The Story of Shardik, my Doctor.

[_______________Docui]

Hi All,

I"m going to try and start up with this diary of my Doctor. I don't know if this is going to be popular, or not, but I will attempt to make it so for those people who actually read it.

The purpose of this is to try and detail what it is like for someone who has never played this game before to start off as a doctor and how I come to make the choices I make.

This Log of my Doc will include both IC and OOC details of his adventures within the game as well as RL events that take place to affect my game play. I shall try to keep it uptodate with atleast 1 post every 2 days or so. We shall see.

So with that here we go... hope everyone enjoys the ride.

Oh, by the way, if anyone thinks this is total hubris, please feel free to chime in.

[_______________Docui]

Okay, so I've already logged in and played to Level 5 a doc already. I however feel that I will probably axe him and start again. Why you might ask? Well, simply because I think for the purposes of this thread and for my own feelings I need to start him fresh.

So yes, that answers my first question, male or female. Male simply because well I am. Nuff said.

Now, when it comes to race, to my mind Solly is the way to go. I'm an 'All-Rounder' type of player. I don't want to be Supra Leet on one thing at the expense of being gimped somewhere else. So That said Solly is the way to go. Second to that I would have picked Atrox simply for the style, but at the end of the day I'm still a Complete noob player and choosing to be a doc right out of the gates is not something for me.

Side. Hm, how to go from here. Clan's have the romance attached to the underdog side of the fight, however the possibilities with joining the Company are also there. Neutral is out simply because you have to make a choice in my view and besides, isn't the romance of someone who has seen the darkside and come to the light better anyways? That will be decided much much later.

Subtype of Doc. Well I've been playing MA so far with my Doc, and despite many many people saying that I'm crazy for it. I think there has to be a little panache somewhere and being able to save lives with one hand and seriously layeth the smack down with the other. Well Fun.

So, from there. I am off to nix my old Shardik, and re-create.

See you on the RK-1 Flipside. Hey, feel free to throw me a line in this thread or PM or /tell. Believe me, I've already talked to a few of you, and will no doubt detail my pitfalls here.

[Zanthyna]

Sounds great so far! I can't wait to read about the trials and tribulations of Shardik. Also, I would suggest you take screenshots at memorable moments, just in case you ever want to make this into a 'scrapbook' and put it on the web (i.e. "here's me with my first set of armor...god, didn't I look silly back then").

As far as faction goes, right now Omni is the underdog (as far as actual players and land control goes), but since there will be plenty of IC, I suggest you go with whatever feels most natural to the character.

And one last request, please please please take a screenshot of the first time you are asked for SFA (make sure you have your status window open so we can see your level), and make sure to post it.

Above anything else, remember to have fun (it sounds like you are on the right track).

[Stel]

Sounds great so far! I can't wait to read about the trials and tribulations of Shardik.

So do I. Gimme more !! Please

An amazing Idea, i read about it in one of your first posts but wasn't able to answer. Glad you brought this to life.

Also, I would suggest you take screenshots at memorable moments, just in case you ever want to make this into a 'scrapbook' and put it on the web (i.e. "here's me with my first set of armor...god, didn't I look silly back then").

Oh yes please !!! I'm so furious about myself i never screenshotted my first char in her lowbies level, it would have been really great. Please do it if you have time...

Good Luck in docing and writing (pleasant style to read by the way) (Oh and i'm french so u style may be awfull... sorry for that... By the way i find it pleasant to read )

[_______________Docui]

IC
You know, there's just something about dirt under your feet that I'll never get over. Sure the plating of spacestations is an interesting thing, and while I don't suffer from the cold feet on the bare plate, I still like the feel of solid firmament under me.

So, here I am, fresh out of Med-School and off to Rome I go eh? Well that's just fine by me. I tell you, after the years in Omni-Med Boot Camp, I'm ready to sink my hands into some good company work. They tell me that I'm going to do just fine in Rome and around the rest of Rubi-Ka, but I'll have to see.

You know this holo thing they've got here is pretty good. Though I have to say that Hippocrates never envisoned someone having their DNA Recombined and spit out like a drink out of some Old Earth Vend-O-Matic. I tell you those holo critters HURT! It's not nice when some flying twreeting bugger claws you in the neck and next thing you know you're standing next to the recompiler. Well whatever. I should have paid more attention in those self-defense classes in school but I guess I was just to stinkin busy worrying about passing my multi-phase biology, or my xeno-chemistry finals to really care if someone wanted to throw me around on the gym floor.

