What's the hurry?

[Tyeslan]

Sorry, this might be in the wrong spot, but I thought it would be nice to open this discussion.

I have come across this many times, especially in that past few months, that everyone I run into seems to be running off to train, or all they do is spend countless of hours alone training. Now, sometimes training is inevitable alone, and you do it for a little while, but I find that I get bored easily, and want to train with others, or even just get distracted in RPing.

My question here is, what reason do you train for? Are you in a rush to get higher levels quickly to be among the level 50's running around to protect yourself? Or do you train to get skills taken care of and out of the way, then obtain levels as they come?

I find myself, lately after 2+ years of playing, that I really just want more RP and forget the levels they will come eventually. Do you find yourself that way also?

Sidenote: This isn't to make anyone upset, or pick on those that really like to train alone. I tried to use my I statements to make this clear.

[Lathander]

Good topic! I find with my mortals now that I feel the same way. I suspect it has a lot to do with a player's longevity here on FK. Most FK veterans I've seen eventually come to the same place in their development that you enjoy. Of course, we have a few veterans who still run out, solo train to the exclusion of everything else and then begin their rp once they've reached a personal skill/level goal. Newer players on the whole, I believe, train more than rp for two reasons:

1.) Exploration. We have a vast, wonderful world here that is incredibly inviting to people who have not yet experienced the bulk of it on one character or another. The draw of exploration is strong to those who have not seen it. Even veteran players experience this when new areas are added and there is a rush to see what it has to offer. These new player explorers aren't necessarily grinding for the purpose of grinding, but are out there checking things out, seeing what we have to offer.

2.) Being Relevant. Newer players often encounter L50 veterans with an IC reputation within the FK environment. It's only natural to want to be relevant in a similar way and the path that is seen toward that end is level/skill improvement. Now, we veterans can look back and see that the most reputed characters are the ones that have long, storied histories within the FK world. But to a new player, it looks like a very enticing path to relevance by getting those levels/skills as quickly as possible.

The relevance point is one of the main reasons why Mask and the rest of us are doing what we can to encourage rp story lines. The addition of our new RP story runners (think short rp instigator or mini-DM) is intended to give more life to the game, but also to help build those little histories that continually build relevance and reputation into any character.

One caveat: Just as I recognized the existence of those few veteran players who still rush to individually train and skill level any new PCs in their account, I also recognize that there are newer players who take the slow road of character building. All I'm trying to do here is give my opinion on the "why" of this particular topic.

[Ami]

Personally, I find that having the skills aids in RP... And, I actually enjoy the exploration and mechanics employed in the game. RP is fun, of course, but since I have a tendancy to enjoy playing by myself most of the time, training falls into that easily. It's just more fun for me.

So I guess the answer is, like every game, people have different play styles!

Edit: What Lathander said.

[Brar]

Tye, you've putted into nice words what I've been trying to express since some times. For that I thank you

I join Lathander in that I think it is a generational problem.
Modern MMO all send the same message that real plays begin when you reach the highest level, it is not like the good old tabletop and our mud, but it is the reference for a lot of our new player.
It is our duty to enforce and shows them that it is not the case here in FK.

I think there is a misconception about adventuring, roleplay, being famous requiring to be high level.
That is very untrue, nothing in this game requires you to be high level.

You can be famous at level 16, and I mean real famous in FK by RP means. (cf Heleyn for example and there is surely others)
You can roleplay at any level.
You can adventure at any level, in fact I find it even more fun at low level than high level. It's more tricky, more adrenaline, panic and all than rampaging an area with my monster cleric who just mindlessly launch his alias depending on what is written on the higher part of the screen...

I had the feeling recently that finding a group was a hell of a job by itself and gave up a good number of time.
One of the solution is, as proposed by Mask, the adventurers guild which will allow you to find groups more easily.

I think the immensity of our world also is also a brake toward meeting up.
I must admit that being shy I often don't dare use amulet of com to meet people when I can't find no one (which is often recently).
Also I think that it's a dead end circle that we have to break, we don't meet others so we go on our way, and then others won't find anyone and go on their way, ect...
I sometimes wander from places to places in the hopes to find someone, anyone to roleplay with.
I must admit being guilty of alt hoping, magic mirror and then back to the character I wish to play as to stumble "accidentaly" on someone after more than one hour spend walking from place to place and seeing noone.

It is bad, non IC at all, I honestly admit that, but it is the only way I found to meet people sometimes.

I'm one who don't like to play FK alone, I don't find any pleasure in it (I do not count mining in those as it is not playing for me but repeating a string of command endlessly when I am doing something else like building or help files editing).

Brar, who feels is not clear at all but can't do more in his current fatigued state

[Gorwin]

Well i've played a long time, yet to have one level 50 or any skill besideds comon gm'd but i would have to say that brar is right when he says any level can be "famous". Most of my more reknown alts are simply because of roleplays. I however am also probally one the worse offenders about soloing. Mostly because i always feel like i am slowing folks down when i group. Theres a lot of lonewolfs out there, and i think for alot of them it is because its there characters roleplay. Luckily in Fk we have room for both those who love to solo and those who love to group, and i feel it would be a shame to give folks the impression that they are forced to group up to be sucessful. Granted i enjoy the talks and the roleplays of a group, but i often find that most of the time in groups, no one talks at all. I have literally been in a group once where the only thing spoken was i need to rest. Anyhoo exscuse the ramblin, just wanted to say theres nothing wrong whatsoever with soloing. Theres a balance. and finding what balance works for you is the key to happy gaming.

