VBU and mainland

Everything about Illarion that fits nowhere else. / Alles über Illarion was inhaltlich in kein anderes Board passt.

Moderator: Gamemasters

Post Reply
User avatar
Ezor Edwickton
Posts: 679
Joined: Mon Jul 28, 2003 5:23 am
Location: Canada

VBU and mainland

Post by Ezor Edwickton »

Seems kind of like a slap in the face to all the older players. The island is what Illarion has always been about. Gobiath IS Illarion! So full of history, culture and memories. It was really build up and developed around the players, factions, and interactions, and now we're just going to throw that all away? Are we just going to give up years of rich history that has evolved and has been sculpted naturally by everyone who came before?


This topic was split from http://illarion.org/community/forums/vi ... =1&t=37017 in order to allow more discussion separating it from the Q&A thread. This is in response to the game now moving to the mainland. Achae
Thargon
Posts: 160
Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2012 2:36 pm
Location: Location Location

VBU and the mainland

Post by Thargon »

Ezor Edwickton wrote:Seems kind of like a slap in the face to all the older players. The island is what Illarion has always been about. Gobiath IS Illarion! So full of history, culture and memories. It was really build up and developed around the players, factions, and interactions, and now we're just going to throw that all away? Are we just going to give up years of rich history that has evolved and has been sculpted naturally by everyone who came before?

yup, happens. :D
User avatar
PurpleMonkeys
Posts: 631
Joined: Wed Jan 28, 2009 9:58 pm

Re: VBU Q&A Revisited

Post by PurpleMonkeys »

That history will still be there. It's not like everyone will get to vbu-land and be all "Eh, what's Gobaith?". Hell, there's plenty of history in rl of places that no longer exist. I think it's a good opportunity to develop your character more. They just lost their home, for some the only home they've known. Surely that'll change them.

And besides, now there is new history to be made in a new land.
User avatar
Alan Dowland
Posts: 32
Joined: Fri May 21, 2010 10:55 am

Re: VBU Q&A Revisited

Post by Alan Dowland »

I really love the change. It might shake up existing groups and mix 'em up a little, all the characters might have to join forces more, as they enter a new world and are suddenly *the outsiders*.
I am really looking forward as to how everyone will develop, in their characters as well as in the political groups, since I believe there will be far less groups than before. People will have to reorganize and gosh, I love reorganizing stuff, moving on and discovering new worlds! :D

Of course I'll miss Gobaith, I spent too much time there... but we'll always have the memories! (Unless Eldan wipes them from our brains :D)
User avatar
rakust dorenstkzul
Posts: 2300
Joined: Fri Mar 21, 2008 2:47 pm
Location: In the heart of every smiling child

Re: VBU Q&A Revisited

Post by rakust dorenstkzul »

Ezor Edwickton wrote:Seems kind of like a slap in the face to all the older players. The island is what Illarion has always been about. Gobiath IS Illarion! So full of history, culture and memories. It was really build up and developed around the players, factions, and interactions, and now we're just going to throw that all away? Are we just going to give up years of rich history that has evolved and has been sculpted naturally by everyone who came before?
Write a book!
Elan Ravenwing
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2012 1:37 am

Re: VBU Q&A Revisited

Post by Elan Ravenwing »

Cling not to the past, look towards the future.
User avatar
Ezor Edwickton
Posts: 679
Joined: Mon Jul 28, 2003 5:23 am
Location: Canada

Re: VBU Q&A Revisited

Post by Ezor Edwickton »

I hear what you all are saying, but I just don't understand why we need to get rid of the Island. Yes, I'll be the first to admit that I don't like change. But it if an't broke don't fix it. There was nothing wrong with Gobiath being the playable region of Illarion.

Now we are going to have to rp around the awkwardness of nobody around knowing anything about the region. There will be no locals! (besides npcs of course)

Everyone will be an immigrant, despite many of your back stories including certain area's of the mainland you came from. This makes me wonder, is the vbu going to include the whole known region of Illarion? If so were to new chars come from? Way back, a long long time ago before most of you even knew what Illarion was there was no distinct map of the mainlands. We all just made up some place we came from. Recently we've had access to a detailed map and many of you have claimed places to be your homes. So where do we come from now?

This is all besides what I mentioned before about there being over a decade of rich history created by those who played before us, which sculpted our culture, regions, and even the landscape itself! The 'Unnamed Island' or Gobiath as we now know it may have originally been planned as just the test island but it is obvious that it has drastically grown past being just that.

