Hello. With the 4.01 release you now have the option of turning on and off your speech bubbles.

By default all text color came with 0 0 0 values, meaning, black. Only the shadows have color so it's kinda hard to read. Maybe yours still look like this:





However, you can edit this in your options window:





Now, if you enter a value in the line that says "Text Color", it will be much easier to read the text in the bubbles:





The three values you have to enter stand for Red, Green and Blue, in that order. Different combinations ranging from 0 to 255 will give you different colors. The higher the number, the brighter the color. Likewise, the lower the number, the darker it will be.

Therefore, the combination 255 0 0 will be pure red; 0 255 0 will be bright green; and 0 0 255 will be a bright blue. Three similar values will give you a shade of black (0 0 0), white (255 255 255) or gray (if any other value in between). Here are a few examples:





I set all text shadow and outlines to black and modified the text color to my liking. As you can see you can go with grey (200 200 200) or any other color you like. You can also set the alignment of text in the bubble (left, right, center) if you want, so you can have fun with RGB combinations and personalize your client.

Well, I hope this little guide was helpful. Enjoy the game.

Hmm... not sure if it's possible but here it goes...

Well, the Guides and Tutorials board is super important for the newcomer, yet it is hidden under a long path (gameplay/newcomers/guides and tutorials), so it's easily missed, especially for new forum users. I remember back in the day in my newbie days it wasn't so easy for me to navigate through the boards to find the FAQ thread and other guides, considering I didn't know much about the game so all those threads about stuff I didn't know were a little intimidating. Eventually I did but perhaps there is a way to link to them from the main page? Yes, I know, there is a link already (as child board of the newbie help board). But even so, it's not easy to see and, given the amount of posts we get about a few recurrent topics despite the fact that they are clearly addressed in stickies and other threads, it would seem that the tiny link is not working that well.

Is there a way to add some more flashy buttons somewhere at the top of the forum home (or any other relevant place)? Maybe have a line just above the boards with links to important threads we don't want anyone to miss, like Game Policies (which will be updated soon), Guides and Tutorials, forum rules, etc. Maybe a series of lined up buttons, 200x100px each or something like that. That way we can draw more attention to those threads we don't want anyone to miss and hopefully make the forum a little more newbie-friendly and avoid duplicate threads.

You have five days to vote for the guildhouse of your dreams. Will it be in Gugrontid? In Hydlaa? Or is it Akkaio that best serves the purpose of your guild? Vote now. You only have five days to get the guildhouse you want!

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The Auctions will take place on:

• Saturday 10 - 16:00 GMT / 12:00 EST

• Saturday 10 - 22:00 GMT / 17:00 EST

• Sunday 11 - 16:00 GMT / 12:00 EST

The results will be kept secret until the poll closes and the three houses with the most votes will be auctioned in ascending order (3rd place, 2nd place, 1st place). You can vote for two houses and change your vote if necessary. The poll will close in five days from now. See you at the auction!

Edit: Ok. Voting for two doesn't work. I must have forgotten something so let's just do one vote then. Sorry about that

Edit 2: Gah! Ok. Trying to fix the poll didn't work and now results are visible... anyway... keep voting.

Edit 3: Thanks Neko!

Almost daily, GMs find players who are stuck in the tutorial for different reasons. Most of them are because they either crashed or because they are unfamiliar with NPCs and they must talk to them to move on to Yliakum. Hopefully this FAQ will make things easier for you if you find yourself in this situation. Feel free to post any questions/comments if something is not covered by this guide.


          Index:
         1.     I can't talk to NPCs, they only say that they don't understand or something about trigger words!
         2.     I gave some items to an NPC and then I crashed! Now I don't know what to do and the NPC doesn't understand me!
         3.     But I've done that and I'm at the last NPC of the tutorial and he won't understand, and I don't have the items anymore!!!
         4.     I crashed and I never got my rewards!
         5.     I'm trying to talk to the NPCs but they are ignoring me. All they say is to come talk to them!!!
         6.     I can't get the NPCs to give me a quest even though I'm asking them "give me a quest"
         7.     I give up! Nothing works and I need HELP!!! I tried the help tab but nobody was around to answer my questions! I also filed a petition
                 but never got an answer.
         8.     I'm trying to play but everything looks weird. I think I got a graphic bug or something
         9.     Where can I get more detailed information about the game?
         10.   I finally finished the tutorial and I want to create a second char. Will I have to do it all over again?
         11.   I called a GM for help and he/she says I need my name changed!

