Do you feel neglected a little?

[adriannetwork]

Does anyone else feel neglected by staff?

It has been 13 years of playing arm, on and off. With one lost account user name and password from a year break. I've never cheated, always played fair, and consistent kept characters realistic.

In all that time I understand most about the game.... Except magick... I've only ever received one karma. For longevity. I basically asked for it recently.

How do some people have enough karma to roll a mul for the hell of it but I can't get a rukkian without sitting 2 months for a special app?

I understand karma is a measure of trust. But seriously? 13 years and I am still not trusted?

I could have enlisted in the military, gotten top secret clearance and honorably discharged faster than I can organically get enough karma to play a damn half giant who can't be given any top secret info.

I could go through undergrad, med school, specialty training, and people would trust me with thier lives in a heart surgery before the staff would trust me to heal players with a vivaduian.

I'll consent to a background check. I'll donate a little $ to your favorite charity. You can talk to my mom if you need. What sort of sucking up do I need to do to capture your attention long enough to earn an ounce of POSITIVE recognition?

Let's be realistic: Karma is NOT a policy of trust but is a tool of FAVORITISM. And if my irregular log in time fails to position me under the all seeing eye of the IMMs I am left for neglect. The only attention granted is of the negative variety for whatever irregularities occur that can happen to anyone.

I'll follow the new character report policy and see what happens. But if my perfect damn behavior and reports of it is not rewarded I'm going to put this game to rest indefinitely.

[slvrmoontiger]

I've been playing off an on since 1993 or 1994 this is my second account, because I forgot my first one when I left college. I've never received kama. I've gotten in trouble with staff on OOC level. In game I've been told to stop this or that and had one episode that got carried away, but this episode actually caused a pretty positive change to happen. I've never cheated in game. I really don't know what I need to do to get karma. I think most of it has been because I tend to run the same guild and race. So I stepped way outside myself in my current role and hopefully that will help.

[Patuk]

Someone voices a complaint with emotional overtones. Staff get offended and act in kind. Thread heats up and pisses everyone off.

I think a genuine discussion about this sort of thing could be highly valuable to the community, but my sense of impending doom tells me we are about to lose a veteran player.

[MeTekillot]

I always specifically ask for karma reviews in my account notes. I try to play, if not leaders, then very public roles. Diva breeds, idiot heroes, notorious criminals.

[Saellyn]

Sorry? Five years almost, 1 karma, and all I do is stew privately. I was told I need to learn more about magick to apply for 4 karma magickers.

So I'm sucking it up. Do that thing. Put in reports and shit. It doesn't have to be weekly, do one once a month just to keep people up to date. If you play the game for karma, yes, it seriously fucking sucks. I'm playing the game, right now, for me and my own enjoyment. My enjoyment happens to come from other peoples enjoyment.

Sorry you're having problems, I'm right there with you, but if you feel you deserve more karma then make your case privately. You don't need to complain here for everyone to see. It doesn't look good.

[Patuk]

Lots of things look bad. (Un)fortunately, one's social skills do not reflect on the argument they make.

[slvrmoontiger]

Okay, I've got a fair question here... How do you learn more about majick to get a 4 karma gicker, if you can't play a 'gicker because you don't have the karma for it? If people are supposed to be afraid of majick, how does one learn about it?

[Jihelu]

I want to say it's a legitimate complaint.
But then I realize I haven't been here very long and can't say things...
I'll comment in two years with how much Karma I have and complain more so then.


And you app for a Ruk or something to learn about magick better.
I think it would be BETTER if you didn't know about magick, so you and your character could learn as you go. A true curiosity as it were.
That being said, don't blow your self up.

[Saellyn]

Special apply for a viv or a rukkian. Join House Oash, or just hang out with other magickers. Ask Staff in reports. If you REALLY need to, you could probably ask toher players over OOC about things.


That's how I did it, and I learned a few things. Well, a few things were reinforced.

It's really that easy.

[Jihelu]

Special apply for a viv or a rukkian. Join House Oash, or just hang out with other magickers. Ask Staff in reports. If you REALLY need to, you could probably ask toher players over OOC about things.


That's how I did it, and I learned a few things. Well, a few things were reinforced.

It's really that easy.

This might be a bit too iffy but what do they want you to know about magick?
The mechanics, the lore, etc? All of it?

