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PlaneShift FAQ

+ Location Questions

+ Where are the sewers?
Go left from the blacksmith in Hydlaa and follow the city walls until you find a large hole in the ground. There is also a second entrance behind the tavern.
+ Where is the tavern?
Starting from Hydlaa Plaza, look to the left of the large red temple for a ramp/street in the direction of the taller brown tower. Take that street and then go up the first staircase on your left. Follow its curve, and you'll see the tavern on your left eventually. Can't miss the sign of mugs above Kada-El's doors.
+ Where is the Hydlaa Library?
Starting from Hydlaa Plaza, look to the right of the large red temple for a wide passageway into the eastern part of the city. Follow the road - the library will be a building on your left, slightly enclosed by walls.
+ Where is the town of Ojaveda?
Exit Hydlaa from the east gate, in the same sector as Jayose's library, and follow the road across the Ojaroad Plains. It's a long walk, but eventually you will find the dsar of Akkaio, one of many dsars that make up Ojaveda city. (If you chose an Enki character, you will start here.)
+ Where is the Magic Shop?
Exit Hydlaa from the north gate - from the center plaza with the Laanx Statue, look toward a tall brown tower and make your way towards it. After exiting through the gate, continue through the forest path and then take the right fork as soon as you see it.
+ Where are the Bronze Doors?
Exit Hydlaa the same way as to the Magic Shop, but take the left fork instead of the right. The way can be long, but just follow the road.

+ Death Realm Questions

+ What happens when I die?
You are whisked away to the Death Realm, where you must escape it to return to the realm of the living. In Crystal Blue the Death Realm is very small, but it will be expanded later to include many traps and puzzles for players to solve before returning to life.
+ I can't find the exit from the Death Realm!
We can't help you with a walkthrough - so your best bet is to ask for aid from your fellow fallen. If they know of the exit, they will help you - and there is no shame at asking for help in a social game. You can always type '/die' to be taken back to the beginning if you get thoroughly lost, or stuck. Worse comes to worse, follow people out!

+ Training Questions

+ What do I need in order to train a skill?
First you need some Progression Points and Trias. Second you need to find the trainer that can help you in the skill you want - ask around in-game for further help in finding them.
+ What are progression points, how do I get them and how do I use them?
Progression Points (PPs) are the points you get from using skills (such as fighting, mining, etc.). They are used to train the theoretical part of skills with NPC trainers or to train statistics like Strength, Agility, etc.
+ How many progression points do I need to train 1 point in a certain skill or stat?
Open your "Skills and stats" window and look at the desired skill you want to train. You'll notice there are 3 coloured bars on the right of the skill name. If the blue bar above is longer than the yellow bar, you have enough progression points to train a level. The amount of progression points and Trias required for this action will increase though as you progress, so for a higher level in a certain skill, you will require more progression points and money.
+ Yeah, but HOW do I train?
After finding the trainer, select him or her and type "/train". Then select the skill you want to train and click on the "Buy Skill" icon. You have to train until the yellow bar turns green completely, and the next thing is the practical training for which you have to use the skill you trained in order to level up.
+ How do I get magic?
You will need to buy a glyph from the magic shop or get one from a quest, purify it, and learn the spell. You will also need to find a trainer that teaches the magic Way (or school) your spell is in.

+ Trading/Working/Crafting Questions

+ How can I make some money?
Trias are sometimes given through NPC quests, and often from GM (Game Master) quests. The usual source of income is hunting however, so find yourself some rats (Hydlaa's sewers and the warehouse of Akkaio have plenty) and hunt there for a while, selling their parts to merchants. Another choice is mining, but you will need a pick and some training provided by Harnquist at the blacksmith's to begin.
+ How do I mine?
Buy a pick, equip it in your right hand, find the right spot to mine and type "/dig <>" where <> can be gold, silver, iron, coal, tin, zinc, diamond, emerald, or ruby. The number of materials you can find this way will continue to increase. Ask other players in-game for help in finding mining spots.

+ Quest Questions

+ Why will nobody tell me quest solutions?
The quests are far more rewarding to complete yourself, rather than have people telling you the answers. This applies even more so during the early stages of CB, where there is little content to keep you occupied. The developers wish people to not post quest answers in the forums or on web sites - telling friends or guild-members privately, however, is generally okay. But think again before asking the solution to a quest. The greatest reward you can get from completing the quest is the satisfaction of solving it all by yourself. The advisors will not be able to help you with quests either.
+ Talking to NPCs is confusing. How do I get a quest?
There are several ways to ask NPCs for a quest. "Give me a quest" works when talking to Sharven, for instance. Play around with phrases using the word "quest," "work," or "job" and eventually something will be accepted (that is, of course, unless the NPC you're talking to does not give a quest.) The NPC dialogue system is almost constantly being improved, so while it can be rather frustrating to try to speak to them right now, it won't remain that way forever. There are also certain NPCs that will give you a guest but which don't respond to phrases like "give me a quest". Try asking them "tell me about you" or just "about you" and then work your way from there, asking them others "about..." type questions based on the reply they gave you before.

