Just if anyone has any to provide.

Forgive me if I'm the only one, but I'm not quite clear what your asking, howland.

Give feedback or critique the big plots that are currently taking place. I for one love it, it has added more of a danger and survival feel to things and the chaos is well welcomed.

It's a good question that deserves an honest answer.

Pros:

* Probably the coolest thing I've seen on a NWN server.

* Lots of building work has obviously gone into this and this is your chance to showcase it. It's appreciated. I think we're just scratching the surface of it, too.

* I like the story arc, especially now that we're on the exodus. This is just really neat.

* I like the more hardcore death system. I've never been a fan of respawn, even if I've used it for a lag death.

* Lots of DM support lately. It's appreciated.

* Pulling off a truly changing server as we walk the whole server population through the exodus and the shift to new scripts and zones is simply a very rare treat for a persistent world environment. Given the amount of work that goes into building, nevermind DM'ing that, it's probably easy for people to fail to appreciate just how nuts it would be to put together and manage something like this.

Cons:

* No quests + No parties to reduce lag + no xp rewards = no-one getting any xp for any of this (aside from occassional hits from a kill). Xp rewards after major battles, when a group makes it to the Seeker Camp, or a group escorts a bunch of low levels there might have been appropriate. Scripting any of that with quests would have been EVEN MORE building work and a DM babysitting such a group would drain on already strained resources, but it would have been a nice touch. On balance, though, I think people will take DM attention and sweeping plotlines over xp hits ANY DAY.

* Some plot points felt railroaded and, in retrospect, they look more that way. It feels at times more like we're along for the ride than taking part in writing the story. Given the amount of work that no doubt went into writing the narrative and the building that went to fit that narrative, this is really unavoidable. I can see that as part of the trade-off for having a rapidly changing setting with builder support.

Overall, I think it's a positive for the server. It's a neat narrative, a unique experience in the universe of NWN persistent worlds, and a treat now that we're onto the truly neat part of the narrative. That sort of undertaking, with its logistical demands, does have trade-offs, however.

I personally dislike it because its another way for the epic high lvls to instantly and more easily outshine us people who never made lvl 6 or 7 Not to mention these rules and changes hurt noobs even more. I think Noobs would hate this place. Im all for no respawning.

Personally, A Vendor in the Way temple, and I will be happy.

Thea personally likes the fact that she can finally loot the hell out of the upper bastards.

No respawn sounds cool, except for lag deaths which will be real hard on players. But: the new players, if any more come around (NWN is a really old game, actually), probably won't like this server because it needs time to get used to in terms of survival. Maybe some older players will get that feeling too, because not everyone makes it to higher lvls (although some folks don't look at lvl). But this is temporary, apparently, so no stress.

As for ongoing plot, it's an exodus part of a story which is real nice to live through (or die through, whatever). But: it will certainly make a huge gap between hardcore players who will actually live through the story, and occasionnal players who will only get the downsides of it (little quests, gap between high lvl-low lvl, missing out on quick subplots, increased danger meaning less exploration, etc.) and thus likely log on less untill things 'get settled' (if they ever do). I did notice a lvl increase lately, people seem to get to lvl 8-9 with much less difficulty than when i started playing regularly about a year ago. Perhaps the change in setting will also restore a lower lvl server.

The problem with change is either it goes too slow, and people get bored, or it goes too fast, and many people miss the fun of it. Until now i've enjoyed the rythm of change in EfU. DM plots, server changes, etc, have really been going on at a pace i enjoy.

Things have been accelerating over the last month, from 1.69 patch (which may have ruled out some none english players) to IG events (which will likely increase death rates, and thus new characters, meaning starting from scratch to build character connexions and stories). When i came back from a 4 week break, Dalman hardly knew anyone anymore, and he's a year old PC.

In short i like the change and i'm waiting to see what DMs have in store for us, but i hope focusing on story telling won't push out folks who enjoy that, but not only that.

I'm also badly positionned to make that kind of remarks, as i take much from the server but rarely contribute to story telling, and i do realize EfU owes it's uniqueness and greatness to story telling and the changes it brings to the server.

Reading this text i find it i'm not clear at all, so make out what you can of it...

Pros: It's a big change to the server, and some cool plotting Cons: No respawning, which is going to lead to a lot of "in case of moderate lag, log out because it's just not worth it" moments. That, combined with a huge XP drought and no raise services, is basically a vicious cycle of failing characters. The fact that all the toughest chars made it to the Encampment last night already. If this goes on for a while, there's increasingly less incentive to try a cool concept because really, the plot's now a bit one-dimensional, "Get to the Seekers or Die Trying". Really, it's rather turned me off the server, and made me annoyed I missed reaching the Seeker Camp yesterday.

Having seen whats on the horizon for EFU I have to say I love this and if people truly embrace the essence of the server + get lucky/endure through it, they'll see it too and be amazed and astounded! Good work Howly and keep it up! I look forward to future adventures!

I echo Goblin_Butcher.

Good things are on the horizon. I am still stunned. Simply amazing.

I guess i echo Egon comments to some extent. I have really enjoyed the changes up to this point... but i think that we need to get *some *stability back, in the nearish future.

The no-respawning is harsh but as long as it is just short term, its no big issue to me.

