Heroica RPG General Discussion

[Jebediahs]

Nur is awesome. I like how he does his own thing without much regard to other PCs, but still leaves an impression. He's always reminded me of this guy.

Hah Master Roshi! I Lol'd. Nur should be more like that character... *scribble*scribble*

[UsernameMDM]

Current Sign Ups for Quest 103: Alfendi Lupine Strikes Again!

Sign Ups Extended to July 12th!

[swils]

Been that way for a week now

Sign Ups Extended to July 12th!

[Khorne]

I think Eric's my favourite character on #100. He seems like a bad guy, but he's really just from a really different culture. I love especially this bit:

Plus he's got such a wonderful name.

Eric is another breath of fresh air, and so is Althior. Lots of morally questionable characters... to a REAL degree. I'd say 100 is the most unique party so far, probably, which is awesome except that it makes it hard for them to get anything done.

Thanks guys! I'm glad you like him . Eric is kind of a mean guy, but essentially he has got a real joie de vivre, he likes doing the stuff he wants to do and just making most of life. It's just that the stuff he likes kind of deviates from what is considered "normal", because as you've already said, he has a very different view on things, since he's from a different culture and has a different background than most. Also, the fact he likes to belittle people and that arrogance is in his nature makes him look bad, as well . But thank you for liking him, anyway :happy: .

It's probably fun to watch, but as party leader it can get to be a little frustrating. From my experience, PL usually gets the final say after all the discussion (and all of my party's have generally gotten along ), but when nobody is agreeing with each other and taking their own actions without discussing it first (such as Throlar calling for the guards and ratting out the rest of the party), it can be very chaotic and stressful. All of the clashing RP is wonderful and fun, but trying to manage it all and keeping everyone in line so we can get the job done and get on Endgame's finale is very hard to do. I have no idea how Sandy manages it all.

I like roleplaying Eric's stubborn nature and natural distrust of all things non-Nordic, but in the end I always do try to follow your lead, as I can very well imagine it to be kind of difficult for you if everyone is just running around and doing their own thing. I want to keep it fun for all. That's the most important bit, after all. Like when Lord Duvors said that he slapped Sarge and Eric in the face, I would've wanted to write a reply counteracting that with more violence, but that would've led us nowhere, so I just kind of ignored it (also a dwarf can't hit other people in the face, unless they're crouching, so it wasn't realistic to begin with) .

Nur is awesome. I like how he does his own thing without much regard to other PCs, but still leaves an impression. He's always reminded me of this guy.

Hahah! Now that you mention it, that search of the barkeeper does have a Master Roshi feel about it! I also like how Nur just cares very little about the petty squabbles of the party and just focuses on his goal: world domination and getting all the ladies through superior magical skills and

/knowledge .

Sarge is now going to KOoS. That's that.

What's KOoS?

[Cutcobra]

(also a dwarf can't hit other people in the face, unless they're crouching, so it wasn't realistic to begin with) .

Maybe he jumped.

Edited July 3, 2014 by Cutcobra

[Kintobor]

Maybe he jumped.

What happened to the link to Joffery getting slapped by Tyrion?

[Cutcobra]

What happened to the link to Joffery getting slapped by Tyrion?

I realised Tyrion was a human and not a dwarf, so it wasn't legit.

And I also realised he didn't actually hit him in the scene.

[Pyrovisionary]

What's KOoS?

Ah FSM-dammit, I've been playing too much Arma . KoS is kill on sight . So KOos is knock out on sight

Edited July 3, 2014 by Pyrovisionary

[Flipz]

I'm not big on the idea. If anything I think it'd be cool if the requirement for second characters was changed. I've brought it up before, but I feel like it would revitalize Heroica in a very significant way. These days everyone's in and out of Quests relatively quickly, or it's just the Questees of one party that's sitting around in the hall. Some of us have been playing for so long our characters have developed to the point where they're very set in their ways - which isn't a bad thing, but character development can slow down to a crawl. Having a bunch of new characters played by experienced players, though, I feel would kinda bring new life to everything.

I hear what you're saying, Skrall's still got 20 more battles to go which is about 4 more quests which puts him at another 16 months or so. Hence why I'm more open to new ways of sparking some life and interest into things.

