Ivorak

OK people this is just going to keep going around and around and solve nothing. the point of this thread has gone way off base that I'm not even sure what this has become other then another rant against certain people or groups which solves nothing. The community is a large body of ideas, opinions, and egos. Pointing all those egos and opinions in a central direction is never going to be a walk in the park, but the need for some respect amongst players is paramount. You may not like each other and many of you may dislike me greatly, but there is no need for personal attacks or belittling of a person or groups character just to make yourself feel big or whatever.

Is it possible for this community as a whole to come together and work against bullying, harassment, and abuses of all the sorts. I don't know but I sure hope and wish that it could happen.

I"m not saying any of this as Darigan, a lorerootian, or even as a player of the game, but as a person who desperately wishes to see some common unity rather then people bickering until the end of time.

I decided I have enough and I am going to say exactly what I think.

In some ways this should be private between Mur and myself. But in other ways, no it deserves to be public.
Mur says he allows free speech and this is the view of ONE person in MD. Anyone is free to agree or disagree with me, so by making this public I am opening myself up to as much insult, injury or plain old abuse as Mur is getting from me because of what I have written (or not). I will apologise for hurt I may cause, but I will not apologise for my view on things.

Over time I have brought things up I have been unhappy with. I have written lengthy threads/emails about things. Undoubtedly some of it has been seen as stupid, wrong, preaching, longwinded, call it what you will. I am sure that at times I have not been as right as I felt. But I have always said what I believed to be true.
Your response to this has usually taken the form of a very personal attack. You have called me a coward, stupid, naïve, lazy among other things. And yes you have actually put it quite plainly as ‘you are a coward’ ‘you are incompetent’ etc etc. And I mean plainly to me, not even when you go off calling the kings in general inept or what have you.

You say I whine. You seem to think that all I do is whine. Well, you should look in the mirror bud. On more than one occasion you have had a good old whine about how you are fed up dealing with ‘stuff’ (I want to use a different S word here, but I will refrain even though I believe it is appropriate) and that you setup the kings and the council etc to deal with it. That you shouldn’t have to respond to things.

Newsflash! YOU set them up. You setup the council and you complain it isn’t working or doing its job. Well, YOU appointed the council. YOU also set the council up to make decisions, to be autonomous. Yet on at least one occasion YOU personally stepped in and over-ruled the council. So YOU undermined the council. If you feel that the council is not working then YOU can change the people on it, the format of it or YOU can remove it.
(By the way, I could tell you why they don’t work, I have tried to point out an error with at least one, but you simply ignore it as whining. But suffice it to say that simply changing the people will not actually change much if anything at all)

In one of my last outbursts to the council YOU responded personally. And yes, your answer was VERY personal. You even went to far as to point out that you were being gracious enough to not punish me for my use of bad language. For anyone that is interested, my language was most foul, it was intended to be to stress my annoyance. It seems that this is what saved me from punishment. Now, the thing is, this was a letter sent to the council, not broadcast on the forum. As such, I view this as private. So, YOU may feel it was improper or foul or anything you like. But quite frankly it was private, not public.
On the other hand, YOU dragged this matter onto the forums. While not obvious to anyone not privy to the private matter, YOU did this nonetheless. And your reason for doing this was for YOUR satisfaction. To be fair, when I complained you did remove it. However, I am sure that was just another example of whiny Firs and you felt you better do it rather than listen to me whine about it some more (I am being sarcastic, I would like to believe that you removed it due to sincerity, but you never apologised, so I will never really know perhaps).
When people use certain words on the forums they have been told to change them or had them changed and even warned and told off for their language or banned etc. And we are talking about words that do not begin with F here and words that many would view as no issue at all I might add. Yet YOU have used the F word on the forums and I have not seen or heard of anything being said to you. It seems that there is a rule for everyone else and a different rule for YOU.

YOU want people like me to use the needles to see Eon bring a case for being bullied. YOU want other people to do this. Why should I or anyone else doing something that YOU are not willing to do?
And WHY are we seemingly ignoring any issue with anyone else being bullied because YOU want people to gang up on Eon and have Eon bring a case first?
YOU can call me stupid or lazy or a coward or anything YOU want. But, I WILL NOT do something that YOU will not do yourself.
It starts from the top. YOU cannot expect people to do things you are unwilling to do YOURSELF.
Either a rule about bad language on the forums applies to everyone or it does not apply at all. YOU are not and cannot be the exception to the rule. Owners/Moderators of a forum cannot police rules they themselves do not respect. It is hypocritical and makes the rules itself void.

You talk about respect. Well, I may have said things you didn’t like. I may have said things that were wrong. BUT, I have never disrespected you by calling you names or attacking your character. You may feel that I have and you may feel that I am doing so now. But I have never treated you with contempt and I have never ridiculed you for my own amusement. I have also had the decency to apologise to you when I have gone too far or at least felt I had. NEVER, NOT ONCE HAVE YOU APOLOGISED TO ME.
I don’t need an apology to feel better about myself by the way. I don’t need you to tell me I am not a coward or stupid or anything else. I know exactly what I am. I know my faults and failings and I know when someone is talking through their rear end in what they are calling me.

And for the record. There is no brainwashing going on in Loreroot that I am aware of. There may have been in the past and I was one of the people that brought it to your attention. Yet it seems that whenever you get a bit annoyed with me you role that one out. If it ain’t you that does it, somebody else does and you are happy to let it out there.
I have not asked anyone to leave MD or to hate you or anyone else. I have not tried to create some kind of mini group within MD with some strange and pointless aim of ruining MD. People in Loreroot do not have some kind of organised hate MUR, or dst or anyone else campaign going despite what some people like to think or even insinuate on the forums. I actually find the notion mildly amusing and completely at odds with the fact that you think I just do nothing but whine.

