Lightside Needs Help

[Otoan]

There is nothing but negative feedback coming from you Otoan. I don't see how you think it's coming across anything other than snotty? The fundamentals of wotmud haven't changed. You've always had to wait for a smob group to form/travel to a smob group. Travel to pk, wait on or start pk etc etc. The only difference is the playerbase has gotten smaller. I've played this game for 12 or 13 years and can't remember a time when this was any different.

This thread isn't about positive experiences...It's about what's negative and what needs to change for Lightside to have new people or returning players wanting to stay. You're competing against a LOT of free games out there and you're competing against real life.

I'm giving you my opinions on the game. How many potential returning players came back to the game, didn't post on the forums, and just left it alone? You keep telling me what I have to do to have fun in the game instead of listening to what I'm saying. I have no desire to work for fun. If you don't like my opinions or think they are wrong, then by all means dismiss them. I'm sure I'm not the only person that had similar experiences, but ok.

[Dartes]

Personally, I found the game not because i really really wanted to mud, but because I wanted to play something WoT themed. Honestly, at the time I didn't know muds were a thing.

For most of my time here I've enjoyed exploring and doing fun stuff with people. I've always been a big quester, and have spent much of my time doing that. I really enjoy my clan, and it's why Dartes is basically the only character I play now. Only recently have I really started to jump into pk, since I'm trying to make a concerted effort at getting master, and I readily admit that stil I very much suck at it. On average I'd say I die 2-3 times per pk session. About 6 deaths ago I ran out of eq and I decided to switch from combo to abs, and I'm still dying but I've been having a lot of fun since it is so easy to re-eq. Sometimes the deaths do wear on me, so every 3 deaths or so I find a newbie and help them as I exp, which really helps take the pain out of it.

Wotmud is one of the few 'video?' games that I really play anymore, because at least for me there's a greater social aspect, and I also feel like I'm accomplishing something, even if it's just more text. Maybe this is different for people with multiple masters or remorts.

Tldr: I keep playing because I enjoy the WoT theme, I feel like i'm accomplishing things (advancing my character/rp/clan), i enjoy the challenge, and generally a lot of the people I meet.

[Elysia]

Adding to this as I think of them:

Andor and surrounds:
-50 gcs in a chest on Lugard Road
-lithe woman in Lugard Road tower
-gold inlaid axe on thieves east off Tar Valon - Caemlyn Road
-two handed broadsword on wretch chief
-hollow steel lance and 20 gcs on Hillman chief
-3 gcs and mirrrored lanterns on thieves in Forgotten Braem
-coins, emmy ring on %, thin black chain, black cloak, hooded cloaks at Ambush Point south of Lugard
-amethyst necklace, other necklace on % on bandit in Maredo
-coins, finely crafted axe, burnished plate, oiled set on Brigand Leader at Tear Road bandits

Caralain Grass and surrounds:
-oiled set and kite shield on hill giants west of Tar Valon
-lithe woman south of Rhahime Nialle
-heavy club and shield on statue south-east of Cara ent
-coins on thieves and smuggler chiefs
-coins on bandits in bandit valley
-sungwood bracelet on ogier in bandit valley, also cloth sleeves on %

Two Rivers and surrounds:
-lithe equipment on smuggler south of Taren Ferry
-coins and jeweled dagger on thief/rogue in Volcano area
-lithe combo, lithe abs, wristbands and other minor trinkets on smuggler chiefs north of Hobrion
-coins, jeweled dagger, full leather gauntlets, mattocks on Hobrion and minions
-dark barbed flails, coins on mine overlords
-gold bracelet on bandit south-west of Remen, across a stream

Amador and surrounds:
-lithe in manor west of Ebou Dari outpost
-coins on thieves in village, under Amador, in Misty tunnels
-herbs on %, potions on %, dull black and etched shield on % on smuggler chief south-west of Amador. Note: requires highish search.
-Altara has the start of the minismob chain that ends in Tear. It loads a sash, emmy ring on %, coins, and if you complete the chain, a decent item in the safe. E.g. ivy bracelets, Kandori necklace/cuff and so on.

Maradon and surrounds:
-heavy club on the ground behind a door
-bandits/stuff in door at tavern south of the city
-lithe woman in Irinjavar
-coins on brigands east of Maradon, easiest on a channeler or rogue, but still

Fal Dara and surrounds:
-start of minismob chain, leading from Dog zone to Kandor. Middle part loads jade ring. If you complete the chain, a decent item in the safe. E.g. ivy bracelets, Kandori necklace/cuff and so on.

