BSK1 Direction - or What is the New BSK1 to be?

[Capt Cliff]

Can we, the players, get a hint at what direction BSK1 is heading? With all the choice drops, last robe and dragon slipper and even top forge stones, no longer dropping or completely removed from the drop list just where are is BSK1 heading? With new areas and new quests being added there must be a "method to your madness". Can we get a hint or a story line?

[driller]

What are you asking for?

-driller

Can we, the players, get a hint at what direction BSK1 is heading? With all the choice drops, last robe and dragon slipper and even top forge stones, no longer dropping or completely removed from the drop list just where are is BSK1 heading? With new areas and new quests being added there must be a "method to your madness". Can we get a hint or a story line?

[Capt Cliff]

What are you asking for?

-driller

Can we, the players, get a hint at what direction BSK1 is heading? With all the choice drops, last robe and dragon slipper and even top forge stones, no longer dropping or completely removed from the drop list just where are is BSK1 heading? With new areas and new quests being added there must be a "method to your madness". Can we get a hint or a story line?

Curious as to what the over all plan is ... that's all.

[Dan8145]

I think Cap is basically asking whether you intend to keep BSK for a prolonged period of time or maybe are just using it as a test server for items/quests/areas etc. It's true that the primary forgies seem to drop a lot less now, and though many arcnae items (+9 eb/ab etc) have dropped, the overall rate has gone down. Is this part of the hardcore plan? The problem is...people came back to the server, struggled with the new settings, and left. We now have a player base of around 7...which is dissaapointing for a server so good and detailed.

[Capt Cliff]

I think Cap is basically asking whether you intend to keep BSK for a prolonged period of time or maybe are just using it as a test server for items/quests/areas etc. It's true that the primary forgies seem to drop a lot less now, and though many arcnae items (+9 eb/ab etc) have dropped, the overall rate has gone down. Is this part of the hardcore plan? The problem is...people came back to the server, struggled with the new settings, and left. We now have a player base of around 7...which is dissaapointing for a server so good and detailed.

*points up and shakes head up and down*

Remember people are naturally lazy ... if things get too hard they move on. The orginal BSK was hard but there was a tortured path to follow, usually ending in Umgahvile where you could hunt for forge stone to forge up your gear which enabled you to hunt the even harder areas liek the Blood Cult. I just can't see the path.

[Dan8145]

The path is still there, is just a more dangerous one. Thig is...BSK is just as doable as it was before. You can still hunt the same areas at the same lvls as the non-hc version. Builds have to be tweaked and healing is more often is all. Items are harder to get, and drops rarer, but we adapt and conquer..or at least I do ^^

It would be nice to see an increase in drops...and really nice to actually see a dm (haven't seen one for weeks).

[Capt Cliff]

The path is still there, is just a more dangerous one. Thig is...BSK is just as doable as it was before. You can still hunt the same areas at the same lvls as the non-hc version. Builds have to be tweaked and healing is more often is all. Items are harder to get, and drops rarer, but we adapt and conquer..or at least I do ^^

It would be nice to see an increase in drops...and really nice to actually see a dm (haven't seen one for weeks).

Drop increase yes and to include arcane armor too, like with +6 AC bonus and 25% physical damage immunity things ... negates the necessity of having that specical forgie. Just a thought. An yes BSK is do able but for what reward or the carrot? No one can survive in the Blood Cult for more than 15 seconds and for Shally ... from what Dan has said it's pretty ugly down there.

So Big Kahuna ... any pearls of wisdom to cast before us swine ... actually only Dan qualifies for swine.

[driller]

I will start keeping statistics to get a handle on what is dropping.

-driller

[Capt Cliff]

I will start keeping statistics to get a handle on what is dropping.

-driller

Got any numbers yet? Not many people been playing so it might be hard. I did take a run through Umgahville with my lvl 40 DD and got a llot of low level stuff, meaning masterwork gear. I tried the Sleeks too but got my butt kicked losing 450 hit point after fighting just 2. I only got gold in the sleeks, but only 2 not a fair test.

[driller]

I have added few more +5/+6 items to the drops.

-driller

I will start keeping statistics to get a handle on what is dropping.

