Some general beginner questions.

F

fanliorel

Dalayan Beginner
Hey all. I apologize that I didn't post an introduction in the proper forum, but simultaneous with my interest in SoD are some questions about the game (if I may), so I hope you don't mind I'm diving right in here to find out a few things before I get started playing. You can skip reading the next couple paragraphs if you want to just see and perhaps answer some quick questions.

Let me start by saying that I'm really excited to try the game out. I was a huge EQ player back in the day. I started a few weeks after release in 99, and I played pretty hardcore in late 2000-2001 (kunark-velious), and again for a stint in PoP era. I was in college at the time and put way to much time into it, and that coupled with my dislike of expansions Gates of Discord and beyond led to me leaving the game. That is until a year and a half ago when I made a few month comeback on the Combine Server, which was so great - finally a chance to sort of relive the old game I loved. I first learned about SoD from someone during the first few months of the Combine Server (one of the Progression servers) on Live. I kind of forgot about it til just the other day, when it struck me that I had heard about this server with a potential fantastic feel to it. It was touted as a server with a "Pre-PoP feel," but this was over a year ago now, so I'm sure things have changed (for example, I've seen references to usage of zones from the PoP era (torment, etc). Vanguard was lame, WoW is dull and full of tools, EQ2 I just can't get into, and EQ1 is just a shadow of its former self. Dalaya sounds like an awesome home, and the perfect fit, which is why I'm so excited.

And just so you know, I've spent a decent amount of time in the last few days looking things up about Shards of Dalaya. I've read a bunch of the wiki, I've browsed through these forums looking for threads of interest to a newbie, and I've read all the rules and "jailable offenses." I'm trying not to come in and make this post and look like a twit who's asking easy to answer question that they already should have found out, but I guess there's only so much you can learn without direct questions. I've probably spent too much time looking at SoD zone connection maps and reading about zone levels and whatnot, but I love geography, and I'm fascinated by how the team over here has adapted a lot of the old EQ world into a world of their own. I can't wait to actually look at it.

OK, questions:

1. Spells. As far as I can tell, spells are almost exactly the same as Live? I played a bard all those years, so I am very familiar with the song set. The SoD bard seems to have the exact same songs (as far as I can tell by just reading the names of them in the wiki song list), except the names of gods have been changed (i.e. "wind of marr" is "wind of althuna" or something like that). Seeing the exact same spell set, I assumed that spells were identical...until I read a thread about the druid spell "harmony" being nowhere near as effective as it was in Live. So, there are obvious differences then? Are there a lot of differences, or is almost everything the same? It's a hard to answer question with the hundreds (probably thousands) of spells out there, but how different are things?

2. Classes. As with spells, I assume these are the same as Live more or less? I see you have stances for hybrids and melees, which sounds pretty interesting. Are there any other big differences? The class list is identical to pre-GoD EQ, so I'm assuming (and hoping) the class system is pretty much the same.

3. If I patch into SoD and play it, does it break my version of the original Game? I mean, if I decide to activate and play EQ for some reason, will I have to completely reinstall everything and start over to make it work, or does SoD download and play independently? Can you play both games on the same computer?

4. Two boxing is kosher, but 3-boxing is not, correct? So, if my wife and I both decide to 2-box behind our router, are we in trouble? Can the two of us play 4 characters, or only 2? I've seen it said that Wiz and the crew (hi Wiz and the crew!) can tell if its 1 person or not, and that 2 people behind a router CAN play 4 characters, but I'm double checking here.

5. Similarly, what about boxing friends' characters? Say I have a friend who decides to play the server with me - if he's out of town, can I play 1 of my characters and 1 of his? If so, I assume this is all I can do? I.E. I can't play both of my accounts and 1 of his, etc etc?

6. Whats exactly is "Jail". It's like a timeout in the old "Plane of Justice" from what I gather? How long of a timeout, and how often does this actually happen to people? I hear the rules are really well enforced here, and if I do something wrong without realizing, just how much trouble do I get into?

