Is Nanny dead?

[Qwer]

Something I've posted in Nanny too just not sure if all of you read that board. I pasted the same thing here. Nothing like great ideas I was just wondering about this under the shower right before.

I was just wondering. It certainly seems so, sometimes.
I think it would be about time to make some changes in Nanny.
Some big changes, not something like someone's few rooms area.
A major change.. for example, parties are next to dead also.
Wouldn't there be some way to improve the gains of partying?
If it would be worth it, I am sure most of players would play
in parties. That could get us some newbies, perhaps; it
could make the game more newbie-friendly too.
I just feel that the few ones that still play just go and kill
their preferred monsters, or train skills/spells; a very few
perhaps try to explore some, or quest. But, if parties would
regain somehow the popularity they once had, that would prolly
make more people to play, as it could make the game more
interesting.
Nanny is too silent. People just go on their separate ways
and that's not good, I think.
I know that a major change would need some devotated people
to work on it. But is it impossible? There still might be some
old wizards/high wizards that could make some time to work on
something that might have a chance in reviving the game.
I know that I don't even have proper ideas, but ideas could
come from both players/wizards, if anyone would ask them
publicly.
Admins, don't kill me for this. I just really think we need
something more. Some change, big enough to make players
curious and get them back to Nanny. Some change that would
make players happy. And I am not talking about tons of
exp/money, we have plenty of that. Something interesting,
fun, worth to try and play for.

[Maggs]

I have brought up the issue of parties many times in as far as it relates to the monks guild. 'Brought up', in this instance, denotes mails to the admin, conversations with Brom/Mami and Barbarella. Brom changed the monks healing to try and compensate (a little) for this (the gaining of XP through Karma use).

The admin changed the party XP split originally because they perceived that players were exploiting it by using high chars (mostly khornes) to drag around new players for XP. I think you admitted to doing this yourself in another note.

They see this as a cheat, and as such, I don't see them changing the system anytime soon.

I agree with you that the game has lost infinitely more than it gained from the change, but that doesn't count for much,

Maggs (whose khorne away message was: 'Kirsty is away: Get your own XP!!')

[Kherec]

Funny, mine was "No thanks, I don't need a monk!"

[Qwer]

I never begged for a party as a monk, I think a monk should respect himself more. There always were people eager to party. I only partied with my monk, never played alone (well ofc when solving quests). So I find little use of my monk. I have advanced him to a high grade and now I just look at him as he's close to useless.

[Yavathol]

I think it's an interesting point that is raised here.  On the one hand, I don't see how having more parties would bring more new players.  On the other hand, having more newbie friendly players would certainly help with the retention of new players.

I do agree with Maggs whole-heartedly about parties as they relate to monks.  There's a guild that was made to be in a party, and as such they added a whole new dimension to party strategy, structure and capabilities.  Now, although it is rare to find monks looking for parties, it does happen from time to time.  I imagine what there has been the largest decrease in is new monks.  With the current situation, monks is just not a guild cut out for beginning players.  Actually, now that I think about it, Masters may even be easier for some since they don't have qp requirements to advance.

Even with all this, however, I still do find that I party quite a bit, at least as much as before.  Oddly, I seem to party most often with players who have been on Nanny for less than a year.  You see, there really are new players out there - it's just that they aren't treated that way by most people.  In the last few months I can think of three completely new players that have logged in and that I have helped to start off - only to find that they have since drifted away.  I know some of them were more than a little initimidated by all the "Big" players running around them and apparently not that many people take the time to help out a new player.

If you really want to see more new players on Nanny, and a rebirth of parties, then start some.  Ask some younger players if they'd like to party.  Don't just worry about what your character can get out of it, after all, part of any game should be enjoying it and I can attest that my best memories of playing all include parties.  

I wonder if it's not so much that parties are a dead thing on Nanny or that the art of partying is falling out of favor.  If many players "grew up" their characters by partying with higher-level characters, than they may have different expectations about parties than I do.  To me, it is a chance to work together for some common goals, or just for pure enjoyment.  Nanny is a computer game, it will be what you make it.  It will be what we all make it.  Sure, the Administration will make changes from time to time, and we, as the players, certainly won't like them all - but we keep coming back, so there is something worthwhile to be found in Nanny.  Sharing that with each other is what parties would seem to really be about.

I would expect that most knights would be very open to parties, after all, the guild is built for it.  Some have discovered that and even go so far as to exploit the knights guild like human shields, and although we are good at that, there is much more that can be done.  

