What are your thoughts on LOTCs current state?

[Xarkly 17299]

staff reform is a train wreck.

 

I might make a proper post on it in the future but it’s a horrific misuse of resources coming up to map release. Teams are being shoehorned into a completely ideological structure that makes no practical sense or benefit (Mod and Community less so). Not do the reforms suck but a lot of it was executed in literally the messiest, worst way possible – for example, staff apps were changed without consulting team directors. 

 

[James 425]

1 hour ago, Twofeather said:

Thoughts without giving any constructive criticism is just wasted time. what kills the server most is constant nostalgia from older members. “This isn’t how so and so ran things” “This time way back then was the best moments in the server” yet to the uninitiated who never got to experience any of this. Everything looks to be much of the same, at least to me. All that’s changed is who’s doing it and with what are they doing it. Oren is still around in practice, druids still erp, halflings still do as they do, and new players still bumble about.

It was terrible then, and it’s worse now. The nostalgia only applies to the opinion on free-build vs region-build and crafting plugin vs. no crafting plugin. The staff is more-or-less the same with managers and more transparency. The LT is still deeply flawed. They just spend more time technical writing what they’ve done now, which just detracts from the work of the other members. 

[Space 2335]

it’s impossible to analyze the server objectively, for anyone. so it’s kinda dumb and pointless to try to talk about the server being ‘more toxic’ or some other falsifiable thing.

 

i got unbanned like 2 weeks ago so here’s my thoughts coming from a year ago to now

 

lore **** is dumb and will forever be dumb no matter what is done

 

any mentality of running LotC like a business is ******* cancer and will be forever cancer for any online community period. profit motive doesn’t make a fun server. and tarrebear person sorta mentioned in that newsletter than LotC was trying to get away from that, yet under-went some 2009 corporate restructuring of staff into vague and ill defined categories for no reason. or, finances are still completely opaque-- how much does LotC get per month, how much is paid out to Tythus (who I know has got paid before, have to assume he still does), how much gets paid to people who do actual work for the server (graphic designers, media people, etc). Why not just make a post every month showing how much was donated, how much was spent, how much is saved? If it’s not a business, stop treating it like one.

 

why the **** does Fireheart have an attack helicopter joke as his persona? not even you ******* gender fascists haven’t found that **** funny for like 5 years, FOH with that? yeah nitpicky ‘waah sjw!!’ thing but imagine a ‘leader’ on the server implying you’re a joke? disgusting **** imo

 

also damn this **** gets taken way too seriously

[Cat Evocation 3728]

I think the server is too materialistic for a role-play server and leans too much on the minecraft side. LC not being provided for the sake of “the economy” or having a material economy in general is kinda pathetic in the terms of roleplay. Who cares someone has a ton of iron etc, its really just about the quality of roleplay in the end.

[monkeypoacher 8055]

Honestly the server is fine. The problem is never that ****’s on fire and THE SERVER’S GONNA DIE IF THE STAFF DON’T DO X PROMPTLY, it’s an rp server and for the most part it’s regulating itself. We’re still pulling ~100 players, people are still role-playing, Tythus is still making money. It just sucks because we have the potential to be a lot more than what we are, and we’re being held back by people who would rather LARP like they’re doing Very Serious Business than seriously engage with the community and work to improve quality

 

11 minutes ago, Tox said:

I think the server is too materialistic for a role-play server and leans too much on the minecraft side. LC not being provided for the sake of “the economy” or having a material economy in general is kinda pathetic in the terms of roleplay. Who cares someone has a ton of iron etc, its really just about the quality of roleplay in the end.

 

If there was a serious endemic issue with lotc it would probably be this though, ngl. Denying descendant races land because they’re “not active enough,” refusing to build sections of the map because it’s “bad for the economy,” stupid **** like this. It’s an extension of business LARP. It used to be that staff members would throw out these dumbass buzzwords to justify whenever they were making spotty decisions, now staff honestly believe that merging three different staff teams into one team and removing entire races from the map “fights inactivity” or whatever

[Cat Evocation 3728]

12 minutes ago, xxx said:

If there was a serious endemic issue with lotc it would probably be this though, ngl.

