Posted by Proud Blade on March 6, 2000 at 20:01:35:
In Reply to: It's a matter of being what now? Elitist? posted by Uncie on March 6, 2000 at 19:34:42:
> So, it requires knowing every square inch of CF in and out before being capable?
Zorszaul is the most effective killer in Thera. In order to take him down, yes, you need to have a certain mastery of the game. The reason Thera is so interesting is that such mastery takes a very long time. Period. The game would rapidly become boring if every matchup was 50/50, and the skills of someone like Zorszaul never came into play.
> Well, I confess. I'll never be a player. If you mean to match hours of playing against hours of playing, well, I guess I'm screwed.
Is that so bad? The game is damn fun whether or not you dominate your PK range. I sure as hell couldn't solo 80% of my current range, and the other 20% would be close fights.
> But, wait..crazy me, what's that I heard of there being something heard for RPing a bit?
There are many, many rewards for good roleplay within the game. Good roleplayers get to be liches with dopple, as an example. (Entropy interviews are no walk in the park, and the Becoming is intended to be a test of mastery.) There are also less tangible rewards for good roleplay, most importantly the respect of the IMMS and your fellow players, which matters a lot when finding groups, convincing others to help you learn more, or involving you with quests and such.
> I have all respect for those that spend thousands of hours knowing which little pebble to scrape for a wand of armor that might give them an edge. At the same time, I like to think I play a game where I can be a relatively newbie with a shred of intelligence and do okay.
You can. Just accept that you will not often -beat- someone who has put in the time to refine their skills to that level. I consider myself to be a decent, but not good, PKer. I never keep track of ratios and such, but I know I don't die a lot. I don't kill that many either, but I have my moments. But the one skill I am damn good at is getting my sorry ass out of danger. Knowing when to run, and how to hide really well, can keep you alive a lot longer.
> I once heard someone claim that CF was an elitist's game. Is that true? If my lil buddy tells me where the cool shit in CF is, can I beat anyone no matter how smart or intuitive they are?
CF is not an elitist's game. But many people who play, play it very well. To me, this makes it appealing.
> Ask any newbie who tried to play CF....is this a game for anyone?
I do not know one single person who also plays CF. I play alone, the only other source of information I use is the Forum. After ~1.5 years of on-and-off (averaging maybe 5 hours/week) play, I can do the basics- rank a character, come up with a good role, regear myself after a death, lead a group competently. I've been tattooed, cabaled, empowered, and titled, each multiple times. The game takes alot of effort. There are easier MUDs out there. Either sit back, accept a pile of asskickings, and be willing to learn and slowly improve.... or try one of the other MUDs.