Ugly areas and departures

[Kulamata]

I suspect that one reason for the general depression expressed by some who have left the game is that the post-merge Istaria is a less pleasant place than the pre-merge version, and that this applies especially to crafters.

Using the lower Kion works as an example, it was pretty. (I could use Summoners' Isle for cobalt as another example) And it had the non-aggro spiders for flavor, as well as the occasional huntress or fyakki charmer for spice, with the gloomy,skeleton-infestedruins right beside it. It was a reasonable run from town, through pleasant scenery.Bronze was just down the road, for armor sockets or to make a basic tool for a young 'uns. There was an active social life there too, which I have commented on elsewhere. Since iron is used for Tier II, III, and IV levels (and back then tier V as well) metal-based crafters spent a LOT of time there.

By extreme contrast, the current iron fields are bleak, barren fields, devoid of almost all scenery except for the skeletons. ONLY iron golems are found there, with no variety whatsoever. As mentioned by many of of the departed, there is no anvil, or nearby bindpoint with an anvil. (That I know of. ) So players will spend even more time there. It successfully captures the feel of a decaying high security prison.

The run is not pretty either.

Platinum fields? Well, about the same, but without the hills or skeletons. Cobalt field? Same, but white. Nickel is a nice enough area, and mithril is OK. But the iron fields are 3 tiers' worth of exposure.

Since the merge, there has been very little visually attractive content. Premerge, for new content, we had the dryad island and its rainbow bridge, the marvel of rebuilt Feladan, and even the Novian machine.

At release, Lesser Aradoth in its entirety was a gem. (And so were and arethe beginner islands, especially Trismus in beta.) The abandoned and ruined buildings in the north, the stairs that go nowhere, the ogre city, the spiral city, ruxus mountain,the school towers, and the racial cities all engendered a sense of wonder. All were attractive, and many were striking.

Postmerge, we have the new bridges to the lava and ice islands, which are very nice. The abandoned island does have a bit of the old charm, and is pleasant. Tandalar's rift area is breath-taking, and the Shepherd's Mountain ice curtains are a pleasant surprise. The lave and ice Islands themselves are not attractive, nor are the guild islands or the tier one island particularly nice.

I am afraid too many people have felt as our guildmistress did after the merge. Shetraveled around,said "This isn't home anymore" and left the game.

So I enter a plea for more attractive design, especially in areas where a lot of time is spent. There is plenty of dark, doom-laden atmosphere now, so more is definitely not needed. New racial buildings and furnishings will be obviousopportunities for eye candy, as will the lair areas. And please dress up the mining areas.

[Vahrokh]

Well, aughundell mines are... mines.

While I completely agree that Lesser Aradoth has been completely and unneedingly raped, the Aughundell mines are bare because caves and mines are not that lush places. Nor a volcanic place like Dralk or a icy place.

Before it was odd instead to find lots of iron in a forest. Yet it was so a nice and resting place.

It's like Istaria lost its Amazon Forest.

[imported_Ssilmath]

I really miss my old crafting station just north of Sslanis...there was plenty of iron to go around, an anvil and smelter, several interesting mobs that were more eye candy than anything, you could park a cargo disk there, fill it with iron, then run out and bring nickel, then cobalt back to that area, and with an anvil there, you had no headaches working with the higher metals...


The decision to take that place away really disapointed me, now I don't work with any metals besides Mithril because my crafting station is gone...<Shrugs> Would be nice to have it back...

[PJ]

I guess this is an unfortunate side effect of having to make over the entire world in sucha small time span. Hopefully when they aren't so busy, someone will have the time to touch up the world and bring the flavor back.

[Thorgat]

I still miss Sslanis jungle as it was, now so much of it was turned into simple meadow, for example sslanis basin is just plain bland in my eyes. I often got lost in Sslanis jungle as the only area as I was running around not using a map, looking what is behind what little hill or tree. And I liked it. It was complex in world shaping and detailed and richly populated and felt very much alive and real. One of the most realistic feeling bigger area in Istaria in my opinion.
Taking away so many trees and make the ground more of the grass or planate parts made it much less appealing I think. Miss of different and irregular map shapings and Items at those (fallen logs, normal trees, stones, patches of other texture under trees) make several areas not so real but rather plain I think. Worst example for me is Tier 1 and Scorpion island for lack of items.
So I agree and hope too it gets shaped more natural once there is more time again.

[Kulamata]

My intent was to use Lesser Aradoth as an example; the real problem, as I see it, is that for many the changes made Istaria a much more depressing place to spend one's time.

[Jaraiden]

I GREATLY miss the jungles of Lesser Aradoth and the paths through them, the spiders.

Seeing the jungle made desert, like around Lake of Crystal Tears is just sad. Unfortunately, it does fit the name of the lakes now.

Also miss the fungus plants and the old T1 resources north of Sslanis. Why the Dim wisps were moved, don't know. Sslanis was a town where much of the tier I crafting could be done (with trainers to switch), not anymore.

It is now filled with cedar trees, treants, and sandstone and bronze golems. Knowing many characters can level toward 10th on the training islands, it seems a waste to me. I'd rather see areas of forest where they were (with treants) and the areas of old undead now filled with resources and their golems (copper and tin ore with Bronze, sandstone with Sandstone, gem with gem).

I think AE took the easy route of large areas of resources with large monster spawn areas. This would allow an easier load on the server I guess versus many small areas of such resources and spawns.

:: sighs ::

Why they just did not convert most of the tier II areas to tier I, I don't know.

Also, just as tier III/IV towns have a variety of other resources (slate near Mahagra, some iron, granite, nickel near Dralk), I don't see why small patches of tier II resources can't be on Lesser Aradoth.

[Aquarius]

Well, aughundell mines are... mines.

While I completely agree that Lesser Aradoth has been completely and unneedingly raped, the Aughundell mines are bare because caves and mines are not that lush places. Nor a volcanic place like Dralk or a icy place.

Before it was odd instead to find lots of iron in a forest. Yet it was so a nice and resting place.

It's like Istaria lost its Amazon Forest.

Well you never been to any abandoned mining place.. its lush with lots of plants some trees.. and a big pile of stones and a water filled hole where the mining was going on ;)

now i know we dont mine like this in istaria.. but some more variety with green plants, trees and flowers would be great for added realism.. and also fallen dead trees, makes a forest feel more like a forest and not that park feeling that some forests in istaria have.