Ankyrean Anguish - Aetolia-based RAGE

Meyvitch

Roommate went to Michigan for a week because his sister-in-law is dying and all his family lives there. That's cool, I completely understand, wish him the best, and am grateful to have the house to myself.

 

Woke up this morning with someone working on the back of the house already I didn't realize was supposed to be there! Also, no internet since Tuesday night when roommate left. I know it's not my computer, Kindle can't connect either. I'm at the library.

Alexina

Eeh.

Damonicus

MISSING: One Bloodloch Academy.

If found please call.


May have been last seen with a triptycha tile.

Iosyne

FOUND: One Bloodloch Academy, patiently awaiting its release contingent upon the release of upcoming (and expected) content.

Phoenecia

Pauldrons in forging still being bugged.

Kind of a minor annoyance, but also that feeling of being left hanging right in the middle of a big RP development. Feeling like you've hit a slump in RP or feeling like you're not interesting enough to interact with and desperately trying to find ways to spice things up.

Arbre

The urge to orghop.  Doubly so when the urge is to completely sidehop.

Irruel

Arbre said:

The urge to orghop.  Doubly so when the urge is to completely sidehop.

Mix something else up instead. Now is a good time to found a controversial clan, drag a partner-in-crime off to stir up trouble with a divinity on the opposing side, or aggravate your allies in some interesting and poetic way.

I get the same annoying urge to orghop when I'm bored, but I've learned that hopping doesn't cure shit.

Only two things cure boredom in Aet:

1. Doing something that isn't boring
2. Doing something that isn't Aetolia (my usual choice. I read a couple of books and watch a season or something on TV, then go back to mudding. Edit: speaking of which, why am I reading this forum instead of reading my book?)
   

Azton

IERNIAN FRACTURE
----------------

- Entering the Iernian Fracture immediately opens one up to attack by any and all other individuals within the Iernian Fracture. This is an OPEN PK zone.

- All rules that apply to the conflict of focus points and leylines (as seen above in
Refining) apply to the Iernian Fracture, as you will gain an aura in this hostile
environment.
----------------------------------------------------
.

REALLY Wish people would read the HELP PK before going into OPEN PK areas/zones then spend a hour crying at you for killing them / going to kill them!!

YOU made yourself OPEN PK so grow some Oranges and deal with it!

Haven

Azton said:

IERNIAN FRACTURE
----------------

- Entering the Iernian Fracture immediately opens one up to attack by any and all other individuals within the Iernian Fracture. This is an OPEN PK zone.

- All rules that apply to the conflict of focus points and leylines (as seen above in
Refining) apply to the Iernian Fracture, as you will gain an aura in this hostile
environment.
----------------------------------------------------
.

REALLY Wish people would read the HELP PK before going into OPEN PK areas/zones then spend a hour crying at you for killing them / going to kill them!!

YOU made yourself OPEN PK so grow some Oranges and deal with it!

It might help a little if the Admin put in a little reminder warning players they just entered an open PK zone. Don't know if it'd be worth the effort truthfully but there's one suggestion.

Moirean

I don't think it'd be that hard. You get a reminder when you enter Enorian that there are hostile creatures in the area. Just copypasta that.

Haven

Right, right. But I meant more that I'm unsure whether or not it'd even address the underlying issue and change/prevent anything. Cause if it didn't then I'd say the effort was wasted.

Moirean

Doubt it would. The issue with the fracture is that it's tying fairly heavy PvE/grinding/farming to open PK. If you're in the mood/setup for bashing, you likely aren't in the mindset (or statpack/gear setup/etc) for PK. If you're there for some serious ylem grinding, you don't want to PK and waste your buffs. Conversely, if you are there to PK, you don't want to hit the elds because you want to be ready to fight. Most PKers also don't like random aggro mobs interfering in a fight.

