General Category > Suggestions & Ideas
A newbs life in school, quest academy and after.
Bane:
Its taken me a bit longer to get the ball rolling on this thread then I anticipated but here it is. I still have more work to do on fully gathering up everything but we can at least have a thread dedicated to this and at least get the general goals discussed more thoroughly..
Some of the points I want to bring up is :
1. What kind of equipment is in the School, Quest Academy, and the 8 Newbie Zones?
2. Is this equipment well balanced for all 3 types of classes (Rogues, Fighters, and Casters) found throughout the starting areas?
3. After the school, academy, and newbie areas are newbies really ready to face the 4D world?
4. How can we better help prepare the newbies to make it easier on them to find a massive world as 4D fun and enjoyable at a lower level?
Upon starting off you are given a sub issue helmet a weapon and one special item that is fitted towards your class, a backpack and some letters with information on them.
Fighters get the red cape of the squire and a longsword
Casters get the magical glasses and no weapon.(the magical glasses needs to be changed to an about item I will bring up why further in the post.)
Rogues get the thiefs cloak and a dagger
As they continue to go down they run into another backpack that has a few more items in them :
a sub issue dagger
a sub issue vest
a sub issue helmet
a lantern
a buffalo waterskin
a letter with some information
Now there is no information in this room to tell you to pick up the backpack and get the items from the backpack. So why is it even there? Another point is why give them another helmet they already have in the first place and give them another weapon so early in the game? Which one should they use?
I personally feel this backpack just needs to be removed. We can add waterskin and the letter to items they receive when they first login.
Now they continue to the next room and Lionel is waiting for them to tell them to get items from the box, practice their first skills, and tells casters to look up manifest and orb. Now, what exactly is a caster suppose to manifest when they receive no weapon to start out with? So I personally feel that
A. They need to receive a weapon they can manifest when they first login
or
B. Have Lionel give them a weapon and walk them through the manifest.(I like this choice better)
Now moving onto the chest that is in the room with Lionel.
Inside you find :
a bear skin(an about)
a pair of deer skin trousers
a pair of deer skin moccasins
Now the trousers and moccasins I'm fine with but not the bear skin. Fighters and Rogues already start out with an about item. Why give them another one? We are forcing them to choose already when they have no idea which is better. Lets change this to the sub issue vest that is found in the backpack in the room before.
Now lets move onto the the 4dimenions of the school, They provide great information and I'm happy and content with what they provide. My only objections to these zones is what some of the zone offers as rewards for doing small quests
Prehistoric upon doing a quest you receive a great face item.
a face mask, striped in red and white is a type of armor made from base-material
It is from the dimension Old West
It can be taken and worn on TAKE FACE
Its weight is 1 and its valued at 0 coins.
If worn it will give you --
2 to your Strength
2 to your Constitution
25 to your Maxmove
AC-apply is 2
Also applies innate armor
Great item, for starting out. No complaints. We also run into a piece of flint and another pair of shoes. Once again we are wanting them to choose which is better. I think they should just be removed considering how many weapons they will run into during the school.
Now lets move onto the medieval zone. Here you learn about tiers, how to talk on all channels, how to greet people, how to; post,mail and notes, potions, pills, wands, rules, mortals and immortals. We also run across a few items id like to mention. A short sword from killing the squire and 2 quest items. A small dagger and a ring
a thin gold ring is a type of armor made from base-material
It can be taken and worn on TAKE FINGER
It is glowing
Its weight is 1 and its valued at 50 coins.
If worn it will give you --
1 to your Constitution
AC-apply is 2
a small dagger is a type of weapon made from base-material
It can be taken and worn on TAKE WIELD
It is undonateable melt-on-drop
Its weight is 3 and its valued at 50 coins.
Wanted Weapon Balance: (base)-=======0=================-(tip)
Actual Weapon Balance: (base)-=======0=================-(tip)
This balance gives the weapon 20 speed, 40 accuracy and 5 evasion.
The one handed weapon is a 35cm Dagger that can pierce at 8D9 damage.
This weapon gives a chance of landing attacks to
(Head)
( 9%)
(Upper)-(Upper)
(18%)(Left) (Torso) (Right)(36%)
(18%)
(Lower)-(Lower)
(Left ) (Right)
( 9%) ( 9%)
a short sword is a type of weapon made from base-material
It can be taken and worn on TAKE WIELD
It is undonateable melt-on-drop
Its weight is 6 and its valued at 100 coins.
Wanted Weapon Balance: (base)-=====0===================-(tip)
Actual Weapon Balance: (base)-=====0===================-(tip)
This balance gives the weapon 14 speed, 43 accuracy and 9 evasion.
The one handed weapon is a 60cm Shortsword that can slash at 4D7 damage.
This weapon gives a chance of landing attacks to
(Head)
(10%)
(Upper)-(Upper)
(20%)(Left) (Torso) (Right)(20%)
(10%)
(Lower)-(Lower)
(Left ) (Right)
(20%) (20%)
Love the ring and the dagger is good. Now I dont know what I think about the squire. Upon looking at him and the note left in the room hes made out to be bad ass. Hes pretty weak and easily killed just like the bear. Personally I feel like we should and want to make sure they find this dagger with telling you to talk to the cook.. So maybe get rid of the sword because its weaker then the dagger and change the squire description.
Lets move onto the old west. Here they learn about mounts, range weapons(which sucks atm), tokens, mazes(no reward), timetraps, and they get 2 quest items.
