Lusternia Year in Review: 2014

135

Comments

  • EnyalidaEnyalida Nasty Woman, Sockpuppeteer to the Gods
    Oi, racetrack...
  • edited February 2015
    What was it about aethergoop that was so attractive? The chance for a fancy new description for your already-owned artifact? The chance to convert your artifact into an org-themed one? The chance to convert the artifact into a whole new item (pyramid -> booklet, gem of cloaking -> necklace)? Or one of the other benefits that were there such as being able to get an artifact on top/inclusive of a credit purchase?
  • LavinyaLavinya Queen of Snark Australia
    Personally I loved that we could reskin our existing artifacts, or buy artifacts that were different to the traditional. It was like a custom arti for the lazy or uncreative! I would love to see more existing artifacts be goopified.



  • Drocilla said:

    What was it about aethergoop that was so attractive? The chance for a fancy new description for your already-owned artifact? The chance to convert your artifact into an org-themed one? The chance to convert the artifact into a whole new item (pyramid -> booklet, gem of cloaking -> necklace)? Or one of the other benefits that were there such as being able to get an artifact on top/inclusive of a credit purchase?

    While not the person you asked...the whole noun changing part is nice. Also the ones that changed the usage lines (like the noses' 3p scent lines). I would really love if normal customization allowed more freedom in changing the base noun along with changing the usage line (even if it was for an extra credit cost)
  • LavinyaLavinya Queen of Snark Australia
    I really really wanted to change the attack line for my customised divinus whip but was told no. :( (scary Morgfyrian whip that sings holy praises, ugh)



  • The question's definitely for everybody! Aethergoop's perks are plentiful so it's hard to narrow down what was most desirable without a larger audience chiming in. Echoing that new nose lines are pretty cool and rid the world of fancy noblewomen with pig snouts.
  • PortiusPortius Likes big books, cannot lie
    Lavinya said:

    I really really wanted to change the attack line for my customised divinus whip but was told no. :( (scary Morgfyrian whip that sings holy praises, ugh)

    My bees also sing these praises. I feel your pain.  I would pay so many credits to change the attack line, funny as I find it the way it is.
    Any sufficiently advanced pun is indistinguishable from comedy.
  • Drocilla said:

    The question's definitely for everybody! Aethergoop's perks are plentiful so it's hard to narrow down what was most desirable without a larger audience chiming in. Echoing that new nose lines are pretty cool and rid the world of fancy noblewomen with pig snouts.

    I suspect your lack of comment on it means it is probably more of an @Estarra decision. But what would it take for us to get that freedom to customize usage lines and the base noun under normal customization?
  • Will definitely need @Estarra to chime in on that, it's above my paygrade.
  • EnyalidaEnyalida Nasty Woman, Sockpuppeteer to the Gods
    It wasn't that last thing. I, for one, look at promotional items as the thing you're paying for, with a side effect of getting some credits too. 

    I liked the org-based and alternate artifacts, though on a few of them I object to the choice of artifact for a particular skin (the books should have been magical maps /shakefist). It helps that:

    1. Not curios
    2. Useful in small amounts, for people who already have artifacts, possibly ones they buy with said credits... unlike curios.
    3. Didn't really add in any new powers/feature creep, unlike curios.
  • The major draw of goop for me was the censers. That's a one-off thing, though, specifically for how org-special they are and how rare they were to get.

    Otherwise, the re-skinning of the goop is a very nice touch, but not something I would necessarily pay cash for, but definitely something I would grind for (if I could grind for it). Things like org-themed tinderboxes are nice, because those are items that even the most affluent of spenders will be reluctant to pay 50cr to customize, but since they come cheaper in the form of goop (less goop needed than credits needed) it becomes something many people would jump at.

    Usage line changes, which are out of the question even for 50cr customizations, are also a major draw (from my point of view).

