The World of Layonara
The NWN Persistent World => Layonara Server => Topic started by: Leanthar on November 18, 2004, 10:06:00 AM
-
Hi everybody,
Well it has come down to where I need to ask everybody to donate to the world. I can not continue to pay $250-$300 every month in order to keep these servers up and running. I will pay some of it but no longer will I shoulder the full cost. I am asking for us to get at least $200 a month in donations or I am going to have to close up. I have been paying for this for 2 1/2 years now and can no longer continue to carry the full brunt of the cost. So, please donate by clicking on the "Make a Donation" button on the top/mid right of the screen. Without donations I will be forced to close up shop.
I'm sorry to ask for this donation but RL has impeded and forced my hand on this issue.
-
As soon as I can i will, check will be in the mail in december.
-
Unfortunaly I knew this day would come.....I just didn't think it'd be so soon.
I'll be making a purchase or two from the shop this Christmas (as a present from my parents) and donate what I can scrape up and send you in the mail.
I'm just curious though.....I know that if you (and us the players) can't keep these servers up we won't be able to upgrade layo to a different game but will the forum stay? I'm asking because if NWN 2 is as good as people say it's going to be, and we can keep sending in donations to build up for a new world on a new game, I think it'd help to keep the forums up. If this is costing you money also then forget it.
Just thinking that I know a lot of great people here and keeping interest with forums n' such might help to keep em long enough to wait out the storm. :)
ZV,
-
I have talked to Fenris about this and we are going to make donations, as much as we can afford.
On a month to month basis, but we need others to help too.
This is more about keeping the server alive, then anything eles. We need everyone to chip in what they can every month.
With over 1,000 users we should be able to pull in something. Even if its one dollar a month thats over 1,000 dollars.
Just my thoughts just trying to help alittle.
Sakura
-
If its about life or death I think it should be made mandatory to donate every month. Just enough to keep the place running.
Harlas
PS: Gonna donate NOW!
-
Mandatory donations are prohibited by the user agreement in NWN.
YT
-
Yep well I will try very hard to donate at least $50 - $100 per month (I'm online so much its only fair really...phew thank god the pound is so strong against the dollar at the moment :) )
-
I will dontate what money I can every month and already have sent some to Leanthar.
-
NO ONE here has the right to say others "have to donate". That just plain isn't fair. Granted Leanthar can it's his world we all flounder around in.
If you can donate do it... if you can't then don't.
Those who can...... do so with out causing a stink for those who can't.
Those who can't.... I'm not trying to be a jerk here but we don't need to hear about how you can't afford to.... if you can't you can't.
Those who can and do donate. Just because you can swing a few bucks and some one else can't that doesn't make you any better than them.
Leanthar has literally poared his life into this game for over 2 years. Do the math people figure out what has payed in money... then figure the time he put in this game for us vs. time with his family... what does that cost?
Leanthar I hope Layo remains open for people to enjoy, with that said I don't blame you one bit for making this statement and I also don't blame you one bit if for at any reason at any time you have to pull the plug.
Bottom line .. if you can donate... do it. If you can't Don't.
Andy
G-452
-
Amen G, I'm in.
Keth
-
I agree to pledge a solid amount every month. I will give no less the $5 dollars and no more than $20 (probably will be more like $10 a month)
The reason I say it like this is to give Leanthar a promise. I might not give much, but my pledge will be consistent. If enough people give a small amount in a consistent manner, then Leanthar will not have to wrestle with the decision every month as to whether or not he will close the doors of Layonara.
I would recommend not giving more than $15 to $20 dollars a month. It makes it harder to be consistent financially (unless your rich, then feel free). ;)
I have one question for Leanthar though. What would be a good day for me to set as a monthly due date?
I would like to put it in my budget spreadsheet so that I don't forget. I'm going to pay for it by a minimum of not smoking one day (yes, I am one of those dirty smokers ... for now) ;) . Or perhaps I will pass up one beer a month and say its a sacrifce upon the alter of Layonara (not to be sacreligious).
