Arctic MUD Essay... My Thoughts on the Game

[dodok]

I actually got randomed by Ilank (Brynton?) when I was lev 15 or so.  I think he realized I was just a noob and messaged me that my gear was terrible and to come get it back.  I had just finally found my way to solace from tarsis and didn't have any coins in the bank so I couldn't even buy a flight potion (not to mention I always get lost in the bog).. So, he actually came to tarsis, picked me up and brought me back to my corpse!

True story!

[Keith]

I decided to go back through the last multi thread, just for shits and giggles, to count up who picked what.  These are my judgement on who was for and against multiing, but most of them were pretty easy "I would play more if multiing were allowed".  I did have a few I couldn't decide based on their posting which side they were on.  A total of 41 (not counting Hoss/Aristox) different people posted.

For: 26/41 (63%)
1.  Sart - allow it and do not police ips, or mirror the server
2.  Kir - 2 chars only
3.  Reed23 - 2 chars only
4.  Anaya - 2 chars only
5.  Willoe - 2 chars only
6.  fulloflife - test botting wipe
7.  eddiex - allow botting but don't be an arse policy
8.  snax - allow botting but don't be an arse policy, or rentable progressive pets
9.  Super Tacoman - reduce group size plus allowing bots
10.  Aemon - full unrestricted botting
11.  Enochvey - 2 chars from 1 IP
12.  Jarrad - botting okay but enjoys playing with friends more
13.  Brafu - would play more with 2-3, but more concerned with some players
14.  DCPTY1986
15.  Chisul
16.  Corey
17.  Gnua
18.  gulca - botting less of an issue than players, bot trial period
19.  xellos
20.  Keith - 2-3 chars per IP
21.  Malthros - botting ok, but assholes are the main problem
22.  Rhys
23.  NisK
24.  Bryton - max 2
25.  Slunt
26.  eli - (until pked by bot army, please fix pk first)

Against: 11/41 (27%)
1.  Dyl
2.  Gramm (although may be for allowing it and forbidding in pk)
3.  Hoodoo
4.  Boots (but wouldn't affect how much he plays, unless bot pk is rampant)
5.  btown
6.  muddeer
7.  Vespin - would not play at all if botting legal
8.  lipman
9.  kilians - would not play at all if botting legal
10.  Zervun
11.  daniel_1 - initially kind of pro, but doesn't want to learn how to script (has manually multied in the past)

Unable to pin down pro/against: 4/41 (10%)
1.  ?Shesh - botting not the problem, pk (and people not wanting it) is
2.  Nostramazos - botting only if pk system fixed
3.  Basher -
4.  Jozheg - remove pk/eq limits, add arena

Analyzing those numbers, to me 41 players is probably a pretty good indication of the mud split, although I don't have the information that the immortals have on total number of players.  Over 2 to 1 players based on that thread would prefer some kind of multiing.  Most commonly seen was a player +1 type thing.  I know if I made one, I would have my primary character plus a healer/shaman.  There were 3 main negatives based on those against:  worry of trash pk/aggression by individual players now strengthened by a bot, feeling like it goes against the fabric of Arctic to allow multiing, and desire to not have to learn how to script/bot to be effective.  A common thread was that fixing PK was more important than the question of botting/not botting.

@Aristox: I apologize of the wording of my previous post.  You didn't just immediately lock the thread, which was never my meaning.  It's just that a lot of us felt like -finally- the immortals are wanting our opinion, which as you can see above was overwhelmingly for botting, and we were left with a quick no multiing/botting policy post and some fairly vague ideas on what you guys were working on.  Most of us that are still here after more than a decade (closing in on 2+ for some) want what is best for the game, so second-guessing is inevitable, especially when you have a bunch of people who always know what is best.  Allowing multiing is the easiest way to change Arctic; if you don't think it's good for the game, then I think a lot of us would like ideas more fleshed out on how you plan to change the game besides stating that you would be adjusting things so you can lower the group limit (which I am not sure a lot of people would be for, i.e. if you have 11 people on, usually 10 people zone and 1 person logs off).

Another strategy would be a tag-along/henchmen type thing, where you could buy/rent 1 cleric/warrior/barbarian/mage/druid at your level, with some scripted things that they would do, i.e. heal (or cure depending on level), fly, rescue, bash, etc.  These could immediately quit out/recall if the person with them went aggressor.  This wouldn't be as fun as multiing but would serve the same purpose.

Of course, this was just 1 of several ideas from my original post, but this is always going to be the most inflammatory (other than clan bitching).