You can content yourself that the only people that agree with me are the whiners in Loreroot. What saddens me is that you don’t take a step back and realise that like it or no, that is a percentage of the population in MD. That it is so easy to simply write all those people off as some kind of whiner fruitcakes. We are all from different countries, different religions, ethnic groups, coulours, capabilities, attitudes, experiences, age, sex, you name it. But it all boils down to Loreroot = whiners.
That is not an indictment of the people in Loreroot, that is an indictment of YOU. You allow this mentality to foster and it seems that you share it yourself. In fact, I would argue that it is because YOU hold this view that others share it.
Like it or not, MD is your creation and YOU have a public that YOU can preach YOUR ideas and opinions to. And many people hold YOU up to be some kind of deity, hero, oracle, font of knowledge, whatever you like. Ironically, like a god, you seem dismayed and bewildered and angry that you have given your children such wonderful gifts and we have chosen to not use them as you expected us to. It’s hard when mere mortals cannot grasp the magnitude of the divine vision and wisdom.

I am not saying that you want that. In fact I believe that you are uncomfortable with it and I consider that to be a good thing. But I equally feel that you sometimes forget that. Me or anyone else not agreeing with you is no bad thing either. You need to be told when you are talking rubbish (or at least when someone feels you are). I am not so sure that you handle that so well at times though. You have to realise that when you decide to put the boot in to someone you can expect a tide of people supporting you. But you have to accept that you will get that support even when you are wrong. And yes, like me there are times when you are wrong. Why? Because you are human, you make mistakes, like the rest of us (except of course dst, who is never wrong (there is an element of sarcasm there) ).

I am far from perfect. There is always more I could do, should do even. But don’t dare to tell me to stop whining, or man up, or what have you, unless you are willing to do the same yourself. Stop blaming others, lead by example.

[i]My opinion: Certain administrative spells should not be able to be imprinted on Memory Stones.[/i]

The community should be able to act on this matter and handle it itself, I'm just saying that that is my opinion. Not all spells should even be possible to be available to anyone who wants to buy. However, any spell that is just for administrative use will only be given to players that The Powers That Be deem worthy, and having deemed them worthy they really should be free to use them as they wish, with the constant risk of having the ability and more removed for abuseing them.

[quote name='Pipstickz' timestamp='1320216390' post='95094']
And finally, I saved the best one for last:

I can't speak for others, but personally, I have nothing against any of the Lorerootian citizens on your own, it's the way you act as a group that bothers me. The loudest voice is heard the most, and Loreroot is sure good at shouting. I'll give a few examples, first, an obvious one: Darigan vs. Eon.
Darigan has been complaining non-stop about Eon for a while now, and there are plenty of people who sympathize with him (or rather, they dislike Eon), but did he actually try and do anything with that community support? No. I tracked him down and tried to explain, he still didn't do anything. Chewett blatantly told him what to do to fix the problem he had with GoE stones, and still, he just said "that'd be nice". Not "Ok, I'll get started" or "Can somebody help me make a list of who's got the spell?" Nothing. Now, look back into Loreroot history: how many times has there been talk about something, but never anything done? How many times has Loreroot solved its own problems, without even asking Mur?

Example two happens to be from a personal conversation:
It was during the 2010 festival (I believe), when Mur was handing out vet medals at DQ. You, Sharazhad, came up for a vote, and I voted no. A Lorerootian asked me "Why did you vote no? She's your friend. You could've just not voted at all." Is that sort of thing the way of Loreroot? If your opinion isn't the same as ours, don't say it? It honestly seems that way, because I don't recall any time I've seen a Lorerootian disagree with Firs since he became king.

In very short:
1. Lots of talk but no action
2. Hivemind opinions, no diversity
[/quote]


Firstly Pip, Darigan was the only one to shout loud enough to attract the attention of people like you. You'd prolly understand the extent of spread of the humongous number of 'whiners' If you HAD spent one busy day in MDP. But oh wait. You NEVER EVER did that. Niether are you amongst those who want to train their stats. SO QUIT BEING A MEGA JERK who Clearly despises anyone and anything to do with Loreroot and stop pretending like you understand how hard it is to fight stat damage.

How many times Has loreroot solved its problems without asking Mur? Lol... When Firs excommunicated Rhaegar out of loreroot for declaring himself as a rebel there was such a hue and cry. You, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YOUR LIFE, supported Rhaegar after that. Following the Rhaegar episode, Loreroot has been stable. Peaceful. No matter what or who is responsible for that, credit partly goes to the King as well. I would say Loreroot solved its own problem without begging Mur.

You havent seen a lorerootian disagree with Firs? Why Should we? And Why should we show YOU out of all people that we've had a disagreement? You are no one to loreroot. Or anyone who is not concerned as a matter of fact.

The Joke is... You made such a scene about the Grido issue... Wierd how you can change when it comes to Loreroot.

To summarise Pip in short:
- Loud mouth.
- Severely demented and narrow minded when it comes to anything associated with Loreroot/ Yrthilian.
- Wants people to take him seriously for once in their lives.

[quote name='Rhaegar']

Well, there were, but they ain't Lorerootians anymore.
It may seem biased, but it's not really, I haven't seen any kind of initiative in Loreroot in the past year regarding anything, except Mya's quest tho I'm not familiar with its details.

