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The Farside Gazette Vol II, No. 1 Jan. 10th 1995
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The Farside Gazette is published bi-weekly by AsaMaro in
conjunction with (and full permission of) The Farside Staff
The Gazette is written in 100% pure ASCII to assure maximum
compatibility for all readers using whatever system they use
Subscribe by writing to jderouen@crl.com and including just one
word - Subscribe - in the body of your text
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AsaMaro Becomes An Immortal, Film at 11
I became an immortal about a week ago, as of this writing. I want to
take this space to thank Rox, Dizzy, Snikt, DaWiz, Ambrosia, Mendek, and
all of the other Immortals that were so helpful in helping me to adjust
to that transition. You guys are great!
Onto other things . . . Response to the Gazette has been great! I've
gotten several well-written, informative submissions from some of you
out there (some appear in this issue) and everyone I've asked has been
very cooperative in allowing themselves to be featured in the Farside
Bio.
Keep those cards and letters coming, folks! Every suggestion, comment,
criticism, or compliment I received on the Gazette is duly noted and
listened to. If you have something to say, by all means, write me. The
Gazette is, after all, for you.
Thanks for reading and onto the Gazette!
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* Farside Player Bio *
Name: Wisquatuk Age: (Game) 70 (RL) 12
Race: Gnome Class: Mage Current level: 17
Real Life Interests:
Wisquatuk lives in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and enjoys Starship plastic
model building, nearly killing himself while sledding, and reading
science-fiction novels. He's been playing Farside for a little over
three months. As a hobby, he also enjoys charming mobs and pitting them
against other mobs. Makes for great entertainment, he says, as you see
how well they do against each other.
Advice to Players:
"Generally, I'll go around and kill giants, but since there are only 2-4
in total at one time, that doesn't work out for too long. Then I start
on the workers, but unfortunately, they're ALSO angelic, so I lose a lot
of alignment. When taking on larger beasts, I will go to the dungeon
below the MUD school arena, and use energy drain right up to the maximum
of 200 percent of my maximum hp, including ice rings. By the time I've
killed something large, the giants are back, but my alignment is getting
too low to risk getting zapped by ALL my enchanted armor. I'll go and
take out a few dozen hobgoblin soldiers, and I'm back up to angelic.
Then, the process starts all over again."
"Don't take on monsters you could never beat at your level.
There are enough creatures in the arena, and you can take them out no
problem, for high xp. As well, it all comes down to race. You'll
find that the Gnome's low strength is easily offset by eq's strength
bonuses, and that the wisdom it gives you at start (+2), plus practicing
wisdom 3 times, will easily pay off training strength to offset the -1
strength loss. That's my secret, and I'm now getting 6 practices per
level."
"Wimpy can be really decieving. You have it set at, say, 15, and a
monster takes it right down to 0 in one blow. If battle seems to not
be going your way at all, flee sooner. Remember, battles can sometimes
turn around quickly, but don't expect a miracle."
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* Farside Immortal Bio *
Name: Dizzy Age: (Game) *** (RL) 38
Race: Troglydyte Class: Mage Current level: 69
Real Life Interests and Background:
Living in Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA, Dizzy has been playing Farside
for 1.2 years. He and his wife Debbie have been happily married for
over 19 years (you'll remember Debbie as his gorgeous assistant on the
mud . . . kill her frequently. He does). They have two daughters
(Angie 18, and Joy 16...and NO! You may *NOT* date them), and a Beagle
named Adidas whose favorite past-time is having safe sex with the
nearest human leg.
He's lived in Aberdeen Md, Mineral Wells TX, Chicago IL, Junction City
KS, Anniston AL, Columbus GA, Anchorage AK, Ohatchee AL, Agana Guam,
Jackson MS, Enid OK, San Franciso CA, Greenville SC, Springfield MS,
Orlando FL, San Diego CA, Groton CT, Charleston SC, Bremerton WA, and,
of course, Virginia Beach VA. He's of Scottish/AMERIND descent, 6' tall,
bald, and his best physical feature is the thick body hair that grows
everywhere except on top of his head.
Dizzy reads 1 or 2 books per week, enjoys Amateur Radio (his HAM
callsign is KB7HAT), cancer experiments on lab rats, and embalming
friends and family for fun and profit.
