Barren Realms MUD

NEWS from the BARREN REALMS!

Sozz: There once was a man from Nantucket...

Hey all, it's another quest! Yippee!

We all know what a great place BR is. So tell me about it!

But not in a story, or a free form poem. I want limericks!

I need some cheering up, so make sure they're witty, or clever, or just darn funny.

Rhythm counts, as does rhyming. If you don't know what a limerick is, look it up, read a few, and get a feel for the rhythm.

There will be a couple different categories, depending on how many entries I receive, and the quality of those entries, but you guys don't get to know those categories ahead of time

You may enter as many times as you like, provided it's with the same character. More entries ups your chances of winning, but you won't win in multiple categories.

Send your entries to hcva@telus.net. They must be in the body of the email - NO ATTACHMENTS!

And, as for prizes, well, Everybody is sponsoring, so you all know they'll be excellent!

Any questions, you can note me, or email me.

The limerick quest will run for two weeks, though I may accept later entries if I'm provided with a good reason.

So, consider the deadline to get your limericks into me to be May 30th.

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Rorin: Stew Quest: Part II

Results are: Sakari, Ankou, Erin, Jroku and Melissa

It was a nice quest and I hope you like it

The results of Part I should be up tomorrow, it's harder to judge that one.

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CrazyChaos: 20 Questions

Sun May 18 12:59:15 2003

There was 2 rounds of 20 questions yesterday.

Ankou got both. The items were battery and clock.

The prize for both rounds were 3 scrolls of mysterious healing.

Thank AMystery and Leiland for sponsoring.

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Disaster: gladiator quest

rules are posted in forums (since my note went poof)

when you're done, please turn in or sacrifice all wands

you may spell up your mobs BEFORE sending them to arena, but NOT after

you may NOT use seeinvis aggro mobs! aggro is fine, but not if they see invis

you may use any spells except summon (don't want people summoning other people's charmies away)

you may have replacement wands if you run out, but don't waste them. if you can't charm it in 3-4 tries, you probably won't be able too

if you have any questions, ASK!

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Slart: fixes/changes tonight

I thought it was about time for another round of fixes...

- Fixed bug that let wizinvis imms' names show up in the gratz history.

- Somebody noticed that lend health and aura sight were available for

demon avatars. They're deprecated illithid spells and have been removed

from play. This is fixed.

- Fixed a whole family of possible bugs surrounding memory mobs. This was

a pretty radical change, so it's possible I introduced a couple of new

ones. Please be on the alert for any buggy memory mob behavior.

- The stupid backstab insta-kill bug should be fixed once and for all.

- Added a message if you already have firm grasp when you cast it. The

blank line it used to give was a bit confusing.

- Cleaned up all those bizarre "Bob's feet float to the ground" messages

that would come up as somebody logged in, but before they actually appeared

in the realms.

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THESE PLAYERS NEED TO LOG IN TO SAVE THEIR CHARACTERS FROM PWIPE:

Aarin, Abbath, Acoma, Aeo, Alena, Ament, Angelgirl, Aragon, Asdiarf, Avi, Bewa, Bonepecker, Calidor, Calin, Carnun, Celestar, Clef, Cromwell, Dazzle, Dominus, Donny, Doombreed, Dugg, Duplex, Dysmande, Elron, Enigma, Erutan, Evildome, FirestarII, Flatulant, Forrest, Frealis, Frei, Frenzy, Fyrefly, Gaul, Geek, Ghostkiller, Gorek, Greydeath, Homicidal, Hopeless, Ijok, Irons, Jaken, Jeremy, Jythar, Keenan, Kendral, Kestrel, Khazad, Klutz, MastaJugalo, Mayonez, Melody, Minsk, Moab, Moloko, Moogie, Mordeth, Mortanius, Myrllin, Myron, Nilla, Nixon, Nocturn, Nuriko, Obiwan, Oiseau, Orb, Paradigm, Petronas, Piggy, Popie, Rahasia, Razz, Recluse, Repugnant, Riva, Rothman, Saliva, Samoth, Saphron, Schala, Scimitar, Scourge, Seifer, Sela, Shutterfly, Sknt, Smokingjoe, Spaz, Syn, Takeuchi, Talenar, Tesko, Thebest, Thrym, Underling, Vagrant, Vedder, Vick, Vile, Vishnu, Voldon, Wyld, Wynd, Xype, Zain, Zaracuthra, Zeek, Zelda, Zion, Zorra

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IDEAS from the Realms:

Eldaron: it'd be really nice if the lag on the kill command was skipped if the mob died or fled on the first attack...

