Fix Old Stones

[gab1]

It's not so much the darkness that's the problem as all the little things that seem to lay in some of those hallways and you keep running into despite heading the correct way, etc..

I rather like the darkness myself, I don't like the random things you keep running into. What might help isn't so much removing the darkness, but instead lifting the darkness at corners and doorways so you can maneuver at those places which are the most difficult. If you could see at these points then maneuvering wouldn't be as much as a chore as it often is.

Addition: As for the other effects, using a *spoiler* wards them off but the tremors that cause you to lose your *spoiler* tend to come too frequently to make then useful for anything other than quickly moving through. Therefore, make the tremors much less frequent and people will have a more sure means to ward off the curse and roleplay inside the darker areas of the Old Stones.

Now this doesn't help those PCs who wouldn't use a torch, admittedly, but maybe for those who earn it something could be created so that those PCs become effectively immune? For instance, the rogue perk "Shadow" could potentially make PCs immune.

Didn't read this, heh. OOC i assumed it was either torch or anything with "normal" light, as opposed to simply the torch which produces normal light. I wonder if ultravision works for this, clairaudience etc. It would be neat if it worked beyond the simple torch but due to scripting i am in doubt. Would appreciate a DM's opinion on this specific issue.

[Decimate_The_Weak]

I really just meant that I do not like the PITCH BLACK where you can't see your PC or anything at all, the darkness that your torch doesn't fix.

[LastTyrant]

I just hate the damned cursed effects, the darkness is no problem for me, but then again, I am one of those people who spent enough time in the Stones to know the layout.

[Canzah]

The darkness effect itself is awesome, I will make my opinion on that clear.

As for the association ideas- Bring on the Old Stones gangs!

[Zoe]

I think the darkness is cool in theory...and maybe I'm just being a whiny baby here but weird as this may sound to some the main reason I never really got hooked on original EfU was because of how literally dark it was. For me personally it disrupted the balance of what is fun/immersive vs what's just too OOCly annoying...maybe because I actually get headaches staring at a dark screen, I don't know. With Old Stones even cranking gamma up doesn't help and honestly there have been a few times I've thought about making a criminal element Old Stones concept but each time my conclusion is "meh, don't want to deal with Old Stones darkness".

Just my 0.02

[Incorrigible]

I'm in the same boat as Zoe on this one. Unless you're in Grosse's the only thing you can see is the minimap and it's just.... a lot of strain that is easier to avoid. Not really opposed to any of the curse things, they're pretty cool, but my eyes are bad enough already y'know. Normal night darkness is enough that I hardly see more than arms reach in front of my character.

[Jagged]

Aye, it's basically impossible to navigate in Old Stones currently without the help of OOC tools such as minimaps and tabbing. If the rule is WYSIWYG, then neither people nor NPCs should be able to identify who is walking down those corridors, which isn't really how it gets played out as. I too find the confusion effects and no-save fear effects to be really annoying in an OOC sense.

[Pandip]

The changes to Old Stones are pretty cool the first time you experience them. I remember accidentally finding my way into Old Stones as Claxton after Khavenko had been set up in the place. I didn't have OOC knowledge of any of the ways into Old Stones and I was following someone under invisibility for other IC purposes. Getting stuck in Old Stones was probably one of the most suspenseful and nerve wracking situations I've ever been in, with or without other players or DM's.

It's lost a lot of its luster, though, and it keeps losing my interest with each subsequent visit. Once you overcome the initial shock of the place, it becomes more of a nuisance then a source of anxiety. There's a set of bookcases that makes it frustratingly difficult to navigate onto one of the top floors because the minimap doesn't afford much of a solution to get out of the  little nook that the book cases create. The darkness just seems really unnecessary at this point and a bit gimmicky, especially with the other curse additions.

[Adhesive]

I wouldn't mind the darkness so much if torches weren't so shortlived. It's a bit of a drain on the already slim resources for Old Stones PCs, especially exiled ones.

[Voracity]

Excellent !

I can foresee a renewal of the activity in old stones as a result of these change.

[Ryan]

And the most debilitating effects of the curse system have also been turned off.

I hope you guys are keeping the whole "you wake up somewhere else covered in slime" thing, cause that's led to a few cool situations for me, at least!  Namely having to rescue someone who'd woken up within a locked cell - it's sinister little touches like that that make Old Stones intriguing.

[granny]

WHAT? I am out for a few weeks and you guys turn off the coolessness of the place? -.-

it's not pitch black to me... you need to learn how to adjust your graphics.
and I RPed for hours as Miss Biterips at the place with all the effects taking place, WITHOUT A TORCH. you just need to learn how to live with them. ok, being exiled and needing to buy torches had made me the poorest PC in all realms, having to hear a beggar laughing at me about it... even so, I see no reason to change it. I am going to read the previous messages and try to gather some sense then.

[granny]

- Add "Maddened Thugs" that are low level NPCs that spawn like enemies crazed from the curse if you want a more hostile atmosphere. There are 0 NPCs on the top floor so a band of crazed marauders could roam and spawn there without causing faction conflicts.

I'd love to see some vermins spawning from the room with the corpses too ^^

aaand... about Sanitorium, it's something that PCs can organize to get it cleansed. if it's something the DMs approve, then it's just a matter to make it easier.

yes, I finished reading things. I am not sure it's due to the current scripting of the curse that people are avoiding, but due to the lack of knowledge of its ways, maybe.

I think myself that the biggest issue of Old Stones is the lack of payable quests. there is one with a BIG coin reward, but it's the one that needs the best and most equiped party to handle. as Biterips I have been having troubles into keeping my coins on hand as I spend a lot of them with sendings and torches, not having many ways to get more as she's no merchant and usually has issues into keeping a group around her for many reasons that don't matter here.

[Adhesive]

Rather than removing the effects entirely, what about giving residents bonuses against the grue and darkness? Something like, the more resets you have your spawn point there, the more resistant you are to the mind-effecting effects of the curse?

Perhaps for different classes, giving them unique bonuses when they adventure there: bonuses to Hide/MS for Rogues, + neg energy damage for Fighters, a bonus spell of Ultravision or Darkness for arcanists, bonus spell of Inflict Wounds for Clerics. Things of that nature, little flavorful additions for long-time residents of the Stones.

[granny]

damn, I love that idea! no need to nerf, let's improve!

give me perma ghost visage, ouais?