Sat Nov 10 20:44:32 2007

At 11 o'clock AM, Day of the Moon, 21st of the Month of the Dragon
on the Theran calendar Lyeden perished, never to return.

When logging into CF for the first time, it was pretty much a shot in the dark--I had no idea what kind of mud it was, or anything else. Also my first time on an RP mud. CF is very well done, for which I commend the staff, as well as the players which add to the atmosphere of the game. That said, PK seemed to overshadow everything else, and while the risk is certainly a part of the fun, other aspects were less developed than suits my personal tastes.

Another thing, on no other mud have I seen so many people just up and delete, either with the command or by auto. I found this to be rather frustrating...

And those two things led me to become bored and, eventually, delete.

Also, thanks to those that patiently answered my many questions, both in the game and here on the forums. Unfortunately, Lyeden is likely also my last character here. And now that all that's out of the way, goodbyes in no particular order:

Rayihn - You were pretty cool. I have to admit, I expected the first conversation to be little more than "empowerment plz", but you turned it into more than that, which I liked. Was also particularly grateful for the shortcut into the Fortress, cut out all the crap of the process. If I may offer a little constructive criticism, though: More or less saying go out and do good unto the world and leaving it at that, while great for flexibility, doesn't really give much of an angle to incorporate religion, IMO. Also, sorry for the tedious role :P

Soayel - Very, very cool char, always enjoyed talking with you. Also a pretty huge influence on shaping Lyeden's character. Just one question. Do people automatically assume healer == female? I mean, really, it's pretty ridiculous that some don't notice after hours alongside, or will sometimes mistakenly address a healer with something like "m'lady" even after correction. At first I thought some people might just think it was amusing to RP, but it happens on the forums too, apparently.

Duujai - Also a very nice char, and you were pretty helpful, but then you deleted!

Pesawwkt - I need to apologize for the sheer number of times you died on my watch. Never seemed to get it quite right. Sorry :X. That aside, you were a pretty good (and dedicated) fighter, was fun to play alongside you.

Fobrin - Exploring the tower with you and Pesawwkt was probably the most fun I've had in this game. Cheerio :)

Rawanj - Pretty fun fighting with you, and one of my first scares, getting flagged by the tribunal. Ironically, died to something else. Also thought the whole Aquastrin thing was pretty creative, if a bit...odd.

Sevenna - Another very likeable char. Also kinda disappeared, but I never saw you auto. In any case, good luck with the heralds.

Patick - Was interesting to see an assassin in the heralds. Anyway, I enjoyed the few times we spoke, good luck with the heralds.

Korra - Whatever happened to you anyway?

Alatariel - Ditto. But thanks for the save.

Folutar - /Almost/ got me as a newbie. 10% health, I believe it was, perhaps less. You were also my first test subject for Blade Barrier :)

Yzlione - Humm. I liked you, but sometimes I had a hard time following what you were saying. Anyway, good luck with the char.

Clarisandrie - Speaking of thieves. Elahrairas walking in on the duck conversation was one of the more amusing moments in the game. (o/ Elahrairas) Actually, the whole duck thing was kinda funny, and the ring got a laugh from me as well.

On that note, Imms, dreamrealm or no, I still call reference abuse on that ring :)

Elzie - Healers are surprisingly sturdy, actually :P

Skelray - I had just done a double-take at the spot where the guild guard desc should've been and noticed something was wrong when you came in. Your axes did a ridiculous amount of damage, at least to a lowbie. Learned to be a bit more careful after that, heh.

Shadiq - Not sure where you're at at this point in the game, but good luck with whatever it is you're up to.

Sebath - One of the more interesting stories to listen to behind a character. And thanks for note just telling me to bugger off, always makes it more boring when someone does that :P As a last minute addendum, looks like you deleted too...

Niheriva - You certainly fit the leadership position (I forget the exact name) well.

Saosinal - Bit of an eye-opener to the outlander-ish side of things. Also taught me a few good places to find decent armor for the first time.

Balaeus - Never saw you after our first meeting, though I did enjoy that. You still around these days?

Ilmdrin - Knew I was about to get iced the second I saw "Ilmdrin stops following you." And learning that it isn't possible to unveil before assassinate is used was another educational experience that cost a third of a con point, heheh. Anyway, cool assassin character.

Einor - Quiet character, but I liked him and enjoyed fighting alongside you.

Deyriaras - Another one I liked, and was interesting to watch the thingy with Corrlaan. Hope that works out for you.

Pavela - Kinda bitter battlefield thread, so I didn't post there. Liked the character, though, and I hope whichever one you're playing now works out better.

Rezmar - I've always thought felars are kind of creepy, but a nice friend nonetheless.

Falchiron - Never figured out who's side you were on, if anyone's. Seemed like sometimes you were on friendly terms and willing to help, but othertimes you were planning to steal, or some such.

