Shattered Kingdoms

I'm not a huge fan of low numbers. It'd be great to have more. Just giving my opinion that I don't think it's truly a very big deal or driver of player count.

If I'm wrong and this is something that's either significantly depressing return-rate for experienced players, or actively driving away newbies, then I'm definitely for free/easy res for all.

I like rez RP so the best solution is to just get 30+ players again. Someone get on that, please.
SK has finally gotten to the point where the clique problem it's always had is now a serious downside to playing. You're either in their group already or you don't get to do anything. It's pretty depressing since SK is the only text mud I've had fun roleplaying on to come back and see it in such a bad state knowing I can't really do anything about it.

I can retool you I don't mind getting killed, I can see getting looted, my deterrent is losing xp coming back to life. Without priests that had to happen for me to play, which means added leveling time plus equip time.

I've been out of the YIM game for almost 3 years, I think, so I'm not sure who the ooc cliques are right now... but I'm not convinced they are the problem here.

It's more that people who don't plan their characters with others also don't always plan a character that works well with others, for whatever (fine) reasons of their own. I'm talking about scouts, MR barbs, warlocks, swashbucklers... all fine classes so long as they've a good core group to get stuff done with, but poor choices for people without friends they can rely on. It only really takes 3 people to start a group --- a tank, a healer, and a sorcerer --- but for whatever reason (despite >3 non-clique players being very easy to find) those archetypes rarely pop up aligned.

If I was going to make a character to play with an already strong group, I might make a bard. I've always wanted to mess around on one. But if I'm just trying to get back into the game, or want to play in a faction that's not got very many people, I'm definitely going sorc/priest/merc/barb.

I think that the low player counts and death is an issue that could be addressed.

First, take away any exp loss from the other forms of gaining life. (Excluding death quests)
The more people that can bring you back to life, the better. Since not everyone plays a priest, I think that raise and the other forms should be utilized just as much. Shouldn't be a negative thing, asking to be raised.

Second, we should lower the amount of exp lost by doing death quests.
One full tick would be do-able. As it works right now, the exp loss increases each time you death quest back to life. Right? Does it have a max?

This entire thing probably isn't too high priority. But it could maybe use some slight tweaking.

Death quest maxes out at a third level if I remember correctly.

I think this should be a one tick standard no matter what level and death quest fatigue should doubled. An increase to carrying capacity should be applied as well, to make up for the lack of strength. It would allow someone to get their belongings but their character would be nearly useless in pvp due to double fatigue.

I like Trosis' idea of reducing xp penalty but upping spirit disorientation as death-quest use increases.

Based on the data, a significant proportion of character deletions are from automation. I don't see how a system that would inadvertently increase temptations to automate characters would necessarily be the most prudent decision from the operational perspective of retaining long-played characters.

If anything, I think I would support a solution that involved a version of the recall command that could be used anywhere, any time, even while prone, at the cost of a relatively short-term but absolutely crippling debuff akin to what shamans get when casting voodoo. Using it in PVP would invite your demise, but in all other scenarios would otherwise be a period of recuperation and formulation of new tactics. This way, one would still have to think while playing.

Wat lol. Recall while prone?