins. ||

Kratei’s Cube

1. The competition-type PvP hunting ground "Kratei's Cube" has been added.
2. You can teleport to the entrance of Kratei's Cube through the NPC Paddies on Fantasy Isle.
3. Characters level 70 and above can register individually through the Kratei's Cube Entrance Manager.
4. There are 3 Kratei's Cube arenas set up by level range. Each arena can hold a maximum of 25 characters at a time. The level ranges are as follows:
  • Level 70-75
  • Level 76-79
  • Level 80+
5. Characters who are chaotic, in possession of a cursed sword or currently in a party may not participate.

Kratei’s Cube Rules

1. A Kratei's Cube match begins every 30 minutes from the top of the hour, and lasts for 20 minutes.
2. Once you have requested entry into Kratei's Cube (through the Entrance Manager), you will be moved into a waiting room 3 minutes before the match begins.
3. You can receive Kill Points through PvP and PvE inside Kratei's Cube. Even if a character is killed, there is no death penalty.
4. A character who is killed during a match is moved to the waiting room and can re-enter through the Kratei's Cube Match Manager.
5. Registration ends 3 minutes before each match.

Rewards

1. At the end of a Kratei's Cube match, you will receive Experience, SP and Fantasy Isle coins.
2. The exact amount of your reward depends on the match results, the number of participants, individual ranking and cumulative result values.
3. You are ineligible to receive any reward if you score less than 10 Kill Points.
4. Fantasy Isle coins can be exchanged for various items through NPC Paddies of Fantasy Isle.

Leaving During a Match

You will be removed from the registration list and/or will be ineligible for any rewards for the following reasons:
1. If you request to participate in a match, enter the waiting room, and then cancel the match through the Kratei's Cube Match Manager and leave.
2. If you use a Scroll of Escape for a village, castle, hideout or fortress during a match.
3. If you die during a match and do not return through the Entrance Manager (meaning that you do not complete the match).

New Quests

Pailaka – Song of Ice and Fire

  • Level 36-42
  • One-time quest
  • You must infiltrate "Pailaka - Forgotten Temple," find the cracks in the Sprite energy that are developing inside the temple, and repair them.
  • Starting city: Gludin
  • Contact NPC: Inspector Adler

Pailaka – Devil’s Legacy

  • Level 61-67
  • One-time quest
  • You must infiltrate "Pailaka - Devil's Isle" and defeat the dark power that has engulfed the island.
  • Starting city: Giran
  • Contact NPC: Devil's Isle Survivor

Pailaka – Injured Dragon

  • Level 73-77
  • One-time quest
  • You must infiltrate "Pailaka - Varka Silenos," find the Soul of Fire trapped in darkness inside the barracks and free it to return to the world of fire.
  • Starting city: Goddard
  • Contact NPC: Ketra Orc Shaman

Items

When armor is over-enchanted to +4 or higher, each item will give the character a bonus to HP.

Item Enchant Window

The interface for Item Enchantment has been made more intuitive.

Vitality

  • A new instant item, "Vitality Replenishing Herb," has been added.
  • It gives you a 5 minute boost to your Vitality Level while hunting. During this 5 minutes, you gain the normal experience for killing a monster (regardless of your current Vitality level). However, also gain points in Vitality, allowing you to increase your Vitality level.
  • Vitality no longer decreases while hunting monsters for characters below level 9 who have the "Lucky" skill.

Mini-Game Addition

  • A simple and enjoyable mini-game has been added.
  • It can be accessed using the "/minigame" command or by clicking the "Mini-Game" icon in the Action Window.
  • The game requires you to create an icon chain of 3 in a row, either horizontally or vertically.

Changes to Existing Skills

  • Once the "Invincible" skill effect is applied, it cannot be re-applied for a certain amount of time. Related skills include: Celestial Shield, Flames of Invincibility, Sonic Barrier, Force Barrier, Servitor Barrier, Sublime Self-Sacrifice
  • The bug concerning HP/MP not being fully restored when a character is revived through the "Salvation" skill has been fixed.

