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1

General Discussion / A Request for Consistency

« on: May 13, 2007, 08:55:58 pm »

First of all I want to state primarily that I mean no harm by this post. I am simply stating my opinion, which you are free to agree or disagree with at your digression. Just please, do not chastise me for having the opinion that I do, because it is unlikely to change in that manor. If you disagree by all means discuss.

            The reason for this post, finally being posted comes up with another recent one on Shadowdancers and what they are and are not allowed to accomplish in accordance with the way they are done in standard D&D. The second thing I want to state is I have little ground knowledge of D&D Besides what I learned while studying third sources to better my rp and understanding of Layonara.

 For just over a year I’ve been rping here and most of that time I’d like to think of myself as very active in quests spanning most if not all of the GM team. During this time I’ve seen many things done by players, and attempted many things my self. Most of these things needed GM support to happen. They were not hard coded into the NWN mechanics and therefore were made to happen by GM intervention at best and purely rped at 'worse’.

            During this time, I’ve seen spells and abilities that classes should , by D&D rules possess done, and others turned down by GMs. For example, Dream speaking, Gaes/Quest, etc. are different in Layonara then they are in D&D.

 A Recent post by Dorg stated that D&D Rules are not technically Layonara rules. Just because it’s a class standard or a spell standard in D&D does not mean it is in Layonara.

 That’s fine.

 What is less fine is when a character can do something on one quest only to find that the exact same thing is impossible or not to be done in Layonara by the decision of another GM on another quest.

 So , humbly, my request is a bit of consistency, and perhaps some ground rules. The playerbase doesn’t, as far as I know, realize its limits. Some of them believe their limits are what NWN gives them and that’s not nessecearily true. Conversely some believe D&D 3.5 rules spells abilities etc are their limits, and that’s not always correct either.

 So I ask for perhaps some ground rules. “This this and this” can be done “this this and this” can’t, that would remain static for quests from one GM to the next.

 I realize what I’m asking would take the GM team, or atleast Leanthar, EdtheKet, etc.  to sit down and that’s extra time that lots of people do not possess. I also realize this just sets Even more rules and regulations to a game that is ruled and regulated enough. I just think it would be beneficial to the player base to know what they can and can not do, so that they are 1) Confident in their actions on quests and off 2) Do not feel slighted when their characters are told they cannot do something on one quest that worked perfectly fine on another and 3) Know the limits of their characters power.

 Thank you for listening, and considering. I hope this did not come off as insulting as it was not my intention.

 Feel free to discuss.

With Respect,
Jessica

2

General Discussion / Why Do You Play on Layonara?

« on: May 11, 2007, 01:25:41 am »

[SIZE=16]Maybe you play on Layonara because you love the unknown...[/SIZE][/U][/B]
 
 
 
 [SIZE=16]Or perhaps the adventure draws you in...[/SIZE][/U][/B]
 
 
 
 [SIZE=16]Maybe you're looking for peace and quiet...[/SIZE][/U][/B]
 
 
 
 [SIZE=16]Or perhaps just a pleasant place to call home....[/SIZE][/U][/B]
 
 
 
 [SIZE=16]Or simply a place to meet some friends...[/SIZE][/U][/B]
 
 
 
 [SIZE=16]Perhaps you enjoy the majesty of civilization...[/SIZE][/U][/B]
 
 
 
 [SIZE=16]Or maybe just the majesty the lands offer...[/SIZE][/U][/B]
 
 
 
 [SIZE=16]Maybe you love the thrill of great battles...[/SIZE][/U][/B]
 
 
 
 [SIZE=16]Or just maybe... a glutton for punishment?....[/SIZE][/U][/B]
 
 
 
 
 [SIZE=16]Whatever the case may be... one thing is clear.  Layonara is the world for all imaginations, and it is on us to live those dreams.[/SIZE]
 [SIZE=16][/SIZE]
 [SIZE=16]V3.  Still on the rise....[/SIZE]

3

Organizations / Permanent deletion of threads and Post

« on: May 10, 2007, 11:48:06 am »

Could we have the hard deletion option enable please, we delete threads and post but it doesn't clear up the space.

4

General Discussion / The Ups and Downs

« on: May 09, 2007, 05:42:13 pm »

You know how some times you have "good" days and "bad" days?  Being part of the Layonara community is like that too.  

