Jeshin
GDB Superstar
Posts: 1,481
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Post by Jeshin on Feb 11, 2015 21:04:11 GMT -5
I'll jump in here... Documentation, NPCs, rooms, and everything mechanically in terms of limitations due to the MUD commands would take 1-3 days. That accounts for initial creation, edits, and final review presuming everyone put all their time into the activity instead of sitting on immchat or playing the game themselves. The majority of MUD codebases (including ARMs) are basically this...
items ocreate vnum keyword oset keyword stats/desc/whatever
NPCs mcreate vnum keyword mset vnum stats/desc/race/exact HP/scripts
rooms goto vnum redit vnum roomname/desc/exits/scripts/flags
Basically the longest delay to any addition to a MUD is writing up the desc and mapping it out which is like... no time at all especially when you have a playerbase willing to write room desc, NPC desc, item desc, in efforts to help you add more content.
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Jeshin
GDB Superstar
Posts: 1,481
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Post by Jeshin on Feb 8, 2015 18:41:20 GMT -5
The issue is more in the failure to improve system. IRL people can create an instrument, throw a football, write a functioning program, and they can do this successfully and still feel they failed or that they could improve and then they do improve in some cases. It is the ability to improve without a failure that would fix ARMs twink/metagame requirement to get decent combat powers.
EDIT - The details of such a system would require me to have a deeper understanding of the actual system in the back end and how much raise it gave for each failure and what the statistics were for a failure after a certain marker point in growth yada yada yada.
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Jeshin
GDB Superstar
Posts: 1,481
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Post by Jeshin on Feb 8, 2015 15:20:38 GMT -5
There is another option, fail bash and fall and stay on the ground during spars or fights with like verrin hawks and stuff.
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Jeshin
GDB Superstar
Posts: 1,481
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Post by Jeshin on Feb 8, 2015 12:05:43 GMT -5
1. Have multiple people spar you at once, 2v1, 3v1, even 4v1 if you have enough people. The penalty will give you a better chance of missing. 2. Hunting. It is sad but true that the most reliable and realistic way to master a weapon is to do so on NPCs because based on your strength you can select the appropriate one for a challenge. 3. Just accept that you won't master a weapon. I have found that warriors most of all have a very crucial early game when it comes to grinding. If you aren't able to keep your weaponskill gains above your offense gains then your offense will outstrip the weapon and it becomes almost impossible to get raises in the weapon you want short of some heavy metagaming.
4. Go find a breed or elf with high agi and make em dance.
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Jeshin
GDB Superstar
Posts: 1,481
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Post by Jeshin on Feb 6, 2015 18:31:43 GMT -5
TLDR for oldtwink - You reap what you sow.
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Jeshin
GDB Superstar
Posts: 1,481
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Post by Jeshin on Feb 4, 2015 14:21:02 GMT -5
MUDs are products. Just because they are free and normally run by volunteers doesn't mean that the product itself lacks uniqueness or value. I can't think of any 'successful' or long standing MUD that would welcome its unaltered code being released or worse being booted up in a rival game. Playerbases are the life blood of these games and any threat to their stability or loyalty is basically the greatest threat to a game. That's why scandals with admins that destroy player trust and competent alternatives like Atonement against SoI are things that senior staff want to avoid happening.
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Jeshin
GDB Superstar
Posts: 1,481
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Post by Jeshin on Feb 4, 2015 8:59:39 GMT -5
As I have stated previously. I don't see any harm in pointing out the flaws in ARMs design or RP environment. If it causes people to change or the staff to try and fix it for the better, good. If they fuck it up, what do I care I don't play anymore and the game is losing player population anyway. Either it improves the game or hastens its losses. Win/win.
EDIT - Just because playing in a meta fashion is previously and currently required to enjoy yourself doesn't mean that playing in a meta fashion is a good thing to have to do.
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Jeshin
GDB Superstar
Posts: 1,481
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Post by Jeshin on Feb 1, 2015 14:40:46 GMT -5
I just want to point out Lurklord if you are in favor of helping EoE gain new players then isn't making a bunch of semantic argumentative posts after a role call thus pushing it further back from the most recent page kind of hurting your objective?
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Jeshin
GDB Superstar
Posts: 1,481
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Post by Jeshin on Jan 31, 2015 18:20:02 GMT -5
I applaud your posting here as recognition this board has a lot of MUD players with free time willing to try something out. Should your posting be true and your MUD righteous, god willing you will find players! db.eoemud.com/viewtopic.php?f=76&t=517 --- I like how the first section is very careful to always say (wo)man and (wo)men but then at the end it goes full on male in descriptive words.
