Illarion.org

Me and a friend got an idea which wouldnt cost too much time to fullfill...

There should be chance to create special items (magic weapons, musical instruments and stuff like this) by a combination of different products and materials (like it is done in glassproduction, allready) and skills.

An example:

I want to create the BLADE OF STORM AND LIGHTNING:

you need 50 Silverbars (for smithing the blade)
you need 10 cutted Saphires (for the magicrunes)
you need 10 goldnuggets (for the hilt)
you need 15 ash (for the damascene steel)
you need 20 Manapotions (for the magic-essence)

You just need to have this in the pocket (like in glass-production)

then you for example need a blacksmithing-skill that is at the first i of the word.
and you need to be able to cast the lightning spell at some level.

With all this stuff and skills you can create the blade at a special location on Illarion (for example the anvil that once was part of the cavehouse)

Zap -> you got a special magic weapon (with some minor magic bonus)

In this way you could create a lot of stuff. the secret formulas could be spread like rumours:

"hey..heard that you can carpenter a magic lute...need 50 wood and I think some diamonds...and ore for the strings...But I dont know exactly how much...but the dwarf knows perhaps"

It would not be too much work for the programmers, because you just need to program a special combination of stuff that is necessary for the item. If everything is in place -> ZAP it works

Graphics for the new items will be no problem..I can help (did a lute allready).

Additionally this thing would help to keep up motivation for folks who dont know what to spend there money for (if they are not in a guild and collect it for buildings) and what to do with their time, when there is noone online.

Think about it...less work...much fun...good roleplay opportunity!

Greets, taun

Yeah, that is great. But, in order be able to make such things, you should find a very rare book that you must read, or something. Or make a quest.
And, it would be nice if using a bookcase would provide one with a book in some cases. Perhaps a standard book graphic (same for most books to be found ?) used for many different book types with different titles... would that be possible ?

The library is GREAT now ! Thanks to Bror and all others !

(Edited by Damien at 4:00 pm on April 26, 2001)

I don't think finding a book is the right idea.  I agree that how to create powerful things must be kept secret, but people will just see getting the book as another step in the process.

NEWBIE:  "Hey, I heard you can make a Sword of Instant Death!  How do I do it?"

VETERAN: "You just go to the demon's cave, get the blue book there, then go to the mountains, kill an ogre, take his left canine tooth..."

And so on.  Something that was meant to be extremely rare is now very common, and everyone knows how to do it.

I think one-time quests are a good idea.  The treasure could be particularly powerful, because only one person would have it.  People couldn't just go back and get it again and again.

Novus

If items are really rare - how-to-books for example - they would have a great worth. If you are no Blacksmith, and find one, you can very well place it as a price and make an own quest for those who may need it ! Or, sell it at the shop for a nice price - or to a player.
If One-Time-Quests would provide the solver with powerful things, those people would have a great advantage. If really rare things only show up very very seldom, with a 1/1000 chance and only with a very good skill, they will be rare enough.
Sure such things could be placed into quests too =)

If I may use another game as a reference:  Let's look at Diablo 2, and the most powerful armor in the game, the Silks of the Victor.  It's extremely rare (you can only get it on the harder levels of the game, and only once in a great while), yet many people have it, and some even have two or three of it.  

Why?  There are literally thousands who play the game.  With each one who reaches the appropriate level, there is a chance for Silks to appear.  Multiply the astronomically-low chance for one person to get it by the thousands who can get it, and, well, the chances aren't so astronomically small anymore.  What is supposed to be an extremely rare item becomes commonplace.

This is why items that are supposed to be rare should only come up in certain circumstances.  

Here's an example.  If someone has a 1 in 1000 chance of making a powerful sword per try, and tries 100 times, his chances are 1 in 10 to have such a sword.  Multiply that times 50 people trying to make one, and you now have (statistically speaking) 5 powerful swords walking around Illarion.  Then, the next day, 50 people try 100 more times, and you get 5 more swords.  In 10 days, all 50 Illarians have powerful swords.  At that point, the swords are not exactly rare anymore.

-Novus

Mmmh...the idea behind this Item Creating thing was not to give powerfull items to the players...the idea was to bring some suspense and motivation into the game...and of course the opportunity to spread rumours...

I dont think, that the items have to be powerfull, because this could take the balance out of the game.

some minor boni would do it...its just for the fun of it, not for powergamers (sorry, but in my opinion diablo 2 is as far from Roleplay as Beta centauri from planet earth).

And the whole thing would be easy to program...I hope

Taun

Hallo

yes let us funny things create
like a mirror (of perm beauty (very good for orcs and dwarves *g*)) and sell them to other players for a lot of momey $$ :-)

Bye
Read ya
MfG

Capt. Kirk

Exactly said, taun - we do NOT need super powerful things.

And, the comparing of a diabloII- Armor does not fit : an armor cannot vanish in diablo. When you find rare items that are USED UP after ONE use, they STAY rare.
Rare Items should not give a big bonus to some people - others must have the chance to get one, too, when they invest enough time and work, AND money. That makes an item rare. When the cost of creating one is about ten or hundred or a thousand silver bars, this WILL be very rare items. And everyone could possibly get one, IF he makes enough money, that means invests enough time.

Hi
There SHOULD be some Mighty Artifacts, but as it goes with ARTIFACTS, there should be only ONE of a kind! Selfmade items can´t have that power, because the creator needs the goodwill of the gods.
That would lead to something like building a house. You have to come up with an enormous amount of silver, to get such an item - or create it. This would keep the balance and give the opportunity to have SWORD OF STORM AND LIGHTNING. Also the administrators would not be concerned with having ideas for artifacts. (Some could be added anyway).

