Shattered Kingdoms

But you always had to rely to another PC to get to the old elite plvling areas. Be it wastelands, or old N'Kashya or anything.

The only difference now is that even solo you can easily and fast get 5 levels today at master+ range, something you couldn't do back then.

We just differ on how those ideas affect leveling. In my opinion familiarity is a chance to get bonus experience. I don't think the range of NPCs is as limited as you make it out to be. If you would like, I'll add any number of NPCs you want to describe to areas to make more variety. Just drop me an email and we'll discuss it.

I have never leveled with any character in a city where I could be outlawed. I don't even know where the hell that comment came from. I said some of the areas on the area command can get you outlawed which is fact, not fiction like in your example.

That simply isn't true. Just before familiarity was introduced and XP was wimped in certain area such as the Chancel I actually managed (first the first time ever) to reach almost Grandmaster, I think it was Champion +2 or +3.
The problem today is also to get to the good areas without someone that already knows them as it is VERY hard to figure out how to get the keys and do things in a certain combination. Actually I doubt that anyone has figured the things out for themselves but that is another matter .



Well, since familiarity restricts leveling in an area to around five levels where you before could get perhaps 8-9 levels I think of it as a restriction. But ofcourse if you can get a team mate that restriction is lifted and there isn't a problem anymore. I am just having problems finding team mates during my play hours and I have never managed to figure out how reach ToM, wastelands etc unless a player which already had the knowledge guided the way.

I suck at describing NPCs but if I get some ideas of what to in an area I'll mail you, perhaps someone else would be good at describing them then

fridgeraider,

That example IS a starting city.

Cities generally have NPCs from low levels to high levels, but they are not meant to be levelling areas. Some people use some NPCs(priests, shopkeepers etc) to level up, you still that area is not designed to be a levelling area, so you can have expectations on a more limited level range.

And whocarez52, you didn't see the golden age of SK that Sklz remembers. Back then there was no chancel, no Garazul, not many of the elite levelling areas of today. The levelling guide was simple. Newbie area, Teron's goblins, Morea up to mentor/master, ToM/wastelands up to GM.

The era that you remember whocarez52 was a time when people were hitting GM in 15-20 hours and they would change their char once every 2 weeks. And it still was mindless boring grinding anyway, but it was limited mindless boring grinding in one area only. At least now you can grind, but you get to see other places of the game too.

I forgot krychire isn't the starting city anymore so here's another example of an area I know isn't a city.



Yes I know it moves, but the level range shouldn't change.

We have enough 4 day champions in the game. Imo. a player should play some of the background he/she has thought for his character before he hits gm. I don't really like characters who are +2 years old in game, gm and ask me to induct them. I mean, you are a grand master of my country. My character should have heard at least the name of the gm once or twice somewhere.

There is also a group of "players" that even if the gming required 10 minutes, they would complain to Dulrik to make it 5.

QFT

Two points about this whole thing.

One. The game doesn't have 50 people on a regular basis anymore, let alone 90. Also, the vast majority of the 20 people that are on most of the time are already established characters. That whole "reset the area" nonsense only works if you're twinking it, or happen to get really damned lucky. There just aren't enough new players to think resetting familiarity while in a group with them is anything but a rare bonus.

Two. I haven't heard a counter to the main force behind this change. It hurts no one, and helps everyone. The only thing DA hitting GM in 25 hours instead of 50 actually hurts it that it means he'll probably be around the game longer. Also, since some people are proclaiming the evils of double xp, then where is the outrage about bonanza.

If it's not game-breaking, and infact seen as enough of a benefit to entice people to play more, then why not just have it all the time?

Didn't you hear that Sklz?

Or the fact that people will spam create/delete chars every two weeks? As it was happening about 3 years ago, when you could hit GM in 15-20 hours.