Just a little statistic.

[Socko]

I like to experience them both.

I dunno about everyone else, but I feel for -all- of Zalanthas, from shik great and small, to mekillot romping around in the flats.. it all brings a tear to my eye.

[Armaddict]

Well same here.

But for the north, it's a tear of pity.  :wink:

Nah, just kidding.  I love Arm as a creation, but...I'm filled with a sense of 'nakki nationalism.  The northern characters I just can't get into 'sense of northern pride' mode.  Can't do it.

That, and I can pump out insults to spew at northerners like nothing else, hehe.

[Sephiroto]

The last RPT in Luirs, it was great.  I think nearly 90% of all online PC's where within two rooms from eachother for hours.  Good thing an angry defiler didn't pop up and put everyone to sleep.  Or worse....that'd be alot of new character aps.  But aye, I've noticed the population shift.

And for the record: Luirs is the shit.  Allanak and Tuluk have nothing on it.

[zanthalandreams]

I see all this posted hate for the North and I wonder why there are so few posts defending what is clearly better than that vile pit of stench and decay nestled in the southern wastes.   Then it hits me.   They're too busy playing to complain on the GDB while their character idles in a tavern choked with VNPCs.  Which is not what anyone here is doing, surely.  

Tuluk, Allanak.

Tastes Great, Less Filling.

Luirs is the center of the world, thats what gets my vote.  Kurac tattooed on one fist, 4 Life on the other.  Sand in your teeth, armies at your gates begging politely to be let through because they know that you decide who wins what war and when.  Sitting on the end of the shield wall like a brain stem, controlling the entire world.  Tek?  Muk?  Wait in line like everyone else and no you can't have a complimentary smoke, Tek, don't make me smack you.

[Rindan]

Luirs is the center of the world, thats what gets my vote.  Kurac tattooed on one fist, 4 Life on the other.  Sand in your teeth, armies at your gates begging politely to be let through because they know that you decide who wins what war and when.  Sitting on the end of the shield wall like a brain stem, controlling the entire world.  Tek?  Muk?  Wait in line like everyone else and no you can't have a complimentary smoke, Tek, don't make me smack you.

Kurac is the center of the world.  The second Tek and Muk die Kurac is going to own everything.  Only an act of God (or two God kings in this case) keep Kurac from 0wnZing all by0tches.  Honestly though, I think the best RPT ever would be the God Kings being killed and Kurac taking its rightful place as supreme rulers of the known world.  Until then though, Tek is The Man.

[SwanSwanHummingbird]

Tek Rules!!

But, really, there does seem to be a lack of people in the south lately.  The north has a good number of people right now, so what we really need is just -more people-.  I keep thinking how awesome this game would be if you could say "I saw 180 people on who, and only saw 15 people in the bars, where is everybody??"   Not that the game isn't awesome already, but all the more reason why there should be more people.

[Hoodwink]

the Sandlord is Tek. This is possible. After all, what better way to rule the world than to have a 'haven' for all your enemies?

Or for that matter perhaps Muk Utep is Tektolnes.  Maybe it's all one big conspiracy!  It's not like they're showing themselves to prove it's not true.  No, I'm sure of it.  This must be the case!  I think I've caught on to something...

Further, let us not forget that Tek not only killed a servant of the Dragon, but whacked another city without even bothering to use an army. I am sorry, but Tek is The Man (in more ways then one) and Mukky is a little wussy runner up.

Don't forget, he also killed his own father and took his position.  That's my kind of man  :twisted:

But seriously, I've noticed the trend Callisto suggests in her statistic as well, and while it may indeed be current events springing more characters north, I can't help but wonder if this is a more lengthy change or merely the constant flux of the player base.  It must be hard to house 2 cities (and all the villages in between) with a player base that, from what I've seen, tends to peak at about 50 - 60.  I've been in Tuluk and Allanak at different times and seen 40+ players online, not a single one to be found in any of the hotspots.  Between the lone wanderers outside, those sparring in various clans and other clan members meeting in their estate/compound/etc., suddenly you've got a good 30 people scattered across the game.  These things come in cycles, naturally, but I'm very much in favor of trying to centralize players to a degree.  But the opposite end of the spectrum is when things get too annoying because a dozen PCs are all in one room, flooding nonstop spam -- so maybe these things are better resolved on their own.