I suppose different guilds might have different takes on parties in general, of course, but this is mine.  I can't say it speaks for all knights, but I know a lot of knights that would take the same stance.  And, interestingly, I have never asked a Khorne for a party thinking I could benefit from it - quite the opposite, they often ask me.

Anyway, if you are looking for a party, and you see me on, give me a tell - just be assured that with certain guilds you will need a good reputation for me to join you, not as a player, but as having a good character.  Past experience has taught me that not everyone can be trusted, and maybe that - and not some administrative change - has caused the percieved shortness of parties.

[Carrion]

You see, there really are new players out there - it's just that they aren't treated that way by most people.

I think a lot of us, even players with only a couple of years worth of experience, fail to see the real new players, as we most of the time think 'heh, yet another experienced player that starts a new char and tries to get helped as much as possible', thus failing to help the REAL newbies. This is VERY dangerous, as chances are those newbies won't continue to play, and it's not THAT fun to see the same 10 players in different disguises roam Nanny (preferably using speedwalks so they don't even see tells/shouts etc). Yav's standpoint is very sound, I'd say.

[Maggs]

Funny, mine was "No thanks, I don't need a monk!"

Thats not how I remember it. Being asked for a party 3 times between logon and the mainland chapel. Being begged for waters from your so called defenders.

Anyway, that was an excellent note from Yavathol, introducing a different perspective on things. Different from, 'it can't be any good because it wasn't like that in 1997' anyway.

A Quality note.

[Qwer]

Give him some forum gold!!
Ah, wait, we don't have such a thing.  
I miss parties. Now I just don't see much benefit of partying, that's what I rarely do it, just with my few chars. A few months before, when I have built a new knight, I was asking around the guildline for parties, usually noone wanted to party (except Yavathol or other guys sometimes, but rarely). And it was not like I was asking for free money, eq, or anything. True, as a low player my share of the dealt damage was pretty low but still I was trying my best to be valuable. And even on a decent guildlevel, I just rarely found someone to party with. A few years ago, when I played massively, people were partying all the time. So did I, and I miss that. But I don't party just to chat, if it isn't worth it for my char then I don't do it, obviously. It is only fun when everyone gains from it. And with a knight, I do find killing very boring alone.

Ok gotta run, late from work.

[ladychris]

Oh well, if when a newbie shouts for help during a quest, ppl would refrain from shouting things like  
 "Stick it into your *** and wait, something will happen!"  
this would make nanny more newbie friendly without much coding effort, dont you agree?

My wiz was about to shoutcurse for first time in her life btw

[Carrion]

Oh well, if when a newbie shouts for help during a quest, ppl would refrain from shouting things like  
 "Stick it into your *** and wait, something will happen!"  
this would make nanny more newbie friendly without much coding effort, dont you agree?

My wiz was about to shoutcurse for first time in her life btw

It was rather 'stuck it in your *** and wait to happen something !' which almost mimics human writing. Heck, isn't the first rule when you try to be funny at someone's expense that you don't say/write something more or less incomprehensible which just will make people laugh at YOU?!?!?

[Kherec]

Thats not how I remember it. Being asked for a party 3 times between logon and the mainland chapel. Being begged for waters from your so called defenders.

I can't speak for other defenders, but mine surely didn't beg for pure waters, I got my own smokey potions and real healing potions (no offense). Pure waters took up weight and you might be soaked already, too soaked to drink them, which was dangerous

And my khorne ... perhaps once in a while to do Caerleon when I was out of kills, but I doubt your monk was around when I used to play my old daemon for real. I usually only partied with Sundaar, and then purely because he's without a doubt the best party member you could have, regardless which char he played. Because he knew how to party and we had fun like hell doing whatever we decided to do.

[Maggs]

1. Smokey potions do use soak.
2. Monk potions can be total and non-filling.
3. I would bet good money that I was around Nanny long before you.

[Carrion]

1. Smokey potions do use soak.
2. Monk potions can be total and non-filling.
3. I would bet good money that I was around Nanny long before you.

/me spanks Maggs and Kherec. Now, behave, children!

[Kherec]

That wasn't the point, Maggs wasn't a high monk (ok, so I said 'around', not 'high') when I played my khorne, that was all I said.

And I didn't say monk potions used soak ... and smokeys didn't use soak back when I playerkilled.

But that's all irrelevant, the main reason I used other healing potions (such as smokeys) was due to the lack of weight, for said potions. I wanted all the weight I had for armours, weapons and fun pk-trinkets.

And Carrion, behave?! I don't want to behave, that's boring

Side note, if you want to know for sure you were around before me Maggs, I started in 95 ... even if that wasn't the point, there you go.

[Carrion]

I don't want to behave, that's boring

I know, I know