Question based on thread at Bioware Forum.

[ExperienceWithStyle]

As Leanthar suggested, posting my following questions in a seperate thread would have a better chance for view and answers. The question is build upon this thread: http://www.layonaraonline.com/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=13935&start=1
and the thread on Bioware's Forum about this world and community. Any answers are appreciated and hopefully a helping hand to other than just me.

All right, he got to me a little bit. Already downloaded the HAKs so under any circumstances, when my character is accepted I’m going to check it out.

Instead of going to Bioware’s forum and put fuel on the fire, I will rather ask here, for you to defend his accusation. Perhaps we as possible new members can get a better view of what we are about to enter.

My concerns from DMRage’s post(s):

He mentioned that players are very busy doing quests and fighting. What is the truth in that? Let’s use the following measuring scale: How much of your time is dedicated, evolving your character, in other ways than xp E.G. fight for the fights (xp), questing without adding your own spices to the quest (such as not saying anything else to the NPCs than what is in the option of a programmed dialogue) and time spending around a campfire or in a tavern, talking about the tales, situations and heroes of Layo?

A big area, but not really any content (few NPCs and low variation of placeables)? Is the large scaled mod, created to show long distances or are each area created with a specific use? (hope it makes sense)

Presences of DMs? I have been a DM and mod creator from almost day one of NWN, so I know RL should still be kept in highest priority to avoid a quick burnout…but with the huge amount of DMs, what is the chances on a daily basic to actually interact with one (in form of possessed NPC’s, quests made on the fly etc. Not included is just to spawn a few creatures or anything else the toolset could take care of with some light scripting)?

Favoritism? I know it happens. Of course. And that is how it should be. DMs also just want to have fun, and often fun should be with the ones they know for certain their few hours of gaming is not wasted with…but, if favoritism comes to DMs not having anytime for a new character/player, you are instead wasting the players time. Please explain how it works here (I know it is here, so don’t say; “There is no favoritism” .

All of the above is just of honest concerns of reading that thread. Please lay the concern to rest, but please do it as honest as possible. Better to know now if this is a place for me and perhaps others.

Respectfully

EwS

[Talan Va'lash]

Copied my answer from the other thread to here. (you guys decided to move the thread while I was writing this heh)


In response to EwS's post:

Whether Rage was ever here or not he started a discussion. EwS took some of the things rage was ranting about and stated them tactfully. Here are my answers:

Question 1 -

My interpretation of this question is basically that it boils down to "How much of your IG time do you spend RPing vs striving to gain xp"

My personal answer is that I spend pretty much none of my time doing things motivated by xp. When I am fighting things either on a quest or otherwise, its often as much an RP event as sitting around telling stories about adventures (gotta get those stories from somewhere.  Most fighting I engage in outside of quests is part of gathering crafting supplies or for exploration (still havent seen the whole world.) There is a lot of fighting that goes on (especially at lower levels when it is easier to get a largeish party together 4+ chars) but fighting is part (maybe a large part) of the fun and excitement of NWN and PnP D&D, and most parties that go out to fight things have an IC motivation for doing so. Whether for CNR or their party's ranger has had giants as a favored enemy since level 1 and really hates giants or they're devout Aeridinites and are going to raid a crypt of an ancient lich or something like that (note: all aforementioned motivations are purely made up, though they could concievably happen.)

Question 2 - my blunt interpretation "So I hear the world is big... is it big and empty? or... what?"

Not all the area's are huge and they are all very detailed. Its not like you're going to be walking down a road surrounded by vast repetetive open plains for 20 minutes. Layo has the most nicely designed and consistently nice areas I've seen on such a large server. I don't think there is a single area thats just there to "fill space" or "make it feel big." The world is acctually a lot smaller than originally intended merely because to house the full world would take... I forget what the estimate was.. something like 16 servers. Most every wilderness area has something to fight if you're looking for it, 1 or more havestable/minable/skinable things in it, and often a way to avoid fighting said things if you know the way. Also all the roads (at least on the west server) are scripted to increase your movement speed by 50% when traveling along them so you dont spend as much of your time walking from place to place ("road haste" is not active in central city and town areas.)

