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Getting Started And Expectations: A Quiz!; For both new and established players.
Topic Started: Jul 26 2015, 03:32 PM (1,040 Views)
Miraie
Member Avatar
A Helpful Support Person
Dungeon Master (Emeritus)
Starting experience questionnaire:

The purpose of this questionnaire is to give us more information about how new players experience the server when joining. While the questionnaire is aimed at new players, chances are that you are not a complete stranger to the server. If your experiences as a new player are still fairly recent, please take some time to answer the ten questions below. I believe knowing more about how new players experience their time here can help us to come up with new ideas that might make the experience more approachable to everyone. That being the case, we are looking for constructive feedback - both the good and the bad. If you are an established player, you could still think about your most recent character or reflect on your earlier experiences and comment on what has changed. Please do not use this thread to discuss the answers given by other players.

A discussion thread can be found here: *I am a link!*

1) What were your expectations regarding the server when you first joined?

2) How were your expectations met?

3) Who was your first (or most recent) character? How are they doing now?

4) How was your experience as a new player (or with a new character)? Was there something that helped you? Something that was difficult or made things harder?

5) Did you look for information regarding the server before starting? If so, where? How do you get information while playing? Is some information hard to find or out of date?

6) If you could give yourself some starting advice now, what would you have told yourself?

7) Can you think of any types of assistance you would have needed when you were getting started?

8) What made you stay? What keeps you coming back? Is there something you are looking forward to, in particular? If you do not play actively right now, what keeps you from returning?

9) How would you describe your relationship to other players? How have you gotten along? If there have been conflicts, have you been able to resolve them and how? Do you feel like you can get assistance in this regard? From where/who?

10) Have you communicated with the staff yet? What have your experiences been like? For example, what kind of attitudes have you met? Is the present staff approachable?
Feel free to prod me with questions and other things!
Yes, hello. I also play Abigail Weir.
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Hydra
Member Avatar
Ol' Hydra
Builders/scripters
Well...

1) What were your expectations regarding the server when you first joined?

Years ago I was just having fun, then the general staff inactivity and a drama made me quit for something that didn't ended up to be that better in the end. When I came back, I expected to have my main be more involved in faction RP.

2) How were your expectations met?

I'd say no, factions are barely exploited / implemented etc... but that's not a topic to bring up today. I understand that factional play requires a lot of investment and is not for everyone. The lore is also not very well respected, by both DMs and players because its not enforced enough, we have jammers freely flowing though Sigil and the astral back and forth and ethereal shifting and all sort of inaccuracies that are quite immersion breaking.

3) Who was your first (or most recent) character? How are they doing now?

It was Kala, I'm still playing her and she's doing fine.

4) How was your experience as a new player (or with a new character)? Was there something that helped you? Something that was difficult or made things harder?

Back then it was great, people where helpful, now I'd heard from a few people that the server is a bit clickey and people aren't that hospitable, I'm not making an overall generalization, because I think its a minority case that is always going to exist.

5) Did you look for information regarding the server before starting? If so, where? How do you get information while playing? Is some information hard to find or out of date?

I knew the setting before I came in to play. My biggest enemy though was roleplaying in English, it has been a long ways since then and I believe I've improved quite a bit.

6) If you could give yourself some starting advice now, what would you have told yourself?

"Be wary of people, rely on yourself to keep the fun going and make new friends".

7) Can you think of any types of assistance you would have needed when you were getting started?

Nope.

8) What made you stay? What keeps you coming back? Is there something you are looking forward to, in particular? If you do not play actively right now, what keeps you from returning?

I like playing my characters, plain simple.

9) How would you describe your relationship to other players? How have you gotten along? If there have been conflicts, have you been able to resolve them and how? Do you feel like you can get assistance in this regard? From where/who?

I think I got along with the majority of people here and most of my experience is positive, there are few exceptions as always.

10) Have you communicated with the staff yet? What have your experiences been like? For example, what kind of attitudes have you met? Is the present staff approachable?

Communications with the majority of the staff has been good and polite back in the days and continues to be so. Yet rare as of recent, a few people have become extremely inquisitive, exclusionary and biased to the point I hardly find the staff, as a group, reliable or trustworthy because of their presence and I prefer to keep my interaction with the said staff and their IG friends minimal for the same reason. *Aggressive statement removed because its was pointless* Overall, the staff seems to lack any sense of transparency and communication with the community seems to be up to each DM/Admin without any concerted efforts.
- Kala Ta'Kan : Factor of the Beleivers of the Source
- Ash (Kazuko Yudeoshi)
- Safana Washedan
- and many other alts.
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Midnight
Member Avatar
Factor
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
I want to point out I am biased. I like it here.


1) What were your expectations regarding the server when you first joined?

I wanted somewhere I could roleplay and get involved in a community, preferably not somewhere that was not forgotten realms.


2) How were your expectations met? 

Slowly it took me quite sometime to get into things.


3) Who was your first (or most recent) character? How are they doing now?

My first character was called Annia Kendt. She is retired now, nothing to do with the server her storyline reached a logical conclusion and she went on to live happily ever after.

My most recent still active character is Emila. She is a Factor now and still gets involved in things when I get time to be online here.

4) How was your experience as a new player (or with a new character)? Was there something that helped you? Something that was difficult or made things harder?

I found other players quite helpful and inclusive. Items are easy to come by and the levelling is very fast. On the other hand my first character was a mage and everything is immune or resistant to elemental damage or has spell resistance so it can be a bit of a learning curve.

5) Did you look for information regarding the server before starting? If so, where? How do you get information while playing? Is some information hard to find or out of date? 

