Obsidian Asylum
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Obsidian Asylum
However, if you don't know the method needed to solve the puzzles, you have no way of finding out save find someone who knows (which granted is fairly common) to have them walk you through it. Generally this isn't a bad thing, but considering FOIG is sort of a mantra of the server, I find that part somewhat disconcerting.
Technically asking around IS finding out in game, but it may not be as satisfying as discovering the answers on your own. It would be nice if there was some means by which someone who is completely new to the area would be able to figure it out for themselves.
On there other hand, perhaps most people do figure it out and I'm just bad at solving puzzles so I wasn't able to do it myself all those years ago. Then again, I just had at conversation with someone who was stuck at the third door.
Anyone else have thoughts to add?
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Re: Obsidian Asylum
The Obsidian Asylum isn't terrible, to my recollection, though it is potentially inaccessible to certain classes. Unless something has changed, to my knowledge? I don't think i've been through the thing in about 10 RL years (again, around when it was first made) so my memory is very, very fuzzy.
Re: Obsidian Asylum
As for the Halls of madness (the cave in the swamp), I powered through the first two, but then I got completely stuck.
I've checked a lot of books, but maybe not enough...
I love exploring dungeons and puzzles, but this stuff is really hard!
Re: Obsidian Asylum
Cities and the settlement system cater to socializers.
The intricate gear and build dynamic caters to killers.
Frustratingly difficult puzzles cater to explorers.
I think that we need more of this. It's not like the solution to the puzzles would be some jealously guarded secret.
On the contrary - there's no bigger reward for an explorer than being able to share a solution with someone IC.
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Re: Obsidian Asylum
Is this some sort of gamer-centric Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator? I tend to think most players are rather harder to classify with any degree of accuracy. Due to being people, we have a remarkable ability to change in response to our environment.
That aside, the Obsidian Tower puzzles are puzzles I actually rather enjoyed the first time I went there. This is quite unlike the "puzzle" in the Tomb of the Last King, for example, where the clues in game are actively misleading, rather than cryptically pointing to the solution.
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Re: Obsidian Asylum
Is one way to classify "main" players behaviors (there are other more unnecessary complex ones/more precise ones, but a forum is hardly the place for academical works). Note that they are not meant to be exclusive, a player is a blend of all of these. Some people are only one, some are a bit of two, some are all four, etc, there's as many possible blends are there are players, but at the end of the day, most known player behaviors should fall into one of these. It's particulary true on Arelith, where this analytical tool is particularly adapted (when approached as blends rather than exclusive categories).
Re: Obsidian Asylum
It's a Bartle's taxonomy reference that tells us how most players have a clear preference for play styles in a multiplayer environment.Aodh Lazuli wrote: ↑Wed Apr 07, 2021 9:37 amIs this some sort of gamer-centric Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator? I tend to think most players are rather harder to classify with any degree of accuracy. Due to being people, we have a remarkable ability to change in response to our environment.
While it's true that humans have a remarkable capacity to adapt, there's only so much a game can ask from them before it fails to deliver what they wanted from it in the first place.
Re: Obsidian Asylum
The puzzles are in fact too simple, tbh, in my opinion. The Aisles of Insanity are worse, and just need brute forced instead.
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Re: Obsidian Asylum
I too had the satisfaction unlocking the secrets of the Obsidian Asylum on my own - granted I was shown the asylums location by Arnold Von Kroest, who proceeded to follow me around as I figured out the puzzles. I think we spent 3-4 hours in there.
Good times.
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Re: Obsidian Asylum
Sometimes you get lucky on hard things, and sometimes you get stuck on something dumb.
When someone gets stuck, "FOIG" should not necessarily mean "go pester somebody".
It is more satisfying to find the right book in a library or talk to an NPC... or something
There's good RP when a player tells you "you need to go find such-and-such tome that describes the Asylum"
That's also a lot neater than someone saying "Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Select, Start"
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Re: Obsidian Asylum
This is exactly the point I was trying to get across in my original post. Furthermore, just because you or someone else you know did it on you own doesn't mean the experience can't be improved for others.Skald Haldi wrote: ↑Wed Apr 07, 2021 1:32 pmThe point isn't whether the puzzle is too hard or too easy.
Sometimes you get lucky on hard things, and sometimes you get stuck on something dumb.
When someone gets stuck, "FOIG" should not necessarily mean "go pester somebody".
It is more satisfying to find the right book in a library or talk to an NPC... or something
There's good RP when a player tells you "you need to go find such-and-such tome that describes the Asylum"
That's also a lot neater than someone saying "Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Select, Start"
Also, if the Aisles of Madness is the cave I'm thinking it is, then yes. It too should be reworked or updated in such a way that you can find clues as to how to solve it.
Re: Obsidian Asylum
Unlike the Aisles of Madness.
Re: Obsidian Asylum
Yeah, I did the puzzle when I was like five years old. I have a really high iq tho.
Re: Obsidian Asylum
The Asylum, to me at least, had one portion that was not intuitive at all, but was ultimately solveable.
There are a goodly many other areas cordoned off by secrets and/or puzzles.
I dont think any of these require a rework. In fact, I would like to see more puzzles like this in game. I've been playing here since about 08', and Im still finding stuff, which is part of Arelith's magic.
In short:
Please don't dumb these down. Check your lore.
These are all very doable.
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Re: Obsidian Asylum
And that's me. I'm not claiming it's going to be easy for everyone. The Aisles of Insanity puzzle was hard for me. I've seen a lot of people struggle with that one.
Re: Obsidian Asylum
Obsidian Asylum is pretty good.
Re: Obsidian Asylum
nice bro
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Irongron wrote:To step beyond any threshold, having left that place richer than one found it, is the finest legacy anyone can have.
Re: Obsidian Asylum
I found one part of it, the shelf, to be the hardest because I didn't know FR like the back of my hand and literally didn't know what the answer was even after being told and had to look it up. This is the part where most people I showed through (which isn't a huge number) struggled with as it does seem very unintuitive.
The shelf was the only part I personally needed help with if I recall, but I don't think there's any amount of clues that can help people that not only are new to Arelith but just Forgotten Realms in general.
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Re: Obsidian Asylum
Personally I'd like to see more puzzles like that. The infuriating feeling of not knowing how that damn door opens raargh adds to the mystery of the server.
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Re: Obsidian Asylum
Re: Obsidian Asylum
Another one is the Minogon Plant. And I think this one is unmatched.
Re: Obsidian Asylum
Re: Obsidian Asylum
For those who enjoy puzzles and difficult dungeons there's the minogon plant, which can be brutal.
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