+ Colors and GUI Questions

+ What do the name label colors mean?
Blue - normal players in the same group/party.
Cyan - computer controlled characters (NPCs).
Light Green - normal players.
Green - new GMs and certain testing characters.
Yellow - Game Masters.
Light Red - Developers.
Red - items and dead characters.
+ What do the yellow, green, red, and blue bars near the skills mean?
Skill Bar:

Yellow - Amount of theoretical knowledge (training) needed before you start the practical part (working with that skill).
Green - Amount of theoretical knowledge achieved (when training) or amount of practical experience (when practicing).
Red - Amount of practical experience required up to next level.
Blue - Your current progression points. (If the blue bar is longer than the yellow bar, you can complete the theoretical training for the skill in question.)
+ What do the coloured bars in my status window represent?
Skill Bar:





HP (red) - Health Points are associated with blood. This is an indicater of your Health and is a combination of Strength + Agility + Endurance
Mana (violet) - Mana (from hawaian word for might) is associated with mysticism. This is the spellpower or amount of magical energy used to cast spells.
Phys. Stamina (green) - Physical Stamina is associated with walking on earth. This is an indicator of your Endurance, from walking long distances to doing back-breaking tasks.
Ment. Stamina (grey) - Mental Stamina is associated with brain. This is an indicator of your mental fitness and concentration during such activities as digging ore or fighting.
Experience (yellow) - Experience is associated with energy. This is a percentage indicator when you recieve your next Progression Point.

+ Targeting/Fighting Questions

+ There are too few monsters, and other people always kill them too fast!
You'll have to be patient on this one. The developers will add more spawns soon, but for now, please try to not cause tension by fighting NPCs other people are already waiting for, unless necessary for roleplay. If a monster is "camped" by somebody and you can't find any other free monster to kill, you can always approach the person and ask him/her politely to group with you so you can share the loot and progression points. Please use /tell to clear up any misunderstandings.
+ In which hand should I put my weapon?
It doesn't matter in which hand you are holding the weapons. You will hit with both hands as long as you have fighting items equipped (that includes fists). If you equip a non fighting/defensive item (mug/shield) you will only hit with one hand. The only things you MUST equip in the proper (Right) hand are the rock pick and repair kits. Equip them on the Left and you can't do the related activities.
+ Does having two weapons help?
Yes, you hit with both hands so it helps.
+ Why am I getting the message "<>" is impervious to attack" when I try to attack a monster?
If you are getting this message that means that the program controlling the NPC's behaviour (npcclient) has either crashed or it has been shut down by a developer in order to improve/fix something. Nobody knows when the program will be restarted, so don't ask too often.

