My take on the current game

[Isolrem]

Hi, I just decided to revisit the game today after a 2 year absence to see what has changed. Actually I was quite surprised that the MUD survived at all (as most others I played didn't) so good job there. It was also nice to see a lot of people I used to know still playing. However, I confess that my own experience with creating a new character was not very enjoyable. I understand that leveling has been made much more difficult now, in fact it took me around an hour of dummy bashing to get to level 3 where before it would have taken around 5 minutes. I can certainly appreciate this change, and certainly in D&D leveling is supposed to require a large endeavor, but my biggest qualm is that now with the regeneration ticks coming slower (or so it appears to me), and both combat and movement costing stamina, there simply isn't enough stamina for a low level character. Even roleplaying and questing requires quite a lot of moving around, and having to rest for 5 minutes for every 20 steps does not make an inviting gaming experience. I think if you are going to let people stay at low levels for longer you should decrease the stamina consumption of just walking around the city (and/or increase regeneration). That is just my two cents, for now, speaking as a new player, I am way too frustrated with being forced to do nothing over 50% of the time to enjoy the game.

[Raona]

I'm inclined to agree, in that even when I started playing the game there was great frustration in running out of stamina from just walking about. I understand why a huge pool of stamina might be problematic, in that PCs would be able to flee any fight that wasn't going their way. Perhaps stamina could be less strongly tied to level, and more strongly tied to age/race/CON, and/or the cost for walking movement reduced while the stamina cost of combat kept high.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Isolrem.

[Mele]

Dummies are not the only thing to gain exp from. You'll find yourself gaining much more on things which are not dummies.

If you're fighting in an hometown without a close by alternative for the low level, this is why said hometown cost you kismet. It's harder to start there.

The changes that were made were actually fixing things, not to make them harder. The years of an easier time were thanks to a lack of code support to specific things. (An hour on dummies to level 10 is pretty illogical, really.)

If you want to get back into the swing of things from an absence you should start fresh without using your kismet and head to Waterdeep - remember close places that are not dummies(namely sewers), and travel with friends for even more experience.

Get your feet wet, then step into the pond.

[Briek]

The journey from 1-10 has been called many times "The Grind" but to be honest it isn't that hard and 15 or so hours (with RP in between of course) can see you to level 10 with no problems, dummies in the Font for example are only useful (this is my point of view) to get you to level 3, by then I always say goodbye to the Font or newbie area, wherever you happen to start. As for more stamina I do agree also that more is needed, or at least that constitution bonus gives you a better recharge.

[Sithiel]

You can get to level 9 using dummies as well. It is just very very boring, but in places like Skullport you got to. I remember once starting there and it was going through hell at lower levels, espesially when mobs from skull caverns chased you to the city and made you an apetite if you tried to level there

[Mele]

Thus, kismet cost. ;)

[Kallias]

Since I first started playing this game about 3 or 4 or 5 years ago (Jesus, time flies), I believe I've seen a steady improvement from both standard of play by players and backed up by consistent and improvement oriented staff. While the improvements are slow going, I'm happy to say I haven't seen any negative game changes that weren't reversed shortly after while the vast majority have been for the betterment of the game.

While I know I often come across as a bit uncouth, it's mostly because I consider damn near all of you friends - so I often don't guard my opinions like I'm speaking to a judge at Model UN Debate tournament. I probably should apologize more than I do, so just know if I ever do offend you...and I will, it doesn't mean anything - it's just how I'm use to conversing with the people in my daily life during disagreements. I can promise I won't hold it against you if you wind up verbally beating me like a rented mule.

I never would have felt comfortable enough speaking my mind under the previous administrations. I feel trust with GM's is of the utmost importance in a game, which has increased exponentially since I've begun.

[Elke]

The journey from 1-10 has been called many times "The Grind" but to be honest it isn't that hard and 15 or so hours (with RP in between of course) can see you to level 10 with no problems.

Actually, I'd like to say this - levelling as a -wizard- is a lot, lot harder because combat is not your forte and until you reach about level ten (I think I remember I got it at about half a level's xp and level 9?) there's no access to the meditation skill, so you tend to throw your handful of spells and then have to sit around or sleep for a very long time. I would add to this that for the starting player the lack of knowledge about where to go will also hold you back.

Honestly, frustration almost led to me quitting at one point, so I can completely sympathise here.

[Zorinar]

I remember when I was just starting out with my wizard, pretty much my first (and still only) real full time character. The first ten levels were just incredibly boring due to the lack of meditation skill, lack of spell slots and stamina. I remember finding that certain mobs and dummies were not even giving exp, while others were, to complicate the matter. It was quite a challenge to stick around. In hindsight, however, it was just boring. Going from level 10 to 20 was actually much harder for my wizard, in my opinion. That is where the stamina issue really kicks in, weakness as a wizard, lack of money for spells etc...

I always thought it would be nice to have a mandatory quest in the newbie areas that don't require kismet. (more players around those areas) A quest where you actually have to talk to other players in the game, or somehow do a bit of interaction that would serve as a kind of role play introduction for new people to the mud, and perhaps have it give them a level in exp.

