PlaneShift
Gameplay => Newbie Help (Start Here) => Topic started by: Eirdrien on November 24, 2006, 09:27:52 am
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I'm not entirely sure that this is the correct forum for this but I am new to the game and there didn't seem to be anywhere else that was more appropriate. In any event, I've been working on a character background before actually doing much in-game and was about to give specific ages for some of the events. At around this time, the question occured to me of what the rate of aging and average life expectency for the different races is intended to be. Well, I looked about and wasn't able to find it so I'm wondering if we're supposed to assume that it's simply the same for all of the races and roughly equivelent to humans in our reality? or is this information in fact somewhere on the site and I've simply missed it? If the later is the case, could someone point me to where I might find it?
In the same vein, during the character creation process, the year of the character's birth is automatically set to...I think it's the 750. This kind of leaves me wondering what year the "now" of the game world is intended to be, if it has even been set at this point in development.
Yes, I'm a bit detail-obsessed but answers to either of these questions would be appreciated :sweatdrop:.
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Hiya, and welcome to PlaneShift :]
The race-ages question has been asked of the dev team before, and here is the current official answer from one of our monthly Q&A's (http://hydlaa.com/smf/index.php?topic=25357.0):
What is the official average/normal lifespan for each of the races? (Yes, I'm asking about all of them...though any information would be helpful!)
There is no official answer to this question at the moment.
D'oh! We'll have to wait a bit for our Settings team to settle on something :] For now I'd use whatever makes most sense - Elves are generally long-lived, as are dwarves, Enkidukai have perhaps a bit less than humans, etc.
Concerning the "now-year," that's a question that was asked in this month's Q&A, so perhaps we'll see a better answer than the one above :} Keep your fingers crossed!
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Heh; huzza for not-yet-decided setting aspects.
Thanks for both the welcome and the answers; I guess I'm off to try and finish this background up, then ^^.
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Concerning the "now-year," that's a question that was asked in this month's Q&A, so perhaps we'll see a better answer than the one above :} Keep your fingers crossed!
I asked that q last month, and it wasn't answered :p
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Enkidukai have perhaps a bit less than humans, etc.
:o What the.... ! :'(
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Miaua I'm so sorry about the bad news :( . You could always find a fountain of youth or something though and then you wouldn't have to age at all. :D
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Enkidukai have perhaps a bit less than humans, etc.
:o What the.... ! :'(
I would agree with Karyuu here. I think they probably live longer than cats, but not as long as humans, somewhere in-between. But, they probably mature faster too, maybe reaching early adulthood around 10 or 12. Meh, just my thoughts. :)
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I asked that q last month, and it wasn't answered :p
I've stuck it into this month's selection :]
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...Well here is one issue. And I'm quite sad about it.
If we will play the ages... Elven and dwarves will be advantaged too much.
Why should other races be almost immortal and others have to die "soon"?
I would like to see all races equal in this matter. How would you feel to live only a fragment of time of others?
I don't see a reason for such race differences.
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The only advantage is through RP - I doubt we will be implementing any actual aging system (at least not in many years), as that is where things start to be unfair and unrealistic for players.
Different life-spans for different races is quite realistic, however. It would make no sense for Kran to live 70-80 years only, for example - they are sturdy structures ;]
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Thats what I'm talking about. RP. If I'll standing in front of elven.. what shall I do? act like short living beeing?
Additionaly it gives to other races IC advantage, cause they are able to learn much more, then short living ones have a chance to.
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And Klyros can glide while no other race has the natural ability, Enkidukai have Night Vision, and Ynnwn have a skin rash if they come in contact with gold, silver, or platinum. There are disadvantages and advantages for each race. Take that away and all you get is a different appearance.
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All that are some minor differences. Minor enough to don't take it so serious.
If I imagine it... Age kind of difference is bad IMO.
Ynnwns can avoid contact with gold, platinum, silver.
Night vision have more races. Klyros's gliding can be compensate with spells....
But RP soon-dying can't be...
