Ideas

[Dimetrius]

I would really like to be able to use Devotion for once.

Maybe we could have it bumped down so we can use it without being in an Order?

Please? :'(

[Ilshara]

i would really like to be able to use devotion for once.

Maybe we could have it bumped down so we can use it without being in an order?

Please? :'(

double please!

[Pyrok]

I would like to be able to use my claws/talons to use the 'eyepoke' command, please.
Primarily for amusement, and partly because... well, I'm not certain but i don't think blindness is in my guilds 'toolbox' so to speak.

[Jaethor]

I would like to be able to use my claws/talons to use the 'eyepoke' command, please.
Primarily for amusement, and partly because... well, I'm not certain but i don't think blindness is in my guilds 'toolbox' so to speak.

Eyepoke shouldn't be used as a genuine attack by any guild.

That being said, done. It's hefty on the balance to make it equal to wielding+eyepoking+unwielding with a quill.

[David]

A greater runebag of some sort or just a general way to remove greater runes from being held within our hands if we place patterns? ooooh or perhaps some form of fancy belt with rune pockets!?

[Ademaro]

I am not sure if this is the correct place for this but none of the other forums really fit. Anyway, here goes.

Ideas To Better Gameplay From a New Player Perspective But an Old Mudder

I started playing Muds a long long time ago. I've tried just about every top Mud. I've played almost a decade on IRE muds and before that for a couple of years on Avalon RPG as a guildmaster. I actually see some names on here from that Mud and from other games I have played. I can almost guarantee some of you know me. :-p

I will tell you though that I grew tired of IRE and the constant focus on nothing but credits. I've been looking for another mud with the same type of give and take combat and gameplay I grew to love so many years ago and then I found Akanbar. I personally hate Diku or Smaug type muds with scroll combat where you just kill target and let it go. I also hate the whole multiclassing idea. Anyway, I am going to tell you couple of my opinions and ideas on how to make Akanbar better.

Now my first impression of Akanbar is that it is a lot like Avalon code wise. Also like Avalon, there is very little in the way of a playerbase, which honestly should NOT be the case, but I can tell you why. What makes IRE games so successful is the massive care they and the players themselves put into helping new players and making the game accessible and interesting. If new players don't stick around, then the MUD dies and has no purpose other than taking up server space.

So, with that being said, I would like to make a few observations.

First of all, starting out in the world of Akanbar was interesting...for all of five minutes. The guy pulling up in the wagon and giving me a ride into town was pretty neat. It actually reminded me of the beginning of Elder Scrolls Skyrim, except I wasn't a prisoner. However, after that there was almost nothing in the way of guidance or excitement. Almost every successful mud has a tutorial to help the new player get started, with the option of skipping it of course. Not only does it provide guidance to the player trying to learn the world, it provides a story line and understanding of what they are getting involved with.

After I got to the Isle, there were all of perhaps half a dozen quests. The HINTS continue to say once you reach level 21 you're no longer a novice. At about level 10 I was barely gaining any experience at all from anything there. I have no idea how long it would take to gain the 50 gold. I image a lot of time.

I think a more interactive beginning with a tutorial will help in this regard and spend some time building a much bigger and broader beginners area with many more mobs and quests that allow for better progression. I couldn't believe how few mobs there actually were, aside from the weevils, which die in one hit after you gain a couple of levels and provide little to no experience.

Additionally, one thing I always concentrated on was Help Files. The Help Files are lacking. After joining my guild by following the quests on the Isle, I really had no direction from there. Mainly because no one was around when I needed it. So I scoured through the BB and discovered something about a board in the guild hall that contains information. Well I go to the guild hall and look at this board and it says it explains the requirements and so on. They don't exist and were never posted. The BB post stated no one could read this board but guild members, yet the only thing written on the board was a warning to people who aren't members that the guild is for members only or something along those lines. Basically it was WASTED. In my IRE guild we had a help file that covered EVERY aspect of the guild from beginner to experienced and from combat to the guild's ideals. The game itself also has a MASSIVE help file system that covers everything. This provides accessibility to new players, which is important. It's even more important in a game that has a low playerbase. If no one is around to ask, and there isn't anything to read that answers a new players question, they are likely to just quit in frustration and go somewhere else.

