Please Add Npc Guards to Guldorand

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Seven Sons of Sin
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Re: Please Add Npc Guards to Guldorand

Post by Seven Sons of Sin » Wed Feb 21, 2018 10:10 pm

Baron Saturday wrote:
flower wrote:I just wonder for whom they do the logging operation lol.
Amn. There was a big event about that a few years back.
We're slaves to the mainland.
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JediZero
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Re: Please Add Npc Guards to Guldorand

Post by JediZero » Wed Feb 21, 2018 10:46 pm

BegoneThoth wrote:
DarkDreamer wrote:Having played an official guard of Guldorand, this is sorely needed I must agree.
Are there PC guards now?

Sounds like a simpler solution then just employing strong NPC guards.
I mean yeah, but PC guards want to be able to RP and do things other than stand 24/7 at a single spot in Guldorand and have to be online 24/7 with no real life responsibilities such as eating, drinking, or sleeping.

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BegoneThoth
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Re: Please Add Npc Guards to Guldorand

Post by BegoneThoth » Thu Feb 22, 2018 12:40 am

JediZero wrote: I mean yeah, but PC guards want to be able to RP and do things other than stand 24/7 at a single spot in Guldorand and have to be online 24/7 with no real life responsibilities such as eating, drinking, or sleeping.
I mean, I didn't say anything like that, at all. Please avoid hyperbolic statements and stay professional.
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Re: Please Add Npc Guards to Guldorand

Post by DarkDreamer » Thu Feb 22, 2018 12:47 am

BegoneThoth wrote:
JediZero wrote: I mean yeah, but PC guards want to be able to RP and do things other than stand 24/7 at a single spot in Guldorand and have to be online 24/7 with no real life responsibilities such as eating, drinking, or sleeping.
I mean, I didn't say anything like that, at all. Please avoid hyperbolic statements and stay professional.
By your statement though, that does seem to be the case. We don't need to put in NPC guards because PC guards can be there 24/7 to do the job, cause its easier. Reality is, its not easier, its also unrealistic that Guldorand who has ties with Amn directly as a trading company has no actual guards at all.

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The GrumpyCat
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Re: Please Add Npc Guards to Guldorand

Post by The GrumpyCat » Thu Feb 22, 2018 1:30 am

BegoneThoth wrote:If the place is so dangerous and mobs and players keep destroying it, wouldn't it be fair to say it should, rather then get better, be updated to reflect the ongoing damage done to the settlement? Can the city really afford to muster a guard force when they die, sometimes multiple times, every RL day?
It is Devs that make changes to the server, not Dms. None hte less I feel qualified and experienced enough to say that when changes occur, it's for several reasons.
Yes, one of those can be In Game Events.
But more importantly is actual game 'Balence.' In keeping the server fun and open to a large vareity of characters, concepts, and player tastes.
Destroying Guldorand would remove the only other human centeric (ish) settlment on the isle other than Cordor. This would be pretty bad for ongoing story lines, politics, and welll... fun for a lot of players, both now and in the future.
Further more, even the 'removals' of areas can take time to work out, and replacing them with new settlments can be the work of IRL months. And keep in mind we have a very dedicated builder in Irongron, we're lucky he can pump areas out to such quality, with the speed, he does!
And if we're going to do things by player action, put yourself in their shoes. Imagine if the settlment your character was attatched to what destroyed. How would you feel? How would you react? I've seen two settlments removed since I've been playing - and in both cases there was a lot of negative backlash. Big server changes DO happen, but they're kept very rare for a reason.

To use another example: Yes- you can attempt to blow up Cordor as much as you like. But It's doubtful the Devs would ever remove it and go 'Right, you now start in an empty wilderness, with no supplies, surrounded by CR15 creatures that kill you on sight. Welcome to the server!'

For what it's worth - (and my opinion counts for not much more than anyone elses here) I do personally agree with the idea of beefing up the NPC population of Guld to better handle the rigours of creatures attacking. I'm not saying I think it should be made an iron fortress or anything, but it seems more than reasonable that the populace should be able to defend themselves against their volitile neighbours.
This too shall pass.