Of course I don't expect the Dev's who have worked to hard on the new maps to change the plans at this point. I'm just expressing how I foresee this as a really bad decision, but I in no way mean to discredit or disregard all the hard work that went into it. We'll all find out soon enough either way, and maybe I'll just love it.

If not I'll take your advice rakust and write a book :D
User avatar
Estralis Seborian
Posts: 12308
Joined: Wed Nov 10, 2004 9:14 pm
Location: Sir Postalot
Contact:

Re: VBU and mainland

Post by Estralis Seborian »

You can be sure that the decision to change the map was not something we made out of a mood. For current players, it might look like a decision that needs good reason, I will give some below. But for new players, the new map will be "their" map and if they see the old map, they will not want to go back to that smut in the ocean. Also, keep in mind that the VBU is not about a map change, some NPC quests and paperdolling. We tried to identify the roots of all problems and reworked almost every aspect of the game. Here are some reasons for a map change as it will be done:
  • Gobaith was never more than a test island in the original conceptions of Illarion, we stick to those conceptions
  • Gobaith was a scaled up version of the original island you might remember. The scaling factor was nine(!), resulting in a bad map design
  • Gobaith is full of empty plains of boredom, lonely woods and deserts of emptyness. The map would have needed a complete rework from scratch
  • The island has no map features we need for the future, such as bottle necks and disputable regions
  • Gobaith is full of unused settlements that do no good for the game and only give players room to hide from each other
  • Everyone is lurking in Troll's Bane by default, no interesting scenes are generated by this
  • Our overall plans for the game simply required a complete rework of the map, so we decided to make the map a better one, avoiding the old mistakes
  • A fresh start after more than ten years can do wonders and we are 100% sure that the new map is better than the old one
  • The original storyline of Illarion was that the settlers of Gobaith are refugees from the main land that was devastated by some dude called Mordak or similar. We have the same setting now; many characters are refugees from an island called Gobaith. Such a setting is interesting, isn't it?
  • We have no history nor char wipe and all of us can roleplay how our characters react on such an unexpected, sudden change in life. Or do you all want to sit around the campfire and talk about relation problems?
  • 99.9% of the background material deals with the main land, we have almost no background material on Gobaith. This is plain rubbish
  • Didn't you all dream to enter the main land one day? I did back in 2002 when this option was discussed to become reality one day. Now it is!
  • The main land gives us the opportunity to expand the map any day in case it is needed. Expanding Gobaith is, kinda, tricky
  • Dwarves now can enter the game world without having to travel by boat!
  • The serious decline in player numbers, not just during the last year but since ~2006 called for changes to the game as a whole. Illarion was dying slowly, dying from boredom. There were no tasks in the game, no challenges, nothing new. Now you get all this!
  • The new map has a much more reasonable coordinate system. Minor point, but still mentionable
  • The new map was designed by true Illarion veterans, trust me, they knew what they are doing
Last edited by Estralis Seborian on Thu Dec 20, 2012 1:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
pharse
Posts: 1787
Joined: Wed Oct 04, 2006 9:33 pm

Re: VBU Q&A Revisited

Post by pharse »

Ezor Edwickton wrote:Now we are going to have to rp around the awkwardness of nobody around knowing anything about the region. There will be no locals! (besides npcs of course)
You don't have to play your old characters from Gobaith. You are free to play e.g.
- a merchant from somewhere on the mainland, who has heard about many refugees of Gobaith arriving at the mainland, who now sees his chance for a great career. (thus he is new to this place too!)
- a local farmer who has never left his town, wondering about all the new people. (after one or two weeks you will know much at least about one town)

Just two simple ideas.
User avatar
rakust dorenstkzul
Posts: 2300
Joined: Fri Mar 21, 2008 2:47 pm
Location: In the heart of every smiling child

Re: VBU and mainland

Post by rakust dorenstkzul »

Speaking of new locations, i hear that we'll be moved to the new tutorial island as opposed to straight to the mainland, should we stay inn character there, while people relearn basic functioning?
User avatar
Estralis Seborian
Posts: 12308
Joined: Wed Nov 10, 2004 9:14 pm
Location: Sir Postalot
Contact:

Re: VBU and mainland

Post by Estralis Seborian »

You don't have to stay in character during the tutorial. The new tutorial is designed to be finished in around ten minutes, I hope you can stand that time being OOC ;-). Who wants to skip the tutorial may do so any time by saying "skip tutorial" to any NPC.
User avatar
PurpleMonkeys
Posts: 631
Joined: Wed Jan 28, 2009 9:58 pm

Re: VBU and mainland

Post by PurpleMonkeys »

Estralis Seborian wrote:Dwarves now can enter the game world without having to travel by boat!
What more do you need?
User avatar
Zehshirr
Posts: 194
Joined: Thu Jul 29, 2010 7:41 am

Re: VBU and mainland

Post by Zehshirr »

I know this isn't exactly a "give your opinion" topic, but I think I will anyway.