The difficulty level, is simply insane (or i am even more rubbish at combat than i thought!). I am not so good at builds and combat and i am finding the going tough to say the least! My latest perma was kind of rough :?

But i do have confidence that you DM's will find the right balance when the New World takes shape.

I haven't liked it.

I really liked the politics/plot leading up to it, but frankly the last bit has left me unsatisfied and glum. I don’t mind big events happening that players don't get to modify, lots of good stories are told as characters try and adapt to events that are well out of their control. But if I am to be involved in storytelling experience I want a chance to play it out. Ragged bands of frightened people huddling for warmth under half demolished houses; mad cults to anything or anyone who offers hope; barbarians dressed in chosen skins howling into the dark… I guess I was hoping for a cool post-apocalyptic Sanctuary, were we were eating out of helmets and finding a scroll of cure minor wounds was exciting, and it doesn’t look like we are getting that.

Instead I felt the plot started to become linear and forced. If the EfU story is to be wrapped up, I would have personally liked it to be as the two heavy weights fought it out over the ruins of the city, the eventual winner not ever revealed. At least then it is a clean ending, memorable and definite.

Let me describe my experience of what happened instead. After the last change, I left Sanctuary for a look around, but many of the areas had gone, and all the players were given one goal in the one place. So I joined in as best I could and I did have some fun moments running people through the ruins. But after several trips, I just found myself with nothing more to do. I was with a whole lot of players who likewise short on ideas, with nothing to do and no place with go but backwards or up. Ultimately I felt railroaded into a big bad dungeon crawl. After the RP got slow, I joined the next party to jump in the mega static and was promptly killed, despite my best efforts.

All the player interaction, subtly and politics - everything that is good about EfU - seemed to get tossed out the window for a mad run at the surface. I wasn’t good enough to make the grade, so bang, perma for a character I have put time and effort into. Anti-climactic to say the least.

It hasn’t been spoken about much, but for me the whole IC stuff is overshadowed by the OOC stuff. I have assumed over the last few days that the server going to wipe/reset etc. That made it sort of futile to bother trying to build anything up, since it was all coming down in a few days. Now there is talk now from those that made it through that it isn't going to be a wipe, so now I feel like I threw my main away for nothing. I wish there had been some clear direction about the way the server was heading, because I probably wouldn't have spent so much time on my current character if I had known where we were going to be today.

Having killed my main, I had the choice between sitting this period out, or bringing back some character that was long discarded. I had a go at the latter, and found my character sitting around in the Seeker camp with a whole bunch of characters I had never seen before, dragged from everyone's vaults so they could feel like they were part of the big thing. It seemed stilted, directionless and empty. No one had any goals, no one even knew where to start with RP and there weren't enough people to even consider an ascension attempt. It was just awful.

Feedback = two thumbs down.

As far as plot goes, I think it is amazing. The only problem I have with the plot is that it pretty much blows any personal plots a character may have, out of the water. In order to feel like I was pushing the plot forward, if only a little bit, I created a chosen hunter and ditched my old character, who had no place in a chosen infested city.

And so, once my newer character died, I created an even newer character. It was astounding how slow it took for him to level, and he was useless against chosen, which had been attacking all day. He was a part of really great plot, but his role was so minimal because he could do little against the chosen, and so, like Dr. D said, lots of higher level chars got more of the attention, which is cool, they likely deserve every bit of xp and uber awesome loot that they have recieved.

In short:

Plot: Astounding and well done. Really High Difficulty Level: Kinda sucks. Inability to Reach Personal Goals: Maximum Suckiness.

Pretty amazed that some players are calling what even the simplest analysis would reveal to be months of epic storytelling (with, yes, a clear and planned ending in mind which might be at odds with the personal goals of some PCs) to be an unfullfilling mistake on behalf of the DMs, with no regard to the fact that obviously something much greater is in the works and that up to this point players have been -hugely- central to the outcome.

I think its important to step back from the personal level and take it on an overarching level if you're going to comment on overarching things such as the plot. It sure does suck to die, but it isn't a cause to really speak disdainfully about something which has been the product of months of both player and DM ingenuity and dedication.

F the haters, this rules.

I am all for large changes when plot demands them, I am interested to see how this develops. I think it is wise to do it in phases, letting people to do the travelling on their own time, against the laggy 60 people at once on the server.

Perhaps some non persistent containers could be added at some of the points, so people wont just spread stuff on the floors as that is a good way to cause lag.

k_mercer I think its important to step back from the personal level and take it on an overarching level if you're going to comment on overarching things such as the plot. It sure does suck to die, but it isn't a cause to really speak disdainfully about something which has been the product of months of both player and DM ingenuity and dedication.

F the haters, this rules.

In all fairness, in a situation like this, one can't help but speak a little bit from the personal level, you know? And as much as it sucks to die, I'm fairly sure that Kint wrote about things that weren't just from him being upset about dying. It is possible to dislike an event without being disdainful of it, and if Kint's points are true, then it seems like there might be an issue

I hate it. I detest it.

I am sorry, but for those who are rocking out, it's because they are deeply involved on the plot, have the supplies to survive the lag, have the supplies and allies to get things done. While I approve of the apocalypse, taking this strenuous measures to make the feel also ruined one element, the fun for those who don't wish to be involved in epic server moving plots. Many people just play to quest, hang out with friends, and interact in a simulated environment. Forgive me, but I truly, absolutely hate the current state of things.

