Independance, is it possible?

[Jarod550]

...I would be LESS likely, were I staff, to give you karma after this little hissy fit of yours...

Karma is not the point totally, it's the fact that because they saw one aspect of my character, they -assumed- that it was all I was doing, they -missed- all the good crap, and just concentrated on the negative, "Karma" is just the way I can tell that they missed the whole point, and meaning of my character.

I just feel that if they think you're doing something stupid, why don't they chime in and ask why you're doing it?  I would have explained myself and then they wouldn't have to -guess-.

Anyways it doesn't matter, when my next character rolls around, I'll play him realistically, but still in a fun matter for me, and probably be pissed off again when he bites it down the road.

Thanks for the words and comments and I have absorbed some of them.

Peace,

Jarod

[Moofassa]

There are atleast one-hundred satisfied ARM customers. If they can even be called that since it's FREE and have NO OBLIGATION TO BE HERE.


I suggest for you my good friend: www.redemptionmud.com

A hack'n'slash.

[Tamarin]

Hahaha redemption.  Oh man...Good times.

[Khorm]

I don't really think its necessary for players to start aiming attacks at Jarod. It takes quite a few players quite a long time to get into the flow of things in Armageddon, and it seems like a vast majority of them are far less vocal about their issues then Jarod. It's pretty easy to get very defensive when you have people going nuts about points that you see as completely valid.

As far as independent characters go.. I think that it's relatively pointless to play a complete loner character. Sure, you're playing a role.. but it doesn't really do much of anything for the atmosphere of the MUD. It seems like Vanth's suggestion about an unaffiliated, "independent" character being completely acceptable.. but far more likely to have various contacts outside of himself.

[Bogre]

...I would be LESS likely, were I staff, to give you karma after this little hissy fit of yours...

Karma is not the point totally, it's the fact that because they saw one aspect of my character, they -assumed- that it was all I was doing, they -missed- all the good crap, and just concentrated on the negative, "Karma" is just the way I can tell that they missed the whole point, and meaning of my character.

Maybe that means that just that one aspect of your play needs to be fixed. Ergo the other parts you are doing ok with, except that you are overhunting. If you want the staff to give you an overview of what they think of your overall RP, then turn on the 'review' command.

[Jarod550]

There are atleast one-hundred satisfied ARM customers. If they can even be called that since it's FREE and have NO OBLIGATION TO BE HERE.


I suggest for you my good friend: www.redemptionmud.com

A hack'n'slash.

Not even going to make a huge comment on this but to say.

Just because I don't agree with everything, doesn't mean I don't like this game.  I'll bang around through hundreds of characters if it takes that long for someone to notice I'm doing it right, and stop focusing on all the bad shit. (what they view as bad)

Oh and I've already played redemption and have a high level character, I play about 5 muds a time.

Jarod

[Tamarin]

I'll bang around through hundreds of characters if it takes that long for someone to notice I'm doing it right, and stop focusing on all the bad shit. (what they view as bad)

You sound as if you think you're doing everything right, and its the staff's fault for not realizing it.

[Jarod550]

You sound as if you think you're doing everything right, and its the staff's fault for not realizing it.

Not blaming them, I mean they can't be everywhere at once I guess..

Jarod

[Folker]

Oh, but he is. Don't you know he's god?

*eyeroll*

Go home, little boy.

Somehow I doubt this kind of attitude helps ... anything. Talk about holier then thou attitude.

[Vanth]

Let's keep it civil, folks.  There's some good discussion here, so it would be a shame to have to end it.

[Jherlen]

Just going to add my chips onto the pile. What everyone else has said is good advice, and I hope Jarod and others like him will read and reread it, because in my mind some of the most fundamental principles of playing Armageddon are coming out in this thread from the mouths of some of the best veteran players.

Anyway. I'll start all the way back on page one:

The part that gets silly for me, and I think I stumble up on the most is the stupid vnpcs, I play to play and have fun, I love rping with -pcs-, but the nonsense of roleplaying while you kick a training dummy with nobody around is silly.

Do I understand wrong or what? We rp here, because we want to make the game real to other players, why the hell would I rp doing things on my own, when there is nobody to watch?

What makes Armageddon different from other "RP" muds is the acknowledgement and emphasis on VNPCs and on the world being more than just pieces of code. You have to grasp this concept to play well. Realize that cities are much larger in the world of Armageddon than the coded representation of them. Clans, also, are much much much larger than the dozen or so PCs and NPCs you might know. By including the virtual features of the world as well as the coded ones, Armageddon creates a much more immersive and indepth roleplaying experience than your normal hack 'n slash mud. That's the difference and that's why people take roleplaying here so seriously.

