Wed Jul 27 16:45:17 2011

At 8 o'clock PM, Day of the Moon, 21st of the Month of the Dark Shades
on the Theran calendar Mirrou perished, never to return.

Next time you play a character, if you're frustrated and ready to delete, just RP going absolutely crazy and suicidally attack everything in sight. That would've been a fine angle for Mirrou to go, and you can learn things doing that.

Maybe you get slaughtered and look like an idiot. So what? It's very liberating to fight with nothing to lose.

-nt

w

He didn't go nuts or anything, he was just like that and empire
was loaded heavy in those days. But damn that was a fun time.
Just after outfit went in I think, and outfit ... Chaaarge...
well okay impale maybe. *rofl*

This seemed like a carbon copy of your last ineffectual Fort character. In fact, it was super obvious to me that this was you. You acted like you were super brave but you had like 6 pks in about 300 hours and less deaths. I understand a conservative Maran, but you have to get in there if you want to be promoted. People would raid, you wouldn't show up, and you always had an excuse for not being there. People would defend and you wouldn't show up, same excuses. I had Morin talk to you. I had Nnaeshuk talk to you. And I asked various Forties to do their best to get you in the heat of battle. We came up with challenges to help you get better. And you're ranting on Dio's that no one ever gave you guidance or told you what to do? Holy crap. And then you go all the way to the opposite and join Empire. Dude, I cannot tell you how close I came to changing your title to "the Black Sect's Sixth Zombie."

nt

sd

...he did lose some things, but they needed to be set manually by an Immortal. The Imm who did it was probably erring on the side of "too nice" but ah well.

Back in the day if you oathed as a goodie assassin you lost assassinate and kicks. Pretty sure it was hard coded. Thieves lost dual backstab and bind. Warriors lost specs. etc.

...I do know that Mirrou didn't lose anything automagically.

Of the skills, I lost kansetsuwaza, assassinate and rising phoenix kick.
The kick later re-appeared, though I had to practice and spam it up again.

Alignment change skill loss penalties are automated for some classes better than others, which isn't new (and probably isn't exactly a feature.)

It might be the wine talking but I kind of love that I married this woman. That is all.

But it's probably the wine posting.

Did the wife smite him for saying "kind of"?

Damn wine is going to get Daev killed.

n/t

...not a compliment

.

From my viewpoint the character was PK-intensive. I had been in more fights with him than with all prior characters together. Imperial gangs, outlander leaders, orcs, Tavlin with full army, ridiculous ABS shifters who were immune to 99% of my skillset.

Problem is, after I have had my portion of adrenaline I'd rather sit and chat, but no, I have to go and fight again, and again, and again. Thus it ceases to be fun and starts looking like a full-time job.

And I really hated the assassin class because of how trance works. If you want me to be always up for a fight, I'd rather be constantly moderately viable instead of being able to shine 10% of the time and sucking royally during the other 90%. Oh how many times I saw an enemy, used trance (sometimes it'd only work on third or fourth attempt!) and then they were gone and I had wasted it. Then I suddenly had to defend/raid before I could use it again. Preps only get you so far.

Also, you say 6 pks? Really?
I was counting and it was more like 15... Considering I was nearly never able to seal a kill solo and most of my kills came when I was with group... See gank-o-meter, it'll probably be around two and a half. Doesn't mean I didn't have lots of solo fights.

...

About the "carbon copy"... what's wrong with playing a race/align I like? That there's too much of my personality instead of an invented one? I don't think rolling a storm warrior would help it.

Yes I'm being immature and emotional about a game. I will be if someone tries to remove my fun. I mean, I realized I wasn't good enough for Fort and asked for uninduction peacefully. But you just HAD to rub it in and give me that #### title and have everyone detest me. Way to go, you really brought a new meaning to the word griefer.

>Problem is, after I have had my portion of adrenaline I'd
>rather sit and chat, but no, I have to go and fight again, and
>again, and again.

That's what being in most cabals is.

Especially cabals that see a lot of raid action like Fort and Empire.