Neh - No.

Krownis - In less than 10 seconds you managed to creep me out more than anyone else, in any game or community...

Rekosuul - Some of the more interesting (and scarier) moments. Nothing like a great white suddenly deciding elf's back on the menu :P

Braemir - Cool char, and good luck with the imm side of things :)

Eoria - You weren't afraid to attack alone or with just one other in a cabal where others were attached at the hip. As a bard, no less. You've earned my respect.

Iljenia - On that note, you did as well. Your worldbind did finally stick, so I would've been in trouble had you caught up to me. But, even though you didn't, being willing to try it alone still gave me a measure of respect for you.

Praeton - Good luck with the fort.

Marbeliel - Lyeden seemed to frustrate you a bit, sorry for that :P I did learn a lot from you, though, so thanks.

Pexi - Always thought the bones creaking and snapping while shapeshifting was a tad disturbing. Good luck to you though (And Atez as well).

Haebum - First encounter that showed the world is not always newbie friendly (Thank you newbie recall). :)

Vikram - Interesting char, and I hope the Fortress works out well for you.

Kessa - Antipathy is annoying :/ Made defending a bit more challenging at times, and it was interesting to speak with an evil/empire healer.

Avlak - That healing curse or whatever it was called was just frustrating :( But you knew your stuff, and made for a challenging foe. And I just saw that you deleted...*shrug*

Gilgrinoaken - Cool little gnome.

Ravon - "Whew, that was close, now I should teleport to get away from the city in case...well, no, I'm really low on mp and would be in trouble of I ended up with a whitecloak or vampire, and he's going after the orb anyway, so I can wait a little to regen som--OH #### #### ####" Approximation of my thoughts at the time. Seriously though, I can have an AC of -198 and every defense available to healers, and you still tear through me in seconds. Seconds for which I can't get a single command in...APs are pretty brutal. Though apparently they're extremely hard to get to that point, so nice work there, heheh.

Tyrilia - I do not know how anyone can play a character this cheerful :P Interesting history too. Thanks for the help you've given, and good luck out there.

Satebos - Good luck with lich.

Yrillbink - Never figured you out. Uh. Good job playing chaotic? Heheh.

Saethgwyn - Cool for the most part, but another deleter :/

Marja - I was very surprised when you actually agreed. Nice to see someone that's evil-aligned but with an interesting little twist.

Numodoff - LOL. Ya know, it always kills me how RPGs make mages (or priests) deck themselves out in jewelry, embroidered robes, etc. Never had someone make a point of it, though. And, of course, the whole elf thing doesn't help either.

Hrefnwik - Come to think of it, I seem to befriend a good number of thieves. Anyway, good luck in the heralds. Or maybe you're not in them, but you hung around them a bit, so I'm assuming so :P

Gaspar - I liked your title. We didn't talk very often, but I liked the char, and belated congrats on High Herald.

The rest of imperials (ie, Savarnic, Rhayla, Nhivi, Vanakoth, etc) - Made for an fun group of enemies. Getting ganked kinda sucked, but from what I hear, the fortress does a lot of that too, so I guess that balances out.

At this point...About a dozen or so more goodbyes I wanted to write, but I just don't think I can type anymore, hahah :x. Sorry to those I missed. And once again, thanks to everyone--friend, enemy, neutral, or something else entirely--you all added to the game and made it an enjoyable experiment with this whole RP thing. So long, and thanks for all the fish.

Soayel - Very, very cool char, always enjoyed talking with you. Also a pretty huge influence on shaping Lyeden's character. Just one question. Do people automatically assume healer == female? I mean, really, it's pretty ridiculous that some don't notice after hours alongside, or will sometimes mistakenly address a healer with something like "m'lady" even after correction. At first I thought some people might just think it was amusing to RP, but it happens on the forums too, apparently.

--

Thanks.

I enjoyed the few talks we had as well. It was nice to meet another healer, follower of Rayihn. I'm glad I could help.

I knew you were new, even before you posted on the Forums. But I'm not the one to avoid new players, quite the contrary. And you seemed to have done quite well.

Healers are both easy to play and learn with, but making a competent healer is very hard. Many people put their lives in your hand, and every decision you take can mean their death or not. You have to see everything in a fight, and pick what's best for what you have in front of you. Some people think that because you're with them they don't have to watch their health, etc... So it isn't always easy in the end.

As for the female thing... I don't know why people keep saying that. The name doesn't sound too female I think... And if people would actually read the help files, they'd know that elven names finish with vowels for females... Anyway, it's not that bad.

Soayel

Hey --

I knew you were a new player, but your RP really blew me away. I was really impressed with you for that. It's sad that you're leaving. I understand getting frustrated with others for deleting. I'm guilty of it to, but I'm trying to change that. I'm trying to change that and stop doing it.

