Lusternia Pro Tips

Gwenelle

Help the newbies out! What are some tips that you can give to the new (and maybe not so new) players?

Shaddus

If you use M&M or M&MF, don't upkeep protection scroll. Don't upkeep levitation if you're fighting in a geo demesne. Really, don't upkeep any enchantment or skill with a time limit. It sucks to be in a squad and having to pause because some idiot's Yesod ran out.

Learn how the mudlet mapper works. Learn how to use GOTO and GOTOP, especially if you have scent.

Make echoes. Lots and lots of color echoes to tell you things mid battle.

Make highlights so things jump out at you as you walk around. Especially of interest: Elders if you live in a commune.

Stratagems in Combat is one of the most useful skills out there. Learn how to use it to prep your skills, especially in combat. ESPECIALLY as a bard, in prepping aurics or blanknote.

Don't be afraid to resort to cheap kills. People are gonna talk trash when you kill them, but they're dead. What do you care?

Alias all the things, especially with stratagems. I have a plugin I use that aliases all the basic commands: TOC is sm add free transverse cosmic, TEL is sm add free transverse elemental, EA is sm add free enter archway, IC is sm add free invoke circle (or evoke pentagram).

ENTER PORTAL will work for almost every special entrance.

Arimisia's manse (ARI from the Aetherplex) has the cheapest comms ever. Don't buy from your home org, they suck.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with not jumping to defend easily replaceable mobs in your org. Regardless of RP, those Tide Lords/Earth Lords/Crow Aspects/Hart Aspects will come back. Often, raiders will kill them just to get you to come fight. Don't take the bait if you don't think it's worth it.

Synkarin

Will to live

Death happens - learn from it, don't be afraid of it

If you listen to your enemies, you never win because of your own abilities, you win because of this OP thing or that OP thing. Ignore them, as @Shaddus said, they're dead.

Hallen

Try every feature you can out at least once. You never know what you might find an aptitude for or really enjoy.

Thul

Fulcruxes are not for hanky-panky.

Maylea

Thul said:

Fulcruxes are not for hanky-panky.

Too soon.

Yehn

What does gotop do..?

CyndarinAscends

Goto player. 

Shedrin

When learning combat, learn how to do one thing, and ingrain it as a habit. Then, when you're comfortable, add one more thing to your repetoire, then another, then another. In this way, you can not be too overwhelmed with complexity and panic about what to do in a fight, and over time you'll master your class and all its tricks.

Gwenelle

Everything you die to is not OP

Sylandra

If someone invites you to their manse alone, 1) a manse is basically like a house, 2) they might be trying to initiate mudsex, ie, sexting. Be aware that this is a thing, and unfortunately a thing that people assume everyone knows. I didn't as a new player.

Tremula

If you find yourself really enjoying spending time with another player, tell them! Roleplayers often feel underappreciated compared to the combatants, and just saying something as simple as, "I like spending time with you, and count you as one of my better friends" will turn their entire day around.

Do not be afraid to customise your emotes. Everyone's got a trillingly melodic laugh or a hearty, rumbling laugh. If you want to be special and stand out, all you have to do is take the time to customise your emotes.

Running away is better than spending time to pray for salvation and losing experience. No one comes into the game knowing exactly how to kill you and be OP, and the first thing everyone learns is how to survive. Curing and running is step one. Killing is step eight.

Gods are not paid to entertain us, they're volunteers. Treat them like the blessed angels they are to keep our game running, and try not to make it unenjoyable for them.

Don't snub to get the last word in. It's supposed to be a tool for dealing with people harassing you and making the game unplayable. Ask @Everiine and (please don't lynch me if I'm wrong) @Rancoura, enemy RP can be some of the most rewarding.

The enemies raiding you at 3 in the morning (whether or not you're a combatant) is not as important as you sleeping if you're tired. You'll make more mistakes and get bitter when you do. Let it go and know there will be other times.

Trash talk is fun, but don't give more than you're willing to get. Tainted monstrosity or blind peon sounds a lot better that calling someone a [redacted] [redacted] whose mother slept with a [redacted].

Altrea

Find your comfort zone, then step out of it when you've found it. If you find your comfort zone is combat, go try doing some longform RP or writing and vice versa. If you've only experienced one org thus far, go talk to people in other orgs about theirs or make an alt or something and figure out what it's all about. You might not always enjoy what you'll find, but you won't know until you try and you'll at least learn something on the way.

Don't let perceived failures drag you down. The only way you can truly fail at something is to let it beat you; keep trying and keep seeing it as a chance to improve or a chance to learn from it. If you can 'fail' and not learn something, you aren't trying hard enough.

Ask questions. People around here are generally awesome and even the ones with reputations for being complete dinks and people across org boundaries will usually sit down with you and answer stuff if they have the time. Unless it's something really set in stone, ask multiple people if you can too as different people might have wildly varying opinions on a subject.