NT

btw, on joining the Empire: I didn't want to delete yet and there was a slim chance of regaining interest in the character that way. Plus, it was an opportunity to experiment a bit, since I lost compassion for my own character and stopped caring about eq and con.

I'm sorry if my IC reasons sounded #### to some people.

"Problem is, after I have had my portion of adrenaline I'd rather sit and chat, but no, I have to go and fight again, and again, and again. Thus it ceases to be fun and starts looking like a full-time job."

I agree. Next time, play a Herald! Seriously!

I really did feel for you. Poor Mirrou. Hearing your side of the story IC really did earn my sympathy because right or wrong, I could tell you *felt* humiliated and mocked for doing what you felt was the honorable thing, leaving Fortress, as someone who failed at becoming a capable Maran.

But, the joining-the-Empire thing just didn't seem like a very IC-response. Yes, I heard your reasoning, but, it was a stretch. I even tried to help you out by telling your side of the story and your justification (as best I can in word-bites in the Post), but frankly you didn't pull it off well. You were the same ol' Mirrou. If you were going to go that way, you needed to embrace it. Roleplay the rage, humiliation, despair that turned you an evil, hurt character that was easily manipulated by those you perceived acceptance from, the Empire.

But there was no transformation. No depth. Just (Gold Aura) Mirrou -> (Red Aura) Mirrou.

So, I can't say all the criticism is undeserved, but I think you've gotten enough of it, and I don't think you are hopeless as a player.

I sincerely *do* think you should consider trying out a Herald character. You clearly like to socialize. Come up with something creative and fun and work on your roleplaying skills away from the pressure of the PK demands of something like Maran.

I couldn't pull off a believable evil character if my life depended on it. I figured I'd try but it was really meh. That's why I deleted.

It really can be a blast. And while you don't have a lot of pk action, if you are looking to play a herald that will have some PK choose a race or class that will have inherent enemies. And you can make them neutral, or goodie, just not evil for the most part.

Any mage has villagers for example.
Elves have orcs.
Outlanders hate lots of people on principle.
An elf conjurer would have all three classes hunting him, so you could have some pk action at most any time you wanted, be viable in pk when you wanted to do that, have a lot of exploration flexibility, and have herald as a way to have all the RP you want.

So even as a herald you will find yourself in PK oriented situations at times, but generally you can control that a bit by having the Inn to sit and relax in when you just want to socialize/RP.

And there's nothing wrong with being unable to pull off evil. I sure as hell can't either. So I just don't play them. (Well, I recently tried again, but it was just not for me.)

Didn't like the shapeshifter class, but otherwise it was fine.

...as in you don't feel comfortable in a PK situation if you aren't with others on your side.

That's not to say you didn't get into those situations. I'm sure you did. What I'm saying is it was apparent that you were skittish if you were hanging out there, live or die, all on your own merit.

And that's ok. My first 3 or 4 chars were like that. Hell, Twist as a mortal was absolutely terrified in PK, because I felt like (and I was right) I didn't know what I was doing.

The few times I (as a mortal mage in Master) thought I would PK someone (alone), I got mercilessly stomped into the ground (and lost exp and generally got looted to hell and back).

It was probably my 6th character before I would be decent in a PK, and quite a bit longer (no idea, really) that I went out looking to solo PK.

So don't get too down. Just realize that what others are saying (about seeming like a coward) is probably more accurate than you're willing to admit to.

Also, I highly recommend playing a "throwaway" character. I don't mean throwaway as in "I exist to grief and send up inane prayers" and stuff. I mean throwaway as in "my goal with this character is to mix it up in pk a lot. I won't flee until I'm at 20% health or lower. If the other guy is convulsing, I stay until either he's dead, or I'm dead." That sort of thing. A build that isn't incredibly gear dependant, but is still viable in PK - like maybe axe warrior in the 20-30 range or something. Try to con die. Try to take as many sumbitches with you as you can. Build your suit from the spoils of fallen foes, not from getting together with friendly allies and killing a mob for that one piece of eq you want.

I guarantee you'll learn a lot about PK and become more comfortable when it comes down to 1v1 stuff.

This is pretty good advice.

I didn't start to feel comfortable in PK until I basically ran a warrior out of CON.

