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Major Nexus Update Coming

We're finally ready to give a sneak peek at our next project. Our team has spent the last year rewriting Nexus from the ground up. The new version will include several exciting features. Read on and learn what to expect and check out a few screenshots to see how things are progressing.

Here is the shortlist of the new features:

Mobile, stand-alone versions of the client for Android and iOS.
A stand-alone desktop version. No need to play in your browser.
Edit settings while not logged into your character.
Add characters to the client to easily manage them.
Auto-login options. Especially handy on mobile.
Add and play third-party games to the client. Yes, you will be able to play almost any MUD from the Nexus client.
Settings save on the cloud across all clients. Edit your settings on the desktop version and use them in the mobile app.
All IRE games can be played in a single client.
The client is faster and more responsive.
Settings from your current characters are automatically ported to the new client. They are stored separately, so don't worry about corrupting your setups in the current version of Nexus.

Here is a link to a few screenshots: https://imgur.com/a/FulHaT3

We will be releasing the browser, desktop, and android versions within the next few weeks for you to start experimenting with. The iOS version is about ready as well, we just have to finish jumping through the hoops to get it listed.

Iashe

Re: Serenwilde - Purpose of a Festival, of Ritual

(Serenwilde): A carefree elfen lady says, "I, too, find myself looking forward to the final rites of the Festival. Mother Moon has just begun to wax in the sky - these next few days will be auspicious, I think."

Ritual: Raising Bramble-Guardians and Keyne's Closing Poem

Xiran

Re: Serenwilde - Purpose of a Festival, of Ritual

Honour ancestral memory
By your role in dark pageantry.
Gather we in Misty Vale
To relive a dreadful tale
Of civil strife in once-sealed past.
Sickles swing and votes are cast--
Will you be among the last?

Xiran

Re: Magnagora's Contemptibles

Shango said:

If you wait a bit, I am working on an unofficial Path for contemptibles for just that very reason >_> Got some flak for my desire to do so, but tis my Guild so do what I want. Teaching a potentially new player, who is a race unable to progress normally, how to still be useful and engaged is an ideal I have in mind for it. But you are not neglected at least...just hadn't really come up as a concern before to need such a path, then the latest drama that had happened, etc etc. But I AM working on it, only have a rough idea of about 4 ranks out of the 10 so far. Also with varying titles starting with the Fledgling then Contemptible, progressing to Despicable, before moving towards better quality. Dreadlord of Scourge, or Scourgelord being a good match for the 10th rank to match the other Paths Dreadlord while being unique enough to stand out and still reflect the work put in. Just need a bit of time, and maybe IG help towards such.

Make Fain have a player again Would work well to fix such things, could even RP with Him to earn exceptional status, maybe through service, combat prowess, whatever, and be able to progress as normal if starting as contemptible to get the best of both RPs including the 'redemption' aspect?

Sorry.

I really didn't mean for it to come across like you weren't doing enough, because you have been great. Mostly I wanted an answer to this particular way I've felt about the whole thing, especially with recent drama.

Loralai

Re: Magnagora's Contemptibles

demonnic said:

Just my 2 cents, but the actual people on the other side of the screen should be more important than anyone's roleplay, at all times. No one disagrees. And when actual people come out and say they actually feel bad about things which are happening to them based on discriminatory roleplay, that should be more important than preserving that discrimination in a game which is meant to be fun for everyone involved. Agreed in general, hence an attempt at solutions. Though, there is a difference between walking into this situation blindly versus wanting your way after intentionally choosing a thing. RP decisions have consequences. And that's without even getting into the whole "there's enough of this bad crap in my real life I don't need it in my vidya games" side of things. Yeah that's a bit out in left field here. Sure, escapes are important, but if you want a 100% escape don't choose a conflict riddled game.

"You can buy your way out of it" doesn't seem like a great answer, even when followed with "Or someone else might buy your way out of it for you" That's nonsensical to me. A tiny expense to enjoy things your way is reasonable. Players design and customize a hundred things, this is essentially just one more.

I know I personally steer clear of Mag because play pretend discrimination and meanness towards actual people (or their characters) isn't any more fun to me than the real life sort, giving or receiving. If you don't play in Magnagora, spreading hearsay doesn't seem productive- I don't see any discrimination to actual people. IC is not OOC, which many struggle to differentiate. Mag has been pretty amazingly drama free and supportive to its own for years now. I just feel like these sorts of things come up too often and the response is often "but our ArPee" or "Justification #5 by Chanel" or "just buy a racehat and cheat the system like the rest of us" and none of those actually feel like they're helping the situation which culminated in someone feeling bad enough about something they dared risk the forums to talk about it. People sharing their feelings is so crucial. And, disagreement with a certain aspect of an opinion does not denote invalidation of their feelings. Anyhow, yes this topic does come up once in a while, even sometimes when someone doesn't get their way. There are solutions in this thread beyond a race hat. Also, I know the older Mags are tired of dealing with this situation because we enjoy being supportive and helpful especially to newer players. Progress would be a win-win for everyone involved, but that poses 2 problems: 1) Banning races mechanically restricts RP (there's always going to be someone who wants to play how they want to play. Restricting that has its own downside. 2) It creates tension since admin would have to implement the ban (Mag could ban I suppose, but we don't like dissuading anyone from anywhere); surely it sets an awkward recent precedent and situation. I can recall certain other admin restrictive step-ins regarding org population dynamics that were highly disliked in times past.

