You'll get a tanky warrior princess doll that lays traps and inquistions people.
Viravain, Lady of the Thorns shouts, "And You would seize Me? Fool! I am the Glomdoring! I am the Wyrd, and beneath the cloak of Night, the shadows of the Silent stir!"
But really... We have no gods in Celest. I REALLY wish they would say something because it feels like they are two seconds away from deleting Celest or something? Maybe just a small event where like "Oh don't worry guys." Cause I am soooo worried
I would like to suggest Celest and Celestian players take the time to roleplay their continued hope/crushing despair/utter confusion/etc at this turn of events with one another and enjoy the event for the adverse roleplay it has provided. There's no plan to destroy Celest and utterly crush the hopes and dreams of the playerbase as the administration laughs wickedly in the Havens. You're in good hands, trust us!
It's very difficult to enjoy this since we now have no shrines we can make use of without relying on outside forces, in addition to years worth of work by multiple people just poofing. Tack on the fact that we've no patrons to contact for any city/guild related needs, like The Festival of Light stuff and various things I was hoping to start for the Aquamancers, then throw in anything else I may have overlooked, and it really seems like there's not much reason for people to continue logging in for extended periods of time. RP that I was hoping to begin building for my character, that was connected to Eventru, was just thrown out the window, and having largely achieved all the goals I've set for myself city/guild wise, I'm left adrift after this. While I know there will be some resolution where hopefully Celest will have a god or gods to have as patrons, until such a thing happens, I don't think many people in Celest will be able to enjoy this.
Personally, I'm pretty sure Eventru and Terentia will come back before too long. The first reason is that destroying orders/realms/cults/etc. are completely unprecedented (as far as I'm aware), so there's something fishy right there. Second, Eve has been around Lusternia for ages; if he decided to up-and-quit, I've got a feeling he wouldn't do so right after Terentia.
Ssaliss doesn't even think they're gone for good ICly (for a couple of reasons I won't go into here). Sure, it'll suck for Celest in the interim, but I'm fairly sure you'll come out of this with shiny new stuff.
The first reason is that destroying orders/realms/cults/etc. are completely unprecedented (as far as I'm aware), so there's something fishy right there.
Disbanding an order has happened multiple times during the course of Lusternia's existence. Some individual gods have done it multiple times, even. Avatars/cults, being parts of the order, are necessarily nullified with the order itself.
What's different now is that Cults are big personal investments as well, given the essence required for it, so disbanding Orders and Cults are a tougher blow now than it was then.
Viravain, Lady of the Thorns shouts, "And You would seize Me? Fool! I am the Glomdoring! I am the Wyrd, and beneath the cloak of Night, the shadows of the Silent stir!"
The first reason is that destroying orders/realms/cults/etc. are completely unprecedented (as far as I'm aware), so there's something fishy right there.
Disbanding an order has happened multiple times during the course of Lusternia's existence. Some individual gods have done it multiple times, even. Avatars/cults, being parts of the order, are necessarily nullified with the order itself.
If you ever decide to off yourself, please do so in obscurity and not dissolve the Order. While we would hate to lose you, we would /happily/ continue to run the Order over losing, well, everything.
My cult's formation represented about a year's worth of bashing at my pace, if not more. That doesn't include pouring essence into veneration.
I'd say most cult-holders are up in arms right now at even the possibility that we'd lose the cult.
This is far from an RP-worthy event. While yes, I'll definitely agree that there is much to RP here, the proverbial backhand to Celest (and cult holders) just makes people question what's going on.
In some ways, because of the sheer amount of personal investment a person can put into a cult, it's worse than deleting a city/commune.
It really does hurt to lose so much essence. I know that we receive a portion of essence offered, but my cult wasn't... big, so I ended up funding all that essence myself. Not only does it hurt me that I invested time bashing, but RP time developing the cult. I can say that now I will be far more hesitant to ever form a cult. Likely never again.
I understand that its a big loss, both on the part of the player and the god, and its clearly not something we go around doing to be mean or take lightly. That said, cults were expressly designed to function as part of an order, and their (and the order's) existence are entirely at the mercy of the god. The creation of a cult should never be taken lightly, and like all things tied to orgs and not personally owned, their existence is never guaranteed to be permanent, just as avatar status or other privileges, membership, or rank (or even the god role itself). The cult can be destroyed by either the god or the player at any time, and the hard work of either can be nullified by doing so.
