Thu Jul 8 00:33:52 2004

At 6 o'clock PM, Day of the Sun, 27th of the Month of the Dark Shades
on the Theran calendar Alysrith perished, never to return.

Race:	wood-elf
Class:	warrior
Level:	53
Alignment:	Neutral
Ethos:	Chaotic
Cabal:	None, None
Age:	2781
Hours:	1909

Heya, sad to see you leave CF. I hope you'll be back and the IMPS will decide to have kenders in CF. Then we'll kick giants' butt. So long and all the best in your endeavours.

I'm not going to say much about why I deleted. Suffice to say, there were creative differences of opinion as to how I was going to spend my time, and those differences were not going to be resolved.

Immortals: For the most part, until recently, I enjoyed being an immortal. Thanks to everyone who made this a (mostly) positive experience for me.

Phaelim, Qaledus, Velkurah, Lyristeon: In-role, or behind the scenes...from what I've seen, all of you are absolutely outstanding.

Arvam, Ordasen: Thanks for all of your advice and help.

Old time Sylvan Imms: (Sebeok, Uller, Saldradien) Thanks for everything when I was a mort, and for the chance at immortaldom.

Imps: You do a great job with this game. Thanks for all your hard work.

Valguarnera: There are many things I could thank you for. Your help and sound advice will have to suffice for this note. I have always had the utmost respect for you. The amount of effort, creativity, and care you put into Carrion Fields is obvious, and appreciated. As an Imm, I had the opportunity to see firsthand everything that you do 'behind the scenes.' You add so much to the game, I honestly wonder what CF would ever do without you.

Mortals: It has been so long since I interacted in a mortal capacity, that I'll just say this: I had the pleasure to meet a lot of interesting characters. Thanks to all of you.

Other:
I've seen posted elsewhere that some think Hardan Wood is full of bugs...and that others refuse to go there because of that rumor. As the person who wrote the area, and tested things extensively in the area, I can't tell you how much this annoys me. If you see bugs, please report them. Personally, I think all of these "bugs" are things that are "by design." If you die because you don't know how to use caution in a hero area based on what you can/can't see, or you don't know how to use the "look" command, then it isn't a bug.

I'm through with CF for now. Whether I will ever return, only time will tell.

=======================================

For the most part, I really did enjoy my time on CF.
Since I'm not sure when or even if I'll be back to CF, here are my past characters.
I started CF back in 1998, and I've actually only had 8 characters in that time:
(Yeah, I know…some of you have that many every couple of months. :P)

(Felar) Zyoobu the Warder Captain

My younger brother got me hooked on this game back when I was in college. I'd never played a MUD before, but I found the roleplay intriguing. I should have had "Where is that from MS?" tattooed on my forehead to save time though. ;) Around the mid-twenties, just after getting bear call, I got bored with the ranger (Guisseppe's incessant shovel didn't feel so good on my skull either ;) )…but a paladin sounded like fun…

(Storm) Nakanaka the Paladin Hero, Knight of Thera (Raisa)
(Storm) Nakanaka the Paladin Hero, Marshall Knight
(Storm) Nakanaka the Dazed and Confused, Seeker of the Stick
(Storm) Nakanaka the Paladin Hero

My second char turned out pretty well, everything considered. I learned a lot of things by just helping people, and actually learned my way around Thera finally. After a lengthy wait, Algonas was finally appointed leader and inducted me into the Knights. Usually I'd be bumming around with Lucien, Hilcroft, Fermat, Trenou, Panis, Hargrave, or any of a number of goodly/sylvany chars. After doing pretty well for a while and making Marshal, I was finally uninducted for spam-snoring Istendil in frustration when he slept me. (oops) Then of course, there was that whole Sirine fiasco. After searching for a cure for an RL month I got tired of it, and decided to just ask through roleplay for a title change of an additional "ine" so that I could be done with it. Well, my roleplay wasn't particularly good, and you can see what I got. :P I still blush a bit to remember all the mistakes I made with this char, since I was still a pretty clueless newb. Naka finally age died…so I decided to try another paladin…this time with a couple of twists…

(Storm) Taoliosa the Healer-Knight (Sebeok)

Taoliosa will probably always be my favorite char. Speaking with an Irish brogue accent, I roleplayed her to be about as strange/odd/humorous as I could…which was a lot of fun. Originally she was a Stelf (Storm-elf) that I'd made to follow Lanthaeran's new religion with intentions of attempting to join Sylvan. After spending way too much time at the Inn with Astillian and Vella, Lanth deleted and I eventually got empowered by Sebeok. Soon after that, time got scarce, and she autoed.

