Post by Admin on Aug 21, 2017 11:53:38 GMT
If you're here, it's probably because you're feeling overwhelmed, and I'm here to let you know that that's okay. This guide is going to be targeted towards players who are just receiving their first email and have no idea what to do next, but if you're a couple of messages deep and still need help, feel free to scroll through for tips and tricks. I'll be updating this regularly.
Step One: Respond!
Taief is played through email responses, and real people read the email and respond back. If you've ever played Dungeons and Dragons or Pathfinder before, this should come pretty second nature to you. You can respond with anything from "I'll take off my shoe and beat Mistress Helga over the head with it" or "I'll search the general area for food and useful crafting components." The more detailed your response, the better, but try not to over-elaborate or meta-game. For instance...
"A fearful expression flashed over the bar-maid's face for an almost imperceptible moment. If you'd been a younger woman, you would have sworn it was but a twitch. But with your experienced years, you know that look too well. This poor girl, covered in sweat and reeking of alcohol is afraid for her life. You feel an innate desire to help her, you know she won't say the words, but she needs you. The rowdy group of sailors in the corner hollers over to her.
"Wench, fetch us another round! And hurry it up this time, lazy bitch!"
Anger bubbles in your chest, but you keep your calm."
You shouldn't respond to this email with a simple...
"I look over at the sailors."
As the response you'll most likely get is...
"You see a group of rowdy sailors staring back at you."
Instead, try to send a response like this...
"I look over at the sailors to gauge if I'd win in close quarters combat. If not, I pull the barmaid aside and ask if she's alright or if she'd like me to fetch an officer of the law."
Sending more detailed responses will get you further in the game faster, but don't get too wordy with it or you'll likely receive a delayed response.
As each and every response is reviewed by myself or a member of my staff, you don't need to worry about special formatting or anything like that. When in doubt, keep it simple and creative. As you get further into the game, we'll guide you towards more complex situations that require complex responses. As long as your response is in English and is understandable, we'll be good. Understand, though, that you are playing with and against other players in real time, so if you respond stupidly, expect another player to capitalize on your mistake.
Step Two: Set Some Goals
When first starting in Taief, it's good to have a sense of who you want to be in the game and what you want to do. Maybe you'd like to run a restaurant, maybe you'd like to rule over a kingdom, maybe you just want to hunt other players and kill them for their loot, or maybe you want to find out more about what happened to the world. The decision is yours, but setting these goals ahead of time can give you a good starting point. If you still aren't sure, try to find food, water, shelter, and a method of defending yourself. It'll come in handy later. Here's an example of a first response that I thought was pretty clever.
"I wade over to the stream, cautious to take my time and not make too much sound. Assuming the water seems safe to drink, I'll find a container to store some in by searching the shore for debris. Then, if possible, I'll try to catch some small fish by using my shoelace as a make-shift fishing line."
This player is securing herself survival by addressing her immediate needs. While Taief is about adventure and excitement, it's also about survival. And this is an excellent way to start.
Step Three: Explore
Taief is based off of real-world locations and demographics. If you spawn in an upscale neighborhood in San-Francisco, you're more likely to find luxury items in the rubble. If you spawn in rural Idaho, you're more likely to find more basic items. Political preferences, economic factors, and all sorts of other socio-economics go into making Taief a reactive and reflexive game environment. If you're after a certain object or piece of information, try exploring locations which would be most likely to have that. If you still can't find it, travel to where the people are and ask them for help. As the game-master, I can assure you that myself and my staff won't make things impossible to find as long as they exist in the real world.
Step Four: Attributes and Status Effects
When you created your character, all the information you provided went into creating your starting attributes. As you do things in the game, those attributes respond, either growing or withering over time. Try not to get too focused on any one particular thing, and instead, adapt based off of what you have. Your physical strength, for instance, might decay while you sit in a library and read for hours on end, but your academic intelligence(sp) will be going up at the same time. Taief is adaptive based off of your actions, so plan accordingly.
As in real life, your character in Taief will grow tired if overworked, hungry if underfed, and bored for sometimes no reason at all. It's important to keep ontop of these status effects, as they can start to have adverse effects on your plans. Your character will not grow hungry if you carry food on you, but will consume the food as he or she grows hungry. Your character will not go thirsty if you carry water on you, but will consume the water if he or she starts to thirst. Managing what is in your inventory and when is an important part of the game, but don't let it distract you from your goals.
