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Realm 2.0 Information Sheet Revised 12/18/96 Answers about The Realm CD What we changed & why we did it Armour Platemail Hats & Helmets Spells Evil vs. being a jerk So you want a Green or Purple Baldric The Gossip Channels Chat in individual rooms & private Gossip channels Character Names & Bios Jumpers Monsters Problems with a GM So you want to be a GM

Answers about The Realm CD WHAT’S ON THE CD? The Realm client software, plus the necessary resources for displaying the game. In other words, more or less what you have on your machines right now. WILL THERE BE QUESTS? Yes. Note that we can change or add quests entirely on the server. No update will be needed for you to play as long as you have all the art and sound resources on your hard drive. WILL THERE BE NEW MONSTERS? Yes. Certainly more varieties of Imp and Faery are planned. They, too, can be added to the server without an update. WILL THERE BE GMs? Yes. Many of Beta Realm’s GMs will transition over to CD-Realm, and other GMs will be new. The same rules will apply on the CD-Realm as the Beta Realm, along with the same penalties, so that you can enjoy a harassment-free environment. WHAT ABOUT UPDATES? The CD version is 2.109. We have compiled a single update which will bring the CD up-to-date with the current Beta version. To avoid the annoyance of constant updates, we will probably put out at most one update per week. HOW MUCH DOES CD-REALM COST? The cost is $49.95. You can order it through any direct channel to Sierra. The Realm won't be in stores anytime soon. WHAT DO I GET FOR MY MONEY? With the CD, you will receive unlimited play on the Realm from January 1, 1997 to December 31, 1997. There will be no additional charges or fees during that period. WHEN DO I GET MY CD? As far as we know the first CDs should already have shipped. The CD-Realm is already up and operating. You should be able to play the second you have it installed. We aren't sure how fast it will take to process regular mail orders. Rest assured we'll get your CDs out to you ASAP. WHAT WILL THE LAG BE LIKE? Lag should be similar to what you experience with Beta Realm. We have eliminated lag from our server with the addition of a RAID drive. A bad internet path to us, low memory and a slow processor all contribute to lag. Some ISPs do not connect well to our Internet provider, NETCOM. We can't do anything about this except change ISPs, which would cause several weeks’ disruption of service at the very least. WILL YOU WIPE THE CD-REALM? No. Beta accounts will not be moved over to the CD-Realm either. You will be starting afresh with a new account. We do not EVER intend to wipe the CD-Realm. We reserve the right to delete characters that are inactive for an extended length of time, however. WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE AOL AND CD-REALMS? Very little. Mostly the difference is in some of the interface artwork. AOL will continue to have the a different look. There will be no material functional difference. The Realm team will continue to make changes and improvements to the game throughout 1997. We will probably create a new beta site for testing the latest features. The new site will be run like the old beta was, complete with periodic updates, wipes, etc. It will be made available to anyone who has an account in good standing with us. IT WILL NOT BE OPEN TO NON-PAYING CUSTOMERS. WHAT ABOUT WINDOWS SUPPORT? For the foreseeable future, we intend to support Win 3.1, 3.11, and Win95. We have produced a Win95-native version of the client, but we aren't expecting to do a Windows NT-native client anytime soon. WHAT ABOUT GUILD SUPPORT? For the short term, no guild houses, baldrics, etc. will be forthcoming. This is a high priority for us, and we’ll get to it as soon as possible. What we changed & why we did it Eating in combat: We cut this out because it way unbalanced the game. No monster was a challenge when Wizards could freeze a monster, munch bananas, Nuke the monster with the most-powerful of spells, Freeze, munch bananas... We realize that this severely cuts back the resources characters have in combat. Monsters will be altered to make sure they present a challenge to same-level players. The Exp. System: The Exp. system was altered to give players a more open-ended game. By making the Exp. for each level cost the same, players have much more room for advancement. They aren't stopped at level 21. Armor restrictions and magic: We considered eliminating armor restrictions for Wizards and Thieves in favor of making the metallic armor interfere with magic. We did this for a while, but after careful study decided to restore the restrictions for Wizards (but not all of the Thieves) and restrict the skill level maximum a given class can achieve with a given