New Blood

[Anonymous]

Just because you don't see or hear about it, doesn't mean it isn't there.

You know I hear this statement all the time, and I don't really doubt its veracity.

What I doubt is how healthy or fitting it is for a game which sports a playerbase which rarely climbs above 50, is spread over multiple locations and has very few PCs who live long enough to take part in or add to such a plot.

That's one of my problems with the northlands.  If the conflict there is so subtle and so 'refined' that only a few people get in on the action, what good is it to the playerbase as a whole?

[X-D]

Anyone who honestly believes the northlands to be 'fluffy bunny land' is somehow missing the entire point.

Naatok...ssshhhhh...some of us make a living from people thinking that.

The long-haired leather clad man smiles in a friendly manner and says is northern accented sirihish, "Um, he's crazy, we are all friendly up here, really, we are, um, tell your friends, Oh, and the little guys in the forest, yes well, harmless as tregils."

The long-haired leather clad man looks pointedly at Naatok for a moment then walks away.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

This is just a subtle reminder.

If more folks would stay completely IC with their character's actions, and stop pushing themselves to the limt and trying to find out what that is and this and how much luck they have, there would be far more long-lived characters, and the world would develop a great deal more PC conflict.

PC conflict, as I define it, is not a newbie PC being killed by the arrows shot by a 30 day ranger elf, or the beatdown by a 40 day old warrior. PC conflict, as I define it, is those long, drawling, lingering hatreds and dislikes that boil for a while, that esculate and draw others in, either into the conflict or as spectators, and these can only be achieved by long-lived, ICly played characters.

Conflict is Armageddon.

Conflict is Key.

Armageddon is Heaven in megabytes.

[Hoodwink]

Anonymous wrote:
Just because you don't see or hear about it, doesn't mean it isn't there.

You know I hear this statement all the time, and I don't really doubt its veracity.

What I doubt is how healthy or fitting it is for a game which sports a playerbase which rarely climbs above 50, is spread over multiple locations and has very few PCs who live long enough to take part in or add to such a plot.

That's one of my problems with the northlands. If the conflict there is so subtle and so 'refined' that only a few people get in on the action, what good is it to the playerbase as a whole?

That's exactly how I've felt for the longest time.  Arm can only thrive so much on "what you don't know".  For me it's not hard to see from where the misconceptions of Tuluk derive, and that's not to say I dislike the place (though the Labyrinth is held highest in my heart).  I suspect at some point someone made the statement "You don't know everything..." and in that instance it made perfect sense, then suddenly the phrase became overused and has since lost its meaning.  It's too easy an argument to just say "You don't know everything", especially since whomever is making that statement, of their own volition, doesn't either.  I just think there are a lot more concrete ways to retort than using this phrase.

I've seen a whole lot of PC's get taken out by the templarate up north. Or nobles. Or they get someone else to do it. *shrug* LOTS.

[Rindan]

Geez, I think people paid too close attention to this thread.  Allanak is absolutely packed tonight.  Sitting in the tavern is like listening Byners on a stealth mission... nothing but line after line of spamming loud conversation.  Not only that, but the numbers look decent.  Even a few elves are mixed in with the bunch.  Score for 'nak.

[Angela Christine]

I have it on one page, AC. Except for the insides of places, and one certain area that I have on its own separate page, and isn't fleshed out because I haven't been through the whole thing yet. And I ain't sharin. Nya.

But it -can- be done, so don't give up hope!

No way, dude.  My mapping skills suck, but from the south wall (specifically the gate by the vineyard) to the north wall (in the eclectic garden) is around 50 spaces (although more than that to walk since you can't walk straight through the city.  My graph paper is only 42 spaces vertically, by 30 spaces horazontally.  I can't possibly fit the whole thing on one page, I will either lose Maar Road and part of the warrens, or the gardens and half of Friel's Rest.

The east-west axis is even worse, although I don't know exactly how bad because all my attempts at east-west mapping suck even more than my north-south ones.  Even if you ignore the part that is inside the scaien but not really part of the city, the city is still pretty damned wide.  Based on what I can see, everything from the west wall (as marked by the west gate, the west wall is a little wobbly) to the gate just past poet's circle doesn't look like it would fit on one sheet.  Niether does the west wall to the gaur-pandu road south gate (past the noble's district) look likely to fit.

