Kiraki,

Just a note for the curious.   It is conceivable that liguid mercury can exist in puddles or droplets in the open.  However, one really does mine for mercury, which is most usually found in the form of the mineral cinnebar (HgS - Red mercuric sulphide).  The cinnebar is processed to extract the mercury (in ancient times by crushing).

This is really one suggestion with two or three instances where it might be applied.

Since the introduction of metallurgy and weapons crafting we are finding droves of players busily whacking away with their picks prospecting for various metal ores.  Of course, we hardly ever really "see" anything happening besides the movement of the pick and the movement of players shuffling from spot to spot.  Therefore, I, for one, would find it pleasing to see some small visual effect when a player actually finds something, and that this little visual effect be visable to the other players in the area.   It need not be much - even a momentary twinkle (gleam?) or some such thing.  Such an effect could brighten up a sometimes long and tedious operation.

On similar lines, it would be quite pleasing if there were a small visual effect in the forge(s) and furnace(s) when a player is actually using them.  Again, nothing beyond some simple glows, gleams and/or spark bursts.

I freely admit that this is not a high-priority suggestion, but it would contribute greatly to the "feel" of some of the actions that we currently have in the game.

Just thought I would respond to what Tarel wrote in his reply...

I do appreciate that working together is an enjoyable aspect to the game and there are too few places where this is either built-in or encouraged.  Nevertheless, if the intent were, indeed, to encourage working together with respect to the craft of metallurgy, then I would not think that causing advancing players to forget things the correct way to go about it.  It is not reasonable to think that anyone learning a trade would (or could) forget the most basic operations when advancing.  No, I cannot accept this logic.  On the other hand, if the crafting were arranged otherwise so that the players were required to work together to achieve certain operations it could be a very acceptable and positively enjoyable operation.

A few possibilities for working together in the metal crafting sector suggest themselves right away:

1) Add in a bellows on the furnace (something that is true-to-life) so that one player must work the bellows in order to bring the furnace up to the proper temperature to melt the metal.  In fact, one might even have TWO or even THREE sets of bellows such that to attain ever  higher temperatures it would require even more players to work together.  The melting temperatures of the metals might roughly be arranged as GOLD (lowest temperature), IRON (middle temperature) and PLATINUM (highest temperature).  And just for those who are seeking the truth of the matter, PLATINUM requires temperatures that were far beyond those achievable by simple blacksmithing methods of the middle ages and before.  Might I suggest some MAGIC be involved for the melting and forming of Platinum (?).  This again would offer some opportunities for working together.

2) The same idea could be applied to later steps in the second FORGING furnace.

3) In the forging of larger weapons at an ANVIL it was not at all uncommon for an apprentice to hold the work with TONGS while the blacksmith hammered the white  hot workpiece.

4) I see a grinding wheel for sharpening tools and/or weapons.  Again, ONE player to crank the wheel and the SECOND player to perform the sharpening operations.  This is entirely consistant with reality.

5) As players we have seen very elaborate descriptions of special weapons that we used to be able to LOOT.  Such weapoons had special coatings and encrustations of valuable gems and/or crystals.  Here again I see the possibility of a crafter working hand-in-hand with one or two MAGICIANS or ALCHEMISTS to forge and finish special tools or weapons.

By the way, the fact that players would be ABLE to work together should not prevent a lone player from doing things on his/her own... perhaps more slowly... or else with certain restrictions that might apply to size of weapons or tools produced...  or who knows what.  I say this, since it might not always be possible for a player to find others willing or available to assist in some task(s).

So there you have my opinion.  I have nothing against working alongside of other players, but I should like the logic behind such a requirement to be BELIEVABLE.
 

I am just adding my voice to this thread since a similar thing happened with my pet.  Instead of a Groffel my pet takes the form of a Ylian male.  Name changing has had no effect.

Don\'t get me wrong here.  I love the game (even in this pre-alpha state) and I\'m not trying to wet on your barbeque grill.   Nevertheless, I would be very interested to know just what percentage of those accounts are active in some sort of current sense (within the last three months for example) instead of being merely the vestiges of curious people who passed through, never to return again.

Are you absolutely SURE you have the correct method of leaving the Death Realm.  In my memory there is no place where one has to \"Jump Down\"...

... wait a second, perhaps I need to do an update... my PS client won\'t load the world...

The tight oil reserves and the skyrocketing prices of gasoline and diesel fuels are a current fact of life...  irrespective of whether they have come about through inivitable shortfalls of production, rise in demand, theft by means of warfare and political intrigue  or (also very likely) human greed and manipulation of the marketplace for profit.

Nevertheless, one has to balance the discomfort that people are feeling at the moment with the knowledge that we (the universal \"WE\"... as in the human race as a whole) have done this to ourselves... most especially by (A) using far more oil products than is reasonably necessary, (B) encouraging the use of oversized vehicles with engines far larger than necessary... often for banal purposes like simply going to the store or the movies, (C) over-consumption by reason of unnecessary airline flights (even when planes less than 1/3 to 1/2 full), (D) general wastage and usage for unimportant items like lawn mowers, recreational vehicles and so forth... and I suppose I could go on and on...  in my mind it just generally comes down to human foolishness and selfishness... not to mention a complete unwillingness to coordinate a fair, reasonably and sustainable system for distribution of a limited and dwindling resource on a global scale.... but, please, there isn\'t much sense in my asking humankind and nation states to suddenly grow up and become adult.  It just isn\'t going to happen.

The truth is we are \"addicted\" to oil products and when the supplies run low - and they ARE going to run low - you are going to go \"cold turkey\" in a way that will cause you to REALLY re-evaluate your lifestyle - where and how you live and what your life is really about.

Efflixi, I suffered from exactly the same thing.  Take a look at my thread...

\"Extreme problem crossing regions\"

... which will point you towards a temporary workaround fix for your problem.