In the end, I think my hands are going to have to do my work, you know something. I can save lives with these hands, but I think If I want to save my own...er.. well yeah. Anyways. If I don't want to be spending the rest of my days sitting outside a recompiler/DNA matter resequencer or whatever you want to call it, I better learn to lay some smack with these two mitts. I think if I put a weapon into it, I'll be taking a cheap road. So it's self-defense and maybe I'll find a dojo or two to actually attend some classes.

Now, I know what you're thinking... sure, what' the point of medicine and learning surgery and healing when you're never going to die and so on and so on, but Darn it Jim, I'm a Doctor, not a Philosopher.

Okay, so what kind of Doctor are you then Shardik, if you can't even get your holo player to stop blinking 12:00 12:00 12:00. Well yeah, that's true, and as soon as I can figure out how to work my holo-camera in 3D mode I will. Till then I'll just have to live with my old 2D images... as soon as I can figure out how to up load them.

More later.

~S

Oh, PS. Anyone twits me about the spelling in grammar in this, I'll show them what it's like to have an old earth phyiscal! I read about those and let me tell you....

OOC

Okay, I love the picture Idea, I'll have to upload some as soon as possible.

Now, I'm lvl 5 or so, got some money, some armour and a mission or two under my belt. But in the end, I read the guides on what the best implants for doctors are and am still lost. That's something that's going to have to be looked into. I finally hit a breakthrough when I realized that an Implant has 3... implants. But there you go. ANother thing, there seems to be two levels of items. Kickares! (10's~100's Kcred items) and rinkydink items. No middle ground. That's weird.

Another thing that doesn't quite hit you is how BIG! this place is. Rome is huge and then I ended up in some... park. And then in what looked like a wilderness theme park, followed by some uber dark industrial sector looking place.

Crazy.

IRL

Wow, works crazy! No lunch today, nothing but work and Email and the SO home sick with a migrane. Don' t know If I'll be able to play tonight but we'll see.

Stelai, C'est domage pour vouz!

Ciao!

[Stel]

Hehe, thank you for this episode.

All parts are pleasant, i'm looking forward to have screenshots to feed my eyes

This is the very beginning and describing your toy background is funny. I'm really waiting to read fights stories, or things like that.

OOC part is cool too. It's quite funny to re-discover all theses things that were bugging me at very start in this game.

And about IRL, i wish you will be better soon, slow down working, working may seriously harm your health

Well time for me to work a bit too. Have a nice day

Stelai, C'est domage pour vouz!

Oh, How cute it is

[_______________Docui]

IC
Hey! I finally got the camera working!

Look at the new duds!

http://members.rogers.com/willspano/wave.html

Pretty nice!

Well you know something, people just piss me off, I mean here I am, I go into an apartment block, because there is a fire, and someone is hurt, and so I go, right? Well people start trying to beat me up! I mean helloooo, Doctor here, saving lives and so forth. Well the heck with that, I gave them the rough end of the pineapple. It's a good thing the new gloves are self-cleaning!

Let me tell you!

OOC

So yeah, Zanthyna, what's SFA? Just curious as I'm a noober.

So I'm looking to find some sort of Cabal. Start a Doctors Org or something, I don't quite know how I'm going to set it up. Maybe I'll just join a team.

So I'm wondering something about towers and so forth. Big edifices to mine notum etc. yeah I get that. But are they key "Castle" points to the struggle for land control?

RL

Work bites, thank goodness next weekend is a long one.

Peace!
Edit: The Hyperlink to a *.html.

[Zanthyna]

SFA = Superior First Aid, a +80 treatment buff that everyone needs when doing implants. The mere fact that only higher level docs can cast it doesn't stop people from all over Rubi-Ka from typing /list doctor and then (ignoring the listed docs' levels) /telling them asking for the buff. The first time you get one, do us all a favor, and open your stats window (so we can see your level) and take a screenshot.

[Scamley]

I think the first time i got asked for it was around lvl 85.

[_______________Docui]

IC
You know something? It's been a few days now, I'm out and about, and I Really don't know anyone. I've saved a few burn victims, gotten some equipment back online. Omni-Tek Has rewarded me handsomely. However, aside from a trip out into the bush where I got to a place called 'Area Y', seeing a few new tower complexes and so forth. Things have been pretty quiet.