[DCPTY1986]

not only did they say they were for the idea but the majority also said they would play longer into wipes if it were allowed.

[Kir]

nice posts keith

[reed23]

That's Dr. Keith to you..... I wanted to do the above also Keith but was too lazy.  Nice work, I was curious about exactly what you provided.

[Ezio]

It is a bad idea and it would ruin the game by furthering the huge gaping chasm between the script writing 20 year vets and the average player. Ive played a small % compared to the majority and even I'm positive it would send arctic on a fast decline. All of the "Me" (selfish) play will increase, which only harms never helps.

[btown]

Let's give an example why botting is bad.  Last night I logged for a little bit me and one of my buddy's to play around lookin for some type of "pk action"

We were greeted by Ilanku and Blake so there we are I dared one to hit me so he did,  anyway we end up running away and then all of a sudden 7 of them bastards were on!!

I was already sorta pissed at this fag action by over trippling our numbers just to make a quick pk and end all fun.

Now they could have been botting them other chars I am not sure.  Maybe a couple.  BUT if botting was legal.  For one they could have logged 14 chars instead of 7 vs our 2?   ok if we botted we could have logged 2 extras.  So 4v14 .  How the hell is that fair?

I already am not really playing but without a doubt SoB would ruin this game if botting was legal.  \



P.S.  I know Oz was there and came and agro'd you but he wasn't with us.  Only after did you log 3 did we summon him which we never even had time to group him.  So our group never exceeded 2 members.  Also we were there to pick a fight with MYTH also.

[DCPTY1986]

Brandon,

Have you not read what Jack posted previously in this thread? SOB has no bots, all of those were all real people.  You just decided to attack the wrong people, just like Myth did.

[btown]

Yea but that wasn't the point.  My point is if you did also have bots you would have us outnumbered 14-2  unless we wanted to bot it would still be 14-4..  get it?

[gulca]

One thing that forum users must realize is that there are many players (old and new) have imms of some sort, and they voice their opinions in those imm boards or in some other private channels.

And not all active players are comfortable with posting in open forums (or posting at all), esp with the amount of flaming and criticism going around here.

So although the forum's users are leaning towards one side, that doesn't necessary mean the player base (active and non-active) are leaning in the same direction. And I'm pretty sure the voices of people with imm holds an edge over yours and mine (the norm players).

[Ezio]

I'm not sure why anyone cares if botting is legal when, even with max 30 players connected, I spot them all over krynn anyway...is the occasional pzap that inconvenient?

It is clear that anyone can do it now, and as long as they lay low pk wise and asshat wise the odds of being left alone are in their favor. So claims that anyone would play more if it was allowed are, for lack of a better vocab, bogus.

I make the claim that there are more creative answers out there. I think attitudes of players need to change a bit overall. Making spies and level 1 looting talking shit etc, you get the point. I feel like there are players that started this mud at 13 years of age and just still play the exact same way.

Do what you want to do, but if you enjoy the game and want to support its longevity, maybe just keep that in mind while you play it

[DCPTY1986]

BIA layed pretty low they didn't bother anyone, all they wanted to do was zone and guess what they got PZAPPED and deleted i think from what I've been told.

[btown]

Thats because botting is illegal..  and they acquired huge amounts of eq and spells that they shouldn't have been able to atleast at the pace they did by botting.

Nothing against BIA but they were busted and punished...  sounds legit

[Kir]

Thats because botting is illegal..  and they acquired huge amounts of eq and spells that they shouldn't have been able to atleast at the pace they did by botting.

Nothing against BIA but they were busted and punished...  sounds legit

Nobody is saying that the punishment wasn't justified by the rules Brandon, we are saying the rules are the problem. All the danes wanted to do was zone, be left alone, and enjoy arctic. They didn't hurt anybody, and they were punished and forced into quitting. If it was 5 people playing 10 chars or 7 chars playing 10, who really cares, the problem is that is that artic has less players now then before they quit, and plz don't use the argument that they made people quit by botting because they simply did not. I liked the game better with them in it personally, not to say anything bad about the game, but the danes are an established part of the game and their presence is surely missed.

[btown]

I don't have to make that argument because that wasn't the point.  As I said in my post they acquired stuff they shouldn't have been able to or at least at the pace that they did.    People who bot are also serving other players an injustice by spamming zones and storing eq which doesn't end up circulating because you can easily repop your eq with your army of bots. 

That is why they got punished.  They knew the rules and still botted so it's not like it was a big surprise,  they happen to know most of arctic therefore a big loss of equipment.  If it was a newbie who botted they would lose nothing and nobody would notice.