Posts Thanked By User

1

General Discussion / Resigning as GM

« on: May 31, 2011, 04:40:17 am »

It is time for me to hand my GM batch to another.

The plot is nearing its end and the remaining parts are in very capable hands.

So, after more years than I care to count I am resigning from my position as GM in Layonara's amazing Team of GMs.

Before I move on to being 'just' a player I have one thing I would like to ask all you players out there:


At times on quests where you feel wronged or feel that the outcome was not fair, please try to remember why the GMs are here. They are here to make this world around your characters a living and breathing entity that provides you with entertainment and fun. That is the basic idea.

So, instead of taking the fight to the GM and/or the Team, try to consider whether the incident in question is one that your character might deal with in an IC fashion - perhaps that was the intent of the GM in the first place.

Like you, GMs are people and people will walk away if you rattle them enough. After all, they are not acting GMs for their own sake, but for the sake of others.

This was not based on a recent episode or a current situation in game. Please consider this a plea that you might consider in the future. I have seen it happen too many times over the years and it simply burns people out, which ends up making this place less colourful and alive.


Finally, I wish you all the very best of luck and hope that many of you will continue to contribute to this magical place that is Layonara. For me the time has come to move on, although I will probably be around with Kobal now and then.


Kind regards,

Harlas

2

Just for Fun / Rofirein dealt a heavy blow today...

« on: May 19, 2011, 07:44:04 pm »

You can take our lives, you can take our freedoms, but you will never end... our legalese!

Feds must stop writing gibberish under new law - Yahoo! News

3

General Discussion / For My 31st Birthday

« on: August 02, 2009, 01:45:27 pm »

I'm going to cut the cord for helping develop the NWN server further.

So, with a fresh new posting style, I'm going to keep this short and sweet.

I've had a brilliant time with a great number of you, even the ones I've gotten really into it with.  I always thought I'd make a farewell post with the list of everything I built here, because it would feel like some sort of reminder to everyone.  It's a bit silly though, as for years and years I've tried to legitimize my efforts to this community, and overly so.  I think it stems back to my embarrassing beginnings here... but I'm no pyschologist heh.  I enjoyed building most everything I built, and I'm very proud of how V3 turned out.  That's enough for me this time.

I will always support the MMO team's efforts, and I look forward to the new game.

There are a lot of reasons for leaving, and I'd explain them... but the folks I'd really want to understand probably already get it.

So best of luck, I'll still be around now and then, in game and on the forums, and Dorg, I'll try not to troll your posts on balance too much.

And with one last challenge... the toolset is easy to learn.  It just takes time if you're going to make something come out right.  Time learning all of the placeables and tile options so you know the brushes and colors to use.  But it's not technically hard.  I challenge one of you, anyone, to step it up and legitimize all of your scrutinizing comments on the way the server should or could be.  Make 10 areas to a new theme, send them to Dorg.  Someone, anyone, impress Layonara with something new for others to enjoy.  Even if you know it's ending someday, soon or not so soon, who knows... build it because you care for the server today.  Take up the torch, as I know there are some people who have wanted to prove me wrong on some things - and there's no bigger crux to it then this.  Everything else is just forum posts.

Take care all.

4

General Discussion / A series of happy birthday

« on: July 29, 2009, 01:32:31 am »

To
minerva
wokadnroll
socbehsci
ShiffDrgnhrt

May you all have an extraordinary day with your loved ones.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!


and now a preemptive attack to Pinkpowerbait.. Happy birthday.

5

Layonara Server / Congratulations Ycleption

« on: July 27, 2009, 10:48:03 am »

As the world of Layonara continues to change, so to do our needs and methods. Something that has seen many changes over the years is the process of Character Approvals. While the policies, procedures and expectations have evolved, so too have our means of choosing who approves characters to play in this world. At first it was a position held only by GMs and only those who wished to take on the responsibility. At some point, we opened up the position to the greater community, and in that the application process also evolved over time. Having tried several methods thus far, we have decided to try yet another and directly approach a long-time member of the community for the purpose of having this individual join the Character Approver team, rather than open up a potentially lengthy application process to fill a rather immediate need.

Please join us in welcoming ycleption as Layonara's newest Character Approver. We believe ycleption's time, judgment, world experience and positive presence within the community will be an asset to the Character Approval team and, through this, the world as a whole.

6

Rumour Has It / Happy News Spreads Through Fort LLast and Huangjin

« on: June 16, 2009, 11:23:44 am »

News spreads through the temple in Fort Llast, the Citadel and certain parts of Huangjin.
 A boy was born to Jacob and Ava Stormhaven on Wedlar Augra the 11 in the year 1450.    The boy is named Alec Nathaniel Stormhaven.  
The family is doing well and thanks Toran for the safety and well being of mother and child.