I feel like the intention of the Level 50 requirement was to reward those who've put a lot of time and effort into Heroica. But experience is increasingly growing away from that with the Medals and the Fields of Glory. It's super easy just to farm for a few months and then be miles ahead of everyone else, plus you have to account for slower/longer Quests.

Hey that's 16 months with a medal of glory and a trip to the fields already in the bag, it'd be 3x that without it. Medal's have almost become a necessity if you want to advance in my opinion.

That's why I feel like it kind of sucks that you have to grind for experience to earn something that seems like it was implemented to reward dedication to the game.

I hear you, but I kinda fear that if the requirements for the second character were lowered (eg. down to Level 40), people would just put their current character on the back-burner and focus on their new one, meaning we wouldn't see most of the Expert, Veteran or Master Classes in use at all. I know you could play of them at the same time, but there's really not enough quests around for a wealth of new characters, either - remember that several people are near or past Level 40 already.

So yeah, I don't think the "time" for second characters is quite yet. But I do encourage more people to head to the Fields and grab those Medals of Glory to make their progress faster.

I think part of this also has to do with the prevalence of long, dragging Quests and story arcs. Heroica moves slooooooooooooowly these days, and it seems to be getting slower. It used to be Heroica was like Mafia Lite--a firm commitment (though slightly less than mafia) that lasted for a month, maybe two (slightly longer than Mafia). Now, though, it's common for people to be gone for three, four, or even six or seven months at a time. Even just checking in briefly once a day (which is far less than ideal in terms of engagement), that's a HUGE commitment, and more and more players have found themselves unable to commit to it. Thus, we lose players, and few new ones come to join. Furthermore, with most of the players we have consistently off on Quests, there's little to do in the Hall, since there's rarely anyone new to talk to.

What we need is new characters, but not necessarily our second characters. What we need is more new blood, and perhaps a change in design and thinking to bring them in. Let's mitigate the Arc Fatigue, wrap up a few of these dangling storylines, and kick the plot into high gear, lest we lose more current players and even more prospective players to the Chris Carter Effect.

[Sandy]

Thus, we lose players, and few new ones come to join. Furthermore, with most of the players we have consistently off on Quests, there's little to do in the Hall, since there's rarely anyone new to talk to.

We have had about 40 active players at all times, and we still do. Plus we just had a fresh wave of new players. Sure, there are long quests, but there's also plenty of short ones. So I don't really see the problems you're addressing there.

What we really need is more quests and other activities, so people don't get bored. And I can't provide them all by myself, so people who are eager to host something should contact me.

Just a hint: if you're pitching for your first quest, keep it simple and clean. Not every quest needs to be about saving the world.

[Sandy]

Moving the discussion from the Expert Job Class topic...

I'm not too broken up about doing 82 battles (so another four years of this game) to get to Master Classes, but I'd really like to have access to second characters before then. Is Heroica going to last long enough to make those second characters worth anything by the time the main plot reaches its climax?

Well, if you put it that way...

I've continuously encouraged QMs to give experience from other stuff besides battles as well - and I should remember to do it more often myself, as well.

But I will have to consider this carefully. Getting the second characters into the game earlier might be a great thing to this game, or it might make everything a cluttered mess. I'm still unsure what the consequence will be...

[Sandy]

Still trying to move the discussion here...

The best thing for the hall would be if about half the characters were consistently there, interacting - which means we need more heroes, more (short) quests, and probably more players to take an interest outside of quests.

I have to ask, why? Sure, there are people who enjoy writing to the Hall, but that's not even nearly all of us. This game is about the quests that people embark, allowing them to progress both statistically and story-wise. Heroica Hall is just the "waiting lounge" for that.

Having too many heroes in the Hall has had catastrophic consequences (which are better left ignored) in the past, too, so it is by no means a desirable situation.

[StickFig]

What we really need is more quests and other activities, so people don't get bored. And I can't provide them all by myself, so people who are eager to host something should contact me.

I agree - more short quests would be appreciated - and I realize it's useless to harp on people who are giving freely of their time and effort. I would like to host a quest, eventually... but if active QMs could design shorter quests I think that would help - not everything needs to be epic.

Still trying to move the discussion here...

Sorry .

