Some of you may remember this poll a while back.

According to poll results, the biggest issue was time zone issues followed by lack of playerbase -- we've added three new excellent Dms in the past few weeks, all of whom play regularly on Euro hours. I've noticed that even early mornings for me we're 10+, and usually 25-40 the rest of the day, so my hope is that EfU is rapidly reaching a point where there's plenty to do at all hours of the day and plenty of people to do these things with.

The next issue raised was scripted quests, which I think we've made some huge improvements on. As of a day or two ago, even the ones that commonly got stuck when people died/logged on them should now automatically reset themselves. Quest giving NPCs should (mostly) now all have the level/party size requirements on their descriptions, and you should be able to easily add people to parties/cancel quests/tell when a different group is on a quest, etc.

There's also many, many, many more quests than there used to be, most of which should be different in feel and flavor as well as being appropriately rewarding.

So! Whatever people might think of the server, at the very least they should be aware that we're quite serious about constantly working to improve it and make it more fun.

I'm going to avoid a specific poll this time around, but consider this thread a a place to voice your opinion as to where world building/DM attention and energy should most be focused upon.

Things (I think there are) to do:

1. Reward yourselves for doing all this. EfU is awesome and always becoming more so.

2. Fight lag. It peaked a while back and seems to be getting under control, but its just the one and only thing I find to be an issue here. Do we need all those braziers at the gate?

3. Make the place harder. This is simply personal and I figure an unpopular move, but I would like to see lower rewards for quests, even the early ones. (350 gold for cleaning the town storage? Sure people need to get on their feet, but this is the Underdark here) Maybe some impossible monsters roaming the Underdark (perhaps on a semi-permanent system, like some basilisk just sits down and makes a home in the low road, then migrates around every few RL days until we can mass an army to defeat it or it moves on). Again, this is just me personally talking, and obviously I am a bit of a masochist in this regard and undoubtedly in the minority. But hey, might as well put it out there.

There are some pretty dangerous monsters that can spawn out in the deep areas of the Underdark, including but not limited to drow search parties, roving beholders, and nameless horrors unknown to the surface world. These are quite high CR creatures. They do have a somewhat low probability of appearing, but you would be ill advised to think that the random encounters in our Underdark wilderness will be a walk in the park.

I do like the idea of having monsters block off particular wilderness areas on a semi-permanent basis, and I may incorporate that into the "wartime moving battle lines" system that I am working on designing.

tib Maybe some impossible monsters roaming the Underdark (perhaps on a semi-permanent system, like some basilisk just sits down and makes a home in the low road, then migrates around every few RL days until we can mass an army to defeat it or it moves on).

As for suggestions, I believe that it would be even more awesome if you could stick tiny itty bitty DM-interactions around a bit more... Even just a goblin giving a grunt, a harpie moving close to a group of goblins (saw something similar to this yesterday, which got me thinking), or such small details, -if- you have a moment of idle time. Not, of course, at the sake of other things, or to kill the precious little spare time you have. These small things gives a player a bit of a "jolt", so to speak... "Ooh, something out of the ordinary", a suddenly even more alive world.

Just a little something that I believe wouldn't take much time at all (feel free to prove me wrong), and could be a very nice addition. Even if you might feel that you have to really blow people's minds away every time you interact with them, we don't need big, epic quests all the time to sate us (even though those are certainly one of the most kickass things around!) - even the little things go a long way to deepen the experience down here.

Other than that, just keep at it. I seriously could not imagine a better team of DM's of a server like this; You simply do a fantastic job.

I think everything is going fantastic... really, I don't have a single complaint. If you want ideas for things to make better because well, its nice to have better things heh.... how about more "civilized" areas outside of the actual city? This is not City of *whatever the hell the gnome city is called* it is escape from the under dark! How about more easily accesible under dark locales which are relativley safe and the ability to spawn in them?

I know there are a few but well [spoiler].

