The naive newbie's guide to M&B 0.808

[Archonsod]

1-2-4-8-16-32 - powers of two. 24 isn't. 

Binary ain't necessarily powers of 2, not when talking PC's anyway. 24 = 5 x 4, or 3 Bytes.

As noted before, AI parties seem to recruit from prisioners - at least during the capture assessment phase of their battles - as suggested by parties such as Sea Raiders with a Dark or two and a few V.vets.

I think the AI just grabs all of the prisoners by default. As with the player, if you try and capture a 'friendly' prisoner from a defeated party you actually recruit them instead. In the case of faction troops they probably came from a deserter mob.

As far as wear and tear on equipment... perhaps if it didn't accept maintenance, but simply required replacement after a certain amount of wear?

That's pretty much what you get at the moment (once a shield gains the cracked attribute you can't repair it). Of course, the problem is whether or not it forces the player to carry around surplus sets of equipment on the off chance one breaks.
One influencing factor in this kind of system is the way equipment appears throughout the world. It's too random really to adopt this approach without being more inconvenient than anything else - it's possible that even basic equipment can prove impossible to replace, simply because it's not spawning in the merchant inventories in any great quantity. I can only imagine the reaction this would get, based on the complaints about the difficulty in finding Marnid some padded armour...

 

[Sturmspawn]

...That's pretty much what you get at the moment (once a shield gains the cracked attribute you can't repair it). Of course, the problem is whether or not it forces the player to carry around surplus sets of equipment on the off chance one breaks.
One influencing factor in this kind of system is the way equipment appears throughout the world. It's too random really to adopt this approach without being more inconvenient than anything else - it's possible that even basic equipment can prove impossible to replace, simply because it's not spawning in the merchant inventories in any great quantity. I can only imagine the reaction this would get, based on the complaints about the difficulty in finding Marnid some padded armour...

yeah - that can be a bit challenging. I had been doing a survey of polearm quality and frequency [and there's a thread out there on privy council about this same topic] and those can be a bit hard to find, too. It seems that right now shields are the only items that take wear, no? while the implementation of wear and replacement seems a bit, er, simplistic right now, it could become an interesting challenge in future. Best defense in .808 is to buy early and buy often: this was actually a point in the very first post of this thread... I think there are a lot of players carrying spare and alternate inventory anyway, or keeping it in chests. I think this adds some depth to the game while avoiding the whole econ sim aspect [I like econ sims, but I think that would be inappropriate for this game], but a better frequency of quality might help -perhaps if it was conditioned on character level.

As far as the Marnid padded cloth thing goes, I suppose it is more of an issue to those who had played previous versions. I had simply come to accept that levels 1 thru 6 were about training up in arena and river pirate quest and doing trade routes to get basic equipment - and acquiring B&M fell into that category. Probably the most frustrating thing was to hit a merchant who had the padded cloth and to not have enough cash or barter goods to get it. That is the sort of thing that would lead people to use the cash cheat. I must confess that on a few of my start games I exported and reimported characters to give them 3000 denars to start, just to get past the tedium: I hated to do it, and 10k denars seemed a bit too excessive. This was particularly a problem when playing the Nun, and is perhaps what gives people the impression that she is 'weak.' She isn't, but she starts out with so little that even her tremendous points allowance does not make up for it [you can give her Ride=1 but she can't afford a horse]. Perhaps in a future version all characters will start out with a little more of value in inventory - at least enough to trade for the padded cloth or bail Borcha out. Even a lame sumpter horse would be better than nothing. Doing the initial trade routes on foot is - well, boring at best, and playing hours and hours of arena matches just to finance a horse is just plain unpleasant. I did that with one character and wore the letters off my keyboard doing it. I won't do it again.

Overall, it seems that levels 10 thru 25 or so are really the most interesting - or at least they are levels in which the terms of the game make the most dramatic transitions as the effects of levelling-up are relatively frequent and signficant.

 

[Archonsod]

Borcha only cost me 50 Denar last time. A single match in Rivacheg can net you 105 Denar

I guess you could include horses in equipment which can be damaged, since they can go lame. Although this isn't always a bad thing.

 

[Mydienon]

1-2-4-8-16-32 - powers of two. 24 isn't. 

Binary ain't necessarily powers of 2, not when talking PC's anyway. 24 = 5 x 4, or 3 Bytes.