No I jumped in blind. I found the forum helpful though and the books you could get in the OOC area though. I played the game windowed with the appropriate bit of lore open on the forum to begin with so I could follow what is going on. The planar slang was hard to learn.

6) If you could give yourself some starting advice now, what would you have told yourself?

Don't be so shy.

7) Can you think of any types of assistance you would have needed when you were getting started?

Someone to get me more involved in rp. Eventually I got drawn into an rp group by Borkard (I can't mention people by name so I have used a cunning anagram :P) but it took a while.


8) What made you stay? What keeps you coming back? Is there something you are looking forward to, in particular? If you do not play actively right now, what keeps you from returning?

I liked the rp. I liked my characters and I liked the setting. I like the servers way of promoting rp but without being too strict about it.


9) How would you describe your relationship to other players? How have you gotten along? If there have been conflicts, have you been able to resolve them and how? Do you feel like you can get assistance in this regard? From where/who?

There are a few players who make up some of my different PCs friends/allies/rivals/bitter enemies who I always enjoy rping with. I have had my fair share of drama too, such is the nature of NWN PW. I am still here so yes I think it can be resolved.


10) Have you communicated with the staff yet? What have your experiences been like? For example, what kind of attitudes have you met? Is the present staff approachable?

I have not always agreed with staff members but over all I'd say they will at least hear you out.
Partial Character list:
Annia Jahram (Retired)
Jentia Snyden (Retired)
Rania Dias (Mercykiller Tracker)
Elliana Wettel (Godsman Smith)
Caterina Arnders (Fraternity Judge)
Emila Valios (Dustman Factor)

Posted Image
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Ceremorph
Member Avatar
Dark Mistress of the Toolset
Admin
Might as well do this... although of course you can expect an Admin to say good things (for the most part).

Quote:
 
1) What were your expectations regarding the server when you first joined?

I had stepped away from NWN2 for a few months, and after Ravel's Heart told me about this place it sounded like fun. Plus the Planescape setting really sounded more exciting than the typical "another part of Faerun".

Quote:
 
2) How were your expectations met?

I just love the planes. The server was still pretty young at the time, and I absolutely appreciated being invited to join the design team and have a say in the world's direction. Ever since playing AD&D back in the 80s, the outer planes have always appealed to me, and Sigil didn't disappoint.

Quote:
 
3) Who was your first (or most recent) character? How are they doing now?

Gryphienne Eventus, a celestial-blooded priestess of Bahamut. She's been retired to NPCdom, and is currently an astral deva in the service of Bahamut.

Quote:
 
4) How was your experience as a new player (or with a new character)? Was there something that helped you? Something that was difficult or made things harder?

The server was relatively new, but my character fell in with a fun group that balanced serious RP and humor. Of course, it helped a lot that most players were "new" at the time, so there were lots of opportunities to meet other newcomers.

Quote:
 
5) Did you look for information regarding the server before starting? If so, where? How do you get information while playing? Is some information hard to find or out of date?

Lots of MSN and /tell discussions with the staff! And a lot of IC interaction too...

Quote:
 
6) If you could give yourself some starting advice now, what would you have told yourself?

Convince the admins to expand races sooner!

Quote:
 
7) Can you think of any types of assistance you would have needed when you were getting started?

I think the addition of the Wiki is a great feature, and wish it had been around back then.

Quote:
 
8) What made you stay? What keeps you coming back? Is there something you are looking forward to, in particular? If you do not play actively right now, what keeps you from returning?

The setting and my relationships with other members of the staff, and a few players. Plus I not only get to build, but can count on my new features being added in a timely manner.

Quote:
 
9) How would you describe your relationship to other players? How have you gotten along? If there have been conflicts, have you been able to resolve them and how? Do you feel like you can get assistance in this regard? From where/who?

Our playerbase has always been, for the most part, easy to get along with and people who are either good RPers or want to become good RPers. The few that don't fit the mold fortunately tend to move along eventually.

Quote:
 
10) Have you communicated with the staff yet? What have your experiences been like? For example, what kind of attitudes have you met? Is the present staff approachable?

Yeah, pretty sure this doesn't apply to me... But seriously, I think it was the attitudes of the staff (primarily cryptc and Otyugh) more than anything else that has kept me here for well over four years. There was never the feeling of "it's my machine so what I say goes" or "I'm a DM so I'm better than you" that I've found on most other servers. Sure, we've made a few mistakes along the way, but for the most part I think approachability is higher here than anywhere else I've ever played or DMed.
We rode on the winds of the rising storm,
We ran to the sounds of the thunder.
We danced among the lightning bolts,
and tore the world asunder.
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A. Thereal
Member Avatar
Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.
[ *  *  *  *  * ]
Another place to post my opinionated opinions?! Outstanding!

1) What were your expectations regarding the server when you first joined?
I joined SCoD several years ago with another player who described the server as being devoted to the spirit of Planescape Torment. As a great admirer of that game, I was very excited to join SCoD. I expected to be able to explore Sigil itself as the crown jewel of the setting, and for the planes themselves to be footnotes at best. I looked forward to plots mired in deep and controversial themes of philosophy and existentialism. I hoped for dramatic and tense inter-Faction politics!

2) How were your expectations met?
No, I'm afraid that they weren't. While the city of Sigil was the center of the server's setting, there was very little to actually do there. It seemed to me more like a collection of areas to explore, and a very wide-spread array of shops. The main zones appeared to be the popular end-game grinding areas. Plots seldom touched on anything worth a second thought, and most seemed to be massively grand in scale, with countless worlds being destroyed over numerous events. In other words, too big to relate to. And the Factions were more or less reduced to occasional philosophical debates at Khazeet's.

