Silverymoon room descriptions

[Ceir]

I'm not sure if this is a bug or a suggestion, so I'll err on the side of moderator oversight. There is only one path from the world map to Silverymoon in the MUD, namely approaching from the south side and then crossing the moon bridge. I threw up an 'ask' in game to try and determine whether this was intended or not, and I was assured that all the other gates out of town (such as the Hunter's Gate) were exclusively exits and that no character in the setting, PC or otherwise, could enter Silverymoon through them.

At that point I noticed I was confused, but I thanked the one who responded and went on my way.

Now, I had never heard anything like "three of the gates in Silverymoon are exit only" before, but then again I've never read the books. It's possible that the tabletop games I've played in missed that detail (which is hardly all that important anyway). If so, you should probably amend the room descriptions for the gates:

Hunter's Gate
N-Road S-Thistledown Way
This copper-coloured gate is often used by those people who are venturing
into the wilds, or those who are returning home to Silverymoon after an
adventure. Music floats from the south.
There is a small wooden sign on the gate.

If the only way into town in your Silverymoon really IS the south side, then nobody can return to town through the Hunter's Gate, and this is a bug report about a misleading room description.
If it's perfectly possible to simply walk into town through the north gate, then I suggest the addition of an entrance from the world map. That 2 platnium griffon charge hurts a lot, especially considering my character can fly under his own power, but still can't cross the river for some reason.

[Harroghty]

I would not call this a bug per se because it operates as intended. I will do the due diligence on Silverymoon and investigate the issue, but if we open the other gates then it seems to obviate the whole deal of the moon bridge and Tantar's.

My immediate reaction is that it's an expensive mistake that you would probably only make twice (at most).

[Ceir]

Right, okay, I can understand the videogamey logic behind this. You want to charge someone 2 platinum to enter the city during the day. That's fair and I'm on board. The presentation could use some revision, not simply for the lost money a new player experiences, but because it stretches the imagination a bit too far. If there was an 'outside' room for the gates you could enter from the world map, which served only the purpose of a NPC's scripted recitation that the gates were closed from entry, that would be an easier pill to swallow.

Again, it's nothing all that critical but it's a somewhat jarring inconsistency in a game that usually plays it pretty straight (the peacebond script is pretty damn cool, from what little I've seen of it)

[Algon]

I think you hit the nail right on the head when you said the word "GAME". Somethings like this are just going to have to be taken with a grain of salt. Silverymoon is a known good city and a safe haven for good people. It makes complete sense to have a single way into the city that is heavily guarded. If you need to justify it somehow, let's just say that the magical words on those gates only allow for one way travel, this way the city watch is able to make sure that no unwanted elements are able to slip in and deal harm.

[Trillarel]

Well, the idea with the outside room is not too bad.

[Alexan]

I think you hit the nail right on the head when you said the word "GAME". Somethings like this are just going to have to be taken with a grain of salt. Silverymoon is a known good city and a safe haven for good people. It makes complete sense to have a single way into the city that is heavily guarded. If you need to justify it somehow, let's just say that the magical words on those gates only allow for one way travel, this way the city watch is able to make sure that no unwanted elements are able to slip in and deal harm.

I'm with Algon on this one. Too many hang ups on things that by and large have been accepted so far in the game, or just don't need fixing. The entrance is immersive, and though I have not spoken to the area creators, I would assume the other exits are just to make leaving the city easier, and were never designed to be entrances.

As for an outside room, it seems to be work once again unneeded. As Harroghty said, this is a mistake that I think most people will make only once (I did, and without coin I ended up explring the area a bit more and having fun until nightfall). When you first enter the city, you only enter into the beginning area, and without an option, why should there be any need to tell people that they cannot exit through entrances they don't know about?

To put it into easier terms, when you first entered, did you know of the different entrances, or did you only see the one and entered that way? And to follow-up, why would you expect leaving the city that you would suddenly get a new entrance?Waterdeep shows it's four entrances, Silverymoon shows one.

Maybe you knew by books, but the game does not 100% reflect books. Even the maps on the site show that the overworld is not exactly to the Faerun map, nor is Waterdeep. Things change or are updated by events, limitations, and the like. If I were to say anything, get rid of the other exits then and keep the fun, immersive one.

[Harroghty]

So I read up on Silverymoon again (VGtN, A Grand Tour of the Realms, etc.) and, yes, there are four gates on the northern side of the river. The reading does not make it clear whether or not one is allowed pass through them from the outside, but it does stress the defensive wards around the city and the tactical importance of the moonbridge over the river Rauvin (protected by wards that would, for example, prevent you from simply flying across it).

So, I will go back and add some stuff to the gates to make it clear that they are one way exits from the city. This is not a big deal because I do not have a lot of time tonight to work on the game after returning home from work around 9 p.m. my time, however; I just want to point out that while I am happy to pursue little enhancements like this they add up and cumulatively take away time from more beneficial things like whole new areas. I will typically run things like this to ground very quickly because that's how I am wired, but I just ask for some discretion in what you want to bring up because I would really rather spend my time working on more valuable projects. Thanks.

[Harroghty]

The gates now have an IC warning about their one way nature. This will be live on the game port with the next update.

[Trillarel]

Danke schon!