I've got tons of other questions of course, but these are the main ones. I'd really like to find out these answers, so I know what I'm getting in to before I start the game. Once I get into it, I'll truly have hundreds of questions I'm sure, but those are the kind that I'll enjoy answering by learning them myself (for the most part :monocle: )

Thanks, and hello to everyone in the SoD world. I thank the team for making this experience possible, and look forward to diving in.

Elbereth Gilthoniel, 70th bard of Cazic Thule
Elbereth Gilthoniel, 65th bard of The Combine
 
fanliorel said:
1. Spells. As far as I can tell, spells are almost exactly the same as Live? I played a bard all those years, so I am very familiar with the song set. The SoD bard seems to have the exact same songs (as far as I can tell by just reading the names of them in the wiki song list), except the names of gods have been changed (i.e. "wind of marr" is "wind of althuna" or something like that). Seeing the exact same spell set, I assumed that spells were identical...until I read a thread about the druid spell "harmony" being nowhere near as effective as it was in Live. So, there are obvious differences then? Are there a lot of differences, or is almost everything the same? It's a hard to answer question with the hundreds (probably thousands) of spells out there, but how different are things?
Click to expand...

Some are some aren't, check out http://forum.shardsofdalaya.com/index.php?topic=9792.0"]this thread[/url] for a link to a nice spell parser that will let you see what each does. Like here Complete heal has a long recast delay and a 2.0 sec casting time.

fanliorel said:
2. Classes. As with spells, I assume these are the same as Live more or less? I see you have stances for hybrids and melees, which sounds pretty interesting. Are there any other big differences? The class list is identical to pre-GoD Game, so I'm assuming (and hoping) the class system is pretty much the same.
Click to expand...

Most function basically the same way.

fanliorel said:
3. If I patch into SoD and play it, does it break my version of the original Game? I mean, if I decide to activate and play Game for some reason, will I have to completely reinstall everything and start over to make it work, or does SoD download and play independently? Can you play both games on the same computer?
Click to expand...

I think your best bt if you want to do this at the same time is to copy your game directory and setup one for SoD and leave the other alone. I mean you can swap back and forth but it will be more headache than it is worth.

fanliorel said:
4. Two boxing is kosher, but 3-boxing is not, correct? So, if my wife and I both decide to 2-box behind our router, are we in trouble? Can the two of us play 4 characters, or only 2? I've seen it said that Wiz and the crew (hi Wiz and the crew!) can tell if its 1 person or not, and that 2 people behind a router CAN play 4 characters, but I'm double checking here.
Click to expand...

I think your best bt if you want to do this at the same time is to copy your game directory and setup one for SoD and leave the other alone. I mean you can swap back and forth but it will be more headache than it is worth.

fanliorel said:
5. Similarly, what about boxing friends' characters? Say I have a friend who decides to play the server with me - if he's out of town, can I play 1 of my characters and 1 of his? If so, I assume this is all I can do? I.E. I can't play both of my accounts and 1 of his, etc etc?
Click to expand...

One physical person can play two and only two characters at the same time. It doens't matter whose characters they are.

fanliorel said:
6. Whats exactly is "Jail". It's like a timeout in the old "Plane of Justice" from what I gather? How long of a timeout, and how often does this actually happen to people? I hear the rules are really well enforced here, and if I do something wrong without realizing, just how much trouble do I get into?
Click to expand...

It varies and is up the the GM's discretion and the severity of the offense. It is pretty hard to do something wrong without realizing it. Just http://www.shardsofdalaya.com/rules.htm"]READ THE RULES[/url] and most minor offenses get an 1 or 2 max in jail, and you consider that free time for you to go back and read the rules that you were previously too busy to read.
 
With regard to the classes:

Tempus said:
Most function basically the same way.
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The one notable exception is Bards. Bard mechanics are very, very different here than they were on live. You can basically have 2 beneficial songs and 1 detrimental song on without twisting. If you twist, you can have 2 beneficial and 2 detrimental songs going. In no way can you have more than 2 beneficial, or more than 2 detrimental songs going at a time.
 