So when you're in a clan, there are no other PCs online and you decide, "Hey this is boring, I think I'll go hunt", the flags go up. If your clan has rules against leaving the city and hunting alone, you just broke them. Even if there are no pcs on, there are still plenty vnpcs in your barracks who will notice you're skipping training. More likely than not you'll be noticed breaking them by staff too. NPCs and/or VNPCs might also notice your character leaving the city gates and might report that to your superiors. And really, IMO, your reason for breaking the rules is more an OOC one (no PCs online) than an IC one. If your PC has this job that he's getting all his benefits from, would he really want to skip out on it and risk getting fired because his friends didn't show up to work that day? And so I obviously have no idea about the circumstances, but if your pc was in a clan with rules against hunting when you were told you "hunted too much"... well, in that case just one or two times would be "too much" for that pc.

You may consider that clans with rules like that are too restrictive and unfun, but having played a leadership role in a clan before where we had people who did this, we quickly noticed that inexperienced people who went off on their own often did not come back. This makes IC sense for the world of Zalanthas, too. Your chance of dying goes up exponentially once you leave the safety of cities. Most big organizations do not like constant employee turnover and having their people get killed over stupidity, thus they enact measures so that doesn't happen. I might also point out that you've said you've had several characters and none have lived very long. If you're sneaking out a lot to hunt, this could be why.

You may have noticed how often the subject of realism comes up in this thread. Understanding the game world and playing realistically and consistently within it are fundamental to good roleplay on Armageddon. This means acknowledging the VNPCs, not going hunting when it doesn't make sense to, not sneaking into the Labyrinth to kill NPCs for money, etc. If it helps, play like there are always people watching you, whether they be other PCs or staff (because you can never be totally certain you're not being watched anyway). Would you sneak into the rinth or out the gates to hunt if your knew someone was watching? Would you feel confident you had realistic IC reasons for doing whatever you were planning to do? Are you changing how your PC acts because you're around NPCs instead of PCs (or vice versa?). Stuff like that can be considered unrealistic.

On a slight tangent, remember too that the code isn't perfect at making things act as realistically as they might if a person was controlling them, but you still have to PLAY as if it would react realistically. Aggressive sentient NPCs, for instance, are not all that much trouble when the code has control of them. Some of them will blindly charge you and fight to the death. Realistically though, sentient beings are smart enough to run away when they're outmatched, or flee and harass you from out or range with arrows, or come back in greater numbers, or steal your kanks, etc. (Sometimes, I think, staff members will animate them and have them do this to drive this point home -- which is good, IMO.) It's the same with wading through the rinth clubbing NPCs. Codedly they'll just stand there. ICly they'd probably run away, get their gang of a half-dozen people together, and come back and kill you. You have to treat every single encounter with an npc as if the thing is not a retarded code automaton. If you start relying on their stupidity, 1) you're playing poorly, and 2) you're in for a nasty surprise sooner or later.

On to being buff pcs with good skills. I can recall several pcs, both dead and still alive, that I would consider very very skilled. Most of these pcs either are or were with a clan at some point to get their training, but not all of them. They are/were also rather long lived, and I remember most of them not for how high their skills were, but how well played they were. I can't speak for all of them, but my strongest PC probably spent less than half or maybe even only a third of his time training or using coded skills. He still got decently strong and had branched several skills by his death. I imagine most of the other people I'm thinking of didn't spend all their online time mashing their skills up, either. They created characters and played them as real people, with real jobs, who acted realistically. The strength came naturally after time as a result of this.

I also got the opportunity with a pc to sell things to a wide range of characters. Some of my customers, I'm fairly certain, did basically nothing but run around the grasslands hunting and killing everything and selling it for a profit (otherwise I'd have no idea how such relatively new pcs could afford my outrageous prices). These PCs were, probably as a result of their lifestyle, fairly skilled combat wise. They were also for the most part completely unmemorable, unengaging, and fairly short lived. So the question is: Would you rather run a race to get your skills up as fast as possible and end up with a strong character whose name no one will remember in the long run? Or would you rather run a marathon and advance slowly but steadily, build up a personality, and have an impact on other PCs and the game history along the way?

