How are you keeping things interesting?

Kray

Been away for awhile now and want to start it back up again. However when I login I just kinda walk around, and maybe do some bashing then get bored and log. Need some tips to get back into it from a returning player prospective.  

[Deleted User]

As someone absolutely prone to falling into the same problem when I restart playing, the best way to reignite interest is to put yourself into interactive situations with other players. Even if you're not really into RP (coming from someone who truly is not), situations that force you to flesh out your character also generally get you more invested into it. Doing so also will also open up new situations and opportunities for you to hit your stride. This is true even for people who primarily bash or PK - the other players are what makes the game fun, not the mechanics.

Generally in the past when I've made or restarted characters and lost interest quickly, it's because I'm not doing enough to challenge myself and put myself into social situations I'm otherwise uncomfortable with. Any time you hear something going on in your city, run to it and force yourself to participate. Even if you're mostly just going to spectate, try to be present and get into the mindset of your character. Do even small things that will give your character some depth and you'll find that it will take on a life of its own and motivate you to keep going.

If all else fails, make a dramatic change - join a different house,  try to join an order, or even just throw caution to the wind and change factions. Most people want everyone to have a good time, and with a game that's been running as long as this one has, there's generally no hard feelings when you make changes to rekindle your interest in the game.

Farrah

Step 1: join Targossas...

But really, there's a lot to do but you have to decide what you want to do. If you're goal oriented:

1. Get elemental lord

2. Work on 1v1 combat

3. Rise in your faction

4. Compete in explorer or quest ranking

5. Join an order

6. Get dragon

If you just like to hang out, find people to hang out with/pk with.

Jiraishin

My strong advice is to join a faction with a strong ideological bent. That way you have well-defined story goals that your dude will focus on while you build up interactions with other players and evolve a more personal narrative. I'd recommend a theocracy like Targ or Mhaldor for that, though my knowledge of playing in Ashtan or Hashan is very outdated so you might well have unexpected luck there. I took a years-long hiatus from playing Achaea, and being dormant for a while can really help you have a clean slate with whatever faction you choose.

This is mostly from the perspective of a hardcore RPer who happens to also do group combat, but if you're a PKer with a mild interest in RP joining a faction is a good way to decide on and justify who you kill. You'll get battle buddies as an added bonus, and be able to dip your toes in factional RP should you ever have the urge.

If you're a basher, I dunno how to help you. I find bashing incredibly dull. It took me about an RL decade to make Dragon. 

Alternately, were you asking for more individual answers about what people find interesting about the game?

Cailin

I think one of the most helpful things for me has been establishing friendships. Houses are one of the easiest places to do that, so it's best to make sure you find a house that you really fit in with.

 But whenever I've had to go dormant and come back after a long time, it made it so much easier to be greeted by my old friends, make new ones, and basically have folks that like to do the same things I do and talk about what I like to talk about.

Maybe it's just because I'm a social player (although I have quite a wide variety of interests), so it may not hold true for everyone, but I think it would for most people. 

Kray

Farrah said:

Step 1: join Targossas Mhaldor...

But really, there's a lot to do but you have to decide what you want to do. If you're goal oriented:

1. Get elemental lord

2. Work on 1v1 combat

3. Rise in your faction

4. Compete in explorer or quest ranking

5. Join an order

6. Get dragon

If you just like to hang out, find people to hang out with/pk with.

Solid advice! Thanks guys/gals.

Armali

Achaea is a multiplayer game, and a lot of this boils down to 'be social'.

Gannicus

I'll just note that Mhaldor is pretty lonely going for recently returned and/or new players at CR1. That's not necessarily a bad thing at all, since it forces you to mesh or move on. But while you're waiting for the CR2 party to get started, there's a good little crop of slaves that interact with each other on the down low. Feel free to hit me up if you see me around, and I can vouch for Palusa/Iloisee being good people. That plus Farrah's advice will make it interesting.

Also, Kiet is really helpful if you need anything from a higher-ranked.

Cyr

Jiraishin said:

though my knowledge of playing in Ashtan or Hashan is very outdated so you might well have unexpected luck there.

There will likely never be a better time to be in Ashtan for RP than right now with three active (and imo exceptional) gods. Regarding this thread, If you want RP, find a concept you really like and run with it. I was never in love with any of the city concepts I was in before Ashtan and it dramatically hurt my experience and willingness to be active. I'd imagine people in other cities that took some time to find that feel the same way.

Taryius

Gannicus said:

I'll just note that Mhaldor is pretty lonely going for recently returned and/or new players at CR1. That's not necessarily a bad thing at all, since it forces you to mesh or move on. But while you're waiting for the CR2 party to get started, there's a good little crop of slaves that interact with each other on the down low. Feel free to hit me up if you see me around, and I can vouch for Palusa/Iloisee being good people. That plus Farrah's advice will make it interesting.

