2014-10-14 18:28:29

Welcome to the world of Arad – more specifically, the continent that is the lost lands.  Be careful here.  There are things that are out to take your life, however, if you can overcome the multitude of bandits, wild nethrum spirits, resen infested entities, and finaly the Cannim, there is much to behold.  Despite the rugged frontier, there is much glory, fame, power, or wealth to be had.

If your interests lie in money, become a Mercenary of the Western coalition and use your mastery of weapons and armor as well as a few skills to assist the highest bidder.  Either that, or, you may become an artisan of the western coalition, supplying the lands with your extremely well crafted weapons and armor!

If you are willing to kill for a profession, there is a secret guild of assassins that take pride in their professional work, however, screw up and the guild might consider you its next target.

If the elements are more of your style, join the elemancer university and learn the difference between them – as well as how to sling lethal combinations of elements at your foes.

Are you a scholar or a person who will do whatever it takes for power?  Join the Rook Parlor, an elite group of sorcerers who pride themselves on the study of life and death – and gain abilities utilizing those studies.

Do you like the outdoors?  Become a Dwaden warrior, fighting and challenging ever bigger animal threats to honorable combat.  Your spirits both will grow stronger, even if your body parishes.

You may also join the Udemi, a branch of the Tse Gaiyan specializing in their connection with the earth in order to facilitate plant growth.  They also are experienced with the bow and other necessary skills to survive in the wilderness in order to do what they are called to – help combat the resen.

Perhaps fighting the resen isn’t for you, however, and you wish to be a carefree individual living and crafting your own equipment off from what you are able to find in the wilderness, surviving through wit alone.  Welcome to the snowpine lodge!

You may also become an Utasa, specialized in urban stealth and infiltrating places of residence to obtain reports and return them to the Tse Gaiyan, also to combat the resen.

If none of these are your style, you may seek to enter the church of light as the next Knights Templar – a group of elite protectors, using their inner light to heal some wounds and to take out the nethrum threat – to keep the lands safe through honor, humility, and compassion.  Or you may become a monk of the Monastic order, a group of healers so compassionate that through their inner light they are able to heal the most serious of wounds or bring a fallen person back to life.

Last but not least, are you one who wishes to slink through the allies, stealing from your mark in order to gain an edge on your own personal stockpile?  Do you wish to have an ear to the ground and know of all of the excellent imports and exports to the lands?  Perhaps a thief is for you.

As well as the multitude of guilds within Clok Mud you are able to do so much more.  You can carve your own practice swords and bows and arrows through woodcarving and fletching and bowiering.  You may make the finest iron plate mail and the sharpest iron long sword from the forging.  Don’t forget about forging arrowheads either.  You may forage for herbs and make po8ultices to facilitate healing.  You may farm and raise your own crop in order to sell for profit, or cook it for that delicious meal.  Maybe you’re a handyman and want to sleep on that new bed you made out of the finest redwood tree.  Pick up your work hammer and handsaw and get to work! 

With the amount of role-play that Clok has to offer and the open-ended skill system you are able to be whom you want to be.  No practices, no levels needed to gain that skill.  You may never join one of the multiple guilds, or you may join one – the choice is all yours and either way, the possibilities are endless.  Take a look at the homepage:
http://wiki.contrarium.net and see for yourself the features, races, guilds, and all about the world.  If you wish to delve farther, take a look at and sign up on the BBS and ask any questions!  With the friendly players and helpful GM staff, you toow ill find Clok an extremely awesome place to be.

Note, Clok is RP enforced with some player killing, however, the policies and the personalities behind the players are mature enough that unless you deserve it no one will just jump out of the woods and end your life.  Even if they do, nothing but a little bit of time is lost, unless you chose to depart where a tiny debuff is added, causing skillgains to be lower for a little while.

There are two soundpacks, one for VIPMud and one for mushlient – both may be found on the BBS.  Many players are screen reader users, however, not all!  The game has a great mix of players, but we want more!