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How "soon" is 70 years in-game? Two years of playing, three? Five? Do you actually expect your character to die of old age, unless you create someone who is nearing their deathbed from the start of play?
I don't think this is something anyone has to worry about. Besides, you can always have "youth potions" or similar magic.
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My character is worry about. Not me. Only IC reasons.
Here... I would like to see similarity. Only for IC feelings and behaviour.
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Well, that's part of roleplay :] Restrictions can often make for very interesting personas, and I wouldn't be quick to eliminate some handicaps. It is unrealistic for every race to have the same life-span, for they are different creatures who have some vastly different origins and structures. If your character is worried about dying, maybe they can go on a quest to find rejuvenating magic. There are plenty of opportunities for fun plots.
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I don't see a reason why this diffenfences occur. Are others physicaly (don't counting Krans) such diffenrent?
And if quest for long living will be so easy, then there in no need to create ages at all.
Azure Crystal can have permanent healing-rejuveating effect?
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I didn't say that the quest will be easy, nor the results permanent. It's all RP, so it's up to you to make it as realistically difficult as you think is right :]
As for the racial differences, indeed they are there. Structure, habitat, diet, and other factors all play into the equation. I cannot see Dermorians living as long as Enkidukai, as our predisposed expectations of elf longevity interfere. But I don't see this as a big deal either. It makes for colorful characters and a colorful world. It's not a limit any more than Dermorians not having a tail is a handicap.
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Even if your character did die from "old age" it wouldn't matter because all characters go to the death realm when they die anyways. When they reach the Death Realm they just find their way out and they're back to the realm of the living again. It really wouldn't make any sense to even have a REAL aging system implemented into the game. The only thing you could do is delete someones character when you deem them TOO OLD which would be extremely annoying and everyone would just start playing Elves.
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I did this comparison in another post:
4 hours = 1 PS day
24 hours = 6 PS days
48 hours = 12 PS days
96 hours = 24 PS days
120 hours = 30 PS days
128 hours = 32 PS days
5 days 8 hours = 1 PS month
10 days 16 hours = 2 PS months
16 days 0 hours = 3 PS months
32 days 0 hours = 6 PS months
53 days 8 hours = 1 PS year
106 days 16 hours = 2 PS years
213 days 8 hours = 4 PS years
320 days 0 hours = 6 PS years
365 days 0 hours = 6 PS years 8 months 14 days
so in 10 years of RL play your charactaer would be 68 years 140 days old. + whatever age your char was when you started roleplaying him\her.
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When they reach the Death Realm they just find their way out and they're back to the realm of the living again.
Actually, I wouldn't be so sure about that. Granted I don't know the details of what happens in the DR once someone dies of old age, but I know for certain that they don't just return as they were before, with a bucket of youth poured over their heads. Old age I would assume to be pretty final, since the only reason us "heroes" really escape the DR is because we are supposed to be above commoners and be strong and smart enough.
*edit*
Neat, Miadon!
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:o Are you kidding me ... you actually worked it out .. wow. Well thanks Miadon for doing what some of us wouldn't dare. :P
/me hisses at numbers "Stay away! Keep your distance!"
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Karyuu I hope you're not endorsing a system where peoples characters are deleted, locked or banished because they have supposedly become too old. If this was the way it worked everyone with any common sense at all would just play the race with the longest average lifespan.
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The only advantage is through RP - I doubt we will be implementing any actual aging system (at least not in many years), as that is where things start to be unfair and unrealistic for players.
(http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/3914/smilebp2.gif)
There have been many many threads in the Wishlist about an aging system, all of them shot down for various reasons. Give 'em a search sometime.
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The only advantage is through RP - I doubt we will be implementing any actual aging system (at least not in many years), as that is where things start to be unfair and unrealistic for players.
It was the "(at least not in many years)" part that worried me. :)
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Well, who knows what will happen in the future. The game could progress and change enough to make an aging system quite interesting, but we won't know until then. And we're certainly not going to put it in now, when everyone (most devs included) disagree with the feature.
