Well since the servers being updated with mount quests, I'll toss in the 'old mans' 2 cents worth.
To give you an idea of where I'm coming from, lets just say I'm a casual gamer (computer games) and was an avid AD&D 2eder back when 2nd was the current edition. I stayed away from the 'Pay to Play MMORPG, cause I couldn't/didn't like the concept. You pay 60$ for a game and they want what a month??? that concept.
I had toyed with MUD's cause a friend of mine who was into role playing, was into that, and I figured I could go old school. The first evening was kill rat, kill rat, kill rat, then go get healed, repeat about 1,000 times... (8hrs later) oh your level 2... Everyone seeming on the board was like level 200+
It makes you wonder, just how long do these people play these games, how many hours, just to hang out on the same level as the experienced folks.... years. And the funny thing is, they where complaining that "Monsters aren't tough enough". There I was spending 8 hours killing rats just to make level two, and thats with out having to "Repair" any weapons or armor.
This is the main factor mud's have a small following. After you put in years into it... well old habbits. The concept of hey 'spend the day RPing" ends up 'No ones on so lets kill something'.
Granted, I don't expect to become "Conan the indestructible warrior" in an hour or a week. But then I dont want to have to play a game for a year at 8 hours a day, just to get up there to hang out with the 'old timers' and adventure with them.
Like I said, I'm a casual gamer, that just discovered Planeshift, and I like it despite the bugs. There are a lot of really good things here.
Planeshift seems to suffer from the MUD problem. I seem to spend half the time trying to figure out "HOW" do do something than actually doing it. The "You fist should do this... then this... then this." isn't very easy to grasp for the new comer. Thankfully the folks in the gossip have been very helpful getting me started. I now know where to mine for gold, how to cash it in, then go and train my "Music instrument" and practice practice.... repeat for the past 3 days, hey I got level 13.... out of who knows how many. Having to play a song about 10 times to make a level. And thats with about a total of 18 hrs of game play. (roughly) Let alone editing music, then play it to check the notes... hehe good luck there. (
yeah i know [Just a suggestion, when it edit mode, play the notes correctly at least to the player, so if we transpose some 'public domain/traditional' music we can hear it to double check the work])
Also, yes i can agree, the leveling system needs to be quicker. Perhaps a simple cap say 100, and measure it out from there, or some kind of bell curve. Like if it was old D&D, 1-7 goes really quick. 8-12 twice as long, 13-15 three times as long and 16-18 10 times as long. At least show the range of numbers so we know what the top level is. (lables... need lables. 60 [icon] 300 .... Im still not sure whats the price, whats the quality.
As far as "Joining a guild" sounds all well and good, till you remember some important real life facts, not all of us are on the same schedule, interests very a lot, some stay for a short wile others long, let alone time zones etc. Guilds should not be a necessity, but a 'bonus'. (my two cents) not all of us are going to devote endless hours to it, or bother with joining a guild.
As far as the repair goes... yeah I can agree with that. I blew through my swords in 8 hours IRL, only to find no npc to 'fix' them, and the weapons kit... oh wait "Your skill isnt good enough for that" then I find out its only 75%? The advice (which i got from the gossip channel) go train weapons repair, get a pair of clubs, go down and beat up some rats, oh and get some weapons repair kits. kill rat... kill rat... kill ratt.. repair. Don't pick on the diseased ones there tougher than the healthy ones (WTF with that). Then I come up side to see a magical and combat fireworks display (which was pretty cool) then oh why don't i try music... So now I got chores to do before I can play a simple melody with out error. Then I'll go back to club rat, club rat club rat. With hope by next year i can kill something other than a rat and a chicken wanna be.
I don't mean to sound gruff, that isn't my intention, but to grab a 'casual gamers' attention, they/we need a lot of hand holding. And to be able to do something other than kill rat for months. So he's got a very valid point there.
The REALLY big suggestion I have, instead of "Adding tons of more quests," cap some levels, rework the older ones, and do some changes so that it accommodates, both the casual player, and the die hard been here for years.
So my list of Suggestions
- on quests, check to see if the character is capable of completing it. (has the right level in skills etc) *
- Curve the "Training" so at the beginning you "Level up" to something decent that at least you can "RP a warrior who has seen some experience" as apposed to 'Kormak the rat slayer' then make it tougher for those at the higher end to make their levels. Thus allowing new folks time to catch up to them to at least adventure.