Come check out clok today!

http://wiki.contrarium.net
https://bbs.contrarium.net
clok.contrarium.net:4000

2014-10-14 18:33:14

Excellent mud, and I'm not a huge one for RP enforced muds. But I'm loving this

2014-10-14 18:40:08

I have been playing this mud for about a year now, and the playerbase is the maturist I have ever seen. I am the developer of the mush pack, but it's still got some bugs to work out. If there is enough interest in the game though and my pack I will work double time to make it completely functional for those who wish to play.
The GM/admins are extremely helpful, and there are events frequently. We just had one that went through out the whole day yesterday in fact. Along with the events, the creater of the mud hosts teamtalk and skype confrences for lore and mechanics often. The clok community is great, and I'm sure we'd all love to see more people become part of it.
There is a lot to learn, and a lot to explore. There really is no limit to what you could be in the lost lands.

The universe is a rain storm. We are droplets sent to quench the problems of the world, yet we are blown sideways by the winds of distractions.

2014-10-14 21:21:57

I can't get to the BBS page to get the soundpacks.

2014-10-14 21:24:05

http://bbs.contrarium.net/
That worked for me, but you need an account.

2014-10-14 22:19:55

I need an account to get access to the Soundpacks?

2014-10-14 22:31:35

No, but that's where they are.  I'd recommend signing up for the bbs though as that's where things get posted about the game, and, apart from the IRC channel, where the most OOC chatter happens.
The links for the packs can be found here
http://bbs.contrarium.net/viewtopic.php … sound+pack
http://bbs.contrarium.net/viewtopic.php … lit=vipmud

2014-10-15 18:40:56

hello is the mud as rp enforced as sc? basicly what I mean here is having to submit a profile before being able to play the game fully, no secure OOC communication way what so ever and ooc warnings even if you just happen to spell something wrong?

I used to be a knee like you, then I took an adventurer in the arrow.

2014-10-15 20:14:12

Hi,

deffinetly not.  smile.  Log in and play away.

They have an irc server for most of their ooc chatter, however, they do have player tells within the game that are ooc.

The warning you'll get is someone going hey that's ook lolz.  It's an easy, relaxed and fun place.  everyone primarily wants to enjoy themselves.

2014-10-16 03:16:17

Most of the OOC chatter is done via IRC.  The question channel in game is for asking ooc questions, and you can use tells to send ooc messages to people.  But everything else is in character.
No, you do not need to submit a history before playing.  So it's not like sindome or Star Conquest.

2014-10-16 19:39:41 (edited by Jirato 2014-10-16 19:41:21)

connor142 wrote:

hello is the mud as rp enforced as sc? basicly what I mean here is having to submit a profile before being able to play the game fully, no secure OOC communication way what so ever and ooc warnings even if you just happen to spell something wrong?

We actually have a TELL private message command that well let you talk one-on-one OOCly with your friends, as well as a questions channel for common questions.

As a Senior GameMaster for CLOK (I handle coding, quality control, and optimization, but we're a small team so I deal with a lot of day to day stuff and player interactions too), I'd like to thnk we're pretty lenient on the whole spelling thing.  Slip ups happen, somtimes folks will say something completely OOC on our ESP (IC telepathic communicaitons network), but we won't really issue official "warnings" to people unless they do it consistently and are obviously not even trying to stay in character.  Even then, we'll be patient and try to work with folks.  We understand not everyone is a super hardcore roleplayer and we don't really rule with an iron fist or anything.  Personally, I'm more into the hack and slash aspect of it and sitll manage to get by with the RP enforements.


Thanks all for the nice write up and reviews.  I'm glad to see some interesting in CLOK spreading.

Jirato
Lead Developer for CLOK

2014-10-18 01:32:20

Oh I'm definitely gonna give this a whirl.  I'm still looking for my mud home. big_smile

2014-10-18 06:36:25

Ther'es plenty going down!

today,k there was a really, really, well done play (The JGM Vinz put it on), and someone screwed it up by attacking horses.  the whole audience deserted the play and got in on it. 

It was all friendly and ended quick, there was a play after all.

There deffinetly is something special about Clok, and it's cool that you posted here, Jirato!

2014-10-22 08:56:56

I've just started messing around with Clok the last few days and I am impressed. I've mostly been trying to just earn some money but I'm impressed by the breadth of crafting options and the way they're implemented.

