I've peeked into the edges of Kunark and found a few things so far.I've peeked into the edges of Kunark and found a few things so far.
Kunark is a very beautiful, very spread out, land. I'd guess all zones are Karana sized or bigger. What I've found is there is plenty of room for people to form parties and go kill whatever they want. I've in fact told a few friends 'hey this area would probably be really good for you'.
The polygon count of monsters and land is higher, so is the texture count. With my P2 400, 128 meg ram and 16 meg worth of dual Voodoo 2s, I get slightly choppy at times running in full screen at 1000 x 750 with particles off. Beautiful, but it will raise the graphical floor above that P2 200, 8 meg card.
It seems too that the bias of good and evil is even more present in Kunark than ever before. Though I have not seen it, I heard shouts that the boat to the good outpost was amazingly beautiful, huge and very detailed. In contrast the boat to the evil outpost is basically a wooden float, dark and broken. I've heard that in the evil city of Cabilis we Dark Elves (along with everyone else) are KOS. Why can't they make evil on even footing with good? Why can't evil have a balance point? I just don't understand it. Now there is a whole continent of evil where evil is kos? /sigh
On the average I've seen 5 - 30 people per zone, and more than enough free things for people to make groups or solo, or explore as they like. Last night I myself was exploring, and even had a goblin dungeon all to my own (till I ran mana short and had to gate for worry of train (they were 99% resistant to root)). It seems a lot of the stuff that wanders have no faction and are indifferent. So your free to rest unattacked for the most part between combats.
In most areas people were exploring, happily looking around and exchanging information when asked, but mostly exploring and learning on their own.
There was however one very dark time in my exploration last night. I found a high level area. Now mind you to this point I had found about 3 variety of blue creatures I soloed and killed with ease, and probably will go back to later. This new area had a clump of high level players at the zone and some very large or interesting creatures about the land. There were a few groups killing there at the zone. A few of the people were nice and said go on in and peek around, to which I responded I would when I was full mana. Shortly thereafter I picked something small and interesting looking, zapped it and discovered it would have way too many hp to take alone, so I said that the people there could help anytime they like. I was blatantly name called and insulted for this. To which my response was that I must have been insane for wanting to explore these new lands on my own and thusly knew my welcome there, and reminded them I will remember their welcome when they need a resurrection in these new lands, and gated back to the previous zone I was exploring.
Summary / Solution / Truth
I have found some people are slowly exploring Kunark. Far more slowly than I anticipated.
There were those few groups camping in that one zone, and basically calling me an idiot for exploring. Silly me, I probably learned more in the first 2 rounds of combat soloing that monster than they did in hours of camping, as within 2 rounds I could estimate it's hp, it's attack and damage per round, and it's resistance to my kinds of spells.
It seems most though are afraid to explore. They stay in their same old places, with their same old tactics. afraid of change? afraid of death? Possibly. But why? Why should I not explore and discover on my own. Why should I ask others the exact details of everything before trying it myself? Why should I just find something and power level through to 60?
You've ruined your own lands!
You'll avoid ours!
/cheer to the explorer
/cheer to the soloist
Take your time with Kunark, learn first hand about it. Where is the fun in something if you don't do it yourself? You have nothing to loose. It's only a game. And after all there is usually a Vicar around to resurrect.