lashtal

Due to the great efforts of Dark Raptor, the TKs now have an official form for players to ask for sponsorship.

This way, if you want sponsorship, you will have a guaranteed way of making sure the TKs see your quest/festival/etc.

Fill out the form, located in the little plant on the bottom right of the GoE, and submit it to us!

Myself, ZenTao, Fang, and Child are all capable of seeing/approving/disapproving every request.

Good luck, and have fun building quests!

Seigheart

But how does God feel when he is referred as Mur? O_O

What I had in mind was slightly different, but I can see your points (I'm referring to Eon and Valldore).

I think that being skilled in gathering resources means also being able to do it in the most efficient way, allowing the needed time for them to regenerate.
Depleting a scene means decreasing the scene's potential to (re)generate said resource.
I'm not saying it's immoral to deplete resources and my post wasn't "against" those who enjoy depleting.
I'm saying it's un-efficient from the resource's point of view.

Ok, bones is probably unhappy as an example, not all of you has free access to graves and morgues...
Let's take basil. Being skilled in gathering basil, imo means also knowing how much you can get of it without damaging the plant itself. It's the plant's point of view I am considering,

That's why I was thinking of a penalty in said skill. To me, from the resource's point of view, depleting means being rough, not skilled.

nobody is talking about permanent stat damage.
like with all other stat damages, u win some, u lose some. it all can be gained back with proper way of handling..

to Valldore: ull lose some percentage of the stat not all of it, so, no u wont forget the proper way if u deplete once, but if ure doing it over and over again be it on purpose or not then somethings wrong.

What I had in mind was slightly different, but I can see your points (I'm referring to Eon and Valldore).

I think that being skilled in gathering resources means also being able to do it in the most efficient way, allowing the needed time for them to regenerate.
Depleting a scene means decreasing the scene's potential to (re)generate said resource.
I'm not saying it's immoral to deplete resources and my post wasn't "against" those who enjoy depleting.
I'm saying it's un-efficient from the resource's point of view.

Ok, bones is probably unhappy as an example, not all of you has free access to graves and morgues...
Let's take basil. Being skilled in gathering basil, imo means also knowing how much you can get of it without damaging the plant itself. It's the plant's point of view I am considering,

That's why I was thinking of a penalty in said skill. To me, from the resource's point of view, depleting means being rough, not skilled.

Also just an idea. How about movelock-ing the person that depletes a resource, making him unable to leave the scene of the resource for some time based on how much he depleted that resource.

Lest say when he gathers below 50% he is movelocked for 1 hour,
33% - 3 hours,
20% - 6 hours,
10% - 12 hours.

Rather then some form of skilldmg(witch i honestly doubt will make ppl consider NOT depleting again) this should effectively stop the depletion of a resource and if not stop ppl from depleting several location all in 1 day.

I'm not in favour of having stat damage for depletion. I do think that there should be a cost for it but not a "permanent" damage to stats. What if instead there was a change in tool cooldown based on recent depletions? Perhaps a multiplier based on the level that the resources are at before the tool use. And if the multipliers stacked then it would soon become difficult to continuously deplete. The length of time that the new cooldown time is in effect could also stack (but doesn't have to). It may be useful to have the cooldown multiplier and length of effect carry across all tools so that if someone depletes with a saw it would also affect their basket or pail.

[img]http://seto.machthreeproductions.com/laph-md/resources.jpg[/img]
I just realized that this idea may need a timestamp column added to the database to compare the current length of effect to a new one so that the length of effect can only increase in time.

This is just an idea but (to me at least) may be preferable to implementing stat damage. Let me know what you think

[quote name='lashtal' timestamp='1346963274' post='121499']
What I had in mind was slightly different, but I can see your points (I'm referring to Eon and Valldore).

I think that being skilled in gathering resources means also being able to do it in the most efficient way, allowing the needed time for them to regenerate.
Depleting a scene means decreasing the scene's potential to (re)generate said resource.
I'm not saying it's immoral to deplete resources and my post wasn't "against" those who enjoy depleting.
I'm saying it's un-efficient from the resource's point of view.

Ok, bones is probably unhappy as an example, not all of you has free access to graves and morgues...
Let's take basil. Being skilled in gathering basil, imo means also knowing how much you can get of it without damaging the plant itself. It's the plant's point of view I am considering,

That's why I was thinking of a penalty in said skill. To me, from the resource's point of view, depleting means being rough, not skilled.
[/quote]

The truth is that this wasn't the way i saw the idea. Lets continue with the basil example then.

Skill gathering of basil means you know how much you can take without damaging the plan. If for months, i train myself in becoming skillful on gathering basil , but one day i'm in a bad mood and decide i want to deplete the plan (or even i stay in bad mood a week, and have several plants to take my wrath on them) or lets say i want to take as much as possible because i don't want to grow basil anymore .