If anyone wants to give it a go I'd say the best way to earn money early on is without a doubt foraging, you can sell container to sell all the commodities in a given container but note you'll have to remove it if you're wearing it. I've done a lot of logging and the payout is nice and it gives you plenty of material to work on your woodworking with though it is a little slow, I find I need to build a campfire near the tree in order to stop myself freezing while I strip the branches, and the payout from hunting at low skill seems particularly low. Most of the pelts I get from skinning are terrible quality which no one will buy, I've only had about two that were sellable, and the meat doesn't tend to go for much. At least it raises your weapon and skinning skills though which is what I'm currently using it for.

cx2
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To live by honour and to honour life, these are our greatest strengths and our best hopes.

2014-10-22 18:11:38

I have a few characters on Clok.  My most recent was infested and had to do some interesting things to be somewhat cured.  Sound interesting? Oh, It is!  The interaction between players, the events the GM's come up with, the game atmosphere,...you really can't get bored easily!  I've played since about this time last year, and I have brought several people into the game with me.  It is my favorite, and I've tried several MUDs.  If you have a char, look me up!  If not, create one!  You won't regret it.  just look for Dianne or Boriguard.  As for my others, ask in PM if you want to know.

There is way too much blood in my caffine system!  I require coffee in great amounts for total thought processes.

2014-10-23 14:48:37

Hi,
I tried this mud today and must say, while it does sound good from all that I have heard so far, it is quite unforgiveing or merciless when it comes to dieing. while it is realistic that you would die of cold, if exposed to it for long enough however that newbie place must be freezing like hell for it to kill me in just a few minutes.
Perhaps its just me who  doesn't get it or is doing things in a wrong order, but all that I have managed to do so far is create a character, looked in the first room of my starting town, gotten out and died while looking at a few signs barrels and things. Then later I chose the depart option, as there weren't any players around to help me even if I were to look at the deathbell thingy. anyway, I respawned in a chearch, got out of it,and again, died. any guesses as to how? you got it right. of cold in a starting town where I did nothing but looked at stuff.
my suggestions to the staffs would be that while realism mechanisms are well and good, however either keep them away from the people just starting out or give them the right gear for their starting area so that they don't get out and die even before they have had time to look around.
as to soundpacks,Which is better? the mush pack or the vip soundpack? of which there are 2 versions. :d

grryf

Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, ‘It might have been.
Follow me on twitter

2014-10-23 17:11:02

If you started out in Shadgard, I suggest you look in the crate in the town commons for some warm clothes.  there are usually a few things in there that are wool, and will help against freezing.  Then, go somewhere warmer and forage, forage, forage to earn a bit of riln.  this will help you to get supplies you need.  There are some players who are happy to assist in helping you to obtain warmer clothing.  Hope this helps.

There is way too much blood in my caffine system!  I require coffee in great amounts for total thought processes.

2014-10-23 18:51:59

Firstly if you put your riln in the bank or in a container you're wearing you won't lose anything when you die.

Secondly if you do die make sure to check your status because you'll almost certainly be hungry and tired, and check your health to make sure you don't have any injuries that need tending at the infirmary.

If there isn't anything suitable at the newbie crate there's a tanner in the north of the town and a clothier at the south where you can get some stuff. You could do worse than boots, socks, gloves and something for your head while trying to choose warmer material rather than simple cotton.

I'm presently deciding whether I should rent a room and buy a trunk to keep gear in so I can swap out equipment, save up the 5K for a horse, save up the 1K for a flintlock or save up to change my axe and knife to iron or steel as my first big investment. Any opinions from people familiar with the game would be appreciated.

cx2
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To live by honour and to honour life, these are our greatest strengths and our best hopes.

2014-10-24 20:26:31

I like the horse idea so you don't lose as much energy while walking around, but that's just me.  I can also train up my riding skill if I do that. But 5000 is a lot to save up.

2014-10-24 22:19:44

I would say the horse is a really, really, necessary thing to have.  It's extremely helpful and will save you a lot on food.  If you rent a room at the in, don't bother getting a trunk -- it comes with amenities like a dresser, wardrobe, and table.  If you're going to stow a lot of crap away, use the bank vaults.  Iron or steel are quite easy to come bye, depending on the quality you want.  I'm sure there is someone who can either make you some or direct you to it.  The 1000 for a firearm doesn't get you the best weapon.  It's passable, but, the better firearms are hard to get unless you're in the right guild for it, or know someone.  Also, a note on firearms, you have to keep buying powder, so, they can come up costly to use.  You said you had an axe and a knife...try haiban for those if you don't want to pay an artisan to make them.