You want to stop something, and there are lots of you? Well use those "cause" fights, get attention, work! Don't ask for everything on a plate![/quote]

So says someone whom I've hardly seen active EVEN when I was on MD for around 10-12hrs a day.

[quote]"i never appologized" ..maybe true..this is beacause appology is in my view a cowardly reaction aimed to save us from the effects of our mistakes. I do however admit when i am wrong and by not appologising I show i take full responsability for my own mistakes.[/quote]

Actually, from my point of view apologising IS showing and taking responsibility for your mistakes. Simply saying nothing gives the impression that you either don't care, don't acknowledge or are too cowardly to admit the mistake in the first place. And you never apologised or admitted you were in error. I'd have taken an admission as at least a grudging apology. Where I am coming from that is a complete lack of respect.

As for comments about my posting things. If you bother to look you will see that I have managed to get a HUGE debate about things going. There is also talk about people doing something now. Something that Mur himself was saying he was annoyed about the lack of. But feel totally free to focus only on the negative.

[quote]It honestly seems that way, because I don't recall any time I've seen a Lorerootian disagree with Firs since he became king.


Well, there were, but they ain't Lorerootians anymore.
It may seem biased, but it's not really, I haven't seen any kind of initiative in Loreroot in the past year regarding anything, except Mya's quest tho I'm not familiar with its details.[/quote]

Surely you guys can do better than that? Especially when you know fine well that is a load of tripe.
Now if you don't mind I am off to hide the brainwashing machine. Wouldn't want you to find it after all. It would take me ages to build another one. Of course, if you did, It might make me go make one that didn't only just work on intelligent people.

[quote name='Sharazhad' timestamp='1320185087' post='95075']
[i][color=#008000]Ditto! Whenever someone brings up a point of contention, everyone goes down of them like bag of bricks. "Oh they are being irrational!" "Oh! They just need to man up!!" "She's just pmsing!" and my personal favourite "They just love to whine!" Does anyone listen to the message that was being conveyed or are we the players in the game, supposed to sit back and accept EVERYTHING that is dished out to us?! I tip my hat to those who have the balls to stand up and say: "Hey we have had enough of this! I want change" [/color][/i]

[color=#008000][i]Things need to change and the roots of the problem needs to be addressed. Treating the symptom does not treat the cause! Perhaps the kings and queen, the council and the other powers that be (Mur? Akasha? Dst? Grido? chewett? dunno who ever you are) need to sit down over a few bottles whiskey or whatever and sort out these huge problems like bullying; because honestly an anti bullying coallition is going to have as much of an effect as the anti abortionists have protesting outside a an abortion clinic. Thats pretty much the same of any "protection" group formed within MD, its really useless without an authoritative stamp of approval or the tools to deal out punishment for that matter.[/i][/color]
[/quote]
So, first you say you support people who speak up for themselves, and then you say that it's useless to try to act. At least that's how I'm reading it. Perhaps you're trying to say that people who talk about problems should be commended for it, but people who act are wasting their time? I do agree that the anti-bullying thing probably won't amount to much, but that's not because they don't have the tools to punish people. They have the community. The only problem with community punishment is that the community has to agree with you: You need to be right, and hopefully, fair. If they fail, they have themselves to blame, nobody else.

[quote name='Sharazhad' timestamp='1320185087' post='95075']
[i][color=#008000]Has no complaining and adaptation worked? NO! Instead Criminal activities are on the increase. [/color][/i][i][color=#008000]Is that what you want? to favour the malicious? [/color][/i][i][color=#008000] People want to feel like they are being heard!!! [/color][/i]
[/quote]
I don't know about you, but I feel heard. With the whole Grido case, even though the majority did not agree with me, I believe that I opened some eyes, and the future will tell if I changed Grido himself, and that's what it's about: believing in yourself.

[quote name='Sharazhad' timestamp='1320185087' post='95075']
[i][color=#008000]I havent been much out to other lands, those who know me know why, so I cant really speak for other kings. I can tell you this however. Firs looks after Loreroot and does a lot for the land, and looks after it the best he can given the limitations. Why shouldn't he get the help he asked for?[/color][/i]
[/quote]
Limitations. Hm. I'll try and put it into perspective: Necrovion has no (proper) king, and they seem to be functioning just fine, don't you think? Tell me what Firs wants (in short, please) and I can probably tell you how to do it without Mur, or at least why Mur shouldn't do it.

And finally, I saved the best one for last:
[quote name='Sharazhad' timestamp='1320185087' post='95075']
[i][color=#008000]I still dont know why there is still so much animosity between some players and LR, all that shyte went down ages ago and I for one hate being called a tree-hugger or whiny Lorerootian just because the forest is the place that suits my character best! I ask you,[b] how is that different to racism or sexism[/b]?![/color][/i]
[/quote]
I can't speak for others, but personally, I have nothing against any of the Lorerootian citizens on your own, it's the way you act as a group that bothers me. The loudest voice is heard the most, and Loreroot is sure good at shouting. I'll give a few examples, first, an obvious one: Darigan vs. Eon.
Darigan has been complaining non-stop about Eon for a while now, and there are plenty of people who sympathize with him (or rather, they dislike Eon), but did he actually try and do anything with that community support? No. I tracked him down and tried to explain, he still didn't do anything. Chewett blatantly told him what to do to fix the problem he had with GoE stones, and still, he just said "that'd be nice". Not "Ok, I'll get started" or "Can somebody help me make a list of who's got the spell?" Nothing. Now, look back into Loreroot history: how many times has there been talk about something, but never anything done? How many times has Loreroot solved its own problems, without even asking Mur?

