SURVIVAL in z!F and zOMG! - Now with poll & discussion! :D

What part of zOMG! was the first to confuse you? Elaborate in the topic, please! Let's talk! We've all had our "days"... :P

I couldn't find my way out of the null.	6.3%	[ 10 ]
I didn't know what lag was and had no idea why I couldn't move.	5.7%	[ 9 ]
I wondered what all that recrewting for smEB, smob, etc was about!	18.4%	[ 29 ]
Why were there rings in the MP if I couldn't sell mine?!11!	7.6%	[ 12 ]
The first buff ring I found. Why the heck couldn't I shoot with it?	10.8%	[ 17 ]
Stuck in the trees and I couldn't move! PANIC!!	4.4%	[ 7 ]
Why were all these people in GB standing by the null instead of killing Sand Golems like decent players?	8.2%	[ 13 ]
I never got confused. I'm just THAT bright!	19.0%	[ 30 ]
I'm an old player and still confused about a lot of things.	15.2%	[ 24 ]
I'm only just starting out and lots of things confuse me!	4.4%	[ 7 ]
Total Votes:			[ 158 ]

[Memory Haunts You]

wahmbulance wahmbulance Guild in the spotlight:

Join TODAY if you need help and/or want some fun! First contest over, much more coming up! biggrin
*************************************************************************************
*************************************************************************************
idea Conversation topic: see poll. Players old and new, post in the thread to exchange your thoughts about the baffling quirks of the game.
I want to hear ALL about your confused moments on zOMG! and in the z!F! razz lol

*************************************************************************************


Survival guide to the z!F and zOMG!

To all not-so-new visitors: well, hi there! This is a thread to help people find their way into the z!F and zOMG! without getting completely lost. Don't mind me, just trying to write something useful. Feel free to help, correct, comment, and cheer!


*************************************************************************************
wahmbulance EVERYONE!!! wahmbulance
PLEASE POST IF YOU:
----& want your guild, clan or event added to the appropriate section.
Add a link and a short description of your guild, clan or event. Thanks!
*************************************************************************************


To all newcomers: so you have made your way to the z!F. Bravo!

Welcome! biggrin biggrin

Why did you lure me here, though? Why would I want to play zOMG! ?
Well, the simple answer would be, because many people think it's awesome fun. But, I'm going to leave that up to your own judgement! Think about it, though: what do you have to lose by trying it out? The worst that can happen, is that you get started, don't like it, close the window, and move on to other places. The best that can happen is that you find a game you like (and that can, incidentally, be quite profitable), and meet people you get along with! So what are you waiting for? biggrin

But but... I heard a rumour that zOMG! was shutting down! Is that true?
Nope! The truth is that no NEW areas are currently being developed for the game - but this certainly shouldn't stop us from playing and enjoying the existing levels! So, have at it! biggrin

Am I not too old to play zOMG! ?
Ermm some of our best players are ladies in their fifties, sooooo..... Nope!!

So... How do I get started?!
Simple. Click on it in the game menu and jump right in. twisted
Or, you could glance over a few guides first.
Personally, I think it's the most fun when you jump right into the game, and then return to the guides whenever you feel it necessary. 3nodding
There are however a few immediate little pesky issues you can run into. These will be described in the troubleshooting post.

[Memory Haunts You]

Overview of contents


1. Welcome - Why play zOMG! ?

2. Overview of contents

3. Why visit the z!F, anyway?

4. Meep, I'm new to the forum, will you all eat me alive?

5. Frequently posted questions/suggestions

6. What not to panic about! (z!F-wise)

7. Troubleshooting!

8. General gameplay advice

9. Links to general and area-specific gameplay guides

10. Guilds, clans and crewing

11. Events part 1: dev meats

12. Events part 2: contests and other good stuff

[Memory Haunts You]

Why would I want to visit the z!F, anyway?
Hanging out and reading around in the z!F comes with several benefits.
Here you can:
- meet some people you might end up crewing with!
- learn more about the game. And more, and more, and more!
- hear the latest news about the game.
- discover fun user-run events, contests, meetings, etc
- share your opinions and thoughts about the game.
- meet some completely healthily-crazy people, who brighten your day. lol

[Memory Haunts You]

Meep, I'm new to this forum, will you all eat me alive?? gonk
Well, I was new too at one point, and as far as I know, I still have all my limbs. 3nodding
Normally, most of us don't eat people. We don't even bite, or at least not too hard, or too often.
I have yet to see someone ask politely for help and not receive any.
We do, however, have a few pet peeves.

