Return to Xinderoth / Karthak etc
#1
Posted 02 January 2013 - 14:08
#2
Posted 02 January 2013 - 17:33
They could, no, they SHOULD have the Shadowlord bring back Xinderoth, he (IMO) is one of the more noteworthy enemies in FS lore.
Maybe when we get close to the Shadowlord he calls in his greatest generals. So we'd have to fight through Xinderoth, Lishka, Dreadlord etc...
#3
Posted 02 January 2013 - 18:24
I'd love to see set progression (we've all seen ideas of gear that 'lives' with a player being proposed). This re-engagement with old areas would allow reworking of old sets into new, potentially useful ones - Xinderoth has never really been great afaik, but perhaps higher up it could fill a new niche.
Good thinking Grimwald.
[Just murmuring aloud, perhaps even teaming up with a player going through the lower level quests as you do yours would give benefits to both parties or something similar - even though the basic returning idea would be good on its own!]
#4
Posted 03 January 2013 - 04:40
#5
Posted 03 January 2013 - 05:28
I see it as having to return to original areas with new monsters for higher level players alongside the original level monsters, with a quest thread linking the new, with perhaps some new areas crosslinking for interest - like the sewer lines in Crestoun - there could be plenty of secret passages in the tower of Xinderoth for instance - as well as 1680-1700 mobs on each tower level (as an example). Karthak, Morukan, Ralthien, Isle of Darkwater, the recent content - Dar GromSol was awesome, it was just right before Xinderoth so tends to be overshadowed - but I liked the atmosphere there almost more! There are loads of areas and creatures that could be revamped and made hugely fun - Lenswer forest and that crazy elven queen Shildorah - Old One Eye and his gobboe slavers etc. etc. etc.
The higher level mobs could be shadow infused versions of the originals - therefore cutting down on artwork but explaining their massively magnified power.
In the areas - some doors that only open for the higher level chars, or are linked to higher level quests, to put a spin on the old areas. Look at how that was managed linking old to new in the epic quests from 0-30. That pattern could be followed for new content.
The return of old foes - Dr Morbidstein LIVES! Am I the only one to miss the original baddie we tracked through the game, all his creations falling in our wake, only to find he was a 490 elite?? Seriously? Dr Morbidstein deserves more!
So yeah - great idea Grimwald!
+10
#6
Posted 03 January 2013 - 17:18
They could be "Shadow Creatures", needing a reveal buff to even see them on the map.The higher level mobs could be shadow infused versions of the originals - therefore cutting down on artwork but explaining their massively magnified power.
#7
Posted 03 January 2013 - 20:27
I have noticed (its already mentioned in another thread) that lower levels tend to have more then one creature in an area, in the higher levels you mostly see the creature from the lower level and a new creature plus often the champs version. Also ten areas tend to have an World Area and throw in three or so quests in the ten area's and in the last area a quest with an elite. Its a bit repetitive, but okay, there are only so few ways to make an level..
Problem with the "Return" quests is that you create an gap in area's, first you have an area going from 1691-1700 then you have an quest to do which brings you back to Xinderoth where the new area's 1701-1730 are. Sounds confusing a bit, and it would be tricky during an XP event. What I suggest is some easy filler area's. Lets say a WorldArea consisting from (1701, 1706, 1711, 1716, 1721, 1726, 1730). In the fillers you see some creatures. Lets say in 1701 an 1701 plus 1705 creature. Add some enraged and enhanced creatures and you have an decent mix. The quest itself starts at 1701 and give you an portal (or an doorway) to Xinderoth. At the end of the quest (or quests??) you return to 1730 and thats it. Going back for Xinderoth for only one or two levels doesn't sound that good.. But ofcourse we have seen our characters moving a lot during some other quests. But again, its has been YEARS since you have been in Xinderoth/Karthak so the people there must be a bit desparate.. So time for some heavy questing.
Why the complexity? First I am not really sure if everyone has done the original quests, Doing quests is optional. I don't think it would be realistic that you would get access to the Library without doing the orginal Xinderoth quests and not having access to all area's would restrict the quests a bit too much. Also its not logically, how can you return to an area when you have never done the original quests itself?? Those filler area's would be easier to make, add in the extra work on the orginal area's in which you could reuse part of the artwork and it might not be much more work then an normal still entertaining quest series
The new Quest could also have some nice rewards, Just some idea's a new area where Xinderoth himself can be found? Maybe some free higher level bound LightFoot potions plus at the end a recipe to make some LF potions? A couple of new sets made from drops.. etc etc.
In Karthak you could reuse the old SK-set using inventing.. You don't have it anymore, oopsie.. As you have done the quests you can buy off a new item for a couple of 100k GP's or you can earn a replacement set during the quests (or some subquests).. Plenty of options Or you can hunt down some other SK-hunter (NPC) with high stats to get your replacement gear..
Anyway just some idea's.
#8
Posted 04 January 2013 - 23:20
But that wasn't why I was replying!!