Rorin: A help file for imms I.E. "help AMystery" (BEWARE) *g*

Sniff: when my mental barrier makes a mob hit itself, its difficult to see if im grouped. maybe you could make it a different color, or at least the hit (brushes, bruises) appear a different color so i could more easily see what im doing

Peel: if a demons align is at -666 or 666 they should get a special bonus to hit/dam

Prodigy: along with one letter commands such as n,e,s,w, the command note read shouldn't cause a character to be spammed off the mud

Moldfinger: when you get the empty eye socket the very nice description says the eye falls out of your head. well, I want ot see that eye lying in the dirt!

Shadowhawk: How about being able to get a weapon with tan. Like a skin and bone whip?

Disaster: a command "solidify" that dispels the affects of pass door/ectoplasmic form

Wood: there should be a create beer spell for druids

Kharn: a !dodge or !parry flag for weapons, would be great for unique items

AMystery: bash seems like a skill you can do to initiate combat. no reason why you can't run right into a mob to start...

Beanis: give demons poses, cause we are real chars too!

Disaster: a command option, birdseye here (instead of just birdseye direction) to see the room including oneself, as someone would see it using birdseye from the room next door

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Responses to the newsletter by Amystery:



Responses by AMystery



AMystery: I wonder if the track code could be improved by having it search for mobs near your level first. that should be the majority so it should be the fastest


I don't think that is practical, but it is an interesting efficiency concept to consider



Melissa: the command for 'away from keyboard' should be altered so that when the flag is put up, you don't suffer the effects of hunger, or at least not as fast, and so on, since you are *away* from the computer. It can also be altered so that it cannot be t


This comes up rather often and it has some merit, except that people would go afk just to avoid hunger and continue fighting. Having the afk flag vanish with input might work, except for people are mostly afk and just wander through to respond to tells or something, for them its extra work, and most of them are heroes and imms:)



Peel: a dispel magic spell that you can pay a healer to cast on you


That does seem like something a healer could cast, if they can remove a curse then should know a general removal spell



Liubei: an item that affects your align


yeah, make it a hold item. Then demons would love you, but do you really want to be loved by a bunch of smelly freaks?



Moldfinger: change it so you can hr from battle


A very wise and informed suggestion.



Eol: could we have a listing of level 151 Demons on the Wizlist ?


In time the vast majority of avatars will be 151 demons, just because you can't go back so a separate list isn't really needed.



AMystery: I'd love it if the reimb list would show you what mob and vnum each corpse was created in/by. I had one of my char's corpses vanish and i didn't know what killed me


I still think this would be an excellent idea and very useful. Rather often people come to me and ask what killed them and if its off my info list, the only other reference I have is reimb.



Peel: a demons normal human arm should be able to disarm someone if it does nothing... or have a skill where it could tie up the mobs arm if they have a weapon so they cant hit u with the weapon


Actually it seems like the hook or talon would be able to disarm.



Akasha: How bout extending the benefits of ac further past -300 ac or whatever invincible is, -1500 ac shouldnt be good for nothing


This is something I like also, but I'm told its not currently practical, but keep hoping!



Ack: Give size to pets (or anything for that matter) and that way you could put the smaller pets inside packs (ie ferrets, if you charm a smurf or somethign)


I see dangers here. Don't expect this to be done any time soon. Containers that can hold mobs and players can't be carried.



Moldfinger: the destruction of a foul rites bag claims it singes your hands. it should do a little damage


maybe 10% of the persons hp, although a token 1% would also be nice.



Shadowhawk: Have "heal restore" cure poison and disease if needed. Yes, I'm that lazy.


yeah, and put them all in one potion so you can carry them with you! maybe some sanc also?


AMystery: avians and demons now vary from the normal equipment slots. Lets continue the theme by adding and removing some slots from other races, especially Ill which is a different body type


Have leggings that would fit a dwarf not fit an elf, elves are taller right? Or if they can be worn, have them much less effective because they don't fit right.



AMystery: we have a message for the first time they type delete, lets have a message for the second delete also to know if they actually left or just considered it...


Sounds good to me. How about you Xorex?:)



Squanto: it would be gee-golly swell if GTELL decoded drunken messages too, cuz sometimes u wanna talk to ur group without waking up... maybe a reason u were drunk in the first place


I'd like this, since there isn't an emote history, it would be nice to have a log of what people in the group said.



Eol: if you cannot exam your pack while asleep, then why CAN you check your inventory?


You can remember what's in your inventory, but you have to open your eyes for the big pack.



Gauss: the invis and detect magic commands have the same description "your eyes tingle". It would be nice if they were different for triggers.


Well, this is the command when your use the spells, so you shouldn't need to trigger off of that, but it would be nice to make them different.



AMystery: it seems to me that potions give one time use of the spell, but scrolls really teach you how to use it. Shouldn't we learn a spell by using a scroll?


Of course this won't happen, but it is an interesting question.



