Me, Ginka, Karma, and Existentialism

[Kevo]

I've been playing Arm for about 9 years, and I believe I've had over 200 chars approximately. During the first years of our relationship, whenever my char died, and it was one that I thought was full of potential, I would leave armageddon for nearly a month or two. Only problem with that was I would forget my password, (because at the time, I hadn't realized that PASSWORD is always the best password), and I would have to make a new account.

For almost a decade, I've been wanting more karma, so I could play roles (classes, because, frankly, that's what they are) that I was interested in when others grew monotonous or tedious, and I always wondered what the problem was. Was I not roleplaying well enough for the staff? I, like everyone else didn't get massive amounts of feedback, or criticisms on my chars. Of course, staff to player ratio makes this nearly impossible. Did I display untrustworthy characteristics? If I didn't know what they were, it doesn't really matter, does it? Perhaps it was that none of my chars have lived past the 10 days played mark or I sometimes (okay, most of the time) play chars who hallucinate, or have multiple personalities, or any numbers of neuroses?  None of this was truly a really big matter until, Arm 2 was announced.

I've been with Ginka longer than my wife, and while I've cheated on Ginka, yes, I love her. I have truly spent more than half my life playing this game, my various jobs have been spent with me daydreaming about what my char is to do next, or how they feel about a certain person, or idea....And now, she's going to be gone. Which brings into question many of my feelings about Ginka. Why doesn't she trust me with certain experiences, when she trusts other, (Karma)? How come, when I ask her to share a special, although unusual moment with me, can't she let go of her fears, (special apps)? Now, with her life coming to an unforeseeable end, when all the times I have spent with her, and all the fun we've had, tears we've shed, and deaths we've pulled through will only be documented in my journal (logs I've kept), I must finally come to terms with our relationship, and it's uniqueness.

I've started taking risks with her, spicing up the dulls moments, playing out things I think others might not understand, and even if the staff wonders what the hell I'm doing, I know who my char is, and I don't claim to know all about the other chars, but I keep it IC. As far as Karma goes, ginka, if in the end, you still don't truly, fully trust me.....it's okay, I still trust you.

Maybe I've played crazy ass concepts that threw caution to the wind because I, myself, cannot. Maybe I've lived out strange, sexual scenarios because I could never summon the courage, or moral relativity to do these things in RL. Maybe I haven't typed out every thought my char had, or used feel for everyone on of his emotions, leaving the staff up there wondering, "Wtf mate". Maybe I avoid posting on the GDB like a plague because only as I newbie did I realize while my banter is not understood, my jokes not responded to, and insights go neither questioned nor validated, this is the only place where I can find people who truly know arm like I do. That can fully understand the relationship I have (I guess, anyone ever retro-fit a fleshlight into their usb so they actually can type with two hands?) with this game. Maybe I've done all these things, in the end, it doesn't matter, does it? Not truly, maybe for a little while, people will care, but in the end, my story was told, like all others, and it faded into the distance, like all others.

Arm 1, ginka......Zalanthas as I know it, even though you never fully trusted me, and we never did everything we could together, I will always hold you in my heart, and your world will continue on in my imagination. Since we only have a short time left, I vow to take risks with you I was afraid to before, I vow to make each second count as much as I can, and I promise, that I will never, ever forget the time we spent together. Here's to throwing caution to the wind, so we can ride it together into the distance.

(cue the Clint Mansell music as I walk down that snowy path)

[RogueGunslinger]

My advice: Play more clan roles. Attempt to stay alive for a decent period of time (I know this is the hard part). And keep consistent in your characters roleplay. Consistency stands out. Use think feel and make a lot of bios. 

[Kevo]

No, no, see, I've played clan roles, lots of them. I stay consistent in my char's roleplay (i do, what my char would do, what's the point in doing anything else?) I use think and feel more than I use emote. I make bios when I feel it's appropriate.