The result is that we usually see one of three behaviors in the fracture:

• Someone comes in to try to gank someone bashing. The basher either leaves or dies and doesn't come back. Result: No real PK happens. Frustration for both parties.
  
• Multiple parties agree to ignore each other and both bash there. Result: No PK happens. Fewer mobs. Slight to no frustration for both parties.
  
• PK actually starts in the fracture. Because of the artifact, you can completely cherry pick your fights, so people tend to only chase for PK when the situation is favorable. Due to the completely open PK, backup is called. Team sizes and involvement are unregulated by mechanics/rules, and the low level of current conflict means that people tend to be fairly eager to join in ANY fight. Situation often escalates, with the delay on aura dropping until after you've been out of the fracture for a while creating a grey zone which exacerbates things. Result: Often unbalanced and frustrating PK that spills out of the fracture, up to and including issues.

I personally don't think the fracture works as a PK mechanic. I've had a grand total of one decent fight there (<3 Kaeus). The rest of the time I've just gone in to gank/be bitchy or to bash. I don't think the idea of an open PK area is a bad thing at all, and I think an area or five like that could enhance the game - I just don't think the fracture in its current design is that area. Objectives in a PK area should be PK-based or achieved via PK, eg a modifier on sect points or ylem earned by killing a city enemy or whatever.

Teani

Moirean said:

I personally don't think the fracture works as a PK mechanic. I've had a grand total of one decent fight there (<3 Kaeus). The rest of the time I've just gone in to gank/be bitchy or to bash. I don't think the idea of an open PK area is a bad thing at all, and I think an area or five like that could enhance the game - I just don't think the fracture in its current design is that area. Objectives in a PK area should be PK-based or achieved via PK, eg a modifier on sect points or ylem earned by killing a city enemy or whatever.

Perhaps areas where you can quest to score such points, so that you can pick whatever class/statpack/gear/setup you need to PK instead of having to watch out for angry mobs. It would give you a reason to go in there and remain for a while, which would show that you're after some PK. If it were possible to lock down a section of the area for only two fighters it would prevent overwhelming teams. Or just more Hunting Ground-like areas, I guess.

Moirean

Eh, I don't mind team battles per-se. I certainly don't go looking for 1v1 these days with how unfun the current combat balance is.

Simply tossing an area out and saying that it's open PK won't achieve much, either. There should be some sort of objective and reward tied to the area, to entice people to come, which is what the fracture does. The issue is that the objective kinda undercuts the purpose. If you had an open PK area where each person you killed generated like 1k ylem and gave you 5x or 10x the normal sect points for a kill? People would use it for PK. That's probably a horrible idea because it'd totally be gamed. But, yeah, example.

Ezalor

Ylem is a PK objective. Anything else that you do to gather ylem also makes you open PK. It's not a bashing area, it's a ylem collecting area (and by far the fastest/easiest way to collect ylem) so I fail to see how the Fracture isn't working as intended.

Toz

The point is that you use pve skills to collect ylem, and so if you are someone inclined to pve, you go there and use pve skills to pve up some ylem. If you are pvp inclined, you go in to find someone to fight - you go there and use pvp skills to pvp some people trying to pve up some ylem. Moirean's assessment is entirely accurate - if you are looking for pvp, the fracture is not the place to go because people will just run away from you because the people typically in there are there to pve. They came for ylem, not to deal with you, and if you show up, they're not GOING to deal with you - there's no incentive to. You don't get ylem for murdering someone in the fracture, and you don't get it for dying either. In fact, fighting directly takes away from what you want to accomplish there.

Ezalor

Ylem isn't a PvE mechanic is my point, regardless of personal preference. Anything you do to collect ylem places you into open PK, Fracture should be no different. Sure there won't be the best or most willing fights in there but if you want ylem you have to be prepared to get ganked for it no matter what your method is.

There were (I think?) plans for a noncom method of gathering ylem but development seems to have halted. I'd also guess that ylem was intended as a mechanic in the first place to create more conflict and PK, though the benefits spread far beyond just that realm.

