Tuluk Closing to PC play -- discussion thread

[Cavaticus]

Travel between Luirs and Allanak?  The Outpost now becomes more of an IC destination than a waypoint and it's IMHO not really destination worthy in its current form.  I'd hate to see even less traffic headed that way.  This could be a very good thing for Luirs or it could mean no one ever travels through the Red ever again.

We expect that Luir's will become a much more interesting place to play in. We're looking at ways to help facilitate that.

[Is Friday]

Consolidating the playerbase will allow better inter-clan dynamics, politics, intrigue, plots. I fucking love this change. I've been saying for forever that the real problem with the game is that we don't have enough minions. And now we do. This game just became way more awesome.

[Down Under]

Also, I don't mean this in a rude way, but the way this was announced seems like the Armageddon Reborn announcement. I put my faith in Staff that they've done the work behind the scenes to prepare for this, but it seems off the cuff. This decision may have vast repercussions on the game yet unforeseen -- Not having that city-state or drastic 'other playing area' for the game may drive people (like myself) away from the game.

I'll give it a college try. But i'm not sure how I will feel once the shock has left.

[Wday]

Big change.
But I see some fun days ahead. I mean think about it? People you don't like are more then likely be around you now days!
I see fights coming, plots

[Delusion]

I double-checked the timestamp. Not 1 April.

Consolidation is splendid. Looking forward to seeing what comes of this.

[Saellyn]

BUT WHAT ABOUT FORAGE CLAY!?

[Barsook]

And clayworking?  And cotton picking/working?

[Nyr]

I feel like I just attended the Red Wedding.

Rathustra is Walder Frey.

Nyr is Roose Bolton.

I'm probably Tywin here.

Wow. I had to check and make sure this wasn't a belated April Fools, too.

I actually really, really like this change and think it will benefit the game at large to have a consolidated player base. I loved Tuluk, and I hope you guys can or will put something in to ICly make sense why someone would not be able to enter the city state at all!

We've discussed making it a completely IC change to mask it but ultimately it IS an OOC change.  If you're there now, you can (and will) be given reason to leave if you are able to do so.  Once it is closed, it means you can't go there as a PC codedly unless we open it up for some sort of event.

[Adhira]

Can you talk about the consideration of the impact to:

Travel between Luirs and Allanak?  The Outpost now becomes more of an IC destination than a waypoint and it's IMHO not really destination worthy in its current form.  I'd hate to see even less traffic headed that way.  This could be a very good thing for Luirs or it could mean no one ever travels through the Red ever again.

Will there still be "enforcers" in the North?  So that the entire Northlands doesn't turn into open season for, say, Rogue Gicks and Outlaws who now no longer need to worry about PCs regularly being present in an area that was previously well populated with potential risk and that is chock full of cool places to hermit-out in?

There are still a couple more weeks before official closure, and there are still a few things that may develop in game that will shed a little more clarity on the situation of how the North will be operating. What I will reveal is that there will be a playable area beyond Luirs that PCs can visit, so there will be a reason for foot traffic. We fully expect that there will be an enlivened area beyond the walls of Allanak. While Allanak will become a more vibrant city, with (we hope) a fully fledged internal political struggle, the outskirts and surrounds will reflect the harsh environment dotted with waypoints for travelers that the World is reknowned for.

There will be enforcers in the North, and they will show no mercy. Rathustra, Seidhr, Enthemu and co are eagerly awaiting those Rogues who think otherwise.

[LauraMars]

Rathustra did an amazing job with Tuluk btw, so...y'all better recognize.

[Cind]

I'm hoping one day that Tuluk will reopen, mostly because I loved the clay pit and the Levies. But yeah, I can give them up for now.

[Is Friday]

Rathustra best admin 2012.

[Desertman]

I am not a huge fan of Tuluk. I never much cared for playing there.

But, I sure liked having it as an active antagonist. I loved being able to hate the people from there. (I don't mean virtual people I am pretending to hate with zero actual substance.) That is the part I am going to miss. I won't miss playing there. I will miss getting to hate the people that do IC'ly.

But you know I do remember the days back when Tuluk was occupied and the only thing there really was a tavern and a few shops and that was it. I did like the feeling of the game world back then, and basically, Tuluk really was "A virtual enemy.", in most regards at that time. A Pyramid behind some walls that never got opened.

From that point of view, Tuluk has only really been "open" since after I started playing and I remember the game running just fine when it was "closed". So while some people might fear or hate what is coming, just keep in mind, this isn't the first time Tuluk has sat in this position.

I would personally prefer something more "IC" happening to close Tuluk off to the playerbase, but, it is what it is and I can't really complain.

I'm interested to see what happens with the economy and things of that nature with the playerbase becoming more focused on mainly Allanak. Back when Tuluk's walls were effectively closed that I recall, peak times saw 35 players on a good night. Now with 60+ being common, I am interested to see what happens.

I like the idea of having a ton of people more focused on the areas where I prefer to play. How can I not like that?

I have only one gripe and that is that this wasn't done on a more IC level to explain the lack of mobility to that region.

