Posts Thanked By User

1

General Discussion / You Will Be Missed

« on: March 16, 2010, 08:09:54 pm »

Jonathan Selmek aka Daren Valhaikor aka poohbear383340 died this morning in a fatal car crash.  

He was a great roleplayer and really knew how to throw you a curve. His characters were well known and quite diverse from each other.

You will be sorely missed.

2

General Discussion / Thank you!

« on: February 01, 2010, 04:55:49 pm »

Thank you, those who donate to keep the servers running.

There are a number of us who can not contribute significantly or regularly to help out our Team keep costs down, and I wanted to thank personally everyone who has given toward our communities continuity, especially those who do so regularly.

To those who cannot donate, I hope that at some time, should you still be playing here, you spare some to repay the generosity of the others.  I can not regularly offer anything, but when I can I make an attempt.

Again, thank you all for helping keep this place we love to RP in running and keeping it from becoming a burden to those behind the scenes.

3

General Discussion / What I like about Layonara

« on: December 09, 2009, 02:00:07 pm »

Er, first of all, apologies to all of you folks out there who are working on the MMO and have put so much time and effort into it, but...

Duchess was on her way to Dalanther to meet up with some others, and tooko the boat to Hurm, with her horse, as usual.

When she disembarked, she could not ride her horse past the captain, so she dismounted and tried to walk the horse past.

No luck.

She tried a few times, and a few other options, when suddenly, her horse started to sway on her legs and looked really unwell (seen as a series of "talk" messages" from the horse).

Duchess gave the horse some water to try to settle her, but she quickly threw it all back up again. She tried various things until eventually her horse felt well enough to travel again.

And this is what I really like about Layonara and what makes it so special!!

Lord Cove had come on, seen me travelling, and took an impromptu decision to throw in some rp for me and my horse - fantastic (once I got over the shock of seeing the horse objecting to move and reacting tot he voyage).

I really, really enjoyed this diversion and even though I was going to meet some other people, it was great fun and a great change from normal events.

Thanks LC and kudos to you for the idea.

4

General Discussion / lore vs LORE

« on: March 22, 2009, 09:43:28 am »

I've seen some mixing up of the word 'lore' and the abbreviation 'LORE', so I thought I'd try and clear that up.

Here we go.

lore: That which is or may be learned or known; the knowledge gained from tradition, books, or experience; often, the whole body of knowledge possessed by a people or class of people, or pertaining to a particular subject; as, the lore of the Egyptians; priestly lore; legal lore; folklore. "The lore of war." So in our case, the lore of Layonara.


LORE: Layonara Official Reference Encyclopedia, our online wiki-like system that contains part of the lore.

So for example, character bios are reviewed against lore, not necessarily against LORE.

Hope that clarifies!

Ed

5

General Discussion / Yeah it's OneST8's birthday

« on: October 10, 2008, 12:24:17 pm »

Personally, I think he made the forum servers go down so I couldn't do this...

In all seriousness, have a good one, and being the nice guy I am, I'll let you off the hook for the day and only demand 5 hours of MMO programming tonight.

Cheers,
orth

6

General Discussion / Layo fanart

« on: October 08, 2008, 11:06:35 am »

Okay not sure if anyone else has done any Layo art but... if not then here is some! I was a bit bored when the server was down, so I decided to draw the troupe 'Two halves and a Pint'. I know it's not very good, but I was just trying to see if I could get the characters across by doing a mixture of :
a- looking at the portraits
b- remembering the clothes worn in-game
c- some.. err... imagination?

Anyways, sorry in advance if I haven't done them well, but I hope you all like it anyway... even if you don't, as long as this makes you laugh!

P.S. looks a bit blurry at first, but click on the pic for 'full-view' and you can see it better.
Thanks

7

General Discussion / Happy Birthday Leanthar!

« on: April 09, 2008, 06:17:30 pm »

Aaah... now that everyone else has done these sort of things before, I think it is my turn in this case! Still a little bit early due to the timezone things (it's a new day here, but not a new day there!)...

In either case, lets say a happy birthday to Leanthar.

8

Just for Fun / Timely warning

« on: April 08, 2008, 07:04:00 pm »

Pseudo's Community Service of the Day

Are you SURE you're ready to have children??

Test 1 - Preparation

Women: To prepare for pregnancy:-

1. Put on a dressing gown and stick a beanbag down the front.
2. Leave it there.

3. After 9 months remove 5% of the beans.

Men: To prepare for children:-

1. Go to a local chemist, tip the contents of your wallet onto the counter and tell the pharmacist to help himself
2. Go to the supermarket. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home. Pick up the newspaper and read it for the last time.

Test 2 - Knowledge

Find a couple who are already parents and berate them about their methods of discipline, lack of patience, appallingly low tolerance levels and how they have allowed their children to run wild. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's sleeping habits, toilet training, table manners and overall behavior.
 