(I now have a DM Discord (I hope) It's DM GrumpyCat#7185 but please keep in mind I'm very busy IRL so I can't promise how quick I'll get back to you.)

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BegoneThoth
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Re: Please Add Npc Guards to Guldorand

Post by BegoneThoth » Thu Feb 22, 2018 1:34 am

I didn't intend to imply obliteration or removal, more some 'battle damage' and moving some NPC's inside to better represent the danger there. Some rubble, debris in a few spots, and a few [Examine] objects detailing the damage would be nice.

Would also explain why there are more guards suddenly, danger level got too high and the town had to take some measures to stop it.
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Twily
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Re: Please Add Npc Guards to Guldorand

Post by Twily » Thu Feb 22, 2018 2:05 am

BegoneThoth wrote:
JediZero wrote: I mean yeah, but PC guards want to be able to RP and do things other than stand 24/7 at a single spot in Guldorand and have to be online 24/7 with no real life responsibilities such as eating, drinking, or sleeping.
I mean, I didn't say anything like that, at all. Please avoid hyperbolic statements and stay professional.
The point to JediZero's post is that the following is not true.
Are there PC guards now?
Sounds like a simpler solution then just employing strong NPC guards.
Unless PCs did what JediZero outlined, then PCs are not a solution to the problem.

This is why NPC guards are being asked for.
PC guards are not able to, and should not be expect to fill the role an NPC guard takes.

JediMindTrix
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Re: Please Add Npc Guards to Guldorand

Post by JediMindTrix » Thu Feb 22, 2018 5:26 pm

BegoneThoth wrote: I mean, I didn't say anything like that, at all. Please avoid hyperbolic statements and stay professional.
Everything Twily said

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Lorkas
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Re: Please Add Npc Guards to Guldorand

Post by Lorkas » Thu Feb 22, 2018 5:35 pm

BegoneThoth wrote:I didn't intend to imply obliteration or removal, more some 'battle damage' and moving some NPC's inside to better represent the danger there. Some rubble, debris in a few spots, and a few [Examine] objects detailing the damage would be nice.

Would also explain why there are more guards suddenly, danger level got too high and the town had to take some measures to stop it.
Just popping in to note that this is in the opposite direction of Guldorand's development over the years. For the longest time, it was just three buildings with a broken gate in front, with a few cabins in the logging grounds. The settlement has been slowly expanded over the last few years and the gate repaired, in line with a view of Guldorand becoming more stable and more well-protected.

The only problem is that the NPC guard force was insufficient in the first place and was never updated to keep up, especially as the population script went into place and it became possible for Tallasians to spawn one map away. The fact that no other settlement has this problem is not because every other settlement has an awesome PC guard force--it's because 1) they have lower-level NPC enemies near the town and 2) they have NPC guard forces capable of taking them on.

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Blood on my Lips
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Re: Please Add Npc Guards to Guldorand

Post by Blood on my Lips » Thu Feb 22, 2018 7:04 pm

What if every settlement leader had the option to purchase more NPC guards using the settlement's treasury? Would that be doable? It would create a gold-sink for all those settlements swimming in gold and give settlement leaders more control of the number of guards for their city.

Obviously a limit would have to be set on how many guards a settlement can hire to avoid silliness.

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BegoneThoth
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Re: Please Add Npc Guards to Guldorand

Post by BegoneThoth » Thu Feb 22, 2018 7:32 pm

That would be a fabulous idea.
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-XXX-
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Re: Please Add Npc Guards to Guldorand

Post by -XXX- » Thu Feb 22, 2018 8:10 pm

I'd rather have the option of purchasing more oversized stationary barkskinned driders!

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Re: Please Add Npc Guards to Guldorand

Post by Intrepid42 » Thu Feb 22, 2018 8:15 pm

Blood on my Lips wrote:What if every settlement leader had the option to purchase more NPC guards using the settlement's treasury? Would that be doable? It would create a gold-sink for all those settlements swimming in gold and give settlement leaders more control of the number of guards for their city.

