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MS Open Server concern

Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 1:49 am
by Khazar Stoneblood
Not sure if this is the place, so feel free to delete or move it if it's not.

I recently created my alt PC on Moonshaes. And while it's a beautiful server, I did have issues with the static content. Some of the direction for delivery quests were kind of confusing, and finding statics was not easy for me.

This may have been a "me" problem, but on TSM (where my alt travelled to), things seem a bit easier to navigate (possibly because the statics seem to be mainly centered on a couple of locales (Rivermoot, Silverymoon), instead of spread out amongst a multitude of islands.

While I know the POINT of ALFA is not the statics, it's probably not a best case scenario where new players struggle to find something to do if nobody is logged on. Perhaps some sort of direction on one of the statues in the opening area pointing a player to a key location or two in the starting cities to find some lvl 1 appropriate "work" to do if another player or DM isn't logged on.

If information of that sort has been added or was already there a week ago... then marke me as unobservant and just delete the post. But I'm hesitant to move my PC back to help welcome potential new players if I can't find something for my PC to do when I'm alone. How am I going to show them something to do if I manage to meet up with them (other then my tavern roleplaying skills).

Re: MS Open Server concern

Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 2:32 pm
by CloudDancing
I agree entirely. I posted a "Help Wanted" post in an attempt to get someone who can script to make static content for Cowelltown and Lowhill as a starting rea. Mail quests do need more descriptive text. And we could use an interactive map to make more sense of travelling on MS. Otherwise the server does not have much to offer in regards to content that orients new players to Alfa or gives them a sense of achievement WHICH is (in small amounts) a psychological lure for good play time.

Re: MS Open Server concern

Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 3:54 pm
by dergon darkhelm
I know this is a "Why don't you all get to work while I sit on my a** " kind of comment but ...


If the Moonshaes are going to be welcome mat for our community, it could use some good high quality statics. Not FedEx stuff, but some good "adventure" based static material.

Re: MS Open Server concern

Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 4:30 pm
by FoamBats4All
Fully agree. Being our face, we should put some effort into making MS our most attractive server. Let's doll her up.

Oh, wait. Work doesn't happen through forum posts. Any ideas/volunteers?

Re: MS Open Server concern

Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 5:29 pm
by Zelknolf
It would probably be worthwhile to document specific suggestions and specific deficiencies-- working to gather the information and document it as actionable items is a blindingly-simple task, which anyone can take up without any particular guidance or oversight. Even more worthwhile if you're willing to actually work on improving situations here once we have that.

But as a general rule, a person who claims to want change but an unwillingness to work for that change is interpreted as someone who doesn't actually want the change very much. I would claim that such is accurate, as it demonstrates that it's not important enough to you to do anything about it.

Re: MS Open Server concern

Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 5:39 pm
by CloudDancing
Ugh. For all the things I can do, my limitations prevent me from creating statics because I consistently forget text/words/commands and I confuse letters and numbers. Those people who have mucked through my weak attempts at programming merchants and automatic transitions/doors know this. They kindly put up with me, but I REALLY REALLY wish I could make statics as well as I build environments.

If every person who was good at making statics just made one or two, we'd have a whole bunch. Just a pet project for a lazy Sunday afternoon or something?
I'd be glad to sit on chat and provide the content.

Re: MS Open Server concern

Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 6:30 pm
by Inwintersshadow
Can you recommend a good static tutorial? I was talking to Castano about making the interior for the Xobob Shop and perhaps a static for it as well. If I'm any good at it I'll see what I can do about making more statics.

Re: MS Open Server concern

Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 7:27 pm
by Zelknolf
Well-- as I note in my help wanted post, I have no idea if our tutorial is any good, but we do have one right here that tries to cover the basic concepts of how ACR quests are put together. It's only really set up for simple skill challenges and FedEx type stuff-- but those are the most common statics because they're the first kind you want to make if you want to learn.

If you do attempt to use it, please provide folk on tech feedback about it, even if that feedback is "Yeah, I wrote a quest with it. Seems to work." We're currently totally in the dark as to what the average player actually knows for lack of feedback currently.

Re: MS Open Server concern

Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 7:52 pm
by FoamBats4All
Zelknolf wrote:It would probably be worthwhile to document specific suggestions and specific deficiencies-- working to gather the information and document it as actionable items is a blindingly-simple task, which anyone can take up without any particular guidance or oversight. Even more worthwhile if you're willing to actually work on improving situations here once we have that.
I started such here: Moonshae Wishlist

Re: MS Open Server concern

Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 10:42 pm
by Khazar Stoneblood
Well, one of my worries about sitting down with the toolset and learning the tools to create ALFA content is I actually would like to play on the server and I wouldn't feel comfortable about playing content I created. I also think that part of what makes someone good at writing statics would be familiarity with the server itself... which I most certainly do not have for any ALFA server at this point. Took me 3 days to find the way to get off of the server.

But I will look at the guide to statics mentioned earlier and see if I can come up with some ideas and at least create some skeletons that someone with more knowledge of the server can flesh out and add. I work in software development so in theory I should be able to pick it up... but my expertise lies mainly in SQL, fairly arcane math functions (particularly financial in nature), and finding and repairing faults in existing systems.

