The assassin guildhouse
Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2020 2:33 am
I want to start off by saying that I really appreciate the new update, and the fact that the guild is now seeing new activity. It was virtually dead for a very long time (indeed, not until this update had I encountered any other PCs inside the guildhouse).
I would love for it to stay this way, and I am hoping the new activity is not temporary. In that spirit I'm pointing out a few ways in which the guild could be made more enjoyable, as well as some fixes to some potential problems that could compromise enjoyability:
First, it would be lovely if the guild had its own bank and temple shop, as many other guildhouses do. One benefit is that this concentrates more players into the area, promoting more interaction. It also prevents people from having to conspicuously enter and re-enter the guild to take care of basic business like banking, etc.
That brings me to another, more important concern: there is only one guild entrance, and everyone knows where it is. This seems to me like it could create issues (and, from a purely IC perspective, is a bad idea). When a popular target is assassinated, their friends can easily blockade the entrance and harass people going in and out of the guild, popping True Seeing spells when they see the main doors open. Add to that the fact that some of these slain people might have been running for elected office with their factions supporting them, and that is a recipe for a lot of embittered blockade-play, some of it no doubt fueled by OOC frustration.
Epic spotters can also lurk outside the entrance, breaking people's disguises and exposing their identities (remember that not everyone who plays an assassin is of a high enough level to have maxed out bluff), thereby making their characters largely unplayable. This problem, too, is likely to be aggravated if people feel or their friends feel aggrieved by an assassination.
Perhaps there could be a locked side entrance that connects to another area, like there is in the Temple of Mask? Or (one can dream) a two way portal on the inside? The latter would actually be ideal, because a second entrance is still susceptible to the same problem.
In sum: the addition of the contractor is great, but the guildhouse feels very exposed. Perhaps more of the basic necessities of living could be contained within the guild, so that there needs to be less coming and going by guild-members, and perhaps there could be a way for guild members to access it without it being so noticeable?
Let me reiterate that I think the update is great, and I am very grateful to Artinedes and other talented developers who have worked so hard to make the game enjoyable. I take it that the spirit was to revitalize the guild, and my post here is made with that end in mind.
I would love for it to stay this way, and I am hoping the new activity is not temporary. In that spirit I'm pointing out a few ways in which the guild could be made more enjoyable, as well as some fixes to some potential problems that could compromise enjoyability:
First, it would be lovely if the guild had its own bank and temple shop, as many other guildhouses do. One benefit is that this concentrates more players into the area, promoting more interaction. It also prevents people from having to conspicuously enter and re-enter the guild to take care of basic business like banking, etc.
That brings me to another, more important concern: there is only one guild entrance, and everyone knows where it is. This seems to me like it could create issues (and, from a purely IC perspective, is a bad idea). When a popular target is assassinated, their friends can easily blockade the entrance and harass people going in and out of the guild, popping True Seeing spells when they see the main doors open. Add to that the fact that some of these slain people might have been running for elected office with their factions supporting them, and that is a recipe for a lot of embittered blockade-play, some of it no doubt fueled by OOC frustration.
Epic spotters can also lurk outside the entrance, breaking people's disguises and exposing their identities (remember that not everyone who plays an assassin is of a high enough level to have maxed out bluff), thereby making their characters largely unplayable. This problem, too, is likely to be aggravated if people feel or their friends feel aggrieved by an assassination.
Perhaps there could be a locked side entrance that connects to another area, like there is in the Temple of Mask? Or (one can dream) a two way portal on the inside? The latter would actually be ideal, because a second entrance is still susceptible to the same problem.
In sum: the addition of the contractor is great, but the guildhouse feels very exposed. Perhaps more of the basic necessities of living could be contained within the guild, so that there needs to be less coming and going by guild-members, and perhaps there could be a way for guild members to access it without it being so noticeable?
Let me reiterate that I think the update is great, and I am very grateful to Artinedes and other talented developers who have worked so hard to make the game enjoyable. I take it that the spirit was to revitalize the guild, and my post here is made with that end in mind.