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Best Of
Re: LOVE
I have to express my love for Duiran as an org and the solid RP choices they're making as an org. It's all too rare we see orgs and characters choose the options that are clearly mistakes, from an OOC standpoint, but are pivotal and necessary for telling an interesting and riveting story. I'm here for it, all of it. Seeing characters embrace the kind of choices that will allow the story to have an effect on everyone are what make this game so much fun. That was a good stir in the pot!
Xenia
11
The Gray Accords Special Edition: Celebrating One Year of Ictinus!
As of right now, on August 14th 1PM ET, there is a plan to have our wonderful producer - Ictinus - on for a special stream!
I've made a google form to submit questions - 4 at a time, but you can resubmit as many times as you like. This will just make it easier for tracking purposes:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeqjdkbwqIwftzFGupRxpavRAgHDng9ObNxIOI_6HG7Y-H5Gg/viewform
And if you're not following us yet, here's the link to the Twitch channel:
I'll provide any updates as we go along preparing for this.
I've made a google form to submit questions - 4 at a time, but you can resubmit as many times as you like. This will just make it easier for tracking purposes:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeqjdkbwqIwftzFGupRxpavRAgHDng9ObNxIOI_6HG7Y-H5Gg/viewform
And if you're not following us yet, here's the link to the Twitch channel:
I'll provide any updates as we go along preparing for this.
Rihrin
16
Re: LOVE
It has been a pretty fun couple of weeks, slacking off on normal adult responsibilities at times to steal a march or defend against one. Keeping an eye on discord's game deathsight feed to jump on, paranoid scent spamming, running troop numbers through my head over and over, and one-man raid defense against one-man raids. Though, honestly, I didn't do much raid defense this time, and it was actually rare to be defending alone, which is nice. Even managed to get a couple of decent duels in. Brings back some good memories, and reminded me that it can be pretty fun to write propaganda.
When I started playing again, I wasn't planning on doing stuff like this anymore. But it's a testament to the game's ability to suck players in, I suppose, and the engagement from everyone involved that has made it possible to feel like it is fun to stare at words on a screen for hours on end. Thanks to everyone who's been involved!
When I started playing again, I wasn't planning on doing stuff like this anymore. But it's a testament to the game's ability to suck players in, I suppose, and the engagement from everyone involved that has made it possible to feel like it is fun to stare at words on a screen for hours on end. Thanks to everyone who's been involved!
Kagura
12
Re: LOVE
Ayyy Spinesreach,
Really good job showing up in this war. I don't think there's anything more I can say that hasn't already been covered in my IC post, but I know it was difficult to muster at times. You guys still showed up and I was happy to help some of you where it was needed with Rime and Sunder set up. A lot of folks counted us out, but we put up a good fight.
Also thanks for putting up with this all the time. Love y'all.
Really good job showing up in this war. I don't think there's anything more I can say that hasn't already been covered in my IC post, but I know it was difficult to muster at times. You guys still showed up and I was happy to help some of you where it was needed with Rime and Sunder set up. A lot of folks counted us out, but we put up a good fight.
Also thanks for putting up with this all the time. Love y'all.
Nisavi
14
Announce post #3377: Conflict Events & Attitudes
6/30/2022 at 23:35
Ictinus, the Architect
Everyone
Conflict Events & Attitudes
Hi folks,
I think it's time we talk about attitudes a bit, especially as it pertains to conflict events or PK scenarios. Aetolia is an RP game and PK game and good conflict is essential to both. Without it, none of the events we have matter, nothing has any stakes, and the world becomes a stale, boring, safe haven with everyone in harmony. This isn't what the game was founded on and isn't the direction we've been taking it since I took over.
PK remains the pre-eminent method of conflict resolution between players. There's never going to be a city org vs city org event where there isn't some sort of PvP involved in it. That's just the nature of the game. If your org isn't in a position to back up their RP responsibilities with the required action to do so, that is a problem with the org that needs to be solved, it's not a flaw in the game or event design.
We've put a great deal of time and effort this year into bolstering org identity and themes and that work will continue. These sorts of high stakes, tense scenarios are important parts of that, and acting like you're being persecuted, bullied, mistreated, or griefed (we've heard all of these in the last 48 hours or so) is the wrong attitude to have, especially if you're in leadership or another position of responsibility. That attitude trickles down to the rest of the players in your org and actively dissuades others from participating in things.
