[Official] Staff Q&a

[Z3r05t4r 855]

And please consider the suffering Euros, which are a minority, yet still part of the community. I personally receive lagspikes in between, I got lagfragged in events more than once, and my overall connection feels a lot worse than in the past. The Nexus PvP plugin may be fine and dandy, but it unfortunately causes lag from what I feel.

[Alan 1815]

• Nexus PvP 
• Magic Apps + MAT - wait for the magic plugin or make pvp default for mages?
• New admin - somebody active, ingame and engaged with the playerbase
• Future of VAs - are they still needed?
• Removal of Lore Proposals - as suggested by Rittsy
• Plugins in general, what needs to be cut and what needs to be added (including mcMMO, magic and dungeon plugin)
• The general transition from hardcore RP to RP-RPG
• Make mages weaker balance the system make it more RPG style magic. Easy to get but not more powerful and a warrior that has trained for the same amount of time. make they both equal
• What about warps? they have been down awhile
• Horses moving to 4.0 as well as books.
• Pre building in 4.0.. NOT towns but landscape, ruins, dungeons things around to spice the land up make it interesting for the first few months
• Will we have a rough ETA on 4.0?
• Where is the tech team on all the plugins for the next patch.
• What new features will we try bring into 4.0

 

This is more like a list of topics than a list of questions, lol. I apologize, but it's hard to actually figure out what you're asking for most of them and thus I can't answer, so can this be reworded a little? Additionally, a few of these topics have been discussed in a few previous replies of this thread, so you might find your answers there as well.

 

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What happened with the mines? I predict economical iron shortage disaster.

 

Fast travels were wiped unexpectedly around the time that mines were no longer accessible. They are working still, but it's incredibly pain staking and time consuming to remake each one, and there's also the fact that they reset yet again each time the server restarts, hence why the mines aren't up yet. The Tech Team is currently working on finding and fixing this issue, so when that's done the fast travels will be remade.

 

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Is the administration considering adding a new admin within the next month, or not?

 

It's incredibly hard to answer this question professionally, more than you know. What it comes down to is this. Some Admins don't believe that another Admin is necessary (not that they refuse to add one, they just think of it as a want rather than a need), while others do. We generally agree that we're fine without one, that we can make the changes necessary as we are, but there's also the opinion that we could still do more with another Admin. Knowing that, I can say that we have been "considering" it, but the topic has not received as much attention as more important issues, such as Nexus' removal or magic. However, I can say that, should we decide to go through with it, it will certainly not be in this month unless something completely changes our mindset and priorities before then.

 

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What are the admins opinion on removal of villain and magic applications? And when will they be removed?

 

What do you think of making fun not lore?

 

When will the website be changed to look better and nicer?

 

Each Admin has his own opinion on VAs and MAs that they can share themselves. As a whole, however, a decision regarding magic will be made during the meeting, and that may or may not include what we are doing with MAs (IF we do anything with them). VAs are not a primary topic of discussion, though we may get to it if we have time.

 

As for lore, my own personal opinion is that your "Make fun not lore" stance is incredibly silly. In the past it made sense because the LT was too restrictive and this DID prevent much fun, but that is no longer the case and has not been for many months. Lore, if done properly, is often a factor that contributes to entertainment, immersion and fun, it doesn't detract from it. Even back then, however, the fun that was lost was because of the restrictions on lore, not because of the lore itself. Thus, I can answer your question by saying that I love the idea of making fun AND lore, as well as fun lore.

 

Lastly, changing the look of the website isn't a primary concern as of late. IF we decide to change the look and theme in the future, it won't be until we have the time to do so, as well as the actual desire to get rid of a theme that works perfectly well for the time being.

[Austin 697]

often when people ask what particular staff members are doing since many don't see them do much, the response is "They are doing stuff behind the scenes" What exactly are said staff doing behind the scenes?

[CosmicWhaleShark 2488]

This may sound silly, but why haven't you updated the server to the most recent patch? Although the new launcher makes switching between versions much simpler, there's still potential for many interested applicants to be turned off by an outdated server.

 

I'm guessing the answer would be, plugins. However most of the plugins have received rather negative feedback. So why insist on keeping the server in an older version for the sake of plugins that only the minority enjoys?

[Alan 1815]

often when people ask what particular staff members are doing since many don't see them do much, the response is "They are doing stuff behind the scenes" What exactly are said staff doing behind the scenes?

