Ankyrean Anguish - Aetolia-based RAGE

Daingean

My rage is at the predicability of light/life side events.

Mob poss? It's corruption/artifice. Assume - nay, HOPE, otherwise, and you're just going to be let down.

I feel like I'm slamming my face against a wall here while I asphyxiate from holding my breath and waiting for someone to have an original idea.

Phoenecia

What Dain said. Just once, FOR ONCE, I'd like to see an event in Enorian that DOESN'T end in 'DERP DERP WE TRICKED YOU, LOL ARTIFICE/CORRUPTION'. It's really unoriginal, and it's gotten to the point where the players in Enorian only play along because any attempt to intentionally derail or troll the plotline (which I honestly seriously thought about doing) or otherwise refusing to do what's expected will likely result in the org getting no events at all.

Instead, players are reacting with utter apathy and disdain because they've come to EXPECT this kind of plot. You want people to care? Stop spoonfeeding the same, tired plots.

Alistaire

Point of interest. It would also be super cool if Enorian could retaliate. Chakrasul messes with us, we go to burn her temple for it...and we get peaced/teleported back to Enorian? Come on.

Erzsebet

And yet again, a new Chakrasul takes over and negates every bit of effort members of the order have attained before. This is at -least- the third time. It's getting ridiculous. If it were IC to do it on my chakrasulian, I'd just say 'screw you' and quit.

Phoenecia

Also, a little more clarification on how this event makes me feel horribly cheated. The 'lolCorruption' card was pulled out of absolutely nowhere. There was no buildup at all that could've possibly hinted towards it going that way. No weird happenings with the Dun refugees. Nothing about the priestess that was supposedly helping them that would've hinted that she was an agent of corruption. There was NO INDICATION WHATSOEVER. Nothing. When you pull stuff out of your butt without any prior buildup or foreshadowing, it comes off as totally random, and leaves the audience feeling cheated.

In the same fashion, having people work enthusiastically towards some kind of goal only to yank the rug out from under them going 'haha suckers, it was all for nothing' with NO FORESHADOWING or any kind of hint that might happen is horribly demoralizing and dissatisfying for a conclusion.

This is a text game. Good writing is important in order for plots and events to be satisfying to the players, and this whole thing wasn't satisfying in the slightest for the people involved.

Haven

Alistaire said:

Point of interest. It would also be super cool if Enorian could retaliate. Chakrasul messes with us, we go to burn her temple for it...and we get peaced/teleported back to Enorian? Come on.

That's really my only gripe. They can recycle plots and villains all they want - I'd still participate but I lose interest quickly when the option for retaliation isn't allowed or on the table.

As for the foreshadowing bit, I'm not sure I agree with you. As far as I know, Enorian didn't take the initiative to investigate matters with the Orcs/Priestess until after we were crossed. So that's really on us I think.

Areka

Dhar offered an opportunity for retaliation. 

Edit: Apparently since it requires explanation, Dhar didn't say "Your opportunity is to go kill things and offer them to me." He said, "Prove your merit, go on a crusade, if your wrath and energy lasts more than this flickering moment, I will lend my energy/ability/what-have-you." 

Ya'll may not LIKE that that was the option, but at least there was an option. 

Phoenecia

Haven said:

Alistaire said:

Point of interest. It would also be super cool if Enorian could retaliate. Chakrasul messes with us, we go to burn her temple for it...and we get peaced/teleported back to Enorian? Come on.

That's really my only gripe. They can recycle plots and villains all they want - I'd still participate but I lose interest quickly when the option for retaliation isn't allowed or on the table.

As for the foreshadowing bit, I'm not sure I agree with you. As far as I know, Enorian didn't take the initiative to investigate matters with the Orcs/Priestess until after we were crossed. So that's really on us I think.

Actually, I tried. After the priestess first showed up, I went to Aurer Haven and started poking around at the mobs and asking whether or not they had actually sent her. Got no response or follow-up at all.

Alistaire

Oh, yeah? Dhar offered an opportunity for retaliation? "The event went poorly? Go bashing and offer to me."

Very helpful. How could we ever do without such brilliant insight?

Haven

Phoenecia said:

Haven said:

Alistaire said:

Point of interest. It would also be super cool if Enorian could retaliate. Chakrasul messes with us, we go to burn her temple for it...and we get peaced/teleported back to Enorian? Come on.

That's really my only gripe. They can recycle plots and villains all they want - I'd still participate but I lose interest quickly when the option for retaliation isn't allowed or on the table.

As for the foreshadowing bit, I'm not sure I agree with you. As far as I know, Enorian didn't take the initiative to investigate matters with the Orcs/Priestess until after we were crossed. So that's really on us I think.

Actually, I tried. After the priestess first showed up, I went to Aurer Haven and started poking around at the mobs and asking whether or not they had actually sent her. Got no response or follow-up at all.

Oh, nevermind my remark then.

I look forward to Eno's retaliation though.

