Another Summer - No Good Story This Time

[burble]

For those who don't know, I played in the very old days - 94/95 then fading out until I completely forgot about Arm for many years until Summer 09. I played a warrior last summer and got 13 days play time in 32 days real time (probably not a record but that's how much fun it was).

It was just like the old days - everyone I met in game had a wonderful story going on. My char had some betrayal stuff, romancy stuff, and adventures all over the board. I sent out 15 kudos last summer - so many talented people it was amazing.

After last summer I got so busy that I completely forgot about Arm again until that email sometime last spring. Already had plans for most of the summer so I didn't have as much time to play this year but I just couldn't get a story going this time.

Everybody seems to be in a clan and have serious duties. I go out where a lot of independents were last summer and see nobody (well, gickers mostly). My current pc knows exactly 2 other pcs..a true failure as a story. I only sent out 4 kudos this year and they were all related to a RPT. Did the game change that much in a year or maybe it is me? Probably because I really don't like rangers..I only like warriors..should have played a warrior.

So I tried to find old stuff; but, all I could find were spreadsheets of character names/descs, some attempts at stories, and Tar'Kroh documentation - no logs. I work with numbers in RL so I am a very poor fiction writer.

What I did find to share is this poem:


His knees were shaking
he squeeled in pain
Onyxwolf was his name
over and over and over he said
this is the day, I will be dead
for hours and hours and hours he droned
my death is nigh but I've been cloned!
half of Blackwing bears my seed
so now I go my final deed
his raspy voice would never cease
the wagon's wheels would not increase
he made his will and testament
saying who gets what and where be sent
this mask I give to so and so
send them my love, my friend Argro
hands I covered my aching head
he lived the deed, alas, I'm dead.


The power of Armageddon is that I can remember this wagon ride after all these years. We went to some huge battle down near Allanak. I think Thrain was driving the wagon and it seemed like it lasted forever with Onyxwolf talking about how he was going to die. My char died at the battle because I didn't understand the game syntax (used attack instead of assist) but that was ok (little secret - I still don't know half the syntax).

Anyway, today the wife is out of town and it's about time to get serious again..so I'll go buy a bottle of wine and toast you all tonight (bodes ill for my current pc). I wish you all a happy, successful and good life.

For all the old guys/gals, I hope you are having as fun a journey as I am.

For the youngsters - haha, your brain is f*cked. You'll wake up sometime in the far future and think wait..I remember these vivid stories..what happened to that game I used to play...

Couple of video snippets using a GoProHD camera (seemed like a good idea at the time to record my bike ride across the US but it is really boring):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvVnv4cijUU
Pacific Coast Highway Ride

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dwjzlsp__TE
Dante's View in Death Valley - Death Valley (and Zion) are my favorite national parks. Wonder if Armageddon has anything to do with that?

[X-D]

Everybody seems to be in a clan and have serious duties. I go out where a lot of independents were last summer and see nobody (well, gickers mostly). My current pc knows exactly 2 other pcs..a true failure as a story. I only sent out 4 kudos this year and they were all related to a RPT. Did the game change that much in a year or maybe it is me? Probably because I really don't like rangers..I only like warriors..should have played a warrior.

Things happen IG, most of course cannot be stated on the GDB, but playing an indy is not as easy as it once was.
Least not long term.

[jstorrie]

I have been pretty busy all summer. I imagine game quality has gone down quite a bit without me. I will try to log on more often!

Sometimes you luck out and end up where the shit's happening and everything is super fun. Sometimes you get stuck on the periphery for a few months and Zalanthas is dull. Hang in there.

[Reiloth]

I have been pretty busy all summer. I imagine game quality has gone down quite a bit without me. I will try to log on more often!

Sometimes you luck out and end up where the shit's happening and everything is super fun. Sometimes you get stuck on the periphery for a few months and Zalanthas is dull. Hang in there.

the first part is actually true. asshole, play more!

[Spice Spice Baby]

asshole, play more!

This applies to lots of you. And me.

[Voular]

asshole, play more!

This applies to lots of you. And me.

Bah. I've put in 2 playdays and 11 hours during the last five days!

But on the topic - there seems to be fewer players that log in for longer stretches of time now, which means that it gets hard to interact consistently. But that's just my opinion. Another theory might be that you picked the wrong city/wilderness/cave! Try a move? >_>

[Semper]

I usually just make my characters where it seems there's a decent amount of action going on. Seems like that's what a lot of players do anyway.

And if it isn't as crazy awesome as I thought it was, be the party.  

Joining a clan these days definitely does help. Even if it isn't as a coded member, you can still interact with many clans as a proxy/partisan.

