Posts Thanked By User

41

General Discussion / Rumors -- Please read

« on: October 27, 2007, 07:00:18 pm »

The following is addressed to the entire Layonara community.  It is not directed at one person or any specific group of people. Please read it and understand it.

As a recent post has highlighted, there have been some ugly and hurtful rumors flying around recently. This kind of thing, though different people and different circumstances, seem to happen on a regular basis. Sometimes the target is one person, other times it's a group of people.  There are back-channel whispers, finger-pointing, and accusations flying around.  The GM Team gets reports of this-and-that but rarely does anyone have the evidence or guts to back up the claims. Some rumors fade, but there are always some waiting to take their place.  It's a continuous cycle, and it is getting really, really old.

I urge everyone to hear what I'm saying here and take it to heart.  Rumors are almost without fail caustic and poisonous to the community.  You may interact with electronic representations, seeing only words and artificial avatars, but there are people behind those things.  Real people.  Not all rumors are false, but most rumors are not nearly as true as some would believe them to be. Whatever the case, they're bad...bad for those who spread them, bad for those who are the targets of them, and bad for this community.

Without going into specifics, the most recent batch of rumors ranges from annoying to very serious with implications that stretch beyond this little community of ours.  And so I ask you all...

If you are involved in spreading such rumors, stop. If you have proof, then present it to a Gm.  If not, then stop. You're hurting people and you're hurting this community.

If you are engaged in activities in the game world/forums/IRC channel(s) that are the center of one or more of these rumors and those activities are contrary to what we have established here, stop.

If you are involved in or complicit in sewing the seeds of discord among all or part of the community, stop.

At this point, I am not overly concerned with what the "facts" may be in the case of the most recent events. There will forever be three sides to every story: "Yours, mine and the truth."  Since the last is often difficult to obtain, we're left with the word of one against the word of another.  As I said, it just needs to stop.

I want everyone to realize that these things are harmful, and they affect more people than just those at the muddy end of the stick.

In the thread about Layonara's future, there's a comment in there about the NWN servers and how long they'll stay up.  To quote Leanthar:

The NwN servers will stay up and running until it either a) gets to expensive for me to keep it running, so keep donating as this is important for NwN or b) the world or community becomes to much of a hassle in terms of time, effort, or headaches for the servers to stay online or c) we make it to beta testing of the new product which is still a ways away. Layonara is not going away, nor is it fading away; but much rests on the communities shoulders for how long the NwN servers remain online.

It is petty and dramatic things like rumors that are most likely to bring down the Layonara NWN community.  This kind of thing really drains the GM Team and Leanthar himself. It is frustrating, mentally exhausting and time-consuming. In some cases, it has taken hours of research and checking in on people, logs, actions, reports and so forth just to prove or disprove the allegations...time wasted and time not spent interacting with the community.

I don't want this to sound like a threat, but the fact of the matter is, there have been times, more than most of you realize, where the fate of the NWN servers has been close to a complete shut-down because of petty bickering, factional rumors and divisive words and actions.

It all needs to stop, people. I can't stress that enough.

Now, please...understand what I have written here.  Read it over, again if you need to, and really see what I am saying.  And then just think about it and remember it.

And also, please understand that when we take action as a result of things that go on here, be it a banning, a reprimand or some other kind of administrative action, that we do not do so lightly or on a whim. We are not targeting individuals because we don't like them or because we just feel like it.  The GM Team has, among its many duties, an obligation to protect this community.  It comes along with the job, and whatever people may believe, it is not a particularly enjoyable part of the job to ban someone who is acting contrary to the spirit of this community.

I do not really wish for this to become a discussion.  I don't want current or past rumors brought up here and presented with explanations, accusations or justifications.  I don't want people to post their opinions on the situation, be it the one most immediately at hand or any number of such things that have occurred.  Do not use this thread to confess or confirm.  I do not seek a string of "I agree" posts, nor do I particularly want any "Thanks" either.

I want people to read this and understand it.

I know a lot of people love this community and have developed very real and lasting real-life friendships as a result.  Keep that in mind please in all your future actions. Friendships are not formed of bickering and rumormongering. They're formed of a commonality of purpose and philosophy.  If you find, however, that you cannot continue to be a supportive and positive influence in this community, then consider stepping away from it before you contribute to events that may end up hurting those you call friends.

I generally have a lot of faith and respect for this community as a whole.  I sincerely hope that is not misplaced.

Regards,
Dorganath

42

General Discussion / I'm Dissapointed In Us.