Maybe you have bigger pages or smaller squares.  I'm using standard 8 1/2" by 11" binder sheets with 1/4" squares.  I find that with smaller squares I can't draw in little pictures of trees, buildings, plants, and other things that I like to use as landmarks (I don't like to count spaces, especially since my maps are wildly inaccurate, so landmarks and terrain features are important).

AC  (Awful Cartographer)

[Boggis]

Use Excel... with 65,536 spaces vertically by 230 spaces horizontally mapping space isn't an issue. Also, you can colour code it, easily label landmarks, add comments about places, etc. It's maybe not so cool if you're outside the city walls and need to make your map quickly before that mek in heat tramples you. Although maybe you like the feel of a nice hand-drawn map complete with various cryptic scribblings

[Angela Christine]

Although maybe you like the feel of a nice hand-drawn map complete with various cryptic scribblings

I really, really do.  The same way I like a paper book better than a long electronic file.  And a paper map comes out looking like . . . a map.  As you colour in the squares the faint blue gridlines become hard to see.  You can kind of smooth things out so the roads and terrain changes don't look so blocky, and more real.  

It isn't perfect.  Having the entire map in red, brown and grey looks dull and makes it hard to see terrain changes, so I've had to use less likely colours: on my map the dusty plains are peach, the windy plains are pink, and the silt sea is purple.  :roll:  But I still like it better than any electronic alternative I've seen.

AC

[zanthalandreams]

I'm an incurable map junkie.  I have sheafs of graph paper that I go through showing all the places I've been.  I wonder sometimes if there's a note on my account that says something like, "Tends to wander around in seemingly aimless circles for no apparent reason" because, well, I do.  It helps me to visualize an area better.  

I map everything.  It is a sickness.  

I got Tuluk onto one sheet, but I am a big nerd and use great big desk-calandar size sheets of graph paper.

[CindyLou]

Instead of graph paper, try a ledger pad. That way, you can insert notes on the far left - and the far right..and sometimes, the notes fit in the box! Get the ledger pad that folds out, you can buy them in stationary stores.

[Jenred not logged in]

Seems the post got off track a bit, so here are my opinions:
Having played in the North and South, I think that the North is infact more inclined to new players. (Road names excluded as someone mentioned). For new hunters there is a modest amount of 'easy' game, in a variety of areas. For newbie merchants there are many ways of self-sufficiency in Tuluk and its surroundings. Wheather you prefer logging, mining, clay-working, or any of a number of crafts that are widely supported through cheap and widespread materials.

There is an underbelly that is more tolerable and 'refined' I guess the word was that someone used earlier, that makes playing a thief raised in Tuluk easier, because they are by nature less cutthroat, and actually register themselves with the Templarate should they take themselves seriously.

Then there is just the variety of nuances that add to the newbie-friendly, bunny-hugging, fluffy-land feel. A large swath of grass and trees where people sit in the shade and listen to poetry and songs, free water, cheap food, cleanliness,etc.

If I was new to the MUD, and played a character in both Tuluk and Allanak, I would probably return to Tuluk if I was looking for ease. Tuluk has like elements of the harsh-desert (a scary scrub outside), while maintaining elements of a strong civilization inside.

Even Allanak has begun to pretty up, which is saddening. I saw a tree in Allanak! They have it growing in the shade, but still... with 50+ mph winds some evenings that thing would be in tatters you'd think. But pretty is in I guess.

Anyways, for Allanak. I love Allanak, and sometimes think its getting the short-end of the immortal stick. With noticeable improvements and additions to Tuluk overshadowing the relatively few and far between cosmetic changes of Allanak. Just recently I discovered a number of systems and "Special" things I guess they could be called in Tuluk, that just don't have an equal in Allanak. I would say "unfair", but the response would probably be "damn straight" or something.

So while Tuluk seems to change and grow weekly, Allanak has stayed relatively same the entire time I've played. Everything is BASICALLY the same, except for a few cosmetic things, (echoes, room things when looking in directions, etc.)  But it looks like that might be changing... anyways.