Obviously a limit would have to be set on how many guards a settlement can hire to avoid silliness.
I really like this idea. Aside from precious coding time, I can see all sorts of niggly little balance issues. But still, I really like this idea.

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BegoneThoth
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Re: Please Add Npc Guards to Guldorand

Post by BegoneThoth » Thu Feb 22, 2018 8:16 pm

I can't imagine the order they would even be that much work to code, we already have a system like that in place with the castles.
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Xanos950
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Re: Please Add Npc Guards to Guldorand

Post by Xanos950 » Fri Feb 23, 2018 12:11 pm

Or, you know, instead of speculating about implementing unnecessary new mechanics, you could just spawn 2 or 3 npc guards near the gate, strong enough to kill any mobs that are lured inside the town by griefing/fleeing players. That way it doesn't break immersion that much.

Wanna hit it with the logic statement? Any settlement that's getting slaughtered by wildlife every few weeks has no reason to even still exist in the first place, let alone prosper and grow as guldorand apparently has over the past years. But that's just my 2 cents

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BegoneThoth
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Re: Please Add Npc Guards to Guldorand

Post by BegoneThoth » Fri Feb 23, 2018 3:48 pm

Xanos950 wrote: Wanna hit it with the logic statement? Any settlement that's getting slaughtered by wildlife every few weeks has no reason to even still exist in the first place, let alone prosper and grow as guldorand apparently has over the past years. But that's just my 2 cents
Well that's what I've been saying. There's a sign saying war has been declared and everyone's always dead when i stop by to check for a quarter. Did they just lose the war?
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One Two Three Five
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Re: Please Add Npc Guards to Guldorand

Post by One Two Three Five » Fri Feb 23, 2018 6:02 pm

This is, perhaps, the least 'needs a long debate' concept that nonetheless has gotten one in about two months. Should've been a suggestion box thing, really. Some npc guards so that npc monsters don't wreck the town every time some lowbie sprints past for their life. Easy. Everyone else has them. A simple mechanical nod to the fact that this is a video game and not a half-written political sim.

Not everything needs to be argued over like this, guys.
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Re: Please Add Npc Guards to Guldorand

Post by TheRagingGoblin » Tue Feb 27, 2018 5:02 am

Huh.

Surprised no-one here has thought of this.

Villages used spring up when families/people lived together for safety and convenience. The people were often multi skilled and the men would come together to protect the village.

In medieval times no state could indefinitely maintain an armed force consisting of more than 1% of its population. There'd be little sense to having a large guard force protecting a remote village.

Considering the location and that the mountain men of Guldorand have thrived, why not make the actual mountain men of Guldorand themselves beefier? It'd explain how Guldorand has been kept safe and help prevent many of the OOC issues that have occurred.

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Rockstar1984
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Re: Please Add Npc Guards to Guldorand

Post by Rockstar1984 » Thu Mar 01, 2018 11:39 pm

TheRagingGoblin wrote: Considering the location and that the mountain men of Guldorand have thrived, why not make the actual mountain men of Guldorand themselves beefier? It'd explain how Guldorand has been kept safe and help prevent many of the OOC issues that have occurred.
That's really what makes the most sense to me. You'd think a dangerous mountain town wouldn't breed weaklings, they'd know how to survive and be strong enough to handle themselves.

Oh the year was 1778...


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Re: Please Add Npc Guards to Guldorand

Post by Dragonovith » Tue Apr 24, 2018 2:05 am

Guldorand is now the place Skal players are sent after leaving the island. Considering that we have lots of new players, who potentially don't know or aren't ready for the threats outside the town, arriving now in Guldorand, it would be nice if a few militiamen (simple ones, like those from Skaljard) could be stationed near both north and south gates to fight back any monsters led inside the town. The guard faction in Guldorand is growing, we have around 10 people in it, but obviously we can't be protecting the town 24/7.

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Irongron
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Re: Please Add Npc Guards to Guldorand

Post by Irongron » Tue Apr 24, 2018 1:50 pm

I have been reluctant to add much to Gulorand, for much the same reason as I'm cautious of adding much more housing to the surface.

