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Topic: FAQ
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(Note: If you're seeking help on the Newbie Line, type 'help newb')
It's not always the newbies that surprise us with questions. What
is perfectly clear to one person isn't always followed by another.
As a result, we find ourselves answering these 'Frequently Asked
Questions' several times over. If you have any general questions
that you can neither answer for yourself nor find answers in the
help menus, please ask a newbie helper (type 'newb -w'), and they
will be glad to help. The following is a short list of our most
frequently asked questions, which will be updated as needed.
Q: What is this thing? What is a MUD? Where are the graphics?
A: This is a MUD, which means it's a text-based multiuser game.
There are no graphics. You see room descriptions by reading
them and take actions by typing the action you wish to take,
for instance to jump you would type 'jump' and to look at
something you would type 'look'.
Q: I'm a newbie, just starting out, and I'm finding it hard to
start out. Where can I go to get started?
A: Reading this help file would be a great start. You can ask
any other questions on the newbie help line using the
'newb' command.
There are a few places every newbie should know about:
* Newbie's End is at the very southern end of Pinnacle, or
'portal' from Shala's room. This is the portal between
Pinnacle and Newbieland. You'll also find a bin with
equipment that people donate to newbies here and baskets
which may have helpful items at Mario's, to the east.
* The Center of Town (COT) is 1 step north, 1 west, 3 north, 1 east,
and 1 north from the Newbie's End. Many directions are given
from COT, so it helps to know where it is.
* Cancer's store is 1 step east from COT. Cancer offers you
competitive prices for any equipment you might find on your
adventures. You may also buy equipment that other players
have sold to Cancer.
* There is a blacksmith shop 1 south, 1 east, and one step
south again from COT. The blacksmith can make you certain
equipment for a price. As a newbie you won't be able to
use the best equipment he has to offer.
* Pinnacle bank is straight north of the center of town. The
Pinnacle pub is straight south of here, where you can find
all sorts of diversions. Rumors speaks of a dark
smoke-filled back room for special activities that the
barkeep Hey supervises, but that's probably just an
exaggerated account of the WAR! game.
* There is also a 'dmap pinc' feature you may access. It
shows you a rough map of Pinnacle including where you are
(if you're currently in Pinnacle) and all of the places
listed above. You can get a similar map of Newbieland with
'dmap newb'. You may wish to make your own map on paper to
help you learn your way around. Also even in Pinnacle and
Newbieland there are unmapped rooms and even areas worth
exploring. You'll find this mud is absolutely huge and a
good map is indispensable.
Q: Where do I get and how do I use equipment?
A: * You can get newbie equipment either by going to the playground
and typing 'nezbit giveme' or by reading the sign at the entrance
to the playground. The newbie equipment is free, always
there, and weight less, but it doesn't hit that hard or
protect you that well.
* Sometimes other newbies or larger players drop off much
better equipment in the newbie bin at Newbie's End. If you
type 'look at bin' it will give you instructions on how to
get or donate stuff to the bin.
* If you have money, you can get stuff from the Smithy or
Cancer's Shop in Pinnacle. Note that you can't use
everything they sell as a newbie.
* To wear armor or a shield type 'wear - ' where '
- '
is the thing you want to wear (i.e. 'wear shield' to wear a
shield). You can shortcut and wear everything you have by
typing 'wear all'. To wield a weapon type 'wield '.
Q: Is this sword better than that sword? (or armor or whatever)
A: In general the best way to determine which a weapon or armor
is better is to try both and find out. Some guilds have a power
to get some information about how good weapons or armor are
for them, but even they will have very vague information that
may or may not also be true for you.
Q: Where can I kill things and how do I do it?
A: You should probably start killing things in the newbie
playground. Later, as you get some levels and stats, you may
want to move to big Newbieland. You kill things by typing 'kill
'. For instance, to kill a bunny you would type 'kill
bunny'. It's generally not a good idea to attack anything in
Pinnacle because they tend to be much bigger than they look.
You can use the 'consider' power to see how good of a chance
you have of killing an enemy.
Q: I've gotten some equipment and gone around killing some things.
How can I tell whether I am making any progress?
A: Type 'score.' You'll see a number of indexes that are of great
importance to you. Here's a brief explanation of what you'll see.
* First you'll see your level. Your level is a measure of how
far you've progressed in the game.
* Second you will see your experience points. You use experience
points to advance both your level and your stats. You gain
experience points for killing monsters and sometimes for
completing quests.