I know I'm a "new player" so I don't really get the whole "slap to the face" thing that Ezor talked about. I mean, I understand it, but I do not receive so much of the brunt. I'm still sad to see Gobaith go however. It's taken me a long time to get used to where everything is, t develop my habits and all those things. HOWEVER, I am not upset that we are moving to the mainland. I think it will be fun to be able to explore more places with perhaps more to do.
Now we are going to have to rp around the awkwardness of nobody around knowing anything about the region. There will be no locals! (besides npcs of course)
The moment I found out about everyone having to move to the mainland, I had decided two things. One: It would drastically change my main (Well, the one who was my main on Illarion) into a different type of character, without remaking his "build" or changing who he was at his core.
Two: That I would be making a local at atleast once of the cities. If there is a "hub" city, it will be that one. I know when Illarion general down time is, so I'll be logging in at that time, exploring the whole city, then drawing a map so that I will know as well as any Trolls Bane local would know, where everything is.
moving on and discovering new worlds! :D
Exited as all heck for this. I -love- that everyone wont know where everything is. Power gamers will have a bit more trouble in the beginning, allowing us more casual players more time to catch up. Plus, I'm sure there will be some interesting things for us to find. Here's hoping the easter eggs are more exiting than Irundar though.. I bet they are!
Dwarves now can enter the game world without having to travel by boat!
Awww yeah. ^ New meme.

On a final, serious and all together sad note.. I kind of wish that Gobaith wasn't going undersea and being pelted by meteors. I was kind of hoping that even though illarion was being MOVED to the mainland, that we would still have access to Gobaith. *sigh* oh well.
User avatar
Qeewee
Posts: 573
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2009 10:41 pm

Re: VBU Q&A Revisited

Post by Qeewee »

Ezor Edwickton wrote: Now we are going to have to rp around the awkwardness of nobody around knowing anything about the region. There will be no locals! (besides npcs of course)
Other than the whole players being able to RP locals. I have understood that GMs, and possibly certain players(?), have been given offers of roles in this new mainlands as people who has always been there, leaders and such. Though I suppose you might count these as non player characters if you think of them as Gms/staff/?? and not as a player playing them.. I guess. Whole matter confuses me, though maybe someone has some useful information on this part of it?
User avatar
Alexander Knight
Posts: 1417
Joined: Thu Sep 10, 2009 10:29 pm
Location: United Kingdom
Contact:

Re: VBU and mainland

Post by Alexander Knight »

Or just RP that you've been living there already. That a bunch of new people have came to you homeland seeking refuge.
User avatar
Arvemor
Posts: 599
Joined: Tue Jul 14, 2009 3:36 pm

Re: VBU and mainland

Post by Arvemor »

I love the change! The mainland looks amazing (beta). You guys will love it, seriously. Change is scary, sure, but it sure is worth it. Making new history is heaps better. And those memories will never go. Nor the character log. :)
Sometimes you will have to rp your characters reaction to something out of your control. These uncontrollable circumstances keep things interesting.
User avatar
Alexander Knight
Posts: 1417
Joined: Thu Sep 10, 2009 10:29 pm
Location: United Kingdom
Contact:

Re: VBU and mainland

Post by Alexander Knight »

Thank you coach. That pep talk will win us the finals.
User avatar
Jupiter
Developer
Posts: 3477
Joined: Sun May 28, 2006 11:23 am

Re: VBU and mainland

Post by Jupiter »

Arvemor wrote:And those memories will never go. Nor the character log. :)
Speak for yourself! :P Honestly, make a save copy of your log. There are many player who loszt it at least once (including myself)
User avatar
Olaf Tingvatn
Posts: 935
Joined: Wed Sep 10, 2008 12:23 am
Location: Norway, Lyngdal, Scandinavia

Re: VBU and mainland

Post by Olaf Tingvatn »

so now we are on the mainland? *goes to change his characters story*
User avatar
Tyan Masines
Posts: 448
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2013 2:11 pm

Re: VBU and mainland

Post by Tyan Masines »

Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened. ;)
Post Reply