The reason being that I still expect Beamdog to introduce an automated HAK downloader/updater. I still believe that the lack of HAKs on Arelith is a big reason for its success, especially now. An automated downloader I believe would suddenly make a lot of the other servers out there more attractive, so I'm kind of suprised the larger NwN isn't clamouring for it.

I've raised this Beamdog multiple times, and I do believe it is something definitely on the horizon. When that happens we are going to see Arelith change significantly, and the introduction of HAKs becoming the primary focus of development.

Thankfully I have already started, with many months work having been done on a new mid-high level nation & city, which greatly expands the NE of the Arelith isle. The keen eyed will have noticed a broken bridge along Minmir's coast which will approach it (also by travelling north of the Logging Camp)

That nation is 'Guldorand', built around a city of the same name. At its southern border lies the logging camp, which will revert to being just that.

I am very much enthused about getting back into that project, and have recently spoken with the maker of many new tilsets we'll be using - only a couple of weeks did he kindly fix one of the outstanding bugs I've encountered. It's already such a beautiful place, and from the development side building it will feel like working with a whole new game.

When making it I planned on having this on a different HAK gated server (so players could still play on the regular ones without them), but this wasn't an ideal solution. It was also really done as a 'contingency planning' project - ready to be deployed should we ever found ourselves with significantly more players. I recall ruling it out until we were hitting 200 online.

Well, we're hitting it now, and with a HAK downloader right around the corner some very big things are on the horizon, not only for Guldorand, but also for the other settlement that's been lacking development, Myon.

Patrons who have been given the tour may recall that the new city has an extensive Elven Quarter, and this is to be administered by Myon, effectively enlarging the settlement 5 fold. Myon itself would remain; the ancenstral capital of the Elven Nation of Arelith, and the lore surrounding that ancient history is being worked heavily into what is to be discovered as work begins upon that corner of the isle.

None of this rules out adding a few guards to Guldorand, should I find the time of course, but it is worth knowing that the next big narrative may be happening there as we enter the second half of the year. I'm still not entirely certain though, as I'd like to see us with stable numbers in excess of 200 (preferably 300 at peak), and I don't yet have an ETA on automated HAK downloader.

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Re: Please Add Npc Guards to Guldorand

Post by CragOrion » Tue Apr 24, 2018 2:27 pm

After Ranos's long reign, I think more npc guards are justified up there

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Re: Please Add Npc Guards to Guldorand

Post by Dragonovith » Tue Apr 24, 2018 3:08 pm

CragOrion wrote:
Tue Apr 24, 2018 2:27 pm
After Ranos's long reign, I think more npc guards are justified up there
"more" I don't know if you could consider Solav a guard, to be honest. As it stands, Guldorand is an unprotected village sitting on the border of civilization; there's a Vampire crypt filled with undead literally meters away from the north gate! NPC guards are more than justified, agreed.

And to Irongron, not much to say besides that those news are awesome to hear. Let's hope that Beamdog releases the Hak downloader soon.

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MalKalz
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Re: Please Add Npc Guards to Guldorand

Post by MalKalz » Tue Apr 24, 2018 6:09 pm

Over the past few months, I’ve once again toyed around with the toolset designing things to occupy some free time and just keep consistent with the work. However, during this free time, I’ve theorized a concept idea for a proper Barracks and NPC militia for Guldorand.

Now, with that being said, Irongron does have plans for Guldorand to be expanded as mentioned above. Hopefully that will happen sooner than later as the proposed changes are beautiful. It is a fresh take on it and an expansion.

I can always pitch the idea (that being said, the addition has no certainty that it would see light - it’s just a fun hobby). It is entirely in Irongron’s hands and trust me, what is in store will be well worth the wait. So please be patient with EE and us and more will come for everyone.

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Ramza
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Re: Please Add Npc Guards to Guldorand

Post by Ramza » Tue Apr 24, 2018 6:57 pm

As i'm a bit late to the party.. Do you mean Erika, the NPC guard who got possesed by a Demon Lord and gained stats higher than Paush? :P

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