Posts Thanked By User

1

Fixed Bugs / Point of Interest Flags

« on: April 18, 2007, 11:13:58 am »

At this time when you find a flag and examine it, it merely states you found a point of interest or something and gives you the XP.
 
 My suggestion would be that when you examine the flag you actually get the story behind the point of interest. Explaining why it is actually a point of interest. I think that would provide quite a lot of lore and information regarding a particular place or area.
 
 Leanthar stated that this was his initial intention with these and asked that I log it as a bug report.

2

Layonara Server / Furniture Deed Preview Application - UPDATED

« on: April 10, 2007, 10:17:28 pm »

Lord of the Forest and Minerva have updated the application and the images for the in-game furniture deeds. You can get the file under downloads and optional files. Thank you to the both of you for this service to the community.
 
 This tool is intended to make to make it easier for house-owners to see what the furniture they may purchase at a merchant. It gives a visual image of each of the furinture pieces that a deed represents.

You simply scroll down the list and look what piece of furniture sounds interesting. You click it and you get an image of it.

Thank you to Lord of the Forest and Minvera!

This is a .exe file but it has been checked for viriis and is clear. (Leanthar)

3

General Discussion / Plot - Dragon Storm: Suffering

« on: April 08, 2007, 11:13:25 pm »

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you and welcome. This is a two ‘part’ post this being the first part and only vaguely related to the second. As an effort to spread information and be fair to everyone I will be making ‘visible’ record of the Dragon Storm campaign. This first occurrence will be noted as you see it in the general discussion. However all future occurrences will land in the CDT I opened on Ozymandias. In the case of the later, this, past and future posts are meant to be read and used as a role play tool. The information I do not wish to be used I simply will not post.
You can decide for yourself how you come across this information. Perhaps you overheard things on the subject in the local tavern your character frequents, or you heard it off some bard trying to make a true. Whatever the reason consider it a valid tool to talk with others about.
The reason I am doing this in this manner is because I consider my previous method, in the Soul of a Lost Ancient a dismal failure. It was boring, reward less, and required many more hours doing nothing than I would like. Furthermore many people were left out as I had to sleep at some point, or work, or do other activities. So I am going to try this method where I spin a few rumors that might be heard in a public place. Then you the player, armed with even rudimentary knowledge can seek out those that participated. While for those of you that could only make part of a quest, either by real life or by group selection, are not left with the ‘left out’ feeling.
After all it is one thing to be expected to ask questions, it is another to not have any idea what to ask. So in that interest of fairness, in the interest of my sanity, and the interest of community spirit in the since of working together. I shall try and provide something you can work with in game.
Now enough of my gibbering lets get down to part two which you are really interested in.

In the last eleven years a certain sight can be found in most port towns. Entire villages with what belongings they could bring flocking there and boarding ships all to seek a life in ‘better lands’. Few find success in their endeavors but many will try to find a place to live a better life for their families. The stories are the same of crops failing and sickness running rampant, the gods having abandoned the people and horrific stories that Dragons have returned.
Roomers abound though of bandits and brigands growing more and more common. Some say they have turned from robbery to outright murder of their quarry robbing them of their scant goods and their lives. The roads no longer safe while the so called Heroes of Layonara live like royalty safe and sound from the horrors of the world.
Yet despite this it is still said, that perhaps the Heroes have not given up and that people here and there. Sometimes one, or sometimes just a single village are brought from the plight of the world. That certain parts of the world have become safer if only slightly because of their restoring of order. These instances seem few and far between in recent years. The world is suffering and so are the people that dwell within it.
In the Land of Kings the heroes made themselves known in the City of Twins; Lor. As people fled from the poverty and despair that had engulfed the north, the rich merchants demanded their due. A kings price to ship people away to a better land, yet the heroes stepped forward and paid it in true and one small group felt a time of reprieve.
There are reasons for everything, families are not torn asunder for no reason. A cult was rising and growing in this time of darkness. Armed, armored and wielding fearsome magic they displaced many and slaughtered others. They were called by many names, some cried that they were the black hand, others the iron hand, a few even said the hand of blood. Yet no mater what these individuals were called, they seemed to revel in the destruction and called themselves the hand.
Perhaps there are still heroes, maybe not as many as tales say. Some may be content to live in their homes as nobility while others suffer. Yet there may be some left willing to fight to protect those truly hurt by this time of darkness. In the Land of Kings those so called heroes gathered and moved to attack the brigands calling themselves the hand.
In the broken mountains the groups fought, heroes within desecrated valleys and caverns filled with decay and death. While this new cult of brigands channeled their twisted creations with joyous abandon. Willingly forfeiting their lives and accepting no chance to surrender. The battle raged and the earth moaned as twisted things fell returning to the earth with their passing.
Yet as the brigands were slain they called out that this was not the end. They were but a single digit of the full fury. Perhaps the heroes had brought the first blow to the bandits but it was certainly not the last. In the end the heroes were the ones to leave the twisted caverns and corrupted pass, yet questions yet many remained unanswered. Especially one that falls heavy on all minds, what does this group have to do with dragons that have returned?