Don't be afraid to do things. If you think you're too 'new' or won't be good at it, you're going to end up shoving yourself into a hole and won't progress. You might get told no, in which case you know what not to do in the future. Most likely though, it'll be entirely fine; you might look back on it in six months and laugh a bit, but it'll be fine regardless. This applies to pretty much everything: combat, client coding, roleplay, writing, guild and order stuff, and so on. Take the initiative, people will remember it and you'll feel good in the end.

Know your limits. While you're encouraged to push them a bit, don't do something that'll leave you worse off in the long run. Remember, it is just a game, and there's no reason you should let your real life suffer as a result of it (both physically and mentally). As a corrolary, understand that others may have different limits than you. We have several players who don't speak english natively or use screenreaders to play, we have players who handle different situations differently for a variety of reasons, and many of them are high profile folks who do a lot, but can't contribute well to certain areas for various reasons: don't dismiss them, just as you wouldn't dismiss yourself with the context you have.

It may be just a game, but some folks do take certain aspects of it really seriously. If you start getting personally attacked, don't take it personally and ignore it unless it's major enough not to ignore (in which case, it's generally a case for a snub and/or issue, though I personally really only save those as a last resort kind of thing). As a corrolary, if you find yourself getting heated enough you start yelling profanities at other people or wishing bodily harm on them, take a step back and calm down, go for a jog or pet a small animal or something.

Have fun.

Sylandra

You will need some kind of system to cure yourself. M&M is currently available for download, and it's pretty intuitive for beginners. Otherwise you are totally going to die over and over when you try to grind.

Traveling when you start out can be rough. The Aetherplex is like a hub where everyone goes to browse for shopping and to travel from one aethership or manse to another. It's a good location to familiarize yourself with, as it has easy access to Mount Avechna nearby, plus if you travel to an org-connected shop, you can PORTAL EXIT (org name) to arrive there. So Erudio for example would give you access to Hallifax if you exited from there. Additionally, Aetherplex shops always have the cheapest prices around, so keep that in mind when you've got a newbie wallet.

Gods are played by admin players. They will sometimes interact with players and you can join their Orders. They have distinct personalities so HELP (god) can help prepare you for any potential awkwardness, like if you were to scoff at Drocilla. They can be invisible and manifest out of nowhere, so watch out! And don't assume your tells are safe either, as I learned that the hard way too, haha.

Read the histories. They will help you make sense of the world around you.

If you are confused, TELL SOMEONE! It took me like two months to figure out the basics of Lusternia because I am an impatient person and was completely new to MUDs. Couldn't have done it without the patience of @Phoebus @Leta and @Shedrin to save me. Lusternia has a major major learning curve, especially to true blue MUD noobies, and it's kind of impossible to overcome without making connections and asking for help.

Be polite when you ask questions. Try to take it one thing at a time. Remember everyone has been where you are, and no one thinks less of you for still learning.

The forums can be a valuable resource but it's also (at times) a source of drama. Try to get to know people ICly and get to know the org you're in before you get too into the forum life; it's fine to join, but it can be good to get to know people before you get to know OOC player biases. And it's in my opinion better to ask people ICly for help, as that builds bonds in-game and makes it easier for people to assist you than a bunch of people speculating on a forum. Which is to say that the forums are a great resource in general (particularly for combat questions) but I advise learning the basics in-game.

Bardics and artisanals are a monthly way of earning credits without spending money. If you like to write or to draw, consider participating!

CyndarinAscends

Don't live in a bubble. Try different classes, make alts, explore the world, and listen to different conversations. Especially if you want to engage in PK and be successful at it. One of the worst things you can do is live in an echo chamber with your own org or allies who circulate the same opinions about what's OP, what's no good, what strategies work, etc etc. If you ask the most successful PKers in the game what classes they've played, they will give you a list. 

The best way to learn a class's strengths and weaknesses is to play it. Barring that (because it's not always that easy), spar the class you have difficulty over and over and over until you understand it. Spar people that will  kick your ass, log it, review it, and ask them questions. Keep doing it until they stop kicking your ass. 

Review your fights after they are done. Always. I still review my fights every single time. It's hard to learn on the fly with spam scrolling like the matrix across your screen. You learn by looking at what you did and understanding what you could have done better. Did you not run when you should have? Are you missing an important highlight? Did you fail to gust save your melder? Read your logs, read your logs, read your logs. 

If you REALLY want to improve, you can ask combatants to review your logs. Most of us actually enjoy reading logs. You can probably find some someone to give you tips. Share your logs and get input. Beware of trolls who are angry you killed them with "OP skills." (disclaimer: some people who are terrible will give you tips and talk a big game. Just be careful what advice you take.)

The first step to learning group PK is learning how to survive and how to run. Abbreviated as "will to live."

Embrace dying as part of learning. It costs almost nothing. You'll get over it. 

CyndarinAscends

Thank your melder. Meld slave is a crappy job.

Shaddus

Celest's Bathhouse > Krin's Bathhouse.

Phoebus

CyndarinAscends said:

Don't live in a bubble. Try different classes, make alts, explore the world, and listen to different conversations. Especially if you want to engage in PK and be successful at it. One of the worst things you can do is live in an echo chamber with your own org or allies who circulate the same opinions about what's OP, what's no good, what strategies work, etc etc. If you ask the most successful PKers in the game what classes they've played, they will give you a list. 