 

You can’t just quote me without paying 1 rep that’s illegal sir i’m going to report you to the FMs

[monkeypoacher 8055]

Just now, Tox said:

 

You can’t just quote me without paying 1 rep that’s illegal sir i’m going to report you to the FMs

 

the forums are loading at dial up speed for me sorry man, 1 green point has been deposited into your lotc account

[Zarsies 6795]

preface: sorry for the tumblr-speak (lowercase, heavy use of voice/style), it just kind of happened. don’t do drugs, kids

 

 

on a couple fronts:

 

community-

same old same old; it’s the internet and people are churned in and out and sometimes people stick around for longer, sometimes people stay for good (case in point i’ve been here since the start of aegis when i was ******* 12 years old and i’m still here. yikers) but it is what it is because, in the end, the community (with varying degrees of success, mostly lack of success but still) wants roleplay, wants fun, wants a relaxing and engaging hobby, and wants a crowd to hang out with and we all work towards that in some way. because there’s that want lotc won’t die for good since there are some who are too invested or are simply unwilling to let go. that isn’t necessarily good but it just means we’ll persist until the fbi shut us down for harboring a disproportionately high percentage of child-grooming pedophiles.

 

****’s hard, my dudes. the community is dense and rich with its own subcultures and, for example, i don’t relate or associate with some communities because there’s only so much of me to spread or i don’t hang out with some groups because they as a community (oocly) have traits i don’t care for or simply dislike and have their own way of acting amongst one another and it can be cringey, unsavory, unwelcoming, or boring and don’t hold my attention in a positive way. there’s not a lot attracting me to certain cultures (oocly speaking) because like the internet it’s not always swell and dandy. however just because i don’t interact directly with every group we are a community as a whole albeit moderately disconnected from one another and we’re all wanting and doing the same thing. we’re just lacking the patience and camaraderie for one another which, as a reality, will never be completely solved due to human flaws.

 

i’d like to think i’ve seen the worst. nearing 8 years, i’ve beheld lotc in every regard. i’ve been groomed, i’ve been betrayed, i’ve lost friends and some have lost their lives (rest well watyll and belyn), i’ve met and known genuine pedophiles (why is this such a common ******* issue jesus), i’ve seen manipulation and treachery and the absolute worst of people’s character/aspects. this terrible **** persists, there’s still wickedness here that hides in the shadows and only circles as gossip or is just forgotten.

 

BUT

 

there’s also been beauty and there always will be. i’d like to think i’ve seen the best too; i know people who became roommates, who started relationships, who got married, even had children together (legit). i’ve seen wholesome friendships blossom and genuine camaraderie. hell, my first physical relationship was with an lotcer from an hour away. good things happen here and the community isn’t all bad. it’s just a matter of finding people here and there, vetting them, and keeping the good ones close as best you can. the most relevant tool people use to combat things (which isn’t the best but it works) is apathy which lets THEM survive everything without it weighing on their conscience but it goes build up and lotc can break people but so too can it make people. regardless, we need to care about each other. just because i, for example, am not super into the sutican crowd or the empire or orcs or whatever/whoever i do have compassion for what we all stand for and i want to better that. i can’t and won’t be friends with everyone but at the very least i can work on lore and rules to make things fair and interesting for everyone. everyone should try to get a little perspective and try to work together. all it takes is some openness and a will to talk things out the community will improve bit my bit. can’t speak for the f word hard t’s who ddos and threaten people but those kids need help and sometimes people are just helpless or don’t want to be helped but that’s a whole other discussion.

 

and, most importantly, i can verify that since the start of the server to now it’s been a constant, slow improvement. sure we’ve gotten a hell of a lot more complex and have our scars but we’re learning bit by bit. just takes some sympathy, patience, and a dash of love :]

 

small shout out to the people who represent groups and labor away to improve the community in what ways they do. we all play our part but when you’re a leader and a face you have the power to influence others – use it for the better. 

 

 

 

server (roleplay)-

similar premise as above. i don’t rp with everyone, i avoid some people and groups because i don’t have a huge tolerance for attitudes, agendas, and shenanigans, but overall i appreciate that everyone is here regardless of what they do. there are DEFINITELY unhealthy influences on rp such as communities who beget poor rp by fueling it with bad rp but that’s just a matter of people without extensive writing ability and perspective slowing learning (with lots of bumps and bruises). i’ve said to a few people that lotc is best enjoyed in a clique which is sort of true but you just have to be careful and cater to your own preferred style and genre just be sure to accommodate the stories of others while you write your own.

 

stop taking rp into ooc. STOP BRINGING OOC INTO RP. there are many levels to those statements but i’m too high to elaborate much at this point but p much just chill, let the story flow, and please value the ends of stories and be open to PKing. maybe watch some D&D videos on how to be a good rper although they don’t directly apply but they usually have understandable points. 