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Jeshin
GDB Superstar
Posts: 1,481
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Post by Jeshin on Jan 30, 2015 21:39:46 GMT -5
We need to collective write a META GUIDE to Armageddon. Like Sirra's ranger guide but for all the meta aspects of play. Such as how to handle hiding skills or guild. How to avoid the templerate or avoid their suicidal missions. How to know the relative coded strength of someone with as little information as possible. How to manage your rep. How to manage your interactions with staff. Etc etc.
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Jeshin
GDB Superstar
Posts: 1,481
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Post by Jeshin on Jan 30, 2015 11:40:00 GMT -5
Just to clarify I'm not promoting that they have an all-out war. What I'm questioning is are there story/plot/character elements which justify a lack of war which can inform current story/plot/character things going on now.
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Jeshin
GDB Superstar
Posts: 1,481
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Post by Jeshin on Jan 30, 2015 10:03:23 GMT -5
Really Grinds my Gears: I suspect that the staff of not only ARM but a lot of MUDs are not foreward thinkers. Your game will be operating for years even decades (hopefully) and you need content. You can't just rely on emergent content which banks on players all being in the right place at the right time to enjoy it. No you need to create a 'roadmap' or perhaps a 'story' which you can push to provide ambient content.
1. Why have we gone so long without a war are the city states exhausted from conflict? Are the templerates sekritly in a stalemate because their Kings are in reclusive and haven't given orders? What is the reason, why isn't the reason even a rumor, why aren't there signs both obvious and subtle?
2. What is going to happen to Luirs? It has now been on both sides of a war between Allanak and Tuluk and they clearly accept the higher bid between the two. Don't you think someone unofficially or officially might decide that Luirs would do better to be completely under the thumb of another city state? Counter point why don't Luirs and Red Storm team up and form some free city-state crap thus creating social conflict?
3. Just in general what is happening on ARM or any game? Do you know what will happen in a month? 6 months? a year? Do you just shrug and go, oh we'll think of one off plots and half-baked ideas with no greater context and just string that shit along until we create a railroad cutscene to make everyone think we're still progressing the MUD
TLDR - MUDs with staff who don't proactively plan/create/guide the story on a longterm basis annoy me
EDIT - I thought of this annoyance after reading the Northlands Blog which was linked in another thread. One of the early complaints was the departure from tolkien cannon which the original SOI had been using since creation as their storymap. Which reminded me all games should have a storymap of one form or another!
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Jeshin
GDB Superstar
Posts: 1,481
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Post by Jeshin on Jan 29, 2015 8:56:41 GMT -5
So about 20-30% of the ideas are worth reading. There you go staff, big time saver for your volunteer asses.
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Jeshin
GDB Superstar
Posts: 1,481
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Post by Jeshin on Jan 28, 2015 23:34:42 GMT -5
Okay something that really grinds my gears: Staff do not crowd source plot ideas or ideas in general from the playerbase. Threads discussing changes or improvements are normally poopoo'd and snarked into oblivion. I am the first to acknowledge that not all suggestions are good or even helpful there is a lot of things lost there.
1. By even remotely tapping into the playerbase for inspiration it creates a WORKING relationship between staff and player. It creates goodwill. It creates a collaborative bond. 2. Nothing will get a player more invested in a game than to think that their ideas for a story, NPC, item, plot, or whatever are being used by the staff. Even if the suggestion is changed to prevent foreknowledge issues. 3. The STs on ARM can be extraordinary and as the majority of STs are sourced directly from the playerbase and then return to it I think it's a good ancedotal proof that the playerbase knows what it's doing (to a degree).
Query: I'd be super curious to know how many players have been made STs over the entire history of ARM. Or perhaps what % of players overall have held ST positions (and not risen higher)
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Jeshin
GDB Superstar
Posts: 1,481
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Post by Jeshin on Jan 28, 2015 9:20:15 GMT -5
Back on topic: One of the things that annoy me are anti-role concepts. I'm a bard that doesn't Sing. I'm a Bynner that doesn't want money or to fight. I'm an Agent that doesn't care about doing anything but taking orders. I'm a Noble with no clear vision or plan to push plots instead I will sit here and do nothing.
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