Other Changes

  • An "Adventurers' Guide" NPC has been added to Hunters Village.
  • An "Underground Coliseum Helper" NPC has been added to the Underground Coliseum.
  • A bot reporting button has been added to the Actions window.
  • The Personal Teleport icon has been added to the Action Window under "Basic Actions." This button is not functional yet. But once it is, we will give you more information regarding its use.

Miscellaneous Fixes

  • The weight of common items has been reduced by 2/3.
  • The name of the "Double Cutter" skill, which can be used with the Demonic Sword Zariche, has been changed to: Power Slash - Inflicts a powerful slashing attack with the cursed sword.
  • The bug affecting the "Morning Star" item appearing twice in the shop sales list has been fixed.
  • The bug preventing changing a sealed Foundation or Masterwork Majestic Circlet Robe item into heavy armor has been fixed.
  • The bug preventing some dualswords from being normally refined has been fixed.
  • The bug concerning the Wolf Summoning Bracelet's total magic power not displaying properly has been fixed.
  • The bug concerning some Dynasty Armor shoulder decorations not equipping properly has been fixed.
  • While an item is being enchanted, it can no longer be dropped.
  • The incorrect effect explanations for some Dynasty armor sets have been fixed.
  • The following effects of the Dynasty Platinum - Force Master set item have been changed: Existing: Str +1, Dex +1, Con -2 / New: Str +2, Con -2
  • Demon's Gloves and Boots are now sold by vendor NPC’s.
  • The bug concerning ‘Chance’ augments triggering when an incorrect skill type is used has been fixed.
Honestly, I don't know how they will implement the bot reporting button, as this maybe abused by players who just want to hassle their clan enemies, but we'll see soon (if this gets implemented in L2 SEA as well!).

If you'd like to read the reactions of the players in L2 NA, click here.

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Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Lineage 2 NA Gracia Part 2 teaser site



Yup!

It's up! After speculations on what will be included in the next update it seems that only a few have been added. Only the Vitality Point buffs, the new dungeons, and the new mini-game seems to be included. There's no mention of new pets or servitors, mounts, nor new headgears. It remains to be seen whether these will be in Gracia Part 3 or not at all.

Here's the teaser site for Lineage 2 Gracia Part 2.


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Friday, October 10, 2008

Cadmus: New Lineage 2 SEA Server



The splash page is up at Lineage 2 SEA's site and we got a confirmed date as well. Cadmus will finally be opened. Concerns abound that players will transfer to the new server and both Aria and Blackbird's population will go down. This is an eventuality as players will want to rise in the new server and become Heroes or at least "legendary" toons.

Will I be transferring? Yes.

See you at Cadmus, folks!

More details here.

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Monday, September 29, 2008

Looking towards Gracia 2 and 3

After the success of Lineage 2 Gracia part 1, it's time to look forward to Garcia Part 2 and Final Gracia. I've been scouring the interwebz and so far, I was able to get information from reliable sources about the upcoming updates. Just a simple warning though, since this all still in CBT stages there will be changes once this hits the NA PTS or SEA servers(Cadmus by then?) so consider this post a hypothetical one.

Anyway, here we go!

Note: this post will be screenshot-heavy.

Gracia Part 2 Sneak Peeks

First up, the Gracia Part 2 teaser site is up!
If you have a slow connection, I suggest you view this in a shop with a high DSL rate as it really slowed my computer down LOLZ!!

Anyway, to save you time, I was able to get some screenshots off of the site.

Headgear galore

I'm really not sure why folks in NCSoft are crazy over weird headgears but, heck at least it gives us some respite and levity after castle sieges, eh?

Cat hats
From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

Skull Caps
From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

Hold your horses and servitors!