skill. Armor TROLL-LEATHER AND CHAINMAIL HAVE SWITCHED. Troll-leather now costs what Chain used to and vice-versa. Ditto for the protection each gives. We did this to cut back the rampant power that Wizards have in the game. Here's the order of protection: Platemail (The Best) Chainmail (Better than Troll Leather) Troll-Leather (Better than Leather) Leather (Better than clothing) Clothing (Better than nothing) Remember, Wizards can't wear Chainmail. Platemail Platemail Tunics and Pants should be available fairly soon in all the decorator colors you've come to expect. A platemail cowl made no sense to create, so don't look for one. Platemail can only be worn by warriors and adventurers above the tenth level. Wizards cannot wear plate no matter what level they are. Hats & Helmets It looks like these are on indefinite hold. Spells The power of the high-level spells has been reduced. We know you players didn't enjoy the experience of invisible jumpers killing you with one spell (unless you're the jumper), so we changed things. Only one or two spells haven't been implemented yet: Recover/Recover Mana/Recover Health We now have all other spells up and running. The shops will tell you in advance what level and skill you need to use them. Simply click on "look at" before you buy. Evil vs. being a jerk If you are acting like a jerk and a GM catches you, do not expect to defend yourself with the words "I'm an evil character. I'm only role-playing." This will not wash. There is a difference between being evil and ruining the game for everyone. GMs will make a decision about your behavior and take action accordingly. So You want a Green or Purple Baldric Do not ask a GM for a baldric! He or she will ask you. GMs have been instructed to refuse to give them to people who ask for them. GMs will choose their helpers using their own standards. If you want to earn a baldric, be HELPFUL. Answer questions on Gossip if you know the right answer. Make yourself useful to the other players in the Realm. Research game bugs and try to isolate causes. Word will get to us. The Gossip Channels The Gossip channels are something everybody on the Realm can use. Because of this, players must stick to subject matter which is acceptable to everyone. The following are guidelines on how to act on the Gossip Channel. We reserve the right to update it at any time. GMs will determine whether you are violating the rules. That's their job. Penalties for violating these rules include: being smited, having your gossip revoked, being killed, being disabled, or having a room with no exits created in your honor and having your character teleported there to rot. 1) Use good taste. If you're being a jerk, odds are a GM is wondering whether or not to smite you. The Realm is supposed to be fun for everybody. If you're saying something which diminishes the game for many (even if it's fun for you), it's probably a smitable offense. 2) Do not promote a competitor's products on the Realm You are free to discuss the plusses and minuses of the Realm on Gossip. You are even free to mention how a competitor does something we don't (and should) or does something better. This is different from promoting a competitor on the Realm. If you don't understand the difference, stay off the subject when you're on Gossip. 3) Language Foul language, cussing, and swearing is not allowed on Gossip. The fact that we have a profanity filter does not change this. 4) Pointless Message Messages on the Gossip channel should be something anybody could be interested in seeing. You may not: Send messages with no content in them, call another character names. If a character has robbed you, you can say they are a thief in Gossip and even ask for help. We simply don't like seeing Gossip clogged with messages like "you suck!". 5) Do not endlessly repeat the same message If your point doesn't get across after repeating the message twice, it probably never will. Example: a character stole a Knight's Shield from another character. The character who lost the shield constantly posted "give me back my shield" messages on gossip. This isn't acceptable. If you can get a group of friends together, you CAN coordinate the hunt for the thief on Gossip. 