More noob questions

[planck]

Hi all,

Been playing the game on Matis island since Friday with the already mentioned cover-disk trial. While new to Ryzom Im a bit of a veteran of other similar games and first off I must say a couple of things impress me here:
1/ Community. Reading these forums & chatting to folks ingame I cant believe how helpful people are. We seem to have a couple of 'old hands' on the island patiently answering all the noob questions thrown at them on region chat. Nanuq(sp?) in particular has been awesome in this regard, so big kudos there. The phrase 'patience of a saint' springs to mind.
2/ Skill system seems outstanding. With some info from the forum here Ive already been able to create a point-blank acid spell that uses no sap. This is the best system Ive found in any game so far.
3/ Atys - I like the overall concept & implementation of lands/races mobs etc. Very original e.g. gotta love the mob behaviour where you get warned of a ragus/gingo approach as their 'prey' scatter. Adds another dimension that makes hunting really fun.

Game obviously has some issues too but I plan to hang around for the outpost stuff at least to give it a fair go. So far Im impressed overall. BTW we seem to have around a dozen folks on the island anytime Im logged on for those interested in population etc.

Now a couple of questions Id appreciate some help with:
1/ So far I got a caster/fighter hybrid (around lvl 25/25 each atm). Is this valid to continue or will I gank my character? Maybe I should just specialise in one or the other? I had thought of mixing light/med armor to get at least some protection with low action penalty, & carrying 2 daggers all the time (dont think Ill have time to swop the amps in & out in a battle). So far experimentation seems to suggest I can cast ok this way though I realise I sacrifice some range/power. Acid2/3 are working ok with range about 34/35 metres & reasonable damage with daggers in hand but maybe this approach will be useless at higher levels? Maybe ok for solo only?
2/ I expect getting to other lands (through the roots?) from Matis to be a lot of "fun" . Im thinking of trying this ASAP soon as I arrive. Maybe Im wrong but I figure this will just max my death penalty at just its current (low) level & it cant really hurt my char, even if I beat my head against the brick wall of the roots for a week or so (as I expect to do). Is this correct? Even maxxed penalty should be easy to retrieve later at my low levels right? Or will those extra nasty big mobs knock me right back to join my ancestors or something I realise I need to buy teleport tickets in the unlikely event I actually get anywhere & am saving the dapper atm - loot is actually quite good on the island.

Ingame name is Quantum btw - thanks in advance.

[archerke]

1/ well i for example left fighting skill behind but in the end u'll need it as u need the hp ups who come sooner if u play a fighter. daggers are a waste tbh as its very hard to kill a mob with those things.The higher lvls goof around with it just to brag they can take a mob barehanded/daggerwise . sometimes some nice dagger events are organised

2/ if u can get a decent team need at least A nuker (lvl 200+) and some healers to get u there as alone u wont get more then 500m out of the town u started with . dp is not to worried as even I (lvl 150 mage) can get rid of it quite fast: just need to kill the right mobs who give max dp removal :

[archerke]

1/ well i for example left fighting skill behind but in the end u'll need it as u need the hp ups who come sooner if u play a fighter. daggers are a waste tbh as its very hard to kill a mob with those things.The higher lvls goof around with it just to brag they can take a mob barehanded/daggerwise . sometimes some nice dagger events are organised

2/ if u can get a decent team need at least A nuker (lvl 200+) and some healers to get u there as alone u wont get more then 500m out of the town u started with . dp is not to worried as even I (lvl 150 mage) can get rid of it quite fast: just need to kill the right mobs who give max dp removal :

3/ dont bother about money U’ll get plenty of dappers from higher lvls on the mainland especially when u join a guild. For most of us 1000k dappers is not even that much. I suggest make the step to mainland asap

[aylwyne]

1/ So far I got a caster/fighter hybrid (around lvl 25/25 each atm). Is this valid to continue or will I gank my character? Maybe I should just specialise in one or the other? I had thought of mixing light/med armor to get at least some protection with low action penalty, & carrying 2 daggers all the time (dont think Ill have time to swop the amps in & out in a battle). So far experimentation seems to suggest I can cast ok this way though I realise I sacrifice some range/power. Acid2/3 are working ok with range about 34/35 metres & reasonable damage with daggers in hand but maybe this approach will be useless at higher levels? Maybe ok for solo only?

A lot of people work both melee and magic with their characters. In most group situations, it might end up being more useful to stick with one or the other for a given hunt but I suppose that's debatable.

You certainly won't gank your character. In Ryzom, you can master all of the skills without any tradeoff. In other words, if you work on both skills and get them to L100, let's say, you'll have all of the abilities of a L100 mage AND all of the abilities of a L100 melee fighter. You don't lose anything by working on multiple skill lines except leveling time. Obviously, if you level multiple skill branches, it can take longer than someone that strictly focuses on one.

