Do you really want to know what I would do to improve it?
Ok to perfect the game without fancying up the graphics (it is free after all and going to stay that way, so some players won\'t have the Furari connection OR computer... so let\'s keep it within reach of the most people possible... mkay)
How about the following emotes WITH an animation:
dance
sit
stand
hop (holding foot as if injured)
Drunk (wobble around as if inhebriated)
cook (you would have to stand at those open pits for this one to work right, but some hand motion over the pit like stirring or tasting or something, whatever works and doesn\'t eat TOO much code up)
Think (for some races this might even involve funny things like sticking out tonge, scratching head while looking dumb as a rock, or it might involve a more educated and cerebral aire about it)
read book (open a small book, lick fingers and flip through the pages, with some races this might involve the sound of tearing pages)
Play instrument (this might involve some hunting or other way to GET the instrument and then some coding to actually DRAW the instrument and put it in the loot tables...but HEY! it would be WORTH it.)
Listen (you would aim your body in the direction of the target and place hand on side of your face and get a seriously interested look on your face...subtle...but I think worth it)
Tear pants *ripping sound, then embarassed covering of bare backside*
trip and fall (you are either clumbsy or had a few too many)
trip and recover ( Ok, I think three really IS my limit, but thanks, mate!)
Pet cat/dog/flying snape/whateva (you reach down and pet the animal that apears and rubs against your leg).
Dramatic sneaking (this is the serious one, you slink and hide in shadows, but remain visable)
Comic sneaking (think saturday morning loony toons complete with the comic theme music)
cheer (when you have another player targeted you turn and cheer at them, without a target or with yourself targeted you do a celebratory sort of cheer maybe with an audible woop or hoot or something)
Ok, now for the money side. None of us like to admit it, but there HAS to be a way to earn the dough. SO...I would invent about 50 new mobs and draw them (ok, someone else needs to draw them or they will look like the Poopy character from gu comics), then I would place them outside of the gates (newbie mobs like rabid dog, bat *fruit and vampire* vorpal bunny...ok...maybe not, but you know what newbie fodder is...after all you got the rats already). I would then open the other gate, but not open that part of the world completely (over grown forrest of HORRID fearsomeness, and the brave lumberjack has yet to return from its EVIL depths...or whateva), and put a few harder mobs but not up to the arena levels...yet.
I would put loot on the mobs from a harmonica (role play instrument anyone??), to a lute, to a lire, to \"a shiney stone\" (usable as a ranged weapon, WEAK damage), a few with coins, a few with \"a strange herb\" (take it to the alchemist or herbalist for a \"weak healing potion), a tarnished silver spoon (take it to the cook for either a reward...or once cooking is in game, he will send you to the smith who will polish it for you and you use it to cook with), a hair ribbon (HA figure out which female NPC dropped this puppy and get a reward, all the others would give it back with a \"this isn\'t mine, but I think she is *some random clue either general direction or physical description*), random bit of jewelry of LOW stat boosts (BINGO you win the Cupie doll, but she is so CUTE!), dolls that show(yeah yeah they could be cute, but what about the less than cute but rather ICKY kind?), weak newbie weapons (rusty dagger/sword/mace), weak newbie armor (rawhide armor, cloth armor etc), rare low level glyph or two here or there off of the bigger mobs. And hides, bones, skulls or other vendor fodder.
I would make armor show (ok, I lied, I would change SOME of the graphics, because naked people ALL alike kinda blows the \"mood\" for me), I would make ALL the character skins and enough options to make EACH person unique enough that we would not be a walking clonefest (this is planeshift is it not? Not Starwars episode whateva).
I would have the temples for all faiths, and have various NPC\'s inside of them. On occasion, maybe when a player greets them, they would go into some speach or sermon about their diety. In the red tower you could have blood or smoke or fire and the devotees should have that knowing evil half grin like you are next on that alter...just turn your back (yes...it is spooky, let\'s make it ~~SPOOKY~~ *maniacal evil laughter ala Vincent Price*)
Ok, here is where I get fancy, look out...I would have some npc\'s moving around town. And one or two of them would sense a player near by not moving (maybe role playing...maybe not. meaning maybe chatting...maybe not) they would either groan or cry (depending upon the gender...men don\'t cry often) and say aloud (told you I was getting fancy) \"if only I had had someone to help me *finish up story of kidnapped son/daughter/fiance/parent etc* ANY player that greeted the NPC could get the quest, and bring back the kidnapped (yes they would follow you and need protection against rogues, assassins, random wild animals or whatever), reward would be...*shrug* ok, I ran outta fancy...you make up the slack for me.