We had 5 deaths to a CON for normal people in those days, too.

I saved all my trains for CON, too.

And we had to PK uphill, both ways, in snow and razor blades.

>Also, I highly recommend playing a "throwaway" character. I don't mean throwaway as in "I exist to grief and send up inane prayers" and stuff. I mean throwaway as in "my goal with this character is to mix it up in pk a lot. I won't flee until I'm at 20% health or lower. If the other guy is convulsing, I stay until either he's dead, or I'm dead." That sort of thing. A build that isn't incredibly gear dependant, but is still viable in PK - like maybe axe warrior in the 20-30 range or something. Try to con die. Try to take as many sumbitches with you as you can. Build your suit from the spoils of fallen foes, not from getting together with friendly allies and killing a mob for that one piece of eq you want.<

I kinda play this way all the time. I actually find myself TRYING to be more cautious and patient, I just can't do it. Blame Shamanman

If there is a remote chance I might win, just can't resist it

It of course justifies mass ####ting on me.
And negative titles.

I think the issue is that any character who signs up to be a Squire (or a Villager for that matter) is making a commitment to the front-lines of War (with a capital W.)

Keeping in mind that this is a heroic roleplay environment (and not, for example, Vietnam) one of the greatest sins that a soldier can be guilty of is shirking the duty to fight. It seems, at least to me, that you were certainly guilty of trying to only fight when there was little risk to you.

It just can't be that way for Maran or Villagers. If the enemy is present and there is any chance at all for you to kill them, you should engage. This doesn't mean running up to an A/B/Sed Scion Invoker and eating a useless death, but it does mean that you need to get in there and mix it up.

Dying sucks, sure, but it doesn't (despite the attitude of some of the playerbase) reflect anything about you personally. It's no different than losing a hand of poker. If your full-house gets beaten by four-of-a-kind it can sting, but it doesn't mean that you "suck" or your e-peen is dried up. It's just a game. There isn't even any money on the line this time.

Feeling like you're being pooped on by the staff must be terrible, but try to keep in mind (in this instance, at least) that your character was not keeping up his end of the bargain and that's the only reason the poop started to rain down.

Good luck with your next, who I would advise be a RBW pincersvirf. You'll kill a lot, die a lot, regear is stupid-easy with Rock Hydra gear. Plus, it's (from my POV) just about as fun as this game can get.

explaining how I did thing the negative titles were justified, but then I realized it won't do any good. I tried to give you good, constructive criticism in my earlier post, in an attempt to help you get more enjoyment out of the game, but it's become pretty clear to me that I'm probably just wasting my time.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say no.

were not in pk oriented cabals. Twist was a NG Master whose role was essentially pacifist knowledge gatherer. And so on.

I did get my fair share of hints from above that I was doing something suckass. I got uninducted twice from Master, actually, basically for not acting like a Master.

Rather than go spout on a forum (they didn't exist), I stayed logged in, kept IC, and ended up getting a quest to get back in (the first time). The second time, I actually immed as uncaballed.

So did I get "####ted on"? Yes and no. I did get singled out and put through a wringer that most of the other mortals didn't...but I rolled with it and ended up having a great time.

Disclaimer: Not sure if anyone has made comments on this yet. I'm just posting based in your post.

Martial trance is good how it is now. Some of the suggestions I've had for aura/shield/barrier include having timers on them, so people can't just use them for every single random fight. You save your preps (martial trance in this case) for the BIG fish (and not necessarily the small fish), and also for raiding and defending. If you feel that you need martial trance for every single fight you encounter, then maybe the assassin class isn't for you, or you need to learn how to collect more basic preps.

I know it's probably the same tired advice you've already heard, but it is a matter of fact.

You're not going to perfect trance if you save it and don't use it often. I had it at 89% and still couldn't buy the trance edge. I had lots of edge points and it felt like I was saving them for nothing.

Honestly though, I did think Mirrou was an acolyte.

And it saddens me that the decision to go Empire may be OOC anger based.

But I thought this character was alright in the limited interactions I had.

I BET he would stay in game if you would give him that tittle.
To defend him, in Empire he did pretty well and have been quite useful.