AMystery: we should be able to throw potions. They hit the victim, splatter and activate


Yeah! then I can throw complete healing potions at mobs!



Eol: a sac all.corpse ability


Being able to sac all.object would be useful



Utena: Coffee should counter being drunk


It doesn't in the real world...however, coffee could have an impact. It contains caffeine so you should get hyper, perhaps lose spaces in your speech and you more faster, or even have a slight frenzy for a bit, but then you crash and sleep. That would be fun.



Lairian: It would probably be nice to change "Help Enhance" to reflect the ability to increase mana and hit points.


That might confuse newbies, but if properly written I'd support it.



Moldfinger: add the keyword for the limb being replaced to either the message when you level or the message the first time you type replace


It can be confusing to get a limb when you level and not know the keyword to find out if you want to replace it until after you replace it



Rorin: A message in hinfo "see sneak"


Not sure what this means. Care to explain more?



Rorin: Would be nice if we can toggle a timestamp in config and the channel histories would come up with it once toggled on


This would eat up more memory and its not really necessary on most channels. Perhaps on tells.



AMystery: move BR to IPv6, make us even more geeky


Yeah! That should really cut down on the annoying script kiddies! Of course I'm not on an IPv6 network, so I'd have a hard time connecting...but these are the sacrifices we make.


---------------------------

Kiri's WWW of URLs:



BRITGUIDE---an introduction to Britishisms in the Beatles' Lyrics

http://www.recmusicbeatles.com/public/f ... guide.html

Snoop Dogg - Tha Shizzolator

http://www.asksnoop.com/

Peep Research (From Scavenger)

http://www.millikin.edu/staley/fluff/pe ... r-Th-56460

Sleepy Kittens (From Oakley)

http://www2.b3ta.com/sleepy-kittens/

------------------------

30 Ways To Keep A Healthy Level Of Insanity

1. At lunchtime, sit in your parked car with sunglasses on and point a hairdryer at passing cars. See how many slow down.

2. Page yourself over the intercom. Don't disguise your voice.

3. Insist that your e-mail address be:

Xena-Warrior-Princess@companyname.com or Elvis-the-King@companyname.com

4. Every time someone asks you to do something, ask if they want fries with that.

5. Encourage your colleagues to join you in a little synchronized chair dancing.

6. Put your garbage can on your desk and label it "IN."

7. Develop an unnatural fear of staplers.

8. Put decaf in the coffee maker for three weeks. Once everyone has gotten over their caffein addictions, switch to espresso.

9. In the memo field of all your checks, write "For Sexual Favors."

10. Reply to everything anyone says to you with "That's what YOU think."

11. Finish all your sentences with, "In accordance with the prophecy."

12. Adjust the tint of your monitor so that the brightness level lights up the entire work area. Insist to others you like it that way.

13. Don't use any punctuation.

14. As often as possible, skip rather than walk.

15. Ask people what sex they are. Laugh hysterically after they answer.

16. Specify that your drive-through order is "To Go."

17. Sing along at the opera.

18. Go to a poetry recital and ask why the poems don't rhyme.

19. Find out where your boss shops and buy exactly the same outfits. Wear them one day after your boss does. (This is especially effective if your boss is of the opposite gender.)

20. Send e-mail to the rest of the company to tell them what you're doing. For example, "If anyone needs me, I'll be in the bathroom, in stall #3."

21. Put mosquito netting around your cubicle. Play a tape of jungle sounds all day.

22. Five days in advance, tell your friends you can't attend their party because you're not in the mood.

23. Call the psychic hotline and don't say anything.

24. Have your coworkers address you by your wrestling name, "Rock Hard?"

25. When the money comes out of the ATM, scream, "I won! I won! Third time this week!"

26. When leaving the zoo, start running toward the parking lot, screaming, "Run for your lives, they're loose!"

27. Tell your boss, "It's not the voices in my head that bother me; it's the voices in your head that do."

28. Tell your children over dinner, "Due to the economy, we're going to have to let one of you go."

29. Every time you see a broom, yell, "Honey, your mother is here!"

30. And the final way to keep a healthy level of insanity, e-mail this to yourself hundreds of times. Ask that it be noted you received it.

