Shattered Kingdoms

Read the latest Code Update announcement here.

Some new help files from the game:

Looks like a nice feature add. I like the increase to immersion that the alerts represent. It always seemed kind of weird that in a world with ubiquitous telepathy that characters didn't have updates from various things when not actively online. This is a cool bridge.

EDIT: In regards to the summon for remote party invites, how is the cost calculated and does it require carried coin to pay for? What sort of upward limit can be expected?

The party code update is, on paper, a neat idea. I think it would've had a lot more "oomph" if the 'summon' effect was a straight up transport, and not an actual coded summon spell that won't allow you to join a party in a warded area.

That desired effect there would probably have been better achieved by adding 'gate merchants' to the major cities or something of the sort.

The summon effect just doesn't seem to do much of anything, and has such fringe application that I don't expect it to see much use, ever. Almost any area worth visiting as a GM is gate/summon proof, and even if they weren't, it's not like you're going to get a lot of adventuring done without a priest.

A straight up 'transport' regardless of where the party you're joining is, IMO, has the potential to open tons of doors. It'd be like joining an MMO raid/instance already in progress, which on SK is currently pretty much impossible unless you are a gnome sorceror. And having it limited to that one specific combo, and even one specific character, is probably not ideal for something that should be a game-wide feature and not a "leet scripted item hax".

Tweaking the party join/transport option to the point where it would actually let people join adventures to the fun and challenging areas of the game seems like something that would honestly add a lot more fun to the game. You wouldn't have to be logged on for 7 hours straight if you wanted to do the IC/Nightmare Temple/etc, you could join a group who was already there and help them finish it.

As it stands though, and I'm going to repeat myself as I feel it's worth the time, the "summon" aspect of this has the potential to be amazing and really drastically improve one aspect of the game for /everyone/, but winds up being something that will almost never get used and honestly doesn't have much reason to be used.

I think this is at least a point worth discussing. While the astral guide looks like it is casting summon, it's actually already a modified version of that spell. It brings your pets. You don't get a saving throw (since you already accepted anyway).

So if only the guild was offering to transport you, it could be made to work. But at the moment, they specifically don't offer if you are in a no magical transport location. There is an argument that allowing this would make it too easy to overcome obstacles that were specifically designed into the area to make it a challenge.

Maybe add rallying points in areas that let you do it, but not go around key obstacles.

Yes, it can be frustrating when you've been left behind or missed out on a chance to go on these trips because either you didn't know what was going on or weren't on at the time that the party has set out. But there are also several items that already allow you to cut the times on some of the end game trips literally in half.

Some of these trips are substantially less harder than they used to be, granted it depends on knowledge and experience of the areas. Making points that allow members to join a group that is already within an end game area would be nice, but at the same time, the loot/rp that comes with the longer trips is normally almost always worth the effort.

Thank you for the update D, recommend updating the MOTD.

motd
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Welcome to Shattered Kingdoms %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
% Shattered Kingdoms is a MUD where role-playing is emphasized. %
% Player-killing is allowed based on roleplay. %
% %
% All players are required to read and understand HELP RULES and %
% all entries listed under 'See Also' at the bottom of them. %
% %
% New players should start by reading the HELP NEWBIE entry %
% There are also helpful HINTS in the Adveturer Academy. %
% %
% The Shattered Kingdoms website has all our help files online plus %
% forums you can join: http://www.shatteredkingdoms.org %
% To update your forum membership access, read HELP FORUMID %
% %
% Latest Code Update: 17 Sep 12016. Notes can be found here: %
% viewtopic.php?f=1&t=26140 %
% %
% Characters inactive for 30 days or more are deleted without notice. %
% Please note this game may contain content unsuitable for children. %
%%%%%%%%%%%%% Message of the Day (MOTD) updated: 17 Sep 2016 %%%%%%%%%%%

Done. Thanks for the reminder.

Seems ironic that you'd put these alarms in when people have literally been punished in the past for alerting people to game activity, encouraging them to log on and participate, and then they get punished for playing g the game over YIM.

Where is this "See also: email IC advertise mentor note rules2" ? If we receive a mentor email, can we contact the character ICLY even if we have yet to meet them?

Thanks.