I know you don't like that, but there really isn't any other reply we can give regarding the permanence of cults. There is also very little about the other complaints regarding recent events in Celest (and the game in general) which I can comment on right now, as events should unfold naturally in the game, whatever the resolution might be.
I understand that its a big loss, both on the part of the player and the god, and its clearly not something we go around doing to be mean or take lightly. That said, cults were expressly designed to function as part of an order, and their (and the order's) existence are entirely at the mercy of the god. The creation of a cult should never be taken lightly, and like all things tied to orgs and not personally owned, their existence is never guaranteed to be permanent, just as avatar status or other privileges, membership, or rank (or even the god role itself). The cult can be destroyed by either the god or the player at any time, and the hard work of either can be nullified by doing so.
I know you don't like that, but there really isn't any other reply we can give regarding the permanence of cults. There is also very little about the other complaints regarding recent events in Celest (and the game in general) which I can comment on right now, as events should unfold naturally in the game, whatever the resolution might be.
"Big investment" is an understatement here. It's not a roleplay thing to have that destroyed on you through no fault or choice of your own. There is no recourse, there is no recovery, just *poof*- everything you've done has just been destroyed in a second. While destroying all the rest of the God's things seems harsh but "acceptable," (they are trashing the things that they themselves designed and built up) destroying the cults seems like nothing more than a great big "bleep you" to all the players who were following that God and had invested in said cult- because make no mistake, the true investment in that area was not the God's, but the players'.
There is a huge amount of essence required to sink into Veneration. RL months worth of work and effort, and it is just tossed away with a negligent gesture as if it meant nothing. I'm having a great deal of trouble parsing that in any manner which is "fun to roleplay" or "good for the game that it works this way".
I guess alternate idea is as follows: If your God severs things in that way, there is a backlash which shoves all cult essence and essence sunk into veneration directly back into the Cult Leader. That way there is not a complete loss of everything worked for.
Again, this would not happen if the leader intentionally quit the Order; simply a safeguard to help out the players involved on an OOC level when something like this happens. They would still need to do the whole RP thing to find a new home, but it's at least a bit better than just... losing everything with no recourse, and staring "starting all over" right in the face.
I guess alternate idea is as follows: If your God severs things in that way, there is a backlash which shoves all cult essence and essence sunk into veneration directly back into the Cult Leader. That way there is not a complete loss of everything worked for.
Again, this would not happen if the leader intentionally quit the Order; simply a safeguard to help out the players involved on an OOC level when something like this happens. They would still need to do the whole RP thing to find a new home, but it's at least a bit better than just... losing everything with no recourse, and staring "starting all over" right in the face.
Or have the cult essence/veneration slowly drain over time unless replenished. So when a God disappears, the players can keep them active through their devotion. If a God reallyreally has to dissolve cults, this can just be ramped up so that it cannot be outpaced by offerings.
This would also mean that when you run an event that is supposed to be awesome, even though it includes adversity, players would be able to capitalise on the RP opportunity rather than being left totally understandably bummed out about all the investment they've lost.
(I hope that all makes sense, I just came back from jogging so it may well be a pile of mush :S)
But really... We have no gods in Celest. I REALLY wish they would say something because it feels like they are two seconds away from deleting Celest or something? Maybe just a small event where like "Oh don't worry guys." Cause I am soooo worried
I would like to suggest Celest and Celestian players take the time to roleplay their continued hope/crushing despair/utter confusion/etc at this turn of events with one another and enjoy the event for the adverse roleplay it has provided. There's no plan to destroy Celest and utterly crush the hopes and dreams of the playerbase as the administration laughs wickedly in the Havens. You're in good hands, trust us!
Halflife 3 (Elder) Confirmed?
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.
Totally understand the upset sentiment of people who have lost a lot of essence, but, you will probably get over it eventually. I'm disappointed to see the realms closed off.
I hope the Eventru character, if not the player, actually is gone... not because I don't like him, but because major shakeups in general are good.
Also, it is very important to remember that historically, any event that begins with Celest getting screwed ends with Celest and Magnagora getting unique one-off rewards. So, keep the faith and whatnot.
Also @Estwald: No no no. Temporary moratorium on new curios. It's like that gemini curse in Harry Potter where at first you're super excited for all the new things, and then before you know it you are suffocating under the sheer weight of everything you must somehow acquire. How many are there now? Dozens and dozens...
Iantoc is still around at least. Sid got a bit of RP in with him last night. Still depressed, but you know, they'll unscrew us eventually. Maybe. Possibly even before the Supernal raids start.