Disclaimer: I am not trying to issue rules or "play mod". I am not a mod, nor do I play one on tv, nor do I have ambitions to become one, for that matter. I'm just describing what I, in my experience, have seen as "triggers" to topics gone awry, and giving a few pointers as to how you can avoid being "that" poster. The official forum rules issues by admin can be found here; my goal is merely to elaborate on those with the details that may make the forum more enjoyable for you.

- Do not ask for donations.
We will be happy to tell you how to make enough gold for that item you are yearning for, but don't expect hand-outs. Do not get snippy if forum posters tell you how you can earn your gold for yourself: they are helping. If you MUST beg, the place to do it is the Charity and Quests Forum.

-Do not try to sell stuff.
People will inevitably offer you one copper piece (okay, maybe sometimes two or three) if you try to sell anything in here. Try the Game Item Exchange Forum for all business transactions. smile

- Do not be a Negative Nelly, especially not in a rude way.
If you are going to say zOMG! sucks, of course the response will not be too welcoming.
Rather, if you have problems with the game, tell us about them in a calm, mature way, and we will do all we can to help you solve the issue.
And if this still doesn't help you, don't take out your frustration on those who are trying to help.

- Do not become aggressive-defensive when someone disagrees with you.
Just because someone doesn't agree with what you post, doesn't mean you have to jump at their throat. Being right is not so important. Learning and exchanging thoughts / opinions is what communication is all about.

- Most of our forum visitors appreciate legible posts. It's completely fine to not be perfect at English (which is, incidentally, not my own first language either), however, using some proper interpunction and dividing your post in a few overviewable paragraphs can go a long way.

Additionally, there are a few topics that can get really on the nerves of people who come here often. This is because these topics have been done to death or discuss already-decided issues. They will be handled in the post below.

[Memory Haunts You]

Frequently posted questions/suggestions


There are a number of "repeat topics" we get on a weekly basis here in the z!F. Nobody will ban you for posting one of them, but it drives the frequent visitors NUTS.
The top 10 of Commonly Repeated Topics Done To Death are:

1. How do I sell my rings!!
The simple answer is: you can't, because they're soulbound; rings you see in the Marketplace are old, dating back from a time before the soulbinding came into action. You can NOT unsoulbind a ring, no matter who you sell your soul to.
A more elaborate explanation can be found here.


2. zOMG! should add PVP! (player versus player)
Now, the opinions about PVP are divided in the z!F, but quite a few people here have nothing against the idea. The reason why we get irritated by the posts about it, is that the poster usually seems to think that nobody has ever thought of it before! Nothing could be further from the truth. It has been brought up, discussed, hated by some, and desired by others, for years now.
More than two years ago, our developer Swarf eloquently stated:

Swarf

Yeah, we want pvp kinda badly. :<

Oh, time and resources, damn you!

And that is really all that can be said about it at the moment.

3. Laaaaaaaaggggg!!!!!
See Troubleshooting.
If you cannot resist the urge of posting about server-side lag you are experiencing, we have a topic for that: Please recycle the servers.

4. Help, I am STUCK!!
See Troubleshooting.

5. A currently very popular one: "How do I get a Bloodstone Gem!?"
Simple answer is: buy one from the Marketplace or from the Cash Shop, but seriously, for all your DMS-for-beginners-related questions I recommend Zzyli's guide 'Oh the Bloodbats!' 3nodding
This also goes for 5.b: "How do I get higher than level 10.0??"

6. Why am I not getting any gold!!
There can be several reasons:
- your level is too high for the animated you are fighting.
- you have hit your daily gold limit (see this thread )

7. What monster gives out the most gold / a certain piece of loot / a certain ring??
See guides section for all your information about loot, gold and rings.
You can also use the in-game help by picking it from the menu at the bottom right of your zOMG! screen (you may have to temporarily turn up your graphics quality to be able to read it properly).

As for rings: there are no specific monsters that drop specific rings. Except for Bloodlust Kamila who sometimes drops Kamila's Curse, but you don't have to worry about her just yet.

8. I heard a rumour that zOMG! is shutting down! OMG!
See what I said in my opening post; also, a few informative threads upon the current situation of zOMG! are:
- JK's thread about the current situation with zOMG!

- Most recent admin update about the situation

- A timeline of the recent events regarding zOMG! by Starshine

9. What is the best ring in zOMG?
All info about ring stats can be found in this guide.

10. Any and all questions about the rings Integrity and Abuse
There is currently no way for you to obtain the ring "integrity" if you do not have it yet. It was given out on a special occasion a while ago, along with the "abuse" ring. The "abuse" ring, which has no real value except to avid ring collectors, has now been renamed "Kamila's Curse" and is sometimes found upon killing Bloodlust Kamila.