Enjoy it. It will be the last time in your life that you will have all the answers.


Test 3 - Nights

To discover how the nights will feel:

1. Walk around the living room from 5pm to 10pm carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 4 - 6kg, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly.
2. At 10pm, put the bag down, set the alarm for midnight and go to sleep.  
3. Get up at 11pm and walk the bag around the living room until 1am.
4. Set the alarm for 3am.
5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2am and make a cup of tea.
6. Go to bed at 2.45am.
7. Get up again at 3am when the alarm goes off.
8. Sing songs in the dark until 4am.
9. Put the alarm on for 5am. Get up when it goes off.
10. Make breakfast.

Keep this up for 5 years.

Test 4 - Dressing Small Children

1. Buy a live octopus and a string bag.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the string bag so that no arms hang out.

Time Allowed: 5 minutes.

Test 5 - Cars

1. Forget the BMW. Buy a practical 5-door wagon.
2. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there.
3. Get a coin. Insert it into the CD player.
4. Take a box of chocolate biscuits; mash them into the back seat.
5. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Test 6 - Going For a Walk

Wait
Go out the front door
Come back in again
Go out
Come back in again
Go out again
Walk down the front path
Walk back up it
Walk down it again
Walk very slowly down the road for five minutes.
Stop, inspect minutely and ask at least 6 questions about every piece of used chewing gum, dirty tissue and dead insect along the way.
Retrace your steps
Scream that you have had as much as you can stand until the neighbours come out and stare at you.
Give up and go back into the house.

You are now just about ready to try taking a small child for a walk.

Test 7

Repeat everything you say at least 5 times.

Test 8 - Grocery Shopping

1. Go to the local supermarket. Take with you the nearest thing you can find to a pre-school child - a fully grown goat is excellent. If you intend to have more than one child, take more than one goat.
2. Buy your weekly groceries without letting the goat(s) out of your sight.
3. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys.

Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Test 9 - Feeding a 1 year-old

1. Hollow out a melon
2. Make a small hole in the side
3. Suspend the melon from the ceiling and swing it side to side
4. Now get a bowl of soggy cornflakes and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon while pretending to be an aeroplane.
5. Continue until half the cornflakes are gone.
6. Tip the rest into your lap, making sure that a lot of it falls on the floor.

Test 10 - TV

1. Learn the names of every character from the Wiggles, Barney, Teletubbies and Disney.
2. Watch nothing else on television for at least 5 years.

Test 11 - Mess

Can you stand the mess children make? To find out:

1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains
2. Hide a fish behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flowerbeds and then rub them on clean walls. Cover the stains with crayon. How does that look?
4. Empty every drawer/cupboard/storage box in your house onto the floor & leave it there.

Test 12 - Long Trips with Toddlers

1. Make a recording of someone shouting 'Mummy' repeatedly. Important Notes: No more than a 4 second delay between each Mummy. Include occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet.
2. Play this tape in your car, everywhere you go for the next 4 years.

You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Test 13 - Conversations

1. Start talking to an adult of your choice.
2. Have someone else continually tug on your shirt hem or shirt sleeve while playing the Mummy tape listed above.
 
You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

Test 14 - Getting ready for work

1. Pick a day on which you have an important meeting.
2. Put on your finest work attire.
3. Take a cup of cream and put 1 cup of lemon juice in it
4. Stir
5. Dump half of it on your nice silk shirt
6. Saturate a towel with the other half of the mixture
7. Attempt to clean your shirt with the same saturated towel
8. Do not change (you have no time).
9. Go directly to work

You are now ready to have children.

9

General Discussion / Wanted to Thank You all

« on: April 03, 2008, 10:35:23 pm »

Well when I started here, I knew nothing of the rp world.  I read everything slow and I typed even slower.  As time grew on, I like to belive I grew as an person and a player.  

I was like this is to cool.  I can not belive this world and these people.  The GM's were great.  Heck I even remeber my first 3 day banned and only (I was a bad boy that did not read the rules and leveled in something I should not of) by L himself.  I could go on forevery about the Quest's.  The time it takes for the gm's, mind blowing.  The RP great, but I do like a bit of bashing.  Heck after all I am a fighter/cleric/undead slayer.  

I can tell you this, I have learned to read faster and type faster with fewer mistakes.  My spelling has gotten a lot better, now I need to work on my grammer *belly laugh*.

I want to thank everyone here for everything it.  I can not wait to see the next verison.  I am sure it will be just as great.  I guess I just wanted to get this off my chest.  

*waves*

10

General Discussion / Thanks and good wishes to Aragon

« on: February 25, 2008, 04:53:07 pm »

I'm not sure if Aragon made it a point of leaving in relative peace, but last night he came online to IRC to bid adieu to some of the team members until September as he ships out to serve his country.

If it were his intentions to simply fade away without any fanfare then I apologize to him, but I felt a showing of community support was deserved and could not let it pass.

