2025-02-03 - Kraken's Fall - OOC Meeting (summary)

Took place on 2/3/2025

INTRODUCTION

Good evening, everyone. I am GM Kaonashi, the Gemstone IV guru for the town of Kraken’s Fall. I am happy to see you here for this OOC meeting.

I am joined tonight by several members of Gemstone IV’s Events Team. I am pleased to be here with APM Thandiwe, SGM Xynwen, and AGM Optheria. Their guidance and support have been invaluable over the first months of my tenure as Guru, and I am thrilled they can join us tonight.

I aim to keep tonight fairly simple and straightforward. First, I would like to share with you some of the results of the OOC Meeting survey that was put before the players who are citizens of Kraken’s Fall and call it home. Then, I will discuss some of the more common questions and concerns we received. Lastly, I will open the meeting up for questions, so you can ask us things that might not have been addressed.

First, however, I will give a brief update on the town, its public ongoing projects, and a summary of some of the changes that have been made since I took over in the summer of 2024. If at any point you wish to ask a question, add your name to the list that exists in this room. We will return to it after my presentation.

RECAP

Since I assumed my duties as Kraken’s Fall Guru for Gemstone IV in the summer of 2024, I am proud to say that we have released several convenience of play features and areas designed to make the town more fun, livable, and comprehensive.

At Simucon 2024, I announced the release of the Nereid’s Cradle, Canopied Walk, otherwise known as the Kraken’s Fall Night Market. This space was designed to serve as a community gathering point. As part of this, we expanded beach fishing across Nereid’s Cradle, opened several new fishing spots on the Canopied Walk itself, and opened a brand new Brawling Pit beneath the Walk’s planks. I am pleased to see that this space has received regular use, and I am thrilled that we can hold both player-run and GM-run events here.

In the months that followed, we also released a Multihued Pavilion on the same Canopied Walk. This was built as an event space for meeting some lively friends, sea kobolds, but I also look forward to using it in other fun and varied ways over the coming months and years.

In the spirit of convenience of play, I have also begun to work on facilities that will bring Kraken’s Fall in line with other Elanthian towns and settlements, while expanding the storytelling in town. An example of this was in the newly-opened Cleric Shop attached to the Peaceful Porpoise. With this infrastructure in place, players can now more easily enjoy the recently-updated Paladin Service, as well as a few other offerings typically found in such shops. At the same time, I am proud to say that we remain focused on ensuring bugs, errors, and other *inconveniences* to play are being looked into and addressed. Examples of this are seen in the Atoll hunting ground, where I worked with staff from Gemstone IV’s development team to eliminate bugs related to the log ride toward the Atoll and relating to the way hidden Atoll mobs interact with players and their spells. I also personally worked with players and staff to address a few OSA-related bugs and errors.

All the while, I am proud to continue offering core guru services for the town, including monthly citizen GALD and WPS sessions during existing windows. I also have asked Gentleman Hoorne to continue to spread the gospel of Kraken’s Fall, extolling its benefits and virtues across Elanthia. You might have seen him recently in Wehnimer’s Landing, negotiating metal rights with merchants there and with Dwarves who call Teras Isle and Zul Logoth home, and generally being “very brave” in the face of danger.

Now, onto the survey.

SURVEY INTRO

First, some basic data. 13 individuals submitted responses to our survey. Of these, two thirds listed themselves as citizens of Kraken’s Fall, with nearly three-quarters saying they spend the majority of their time on our shores. But this doesn’t fully encapsulate our town population, which is both larger and perhaps not always readily checking Discord.

As a starting point, I will go over a few of the more common questions and concerns.

SURVEY ANSWERS

Our survey asked two primary questions: what are some improvements you would like to see for Kraken’s Fall in 2025 and beyond, and what roleplaying options would you like to see for the town. Please hold your questions until I’ve gone over the basics here and answered some more common questions. Then we will be happy to return to any topics you wish to discuss further.

We were asked about the status of Player Shops in Kraken’s Fall, and the potential for expansion. At this time, we have no immediate plans for additional expansion.

We were asked about Kraken’s Fall potentially being a starting town. While we welcome new players and characters with hunting grounds for their levels, there are no plans for Kraken’s Fall to be a starting town.

We were asked about the availability of Ranger herbs that are essential for the updated Ranger service. This is something I will look into.

We were asked about citizen benefits, including access to specific citizen verbs. This is absolutely something I am interested in and will be working on. I do not have a hard timetable, but I would be eager to see further citizen benefits along these lines in 2025.

We were asked about professional guild expansion in Kraken’s Fall. I began this project last year, tangentially, with the Cleric Shop expansion. I will have more to share about what comes next in the coming months, but convenience of play features like this that bring Kraken’s Fall more in line with existing Elanthian towns are high on my to-do list.

We were asked about ongoing issues that players either see as bugs or annoyances, like the flood of warden arrows in the Atoll. As someone with extensive Atoll hunting experience, let me be clear: I hear this concern, and it’s valid. I will be looking into this in the coming months.

With that being said, I want to be open and transparent about fixes to the town: if something isn’t working, please always feel free to BUG it or send an ASSIST so it can be considered and addressed in a timely manner if necessary.

We were asked about minor roleplaying features that people would like to see expanded, including town ambients. We were also asked about mechanical bonuses for spells like 1205 which may or may not be working as intended here in Kraken’s Fall. I will look into these issues with an eye to fix anything that might not be working properly and to expand the flair that makes Kraken’s Fall special.

