Amaranthine:Empires, A Guide for Amaranthine:Reborn Players

So, you were one of the lucky ones to take part in Amaranthine:Reborn? Well, whilst I won't go into the story here, given that it is either still in progress, or (upon it's completion) too much detail, and too unrelated to the story of Empires, suffice it to say that your experiences on Empires will be vastly different to those on Reborn.
Here I hope to provide a brief overview of just what these technical differences will be.
===No Factions===
: One of the first differences you will likely notice is that there are no Factions. Whilst there are the two organisations with which you can align yourself (The Empire and The Alliance), and various smaller groups within each, you will not find yourself joining a faction in the same sense as on Reborn.
: Instead...
===Towny===
: Our primary organisation plugin will be Towny. This switch was made for a variety of reasons. Some will be focused on in more detail further on, but primarily it is the fact that Towny lends itself to the story much more than Factions does; two unified groups comprised of smaller organisations who all serve under one leader. Sure, we could do Factions and have a faction Alliance between The Council, The IIA, etc.
: Or, we could have towns, all under the banner of a Kingdom. Less hassle, easier organisation. Clear, concise, sorted.
===Heroes is adapting===
: One of the most notable things concerning Heroes on Reborn was that it was all about grind. Essentially, if you'd bothered to grind you could win in PvP, regardless of any other factors. Maybe that's fine for a purely PvP server, but that's not what we're after with Empires.
: Instead, Empires will take a more realistic method of promotion; that is to say, you will be promoted when your superior feels you should be. Making notable improvements in training, being active during events and generally active on the server are sure fire ways to get promoted.
: Now, that's not to say that you'll get nothing for killing mobs. Grind is still useful for money and items, because...
===New and Improved Economy===
: Yes, I know. Every time we introduced an Economy on Reborn it just bombed. The first time, that was because of "/sell hand" being abused, the second time it was purely because there was nothing to buy.
: And that's where Towny comes in. You have a constant money sink in your town; you have to pay taxes. Fail to pay them, and your property is repossessed. When a property is repossessed, it'll slowly start returning to what it was when you first got it; a blank space. Don't want that to happen? Make sure you pay your upkeep.
===Diplomacy===
: Now, you might've seen this plastered all over the wiki already, but Empires has a system of diplomacy not seen before in Reborn. Sure, there was discussion and trading and whatnot, but nothing on this scale.
: Disputes between the Empire, the Alliance, Outsiders...legal battles, trade routes, espionage, alliances, and even war can all be handled diplomatically. There are benefits for handling some things diplomatically, but there may also be severe penalties. Be sure to try and research the disposition of an individual before you approach them...which brings me to
===Personalities===
: If you ask me, a lot of characters in Reborn were fairly, well, shallow. They had a backstory, sure, but then they just did whatever the heck they wanted, with no regards for if it fit them or not. That's where Empires changes things, at least a little. Each of the "main" (see:staff) characters has a predefined personality. For the benefits of this example, I will give you mine for free.
:: Vincent von Boon is primarily a diplomatic man; that is to say he would rather talk than fight. However, should the need arise, he is an honourable man, choosing a fair fight over a surprise attack. He is proud of his Magi heritage and very suspicious of Common Bloodlines. He is also suspicious of any non-Imperial combat class, though he is usually accomodating to non-combat Outsider classes.
: You see how, with that short paragraph, you can pick up so much. If you're an Alliance Warrior, your best bet is to try and fight him, as he won't trust you long enough to continue a conversation, and it may be best to try a sneak attack. However, if you fail (and chances are you will) then his disposition towards you will be forever soured. So it may be advisable to simply avoid him.
: As a general rule of thumb, you should at least establish the following rules in your characters personality.
*Do you favour diplomacy, or agression?
*Honourable or Cunning? (Would you rather fight fairly one-on-one or surprise attack/two(+)-on-one?)
*IF IMPERIAL Do you respect/trust/like Common Bloodlines?
*IF ALLIANCE Do you respect/trust/like Noble Bloodlines?
: Other factors you may wish to consider include
*Your disposition towards Outsiders.
*Your dispositon to combat/non-combat classes.
*Your disposition specifically towards Aether-based classes.
Category:Tutorials