* Third you'll see the amount of gold coins you have. This is
how much money you have to spend.
* Fourth you'll see your hit points and your spell points. Your
hit points are how you stay alive. Every time you get injured
your hit points go down. When your hit point index gets below
zero you die. Dying is a Bad Thing(tm). Spell points are used
when you use 'tell', or for a variety of objects and powers that
you will obtain in the lands or when joining a full guild.
* Fifth you'll see your stats. 3k has six different stats.
Each of them costs experience points. The six are strength,
wisdom, constitution, dexterity, intelligence, and charisma.
It isn't easy to explain what every stat does because they
do different (even if sometimes similar) things depending on
which guild you end up joining. But some of them will do the
same thing no matter what guild you join. Strength determines
how much you can carry, constitution determines how many hit
points you have, and intelligence determines how many spell
points you have. In general the following will be true.
Strength is how hard you hit a monster and dexterity influences
how often you hit (or are hit) by a monster. See 'info
stats' for more information on stats.
Q: I have experience points. Where and how should I spend them?
A: Until you join a full guild you'll need to raise your stats
and levels at the Advancement Room in Newbieland. Type 'cost' to
see how much xp you have to spend and how expensive each stat as
well as each level is. To advance a stat type 'advance [stat you
wish you raise]' and to advance a level just simply type
'advance.'
Three things to remember:
* As a rule always advance all the stats you can before advancing
a level. For now, levels won't do you all that much good.
Stats on the other hand determine how well you are able to do
in certain spheres (such as hitting or taking damage).
* You are free to advance any stat in anyway you desire. As a
warning... even though they are both quite important in certain
guilds, intelligence and charisma will do you little good as a
newbie.
* Once you join a guild you'll be doing this in a designated
room in your guild.
Q: What is a quest?
A: Why, only the epitome of fun, the utmost joy a mud can offer.
A quest list at your local adventurer (or other) guild can
show you a synopsis of the plethora of quests Three Kingdoms
has to offer. And remember, it's against policy to ask for info
on how to solve quests. Please don't ask, and more importantly,
please do not divulge any information on how to do quests.
After all, it spoils the fun. For more information, see
'help quest'.
Q: What are quest points?
A: You probably notice that I left out one particular index in
explaining the 'score' command and that is quest points.
Each time you complete a quest you'll earn a certain number
of quest points.
In order to see how many quest points you need to obtain before
these powers become available, type "required" in the Advancement
Room. You can also type "list" there to get a complete list of
all the available quests. You can also type 'questlist' anywhere
and get the same results.
Q: Do I have to quest?
A: No. You must complete the Newbie Academy before you can get
level 6, but other than that you have no obligation to
complete any quests. It would help you to learn the mud
better to explore, and you do get significant benefits for
getting enough quest points to achieve highmortal status, but
except for the Academy you don't have to complete quests to
advance. Please note that once you get level 5, you will no
longer be able to do any quests in Newbieland, so if you want
to get highmortal eventually, it would be best to do the
newbie quests early.
Q: How do I start questing?
A: In a sense you are always questing on Three Kingdoms whether
you want to or not. If you carefully explore the areas Three
Kingdoms has to offer you'll stumble unknowingly into a quest
or two. You can find out what quests are available by typing
'questlist'. You'll see all the quests listed by quest
number, quest name and the number of quest points they offer.
To obtain a number of small hints about a quest and where in
the mud that quest is located, type 'questlist [number of the
quest on the quest list]'.
Here are a few hints to help you quest:
* Map. Some of the areas on this mud are huge and it is hard to
remember which rooms you have already explored. It can also be
real easy to get lost.
* Examine everything you see in the room description of each
room. Let me repeat that in capital letters. EXAMINE
EVERYTHING YOU SEE. If you see a flower, examine it. If you
see petals on the flower, examine that. Quest solutions are
lying all over the mud if only you take the time to look. You
should also try a magical word that can unlock many mysteries
on this mud. 'Search' You should not only 'examine'
everything you see, but 'search' as well.
* Try to manipulate objects that you see in a room. If there is
a television in the room, try turning it on. If you have two
pieces of bread and there is a toaster, why not try to 'toast
bread'? Often you may know the correct thing you need to do
but are unsure about how to express it in the appropriate
syntax. Sometimes you may just be trying to do something that
the code doesn't support (translation: you can't do it, you
don't need to do it), but sometimes you'll need to put on your
thinking cap and think of different ways of expressing the same
thought.
