A little concern.

[Amourae]

Okay, I'm relatively new to the server and perhaps I'm overstepping here, but I'd like to voice one concern that I have so far.
 
Isn't a little bit too unforgiven on new characters ?
 
You start your level 2 character at the center of an area, and it's pretty confusing to know where to go from there. Two of four possible areas to go around the main ziggurat area are potentially dangerous and although the signs do say "caution" I find it hard to keep track of the day\night cycle, as the night isn't as dark as expected (And I suppose other people would too), so it seems almost a certainty to me that a lot of new players with new characters die too early before ever getting to know the server, and the frustration ensued could turn people away.
 
I'd be turned away already if wasn't for the helpful and friendly players that tried to help me out, but I suppose not everyone is as persistent as I am.
 
I don't know if this is a problem that I, alone, am concerned about, but maybe you should give some thought on this. And I'd like to make it clear that this isn't a critic, as I don't know if the setting is meant to be so unforgiven, and even if it's just me that find it unforgiven, but it's a concern about how the sword wielding skeleton sends a welcoming message to new characters walking around the areas right next to the ziggurat.

[Nihm]

I don't think anyone would dispute that this a very ,very hard server.  No one will get far by themselves.  The areas even near the ziggurat are full of things that can easily kill a solo character.  
 
It takes some getting used to.  The first night it was up, people were dying and respawning in droves as the skeletons killed them, even veterans of the old server.  They'll deny it, but I was there and saw them get pwnt.
 
You need patience, and you need allies, whether it is friends you slowly bond with or pick up groups made by the sending system.

[Thomas_Not_very_wise]

Amourae, I offered to you no less than three times to show you around the Ziggurat, tell you about the history here, and more.

You refused each offer!

But welcome to the server.

[Amourae]

I mentioned "helpful players" because of your tells actually. Your offerings of help were very nice and warmth, but I just didn't had enough time to play with you at that moment.
 
But my point is related to the fact that the spawing point for new characters is to close to extremely dangerous areas. A character running away from some of these areas could lead monsters to the ziggurat's spawing point, as an unadvised new character could get killed in the first transition that she makes after arriving just because she went in the wrong direction. It's not something that happened to me specificaly, thanks to your advice, but I thought that I should voice this concern nonetheless. But hell, maybe it's just me being paranoid!

[Thomas_Not_very_wise]

Sorry, I didn't read your entire post.

But yes, This is intentional. The areas North and East of the Ziggie are entirely safe during the day. The clock on your compass tells you when it's safe and when it isn't.

the 5 on the clock means it's daylight, quest grind!

the 17 means STOP if you value you're life! <3

[erglion]

Welcome to the Underdark island!

The dangerous, semi-survivalist setting is very much the style of this server.  It is not meant to make things arbitrarily difficult, but to add to the flavor.  This also encourages meeting/working with other players, which can be incredibly fun and rewarding.

[dragonfire9000]

Sorry lad, and I know this'll come off as harsh but...

This is like the Marines. You either die off during Hell Week, or you become an elite killing machine. Or something like that.

Your best chance for survival is to hook up with a dwarf IG and have him protect you for a while. Always works. *nods sagely*

[Ommadawn]

dorf powah, lol.

Oh, and welcome Amourae!

[petey512]

Yup, welcome! In order to survive the server until you get used to it, I'd suggest either a fighter, or a rogue with a high hide/move silently skill!

[JackOfSwords]

The author of this thread made a point that could easily be corrected:  nighttime could be darker.  As for the pretty confusing, I would agree somewhat.  That is, if you don't slowly and carefully read every sign and dialogue you first encounter (beginning with the new char OOC area,) it's easy to die a horrible death just by heading to an adjacent map - it could leave someone with the impression that the server difficulty level is not balanced, and they move on to another server.

Now, I know some will reply to this and say, "it's their own fault for not reading," but not everyone approaches games the same way, and some are expecting the first few minutes of game play to safely lead them along and fill them in on the fly.  I'm not suggesting that be done, but perhaps it could be clearer in the OOC char start area that "IF YOU DON'T READ THIS RIGHT NOW, YOUR CHAR WILL DIE AND YOUR DAY WILL BE RUINED."  Perhaps make it to where they can't spawn at the Ziggurat until they've (A) gone through a dialogue that explains the most significant things they should know, or (B) know the password to bypass the dialogue.

[RIPnogarD]

perhaps it could be clearer in the OOC char start area that "IF YOU DON'T READ THIS RIGHT NOW, YOUR CHAR WILL DIE AND YOUR DAY WILL BE RUINED."

Good idea!

My first time in the Underdark I decided to have my PC go into the cave/tunnel that lead to port-claw instead of into Sanctuary. I had no clue and hadn’t read the majority of the threads. Needless to say that 2nd level PC died solo in the tunnels of the underdark. Learned my lesson and I’m still here (whether ya’s like it or not:p).

First timers may not know how big a part these forums play in EfU and now EfU:A.
.

[bob7el]

A "IF YOU'RE NEW, PLEASE READ THIS!" sign would be a good addition.  There's a LOT of information to take in when you first enter the OOC beginning area, and I doubt most new players will read it all.  Most servers that I've browsed actually have a beginning area like that, and it's just not worth it to read all the signs, and then get in the game, only to realize you don't like it.

I'd suggest the sign have only the most basic starting information so that new players don't feel overloaded.  Of which, I'd include mentioning the low-level/magic nature and difficulty of the setting.

[Egon the Monkey]

Maybe make a brief warning of "This server is TOUGH, but the Ziggurat is fairly safe. It is recommended to stay there and learn about the dangers before venturing out. Lock the door to the Ziggurat and make it unlock when you view the warning, just like one of the quest doors does when you view another book.

[Sr.N]

I'm positive the NPCs in the starting zone makes it pretty clear how dangerous it is outside the ziggurat.

When starting the server you should pay attention to NPC dialogues and interact with other PCs about the island. This is what I've done and when starting the server not long ago, I didn't find troubles.

There are plenty of  low level quests in the ziggurat, some of them are even soloable. I think it's pretty clear from NPC's dialogue how things work in there. IMHO.

[JackOfSwords]

I'm positive the NPCs in the starting zone makes it pretty clear how dangerous it is outside the ziggurat.

I believe you are correct, but my suggestion is that they can't spawn at the Ziggurat unless either they actually click through NPC or sign dialogue, OR enter a password that they'd know if they've actually read it.  As well, something very obvious should be visible in the OOC area that reading it is mandatory and essential.

Sure, they could just click, click, click without actually reading it, but no one can say they weren't sufficiently warned, and there would be no room for complaints.