Secondly, I use my own client, which is currently Cmud. I was actually going to write my own, but why bother with all that work when I already have one. Anyway, one of the first things I do is check for settings server side to make the game more accessible to me personally. My eyes aren't so good anymore ya see. However, they are far and few between. About the only thing you can do is turn on ANSI. I finally did find a way to place the exits on a separate line. However, there is no way to color any other aspect of the text such as SAYS or TELLS or the PROMPT. I also can't turn off line wrapping server side and allow the client to wrap the lines, which is a big deal with me. It's a big pain in the backside trying to create color or other triggers when lines are forced to wrap and creates tons of unnecessary work. This is an accessibility issue.

Mapping is also a pain because the exit lines wrap and some rooms have a blank line for the description. Basically it is a huge turnoff trying to map for someone that knows nothing about scripting. I personally can deal with it through some creative means, but for people that have no idea how to script will most likely give up.

I propose implementing GMCP for delivering the room data and other necessary data. It's a HUGE bonus and many clients, Cmud for one, are already handling it automatically. It makes mapping a breeze, especially for users who don't know how to script. To be honest, I don't know why every MUD hasn't implemented it yet. Again this provides accessibility to new players. At the very least MXP maybe?

I am sure I will be posting here a lot. If I am going to invest time in something, I like to see it thrive. I would like to stick around in Akanbar and help any way I can. I hope my post was not offensive in any way to the administration.

Finally, I will say that I have already read some comments on the forums that will guarantee the Mud will never thrive. Information is not a bad thing. I simply do not understand why people want to keep a Mud small and without players. They might as well play Xbox or something by themselves. It's missing the whole point!

[Jaethor]

Almost every successful mud has a tutorial to help the new player get started, with the option of skipping it of course. Not only does it provide guidance to the player trying to learn the world, it provides a story line and understanding of what they are getting involved with.

There is a long and complicated tutorial that you need to complete to get off of novice isle. You should have completed it.

After I got to the Isle, there were all of perhaps half a dozen quests. The HINTS continue to say once you reach level 21 you're no longer a novice. At about level 10 I was barely gaining any experience at all from anything there. I have no idea how long it would take to gain the 50 gold. I image a lot of time.

The novice island is meant to be a safe and secure for novices of all ages. It's meant to be so that if you're level 3 and you wander into the weevil enclosure, you won't immediately die. While for a moment, I did think about beefing up, perhaps with a new area, it would create an area that younger novices would wander into. On the mainland, however, there are several areas for late novices to begin hunting, which has increased in number as of late. As for the gold, yes, it is near impossible. The only reason why the gold limit exists is because there was an issue with characters staying novices too long to take advantage of the amount of gold you can raise.

Guild task board things

While I'd normally get behind being against slacking, the guild boards for less than two weeks. As for help files, I'm aware. I need to write the help files for a few of the newer updates. However, older things should easily be found in the help files.

Ansi things

No

Change mapping stuff

I'm not changing the codebase of Akanbar to accommodate your lack of mapping skill. We have an in game map system to do exactly that. Part of making your own map consists of exerting effort on your part, which may include an extra line of code (it's not any more complex than that).

I hope my post was not offensive in any way to the administration.

Finally, I will say that I have already read some comments on the forums that will guarantee the Mud will never thrive. Information is not a bad thing. I simply do not understand why people want to keep a Mud small and without players. They might as well play Xbox or something by themselves. It's missing the whole point!

Saying you hope you don't offend people, then saying that this mud will never thrive is a bit counter-productive. While big muds are certainly successful, small muds have elements that big muds cannot have, so I would not rule a mud as unsuccessful simply because of its size. While I may not like some players, I must admit that I would prefer a more intimate playerbase than that of an IRE mud and would go as far as to say I would prefer the current playerbase. I will start a countdown on how long a mortal makes me regret saying this.

