levels below ten

[Akiren]

Hi everyone,

Just trying to catch up what's going on again. Might I understand that the difficulty to level from 1-10 is to actually encourage the lower levels/new players to get interactive with other characters and learn more about the game before they are allowed to walk around on their own and survive?

In any case, perhaps as Davlyn suggested, one way to reduced the monotony of having to just kill dummies all they long is to create quests. Just as how the weaponmaster issues the first ever quest a player would go through, how about letting the four other apprentice trainers issue quests too?

Have them issue quests that relate to their particular class (e.g. the fighter apprentice might have them deliver weapons to a fighter guild, while the apprentice thief might want shipments from another land etc.) and have the newbie characters find older, more experienced characters to take them around. It doesn't have to entail any fighting (or it may), but all this walking around might allow for character interaction as it allows the new character to make new friends, and allows for new players to get to know the realms even before they reach level 10.

And when they finally return to their respective training areas, the trainer, could offer them experience points instead of glory points, thus reducing the need to grind for exp as much. Or both, that would be up to the IMMS to decide.

By doing this, new characters would already have four newbie quests planted in their respective training areas waiting for them to do.

[Glim]

Not sure if things have been changed, but I was training a lvl 9 (fairly high cha and wis though) character on the Font today. He was getting at what I guessed was about 1-2% per huge dummy, so I really don't see a problem with xp as it stands.

[Orplar]

High charisma and wisdom are the major contributers to xp gain right now though. Some of us, for rp or racial reasons, do not have high numbers in those stats. Making it a wee bit more difficult for the experience gaining process.

[Ekina]

On the issue of the time it takes to gt to L10, I think the issue boils down to a couple of solutions.
1. Make it easier to get those levels faster.
or
2. Make it more things (quests, areas, etc.) available to PCs between levels 5-10.

Whatever happened to this? I would love to see this happen because training any of my low level characters is the most boring thing of my life. I really don't even feel like playing half the time when I know I'm going to be pressing "k h" and "enter" over and over again for hours.

[Selveem]

On the issue of the time it takes to gt to L10, I think the issue boils down to a couple of solutions.
1. Make it easier to get those levels faster.
or
2. Make it more things (quests, areas, etc.) available to PCs between levels 5-10.

Whatever happened to this? I would love to see this happen because training any of my low level characters is the most boring thing of my life. I really don't even feel like playing half the time when I know I'm going to be pressing "k h" and "enter" over and over again for hours.

Hey Ekina,

I know what you mean and understand. I don't completely know if there are still more bugs to be worked out or anything, but I know that this was supposed to be looked at a while back because of the amount of time required.

I agree with you, though. It's been a couple weeks since I've played, but I do know I did not play any of my low level characters at all specifically because of the issue you mentioned. I have heard, however, of some players who are new to the game being able to get to level 30+. I don't know the details of how they managed to get it.. whether they received 'reward's from people or completing quests.. I doubt it was grinding, though.

Is it possible to get someone from the coding team or an Admin to verify whether the changes to the system have been made? Over an hour of killing dummies as a lowbie seems rather excessive.

[Velius]

"The Grind" is crazy. I talked with a person who just came back to FK after years and started a drow. I think it'd be a great idea as Dalvyn brought up to have a lot more things to do over the course of "The Grind" like quests and what not. If we can't change the rate at which we gain XP, why not change WHAT we can do as move towards that level 10 goal. I like how Mithril Hall is, there are so many things to do there and so many quests to do before you hit level 10. In Waterdeep you can talk with people when you are bored of grinding, and in Menzo there is no one to talk to thus you get bored of your drow and decide getting to level 10 is a lost cause. Players should not have to grind mindlessly to get to join that guild.

There should be others ways of gaining XP, grinding shouldn't be our only option. I say open up A LOT more quests all around that give XP as a reward, along with armor and whatnot.

