A reflection on LOTC

[needitallcash 58]

man

[drfate786 1690]

Everyone wants to be the "good guys" and everyone want to win. No one wants to actually create and promote a story. The mentality needs to change and people need to stop interacting with sore losers and bad faith RP'ers. If someone is guilty of being a meta-player, stop engaging with them. Leave their discord server, their community and encourage others to do the same.

 

No one is forcing you to interact with these people. 

[Laeonathan 5889]

3 hours ago, NotEvilAtAll said:

lotc's greatest strength is it's storytelling. we have more storytelling per person than any other minecraft server yet we don't play to this strength enough. 

We also have the most negative people...

[____Spectral____ 168]

On 5/22/2025 at 10:16 AM, the craft of the lord said:

Hello everyone.

 

I played this server back in Aegis and stopped playing on the second map. In my times as a young man I spent many days of my early teenage years running down the King's Road, being a bandit with Kane before finally ending up with the Flays for the remainder of Aegis and the White Rose for the second map. I distinctly remember spending my times immersed in the worlds that LOTC had created for my young mind to explore. I wandered far and wide, I met many different people in character (some of who I still talk to this day), all through the medium of in game LOTC chat. I would send messages to people I thought were cool and talk with them in /msg and then get their skype. We would have a skype chat of a few of us, all chatting shit and meeting up IG as we were part of a larger group. I saw nothing wrong with this as we didn't plan any nefarious plots to alter the narrative of our roleplay, or the roleplay of the wider server.

 

I left the server for a long time, and upon being made redundant from work came back to try and grasp a bit of the excitement that this server brought me when I was a nerdy little teenage boy, sat in my bedroom grinding out hours on a MC roleplay server.

 

I came back in October last year and played on and off. I have found my time to be much worse than when LOTC was first created.

 

I understand that technologically (at least outside of LOTC) things have progressed since I played, but discord has done so much damage to roleplay. There was a time, many years ago, that you would have to seek out someone in game to get a job. You would interact with them, let them know what you wanted to do. They would offer you a role in their nation doing whatever job it was you wanted, if they have a place for it. Now it's all done through discord. In fact, EVERYTHING seems to be done through discord. Want to be a steward of a city? Here, join our discord and apply there. Want to make any progress at all in the group you're in? Join their discord, become part of their community and OOCly befriend them. And honestly, this shit sucks.

 

It's not even just discord though. What's going on with the technical side of the server? I feel like it's regressed since I played 13 years ago. There are people on the forums asking for Nexus to come back. Now, I wasn't around for Nexus, I left before it's inception, but c'mon. Where is the innovation? I feel like anyone could make a roleplay server, host it on vanilla Minecraft, and they've basically got what LOTC has now. What really differentiates this server from a vanilla SMP any more? We can do less things than base Minecraft gameplay, and there's a fishing plugin. Even 13 years ago there was a plugin to differentiate races. I can't remember the specific details, but every race had an advantage and disadvantage kinda thing. Where has the uniqueness gone? Is this just laziness from the admin/mod/technical team since LOTC has not been kicked from the number 1 spot of MC roleplay? Is this because there's a large cohort of players that would be against this, preferring to keep things simple with a * or ** emote?

 

Metaplay has also been dealt with horrendously, at least in the case of the Vinovian Company. So the admin/mod team decided it was fair to ban a load of Haense players and then let the Pontifical States start a war to take over their kingdoms? Are you crazy??? Now we have a human kingdom that has been created through no effort whatsoever because 30 of the other side were banned. How is this good for roleplay? How is this good for the narrative of the server? We've also got players who were banned for metaplay coming back to the server and taking high ranking positions in this new nation. Like what?????? How does this work?? Oh, it doesn't.

 

Not only that, but why on earth are so many people metaplaying? I understand that this server hosts people from many different backgrounds. Whether you are disabled, neurodivergent, mentally ill, a "normie", whatever you are. But jesus christ, it's not your real life. This is meant to be fun. You don't need to be coming up with plots to get power in a Minecraft Roleplay Sever. Get a grip. If this server is the be all and end all for you then I pity your life.

