The World of Layonara
The Layonara Community => Just for Fun => Topic started by: lonnarin on December 03, 2007, 02:19:39 PM
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It has come to our attention that the spawned enemies of the server have been abusing the magic system in such a way which is not in the spirit of the server. This has got to stop.
Firstly, it is poor sportsmanship and metagaming to exploit the system and not harm your own allies with area of effect spells which should be damaging to oneself when cast in small quarters. Clearly if a mage player's fireball immolates his own party when cast, it is just poor form to cast it at point blank when being attacked, knowing full well that if it weren't for the bioware hardcoding, you and your own allies would be so immolated. Hellball and meteor swarm were never meant to be cast upon the self or the allies. A succubus should never dance around in her own black tentacles!
We have also heard numerous reports about NPC mages casting large litanies of spells without the appropriate spell components or the corresponding eschew feats. This is clearly abusing the system, and we would ask that in the future all you NPC mages would either please plan your spells per day around a non-componented selection, aquire the eschew feats at the earliest opportunity or invest in material components.
Furthermore, we would ask that your bodyguards would cease and desist all attempts to lure the player characters by wandering around corners, into other spawn points or fleeing past other species of critters to assault the party. It is clearly metagaming for a frightened ogre to flee behind an ancient dire bear which would, if not for the hardcoded bioware factions, maul the ogre without another thought. The same goes for ogres and cockatrices, worgs and jaguars, goblins and falcons, and all other mismatched pairs of opposition. Please at least RP your interactions and provide a CDT detailing *why* an ogrillon would not be eaten by a wild bear, and we may consider it.
In conclusion, we would kindly ask that the gnoll shamans, ogre mages, succubi, balor, raksasha, fire giant shamans, the giant shamans on east, the thundering shamans, the dark druids, the dark spiders and their treant-friendly webs, the troll shamans and all other NPC casters please report to the GM area for mandatory flogging. This means you, Caustic Bones of Krandor! Clearly acid sheath mixed with acid clouds that you are immune to are an "I-win" card!
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*an ogre mage posts an angry response*
This no fair! The CNR spots for the gum arabic are way too close to the player-cities, that we can't find any without it being a suicide trip! Then when we try to buy them from the mage crafter, he screams and attacks us with staff and we kill him in self defense, get evil points, and all guards keep chasing us invincible. Also, the players are violating the server rules by attacking us without first clicking the PVP wand and waiting for us to confirm click on it. We is getting griefed, I tell you!
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...did you notice how not a single enemy ever loses a single soul strand? I think they all log off before death to avoid DT's
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I have to agree. Many times have I been logged on as a GM watching a spawn for hours on end and all too often there has been minimal conversation or roleplay within a party of monsters.
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Not to mention the blatant violation of camping rules. Now this applies not only to NPC mages but NPCs of all sorts. Especially around high level CNR. I have seen the same NPCs surrounding the same CNR for hours upon hours just fighting the adventurers that happened to spawn and respawn in the area. Come on folks at least move around a bit instead of farming adventurers in one area for hours upon end. I mean how can you possibly expect to a have a rounded well developed background for a drider that does nothing but protect titanium veins for it's entire life. This is an RP server and there needs to be development and variety in everyones characters, not just the PCs. I know I'll probably get flamed for saying it but I am tired of the double standard the team consistently shows between PCs and NPCs.
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You know, this is really unfair to the NPC population... A lot of them have low int scores, and need to be cut at least a little slack..
*accusingly* How many of you have sent tells to the NPCs offering them suggestions of how to RP better?
I've not seen any posts in the roleplay forum starting a discussion for npcs... Just, all of a sudden this vitrolic diatribe against the NPCs. Seriously, I had thought this community was better than that *dramatic pause* I guess I was wrong.
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I would have ycleption but they generally go around in their little cliques and don't show a lot of interest in learning.
Also, I have just been through all the approval threads and there are some notable NPC omissions.
*wonders how many more server rule violations can be highlighted before this thread runs out of steam*
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*to ycleption* Well I guess thats the kind of response I would expect to constructive criticism. You guys who just fall in line and support the team no matter what. I'll probably get banned now but who cares. I feel like I have to express what I feel and I feel there is a huge double standard. I wonder how many NPCs are personal friends of GMs and just get looked over when they break the rules. I'd like to see if the GMs keep files on them like they do the PC's.
