So, you’re a new RotJ recruit, perhaps you are new to mudding entirely. This guide will hopefully get you up and running on our fantastic game and having fun in no time.
Character creation
- Your first step into RotJ is, of course, to create a character. You will need to pick a name, nothing offensive or too goofy. All names must be approved by one of the Immortal staff– you will be notified when your name is approved or denied but you can play immediately.
- The second step is to pick a race. There are many races to choose from, each with different pros and cons– I suggest starting with a Human character, they are well-balanced and can succeed in any class. Of course, there aren’t any bad races, so feel free to experiment. 🙂
- Step #3! The third step! You get to tailor your stats a bit. The help section on stats explains everything well. When starting a new character, I usually make the quickness as high as it will go (100), which directly affects how many attacks you get in battle. For your first time, it would be wise for you spread out the remaining points evenly to get a feel for what they do.
- OK! Your character creation is complete! Now, read the rules on multiplaying, Player killing, and jerkiness, then continue on to a Galaxy far, far away!
Mos Eisley!
You enter the game in the Imperial Academy, the #1 training ground for those new to the mud. You are carrying various items to help get you started (to check what you are carrying, type “i” for inventory). The map will help you get around Mos Eisley. Type “l map” or “help map” to get a rough idea of how everything is laid out in town. You will see the Guilds, where you will need to pick a class– Jedi have the arts of healing and protection, Mercenaries have great combat skills, Bounty Hunters are skilled in tracking and combat, Technicians are good at building and rebuilding things, Smugglers are experts at stealth and have good piloting skills, and Sith are skilled in the offensive power of the Force.
Explore Mos Eisley a bit and try to follow the map… if you ever get lost, you can type “recall” to return to the Mos Eisley space port, right by Mace Windu. -*NOTE* Recall will only work if you have acquired less then 100k experience.- For a little tour, you can follow Bollux at the spaceport and he’ll take you around and show you the sights. When you find the Guild you want to join, look for the Guildmaster and type “join”. You may practice skills while at your Guildmaster– to see a list of skills you already have or skills you may learn, type “prac”. Type “prac <skill name>” to learn the new skills (make sure to practice right after you join)! *NOTE* To practice skills, you must have practice sessions… you gain one practice session for each level gained. Combat and experience- OK, to accomplish anything here, you must gain experience (exp). Exp is obtained most commonly through combat against Mobiles (mobs)… type “k <mob name>” to initiate battle. The exp can be spent at your Guildmaster to raise your level (type “gain”), “train” your stats, or spent by attacking the training dummies near the Guildmasters to slowly improve your fighting ability. To see a full overview of your exp, credits, and any spell affects, type “sc f” (score full). As you gain levels, you must practice your skills at your guildmaster… ie, “prac skillname”. The training area up, east, then down from the space port has good mobs that a new character can beat on 🙂 Remember to watch your Hitpoints (HP) in battle, you can recall in the middle of battle to escape, or type “flee” to run into an adjacent room if your HP is low… but be warned, fleeing isn’t a sure thing. To help you determine how difficult a mob is, use the consider command (“cons <mob name>). It will give you a rough idea of what you’re dealing with. Also, be warned… some mobs are not content to let you strike the first blow.
To assist new players, there is a mob 2 rooms up from the space port named Alwolf that will heal you if you say “alwolf please heal me”. Space Combat-
Before we even THINK about heading into space, pay a visit to the piloting guildmaster (1n,2e,2s from port) and practice piloting as much as possible. (type prac pilot while in the room with the guildmaster until it says you can’t train anymore.) In space, the battles occur differently- First off, you need a ship! Instead of your normal hitpoints, mana, and movement stats, you have Hull rating, Shield Rating, and Mana. During combat, attacks will drain your shields first, then start to hit your hull once your shields reach 0%. If your hull reaches 0%… you guessed it… *BOOM*. If you die in space, your ship is destroyed. To fix your ship before this happens, beginners can have William Deergood (2w and up from piloting guildmaster) repair their ships for free (just say “william please repair me”). When you get too big for William to help, you can pay Auran to repair your ship, or you could just sleep in Tatooine’s orbit… there is a repair dock that will slowly fix your hull. There is a space training area 1w and up from the piloting guildmaster that will help you get your space-legs.
*DEATH* Muhahahaha!