My advice there is to be patient and let go of the desire to be really powerful for a while, and just play your character. As you make it to 10, 20, 30 days played you will be getting stronger and start branching. By not rushing your progression and trying to do stupid things, you will also live longer. You'll also let your pc develop beyond just being a guard or a hunter. Try and find a lover. Or a best friend. Or a worst enemy. Blackmail somebody. Become a spy. And then turn around and be a double agent. All kinds of these things are fun and take you away from the normal drag a bit. You may have already done some of this, hopefully you found it fun, because Armageddon is depthless in politics and intrigue.

Real brief point about tavern sitting: I, too, shudder at the thought of a 5 hour tavern sit, but I don't think many people do that. Taverns can be boring. Taverns can also be lots of fun. And although all the people in taverns seem to be doing is "posing and emoting like crazy", you'll find many "social" pcs will have much more real power than your average hunter or guard could ever hope for. Try playing a merchant or aide or bard role sometime, if you ever want a change. You might be surprised how influential you could get, if you're smart.

Lastly, about staff, their opinions, and karma. As other people have said, openly complaining about the staff is probably not a good way to get karma. It's their game, they decide who they let play, and who they trust to play things that are karma-required. If they told you you're doing something wrong, they're probably right. Even if you don't agree with them, I would take their advice. And to echo the people who have already said so, the game isn't about gaining karma anyway. Think of it this way: no one had karma when they started out, which means everyone playing here was able to have enough fun in non-karma roles to stick around anyway.

Hope this all helps,
Jherlen
(Who honestly had no idea how long this post was until he previewed it. If anyone read it all I applaud you.)

[picklehead]

Hrm.. where to begin. First of all, I don't think anyone can say that skills don't matter in this game. Coded skills put limits on what our characters can realistically accomplish in the game. Additionally it makes sense that your character would -want- to improve in his/her chosen profession and would likely engage in activities that would bring this about. If you're a career mercenary, for example, it stands to reason that you'd want to get pretty decent with that sword you carry around so that you're less likely to get killed.

That being said, if the only prospect my character ever had when he logged in was to ride out and kill some beasties or spend all day sparring, I'd probably stop logging in before too long. That gets pretty boring for me. I don't play this game so that I can get great with my skills, I play for the interactions my character has with other characters, be it positive or negative. This is where the fun is at. As an example, one of my most enjoyable characters in recent memory was a ranger who.. really wasn't very buff when it came down to it. What made him so enjoyable and memorable to me are the friendships and relationships that he formed. This guy lasted about twenty plus days and would get his ass handed to him by a gortok. Would I have liked him to have been a bit more handy in combat? Sure, he might have lived a bit longer. If I could do it all over again would I have spent more time training up my skills at the expense of developing relationships and interacting in a meaningful way with other characters? No.

This isn't to say you can't have it both ways. It's entirely possible to become skilled and interact with others at the same time, but for me I'd rather put the focus on the interaction. It's a lot like real life. You can become really successful in your career and make assloads of loot, but without people to share your life with, it tends to have a lot less meaning.

So the next time you feel like going out hunting, consider heading to the bar instead to have a drink, share a story, make a new friend or enemy. It's bound to make the rest of the things you do in the game that much more enjoyable.

[Anonymous]

So when you're in a clan, there are no other PCs online and you decide, "Hey this is boring, I think I'll go hunt", the flags go up. If your clan has rules against leaving the city and hunting alone, you just broke them. Even if there are no pcs on, there are still plenty vnpcs in your barracks who will notice you're skipping training. More likely than not you'll be noticed breaking them by staff too. NPCs and/or VNPCs might also notice your character leaving the city gates and might report that to your superiors. And really, IMO, your reason for breaking the rules is more an OOC one (no PCs online) than an IC one.

Yes, and misinterpretations happen too. Like when no one has informed your character that it's not alright to travel further than point <x>, then that character gets landed on like a ton of bricks for doing so. If it happens behind the scenes, you can never even know what you did wrong.

People's advice on here very largely fits one template. If it hurts your character, it must be good RP. If it helps your character, you're under suspicion of twinking. I would say there is more to it. If you want to be noticed, RP in a way that the staff enjoys. Generate plots, set the stage, and play it out. Showmanship is what gathers notice.

So can you do well as an independent? Very difficult to run a one-person play.

[Kalden]

Join Kadius and hunt for them. Go up north and hunt solo. There's things you can do as an independent.

Best way is to work on your own for a while (join the Byn), then go independent when you're good.