2/ I expect getting to other lands (through the roots?) from Matis to be a lot of "fun" . Im thinking of trying this ASAP soon as I arrive. Maybe Im wrong but I figure this will just max my death penalty at just its current (low) level & it cant really hurt my char, even if I beat my head against the brick wall of the roots for a week or so (as I expect to do). Is this correct? Even maxxed penalty should be easy to retrieve later at my low levels right? Or will those extra nasty big mobs knock me right back to join my ancestors or something I realise I need to buy teleport tickets in the unlikely event I actually get anywhere & am saving the dapper atm - loot is actually quite good on the island.

DP is pretty easy to work off, even at higher levels. At low levels, it takes no time at all to work off (literally, a few kills). You can see a DP chart here:

http://www.ballisticmystix.com/deathPenaltyChart.jsp

Your DP is always based off your highest level no matter what you were doing when you died. When working off DP, the amount of reduction is calculated using the level of the skill you would have gotten XP in. The amount of reduction is (xp earned * skill level / 10)... I think I remembered that correctly. Anyway, the point is, the multiplier is based off of the skill level used so you can work off debt quicker by using higher level skills.

Max DP is 10 times the DP for one death. Currently, there's no permanent effects to your character from dying, no matter how many times or how high the mob.

[philu]

1/ As you've already noticed with the skills system, it's entirely up to you. Whatever skills you decide to develop is your choice. You can't mess up your character by developing 2 different skill trees (fight and magic) at the same time. There's no restriction on the skills you develop, it's entirely your choice.

I wouldn't recommend doing magic without your amps though. They give power and cast speed boosts which can make a lot of difference. Your armour can also affect the effectiveness of your spells, causing them to use more sap if you wear medium or heavy. Best to stick to light armour for magic then wear medium (or better still heavy) for fighting.

2/ I second what archerke said here, you will need to have some help while you are at low lvl. It's practically impossible to even get to the portals without attracting attention. If you are VERY good at sneaking you might get through. If you are spotted, the mobs in PR and near the portals leading to other lands directly will wipe you out with one hit. Then it's respawn at the nearest spawn point, try again, die, respawn, try again, die......

There are often trips made to other lands so you should be able to hook up with one of those and get to other places.

[dakhound]

the cool thing about ryzom is you dont have to specialize, I could probably be uber in some skill now but chose to walk the path of leveling nearly everything (CC and range not been touched)

and as to trying to sneak PR when you first start, you'd have to be brave to do it solo, you can only have max DP no mobs can make it go higher but when you say you'll bang your head against a brick wall trying to get through roots your spot on, If you want to sneak other land be sure to join a trip,

essential tip, lvl your healing, not matter what specialization you take healing is needed. you'll be alot more welcome on trips/events is you can heal

[planck]

Thanks for the detailed answers, glad I havent spoilt my char.

Ok I think Im getting this, Ill be continuing the caster/melee thing BUT with different setups for the two types of role. To date Id been trying to be BOTH caster & melee in the same fight hence the potential probs with swopping or compromising on gear etc. Should actually suit well as so far I've duoed a lot with another hybrid so we can swop the roles for each fight to continue skill development on both trees.

Guess I can now experiment with different weaps & armor types & use the amps too - cool.

Aylwyne, that is one fine website - lots of juicy stats *smacks lips* gonna be a pretty overworked bookmark

Hadnt made the connection on HP being useful for casters too, seems so obvious now that all chars need it, heh. Same on the healing thing, yeh its been essential so far, must keep up the work on that one.

Y'know Im still gonna have a few runs at escaping from Matis (Im a pretty sneaky individual), but will also look out for the trips being organised. Handling the boredom of 'rinse & repeat' aint a problem. Also hadn't realised the respawn thing will be a bigger issue mainland as I guess distance & agro separation is a much bigger deal than on the island.

I expect a couple of us will jump to the mainland tonight/tomorrow - thx again guys.

Quantum.

[dakhound]

oh and another tip, dump the character and become a fyros the deserts the best, no gingos hiding behind trees, no sci-fi gimp suited masters and no ragus at all

[planck]

Lmao, yup the 'hellhound' ambushes from under the bushes on the island have been particularly fun. Guess I can expect worse in Matis huh? Hmmm.... the desert.... sun....

Hey, wait, I got enough probs with one char & I like this guy

Quantum.

[paulrgod]

Hi Quantum,

Welcome to Atys, my character is much like yours a healer/warrior

I tend to carry around a set of heavy armour and my blade for when i wanna hurt stuff, also a set of light casting gear and my magic amps for when healing is needed.
I still have room for collecting some bones, teeth, skins and such (must have massive pockets )

As far as dp goes, just use your lowest skill to clear it quickly