Baldur's Gate : The Sword Coast Chronicles : NWN2 Persistent World

Planehopper wrote:Are there any areas that allow foraging, especially for bait, now that the east river map was removed?

Are new areas replacing these, especially the one in the OP, being a relatively necessary leveling area?

I realize this will never be a democracy, but how were these areas chosen? It seems to me that if areas are to be cut they could be less impactful to the majority if UD areas were removed, or unused guild areas, or some of DM only maps.

The UD, as pointed out before on many occasions, has a very negligible impact on the server for existing. There are still over 300 areas for the features of these areas to be re purposed in another existing area. 60 areas, 20% of the total area count, could account for leveling activity per level, for 1 - 30, of both the surface and UD communities, with the existing content without adding more.

So crazy question but does everyone like a unstable server with two minute load times? Just asking because if we put back these things then that is what you are going to get. Something has to go and most of it if not all of it is going to come from the larger surface area that is actually causing the issue.....Interior areas do not take up that kind of space correct? Why not create a beetle cave? Pretty sure there is a nice little mine like area that would suffice on the Lions way.

If we're bringing back all pruned areas, we're going to split the server into two.

a surface on one server and ud on other server yes great idea

Planehopper wrote:So is the entire back-way from BG to Nashkel gone, then?

Are there any areas that allow foraging, especially for bait, now that the east river map was removed?

Are new areas replacing these, especially the one in the OP, being a relatively necessary leveling area?

I realize this will never be a democracy, but how were these areas chosen? It seems to me that if areas are to be cut they could be less impactful to the majority if UD areas were removed, or unused guild areas, or some of DM only maps.

DM maps were already removed in the first cut--Almost half of them. They've already made all the sacrifice I can feasibly ask them to make if we plan to keep any DM maps at all.

We can try to add some foraging spots to other places, but the areas were chosen based on too many factors to feasibly even try to explain at this point, and definitely not based on "the most used maps are the ones that get kept." Factors included a handful of internal discussions regarding how many players would be disenfranchised the least by the removal of a given map, what effected the ease of leveling the least, which maps were needless because everything on them can be moved to other places, and the list goes on.

At the end of the day I had to weigh feedback from multiple dozens of different sources and just had to pretty much use that feedback to wing the decision and do what I thought was best. One thing I've learned about this issue after spending the last months preparing is that there's no one that agrees on anything about which maps are the most important ones to keep. For every group that wants one map removed there's another group of players who feel like it's literally the worst map you could possibly remove from the game.

We were able to turn the reset timer back up to 9 hours thanks to the stability this trim has provided the module and we've been 16 hours total now without a crash of any kind. Once we get all the transitions reworked and everything finalized we can focus on what is missing as a result and how we can work that in at other places.

As an example, the lighthouse, the boat, and the cave from the Coast South of CK can just be added to a small beach at the bottom of the Lion's Way map and provide literally exactly the same function that the entire coastal map did (minus the Fire Beetles, which can again, be put literally anywhere in the entire module).

The Chionthar river map was taken out in favor of keeping the newer map with the wolves/bandits and the goblin ruins because it's the de facto "level 1" hunting ground now if your starting PC isn't strong enough to go straight to the graveyard and because all the map served to do was provide a means to travel between areas that are actually relevant. The one exception is that occasionally people will use area as a secluded place to RP in the wilderness, and again, this can be accomplished with the addition of small spawn-free forested areas added to Uldoon's Trail or even the Goblin Ruin map, rather than having a big huge empty space to facilitate the RP of 2 (or a small group) players.

Though I get where you're coming from with the foraging spots, as this adds to the RP of characters who live in the wild as opposed to an urban setting, and we will definitely try to work these and some alchemy spots into another map instead (perhaps the river area leading up into Ulgoth's Beard?).

Endelyon wrote:
The Chionthar river map was taken out in favor of keeping the newer map with the wolves/bandits and the goblin ruins because it's the de facto "level 1" hunting ground now if your starting PC isn't strong enough to go straight to the graveyard (and because all the map served to do was provide a means to travel between areas that are actually relevant.