All right an unexpected part three to this post. I think this tells you enough. I suppose we will just have to wait and see what unfolds and what each other have learned. Share information, spread it around, you never know when it will be important to remember. Anyway good luck I hope this post and this method prove more successful then the last method I used.

4

Development Journals and Discussion / Private Forum For Development Threads

« on: December 14, 2014, 02:16:03 pm »

Hi everybody, I've added a new forum for you to post your development threads privately. They will only be able to be viewed by yourself, Administrators, Gamemasters and Character Approvers. If you wish your existing thread to be moved to that section, please reply here. Yes you can have both a public and private CDT, one in this forum and one in the other. Cheers, orth

5

Introduce Yourself / Anamnesis

« on: April 03, 2007, 10:12:10 am »

Most of you know me as either Amireana Mandrine or Elohanna Min A'Litae, although I admit I am working on a third character which will hopefully be a delightful change of pace from the normal characters I tend to play. I am not revealing anything yet.

In realife I am married to Frank, also known to many of you as Lyle Underoot, Melanna, Treana, or most recently the crazier of his characters Emwonk. My name is Nancy and I live in Oklahoma where I work in a call center environment for the banking industry which I have done for over 8 years now.

Frank and I met over the internet in a poetry chat room back in 1998 and hit it off well. We were married in august of the following year in a little park near the beach. Frank is a blessing and we have a beautiful daughter to show for our faith and love for each other.

I enjoy writing as a creative release of pent up emotions. I am for the most part very easy going, although I do get angry occassionally. I like to write poetry, short stories, and role playing.

The first time I seriously got involved in RP was through a game called Freelancer, a few years ago. I still consider myself very much a novice and feel most comfortable sticking to characters that most closely mimic my own personality type.

I am however trying to broaden the scope of RP and possibly in the near future, take on an slightly evil character.

I am 29 years old and love to read books such as TS Eliot, Robert McCammon, who my husband encouraged me to read and I now love to read. Robert Jordan, John Grisham, Dan Brown. There are wide variety of genres in both books and music that I enjoy as well as many different types of movies I like. My favorite Sci Fi series are ST: TNG and Stargate: SG1 and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I have a huge list of movies I enjoy but I will not go into each and everyone of them.

Anyway This is just a small part of the person behind the characters. Feel free to ask any questions anytime. I am usually very approachable.

6

Layonara Server / Port Hempstead, Fort Vehl - Starting Towns and Attitudes

« on: April 03, 2007, 08:58:17 am »

[SIZE=13] I am going to try and set the "standard" for the two starting locations so that we are all on the same page when it comes to RP'ing the cities and the citizens and tolerance levels in each of the cities.
 
 Port Hempstead:
 This town leans towards "good" and by that I mean the commoners, peasants, merchants, and nobles in this city accept what would be considered "normal" in day-to-day life. They would not knowingly accept (or tolerate) creatures (or shape shifted creatures) in their town such as large cats, bear, trolls, and all of those. They would chase these things out of town or quite possibly kill them and/or imprison the humanoid ones. The guards are firm in their conviction carrying out the law set down by the nobles and carried out by the law of keeping the day-to-day life of living "normal". They do not tolerate evil in the city and if one is known to be evil they will be arrested and/or chased out of the city. If one is caught doing an unlawful or evil act they will be sent to prison and will stand trial and face the consequences of their action(s). Keep in mind that there are some evil aligned (by race for instance) heroes that are indeed now known to be good and are treated as such and even treated as heroes in some cases.
 
