Cleft of Dimensions Wiki - User contributions [en]

Economy

2019-01-24T21:03:58Z

Aludra:

The Economy of the Cleft is diverse and varied, owing primarily to the diverse and varied resources in the world and the diverse and varied peoples that use them.

== Towns of the Cleft ==
Not all shops shall be listed here. Some that are intentionally left off the list are "Secret/Hidden" shops or those not in towns.

General Store = variety of items

Artifice Store = items like wands or scrolls

=== Lvl 1-30 Areas Closer to Truce ===

====[[Truce]] - Starting Town:====
*IMPORTS - Newbies, Cloth, Weapons, Medicines
*EXPORTS - Adventurers, Tourism, Clothing, Labor
*Recall, Bank, Inn, Healer and Morgue Services

Tent of Warfare - Armor (light) [lvl 10]

Tent of Subsistence - General Store

Moogle Trader - General Store

Tent of Medicines - Recovery Items

Tent of Wonders - Artifice Items

Truce Bar - Restaurant

Hut of Animal Husbandry - Pets

====[[Crysta]]:====
*IMPORTS - Labor
*EXPORTS - Grain, Cloth, Medicines

Merchant - Weapons [lvl 5] and Recovery Items

Weaver's Hall - Magic Armor [lvl 15]

Magishop - Recovery and Artifice Items

Golem Workshop - Pets

Jimmy's Bait and Tackle - Fishing Gear

====[[Rocket Town]]:====
*IMPORTS - Labor, Metal
*EXPORTS - Machinery, Weapons
*Inn Service

Weapons Store - Weapons [lvl 10]

Armor Shop - Armor [lvl 15]

Items Shop - General Store

Mindy's Mine Shop - Mining Gear

====[[Wutai]]:====
*IMPORTS - Iron, Cloth
*EXPORTS - Grain (Rice), Tourism, Tea, Silk
*Bank Service

Weapon Shop - Weapons [lvl 15]

Armor Shop - Armor (medium and heavy) [lvl 20]

Item Shop - General Store

Bits and Pieces - General Store

Magishop - Artifice Items

Turtle's Paradise - Restaurant

Altamira Boardwalk - Entertainment

====[[Saturn Valley]]====
*IMPORTS - Ducks, Ribbon
*EXPORTS - Peanut Cheese Bars
*ATM, Healer Services

Inside a Store - General Store

====[[Cosmo Canyon]]:====
*IMPORTS - Grain, Cloth
*EXPORTS - Clothing, Weapons, Stone
*Inn Service

Tiger Lily Arms Shop - Weapons [lvl 20 + one lvl 35]

Tailor's Shop - Armor (medium) [lvl 30]

Lifestream - Recovery Items

Materia Shop - Artifice Items

Starlet Pub - Restaurant

----

=== Lvl 1-30 Areas Closer to Viorar ===

====[[Viorar]] - Starting Town:====
*IMPORTS - Grain, Cloth, Lumber
*EXPORTS - Iron, Seafood, Gems, Minerals, Books
*Recall, Bank, Inn, Healer and Morgue Services

El Hazardous - Weapons [lvl 10]

Armor Emporium - Armor (light) [lvl 5-10)

Reckless Abandon - General Store

Woodfall - Recovery Items

Tatl Tael - Artifice Items

Mummy Seeker - Artifice Items

Lucky 8 - Food

Mischievous Spirit - Restaurant

Limelight - Light Sources

Inuki's - Pets

Cindy's Mine Shop - Mining Gear

====[[Douglas Island]]====
*IMPORTS - Machinery
*EXPORTS - Fish

Timmy's Bait and Tackle - Fishing Gear

====[[Monstro Town]]====
*IMPORTS - Books, Fine Art
*EXPORTS - Pacifism, Fine Art

Goom-Mart - Weapons [lvl 5], General Store

====[[Fort Walla Walla]]====
*IMPORTS - Metal, Weapons, Cattle
*EXPORTS - Security, Tourism

Blacksmith - some Weapons [lvl 10]

Dry Goods - General Store

====[[Arlia]]====
*IMPORTS - Produce
*EXPORTS - Alcohol, Gold, Minerals
*Bank and Inn Service

Hardware Store - some Weapons [lvl 25], Armor (heavy) [lvl 30]

Drug Store - Recovery Items

Love Delicatessen - Restaurant

Lanky's Saloon - Alcohol

====[[Tonoe]]====
*IMPORTS - Labor, Machinery
*EXPORTS - Cloth, Dairy, Medicines, Produce
*Inn Service

Atelier Saibara - Weapons [lvl 30]

Hearty Lyla - Armor (light) [lvl 25], Recovery Items, General Store

Cafe Callaway - Restaurant

???? - Resistance Earrings

----

=== Areas Above Lvl 30 ===

====[[Shrike]]====
*IMPORTS - Grain, Iron
*EXPORTS - Medicines, Machinery
*Recall and Bank Services

Bushmaster Sporting Goods - Various Level 35 Equipment

Nakajima Robotics - Pets

Lu Bu Feng Xian's Chinese Takeout - Restaurant

Fruit Vendor - Food

Quickstop - Food

====[[Brei]]====
*IMPORTS - ???
*EXPORTS - Lumber

====[[Mandala]]====
*IMPORTS - Books, Clothing
*EXPORTS - The Future?
*Inn Service

Watts' Forge - Weapons [lvl 40]

Mr. Mito's Shop - General Store

Happy Mask Shop - Masks

====[[Dry Dry Outpost]]====
*IMPORTS - Machinery, Produce
*EXPORTS - Transportation, Tourism

Item Shop - General Store

Pawn Shop - Artifice Items

Fruit Stand - Food and Drink

====[[Caspia]]====
*IMPORTS - Clothing, Food, Machinery, Seafood
*EXPORTS - Gems
*Recall, ATM Services

Armoury Plaza - Armor (light) (heavy) [lvl 50]

Flower Stand - Flowers

Crystal Stand - Artifice Items

Yoshimi's Jewelry - Resistance Necklaces

The Blue Moon - Restaurant

====[[Lasacul]]====
*IMPORTS - Books, Produce
*EXPORTS - Water, Medicines, Fish
*Recall, Bank, Inn, Healer, Morgue Services

====[[Todo]]====
*IMPORTS - Clothing, Weapons
*EXPORTS - Lumber, Medicines
*Recall Service

Mammoth Discounts - General Store

Savoonga Diner - Restaurant

====[[Brigantes]]====
*IMPORTS - Books, Candles, Halloween decorations
*EXPORTS - Candy, Gold, Gemstones, Wands, Potions
*Bank Service

Pin's Armor Emporium - Armor (light) [lvl 60]

Pip's Pawn Shop - General Store

Alanna's Alchemy - Recovery Items

Studious Scribbery - Scrolls

Creepy Confectionary - Food

Killer Kitchen - Food

Resting Rat - Alcohol

The Witch's Wart - Alcohol

Monstrous Menagerie - Pets

Enchanted Evenings - Item Enhancements

Fiendish Forge - Item Crafting

====[[Gigantos Stronghold]]====
*IMPORTS - Water, Weapons
*EXPORTS - None

Merchant - Weapons (twohands) [lvl 60]

Classroom - Pets

====[[Gold City]]====
*IMPORTS - Cloth, Clothing, Silk, Tea, Seafood, Medicines, Machinery, Gems, Minerals, Books, Slaves
*EXPORTS - Gold, Slaves
*Bank and Inn Service

