Suggestions!

[shaukul]

As a returning player after many years, I love this game and I want to see it succeed. Two ideas I have that I think might help:

1. Having lich chat replace the amulet is bad news because returning players have no idea how to communicate with anyone now in a regional manner. If someone reactivates/free trials overnight, they're going to think the game is dead and never come back. Having the regional/global chat rely on a third-party program with a relatively complex installation is a big turnoff for new blood, believe me, especially if the install doesn't go smoothly. Instead: make crystal amulets global, remove the RT, and have an OOC channel. That way, lich becomes useful rather than (essentially) necessary.

2. Write a simple guide about major game changes by year. Returning players can then start at the year thy left and catch up from there. Things to include would be all the major class skill changes, the usefulness/predominance of lich, advice for playing during off peak hours, SimuCoins, new verbs, new areas, fixskills, etc. I'd do it myself, but I just came back two days ago myself, so I'm really not the best candidate!

[Allereli]

As a returning player after many years, I love this game and I want to see it succeed. Two ideas I have that I think might help:

1. Having lich chat replace the amulet is bad news because returning players have no idea how to communicate with anyone now in a regional manner. If someone reactivates/free trials overnight, they're going to think the game is dead and never come back. Having the regional/global chat rely on a third-party program with a relatively complex installation is a big turnoff for new blood, believe me, especially if the install doesn't go smoothly. Instead: make crystal amulets global, remove the RT, and have an OOC channel. That way, lich becomes useful rather than (essentially) necessary.

2. Write a simple guide about major game changes by year. Returning players can then start at the year thy left and catch up from there. Things to include would be all the major class skill changes, the usefulness/predominance of lich, advice for playing during off peak hours, SimuCoins, new verbs, new areas, fixskills, etc. I'd do it myself, but I just came back two days ago myself, so I'm really not the best candidate!

Like this? https://gswiki.play.net/mediawiki/index.php/Creating_Adventure_-_December_2015

These exist as officials posts prior to 2015, see the Staff Goals folder on the officials, which is where you'll want to post if you want GMs to respond to your ideas. Crystal amulets are global. It's unintuitive, but you have to ESP IGNORE GLOBAL to turn on the global channel. All of this is on the Wiki.

[Viekn]

As a returning player after many years, I love this game and I want to see it succeed. Two ideas I have that I think might help:

1. Having lich chat replace the amulet is bad news because returning players have no idea how to communicate with anyone now in a regional manner. If someone reactivates/free trials overnight, they're going to think the game is dead and never come back. Having the regional/global chat rely on a third-party program with a relatively complex installation is a big turnoff for new blood, believe me, especially if the install doesn't go smoothly. Instead: make crystal amulets global, remove the RT, and have an OOC channel. That way, lich becomes useful rather than (essentially) necessary

The best thing about lich is really that it has ;go2, which allows you to forgo maps and just type ;go pawnshop, ;go icemule, etc. The lich chat really isn't necessary to use or have access to. There are plenty of people who don't use lich chat (or all of lich for that matter) and get by just fine without it. If you're wanting an immediate answer to a question or you're trying to sell something live in game, then yes, lich chat is your best option (really the only option if you're selling something live in game). But if you have a question, you could just as easily post here and get a pretty quick response. Take it from someone who monitors the PC all day long. If I see someone asking a question that I can answer, I am usually taking time out of my day to stop and post a response, as are a lot of people around here. As far as the amunet having an OOC channel? I don't see that ever happening. Have you seen some of the stuff that gets talked about OOC on lnet? I don't see any way Simu is going to open themselves up to that. They still hold themselves out there as a family friendly type game and there'd be no way they would allow a potentially under age gamer to come in and see what gets discussed in an OOC type chat environment. Sometimes I have to go take a shower after listening to lnet.

[Ososis]

People tell me I need lich. For go2, so they can check my spells and spell me up easier, find me easier when I'm dead, and a host of other things that could really be game changers. Your description of OOC lnet is by far my strongest motivation to get lich.

[Viekn]

Your description of OOC lnet is by far my strongest motivation to get lich.

LOL. Don't get me wrong, just because I warn about (not advise against) it doesn't mean I'm not a perpetrator.


People tell me I need lich. For go2, so they can check my spells and spell me up easier, find me easier when I'm dead, and a host of other things that could really be game changers.

I do agree with needing lich for go2. Some (very few), will still argue that, but not many. As far as checking your spells and finding you easier when dead, it's just because that's what we've gotten used to. But I seem to remember playing before lich came out and I got spelled up and found dead out in the field just fine.

[Whirlin]

With the decreasing userbase, it's incredibly easy to feel isolated in Gemstone... Lich's constant OOC banter (for better or worse) at least makes it feel like you're playing with other people while you're hunting in your empty hunting grounds and sitting alone at a table.

With its open script base, there's also a variety of quality-of-life enhancements available, such as the ones outlined above for magic management, death support, blahblahblah. But also things like foraging, forging, fletching, alchemy, etc.... Things that otherwise bring on such tedium, you wonder why you ever came back.

It really helps bring the game into something more competitive in this decade.

[Furryrat]

Urchin guides are better than goto in town.