Thank you very much for your efforts and hard work for the community and the future of Layonara Aragon and get back safely, we're going to be needing you again.

If you wish to share your well wishes of a safe and speedy return and thoughts for him, please do so without turning this into any sort of political debate.

Get home safe Chuck!

-orth

11

General Discussion / Happy Birthday St8

« on: October 10, 2007, 12:52:50 am »

Welcome to your thirties!!! Happy to be celebrating by leaving for a week, don't slack off too much!

Cheers!
-o

12

General Discussion / Artwork of Plenarius

« on: September 04, 2007, 02:18:19 pm »

I had a commission done for Plen, I just thought I'd share the result with the community.

I'm glad I'll always have this piece to remember where it all started, a big thank you to everyone who has shaped him along the way...

The artist is Carol Phillips, I discovered her work while I was doing research for the t-shirt web site and we have been working slowly over the last year to come up with something for Plen. I'm very happy with it

-orth

P.S. No he is not done yet

13

General Discussion / Wide Eyes and Grabby Hands

« on: August 26, 2007, 11:22:36 pm »

Folks, I know that new stuff is pretty exciting.  I also know that the fact that there's been a slight shift in magic level is a rather enticing proposition for adventure.

There's nothing wrong with this.  The excitement is a good thing and the increase in adventure is a good thing.

But, let's keep the spirit of things going.  And hey, I get wide eyes too, so don't think I'm declaring myself the official angel of Layonara.  Yet there seems to be some pretty mindless interactions going on, and I know that everyone that's a part of them can do better.

An example of this would be when a GM initiates a fairly significant plot level impromptu... don't kill the creature and continue in debating the loot drops, what was found, and getting out your dice.  On a scale of 1 to 10 on improper playstyle, I call this an 8.  "Whoa, a rift has opened and a shadow of reality has emerged... and we killed it... 1d100 for the boots then guys?"

I understand situational levels of roleplay: someone has to go, you're tired, it's bedtime, whatever...

But let's not make this the trend.

You are 100% wasting your life if you let the wide eyes dictate your time on Layonara.  When it's all said and done, at some point you've seen it all, you're level 40, you've seen and had every item, you've seen and killed every creature... what do you have left?  The community, and good conversation.

"Less is more." (HB)

I struggle to fully embrace this concept at times myself, but it's certainly something that we should all be trying at with some vigor.

Fun fun, see you in there.

14

General Discussion / Saying hi...

« on: August 06, 2007, 04:55:09 pm »

Hey everyone,

Just thought I would stop in and say hello to everyone here. Been quite some time since I was last around.

Life is crazy busy as always. I am getting ready to enter what should be my last year of school (hopefully). I am working at an internship writing a custom program for a company. Learning tons and having a blast doing it.

In March I got married, which is awesome.

The forums look great!

I wish I had the time to actually get in game and play, but alas I do not think I do at this juncture.

Congrats to all the new GMs!! Most of those names I recognize and I know they will be an awesome asset to the team.

Leanthar, I am very happy to see things are still going well in the world of Layonara. I miss this place a great deal.

Everyone have fun and I will try to stop by every now and then to check in!

~Kage

15

General Discussion / Why I still visit the Forums

« on: July 18, 2007, 07:59:49 pm »

Some days you read the forums and you get a bit discouraged right?

This person not happy about this, this person not happy about that. One gets tempted to leave the forums pages well alone and just play the game. I get enough negativity at work, I don't need to get it in my play as well. I'll just remove forums.layonara.com from my bookmarks, I think i'll just enjoy the game for what it is ...

Which prompts my question to myself, Why do I still visit the forums every single day?

My answer,

The community.
I love knowing the player behind the character. I love knowing the names of DMOE's kids. I love knowing how different Polak is in RL to how his character is in game. I love knowing that Dorg, despite every reason to have lost it during his long reign as dispute handler, retains a great sense of humour. I honestly care about people's wellbeing here, Interia, Solarina ... I hope Nibor is okay. Maybe he's run off with Minnie Driver? How do I know we share an unrequited love for Minnie? The PM system in these forums. I like knowing that LordCove and I could be friends in RL, Sall's sense of humour and flawed nobility has to come from somewhere.

I love reading each and every one of lonnarin's posts, no matter what the subject. The guy is irrefutably a legend. I cannot wait to see Darkstorme's and jrizz's and Acacea's perspectives on new submissions. I love a submission where the player has invested the time and thought. I love Lynnjuniper's CDT for Rhynn, Fatherchaos' for Durthak, Scriptwrecked's for Vlanin, Dezza's for Leisa, too many to name. I love writing in mine. I purposely write provocative Trade Hall advertisements because I enjoy reading the responses OOC as much as I write them that way for any IC reason. I think it's great that Filatus and I agree on so much in these forums and yet our characters are on the verge of PvP every time they meet in game. I voraciously digest any discussion on RPing alignments and attributes. I was more educated by a forum discussion on global warming that took place on a thread here a little while ago than my accumulated knowedge on this subject from any other media. I love reading posts written in dwarven accents.