If your character dies in combat, you will enter the game at the same place where you rented last (more on renting later), completely naked. You will have to go back to the room in which you died, and retrieve your equipment from your corpse… but be warned, many mobs like to grab things while the owner is away. From levels 1-59, the only penalty for dying (other than annoyance) is a loss of EXP, possibly dropping you to the next level down. You will hear higher level players talk about “subbing” eq, which means that after level 60, sometimes pieces of EQ can be destroyed when a character dies.
Death traps (DT)
These are special rooms in the mud with a particularly sinister purpose– to catch careless players and strip them of all their equipment. Be careful when exploring new areas, read the room descriptions and make use of the “exit” command… it will tell you the room descriptions of every adjacent room. Deathtraps are usually made very obvious by their room description… I.E. “A Gigantic Whirring FAN BLADE!” *NOTE* A deathtrap should never be “Too Dark To Tell”. If you do encounter a “dark” DT, make sure an Immortal is informed. You cannot flee into a death trap.
Equipment (EQ) and items
There are many kinds of EQ in RotJ, and many different places on your character’s body to wear things. There are 5 different basic types of EQ… things you “wear”, I.E. armor, gloves, patches, etc.; weapons that you “wield”, typically blasters for mercenaries and bounty hunters, daggers for smugglers, lightsabers for Jedi, hammers and the like for technicians, and force crystals for Sith; flashlights and lamps that you “light”; space ships that you “pilot”; speeders that you “ride”. You get a basic weapon and armor when you join your class, make sure to “wear all” and “wield” the weapon on hand.
There are also many kinds of items, including single use potions (quaff <potion name>) and scrolls/general items (use <item name>). There are also some items that you can use more than once, these must be held in a free hand (“hold <item>), then utilized (“util <item> <target>). Each multi-use item has a set number of charges.
Renting
To save your character and store EQ for your next session, you must go to a hotel. The most convenient hotel is located 1 room south, 2 east and 1 up from the space port. Type “offer” to get a breakdown of cost and how long you may remain inactive, then type “rent” to exit the mud. If you run out of money while rented, all your eq will disappear, so if you are planning a long vacation from the mud, go to the cryo center 1 north from the hotel reception and for one flat fee you may rent for extended periods of time.
Quests!
In RotJ, there are 2 kinds of quests… quests that are run by immortals and autoquests. (note! don’t badger immortals for quests, it is the best way to not get one.) There are 3 autoquests for beginners that will help you get some basic equipment, credits and exp. First, your guildmaster will ask you to run a few errands… just say “yes” to start. The “qlog” command will give you the next step if you forget along the way. Next, Alwolf (2 up from port) is running a scavenger hunt… “sign” up and bring the items he requests and give them to him. Lastly, William Deergood (2w and up from the piloting guildmaster) is holding a scavenger hunt for spacers… just like Alwolf, “sign” up and get the items. (Note- make sure to complete Alwolf’s and Deergood’s quest before level 10.) There are many other autoquests available from mobs all over the galaxy… keep your eyes open, usually they will talk to you. The rewards for autoquests include experience, credits, items, and quest points. Quest points may be spent at various merchants within the Mos Eisley Cantina, which is west then down from port.
A BIG Tip!
Always always ALWAYS have at least one personal distress probe on hand if you can’t use recall anymore. Using them will send you straight to the space port… extremely useful to escape a hopeless battle or get out of an area you’re stuck in. These can be purchased at Heff’s Souvenir’s, Mos Eisley’s Force shop, locate 2 south, 2 west, and one north of the space port. Type “list” at a shopkeeper to see their wares. *NOTE* Most of the players here will refer to a probe as a pass… you can type either “use probe” or “use pass”. Heff’s also sells many other useful items, make sure to browse.
Useful commands to know!
- “autoexit” – type once to toggle an automatic display of every available exit from every room you enter.
- “autocredit” – type once to automatically pick up the credits from a defeated enemy.
- “autoloot” – type once to automatically take all the items from a defeated enemy.
- “wimpy <HP value>” – type this in to automatically attempt to flee from battle when your hp hits a certain level. Cannot be more than 1/2 of your total hp. You get a slight exp bonus for not using wimpy.
- “help” – Self explanatory!
- “ask <type your question>” – ask the other players for help or advice. Hopefully we aren’t feeling grumpy.
I hope this little guide was useful for you, and I hope you have as much fun here as I do! 🙂