Daingean

Haven said:

As for the foreshadowing bit, I'm not sure I agree with you. As far as I know, Enorian didn't take the initiative to investigate matters with the Orcs/Priestess until after we were crossed. So that's really on us I think.

I'd counter this with sorry for having faith when a lot of the belief structure that serves as the foundation for my character -is- faith. The other thing is, when mobs prove unresponsive to our inquiry, our only other option is to involve godchars - for a game that is meant to be player driven, we're forced to turn to gods and scream HALP more'n I'd like.

Even though there is some sort of 'retaliation' in the works - I might be late to the party, I had to leave - the fact that our -initial- attempt was utterly and mechanically denied feels equally weak. Even if it wasn't in the cards for the newChak's rising, it should have been -added- to the cards when we took the initiative. Some Nazetu guards/spawns where we decided to attack, or even some real emotes and effort to throw us back, rather than the canned 'LOL MORTALS, YOU'VE BEEN WORKING FOR MEEEEEE *godpoof*' and then again mechanically denying us.

I'd also repeat Alistaire's statement - at -best- Dhar is playing clean up duty. Even if he's going to step up and give us a way to vent our anger, he wasn't prepared to do it when this Chak decided to pull her stunt. So his response -was- basically 'go bash mobs that're even remotely bad.'

Our reaction for yet another event going in an extremely predictable fashion? It's demoralizing as -players-. The Light is generally looped with Faith, because.. well, frankly, we're the losing side. It's sort of required, since the big draw is undeath/vampires. We don't get to win, Aetolia needs us to keep losing for the whole image of the game.

So I guess I'm just sort of sad that almost every event in my memory has basically been a reminder that we're on a treadmill, no matter how fast or hard we run. I might know that, as a player. It'd be nice every once in a while to have Daingean feel otherwise.

Nola

Yep.

Arbre

Illidan said:

People that rage on an OOC level over being open PK, specifically when surrounded by a Ylem aura.

I don't mind when people kill me because of Ylemming, I mind when I'm in the death sequence and see "Your 200k gold mount ran back to the stables because someone tried to kill it, thank god you (Xavin) bought a bit."  Mountkilling?  -Really-?

Illikaal

I'm a tad late, but just to throw in my two cents: All you're going to create is the Boy Who Cried Wolf scenario. Enorianites are going to get to the point (if they haven't already) that as soon as they see some foreigner inside their city, their immediate course of action is going to be kill it with fire. That NPC may have very well been the key person in a huge event to revamp the Luminary class or something. 

Kiyotan

I think that fable ended with the townsfolk ignoring the boy, not immolating him. 

Daskalos

Uh... yea, the whole kill it but it might be ok? Anyone remember Damariel's unveiling? The high priest to this DAY doesn't like me because I tried to kill his buddy.

Demarcus

Kiyotan said:

I think that fable ended with the townsfolk ignoring the boy, not immolating him. 

The townsfolk in that fable didn't include Haven.

Angwe

@Arbre Yeah, a particular person seems to enjoy killing people's mounts just to be unpleasant. The first time she did it, I sent her a message kindly explaining that I don't do that specifically because I don't want it done to me. Her response was to claim that 'you guys' killed her mount, so she's going to target mine.

Still not sure who 'you guys' is, but I'll bet I've got a good idea who your mountkiller is!

Lin

Why it's your side of the game, which as we all know is a single entity, whose members each behave in exactly the same way.

Arbre

Must be a different person.  I didn't even bother asking him why he did it, I knew - it gave me PK cause on him and he was hoping I'd try to take it.  I didn't.

Mastema

 Killing mounts is pretty common now it seems. I just had mine killed by a certain lumi, but I am not the sort to hold a grudge over it as long as it does not happen all the time. Having said that, it still comes off as cheap when it happens, and looks badly on those who do it. Luckily my mount only cost 2k so I can handle that compared to a 200k one, which would s### me to tears.

Illikaal

Be a boss. Buy a toad.

Orisae

Trying out a new style of RP and kinda feeling that it went flat, poorly done, and that you ended up chasing off/boring the other players. May not necessarily be TRUE but it's a hard feeling to kick whenever something like this happens.

Daskalos

I hate mount killing, even though I've done it a bit lately, which I realize makes me look hypocritical. Just. Want. Conflict.

Everyone is so damn content to sit in their cities and idle behind guards, only venturing our in large groups for the occasional foray. Makes me so damn sad.

Aldric

Daskalos said:

I hate mount killing, even though I've done it a bit lately, which I realize makes me look hypocritical. Just. Want. Conflict.

Everyone is so damn content to sit in their cities and idle behind guards, only venturing our in large groups for the occasional foray. Makes me so damn sad.

See for me, if you would kill my mount or something, that wouldn't be any more incentive whatsoever to go out and find you. I know you could PK me without any effort really, so why would I just hand you experience?