Example two happens to be from a personal conversation:
It was during the 2010 festival (I believe), when Mur was handing out vet medals at DQ. You, Sharazhad, came up for a vote, and I voted no. A Lorerootian asked me "Why did you vote no? She's your friend. You could've just not voted at all." Is that sort of thing the way of Loreroot? If your opinion isn't the same as ours, don't say it? It honestly seems that way, because I don't recall any time I've seen a Lorerootian disagree with Firs since he became king.

In very short:
1. Lots of talk but no action
2. Hivemind opinions, no diversity

If we consider Mur as our ingame god/hero/overlord, which is not all that far fetched considering his powers, i simply can't resist to reverse your argument:
Why would god do what you don't want to?

God told Noah to build an arch, and gave him instructions, tools, skills and resources needed, but he didn't build it. He had Noah build it.
Why did he do that? He could have snipped his fingers and the arch would've been there, right?

God helps them who help themselves, Aesop knew that 500 BC and wrote it in 'Hercules and the Wagoneer'.
The more problems Mur takes care of for us, the less we will handle ourselves. Undoubtedly you remember all the events around Bob and Awii. When people make changes, not just write about them or consider them, but do everything they can with all the options they have, Mur steps down and helps them. There are so many little things that just happen because people did their very best to help themselves. There was a pub before the beercask, for example.

If you consider Mur as just another player who felt bothered by Eon, your point is valid, but if you don't... praying doesn't help that often.


I can't comment about the things you wrote about Mur's style in personal relations, as i just don't have that much contact with him. As mod i have to add that Mur said that none of his posts were to be altered, i'm not content with his language myself -.-

2. Take the Dagger and Shovel for example. Both exist, and are usable, however the people who possess them either refuse to intervene, or will only do so for huge profit.

Um what shovel? If you are revering to MY shovel of the CTs. First off I think people have a huge misconception of what it exactly does. Second, how many people have actually been killed by the dagger? I assure you death is not something taken lightly. How would the person saying this feel if they were stuck for a month or two without the ability to do anything on the character they play as their main? Such actions are often times only taken when kings/queens and other powerful people all come to a unanimous decision to do something, or is an intricate part of a predefined RP.

Saying this, amend to my knowldege the Mya incident. I do not know if she knew about the RP before it happened to her or not, she is the only exception I can think of.

[quote name='Darigan' timestamp='1320178735' post='95073']
Chewy says the point of GOE spell is to get people from places they shouldn't be during heads, If that is truly the case the spell really has no main point anymore, as it is it's a good way to recover people when they get stuck,,,,I however was not stuck when I was in Oak Tower only to wake up and find myself in GOE with -7 of most stats. I ask if its possible for a ban on the sale of GoE memory stones. That is one spell you should have to earn and not just be able to get for the right price.
[/quote]

Since GoE is owned by so few, you would only really need to gather them and get everyone to agree to that. You dont even need a mur rule as long as everyone or nearly everyone agrees. community action is sometimes far stronger...

Whether anyone might believe it to be ridiculous or not, many arguments start from people simply not understanding one another. It is a human trait to want courtesy and mutual respect. I feel that honestly a lot of things are not handled very well in MD, and that Firs has a reason to speak up- but that his reason, no matter how well intentioned it is, is being fogged by his general upset.

There is some truth to what Firs says, and I don't think he's just saying it to whine or whatever. I have the feeling that Firs is genuinely concerned, despite him being argumentative. This is a trend that continues, players grow concerned by the state of things- or the treatment they receive.. and the concerns tend not to be heard well due to how they present them.

We should remember, at least, that it is unusual for a player in general to make not one thread, but two threads addressing concerns. More so, it is unusual for a king to make a thread like this, except in the event that he does not know what else to do.

How are these concerns, which Firsan speaks of, expected to be presented - if not bluntly and openly? While I feel that what was said here should have been discussed privately.. maybe others should give their thoughts too.

Are people ignoring the second sentence? That they're so friendly they won't even fight? lol - why're you trying to give ability suggestions?

I was going through the AL once again, and I was wishing there was some version of it that would be less painful to read, especially for "bulk-reading" like most newcomers [should] do. In particular, its presentation in the interface is adapted for reading newly added fragments, but I would have liked a version where all fragments would be grouped by chapter, which was already proposed long ago [url="http://magicduel.invisionzone.com/topic/1439-side-story-adventure-log/page__view__findpost__p__7979"]here[/url] but was never done (at least not that I could find on the forum ...). So I made it:

[attachment=3302:AL.pdf]

I hope altering the order of events is not a sacrilege ...

It is still quite a raw result. There are probably some bugs that appeared during the conversion, and many possible improvements to do. I am open to all suggestions! If you find it useful, I may spend a bit more time to try to make it look better, for instance with a more MD-biased look.

If you appreciate it, I intend to do a similar thing for the announcements, although this one still grows. [size=2]Hopefully the Adventure Log too will grow again some day ...?[/size]


Edit: uploaded a new version (changed the font + various minor improvements)

Rich coming from you 'Vicarious'

I am going to get in crap for saying this, but...

[b]Quit your Complaining[/b][b]. [/b]

Was this thread necessary?

I am not defending Mur here, because some/most of this is or may be true. But this was not something to be posted in the forum, publically.

What do you wish to accomplish with this?