(Gnome) Naruhodo the Hero of Alteration (defense/water)

Naru was originally intended to get into Entropy. I roleplayed him at the borders of humorous insanity at first…but toned it down when I found everyone was too afraid to group with a complete nutcase. :P Eventually he just became my chaotic exploratory char while I waited for things to get going with Taoliosa. Mongoose was great for that, and I had a bit of fun bumming around with Septach or Eryndorial in the early morning hours while somehow thoroughly convincing Kennan and the Arbiters that I really was in Entropy. Eventually though, I took a year break from CF, and Naru autoed along with Tao.

(Gnome) Kyoumi the Hero of Alteration (offense/air)

Not much to say about this one. Generic gnome tranny. Purely an exploratory char to help me get back into the game after a year off.

(W-Elf) Plyate the Bard Hero, Warder Captain
Plyate was a lot of fun. To him, allies were always "friend." As my first warder, I learned a lot. I wasn't too surprised when I got captain, not because I was particularly qualified, but more because I was one of the few who came around with any frequency. :P Being in a cabal is really the only way to go. Just like with Naka, I met so many interesting characters that I never would have interacted with if I had been uncaballed. Some characters I enjoyed interacting with: Ezelhecil, Saldradien, Ferrali, Aliborni, Cronin, Dualit, Dariana, Jugynheim, Phinitz, Lokilith, Delanan, Paelnor, Chalin, …Feirhuld was just plain awesome…and bunches more. Plyate finally age died, and I took a little time away from the game.

(H-Drw) Vielnra the Shinan

After the short break, I decided to try the flip-side and make a Scion. After getting inducted by Bynote, I met a couple of interesting characters like Mesneryk and Hallistra, but found that I didn't care much for the evil lackey role. Eventually autoed due to disinterest.

(26) (W-Elf) Alysrith Eregale, Hunter of the K'sra
(41) (W-Elf) Alysrith the Hunter of the K'sra, Warder Lieutenant
(46) (W-Elf) Alysrith the Mistress of Adamantite, Hunter of the K'sra, Warder Captain
(51) (W-Elf) (WANTED) Alysrith Eregale the K'sra of the Howling Winds, Warder Captain
(53) (W-Elf) Alysrith Eregale the K'sra of the Howling Winds

.......I originally rolled Alysrith with the intention of doing 4 things: Actually use the role command for once and write a decent role, become Captain again and do it right this time, lead a party through hell, and explore the silent tower. A couple months after I rolled, TLB #1 and #2 struck, and ruined any chance of the latter two goals…so I was left with the first two.
.......For the role, I tried to combine Salvatore's Wulfgar and Jordan's Aiel with some naturalistic folk sayings and themes from Nepenthe's Ysigrath...along with some other misc. stuff. (I'll post the role on the History Forum under the role contest winners thread…if anyone's interested.) In the tradition of Sra and Weh, Aly was a purist and a bit of an anti-social recluse at times. If you weren't Sylvan/ranger/druid/applicant or an enemy, Aly didn't have much cause to approach you most of the time. It was a fun role to play at times, though I know the K'sra-talk got on some people's nerves (even my own at times ;) ) …especially when many of the applicants started trying to use it (often incorrectly). *smirk* Still…it was fun. Some characters I enjoyed interacting with: Blimbali, Danical, Simyar, Dharum, Daomael, Cerunnir, Tusseltass, Axike, Sahannara, Urden, Dullameh, Ulfin, Grumorum… Shalven was a cut above the rest…hrmm…I met a lot of people with this char, so I'll just stop there and say there were tons more.
.......I didn't really expect to Imm this char, but that's what happened. I had originally planned to delete, but good ol' Sebeok gave me a little nudge, and I'm kinda glad he did. Writing an area was challenging and fun, and I met a lot of intelligent and creative people in the process. It's unfortunate for things to end this way, but such is life.