I have a feeling that's the kind of thought process a lot of people are adopting, unless it's people you know could actually give you a fair fight that you're targeting the mounts of/trying to goad into the conflict you're looking for. 

Konnorn

The only reason I paid 900cr for my bird is because lochian's kept killing my donkeys. I had to get a new one after every other lesser I fought at. It's just... tiring.

Angwe

@Daskalos Why not pick on someone your own size?

No, really. Go start pushing people around. Make fun of them publicly. Find amusing nicknames for them. Find their path just so you can go block it, all while sneering at them. Basically I'm saying, find someone you want to make a personal enemy and be a total dickbag to them. As long as it's IC, it might turn into something fun and rewarding, and you won't even have to bring politics into it!

Daskalos

@Angwe - You think I haven't tried? I made fun of Borscin through shouts and he ignored me. Ellenia same deal.

If you don't want to participate in conflict in this game, there are absolutely 10,000 ways you can avoid it.

I've had foes in the past, but none of them play anymore, and the only way you get better, is to learn. Ansury\Jianmin couldn't take me alone, but together they sure made mincemeat of me. It's hard to be zealous, when your enemy is busy cooking and sewing inside Loch or Spinesreach, the few times they decide to leave at all. Sure, I can bash all day long (and have done that) but that has no real effect. I was killing guards, but now they've made that near impossible with the eye sigil change.

Aetolia has become a MUSH, with a few features of PK. Some of you complain about the game 'dying' but you'll note that when the game is at it's fullest, the PK'ers are playing. I stick around because I do it all, but I'll be the first to say this constant 'run the moment numbers don't favor us' is getting old.

Don't take this as a slap at the administration, because it's not. They've given us ylem, the Sect, and all these other avenues for conflict, however, you as players have decided you want a MUSH and refuse to paritcipate in the game to the full extent of it. You're playing a side quest and hoping the main quest never affects you. Well, I'm doing the main quest, so either you can man up and do something to stop me, or you can cry and whine and insult me on the side. But I'm not going to stop playing my character the way he's been plaid for nearly a decade just because you want this to be a single player game with you and your friends. Because it's a Multi-User-Dungeon, not a Single-User-Dungeon. 

I don't understand why people don't try to get into combat more, 90% of the total development of the game goes into this aspect of it, so why not experience it? Hell, Daskalos had to tell Calipso just a few days ago 'I'm your enemy, HATE ME' because all most of Reach and Loch has done to my raids has been 'please don't do that again'.

Conflict, as long as it does not become a grieffest, is good for the game. Unfortunately, for Spinesreach, I can barely raid Loch now, so Reach is back in the crosshairs.

 

Aldric

Getting into combat isn't as easy as you make it out to be, and you certainly are not somebody that should be attacked in an attempt to learn, or 'get into combat'. That's like saying that students taking woodshop in school should skip making toolboxes and start right away on building houses.

In one hand you say that you don't like team combat, but in the other you say that people should retaliate to your attempts of attacking by bringing more people to take you down. Which do you actually want?

You say that people should insult you back, but what's the point in doing that if they know that they can't back up their insults with combat ability? 

"Oh hey, I insulted Daskalos back because he was pk farming, and that's what he wants. Now I need to be on the watch every time I go bashing/leave the city because I'm probably going to get jumped, but have no idea when."

There's nothing fun about the above situation whatsoever. 

There's a difference between the conflict you're talking about, and griefing people that have no interest in that type of playing. Just because you personally "do it all" doesn't mean everybody else has to, or even has to have the slightest interest in the concept. The people staying in the cities doing their own things are doing that because that's what they play the game for. 

Ezalor

Eh, I think you really underestimate the amount of work it takes to actually get into PK. It isn't that people don't want to get into combat, it's that learning to build a system up for yourself is -hard-. It's not much fun for someone to go spam macros with firstaid on and never hope to make a dent, hence people who don't have the time/desire to learn and script an entire system tend to just avoid conflict altogether or only join in group fights where their macro spamming might actually make a difference. 1v1 is scarce because the amount of people capable of scripting well enough to have a chance in 1v1 is scarce.

In the end PK is just one part of the game and if people don't want to engage in it they shouldn't be forced to. Fact of the matter is the majority of Aetolia's playerbase isn't into PK. I really want to get into it and I'm trudging through Mudlet and Lua now but when/if I manage to get something fully functional together it's still just one part of the game for me, and not even close to the biggest one at that. IMO PK is far from the "main quest" of Aetolia as you put it and most people playing don't play for that reason.

As for this mount killing stuff, no one should claim to be blameless or that only one side does it :P. I had my mount killed while I was in Bloodloch defending against a raid for no other reason than that I tried to stop all BL's guards from dying. I don't think it's a valid gripe anymore especially considering the introduction of 3 credit bits, if you want to ride something fancy around you have no excuse not to buy one. Yeah sure it'd be great if we'd all just agree not to kill mounts but all it takes is 1 person to mess that up.