[Selveem]

Def good questions up in here.

My question here is, what reason do you train for?

Different characters have different reasons. For Szrenzil, because Improved Two-Weapon Fighting requires expert level, which takes a very long time without high Int. For my wizard, it takes a very long time just to level. Between those two lies the bulk of my recent time.

Are you in a rush to get higher levels quickly to be among the level 50's running around to protect yourself?

Yes, I have always sought to join the elite few who have made it all the way to level 50. It is my dream. Okay, not really. On my wizard, It's an experiment to see how long it will take to get to level 50. Why do I want to get to the higher levels on everyone else? Because I want to be useful to other higher levels. If someone needs help in a difficult area, I want to be someone they can rely on to have a compatible character. If someone dies and needs help, I want to be able to help with some others to retrieve the corpse. I want to be able to be a part of higher-end things. You can't do that as a low level without wasting other people's time and/or getting those other people in trouble for 'leading a low level through quests'.

Or do you train to get skills taken care of and out of the way, then obtain levels as they come?

Nope.

I find myself, lately after 2+ years of playing, that I really just want more RP and forget the levels they will come eventually. Do you find yourself that way also?

I did.

The BIG reason I am seen more training than RPing is because it takes so damned long just to achieve my goals. This reason is compounded by the fact that 11+ of my 16 hours of awake time is removed by work. The remaining <5 hours is split up between:

• watching my shows (such as Suits, Love Bites, Friends With Benefits, Trueblood, Dexter, Californication, Weeds, Game of Thrones, The Big C, Camelot, Sparticus)
• watching various movies
• spending time with the roommate
• occasionally spending time with other friends
• playing other games (Team Fortress 2, Recettear, Civilization 5, Terraria)
• Forgotten Kingdoms
• Miscellaneous house stuff (cleaning, shining my armor and swords, etc.)

Because of this, I don't exactly have a huge chunk of time

[Zuldere]

If I solo alone it is for a few reason.
1-needing exp for wizard\priest to get that nifty spell\prayer
2-coins
most all quest I try to be in a group to do, even the lower levels one.
As far as the rp I prefer to spend 90% of the time rping and gain a level when ever I get the exp.
my wizard/priest are a throw back from when a mana bar was used and it taken well over two years just to max them.(and the priest happen from a bug)

[Eltsac]

Hmm... my own experience...

Well it all depends on what PC it is :p

For exemple, Ami or Heleyn will never grind xp, simply because I don't even care levelling with them, they are pure rp PC.

I have a new PC I like to play to level up, discovering some new areas that weren't around in the early years of my older characters, and to feel the "young starting excitment" and looking forward the new relations I will build with others

For my old, high level characters, it will be either rp, or travelling the world to try and discover new areas, travel places I have never been before, ..., or to do some group adventuring.
(With an exception for Eltsac, as I wanted him to be a spell teacher, but most spells were introduced in game after I stoped playing and after he was 50, so I have to grind some xp to try and learn all those new spells for me to teach. I have already spent several level worth xp in those and it's very slow because I really hate and I'm really bad at solo grinding :p ... to earn those xp to find new spells to learn and teach, I will prefer group adventuring than solo grinding)

My best playing experience are small group adventuring (like max 5 or 6 players, going to do some quest or simply visit a dungeon). I think that in those case we can have a good share of rp and adventure all together. Larger group often makes me feel lost in the spam and I think that too many tend to reduce the rp experience.

I have often had the feeling (but it might be wrong) that lately most of rp is "chatting siting on the square" (or somewhere else) and adventuring is often alone or nearly alone.
I'm looking forward how fk is moving to encourage group adventuring and group questing.

El

[Gwain]

I spent 6000 hours leveling Gwain to lv 50, I spent about three years at lv 45. Its mostly because I devote my time to rp. I was much faster on some of my alts, but that was because there was less oppertunities on them for rp.

[Tyeslan]

Gwain, I completely understand that. It took me almost 2 straight years to get Tye to level 50. I have about 2200 hours on her, and spent a lot of time RPing.

I find that I spent a lot of time just pure grinding and not really taking time to RP on a lot of my other characters, and that I might have missed out on a chance to make friends on those characters, or develop an RP in general for them. Lately I have been trying to get out, and meet other people on the MUD. Sometimes it unavoidable to need exp to learn something, but a lot of time I find the level doesn't matter, just the RP experience turns out great.

[Zuldere]

ASame here. i keep coming back for the rp not the leveling.So do many others

[Harroghty]

I believe that you can strike a good balance. Grinding does not have to be solitary though, and it is not always exclusive of RP.

Certainly it ultimately falls down to what is fun for each player.

[Bellayana]

I have about 1000 hours on Valence and he is only level 35.