Hi folks,

Its been a couple years since I played a serious character, have played off and on for about 12 or so years and coming back to what is left of Carrion Fields is really depressing.

I mean the game itself has always been a lot of fun, I enjoy the areas, the races/classes are cool. I'm really impressed what these implementors did to make and MAINTAIN this MuD.

But what has been eating at me since I started playing these past few months, is the PLAYER-BASE being really piss poor. I wasn't going to say anything, and judging by the interactions I have gotten IC, most of you couldn't care less. I was just going to play my last character out and put the game back on the shelf for another few years, end of story.

I just can't imagine I would be the only one to have a few of the same observations, so I wanted to put this out there:

I cannot believe the level of role-playing going down on CF! It does blow my mind how people can think that is role play. From what I can tell, it has become common practice to act like an asshole in response to any opportunity to play your role. You just 'cop' an attitude of a prick and basically tell people off like you are a lawyer defending your actions, not much of the explaining. Now granted this isn't a must, but if your playing a multi-user game you have to realize that the game isn't all about you. Other people are playing and trying to get some enjoyment out of it, not just take out their RL frustrations on people who are probably trying to escape RL so they can have some fun.

Now of course I realize the game isn't all about me either, but I have several speculations on why the number of people who hold consistent characters has dropped. Getting PKed really isn't that big of a deal, I remember when I used to think so, and I can understand new players taking it hard. But you gotta die, sooner or later. But how are you going to feel if you never had a chance, your opponents decide to take your stuff, and then the only interaction you get is some more of that "prick" ####, basically in CF lingo telling you to suck it. I don't care who you are, you gotta be pretty high to have that roll right off you and keep going. It's often why people rage delete.

That said, and I know this logic makes sense. Even from a 'role-played' perspective, why would you want your opponents to rage delete or quit and not come back, pretty soon you will find yourself all alone? I KNOW there used to be some really great players, who could pk all day, and have people coming back for more. Because it was fun, it was a challenge, sweaty palmed excitement. Not because they insulted you when you didn't do what they wanted you to do, like come fight them somewhere because they said so, or because you were about to die and so you fled, and they start sending you tells insulting you like it's going to make you come back and get killed.

The Heralds of the Eternal Star are probably the coolest bunch on the whole game, and I would still say that even if they PKed the #### out of everyone, gang-bang style. Why? Because they are having fun, they clearly play the game for different reasons. They send neat poems and stuff to everyone for the love of it, not because they are trying to impress the imms or something. (They are the few who might have a role that makes them really friendly to all people and enjoys helping people out and adding to their fun)

I actually have a few more rants but I'm starting to sound silly to myself so I'll finish up what I wanted to say with this..

It is clear that the immortals are catering to what's left of their playerbase, but lets face it. New players are not coming by the droves to check out CF. Many who do are driven away. Older and respected players have disappeared. (And I KNOW this is true, it would be obvious if they still played the game, because their presence would be felt.) I attribute this to the piss-poor "mandatory role-playing, and to the attitudes of a majority of the playerbase.

Or are there other reasons?

Roleplay is most definetly at a higher level than it used to be. Hell, when I first started playing(97) the rare OOC: Blah blah blah, was still OK. I don't let things bother me personally(particularly things related to a text based game), but I'll tell you what would really spin me up if I let it. Whiny bitches. The guys who whine and whine on Dio's or here about how unfair something was, about how they got full looted, or about how the only way that guy beat me was because he had Defiance, or Humansunder, or the Super Secret Staff of Canoewhacking. Even worse, whiny bitches in the game. If you even once say anything beyond, "Am I getting anything back?", because why would you want to run from Galadon to Aturi at top speed to realize you got full looted and the guy's keeping it all?, I think you're a douche. Not only that, I'll probably never even try and roleplay with you again. Ever. I've actually avoided full looting people because I knew what was about to come. I don't want to hear you lose your temper because now you might have to go get some new amethyst rings. Yes, gear helps tremendously in some instances, but for the run of the mill fight, you can get gear that's good enough.

My theory is this, about a year ago, there was, what seems like, a mass exodus of veteran players that left the game. Maybe there is some giant conspiracy, which I doubt, maybe priorities just change, which I think is a big part of it. But what I think is, all those vet players got sick and tired of the flaming trolling horse#### on the forums, and the incessant whining about getting full looted or ganged down, or beat by the guy with the Super Secret Staff of Canoewhacking. So they left. They went elsewhere to play a game, or do something where they have to put up with less of this ####. That, and WoW came out, and for some inexplicable reason, people like that pile of #### they call an RPG.

Role play, which is usually, "shut-up you whiney bitches," always asking me if I can get stuff back!"
News flash, people spend alot of their characters life exploring areas and gathering misc items as part of their enjoyment of playing, so if you take most of it, wow, go figure they might feel bad, mad, sad, glad?

And I guess their character might want to have their belongings back, so it would be completely OOC to ask if they are going to return to a cleaned out corpse, or if you decided that killing them was enough.

Plus I'm sure its your character that thinks their are a "douche" (which is a feminine hygene product for all you 3rd graders) and not you the player who I'm sure is not one of the afformentioned assholes that I was talking about having stellar Role-playing abilities which you so graciously apply to those who you deem worthy.

On a side note:

I was playing a sylvan warder during the times Istendil the Emperor of Thera became the first lich. We would be getting ready to raid, and I remember being so excited that I got to fight against this guy. I mean he was EXTREMELY impressive. Whether you were dying to him or listening to what he had to say at the Inn. This was a player that took my breath away. If you think their are characters that can compare to this legend of "yore" then please give me some examples cause I must have missed them. I remember the entropy cabal had some great players, role-play was amazing. Pico, now that was a character that "busted my gut"

Because Entropy was removed for, among other reasons, horrible roleplayers and 'rampant abuse of powers for PK'.