=======================================

If anyone wants to contact me, my e-mail address for the time being is Alysrith @ hotmail.com

Have fun out there in the fields.

David Palm

Dammit man! Right when I'm getting ready to finally need you for all that area-reviewing-goodness you up and delete. Well, I thought you were a pretty cool person both as a mortal (when we were at each other's throats ;)) and as an Imm. It's too bad that I won't be able to benefit from your creativeness and experience in tweaking my own area towards perfection, but I guess that's the way the cookie crumbles.


I really hope you come back as a mortal (or an Immortal someday as well), because CF will have lost a quality contributer and player if you don't.


....But if you are really done, then I wish you good luck in life.


-Mek

Loved Alice as a mort. Plyate was fun to watch also. Didn't really see you much after you Immed due to your times being off of mine. Good luck with whatever you do and I am sure you will do wonderful things.

The Immortal Formerly Known as Uller

I am not overly surprised to see this, but it is still a sad day for me. Your roleplay as Alysrith was outstanding. I wasn't surprised at all when you were made an immortal. I really wanted to see you sink your teeth into a religion and go forward.

Good luck in whatever you do.

I am thrilled that you remember one of my characters. I thought Plyate was a very competent bard, from what I remember. I am thinking you were a lowbie Sylvan when Kiac deleted, and the Captain who inducted my next Sylvan, Cronin. We surely did have some good times back then. Wall of thorns and insects made even a newb like I was a force to be reckoned with. Snare and sleep is still one of the most effective PK tactics ever.

Sorry to hear that things did not work out as well as you had hoped in Asgaard. It's no secret that my personal preference is for Immortals who ranked up and stuck with the same character. (there are some exceptions on both sides, of course) I think it makes you more identifyable to the playerbase. That alone would have made any religion you came up with worth having a go at.


I know you said you are leaving, but I will still offer the standard CF deletion cliche:

Good luck on your next.

Nivek aka
Kiac
Cronin

I am thrilled that you remember one of my characters. I thought Plyate was a very competent bard, from what I remember. I am thinking you were a lowbie Sylvan when Kiac deleted, and the Captain who inducted my next Sylvan, Cronin. We surely did have some good times back then.

=== Thanks. Yeah, they were good times. I did induct Cronin, and I actually remember Kiac pretty well too. Plyate was rank 50 when you deleted (Jeana the druid and I were actually the ones you said goodbye to just before you deleted ;) ) I'm a bit of a packrat, so I have that log among others just sitting and collecting dust on the ol' computer.

I know you said you are leaving, but I will still offer the standard CF deletion cliche:
Good luck on your next.

===Heh. Normally, I would agree with the cliche. Quite often the 'I'm leaving forever' posts turn out to be more like a couple of weeks than forever. Like DJ Rangerly said below, CF is a cruel, cruel drug. This time is a lot different than the other times I've stepped away from CF though.

You're a good guy and you'll be missed, David.

Thanks for all your help in making my area so much less
buggy than yours! }(

Qaledus

>Other:
>I've seen posted elsewhere that some think Hardan Wood is full
>of bugs...and that others refuse to go there because of that
>rumor. As the person who wrote the area, and tested things
>extensively in the area, I can't tell you how much this annoys
>me. If you see bugs, please report them. Personally, I think
>all of these "bugs" are things that are "by design." If you
>die because you don't know how to use caution in a hero area
>based on what you can/can't see, or you don't know how to use
>the "look" command, then it isn't a bug.

If a chunk of people think it's bugged then it's -bad- design. I was one of those who considered the area bugged, I used look and was utterly amazed to find myself in a deathtrap and other similar ridiculous experiences.

On the other hand it's big and it's interesting.

But anyway, i really liked the Alysrith character when i was Daiken and wish you the best of luck.

==If a chunk of people think it's bugged then it's -bad- design.