 //Do not shape shift in this town unless you wish to pay the penalty, and that penality can and will change over time and due to circumstances. Do not bring in your wildlife pets in to this town. Do not come in to this town if you are evil or have performed evil acts that is documented and/or known, you will pay the price eventually.
 
 Fort Vehl:
 This town leans towards "evil" and by that I mean that the rules are relaxed when it comes to creatures in town, evil humanoids, shape shifting in to animals or even trolls and such. But they do have a limit, they will not tolerate abuse to citizens or defiling (in any way) the city or the nobles or law in charge and in some cases the merchants. Peasants do not rank high on their list but commoners have a slightly better standing. They allow a little more flexiability (within reason) of the evil races and in some cases evil acts within the city walls. The punishment put down by the law and nobles in this town is quite often brutal and in many cases the consequences are death or public spectacle plus a long prison term.
 
 //Evil characters, those that like to drag their pets in to towns, and shapeshifting sorts can travel this town but even the guards and nobles in this town have their patience and their tolerance levels so keep that in mind. If you want to perform your "evil" or shapeshift theatrics this is the town to do it in, but be prepared to face the consequence if it gets out of hand. I.E. use common sense and always remember that the nobility have a city (a large city) to run and they will only allow so much. Please don't whine if you go over the line and the guards come after you. And be aware that the penalties in this town are quite often brutal. In some cases the "good" may be chased out of this town though that is not overly likely, but I can see it happening from time to time so keep that in mind.
 
 Final Comment:
 These are the two starting cities folks. Make sure you are in the proper city when RP'ing. Do not get carried away, there is always a line that should not be crossed, that line is different for each town. The cities are large and the nobility will keep things under control, or at least under control in the way that they feel it should be. If you get crazy or do silly things be prepared to pay the consequences of your actions. Keep in mind that there are 10's of thousands of peasants, commoners, merchants, and nobles in each of the cities and you can not see them due to engine limitations, but they are there and the nobles and the law will protect them against anything and anybody (including "heroes").
[/SIZE]

7

General Discussion / Zelda1, Some Clarity, Layonara Balance

« on: April 01, 2007, 05:35:57 am »

Okay this is a combination of quite a few things so bear with me here.  For some reason I decided to keep them all together though it's kind of three posts in one.

Many of you were left wondering just what the heck was going with regards to this thread:

http://www.layonara.com/general-discussion/114789-messenger-bad-news.html

I've been in communication with Zelda1 and she had a few things to say and a few confessions at the same time and has asked me to relay them.  First off, in regards to the mentioned thread, she insists she has no idea where that came from and was no part of it.  So we're still a bit up in the air on just where that all came from.

But Zelda1 does want to clear the air on some things anyway and has asked me to relay them.  She originally came to Layonara and was instructed to pretend she wasn't as young as she is. She, like many of us have had at times, got a little too caught up with her character, but also the persona she had taken up and decided to take a break. She returned again but due to some more conflicts left once more.  She returned in V3 and the new forums under a new username to set the record straight on her age and who she was but that never came to fruition before this event with the alleged coma took place.

She is upset and sorry for the grief she may have caused for this mistaken identity, she didn't realize how caught up one could get.  I have asked that she focus on her studies and keep in touch, but she will not be playing.  I believe also she has a few friends to contact to set the record straight.

Layonara is going to leave this episode to those who are very closely involved and step away from it.



Now onto a few of my thoughts...

I thought about some things and while my initial anger probably was a fuel for the harsh tone I had in my post that closed that thread, I think in retrospect I should have handled it better.  Obviously there were some people who would be feeling great emotion if they have been going through this thinking it's the full truth and for me to "slam" the door with terms such as "sick joke" might not have been the best.  I think a more calm "Something is not adding up here and I fear some people are not hearing the truth as the evidence of this story's fabrication piles up" might have been a bit more sensitive.  So to those who I may have offended in that regard, I'm sorry.

I also want everyone to know that we have a protective nature here as well and are looking out for the best interests of the community and we'll use all the information that is available to us to protect Layonara and it's community.  

Some of you may not know but when you connect to the forum you leave a trace of your internet connection. This sort of information is viewable to the Administrators of the forum who can be viewed on the User Groups Page.  

When you're in game you also leave this information and Dorganath, OneST8, Leanthar, Nibor21 and myself have access to that information via the database and Pankoki and EdTheKet through server logs.

