Server Travle times and cost

[paazin]

other than a ship with a stout wind at the stern is simply unfeasible, even floating down a river

Actually, apart from maybe with a single square rigged mast, most sailing vessels are fastest with broad or beam reach wind .

Nearly all FR vessels are square rigged, iirc. And, yeah, river travel is going to be somewhat slower than on the ocean, but eh.

[Zelknolf]

Sure, but why limit everyone's ability to travel between servers for RP to prevent some player or other from hypothetically leaving a server in the midst of a great group RP event? OOCly Who would do that anyway? If it does happen, just have a sit down. No coding that limits the ability of others to travel and find game required.

I don't think anyone is calling people on leaving the server during an event. The problem is with people who attend regular events on multiple servers-- and we're talking about scripted restrictions because there are no chats or sit-downs. I imagine that most of this grumbling would go away if DMs ever said "Sorry, you can't feasibly manage the building of your faction thingy here, because your character spends too much time abroad." or "This session takes place a day after the last one, so your character is on another server in this timeline." But they don't.

[oldgrayrogue]

Sure, but why limit everyone's ability to travel between servers for RP to prevent some player or other from hypothetically leaving a server in the midst of a great group RP event? OOCly Who would do that anyway? If it does happen, just have a sit down. No coding that limits the ability of others to travel and find game required.

I don't think anyone is calling people on leaving the server during an event. The problem is with people who attend regular events on multiple servers-- and we're talking about scripted restrictions because there are no chats or sit-downs. I imagine that most of this grumbling would go away if DMs ever said "Sorry, you can't feasibly manage the building of your faction thingy here, because your character spends too much time abroad." or "This session takes place a day after the last one, so your character is on another server in this timeline." But they don't.

Well then they should. End of problem.

[Zelknolf]

Well then they should. End of problem.

That was established long ago. And then it didn't happen.

So we're here, with people still wanting something done.

[Swift]

Well then they should. End of problem.

And then we DMs get abused for excluding players. Do it repeatedly for the same (completely valid) reason and suddenly you get an AR knocking on your PM window with a please explain.

[kid]

Im still not clear what would happen if someone does jump every 24 hours
from one server to another to farm DM and statics.

do we even care? how would we judge whats is
"bad" jumping and what is "proper" jumping?

and if we deem it bad... what if anything do we do about it?

[t-ice]

how would we judge whats is "bad" jumping and what is "proper" jumping?

We cannot, it will always be an opinion. And that opinion will find proper reasons to justify actions by oneself that it will condemn when committed by others.

and if we deem it bad... what if anything do we do about it?

Make indignant forum posts and lots of babble that fizzle out after running its course.

[kid]

well... in that case I must return to my first notion.

either we make stricter limitations
or say its ok to play on two servers at the same time
be part of two plots at the same time ect ect. *Shrugs*

[oldgrayrogue]

Well then they should. End of problem.

And then we DMs get abused for excluding players. Do it repeatedly for the same (completely valid) reason and suddenly you get an AR knocking on your PM window with a please explain.

As far as I know the "rule" already exists that no player, including DMs, is forced to play with any other player in ALFA. Another "rule" is that what the DMs say goes. I highly doubt that any AR I have known, or PA, would give a DM a hard time for giving a player a talking to under the circumstances discussed above. Now, if its players complaining about the conduct of other players, that's a different story. Still then I think it is up to the DM to make a call on what is legit travel and participation or not and for all of those involved to abide by that ruling. The only time an AR or PA should get involved IMO is if the ruling is completely arbitrary, or clearly erroneous, and then I would think DMA should be consulted first. Scripting a solution because people just refuse to deal with player conduct issues in game is not the solution IMO, because it dictates game mechanics based upon the possible abuses of what is likely a very small minority of the player base.

[Rotku]

Scripting a solution because people just refuse to deal with player conduct issues in game is not the solution IMO, because it dictates game mechanics based upon the possible abuses of what is likely a very small minority of the player base.

