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blindmind

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About blindmind

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  1. Hey folks, it's that guy you don't know! It's been a long, long time since I've touched this account, but I've had Minecraft on the mind lately, and that got me thinking about all of you. I saw this thread, and, well, I just had to write something up. For anyone that might actually remember me: whaddup! Sorry for another lengthy post from me! Here's a quote box for formatting purposes: During that time, I had the privilege of running a character that rubbed shoulders with the original Mage's guild, Ascended, Undead (but mostly their proxies for the sake of my character's health), and just about every shady entity that happened to be around before the fall. I funded rebellions, turned friend against friend, and watched many people's characters die. I had no special permissions, no special friends, no magic, no martial ability. All I had on my side was typing speed, a decent vocabulary, and time. My character was, on paper, as normal as they come. My goal with him was to see just how far I could get with words alone, without people actually knowing much at all about my character. To one person, he might've been a wealthy aristocrat, a dear confidant to another, a snake to one, and a spy to the rest. It was a blast! Since then, I've written what can only be described as a wasteful number of words on these forums attempting to move the dialogue in a direction that would break the status quo and recapture those glory days. In that regard, I'd say I've largely failed. So, why say anything now? I haven't logged on much in several years now, but I can tell just by glancing through this thread that pretty much all the same issues are negatively affecting the players. Those being: an enormous map spreading the playerbase too thin feature creep and amped up restrictions Discord of the Craft and player cliques inattentive, overloaded, and perhaps even corrupt staff a general lack of direction an unwillingness to "kill your babies" I imagine your typical new player has zero clue what's going on as far as current events go, no way to interact with the game as they might normally expect, nobody to talk to, and not enough time on their hands to no-life it until a character arc reveals itself. For all intents and purposes, they are Other, and will no doubt feel unwanted and unnecessary. This person is up against established players who, historically speaking, don't log into the server, but instead control the political machine through Discord, google docs, and regurgitated memes shared between friends. If they're lucky, and if they stalk slightly more established characters long enough to stop talking in RP and start talking in OOC, they can start their way toward something that looks like progress. Meanwhile, the forums are likely on fire for this or for that, and much of the staff's time is spent on the site resolving whatever they can, or doing the best they can do to blend into the background while logged in and getting whisper spammed by randos. I don't know know who the big names are nowadays, but the behavior is probably similar if not the same, even if the seats have new butts in them. A new player deals with all of this, only if they can manage to navigate the massive map with which they have no familiarity, and no context to guide them. Is there a solution? Maybe? Like I said, these issues are so old they're basically tradition, but I'd say there's light at the end of the tunnel, yet. I'm a fan of extreme solutions, so my suggestion would be more seasonal content. You're likely familiar with what I mean; temporary and enclosed periods at the end of which almost every single detail is refreshed and returned to zero. You've almost experienced this in the form of new maps, but that solution never quite hits the mark does it? It fails to fully reset everything. All of the nations, families, legacies, friend groups, and even some characters survive from map to map, bringing the same problems to a new country. We need damn near complete historical erasure: Obliterate the families, the rich, the poor, the popular, and the obscure Reestablish lore going forward, and give yourself permission to bury old lore for something new Refuse the continuation of any stories from season to season (smaller characters will leak through, but major ones cannot) Refuse power to those players who have held it in the previous season Wipe out inventories and item storage Consider outright resetting the map to day 1 each season And that's not all. The staff needs to offer a baseline for what, exactly, the world is and make sure everyone abides by that vision. You're the Dungeon Masters. You decide what the game is and what it is not. This means you'll need to: Reestablish and encourage social behaviors through video guides Reestablish narrative themes through video guides Reestablish histories and potential player backgrounds as necessary Seed important secrets throughout the world to give players a mystery they can own Push players toward a goal as a whole, give them something to be afraid of, and don't be afraid to be the villain Research how to DM Watch Season 1 of Westworld and write down everything Anthony Hopkins says Don't forget to market each seasonal refresh Do the above and you're less likely to play the same game that's been played by everyone here for the last however many years. Just as well, you'll provide many more points of entry for new players, as they'll be closer to equal footing than ever before. Thank you to anyone who reads all of this. I had a lot of fun writing it all out and thinking about old times. Yours truly, Someone who doesn't need to read up on current events to know what's going down