Market Stall - Weapons [lvl 60]

Hole-in-the-wall Market - Armor (light) [lvl 70]

Original Moti Market - General Store

Gepetto's Toy Shop - Toys

Poppy and Palahniuk's - Jewelry

The Mad Hatter - Restaurant that also sells Decorative Headgear

== Just the Equipment Upgrades ==

{| border="1"
|+ Locations of Full Armor and Weapon Shops
|-
! Level
! Light Armor
! Medium Armor
! Heavy Armor
! Weapons
|-
| 5 || || [[Crysta]] [[Viorar]] || || [[Crysta]] [[Monstro Town]]
|-
| 10 || || [[Truce]] [[Viorar]] || || [[Rocket Town]] [[Viorar]]
|-
| 15 || || [[Rocket Town]] || || [[Wutai]]
|-
| 20 || [[Wutai]] || [[Wutai]] || || [[Cosmo Canyon]]
|-
| 25 || [[Mabe Village]] [[Tonoe]] || || || [[Arlia]] (some)
|-
| 30 || [[Cosmo Canyon]] || Arlia || || [[Alfador Isle]] [[Tonoe]]
|-
| 40 || || [[Brei]] || [[Brei]] || [[Mandala]]
|-
| 50 || [[Caspia]] || [[Lasacul]] || Caspia || Lasacul
|-
| 60 || || [[Brigantes]] || || [[Gigan Hold]] [[Gold City]]
|-
| 70 || || [[Gold_City]] || ||
|}

*No Upgrade Shops will exist beyond 70
*Medium Armor - normal defensive armor
*Light Armor - weaker defensive armor but with some stat bonuses
*Heavy Armor - stronger defensive armor but with some stat penalties

==Global Economy==
The Cleft, despite its often high level of technology, does not appear to have an extremely high volume of trade. As such, Cleft economies do not usually have a high degree of specialization. While every town has its imports and exports, all towns have some degree of self-sufficiency. Due to the high volume of monsters and invading armies that tend to roam the countryside, relying on distant areas for vital supplies would be suicidal for most areas. The diversification of Cleft economies can be seen in that almost all towns have a general store which sells most essential supplies.

Due to their proximity and the relative safety of the routes between them, there is a high volume of trade between Truce, Wutai, Crysta, and Rocket Town. Shrike, too, is only a port away from Truce.

'''ADD MORE INTERCONNECTED REGIONS HERE'''

===Currency===

*''See the main article at [[Money]]''

== Treasures ==

The Cleft is full of many rare ores and minerals. All of these are found by miners and their cost reflects their rarity. Sometimes you may be rewarded these items for doing good deeds or as a rare monster drop. The names reflect the location they were initially discovered by the Cleft denizens, but do NOT reflect where you are most likely to find it.

Names of Items subject to change when we have more places to name them after.

{| border = 1
! Value !! Name !! Mining !! Drops !! Quests !! Sea Chests !! Forge Implemented?
|-
| 1 || Altamira Zinc || X || || || X || X
|-
| 50 || Bequerel Copper || X || X || || X || X
|-
| 100 || Cosmo Brimstone || X || || || || X
|-
| 500 || Tonoe Manganese* || X || || || ||
|-
| 1000 || Smaskifa Bronze* || X || X || || ||
|-
| 2500 || Shrike Iron || X || X || || || X
|-
| 5000 || Pedan Wood || || X || X || || X
|-
| 10000 || Gold City Gold || X || || X || X ||
|-
| 15000 || Shasras Steel || X || || X || X || X
|-
| 20000 || Lorien Silver* || || || X || X ||
|-
| 30000 || Brigantes Gold || || || X || X || X
|-
| 40000 || Zurvan Platinum || || X || X || X ||
|-
| 50000 || Iktoa Mithril || X || || X || X || X
|-
| 60000 || Lasacul Alloy || || X || X || X || X
|-
| 70000 || Magicant Rock || || X || X || X ||
|-
| 80000 || Nosgoth Obsidian || X || || X || X ||
|-
| 90000 || Zanarkand Diamond || || || || X ||
|-
| 100000 || Rune Metal || ? || ? || ? || ? || ?
|-
|}

Starred Names* subject to change

== [[Player Housing]] ==

== [[Clan Halls]] ==

Apr 2018:Booster Tower

2018-04-07T06:46:16Z

Aludra:

Area of the Month for March 2018 is [[Booster_Tower|Booster Tower]]!

A template format for your review is below; click 'edit' at the top of the page, copy-pasta from the <nowiki>----</nowiki> to the next <nowiki>----</nowiki>, and fill in the gaps!

('''''Yes,''''' a wiki account is required to edit the page and therefore post your review, but take heart: The wiki is hosted by the Cleft itself, not a third party!

----

'''Player: You!(Class/Level)'''

'''Review Date(s): '''

'''Descriptions: X/10'''

How does the area's room descriptions(descs) work for you? Do they give you a good idea of the area? Do things that stand out in the desc and NEED explanation GET that, either from flavor text(extra-descs) or NPCs in the room or anything?

What about mobiles(mobs) and their descriptions? Can you get a decent mental image of who or what this NPC/monster is? Do they respond when you talk or interact with them?

Some areas have interact-able objects like fountains. Do they stack up well also?

'''Balance: X/10 (OR N/A)'''

(NOTE: combat will be most accurately gauged when your character is in the area's suggested level range.)

If this area has combat, how does it feel? Does anything jump as horribly overpowered and impossible to deal with? What about the flipside, anything far too easy to beat?

Are purchased or rewarded items at the appropriate strength levels? Is the effort required to obtain rewarded items reflected in their usefulness (or uniqueness and fancifulness)

'''Attractions: X/10'''

Why would you suggest someone come to this area?
Is it just a good place to grind experience(lots of mobs)?
Does the area provide a chunk of good gold and loot?

What about the quests? Does this area's quests feel properly done, or is there some part of it that you feel needs work?

For towns, are the shops good? Any other non-combative attraction for the area?

'''Connections: X/10 '''

How easily and well does this area connect to its nearby areas?
Does it make sense thematically to be connected to the areas it is?

'''Personal'''

Any comments you'd like to make that you don't feel apply to the other sections can go here!

----

'''Player: Scribble(Knight/16)'''

'''Review Date(s): 4/1/2018'''

'''Descriptions: 4/10'''

The descriptions of the mobs are short and sweet, which is fine. They describe them rather well, but just somewhat unimaginatively. The Snifits all share a description except for one, describing them as Booster's "three main toadies" even though there is a fourth. This fourth one is also a shopkeeper, but looking at him still reveals his condition as if he were killable.

The room descriptions are easy to ignore and very short. A few are even one sentence. The room you are sent to after taking the trip there refers to the event that sent you there, even though it's possible to leave from this room and then go back through it normally, obviously not having arrived there the same way as you did initially. There are very few things in the room descriptions to look at and nothing in them is ever important, every important interactable object and mob being plainly visible in the room.

While reading the descriptions does help mildly paint a picture of the area, the tower is more or less a free for all killing spree zone without much to look at. The only location within this area that is actually interesting to read is the Marrymore Province, but it lacks extra descriptions. On that note, extra descriptions are highly lacking and the ones that *do* exist do not add much more to the area.

