New Player Guide
From ALOE Wiki
Contents |
[edit] Introduction to Edon
The Ancient Lands of Edon (ALOE) is the evolution of Nordock public release 1.70 and, with the addition of Hordes of the Underdark, has become a masterpiece in the eyes of all who play on the Internode Servers.
Edon differs greatly from Richterm's original Nordock module. Most subraces except for Drow, Duergar and Undead have been removed to speed up the servers, many areas have been changed or removed with numerous new locations taking their place, and new quests and crafting recipes have been added. The undead race has been added to the module, and while they used to be a separate faction, they are now part of the drow faction.
Also note that the Underdark Faction are one of the two major factions contesting the land of Edon, with an extensive sprawl of cities and territories in the Underdark below the surface.
The ALOE team considers role-play to be an important & enjoyable aspects of the game. We wish to encourage everyone to role-play as much as possible - note that the DMs can (and do) award XP for good RP.
[edit] Advice for Novice Players
[edit] What the Game is About
Neverwinter Nights (NWN) is primarily a Fantasy Role Playing (RP) game with considerable depth and may be as complex as you wish to make it.
The "land" the game is set in is called Edon, and is not directly associated with any existing literature. While you can participate at any level you wish, the overall thrust of the game is an on-going conflict between the Drow Elves who dwell below ground, and the various surface dwelling races - as both factions struggle for supreme control of the world.
The infrastructure to this are the main cities allocated to each faction, some neutral areas, and the rest of the world populated by plants and creatures. The latter may attack you or be hunted to gain experience points, food or various requisites, that in turn can be sold or used to make things you need (using any of the Crafting Skills you may develop).
[edit] Game Structure
The game originated in a pencil and paper game named Dungeons & Dragons, which was played with dice throws. Each throw of the dice gave all players one "round", with the dice amount being applied to the "level" in the game the player's character had reached. The higher the level then the more effective the player's action would be.
Now the game is on computer, it is not at all obvious that you are still playing essentially a dice game. The computer throws the dice and you never see them, but you do get a screen display of the outcome of any actions you and any other players are making. There is therefore a considerable amount of variance in outcomes of doing the same thing several times.
As a result of the above one main focus of interest in the game is "levelling up", as your character rises to higher levels, obtains more abilities, and is more effective in what they are doing.
[edit] Sourcing Information
You have a lot of means at your disposal, to obtain as much information as you want or need.
- Internode NWN Forums - The very active Forums provide a constant flow of questions and answers on practical game playing, as well as disentangling player problems.
- Other Web Sites - There are many NWN information support sites relating to various aspects of the game. These include the official bioware forums, and various community websites:
[edit] Basic Skills
While you could just buy the game and jump straight on the server, this may give you too much to do and learn at once, and could spoil the experience.
At the start of the main NWN game is a Prelude section (the Academy), which is primarily about training. You might wish to run a couple of different characters through this to become fluid with using the game.
Here you will learn how to move about, the various views, how to select and use weapons and other equipment, use of the radial menus, casting spells, etc.
[edit] Understanding the Jargon
As in any computer gaming community, a form of verbal shorthand is used which is quite common. There is one aspect of NWN that you will continually be meeting which at first seems incomprehensible - this is a string of letters and numbers that are your character's current performance rating. These are then modified by the dice throws per round.
Typically the components comprise Armour Class (AC), Hit Points (HP), Strength, Wisdom, etc. These are in fact very important in developing and maintaining characters, but it can be daunting to be in contact with experienced players who trot these strings out as if it were second nature, and their native language - which it now is!
Give this one time. You will steadily learn the significance via the "levelling up" process, and by playing different characters that use different values in the various areas. Without prior understanding of the system, there is no short-cut to this, other than learning by experience.
[edit] Orientation
You will feel a lot more comfortable with what you are doing if you know where you are, and where you can go to do things.
Surface - There are four main cities - Helios, Ziegen, Tobaro and Emrys, along with some smaller towns - Trondor and Icevale.
Underdark - There are three "cities" here - Loknar, Chaulssin and Aeturnus.
The areas around the cities can be used by surface dwellers and Underdarkers alike. This is primarily because any Player vs Player combat (PvP) is banned unless desired by both sides, according to the rules found here. This prevents unwanted interference with what individual players want to do, without being continually attacked.
Note that Emrys is considered a "neutral" city and may be used by Surfacers and Underdarkers alike.
