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Date:    2012 Oct 19 22:24
To:      dentin all
From:    draak
Subject: newbie mainland transitioning and Ralnoth
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I think the main issue with getting newbies to transfer to the  mainland is
Ralnoth itself. I have some observations and suggestions.

1. Player Economy

This is the biggest difference between Ralnoth and the island towns. It is
static. The shopkeepers and guildmasters don't have much for you to do.
They don't send you on quests or errands. They don't send you out to nearby
areas so you can learn the topography, nor does there appear to be any
internal intrigue.

Suggestion: put quests and tasks on mobs where appropriate. Have them send
people out of the area to retrieve items or deliver messages. The latter
point is closely related to my next two observations.

Another town that could use this is Daigaku-Tatami.

2. World Integratation

Ralnoth exists as the effective center of the world, but is poorly
integrated into it due to its age.

There is no embassy for Jo'Kerin, Dragontooth, Elborat or Daigaku-tatami,
no grain caravans from Cornia, no lumber from Trinsic or the wood elves, no
dwarven merchants selling ore, no bratty teenagers whining that their older
brother ran off to that weird tower to be a monk, no Order of Harmony dojo,
no one wondering what happened to Uncle JoeBob over in Thalos and only a
drunk sings of lost love in Moria.

Suggestion: drop some more names. Have guards and shopkeepers make more
references to other areas in the game and be specific. Maybe add some more
mobs to the streets that represent some of the other areas in the game --
these mobs might be very willing to tell you things about their homelands.
They might even send you there on a quest! (see observation 1)

Careful not to put things that are too far away. Ralnoth might be aware of
the Aztecs, the Naginag Combine or frost dwarves, but it doesn't mean they
have any interaction with them. A lot of newer areas already have robust
quest systems in place, so being sent there might get the player involved
in local quests.

3. Flavor and local Ecology 

Ralnoth has little local flavor, having been made by several different
people trying to make a parts of a generic medieval RPG town. By the time
people have left Archais, they've seen several generic medieval RPG towns
as well as rather exotic ones, too.

Ralnoth needs a better identity. Some questions to ask:

Who is in charge -- A mayor? A city council? the Church of Dentin? the
military?

Where does Ralnoth's food come from? Be specific, as this will help you
fill things out: The baker has raspberry tarts, where does the wheat come
from? The eggs? What about the raspberries? There don't seem to be any.

Do the cityguards exist as part of a miltia or do they answer to a civilian
sheriff or baliff?

Did the jeweler hire his bodyguard from the Thieves' Guild? the Warriors'
Guild? a private company? a criminal organization?

Who trained the Guildmasters? How do the different guilds relate and
interact with each other? Is it illegal to operate outside of guild
sanctions/licensing?

It can go on and on.

Suggestion: answer some questions and adjust accordingly. Simple dialog
will do in most places, though the answers may also help you think of more
ideas related to my former two observations.

Thank you for reading my rambling. 


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