[Saellyn]

They want you to portray it in a way tha tmakes sense to the world. Not broadcasting it to everyone and showcasing it as a gift, but treating it as it is - something very dangerous, to be used sparingly, and only when needed.

Or they want you to portray it as a gift, but understand that OTHER PEOPLE do not see it as a gift.

They want you to learn about the lore behind it, as much as the mechanics. If you don't grasp the mechanics of it enough to play a Rukkian or a Viv, you're gonna bomb out on a Krathi or a Drovian. Or you might not, because shit, you're playing an elementalist who never comes out. Kudos if you can manage THAT.

[Jihelu]

They want you to portray it in a way tha tmakes sense to the world. Not broadcasting it to everyone and showcasing it as a gift, but treating it as it is - something very dangerous, to be used sparingly, and only when needed.

Or they want you to portray it as a gift, but understand that OTHER PEOPLE do not see it as a gift.

They want you to learn about the lore behind it, as much as the mechanics. If you don't grasp the mechanics of it enough to play a Rukkian or a Viv, you're gonna bomb out on a Krathi or a Drovian. Or you might not, because shit, you're playing an elementalist who never comes out. Kudos if you can manage THAT.

So they want you to have a basic understanding of the idea of magick? Shouldn't that be expected for the application process in general?
I'm not saying special people might pop up that think people should respect magick a bit more.
But the application/backstory should mention the fact that they are considered abominations of god or something.

I'm just over thinking it...
Right...karma.
Maybe it should be given out more over more things. Maybe it already is.

[Saellyn]

Leadership, longevity, understanding of magickal lore, the ability to move plots, the ability to just play a realistic character, the ability to follow documentation...

That's a lot of stuff.

I'm no saint, I have no right to preach over what you can do to try to earn karma because I am a horrible player who did awful things to lose his karma in the first place, but getting angry and upset about your lack of karma is not going to help. You have to grow as a player.

[Molten Heart]

I can see why you feel ignored. Sorry you don't have more karma.

[Riev]

I think I might have 2, in 10years or so.

Honestly, the karma levels "really" only give you access to magickers which don't really appeal to some people. I understand wanting players to have played the roles, so they know how to interact and react to them, but I honestly am twinky enough, magick makes me want to twink more.

Unfortunately, now Karma is tied into CGP. I think thats why there are certain categories they adhere to, except the categories are still largely generalized.

I feel you, Adrianne. I guess I'm not like those guys that walked around in lensed sunslits pretending they were Horatio, and generally not killing PCs causing widespread panic doesn't get me much karma either. All I can say is... report regularly. Staff aren't watching us as much as you'd think, so the reports are the only way they have an idea that you "get" this sandbox they've created.

[slvrmoontiger]

To be honest, gickers really don't appeal to me. I feel the only way I could learn to be one is to be in Allanak and I always have trouble in Allanak. I guess I could be one of those secret gickers in Tuluk, but then I'd never learn unless it was trial and error. One has to learn proper chant wording from somewhere unless they just play around with words.

[Saellyn]

Help magick sphere and help magick mood are useful.

[jcortrig]

If you want a karma review you can always send in an account notes request.  To the best of my knowledge, that incurs an automatic "karma review" - which can be good or bad I suppose!  heh

[Marauder Moe]

It's not about how long since you created your account.

Certainly your game play could be different, but judging by your posting habits you seem to have short spurts of activity separated by weeks and even months (and even years, by your admission) of nothing. 

You don't get top secret clearance by doing one weekend a month with the national guard.  You don't pass medical school if you take off every other month.

To get karma you need to be involved.  To be involved you need to play, and play consistently and relatively frequently.

Play a clanned character 5 hours a week for the next 6 months and I bet you'd get another point or two of karma easily enough.

[Armaddict]

Well.

--I think I can safely say there might be some favoritism, but not in the way you're thinking of it.  Obviously, staff will have better relationships with people who show better attitudes and outlooks on the game, and steadily communicate with those vibes.  Those people are a pleasure to work with, much like in a work environment, and will, automatically, be both noticed and appreciated.  However, I can also say that the karma I've gotten has been while -not- in good favor of the staff at the time.  I've had characters force stored, I've been railed on, I've had entire 'accomplishments' of my character examined and ripped apart as poor play.  I've had karma removed.  For your own pleasure, a sentiment of some of the staff about me, at a certain point (I certainly think I've developed past this, at this point, but it's amusing to read some of the old emails from back in the day before requests, when all communication was personal emails):

You don't have to apologize for being the voice of opposition because
that's not what you are. You're the voice of knee-jerk reactions to
policy changes that you haven't taken the time to consider or understand.