This is somewhat an important note as, being a very popular, easily accessible area that nearly every newbie will visit, it does not help adjust them to the fact that reading room descriptions is typically very important in the Cleft. Though, arguably, completing the quests would still be very hard to do without reading the descriptions of the mobs involved.

'''Balance: 8/10'''

The balance here is good, in regards to mobs. There are large numbers of killable mobs all around the tower, ranging from 15 to 19. All of the named mobs, with sparse few exceptions, are killable and much higher level, however they are only so much more difficult than the regular mobs, except for a few (the Apprentice for example is rather tough). My character is perhaps slightly more well geared than your typical newbie, though these mobs will be harder for some classes than for others, as well. At level 17 (I leveled while writing this) I'm able to kill the level 25 mobs here, as long as I'm paying attention. For a lower level area, perhaps this is okay. The trash mobs are of varying difficulty and introduce some new status effects to new players, which is important, though annoying.

For instance, I've just been not killing Orb Users because I can't re-equip my shield after using shield slam due to being blinded. This is just annoying and not really a huge issue. Bob-Ombs are probably the weakest enemies, but will explode for no experience if not killed quickly, which is a neat mechanic, teaching new players that not all fights will be so cut and dry.

The items available here are decently balanced, though the level requirement for certain quest rewards is worth some discussion, mentioned below. The actual strength of these items is probably fine.

'''Attractions: 7/10'''

Booster Tower is obviously a hotspot for leveling and it's suggested quite frequently already. Its location is incredibly convenient, much closer to Truce than other similar leveled areas, and a useful spot for much longer than others. It's a good leveling spot for first life characters and newbies from its starting level (depending on the skill and class of the player, possibly earlier), though it tends to lose its steam quite a few levels before its suggested ending level range.

There are useful pieces of gear, here, from quests or otherwise, that are typical standard fare for your general player. Some of the quest rewards are not useable until the very last level of the range of the tower. Even for a first life character, the quests are not difficult to complete before level 25, even *far* before 25, potentially teaching newbies the hard way that items will poof from your inventory if they are 10 levels out of reach. By the time you can actually use them, you probably won't even be in Booster Tower anymore.

The "main" quest (the one with the most steps) is not too hard to follow and figure out, although considering its main mechanic is giving items to NPCs, it's unfortunate that some of the NPCs may keep these quest items when they are the incorrect recipient. There is inconsistency here, as some NPCs WILL give back wrong items and others will not. It's not clear if this is intentional, but if so, it's not really a great sort of 'difficulty modifier' in my opinion, and moreso just annoying.

It's also worth questioning if it's worth preserving the situation within this quest where the final turn in item is a potentially useful item for certain classes to keep, while the final reward would be bad for those classes. It's possible to do the quest over again, but that would insist that if the final reward is not good for your class, you basically just do it again, while other people would not have to. I'm not sure this is a great mechanic, personally.

One of the quests can be cheesed (I won't explain how publicly!) really easily, while another requires an item that requires level 20 to wear, but the reward requires level 25 to use. The item also doesn't *necessarily* require combat to acquire, so the jump in level requirements is potentially super annoying. Basically if you complete it as soon as you are able, you'll still have an unusable item in your inventory for five levels before you even know if it's worth the space to keep it.

These level requirements for the quest rewards is the only thing I would really think to take a second look at, if only for the fact that Booster Tower - despite being level 16-25 - becomes less useful and will typically be finished significantly before its final level of 25, even by newbies, as has been demonstrated recently.

'''Connections: 5/10 '''

This is one of the most easily accessible, mob-dense areas for low level leveling in the game for a Truce start. Thematically, Booster Tower is questionable in its location. It's just a short walk from Truce, between there and Rocket Town. The entrance to the tower itself implies the tower is somewhat unpleasant looking, saying that the door has been broken down. For an area openly displayed between two neat and orderly towns, this seems like something that may be of interest to be addressed by the authorities. Maybe it's mentioned and I just haven't seen it.

----
'''Player:''' Aludra(Wizard/8)

'''Review Date(s)''': 04/06/2018

'''Descriptions''': 5/10

The area itself is fairly decent. Some rooms have much shorter descriptions than others, but the environment is rather same-y all in all. Especially in the source material. There are only so many ways to say 'big ugly marble chessboard room.' I wouldn't mind seeing some colour pops though, just to highlight some of the more interesting things. There aren't really any extra descriptions of note other than the TV near the top. Cute, but not inspiring.

Most of the mobs have strange formatting and linebreaks. Snifit 1 for example:

He wears a grey coat over his whole body, a black belt, and a black gas
mask covering his face. He is one of Booster's three main toadies and loves
to catch beetles and eat cake.

And, of course, a Spookum:

Spookums are the same height and wear the same mask as Snifits, but their
rank is lower and their robes are blue rather than grey. They came to
become Snifits under Booster's training, but he only wants four.

They all seem to be written under a very short linewrap. I'm not going to paste every single mob description, but there are a lot of them with this issue.

Other than that, they're all nice and concise and give a good idea of what you're dealing with.

As for area objects, such as the toy chest and therein, these objects suffer the same linewrap issue. One of the trains are barely described at all. Player-ownable objects (such as the balloons) have equally lackluster notes. Some colour pops would be great there too.

All in all, the writing is decent, but it's lacking in content. Jazz it up!

'''Balance''': 7/10 (OR N/A)

The chain chomps are probably the most difficult thing here to fight. Disproportionately so, given their relative level.

Fireballs are definitely the weakest, and their level/xp are true to that. Would be neat if they were more in line with the rest of the area.

Second to fireballs, bombs are definitely probably the weakest. I just wish they didn't cease to give you XP if they delete themselves via explosion. If they survived that with 1hp, I'd be a lot happier.

I wish the rewards were more consistently leveled though. Equipment and items you can get here range from 15 to 45. By level 25, there are definitely way better places to be and much better items to use. At least the level 45 item isn't terrible. It's very easy to lose track of though, especially at a lower level where it will disappear and you'll forget about it entirely.

'''Attractions''': 7/10

There's basically no reason not to come to this area if you're starting out on the Truce side. It's easily located, it's packed to the gills with things to kills. The money drops aren't too bad for the level. There are plenty of little hidden treasures you can acquire if you know what to do. And, most importantly, you can do the beetle hunting minigame and rack up all kinds of dosh if you're bored.

The main questline here is pretty slick. It takes a little bit of trial and error, but once you get rolling, it's hard to stop!

There are three shops. None of which have any weapons or armor, but you can get some useful goodies here, if you know where to use them!

'''Connections''': 10/10

It connects Truce, Rocket Town and Rabite forest. Or, I'm assuming. I've never found the key to the locked back door. But I'm assuming! If the door does go where I think it was, it's a quick trip through Booster's Tower to get to Neko's Cabin, which backdoors into Guardia Castle. Pretty handy shortcut, if true. But where's the key? This might be a Thief Only scenario.

'''Personal'''

All in all, this area is a great springboard into the teen-levels, and further adventure. At least one of the rewards is good for all levels. I just wish it were more visual.
----

Apr 2018:Booster Tower

2018-04-07T06:45:17Z

Aludra:

Area of the Month for March 2018 is [[Booster_Tower|Booster Tower]]!

A template format for your review is below; click 'edit' at the top of the page, copy-pasta from the <nowiki>----</nowiki> to the next <nowiki>----</nowiki>, and fill in the gaps!

('''''Yes,''''' a wiki account is required to edit the page and therefore post your review, but take heart: The wiki is hosted by the Cleft itself, not a third party!