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Why such great differences in ages? Its pretty unfair IC.
Some slight yes, but why hundreds, maybe thousands years?
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personally I don't care if my char dies of "old age" due to the system, most people won't even be playing in 10 years time to see there char die, and if your an elf whos going to be playing long enough t see them die?
Another point is, even tough a PS year is shorter than an RL year, it might not mean you age quicker (say you were able to live on mercuary, just because the year is shorter doesn;t mean you wont live as long) 6 PS years could be made to be the same aging 1 RL year, but then an aging system is even more redundant as who will be playing in 70 years to see there char die?
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Thousands is insane and out of the picture immediately. Also I would personally not agree to anything more than a hundred's difference between the longest- and shortest-lived races. Therefore it's even less of a problem - but I don't understand why you keep saying that it is unfair. Can you explain why?
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I know of a MMORPG that is being developed that has an idea for an aging system. The idea behind the system is very simple though and probably won't pose MUCH of a problem. As a character in the game excels to a higher rank their appearance will simply look older than it did when they were of a lower rank. There is NO plan for people to get so old that they drop dead though. The characters that look older will even be better fighters usually than the ones that look younger and the reason they give for this is that the older character is much more trained and skilled than the younger less experienced ones. Basically the only differences for characters as far as age goes is cosmetic. This ofcourse is unrealistic but it does make it easy to spot more and less experienced characters than you.
I hope that I am playing PlaneShift in 10 years but I also figure our characters will be deleted several times before then. When the game finishes "soon" (TM) I do hope that there will not be an aging system where dedicated players characters will die of old age and be unplayable or next to useless.
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Unfair? Short living races don't have the oportunity to "learn" what long-living can.
Then is a second task here. How to explain then... if some races will be long and some short living, it will surely affect theyr attitude to life (enkis will be allways in hurry, to be able to learn and explore at least apart of that what others can in theyr long lives)
And when the game is finished or not.... I would like to see 'no' aging system and no specification of life longitude. (best solution I guess)
@Miadon: I'm not pointing OOC matters now. In IC could it be odd.
Such great difference could cause some bad-feeling RPs. I can imagine elvens or Krans mocking to short-living races.
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if some races will be long and some short living, it will surely affect theyr attitude to life (enkis will be allways in hurry, to be able to learn and explore at least apart of that what others can in theyr long lives)
How is this unfair? This may be a characteristic of Enkidukai, but I don't see it as unfair at all. In fact I believe it makes them fascinating creatures.
Such great difference could cause some bad-feeling RPs. I can imagine elvens or Krans mocking to short-living races.
I think they have better things to do. Elves, and Kran, are not haughty and mocking as a race.
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Miaua it's alright because if they ever implement an aging system where we drop dead or become worthless we can all just decide to play as the longest living race. There will be no variety but at least it will be fair. I can just imagine a newcomer playing as an Enki character to find out in-game that they don't live long and then logging out, deleting their character and making an Elf...
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How is this unfair? This may be a characteristic of Enkidukai, but I don't see it as unfair at all. In fact I believe it makes them fascinating creatures.
Then you have to somehow manage to RP everyones behaviour. Every enki character have to be hyperactive then and every Kran or elven 'lazy" (...i have enough time, why to hurry)
I'm sorry, but I can't avoid feeling or unfairness.
@Malfini: Thats my opinion too. In Yliakum could be many events causing the age uniportant (like permanent, weak healing energy from crystal)
I would like to see many variety in races (abilities and so), but not this kind like aging.
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Miaua, Enki don't have to be hyperactive. They don't have to worry about their age. Just because your character does, does not mean that all Enkidukai are somehow paranoid that they will die before knowing what every other race knows. I feel that you are exaggerating, and I can't take what you are posting seriously because of it. Dermorians are not lazy creatures, and their living to perhaps 150 years does not warrant you jumping to such a conclusion.
I'm pulling out from this discussion because I don't feel that it's going anywhere.