[Maybe42or54]

If you get bored and get the urge to go out and kill shit, you are playing the wrong part of the game.

I myself used to be that way, then I played a couple roles that kept me in the city. I still get the urge to go out and hunt, but I don't hunt shit bigger than myself, by myself.

Jarod, my advice to you is, get into a clan and stick it out, it could take a long time, or you may die first, but it really gets you to appreciate it when you are the top of the wave and everyone is coming up behind you. Just hope you don't die alone, huh?

[Cuusardo]

If you choose to go indy, make sure you email the unclanned PC IMMs with updates for your PC.  If you make an honest attempt to keep them informed of the goings-on of your character, chances are things will happen.

[jstorrie]

Independents: yes, independents can survive and from what I hear might fit your playstyle more (although conversely, playing in clans may turn you on to a playstyle you hadn't thought of before). As to the level of success - well, if you want, you can have an independent essentially as safe as a clanned PC who makes a modest living carving rocks or sifting spice. Or you can have a wildly succesful PC who is at constant risk of horrific death. I think there's some fun to be had in either, although again, the latter might suit your playstyle more.

A few tips: while you may enjoy combat, it is not something that your independent will find incredibly profitable for a long time. When your 80-day ranger can stealthily track a bahamet through the grasses for a day and a night, stick a poisoned arrow between its eyes from half a mile away, and then have his pack of sunback pets drag the corpse back to the city you will be getting a 'big score.' Good luck on that one. There's probably more money to be made in less time and with less risk of death in things that are scaled more to one person's capabilities - riding out into the unexplored wastes and finding an oasis for a House, moving rare trade goods from city to city, finding rare stones and making them into jewlery, etc. These are all still challenging and uncommon activities that you can stick an interesting character too. The hardest ways to make it as an independent generally centre around killing things or people, and that's probably a conscious decision on the immortals' part.


Karma: the boards are not the best place to address that issue. Send a polite email to the mud@armageddon.org account, ask your questions, and make your case if you think you deserve more karma than you have. The imms are pretty good about either letting you know why they haven't given you karma yet, or correcting any oversights they may have made. I didn't get karma myself for a year and a half until I - politely! - inquired about it. I will stress politely one third time because it's pretty easy to get sassy on the Interweb and that would definitely not help your case none.


Roleplaying in general: I don't like tavern-sitting either, so much so that I've let my current character lapse into relative inactivity because she turned into one of them. There is still plenty of room for characters in Arm who aren't tavern-sitting - just make sure that you're playing them reasonably! How much time do you spend in a day actively working on something, eight hours? If we discount sleep, that still suggests that a normal Armageddon character would only spend about half to two-thirds of his or her time, tops, on 'work', whether that be practicing skills or gathering minerals or what-have-you. The temptation to plow ahead as a loner independent is pretty fierce, and that may be what's tripping you up. But again, the best people to ask are the ones who've seen you play, the immortals.

[Pantoufle]

I think one can live as an independant (by whatever definition you choose) with relative ease, particularly if you're an experienced player.  I find it quite easy, though after a while it can get boring, especially if your character doesn't have a purpose outside of his/her own personal goals.  It's good to have ties with other people, even if you're not in a clan "officially".

On the subject of karma my suggestions are this.  Politeness goes an obscenely long way.  You'd be surprised.  Also, the trouble with independant-style players and karma is that the two rarely go hand-in-hand.  Even though there are designated "independant" staff, it can still be difficult to get noticed when you're unclanned, especially if you're UNINVOLVED with the rest of the playerbase.  

Though some will tell you "you shouldn't play for karma", let's face it, a good portion of us want it!  Many players want to try out something different and otherwise restricted (probably even moreso because it's restricted).  So I think what it really boils down to is, what's most important to you?  Surviving independantly or acquiring karma?  If it's the former, I suggest you slow it down, don't be in such a hurry to see what's on the other side of that cliff, or if you can handle 2 gortoks at once, then 3, then 4, etc.  If it's the latter, I highly suggest that you join a clan and STICK WITH YOUR ROLE.  Become involved, expect some downtimes where, yes, you may have to sit idle in a tavern (though not always); the more players are involved with you the more attention you receive.  I would suggest sending in a special application for a lower-karma guild/race but you might want to hold off if you have any recent negative account notes, as mentioned.