« on: October 27, 2007, 12:20:24 am »

You know... One of the greatest things I've always loved about Layonara was the community. In fact, it's what's kept me here, and what will continue to keep me here, despite a few bad apples.

But those bad apples are starting to really tick me off.

Ever since Hawklen (Jeff) was banned, there's been something of a coalition of anti-Hawklen players floating around out of sight of most of Layonara. His site, Hawklen.com, was originally mainly just Layo-bashing, and I'm sure he felt justified in it, just as the mods felt justified in banning him from this site. I agreed with the ban, and while I don't agree with the VAST majority of the negative things that people have said about Layo over the years, I DO feel they're entitled to their opinions.

And I DON'T think that, just because someone joins another site, people from this site should harass them.

ESPECIALLY! Not with inflammatory and, perhaps worse, simply untrue allegations.

Rape is not something to [ahem]ing joke around about, folks. Not statutory, not "real." Neither is pedophilia.

It is NOT cool to jump on a player just because he or she has joined another site.

Is is NOT cool to spread rumours, ESPECIALLY! not negative ones, much less aimed at someone or someones who couldn't even say anything about it if you posted in General Discussion.

I don't know names of who's spreading these rumours, because those who told me of them wouldn't give those names to me. And frankly, I don't care if there's any "punishment" that happens.

It's just a childish thing that's happening, and it needs to stop.

And I feel that posting here, where everyone can see, rather than trying to sneak around and ask in the shadows and in Tells, is a more potent way of getting the message that this infantile bull needs to stop.

Grow up. Hawk's banned, he's not coming back, and the personal lives of others are their own.

43

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

44

General Discussion / A Suggestion to All for "Concerns"

« on: July 24, 2007, 12:29:27 pm »

Maybe it's just me, but the negativity in posts lately seem to have been on an uprise since v3 really began. I'm not going to go into the whole, "Weee, Layo so awesome," or, "You bad bad peopleses should be slapped with yardstickies..." Instead, I'm just going to write a simple suggestion 'cause of the fact my head is spinning from all the locked threads, arguments, and unnecessary things in general.

Concerns are great, problems being addressed are great, buuuuuuut...

My (not really needing to be answered) question is, why aren't these concerns PMed? I can understand posting it on public forums because then everyone is aware etc etc etc or maybe you think the GMs will be fair or something, but look where the last few "concerns" have gone...

Locks, bans, and in general icky nasty.

This is just a suggestion, I don't really want an explanation or rant thrown at me to say why I'm thinking wrong (Hey, PM it to me!), but if you really want a problem fixed, take all the evidence, names, support from people in-game if you need it, and make sure to present it in a polite and proper manner. If it's done in a way of treating the other person like a person and not just screaming at them for a mistake you're not even completely sure is happening (as looks can be deceiving), it shouldn't be ignored and I can't imagine you'd be yelled at.

My point? PM it to the GMs before taking any weird and inappropriate reaction with them where you attempt to humiliate people...If you want a real discussion, slandering them on the forums isn't gonna get you it.

Just a suggestion, folks, hopefully one that isn't too brainless.

45

General Discussion / Weary of Friendly Fire

« on: July 20, 2007, 11:51:10 pm »

I hope you folks find this constructive.
 
 I'm getting a little weary of the blind pokes from the wings.  And it's towards one thing in particular: That roleplay has depreciated on this server.  I don't care who's saying it or whether they have more or less experience on this server then I do, I'm just a bit weary of that sentiment.
 
 Now, I haven't been here as long as a few of you, but I've been playing NWN since it came out and Layo for the majority of it.  Here's what I've noticed of what goes on in any module:
 
 - There are new players
 - There are old players
 - There are plenty of players in the middle
 - There are young people
 - There are old people
 - There are those suffering from college omniscience
 - There are snotty people
 - There are brown-nosers
 - There are anti-establishment ranters
 - There are quiet people
 - There are nice people
 - There are people that rp more then adventure
 - There are people that adventure more then rp
 - There are people that think adventure can not be rp
 - There are anti-progressionists or those edging towards it
 - There are powermongers or those edging towards it
 - There are people who play 10 hours a day
 - There are people who play 1 hour a week
 - There are people who get along
 - There are people who don't get along
 
 There are people you end up loving, likewise there are those that rub you like rough grain sandpaper.
 
 There are all sorts of personalities and people and varying tenures and maturities that have been on Layonara at any given point in its online existance.  Same goes for every other server.  These roles and this variety has never changed in it's overall percentages from what I've seen, it's always a true mixed bag.
 
