2017-09-03 20:06:40

This month features another event which begins Friday, September 1st! The event's quests are based on the traditions associated with the holiday of Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice). The event is for all levels, both newcomers and old-timers alike. If you have a few minutes this Labor Day weekend, come check us out! The event ends on Tuesday the 5th.

Last month we released two beautiful level 37 areas based on the legend and lore of Atlantis. Next month we plan on releasing a plethora of new low level areas for the starting island of Archais that will introduce more of the fair folk to the world. We also plan on implementing a number of new crafting skills, including metallurgy, alloying, lapidary, gemcutting, hatmaking, bowyer and fletching, as well as additions for woodcraft, tailoring and mining.

Additional information about recent additions and upcoming features can be found on our Youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zNfBQL4VSs.

-Shadowfax

Alter Aeon
http://www.alteraeon.com

2017-09-03 20:30:26

Hi Shadowfax,
On behalf of the mods I just wanna say welcome to the forum, and I say welcome as well because it's the first time I've seen you around here.
I haven't been o alter aeon for a while, so much so that my character jukesy, I believe, has now been purged. I have a lot of respect for what you guys do though, and I hope to return one day. It's great to see that it's still being updated after all this time, and thank you for posting said update.

2017-09-03 21:11:49

an off topic question, is there any way to slow down combat in alter so that you actually get time to read and make stretegical desitions? right now for me it seems that the combat is bassed on just trying all skills you're having and that's something that really puts me off playing this game sincei really like the quest system over there.

2017-09-03 21:32:26

@Shadowfax, welcome to the forum again, alter updates are  appreciate, the game is a lot of fun and I am loving the new crafting, though as yet I mostly just make stuff for fun and have only really used tailoring and rune carving to enhance my gear, it'd be nice to sell things I make for cash or have a similar option since making them is a lot of fun and gains xp, and I really look forward to trying out more skils.

@Sito, Alter combat is fast as compared to some games and there are lots of agro mobs. Unlike in Cyber assault though, I didn't find the speed a problem, this is because the MushZ pack has handy sounds to tell you what is happening.
As to tactics in alter, most tactics arent' like an rpg game, more like you start off with a strategy, then have to reconsider.
for example, if your fighting something with lots of breath attacks, retreat and up your breath save or use still air spell. If you have something very tough in the next room, try getting some minians or some high level protection like sancturary.
If your fighting lots of things at once, area affect can be your friend, similarly take not of the environment, eg, air spells won't work underwater.

I will say I don't know if I'd enjoy alter combat as much if the game were pure text and I was struggling to read through descriptions, but with the sounds it's more like playing an rpg and thinking fast.

Oh and btw, dont' under estimate the value of throwing spells at mooks just to improve on them while your minions keep them busy big_smile.

With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)

2017-09-05 09:02:29

i know dark, but alter seems so complex with so many damn skills and shit so it's really hard to know what all sounds in combat means. no i think i need to have it slowed down to be honest

2017-09-05 13:27:00

@Sito, well one advantage of alter is that you don't get too many skills at once so can  get used to combat in slo, just practicing chucking spells at mobs.
also note that if you type config you can disable some of the extraneous combat sounds such as cries of victory and combat grunts if you like. I don't usually find this necessary since usually for me the voice and sounds keep up with each other, but it is there if you want it.

I will say it is necessary to have a relatively high voice rate for Alter. For instance If I am using Nvda and vocaliser, I wouldn't want to be at less than around 75, then again since I am usually using it at around  that isn't too bad, one reason why Cyber assault seems excessive to me.about

What I usually do in Alter is walk into a room and hit escape, if combat is happening I then target whatever it is and way in with some spells. Of course this is an advantage of classes with minions that tank.
Interestingly enough, even though my lady doesn't herself have any rpg experience, or indeed much experience of computer games at all, it wasn't the combat that she had trouble with in Alter, it was finding her way around, though she does intend to go back to the game and give things more of a try.

