One Feature

[Sternhund]

Inspired by an IRC conversation that is happening at this time of posting, I'd like to ask the question:

If you could implement one feature, be it an area, concept, scripting nonsense, or whatever in EFUA, what would it be?

Interesting thoughts in IRC that were thrown about were:

Another interesting DM faction to replace the Order, yet with a chaotic leaning.
I'm going to stand by we need someplace like Lower. But the current places that are "lower-ish" are too close to the ziggurat/authority, to really feel run down and dangerous.
It would be nice to have a clear struggle between one dm faction and another.
Prostitute mini-game

I'd like to expand the discussion to the forums. So, what do you guys think?

[lovethesuit]

Knights. Shining armor, round table, horses and lances, the whole bit man.

[Vlaid]

I believe a lawless, run-down, rich in crime and seedy activity is very much needed.

I was mulling this around. There could be a group of displaced citizens that have formed a make-shift city in a cave system off one of the cliff faces some distance from the ziggurat. Due to the lack of city services, laws, the place could be a rough and tumble, might makes right, seedy alternative to the very lawful Ziggurat/Old Port.

The cave-system-city could be made up of exiled citizens from the Ziggurat, monsters, and a secret rebel movement that despises the Sharboneth and their stranglehold on the island, viewing them as little more than dictators. The rebel movement might be lead up by an ex-seeker, but should/could not be "The Seekers", to allow a new feel of a rebel faction to be formed, without feeling like it's just a continuation of the old Seekers.

This would also be a great place for exiled PC's and monster PC's to be able to function in some moderate safety, without feeling like they have to wander around the wilds stealthed for 90% of their life (I'm exagerating, but you know what I mean). It could have a spawn point you could pick as a location for new PC's, and have it's own version of the low level quests to allow for a mini-seperate thug-like life over there.

I'm day dreaming, but that's my one suggestion. Grandoise and time-consuming as it might be.

[Verybigliar]

I do also like that, but I also believe in pursuing this kind setup. I do believe it'd be nice if there comes a chance for such to slowly build up, with player aid.

[Egon the Monkey]

I've been thinking for a while we need a non-evil Chaotic or a Neutral Good DM faction, as there's been a strong Lawful and Evil bias to DM factions. I'd take it further though and suggest a DM faction with the responsibility of running a neutral outpost on Ymph away from the Ziggurat. And that takes Elves XD.

Ideas:

• The Fleet returns from being lost in the Mists and stakes a claim on the ruins of the Sated Shark, creating an independent port in that island.
• A crew of half-elves are lured onto Shipwreck Beach before they can fight off the harpies, and start setting up camp in the Elfwood ruins, recruiting both elves and humans to restore the place as a hunting camp and ranger-ish settlement.
• A mobile settlement based on a great fleet of ships (Including a floating Temple of Valkur, because that would be awesome. It would. :D) docks on one of the bays of Ymph and starts trading fish and plunder from pirates they fend off in exchange for resources to construct more vessels and expand their flotilla.

The idea would be to have a settlement that is further away from Gobsquat, non-evil (unlike the Squat), and int he best case, outside of Sharboneth's jurisdiction.

That gives you the hideout aspect of lower, but with a less seedy/gangster setup so it's not a carbon copy, we have Gaobsquat for that. A DM faction can be produced as the group running this enclave, and the area can provide a touch of the "Good base" feel of New Dunwarren and the "chaotic alleyway" setup of Lower.

[Mort]

Gaeseric's Camp? Starwood?

There will never be good-only carebear cities as far as I have 'veto' powers. <_<

[Egon the Monkey]

Carebear city? Pfft. Considering I suggested places that would be close to or likely creating trouble with the Armada, Bogs and Umberlites respectively, while providing an active and not impossible to reach hideout camp (Gaeseric is the wrong side of the most badass surface mobs on ymph, has no quests near and no services, and Starwood will throw you out, literally for bringing any trouble near) I think it's got potential.

Not suggesting an army of NPC paladins to smackdown any trouble, but more the NG/CG equivalent of what Fort Mur was to Sanctuary.

[derfo]

It would be awesome if there was some sort of unaligned (PC/DM faction-wise), basic dungeon @area that was opened routinely every IRL X amount of hours or so (as opposed to every Saturday at 5'o'clock, to cater to players of different time zones and schedules), with a generically useful cache of loot or gold, via scripts entirely.

For example, some sort of small dungeon underneath the colony in the ruins could become accessible weekly.

