If you could see 1 change made to the MUD...

[Chalgyr]

"If you could see 1 change made to the MUD - anything at all, to keep you coming back, what would it be?"

This is the question Gilly posed last night to the game. Of course, we know note threads are not always the easiest thing to read through and curate, so I wanted to give people several options for discourse. You can comment on our Facebook Page, or log into kotl.org port 2222 and leave a response there, but we can also talk about it here.

I know in some ways, it is similar to other questions we have posed in the past where we ask about favorite features in the past, or why some players stay or go - but honestly this is a much more distilled question. What would you MOST like to see - and some 'why' doesn't hurt either.

Initial suggestions included:

- Reducing experience needed to level at 200+

- Allowing people to multiplay (this one came in different flavors, such as how much interaction should they be allowed to have, or should there be a limit to how much multiplayer is allowed).

Obviously we can't put in everything all at once, and some ideas might not be a fit, but it's worth having the conversation right? It's also worth asking your friends who used to play, but no longer do - or maybe to pose the question to friends whom you hope to get playing here, but they might have reservations.

[elios]

I was mulling over what was posted and witnessed the rather animated (and in some points over-bearing and obnoxious) discussion over the out-of-ccharacter channel.  There are two ideas that have come to mind:

1.  The reason most have got their characters in bloodsworn is because of the grouping range.  why not extend the grouping range for the non-members?  That would serve to remove that main reason.

2.  I know that it has been spoken of before and it might be considered a minor thing.  How about fixing it so that moxed items be bagged?  They are already owned so the fears of theft of custom armour and weapons is a non-issue.  Not to mention that it would give the players with the insane amounts of tokens a chance to expand their imaginations in creation of more than one suit of clothes-armour.

These are my ideas for what they are worth Chalgyr and Gillian

[Sephrenia]

I agree with Elios' idea to a degree, while not quite so anti-bloodsworn, I'd love to see the group range expanded outside of that.  Especially with some newer people showing up over the last few weeks, being able to group with them and help can be a pain if they don't their way around to make themselves bloodsworn.  Might also be a turn off having to do that just to group.

I had another thought too in the last few days watching said new people.  Is there some way after completing the newbie experience we could somehow revamp those starter mobs?  It's one thing to have them learn to use consider, but to get one shot by things so easily?  Maybe tone down the damage things do in there or change up that little area somehow?  I made a new priest the other day to try out and was surprised to see her killed in one hit even with sanctuary and 200 HP after consider told me we'd be something like evenly matched.  I feel like it could be off putting to new people potentially. 

And then one last thing, maybe something that gives them an idea where to go next after hitting level cap on that little zone, like a breadcrumb type thing to their home kingdom?

Yay for a wordy post?

[Daklore]

How about fixing it so that moxed items be bagged?  T

I believe the issue here, is not a matter of abuse or case-scenario where it could have been abused in the past, merely a limitation in the code that treats moxes and gems in armour/weapons as items inside a bag. And, you can't put a bag within a bag because of database reasons or something, I'm not a coder. It would probably require a massive re-write of the inventory code to even do this... probably? But yeah, that's why you can't put moxed gear in bags, in a nutshell.

[sye]

Spells,

Never understood why everyone had to spend so much time to Grandmaster spells.  (its kind of a pain)
You would think they would just get stronger as you level, and maybe cost less or something.

The augment system is hindered greatly by the simple fact that if you don't have a spell GM it's value is not that great or not even usable at all.

Why not look at why we have to GM spells to have them have good value?
The level of difference from master - grandmaster is huge, sometimes double damage, double affects, being able to do something perm.  Sure being a grandmaster of something should mean something.  But augmenters can't attain grandmaster or any of the affects of GM spells and new people will have to sit around and spam stuff, or bot stuff to master them, so it defeats the entire purpose of using it to get it better and is kind of something that becomes a waste of good intention.

Skills are the same way but not as drastic.

maybe something else simple that lets people see some noticable cool changes?  Like the room shakes, or some cool message happens in the room (to help rp and make you feel awesome)
maybe the cost gets reduced? 
Who's going to master Fortitude, or Iron Grip, or recall.  (the ability to max something should be more sensible and attainable)

Just a thought, one thing that has always bothered me about this mud.  The augment system just made my feelings on it much more sour.

Thanks,
Sye

[Elendil]

Hmmmmmm,

Well, let me tackle this post one point at a time.  About the skills and spells, just as in real life, there is only so much one can learn from a book and an instructor.  It is a case of "practise makes perfect", which means that through repeated usage, it not only leads to being used with more ease through familiarity, but you will discover some extra little things you will improve upon to make it the more powerful and effective.  Why should such be any different in a MUD?  And the effects are already in play, anything else would be superfluous.

As for the argument about augments not being as good, look at it in this light.....it would be like an aeronautics mechanic learning at the mid-way point of their vocation how to repair auto engines.  Yes, they can do the repairs, but they will never be as good as someone that was, for all intents and purposes, "born" to do the same.  You cannot expect a gladiator to be all of a sudden able to gate to the GMA or Arthenon and be able to rival A mage tier in casting of nova, nor an Archwizard to be a master of the sword, nor a rogue to be an expert in woodlore.  It isn't realistic, for lack of a better term.

I think the way the system is, as it stands is fine.

[sye]

I understand the points there.

I am very thankful we have something we <can> augment to improve ourselves.
I just think the way it is set up that almost everyone would pick the same exact augments for the same reasons. (they would be more useful because of others being not so useful because they can't be GMed)

I also think that not everyone understands the augments and when they augment a skill or spell they may not now how useful it is and is locked into it.

It's really just me asking for a sensible way to reaugment or buff augmentable stuff some.  It doesn't affect too many people currently so I doubt it would be a driving focus.  But the spell/skill buildup and setup would affect everyone so I was just mentioning my Plight. 

It is usable the way it is and changing it even drastically to make everything the best augment ever wouldn't really help the game as much as doing something else at this point in time. (would just be more fun!)

Just my two cents.  Nice profile Pic Elendil.