[Carnage]

I'd rather see the playerbase numbers stay the same. Fifteen people in a single tavern is kind of a lot and it gets pretty hard to understand everything that's going on at your table, much less others.

[mansa]

I'd rather see a tavern full.  I mean, a table full of Wyverns, Oashi Elite, Scorpions, Byn, Kadians, Salarris, Kuracis, in the Gaj.

And then everybody else who doesn't want to join a clan.

Oh my gosh.  Just thinking of it is giving me the willies.  That would be AWESOME.

[FiveDisgruntledMonkeysWit]

I'm gonna have to agree with Carnage. We could deal with maybe another ten more people online consistantly, but really, you don't need too many people in a tavern to have a good time. As long as there is a guy or two at the bar, I'm happy. Too many players can get on my nerves... Sitting at my tables... Sucking up my air... Making me look at their inferior EMOTEs... Yeah, my next character is going to be a loner half-elf.  :twisted:

Anyways, my point is I think the Pbase is really good where it's at now. When I first started playing, Armageddon was in the middle of a player drought... I distinctly remember peak times being at about 30 players. Right now, even the more isolated areas (Luir's, Red Storm) have at least some degree of activity. Sure, Allanak might be spread thin, but look at it this way: The mugger that could be the end of your prissy little special-apped noble character might be killing some Northern barbarians instead of you right now.

Kinda warms your heart, doesn't it? Or perhaps makes you want to buy a 'Rinther a steel shortsword?

[FiveDisgruntledMonkeysWit]

Oh, and on the topic of who's cooler, Muk Utep or Tektolnes, I wrote this tonight... It's set in the not-too-distant IC future.

The Sun King's Sanctuary [NEWU]
This is the room description for the Sun King's Sanctuary. Give me a break; I haven't played in the north for a while. Why? Because Tuluk sucks mul nuts.

The omnipotent sorcerer-king enters the tavern.

The omnipotent sorcerer-king says, in southerly-accented sirihish:
"Take your best shot, you mutant-fucking, bunny-hugging, flower-sniffing, shield-making bitches!"

You think:
"Sweet spice 'n water! It's Tektolnes!"

The templar that's always writing in the Sanctuary jumps out of his seat, charging at the omnipotent sorcerer-king with your steel short sword.

The omnipotent sorcerer-king utters and incantation.
You are engulfed in flames!

The omnipotent sorcerer-king utters and incantation.
Raging winds howl as a sandstorm of monstrous magnitude picks up outside.

You think:
"Oh no! It's just like Steinal!"

The templar that's always writing in the Sanctuary picks himself up from the burned wreckage of his table, slashing furiously at the omnipotent sorcerer-king.

You solidly slash the omnipotent sorcerer king's leg.
The omnipotent sorcerer king dodges your slash.

The omnipotent sorcerer king subdues you, despite your attempts to struggle away.

Slamming you to the ground as the flames spread throughout the tavern, the omnipotent sorcerer-king says, in southerly-accented sirihish:
"Where's your Muk now, Pen-Boy?"

[CindyLou]

>An arrow flies in from the street outside, and lands squarely in the middle of the omnipotent sorcerer-king's forehead!

The omnipotent sorcerer-king drops the templar who's always writing at the table to the ground and brings his gnarled blackened hands to his face, which seems to be melting into a globulus jello-like substance at the moment.

>In a whiney tone of voice, the omnipotent sorcerer-king shouts, in southern-accented sirihish, "I'm melting, I'm melting!"

>A purple-braided woman with flowers sticking out from her hair skips merrily into the tavern, tugging her bow over her shoulder.

>Glaring at the purple braided woman with flowers sticking out from her hair, the omnipotent sorcerer-king shouts, in southern-accented sirihish, "Oh, what a world, what a cruel cruel world! And what a cruel little girl..melting, melting, mellllting!"

The omnipotent sorcerer-king slumps to the ground, disintegrating into a puddle of black foamy goop.

The purple braided woman with flowers sticking out from her hair giggles.

The templar who's always writing at the table snickers at the pile of goop, gets up on his feet, and passes an enormous silk pouch filled with obsidian coins and a quiver of steel-tipped arrows to the purple braided woman with flowers sticking out from her hair.

The end.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

The end.

BAMMMM!!!!!

[Malifaxis]

The end.

And the credits roll...

And then, three years later, on KWTV (Known World TeleVision)...

(A black screen)

Voice over:  It was a mission of peace...