Do you have any sort of plan for this thread? Any goal? Or is this just another lousy rant about something else?

This Forum has had enough of complaining, and enough witch hunts.

[b]What ? How? When? [/b]

So...here it is. Currently there are 7 challenges. Each one of them has a number of points. Your goal is to get as many points as possible. In the end there can be only one (or more depends on the number of participants). However, each challenge will have its own winner(s) (and rewards ). This means that you are not required to do ALL the challenges. It's up to you how you manage them.


Also, I need few judges. If anyone wishes to volunteer, please do so. I want a fair contest. PM me on the forum if you'd like to help.

The challenges will start today at 20:00 ST. Below you'll find the list of them and a bit of info. If you have questions, please post them here.


List of challenges:

[b]1.MD Halloween Trivia![/b] This will take place tomorrow at 22:00 ST. But due to the fact that usually trivia games are frowned upon because of lag and such, this trivial will have a slight twist. Questions will be general ones (of course related to HW) but there will be also questions related to past MD Halloween Events. So start reading the forums . Scoring is easy for this so I will not detail it.

[b]2.MD Halloween Slogans[/b]. I guess the name says it all. So lads and lasses...start thinking! I will open a new thread where you'll be able to post your slogans. They need to be MD and HW related, of course. The scoring will be done by judges + me. This will end tomorrow at 23:59 ST. So start thinking!

[b]3.MD Halloween short funny/creepy stories[/b]. This is a 2 in one challenge. You need to submit either a funny or a creepy story (MD+Halloween related). I think maximum 1000 words (and when i say 1000 maximum it means it can have also 10 words but if they are good...well..you get the points). Again, thread opens at 20:00 PM today and ends tomorrow at 23:59 ST. Points will be given by judges.

[b]4.Research! [/b]This was inspired by Mur and his research contests. Starting with 20:00 ST today, I will post a research subject (again HW related). You have 30 minutes from the moment I post the subject to research as much as you can about that subject and post a doc on the forum (pics included). Minimum 500 words. Scoring: first that posts get maximum points and all the rest get one point less then the previous.
Eg: 10 participants. First gets 10 points, next gets 9 and so on.


[b]5.Crazy food and beverages recipes.[/b] Thread opens at 20:00 ST and closes at 23:59. You need to create crazy recipes using stuff that can be found in MD or are MD related (toxicodendrite spit, Greedo's hair, Burns' toe etc). Scoring will be done by judges.

[b]6.Solve a crime!! Or 2...[/b] I will post 1 or 2 or 3 crime stories. You'll be ask to answer a question (or to solve the mystery). Answers will be given via PM. And scoring will be done the same as with Research.

[b]7.Incantations time!!![/b] Write an incantation to get ride of someone. Or to make that someone suffer. The more funnier the better. Scoring will be done by judges. Thread opens at 20:00 ST and ends at 23:59 tomorrow.


Additional notes: if nobody offers to help with judging, you'll be stuck with me...and I have strange tastes when it comes to such things so don't be surprised if what you hate I will love and the other way around. Hope it will not be the case though...
Rewards: for each challenge - credit codes (and something else if I get some sponsors). For the one that gathers most of the points - 1 WP. BUT if the number of participants is high, I might offer WPs to 2nd and 3rd place.
If you have other ideas for challenges, please let me know and I will include them. The more, the merrier!



[b]Good luck and may you all have fun!!![/b]

[size=4][b]Answering the hot topic of the weekend and maybe of the week, I would like to share my words and also answering everything I read since the end of the past year:[/b][/size]

[b]I thanks Curry about the scientific information provided on the day of Blind Justice, not the information per se but with what she gave me I was albe to inform better about this new issue on social life: cyber bullying. I also thanks to Awiiya on his post into this topic,[/b]

[b][quote name='awiiya' timestamp='1319819876' post='94778'][/b]
[b]Form a coalition in game that actively works against harassment.[/b]

[b]Organizing is a lot more productive than this sort of blase complaining. I've seen enough of it. Please do something.[/b]

[b]Awi[/b]

[b][/quote][/b]

[b]That been said and without futher explanations, I'm inviting myself of said coalition if one is already being formed. And if not I'm building one, and for that one I wish to receive the help of a real life teacher and/or social service professional and/or mental health professional. I would also like to have the help of anyone wishing to apply, (will have a maximum of participants, but I don't know how many for now)[/b]

[b]Regards[/b]
[b]MVBL[/b]


[b]Edit: [url="http://magicduel.invisionzone.com/topic/10850-bullying-coalition/page__pid__94804#entry94804"]Made a topic for that.[/url][/b]

[color=#008080][font=lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif]When does combat become abusive? Are we saying that you can beat a person the entire time they are in game practically every time you can for days on end making you the only target is not abusive? Verbal attacks are abusive, but not other attacks because they are "combat"? [/font][/color]

[color=#008080][font=lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif]We can't use certain words because they are offensive some. We can't do certain actions because they are offensive to some. We [u]can[/u] beat the tar out of someone because it actually is a silent abuse. I don't see that as fair. Go ahead and tell me MD isn't fair. I already know that, but when did MD decide it wanted to allow cruelty as well?[/font][/color]

*applies hopeful /Sarcasm tag above. *
I wasn't going to post here, with my full thoughts on the topic, but I will add my voice to the whining and say that such terminology, which I'll read as being steeped in sarcasm, hit a bit too close to home for some of my family, and I dislike them personally.
Lets step back, relax, and discuss rationally please.

