User:Danr14/Clasty

Introduction
Luminary Rise of the Goonzu is a very different MMO than you may be used too. Whereas other games are built around quickly leveling, grabbing the best gear off monsters, and general hack-n-slash type game play, Luminary is built with a strong, almost total focus on economy and politics.

This guide aims to help new players by using realistic examples, important terminology, and easy to follow explanations. It is designed in a way that by reading through it, each category will build upon the next so that at the end of the guide, you should have a fairly good grasp of the ins-and-outs of Luminary.

Before you Play…
Before you begin to play Luminary, there are a few concepts you should become familiar with to be successful within the game.

Politics

 * “Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government! Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony!”
 * – Peasant, Monty Python.

The world of Luminary is run by an elected player base. Every month, a new Goonzu (ruler) is elected by all of the players, who in turns, creates a cabinet in which he appoints players in charge of security, finance, and all other manners of office. Similarly, each town has its own democratically elected hierarchy. By purchasing stock in a town, you have the ability to run and vote for the towns civil leaders. Players can be elected as town chiefs, and as heads to all of the buildings in a town. Each elected office has a responsibility to the citizens of the town in the form of completing the required tasks mandated by that office. The Warehouse keeper must make sure to stay on top of the towns storage facilities, the Bank keeper on top of the towns money and bank accounts, etc.

Marbles Make the World Go Round

 * "Someday I want to be rich. Some people get so rich they lose all respect for humanity. That's how rich I want to be."
 * - Rita Rudner

While politics are all well and good, the true heart of Luminary is trade: the exchange of Marbles (the games currency), for goods and services. Luminary’s economy is a shining example of a free market system. There are virtually no outside controls or checks, and as such, the market relies on supply and demand. Prices are constantly fluctuating, and to many new players, it may seem chaotic and random, but it forms a logical circle of trade.

While you are not limited to a single one of these activities, usually you will see higher gains if you focus specifically on one, rather than attempting everything.


 * Hunter/Gatherer - The most common path to make money, Hunters amass items that are in demand or valuable, either through killing monsters, or gathering skills, and place them in the marketplace at the price of their choosing. Experienced hunters are usually capable of killing with the utmost efficiency, making the most money for their time.
 * Artisans - Requiring a great deal of patience and money, manufacturing is not as common as Hunting, but still makes up a large portion of the community. Artisans invest time into manufacturing skills to create highly wanted or needed items, usually utilizing the materials that hunters sell to create them. They often have contacts with merchant players, so that they can sell the items they've made quickly, allowing them to return to crafting.
 * Merchants/Investors - Money, patience, market knowledge, and a bit of luck make Merchants and investors by far the road less traveled compared to the other two. Investors and Merchants are typically players who have amassed a large amount of capital through either hunting or crafting, and spend their time purchasing and selling items to manipulate prices in their advantage. For example, a merchant may purchase all the silk in the marketplace to create demand, and then sell at a higher price. They commonly deal with artisans, often buying large quantities of gear that artisans have made and reselling them at marked up prices, rare items, and town stocks.

At it's core, hunters gather materials, and artisans buy them to create armor and goods, and then sell those items back to hunters, with merchants usually playing both sides of the transaction for their own gain.

Let's Begin...
After hopefully reading the above section, you should be ready to embark upon your journey into the exciting varied world of Luminary.

Server Selection

 * "Every journey starts with a single step."
 * - Confucius

Server selection is relatively simple. Clicking on a server will show you basic information about it.


 * Goonzu Name: - The name of the currently ruling Goonzu.
 * Prices: - Estimate of prices (Buy/Sell) in the server.
 * Population: - How many people play on the server.
 * Bonus Paid at 20 - How many marbles you receive from the server when you hit level 20. Keep in mind that in relation to prices in the server, this may not be a large sum, so don't just pick whatever server has the most.

Traditionally I've played on the Athena server, and have always found a good mix between prices/population, but that's just me, you might want to try out each server and make your decision based on the community.

Character Creation

 * "Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike."
 * - Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States.

After selecting 'Create', you'll be brought to a screen that asks you to put in a name, and select an avatar to represent your character.

The Avatars on different versions of GoonZu has an impact on skill progression and proficiency, though in Global, they're just aesthetic. Choosing your character has no bearing on your skills or stats.

Fabian and Raina represent the Eastern cultures (China, Japan, Korea, etc.) while Calix and Ariel represent the West (European, North American, etc.)