I perpose a long range weapon.  A musical instrument.  It holds the person you are attacking with it in place for random chances depending on your barding skills.  Have it be rare.  Very rare.  Then hide the way to make it in the land some where like painted on a rock or hidden a cave.  Maybe a note on the ground.  If a note on the ground it could float around like the wind was blowing it.  I think the cave idea is best.  Because you would not know what cave.  Two of the caves have very strong mosters that must be overcome first before you can properly search.

As a bard I, of course, love the idea of a musical magic item, too.

I created five new special-item-graphics and sent them to you, Damien.
They look quite good, I think... but have a look at them for yourself...

It is a mirror, a bundle of special arrows, a curved dagger, a boneblade and an icebird-amulet... do with it whatever you want to (theres allready a lute, I think)

Perhaps we can have some special items with the next update...tell me if you liked em or not (I can stand some critics )

Gentleman and Lizards,


I find that more and more you all have become lustful of battle. Even you Damien, which suprises me.

None the less I will say this.

Why must all items have something to do with fighting and when refering to fighting it must always be "someone".

This troubles me.

I would think.. the most valueable item in illarion today is a shovel. Why? Because it is no easily "if at all" attainable and it is USEFUL.

Items of rarity are very nice. I enjoy gaining a special item that is useful to create something, much more than gaining a powerful item that is only useful to destroy things.

It seems to me this "evil" has spread into the hearts of all the Illarion people.

So I call you now. Open your hearts and your minds and wake up from this Daze.

That is my input fellow Illarians.

Sorry, Dax, but if you can´t see the necessities of fighting in Illarion, you better play chess.
You fight against mummies, skeletons and demons, and when you want to eat, you kill a pig.
I´m a peaceful servant of nature, but violence IS a part of it. I could almost always handle things between people without relying on weapons, but only because I´ve got the means of fighting them if necessary.
Weakness demands strenght to prosper, and special items could be anything between weapons and chopsticks!

Do you really need a magic sword or the gods to kill a pig?

I with nothing more than a sword and shield have no problem with the Demon or anything else really.

I used my Well trained skill I have worked hard for and most of all my wit I have sharpened over time.

These are tools to use. Anything else is an easy way out if you ask me.
However I am not saying special weapons and such is a bad thing. Some people make a living out of killing, others make a killing out of living

Which are you?

The question here is wether there is any possibility of forging unique or special artifacts.
These artifacts shall enrich the myths and  Illarion`s background  and create an atmosphere which gives the player the thrill of discovering and exploring.
Sure there lies a certain danger given by the fact that these artifacts become too mighty and further the non-RPG aspects such as playerkillin.
But this might be solved by clever arrangements...

The number of these artifacts must not rise above a certain amount, thus saving the unique aura of each one.  
I guess we don't have to ask ourselves if we want magic items easily created by everyone-soon overflodding whole Illarion!!!!
Then i would rather stick to mine old orcish axe!

Furthermore the procedure of creating such an item might include a variety of conditions like Taun`s proposals.
But also cooperation e.g. the carpenter carved a staff -with an enormous amount of ressources- and hands it over to a fellow mage who tries to enrich the staff with his magic.
This procedure should include a high risk of failure; if done without success the staff should vanish, thus the
whole work must be repeated...( and not too many guys
have as many ignots as others iron ore)
Others may follow.
It may grant this world a unique chance of reaching grand epic status, or at least more fun in exploring the landscape for great riches and hidden caves.

Morrt hath spoken

I think it's a good Idea, but first they should work at the skills...
Maybe you first can make magic staffs or something like this, so that not every magician walks with a sword and a shield... I never carry an armour or a helmet and I've just my Staff, I use, so I have the normal equipment for a magician but all the things are useless because they havn't specials...

Hallo

yes i know all of u will be like dax and kill the demon alone (yes me thinks so too from time to time coz a bit fame is nice and to be known as the demon slayer)
u forgot teamwork ???
i cant kill the demon alone anymore :-( so i leave him alone until a few brave and well trained men/women help me to kick his ass (or i help them to keep thier ass)

powerweapons arent good yet coz the balance (dax gets a powersword turns mad and noone can stop him anymore. ok i think he will never turn mad *g* or all will fight him to get the sword from him. this is borin to me if i have a power object and all come to challenge me the whole day)

yes it is many work to do on the skill sys but pls remember it is still in alpha phase and the utmost point now is to create a good background
and the game control sys has to be updated too

i will be happy for all objects the gods give us (funny or tools or only nice things u worked for like in a quest)

Bye
Read ya
MfG

Capt. Kirk

Hello

Dax, as the greatest swordsman ever said: The sword takes life, and it gives life!
As I said, it´s not all weapons and armor, but ALSO. Magic items come in a great variety, and I´m the last person to make Illarion something like Diablo.
When the language skill gets more important, there could be items that translate, making communiction easier f.e.
But in a good RPG there has to be good, neutral and evil (maybe not as clearly classified as in AD&D). What´s the power of an evil char, when he´s got nothing but the usual things? Wanderer has been killed many times, and still nothing changed. Strong chars, either good or bad need something to make them legendary. Think of Elric without Stormbringer, or Aragorn without Narsil, or Hawkmoon without the Runestaff.
Maybe there could be special skills like "Dragon taming", something that requires danger and courage to attain. All this would make some chars distinguishable from others. At the moment I see many people with the same skills and similar personalities. As there are always many, that only want to play GOOD GUYS, without contours or motivations, some of these things could help to improve the world itself.