Re: MS Open Server concern

Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 11:06 pm
by FoamBats4All
Khazar Stoneblood wrote:Well, one of my worries about sitting down with the toolset and learning the tools to create ALFA content is I actually would like to play on the server and I wouldn't feel comfortable about playing content I created. I also think that part of what makes someone good at writing statics would be familiarity with the server itself... which I most certainly do not have for any ALFA server at this point. Took me 3 days to find the way to get off of the server.
The problem is that almost everyone develops excuses like this -- and you've got a nice circular logic going there. Can't develop for a server without knowing/playing it, can't play on a server you develop for/know.

Anyone around that doesn't have excuses?

Re: MS Open Server concern

Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 11:52 pm
by Khazar Stoneblood
And on a side note, a useful quest for the server would probably be something to get players used to the somewhat different geography that the Moonshaes has. Ideally a circular (or as close as can be done with the layout of the transitions) string of message deliveries that both shows a new player the layout of the server and gives them some information about things not on the path.

For example... let's say there are 6 towns, named A-F. The starting points for new players are in towns A, C and E.

Town A: Tavernkeeper ask PC to deliver a note to a brewery in town B asking to double the next shipment because there are more soldiers in town due to frequent raids by orcs from the hills to the north. Gives very easy to understand directions.

Town B: Brewer takes note (PC gets small XP/gold reward... which will happen at each delivery). He asks the player to deliver the note to the head of a mercenary company at a tavern (which happens to be a major PC gathering place) and ask him to supply a couple more guards for the shipment. The mercenary captain asks him to go to Town C to send some of his mercenaries over. Gives good directions.

Town C. The mercenaries take the note and talk about how they're happy to go because of the conflict in that town between (insert names of thieves guilds/political factions/whatever conflict is actually in the town). Ask player to deliver a note to a sweetheart/wife to let her know he'll be away for a while on business. Sweetheart takes note but is upset because she recieved a letter from her mother in Town D who's had issues with rats in her cellar eating food (because what kind of intro would be complete without killing rats in someone's cellar). Asks player to deliver a special rat poison.

Town D. Mother takes the poison thankfully and mentions some other problems she's been having... particularly with wolves eating her livestock. She asks the player to go to the lord of Town D and let him know. The lord accepts the message and says he'll handle it. The lord mentions some trade issues with Town E and asks the players to deliver the note to a trade coster there.

Town E. Trade coster agent takes note. Explains issues with pirates raiding the sea trade as a reason for interuption. He then asks the player to go to the docks and deliver a note to the ship captain. The captain takes the note, says some more stuff about the pirate issues, then asks them to take a note to a noted smith in Town F about some new harpoon tips.

Town F. Smith takes order and asks player to go to a tavern (another PC meeting place) to ask his apprentice to come back. The apprentice agrees, then asks player to go to the apothecary in town A to inquire about a poultice for a rash in a "personal place".

Town A. Apothecary takes order. Asks player to deliver a hangover cure to the tavernkeeper (where the chain began).

The entire circle can only be completed once. It can be started or ended at any point... once they get back to the beginning the next quest option simply won't be available the second time. It gives the player a guide to the layout of the server, some coin and xp and if hte dialogue is fleshed out well, some details about what's going on with the server in terms of history, power dynamics, and other areas where some adventure might be had. Hopefully, the route would take them through places frequented often by other players and give them a chance to interact with those who are on. For each PC starting point, the starting area should point them to where to begin the quest (I'm talking about one of the statues saying... if you start in Town A, ask around the tavern for work... in Town C there are rumors of a woman at place X who's looking for help)

The Waterdeep server on NWN1 had a quest chain like this to introduce players to the layout of the city.

Again... I don't know the MS server anywhere near well enough to put something like that together or I'd take a stab at it.

Re: MS Open Server concern

Posted: Tue Jun 18, 2013 12:22 am
by Khazar Stoneblood
FoamBats4All wrote:
Khazar Stoneblood wrote:Well, one of my worries about sitting down with the toolset and learning the tools to create ALFA content is I actually would like to play on the server and I wouldn't feel comfortable about playing content I created. I also think that part of what makes someone good at writing statics would be familiarity with the server itself... which I most certainly do not have for any ALFA server at this point. Took me 3 days to find the way to get off of the server.
The problem is that almost everyone develops excuses like this -- and you've got a nice circular logic going there. Can't develop for a server without knowing/playing it, can't play on a server you develop for/know.

Anyone around that doesn't have excuses?

Another problem is people that respond like you tend to make people who are offering limited or qualified help not want to help at all. Forget I posted, I'll go back to playing and leave the responsible members of the community alone.

Re: MS Open Server concern

Posted: Tue Jun 18, 2013 1:42 am
by Inwintersshadow
Thanks Zel, I'll look at it and see what I can do with it.

Regarding content, way I figure it is if I make something for the server I'm playing on if it isn't something for my player I'll ignore it unless it comes up in RP.

I'll try to be detailed in my feedback especially as from what you're saying you have little to none on what works in the tutorials or in reactions to the statics you've mentioned the tutorial in question is meant to help us learn to create.

What I have in mind is a simple fetch static which will require limited travel on the MS server, but will give people an IC reason to move from WD to MS and then back to WD.

I think it might give new players an idea of how much access to even more content and adventure they will have if they apply to become members. WD has a portal to WHL which gives access to the other servers after all...

Re: MS Open Server concern

Posted: Sat Jul 06, 2013 5:09 am
by Castano
guys the server comes with maps galore. I would seriously download them and look at them.

Most destinations are reachable by boat from one of two cities Kingsbay or Corwell then further boats going deeper inland. Some quests will indeed be hard if you do not look here:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/207 ... %20map.jpg