I hope more can give consistently, even in small amounts. It would give others peace of mind to know that Layonara isn't going to be on the brink of death every month.
Just one final thanks to Leanthar, this financial announcement made me think about what Layonara must of cost him (or the small circle that started this wonderful world); and I estimate it was anywhere between $5,000 and $20,000! Thanks a heap Leanthar (and maybe mysterious other benefactors) for creating this world.
HEY! If we get enough monthly donators, maybe we could start an upgrade fund that gradely grows (with any money over monthly connection fees)!
Perhaps a tad hopeful.
Everquest and Cosmo Magazine Blow! ;) Donate to Layonara instead! j/k
-
Being pretty new here and falling in love so quickly with this server and the people on it I would be more than happy to give 5-10 bucks a month, thats about all I can swing but Im happy to give it. Should already have the first 10.00 :)
Thanks for everything everyone has put into this site especially Leanthar for giving so much.
-
Gilrod, as to your question of "What would be a good day for me to set as a monthly due date?" It does not really matter, so long as I can make the monthly payments that I am faced with.
Thank you to everybody and I hope (*pray*) we can keep this going.
-
5-10 is absolutely perfect, says I! I think if we all gave that then think of this: L pays 300 bucks a month so we can all spend hours playing. If you paid a quarter an hour, then in 20hr *.25= 5 bucks. 20 hrs a month is about 5 a week, one a day, I play 20 hrs a week almost (except on a work week). I descided to give a set amount, in that range, and gave for November. Now if only 29-40 people give in that range, guess, what? No stress on L! He's got a server we all share!!
Keth
-
Leanthar,
please post your mailing address for personal checks please. thanks!
-
Leanthar's Address
Dan Scott
40966 Quailview Drive
Oakhurst, Ca. 93644
-
thanks!
a check will be on its way...
-
New here but love it cant be having it go away right after I found it!! donation sent through paypal!
-
I'm going to set a goal of $5 a month as a form of "membership".I realize we can't use words like that due to legalities, licensing ,etc. but that's how I'll think of it. Basically, I should be able to find that in the couch cushions, my jacket pockets and on the floor of the car per month. 500 dedicated donaters at this level would yield $2500 a month and $30,000 a year. That's how its possible. We've all listened to fund drives on Public Television and radio. Its simlpe math. Even $2.50 a month would yield $15,000 a year.
Perhaps I'm secretly being selfish because I love playing NWN on online and I would'nt want to have to find another world to start over in! I've already made friendships here and that takes time!
-
I realize this is my first post, but I had a suggestion. My income floats higher/lower form month to month, depending on what is going on, so I know I would be unable to promise a payment every month. However, I am not against making donations to repay all the hard work and money that goes toward keeping a server up.
Would it be possible to put a goal for donations up, and then let us know how close you are to reaching it? That way, I would know the months that you need a larger payment, or months that I don't have to feel guilty because I couldn't make a payment, since you already reached the goal. If it was a month when the donations were down, and I wasn't able to make a payment, I would choose not to play for awhile.
Either way, I'm sure I will be making some donations, I just thought I'd throw that out there.
-
I'll try to include a donation in this month's budget, no guarantee though but most definatly for next month I believe.
-
Just out of curiosity; is the paypal donations setup to handle monthly subscriptions? ie: I'd like to have an automatic donation of $10 (US) so that I don't have to remind myself every month... (I don't have a paypal account setup yet which is why I'm asking and not just finding out myself).
-
I don't know if you can do that or not but I would guess (just a guess) that you can....
-
no one should feel guilty if they cannot donate. It is a donation. Give what you can and what you wish to give.
And if you absolutley must have something other than the joy of playing here to encourage donation. I would direct you to the layonara store :-)
http://www.layonaraonline.com/stores.asp
-
Paypal monthly debit is possible - see subscription and recurring payments under merchant tools at Paypal.
I perviously GM'ed/PLayed alot on NeverwinterConnections, fantastic team and site, however Layonara is the first PW I have found truely enjoyable, and the flexible 24/7 suits me better. I had a recurring donation to NWC and would be glad to do the same here.