As much as I appreciate ideas (this is not sarcastic), I highly suggest you play longer than a day before suggesting large changes to things simply because the previous mud you played had it.

[Ademaro]

Well never mind then. I have better things to do. It's quite obvious to me it would be a waste of time. You obviously took everything the wrong way. I absolutely would not want you to be like IRE. Have fun with your toy.

[Jaethor]

If that is how you feel, then that is up to you. The idea thread is a place for ideas to be submitted to the Divine and the Divine to hopefully respond to such. Since I am currently the main coder, it is up to Me which ideas are submitted and rejected. I am assuming your displeasure with My post comes from one of the last three quotes.

Concerning the ansi coloring, that is a feature easily replicated in CMUD or ZMUD. I do not want it because it requires more coding than it is worth.

The mapping things, yes, I am very much against that. You are requesting that we change languages to cater to your mapping needs instead of you adding a line of code into your mapper.

I do not feel that My last response requires any further explanation.

I could have simply ignored your post if I found the concepts distasteful as I admittedly do often, however I decided that given the effort put forth to writing such a composition deserved some form of response. If you feel that My response was too harsh, you are certainly welcome to take it up with Lord Zycandos, however I am not going to coddle you simply because you are a novice. Should you have been older, you would have realized that I am not a warm, fuzzy person. If you submit an idea here, there is a chance that I will tear into it. People have taken that as constructive before and have refined their idea until it was more fitting. That is how a few newer features have been added. Given, if you personally tell me the idea, I will be more prone to brutality.

If you are unable to handle someone telling you "no", then I would not suggest posting on a thread that is based on My approval/disapproval. As for Me playing with My toy, I should remind you that a MUD is a game and therefore really is a toy.

[Malic]

I'm quite sure his displeasure had nothing to do with what you said, but the way you said it.

Saying "Yes" or "No" to suggestions is clearly part of your job description. The attitude and tone in which you say it, is not.
No one expects you to be warm and fuzzy, but you do seem to go out of your way to prove yourself to be the complete opposite of that. There is a middle ground you know.

I felt embarrased about the way you answered a first time poster.

[Jaethor]

I believe it is rather well known that I am stern, often hard on players, especially on the ideas thread. If someone is going to post an idea, that means that they are experienced enough to make an evaluation on the mud and come up with ideas to further advance the mud. Due to that, regardless of if they are a first time poster or they have played since the beginning of time, I am going to treat them the same.

[Malic]

Just because something is well known is not a justication for its existance.
I can't fathom why you feel the need to be stern, or even rude to people who are offering their insights as suggestions. You are free to say "No" in any manner you choose, I don't understand why you picked this one.
As for treating first time posters the same as anyone else, I'm not sure if thats arrogance or ignorance. You are a representitive of the game and also the commnunity. If a first time poster is answered with rudeness or a harsh attitude, as in the case above, I can't imagine them bothering to try again, or even to log into the game.
You hold a position of responsibility, and I'm not sure you are aware of the impact that your conduct can have on potential new players.

[roeshak]

Eyepoke with talons = win!
I actually tested this out the other month with using some psionics, interesting twist if you ask me.
I also have been kind of interested in the idea of afflictions using symbiosis, we have fear, corruption, and defiling. Corruption and defiling are the two most -useless- fucking skills I've ever seen, anyone with basic common sense can not only see this coming but also cure it without trouble. I know its supposed to be used with our psionics but I don't see the usefulness here, almost all characters around these days are the same ones we have had for years. We all know the cures, we all use the cures and ultimately it makes a lot of the skills useless unless they are ignorant to the skill. Just saying, I've seen the power of the runesmiths, wardens, and the assassins all of which are powerhouse guilds. The shamans are relatively balanced out thankfully, but without brawling the Forsaken guild has a tough time just simply using psionics as an affliction basis. Anyone can cure psionics no problem unless we get lucky and land a hook or dazzle that interrupts their cure but those of us who know how to code can still get past this. Even with psionic blast and mind will, the balance is set off to the point where either thats all we can do or we just have to try and land random psionics. Talon and blast? talon and will? something, please. ((Just saying, not complaining but after David came into the city and can trump 2 forsaken and a pyromancer because of the balances required with the eternity rune, some things just aren't fair and anyone can see this shit))