I don't even play a druid or any nature affiliated characters but how about an actual honest-to-silvanus SURFACE TREE grove somewhere near the city? Obviously powerfull magic is involved to allow it to exist.

I think the server is awesome. I'm having a great time playing here. The setting is unique, the player base mature in regard to RP, and the DMs (from my experience) are extremely helpful and proactive. Excellent work.

I'd like to see a full crafting system myself, with armour, wands, wondrous items etc. And enchantments. I know there are a few issues with this, which include, but are not limited to:

-Crafting moguls who end up having 40000+ coins. -Increase in overall magic on the server, leading to new (poor) players being somewhat disadvantaged.

I think making it more expensive for the crafter to craft, but having NPCs who sell masterwork gear keep them at normal prices, would mean crafters would make less profit. I agree that it can get out of hand.

As for new players....well I don't really know what to do about that.I see it as a fairly major issue though. The established players are simply going to own the server that way, which isnt desirable.

Having said that, I think crafting adds to the overall server flair (not that it isnt already sweet). It might just be becuase I'm used to it, I dont know...with time I might not place such an emphasis on it *shrugs*.

Also, (this may be already done, I'm fairly new so I'm not sure) I think it would be awesome if there were invasions of Sanctuary by Traensyr or other evil cities. Would be fairly realistic, and no doubt fun. Of course, I'm against this if it wil be some rendition of slums invasions (invis/stealthed ppl who full loot the corpses of those who died lag deaths).

But again, hats off to the DMs. Great shit.

MadCads

Invasions of the city are quite possible (one was barely averted recently, for example). Our siege equipment system, and other systems we are developing, will shine under such conditions. Such invasions will not, however, be scripted once-a-week ordeals, but rather will happen only as the logical result of plots and meaningful IC actions. They will be meaningful events that people will have every reason to remember, in the way that a scripted quest could never be.

Wrexsoul Just want to quickly note that the wilderness areas certainly have no lack of icky dangers... As soon as you get a few screens away from the town gates in the right (wrong?) direction, you stand a good chance of getting yourself eaten even at higher (6, for me, so far) levels. And once you get real far... You don't want to know, seriously!

Which keeps many people around Sanctuary for safety. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though. The underdark is supposed to be dangerous, and you should be prepared if you're going to go out there. I've been on a couple of expeditions.... with not so good results :)

Wrexsoul As for suggestions, I believe that it would be even more awesome if you could stick tiny itty bitty DM-interactions around a bit more... Even just a goblin giving a grunt, a harpie moving close to a group of goblins (saw something similar to this yesterday, which got me thinking), or such small details, -if- you have a moment of idle time. Not, of course, at the sake of other things, or to kill the precious little spare time you have. These small things gives a player a bit of a "jolt", so to speak... "Ooh, something out of the ordinary", a suddenly even more alive world.

Just a little something that I believe wouldn't take much time at all (feel free to prove me wrong), and could be a very nice addition. Even if you might feel that you have to really blow people's minds away every time you interact with them, we don't need big, epic quests all the time to sate us (even though those are certainly one of the most kickass things around!) - even the little things go a long way to deepen the experience down here.

This is a big point for me. The times I play are usually pretty quiet DM wise, but that seems to be improving, which I'm happy to see. We don't always need big DM quests or such. As an example, I went to do the bat quest last night, and there was a little surprise at the end. It wasn't a lot of work on the DM's part, and didn't change the result of the quest at all, but it really made my day when it happened. Brought new life to an old quest.

I guess my point there is that throwing little things like that in don't take a lot of DM work, but really enhance the experience. Keep it up!!

Wrexsoul Other than that, just keep at it. I seriously could not imagine a better team of DM's of a server like this; You simply do a fantastic job.

Agreed, totally. 8)

I feel that beyond what has been said already that there are two things that truly set apart this server from many others and make it, for me atleast, a place where I plan to spend my gaming time. The first is the high DM to player ratio coupled to wonderful DM activity. This not only provides for adventures beyond the scripted quests, but also enables players to play in an environment that I feel is the closest I have been to PnP in a long time. It allows a player to make real use of skills that won't get used in other more static environment.