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Also, I have just been through all the approval threads and there are some notable NPC omissions.
Actually, I have to correct a misconception here... you really need to understand that the information is out there, just not all in one place. The new forums in particular, as well as the original move to NWN in the first place lost a lot of the NPC submissions. I managed to dig a few up just to prove that there is no underhandedness going on.
Character: Moraken
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Class: Wizard - Conjuration
Race: Human
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Biography:
orphaned when orcs raided his dad's farm, he swore he would master the arcane to pay them back someday. He stdied with a wizard for along time, and wants 2 someday rule the plaens and have his own tower. also, he doesn't like halflings.
Desc: robe, cloak, funny hat. Sometimes two cloaks, cold easily. Grumpy when hat made fun of.
actually, grumpy in general.
Character: Melizaphei Hilliaraname
Age: 113
Gender: Female
Class: Wizard - school of SHINY!
Race: Elf
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Deity: Lucinda
Biography:
my name is melizaphei but everybody calls me meli. I want 2 be a wizard bcuz i like making things pretty and also sumtimes go boom, and i rly like books. **~~Sparklies R teh best!!~~** also i like pixies. and Lucy, Bcuz she does magic 2. Someday i will be on the niasa with snooty gray elves (<3) and be a gradn - granda - grandmaster of STUFF. never do things the normal way!
desc: black hair, pointed ears (duh, elf!~), bright shiny staff and bluuueee dresssess!
You may also recognize:
Character: Sinthar Bloodstone
Age: ???
Gender: Male
Classes: Fighter/Wizard/Rogue
Race: Human
Alignment: Chaotic EVIL
Deity: SINTHAR BLOODSTONE
Biography:
UBER DRAGONSLAYER ON QUEST FOR VENGENCE TO RULE WORLD. VOWED REVENGE FOR COUNCIL OF 7 SIDNG W/ DRAGONS AND MAKING FUN OF REAL NAME (EGGBERT, SINTHAR IS MIDDLE NAME). WILL SETTLE FOR IT GOIGN DOWN IN FLAMES.
EDIT - NO, NO NOBLE PARENTS. THX!
and:
Character: Ogre Berserker
Age: me no count
Gender: Male
Classes: barbarian...RAAA!
Race: me win!
Alignment: left ear bigger than right. very sad.
ogre angry! only want to prance in woods and lick sugar cane all day long! stinky adventurers always come and kill family and steal sweet yummy sugar! it makes ogre VERY ANGRY!! FULL OF RAGE AND SUGAR WITHDRAWL! also, ogre likes long walks on beaches, but few beaches near sugar cane and also OGRE NOT ALLOWED ON BEACHES! VERY ANGRY!
I hope this helps everyone understand that we do try and make these rules fair across the board, even if our standards have been upped...slightly...since then.
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*in a Dorganath like voice* I am seeing some value here but if things continue to heat up here this thread will be locked. Keep things civil. This issue is being looked at and discussed by the team. We can't tell you if any changes will result but we are taking these comments into consideration.
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*in a Dorganath like voice* I am seeing some value here but if things continue to heat up here this thread wil be locked. Keep things civil. This issue is being looked at and discussed by the team. We can't tell you if any changes will result but we are taking these comments into consideration.
*in a disgruntled player voice* And people wonder why the staff is perceived to be a bunch of angry, power-mad, ban-happy fearmongers. lol
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Heehee :D
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That's it I've finally had enough! Goodbye Layonara, I thought you would change but now I can see that this blatant favoritism of certain NPC's isn't going to end, even though it's completely against your own servers rules! For three days now I've had the GM's here on my back for muling and farming spawns and even though I've told everyone it was the NPC's doing it and blaming me no-one here listens.
I've spoken with the so called GM's and each time I get the same response "Farming is against server rules" yet these same people turn a blind eye to the blatant farming of players (almost to the point of griefing! - another one of your precious server rules by the way) by NPC's who come along with their high levels and mighty sword +54 and smack us all into next week!