-
Yeah, NeverwinterConnections is very good at what they do. The people running it are good people as well.
-
hey im new here but this topic doesn't seem that old either so i was wondering about how much are you getting a month on average just to see how far away we are from meeting the monthly requierment, or from starting to save up for an upgrade just to let us know how much more you need and what our goal is for the upgrade and i'm sure more people who can will donate that's my suggestion take it or leave it, thanks for reading the thoughts of someone new
-
I am receiving an average of 120 - 160 per month. My costs are now averaging around $275 - $300 month. The busier server is uping my bandwidth charges by quite a lot.
-
I'll send out a 20 tomorrow. Heh, wash cars, stay cool, get payed, donate to Layo! :)
Trace! We need your bumping skill mastery! (I say we get trace to pressure us to donating for the next 3 months, if it goes like it did, we should have enough to keep layo up for the rest of the year ;))
-
PayPal wouldn't take my AmEx....oh, just got some cash from Chinese New Year...here we go...*attempts to sneak $20 by mom into the mailbox*
-
Haha! I just bought 80 dollars worth of cool stuff from the Layo store on this website! Remember that is donating as well, you just get something spiffy for it! Ready chant with me..."Donate, Donate, Donate, Donate!" LOL Donate if you can. The world is becoming an absolutely amazing immersive experience. Leanthar is amazing to have paid for this so long out of pocket, but it is time to do our part. I for one, do not want to see Layo ever dissapear! D-O-N-A-T-E = play Layo FOREVER!!! *laughs like a mad scientist*
-Trace
-
Trace you remind of the guy who used tp plug donatiing for public television here in Iowa...
I honestly think people donated just to make him stop talking.... hehe
Keep up the good work man!!!
Layo Forever!
G-452
-
Leanthar - 3/7/2005 6:17 PM
I am receiving an average of 120 - 160 per month. My costs are now averaging around $275 - $300 month. The busier server is uping my bandwidth charges by quite a lot.
The loot I've been stashing away for college is starting to overflow. I can start tossing 100 or so a month in. I figure two years of great gaming equates about to that. Hehe.
-
Leanthar - 3/7/2005 6:17 PM The busier server is uping my bandwidth charges by quite a lot.
I blame Ozy for that, hogging all the bandwidth. ;) Missed the mail today, coming your way tomorrow.
-
Donations over the past three months have been about 50% of costs. I know this community can make it 100%. Please don't let all the hard work the team has put in and you have put into your character die to economics. $5.00-$10.00 more once a month from 10-20 more people would make all the difference.
Please consider donating (http:///donate.asp) if you can spare the money.
Thank you!
-
Personally I know a good four or five people that say they're going to donate and end up forgetting (as is the way of human kind ;)). So if you've got a credit card, a steady income, and love this game as much as I do, there is a way you can set up monthly donations so you don't have to worry about forgetting. We've got over a thousand people signed up for the Layo forums, and at least a hundred people that hack their way around in game, a little something here and there will help keep your temporary escape from reality alive. Long Live Layonara! :)
-
I am one of those that ZV mentioned that always forget to donate, thus, having had my conscience assaulted once again I have followed the links and taken the time to set up an automatic donation every month. I've never paid to play anything before after the innitial purchase price, but Layonara is a great place, and I want to contribute to it's upkeep as much as I can. So... hopefully the bandwidth will bite a bit less into Leanthars wallet now.
Vyris
-
I agree about paying t0 play. The reason I do here is, one it is not forced. I lose my job or have a bad month I am not going to be banned. Two, Helping keep this server going strong is a community effort. And I am not paying "the man". If you can help, great. If not, well still enjoy:)
Etin
And Vy- I was never mad. And thanks for working on getting it worked out.
-
Ok. I just signed up for the 10 dollars a month deal. I'm sorry I can't give more, but you can look for additional bonuses on months that the Movie Theatre does well. I love you guys! Layo Forever!
-Trip1888
-
For a great world and for hours of enjoyment that I have here please find my small monthly donation.