Oh, one other note about the 2 character limit... Put all the characters you might want to play simultaneously on different accounts. There are problems with having 2 characters from the same account online simultaneously, and there's no limit to the number of accounts you can have.
 
AoEs hit only targets that have you on their hate list, or are the actual target of the spell.
Targeted explosion-type AoEs hit 3 targets, max.
Targeted rain-type AoEs hit 2 targets, max, for three waves, for a maximum of 6 individual hits.
Nontargeted PB-type AoEs hit 6 targets, max.

DoTs lower the damage of the afflicted mob by a ratio of dot tick damage to mob total HP. Thus, if a mob has 100 hp, and your dots are ticking for 10 damage a tick, the mob does only 90% of its base damage.

DoTs all stack when cast from a different person. Most debuffs stack in the same manner, with the highest effect in each slot taking effect. That is, if you cast a 124 a tick dot, and your buddy casts the same 124 tick dot, both will tick for a combined value of 248 a tick. If you cast a 40% snare, and your buddy casts a 30% snare, then the mob will be 40% snared. If the 40% snare wears off first, the mob will be 30% snared.

Necromancers are not mana batteries. They no longer possess mana pump spells. They are considered a vital source of raid DPS.

There is a limit on the number of classes of the same type able to participate in a raid/group of 3. A 4th wizard cannot cast upon a mob, a 4th cleric cannot heal the group during one encounter. Larger numbers of a class can rotate through, medding on cool down through a fight.

Out of Combat natural regenation of mana and hp is highly boosted. Downtime is one to two minutes. In Combat natural regeneration is suspended unless you have cast no spells and swung no weapons for at least 30 seconds. After 30 seconds of inactivity, in combat regeneration proceeds at an extremely slow pace, below that of pre meditate changes.

Relative to live, xp is faster. This is because of the increased meditation and the group bonus. You may group with anyone of any level, but everyone recieves the same xp as the highest level member.

Relative to live, combat is more dangerous. Mobs have higher DPS, players have fewer HP, and debuffs are less effective. This eliminates many live strategies. Players are granted additional tools; styles, abilities, inherent effects; that enable them to cope with these changes. Combat is a higher pace, but by the time you get ot the point to notice it, it will be so old hat that you do not.

Racial choice matters.

Stats matter, at least until the middle tiers of raiding.

Charisma determines the rate in which your targets resist spells and abilities. It is not a garbage stat, it is the primary stat of offensive spell casters. Even with high CHA, spell resists are more frequent.

Each level and AA ping, all classes gain specialization points. Offensive Casters should choose Focus/Mind, Healers Energy/Defense, offensive melee Blade/Strike, and tanks and monks either Energy/Defense or Blunt/Avoidance. Eventually, at 250 AAs, you will cap all 5 of the specs.

You begin in the guild Dalaya's Beginners. The people in there are knowledgeable and helpful. OOC and AUC are global channels. The people in there are knowledgeable and tired of the same questions every 30 minutes.
 
First of all, welcome to Shards of Dalaya :toot:

All of the above posts are pretty much on the money - except Tempus' answer to question #4 (it's the same answer as #5 not #3 ;) ). Other than that there are really only 2 things to keep in mind:

1. The GMs are far more active here than on Live. Consequently, there are many fewer idiots to be found roaming Shards - they are there, to be sure, but they are noticed and handled fairly quickly, either through jail time or outright bans.

2. Keep in mind that almost everything in this game is different than Live. You will notice some similarities, mainly the classes and their play strategies, the zone layouts, and some names but for the most part everything else is different.

Additionally, if you are at all interested in the lore of the gameworld there is a very comprehensive background storyline and current events "in game" follow the storyline.

Most players will be more than happy to help out so feel free to ask any questions you may have while in game.

Again, welcome and enjoy yourself :)

Sst
 
Dying leaves you with Exp debt, not a loss of exp to be gained back. You can die once or a hundred times and still you only get 100 percent debt, that you can pay off by killing more mobs or give a healer some platinum to clear it.
 
