Just a few ideas

[mcsproot]

I appreciate this is still in the alpha and by that nature it isn't very newbie friendly. But I had a few thoughts floating around in my head.

1: Swimming with 0% stamina drains HHP.

I figure most people use swimming to force the death of their character for whatever reason. I have enough constitution on my character to swim some of the narrower rivers. Since hitting 0% stamina causes instant death, someone who doesn't realise how fast your stamina drain is could easily lose their character. The HHP loss would represent desperate struggling in the swim and give some more time for the person to get to shore and learn what their limits are without an all or nothing gamble.

2: No combat skills = no combat...period.

I'd wager that it isn't unheard of for a new character to see a bear before a bunny rabbit. Bye bye new character. I think that if you have no combat skills (not got Unarmed Combat or Militia Training) then you can't be attacked at all. This could be a form of newbie protection from boars and bears, as well as a 'pvp off' situation. Or at least, not getting murdered. You'd still be able to catch small animals since you don't need to really combat them. I prefer to punch rabbits since I'll wring their neck anyway.

3: Alternatively: Start with Unarmed Combat

Personally I think it's a bit over the top that a new character can't beat ants. Are they monster killer ants? I personally think a new character should be able to fight and kill ants. Maybe not at the speed to kill all three guarding a nest before more spawn, but at least it's better than getting your behind eaten by insects.

4: Bunny slippers from start

I'm sure many folks who started from scratch who weren't familiar with previous Worlds lost their clogs to combat, leaving them with very sore feet. So instead of clogs in the starter chest, how about bunny slippers instead?

5: Rabbit hutch and bunny breeding.

I have seen a few boars, a handfull of auroch herds, one mouflon herd and a couple of deer herds. I have yet to see a wild chicken. I'd like to see a similar system to chicken domestication for rabbits. In a similar style to pigs (slaughter only), rabbits would be bred only for slaughtering for their bones, hides and meat. Would be a nice source of low quality leather for newer/less leveled characters. Maybe also deer taming?

6: Cooking hearth

You are the Lawspeaker. You have feasts of the finest quality foods. Yet your meat is still cooked over an open fire, like you did as a mere nomad. Perhaps there should be a more sophisticated way to cook? Cooking hearths could only be built inside and against a wall. They would also improve the quality of anything cooked on them by some formula related to the quality of the hearth.

7: Skill equipment sets

Personally, I like clothes that look alike. Since hats are the main source of swapping stats, I feel there should be more clothing that provides non-combat skills, and perhaps even a bonus for having more clothing of the same 'set'. For example, say a chefs hat provides you with 10 cooking. Another item in this set would be the apron, providing you with 10 cooking. If you equip both, you gain a bonus to your cooking skill. Say 10%. So you'd get 22 bonus cooking from wearing both the hat and apron.

8: Kuska and spruce bough bed...

These are two important items for new characters. While the kuska doesn't hold much water, it's better than nothing. Also, the spruce bough bed is the easiest bed to make. Yet most characters will only have access to one of these due to the differing terrains. Perhaps allow a water container made from generic tree bark, and other trees providing material to make bedding?

[Jackard]

Your suggestions are welcome, but be sure to read the stickies and search the forums for related suggestions before posting them. Grab bag threads are frowned upon partly because they are difficult to search for afterwards.

Don't be afraid to continue old discussions that are essentially the same idea.