I have to ask where these easier goblins are located. The map with the wolves and bandits (if it is the map that contains the bandit cave) is not very populated with creatures. The bandit cave is pretty deadly for a weak level 1 char and I haven't been able to find the goblins... Also if the graveyard is even harder than the bandits then it's definetly not for my level 1 toon.

Thanks, Endelyon, that makes sense. I hate losing areas from my "core" travel zones, but I'll keep faith that you'll fix what is now missing. I know you can't please everyone, so please don't take my questions as undue criticism.

Heck, the glory days of my youth were spent on this server without half of what we have left!

I just needs my worms!

K'yon Oblodra wrote:

Endelyon wrote:
The Chionthar river map was taken out in favor of keeping the newer map with the wolves/bandits and the goblin ruins because it's the de facto "level 1" hunting ground now if your starting PC isn't strong enough to go straight to the graveyard (and because all the map served to do was provide a means to travel between areas that are actually relevant.

I have to ask where these easier goblins are located. The map with the wolves and bandits (if it is the map that contains the bandit cave) is not very populated with creatures. The bandit cave is pretty deadly for a weak level 1 char and I haven't been able to find the goblins... Also if the graveyard is even harder than the bandits then it's definetly not for my level 1 toon.

No, not the map with the bandit cave. That used to be where they were but Tfunke moved them when he added the carnival to the farmlands. Now you need to go down to Wyrm's Crossing, and go to the eastern-most transition on the north end of the bridge. You'll be on a long S-shaped path that is filled with level 1 bandits and wolves, and near the end of it there's a Goblin Ruin that should probably not be attempted until level 3 or 4 minimum (solo at least).

Planehopper wrote:Thanks, Endelyon, that makes sense. I hate losing areas from my "core" travel zones, but I'll keep faith that you'll fix what is now missing. I know you can't please everyone, so please don't take my questions as undue criticism.

Heck, the glory days of my youth were spent on this server without half of what we have left!

I just needs my worms!

I'll try to make sure your faith is well placed.

Hey Endelyon,

not entirely sure but I think Jorn still points people to the northern farmlands with his quest... Would be good to adjust that

Do we still have a transition from lions way to the dire bear area(name escapes me)?

Can we have one? It was a super useful and fast way from the boat to xvarts.

Akroma666 wrote:Do we still have a transition from lions way to the dire bear area(name escapes me)?

Can we have one? It was a super useful and fast way from the boat to xvarts.

Not currently, but yes, the same route will be available once we fix the transitions.

K'yon Oblodra wrote:Hey Endelyon,

not entirely sure but I think Jorn still points people to the northern farmlands with his quest... Would be good to adjust that

Ah yeah, his dialogue is pretty old. I'll try to remember to tweak it the next time I'm in the toolset.

Calodan wrote: Why not create a beetle cave? Pretty sure there is a nice little mine like area that would suffice on the Lions way.

there was once a dwarven mine in that area that is now uninhabited. maybe beetles could have taken that up for a home.

aaron22 wrote:

Calodan wrote: Why not create a beetle cave? Pretty sure there is a nice little mine like area that would suffice on the Lions way.

there was once a dwarven mine in that area that is now uninhabited. maybe beetles could have taken that up for a home.

The Ironfaar's. One of the oldest and most fun guilds we've had around here back in the day. Couple of old Ironfaar's (and THE Ironfaar) creeping around here still...

I'd hate to see the remnants of their contributions erased for eternity.

i am aware it is the ironfar's. i have had some fun RP with a couple of the ones that remain. i dont see it at all as an eraser of that time of old, but more an evolution of it and new breath of life to the stories that they made for the server. they can roleplay a return to the old halls and tell stories of "in the old days". and we all would get a chance to see the history of the ironfar. now long past, the "ghosts" of the old halls lie in the design of the devs to show the whole server.

Oh, my statement was in agreement with you. Right now it is no longer on the server (since the coast south map was removed). I'd like to see it come back as a dungeon, that would be awesome. I don't care what form it takes or what is inside, a nod to history would be cool.