I think Honora is one of Layo's greatest assets. Everything she writes, I enjoy reading, and believe me, I know it ain't easy to write this stuff. Much harder than it seems. I put my hand up maybe 6 months ago to write some stuff and in that time have maybe generated 10 pages? This woman is amazing. I cannot wait for the handbooks. Which leads me on to her hubby, every post he writes I feel like clicking on the thanks button.

The owners/administrators, Orth, OneST8, Thak, the big L. They all have a bigger capacity for copping ungratefulness on the chin with a smile than I do. Thanks to you.

I love being involved in the various faith forums. I play one Corathite ne'er-do-well and, amusingly, one less well known Aeridinite priest. I enjoy questions of faith interpretation for both of these from people that have invested a lot of thought on the matter. I admire and respect Ed for holding and organising this huge store of lore in that head of his.

The Just for Fun thread. A little bit of flippancy never hurt.

Why do I still visit the forums every single day?

Maybe you have some of your own reasons, these are some of mine. Focus on the positive!

16

General Discussion / I'm still here and having fun!

« on: July 08, 2007, 07:05:33 pm »

I've been here for what....4 years now on Layo, ever since Beta 4.  To see how Layo has developed over time still fascinates me!  Back then it was a north and south server and the south server still had some rough edges on it but even then it was fun because of the people who play here.

To see how far it has come since then is just awesome and I am always grateful to L and the team for having Layo up and running and constantly being refined.

In fact now I'm getting a chance to group up with people who I haven't tried to group up with and having a good time!  Of course I am sorry about that strand you lost the other day Rose on East and the one that Shiff lost in the desert.  

News of the development by the team of a new game engine has not deterred me in the least.  I'm here to have fun and escape from the dreaded real world which for some strange reason keeps knocking on the window.

To L and the team, keep up the great work, I'm going to continue to have fun on Layo.

17

General Discussion / The Final Stroke of V3

« on: June 05, 2007, 12:00:53 am »

[SIZE=16][/SIZE]
 [SIZE=16][/SIZE]
 [SIZE=16][/SIZE]
 [SIZE=16]I've always found pictures to be a good snare for you unfortunate readers.[/SIZE]
 [SIZE=16][/SIZE]
 
 [SIZE=16]I've been on three servers where they announced plans to at some point end their module progress. What I've found is a typical response from the playerbase, including myself. Interest in progression of your own character lessens, and the sudden reminder of the server mortality usually hits me for about a two week depression.[/SIZE]
 [SIZE=16][/SIZE]
 
 [SIZE=16]There's a lot of major differences here however. First, the timeline put on NWN is of our own making. The new medium for Layonara is a massive effort very good people are working on. But it is going to take time since it is such a massive effort. And it's not two months, or six months... it's a long time. I hope the team working on it doesn't mind me saying that. NWN truly is in the hands of the players here. And this brings me to the second major difference. Layonara is continuing. The campaign and histories are continuing. The histories your characters are creating and helping to build are continuing. Characters of your own making are going into the very written history of Layonara. Look around. We *are* Layonara. This is not a plug pulled.[/SIZE]
 [SIZE=16][/SIZE]
 
 [SIZE=16]What is going to keep us going is simply the continuation of motivation. Any way you slice it you're playing Layonara, be it this generation or the next. Had you found out that v3 would've been a character wipe, would you have fled? How many of us have started new characters since that discussion and found them in late stages of their life, engrained in the server, fulfilled. A lot of us I'd say. This is absolutely the same thing. I mean, Ketil is barely over a year old. I think of the time I've had playing him, and sure I want more, but that was a really really good year I've had with him. The same opportunity is in front of each of your characters right now. People just tend to get down when they see some finality to a character, it's something we don't like to admit as being possible. But we're talking about a *long* time here. Get over that sense of impending closure and realize it's not changing the game for you whatsoever.[/SIZE]
 [SIZE=16][/SIZE]
 
 [SIZE=16]We play here for the community and that is what we must retain. Levels, progression, everything tangible to a single character ends up falling back on your interest in the community when it's said and done. When you've seen it all, when you have no more surprises around the corner, it is the surprise from a trusted and dynamic community that you will find your interest has been in this whole time.[/SIZE]
 
 [SIZE=16]I know what the pessimists will pick out of the big announcement post, as they like whispering it in my ear now and then. Timelines, character closure, last update... things of that nature. [/SIZE]
 [SIZE=16][/SIZE]
 [SIZE=16][/SIZE]
 