Malfini: perhaps you would like to wait 5+ years before worrying about any aging system being implemented into the game? You may want to do as I suggested and search for those aging threads in the Wishlist. You will see that many people disagree with them, as you and I do. However I do not rule them out entirely for all of eternity. They can be done under some circumstances fairly, but we are not going to see those circumstances for many years. I have never said that we will definitely have such a system, so there is no need to panic about it. I've heard hundreds of arguments for and against it - yours isn't new.
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Karyuu I'm not worried about it anymore because I have already come to the conclusion that if an aging system like this was ever implemented I like most people would probably play the race with the longest life expectancy. This would hurt PlaneShift because it would become bland without much variety but it would be the only fair thing to do.
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Hm.. I imagined slightly greater differences in ages :| That change situation a little... :oops:
I'll wait what happen.
I exaggerated cause I thought about greater differences. :sweatdrop:
But I still hold my IMO, if you slightly decrease the meaning of my posts here ^^
*edited again* :
As long as differences won't be noticable OOC and in RP matter won't be differences so great, its ok.
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http://hydlaa.com/smf/index.php?topic=26543.0
My opinion on ages.
My opinion on time is that it should not pass faster ingame. In fact, I ignore that fact that it does. It is an unneeded and unrealistic feature that I do not understand. If you play once a day for a few hours, you are gone for almost a week in game time. If you play only on weekends, you are missing for almost a month in game time, and could likely be considered dead by your friends. Spend four hours talking in the tavern and you just blew an entire 24 hours in the game, and you are going to be sleeping on the floor when you get home, if married. For these reasons, I play that one day = one day. The reason for the fast light/dark cycle is unknown to my characters, but I just figure it to be the cause a a slow rotating pulsar, or fast rotating planet.
I know it is done to make it so everyone can see night and day, but in my mind it would be far better if the light/dark cycle would last two real life days. One day for dark, one day for light. Time would pass the same as it does in real life, though, so night would actually last 24 hours, as would day. This would make PS stand out from many other games, and create a unique enviroment to RP in (not to mention easier and more realistic).
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http://hydlaa.com/smf/index.php?topic=26543.0
Yes, I can only agree with this suggestion. :)
..and yes, it seems that we dont have to care about aging IG so much....
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I like UTM's suggestion of one day dark, one day light.
You could also just say that, yes, one RL hour does equal six PS hours, however the expectations of normal behavior would be changed to match, so people would not find it odd that someone would be (for example) working an entire day in a row because that would be normal for them. An hour in Yliakum might just signify a shorter amount of time than in reality.
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Below there is a link to my idea of a way an aging system could be set up.
http://hydlaa.com/smf/index.php?topic=26546.0
URL fixed :] --Karyuu
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Karyuu I'm not worried about it anymore because I have already come to the conclusion that if an aging system like this was ever implemented I like most people would probably play the race with the longest life expectancy. This would hurt PlaneShift because it would become bland without much variety but it would be the only fair thing to do.
I would not be one of the 'most people', I would choose my race as I do now, on the characteristics of that race. If the race i chose had a shorter life expectancy then great, it would be more of a challenge to make that life matter in a shorter period of time. If the character became an important figure, then once dead, a new character can be created as a child of the first character to carry on the same actions and characteristics as the first.
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Meh, 'age' should be left solely at the discretion of the RPer. So should time.
In normal writing, the passage of time is a tool that you can use to generate suspense, mystery, etc. (i.e. by fast-forwarding after an event, or having two things go on simultaneously, etc.)
And even in some cases, (like for example 'The Simpsons', though that's not a great one) time stands still (despite over 10 'halloween' episodes).
That's why I feel any kind of 'age' or 'time' kind of restricts the RPing, because there will always be arguements between hardcore players about whether or not backstory or whatnot can fit into the timeline...
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One of the fears of having a character with a short life-span is the fear of aging due to curses. Other roleplaying games out there have had such ways of adding to the age burden of characters. Other sources of role-played aging can be magic. The classic is battling a monster that has a chance of aging you.