The second is a byproduct of the DM activity within the module and which results in very real and plastic changes to the city and it's surroundings dependant on character action. A book here for decoration, a sheild up for a promotional, a wall poster with content taken from the forums. Not only does this stir interest in furthering a character whose actions cause such changes, but also helps create the image of a living breathing city.

I enjoy the gritty fontier feel of a town where civilization is more a charade and a facade on a builing, much like the frontier towns of the American old west where people longed for civilization but could only on the surface emulate it. I thank you all for your efforts, I think they have payed off in a big way.

Tossing in 2 more cents.... heh.

As far as I am aware, goblins and kobolds on EFU are actually worse then any of the standard races stats, significantly worse.

Kobolds(those not associated with the outcasts?) are not allowed in the city, but goblins are.

Why not make goblins a non application race so we can actually have a real PC goblin population in the city?

The only real argument against it would be that some people would not RP it properly, which I think is a bit weak since the same can be said about people potentially not RPing clerics, druids or paladins properly as well.

I think EFU is great and had a pleasant suprise yesterday with a new character doing one of the lower level quests which I thought was a cool piece of DM interaction.

Myself and another character had cleared through to the last area and had started to attack the big guy when he backed off and pleaded for mercy - this stopped us in our tracks and a fun piece of RP ensued.

It asked to be left alone and wasn't hurting anyone and wanted medice to repair the damage we had done - it wasn;t willing to pay so we took it's head anyway.

This was a really pleasant suprise and added a lot to what is normally a mundane quest.

Another examle if this was in the "Chosen" Quest - we had cleaned out the main temple and were about to move on when all these vomit rats and such like started spawning at various points - it ended up that a Greater Arcane Chosen had been spawned in the temple and we had a good 10 minuts of chasing down this invisible nasty - again a nice touch added

Just want to say well done and that the player base out here appreciates these touches when they happen.

Cheers

I might add that while full scale invasions are pretty rare due to the extreme IC consequences of such, raids on the gates occur often enough and will continue to occur. It's enjoyable for a DM to set up the archers and siege engines and all the monsters and then watch as players defend the gates.

Unfortunately lag and AI issues tends to make it less satisfying than one might hope, but it's good for an occasional event.

For someone who's been through our biggest siege yet, AND prevented one from happening previously, let me tell anyone who hasn't partaken that you're missing out. The DMs do a lowely job of sniping the low HP PC's... oh, nvm. I mean they do a fantastic job of making things challenging. :D

Seriously, I don't think sieges need any improvement, and if they were any more frequent Sanctuary wouldn't survive.

I fully believe that things never stay the same, only get worse or better. And right now, the playerbase is where the improvement needs to be, and I don't know what the DMs can do about that. We have lots of new players, and they're just getting started in our storytelling games. This is for everyone- how can we reach out to those players in a friendly, non-offensive way where everyone can improve their RPing, characterization, and such? Maybe a clinic or something- I can hold and organize things well, but I'm not the greatest RPer ever, and we've got some really good players out there that I'd love to get pointers from personally.

On that note- I always welcome constructive criticism so I can improve. Heck, I'll tolerate any feedback. Lay it on me as you guys wish, PCs and DMs alike!

Great idea. We need an RP thread where vet posters put some ideas out there for the newbs. But no arguing over opinions. All posts are presented as opinion, and the reader can sift through the thoughts and use the ones they like or suit them best.

Also should have a thread about game mechanics for the Extreme Newbs. Tells, OOC, all the jargon that takes a while and wastes time when you are IC on the server.

Then pin both threads.

.....a thought.

Yes, again. No complaints here.

Better than CoA, more exciting than ALFA, etc.. etc...

I just wanted to say thanks to whatever DM just popped up some random dude twirling his mustache near the rock bottom. It only took like 2-3 mins and nothing resulted from it, but when a commoner comes up to you and starts doing things it makes the place feel more real.