The man speaks wisdom. You have a sore throat, you deal with the problem, you don't chop your head of.

If, as a DM, you suspect someone is abusing the system, either tell your HDM or contact myself. Making long ranting forum posts, as t-ice jokingly suggests, is not the way to go.

[lakhena]

From the perspective of someone who left a year ago when player numbers were down, please don't institute this. It was really discouraging to spend hours trying to catch people for some good rp in game. If I have to spend more than a day waiting to travel between servers when I can't find anyone on my home alfa server, I'm likely going to just not bother logging in.

Maybe I'm not hard core enough with the immersion factor, but I prefer to focus on immersion within the lore of the setting, not the physical mechanics of travel time. RP opportunities trumps realistic travel times for me.

[ElCadaver]

I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned it, cause it's such a huge thread, but ALFA is supposed to be an attempt at computerised paper D&D. It's not an MMO. A DM playing paper D&D doesn't say "ok, we are going to wrap it up here and play again in two days time, to simulate the amount of time it takes you to sail to the enchanted isle".

What ever happened to willing suspension of disbelief? (and no rowan atkinson quotes!)

*Proverbs of Elcad*

As rules proliferate, so a game un-funs.

Just Play.

[Audark]

If someone was abusing the system to the degree that i felt it negatively impacted my game I would make an official complaint. An official complaint would be investigated and ruled upon by our player admin, and the individual would be set at liberty, warned or sanctioned.

I have never encountered a situation of serving hopping in alfa2 that I felt negatively impacted my own game whatsoever.

I am firmly against any action to add punitive coded solutions to a problem that exists mostly in hypothetical arguments.If this happens I'll survive, but I think a coded solution totally unnecessary and if it alienates even one player, it is doing more harm than good.

[Keryn]

If someone was abusing the system to the degree that i felt it negatively impacted my game I would make an official complaint. An official complaint would be investigated and ruled upon by our player admin, and the individual would be set at liberty, warned or sanctioned.

I have never encountered a situation of serving hopping in alfa2 that I felt negatively impacted my own game whatsoever.

I am firmly against any action to add punitive coded solutions to a problem that exists mostly in hypothetical arguments.If this happens I'll survive, but I think a coded solution totally unnecessary and if it alienates even one player, it is doing more harm than good.

+1

Its up to every single member of this community to report anything going on. Its not the DMs who need to police things, we all play and know what goes on sometimes even more then the DMs. If a players is seen server hoping, and if anyone here is basing their opinions on facts, and stuff that happened. The right way as Audark said would be, contacting the right people, instead of a scripted solution where 99% will be sacrificed for something that has nothing to do with them.

I'd just like to highlight the 99%... because I do feel we have an amazing comunity, that deserves some trust.

[danielmn]

I've never been a big fan of hopping between servers. I used to venture to a different server every couple of months in NWN1, and in NWN2 have left the server I normally play on once in three years. Part of that is PC oriented. My PC doesn't worship a traveling god, or isn't one to travel too much because of their blood or upbringing or class or whathaveyou. He's rooted and attached to a place on server. Nor do I mind PC's for whom this is an orientation...I had a PC in NWN1 who just loved to travel and see new places, but back then...you could easily do that on just one server.

Where it becomes a point of contention with me, is when PC's are hopping back and forth between servers for DM events consistently. That is a break from IC, I veiw that as an OOC choice the player makes despite what the PC would do IC. Now, if there is a plot running between two servers, all well and good. I know Wynna connected a peice of her University campaign in Baldur's Gate, which was neat. However, when it is two unrelated events and people are hopping back and forth between, it becomes an issue.

If the travel between servers is not connected to DM'd events, but a mere search for RP with other players, I don't see a problem at all. It's still an OOC choice to do so, but we are here to have fun for certain. But we aren't here to double up on the fun by hopping between DM events. That's always been, to me, a no no.