Ankyrean Anguish - Aetolia-based RAGE

Kerryn

To me it seems absurdly expensive to buy the artifacts individually. Because buying them one by one is going to cost you $719.99 for the 6 crafting boon artifacts. When the toolbox itself is sold for $239.99 and has -all- of the crafting boons on it. Even if they halved the cost to 200cr each, they would cost $369.98 for all of them, which still makes the toolbox cheaper.

Moirean

They aren't even super appealing these days, since they can't be used on crafting shelves. Doubt I'll buy another one now that I have the knife, which I got because tarot cards get stupid expensive over time.

Ezalor

Forging is the worst .

Alexina's been more than gracious in this event and all it took was asking her nicely. Not only with placements but also giving out bashing tips on areas, letting people use her compendiums, etc. Having credits doesn't mean losing the right to compete; if anything, they're funding the game to get an advantage in these competitions.

Moirean

I never said that Alexina or Daskalos shouldn't compete, and Alexina is always wonderful and nice to people; she's just really awesome like that. I just said that it's frustrating sometimes and I can understand the source behind the sentiments.

However, I think it's a slippery slope to connect credits purchases with IG credit rewards - one reason the credit system works so well is that you can get credits through non-RL-money methods, which is a big part of what drives activity in Aetolia. Earning credits from orgs provides motivation and having people contribute through other methods, such as building, liaison work, mentoring or leadership roles are just as important as the actual credit purchases for the game's success - without activity, content and engaging orgs, why would people want to spend money?

Daskalos

Wait, how did I get dragged into this? This is my first great hunt ever. Blame new statpacks! Extra bonuses every 10 levels. Quad XP is too sexy to resist

Ezalor

Having spent this event with an equal amount of bashing boons as Alexina (actually probably even more) and still being unable to keep up with her, she is actually ridiculous at bashing, artifacts or no. They help, for sure, but they are nowhere close to the only reason people win events.

Daskalos

I wish I hadn't started 22 hours in. I wonder where I'd be if I had started at the beginning instead of 2 hours before the howling of the first day. I lost 22 hours!

Moirean

Meh, nevermind. I think you guys aren't getting what I'm saying and I don't want to upset anyone.

Ezalor

Yeah, timing seemed awkward with Thanksgiving and all. Luckily mine was a month earlier!

Demarcus

Moirean said:

I never said that Alexina or Daskalos shouldn't compete, and Alexina is always wonderful and nice to people; she's just really awesome like that. I just said that it's frustrating sometimes and I can understand the source behind the sentiments.

However, I think it's a slippery slope to connect credits purchases with IG credit rewards - one reason the credit system works so well is that you can get credits through non-RL-money methods, which is a big part of what drives activity in Aetolia. Earning credits from orgs provides motivation and having people contribute through other methods, such as building, liaison work, mentoring or leadership roles are just as important as the actual credit purchases for the game's success - without activity, content and engaging orgs, why would people want to spend money?

I swear I'm not bringing this up to beat a dead horse, because I'm not. I'm pretty darn sure I get what you're trying to say, but what you've said are two slightly different things. The IG credit rewards you referred to directly, i.e. orgs and mentoring for sure, are funding through the credit purchases iirc. Person A buys X credits, Org/City receive 10%*X (Numbers are arbitrary and may or may not reflect reality) credits for their use to sell/give away/sit on like Smaug.

What I think you're trying to say is that some of the other IG credit rewards, like the Great Hunt, have at least a moderate correlation to the credit purchases made by an individual if those credit purchases are of a significant enough nature for them to have an obvious and noticable advantage over others who haven't made those purchases in terms of competing for these otherwise cost-free credits.

