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Old 2006-03-06, 19:26   Link #1
NoSanninWa
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Kingdom of Loathing

I just recently discovered this little game on the web at http://www.loathing2.com/. Since I've found a few other people here at AnimeSuki play this, I thought I'd create a thread where we can share our experiences with it, bring the fun of KoL to others and share some tips.

One of the fascinating things about the Kingdom of Loathing is its lack of beautiful graphics. This is a game illustrated with stick figures and doodles. The graphics are so low tech that it is clear they are making a point about how little great graphics have to do with the real quality of a game. In this age, where nearly every game has incredibly realistic graphcs, I find it refreshing that someone would purposefully do without such eye candy. And KoL thrives in its graphical simplicity.

They even have homages to some of the great NO graphic games of the past. It contains the Dungeon of Doom which is an hysterical homage to Nethack, a game created in the days when monitors could only display text. Nethack created a dungeon by using text symbols to represent monsters and objects. I suspect not many people here remember Nethack, so this might help you understand some of the weird things in the Dungeon of Doom. Far more people will recognize that the leaflet adventure is a parody of Zork and similar text adventures. These are just two of the many places in the Kingdom of Loathing, but they are two of the oddest.

What really makes KoL work is its sense of humor. This game is irreverant and full of pop culture references. It doesn't take anything seriously, including itself. For example, these are the descriptions of a couple of items:
Quote:
Meatloaf Helmet
This is a helmet made out of meatloaf. You feel like a Bat out of Hell when you wear it. You would do anything for this helmet (but you won't do that.)

1337 7r0uZ0RZ
This is a p41r of 7r0uZ0RZ that totally 0wnZ0r j00. You're embarrassed at the grammar, but fortified by the 1337ness of 'em.

disturbing fanfic
This is a hundred pages of animals from a popular cartoon doing horrible and disgusting things to each other.

chaos butterfly
This butterfly, by flapping its wings, can influence events very far away. How? I dunno. You should probably ask Jeff Goldblum.
If you didn't crack a smile while reading any of those, then KoL isn't the game for you. On the other hand, if you like any of what you're reading, then click on Kingdom of Loathing and give it a try. It's free... unless you decide to donate.
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Old 2006-03-06, 19:36   Link #2
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Man, that meatloaf helmet description had me chuckling...
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Old 2008-12-26, 10:17   Link #3
felix
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Interesting how old this thread is, NoSanninWa you have been playing for a while.

A silly question in the game when you are given a quest should you listen to what it is telling you to do or is that part of the game?
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Old 2008-12-26, 12:57   Link #4
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I remember hearing about this game a while back and thinking how awesome it would be to give it a try....
I think I might just sign up now.
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Old 2008-12-27, 01:56   Link #5
NoSanninWa
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Originally Posted by Cats View Post
Interesting how old this thread is, NoSanninWa you have been playing for a while.
I'm happy that you dug up this old thread. This is the only game that I've ever played nonstop for over a year, so you can tell how much of a hold it has on me. I may have conveyed the quirky humor of the game in the opening post, but perhaps I didn't say that the strategy and gameplay are also quite well designed.

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Originally Posted by Cats View Post
A silly question in the game when you are given a quest should you listen to what it is telling you to do or is that part of the game?
Not quite sure I understand your question. The quests are part of the game. Whatever you're told about the quest may contain a clue about how to complete it. Also, if you're stumped about the quest you should check the quest log at your campsite. The description of the quest there often contains a clue.

Incidently, some quests are option and some are necessary. Any quest given to you by the Council of Loathing is necessary, but other quests are optional and the game can be completed without doing a single one of them. However, some of the optional quests may have useful rewards. Also,in one case you need to be given an optional quest to open up an adventuring area which you'll need, even though you don't have to complete the quest.

Quote:
Originally Posted by OtseisRagnarok View Post
I remember hearing about this game a while back and thinking how awesome it would be to give it a try....
I think I might just sign up now.
Please do. If anyone from AnimeSuki tells me that they've signed up I'll send you a welcome gift. Something fun, useful or interesting as strikes my mood. Just let me know your name and you'll get your gift.
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Old 2008-12-27, 05:50   Link #6
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Originally Posted by NoSanninWa View Post
Not quite sure I understand your question. The quests are part of the game. Whatever you're told about the quest may contain a clue about how to complete it. Also, if you're stumped about the quest you should check the quest log at your campsite. The description of the quest there often contains a clue.
No, the problem was I did not figure they would not mark the quest complete except after I went back to the council. I probably got the quest item at some point but just did not notice the message, now I was thinking: "Could it be I am suppose to intentionally ignore the instructions and look somewhere else?". Alas I am used to having quests marked "complete" when there is nothing more to do then get the reward, so the system confused me. I was in the forest woods w/e raping ever bar, wierfvfluff, vampire and mmumy that came my way.