Wait... 24 = 6 x 4
Doesn't it?  And regardless, what is the use of storing the value 24 in 3 Bytes?  If you define your own numerical type it can be stored in 1 Byte; many programming languages have a defined type of "short integer" that is 2 Bytes.  If stored as characters it would still take as little as 2 Bytes.  I'm ashamed to sound like a moron here, but Archonsod, your reasoning behind using 24 maximum unit types in the castles eludes me.

------
I'm one of those people who enjoys "starting"--when your character is not rich or powerful at all.  It doesn't take that long to build up a pool of denars, and I've never had a problem finding padded armor (in fact, I usually wait until I specifically find Tattered Padded Armor).  It takes about 1 game day to travel the loop of Zendar-Wercheg-Khudan-Rivacheg-Zendar.  On the loop you can fight 1 or 2 River Pirate parties (sometimes 3 or more), and you can also take on Sea Pirate parties fairly easily once you're mounted.  Selling captured enemies in Zendar and earning River Pirate Quest rewards easily provides enough denars to purchase Tattered Padded Armor and a Heavy Sumpter Horse.  You can find armor and weapons easily enough once you take on Sea Pirate parties, so there's really nothing you need to purchase at early levels, except maybe a better horse.

Since it takes about a day to travel between these 4 towns, simply check the armor merchant for Padded Armor in each town.  By the time you get back to Zendar, it's the next day, you've usually earned a few hundred denars, and you can check again for the Padded Armor on another loop around the towns.  Supplement your income and keep things interesting by fighting in a tournament in each town--this gives some variety in the battles you're fighting, and helps develop weapon proficiencies you don't use often in combat.  Finally, check the merchant in each town--you can often pick up a quest to escort a caravan, take out some bandits, or rescue a girl near one of these 4 towns.  Ignore any far away quest, take any local quest.  They don't pay much, but they will shoot you up the early levels quite fast (maybe too fast if you're trying to develop weapon proficiencies through combat).

Try not to worry so much about getting Marnid.  You'll find the padded armor soon enough.  If you need/want the addition of a companion, Borcha can be had almost immediately.  If you're hitting four (or more) armor shops per day, then your chances of finding what you want are pretty good.  Try to enjoy the fact that you have a goal to accomplish--there aren't many in the game.  Finally, at the beginning Borcha and Marnid are weaker than many of the troops you can rescue or upgrade (except that B&M's deaths aren't permanent).  You need to get them so you can help them gain experience, but the difference between getting them on day 1 or day 15, at level 1 or level 5, really isn't all that great.

A lot of people seem to think starting out is drudgery.  I truly enjoy it--I can hit level 5 or 6 with a couple thousand denars saved up (or spend it on mounts and equipment), have Marnid and Borcha equipped and maybe leveled once, and have a full party of additional "fodder" troops--and it takes only an hour or two of pure fun in real-time.  An excellent break from work or study if you ask me!  At later levels, it takes bigger battles and longer playing times to get the same satisfaction from character growth and equipment upgrades. 

As for recommended changes to the game, simply programming the Zendar merchant to always have Padded Armor would solve some frustration, or having Marnid accept and equip ANY armor better than Padded Armor would make more sense. 

--Mydienon

 

[Sturmspawn]

In fact, Marnid will also take padded leather:

http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/topic,19400.msg402467.html#msg402467

Apparently Armagan had already considered the problem - and simply hadn't updated the dialogue. This should improve the situation significantly. 

Well, for me, the only good thing about levels 1-10 is that they only take about 60-80 days to get through. One of the great things about the human brain is its inability to accurately recall pain. Despite this, I am planning to go ahead and restart using the Nun plan I posted above, to see how it goes. I've been putting it off.

 

[DJNad]

In fact, Marnid will also take padded leather:

http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/topic,19400.msg402467.html#msg402467

Apparently Armagan had already considered the problem - and simply hadn't updated the dialogue. This should improve the situation significantly. 

Well, for me, the only good thing about levels 1-10 is that they only take about 60-80 days to get through. One of the great things about the human brain is its inability to accurately recall pain. Despite this, I am planning to go ahead and restart using the Nun plan I posted above, to see how it goes. I've been putting it off.

Jeez.... 60 - 80 days....

my character was nearly level 25 by 60 and is was 30 at 80...... I fight far more than I try to make money... I find it more enjoyable.

