Was thinking of an implementation of some sort of system that would encourage more donations to CF with little work and not unfair advantages. Here's what I came up with:

Buying a unique level 1 character.

Basically, a specific donation of, say, $10-$15 from an e-mail address with a character name, race, and class. Once the donation is accepted, the implementor sets up the character and sets a password and e-mails it back to the e-mail address, keeping the anonymity of the recipient (assuming that the e-mail address isn't associated with the forum name).

This would allow some more variety to CF and the ability to see some unique characters, like a minotaur thief or a wood-elf invoker, etc. However, an added agreement for purchasing a unique character would be that the characters would be held to a higher standard by the imms, requiring a role and having to show a good effort at staying in character.

A slight alternative to this would be the imms making several unique characters at level 1 and offering them for donation, thus ensuring there aren't duergar paladins or elven assassins running around.

Whatchya think? I'd definitely donate to play something unique (that I wanted to play)

Just ghosting about, and I thought I would respond. The basic problem with pay-for-play perks is that is everyone had five dollars, we could have a hundred 'unique' characters. I prefer the perks through consistant/stellar rp, contests, imm followers, and all the other possibilities that come from work and effort rather than having some spare cash.

P.S., nice to 'see' you WG.

*Note, the IMM tag is not accurate...I am not.

eshval@nowhereinparticular.wtf

A whole new day, a whole new set of possibilities. - MacGyver

But I curse you with the drug that is CF to drag your butt back and get your religion going again. You were too much fun and need to come back so we can have the Court and want to be vampires for me to hunt!

Sorry, had a Krilcov moment.

But seriously, PERMA?

eshval@lostamongthelost.wtf

A whole new day, a whole new set of possibilities. - MacGyver

Note - still not an imm, just poking about, having fun.

My opinion:

1) I'm opposed to stuff-for-money. That's just not how we roll.

2) I prefer that the most common way to play a non-standard character is through earning it through RP.

However,

3) I'm not completely opposed to the idea that an odd character here or there could be given away very rarely as some kind of contest award or the like. Maybe we have a contest for a month to see who can make the most improvements to our web site or do the most for marketing CF and the winner gets to play an arial paladin or elven assassin or something.

I really like the idea behind #3. It improves CF and offers a really awesome reward in return.

Is there a way (theoretically) to keep the winner anonymous so, even if there is a storm giant shapeshifter, we don't all go gunning for him because we know he's Vlad?

>Is there a way (theoretically) to keep the winner anonymous
>so, even if there is a storm giant shapeshifter, we don't all
>go gunning for him because we know he's Vlad?

That's the first problem I came up with and I haven't hit on a good solution yet. I suppose it'd depend on the nature of the contest.

You could always just say something along the lines of.... the winner has been contacted by email, and leave it to the player to keep it quiet.

-- Try an Enlilth follower today! Enlilth, now with 40% more chewey caramel in every bite. --

You could always limit it to combos that already exist in game. Like Brulgar, the Felar Shaman, etc.

1) The game theory term for where this road leads is 'arms race'. Selling in-game content erodes game balance, and generally leads to systems of the "pay or be crippled" genre. We have a line in that sand, and I like where it is.

2) It remains my opinion that allowing more race/class combinations reduces roleplay, rather than heightens it. If wood-elves are conjurers and shamans and anti-paladins and whatever, after a while they're just humans with better vision and an XP penalty. Boundaries create opportunities for roleplay-- my favorite small example is how arial/felar descs/RP got much cooler in a matter of weeks simply by the equipment slot changes we put on them. (Prior to that, a large fraction of them were 'humans with wings' or 'humans with claws'.)

valguarnera@carrionfields.com

Nobody can dispute number 1.

But the possibility of number two's gets me excited!

>1) The game theory term for where this road leads is 'arms
>race'. Selling in-game content erodes game balance, and
>generally leads to systems of the "pay or be crippled" genre.
>We have a line in that sand, and I like where it is.


Some games/people make it work, some don't. If you don't like the idea, I'm fine with that.


>2) It remains my opinion that allowing more race/class
>combinations reduces roleplay, rather than heightens it. If
>wood-elves are conjurers and shamans and anti-paladins and
>whatever, after a while they're just humans with better vision
>and an XP penalty. Boundaries create opportunities for
>roleplay-- my favorite small example is how arial/felar
>descs/RP got much cooler in a matter of weeks simply by the
>equipment slot changes we put on them. (Prior to that, a
>large fraction of them were 'humans with wings' or 'humans
>with claws'.)

Here's where I truly think you are wrong because of the power of the CF community. People encourage others in game to RP. Ever listen to the Newbie Channel when someone tries to treat it as an OOC chat line? Those that don't follow some semblance of RP guidelines get shunned, and getting shunned makes the game even less fun. What I was suggesting with this is not more of a free-for-all with race/class combos, but a limited character set (thinking maybe 1 or 2 of each) of race/class combos, like the minotaur population has.

Why would this be neat? Because, currently, the only way to get a change is for SUPER stellar RP for HUNDREDS of game time, and then you MIGHT get lucky enough to be turned into something else. The expectation that someone might even try that is incredibly unrealistic, and really unfair if they play during a time that few imms are on. With a limited character given out in a chance system, you have the potential for people to step up and really shine. I know I would. Others I've talked to that like the idea said they'd put more effort into a character like that.

