Best Of

Lanyip said:

Unrelated to earlier discussion but it would be preferable at least from the player side if reports were submittal all the time with limits in place and just dealt with when the resources were free. Would allow for more gradual changes rather than ramming everything you've thought up in the last 6 months in in the 15 or so days that changes can be put forward. There are so many things that need slight tweaks and updates but not the time to gradually roll and test stuff out. 

A few of classes/skills do just need special reports due to datedness and the inability to fix them with one off little adjustments over time.

This is kinda how envoys were done before - each envoy (every guild had a separate envoy position) would be able to submit one report a month. Over time, as resources shrink, reports would be submitted and would take months, if not years, to do after being accepted (of which it may have took months to be accepted). So they decided to change to the current system. Now, we basically do reports once a year (or close to it) but they get done within 1-2 months (and there are ~100 reports submitted each cycle due to everyone getting 3 slots).

I just want to take a minute and explain our position on reports and report comments here.

All players deserve to be heard. We've always said that outside a very few specific things, players should be able to report anything they want to report. We have guidelines for how to write reports and what is more likely to get a report accepted listed in HELP WRITING REPORTS. 

The same goes for comments on reports. Players should feel like they can make their opinion heard. If they're commenting with inaccurate information or with 'bad faith' arguments (I don't know that many players actually are engaging in bad faith), it should be easy enough to correct them with proof. Though, your report should be explaining the details of the mechanics you're reporting enough to help combat those inaccuracies early (as per HELP WRITING REPORTS).

We also have stated that reporting skills/abilities that you fight against have a higher bar to gain acceptance than reporting your own skills. We encourage people to reach across the battlefield and work with those players to come to amicable changes. Doing so is more likely to result in a report getting accepted than trying to force changes upon them. 

Report and comments have been anonymous so that players can focus on what the report is about rather than who posted the report. They are anonymous so they can focus on what the comment is saying rather than who is saying the comment. I've seen quite a few players make assumptions on who is saying what comments or who reported what that are entirely offbase and inaccurate. If you're concerned about who is saying something, you need to step back and re-evaluate how you are approaching reports. If you think something is wrong or in bad faith, it should be easy enough to debunk their reports/comments with substance rather than just dismissing them because of who you -think- said it. Again, you're probably wrong. 

Lastly, the only time I'm going to get involved and remove comments or remove reports is when they have become insulting or disrespectful. It should be easy enough to get your point across without resorting to insults or saying things like 'this report is ridiculous' or 'this report is garbage' (both examples of comments I've deleted). As a PSA, I try to be as even-handed as possible when doing this but I'm human and probably don't catch everything so if you think a comment is really rude, insulting, or disrespectful, feel free to message me and I'll look at it and react accordingly. It usually has to be pretty obvious for me to remove it. I'm not going to remove comments that just say things like 'this isn't needed' etc as long as they are not resorting to insults etc.

Lantra said:

Back with more AMA questions!

1. What is the best gift your character has received, and why?
2. What makes your character the villain in someone else's story? 
3. If your character was listed on TV Tropes, which entries would they be listed under?

1. I still really like Saran's Ae epithet from Elcryion (kept it up for like 16 years) even if no one else actually knows what it means.
2. The certain faith that Serenwilde is right and all the other nations are wrong. I don't think it's even really much of a secret that Saran would quite happily see every other nation in the basin destroyed because in his ideal world there are only Seren-like nature communes living in harmony with the different natural spaces they call home.
3. Maybe Blue-and-Orange Morality along with the belief he'd be The Extremist was Right/Well-Intentioned Extremist. Nature Hero where Nature is not Nice who would actively work towards bringing about Gaia's Vengeance Proper and kinda thinks the ultimate goal for mortals should be to find a path to become a Nature Spirit either in the footsteps of the Ancestors or Glinshari.

Lantra said:

Back with more AMA questions!

1. What is the best gift your character has received, and why?
2. What makes your character the villain in someone else's story? 
3. If your character was listed on TV Tropes, which entries would they be listed under?

1. Galaphyrae's and Saran's trust, for [-redacted-]. A poem from [---].
2. Uselessly neutral politically. Fanatic zealot defender of forest and fae. Keeping other villains alive. Is actually a Crone. Some are opposites, but this is my guess at how she's perceived by different people.
3. This is the one that should have the imp grin next to it, how evil. Colour-Coded for Your Convenience. Honour Thy Parent, _ Father with a Lost Lenore. Rivalry Courtship. Beware the _ Ones.

Lantra said:

Back with more AMA questions!

1. What is the best gift your character has received, and why?
2. What makes your character the villain in someone else's story? 
3. If your character was listed on TV Tropes, which entries would they be listed under?

1) Uzriel gifted Sapphira with a fountain pen gnome weapon when she was just his promising protege (which eventually became a paintbrush) that was like an investment in her and her dreams of artistry, I still love it.

2) Existing? Aside from the general viscanti/Magnagoran/Drocillan/Coven, being a generally shady/cutting distant type person.

3) Without looking through the website (ohmygod so many) there's the whole cold/arrogant exterior covering up for squishy insides that she doesn't like people to know about.

Lantra said:

Back with more AMA questions!

1. What is the best gift your character has received, and why?
2. What makes your character the villain in someone else's story? 
3. If your character was listed on TV Tropes, which entries would they be listed under?

1. Lavinya sent me a Luciphage doll at a time when they were -impossible- to find, pretty sure they weren't showing up in doll packages so only old ones were around.
2. Let's see. Uzriel is a Magnagoran, Necromancer, mad scientist, Drocillian, Bloodtide Coven member, etc. Nope, I can't think of any reason. If anybody considers him a villain it's them not me.
3. I don't really want to spend an afternoon diving into TV Tropes, so I will just say plenty I'm sure.