 Likewise, there are the all too common sentiments always bouncing around:
 
 - We don't roleplay enough
 - We are too harsh on rules
 - The cliques are unbearable
 - There isn't enough community
 - Things aren't balanced
 - Devs need to be more open
 - Devs need to use more discretion
 - XXX gets preferential treatment
 - XXX shouldn't be where they are
 - XXX dev(s) are out to get me
 - And of course:  Us versus them, in any of it's myriad forms
 - And finally: Times have changed for the worse
 
 If I spent more then 5 minutes hatching this I'm sure I could list a hundred more, all bouncing back and forth against each other in the ongoing pendulums of opinion and emotion.  The same themes passing by, generation after generation of players and devs alike.  It's the last one that usually makes me chuckle, but as of late is growing tiresome on my ears.
 
 "Times have changed for the worse".  I've heard this many times, and it comes in generation-based waves usually.  The thing that always irks me is not so much the ignorance or self-righteous tone it usually takes, but the contradiction it typically puts on their grievance.  Whatever their issue, most often depreciation of roleplay or playerbase, they usually voice this before or during their departure from the server, which is usually just proving themselves quitters who never quite got it.  And here's why.
 
 Generations come and go.  They attain server lore, they participate in events changing the server.  On a server like Layonara where there is so much player impact, the server shapes itself around them.  Usually it's a particular era of players, people that became their own little adventuring company during those times.  They become the center of roleplay focus, not based so much on their *ability* in roleplay, but by the fact that they are so engrained in things and happenings on the server.  And in these little era's coming and going, there seem to be a few trends.
 
 Many head towards development for the server since they've helped shaped it during their era.  Some get sucked into development so far that they don't re-emerge.  Slowly the adventuring companies of 'old' wither, "this dev doesn't log onto play enough, this guy got bored and left, this guy started playing another game, we can't do anything without the people who don't play as much anymore," etc etc... while there's still a core group struggling to hold on.  Some adapt, some leave.  And I honestly can't forgive the excuses of 'the server has changed for the worse' before departure.  
 
 The correct response has luckily happened for the majority, and can be summed up  as:
 
 What did XXX player do when his favorite RP and adventuring buddies left or moved onto pure development?  He picked up new players, gave them a chance, brought in new generations of server shapers, and continued to have fun.
 
 Generations come and go.  Eras of lore come and go.  It is not an easy thing.  It is not easy to find your favorite individuals moving on.  But get off the high horse, roleplay is not depreciating, the server is not changing for the worse.  The excuse of roleplay caliber is age old inaccuracy.  If you simply let new people in they find their ground, probably at the same pace you did.  
 
 People saying this have just lost their immediate reminders of identity.  There are always going to be the different types of players coming and going;  good, bad, experienced or inexperienced.  There is always going to be the same percentages of those types of players coming in.  These sentiments are a pretty simple matter, you think the community has lost it's sense but it's you that has lost your sense of community.
 
 Community is always going to be changing.  To be a long standing player on any server, you need to accept this.  Community is bigger then just one generation, just look at the progression of Layonara.
 
 Now, in all of this I will make one concession.  A significant chunk of the Bloodstone era generation, the people that shaped a lot of the lore we have grown to know... they are gone.  Some left around or immediately after the fall of Bloodstone, Reventage for example.  Some have just recently not so much left, but have moved into development of the new Layonara, Rhizome or Orth for example.  They log in now and then, but not like it used to be.  And hey, I get it.  It's a downer, those are the people I really miss adventuring with.  And they do hold a lot of the server lore for their eras of gameplay that we currently regard as Layonara history.  Our personal sense of lore has definitely hit a struggling point due to this change.  And yes, it's a downer.
 
 And in this concession I will say that we could in fact use some change, that some of the "let-down" complainers may have some footing, however poor their delivery.  Plot quests need to be reinvigorated, perhaps redelegated to bring forth new and motivated blood.  Generations of players need to be fostered through a server-wide cause.  Once it was Bloodstone, the mainstay of plotlines to maintain that community gathering point.  I will conceed this, that things could be worked on in this sense to bring forth some cause.  There are so so many players just waiting in the wings, waiting to find some cause to get back in there.  For some it's the update.  Fair enough, I can't say I can criticize that heh.   For others it's apparently roleplay, and the simple solution to that folks is to just log in and try it.  But yeah, I'll go with it, we could use some plotline cause, so however misguided this roleplay sentiment may be, I can somewhat see an issue in it all.
 
