Increasing Player Activity / Density

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kid
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Re: Increasing Player Activity / Density

Post by kid »

I have no attachment to the 3.5 canon.

All we have to do to make changes last is make sure we write enough about them (for future DMs and players).

If at the end of a long plot the result is an a single ruler declaring himself King of Baldur's gate...
We need to know enough about him.

I would be happy if that was possible, however our HDMs may object.
And it might be that the DMA will have say in it too, ain't sure if that counts as DM supervision or falls under something else in his duties.
So if they don't approve of some changes of grand proportions I ain't sure what you can do.
They are entitled to their opinions after all.
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CloudDancing
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Re: Increasing Player Activity / Density

Post by CloudDancing »

All I can say is visit the most populated servers and find out what their most tolerable traits are and implement them.

Really what I see is nude skins and full Kemo Animations (and acceptance of ERP), player generated content, lots of social "game of thrones" type RP, and farmable dungeon content.

People want to play all races available to FR.

People want Kaedrin's PRCs pack w/o dm involvement.

As well faster progression in game through increased RP XP and adjustments to mobs.

Finally players want a type of death system which supports respawns with extreme penalties if a body isnt raised through the proper channels.

Sure you have to compromise a lot of personal vision of the purist Alfa vision.

However if you want to sell a product, you have to meet your customers wants and fulfill their desires. Otherwise the brand of high fantasy just is not meeting their fantasy needs.

Unfortunately Alfa has always seemed to be about suffering. Alfa attracts this rare breed of sadiomasochistic nerd. Players suffer, Dm suffer, tech people suffer. We make each other suffer.

People these days don't appreciate suffering, they want gratification. They want to come home, RP a little on a escapist character, blow some monsters away, save the person in distress, and bone a hot elf.

Everything I know about gamers and nerds supports what I am saying.
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Xanthea
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Re: Increasing Player Activity / Density

Post by Xanthea »

I don't think "players at any cost" is a good goal to have?

ALFA is a niche server. And as a niche server it should change rules to better support its niche gameplay rather than shamelessly catering to things that other PWs do better anyway and turn itself into a bland mess.
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Xanthea
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Re: Increasing Player Activity / Density

Post by Xanthea »

Or a nude mess, as the case may be.
Zelknolf
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Re: Increasing Player Activity / Density

Post by Zelknolf »

Yeah... pretty sure that making ALFA into actual porn is a nonstarter.

... so on the topic of persistent effects-- the trouble tends to be that our build assumes the current canon. Folk who ask for change, but can't commit to build, tend to not have a lot of luck. It's not some kind of conspiracy or any favoritism or such-- it's a simple utilitarian question. "This thing would require these changes. Will we also get those changes?" If the answer is no, it's usually off the table right there.

You won't find Ruqel anywhere in any source book; the land off of Candlekeep's peninsula is canonically a scattered ruin of a failed attempt by Cyricists to take over the place. No sourcebook says that Quaervarr burned to the ground and was rebuilt, Citadel Felbarr is canonically three unwashed dwarves drinking heavily and occasionally saying "Yup" to each other, and the southeast of Gwynneth Island is untamed wilds. You can make ALFA canon; it's just that the nature of our game makes it a lot of work-- a solitary "wouldn't it be nice?" isn't enough to make anything happen. (and on the other end of the spectrum-- when ALFA broke with FR canon, Mask was already dead. People get spells from him 'cuz no one actually did the work to disable the deity, and then we didn't want the enormous hassle of retconning a whole deity once it was available. And so the lack of work also produces canon for us, because work is the only thing that actually produces change.)
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kid
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Re: Increasing Player Activity / Density

Post by kid »

Oh, the issue isn't building I think. To replace government you don't need to build anything.

To kill a god you don't need to build much.

It's usually just the fact that HDMs/DMA are reluctant (Understandably) to allow major changes to their world.
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FoamBats4All
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Re: Increasing Player Activity / Density

Post by FoamBats4All »

The real problem is short-sighted and lazy DMs. It's easy as pie to say "oh yeah I don't like that bitch Sune, I'm a DM and I say Cyric killed her." What of other DMs? Other servers? Temples? Backlash? Sunite PCs?

People aren't reluctant to make changes. They're just not willing to do the work and coordinate with other people to back up their decision and make it truly ALFA canon.

... also, Cloud, ALFA isn't a social server.
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kid
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Re: Increasing Player Activity / Density

Post by kid »

Yeah, that was the part about "(understandably)".

Still, would be nice if we were more open to it. Especially when we have a greater population of high level PCs these days.
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kid
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Re: Increasing Player Activity / Density

Post by kid »

Also, please refrain from calling our DMs lazy till you DM a day.
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kid
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Re: Increasing Player Activity / Density

Post by kid »

Actually, even after you DM a day.
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FoamBats4All
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Re: Increasing Player Activity / Density

Post by FoamBats4All »

I have DMed. And I'm saying that it's a problem with lazy DMs, not with all DMs.

I've no issue with ALFA canon. We have some decent stuff going on. I like Ruqel, some TSM changes, etc. But what's the point of having any canon, ALFA or otherwise, when some guy just wants to come in and change everything to fit his own preferences every 6 months? World stability is extremely important, and massive changes should not happen easily.

But when you get some guy come along and say, "hey, these paladins are now evil" or "this NPC who has always behaved like X is now going to be a total Y," you don't evolve canon, you degrade it. You get factions, NPCs, and a world that is schizophrenic because of DMs all having their own desire of what canon should be. So, people who say "man 3.5 canon sucks" don't help anything. They need to become DMs, discuss with other DMs, the DMA, builders, etc. to work towards a real change in canon.
Zelknolf
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Re: Increasing Player Activity / Density

Post by Zelknolf »

Yes, I should qualify that this would be the list of more-plausible changes. It's easier to add a thing than to replace a thing; easier to shift a thing than overhaul it; easier to add a change that nudges ALFA closer to source material than farther away. One could probably argue a no-real-change leader swap in Baldur's Gate (particularly because Eltan died before ALFA canon began... and because he's retconned alive he's like 80), though it would be a pretty big chunk of work to have the city be sacked by Zhents, and also introduces a challenge for how to distribute that information (how do new players get prompted to brush up on the ALFA canon here? There's established canon for Baldur's Gate which they probably know and would assume is correct until told otherwise).
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kid
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Re: Increasing Player Activity / Density

Post by kid »

We don't call IA lazy cause he didn't complete the website... We don't call our TA lazy cause whatever...
Seems like a lot of criticizing our DMs is going on lately, and it's just not the way to go.
we're all doing this for fun, we have lives, work, family, whatever.

Anyways, yeah, we all agree it is a lot of work to change something significant.

Just saying it's good to reassure someone (Lokan, let's say) that it is possible, if you are willing to put in the work, and willing to convince HDM/DMA, would be nice.
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CloudDancing
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Re: Increasing Player Activity / Density

Post by CloudDancing »

I'm just saying, look at what attracts people to the high pop servers and do what their doing right if you want numbers. The community can't be over 500-900 players now if that.

We've got a ton of assets, but some serious issues driving players away/
FoamBats4All
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Re: Increasing Player Activity / Density

Post by FoamBats4All »

@Kid: Is anyone saying that it's not possible? It's absolutely possible. You just can't do it as a rogue DM. Don't be a Boom or a Ronan. Be a Wynna.

@Cloud: Our goal is to be ALFA, not to be Haven 2. We have a significant list of issues. A lack of nude skins probably isn't prominent on that list.
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