I have explored a lot. I have explored so much with various characters that I can tell you that the style of areas have changed over the years, and what sort of area features certain creators like to have, etc. It is a skill I developed purely from exploring like crazy in all sorts of weird places.

I manually and obsessively type examine EVERYTHING when exploring. Singular, plural, compound words split into basic words, secondary objects within first description, etc. If players are as obsessive as me, then they'll still find it. But from what I see most players are not like that.

I suggest this change, with regards especially to wands and in particular sleek rod wands. The sleek rods system is not a bad system at all. What it needs to do is encourage exploration, because mages are meant to be scholars who know stuff. You can't have a level 51 Grand Master of Magery who doesn't even know where the Consortium/High Tower is. I am fine with exploration requirement.

Suggestions:

Make detect artifact a permanent skill that works 100% of the time. It should be available to all Mage types at 30, and all non-Mages at 51 and with enough exploration/observation exp. This is so that playing your warrior will actually teach you wand locations, and encourage people to try mages after they've gotten really good with warriors.

You enter a room with a possible protective wand/scroll/talisman:
You barely notice the strands of magical energy in the air. OR
You barely notice the strands of magical energy emanating from Mob X.

Now make it work this way:

You enter a room that has no wand because it is maxed out -
You barely notice the strands of residual magical energy in the air.

Detect artifact SKILL should work 100%, fire every time, and be completely independent of the veil. It should have no mana cost or cooldown, and should pretty much be up all the time for all characters.

It should fire when you enter a sleek location that is NOT YOURS. So that you know that it is a possible sleek, and you are rewarded for taking the time to explore.

It should fire when you enter a limited protection source that is MAXED OUT. So that you know that it holds a protective device when it is not maxed out.

What is the purpose of all this? This is to ensure that people who managed to get to all the rooms, who do all their examines, who take the time to painstakingly comb through at area with a fine-toothed comb, are rewarded.

This is a meaningful change that I wish to see. I have absolutely nothing to gain from it, trust me. I know so many wand locations that I don't need this boost.

This is not for my benefit. This is for all the people out there who are going to put in the sort of slog-work that I did, who may not have a memory / reading speed like mine. I found nearly all the things in Thera either by exploring, or through IC connections. I do hear things OOC, but it is not all that much.

I really think de-mystifying CF is a good thing. I'm sorry that it is going to penalise the people who put in huge amounts of effort to contribute to the game and become IMMs, but I, too, am penalised. Just to a smaller extent than, say, Nepenthe and Sebeok. By all means, let the IMMs who worked so hard have their advantages. But please let the work ordinary players put in count for something. As it stands, I have absolutely no freaking idea how anyone can figure out how to do a certain quest in Nyathl, how to do a certain quest in Ysigrath (before it was made easier), and even Kteng's while possible is insanely difficult. The first I've yet to find out, the second and third I was spoonfed it.

I think a perfect example of de-mystifying is the Ysigrath quest for -those- sleeves that everyone's been complaining about. Now it's actually possible to do the quest, if you read something else in the Lyceum + read the description of certain mob and act on it.

Feel free to edit this if it's giving away too much info.

Please consider this, Zulgh/other coders. I've done this the hard way, and I stand to gain nothing from this change I propose. I did exactly what you have told players to do, to roll characters and keep figuring things out, to keep researching. We don't want this to turn into a game where you just can't get certain bits of information if you don't get spoonfed it. You guys have put in a lot of time into the game, and this change doesn't seem like it will take a lot of time to do. Just grab all the rooms that can fire on 'detect artifact' for any char at all, and make them fire all the time. Change detect artifact to a passive, universal always-up skill.