Well I am almost level five and only started playing yesterday, guess that is decent for a complete newbie sauceerror.

Q. Does this rpg have a level cap?
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Old 2008-12-27, 15:01   Link #7
NoSanninWa
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Originally Posted by Cats View Post
Alas I am used to having quests marked "complete" when there is nothing more to do then get the reward, so the system confused me. I was in the forest woods w/e raping ever bar, wierfvfluff, vampire and mmumy that came my way.
In your campground is a quest log. It will always tell you which quests still need to be completed. That is the place that the "complete" is marked by moving quest information to the "completed quests" section. BTW, you should read it: Some of it is rather funny.

Quote:
Well I am almost level five and only started playing yesterday, guess that is decent for a complete newbie sauceerror.
Yes, quite decent for a newbie. Impressive actually.

Quote:
Q. Does this rpg have a level cap?
That is actually a VERY good question. Short answer: Nope, no level cap. You're welcome to level up as high as you wish. There's even someone in the kingdom (SoCal) whose level recently surpassed 200. For most players though, that isn't even remotely relevant.

One thing that makes this different from most other games is the concept of Ascension. After you defeat the Naughty Sorceress, it becomes possible to ascend. The minimal no spoiler information about ascension is this: You go back to level 1 and get to play through the entire game again from scratch, but with some new content. The reward from your previous life is to keep one of your skills permanently. (You also keep all the familiars in your terrarium.) In the past few years I have ascended 57 times, so I have a lot of useful skills and have encountered all of the game's special content. At least all the content so far, since the devs add on new stuff every few weeks.

Many players are on a quest to permanent every skill in the game, increasing the power of their characters as they do so. There are even a few skills from different character classes that really shine when combined with skills from a different class. You can only do this after having ascended. (For instance, right now you're a Sauceror. If you make Advanced Saucecrafting permanent and then become a Pastamancer, then you'll have the ability to make saucy noodles which can only be crafted with skills from both classes.)

There's also special, very powerful gear that can only be aquired by completing special ascension challenges. For instance if you ascend hardcore you have no access to items from previous ascensions or the mall. If you ascend oxygenarian you cannot drink booze or eat food -- subsisting entirely on oxygen. One of the toughest ascension types is Bad Moon which is like hardcore, but you don't even have your permanent skills or the familiars in your terrarium. The rewards from doing these are unique to each class.

There is also some higher level content that requires a character to continue leveling up and growing more powerful AFTER defeating the Naughty Sorceress. This stuff really requires characters of levels 16-30, or a lower level character with a lot of powerful cross-class skills and super-powerful gear that can only be aquired by completing difficult ascension challenges.

In other words, while the game does not have a level cap, you'll probably want to ascend in order to grow in other ways.
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Old 2009-01-03, 01:45   Link #8
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In response to some questions I have gotten from Cats, I've decided I should post a strategy guide to fighting with certain character types. There are three basic types of classes: Muscle, Mysticality and Moxie. It is fairly obvious that Muscle classes hit things with weapons and Mysticality classes cast spells, but Moxie class is a rather different concept.

Each class advances in their main stat twice as fast as their secondary stats. For Moxie classes, that shapes their entire method of battling. A character with high enough Moxie is untouchable, except by critical hits. The greatest power of Disco Bandits and Accordion Thieves is to have a high Moxie and make it higher by equipping only gear that boosts their main stat. Use hairspray (bought in the marketplace) to increase moxie by another 15% and it becomes possible to destroy monsters without ever being damaged at all, except by critical hits.

Concerning weapons: Melee weapons use Muscle to hit, but Ranged Weapons use Moxie to hit, so you should always use the weapon that corresponds to your higher stat. Since damage bonus is based on Muscle, Disco Bandits and Accordion Thieves will do far less damage with their ranged weapons than Seal Clubbers and Turtle Tamers will do with Melee weapons, but since Moxie classes are never hit unless they're careless or the monster gets a critical, they can survive for long enough to plink a monster to death.

Basic strategy for muscle classes is to hit things with Melee Weapons. There are a few choices and strategies, but the basics are simple enough that I don't see a need to get into it right now.

That brings us to Mysticality classes. Honestly, these magicians are the most challenging classes to play well in KoL. Some enjoy the extra difficulty, while others find them frustrating. Pastamancers are primarily spellcasters, while Saucerors are alchemist types. The basic strategy for attacking with spellcasting is to learn a strong spell to cast and boost it with your equipment. There are weapons (kitchen utensils) that boost spell damage. If you get a spatula or a melon baller, while it can be used to hit the enemy with (using your weak muscle), its real advantage is that it can be used to boost spell damage. Also, in your guild store you can purchase a cookbook to boost spell damage with. Finally, the most powerful thing for boosting spell damage is a chefstaff. See the staffcrafter in your guildhall if you find a staff to see if he can convert it to a chefstaff. Many of these staves require a skill that you will only have if you've learned it as a Seal Clubber, but there is one noticable exception that I'll discuss...