Another way of reusing content/beasties artwork would also be to have us encounter old areas as Shadow Realms. As we grow closer to the Shadowlord, or if he releases a pulse of dark energy to challenge/destroy us - we find ourselves in realms like, and yet different to those we have seen before. A Xinderoth where we find ourselves going from top to bottom, fighting our way down the tower and into the vast underground city at its base (dark realm - LOL!!) - ultimate dungeon bash! Again the monsters would be shadow infused versions of the old ones (dark wash/outlines over old mob pics), and thusly way more powerful - empowered with one intention - to destroy the pretender to the Fallen Sword. All kinds of inverse or variable storylines could accompany these realms, which I think would be a real hit for players to explore these oddly changed realms they recall, but now with different rules applying.
Anyway - that is all - I just loved the idea of finding a trapdoor on a grim otherworldly beach, and finding myself going down some stairs into a new Xinderoth - one suffused with dark shadow energy, and having to journey down into ever larger labyrinths to find out what lay at its depths, hidden and protected by the Shadowlord lest it be discovered and used against him!
Would that not be fun?
The point of this would be to free up Grim and the content boys to work on storylines, beast stats etc. and not be bogged down as has been admitted by the need for artwork etc. Items - again the individual artwork for items is great - but no-one looks at the common items, or indeed anything but the useful stuff! Any items in the reused realms could similarly be the old items shifted for their new level and circumstance. Just a way to give the Cows a chance to generate interesting and challenging content without having to start it all from scratch, therefore perhaps speeding up content releases. I know other threads suggested more generic content production for the sake of speed with that broken up by more sections like the 50 we just received. This is another way of achieving something like that - but with more relevance to the game history.
#9
Posted 04 January 2013 - 23:39
#10
Posted 05 January 2013 - 05:02
Well - a) I would not worry about complexity, folk who have levelled through the game should be able to work it out. A door that opens to a corridor/interdimensional area/spirit realm/power portal room to travel to one designated connected area can be the 1791 level, 1792 area is the door from old area 1 to old area 2, and so on. invisible creatures requiring reveal for the high level guys - sure! Be very amusing for the lower level guys to see these massively armoured demigods waving weapons around in the air at invisible opponents as they make their first way through the areas.
But that wasn't why I was replying!!
Another way of reusing content/beasties artwork would also be to have us encounter old areas as Shadow Realms. As we grow closer to the Shadowlord, or if he releases a pulse of dark energy to challenge/destroy us - we find ourselves in realms like, and yet different to those we have seen before. A Xinderoth where we find ourselves going from top to bottom, fighting our way down the tower and into the vast underground city at its base (dark realm - LOL!!) - ultimate dungeon bash! Again the monsters would be shadow infused versions of the old ones (dark wash/outlines over old mob pics), and thusly way more powerful - empowered with one intention - to destroy the pretender to the Fallen Sword. All kinds of inverse or variable storylines could accompany these realms, which I think would be a real hit for players to explore these oddly changed realms they recall, but now with different rules applying.
Anyway - that is all - I just loved the idea of finding a trapdoor on a grim otherworldly beach, and finding myself going down some stairs into a new Xinderoth - one suffused with dark shadow energy, and having to journey down into ever larger labyrinths to find out what lay at its depths, hidden and protected by the Shadowlord lest it be discovered and used against him!
Would that not be fun?
The point of this would be to free up Grim and the content boys to work on storylines, beast stats etc. and not be bogged down as has been admitted by the need for artwork etc. Items - again the individual artwork for items is great - but no-one looks at the common items, or indeed anything but the useful stuff! Any items in the reused realms could similarly be the old items shifted for their new level and circumstance. Just a way to give the Cows a chance to generate interesting and challenging content without having to start it all from scratch, therefore perhaps speeding up content releases. I know other threads suggested more generic content production for the sake of speed with that broken up by more sections like the 50 we just received. This is another way of achieving something like that - but with more relevance to the game history.
Something like this?
#11
Posted 05 January 2013 - 05:07
#12
Posted 05 January 2013 - 06:12
Something like this?
Yep! What would matter to the players would be the stats and the story. The picture - well we could live with an altered original. I'm all for HCS stopping with the redo's of artwork on old items at the outset of the game if it is delaying new content (of any form not simply EOC stuff).
I think HCS has already started doing this by form of Epic quests, going to old places back in the low levels with the Sword of Eagle. I hope that the new batch of Epic quests will spread out throughout a whole bunch of past levels.
The epic quests are way cool, and I would be happy to see them continue - but as they are so special they do represent a lot of work, and they cannot, by their very nature really be new content designed only for those at EOC or people could rightly call foul on that. Grimwald's idea, which I have somewhat hijacked (Sorry!) - is for characters to revisit old lands they have previously adventured in. I happen to think that would be a good way of providing heaps of new content (and I have to admit to some naked self interest here - but it would be good for all, ultimately) at the end of current content. And, if utilised judiciously it would be interesting and potentially usefully thematic in terms of the game narrative. The grand story arc is Big Grim's not mine - this is just an idea to add colour and make use of existing resources in a way that might receive a positive player response.