3) Who was your first (or most recent) character? How are they doing now?
I barely played my first character, and then quickly abandoned him. My main character was and still is Nero Urbane. He alternates between the same things he's always been doing - insisting that fiends be treated as fiends, flirting with pretty ladies, goofing off, and searching for a genuine mystery plot.

4) How was your experience as a new player (or with a new character)? Was there something that helped you? Something that was difficult or made things harder?
More than anything else I noticed how willing the player base was to help new players. It was very clear from day one that SCoD's player base wanted new people to feel welcome, and I received assistance from so many people, including many of the players with whom I would aggressively clash with later on.

5) Did you look for information regarding the server before starting? If so, where? How do you get information while playing? Is some information hard to find or out of date?
The only information I had was from playing Planescape Troment, and the rest of the setting I learned as I explored the server. In that regard SCoD makes it very easy, as the lore is comprehensively spread out between placeable descriptions, NPC dialogue, and dropped items.

6) If you could give yourself some starting advice now, what would you have told yourself?
Keep a lower OOC profile!

7) Can you think of any types of assistance you would have needed when you were getting started?
Not really, because the player base and staff were exceedingly helpful at the time. Nero was really given a great head start by all the players willing to lend me powerful gear and help me polish his build. Honestly, I can't imagine Nero's start being any smoother than it was.

8) What made you stay? What keeps you coming back? Is there something you are looking forward to, in particular? If you do not play actively right now, what keeps you from returning?
I'm not ashamed to say that the first, best thing that hooked me and kept me coming back for more was Ceremorph. I've been RPing for a very long time, and Ceremorph was the best RPer I had encountered by miles. Between her sheer immersion, OOC friendliness, and helpfulness as an Admin, I stayed for the simple reason of having found a friend. Other fantastic RPers helped, all of which deserve as much recognition as Ceremoph - Mr. Otyugh, Vercimer, OneNameManyFaces, Ikai, Silmaliaa, Ravel's Heart, Mausman, Cadence.

I'm not sure there's anything I look forward to anymore, except perhaps good RP. I've come to accept SCoD as static, with three game time options: Bar RP, grind, and private RP. While I admire the amount of work the staff and builders have put into the new areas, races, and classes, it feels like these just presented slightly different ways to do old things, rather than new ways to do new things.

9) How would you describe your relationship to other players? How have you gotten along? If there have been conflicts, have you been able to resolve them and how? Do you feel like you can get assistance in this regard? From where/who?
I would describe my relationship with the player base as extremely checkered. There are some SCoD players with whom I've been extremely social with and play other games with basically since I joined, and there are those that make me cringe when I think of some of the conflicts we had. Many of these conflicts were my own fault, because I'm opinionated and vocal about it.

10) Have you communicated with the staff yet? What have your experiences been like? For example, what kind of attitudes have you met? Is the present staff approachable?
Over the years I've communicated with the staff quite a bit, and I would say that for the most part those discussions have been polite and productive, even when it's very clear that they and I disagree about something.
NERO URBANE Detective & Cheese Monger
SERRADHE Personal Counselor & Exhibitionist
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KingLeoric
Member Avatar
Reincarnating...
[ *  *  *  *  *  * ]
1) What were your expectations regarding the server when you first joined?
Fresh new start in the other PW without the vitriolic atmosphere. Without any restriction on what you are building and DM approvals.

2) How were your expectations met?
Yes, mostly. Feww times everything went OOC, but in general, it is good.

3) Who was your first (or most recent) character? How are they doing now?
My Ghost PC. Not deleted (yet), but I am not going to play him. Because creature weapons are so creature, AB is gained only by STR, Weapon Finesse is not working, he can not use weapons, and creature one is very weak. I am not even talking that he gets only ONE claw and cant dualwield.

4) How was your experience as a new player (or with a new character)? Was there something that helped you? Something that was difficult or made things harder?
Nothing that helped me a lot, except the wiki page with plane keys. Nothing too hard, after you learn how everything works.

5) Did you look for information regarding the server before starting? If so, where? How do you get information while playing? Is some information hard to find or out of date?
Had a look on server rules only, before playing. Later - everything else from players and wiki.

6) If you could give yourself some starting advice now, what would you have told yourself?
Yes. Do not be distracted by the amount of playable races. ECL makes them nearly useless at the end. Only RP purpose.

7) Can you think of any types of assistance you would have needed when you were getting started?
No.

8) What made you stay? What keeps you coming back? Is there something you are looking forward to, in particular? If you do not play actively right now, what keeps you from returning?
Friendly community with balanced amount of RP and OOC, Planescape setting and interesting EM system are the main reasons.

9) How would you describe your relationship to other players? How have you gotten along? If there have been conflicts, have you been able to resolve them and how? Do you feel like you can get assistance in this regard? From where/who?
Average Sigil player is friendly, sometimes neutral. Some are not sticking to their character concept, and abusing with 'passive aggression IC' (like refusing to PvP while still trying to insult you is the most common thing). Had some conflicts, mainly because people are trying to take things from IC to OOC... Happens sometimes.

10) Have you communicated with the staff yet? What have your experiences been like? For example, what kind of attitudes have you met? Is the present staff approachable?
Yes. Experience is very variable from the most negative to the most positive. Attitudes are also variable, but I do not want to point fingers. The present staff is good overall.
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Veracity
No Avatar
Clueless
[ * ]
1) What were your expectations regarding the server when you first joined?