Having too many heroes in the Hall has had catastrophic consequences (which are better left ignored) in the past, too, so it is by no means a desirable situation.

I defer to your more experienced opinion on that - I only mean that if players regularly had one character on a quest and another in the Hall, or something, it might make the Hall more interesting to those who don't do much there....

Getting the second characters into the game earlier might be a great thing to this game, or it might make everything a cluttered mess.

I appreciate that everything gets so carefully considered. Really, everyone who QMs or adds to this game through other means, including those players who go beyond "Hi I'm a knight, Attack Enemy X, Repeat Previous Round Actions," deserves a lot of credit in my book. I've been playing for a little more than 7 months and I have really, really enjoyed it. Hopefully one day I'll be up to contributing. For now, thanks to everyone.

[K-Nut]

But I will have to consider this carefully. Getting the second characters into the game earlier might be a great thing to this game, or it might make everything a cluttered mess. I'm still unsure what the consequence will be...

Well, with them being introduced at Level 50 would be a clutter too, it just matters if you want it sooner or later. I personally don't have a preference right now, seeing as I'm already at level forty and I'd be able to have a new character already, but I could put it on the back burner for a little while.

I feel that once players get to level fifty that they'll be able to hand another character a bit better with some more XP, but, like CMP said, it could take people too long to get their and make their characters not really matter to the major climax of the story. Plus, even with more XP offered in quests, it still takes forty battles or so to get from level thirty to forty, and fifty or so to get from level forty to fifty (assuming that you don't have a medal of glory) which seems a bit too long for me. However, without a medal of glory, it takes around 99 battles (hopefully I'm doing my math right ) to get to Level forty, whereas (I believe) it takes another fifty battles, making it 149ish battles in total, which could end up being around thirty quests. It would also, IMO, unnecessarily result in increasing the players current XP by 50%. That would mean that, say, it takes four years to get to level forty without a medal, it would probably end up taking another two years to get to level fifty. Most of us who have played the game from the start and don't have a medal of glory still have a little ways to go before getting their new character if it were placed at level forty.

Also, once players get to level fifty, they may end up doing a quest or two with their original character's to experience the new classes then give up and focus solely on their new character's, seeing as their original character's have nothing more to strive for and it's taken so long to get there, making the original characters "boring". But if it were at level forty, it would still give people motivation to keep on playing. Also, second characters can also make the original character better and more interesting. With the one I have planned, lots of Althior's mysterious past I haven't gone into could be exposed, and making using of the character and exposing Althior to new experiences can become more interesting, along with being able to do the same again with a brand new character.

So, basically at level fifty, the new character's (for some people) could end up being a replacement for their old character, which would help with the crowding situation, but seems kind of wrong in the whole spirit of the game. Just my two cents, though. Also, this seems to be all on not keeping characters on the back burner. I'll let someone else handle the whole logistics part of this argument.

[CMP]

Heroica Hall is just the "waiting lounge" for that.

I've always seen it as the very center of roleplaying. The first week or so the Hall was opened remains one of the best purely because of how much was going on.

[Actaeon]

I think part of this also has to do with the prevalence of long, dragging Quests and story arcs. Heroica moves slooooooooooooowly these days, and it seems to be getting slower. It used to be Heroica was like Mafia Lite--a firm commitment (though slightly less than mafia) that lasted for a month, maybe two (slightly longer than Mafia). Now, though, it's common for people to be gone for three, four, or even six or seven months at a time. Even just checking in briefly once a day (which is far less than ideal in terms of engagement), that's a HUGE commitment, and more and more players have found themselves unable to commit to it. Thus, we lose players, and few new ones come to join. Furthermore, with most of the players we have consistently off on Quests, there's little to do in the Hall, since there's rarely anyone new to talk to.

What we need is new characters, but not necessarily our second characters. What we need is more new blood, and perhaps a change in design and thinking to bring them in. Let's mitigate the Arc Fatigue, wrap up a few of these dangling storylines, and kick the plot into high gear, lest we lose more current players and even more prospective players to the Chris Carter Effect.

As a new player, I think I can give some incite.

