Rip Van Winkell

[The Sociologist]

Sociologist, I have no idea who you suspect of tweaking your characters, or having a vendetta against chars in New Xanth. I really hope whoever it is is no longer on staff, as the GAB is not aware of any of these issues or suspicions, other than what you've said on here. And this happened what, a year ago?

Well, Thomas was sublimely uninterested in investigating it at the time, but yeah, all that is old history. I just pointed it out as part of a pattern of steps taken to drive certain kinds of players from the game in order to create the kind of Cantr we have today. The biggest loss was Nick, though. I'm still battling to get over that one.

You know, today a character of mine died. Named "blimp1", part of a new series. Hadn't got a real name yet...I delay naming until I figure out what the character should be about. Anyhow, he spawned on Burgeo. Life expectancy about 4 days but he lasted 6 or so. Now what do I see:

"ERROR: You exceeded the maximum number of characters. You have had at least one young character die recently who is still using one of your character slots. A new character slot should be available in 40 days time."

How much more do you guys want me to hate this game? How much more shit are you going to shovel in my face?

[west]

How much more shit are you going to shovel in my face?

How much more are you going to swallow?

[Phalynx]

Yeah but Sociologist the 40 day rule that you have just hit was introduced to stop certain players *tries hard not to look at Surly* who were quite blatant in admitting that if they didn't like their skill set they would engage in suicidal theft and the like... The measure was introduced to stop this happening - this may have a lot more to do with why some high profile players have good fighters and draggers... it was a change I was in favour of... life shouldn't be cheap..

[the_antisocial_hermit]

Yeah but Sociologist the 40 day rule that you have just hit was introduced to stop certain players *tries hard not to look at Surly* who were quite blatant in admitting that if they didn't like their skill set they would engage in suicidal theft and the like... The measure was introduced to stop this happening - this may have a lot more to do with why some high profile players have good fighters and draggers... it was a change I was in favour of... life shouldn't be cheap..

Since when did Surly admit such a thing? HF said he would have spawn ad run thieves just to see how far they went but didn't say he'd do it because of their skill set. I don't recall anyone admitting it was because of being unsatisfied with their skills that they did this (not that there aren't some out there, but I don't think anyone admitted it).

[Surly]

Okay, Phalynx... I don't care if you don't like me, or have a problem with me... but don't you dare EVER accuse me of cheating without any evidence at all. I know I can't just kill off my chars despite the fact their skills seriously reduce the enjoyment of playing them, and I have NEVER engaged in any kind of suicidal newspawn behaviour. In fact, until a month ago I had 14 chars over the age of 65... not exactly the age set for a player who kills off the chars who's skills he dislikes, is it?

Make very, very sure you have some evidence before you try and put words in my mouth again.

[Doug R.]

Can we please have the sociologist's comparison request processed and presented to put this issue at rest?

[Cookie]

Me thinks somebody here is a sore looser.

[Duckers]

I don't know what to think, anymore...

[Phalynx]

Surly I'm looking at you because if I start to make comments about particular players you will jump all over me for making it personal.

To be clear, in no way did I mean to imply you would engage in anything like that, as far as I know I've never even met a character of yours IG!

I've just about had it with this board sometimes..

[The Sociologist]

Yeah but Sociologist the 40 day rule that you have just hit was introduced to stop certain players [...] who were quite blatant in admitting that if they didn't like their skill set they would engage in suicidal theft and the like... The measure was introduced to stop this happening - this may have a lot more to do with why some high profile players have good fighters and draggers... it was a change I was in favour of... life shouldn't be cheap..

Right, so what do we have here? We have dissatisfaction on the part of certain players and this expresses itself as an in-game pathology. We also have a prejudice against suicide, which is partly the staff trying to force players to play whatever character they get dished up with, but partly also a situation that feeds into our Western aversion to suicide.

