or the quality of work pales in comparison to the epics constructed more recently (thanks Sanjuro, you jerk!)
One of the first things I was taught during my first working days after the univ was:
Never ever fix what is NOT broken!This universal principle is widely applicable and perfectly so in Arctic. Thus, I'd concentrate on mini- or even micro- revamps rather than complete reconstruction:
The loads (most probably, just some loads) are no longer great compared to other zones and taking into account the todays power balance? - Enhance those few items and don't change anything else.
The kws are too obscure? - Fix just the kws (even better, add some hints; or still better, add a little side-quest that provides the hint as the reward). And once again, don't change anything else.
The zone hasn't been changed in 20 years? Not a problem, don't change anything!
Imagine, you come to Rome to see the Colosseum and aqueducts, only to find out that some impatient creator fitted it with modern windows, stretch ceiling and wallpaper and replaced the aqueducts with modern pipelines. A horrible, horrible thought. The old work is often the masterpiece of advanced technology of the days when it was created, the substantiated memory of the era long gone. Do not throw it away for no serious reason.
Placing a modern pipeline somewhere near the old aqueduct and adding a modern restroom somewhere close by is perfectly fine, but only for as long as it doesn't obstruct the view of the old structure.
The good example of sustainable development is Northern Ergoth. The new zonelets add new dimensions to the old quests or just add some new mobs for xp and ranks and more shinies, but they never overwrite the old historical parts of Hylo or Illrigger.
As to the new creators - the
destruction adjustment of an old historical zone is hardly a good exercise to get involved with creation work. Example:
The old Zrael's farm was a nice little zone, pretty small and simple - but it was logical, well designed and properly implemented. There were no real problems to fix, just the desire to make the zone larger and more complex. As the result, the new Zrael's farm is severely deficient on logic (e.g. where did the kids hide when I searched the house the first time and how did they know to come out of hiding when I came back the second time?) As to the implementation, it was below any reasonable standards - I personally found and reported a bug that allowed me to pump unlimited xp out of that bug-infested place (something like 10m xp per hour without any risk or thought, perhaps even more if i could type faster).
The good task for a new creator is a little zonelet (the size of a conclave test) - up to 5-10 rooms, mobs and objects.
(I wish someone gave me that advice when I first logged to the creation port so many years ago).
It doesn't take too long to create that much, so there is a decent chance the creator completes this work before they burn out and lose interest or get busy with other rl matters. If the result is ugly and we have to throw it away completely, not too much effort is wasted. If, on the contrary, the new zonelet is excellent, it may be added to some existing zone or used as the core for a new zone.
See the N.Ergoth example above - adding 1 zonelet at a time is much better than creating a huge zone all at once:
- each zonelet can be opened to players as soon as it is ready, no need to wait until the entire big zone is finished
- thus easier to complete (an alienable part of ) the work, fewer unfinished zones still "under development, not ready for shipment" on creation port
- smaller zonelets => easier to test
- more options for teamwork (one creator implements the barracks, some time later another creator makes the courtyard, perhaps even not knowing about the barracks - then the third, more experienced creator puts it together, adds a quest that includes both the barracks and the courtyard, and voila - the big zone is ready).