Question 3 - "Are DMs around?"

Yes, and yes. It was some of the tiniest most insignificant DM interactions that solidified my desire to play here some time ago. There are scheduled events, but just in the last two days there have been some impromptu events involving fighting between the followers of two of the goddesses that resulted in a certain port being captured by pirates. Over the past month or so a number of DMs have had to step down due to being busy in RL, but new DM applications have already been sent in and interviews are happening currently (I think.) So, there will be even more DMs soon (yes yes, new DMs, someones accidentally going too hit the pause key I know!)

Question 4 - Favoritism

People are human. However, I think L and the team do a great job at being as fair as they can and being open to discussion within the community. If you have an issue you are open to speak with the DMs involved with another DM present if you wish. I can say that they really are willing to speak to you to try to resolve issues... because... um.. well, I have trouble keeping my mouth shut if I think something is wrong and have had a couple disagreements at times and been able to work them out with whomever was involved. My only advice about that is to try to talk to or PM the DM involved or Rhizome (DM in charge of grievances, he runs great quests too) or Leanther privately rather than posting straight to the public forums *looks around to see who's staring at him and sheepishly steps down from the podium*

Wow... that was really freakin long.

FIN

[ZeroVega]

  Weeee! As for your first question. I spend probably 80-90% of my time developing my character and RPing, or doing the very teidous job of crafting for RP reasons. Currently my character is putting together an Arcane Academy with some others, and he's using most of his time to get things organized, meet with potential members, help schedule meetings, and raise money for the tower. Often times I will carry on short conversations with NPCs to amuse myself. And whenever possible, I try to get my character into a situation where he can tell a tale (usually stretching the truth to the point where the players can notice without letting the characters know ).
    Pretty much every area has content. Most have creature spawns whether they attack you, or are just some harmless deer that do nothing but look pretty. There are plenty of areas that aren't just there they're also beautifully built with intelligently placed creature spawns. Also the areas transition very nicely from one to the next (with the exception of when terrain changes, but you cannot controll that).
    GMs here run dozens of scheduled quests per month. Many many Character Development Quests which you can request for your character. They run spontanious quests, and even drop in on players when they least expect it, without being a nuisence.
    I know you didn't want us to say it but there's not favoritism... at least not the "bad" kind. All of the higher level characters I've met, have always been played as if they know you (the player) and are good friends with you. They play their characters according to what they know of yours and though they may tend to hang around people they know, who doesn't? Take for example Ozymandias Llewellen, the highest level character on Layonara at level 27, and one of the Best RPers on the server. He's level 27, with 37(?) hit points, and it a story telling fiend (not really a fiend). A level 1 character, who doesn't know him, and is a terrible RPer (by many people's standards) could walk up to him and start talking, and it's very likely that instaed of thinking up an excuse to go hang out with his higher level friends, he'd coach him on RP through tells, while entertaining his character the a thrilling story of good vs. evil.
    My feelings about Layonara are this. It is a world you can fully immerse yourself in. You can fall into what feels like a real world with excellent RP, while still maintaining out of character relationships with the other players. So even if you're alone and have nothing to do, you can always carry on a wonderful OOC conversation with a player you know well. I know I do it all the time when I'm digging sand (and boy do I dig).
    The CNR system is so amazing that it will blow you away. The Creatures are perfectly made, just enough challenges and just enough cretures that make you want to wet your pants. Plenty to explore, so many quests (plot or otherwise) to take part in. Player Run guilds, Player Run "Quests" even! (See Venture to the Underdark under Wild Sturge) The plot is so large and intricate that it's not un common to have 3 quests, all plot quests involving the plot, but unrelated to each other, running in a week or two. It's so much fun just to sit and RP (I highly recommend you enjoy it, especially at the lower levels). Enjoy ExperianceWithStyle, and be warned, "you will be assimilated." 