[Riev]

One also needs to remember that this game has been running for a long time, now. Staff on line now are staff that did not create the game, and many were introduced after many current players. Looking at the imm list right now, I recognize maybe 4 staff that were present on making my first character, and its all the producers.

I'm -not- knocking how the Producers are running things, I am merely saying that we are not running under Sanvean, Raisin-Ohs, and He Who Shall Not be Named. This is a different game, due to different supervisors. Nevermind the new storytellers who, honestly, seem to have an equivalent rotation of newbies as the Byn (No offense, previous staffers).

Maybe it'll take some time to really get into the swing of things, or maybe the new administration is very anti-railroad plots, which were the majority (and honestly, some of the most fun) plots of the recent history.

That said....



STAFF NEED TO MAKE MORE PLAINSMAN-ISH PCs THAT THEY PLAY SPECIFICALLY TO BRING CHANGE TO THE WORLD.

[Nyr]

Maybe it'll take some time to really get into the swing of things, or maybe the new administration is very anti-railroad plots, which were the majority (and honestly, some of the most fun) plots of the recent history.

We actually have been against doing railroaded plots for some time now and instead focus on player-led plots.  This has been discussed to death on the GDB to the point that I lack the gumption to link to it (or refute this more than saying "meh" without a period at the end of the sentence)

STAFF NEED TO MAKE MORE PLAINSMAN-ISH PCs THAT THEY PLAY SPECIFICALLY TO BRING CHANGE TO THE WORLD.

You're referring to a period that simply doesn't exist anymore in staff avatars.  We specifically leave room open for players to do awesome things.  Off of the top of my head, I can name a higher number of awesome PCs that weren't staff avatars.  Players need to make more PCs like High Falcon, Sargax, Pearl, Madelena, Shatuka, Kharad, etc.  All of those PCs brought change to the world or were heavily involved in whatever changes happened.

[Talia]

Aw man, I was gonna post and say all the things Nyr just said. THAT SUCKS. THANKS NYR.

[burble]

Actually, I was about to walk away and work on some other projects but rolled up that "just one more".
Worst one of the summer, stats nothing to brag about, background/description not much work into but somehow he got a story going. 
Fortunately, I have a light load this semester. 

For me, it takes about 2-3 days playtime before I really figure out what the character is about. By, then if he hasn't found anyone to play with then I start losing interest and sooner or later just not typing "flee". 

Doesn't help that if someone says "Let's go play kick a Mekillot" I'm always in. 

I don't understand what a railroaded plot is anyway. Peace out.

[Shabago]

Alot of things go into this problem, and OP, I'm with you. Things have been slower lately. Take your pick of the following, or any combination there-of. I'll just state reasons I've heard/seen and keep my own opinions on them to myself.

1: Summer/early fall: Some people actually unhook the IV of crackageddon to get out and enjoy the sun, do things, see people, travel/vacation etc. Not to mention this particular time of year is when our student players are trying to settle back in, figure out how to balance their workload and so on, so time is tight to play.

2: A portion of our PB left when 2.0 was announced, or slowly dropped off with the extended wait time, feeling there was "no point" to creating a new story to have it end abruptly.

3: Lack of leadership/RPT's/visibility: Not just sponsored "leaders" either. If a leader type is otherwise occupied by reason 1, or has become bored with the role, or have very low playtimes/visibility, clans/plots/stories suffer. Yes, a normal mundane PC can create terrific stories all on their own, but there comes a time when more is needed to reach a "larger audience" or pull more into said plot/story and that's when a lack of a powerful leader really hurts.

4: Lack of "tensions": Too IC to really explain, but the best way to put it, is if some don't have a clear-cut 'enemy' or reason/person to fight, they get bored and stop logging as much. Perhaps this ties in with Voular's point.

5: Clan compounds/Apartments: Allanak, for example, could have 40 PCs in it while you're sitting in the Gaj. However, if 10 PCs are sparring in the Byn compound, 5 more gathered in the Oash Barracks, 5 up in the Rinth, 10 idling/crafting/mudsexing in their apartments 5 indy's out hunting/grebbing and a few mages held up in the temples - Well...that takes care of the 40 and you'll never know they're about.

6: Bad location: Self explanitory, really. The game world always goes in cycles for where the most players/action is, so you have to ride it out or move and find it.

There are a few others but the above are the most popular I've seen. Hang in there, man. Business is bound to pick up.

[Riev]

I feel I need to restate my point, as that is how colossally it seems to have been misread.

This game is -not- what it was 10 years ago. It never will be. For all the reasons Shabago listed, it can be difficult to find interaction in the game, even for veterans. If you want the game to be 10 years ago, many things would need to change.