    Basically, the chance to get something you can use to customize your character in all the small ways to fit the org (or my own vision of how my character should look) even more is a very big draw for me. It's not unique, since everyone has access to it, but it's at least closer to my mental image of my character than the vanilla, standard items. Things which have little or no combat application, but which progresses my character building (via image) is always going to get an audience.

  • XenthosXenthos Shadow Lord
    Personally, I adore the reskins.  There are very few artifacts that I need, and pretty much everything put up for reskinning I already had, so it gave me a chance to spend a bit of goop to have much less generic / much more awesome items.  The arachnidine mask is far more suiting to my character than the stock mask of esteemed beauty.
    image
  • ShaddusShaddus , the Leper Messiah Outside your window.
    Kelly said:

    Drocilla said:

    You guys became really fixated on this 6th archetype, huh!


    What about everything else Estarra mentions in the review? Which areas/pockets did you love? What storylines did you enjoy? Which magic tricks of @Ieptix's did you enjoy the most? What do you want to see more of?
    Still waiting for your godrealm. :)

    Edit: also Yomo's...
    Hey, we're waiting for Terentia to re-open her godrealm and that cult she stole from you ;)
    Everiine said: The reason population is low isn't because there are too many orgs. It's because so many facets of the game are outright broken and protected by those who benefit from it being that way. An overabundance of gimmicks (including game-breaking ones), artifacts that destroy any concept of balance, blatant pay-to-win features, and an obsession with convenience that makes few things actually worthwhile all contribute to the game's sad decline.
  • ShaddusShaddus , the Leper Messiah Outside your window.
    Drocilla said:

    :-?

    It would be cruel to play with @Neos' and Celest's heart by pretending to be Cara again, right?
    If you have a paypal, we can work something out.

    More Neos Heartbreak = More money. Fund your trips via trolling!

    Everiine said: The reason population is low isn't because there are too many orgs. It's because so many facets of the game are outright broken and protected by those who benefit from it being that way. An overabundance of gimmicks (including game-breaking ones), artifacts that destroy any concept of balance, blatant pay-to-win features, and an obsession with convenience that makes few things actually worthwhile all contribute to the game's sad decline.
  • EveriineEveriine Wise Old Swordsbird / Brontaur Indianapolis, IN, USA
    Love how the attention quickly becaome "So, tell us more about all the cool things you can pay money for and why you liked them so we can create more things for you to buy!"

    Personally, I didn't get into any of the promotions. All of them were blatant money grabs, pushing us to buy more and more things. Not engaging at all to me. Not even interesting.
    Everiine is a man, and is very manly. This MAN before you is so manly you might as well just gender bend right now, cause he's the manliest man that you ever did see. His manly shape has spurned many women and girlyer men to boughs of fainting. He stands before you in a manly manerific typical man-like outfit which is covered in his manly motto: "I am a man!"

    Daraius said: You gotta risk it for the biscuit.

    Pony power all the way, yo. The more Brontaurs the better.
  • While I can see why you would think that Everiine, that is not a fair assumption. As someone who was involved in most of the aethergoop re/design, I'm curious which ideas people found enjoyable as we certainly released a bunch of designs/ideas there. I'm still surprised aethergoop was as popular as it seems to have been but I'm starting to understand why. Also, with as many complaints as there are about various promotions, this is the time to rave about the best ones so you can see more of that and less of what you did not enjoy. 

    I'm still waiting for answers to my previous questions about features/areas/plots/interactions. This is the stuff we non-coding, non-payroll admin live for.


  • PortiusPortius Likes big books, cannot lie
    Quettle interactions are the best interactions I've had. I don't know if its you or someone else who animates him, but he's not just good because he's a good conversationalist (although he is) or because I'm a lobo fanboy (I'm really not.)

    It's great because it ties into things that I, as a player, have done. It's not just some big event that's happening around me. And it's not just idle conversation at a tea party, either. It gives me some concrete things to work with for other books. Also good because it doesn't have any ties to actual god things. It's nice to have denizen interaction that isn't tied to an order priest denizen or some such creature.