----

'''Player: You!(Class/Level)'''

'''Review Date(s): '''

'''Descriptions: X/10'''

How does the area's room descriptions(descs) work for you? Do they give you a good idea of the area? Do things that stand out in the desc and NEED explanation GET that, either from flavor text(extra-descs) or NPCs in the room or anything?

What about mobiles(mobs) and their descriptions? Can you get a decent mental image of who or what this NPC/monster is? Do they respond when you talk or interact with them?

Some areas have interact-able objects like fountains. Do they stack up well also?

'''Balance: X/10 (OR N/A)'''

(NOTE: combat will be most accurately gauged when your character is in the area's suggested level range.)

If this area has combat, how does it feel? Does anything jump as horribly overpowered and impossible to deal with? What about the flipside, anything far too easy to beat?

Are purchased or rewarded items at the appropriate strength levels? Is the effort required to obtain rewarded items reflected in their usefulness (or uniqueness and fancifulness)

'''Attractions: X/10'''

Why would you suggest someone come to this area?
Is it just a good place to grind experience(lots of mobs)?
Does the area provide a chunk of good gold and loot?

What about the quests? Does this area's quests feel properly done, or is there some part of it that you feel needs work?

For towns, are the shops good? Any other non-combative attraction for the area?

'''Connections: X/10 '''

How easily and well does this area connect to its nearby areas?
Does it make sense thematically to be connected to the areas it is?

'''Personal'''

Any comments you'd like to make that you don't feel apply to the other sections can go here!

----

'''Player: Scribble(Knight/16)'''

'''Review Date(s): 4/1/2018'''

'''Descriptions: 4/10'''

The descriptions of the mobs are short and sweet, which is fine. They describe them rather well, but just somewhat unimaginatively. The Snifits all share a description except for one, describing them as Booster's "three main toadies" even though there is a fourth. This fourth one is also a shopkeeper, but looking at him still reveals his condition as if he were killable.

The room descriptions are easy to ignore and very short. A few are even one sentence. The room you are sent to after taking the trip there refers to the event that sent you there, even though it's possible to leave from this room and then go back through it normally, obviously not having arrived there the same way as you did initially. There are very few things in the room descriptions to look at and nothing in them is ever important, every important interactable object and mob being plainly visible in the room.

While reading the descriptions does help mildly paint a picture of the area, the tower is more or less a free for all killing spree zone without much to look at. The only location within this area that is actually interesting to read is the Marrymore Province, but it lacks extra descriptions. On that note, extra descriptions are highly lacking and the ones that *do* exist do not add much more to the area.

This is somewhat an important note as, being a very popular, easily accessible area that nearly every newbie will visit, it does not help adjust them to the fact that reading room descriptions is typically very important in the Cleft. Though, arguably, completing the quests would still be very hard to do without reading the descriptions of the mobs involved.

'''Balance: 8/10'''

The balance here is good, in regards to mobs. There are large numbers of killable mobs all around the tower, ranging from 15 to 19. All of the named mobs, with sparse few exceptions, are killable and much higher level, however they are only so much more difficult than the regular mobs, except for a few (the Apprentice for example is rather tough). My character is perhaps slightly more well geared than your typical newbie, though these mobs will be harder for some classes than for others, as well. At level 17 (I leveled while writing this) I'm able to kill the level 25 mobs here, as long as I'm paying attention. For a lower level area, perhaps this is okay. The trash mobs are of varying difficulty and introduce some new status effects to new players, which is important, though annoying.

For instance, I've just been not killing Orb Users because I can't re-equip my shield after using shield slam due to being blinded. This is just annoying and not really a huge issue. Bob-Ombs are probably the weakest enemies, but will explode for no experience if not killed quickly, which is a neat mechanic, teaching new players that not all fights will be so cut and dry.

The items available here are decently balanced, though the level requirement for certain quest rewards is worth some discussion, mentioned below. The actual strength of these items is probably fine.

'''Attractions: 7/10'''

Booster Tower is obviously a hotspot for leveling and it's suggested quite frequently already. Its location is incredibly convenient, much closer to Truce than other similar leveled areas, and a useful spot for much longer than others. It's a good leveling spot for first life characters and newbies from its starting level (depending on the skill and class of the player, possibly earlier), though it tends to lose its steam quite a few levels before its suggested ending level range.

There are useful pieces of gear, here, from quests or otherwise, that are typical standard fare for your general player. Some of the quest rewards are not useable until the very last level of the range of the tower. Even for a first life character, the quests are not difficult to complete before level 25, even *far* before 25, potentially teaching newbies the hard way that items will poof from your inventory if they are 10 levels out of reach. By the time you can actually use them, you probably won't even be in Booster Tower anymore.

The "main" quest (the one with the most steps) is not too hard to follow and figure out, although considering its main mechanic is giving items to NPCs, it's unfortunate that some of the NPCs may keep these quest items when they are the incorrect recipient. There is inconsistency here, as some NPCs WILL give back wrong items and others will not. It's not clear if this is intentional, but if so, it's not really a great sort of 'difficulty modifier' in my opinion, and moreso just annoying.

It's also worth questioning if it's worth preserving the situation within this quest where the final turn in item is a potentially useful item for certain classes to keep, while the final reward would be bad for those classes. It's possible to do the quest over again, but that would insist that if the final reward is not good for your class, you basically just do it again, while other people would not have to. I'm not sure this is a great mechanic, personally.

One of the quests can be cheesed (I won't explain how publicly!) really easily, while another requires an item that requires level 20 to wear, but the reward requires level 25 to use. The item also doesn't *necessarily* require combat to acquire, so the jump in level requirements is potentially super annoying. Basically if you complete it as soon as you are able, you'll still have an unusable item in your inventory for five levels before you even know if it's worth the space to keep it.

These level requirements for the quest rewards is the only thing I would really think to take a second look at, if only for the fact that Booster Tower - despite being level 16-25 - becomes less useful and will typically be finished significantly before its final level of 25, even by newbies, as has been demonstrated recently.

'''Connections: 5/10 '''

This is one of the most easily accessible, mob-dense areas for low level leveling in the game for a Truce start. Thematically, Booster Tower is questionable in its location. It's just a short walk from Truce, between there and Rocket Town. The entrance to the tower itself implies the tower is somewhat unpleasant looking, saying that the door has been broken down. For an area openly displayed between two neat and orderly towns, this seems like something that may be of interest to be addressed by the authorities. Maybe it's mentioned and I just haven't seen it.

----
Player: Aludra(Wizard/8)

Review Date(s): 04/06/2018

Descriptions: 5/10

The area itself is fairly decent. Some rooms have much shorter descriptions than others, but the environment is rather same-y all in all. Especially in the source material. There are only so many ways to say 'big ugly marble chessboard room.' I wouldn't mind seeing some colour pops though, just to highlight some of the more interesting things. There aren't really any extra descriptions of note other than the TV near the top. Cute, but not inspiring.

Most of the mobs have strange formatting and linebreaks. Snifit 1 for example:

He wears a grey coat over his whole body, a black belt, and a black gas
mask covering his face. He is one of Booster's three main toadies and loves
to catch beetles and eat cake.

And, of course, a Spookum:

Spookums are the same height and wear the same mask as Snifits, but their
rank is lower and their robes are blue rather than grey. They came to
become Snifits under Booster's training, but he only wants four.