Btw, I have now learned mining and knapping as well as wood crafting, and again, they're lots of fun, though I really! wish there was something to do with created items other than sacking them, ditto with stuff you make from leather.

it'd be extremely cool if the jobs system could be expanded to cover crafting jobs, efor example a merchant could tell you to go to a given area, gather a specific wood and make them something, or go and hunt a specific creature and make an item from the hide, with a reward of xp and gold based upon the quality of the eventual crafted item.

Just a thought.

With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)

2017-09-05 16:34:43

I will be vary interested to check out the new crafting skills. I haven't played alter in a while, I really should get back into it. I always do that though, I leave it alone for a while then pick it back up. lol

Audio game king

2017-09-05 22:31:16

I don't know how much people from AA actually monitor these forums or the threads they post. I do know that most of the update stuff you see here is copied verbatim from elsewhere, so I suspect that it's fairly little effort. Log in, slap in some text in a new topic, remind people that your game exists and is doing stuff, then disappear.

I personally don't have any issue with Alter Aeon's combat speed. I'm using Jaws and the MushZ sound pack, and I've never had issues with being overwhelmed, even though Jaws is at approximately 65% speaking rate. Yes, it's relentless, but you don't have to read every line of combat. You have to get used to all the sounds, that's all. That, and remember that you can use aliases, and do not have to type out an entire command. Hell, it took me months to realize this, but if you type in a command and execute it, then hit enter, you will execute that command again, so if you're chucking spells, the game can actually slow down, particularly if you have minions that tank. Battles where the mobs do specific things can be a bit harder, but those are fairly rare.

Check out my Manamon text walkthrough at the following link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/z8ls3rc3f4mkb … n.txt?dl=1

2017-09-05 22:45:21

Yep, redoing commands with enter is great, the demons of spite etc last Christmas were total wusses big_smile.

As regards the announcement, while it is true this is the same announcement made on the audeasy list and elsewhere, Dentin himself has been a member of this forum and indeed the audeasy list and has commented on various none alter related topics, so my hope is that these discussions do get some sort of monitoring ;D.

I am enjoying the crafting skills, though as I said I do wish I could do something a little more practical with them than just make items, get xp and then sac things.

With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)

2017-09-05 23:11:26

I do have a question about the combat however. In most muds i have played there is some indication of damage, is there some in this mud? I have played, and I have trouble figuring out if i hit the creature and how much damage i make. Also the sounds are good though i notice sometimes it lags or doesn't do it right after i press a key. Is there a wait time between each attack one can do?

Why didn't the Romans find algebra difficult?
because x is always 10!

2017-09-06 05:40:14

So here are my thoughts. I've been playing Alter Aeon off and on for about 5 years now. I started in August 2012. My main issue with this game is the fact that the game becomes a lot less fun when you get to the mainland. I find that it's nearly impossible to solo most of the areas without being utterly creamed. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind grouping, but it seems to me as though you *must* join large groups in order to survive most of the higher level areas. I like to solo the game and explore areas, not run around in gigantic groups killing for hours and hours. I also wish this game had more in the way of exploration and quests. The islands were great with this. I loved walking around completing various tasks. I know the mainland has many quests, but I get back to the problem of being utterly slaughtered in almost every high level area I try on my own. I'm a level 34 necromancer and always have a tanking minion up as well as protective spells like armor, sanctuary, faith shield, shield, and mana shield. As I said earlier, the main reason I play this game so infrequently now is the simple fact that I can't seem to solo anywhere on my own. I either find areas that are way too easy and don't provide good enough experience or insane ones where I get swarmed or hit very hard. I don't know if this game has balancing issues or is more suited to fighters and large groups of players. Either way, it makes an otherwise good game really crummy for those that want to run around and explore solo. What are your thoughts? Is there something I'm doing wrong? As I said, I'm a necro warrior thief with protective spells up at all times, 6 skeletons, and a metal construct or wood woad. I also have something like 980 HP. Despite all this, I'm still torn apart.