Keep being creative. Thanks

I'm still curious if some quests that were broken have been fixed.

I see that as the only thing irking me about the way the server is going right now.

Definately still have a couple broken ones on my to-do list. Arga and dream rooms. Those two have kind of been my playground for trying out a bunch of new systems (like the EFUQS resetting traps) so while I'm getting the systems debugged, those two quests are suffering a bit.

What about Crystal Cave and the Hold?

Apartments. Tiny areas, like 4x4, with little one-room apartments in them that players can rent to have a private residence. Putting up, say, 3 of these areas would give almost 50 player residences.

And maybe part-time jobs? Waitressing in the Rock Bottom or Crone, or guarding the Bank, or stocking shelves at the book store? Earn a small bit of coin and a large bit of RP oppourtunity by spending your time employed in a specific area.

Randomly-generated dungeons, with random traps and random monsters (and CRs), with random treasure, and random sites out in the wilderness. Essentially, non-quest treasure hunting! Go out with a traditional PnP party for a traditional adventure. What will you need? You may need a wizard to identify the runes on that handleless door, or a thief to navigate you past the trap maze, or a druid to make the rabid badger god's avatar more docile and less bite-you-back-to-Ao.

... <_< Sorry. You asked. *shrugs*

*Moved to suggestion forum, after consideration after posting*

lovethesuit Randomly-generated dungeons, with random traps and random monsters (and CRs), with random treasure, and random sites out in the wilderness. Essentially, non-quest treasure hunting! Go out with a traditional PnP party for a traditional adventure. What will you need? You may need a wizard to identify the runes on that handleless door, or a thief to navigate you past the trap maze, or a druid to make the rabid badger god's avatar more docile and less bite-you-back-to-Ao.

they got rid of the autodm areas? i always thought those were interesting little rewards for wandering about the less populated areas of underdark.

I cant really complain about anything right now. Maybe some possible way to script around the druid battle and hide bonuses, but thats small potatoes considering the druid gear.

The avg server load has gone up in the past few months, and i cant knock that.

No complaints here, I'm just busy lately so I can't EFU it up!

In any case, I love the stupid little bits of DM flavor here and there. Like I remember a rat stalked me in Upper, for what I believe was no reason whatsoever but it was a cool effect. Another time a drunk was cheering on a barfight in the Crone, etc. Stupid little effects catch us off guard make the place more lively. :P

How about the option to spawn at Thomas's little place?

Vesa How about the option to spawn at Thomas's little place?

You have to become a member first. It's kind of like a country club, only with less golf and more embalming fluid.

Coldburn

This goes back to the random sites DM's used to set up in the first month of Beta. I'd really like to see this back, though.

I'm 100% certain that these are still around. I've found them on quests, multiple times recently. Not to mention even in Upper Sanctuary, where I was patrolling at the time.

I'm new to the server. Been playing less than a month. But I must say that I think the DM team is great. Considering that 90% of all the other servers a person could play on in other non-centralized games (starcraft comes to mind) the server owners and managers do a great deal more than just keep the server running - they act as if they are paid to support this. It's just THAT good from what I've seen.

There are only two issues that i've encountered on a regular basis that seem somewhat frustrating to either myself or other players who've suffered these fates.

The first issue is lag. During quests that have lots of moving stuff and parts - the goblin fortress raid and the Dunwarren Stairway quests are the best examples - the lag gets so bad that even with a top end connection and decent graphics card, I've noticed framerates drop to the floor - single digits at times.

This might be the quest itself or just the source of the server, where ever it is located.

The second issue deals with death or team wipes caused by technical issues, namely lag. Often times when lag causes death we all end up in the Fugue plane or booted off the server with our bodies and hard earned supplies abandoned where ever we dropped dead at. I'd only ask that the DM's be willing to help us recover our lost xp or levels when a lag death is around. Especially since lag deaths often occur mostly on teams and usually more than one person dies in those scenarios.