 

It depends on the staff member. I myself believe I do a relatively good job of maintaining a face on the forums for official decisions and interacting with the players for feedback and suggestions, though most of the work I do is also behind the scenes. For instance, for the past month or so, I have been working with the Lore Team on a massive project for 4.0. Essentially, our goal is to create a rich and detailed back story that will go along with the map, that way RP can be created for it and the world can actually feel alive. My opinion on Asulon and Anthos is that they felt like carcasses; they were awesome to look at, but underneath there was really nothing there, and RP was created solely by events and the will of the players, so nothing was generated from the map itself. Fantasy worlds aren't supposed to just hold the story, they're supposed to be rich, immersive and actually contribute to the story's progression, which is what we plan to achieve for 4.0. We're in the brainstorming stages as of now, and we have discussed everything from the actual purpose of the lore (besides simply creating a backstory for 4.0) to if and how it will affect the future antagonist to how it will provide RP and events for the players when the map is released. So far hours and hours of time have been put into this project, so I don't expect it to be a flop.

Besides that one project, I have also been working alongside the Developers and other GMs in regards to the main development aspects of 4.0. Additionally, we as a team have been in constant discussion (that at times can last hours) involving community suggestions and how to act upon them to ensure our server improves for the better. We've been recently hounding certain teams to ensure they are working up to standards and as efficiently as possible, and we've been brainstorming and coming up with ideas for plugins that can replace or even improve some of our current ones which are either broken, too complex, or simply not right for the server.

This is just general stuff though. Each GM has a variety of things that they do that is special to them that might take up most of their time. However, the reason most of this isn't known is because it is behind the scenes for a reason; because it is meant to be kept on the down-low and thus is often not meant to be shared or discussed.

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This may sound silly, but why haven't you updated the server to the most recent patch? Although the new launcher makes switching between versions much simpler, there's still potential for many interested applicants to be turned off by an outdated server.

 

I'm guessing the answer would be, plugins. However most of the plugins have received rather negative feedback. So why insist on keeping the server in an older version for the sake of plugins that only the minority enjoys?

 

Blame Bukkit, lol. It's not really the plugins that hold us back, but rather it is the fact that our server runs on Bukkit and we have to wait for them to create not only an updated build but also a stable one. For instance, the first appearance of a build for 1.6.4 did not appear until three weeks ago, and it still isn't as stable as needed. Now Minecraft is 1.7.2 and a build isn't even released for that yet, which means our next update will still be to an outdated version.

With that being said, I don't think it's as much of a turnoff as it used to be. Changing versions is now built into the Minecraft client, so it's as easy as simply changing an option when you log in.

[domainoft 191]

Only one question really, and although its not important on the surface or immediate. It's an ongoing concern that has been not met since Aegis.

 

With the migration of each map, the loss of items is an unfortunate but often necessary side effect. The general convince of those of us that preserve knowledge however would be for a method of transferring books.

 

A few suggestions have helped in the past, such as massive Wiki projects and the addition of Tomes into dungeon loot. Even with these, I fear many stories shall be lost.

 

Thanks!

[gabriel101x1 463]

The primary reason for wishing to remove nexus combat is that it doesn't really make any part of the combat better, it just makes it slower and less exciting, as well as adding unnecessary restrictions to a combat system which wasn't broken to begin with. Also, if you're not in the United States (and depending on your PC) it is pretty much impossible to fight with this system due to the immense amount of lag that it suffers, therefore nullifying the argument that it 'makes PvP fairer by giving people with bad pcs a chance, which wasn't an issue anyway). This half of the Nexus plugin is the one half that we didn't need, all we need is a professions plugin to supplement the pre-existing Minecraft combat system, which is already fantastic to begin with.

 

tl;dr, The PvP system now is still clicky clicky, it's just slower and less exciting clicky clicky.

 

A combat system which wasn't broken...?

ROFL

Also the Nexus doesn't lag any more than vanilla combat, I say that living in Australia.

[Telanir 6975]

The primary reason for wishing to remove nexus combat is that it doesn't really make any part of the combat better, it just makes it slower and less exciting, as well as adding unnecessary restrictions to a combat system which wasn't broken to begin with. Also, if you're not in the United States (and depending on your PC) it is pretty much impossible to fight with this system due to the immense amount of lag that it suffers, therefore nullifying the argument that it 'makes PvP fairer by giving people with bad pcs a chance, which wasn't an issue anyway). This half of the Nexus plugin is the one half that we didn't need, all we need is a professions plugin to supplement the pre-existing Minecraft combat system, which is already fantastic to begin with.