Dictionary.com defines community as, "A social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical heritage."  There's no need for me to point out the truth in each of those aspects of community; I'm sure you all can think of examples that would qualify.

When I logon, there is often some sort of expectation or goal in the back of my mind.  XP, getting a tidbit for a story, crafting, etc.  There are times I logoff disappointed, having not accomplished the goal.  Other times, though, I logoff quite pleased even though I did not accomplish the goal.  Why?  Because of the community.

A two hour boring stand-around-hoping-to-see-someone can be changed in a moment by a chance encounter with a sum total of five minutes of RP.  Or it can be discovering that "~[The sky is falling" will write on a piece of parchment in a language ear.  Yes!  Bee can write in brownie!  He can even read it back with "~~translate" command.

Those bad times, though, can sometimes overshadow the exciting times.  It easy to forget that the GM/project team is working hard behind the scenes.  Sometimes our perspective of the pace things get done is skewed by the fact that we alternate between RL and playing whenever we want.  They have to multiplex their schedules between RL, playing, preparing quests, running quests, scripting, toolset, etc., etc.!

I was rightfully chided today to have "patience young Skywalker!"  That is true.  What is another week or two for a new system?  What is a week before quest is run, or a level gained?  Sometimes that week can seem interminable but on the other side of the fence that week is rushing past too fast to accomplish everything that must be done.

A wise fellow once said, "No! Try not. Do or do not. There is no try."  A community ebbs and flows just as our perception of time ebbs and flows.  Do not try to have patience, do what you can when you can and enjoy it.

5

General Discussion / Confessions of an RPer

« on: April 03, 2007, 02:07:07 pm »

I have made (too) many posts over the past months regarding tring to find a balance between gaining XP and levels versus RP. My stubborn disbelief of reality has caused me to continue this fruitless endeavor.  Slowly, though, it is dawning on me that I am simply a freshwater fish swimming in the salty ocean.  Other similar fish have either expired or adapted.

While Layonara is not an RP server, but an RP Action server, I always stood firmly that RP came first. I began to see, though, that there was no progression available purely through RP.  One attained levels by adventuring.  Levels, being the core mechanic of NWN, determined ones place in Layonara:  WLs must be 20th level to even apply, horses are not acquired until mid-teen levels, large chests and housing portals cannot be placed at low levels, the advanced crafting hall is 10th level to even enter.  All these things point out quite clearly that levels are the path we players must toe.  Gaining XP through adventure is not "a necessary evil," as I often told myself, but the actual goal of the world.  We are rewarded not for RP, but our success as adventurers.

I stubbornly refused to believe that this was the case.  Surely committed RP and stellar devotion to cause and character would yield similar reward.  Slowly, though, I digressed from my personal standards of "RP always" and interspersed it with combat runs through areas:  Traversing up and down Haven for no other purpose than to gain XP.  Racing across Dregar behind higher levels or with large groups.  Worst of all, loitering in empty Pranzis for hours because I was afraid as soon as I went West for some RP, a party would show up on central and I'd miss the XP.

Is any of this bad? No, not at all. Layonara dictates that our PCs be adventurers more often than commoners. It is always our own choice, of course, to pick between a long RP session as a newsletter writer versus a rogue archer.  Depending on the degree to which you believe that "RP is its own reward," your balance will be different.  Personally, in a level based world like Layonara I continually find myself struggling to find this balance.

Why?  I don't find mindless XP gathering at all immersive.  I like combat tactics, ambushes, campfires, and ale.  I also like feeling successful and that, for me on Layonara, means gaining levels.  There is no other career path.  Making a successful brownie newsletter writer was a challenge and rewarding in itself, but only up to a point.  No amount of fame or RL time will let a 9th level PC become a WL, own a horse, or get better at a Gather Information skill.

I have taken breaks from Layonara in the past, not long ones to be sure.  I enjoy the server aspects tremendously here:  The courteous staff, LORE and letter systems, parchment and quest chests, forums and gallery, and the nonsensical chatter on IRC.  Not to mention the time invested here getting to know those systems and the personalities of the world.  It's unlikely that I'll completely give up trying to find what I'm looking for here.  Would I leave if I found a server more in line with my playing style? Yes.  Do I really think that will happen? No.  Are you stuck with me? Looks that way.

I'm a guest in this salty pond so I ought stop trying to take out the flavor and just enjoy the taste.