Professionally, he's a Civil Servant working as a Telecommunications
Specialist for the Navy. The best compensation (certainly NOT the
money) is that he gets to travel the world on a frequent (almost too
frequent) basis. He's logged into Farside from all over the continental
US, Hawaii, London, Rome, Bahrain, and a few places where they
blindfolded him first.
A Civil Servant speaking to Joe Taxpayer says, "I'm
from the Government, I'm here to help you." Joe
Taxpayer scratches his head and says, "So which is it?
Are you from the Government or are you here to help me?"
As the ADMIN of Farside, Dizzy says, it's easy to identify with the
saddle-worn joke above. Because he's the last recourse in the event of
a dispute or problem of any kind (apart from Rox, and you only bug Rox
AFTER you've worked your problem through me...if your ducks aren't in a
row stand by..), players tend to take his every word/action with a
mixture of fear and dread, and in short, too seriously. Now, he *LIKE*
being the ADMIN (as Frobozz the IV said, "It's goooood to be the King"),
and he likes to have fun too. Although he's involved with several Mud's
on the Net, Farside is home.
Dizzy graduated from (no kidding) a one room school in Anchorage Alaska
in 1974. He was the Sergeant at Arms for the graduating class, the Class
President, and Valedictorian. He was the only graduate. He went on to
finish his first degree from Tabernacle University in Greenville South
Carolina and graduate schools including Hard Knocks, Nuclear Submarines,
and a home start-up business called Pure Systems Integration.
Advice to Players:
1. Be friendly. Lone wolves end up bitter and frustrated.
2. Group. See #1 above, and you'll level faster too.
3. Explore. Farside is a *HUGE* world with more to discover than you might
have imagined.
Most Important Things in Dizzy's Life:
"1. God. I've been 36 flavors of denomination and settled on Baptist.
Jesus Christ is the best thing that's every happened to me.
2. My Family. There is no substitute for dedication,
commitment, and Love.
3. Mr & Mrs. T's Bloody Mary Mix. (self explanatory)"
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The Viewpoint of a Ranger
+ * + ** + * +
The Ranger Style
by Draeger
Rangers, the men and women of the woods. For some of us, they conjure
up images of the hunter sliding through the woods in the dead of night,
or a small group sitting around the campfire under the stars. That is
the reason why many of us chose to be rangers. With a combination of
mage, cleric, and special spells, and a good dose of combat abilities,
rangers have their own unique advantages and disadvantages.
Though they hit with less force than their stronger cousins, the
warriors, they make up for that with their strong soloing abilities.
With the skill of charm, rangers can often create for themselves a
tanking creature. With quick typing skills and macros, this allows a
ranger to gain XP quickly soloing. But like all other professions on
Farside, it is often necessary to group to get the best equipment, or to
get the most experience possible each kill. And that is where the ranger
faces his gravest weakness.
Unlike clerics, who contribute greatly to a group with their sanctuary
and heal spells, or the fighter, who contributes his ability to rescue
and hit hard, rangers can sometimes hinder a group more than help it.
Still, that is the way it should be. Rangers as a player class are
supposed to be secretive, and be most at ease among other rangers, or
among the trees of the forest. (I think farside needs more forests! <g>)
As anyone who has read the JRR Tolkien series of novels (Classic
medieval fantasy) knows, the rangers were the descendants of long-ago
kings, and protected the towns people from the dangers that lurk in the
forests, and around the town. Rangers don't serve as dramatic a purpose
on farside. That is my only complaint about my chosen profession, as I
think rangers are a well-balanced and worthwhile class.
It would terrific, for instance, if clerics had temples they had to
serve at once a month, thieves had secret meetings in the guildrooms
(For all I know, they might -- I do not pretend to know the secrets of
the thieves). Though that might first be though of as a hindrance to the
classic mud idea of endless hack'n'slash, I think it would add a great
texture to the mud.
As a lvl38 (at the time of this writing) ranger, I'd like to reflect
back on the levels. Rangers are a strong class at the beginning and
mid-levels, with their cure poison and track abilities. By mid-range of
levels, though, that edge gives way, though it still remains an asset.
The lack of damage ability, like all those who are not warriors, is a
painful lack. My own damage done at lvl30 was the same that lvl22
warriors were doing. Still, I would not trade in the ranger's
proficiency in dual, track, cure, detect invisible and hidden, etc.
solely for more damage. I believe rangers are a great class, one that is
conspicuously absent on many other MUDs. The administrators and coders
of Farside have done a great job expanding the class list by adding
rangers.
