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I also like the idea of portable orbs so as to make it more roleplayable. Normally, I'd just copy/paste into notepad++ and work from that file, but I think the fact that you receive an orb with a clue and set off to a new land in order to accomplish a mission is pretty amazing. What's a non-intellectual going to do otherwise? Sit down and take notes on a parchment?

It's good that we try to alter the players routine by doing this or that (I'm guessing that's the reason why we should "go back to Sparkle"), but we should think about the things we can be flexible on, and things we can't. Quest orbs, I'd say, aren't that big of a deal... What's the alternative? That people paste into documents, or just plain use quest walkthroughs...

What makes a game like this so interesting? Is it sitting down 4-5 hours taking notes and thinking about the syntax that a wizard used to make this thing possible? Maybe in the 90's...

Nowadays? Interaction, interaction, interaction. Roleplay, roleplay, roleplay. That's it! That's why events are so successful. People want to come and interact, be it to hate one another, to kill something together, or to roleplay a situation. That's what people like - drama. Figuring out a quest might be fun, but really... I think the player base is 30+ here, and not everyone has the time for that.

I'm quite new, still, but i've stayed (on and off because of RL problems that STILL aren't solved yet - now thats a quest! ). Why? Not because of the quests, really. The quests are really fun (some of them) but only if they're part of a guild joining process, or for a special item, but just to get some qxp? Nah... I've stayed because of the roleplay possibilities, because of the people, because of the original and wonderful material that these guilds have to offer, and because I like using my imagination. That's it.

Just my two cents

As with most things the best solution is often compromise and in this case I think we could have an ideal solution that would also please a majority.

I agree that the orbs being located in Sparkle isn't convenient. I, like many probably have, created a spreadsheet so that I can have this info with me more readily where its needed. However this defeats the secondary purpose of having it located in Sparkle as a lure to create a common hub to bring people together. But I also dislike the ideal of carrying the orbs around with you. We have enough persistent items and the orbs could still help serve its secondary function as a aid to community.

If we placed the orbs in their respective domains at a central location it could cause people who are questing in that area to run into each other and share notes. Perhaps embed them in the marble column that I believe are standard in many zones. In addition we could add a second function to encourage elder players to visit them too, perhaps resting at them for awhile lowers brute for a short time (like rested experience popular in MMOs), or a just a vendor selling food and drink. This would increase the chances that a young player would encounter someone there to ask advice from.

The original tower would remain and extra function could be added such as something to let people know which realm people have completed quests in recently so that they would know other players were active in that area.

Any loss of traffic in Sparkle, which would be minimal in my estimate could be countered with some new functionality. For instance an herbalist that rather then selling herbs will direct you to which shop currently stocks whichever herb your looking for. Or a guest merchant stall that sells the goods from other stores in various domains, open just one or two day per week with a sign telling people where they are normally found. This would also give newbies a taste of some of the things that are out there to discover.

Any loss of traffic in Sparkle, which would be minimal in my estimate could be countered with some new functionality. For instance an herbalist that rather then selling herbs will direct you to which shop currently stocks whichever herb your looking for. Or a guest merchant stall that sells the goods from other stores in various domains, open just one or two day per week with a sign telling people where they are normally found. This would also give newbies a taste of some of the things that are out there to discover.

Caw, I like your last idea, a merchant stall, open one or two days a week, offering goods from general stores in other realms. I think as well as a sign, the merchant should state where the goods are from, such as "If you find that useful, be sure to visit my store in Gondor" for example. This would help to direct newbies (and those of us who have been around for a few years but have faulty memories).

As for the Tower, I think the functionality of the common board could be grafted into the Tower rooms. You could enter the specific room from the tower, or from some specified place within the domain in question. (And yes, I too have created documents to allow me to access notes on the quests without being in Sparkle. It does not necessarily decrease the utility of the Tower.)