7

Introduce Yourself / Travelling Minstrel sets up his tent!

« on: June 07, 2009, 07:41:16 pm »

Morning, evening, 'noon and 'night, ladies, gentlemen, halflings, dragons, orcs, ogres, fish, elves, and any combination of the above!

I'm Minstrel, travelling storyteller, serial RPer and eccentric.

Having drifted about looking for worlds in the huge void of the NWN cloud, I find myself drifting into here. I normally shy away from Epic levels, since after all, power corrupts, so the power to kill a dragon with a sneeze must be very unhealthy, but I threw caution to the winds and rolled in.

So! Good day! I'm a pretty focused RPer, only slack 'n' hashing when it's really the only option. I generally have characters with less in the way of backstory and more in the way of potential to gain backstory. Yet to get in game, due to the DM reviewers not actually having the efficiency of a coffee-fuelled gnome, but you know, at least it gives me time to ramble about on the forums for a bit and scare people.

Yes indeed! I'm terribly English to the point of it being life-threatening, and actually ate some scones a few hours ago just for the joy of enforcing a stereotype. Whilst I lack the top hat, monacle, and Handlebar Moustache +3, I make up for it in oddness.

I've been playing DnD since before we threw THAC0 out the window, and NWN since I threw my DM out of the window (Or at least migrated to a less nerdy part of England).

I enjoy short walks in the forest, writing, and gelatinous cubes. My pet peeves are badly-played Clerics and Greatswords!

Look forward to seeing what this world has in store for old Venny and his rampant shenanigans.

8

Rumour Has It / A Dawn of new Heroes

« on: May 21, 2009, 05:41:47 am »

[SIZE=18]
A recent attack on the small town of Nel in the Sun Kingdom was thwarted, thanks to the prompt arrival of a group of adventurer's, and the increasingly popular White Lily.

The attempted attack came without warning or reason, as hosts of armoured constructs came in waves at the town.

Thankfully, this was averted... and the constructs never came within reach of the town, due in no small part to the adventurer's that arrived in the nick of time.[/SIZE]



[SIZE=18]Losses were felt in the small village of Fenberry, just outside of Nel. Though thanks to quick evacuation plans, most of the civilians were able to escape to Nel with minimum loss of life.

Still no word explains what provoked this attack, or what its purpose was, though links lead to the recently escaped bandit Sashka, who escaped from Hlint with aid and made her way back to Alindor.

But Nel was thankful last night, and welcomed the adventurers that arrived to defend them, claiming them as heroes of the town.[/SIZE]

9

Ask A Gamemaster / Ask the Loremaster: Toran

« on: May 20, 2009, 02:32:49 am »

LORE: Toran is posted.

This one had a complete overhaul, yet the principles behind this deity remained so have a look.

10

General Discussion / Traveler's Guide to Mistone (v2)// OOC discussion expected

« on: May 12, 2009, 07:49:20 pm »

[SIZE=18]A Traveler’s Guide to Mistone[/SIZE]
   
  [SIZE=16]Introduction[/SIZE]
   
  Dear Reader,
If you have just been given this guide by a merchant who is distributing it because of my recommendations of their store, please do not discard it immediately. I assure you that the information contained herein is of utmost importance, and may prevent your untimely death.
   
  You are interested in living, aren’t you?   Good.    Then read on.   I promise not to waste your time.
  -Lady Z

  [SIZE=16]General Ways to Enhance Your Survival While Traveling[/SIZE]
Travel is dangerous. Layonara may have always been a desperate place, but it is absurdly so now. Likely due to magics from various Gods of entropic predation, all that you meet attacks with suicidal mania. Nothing ever flees, even if badly wounded, and pursues until either you or it are dead. So prepare for travel as you would for war, expecting assaults from the most unlikely quarters: hawks, skunks, rats, deer, shrubbery. See the pretty little butterfly? It’s trying to lick you to death.
   