 But the community is still there.  The caliber is the same as it's always been and there are a lot more individuals waiting in the wings to surprise you with their roleplay.  It's not like the people sticking with NWN after all this time are the click-happy powermongers looking for more.  More graphics, more monsters, more killing!   No, it's the people looking for community.  To any of you calling out the depreciation of roleplay, wake up.  Find your sense of community instead of needing the last generation of players to hold your hand through it.  Honestly, step it up.   Instead of floating on the outskirts proving yourselves not of the caliber you preach... step it up.  Talk to the new player, the younger generation, do what the generation we hold in such high regard did before us and continue to help the Layonara community find new roots.

46

General Discussion / i know some people have been quiet of late

« on: June 23, 2007, 06:12:08 pm »

after L with the future announcement

but what we are all forgetting is we have a wonderful world still open to us and there isnt any need to panic thinking its going to leave us anytime soon

they made the announcement to give us a hey gang this is whats going on behind the scenes

not a heres whats going on the rest is dead now till then

yes some people didnt care for not be told
but as a whole this will only be much better

the announcement let us as a community know why maybe we havent seen some faces for a bit
and now its understandable

i know everyone is still reading the forums i have seen 25 to 50 people online from time to time when the server counters read 7

dont get sad
look at the new as ascension from the old
a layo without someone else saying what layo can be

but until thats ready and L and the teams have said it
we have many months ahead of ourselves to play just as we always have been

so go log in remember why you love layo so much
you love it because you can escape from the real world into the realm L has layed down at our feet to wander roam and help shape

so throw off your meloncholy and go log in
go see your friends
and remember
even after the switch  its the people you log in to interact with inside the big sand box
not just to play alone in the sand

47

General Discussion / A Friendly Reminder

« on: June 12, 2007, 12:43:10 pm »

This shouldn’t have to be said, but I’ll say it anyway since it sometimes doesn’t seem to be heeded. Please refrain from drawing monsters into towns if you can help it, lest it have unseen consequences.



Today I found out my horse that was parked safely behind my house in Haven was killed, not by an ogre which would be somewhat understandable, those things sometimes respawn and follow without you seeing, but by a cockatrice from more than one area over.
   
              I realize sometimes people don’t realize they’re being followed. Nothing you can do about this, however I still feel that this request is warranted at least as a friendly reminder
   
              I would appreciate it if the person that did so came forward and confessed, at least in an OOC Fashion (in which I will promise not to give Rhynn the knowledge, I am no metagamer and if your character does not wish to come forward I will not force him her her.) But don’t really expect anything.
   
  [FONT="]            This is just a respectful reminder. Please keep your eyes on the game and try not to lure monsters into town. Thank you.[/FONT]

48

Just for Fun / Catching up to Dorg

« on: June 11, 2007, 10:46:11 pm »

Have you seen how many thank-you's that guy has??? Sure, he's helpful, generally polite, solves grievances fairly and all that ....

*ponders a moment*

Hey, isn't Leanthar doing a great job!

Hey, aren't those bad drivers who do not move over or open up a space when possible to let you merge into that lane really annoying?

Racism, terrorism and sexism is wrong!

Go ->insert your sport's team's name here<- !!!

Save the ->insert fluffy, endangered animal here<- !!!

*shifty eyes*

49

General Discussion / LORE Messaging and Parchment Folder Usage Returns

« on: February 29, 2016, 10:56:23 am »

LORE Messaging should be functional. Please be advised that you only get messages when considered in a Natural, Above Ground setting. In some cases some of the newer areas may not be flagged appropriately, but for the most part they are. Read more about the messaging system if you do not know about it, here: http://forums.layonara.com/layonara-server/101114-send-messages-players-game-through-lore.html The Parchment Folder system is back online as well. Since we upgraded the nwn database to the same encoding as our web sites, this may solve some of the weirdness with the parchment injection, but this is not a certainty. Hopefully the combination of the web and the in game system will help alleviate any bugs. We will not focus much development on the system, hopefully it will satisfy some of the needs. Read more about the parchment folder system if you do not know about it, here: http://forums.layonara.com/layonara-server/101371-parchment-folder-lore-system-usage.html We still need to update the character updater, so newer characters may not show up on LORE until this is done. -o

50

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]
 [SIZE=16][/SIZE]
 
 [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]
 [SIZE=16][/SIZE]
 
 [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]
 [SIZE=16][/SIZE]
 
 [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]
 [SIZE=16][/SIZE]
 
 [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]
 [SIZE=16][/SIZE]
 
 [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]
 [SIZE=16][/SIZE]
 
 [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]
 [SIZE=16][/SIZE]
 
 [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]
 [SIZE=16][/SIZE]
 
 
 [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]
 
 

51

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.

52

General Discussion / *sings* "Every player is sacred..."