Fuck me? Fuck you.
-Nessalin

--I think there's a broad misinterpretation of karma.  Yes, it's a measure of trust and all that jazz, but there isn't really a staff prerogative to go around the entire known and watch every player for an hour a week and grade them on this benchmark or that one.  The reason I believe they ask for consistency is that if you're just waiting to get noticed, it takes a -long fucking time- to get noticed.  If you're in roles that increase communication and interaction with staff, your chances go up.  If you play indies where you don't report much and don't communicate with much of them, they have no data to even start to make an argument in their head for if they should adjust your account.  Communicate often (but handle yourself professionally, which is what I wasn't capable of), try to clear things up, and stop viewing it so much as them vs me and more as you are one of many...and many throws a bunch of random shit to deal with that makes something that doesn't stick out...not stick out.  Sometimes not sticking out is good, but where it sounds like you're hoping to be noticed, you may want to throw some ideas out there and see if you can run a small, easy-to-manage event that affects other players or something.

--I hear so much hate on the special application process.  I don't really get it.  You say you've waited for two months for things, which is just...drastically different than my own circumstances, despite the fact that as noted, I have not been the greatest player for staff to interact with.  I say I don't get it, because those were my -loves-.  I could get a random idea for this role or that role, and karma mattered a great deal less.  I was only 'noticed' for desert-elf karma, I believe.  The rest came directly through playing special applications, and it being decided that I could maintain that karma level.  I played muls, I played half-giants, I kept the karma.  I played elementalists, I kept that karma.  I played one sorcerer and one psionicist...it probably gave a + point that I mentioned several characters later that they hadn't removed that option yet, and I wanted to clarify whether I was being given that karma level or if it was forgotten.  Point here is...don't rag on the process that is designed to let you experience more and is often the conduit towards the progression you're asking for so much.  Special app things while you're playing other roles, so that the moment your other role dies, you can dive right into that special application character.

--If you are off-peak, I am sorry.  From what I understand, it is noticeably harder to get things going on off-peak hours.

That is all for now, I suppose.  But I think you're likely doing just fine, but you are expecting things to be done in a certain way that doesn't really portray how things are very accurately.  I do think I've made posts like this in the past, with that versus staff mentality and threats to abandon ship, and they did not serve me well in the least.  More private dialogue to the staff, less PR campaign.

[Saellyn]

It's not about how long since you created your account.

Certainly your game play could be different, but judging by your posting habits you seem to have short spurts of activity separated by weeks and even months (and even years, by your admission) of nothing. 

You don't get top secret clearance by doing one weekend a month with the national guard.  You don't pass medical school if you take off every other month.

To get karma you need to be involved.  To be involved you need to play, and play consistently and relatively frequently.

Play a clanned character 5 hours a week for the next 6 months and I bet you'd get another point or two of karma easily enough.

Don't say things about the national guard when you don't know what you're talking about. You can be any number of MOS's with top-secret clearance as a member of the National Guard. Doing one weekend a month.

[Zoan]

I dunno about karma but I just apply for whatever the hell I want and I've yet to be denied.

I think staff prefer that kind of a process than that, as it allows them more creative control over their world's balances of power.

[Armaddict]

I dunno about karma but I just apply for whatever the hell I want and I've yet to be denied.

I think staff prefer that kind of a process than that, as it allows them more creative control over their world's balances of power.

I've kind of gotten that impression as well.  Special applications allow them to look over everything in detail, look over histories and numbers in detail, and then make decisions and tweaks and ideas and whatnot.  Whereas with karma, it goes straight into a queue that they want cleared, and so the karma is kind of a 'Let this guy play this any time'.

And I kind of prefer it that way too, to be honest.  I'm one of those people who complains about too many of this, or that, or whatever...so I like the idea it's being more regulated.

[Erythil]

I never got any karma I didn't ask for.  I think that's pretty much the only way you get it.

[Beethoven]

I never asked for any of my karma points, although one came along with an account notes request, which I guess is sort of like asking. Guess it all differs from person to person.