  To deal with this fact of life, please consider the following suggestions:

• Befriend an experienced companion. Guides can point out dangers better than any book, even this one. Locals can point out who is trustworthy in this regard.
• When traveling alone, stick to the roads. Thanks in large part to the Law Of The Roads, roads are safe. But do not veer off them even the slightest bit. And if a road peters out, so usually does the safety.
• Your greatest advantage is your superior eyesight. When traveling to unfamiliar regions alone, walk slowly and scan the horizon constantly. You will likely see hostile creatures before they see you.
• When doing the above, walk with stealth, even if you believe yourself not to be stealthy. Distance aids your abilities. But do not depend on stealth either: believing yourself undetectable and learning otherwise when too close, is a way many curious travelers die.
• Invisibility is even better than hiding, but it too is not perfect. Spells and potions are time limited, and many actions can cause you to be seen. Further, even being Invisible does not make you undetectable. Highly sensitive enemies can become aware of you, and once they do, they will not lose sight of you. To combat this, you can walk stealthily while invisible, which makes you nearly impossible to detect.
• To help your scanning, stay close to impassable areas: rock walls, tree lines, rivers, etc. That way, as you walk, you need not scan those areas. Work from the edges of a region, in to the center.
• If you encounter a lone beast and it charges you, do not charge in return, for it may have friends in the distance who would welcome your sudden appearance.
• Fleeing is always an option, especially if you are very fleet of foot, but often all this does is give you time to prepare. Sometimes, however, the time to drink an emergency healing potion, is all you need.   However, also remember that by bringing trouble to civilized regions you may be breaking the Law Of The Roads.
• Although they are expensive, a single Potion of Invisibility is often all one needs to successfully flee.   Consider this if you are rich.
• You may think to flee long distances between entire regions, pitting your endurance against that of your pursuers. But often, as you are usually already badly wounded, tracking you is easy, and you will be ambushed as you arrive. Note that this nearly always breaks the Law Of The Roads, and you will be held accountable.
• For inexperienced travelers, purchase an ox as soon as possible. Oxen are not merely useful as pack animals. They can also be a critical distraction while you flee. And do not be surprised when sneaking back to the place of your ambuscade (in vain search for your ox’s pack), you find your animal grazing happily beside the corpses of the creatures that overwhelmed you. Oxen are not to be trifled with. Mine has killed panthers. Please note that ox cannot fight while tied down, and they will charge anything, preventing stealth in retreat as an option.
• If you become injured, heal yourself quickly. Do not be cheap, because you never know where your next blow is coming from, or how hard it will be. Rest often as well, in safe areas.   And purchase healing-essence drenched bandages.   Even by the bundle they are cheap, especially considering that death is the alternative.
• Take care not to assume that simply because you killed some creatures in an area, that more of the same will not arrive unexpectedly. If you have decided to explore a place, remember to account for the difficulty of retreat when judging how far to go.
• Remember, finally, that no one plans to die. Death nearly always comes via underestimation and surprise. So remember: arrogance is entertaining, but it is also a weakness and hallmark of inferiority. Do not be weak, or inferior, and you will be allowed to survive.

[SIZE=16]The Law Of The Roads
[/SIZE]The Law of the Roads, a tradition that stretches back to antiquity, states that no traveler shall ever bring trouble on another, or more generally, upon civilization.  You are a beneficiary of this Law, for it means that you are not subject to sudden ambuscade as you travel.

Many willingly break this law.   But even those who are not predators on civilization may find themselves unintentionally in violation, by fleeing for their lives from some horror which follows them into potential contact with the traveling public.  And, may I say, how dare you consider your own worthless life in higher regard than the law!    Certainly, death is a painful experience, and having a bite taken out of you by the "Soul Mother" even worse, but it is your duty as a Rolfereinite paladin to stand and die, stand and die, repeatedly, so that you may leave a particularly young and good looking corpse, if your manner of death actually allows for it.

In case you are not a Rolferenite paladin, and have cravenly fled towards a civilized area, you are a lawbreaker subject to jailing.   That is, if you don't manage to undo the harm you have done by removing the danger you brought with you.   In this situation (which I assure you is entirely theoretical), you should first and foremost stay nearby to warn travelers.    In addition, consider sending a homing bird to a friend who is known for their battle prowress (and discretion in reporting things to the authorities).   Together, you may be able to clear the danger, or at least lure it away.  I, Lady Z, offer myself as a recipient of such birds, as the case may arise.

I must finally point out that the Law Of The Roads does not only apply where there are large roads, but also to any trail between regions.   If you leave a creature where it might ambush a traveller just arriving to a place, and do so with no warning, then you will be subject to harsh penalties if you are caught.

[SIZE=16]
A Listing of Mistone’s Regions and their Relative Safety[/SIZE]
[to be continued]

11

Layonara Server / 2x XP and 1.5x GP Weekend

« on: May 12, 2009, 11:18:29 am »

Layonara will be running a 2x XP and 1.5x GP weekend from May 15th - May 17th. These are always great times to join up with friends and to explore the world, while also being well rewarded.

12

General Discussion / Happy Mother's Day!

« on: May 09, 2009, 08:43:52 pm »

To all the long suffering mums (moms) of Layonara and beyond, have a great day!