One person asked me about Forum PMs. OneST8 and myself have access to this information only via the database though, there's no "Read this person's Private Messages" or anything like that.  It's on a database, it has to be stored somewhere... But that's the risk you take when you submit most information over the internet.  That is why you should always make sure your network admin gets cookies.  With that said, we're not going to read your PMs.  Unless a law enforcement agency asks us for them or we have an extremely strong suspicion that you may be guilty of something illegal or very detrimental to the Layonara community.

All poll voting is private but the information is stored on a database so once again OneST8 and I have access to that information.

No one can see tells in game.

No one can see private IRC communications.

I want everyone to understand that even though to some it may not seem so evident recently, we do really care for the players here.  Our number one goal is for you to have fun and enjoy yourself.  We want you also to meet new and interesting people in a family friendly environment where the magic of our fantasy world can help us feel young and creative and for us to be able to take out some of the real world woes on monsters.  Emotions can flow in every single direction when a group such as our playerbase joins up.  Many relationships have evolved from Layonara; great friendships, confidantes, mentors, coworkers and even love.  

Alas these emotions bring along other ones though.  There is indeed a Balance to the Layonara community too (oh no here comes the Plen!), and things go on tilt. Scores of differing opinions rise, rumours flow, relationships end, people fade, deception behind the computer, envy, frustration pile up then to add to that, there has been a lot of change recently to Layonara.  Very balance upsetting!  I've talked to a few people who are concerned about this and I find a rather large irony in the fact that these people approached me much like I think characters would approach Plen. I as a person can do for the community what Plen has tried to for the game.  Because like the cycle of Layonara's Nature, there is the one with the Layonara community and I intend to help keep that balance in whatever capacity I can

-orth(y)

8

Roleplaying / An Ode to Rogues, or, a Rogue by Any Other Name

« on: March 28, 2007, 03:01:57 am »

Shall I compare thee to a common thief?
Thou art more complex and more versatile.
Rough hands oft do thy name much grief
And most make you a stealer with a smile.

Sometimes too great an influence, the screen
With roguish grins, lawbreakers are they all -
So we fall victim to the things we've seen
And in this stereotype you sadly fall.

But you've still chance to make thy choices known,
And 'fluence those with bios still unwrit;
And cast as scout, or aught of sim'lar tone
Into a new alignment snugly fit.

So when you make a rogue I pray to you:
Think not of theft - there's more a rogue can do!


The gist of the above is that I've seen a disturbing trend of people tarring all rogues with the same brush.. or, gods help them, referring to a rogue's (or their OWN) profession in-game by the line: "Oh, I/he/she am/is a rogue!"

Behaviour
To borrow from the handbook:

Rogues have little in common with each other.  While some - maybe even the majority - are stealthy thieves, many serve as scouts, spies, investigators, diplomats, or simple thugs.  Rogues are versatile, adaptable, and skilled at getting what others don't want them to get.  While not equal to a fighter in combat, a rogue knows how to hit where it hurts, and a sneak attack can dish out a lot of damage.

The gist of this is that there are no "typical" rogue activities, nor a "typical" rogue alignment.  A thuggish rogue would likely not waste any skill points on Pick Pocket, Disarm Traps, and the like, and would likely have more of his ability points in CON and STR than in INT or CHA.

Conversely, the acrobatic lithe fighter who darts in and out of combat can also be a rogue, with a high DEX, and likely a high CHA, as this would be the gentleman who would Taunt opponents as he dashed around them, slipping a dagger in where it hurts.

There's the scout, learning to hide and hurt the enemy for their noble (or ignoble) cause.

The diplomat, with a high INT and CHA - capable in a fight, but much better suited to a duel of words.

Any of these are more likely to be suited to a Rogue character than virtually any other character type.  The upshot?  As before, Rogues are a very difficult character class over which to generalize.

By Any Other Name... Please?

Of all the classes, this is the One Which Is Not Named.  A rogue may be a thief (though he's unlikely to advertise as one, unless this is what the hirer is after), a scout, a trapspringer... or any of the occupations listed above... but the word "rogue" would mean nothing in-game, save its original designation: a scoundrel, unreliable, deceitful, and untrustworthy... and again, who would advertise themselves as this?