If this is the first RP mud you've played, what do you do on other muds? Just PK/explore?

Huh. I hadn't thought I had done that well with RP, but I guess I did alright if you were that impressed, heh. In answer to your question, muds aren't really my primary form of entertainment, but I've dabbled in pk, yes. I've done a bit more exploring, and sometimes it's fun to work my way up in the social strata if there are player-run organizations. And, of course, questing and such, if the mud does them well.

From your massive goodbye post, it’s hard for me to think that you may give up all of those fabulous character experiences you had with Lyeden and simply leave. From the first day I saw you asking questions on the newbie channel, I thought this guy is a real go getter. You heroed your first character, that was empowered and cabaled. You may not realize this, but that is something. Even if you do decide to not roll up another character for more of those fabulous character experiences, it would be nice if you could post something on the gameplay forum about your experiences with Lyeden. A short critique of what you as a new player liked and disliked, so those issues can be addressed for future new players (preferably other than the PK aspect, that’s not something that is going to change).

Z

Sounds better when you put it like that, but then, it seems like more than half the people I've worked my way up in the game with (or against) have deleted. And...heroing isn't that hard, I don't think I often went more than 30 minutes without an invite. Empowering, while interesting, was not some arduous quest--it's pretty simple, actually. Ditto to caballing. If I can ever convince my brother to play a mud (been trying for over a year now...), we might roll up chars here, but for now, nothing's planned.

As for a critique, well, honestly, I don't have any major suggestions/issues. Really, CF is a very, very well done mud, and is well deserving of its high ranking.

I usually refrain from making comments like this with an active character, but I feel compelled to share my thoughts....

...PK seemed to overshadow everything else, and while the risk is
>certainly a part of the fun, other aspects were less developed
>than suits my personal tastes.

While I admittedly have played very few other muds, I think what you're seeing here is the tangible v. intangible aspects of CF. PK is very developed on CF because it is something that can be written into the code. This is what I refer to as tangible. Something that is very specific, can be easily seen and is very consistent.

Roleplay, commerce and exploration on the other hand are very subjective or intangible. So much depends on the people involved and the role/history/personality of the characters. I think that they seem less developed because they are not hard coded into the mud, but rather channeled into the playerbase.

My current character, Krengrar, is a very exploration based character. He interacts with other characters in many ways, pk included, but that is not the sole focus of his life. I think that other characters respond to this and roleplay with him accordingly. I also think that the imms see this and treat him accordinly.

If you were to add up the number of pk wins and loses Krengrar has and change that number into hours, Krengrar would have many more hours spent in exploration areas. This is entirely how I choose to play the character. The "less developed" areas of the mud, as you said, I see as the intangibles and flexibility that give people the chance to do things like this with their characters.


>Another thing, on no other mud have I seen so many people just
>up and delete, either with the command or by auto. I found
>this to be rather frustrating...

This comment I can definately related to having played Krengrar for over 300 hours. I think though that you are seeing a different cause and effect relationship than I do. I see so many people "up and deleting" because there are so many possibilities. Each character one plays on CF can be so different from another. Mid-way through a characters life, a player can get an idea for a new character and want do jump right into that new idea, leaving the other behind. I've had that same temptation over Krengrar's life.

It is rather frustrating to have your character get to know and enjoy the company of another just to see them disappear, but sadly, that is part of the game. On the bright side with so many people playing the game, there are many chances to meet new characters if one makes the effort.

I specifically make this effort with Krengrar. Being a ranger, Krengrar makes the effort to introduce himself to each ranger he sees as they enter his pk range. He also makes the effort to take some time as a hero to help others level a bit. This attitude fits nicely into Krengrar's role and cabal and helps to keep a steady stream of player interactions that are not pk based.

My rambling thoughts, do with them what you will...

sad to see you go! When I played my only other char I dedicated my time to he was an Assassin tribunal, and there was an assassin in the heralds at the time. ITs quite easy, difficult keeping up my role as not really wanting pointless bloodshed. Theres many who just kill killl kill then they die and delete.

Sure its a game, but theres a diffrence between game and RPG. heh Hope you do end up back in the fields though.

Alpha-Q

I hope you consider trying another character. You seem to learn well enough, and could get to be pretty darn good. It was always good having a healer around in the Fortress. I know I did my best to see if I could convince you to stay, and truly see if you really should leave it. Good luck on whatever you do, and I hope it is play here somemore.

I knew you were raw and wet behind the ears, but I figured if you didn't get in there you would never learn. Usually I died trying not to let you get waxed (I failed a few times) Alas it seemed PK was not your thing, I was disappointed when you left the fort.
Glad you enjoyed the trip to the tower, it was very cool to see some things I hadn't even seen before, pity we never made it all the way through.

Anyway I think you should definitely think about rolling something else, its not many people who can hang in an hero a first char and from what I saw of your evolution, you learned a #### ton.