-I've basically heard that Sigil is the same thing as Haven, so I expected a lot of cliche characters and rampant ERP.

2) How were your expectations met?

-I don't know how Sigil got a reputation like Haven, but it looks to me like people make an attempt to RP here. But I've seen a lot of familiar Haven players here, so...

3) Who was your first (or most recent) character? How are they doing now?

-My character is Shard and I'm still sort of figuring him out. It's a little hard to get a grasp of him because it seems like a lot of the other characters are dismissive of him. I've tried to make him very social to create roleplay opportunities. He's outright asked for help, but so far the most anyone is willing to do is cast buffing spells on him. So, he's solitary and I'm forced to try out a low level rogue alone.

4) How was your experience as a new player (or with a new character)? Was there something that helped you? Something that was difficult or made things harder?

-I find Sigil to be really inhospitable so far. There's a lot of reading right away about rules and lore, but no help playing. I started out in a random city area without a clue and had to wander. Found what I think is the first quest and died because level 1 rogue with 6 HP and 0 BAB can't fight a swarm of bats. Why do the bats have DR? Been at it for a little while and level 6 now. Still finding exploration pretty miserable. No one wants to join my character, and he's not a buff caster. It's slow and needlessly difficult. Can't count how many times my character has died now. Finally learned that there's a buff NPC, so it seems like a vicious cycle of earning GP in order to buy buffs, but no getting ahead. NPCs sell gear upgrades for prices my character couldn't afford if I looted for a day, and PC merchants are always AFK.

5) Did you look for information regarding the server before starting? If so, where? How do you get information while playing? Is some information hard to find or out of date?

-Not really. I like to learn a server as I play it. It looks like Sigil has lots to read.

6) If you could give yourself some starting advice now, what would you have told yourself?

-I would tell myself not to bother playing anything but a caster class.

7) Can you think of any types of assistance you would have needed when you were getting started?

-I could use any help at all. I've had some fun roleplaying with Aera, but so far that's the only fun I've had.

8) What made you stay? What keeps you coming back? Is there something you are looking forward to, in particular? If you do not play actively right now, what keeps you from returning?

-I'm not sure I'm going to stay.

9) How would you describe your relationship to other players? How have you gotten along? If there have been conflicts, have you been able to resolve them and how? Do you feel like you can get assistance in this regard? From where/who?

-Non-existent. The players here seem anti-social with new people.

10) Have you communicated with the staff yet? What have your experiences been like? For example, what kind of attitudes have you met? Is the present staff approachable?

-Not yet. The longer I go without having to talk to staff, the better.
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Jambi
No Avatar
Cutter
[ *  *  * ]
1) What were your expectations regarding the server when you first joined?
Had a boring day, decided too pick up NwN2 again. I took a look at populated servers, and on Sigil there were people playing, and the website/screenshots looked nice.

2) How were your expectations met?
I had a blast when i finally downloaded the module, and was allowed too take a look at all the diffrent races i could pick from.
When i created my first characters and got dropped into the bazaar, i got thrilled by the scenery and overall atmosphere.
I picked up my first quest and headed down the sewers, i was realy satisfied... and got a huge sense of immersion.

3) Who was your first (or most recent) character? How are they doing now?
My first character was a crafter, one of my most favorite builds, he is benched at the moment trough. Got addicted to building characters, especially around the custom races, and testing out custom PrC's.

4) How was your experience as a new player (or with a new character)? Was there something that helped you? Something that was difficult or made things harder?
The quests helped me alot, pointing me into directions and giving hints/tips on where i could potential adventure at lower levels.

5) Did you look for information regarding the server before starting? If so, where? How do you get information while playing? Is some information hard to find or out of date?
I did find some information on the forums/wiki about starting out, and hiring henchmen, and getting your first DR tattoo. Written by Agony_Aunt. ( Beginners Guide ) tho, i think i had found an older/shorter version of it. Overall i did not read too much, except for the server rules etc.

6) If you could give yourself some starting advice now, what would you have told yourself?
Dont wander into private rooms, and read the chat. Erotic RP is a thing here! :confused: Therapy for days... after that one. :P

7) Can you think of any types of assistance you would have needed when you were getting started?
When i first joined in, it wasnt long before Miraie and Devil's Elysium noticed me... or i simply ran into them whilst adventuring... i dont recall. They taught me the ropes.. and did some heavy RP around me while traveling to diffrent planes, and murdering their inhabitants :lol: . Both gave me a good sense, of what could be expected on Sigil.
I believe the community is quick to respond to new players, i dont think much else assistance is needed.

8) What made you stay? What keeps you coming back? Is there something you are looking forward to, in particular? If you do not play actively right now, what keeps you from returning?
New content being added, cravings for building new ideas i have... is what drives me back onto Sigil. The hope of running into more players like me, have a nice grind/xp feast, sharing character ideas and fair play.
The feeling of not belonging, not getting into one of the many player "clicks" , is what demoralizes me and makes me take breaks every so often.
If you come play here and your new, assistance is great. But soon you will be on your own. A shame most my online friends play diffrent games.