What kind of character do you want?  That would help direct you more, I think.

Griphindor, there was a sign in Shadgard's area where you chose it warning you of the dangers.  It's based on realtime weather in a certain part of the world, so, if you come out when it's cold you will freeze.  No one likes that, and I can think of a few people off hand who will just give you clothes you need to survive.  also, if you ask, someone can take you up to mistral/haiban if you don't know the way and that'll solve your cold problem all together, not needing clothes to look around.  I do remember that was a problem I had when starting out too lol.  Shadgard didn't have the warning before you chose it then, though.

2014-10-25 07:52:43 (edited by cx2 2014-10-25 07:54:01)

Thanks. I'm a hill folk so I'm looking for modest self sufficiency to fit their theme, a lot of outdoors type skills. I'm not sure quite where I'm heading right now but I could potentially go woodsman, hunter, or a more subtle kind of mercenary focused on fighting smarter rather than harder.

I've also only really fought wildlife and the odd other mob that was aggressive while I was out in the wilderness near Shadgarde, I'm not entirely certain of the best place to go to practice my combat for real as a newbie.

cx2
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To live by honour and to honour life, these are our greatest strengths and our best hopes.

2014-10-25 19:32:09

There has been some examination of the cold mechanics and we did find a few bugs with it! So after reading this threat I just wanted to stop in and let you guys know its been adjusted. Thank you for your feedback!

Also if your going to start consider starting in Haiban or Mistral Lake (Which are warmer). Mistral does have a bit of an dangerous run in and out of the city, but it has a hunting spot very close to it  (Which is newbie friendly) and patrol guards you can join who will walk with you in and out of the city and try to keep you safe. As does Haiban.

If your looking for a newbie spot to hunt in Shadgard. You can always ask over ESP (Until your pendent breaks of course and you need to buy a permanent one, sold in any post office for 300 riln). If you see the #thoroughfare as your walking (The # means you can look / go to it) then you may want to explore in there. Almost all of the new areas are right on the open roads.

Always feel free to contact staff via the BBS or tells in game (I try to make myself specifically available for that) and of course mentors and the question channel. If you are asked to ask it IC, you can pretty much go to the esp network with it. A lot of people are willing to go the extra mile for new players too, so its not a bad suggestion to explain how you just arrived and would like someone to give you some advice! There are plenty of IC reasons for people to get thrown into the Lost Lands!

-JGM Vinz

2014-10-26 03:45:40

Thanks for that, all great to know. Small note though, the # isn't generally read by screen readers while you're playing a mud. Most people, or at least I do, turn down the punctuation level to avoid decorative ascii and this also covers symbols like #. I have seen the thoroughfare on my travels though and I'll go take a closer look.

cx2
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To live by honour and to honour life, these are our greatest strengths and our best hopes.

2014-10-26 04:01:56

I didn't even know that they did that. Another thing that you can do is to type exits when in a room.  That will show you all the exits, even those that are not visible in the regular exits line (which I don't agree with but that's just me).  I'd rather see all exits on a line without having to type another command but I've seen other muds that do the same thing.

2014-10-26 21:06:43

Ehh, sometimes you're just passing through especially in a town or hamlet and you don't care what shops are there so much as how to get past it. It can indeed be a pain sometimes though, and at least a couple of shops in Haiban don't even show up in exits so you have to look at the description.

Yes I've finally visited somewhere beyond Shadgarde courtesy of the very nice speedwalks in the VipMud soundpack I'm using, so thankyou whoever put it together. I'm surprised how cheap steel is compared with copper and bronze, and that a steel dagger was actually cheaper than an iron one. Wish I'd got my logging axe from Haiban now instead of buying a copper one at Shadgarde but that's the life of a newbie in an unfamiliar game.

cx2
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To live by honour and to honour life, these are our greatest strengths and our best hopes.