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1. I can't talk to NPCs, they only say that they don't understand or something about trigger words!
NPCs only respond to certain trigger words (like "hi", "give me a quest", "about X", etc.). Trigger words are normally hinted in the last thing they tell you. To find the trigger words, just scroll up before they stopped understanding you and look there for an answer. If you logged out or crashed and you lost all previous dialog in your NPC tab you can still check your logs to find that information. You will find the logs folder following this path:

Windows: In the user home directory, usually in "Document and Setting\Username\Application Data\PlaneShift (make sure windows isn't hiding folders or enter %AppData% in the address bar of the explorer window)
Linux: ~/.PlaneShift
Mac OS X: ~User/Library/Application Support/PlaneShift (start at the house icon in the left bar of your finder window)

It is important to know where your logs are so you can review dialogs with NPCs and friends for quests and RP. Most problems in the tutorial arise from simply not reading what the NPCs say.


2. I gave some items to an NPC and then I crashed! Now I don't know what to do and the NPC doesn't understand me!
The NPCs will remember if you gave him/her anything. You just need to pick up where you left off. Review your logs to see what was the last thing they said and try to find the trigger words there.


3. But I've done that and I'm at the last NPC of the tutorial and he won't understand, and I don't have the items anymore!!!
If you have gone through your logs and tried any possible answer and still nothing works, try telling him "thanks". This should reactivate the quest.


4. I crashed and I never got my rewards!
If you crashed before you could accept your reward you probably won't have a chance to get them again. It should not block the quest for you so you can still finish it and move on to the world of Yliakum, but if you really want the items you didn't get (which are rather common and easy to get once in the game world), you can start over, deleting your char and creating a new one. It's up to you.


5. I'm trying to talk to the NPCs but they are ignoring me. All they say is to come talk to them!!!
Make sure you are targeting the NPC you want to talk to and using the NPC tab for your entries. Otherwise, they won't hear you.


6. I can't get the NPCs to give me a quest even though I'm asking them "give me a quest"
In the tutorial, all quests must be done in certain order. That means that you have to finish with the first NPC before moving on to the second, and so on. Read your logs to see where you are at with the first NPC and follow her instructions. If you still find it too hard, you can check the Tutorial Walkthrough.


7. I give up! Nothing works and I need HELP!!! I tried the help tab but nobody was around to answer my questions! I also filed a petition but never got an answer
Advisors on the help tab are not always around. Most of them are regular players so they are not available for assistance 24/7. GMs also check the help tab so they might see you need assistance there too. However, a quicker way to get help if the tutorial walkthrough isn't working for you is to directly contact a Game Master. To see if anyone is online enter the following command:

/who game

This will list all current online GMs. Then you can send them a message with the following command:

/tell <GM name> <message>

GMs are also volunteers so they try to be online as much as possible but sometimes they can't due to real life responsibilities (job, family, etc.). If no GM is online go to #planeshift-gmtalk on IRC and ask that someone come online to help you. You can also file a petition using the petition window but they don't always get looked at right away. Trying the first two will work faster. If you do file a petition, you'll need to be online for a GM to contact you and help you so stating your time zone helps. A GM will try to help you complete all the quests and only if nothing works will they teleport you to the game world.


8. I'm trying to play but everything looks weird. I think I got a graphic bug or something
In that case try looking for threads with similar problems in the support section of this forum:

• General Technical Help
• In-game Bugs
• Linux Support
• Mac Support

If you see nothing matching the problem you have, use the search function before posting. Common issues are often stickied so make sure you read those too.


9. Where can I get more detailed information about the game?
The tutorial will give you the basics but for more information you can check these links:

• Getting Started in Game
• Quick Start Guide (checklist)
• Game FAQs
• PS Acronym and Slang List
• Naming Policy
• Players Policy - Must Read!
• Community Guide to RP

10. I finally finished the tutorial and I want to create a second char. Will I have to do it all over again?
No. The tutorial must only be finished once per player account. If you finished it with one of your characters before creating the other three, they won't need to go through it again.


11. I called a GM for help and he/she says I need my name changed!
Yes, GMs enforce the Naming Policy everywhere and the tutorial helps us screen bad names before they enter the game world. If you got your name changed that was simply because it was not in compliance with our policy. But don't worry, that is not a big problem. It's easy to solve and you'll get a chance to choose your new name. Do not hesitate to contact a GM if you have any doubts about game policies.

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Please keep in mind that the tutorial is meant to make it easier for new players to learn the basic rules of the game. It is work in progress and your feedback is always helpful. This thread will be updated as necessary. Thank you and welcome to PlaneShift!