9) How would you describe your relationship to other players? How have you gotten along? If there have been conflicts, have you been able to resolve them and how? Do you feel like you can get assistance in this regard? From where/who?
RP is not realy my thing, as said before i like to build characters.
I do however RP when needed, and do so to respect how others play. But i am very alert with whom i roleplay with. or what kind of roleplay it is. When its too many * hugs* *kisses* *cuddles*.... i bail out, or ignore the other players who are doing this with eachother. Dont get me wrong.. too each their own, but its simply not for me.
I am aware this server has alot of players and all have their own preference and gaming style.
I make a list of the players i meet, and write down my observations. If i know its a grind/builder player, i wont bother them with too much RP, but enough to respect the RP servers setting.
If i know the player is a heavy RPer i will try my best to meet them halfway, when i see them.
So far it seems too work, and i havent ran into too much trouble with others. I did however ran into players that do not share the spoils of adventuring equally or not at all, and put this under RP reasons or excuses, and that rubs me the wrong way. I try to avoid such players, to not get into fights over the interwebs... but usually they dont seem to stick around Sigil for long.

10) Have you communicated with the staff yet? What have your experiences been like? For example, what kind of attitudes have you met? Is the present staff approachable?
In my experience the staff is fast too respond, usually with a very pleasant experience. Been with mixed feelings once or twice, but that proves were all still human :). About EM's, i get the feeling some of them care for their own clicks only, and not about newer players. Usually approach i find very rude and self-important, not caring much about other players on the server, aside from their own play/interest.

My Overall scores for sigil, compared too other NwN and NwN2 modules i played.
Scenery/immersion/design : 9/10
Community : 4/10
Ease to learn/play : 8/10

*OK done editing now!*
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Sinlinara
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Player-Support DM
Dungeon Master
1) What were your expectations regarding the server when you first joined?
I expected the server to be populated with so many people that it would be hard to RP at times.
I expected that the server would be laggy and at times unplayable (due to previous NWN2 experience).
And I expected that there would a ton of drama between long-time players who have had issues with each other in the past on other servers years ago.

2) How were your expectations met?
Thus far the only time that stands out to me where it was hard to RP was during an EM event where the server actually started lagging due to so many people fighting in an enclosed area at once.
The server is mostly stable, or at least more stable than my own internet. The only times it seems to noticeably lag is during periods where a large number of people are fighting creatures.

3) Who was your first (or most recent) character? How are they doing now?
Aleis d'Cannith was my first and main character. She is currently well on her way to being the proud co-owner of a restaurant.

4) How was your experience as a new player (or with a new character)? Was there something that helped you? Something that was difficult or made things harder?
The wiki is a good source of information, although it doesn't always answer every question and could stand to have a few more navigational buttons. Otherwise, this thread in particular stands out as an example of how people on the forums helped me.

5) Did you look for information regarding the server before starting? If so, where? How do you get information while playing? Is some information hard to find or out of date?
I read about half of the wiki and anything and everything that interested me on the forums before I made my character, and I use both as a reference while playing. That said, there is practically zero information regarding anything from the Eberron Campaign Setting and this has made a lot of my interactions purposefully vague. Additionally, quite a few pages of the Wiki could stand to be given more information or simply given pages in general.

6) If you could give yourself some starting advice now, what would you have told yourself?
Use summoning spells. Like all the time. Trust me, they're really good. You can also ignore Planar Binding, Planar Ally, and Create Undead spells. Also, magic items can be bought SUPER INCREDIBLY cheaply from Player Characters. Like you would not even believe how cheaply you can buy a +5 Chain Shirt.

7) Can you think of any types of assistance you would have needed when you were getting started?
Other than what I've previously mentioned, nope! I'm an introvert and I prefer to be self-sufficient, so as little assistance as necessary is my preferred way of doing things. (For better or worse).

8) What made you stay? What keeps you coming back? Is there something you are looking forward to, in particular? If you do not play actively right now, what keeps you from returning?
I keep playing Neverwinter Nights because it's the Roleplaying experience I've always wanted out of an MMORPG but that no MMORPG provides. I play World of Warcraft on the side and the role-playing community over there can't even hold a candle to Neverwinter Nights.
As for why I continue to play on this server... I think it's because I have plenty of RP when I want it and I don't feel punished for wanting to do things on my own. I can think of other servers where it is basically impossible to lone-wolf for any reasonable period of time.

9) How would you describe your relationship to other players? How have you gotten along? If there have been conflicts, have you been able to resolve them and how? Do you feel like you can get assistance in this regard? From where/who?

Everyone hates me and I am sad forever. :C

But in all seriousness I can't think of any OOC conflicts but there's been plenty of quite enjoyable IC conflicts. Actually, I'm really impressed with everyone's ability to differentiate between the two from what I've seen. That being said, I do play a Lawful Good Artificer who can only really make magic items so there hasn't been much in the way of instigation of IC conflict on my end so maybe my perception is a little skewed.

10) Have you communicated with the staff yet? What have your experiences been like? For example, what kind of attitudes have you met? Is the present staff approachable?
Considering how many people are EMs it's hard not to communicate with the staff on some level. I have yet to have a negative experience with any staff member, and everyone seems to be more than willing to offer assistance at any time.
From someone who used to being on the staff-side of a server I think you all should be proud of your crew and their ability to radiate nothing but positive vibes at all times. Even when one of my characters is being trapped inside of a burning building.
A helpful support-shape person. Please feel free to poke me at any time if you need assistance and/or want pictures of cute puppies.
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Agony_Aunt
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Get a Life
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Oooh, well, not playing for the moment, being semi-retired, but i'm fairly sure i will return now, in the not too distant future. Perhaps after my summer hols.

Anyway, ill throw in with mine, although would hope we get more new player responses instead of so many of us old fogies responding :D

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1) What were your expectations regarding the server when you first joined?


Didn't have too many expectations, it was my first choice when i went looking for NWN2 PWs. The two main things that attracted me were the PvP via consent only rule and the setting.

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2) How were your expectations met?


Yes and more. I joined in October 10 and was playing quite constantly until summer 14, even through the dry spells we had.