+ Miscellaneous

+ How do I repair my weapons/armors?
You have to buy or create a repair kit. While wielding the item to repair in your right hand you can repair it with the command /repair as long as you are skilled enough to do this.
+ How do I recognize a GM?
GMs and developers are in the Game Masters Guild. You can use the command "/who game" to list the ones online for you.
+ How can I avoid fall damage?
As a young character, it is all too easy to die through fall damage. The general advice is this: don't jump from objects, don't run down staircases, and take care when traveling across dangerous paths where it may be easy to slip. Sometimes bugs do occur and your character will plummet to his or her doom from a height that looks no more than four feet - unfortunate, but try to be as safe as you can. Also, because of certain graphics bugs, your character can fall through the floor to the end of the world. Try to avoid the spots that can trigger this event and find some alternative routes.
+ Y DOES EVRY1 H8TE ME!??
Stop shouting at them! Using capslock and chatspeak all the time makes you sound loud, rude, and immature. It's also an eyesore, and not roleplay-compliant, so please type normally.
+ How do I open doors?
You can't currently open any doors that aren't already open.
+ My map is too dark! I can't see where I'm going.
If adjusting the brightness/gamma settings of your monitor doesn't work, try running the game with the -fullbright command. It will eliminate lighting completely (and thus be warned: the game won't appear as pretty and you won't be able to tell night from day). On Windows you can right-click on your PlaneShift shortcut, hit Properties, find the Target line and add a space and -fullbright at the very end.
+ How do I create a macro?
Right-click on one of the free slots in the shortcuts list (which is found down the left side of your screen by default - it already has buttons like Attack, Sell, Tell, Say, etc) and click the button. You can then set the name for the macro, and then the chat command you wish it to type when the button is pressed. You can also queue 2 or more commands (i.e for creating an attack shortcut you can use the following combo: /target clear, /target next npc, /attack <<1-5>> placing each command on a new row and without the <<>> signs).
+ I'm stuck in a place I can't get out from and I can't move!
Type "/unstick" - that will move you to a safe spot. If that doesn't work you can type /die to commit suicide and return to the Death Realm.
+ Why is it that some characters get spawned in Hydlaa (main city) and others in Ojaveda (Enkidukai city)?
Some spawns take you to your origins. Currently only the Enkidukai have their spawn in a separate city, but once each race has its own towns and settlements, all characters will spawn in their rightful places.
+ How can I buy a house?
Player-owned buildings is something that will be possible only in the future. There is no such feature yet.
+ What does "roleplay" mean?
Planeshift is a Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (M.M.O.R.P.G). That means that your character lives in a virtual world, has a background story and interacts with other characters. Role playing means that you adjust your chat in concordance with the setting of the game, with your character's background and with the other characters you meet ingame. Talking out of character (ooc) is prohibited in the normal chat but you can act ooc when whispering to another player using the command "/tell". The background story of your character is decided by you and, as long as it fits in the setting of the game, there is no limit to it but your imagination.
+ I can't see certain players or NPCs!
That may be caused by the fact that you lagged when entering a sector of the map. Changing sector and returning or reloading the client will help you.
+ Is there a way to make the client load the new regions faster?
Yes, checking the "Keep maps loaded" option in pssetup will help because if you already loaded a certain map you won't have to load it again when you return there. However, this will take a good amount of memory.
+ I read the Player Guide and the Gameplay FAQ, but I still need help in-game...
Use the help channel (the tab on the right in your communications window). An advisor will answer your question.
+ I don't like my character creation choices, will you change my gender/race/etc?
The choices you have made for your character during the creation process are final; you can change them only by remaking your entire character. No developer or Game Master will make such changes for you.
+ Will there be Player vs. Player combat in Planeshift?
Yes, you can challenge someone to a duel and fight - currently they have to accept your challenge for the right to begin. At the end, the winner of the duel receives duel points. One can use PvP mode anywhere, but it is customary to fight in stadiums and/or arenas.
+ What will you do to prevent unwanted PvP?
All PvP activity requires the approval in some fashion of both parties (setting which can be changed from the Options menu), whether it is stepping into an arena, agreeing to a duel, or participating in a guild war. If the other player doesn't agree and the first player attacks, guards and gods will stop that fight in such a way that attackers will be scared even to think of attacking someone else.
+ How large will the Planeshift world be?
There will be eight underground levels to explore. Each level is like a region, it has cities and dungeons. Beyond that our world will expand in the Stone Labyrinths and through portals you will reach different world/dimensions.
+ The screenshots on the "Pics" page are of different quality, some really nice others not. Is that what the game will look like?
The pictures posted on the screenshots sections do not represent the final look of the game. Those should be considered only as a reference of the current status of development.
+ Will each city be different such as races/alignment/shops/items found there?
Yes, each city will have a predominant race and a different architecture. You will find different economy, prices and items.
+ What are guilds?
Guilds are pretty much another name for clans. Characters with a good amount of (in-game) money and a number of followers can build a new guild. They can invite friends to be part of it, giving them titles. A guild is normally associated to a job in Ylikaum society, like merchants, weaponsmithy, etc. But a guild can be also created for other reasons, knowledge, defense, politics etc.
+ Does the PlaneShift client contain any spyware or ads?
Absolutely not. The PlaneShift client does not read any personal info, does not pop up any ads and does not contain any spyware. The source code is open for anyone to see, so even if we wanted to do that, we could not hide anything. All the operations performed on your PC are clearly visible from the source code.
+ Who is the overall "leader" of PlaneShift? Who ensures quality and progress of this project?
Atomic Blue is lead by the board of directors that includes Keith "Vengeance" Fulton, Andrew "acraig" Craig and Luca "Talad" Pancallo. The board of directors ensures quality and progress as well as it determines the direction of the development. The project leader of PlaneShift is Luca Pancallo.
+ How can I become a member of the PS Team?
First go to the Recruitment section. Choose a certain department that you would most like to and be able to help out in, and fill out the application. You must sumbit a sort of portfolio and a resume. You will get more information from the team after that.
+ What does a W.T.B. Member mean?
It means Want To Be Member. You become a WTB after passing a first test to prove your skills and after contributing some good assets. After a period of dedication and contribution to the PS Team, the WTB can become Official members at the discretion of the leader of that department.
+ When connecting to the game, must my name be "role-playing style"?
Yes, absolutely. We will not allow names like "1m C001" or "Sw33t Ch33ks" or any other non rpg-related name. We do encourage the Role-Playing side of the game in all its aspects.
+ Are there in-game moderators to avoid bad behaviour, racism, sexism, harassment, etc.?
Yes, there are moderators, called Game Masters (GMs) who ensure safety and enjoyment of all players. We will not tolerate bad behaviour or violation of the PlayersPolicy

+ Technical Questions

+ The client tells me it's old, but I just downloaded it.
After downloading the full binary package and installing it, use the updater program to check if there are new updates available. You can find the updater in the PlaneShift Program group (on Windows: Start>PlaneShift>Updater). It will update your client to the latest version. Check the forums if you still run into problems.
+ The client tells me it's newer than server.
This may happen on rare cases, in which we are performing some maintenance on servers. You should wait a few hours and try to connect again. If the issue does not resolve itself by then, please check the forums.
+ Client crashes or updater crashes on startup.
If client crashes on startup the best thing is to run the updater again.