This post is not about wanting more karma, or wanting my special apps approved, or trying to get something out of arm that I haven't been getting. It's about coming to terms with things I may never get, and being okay with that. It's about playing my char to the fullest, when I know (or...am pretty certain) others won't understand what I'm doing. It's about finally having the courage to app a sorcerer with with OCD, and a peg leg, and not getting upset if I'm turned down. It's about making my time left with this incarnation of zalanthas what I want it to be, making it count, and enjoying every bit of it. If in the end, nothing matters, and no one will care that special app #456 was denied, or char #201 died with absolutely no rp, so what.....that means in the end, no one will care if I make a char who's Best Friend in the world is Vennant, and I roleplay getting free drinks while ignoring people at the bar. Or maybe my char DOES hallucinate, I'll do it whenever I feel they would, despite that Templar X is in the room, and will probably kill me.

This arm is gonna be gone soon, I don't care what people think about my roleplay because -I- know it's good, and I don't care if no one understands my chars, even after the thinks and feels I put in.

This post is all about liberating myself from the worries of failure, in an attempt to maximize the good times.

(btw, I have dibs on the OCD peg-legged sorcerer, AND Templar X)

[Cerelum]

I really enjoyed reading this post, I found it funny and well written.

If I had the power, I'd at least let you play a desert elf.

[Aaron Goulet]

Use think feel and make a lot of bios. 

I second this (not directed specifically at you, Kevo, I'm just momentarily hijacking this thread).  While the staff, being human* and all, cannot read our thoughts, they can certainly read your character's.  The above suggestions from RogueGunslinger are useful because they allow you to proactively express the why behind the what to any staff member who may be snooping in on you.  This is always a good practice, especially if your character's actions would not make any sense to the casual onlooker.

* I have no concrete sources to back up this statement.  I actually speculate that Olgaris is related to the Poopsmith, and Shalooonsh is the reincarnation of Cthulhu.

[Adiadochokinesis]

This arm is gonna be gone soon, I don't care what people think about my roleplay because -I- know it's good, and I don't care if no one understands my chars, even after the thinks and feels I put in

(btw, I have dibs on the OCD peg-legged sorcerer, AND Templar X)

This is where you're wrong, pilgrim.


Keep on fighting the good fight, Kevo.

[Aaron Goulet]

This is where you're wrong, pilgrim.


Keep on fighting the good fight, Kevo.

Okay, Three Dog. 

[Cerelum]

This is where you're wrong, pilgrim.


Keep on fighting the good fight, Kevo.

Okay, Three Dog. 

Fallout Quote, that's awesome.

[RogueGunslinger]

I confess, I don't do any of those things I suggested. 

[Gwoshi Cheese]

Maybe I've lived out strange, sexual scenarios because I could never summon the courage, or moral relativity to do these things in RL.

...

wat

[Kevo]

Maybe I've lived out strange, sexual scenarios because I could never summon the courage, or moral relativity to do these things in RL.

...

wat

No. I'm not Edom. I'm much, much worse.

[ibusoe]

+ 1

[spicemustflow]

Maybe I've lived out strange, sexual scenarios because I could never summon the courage, or moral relativity to do these things in RL.

...

wat

Wat wat? You don't do that?

Anyway, Kaboth. The scariest, creepiest motherfucker I met in arm. Well played, without giving off the impression of trying to hard. Fuck the karma, have fun playing what you want. If your other chars were on the same level you're really adding to the world.

[mansa]

Be a fuckin' scary character.

[Kevo]

Thank you, Mansa. I think I will do this.

And spice, I can't remember, but I really, really really hope it's been a RL year, otherwise, that's kind of out of line.

I really do, however, hope that I've added to the world. I'm pretty sure like damn near every veteran has met me and decided, A) hate that guy, B) Wha fuck? or C) What a strange, interesting role.

[spicemustflow]

Yeah, it was a rl year, don't be a pussy . And arm 1 isn't going anywhere soon, so have fun. But also I can see the problem you're having with special apps if complicated, weird characters are your thing. I mean, if anyone apped a mul who is prone to go berserk when he sees something green and in addition to that is colorblind and sees only green everywhere, well, no amount of karma and trust will help.

[ibusoe]

The original post speaks to a widespread problem.

Some players get a lot of attention, but some get very little staff support or attention.

Many players tend to assume that they're deliberately excluded, however I think that the converse is closer to the truth:

May players, even veteran players, are allowed to fall through the cracks.

I think that if this sort of problem were addressed, it would not only remediate the bottlenecks that many players develop in terms of buliding their own maturity, but also would prevent player leak to other MUD and reduce the incidence of misbehavior on the MUD.

Such a shame that we don't have any facility to make sure that people aren't left out.