Mixed Feelings :

I am deeply impressed that the DM team is willing to destroy and mix up so much of the module, which must involve quite a bit of work. I really liked the "Exodus" quest and was happy I got to see the Appetite, which has been speculated about endlessly but which few have ever gotten to see. I agree to some extent about the comments about Railroading, but I think there was a chance for an alternative, had we succeeded in Plexus five, or had the Druids succeeded in protecting the giants from the illithids. I think this Railroading is the result of PCs having failed - at least to some degree - and its good there is consquence for these failures.

I'm not sure why people are discussing the No Respawn rule, as it is a temporary one. I'm not sure why people are saying the server Escape from Underdark is going to be shut down soon (I hope it isn't). Perhaps it is because it seems changes have been accelerated to an unsustainable pace and no stability is to be had anymore.

People were too centred on Upper Sanctuary. I'd previously tried to start a group in Slalteesh and in Mur, and ended up giving up just simply because all the people are always in Upper and didn't want to change that. In that sense, I won't miss Upper at all.

Yes, events have railroaded everyone into a new camp. However, from here there will hopefully be options for people to splinter into : pushing for the surface (which could be a whole other serverful of content in itself), reclaiming Sanctuary, or fortifying the existing ruins to become a new Sanctuary. There is still stuff to be done in the Machine if people want to, as well.

Things will be very hard for those with lower levels and less consumables, yes, but hopefully new quests are on the way, and you can play the part of a more civilian-ish character who needs protection in the meantime.

I feel very positive about these changes in general and think better things are around the corner (unless the naysayers are correct and this servers lifespan is coming to a close, perish forbid).

I really think that Low Levels need a way to do something. I personally suggest a lot of delivery missions that aren't too dangerous (for example, Chuckling Bill asking you to bring a package to Cyrus since he can't abandon his station) and explain what the Nine Hells is going on.

Also, I really dislike it for the most part, since I'm playing a level 4 and he's barely able to survive, granted it was my own fault for putting up the animatron bounty, but in all seriousness, it's become a wee bit difficult to get going, and since you need to be of a high enough level to do most of the combat, Low levels really need a way to commit (maybe they can assist in setting up defenses, or maybe get some 'training missions' that give them combat experiance without killing them (but with a XP penatly for getting beat), this way the server can still work, but people can get to the higher levels and do some combat.

But I do like the plot so far, it's really turning into a 'should we stand and fight or take a chance and escape to the surface?', which personally, I feel should be intresting.

Nihm People were too centred on Upper Sanctuary.

Actually, that part is something i enjoyed, because the whole community was more or less always together: Lower and Upper were a transition away, and everyone could always find someone to interact with, be it questing, chitchat or plot.

For now, folks are scattered, which is breaking the unity of the server. Unless you start OOC tells to folks when they log on, who in Mur, who in the temple, who in the seeker camp, you just won't get many folks together.

But as i said, it seems a transition period, so i'm glad about it for now as it is major story line unfolding. I'm pretty sure when most folks look back on it, they'll be seeing what an awesome moment of doom and fear this was. If this stays this way for too long, then i fear he drawbacks might overwhelm the storytelling. Wait and see.

Man, when dalman made the exodus into the unknown, with about 10 people, and a dm logged on, i got that tingling feeling of fearing what's to come, and that was cool.

It is also a brand new period for folks to get involved in new developments, a brand new time for opportunities. The watch, spellguard, etc, seem to have done their time. There's a new settlement to upgrade. Who's gonna line up and get the work done?

I am happy with the change in the server. :D

No new characters and no respawning is only temporary and that is fine. Of course knowing how long this will take would be nice.

With all the great underdark powers going after Sanctuary, yeah, you cannot really hope for a ragtag group of exslaves to sit and fight. Flight is something that must be done, ... right? It goes back to how we do it, RP. Now if some group would just find a nice Svirfneblin stash of supplies in some hidden storeroom, that would be suite.

Con: Time - I usually cannot be on for hours at a time and therefore it is usually not possible to handle 4-6 hours required to be useful to any team. Of course this not so much a con of the server, just my lack of time commitment. :roll:

Low level characters - What is their place in the mix of things? Just watch and follow the crowd? I do hope that some usefulness can be found for them. I know that when my main dies, which will be soon due to lack of supplies, I hope to bring around some others in the vault. Yeah, a nice little machine storeroom quest like that for one time only folk would be good to help the low levels gain some supplies to be a little more useful (assuming there isn't one already about).

I was thoroughly pleased with the overall "Exodus Event". :)

Kudos to the DMs who managed to somehow keep control of the entirety of the server attempting to essentially do the same thing...survive in mass.

I have additionally reviewed everyone's posts, and I can say that I understand their concerns and complaints. However, I feel the situation was appropriate and truly less static then any of you believed. I do believe that there were no less then five specific moments that action could have been taken to greatly affect the event.

But then again...maybe I just play to many evil characters. ;)

The last character I had any interest in playing died within 30 seconds of logging in to the server while the exodus was going on.

I still think this whole thing is awesome, while I'm watching from afar.

I just wish people would take more screenshots, and that the people who don't want to permadie would heed the warning in Howland's "A Few Changes" post, and just wait until later to log in.

