ODIN331
Roc
03/14/2013 07:35 AM CDT
From mythology, the great predatory bird, the roc.
A massive raptor, twice the highth of a Gor tog and a wingspan triple that, misses no opportunity to feed it's hungry brood that noisily wait for their meal high up in their lofty nest. The piercing eyes or a roc miss no details as they scan from the sky and hiding from them would be folly. They only fly during the daylight anlaes and when they are near you can see them flying high when you OBSERVE SKY.
They have a unique attack. They enter an area and quickly advance their prey, lunging with a mighty attack from pole-range. Their next attack will be a grapple attempt. They then fly up and out of combat with or without the intended grappled victem. The grappled adventurer can continue to fight but their actions could cause the roc to drop them from a great height to a sure death.
The captive adventurer is carried up and dropped into a cliffside nest where any number of hatchlings hungrily await. If one is lucky and skilled enough to survive the chaos, they must then clamber and trek a dangerous trail down. There is no way to climb up the trail unless one has been trained in a rangerly fashion.
Rocs are known to like shiny things and it's told they line their nests with all sorts of things, tempting adventurers. Their hide is thin and plyable making it good for parchments and scrolls, and their bones are light and hollow, perfect for instrument making.
Some say the real treasure of the roc is an egg, as you can keep it for a while, RUBBING it and warming it in the sun until it hatches. These untame creatures come out of the egg ready to do buisness, advancing on anyone but their 'owner'.
Kill in Peace
LUCKYSEVENS
BENNETTJ13
Re: Roc
04/06/2017 03:38 PM CDT
We need less creatures with quirky special mechanics.
Monster Elec
You hear the distant echo of a savage Horde snarling in barbaric disapproval of your deeds.
Monster Elec
You hear the distant echo of a savage Horde snarling in barbaric disapproval of your deeds.
TEVESHSZAT
Re: Roc
04/06/2017 05:02 PM CDT
>>But but but.. why? Hunting is pretty boring.
There's always going to be a clash between things being hunted for excitement and things being hunted because skills need to go up and that requires hunting for hours on end.
I'm a huge fan of quests and other various special situations where I'd have to fight something with unique aspects, but if I want my character's skills to trudge along to the next circle I want something that offers stability and not much expectation that I need to keep running off to get healed. When you toss special attacks or critters flying or "boss" mobs into a regular hunting area, they're more likely to become an annoying speedbump to have to deal with that something exciting.
Uzmam! The Chairman will NOT be pleased to know you're trying to build outside of approved zones. I'd hate for you to be charged the taxes needed to have this place re-zoned. Head for the manor if you're feeling creative.
There's always going to be a clash between things being hunted for excitement and things being hunted because skills need to go up and that requires hunting for hours on end.
I'm a huge fan of quests and other various special situations where I'd have to fight something with unique aspects, but if I want my character's skills to trudge along to the next circle I want something that offers stability and not much expectation that I need to keep running off to get healed. When you toss special attacks or critters flying or "boss" mobs into a regular hunting area, they're more likely to become an annoying speedbump to have to deal with that something exciting.
Uzmam! The Chairman will NOT be pleased to know you're trying to build outside of approved zones. I'd hate for you to be charged the taxes needed to have this place re-zoned. Head for the manor if you're feeling creative.
BADGOPHER
Re: Roc
04/06/2017 05:28 PM CDT
>But but but.. why?
Because after the 20,000th special attack (which, by the way, isn't an exaggeration) you're over it. Special attacks just increase the difficulty of a critter to hunt without offering any payback (financial or exp).
If DR didn't take years to level through, and millions of killed things, then sure, special attacks would be cool. But the current progression system makes them a feature literally no one would seek out.
Because after the 20,000th special attack (which, by the way, isn't an exaggeration) you're over it. Special attacks just increase the difficulty of a critter to hunt without offering any payback (financial or exp).
If DR didn't take years to level through, and millions of killed things, then sure, special attacks would be cool. But the current progression system makes them a feature literally no one would seek out.
ILLIENA
Re: Roc
04/06/2017 05:41 PM CDT
> But the current progression system makes them a feature literally no one would seek out.
There's a reason I tested both wyverns and drakes and quickly decided I would be hunting drakes.
There's a reason I tested both wyverns and drakes and quickly decided I would be hunting drakes.
TEVESHSZAT
Re: Roc
04/06/2017 11:37 PM CDT
>>Otherwise, hunting the Roc hatchlings would be stable, with the exception of the occasional Roc that shows up.
Based on my experience hunting stompers, this will be about as exciting as the occasional tuskie showing up. It's more annoying that it is exciting.
>>Sure, a boss mob can be annoying, but maybe Simu can make the Roc boss worthwhile, by offering plenty of extra gold, and the possibility of rare loot drops or something.