It sounds like you're particularly keen on a lack of restraint.  I can totally relate.  Going from independant to (most) clans involves a tremendous amount of restraint, and even the less-than-restraining clans still often require you to spend years of restraint until you prove yourself and THEN gain permission to wander freely.  If so, then I'd suggest working unofficially for a clan and try to stick around as long as you can, get to know people, let them get to know you and rely on you/need you for certain things.  And above all, be polite with the game hosts (staff) when communicating with them, it makes a world of a difference.  Nobody says you have to kiss ass, but demonstrating appreciation says a lot.  You may even find that's the only thing you need to change in order to see things shape up for you.

[Anonymous]

I think one can live as an independant (by whatever definition you choose) with relative ease, particularly if you're an experienced player.  I find it quite easy, though after a while it can get boring, especially if your character doesn't have a purpose outside of his/her own personal goals.  It's good to have ties with other people, even if you're not in a clan "officially".

On the subject of karma my suggestions are this.  Politeness goes an obscenely long way.  You'd be surprised.  Also, the trouble with independant-style players and karma is that the two rarely go hand-in-hand.  Even though there are designated "independant" staff, it can still be difficult to get noticed when you're unclanned, especially if you're UNINVOLVED with the rest of the playerbase.  

Though some will tell you "you shouldn't play for karma", let's face it, a good portion of us want it!  Many players want to try out something different and otherwise restricted (probably even moreso because it's restricted).  So I think what it really boils down to is, what's most important to you?  Surviving independantly or acquiring karma?  If it's the former, I suggest you slow it down, don't be in such a hurry to see what's on the other side of that cliff, or if you can handle 2 gortoks at once, then 3, then 4, etc.  If it's the latter, I highly suggest that you join a clan and STICK WITH YOUR ROLE.  Become involved, expect some downtimes where, yes, you may have to sit idle in a tavern (though not always); the more players are involved with you the more attention you receive.  I would suggest sending in a special application for a lower-karma guild/race but you might want to hold off if you have any recent negative account notes, as mentioned.

It sounds like you're particularly keen on a lack of restraint.  I can totally relate.  Going from independant to (most) clans involves a tremendous amount of restraint, and even the less-than-restraining clans still often require you to spend years of restraint until you prove yourself and THEN gain permission to wander freely.  If so, then I'd suggest working unofficially for a clan and try to stick around as long as you can, get to know people, let them get to know you and rely on you/need you for certain things.  And above all, be polite with the game hosts (staff) when communicating with them, it makes a world of a difference.  Nobody says you have to kiss ass, but demonstrating appreciation says a lot.  You may even find that's the only thing you need to change in order to see things shape up for you.

Holy crap, I think it's the first post on the subject where someone actually related to the way I feel without being a total ass and saying "it's not about Karma"  "play your role and shut up"

Thank you,

Jarod

[Sanvean]

This is directed at many new players.  I'm not trying to single anyone out but provide feedback that may assist new players in getting acclimated to the game.  The "you" referenced throughout is generic.

Don't confuse emotes with roleplaying.  Yes, they can be part of it.  But the important thing is the role.  Acting out the character, its motivations, its fears, its loves -- its life, in short.  The story of your character is the point of the game, and the more deeply you immerse yourself in that, rather than figuring out how best to branch your backstab, the more enjoyable you will find the experience.

Pantoufle is right in saying the politeness goes a very long way.  So does demonstrating that you've understood feedback and are attempting to incorporate it in your play, rather than getting defensive and/or refusing to change the play that received the negative comment in the first place.  The staff doesn't exist to torment players, but one of its purposes is making sure that people are playing out their roles.  If, for example, you're playing in a clan, that clan doesn't want its employees running around hunting, and the clan immortal has told you to knock off the excess hunting, then you need to make a choice regarding whether to quit the clan and continue the hunting or stay in it and abide by the same guidelines everyone else is.  Staying in it and continuing to hunt is not an option unless you are willing to accept the IC consequences of persistently disobeying the wishes of the house elders.

A while back, I saw a player getting upset because they thought their character was being picked on by the staff when in actuality it was motivated by IC forces.  They wanted to know if another character was being treated the same way, and the question took me aback because I think it's important to remember that while we, the staff, try to be fair, we're also here to enforce a harsh and unfair world where a clan higher up might, in fact, make an arbitrary judgement.  That's an IC occurence, and it should be treated ICly.  Olgaris said something to another character who was in similar circumstances around the same time, and I liked it enough to stick it in a notepad.