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3) Who was your first (or most recent) character? How are they doing now?


Ah, well, i made a couple of throwaway ones at the start, but the first one that i played extensively was my Paladin, Purity Sunshine, who some older players might remember. On her first outing she got dragged to Carceri at level 1 by a group of players who kept having to resurrect her. I killed her and her sisters (i had 3 of them) off in a forum post, bascially having tired of them. Still one of my most fun characters to date.

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4) How was your experience as a new player (or with a new character)? Was there something that helped you? Something that was difficult or made things harder?


Yes, i found lots of people willing to help me and find my feet with useful advice.

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5) Did you look for information regarding the server before starting? If so, where? How do you get information while playing? Is some information hard to find or out of date?


Just checked the server rules and dived straight in.

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6) If you could give yourself some starting advice now, what would you have told yourself?


Don't start too many characters. The more characters you have, the less attached you feel to each, until it reaches the point where you have no investment in any of them. One or two characters are probably optimal.

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7) Can you think of any types of assistance you would have needed when you were getting started?


Not really, just having other players around being helpful was good enough. Learn on the job as it were was good for me. Hell, i was still learning new things even when i had been playing for years.

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8) What made you stay? What keeps you coming back? Is there something you are looking forward to, in particular? If you do not play actively right now, what keeps you from returning?


Not sure why i stayed. I like RP, i like the planescape setting, and i like grinding when the mood takes me, so SCoD filled my needs. I stopped playing when I got burned out by development which stopped me playing as well. I needed a break. Ill come back at some point for sure though, although ill be more careful next time. But at the moment, its mainly Elite: Dangerous keeping me away.

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9) How would you describe your relationship to other players? How have you gotten along? If there have been conflicts, have you been able to resolve them and how? Do you feel like you can get assistance in this regard? From where/who?


Mainly good. Of course, being staff, it put me in plenty of situations where i had to resolve conflicts or was the target of people's ire. Fortunately those were rare, and most players were good sports when it came to conflict situations or admonishments for breaking rules were required.

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10) Have you communicated with the staff yet? What have your experiences been like? For example, what kind of attitudes have you met? Is the present staff approachable?


Hehe... staff know very well my views on all aspects of the game, and thanks to being a dev for 3-4 years and admin for one year at a time when the server was dying, i got to push my agenda a lot a shape Sigil how i wanted it to be. :D

I'm very happy that since my going on sabbatical not only has the sever gone from being a contender for first place, it is now fairly consistently the number one server, so major kudos to the current staff for their hard work.
Stepped down as admin, but still lurking.
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Ariella
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Player-Side Admin
Admin
1) What were your expectations regarding the server when you first joined?
I was expecting something like BGSCC

2) How were your expectations met?
It turned out to be a considerably better server

3) Who was your first (or most recent) character? How are they doing now?
My main character is Trissa, she has done fairly well for her self although i am a bit disappointed in how little faction RP there is.

4) How was your experience as a new player (or with a new character)? Was there something that helped you? Something that was difficult or made things harder?

Older players tend to ignore the newer ones, it can be very hard to break into RP here.

5) Did you look for information regarding the server before starting? If so, where? How do you get information while playing? Is some information hard to find or out of date?

I had the wiki page open every time i played for the first few months.

6) If you could give yourself some starting advice now, what would you have told yourself?

Focus less on the faction more on the character.

7) Can you think of any types of assistance you would have needed when you were getting started?

Starter shops for when there are no player shops around.

8) What made you stay? What keeps you coming back? Is there something you are looking forward to, in particular? If you do not play actively right now, what keeps you from returning?

There is to many things to list, constant updates, areas, leveling speed, constant RP, custom systems and all those i EM for!.

9) How would you describe your relationship to other players? How have you gotten along? If there have been conflicts, have you been able to resolve them and how? Do you feel like you can get assistance in this regard? From where/who?

I have had no issues thus far

10) Have you communicated with the staff yet? What have your experiences been like? For example, what kind of attitudes have you met? Is the present staff approachable?

The staff is great, some of the DM's could use to be a little more active for player support but so far its been amazing.
Do not hesitate to send me a PM if you:
- Require assistance with a staff or player conflict
- Would like to join the testing team
- Waiting on a staff ruling for longer then a week
- Want to join or start an event for the Harmonium, Transcendent Order, or Free League

Trissa, Sensate Factotum - True Wisdom and knowledge comes from experience.
Beladra d'Phiarlan, Harmonium Namer - I will bleed for my Golden Harmony, Get in our way and so will you.
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Biohazard89
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The Sensible Hardhead
[ *  *  *  * ]
1) What were your expectations regarding the server when you first joined?

Well, i dont really know what i expected. having been heavily involved on Heavy RP servers from NWN 1 when i first came here i suppose i expected the same amount of RP here as there.

2) How were your expectations met?

To be Frank, at first there werent alot of people taking anything seriously and there was ALOT of OOC drama going on ALL THE TIME. so i actually quit the server and took a long break awhile back.

3) Who was your first (or most recent) character? How are they doing now?

Everyones Favorit Hardhead. Vale Reynolt, and he's doing good all thigns considered.

4) How was your experience as a new player (or with a new character)? Was there something that helped you? Something that was difficult or made things harder?

If it wasnt for Mr.Otyugh playing Marius Darkblade back then i probably would just have moved on to another server. He was the first player to interact with my toon.

5) Did you look for information regarding the server before starting? If so, where? How do you get information while playing? Is some information hard to find or out of date?

Actually i didnt look for any information at all :P I just kinda jumped into it and let the word of common sense rule.