Grab my Adventure at C: stages Right here.

2017-09-06 09:48:20

Hi

  First of all, a big thanks to the staff of alteraeon for this game and adding regularly new stuff. I discovered this game in 2014 and I apreciate very much the way of exploring and questing in alteraeon.

  I'm actualy a level 32 necro-cleric-mage.

  @Chris  What's your necrocast ?

2017-09-06 10:46:27

wel, how are you supposed to learn all the sounds? is there a way of getting them so you can listen to them to know what they mean?

2017-09-06 15:59:09

@Zubzero, if you type config you can change how various damage indicators are made. You will occasionally get audio indications of your enemy's health, and damage statements on your own attacks, however the main thing is the audio beeps that go down pitch, and the change in music according to your health.
Have a look at the config options and see what works for you.

@sito, there is a "learn game sounds" option in the mushZ program folder, all of the sounds have fairly obvious names, however mainly if your voicerate is in sink with the game you should be okay, provided you listen to the indicator sounds that I mentioned.

@chris, I don't know, since I am still on arcase with my level 28 druid mage. I do recall thugh that  magic and none magic classes is a less good idea, since most of the gear that has good cast level and mana mods is bad for warriors.
This is why I've had such an easier time with my druid mage than I did with my cleric warrior, though of course whether this continues into the mainland we'll see, as I still have a good many quests on arcaise to keep me busy, and indeed if the above announcement is to be believed more on the way big_smile.
I actually don't mind returning to lower level areas in Alter to complete quests, since while I do get little xp from combat, there are always exploration points and the like, not to mention crafting skills to practice.


If however you are correct and Alter does ever become a game where grouping is %100 necessary, that is when I will stop playing, though Dentin has stated repeatedly that it is intended that all areas not specifically marked as group areas are possible to solo.

With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)

2017-09-07 00:12:32

Just gonna weigh in a bit here.

First, to the person who's a level 34 necro. I have a level 33 necro-mage-cleric, and while I do have the issue you do, I have nearly 500 fame and have found a lot of areas that don't utterly wreck me. Don't ask me what they are, as I haven't played much in over a year and a half. A necro-warrior-thief is just a hard combo to play, because mage and cleric are lower in your class order so you have fewer MP to screw with.

There are indeed certain areas that you absolutely cannot solo unless you're, I dunno, level 37 in everything, which would take literally over two decades of work. However, the areas that are impossible to solo are few and far between. Many other areas are hard, and better for certain builds than others, but generally there are almost always ways. Certain places are just...not fun though, I'll grant you that.

On a somewhat related note, I've never understood the idea of playing a game and being utterly unwilling to group. I can totally understand preferring not to do so - as in, you'd like to do everything on your own, within reason - and I can understand not wanting to play a game which insists on it - AA doesn't, but some other MUDS do - but...why the aversion? Is it because you can't keep up? Is it because you don't want to be a bother to someone? Is it because you don't think you should have to level up with someone else's help?
Tell you something. Most multi-user dungeons have a multi-user element. That's, um, kind of the point. Being unwilling to group, when grouping often provides advantages with very little downside, is a great deal like arbitrarily deciding you won't use the Sanctuary spell. Why? Just...why?
I used to be averse to groups, and when I said so on AA, I was asked why. Frankly I didn't have a good reason, and this was demonstrated very clearly to me in no time at all.
This doesn't mean I'm trying to make you group, but it does mean I'm trying to get you to ask yourselves why you're so against the notion. I mean, handicap yourself if you want to I suppose, but it just doesn't compute for me.

Check out my Manamon text walkthrough at the following link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/z8ls3rc3f4mkb … n.txt?dl=1

2017-09-07 04:16:42

Hello
I know the last question was not directed at me. But here is my 1 cent.
The problem with grouping sometimes is that you may not have time to actually explore. I like to slowly go over the room descriptions not rush around finding things to kill. To me that gets boring especially in places that are not like the Puzzlewood.
I like grouping when I am absolutely frustrated with a quest, or in the Puzzlewood forest which comes out sometimes.