MD is not a democracy, but is a community. There are untold layers and subtleties to any group of even Three people, so the world we've built here beside Mur is a complex one. None of us are 100% correct, except as it applies to ourselves, alone. I admit there are things I'd prefer to change. Change takes time. Forum posts such as this seem to flare up over the course of 48 hours, to inferno levels, with emotions running high.

As much as it's worth, I agree that Darigan feels slighted and abused.
I agree that Firs was valid in his original post about the sorts of badness that impact others here.
But that's only one side of the mirror.

To address recent specifics: Spells can be used however the owner wants to. Combat is not harassment, as outlined above. (perhaps less friendly, but not illegal). If visiting the Tribunal for a cup of tea, why not temporarily "put your crits to sleep" while you travel? You'll be back in the park soon enough. I did similar recently, and kept them dead for two weeks. When I felt like "training" or was asked for defenses, Vitality was shared to them again.

Eon exists, that won't be changed.
We can.
There is no spoon.

Look Darigan. It's your fault you got raped. I so told you that mini skirt you were wearing was much too high. I mean I could see your knickers for crying out loud. Hell, I am surprised you didn't get gang raped. You so deserved it so you did.

What? blaming the victim is ok, but somehow it suddenly isn't when we use the R word? Can't have it both ways folks! You can't find one distasteful and not the other.
(I can't edit the previous post)

Why on earth did this topic turn into another anti-Eon rant? Don't you people have anything better to do?

Spells have no restrictions. Someone can do whatever he/she wants with them. Period.
Yes, you can come with ideas about how to restrict spells and you can discuss them if you really wish (that's why we have the forum, don't we?) but don't start whining and ranting again. Simply because it's a waste of time and it generates only anger.

I don't think that your point about attitude in MD is wrong, I point that you are a hypocrite for not recognizing your own mistakes in the first place.

Regarding you being a hypocrite, I am referring to the bullying part - we had tension between us (while I was in Loreroot) for a year, no? For that period, did you try one time to resolve the issue as a sovereign of the land? Not that I recall.
So as soon as you got to Romania, you orchestrated fancy abilities and burned the Savelites to the ground.

But let us forget about me, let's remind ourselves about Woodcutter incident, and countless other details that occasionally pop that trigger your bully-attitude.
Don't you dare to turn this at me like it is some kind of my personal issue - I don't give a flying duck about your existence, but I won't hide from replying to your posts that I deem wrong.

So, basically I have to say this because if I don’t I will simply end up exploding in a very undignified manner and letting myself down. Laugh if you want to, I am past caring and in an odd way you will just endorse what I am saying in my view.

MD encourages and fosters harassment, victimisation and bullying. MD is a game for bullies and blow-hards. It seems that MD has rules about using bad language and we have the word Nazis on patrol because we use a word like ‘crap’ or we have the sex patrol, out to make sure that we all remain chaste. Yes folks we need all these things because MD is a place where kids might hang out and they may be exposed to something that poor little children should remain protected from. But, bullying? Nah every kid needs a healthy dose of bullying don’t they? (And by the way, age is no excuse either, whether 9 or 99, nobody should be subjected to it and using the excuse that someone should be old enough to handle it is also just ignorant)

For a long time now I have seen people in MD chased around the place. Spied on, called names or just being attacked over and over again. And what do people in MD do? Well, some people point out that no rules are being broken. That the person has said ability, so no matter how they choose to use it, it’s all good. When people actually dare to complain what happens? They get told they are talking rubbish, to grow up, to deal with it, to get their own back, that they are being babies, or even that you think it is hilarious or better still, there is no problem and that you would do exactly the same. And some of you endorse it by the virtue of saying nothing.

I’ve seen people let themselves down in their reactions to things. Their arguments might reduce down to babbling and bad language and little else. However, I feel that there is an element in MD that just delight in that. It’s easy to laugh at the poor tortured soul having a meltdown. Bless them, they are clearly off their rocker. It seems that many people content themselves with the view that the person was just unstable or weak or immature to begin with. Let’s not waste time considering that perhaps there actually was a valid reason for them to complain in the first place. Or heaven’s forbid that perhaps we have a moral obligation to recognise that not everyone is as hardskinned or hardnosed as you may be? No, what we need to do is keep pushing and pushing someone that is clearly unhappy or distressed about something until they reach the point that they snap. And you know what, we can all have a jolly good laugh about it and then just sit back and wait for the next person to snap. Fun times indeed.

Yeah, I have decided that I will just be a dick to someone today/this week/this year/forever and you know what? It’s totally fine. As long as I don’t break any rules, I can do whatever the hell I like. I mean, I can be a dick in real life, but chances are I would have to deal with my boss, my friends, family at some point or just get a plain old box in the face from someone. But, I don’t need to worry about that in MD. As long as I don’t actually break a rule I can be as big a jerk moron wallyface as I please. Yay for me! Go team jerk moron wallyface. Oh, you don’t like being called a jerk moron wallyface? Tough nuts jerk moron wallyface, I am not calling you a curse word, so neah neah neah. Ohh and by the way, you have a face like an elephant’s backside and your mother fed you with a slingshot you is so ugly.

The other one I love is when a person acts like a jerk, but it’s ok, coz guess what? They are just like that. Yup, if you happen to be a total jerk it’s ok to act like one. But if you aint a jerk and you do something that someone thinks is a bit jerky, then yeah, you need to be told off for that one.
Do you think that I am over-reacting? Maybe I am, I think not though. Come on Firs, harassment, victimisation, bullying? Awfully strong words there pal. I really don’t think that is true at all.