Allanak is Armageddon. Its the brutal dictatorship city in the middle of a vast and endless (to some people) desert. You either take your pick of the sorceror-king and his templars, or the desert. Making it a tough, but logical choice between immediate death or prolonged suffering. It inspires an RP not seen in many places. Almost every MUD has a 'fluffy'esque city like Tuluk, where people gather and are happy together, where kindness is always in supply, and death is as rare as unfriendliness-

But few, if any, other places have an Allanak. Its by far the most original, and awe-inspiring creation of text in any MUD I've played. There is just nothing like it. The sense of despair and misery implied through simple phrases in text, echoes, and other players. With also a chance for success and minor, short-lived glory through hard-work against the current.

So yes, it might be harder to play in Allanak, if you like to leave the city. But inside many opprotunities are available for long term survival. More then the North at least.

With a few innovations, I think Allanak could be as 'neat' as Tuluk.... but eitherway I'll play in Allanak and wait

[FiveDisgruntledMonkeysWit]

I saw a tree in Allanak!

Kill it! Burn it! It's not a 'tree', it's an evil defiler tower, don't you see? No, I'm not crazy... It's going to kill us all. Get off me! Where are you throwing me...?!?

*Five disgruntled monkeys are thrown into the dungeons of Allanak, one after the other, by a group of sweaty-looking half-giants sporting t-shirts that read 'Allanak Beautification Commitee' on the front.

[creeper386]

Yeah, I REALLY find those damn trees in Allanak unnerving. It just throws me off OOCily... Never really stopped to see what they look like, but TREES! Bah!

Anyways, my whole thing at the begining has nothing to do with how easy it is in Tuluk. If you think it isn't easy you have serious problems. Nor any of the behind the scenes work. It has to do with the fact that everyone seems to get along, and it's not really just that, but you can't even play a character up North that openly dislikes people. I had a character that disliked the south, and when he turned down joining the Byn on several occassions people acted like he was crazy, like they don't see how that would be possible.

Tuluk may be more "refined" but there are still ignorant commoners. There is still lots of hatred. The South occupied the North for how long, fairly recently, and yet someone can't have hate for 'Nakkies without being nuts. You can't play an unintelligent commoner without getting killed. There isn't really any common joes in Tuluk. It's impossible. It's not an easy role to play in Allanak either, and ignorant, unintelligent people are looked at odd even there, but at least it's possible. I still think if you flipped out over someone being a magicker YOU'D be the one getting killed as that sort of thing just isn't done.

The dislike of Tuluk has little to do with how things are being played out, but the restrictions on anything out of what is the current norm. At least thats they main reason I see. And it's tend times more the frustration that I have in Allanak when someone goes all crazy over some rude talk or some very slight insult. These are for the most part stupid, ignorant commoners. They aren't going to be all well taught, well spoken, cleaned up people, and those that are, are going to be used to crude people, no matter their rank. Most likely Nobles are going to be fairly used to ignorant people. Come on people.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

Having taken a glance at the 'trees' in Allanak, I think they are put out for several reasons. The first, of course, is that they do pretty up the place. The second, however, I discovered when I looked at it.

Have you noticed what color the bricks surrounding the trees are?

If that was the intended concept by the staff, I must say, very ingenious.

[Newbie]

I'm on my second character, so bear that in mind, but...

Tuluk is insanely easier than the South.

My first character came from Red Storm. Whooooooa. Talk about difficultly harsh. Without getting too deep into the IC bits, I haven't had to deal with a number of the difficulties my first char faced in Red Storm up here in Tuluk with my second character by a long shot. Weather, local fauna, Village practices...

Both are or were ranger types, and in the South I couldn't forage anything for the life of the poor guy until I went all the way out to the Salt Flats and successfully managed to find salt once. In Tuluk, my first forage attempt yielded results.

The only reason my first char survived as long as he did down there (20+ hrs) was from scavenging off other clueless newbies as they died when they stepped outside the Village. I looked forward to seeing the other occassional newbies in the area because I knew it meant I could spend the 'sid they didn't spend before challenging the desert on water for my own char.

I would just about argue Red Storm should be a karma-dependant start location with the added benefit of more starting 'sid.

In any case, I would HIGHLY recommend Tuluk as a start location if you want an outdoorsy character.