2017-09-07 04:54:41

Hi,
getting and knowing groups is hard sometimes
I am just cannot find groups always there
that was problem for me
some quest mobs I cannot manage solo
just I have now level 36 warrior character, whoever likes warrior thief cleric combo
it is good you don't need cleric healing spells always
you can shoplift scrolls,  potions
I can solo some dragons with my warrior thought, it's not enough fun
some level 37 level area we need a group there
when you type gr list you cannot see there much groups
trying to get exp solo in some areas
nothing still,  death makes lose 10 mill
that your alot work going down
that's why this is problem
anyone got some ideas how to solo level 37 areas?
I got level 34 necromancer character
he cannot manage solo too high level areas
any suggestions?
my characters there
bloodyshadow
and revan there

2017-09-07 06:59:41

I agree with post 16. I'm not completely opposed to groups. It just gets annoying having to join large groups that just spend the entire time killing things. That's the main thing that irritates me. This game is mainly a hack and slash when you really get down to it. I've lately grown tired of those types of games. I'll admit I enjoy the quests, exploration, and other noncombat related areas of AA far more than killing monsters. Maybe it's just time for me to say so long to this game. I just don't find spending hours and hours killing monsters and then waiting more hours to micro level very appealing. It just turns into a massive grind fest. Let me just conclude by saying these are just my opinions. This in no way should discourage people from playing the game. I appreciate the work that's gone into making it accessible for blind people.

My necro cast is around level 49 or 50. I always use skeletal knights and lichs. My idea was to see if I could create a hybrid character that could use both magic and physical attacks. Apparently this doesn't work as well as I thought. If I want to progress to that point, I'll have to spend billions of experience which will take forever. Finally, my main character is sparr if anyone is interested.

Grab my Adventure at C: stages Right here.

2017-09-07 11:05:26

Necro-warrior is a viable build, but most necro-warriors have cleric third I believe. Your build isn't totally shot, it's just not optimal I suppose.

And hey, look. I totally respect opinions. What you're saying about hack-and-slash? Yeah, I generally agree with you. Most of AA is based around that. And I hear you about joining groups and going so fast you don't learn anything. But here's my perspective on that. Treat groups as they were intended, as ways to either do group-area quests, or as ways to gain a lot of exp. You don't absolutely have to know every area the first time you explore it. Do the group thing, get dragged around a bit, whomp on some mobs, gain some levels with all the exp you get, and then, when you're stronger and more prepared and have more pracs to spend on stats/skills/spells, start exploring. Maybe you'll find that area you did a group run in, and will be able to solo parts of it. Or maybe you'll find a place nearby that's even better for solo play. I found parts of the Forest of Brigands and Aztec Jungle that way. Ditto the area where you get the Sussex Pub Crawl deed. Ditto the Blue Mound and all the freaking termites, and the slums just north of Ralnoth.

So yeah. I'm not trying to step on toes, and I do understand an aversion to almost pure hack-and-slash. That's personal preference. But if you're in a MUD that you know invites a lot of combat, why not group sometimes? Use it for what it's meant for, and let it make you a better player. That's my thought, anyway.

Check out my Manamon text walkthrough at the following link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/z8ls3rc3f4mkb … n.txt?dl=1

2017-09-07 15:53:07

Personally there are several reasons I don't enjoy groups.
Firstly, I love exploring, reading room descriptions and even mob descriptions. That was why I asked Dentin a few years ago to include the review corpse command, since that even for agro mobs you could get an idea what they are and what they do. when I've tried groups I'm being dragged around on a kill fest and hever have time to see anything.

For me, there are a couple of other reasons. I don't like people depending on me. I don't want someone to get killed or injured because I happen to miss a damage indicator from a group member, I like being responsible for me and just me and not other people. If in Groups I tend to spend all of my time panicking about letting others down.

third, I have to admit I do not like depending upon others for playing experience. My  reason for playing a game like alter is the quests and the achievements, rather than the pure power levelling. Yes, I level up and get better gear and such, but the primary purpose for this for me is being able to complete higher level quests, and to a lesser extent explore higher level areas.

