September 2019: Chimp Caverns
Area of the Month for September 2019 is Chimp Caverns!
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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- Vashka, lvl 15 Knight, lvl 16 by end of Review. (Remort 16) - Token'd!
Review Date 17-09-19
Descriptions: 8/10
It's Descriptions are one of the high lights of Chimp Caverns, well-made, well-crafted and well-fitting to the otherwise somewhat gloomy surroundings. Not perfect in that not everything that might lead to a closer look actually bears out an extra-desc, but enough does that it doesn't feel entirely sterile and lacking any interactivity, just relegated to actual intractable things rather then scenic dressing. The mobs themselves also continue the trend, amusing well-fitted descs, more-then-basic interactions in the form of their combat progging and they also got amusing talk responses, admittedly, mostly this results in them attacking you, but as they are hostiles, very fitting.
Balance: 6/10
For the most part, they are somewhat on the low-end of the weight-class, but this is made up for by the fact some of them, like the Slippa can get very nasty if their status-attacks succeed. The Rockkroc at the other end of the scale, is almost overpowered having access to up to 3 physical attacks, but this is countered by the fact they come with a mechanic to evade them alltogether. Though counter-counter to that, the likelyhood of facing 2 on 1 is somewhat high, since they are highly mobile in their area and one of them can take a beating to beat before another might wander in. The main area boss could use a bit more hp to make them feel more boss-like and allow their unique running battle tactics to occur more often, but otherwise feels right for the level-range. There is not an over-abundance of loot to the place, if anything it is very sparse loot-wise. But what there is, is quite nice. It definetly could use more drop-items to make the place more appealing, but what there is makes thematic sense. Also, the possible reward in the 2nd area-quest is quite nice for the lvl-range.
Attractions: 4/10
While it makes an okay-leveling range diversity wise, the area lacks the mob-density to really be considered for that purpose. It makes sense, a mine shouldn't be horribly crowded and overrun by hordes of beasties, so it gets a pass for that. Primarily, the zone, personally atleast, gets used as a short-cut through the Myrkur Mountains to get too, or from Viorar and evade the long-walk around said mountains. And even in that use, the fact nearly each movement is accompanied by a fall of inevitable, annoying and possible exit-blocking Debris to clear, is a major downside. So, it feels very transitory; you pass through, and barely linger or think about the area. Which, given the nice desc-work, is somewhat sad.
Connections: 9/10
It's a Mine, and it's in a Mountain, further, it connects visibly to another-Mine on one and, and a Mining-town on the other. Connection wise, pretty much as good as it's going to get location-wise. Further, it is, untill the advent of Housing Portals or other movement related shenanigans, the quickest way to get to or from Viorar to the rest of the main-land, so quite valuable connection-wise. Could use further connections, more mines, more dug-to-deep shenanigans, but what's there as-is is near perfect so leave it as-is
Personal
I like Chimp-Caverns overall, despite the low mob-density and lack of loot, but what I do not like, and wish to condemn to the deepest hells imaginable, is the constant rain of debris. It does not add anything thematically, unlike the clouds of miasmic-fog, it just annoys, delays and gets in the way of killing actual mobs. At the very least, make it rain debris less frequently then a sure-thing anytime anything including the mobs themselves most, or preferably get rid of the mechanic all-together, it is a nuisance and a pain.