Required Improvements.

[noxen91]

Hey all,

Planeshift is a really sweet game but i've got a list of things that could make it improved.

- Newbie friendliness...

I first joined the game and created a character... spawned in some random city and i ran around for a bit... i had no idea what was going on so i ran out the gates into the wilderness.  I came across a random who thankfully taught me how to use the r key to run, kill rats, sell items, do quests, showed me were the sewers were, gave me a sword, taught me about PP... pretty much everything i needed to know and also answered all my questions to get me started.

Now i have no problem with this but anyone else may get frustrated by the fact that they have to read the website alot just to figure out how to play the game properly...  That game needs some sort of tutorial level thingy to teach people so they dont get poopy and quit the game and give it a bad name in forums etc.


- Mounts

Cmon... running is slow and has its limits... we need mounts! walking ones, flying ones, swimming ones? all good and successful mmorpgs have mounts... look at wow for example...

- PVP

Why must this be limited to the arena?

- Teams

I think the game should take something from wow and include some sort of system like the 'horde vs alliance' system in wow.



Thats about all i can think off without sitting down and getting right into it but its a small list i think that should be considered.  I'm sorry if this has already been covered or whatever or if i left anything out but with ideas and support from us players... i think planeshift has the potential to be really big as it's 'completely free'.

Thanks

Noxen

[Zan]

Newbie friendliness is lacking but people know it. They've tried a tutorial system for a while, which didn't really work. I'm certain they'll be working on some new approaches in the future though.

Mounts will come, just be patient.

PvP and 'Alliance vs Horde' is not what planeshift is about. Planeshift is unique in it's striving for roleplaying immersion. If you are mainly interested in fighting people and having big wars .. this game might not be your thing. Player combat brings an entire atmosphere of becoming the best and unrealistic killing along with it. Planeshift wants to avoid that atmosphere.

All in all you should remember two things about this game .. that is that it is still heavily being developed, will be for a long time to come and secondly it is a roleplaying game.

By the way ... welcome

[Xordan]

- Newbie friendliness...

We plan to have some kind of newbie area in future, which will introduce new players to the PS settings and guide them on how everything works. I can't say when that'll be done for, but I agree that it's something we're missing.

- Mounts

Planned too, we just haven't had the resources to get it done yet.

- PVP

Why must this be limited to the arena?

Several reasons. Firstly, because we haven't got the npc AI or faction systems in place to stop griefing (stronger players continually attacking newbies), or to control PvP so that it's far more pain than gain to PvP in certain zones. Secondly, because I don't think PS is really going to be a PvP game (unfortunatly imo). It'll be more of a PvE beat-the-monsters game with RP'ers.

- Teams

I think the game should take something from wow and include some sort of system like the 'horde vs alliance' system in wow.

I don't know what Talad has planned for the rolling story of the game, but AFAIK PS is going to be quite a peaceful place for the most part, at least between players. There will probably be invasions from the Stone Labyrinths in the future or something like that, but I don't think we'll have factional warfare like WoW does. It'll always be players vs someEvilNPCEntity.

[Miaua]

There is tons or WoW type MMORPGs (RP??)....
And I dont see a reason why Planeshift should be same as every other.

You want PvP? You want Good X Evil wars like in WoW? Sure. Go play WoW and we RPlayers will keep RP game Planeshift.. that sounds reasonable, what?

Planeshift is unique wits it's RPs and I (and many others) would like to keep it. Otherwise Planeshift will fade in the bunch of PL PvP Non-RP games.

Enjoy RP

[kougaro]

About new friendliness : there is a guide on the website, and it is also into the game folder when you install it. But, for some strange reason, i can't find any newcomer who have read it. I use it often, even though i think i know quite a few about the game, because it is really useful.

When advising, i notice that most of the questions are answered in the guide.

Maybe the "newcomer friendliness" issue could be resolved if the newcomers read the manual? 

[Zan]

People are lazy by nature .. they expect to have their guides and tutorials to be presented on the silver platters of game mechanics

[Raleigh]

People are lazy by nature .. they expect to have their guides and tutorials to be presented on the silver platters of game mechanics

      There is a brutal difference between the effect of a well-done tutorial and of a written guide on the effectiveness of teaching people how to play, because the tutorial teaches at the same time as you play, combining theory and practice, while a guide, you must read it and then play, being just the theory, and also sometimes it's uncapable of portraying correctly the ways of the game. This is specially the case for Roleplay. Reading a roleplay guide gives lots of examples, but no clue on what you will really do when you are actually in game and not just reading a guide. That's why I completely support the idea of an optional and seamless(does not detract from immersion and is integrated with the rest of the game) tutorial, specially if it has a roleplay part as well. People learn better in practice than in theory.

[Ennon Galita]

Also, PvP is very appropriate in the arena, as not everywhere else. I mean, you don't want to be sitting at the Kada-el Tavern and see some guys guts sprawled on the floor, no do you? 

PvP is more of a war feature, thus only in the arena.

~Wise words from Jaimez Bling

[Under the moon]

Newbie friendliness: Agreed. Even starting a new character after knowing the game is not very easy to do without begging items off others. This will be fixed in the future. Be patient.

Mounts: PS is not all that big yet, but it can still be a bit annoying to go on those long runs, due to having things attainable only in one place sold only in a place all the way across the world. That actually adds greatly to the newbie unfriendliness. I can not count the number of times I have heard "Where do I sell 'item'?" and the answer is at the end of a 15+ minute run through an empty landscape. Mounts will not help new characters in this aspect, as no new player will be able to afford one. My suggestion is to make NPCs closer to the area (or right in it) that the items are found, but have them buy those items at half price.