 

[Archonsod]

Wait... 24 = 6 x 4
Doesn't it?

Most people consider a byte 8 bits these days. Probably because there hasn't been a CPU using the old 4 bit model for about a decade

And regardless, what is the use of storing the value 24 in 3 Bytes?

The 24 allows you to use 3 8 - bit bytes (or 6 4-bit ones) to record the troops at the castle. If you had (for example) 27, then you'd be tying up a byte without using the full value, if you see what I mean.

  By the time you get back to Zendar, it's the next day, you've usually earned a few hundred denars, and you can check again for the Padded Armor on another loop around the towns.

AFAIK Merchant inventory regenerates every three days. You'd need a three day loop to make it worth checking the merchants again.
The problem is still there though - since there's no guaranteed chance of padded armour being there, it's perfectly feasible that no padded armour exists in the world for some time, and padded armour is fairly common. Imagine if you lost something a little more rare, like a balanced Sword of War or a Watered Steel sabre.
It's not insurmountable. One could always guarantee certain equipment available at towns as a 'town speciality', or introduce more merchants (how about an upper class weaponsmith who only sells the best (i.e. positive modified) stuff?)

Try not to worry so much about getting Marnid.  You'll find the padded armor soon enough.  If you need/want the addition of a companion, Borcha can be had almost immediately.

Companions as a whole aren't a big deal, unless you're relying on them with your character build. If I ditch trading skills off my character and plan to use Marnid for that kind of thing then I need him in the party as soon as possible.

A lot of people seem to think starting out is drudgery.  I truly enjoy it--I can hit level 5 or 6 with a couple thousand denars saved up (or spend it on mounts and equipment),

My last character made level 10 without ever leaving Rivacheg arena

having Marnid accept and equip ANY armor better than Padded Armor would make more sense. 

I suspect it's only there as a concept proof. What really annoys me is that by the time you find padded armour, you usually have something better for him to use (and the cheapskate won't re-imburse you for it )

 

[Sturmspawn]

Jeez.... 60 - 80 days....

my character was nearly level 25 by 60 and is was 30 at 80...... I fight far more than I try to make money... I find it more enjoyable.

Please keep in mind that this thread is specifically directed at new players - being a collection of useful background and such. It takes us a while as we also have to check out every detail, talk to every character, figure out how things work and what all those specs on every item really mean, as well as become oriented to the mouse and keyboard controls. From my first few games I can recall several "Gee, if I had only known" situations, that took days or weeks to get right or recover from, some of which are described herein. Most of us in that position spend days in taverns recovering from battles we probably shouldn't have been in ["...uh, what's a dark knight?"].  Once you know how this all works, sure, you can race uplevel as fast as you like.

Having a kit together for either companion before you acquire them is a very good idea.

BTW - I used to code in assembler for a 20-bit [5 nibble] processor, so yeah, 24 bit has some meaning, but then, I also remember the day my IBM reps showed up with an original PC - dual floppies! - and all those stupid Charlie Chaplin ads. Let us all forget those days.

 

[Mydienon]

Most people consider a byte 8 bits these days. Probably because there hasn't been a CPU using the old 4 bit model for about a decade

And regardless, what is the use of storing the value 24 in 3 Bytes?

The 24 allows you to use 3 8 - bit bytes (or 6 4-bit ones) to record the troops at the castle. If you had (for example) 27, then you'd be tying up a byte without using the full value, if you see what I mean.

Okay; your initial statement of 24 = 5 x 4 was where I was confused.   

Binary ain't necessarily powers of 2, not when talking PC's anyway. 24 = 5 x 4, or 3 Bytes.

Also, I was confused about storing the value 24 in 3 Bytes.  But you're not talking about storing 24 as a value--you're talking about storing 24 bits.  Which makes a little more sense, and I see now what you're talking about.  Though I would've expected an implementation using pointers instead of bits...    

------
Anyway, I haven't had a lot of time to play lately--was out of town for more than a week--but tonight I was able to get back into the game.  Spent my time playing instead of testing, though I hope to do some unit comparisons and complete a table of unit information sometime soon. 

