All Divine: What is your favorite part of doing events, either something in the planning stage or in the actual happening? From that, what is one event that you wish turned out different because of what could have happened as a result?
My favourite part personally is the brainstorming, both watching it and participating. Something we do when brainstorming events is going through the all the existing lore, bouncing ideas based off both what has and hasn't been done off everybody, and just coming up with some of the coolest stuff (a lot of which never sees the light of day).
Honestly, one of my fondest memories from my Eph days was, before I was a coder and was still a tiny little builder eph, coming up with a new area and the quest surrounding it. I started with a rough idea and bounced it off Estarra and fleshed it out a whole lot more based off that, then went to Drocilla for more advice on where to take it. Hilariously, it turns out Drocilla and I had come up with very similar ideas independently and actually spent about 4 hours going over Celestine Empire history, vernal gods, royal bloodlines, and cool little features to make the quest stand out. No spoilers, of course, because I still intend to release this some day (It's on my infamous todo list.)
A more recent example would be the Serenwilde event, specifically the bloodmoon. That was actually a last minute addition, but it ended up being a pivotal moment for the event. One of the Seren gods was trying to figure out what to do on one of the event days, and another piped in with "Have we ever done a bloodmoon?" which was met with a collective "No." It just went on from there between TeamSeren and an eph, like "Why would the moon be bloody?" which led to "How would the BBEG wound the moon", and they finally ended up with "the BBEG decapitates White Hart, pulls off one of the antlers, and stabs the manifestation of Moon with it." which is like the most metal thing ever and I pretty much instantly dedicated code support to making it happen.
But yeah, the brainstorming is one of my favourite things to both watch and participate in up here and I doubt that will ever change. I'll leave the other half of your question for literally anybody else to answer.
@Ayisdra There's so many parts of this that I love. One of them is what Ianir just mentioned - the brainstorming phase. You look at what you want to achieve or you have found some cool nugget of lore you want to explore, and you dive deep to make this work. And everything is clicking and working and happening, and you are simultaneously holding all of it in your head and fiddling with the pieces to see how they fit together. Much as I am devoted to Evernote, planning always happens on paper for me so I can sketch, cross things out, scribble obsessively.
And then comes the even better part. You mention it to someone, whether to merely share (we squeal over everything we do, like schoolgirls) or for feedback, and they suddenly have this Estarra moment when they say, "What if..." And the most amazing thing happens as a great idea is made greater still and it's like you are part of a hive mind. After working together for a while this happens quite often. We know what we each need, like, and how we think.
Another thing I enjoy a lot is getting to build on existing lore or using it. Just a few days ago I had to write something and, while reading lore materials referencing that same approximate time, had an idea to use one in the other. Without reading both texts back to back one might not even realise it's a throwback, but it is there and I am greatly amused by my own cleverness. Yes, part of the reason we do this is to think of ourselves as clever.
Yet another thing are the shenanigans involved in events. I did something to Magnagora that I knew, hoped, would elicit an emotional response and they, in turn, made it into something else entirely, something amazing. And now there is a Serf pinned to the ruins of the Bell-Tower yelling BINGBONG! at midnight. In addition to that, running events of any kind lets us draw on many influences from outside the game, things that we love. For example, I managed to pull off Magnagora's very own Dark Knight Rises moment with the Cogs in the Smog burning their symbol into one of the towers (slow reveal and all) and letting it burn in the night, kind of like when Batman comes back to the city. Coincidentally, the Dark Kni- Prince was revealed immediately afterwards. Finally following through on something you seeded 3 years ago is very rewarding - the idea of the Prince and how he is elected has been around that long!
And finally, I love last minute ideas that come while you are under pressure and, in theory, you don't have the time to do anything extra anymore but you do it anyways. Improv brings out the best in the team and there's nothing quite like arguing with yourself as a few mobs at once.
The only thing I would ever want to do differently is to have more time to explore more options or to do things more thoroughly (like have way more NPCs get involved). I am a great fan of "realism" in events, that is to say, I don't want to just write lines which say something exploded and then change its desc. I want the thing to freakin' explode. That means it and areas around it crumble, get cut off from the rest of the rooms, get deleted from the map, people in the rooms during the explosion die, people in surrounding rooms get knocked to the ground, rooms get rewritten, there are fires all around, etc etc. That takes time to program and I wish I had more of it.
Does ironrealm hire gods as employee's? it feels like yo do this for free. is @Ianir an employee?
Most of the Gods are volunteers, plain and simple. The only actual employees of IRE are all listed on: https://www.ironrealms.com/about-us/ (though the page hasn't been updated since Iosai stepped down)
Does ironrealm hire gods as employee's? it feels like yo do this for free. is @Ianir an employee?