I complete a quest to say find a missing dwarf or recover an item, or stop some evil wizard or whatever, I like the thought that it is me! who is responsible for doing that, not some arbitrary group of players banded together with me just one of a crowd, that feels far too much like real life to me. After all in real life we rarely do get to do things of actual significance and far too often, especially with how the world is today, people increasingly are just one cog in the machine and very rarely get recognized for their individual achievements.

That to me is one of the main attractions of playing computer games that I! can be the person who explores dangerous parts of the world and does heroic things.

If I had the choice I imagine I would probably  playing more solo rpgs than multiplayer ones, but as it happens, Alter is just a great to play solo, and hopefully it'll continue to be so.

Btw, this isn't to say that I'm entirely antisocial either, I'm Thelok in the game and people welcome say hi. I do enjoy a chinwag while I'm waiting for mana regen (though since the crafting skills and my regen set there is less time for that than there used to be). I also don't mind helping other people out with passive things like a bit of carving now and again, it's just for the actual exploring and questing and such I prefer to do that solo.

With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)

2017-09-07 19:58:07

Okay, a few things here. Bear in mind they're reactions and opinions, and I'm not stating most of them as facts. I respect your right to not group if you see fit.

When I brought this whole thing up on a MUD years ago, here is, in essence, what I was told:

1. Don't worry quite so much about responsibility, particularly if you're new to grouping. Get into groups that are a bit more experienced, and if you're even a little lucky, they'll teach you the ropes while not expecting a whole ton of you. They know what they're in for, so don't worry overmuch if you make a mistake and someone gets killed. Use that experience, if it happens, to learn for next time. If you run around being afraid to screw up, you'll never get the chance to succeed either, and will be cutting yourself off from an important facet of gameplay.
2. Vet any group you join, particularly if you're new to the experience. Most groups are at least halfway decent, but some are made up of jerks or rookies who can and will get you killed. As such, take whatever reasonable precautions you can, and be willing to bolt if things get nasty (in AA's case, this means recall, in particular). If a group isn't working for you, feel free to leave it.
3. Don't use grouping as a means of substituting for the rest of your gameplay. You don't have to make it a full-time part of the MUD experience, by any means. Use it when you want to run exp, and don't worry if it's a high-level area that you can't solo yet. When you're stronger, you can come back and get more info on your own if you prefer. If you don't like questing in groups - a bit more on this later - then just use groups to run exp, get stronger and, by extension, open up the potential to do more quests.
4. Concurrently, questing in a group can be great fun, particularly if it's a good group. And I know that in your case, Dark, you want to be the one doing important deeds, but many of the best tales both real and fantastic involve groups of heroes, not just the lone wolf doing it all by himself. I suppose this one comes down to preference, but I can say from experience that there's actually a lot of fun in having done a quest myself, then leading a group of others to do it. You still get to be the hero, instead of someone along for the ride.

Most of the objections to grouping I've seen seem to boil down to one notion: "I don't want to get dragged, and grouping takes me out of the single-player experience I want". Well, okay, I can't argue with that. But it's also an excellent way to gain exp, particularly on AA, so were it me, I'd consider using the system judiciously in order to get stronger and be able to safely solo more of the world.

I dunno. I used to hate grouping as well, but nowadays I don't mind it. It's by no means my first go-to, but it can be all kinds of fun if it sets up well.

Check out my Manamon text walkthrough at the following link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/z8ls3rc3f4mkb … n.txt?dl=1

2017-09-07 22:55:54

I'm not sure Jayde on the few occasions I have tried grouping in the past I haven't enjoyed the dragging that is certainly true, likewise,  just didn't seem to get the chance to enjoy the different aspects of a quest, the atmosphere etc when people are running through at break kneck speed.