  2. Take a breather, man. Anyway, I feel like you're dancing around very specific scenarios without mentioning them and associating my arguments with those scenarios. Ironically, I've taken part in a bunch of wars myself, solely on the side of Oren. I only play humans, and I've been in favor of PvP default since the beginning (though that is irrelevant). That said, I still disagree with this. This document, as it is written, doesn't actually offer anything we can work with. Everything else is pretty off-topic. Also, be careful about using the "this doesn't concern you" argument. For one, war is a global concern assuming I never even set foot on a battlefield. For two, the argument will be turned against you by all the people "[hiding] as much as they like." Its a double-standard, much like the majority of this thread. Regarding this, the post I'm quoting now has been seen countless times in the past, but with the word "militant" replaced with "magic" or "peaceful." By the sound of it, you're through the looking-glass now, Alice.
  3. You seem to undermine your first paragraph by referencing Napoleon. This would imply that the rules set out by the document are, in fact, subjective. What may have been wrong for everyone else was clearly right in the eyes of Napoleon. As for the second and third paragraphs, regarding a team of overseers, I was piggy-backing off of other comments you have made outside of the OP. I tend to read the thread as a whole before I post. None of this, however, changes the fact that what the OP shows is not actually any kind of system that would moderate wars in a minecraft server. The bureaucracy of the "black and white" system is a necessary evil. It would be in place for the benefit of those who enjoy war too much and those who don't appreciate it at all. From my own experience, I know that the server would not notice the waning activity of all the players upon which the server apparently hinges. I've seen this argument before and I think its kind of silly. Wars and military-focused roleplay, in its current form, were barely around when the server started rolling. If anything, it was a distant flash-in-the-pan seen in quiet guilds that nobody really bothered with. I would liken it to the flavor of the month that lasted a bit longer than a month. If all these people were to stop doing what they're doing, or leave entirely, their roleplay would be replaced by something else. Besides, wars should be rare and they should be important. Frequent wars betray their significance and undermine the entirety of roleplay behind them. Otherwise, war feels like a skirmish between two gangs looking for a scrap in the crappy part of the city. It just happens, you live with it, you forget, and worry more about your rent check. Life goes on as though your war never happened.
  4. As lofty as this reads, I fail to see the system behind it. I can see its value in roleplay to a limited extent. The reason I say this is because its definitions are entirely subjective, which has always been the greatest, immutable flaw of the server and its community. I see the idea would be to erect a world council which would enforce the ideals set by the document, but I cannot see that holding much sway over world politics unless some supernatural force exerts its will over the nations and their war machines. The most I can see this offering is a list by which to tabulate the innumerable slights between nations as one nation steam rolls another. A world council cannot succeed so long as power is not balanced and politics are so easily manipulated (the greatest and worst thing about them). Much like the actual UN, a world council serves as a courtesy that isn't always extended. Unless a force outside of mortals' control is able to moderate what happens, this would be at the mercy of very unstable roleplay. If we had an OOC team managing this, I would not have much faith in it. My concerns might be assuaged if the Devs were to oversee this and act on what they feel appropriate, as they tend to be far away enough to be indifferent and have the long-term in mind. In this case, I'd like to see a proper "black and white" system written out that objectively details what constitutes war, when its valid, how often it can be waged, its costs, the methods by which it can be declared, how it is determined that war has ended in victory or defeat, etc. What we have here are a nicely written set of terms, justifications, and foggy limitations. To put this simply, if I lead a nation, I would use this. If I managed a minecraft server filled with people separated by culture and disparate perspectives, I would not.
  5. For me, these or the most important points here. When describing that era of LotC, these two paragraphs don't really mix. I know a lot of people, myself included, that stopped logging on because of the first paragraph, and because it wasn't handled as the second paragraph would suggest. A lot of people thought it was fun, no doubt, but it was also in shambles. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
  6. The Form: Your Name: Ashhad Al-Mubarak Your Age: 24 Your Race: Human What affinity of magic are you skilled in?: Alas, I have no proficiency but my eagerness to learn and a summary knowledge of alchemy. I should like to explore the potential of what skills I discover at the Guild. -OOC- MC Name: edronos Skype: blind_mind When did you join the server?: July 2011
  7. Loving these new nameplates.