Thanks for all the responses all - they were very helpful in letting me understand what's going on before I first logged in. And thanks for the welcome Sstecik :) I started playing on Dalaya a few days ago. So far I've made about a half dozen characters, just getting a feel for it. Very cool, I'm excited to be playing.

There were just a few things in responses that were confusing to me, so just to clarify -

Mogur said:
Dying leaves you with Exp debt, not a loss of exp to be gained back. You can die once or a hundred times and still you only get 100 percent debt, that you can pay off by killing more mobs or give a healer some platinum to clear it.
Click to expand...

I learned about the exp debt after about 20 kills ;) But what's this about dying once or a hundred times? Do you mean that, until the debt is paid off, you earn no more debt? If I die 10 times in a row on the same encounter, I'm only penalized as if I died once? If that's the case, do you start getting exp debt again the instant your debt is finally earned back?

Also, now that I think of it, how does the cleric rez factor into this? Does a cleric rez mitigate the experience debt you acquire? If so, how much? (Live was something like 50% for a long ways in a cleric's life, and topped out at 96% expereince returned I think.) [I couldn't get Tempus' link to work, and I haven't figured out another good place yet for detailed spell information].

I've also got to learn about this Healer NPC you mentioned, but I think I'll be able to search for that information somewhere.

moghedancarns said:
Necromancers are not mana batteries. They no longer possess mana pump spells. They are considered a vital source of raid DPS.
Click to expand...

So they can't mana pump, but are they still mana batteries unto themselves? I mean, is the lich line still as powerful as it used to be for soloing and whatnot?

moghedancarns said:
There is a limit on the number of classes of the same type able to participate in a raid/group of 3. A 4th wizard cannot cast upon a mob, a 4th cleric cannot heal the group during one encounter. Larger numbers of a class can rotate through, medding on cool down through a fight.
Click to expand...

Interesting, thanks. Wow, so only 3 clerics on raids? I cannot even comprehend that right now; I'm trying to figure things out. Raids must be a lot smaller scale then? I mean, there's only 15 or so classes, which would cap a raid at about 45 people - I'm thinking back to 72 man PoP raids; and even earlier stuff like Vox/Nagafen or the Chardok Royals, etc took more than 45 people as I recall (until later expansions made it easy thru better gear/higher levels). Sorry for the digression, just trying to wrap my head around this one.

moghedancarns said:
You may group with anyone of any level, but everyone recieves the same xp as the highest level member.
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So if a mob is green (or gray - I'm not high enough yet to know what color cons the non-exp giving mobs are) to the highest person, no one gets exp? Sounds like a good system to prevent abuse.

moghedancarns said:
Racial choice matters.
Click to expand...

Can someone elaborate?

moghedancarns said:
Charisma determines the rate in which your targets resist spells and abilities. It is not a garbage stat, it is the primary stat of offensive spell casters. Even with high CHA, spell resists are more frequent.
Click to expand...

Thanks a ton for that tidbit, pretty crucial information.

----

Oh, and one final question - about travel. I've read online a number of different things about teleporting in SoD. I've read about teleports (druid wiz), I've read about some kind of tornado's that you have to have a charm to use, I've heard about a PoK-like zone utilizing the old vex thal zone, and I've also heard that characters can basically transport themselves instantly between the major cities thru some sort of teleport device. I don't know what info is out of date, and what is current. I'd love to know what exactly I can do if I'm a non-teleporting class regarding travel.

Ok, thanks again for your help so far; it's much appreciated. I apologize for pestering with questions, but this should be the last of them for a while!
 
fanliorel said:
I learned about the exp debt after about 20 kills ;) But what's this about dying once or a hundred times? Do you mean that, until the debt is paid off, you earn no more debt? If I die 10 times in a row on the same encounter, I'm only penalized as if I died once? If that's the case, do you start getting exp debt again the instant your debt is finally earned back?
Click to expand...