« on: May 22, 2007, 05:59:13 pm »

You know that movie? :-)

Seriously.  Every single player, whether they've been here from the beginning or just for a week, is sacred.  We're a community in a growing desert; anyone that finds their way to our oasis needs to be treated like royalty.  The "elders" of our own community need to be treated even better!

I am imploring all of you to take a moment and thank the other players that surround you.  Sent them a tell ingame, "((I like what you've done with your pants!  Want to go slay orc?"

Our home here on the Layonara servers has changed dramatically in the past few months.  More changes, I have no doubt, are waiting in the wings.  Let's shore up our fellow players by attending their player quests, listening to their back-stories, and being respectful of them as people.  Let's support our team by exploring their landscape.

I, for one, feel lucky to have a place to see and share tales.  See you in there!

53

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.

54

General Discussion / Partying: a personal request

« on: April 04, 2007, 06:31:38 pm »

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has experienced this:

You invite someone, or someone invites you into a party. Someone else wanders by, initiates conversation, inquires as to your purpose, and joins the party. You are about to set off to smack things. Suddenly, and without warning, another face appears on your sidebar... you mouse over their portrait, and see that they're on another continent . . . Strange. . . . And then, another person is added and another.  More people join (none of whom are actually present) until the entire population of Layonara is in a single party!  All of a sudden, everyone has a reason to wait before setting out, "One minute, it is vital that I stare at my navel before heading into battle." Lo and behold, all those little faces in the party bar just happen to wander by, having the urge to kill the same things at the same time at the same place.Funny how that works.

Seriously though, there is a big difference between:

Me: This is a strong foe we aim to battle. Perhaps I should send a bird to Lady Pwnsalot, to see if she would be interested in joining us.
Other Person: Indeed, her sword would be welcome!
Me: *summons a falcon and writes on some parchment*
[Tell] Falcon message: Myself and a few others aim to slay the fearsome rats in the sewers, but we cannot do it alone, would you care to join us?
[Tell from Lady Pwnsalot]: Verily! I would never turn down such an opportunity, I shall be there forthwith!
*invite Lady Pwnsalot*
Me: *Receives a not from a bird, reads it and nods sagely* She will be here to aid us as fast as her legs can carry her.

And:

[Tell]:Hey, wanna come kill some stuff with us?
[Tell from Lady Pwnsalot]: Sure, I'm in Allindor, just wait there for me, ok?
[Tell] n/p
*invite Lady Pwnsalot*

There are plenty of legitimate reasons why one might invite someone who isn't there at the moment, but please have the grace to ask the rest of the party members, and at least make an attempt to have some RP justification. Too often, this kind of thing just spirals out of control (although my initial description may be a tad exaggerated ). I know I'm not the only one who prefers small parties, so please try to remember when everyone wants their friend to come along, it can ruin things for many of us. If you want to have large parties that can run roughshod over anything, there are plenty of people who enjoy that too, but to make every gathering like that is disrespectful to the rest of us, in my opinion. It really doesn't take much imagination to invite people in an RP appropriate way that allows the group to have their input. Maybe character A will refuse to travel if character B  goes along. Maybe Character A is shy and doesn't want to fight with people he doesn't know. And maybe some of us just have OOC preferences, and feel left out when people are invited without some IC dialogue. A little bit of communication and courtesy go a long way.  Thanks.

*I hope this doesn't sound too whiny and ranty, as the title says this is just a personal request, based on my own play style, and I realize not everyone is going to agree with me here*

55

Layonara Server / Port Hempstead, Fort Vehl - Starting Towns and Attitudes

« on: April 03, 2007, 08:58:17 am »

[SIZE=13] I am going to try and set the "standard" for the two starting locations so that we are all on the same page when it comes to RP'ing the cities and the citizens and tolerance levels in each of the cities.
 
 Port Hempstead:
 This town leans towards "good" and by that I mean the commoners, peasants, merchants, and nobles in this city accept what would be considered "normal" in day-to-day life. They would not knowingly accept (or tolerate) creatures (or shape shifted creatures) in their town such as large cats, bear, trolls, and all of those. They would chase these things out of town or quite possibly kill them and/or imprison the humanoid ones. The guards are firm in their conviction carrying out the law set down by the nobles and carried out by the law of keeping the day-to-day life of living "normal". They do not tolerate evil in the city and if one is known to be evil they will be arrested and/or chased out of the city. If one is caught doing an unlawful or evil act they will be sent to prison and will stand trial and face the consequences of their action(s). Keep in mind that there are some evil aligned (by race for instance) heroes that are indeed now known to be good and are treated as such and even treated as heroes in some cases.
 