My comment about railroad plots was meant to show that, honestly, some of those plots were indeed entertaining. I did not seek to cause yet another discussion about it.

And as far as the comment for a Plainsman PC... I remember back Last Tuesday when using all caps was cruize control for cool, and was a method of typing style used to enunciate that your comment was being made in a sarcastic or sardonic manner. I apologize that no matter what I do, emotions do not come through text.



tl;dr

This game is not what it used to be, and thats either a good thing, or a bad thing. If it was a bad thing, then you probably don't visit these boards to even read my comments, so something good must be going on. Unfortunately, with the latest round of horrible trolling going on with the GDB lately, every remark made by a player would appear to come across as caustic, no matter the intention.

[Old Kank]

I don't quite know what to make of the staff's hands-off policy, but it seems to me like it hasn't worked out well in the players' favor.  I'm not trying to be a naysayer, or detract from those players who are out there trying to accomplish great things.  I just think it's a pretty big burden that the staff has laid at the players' feet.

Generally, I see two problems with this approach:

PCs tend to be fairly exclusive and secretive toward other PCs.
This isn't a bad thing on its own, but when the staff are counting on the playerbase to drive things, it becomes a self-defeating trait.  I've seen a handful of cool things happening in the past year, and only one of them turned into something widely known.  This seems like a problem to me.  There could be a million super cool, super secret things going on, but if I don't know about them then it does nothing to enhance my enjoyment of the game.

Having a PC become powerful enough to impact the world is a very hard thing to do.
Nyr listed six PCs as models everyone should aspire to.  To see some of those PCs on that list made me laugh, others made me snicker because I know how badly their players abused the game, but I'll give them all the benefit of the doubt because Nyr only listed six PCs going back almost 10-12 years.  Is an average of one mover-and-shaker every two years really beneficial to the game's narrative?  I don't mean for this point to be a cop-out, and I think everyone should be encouraged to get out and do stuff rather than waiting on the staff to entertain them, but it really seems like some perspective is needed here.  Staff members can influence the game world almost immediately; for players to have that same impact takes months, if not years.

I'm all for players driving plots, and I think the staff should do what they have to do in order to stay sane, but without a reliable narrative current to get involved in, I don't think the odds are in the playerbase's favor.  Clans seem like they're getting consumed by the act of being clans, and the centers of population just sit at a status quo without an enemy to fight or a carrot on a stick to chase.  Most PCs I've seen are character-driven rather than plot driven, which is fine if you're only looking for interpersonal drama.  The accessible player-driven plots that I have seen have all been remarkably similar social events like parties or auctions.  These things are all well and good, but they really lack that bite that I look for when I play Arm.

[Nyr]

Having a PC become powerful enough to impact the world is a very hard thing to do.
Nyr listed six PCs as models everyone should aspire to.  To see some of those PCs on that list made me laugh, others made me snicker because I know how badly their players abused the game, but I'll give them all the benefit of the doubt because Nyr only listed six PCs going back almost 10-12 years.  Is an average of one mover-and-shaker every two years really beneficial to the game's narrative?  I don't mean for this point to be a cop-out, and I think everyone should be encouraged to get out and do stuff rather than waiting on the staff to entertain them, but it really seems like some perspective is needed here.  Staff members can influence the game world almost immediately; for players to have that same impact takes months, if not years.

I'm all for players driving plots, and I think the staff should do what they have to do in order to stay sane, but without a reliable narrative current to get involved in, I don't think the odds are in the playerbase's favor.  Clans seem like they're getting consumed by the act of being clans, and the centers of population just sit at a status quo without an enemy to fight or a carrot on a stick to chase.  Most PCs I've seen are character-driven rather than plot driven, which is fine if you're only looking for interpersonal drama.  The accessible player-driven plots that I have seen have all been remarkably similar social events like parties or auctions.  These things are all well and good, but they really lack that bite that I look for when I play Arm.

I could not disagree more with the majority of this.  No one is saying that there were only six movers and shakers that were player PCs over the past 10-12 years.  Beyond that, there has been a reliable narrative and there still is one.  Centers of population have had and do have carrots to chase.  If you aren't seeing any of this, please app for a sponsored leadership role when it comes open and put yourself in the forefront, creating plots for other players.

[Niamh]

If you spend all your time sulking and pining for "the good old days", of course you're not going to enjoy what you're doing right now.

