The sandstorms of yore...

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

I've often wondered what happened to the old sandstorms that would pop up between Allanak and Luir's, and just this morning, I and another player were discussing the greatness of these storms. These storms were the type that made a ranger required if you wanted to go out into the desert very far, and I think the game would see a great boon from their return.

The old sandstorms were like the pitch of night, and you could not know where you were going if you were not a ranger. They were harsh, and not an instant death trap. They need to make a return.

[mansa]

I think they should return.  Oh, they were fun to try and go through.
However, I suggest that the limitation of being 'CODED GUILD = RANGER' not be the only limit.  I suggest that ONE of the subguilds possible to pick should be able to find their way through sandstorms, aswell.

Perhaps being 'Caravan Guild' or / and 'Hunter' and / or 'Nomad'.

Thoughts?

[Vositus]

Yay.

And I mean that as like, yes, not yay as in woohoo...

[Seeker]

Mansa wrote:

I suggest that ONE of the subguilds possible to pick should be able to find their way through sandstorms, aswell.

Perhaps being 'Caravan Guild' or / and 'Hunter' and / or 'Nomad'.

Very good idea.  I would weigh heavily in favor of Caravan Guide for this ability.


Seeker

[Forest Junkie]

There are still such sandstorms.

Instance, in a fairly recent situation, I encountered the largest sandstorm I have -ever- seen. This bitch was insanely large. (over fifty rooms, if I am not mistaken) It's range spanned from just under old luirs to the walls of red storm.

Conclusion, there are still these sorts of storms afaik. Possibly they are just a tad rarer? In that sense, then, I would agree that maybe they should become more commonplace, eh?

[j0ram]

Being said other player involved in the original conversation, I am of course, pro-storms of old.

I think it added a great element to the game. The deserts were scary places where those who were not desert-apt (ie rangers or to a lesser degree a nomad-like subguild). Should a warrior/thief/assassing/merchant be worried about going out into the desert alone? Hell yes! Rangers are the ones who live their life in the desert. They're the ones that know how to survive, they know the landmarks, they can walk the sands with their eyes closed.

Does this limit the non-rangers? To a degree, yes. But in a realistic degree. You don't see rangers picking pockets, or haggling in the markets (though this is now possible with subguilds). Let the rangers do their thing! I'm sure there will always be plenty of rangers for hire, to lead those caravans and travelers braving the sands.

[j0ram]

Instance, in a fairly recent situation, I encountered the largest sandstorm I have -ever- seen. This bitch was insanely large. (over fifty rooms, if I am not mistaken) It's range spanned from just under old luirs to the walls of red storm.

Part of it is not only the storms, but how they worked. They were like the like the darkness was until not too long ago.

If you were in the desert, in a storm, and you were not of the ranger class, if you typed north, you wouldn't necessarily go north. You'd go off in some random direction, because you couldn't see.

The premise was that the rangers knew the land, they were experienced with travel in the storms, and could thus navigate them.

[Tmp]

I love it when hardcore people like to add in all the stuff that makes normal mortals like me cringe from thinking of even playing Arm. If I were magically transported to Zalanthas and forced to live the rest of my life there, I wouldn't have a problem with it ... but as it stands now, it's just a game with an every increasing timesink (if the hardcores get their way).

[Forest Junkie]

I love it when hardcore people like to add in all the stuff that makes normal mortals like me cringe from thinking of even playing Arm. If I were magically transported to Zalanthas and forced to live the rest of my life there, I wouldn't have a problem with it ... but as it stands now, it's just a game with an every increasing timesink (if the hardcores get their way).

What do you mean? I suppose you are inferring that they just want the game to be made harder?

In either case, having those fifty-league strong storms seems fairly realistic, and it puts traveling by oneself at a greater risk.

I am torn though. I do like the storm idea, but then again, one must think of playability issues. I don't think I have a clear opinion for either side, so I'll shut up.

[Dan]

I think that these are around still, just a little rarer. Stay around Cenyr and Tan Serek (sp?) and you might see them.

Overall though I am in favor of harsh storms 'outside the walls'...

[j0ram]

I am torn though. I do like the storm idea, but then again, one must think of playability issues. I don't think I have a clear opinion for either side, so I'll shut up.

The thing is... what business does a merchant (just as an example) have doing out alone in the desert? About as much as a ranger does sneaking through the city picking pockets.

If you want to play a desert going character, you play a ranger. That's what rangers are. If you want to play a whiran, you don't make a burglar, do you?

[Krath]

The thing is... what business does a merchant (just as an example) have doing out alone in the desert? About as much as a ranger does sneaking through the city picking pockets.

If you want to play a desert going character, you play a ranger. That's what rangers are. If you want to play a whiran, you don't make a burglar, do you?

Fucking Right. I agree 100% with this, and I am pro Storms of Yore. Lets make this game as realistic as possible. You want to travel the desert alone make a ranger. Nuff said.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

BAM!

No uber-gith, no monolithic sand creepers that can run faster than a speeding arrow, no dumb ass death traps (not that the latter is in the game at the moment, at least not dumb ass ones), no unrealistic creatures. Just realistic storms. Make the scrab the way they used to be, and give me my damned storms.

Bam!

[j0ram]

no unrealistic creatures

Yes! I want to see more bears, and lions. And a couple coyote. And sharks! We need more sharks.

[Krath]

You know what pisses me off..The people that Vote NO and dont give a god damn reason why. Voice your opinions even if it is just saying, Yeah i agree with So and So.

[mansa]

You know what pisses me off..The people that Vote NO and dont give a god damn reason why. Voice your opinions even if it is just saying, Yeah i agree with So and So.