Easy fix that leaves Tuluk still standing and easily re-opened but cutoff to the passage of players?

"A horrible plague, carried on strange spores in the air from somewhere deep in the forest passes over Tuluk. Countless thousands fall sick and die. The nobility and templarate take shelter within their compounds. The gates of the city are closed and no travelers are allowed passage into Tuluk for an undisclosed number of years. Horrible tales of mass killings in an attempt to wipe out the infected leak from the walls, but nobody can confirm. Black plumes of smoke can be seen for days on end at times by those travelling outside of the city...speculation is it's the burning of the bodies as they continue to pile up. Those who can leave the city and have not fallen ill barely get out before the gates close. So begins the years of "The Cleansing" as the city attempts to find a cure while putting down any who show signs of the illness.".

Something like that. The people that need to "die" can die IC'ly. The people that need to "leave" have a great IC reason to leave. The game history flows perfectly well. Everyone has an IC excuse to explain why they are doing or not doing what it is they are currently up to.

Staff could still also easily re-open Tuluk with minimal effort in an IC way.

[Delirium]

I do hope there's a solid IC reason for the departure/death of various PCs to make sure that this flows as seamlessly as possible from a story perspective.

[Down Under]

I'm glad that this is an OOC change and not an ICly justified one. Allowing for Staff to come back from this decision if it doesn't pan out as planned is a great failsafe.

[Ritikki]

Consolidating the playerbase will allow better inter-clan dynamics, politics, intrigue, plots. I fucking love this change. I've been saying for forever that the real problem with the game is that we don't have enough minions. And now we do. This game just became way more awesome.

^

Even as much as I like it, I still feel for the people who have had incredible and long-lived characters in Tuluk. As much teasing hatred there is towards Tuluk, it was a wonderful place to play in. There's no way this transaction is emotionally seamless and smooth.

I imagine there will be spots to forage clay and cotton implemented in the future. I also imagine there will be a migration of Tulukis for OOC reasons. What reasons will the characters have to leave their beloved city states? Would the staff encourage storage if there is no good reason? I hope this gets worked out.  

Not sure what follows, I'm hoping for the best though.

[BadSkeelz]

I humbly volunteer my PC for stat, skill, and insanity boosts so he can kill everyone in Tuluk and force an IC closer of the city.


Actually, I'm with Down Under.

I'm glad that this is an OOC change and not an ICly justified one. Allowing for Staff to come back from this decision if it doesn't pan out as planned is a great failsafe.

[Hicksville Hoochie]

While I've only ever rarely played in Tuluk, I don't hate the place. Feels for those who prefer it as their main city to play in, but I figure this might be a very good choice in the long run. Hopefully we can give everyone coming south a nice, fun welcome and keep your gaming experience full of excitement (and boots)!  

[Harmless]

I am curious about this recent RPT. I hope a history page post comes out at some point telling what happened.

I used to play Tuluk more than Allanak but switched to playing more southern PCs about two years ago. But I have played akai, a bard apprentice, some GMH and many indies in Tuluk.

I am excited about this and agree fully with the move including the OOC implementation. I am glad staff are willing to do this. it gives me hope. I think this is going to help Allanak and Luir's and Storm quite a bit. Kudos.

[Cind]

What's going to happen with the tablelands now? Just same old same old?

[Majikal]

Rathustra did an amazing job with Tuluk btw, so...y'all better recognize.

Totally the reason I apped for a particular role.

All my dealings with Rathustra and Nergal have been badass to say the least.




This change is still crazy to think about, I don't think I'm so upset about not being able to play in Tuluk as I am about not having the OPTION to play in Tuluk. Overall, I think the reduction in staff workload is a great idea, the consolidation of the playerbase will definitely only make nak feel more crowded and crazy. Curious how it all plays out.

[Nergal]

To Desertman and others that mentioned the IC vs OOC nature of the change: As Nyr said above, there is going to be an IC reason for current characters in Tuluk to leave and for future characters to be unable to go there, although as stated in the announcement, nobles and templars will have to be stored.

[Adhira]

There is still two weeks left to go before we close Tuluk in game. We do have something planned IC. We even have an RPT scheduled on the calendar you may note. No, we aren't going to post here and discuss what we have planned. However, we wanted to announce this OOC closure with you prior to the actual closing date and not just go ahead with our IC storyline then say "Oh guess what, Tuluk is closed RIGHT NOW". So please bear with us on that point.  Some of you may wish to store now. Some of you may wish to leave the city now, or quit playing now. We understand, this is your choice. We ask you to take some time and talk to staff.

I encourage you to try sticking around and seeing if you want to experience the RPT and have some fun with us. There are some fun and interesting things in store plotwise over the next couple of weeks and you've seen some of the build up in game recently.

[Barzalene]

Making it ooc was the right choice,  I think.

[Harmless]

Will staff be making an announcement about this visible when logging in? It would help players who don't check the GDB or website. Currently the most recent announcement is May 2014 about Tuluk shrinking. I think that could be replaced no?