Toz

But see, that's the point - to get ylem in the fracture, you bash. Sure it has pk connotations, I'm not arguing that - I'm saying it's the problem. If I roll in with powerful statpack and in Teradrim class with all my blessings/whatever so I can tank the world, and someone comes in to gank me? I'm just going to voltda out, because I'm not spec'd for a fight (and if I'm in the mood to bash I'm not in the mood to fight). You have to bash to get ylem. It has PvE requirements. So, if you're looking for a fight, why go to the fracture? If you're looking to get ylem, you go to the fracture and run if someone shows up.

Ezalor

Just how it goes with ylem I guess. Some of the people extracting lessers don't want to fight either, but anything involving ylem has that risk.

Even if noncom methods of ylem extraction were put in, the Fracture probably shouldn't be one considering how wildly efficient it is. It being open PK also ensures that it doesn't get crowded; I'm pretty sure it'd be crazily overpopulated if the PK status was removed.

Draiman

Granted, I'm a vampire, but I can bash the fracture in my PK statpack. I can also shackle the one eld that will be hitting me (because everything else will be shackled upon entering the room) if someone runs in to gank me. I'd also bash it with aura and mass going at all times, expecting a gank.


I'm not saying it's perfect, but I don't think it's -that- bad. I also don't think it's difficult enough to warrant switching specs just to bash it. (Unless you're like Carnifex or something. >.>)

Jensen

I think that's why they proposed a change, so that doesn't have to be "just how it goes"

Ezalor

Ylem was made as a conflict mechanic. If you take the best ylem collection method and make it non-conflict you essentially get rid of most of the conflict from ylem as well.

Alexina

I think we need more open pk zones. There's some in Achaea and it certainly brings an element of danger to the game. It can be frustrating from time to time, but there's always the option of going to a safer area to get your gold/xps/whatever.

Haven

Honestly, what would really help the Fracture is if it were slightly modified to be like a combination of the Hunting Grounds and the sect arena.

Consider this idea to address the issue:

Fracture is a pretty large area. Break it into maybe 3 semi equal parts. We'll call it red, yellow, and green.

Then take the stakes in the Putoran and redistribute them around the game. Some in Scidve (red), some in the Tundra (yellow), and the remainder in the Putoran (green) as an example.

Now when you touch stake, rather than be ported directly to the other side, you'll appear in a purgatory of sorts that will act as the collapsing arena. A call will be issued to the area (maybe up to two adjacent areas so the artifact is still useful without being mandatory) indicating a portal has been opened. Combatants then have 1-2 minutes to join by touching a stake. At the end of that the portal closes for a cooldown. If you're alone in purgatory when that happens then you're deposited in the respective section of the Fracture for some undisturbed ylem harvesting.

If you're NOT alone then clearly you gotta kill the competition. The arena will periodically grow smaller until one room remains. If after 10 minutes or so of fighting and people are still alive then everyone is ejected from purgatory at the respective stakes they touched and the portal is instantly refreshed. That way if you wanna try again you can still do so without waiting.

However, if there is a victor then the portals remain closed for x amount of time for that respective section. If you're not done harvesting ylem by the time portal resets, too bad, you're ejected and must start process again. If you finish early, touch crystal like normal and be on your way. The cooldown wouldn't start/deplete until someone is actually in the fracture.

Irruel

I've given the fracture a go a couple of times. Bashing while constantly on full alert was awkward, but it also didn't really feel like bashing. It was an improvement over searching for minors anyway.

I don't think it needs to be changed. Just add more areas with more pvp-centric goals/methods of acquiring ylem. If more conflict is out there then the poor-quality conflict in the fracture won't be taken up as often. It'll still happen but with less overenthusiastic and oversized teams.

Examples:

How about needing to remain in a particular pvp-area for 15 minutes, and if you survive it you get some desirable def (like the HG one for eld-critting).

