Emp

Sure, yeah, post your emblems as well. Perhaps it's also an incentive to sort out a flag. ;) EDIT: lol I love how the mere presence of Haelun'or's emblem gets rep

THE DEAL: To the Leaders of the Powers of this Realm, I, Aemyn Verde of the Emerald Company, entertainer, and hobby historian, Offer greetings, and every blessing of the Creator. I write to you with the simple request that I, humble and insignificant as I am, Might be reminded of the glorious standards of this realm, and to whom they belong. Apologies for my ignorance; All I can offer in compensation is another literary memorial to your great houses, That they will be immortalised in ink upon parchment, for all generations to remember their forefathers. Endless thanks for entertaining this letter, - The Emerald Company - TL;DR: FLAGS & EMBLEMS of the REALM: HOUSE BRIARWOOD: HOUSE CARRION: ROYAL HOUSE CHIVAY: HOUSE COLIN: HOUSE ELENDIL: HOUSE FROST: HOUSE HOREN: KINGDOM OF KAEDRIN: HOUSE NICATOR: HOUSE RUTHERN: HOUSE SILVERBLADE: HOUSE STAFYR: ELVEN: MALI'AHERAL/HAELUN'OR: MALI'AME: MALI'FENN: MALI'KER: PRINCEDOM OF FENN: DWARVEN: GRAND KINGDOM OF URGUAN: ORCISH: GUILDS/ORDERS: BANNUM & CO. UNITED MERCHANT COALITION: ORDER OF THE DECTERUM: THE EMERALD COMPANY: ROSICRUCIAN FELLOWSHIP: THE URGUAN MERCHANTS' GUILD: THE WINTERGUARD: ORDER OF ZION: - UNDER CONSTRUCTION -

Oh, Tomas Trancy, you play music?!? Oh, that's so romantic! *giggles* Sing me a song! ._.

:/ To start with it was modded 1.7.2 (Forge, MPM, Optifine, Shaders, and all that rubbish). I've just tried now in vanilla 1.7.2, and it's also fine.

Alright, here's a link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/629vm0v1n7tjo0v/Ha7CwrBbRj However, I didn't do anything special; I downloaded it, and chucked it in [user] > AppData > Roaming > .minecraft > saves...

I don't understand the restriction on the Snow Elves being a sub-race... There must be 'official' sub-races with less activity and equal, if not less, merit.

'Tis indeed beautiful. Nothing can compare to the honest, heartfelt expression of one's soul and emotions. For the sake of feedback, I'd suggest using fewer 'common' words, and trying to encapsulate as much meaning in individual words, or symbolism. Perhaps establishing a metre for fuller effect? However, in saying this, you've made a fine effort at incorporating allegories, alliteration, etc. A superb effort!

Banned for lack of banana. :|

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8Pyo-IfhyU

Awwww... Cute! 6.9/10 GO ON, TELL ME WHO I AM!

I AM JUST SOooOOooOOooOOO HUMBLE!

It totes works for me.

I'd like to see a bandit with a motive. Yes, I know; 'Coinage!'. Maybe a father trying to provide for a sick family, or some young hooligans peer-pressuring a new member into robbing an innocent for a sense of belonging; an entrepreneur in need of money to get his business off of the ground; a nervous, hypocritical cleric who has gambled away his church's tithes, and needs to cover up his sin. Just fit some human elements, rather than some bland, sadistic archetype. I think a factor in victims being so frustrated is that it's always the same, cookie-cutter ruffian.

Well. I don't feel I want to support this. I fear it might lead to separation, to which your counter-argument isn't all that great. I don't think it's a matter of middle ground as much as it is creating an 'us' and 'them'; or 'RP-fanatics' and 'PvP Meatheads'. I think the system is okay as it is; from my experience there isn't too much of a problem. However, if it is, or comes to be, I don't know that this is the best 'solution'. I respect your proposal, and appreciate the effort and consideration put into it. Maybe I just need further convincing ;P

Hmm... Thanks for the explanation. So, it's as if these zones would be RP-Default, eh?

I want to agree, but I feel this would be rather legalistic, restrictive, confusing for new players, and generally undesired. Could you provide some specific examples of the kind of PvP annoyances that happen currently that this would solve? I don't have much personal experience.

But then again, the other side does a have a point. I should clarify, in saying that it's not as if I believe that attention should suddenly be diverted from the main playerbases. However, I admire the resilience of such groups as the Fenn in the face of unwarranted mockery. From their example, it's clear that you shouldn't be relying upon any moderating team to ensure that you survive in this world. Rather, that's up to you and your group's creativity. If you want something other than almighty Oren, and can honestly provide something as fleshed-out, then, by all means, be the change that you want to see in the world. Don't make it a matter of "Oh, I'm small and new, therefore I need help," but rather a matter of emerging as a group that provides unique, enjoyable RP that will attract players. Realise that even these grand powers emerged from nowhere. Don't force an obligation upon someone; draw them in with honey. EDIT: And I don't agree with you to the extent that growing RP should be suppressed. In the same way that you expect newer groups to grow, allow existing groups to grow.

Mhmmm. I'd love to see some new powers rise up, but from what I've witnessed, when they try to, they get shut down because of some blatant OOC bias.

Whilst I suppose it could be interesting... I'm just not sure that it would be that great, aesthetically. I, for one, don't see myself visiting such an environment. Perhaps if you could provide some visual example of how this would look in-game. How does one make a giant, steaming, pile of trash look like something other than a giant, steaming, pile of trash? It does make me think of Raxus Prime in Star Wars. But still, I don't think that such a location could be good-looking in Minecraft.