And a friendly reminder, it costs nothing to play in this great world and nobody is forced to make any donations, but if you have the resources to make a small donation, please do.
That way we all can continue to enjoy this great place.
Keep up the great work L and team.
Aragwen
-
Bump bump, bumppity bump bump bump!
-TV
Edit: Doh! I just remembered that this already was on top. Oh well. *eyes the thread* I'll be back to bump yooou, later.
-
Friendly reminder. :)
-
*does the bump thing, after all the holiday season is coming up ;) *
-
They greatest holiday gift I can think of is keeping layo alive. Please dont forget the button up there on the right side of your screen and spead the love. Thanks!
-
Hi folks. It has been a few months since we have reminded anybody about this, actually nearly three months. For the past three months I have fallen well short of having enough donations for the bandwidth and hosting the seven severs that Layonara runs on. It would be greatly appreciated if you could find it in your heart to donate a little so that I don't need to dig so deep in my pockets for the next few months. Thank you.
-
Subscribed!
-
Done.
-
Done and done.
-
Leanthar,
I have no idea how much you get in donations but if there is ever any urgent need for more donations you might look into something like Kingdom of Loathing has (or had, I haven't been there in a while). If you don't know how it worked/works in KoL, donations of a certain value give you a special token in the game that's tradable for other items in the game and/or in game cash (through their player stores).
Not that I'd recomend the same thing since Layonara's not magic saturated nor is it's emphasis com commerce, maybe the character would recieve a non-tradable token that could be redemed in a special store or through GM intervention, for other in game benefits, for example a single token might be traded for a +1 weapon (tradable, so the player might revert it into gold), two tokens for a ring of +2 to an ability (non-tradable), four tokens could be traded for a permanent bonus to an ability score (to a certain point, as not to disrupt balance) or something like that.
About not being tradable, it would be to curb commerce and greed - if I had a token and decided to sell it for, say 50,000 gold, players that have no access to paypal would start farming gold just to buy it from me, which would be nice for me but not for the game as focus would be pointed towards farming.
The key point is that if a donation of a certain value is given, the player gets a "thank you" of some sort, nothing overpowering or unbalancing and, most likely, not tradable, but enough to give incentive for donations.
I for one am happy enough with subscribing to Layonara with no in game benefits, other than the game itself, which is why I'm subscribing in the first place but I'm the kind of guy that doesn't mind paying for stuff I like. However, a little incentive might make the cash flow a little easier and concentrating on non-tradable, restricted use items (such as an untradable amulet of +3 to an ability which are, as I can tell, rare in the game, which you can only wear one) would curb rich player's abuse.
Like I said, I don't know how much you need and how much flows in but some "bling" might start it flowing.
-
@SuperMunch, Thank you for the input. However, what that site is doing is illegal and is against the EULA of NWN and that is not a good thing. Believe me, if there was any way I could offer any kind of 'in-game' assistance (in some way) I would because I get about 1/3 of the $300(ish) a month payment in donations (on an average). Bioware has clearly stated that in no-way, any way, can 'donaters' get any kind of in game reward (rather RP, items, gold, title, or anything at all)---very sadly. Thusly--I can't do that. I have to rely on those that understand the 1000+ hours that the team puts in the world every month as well as the $300+ payment I make every month (and that is if there are no hardware failures).
-
Leanthar,
That I didn't know.
That's harsh and it's probably there for business reasons because:
more donations -> more money to fund content -> more content -> more donations
Note the absense of "Bioware making more money" from the loop.
Well, I'd like to point a pretty nasty finger at them but they've been so cool to such an "old" game that I don't what to complain about even the game's homepage on the studio's site is a community hub, that show how much they're intrested in still having active users.
-
I'm not a legal expert by any stretch, but I believe it has more to do with Wizards of the Coast (the holders of all intellectual property related to Dungeons and Dragons) than with Bioware. The fact is that any "for pay" software, services or content created using that property entitles WotC to compensation in the form of licensing fees.