 

This server was a source of joy for me when I was younger and it's sad to see the state it is in now. I would love for it to somehow return to the state it was in when I was younger. To build upon the things it has already, not to strip them away so that the experience in bare bones, carried by nothing other than a jaded and spiteful communities roleplay. This community needs to take a long look at itself. Stop being at war with one another OOCly. Stop creating elaborate ruses to catapult yourselves to positions of power, or to topple other powerful characters. Try to have fun. There are things in life to take more seriously than a Minecraft Roleplay Server. 

 

Thanks for coming to my TEDtalk.

 

/rant

Many people share your sentiment with the church, and said human roleplay nations, myself included ;)

[the GOAT of the craft 606]

54 minutes ago, ____Spectral____ said:

Many people share your sentiment with the church, and said human roleplay nations, myself included ;)

 

The issue isn't with the church/human roleplayers, they did what they did with the cards that they were dealt. Honestly, I can't blame them for running with it. I think most players in that situation would do the same. Not all, but most.

 

The fault lies completely with the staff for not managing this better. Narratively we have now progressed past the point of no return. The Kingdom of Burgundy cannot be undone. The main thing I want to highlight on this subject in particular is that the way that these bans have been dealt with should not be allowed to happen again. Banning 20 people on the side of the Haense coalition and then allowing a war to start should not have happened. The way it has unfolded has been terrible for RP, and it was terrible as an addition to the living, breathing world that LOTC is supposed to be.

 

It is clear that the server have moved beyond having a primary antagonist for players to unite against. This is now, more so than ever, a world created by it's players and the characters in which we inhabit. Banning a large portion of coalition players and allowing the story to continue is the antithesis of what, in my eyes, LOTC is meant to be.

[____Spectral____ 168]

26 minutes ago, the craft of the lord said:

 

The issue isn't with the church/human roleplayers, they did what they did with the cards that they were dealt. Honestly, I can't blame them for running with it. I think most players in that situation would do the same. Not all, but most.

 

The fault lies completely with the staff for not managing this better. Narratively we have now progressed past the point of no return. The Kingdom of Burgundy cannot be undone. The main thing I want to highlight on this subject in particular is that the way that these bans have been dealt with should not be allowed to happen again. Banning 20 people on the side of the Haense coalition and then allowing a war to start should not have happened. The way it has unfolded has been terrible for RP, and it was terrible as an addition to the living, breathing world that LOTC is supposed to be.

 

It is clear that the server have moved beyond having a primary antagonist for players to unite against. This is now, more so than ever, a world created by it's players and the characters in which we inhabit. Banning a large portion of coalition players and allowing the story to continue is the antithesis of what, in my eyes, LOTC is meant to be.

Yeah true, you do have a valid point here. I think I'm having a lot of trouble seeing and moving past the grudges I have with the church on LotC in general, hopefully if the situation improves, which I see as somewhat unlikely for the time left on Aevos, I'll ease up on it more

[Lhindir_ 3691]

Lotc is a business. It’s not meant to generate narrative, it’s meant to keep you online and engaged as long as possible to create critical mass and in turn, draw in more profits. 
 

war server? Thats expensive. Conflict? Makes players leave. 
 

the discords are apart of this because they keep you constantly engaged and therefor, generating activity.

[MunaZaldrizoti 8037]

What is unfortunate is that this perfectly encapsulates how MANY people feel about the last few months of roleplay and OOC, but the staff will just glimpse this over and not care or make any effort to not continue down the same path in the future.

LOTC is about the top positions and seeking power that they can't find in their real life nowadays, to the detriment of organic storytellers and meaningful arcs for any individual persona. Its about 'winning' and by what means you can win. Its really sad to see, after almost 10 years on here myself. It makes you want to log on less and less, unless its with people you respect to actually honor how LOTC should be.

Thank you for writing this, even if it falls on mostly deaf ears.