Maybe if the single player experience ever gets too slow for me, or I get stuck on quests that are my level and need to get more xp quickly I'll consider grouping, but currently I'm actually having lots of fun doing what I'm doing solo.

With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)

2017-09-08 03:25:55

I got problems with some quests
tried to join group for some help
well I joined one,
but he didn't warn me where he was.
after joining I just killed by from Silatris the rock dragon
and plus he left me there
should I reset my level 34 necro char or warrior?
my warrior's str, dex con are near max
they are 25
what i am doing wrong there
tried with my necro character with
I just died with one blow
my minions dies quick not sure what's wrong
I don't have full necrocast set thought
I have 5 pieces with necrocast missing just head piece
any suggestions?

2017-09-08 05:15:08

hello, thanks for the updates, shadowfax.
I will come check when I have time.
anyway, I can be consider as an active player on alter aeon, and here is my opinion.
group is a good way when you want quick to get to high level in a short time.
and, on some quests, you are suppose to finish that by grouping.
group are a certain part that you have to engage if you want to explore all map in alter aeon.
personally I don't like to lead a group, as dark said, I like being responsible for me and my self, and honestly I can't monitor all of my group member at the same time during the spammy combat, all of your group doing this and that, etc. I don't mind if just being a member though, but still, I prefer to solo.
and you can solo most of the areas if you are careful, and yes, even group area.
sorry for my english smile

good day
togira
sorry for my bad english

2017-09-08 13:39:05

Like many people had said here, grouping is not necessary. In fact, if you look at the quests list or areas list on the Alter aeon website, you'll find that many of the quests doesn't even involve hack and slash. Also, if you hate just being dragged around in groups, why not, say, make a zmap (if you are using mush-z) so you can go there again solo just to see the sites and stuff when you finished grouping? Alternatively, save a log of your grouping experience (usually when groups move you will see messages like someone leaves east, stuff like that can help you to find areas again)
Also for whoever that mentioned the fighting being extremely fast paced, there are a few commands in game that help you cope, for instance the spam fighting and spam gfighting commands can really help sometimes. I know some people who actually turn on those spam modes to cut down on the text and blabbering of screen readers once they get used to the sounds in AA.
For those who are worried not being able to solo high level areas, I feel your pain as well, but let me just say that there are many ways to overcome certain challenges while soloing. If you find something hard to kill or your mana keeps running out when the mob is at say 30% health, and when you regen the mob regens back to full, you can stock up on damage scrolls like those with ball lightning and other spells on them. (You can scribe your own at higher levels or buy from player shops, or request them on auction). Use your mana/skills to hit the mob and when you run out, you can use those potions/scrolls or spellstaff (if you are a druid) to help you. Potions and scrolls with the restoration spell is very useful for magic users, so stock up on those. Major heal scrolls can be extremely helpful as well. If you have problems carrying all that stuff, get tensors, or use weightless containers (you can get the holiday stockings for free in AA on December if you are lucky). Sure those stockings only allow up to 20 pounds of capacity but you can increase the capacity using credits (I won't detail it here, but check the help pages)
To those who say you can't strategise for battles, one way to do it is go into a room, and use the "consider" command on the mob you wish to fight. If the mob is aggressive, go in there, type consider <mobname>, retreat/flee out, look at your logs to see what the mob is weak/resistant to, and make your preparations. Also, I find that using hand spells on yourself and/or minions before combat is a good strategi as well, particularly if the mob is vulnerable to those handspell elements.
I also recommend looking at help pages in game or the articles on the website, they explain quite a lot, and there is even an article on the website detailing what 1-player or 2-player attack strategies you can use.
As a side note, my main char in alter aeon is Orion, so feel free to talk to me if you see me in the game. I may not be the most experienced player in AA (far from it, actually), but I hope that we can still be friends. One last thing before I leave: check help pages when you have problems, or type help random when you regen, there are a lot of tips there for you to use.

Team rocket's blasting off again!