Maybe that makes me a snowflake Literally no one suggested you as such, why even say this? , but mostly I think it just means I care about people and their feelings more than the game or its story. Ok- caring about both is just fine too. And when I saw another thread from another person saying the racial discrimination in the city feels inflexible and is hitting the feelsbadman button, I felt like I have to point out that this is starting to look like a pattern, and one which involves people feeling hurt or upset and perhaps that means it's a pattern worth breaking. One can certainly and easily choose to avoid it, but that's fair.

Edited to Add: And if the RP is only important at such a superficial level that everyone's just buying their way around it anyway, maybe it's not actually that important? You're right, some contemptible RP is not terribly important when weighed against the cohesion of Magnagora. That's the big picture, which I think you're missing entirely. Do your thing, but when someone tries to threaten Mag unity/policy through force, expect to get kicked into oblivion (like a certain urchin). There's a big difference between having a frustration about a certain RP, and trying to dictate to an org. The buying around it as you say, it's a way to have your cake and eat it too. However, stirring drama is to be put down like a lame horse. City drama is stomped out hard no matter the source. We enjoy unity and plagues, though not necessarily unity plague.

Loralai thanks for your responses that seem more than reasonable. I think you make valid points, and I doubt Magnagorans would die on the hill of being resistant to change generally. Change is quite literally.... our thing. If a ban was too heavy-handed, certainly an informational note on character creation like aforementioned about the RP may go a long way to avoid frustration. I think we all can agree more can be done to reduce frustrations, verily.

Zagreus

Re: Magnagora's Contemptibles

If you wait a bit, I am working on an unofficial Path for contemptibles for just that very reason >_> Got some flak for my desire to do so, but tis my Guild so do what I want. Teaching a potentially new player, who is a race unable to progress normally, how to still be useful and engaged is an ideal I have in mind for it. But you are not neglected at least...just hadn't really come up as a concern before to need such a path, then the latest drama that had happened, etc etc. But I AM working on it, only have a rough idea of about 4 ranks out of the 10 so far. Also with varying titles starting with the Fledgling then Contemptible, progressing to Despicable, before moving towards better quality. Dreadlord of Scourge, or Scourgelord being a good match for the 10th rank to match the other Paths Dreadlord while being unique enough to stand out and still reflect the work put in. Just need a bit of time, and maybe IG help towards such.

Make Fain have a player again

Would work well to fix such things, could even RP with Him to earn exceptional status, maybe through service, combat prowess, whatever, and be able to progress as normal if starting as contemptible to get the best of both RPs including the 'redemption' aspect?

Shango

Re: QUOTES 8: THE QUOTING

Llani's melodic voice sings into your mind, "If you mail the leaves to someone, is it the letter of the law?"
---

Llani's melodic voice sings into your mind, "If a bookshelf falls on you, are you liburied?"
---

You quickly break open a cookie, palming an ethereal mantle of the Fae and a strip of paper and stuffing the broken cookie in your mouth.
You quickly read the paper in your hands: Could I get some directions to your heart?
(I mean. That works.)

Xiran

Re: Magnagora's Contemptibles

Much like Uzriel, I just don't engage with contemptibles because I want to upkeep the viscanti noble rp/age old stance on merian/kephera/elfen, but also because me the player doesn't really enjoy rping stomping all over someone. I reached out to Sutekh oocly at one point to explain this and they were thankful and respectful for me letting them know (and they stopped reaching out looking for a reaction/fight). The hating those races is linked to our first patron, but also in established lore from the time after project cosmic hope, there's tidbits to be found in the Presidio. This is not just our current players liking an excuse to be dicks to certain people and hanging onto it for lolz.

Ignorance is one thing, on rolling that race in Magnagora, and I think most any of us would go out of our way to explain the stance to a character and offer them the chance to reincarnate (everyone gets a free one, not to mention they're all free until you hit level 31). If you make a choice to play that race after newbie-hood, then it's a deliberate choice to take on the laws and the IC stigma to go with it. Some people enjoy playing that, good for them. If you don't, however, then you should absolutely change the race, NOT expect the lore and characters to suddenly about face and welcome you.

Player feelings matter, and despite what people outside the org might assume or say, we actually are a largely drama free org. We tend to get along IC and OOC, we like to help each other out, there are so many very generous people who kit out newbies and oldbies alike with everything they need, we help each other level, I don't think I've seen anyone actively try to ruffle feathers outside of, sadly, contemptibles looking to be treated like they're not a contemptible.

I'd be fine with banning the races entirely. I think it's ok for orgs to have racial identities and the old race stats linked to classes (where it mattered way more) used to help cement that by actively giving benefits for being one of the org's linked races. Now they matter less mechanically, and waaaay more people have cameos and racehats are amazing - they mean you can have your mechanics and still present as whatever race you want for RP. There is frankly no need for someone to be a contemptible in Magnagora unless they want the RP. And if they want the RP, why are we being hated on for giving it?

