Estranged Newbie's Perspective

[Zambo]

I wanted to post about my experiences in the GDB but the active thread for Estranged Veterans did not seem fitting for me. I've played for about three months and am not a veteran at all. So I decided to make a separate thread. This is my first post on the GDB, and it might be the last, though I am curious to see what kind of discussion it sparks.

Here is why I am not going to play Armageddon anymore.

• Newbie-unfriendly. By and large the helpers are a great resource. But they are few in far between. It's when you get in game and try to do things that you run into problems. Asking questions in the game - forget about it. You may be luckier if you join a clan first and ask then. But there is a feeling that players prefer newbies to be lost in the game and that feels bad to me.
• Barren interaction. Maybe not the best word but the game feels very barren to me. There is a barrier to entry for interaction and it feels like if you try to insert your character into a conversation they are going to get ignored. A lot of characters are quiet and come to the tavern but act like they prefer to be left alone. Try to strike a conversation with them and they get up and leave, or just idle until the next dawn. I don't know how you are supposed to get your character interacting with people if people won't interact with you, even when you try your best to interact with them.
• I don't feel safe in the community. I've seen a number of talk about the OOC side of the community on the GDB and the Discord. It is strange to see racist and sexist behavior just get a pass in both of these places, mostly in the Discord. It is frightening to hear about retribution against players and staff with players posting people's phone numbers in public to encourage their harassment. I am fine with the game being harsh, but the community should not be harsh outside the game. I have to wonder if the game attracts bad people or turns normal people into bad people, and I don't want to learn the hard way by sticking around longer than I already have.

I would rather just go to a game where the community treats its members like actual people instead of cogs in a machine. I thought about leaving quietly, but I think Armageddon has an interesting world with a lot of potential if it solved some of its problems with the people that seem to be around just to abuse others. At the same time, maybe other newbies who feel the same way will realize their sunken costs fallacy and realize it's okay to leave. Either way, my word probably won't mean much to a handful of you who benefit from the community's toxicity, but there it is anyway.

[boog]

I am so very sorry you've been experiencing this. I don't go on Discord very much because I don't really enjoy talking at such a fast pace with so many people and I honestly hate the platform.

By and large, this community is one of the tamest I've seen on the internet, so it surprises me that you've had this experience OOC, and I'm very sorry for that. I would recommend screenshots being sent to staff if someone isn't joking around and is actually contributing to and/or facilitating toxic behavior on Discord. We shouldn't abide that at all.

The reason I hang around the forums/GDB is because I crave the Arm of yesteryear. I don't think it's likely to return, but I guess I stick around for the magic nostalgia of it all.

[Derain]

You should really give it a second chance most of the people here are awesome and it seems you may be looking at another board and letting it get in your head.

[Zambo]

Another board? For MUDs I only look at this board, and the Mudconnector forum. The game I am moving to (Arx) doesn't have a forum on their website, just in the game.

As for giving this game a second chance I  have given it a lot of chances. I don't see it happening anytime soon especially if I have no idea what you are talking about with another board.

Thanks boog. When I brought up the issue on Discord I got a few private messages telling me to lighten up (but in harsher terms). I also got messages like yours saying Discord is a mess and to try and ignore it. Well, it's hard to ignore the community you're trying to be a part of, at least for me. In retrospect I should have taken screenshots but I suppose I could go back in and take screenshots of the old logs if they aren't deleted. I appreciate the tip though.

[tapas]

I don't feel safe in the community. I've seen a number of talk about the OOC side of the community on the GDB and the Discord. It is strange to see racist and sexist behavior just get a pass in both of these places, mostly in the Discord. It is frightening to hear about retribution against players and staff with players posting people's phone numbers in public to encourage their harassment. I am fine with the game being harsh, but the community should not be harsh outside the game. I have to wonder if the game attracts bad people or turns normal people into bad people, and I don't want to learn the hard way by sticking around longer than I already have.

The first two don't come as much surprise to me but this one is really unacceptable. And worse, hearing it from a new player is exceptionally shitty.

I don't know about the discord or gdb currently, however I've encountered some borderline misogyny on a recent character but let it slide without reporting it.

[boog]

I'm really bothered, considering the amount of minorities of all sorts we have playing this game. This is really irking me now.

I hope you stick around. I would avoid Discord unless absolutely necessary for any reason. Maybe I'm just an old fogey now, but that chat appeals to me not in the slightest.

Some people around here are assholes, myself included sometimes, but there is never any room in any society for any sort of racism or misogyny. I hope you're able to report it so the person spewing this shit is backhanded, or at least banned or muted in Discord.

[Cind]

Don't let some dumbass on the internet tell you what games to play. Just avoid the Discord, this place is much better.

I'm sorry you've been getting the hand, I'll do a grade school move and beat them up for you.

If you're encountering toxic players, just play with other people. Have you heard of storing? Don't worry about jerks on the internet. There's no retribution usually to being yourself on the internet, so sometimes the bad in a few people comes out and makes the rest of humanity look like cheese.

[boog]

Don't fucking talk about cheese that way, Cindy! 

[Zambo]

Don't let some dumbass on the internet tell you what games to play. Just avoid the Discord, this place is much better.

I'm sorry you've been getting the hand, I'll do a grade school move and beat them up for you.

If you're encountering toxic players, just play with other people. Have you heard of storing? Don't worry about jerks on the internet. There's no retribution usually to being yourself on the internet, so sometimes the bad in a few people comes out and makes the rest of humanity look like cheese.

While I get your point I think you are missing mine. I don't want to associate with a community that essentially accepts these kinds of people. You may be able to ignore their existence but I would rather play in a place without any such people. I realize that this is MUDs I am talking about and I am unlikely to find that, but I have certain standards and a set of morals that doesn't allow me to stick around and encourage behavior I find unacceptable.

I definitely understand that the majority of people are fine. Like everyone who has posted in this thread so far seems to be decent people. But if I don't put it out there that some people really do not make it worthwhile to stick around, then the problem never gets fixed. So here is me pointing out the problem. Hopefully something happens.

[ShaLeah]

As one of the people who constantly joke with all kinds of content that to me is meaningless and to others is  unacceptable, I apologize if anything *I* joked about made you feel changed and unwelcome.  I'm an old vet and while I want the world old school harsh I want noobies to learn the ways of the world in a better way than I learned it.

Armageddon is harsh, the lurning curve can be brutal, I agree that the community can make it even more intimidating.

Feel free to hit me up on Discord privately.  I'm not a bonafide helper but I'll be glad to help you find a place where you can determine if Arm's for you. 

[Yam]

Which Discord was this in, exactly? Are you sure it was the official Arm Discord?

[Akariel]

If you have issues with staff or players, please put in a complaint. Staff does not have your phone number. Staff will never release personal information about you (like your email address or name) if we have it. If a player is doing this, it's a very serious offense and we will handle it accordingly.

Because this post is very similar to recent trollish posts we've received through other sources I am going to lock the thread here. If you are not that ex-player, please put in a request so we can tie this to an actual player and I will unlock the thread.