Geas' newbie essentials

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Israfel
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Re: Geas' newbie essentials

#21 Post by Israfel » Wed Nov 01, 2017 3:17 am

Hi everyone

Just wanted to drop in to the forum and say thanks for these tips. I haven't ventured far yet as a newbie but the advice in this thread and others on the forum have really helped getting adjusted to the mechanics of the Geas world and the essential commands and concepts.

I'm not really in a position to advise other newbies on the best way to play, but from what I've played so far I'm getting the most enjoyment out of jumping in and discovering things IC in the world. There's something just plain fun about not attempting to know everything about stats, guilds, weapons, skills, builds etc from the start. I'd highly recommend it.

Israfel

PS. Took the advice here and asked a friendly NPC named Yanna for 'help'. Horrified to discover 123 notches afterwards. 10/10

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Arsicas
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Re: Geas' newbie essentials

#22 Post by Arsicas » Wed Nov 01, 2017 1:12 pm

Hehe, glad you're enjoying it. Feel free to ask if you have any questions.
Duncan hisses in Common: love not keepzss zssomeone alive
You speak softly in Common: Sometimes it's all that keeps one
alive.
You smile slightly.

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Israfel
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Re: Geas' newbie essentials

#23 Post by Israfel » Sat Nov 25, 2017 9:22 pm

Hi and thanks for the welcome.

I've returned with many questions! Most of this is about the game mechanics I haven't been able to understand completely from help files or by trial and error etc. Appreciate any advice or tips you may have on these.

RP/OOC question:
What's the general protocol for using @say for OOC comms in Geas?

I've had people realise my newbieness and offer me a few syntax/command tips with @say after making a suggestion IC. Like:

IC: "There are a group of goblins ahead. Israfel, be prepared to take a defensive stance and retreat if things go poorly."
@say: "Try using 'mood wimpy' and wear your shield before the fight starts. Check out help 'mood' too."

I've also seen people use it to indicate when they need to quickly 'AFK'.

I've really tried not to use @say at all because it kind of breaks to immersion a bit and I don't want to ruins things for others.

Being evil
I did browse a thread of the forums about this. It looks like a difficult road for a new player. Is that still the way of it? I ask because the IC (in an RP sense) opportunity to follow a more evil path did come up for me recently in a couple of ways and having read that thread I OOCly steered away from taking up the opportunity knowing that it would probably make learning the game a whole lot harder.

Training
I've had a couple of attempts at training with an NPC. The first attempt, I paid some money to a trainer who then went through a lesson. At the end of this I got a message that said it really wasn't very useful and I didn't learn anything. Is this normal? (also can I get a refund?? :mrgreen: )

Second time: went through a little quest for an NPC to teach me some language skills. The lesson equaled the addition of 1 point in the theory of that skill. I was expecting much more. Is training always in single point increments?

Books
Books look really interesting but I'm finding them very hard to access (playing as a human). There's a book called 'How to read a book' but the text is obfuscated because of my low 'common font' skill. That, or I'm doing it wrong :lol: .

I also found a learnbook on common font but my skill in common font is too low to read that one also... *scratching my head here* Am I going about this all wrong?

Coins
I am carrying around a ton of loose coinage. Are there money pouches or something I can store them in?

Inventory
Is there a way to view the inventory as a list (eg dot points/numbered) rather than a paragraph? (just for ease of reading it)

Carrying things
I bought a backpack but I found carrying just a few 'essentials' around in the backpack was weighing me down quite a bit.

This 'was' my initial take on essentials to carry around:
- lamp and oil
- tinderbox
- coins
- maps
- weapons/shield
- waterskin
- food
- whetstone
- compass

I've since abandoned the food and waterskin because they seem to weigh me down a lot and I never seem to be too far from water or food at the moment. I've even stopped using the backpack and opted for stuffing things (like maps/whetstone) in my pockets instead.

So my question is, what are the options for players who want to be 'light on their feet' but still be able to grab their other belongs for certain situations (eg long journey, going into a cave, into the swamp etc)? Can I just hide my backpack somewhere to go and retrieve it later? Or do I need to buy and use a locker for this type of stuff?

Mercenaries
The preamble here is a bit of a newbie tale of woe...

So I was playing around with mercenaries yesterday. I had weighed up for a while whether it was worth hiring one and hadn't been able to figure out how long they'd stay with me etc. Anyway, I figured the best way to find out would be just to try it, so I decided to hire one to assist me with the nibbler attic fight. This went great and so I then figured I'd keep things rolling and go and complete a few more of the trickier quests while I was at it.

So with the powerhouse of Arborea, Borric, by my side I thought I could 'maybe' finally fulfill my dream of conquering the swamp nearby Arborea for a quest I'd wanted to do for a while. This was a bad idea. Upon entering the swamp, I got eaten to within an inch of my life by leeches. Then a lizard or some other swamp-creature bit Borric on the hand causing him to drop his war hammer into a swamp-hole - which promptly ate it, never to be seen again.