13

Rumour Has It / Sad news for the Rofirenite church

« on: May 08, 2009, 12:46:58 am »

*Rumor runs from Forth Vehl to the  lands that on a cold night  a group came carrying a body to the Rofirenite temple, Its said that the body was identified as the knight Aeronn Kirath, the group presumed to came back from the deep and seemed to be sad and grim faces amoung them *

A great knight has fallen today, one of pure heart and brave soul ..
 
Farewell forever Aeronn Kirath, Farewell and May your soul be with Rofirein forever.

14

Rumour Has It / Skabot Redwulf has passed away.

« on: February 21, 2009, 11:41:53 am »

Well, the Soul Mother finally caught him.  I have just recieved news from Az-Ptol that our longtime friend and compatriot Skabot Redwulf has passed into the afterlife at the hands (or axes) of the giants who dwell in the Forrest of Fog.  His body has been brought to Czukay's mansion in Prantz, where it is being prepared for burial, pending application to the Hall of Heroes in Willow's Weep. He will be buried with all of his possessions, as well as more than a few of mine that he had borrowed at the time, as would be his wishes.  Join me now in a moment of silence, friends of Skabot, and pray that he does not slaughter the Soul Mother, lest dead adventurers rise en mass from the graves in a mad necromantic stampede.

Farewell my friend, you shall be sorely missed.

-Farros Galdor

15

Rumour Has It / The Mark of True Love (aka: a shovel to the head)

« on: February 06, 2008, 09:23:51 pm »

Gods...what has miss Grenna started.

The whole shovel in the head story is that it is a dwarven tradition! At least of the Rockbasher clans before they fell. Though dwarfs being dwarfs, it very well may have spread amongst other clans from the Rockbashers. Or possibly even have been from a far older tradition amongst the dwarfen nation and just finally written down into Rockbasher clan lore at that particular time in the their history.

The women would whack their men over the head with a shovel when they were least expecting it, thus claiming the male as their own. Dwarfen territoriality at its finest!

The bigger the lump, the better the bragging rights! It also was an indicator of the females strength of character, or madness...depending on how you look at it.

When the tradition started is lost in the mists of time, but according to the Rockbasher lore, the official start of the tradition seems to have been shortly after the fall of Gerontonimus Rockbasher (formerly Kliffcarver). At the end of a gloriously brutal war with some dark elfs.

It seems his son, one Gamling Rockbasher, decided to head to war before marrying his sweetheart Hildagar Rockbasher (his 5th cousin twice removed).

Well..she was known to be quite vicious, especially after swilling her fair share of the clans ale. And single dwarfs being single dwarfs on campaign, Gamling had quite the reputation. So, to on the night before he was to head to war, there was a grand celebration. Gamling and Hildagar each drank their fair share of ale and somehow comments were spoken, as they oft are after that much ale is drunk. Hildagar took a shovel that was lying around the hall for some reason and gave a mighty whack to Gamlings head! She then stood up on the table, and in a loud booming voice (although some accounts from those brave enough, differ on how slurred it sounded) she claimed Gamling as her own and that no other dwarf female was to touch him!

Now the rockbasher clan being infamously known kuldarjh, and Hildagar also having been well known for her especially nasty temper as well as for her tasty ale. No dwarfen female who had heard the tale (and seen his lump) would come near him with a 12 foot spear! Poor Gamlings days as a ladies man on campaign came to an end.

As a caveat to poor Gamling, he finally regained consciousness some 2 days later lying on a rock. His poor comrades having to carry him on the campaign trail to Ulgrids. Woke up to a hearty meal, his beard still full of soup from where he went face down into the bowl he was drinking from.

From that time onwards, its said that if a rockbasher woman whacked a male with a shovel, no other dwarf women would go near him for fear of being attacked by a mad kuldarjh.

Now, kuldarjh being kuldarjh, of course there were the poor dwarfs who had been whacked on the head by more than one clan female. the issue was settled after much, fighting, drinking and the occasional death of the dwarf male.

Another tradition is the passing of the shovel from one generation to the next.  Providing it wasnt broken from either the hit to the head, or over use.

The modern tradition, as seen recently among the non dwarfen races seems to have started when one Miss Grenna Rockbasher decided to help a friend. Her friend, one Sharhar Cu'laire (she spoke dwarf so Grenna had a soft spot for her). Was tryingot figure out a way to tell her boyfriend how much she loved him. Well..Miss Grenna being Miss Grenna, and also being a bit drunk, related the story of her clans courtship rituals. And after much cajoling and egging, it seems miss sharhar did jsut that. She pulled out a shovel and knocked her male out with a good clean whack to the back of his head in front of her friends and declared him hers! They were married shortly after.

