Possible variations with further updates
 

Leveling / Tressuremap related:

- Im not sure if there is something planned alike, but if there ain't any new regular, non event mobs planned currently, this little add could spice it up a good inch.

http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/5885/immbru.jpg

A swiftly made, but neat addition.

Few more bigworms along those maps, mixed up with monsters from immense maps. The combination of the bigworm stun and the magical attacks, could make this more of a task, and the extra worms are rewarding.

Trade related:

The stands are a nice addition to the game, sadly, since they are located on the kingdoms, they are not well used.

A public market stand between the bomb trade and the tavern with a few slots for a higher trade fee, could be something to take in consideration.

Magic / Mage related:

- The spellbook seems to be pretty mutch randomly ordered, can't find out any system behind it. Mainly its categorized, depending on the order the spells got learned. With such a mess in the spellbook, the dragging of spells seems pretty unpopular, and the limited hotkeys aswell as the /cast command, seem to be the prime selection. This limits most mages to just hotkey a few spells to fast cast, but the magic system of GK has a lot more to offer.

With the opportunity to order the spellbook as desired, there could be a lot more variety in spellcasting.

- Last but not least, there are many spells that don't have any effect. I tripped over the spell "percive self" in the mess of the spellbook. This spell could be a bit modified, to make it a well worthy addition to the PK system on GK, which also would spice up the mage versus warrior battle system of GK.

http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/8409/selfpr.jpg

If this spell would be a bit modified, just called percive, it could be used to cast on others aswell as on yourself. With the given return on battle statistics, this also would spice up the tactical system in pvp battles and the spell wouldn't end up useless as it is now.

I agree. An make magic (Or atleast a lot of the spells) aloud in events. I see the mages just hiding in the back, because they really cant do anything. I know even small lightning would own the whole mob of people, then disable lightning spells. Atleast give them something to do besides hiding.

I've had a lot of thought about maps, and if bringing out new maps is the key, and if it will infact solve anything or better GK in anyway. The truth is, we don't need new maps, levels 1 - Brutal are fine. Many of you might disagree and want better, faster ways of levelling, but i think there's a better way of doing that than just maps.
The fact that we rely on treasure maps to level up is a problem in itself, where are the vast species and varietys of mobs/creatures that should be attactched with any MMORPG? Where are the many testing dungeons, wastelands and other areas? That is what should come to curb the levelling/boredom issues.
But i'm not complaining here, i know there are development hurdles, and simply having the idea or asking for it doesn't solve anything, but i'd rather have developments toward this than a quick job for a new map filled with more of the same mobs.

I agree with the trade related idea. 24/7 Market stalls (depending on how much you pay to stay there) shouldn't just be kept to Kingdom isles and player houses, as they are rarely visited or even used. That being said, i think if GK eventually prospers they would become useful, but having a few market stalls in the main towns of Bomboria, Santerrian, Tanarthia, Hirithia, Hotaru and Bognera can only benefit petty trade. Ofcourse higher value item trade will always remain in the trade rooms.

I'd like to see the spellbook customisable, it's structure is indeed flawed. But the hotkey system allows for the spellbook's flaws to not be a real issue, i hardly see anything dragging and dropping spells, let alone opening their spell book in battle. Organising your hotkeys is just part of being a good mage and warrior at times. No one is a scout - which is a problem.

Innefective/broken parts of the game are all too common btw, it's a sad fact.

It could be a little add to bring a lil fresh air into the leveling. It wont be a solution for something, but therfore it wouldn't require mutch effort. Not a matter of a faster leveling, but seeing as it is impossible for someone who use brutal maps to level, to actual have any threat to fear in there, better say it is impossible to suffer a death in a brutal map. The few more worms would be rewarding for the possible threat a mixture of immense and brutal mobs could be.

To avoid them being used as storage for lower worth but high weight items, directly at the main isle, not intended to sell, those stands could have an increase fee for renting a public market stand, or a timed and frequented withdrawn fee.