* Try to talk to the non-player characters (NPCs, sometimes
more simply called monsters) in the quest area. It's usually
as easy as typing "say hello" or "say hi" when you are in the
same room as the monster. If it speaks back to you, try saying
other things to it, it might have some useful information for you.
* Don't assume that everywhere you can go will be plainly marked.
Sometimes your searching will uncover hidden exits, but other
times you may just have to try going in a particular direction
and see if that works. For instance, if you see that there
is a "flimsy covering on the wall to the east" but have
no east direction, you might try going east anyway. Maybe
you can push through that flimsy covering!
* Do not ask anyone for help on a quest except for perhaps
the original coder of the quest. The only exception is you
may party (work on a quest together) with other people on
CERTAIN quests. Please check the quest description
('questlist [number of quest] first. The wizards on this
mud are a paranoid bunch, so please don't go around asking
for quest solutions, you will eventually get caught.
Besides. If you are having a lot of problems with a quest,
try mailing the original coder. A number of wizards are
pretty good about trying to help you out. For more
information type 'help questhelp'.
* Try to do ALL the newbie quests in Newbie Land. Once you
advance above level 4 you'll never be able to enter Newbie
Land again. While you may not need the extra 10 quest points
now, you may regret having not gotten them later.
* For more information read 'help method'.
Q: What is a guild?
A: A guild is a profession, lifestyle, or even form of being that
lets you as a member do special things. Each guild has unique
abilities and privileges that only its members can use. These
abilities can often be quite powerful and you are well-advised
to join one. You won't be able to join a guild until you reach
level 5.
Q: How do I join a guild?
A: It depends on the guild. In some guilds you just need to
find the guild entrance and type 'join.' In a number of
other guilds you'll need to be recruited. In some guilds you
are given extra status if you are recruited by someone else.
So always check with someone in the guild whether you should
be recruited before typing 'join' at a guild entrance. Some
guilds also have requirements beyond merely being level 5 for
joining, so it might be a good idea to ask while you're still
level 4 so you can get any stats you might need.
Q: How can I find out more about the guilds on Three Kingdoms?
A: The easiest way is to simply ask. If you type 'players' or
'finger' you'll see a list of every player on and what guild
they are in. If you type 'players [name of guild]' you'll see
all the players in that particular guild. For a list of all the
guilds on Three Kingdoms type 'help guilds'. You can get some
information on each guild by typing 'help guild' or
'help [guild_name]'.(for example, 'help guild' or 'help monk').
The best way to find out is to ask. Players on Three Kingdoms
are VERY enthusiastic about their guilds and will be glad to
tell you about them.
You can also find out additional information about the different
guilds on the Three Kingdoms web page at 3k.org.
Q: I just reached level 5. Why am I so popular and why is everyone
trying to get me to join their guild? I'm also getting a message
asking me to either 'accept' or 'decline' to join certain guilds.
What's going on?
A: As I said before, people on 3k are VERY enthusiastic about their
guilds. They naturally want to get as many people as possible to
join their guilds. However, certain guilds reward people for
recruiting new members. This causes some people to be quite
aggressive in recruiting hapless newbies. Do not join ANY guild
before you've asked around and explored all your options. Also
do not be afraid to decline an offer to join a guild you are not
ready to join. They'll be glad to extend an offer to you at a
later time. Conversely if a particular player has been extra
friendly towards you and you are joining their guild, make sure
that they recruit you into their guild. They may be rewarded for
it.
Q: What happens if I leave a guild?
A: You lose one each of all your stats. You also lose half your
experience points. Additionally you lose all the guild levels
(status points you build up in most guilds you join). Leaving
a guild can hurt quite bad. You should be careful which guild
you join, because it is quite an ordeal to join a new one.
Q: Is this thing bugged?
A: Probably not. Unless it's obscenely new code, the chances
that any well-established, player-tested, mother-approved piece
of code is bugged are very, very low. It's probably just that
you're not thinking along the right track. If you're absolutely
sure that you've encountered a bug (the game will tell you that
explicitly 90% of the time) please type 'bug' and a brief
explanation of what's troubling you, all on the same line so the
problem, if there is one, can be fixed.
Q: All of a sudden, one of the commands I have done a billion times
before like 'look' or 'north' or 'say' or whatever doesn't work,
and just goes 'What ?' when I type it. Am I bugged?