As it turns out, Borric is a bit of a weapon snob and won't wield anything but his favorite warhammer. He wouldn't wield any of the pitiful weapons I offered him. Completely lost, it was then that it occurred to me that Borric was not going to be much help to me fully clad in plate armour, wading through a swamp, trying to bash lizards over the head with his fists.

Long story short, I managed to navigate my way out of there and lived to tell the tale. Borric too made it out alive. But I never was able to get his hammer back.

So a few question I still haven't figured out with merc is:
- Is Borric now 'broken' (weaponless) for anyone who wants to hire him in the future?
- How long with the merc stay with me (eg one IC day?) and will they just stop following me or demand more cash at that point?
- I logged out and when I logged back in my merc was still in the room but had left my service. They didn't return back to their merc hall. Should they do that on their own or do I need to rehire them to walk them home again?
- Can I 'spar' with a merc I hired as a way of practicing? eg, hire merc, tell him to use stunmode, then tell him to attack me? (seems like an easy way to get knocked out)

Israfel

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Re: Geas' newbie essentials

#24 Post by anglachel » Sun Nov 26, 2017 8:34 am

Israfel wrote: RP/OOC question:
There are no hard rules for using @say
Then your char says something to an other char use: say
If you want to say something to an other player use: @say
Everytime you say something, what your char would never say use: @say
If you want to talk ooc with an other player more as two or three sentence,
you can use the ooc area for this.
Israfel wrote: Being evil
To be evil can be hard, because other player who are on the good side will attack you.
Second your char looses the easy acesss the resources of big cities like Arborea and
Elvandar. So only choose the dark side, if you have replacement for the lost resources
which or char will need.
Be part of an evil goup would be a good idea.
On the other hand there are not only white and black. There is big gray area between.
May be choose darkgray insteed of black. So you have may be some death enemies,
but many other will still help.
Israfel wrote: Training
Every training lesson give you a chance of skill improve. It will be harder then you already
have some skillspoints. In this case the lesson (and coins) are lost. To pay for training
lesseons makes only sense for low skills, or then you have a chest full gold to spend.
Every improve is only always one point. The first point is improtant for some skills,
becuse the are able to rise the skill by doing. (Some skills like languages need five)
Israfel wrote: Books
If you want to learn a language or font, learn the first points with a trainer.
Then try to get a book in this language and font and read it from time to time.
Then you skill will rise with the time.
A leanbook makes only sense then you have mastered the language and the font
of the book.
Israfel wrote: Coins
There are pouches for coins. You can put it a backpack, too.
if you have much money, you can open a account in a bank.
Israfel wrote: Inventory
There are only the option to filter the inventory with "inventory herb|gem|weapon|armour"
Israfel wrote: Carrying things
There are backpacks of servel size. May be one the smaller in enough for your stuff.
If you hide you backpack choose a good hideout and do not forget to take it
before you leave.
Second take care of the reboot or your stuff wil be lost.
Renting a room with a chest in a inn would be an alternative to a locker.
But innrooms are not 100% save!
Israfel wrote: Mercenaries
The mercs are only good for simple task. For complex one you should ask an other player.
Brimg the merc always back before you logout!
The mercs will get new stuff with the next reboot,
Mercs are not designed for sparring fights. Some guilds have a kind of arena for such figfhts.

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Arsicas
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Re: Geas' newbie essentials

#25 Post by Arsicas » Sun Nov 26, 2017 2:56 pm

You've got questions; we've got answers!

Generally, I'll use @say if I need to tell someone the syntax for something or if we're in the middle of rp and I need to go afk or if someone has ooc questions or the like. For long discussions, it's probably best to go to the ooc area. You can also use @whisper to talk oocly with one person and not bug other people in the room.

Being evil does tend to be more difficult, although it can depend upon the playerbase too. Currently, there aren't as many "good" types like Crusaders and Tanielites as there have been in the past. But being outed as evil can still get you outlawed from Elvandar (Arborea has become more accepting these days). It probably helps to have good knowledge of the game just because being evil often puts you in PVP situations. But if you have a good mentor, it's probably still doable. And yes, there are shades of grey. Some guilds, darkelves, and followers of Lilith and Sathonys automatically get outlawed from Elvandar if you're found out, but it's possible to be a covert member or follower or to just be evil-leaning. Just keep in mind that your rp choices will have consequences. But making the evil choice might brew conflict and make things more interesting, so don't feel like you have to forgo that route completely. :)

With paying for lessons, sometimes you learn something and sometimes you don't. And yes, you will only get 1 theoretical point per lesson. I've generally tried to get lessons up to around 10-15 points before just attempting to learn on my own, but some people will take lessons for longer. At some point, the money isn't really worth it though. :P Some skills require a certain number of points before you can actually use the skill (like reading/speaking languages).

With books, you'll be able to understand them more as your font and language skills improve. I think you need around 5 points before you can actually read the font/language. You can improve common font and some languages by reading signs and such though.

If you have an excess of coins, you can deposit them at the bank. There's one in each of the major cities. I usually carry a few gold just in case I need to pay for things, and you can keep coins in bags or backpacks or pockets.

