"Vacant" Hamlets
Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2017 3:39 pm
Several of the hamlets have had their NPC and PC populations expelled due to various events. Some of them have dangerous mobs installed as placeholders from those events, but aren't quite set up as actual hunting areas. This leaves them in a state of limbo and leaves players wondering how they should take it IC or what they should do. What I'm suggesting is to take those hamlets - Keth, Emleth, and Westbrook - and finally convert them over officially.
I understand why this might not be something GMs would want to do if there is still progress being made or some ongoing event, but it seems for those three areas (with the exception possibly of Keth) that things have fairly settled. And since we've cleared them out off and on over the years and each time they've been repopulated blocking a permanent recovery, why not make them legitimate hunting zones? Since it seems intended that these not be habitable again - instead of having to install overly dangerous mobs to keep people away, why not scale things back and make them fully-usable hunting areas that can then be added to task lists? GMs can determine the difficulty level based on what gaps need filling or what guilds might need more variety.
I have some ideas for each zone. Feedback is certainly welcome from all sources.
Emleth - All of the mobs that spawn here seem to be stolen from other areas. Create some mobs unique to this area. Scale down the mobs in the surrounding area so that you can make Emleth Forest a hunting zone - or just clear them out so people can once again forage and travel without being shot at or ambushed. Make the mobs in town have an actual set spawn rate and locations rather than re-populating it every time we manage to clear it out. And speaking of wilderness mobs - did the ones outside Tarueka get removed?
Westbrook - Scale down the numbers of spiders and the spawnrate. Make the big bad a unique/rarespawn like the werewolf, lich, or similar mobs in other zones. I love the unique mobs here, however, spiders here, and in general, need some tweaking. Currently their mechanics make survival nearly impossible if webbed (can't cast, can't fight, can't stand up, can't move, can't manually break free, can't have a friend assist in breaking you free) and the poison lasts way too long (pretty much guaranteed death if you start out at winded or lower even if you get away from the mobs). Having a room with more than one spider in it is awful unless you find a way to one-shot them all. I get that it makes it challenging, but it also has the potential to make it overly frustrating or unfun when overused. Adjusting these things should make that zone viable for tasks and general hunting.
Keth - No idea if what's happening here is ongoing or if changes are planned, but it seems like there could be some variety added instead of just shades and this might be included with Templar/Wyrvardn tasks. Right now the mobs are nuisance-level but not particularly dangerous and with them being all noncorporeal, they can be overwhelming to some. Adding a mix - even melee noncorporeal vs casters would be a good start.
I understand why this might not be something GMs would want to do if there is still progress being made or some ongoing event, but it seems for those three areas (with the exception possibly of Keth) that things have fairly settled. And since we've cleared them out off and on over the years and each time they've been repopulated blocking a permanent recovery, why not make them legitimate hunting zones? Since it seems intended that these not be habitable again - instead of having to install overly dangerous mobs to keep people away, why not scale things back and make them fully-usable hunting areas that can then be added to task lists? GMs can determine the difficulty level based on what gaps need filling or what guilds might need more variety.
I have some ideas for each zone. Feedback is certainly welcome from all sources.
Emleth - All of the mobs that spawn here seem to be stolen from other areas. Create some mobs unique to this area. Scale down the mobs in the surrounding area so that you can make Emleth Forest a hunting zone - or just clear them out so people can once again forage and travel without being shot at or ambushed. Make the mobs in town have an actual set spawn rate and locations rather than re-populating it every time we manage to clear it out. And speaking of wilderness mobs - did the ones outside Tarueka get removed?
Westbrook - Scale down the numbers of spiders and the spawnrate. Make the big bad a unique/rarespawn like the werewolf, lich, or similar mobs in other zones. I love the unique mobs here, however, spiders here, and in general, need some tweaking. Currently their mechanics make survival nearly impossible if webbed (can't cast, can't fight, can't stand up, can't move, can't manually break free, can't have a friend assist in breaking you free) and the poison lasts way too long (pretty much guaranteed death if you start out at winded or lower even if you get away from the mobs). Having a room with more than one spider in it is awful unless you find a way to one-shot them all. I get that it makes it challenging, but it also has the potential to make it overly frustrating or unfun when overused. Adjusting these things should make that zone viable for tasks and general hunting.
Keth - No idea if what's happening here is ongoing or if changes are planned, but it seems like there could be some variety added instead of just shades and this might be included with Templar/Wyrvardn tasks. Right now the mobs are nuisance-level but not particularly dangerous and with them being all noncorporeal, they can be overwhelming to some. Adding a mix - even melee noncorporeal vs casters would be a good start.