Suggestions on improving Arkadia Underground

I've been exploring the Ark underground a bit getting tps the last few days, trying to get to know this little place that I've invested in a bit by buying some of the deeds.

Seems that it's a pretty neat place, but there's always room for improvement - so I figured I'd start a thread for my suggestions and so that anyone else can throw in some suggestions too.

- Would love to see some starter mobs around the first room where the Ark Underound tp is... If you could make them super low level like the Rocktropians and Trolls around the starter location on Rocktropia that have hp level below 10, it'd help Ark get a little of a balance vs RT in that regard since right now I believe RT is the ONLY planet with any mobs with hp level below 10. Something like a 'bat' (think Keese from Zelda - you already have the ai there in the form of the badgers, just make lower hp and skins for em and spawn them near starter tp underground)or 'cave rat' type critters would work. My little viper whip that only does 2-5 points of damage and all of these starter mission guns that do similar level of damage need some mobs in the underground to kill. This will also help there be sweaters around the starter location there, which will massively help the underground not look so empty in population. At the very least something like a carbok spawn would be nice.



- I love those little funky portals between the rooms where there's gates open and close and have long narrow paths behind them. However, inside of those paths is completely empty. Come on, surely you can put some npcs for mission chains or mobs back there (assuming they don't sink in to the walls - be sure to test the location of the spawns so that doesn't happen).

- TP locations are pretty nice, and main design of the envorinment is too, but it can be a little boring at times since so many of the rooms look so much alike. Maybe you can add a little bit more to differentiate each room a little... Some sort of visual landmarks in each room like the ones with the huge crystals are nice, but there's not enough of that type of stuff in all of the rooms yet. Color of walls does help to tell you which part of the place you are in, but even that could be more differentiated.... maybe scatter more and various shaped rocks, etc. Some of the rooms seem fairly empty of visual stimuli.


- give us indiana jones types something to do... We all know that taming is something that's been in the works fore eons and probably won't be back for another century... maybe talk to MA about giving whips a new use in the underground environments... for climbing walls, swinging off of stalagtites, etc. Then introduce a whole new line of whips for when that taming system is back... and create a whole new sub-economy related to that in the down under. Maybe more underground rivers can be made, which could be like the ancient volcano flow type of thing on old Calypso before planets existed other than that one... but make them like acid pools, etc...and certain tamed mobs are the only method of crossing those locations due to their natural abilities allowing them to exist where avatars and vehicles cannot... think snablesnots that you can ride on the water with.

I'll probably add more here later. Feel free to add your own suggestions.

 

Good idea with the low level mobs MasterMesh, making the underground a little livelier would be great to see. Regarding the long narrow paths, I think spicing them up a little and making some of them shorter would be great since they serve little purpose(not even a good idea to mine in them). Also while I do like the gates that open and close I think it's silly that they don't stop opening and closing... Should only open when you get close to them. I like the appearance of most of the underground except for the main room looks very amateurishly made.

I don't know if I missing something here but why is there no auctioneer in the underground? Having to tp away every time you want check something or sell/buy in auction is pretty annoying.

And like Matermesh I wouldn't mind seeing some Prince of Persia action as well =P

 

Like how apartment doors used to work. At the moment I'd say remove them as they don't serve any purpose, players and mobs can pass right through them

I agree with the mobs, a few with low HP would be good. I know the the tax is going to fund the payout from the deeds but do all the mobs need to be very high level and / or very high HP?

I can understand the low agro though as mobs would end up blocking tunnels or agro on some one on the other side of a wall.

 

Set aside a small amount of deeds... something like 5 - 200 or so (maybe more, maybe less - it'd have to be a part of the 'official count' on how many deeds there are, so don't want number too high, but needs to probably be more than one)... reserve them for an 'official' npc or 'system' down there. Give that npc or new system the ability to show up anywhere in the map on underground and drop each of the pecs it got from the deeds in one pec increments. All the pecs the npc or system gets from the deeds, throw out randomly around in various places in the underground... this would be sort of like the 'oil rigs' on other planets, etc, except it would not be in one small location like the rigs, it'd be scattered pecs all over the underground. Those deeds set aside will be lay freebie pecs out to line the place in random locations... this will give 'treasure hunters' another reason to roam the halls more frequently.

While going with smaller mobs is definitely needed, going in the other direction with larger mobs would be nice too... perhaps the 'dragon's lair' with a mob the size of an eomon can be found from time to time? Maybe future shared loot events can be a part of that or something? who knows, maybe that's what's in the instances, but really something like that big should probably not be an instance... way too hard to solo.

 

I like that idea, although it would have to be something worth 1 pec, that makes sense in the underground. Maybe an arkoin?

 

dunno..... I think Arkoins should only be from Aakas instances, but thats just me.

 

Just to point out for small health mobs... remember the land area is taxed so smaller health mobs would likely cause taxing issues more so for something at 5 hp health.

I would wager that mobs have to be a good 30+ health or the taxes really mess with the looting system. That being said it would be nice to have a slightly smaller mob but maybe the current smallest mob in the underground is the smallest possible mob for taxes that won't cause problems.

 

When I hear the phrase 'underground' it makes me think of stuff like pirate radio, underground railroad, etc. Would be interesting if there was a really in-depth story involving the underground in game eventually... with long 'story plots' explained on stuff, sort of like the old Calypso storyline with the orbs and all those really long-winded duchev logs, etc. Only, with it being Arkadia instead of Caly, the devs would know to actually continue the storyline forward instead of just stalling it with no conclusion like happened back on that orb storyline thing. Give us a background story as to why the underground was 'discovered' and what all happened in its past, present, and future... There's definitely enough mobs down there of different types to start some story, but nothing too 'official' yet. Let's fix that and give people a reason/motivation/etc to come on down.

Along a similar line... what about 'items' that can only be looted from certain mobs down in the underground? These would have to be something a bit unique in stats, or use, etc. to give motivation, and if possible should be related to the storyline... perhaps weapons related to the type of damages the mobs do, or some tool, etc.

 

So this is already in progress. We know how the underground area was discovered by the IFN. We are finding out how it relates to the Oratan and to the emergence of new "boss mobs" and there is speculation about the Oratan possibly receiving some assistance from the smuggler faction. Some of this story has been delivered in forum posts while others have delivered in game during events, roleplay style.
And of course there is plenty of scope for more plot developments.

 

location

Hi can someone tell me how to get to Ark Underground thanks
Balkazarno Iceforge