Start in diffrent cities via the OOC area

[herkles]

As the title says, This idea is simple starting in diffrent cities via the OOC area. The cities and towns available would IMO, be the Port, vallaki, and the village. This would allow people when a reset or an update happens to quickly go to one of these cities. But only if they were in the OOC area. Like you can currently start in a safe spot, a faction area, and your last area you were in. This idea would also allow you to start in a few different cities.

So I am curious what do others think of this idea?

[Telkar]

All I can say really is: Why not?

I'm actually pretty neutral since it usually suffices for me to be able to use my safe area, or last location. Only occasionally I use the faction base portal if I have something more specific in mind.

[Bluebomber4evr]

That would require complete rebalancing of the entire module. The other cities are currently balanced for higher levels and new characters would die easily.

So to sum up: the answer is that it's not going to happen.

[DM Tarokka]

Not to disagree but...

...in Port-à-Lucine if you don't wander at night there is 0 risks...

... Village of Barovia if you don't go out from the city walls there are no wandering monsters npcs...

... Krofburg's surrounding main danger is emaciated wolves...

If one starts there just to play a local and starting as "non-adventurer", why not?

[Soren / Zarathustra217]

If we had a population that was twice our current at all hours, it might be a good idea, but we should always be cautious of dispersing people too much. Many PWs have suffered an ill fate on that account.

[Time_Stomped]

New people that don't know what they are doing can't be funneled into the proper place either with multiple spawns, unless they are close to each other.

[Bluebomber4evr]

Not to disagree but...

...in Port-à-Lucine if you don't wander at night there is 0 risks...

... Village of Barovia if you don't go out from the city walls there are no wandering monsters npcs...

... Krofburg's surrounding main danger is emaciated wolves...

If one starts there just to play a local and starting as "non-adventurer", why not?

So basically they have to do nothing and thus won't gain levels, which doesn't really persuade me that it's a good idea. All of the low-level dungeons and monsters are in the Vallaki area by design. And as Soren said, having multiple starting points doesn't really work for most PWs.

[herkles]

That may be true, save for 2 things. What of all the were-rats in Vallaki? they are not exactly meant for lowbies. especially when you can encounter half a dozen of them and I almost always see stronger or greater were-rats. Also there is the fact of RP XP which I have used to just level up either.

[LawfulJoe]

I have seen this scripting in a conversation, perhaps it is something that could be opened as a pc gains levels. The option is not available if you are not the minimum level or higher to go to those areas. I mention this being a player of limited time to play.

As a developer and In defense of the current way the server is set up. The Dev team works very hard on keeping a feeling of distance and travel. If you could just *poof* to The Port or The Village evey restart it would take away from  that feel.

[Bluebomber4evr]

That may be true, save for 2 things. What of all the were-rats in Vallaki? they are not exactly meant for lowbies. especially when you can encounter half a dozen of them and I almost always see stronger or greater were-rats. Also there is the fact of RP XP which I have used to just level up either.

it'd be much easier and more in line with what we want to do to just move the wererats out of vallaki than to have people starting in an area designated for high-level play.

[dark_majico]

I agree we shouldnt disperse people too much, and I think having extra starting citys isnt needed. You allready have three choices when you start. Your faction base, your last satored location (make the effort to walk back to your home city, or another before you log off and you gain the benefits, and your last stored safe location. Isnt three potential starting places enough?

[Soren / Zarathustra217]

A short note about wererats, I think their numbers are being rather overstated. Last I checked, there were none in neither Slums, Market or Warehouses' sewers.

[herkles]

The issue with were-rat is they are random. Sometimes the streets are completely empty sometimes they are filled with them.  It is somewhat a hit and miss basicly.

[HellsPanda]

no they aren't, they are tied to the spawn bellow, if no one kills wererats, their strength grows, if people kill rats bellow, you wont get alot less above

[respawnaholic]

If we had a population that was twice our current at all hours, it might be a good idea, but we should always be cautious of dispersing people too much. Many PWs have suffered an ill fate on that account.

Thats a valid point, but having the option to transition to someplace besides Vallaki once per reset doesnt seem like a bad compromise. I've been on the server a whole year now and only ever travelled to Port a Lucine ONCE (and stayed for like twenty minutes) just because its such a pain in the ass to go there.

On a slightly unrelated note about the spawns in Vallaki: I know this suggestion could come back to haunt me in a serious way buy why are there no vampires wandering the streets of a MAJOR city after darrk? I could see leaving the main thoroughfare alone, but some vampires wandering around in some of the more remote corners of the city kinda strikes me as more logical than hordes of them wandering around in the woods. After all: if you were a vampire wouldnt you tend to hunt where the people actually are?