The rub with this is that it will either spawn so often that whatever makes the drops special won't be that special or they'll spawn so rarely that players won't feel it's worth waiting around to farm so it'll be an annoyance for people hunting the "normal" critter in the area.
>>On this topic, I think it would be fun for other types of mobs to have unique accessing. I can't think of any off the top of my head, but still, I found the concept inspiring. Graveworms were fun, digging through a grave to drop beneath the ground.. That's a good example of what I'm talking about.
Not to bash that manor, because I love that manor, but it stops being exciting after the first time you do it. Which is a major issue with DR: the day-to-day action is too repetitive to make these typically exciting one-off situations not become "oh, this again".
Look at it from a roleplaying perspective: climbing a dangerous mountain, crossing a deadly rope bridge, fighting a dragon with unique actions and dangers you need to be fully alert to address... these are all awesome things. The first time you do it. Maybe the second time. Then the third time. But eventually the excitement goes away and if it ever becomes a "well I need to kill ten thousand more dragons to level up I guess," you'll lose interest entirely.
It's like if I had to do Beyond the Barrier runs in order to circle. I love going on Beyond the Barrier. The way each puzzle is short but unique keeps the tasks enjoyable and fresh. I adore the way the map wraps around itself, so while you might have had to really fight your way through some tasks to get from A to C, it turns out there's this new shortcut back to A from D. I appreciate how the pacing that surrounds the entire quest is this really well-framed, because there's never a dull moment.
But, if I had to do it over and over and over and over and over and over and over in order to gain skill, I'd end up hating it. I'd start looking for ways to script the whole thing. I'd start to ignore all the things that make it awesome because I'm just interested in grinding out my experience because I just want to circle because I really really want to get that new title or spell or thing that makes the task at hand less of an adventure and more a "pull this lever 1000x please."
This is the issue with "special" areas: they're special just a few times, and the more "risk" in them, the less they're used because players have to choose between steady reliable exp gain or risky challenges, and if I have an hour or two to play at night and I want my skills to lock because that's the primary driving force of the non-RP aspects of DR, the risks lose out.
Uzmam! The Chairman will NOT be pleased to know you're trying to build outside of approved zones. I'd hate for you to be charged the taxes needed to have this place re-zoned. Head for the manor if you're feeling creative.
Based on my experience hunting stompers, this will be about as exciting as the occasional tuskie showing up. It's more annoying that it is exciting.
>>Sure, a boss mob can be annoying, but maybe Simu can make the Roc boss worthwhile, by offering plenty of extra gold, and the possibility of rare loot drops or something.
The rub with this is that it will either spawn so often that whatever makes the drops special won't be that special or they'll spawn so rarely that players won't feel it's worth waiting around to farm so it'll be an annoyance for people hunting the "normal" critter in the area.
>>On this topic, I think it would be fun for other types of mobs to have unique accessing. I can't think of any off the top of my head, but still, I found the concept inspiring. Graveworms were fun, digging through a grave to drop beneath the ground.. That's a good example of what I'm talking about.
Not to bash that manor, because I love that manor, but it stops being exciting after the first time you do it. Which is a major issue with DR: the day-to-day action is too repetitive to make these typically exciting one-off situations not become "oh, this again".
Look at it from a roleplaying perspective: climbing a dangerous mountain, crossing a deadly rope bridge, fighting a dragon with unique actions and dangers you need to be fully alert to address... these are all awesome things. The first time you do it. Maybe the second time. Then the third time. But eventually the excitement goes away and if it ever becomes a "well I need to kill ten thousand more dragons to level up I guess," you'll lose interest entirely.
It's like if I had to do Beyond the Barrier runs in order to circle. I love going on Beyond the Barrier. The way each puzzle is short but unique keeps the tasks enjoyable and fresh. I adore the way the map wraps around itself, so while you might have had to really fight your way through some tasks to get from A to C, it turns out there's this new shortcut back to A from D. I appreciate how the pacing that surrounds the entire quest is this really well-framed, because there's never a dull moment.
But, if I had to do it over and over and over and over and over and over and over in order to gain skill, I'd end up hating it. I'd start looking for ways to script the whole thing. I'd start to ignore all the things that make it awesome because I'm just interested in grinding out my experience because I just want to circle because I really really want to get that new title or spell or thing that makes the task at hand less of an adventure and more a "pull this lever 1000x please."
This is the issue with "special" areas: they're special just a few times, and the more "risk" in them, the less they're used because players have to choose between steady reliable exp gain or risky challenges, and if I have an hour or two to play at night and I want my skills to lock because that's the primary driving force of the non-RP aspects of DR, the risks lose out.
Uzmam! The Chairman will NOT be pleased to know you're trying to build outside of approved zones. I'd hate for you to be charged the taxes needed to have this place re-zoned. Head for the manor if you're feeling creative.