I've been about healing people as things go and they're really nice about it, but not really communicative. Then again, I'm still trying to figure out where everything is. I've been to Rome Green, wow, It's Green. And out into the Countryside. But really? Nothing going on that makes me want to jump up and say WOO HA!

Well, no there was one thing. This one job finally got me my First group Heal. Which would be good... if I had a group. So I guess it's not that big a deal, but it's something.

I've put a few things in me... those DIY surgery stations are pretty nice. Someone gave me a mobile treatment lab as a side note. Which I still can't figure out but I will soon!

I've got a couple of implants now and they seem to make me move a heckuva lot faster and I feel a little bit smarter too. Kicking more behind and taking more names, I guess. But... something's missing, I don't quite know what. Anyways... later.

OOC
Well you read the IC part right? What does a noob < lvl 10 doc do? Hit the Subway? Get some Pillows? I hear they're valuable. Find a team? I like the team idea, but don't want to get screwed out of loot and stuff (which as an MA doc I find almost useless loot anyways) Any ideas folks?

RL

You know something? Collection agencies suck ass. I'm just trying to get my student loans taken care of and am going through the whole process to get a line of credit on my condo (which Is paid for). But the collection agency that my student loans went to, is putting the screws to me and I've just about had it with their threats of my 'bad credit report' blah blah blah. Yeah, it'll be listed as an outstanding debt that WAS PAID. If you wait a week or two for the paperwork to get done you'll get your frikken money. GRRR!

Anyways.

Peace.

[Stel]

Hehe, it seems nice.

For that level thing, the better thing you gotta do is to make XP fast. Taking some people hanging around making quick team mission with high difficulty (depends on the team value, but when i was young character, i used to take 100% difficulty if we were more than 2 or 3, but maybe it's cause it wasn't a very first char)

XP is quick at this level, team with everything u can, it will learn you how are team mish going, and you'll learn a lot about todo's and toavoid's looking at your team buddies fighting.

You can go to the subway quite soon, teaming inside is really easy, and, as you go deeper and deeper in the dungeon, you'll quickly reach the level 20 (or 25 ? can't remember) limit of this dungeon. After that well... A mishin with people, or teaming in ToTW, grabbin stuff (there's cool stuff to get in ToTW, especially for a doc...) After that you'll know quite enough to know what to do to level

Huummm i can't give you too much advices as i'm playing in the Clan side, and don't know what are good omni places to meet people, to make good XP, and that kind of stuff.

I wish you a good luck in your IC/OOC/RL trip, and go on posting

[_______________Docui]

IC
First entry

Sometimes, you see things, and you realize why you're here. Okay, so the boys from med class would call me a smutz but, this... was gorgeous.

http://members.rogers.com/willspano/sunrise.html

And it was a lovely walk in the back of beyond, looking for some guy who had shacked up with a bunch of creatures.... Till this hammer headed thing decided I'd make a good lunch.

Ow.


Second Entry

Well, that does it! You know something I don't like about this job? Is that by the time you get a team of people together, they go running off. Then when you give them a little help with some nanohealing over time, they then bitch at you for not being able to spot heal them for all the damage their taking. This in the middle of you getting surrounded by a bunch of shadowy type things in the subway? Forget that! So, I figure that my basic healing program now that I've been around for a bit. Just isn't enough.... now the hunt for the shops begin.

Third Entry

Wow... I've whoompahed to more places than I care to remember. And only a chance moment actually someone tells me where the shops are! Sure, I've seen the tower shops, the yalm shops and everything. But would anyone tell a newcomer where the shops with /reasonably/ priced stuff is? Well, someone did, finally thank goodness!

So, now that I'm not such a pansy about the healing, (which really is my job after all). Maybe I can find a group of people and see about getting some cleaning done.

Oh, another side note. While the med suit is really helping me get the job done that I'm supposed to, I wonder if it's really worth it going the route of trying to find some better armour? What should I do I wonder, should I try and stick to being the best healing doc I can? Or should I try for the more 'well-rounded' approach. I mean I'm just starting out.... Really? I don't know. Better decide soon though.

OOC
Symthia. THANK YOU! WOOT WOOT! Much love and props. Thanks for helping me find the shop, I was uber gimp. Still am, but not so horribly so now.

Now. Here's something to add to the list of newbie doc info. The /BASIC/ shop locations. As well, /tell helpbot commands. THAT THING ROCKS, as someone who had no clue... dood!