------
Sturmspawn, your Nun plan sounds fine, but I want to remind newbie readers that the Nun only receives "more skill points" due to her intelligence.  All characters have exactly 11 + Level + INT skill points to distribute.  Similarly, all characters have exactly 40 + STR/2 + Ironforge * 2 health (rounded down), and all characters can lead exactly 5 + CHA + Leadership * 5 soldiers.  No character has any innate bonus that makes them better or worse than any other character--the difference between characters is their starting equipment (which will likely change when you find or buy something better) and the skill points, attribute points, and weapon proficiencies that are predefined (all characters start with 12 skill points and 26 attribute points set, and a varying amount of weapon proficiencies set, which can't be lowered).

Although you are asked to choose a character background, Mount & Blade is not a class-based game.  All attributes, skills, and weapon proficiencies can be learned by all characters.  Your character background gives you a "push" in some direction, but once you start playing you're free to build your character however you like.  However, you are limited by "time and experience"--it is unlikely that you'll play the character long enough to achieve level 90+, so having a character with all attributes at 30 and all skills at 10, while theoretically possible, is practically possible only if you edit your character's stats.

--Mydienon

EDIT:
I've been digging around in the module_troops.py and comparing it with in-game notes.  So far, it looks like ALL units of a specific type in any game have identical stats--the same attributes, skills, and weapon proficiencies.  Apparently, all units are created when a game is created, and only equipment is randomly generated for each specific soldier.  Two Dark Knights will always have the same stats, but their equipment may be different.

When a new game is created, all of the units are generated again.  So in one game all of the Swadian Knights might be extremely agile, and in another game all of the Swadian Knights might be extremely charismatic.  This means there's definite advantage to finding out the stats of the different troop types every time you play a game.  It make a big difference in how you build your party, which units you choose to use, and how they work together. 

So far, I've discovered that the formula for generating attributes and skills in the module_troops.py documentation is incorrect (the documentation is probably for an earlier version).  However, the true formula is still eluding me--I've discovered a formula that works for almost all troops, but not one that works for all troops.  I'm collecting data intermittently while playing the game.  This isn't a hardcore test going on, so getting results will take awhile.  But, when I finish, I'll put my information in the forums.

 

[DJNad]

Jeez.... 60 - 80 days....

my character was nearly level 25 by 60 and is was 30 at 80...... I fight far more than I try to make money... I find it more enjoyable.

Please keep in mind that this thread is specifically directed at new players - being a collection of useful background and such. It takes us a while as we also have to check out every detail, talk to every character, figure out how things work and what all those specs on every item really mean, as well as become oriented to the mouse and keyboard controls. From my first few games I can recall several "Gee, if I had only known" situations, that took days or weeks to get right or recover from, some of which are described herein. Most of us in that position spend days in taverns recovering from battles we probably shouldn't have been in ["...uh, what's a dark knight?"].  Once you know how this all works, sure, you can race uplevel as fast as you like.

That was my first ever time playing the game. I found all that stuff mega quick, and as to healing for weeks.... that's what reload is for.... you learn who you can take on and who not to very quick then.

 

[Mydienon]

I've added a table with some information on unit types and commands in this post, which I think may be helpful for newbies.

Also, I'm continuing to look at soldier stats in different games.  The stats are identical for all units of a specific type within a game, but they can greatly vary in different games.  Higher level units tend to vary more than lower level units, because higher level units usually have more "random" points assigned to attributes and skills.

For example, it is possible for a Vaegir Skirmisher to have higher Strength, Agility, Ironflesh, Power Draw, and Athletics than a Vaegir Marksman.  Yes, a Vaegir Marksman will always have better weapon proficiencies, and a Vaegir Skirmisher might not be equipped with a bow...but depending on how the random points are distributed, a Vaegir Skirmisher (or a Vaegir Archer) can be "better" than a Vaegir Marksman.

These inconsistencies can exist on any units.  Therefore, it is a good idea to always Talk to one of each unit type, and examine their attributes and skills.  It's possible (however unlikely) that a lower unit on an upgrade path is better than a higher unit.  It's possible for Dark Knights to have lower Strength and Agility, and fewer useful skills, than Swadian Men at Arms.  It's possible for all of the Vaegir units to be much better than their Swadian counterparts, or vice versa.  While higher level, fully upgraded units tend to have better equipment, it is not guaranteed that they will always be "the best".

--Mydienon

 

[Sturmspawn]

...which suggests that one might not be hasty to hit that upgrade button when it activates.

