UD expansion?

[Kauaiian]

Hello,

I know the staff is extremely busy with many other things but I am just wondering if there are plans in the future to expand the UD as far as areas and dungeons go? The surface is very good in its amount of dungeons and it's diversity. Will the UD catch up?

Thanks for reading

[Maximvs]

Why? The UD is barely played compared to the surface.

[Nyeleni]

Wow, what a silly reason. Maybe if we add content there would be more players?

[Lux]

Why? The UD is barely played compared to the surface.

That's self fulfilling, though. It's partly because it lacks in these departments.

I'm curious too!

[Aspect of Sorrow]

Quality over quantity. There needs to be more content in the existing areas before tossing in additional only to serve minor purpose (yet another grind field, etc).

[Maecius]

We're always happy to add content to the Underdark and to flesh out the world beneath the shell. It's mostly a matter of who wants to do the legwork.

Cubicle is probably the only area designer who works on the Underdark with any real regularity lately.

If any would-be designer has talent in the field of area building and expanding, and is prepared to lend those talents to BG:TSCC, then I'm sure he'd not mind some help polishing the maps and adding to them.

Otherwise, we'll just have to be patient and cheer him on. I know he has several UD-related projects ongoing ... I won't be giving any spoilers though.

[Maximvs]

It's not a lack of zones. This server's player base is mostly good. The UD is for evil folk. There you go.

Server wise, I think this server has a lot, and I mean a lot of zones already. This server would be 3 times more fun if every builder and scripter was converted to DM's in my opinion.

[Steve]

Whatever happened to the Areas built for Middledark?

[Cubicle]

What's up, Kau. Trying to learn some of our deep dark secrets, huh? I'm not sure if you've been around long enough to see some of the changes to the UD, but the plan was to clean up some of the areas before adding new content. Bugs/tweaks, stuff like that. Tbh, if we did have projects in the works, it probably wouldn't be wise to tell the players before we're ready to reveal them.

But, if you want new content, the easiest way for you to get it added is to RP it out, and/or RP discovering things. What kind of areas did you have on mind?

(If some of you are wondering about the temples and/or The Nauklar update, it's currently being fixed. I bugged the updated areas, so my bad.)

[Tsidkenu]

The only major thing I can think of is the new connection point to the surface. I'd like to see it tied to tfunke's new map for the depths of Durlags

That way both Surfacers and Drow may encounter one another down there.

The cavern with the slimes in it would be a good choice as well, in my mind, to add a new cave (the bit in the northern part of the cave with the chasm that goes deep below).

[Kauaiian]

What's up, Kau. Trying to learn some of our deep dark secrets, huh? I'm not sure if you've been around long enough to see some of the changes to the UD, but the plan was to clean up some of the areas before adding new content. Bugs/tweaks, stuff like that. Tbh, if we did have projects in the works, it probably wouldn't be wise to tell the players before we're ready to reveal them.

But, if you want new content, the easiest way for you to get it added is to RP it out, and/or RP discovering things. What kind of areas did you have on mind?

(If some of you are wondering about the temples and/or The Nauklar update, it's currently being fixed. I bugged the updated areas, so my bad.)

Thanks everyone for the response. I didnt have anything in particular in mind, i was just curious to see if anything was planned for in the future.

[Storm Munin]

Well, I am sure many other than me are wondering about the suggested Upperdark link areas between the World Above and the Underdark.
Any area projected for release in the near future?


Unrelated but since since some hate arguments were stated above by Maximvs and allowed:

Most toons carry the mean streak downstairs but nowhere near all.
It has been like that since forever and it make lore sense doesnt it?
Yet I recall gaming session where everyone downstairs online were good aligned down there for a few hours (same numbers as a slow day on the surface btw).
Same thing really go for the surface, things scale into grey rather quickly depending on the flavour of the day among the player population.


What most actually find problematic when asked about the UD is the overall lack of players.

Next are something like what FAI have turned into.
A place where you can stretch your legs, have a beer and still encounter emissaries from just about everything born and then some.

Thirdly some have an issue with the ambient dark downstair over time, personal claims have been raised over the years to this affecting their mental state given prolonged exposure.

Fourth, quite a few new players are upset when the selected +2 ECL hits them in the face and they are not savvy enough to deal with it mechanically/knowledgewise.
Leveling up is actually easy alone with a str8 wizard with ECL+2, IF you know what you are doing.
Ive heard the same whine from new players of aasimar/tiefling players during surface play, but downstair most frequently used races have ECL.
Easiest way to bypass this problem are for players to surface grind for an hour or a few hours then RCR into whatever they wanted to be once that can reach lv3.
ECL overall does not cause issues after that level.

Many also end up struggling with the lore of the land sooner or later, the surface theme and lore are easier to relate to for the absolute majority of our players i would say.
To compound the matter the selected city to represent the underdark diverge from the norm many come here expecting in a drow city since the wizards are in rule rather than the clergy.
Perhaps a more surfacelike start settlement we create would change this issue?

Another new player problem are the expectancy of there being a highway to upstairs for their brand new imaskari, halfdrow or drow toons since they really did not want to play in the underdark anyway.
I'm not sure what to do about that one, the server information is already rather expressive on the subject.

ICly the number of cheerful greeters to say an outspoken snirfnebli paladin preaching for equality and the rights of the lesser races are rather slim down here.
Arguably the response to such behaviour are also more pointed in kind.
For whatever reason on the surface in comparison pretty much anything are accepted most places, so its simply a more carefree environment to play/roleplay in up above.

YMMV

[Lux]

It's not a lack of zones. This server's player base is mostly good. The UD is for evil folk. There you go.

It's far more complex than that. Like Storm Munin said, the surface world is easier to relate to. Drow social structures in particular are incredibly complex and if you end up in drow roleplay without having a clue about them it's probably easy to feel uncomfortable, even picked on.


I personally like the Underdark. It poses its own unique set of challenges. One of them is having few zones to choose from when it comes down to plain grinding. I would really like to see maybe twice as many zones to choose from and I'd really like to see a Lolthite outpost.

But for me the biggest challenge with Underdark roleplay consists primarily of balancing lore and being OOCly welcoming and friendly. Go too far in either direction and you either break immersion or risk bullying people, scaring them off.

In the Underdark it's extra important to make sure to play with people, not against them. I am a lot more open to drastic outcomes when I know it's within mutual consent and respect. I've often gotten the feeling that people take things OOCly that are only meant ICly. While it's easy to say that that is their problem, it is up to me to make sure that I make an effort to let my co-RPers know that I'm playing with them rather than against them, effectively separating my roleplay from myself. I avoid Underdark RP when I'm unsure if I can get into my evil characters' mindsets without theirs rubbing off on mine.


Aside from that I think some of these things would help keep players in the Underdark:

• A couple of more "grinding" zones
  A lolthite outpost
  A couple of quests or such only for ECLs lvl 1 or 2 so they can catch up quicker
  Change Darkvision of Underdark races to be brighter and actually show all colours - to prevent depression & migraine Or perhaps make it work like an extra strong Light spell that only you can see, since that gives full colour and you can't use it to peek past corners

[Halo Deity]

I agree with Storm and Lux.

One of my opinions following from that (to keep it limited as to not just start blowing air) is that there has been a lot of people wanting the UD to be different, but in terms of server priority and recognition, the player base down there just isn't big enough. It's a catch 22.

[ctothep]

Double the amount of zones
Lolthite city completely in player hands
1-2 dedicated DMs

The dream