To offer some constructive criticism - you asked for it - try and
remember that Armageddon is all about harshness. This recent string of
events, kicking you in the face while you're down, that's what we're
here for. While it is understandable that your character be wrought
with strife, as things like this continue, he'll toughen up into a
rough old slaver, telling tales of danger outlived.

As a writer, I don't want to create stories where everything goes right for the main character.  In fact, the more bad things that happen to him or her, the more interesting the story.  Let your character roll with the punches, and you may surprised how much fun it becomes.  With my longest lived character (an infamous Whiran), I don't think things ever went well - she was perpetually getting kicked out of merchant houses, marked with bounties, divided by circumstance from her loved ones, and so on.  And that was the most fun I've ever had with a character.  But I digress.

Regardless of any of this, this game is not for everyone.  On occasion I see a severe disconnect regarding the staff's intentions for the game and what a player wants it to be.  In such cases, I usually suggest that the player move on to another game.  If you are getting the same comments about powergaming or ignoring the virtual world over and over again, then perhaps you may want to find another MUD.  In such a case, it's clear that you're not listening to what we're saying, and if you're not going to do that, it's just going to perpetuate a situation which is aggravating both sides.

[Delirium]

As a writer, I don't want to create stories where everything goes right for the main character.  In fact, the more bad things that happen to him or her, the more interesting the story.  Let your character roll with the punches, and you may surprised how much fun it becomes.  With my longest lived character (an infamous Whiran), I don't think things ever went well - she was perpetually getting kicked out of merchant houses, marked with bounties, divided by circumstance from her loved ones, and so on.  And that was the most fun I've ever had with a character.  But I digress.

Yes, yes, yes, yes.  Call me a sucker for punishment, a masochist or whatever you want to call me.  But strife in a character's story - or if not strife, unexpected events - make it far more enjoyable to play out.  While it may be realistic to live out a life of reclusive blandness, it doesn't usually make for a very good story.

To tie that into this thread's general meaning - a life of hunting at dawn, selling at dusk, and tavern sitting at night may very well be emoted out with excruciating detail and predictability.  However, without depth to your character and without meaninful interaction with others, you're robbing yourself of a story and potentially great experiences.

[rishenko]

With effort and forethought, independents can be an amazing amount of fun.  Especially when things happen that thwart your perfectly laid plans, often leaving your character wondering if they will have food or water tomorrow, much less buying that fancy new kickass bow and giant bahamet slaying sword of doom.  

However, if you do live long enough, and your efforts begin to bear fruits, you will find an insane amount of pride in your character and their resiliency.  And I'm not just talking about hunting animals, but in living off whatever they can find, making sure not to piss of the wrong people, living by a scrap of skin after getting involved in the most dangerous of rp situations, so on and so forth.  

Sure, there is no guarantee that your character will see the light of Suk-Krath, but that only further reinforces the desire to make the best of now.  I've only been on the mud a short time, but already it's been shown to me how harsh and brutal a world Zalanthas is.  Nothing is certain, nothing is free, and the hot sandy wastes of Zalanthas doesn't give a damn if you live to see tomorrow.  

And for that, I love it.  Independents rock.

[Jarod550]

Regardless of any of this, this game is not for everyone.  On occasion I see a severe disconnect regarding the staff's intentions for the game and what a player wants it to be.  In such cases, I usually suggest that the player move on to another game.  If you are getting the same comments about powergaming or ignoring the virtual world over and over again, then perhaps you may want to find another MUD.  In such a case, it's clear that you're not listening to what we're saying, and if you're not going to do that, it's just going to perpetuate a situation which is aggravating both sides.

Is that a suggestion to me that you feel I fight that mold and you want me to move on?

Jarod

[Intrepid]

Is that a suggestion to me that you feel I fight that mold and you want me to move on?

This was just a mod piping up telling you to adapt to the game, much as
many people have been, Jarod.  The quote below from the beginning of
Sanvean's post should say it all:

This is directed at many new players. I'm not trying to single anyone out but provide feedback that may assist new players in getting acclimated to the game. The "you" referenced throughout is generic.

Remember, you're not the only (relatively) new player here, you're just
the most vocal in a while.

[Cale_Knight]

Is that a suggestion to me that you feel I fight that mold and you want me to move on?

The only reason to play a game is to have fun.

If you're not having fun playing this game as it's meant to be played, why stay? Don't waste your time here, but find something that better suits your fancy.

If, on the other hand, you'd prefer to stick around and maybe try again, you're more than welcome to do that as well.