Finally! We get to see these horses in game! Almost all fantasy MMORPGs have horses and Lineage 2 have finally decided to make one.
From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

Okay, I know there are a lot of girl gamers out there that want to spruce up their L2 lives. Well, here it is a cutie pet for you gals.
From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

For those who want their pets to be more than just ornaments, here's a treat for you. New pets in Lineage 2 will have skills! From what I've read they will have their own type as well, like a Tanker/Nuker/Buffer/Healer/Damage dealer type of class as well. Figure out which is which...
From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

New Dungeon

There's supposed to be a new dungeon, I'm not sure what the name is or if this will be one of those instance dungeons. Anyway, if you guys have any info on this, please comment, the community awaits!
From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

Mini-game

As if the Monster Race Track and the almost non-existent lottery is not enough, NCSoft has decided to add another mini-game. It looks like bingo to me. What I'm wondering is whether this will give adena or "level up" a player.
From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

Vitality Buffs!

For those who want to grind but are afraid of losing Vitality Points (VP) then wait for Gracia Part 2 as VP buffs and pots will be included as a monster drop. I think NCSoft has heard the cries of hardcore gamers wishing for more VPs.
From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

New Raid boss

Jeesh, we haven't even gotten Antharas nor gone through Hellbound yet and now there's going to be a new uber powerful boss for the whole server to take down.
From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

For more details you can go to this site and view the Lineage 2 Gracia Part 2 Update Notes.



Gracia Part 3 Sneak Peeks

First off, this is still in development and things may or may not change. For all we know this could be a red herring from NCSoft. LOLZ!!

...Looking out the window and watching the clouds go by

Remember the log-in screen with the airship docked in the sky? Well, looks like we'll be able to rise and pilot it. Yes! You no longer need to be a Clan Leader, owning a castle, and a Wyvern to fly the skies of ether.
From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

Other mentionables

For those who were wondering whether capes would be included in the new update. Well, the answer is a YES! Based on the painting below, looks like it's going to be the in thing in ether. Sources also state that Kamaels will have a different set due to their wing.
From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

Gracia Part 3 will be coming this winter to Korea, so most likely we'll get it by early next year.

Source for Gracia Part 2
L2 Vault
Pirate Ninja Hideout

Source for Gracia Part 3
L2guru.com forums
Playforum

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Thursday, September 25, 2008

Fifty



Welcome to my 50th post.

Coincidentally Alcarcalimo also hit Level 50 a few hours ago! Whoa! Never thought I 'd make it this far. Here's to the next levels and posts, may it be more fruitful than the ones before it.

Special thanks go to: Infinity XT, Blackprince of Indigo, and ArmeaSilverleaf of Istar.

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Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Postcards from Ether:Cruma Tower

For our next set of Postcards from Ether, I present you: Cruma Tower.

It's supposed to be known as one of the ideal dungeons to level in when you're around level 30 to 40. However with the Gracia update notes, thing shave changed a bit:
  • Rewards in Cruma Tower have been increased.
  • New event monsters that can change or help the hunting flow have been added.
  • Characters that are level 56 and above can no longer enter Cruma Tower.
Here's what it looks like when you enter the tower's ground floor:



Notice the Matrix-style symbols running all over the pillar.

Here's a screenie of the second level:



Is it me or are dungeons inherently eerie? Isn't there a dungeon full of rabbits and rainbows? LOLZ!

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Friday, September 12, 2008

The Perils of Pay-to-Play


aw!

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Party or die

I was there when the RPG movement shifted from the board to game consoles. Back then, the game only had one hero: you--everybody else was just a support. It was easier to know who had to do all the work as well. LOL.

RPG Console mindsets have to go

With the rise of MMORPGs players were introduced to parties. That meant sometimes taking a backseat or supportive role to those in the frontline. That didn't sit well with me during the early years, therefore I didn't join the bandwagon then.

Eventually, the games got to me, and decided to be a damage dealer (DD). Unfortunately that meant lots of grinding and time was not on my side then (I was in College). In short, I was a new fish in a tank full of veteran whales. Learning the ropes as soon as possible would save you from a lot of scamming and grinding.

With Lineage 2, I can safely say that I've learned enough to leave the mindset of being an RPG console player to an MMORPG one. Although I now play a buffer, that hasn't stopped me from getting into party with other players, whether they be clanmates or not.

Have party, will quest

There a lot of quests that require you to go to locations where aggressive (aggro) monsters are. In this case, I would check if my clanmates (clannies) were online and request them for help. In the same sense that any of them require help from their quest, I'd go there too. It's a mutual relationship if you go into a clan.