6) Religious discussions Because religion is a sensitive issue for some people, you are asked to be careful when the conversation turns in that direction. You are free to have a meaningful discussion on religion, but not to blatantly proselytize. The Realm is not a soapbox from which to preach the Faith, whatever Faith it is. 7) Sexual Harassment Any kind of unwanted attention from an opposite-sex character can constitute sexual harassment. We even have reports of worse. This will not be tolerated, but we need proof. Windows will take a picture of the screen when you press the "print screen" button. The result can be pasted into a paint program and saved as a file which you can e-mail to us. PLEASE DO. We want these jerks off our game as badly as you do. With the advent of multi-channel gossip, players who absolutely MUST talk about stuff like this can move their conversation to a different channel. A GM will certainly ask them to do so. Chat in Individual Rooms & private Gossip channels When you are talking with the people in the same room with you, you are expected to follow the same general rules as with the Gossip channel. Players may discuss whatever they choose as long as nobody minds. If a player objects to the conversation and it is outside the rules, they can get the attention of a GM to keep the conversation in line. In general, this means that players can talk more freely within their room than on Gossip. Players are free to discuss whatever they want in their own house. Conversations on a private Gossip channel are handled the same way as room conversations are. A GM can take action if someone complains. Character Names & Bios When you name a character and write a Bio, you are expected to follow the same general guidelines as for messages on the gossip channel. Players with objectionable words as a part of their names will be disabled on the first offense. Other violations will be dealt with according to the extent of the offense. If a player has a name which is not blatantly offensive, the GM should not force the player to give the name up. If a player has a name which is close to unacceptable, the GM should use the player's conduct to decide whether or not to take action. Jumpers When Realm 2.0 came out, player-player combat was restricted to the Killing Fields area near Kurz. We have expanded the areas somewhat since then. PLAYER-PLAYER COMBAT WILL NEVER BE ALLOWED IN RATLING RUN. New players need a place to learn combat safe from those would prey upon their inexperience. Monsters We have 6 unique varieties of creatures with between 4-6 types of most of them. Ratlings: Wharf (Black, Level 3) Arctic (White, Level 2), Demon Ratling (Red, level 6) and Flame (orange, level 4). We're figuring out where to put them right now so you may not see them quite yet. Wasps: There are 4 kinds ranging from level 1 to 5. 1 kind uses magic (Hive Wizard). Wolves: There are 5 varieties of Wolves ranging from level 2 to 10. The upper 3 (White, Flame and Hellhound) use magic Trolls: There are 5 varieties of Troll ranging from level 3 to 10. Two use magic (Troll Mage and Demon Troll). Faery: There is one kind of Faery and it uses magic. It is level 12 so don't mess with it lightly. We're considering adding different types of Faeries. Coming soon to a Realm near you. Imp: Imps are the toughest monsters in the game. All but one variety (the Stone Imp/Gargoyle) use magic. They start at seventh level and end at fifteenth. Problems with a GM If you have problems with a GM, send e-mail to Paula at quehead@aol.com. A GM is doing a great job unless you tell us otherwise. Make sure you tell us who was abusing their power and how they were doing it. Telling us something like, "Your GMs suck!" doesn't give us any info to help us correct the situation. GET A SCREEN SHOT IF YOU CAN. We need hard evidence. Anybody can make up any complaint they want. We can't read your minds so we can't tell the legitimate complaints from the false ones. Even if you don't have evidence, complain anyway. If a GM has wronged you, it is likely he or she has done the same to others. We will investigate a GM if enough voices are raised. GMs are allowed to act against players who disrupt the game for everyone else: Loading down the gossip channel with pointless posts, profanity and extreme rudeness are all reasons why a GM can act against you. Attacking a GM is not cause for the GM to use their powers against you, but it's usually pretty stupid because the GMs are almost always high level characters. So You want to be a GM Sierra has an application process in place. GMs are nominated and we send out an application to the player. GM's are given special powers primarily to enforce some minimum standard of civility on The Realm. They must be responsible and fair. They cannot play favorites. They are bombarded by 120,000 /t messages every hour and have to respond to all of them nicely. They are not allowed to use their powers against other players unless that player is "out of line". They are also not allowed to unbalance the game by showering players with gifts or EP. If you want to go on a power trip, don't be a GM. If you really, really want to be a GM, act like it NOW. Do as much of the GM's job as you can, even though you don't have powers. Your name will come to our attention and you will be sent an application. DO NOT BOTHER THE GMs OR SIERRA PERSONNEL. IT WILL ONLY HURT YOUR CHANCES.