I shudder at the criticism, because it's like a repeat of the moanderite plague. Something incredibly awesome happens which no other server on NWN has ever done or would ever even try, and people complain that it's not fun for them.

And I worry that now the DM team will be less excited to do incredibly awesome stuff like this again, and they'll put on the nerf-mittens and try to hand it all to us on a silver platter or something.

I don't think EfU was ever meant to be "fun". It was the dream of telling an AMAZING story, and it'd be an enormous pleasure to me to see it unfold while on the sidelines in-game, but I'm -still- enjoying seeing everything that's happening strictly from the public notices and screenshots forum.

Fuckin' Kudos, DM team.

I have had time to revise my opinion, I still lean toward an abject dislike to the current state of things, let me point out why I dislike it.

Pro's:

The survival feel is back. I am AFRAID to log on.

Every supply counts, every coin is needed.

I am deadly afraid of the chosen.

Characters need to work hard to survive, the epic feel of death and no respawning causes quite a stir.

Cons:

New players who just arrived about a week ago will have little to no idea what is going on.

You can't level. XP is drained, you can barely make any gold.

Those who weren't involved on this plot for the beginning will have absolutely no idea what is going on, sure, they can learn. But what contribution can they make that no one else can? This has created an elitist group of players who will spur on the plot and everyone will hitch on the coat tails -because they can do nothing else-

While the server is more real now, I cannot say that I enjoy it. There is realism, then there is lack of fun for those who do not enjoy this atmosphere of doomsday. All questing is seemingly off limits. While this is transitory, and I am sure the server will benefit it, the players won't.

I appreciate the honest criticism. Some of it is valid, some of it I think is just frustration speaking, but either way I thank you for it.

I will point out that there's been three years and a 59-day countdown to attempt to make a character on EfU that you think can handle the worst DMs can throw at you. There's also much to be said about making IC contacts with stronger folk.

Anyway, the Countdown isn't over yet.

WARNING: Touchy-Feely Essay: Blindness may occur reading this post when tired. Grab an apple, coffee/tea.. - relax!

Overall - I have absolutely loved the changes going on with the server, and have been in awe of the RP and storytelling unfolding over the past -60- days.

I sometimes feel I am on the periphery of major plotlines, and struggle like mad to contribute to the plot in a convincing manner. However, on these occasions, its like I'm an extra on an amazing movie-set. A good feeling.

Most of what Lorloth mentioned sits right with me. For example: The aesthetic content is phenomenal. Maps, items, NPCs, sound.. The Steam rooms in the Machine made me think I had morphed into an 1880's London mystery-noir setting. Blew me away because I went in there alone taking a huge death-risk-step into the unknown.

On another point of reference: I appreciate Scrapper's (Roger Kint's) very honest perspective on feeling flat after being rocked by the death of a character he has put a lot of time an effort into living with.

Due to the intensity of feeling being evoked IG and OOC (of late?), I wish to contribute some detailed insights to hopefully help with what is to come. Here's what happened to me during the -Countdown to Server Change- (the order is not important, numbers simply used for reference)

1. Played a character struggling to keep up with the rapid flow of IG events, realising that big changes were apparent, and could do little to change. How to fit in? Who to speak to? Who to trust? (all IC reasoning). Rebels? Regime? Spellguard? Druids? All good and fulfilling for a hardcore setting.

2. Much to my surprise I became involved in one of several plotlines that were opening up in the weeks before D-Day. (Extremely lucky, in hindsight). This was an assumption on my part based on NPC interaction. I like it that way. Basically, if something bigger or plot-related is going to happen, then it is up to me to work very hard to involve as many people as possible, and get things rolling. Often what I say falls on deaf ears IG for any number of reasons, and that is good. It makes me improve my RP and interaction skills.

3.My Main long-term character died seven days before Countdown ended. She died pursuing the plot I imagined was unfolding, and thus ending over two years of an in-game self-created family drama. Along the way I've had a lot of player and DM support (as much as anyone else who plays EfU regularly, i guess). I chose to perma my character because she had just died too many times and I felt alone and empty, and that is what sometimes happens to slaves in a war-torn setting, (i imagine). So I let her R.I.P. - willingly (knowing it was gonna hurt, but ok about it). Without giving spoilers, it turned out I was right about the piece of the puzzle I had stumbled across. Which gave me great faith in the DMs malleable story-arcs for the server (malleable meaning: plot can apply to any character who persistently RPs and looks for it without getting overly OOC angsty about whether they are involved in something intriguing or not. Essentially, the plot was picked up elsewhere and did not finish with the death of my PC - a good thing).

4.So , seven days till "something big in EfU" and I have no character to play. I want to be part of the events so I research and study like mad to make the best character to participate in the end of things. After driving myself sleepless and nuts, I figure out I should play something outside my comfort zone to improve my gaming/RP skills (seems all the players I admire on EfU can play a range of roles, without smacking me out with personality every five minutes).

5. Finally, on Saturday morning I log in, play, take my time, get hauled into all sorts of craziness. Finally as a level 4, I am standing outside the Seeker Hall guarding it with a few others. I know full well that if the Chosen attack it is 50/50 whether I will live or die. Lucky for me I lived through it, but barely. Loved the encounter! If I had died at that point... Who knows..