6) If you could give yourself some starting advice now, what would you have told yourself?

I cant think of anything really.

7) Can you think of any types of assistance you would have needed when you were getting started?

Nothing really comes to mind no.

8) What made you stay? What keeps you coming back? Is there something you are looking forward to, in particular? If you do not play actively right now, what keeps you from returning?

The occassional fun Event im able to Attend, Some of the players keep me here aswell.

9) How would you describe your relationship to other players? How have you gotten along? If there have been conflicts, have you been able to resolve them and how? Do you feel like you can get assistance in this regard? From where/who?

My Relationship OOCly is rather good with most players, i would say. i really dont think id want to write all their names down seeing as the list is LONG.

10) Have you communicated with the staff yet? What have your experiences been like? For example, what kind of attitudes have you met? Is the present staff approachable?

For the Most part i have no problems with the EM's but the DM's are horribly lacking in presence.

On a side not....please please PLEASE make some Events in European timezones, or get ahold of European EM's.
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Nachti
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Prime
[ *  * ]
1) What were your expectations regarding the server when you first joined?

That I can finally play a race like beholder, mindflayer or balor.

2) How were your expectations met?

Beholder and mindflayer are caster races and thus suffer alot from ECL 5/6. Their special abilities are charisma based, which is supoptimal by different reasons. Mindflayer are ECL 6, but dont have dominate ability and kill their own allies with mindblast?

3) Who was your first (or most recent) character? How are they doing now?

Seriously, I researched and tested several weeks before I could really start playing. The first i took to level 5 was a vampire monk. Pretty overpowered and needs to be tuned down at the beginning.

4) How was your experience as a new player (or with a new character)? Was there something that helped you? Something that was difficult or made things harder?

Why is the claw npc located in the gymnasium and not in the ooc room? The wiki entry about portals and keys was very helpful.

5) Did you look for information regarding the server before starting? If so, where? How do you get information while playing? Is some information hard to find or out of date?

Yes, look at 3). While playing i have the wiki opened. The race list is not complete. Some planetouched are missed as example.

Right now i dont know if doing quests is worth it so I didnt complete one yet. Couldnt find the things that the stone head in under sigil wanted from a deeper level.

6) If you could give yourself some starting advice now, what would you have told yourself?

Play whatever you want but no caster. A caster needs about 2-3 min to bash a door open! Did i miss to invest 1 point in open lock? not sure.

7) Can you think of any types of assistance you would have needed when you were getting started?

How to make money.

8) What made you stay? What keeps you coming back? Is there something you are looking forward to, in particular? If you do not play actively right now, what keeps you from returning?

The great varity of races, the great selection of gear appearance, the chilled EMs, the interaction with other players, to see my char become a true force and to spin the story of my character even deeper.

9) How would you describe your relationship to other players? How have you gotten along? If there have been conflicts, have you been able to resolve them and how? Do you feel like you can get assistance in this regard? From where/who?

I had no conflicts so far. Relationships are slowly build but nothing to worry about.

10) Have you communicated with the staff yet? What have your experiences been like? For example, what kind of attitudes have you met? Is the present staff approachable?

Yes, mostly with EMs. The experciene was quite good, he was very relaxed and helpful.

11) What would you like to improve on the server?

- Is its a server not focused on pvp I dont see a reason why the level of other characters is not visible. It would help finding a group if we could see their level by default (scry tool).

- I spend many hours creating various characters just to see how they would look in their exotic gear. Some ingame pictures for each race entry in the wiki would help. Some exotic races also have different models. Didnt know that for long time.

- There are many texture bugs, especially with boots and plate armors.

- Balance some high ECL classes better.

Ilithids:
1. Add racial feat: Psionic domination, D: 3 min +1min/level, CD: 2min, DC: 10+half level +charisma.
2. Change Eat Brain, so failing a grapple check wont stop the whole process.
3. Mind blast is no mind-affectiong spell and thus not blocked by spells like protection from evil or demon's immunity to mind spells (see lords of madness p175).

Beholder:
1. lower CDs of beholder rays by 1/3.
2. Change wounding ray to 2d6 +2 damage per level. (At 25 = 57 dmg in 1 round, still not much)

Vampire:
1. Change the scaling so vampires are weaker at low level and gain the current strength at 20.

- Give succubus (and maybe Erinyes) a humanoid as base model so they can benefit from various armor textures.

- The wiki still needs an entry about new warlock invocations i think.
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Nimiane
Member Avatar
Lead Graphic Artist
Art Team
1) What were your expectations regarding the server when you first joined?
I wasn't really sure what to expect, in truth. I'd heard a few good things from a close friend who suggested I gave it a try, and the idea of a grittier atmosphere pulled me in. After spending a few days coming up with a concept, I dove right in.

2) How were your expectations met?
I came in with no expectations and was pleasantly surprised. I've never played Torment before, so the setting was entirely new to me.

3) Who was your first (or most recent) character? How are they doing now?
Odette Vieuxpont. Still very much my main character, has she been caught in a whirlwind over the last seven months. Her character growth has been astronomical, surprising even to me. She's doing well, or as well as someone can be after being reduced to crispy bacon. She is still walking around with a bottle in her hand more often than not. She's made a number of close friends, and is constantly meeting new people. I am happy with her as a character.