People who play CF will always have opinions about many things. These opinions are often influenced by only a few brief encounters, or even a single lone encounter with something. Additionally, various factors within a situation are often ignored, overlooked, or just not thought of by the players who state those opinions. As such, those opinions don't encompass the entire range of information that is needed to make such an assessment. Quite often, "I died" equates to "that is overpowered/bugged" within certain circles of the court of CF public opinion. That these opinions change drastically from month to month on a variety of topics further discredits their reliability. So, I'm sorry, but I don't think that a chunk of people thinking something is bugged necessarily correlates to it being of bad design. There is a difference between an opinion, and an informed opinion.

One of my responsibilities as an Imm was to review areas, so I do know a fair amount about the subject of area design. In every area I scrutinized (including my own), I made sure that there was a reason for everything included, as well as it passing other necessary criteria. I could actually write quite a bit about my views on area design principles and specifics. I could also explain why I included each and every part of the Hardan Wood area in the final product. I won't do that here. Partly for confidentiality reasons, and partly because I don't plan on drawing this discussion out any further than this post and whatever you might reply to it. You have a right to your own opinion, and I to mine. I'll cite my knowledge of the specifics on this area as its writer, my experience as someone who tested the area, and that I was someone who was entrusted with reviewing areas as my credibility on the issue. You can cite your experiences in the area and whatever else you choose to cite as yours. In the end, people will think whatever they want to think anyway. Hopefully, rather than listening to either you or I though, they'll go out there and see things for themselves...and form their own opinions.

==I was one of those who considered the area bugged, I used look and was utterly amazed to find myself in a deathtrap and other similar ridiculous experiences.

Because I'd prefer people learn things through exploration, I'll only say one thing about the specifics of Hardan Wood: There are absolutely no places in Hardan Wood where a PC is guaranteed to die.

There are dangers, and some of these will be lethal if a PC isn't fully prepared to face them. Some classes will do better in certain situations than other classes will. These are things that hold true in any area though.

As far as using "look" goes: There are a lot of other things you can do aside from "look (direction)" or "look" to consider whether going somewhere is dangerous or not. Even when you use every clue at your disposal, sometimes you're going to be surprised no matter what. Exploring the unknown is just that...something unknown to you...until you see it and experience it for yourself.

The above uses of "look" will only usually tell you about the physical attributes of a room, or a hint about the next room. It won't tell you what the next room contains. Some things can only be deduced through reading descriptions and pondering placement. Other things will surprise you no matter what you do...but will make sense upon closer inspection. Some things are added solely to deal with abuse issues and game balance (A rather lengthy topic I'll skip for now.). Also, part of the design of any area that is suitable for a broader range of PC's is that the more dangerous mobs are out of the way. (For the simple reason that a writer doesn't want the lower ranks always ending up dead) Seantryn, the Battlefield, Balator, etc...are all good examples of this. So, when you walk about one of those areas and find yourself peeking into an odd or dark place that looks off the beaten path, or is deeply into the area...a thought of caution and preparation should probably be the first thing on your mind.

Even with that preparation though, some classes won't survive solo no matter what they do. I remember fighting Mordeth with my paladin long ago. I think I was lucky that day and survived 3 rounds before ending up at my pit. I thought my inability to extricate myself from the situation, and the degree to which I was overpowered was rather ridiculous at the time, and didn't bother going back. A year later, I came back there with my mongoose and soloed Mordeth without any problem. Your class choice can make a huge difference in whether you survive an encounter or not. Likewise, your race, sex, and other choices can really have an effect on how easy or difficult certain areas/mobs are for you to deal with.

I guess I see death and danger as things to be expected during exploration. Exploring is a dangerous business at times...but once you have an idea of the dangers present, it's easier to come back later and avoid or defeat them. It's all part and parcel of the process of learning. Making mistakes, pondering things, and then using your newfound knowledge to do better next time.

Anyway, I'm rambling, and I've already spoken more about design matters than I had originally intended on getting into. In the end, a disagreement on whether something is of "bad design" or not might just come down to getting what you want out of an area, or what your preferences in dealing with certain obstacles/challenges are. Some people explore to find quests, others to enjoy the scenery, others for good equipment, others for a challenge, etc... In the end, if what Hardan offers isn't what you're looking for, you may think it's "bad design" no matter what is said about it...and you are, of course, entitled to that opinion based upon what you're looking for. I was just trying to say that I hoped people would go and find out for themselves, rather than avoiding something because of the opinions that I described at the top of this post. I suppose it's mostly for selfish reasons. I can count the people I've actually seen in the area on one hand, and any writer would prefer their work to be read than to be left to rot on the shelf without so much as its binding bent.