THESE PLAYERS NEED TO LOG IN TO SAVE THEIR CHARACTERS FROM PWIPE:

Aarin, Abbath, Acoma, Aeo, Alena, Ament, Angelgirl, Aragon, Asdiarf, Avi, Bewa, Bonepecker, Calidor, Calin, Carnun, Celestar, Clef, Cromwell, Dazzle, Dominus, Donny, Doombreed, Dugg, Duplex, Dysmande, Elron, Enigma, Erutan, Evildome, FirestarII, Flatulant, Forrest, Frealis, Frei, Frenzy, Fyrefly, Gaul, Geek, Ghostkiller, Gorek, Greydeath, Homicidal, Hopeless, Ijok, Irons, Jaken, Jeremy, Jythar, Keenan, Kendral, Kestrel, Khazad, Klutz, MastaJugalo, Mayonez, Melody, Minsk, Moab, Moloko, Moogie, Mordeth, Mortanius, Myrllin, Myron, Nilla, Nixon, Nocturn, Nuriko, Obiwan, Oiseau, Orb, Paradigm, Petronas, Piggy, Popie, Rahasia, Razz, Recluse, Repugnant, Riva, Rothman, Saliva, Samoth, Saphron, Schala, Scimitar, Scourge, Seifer, Sela, Shutterfly, Sknt, Smokingjoe, Spaz, Syn, Takeuchi, Talenar, Tesko, Thebest, Thrym, Underling, Vagrant, Vedder, Vick, Vile, Vishnu, Voldon, Wyld, Wynd, Xype, Zain, Zaracuthra, Zeek, Zelda, Zion, Zorra

Just imagine thed loads of relics that will be gone forever.

Ginzor wrote:

THESE PLAYERS NEED TO LOG IN TO SAVE THEIR CHARACTERS FROM PWIPE:

Aarin, Abbath, Acoma, Aeo, Alena, Ament, Angelgirl, Aragon, Asdiarf, Avi, Bewa, Bonepecker, Calidor, Calin, Carnun, Celestar, Clef, Cromwell, Dazzle, Dominus, Donny, Doombreed, Dugg, Duplex, Dysmande, Elron, Enigma, Erutan, Evildome, FirestarII, Flatulant, Forrest, Frealis, Frei, Frenzy, Fyrefly, Gaul, Geek, Ghostkiller, Gorek, Greydeath, Homicidal, Hopeless, Ijok, Irons, Jaken, Jeremy, Jythar, Keenan, Kendral, Kestrel, Khazad, Klutz, MastaJugalo, Mayonez, Melody, Minsk, Moab, Moloko, Moogie, Mordeth, Mortanius, Myrllin, Myron, Nilla, Nixon, Nocturn, Nuriko, Obiwan, Oiseau, Orb, Paradigm, Petronas, Piggy, Popie, Rahasia, Razz, Recluse, Repugnant, Riva, Rothman, Saliva, Samoth, Saphron, Schala, Scimitar, Scourge, Seifer, Sela, Shutterfly, Sknt, Smokingjoe, Spaz, Syn, Takeuchi, Talenar, Tesko, Thebest, Thrym, Underling, Vagrant, Vedder, Vick, Vile, Vishnu, Voldon, Wyld, Wynd, Xype, Zain, Zaracuthra, Zeek, Zelda, Zion, Zorra

Just imagine thed loads of relics that will be gone forever.

If they havn't logged on for quite a while, and I believe are all morts, then why is this a problem?

I have always been told I am cold hearted.

If they havn't logged on for quite a while, and I believe are all morts, then why is this a problem?

I would say that almost all good relics are mort relics cause the hero land has been abused by new better items for a very long time now. Sure there are hercules heads and lvl 2 stone clubs but you have so much more in mortal world.
Am I wrong?

I misunderstood your earlier comment. I thought you were referring to players. I think you are talking about eq.

That is a little more unfortunate. I still am not that sentimental about it, but I can understand a little more.

Relics (although a couple aren't the first incarnation): Nilla, Forrest, Greydeath, Wynd

Good names: Vishnu, Enigma, Keenan, Zelda, Zion, Dazzle, maybe some others

here's an idea...
how about instead of just a pwipe for those players, a trusted imm/hero be allowed to ransack the pfiles for anything to go up for auction. maybe not just cash auction, but give out points over an extended period, for quest participation, helping others, who-knows-what-else. i think it would be a really neat idea, adn allow for any of those nifty old relics to come back out into circulation

The reason why they are "relics" is because we wanted them out in the first place.

I thought there was some type of versioning system put in with pfiles so that even if a character had an old school PCI, upon logging in, it would be the newer corrected version?!?

No, unfortunately, it doesn't work that way.

Something like that is planned for the future. It's a long way off yet at this point, though.

If an item has been completely removed (its vnum has disappeared), there's nothing we can do but fail to load it. It's then lost forever when the character is saved.

C'est la vie, I guess.

Hrm. Does that mean my old PCI might still be around?

it's doubtful that an old pci would still be there, since that area was recently renumbered with the result that old butterfly swords all went "poof", but if the pci was somehow not affected by the renumbering, it might still exist

PCIs were affected. All the old ones poofed.

Don't they need a replacement if they have won these items as a questprize? If there was to be another renumbering, I just want to feel assured that my items will be safe, you know.