1) botting is not allowed ever NO exceptions
2) be courteous to others
3) do not exploit bugs, but report them here
4) talk in Main channel is for in character conversations
5) have fun!



Welcome to the new Game Rules and Policies section of Planeshift. In this section you will find all the relevant information regarding proper player behavior and policing procedures to make everyone's gaming experience a positive one. It is the players' responsibility to read and abide the following rules.

While these guidelines cover the most frequent issues in-game, not every potential problem is specified. In case something isn't covered in this section, bring it to the Game Masters' attention.

Firstly,

By playing on the role-play server you implicitly agree to:

    * be consistent and stay true to character. (1)
    * respect PlaneShift's unique game world and always keep character chat, action, and history consistent with the known PS universe.(2)
    * interact with other players and let the actions of other characters help shape and define who our character(s) become. (3)
    * use common sense. If we know an action will upset another player in real-life, we won't do it. This includes yelling at people because they are not playing the way we think they should, insulting others, trolling, or being rude. (4)
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1. Playing your character consistently will make it easier to develop their personalty and will aid others in interacting with him/her/kra.
2. Make sure you know what exists in PlaneShift before making anything up. Cell phones, vampires, hobbits, etc. do not belong in this game. Much information can be found in-game through books, quests, and other players. Don't be afraid to ask what you don't know!
3. You don't have to be a great roleplayer to enjoy roleplaying. No one is perfect. Practice and experiment. Meet new people. Go on adventures. Be your character and join in the fun!
4. It is better to accept that others will not always play like you do, and have a large group of friends, than to expect perfection and play alone.

Index:

      [MUST READ] External Laws

      [MUST READ] Sanctions and Rule Enforcement

      [GAME POLICY 01] IC and OOC

      [GAME POLICY 02] Naming Policy

      [GAME POLICY 03] Privacy and Hacking

      [GAME POLICY 04] Kill-Stealing

      [GAME POLICY 05] Property and Item Theft

      [GAME POLICY 06] Harassment

      [GAME POLICY 07] RP Content and Language Control

      [GAME POLICY 08] Petition and /report Abuse

      [GAME POLICY 09] Filing an Official Complaint against a GM

      [GAME POLICY 10] Character Descriptions

      [GAME POLICY 11] Spoilers and Walkthroughs

      [GAME POLICY 12] Divorce Petitions

      [GAME POLICY 13] Requesting Valid Name Changes

      [GAME POLICY 14] In-Game Advisor System

I always check descriptions no matter which character or account I'm using. I got a shortcut for that and it's probably among the ones I use the most. So, I decided to take some time today to write down some numbers.

Before we go into the results, let me make one thing clear though: there is nothing wrong in having a default description. After all, that is the way the game is coded. However, taking the time to write it and put some thought into one's background should get you some extra points as a good RPer. We can't definitely say who is a good or bad roleplayer based only on descriptions but they can give us an idea of what to expect. In my experience, and I'm sure I'm not alone here, there are more good roleplayers with original descriptions than there are good roleplayers with their default description. That is just a personal assessment though, for what constitutes good or bad in RP is relative.

Anyway, here are the results of this little survey. I hope you find them interesting and yes, it's a long post. Suck it up. Oh! And feel free to add your comments and conclusions and please let me know if you detect any flaws. Thank you.

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Universe
I reviewed 55 descriptions in the following maps: Hydlaa Plaza (the whole map, not just Harnquist's), Arena, Ojaveda, Ojaroad2 and Sewers. The survey was done between 16:00-18:00 GMT (11/21/07), so Time Zone may be a variable. Following surveys at different times will support or deny this premise.

Hydlaa Plaza    38.18%
Arena:            30.90%
Ojaveda:         20.00%
Ojaroad:           7.27%
Sewers:            3.63%
---------------------------
Total:         100.00%

Sampling was done at random in each area, just keeping in mind that characters would not be surveyed twice (and trust me, some really do move around). These maps would give us a broad sample of both experienced and unexperienced players to work with.


Player Description Status
I narrowed this down to three groups: unedited, edited and null. "Unedited" groups all players surveyed that have not altered their description after the regular character creation, so it currently summarizes their char creation process. "Edited" groups all players that have modified their description by deleting and adding any info to it. Extension or quality was not considered a factor here. It only mattered whether or not they took the time to delete the default description and enter any information of their own. Finally, "Null" groups all the players whose descriptions say "(null)" or are empty, be it because they deleted the default description or because they created their character using the "quick" option.