Anyways. Life is much better, now I just need to find and print off that Nano list Symthia told me about. Too bad I can't remember where it was. *mutter mutter*

RL

Collection agencies suck ass, friends who will lend you serious bills for the week it'll take to get things squared.... Priceless.

Edit: Hyperlink to a *.html.

[Stel]

About that nano list thingy :

You can get to http://auno.org and select Doctor in the list of nanoformulas just in the bottom left menu.

You can go to http://aonf.tripod.com (If i remember well) To get a list of nanos formulas sorted by profession, AND, wich is great, sorted by nanoline.

About this treatment suit :

Treatment suit rocks, but IMHO it is just useful for Implanting, to get that precious +78 (or 76 perhaps) Treatment. But Treatment don't make you heal better with your nanos. It just helps you to use better health kits. As a doc, i never used health kits as my heals were always sufficient to heal me. So i guess the best is just to get an armor on, it'll prolly change your life. At low levels, especially when healing a lot and using init debuffs, docs are taking aggro a lot. They need to be able to take some shots before that lovely Tank takes aggro back. By the more, as soon as my armor was correct, i used to sometime cast debuff init on mob just to take aggro, let the Tank fill his nanopool and and take back aggro. This can be nice. But in MedSuit i don't think you can handle a lot of shots...

GL in continuing

[Zanthyna]

If you want to know where all the basic shops are (and be able to navigate the cities!) I strongly suggest you go to travel.to/rubi-ka and download their huge map (25ish MB?) as it is so large when zoomed in that it showes you exactly where each shop and building is. I still use it almost exclusively. And, since the latest patch, you can have more then one map, so you can swith back and forth as needed.

'Fraid I have to disagree with Stelai on the armor issue a bit. Since you are not a twink, you are mostly likely struggling for money. I suggest not worrying about armor until you are in your 50's as at your level you will out level your armor way to fast and it just isn't worth the money/time/effort it takes to get it. I wore a med suit (plus the Exharch's robe) until I was in my early 60's without much problem (until I got a friend to blitz me a set of armor). The med suit allows you to use higher level heal/nano stims and those can come in handy. Plus, if you do decide to wear armor, try to find the most hideously mismatched pair of low level armor and, if you're lucky, some twink teammates might take pity on you and offer to get you some new armor or buy you some nanos (this happened ot me a few times and it greatly helped me out ). Look me up sometime in game (most likely I'll be on Woefallen) and I'll take you to Miiir and show you the joys of social clothes shopping.

[Catabrie]

Very happy to help, when I saw you ask in OOC and no one really giving you a concise answer I jumped in. As I said I sure as heck don't know everything, there are many more here that know alot more than me but I'm willing to help anyone out anytime. Actually what Zanth said about armor is pretty much what I did too.. wore whatever I could find, mostly my omni med suit for a long time...except for helmets I just can't stand looking like a bug or ermmm other things. Fashion diva here

Contact me in game, let's go thru my bank and see what stuff I have sitting around...I know I've given most of my old gear away to others but ya never know.

btw those maps rock have used them from day one..everyone chastised me for getting map upgrades too but they are definitely invaluable.

[_______________Docui]

IC
Blah... ho, and hum. Not much going on right now, which I could be more articulate, but I still don't have a bed or a carpet or... well much. I've got about 8K in Cred... and not much else. Gotta make some cash.

OOC
Yeah so the whole nanos being just out of reach really does suck and the whole implant thing is still making my head spin. Building items? How does that come into play on a day to day basis, Not much I imagine. How about map skill? Does upping that really mean much? And I'm >< close to dinging level 10 and have about 5K IP stored up. From what I'm gathering that's not alot.

RL
Woo! Long weekend, goin to see the folks. Be back Monday night. Don't break the joint!

[gallantmon9]

Wow, I love this Diary man. I wish I could help you out in your adventures, but all my characters are on RK2/Rimor and since I've been playing forever I dont really know if I can stand being gimped again. If you *do* feel like having a friend in your quest of AO, I'll make a char ASAP.

[_______________Docui]

IC
But, I must... I have no reasonable choice.

NO! I should refuse, I don't have to perform the will of the Company if I choose in that fashion... no! But... if not me... then why should someone else be forced to make those descisions.... WHY? Why does that bastard have to end the lives of people... but then that's it isn't it? They're not people to him? He just ends their lives, totally and that's it. They're gone, no longer recompiled, just... gone.