They all seem to be written under a very short linewrap. I'm not going to paste every single mob description, but there are a lot of them with this issue.

Other than that, they're all nice and concise and give a good idea of what you're dealing with.

As for area objects, such as the toy chest and therein, these objects suffer the same linewrap issue. One of the trains are barely described at all. Player-ownable objects (such as the balloons) have equally lackluster notes. Some colour pops would be great there too.

All in all, the writing is decent, but it's lacking in content. Jazz it up!

Balance: 7/10 (OR N/A)

The chain chomps are probably the most difficult thing here to fight. Disproportionately so, given their relative level.

Fireballs are definitely the weakest, and their level/xp are true to that. Would be neat if they were more in line with the rest of the area.

Second to fireballs, bombs are definitely probably the weakest. I just wish they didn't cease to give you XP if they delete themselves via explosion. If they survived that with 1hp, I'd be a lot happier.

I wish the rewards were more consistently leveled though. Equipment and items you can get here range from 15 to 45. By level 25, there are definitely way better places to be and much better items to use. At least the level 45 item isn't terrible. It's very easy to lose track of though, especially at a lower level where it will disappear and you'll forget about it entirely.

Attractions: 7/10

There's basically no reason not to come to this area if you're starting out on the Truce side. It's easily located, it's packed to the gills with things to kills. The money drops aren't too bad for the level. There are plenty of little hidden treasures you can acquire if you know what to do. And, most importantly, you can do the beetle hunting minigame and rack up all kinds of dosh if you're bored.

The main questline here is pretty slick. It takes a little bit of trial and error, but once you get rolling, it's hard to stop!

There are three shops. None of which have any weapons or armor, but you can get some useful goodies here, if you know where to use them!

Connections: 10/10

It connects Truce, Rocket Town and Rabite forest. Or, I'm assuming. I've never found the key to the locked back door. But I'm assuming! If the door does go where I think it was, it's a quick trip through Booster's Tower to get to Neko's Cabin, which backdoors into Guardia Castle. Pretty handy shortcut, if true. But where's the key? This might be a Thief Only scenario.

Personal

All in all, this area is a great springboard into the teen-levels, and further adventure. At least one of the rewards is good for all levels. I just wish it were more visual.
----

Mar 2018: Chocobo Forest

2018-03-04T21:17:40Z

Aludra:

Area of the Month for March 2018 is [[Chocobo_Forest|Chocobo Forest]]!

A template format for your review is below; click 'edit' at the top of the page, copy-pasta from the <nowiki>----</nowiki> to the next <nowiki>----</nowiki>, and fill in the gaps!

----

'''Player: You!(Class/Level)'''

'''Review Date(s): '''

'''Descriptions: X/10'''

How does the area's room descriptions(descs) work for you? Do they give you a good idea of the area? Do things that stand out in the desc and NEED explanation GET that, either from flavor text(extra-descs) or NPCs in the room or anything?

What about mobiles(mobs) and their descriptions? Can you get a decent mental image of who or what this NPC/monster is? Do they respond when you talk or interact with them?

Some areas have interact-able objects like fountains. Do they stack up well also?

'''Balance: X/10 (OR N/A)'''

(NOTE: combat will be most accurately gauged when your character is in the area's suggested level range.)

If this area has combat, how does it feel? Does anything jump as horribly overpowered and impossible to deal with? What about the flipside, anything far too easy to beat?

Are purchased or rewarded items at the appropriate strength levels? Is the effort required to obtain rewarded items reflected in their usefulness (or uniqueness and fancifulness)

'''Attractions: X/10'''

Why would you suggest someone come to this area?
Is it just a good place to grind experience(lots of mobs)?
Does the area provide a chunk of good gold and loot?

What about the quests? Does this area's quests feel properly done, or is there some part of it that you feel needs work?

For towns, are the shops good? Any other non-combative attraction for the area?

'''Connections: X/10 '''

How easily and well does this area connect to its nearby areas?
Does it make sense thematically to be connected to the areas it is?

'''Personal'''

Any comments you'd like to make that you don't feel apply to the other sections can go here!

----

'''Player: Kaze (Ninja L50)'''

'''Review Date(s): 3/2/2018'''

'''Descriptions: 7/10'''

The general navigation worked to a point. The descriptions were were generally serviceable.
The description when you pop the box is one of the better ones, but I don't like that it's a weird special room that teleports you around. (More on that later)

One thing that isn't clear from the descriptions is any sort of progression from place to place. Forest becomes rocky. Go up and you're on a hill or in the sky. It's rather abrupt, really. The layout is probably part of that issue.

The descriptions of the chocobo are pretty good. I can tell which each is, readily. I'm not convinced someone who hadn't played as much FF as I would, but such tend not to stick around that long, so... eh?

Chocobo should either spook and run/fight or react with curiosity when you talk to them. They tend to be portrayed as quite friendly, which doesn't come through. Maybe that's intentional. Dunno.

The nooks are suggested in the descriptions, so that seems fair. The cave is rather vague.

The biggest thing that seemed off, though was the inability to ride Boco or one of the others. What a gyp!

'''Balance: 7/10 (OR N/A)'''

The chocobo are pretty straightforward foes. (Some teamwork would ramp up the difficulty tremendously, as would inserting a white one should you do so.)

'''Attractions: 4/10'''

Honestly, mostly this zone is accessible exp. While they are giving good experience and you can drop them, the zone is a goldmine. Otherwise, it's not all that great. The gold chocobo feather was less than exciting. Note that part of that is the difficulty in obtaining Float status. If you could snag such things while there was exp to be had, it wouldn't seem so lackluster but you'd have less reason to return. The Sky Armor pet I now have is... interesting, but not very useful.

Now, I say all this knowing that I haven't gotten into the cave, yet. (I was going to experiment with trying to get the red chocobo to cast comet on the boulder, but I haven't come up with a good way to do so.)

Okay: The fact that completing a leg of the quest leads to a special smoky room and then forces you to exit back to the clearing is irritating because that sleep thing. When you wake you can easily abandon a vehicle in the void. It's not too hard to avoid, if you're thinking about it, but I don't like it.

I'd like there to be more quests, honestly. A quest to set up safer spots for nesting might be interesting. If there's going to be a free pet available, why not a chocobo buddy that's one of those fancy ones that levels and, thus, scales? Apparently, there is code in place to do that, so even if not a mount, (which, obviously, would be cool) at least a battle buddy could be a nice touch. A quest one-shot flag would make this something to be very careful of. (opening up the possibility of one or more resurrection quests) I'm seeing this as a difficult quest, though possibly more on the mind than the body. Don't know; kinda spit-balling. Some spirit of the forest could need something done to fix stuff for Big Bird's cousins.

'''Connections: 4/10'''

It's not hard to find but it's certainly out of the way. I have no idea what the thematic reason for its placement was. It actually seems like something that might fit better between Viorar and Truce, whether north of the Veldt or more southerly.

----

'''Player: Aludra???(Gambler/100)'''

'''Review Date(s): 03/04/2018'''

'''Descriptions: 8/10'''

The room descriptions aren't too short, nor are they too long to the point where it's a bother to read them. The different sections of the area are color coded in the short description, which is a nice touch. It really helps to remind you which part of the area you're in at a glance.

The mobs themselves are all described fairly decently except for Mene, the moogle. It isn't badly written so much as it's more backstory than appearance. A little jarring compared to the rest of the zone. The color in his name also makes me spell it wrong constantly. Although this could be contributed to my font as well.