The original poster of this thread gave an 'easy way out' with the option of the poll.  Remember, people are lazy and will not do extra work required to get a real discussion done.



Now, on to the thread:

I believe we are all talking of the non-karma classes right now.  We're -not- going to bring up elementalists, and start a discussion on whether the Rukkians or the Elkrosians should get that perk.  It's something that the immortals of Armageddon should decide, if the original thought is returned to the game.


Should those sandstorms return?

I voted yes, but, in reality, I don't really care.  It doesn't affect me or my current play, as of right now.  It might, once my current PC dies and I move on to other things...but.  Meh.
It will require people to hire or gang up in groups before going out into the wastes.  I don't think people do that enough, as of yet.  And there are many reasons for that.  Perhaps it's because they don't have a 'need' to fulfill.

Other than that.   Vote yes for Mansa.  Because without him, nothing will be the same.

[Forest Junkie]

I am torn though. I do like the storm idea, but then again, one must think of playability issues. I don't think I have a clear opinion for either side, so I'll shut up.

The thing is... what business does a merchant (just as an example) have doing out alone in the desert? About as much as a ranger does sneaking through the city picking pockets.

If you want to play a desert going character, you play a ranger. That's what rangers are. If you want to play a whiran, you don't make a burglar, do you?

Dude, in no way was I referring to waltzing your merchant's ass out of the gates in a pussy storm. I was referring to the times when a pc NOT a ranger must leave for ooc reasons, yet can't, because they do not have the skill. I agree with you, anyone -not- trained in desert survival should likely keep their ass where it belongs.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

And sharks! We need more sharks.

>You walk west.

>look
The great desert [NSEW]
All around you, the great desert stretchs out; miles and miles of sand dunes billow here, lapping like gentle waves of ground stone. Very little greenery is here, and the red sun shines down with a fierceness that almost terrifies one. The world is harsh. Zalanthas is harsh, and gritty, and real.
A grey rock has been dropped here.
A yellow kank stands here.

>You feel the sand shift.

>You think :
"What the fuck?"

>The gritty ranger looks about quietly, his grey eyes narrowing sharply, his index finger drumming nervously upon the hilt of his cross-hilted, bastard sword.

>In the distance, a grey fin cuts through the sand, gliding towards you silently.

>You think:
".....what the fuck?!?"

>look
The great desert [NSEW]
All around you, the great desert stretchs out; miles and miles of sand dunes billow here, lapping like gentle waves of ground stone. Very little greenery is here, and the red sun shines down with a fierceness that almost terrifies one. The world is harsh. Zalanthas is harsh, and gritty, and real.
A grey rock has been dropped here.
A yellow kank stands here.
A grey fin cuts through the sand here.

>The gritty ranger blinks, backing away from a grey fin.

>You tell a yellow kank, in sirishish:
"Uhm, we gotta g..."

>A grey sandshark lunges from the dunes, its maw wide, rows of teeth gleaming.

>A grey sandshark misses you with its bite.

>flee

>flee

>flee

>flee

>flee

>flee

[X-D]

I have not voted.

I think that the older sandstorms did last too long for playability with current code of storms/travel/mounts/classes/hitch/follow/no lag npc's and the fact that the npc's can still see even if you can't.

Address those issues and more then bring them back.

[j0ram]

I have not voted.

I think that the older sandstorms did last too long for playability with current code of storms/travel/mounts/classes/hitch/follow/no lag npc's and the fact that the npc's can still see even if you can't.

Address those issues and more then bring them back.

Hmm, one note missing that I'm if everyone knows... with the old cold, if you were following a ranger, you'd stay following him. It wasn't like the darkness where the person you're following goes north, you go east.

[X-D]

yes, -used- to keep following the ranger.

My last two rangers now have left people behind during storm/dark, not very useful if you ask me.

[j0ram]

yes, -used- to keep following the ranger.

My last two rangers now have left people behind during storm/dark, not very useful if you ask me.

I think the idea was to have -all- of the old code relating to this be put back in. Would be rather pointless if you couldn't follow the rangers.

[Agent_137]

While I'm in favor of making navigating the desert a lot more difficult if you aren't trained in it . . . ie ranger, etc. . . I'm also somewhat adverse to the opinion of, "We should go back to the old way because the new way sucks."

Now, granted, that might be the case in some instances. . .but in most other instances it's time to move the feck on.

Oddly, though, in this case...I have to agree with Venomz.

If you follow so blindly that you will follow them off a cliff with no check, then damnit, I should be able to follow that person in sandstorm, blindfolded, in pitch black, or even with my eyes dangling by their optic nerves.

But, granted, huge sandstorms making movement in a certain direction impossible without a trained guide (shouldn't JUST be rangers, but should be limited) is good...but the goodness is nullified if you can't follow them accurately.

I voted YES.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

"We should go back to the old way because the new way sucks."

I agree that I don't like that sort of attitude. However, in this case, the old way was never flawed. It was, simply, a great, simple feature that was taken out because folks thought that the mud would be better for it. Not long after it was taken out, the complaints about the level of the game's harshness decreasing arose.

Coincedence? I think not.

[EvilRoeSlade]

I think they should return.  Oh, they were fun to try and go through.
However, I suggest that the limitation of being 'CODED GUILD = RANGER' not be the only limit.  I suggest that ONE of the subguilds possible to pick should be able to find their way through sandstorms, aswell.

Perhaps being 'Caravan Guild' or / and 'Hunter' and / or 'Nomad'.

Umm... no.

Some things just don't belong in subguilds.