What would you change?

[Slippy]

The below are taken from the NOIDEA help page:

"Being able to buy heals or healing spells from clerical-mobiles"
"Banks and places to store excess equipment"

I strongly agree with the second one. But I'm not sure if the first is such a bad idea that it deserves being NOIDEA'd. After all, there is that spa(or something) in Fornost that helps regen for a payment of one gold.

[Razoor]

Seriously though, Ilie, if you're looking at this. Please please pretty please consider the 1-month for a partial reroll.

Having it at 1 year is just a killer for those of us who really enjoy tweaking our chars to the max, i've had 2 of my
favourite chars retired now for 9 months cause i want them to be perfect...it's half of the fun i have on MUME, tweaking,
and it's been made close to impossible

Perhaps the 1-year-full-reroll thing is a bit too much, but please consider shortening the time for a partial one. *beg*

[Parrafin]

Well, I was thinking of spells other than healing ones, although I didn't know that was a NOIDEA. and as for a lockbox at an INN, i mean, it'd be pretty cool to have 10 gold to fall back on when you died, even if that was all you could put in there. but i guess NOIDEA is NOIDEA.

[Fankil]

If there's one major thing to be changed, I honestly believe that the limited rerolls fall pretty far down the scale. Maybe 5% of my characters are well statted and practised, so I if anyone would gain from this change, but it feels like a bad idea when we get the opportunity to change something significant affecting the gameplay, rather than personal benefits.

The level system, as previously mentioned, could need some freshening up. Including less difference between the high levels and barely legends, the 100 levels cap, the pk/mob-death exp-loss. Or track, give it less penalties, implement some of sort of autotrack. Rogon's whole idea with exits, the tweaking of block door.


I can't settle for one thing, I can just say that I'm against putting this "one chance of change" on tweaking with rerolls, because that would seem like a waste.

[More]

The only change I would suggest is the unacceptable one. What I suggest instead is that you explore some "radical" ideas. Here's one: communication siege.

[Riley]

Lots of great ideas in here. XP loss from mobs definately needs to be reduced, some sort of banking system (gold only) would be good, shops (perhaps trainers) open 24/7. Personally as I have grown older and have a family ect.. I find a distinct lack of time to get into MUME like i used to. If I could get on and do something productive in an hour I would be much more inclined to play again. Perhaps this is not what MUME is meant to be about but I miss it so

[Razoor]

Fankil, I see where you're coming from. However, the reroll system was changed a while back and I doubt there would be
much trouble changing it back, and it would make a lot of people very happy. Perhaps it wouldn't be such a huge deal for
many people, and not something you'd consider worthy of 'the one change', but it's a very small change.

The reasoning behind the change was that they didn't want people being a warrior one month, a thief the next,
and then come back as a combo the third month. However, this isn't possible with the limited rerollsystem anyway, and if someone wants
to change into a mage from a cleric or a purethief to a combo, it'll take 3 days of decaying pracs and there you go.

The idea behind the change was reasonable (Very non-RP to be a mage one day, cleric the next), but the reasoning was flawed.
That's why I'd really suggest them to change it back to the way it was before.
It was a change that didn't add much other than huge grief for those of us who enjoy tweaking our chars.

[Elmir]

I'd take back old ABR, old Swept and some other areas which included less 6*6 rooms. remove the areas east of NOC and move the bears to new areas north of Trollshaws. And a starting place for humans down in Dunland.

[Thanik]

I don't know how reasonable that justification for changing the reroll system really is. How long is a RL month? 4 MUME years? 5? You could learn a lot in 5 years if you were 'retired in study'.

[fir]

If there is one thing that has makes me want to quit the most, it is mobbing some of my 4th or 5th age mages.
Mobdeath age loss is a really mad punishment.

[Ortansia]

Well these what I will change :p

- Trolls don't sundie instantly that is ; at least they can survive 10 sec in sun
- Bring back the old leather that gives more OB , so trolls will hit harder as before
- Bears should meta everywhere not only near vale :p so this change maybe will enhance more people to play this race.
-To encourage people to play hobbits , so make them learn max backstab in shire so they won't be obliged to travel to Tharbad :p

[Maulpaw]

I like what Elmir proposed.
Not sure if he had the same intention as I but the most tempo I have felt in mume was back in the time of the ford fights. Two sides close to eachother, raging battle in between. Sometimes darkies managed to raid rivendell and other times whities sieged the trollshaws. Trying to get to rivendell often was very much like in the books/movie.

