Abhorash

Macavity

I believe the admin are stuck on the 4 houses because the original lore of Vampires where four houses to begin with and they want to go back to that.  that is probably where they got the number from.  

Just a guess though

Hadoryu

And I don't think the admin would make such a serious decision so lightly. I guess we can just disagree on that.

Ezalor

You're getting fixated on it as if four is the hard line stance the admin have taken and we're arguing against it. Right now, we've made this proposal, given our reasons.

Fact is Hadoryu, as Luna said, you don't even play this game. You have no idea what the situation is like or any detailed information on it. The admin do, of course, and if their internal/expansive knowledge shows that we should still have four then I can agree that there must be a valid reason.

As it is, I/we believe that their original reason has been fulfilled and there is no reason to kill another House. If they come out and say yes, it is still needed, then we can go from there.

Razmael

Okay, so:

Four houses isn't an arbitrary number. We had been monitoring the population of houses for quite some time before this system was made public. Points have definitely spiked as a result of this 'event', and I have no doubt they'll start going back to the levels we were seeing before the system was made public. As such, the target is still going to remain four houses.

HOWEVER - Given how close the final five have become, we're going to make some changes to how this works. Obviously in its current form, the system makes neck-and-neck situations very stressful, especially for the leaders who accrue more points than normal members. This is not a situation neither we, nor the players involved, want. We will reveal details in a few days on what the changes will be, after we've had time to observe and finalize them behind the scenes.

The exception is, of course, for Dar'sroth. Unless they somehow make one heck of a drastic comeback, they will still be getting the axe when the time comes.

Abhorash will be approaching people in-character over this, so don't take this into the game until then.

On the subject of the Dominion:
Remember that not all the features have been revealed or enabled yet, as we were waiting for the four remaining houses to be finalized before doing so.

Seir

Will Abhorash be approaching Dar'sroth with an axe? Please log if so.

Ezalor

Razmael said:

Okay, so:

Four houses isn't an arbitrary number. We had been monitoring the population of houses for quite some time before this system was made public. Points have definitely spiked as a result of this 'event', and I have no doubt they'll start going back to the levels we were seeing before the system was made public. As such, the target is still going to remain four houses.

HOWEVER - Given how close the final five have become, we're going to make some changes to how this works. Obviously in its current form, the system makes neck-and-neck situations very stressful, especially for the leaders who accrue more points than normal members. This is not a situation neither we, nor the players involved, want. We will reveal details in a few days on what the changes will be, after we've had time to observe and finalize them behind the scenes.

The exception is, of course, for Dar'sroth. Unless they somehow make one heck of a drastic comeback, they will still be getting the axe when the time comes.

Abhorash will be approaching people in-character over this, so don't take this into the game until then.

On the subject of the Dominion:
Remember that not all the features have been revealed or enabled yet, as we were waiting for the four remaining houses to be finalized before doing so.

Thank you very much for this @Razmael. It's awesome for you to take the time to come listen to the playerbase and address issues/inform us of where things stand. I can comfortably say this is the most involved I've been with Aetolia in a long time, and I'll certainly be voting and encouraging others to do so as often as I can.

Macavity

Seir said:

Will Abhorash be approaching Dar'sroth with an axe? Please log if so.

umm who would be there to log it or talk to Abhorash??  He cant speak to himself!  haha

Azrael

I lol'd that Raz got edited by Veritas.

Veritas

After asking us 10 times to proofread his post, I look at it after he posts and see a rather obvious grammatical failing. >__> Poor Razmael.

Haven

I smell a set-up!

Menelaus

Azrael said:

I lol'd that Raz got edited by Veritas.

Post edited by Veritas on March 11

Veritas is running the show!

Macavity

@razmael has this started yet?  Or do you have any updates by chance??   Also are you all booting people who are AFK....there is still a TON of that going on?!  And its not fair and cheating!

Riluo

Haven said:

TopHouse update!

• Lunare - 6588
  
• D'baen - 6502
  
• Nebre'seir - 6349
  
• Ve'kahi - 6279
  
• Bahir'an - 5981
  
• Dar'sroth - 12
  

This race really is brutal!

D'baen               9362
Nebre'seir           8990
Lunare               8601
Bahir'an             8394
Ve'kahi              7780
Dar'sroth            17

Love the new line up!

Macavity

Riluo said:

Haven said:

TopHouse update!

• Lunare - 6588
  
• D'baen - 6502
  
• Nebre'seir - 6349
  
• Ve'kahi - 6279
  
• Bahir'an - 5981
  
• Dar'sroth - 12
  

This race really is brutal!

D'baen - 9362
Nebre'seir - 8990 Lunare- 8601 Bahir'an- 8394 Ve'kahi- 7780 Dar'sroth - 17

This a huge race!!

 

And Lunare is posting this number without our Leader around as much as any other House.  Sadly our leader is having OOC issues that is preventing her from logging in.

Ezalor

Oh I guess Abhorash hasn't met with you guys yet, but you can chillax for now. He plans to move forward with five Houses for the time being (I think).

Riluo

Well five is good too!

Seir

At least Dar'sroth got 5 points, yo. Winners in my book.

Sarita

I got DCed multiple times during that meeting, but leaving it at five isn't exactly what I have in the logs I managed to get. Don't pay yourselves on the back yet, though. There may be more coming in game.

Erzsebet

He said there'd be a way for the fifth to dissolve still. And @Macavity, I've only been managing to log on something between 4 and 6 hours all week between being sick, needing sleep and having classes to attend. So not 'more than every other House Leader ever'.

Riluo

I think many players are a bit ill currently ( myself included ) and the anxiety that has manifested within the community is not helping anyone either. I suppose to some extent, it will be nice to see closer on the matter and perhaps even some positive outcomes all round for everyone. 