[roeshak]

The above post was my idea....
Now then, Malic, Jaethor again is the MAIN coder currently and I as well as just about everyone else currently in the lands can uphold conversations with him with little to no complication. I recently brought back an old character of mine and some of the things associated with this character was long past out of date, I had chickens and shit stuck in my backpack yet he was willing to help me. The tone in which he is speaking is simply just a way to explain that Akanbar, unlike all other MUDs is very different. I agree about the mapping, I've been playing for around 4 years now and I know the lands like the back of my hand because I have done the exploring. They have not only added the dungeons back but also added new creatures in the seas. Some npc's have been beefed up because it makes it too easy on characters but I think that exploring is something that everyone should do, especially as a novice. How else do they expect to learn our quests? which something I've noticed even now, some of the older characters don't know anything about some of the newer things because they don't care anymore. I can understand where all three of you are coming from but Akanbar is its own MUD, if you can't accept that we are -not- like other ones then play them. Our divines are chosen because they know what they are doing, hence the reason YOU are not one and neither am I.

[David]

Eyepoke with talons = win!
I actually tested this out the other month with using some psionics, interesting twist if you ask me.
I also have been kind of interested in the idea of afflictions using symbiosis, we have fear, corruption, and defiling. Corruption and defiling are the two most -useless- fucking skills I've ever seen, anyone with basic common sense can not only see this coming but also cure it without trouble. I know its supposed to be used with our psionics but I don't see the usefulness here, almost all characters around these days are the same ones we have had for years. We all know the cures, we all use the cures and ultimately it makes a lot of the skills useless unless they are ignorant to the skill. Just saying, I've seen the power of the runesmiths, wardens, and the assassins all of which are powerhouse guilds. The shamans are relatively balanced out thankfully, but without brawling the Forsaken guild has a tough time just simply using psionics as an affliction basis. Anyone can cure psionics no problem unless we get lucky and land a hook or dazzle that interrupts their cure but those of us who know how to code can still get past this. Even with psionic blast and mind will, the balance is set off to the point where either thats all we can do or we just have to try and land random psionics. Talon and blast? talon and will? something, please. ((Just saying, not complaining but after David came into the city and can trump 2 forsaken and a pyromancer because of the balances required with the eternity rune, some things just aren't fair and anyone can see this shit))

Quite frankly, I was able to "trump" you so easily because neither of you were curing eternity well let alone the rest of the afflictions. Whereas I do agree with you that the Forsaken are a joke of their former self, I prefer that you post the facts. Runesmiths are good because of the user, you were one before and I don't recall many victories. Against a well prepared foe, its often a struggle to keep it landed, and it was long ago that water rune used to block speed, imagine if that still was around? In the end it goes back to it always being the user of the guild. Every guild is capable of great things, but those great things are based on the person with those skills.

I don't wish to sound blunt on my opinion here, but I would like to suggest an idea for Forsaken.

Idea:

Give them Truestrike back, against melee they are putrid. Everything else they should be able to compete against in my experience. Or if no truestrike, how about an increased accuracy skill? What if I was in a melee guild? It may have been even easier, as you all three still got me below 1500 health even without having the cures to many and I mean many of the afflictions.


To end....on your example you were really the only person of the three that was somewhat knowledgeable of the afflictions a Runesmith can deal. I didn't even have the heart to attack the pyromancer the second attempt because she didn't even have the basic cures......let alone the more advanced ones a Ruensmith can do. I just decided to leave, because trust me on this end it was quite sad to see......