The popularity of the hotkeys is more related to the fast casting (bug?) since you are able to instantly recast a spell without anyimation, in my opinion. Hotkeys are pretty limited, a few spells are necessary to be kept on hotkeys cause of the fast cast (bug?). I would always prefer the spellbook over /cast or hotkeys, if it had a logical structure, or being customisable, seeing as im a lot more used to a wide possiblity of abilitys, surprising tactics by scrape the bottom of the barrel. Instead of being limited to a less wide ability possibility and focusing on the most important spells to hotkey with a swift access, yet lidded.

I think i meant to say more adventureous ways of levelling. Brutals maps are indeed easy, big worms, panthers and sabretooths never once pose a threat to players, and immense maps are considered more dangerous as even i can die if i run through a few carelessly. I guess i see where you're comming from, a new map which combines both would be an interesting addition but my problem is i don't want updates wasted on something that's already been out for years. I'd prefer to see things like Troll Kingdoms, great Dwarven mines with a hidden kingdom, Dragons, demons (not these puny demons we have now) thing that will actually test the common adventurer and even the elite. The Crypt was a good step in the right direction, although what i invision would be on a larger scale, the difficulty is there.

Ofcourse they would need to be supervised as such, i'd say maximum hours of renting would be an obvious way of dealing with it and maybie supervisors? So that items aren't ludicrously priced e.g. 10corn for 5000plat.


I'm not sure the quickcast of hotkeyed spells is a bug, i think any spell hotkeyed is sort of a 'favourite' spell to the caster, and it would make sense that they be able to cast it quicker than a random, unfamiliar spell they come accross in their spellbook. I would like to see a customisable spell book too, perhaps with 3 tabs so you can order them in categories like 'Battle' 'Support' 'Miscellaneous'. And from those you can order the ones you place in each to your fancy. So in 'Battle' you may order them in Rows/Columns based on their affanity e.g Ice, Fire.

The graal development and production mills grind slowly, at least, thats what I have experienced on the server I played before kingdoms. The customers get impatient, and out of time pressure and uncertainty, it results in the release of half finished and unbalanced hang-scratched halfraw emergency solutions. A plaster on a flat cycle tyre won't be the right solution to get the bike back on the track, but a proper remedial maintenance might last long enough to drive a while before the tyre needs to be replaced.

I'd rather see them feeding us with a little refreshing once a while, to keep the community happy, and hit the bullseye with a sure, well prepared shot.

Im not long enough with this server, to talk with empirical values. But I carry the special refuse carrying bags from the other server over to here, graal is graal.

I hope that these sentences are conceptional, used quite some analogies.

I had that in mind aswell, but what happens with the item, if the time runs out and the player isn't aviable to claim back his to the purchase offered commodity?

I'd be pleased with a drag and drop move customize within the current own spellbook already. But your implementations sound even better.

As long as failures aren't negatively effecting, it is more easy to sell it over time as a "was supposed to" than a "oh yeah we got to fix it" ;)

The sentences were fine. And i agree with you, and i think Gk shouldn't put all the updates into one big quater ALONE. It'd be better if we got those bug fixes and long overdue content fixing weekly, as we approach the main event which is the Quaterly update. But there are development hurdles as i've said, the mills do grind slowly, but because of the lack of support, GK requires talented dev's, not just anybody, but i'm sure there are plans in the woodwork for how they plan to tackle that.

Well obviously they'd be stored securely for that player, or people would fear to use them. But to avoid them to be used as a sort of bank, a tax per item, per hour extra they are held for would stop people from doing that.

I haven't heard it mentioned as a bug before.

Well, it's not exactly easy to do weekly updates based on our development team. As you mentioned, GK's quality is a lot higher than normal servers and requires a lot more work to do standard work for the server.

I do make minor bug fixes between the quarters, but stuff that requires a large amount of time invested into fixing them will fall into the quarter update category. If we had a large team of programmers, graphic artists, etc, then yes I would definitely be pushing for some more frequent updates.
Unfortunately we have to work with what we have, which, at the time, is a team of a fluctuating 1-4 people working per month.

On the bright side, based on the amount of work we have put into the server, we are seeing the benefits daily (just look at our playercount today vs last year), and we will continue to see the benefits as the months progress and quarters are completed. Eventually we might be able to do it faster once GK flourishes to it's once-upon-a-time glory, until then, work will probably be slow because not many people are helping.