Well this is it. I've had enough. I'm going and I bet some of you are glad! I know you're all talking about me in tells ALL OF YOU!
Goodbye and good riddance. I'm off to find a real RP server!
/End comical leaving rant ;)
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*Spoken like a GM who has many NPC friends*
Well, if that's the way you feel about it Kenty, don't let the door hit you on the way out!
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;):rolleyes::p
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Pssst. Has he really gone? *looks around* I think he has, great! I don't know how he was on to all of us but we can now resume our Kenty tell-bashing in peace.
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No I'm not gone Pseudonym! I know I said I was going but I still check the forums 456,059,565,322,345 times a day just to remind myself how much I hate it here! Why don't you just ban me and do us all a favor!?
/:D enjoying this a tad too much
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Why bother? You'll just reappear with another forum name. We know your kind!!
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*sends a PM to Lala about Kenty*
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Some additional breaches of Layonara rules by NPC monsters.
Firstly it is clearly metagaming when a monster uses the party table to identify when hidden (under the use of invisibility) characters are around prior to casting see invisibility. Clearly this is not a representation of In-Game descoveries and thus deemed a punishable offence.
Additionally all buff's and abilities such as rage must not be initiated until there is a clear visual between both parties.
Secondly if any monsters identify a given situation as dire when confronted by a large hunting party, regardless of how long it takes the hunting party to attack the group, they MUST not log off, or from the perspective of the PC's "unspawn".
Again this is a violation of xp, gold and item drops for all player characters and should it be reported in future, the appropriate monsters will be reprimanded accordingly.
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Lonn - you realise every thank-you that you give to someone else dilutes the value of the thank-yous you have given to me, right? If you're not careful, soon they will be weighted less than a Stephen thanks.
[size=-2]Just kidding. Really I am .. or am I? Nah, I am. Honest. Even so, maybe .. you know .. hehe. No i'm serious. No i'm not .. well, maybe a little *shifty eyes*[/size]
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And all those NPCs with prestige classes, where are their NPCDTs showing years of angst and inner turmoil as they strive to overcome personal inadequencies and/or childhood trauma and put in hours and hours of research/investigation/training/practise? Hmm? Hmm?
Let's not even mention the total lack of NPCDQs.
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Actually... some of the NPCs have far greater and more CDQs than PCs. ;)
Blood is one that quickly springs to one's mind!
However... that leads to them breaking another rule: Max 8 hours on a single CDQ... and 2 month between each.
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Lord Rael has been caught muling his epic quality artifacts to the guards of Prantz. Everybody has a mithral shining hammer and if you notice examining them with a right click, they dished out regeneration rings like they were bloody candy! Immunity to death attacks, stun, sneak attack, the common cold? Clearly an "I-Win" card in effect there.
The nymph and topless succubi flagrantly violate the family server dress code as well. Before we had players parents upset over the "bubble boobs" crafthall customization choices... and the marilith walk proudly around with not even a shirt or bikini top on! Further, the Mariner's Hold dockside NPCs toe the line of decency by choosing the name "prostitute" in all their name fields. Couldn't they have left something to the imagination, like "lady of the night"?
The vampires of the Serpent River too are abusing the server mechanics by sun-tanning atop the hill instead of hiding in the cave. We must search all their submission bios for mention of "day-walker" heritage, which could fall under the restrictions for nobility and unique lineage.
Worst of all are the city merchants, who mysteriously always have things in stock and never run out of any item, no matter how many times its purchased. I believe they are exploiting some kind of item duping bug and cloning these all on their ox pack or something! Does this bode well for the economy, infinite items for infinite profit? I haven't seen a single one of them digging sand for the bottle they sell.
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I would like to offer a brief comment on how the NPCs are breaking the partying and level spread limits too. I was in the Emerald Skull's lair the other day and noticed that the Emerald Skull is enabling much lower level skeletons and "apprentices" to encounter adventurers that they would otherwise not stand a chance against. This is just an example that is repeated in many places where high level NPCs are dragging around much lower levels into encounters much above thier capability.
@ Lonnarin Don't forget those permanent haste items that many NPCs possess. I thought this was a low to mid magic world?