(black screen fades, view from above of a troop of Bynners carrying a large box across the wastes.  Fade back to black)

Voice over:  In a land without mercy...

(black fades out, the Bynners clashing with a pack of gith, Metallica "Disposable Heros" blaring in the back ground, the scene cut in a quick session of Oliver Stone action flashes a-la Any Given Sunday before fading to black)

Voice over:  In a world of amazing beauty...

(black fades again, the Bynners marching through the gates of 'Nak, Suk Krath flaring off of Tek's golden spires, the camera shooting at a downward angle toward the gates, catching the steel dragon in all it's glory before flashing to a view of a lone templar in red surrounded by 20 f'me PC magickers all chanting mystically, then fading back to black)

Voice over:  And filled with endless, terrible power...

(black fades back out, the view from straight above, the templar surrounded by now dead F'me PC magickers, the blood draining down to a center pool that the templar hovers over, five braziers burning a plethora of hearts before fading back to black)

Voice over:  Two beings...

(black fades to two quick flashes:  One of a powerful looking man with energy crackling around him and a huge steel sword, the other being of a figure dressed in black robes with a distinctly reptilian body shape, fade out)

Voice over:  Two cities...

(Black fades again to reveal Allanak in all it's squalor, then Tuluk in all it's flowery wussyness before going back to black)

Voice over:  One endless war.

(Clips of the previous movie, the omnipotent sorcerer-king thrashing the shit out of Muk's wussy ass, legions of 'Naki militia patrolling the streets of Tuluk, clips of the rebellion, then clips of the Tek being dropped by the mysterious chick with funky flowered hair, fade back to black)

Voice over:  After thousands of years... almost a hundred King's Ages... after the dragon's disappearance, the ruining of the world, and after endless storms and a bajillion deaths...

(the black fades.  The shield wall, the sands below a brilliant raidant hue in the morning sun, a pack of D-elves randomly engaging some gith far below... a boot strikes down, grey leather, a thick, studded leather armored leg moving up from it.  The camera pans back, a dun colored dustcloak flaps wildly in the breeze, emblazoned with a crimson, clenched fist.  The camera halts and holds, not fading to black)

Voice over:  This shit will stop.

(camera moves up, the head turns, showing a rugged, craggy face, a huge fucking spice spliff clenched in the teeth as a single blue eye winks rogueishly... the other covered by a bone eyepatch with a jeweled crimson fist decoration.  Fade to black, end of commercial)

Get real.  Tek and Muk are only there because Kurac lets them be.  They amuse The Big K, so they are permitted to exist.

[zanthalandreams]

I tremble under the coolness that was Malifaxis's post.

[Anonymous]

Heh, that was a sweet post Mal.

It wasn't authentic though, because all trailers like that need to have one line.

"A man.....on the edge...."

Without that line, it just doesn't work.

[Morrolan]

"....gritty and compelling!...

                       --Varnis Plaan, Allanak Times

"....movie of the Age!..."

                       --Noyet Thot, The Gaj Review


-----------------------------------------------------------
This movie has not yet been raided
by the Motion Picture Association of Allanak




That was Awesome!  I'd ask if you write for a living, but that would be wierd OOC info to have.  Well, keep it up!

Morrolan

[Angela Christine]

Bah, Tek is no Sorcerer.  He is the world's most kick-ass Rukkian.  Think about it.  He burried one enemy in a mine, another under tonnes of sand.  Sure, Rukkians aren't known for turning into dragons, but that may not have been what really happened.

AC

[Hoodwink]

Back on the original topic I'd like to say that all the hotspots being empty in a city-state during peak hours and one single tavern flooded with a dozen characters are the opposite ends of the spectrum.  I'm not opposed to sharing possible methods of centralizing the playerbase more.  In fact, I think that's one of the best possible uses for a discussion forum like this.

Despite that many may write it off as unimportant I think that there is an attempt from this MUD to unify characters and promote interaction, and maybe there could be a little more.  Here is one example.

Chances are if you are playing a noble and you send in a request to your clan imm for a fancy shmancy custom made cloak their reply will be that you seek out a Kadius PC.  Realistically a pampered noble is not going to have to wait the potential 2+ years it quite often can take to order a single garment (and if you include the amount of time it takes to find the necessary parties, submit the request, have the request processed, then receive the item once completed, yes, it can take several IC years in fact -- the point of this is not a complaint or meant to suggest the system should be changed, read on).  But we accept this twist in reality for what I believe is one single reason: to promote character interaction.  Sure a noble can, theoretically, have his/her private tailors make anything (s)he desires in no time at all, but that's not the best way to get people together and involved.  My point is, that while some of you may think that the idea of trying to increase character involvement is low priority, unimportant, or a waste of time, I disagree and for all the reasons stated above I think it's clear that I'm not the only one.