 [SIZE=16]So let me shed some light on some realities on the update side of it that you haven't been able to see yet. For you players playing here in the years of 2004-2006, think of the updates you witnessed. The new scenery, it wasn't all that major. Mind you, a lot was going on, the game was being refined, scripting was allowing greater diversity and variation of gameplay, on the whole the NWN engine was being perfected for Layonara. Then came the V3 announcement. The initial update for V3 is what you have seen so far. It seemed like a significant change for some, the pessimists did their pessimism thing and probably complained about rangers or barbarians or bards *winks*. Some were blown away by the change in appearance. Most were merely excited about the newfound source of motivation.[/SIZE]
 [SIZE=16][/SIZE]
 
 [SIZE=16]I usually stick to that middle crowd, complaining. That said, this "final" update, this conclusion to the major push for V3 of NWN, it's been worked on for several months. Several months where wives, husbands, coworkers or bosses of those working on it narrowed their eyes at the bags under eyes or the far away looks. I know for a fact that my wife is plotting a detailed sabotage of the server machines, bioware, Leanthar's house, and the developer of our computer to top it off. It's a big update that took a lot of work.[/SIZE]
 [SIZE=16][/SIZE]
 
 [SIZE=16]This update is more substantial then what you're used to. It's quite likely the most substantial percentage change of material in NWN Layo to this point. And that's what I'm mostly going to be talking about here.[/SIZE]
 
 [SIZE=16]Updates come and go, and with version changes they hit surges. We didn't hit all the changes proposed for the V3 vision. That's clear to everyone. Kingdoms, farming, etc.... they never hit home. But updates also hit lulls. Lulls where there's not a ton to do. I can say with confidence that in the grand scheme of what V3 was realized as, this is the typical final stroke before the standard lull. We've made the important stuff hit home, we've made the core of V3 hit home. So to hit the stuff we should be concentrating on...[/SIZE]
 [SIZE=16][/SIZE]
 
 [SIZE=16][/SIZE]
 
 [SIZE=16][/SIZE]
 
 
 [SIZE=18]The Scope of the Final V3 Update[/SIZE][/U][/B]
 
 [SIZE=16]What's new, what's different, and why should I be excited? Well Leanthar detailed the percentage changes on the servers. Bear in mind that this is a massive amount when compared to other updates you've seen. I don't want to go into the unknowns and mysteries that are in there waiting, it ruins most of the fun, but I can detail what they mean for you as players.[/SIZE]
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 [SIZE=16]Belinara and Dregar[/SIZE]
 [SIZE=16][/SIZE][/U][/B]
 
 [SIZE=16]These have been merged. I actually view this as a plus because communication and grouping will be on the rise. Green tells or not, being a server apart limits grouping, and I'm glad to see the merge. More importantly, you are looking at huge rebuilds and added material. The first time you travel to Arnax you are going to immediately be hit with the changes with some impressiveness. Travelling north, you will be lost. It's a good thing. Dregar has likewise seen some major changes, I'm not going to tell you much about them. I can just say that the adventure is going to be new, exciting, and if you thought the new Firesteep was something... you ain' seen anything yet.[/SIZE]
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 [SIZE=16]Obviously new material is great, but a lot more has been done. Traffic has been funneled in ways that will pool people for roleplay and roleplay adventure. Thematic environments have been added, those places that naturally attract people for myriad reasons, and promote that magnet for roleplay.[/SIZE]
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 [SIZE=16]A few ambassadors for lore that we have all grown accustomed to listening to over the years have been made aware of the specific histories and themes of some of these grand new schemes on Dregar and Belinara. Look to them, you know who they are. Follow them to the new focal points for roleplay and adventure, prepare for the new adventures, and better yet the new campfires and places we'll come to know and love and gather at.[/SIZE]
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 [SIZE=16]The New Balance[/SIZE]
 [SIZE=16][/SIZE][/U][/B]
 
 [SIZE=16]The balance of the world has not shifted in any wild manner. What has been done is the empowering of particular classes that until now have been left wondering why they are so unable to deal with the world around them. It's not a matter of changing a class, or limiting another. It's a matter of creating environments that foster certain character types that may have been limited before. Where and how? You'll figure that out quite fast I'm guessing. To what scale are we talking here? A massive scale. I'm fully aware of the woes of melees, the fact that a party of one class can do all while the party of all another class can do naught. You'll see role reversals in this regard, without taking anything away from a certain class. But it will be a new and dynamic set of environments that will let all characters have their shining moments instead of being left in the dark on all occasions. Additionally, a slight shift in magic level will be realized. It's not profound, since anything profound would be a true mistake. But some class characteristics have met with limitations given magic levels, and the bar has been slightly raised. Be patient, meet the adventure head on, and look forward to a big smile here and there. Even you rangers. I am very proud of what people have come together to achieve on this front, and all I can say is that I'll see you all at the crossroads.[/SIZE]
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 [SIZE=16]Epic Themes and Adventures[/SIZE]
 [SIZE=16][/SIZE][/U][/B]
 