The fact is that the epic quests that started out from level 3 and were intertwined with content got as far as level 30... a long time ago. EOC has moved on what a couple of hundred levels since they were released? So the epic quest thread is not going to catch current content, and was never I think intended to, at least not in a continuous thread of levels! In reality it provides a great hook and extra resources for new players - plenty of upgrades from the get go to keep them playing. It also represents a different way of advancing through the opening levels of content - it makes sense to follow the quest path, rather than the old general exploration options for levelling 3-30, so they do in a sense rewrite early game experience for new users (which is good!). I am more for using old content and giving it a twist - once in a while, not constantly, not even more than once per 100-200 levels even, but here and there to keep content coming (by making some of it a little easier in that the building blocks - maps and artwork - are already generated) and to make things stimulating for long time players.
The crux is this - if this idea met with HCS interest it could provide a way to occasionally lighten the load on the team creating new content - allowing them to help develop OTHER AREAS of the game, or even if they are as a team dedicated only to content and nothing else it would let them work on seasonal special events more, the quango or storyboook realms or new alternates along those lines, on new globals etc. It could give us all more.
Wall of text. Thank you for making it this far!
#13
Posted 07 January 2013 - 11:28
Nice to know that so many of our older characters and creations are so well regarded!
Why the complexity? First I am not really sure if everyone has done the original quests, Doing quests is optional. I don't think it would be realistic that you would get access to the Library without doing the original Xinderoth quests and not having access to all area's would restrict the quests a bit too much. Also its not logically, how can you return to an area when you have never done the original quests itself?? Those filler area's would be easier to make, add in the extra work on the original area's in which you could reuse part of the artwork and it might not be much more work then an normal still entertaining quest series.
We have some ideas regarding how to sort this. Once we've had a chance to sit down and discuss it fully, we don't think this'll be an issue. Leveling through normal low areas with sub-realms that are quest locked to the older quests or something like that, will keep the non-questers simply leveling while ensuring that the players who have completed the previous storylines get to see the newer stuff.
The grand story arc is Big Grim's.
The grand arc is more Varkaz than me. He wrote Xinderoth, Karthak and Crestoun (as well as a vast amount of other quests and characters.). He's also the writer of the Epic Quest.
#14
Posted 07 January 2013 - 16:58
And appropriate props to Varkaz as storyline god - I was referring to BG as the storyline master as you do appear to be the lead on content, is all - but I'll be happy to name check Varkaz from now on!
As to some of the points made. Grimwald was right about quests and the fact that not everyone does all the quests (crazy people!!) - but if you are to return to old areas - simply having level locked zones between established old sections would work without requiring quests to have been done, and no inclusion of the quest locked areas of Karthak when going back to visit for instance, but if coding is done to fix that and allow access to all old areas - sweet.
Having the higher level mobs require reveal is a great solution to having different sets of monsters in the same level area and not penalising lower level players for a fat finger moment and accidentally trying to hit a mob 1000 levels above them and getting splatted potentially. Demon detector buff could be a similar thing etc. etc. variations on reveal could be created as required also, just so it doesn't get too repetitive. (But if it is the same thing with a different name... it is still kind of repetitive.. so killing my own concept there)
Of course neither of these are issues if the realm is reused as a mirror or shadow version of its previous self - you would not then literally be dealing with the original area - only a eerily similar echo with upgraded mobs and entirely new (optional) quest/story arcs. Though it would be fun if we were going back to the actual old places, called back to help out old friends, face new or revived old enemies in new and unexpected circumstances as Grimwald originally envisioned.
Anyway big thumbs up for the HCS response, I'm hoping this idea finds support going forward!
#15
Posted 07 January 2013 - 17:17
And appropriate props to Varkaz as storyline god - I was referring to BG as the storyline master as you do appear to be the lead on content, is all - but I'll be happy to name check Varkaz from now on!
Heh heh. We both write a hell of a lot of Quests for the game, but Varkaz tends to write the bigger, super updates, like Xinderoth, Karthak, Crestoun and the Epic. I tend to do the 10 level updates. :wink:
#16
Posted 07 January 2013 - 19:19
We really don't want any L1600+ swooping the levels killing off the few elites we can find. On the other side if we could get some more high-level areas where a (even stronger) Xinderoth can be found would be very nice. He could even drop the same items but with new recipes.
And thinking about Karthak, I was already bankrupt when I left the area, having to sell off some FSP to get me enough coins to finish up the quests. I started the area with an Sacrifcie 575 buff running which meant no income for the first levels.. Big Mistake. Anyway its going to take me at least an year and probably way more before I will be visiting that area again (only level 1000 now) but the idea that i might see my old friends again is something to look forward too
#17
Posted 08 January 2013 - 02:04
#18
Posted 08 January 2013 - 02:52
#19
Posted 10 January 2013 - 00:49
Have invisible creatures in the old maps that need reveal to see and kill them.
How to go about doing this? Simple Make Different levels of Reveal potions in several locations (The Ah, loyalty pots, the caves, inventing) where the level of the Potion correlates to the level of the creatures. If its 20 levels you have to be say level 1600 to use it, but the level of the pot is 1620 so you can see all the creatures while using it.
The other thing you may have to do is make it to where your VL has to be the same level of the creature to kill it.
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