A: Type 'help alias' at the prompt. Strangely enough, many players
decide to alias the most basic commands as other things that
don't work in all instances. If you've ruled out a poorly-
constructed alias as the error and the command STILL doesn't
work, then please ask a wizard to help. Remember, Neophytes are
not allowed to help mortals. Also the upper admin is often
busy doing other things. Try asking a wizard with the word
"wizard" in their title on the 'who' list.
Q: My equipment disappeared? or
How can I keep my equipment through a reboot?
A: The 3k system does not maintain equipment across reboots or
logins. Your best bet is to locate your favorite equipment or
get a friend to help you get that coveted special thing right
after reboot.
Q: How long do I have to wait for a quest to reset?
A: Most quests can be solved multiple times during a reboot.
However, if someone has recently solved a quest, you may have
to wait for certain items or monsters to automatically reappear.
This may take as long as 30-40 minutes.
Q: What happens if I die?
A: Dying is not much fun. First, everything on your body will be
moved to a corpse and left in the same room as the monster
that killed you (including any gold you are carrying). Next,
you will get to meet Death and enjoy a very memorable trip
through his lands. Eventually, Death will drop you off in a
tomb. Once you've gone up, up, and west you will find that
you've been reincarnated at the Pinnacle morgue and that
you've lost a level, some stats, and some xp (see 'help
death' for more information). This is the sole penalty for
dying and can be made up through going back out there and
regaining your lost points. Be careful though, right after
you die, the monster who killed you will still be aggressive
to you -- make sure you heal yourself before you attempt to
go recover your equipment and gold.
Q: How can I keep from dying?
A: The easiest way is to pay attention and be careful! But, the
mud does give you a few things to help you in this goal. First,
and most important, you can set yourself to automatically flee
from combat when your hit points fall beneath a certain percentage
of your maximum. This is done by typing 'wimpy '. Additionally,
you can type 'autohp' to turn on a bar which will tell you how
many hit points you have during each round of combat. This makes
it easier to watch your own status. Note: wimpy does not always
work, so use it only as a last resort, it is always better to
choose to leave combat yourself than to have wimpy force you.
Q: How do I heal?
A: There are several ways to heal:
* Time: you will naturally regain hit points and spell points
as time passes. This is the slowest but cheapest way to
heal.
* salve: As an adventurer you have the ability to use the
materials around you to make a salve to bandage your
wounds. You can type 'salve' as often as once per round to
recover your health.
* bury: When you've killed your adversary, you can bury his
corpse and recover some health.
* Eating and Drinking: There are several food and beverage
shops throughout the realms which will serve meals that will
tend to restore your health for a cost. Also, once you have
had a little of the good stuff to drink, and have a healthy
buzz, you'll find that your natural healing rate increases
substantially.
* Potions and Magical Items: There are a number of magical
ways of healing your wounds. Some of these are available
through shops in the realms and others you will only discover
as you explore the land.
* Other Players: Several guilds have healing capabilities,
including priests and others. Several of the other guilds
also have healing abilities or the ability to manufacture
items which can heal you. Talk to your other players and find
out who can help you.
Two special notes here: First, priests have an ability called
"mending" which allows them to heal other people from afar.
Although priests are often happy to assist you with this
power, remember that they can only call upon their gods
to do this a limited number of times in a given period.
Respect the great honor that it is to receive this healing
by being polite and not harassing your benefactors.
Additionally, there is a hospital in Pinnacle where those
people who can heal will often "hang out" expressly for
the purpose of assisting their fellow adventurers. You
might want to check there if you are in dire need; the
entrance to newbie land is often a common area for high
level players to hang out who want to help out newbies.
Q: Where can I get a light source?
A: The best newbie light source is the Ring of Light which can
be found on the Weary Peasants in Big Newbieland. You may
also be able to find something at Cancer's Shop in Pinnacle.
Q: How can I get coins?
A: You can either get coins by taking them from monsters that
have coins, which as a newbie you will mainly find in big
Newbieland, or by selling corpses at the morgue just
northeast of Newbieland in Pinnacle.
Q: Why can't I see what I'm typing?
A: Windows telnet has echo turned off by default. To fix this
you can either download another client, such as Portal, or
ask how to fix your version of Windows on the newbie line.
See also: adventurer, ansi, citymap, movement
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