Feedback requested: Far Madding zone changes.

[Mantorok]

Can we go further and make the damn city smaller? I avoid it like the damn plague all around cause it's so big for somewhere I might just wanna run through.

[Elysia]

Two separate Zone Admins have said no to making the zones smaller or deleting pieces. The current is the best case scenario that could be achieved: moving it out of Tear Road.

Myself and other imms feel that the Maredo connection made it too easy to run to safety for either humans or raiders, so I'm not in favor of that particular connection returning.

[Tolveor]

First of all, what raiders?
years ago maybe. Today its about convenience though. Far Madding got moved to make the run from Tear to Caemlyn shorter, not because of all the pk that happens around tear road.
Anyway, thats my opinion and feedback.

[Sybrina]

The change is probably a good compromise. I agree that it was onerous to go through OR around the city. I personally disliked that it required a lot more moves to traverse and that it required a huge number of moves to go around. But one thing I did like is that it was true to Far Maddings reason for being as a crossroads of sorts for trade. The way to Tear and Illian from many destinations north was through Far Madding (or via the rivers). So moving it out of the way diminishes its existential reason for being a major city in the first place (that and the Guardian which likely influenced it becoming a trade crossroads). Since moving the city, I've just seen the city used as sort of an out of the way meeting place for people who do not want to be seen together (wink). Before then, I used to go through the city frequently. To be honest, I rather like FM despite my main alt's class. But I can see the difficulties it presents in other areas of the game.

If the eastern path around FM cannot be made shorter, perhaps another approach is to just create an alternate path around the city along the west side that only requires 10 rooms and reconnect the city back to where it was at originally? This brings it down the about the size of Caemlyn as far as "going around" is concerned.

[Relaes]

As far as pk goes, I think the "damage" is already done and it won't be reverted with another change. PK didn't just disappear due to FM, but it made sure that very few people use Tear road for transportation which indirectly affected the amount of people available to raid there. Now though, there are very few players at all to raid and changing this zone certainly won't make more players magically appear.

I think it's nice that you actually made a change. Agree with Tolveor though, what pk?

Can we go further and make the damn city smaller? I avoid it like the damn plague all around cause it's so big for somewhere I might just wanna run through.

It's bigger than caem, which, if you want to use book-ish arguments is pretty outrageous. if it was a small blob on the map with a zone within the zone, like caem inner city, I think that would be a lot better. Caem is relatively small and practical. You can fit a lot of rooms in there without making it take 2-3 ticks to ride around. You don't have to remove rooms from FM this way. Just compress it and people can pass around it without taking that long, arching road.

[Kordin]

FM and its zones were always fine. What it lacked was a reason to stay unless you were in Wall Guard. Zone east of it has plenty of room to be great for exping, tons of leatherleafs and ancients etc. can be put in.

The city is big enough to hold at least 2-3 smobs. Shops could (afaik they don't atm) hold more cash. More quests like the dress one that make people visit.

As far as I can remember, it was never a main issue that the mud is too big (until we started to lose players), it was that some areas are just too empty, lack any interesting content or incentive to visit and/or are too football-ish.

[Elysia]

First of all, what raiders?
years ago maybe. Today its about convenience though. Far Madding got moved to make the run from Tear to Caemlyn shorter, not because of all the pk that happens around tear road.
Anyway, thats my opinion and feedback.

The Maredo connection was removed with pk in mind. Ever chase a trolloc or Seanchan through those zones while having to block Lugard, north and south Tear Road and the FM connection? Or even been chased from EF or 4k and ran east through Lugard and safely into FM without any risk? That's why the Maredo connection was removed.

If the eastern path around FM cannot be made shorter, perhaps another approach is to just create an alternate path around the city along the west side that only requires 10 rooms and reconnect the city back to where it was at originally? This brings it down the about the size of Caemlyn as far as "going around" is concerned.

Trimming down zones is something that's simply not on the table. Making a short connection around it would violate the game's building rules/standards, so that's also not going to happen. Yes, I know old zones do have weird connections and shortcuts, but at some point another direction was taken.

As far as I can remember, it was never a main issue that the mud is too big (until we started to lose players), it was that some areas are just too empty, lack any interesting content or incentive to visit and/or are too football-ish.

There are heaps and heaps of people who have been feeling the mud is too big for the better part of a decade. Also, adding content somewhere just moves the problem. If FM was made hugely interesting, you'd just see Maradon (or Waste, or EF or... ) and surrounds empty out.

[Paj]

Maradonia will always have me.

[Paigey]

I'm curious - does anyone know the count of rooms through the various paths? I'm sure Elysia does.

[Relaes]

If the eastern path around FM cannot be made shorter, perhaps another approach is to just create an alternate path around the city along the west side that only requires 10 rooms and reconnect the city back to where it was at originally? This brings it down the about the size of Caemlyn as far as "going around" is concerned.

Trimming down zones is something that's simply not on the table. Making a short connection around it would violate the game's building rules/standards, so that's also not going to happen. Yes, I know old zones do have weird connections and shortcuts, but at some point another direction was taken.

Could you expand on the building rules/standards? Is it due to loc/port/fade codes? To me, Caemlyn and The White Tower are perfect examples of how you can hide a larger zone within a zone. It's a great tool, in fact, and one that could be applied to FM with great results. Of course you have your rules for a reason, but it would help the discussion (it would make us understand what we can't suggest and why) if you could expand on why this isn't a good idea.