Conclusion
As stated in the beginning of this post, I will regularly update this guide as questions are asked and more confusing elements of the game make themselves apparent. Have fun, stay safe, and may you find survival through your efforts.
-Tim
Step One: Respond!
Taief is played through email responses, and real people read the email and respond back. If you've ever played Dungeons and Dragons or Pathfinder before, this should come pretty second nature to you. You can respond with anything from "I'll take off my shoe and beat Mistress Helga over the head with it" or "I'll search the general area for food and useful crafting components." The more detailed your response, the better, but try not to over-elaborate or meta-game. For instance...
"A fearful expression flashed over the bar-maid's face for an almost imperceptible moment. If you'd been a younger woman, you would have sworn it was but a twitch. But with your experienced years, you know that look too well. This poor girl, covered in sweat and reeking of alcohol is afraid for her life. You feel an innate desire to help her, you know she won't say the words, but she needs you. The rowdy group of sailors in the corner hollers over to her.
"Wench, fetch us another round! And hurry it up this time, lazy bitch!"
Anger bubbles in your chest, but you keep your calm."
You shouldn't respond to this email with a simple...
"I look over at the sailors."
As the response you'll most likely get is...
"You see a group of rowdy sailors staring back at you."
Instead, try to send a response like this...
"I look over at the sailors to gauge if I'd win in close quarters combat. If not, I pull the barmaid aside and ask if she's alright or if she'd like me to fetch an officer of the law."
Sending more detailed responses will get you further in the game faster, but don't get too wordy with it or you'll likely receive a delayed response.
As each and every response is reviewed by myself or a member of my staff, you don't need to worry about special formatting or anything like that. When in doubt, keep it simple and creative. As you get further into the game, we'll guide you towards more complex situations that require complex responses. As long as your response is in English and is understandable, we'll be good. Understand, though, that you are playing with and against other players in real time, so if you respond stupidly, expect another player to capitalize on your mistake.
Step Two: Set Some Goals
When first starting in Taief, it's good to have a sense of who you want to be in the game and what you want to do. Maybe you'd like to run a restaurant, maybe you'd like to rule over a kingdom, maybe you just want to hunt other players and kill them for their loot, or maybe you want to find out more about what happened to the world. The decision is yours, but setting these goals ahead of time can give you a good starting point. If you still aren't sure, try to find food, water, shelter, and a method of defending yourself. It'll come in handy later. Here's an example of a first response that I thought was pretty clever.
"I wade over to the stream, cautious to take my time and not make too much sound. Assuming the water seems safe to drink, I'll find a container to store some in by searching the shore for debris. Then, if possible, I'll try to catch some small fish by using my shoelace as a make-shift fishing line."
This player is securing herself survival by addressing her immediate needs. While Taief is about adventure and excitement, it's also about survival. And this is an excellent way to start.
Step Three: Explore
Taief is based off of real-world locations and demographics. If you spawn in an upscale neighborhood in San-Francisco, you're more likely to find luxury items in the rubble. If you spawn in rural Idaho, you're more likely to find more basic items. Political preferences, economic factors, and all sorts of other socio-economics go into making Taief a reactive and reflexive game environment. If you're after a certain object or piece of information, try exploring locations which would be most likely to have that. If you still can't find it, travel to where the people are and ask them for help. As the game-master, I can assure you that myself and my staff won't make things impossible to find as long as they exist in the real world.
Step Four: Attributes and Status Effects
When you created your character, all the information you provided went into creating your starting attributes. As you do things in the game, those attributes respond, either growing or withering over time. Try not to get too focused on any one particular thing, and instead, adapt based off of what you have. Your physical strength, for instance, might decay while you sit in a library and read for hours on end, but your academic intelligence(sp) will be going up at the same time. Taief is adaptive based off of your actions, so plan accordingly.
As in real life, your character in Taief will grow tired if overworked, hungry if underfed, and bored for sometimes no reason at all. It's important to keep ontop of these status effects, as they can start to have adverse effects on your plans. Your character will not grow hungry if you carry food on you, but will consume the food as he or she grows hungry. Your character will not go thirsty if you carry water on you, but will consume the water if he or she starts to thirst. Managing what is in your inventory and when is an important part of the game, but don't let it distract you from your goals.
Conclusion
As stated in the beginning of this post, I will regularly update this guide as questions are asked and more confusing elements of the game make themselves apparent. Have fun, stay safe, and may you find survival through your efforts.
-Tim