EDITED

[Elenthis]

I agree that more quests will always help the game. Some time ago, we had a 'write a quest' competition and I had a lot of fun with it. Two of my quests are still in-game. I know a LOT of the players around also submitted quests. I think I'll email builders and offer to write more. Perhapse this post will spark others' interest to do the same.

[Lathander]

why not change WHAT we can do as move towards that level 10 goal. I like how Mithril Hall is, there are so many things to do there and so many quests to do before you hit level 10.

Players willing to write quests or design areas for low level PCs are highley encouraged to do so. Send your applications to the BUILDERS e-mail address.

It really isn't a matter of "opening" up areas to lower level players. That implies that we have areas that are closed and just waiting to come in. It is more a matter ofthose areas having to be built. We always encourage players to learn how to build and contribute to the mud in that way. Go for it!

[Velius]

Alright Lathander, thanks, I'll do just that. I want to do my part, I've whined enough about this.

[Velius]

Alright Lathander, thanks, I'll do just that. I want to do my part, I've whined enough about this.

I've written and sent in a quest to you guys just now. Its for new characters in Menzo. Thanks again for all the efforts you guys are putting forth.

[Phata]

Well, I don't know about elsewhere, but just getting to 3/4 of a level between 5 and 6 in Menzo took me nearly 5 hours inside the slave pits. That wasn't even a whole level, I don't have high wisdom or charisma so that could be it ... But what does charisma have to do with level gain I'd want to know the thought there?

And I do understand the reason for slowing levels down, to me it seems like it's too slow for under ten, but that's me. I think spending 30+ hours on just killing mobs might be a little TOO much to get to level 10.

Outside of the slave pits I seem to gain exp faster, but at least in Menzo, and I know it's somewhat true in other areas, there isn't alot for a low level character to go out and fight.

The quest ideas is a good idea, if they give experience, because then that time spent between levels 1-10 would actually teach the character about the world and such, like it's meant to, but if that is the only case for the slow exp gain between 1-10 why is it there for everyone?

And to continue my rambling while I'm thinking of things, I could see some people coming to the mud, spending a few hours and not really going anywhere, you see on the skills list that it's not untill level 15+ that you start really having skills that develop your character code wise, and from what they've been going, it might be many many days of horribly boring playing before they get there(You can RP in between recommended even, but that just means it'd take longer to get the experience).

Perhaps you don't want those people who well leave because they didn't get insta-gratification, which could be understandable, but a good portion of the player base is probably going to be Americans, and Americans ussually like gratification early.

[Selveem]

but a good portion of the player base is probably going to be Americans, and Americans usually like gratification early.

For the record, I am an American player. I would like to say that Selveem is chaste! *duck*

[Velius]

Which is why I send in quests. I personally hate talking to people when I'm decked out in Nubcake Armor, makes me feel weak. I also hate "THE GRIND", and I also hate being poor on this MUD, which is percisely why I sent in a quest that allowed you explore the area arund Menzo, kill mobs, and recieve either a coin or an armor reward.

1. So far we know that "The Grind" is a pain. But then again we have "The Grind" so that we can develop our characters...

2. And we know that there is very little if anything to do at a low level.

Those are our problems, are they not?

Why not have the best of both worlds? Lets keep "The Grind", sure, but if there is nothing to do during the duration of "The Grind", well, I will say it now, how DO we keep our newer players??? If you have ideas to make "The Grind" go by faster, please, do contribute, but don't keep on whining about it.

EDITED TO ADD:
Lathander Wrote:

Players willing to write quests or design areas for low level PCs are highley encouraged to do so. Send your applications to the BUILDERS e-mail address.

If any want to contribute by sending a quest or two ( or even design an area), heres the e-mail address -

fkbuilders@lists.skynet.ie

[Mele]

If early gratification is something that comes below 160+ hours, then I am the biggest fattiest laziest most impatient American ever.

Thanks for the generalization though. ;)