In what is intended to be a grim dark / horror themed environment, expecting to be safe or otherwise indifferent to the perils of the world at large is not reasonable. Disaster is going to strike. Bad things are going to occur to your characters that are often outside of your control. Sometimes you are going to lose. When you join an organisation, you are making a choice to buy in to their themes, motives, goals, and ideals. That character choice is always in effect, not only when it's easy, and these difficult-choice situations are rare enough that it's not something that has to be dealt with or endured every single day.
If you have a problem with an event, another player, or an admin, then esteem is not the venue for your complaint. I am. The whole team sees these and if the extent of your feedback is to tell the people going out of their way to create content for you that they're wasting their time, then you can send it to me instead.
This post isn't only aimed at the current events in Sterion, and it should be pointed out that this event was entirely player initiated. We chose to facilitate that conflict with mechanical and RP support. I've noticed this prevailing attitude across the board from all orgs when it comes to conflict, and I want to go on the record now and remind you that it's immensely discouraging to everyone on my team when people treat these situations like they're some sort of conspiracy to ruin the game experience. They're not.
Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 11th of Midsummer, in the year 503 MA.
Ictinus, the Architect
Everyone
Conflict Events & Attitudes
Hi folks,
I think it's time we talk about attitudes a bit, especially as it pertains to conflict events or PK scenarios. Aetolia is an RP game and PK game and good conflict is essential to both. Without it, none of the events we have matter, nothing has any stakes, and the world becomes a stale, boring, safe haven with everyone in harmony. This isn't what the game was founded on and isn't the direction we've been taking it since I took over.
PK remains the pre-eminent method of conflict resolution between players. There's never going to be a city org vs city org event where there isn't some sort of PvP involved in it. That's just the nature of the game. If your org isn't in a position to back up their RP responsibilities with the required action to do so, that is a problem with the org that needs to be solved, it's not a flaw in the game or event design.
We've put a great deal of time and effort this year into bolstering org identity and themes and that work will continue. These sorts of high stakes, tense scenarios are important parts of that, and acting like you're being persecuted, bullied, mistreated, or griefed (we've heard all of these in the last 48 hours or so) is the wrong attitude to have, especially if you're in leadership or another position of responsibility. That attitude trickles down to the rest of the players in your org and actively dissuades others from participating in things.
In what is intended to be a grim dark / horror themed environment, expecting to be safe or otherwise indifferent to the perils of the world at large is not reasonable. Disaster is going to strike. Bad things are going to occur to your characters that are often outside of your control. Sometimes you are going to lose. When you join an organisation, you are making a choice to buy in to their themes, motives, goals, and ideals. That character choice is always in effect, not only when it's easy, and these difficult-choice situations are rare enough that it's not something that has to be dealt with or endured every single day.
If you have a problem with an event, another player, or an admin, then esteem is not the venue for your complaint. I am. The whole team sees these and if the extent of your feedback is to tell the people going out of their way to create content for you that they're wasting their time, then you can send it to me instead.
This post isn't only aimed at the current events in Sterion, and it should be pointed out that this event was entirely player initiated. We chose to facilitate that conflict with mechanical and RP support. I've noticed this prevailing attitude across the board from all orgs when it comes to conflict, and I want to go on the record now and remind you that it's immensely discouraging to everyone on my team when people treat these situations like they're some sort of conspiracy to ruin the game experience. They're not.
Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 11th of Midsummer, in the year 503 MA.
Autoposter
28
Re: Mildly Irritating: Aetolia's Pet Peeves
Can we stop trying to guilt people, by using family/kids/job whatever as a reason for not doing something you don't like? It's really fucking shitty.
If you absolutely have to AFK, and know you might be attacked, it's literally half a second to type QQ and hit enter. Worst case you can just alt f4 Mudlet. Hell you can just make F12 or something a button that does disconnect() or send("qq") then smack that ... Otherwise being an antagonist probably isn't for you, if you don't like the chance you might die while afking for whatever reason... For the love of god, just stop with the whole "some of us have kids" style of argument. It's trashy.
If you absolutely have to AFK, and know you might be attacked, it's literally half a second to type QQ and hit enter. Worst case you can just alt f4 Mudlet. Hell you can just make F12 or something a button that does disconnect() or send("qq") then smack that ... Otherwise being an antagonist probably isn't for you, if you don't like the chance you might die while afking for whatever reason... For the love of god, just stop with the whole "some of us have kids" style of argument. It's trashy.
