Tue May 31 09:49:45 2016

At 8 o'clock PM, Day of Deception, 9th of the Month of the Grand Struggle
on the Theran calendar Ild perished, never to return.

You were good to have around. Even if there wasn't much to fight I enjoyed the chats and the interactions. It was good to be on your side for once.

All the best.

Kregan and Sekope. I really love your characters. And thanks for the kind words.

After 20 years of playing, I decided I wanted to contribute to CF on the backend. The Steam idea sounded interesting and I had the impression that the IMMs (as with payers) were not able to invest the time on CF that they once used to. As someone with the time to play, I figured I could help fill that gap. I sent an email to the IMMs and asked if I could work on the Steam idea as a HeroIMM project and said I have a comp sci degree but no active chars. I got a nice reply saying that they wanted to look into the idea, but I needed to go through the normal IMM process with a char (I was fine with that). I wasn't set on the Steam work and understood that it was unlikely I would end up doing anything on it. Mostly I was interested in player maintenance (rating roles/empowerment/IMMteraction/events) and re-writing an area. Some time later, I rolled Ild with that intent.

I sent a note about becoming an IMM after about 300 hrs and got an initial interview soon after. I was told that IMMs cannot play CF during their first assignment (1 year on avg.) and can never post on Dio's again. I thought about those restrictions for a few days then withdrew my application. Without going into the reasons I was unwilling to abide by those terms, I will say that it feels a little shady to publish a process and requirements for becoming an IMM and after a considerable investment by a player toward that goal, you reveal these restrictions. I really don't know what else to say about it other than it boggles the mind. Maybe I'll find words later.

I didn't delete then because the rites were coming up and Ild had perfected earclap (with helmet clanger edge) for Llathe, but by the time they did, Ild had lost her charm. Delete;!

I added all of Ild's poems to her role. Oh, and her "Best EQ" entry looks just like a nuclear bomb. That wasn't easy to accomplish!

GOODBYE's:

Ild was bad at recalling names and events without being prompted because *I* have the same problem. I'll leave out many people I should mention becuase I just can't recall some things. Please post and remind me if I do. I'd appreciate it and will reply.

IMMORTALS:

Avderlain - For about 90 hours of Ild's life, she sought you (sphere mercy). Praying in the shrine. Leaving poems about mercy in the shrine. Talking about you and mercy to others. Finally, after nothing, I wrote you a note as another char said they had contacted you this way. After about 10 days of not getting a reply, I gave up. What a disappointment and time sink. I assumed that my timing was bad and hoped everything was OK in RL. Then I see this from Ild's PBF:

Wed Mar 30 19:13:54 2016 by 'Avderlain' at level 42 (239 hrs):
While I can appreciate an outside the box approach, I struggle to believe any character who has 20+ PK wins actually understands or wants anything to do with my religion.

This was before I sent the note. Maybe it would have been easier to understand my thinking if you spoke to Ild. Then if you still "struggle to believe" you can send her on her way. I can't count the times I've heard characters praised for sticking things out. That, paired with the practice of rejecting a char as a follower without informing them in any way shows a complete lack of respect for the char and the player.

Jormyr - Ild ***DEVASTATED*** you! That was a lot of fun in the arena and everyone appreciated it. Thanks.

Raltevio - You're awesome. Thanks for the title and being around and vis so much. I saw your comment and, yes, the poems were a lot of work. Much more than I thought they would be. Maybe it is easier for others. I was inspired by the limerick contest at the Inn that I stumbled in on (Thanks Whildur). I really enjoyed doing them and am glad some people enjoyed them.

Scarabaeus - Never spoke to you, but Qinsa's behavior sort of reminded me of your Arbiter. Golmagus was great.

Destuvius - Are you a prison guard in RL? I ask because you do not seem to trust people's motives at all. When I made some thief suggestions in our interview, you asked if I was just biased toward thieves as I'd just finished playing 1300 hours of thives over the last couple of years. My suggestions were based on what I know in depth. I couldn't credibly offer ways to fine tune conjurers without recently playing a few. Arials in Ayr'Trinil seeing hidden just makes no sense. It's not going to break a thief, it's just inconsistent with Thera/arials/classes/other cities, that's all. Please try to be more positive!

PLEBEs:

Balgrum - Enjoyed our talks about Avderlain and mercy. I was very happy when you got empowered. The wait to speak to Avderlain was easier with someone else in the same boat.

Renize - Ild's best friend. Always felt a kinship for some reason and Ild knew she could tell you anything. Ild would have enjoyed being a Herald and regretted not going that path a few times. Usually after seeing you.

Sekope - You were a good friend to Ild and a good Drillmaster. Always willing to talk and listen.