A very important convention that is overlooked by most new players is the Name. That user name is going to be how most players react, communicate, and trade with you. It should be English-Pronounceable, easy to read and remember, non-offensive, mature, and most of all - CREATIVE! Players may not want to vote someone named "xX3dragonballzboi3xX" or "xxCut3Sw33tRos3s3xx" to an electable office, and on the other end of the spectrum, how exciting is a GoonZu simply named "Craig"?

After your set, create the character and you'll end up with the game screen.

Recommendation
If this is your first account, you will be given a screen that asks you to put in the name of whatever player recruited you (if applicable).

You only have one chance at this, and once this window closes, it's gone. Players that you say recommended you will receive rewards as you level up.

There is no penalty if you leave it blank.

Mentor
It's suggested that new players should get a Mentor. Mentors are high leveled players that have applied to help out newbies. They will usually answer your questions, and generally assist you in the game. And in return, as you level up, they will be rewarded with different rewards.

When you begin the game, the mentor list will automatically pop up with a list of potential mentors you can choose.

Mentors are usually very nice and friendly players, and mentor out of a desire to help newer players get adjusted to the game, but there are those who just wish to use you for the level up perks. So be sure to whisper and talk to the mentor before you sign up for them.

It's also considered polite to not ask your mentor every single question that pops into your head. The official forums, and the wiki are very good sources of learning the basics, and most mentors would prefer if you put a little effort towards learning on your own.

Stats
After you handle your mentor and recommendation windows, you should become familiar with your stats.

Every time you level up you gain 5 stat points, which you can place in any of the following (Except Luck)

Stats are the most common mistakes that new players make. Except for a few exceptions, you can not change your stats after you allocate them. Stats should be geared towards the weapon that you specialize in. Please refer to the weapons guide to determine efficient allocations of stats.

Skills
In Luminary, the usage of weapons and manufacturing require skills. The higher your skills, the more proficient and skilled you are in that specific area.

A higher skill level for instance in the Axe skill, would allow you to deal more damage with Axes, and to wield axes that require a certain skill level.

The actual skill total you can view in your skills panel, is the sum of the following:
 * Equipment Bonus: - Any bonuses that you gain from equipment that you are wearing.
 * Basic Level: - Capped at 30, these are gained only by reading Skill Books.
 * Experience Level: - Capped at 80, these are gained by performing that skill and gaining experience.

THE BASIC AND EXPERIENCE LEVEL ARE INDEPENDENT OF EACH OTHER

For example, if your total skill is 45, but you only have 1/30 in Basic Skill, reading a skill book will make your total skill 46, and your basic 2/30.

Stats And Benefits
Horses are incredibly beneficial to the average Luminary adventurer. They let your travel at great speeds, have an inventory space in which you can store items, and even combine their stats with yours when you're riding them. However, Horses also have a limited life span, and when they expire, they die, and you need to buy a new one.

They have the stats Speed, Strength, Agility, and Wisdom.

Their status info displays their Name (which is changeable), his birthday, his life span, age, and gender, and stats.

The only stat that effects your horse directly is Speed, which determines how quickly he moves. The other stats that he has (Strength, Wisdom, and Agility) are added to your stats when you mount him.

Training
Horses start with minimum stats, and their stats only raise by feeding them. Occasionally your horse will ask for a certain food, if you feed him that food, his stats will raise slightly. The higher your Horse Training skill, the more stats they will receive.

If you buy a new horse, he will initially be very slow, and not add much to your stats until he is fully trained, so it is often best to find someone who will feed him for you.

If you select "Auto Feed" in your horses status box, you will automatically feed the horse if he asks for a food that you have in your inventory. Luminary has many mounts, but your first experience will probably be with a Brown Foal, which you receive at level 15.

The Foal that you achieve at level 15 comes with fully trained stats.

Types
Common horses are purchased as "Small Medal", and by activating the medal, you gain a random horse.

The following are the percentages:

There are also Blue Wolves (attained through item mall),Vixens (attained through RP points), and other rare limited edition mounts.

Summons
Summons are the pets in Luminary. You gain your first Summon at level 20. Summons require dolls (Gathered from the same type of monsters) to revive them. And can be evolved using expensive and rare items. Each Summon has it's own type of attack, and speed.

Your pets' stats have the same effect as yours, and each pet should have his or her stats set to complement their attack style.

Quests
From the moment that you hop into Luminary, you'll be given a quest. Quests have a requirement, whether gaining items, killing monsters, manufacturing, and on completion give you a reward of both experience and items.

Following the NPC instructions will usually lead you down a quest path, and you can talk to the NPC Jack Carpenter to gain grinding quests, to kill certain monsters, for an extra experience boost.

Shortcut Guide
The Following Shortcuts are used in Luminary.