However, that is an OOC cultural import into the game. Why did nobody try other in-game solutions? For example a temple of suicide. You character says a few ritual words, walks into the temple, and the townsfolk follow behind and in a sense of charity and helpfulness give him a few hard whacks to help him on his way to a better life hereafter. Soulful flute music plays in the background.

No, instead we get characters in Drojf who forcefeed anyone who tries to drop their food. And the new system? Staff have reinvented the Catholic idea of Purgatory! Forty days of thoroughly Catholic purgatory before you get to go the Buddhist route and are reincarnated as a newspawn.

If this was a Japanese game I'm pretty sure there'd be some kind of shrine object and you could just click on it to start a project of disembowelling yourself with a bone knife! These interventions in the game are not neutral in any sense.

[west]

Yeah but Sociologist the 40 day rule that you have just hit was introduced to stop certain players [...] who were quite blatant in admitting that if they didn't like their skill set they would engage in suicidal theft and the like... The measure was introduced to stop this happening - this may have a lot more to do with why some high profile players have good fighters and draggers... it was a change I was in favour of... life shouldn't be cheap..

Right, so what do we have here? We have dissatisfaction on the part of certain players and this expresses itself as an in-game pathology. We also have a prejudice against suicide, which is partly the staff trying to force players to play whatever character they get dished up with, but partly also a situation that feeds into our Western aversion to suicide.

However, that is an OOC cultural import into the game. Why did nobody try other in-game solutions? For example a temple of suicide. You character says a few ritual words, walks into the temple, and the townsfolk follow behind and in a sense of charity and helpfulness give him a few hard whacks to help him on his way to a better life hereafter. Soulful flute music plays in the background.

No, instead we get characters in Drojf who forcefeed anyone who tries to drop their food. And the new system? Staff have reinvented the Catholic idea of Purgatory! Forty days of thoroughly Catholic purgatory before you get to go the Buddhist route and are reincarnated as a newspawn.

If this was a Japanese game I'm pretty sure there'd be some kind of shrine object and you could just click on it to start a project of disembowelling yourself with a bone knife! These interventions in the game are not neutral in any sense.

Which is why there's one of those in ever Final Fantasy, Mario, or Zelda game, right?

[Mykey]

The charming message

[Marian]

Is it okay if I steal the temple idea the next time I make a char?

[Surly]

Surly I'm looking at you because if I start to make comments about particular players you will jump all over me for making it personal.

To be clear, in no way did I mean to imply you would engage in anything like that, as far as I know I've never even met a character of yours IG!

I've just about had it with this board sometimes..

Then my apologies... you did kinda make it seem that you meant me...

Nevermind... let's just move on from that...

[Black Canyon]

However, that is an OOC cultural import into the game. Why did nobody try other in-game solutions? For example a temple of suicide. You character says a few ritual words, walks into the temple, and the townsfolk follow behind and in a sense of charity and helpfulness give him a few hard whacks to help him on his way to a better life hereafter. Soulful flute music plays in the background.

No, instead we get characters in Drojf who forcefeed anyone who tries to drop their food.

Try this. Go out into the middle of a crowded area in your community and then make an overt suicidal gesture. Then let's see how long it takes before the police come and take you to the hospital to lock you up for your own safety. Better yet..... do the same in front of your family and friends and see if they're likely to play some flute music and help you along your way.

The response that your character got in Drojf was the natural human response to someone who appeared to be disturbed and behaving in a self-harming way, someone who was a long-time member of a community that had already suffered painful losses of loved-ones through starvation. I realize that you enjoy looking at these situations from a detached perspective.... but I suggest to you that from a purely human standpoint what occurred was a normal response, not something that was symptomatic of some insidious in-game pathology. Clearly if your character truly wanted to be left alone to quietly starve he could have easily done so by going into a building or being less dramatic and obvious as he dumped his food all over the town square.

Rather than criticizing other character behaviors and reactions because they are not what you like, perhaps you should consider modifying your own.