Z

[Jharthyne]

One thing that I like abt FK is that, you can always volunteer to fix things. For example, if you think that killing dummies is boring, why not offer to build a low-level quest (or quests) for new characters, so that they have other alternatives to gaining experience without having to grind for hours on end?

I used to build areas, and play quite often, but for the past few yrs, real life has decided to get in the way. But if you need a hard coder for quests, I may still be able to help out.

[Balek]

I have just a few things to comment on here. First, the stamina issue. I tend to agree that characters don't have enough stamina in the early levels. This is somewhat mitigated by the fact that most of your leveling early on can be done in places that are close to where you start (especially if you start in Waterdeep). Still, even characters that start in Waterdeep will run into lots of situations where they have to sit down and rest for five or ten minutes to get their stamina back. I think that higher level character should have more stamina than lower level ones, but the curve should be somewhat flatter. That is to say, if (and these are made up numbers) a level 1 character has 100 stamina points and a level 50 character has 5000 stamina points right now, we should flatten it out to the point where maybe a level 1 character has 1000 stamina points and a level 50 has 5000. It maintains the kind of steady level by level improvement we expect while also eliminating (or at least diminishing) an aggravation that doesn't serve any beneficial purpose (at least none that I can see).

With regard to the boredom of killing dummies, yes it is boring. You'll find however that there are other areas that you can use that might yield better experience. Ask around in character, others will be able to suggest areas (some may even be willing to go with you and help out). This is especially useful for wizards. As many have pointed out, wizards have limited spell slots and lots of down time when they're just starting out. This can be remedied in part by combining forces with fighter type characters who have less downtime. It lets you save your spells for the times that you really need them.

One thing that more experienced players can do to help out new guys is to offer them quests. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, but it's nice if it's something that will dovetail with a task they'll already be working on. As Balek I like to offer people a gold piece for every goblin toe they bring me (with the caveat that it must be from a goblin that they killed themselves). Sometimes I might offer them a better mundane weapon for 30 goblin toes or something along those lines. If you see two new characters, make sure they know about each other and send them out together so they can get to know each other and work on the task cooperatively. It doesn't usually end up costing me very much money compared to what I'm capable of making as a level 50 character, but it means a lot to those new guys and I think it makes them more likely to stick around.

[Raona]

If I may be so bold, I'll add that there's a tactical issue here:

• If you are a low-level wizard, working alone, you'll likely have to stick to fighting beasties that you can handle alone in melee. (They exist, but are pretty feeble.) The alternative is, yes, meditating all the time, which isn't really viable, at least from an IC standpoint.
• If you are a low-level wizard, in a group, the smart move is to save your firepower for just about when it is time to turn around; when your group runs into something the melee experts can't handle alone, and to cover your group's return to whence you came from. If you burn all your spells from go, at the monsters the muscle could handle alone, you'll either be stopping them to meditate all the time (at least here it makes IC sense, they can guard you), or you won't contribute much to the group: you will have spent all your firepower on beasties they could have handled without you.

Too many wizards seem to think their melee abilities are unimportant. At least at low levels, they are essential.

NB: All this "wisdom" from one who's never played a wizard on FK...so feel free to ignore or correct me!

[Elke]

Correction time!

Well no, everything that's been said is mostly true, but finding someone of the right approximate level, in the right location, of an appropriate ethos/alignment to party with, can be a lot, lot harder than it looks.

Elke did indeed do wonderfully teamed up with a fighter at low levels, providing back up melee hits and then saving her spells for the more dangerous enemies that would have torn up the fighter otherwise. But that entirely depended on her finding a willing fighter to team up with.

The lack of meditation means that partying with a very low level wizard is an act of extreme patience/endurance for the other player. Thankfully Elke encountered higher level characters who were willing to wander around Howling Peak with her for a while and put up with the long, long breaks during which she rested, providing fun and interesting rp. But even now she has fellow party members grow mildly impatient whilst she reprepares for a specific adventure and meditates.

I honestly think that back then, other low level characters might have been disinclined to party with her because honestly, in the time taken for her to rest and restore her spells they could probably have levelled themselves...Survivability might have made it viable (the fighter + wizard -could- take the wererats in the sewers without risking death) but not necessarily that viable.

Next, there aren't obvious pointers to the best places to go. My personal suggestion here would be a quest from the priest at the Font mentioning the restless parishioners.

Finally, I'd repeat something I've suggested before about improving and lowering costs for, coach travel. I mean realistically, the two platinum is pretty much a random farmer's life savings. By the time it becomes feasible to pay that sort of coin you can probably ride or fly anyway. Often, the vast majority of PC's are in or near Waterdeep and the other cities are left empty. If it cost silver instead of platinum to travel, low level characters could visit new places without risking being pasted by bandits, and perhaps it would be more likely that there would be gatherings in Westgate or Highmoon rather than in Waterdeep.

Bring on economy coach!