So I would create a more focused battle arena somewhere. Rewriting the ford area again might solve that.

[Slippy]

I disagree that rewriting the ford area would help anything. With the global communications, its easy to get into a battle if you want to; people are always throwing out nars about enemy movements/fights. I don't think its the layout, I think it is just the way people play today vs the way they used to.

[Timodeus]

I'd vote for stronger enforcing a frame that fits tolkiens name, especially with names. You do not HAVE to RP or try to get into Tolkiens world when playing the game, but you should also not keep people from doing so who want to do it.

It is like the old debate about "smokers vs non-smokers" ("Have you seen any smoker who complains about a non-smoker?"). Even when I do not RP, I find names as "Pwnator" or "Winner" or "Dreadthing" or whatever people come up with hightly annoying (note: some orc or troll called "Dread" is ok, but that's a different matter) and just inappropiate for the game we play.
It find it utterly stupid I sit down and search all references in the Silmarillion (and whatever other book Tolkien leaves) to make an area fit Tolkiens world and on the other hand have "Joe the dwarf" run around in that place. You do not have to RP on MUME, you can play "Joe the dwarf"... but please do not pick a name for him that screams "RED ALERT! CHANGE IN STYLE! RED ALERT!" as soon as you narrate or enter the room.

Currently, we do not even have a message (a single line) on char creation that asks/informs new players to "please pick a name that's appropiate for Tolkiens world". To be honest, I believe MUME lost a lot of RPers due to this "RP is encouraged, but not enforced.... yet... well, we do not actually try to set an appropiate, minimal frame for RPers".* I would not consider me an actual RPer... but I think this loss is a sad thing.

* As an addition, the problem consists not only of names: There just is not much to do apart from level-grinding. And "sitting around and RP in Harlond" even gets punished by the alignment-loss. As if you become less good due to not-killing. You cannot craft, you cannot make player merchants (I agree they can be a problem, but the current solution to make them impossible is not a good one), guilds are neither officially supported nor encouraged (RPers want communities, if they are called "guild" or not), ...

[Anthamos]

I would change tracks so that you can always see them for 15+ ticks, and that they dont decay randomly due to weather.

I like this one. First thing that comes in mind when I think what has annoyed me. This random decay due weather has REALLY I mean REALLY sucked

[Elec]

Combat system

probably an unpopular choice but I really really dislike the hit'n'flee based combat system.

Where in tolkien did you see heroes jumping back and forth back and forth back and forth back and forth et cetera, ad nauseum.

Soooooo, the thing that I'd change is stackable fear. Or something similar. Each time you flee it stacks up (for a short time) and modifies some (or all) of your basestat(s) for an instance. So it would be fine to flee once or twice but after you have done it 3+ times you really would suffer the consequences.
Or something else that would make you think twice before using hit'n'flee tactics. The penalty for such an covardly combat should be something that would matter and ultimately really change the outcome of the battle.

Its only natural that you flee only when you are underpowered, so youre really afraid and nervous. And it does not make sense that you still come back after fleeing countless times. To find out again - whoops, I still cant beat this guy, lets run. Again. This is nonsense.
In real life youd probably soon have an heartattack because of this or at least your hands would be shaking, etc, you couldnt do most things correctly. - in mume - no consequences.

But escape instead of flee should remain as it is, as it would then still leave thieves playable.

[edit]: and by combat system I mean pk Alltough it would make things more interesting while fighting mobs also.

[Thanik]

I think the word 'flee' might be confusing you. Just because someone won't 'stand and fight' does not mean they are afraid to engage.