Monks are.. well, monks.  They could perhaps be "practitioners of the arts of unarmed combat", but that's stretching the point a bit.  A fighter can be a sellsword, a mercenary, a soldier, a guard.. or, let's face it, a fighter.  Someone who can wade into combat, blades flashing.  A Paladin is just that - it's in their title.  Perhaps the appellation Knight can be given.  Calling someone a cleric is fairly reasonable, likewise Rangers, and certainly Druids, Wizards, Sorcerers and Bards.  Barbarians could be called fighters as well, but their name is not misplaced.  Rogues are really the odd ones out, as a loyal scout of Mistone could easily be a Rogue.. but not be roguish in the least, and certainly not deserving of the name.


In Summary, and I'm Not Makeup, Darnit!

Rogues are incredibly versatile, so if you're planning a rogue submission, don't pigeonhole them into the "thief" persona unless that's what you wish them to be - with so much selection, a rogue can take almost any place if she's written right.

Rogues are not called rogues, as those who are wouldn't advertise it, and those who aren't would be offended.  (Though it is permissible to call the wittily quipping rogue "roguishly charming".  It may just get you smacked by anyone within arm's reach who's reading over your shoulder. )

And, please, Rogues are not Rouges.  The one is a versatile fighter/scout/thief/smoothtalker/whatever, the other is a powder.  (Granted, the former can become the latter if mixed with mages or dragons, but one would generally not wish to apply the result to one's face.)

And that's that!

Cheers,
Darkstorme.

(N.B.  Yes, I'm biased, with a primary rogue character, but sometimes I weep to see what is done with my.. erm.. noble profession.  *chuckles*)

9

Introduce Yourself / Kindo

« on: March 26, 2007, 03:29:02 pm »

Greetings. My real name is Dennis and I live in a medium-sized (by our standards) town called Östersund in central Sweden. I am 22 years of age since last Saturday, and I am currently taking a course in Science that is focused on chemistry and organic life, after which I intend to take University-courses in either History or Psychology, whichever is more available. I believe in friendship and fair treatment of people. I do not tolerate racism or any crime done against women. Either makes me want to go on a vigilante killing spree. I should also add that I tend to work toward perfectionism in certain cases, which is why this introduction looks the way it does. I have a fanaticism of 'completion purposes', and could simply not do it half-way.

[Click for picture]


Gaming
Just like most other people here, I am all about the games and, more often than not, role-playing games. I was very young when I first was introduced to games, when my grandfather brought home a Commodore 64 (or was it an Amiga?), causing me to get hooked on such games as Frogger, Pac-Man, and Star Paws (and many, many more), often irking my father and uncle as they kept coming home from a hard day's work, only to find that all their high-scores had been beaten. Later on, my father bought an NES, which came to be my first real gaming console, I suppose, with a hundred or so games (it included one of those fancy, pirated X-games-in-one cartridges). It lead to an addiction of the Super Mario Bros.-games together with a childhood friend of mine. My father preferred Arkanoid and Tetris.

After an upgrade to Super NES, and my father mastering Pilotwings before I did, followed Nintendo 64 and an admittance to the 'loser-group' in fifth grade (who wants to be cool, anyway?), together with an interest in land-hockey. We spent the days playing said hockey or talking about games we would be playing when school was done for the day. It was either late sixth grade or early seventh grade that I was first introduced to proper Pen and Paper role-playing (I had played a pseudo-version back in the third grade), and my group of friends shifted radically (still not being considered cool, mind you). We played GoldenEye 007 in multi-player mode as we were waiting for people to finish creating their characters, and pretty much every waking moment was dedicated to either planning or playing adventures or our new, super-awesome characters.

It was around this time that I first tried a role-playing game. It was Final Fantasy VII. I played it simultaneously with a friend and we loved it to bits. We also found the wonders of emulation, leading us to the glory of Chrono Trigger and other old-school games which had not been released in Europe. Along the road I was also introduced to the computer-RPG's, with Baldur's Gate and Planescape: Torment. The latter I played through about eight times straight, because of how much it fascinated me. There was a devastating addiction to Diablo II as well, which kind of led me onto the path to on-line gaming. It did not have much of a community, but as I started playing Neverwinter Nights, I soon started having my very first on-line friends, using chatting programs to keep in touch. This all begun in a magical module, administered by a small but dedicated group of people, under the name of Dysotopia.