To put it another way, we could not make money off of a product using their intellectual property (or anything derived from that) without their express permission and most likely a cut of whatever we make.
-
L,
Done now.
(edited)
Curtis
(Jeff)
-
Also the "selling" of in game (i.e. "not real") stuff for real money is kindof an iffy issue period. There was a bit of news about crazy stuff happening in korea (i think) where IG items for some game were being auctioned on ebay for absurd amounts of real money.
What would be absolutely great, would be if we could find some print on demand house to print large format versions of Rasterick's maps and sell those. Real items for real money that don't contain any third party's copyrighted materials. Would cafe press do that kind of thing?
-TV
-
About Talan's suggestion...
Ingame bling is great and real bling is almost as great.
Maybe some graphic or xerox shop could print the maps out and Leanther could sell them through the Donation Page (a $50 donation gets you a printed version of the game's maps in a cardboard tube and Leanthar's autograph!). The demand will probably be low so that Leanthar doesn't need to spend most of his time on these special "I Love Layonara" donations.
-
Talan Va'lash - 3/2/2006 9:56 PM
Also the "selling" of in game (i.e. "not real") stuff for real money is kindof an iffy issue period. There was a bit of news about crazy stuff happening in korea (i think) where IG items for some game were being auctioned on ebay for absurd amounts of real money.
What would be absolutely great, would be if we could find some print on demand house to print large format versions of Rasterick's maps and sell those. Real items for real money that don't contain any third party's copyrighted materials. Would cafe press do that kind of thing?
-TV
http://pc.joystiq.com/2006/02/21/korean-gamers-massacre-chinese-over-etiquette-dispute/
i believe thats the story Talan is refering to in the first part of his statement, everytime i hear that story i keep being reminded of Vazzini from The Princess Bride "Never get involved in a land war in Asia"
-
I meant more like this: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5032947
-
Anyway, before we get too far off topic, Donte to Layonara where you don't have to deal with shenanigans like that!
-TV
-
I give what I can, I am changing jobs so I will donate when I start working again.
Sorry, mister Layonara
*fears Layo's pimp hand*
-
I am still over $200 short for the month and the payment is coming up fast. If you can donate, please do so. Thank you.
-
I used to make sporadic donations ($25 here or there) but I just subscribed as well. I did not realize how much L was having to put out of pocket to keep the servers going each month.
In my opinion, Layo is better than any MMPOG just because of the common respect, manners, and the overall quality of the players! I refuse to pay to play a MMPOG, but Layo is definitely a different animal altogether. Donating even as little as $1-$5 if you can afford it would make such a difference. I haven't had to spend a single dollar on any other games since starting Layo (well, except Call of Duty 2, which by the way I have only played through the second level and I have had it 2 months).
Thanks L and thanks team for keeping the servers going. And thanks to all the players for making the world what it is!
-
Layonara is fantastic! Donations are forth coming but I do not know if it will be before the end of the month..
-
Allrightie people it's that time of the month again where Big L needs to hand over a couple of hundred dollars to keep the servers going.
For your enjoyment, please donate using the "Make a donation" buttion on the top right hand corner, just below the 'Server Status' Link.
Thank you in advance!
-
Its another one of those times where things are tight in RL and I need a little help by your donations. If you can spare a bit please donate. Thank you.
-
Leanthar,
I have a bit of an idea that might help with Layo donations. I have yet to donate, so I do not yet fully know how your system works for donation tracking, but as with all electronic data I am certain it has some sort of readable value that can be totaled, pulled, and tracked.
What I'd like to suggest is to have a running bar graph total each month, possibly under server status. As donations occur, the amount is added to the "bar." The fullness of the bar is then represented by a color cooridnated system referencing how much has been donated in relation to how much is needed.
Considering you mention 300$ a month here is a simple break down (just for consideration, actual mileage may vary :) )
1-100$ would appear as a red mark
101-200$ a yellow mark
201-300$ a blue mark
and 300+ a green mark (showing overage to help with the next month).
naturally the blue mark could be change to represent what you are willing to spend (e.g. 299.99-300 a blue mark - j/k)
With this provide a "remaining balance to keep Layo fed" type. E.g. (214.32 of 300$ - 85.68$ remaining to keep layo fed).
