Shattered Kingdoms

As you can probably see by my forum join date, I've been playing the game for a while. I've GMed characters and lead (dead) factions, but I am definitely a permanewb when it comes to mechanics. I tend to keep my interactions IC and when I finish with a character it's usually due to boredom and I give up and check back in 6 months or a year.

I am upset right now as a non-player that things that policies that I have been arguing against since I started playing the game are still in full force and continuing to hurt the game. Specifically, the rule that you can't share "OOC" info. The divide between "vets" and everyone else seems to grow continually, as is completely predictable from the way the system is set up. Imagine how great the divide would be between "veteran" League of Legends players and everyone else if no guides were allowed to be posted, no replays could be watched and no twitch streaming was allowed?

Who benefits by keeping information about enemy cabal spells a secret unless you make a character and join the faction? Veterans.
Who benefits by keeping information about where to actually find good items secret unless you make a sorceror and fly around collecting it? Veterans.
Who benefits by keeping information about what quests are required to access areas with NPCs to level efficiently a secret? Veterans.

How can we continue to expect that saddling these knowledgeable and skilled players with additional "rules" will correct this problem? If I come into conflict with a veteran, you can guarantee 100% that my character will lose and I will probably be frustrated as a player because I see there is no way for me to win. Maybe I will rage quit. That isn't a player's fault -- it's clearly a design flaw in the policy surrounding an otherwise great game.

Right now I am afraid to start playing again because I haven't played in a year and it looks like the 2-3 spots where I know I used to be able to go to get decent armor or weapons is nerfed because you want good items to only be found in places where only veterans can access....... It makes no sense.

I'm also worried that posting this is a bannable offense. Look at my post history before banning me though, I feel like I am quite reasonable, but I am genuinely upset.

Hey Drifter! I hope you enjoy the next char you roll if you do. And no, I don't think this is anywhere near bannable.

I have a couple of observations that I've picked up on my recent forays back into the world of SK that might be encouraging to you.

One: While there is a ban on sharing information OOCly, there's absolutely no ban at all on sharing information ICly. In fact, the adventurer's guild in Teron has become a place for players to submit their IC descriptions of high-level areas including the loot that's contained therein: It's not extensive, but there are some "elite" things which are described which used to be kept under wraps, in a sense. In addition, I've found that if I simply ask people on the who list who's titles make them sound influential, I often find that players are more than willing to give advice as to where to find good armor and weaponry, including even some of the most elite gear out there.

Secondly, as it concerns gathering and obtaining gear: The enchant changes have made it so that things which used to be total garbage for armor are actually now surprisingly good, and that even the junkiest junk can be made serviceable with the help of a priest or sorcerer. In addition, skinning is now finally back in style because skins can have innate saves on them now, so if you can make friends with a scout, you can actually provide your own armor if you play a light-armored class. In addition, there are pieces of easily accessible heavy armor that weren't ever even on my radar in the past that, due to reworked innates, are now nice to have even as a grandmaster, and I found out about them by simply asking other people for help.

I understand this fear, because I had the same fear myself not long ago, but if you play and spend time asking around, or just notice other people's armor/jewelry and ask where they got it, you'll probably be able to rustle up some very useful gear without a lot of hassle.

Official file sharing/wiki is in place I think. It was one of the highest voted of 'ways to attract and excite new players' but I forget the link. Edoras might be able to guide you to it.

Hope you enjoy your sk experience and have fun!

I searched this forum for "wiki" and found one of my own posts quoted by Dulrik from a few years ago. I completely forgot about that poll. Maybe the thing in Teron is the IC wiki? I just think this new effort to enforce the "rules" of player conduct is another example of why this should have been implemented years ago. The information divide is just too huge to fix with policy enforcement and is a detriment to the game.

Edoras is correct, and anyone is welcome to make submissions for the Adventurer's Guild library. Maps, equipment catalogues, monster catalogues, adventuring tips, enchanting/consecration notes, "walkthroughs," and anything else that can be produced in an IC format are fine.

You are right. There exist few veterans playing and even fewer willing to share information. Personal discovery is the vision of the game, but I think if you are looking for detailed information, perhaps the staff is in a unique position to offer much more broader, in-depth information due to the tools at their disposal. Info sharing along with quest transparency were two of the highest voted suggestions for exciting/keeping/attracting new players and I feel that if the staff would help on that front, we can expect better retention of new players while making them competitive.

I think the real issue here is that games have changed since SK emerged from the ether. I think back to when I was in high school playing SK RPGs and especially muds were brutal grinds. Nowadays gaming has evolved into a much more casual, fun, happy go lucky, hand held experience.

I have taken many LONG breaks from the game and honestly it's in the best shape I've ever seen it. Give it a try, the barrier of entry as of late is much lower than it has been, but it's still a hardcore gaming experience compared to other games of today AND I have to say I've found the current player base much more helpful than in the past.