6

NWN Ideas, Suggestions, Requests / Earning A Level Per Month

« on: October 08, 2006, 06:21:20 am »

I have had this thought a number of times over the years (here and on other servers) and would like to hear your thoughts on it. The suggestion is to offer a "free" level per RL month.

The goal of such a policy is to maintain and encourage players with casual gaming playtimes to keep coming to Layonara. By "casual" I mean those that are able to play a couple of times a week for 10 to 15 hours.
Conditions to earn the level
[INDENT]    1. Player must reach level 5 on their own before getting their free level[INDENT]       * This encourages the new players to go through the introduction quests, which often are there to give a feel for the world.
[/INDENT]2. The level number is based upon the number of months eligible, not the PC's current level[INDENT]       * After first month, PC is eligible for free bump to 6th level. After second month of eligibility, 7th level. And so on.
      * After three months, the PC would be 8th level. After one year, the PC would be 17th level. After two years 29th level.
      * It is likely that PCs will be ahead of this curve often until higher, more difficult to attain, levels.
[/INDENT]3. Player may only have two PCs active[INDENT]       * Any more indicates they are not focusing on the development of a single PC
      * Only one of the PCs may earn the level per month. If they have two PCs, only one of them would be allowed to receive the level per month.
[/INDENT]4. The PC to get the level must be played six hours per week for a total of 24 hours per month.[INDENT]       * This number would reflect what the team thinks a reasonable amount of playtime is.
      * The 24 hours should be spread out over the month, not on a single weekend.
      * Six hours would represent a reasonable, but dedicated, amount of playing time
[/INDENT]5. The levels would be by calendar month[INDENT]       * This is to make it easier for the GM team to manage
      * I imagine a system where PC names were entered into a DB table outside the game when they are eligible. The PC would then "use" an altar in Hlint to get the level.
[/INDENT]6. A CDT must be kept and updated weekly for the PC by the player[INDENT]       * It can be brief and should indicate what they did that week in terms of RP, CNR, quests, and bashing.
      * It should list their hours played, though this would be verified outside the game by server logs.
      * Thread must be entitled "PC Name - Level Eligibility" for easy spotting by GM team (eg. "Bumblebee - Level Eligibility")[/INDENT][/INDENT]Arguments against the system I can foresee:[INDENT]    1. Levels should be earned by getting XP from quests and bashing! [INDENT]       * What about the RPers that add depth to the world? What about the basher that can only play a limited amount of time? What about the players that cannot make it to GM quests often? More players is a good thing for the server. The rules surrounding this system means these players are here consistently, use the forums, and are invested in staying with their PC and with Layonara.
[/INDENT]3. I worked hard to get to my level, they should have to too! [INDENT]       * We all work hard at our PCs. Play times differ, playing styles differ, definitions of success differ. After three months of playing under this system a PC would be 8th level. Does that seem like a lot?
[/INDENT]4. It will be a burden on the GM team.[INDENT]       * Yes, this is my largest concern. The only piece really necessary, though, is a table with the number of hours played by a PC per week, the number of PCs played in that time, and a link to the PC's CDT level eligibility thread.
[/INDENT]5. Why are you suggesting this system, don't you have a successful PC? [INDENT]       * I am suggesting this system out of my own frustration. I play many, many hours but find it very difficult to gain XP in the quantities necessary to level. I am constantly having to make the choice of RPing versus going out to get XP.
      * My playtime, though copious, does not overlap many quests. The primary source of XP for me is bashing. I keep a sparse CDT thread. It is sparse mostly because I don't interact with GMs on quests and the record there is for my own benefit, not theirs.
      * Bumblebee has been around for six months. Under this system he would be eligible for 11th level. He is currently 30k XP away from that level right now. I can normally get around 15k XP per day from bashing with others. Alternating days of bashing with RP means a total of four RL days to that level. That's about 20 hours of playtime for me. For those of you fortunate enough to be able to go on quests, that 30k comes from one three hour quest.
[/INDENT][/INDENT]Pros[INDENT]    * Keep players even during periods when playtime is limited.

• Avoid discouragement as the higher levels come
[/INDENT]

Cons[INDENT]    * More work for GM team
[/INDENT]I beg of you, do not turn this thread into a diatribe on the benefits of RPing over XP. Please give the pros and cons of the system described, offer new tweaks to it, shortcomings, and alternatives. My sincere thanks will then be yours in abundance.