Cairhien and surrounds:
-lithe woman at the southern end of Northern Spine

Tear and surrounds:
-lithe woman in Drowned Lands

Illian and surrounds:
-lithe woman in the forests north of the city
-coins and lightstick on % north of the city
-coins on thieves/bandits east of the city, part of the minismob chain, but can be hit individually

Tanchico and surround:
-minismob chain starting in Tanchico and leading outside
-money on thieves in Katar
-if Elmora is Seanchan held, the officer loads an insectoid helm, burnished plate and a strength tea

As you can see I don't play much around Cairhien or Tear, hopefully someone else can fill some of these in.

Also, it might be best if someone copies this to Help.

[Protus]

I used to have a walk-through for people that kotorim and I came up with to re-eq after dying.

Basically got you 72-76% abs and claymore/mattack/gold axe for 3 crowns and 25 minutes of walking. I believe this was before lithe loads. But most of the stuff was found on the ground or on easy to solo mobs. Unfortunately I think that WT got lost in the forum purge of 200X.

I kind of wish some newbies would post on this thread any of their issues or roadblocks. I am afraid there are not a lot of them left however. Here's hoping a TV show will bring people by for a lookie loo.

[Elysia]

Most problems I see with newbies is that they use weapon classes that aren't easy to get because few people use them. Or they feel they need the top end item to exp in the first place. Then when they die, which is kind of inevitable, they get discouraged.

[Taziar]

MiniSmob chains question: how do you find out about these other than some one showing you? All smob chain type stuff... easter eggs are great but not having a way to stumble on them and learn for yourself has always been an issue imo. Took me years and years of listening to chats to pick up certain things that there is no way (that I have seen in 16-17 years) to figure out without outside assistance... and don't forget about the FOFY! mentality from back in the day. Greater access to information can help some of the concerns posted in this thread I think. Anyone willing to help Thuvia over at the WoTMUD wikia please do so.

WoTmud client: That could be cool... I'm not one of those all star programmers though, best I can do is write scripts for zMUD and have been posting every script I make and use on the forums over at wotmudarchives. Any script ideas, any one needing help with zMUD, any ideas, anything... I am willing to try and help out with in that area. I have been working on breaking my map into zones (where command based) for a long time now... eventually I hope to have a map worthy of sharing. I hear Lyren.. or Via.. or someone has one online if anyone needs a zMUD/cMUD map.

I'm with Dartes... only reason I think I am here (other than habitual now ) is because WoT theme kept me coming back...

Taziar//Kerryk
Ebou Dar 2017 Campaign Committee Member

[Lykan]

These things are usually released through a quest, then it is up to players to pass on info. Often there are easter eggs and stuff, but it isn't like it is easy to stumble on. There are a lot of player-run sites out there with info on this stuff, which is completely accessible to newer players. Again, I remember being a new player and reading Nevelo's site while in school and plotting out places I would exp when I got time to play, or reading about smobs I wanted to go slay. I remember Yandar being a great place for ancient trees, but you had to watch out for bigbadseanchan :p

[Elysia]

MiniSmob chains question: how do you find out about these other than some one showing you?

The info was on old forums. Not like losing them can be helped.

[Hiroko]

The minismob chain Elysia mentioned around Illian runs from Altara/Illian road east along the coastal plains to Tear Road. It's some decent coin, you can hit exp along the way, and it ends with a safe loading a trink (gold bracelet to a kandori piece). I've also seen an opal neckie on a mob along the way as well - though only once. Next time I'm on I'll announce I'm running it before I start, in case anyone wants to learn it. If I remember to log it, I'll keep notes and share the wealth on the wiki or something.

[reil]

Jesus, the entitlement is strong in this thread. Yeah, there can be legitimate things to centralize stuff on LS and put a fairly easy load in for high-turnover items (like abs), but when did whining about dying on this game become the norm? Someone said there were no intermediate goals on LS and then proceeded to list like 12 things that are actually decent intermediate goals -- and none of them were even the prototypical goal that's sustained me for like 14 years: "I don't like X. Gotta kill his ass."* That should tell you how much of this comes down to the game and how much of it comes down to the players.

Personally, I don't think LS is any different than it has ever been -- the limited number of people playing just exaggerates the side archetype. Side archetypes: DS - part of a horde, SS - part of an army, LS - HERO. In that sense, instead of just socializing and lamenting the loss of dick jokes past on chats and narrates, get together, take advantage of the most dynamic thing this game offers and PK with each other to build camaraderie through everything around that.




*Granted, Xs in the past seemed to actually PK more (just in stupid ways) while Xs in the present seem to be more of the "leave any time there's actual PK".