Another list of Frequently Mentioned Issues can be found here. This one was actually posted by Admin. Why in the world they ever unstickied it, is beyond me. It is still quite a good resource.

[Memory Haunts You]

z!F-mishaps you need not panic about!

I did all these things you told me to, and some people still downvoted my thread or trolled me!
Ignore them. They're twerps. Seriously. Never feed a troll. And don't wrestle with a pig, because you will get all muddy, and the pig will loooove it! Focus on the positive people instead! biggrin

Someone just called me a noob! crying
Again, not to worry. It says more about them than about you, and most of the frequent visitors of the z!F will silently shake their head at them. If you are looking to learn, you are by definition NOT a noob. Trust me.

Nobody answered my topic and it has already been a whoooole 5 minutes!
Give us time. We're not ignoring you, we're just slow. Especially when we haven't had our coffee yet.

I seriously don't understand what half of the topics in the forum are about.
All these topics about Bloodlust, Kamila crews, smEB, etc are making your head spin? I have good news for you: that is perfectly FINE!
You don't have to worry about that when you are just starting out. Once you've played for a while, hit level 10.0, and start looking up information about the new level 10+ area, DMS, it will all become clear. You'll roll into it automatically if you read around a bit.

Everyone here seems to know each other; they make inside jokes and play-fight and talk about events and meeting up in-game, and about things that happened a long time ago when I wasn't here yet... I feel a bit awkward.
It /can/ be a tad awkward in the beginning, but most of our frequent visitors and contributors are in no way aiming to be exclusive. Do not be scared to take part in events. You are just as welcome to take part in, for example, a meeting with the devs (see chapter about fun events: "Dev meats" ) as people who have made a 1000 posts here.

[Memory Haunts You]

Treasury of Troubleshooting

1. I cannot move / I am stuck / I am moving in slow-motion.

a. I'm able to move around in one screen, but I can't leave it.
This is lag: the server, probably due to being overloaded, reacting very slowly or not at all to what you are doing. Sometimes it might also cause you to awkwardly hop back and forth, as if you're being held by a rubber band; this is called "rubberbanding".
There is nothing much you can do about server-side lag.
More explanation about it can be found in the first post of this topic and you may also post there, but preferably /only/ there, if you are suffering from server-side lag.

b. I am in the null chamber and don't know how to get out.
This actually happens to a lot of people; the thing is, there are 6 crystals in the null, but many people see only four at first sight and overlook the ones at the bottom.
This pic, courtesy of Our Favourite Frog Red Kutai, will solve your problem:



c. I literally seem to be "stuck", caught up in some bushes, in General Mayhem's potted plants, or in a different part of the "decor".
That happens to the best from time to time, it is a simple glitch.
To solve it, you can either type /stuck in the chat panel, which will warp you to the null, or you can close the window and log back on a few minutes later, which will almost certainly automatically solve the issue.

d. Everything seems to be moving in slow-motion and my computer is screaming bloody murder.
In this case, it looks like the lag is on your end.
A whole lot of advice on how to avoid & reduce this, can be found here and here.
But you could just start off with setting your game's "Graphic quality" to "low" and "Ring animation display" to "My ring animation only". The options to do this can be found in the menu at the bottom right of your zOMG! window.


My (shadow) orb count is messed up!
This is something that can usually be solved (temporarily, until the next time it goes bonkers rolleyes ) by hard-refreshing. Hard-refreshing means that you close the window and wait long enough to have completely been logged out of the server (this can take a few minutes, be safe and wait five, or choose a different server).

Ring issues
1. It won't let me sell them!!
See frequently asked questions.

2. They don't show up / have disappeared.
See orb count glitch; hard-refreshing is the way to go.
Alternatively, make sure you have scrolled all the way down your ring inventory and checked there. Sometimes, rings "hide".

3. I accidentally salvaged one that I still wanted.
Sorry to hear that, but there is nothing you can do but play until you find a replacement for it.

4. I used to play zOMG! when rings weren't soulbound yet; I sold all of my rings, and now I want to play again but I don't have any rings.
Well, you /can/ always buy one of the old ones back from the marketplace, but that's not really necessary. You can also ask some of the fluff farming crews in the upper left part of Village Greens if they will let you enter their crew and allow you to leech for a bit until their kills grant you an attack ring. If you don't find any people of good will there, ask in the forum! We'll help. biggrin

5. It won't let me equip two of the same ring.
Nope, indeed, you cannot do that.

6. Why can I not change my rings?
Chances are, you are not in the null. You can only change your rings inside the null. An exception is that if you leave some ring slots open, you can add rings to them from your inventory wherever you are.