I feel like they should earn something for the maze. Even if its just experience or maybe an earring. There's only one other earring found in the newbie area and its in the old west newbie zone.
Now move onto the quest items
We get :
a green bandana is a type of armor made from base-material
It can be taken and worn on TAKE FACE
Its weight is 1 and its valued at 3 coins.
If worn it will give you --
5 to your Strength
-1 to your Armor
AC-apply is 1
and
a pair of wire framed spectacles is a type of armor made from base-material
It can be taken and worn on TAKE EYES
It is undonateable unsellable
Its weight is 1 and its valued at 4000 coins.
If worn it will give you --
25 to your Maxmove
4 to your Constitution
AC-apply is 2 applies inn infra
Now, they already have a great face item if they did the quest in pre historic. So why are we giving them another one. I think this should be moved to maybe neck? It would make sense to have a bandana around your neck. The wire framed spectacles, awesome item I love infravision in the dark. Now this is where I bring up why I think casters starting item of magical glasses needs to be moved to an about. Because their starting item they are already having to give up because the spectacles and glasses are both face items.
As we move onto the future I really don't see anything wrong here. We get another weapon 16d4 its alright again we are making them decide which is better.
As they move forward they go through the quest academy upon finish it and turning in all vouchers they receive an olive branch, and (gold?). I personally feel the olive branch is more suited for melee fighters, because you don't obtain all that great of an ulti. This is something we can debate.
Now if we was going to keep some of the items I asked to be removed to help them not get confused on what to use how about we give them some more help on deciding which is better. Compare is crap I personally think and once they get a few levels under their belt and understand the game more its never used again because of how cheap scrolls of identify are. I was discussing this with Loria about maybe adding a script to the feather that allows them to cast identify with it(making sure they don't have to hold it so it doesn't send them to the clan hall) but as long as they are say below level 20? maybe 30 and still in seekers let them use script as much as their heart pleases.
I also dislike how many chances you are given to drop out in school, its like hey this is to hard or to boring go ahead and drop out. I think we should maybe only give the chance at the start then tell them if they wish to leave to just use recall, instead of having school drop outs everywhere.
As far as stats concerned starting out, I personally believe they are fine. Everything seems to be Move, Con , And str. Something that can help all classes early out. I believe once they leave the school the balance of stats should be talked about and discussed in the newbie areas and then out. But that will be in my next post.
Last but not least something I want to bring up is the donation pit in the starting area, what decides if an item goes there? I personally dont feel like we should 2 donation pits. Just causes more of what is better then what.
So im going to go ahead and recap some changes I think need to be done in the school and starting out in general. :
1. Changes casters starting item to an about item, Could call it {cb Mystical {cx cloak. Give it the same stat as the glasses make it an about.
2. Start them all out with the standard issue vest, waterskin, note that is found in the backpack on the ground before lionel
3. Remove the travelers backpack before Lionel.
4. Remove the about item found in Lionel box.
5. Have Lionel walk casters through manifesting an item, either he gives them an item or start them out with an item to manifest.
5. Remove the flint and moccasins found in prehistoric area.
6. Remove the sword from the squire and change his description in the medieval area
7. Give them a reward for the maze.(Money, Exp, Earring?)
8. Move green banana to a neck slot so it doesn't interfere with the face mask slot.
9. Is olive branch adequate enough for casters? 1.44 multi. Seems more for melee fighters with the 10d10 and 25 max hit. reg stats are :
an olive branch is a type of weapon made from base-material
It can be taken and worn on TAKE WIELD
It is undonateable unsellable
Its weight is 4 and its valued at 0 coins.
If worn it will give you --
2 to your Strength
25 to your Maxhit
Wanted Weapon Balance: (base)-===0=====================-(tip)
Actual Weapon Balance: (base)-====0====================-(tip)
This balance gives the weapon 0 speed, -1 accuracy and 0 evasion.
The one handed weapon is a 40cm Whip that can stab at 10D10 damage.
This weapon gives a chance of landing attacks to
(Head)
(12%)
(Upper)-(Upper)
(24%)(Left) (Torso) (Right)(24%)
(24%)
(Lower)-(Lower)
(Left ) (Right)
( 7%) ( 7%)
10. Discussion of adding a identify script on to the seeker feather.
11. Removing all of the drop outs in school except one at the start, and telling them how to recall out if they wish to leave the school and return later.
12. The newbie donation pit. Is it needed?
Now, I still have 2 more posts to come with after this, talking about the newbie zones then the discussion of how to direct them further in game. So if you respond as of right now keep it to starting out and school only till i have the other posts up which should be either later tonight or tomorrow.
Bane:
Reserved for newbie zones
Bane:
Reserved
Calypso:
I like your idea about Lionel teaching the newbie casters how to manifest. I also liked your idea in another thread (or just a discussion we had or something) about creating a quest that teaches newbies how to find their own equipment. I think there should be something added that explains how to understand the stats of the different eq and weapons. You and i talked about this before which led to the thought that maybe the feather could have cast identity on it.
I think it would be helpful, too, to add something to the hint channel or newbie quests scripts or room descripts that tell newbies something to the affect of "Newbie Casters can find a great piece of equipment in the Robber Baron's Castle" "Newbie Melees can find a great piece of eq in the Newbie Old West Zone". I say that because newbies (particularly those new to mudding) really don't know what they are looking for or even that they should be looking for something. We don't have to give them the item gift wrapped, just alert them to the existence of it. That could lead to motivation and creativity.
horus:
Love your work Bane! 4D definitely needed this.
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