The hidden objects and other looktraps are also quite nice. Plenty of secrets if you know where to look.

'''Balance: 7/10 (OR N/A)'''

The combat in the area is fairly engaging. The enemies use a variety of different abilities, which is only natural given the nature of different coloured chocobos. Some of the enemies drop wands that help out. The merchant in the area sells a few goodies as well. Though those are mostly used to access the rest of the zone. Aside from the boss of the zone, the enemies themselves aren't too rough. The only exception to this is the boss, and depending on your level, the Sky Armours. They can be a little mean if you're there kind of early. There's not much aggro to deal with. It's just too bad the zone is lacking in actual mobs. It's kind of deserted.

'''Attractions: 10/10'''

The main reason I'd come to this zone is for the quests. They're short, fun, and the rewards are very nice. It's worth a trip just to check them out, even if you're out of range for the forest itself.

The secondary reason? Taming chocobos. They make great pets and each colour offers a different utility - though Red would be my favorite, as it's a berserker with a lot to offer.

Like I mentioned previously, there aren't very many mobs to kill. Maybe ten enemies in the entire area, assuming you can swim and/or fly, and then you have to wait for a repop.

But again, like I mentioned before, the enemies drop some feathers - wands - which prove to be fairly useful if you remember to use them. It's just too bad you can't buy them in the shop.

'''Connections: 2/10 '''

There's only one place this really connects to, and that's the road outside of Wutai. The plus side, is it's super quick and easy to get to whether you're coming from the pier or walking through Truce Canyon. You don't even have to worry about recall scrolls because it's such a short distance. It's just a shame there isn't an area beyond it.

'''Personal'''

Great zone, very iconic. Easily one of my favorite areas when I was a lower level. Just wish it was more populated. Throw out some chocobo eaters and some extra chocobos or something, you know?

----

[[Category:Area of the Month|*]]

Mar 2018: Chocobo Forest

2018-03-04T21:03:48Z

Aludra:

Area of the Month for March 2018 is [[Chocobo_Forest|Chocobo Forest]]!

A template format for your review is below; click 'edit' at the top of the page, copy-pasta from the <nowiki>----</nowiki> to the next <nowiki>----</nowiki>, and fill in the gaps!

----

'''Player: You!(Class/Level)'''

'''Review Date(s): '''

'''Descriptions: X/10'''

How does the area's room descriptions(descs) work for you? Do they give you a good idea of the area? Do things that stand out in the desc and NEED explanation GET that, either from flavor text(extra-descs) or NPCs in the room or anything?

What about mobiles(mobs) and their descriptions? Can you get a decent mental image of who or what this NPC/monster is? Do they respond when you talk or interact with them?

Some areas have interact-able objects like fountains. Do they stack up well also?

'''Balance: X/10 (OR N/A)'''

(NOTE: combat will be most accurately gauged when your character is in the area's suggested level range.)

If this area has combat, how does it feel? Does anything jump as horribly overpowered and impossible to deal with? What about the flipside, anything far too easy to beat?

Are purchased or rewarded items at the appropriate strength levels? Is the effort required to obtain rewarded items reflected in their usefulness (or uniqueness and fancifulness)

'''Attractions: X/10'''

Why would you suggest someone come to this area?
Is it just a good place to grind experience(lots of mobs)?
Does the area provide a chunk of good gold and loot?

What about the quests? Does this area's quests feel properly done, or is there some part of it that you feel needs work?

For towns, are the shops good? Any other non-combative attraction for the area?

'''Connections: X/10 '''

How easily and well does this area connect to its nearby areas?
Does it make sense thematically to be connected to the areas it is?

'''Personal'''

Any comments you'd like to make that you don't feel apply to the other sections can go here!

----

'''Player: Kaze (Ninja L50)'''

'''Review Date(s): 3/2/2018'''

'''Descriptions: 7/10'''

The general navigation worked to a point. The descriptions were were generally serviceable.
The description when you pop the box is one of the better ones, but I don't like that it's a weird special room that teleports you around. (More on that later)

One thing that isn't clear from the descriptions is any sort of progression from place to place. Forest becomes rocky. Go up and you're on a hill or in the sky. It's rather abrupt, really. The layout is probably part of that issue.

The descriptions of the chocobo are pretty good. I can tell which each is, readily. I'm not convinced someone who hadn't played as much FF as I would, but such tend not to stick around that long, so... eh?

Chocobo should either spook and run/fight or react with curiosity when you talk to them. They tend to be portrayed as quite friendly, which doesn't come through. Maybe that's intentional. Dunno.

The nooks are suggested in the descriptions, so that seems fair. The cave is rather vague.

The biggest thing that seemed off, though was the inability to ride Boco or one of the others. What a gyp!

'''Balance: 7/10 (OR N/A)'''

The chocobo are pretty straightforward foes. (Some teamwork would ramp up the difficulty tremendously, as would inserting a white one should you do so.)

'''Attractions: 4/10'''

Honestly, mostly this zone is accessible exp. While they are giving good experience and you can drop them, the zone is a goldmine. Otherwise, it's not all that great. The gold chocobo feather was less than exciting. Note that part of that is the difficulty in obtaining Float status. If you could snag such things while there was exp to be had, it wouldn't seem so lackluster but you'd have less reason to return. The Sky Armor pet I now have is... interesting, but not very useful.

Now, I say all this knowing that I haven't gotten into the cave, yet. (I was going to experiment with trying to get the red chocobo to cast comet on the boulder, but I haven't come up with a good way to do so.)

Okay: The fact that completing a leg of the quest leads to a special smoky room and then forces you to exit back to the clearing is irritating because that sleep thing. When you wake you can easily abandon a vehicle in the void. It's not too hard to avoid, if you're thinking about it, but I don't like it.

I'd like there to be more quests, honestly. A quest to set up safer spots for nesting might be interesting. If there's going to be a free pet available, why not a chocobo buddy that's one of those fancy ones that levels and, thus, scales? Apparently, there is code in place to do that, so even if not a mount, (which, obviously, would be cool) at least a battle buddy could be a nice touch. A quest one-shot flag would make this something to be very careful of. (opening up the possibility of one or more resurrection quests) I'm seeing this as a difficult quest, though possibly more on the mind than the body. Don't know; kinda spit-balling. Some spirit of the forest could need something done to fix stuff for Big Bird's cousins.

'''Connections: 4/10'''

It's not hard to find but it's certainly out of the way. I have no idea what the thematic reason for its placement was. It actually seems like something that might fit better between Viorar and Truce, whether north of the Veldt or more southerly.

----

'''Player: Aludra???(Gambler/100)'''

'''Review Date(s): 03/04/2018'''

'''Descriptions: 8/10'''

The room descriptions aren't too short, nor are they too long to the point where it's a bother to read them. The different sections of the area are color coded in the short description, which is a nice touch. It really helps to remind you which part of the area you're in at a glance.

The mobs themselves are all described fairly decently except for Mene, the moogle. It isn't badly written so much as it's more backstory than appearance. A little jarring compared to the rest of the zone. The color in his name also makes me spell it wrong constantly. Although this could be contributed to my font as well.

The hidden objects and other looktraps are also quite nice. Plenty of secrets if you know where to look.