PvP everywhere: Not without a proper system of law coded into the game first. And not the standard "If you attack someone, the guards will kill you" kind of lameness. And also a newbie ingame guide specifically telling them exactly what bad things will happen to their character if they choose the life of crime. The proper PvP system would be fun to play from both sides, but not go rampant. I am satisfied with the PvE+GMs that we have now, but would like it if the GMs had more power and control over their minions.

[bilbous]

Non-lethal brawls would be amusing. Perhaps some towns could (game)mechanistically prevent armed combat (except during events) and similarly suspend death for unarmed combat. It would probably take more tweeking to the idea to work well and might be too hard to code anyway.

[Aznakh]

- Newbie friendliness...


- Mounts

Cmon... running is slow and has its limits... we need mounts! walking ones, flying ones, swimming ones? all good and successful mmorpgs have mounts... look at wow for example...

- PVP

Why must this be limited to the arena?

- Teams

I think the game should take something from wow and include some sort of system like the 'horde vs alliance' system in wow.

1. I fully agree that some kind of newby help system must be implemented into the game. Also I might add it is somehow dazzeling that during character creation you make a background for your character, log into the game and find youself in your undies.   
So maybe it would be a bit more realistic that your character starts off with some minimum gear, perhaps based on the background you chose during character creation.

2. I think that as the game expands and grows alternative forms of travel will be implemented through mounts, spells, items and public transport. Don't forget that the game is still under development.

3. I believe that there is another PvP system in PS, however I am not sure wether it is fully functional. Wars between guilds. I think that this kind of PvP adds to the intrigue of RP once a full political system, etc. have been integrated.

4. Through the background story (if you have read it) it is obvious that a faction based PvP system for PS is not adapted. I mean, against who are you going who are you going to fight ? Remember, we are all just stuck in a huge cave and fighting for survival. 

[Shamax]

Ok, some of you may already dislike me for making controversial statements here but majority of you are wrong about PvP (unless we've been lied to again). Look at this interview with PlaneShift's director Luca Pancallo (this is from 2006):

http://news.mmosite.com/data/p/u/2006/03/24/194048044.html

MMOSITE: The game creates a very interesting environment for players, where people start their adventure in Yliakum, an underground city which has eight levels, can you tell us more about this, and what kind of game world do you want to present to the players?

Luca Pancallo: The world is somewhat peaceful in the cities, but quite challenging outside. All major cities have high fortifications and many guards to watch over the invasions that come from the Stone Labyrinths. The labyrinths are a large maze of tunnels that extend from the stalactite into the crust of the world, with outposts, villages and other races living inside the tunnels. Much of this is still under development, so I'm giving you the future vision, not the actual one. At the present time players can explore the main city (hydlaa) a number of underground dungeons, Ojaveda the city of feline-humanoid called enkidukai, and the death realm.

The death realm will be an integral part of the game. It's the place where dead souls go, but also the place where many evil-aligned players can start to build their web of power. The whole architecture of the death realm is very different from the living world, with huge bridges made of bones, steep stair, floating eyes watching you. It's currently made of a flying citadel and few cells for eternally imprisoned souls. When a player dies, he will be transported to this dark realm, and he will not be able to return to the living world, until he finds the exit or he completes a quest. In the future, as we expand the realm, it will be much harder to come back, so players will really start to fear dying in game. We would like to expand the death realm to create a parallel dimension where other guilds, jobs, magic can start to create a separate society. I expect fights or even wars between the two realms as they expand. Powerful wizard will probably be able to travel from one to the other without the need to die. Different monsters, physics rules and experience will be provided in this thrilling realm.

And another quote that makes the game actually sound more interesting than what is stated on the main PS website:

MMOSITE: Can you give PlaneShift fans some details about the storyline behind the game? What role do the players play to develop the story?

Luca Pancallo: I must say that at the present time we described little of the story behind the game. There is a public history published on the web site, but that's just what players can gather also ingame, it's the knowledge of the inhabitants of the land. Much different is the real story behind the stalactite and why players are there. This is kept secret and we will unveil it very slowly as we proceed with the development of new areas and quests for the game. What I can say is that Talad and Laanx, the two main gods, are currently away from the lands for a specific task given by greater gods, they are learning and, if they manage to understand something of it, they will probably be back with some news to hydlaa people. There is a hidden full greater scale of events compared to the one that players are seeing now.

Admit it, many of you did not know that.

Love me or hate me but I bring exciting info. 

[Kylan Sheehan]

I thought that Guilds could have wars? Or am I wrong? 

[Hlinur]

I completely agree that the online support for the beginer is lacking, well It is there, but it isn't that obvious, then all the controls are listed in the menu at the top of the screen.
I was also lost at the start of the game, ran off, got killed. but I found that my ignorance eventually forced me to interact with the game, and talk to people to find out what was going on, and if ignorance forces you to roleplay in this game, then it can't be an all bad thing.
(though talking to NPCs could be WAY easier, sure you get plenty about that already though)

[Shamax]

I thought that Guilds could have wars? Or am I wrong? 

The problem is that the "director", the "developers" and the "community" all seem to be out of tune with each other. Here you see developers and community swear that this game isn't going to be about "good vs evil", that it won't have major wars, and that it won't have much PvP (how can you without major wars, right?). In fact, you can find many recent and older posts where they claim that the only major "opponent" will be the "wild beasts" from Stone Labyrinths.

And yet, the "director" happily gives interviews that completely contradict all of it. Suddenly, there is good vs evil - two major realms (one good, one evil), big wars between them etc. Same pattern as with "Alpha", "Pre-Alpha" and "Beta", it seems.

Amusing.