Dysotopia was a wonderfully tight-knit community, ran by only a handful of people, with a very loyal fan-base that kept helping to pitch ideas and suggestions, as well as being involved in the in-game world's events, taking a lot of initiatives themselves to bring more life into the lands. I was given the honour of moderating both the forums as well as the in-game issues, and was even promoted to DM for a while near the end, which was a lot of fun, but my interest in the game had started dissipating. We all loved it, but the scandals were numerous, and the level of out of character-drama had no limits. Dyso is no longer, but I will never forget the amount of friends (and some enemies) I made during my time there. The only one I have managed to track down, however, is our very own Witch Hunter. I have no clue what everyone else is up to these days.

Modern games do not hold much interest to me, nowadays. I hold a few games from my past in a higher esteem than others, re-visiting them every now and again. Especially some of the role-playing games have proven qualitative and fun. Bioware and Black Isle Studios, for instance, have proven time and again that they know what it is all about, with masterpieces like Baldur's Gate, Fallout, and Planescape: Torment. As for the Japanese RPG's, there are few which I do enjoy. Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VI, and Final Fantasy IX will all maintain a special place in my heart for being fabulous games. None of the new releases from Square-Enix have caught my eye. I also love the old Monkey Island-games, and certain console titles by Nintendo or Rare, with their obvious classics. Another somewhat underground game-series I value highly, is the Thief-series. With an unsurpassed atmosphere and sound environment, playing those games is one of the most immersing experiences I have ever had in a game. I feel that many game developers have lost sight of what it is to create a game with excellence and depth, which is often why new titles do not impress me as often as old ones do.


Music and Movies
After writing such an annoying biography about gaming, I suppose it's difficult to imagine that I have other things on my mind. That's quite close to the truth, actually, seeing how my interests are quite narrow. I always love to hang out with my friends, of course, and it doesn't matter what we do, but music is one of the two main things I care about. I love listening to all kinds of music, depending on mood and current preference. The only genre I have problems with is hip-hop and the like. Other than that, I can go from purely instrumental dance/techno by Daft Punk to pure emo-rock by Joakim Thåström or Kent. One of my all-time favourite musical artists is definitely Michael Jackson, however. A more skilled dancer and musical genius you would have a hard time to find these days. Game music is also great, if done right, and my favourite composer of the genre is unsurprisingly Nobuo Uematsu with all his great work on the previous Final Fantasy-games. My favourite instrument is the piano, and therefore I absolutely love listening to the Piano Collections of said games.

My favourite visual entertainment. I enjoy films that contain heart and soul, that want to say something but without being boring (Requiem for a Dream and V for Vendetta are good examples and two of my favourite titles), and I also enjoy films that do not necessarily bring up an important issue, but are outright fabulously fun to watch anyway. These do not include lame movies about boobies and teenager-sex, but rather films like X-men and The Pirates of the Caribbean. Naturally, I drool when I think of The Lord of the Rings. I am currently looking forward to 300, Spider-man 3, TMNT, and Transformers to show up at our local cinema. As an addition, my favourite TV-series is Star Trek: Deep Space Nine for its great take on good and evil - right and wrong - and how it's not as black and white as other shows sometimes portray. It has been discussed briefly in an attempt to hijack this thread.


So that's a bit about me.

Kindo

10

NWN Ideas, Suggestions, Requests / PRC Server based character creator

« on: March 21, 2007, 08:00:53 pm »

True!

I like the PRC server conversation character creator though...! They have new base classes and races (whose benefits are base stats, not magical effects), but because haks aren't loaded first, you usually need a client-side local character creator...but they made a server-one, too. Which makes me happy. Sort of. It would, if I were using it anywhere. The idea makes me happy! There we go.

It works in that you basically click recommended for everything in the Bioware creation, set your appearance if you want, and then you create your character with an in-game conversation, instead, so that everything is still in the hands of the server.

There is a downside in that if you set everything up the first time, you still have to do it again in the conversation even if you were happy with the standard stuff, but that's why you're supposed to make sure no one puts all the effort into the wrong creation, hehe.

Having never seen or used the PRC I don't know the amount of work involved but... I think this would be great for Layonara.  I'm not saying that Layonara should have all the classes in the PRC, as there are far to many classes.  But including this server side character creator might add more value and flexibility to the world.

Acacea, Developers,

How difficult is the character creator for new players to use?