However, turning down some party requests is an option. Cases like this is a very good point.

Partying with other players is a way to make your MMORPG experience grander.  For more details please see this article on the Party Search System in Lineage 2.

See you in Ether!

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Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Alcarcalimo: The Bladedancer

Lineage 2 Bladedancer

Alcarcalimo: the Bladedancer

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA

Yes, I finally made it! I am now a full-fledged Bladedancer. This is all possible because of Cole, a clanmate of mine in Infinity, lent me 3 Million adena, served as my guide in completing the 2nd Job guide in a matter of minutes, and provided me with some armor to start with!

It may seem like cheating but here's the guide on how to accomplish the 2nd job quest in Lineage 2 within 15 minutes. If you've got clanmates or rich friends in-game this is the way to go. If not, you may have to do it the hard way in accomplishing your Bladedancer job change quest.

I remember like it was just yesterday when I was starting out as a Dark Elven fighter, then eventually becoming a Palus Knight, and now a Bladedancer.

My next problem is that since I graduated the academy I'm suddenly clanless. Yikes! Anyway, while I wait to join them again, I'll do some quests in Ether.

See you around!

UPDATE: Zitti of Infinity XT invited me and I'm back with Infinity.

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Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Postcards from Ether:Execution Grounds

I'll be starting a weekly posting regarding the landscapes of Lineage 2 called : Postcards from Ether. I'll start with a scary one (well scary for those who are Level 30 and below):the Execution Grounds.

From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA


From Alcarcalimo's Travels in Lineage 2 SEA


Most mobs here are aggressive so better bring a lot of HP potions or some buddies if you're going to do a quest here.

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Monday, September 8, 2008

Gracia Update Review



After a week or so of absence, I'm back in Ether. Below is my review for Gracia.

Returning to Gracia as a Newbie

In order to fully experience Gracia for what it is--a more newbie friendly update--I decided to make an alternative character in Blackbird. Take note, I named him Alcarcalimo as well--that means you can have the same name from Aria as long as no one else is using it in Blackbird as well.

I expected that like in the NA servers, all new characters would be getting the 4 Vitality points right away, but unfortunately it's not the same here. It's okay anyway as you will read in a couple of paragraphs after this one.

Lineage 2's Vitality points Rock!



As you can see from the screenshot above, I was able to level up from 1 to 6 just by killing one Gremlin. Yes folks, it's THAT easy! I was also able to add more vitality points up to 4 as I went along and completed the non-violent tasks. Her's a tip for newbies: don't grind! Just kill the required number of mobs and you'll do fine. You'll be wasting precious Vitality points if you do.

After approximately 8 hours of playing, I am now on Level 18--and that's with large intemittent spaces of not playing. Which means that if you do take rest periods, your Vitality points will shoot up eventually. The problem is, that some players burn all their Vitality points away by just grinding. I would suggest that you do quests and take some rest periodically.

Vitality point system vs. PTP scheme

Unfortunately, resting would be a problem if you have a timer ticking. Yep, the Pay to Play scheme is going against the idea of resting for vitality points. This is fine if you only bought a loadtime for one day, but there are a lot of players who buy the 30-day gametime load (like me).

Now, we're torn if we'll let our characters rest while their Vitality points rise. Possible solutions? Get an alt character or do some Raid Boss hunting. However, that will require getting some high levelled weapons and armor--and it's easier now!

A whole new world...for cheapskates

One of the gripes of many Lineage 2 players is the fact that weapons and armors are extremely expensive. Usually they resort to buying from RMT sellers or create bots to farm out mats and sell them for high prices to obtain one piece of armor. Now, with the reduced prices, more players will be able to get up until B-grade level weapons and armors.

How this will affect the in-game economy is still to be seen, but at least the standard rates are low. The only way for a player to sell the same weapon or armor is by selling it a lower price. Good for players, maybe bad for sellers.

Kudos to NCSoft and AMDG for the Gracia update as it seems to be a resounding success! The only thing we have to wait for now is Part 2 and the final part of Gracia to be updated as well.

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