A dissenting opinion

[Jasede]

I am greatly enjoying the lower-level, slimmer-consumable new server where most people are scraping around for splint. It is a welcome reprieve from EfU, where wands of PHK et al were being thrown around with joyous abandon. Holding a potion of something as common as Bull's Strength in unsure reserve instead of just using it on a whim and being able to buy 20 more next time a crafter logged on really adds something to the game for me.

Gold is alot more scarce too, which can only be a good thing.

There's quite a few things I don't like 100% about the new server, but what Caddies just said, and the beautiful areas, and the (very high, atm) difficulty just make this incredibly fun to me.

Granted, I am still on my first character, but what I have experienced is wonderful: no longer is the first goal to get lots of gold - because it's hardly possible! No, you scrape by with what you have and don't part from even a single Blur potion without a fight. You scrape, salvage and scavenge, and that's just incredible. It's really, really fun to play under these rough circumstances.

Really, my only big fear? That things will become too easy as players civilize the island. Once there's a town (surely with easy errands quests and all) the difficulty of getting started will drop, I fear, and that would take away the charm of these magical first weeks and months of utter danger, where you must simply cling together or be steamrolled by the terrible, terrible spawns all around!

[dragonfire9000]

Lord love a duck, this is amazing! It's like 28 Days Later! You log in, walk out the Ziggy and BAM there's a skeleton waiting to rip your head off! If you don't band up with another couple of guys who hate getting killed as much as yourself, you're toasted!

I really love the survivalist mindset. My only regret is that my current character is lawful and wants to create civilization...

[Damien]

I do like the appearance of this place much more but I personally think its way less new player friendly...

>_>
<_<

[Semli]

Jasede: It happened on EfU, it will likely happen on EfUA.  Something is lost but the nice part is you get to come back a little better equipped than before to continue the game's storyline.  To prevent this from happening the DMs would need to pound us with a server stopping catastrophe every other month, which is something no player really wants.

Dragonfire and Damien: I -think- the situation with the roving dead nearly everywhere except the starting area will improve soon after players accomplish some plot significant tasks.  At least, that is my hope.

So far I like EfUA... it's a nice fresh start, and I think good things are on the way with interests revived.

[Nihm]

I prefer this setting over the Underdark. I like the tilesets better and the new quests are very nice. However consumables and experience seem equally easy, or easier, to come by than they were in the underdark.
 
Therefore I think its a bit silly to say this is better because consumables are harder to get.  That is a temporary state of things, and I'm sure it was the same at the start of Efu.
 
The real advantage is the lack of entrenched factions.  What the players build now, may become an entrenched faction later, but right now almost everyone is on an even footing.

[JackOfSwords]

I'm really, really trying to like the new setting. However, I really, really don't.

As for "Consumable Bloat" in the previous setting, I haven't a clue of what you're talking about. I never noticed a problem in the previous setting, nor ever heard anyone complain about it. Personally, I never think gimping things is the right solution to any problem, anyway, unless there are no other solutions. Gimping almost -always- removes variety and makes things more bland.

More DM interaction? No, we have not all noticed it. I haven't seen hide nor hair of a DM since the switchover, other than once when they asked everyone to log off to reset the server. (Which then didn't come back for an hour.)

So far, it's been a pretty miserable experience. Spending an hour or two trying to find a place to sleep to replenish spells is not my idea of quality time. Perhaps had we ways to earn gold somewhere to pay the Inn, (I was on 3 quests and got paid zilch) it wouldn't have been so bad.

Then, to log in the next day and discover the sleeping place gone, I had to spend another hour finding a new one.

When not wandering aimlessly for sleeping places, I did try to RP. First attempt, after a minute or 2 the other player said something to the effect of, "Listen, I'd love to talk, but I really don't want to deal with yet another person wondering where they are." Then left.

Second attempt, the person got killed in a place that really should've been "safe" (i.e. near where you spawn), which was a nasty enough interruption for the other player to log off abruptly.

Third attempt wasn't too bad, although it ended similar to the second attempt when I accidentally took a quest, we entered the zone and were quickly killed. I got lucky, and "stabilized" before the fugue. The other player fugued and logged. I got the impression both times that the players wouldn't be back anytime soon.

Fourth attempt, the group really had no interest in RP'ing, except to hit on my character (why do guys think that's "RP" and not creepy?), and was mindlessly running from quest to quest, which I never got a chance to enjoy the "better maps and music", I could barely keep up with them as they ran helter skelter. I still don't know what the quests were about or what our objective was.

Fifth attempt, I didn't even manage to connect with a group. The one I did find seemed to be self-involved with their own stuff and really weren't interested in talking to a new character.  Without being able to hook up with a group, there really wasn't much for me to do.

Uh, yeah. Big improvement over EfU.

[MasterAvenger]

I just wanted to touch on this real quick. I don't believe the old server was destroyed. In fact, you can return to the Underdark and do Underdark quests, visit Sanctuary, and prance around in Traensyr if that's your desire!

Maybe I'm missing something painfully obvious, and I sort of hope I am, since I have read and been told that point several times.

Isn't the Way to the surface exceedingly deadly and dangerous?
By all reasoning, going down the same way would be equally deadly and dangerous?
Not to mention you likely want to go back up after you're done with your expedition?

So then, how is the point of the areas remaining below a good selling point if it pretty much amounts to suicide?