 [SIZE=16]Creating themes for epic characters has always been a problem, everywhere in NWN, whatever roleplay-based server you might be on. There seem to be only two speeds in epic adventure and challenge: 1) Everyone in your group dies ultra fast, or 2) Everything you're fighting dies ultra fast. NWN is what it is and it's hard to combat the tempo of adventure in epic levels. Roleplay is limited due to the tempo of epic grouping. [/SIZE]
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 [SIZE=16]But there are themes, hidden themes here and there, that will bring new dynamic to epic adventure. Thought process, lore, decision making, the demands of what roleplay servers should be. It's the best possible that people can do with NWN and I'll say that in full confidence. Look forward to those massively epic adventures, and enjoy the new style of play. That said, good luck finding them.[/SIZE]
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 [SIZE=16]Oh, and additionally, the bar has been raised all you epics. Every CR abounds, finally. Have fun, and don't be hasty or the soul mother will steal your company from the rest of us.[/SIZE]
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 [SIZE=16]Leanthar's courtesy in informing the community of plans in motion that will not be seen by us for a long time I deem a gesture of faith in the playerbase here. Our server here is made by the motivation of the playerbase and the higher standard of gameplay that continues to grow. Realize that Layonara is here to continue, in two ways. In one, NWN will keep going for some time to come, Leanthar was just gracious enough to share the full picture of things. A long time! Don't get down because the doc just told you that people typically don't live past 100. Appreciate your time and the people you're sharing it with. And in the other way, Layonara persists. It has blown through the roof of being held by a single game engine, and the histories we have all come to be a part of look as though they will continue far beyond the lifespan of a single engine. And this is something we should all be grateful for.[/SIZE]
 [SIZE=16][/SIZE]
 
 [SIZE=16]I'll see you at the crossroads soon. There's a lot of new adventure for us to enjoy. Oh, that's right, and it's coming in the next few days.[/SIZE]
 [SIZE=16][/SIZE]
 
 

18

General Discussion / Goodnight, Tonight...Goodbye

« on: June 04, 2007, 11:06:57 pm »

Normally, it is considered quite tactful, and in most cases respectful to post something like this in a private forum first before making it public.

At this time however, I feel that I need no such restraint and have no desire to show such propriety.  

This can be considered my resignation as a DM, community member, player and contributor to Layonara.  All those who have requested me to act in a DM capacity for a CDQ, or WLDQ must find another DM.  All other projects, will stay on my hard drive and an alternate version should be used if any are even desired at this point.
 
I ask at this time that all contributions I have made to this point, up to and including all writings and stories I have composted related to and resulting from DM quests, Character Development Threads concerning the following:

• Branderback
• Miko Millspaugh
• Xeen
• The Vine
• Ranalea
• Boo
• Prantz
• The Administration
• Broegar
• Caliessa
• Odlithaner (a.k.a. The Mouth of Broegar)
• Oom Kaayrk
• Dregar
• Orc’s Watch
• Fort Rael
• The beginnings of Prantz
• Sunset’s Dawn

be withdrawn from the handbook before it’s publication and not be used in any current or future works published by Layonara Studios or any of it's affiliates.  They are not part of the Layonara Intellectual Property, nor do I wish them to be any longer.

I myself heartily disagree with this migration/subscription, and I do not want a part of it.  I was not asked, nor approached in any way shape or form by any member of the staff regarding this project until I found out about it during a forum crawl on June the 3rd. I was told that I had to give written consent to use my writings as per the copyright notice for Layonara Intellectual Property found in several places throughout the various staff forums.  I did not respond to that post, although my silence was taken as consent, which at the time I was fine with.  Recently, I have been sent a release form to be filled out, signed, and then sent back to the Layonara offices, I have not, and will not do so.  I find it reprehensible and underhanded that I was not told that what I write may or may not be used in a proprietary endevour started in secret by select members of the Layonara team.
 
Yes, the possibility existed for me to have gotten paid for this, that does not placate me, nor should it make it morally right. I did not become a DM, or a writer for the possibility of royalties, fame (infamy), or to have my name on a cover.  I did this for fun, to share, to meet new people.  The prosepect of money and paying customers changes all of this, and makes it unpure to me and I no longer wish to participate.

But why did I give my initial (albeit silent) consent?  I did this thinking that I was writing for this incarnation (meaning, the free to play one) of Layonara, and for the next edition handbook which I did know was going to be published, and for which I would receive royalties for.  I didn’t really like the idea of monetary compensation, but I rationalized that it’s for a book that nearly everybody will, in some way shape or form (My DM quests, random RP with either my PC’s or NPC’s, etc) be able to benefit from.  I planned on framing my first royalty check, and then donating the remaining ones to the server.  Now however, being the person that I am, I heartily dislike being deceived and having the true purposes of my labors unknown to me..  I refuse to be anybody’s mushroom (second definition), I deserve better treatment then this, not as a DM, or community member, or contributor, but as a human being, and therefore, I desire no further part in this moronic mess.

