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can we get a few agos please ?

This is a game for roleplayers. We want your ideas how how to build the better game. Post your suggestions here.
Noidea
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Re: can we get a few agos please ?

Post by Noidea »

Hi Wish, thank you, this is a BIG HELP, I would say! So long as we know that getting rid of revenants IS something that can happen if we RP it, rather than that all RP attempts will fail because the GMs intend them to be there as long as the Vanguard War storyline continues. It's sometimes hard to guess.

Remember, yes, other people have said that it won't be like that, but they're not GMs and we have no way of knowing whether they actually know or were just speculating! With the exception of Tary, but Tary didn't actually say that there was any chance of removing them, he just said it's good motivation for characters - and in the past, I've known GMs to consider "no, nothing's going to happen, but your character doesn't know that so by all means have a blast going on trying!" to be a reasonable argument, so I didn't know whether that was all Tary meant here. Times like this, only a literal answer will do if you want people to know anything. It's the nature of this game that hints and implications generally could mean either yes or no depending on the preconceptions of the player reading them, with the only result a rousing fight on the forums over what you meant!
Efforts yield rewards, not words alone.
Tary
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Re: can we get a few agos please ?

Post by Tary »

@Noidea: That's exactly what I was saying: their removal is possible, desired and wanted, you just need to find a way to do it.

Not that my voice is a GM's voice -- it's not, don't mistake it for that, all I do is write code -- but it's pretty clear that we can not, as the staff of this game, allow for this status quo to persist for any long term. Revenants are simply too hard and too over-powered to make them worth it right now. And that's really, entirely the point. The status quo will only persist for as long as people don't group en masse (presumably? I don't know) and try to rid the city of the scourge. And if people just ignored them? We'd probably up our game and make them start attacking people in sanctuaries or something until people said, "Ok, this sucks, let's figure out what we can do" (okay, not really... or probably not, anyway, but those GMs can be a nasty bunch :)).

<soapbox>
In general, this is my theory for playing Underlight. The GMs -- and I really think of them as old school Dungeon Masters, really -- will throw a curveball at you. Sometimes that curveball is going to totally suck. Revenants are that curveball.

There's a reason for the curveball, and there's a reason that curveball sucks. And don't forget: our PCs are suffering under this same crappy hunting situation. I am a terrible fighter and can't take down anything higher than a Bogrom Rev and that's with my slinging 40s at them. I know that a lot of the other devs and GMs are the same.

At the same time, hunting is not all that Underlight is about. Actually, at the core of Underlight, hunting plays an almost ancillary role to the player-to-player interaction. Revenants took away a source of XP and items, yes, but they presented a problem for the players to solve, and it's actually a huge problem if you really think about it. These are things that behave like mares -- they attack dreamers indiscriminately -- but they look like dreamers. They also attack mares! And they're hard to take down! But their essences are like nightmare essences -- so what are they? Mare or dreamer?

If you're in DoL or HC or whatever, this should present a major problem of belief. Those who staunchly believe that mares are the souls of the unawakened must be thrown for a loop when it comes to Revenants: things that look like us and hunt mares like us, but also hunt us! So what are they? Should we kill them? Should we banish them to another city? What, really, should be done? That's what Underlight is about.

I guess what I'm saying is:
Your party enters a dimly lit cavern. A human-looking creature approaches you silently and starts attacking you, evoking Darkness and Terror, followed by chakram shots. Your party quickly, but effectively takes down this human and collects its essence. 'Revenant.' You proceed to the next room. A human-looking creature silently collapses an Agoknight, then turns and starts walking towards you, firing a chakram. You fire back but it is undamaged...

Your party encounters a tireless enemy that fights dreamer and mare alike. It looks like you, evokes arts like you, and uses a blade like you. It is baring down on your city and you are standing in its path. It is spreading. Your enemy knows no fear, no pain. Your enemy does not tire. Your enemy is the borg. You are the enemy.

Roll for initiative.

</soapbox>
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Koi-Drama
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Re: can we get a few agos please ?

Post by Koi-Drama »

When the idea for the Revenants formed and scenarios were discussed on possible implementation, we accounted for a myriad of reactions and responses. We are not surprised to hear your thoughts and we value them. From the beginning, we knew the Revenants should have a short shelf life. It was meant to be a companion roleplay to a much larger story. Zaxun, his undead army, and stories forming in the game is merely a gateway to a much larger tale and with it, many different possibilities. As you roleplay and interact in the game, the story evolves and changes. Our original ideas and approach evolve alongside your own contributions.