How hard is it to include the PRC into Layo?

How hard would it be to modify the character creator to limit it to Layo allowed classes and feats only?

Would it be possible to add Layo-Flavour backgrounds to the selection of feats at character creation?  Eg

• Northern Tribesman from Krashin or Bastil +1 cold saving throws, +1 intimidate.  
• Craftsman of Dorand +5% craft experince.

It appears that there are other benefits as well, such as having racial adjustments based on stats.  Maybe addiing an option to select from the Layonara deity list.  

Anyway something to think about for the future.

Cheers,

Stragen

11

Roleplaying / Emote your heart out!!

« on: March 19, 2007, 07:44:41 pm »

[SIZE=18]Tired of trying to type in battle?  Tired of repeating your introduction to the umpteenth person?  I have the solution right here![/SIZE]

Those of you that have travelled with my PCs were probably thinking to yourself, "That fellow can type up a storm!"  While I can do that, I've added to my repetoire by taking advantage of this nifty software:  AutoHotkey - Free Mouse and Keyboard Macro Program with Hotkeys and AutoText.

This free bit of software allows you to write rather complicated hotkeys and macros.  The nice thing is that it can intercept the keystrokes before they reach your game.

Take my paladin of Vorax, Wanark.  He had a dozen or more short blessings that he'd say (some in dwarven) when just prior to casting bless or equipping his waraxe.  Then he had longer blessings that even included him kneeling.  Finally, he had the entire Vorax paladin credo he'd use when he visited the temple.  All of these I had assigned to hotkeys outside the game.  Brings a tear to your eye, doesn't it?  Beautiful.

I'll give an example from my current PC that you can use to build your own set.  (Careful of line wrapping if you cut&paste into your own file.)
[INDENT][SIZE=16]
;; ------------------------------------------
;; A utility routine to say something
;;
[/SIZE][SIZE=16]Say(s)
{
    global prefix

    SendInput {Enter}
    Sleep 250
    IfInString, s, /tp
    SendInput {Raw}%s%
    else
    SendInput {Raw}%prefix%%s%
    SendInput {Enter}
}

;; ------------------------------------------
;; This will send yourself a tell with some help
;;
::/o help::
    SendInput {Raw}/tp "Pen N Popper" name, description, wearing, ^f
    Send {Enter}
return

;; -------------------------------------------
;; Give your name
;;
::/o name::
    SendInput {Raw}rolan tennesen... *bows* sellsword in the employ of the freelancers
    Send {Enter}
return


;; ------------------------------------------
;; A random color emote of walking along
;;
^g::
    Random, num, 1, 5
    if ( num == 1 )
    Say("*hurries along at an uneven pace, pausing now and then to catch breath*")
    else if ( num == 2 )
    Say("*moves along at a steady pace*")
    else if ( num == 3 )
             Say("*hurries along, gaze taking in his surroundings*")
    else if ( num == 4 )
             Say("*marches along with quick strides, sounding a bit out of breath*")
    else if ( num == 5 )
             Say("*moves at a deliberate pace*")

    Sleep 100
    SendInput {LControl}
return[/SIZE]
[/INDENT]I save this to a file called "rolan.ahk" and then run it.  Ingame, when I hit Ctrl-g a random description of walking will be sent.  When I type in /o description the verbose description of Rolan is output.

You can see that this can have as much flavor as you can think of.  It is especially handy during battle when all I have to do is type Ctrl-f for a fight emote.  (I even have it setup to fill in which weapon he is using to the emotes are correct.)

Good luck!

12

General Discussion / Group Play Seminar

« on: March 17, 2007, 02:00:31 pm »

Hello!

Every sunday for a few weeks I will be hosting a Group-Play seminar where I will discuss the finer points of working together as a group.

I will go over class roles in detail, as well as group tactics, and what to do and what will get you killed.

13

General Discussion / Stormcrest Guides: Pre-launch Announcement

« on: March 15, 2007, 01:52:46 am »

STORMCREST GUIDES
 
 
 Hello Layonara Community! I'd like to go ahead and announce a new project on the very near horizon with us standing at the introduction of v3 for Layonara. Nestled in the trees between Fort Vehl and Port Hempstead there will soon be a small cobble path that leads to a small rickety old shack built into a tree. This is the Stormcrest Shack, a cozy tavern at the crossroads of the server start cities.
 