7. Some rings don't work, for example Fortune's Favour. I click on them and nothing happens.
Yes they do work, except they're passive. If you check your luck stats (in your character info) with and without FF equipped, you'll notice the difference. You do not have to click FF, it works simply by having it equipped. Other passive rings are Fitness, Sugar Rush and Integrity.

8. It won't let me put rings in my second tray.
That's because the second tray (which you can see by clicking on the little arrows on the left side of your ring tray) is not a ring tray: it is for powerups.

My powerups won't show!
Opening up the in-game shop in the top right corner of your zOMG! window and clicking "refresh" in there, should fix that.

My crew panel disappeared!
and other interface-related issues. This and this should help.

[Memory Haunts You]

General Gameplay Advice

Before we move on to the list of elaborate guides regarding gameplay, here are few pieces of advice directly from me to you!

1. Take your time and enjoy exploring!

You do not need to make it to Dead Man's Shadow in 1 week. Just because those overly talkative Von Helson Twins have babbled you into taking on a quest there, doesn't mean you have to do it NOW, this instant!
The same goes for some other quests. Mark's ring, for example: a quest you will receive while you are still way too "young" to venture into Bassken Lake and live to tell the tale.

The Wish Tree Visions, take your time for that, too: yes, there are guides that will tell you all the answers, but isn't it a lot more fun to do some exploring by yourself?

Remember, zOMG! is currently NOT in development. This means that when those quests are done, they're DONE; we don't know when we'll be getting more, so take you sweet time and enjoy the adventure!

2. Value the rings you find.

Do not salvage any rings that you don't have double, just for the sake of gaining a couple of orbs. Orbs are easy enough to earn.

And while all those weird buff rings you will come across may initially seem obscure or insignificant, there will come a time in the game when it is of huge importance to have them at the ready. The same goes for healing rings. Cherish your bandage and wish.

3. Play with courage and pride!

This does not mean you have to be as stubborn as me and solo up all the way to level 10.0.
But honestly,you possess the power to advance on your own. Crewing and being helped out by random passers-by can of course be fun, but you should not become dependant on it too easily or play martyr when you don't immediately find help.

Similarly, when you daze, the big "Awaken now" button in the middle of your screen is a mightily handy thing. Use it!! Don't stand around waiting, or worse, yelling, for someone to defib you. Be proactive! Awakening in the null costs you absolutely nothing except the walking distance. There is no gold penalty, no loss of items or experience. You will probably lose more time if you wait for someone to defib you.

And when joining (or making) a crew, do not ask what your crew can do for you, but ask what you can do for your crew. Be prepared and versatile.

[Memory Haunts You]

List of general and area-specific gameplay guides

Here is a super list of guides to gameplay and specific areas brought to you by Purple Pimp Crusader.

There is very little I could possibly add to that very elaborate list. Subscribe to it or bookmark it! It keeps coming in handy. exclaim

My own two personal favourites out of that list are:

The Lone Wolf by Arkyron, a solo-players guide that has been of TREMENDOUS help to me.

Newbies guide by Nespin Fernagon, not only for newbies!

Actually all the guides in the list are fantastic, but I'm not going to re-list everything Purple Pimp Crusader wrote, just browse around the existing list!

Additionally, Chu Vonya has recently completed and published a set of guides to each area that is quite impressive. eek biggrin

[Memory Haunts You]

Guilds, Clans and Crewing

Help!! I need a clan!
No, you don't. Not really. razz
There is no reason to run around in panic if you can't immediately find a clan that appeals to you and that accepts you. If you really think you'd feel more comfortable as part of a clan, you can go look for a fitting one in the Clans of Battle Forum. In that case though, I would really say "Lurk before you leap"; give yourself the time to look around and see what's out there. Alternatively, you can just play the game, make some friends, and you might happen to be invited to the clan they are in. Then it is still up to you to accept or not.

Do you really not know any nice clan I could join?
I can try to add a few here in the future, but I personally don't have experience with them. I will edit this section to add some clans with the description as given by their members or leaders. 3nodding
(HINT HINT experienced people who read this! Post to add your clan, especially if it is a clan that likes to help out new players and show them the ropes!!)