==
==On the other hand it's big and it's interesting.
==

Thanks, I'm glad you found it interesting.

==But anyway, i really liked the Alysrith character when i was Daiken and wish you the best of luck.

Thanks. I enjoyed our fights. You were very proficient in the chase. Thanks for the fun times.

You

>==If a chunk of people think it's bugged then it's -bad-
>design.
>
>Quite often, "I died" equates to
>"that is overpowered/bugged" within certain circles of the
>court of CF public opinion.

In more than one situation i considered the layout "bugged". That is, basic movement between rooms. Nothing to do with dying or overpoweredness.

>Because I'd prefer people learn things through exploration,
>I'll only say one thing about the specifics of Hardan Wood:
>There are absolutely no places in Hardan Wood where a PC is
>guaranteed to die.

Strange, I considered being stuck in a no-magic room that has no exits of any form and with an aggro mob that will repop every 10 minutes or so, a pretty much guaranteed death.

>There are dangers, and some of these will be lethal if a PC
>isn't fully prepared to face them. Some classes will do
>better in certain situations than other classes will. These
>are things that hold true in any area though.

Dangers were really the irrelevance to me. My issue was with basic navigation. It felt bugged.

>As far as using "look" goes: There are a lot of other things
>you can do aside from "look (direction)" or "look" to consider
>whether going somewhere is dangerous or not.

It was you who brought up the non-use of "look", i replied to that.

>
>Even with that preparation though, some classes won't survive
>solo no matter what they do. I remember fighting Mordeth with
>my paladin long ago. I think I was lucky that day and
>survived 3 rounds before ending up at my pit.

Pray tell what this has to do with bugged design? Perhaps if similarly to the fields of balator your area was marked suitable for ALL but contained mobs that can MANGLE you 3 times a round i'd consider that an issue.

>I guess I see death and danger as things to be expected during
>exploration. Exploring is a dangerous business at times...but
>once you have an idea of the dangers present, it's easier to
>come back later and avoid or defeat them. It's all part and
>parcel of the process of learning. Making mistakes, pondering
>things, and then using your newfound knowledge to do better
>next time.

Exploration is dangerous, i don't think people have said "Hell is bugged" have they?

++Exploration is dangerous, i don't think people have said "Hell is bugged" have they?++

You're kidding though, right?

I don't like your post, either.

If you think something specific is bugged, then shoot me an e-mail at Alysrith @ hotmail.com and I will be more than happy to check through my docs to make sure that things are indeed as they were intended. If it's more a matter of your preference in matters of layout, that's not really a bug. If it isn't just that, then I would encourage you to e-mail me about your concerns, or post them to the bug board.

You are incorrect about the no-magic room. Many of the issues I brought up in my last post are applicable to this situation.

Again, if you can e-mail me with a more specific concern, I'll look into it.
I take my work seriously, and if you do indeed have a valid concern, I would appreciate hearing it in greater detail through e-mail.

You are an exemplary person, and I know that. Your roleplay with Alysrith was flawless, speaking from a friend IC in Danical. You were also flawless as a friend to Chalin (rager Uller follower). We've had many characters that have interacted over the years and they have known you as a friend. Thanks. I hope never returning isn't your path, because this game needs you and your kind here. You make other people roleplay better.

Seriously, thanks man,
Aaron

had a lot of sylvans under you, and you were always my favorite leader.

a shame to see you go, maybe now i'll have to explore hardan woods without rushing in and dying. was waiting for your religion, a shame that it won't be happening.

anyhow, thanks for all the time you put in to the game, both as a mortal and an immortal.