  What is this shack and why is it there?
 
 It's a gathering point mostly. A group of characters have decided to participate in a guiding service. This isn't any grand guild or organization, it's a simple meeting place where sponsored guides will often just hang out, offering maybe to guide someone around, or to a particular destination your character may have in mind. They work for nobody, and pay no dues, so what they charge you is what they deem appropriate for the destination you have in mind. The tavern is owned by a one eyed dwarf some may know, though he's donated it up to just about any of the guides to make use of it to get a client, and the doors are always open to get a drink.
 
 Now, Stormcrest Guides work on a pretty free flowing premise: That the participating guides can work when they like, for whatever amount they like. Even if its just buying them an ale. That said, there are some rules:
 
 - A guide can't be contracted out for resources, or any other goals that are at an unreasonable challenge for your character. More simply, anything that seems to not be in good spirit of the server.
 - Distribution of gold and items found on your travels is at the guide's discretion for distribution.
 - That the only people working as guides are sponsored by Stormcrest.
 
  Who are these guides?
 
 Well currently the participating characters are:
 
 Talan Va'lash, Lalaith Va'lash, Varka Cleaveson, Jennara Creekskipper, Acacea Thistletongue, Quillwem Laylluanilm, Triba Gues, Jacchri Abianca, Ireth Telrunya, Ketilbjorn Svadi, Lillian Dartforth, Daeron Stormcloud, AnnaLee Ohtartel'selu, Kavil Yodin, Ozymandias Llewellyn, Connor Garvill, Rhizome, Bilvikki, Remiel Delmir, Rodlin Serim, and Katrien Hommel (with the full acknowledgement that she is apt to getting lost).
 
 More guides will be added perpetually as time passes. The requirements for getting sponsored by Stormcrest will be posted up in due time following the initial launch.
 
  So why does Stormcrest Guides exist?
 
 Well, for starters, it'll be fun. It's an easy way for everyone to meet each other. It's an easy way for us to find a convenient collection point for roleplay and good times. It's a means for anyone out there to walk up and ask to go adventuring with someone who has their footing on where things are, the lore of the lands, and generally the storylines all around you as you travel around. Playstyles can be shared between players that generally wouldn't party together because of level spreads or the like. It's just a good way for us all to get together and party responsibly, mostly.
 
  So how do you get a guide?
 
 Well, the easiest way is to simply hang out in the comforts of the Stormcrest Shack, or lounge by the campfire at the pond outside. There is a torch outside the shack that will be lit when there's a guide about who is up for taking someone out. Alternatively, you can PM me, Chongo, to try and set something up in advance.
 
  What sort of things can you do when you get a guide?
 
 Once you get someone as a guide by hanging out at the shack and asking, there's all sorts of things you might do. It's really up to you as the character wanting to see or learn more of the world. You could wander local lands to get a handle on your surroundings if you're unfamiliar. Or you could travel to an exotic destination that you've been yearning to go but feel you could benefit from someone who can maybe show you around with a bit more flavor. Or maybe you want to be shown someplace so you can learn the lore shaping its history. It's really up to you as a character and what feels fun. Every character in this game has a lot to share, and getting a few of these older hands with lore up the wazoo on every blade of grass can be quite fun, especially when you're part of learning something new with them. The things we're not out to do is go get you high end items or resources. That's just against the spirit of Stormcrest, and while getting an emerald is fun, it should never be the spirit of the goal.
 
 
 Layonara has a wonderful community that is ever changing and still growing. Make use of the people around you. Come hang out at the tavern or at the campfire, at the crossroads of Fort Vehl and Port Hempstead. The sign will point the way there. Cheers.

14

General Discussion / souls stones

« on: March 12, 2007, 07:12:25 pm »

Hello All,

I frequently travel with a cleric...  and I have been watching her repeatedly raise people who do not carry soul stones.  Please find the nearest temple, buy one, imprint it and put it in your backpack... (better yet get two or three).  I don't know if some players know this or not but each raise of a person without a souls stone costs a PC 5000 XP, at least the one yesterday did...  thats a lot of XP down the drain when all the person had to do was buy a 150 True rock.

Not trying to rant here, maybe some of the newer players don't know about the soul stones and the costs a Cleric must pay to raise the dead.

We don't want upset clerics do we?  I know I don't.

Thanks!