Debt doesnt go over 100%. So die once, 100%, die 100 more times, 100%. Work of 50%, die again, 100%.

fanliorel said:
Also, now that I think of it, how does the cleric rez factor into this? Does a cleric rez mitigate the experience debt you acquire? If so, how much? (Live was something like 50% for a long ways in a cleric's life, and topped out at 96% expereince returned I think.) [I couldn't get Tempus' link to work, and I haven't figured out another good place yet for detailed spell information].
Click to expand...

Same, it just removes debt, as opposed to restoring lost xp.

fanliorel said:
I've also got to learn about this Healer NPC you mentioned, but I think I'll be able to search for that information somewhere.
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Theres one in most towns, it can remove debt for a fee.

fanliorel said:
So they can't mana pump, but are they still mana batteries unto themselves? I mean, is the lich line still as powerful as it used to be for soloing and whatnot?
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I dont know about a comparison of lich to live, but its still there.

fanliorel said:
Oh, and one final question - about travel. I've read online a number of different things about teleporting in SoD. I've read about teleports (druid wiz), I've read about some kind of tornado's that you have to have a charm to use, I've heard about a PoK-like zone utilizing the old vex thal zone, and I've also heard that characters can basically transport themselves instantly between the major cities thru some sort of teleport device. I don't know what info is out of date, and what is current. I'd love to know what exactly I can do if I'm a non-teleporting class regarding travel.
Click to expand...

Most of that is out of date. Druid/wiz ports exist, but are a little different from live. The other method of travel is called the Mansion of Portals, a zone accessible through most cities that contains 'tornados' to most other cities. There are also necklace items earned from a number of the cities through quests and/or factioning, that can port you to the city you earned it from.
 
fanliorel said:
Interesting, thanks. Wow, so only 3 clerics on raids? I cannot even comprehend that right now; I'm trying to figure things out. Raids must be a lot smaller scale then? I mean, there's only 15 or so classes, which would cap a raid at about 45 people - I'm thinking back to 72 man PoP raids; and even earlier stuff like Vox/Nagafen or the Chardok Royals, etc took more than 45 people as I recall (until later expansions made it easy thru better gear/higher levels). Sorry for the digression, just trying to wrap my head around this one.
Click to expand...

A raid in SOD is limited to 18 characters, and for lower level players there are special mini-raid mobs called adepts that are limited to 12 characters. Read this forum post to learn about the direction the staff is trying to take the game; not all of the specifics Wiz laid out in that thread are not what eventually went in, but it will probably help you "wrap your head around this one." Read this wiki page to learn specifics about adepts.
 
Welcome to the server, hope you enjoy it as much as everyone else does. I would recomend reading the wiki as well and checking out the quests section. Im hooked on quests and its where ive had the most fun. Faction grinding can suck but getting rewarded with a clicky port to a city is very nice for us non-porters.
 
You can only have 3 accounts per email. Don't log in two characters from the SAME account. You need to use two seperate accounts. You can have as many accounts as you want...BUT you can only ever have two characters logged in per PERSON at one time. So don't be 2 boxing your cleric and warrior and decide you want to log in your shaman for some stat buffs "real quick". Good way to get banned.

Welcome to SoD---you will Love it.
 
Canhona said:
You can only have 3 accounts per email. Don't log in two characters from the SAME account. You need to use two seperate accounts. You can have as many accounts as you want...BUT you can only ever have two characters logged in per PERSON at one time. So don't be 2 boxing your cleric and warrior and decide you want to log in your shaman for some stat buffs "real quick". Good way to get banned.

Welcome to SoD---you will Love it.
Click to expand...

The 3 accounts per email rule is no longer in effect. Thes rest is accurate.
 
Thanks for all the warm welcomes! And thanks for answering so many of my questions, and for the important links. I initially tried to limit myself to questions I had tried to find answers to and couldn't, but in the heat of things it looks like I ended up asking a few questions I should have found on my own. Sorry about that.

Everything is starting to make sense. Now once I can master the art of this whole /cm listview listsold selling system, I'll be set to begin my adventures ^-~
 
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