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- Miden'nir -
- The True Story Of Hendrix -
- At Level Eight -
by Hendrix
(Hi Mom!)
Hurrying by the South Gate of Midgaard, I came upon a stone bridge. I
drank water from my buffalo skin, I walked over the bridge into the
forest of Miden'nir. My hands gripped my enchanted elven longsword
firmly, and I almost swung as a mouse scurried for cover under a fallen
tree. I exhaled and continued south.
It wasn't long before I saw two goblins lurking behind a tree to the
south. I approached quickly and attacked. The first went down in five
swings. The second yelled curses and swung at me. I ducked aside, took
a few swings, and looked down on their corpses. A few gold coins scatted
across the floor. I collected them and moved on.
During the next half hour, my elven longsword proved again and again to
be a truly magical piece of craftsmanship. I slew several more goblins
and a dark horseman without suffering much damage and rarely missing a
blow.
My confidence was rising as I drew deeper into the forest. I headed
east, and quickly found myself surrounded by a band of goblins. Two went
down, but I was severely injured and more were approaching from the
east.
Just as I was about to die, a warrior charged to my rescue. With the
tables turned, the battle was over in a flash.
Together, we continued our common goal of cleaning evil from Miden'nir.
Along the way, a young cleric joined out party. Dark horseman, wyverns,
and goblins lay silenced as we passed from room to room. The warrior
demonstrated the experience that comes with his level by often slaying a
goblin without an injury.
It wasn't long before the cleric gained the experience needed for level
eight. So, we escorted him back to Midgaard for training. The warrior
and I split from the cleric and headed to the Grunting Boar Inn.
I learned many things that day about combat and the value of good
company. Still, I wasn't quite ready for my next level of training. I
cleaned my armor and weapon, then settled down for some sleep. I needed
to experience more before advancing, but I didn't realize what.
The next morning, I readied myself, and again headed for Miden'nir.
My first encounter was with two goblins - apparently replacements for
those I had slain the day before. They fell rather quickly.
Only minutes later, after I quaffed down a healing potion, I came was
jumped by a wyvern. It caught me off guard, and my first blow missed.
The wyvern was quick and got a bite of my hand. The poison raced through
my veins, the room spun, and I fell unconscious.
When I awoke I found myself safely within the Temple Plaza. In exchange
for most of my coins, Aelmon healed me, and I headed back out.
Again, I killed two goblins standing guard near the forest entrance.
After a couple quick battles, and a few healing potions, I ran across
that wyvern - a bit of dried blood below his mouth. With four sword of
my elven longsword, revenge was mine.
I continued clearing the forest of goblins, dark horsemen, and wyverns.
A smile crossed my face as I thought that perhaps one day Miden'nir
would be rid of the evil creatures that plague it now.
Then, suddenly, from the west came three goblins. They moved quickly,
but I responded in kind. Two went down, and I thought victory would be
mine. But then, the goblin swung quick, a seething pain raced through my
body, and I was out.
It took a while, but I recovered all my equipment and was back in the
Temple Plaza. After a brief rest, I was ready to go again. I spent most
of the day fighting the many creatures of Miden'nir. After much work,
and much fighting, I at long last reached a new level... level nine.
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Resource Utilization
by Comfrey
This article is about Farside, and what it takes to play here. While
many get along well grouping and such, with a bare minimum of good eq
and potions, some of us don't have the time to wait for an entire group
to prepare to go out and play. Or we don't want to group. Or maybe we
might play at different times. Sometime there are even occasions where
we don't like the people we could group with, or they might not like us
or our character class. This is all well and good, but what is a
character who is stuck out in the cold to do? From the comments I've
been hearing lately, the answer is that that character should either
quit or whine. I find this upsetting, to say the least.
I have played a warrior, a thief, a ranger and two mages. I don't think
that any class has the upper hand over the other, or that there is much
of an imbalance in the game. Warriors can basically breeze through the
lower levels, without dying many times (my warrior got to level 20
something before it even died). rangers and thieves enjoy a similar
ability to gain quickly at the lower levels. Mages are almost always
destroyed at low levels. That is why there are so few mages on the game.
However, mages become more powerful later in the game. They become more
powerful because of the fact that a low level mage is basically dead
meat, and only a dedicated player will make it to the higher levels.
