Staying in character and intuitively knowing your way around a place you have never been are mutually exclusive. If you don't know where you are it encourages interaction. Don't get your hopes up about the premade maps. You'd be best asking a member of the explorers guild for example if they have any decent maps for sale. Regardless, in a week or two you'll know your way around. Enjoy

I realize there is map creation - this isn't to take away from those that profit, this is merely to point out to us n00bs such simple things like were just explained - most people consider North the windowless tower. Sweet! How cool is that to know? And when  you say most people that's good enough for me, however the maps people make are going to be the gold (for them, and the people that need / use them) so why not just give people a n/s/e/w circlet or landmark information of some kind to give them a nudge out the door, knowledge that they can buy a map, and presto - happy people everywhere doing all the things we've all discussed on both sides of the coin! Just stop and really think about some of the comments that have been made here regarding the uselessness of maps or direction, the reasons why, then go and apply it to an entirely new situation that an NPC tells you "Oh it's East of here next to such and such". You can say just ask all you want. I might be someone who has no fear of such, you might be, but many many others prefer to get their bearings first before feeling comfortable interacting and having fun getting deeper into the RP and friendships of these kinds of places.

I just think this is a masterpiece in the making and I think it would be a shame if a large amount of people that are easily discouraged were kept from it by something so simple.

I am not certain, but I think people are equating giving someone new some startup information as a bad thing. Giving people some fun but doable quests to attain a compass whether by purchase or achievement, that would then aid them in their lives here is vital for what I have seen so far. The ruins errand for Lori - are you kidding me? Personally ok great - for your average 50% mmorpg crowd? Yeah... taking several days to find your first one or two quests isn't going to keep a whole lot of newcomers. A lot of people are nervous about asking for help right away. I am very fortunate that a very nice (and quite attractive ) person helped me with the ruins, which is why I go ahead and make this point one last time.  

I am enjoying it, and have found some very helpful people. I think many are missing the point however. So I will just drop it and leave it be. Hopefully people will really read through the posts I made and glean from them what I am trying to get across. Thank you very much for the welcome and no worries - I'm definitely sticking around. I want to find out what my magic will look llike and what I can conjure up!

Anyway just food for thought. I gotta git back to it so I can finish this up and get back to work later

Take care,
Odoarrel

P.S. The art to not listening to your wife is listening very carefully to every word so that when your selective hearing kicks in later - you  can be prepared for whatever repercussions may be headed your way for your insolence, thereby providing a chance for really good makeup - err... stuff later  

Ok I have to put my two cents in here after playing for a couple days. As someone who is uber excited about this project... I can't believe you guys are insinuating that a map, or even a compass of some sort would be a 'spoiler' or somehow defeat the purpose of this type of environment. Looking for bugs or not, this is what myself and MANY others I know especially in the linux community have been looking, no, make that longing for and you all are really really doing it!!

So why am I being kind of pressing about this? I've only attempted 2 quests so far. Unfortunately one of them crashed me out when I had finally found the person I needed and typed in the question to the NPC... now when I log in neither NPC involved knows what I'm talking about anymore. Ok no biggie. One I'm on now - of course I logged out so I may have screwed it up - which is my bad I apologize - asked me to go to ruins outside of city right?

As a n00b, I asked myself ok... *where* outside the city? Is there more than one entrance? Should I really bother anyone with that? I know where one is for sure I saw it, and I'm pretty sure I've wandered the perimeter - so I took off through it. I have run my butt off - fatigue stopping me several times without finding anything like ruins. A camp, some rats, etc. but no sign of ruins (thought maybe one area could have been but no) or my contact.

I'm thinking I've gone the wrong way, so I'm headed back. Although exploring is a great idea, I think a compass or the quests including references to at least the signposts would be so helpful to newcomers. More than once I've thought 'man, my wife was right - forget this'   (she had warned me that although it was awesome in many ways she gave up out of frustration. She's an avid WoW player and so am I. We team most of the time and love to Roleplay, participate in live events through the summers, etc.) but I really want to learn this and keep going so I will keep trying.

My point is this - I know at least 4  people who have given up on this due to frustration. I certainly don't want to be one of those people and don't think I will be, but do you seriously plan to never have any sort of navigation assistance ever? Honestly consider that somehow anti-Roleplay? Even people in the dark ages, and I would imagine those in a circular 'under' world would have some sort of way to aid them in navigation... especially with all that water, consistent tides, specific types of radiation that creates uber magic in the world now, etc. (Yes I read - a lot. And the story rocks.) Perhaps even a couple of maddening quests forcing you to explore the city, etc. that then earn you a magic compass or similar?

I'm simply asking you to consider the fact that if you are going to add the realism of fatigue,etc. - making more and more attempts to draw people into serious Roleplay which I admire and enjoy that personally - you really ought to help people find their way to at least a simple degree (point them in the right direction,   not even a complete map. East? What *is* East, especially when people tell you there is no East? lol)

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. Sorry to have gotten on a soapbox and please don't take this as some sort of insult or an attempt to be rude. I'm not the best at wording things, but I'm trying to get across the importance of how awesome this place is and the potential of it to me and many others. I wish I could put into words better what I want to say, but that's the best I can do. Feel free to PM me or reply if you feel I have been harsh or something - that is truly my intention. I want more people to play and get involved. I know my wife would come back for sure and probably a few others just personally!! I mean seriously - WoW is getting old fast - this is great new stuff!

Sincerely,
Odoarrel