4) How was your experience as a new player (or with a new character)? Was there something that helped you? Something that was difficult or made things harder?
My experience as a new player was an overwhelmingly positive. From the get-go I was engaged in RP, and in the days that followed I given an IC tour of the city, an explanation of portals and even set up with a few pieces of gear. I was pulled into a plot (Magic Man's Primal Echoes) that I've been following for my entirety of my time here and have helped shape through IC actions for better or worse. That being said, I still don't know what even half the quests are, nor portal keys. In fact, I'm quite sure there's some portals I haven't even touched yet - the RP keeps me very busy! Even still, everyone remains very helpful in response to any questions I have.

5) Did you look for information regarding the server before starting? If so, where? How do you get information while playing? Is some information hard to find or out of date?
The wiki was my go-to when starting out, in addition to a few PDF resources. The forum also served as an excellent place to get a feel for how things were done. It's a never-ending journey of knowledge though, I'm still constantly picking up little things I didn't know before whether it be server lore, or a more general knowledge of different settings.

6) If you could give yourself some starting advice now, what would you have told yourself?
Be the change you want to see - don't allow the unsavory behaviour of others affect your game time, relish in the positives and pass that mindset on to others.

7) Can you think of any types of assistance you would have needed when you were getting started?
Knowing which portals were suited to which levels was confusing at first, from memory, and their locations. Of course, we all know Brux is popular for low-levels but those new to the server have no idea of such. That being said, it encourages RP when tasked with attempting to find your way around the city but that in itself is reliant on the helpfulness of others.

8) What made you stay? What keeps you coming back? Is there something you are looking forward to, in particular? If you do not play actively right now, what keeps you from returning?
Still active and keeping sane while studying. The stories of those I meet, but if I'm honestly it's particularly the RP of those whom I engage with regularly that keeps me coming back for more, in addition to seeing how my own stories unfold. I love the chance that I might come across an RP gem at any given moment. I'm also currently campaigning as EM Lyrium, which adds a whole new level of storytelling that I delight in. The knowledge as well, that the server is being constantly worked on, updated and improved is also a pleasing thought.

9) How would you describe your relationship to other players? How have you gotten along? If there have been conflicts, have you been able to resolve them and how? Do you feel like you can get assistance in this regard? From where/who?
For the most part, I feel welcome here and the community has been very kind and helpful. Every road has a few bumps along the way though, and there are always exceptions, but thankfully the few divots I have been privy to were eventually resolved and moved past. As a player, I mostly choose to distance myself from personal OOC interactions beyond anything more than tells, but those amicable interactions I have had were well received and I'll always do what I can to lend a hand where possible and an ear to whomever needs it.

10) Have you communicated with the staff yet? What have your experiences been like? For example, what kind of attitudes have you met? Is the present staff approachable?
The admin staff are wonderful, though (and I mean this without insult) perhaps a little soft at times. As a whole though, the team is very supportive and I feel more than comfortable approaching them for discussion on a number of topics. DM presence is a bit lacking on the server, but that is what the role of EM was created for, which is what I think people seem to forget at times. The EMs are just that - "Event Masters" and while some are more active than others, I don't believe there is a shortage on events at this time. Perhaps though, that applies to plot lines rather than smaller, one shot events.
ODETTE VIEUXPONT
"The Bleak Bardess, Walker of Worlds."
+ Terika Ten-Tricks, Vhyenieth.
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RyzaJr
Member Avatar
Blood
[ *  *  *  * ]
1) What were your expectations regarding the server when you first joined?
Just a server where I can enjoy some NWN2 goodness, without being overwhelmed with rules and whatnot. Preferably with custom classes, feats, etc. because I feel the base game could use a bit of improvement. I'm not huge on role-playing as I never really tried it so hopefully a server that isn't so strict on it. Also, no game bugs!

2) How were your expectations met?
All the different races, classes, and feats are great! I really love the variation. Unfortunately there have been a few bugs with my character entering/leaving through doors. Large races are at a disadvantage it seems. The quality of the writing and the world in general otherwise is great.

3) Who was your first (or most recent) character? How are they doing now?
My main character is a golem. These classes with natural strength but leveling disabilities (best way to put it?) are pretty strong. I love it.

4) How was your experience as a new player (or with a new character)? Was there something that helped you? Something that was difficult or made things harder?
I like the simplicity of the OOC room hub. It's got lots of helpful information. The beginner leveling areas are actually not too bad, as I've had trouble even getting started in a similar popular server.

5) Did you look for information regarding the server before starting? If so, where? How do you get information while playing? Is some information hard to find or out of date?
Not really. I just read some of the rules as the game downloaded, and also in the OOC room hub. I had to google for information about the KEMO bio portrait though.

6) If you could give yourself some starting advice now, what would you have told yourself?
Should have started playing online sooner! Been playing NWN2 offline for a while as I'm mostly a solo player, but it's great in a party as well.

7) Can you think of any types of assistance you would have needed when you were getting started?
Just general questions on things answered. I'm still not sure if it's possible to go back to the OOC room at any time. Being able to find chat commands in an obvious place would be nice or changing the colors or whatnot.

8) What made you stay? What keeps you coming back? Is there something you are looking forward to, in particular? If you do not play actively right now, what keeps you from returning?
I do actually like the role-playing a bit. Gives ya purpose. The variety of classes and races is very interesting as well.

9) How would you describe your relationship to other players? How have you gotten along? If there have been conflicts, have you been able to resolve them and how? Do you feel like you can get assistance in this regard? From where/who?
I get along with other players well, but I'm pretty introverted so I might have a hard time starting a party. I haven't had any real issues with other players.

10) Have you communicated with the staff yet? What have your experiences been like? For example, what kind of attitudes have you met? Is the present staff approachable?
I figured out how to contact a DM after getting stuck a couple times as a golem in a house or two. They didn't really reply, just teleported me out of there.
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