Spoiler for Staffcrafting:

The thing to remember about spellcasting is that while it requires a lot of MP, you can refresh that with Magical Mystery Juice bought in your guild store. The higher your level, the more MP the mmj will restore. That is the main use of meat for a Mysticality class and only Mysticality classes can purchase it. Meat can sometimes seem scarce at lower levels, but at the higher levels there is often enough to fuel the spells you need.

Saucerors have another option. Rather than relying on spells for damage, then can use the skill Advanced Saucecrafting (level 5) to mix up potions with scrumptious reagent. These reagents can be found in the Knob Goblin Laboratory or else summoned with the skill Advanced Saucecrafting (up to 3 per day). While there are many things that these potions can do, most importantly they can boost their moxie and proceed to use ranged weapons to plink with impunity as if they were moxie classes.

Spoiler for Saucecrafting Potions:
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Last edited by NoSanninWa; 2009-01-07 at 03:29.
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Old 2009-01-04, 06:08   Link #9
gelato_
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I guess we can expect the penguin mafias to run the next crimbo.

Happy New Year.

Only on my third ascension run. doing HC run now. Im a TT for the first time, what skill would you suggest i perm at end of this run? i'm considering between Amphibian Sympathy and Tao of the Terrapin. Next run im going one of the moxie class.
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Old 2009-01-04, 12:44   Link #10
NoSanninWa
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Originally Posted by gelato_ View Post
I guess we can expect the penguin mafias to run the next crimbo.
Yup, looks likely. Looks like the penguin mafia has successfully staged a takeover of Crimbo.

Quote:
Only on my third ascension run. doing HC run now. Im a TT for the first time, what skill would you suggest i perm at end of this run? i'm considering between Amphibian Sympathy and Tao of the Terrapin. Next run im going one of the moxie class.
No question. Amphibian Sympathy. A passive +5 to familiar weight that requires no mp to fuel it is awesome and does everything for you. When you need stats, you use a volleyball familiar and it will give you stats. When you need items, you use a fairy type familiar and it will increase your item drops. This is one of the best 4 skills in the game.

The other most powerful skills that Turtle Tamers have is Shieldbutt (since it never misses) and Hero of the Half Shell (since it makes Muscle classes nearly indestructible -- Really). After that comes Tao. Tao sounds really great, but when you consider that at low levels double your pants is still only 80 and at higher level there are other things to consider... Damage Absorption of your armor is frequently not the biggest problem you have to overcome. The only place where Tao is especially important is if you decide to challenge Farnswarthy's Dungeon. Otherwise it is a third tier skill.

Moxie classes have some useful skills. A lot of normal core players ignore Accordion Thieves because they can simply ask a buffbot to buff them with an AT song once they're out of ronin. However if you play hardcore or want access to AT songs during your first 1000 turns, then AT is king because their buffs are the most powerful in the game.

Anyway, if you choose Disco Bandit then your perm should be Advanced Cocktailcrafting because those advanced drinks will give you a lot of adventures. If you choose Accordion Thief you'll want either the Phat Loot Lyric for item drop bonus or Moxious Madrigal because +10 Moxie for 2 mp utterly destroys anything that can be encountered during your first few levels and it is helpful throughout a moxie classes run.

Anyway, I just realized I never mentioned my KoL name in this thread. I'm known as Bale. What is your name in the kingdom?
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Old 2009-01-04, 12:53   Link #11
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Peoples' gonna LOL at my in game name. I'm sp00nybard, and i am working to get that "Brave Sir Robin" trophy before i ascend(now level 12, doing the island war), though its already available in the shop.
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Old 2009-01-04, 16:39   Link #12
NoSanninWa
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Peoples' gonna LOL at my in game name. I'm sp00nybard, and i am working to get that "Brave Sir Robin" trophy before i ascend(now level 12, doing the island war), though its already available in the shop.
Funny name! I enjoyed that game and hearing the reference always makes me laugh.

I notice this and your previous run were hardcore. Have you thought of doing a cloverless hardcore run to qualify for Bad Moon? Since permed skills and terrarium don't help in the level playing field of a Bad Moon Ascension, it's a good idea to try it early while still building skills.
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Old 2009-01-04, 20:50   Link #13
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Nice find! However, I don't have the time to play this game though. I mean.. I have yet to try out Ar Tonelico and Dawn of Mana, though I bought it sometime ago..

