[April Fools] Keeping module size down

[derfo]

[derfo]

[Junketeer]

I always play with the sound off; I want my wife to think I am working and not playing.  I have no issues in the Docks, a fine place.

[Barehander]

I guess this needs to be repeated again: the discussion is not about music or the ambience track every area can have. It's about placeable sounds, which amount to a one-off eagle cry, dripping water, the cracking of a fireplace or some magical buzzing.

Check them out in the toolset. Most of them are not that impressive. Some are. You might as well see to stripping any excessive PLCs, sound and otherwise, if there are such. Doesn't mean you still couldn't keep that huge magical contraption dingling or that fireplace crackling. But you don't need to litter an entire swamp with buzzing nodes.

But as I said, I've no idea if that's the status quo since I always listen to music when I play.

[athousandyearsofpain]

lol


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHg5SJYRHA0

[Nickless]

Please stay on topic

[TheImpossibleDream]

Please stay on topic

You know the rules and so do I.

[ExileStrife]

Snoteye, time-consuming efforts like this are best spent elsewhere.  Sounds don't even contribute to that large of a percentage of the placeables on the server.  In fact, there are most likely many areas which individually have more placeables inside them than there are sound effects on the entire server.

[Yalta]

Scrappayeti, you spoil their fun with your attention to the calender. I realised only when i read Dan's post sticking up for Snoteye... at that point the horrible illusory veil fell from my eyes.

[AKMatt]

To stay on topic:

I play on a pretty decent computer for 2 years ago, which runs NWN fine.  I leave music on and enjoy that, even though I downloaded the Mort override and it messed everything up.  I'm a big fan of Snoteye's suggestion, though.  Trimming a couple MBs off the module would really enhance my enjoyment of the server, primarily because whoever builds most of these areas sucks at providing the right sounds to give them the ambiance they should have.  I can probably think of several instances where the zombie moaning sound effect would be better than rats chittering (WTF?  Rats aren't scary!) but I'm too lazy to cite specific instances and tbh, I'd rather just have all the offending sound effects removed and be done with it.  As for the amount of work it would take, that's what you DMs are here for, right?

Douchebaggery aside, I'm all for this suggestion.

P.S.: By the way, I know it's a general poll for the playerbase, but wouldn't Suggestions subforum be a better place for this, since it is sort of proposing a major change to the server?

[Equinox]

If it module size you want to decrease.. theres a big old place called the Underdark with a shit ton of areas no-one uses aside from the once every six months ud trip. (if that)

When i was down there I noticed a few QA closed etc. Why not literally just delete all 2-6 quests in the UD etc. Becuase noone going down there is below level 8 really anyway.

Just a suggestion.

[Drakill Tannan]

Wow, i had no idea DMs hated each other so much while we weren't looking...

That said

Sound and graphics do add to a game. Competitive multiplayer games sich as Gears of war or starcraft don't really need graphics nor sound, and it adds litte to them. Roleplaying and storytelling games don't need them either, but they do add many enjoyable aspects to a game. I'm thinking Mass Effect, and how good would it have been without the music, particually. Good, sure, but not as much.

Snoteye, i do understand what your point is, and personally, since i play with my brother's laptop playing Kamelot and full volume like 2 meters behind me, it's not like i can hear any sounds from my computer anyway. Even when he is not there i'm a bit tired of the old NWN music and put some of my own at times (ever fought an epic battle with Mozzart's requiem as background music? it's just awsome) So i really wouldn't mind.

However

Many players like "inmersion". To me it is a game and should not be atempted to be taken any further, so inmersion is not particualry desirable for me. To many other players though, it seems to be VERY important. Music and ambient sounds are probably the best tools for inmersion out there, removing them would be terrible for the inmerions loving players.

So, i vote no.

Mind you, anything that improves the performance of the server is desirable for me, being killed to lag is bad. I mean, in Thain you just couldn'¡t earn XP for 10 minutes per level, here you loose a lot of time of hard earned leveling, but perhaps we should look for another way to do it? Meldread suggeston is exelent i belive. No one casually enters the underdark and comes back 3 hours later. That just doesn't happen. If the UD could be moved to a seconary module, and the PCs that enter it transported there by a DM (when people go there there is usually DM attention anyway) and if what i hear is right, that would remove quite a lot of the server making it mroe efficient. And do remove the useless areas. If nobody uses them 90% of the time, that means 90% they are just making the server less eficient.

Caddies

The docks are a pain in the ass, and i avoid them as much as i can. I admit it, visualy talking they are awsome, but really, i prefer overhall performance than nice visuals. My PC is not great and it hurts every time i go there. Perhaps DMs should consider reducing the amount of palcables?

just my 2 cents

[DeputyCool]

I play with no sound at all and think this is a good change.

For the record, I approve of polling the playerbase before implementing major changes.

The Docks is a good example of this. If Caddies had posted a poll saying "Would you like to have a terrible, lag bloated, poorly designed area to wallow in with no merchants, stalls, stores and rarely anything to do?" I can bet the vote would've prevented that awful, awful area.

[AKMatt]

DeputyCool brings up a good point.

[The Beggar]

I like Docks. I like Music.

Now that the original topic has been supported again:

Wow, i had no idea DMs hated each other so much

Actually, as a species DMs are terribly territorial and often go after the sexier, better looking DMs at any oportunity. It's a cold, hard reality for those few super hot DMs. I have no question that this is a result of internal conflicts that Freud would have had a field day with.

BTW, why do you think smoking cigars is such a calming experience. Oh yeah, I went there.