  8. Anyone play Defiance? Curious about how it is.

    1. Peter Chivay

      Peter Chivay

      Complete joke of a game, don't bother.

  9. Lago has been hitting the nail on the head, pretty much. I mean, let's look at this another way. Let's say there were no humans, and the rest of the races had several different kinds of animal features and magic wasn't a thing. If that were the norm, you would need lore for human wizards with no animal features. A lot of people want the server to look a different way, me included. Some people want more steam-punk. Some people want Dragon Age, others the Witcher. Some people want anime. There's a lot of wants. To use a really simple example, I could say the server should be red, while another person says it should be green, when in fact the server is blue.
  10. Dishonored is the whale's tail.

    1. tnoy23

      tnoy23

      Literately.

  11. This is something you could definitely play up, however. Its a uniting factor among all those who choose to dabble in this magic, regardless of how they feel or what their motivations are. Even if you don't know about anyone else with the same experience, there's still this thing talking to you somehow, tugging on your interest. Its a kind of devil on your shoulder. I would hope that the lore characters are mysterious manipulators to fill that role. Also, I'm still curious about what happens during the year of the ritual. What about it requires a year of time? Thanks for answering pretty much everything else.
  12. I'm not sure if any new magics are being accepted/reviewed, but I'm gonna leave a bit of feedback for the fun of it. I like some of the ideas here, though I believe a kind of shapeshifting was in use a long time ago (by pretty much one dude, if I'm not mistaken). I don't believe it sees any practice today, or even if its allowed anymore, but that's why you wrote this up. I like the idea of shadowy forms. That is to say, I like the idea of a culture related to shadows. I also really enjoy anything that adds to ritualized magic (the greatest and inherently superior kind). Shadows-things are widely regarded as pretty bad voodoo. This sets the score right off the bat. There's no vagueness about what you're encountering. Yonder shadow-man is probably evil and must be met in glorious combat or subdued. I also like the idea of this mystical, one-way connection. It means that, in whatever circumstance an individual performs this ritual, if s/he is successful, that person is immediately under watch. This lends a certain kind of intimacy and closeness to what would otherwise be a scattered group. Even if you do not wish to be under the sway of whatever force is contacting you, it can. The first thing I thought of while reading this was how such a ritual could fail, and what that might entail. Something I thought might be interesting to consider is a kind of "between" existence while transforming. Or, at least, a state of being that sinks a character into shadow (as in a normal shadow like any other). The final step of the ritual would be to pull your own form out of that "between" world. If one should fail, or be made to fail, that character could be imprisoned in shadow. In this state, a character would maintain a foggy consciousness, but otherwise in a kind of stasis. This kind of thing could be used creatively, I think. Perhaps someone wants an interesting way to kill off their character, assuming the chance to free it is lost. Or, maybe some crazy, yet ambitious individual sees this as a last ditch effort of preserving themselves for a future time, assuming their consciousness does not dissipate and someone is around to retrieve them by performing another ritual to free them. Then, they must hope their stasis/imprisonment did not drive them mad. Anywho, there are some things to be wary of, here. Firstly, the characters you've set up probably wouldn't be in your control. If that's not the case, however, you're looking at some very likely negative reactions from the community. Nobody likes to see lore written to benefit, glorify, or otherwise artificially reinforce the coolness/appeal of a select group, which would probably include Yah’sharau and Khai’ihel. At the very least, they'd be resistant. Secondly, the actual benefit of shapeshifting might make people hesitant. Right now, we see that a character, through this ritual, can acquire the appearance of one of the four races, but we don't know much beyond that. Can any form be chosen, or is one granted naturally? That is to say, could you look like a specific person? Is this appearance illusory? For example, would an elf that has changed into a dwarf have to contend with a dwarf's inherent greed? Are they now, down to its bones, a dwarf? If the change is real, how would this effect lifespan? How old would a 200 year elf be, should it choose a human form? While my previous suggestion can be seen as a way to postpone death, this might defeat it entirely, if the rituals are always successful. I like the opportunity this provides for subterfuge and sabotage, especially from an evil and driven supernatural force (we need more of these kinds of things). And, if the person performing the ritual for the first time isn't evil, but desperate to escape from something, this would provide a kind of ***-for-tat roleplay. The person could then be considered indebted to whatever force allowed the ritual to proceed. I also think that its important to note that the ritual takes a year, in-game, to complete. One could not toss off and don new disguises like clothing. Other than this, my suggestions would be to fluff up the actual ritual more. Add a lot of zany requirements (like black silk retrieved from the sarcophagus of a person laid to rest 7 days hence, worn as a shawl on a moonless night). Also, describe why this ritual takes so long. Is the person changing over this period of time, or is the ritual not ready for a specific reason until a year has passed? Or, is this person in the "between" world, incubating? Lastly, think about all the things in the previous paragraph.
  13. ::OOC:: MC Name: edronos Have you ever had a character with magic?: No. Are you aware the rules of Magic: Yes. Skype: blind_mind ::IC:: Name: Ashhad Al-Mubarak Age: 23 Gender: Male Race: Human What would you like to learn?: Hereat, I should like to learn the concepts and applications of magic, as well as alchemy. Of all lofty branches of sorcery, I find enchantments and that which is arcane most curious. Which Class(es) are you enrolling for?: The classes wherein I feel I shall fit are that of the Mage and of the Scholar, for in these two combined I believe all erudition is cradled.
  14. Gaius, it was always destined that our arguing capabilities would be tested on one another. Can we be bros, despite our differing opinions?

    1. Ibn Khaldun

      Ibn Khaldun

      Of course comrade, of course.

    2. Fid

      Fid

      The apocalypse did not occur. Therefore I postulate that you did not use your full powers on each other.

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