It has also been said, that Miss Grenna also whacked one Dalan Stoneaxe over the head with her shovel on multiple occasions showing her true devotion to him. In one case, making a young elf woman who witnessed the event to faint! Miss Grenna supposedly declared that hit a a most excellent omen, the blow being strong enough that it took out more than one person. O.o

Later, Miss Grenna having drank much ale. And again, having a soft spot for her mans neice (one Abigail Firesteed)who also spoke dwarfen, offered her the same advice. After said niece, being obviously a bit nervous about whacking her man with a shovel, sought the advice of a Miss Tegan. Well, it seems miss Grenna and Dalan got to her first, and should the lass decide to do it, miss Grenna gave the shovel to Tegan who then encouraged and gave the shovel to said niece.

After a successful trip to help a family recover their baby from some goblins, Miss Firesteed pulled out her shovel and promptly gave her boyfriend Bear a solid whack on the back of his head! He still bears the lump to this day! Another sign from the gods that the match was a good one.

16

Introduce Yourself / I guess it's about time

« on: February 03, 2008, 11:15:54 pm »

Well this will be more of an introduce "ourselves" than my self.  My family and I have been playing Layo for over about three years and we have made it our home in cyberspace and brought cyberspace into our home through Layo.  I have attached a picture of the four of us that play in our "Command Center".  From left to right we are Angela (Peanut, Clover, Keela), Mike (Clarissa, Josslyn), Ariel (Rose, Dalila, Mellana), and Jon (Kalin).  There are two other members of our clan that are not shown but they are working on their reading and typing skills so they can join us as soon as possible.  They are Tim and Christy.  So all together we are 6 of us.  We live on Oahu, HI where I an finishing my Navy career and getting ready to get a real job.  Angela is a stay at home, home schooling mom, Ariel and Jon are seniors in highschool and believe it or not still get good grades and play Layo too.  See everyone in game.

17

General Discussion / Welcome Back, Gilli, Tilli and Hrothgar!!!

« on: January 25, 2008, 09:06:48 pm »

Words cannot describe how happy I am to see you guys back in action.  I'll be back online all weekend.  See you soon!

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

General Discussion / A small request for consideration....

« on: April 02, 2007, 09:13:57 pm »

Hey all,

There are a lot of courtesies we afford each other here as part of the Layonara community.  As members of a community, we are overall quite supportive and generally courteous to each other.  As part of a community we expect that we will be treated with the consideration and respect that we afford to others. For the most part, the community does a fantastic job of this, and really, it's a wonderful thing!

We'd like nothing more to allow uninterrupted play time to the community, but unfortunately the NWN technology is flawed, and despite our best efforts requires occasional resets to restore stability and performance. And so, during such times a GM will come on and shout to everyone that the server is going down, and he or she will request that everyone log out as soon as possible, or once a safe location can be reached.  This is a rather disruptive but necessary interruption, but generally it is relatively brief.

Twice now in as many weeks, I have had to actually confront players directly who either ignored the shouts or tried to get in one last thing. These individuals caused a delay in the shutdown and restart, which in turn takes more time and ultimately causes a delay in when everyone can get back on.  This is not very considerate to either the GMs or the other players.

For the vast majority of players here, this post is completely unnecessary.  For those few who don't quite understand, allow me to describe some guidelines.

When a GM calls for reset, it is OK to:
* get out of a dangerous location
* quickly wrap up some RP
* give parting messages to your group
* dash for a portal/ship

It is not OK to:
* continue gathering CNR
* level
* completely ignore the shouts

I realize that some people play with their chat windows down/minimized, and perhaps they even turn off such things as shouts from appearing.  We kindly request that you do not do this, as it eliminates an important communication channel between GMs and players.  

We also ask that when a GM comes on and requests everyone to log out that everyone makes an effort to do so as quickly as possible.  Anything you might think you have to do before a reboot you can surely take care of as soon as it's alright to log back in.

I apologize to everyone if my tone seems harsh or short, but after the server had been up for 4 days with 2 crashes, many people were calling for a reset due to extreme lag, and even posting on the forums to request one, it's not too much to expect that everyone would cooperate in vacating the server before resetting it.  I would also think that people would show consideration to others in such circumstances.  Individuals who do this delay the enjoyment of others waiting patiently to return to the game after a restart.

Again, as a whole, nearly everyone does very well.  I'm not making this post to make demands or to single any one out.  However, if one of the behaviors under the things not to do when a reset is pending, please consider not doing them.

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)