Most of the Gods are volunteers, plain and simple. The only actual employees of IRE are all listed on: https://www.ironrealms.com/about-us/ (though the page hasn't been updated since Iosai stepped down)
@AllGods and @AllMortals: sum up your character's outlook on life or philosophy in one sentence.
Bumping both this question and the thread.
Everiine said: The reason population is low isn't because there are too many orgs. It's because so many facets of the game are outright broken and protected by those who benefit from it being that way. An overabundance of gimmicks (including game-breaking ones), artifacts that destroy any concept of balance, blatant pay-to-win features, and an obsession with convenience that makes few things actually worthwhile all contribute to the game's sad decline.
What would be the first thing your character did if they turned over to the "other" side, while keeping all of their current abilities? (i.e. Viravain in Seren and Lisaera in Glom, or Drocilla in Seren and Lisaera in Mag)
I've actually thought a lot about this because so many of us have very, very similar beliefs. When you strip away Viravain's insanity, for example, you're left with a worldview that is along the lines of "change and evolution are necessary when it comes to survival." That, in a nutshell, is what Lisaera promotes, too, but for a very, very different nation.
If Lisaera were to go to Magnagora, I think She would have had a serious change of heart regarding the elixir and what it may have meant for the world. Lisaera's a strong personality, however, so She wouldn't go quietly -- or without the guarantee that She would be on top. She knows She's powerful, and She already doesn't like to share Her secrets, so moving to a nation that has hated Her for centuries would only work if She could come in as the supreme.
Which would mean She would have had to steal all of @drocilla's wigs, because we know Her power is 70% hair.
When you strip away Viravain's insanity, for example, you're left with a worldview that is along the lines of "change and evolution are necessary when it comes to survival."
@Tremula - Czixi's first priority on getting to Magnagora (because make no mistake, that's the dark side she would be going to) would be finding Fain and working out what's going on with Morgfyre.
@Shaddus - When faced with an impossible dream of perfection, the only response is to fight for it.
I should have asked this a long time ago! @Czixi Which of Hallifax's gemstone flowers would be yours? Like Isune's bird of paradise flower, Jadice's frost flower/fractal flower, Zvoltz's silver arch flower and Elostian's glass flower with the blue fire.
"May this be the first of many new experiences for you, Heart of the Crescendo," Czixi says, smile quirking. "The future is an exciting place."
@Iytha - I had not heard of it before you asked, so alas that is not the reason I chose Welkin as a title. I was seeking a word that articulated both the symbology and theme of Czixi. Welkin does this very well - the archaism suits her, as well as the fact that it refers not only to the boundless sky but specifically to the highest reaches of the world.
I knew you'd be a Hallifaxian because welkin doilies. How weird is that
Everiine said: The reason population is low isn't because there are too many orgs. It's because so many facets of the game are outright broken and protected by those who benefit from it being that way. An overabundance of gimmicks (including game-breaking ones), artifacts that destroy any concept of balance, blatant pay-to-win features, and an obsession with convenience that makes few things actually worthwhile all contribute to the game's sad decline.
@Tremula I'm afraid most of the divine can't access the forums right now due to issues. However, I will just say Kethuru tops my list. Those tentacles, man.
Question for all divine (who can access the forums, anyway)... What do you miss most about being a mortal? (Sorry if this was already asked; I admit to not having read every single post.)
Comments
Honestly, one of my fondest memories from my Eph days was, before I was a coder and was still a tiny little builder eph, coming up with a new area and the quest surrounding it. I started with a rough idea and bounced it off Estarra and fleshed it out a whole lot more based off that, then went to Drocilla for more advice on where to take it. Hilariously, it turns out Drocilla and I had come up with very similar ideas independently and actually spent about 4 hours going over Celestine Empire history, vernal gods, royal bloodlines, and cool little features to make the quest stand out. No spoilers, of course, because I still intend to release this some day (It's on my infamous todo list.)
A more recent example would be the Serenwilde event, specifically the bloodmoon. That was actually a last minute addition, but it ended up being a pivotal moment for the event. One of the Seren gods was trying to figure out what to do on one of the event days, and another piped in with "Have we ever done a bloodmoon?" which was met with a collective "No." It just went on from there between TeamSeren and an eph, like "Why would the moon be bloody?" which led to "How would the BBEG wound the moon", and they finally ended up with "the BBEG decapitates White Hart, pulls off one of the antlers, and stabs the manifestation of Moon with it." which is like the most metal thing ever and I pretty much instantly dedicated code support to making it happen.
But yeah, the brainstorming is one of my favourite things to both watch and participate in up here and I doubt that will ever change. I'll leave the other half of your question for literally anybody else to answer.
