Unwritten Legends Forums

Merow · Joined: 12 Jan 2006 Posts: 564 Location: New York

Hey, here's a question in a roundabout fashion:

I know that staff is cranking out a ton of stuff lately--and I am greatly enjoying all of it. By way of preamble this post is in no way an indictment on the speed with which staff creates things--quite frankly it's been fantastic of late.

I also know that I've always been a proponent of the, "If you really want to see something in game (like the IG, or Royal Guard, or the Mechanist Society, and etcetera) the best way to do it is to do as much of the legwork as possible for the staff and let them focus on other things that actually effect the game.

SO, all of that being said I've always thought it would be very cool if Penthras was an actual city to go to. I wonder if there's a plan on putting it in, and if there IS, I'd kicked around the idea with another player of building it--at least putting together all the descriptions and people and whatnot. It'd obviously take awhile, and anything we actual created would of course be subject to staff approval. This is generally something that staff has done, but I figure if I really want to see it in--but I don't want the staff to stop doing what their doing with systems and plot lines and whatnot (which I also enjoy) then I should at least offer.

Is the building of Penthras something that staff would let players do? Or is it such a massive undertaking and such an important part of the culture of the game that they would want to hold onto it themselves (something I'd also understand)?

Anyway, let me know.

Dave
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Michael Jackson moonwalks up to you and smacks you silly.

Trantris · Joined: 12 Jan 2006 Posts: 396

I'd be really happy if you could accomplish this. You definitely have the right attitude about it. I try to take the same attitude towards things I want to see in the game, but I usually end up being too lazy to put in any work.

Consider, though, that we have a small population-- comfortably small, but definitely small. UL has the most painstakingly realized, richest, most compelling fantasy adaptation of Tokugawa Japan in the world, ready made for fans of Kurosawa or Zatoichi or, God help us, Inuyasha, to go and play out their fantasies in. And it's empty. Dead.

We have an amazing player-run military-cum-police force, that's proven that players can handle law enforcement in a game like this, and has a wonderful and interesting history that goes back years and years, and at the moment, let's face it, it's defunct.

We're only just beginning to be able to portray a small corner of a small kingdom with a real, functional government, with players taking the roles of warlords and politicians and military commanders and spies, in a setting that feels real and where actions have consequences. We're not there yet, but we're getting there.

Now, these things go in cycles. There'll be RP in Koje again, some day. Things will pick up with the Guard, as they have in the past. But do you really think the game has room for the capital city of this great big empire, when we've only been able to achieve the limited success we have at fleshing out the settings we have at present?

I want to be able to go to Penthras, too-- it's dumb that your character, who has close ties to it and is supposed to go there often, can't, really. It's dumb that one of the reasons my character has been somewhat successful at portraying the Empire as irrelevant to the kingdom's interests is the totally OOC and artificial reality that it doesn't exist. But I just don't think there's room enough in the game to do it justice, right now, and I don't see that changing for a good while.

Rosalia · Joined: 31 Dec 1969 Posts: 131

I have suggested prior that we have PC Architects that help to actually build the game IE writing room descriptions and such. I really hope this happens. We have such an incredible creative group of players and it would be great if staff could tap into it.
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Merow rasps, "And you think they've been idle all this time? Undoubtedly they've been plotting for these two years, and this is just the sort of thing that two years of pernicious pixie plotting will get you!"

Merow · Joined: 12 Jan 2006 Posts: 564 Location: New York

Yeah, I wouldn't expect it to become populated--and likely it will go the way of Port Keyne and Koje, and be underutilized at the game's current player level. I would be completely okay with this. However, given as weighty an RP subject as the Empire is, I think it stands to reason it be visitable. It's existence alone would create any number of interesting RP situations for the players involved.

Anyway, I hope it's something we can work on--it'd be fun from an OOC perspective as well, and I've gotten some interest from other players already in regards to developing it.

Dave
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Michael Jackson moonwalks up to you and smacks you silly.

Rosalia · Joined: 31 Dec 1969 Posts: 131

It could always turn out like Seton is now which is a huge RP hub now. Not all the time but a lot of the time. Things are always evolving in game. And Koje is really beautiful. Good vacation place if you don't want your character to be from there. I see T's point, of course, but I would love to have more areas to visit too.
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Merow rasps, "And you think they've been idle all this time? Undoubtedly they've been plotting for these two years, and this is just the sort of thing that two years of pernicious pixie plotting will get you!"

Granfalloon · Staff Member Joined: 31 Dec 1969 Posts: 353

Rosalia · Joined: 31 Dec 1969 Posts: 131

Ena · Joined: 31 Dec 1969 Posts: 164

Rosa: You remind me of one of those big, fluffy, happy dogs that, once the gate is opened, knocks a person over and begins licking his face enthusiastically until he's like "Stop! Stop! Okay Okay I'm here! Ahhhh!" Very Happy

He said players are welcome to create content, but there is no guarantee that content will be used. Which makes perfect sense.

Rosalia · Joined: 31 Dec 1969 Posts: 131

Simon · Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2010 12:51 pm Post subject:

If I were you, I would send them an email asking for a general overview of what the city is meant to be like (or, if they feel so inclined, they could post it here). Once you have that, just send your ideas and creations to them in chunks. First, send a list of things to include in the city. With that approved, start making them and send them in one at a time, asking questions as needed. It would be a huge and daunting task for anyone to receive a whole city to approve in one go, anyway.
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[beta] Dyannah: hey T, you have old balls, the new ones are coming in with the next update