'''Balance: 7/10 (OR N/A)'''

(The combat in the area is fairly engaging. Some of the enemies drop wands that help out. The merchant in the area sells a few goodies as well. Though those are mostly used to access the rest of the zone. Aside from the boss of the zone, the enemies themselves aren't too rough. There's not much aggro to deal with. It's just too bad the zone is lacking in actual mobs. It's kind of deserted.

'''Attractions: 10/10'''

The main reason I'd come to this zone is for the quests. They're short, fun, and the rewards are very nice. It's worth a trip just to check them out, even if you're out of range for the forest itself.

The secondary reason? Taming chocobos. They make great pets and each colour offers a different utility - though Red would be my favorite, as it's a berserker with a lot to offer.

Like I mentioned previously, there aren't very many mobs to kill. Maybe ten enemies in the entire area, assuming you can swim and/or fly, and then you have to wait for a repop.

But again, like I mentioned before, the enemies drop some feathers - wands - which prove to be fairly useful if you remember to use them. It's just too bad you can't buy them in the shop.

'''Connections: 2/10 '''

There's only one place this really connects to, and that's the road outside of Wutai. The plus side, is it's super quick and easy to get to whether you're coming from the pier or walking through Truce Canyon. You don't even have to worry about recall scrolls because it's such a short distance. It's just a shame there isn't an area beyond it.

'''Personal'''

Great zone, very iconic. Easily one of my favorite areas when I was a lower level. Just wish it was more populated. Throw out some chocobo eaters and some extra chocobos or something, you know?

----

[[Category:Area of the Month|*]]

Feb 2018: Viorar

2018-02-25T07:28:48Z

Aludra:

Area of the Month for February 2018 is [[Viorar]]!

A template format for your review is below; click 'edit' at the top of the page, copy-pasta from the <nowiki>----</nowiki> to the next <nowiki>----</nowiki>, and fill in the gaps!

----

'''Player: You!(Class/Level)'''

'''Review Date(s): '''

'''Descriptions: X/10'''

How does the area's room descriptions(descs) work for you? Do they give you a good idea of the area? Do things that stand out in the desc and NEED explanation GET that, either from flavor text(extra-descs) or NPCs in the room or anything?

What about mobiles(mobs) and their descriptions? Can you get a decent mental image of who or what this NPC/monster is? Do they respond when you talk or interact with them?

Some areas have interact-able objects like fountains. Do they stack up well also?

'''Balance: X/10 (OR N/A)'''

(NOTE: combat will be most accurately gauged when your character is in the area's suggested level range.)

If this area has combat, how does it feel? Does anything jump as horribly overpowered and impossible to deal with? What about the flipside, anything far too easy to beat?

Are purchased or rewarded items at the appropriate strength levels? Is the effort required to obtain rewarded items reflected in their usefulness (or uniqueness and fancifulness)

'''Attractions: X/10'''

Why would you suggest someone come to this area?
Is it just a good place to grind experience(lots of mobs)?
Does the area provide a chunk of good gold and loot?

What about the quests? Does this area's quests feel properly done, or is there some part of it that you feel needs work?

For towns, are the shops good? Any other non-combative attraction for the area?

'''Connections: X/10 '''

How easily and well does this area connect to its nearby areas?
Does it make sense thematically to be connected to the areas it is?

'''Personal'''

Any comments you'd like to make that you don't feel apply to the other sections can go here!

----

'''Player: Bree (as Wylynn, level 4 Geomancer)''' - Token'd

'''Review Date(s): 02/05/2018'''

'''Descriptions: 7/10'''

Just about all of Viorar's descriptions are vivid and atmospheric, from rooms to objects to NPCs. They can sometimes be on the longer side, which might discourage some new players, and there are cases where the level of detail gets a little ridiculous (seriously, look at Roy the next chance you get). For the most part, though, they're very well thought out and paint a decent picture of the city and characters. The color of the text, of course, adds dramatically to the atmosphere and the feel of the area.

My biggest complaint is a big lack of extra descriptions. They're abundant in a few rooms, like the south gate, but most are devoid of any level of detail beyond the base room description. So while the overall picture is clear, the minor details are seriously lacking. Rooms will frequently mention specific objects, and nine times out of ten, you won't be able to look at it. This is especially disappointing for things like windows overlooking the ocean, or...the entire vista point. Even a short or reused extra description would be worlds better than nothing.

I think it's also worth mentioning that the way the city is laid out basically condenses all of the major points of interest into a few areas, leaving some parts of the city feeling pretty bare. I actually think this helps the atmosphere in a way - a bustling metropolis would have a much different feel to it, and it wouldn't really fit as well. That said, it takes away from it a little that they're empty of EVERYTHING, even extra descriptions.

'''Balance: N/A'''

I'm not aware of any combat.

'''Attractions: 8/10'''

Viorar has all of the basics - fountain, bank, morgue, shops, etc. Besides that, though, the shops are actually fairly varied, offering a few crafting materials, a larger selection of food, a store dedicated to selling lights, and even a pet store. Weapons and armor sets are offered up to level 10, but there are some extra pieces in a couple of the shops that help add some variety.

I admittedly haven't done all of the quests, but the ones that I have done have been pretty fun and involved. The only problem here is that they're definitely not newbie friendly. Some of the outlying areas help compensate for that, and there is the temp agency to help point beginners in the right direction, but I can't help but feel like most beginners would end up lost and confused.

The most important feature of Viorar, in my opinion, is Etansel Library. The books within contain essential backstory, some interesting (if largely outdated) information on items and spells, an atlas, so on. Thing is...it hasn't had any new submissions since 2013, and I honestly have no idea when it was last updated. Etensel is a very cool feature that is in need of some serious love.

'''Linkage: 6/10'''

To the north, Viorar has quick access to several very cool areas by way of Zigolis Swamp and Faron Woods - namely Behemoth's Skull, Midnight Garens and Carnival Night Zone.
The docks in the west similarly provide access to a bunch of areas - three islands that connect exclusively (I think) to Viorar, Gold City, the S.S. Zelbess (and by extension Truce), and even the Red Rose and PvP arena.
To the south lies the absurdly long Luon Highway, which puts Viorar pretty far from anything else in the south.
In the east, you've got Bequerel Mines and Chimp Caverns. While those do link to the eastern part of Fa'Diel, it's by no means quick or convenient.

All in all, despite having pretty much exclusive access to several very cool areas, its location isolates it from just about everything else on the continent. Thematically, I think that seclusion actually fits in well with the feel of the city - cold, dark, and lonely. The surrounding areas also tie into the theme very well, generally providing a darker, more serious alternative to many areas on the east end of the continent.

'''Personal:'''

It's no secret that I've always loved Viorar. It's a beautiful and unique city with a lot of potential to get even better. I really enjoy browsing the library, and I can't help but imagine how great it'd be with more material. The city is also a good hub for exploring some of my favorite areas. I think all it needs is some touching up to make it a really great area.

----

----

'''Player: Aludra!(Gambler/49)''' - Token'd

'''Review Date(s): 02/24/18'''

'''Descriptions: 8/10'''

Compared to several other areas, this place is a diamond. It's not flawless, but it has its facets. Plenty of highlighting for important things. The rooms themselves seem to have a color theme based on the type of environment. The rooms have mostly unique names, so getting lost inside the city isn't too big a deal. The mobiles all have charm and panache and individuality, from the way they react to their actual descriptions and inventories.