6. Soon I realise that there is a major plot point going down inside the Seeker Hall. But true to RP standards I do not enter the Hall because this newcomer to Sanctuary (the PC I was playing at the time), for IC reasons, would not budge. Another player stood with me and kudos to him for doing so! Every other player though, had very good IC reasons to be inside and so I let it all happen, as it should. Thing is: just because I am not part of the plot inside the Hall, does not mean I learned nothing of events, setting, people outside the Hall. About an hour later, due to IG events, I did go inside and basically found carnage. Which was an interesting perspective. Sometimes, just watching, you can learn an amazing amount. ( I bet DMs lives are changed because of this omniscient silent viewpoint :D).

7. It got to the point where I had to log out (due to a family commitment - celebration). I had a feeling something bigger among all the big rolling EfU events might happen in the next 24 hours, and well, it did while I slept. Thing is: regardless of the immensity of what happened while I was not logged in, once I get back in-game, the ramifications of those events (ie: Appetite, Etorix, Illithids at the Gates) have an ongoing impact on my character. As linear as getting from City to camp may appear presently- drain on supplies; limited xp; few, if any, 'NPC quests'; all those gripes are not as important as staying IC and finding a way to piece the new puzzle together and go forward. (note: I love the walk from city to camp :) ) In this sense, i get a very post-apocalyptic feeling in Sanctuary, and a very 'Promised Land', 'vault of mysteries' feel from the new places opened up as a result. Awesome!

8.I empathise with Dalman feeling he lost touch with people he knew IG after four weeks absence - i was gone two days with my recent Main PC and nearly all the people I knew had died or were unreachable IG due to sudden events. I'm guessing, Scrapper had a similar feeling of aloneness when he lost his main, and logged back in with an Alt and tried to participate in the vibrant new setting with people IG that his character did not really 'know' (IC at least). I say this, because it's how I've felt after losing a couple of my mains that I worked hard on in the past(we all have)( I really missed playing those characters for awhile). [On a side note here: The 'pedestrian' experience you had on the city to camp walk with your alt at the time may have been in part due to my inability to sufficiently communicate what was actually going on during that walk - so many OOC-IG-IC-game mechanics factors, that just make players rush, including me, when we really should not rush, and should talk more IG and IC , so everyone knows what to expect and what not to expect- apologies if this dampened your experience; not my intention). Time to reflect on these events has got me thinking that there are sooo many sublime experiences in-game that I had not considered (or missed out on), because I was playing the one self-created IG character mind-set.

9. I'm not an expert gamer, programmer, philosopher, comedian, or trying to prove anything, other than to offer a resounding thankyou to the DMs and players for helping me enjoy EfU so much - Especially, in the last two months (moths?) or so leading up to today.

10. We are on the tip of the iceberg of what is to come. Don't throw it away yet! Give it another go. New day, new life. Like everyday is :)

11.The new aspects of the server have only just started. It is because of the amount of DM input and interaction on the server in the past 60 days that the evolution of the setting has become rapid, expansive and noticeble, almost daily. This is what the world is like for me sometimes -sometimes time crawls. Consider all you know about the setting of EfU. The well trod ways to Lower, Upper, the Mines, the Lake, places further out. How you gonna get there now? Why go there? To what end? How much bigger is the server now? How much more potential for plot is there now?

Words now fail me... God only knows.. :D

P.S: Scrappayeti! - please give EfU another go. I think what you give to this server is exceptional. If I dont see you soon, I'm going to post pics of Aledric of Yhaun giving away his secrets on You Tube :P (I have them , dont you worry ;)) :) Comments welcome!

Well, I may just heed the "wait this one out" advice for 2 chars. Be a lot less gung-ho, maybe just stick with Justan, my practical hunter guy. But, I think the problem is impatience. It's taking a while to move everyone over, the only other game in town is the Way (unless you have some big secret plot I don't know of), and chars keep getting ahead of themselves and dropping like flies.

THe RP and player-led evacuations have been great player/DM interaction, and the NPCs feel a lot more alive with all these possessions and location shifts. However, with little else to get their teeth into, tougher chars are going off half-cocked at the Way and wiping.

We really need to have some non-risky but cool RP stuff to deal with. You know, like the Rat Pox did with all the negotiating? I'm working on that sort of end with a couple of my chars, but the DMs leading a "dig in and sort the place out" effort might be neat.

-As an observer from a distance...Most of it has been said, both pro and con. Better then any 10 dollar movie ticket or book. I am blown away by the effort and work put in by the DM's. I know nothing of codeing and game makeing, save that it is not a quick process..and they did it all for free. Thank you.

I got into the nature lovers plot side of the server a bit too late, and have not been able to experience the epic events in person, but from what I have read, it seems beyond anything anyone could wish for. The screenshots look amazeing and the fear is palbable, even from just reading the forums.

-From a personal view, sometimes your the windshield and sometimes your the bug. I choose a concept that took me out of the action. So be it. I know it is frustrateing that a death can take you out of it, or in my case, rp choices, but it is a never ending story, rather dust off some semi retired char you quit playing cause you no longer enjoyed them, maybe take a day or two (or week? who knows) off, until the "no new char" thing is lifted, and come back fresh in the new whatever EFU is turning into. - Just a thought.