Naturally this would require some dev time. I'd be willing to assist on working with this, as I've been an engineer for over 12 years and I work extensively with php, mysql, c++ and a number of networking and linux technologies (e.g. I'm a computer nerd LOL). To top it off, I worked in the gaming industry for a little over 6 years - so I'm certain I could help out if required.
Let me know if you would be interested and I'll be happy to see what I can get done!
Additionally, perhaps you could also flag user ids on the forums who have donated that month with a special "thank you" tag?
Just my two bits.
-
You can always file feature requests and etc.
However in this case, we are already working towards a strong system for donations. Great ideas you've posted, particularly so because we've already planned for all of what you suggest and more.
And yes, Leanthar, I know I need to get more work done in this area. *grins*
-
Also, one more thing. Given the experience and skillset you seem to have, please feel free to apply for a spot on the Project Team next time we open it up for applications again. You'll obviously have to go through the normal interview process that we conduct but that is a very attractive skillset *coughs*linux*coughs* that you've got.
:)
-
I will be donating. Is only fair for a game as grand as this. If layonara closed, I dont know what I'd do.
-
With the upcoming NWN2 coming in septemper, I finnaly got off my chair and made a payment plan to Layo. I thought, since I used to pay much more than 10$ per month I can afford to give this to enrich my day everyday. Only one thing annoys me, why cant I setup a bigger than 10$ subscribtion each month?
-
You can sign up for multiple $10 subscriptions. Just hit the button and sign up more than once.
-
*bump*
-
Hey just wanted to bump this by saying I just clicked the button for a 10$ a month plan. Altough I am one of the newest players in the server, I am so happy with the community, the world and the team that I didnt even think about it twice as soon as I read this post. Hope this litle bit helps.
Hasar Everstride.
-
I actually think teh Selling Maps is a great idea, i for one wanted to print out maps however could nto figure how to do it, and would gladly pay some amount for maps. $50 seems a littel high however teh idea is solid.
-
I think it is kind of sad that the big L has been getting less then $200 a month in donations. This is the most awesome game server anywhere and Leathar has to pay for it. If anything he should be making some profit for his work and endless head aches.
I was donating $25 a month for a long time, and since I moved and I am paying more for rent I set the pay pal monthly subscriber rate of $10. I just think it is sad that with all the very active players on Layo, that Leanthar has been having such a big problem with this. I think we should start a monthly subscriber club. If we get 20 people to subscribe to the $10 a month option, then there will be no doubt or worries. Also, you can set up the $10 a month subscription multiple times if you want to donate $20 or more.
AeonBlues
I was so busy writing this, I was missing the Server is about to Reset message. Ha HA!!
-
Yes it seems that everyone could give at least a little each month. $10 a month isn't that much.That's less than aCD, DVD ora trip to the movies. But I think if everyone was to give $10 a month that could take some of the load off of Leanthar and his family.
-
I couldn't help but notice, that on the "donate your month day" 600 people have seen the thread. If those just have donated 10$ each, the server would be running for a year, and for just 1$ the server would be running for a little over a month.... Maybe you should try and make a donate day, stating just how little it requires from each player..
-
More donations, faster servers, less lag, less complaining about the lag, more cool stuff, more FUN!! (if that is possible, I am so addicted now, it doesn't matter) And yes, of course, what the lovely Lynn1020 said.
-
*watches the pay pal monthly auto deduction and nods knowingly*
-
It has been 8 months since this was bumped. I am bumping now as a friendly reminder.
-
I think it's just about time for another Donate Your Level Day!
-
Payment Submitted. Just imagine... if everybody donated as much as I did, Mr. Scott would have $1,503,000.00 in his paypal account. *pats self on back*
-
This is the new goal!! :) "$1,503,000.00" Go go go... heheheehe
-
got you a bit closer to that goal ;)
sorry it has been a while since my last donation.