Iantoc is still around at least. Sid got a bit of RP in with him last night. Still depressed, but you know, they'll unscrew us eventually. Maybe. Possibly even before the Supernal raids start.
Well... not to try to assign blame or anything, you (collective Celest you) defiling shrines and raiding enemy godrealms don't exactly make the likelihood of Supernal raids smaller.
Iantoc is still around at least. Sid got a bit of RP in with him last night. Still depressed, but you know, they'll unscrew us eventually. Maybe. Possibly even before the Supernal raids start.
I wouldn't be too worried, you need numbers for a Supernal raid.
The divine voice
of Avechna, the Avenger reverberates powerfully, "Congratulations,
Morkarion, you are the Bringer of Death indeed."
You see Estarra the Eternal shout, "Morkarion is no more! Mourn the mortal! But welcome True Ascendant Karlach, of the Realm of Death!
Uh... hate to say it, but that was brought on by the constant back and forth over the years. There's no pointing fingers in blame here, there's just you guys raid, so you other guys justify it as reason to raid once you other guys are back on your feet, and back and forth and back and forth.
Also, right now, it's hardly surprising they're going after the people who had been making things worse even before our gods disappeared.
No, I know it doesn't help anything, but it's not like I can stop them, which is why I am concerned about it. That is all.
Also, it is very important to remember that historically, any event that begins with Celest getting screwed ends with Celest and Magnagora getting unique one-off rewards. So, keep the faith and whatnot.
This. At the back of my head.
Viravain, Lady of the Thorns shouts, "And You would seize Me? Fool! I am the Glomdoring! I am the Wyrd, and beneath the cloak of Night, the shadows of the Silent stir!"
Eh, forming a cult shouldn't be something that should be taken on
lightly. That is true. It should be a decision players spend days or
even months thinking about, because it should have actual RP meaning and
it should be a sizable investment. And precisely because of that, it
should never be because the player runs the risk of having the amount of
work put into the formed cult disappear on someone else's whim. Of
course, make no mistake, as players of Lusternia, any credit purchases
are all made with the understanding that should the game one day poof,
we'd get nothing back. But this disclaimer is not, and has never been, a threat,
this is an OOC failsafe for the company behind the game, to ensure they
have a livelihood and won't get ruined by unforseen circumstances.
However,
the event that is unfolding is not an OOC bankruptcy the company is
facing. It is an IC crisis. Yet, the very same kind of idea is being put
forth: that everyone who is considering forming a cult should think
very very very long and hard about it, because forming a cult means
voluntarily putting up to RL year(s) of bashing grind at risk of being
forfeited without refund (so far). This is a threat, an axe hanging over
the heads of players who are given the choice to form a cult: do so
only if you wish to have it put in jeopardy on the whim of the
storyboard writer behind the game. I don't feel this is an acceptable
mindset to take, but so far, all of the godshell posts being made on
this forums is only echoing this mindset. I have no idea what the end of
this event will entail - it may even be a full reinstatement of the
cults. But none of the above posts so far are reassuring at all. They
all have the same line: cults WILL be destroyed with the disbanding of a
God's Order, under any circumstances whatsoever. This underlying
mindset means I will never lead a Cult by my own choice (not that I
will ever have the time to invest into the game to afford one in the
first place, of course). And I hope many other players who are face such
a choice in the future take it into consideration very carefully.
I think things are becoming a little overly dramatic, and we should leave the cult discussion from tweets. If you want to discuss improvements or changes to cults, you're welcome to create a new thread. I will have to just close it, though, if it becomes a stream of 'the admin are out to ruin our enjoyment again' posts. If you are concerned with recent events and how they have impacted your game experience, you are always free to email support@lusternia.com, but I encourage you to wait to see what resolution events might have first.
The only thing we are pointing out is that cults were designed to die with the god or order, and these things have happened and will happen, as Lusternia is a dynamic and changing world. You are also given a warning that any purchases you make may change in value at any time, as we must constantly revise how things work and are adding new things to the game. What you purchase or put into the game may change in value due to these events, both mechanical and RP. They may also equally change due to player driven events, which are beyond even our control. Players have lost months or years of work when politics shift in an org and they lose power, or are even removed from the org and their org-specific skills or purchases are rendered moot. There is no threat in any of this. It is simply an advisory that Lusternia is a dynamic and changing game.