There have been a few GMs that have gone on vacation and/or attending to their responsibilities and obligations beyond the game. For those that feel that the storyline is slow to a crawl, we apologize for the inconvenience. There are many different pieces of the puzzle going on that will lead to a much larger picture.

As mentioned above, the Revenants are not meant to remain in-game. They are slowly expanding and taking over portions of the game. Just because there was an attempt and seemingly fail does not mean we are ignoring the players. Perhaps a different approach or strategy is required. I assure you that your efforts are impacting the game, perhaps not in ways that are immediately visible. This is a game and its meant to be fun. There are various spots to still hunt without limitations. The goal should remain to rid the city of the Revenants or have them overtake the city completely. Underlight emulates real life in many ways and this is no exception.

Side Note - I'm going to start banning individuals that seem to lack proper social etiquette to participate on the forums. First and last warning.
“I try to bring the audience's own drama, tears and laughter they know about, to them.”
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Tember
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Re: can we get a few agos please ?

Post by Tember »

If you want some good xp, forget about ago"s. Go after Lace and her group. Since they are supposedly the cause of the Revenants.

:lol:
Sidas
Developer
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Re: can we get a few agos please ?

Post by Sidas »

Koi-Drama wrote:
Side Note - I'm going to start banning individuals that seem to lack proper social etiquette to participate on the forums. First and last warning.
It would be prudent and good customer service to post that in the announcements instead of buried in a completely unrelated thread. Fair notice and all.

Otherwise we may end up with mis-deleted accounts. :|
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Malarky
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Re: can we get a few agos please ?

Post by Malarky »

Image

Discuss
Dina

Re: can we get a few agos please ?

Post by Dina »

Tember wrote:If you want some good xp, forget about ago"s. Go after Lace and her group. Since they are supposedly the cause of the Revenants.

:lol:
How? She never leaves Thresh or Sanc, you dork!
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Dakkoth
Keepers of the Eternal Shadow
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Re: can we get a few agos please ?

Post by Dakkoth »

Dina wrote:
Tember wrote:If you want some good xp, forget about ago"s. Go after Lace and her group. Since they are supposedly the cause of the Revenants.

:lol:
How? She never leaves Thresh or Sanc, you dork!
False
Tary
Dreamer
Posts: 264
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Re: can we get a few agos please ?

Post by Tary »

Malarky wrote:Image

Discuss
Sure, I'll bite.

You've got a pretty confusing diagram there, so let me try to distill it down into a coherent argument:
* NPCs are a driver to sociopolitical advancement.
* Houses are a driver to sociopolitical advancement, via Questing (as are Quest Boards, but that's pretty meager).
Your diagram also implies:
* NPCs drive roleplaying.

Here's the thing, aside from the fact that your premises are false: the removal of NPCs wasn't total or complete -- not even now -- and it's temporary at best. It was also gradual, and the removal of NPCs was also a contributor to roleplaying.
Your diagram and premises imply, falsely:
* There are only two drivers to roleplay.
* Advancement returns from NPCs are greater than returns from mission boards.

The first is demonstrably and obviously false. The second is laughably false as well because you can invest 0 time in a MB post and get thousands of XP in return.

That said, obviously hunting NPCs is intended to be the primary driver behind XP accural, but that is pretty much the beginning and ending of NPCs vis a vis how they relate to Underlight. And, further, in this particular instance their removal was neither complete nor permanent, and their removal can facilitate sociopolitical advancement to those who help return them back to the city.

So, no. I don't really agree with any of the above.
Ceyllynn
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Re: can we get a few agos please ?

Post by Ceyllynn »

you have to admit tary... when there wasn't any npcs... the game was boring and no one played, since ir was really hard to recover lost orbits from the wars, which were the only form of entertainment beyond tea parties... at least there is something, i was seriously worried about comming back to the same situation, fighting is fun, no mares to beat on or something similar was boring...
Tary
Dreamer
Posts: 264
Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2014 9:09 am

Re: can we get a few agos please ?

Post by Tary »

Ceyllynn wrote:you have to admit tary... when there wasn't any npcs... the game was boring and no one played, since ir was really hard to recover lost orbits from the wars, which were the only form of entertainment beyond tea parties... at least there is something, i was seriously worried about comming back to the same situation, fighting is fun, no mares to beat on or something similar was boring...
There are NPCs. There will be NPCs. The NPCs are Emphants and Bogroms and Agoknights and Shamblixes and Horrons and... Revenants. And the dreamers are doing a good job at pushing the Revs back. :)
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