Like Ezalor pointed out though, there is a lot of knowledge and skill that goes into these events. Speaking from experience, there is a lot more that goes into it than just being able to tank a bit better and kill stuff a bit faster. Case in point, the weekly experience contests. Specifically questing. Questing, in my opinion, isn't affected by the artefacts you have so much. Maybe in doing certain quests, but a big part of it is knowing what quests to do, how often you can do them, and optimizing your quest path. I quested 'til I was blue in the face, and I don't know if it's because the Dark Side has cookies AND better quests, but I couldn't keep up with that guy who's name starts with a B and I have no idea what the rest of the letters are. I could have sown it was Belgarion, but he lives in Enorian and doesn't have any bad people honors lines to indicate he won Aetolia and came over to the light. Names aren't important. I could have blamed him having way more artefacts than me. But I blamed losing on being less experienced, having less time to commit to it, and deciding the honors line wasn't worth my soul.

I guess what I'm trying to say is... I have absolutely nothing to contribute to this discussion other than a point of clarification. I don't think people should be dissuaded from participating, though if you wanted to submit an IDEA about it, you could put in the IDEA for an opt-out feature for those who want to participate but exempt themselves from the credit prizes. Don't know if it would ever get used, but if someone has already won, doesn't need the honors line, and doesn't need the credits but wants to maximize their double EXP, they could opt out of the great hunt and let someone else have a crack at it.

Also, I wrote a bunch of words instead of bashing. Choices were made.

Moirean

I was replying to Ezalor's remark "they're funding the game to get an advantage in these competitions." as I think it's dangerous to write off IG rewards to the domain of people who purchase credits. The credit system works because you can earn credits through IG methods as well as through direct money purchases; direct purchases create direct revenue, while IG work creates activity and investment, which creates an atmosphere that encourages people to buy credits. Eg, an active guild or city makes you want to build your character up, or winning 300 credits might make you want to buy 200 more credits so you can not only buy a crafting permit, but also trans the skills out, or even that builder's work on a new bashing area might make someone want to buy a new bashing artifact. Credit purchases don't happen in a vacuum, and that's what I was commenting on.

Haven

@Demarcus: I believe the person you're thinking of is @Borscin.

Demarcus

Haven said:

@Demarcus: I believe the person you're thinking of is @Borscin.

Hot dang Havers, a winner is you! That's the guy!

He kills everyone.

Angwe

Artifact List
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
250808  A token of discount                     Inside of "pack112546"
257269  A customization certificate             Inside of "pack112546"
285960  A bejeweled signet ring                 Being held by Angwe
92617   A set of tattoo stamps                  Being held by Angwe
186681  A golden idol depicting a Rajamala      Being held by Angwe
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm becoming such an artiho, man. I don't even have to try anymore.

Ezalor

I hereby dub you Solaksad.

Aarbrok

Mine is kinda boring too, just fun utility unicorns...

Artifact List

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

19451 A pair of whirring diffusal goggles Being held by Aarbrok

26865 A ylem-infused clawed gauntlet Being held by Aarbrok

47126 Peripleko's Eye Being held by Aarbrok

49036 A snowglobe of Spinesreach Being held by Aarbrok

65724 A nightmarish bloodstained bone mask Being held by Aarbrok

66859 A golden idol depicting a Grecht Being held by Aarbrok

106228 An ominous carved bone band Being held by Aarbrok

122177 A sickly raven Being held by Aarbrok

133486 A bag of seeds Being held by Aarbrok

196490 A bottomless letter satchel Being held by Aarbrok

206190 An elegant serpentine keyring Inside of "pouch106935"

223956 An ornately-carved ivory pipe Being held by Aarbrok

237445 An ornately-carved ivory pipe Being held by Aarbrok

237509 An ornately-carved ivory pipe Being held by Aarbrok

240602 A small wooden cask Deep in an Ancient Wood

241903 A claw amulet holding an exquisite gem Being held by Aarbrok

243641 A rustic, bone-bladed dagger Being held by Aarbrok

251573 A fetish-laden staff of blackened ivory Inside of "weaponbelt48520"

271881 The star chart of Elenina Being held by Aarbrok

284278 A ring of conversion Being held by Aarbrok

195326 A clockwork messenger bat Being held by Aarbrok

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

Moirean

Eh, nevermind.