I personally think that this is a good thing, and I did as a player. Lusternia is very rewarding to play, both because of your successes in the game and also because of the risks associated with playing in a growing, multiplayer world. The strength of the game is that it is dynamic and deeply story driven, where players and the world itself have a huge and changing impact on your experience. The risks may be less now than in the past, but I think that removing them entirely is harmful to the game in the long run.
In short, cults should be viewed as contributions to your god's order, much like offering. It requires a significant cost on the part of the founding player, but afterward is designed to be a group venture with the order. The cult leader also gains an entire skillset for their trouble to use, and these powers benefit the entire order. If a god role dies or disappears for awhile, what you have gotten out of the cult is not nullified, anymore than the hours of RP you put into the order. The game is about the enjoyment (and even the sadness in bad times) we get out of it on a day to day basis. Very little is permanent, as old players find when they return to find the world significantly change. When viewing such hard events, though, I hope you can look at things in this light.
Comments
The divine voice of Avechna, the Avenger reverberates powerfully, "Congratulations, Morkarion, you are the Bringer of Death indeed."
You see Estarra the Eternal shout, "Morkarion is no more! Mourn the mortal! But welcome True Ascendant Karlach, of the Realm of Death!
Yours would come with a pogo stick and shovel accessories.
The divine voice of Avechna, the Avenger reverberates powerfully, "Congratulations, Morkarion, you are the Bringer of Death indeed."
You see Estarra the Eternal shout, "Morkarion is no more! Mourn the mortal! But welcome True Ascendant Karlach, of the Realm of Death!
Signature!
Ssaliss doesn't even think they're gone for good ICly (for a couple of reasons I won't go into here). Sure, it'll suck for Celest in the interim, but I'm fairly sure you'll come out of this with shiny new stuff.
There is a huge amount of essence required to sink into Veneration. RL months worth of work and effort, and it is just tossed away with a negligent gesture as if it meant nothing. I'm having a great deal of trouble parsing that in any manner which is "fun to roleplay" or "good for the game that it works this way".
If your God severs things in that way, there is a backlash which shoves all cult essence and essence sunk into veneration directly back into the Cult Leader. That way there is not a complete loss of everything worked for.
Again, this would not happen if the leader intentionally quit the Order; simply a safeguard to help out the players involved on an OOC level when something like this happens. They would still need to do the whole RP thing to find a new home, but it's at least a bit better than just... losing everything with no recourse, and staring "starting all over" right in the face.
I hope the Eventru character, if not the player, actually is gone... not because I don't like him, but because major shakeups in general are good.
Also, it is very important to remember that historically, any event that begins with Celest getting screwed ends with Celest and Magnagora getting unique one-off rewards. So, keep the faith and whatnot.
Also @Estwald: No no no. Temporary moratorium on new curios. It's like that gemini curse in Harry Potter where at first you're super excited for all the new things, and then before you know it you are suffocating under the sheer weight of everything you must somehow acquire. How many are there now? Dozens and dozens...
Vive l'apostrophe!
I wouldn't be too worried, you need numbers for a Supernal raid.
The divine voice of Avechna, the Avenger reverberates powerfully, "Congratulations, Morkarion, you are the Bringer of Death indeed."
You see Estarra the Eternal shout, "Morkarion is no more! Mourn the mortal! But welcome True Ascendant Karlach, of the Realm of Death!
Also, right now, it's hardly surprising they're going after the people who had been making things worse even before our gods disappeared.
However, the event that is unfolding is not an OOC bankruptcy the company is facing. It is an IC crisis. Yet, the very same kind of idea is being put forth: that everyone who is considering forming a cult should think very very very long and hard about it, because forming a cult means voluntarily putting up to RL year(s) of bashing grind at risk of being forfeited without refund (so far). This is a threat, an axe hanging over the heads of players who are given the choice to form a cult: do so only if you wish to have it put in jeopardy on the whim of the storyboard writer behind the game. I don't feel this is an acceptable mindset to take, but so far, all of the godshell posts being made on this forums is only echoing this mindset. I have no idea what the end of this event will entail - it may even be a full reinstatement of the cults. But none of the above posts so far are reassuring at all. They all have the same line: cults WILL be destroyed with the disbanding of a God's Order, under any circumstances whatsoever. This underlying mindset means I will never lead a Cult by my own choice (not that I will ever have the time to invest into the game to afford one in the first place, of course). And I hope many other players who are face such a choice in the future take it into consideration very carefully.