 

[Sturmspawn]

A second exercise in planning, and a lesson


So much for theory. I went back to this http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/topic,20514.msg483663.html#msg483663
and built a Nun according to the proposed development plan. There were a couple of things that were less than satisfactory. As noted elsewhere in this thread, of the three Nuns I have built, they are all 'klutzy,' as in 'can't get out of their own way to save their lives.' As also noted, the Huntress can get through Zendar training 3-for-3 four times. The Nun takes hours and hours and hours, and I usually abandon it when the arthritis kicks in. So what distinguishes these two characters?

It turns out that it has little to do with Hit Points, Ironflesh, Powerstrike, or the proficiencies. The key factor turns out to be Athletics. The huntress comes with AGI=9 and Athletics=3 out of the box. In the plan I proposed, the Nun would enter Zendar with AGI of 6 and Athletics of 2. I knew Athletics was more significant than its caption ("Improves your running speed") would imply, but I didn't realize how much. An AGI point, by itself, improves weapons speed, and presumably all motions speed, by 0.5%. Athletics appears to act as a multiplier, or more likely as a base increment to motion speed - and it may also act as an aid to 'recovery' time. It is much more than simply a way to offset encumbrance when unhorsed, which is how I most often see it defined in forum [EDIT: ...and Zendar training is done without any armor at all - so the effects of athletics can plainly be seen to be independent of encumbrance alone]. I am coming to think of it as 'initiative' rather than athletics. The subtlest effect of this is that once she attains the initiative [effects a hit, with its unit of stunlock effect on the opponent], she can maintain it with follow-up strikes, before the opponent can either block or set up a response hit. This ability to act 'aggressively' is exactly the same thing that made the huntress so compelling on her feet [and in all likelihood, this is why I developed a habit of rarely/never blocking - it seemed superfluous when you could instead issue another strike, and there was nothing to block against]. All this for one point difference. I suggest you try it for yourself, as the sensation is more compelling than the description.

It should be understood at this point that this discussion is not confined to the Nun, per se, but to all character types.

Here's how I tested. I restored one of my checkpoint saves - the original Nun leaving the Training Grounds - exported and edited it. I traded one point off of the planned 2 for throwing [thrown weapons didn't work out to be such a big deal anyway] and added one point to the planned Athletics of 2, bringing it to 3. Yes, I know that ordinarily AGI would have to be 9 to permit this, but this was a test. [By the way, the Hunter gets an initial athletics of 3 with AGI at 8.] I imported this one tiny change and marched her over to Zendar for some Arena training. As I have led you to expect, that Nun just flew right through it. The issue is not her strength [the power of a blow] or in her weapons speed [verbiage from the AGI caption], or in her ability to absorb hits, but in her ability to maneuver and dodge and actually land a blow of any sort on her opponent. In short, that one little Athletics point delivered the actual agility to do all the things that melee fighting [at least at this level] requires. The synthetic nature of this test makes it even more compelling, because I did not increase her AGI attributes at all.

Anecdotally, in playing a Huntress as my primary character, I have never bumped Athletics beyond the original 3 value. Now I'm wondering what effect Athletics of 4 might have. This is probably of even more significance for an infantry character. I have not seen much discussion of this skill in the forums, but I think that maybe its importance has been overlooked [this might actually be an 808 thing - I dunno]. Likewise, wth my primary huntress, I have never needed to push powerstrike up over 2 - she can hold her own with a sword against at least two or three opponents on her feet in light mail and plate [total encumbrance around 21.5] because of her initiative - not her strength.

To update the development plan... It appears that I need to go back to the drawing board, because to do it without a cheat/edit means that AGI will need 3 of the available 4 attribute points, which means that every item in the plan will have to be reconsidered - it's easy enough to leave INT=11 and CHA=5, but STR=4 limiting Ironflesh to 1 will be tough. But perhaps with the improvement in general agility she won't need those 2.5 extra hit points after all [this would leave her at 45 or so, which isn't too bad]. 

EDIT: This also has implications for weapon speed when mounted - or so it seems. Noticed a much more free swinging, quick-recovering sword action on the training ground. Hard to measure. Building a new Nun...

EDIT: This is very much like my favorite 1-point attribute in horses - the Maneuver of 12 on the Steppe horse, which is roughly equivalent to 1 to 2 ride points when you are at ride=3 or 4. After ride=6 the maneuver level of your horse is not so critical or noticeable.
End edit.