Akrios
10
Re: Mildly Irritating: Aetolia's Pet Peeves
The Aetolian community's insistence on "handling things privately". Not only does it embolden toxic behaviour, it allows abusive people to control the narrative and flourish and thrive within the community.
Iazamat
10
Re: It's boring to be Duirani
But sometimes it feels like that time I was an officer in an RP FC in ff14 - at one event I ran a ton of people (ten to twenty) would show up, and the next week I'd have, like, two people. No feedback, no criticisms, nothing in between but the occasional 'i had fun!' and I'm left doing guesswork as to why one approach worked once and then never again. At times it's worse in Duiran because I get a crumb or two of feedback, adjust accordingly, and continue to get nothing. I don't think I'm alone in that.
Duiran as a whole feels a lot like that impenetrable enigma. In one day, we get lore drops that should light a fire under our collective butt (most importantly, Haern reveals that Dendara is not only dying but actually in the death sleep) but seemingly really struggle to move forward with any of it despite what seems to me the best efforts of many players. I know I've chased geese down rabbit holes for RL hours in the time since and turned up, as best I can tell, absolutely nothing of value, and I don't think I'm alone in that either.
This has been something that has been very frustrating as of late. It's been especially prevalent in the past few years and I don't want to just call it 'apathy' and move on, it's more complex than that, but I don't know how else to describe it.
It's like... a lack of curiosity, and a lack of urgency both. Sib will get up to some crazy Shaman stuff and it's so disheartening to have no one bite, let alone riff off the situation. Or, like you described it, a lukewarm 'I had fun!' and nothing more. Everyone is nice enough, there's just no bite in anyone.
I think one of the mistakes Duiran might be making is that things get built up into unfeasible expectations. Eireachdus is a prime example of this. It's taxing and comes bundled up with a lot of stress in what ultimately amounts to navel-gazing. Maybe it's the reliability and predictability that's made it so unimportant over the years? There's just this great sense of no one caring about it.
Another problem I have with the Rhythm/Cycle/Balance stuff is that some of it can be restrictive - and honestly it wouldn't take too much to fix, but it's tough to go against the grain, and it's tough to have your character risk displeasing Dad. But now that I think about it, perhaps it's the player interpretation that's being wielded as a justification for so many years of neutrality. Maybe it doesn't have to be that way!
The other thing that's remarkable here is that there are clearly a good chunk of people who care deeply about this problem to try and do something about it, and all agree on the problem, but it's reached that point where it's an open secret, clearly.
Sibatti
10
Re: RL Struggles, Strife, and Sadnesses
I am not usually a big sharer kind of person, but I'm trying to work on that instead of just doing things on my own and not telling anybody or putting it out into the world. I am in the middle of a little bit of a mental health crisis; this isn't uncommon for me, to be fair, and I know some Aetolians have noticed when I am exceptionally low energy or in a very negative mindset. I am sorry to those that depend on me and I appreciate that you all reassure me that it is just a game and I'm allowed to take time for myself to chill out. This time it is hitting a little harder than it usually would.
As I'm about to be in between jobs (as unhappiness with my employer is one of the sources of so much negativity in my mood and I need to take steps to help myself) and my country's healthcare system is an absolute joke, I'm just feeling a little stranded and frustrated with how things are going. Once I finish the hiring process for one of the jobs I'm currently on track for, I think I'll be less uncomfortable/worried, but right now the entire situation is making a bit of a negative feedback loop for me and that sucks.
I most of all really wish I could manage to eat a full meal - the act of preparing and consuming a meal I make myself is often one of the most therapeutic things I can do for myself mentally and emotionally, but I haven't had an appetite in like a week or so and often have to force myself to eat things.
As I'm about to be in between jobs (as unhappiness with my employer is one of the sources of so much negativity in my mood and I need to take steps to help myself) and my country's healthcare system is an absolute joke, I'm just feeling a little stranded and frustrated with how things are going. Once I finish the hiring process for one of the jobs I'm currently on track for, I think I'll be less uncomfortable/worried, but right now the entire situation is making a bit of a negative feedback loop for me and that sucks.
I most of all really wish I could manage to eat a full meal - the act of preparing and consuming a meal I make myself is often one of the most therapeutic things I can do for myself mentally and emotionally, but I haven't had an appetite in like a week or so and often have to force myself to eat things.
Iesid
12