One thing I do find this game to be interesting is this name "Kingdom of Loathing". I actually thought it would be something else, not expecting it turn out to be an actual MMO game. The character designs show some signs of comedic relief.. (laugh)
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Old 2009-01-06, 14:31   Link #14
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I'm doing HC runs just for the HC reward items, then i'll try to get the ones from HCO. After that i'm probably just gonna do normal runs just to perm as much of the skills as possible. So basically i'm not really a hardcore player, bad moon is totally optional for me.

anyway speaking of references, the following is possibly my favorite:

"You're fighting an Irritating Series of Random Encounters

You're trying to walk from the front of the airship to the back, but you are unable to do so without being attacked by a series of 30 or 40 nearly identical nondescript enemies. Man, that's irritating."
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Old 2009-01-06, 14:59   Link #15
NoSanninWa
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Originally Posted by gelato_ View Post
I'm doing HC runs just for the HC reward items, then i'll try to get the ones from HCO. After that i'm probably just gonna do normal runs just to perm as much of the skills as possible. So basically i'm not really a hardcore player, bad moon is totally optional for me.
By that logic, wouldn't you want to do Bad Moon in order to get the Brimstone items? Those are a heck of a lot easier and quicker to get than the Plexiglass items from HCO.

Quote:
anyway speaking of references, the following is possibly my favorite:

"You're fighting an Irritating Series of Random Encounters

You're trying to walk from the front of the airship to the back, but you are unable to do so without being attacked by a series of 30 or 40 nearly identical nondescript enemies. Man, that's irritating."
Yeah, that's a pretty funny one. Lord knows I know that feeling from Final Fantasy.

Unfortunately it has been a while since that was new to me so it only earns a bit of a smile now. Lately the ones that make me crack up are in the Sea, but that's pretty new so I won't mention them to avoid giving up spoilers. There are some darn funny monsters at Madness Reef and the Octopus' Garden.



Incidentally, if there is anyone here who is starting to get tired of all the clicking, there is a wonderful tool that will allow you to automate parts of your run and can provide helpful links and tools while it opens a window in your browser for you to play in play in a relay browser. After 50+ ascensions I might very well be tired of this game if I didn't have a timesaving tool like this. This fan created unofficial program is called KolMafia. You can find a reasonably decent guide to use it here. Download the latest official released version here or get the latest daily build here.
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Old 2009-01-06, 20:14   Link #16
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This is a well... Unique game
Krissame in-game. Just fooling around and it is refreshing in its humorous way. And the fact the only 'armor' you have is the Pants so wouldn't that mean female characters are exposing their stick body to the world!? OH NOES!
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Old 2009-01-06, 20:32   Link #17
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Ooo KoL does have a thread and it is older then expected. Im there though I have yet to actually do anything besides make a character Hopefully now that the holidays are over Ill have more time to explore and figure out what you all are talking about. Im kinda miffed I missed Crimbo and the penguin mafia takeover XD
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Old 2009-01-07, 01:17   Link #18
NoSanninWa
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Originally Posted by krisslanza View Post
This is a well... Unique game
Krissame in-game. Just fooling around and it is refreshing in its humorous way. And the fact the only 'armor' you have is the Pants so wouldn't that mean female characters are exposing their stick body to the world!? OH NOES!
Fortunately stick figures have little modesty to lose.

A small comment about that. Sorry it's a spoiler, so people shouldn't click unless they're willing to learn something about the game's mechanics after ascension.
Spoiler for Being Shirtless:


Quote:
Originally Posted by White Manju Bun View Post
Ooo KoL does have a thread and it is older then expected. Im there though I have yet to actually do anything besides make a character Hopefully now that the holidays are over Ill have more time to explore and figure out what you all are talking about. Im kinda miffed I missed Crimbo and the penguin mafia takeover XD
Ouch! That really hurts! It's a shame. There was some fun stuff going on for the last month and it just concluded today. Well, if you're still interested next year you'll get to enjoy a Crimbo hosted by the Penguin Mafia. I'm hoping that next year you'll still care.
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Old 2009-01-07, 03:27   Link #19
krisslanza
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Is it really "fortunate"? I mean... If they weren't stick figures you'd get some free eye candy and... *slaps self*
BAD KRISS. BAD!
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Old 2009-01-07, 06:16   Link #20
gelato_
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Originally Posted by NoSanninWa View Post
By that logic, wouldn't you want to do Bad Moon in order to get the Brimstone items? Those are a heck of a lot easier and quicker to get than the Plexiglass items from HCO.
hmmm how very true... maybe i had not read enough about the different runs over at kolwiki. Will look into it and see where it'll bring me. Thanks for the heads up.

I havent really been to the sea yet, maybe i'll check it out after i clear this run before i ascend.
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