[Vyris]

I think my time spent on Layonara is split about 70% RP, 20% crafting and 10% fighting. Of course, a lot of times the collection of crafting materials contains RP (safety in numbers you know) and fighting (Most anything you want to harvest or mine, the monsters would probably want for the same reasons) So you can find a great mix to suit whatever mood you are in.

I think the biggest area that I have ever been in that didn't have anything was a desert... and it still had sand for making glass and such to dig. I don't think I've ever actually walked through an area that didn't contain something usefull, dangerous, or most often, both.

As far as DM's go I'll give this an example:
I was grouped with 3 other folks, we had done what we had set out to do, and had been RP'ing around a camp fire for quite some time I took it apon myself to create a little excitement and switched from talking over to the DM channel, I asked ooc if anyone had some free time, and got a reply from a DM asking what was up. I told the DM we were sitting around RP'ing and had a good group doing it, the DM came down and checked out what we were doing and spawned a spontaneous quest off of our RP there at the campfire, I didn't get much sleep that night, but I had a LOT of fun. There are also a lot of scripted quests for beginners, mostly geared towards getting you out of towns and exploring the environment, some are quite challenging, others are obviously for beginners, there are even quests that direct you to find OTHER PC's to RP with about the current events and/or history of important figures/events in Layonara, so it's not always an NPC related quest.


Favoritism... hmm, I've never been turned away from a quest, I've never been granted a quest specifically for me other than my CDQ. I have people that I play with more than others, none of them are DM's. My character(s) is(are) known to several DM characters, I've bought things from them, they have paid me for services performed for them. If there is favoritism is is so low keyed as to be not mentionable from my experience.



Vyris

//edited because I mispelled my NAME...sheesh.

[lonnarin]

Question 1 - My interpretation of this question is basically that it boils down to "How much of your IG time do you spend RPing vs striving to gain xp"

I usually spend most of my time logged in just chilling and talking to other characters in character, maintaining social relations and building an aura of communal realism myself.  The two items, "gaining xp" and "Roleplaying" are in no way exclusive from one another; in fact quest xp will almost always dwarf hunting xp several times over, and the quest rewards for good RP even further exentuate that.  My favorite quests are the ones where it's almost all interaction with the NPCs and characters and little to no hacknslash beyond getting from one point to another.  I've had plenty of those!


Question 2 - my blunt interpretation "So I hear the world is big... is it big and empty? or... what?"

The well trafficed areas (usually non hostile ones near the starter area and all the roads that branch out) are usually densely populated, as they all usually gather in the same spot to be recruited into parties.  Areas with well used CNR materials like gem and ore mines are often well trafficked as well, since crafters much routinely practice their trade to get better.  There are plenty of areas that have little-no traffic unless somebody decides to steer the group that way for a quest or specific hunt, so you can find your pristine wilderness isolation all Grizzly Adams style as well if it suits your character.  My dwarf Bjorn is usually either mining or fishing, so when people look for him, they find him quickest by checking the mine, smithy or pond, heheheh.

Question 3 - "Are DMs around?"

Yup.  Even if they're not logged in-game, they are also often browsing the forum.  I've yet to recieve a response time of longer than 15 minutes to a question or request for help.  Also, it is said that if you cast a 9th lvl wish spell with the material components "strobelight, discoball and dancefloor" and use bananas as glowsticks during the somatic conjuration, you can call forth Pankoki's forum avatar to do a little dance!

Question 4 - Favoritism

*shrugs*  really haven't witnessed it if there was some.  I suppose that means I'm just everybody's favorite person!  *bows to the cheering masses*

Unfortunately though, Celgar is the favorite among the ladies.  As far as favoritism comes into fair play, I have seen none of that at all.  People are dealt with based upon the case by case basis by which they conduct themselves.  If there is any favoritism, it is merely the disfavor shown towards rule-breakers (and rightfully so)

[ExperienceWithStyle]

Thanks to all of you for the answers. I have been reading them, chewed on them, reading them one more time and thought; Yeah, I'm going to warm the CPU up tonight and take a stroll around in the fair land of Layonara.

All of what I have seen in here is of high quality and the tone is mature. Even that could be enough for me to stay .

Hope to see much more to all of you.