Best Of

Re: Standalone NameDB

While you could theoretically disable curing entirely, you're going to have to jump through many hoops to do it and there is no guarantee that it will actually work. To be honest, mmf is a giant mess with a lot of the core functionality hidden away across multiple source files (likely due to its closed source beginnings) that the average player would probably have no idea how to change. A lot of the other things that people often use like the do system are still very tightly coupled with the curing system. From a coder's point of view, mmf comes with a lot of code bloat that will no longer be necessary so I don't see why the end goal wouldn't be to drop mmf completely.

Falaeron

5

Re: Lusternian Divine AMA

One thing that's hardly bothersome, but a bit questionable, at times is whether or not people remember the vast scale that does exist between a player and a god. While some Elders are very social and very relatable - Mysrai is an alien entity who confuses and concerns even other Divine. While it made more sense when I was still rebuilding my order, I find it a little confusing when people show up in my fulcrux to ask me questions directly (or linger in my fulcrux, leave, and repeat until I pop in on them eventually). Especially when their questions turn out to be things that could easily have been directed towards my order heads!

While Mysrai finds mortals amusing and entertaining, to a point, that point quickly arrives when Their attention is drawn away for something that they would consider...foolish. Some questions, such as those relating to Their history with other Elders or questions not many have thought to ask before, end up getting an answer and maybe some later interaction based around it. Others are put in the danger zone, where it's made clear to them that they have to entertain, or risk facing the wrath of a mind whose baseline is understanding a thousand paradigms at once. (I love them all as a player, though, it gives me little heart-eyes to be able to see players squirm or get spooked!)

I have! When @Zitto specifically came to ask me about the poppy, I realised my answer was not one that satisfied me. With a little bit of fancy wordplay, I led him into insulting me so that way I could leave him punished for a month. This gave me enough time to research, talk with Maylea, read her Book, and formulate what I thought was an appropriate answer to it. That took about three days. The rest of the time I spent researching Zitto himself, and planning the scene that he recently posted to the Event Scrolls subsection of the forums (here!) - how I could most unsettle him and show him exactly who he was dealing with.

I love these innovative questions, because I personally believe that any time you can get an admin to pause before answering, you are deserving of a little "over-the-top" in your answer. Whether Mysrai whisks you away to a magical land of poppies and cupcakes or breaks your mind? Well...maybe visit a Paradigmaticist before you approach Them.

Mysrai

9

Re: Lusternian AMA

Terentia said:

More questions... this time at midnight!

What is one thing you would say to a player character who no longer plays?
What is one thing about the old guilds that you really miss?
What is one thing about the new guilds that you really enjoy?
What is one plot thread that you feel never got tied up (this could be a major one or a small one)?
What is one figure from history that you would love to learn more about?
This is a selfish question: Unlike some of my fellows, I don't really like "appearing" all of a sudden to a player and RPing with them (either through motes or being visible); but I feel like it makes me miss out on so many experiences. How do you like to experience your roleplay? Side-question to this question: how important is visibility (note, there is a distinction between visibility and activity) for you, esp. in relation to god roleplay?

1) Can't think of anyone since Sapphira started, really

2) Sapphira wasn't in old guilds but as an old player i was - and what i miss is the sense of unity. Skills translated to more than just abilities and most guilds felt much more...well united, in purpose and ideals and goals. New guilds are deliberately broader but in that they have lost a lot of what made guild special in the first place.

3) i do love that a task system exists, and the ability to promote instead of needing a thousand favours to increase rank. Also patron requests, and the new guild halls seem pretty awesome.

4) Man. Well. Technically my last order promotion task is incomplete some...forever months later. A question half answered - Sapphira would definitely love to wrap that up and stop feeling like she a)failed it or b)is not really entitled to her rank. ALSO! As others have said - resolution to things that happened a little before me or as i started but are mysteries in limbo, like the unnamed artist and the people in the Mag jail cell. A few other little order things.

5) i'd love to meet a female d'Vanecu - but in general family history, yes! Also Jamilah in the Magnagoran tea house, i feel like there's a lot more to learn about her and that it would all be epic.

6) Feeling like you're noticed would be a big thing for me. I see logs of people mostly in other orgs and they are getting all sorts of rp from gods and npcs left right and centre, cross orgs and from home and admittedly I sit here in Magnagora and think how nice it would be to get a passing headpat or even the occasional npc piping up on ct or something. I love our divine and am not trying to insinuate they don't rp or aren't active (let's face it, very likely to just be me) but it feels very lonely sometimes! I don't think it always needs to be a god in the flesh, though sometimes for sure, but even just Their voice, or through a priest/npc, or completely unrelated to a divine...much like Kailanna said, it makes it feel more immersive and you'd be surprised how much a line or two of unexpected rp can make our day.

Sapphira

6

Re: Announce Post #3074: August 2020 Artbard Results

Yaaay, Afrit.

Everyone please read his story.

Nepenthe

6

Re: Announce Post #3074: August 2020 Artbard Results

Eee, my first submission EVER and I get merit. *Gleedance*

Faythe

10

Announce Post #3074: August 2020 Artbard Results

Congratulations to our Artisanal and Bardic winners from August!

If you want to join them for September, make sure you make your submissions by the end of this month. HELP ARTBARD explains exactly how to submit. This month, enjoy submitting - and viewing! - through our brand new system (see Announce 3072).