Would it make it easier on you if I called it ‘socially undesirable behaviour’? I mean, cybersex is so obviously socially undesirable behaviour, but hounding people, calling them names, spreading lies about them, slagging them off as foolish or weak, well that is totally different right? I mean that is obviously acceptable behaviour. Chasing someone around and attacking them over and over again, for hours at a time even though they have asked you not to do so, that is ok too. I mean, it’s obvious that you are upsetting them, but hey, you aint breaking any rules right? And yeah, of course people are going to point that out and say it’s hilarious and they are such a stupid weak idiot, they like totally deserve it. Yeah, you go girl/guy!

Shame on you people. Shame on you.

[size=4]My name is Passant the weak. I'm also known as the “Glass Expert”. I was given that title after being chosen to hold the very first tool in the realm that would produce Raw Glass. In this article, I will try to tell you more about Glass, and the way it is manufactured.[/size]

[size=4]Feel free to comment/correct what you read, if necessary. I am also open to any question you may have. Consider this article as my introduction as a new member of the Legend Speakers. My role will be to post articles about mechanisms, people, facts I consider of interest at the time I write about them... or that I will be requested to enquiry about. And yes, you, all, can request me to investigate on a particular subject. I will do my best, and if the result is of any interest, it will be posted here.[/size]

[size=4]That article was originally for a new edition of MDNP... which was dead born, so here it is![/size]

[size=4]Thanks![/size]

[size=4]~The Weak, a passer by[/size]

[size=4]==================================================[/size]

[size=4][log=What is Glass?] Glass is a material that comes from the melting of Sand. It is a hard substance, usually transparent. It can be used for various purpose, like making windows, bottles, jewels, etc. Technically speaking, in Magic Duel, Raw Glass is a resource: it means it can be used to create other items, with the appropriate tools (dedicated tools, cauldron, the future will tell!). So far, it was mentioned that Raw Glass would be used to manufacture bottles, but we can expect other uses as new items based on glass will be created in the realm.[/size]

[size=4]The Raw Glass in magic Duel is a dark blueish color. As it comes directly from the melting process, it is covered with dust. It is presented in chunks, ready to be transformed into delicate items.[/log][/size]

[size=4][log=Making glass: the ingredients and tools] From a technical point of view, transforming sand into glass is not very complex: you heat sand until it melts and you get glass that you let solidify in some plates. But what does that mean in Magic Duel?[/size]
[size=4]To manufacture glass, you will need 3 mandatory items:[/size]
[size=4]- the basic material: sand[/size]
[size=4]- some heat to … heat up the sand until it melts[/size]
[size=4]- a tool that will allow that heat to concentrate onto the sand and will process the glass plate into chunks of raw glass[/size]

[size=4]Fairly simple isn't it? But how and where to get all those things? And do they really exist in the realm? Guess it... yes they do. Although they are not that easily visible if you don't know where and how to search.[/size]
[size=4][/log][/size]

[size=4][log=Sand]Sand is a resource that can be found in the realm. It is different from the usual resources (water, herbs, branches...) that you can gather with the appropriate tool. The sand needed to start the alchemy that will produce Raw Glass is not the usual sand found on the beaches of Golemus Golemicarum. The sand of the island is perfect for offering a nice and comfortable area for the sun addicts that enjoy getting tanned. However it is not complex enough to allow manufacturing top quality glass.[/size]

[size=4]The sand we need must be complex, including secret tiny particles of unknown metals. And to get such sand, the only way discovered so far is is to collect sand as soon as it is produced by the physical mechanics of the realm. Yes, that complex sand exists: when people collect memory stones from Magic Duel soil, the friction of the gathering tool with the stone leaves a thin, pure dust. If you have a closer look at it, you see it's sand. A top quality sand that has not been altered by external contamination. That sand is said to contain cobalt (providing the blue color) ans also manganese (to prevent the usual green color of glass), along with other secret materials. It has still to be demonstrated though... but the result is here: this sand is the perfect ingredient to start the melting process.[/size]
[size=4][/log][/size]

[size=4][log=Sand melter] A tool we need now. That tool exists and has a name: it is called Sand melter. It is a heavy device. It has a main chamber whose aim is to collect heat, concentrate it, thus allowing the temperature to reach very high level: 1200°c is what is required, thus the structure of the tool is reinforced to resist such unusual environmental conditions.[/size]

[size=4]The main chamber has a thin hole at his top that allows for the connection of a heat storage device. Once locked onto the main chamber, the heat from the storage device is automatically charged into the chamber. Then the storage device can be disconnected, and the hole automatically locks (using a valve) and keeps the heat for as long as it will be needed. Due to safety concerns (risk of explosion), a security locks the hole if the Heat storing device is not fully loaded: you can use Heat Jars of any size but they have to be fully loaded. You can also use Heat stones.[/size]

[size=4]The main chamber presents another hole, covered by a funnel: this is where you have to place the sand when the Sand Melter is fully loaded with heat. Again, a valve prevents from any leak.[/size]

[size=4]Finally, a large metallic plate is present at the bottom of the melter: 4 chunks of Raw Glass are pulled out of the melter and lie on that plate at the very end of the process.[/size]
[size=4][/log][/size]

[size=4][log=Making glass: step by step]First of all, you have to load the Sand Melter with Heat: load heat in the Melter, using Heat stones or fully loaded Heat Jars. You need to load 20k heat, for the melter to be activated and ready for use. You can load it in several steps with amounts of heat lower than 20K: the melter is hermetic and will store the heat. When you have loaded 20K or more, the melter is ready and you can move forward.[/size]