Now I understand that this will cause like everyone to claim they died from lag and the DM's would be granting levels to people who are simply lying because they just made a bad decision in-game. But when an entire team is complaining about it, I think that should be a special circumstance.

Anyway, that's what I think.

Definitely working to reduce lag on quests, and I'm genuinely sympathetic to any player who died because of lag. If I witness it personally, I almost always TR. But if no one witnesses it, unfortunately there simply isn't much that can be done.

You might get some assistance with a crash making you lose your equipment, but dealing with lag deaths that weren't witnessed all the time is just one of those things that pretty quickly make DMs not want to be DMs anymore.

For what it's worth, I've definitely been there as a player. I played for a long time on another exceptional server, and the amount of experience/loot I lost on crashes was really considerable.

Regarding the specific quests you mentioned, feel free to make suggestion reports about other quests. The Dunwarren Stairs quest was definitely broken, and still is kind of broken -- I need to work on it more and figure out a way to reduce the numbers while keeping the appropriate feeling of huge zombie swarms.

The other suggestion I'd make is that smaller sized parties really makes a huge positive difference. For some reason people think that the more difficult quests (such as goblin fortress) are best handled in a massive sized group, when in fact nothing is further from the case. NWN simply does a bad job sometimes in appropriately balancing for bigger groups, the end result being huge dangerous spawns that generate a lot of lag.

We do impose a minimum cap size to quests because the server is about interaction, and certainly the game is much more fun if you extend yourself to new people and involve them, but my honest opinion is often times there's better RP in a moderately sized group than a huge, laggy, confusing army. And quests are definitely easier.

I found tht nwn also uses a really PITA lag tastic sound driver at first, if you set it to 2d miles positional audio in the advanced sound options it'll reduce all that framerate stuff to nothing. That worked for me (after I bought the best graphics card possible and discovered it did'nt do much :( )

Oroborous What about Crystal Cave and the Hold?

I actually wasn't aware anything was broken on those two right now. If you can point me to the bugs, I'll look into them.

I'm unsure if this is a bug, but we were doing the treasure map quest form the gambling hall and in the crypt we fell down some holes into some cages. The cages didnt have an doors/mechanisms and our group couldnt do anything to get out?

If this is supposed to be like that, thats sweet. Was just unsure.

Rumor has it there is a way out... Never been on that quest though.

If there was no way out, you'ld still be in them. :)

Hooray for Gaeseric and server resets!

Love the roleplay aspects of the server and the quests I have gone on have been quite fun! It may be because I play at bad times but there really don't seem to be that many lower level characters (2-4) to party with. At least I've not been able to find them...have decided to work in game (once I get my character background worked out) for a newbie guild that will hopefully take care of this problem, however the law book that we are given in the begining needs to either be updated or removed and the laws more prominently poste in the city. I only knew about the requierment for spell casters to register after I saw someone get arrested in game for not being registered and only about the drawn weapon law after almost being arrested myself.

Otherwise great server with a very interesting setting, the fugue plane is especially interesting (and where I had one of my two favorite role playing experiences so far) now if I could only figure out what the crystal spire is for...

There are at least a dozen quests that can be done by level 2-4 parties. I can think of 4 or 5 quests where that is even the level limits for them.

Zaldar Love the roleplay aspects of the server and the quests I have gone on have been quite fun! It may be because I play at bad times but there really don't seem to be that many lower level characters (2-4) to party with.

Keep in mind that this server represents a capaign sort of setting with the goal being escape to the surface. The area around the city is ridiculously harsh to anyone below level 4 and still quite difficult for those moderate to high level characters (6-10).

So many people who join either hate the fact that getting to level 3/4 is harder than hell OR if they do get leveled kidna quickly, they stick with that character because they've gotten past those early stages.

(note, I have to admit that this is one of the only servers where a level 8 is considered a high level! HAHAHA! I love it!)

djspectre

(note, I have to admit that this is one of the only servers where a level 8 is considered a high level! HAHAHA! I love it!)