[LoD]

I think that if this sort of problem were addressed, it would not only remediate the bottlenecks that many players develop in terms of buliding their own maturity, but also would prevent player leak to other MUD and reduce the incidence of misbehavior on the MUD.

Such a shame that we don't have any facility to make sure that people aren't left out.

Issues abound with a solution to this "problem".

• Not all players want/require Immteraction.
• Some players want/require more Immteraction than others to feel "included".
• Some players, due to a string of high-profile characters, get used to heavy Immteraction and come to expect it, and can sometimes feel purposefully ignored when the level of interaction decreases.
• Some players view Immteraction as "interference", where others view it as "attention".
• Some players are reactive, and more likely to feed off Immteraction compared to the more pro-active players.
• Some players receive Immteraction with results they might view as negative (i.e. they are executed, refused a promotion, demoted, ordered to perform an action they dislike, not provided with the answer they wanted, etc...) and feel that they are being unfairly targeted, or that Imms are "out to get them".

Creating a system that touches all of these players in the way and manner in which they wish to be treated and touched is likely an impossible task, especially with the Storyteller (most likely staff member to be interacting with you) and Player ratio.

What suggestions do people have for how to solve these many issues in a way that isn't currently being attempted?

-LoD

[mansa]

What suggestions do people have for how to solve these many issues in a way that isn't currently being attempted?

-LoD

A bigger policy change towards player creation, and putting the tools of "world modification" into the players hand.

Reposted idea of mine:

First is that we have shifted our role to supporting player actions rather than dictating them.

Since when?

http://www.zalanthas.org/gdb/index.php/topic,34248.0.html
February 03, 2009

Staff will no longer be animating the 'big boss' and senior NPCs of the clans for report ins and general catch ups. When a player needs information from the higher ranks of the house this will, in general, be given via email.

Staff instead will be concentrating on facilitating the stories that players are creating. The overall goal is that gameplay happens at a level that is accessible to players, allowing them to feel a very real part of the action.

Another goal with the change is to move the focus of Storytellers from the administrative side of running clans, to the story oriented side. With a Highlord in charge of each group we hope that much of the admin work can be relieved and with dedicated HL's for each group decisions can get sign off at the team level.

The overall aim of this is to see STs out there animating every day, because they –want- to, to see plots and stories that reflect what players are interested in and want to achieve and staff supporting what you all are doing.

Now, the only thing they need to change is the policy about new items, new buildings, (as in, make more player created items / rooms / npcs) and shorten the length of time it takes to have stuff like this implemented, and it will be an even better game.


If it were me:

A) Players can create a new item in the game as long as:
i) It will be a 'common' item, and must have at least one NPC seller attached to it.
ii) One new item per RL month
iii) Players will not "own" such an item, and cannot take OOC steps to claim IC ownership over all types of items of this sort.

B) NPCs
i) A maximum of 2 Family NPCs, that can be 'orderable' but not for combat actions
a) This includes NOT guard <person> / assist, but can include guard <direction/item>
b) NPCs won't be ress'd when killed, and these will be noted.
ii) You can create an NPC once per 6 RL months after first noting the VNPC in game, using the BIO command to included the VNPC in game, and using the VNPC in arrange emotes with various items for 15 RL Weeks.
iii) For ever Family NPC, one common NPC must be written up, in any city.

C) Special Unique Items that aren't common still follow the 'Master Crafter' rules.

D) Rooms must be paid for, in obsidian coin, at approximately 10,000 coins per room in 'rinth/undertuluk, 40,000 coins per room in common tuluk/allanak, and in the tablelands must be SPECIAL CASE with specific immortals running the tribals.  Each room will be taken under consideration the political parties involved in each area of the game.
i) It takes 6 RL weeks to build one room, and the room descriptions will note that it is unfinished.
ii) It will take 18 RL weeks to have a complete room in a description matching the one sent in.
iii) Ownership / Clans using the room created will _NOT_ be associated with the player paying the cost, and will be a 'non-coded partner' unless 30 RL weeks pass.

E) Coded clans can newly exist, as long as a 'clan hall' has been paid for, plus 30 RL weeks


A change in policy for focusing on player lead stories is great, but when the stories the players want to do, won't be implemented, it doesn't do much good.  When you lay down an outline like above, people will try and do exactly it.