Personally I found the world vastly more interesting when Doppel was around, and am in a better position to abuse 'randomize' than I was back in the day, but we're never going to see those powers around again with any reasonable frequency.

Now back to your point, there have been plenty of players like this of late. However the Inn is largely regarded as a really childish RP vehicle.

How do you propose you fix this if you want a relatively safe place for quality RP? Because let me tell you, RP facilitated solely by the 'tell' command keeping you safely out of arm's reach doesn't keep my interest.

Because with every recent character I've had, I've run into a lot of top notch characters. I played back then as well, and yes, Istendil was badass. The only flaw in your flashback is that characters like that were the exception, not the rule back then.

Kavan, Adelhard, Taera, Lucan, Gistle, Kharghurln(current empress that will never die), Gryshilniar, Isabaeux, Nuloh, Sekhuroth, Grunlath, Aeria, Dulmissa...these are just off the top of my head of characters I've ran across with some of my recent characters that raised the bar. I generally feel like I'm bringing something to the rp table with my own chars, Laenelis, Landren, etc. I think others are too.

If you aren't seeing it, I'm of the opinion you are either not paying attention or focusing so much on what you don't like you aren't seeing the amount of good that is out there.

I can't speak for everyone else, but I've found the more I put out in terms of role and roleplay, the more I get back. Maybe you spent more time worrying about what everyone else was doing "wrong" and not enough putting out yourself? I don't know man.

I've noticed exactly the same thing. You get better RP out of other people and other people get better RP out of you by RP:ing well yourself and interacting actively. This is much more effective than moaning in forums and demanding others to do something to improve their RP, complaining about playerbase declining(which only makes things worse. To increase the playerbase, you should inspire people to want to play) et cetera.

They don't dig conflict and combat rp, and would prefer to sit around a virtual room saying "yar!" and drinking virtual drinks. That's what MUSH's are for. This is a PK mud. It's not a sit around the inn and talk mud. Also, a real person would not break down their life story in the one time they talk to you, especially if they are the enemy. If you want to know more about a person, even an enemy, then ask and be persistent. However they are not required to tell you a damned thing.

I think the standard of RP has dropped across the board.

nt

"New payment options w/ Iron Realms"

I'm generally disgusted with some of the interactions i've had as of late, thus causing me not to bother playing anything over the level of 15 in months.

One guy tells you you're wrong its an opinion.

Two guys tell you you're wrong, they're bullies.

Everyone tells you you're wrong? Time to rethink your position.

What I *DO* see as a problem though, are people who play with the sole intent to get as many kills as possible in their lifetime. I am guilty of this, too. I wish these statistics were taken out of the PBF's, or, at the very least, were sent to the person's e-mail, instead of being public knowledge. Then PK numbers would turn into a 'fishing' stories.


There used to be a PK counter on (I think) Glimo's, which showed the best 20 PK'ers in order, from levels 10-20, 20-30, 30-40 and 40-51. They did away with it for a reason. Then they brought back PK statistics on PBF's, and similar problems still occur to this day, as they did then.

Some people are just completely anal when it comes to their pk record, as if it's the be-all and end-all of characters. Even I feel somewhat conscious of it when I never did during the first year or two of playing.

In all seriousness, your murder gnome achieves very little in satisfaction. There is no exception to those who draw more satisfaction from laughing, cheering and being scared witless than ticking off another 'kill' on a mental list. Emotion is where it's at - living through an environment with competition so layered it makes wedding cakes look flat.

Consistancy scores so much higher than being gnome-in-a-psycho-suit3897. Being a presence that people can relate too, build around and predict to a certain degree. It's what lets us believe in the game. Makes us realise we're not playing text doom, that this is a living breathing world we're pouring ourselves into. Immersion shouldn't be ruined by statistics, at best they should be a curiousity. You are welcome to waste your time being flat, it's a way to observe the awesomeness of others and I do it myself from time to time. But it doesn't feed the soul like making a legend live at your fingertips. Clack those keys and build some depth, because in carrionfields, pk drives you!

Yhorian

If anything RP has gone up considerably since back in the days. Not sure what kind of rose color glasses you are wearing. Maybe you just had a bad run. Also keep in mind at the low levels RP is never going to be as good as it is when you get up into 40+ range.

That which does not kill us,
makes us stronger.

The exception being some middling minotaur who seemed to think it'd be great to run around saying 'ead thid unnd die'. Thankfully, he doesn't seem to have lasted long.

Yhorian

In the last month I've died close to a score of times to several enemies, and the worst I've heard was a demeanor of condescending superiority that perfectly fit the character of my enemy and one player's frustration at my dogged attempts to kill him one night. The only assinine looting I've seen was done by level teens stealing unprotected gear.

I see roleplay with both my allies and my enemies, my victims and my victimizers. I've had immteraction and a few awards.

Don't get me wrong when I say that your experiences might well be a reflection of what you are bringing to Carrion Fields. I have messed up and grumbled OOC at getting steamrolled, and I know I can't spell worth a damn and I'm a newb compared to the veterans you allude to, but unless you are making sweeping generalizations that have little bearing on reality, your reality is quite unlike what I've been experiencing.

I hope you find whatever it is you are looking for.

If you think the level of RP on CF is lower than times of yore, we aren't playing the same game.

"New payment options w/ Iron Realms"

Seconded.

I find the rp today better.

I also find player's attitude better, with less "I'll spoil your day because I have real life issues and I like kicking sand in kiddies faces on the beach" idiots as well.