[size=4]Now, just insert Sand in the funnel. Press the button and start the process: you almost instantaneously get 4 chunks of Raw Glass. You can use 1 unit of sand or more. But whatever quantity you use, you will only get 4 pieces of raw glass: the extra sand is just wasted in the process, as the melter will filter the sand and use what it needs, leaving the extra part mix into the dust resulting from the process. So yes, to avoid wasting that wonderful sand, it's better to use 1 unit only.[/size]
[size=4][/log][/size]

[size=4][log=Raw Glass... and now what?]As stated at the beginning, Raw Glass is a resource. Not an ordinary resource, as it cannot be gathered but requires manufacturing process. But still a resource: you will use glass as an ingredient for further manufacturing.[/size]

[size=4]The use will be limited only by your imagination. Some ideas have already emerged, from basic tools manufacturing to large industrial projects. Let me cite a few potential uses for Raw glass:[/size]
[size=4]- manufacturing bottles: this is needed for all bar tenders and alcoholics of the realm to get perpetual containers for their drug. Bottles might also be needed for storing perfumes, poisons, essences...[/size]
[size=4]- creating jewels: a pendant made of glass can be a wonderful gift to the lady one loves. Glass can be worked out delicately to provide shiny and complex ornaments[/size]
[size=4]- creating windows. Those architects around might build their house one day. Or a greenhouse for the gardeners of the realm. Raw glass will come in handy for that purpose.[/size]
[size=4]- Decorating an armor or a weapon: yes, why only decorate the ladies neck? An armor or a weapon will be personalized using a jewel made of glass.[/size]

[size=4]Those are existing ideas, but again, use your imagination and tell us... How will you use glass yourself?[/size]
[size=4][/log][/size]

[size=4]PS. I apologize for any gramatical or other error with English language, don't sue me![/size]
[size=4]PPS. I accept any suggestion in regards to formatting that kind of article in the future. Be constructive please![/size]
[size=4]PPPS. Many thanks to Fyrd Argentus, leader of the Legend Speakers for a few corrections (yes, he saved your eyes from seeing the worst...) and advices.[/size]

This is just an idea i had recently and thought i should post it to see what people think if it.

MDP is deserted for MP5, there are barely a hand full of people who train there.
Every sort of training season outside MDP is canceled the moment Eon finds the location so no considerable improvement can be done.
People spend more time in sanctuary, getting weaker day by day and been forced trying to find something else to do since training is as good as impossible.
So this is the my idea related to the current no training situation we face.

Every land will have one location that will require a high amount of AP to enter and exit, something like the 400 AP required to enter GG.
That location will be obviously be very hard for citizens of other lands to enter, but on the other hand it will be accessible to citizens of their homeland thanks to the land loyalty bonus.
That place can become a training ground where citizens of their homeland gather to train themselves.

The idea is that new player in early stages like MP4 chose already the Land they want to become a citizen of, so that when they advance to MP5 they will have enough land loyalty to enter a place where they can get stronger and avoid becoming moving targets for stronger MP5 like Eon.
Even if they don't have enough AP and land loyalty, they could also want to join an alliance and jump to leader location.

These location will be mostly citizens only thanks to the high ap requirement to enter but also for exiting that location.
A citizen of a different homeland will have to carefully consider if it is really worth it to enter that location cause even if by some means they manage to increase their AP and enter, they will also have trouble leaving.

When a citizen of another land enters the location with the intention of grinding the people there, they could all fight back against the intruder by using the new implemented needle for example, or they could also just for fun log out or leave that place (like in the fairy tales where when someone who was not supposed to enter their realm, the fairies all run away leaving the outsider dumbfounded).

This can be very well used against the recent complains on Eon`s statdmg ability.
Currently Eon is not part of any alliance, is a citizen of Necrovion with 100 land loyalty and is a heavy grinder.
Lets consider the situation where Eon somehow manages to get the AP needed to enter a location, what to do?
The people there could try using the needle against Eon but from my point of view that would be not the optimal solution.
This is where my second solution comes in play, the run away strategy.
In a situation where no matter what you do, the end result is the same, running away and sealing his movements would be the best course of action.
Everybody there exits the location or loge`s out(preferably alliance leader so people can jump back) and the ones who left the location could just as well go to MDP that is now Eon free.
All while Eon has close to 0 AP so he cant exit cause of the high AP requirement, is not in a alliance so he cant jump to leader location, and if he really insists he would have to sacrifice something(a spell cast, a cup of tea, etc).
At any rate it would be his lose no matter how you look at it.
After he left, the people can gather there again and continue training while Eon just lost AP, grinding time, and possibly even more with little gain.

Well at least this is how i imagine it would work, feel free to criticize.

It is my opinion, that the Forum is a place where Mur should announce well in advance where he intends to be and all other pertinent information. It is a fact that not everyone views the Announcements because of the volume and changes it goes through daily.

I would also like to suggest, that Kings, Queens, Leaders, and MP6's then take this information and re-post it in their private forums as well as private Alliance Page. A simple copy n paste will do it. That way, no one has room to say that they didn't get the information. Do not Kings and Queens announce to their subjects declarations, intentions of War, and other things? The same goes for Leaders of Alliances and I would think Mp6 teach their adepts other things besides how to fight and to send Heat. Work together as a collective, not individualism, and this should rectify the MurGate issues. (Sorry Mur, but it sounded funny in my Head)