 

tl;dr, The PvP system now is still clicky clicky, it's just slower and less exciting clicky clicky.

 

There are a few points here worth letting people know about, I'm not going to argue since that is not the point of this thread, but I do want to point out a few things. :)

 

Nexus-Combat started out pretty roughly, prone to breaking and weird bugs. Last week I released a patch for Nexus-Combat (aside from all the previous patches), that mostly solved some of the things pointed out.

 

Here is one thing that cannot be argued for any longer: Lag.

Nexus-Combat was intended from the beginning to solve Australian and etc. time zones having terrible combat connections and etc., the reason why you could still PvP pre-plugin is because you could spam click and one of those hits would land. The problem post-Nexus pre-patch was that as soon as you clicked (regardless of missing) you entered cooldown, this basically killed Australian players, with no return.

The patch corrected this bug and returned to the origins (and intentions) of Nexus-Combat, essentially, the cooldown only starts once you actually hit the target now. Therefore, regardless of connection speed, everyone is now on a level playing field. The plugin utilizes server RAM and CPU, and does not take advantage of our broadband, it isn't resource intensive, and has no effect on the stability and running of the server. (like most of our plugins (most), nothing new here)

 

So yes, PvP system is still clicky-clicky. No problem there! But definitely and intentionally slowed down to accommodate our full playerbase. :)

[hjgklmn0ajuvxc 688]

There are a few points here worth letting people know about, I'm not going to argue since that is not the point of this thread, but I do want to point out a few things. :)

 

Nexus-Combat started out pretty roughly, prone to breaking and weird bugs. Last week I released a patch for Nexus-Combat (aside from all the previous patches), that mostly solved some of the things pointed out.

 

Here is one thing that cannot be argued for any longer: Lag.

Nexus-Combat was intended from the beginning to solve Australian and etc. time zones having terrible combat connections and etc., the reason why you could still PvP pre-plugin is because you could spam click and one of those hits would land. The problem post-Nexus pre-patch was that as soon as you clicked (regardless of missing) you entered cooldown, this basically killed Australian players, with no return.

The patch corrected this bug and returned to the origins (and intentions) of Nexus-Combat, essentially, the cooldown only starts once you actually hit the target now. Therefore, regardless of connection speed, everyone is now on a level playing field. The plugin utilizes server RAM and CPU, and does not take advantage of our broadband, it isn't resource intensive, and has no effect on the stability and running of the server. (like most of our plugins (most), nothing new here)

 

So yes, PvP system is still clicky-clicky. No problem there! But definitely and intentionally slowed down to accommodate our full playerbase. :)

I take this as Nexus isn't being removed..?

 

ugghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh  

[Telanir 6975]

I take this as Nexus isn't being removed..?

 

ugghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh  

 

No, it has nothing to do with the plugin remaining or not.

Please stay on topic.

[osumanduas 1442]

When are we getting the Professions and Magic plugins? those have been mentioned for awhile now. All I've been seeing are smaller plugins, some fun, others mediocre. Is the Tech team focusing on Nexus? Or are they split on other plugins. If they're split why not put off some others and focus completely on finishing Nexus?

[Lasacow 75]

Are you ever planning on checking this thread?: http://www.lordofthecraft.net/topic/76526-donor-forum-ranks/page-3

[zzzzzzzzz 12]

Simple question, do all of the FM's out there like forum moderating or does it get boring, I personally am thinking of applying in like 3-6 Months after gaining rep and showing that I am worth having as a FM. Too much about me just asking to get a deeper knowledge of forum moderating and how it all works and stuff so... :P

 

(Bad Grammar in a hurry srry not my normal writing style. :P) 

[Ever 2648]

Are you ever planning on checking this thread?: http://www.lordofthecraft.net/topic/76526-donor-forum-ranks/page-3

 

Requires an admin to change those ranks, I'll bug them.

[tnoy23 202]

Simple question, do all of the FM's out there like forum moderating or does it get boring, I personally am thinking of applying in like 3-6 Months after gaining rep and showing that I am worth having as a FM. Too much about me just asking to get a deeper knowledge of forum moderating and how it all works and stuff so... :P

 

(Bad Grammar in a hurry srry not my normal writing style. :P) 

I can say, I have been an FM not even a week and I can honestly and legitimately say it is the best staff position I could ever hope for on LOTC.