And then comes the even better part. You mention it to someone, whether to merely share (we squeal over everything we do, like schoolgirls) or for feedback, and they suddenly have this Estarra moment when they say, "What if..." And the most amazing thing happens as a great idea is made greater still and it's like you are part of a hive mind. After working together for a while this happens quite often. We know what we each need, like, and how we think.
Another thing I enjoy a lot is getting to build on existing lore or using it. Just a few days ago I had to write something and, while reading lore materials referencing that same approximate time, had an idea to use one in the other. Without reading both texts back to back one might not even realise it's a throwback, but it is there and I am greatly amused by my own cleverness. Yes, part of the reason we do this is to think of ourselves as clever.
Yet another thing are the shenanigans involved in events. I did something to Magnagora that I knew, hoped, would elicit an emotional response and they, in turn, made it into something else entirely, something amazing. And now there is a Serf pinned to the ruins of the Bell-Tower yelling BINGBONG! at midnight. In addition to that, running events of any kind lets us draw on many influences from outside the game, things that we love. For example, I managed to pull off Magnagora's very own Dark Knight Rises moment with the Cogs in the Smog burning their symbol into one of the towers (slow reveal and all) and letting it burn in the night, kind of like when Batman comes back to the city. Coincidentally, the Dark Kni- Prince was revealed immediately afterwards. Finally following through on something you seeded 3 years ago is very rewarding - the idea of the Prince and how he is elected has been around that long!
And finally, I love last minute ideas that come while you are under pressure and, in theory, you don't have the time to do anything extra anymore but you do it anyways. Improv brings out the best in the team and there's nothing quite like arguing with yourself as a few mobs at once.
The only thing I would ever want to do differently is to have more time to explore more options or to do things more thoroughly (like have way more NPCs get involved). I am a great fan of "realism" in events, that is to say, I don't want to just write lines which say something exploded and then change its desc. I want the thing to freakin' explode. That means it and areas around it crumble, get cut off from the rest of the rooms, get deleted from the map, people in the rooms during the explosion die, people in surrounding rooms get knocked to the ground, rooms get rewritten, there are fires all around, etc etc. That takes time to program and I wish I had more of it.
Bumping both this question and the thread.
His outlook now? make money to make more money!
@shaddus:
Change, in a natural sense, is the edifying constant in a world of abstracts, and all whom acknowledge this will know the wisdom of the pure world.
What would be the first thing your character did if they turned over to the "other" side, while keeping all of their current abilities? (i.e. Viravain in Seren and Lisaera in Glom, or Drocilla in Seren and Lisaera in Mag)
Ixion tells you, "// I don't think anyone else had a clue, amazing form."
I've actually thought a lot about this because so many of us have very, very similar beliefs. When you strip away Viravain's insanity, for example, you're left with a worldview that is along the lines of "change and evolution are necessary when it comes to survival." That, in a nutshell, is what Lisaera promotes, too, but for a very, very different nation.
If Lisaera were to go to Magnagora, I think She would have had a serious change of heart regarding the elixir and what it may have meant for the world. Lisaera's a strong personality, however, so She wouldn't go quietly -- or without the guarantee that She would be on top. She knows She's powerful, and She already doesn't like to share Her secrets, so moving to a nation that has hated Her for centuries would only work if She could come in as the supreme.
Which would mean She would have had to steal all of @drocilla's wigs, because we know Her power is 70% hair.
@Shaddus - When faced with an impossible dream of perfection, the only response is to fight for it.
@Czixi Which of Hallifax's gemstone flowers would be yours? Like Isune's bird of paradise flower, Jadice's frost flower/fractal flower, Zvoltz's silver arch flower and Elostian's glass flower with the blue fire.
https://estelss16.deviantart.com/, visit if interested.
The Soulless. Least to most dateable. Same thing for the other (active) Elders, if you want to have a laugh.
Ixion tells you, "// I don't think anyone else had a clue, amazing form."
Soulless: Momma Illith, Crazen, Kethuru, Muud, Zenos.
(Top Five-ish) Elders: Czixi/Drocilla, Lisaera, Yomoigu, Mysrai, Nocht
Soulless: Crazen, Illith, Zenos, Kethuru, Muud.
Elders: Drocilla, Kalikai, Yomoigu, Viravain, Mysrai
Soulless (most to least): Illith, for sure; Draxbaylock if she still existed; Zenos; Muud; Kethuru; Crazen.
As for Elders, wouldn't you like to know?
Question for all divine (who can access the forums, anyway)... What do you miss most about being a mortal? (Sorry if this was already asked; I admit to not having read every single post.)