==( Bardic Winner )==
Afrit

==( Bardic Runners-up )==
Sapphira and Eldrac

==( Bardic Merit )==
Coraline, Zitto, Uzriel, and Faythe

==( Artisanal Winner )==
Gurashi

==( Artisanal Runners-up )==
Kyalrhin

==( Artisanal Merit )==
Esei and Lendren

You can find direct links to all of these entries on our latest website post.

Autoposter

9

Re: Lusternian AMA

Dear Mrak, the family villa is now home to the Mrak n'Kylbar Memorial Gardens. Both in honor of your memory, and because I know you would hate to see a 30 foot iron statue of yourself, and it functions as a last act of revenge for you leaving.
TWO things, because I have at least two. 1, LOTS of Nihilist identity - much deeper involvement with each of the Demon Lords, more ceremony for things like pacts, and so on, a bunch of little details about how the Nihilists interacted with each other. and 2, the Progression of Blood (aka graduation ceremony). Part RP, part mechanic built into a chamber in the Nihilist tower. Would very much like to see something like this worked into the new guilds.
So much FLEXIBILITY. We were really limited with what we could do and affect in the old guilds, and there are almost no limits on how we can build the new ones, aside from time and effort. Much greater flexibility in roleplay as well.
I feel like there was a mysterious painting in Mag by a mysterious painter that we were trying to find clues about and I honestly cannot remember whether we wrapped that up...
The first Warlord, obviously. No bias.
Have to agree with those saying activity is more important than visibility. Visibility is a tough thing to balance, but I think there's a certain value in a bit of shock and awe when a god shows up. If they're around all the time having tea, its less impactful, but if they're never around, people lose interest and wander off. Mortals have short attention spans. Followup, I also think random unexpected interactions with NPCs are just as important as interacting with gods, if not more. One of the things that really drew me when I first started playing was that when you feel like any one of the NPCs could start talking and pursuing their own agendas and interests at any time, the whole world feels more like a living world instead of a computer game. Something like Ardrak chiming in while chatting with a novice makes a big difference in how that novice is going to look at the city. Is this a person, or a pez dispenser that coughs up skills and really likes the word "history"?

Kailanna

6

Re: Marythen ritual: Lendren Starfall

Follow-up!
https://pastebin.com/BWdPwkwJ

Lendren

7

Re: Lusternian AMA

Terentia said:

More questions... this time at midnight!

What is one thing you would say to a player character who no longer plays?
What is one thing about the old guilds that you really miss?
What is one thing about the new guilds that you really enjoy?
What is one plot thread that you feel never got tied up (this could be a major one or a small one)?
What is one figure from history that you would love to learn more about?
This is a selfish question: Unlike some of my fellows, I don't really like "appearing" all of a sudden to a player and RPing with them (either through motes or being visible); but I feel like it makes me miss out on so many experiences. How do you like to experience your roleplay? Side-question to this question: how important is visibility (note, there is a distinction between visibility and activity) for you, esp. in relation to god roleplay?

1. N/A
2. I can't help but feel like there was probably a lot of roleplay and class development that got lost from the old guilds. Are there lots of Nihilist or Geomancer books about their brands of faith that were essentially lost with the conversion? I wasn't in them but it feels like that must have been the case.
3. I think the guilds have a lot of potential to add new layers of depth and roleplay. I feel like there's some work that needs to be done still to develop it though.
4. Ghani's flunkies. Nirena, Melothi, Moana, and Sirsia are still languishing away in Mag's prison waiting for something to happen to them. (Sirsia as a Society scientist would be perfect! Melothi made undead plz.)
5. More d'Vanecu history! Still don't know yet what race they were pretaint, or what sort of form their spirituality was before the taint. Were they Light worshippers? Fatalists?
6. Visibility now and then is nice, but I definitely prefer activity. If an admin feels more comfortable interacting through NPC's instead of their godrole I don't mind that at all, and as some mentioned even if its the same admin player controlling the role, NPC's can feel more approachable for players. I can imagine for admin with more intense roles its less pressure on them and might be more enjoyable for the admin too. As a side note, I actually thought this was an interesting question to see admin to ask phrased the way it was. There's definitely a subset of players that feel like they might be missing out on roleplay because they don't always advertise it as loudly as some who get a lot of attention do.

Uzriel

7

Re: Lusternian AMA

Terentia said:

Since I can't go to sleep, time to revive this thread!

What are your favorite easter eggs (or maybe just weird secrets) in the game
For those of you who have been playing a long time, how much has your character evolved and how much do you feel you have evolved since you started?
If we had some sort of Freaky Friday situation happen, what is the org that you would find your character in that is radically different than the one they are in now, and why?
What are your favorite items (both personal/customised and not)?

1. Like Sapphira said the top of the clocktower room and how you can get blown off and smack your head into the Megalith is awesome. Also the room description changes based on if it is day or night. Anytime I notice something or time-based ambient (so many sunrise/sunset rooms in mag) like that I love it. There's also tons of hidden responses from the nobles in the Presidio (and freaking nighthawks in the sky which I never noticed until last week).

2. It's probably more subtle than people would have noticed, but at first Uzriel's mad-scientist routine meant he actively looked down on magic/rituals. He's since found religion and sees how they can be combined together.

3. The most amusing answer is probably Celest. Where Uzriel would apply his amoral scientific mind to trying to revive one of the Holy Celestine Empire's doomed soulless related projects.

4. This is a tough one! For customized, probably my gnome weapon turned into a geochemantic mask - though I may want to retouch it to be a skull (family symbol) instead of the bird-style plague mask along with a custom weapon. Non-customized would be the medallion of knowledge.

Uzriel

5