I have watched this community go into a slow decay, longtime players and friends have been leaving at a consistent rate.  Veteran players are constantly overshadowed and left wanting in favor of those who go against what I thought the spirit of this server was (You all know who they are).  My online experience has slowly degraded until it has been a chore to log on as either a player or DM. I’ve watched the player base go from a small close knit group of friends and cliques into a huge group of quest whoring, XP hungry, selfish, inconsiderate, unruly, disrespectful people.  I’ve seen DM’s become scared to run events the way they wish because of the whiny poor attitudes of players.  What was deemed as an RP-Action server, has basically lost the RP and is now left with –Action.  That’s minus Action, like minus world from Super Mario Brothers.

Although this migration may be deemed as necessary, and I can even barely see where it is desirable, I do not see where it will improve the “quality of life” for those participating in the server.  The problems in the community cannot be fixed by a magic wand of a new system design.  My experiences in mechanical engineering, systems design, programming, and game development, a system (or machine) designed to accommodate everyone cannot, by nature of it’s shear breadth and scope, excel in every area if it even manages to excel in any one area at all.  It is the nature of the people that made this community great, and they are now in a small minority, to cater to them cuts off the larger portion of the players (customers, whatever).  To acquiesce to the majority alienates the minority.  To add compromises sullies your original purpose, to force the majority to act like the minority by rewarding the minority for doing what you perceive is “right”, will be deemed as “unfair”.  All of these things will only narrow the small niche market for this product further.  This doesn’t begin to address the issue of those great players who cannot afford to pay a reoccurring subscription fee at all or the increased stress of a staff that now has to deal with customers instead of players.

As a last caution as you venture bravely into this new world.  Remember, this not an enterprise, it is not the be all end all of your existence.  You get no rewards at the end of the month (unless you’re one of the select few being paid), and nobody will knock at your door to congratulate you for killing that balor prince in 5 rounds, so please, have fun, it is just a game after all.

19

Layonara Server / Change in Character Development Thread Postings is Coming

« on: May 02, 2007, 12:29:18 pm »

I very nearly closed the servers down this morning, and I mean it was close. The only reason I didnt is because the teams are working so hard on projects that I just couldnt bring myself to harm them or destroy all of their hard work. NwN is old, it is ancient, there is little to no reason to keep the server going except to allow a rare few people to enjoy their time in a world that they like (the few left in the community that still play and still truly like the world). It is only a matter of time before they are closed down, but today just wasnt that day. These servers do nothing but cause me (and a fair few of the individuals on the teams) grief, hardships, frustrations, time away from family and friends, or a whole lot of money. They used to bring a ton of fun and enjoyment but that is no longer the case (for me at least). I now dread waking up and checking the forums because I know the mentality of a few in the community; those that like to rant and rave about how they are so wronged but that they could never do anything wrong. Oh but then when something goes wrong it is our fault (or perhaps more specifically my fault) for some silly or stupid reason; never the fault of their own. Have you wondered why not a whole lot of quests have been run in the plot or why I am not around as much? That is the main reason, at least 70% of the reason. Many on the GM Team cant bring our self to log in for spot quests or impromptu quests very often (myself included) because of all the childish and immature behaviors and attitudes. A few bad apples in the community have nearly burnt every one of us out. Sad isnt it?
 
 Five years ago I started this server off being very wide open to the public with little to no rules other than basic ones. Today look at the line of rules and the restrictions we have had to place on creativity and fun. It shows the state of online gaming and a lack of responsibility and respect in online and offline communities in general. I think it is a very sad thing indeed. It also goes to show why companies out there are moving away from having forums at all for their games, because a few of the very players that claim to love the world that they play in also seem to love to destroy that place. The emotional drama is childish and immature and does not do any community any good, and most certainly not ours.
 
 For various reasons we are going to be changing the way development threads are displayed to the public. We only have two options and I prefer the first but if we are not able to do it we will go with the second option. One of these options will happen over the next few weeks, as we get some time to work on it.
1) We are looking to make it so that a private development thread can be read by a forum member who is a friend (marked as a friend on the forums) of the original poster (thread owner) of a thread.
2) If we are not able to do #1 we will make all development threads private and only the poster and GM Team will be able to read them.
 
 I think it is very sad that we have come to this point but there is no other option. I refuse to continue to waste time, effort, and money watching the community blowup in rants and raves over meta-gaming or outright and blatant (IC) blaming of others in these threads. I put IC in () because a few players try to pull it off as an IC sort of thing when it is clearly not, but they feel we in the community are too stupid to see through that underhanded style of (play). Some players feel that they can point fingers at other players by posting under the pretense of (in character) in their CDTs because they know that certain individuals that meta-game read their threads. And they do it in a low and underhanded way; they are looking to give little jabs here and there and I find that unacceptable, demeaning to themselves as a human being, and just downright low. But I am also done fighting this sort of nonsense. It just drains everybodys will to play in the world, run quests in the world, keep the world servers running at all, or even be anywhere near the community as a whole. To fix the core problem of this sort of (play) that individual must understand that they need to change and then make that effort; there is nothing we can do to help them along.
 