[Nyr]

To address the OP title:  I personally find that I get more out of the game in the winter.  (true story)

[Barzalene]

I will probably regret saying anything.I absolutely appreciate all that the staff does. I understand exactly how hard you work, and know that at the end of the week there's no paycheck for it, and often instead there is just unwarranted criticism. It's your game. You pay the operating costs and do the work. And yes, it is proper that it is you who set the policy.I, and I think most of us, try to repay the debt we owe you for this game by trying very hard to contribute to the game world every time we log in. And perhaps I'm wrong to think so, but it makes it feel that at least to some extent that makes this process a collaboration of sorts.Hence my poorly received suggestion that player staff dialogue might be mutually beneficial.And I get that perhaps that's not a high priority. And I respect that.I'm sad though when I feel like suggestions engender low grade anger. Maybe I misinterpreted. If so I'm sorry. But I absolutely don't feel I log in and pine for the old days. And further, every time I log in I have a ball. So, I don't think the sulking comment was entirely fair. Unless you mean Old Kank. Maybe Old Kank is a big sulker. Who knows.

I guess I just hope we can offer opinions without staff seeing them as criticism. I also hope you guys do feel appreciated. You are.

[burble]

Guys, what on earth are you talking about?

My original post was comparing Aug 2010 to Aug 2009. I didn't play in 2000, I played in 1994/95.

I was just saying that something changed because I wasn't seeing a lot of independents outside the city. In 2009 I couldn't go far without running into someone and, of course, enjoy being part of their story (a widow, merchant elf, lots of hunters, a hot assassin chick, one crazy hunter, arabeti, and on and on). Even early morning Eastern time with 4 people on. It was just like 94/95 except better RP.

You guys are reading way too much into this. I just didn't meet any people out there this summer - a very different experience from the year before. Nothing more than that.

Hopefully, all the people I played with the year before moved up the food chain - they were very good players. Maybe they are templars and clan leaders now? I hope so. Maybe people have gravitated toward cities or clans. Maybe I was sitting in a gicker patch and didn't know it?

This imm-driven vs player-driven argument is irrelevant and what does any of this have to do with grand plots? 

I'm sensing some simmering tensions here..I suggest a group hug.

[Nyr]

Yeah, it derailed from your original post, and I contributed to it after it derailed; sorry about that! 

[Voular]

I would still chalk this up to just a fluke period of time, Armageddon has such and you might have as you said - gotten in a bit at  a weird time or place. Another thing about the wilderness is that it seems to change nature from time to time, depending on levels of players inhabiting desert elf or rogue magicker roles - there's also the driving factor of having various hunting companies organized (and they get a lot of people out) however, if they're weak then a fewer "mundanes" will show up out there and those that do will often seclude themselves I think!

I would also like to add, in comment to everything said:

THIS GAME IS SO AWESOME.. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!

[FantasyWriter]

To address the OP title:  I personally find that I get more out of the game in the winter.  (true story)

I find this true, as well.

[Sam]

I think you just have a bad location. You know the law. Location, location, location.

When I am out and about in the wastes, I find someone about 70% of the time I go out. Sometimes it is because we have the same goals, but other times we run into each other thinking we are both raiders. It has been a blast. I tried to quit, but I figured I would make one more character. You know how that ended.

Get out there! I have been seeing someone everywhere, except when I am trying -not- to be found.

[Gunnerblaster]

asshole, play more!

This applies to lots of you. And me.

Definitely me.

[Reiloth]

asshole, play more!

This applies to lots of you. And me.

Definitely me.

No not you, silly.

[number13]

There shouldn't be such a thing a bad location, meaning a location with few possible PC interactions.  I think a lot of the griping about lack of plot is due to a modest player base being spread out too far and thin.  There could be five active players in game, but so long as they are all in the same room, it's still a game with possibilities.  Everyone dancing around looking for each other gets old fast.  It's not a story. People log off, reducing chances of others finding interaction -- a feedback loop. Maybe if the fire mountain had done what a volcano tends to do to an adjacent city or if the big flood had done what a tsunami tends to do to cities...

(OK. I'll slither back into lurk mode now.)

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

^
Gospel.

[Reiteration]

I should be playing more from now on, I never realized how draining college might be, especially for a 'Computer programmer analyst'

Damn, Armageddon is full.  There is currently a limit of 1 players.

[Timetwister]

There are way more players now then there were "back in the day" the player averages are proof of that. I remember when 40 was a solid number to have online. And we only broke records of 100 when we did HRPT's which were.. staff lead plots of course. I've always seen staff as DM's in a D&D campaign. They are there for support and while I don't agree with the hands-off policy, something of which I've only recently discovered, I would rather prefer this and have fairness across the board, then the fun plots of the old days, where you know shit is going on behind the scenes that you simply cannot change.

Some of you may not remember how corrupt the staff avatars were back then.