Also, Kiet is really helpful if you need anything from a higher-ranked.

This is good advice, I have very fond memories of interactions with fellow slaves while Taryius was a slave, but don't be afraid to interact with city members that outrank you too, bonus points if you do so in person, we like our slaves.

But yeah, if you like the social parts, I recommend asking people IC about recent happenings or additions. If you're bored I would recommend going and checking out some of the new areas in the game because they are incredibly in-depth. Yggdrasil and the Elemental Planes can be pretty treacherous but if you don't mind dying to new things, its awesome to climb and poke around in, try interacting with objects and denizens and if you get any quests, do them! They tend to be awesome, and there are some cool rewards and results that you won't really find with older quests.

Stheno

I agree with Tary. Slavery was one of my favourite experiences in Mhaldor, thanks to custom tasks and lingering around the elite. A good mentor will help you right out of the gate, but you aren't confined to just them. There is no "don't speak until spoken to" rule in Mhaldor, though some slaves honour that. Ask questions, make mistakes, be disciplined. Part of the fun!

Something that made me enjoy myself was thinking about how slavery can champion the underdogs, in history and in literature. Ben-Hur, Spartacus, Moses: all of these stories are stronger because someone was once clapped in chains.

If you're ever in doubt, hit up your friendly Purifier or Scourge.

And to answer Kray's question! Keep it varied and novel. Exploring, designing, learning new trades and old legends, making contacts, poking the bear (enemies/big bads), sneaking into secret places, trying to become an expert in your field. This event has stirred up a lot of theories and sharing of information, so even if you're out hunting in the wilderness, use the telepathic channels to communicate.

Caelan

Cyr said:

Jiraishin said:

though my knowledge of playing in Ashtan or Hashan is very outdated so you might well have unexpected luck there.

There will likely never be a better time to be in Ashtan for RP than right now with three active (and imo exceptional) gods. Regarding this thread, If you want RP, find a concept you really like and run with it. I was never in love with any of the city concepts I was in before Ashtan and it dramatically hurt my experience and willingness to be active. I'd imagine people in other cities that took some time to find that feel the same way.

I always liked Ashtan's "Freedom" stance.  In a game with Hashan being 'civilisation', Shallam being Good guys, Eleusis being nuetral-good-ish...  Ashtan was very much the Mad Max lawless outpost.  For better or worse it made for insteresting dynamics with other cities and other players.  Not that this whole Seat of Chaos thing is bad, and likely does have MUCH better RP than the former lulz crowd, I just rather liked a lawless outpost (but you could argue that was, indeed, Chaos incarnate, I suppose)

[Deleted User]

Caelan said:

I always liked Ashtan's "Freedom" stance.

Anyone who thinks 'Freedom' (in the way it was portrayed) was a good concept to base a city off of, needs to go the way of Old Yeller.

It wasn't even lawless. Certainly not even remotely close to Mad Max.

Iloisee

Gannicus said:

I'll just note that Mhaldor is pretty lonely going for recently returned and/or new players at CR1. That's not necessarily a bad thing at all, since it forces you to mesh or move on. But while you're waiting for the CR2 party to get started, there's a good little crop of slaves that interact with each other on the down low. Feel free to hit me up if you see me around, and I can vouch for Palusa/Iloisee being good people. That plus Farrah's advice will make it interesting.

Also, Kiet is really helpful if you need anything from a higher-ranked.

Aww!  😁 Also for people feeling lonely in Mdor (or anywhere really) my advice is to be aggressive/proactive in talking to people. It's super easy to just buckle down and do your tasks and not speak with anyone outside what's necessary, and people will totally let you do that. (Unless you have a mentor who specifically doesn't let you do that...) So even if you don't need anything or have anything "useful" to say, come up with some random shit to say just to open the dialogue and make your existence known. Ask a question you didn't really need answered, talk about how silly heathens are, etc.

Of course, not all the conversations will go very far, but it's establishing your interest in being involved.

Caelan

Pyori said:

Caelan said:

I always liked Ashtan's "Freedom" stance.

Anyone who thinks 'Freedom' (in the way it was portrayed) was a good concept to base a city off of, needs to go the way of Old Yeller.

It wasn't even lawless. Certainly not even remotely close to Mad Max.

It was a madhouse there. It was interesting to see how the idea got bastardized over time.

Torinn

My advice to anybody who listens is decide on an archetype or stereotype that defines your character.  Use that as your base.  Build out from there via in-game experiences.