The first thing I noticed was how amazing this game looked, how complicated it was, and how I could not wait to get on a quest. The second thing I noticed was that no quests were currently available. I was disappointed, but I asked around and found out that there were two upcoming ones that I would maybe be able to participate in. Eventually the quests sign ups were posted, and I was super pumped. Then, I realized that it wouldn't be for another month until it began. I was so disappointed. I'm sure I'm not the first player to be upset with how long it took to get rolling.

Basically, I'm just affirming that, yes, it is moving slowly. I think if I wasn't so into RPG games and such, I wouldn't have waited for a month or two. All this is assuming that I actually DO get on one of the quests. I'm sure some people have waited as long as I have only to get cut from the quest. I would imagine that you guys have lost potential members just from the wait. How many level 1 heroes do you guys have that never went on a quest? I'm guessing at least half of that was just from waiting.

I know I'm new, but I do have one suggestion as to how this could be fixed. Have a permanent quest like The Fields of Glory, only make it for level 1 people. Something that they can join that will be quick, (maybe 2 weeks) just so they get a feel for it, and so they aren't waiting around for a long time. It gives them experience before they go into a real quest, and they don't grow to restless and/or just forget about the game completely.

[Kintobor]

I know I'm new, but I do have one suggestion as to how this could be fixed. Have a permanent quest like The Fields of Glory, only make it for level 1 people. Something that they can join that will be quick, (maybe 2 weeks) just so they get a feel for it, and so they aren't waiting around for a long time. It gives them experience before they go into a real quest, and they don't grow to restless and/or just forget about the game completely.

I can understand where you're coming from, but do all level one's really want to participate in a mandatory first quest that basically works as a tutorial to how the game and world works? I'd rather have our newbies learn by experience, and dip their toes into the world only to get dragged under through intrigue and mystery. I think part of the issue is just chance. I went on my first quest within a few weeks in the hall. Sometimes you get on a quest, sometimes you don't. I will say though that you have a much better chance of getting on a quest if your active and positive in the community and in the game. QM's like active and positive players. Part of the wait in a sign up is a buffer so the QM can make any last minute changes, which is why 103 is taking a little while to shove off: I simply need some more time to set things up.

104 on the other hand looks about ready to go! I should know, I'm looking over Flipz's shoulder in a mentor like fashion!

[Actaeon]

I can understand where you're coming from, but do all level one's really want to participate in a mandatory first quest that basically works as a tutorial to how the game and world works? I'd rather have our newbies learn by experience, and dip their toes into the world only to get dragged under through intrigue and mystery.

104 on the other hand looks about ready to go! I should know, I'm looking over Flipz's shoulder in a mentor like fashion!

It wouldn't be mandatory. Just something players could do if they wanted some experience, or even a little bit of gold. I guess it is chance, and I think I had pretty bad luck on that one. Still, though, do you see what I mean about the level 1 players who never went on a quest?

[CMP]

Things is, new players generally don't arrive in batches.

[Kintobor]

It wouldn't be mandatory. Just something players could do if they wanted some experience, or even a little bit of gold. I guess it is chance, and I think I had pretty bad luck on that one. Still, though, do you see what I mean about the level 1 players who never went on a quest?

Oh no, I can't argue there. Part of it is also balancing. It's nearly impossible to balance a single level one with a party of level 20's. You can in the teens, and I've done it before, but the quest was more experimental and incredibly level neutral. If you want to read it, go find Four's Company.

The idea was brought up before but shot down by Sandy who more or less restated what I did. I get where your coming from though. After a lot of discussion has gone on during the last few days, I'm making a push for shorter, faster paced quests.

Things is, new players generally don't arrive in batches.

I wish they did. Fresh baked heroes, what an adorable image!

[Waterbrick Down]

As a new player, I think I can give some incite.

The first thing I noticed was how amazing this game looked, how complicated it was, and how I could not wait to get on a quest. The second thing I noticed was that no quests were currently available. I was disappointed, but I asked around and found out that there were two upcoming ones that I would maybe be able to participate in. Eventually the quests sign ups were posted, and I was super pumped. Then, I realized that it wouldn't be for another month until it began. I was so disappointed. I'm sure I'm not the first player to be upset with how long it took to get rolling.