- Fix sitting **
- Make the road to Oja (road 1) a bit more ovbious ***
- Get a spokesperson NPC rework to be the default 'go to' for us new folks.****
- And I need a phez.... ok, well at least some kind of hat. I found found leather armor (no hat ovb), found chain (no chain helms or any other kind) but where the heck do you find hats/Helms?
* I ran the "Battle Token" quest, ok back and forth... oh wait you need a Gold Ingot... one wasn't offered nor a clue where I was supposed to find one, then I remembered the tutorial, Iron ore into the Iron Ingot... ok. Managed to discover the 'gold field' picked up some gold ore. Went to the furnace... poof. Had to ask help of another player totaly to melt it into an ingot (cause apperently I wasnt skilled enough) to do so. The NPC should have either supplied me with a gold nuget, or money to pay for the work to be done not just handed me a note with directions on what to make, or clued me in where to get one for him. So there should be some kind of basic 'check' for each quest. Does the character have the supplies or skills, or at least a clue to where to go and what to do next. Thats just an example. Ask around doesn't help at all with a bucket load of NPC's and 'I don't know about that' high frustration factor. The checks are OOC for game play, not in character. I found other 'quests' like that. Not to mention the music trainer over in Gug, says he can train me to play, and is willing, but its not a pop up option but he can sell me a lute...
** Fix sitting
Its a nag bit yes. Hopefully this is getting worked on, but in my opinion, been one of the bigger priorities when the maps where first made. something like. If chair, sit in chair. a 'default size' chair would do it. If no chair assume the normal sit position. Seeing people spralled out over a table and chairs... Way odd. This way you get to show your stuff for the RPers who just want to sit with a low level character and RP.
*** Road to Oja
The sign posts was a good idea, at least it points in the cardinal direction of where I need to be. The road to Gug, good. I know where i want to go, and its obvious which way. There is a realism, yes but theres also game-play/frustration. Since so many of the 'beginning quests' are to the road to Oja, and we don't have mounts, and its going to be a long time before we get one. (I have yet to figure out how to 'travel' there via merchant, as its not obvious in the least bit. (see **** for a possible solution)) But perhaps a say sold color path from the spire to Hydlaa for us newbies hence a reference that wont 'vanish'. I know theres lots to do on oja 1. but starting players leave the city with a "I need to go to this place called Oja-whatever" then you go out a ways and the road well vanishes. Seems like 99% of the quests I found so far have me running back and forth between oja and Hydlaa. It took me about 8 trips before I worked out a solution to the 'not get turned around', and I'm RUNNING the whole way so its finger holding time, or "R" and corse correct. and this is a long way, and if you get lost or turned around, it gets a lot longer. I'm talking for game play purposes, not the "Well they wouldnt know" factors.
**** A spokes person NPC
This is a "Spokes person" for either the city, or the game. Newbies can go to this guy, and get help or advice when starting the game. Advice like "So you want to be an adventurer eh? What field do you want?" say 'A fighter', then "You need to get a pair of clubs, train your 'weapons repair' with (npc) get some weapons repair kits, and start off with the rats/chickens but stay away from the diseased ones. Now your weapons will get dull, and the quality will go down quickly but that repair skill will bring it up to 75%. Now if you need money, theres a few options... sub menu"
This way us Newbies who need the hand hold, don't have to go to the older guys to ask the basics. Make this guy/girl BLATANTLY obvious. IE point to him several times in the tutorial. This way we get the, 'Do this for money' 'Do this to train' 'do this to level up' 'do this to fix your gear or buy new'
Its with this guy you can put the 'hey that storage feature!, it works great, doesn't cost a k, see X in hydlaa, see X in Oja etc.
And put him some place where there can be a crowd around him, a kind of reference for the casual player who may fire it up once a week or a month.
Thats my take after playing for a week. Its not a complaint etc. Kind of a take from it what you will leave the rest, and I do intend to stick around. I've already told a few friends and one of them used to work at dream works doing CG animation. Hopefully i can convince him to lend his skills to the project. I'm also pretty good at making manuals to boot, I just have to fully understand the subject matter first (and its got to be stable).
PS, I love the feline race, especially the tail idol animation.
If I can figure out how to skin the Gui, then... well they need a revamped skin. So many things so little time.