Llathe - Ild wasn't your biggest fan. Perhaps she was a bit jelous that once you came along, you got all the attention and were more useful with your songs. Ild perfected earclap and took the helmet clanger edge just to face you in the Rites. She also talked some smack behind your back as women tend to do. It was funny. As a player, I liked Llathe and had no issues OOC. Llathe is tough stuff and we did some good work together taking back the head, etc. I wish you had nipped the issues with the spire in the bud.

Qinsa - You really disappointed me at the end. Ild was your friend and you came to the village and killed her after you said you wouldn't attack her while she was with child. To add insult to injury, you brought a transmuter, a mage who causes severe internal damage, to help you fight a pregnant woman. Damn, dude. Ild lost her child in that fight. She had not died since she got pregnant. The poems about this are in her role on the PDF. Losing your post should have come at no surprise after attacking the one who made you Provost in the first place.

Whildur - Liked you and tried to interact whenever I saw you.

Ameenotep - I wish we could have done more together at hero. Ild considered you a good friend.

Daphedee - Liked talking to you even though you were a real basket case after Gaspare died and you lost your spells. Ild wouldn't read Gaspare's writing because of that.

Tanzer - I'm glad you liked the poem. Ild liked you a lot and I was looking forward to being a Hero IMM with you. I had the water skin made from Tanzer and the sack from the hydra up until I deleted. Ild showed it to everyone and said it was a gift from you.

Shravthar - You were a little bit of a jerk. Ild followed you around patching you as you defended and you finally killed whomever it was you were fighting. I took one piece of EQ and you exploded because Ild didn't earn it. You threatened to take Ild to the circle and was very hard on her even after she returned the helm. You took Torzen to the circle because he would not tell you something you were demanding to know. I'm glad he and Sekope sorted you out. You were much nicer after that. Funny that the last time Ild saw you, she had just slain someone in the ruins (you were not near) and you kept asking if they had weapons you could use. I just told you where the corpse was and left it at that.

Torzen - Good commander when I saw you. I thought you handled Shrav very well and it was good to see you stand your ground with him.
Izqi - You're fun to be around. Wanted to spend more time with you.

Davoderis - Always bringing it and I appreciate that. We came out close to even although most of our 1 on 1 fights were when you had no codex. I avoided you and your death traps once you were Emperor. Non-griefer, too.

Caecilius - Interesting. Good RP. I think you got the imperial laws wrong when you allowed citizens to attack ragers in the city, but what do I know? That note was so condescending that it made it all but impossible to even negotiate, which may have been what you were going for.

Prantus/Donetonv/Almsvelah/Lanning - I don't mind a nice gang-down except that once you die, everyone is entitled to take a piece or two of EQ because they helped. I don't blame you (after all, it was a raid on the village) and that was a poor showing on my part though with a duergar present, my tactics are limited.

Aserkal - Enjoyed fighting you and Rodacir. I wrote a poem about the first time we fought on eastern (in my PBF role). I was tired, had been working on a different poem and was about to logout when you two showed up. Had my mind been clear, I probably would not have attacked you two and your minions. Turned out to be one of my favorite Ild memories.

Rodacir - We didn't speak much, but felar Ap is tough, so kudos. BTW, you were Aserkal's body shield.

Tiiga - Dude. You are a bitch to fight when you are tranced. And maybe when you're not, I don't know. But, I suspect you'd trance, come and beat people up and then vanish without a trace for 18 or so game hours, then come back and beat people up again. I hope you don't blame me for the time in Voralian. No trance, no flight. At least I didn't loot anything (spoked toed boots)! When you attacked our group (3 or 4 ragers in Maethien), I was going to offer you passage if you would just get the heck out of there. But, you tried to assassinate one of them before I could tell you. Anyway, I don't know what you were thinking that day.

Dol - Good stuff. I did give you a hard time when you were an applicant and we first spoke. I was half joking, but I can see why you would think Ild a jerk, although some of it was justified. Ild liked you a lot. You did well for an Azure rager!

Ragers - Lots of good memories, please remind me. I cannot recall the names right now!

If I missed you, please post and I will reply!

As Umiron clearly stated before, you don't need IMM status to pursue Steam project. That's where it has clearly gone wrong in the first place.

I just saw that as an opportunity to get the ball rolling toward IMM. I updated the post to make it more clear.

