For those of you who do not remember the old system, here's a handy little introduction and guide for you
May I start by saying that the Forum RPG is not supposed to be a super fancy, top of the range game! It's simple and here for a bit of extra entertainment.
The idea is quite straightforward, and consists of three main parts:
1. Item Collection
2. Character Growth
3. Aquiring Wealth
Some users may prefer to persue just one of these paths, while others may wish to enjoy all aspects of the game. It's really up to you to see what you enjoy.
HINT! You may find it less difficult if you begin by trying to accumulate some Gold and Items before you start to fight your way through the Battle Arena!
Signing Up
The Forum RPG is open to members who have been registered at SFC for at least 60 days and who have posted at least 50 times. This is in order to help prevent an influx of newbies signing up purely for the Forum RPG and not intending to be active members.
To access and sign up to the Forum RPG, click the Sword icon along the top of the forum.
When you sign up you are allocated some 'Gold' which is used as currency in the Forum RPG.
Once your Forum RPG account is activated you will be able to access the game at any time through the Sword icon. On visiting the game pages you will find your name/avatar and total gold to the right of the screen, below which are the links to the main RPG areas.
RPG Home
When you login to the forums, be sure to check your RPG Homepage as this will give you a daily allowance of Gold, (which is slightly randomised in amount) which is always due at the same time each day, based on your signup time.
Your Forum RPG limits are also topped up at the same time. The limits are set at 20 battles per day and 20 prize item uses per day. This is in order to keep server load down as well as preventing people racing ahead too quickly in the game
Your RPG Home page will also display messages for you regarding items people have offered to give/sell you (or those you have offered to other users), auctions you need to pay for (or auctions you are expecting payment for!) as well as quick links to the key RPG areas.
Hall of Champions
The second link on the RPG is to the Hall of Champions, which allows you to see how other members are doing at the RPG. The charts should be self explanatory, and you can also filter them by specific character classes. Clicking on a user's name here will allow you to view their Item Inventory.
Battle Arena
- If you choose to create any characters (see Headquarters section for character options) for the RPG, you may take them to the Battle Arena where they will be pitted against monsters in a side-on cinematic Shining style one-on-one battle. Your choice of character class may effect the difficulty of the battles, and you will need to buy equipment, items/spells from the shop for your character to use in battle.
- You may play up to 20 battles per day, so use them wisely!
- You will encounter monsters of various levels and their stats will be different from encounter to encounter. Some will be easier to defeat than others!
- As in the Shining games when you defeat a monster your character will gain experience. When the character reaches 100 experience points he or she will advance a level and their stats will increase. As their levels progess they will be able to use (and will certainly need!) stronger equipment.
- When using items in battle please note that after 4 item uses you will no longer be able to use items during that battle. This is to represent the maximum number of items your character can 'hold', but to save you the trouble of selecting exactly which 4 items to take into battle ahead of time. Similarly, the system will automatically pre-select the best equipment from your inventory at the start of a battle.
- Monsters in battle will also drop Gold when defeated and occasionally an item too!
- When characters reach a certain level they will face the final boss and on defeating him will receive a Trophy for their item collection to prove they have mastered that character class! Once the boss is defeated, that character can no longer battle. However, future battles and quests may be added at a later stage to further progress your characters.
Headquarters
Headquarters is where all your key character options can be found, as well as the Cauldron.
Character Management
Most of the options here should be self explanatory, such as creating a character, changing your active character, and deleting unwanted characters.
Promotion
You may also promote your characters here when they reach level 10 at their basic class. Some characters may also unlock a special promotion option if a certain item is in your inventory when they are ready for promotion.
You do not have to promote a character, but doing so will enable them to use higher level equipment and spells etc. It is possible to complete the Battle Arena with an unpromoted character, and as such Trophies are available for all character classes, both promoted and unpromoted. Once promoted a character cannot change back.
Character Healing
If your character becomes poisoned, muddled, paralysed or cursed in battle and needs to be cured, this can also be done at Headquarters, for a small fee. Likewise if they should be defeated in battle they can be raised at Headquarters, again for a fee.
Although there are items you may use to heal your HP and restore your MP, you may find it works out cheaper to Stay at the Inn at Headquarters to restore full HP and MP to all your characters in one go.
Cauldron
The final Headquarters option is the Cauldron, which allows you to attempt to combine 4 items into another item. The item combinations are secrets for you to discover, and each time you visit the Cauldron you will be offered a cryptic clue to a possible combination. Not all items can be used in the Cauldron, as once thrown in the items are lost. Therefore only items from the Item Shop, Collectable Figurines Shop and Win a Prize shop can be used here, since they are available in infinate supply.
You must use 4 items in the Cauldron, and it does not matter what order they go in. Don't forget you can use more than one of an item too!
Shops
- There are a variety of shops in the Forum RPG, each selling different kinds of items.
- Items can be bought from the Shops using your Gold. You can also sell items back to the shop, although you may find this is at a reduced rate, which varies by shop.
- Some shops will restock their items at intervals, whereas other shops may have only limited stock of items.
- Some items may be out of stock either because they have not yet been 'released' in the RPG or because they are not stocked as standard. These items may need to be found through other means, and therefore the shop stock will increase as users sell the unwanted doubles etc back to the shop.
- Some items are 'usable' in various ways (see the Inventory section), but many are simply for collecting.
- The description of most items from the actual Shining games refers purely to their original Shining game use and not necessarily to their use in the Forum RPG.
- Items which are usable in battle (see further down) will have information regarding their required class and level (note: the level listed refers to your TOTAL level, ie your pre-promotion level plus your post-promotion level) along with their shop listing.
- There are quantity limits on some items regarding the quantity you may buy from the shop, this is in part to prevent hoarding of items and also to give everyone a chance to buy items when they restock. This limit usually only applies to items bought from the shop, so if you find extras of that item in battle etc it will still be added to your inventory.
The Stockmarket is a special shop, where the prices change regularly. This gives you an opportunity to make some extra money, through buying Shares when the price is low, and selling them back to the shop when the price is high.
Auction House
The Auction House is like our own miniature (and somewhat simplified!) version of Ebay, allowing you to list items for sale or bid on other users auctions. Auctions are priced & paid for with forum Gold. If you're familiar with Ebay you should find this fairly straightfoward to use! Additional information is available on the Auction House page regarding auction rules and regulations.
Your Inventory
Here you can view all the items you own, and browse them by item type to see how complete your collection is! You can also sort them by various attibutes to make it easier to find items as your collection grows.
Individual items shown in your collection provide you with a number of options:
- Click on the 'RRP' to link directly to the item within the Shop, so that you can sell it or stock up on more.
- Use the GIVE/SELL/AUCTION links to offer the item to another user (for free, or for a price you decide) or to sell the item via the Auction House.
- Some items may have a red banner stating that you can use them. Click on the item to use it (see below).
Usable Items
- Items which come from the Win a Prize shop will count towards your daily item use limit, for example Scratch Cards and Mystery Chests. You may only use a total of 20 of these types of items in a day.
- Some items may restore your HP or MP, some might permanently increase your stats, some might give you the chance to find another item or win gold.
- Some items are single use and will disappear from your collection when used, others (such as Spells) can be used over and over again. Note that some items can only be used by certain classes of character.
- More usable items will be added to the game over time, some of which may have other special effects when used!
I hope you have as much fun playing the game as I have had developing it
I'm sure there are lots of things you'd love to see added, and lots of things I'd like to add as well. I'll have to see what time allows, but meanwhile this should keep you all entertained for a while!Enjoy
If you have any questions, feel free to post them in this forum.
