Favorite Things About SoA

Not hallucinating! The descriptions can also change based on the season. If you play around with the DungeonMaker system, you can actually see how this works in there.

Definitely a thing and definitely very cool, I like it a lot too.

As Rakim noted, day/night differences are definitely a thing and there are a number of rooms that have seasonal variations too. (There is actually also an option to have descriptions that change with the weather, though currently there are only a couple of these rooms that I can think of, and they're both in Omrazir.) Omrazir will ultimately have a lot of time-of-day differences to create a very different atmosphere from day to night. If you like the day/night variations, you might also check out some of the seasonality in the forest and farmland areas around St. Loomis to see some trees change their foliage and drop their leaves soon, and to see the harvest and changing crops. :)

The night sky is still a little sketchy right now and in serious need of a revamp, but I'm glad someone is enjoying the Avarian heavens anyway!

Following Marwa’s lead in reviving this old thread again because WE MADE IT PAST A YEAR OPEN IN ALPHA?!? (Which I completely missed the anniversary date for because… head empty.)

Here’s a not-at-all-comprehensive list of my recent favorite things:

• CONCOCTIONS HYPE – Still obsessed with the medicine system and excited for this new depth. 

• I know it’s been said a ton, but I’d pay a nour for an app that tells me my local weather forecast in SOA voice. The ambiance is so delicious. 

• 

• So much <3 for this community. I’ve made a lovely friend, and everyone I interact with (IC and OOC) is just fantastic. 

• Getting back into playing after a break was super chill, and I appreciate M and P for their help!

Thanks for reviving this, pof Firo. Also excited that its been over a year since open alpha!

I'm going to turn my version of this into a combination favorite things / favorite moments.

• All of the times when Yasin is too big to be moved, or where his width is a (playful) joke. I really do enjoy it, it makes me smile every time. This dates back to near the beginning of open alpha.
  • 10-30-796: Rostam Marzani yells, "COME HELP US CARRY THE BLACKSMITH!"
  • And all the moments in-between... (I had an idea to search for all of them, but then gave up. Though if there's some desire of a compilation list, I'll put in the work :D)
  • 10-8-797: Lucy saying, "Pretty sure you're wide enough to take up that whole space, Smithy."
• The ambiance. The ambiance of SoA continues to be one of my favorite parts of the world.
  • Guards on patrol. Lizareth lighting the lamps. The occasional wild animal skirting about in the distance when out in the wilderness. The weather changing, causing everyone to seek fire or shelter. The fog, causing everyone to feel a bit... "eh" and duck inside. The ambient heartbeats of the breeze, fog, clouds, starlight, etc...
• Writing improvements. The language warning when writing and the improvements to pens/quills to not require dipping into ink each time. So good!
• Mining Timbers! I loved all the work that went into the mining/timbering system, and I haven't even finished exploring that system. I love that the system not only is a bit dangerous, but encourages (requires!) cooperation from multiple PCs. Excited to expand some mines in the future!
• Smithing! I know a lot of work went into making this system work throughout the year. I really like the material-focus of the crafting system in general (I see a lot of mixing and matching in the future as more materials are added!), and I enjoy the influence of materials on the damage and speed modifiers of a weapon, as well as the armor value. I am really excited to see this play out!
• All the crunch. The more we get to explore the mechanics of SoA, the more excited I get for the future. They're all very crunchy and very enjoyable. I also look forward to the various modifiers -- whether from brewed concoctions or other effects.
• The current plot line and cast of characters. Love all of the work that's been ongoing with the current plot, the eccentric characters, and it leaves me looking forward to what's next!
• All the lovely moments with this community. I'll give a special shout-out to The Axe Wielding Barber of St. Loomis, but there's of course so many more.

On the heels of the cutscene that started earlier this week, I wanted to give a shoutout to all the SPCs and NPCs, and in turn their players, who help make this setting feel so rich and alive and full of depth! I love how they are each so distinct, with individual voices and ways in which they go about engaging with the world. They have been so great to see and interact with from the beginning, but having so many characters gather for one scene has been especially fun to watch and reminded me that I should probably write this down. :)

I'd also like to echo pof Firouzeh about the wonderful, kind community that has been built here. <3 Much love!