Serenwilde don't let undead characters hang about the forest. It hurts my feelings that even though our alliance says I can harvest there freely, I'm asked to leave - shouldn't Seren consider MY feelings before their laws and RP? Celest ban illithoid and viscanti I believe? Shouldn't they consider the feelings of the player who wants to be there as one and let them stay and change their laws and views? Most of the game has a reason to hate/fear the taint, but as a player of a tainted race (viscanti) it hurts my feelings and I feel discriminated against, shouldn't the whole game stop and just ignore the hating taint and Magnagora part?

I'm sorry you feel isolated, Loralai. People can and have played those races and seemed to enjoy it, but it's done with the full knowledge of being an eternal serf with no rights - but still a cog in the engine, just one we hide in the back and don't really like, but we'll use it. But as you said you are not a newbie so it's hard to feel a lot of sympathy for the situation you've landed yourself in through your choices. And there are rp options besides slapping on a hat - you can RP a redemption arc and a ritual and fully embracing the taint and transforming your race with it (makes sense to evolve into a viscanti for example). Others have come from different orgs as reviled races and done similar things. What sticks in my craw is, should players embrace the org they choose to play in and work within it, or should it be expected that orgs adapt to whatever the player wants to get out of it?

Change may happen - I'm not saying it can't or never will, but it's something that shifts over time and with rp. The fact that anyone speaks to your character is a sign of that, old Mag it would have been unheard of, except to insult, order about or abuse. The fact that your GM is working on a plan despite the general feeling of the city, to make a path for contemptibles to progress and have tasks says a lot also, the fact that people allow you to join them hunting or fighting or dump power on you or whatever else speaks of the change that has happened over many years. Nothing is stopping the characters from going around individuals, garnering support, slipping in how archaic the laws are, look how good a cog I am maybe contemptibles can be reformed and accepted, and working on changing the laws, have people really consider their stance, etc. I just think it's unfair to expect us to suddenly go 'ok sorry being contemptible is unfun, let's just scrap it and love all the races'. How about, if its not your kind of fun rping as a contemptible, you change that status, either by changing your race (easy option) or trying to rp and bring about change (uphill battle but not impossible). Sutekh tried to force our hands and contest for GM. If he hadn't, and had kept chipping away for rights, things may well look different. He is the reason contemptibles can work on the epic, for example, and why they can have a lich seed in certain situations.

Sapphira

Re: Magnagora's Contemptibles

Ilthilior said:

It's hard to write this and justify it on the forums without having some sort of in character / out of character discussion, but the short of it is I do find you useful. That said, you can't gain rank.

I know Shango has been working on allowing you to change title and do things in the Infernals, and I know other individuals have been doing stuff to make sure that you're as prepared as you can be. (I also would like to apologize about not taking you on in a spar yesterday. That was due to me being an idiot and not due to general disdain from the character.)

Magnagora is not as lively during the times that you're around, but feel free to reach out to me in game.

Not gaining rank doesn't bother me, it's the other stuff that tends to go along with it, especially guilds. Much as I don't love most guild tasks, it does give you something to do or at least think about when nothing else is going on.

I didn't take it that way, Ilthilior. I admit part of my perception here could be because of frustration in general and that Lusternia seems kinda slow lately.

Loralai

Magnagora's Contemptibles

I'm going to start this discussion knowing that nothing I say here is likely to make the situation(IE, my situation) any better. On the other hand, I don't believe it's possible to make it worse. So here we go.

-No, I'm not a newbie. I haven't played a while and there's a lot I've forgotten.
-Yes I was aware of the laws concerning contemptibles and general expectations, etc etc.
-I am not complaining about being treated "badly"
-I had only a passing familiarity with Sutekh and knew almost nothing about what happened between him and Mag until Shango told me(IC).

I have heard it before that the way Magnagora treats 'undesirable' races is at least better than Celest's complete banning of them, presumably because it allows for the possibility of roleplay. I may have even made that argument myself before. The claim that I've heard from some is that the law might have been changed if not for Sutekh's actions. I don't care either way if that's true. What bothers me is that knowing this makes it obvious that it is impossible for anything to ever change.

It's one thing to know that certain limitations exist currently. It's another to know that there's always now going to be a "roleplay" justification for why the law can't be changed, even though Sutekh wasn't really a kephera any more than I'm a merian, and we have nothing to do with each other. Because of this incident (and other things I've heard oocly), I really don't want to interact with most people in Mag, because of the feeling that I'm just going to be pissing them off by doing so. As it is, I would suicide this character if not for how ridiculously lucky I've been for solstice and vaults so far.

My point is, I hate what feels like dishonesty more than anything else about this situation. If Magnagorans, generally, feel that there is no way that anyone could play a merian, kephera, or elfen in an interesting way and be of some benefit to the city... then just ban those races. It would be kinder, would cause less frustration and drama, ic and oocly, for all involved. It's not really a side option if current Magnagoran players don't want the rp.

tldr, sorry but Celest is right.

Loralai