Change it to rage at just clashing cultures within my city, and unsure how to balance them. Headaches!

Lin

My RAGE: Whenever someone edits a post on this thread I reeeeaally want to know what they said.

Arbre

A post on -any- thread, really.

Slyphe

Redacted.

Lin

Nevermind, not worth the prison sentence.

Sarita

Not worth getting banned over.

Valdus

User was banned for this post.

Hadoryu

I hate you all.

Nola

I just feel confused.

Solaria

I hate that Xiuh has dormant vibes at NoT and they still hit me (yes, bugged it). Well, didn't hit, but retard being there made it so I couldn't do combos. I also hate bandits.

Oleis

Solaria said:

I hate that Xiuh has dormant vibes at NoT and they still hit me (yes, bugged it). Well, didn't hit, but retard being there made it so I couldn't do combos. I also hate bandits.

And fixed.

Alexina

I started out optimistic about Ve'kahi, figuring I'd have a chance to rework some of the things that were not working so well in the house and adding a bit new stuff that would make it more exciting to be part of. Then, things just started sucking the soul out of me. There's literally no enjoyment for me to log onto the game anymore, and it's wholly house-related. I genuinely believed people were in the house because they were drawn by some shared ideal or such, or at the very least that people in the same house would be trying to work together because that is mutually beneficial and all. Ergh. The only people that've actually made me think being houseleader is not such a bad thing are Ezalor (for being encouraging) and Sarita (for giving me a bit of advice about edicts/legacies/stuff), and they're not even part of my house. Yeah, so I'm a bit at a loss right now. Tomorrow is a new day and I'll try to be more positive.

Macavity

@Alexina the issue you have is that you have to deal with three houses that were merged into one, and pretty much against their control.  Back when there were more Houses it allowed people to stay clear of others who they hated or did not like ICly or even OOCly.

adding spoiler just so not to completely derail this thread for the Houses, maybe split this off and start another thread for Houses and how to get them moving again?

[spoiler]

To be honest I see this in other Houses as well where they have two houses in one.  I get why the culling happened but then the Primus just went POOF and that was that.  I like the idea that was behind the Dominion and the reducing us down to four houses, but now we are back where we started at with the Imperium.  No one does ANYTHING in the Dominion, not sure if the four leaders really do not know what to do themselves, care little about it, or the fact they have little to no powers in the Dominion as well. I do like the fact that no player can hold the high seat on the Dominion and hope that continues or it will just end up being something tossed around for an honors line.  Currently the Houses are in a real disadvantage when it comes to the game, at least how I see it.  The only thing they off is the Praenomen class and a bit of RP, but even those two can be gained elsewhere.  At least compared to the guilds where they actively control the class in some way.  

Alexina if I was in charge of your House, I would drastically change the laws and some other things within the House, like ordering all to bare the House name and not their old House name, for unity purposes, and if they choose to leave then dont let the door hit them on their way out.  They either stick with you or try to go to the other Houses, which some of them will out right deny them simply because of the RP past and such.  Heck some of them might even get mad enough that they leave the House and start another Rogue House, this would allow the Dominion to extend its power and hunt down those in that House if they create it.  I know its a harsh idea, but it would get something going in your House and the Dominion.  

I honestly think that all Houses should mandate that their name be the name of all members within the House, or you will continue to have 8 different Houses within 4 realm houses and I think that is counterproductive to the reasoning of the culling in the first place.  Before someone says it, yes I know the Primus was suppose to redo the bloodlines and put us into the Houses we are but really you cannot honestly tell me thats still going to happen in our life time at this rate.  I expect it 10 years down the road, so why can the player base not push it along on our own??

[\spoiler]

Xavin

I don't think you can expect continual admin support for the dominion, it's just not that reasonable. Houses and the Dominion are going to be what you make of it. @Alexina: I can empathize with what you're saying, as I felt like that quite a bit when I was head of Bahir'an, at times.