[monkeypoacher 8055]

5 hours ago, Lhindir_ said:

Lotc is a business. It’s not meant to generate narrative, it’s meant to keep you online and engaged as long as possible to create critical mass and in turn, draw in more profits. 
 

war server? Thats expensive. Conflict? Makes players leave. 
 

the discords are apart of this because they keep you constantly engaged and therefor, generating activity.

 

If it's a business, it's a business that sucks at capitalizing on the activity it supposedly wants you to generate. How does any of this make people donate more?

[Lhindir_ 3691]

3 hours ago, monkeypoacher said:

 

If it's a business, it's a business that sucks at capitalizing on the activity it supposedly wants you to generate. How does any of this make people donate more?

Not all businesses are run well, and this one was created kind of by accident. Creator, forget if it was tythus, wanted a server and made a roleplay game, it built up, and changed with the times and was turned into what it is today.
 

It’s a game built on addiction. They make a lot of money on the winter sale etc, and try to cut as many costs as possible to sustain themselves. This is partially why lotc’s main design detective is conflict adverse. It’s easier to run with a volunteer labor force.

If it was not profitable, it would not run.

[monkeypoacher 8055]

25 minutes ago, Lhindir_ said:

Not all businesses are run well, and this one was created kind of by accident. Creator, forget if it was tythus, wanted a server and made a roleplay game, it built up, and changed with the times and was turned into what it is today.
 

It’s a game built on addiction. They make a lot of money on the winter sale etc, and try to cut as many costs as possible to sustain themselves. This is partially why lotc’s main design detective is conflict adverse. It’s easier to run with a volunteer labor force.

If it was not profitable, it would not run.

i fully believe you that for anyone getting a cut of tythus, ltd., lotc is a passive income generator

 

we could build a better passive income generator though. maybe the solution is a new server.......

[Lhindir_ 3691]

6 minutes ago, monkeypoacher said:

i fully believe you that for anyone getting a cut of tythus, ltd., lotc is a passive income generator

 

we could build a better passive income generator though. maybe the solution is a new server.......

Hard to do. Lotcs appeal is the lore, history, and setting. The reason it works is there is actively an addicted network of children who end up developing friendships with eachother and then keeping eachother trapped. If you leave lotc you lose your friends. It’s always available too with discord. There are also plenty of stories of people who ruin their lives on this game because they play 40+ hours a week. 
 

Reach that kind of critical mass would be very hard now. And I’d argue unethical, due to the aforementioned addiction based element.

[monkeypoacher 8055]

6 minutes ago, Lhindir_ said:

Hard to do. Lotcs appeal is the lore, history, and setting. The reason it works is there is actively an addicted network of children who end up developing friendships with eachother and then keeping eachother trapped. If you leave lotc you lose your friends. It’s always available too with discord. There are also plenty of stories of people who ruin their lives on this game because they play 40+ hours a week. 
 

Reach that kind of critical mass would be very hard now. And I’d argue unethical, due to the aforementioned addiction based element.

you can pinch the "lore + history" from lotc (aeldin) - it would cost MUCH more than lotc is worth to litigate the confusing IP dispute that would follow from that
 

whether or not it's ethical that lotc stole my adolescence from me, it's clear that there is a market for minecraft-based fantasy escapism, and you could at least be a marginally healthier supplier in that market

[Lhindir_ 3691]

2 minutes ago, monkeypoacher said:

you can pinch the "lore + history" aspect from lotc (aeldin) - it would cost MUCH more than lotc is worth to litigate the confusing IP dispute that would follow from that
 

whether or not it's ethical that lotc stole my adolescence from me, it's clear that there is a market for minecraft-based fantasy escapism, and you could at least be a marginally healthier supplier in that market

I wonder if you could sue lotc. There are many documented cases of:

 

grooming

Addiction

uncapped gaming hours 

catering to minors

 

I know that there are plenty of other games that we’re getting hit quite hard with this.

[monkeypoacher 8055]

Just now, Lhindir_ said:

I wonder if you could sue lotc. There are many documented cases of:

 

grooming

Addiction

uncapped gaming hours 

catering to minors

probably? but there would be no payout. I doubt tythus is sitting on a big pile of settlement money