Whilst I've read and support Lago's idea to an extent, I feel it stops short of giving mobs purpose as I have in this thread. As much as I wouldn't mind removing zombies and skeletons entirely, perhaps bar necromancer events, I can guess that such could be too extreme a change for those who enjoy PvE. Also, if we're trying to bring in new players, used to traditional Minecraft servers, then this might be too drastic for them. But these aren't exactly strong justifications not to. Whilst our problems could indeed be solved by simply removing mobs, it is a much more constructive feat to harness them. Also, we should remember that this is Minecraft, and straying too far from its basic mechanics would detract from one's experience - why should we use Minecraft as a medium if we're going to strip so much from it that it's barely the same game? I see immense benefit in finding the middle-ground between each different group - I have catered to the values of supporters of: - MC Mechanics - Peaceful RP - Wartime RP - Combat (PvE, PvPAntag) - Antagonist - Changes in 4.0 - Simple Changes - Lore - Logical Existence of Omnipresent Elements - PETAMMMELOTC - Mobs are harmlessly relocated, and are not murdered every night. - etc. etc. I stand firmly upon the idea of incorporating mobs into the LotC world, wherein they serve a strong, engaging, and practical purpose. They would vastly improve quality of RP in both their absence, and their concentrated presence. I do not exaggerate when I say that I can expect to be interrupted mid-RP by mobs a dozen times in a single LotC session. Maybe I and my acquaintance will fend them off; perhaps we'll both die. Either way, the flow of RP has just been devastated. Maybe someone will make a passing comment about the dangers of night, but more likely we'll ignore it. Either way, it's blatantly obvious that, in their current state, mobs do not contribute to RP. And still, I don't understand how this idea is falling short. Each thread addressing this issue seems to have built upon the last, resulting in a stronger idea each time. Lago's idea ( http://www.lordofthecraft.net/topic/92420-mob-replacement/?hl=reshuffle ) saw unanimous support, but was denied. Now that 4.0 is fast approaching, I feel this idea needs some staff feedback. I ask, again, for any arguments against, or any feedback from relevant staff. This topic may have slipped under the radar, but I feel it can only drastically improve our world. EDIT: I don't want to be a pain, but when I see developers glancing at the topic, I can only imagine how much peace-of-mind and/or valuable discussion could be gained from a simple comment.

NOT COOL, MAN! But I'll check it out..

I'll be honest, though I expect I'll tread on a few people's toes. I do apologise in advance. I'm relatively new, having come halfway through Anthos, and only really have get into the whole thing in the past few weeks. I have only ever gotten the impression that it's all the 'Aegis/Asulon veterans' wishing for undead or different maps through their rose-coloured lenses of nostalgia that have been the major complainers in the community. This leads me to believe that perhaps you yourselves were largely, in fact, the 'little kids' that swarmed to Minecraft. Not that this is a bad thing. Admittedly, you either knew of or discovered the wondrous world of role-playing, so maybe that justifies your distancing yourselves from the rest of the peons and plebs. Anyway, you approached Lord of he Craft, a fresh, rising server, with the enthusiasm and naïveté of young gamers. Over the years, you've gotten older, though. Now, you've experienced a few worlds, seen staff, players, and movements come and go; you've formed conventions and ideas of what works and what doesn't in this community - a confidence that is awesome in one respect, but double-edged. You think that you know it all, and that now, as you go through tough times, that it's a losing battle against those 'little kids' that you once were. Don't be pessimistic just because you're familiar with the server. Don't let this new maturity cause the development of elitism. Understand and appreciate the audience, however green in the ways of RP, that you're attracting. This is Minecraft, after all, and you're not going to draw in a great deal of experts, are you? Don't take it all too seriously, but have fun with this, and respect and care for each other. Whilst you've been busy pointing out problems with boundary-testers, trolls, and n00bs, I've endeavoured to put words to what I sense amongst the people of LotC. As an outsider, just recently breaking in, I see a tightly-knit community, strong and self-aware. You can't take for granted the infrastructure that has made so many friendships possible - just the functional interface of the forums impressed me, seeing many other messy, or empty ones for other servers. Through TeamSpeak and Skype groups, you've built bonds that are stronger than any average 'internet friendship'. Guys, be proud of who you are and what you've achieved; as your eyes are opened up with every candle on your birthday cake, remember the 'Eyes of a Virgin' with which you came to this world of LotC. Don't make it a matter of what 'other players' need to do. Don't rely on staff and event teams to provide you with the perfect opportunity to receive your RP fix; be, yourselves, the agents of change in a place where you see certain elements lacking. Realise the power of a few, dedicated individuals in their community. Don't be disillusioned by shiny tags or your lack thereof; you've got just as much potential as anyone else here. Resolve any petty disagreements, and realise what your priorities are here. Don't fall for the human lie that you need to take from others, and be dependant upon someone you might feel is more powerful for enjoyment; realise your own ability to share your creativity with others. I just want to remind you again, and finish on the encouraging note that every one of you is awesome, and with each of your idiosyncrasies, personalities - troll-ey, compassionate, mature, light-hearted, and otherwise, you each bring a unique flavour to making LotC an amazing place. Maybe this is just more speculation, just like every other post here. I'm sorry it's strange and somewhat off-track, but I feel it's worth expressing. Maybe I have no authority in saying this, as a newbie, but with every lovely development, and the blurring of the lines between IC and OOC conflict, I think it had to be addressed somehow, at some time. Maybe this means something to you; maybe it doesn't. Maybe that's a lesson in not making concrete statements about how the server is shrinking, or that there's no hope. Maybe, maybe, maybe... I like to think that there are no 'definites' when it comes to the future of this server - "the power lies in your hands". All I know for sure is that this took a helluva lot of time to type on an iPad, so cut me some slack if there are any mistakes.

Aemyn sniffs as he trots past the 'starving peasants' farmland'.