 

[Sturmspawn]

Counterintuitive - or, the queen's pawn opening.

There have been a few notes on tactics and orders in this thread, and I thought I would add another one that is a bit counterintuitive. What I am going to describe is specific to a primarily cavalry force, with a good 20-30% of Khergit Guards [mounted archers], so don't assume that it will make sense for other compositions.

As you may know, archers are blind and vulnerable to the right [they can fire forward, to the left, and when mounted they have a reverse/backward shot]. The Khergit guards seem to maximize this when they charge by flanking to the right and circling to harrass the rear, always circling counterclockwise, firing to their left.

I had a few occasions where I wanted to force the battle out of the woods and over to clearings on the left, so, of course, I issued follow-me's at the outset and headed that way. What I discovered was that this had the effect of placing the Khergits in front of the opponent's already committed cavalry charge, with me and my cavalry to their right, at which point an all-charge sets the whole attack in motion - but on an attack axis skewed 90 degrees into their blindside. Of course, as an archer, this seems like a disadvantage, except that it permitted me to lead the cavalry forces in against the opponent infantry and foot-archers - who were considerably more disadvantaged than myself from this - as their cavalry cover was now completely committed to defending against ranged attack from the khergits [who seemed to be fading backwards], rather than meeting my cavalry or infantry head on. To address the archers, they had to continue on their current momentum - away from their infantry and archers.

Easy enough for me [a mounted archer] and my companions [another mounted archer and sword-mace] to race around the back, and resume the same kind of harrassment that would have happened had we flanked counterclockwise.

The result was a considerably more rapid pace, an orderly flow of targets, and considerably light damage. The main point of this note is to point out that the orders system, good-bad-or-indifferent, can be used to compose some meaningful support beyond simple melee.

 

[Archonsod]

I'll probably be moving this thread into the library in some form within the next couple of days.

If anyone wants to add any further observations, or any newbies want to ask further questions here, now would be the best time to do it.

 

[DJNad]

I'd just like to say something that I know has already been said, but something I think is important. The Library is a bit hard to see. I know it's at the top of the board, but I've never actually seen it there before until I looked a minute ago. Maybe you could place a sticky in the actual topic, then just link to the library??

 

[Sturmspawn]

A few tactical notes


Battles on the snowy tundra: For archers, the white background makes the reticle almost invisible, but there is a way around this. Delay your attack until night-time, when the snow turns to a pale blue, and suddenly the reticle is back.

Choosing your ground: although you can't always anticipate the precise terrain on which you will fight, you can make a few gross choices. For instance, you have some Swadian Deserters [you know, 50 crossbows] that you want to eliminate. Get their attention and let them chase you into a nearby wooded area - this will defeat their range advantage. Obvious? Yes, but one doesn't always notice what's at hand. Same trick would work for any primarily ranged oppponent -like you know who. This works before the battle starts, but similar tactics are available at battle start. Got some Sea Raiders in a creek? Let them follow you out onto the nearby plains where your ranged units are ready for them and your lancers can shine.

The point to this is that your INT rating has nothing to do with your intelligence. You might become a superior warrior,with ratings far exceedng that of any NPC - or you might not, and that may not be necessary, as long as you exploit what's around you to let your party succeed. This might well include soloing [if that's to your taste], or it might include merely circling at a distance shouting encouragement - both of these can work, and you might well have to do both at sometime in your career as an adventurer/ess.

Along the same lines, learn to keep your cool and set up your shots or swings. A few kills in the right place and the right time can make all the difference. You may not garner every last personal XP but then you might see some surprising values for shared XP - and ultimately any point will do.

 

[Petruz Maximus]

Again, Nice tutorial.. I'm sorry how this sound repeatedly, but i had to say it..

Just awsome..  ..

Petruz

 

[Sturmspawn]

On behalf of a number of contribs, thanks - please feel free to add to it. In 2000 words or less, describe the "One Thing I Wish I'd Known Before I Started Playing M&B." All us Newbs will appreciate it. [There will be a quiz.]

 

[Petruz Maximus]

On behalf of a number of contribs, thanks - please feel free to add to it. In 2000 words or less, describe the "One Thing I Wish I'd Known Before I Started Playing M&B." All us Newbs will appreciate it. [There will be a quiz.]

One thing I wish I'd known before I started Playing M&B is I have known M&B existed earlyer.. 

Petruz