Also, there could be a similar mechanic for a city-wide buff. Defend 3 separated nodes in the open pvp area for 20 minutes, to get a city wide buff. (edit: commodity generation, maybe?)

What is Ciem like these days? I haven't done it for a couple of years now I think, so I don't know if it has changed or been tied into Ylem. I always thought though - what if the reward was more than just getting the honours line? Defeat some large area-quest like that to benefit my city in some way.

Moirean

Random kinda grumble/idea: The aura system is kinda annoying and leads to a lot of accidental PK and PK lawyering. It'd be nice if the aura stayed up until you either die or the lesser is fully over, to avoid people leaving the area to have aura drop mid fight (and sometimes even farm for issues by doing that) and also to avoid accidental attacks (eg I just lusted Lexen during a lesser, but he had left the area and aura had dropped, something I missed in spam, and that's hard to tell for ranged summons. Ty for being cool about it, I hadn't realized). Keeping the aura active until death/end of the lesser would also be more in spirit with what the aura is there for, imho - the aura represents that people are there to fight and are open PK. These days it feels like we see a lot of focus on the mechanics of how the aura is determined (I was outside the area and didn't attack back so my aura dropped!) instead of the intent behind those mechanics.

Azton

IF someone tells you to stop bothering them OOCLY that doesn't mean be a splendid box of wine and bother them ICLY about the OOC remark!!

Why do people jump straight to OOC remarks when he/she cant get an ic one they want? ONE WORD I HAVE FOR YOU PEOPLE!!

Keeping the aura active until death/end of the lesser would also be more in spirit with what the aura is there for,  Sounds best way to deal with it!!

Teani

Yeah, I hate it when people jump straight to OOC instead of dealing with an IC remark. A character is not allowed to interact, make comments/objections after a fight? Is it necessary for Players to take such remarks as complaints about being in a fight to begin with?

If I go out and extract ylem, I know I'm making myself open to PK, but does this mean my character can't ever speak up about things happening in a fight?

One of my comments, "Goodness, I feel so powerful now, seeing as you need to be two to bring little me down!"
Zaephlyn's response (which was a good one, and IC at that!) to this was "Oh, you can feel even better if you come back. Now there's more of us here!"

It's far better than someone responding with IT'S OPEN PK GET OVER IT (which is an OOC term).

Azton

Teani said:

Yeah, I hate it when people jump straight to OOC instead of dealing with an IC remark. A character is not allowed to interact, make comments/objections after a fight? Is it necessary for Players to take such remarks as complaints about being in a fight to begin with?

If I go out and extract ylem, I know I'm making myself open to PK, but does this mean my character can't ever speak up about things happening in a fight?

One of my comments, "Goodness, I feel so powerful now, seeing as you need to be two to bring little me down!"
Zaephlyn's response (which was a good one, and IC at that!) to this was "Oh, you can feel even better if you come back. Now there's more of us here!"

It's far better than someone responding with IT'S OPEN PK GET OVER IT (which is an OOC term).

Maybe dont send people YOU DONT KNOW OOC tells to start with?  then continue to complain IC and then back to OOC then when telling to leave them alone go back to ic complaining?

And as far as im aware OPEN PK is a IC kind of term otherwise how else do you talk about auras/fracture/hunting grounds etc, as Last I checked even one of the Academys mention it!.....

Toz

Gonna stop you right there for a small mini-rant of my own. PK and cause don't exist within the confines of Aetolia. Never has. Certain areas, you can be killed in for standing in, with the express point that you go there to kill or be killed (so you can't really justify killing people back). Auras indicate the same thing - admittedly it's not a perfect system. But every time someone says 'No pk', they're being OOC. Just a little mental twitch I've got, I hate when people use it like it's supposed to mean something in the context of Aetolia. It stands for player killing, and RP-ly speaking, we're not players. We're adventurers.