As much as I loved my new concept, fact may be he is retired, maybe not, I really do not have clue as to the big picture, but fun, and sorry, but this is a game, and it is about fun, is still to be found, I think just a little patience is in order if you find yourself sidelined due to death or other ic events. That seems to be the main gripe of most, and understandable, but not a show stopper in the long run. That's my two cents worth anyhow.

Frustrating, yes, but necessary. I felt excluded after I died, but I recognize that this is all temporary. I look forward to exploring the New EfU.

So, I'm not a tenured EfU player or anything and some of my comments may ruffle a few feathers. That's not my intent and I hope that any criticism I give is constructive. If, after giving it some thought, you feel my points are off base, then please ignore them.

First off, allow me to say that the obvious effort put in by this DM team is relatively astounding. I think EfU has its strong points, its weak points, and its different from other PW points (love em or hate em).

But definitely one strong point is a dedicated DM team. I've very rarely got to see my own personal DM action in all the various times I've given EfU a spin, but I know that it's mostly because of my accessibility, not lack of effort on their part.

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The plot thus far has been a great story told by the DMs. But the greatness of it is indeed tempered by the feeling that it is a story being told by the DMs not shared by the DMs and playerbase. I know it's the result of a lot of events and actions that the players contributed to, but that is a feeling lost on a great number of people who may not have been involved in a lot of that.

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I think my biggest complaint, however, has just been this feeling of not knowing what's going on. I watched as several PCs tried to get information from those who had the information, generally to no avail. It felt like there were a handful of PCs who were 'in charge' but refused to discuss or share with other PCs even the most basic of facts. Example: During the run from Sanctuary to wherever it was we were going, only 1 or 2 of our group of 12 kind of knew where we were supposed to go.

Now, that's an IC thing and I reacted IC to it. But I can't shake the feeling that this is a result of a common OOC phenomena of players hording information in order to maximize their own involvement in the plots (I know this is probably going to garner a few defensive remarks).

The result, seems to me, was that many of us watched helplessly from the sidelines as spectators of the story as opposed to contributors. We didn't know what was really going on, orders would be barked at our PCs, they were followed in a manner that reflected the confusion felt, and then we would be further marginalized.

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So that above isn't something that can be laid at the feet of the DMs. However, I think the DMs might be able to help mitigate that sort of thing.

For example, instead of one humongous group in one area, dividing the player groups into smaller groups and having them do different tasks, different puzzle pieces that lead to the same ultimate objective could add to the sense of scope, cut down on lag by not having as many PCs in the same area, give more people a sense of the importance of their individual contribution, etc.

This kind of happened last night near the end and I think that a few more players got to shine a bit as a result, while the lag was also reduced considerably. I know one group actually broke away to try out a totally different route or something. Don't know if they were successful, but I don't think they would have made the attempt had we still been in one large group mode.

Pros: A new start for EfU is an exciting thought... the possibilities for concepts in a fresh setting. It seems a pretty neat and well-executed plot, at least from a mostly outside perspective.

Cons: The high difficulty coupled with the inability to make new characters is a recipe for frustration, especially for those with weaker characters or less mechanical skill in the game.

I love the survival effort going on, but we need a level 9 cleric soooooo badly. And more XP would be nice, although my character has already gotten 400 exploration XP any way...

Everything else aside, I think that something that needs to be recognized right off the bat is the sheer amount of time, effort, and energy the DM team has put into this for us. It's a little beyond staggering the kind of work that takes, with very little tangible payout. For that alone they deserve a big KUDOS.

I do agree that the general feel lately has been accelerated to a point where if you miss even a couple days IG you're behind the curve. It's been a very intense ride. I'd also have to agree that there has been a bit of a feeling of being railroaded. Which is fine, it is just a little odd in a setting that has been so player driven in my experience here. Having only been on the server since after the beginning of this year it really has been amazing to watch the changes and to see everything unfold even in that relatively short amount of time.

I think that an event that could have potentially leveled the playing field for our very broad player base has instead culled it to a very specific group of PC's/players. For anyone that's new, not super mechanically inclined, hasn't been intimately involved with the current plot, or just seems to always hit a run of bad luck ... right now, to put it bluntly, they're screwed. Their chances of survival beyond a short amount of time is relatively small. Even for those that had fair warning that this was going to be a -mother- of an adventure, there were/are simply things that they would have gotten to prepare themselves with that were rare enough before, and are simply unavailable now. It's my personal opinion that there are just too many times that due to sheer mechanics or lag or whatever, players get the short end of the stick and right now there's little or no breathing room to rectify that. Don't get me wrong, I had a couple buggy incidents last night that if it weren't for the graciousness of the DM staff I'd be done. And for that I am very very thankful to them. My observations are in general.

Yes, right now for this period of time the server is hard core. I knew last night when I logged in that death was a very real possibility. My own personal frustration with what happened to my PC, while a valid frustration because of the momentary inability to do anything about it and some of the circumstance surrounding it, is only partially relevant to Howland's question. Right now for IC and OOC reasons I have to sit on my hands with her ... and yes that leads to a lot of frustration.

I just think that there's potential here for the server to be in a position where they cut off their nose to spite their face. I think this will have a polarizing effect on the player base. Perhaps that will be a good thing, perhaps not ... that remains to be seen.