[Wobbler]

The panic penalty already stacks up in that way.
This is a Very Bad Thing, because 99% of all flees are nothing that would even remotely resemble a flight in panic in a real-life situation, but an attempt at either a tactical retreat by a group to reform the line (which the game forces players to do in another room instead of 50 metres back in the same room) or a manouvering by a solo player to make sure he does not have one opponent right in front of him and another right behind him. Think of a fighter moving about in a ring - he may step backwards many times without fleeing in panic.
You can also think of it as guerrilla tactics, where you try to hit a stronger enemy, quickly retreat along a pre-planned route and possibly try to ambush eventual followers before regrouping for the next quick attack, again followed by a pre-planned retreat. If things go as planned, you don't get more and more panicky with every iteration.

Hitfleeing or castfleeing is the only tactic available to fight a stronger group and should be encouraged, not even further discouraged. A group of skilled players will not easily lose to an opponent using these tactics anyway (unless his character is just far more powerful - say a fullset level 80 Elf mage vs 3 naked level 26 BNs).

[Elec]

As i suspected - very unpopular idea

I think the word 'flee' might be confusing you. Just because someone won't 'stand and fight' does not mean they are afraid to engage.

Well, thats what I'm talking about, maybe I did not express myself clearly. Lets say you want to mug someone on the street. You dont hit them, then run behind a corner, then jump again on them, then run behind another corner then... That's just illogical but thats how current PK in mume is most of the time. If you want to engage then just engage. If you want to flee then flee. Not so that you run back and forth trying to land the first hit and try to flee before other has time to react and then run back trying to land the first hit and then ... oh well, I'm sure you got the point.
And still where in Tolkien books you see such an behaviour?:) Right now I cant remember a single occasion of such tactics.

The panic penalty already stacks up in that way.
but an attempt at either a tactical retreat by a group to reform the line (which the game forces players to do in another room instead of 50 metres back in the same room) or a manouvering by a solo player to make sure he does not have one opponent right in front of him and another right behind him. Think of a fighter moving about in a ring - he may step backwards many times without fleeing in panic.

Havent noticed it to stack up - maybe it just lasts longer. but its effects doesnt seem to increase. or maybe dont increase enough to be noticable.

And I'm all for the tactical retreat for regroup or for whatnot. Thats why I suggested that first few times it does not count. But when your tactics are hit first, run first hit first run first, then, well, its just lame and I would hardly call it tactics. but thats the way PK mostly works right now. And I find it annoying.

You can also think of it as guerrilla tactics, where you try to hit a stronger enemy, quickly retreat along a pre-planned route and possibly try to ambush eventual followers before regrouping for the next quick attack, again followed by a pre-planned retreat. If things go as planned, you don't get more and more panicky with every iteration.

We can think of it as whatever tactics but in the end this is the tactics that should be mostly reserved for thieves using escape skill. Or well, for anyone from any class who uses prac sessions to be a little bit of (sucky:)) thief with escape skill.

Dont you agree that warriors should be able or encouraged to stand and fight.
While thieves should be the sneaky ones coming from nowhere and dissapearing before you have time to react?
And magic users should probably be somewhere between.

Right now every single class uses basically thief tactics.
Dont you agree on that ?

Yes it will make things harder for some cases and yes it will make things easier for other cases and yes it would require for everyone to relearn or invent some new tactics instead of hit'n'flee. But would that be such an BAD thing ? Right now theres is little to no creativity in PK.

Instead of 1 vs. many trying to hitflee them you could be more creative, trying to make traps and luring others into it.. etc. And if your not able. well. shit happens.

Anyway, I have spoken my mind and its up to others to think about it or just discard it without any further thought.
But still, I think that it would be a good change. A change that would further enforce that different classes use different tactics, a change that would enforce you to plan ahead more and reinvent more clever tactics. Not just "hey, lets just try to hit'n'flee until they drop dead and if it does not work then run away"
.. sorry for the long post

[Wobbler]

Pay closer attention to your ob/spellcasting abilities and you will notice the ridiculous panic effects.
Do you really mean that instead of trying to outplay their opponents, everyone should just create hugegroup traps?

The only ways I can think of to encourage someone to stand still and suffer damage from every opponent present is to make him so powerful that no matter how much damage he sustains he still wins (who should be selected for this superpower and who will fight him then?), or make it impossible to have more than one player attacking the same opponent at the same time - both of which would be far inferior to the current system.