BADGOPHER
Re: Roc
04/07/2017 06:12 AM CDT
>I don't think anybody understood what I meant.
Everyone understood what you meant. It's why we are politely explaining that it's been tried, and no one hunts those creatures because the novelty wears off and renders them far less ideal than other solutions.
I like analogies. If you had two gas stations next to each other, and one required you to walk through literal fire, while the other was just a normal station, which would you use?
Sure, the fire one would be cool once. But after a while you get tired of singed pants and melted shoes and warm soda.
In DR, hunting is as routine as getting gas. The special entry mechanics and special critter mechanics are interesting 1-2 times, but after that it's just 'punch clown, get ticket' levels of interaction.
I was reading something about the mass effect coop this morning, and someone made a good point; if you have to solve a puzzle to enter a place or fight something, you should wreck that thing after you understand the puzzle. Which means either the puzzle is pointless after 1-2 things, or it's a barrier players grow to hate.
Everyone understood what you meant. It's why we are politely explaining that it's been tried, and no one hunts those creatures because the novelty wears off and renders them far less ideal than other solutions.
I like analogies. If you had two gas stations next to each other, and one required you to walk through literal fire, while the other was just a normal station, which would you use?
Sure, the fire one would be cool once. But after a while you get tired of singed pants and melted shoes and warm soda.
In DR, hunting is as routine as getting gas. The special entry mechanics and special critter mechanics are interesting 1-2 times, but after that it's just 'punch clown, get ticket' levels of interaction.
I was reading something about the mass effect coop this morning, and someone made a good point; if you have to solve a puzzle to enter a place or fight something, you should wreck that thing after you understand the puzzle. Which means either the puzzle is pointless after 1-2 things, or it's a barrier players grow to hate.
TEVESHSZAT
Re: Roc
04/07/2017 04:38 PM CDT
>>That isn't from my latest post. Read through it and then get back to me with quotes so I can figure out what you're thinking. Nice analogies, I think they summarize what everybody else was saying nicely, but the Roc concept is ever evolving.
If your idea evolved into "what if instead of a ferry, boat, airship, or sea mammoth we had a bird," sure?
Really the worst lens for that specific part would be "waiting can be a bit annoying at times."
Uzmam! The Chairman will NOT be pleased to know you're trying to build outside of approved zones. I'd hate for you to be charged the taxes needed to have this place re-zoned. Head for the manor if you're feeling creative.
If your idea evolved into "what if instead of a ferry, boat, airship, or sea mammoth we had a bird," sure?
Really the worst lens for that specific part would be "waiting can be a bit annoying at times."
Uzmam! The Chairman will NOT be pleased to know you're trying to build outside of approved zones. I'd hate for you to be charged the taxes needed to have this place re-zoned. Head for the manor if you're feeling creative.
BADGOPHER
Re: Roc
04/07/2017 05:00 PM CDT
>That isn't from my latest post.
Again. No clue what you've moved on to. You were talking about special attacks. Now...you are not?
Again. No clue what you've moved on to. You were talking about special attacks. Now...you are not?
DISCOTEQ21
Re: Roc
04/07/2017 08:29 PM CDT
There already is a wasteland of critters no one hunts. No reason to purchase more real estate in Death Valley.
Don't forget to vote for dragonrealms:
http://www.topmudsites.com/vote-DragonRealms.html
Don't forget to vote for dragonrealms:
http://www.topmudsites.com/vote-DragonRealms.html
BADGOPHER
Re: Roc
04/08/2017 06:55 AM CDT
DR is being run by a skeleton crew of developers right now now. They have so few GMs left that they can't seem to train new ones, per posts by the GMs themselves.
So please don't take the responses here as people simply poo'ing all over your ideas. What people are really saying is that your suggestion is very niche, and would apply to a handful of people at best. Brocket deer for example might be horribly generic, but it's what most players want; a punching bag that teaches well and doesn't do anything horrible to ruin your day. And right now, it's a numbers game. If you only have 5 development hours a week, that should go to things that will impact the game as a whole, or as many people as possible.
Most of us have been here for 10+ years, so we're sort of 'over' novelty things. They work great for events, quests, and other not-daily-training events (which includes hunting area entry).
So please don't take the responses here as people simply poo'ing all over your ideas. What people are really saying is that your suggestion is very niche, and would apply to a handful of people at best. Brocket deer for example might be horribly generic, but it's what most players want; a punching bag that teaches well and doesn't do anything horrible to ruin your day. And right now, it's a numbers game. If you only have 5 development hours a week, that should go to things that will impact the game as a whole, or as many people as possible.
Most of us have been here for 10+ years, so we're sort of 'over' novelty things. They work great for events, quests, and other not-daily-training events (which includes hunting area entry).