I used to carry around a lot of stuff too, but being lighter does help (especially if you're a light armor wearer and light fighter). I'd save up for a locker cause you will probably want one at some point. And hidden backpacks might wander off if someone comes across them. :P Also, things left on the ground won't survive reboot on Friday. I think I have a large locker and can hold plenty of supplies for making books and other random but useful things. You might not need as big of one if you're not a craftsman or miner, but I tend to like to store a lot. You can also rent an inn room with a chest and store things there, though inn rooms can be broken into. But thieves probably won't be interested in lamps and maps and compasses, so you should be fine. :P I try to just carry what I need for the task at hand and store other things in my locker for when I need them. You probably don't need to carry food and water unless you will be somewhere far from food/water sources for a while.

The mercenaries will have their items again upon reboot. It's a good idea to bring them back after you are done using them; otherwise they will just stay where you left them, but nobody else can hire them if you still technically have them hired. And it improves your reputation with them to bring them back alive.
Duncan hisses in Common: love not keepzss zssomeone alive
You speak softly in Common: Sometimes it's all that keeps one
alive.
You smile slightly.

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Israfel
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Re: Geas' newbie essentials

#26 Post by Israfel » Tue Nov 28, 2017 4:10 am

Thanks for the fast responses! I've decided to keep on with the 'mostly' neutral/gray path for now.

Books
I managed to get my common font skill to improve some now. So looks like that's got me on the path to being able to read and understand more books.

Inns
Inn rooms sound pretty cool, I didn't realise they were rentable until you mentioned it. I got more info asking the NPC innkeeper about 'room'. Now just trying to interpret the pricing of that and how it would work, the guestbook says the following:
| The weekly rent for a room with storage chest is: |
| |
| 4 silver coins |

| Don't forget to occasionally 'pay' your rent, |
| or else your inn keeper will offer your old room |
| and all its contents after 180 days to the next |
| renter. |
I'm assuming all references to time (days, weeks etc) are in game time so it translates to this:
---------------------------------
| Real life | Geas time |
|---------------------------------|
| 5 minutes | 1/2 an hour |
| 10 minutes | 1 hour |
| 30 minutes | 3 hours |
| 1 hour | 6 hours |
| 4 hours | 1 day |
| 1 day 8 hours | 1 week |
| 3 days 16 hours | 1 month |
| 58 days 16 hours | 1 year |
---------------------------------
(ref: help time)
So if I'm understanding it right, I'd be paying 4 silver coins for 32 hours realtime, and the innkeeper will kick me out after 30 days realtime. Does this mean I can accumulate debt for example if I pay for 32 hours of rent and then log off for a few days? And I am also assuming the 'time rented' counts down even while I'm not logged on?

All in all, the inn rooms sound pretty neat and would make sense for my character who is getting more at home in Arborea, and just took up citizenship there. I don't suppose there's more permanent real estate available for wealthier characters to purchase?

Armours/flickup
My questions are a bit all over the place here. :mrgreen: About flickup, is there an obvious way to check if I'm able to 'flickup' in my current armour aside from waiting fall on my face in a fight? I wanted to try out wearing a couple of heavy armour pieces (eg gauntlets and helmet) and keep the rest kind of light, but being able to move around and be agile is pretty important to me.

Temperature
Do characters acclimatise to the temperature of the world? For instance does having increased exposure over time and living the 'outdoors' life increase your ‘passive’ resistance to cold and make you better at enduring it? As my character gets more experienced I'd like to take him on longer and longer treks into the wilderness and it would be interesting to explore that aspect of becoming more 'weathered' and toughened against the elements.

Thanks for your help!

Israfel

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Re: Geas' newbie essentials

#27 Post by Delia » Tue Nov 28, 2017 7:49 am

Flickup:

It is mostly reserved for no/light armour. I think some medium armour configurations allow for flickup but as a long time light armour user I have kinda forgotten the specifics.

Experimenting with some easy foes is encouraged in order to get a "feel" how things work.

Temperature:

Characters do not get any temperustua resists on their own over time. It would be a nice side effect from high arctic/desert lore though. I will add that to ideas :)

Clerics and mages can use magical means and there are some alchemy potions I think. Advanced characters can choose abilities that help but frankly the best way is to wear protective clothing. A new set of wInter gear was added to Elvandar a while back. Perhaps if someone supplied a nice desc some other city or village could offer some other options too?
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Re: Geas' newbie essentials

#28 Post by Arsicas » Tue Nov 28, 2017 2:19 pm

Inn rooms:

Yes, the time rented will continue while you're offline too. You'll usually get stopped by the innkeeper if you try to go to your room without having paid your rent lately and will then have to pay whatever debt you've accumulated. Unfortunately, the Arborea rooms always seem to be full. They should add on to support the growing population. :P Some wealthier characters have purchased their own houses, but you'll probably have to talk to Turian or another wizard to see about cost (I think it's quite expensive) and where you can build.
Duncan hisses in Common: love not keepzss zssomeone alive
You speak softly in Common: Sometimes it's all that keeps one
alive.
You smile slightly.

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