nhernin/eclinsan

I thought it'd be a crime if I didn't respond to this. You were just great. You cleaned up house a bit with that wood-elf warrior back when people thought they were just for trying to cranial rangers to death. I guess now I'll never have to hear someone say "Kalneh mahskakjhbfak jadhfsahfjka" to me and expect me to respond, during an interview :p
Through the silly accents, Alysrith was a great character, both immortal and otherwise. I remember you being the only other sylvan online with me for hours upon hours upon other late hours, and so I'd just pick at your head. Even started to figure out what your words meant. Later, I found them in the Lyceum... You were probably all that kept me from deleting that character. It just goes to show what a good player can do to the players around them. I can't honestly say that I didn't ejnjoy being with Plyate more, but Alysrith was just quality too.
It really is a shame that you didn't get to create a religion, it's one of the things that I think would bring spice back into the life of a new immortal character. What else did you do, watch people run foolishly into Hardan and die? That's such an untapped area, and it just interests me more each time I go look at it. Granted that fighting a hero polespec mob that has a full suit of armor that's a full suit of wothless armor isn't terribly rewarding, the area encompasses alot. I'll also note that the concept of ents actually being in the game made me appreciate the nature concept a little more. I'm sure that was one of the goals you set for your area, because I can remember you talking about ents as Plyate before age dying after 1100 hours or something about there. 3000 hours in 2 characters comes out to about as much as I've played across my last 15-20. Kudos on your dedication and contributions.

I'll keep an eye out for your return, because I think that after a nice break you'll enjoy it again. However, I'll be hoping (for your sake) that you break the habit. What a cruel, cruel drug this game is. Peace man.
Oh yea, and on the note of peace, I had a scion a while ago that used to set you up with a few choice weapons every so often before telling a scion to go attack the stupid lovey dovey sylvan. Then they died, and I rejoiced. Thanks for doing your part to make that equation work =D

Well I will add my sadness at your parting.
Whether it was fighting against you and the Grove as Magistrate and Provost, interacting with you when you imm'd, both as enemy and then as Sylvan, your RP was outstanding.
I in turn will thank you for getting oriented into Heroimm, and especially for the con-quest that kept me alive long enough to get there.
Good luck, and I hope sometime in the future you return to Thera.

Chor

I was reading through your past chars and grumbled when I saw Plyate. I agree with you about the Winter Wolf. I think I interacted with Plyate as Raukyr, Jugynheim and either Thalmond my brief air/offense shifter or my invoker. I seem to recall some really classic trouble with an Imperial necro while we were trying to kill the Blademaster. (yet again)
Always had tons of fun with Plyate, purely for the reason you stated. He just felt like a friend. I'm not in the know on the creative differences you refer to, but like many I do think you're an exemplory player and regardless of what it is you choose to do with your time and efforts I wish you the best. Thanks for making things more fun!
Juggy

I seem to recall some really classic trouble with an Imperial necro while we were trying to kill the Blademaster. (yet again)

Raukyr, Thalmond, and Jug...good characters all.
Heh...I remember that. Never underestimate the power of "cold be sleep" and "wake now my merry lads"...even if the bard can't touch you. ;) I don't think we ever did succeed at killing the blademaster that day...that cocky necro was certainly caught by surprise though. :)

You where honestly one of the single most skilled players that I have ever encountered. I remember back in your mortal days I was playing a Magistrate and you came and raided, I thought hey I got two guards manacles I should be good. I've never seen the judge die so fast and my guards torn apart so quick. Needless to say you basically well tore every Spireling in your path apart. Than I had several sylvans under you and thought that you where one of the single best captains/imms/voices of reason in the cabal. Any time me or another Sylvan made a mistake or did something that wasn't in line with the cabal there you where. You did not make me feel irritated or anything like that instead you laid out what someone did was wrong in what way and how to avoid that from happening again. I doubt you remember this but when I was playing Kasender you gave me some very helpfull advice with several things that came about when I slayed an anti-paladin that had some very defilerish things. I also feel that your brilliant area design should be mentioned. Hardan is a very interesting place to say the least. Thanks for the memories, good times, and ass kickings.

One of the most well-roleplayed, unique characters I'd have come across. Everyone who played during your time will remember you for years to come. I never really interacted with you that much, since I usually take 3-4 month breaks from CF at a time, but everything I saw was great work. Thanks for being a part of our CF.

Thorny
aka
Arehanah Angelwing etc.

For what it's worth, I liked you. Sorry to see you go.