I'm sad that he has deleted, he was interesting to have around and I, without knowing his sory within the Fort, liked that character and didn't think he was a coward (and I still don't think so).

But I really like that there is someone overseeing the Fortress who actually watches people, and goes out of their way to encourage them to do better.

I'm not weighing in on whether or not I agree with the assessment of Mirrou or not because I really didn't have that much interaction with him, but really, it's super awesome that you watch. I think it makes the game more immersive the more the imms watch what the players do, and can reward or smack down accordingly. It just gives the immortals a more real presence and feeling.

Not that Shokai and Vyn weren't the coolest things ever, mind you. One of the things I loved about Vyn was how he ALWAYS seemed to know everything I had been up to. Same with Eshval, and now I think it's pretty awesome of you.

I also have to give props to Nnaeshuk here for doing a lot within his limited powers in the form of crafting an interesting task/quest for Mirrou to do to work on his fighting ability.

(Which I thought was too easy, but, then he didn't even do it.)

I was like, "yeah, yeah, whatever". Had already lost interest in the character by the time. I forced myself to do some of it in the first couple of days, then I was like "oh, to hell with it, I'm fed up with this game" and I didn't log on for a week or something.

Similarly, by 330 hours I wasn't interested in getting maran anymore. I just wanted to leave peacefully because I felt I was lacking skill and attitude. You didn't let me go without a shoutout title. THAT is the real reason for hate. Not the lack of guidance, which I can't even find where I ranted about.

Well, yeah you got a title for blowing off that quest. You got a level of personal attention and custom effort that half the players would kill for and you took a piss on it. Not the charming British version of taking the piss, either.

Not that I'll ever roll something into Fortress anyway.

Well, look: you've said you were frustrated with how long you were a squire and that you didn't know what you needed to do to be a Maran.

A lot of people tried to help you with that and now you say you don't want that.

So what is it you want? Just for people to feel you were treated unfairly and that any problems you had were not your fault? I honestly don't know.

Nor did I feel honored by the attention, for that matter.

Maybe I just didn't expect anything good from the imms. When I asked if I'm too weak, I knew I wasn't getting anything now because I broke the taboo - never talk about promotions. And whatever they did after came off as just trying to mock my incompetence.

I had no idea what I got the squeamish title for, either. Just so you know.

You got the squeamish title for your multiple times hiding out when others would raid and for failing to do the quest in the arena that I gave you. Everything combined seemed to be deserving. Best of luck on whatever you decide to do next.

Nae-nae!

...when I would be hiding out on raids.
THAT you can't accuse me of.
Every time I knew there was a raid or defense, I abandoned what I was doing and hurried to help. Even without trance and preps. I even once died to scion inners because of that.

>Well, yeah you got a title for blowing off that quest. You
>got a level of personal attention and custom effort that half
>the players would kill for and you took a piss on it. Not the
>charming British version of taking the piss, either.

I mean, I personally liked what I saw of Mirrou. Bear that in mind here. But Ive had tatted, titled leaders of cabals (####ing autocorrect kept insisting I meant canals) who didn't get half this much immtention.

I hate to say it man, but if you felt the imms were resentful I really see why they might be. I'd kill my mother for that sort of personal attention, and the opportunity to shine that comes with it. I STILL kick myself for not doing more with my shifter when Sacer talked him into leaving the Fort. Unfortunately it was my first shifter and I didn't have enough of a grasp of what I was doing.

You clearly knew enough to shine, if you chose to. You didn't. I'm sorry you were disappointed but it really sounds like you just dropped the ball. We've all been there. Just learn from it and grab that opportunity when it comes around again and I think you'll find yourself shining.

> But Ive had tatted, titled leaders of cabals (####ing autocorrect kept insisting I meant canals) who didn't get half this much immtention.

That time you were the leader of the Suez Canal was my favorite.

>> But Ive had tatted, titled leaders of cabals (####ing
>autocorrect kept insisting I meant canals) who didn't get half
>this much immtention.
>
>That time you were the leader of the Suez Canal was my
>favorite.

The constant raids by Egypt and the village got old after a while though.