But ... I think there's more awesome in store for us. As I said, overall I think the DM's deserve a big gold star for creating this space for us and working with us to create something magnificent.

While I cannot comment on everything, given the spoilerish nature of my comments.

All I can say is sit tight folks, you ain't seen nothing yet! :)

I like the idea of a new EfU.

And to be fair about the whole "lack of information" thing, the DMs have done a great job of putting in NPCs who are just spouting out everything that's going on. Pessimistic Peter, Chuckling Bill, Bresley, etc. etc.

Once this is over I look forward to reconstruction or whatever it is wer'e gonna do!

Almost everything is great. Some things I do not like, however, is that the server pretty much discourages players from creating monster PCs. Or from what I've seen. Also, the uh, new, sorta, player thingy.

I would like to add that not only low-level PC’s are having a hard time of this. My 7th level PC was and still is down to next to no healing, at least not enough to do any kind of adventuring and stay alive, (like ‘the Way’ is out of the question for her.)/(I don’t want her to die.)

As to new players or new characters, I know two players that each took one of the two options available to them... 1) Try to IC stay alive with their 3rd level character, (= he died). 2) Just plain not log in, (= she lived). So die or not play, how fun is that? People cant help but get at least a little attached to a PC they create. So dieing will never be a fun thing. And of course not playing and being involved takes a bit of the “I survived the escape from Sanctuary” away from their role-playing options when they do log back in.

I’m involved with a group that gets together every Thursday night to play here and to be honest I have no clue what those PC’s are going to do this coming Thursday. They are kinda stuck between a rock and that infamous hard place. Can’t stay where they are, can’t logically make it on their own to the Seeker shelter.

RIPnogarD I would like to add that not only low-level PC’s are having a hard time of this.

As to new players or new characters, I know two players that each took one of the two options available to them... 1) Try to IC stay alive with their 3rd level character, (= he died). 2) Just plain not log in, (= she lived). So die or not play, how fun is that? People cant help but get at least a little attached to a PC they create. So dieing will never be a fun thing. And of course not playing and being involved takes a bit of the “I survived the escape from Sanctuary” away from their role-playing options when they do log back in.

I’m involved with a group that gets together every Thursday night to play here and to be honest I have no clue what those PC’s are going to do this coming Thursday. They are kinda stuck between a rock and that infamous hard place. Can’t stay where they are, can’t logically make it on their own to the Seeker shelter.

I am the player that lost his 3rd level character that had a shitload of IC time and plot working to him. I tried to get into spellguard associates only have that door slammed in my face with blocking off and closing of spellguard.

I tried to create a temple, only to be turned down by the City Councal and basically be told to fund it myself or find someone to do so.

I tried to play my Paladin as a Paladin would be played and keep within the bounds of Mystra's teaching. Including taking a level as Sorcerer to move the IC plot along.

Only to killed off by a flipping Chosen using a breath weapon against me, ACID, and I had on anti-acid armor and shield! Not a lot mind you but it was there. Also but I was fighting a rat not the Chosen!

I basically feel that even thou I played by the rules and IC that I was ganked! I thought the final event was a leveling of the playing field or a total shutdown of the server. I PMed a question on the state of EFU. And was told that all that happens would by IC. Well I do not feel that was the case.

I am part of that Thursday night group and other then that night you will NOT see me in the server at all. You have basically lost a player due to the changes and the way this plot was handled. Once my last character dies... I am gone.

I personally feel that this server has gone cliquish and if your not in the "IN Group" then your just cannon fodder. These are my personal feelings, and not anyone else's I might RP with. So if your going to be upset... direct it here. Not at the people I hang with... OK?

Yeah, that's the trouble if you didn't/couldn't stockpile. No quests=no money=no healing. Even if you make your own heals, you need the actual gold to do it, no matter what loot you salvaged off the last poor sod.

I understand that this is a moment of hardcore roleplay in EFU, and some people will get upset with the loss of the characters they worked hard on. But bear in mind, these are temporary changes! For those of you who prefer not to lose a character, just wait it out a few days. Before long, you'll be able to make new characters, respawn, and continue normally.

Be patient with us. Even if you're not in this so-called "in-group," (which doesn't exist, it's a matter of those who were left in Sanctuary and those who moved on, which could have been anyone), it is easy to get involved! Sanctuary is in a state of apocalypse, and this is a moment of the plot where it is meant to be extremely difficult. I know, it sucks, but it's your choice whether to take a risk and play, or go about it safe and wait.

So, with all that in mind, we're looking for feedback. Anything that the DMs have done, we want feedback on! Any successes or failures of your own character and of your own work is not constructive to this thread. And if you think you want to leave our server, I'll ask you give us a second chance in a few days. This is just a short phase of a major plot, and this is the best way we feel that we can tell it.

I will make one suggestion to the DM team reading all this. Keeping an eye on the number of spawns would be nice. (and yes, at the moment this particular post is going to be very filled with frustration)

I just lost another PC who should have been able to at least make it through the bowels with the way we were going about it. Instead the group of 4 I was part of that were lower level (if you average it out) than the group of 12 I was with last night had easily 2-3 times as many spawns in our way. At the point where she died there were so many you couldn't even get from point A to point B ... or barely so. So yeah, another completely stripped PC to respawn at a future date. I hope that whoever goes past that point next enjoys what's in her pack.