Edit March 13: Clan added by Beenz

Beenz

We are a clan where the focus is fun. Everyone is a friend, and we care much more about enjoying ourselves and each other than we do about being the biggest or best. If you want to read more you can check out our Clans of Battle topic -here-

What is the difference between a guild and a clan?
- You can join as many guils as you want, but you can only be part of one clan at the same time.
- Clans have clan chat, and sometimes it even works, if it's not broken! lol
- Your clan name appears in your zOMG! character info.

What are guilds for? What are some good guilds?
Guilds can have very different purposes but ultimately it's always about getting together with people who have something in common. From pure casual socialising and crazy shenanigans to serious research, from focusing on playing specific areas in the game to plotting, scheming, contests, and much much more.

idea Edited March 11:

a great guild for finding and offering help.
We will also have contests and events. Join us!

Also, Marshall's Little Helpers is an awesome guild for people who are looking to get to know some others and find help. biggrin


Some more guild links will be added soon. smile

How do I find a crew, and how do I behave in a crew?
A specific guide for this is Mademoiselle Kit's guide to Effective Crewing Read it! You'll love it, it is very useful and insightful.

A lot about crewing and etiquette has also been written in this Quick Etiquette guide by Niomo. It is a very interesting read.

I'm not in the mood for reading guides, I want a crew now, this instant, I want to play and kill some stuff!
Alright, just post right here and I'll get to you as soon as possible. lol Or if I'm not around, try the Marshall's Little Helpers thread. It's usually quite active and full of people looking for something to do. razz

[Memory Haunts You]

Events and fun threads to visit

Part 1: the "Dev Meats"


Apart from the fact that we deliberately spell "meet" incorrectly, and that the devs we meet are currently not working on zOMG!, this name is rather accurate.

What is a Dev Meat?
Well, it's very simple: it's a chance for players to get together to talk with the developers about the game and about random things.
Usually these meetings are held by [JK] or Mavdoc.
[JK] did a ton of work for zOMG!, and more than that, he has put his heart and soul into the game and the community. He has now temporarily been assigned to work on other features of Gaia but still does things for zOMG! in his spare time.
Mavdoc is an amazing artist who no longer works for Gaia but still visits us nearly every week to catch up.
You might also meet Swarf, our passionately involved programmer. He's been attending the Saturday's "Save zOMG! meets" we've been having lately.


Do I dare to join, and how do I behave?
You don't have to be shy to go there because honestly, it's usually so busy that if you want to stand in a corner quietly, nobody will notice you. You can just lurk until you feel comfortable to say something. If you are a more talkative person, that's okay to, but there is one etiquette rule: don't use the "shout". We have this rule to make the meeting more overviewable, so that everyone can more easily follow what is being said by a dev (who does use the shout).

Please don't get upset if nobody says hi to you personally or instantly answers questions you ask. The conversation at a dev meat usually goes VERY fast and it is very easy for people to miss what others say. Don't take it personally.


When are the meats and how do I join in?
The meats are usually on Fridays and are announced in this topic. JK always updates the first post when he has news on when and where (server and area) the meeting will take place.

You just log on to the server and go to the right area. If you see nobody there, you are probably on the wrong layer. Post in the topic, make sure you have the "looking for crew" box checked in-game, and wait a bit: someone is bound to see your post and warp you to the right layer by recrewting you.

Links
Overview of information that was given out at dev meetings:
Archive by -Shiny_Tsukkomi-

Some screenshots:



Holy heck, what is going ON in those screenshots??
Ahh I almost forgot. To amuse us all, random high-leveled creatures are sometimes spawned at dev meats. This can be quite... spectacular. Make sure you have your "graphic quality" in your games setting turned to "low" or your computer WILL crash. Don't be surprised or worried if you daze, especially if your level is still low. You can just stand there swaying and enjoy the show.

[Memory Haunts You]

Events and fun threads to visit

Part 2: Other events in-game and in the forum

CONTESTS


wahmbulance The aforementioned [JK] has a big bloodstone amulet raffle going on. It's a dice rolling contest. You can win a bloodstone amulet!


Raids, games and general shenanigans


Raids or invasions are events where a group of people go on zOMG! dressed up in themed avatars (for example a certain year festivity) or as a group of creatures by using I-am poses (for example a herd of grunnies).

wahmbulance Black Witch of Ra is currently in the process of planning a Fancy Spring Raid. Everyone is welcome to join.

Want your event added to this list? Then POST it in the thread, darn it!! twisted A link and a short description please.

[Memory Haunts You]

reserved

[Memory Haunts You]

reserved

[Memory Haunts You]

reserved