If the updater crashes on startup, try to open a command shell (on Windows select Start -->Run, then type cmd or seach Shell Prompt icon), then move to the directory where you have PS installed and type:

updater --auto

This will start the updater in a non-graphical mode that is a bit more stable. If you still get errors, you can check the forums to see if there is an alternate updater available. You can also try deleting the folder UpdaterTemp in your planeshift directory.

If nothing else here fixes your issues, as a last resort try completely uninstalling and reinstalling PlaneShift, then running the updater again.
+ When will the next release of PlaneShift be made?
The next minor release of PlaneShift is named SteelBlue. We will reach that release by adding pieces to the current public one, so you will get it piece by piece. The date by which we will reach all objectives set for Steel Blue is not available yet.
+ How big is the client for the demo?
To play the game, you will first need to download a client for your operating system (Windows, Linux, etc...). The client for the current tech demo is about 230 Megabytes. It will increase in size in subsequent releases. It contains an auto-update program that can download any necessary new software when you start the game.
+ Can you give us a release date for the final product?
PlaneShift is a free and non-profit project, and so our release dates are difficult to define. We are now working for next minor release, but we cannot yet give you release date for the final product.
+ What are the minimum hardware requirements to run the game?
The hardware requirement are connected to our 3D engine, Crystal Space. The engine is continuously evolving and so the requirements are not written in stone. A PIII 600Mhz with 512Mb of RAM and a Geforce 2 card is probably the minimum. The most important aspect is RAM at the moment, so if you have a very good machine, but 256Mb of RAM, PlaneShift will probably run badly.

For best results you need a PIII 1ghz with 512 RAM and a GeForce3 or equivilant card. More ram is recommended, especially if you want to keep many maps loaded to avoid having to zone.

In game there are settings to reduce visual quality and improve performances on lower machines. Check the options menu. The Adaptive Camera setting may help improve performance. You can also try the setup program (start menu>Planeshift>Setup). Here you can turn down texture quality with the Texture Downsampling and adjust other settings to vastly improve performance.
+ Will PlaneShift run on Windows, Mac, Linux, etc...?
We have tested PlaneShift under Windows (98, NT, 2000, XP), various Linux distributions and MacOS. We plan to keep these 3 platforms for now.
+ Will there be regular updates? When is the next update?
Yes! We continuously work on adding content. You can expect to see something new every two months, but it really depends on internal development plans, so we cannot guarantee a precise time.
+ The game doesn't work properly on my machine, how do I report the "bug"?
Go to the PS Bugtracker to submit a new bug. Read other reported bugs FIRST, to avoid submitting a duplicate. Be sure to fill the information provided below or your message will be discarded:

Time of test:
OS:
Processor:
RAM:
Video Card:
Video Card Memory:
PS Client Version:
Description of the bug:


Example:

Time of test: 3 May, 12:00 AM EST
OS: Windows 98, First Edition
Processor: AMD Athlon 800 Mhz
RAM: 384 Mb
Video Card: Voodoo 3 3000
Video Card Memory: 16 Mb
PS Client Version: 0.3.005

Description of the bug: Title screen and menu screen are experiencing graphical glitches. As soon as I move the mouse on a button is flickers.

+ Chat Questions

+ What is the PlaneShift chat?
For online chat about the game, we have an IRC (Internet Relay Chat) channel (or "room") on the freenode network. Freenode is a network created for opensource projects. To join the channel, you need to get an IRC client. There are many clients available, but reviewing each one is beyond the scope of this FAQ. For more information, see Using The Network on the freenode website.
+ How do I join the PlaneShift IRC channel?
If you know how to use your client, here is the info you are looking for:

Server: irc.freenode.net
Channel: #planeshift
Port: 6667
+ What public PlaneShift-related channels are there?
#planeshift -- General Fan Channel
#planeshift-build -- Help building the PlaneShift client
#planeshift-gmtalk -- The point of contact for players needing GM assistance
#planeshift-events -- Discussion about GM/player run events
#planeshift-wiki -- Discussion about the PlaneShift wiki
#ps-mc -- The PlaneShift Meta-community for artists and modders