This would not be your usual dungeon crawl, but more like a 'race to the center' or 'arena'ish between different interested groups, with the centerpiece being the aforementioned loot. This would contain multiple, consistently known access routes, maybe different, varying trails of traps, puzzles, monsters, random Netherese experiments, whatever - though, without being incredibly overwhelming. These obstacles would mainly serve to provoke the assembly of a competent group of players. It would be desirable to give a big advantage to uncommon skills, like an amazing save against poison, social skills, picking locks, etc.

Preferably, it would be cool if it were something that was decently well known, routinely announced and prepared for, at a scheduled time so factions and/or players that find these sort of ventures desirable can prepare and cooperate/engage accordingly. Maybe Zyphaem Faussad makes an announcement that the stars are aligned, or some sort of gay astrological stuff like that is opening these portals in the ruins to the dungeon.

This dungeon as a whole would act as a sort of routine crescendo event, to jump start conflict or cooperation between various players and/or factions. While I don't exactly know how hard it is to script an area that has some portals appear to it every week or so with some random monsters, traps, and loot spawning within, if it's not as difficult as I expect, it could procure some amusing conflict through negotiations, trades, or PvP, for those who are into those respective things.

If I might digress, I always thought it was especially fun and cool when DMs made a 'pvp DM quest,' where two rag-tag groups clash for their respective end or prize, or two conflicting NPCs hire players to fight, or whatever. This could serve as one of those, with no DM involvement required, while not becoming common to the point of being something lackluster.

While a rough badly written outline, I think that's something I'd love to see in EFUA, as an avid enjoyer of crushing things, while still providing for those of other intrigues.

Additionally, I could see maybe some sort of mega Netherese crystal shard for every event that you need to collect, to assemble into something fabulous, marking something unique, achieved over time, prowess, and reputation. I'm sure some other easily procured ideas could fit about into this in the form of DM spice and player initiative easily also.


- DERFLARO

[Random_White_Guy]

I've something for the more chaotic/seedy people is in the works, if I can ever get RL to stop stomping on my playtime.

[Nihm]

I'd like to see more solo content, so that the unpopular character or just the one in the sparse timezone still can have something to do.  Something with a small reward and some randomness to it.  Or maybe even allowing for some of the current quests to be attempted by one person.  
 
The way I see it, if a character is not in a "flavor of the week" faction with many other people, does not like pick-up groups, and has no friends, they are in for a lot of aimless wandering around the ziggurat.
 
This is a shame, because it prevents characters that are weird, antisocial or just unpopular from doing anything.  Patrolling the wilderness requires a substantial imput of items to survive for most classes, most of the time far in excess of what could be hoped to gain, so that is not a sustainable option either.

[VanillaPudding]

Haks - While the community of online players in nwn slowly decreases, the amount of people here for roleplay stays rather the same. People come around for the RP and unique flavor a server can offer. Being as old as it is, people still remain and often do so on their 'home turf' so to speak, which is often on other servers. The days of dial-up connections are nearly gone for good and dowloading a few hundred megebytes of data to greatly increase the capability of the world, not only increasing the cool and unqiue factors of this place, but drawing new people to it.

Just for example, there are PW mods out there using CEP, which is mostly garbage, and have a great population because of the good content it does offer. Using the fine pickings of these HAKs combined with the amazing world already offered would be simply amazing. (perhaps in EFU : Space escape or whatever is next since it's hard to change everything already done to fit well)

[Crod Mondoon]

Two words- Pirates Den!

[Vlaid]

I'd like to see more solo content, so that the unpopular character or just the one in the sparse timezone still can have something to do.  Something with a small reward and some randomness to it.  Or maybe even allowing for some of the current quests to be attempted by one person.  
 
The way I see it, if a character is not in a "flavor of the week" faction with many other people, does not like pick-up groups, and has no friends, they are in for a lot of aimless wandering around the ziggurat.
 
This is a shame, because it prevents characters that are weird, antisocial or just unpopular from doing anything.  Patrolling the wilderness requires a substantial imput of items to survive for most classes, most of the time far in excess of what could be hoped to gain, so that is not a sustainable option either.

Just had to comment...

If you don't want join a faction, have no IC friends, play in a terrible timezone, and refuse to join "pickup groups"....what kind of socializing are you even doing? I play in a terrible timezone, so I make sure to take whatever RP/Socializing/Questing/DM Plot/DM Questing I can damn well get!

[TheImpossibleDream]

Pirates den, failing that, prostitute mini-game.

[Crod Mondoon]

Why not both!