Macavity

Riluo said:

I think many players are a bit ill currently ( myself included ) and the anxiety that has manifested within the community is not helping anyone either. I suppose to some extent, it will be nice to see closer on the matter and perhaps even some positive outcomes all round for everyone. 

sadly if the outcome is still 4 Houses instead of 5 its not going to be positive for everyone.  But I do agree and I am sure I speak for others that I cannot wait till this "event" is over and there is an outcome none the less.  I commend the Admin, Gods, Coders and who ever else in charge of Aetolia for doing what is needed to get the population into Houses and making sure there is more interactions for an active House and when it comes time the Guilds as well.  But I have to admit I wish they would have had a better design in mind much like the Lycan guilds.  Sort of take what four Houses were at top before all this started and drop the rest of them.  It would have been less stressful and all of us would have gotten the anger out a lot sooner and moved on.

Erzsebet

I really think the way activity points is being tallied should be looked at. I feel like I'm being punished for not wanting to bash all the time, for wanting to do things like RP and craft that aren't horribly command heavy. I'm fine with having to be active, but I really don't want to play at all anymore when I'm doing the things I love to do in the game and resultantly watching the numbers suffer for it, because I'm the only waking house leader that doesn't bash a lot.

I'm not suggesting that we go back to the way it was before, because anyone can have a house full of people that don't do anything while still being logged in,  but I really think we should go with a method that doesn't involve forcing people to participate in the sides of the game that they can't stand, to stay alive.

Macavity

I would like to see something like the voting power come into play here....This is what I mean:

Voting in Aetolia is weighted based on average time in the realm over a five week period.

   Playtime               Vote Strength

-----------------------------------------

  < 5 hours                 1 Vote

  < 12 hours                2 Votes

  < 19 hours                3 Votes

  < 26 hours                4 Votes

  > 26 hours                5 Votes

So use this and put a max of 5 points one person within the House can put up for the House per howling.  This would be Vampires within the House, Leaders would have a multiplier of 1.5, where Undead would have a .5, and Living (if any at all) would have a -1.5 since the goal is to keep them all out.

I think this system would make it a lot more fair across the board..

Erzsebet

...how would you weight that on activity, though? And how would you set it up so you can't just log on and get points for logging on today and then log off and go play WoW or something.

Macavity

well never said it was perfect, heh   but would stop the infinity number of points someone can gain by doing little to nothing at all by setting up triggers and what not while someone sleeps or goes to work.  

If anything a Max number of points per person per day would be better in general.

Erzsebet

I don't think anyone is setting triggers and going afk--if they are, then there's other problems with the system.

I don't think a max number of points a day would be good, really. If I want to actively play all day long, I think Ve'kahi should benefit from that. On the same token, if I'm setting a bunch of triggers and going to school or having a nap or something, I think Raz or Veritas or someone should be ALL up in my face about it. It should be against the rules, subjected to the same rules as automation.

Macavity

yeah that is what I thought as well, but a week ago I was complaining on an OOC chat about staying up and being active so that Lunare could get the points and stay up in the ranks, and I was approached by a few people who said, and I must say were very animated about it to boarder line angry, that I could just set up triggers and go to bed and that would do it.  I then responded to each of them that I do not believe in cheating or staying logged in just for the sake of being logged in.  If anyone sees Macavity about I am here in front of my keyboard and actively doing something.  I was rather surprised and angry that some people would say that to me in the game and actually promote it.  

Let me also add to this that the people that came to me were of different Houses and not one House, so it is happening in the majority of them and this is wrong on so many levels!

Erzsebet

Yeah. I got issued for some stupid girl assuming I was botting because I was beetling and (I guess) not talking to her. Pisses me off so bad.

ETA: Yeah. I want to say it's not happening in Ve'kahi at all either. We have a few people, Ezrax and Vorlus for instance, who idle a lot--but they don't have 'activity' triggers. Similarly, I earthmeld when I afk--but again, no activity triggers.

Malok

Macavity said:

yeah that is what I thought as well, but a week ago I was complaining on an OOC chat about staying up and being active so that Lunare could get the points and stay up in the ranks, and I was approached by a few people who said, and I must say were very animated about it to boarder line angry, that I could just set up triggers and go to bed and that would do it.  I then responded to each of them that I do not believe in cheating or staying logged in just for the sake of being logged in.  If anyone sees Macavity about I am here in front of my keyboard and actively doing something.  I was rather surprised and angry that some people would say that to me in the game and actually promote it.  

Let me also add to this that the people that came to me were of different Houses and not one House, so it is happening in the majority of them and this is wrong on so many levels!

I feel the same way about things, regardless of this contest even. If you are on Aetolia, you should probably be playing Aetolia. There is nothing more cheesy than sitting afk all day with people sending you tells or trying to get your attention(since most people who do this are in positions of power). I'm not sure who would be telling you to do that from Bahir'an, though. None of us afk-idle, believe it or not. I can always get Sarita to respond if she's logged in...the only one I could think of that may do this but not all the time is Kiershu.

Anyways, good post. I agree with all of it.

Ezalor

Idling doesn't actually give any points. I've watched it and growth stays at 0 if everyone is just sitting at city portals.

If someone is using triggers to walk around and stuff while afk though...well, I'm sure they'd be summarily punished when discovered as that's not only against the spirit of the competition but the rules of Aetolia itself. 

I've given up on trying to figure out how the system works. Sometimes D'baen rises by 6 while I am actively bashing, sometimes we rise by 9 while I am just standing around without doing anything (without changing activity of others in the House). I think there's a cap on how many points you can contribute before you hit diminishing returns or maybe points aren't updated in realtime. Who knows.