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Oh I know! Speaking of level limits, I have encounter many NPCs who feel that they are above the server rules for level restrictions across the server. I ran into the dwarf ale salesman in Prantz... was in interesting conversation...
Oi lad ye want soom ale?
Egads man, what are ye doing here? If a GM catches you, you can be banned from the server!
Oi, well I gots me soom RP reasons. I'm a dwarf in a city trying to sell soom ale.
Well yeah, but clearly you are still level one, you should go to one of the cities on Mistone where they dont slay you on sight then.
wha? But I was BORN HERE! Yer telling me I kinnah just sit here and sell me ale in peace?
Surely not sir, that is no valid reason for you to be here. All of us PCs were born places all across the world... some in voltrex, some in dregar, hells... I was born in Arabel! They made me travel to Hlint first thing!
But lad... the trip there could kill me! You seen those mushrooms on the path to Lor? one stray funginoid and ahm toast! Then navigatin the woods from Kartharian ter Mariner's Hold...
Well you should have thought of that before being born in a place like Prantz. I'm sorry, but you must relocate yourself for the next 7 levels under penalty of ban/death. RP reasoning like clear clarion logic and practicality have no room here!
*grumbles* Thas it... ahm gonna powerlevel on soom ogres and whoop ye butt, bard! Ye will rue tha day!
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Speaking of power leveling, why does a PC have to take a year to get to level 20 when NPCs can show up and within days they are way into the epics. I remember, as an example, when there were no trollocs anywhere to be found and then one day there are bands of well rounded parties of epic trollocs roaming Belinara. Did anyone even see these guys on Mistone or Dregar? They must have run circles grinding XP in high level areas for days straight to get that powerful that fast. *shakes head* I am really disappointed that no GMs called them on that.
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They were all leaching off their high level spawn friends. Sitting back at lvl one just watching the Trolloc chieftain wail on Rift Drow and getting equal cuts of the diamonds. To be fair though, I saw a lvl 2 Balor Lord having a tough time with a deer he was trying to hunt in Silkwood. It seems he didnt quite understand that his attack roll would be so weak without ambidexterity and two weapon fighting selection, and he spent most of his class skills in things we dont use like craft armor and craft alchemy. He was requesting a rebuild earlier I think.
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It has come to our attention that far too often, the NPCs are escaping our impenetrable, Azkaban times ten-thousand prisons. Every time a player character gets arrested, the locks cannot be picked, the walls cannot be smashed, the dirt is too thick to tunnel through or the guard is a massive juggernaught who never sleeps, bleeds or cries. Far different is the experience of the NPC prisoner... they break out by pickpocketing a key off a drunken incompetent guard, picking a lock with a nosehair, direct teleportation through the teleportation-proof walls, being bribed with coins made of belly-button lint and the like. Wholley 1/3 of all NPC villains taken to the prison systems manage to mastermind their excapes to thwart the player characters yet again. We suspect that the dastardly GMs are manipulating the laws of probability in order to achieve their plot twists... which is having a detrimental effect on fairness and immersion. We believe this to be a consequence of the "Plot-Progression Principle", a nefarious inconsistancy in the probability of events compared between players and NPCs. With this, seemingly impossible acts are performed by the most poorly trained of NPCs at the drop of a hat, while simple mundane tasks are an impossibility to players should they interfere with the "I-Win" scenario of the NPC. Take for example the 4 foot tall gate around Firesteep's entrance... a whole team of dwarven miners who had just climbed thousands upon thousands of feet up sheer cliffs are suddenly confounded by a four foot wall. Their pickaxes cannot penetrate the unyielding wooden door... yet chain Milara to a rock by the neck, blindfolld and bind him, cut off his arms to stop him from casting somatic spells, gag him from all verbal components and drop him into the deepest ravine of the ocean and it is 97.99 percent certain that he will be spotted without a scratch the next week. We believe this syndrome to also be affecting our soap operas, where fully 70% of the population has died more than once, and the remaining 30% have an evil identical twin posing as them later. Batman has similarly noticed the same probability gaps in Arkham, where not a single criminal caught by him stays confined for more than 3 issues.