The best way to learn a class's strengths and weaknesses is to play it. Barring that (because it's not always that easy), spar the class you have difficulty over and over and over until you understand it. Spar people that will  kick your ass, log it, review it, and ask them questions. Keep doing it until they stop kicking your ass. 

Review your fights after they are done. Always. I still review my fights every single time. It's hard to learn on the fly with spam scrolling like the matrix across your screen. You learn by looking at what you did and understanding what you could have done better. Did you not run when you should have? Are you missing an important highlight? Did you fail to gust save your melder? Read your logs, read your logs, read your logs. 

If you REALLY want to improve, you can ask combatants to review your logs. Most of us actually enjoy reading logs. You can probably find some someone to give you tips. Share your logs and get input. Beware of trolls who are angry you killed them with "OP skills." (disclaimer: some people who are terrible will give you tips and talk a big game. Just be careful what advice you take.)

The first step to learning group PK is learning how to survive and how to run. Abbreviated as "will to live."

Embrace dying as part of learning. It costs almost nothing. You'll get over it. 

As an extension of this, read other people's logs, too! You might see they have their echoes or highlights set up in a way that makes you think "oh my god I need that", or you'll realize you should be paying closer attention to something you're currently barely aware of more easily than you might figure it out on your own. I really wish I could read most other people's logs (unfortunately, since most people use the normal color setup of black with a bunch of bright colors on it, I can't without royally effing my eyes up for hours and getting migraines ). But if you're able to do so, do it!

Ulalah

Do not, do not, do not ever fear being a non-combatant who prefers to do things in a non-violent way. You can manage it in every org, and it can really add to the RP of that organization.

Also, don't be afraid to get out and RP! A lot of people love to RP, no matter how new you are; it's a great way to get involved when you have no idea what you should be doing.

Shaddus

You can't make everyone happy. Ever. Start with yourself and work your way outwards.

Not everyone is going to like you, no matter how hard you try.

A large amount of people in this game are introverts who don't socialize a lot in real life, and use this game as an outlet. Don't be afraid to send anonymous letters to people thanking them for their hard work/great rp/willingness to go the distance. You may make someone's day.

Some day, your favorite god is gonna die, go back into the Void, get eaten by a soulless or some other analogy to "go inactive". It's gonna happen, because irl things happen. Don't get angry at them. Trust me, it doesn't do any good. Also, don't be afraid to email them at (yourgodsname)@lusternia.com and thank them if they've really went out of their way lately.

Yarith

Say what you want, lowmagic and highmagic shields have saved my life on so many occasions!

If you have healing or defencive skills don't be afraid to use them. If you have that spammable prismatic you press that button if you have to until you're better! You aren't given skills in a skillset to not use them!

Shedrin

You can target the second of something in a room or in your inventory with 2.[object]. For example... "probe 2.earring", or "attack 2.guard".

3.[object], 4.[object], 5.[object], etc also works.

Thul

Shaddus said:

A large amount of people in this game are introverts who don't socialize a lot in real life, and use this game as an outlet. 

Super guilty.

Kalnid

Followup to what Shedrin said, you can use -1.[object] to target the last of something.

Sylandra

Kalnid said:

Followup to what Shedrin said, you can use -1.[object] to target the last of something.

REALLY?! Omg. I usually just do last.[object].

Shedrin

You can add "here" to the end of any command to only work with objects in the room, as opposed to in your inventory.

For example "touch crystal here", or "read scroll here".

Gwenelle

Shedrin said:

You can target the second of something in a room or in your inventory with 2.[object]. For example... "probe 2.earring", or "attack 2.guard".

3.[object], 4.[object], 5.[object], etc also works.

WHAT IS THIS REAL OMG

Ayisdra

Shaddus said:

You can't make everyone happy. Ever.

Some day, your favorite god is gonna die, go back into the Void, get eaten by a soulless or some other analogy to "go inactive". It's gonna happen, because irl things happen. Don't get angry at them. Trust me, it doesn't do any good. Also, don't be afraid to email them at (yourgodsname)@lusternia.com and thank them if they've really went out of their way lately.

The first part. Yes. Sometimes. Maybe.

Emailing the god only helps if they actually check that email (I know some gods have said they don't check it and that messages are a better way of ooc contact).

----

(As long as you are not breaking game's rules), there is no wrong way to play. Interactions, while important to some, are not required to have fun. Find what you enjoy and do that.

Xenthos

Shedrin said:

You can add "here" to the end of any command to only work with objects in the room, as opposed to in your inventory.

For example "touch crystal here", or "read scroll here".

Not any command.  GREET *MOB* HERE does not work.

Hallen

Shedrin said:

You can add "here" to the end of any command to only work with objects in the room, as opposed to in your inventory.

For example "touch crystal here", or "read scroll here".

I didn't know that! I've only been here, like, forever.

Shaddus

It's also slightly buggy. For instance, having to touch something in the room to activate it may not work if you have to TOUCH whatever HERE