 //Do not shape shift in this town unless you wish to pay the penalty, and that penality can and will change over time and due to circumstances. Do not bring in your wildlife pets in to this town. Do not come in to this town if you are evil or have performed evil acts that is documented and/or known, you will pay the price eventually.
 
 Fort Vehl:
 This town leans towards "evil" and by that I mean that the rules are relaxed when it comes to creatures in town, evil humanoids, shape shifting in to animals or even trolls and such. But they do have a limit, they will not tolerate abuse to citizens or defiling (in any way) the city or the nobles or law in charge and in some cases the merchants. Peasants do not rank high on their list but commoners have a slightly better standing. They allow a little more flexiability (within reason) of the evil races and in some cases evil acts within the city walls. The punishment put down by the law and nobles in this town is quite often brutal and in many cases the consequences are death or public spectacle plus a long prison term.
 
 //Evil characters, those that like to drag their pets in to towns, and shapeshifting sorts can travel this town but even the guards and nobles in this town have their patience and their tolerance levels so keep that in mind. If you want to perform your "evil" or shapeshift theatrics this is the town to do it in, but be prepared to face the consequence if it gets out of hand. I.E. use common sense and always remember that the nobility have a city (a large city) to run and they will only allow so much. Please don't whine if you go over the line and the guards come after you. And be aware that the penalties in this town are quite often brutal. In some cases the "good" may be chased out of this town though that is not overly likely, but I can see it happening from time to time so keep that in mind.
 
 Final Comment:
 These are the two starting cities folks. Make sure you are in the proper city when RP'ing. Do not get carried away, there is always a line that should not be crossed, that line is different for each town. The cities are large and the nobility will keep things under control, or at least under control in the way that they feel it should be. If you get crazy or do silly things be prepared to pay the consequences of your actions. Keep in mind that there are 10's of thousands of peasants, commoners, merchants, and nobles in each of the cities and you can not see them due to engine limitations, but they are there and the nobles and the law will protect them against anything and anybody (including "heroes").
[/SIZE]

56

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.

57

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)

58

General Discussion / How to PvP - The Mechanics vs. RP

« on: March 30, 2007, 02:17:28 pm »

I have a new goblin PC and have been putting him in situations where other PCs can have the freedom of how to deal with him.  So far it's been great fun and I hope the other players are enjoying the encounters as well.

I have had some questions about how to handle the mechanics of the PvP widget and thought I'd share my learnings here.

If you are in a party and someone uses the PvP widget on you or anyone else in the party, you will all receive a message:[INDENT]The Party: So-and-so, is requesting to PvP with your party.
[/INDENT]Only the leader of a party can accept a PvP challenge.  This can be troublesome if everyone doesn't understand this, especially if the leader is in another area and completely unaware of the situation.  The best suggestion is that prior to using the PvP widget you send a tell to the person you are targetting to see if they are in a party or leader of it.  This is so that they can accept or decline themselves.

Now, once the first PC has used their PvP widget on you, you or your group need to accept the challenge.  When the appropriate person uses their widget to accept, the following message is displayed to the entire party:[INDENT]Your party leader has accepted a PvP challenge from So-and-so. Leave party within 60 seconds if you do not wish to participate.

Please set So-and-so, to Hostile in your Player List window.
[/INDENT]Leaving the party is not a requirement in terms of game mechanics.  However, you should declare your intention to join in by setting the opponents to hostile.  It would be very bad form to stand at the edge in friendly mode only to jump in later.  You are either in or out.

Now, don't fight yet!  There will be a message after 60 seconds signalling when to begin.[INDENT]Your PvP session has now begun. You are allowed to PvP for up to 15 minutes, or until you die.
[/INDENT]When you see that, that is when you are back in-character.  I say in-character because between the acceptance and the signal to start, there should be absolutely no in-character activities!  You should treat the game as paused for you and your opponents.[INDENT][LIST=1]

• Do not rest!
  
• Do not buff you and your comrades!
  
• Do not move to more strategic location!
  
• Do not swap in and out armor and gear!
  
• Do not summon anything!
  
• Do get yourself ready mentally for some fun and excitement!

[/INDENT]It is important to remember that PvP can be very nerve racking for many.  A lot of us likely don't have much experience with this and we find our hearts racing and palms sweaty on the mouse.  Don't worry!  You'll be fine no matter the outcome.