 What is so funny is that some of the worst meta-gamers refuse to even see that they meta-game. It is a mind game that they play with themselves, let alone with all of those around themselves. Some of them know they do it but refuse to try and better themselves. To top it all off some of those same individuals rant and rave when things are meta-gamed back on to them. Its a vicious little cycle of self-denial or not wanting to improve oneself and I am not going to play that childish game any longer.

20

General Discussion / Zelda1, Some Clarity, Layonara Balance

« on: April 01, 2007, 05:35:57 am »

Okay this is a combination of quite a few things so bear with me here.  For some reason I decided to keep them all together though it's kind of three posts in one.

Many of you were left wondering just what the heck was going with regards to this thread:

http://www.layonara.com/general-discussion/114789-messenger-bad-news.html

I've been in communication with Zelda1 and she had a few things to say and a few confessions at the same time and has asked me to relay them.  First off, in regards to the mentioned thread, she insists she has no idea where that came from and was no part of it.  So we're still a bit up in the air on just where that all came from.

But Zelda1 does want to clear the air on some things anyway and has asked me to relay them.  She originally came to Layonara and was instructed to pretend she wasn't as young as she is. She, like many of us have had at times, got a little too caught up with her character, but also the persona she had taken up and decided to take a break. She returned again but due to some more conflicts left once more.  She returned in V3 and the new forums under a new username to set the record straight on her age and who she was but that never came to fruition before this event with the alleged coma took place.

She is upset and sorry for the grief she may have caused for this mistaken identity, she didn't realize how caught up one could get.  I have asked that she focus on her studies and keep in touch, but she will not be playing.  I believe also she has a few friends to contact to set the record straight.

Layonara is going to leave this episode to those who are very closely involved and step away from it.



Now onto a few of my thoughts...

I thought about some things and while my initial anger probably was a fuel for the harsh tone I had in my post that closed that thread, I think in retrospect I should have handled it better.  Obviously there were some people who would be feeling great emotion if they have been going through this thinking it's the full truth and for me to "slam" the door with terms such as "sick joke" might not have been the best.  I think a more calm "Something is not adding up here and I fear some people are not hearing the truth as the evidence of this story's fabrication piles up" might have been a bit more sensitive.  So to those who I may have offended in that regard, I'm sorry.

I also want everyone to know that we have a protective nature here as well and are looking out for the best interests of the community and we'll use all the information that is available to us to protect Layonara and it's community.  

Some of you may not know but when you connect to the forum you leave a trace of your internet connection. This sort of information is viewable to the Administrators of the forum who can be viewed on the User Groups Page.  

When you're in game you also leave this information and Dorganath, OneST8, Leanthar, Nibor21 and myself have access to that information via the database and Pankoki and EdTheKet through server logs.

One person asked me about Forum PMs. OneST8 and myself have access to this information only via the database though, there's no "Read this person's Private Messages" or anything like that.  It's on a database, it has to be stored somewhere... But that's the risk you take when you submit most information over the internet.  That is why you should always make sure your network admin gets cookies.  With that said, we're not going to read your PMs.  Unless a law enforcement agency asks us for them or we have an extremely strong suspicion that you may be guilty of something illegal or very detrimental to the Layonara community.

All poll voting is private but the information is stored on a database so once again OneST8 and I have access to that information.

No one can see tells in game.

No one can see private IRC communications.

I want everyone to understand that even though to some it may not seem so evident recently, we do really care for the players here.  Our number one goal is for you to have fun and enjoy yourself.  We want you also to meet new and interesting people in a family friendly environment where the magic of our fantasy world can help us feel young and creative and for us to be able to take out some of the real world woes on monsters.  Emotions can flow in every single direction when a group such as our playerbase joins up.  Many relationships have evolved from Layonara; great friendships, confidantes, mentors, coworkers and even love.  

Alas these emotions bring along other ones though.  There is indeed a Balance to the Layonara community too (oh no here comes the Plen!), and things go on tilt. Scores of differing opinions rise, rumours flow, relationships end, people fade, deception behind the computer, envy, frustration pile up then to add to that, there has been a lot of change recently to Layonara.  Very balance upsetting!  I've talked to a few people who are concerned about this and I find a rather large irony in the fact that these people approached me much like I think characters would approach Plen. I as a person can do for the community what Plen has tried to for the game.  Because like the cycle of Layonara's Nature, there is the one with the Layonara community and I intend to help keep that balance in whatever capacity I can

-orth(y)