    Any sufficiently advanced pun is indistinguishable from comedy.
  • LavinyaLavinya Queen of Snark Australia
    I always seem to miss events, big or small, probably due to my timezone, so it's hard to judge on which ones I enjoyed best. It's really not the same reading a news post about it later (though they are fantastic for keeping us informed!), I end up feeling disconnected and that it didn't relate to me, so I don't take as much interest in it.

    I really enjoyed the cogs in the smog, especially when they were interacting...and then set up a base, put up signs everywhere, and so forth. They were loads of fun. I'm not as impressed with how they've stuck around because it's actually quite time consuming and annoying to hunt them all down and give them soup, though the idea is great.

    I am a big fan of random interactions with NPCs. Some of my favourite moments in Lusternia have been when a mob has randomly started talking back to me. Once ages ago there was a hunting party of a few of us in icewynd, and Leolamins' hound started bemoaning his neglect. It was random and highly entertaining for all concerned. So times like when Ardrak was 'defending' citizens from the worms, the cogs trying to steal the necklace from my manse dweller, that sort of thing. Awesome!

    I totally agree with the others who say the little things that help with character development and plot are awesome. When I was given my manse dweller, I had a whole long time of interaction with her relatives, as well as having her baptised into Morgfyre's DisOrder...it totally went the extra mile but it made the purchase so much more meaningful. I play Lusternia predominantly for the story - for -my- story. Big events are a bonus, but I cherish most and look forward to most the little interactions that are personal, few and far between as they may be.



  • TarkentonTarkenton Traitor Bear
    I don't enjoy large events at all. Period dot. To the point where I tend to log out instead of getting involved in them. Mostly, I think it's the giant mobs of people all up in the behind the scenes admins grill. I dunno, they just don't do anything for me.

    The smaller interactions I've seen, and the one or two I've gotten to be present for were nice, mostly because it tended to be just a few people around. Adasser and Abeytu, when Adasser was first named, was one of my favorite moments recently.
    image
  • ShaddusShaddus , the Leper Messiah Outside your window.
    Thing I really enjoyed: the goop. Those nondecay, reskinned tinderboxes were genius, and if you could buy them with credits cheaply I'd likely buy them for promising novices. The noses were fantastic and many of the other items have been fun just to look at.

    Things I didn't care for: So many new curios. I like shinies, but these were originally put out as special, rare pieces from the past that you couldn't get anywhere else. Then suddenly, everyone and their uncle gave curio piece rewards. Don't even get me started on the Bubble curios, though the hair and beard curios were pretty cool.

    Things that were meh: elf on a shelf for Gaudiguch. The wreath itself was frigging awesome: the quest didn't make much sense and the drunks weren't as interactive with us as these cogs in the smog apparently were.

    Things which really excited me: the new gods all at once. Granted, some aren't as visible as others, but I squealed irl when Crumkane showed up, and again when Drocilla was revealed.
    Everiine said: The reason population is low isn't because there are too many orgs. It's because so many facets of the game are outright broken and protected by those who benefit from it being that way. An overabundance of gimmicks (including game-breaking ones), artifacts that destroy any concept of balance, blatant pay-to-win features, and an obsession with convenience that makes few things actually worthwhile all contribute to the game's sad decline.
  • edited February 2015
    Thank you for Vrigrok he's cool.

    Also, half of what the Cogs did were my idea that I actually got to see *happen*, from *my* RP interactions with them (EG TELLING THEM THE FEYRANTI MANOR WAS EMPTY BECAUSE NO FEYRANTI.)


    That was really cool to see something I said to them actually affect something in game.


    ALSO @KALNID'S MUSHROOMS ACTUALLY GROWING IN PLACES NOW
  • Drocilla said:

    While I can see why you would think that Everiine, that is not a fair assumption. As someone who was involved in most of the aethergoop re/design, I'm curious which ideas people found enjoyable as we certainly released a bunch of designs/ideas there. I'm still surprised aethergoop was as popular as it seems to have been but I'm starting to understand why. Also, with as many complaints as there are about various promotions, this is the time to rave about the best ones so you can see more of that and less of what you did not enjoy. 