Compared to the alternative, I can say from personal experience that the last time I tried something even remotely offbeat, I was smacked down for it, but only for so long as it took to get certain skills/powers back which would have been.. what? 100 hours? Why should all my game fun have its marrow sucked out because I wanted to try something different? It's like punishing someone for trying to do a better job of playing the game and saying "Wow! You sure are great. Take this handicap for half of the character's life and you'll get a moderate reward for your troubles." *shrug* That's not fun to me.

Here's where I truly think you are wrong because of the power of the CF community. People encourage others in game to RP. Ever listen to the Newbie Channel when someone tries to treat it as an OOC chat line? Those that don't follow some semblance of RP guidelines get shunned, and getting shunned makes the game even less fun.

You're arguing with the implicit assumption that the existence of minotaur thieves automatically increases the quality of roleplay. I think it would simply dilute it.

Why would this be neat? Because, currently, the only way to get a change is for SUPER stellar RP for HUNDREDS of game time, and then you MIGHT get lucky enough to be turned into something else. The expectation that someone might even try that is incredibly unrealistic, and really unfair if they play during a time that few imms are on.

Which is a fine mechanism for keeping them at the desired populations. (Zero or close to it.)

It's not that we can't think of a mechanism that would result in minotaur thieves or your other ideas. It's that we don't want minotaur thieves.

valguarnera@carrionfields.com

...is not taking money for in-game perks. You won't be seeing this in Carrion Fields.

So long, and thanks for all the fish!

nt

I don't think so.

So long, and thanks for all the fish!

Aside from a way to make money (that got shot down, and I'm happy to take constructive criticism), was that a limited character slot opens up every now and then for certain offbeat race/class combinations.

Though, all races able to play all classes has worked for some MUDs. If you don't want to do it, I completely understand, since there really isn't a reason to.

In response to Valg's post above, how are minotaurs any different from "humans in a cow costume" or, for that matter, "humans in <insert race> costume"? I suggest ideas that I think will make the game more fun, interesting, and spice up some activities. I want to see CF succeed. What I hear a LOT of the time from imm staff (especially those that have been around for a long time) is "No. I'm not even willing to consider the idea. It's completely ludicrous and you're dumb for even suggesting it." A lot of players hear that too and it comes off as being hostile and inhospitable by the players. Then, changes do happen. Look at, for example, the arena. Long ago, it was said that it was a ridiculous idea that people could fight each other without the risk of loss of con and gear. Yet, it did eventually come to fruition and people were impressed and happy with it. Better still, the sky didn't fall, the horseman of the apocalypse didn't come down in a fiery mass and smite all of creation. *shrug*

Something that makes the game fun without a balance issue that can be controlled by the imms - in this case, for example, where releasing a few limited character combos - would improve the game's fun factor and give vets something new to try out. Can you honestly tell me that a limited character elf assassin would be overpowered? I can take criticism and I hear other points of view, but when you say something like "So, you want us to open up all races to play all classes... I don't think so", you come off as a sarcastic, bitter, elitist know-it-all. I don't want to completely disillusion you all up there in immdom, but you're just normal people like us. Since we are in a symbiotic relationship where neither of us (the staff and players) exist without one another, maybe we could both be a little nicer when trying to reply to each others' ideas.

Sorry, wildgirl, but it is .

Once people start paying real money for things that I can't get without paying real money of my own, I think I quit playing this game. Something just tells me that that's a slippery slippery slope to begin down in a game which has been free for 14+ years.

Now, having the ability to play unique types of characters like you suggested would be cool. I just don't know what those criteria would be. Like how minotaurs are unique-ish and you just have to get "lucky" to get one I think is realy cool. But anyone can land a mino- even a thirteen year old who doesn't have five bucks to his name.

I agree with you and disagree with you.

I've played MMORPGs that were pay-to-play. I've played free-to-play MMORPGs that were just as good, but had goods that you could buy (like exp rate boosters) that didn't really affect the player vs player aspect of the game. I've played MUDs that were free to play and offered nothing if you donate, and I've played MUDs that were pay-to-play. There's always a huge difference between 100% free with no extra goods to buy and games that have something you can buy.

Sadly, money makes the world go round. CF is fine as it is, but the playerbase keeps dwindling and new blood is getting harder to find. However, CF is AMAZING and lots of people should want to play, but they just don't know about it. With added income, the CF staff can get more marketing, add people to enhance content, and draw more players to it. Yet, getting people to donate altruistically is hard. I admit that I really only donate when I want my PBF posted. If there was something that I could buy that wouldn't affect PVP but was a neat perk, I'd probably do it. At the same time, I'd be adding to the CF coffers, which in turn would fuel the marketing and content of the game.

Though, I'd like to see some unique characters for free anyway, so if you imms would like to do it, great. The problem I see with it, just like with the minotaurs, is that you have a person that gets a minotaur once, levels to 10, and then plays other characters while logging in the minimal time to keep the character from auto-deleting. *shrug*

are more arduous in the ranking department, because they are balanced to be most fun when people use the slips. CF implementors, however, will try to make the game most fun WITHOUT the slips. This is how these slips are detrimental to the non-paying player's fun.

Allowing real money to buy things in game is a bad bad idea. Why should you get to play a unique character because you've got a better job than me? Want to play a unique character, then roleplay a unique character well enough to get an imm to go for it.

n/t

.

Splntrd

..and with good decisions on what are the items shared by the community. In CF's case, the shared item is the game and it's costs.