But then.. why do I have to be the one to end it... why Me? Someone whos's sole purpose in life is to give and aid those in need. No..., but then again that makes me uniquely qualified in the dispensation of that choice. He made his, and if when he gets recompiled, Omni-Pol send him to the great beyond, well that is the law. What difference is it from him ending the lives of others.

Perhaps to be a surgeon one must cut away some good flesh to get rid of the rot.

*Second Entry*

There, it's done. He's recompiled into the hands of Omni-Pol, my blood money is in my account and perhaps the screams of those he took with him well sing that bastards short trip to hell. It's not what I want to be come, but their wishes aside, Clan or Omni, or Neutral for that matter, will be allowed to end the lives of others with finality. The Law, must be upheld. And if my hands are the ones to do the healing, then maybe that is my calling.

The stars... off in the distance, they... they sing to me.. the fires of the skies, they flutter in the night. Why.. why are there people who would put out the light of others stars?

http://members.rogers.com/willspano/starlight.html

OOC
Okay, so all melodrama aside, I don't know if I"m actually getting a start to my character. I'm wondering though, aside from getting all the gear, all the toys and nanos and levels and that mad rush to ding 200, what does one do? Can one player help change the tide of the game? The larger story arc as it were? I used to story tell on my text based games and so wonder if that can happen here? Just a thought or two.

Gallant, that's cool, if you wanna craeate a PC on RK1, feel free. No guarantees on my ability to actually play with you, but cool.

Symthia, I think that's awsome tha that you would set me up with some of your hand-me-downs. However I must decline as I think that would spoil the whole contrivance of it all. If for whatever reason my PC saved your behind and it was a gift, then maybe. Otherwise, thanks but I want this to be me pulling myself up from the bootstraps.

RL
Not much to report. Changed my picture links to something a little (Heh!) less ugly than bear links... but not much. Oh, and btw, always ctrl-c your message posts incase the system burps and you looose all that you've typed. It sucks.

Peace!

[jamesfaust]

I love new players, this brings back memories of my first days. It's not like I've been playing terribly long, but my fondest memories of AO were my first days playing it (my trial time in fact). It was awesome to get a feel for things and try to find my way around.

Really, you're doing a great job, and have lots more cash to your name than I did when I was in my first 20 or so levels. I would love to help you in any way that I can, let me know if there is anything you need.

Doc is a REALLY tough main. Even more so if you're completely green. I can't even imagine having a doc as my main character, it would just be way too painful. :P


/Scrapx

[_______________Docui]

IC
Okay so that really sucks! Man I wish I could argue this with someone but I guess I can't. I mean really, I go out into the back of beyond..., well not really, a 5 minute jog from the Rome Entrance, but still! Seems like it's in the back of beyond! Anyways! I go out there, I have to find this old mine shaft and treat the system there that's supporting people who got hurt in a fire. Anyways, there are all these little nasty buggers out there, rollerrats and the like and so I go through and earlier than I expect, I find the unit. So great! I treat them, they're on the road to recovery and what do I get? Well I get the cash, I get the item for a job well done, but no bloddy token!

THAT SUCKS!

Grrr.... ***Three minutes of undecipherable muttering. ~Log Recorder Bot~***

Anyways! Things now are starting to pick up, I feel stronger, and things are getting done a lot more. Found a Bronto! Got me some ribs! Now all I need is a grill or something. Anyways, need to find out about that. It's funny I still feel like I'm missing something, but I'm not sure what. A purpose? Maybe.

OOC
Okay so I dinged 11. The whole waiting thing after I get recompiled is interesting. Haven't died since I dinged 10 tho so who knows.

So, where does one go from here? I hear about people having buttloads of IP, does that mean that for the first little while they save it all up? I've pretty much Maxed out my FA, my Treatment and a couple of other Nano Stats. I'm going MA so I've got it and Brawl maxxed as well. Just seems I'm trying to hold on to 5K IP for a rainy day, but not sure what it's going to do. Maybe I'll post up my IP spending in another post/thread, any suggestions would be cool.

I also find it kind of funny that I see more Doc's LFG'ing in the OOC channels. I'm reading about CH dolls that people are creating, and find it kind of funny with the fact that they can't play their main's and so forth. I'm usually a one PC per game type guy so I don't see myself creating any alt's soon. Eh. Who knows.

Finally. So at Level 11, am I still way to gimp to actually think I can do something out in the World? Should I stay running missions untill Level X? Let me know folks! Thanks for all your support both in-game and inforum!

RL
Hee hee hee, posting from work. Bad me!