We were asked about expansion of the Atoll Hunting Ground, particularly for players pushing higher bounds of ascension. There are no plans to expand the Atoll or to create new hunting grounds in Kraken’s Fall. But, as was announced at Simucon 2024, new ascension hunting grounds that compliment Kraken’s Fall’s flavor are in the works, named Sailor’s Grief.

We were asked about the potential for new town shrines to fill out our religious offerings. All I can say about this is: stay tuned, because this is something I view as important to our town identity.

We were asked about a multitude of low-stakes roleplaying events and opportunities, from building sandcastles to increased town ambients, from random flotsam washing ashore to getting to know local bandits better, and from more interactivity with the sea to quote a tsunami unquote. While we have no plans to wash away Kraken’s Fall in a massive wave… yet… I agree that low-stakes roleplaying and smaller events are in the spirit of Kraken’s Fall. Like with the sea kobold night market event from last autumn, I look forward to curating smaller events throughout 2025 and beyond… starting right here in February. Stay tuned.

We were asked about Kraken’s Fall’s participation in broader Elanthian storylines. Several of you indicated that you’d prefer for Kraken’s Fall to remain more isolated from these storylines. As I’ve said, my intention is to focus principally on smaller-stakes roleplaying opportunities and one-off events on our shores. But I also cannot rule out a broader storyline touching home here in some manner. Your preferences are noted, however.

We were also asked a few questions that do not relate specifically to Kraken’s Fall. While I will not speak to these questions directly here, I would urge you to look to Discord and other forums to discuss any issues that might be concerning you.

Open Forum

• Leff says, "Can we please have a conversation about its role on this island, what it is for, and whether it is a good fit for this community? I have many thoughts on justice and the system, and I don't want to make this broader. But purely OOC for KF.... can we turn it off at night so we can pickpocket in town? Can the nightmarket have pickpocketing? Why do we have it here at all?"
  • Kaonashi softly says, "Justice is a core town mechanic. That itself will not go away. It's at the heart of each major Elanthian settlement. That being said, I hear your issue with wanting to encourage roguish roleplaying. I will put my head to this and consider if there are any situations where we might find fun given that basic fact. I will add it to my list to consider, but can make no promises."
• Yardie says, "I'll keep it brief.  The first one is about the Brawling Pit and the position there.  I'm happy that it's a brawl joint, curiously wished for the arena like the flotilla.  What's the word on the position and whatnot?  And the other question is regarding the Festival of Rememberence and Reconcilition." Yardie asks, "That's supposed to be in Fash....Fash....Fash on toes or whatever it is.  What's the word?"
  • Kaonashi softly says, "There will not be a formal position related to it.  But, in the spirit of increased RP and access, I will begin rolling out multiple opportunities for access each month.  It will be for everyone."
• When will the citizen only bungalow go out?
  • You say, "The Bungalow release is just waiting for a time to raffle it.  Now that the raffle system works for citizenship we've got less barriers."
• Speaking to Kaonashi, Trallihn says, "Hmmm... let's see... what's the odds of another bar being opened on the Island? I think we should have more bars than all the other towns...."
  • Kaonashi softly says, "Noted.  I will take it under advisement."
• Speaking to Kaonashi, Trallihn asks, "How about partial citizenship? Any thought given there?"
  • Citizenship is offered to all races in Kraken's Fall, therefore partial citizenship doesn't exist. You can only have citizenship (partial or full) in a single town at this time. Its a core mechanic that we can't change.
• Leff says, "So not having player shops here really does a number on that."
  • Thandiwe says, "The player shop issue really is out of our hands.  There's a lot being worked on with it and we can't even begin to consider it until that work is resolved.  Its burned out a few GMs, so I don't want to add any anxiety or stress to the one working on it."
• Trackesh melodically asks, "I speak on behest of me Captain... cause as stated before.. Pirate Kings do not sign up on any lists... but... the question be... how can we get the Floatilla back home to Kraken waters were she can be appreciated and loved?"
  • Xynwen says, "Sorry, but the flotilla is not a KF-specific situation, so she's not always going to be in KF waters."
• Leff asks, "Would you consider making it port accessible?"
  • Thandiwe says, "That isn't really in the nature or spirit of the flotilla."
• Edskar asks, "I was wondering if there's a tattoo shop?"
  • Kaonashi softly says, "I am very interested in tattoos as a Gemstone mechanic.  This is something I will consider and look into over the coming months, be it permanent infrastructure or something more short-term."
• Erienne asks, "I don't believe there is a clothing shop on the island?  Will there be, and if so, will it have the customizations like other towns?"
  • There's two shops, but room for more. We can look into customizers. Cultured Corsair has a customizer.
• Keruta asks, "And has any further thought been given to a Confluence instance?"
  • It is being looked into
• Leff asks, "(1) I know it's (several?) years out, but any headway on the KF festival? Can there be a process for inclusion in developing and making it (perhaps a smaller KF focused storyline)? It's something that I imagine you could get a lot of player love and support to help with; (2) and I heard FOTF was great, but the concern I heard from many players was ability to get there. I am really concerned about that for KF, and for events in general. Is there any way you would consider some sort of fast travel access to KF for events? Maybe even the Night Market?"
  • No details for the festival yet.
  • Cross-realm travel has restrictions for a reason, however, there are multiple options available. They are: Ferry, Chronomage, Premium Hall, Mount Travel, Sorcerer w. Chalk