The big dismay of all players, however, is the experience crunch that
occurs after one enters the 20's. I will attempt to offer some guidance,
this guidance being the result of experience, in the hope the some might
take my opinions to heart.
The major key to playing this game is exploration. You cannot hope to
find easy victory without the proper hit point raising equipment or mana
gear. You most certainly cannot succeed without healing potions or wands
and staves. While some people seems to consider it their privilege to
get the names and locations of these articles from other players, the
only way that anyone will smash through this game is by finding all of
the loot, and using it all. While some people seem to rely on quests and
gods for really good eq, I find this sickening. I made it my goal, when
I started Farside, to explore every single area. I believe that I have
explored every mortal area, and have defeated every mob, in my various
guises, except for the bar tender in the Underdark.
The current administration expresses itself of the opinion that only the
best and brightest make it to the hero class and beyond to the immortal
ranks. I find exception to this statement, in that I see very few
players who overcome many obstacles by themselves. I am not talking
about fighting mobs who flee at the slightest scratch, or even the
slaying of strong mobiles which are admittedly difficult to defeat. I am
talking about the other aspects of this game.
What are these aspects? Perhaps, they involve explorations, finding eq,
helping others, not just for experience and looking to every corner of
the Farside to find the humor and humanity that went into building it.
This game is not just a talker, it involves every player and every
builder. It is an expression of creativity (Gratz Rox) and of curiosity.
I'd like to see more of this. Players who are ready to sacrifice a few
experience points to seek and define the maximum limits of their class
and level are better players than those who suck up and take on the easy
kills, in an attempt to be the first hero.
If you die a lot, let me tell you this: You can find the things that
will allow you to succeed, but it takes time and patience, and an urge
to explore. The only thing that might make this bearable is the
examination of the artistry that other have left before them, and the
company of those around you who might find your company enjoyable.
Go forth and die, you only end up at recall, with lots of people to help
you back to your feet. So take heart, and take something more home than
the pure addition of experience point for counting your coup.
There are lots of people out there who spend their time and labor to
level on their own, and who never complain. These people know who they
are and don't need these words, and these words don't apply. But there
are some of you out there who complain just for the sake of complaining.
I personally don't find anything to complain about in this game, and I
think that if everyone made use of all available resources, that this
game might be considered too easy, just because the challenges here have
become strictly martial.
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Farside Birthdays*
Compiled by Ambrosia
January
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Slitha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . January 6th
Leorick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . January 8th
DaWiz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . January 12th
Nemisis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . January 22nd
Dizzy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . January 25th
Apex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . January 31st
* There are a *Lot* of names to be added to the list. Send birthdays
as well as your character name to Ambrosia via a note in Farside or
internet e-mail at Ambrosia@escape.com
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*
* News *
*
Despite a slow server that sometimes kept him lagged for hours, (at
least it seemed like hours) Greasyheart reached the mortal pinnacle of
success when he became a hero earlier this month. Congratulations
Greasy!
AsaMaro ran his second quest as an immortal (the first was a simple body
parts quest) that involved some mobs stealing parts of the very gazette
you're now reading. Redric, Pinkhanadog, Marat, and ShadowhawkII
managed to save the day by tracking down the mobs, killing them, and
returning the gazette to me. They were all well-rewarded for their
efforts. Thanks, guys! (and girl) ;)
Mystic MUD went down for the holidays and Farside had a lot of homeless
mudders join it's ranks from that MUD. Mystic is up again, but several
of the players liked Farside so much that they've decided to split their
game time between the two MUDs. Welcome guys, and we hope you all enjoy
yourselves!
Ryu, our resident erstwhile martial artist, joined the growing ranks of
heros early in January. Congratulations Ryu, and happy heroing!
Boo and Blex (not related) both reached herodom shortly after Ryu.
Congrats, guys!
Amos, Dazed's alternate character, gained hero and shortly thereafter
became an immortal. Congratulations, Dazed . . er, Amos . . Er. . :)
Mirth, after several years spent as a hero (game years, that is) was
promoted to Demigod. IMMense congratulations to Mirth!
Nemisis finally left this mortal coil behind and moved into the ranks of
the immortals. A great hero'll be missed, and we all wish him well in
the ranks of the Gods. Congratulations, Nemisis!
DaWiz, longtime senior IMM, was promoted to level 60 (Administration) by
Dizzy. It was a most deserving promotion. Congratulations, DaWiz, and
good luck with your new career in Mudding!
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