 

rp outside your central group from time to time and bring people in, try to teach people how to better their writing but be gentle, and overall give people chances. 

 

roleplay has overall been on the upswing since the server started so that’s good.

[Lukariatias 524]

It would indubitably be a benefit to the long term success of LotC if the administrators started polling the server’s player base for their opinions on changes before said changes are made, more often than they presently do. While it is not always good to make public certain changes, especially those that are related to lore, it is detrimental to the moral and trust in staff of the player base, and even of staff themselves, to make major changes to fundamental aspects of the server without warning.

 

As stated by Xarkly, the changes happening to Staff have been happening very quickly, and generally without warning. Information is kept on lock-down from the public, and is too kept on lock-down, albeit less so, from certain members of staff, namely non-managerial members of staff teams. I do not intend to take shots at any one person, or any one group of people, as rather I am attempting to suggest that it would be to everyone’s benefit if they were asked their opinion on things before they happen. Bearing, too, in mind that I am not suggesting the staff teams/admins never poll people for their views, as such is clearly done with articles such as war-claims and charters, however, I am rather referring to things like rule changes, changes to structure of long-standing aspects of the server, or otherwise major changes done without warning.

 

If a majority of those who respond to these polls voice a negative viewpoint in a calm and logical fashion, it cannot be disregarded. Making changes that have been discussed by only a minute fraction of those who said changes will effect is poor leadership. People deserve to have their opinions heard, especially when those opinions are well-versed and free of biased hatred or anger.

[Unwillingly 18096]

1 hour ago, Zarsies said:

 

there’s also been beauty and there always will be. i’d like to think i’ve seen the best too; i know people who became roommates, who started relationships, who got married, even had children together (legit). i’ve seen wholesome friendships blossom and genuine camaraderie. hell, my first physical relationship was with an lotcer from an hour away. good things happen here and the community isn’t all bad. it’s just a matter of finding people here and there, vetting them, and keeping the good ones close as best you can. the most relevant tool people use to combat things (which isn’t the best but it works) is apathy which lets THEM survive everything without it weighing on their conscience but it goes build up and lotc can break people but so too can it make people. regardless, we need to care about each other. just because i, for example, am not super into the sutican crowd or the empire or orcs or whatever/whoever i do have compassion for what we all stand for and i want to better that. i can’t and won’t be friends with everyone but at the very least i can work on lore and rules to make things fair and interesting for everyone. everyone should try to get a little perspective and try to work together. all it takes is some openness and a will to talk things out the community will improve bit my bit. can’t speak for the f word hard t’s who ddos and threaten people but those kids need help and sometimes people are just helpless or don’t want to be helped but that’s a whole other discussion.

 

and, most importantly, i can verify that since the start of the server to now it’s been a constant, slow improvement. sure we’ve gotten a hell of a lot more complex and have our scars but we’re learning bit by bit. just takes some sympathy, patience, and a dash of love :]

 

 

this is pure and it made me happy

[Sporadic 2843]

 

the fact that LotC is still around after eight years for you to even be asking that question to an active forum community tells me the state of LotC truly is one that is truly exceptional.

 

How fucking insane is it that a free server on a 20 euro game can be good for thousands of hours of entertainment?

 

The amount of loyalty and tenacity this dumb tolkien ripoff block world has accumulated is at levels other servers can only dream of.

 

Let’s be grateful we’re a part of it.

[Zarsies 6795]

6 hours ago, Unwillingly said:

this is pure and it made me happy

 

[Nhisha 8]

Best it has ever been, period.

[zaezae 1098]

The only things that really hold the server back is

People taking themselves way to serious.

People believing that their particular taste of RP is the only good RP and anyone different is trash. 

[Rickson 302]

I’m coming up to my four-year mark on this server soon and I believe that currently, things aren’t any worse than they have been before.

The problems we do have now are just different, but I can only really name a couple.

 

We’ve been on Atlas for a year now which is around the average amount of time, but it hasn’t been a very good map due to it being way too big and poor handling of freebuild and freebuild itself being an overall negative thing. We’ve also been teased with a new map for over four months now, which is just silly.

There are quite a few problems with the admin team pushing changes without speaking to the community first about it which has lead to quite a few upsets which, may not affect me, but definitely affect others. And most feedback threads are closed with ‘Feedback noted.’ and left at that without any verdicts or anything being done.