A Far-off Ghost Town: A Discussion of Why Fartown isn't Used.
Posted by: Cerberus on 2006-06-04
Category: Gameplay
If one would like to really analyze the dis-use of Fartown, one should further note the reasons for the use of other towns. Because, Fartown itself is not without interest-- it has a unique quest, a comical pair of brothers, a bank (Bran and Caer don't have that), and even a cannon. Not to mention perhaps one of the most creative descriptions in the game... a town made of woven grass! I enjoy walking through and reading the descriptions in and around that town more than any other, save perhaps Ryndall (which is another rarely used town).
So what then is keeping Fartown from use as compared to other towns like Dundee, Milltown, Branishor, and Caernivale, and Port Perfadis?
1) Lack of regional high-traffic hunting areas.
2) No service as a cross-roads to other locations.
One could further stipulate a few other reasons such as elucidators, merchants, guild halls, and I will add those at another time, but the two above reasons are the basis of my argument.
Firstly, whether one tends to believe this or not, the Dark Grimoire is a game based on hunting, farming, and leveling. The roleplay has and always comes second to more players than not. I'm not arguing that point here, just stating it. I perhaps shall argue it at another time elsewhere. Now that I've digressed, let's return to the reason I say this: the use of towns is determined by their usefulness relative to the gaming aspects of the Dark Grimoire. Thusly, when a town serves few oft-used hunting grounds and no access points to other areas, it also serves few players.
For the most part, Fartown can be see as servicing 4 distinct sets of hunting grounds: The shoreline, the Tall Grasslands Minor, the Tall Grasslands Major, and the Verthedge Forest. However, each of these areas are serviced by another town or compete with other hunting grounds of the same level. However, I'll go through case by case eachother to indulge my wordiness =).
The Shoreline: when one exits fartown, and walks around its walls to the south, he/she will eventually run into the ocean. It's bound to happen on an island continent ;). This shoreline stretches all along the Tall Grasslands and spawns creatures in the level 32 to 34 range: Giant Sea-Turtles, Montrous Beach Iguanas, and Pirate Scouts. Each of these creatures can be found on the Midnight Beach below Caernivale, and are more oft hunted there as Caernivale is easier often easier to reach from the lower level locations near Milltown than Fartown is. Furthermore, two other sets of creatures spawn in this range of levels: (1) Giant Ants of various types found in the Endless Desert, below the Wall, and in the Black Wastelands and (2) Magma Fissure/Fire Cavern creatures such as the Cinder Cyclops and Lava Titan found beneath the sewers in Dundee. I hardly no of single adventurer that would take the time to travel to fartown to hunt the shore spawning a mix of creatures (thus making level 32 extremely difficult to hunt whereas 34 would be extremely ineffecient at times killing weaker creatures), when they can access easier and get more gold (at least of the Giant Ant Young Workers).
Tall Grasslands Minor: by minor I refer to the lower level range serviced by these areas, which generally are just off the path through the Tall Grasslands from the Eastern Mountains Pass to Fartown. This area spawns level 23 and 24 creatures: Bandit Attack Dogs and Grassland Bandits respectively. While these creatures are found in no other location in Trinald, they again directly compete with other creatures. The level 23 Fire Imps in the Magma Fissure below the Dundee Sewers drop more gold for the same experience. Furthermore, the level 24 Shadow Scourges and Wall Zombies spawn in tandem in the Wall, near a high sell price merchant in the Wall Tower without being mixed in with a level 23 creature (which the Grassland Bandit would be). Not only that, but the Grasslands Minor can be reached relatively easily through the Eastern Mountain pass from Branishor, and often is. As Branishor serves as a much more central location in Valorn giving ferry access to Dundee.
Tall Grasslands Major: by major I refer to the higher level range serviced by these areas, which generally are further into the grasslands and border with the shoreline. These areas spawn level 38 to 40 creatures: Tiger Spiders, Grass Stalkers, and Greater Tiger Spiders. These are actually good hunts! The Tiger Spiders and Greater Tiger Spiders drop a good deal of plat, even if they are mixed with Grass Stalkers. However, again these creatures in direct competition with another more favored set of creatures: the Verthedge Forest spawn. These level 38 creatures don't drop a lot of good, and their items are too heavy to farm; however, Verthedge Forest is host to the Brown Crystal Gaurdian and I've known more than one adventurer to take the time to hunt level 38 and 39 there just in hopes of finding a Brown Crystal or two.
But, one says "Verthedge Forest is serviced by Fartown!". No, not truly.
Verthedge Forest: as mentioned above is a level 38 hunting ground that mixes in some Brown Crystal Gaurdians and is certainly a high traffic area for that level and even the next. Yet, the unfortunate fact is that it is virtually unreachable through the Tall Grasslands from Fartown for players hunting at level there. Because, they cannot readily pass the Tall Grasslands Major which block the south entrance to Verthedge. Instead, adventurers travel through the Eastern Mountains from Branishor to get to Verthedge. So, we see again, Fartown loses out to Branishor for use.
If in fact these 4 hunting areas were used more frequently and accessible readily from Fartown, we would see more adventurers tying to the Fartown Life Monument and skipping about the town. However, competition with other hunting areas and the out of the way location of Fartown result in these locations lack of use and thus a lack of use of Fartown.
Secondly, unlike the more visited towns such as Dundee, Milltown, Branishor, and Caernivale, Fartown is a hub to nowhere. Service as a crossroads begets not only traffic, but stop-offs i.e. players passing through that stop to shop, chat, and rest resulting in greater use.
Let's just review these other more oft used towns to get an idea of why they're so useful compared to Fartown:
Dundee acts as a hub to: the Sewers, the Plains, the South Plains, the Swamp, Ethucan, Milltown, N'rolav, the Dark Forest, the Ogre Village, the Prairie, the Bromodic Hills, Caernivale, Guild Hall Lane, the Dark Passageway, Branishor and more. It is also the town where new adventurers enter.
Milltown acts as a hub to: the Endless Desert, the Dark Forest, N'rolav, the Spectral Farm, the Bromodic Hills, Caer Llaledan, the Desert Excavated Tomb, the Giant Ant Hill, the Wall, the Golden Age Knowledge Machine, Ryndall, Dundee, Branishor, Caernivale, the Western Mountains, the Ice Cavern, and more.
Branishor acts as a hub to: Dundee, Milltown, Fartown, the Wall, the Golden Age Knowledge Machine, the Giant Ant Hill, the Wastelands, the Eastern Mountains, Verthedge Forest, the Tall Grasslands, and more.
Caernivale acts as a hub to: Port Perfadis, Kilican Hunting Grounds, Branishor, Midnight Beach, the Western Mountains, the Ice Cavern, a Cannon, N'rolav, and more.
Whereas the only real means of travel from Fartown is the unrealiable Cannon and heading towards Branishor through the Eastern Mountains to access other outlets.
So, basically we've seen that Fartown's serviced Hunting Areas are not heavily used and Fartown doesn't act as a hub to many useful locations (as compared to other towns) which results in a rather empty lil' Grass village in Eastern Valorn.
Note: this wasn't meant to discuss if Fartown needs to be revamped, if it's worthless, or means to get more traffic there. Just to discuss why its not used to add to discussion in this Thread on the DG Forums without posting any spoilers on those Forums directly.