In my opinion the trouble is inconsistancy.  On one hand there are attempts with human clans to interact, such as having nobles request items through a PC merchant or requiring a guard applicant receive their training through another clan before admittance, but on the other hand, there are many clans that seem to have absolutely no (or too little) purpose to interact with the outside world at all, indeed these clans are, essentially, a separate MUD in that sense.  Elves are typically xenophobic who pride themselves on self-reliance and shunning outsiders.  That's great, I think it's a good thing this MUD has taken the time to give an individual psyche to the various races rather than have us all be happy-go-lucky, friends with all, and no difference between one race and the next besides appearance.  But there should still be methods to draw these characters together with the rest of the game world.  Perhaps a distant tribe of desert elves suddenly are crippled by a gith attack and have no choice but to venture to the nearest village or city-state and begin trade agreements with the local merchants.  Now maybe they actually do interact with others (aside from entering a tavern, sitting by oneself and talking to no one) and I'm just not seeing it.  Either way, I don't think discussing ways to improve character interaction is a bad thing.  Rounding players together does not mean putting 40+ players into one room and forcing them to interact, incidentally.  It just means that, as the original author of this thread pointed out, 40+ people can be on and not a one found in Allanak (or sometimes this happens to Tuluk).

As a final note I'd like to say that I'd very much like to see Tuluk and Allanak VISIBLY have more reason to interact, rather than practically being two different MUDs.  Interaction does not always mean friendship.  Occasional skirmishes with true Allanaki-representing factions against true Tuluki-representing factions would make for excellent RPTs, and they don't have to require massive efforts to put together.  Establishing ties, both friends and enemies, between the clans/races has got to be the best way to pull players together and, even if they're not all in the same room, they've got something to do that affects others.  You may say this already takes place now.  Great.  How can we improve that?

[Anonymous]

To hoodwink,

I won't mention anything IC but maybe it's just that you don't know. Maybe theres lots of things going on that you don't know about. If you don't know about them it doesn't mean theyre not happening.

And thats all I'm gonna say

[Hoodwink]

Right, and as I said, maybe that's already happening but I'd like to see more.  I think Arm needs a healthy dose of behind-the-scenes action, as you suggest, Guest, as well as events that are happening on the forefront.

The age old remark of "You don't know everything" can only be used so much.  And that's not meant to sound rudely, rather matter of factly    I think it's safe to assume we all are aware of things that other players are not.  I may know that there is secretly a rebellion funded by House Whomever and you may not, yet you know that House Whomever secretly employs defilers while I'm left in the dark on that, but that's not really what I'm talking about here.  I'm saying discussing ways to increase the interaction level amongst players does not need to be shrugged off.  Naturally, some things in this category cannot be discussed if we are to retain IC confidence, but there's still a large venue available to converse upon openly.

[FiveDisgruntledMonkeysWit]

I get what you're saying Hoodwink, and I agree.

Not everything has to be cloak and dagger espionage with people quietly disappearing or trade negotiations taking place in dark rooms between only the highest ranking member of each faction.

Instead of sprinkling Tuluk with spies, maybe a powerful Southern templar could send a larger scouting group to establish a camp? Then have the Tuluki militia charge out of the gates in an effort to drive Allanak from even the outskirts of their land?

Instead of inviting high ranking nobles to your Super Secret Conspiracy Meeting, you could throw a huge-ass party and invite the whole Known World to come. What better way to establish trade contracts than to get your clientele drunk first, eh?

We have a lot of behind the scenes stuff, and hooray for that, but large scale, palpable interaction (or dare I say... Conflict?) would be a good thing, in my opinion.

[Dan]

Whats stopping you?

Start a warrior and get alot of people together, buy some tents and go make your own raiding/fighting camp of destruction.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

Whats stopping you?

:twisted:  Nothing. If I have my way, one way or the other, you folks are going to see a whole lot more interaction, as you say. And I mean visible, too. Stay tuned.

[Anonymous]

Whats stopping you?

I keep dying.