What happens if you get killed?  When you die, there is no roll against the Soul Mother if you used the PvP widget!  (Note that there is currently a bug such that if a summon kills you, you will still roll for a loss of a soul strand.  Don't panic if this happens, just make a posting on the forums in the Disputes & Grievances.)  When you respawn, a gravestone is left for you and you are sent back to your bindstone to reflect.

After time has expired, you will see a message:[INDENT]Your PvP session has ended. Please set everyone back to Neutral or Friend in your Player List window. You will not be able to participate in PvP for 60 minutes.
[/INDENT]Now comes the tricky part:  You must handle this event ICly.  How would your PC react to being beaten?  Did you know the PC's name ICly?  Would you even recognize them again?

Let's back up a bit and look at the RP that must necessarily surround all of this.  Of course prior to using the PvP widget you and the other PC are going to be talking back and forth, posturing and such.  

[INDENT]You, a paladin of always-right, see a drow minding his own business squarely in the middle of the path on a rainy day. (#1)  You, not wishing to muddy your old green boots by walking off the path, tell him to step aside.  The drow simply laughs at you and puts hands on hips. (#2)  You draw your sword and tell him that only does he need to leave the path, but head all the way back to whatever hole he crawled out of.  The drow casts a defensive spell upon himself and pulls out his own blade. (#3)  The paladin then laughs and the two embrace and exchange flowers since everyone knows there are no evil drow outside of the underdark. (At this point, the observers should all use their PvP widgets on the paladin and drow.)
[/INDENT]In the scenario above, there are three numbered places where the PvP widget would make sense to use.  Perhaps #1 is a bit early.  The second point is a good spot since while the widget is entirely OOC, it does serve the purpose of notifying everyone of how serious the situation can become.  Point #3 will probably be the most common since it is the point just before the actual clash of battle.  My points about no resting, etc. during the 60 second wait period above are most applicable to this point.  

Remember too, just because the PvP widget has been used, doesn't mean that it has to result in combat.  It's also not bad to mix in some RP during the combat itself.  Some PvP practice in the arena with your comrades will help you get a better feel for what is possible and the flow of PC vs. PC compared to PC vs. monster.

I hope this helps make your PvP scenarios run a bit smoother.

59

Roleplaying / An Ode to Rogues, or, a Rogue by Any Other Name

« on: March 28, 2007, 03:01:57 am »

Shall I compare thee to a common thief?
Thou art more complex and more versatile.
Rough hands oft do thy name much grief
And most make you a stealer with a smile.

Sometimes too great an influence, the screen
With roguish grins, lawbreakers are they all -
So we fall victim to the things we've seen
And in this stereotype you sadly fall.

But you've still chance to make thy choices known,
And 'fluence those with bios still unwrit;
And cast as scout, or aught of sim'lar tone
Into a new alignment snugly fit.

So when you make a rogue I pray to you:
Think not of theft - there's more a rogue can do!


The gist of the above is that I've seen a disturbing trend of people tarring all rogues with the same brush.. or, gods help them, referring to a rogue's (or their OWN) profession in-game by the line: "Oh, I/he/she am/is a rogue!"

Behaviour
To borrow from the handbook:

Rogues have little in common with each other.  While some - maybe even the majority - are stealthy thieves, many serve as scouts, spies, investigators, diplomats, or simple thugs.  Rogues are versatile, adaptable, and skilled at getting what others don't want them to get.  While not equal to a fighter in combat, a rogue knows how to hit where it hurts, and a sneak attack can dish out a lot of damage.

The gist of this is that there are no "typical" rogue activities, nor a "typical" rogue alignment.  A thuggish rogue would likely not waste any skill points on Pick Pocket, Disarm Traps, and the like, and would likely have more of his ability points in CON and STR than in INT or CHA.

Conversely, the acrobatic lithe fighter who darts in and out of combat can also be a rogue, with a high DEX, and likely a high CHA, as this would be the gentleman who would Taunt opponents as he dashed around them, slipping a dagger in where it hurts.

There's the scout, learning to hide and hurt the enemy for their noble (or ignoble) cause.

The diplomat, with a high INT and CHA - capable in a fight, but much better suited to a duel of words.

Any of these are more likely to be suited to a Rogue character than virtually any other character type.  The upshot?  As before, Rogues are a very difficult character class over which to generalize.

By Any Other Name... Please?

Of all the classes, this is the One Which Is Not Named.  A rogue may be a thief (though he's unlikely to advertise as one, unless this is what the hirer is after), a scout, a trapspringer... or any of the occupations listed above... but the word "rogue" would mean nothing in-game, save its original designation: a scoundrel, unreliable, deceitful, and untrustworthy... and again, who would advertise themselves as this?