Let's say that there's an overwhelming plot to destroy New Red Storm Village.  The immortals have set markers for Player Interaction Points, so when they do A, B, and then C, the city gets destroyed.  The new 'ruins' is already written up.
- If I'm a player, living in red storm, and I want to create a shop that sells pretty dresses made of gith skins, I should have the oppertunity to start creating a shop, and spending my time creating a shop - even though RSV will be destroyed two days after my shop gets into the game.

At least, from the above example, I can say - I got something implemented into the game, even though it got destoryed.  I worked hard, and I had satisifaction in creating something.  It got destroyed, but that doesn't matter.  It's not about 'winning' or creating something that lasts forever.  It's about the journey and the storylines along the way.   

Afterall, this is a text medium we are using, and the world can be updated in less than one second.  Delaying implementation of items shouldn't be a year real life.

[Aaron Goulet]

The original post speaks to a widespread problem.

Some players get a lot of attention, but some get very little staff support or attention.

Many players tend to assume that they're deliberately excluded, however I think that the converse is closer to the truth:

May players, even veteran players, are allowed to fall through the cracks.

I think that if this sort of problem were addressed, it would not only remediate the bottlenecks that many players develop in terms of buliding their own maturity, but also would prevent player leak to other MUD and reduce the incidence of misbehavior on the MUD.

Such a shame that we don't have any facility to make sure that people aren't left out.

We do have a facility to do just this: communication.  I find that 90% of the time someone has a problem with something (valid or not), they do not email the staff about it due to some irrational fear of judgment, or in-game repercussions.  In fact, sometimes people would sooner gripe about their problem on the GDB than voice their displeasure about x and y by emailing the staff, who are usually the only people capable of fixing the problem (or are at least eligible to dispense some helpful advice on how to do so yourself).

As someone pointed out before, the staff are few in comparison to the amount of players, so how are they to know who needs perhaps a little more attention due to factors x and y?  The answer is communication.

NOTE: Regarding both the request tool and emailing the staff, I have found that you will usually get more mileage out of your query if you are able to cover all of the important points while being as succinct as possible.  Going through the appropriate channels (as outlined here) helps, as well.  Also, ensure to be polite and respectful, remembering that the staff are volunteering their time to assist you.

NOTE #2: The staff doesn't necessarily have the time or the numbers to "keep an ear to the ground".  Thus, it is entirely likely that the we (the players) will figure out when certain things aren't working as well as they could be (both code-wise and process-wise) before the staff is able to.  Don't be afraid to submit feedback, so long as you are following the guidelines.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

Mansa, I really do wish this was the policy.

[mansa]

Karma gets you easier access to special classes.

You get noticed by attempting to accomplish things in a realistic way in the game, but trying to get things implemented is a problem that shouldn't be as tough as it is now.

If you have an easier way to create things, you can accomplish more.

A policy that has a specific time limit that all players must abide to would prevent favourtism.
More people would get noticed when more people request to have an npc created / item created, rather than remaining quiet.

[mansa]

Ps.
the numbers I threw out there don't mean anything.  Its the intent of the policy, rather than the specific details of it.

[Aaron Goulet]

(A bunch of really nifty stuff.)

I <3 your suggestions!  While it isn't rendered impossible by the code (we all know this because it has been done before), I can see where staff workload might be an issue.

The thing is, it might be worth it because of this:

Let's say that there's an overwhelming plot to destroy New Red Storm Village.  The immortals have set markers for Player Interaction Points, so when they do A, B, and then C, the city gets destroyed.  The new 'ruins' is already written up.
- If I'm a player, living in red storm, and I want to create a shop that sells pretty dresses made of gith skins, I should have the oppertunity to start creating a shop, and spending my time creating a shop - even though RSV will be destroyed two days after my shop gets into the game.

At least, from the above example, I can say - I got something implemented into the game, even though it got destoryed.  I worked hard, and I had satisifaction in creating something.  It got destroyed, but that doesn't matter.  It's not about 'winning' or creating something that lasts forever.  It's about the journey and the storylines along the way.

In the examples given (and almost every example I can think of), plots and storylines will inevitably be created, because these tasks are nearly impossible for a single individual to undertake, and the journey would indeed be long.

[Krath]

Fuck Karma, it is overrated. Seriously.