So that would be my suggestion to the DM team. The spawn levels are WAY out of whack.

Suggestion... A healer of sorts (in the Seeker city), somebody that will for a very nominal fee ‘fix you up’. You remember, kinda like Lady Aribeth from the first game (only charge us). At least until things get err, umm... normal around here.

Maybe make a raise NPC that only does Raise Dead as well.

Also, can we have placibles for the sign Kedrick put up at the portal? We're getting sick of having to push back constant spawns

I think there is no need for NPC raising dead currently during the time exile, at least I do not feel such pressure yet. I think it only makes people to be more careful when exploring, which is good.

Perhaps server name will be "EscapeD from the Underdark" after this one. :)

Just to say - Everything that I have experienced about this plot, from the assault on the Spellguard Tower to the various "OH HELLS GET US OUT OF HERE CHOSEN EVERYWHERE" bits, to dying attempting to clear the Way, I've utterly relished every second of it.

This has been building for a long time, and the last few days have been hectic, terrifying and draining (even for my usually slack play times and time I can actually play). I have great appreciation for the DM team for the time and work put into EfU and making it an environment and story that rivals any book I've ever read (and I have read a lot, trust me).

Having said that, I also understand how and why people are getting upset or frustrated with current events. I lost my current main which in many ways has been my favourite character for quite some time, and find myself logging in with alts just to be involved in some way but not really having any commitment to the characters or links with others that were there before. That's frustrating and upsetting but it's also part of EfU and is only temporary (though I can't really see myself respawning him when the ban is lifted... it just doesn't seem to make sense IC'ly and the thought of starting with him totally bare-assed is not inviting but who knows? :wink: ). It's upsetting as always, but with a little time and patience I think things will settle down. The story's not over yet by any means, so let's ride this roller coaster out and see what happens.

When (if!) the dust settles, we'll all look back on these times nostalgically and go :shock: ... wow!

Overall, this is the most amazing thing I've ever seen in all the years I've been playing Neverwinter Nights. Exploring Dunwarren is extremely atmospheric and dangerous now, and I commend the DMs for the amazing job they've done...

That said, my only issue is probably one of those personal frustration ones. Like many others, my main character is dead and I can't currently participate in the server. Which is disappointing given the awesomeness that abounds right now.

Before I give any criticism or constructive suggestions, I appreciate all the work involved in making this event happen, and I applaud the DMs in following through with such a bold event.

One beautiful aspect of EfU has been the continually evolving and malleable story line. I think we've all lived in Sanctuary so long that we thought it invincible, and this just goes to show how weak our city was in comparison to the truly terrible forces of the Underdark (as has always been said but never fully believed, until now).

As someone hesitant to change, I know I'll probably miss all pre-apocalyptic Sanctuary once had to offer. But I have hope that this will open up an entirely new avenue of fresh material and opportunities for players, which I genuinely look forward to.

Now, as long as this counts as feedback, I'll offer some suggestions: As has been discussed on IRC, I think PCs should take more of a spectator's role in major invasion events. Ideally, we'd have every PC contributing individually to the battle, but this just isn't feasible. We're lucky to pull off one action in 10 rounds, while NPCs move unhindered by latency issues. A brief transition period might be admitted to allow PCs to change locations (like Howland offered after the gate battle).

Furthermore, I believe much frustration from this sort of event stems from a player's lack of opportunity for character growth (which is largely governed by economic means). I had a very enjoyable playing session last night, but it was only possible because I had the items to get around. And despite the time we've had to speculate and prepare, I can understand not everyone could be ready for an event of this scale.

I think players would feel much more satisfied if they simply had something, however small, to contribute or gain from the current setting. Everyone wants to be part of the change; they don't want to miss out simply because their character isn't a high enough level. Therefore any small change or addition [to improve interactivity] the DMs make to accommodate for all levels during this sort of event, I think would be greatly welcomed. I've thought of a lot of ways to do this, but I don't know if suggestions that specific are wanted in this thread, so I'll refrain from writing them now.

I also realize a lot was done to help new players prepare for this event before it occurred, including huge exploration XP rewards and ridiculously rewarding FedEx quests (Deck of Cards :] ), in which I give kudos to the DM team.

My only concern with the No Respawn rule right now is with the scaling of mobs currently within the city. Most are too strong for groups with levels 3-6 to deal with, and thus largely limit their actions (to almost nothing). While personally a huge fan of the HardCore rules, I know this isn't to the liking of everyone. And on this server (after the event), I think I prefer the respawn rule at the 1/3 EXP hit (though I wouldn't mind an additional penalty added). I also prefer there being no NPC raisers. This makes PC Clerics with the Raise Dead ability more appropriately revered.

I apologize if I offer too many suggestions, and I hope this has been at least somewhat constructive. My thanks go out to all the players involved, and the DM team, for providing for this infinitely enjoyable setting.

Pardon me if this is a restatement as I haven't read through all the posts yet.

But the only ones who are saying this is great/fun are those with very high level/powerful characters.

I'm thoroughly enjoying the changes, although this is from the point of view of a six level character with a modest stash of supplies.

Said character(s) are still virtually useless, but its a great deal of fun nonetheless, and the DM and player team here deserves major congratulations. Great show (: