State of Events (Q2 2016)

[Solus]

The arguing of being more transparent on a thread where Antilogy is /being/ all the way transparent about the state of events is somewhat moot.
However, if you all truly need an overview, without spoilers, of what we work on to run a server- we can work to post one up.

 

[Cap]

Please do so.

 

[Rygan]

You're doing it again. The 'being condescending' thing. You treat us bad and then get angry when we get angry.

 

[Solus]

You're doing it again. The 'being condescending' thing. You treat us bad and then get angry when we get angry.

Apologies on my tone- I've been neglecting real life things every week because of all of these arguments in which I want to mediate.

 

[Solus]

Also would appreciate the same respect shown to other Staff as they have as well.

 

[Rygan]

It's not that I want to be a huge cunt to everyone, but it's a two way street. These threads only explode when a staff member responds, because it's always condescending and putting the blame on the playerbase.

 

[Solus]

It's not that I want to be a huge cunt to everyone, but it's a two way street. These threads only explode when a staff member responds, because it's always condescending and putting the blame on the playerbase.

"We're working on the complaints". "We're learning from feedback." Doesn't seem to work as much as we'd like when many threads derail into other issues than intended. It's been unfortunate that it's every week. Streets coincide and have xroads, Rygan- there's always more at play than one side and another side. There are a lot of things we need to do to run a server and having helpful feedback with those complaints is more progressive. Constructive criticism is the word, not just criticism. Also- yes, Tempy, I understand and it seems what I get is you need more transparency than what Antilogy has been trying his best with, here. Also to understand there are mechanics at play with events so not everything in that regard can be transparent. Is all I can say for the moment. We seriously are working on it.

 

[LiraKitty]

After reading through this thread I have major concerns about communication here. I know I'm still new and considered to be an outsider but I really like it here and plan on bringing my daughter into the community in the future. If there is to be a future both the staff and the players are going to need to remember to wait until they are no longer angry or overwhelmed to engage conversation. I say conversation and not argument because that is what is needed here. If you allow emotions to interfere with your ability to communicate things get derailed and you end up with a chaotic mess of an argument instead of a structured well thought out conversation.

What I am seeing here and have seen is the player base saying that they want things to get done and are more than willing to help get said things done. The staffs response seems to steadily be that they are overwhelmed and very busy but they are doing their best to get things done as quickly as possible.

I would like to make a suggestion. Would it be too difficult to have a staff member who specifically works with the player base to work and create together? Someone who can take the motivation that the community has shown and put it to good use thereby alleviating some of the worries, complaints, and boredom that the community has expressed?

 

[Arken]

I would like to make a suggestion. Would it be too difficult to have a staff member who specifically works with the player base to work and create together? Someone who can take the motivation that the community has shown and put it to good use thereby alleviating some of the worries, complaints, and boredom that the community has expressed?

While I won't speak for him, this seemed to be what Deester was doing.

 

[TheDeester]

I would like to make a suggestion. Would it be too difficult to have a staff member who specifically works with the player base to work and create together? Someone who can take the motivation that the community has shown and put it to good use thereby alleviating some of the worries, complaints, and boredom that the community has expressed?

While I won't speak for him, this seemed to be what Deester was doing.

That was my intent. My delivery did not seem to coincide with staff wants and needs. Perhaps there are members better suited if the idea is well elected in staff.

As much as I hate the button, I'd have used a 'staff love' on that comment, Lira. I've been watching you RP for a while and I don't consider you an outsider. Being fresh to the community does not devalue judgement, when it is good judgement.

Edit: Saying that latter point makes it seem like I support your for taking the side I took, but I'm saying this because if you offer a profound idea there shouldn't be anything to stop you from offering it. New, old, loved or hated.

 

[Rygan]

Only being named TheDeester devalues judgement. Dum ashol.

 

[TheDeester]

Both of you, now is not the time or place. Please don't devolve into this.

 

[dUMMY]

So, what's going on here? A player group found the entrance to the location of a bastion stone. Right, ok, that was the intended purpose of the Altera Alive section of the campaign. But now this player group is upset because they can't take what was meant to be a server event and turn it into a private event? What?

 

[Cap]

So, what's going on here? A player group found the entrance to the location of a bastion stone. Right, ok, that was the intended purpose of the Altera Alive section of the campaign. But now this player group is upset because they can't take what was meant to be a server event and turn it into a private event? What?

We're upset that we were told the event was dynamic and player focused, but players can't actually do anything meaningful beyond escort missions for an NPC staff char.

EDIT - I do see your point, and I can agree with it a little bit. Everyone should have a way to get involved. I just don't think seventy people watching an NPC pick up a rock for five hours is very fun or the right way to go about it.

 

[Rygan]

So, what's going on here? A player group found the entrance to the location of a bastion stone. Right, ok, that was the intended purpose of the Altera Alive section of the campaign. But now this player group is upset because they can't take what was meant to be a server event and turn it into a private event? What?

The main problem is there was no reason to find it. We don't get anything and Clain takes the stone while we watch him do it over the course of a 60 player event in a dungeon. We don't even get to experienced that fun bit without the laggy experience the first event brought forward and stuff.

 

[Archbishop]

I find it interesting, upon getting home, to see a thread discussing staff transparency devolve into a thread criticizing the lack of staff transparency.

But really, let me break out my soapbox based on my experience running a server.

The balance between telling people everything and just telling them enough is the finest line you can walk in life. Trust me, we had problems with this on my old server. Maybe not to this extent, and maybe not to the extent of salt that I've experienced on this server, but still experience none-the-less. You want to preserve the mystery and awe of an experience while still giving the player the feeling of control. In that regard, while I feel that perhaps more can be done to know what staff is doing (as per the staff calendar or task list), or perhaps give players more of an insight into what can or cannot be done in regards to the campaign (ala the invisible impregnable wall/gate), or perhaps give the playerbase some understanding about the way that the bastion stones can only be found/completed/whatever in order, it must be said that at the very least we still see the staff presence in everything that they do.

My suggestions are a few-fold:
1.) Set up a staff task calendar that people can see. It does not have to be spoilery, but it could say things like "working on campaign dungeon", "writing event for campaign" etc
2.) Try and explain the limitations of any given campaign or event to the playerbase ahead of time. The frustration due to the ignorance posed by the Anhald group is a very real frustration. I know that I would've been upset to run into an arbitrary invisible wall. However, if I knew that it would've been pointless to the explore the Eastern region until the North was found and completed (or whatever order it was), then the frustration would've been alleviated.
3.) Change the focus of the Altera Alive stage 2 to a player driven exploratory stage followed by a group stage. What I mean by this is to make the first stage of this stage of the campaign into a stage where players go and find where they 'think' the stones would be, and if they are fairly certain about it, then it turns into a server-wide event, rather than the dynamic events they are now. Now, some of you may be saying "Arch, that'd be meta, some groups wouldn't want to share that knowledge," and you'd be right, but if it were written so that the discovery of a stone set off some chain of events making it imperative that everyone else know, or make it impossible for any smaller group to do it, then it'd be gravy. Everything else would work out.
4.) ???
5.) Profit.

I've hit my physical quota for the day, given that I've already woken up early and worked today.

 

[Rygan]

I think the events would be better if the dungeons were the rewards for the small exploration teams, and then those events resulted in a reaction that causes a server-wide event to trigger.

 

[Cap]

I think the events would be better if the dungeons were the rewards for the small exploration teams, and then those events resulted in a reaction that causes a server-wide event to trigger.

I.E =

>group of players find the stone
>stone unleashes cthulhu / shadow demons from part one of the campaign / rygan's mum / something along those lines
>OR stone breaks something that shouldnt be broken
>OR stone causes some form of conflict between different parties
>players say 'oh well', they get the stone, event concluded
>server-wide event is dealing with thing unleashed / fixing broken / conflict resolved
>everyone gets to participate
>???
>profit

 

[dUMMY]

We're upset that we were told the event was dynamic and player focused, but players can't actually do anything meaningful beyond escort missions for an NPC staff char.

EDIT - I do see your point, and I can agree with it a little bit. Everyone should have a way to get involved. I just don't think seventy people watching an NPC pick up a rock for five hours is very fun or the right way to go about it.

I see your point and I understand why you feel you have been misled. I wouldn't feel the same way in your position because I have gone into this section of the campaign with a different understanding: I was pretty certain that if the group I was with when exploring(If my group managed to actually get together) found the location of a stone, I would consider that a job well done. I'm fairly certain that the bastion stone events are meant to be a server wide kind of thing. Yes, I get it, you guys are the group who found the stone. Logically, you should be the ones to explore the area and retrieve it.

I think the events would be better if the dungeons were the rewards for the small exploration teams, and then those events resulted in a reaction that causes a server-wide event to trigger.

So I see that you were hoping the stone retrieval were a smaller private deal. And it turns out that much more work has been put into the stone retrieval events. But being as they are, can you understand why, even though you may still want it to be private, these events are remaining server wide?

 

[Cap]

So I see that you were hoping the stone retrieval were a smaller private deal. And it turns out that much more work has been put into the stone retrieval events. But being as they are, can you understand why, even though you may still want it to be private, these events are remaining server wide?

We've always known why - staff want everyone to be involved. It's an admirable goal. We just think they're doing it the wrong way.