    I'm still waiting for answers to my previous questions about features/areas/plots/interactions. This is the stuff we non-coding, non-payroll admin live for.



    While, I haven't seen much of the more recent areas, I guess one thing I'd love to see is fleshing out the older ones?

    I very much understand the pain of trying to go through code that was potentially written by someone that left the game years ago. But at the same time, I'm really a fan of interactive areas?

    Like, I would love a quest involving both the tribes from Verasavir and Snow Valley. It would be really interesting to me to see the various groups of denizens built up into their own little factions, with more small areas and little pockets that evolve the stories already in the world.
  • QistrelQistrel the hemisemidemifink
    I like aethergoop's flexibility. You can get the whole thing, or if you already have it, you can change it.

  • NeosNeos The Subtle Griefer
    Drocilla said:

    I'm still waiting for answers to my previous questions about features/areas/plots/interactions. This is the stuff we non-coding, non-payroll admin live for.

    I just really want some more Aqua lore and stuff that I've been trying to get for about 2 or 3 years now, before Eventru left.
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    Celina said:
    You can't really same the same, can you?
    Zvoltz said:
    "The Panthron"
  • @Neos bug your guild patron! Lots of awesome guild lore is born that way or start something up yourself and often it gets picked up if it makes sense.

    Could you and others please elaborate this in more detail though? What guild lore additions do you guys enjoy the most? Is it when npcs elaborate on some things re: lore, or perhaps when guild-related books are "found", or through an event, an expansion? Keep in mind pretty much all of this is handled through a guild patron so if you're not seeing the magic happen, go nag your patron with suggestions (patiently, politely, and with candy)!

    @Saran what you are describing could have three iterations so lets hear exactly what you guys have in mind. 

    1) Old areas could have makeovers that make their quests/mechanics more up to date (mob-dialogue, quest system, clearer steps, less prone to being stuck through one mistake) with elaborated dialogue/refreshed lines.

    2) Something new added to the area, we call this a pocket. It usually ties into the area smoothly, expanding its story, or offers a whole new take on it. See Clarramore's and Presidio's pockets.

    3) Entirely new quests that tie two previously unconnected areas together - said interactivity - with expanded lore for both.








  • Neos would be thrilled to be able to bother the guild patron. Particularly since it's Carakhan.
    I'm Lucidian. If I don't get pedantic every so often, I might explode.
  • You guys know how this goes. I know you don't particularly enjoy it but if your patron has been unavailable or unable to assist you for a long time, it might be time to consider a new one. 
  • Drocilla said:

    @Neos bug your guild patron! Lots of awesome guild lore is born that way or start something up yourself and often it gets picked up if it makes sense.


    Could you and others please elaborate this in more detail though? What guild lore additions do you guys enjoy the most? Is it when npcs elaborate on some things re: lore, or perhaps when guild-related books are "found", or through an event, an expansion? Keep in mind pretty much all of this is handled through a guild patron so if you're not seeing the magic happen, go nag your patron with suggestions (patiently, politely, and with candy)!

    @Saran what you are describing could have three iterations so lets hear exactly what you guys have in mind. 

    1) Old areas could have makeovers that make their quests/mechanics more up to date (mob-dialogue, quest system, clearer steps, less prone to being stuck through one mistake) with elaborated dialogue/refreshed lines.

    2) Something new added to the area, we call this a pocket. It usually ties into the area smoothly, expanding its story, or offers a whole new take on it. See Clarramore's and Presidio's pockets.

    3) Entirely new quests that tie two previously unconnected areas together - said interactivity - with expanded lore for both.








    I am a fan of all three actually, I haven't come across 1 much personally but I know that some people would like that from forum comments and 2 seems like the sort of thing that ephemerals would be doing.

    So I guess 3 is the one I am primarily thinking of, though I feel like 2 is related?
  • Dibs for Ieptix as SD patron.
    image
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