>After 20 years of playing, I decided I wanted to contribute
>to CF on the backend. The Steam idea sounded interesting and I
>had the impression that the IMMs (as with payers) were not
>able to invest the time on CF that they once used to. As
>someone with the time to play, I figured I could help fill
>that gap. I sent an email to the IMMs and asked if I could
>work on the Steam idea as a HeroIMM project and said I have a
>comp sci degree but no active chars. I got a nice reply saying
>that they wanted to look into the idea, but I needed to go
>through the normal IMM process with a char (I was fine with
>that). I wasn't set on the Steam work and understood that it
>was unlikely I would end up doing anything on it. Mostly I was
>interested in player maintenance (rating
>roles/empowerment/IMMteraction/events) and re-writing an area.
>Some time later, I rolled Ild with that intent.
>
>I sent a note about becoming an IMM after about 300 hrs and
>got an initial interview soon after. I was told that IMMs
>cannot play CF during their first assignment (1 year on avg.)
>and can never post on Dio's again. I thought about those
>restrictions for a few days then withdrew my application.
>Without going into the reasons I was unwilling to abide by
>those terms, I will say that it feels a little shady to
>publish a process and requirements for becoming an IMM and
>after a considerable investment by a player toward that goal,
>you reveal these restrictions. I really don't know what else
>to say about it other than it boggles the mind. Maybe I'll
>find words later.

What I got from your email was that you wanted to heroimm and that the Steam thing was what you were interested in as a first project, but you ultimately wanted to become an immortal and do normal immortal things.

When people apply to heroimm we fill them in in more detail on what being a heroimm and later an immortal means. You weren't interested in that proposition, which is fine, but if after your interview you felt like Ild as a whole was a waste of time then you probably shouldn't have applied in the first place anyway, nor should we have obliged you.

>IMMORTALS:
>Destuvius - Are you a prison guard in RL? I ask because you do
>not seem to trust people's motives at all. When I made some
>thief suggestions in our interview, you asked if I was just
>biased toward thieves as I'd just finished playing 1300 hours
>of thives over the last couple of years. My suggestions were
>based on what I know in depth. I couldn't credibly offer ways
>to fine tune conjurers without recently playing a few. Arials
>in Ayr'Trinil seeing hidden just makes no sense. It's not
>going to break a thief, it's just inconsistent with
>Thera/arials/classes/other cities, that's all. Please try to
>be more positive!

This is a relatively common question we ask people to get a sense of where their mind is on game design/balance. Also remember that just like a real life job interview, we're going to prod people to explain their answers and defend their positions. A big part of being an immortal can (but doesn't have to) be having those kinds of discussions.

Anyway, I liked Ild and would've liked to see him continue to be a presence in Battle, but alas. GLWYN.

I considered deleting after I withdrew my application because you all knew my past chars and forum handles. I have been told by an IMM before that knowing previous char(s) is a major distraction and likely to limit interaction. But, even if I did want to delete just because I was no longer interested in IMMing Ild, I don't see why that would impact my ability to contribute as an IMM. Ultimately, it was a combination of several factors.

I was happy with our email exchange and you are right. I was interested in the proposition of becoming an IMM and the work involved with being an IMM. I did not have my heart set on Steam work. But, offering to commit a considerable amount of time to CF in large part for the enjoyment of the playerbase is enough to give without being told what one can and cannot do in their free time. Playing CF is what motivated me to consider this commitment. As one embarks on a long, difficult project without short-term gratification (a Hero IMM project), why would you want to deprive them of their major source of motivation? Besides, if a HeroIMM cannot manage their time well enough to complete their project without you forbidding them to play CF, why would you want them as an IMM? And why do you think they will be able to perform their duties once they are allowed to play?

My comment to Dest is probably best understood in the context of our full discussion. He could stand to be a little more optimistic when it comes to the game/players and I don't think I'm telling him anything he doesn't already know. That said, I did appreciate Dest responding to me re: Avderlain after I didn't get a response. So, thanks Dest.

Anyway, it was a learning experience and Ild was a fun character. GLWMN

>I considered deleting after I withdrew my application because
>you all knew my past chars and forum handles. I have been told
>by an IMM before that knowing previous char(s) is a major
>distraction and likely to limit interaction. But, even if I
>did want to delete just because I was no longer interested in
>IMMing Ild, I don't see why that would impact my ability to
>contribute as an IMM. Ultimately, it was a combination of
>several factors.

Heh. Definitely can be. On the bright side, I can't keep like 90% of people, handles, and characters straight, so I'm just disappointed there was no more Ild.

>I was happy with our email exchange and you are right. I was
>interested in the proposition of becoming an IMM and the work
>involved with being an IMM. I did not have my heart set on
>Steam work. But, offering to commit a considerable amount of
>time to CF in large part for the enjoyment of the playerbase
>is enough to give without being told what one can and cannot
>do in their free time. Playing CF is what motivated me to
>consider this commitment. As one embarks on a long, difficult
>project without short-term gratification (a Hero IMM project),
>why would you want to deprive them of their major source of
>motivation? Besides, if a HeroIMM cannot manage their time
>well enough to complete their project without you forbidding
>them to play CF, why would you want them as an IMM? And why do
>you think they will be able to perform their duties once they
>are allowed to play?