[dark_majico]

Well in Barovia the people are so frightend of nightfall, and vampires, they dont walk the streets at night. Vampires wouldnt have a bountifull selection. Vallaki is a starting area for new players, we have large spawns of rats/dire rats, and wererats, throwing vampires in the mix ups the CR rating of the city by a lot, theres a very good reason for it. Also I think vampires heres tend to be more ferral and wild, not the overused gentleman vampire that everyone is hell bent on playing and refereing too.

[respawnaholic]

Well in Barovia the people are so frightend of nightfall, and vampires, they dont walk the streets at night. Vampires wouldnt have a bountifull selection. Vallaki is a starting area for new players, we have large spawns of rats/dire rats, and wererats, throwing vampires in the mix ups the CR rating of the city by a lot, theres a very good reason for it. Also I think vampires heres tend to be more ferral and wild, not the overused gentleman vampire that everyone is hell bent on playing and refereing too.

I get the whole feral vampire thing and citizens being afraid to come out after dark, but still....an entire city of several thousand inhabitants would still offer far easier hunting than wandering around in the sullen woods hoping for some errant traveller to come by. I mean...if people wandering the streets of a city after dark is rare...how likely is it your going to find human prey wandering around in a place thats known to be dangerous even during the day. Predators tend to go to where the food is.

I also get that Vallaki is supposed to be a low level spawn area but thats kinda subjective. Most of the wererats spawn in groups of three and there are good odds that at least one is a greater or superior wererat. Usually two. Those things can easily be every bit as dangerous as a low level vampire spawn if not slightly moreso. Their actually faster. Which means that disengaging from them is more difficult. I just think having some vampire spawns in some of the more obscure corners of the city would make for some interesting variety.

[Springer]

At least Village of Barovia can use some vamps on streets for sure. As of now low level Vallaki is farm more dangerous at night then Village or kroftburg

[DM Tarokka]

Most Barovians are afraid of things which they have never seen. So, from an "outlander" point of view they might even appear as paranoid. What would be the point at having vampire npcs or whatever in the Village of Barovia?

[Springer]

What the point of wererats in the Vallaki then? Or werewolves on the road? Or bandits in Port Lucine?
I guess they were added to make nights and travels during the nights more dangerous.

Right now Village and especially Kroftburg roads are one of the most safest places on the server even during the night.

[respawnaholic]

What the point of wererats in the Vallaki then? Or werewolves on the road? Or bandits in Port Lucine?
I guess they were added to make nights and travels during the nights more dangerous.

Right now Village and especially Kroftburg roads are one of the most safest places on the server even during the night.

Right. Thats all Im saying. Just something to add some variety to the encounters of Vallaki that makes logical (for a fantasy game involving vampires and magic anyway) sence.

THey have bandits in Port Lucine? Huh....guess I should actually go there again sometime. (thinks it over) Maybe not.

[Emomina]

Gothic Horror is much less in-your-face than that. It is built on apprehension and sublty. If you pack every map full of dangerous stereo typical monsters, you create a suffocating survival horror with claustrophobia.
The werewolves in the wilderness is fine, but packing settlements full of vampires cheapens their impact. To maintain the proper atmosphere, you want infrequent encounters that leave a sizable, memorable impact.

[respawnaholic]

Gothic Horror is much less in-your-face than that. It is built on apprehension and sublty. If you pack every map full of dangerous stereo typical monsters, you create a suffocating survival horror with claustrophobia.
The werewolves in the wilderness is fine, but packing settlements full of vampires cheapens their impact. To maintain the proper atmosphere, you want infrequent encounters that leave a sizable, memorable impact.

I agree totally that there shouldnt be hordes of vampires wandering the streets of Vallaki...otherwise they'd start to trip over the "infrequent" hordes of wererats hanging out on every streetcorner of Vallaki.....You know what would happen then....GANG WAR! But seriously I think having a vampire or two tucked away in some obscure side road or neighberhood of Vallaki would contribute directly to the mood your trying to convey. Imagine rolling around a corner and seeing a vampire stalking the alleys of the temple (or banking, or whatever its called) district. That would definately be an "oh wow" moment for me. And I'm just saying I always thought it was odd that as dangerous as Vallaki is after dark...the one thing you DIDNT have to worry about on a RAVENLOFT server...was vampires.

[herkles]

tis best if those vampires were NPCs or MPCs, as if there are just one or two, they would do something other then mindlessly assault you. Plus that way it would make for a more memorable encounter if they were better able to interact with you.

[Zedrik]

Honestly, I've always liked the complete lack of anything at night in the Village.
When a DM throws out a pose describing haunted sobbing in the middle of the night, it makes it a LOT creepier and atmospheric than if it was done in Wereratville. I mean, Vallaki.