Or you could have a person(old man one time, young woman another, and so forth) in a robe look around like they lost something and say \"Oh Dear! whatever did I do with it\" (AH HA a lost book, and he/she looks like a mage. I smell something valuable... *money hairs on the back of my neck go WOO WOO WOO) Hail him and ask. \"what have you misplaced (lost would also work but get a Huff and a \"I lost nothing...but I do seem to have misplaced my *glasses a book something magey here* I would have sworn I was near the *insert general location here*) Return from finding the *book, eye glasses, pouch of faintly glowing power or whateva* which would spawn on the ground near the area the NPC told you (gazebo sounds like a likely spot, or a bench, I remember a few of those around town, maybe the BIG reward is a BIG book near the bench inside of the arena on the up the stairs down the stairs UP the stairs down the stairs circle) Your reward would be xp, maybe a tad of either Int or will (after all you had the toughness mentally to stick to the task) and some coin or a ring or something nice but not WOW THANKS! (proceed to camp for this quest).
Oh I LOVE this one, but it would take a \"child\" model of one or even several races (not sure the rock guys would work...are their kids smaller? can you even tell they are kids *curious look*)
A small child wanders around the plaza, at first looking as if he/she is just looking for someone, if no one greets the child eventually (five ten minutes...I don\'t know, how long does being lost take the average child to break down and ask for help...normally in tears?) cries audibly and asks for help or says something heart wrenching like \"I lost my mommy *ragged sobbing intake of breath* I want my MOMMY! *child flops on ground near a player and weeps until greeted*\" Mommy is an NPC of the same race not too far from the plaza, child either takes player on a walk around until they remember or describes mommy\'s shop. Player is rewarded with xp, and some cash, and sometimes if the child is a girl...her dolly (some weak stat boost or other, equipes in shield hand, does ok damage and looks either scarey or silly, or cute...depending upon race of girl child.)
I would add some wild animal mobs, not necessarily earth animals, but something either scaley, finny (near the water when it is in game), furry etc. I would put in undead...because heck...they are so very cuddley. I would put logical loot on them (animal has fur, fins or scales, Hmm maybe a tuft of fur, a hide, maybe a scale/tooth/claw(usable in jewel crafting, random stat boost of some kind, weak on the little ones, but a tad higher on the toughies).
I would scatter deep rich role play style quests on any NPC that would stand still long enough for me to tack a quest on them. (please give the role players MOTIVES to explore and kill as well.) Maybe a father grieves the loss of his child to *random wild animal* and when you kill it with the quest in your journal you get \"*npc\'s name here*\'s child\'s shoe (or a lock of the child\'s hair if a girl). Not a happy ending, but at least Daddy can have something of the child to help him morn his loss, and rest well knowing the foul beast that killed his child is now dead and can not kill any of the other kids (maybe a later quest where the lost child\'s parents end up dead and this morning father takes in the orphan).
Ok, there you have it, my vision of a better PS, but VERY much encourages role play and mood as well as xp and cash (to pay RPers with or something). But would also suit the PLer (and serve to keep this player and RPers \"out of each others hair\").
TA DA win win situation, devs have something to do, testers have something to do, and the basis for some tale in the pub with the girl on the knee etc. And the wheel goes around again.
the hard part is not killing the rats...it is find the rats without 10 other players ready to POUNCE on it!
Originally posted by Night
Lyrah, I am not saying that people, such as yourself, who are posting bug reports (or the equivalent) are bi***ing. I am refering to all the \"this game is too hard!\" comments that are simply unfounded, and do not provide any info \'well, WHY is the game too hard? too hard a combat, is the speed too slow/fast? or did you just take the wrong pill today?\'
When peopel post random garbage is when I get annoyed. If you have a REASON then it\'s fine. I have problems zoning into and out of the sewars from the upper entrance, I think there\'s a problem, devs need to look at it because it happens a lot --- that kind of \'complaint\' is good, and supportive. I have no issues with it.