As someone who took *THREE* different times heroimming (and still barely survived the third one), it's the fact that it *is* a long, difficult project without immediate gratification, and for so many people it's just WAY easier/more fun to log in as a mortal and go have that fun rather than focus on that project. Once you get through that, you're left to your discretion on playing mortals vs. Immortal.

>My comment to Dest is probably best understood in the context
>of our full discussion. He could stand to be a little more
>optimistic when it comes to the game/players and I don't think
>I'm telling him anything he doesn't already know. That said, I
>did appreciate Dest responding to me re: Avderlain after I
>didn't get a response. So, thanks Dest.

Heh. Pappa Desty uses the stick. Cousin Ralt has the carrot. Crazy Uncle Jormyr hangs out on the lawnchair in the yard in his underwear.

>Anyway, it was a learning experience and Ild was a fun
>character. GLWMN

yes, it sucks that you didn't realize it but it's been advertised/known. can't really fault either party.

i want to encourage you to keep looking at the Steam integration. man, that'd be KILLA

Like seriously, 10% at most.

I can name several players who I talked to OOC who HeroIMM'd (at the very least), and probably 75% of them DEFINITELY played alts during the time they were a HeroIMM.

A couple made alt Dio's accounts, as well.

Now remember, they didn't say you couldn't keep your Dio's account, just that you couldn't post.

Anywhoo, glad you're not an IMM and hopefully that you still play cool morts

I have a hard time believing 90% of the heroimms that come through are playing mortals via proxy while they're a heroimm, which is the only way we wouldn't notice. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but I do think you're exaggerating a bit. Which for some reason I'm seeing a lot of this week all over the place.

Yeah, first off, 90% of several can be 9 of 10 or 1.8 of 2 LOL.

But my point was I've known successful (as in had religions, some had multiple runs, one had 2-3 IMM personas) players who were able to have an alt during the HeroIMM phase.

Now, that being said, when I say alt, I don't mean Tat'd leadered caballed and ####. I just mean that had a blow off character to ####s around with. 7 path invoker who DOES NOT go 5-5-5-5-5-5-5. Conjurer that only solo-ranks. Warriors who only chooses one spec and one legacy. Etc.

PS I'm shocked you didn't just go "Oh, Sam's exaggerating again". It's something I do too often in real life as well. I'm bad at exact details

There are many stages to the HeroIMM process. Its not outlandish for people who are at the tail end of said process to be given the go ahead to play morts again.

gr

It's worth noting that character at both levels 51 and 52 appear as "AVA" on who, and at 52 most "heroimms" are then allowed to play mortals. It's also very possible that in previous aeons of immortaldom we weren't very strict on that.

But eh, the number of times I'm aware of that we've had to bug a heroimm about having an alt or had a heroimm quit citing their desire to play a character vs. do their work is zero. It's not something I'm concerned about at all.

nt

You played that build over and over again.

That ####ty clown gave the drillmaster to you over and over again. Thats the current state of CF. NICE.

But it was lost a years ago. You still have a chance to do that I told you. Sell it. Even Nepe left you. that power money seeker.

Now, you, Sacer with you friends play on sundays with you and your 5 friends in rp game - good luck. 20 years ago, it was a different game.

#### you. And sorry, you are good for that game, but not as general imp.

Ild really stood out to me from our first interaction in the Inn when I could have sworn you were going to go Herald. People who write CF poetry get a special place in my heart, anyway. Every interaction made me want to be your friend. I regret they were so few, but still you had an impact. I hope you had fun and good luck with your next.

Yep. See my goodbye's. Ild really liked and trusted you. And that was a really nice role entry about Ild and the golem in your PBF. You were mad at Ild about getting Kingpin at first? Why is that?

Nah, not mad about Kingpin. More just sketched out at first by the whole Battlerager thing. (I married a mage! I was a mystic path thief!) This was before we truly got to know each other.

Sad to see you go. Things are progressing along and hope soon to have completed the establishment of the Council of Rogues. From the limited times we had together I feel you embodied the Rogue over thief concept well.

That sounded pretty cool. I had some ideas, but all code intensive. Sorry I didn't have more time to help you like I wanted to. I didn't know you were so close to death!

Its okay, I was actually on a vitality quest when my last breath was taken. Hopefully another Rogue will take up the mantle and run with the idea as it sounded like Deormdel was on board just was waiting for the guild leaders to show more support.