I've tried sailing, and it's cool to have such area to flavor the atmosphere. Nothing happened to the boat yet, but i'm sure that is bound to happen.

I just thought it was a little too long (when nothing happens).

It's only 5mn, but when you're just sitting there and just wait in front of your PC, it's a long 5mn. I dare not take time off the screen in case i come back and find myself in fugue. And when you're travelling alone (which invisibles or sneaks tend to do), you've got no one to RP with to pass time.

I'd suggest lowering the time, or having the sailing area load only when something actually happens, be it attack, trade, or whatever you have thought of.

Any comments on that?

I believe the time is relavent to your destination. The farther away from your starting point, the longer it takes. I've seen 4 minutes to 9 minutes, so far.

I've travelled by boat quite a bit, on my various characters, and I think the time frames seem fairly good. They arn't overly long, but arn't instantenous as well. I'd hate to see these be decreased, as it should take several hours to sail anywhere. The time is wonderful, when your not alone, for RP. I'd think if your out and about, travelling alone, well, you'd likely get bored with no one to talk to. Seems quite IC to me.

(P.S. - You can always just go below deck!, though then you leave the ships fate in the crews hands!!)

Try being arrested. Eeeks, it's much worse.

I have no problem with the the 5-10 minute wait. It's suspenseful, just expecting monsters to show up. Plus, I've found that when going with a group on a boat, it's not rarely even long enough. With the Dark Lake being as huge as it is, 5-10 minutes is unrealistically short.

And the point of loading the boat area and making you wait, even when nothing actually happens, apart from scripting going off smoothly, is that the boat system is not intended to be an instant teleport from one place to your destination. It's intended to be a potentially easier means of getting to places like Mur, and the only means of getting to places like Loblobliiiblop.

Go with interesting people! Talk, discuss, quarrel, romance, etc.!

Reacting to the different events that can happen is fun too. Yesterday, I was tired and didn't feel like chatting when I alt-tabbed out to scan the forums. I came back and a giant vortex had almost consumed my boat. But because we were all kind of being duds, we didn't roleplay it out NEARLY as much as we should have. Make the best out of the trip and it becomes much more fun!

Go below deck, I think you're safe there.

You can also go in the "crows nest" which is actually a bug, but I've been hoping the DM's never find it. Play around, you'll see what I mean. <_<

I really like the boating system. The first time I used it was after a recent DM quest that lasted a couple of RL days. As my PC was coming back, he believed he was the last survivor of the mission (it was perma death). He was completely alone on the boat, out of healing, out of all supplies, badly injured... most of his friends were certainly dead - people he cared for were gone... he didn't even know if the mission was successful.

As he was sailing on the boat he was simply reflecting on everything that had happened, and the area messages (what your PC sees as he travels on the boat) started to appear. He saw a twinkling light in the cavern above that reminded him of a surface star. He took that as a sign that his friends were definitely dead (and they were) and he made a silent wish.

That's when I fell in love with the boating system. It was a depressing moment, and rightfully so! The boating system helped capture the right mood that would have been lost if it was a simple instant teleport. (On the brightside the mission did turn out to be successful which saved the city and meant the death of his friends were not in vain. So I suppose his wish was answered!)

Righto, i'm just the impatient guy. Scratch the post.