I mean, in all my time on EfU, I never had a character that suffered from consumable bloat, or felt powerful to the point he could have escaped to the surface. Obviously, I don't expect to be able to make one on EfU:A who would be able to make the trip twice in one go, plus the usual hardships of the Underdark.

I'm honestly curious, I've been told what Sternhund said too many times to be a coincidence!

[Goblin Butcher]

Maybe I'm missing something painfully obvious, and I sort of hope I am, since I have read and been told that point several times.

Isn't the Way to the surface exceedingly deadly and dangerous?
By all reasoning, going down the same way would be equally deadly and dangerous?
Not to mention you likely want to go back up after you're done with your expedition?

So then, how is the point of the areas remaining below a good selling point if it pretty much amounts to suicide?

I mean, in all my time on EfU, I never had a character that suffered from consumable bloat, or felt powerful to the point he could have escaped to the surface. Obviously, I don't expect to be able to make one on EfU:A who would be able to make the trip twice in one go, plus the usual hardships of the Underdark.

I'm honestly curious, I've been told what Sternhund said too many times to be a coincidence!

Having made it I can tell you. With the current loot level of the server nobodies going down that damn path for a very long time. As if they'd have reason to in the first place! If they can even make it ~to~ the way I'd be shocked.

[Sternhund]

Remember, the gameworld is still young! We have a long ways to go. The point I was making is that despite leaving the Underdark, we have left many of the Underdark quests and areas for later exploration. If you have reason to return to the Underdark, we can make it happen! It won't be easy, but let's not dismiss it as impossible. Trust me, good things will happen. :)

...and I'd like to emphasize that there are segments of Sanctuary's storyline which will carry over to the Archipelago. We may be on the surface, but remember, we are still in the same setting. This is still EFU!

[Banana Flakes]

Personally I'm finding that with enough effort you can do pretty much all the things people are having problems with!

RP aplenty. Quests up to your eyeballs and theres more inns than you can shake a stick at!

I'm really liking the new location, more opportunities and whatnot.

[Skrillix]

Invading the Underdark. Now that's an idea...

And JackofSwords, if you're having trouble finding people to RP with look for those in bright-ass gold armour. We'll gladly talk your ear off about the glory of Amaunator. Hang in there!

[Meldread]

I totally second what Skrillix said.  My character spends a huge amount of time healing, restoring and curing people in the name of Amaunator attempting to raise awareness of his ascension and rebirth.

It shouldn't be hard to find us!  Hell, you can create a cleric of Amaunator and join the faction right away, if you want.  We need more clerics, so far we only have two. :P

I think that's really helped my playing experience here on EfU:  A.  Starting immediately as a member of a faction.  I have a ready-made group of people to RP and play with.  When we are in trouble we have someone else in the group to turn too.  I cannot tell you how many times I have had to go out and rescue fraction members things from Nightrisers.

There is a much higher emphasis on joining up with others and working together on EfU:  A than in EfU.  At least that is my opinion.  I certainly would not want to be a loner on this server.  At night there is not much to do except RP.

[DenGrasse]

For me, as player, is EfU:A better than EfU. I was impressed with underearth world idea (and planned my own in other world), but i come as player too late. factions are running, some players occupied this for itself with new and new characters, if old died. many others look about new character ideas.

here is all new, in beginns, unexplored. we can shape this world with our characters hand. thats great.

[Howlando]

I already sent JackOfSwords a private PM, but if there's anyone else who's having a rough time of it, feel free to contact me IG and I'll see what I can do to help you. Every day there's been a module update (or two or three), and with each update we are and will continue to refine and improve that total new character, where-the-hell-am-I feeling.

Not going to discuss the Way, except to say that I think people are making assumptions and getting ahead of themselves. Where there's a will, there's often a ...

EFUA is just the next chapter of a single story. It is a shame there are so few characters that will have been present through all of it, but I think it's something players can appreciate at least.

We have a lot of new content, and are keeping the best of what we had, and I'm proud and excited about the new project. It's particularly challenging right now, but I don't think unreasonably so at all. We're trying to build a town from the bottom up rather than have PCs just start in an already developed and flourishing settlement. Just as in alpha-efu, I think people will look back on these times later on with nostalgia and affection.

It's an exciting time for anyone who likes EFU to play, but seeing as we're being maxed out playercount primetime nightly, and I have way more on my plate in terms of DM'ing/building than I have time for, if people choose not to I won't be offended.

[dragonfire9000]

Semli Said:

Dragonfire and Damien: I -think- the situation with the roving dead nearly everywhere except the starting area will improve soon after players accomplish some plot significant tasks. At least, that is my hope.

Oh nonononono! I really do love it! The roving undead give us something to fight against, and my character's first real goal! It also cuts down on what I know a lot of people (Including myself, I'll admit) did in the old EfU. We'd roll up a character, and then shoot it straight to level three without even having to *nods* to another person. You can't just log in and errand yourself to the top, you have to hook up with a group for sheer survival!

However, I DO think it'd be nice to have a few less consumables. Went on a very small, very easy quest with two level twos (one went three halfway, but whatever) and came out with two good-sized healing items and two potions of blur, not to mention miscellaneous armor and weapons. Seems kind of odd that we're on an island that appears to have been deserted for many a year, and yet we find so much stuff in these places that apparently no one has scavenged....

My two cents. Okay, so my total's going on about forty dollars by now, but whatev.