Unedited:    41.82%
Edited:       49.09%
Null:            9.09%
---------------------------
Total:       100.00%

IG Experience and Training
I then noted how many hours each player had banked and how much training they have had. I separated them in three groups: 0-50 hours, 50-100 hours, and 100 hours and above. From 50 hours on, I marked the characters that had obviously trained their stats and skills. This groups characters with skills above 10 and stats above 100. Some skills and stats can start off above those numbers in character creation but all of the values were compared before assigning the players surveyed a group. Training was not considered in the case of characters with less than 50 hours in-game.

Characters Experience:
0-50 hours:        23.64%
50-100 hours:
   Untrained        5.45%
   Trained           7.27%
100 and above:
   Untrained        7.27%
   Trained         56.36%
---------------------------
Total              100.00%

In the group of experienced characters:
* Has edited description       54.76%
* Has default description      35.71%
* Has null description            9.52%
------------------------------------------
Total                               100.00%

Other facts:
* Character has trained and edited description        34.55%
* Character has trained and default description       21.82%
* Character has not trained and edited description    5.45%
* Character has not trained and has default desc.     5.45%

Note that training can range from just passing the minimums assigned to maxing out many stats and skills. We cannot assume that every character that has received some kind of training will eventually max out the trained skill or stat but we cannot assume that they will stop training at their current level either. In fact, comparing hour counts and current training levels of those with 50-100 and 100+ hours banked, it is likely that those who have partially trained will keep on training.

Now, we can cross-reference training and having edited descriptions and we'll see that 34.55% of all the characters surveyed match these two criteria, whereas 21.82% of all characters surveyed both had training and kept their default descriptions. That means that about 1/5 of all characters out there are not interested in having a unique description but are interested in training. Powerlevelers? Maybe, but they could also be great roleplayers who just don't care about their description.

And what about "pure roleplayers"? Those who don't train at all and spend all their IG time roleplaying. Well, they are rare. Only 5.45% of all characters fit into this category, and from the group of all experienced players (50+ hours), only 7.14% have edited descriptions while not any training. But we cannot assume that: 1) just because they do not do any active training at the moment they are not interested in it (they might be broke); 2) just because they edited their descriptions they are great RPers (they may just be good writers but not good or interested in live RP).

Coincidentally, experienced chars with no training and with their default description are as many as the group above: 5.45% of all subjects surveyed. Again, these could be great roleplayers who do not care about their description or perhaps they are just a bunch of alts whose only purpose is to help carry items for the main character or help them train. Again, we cannot be certain.

Finally, numbers prove something rather unsurprising: the more time a character has in-game, the more likely they are to edit their description.


Guild Affiliation
This I was just curious about. Can we establish a correlation between being in a guild and having an edited description? Well, not really. But if having an edited IC description is a way of many to promote roleplay, then by observing members of different guilds we can partially measure the interest/indifference of those guilds in descriptions and maybe even prove or question if they are (not) as RP-oriented as they claim to be. However, for this particular survey I only noted whether the characters were guilded or not and not to which guilds they were affiliated to.

Belongs to guild               60.00%
Independent                    40.00%
------------------------------------------
Total                             100.00%

Belongs to a guild + has edited description     32.73%
Independent + has edited description            16.36%

Interestingly, only 32.73% of characters were in a guild and had their descriptions edited and only 16.36% were independent and had their descriptions edited. Does it mean that being in a guild increases the chance for players to edit their descriptions? Not for certain. Numbers show that only two characters of all 55 surveyed had an IG hour count below 50 hours, were guilded and had edited their descriptions. That is only 3.64%. Also, the experience factor (the more time one spends in-game the more likely one is to edit their description) may outweigh guild influence on this so results are inconclusive.


The Clueless Factor
Finally, what about noobs? Those with under 50 hours in-game who haven't really noticed they can edit their description? Well, 61.84% of new players had their descriptions unedited. Surprised? I doubt it. That equals 14.55% of all characters surveyed. And considering that experienced chars who have not changed their description work out 27.27% of the total we should note that the only probable factors that motivate a player to change their character's description are:


     1) Noticing other descriptions and getting inspired to write their own;

     2) Being adviced by a peer to change their description;

     3) Reading about descriptions in the forums (which only part of the community uses regularly);

     or

     4) Noticing the system tip that points out to changing one's description.


This puts in evidence the fact that the game does not do enough to direct new players to enhancing their RP through their description. Should it be in the tutorial? Should Guilds  and experience players have a bigger role in this? It would not cost much to do either or both of these. And considering this news, it's a good time to start thinking about the information we give and get at first glance.

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Well, that's it. I hope you found it interesting and if you didn't well... bite me.