Basically, I'm just affirming that, yes, it is moving slowly. I think if I wasn't so into RPG games and such, I wouldn't have waited for a month or two. All this is assuming that I actually DO get on one of the quests. I'm sure some people have waited as long as I have only to get cut from the quest. I would imagine that you guys have lost potential members just from the wait. How many level 1 heroes do you guys have that never went on a quest? I'm guessing at least half of that was just from waiting.

I know I'm new, but I do have one suggestion as to how this could be fixed. Have a permanent quest like The Fields of Glory, only make it for level 1 people. Something that they can join that will be quick, (maybe 2 weeks) just so they get a feel for it, and so they aren't waiting around for a long time. It gives them experience before they go into a real quest, and they don't grow to restless and/or just forget about the game completely.

This. I had something in the oven but when I heard there were two other quests just about to be released, I figured my time would be better spent on other projects (yes I have other responsibilities outside of Heroica ). However when I saw that the sign-ups were so long (understandably, knowing the behind the scenes reasons) I felt bad for all you new players, but I had already moved on. One thing I think as QM's we could work on is cutting back the sign-up time. The finale for Endgame's quest is over 1 month! As a general rule of thumb, I don't think any sign-ups should be open for more than 2 weeks (there are exceptions, finales for example where you want as many options as possible, even if I think 1 month might be a little excessive ) and if there's a good number of heroes in the hall for a quest than cut it back to 1 week. If your quest isn't ready, then don't post it, posting quests builds enthusiasm and if you don't deliver in time you're going to lose that. Now all of this is actually related to Hall activity. I'm one of the heroes who missed the first set of signups and spent a good week or two waiting, but the Hall was much more active and that enthusiasm stayed because it was maintained by all the interactions in the hall. Currently the hall is used for signing up for quests and a little chatting by some of the more experienced heroes, but the initial fervor from the new heroes has sort of died down. I think throwing a bunch of new heroes (i.e. from a lowered level requirement) would re-energize the hall and out of actual concern, I'm wondering what the downside to such a change would be if any? Edited July 4, 2014 by Waterbrick Down

[Sandy]

I know I'm new, but I do have one suggestion as to how this could be fixed. Have a permanent quest like The Fields of Glory, only make it for level 1 people.

That would still require someone to host it, and that's the problem here.

And why host a silly tutorial quest when you can host one with a story etc.? Like I said earlier, a quest doesn't need to be so complex. Short and sweet is totally fine, especially if it's geared towards new players.

So, anyone want to host a quest?

I think throwing a bunch of new heroes (i.e. from a lowered level requirement) would re-energize the hall and out of actual concern, I'm wondering what the downside to such a change would be if any?

Re-energize the Hall, sure, but how many bar fights and chandelier-swinging drunkards must Scheherazade still endure?

Even that energy would eventually fade if there were no quests to participate in. Since, you know, there's only so much you can do in one building...

I'm wondering if people are just yearning to get that sensation of what it felt to start things from scratch again...

[Actaeon]

So, anyone want to host a quest?

Re-energize the Hall, sure, but how many bar fights and chandelier-swinging drunkards must Scheherazade still endure?

Even that energy would eventually fade if there were no quests to participate in. Since, you know, there's only so much you can do in one building...

I'm wondering if people are just yearning to get that sensation of what it felt to start things from scratch again...

I would love to host a quest. Unfortunately, I won't be able to for a long time.

No all interactions in the hall have to be bar fights. Every opportunity I've had in the hall, I've taken. My character isn't the bar fight type.

The problem I faced with the hall was that I had no idea where to start. All the experienced players talk among themselves, and it's hard to jump in a conversation between "old friends". The best thing that happened was when someone approached me in the hall. I was so excited, I sat there for like 5 minutes racking my brain and looking at my notes to see EXACTLY what Actaeon would say.

That said, I think the hall would be better off if some of the more active members started conversations or just had some sort of interaction between the young members. Us newbies are too intimidated to start talking to you guys :P

[UsernameMDM]

That would still require someone to host it, and that's the problem here.

I offered, but you and Kinto shot it down rather quickly.

[Bricksandparts]

I can host a small quest that is basically a bunch of battles aimed at lower level heroes once I can get LDD working again properly. There'd be an introduction, maybe a bar fight, then a sequence of battles for the actual plot, then quest over. I'd still have to work out the setting and plot though...