-driller

Got any numbers yet? Not many people been playing so it might be hard. I did take a run through Umgahville with my lvl 40 DD and got a llot of low level stuff, meaning masterwork gear. I tried the Sleeks too but got my butt kicked losing 450 hit point after fighting just 2. I only got gold in the sleeks, but only 2 not a fair test.

[tropiofCancer]

I've been on hiatus for awhile , mostly because my new comp won't run NWN1 but I got my standby hooked up and dropped in BSK for a bit . Alot of interesting things are happening for such an old game . I love the HC , period . And the damage immunity cap I've been asking for it for years . BSK though has a very low player count and I don't think it's anything Driller or anyone else did..It's just an older game only us die hards play for the most part . I'd rather play a good server like this one than a shitty one with 60/60 . I will put my two cents in for what it's worth , the drop rate sucks . That combined with the HC setting is making it real difficult for some of the older players from returning actually doing so . I've talked with a few who just got discouraged with it and left . I played for several hours yesterday and found nothing really , the gong drop that did happen was a sickle +1 w/ 1d6 sonic . I did umgah , aboleth , Azul , BloodCult and nothing but heal kits and coin .I like BSK and will continue playing but It was w/o a doubt funner when players were standing by the runegate haggling and trading forge stones and powerful drops . BSK is alot harder and that's great but with greater risk should come greater rewards .

[driller]

The drop rate seems to be upside down at the moment. I say seems as I have not fought any high level creatures.
But the undead on the road are dropping +4 and +5 items fairly regularly.

-driller

I've been on hiatus for awhile , mostly because my new comp won't run NWN1 but I got my standby hooked up and dropped in BSK for a bit . Alot of interesting things are happening for such an old game . I love the HC , period . And the damage immunity cap I've been asking for it for years . BSK though has a very low player count and I don't think it's anything Driller or anyone else did..It's just an older game only us die hards play for the most part . I'd rather play a good server like this one than a shitty one with 60/60 . I will put my two cents in for what it's worth , the drop rate sucks . That combined with the HC setting is making it real difficult for some of the older players from returning actually doing so . I've talked with a few who just got discouraged with it and left . I played for several hours yesterday and found nothing really , the gong drop that did happen was a sickle +1 w/ 1d6 sonic . I did umgah , aboleth , Azul , BloodCult and nothing but heal kits and coin .I like BSK and will continue playing but It was w/o a doubt funner when players were standing by the runegate haggling and trading forge stones and powerful drops . BSK is alot harder and that's great but with greater risk should come greater rewards .

[Capt Cliff]

I've been on hiatus for awhile , mostly because my new comp won't run NWN1 but I got my standby hooked up and dropped in BSK for a bit ..

Tropic, I just got a new PC too with WIN 7 and I followed the instructions posted on the Bioware website.. like forcing it to run under WIN XP as admin, ... and it works great! Anyway ... FYI

[Phewson]

I hunt blood cult guards, and their drops seem to be quite terrible compared to the lower level stuff (orcs, trolls,ants etc)

[tropiofCancer]

After a few days of playing I wanted to give a little more feedback on the direction BSK is heading from what I've seen . the server to me seems better than it ever was , albeit the drop rate needs work which I have heard from the horses mouth is being corrected . I had a friend of mine ask in party chat the other day if Driller and the staff even care about the server anymore..well . I doubt all the new quests , the 1400 new items , the scripting and the rest was done by someone who doesn't care about the server , he could pull the plug whenever he wanted . another complaint I've heard but don't understand is 'there's no RP in BSK anymore'..who's fault is that ? As good a scripter as Driller is I doubt he could script something that forces players to RP , to be honest BSK has always had people that run through the keep or ask 'Whut lvl R U ?" on the talk channel . The server has always welcomed all RP styles , the 9 year old kid who wants to run around hacking up monsters has just as much right to play here as the adult who wants to immerse himself in a fantasy world . Sometimes I like to RP and sometimes I like to unwind after work drinking beer and looting , It beats the hell out of the RP Gestapo telling me how to spend my game time . If people want to improve the RP in the keep then they need to get together and do it rather than blame it on the server . there are plenty of PW's that cater to HC RP and they do very well but there also needs to be a place where you can clown around with your friends in party chat and RP on the talk channel . Thanatos said it best when he said " RP more often than not is a group of people in suits and dresses standing by the tree talking about what so and so is wearing to so and so's wedding ' It's not the quantity of RP but the quality of the RP.