Monks are.. well, monks.  They could perhaps be "practitioners of the arts of unarmed combat", but that's stretching the point a bit.  A fighter can be a sellsword, a mercenary, a soldier, a guard.. or, let's face it, a fighter.  Someone who can wade into combat, blades flashing.  A Paladin is just that - it's in their title.  Perhaps the appellation Knight can be given.  Calling someone a cleric is fairly reasonable, likewise Rangers, and certainly Druids, Wizards, Sorcerers and Bards.  Barbarians could be called fighters as well, but their name is not misplaced.  Rogues are really the odd ones out, as a loyal scout of Mistone could easily be a Rogue.. but not be roguish in the least, and certainly not deserving of the name.


In Summary, and I'm Not Makeup, Darnit!

Rogues are incredibly versatile, so if you're planning a rogue submission, don't pigeonhole them into the "thief" persona unless that's what you wish them to be - with so much selection, a rogue can take almost any place if she's written right.

Rogues are not called rogues, as those who are wouldn't advertise it, and those who aren't would be offended.  (Though it is permissible to call the wittily quipping rogue "roguishly charming".  It may just get you smacked by anyone within arm's reach who's reading over your shoulder. )

And, please, Rogues are not Rouges.  The one is a versatile fighter/scout/thief/smoothtalker/whatever, the other is a powder.  (Granted, the former can become the latter if mixed with mages or dragons, but one would generally not wish to apply the result to one's face.)

And that's that!

Cheers,
Darkstorme.

(N.B.  Yes, I'm biased, with a primary rogue character, but sometimes I weep to see what is done with my.. erm.. noble profession.  *chuckles*)

60

Roleplaying / Emote your heart out!!

« on: March 19, 2007, 07:44:41 pm »

[SIZE=18]Tired of trying to type in battle?  Tired of repeating your introduction to the umpteenth person?  I have the solution right here![/SIZE]

Those of you that have travelled with my PCs were probably thinking to yourself, "That fellow can type up a storm!"  While I can do that, I've added to my repetoire by taking advantage of this nifty software:  AutoHotkey - Free Mouse and Keyboard Macro Program with Hotkeys and AutoText.

This free bit of software allows you to write rather complicated hotkeys and macros.  The nice thing is that it can intercept the keystrokes before they reach your game.

Take my paladin of Vorax, Wanark.  He had a dozen or more short blessings that he'd say (some in dwarven) when just prior to casting bless or equipping his waraxe.  Then he had longer blessings that even included him kneeling.  Finally, he had the entire Vorax paladin credo he'd use when he visited the temple.  All of these I had assigned to hotkeys outside the game.  Brings a tear to your eye, doesn't it?  Beautiful.

I'll give an example from my current PC that you can use to build your own set.  (Careful of line wrapping if you cut&paste into your own file.)
[INDENT][SIZE=16]
;; ------------------------------------------
;; A utility routine to say something
;;
[/SIZE][SIZE=16]Say(s)
{
    global prefix

    SendInput {Enter}
    Sleep 250
    IfInString, s, /tp
    SendInput {Raw}%s%
    else
    SendInput {Raw}%prefix%%s%
    SendInput {Enter}
}

;; ------------------------------------------
;; This will send yourself a tell with some help
;;
::/o help::
    SendInput {Raw}/tp "Pen N Popper" name, description, wearing, ^f
    Send {Enter}
return

;; -------------------------------------------
;; Give your name
;;
::/o name::
    SendInput {Raw}rolan tennesen... *bows* sellsword in the employ of the freelancers
    Send {Enter}
return


;; ------------------------------------------
;; A random color emote of walking along
;;
^g::
    Random, num, 1, 5
    if ( num == 1 )
    Say("*hurries along at an uneven pace, pausing now and then to catch breath*")
    else if ( num == 2 )
    Say("*moves along at a steady pace*")
    else if ( num == 3 )
             Say("*hurries along, gaze taking in his surroundings*")
    else if ( num == 4 )
             Say("*marches along with quick strides, sounding a bit out of breath*")
    else if ( num == 5 )
             Say("*moves at a deliberate pace*")

    Sleep 100
    SendInput {LControl}
return[/SIZE]
[/INDENT]I save this to a file called "rolan.ahk" and then run it.  Ingame, when I hit Ctrl-g a random description of walking will be sent.  When I type in /o description the verbose description of Rolan is output.

You can see that this can have as much flavor as you can think of.  It is especially handy during battle when all I have to do is type Ctrl-f for a fight emote.  (I even have it setup to fill in which weapon he is using to the emotes are correct.)

Good luck!