'''Balance: N/A'''

I was way, way out of league for this zone by time I showed up. I didn't really do much combat as a result. But there are some cool things for sale I would have love to have found early on. Seems like there's reasons to go back at a lot of levels.

'''Attractions: 9/10'''

Huge change of pace from what I've been seeing. I don't remember seeing very many enemies in the town itself. Like I mentioned before though, there's a lot of cool treasure in the shops that I haven't seen anywhere else. And Merlee's there! I couldn't afford her Blessings, but they sound pretty cool.

'''Connections: 5/10 '''

I kept getting lost in the swamp. I'm not ultra familiar with the surrounding zones, but it looks like there's plenty of variety to find and conquer.

'''Personal'''

Honestly, if there were some sort of express line between here and Truce, I'd like the place a lot more. Supposedly there's a boat that bridges the two areas, but it's infrequent and the airship takes a month and a half so it's easier to walk through aggro-infested areas. Overall though, I really like the layout of the area and the individual charm. If I hadn't been warned away from it at chargen as a 'zone for experienced players,' I might have preferred it to Truce.

----

[[Category:Area of the Month|*]]

Feb 2018: Viorar

2018-02-24T18:14:20Z

Aludra:

Area of the Month for February 2018 is [[Viorar]]!

A template format for your review is below; click 'edit' at the top of the page, copy-pasta from the <nowiki>----</nowiki> to the next <nowiki>----</nowiki>, and fill in the gaps!

----

'''Player: You!(Class/Level)'''

'''Review Date(s): '''

'''Descriptions: X/10'''

How does the area's room descriptions(descs) work for you? Do they give you a good idea of the area? Do things that stand out in the desc and NEED explanation GET that, either from flavor text(extra-descs) or NPCs in the room or anything?

What about mobiles(mobs) and their descriptions? Can you get a decent mental image of who or what this NPC/monster is? Do they respond when you talk or interact with them?

Some areas have interact-able objects like fountains. Do they stack up well also?

'''Balance: X/10 (OR N/A)'''

(NOTE: combat will be most accurately gauged when your character is in the area's suggested level range.)

If this area has combat, how does it feel? Does anything jump as horribly overpowered and impossible to deal with? What about the flipside, anything far too easy to beat?

Are purchased or rewarded items at the appropriate strength levels? Is the effort required to obtain rewarded items reflected in their usefulness (or uniqueness and fancifulness)

'''Attractions: X/10'''

Why would you suggest someone come to this area?
Is it just a good place to grind experience(lots of mobs)?
Does the area provide a chunk of good gold and loot?

What about the quests? Does this area's quests feel properly done, or is there some part of it that you feel needs work?

For towns, are the shops good? Any other non-combative attraction for the area?

'''Connections: X/10 '''

How easily and well does this area connect to its nearby areas?
Does it make sense thematically to be connected to the areas it is?

'''Personal'''

Any comments you'd like to make that you don't feel apply to the other sections can go here!

----

'''Player: Bree (as Wylynn, level 4 Geomancer)'''

'''Review Date(s): 02/05/2018'''

'''Descriptions: 7/10'''

Just about all of Viorar's descriptions are vivid and atmospheric, from rooms to objects to NPCs. They can sometimes be on the longer side, which might discourage some new players, and there are cases where the level of detail gets a little ridiculous (seriously, look at Roy the next chance you get). For the most part, though, they're very well thought out and paint a decent picture of the city and characters. The color of the text, of course, adds dramatically to the atmosphere and the feel of the area.

My biggest complaint is a big lack of extra descriptions. They're abundant in a few rooms, like the south gate, but most are devoid of any level of detail beyond the base room description. So while the overall picture is clear, the minor details are seriously lacking. Rooms will frequently mention specific objects, and nine times out of ten, you won't be able to look at it. This is especially disappointing for things like windows overlooking the ocean, or...the entire vista point. Even a short or reused extra description would be worlds better than nothing.

I think it's also worth mentioning that the way the city is laid out basically condenses all of the major points of interest into a few areas, leaving some parts of the city feeling pretty bare. I actually think this helps the atmosphere in a way - a bustling metropolis would have a much different feel to it, and it wouldn't really fit as well. That said, it takes away from it a little that they're empty of EVERYTHING, even extra descriptions.

'''Balance: N/A'''

I'm not aware of any combat.

'''Attractions: 8/10'''

Viorar has all of the basics - fountain, bank, morgue, shops, etc. Besides that, though, the shops are actually fairly varied, offering a few crafting materials, a larger selection of food, a store dedicated to selling lights, and even a pet store. Weapons and armor sets are offered up to level 10, but there are some extra pieces in a couple of the shops that help add some variety.

I admittedly haven't done all of the quests, but the ones that I have done have been pretty fun and involved. The only problem here is that they're definitely not newbie friendly. Some of the outlying areas help compensate for that, and there is the temp agency to help point beginners in the right direction, but I can't help but feel like most beginners would end up lost and confused.

The most important feature of Viorar, in my opinion, is Etansel Library. The books within contain essential backstory, some interesting (if largely outdated) information on items and spells, an atlas, so on. Thing is...it hasn't had any new submissions since 2013, and I honestly have no idea when it was last updated. Etensel is a very cool feature that is in need of some serious love.

'''Linkage: 6/10'''

To the north, Viorar has quick access to several very cool areas by way of Zigolis Swamp and Faron Woods - namely Behemoth's Skull, Midnight Garens and Carnival Night Zone.
The docks in the west similarly provide access to a bunch of areas - three islands that connect exclusively (I think) to Viorar, Gold City, the S.S. Zelbess (and by extension Truce), and even the Red Rose and PvP arena.
To the south lies the absurdly long Luon Highway, which puts Viorar pretty far from anything else in the south.
In the east, you've got Bequerel Mines and Chimp Caverns. While those do link to the eastern part of Fa'Diel, it's by no means quick or convenient.

All in all, despite having pretty much exclusive access to several very cool areas, its location isolates it from just about everything else on the continent. Thematically, I think that seclusion actually fits in well with the feel of the city - cold, dark, and lonely. The surrounding areas also tie into the theme very well, generally providing a darker, more serious alternative to many areas on the east end of the continent.

'''Personal:'''

It's no secret that I've always loved Viorar. It's a beautiful and unique city with a lot of potential to get even better. I really enjoy browsing the library, and I can't help but imagine how great it'd be with more material. The city is also a good hub for exploring some of my favorite areas. I think all it needs is some touching up to make it a really great area.

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'''Player: Aludra!(Gambler/49)'''

'''Review Date(s): 02/24/18'''

'''Descriptions: 8/10'''
Compared to several other areas, this place is a diamond. It's not flawless, but it has its facets. Plenty of highlighting for important things. The mobiles all have charm and panache.

'''Balance: N/A'''

I was way, way out of league for this zone by time I showed up. But there are some cool things for sale I would have love to have found early on.

'''Attractions: 9/10'''

Huge change of pace from what I've been seeing. I don't remember seeing very many enemies in the town itself. Like I mentioned before though, there's a lot of cool treasure in the shops that I haven't seen anywhere else. And Merlee's there! I couldn't afford her Blessings, but they sound pretty cool.

'''Connections: 5/10 '''

I kept getting lost in the swamp. I'm not ultra familiar with the surrounding zones, but it looks like there's plenty of variety to find and conquer.

'''Personal'''

Honestly, if there were some sort of express line between here and Truce, I'd like the place a lot more.

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[[Category:Area of the Month|*]]