You have a number of means at your disposal for moving around the world:
- Walking - Obviously a slow process and you will not cover a great distance, unless you have a lot of time.
- Ships - You can reach the islands by taking a ship, and can often travel between the major cities.
- Teleports - These are located in the main Drow cities and can take you considerable distances instantly.
- Party Portals - These are for the use of players grouped into "parties" (see below) and will take you to the party leader, wherever they may be. Some areas are restricted as "no port zones"
[edit] In-Game Communications
The primary communication is on-screen texting via typing in messages. None of the support infrastructure supports (or requires) IRC or any of the various voice communications. This however does not stop you setting up a voice channel (which will then remain private) between yourself and some mates to act as a team.
There are several options on the game's on-screen texting such as 'Party', 'Tell', 'Talk' and 'Whisper' which essentially do what they imply - 'Party' sends the message to all members in your party - please keep party talk in character, 'Talk' is heard by all in the immediate area, 'Tell' is sent only to the recipient selected, and 'Whisper' is only heard by characters standing very close to you. The 'Shout' channel is disabled for players, but may be used by DMs for server-wide announcements. The 'DM' may be used to get assistance from a DM (if any are available).
[edit] Creating a Character
To enter ALOE, you must create an online character. You cannot bring a preformed character with you from Single Play, or another server module. So first up you will have to create one.
This character will then be stored in the server vaults, and will be available for you to continue with, and improve on, each visit.
So your first view of the server and world will be the "Create Character" screen. Go ahead and create one. Unless you have done your homework and made plans, it is probably best to choose any simple character as initially you will want to look at the world, start finding your way around and generally "learn the ropes", and it does not matter much what vehicle you use.
First thing to realise is that while Edon is a single world there are two main halves to it – the Surface and the Underdark. Conflict between the two is what ALOE is primarily about.
Which side you join is determined (and then fixed for the new char) when you create the char. So decide where you would like to be.
The Surface side has Guilds, Groups and Gangs you can join but is primarily orientated to individual freedom – you make your own way – as you wish and are able to.
The Underdark is more ‘clannish’ and family support orientated. The Drow House Le’tent for example has new member induction courses, kit support and then further guidance as a player progresses aimed at RP and immediate involvement with other members. Get more information by visiting the Role Playing Groups of Edon thread.
Read the information available on links given and you can be met and introduced to the world by an experienced player.
[edit] Faction Selection
When first entering Edon you will be faced with a choice of one of the three races. By talking to one of the surfacer, the undead or the drow figures you can read information about the faction or select to become that faction. Once you have chosen your faction, you may step through the doorway, into the entry area of Edon.
[edit] The Gateway
Your next screen will be the Gateway which is where you will enter the World. Click on one of the swords and you will be presented with a menu allowing you to be "sent into" the world.
[edit] Now What?
Once you are in the world, the choice of what to do can be overwhelming - see if you can get the attention of another player, and they might help you find your feet. Don't worry if they are rude, just try someone else - there are lots of helpful people on the servers ! :wink:
Remember that this is a Role-Playing server, try to play the part of a medieval fantasy hero, and get "in character" (IC). Out of character (OOC) comments are generally frowned upon, and best restricted to 'Tells' to a particular person, rather than broadcast as a 'Talk' to all within earshot. Also please try to keep party and talk OOC to a minimum for important messages e.g. //afk 5 mins
Just remember - it's all about having fun !
[i]Many thanks to Phaedros for this guide ![/i]
[edit] The Importance of Religion
[edit] Deities
It is important to remember to choose a god - if you have a god, when you die there is a certain percentage chance (which increases with level) that your deity will intercede and save you from Fugue.
If you forget to do so, or you wish to change your deity in the future, there is a character named Eve, located on Emrys Isle, just inside the main gates, who can perform the required conversion ceremony for you.
Edon has no specific deities, so feel free to choose one that you feel is appropriate for you (within reason). Most people choose from the Forgotten Realms pantheons:
To ensure your god is watching over you, you must pray to them (use your Emote wand, and select "Pray to your Deity"). You will also automatically pray to your Deity when you rest inside a temple. When you do so, you will be informed that you have a certain chance of them interceding in the event of an unexpected death - this percentage is calculated as 1/4 of your level, rounded up. Praying can have other positive effects, which you will be informed of in the same way.