Does that mean that the next time i am going to grow basil, i will have no idea how to gather it without hurting the plant ? (if i want to do it that way)
I don't think that i would have forgotten how to do it just because i would have destroyed some plants.

If the suggestion was that when someone depletes, he doesn't get a skill increase because he doesn't do it the proper way (he is being rough) , yes, totally agree with that.

Also, give a really high percentage that this last gather won't give any resource (because i'm being rough and i'm putting the plant in danger), yes again. Give it a 50% or even more that won't give any resource.

But being rough doesn't make me forget how the proper way is, since i've spend so much time training my self in that way.


[quote name='VertuHonagan' timestamp='1346965797' post='121501']
I completely agree with Lashtal. I would think some sort of stat damage should be dealt for depleting resources. If you deplete resources completely it shows that you lack the skill to realize how efficiently you are working that item. Take real life gardening for example. Lets say your growing lettuce. Knowing that keeping a certain amount of those lettuce leaves still alive in that garden will produce more plants, you would logicaly keep that amount there to increase the productivity of that plant. If you just cut off every single lettuce leaf and wait for the next batch to regrow, then your not tending to the plant properly, and you have a chance of destroying that plant.

So I would also suggest not just a stat damage for depletion, but possibly lowering the regeneration rate for that resource as well. Making it take twice as long for the resource to regenerate. There should also be higher risk for depleting that resource multiple times. Lowering the regeneration rate of the resources even more for the constant miss-handling of the resource.
[/quote]

Lets keep lettuce as the example then. I have a field where i grow lettuces, but i also have an antagonist for the local market that does the same thing. I grow mine with care and the proper way (have trained on doing so and i have learned the proper way in time).

But one day i decide to go to my antagonists field and gather all his (don't ask me why he left them unguarded, that's another story). I go in there and gather every single leaf, being rough cause i am on a hurry and without caring for the plants and if i destroy them.

The next day that i will go to my field again, i would have forgotten how the proper way is ? Just because i destroyed my antagonist field , i need to learn how to do it again ?

Same idea for stat damaging someone who lowers the regeneration . Don't increase his stat, he is being rough and hasty. Give a high chance of not gathering a resource after all.

P.S. I don't say either that depletion is good or bad, it's not the subject of the discussion. I don't even look at whether the punishment is fair, too weak or too severe for the depletor. Just looking for something to be a realistic punishment , that's all.

What I had in mind was slightly different, but I can see your points (I'm referring to Eon and Valldore).

I think that being skilled in gathering resources means also being able to do it in the most efficient way, allowing the needed time for them to regenerate.
Depleting a scene means decreasing the scene's potential to (re)generate said resource.
I'm not saying it's immoral to deplete resources and my post wasn't "against" those who enjoy depleting.
I'm saying it's un-efficient from the resource's point of view.

Ok, bones is probably unhappy as an example, not all of you has free access to graves and morgues...
Let's take basil. Being skilled in gathering basil, imo means also knowing how much you can get of it without damaging the plant itself. It's the plant's point of view I am considering,

That's why I was thinking of a penalty in said skill. To me, from the resource's point of view, depleting means being rough, not skilled.

Congrats to everybody!!

I'd LOVE to see what others came up with, more for curiosity of the ideas than who won which place.
Would anyone mind sharing their submissions?
Also, I'll skip any rewards, and just keep my sponsored Angien Egg for whomever picks that.


[log='Here is mine....']
[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Describe the functioning of a sundial in relation to Principles.[/font][/size]
[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Write an original, MD-related motto for a Sundial.[/font][/size]
[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Discuss whether a sundial could work in MD and, in case, where.[/font][/size]


Since for me the Sun never moves, though I have noticed that other Stories have it shifting in the sky and even finding Night, I have decided to use the general "idea" of a sundial as a time-keeper rather than a physical shadow-caster. I'll try to explain my horrible drawing below too. If you have any questions please ask!!
(I'm not even sure this could exist "for real" outside of MD as it's a bit of a philosophical construct more than a physical one.)

Picture a tall thin support, formed of shifting ephemeral ever-changing colours and design. Imagination holds up the structure you see, for without it, no Sundail could ever have existed physically in any realm. The dream and idea of it is the foundation.

Above the structure is a sort of spiral horn-like shape (think rams horns that curve downward to a point). Above THAT, almost out of the image, is the ever-burning Light (I didn't say Sun exactly).

Instead of a shadow tracing across a marked circle to tell the time, however, the "horns" are pushed by the Light and grow outwards and downward from the "force" of the light over time. The horns are marked into segments, and as they curve, they eventually re-connect into the support structure, as if they will re-start where they first protruded. (so the horns are actually spiral rings, in a sense.)

The tips, and narrowest section of each horn is rules by Darkness. One side ebony and one side jet. Wood and Stone, and represent the first moments of our time in Magic duel. So many questions, so few choices that first step, thus, the narrow point, but quickly growing in thickness and possibility as Light pushes/illuminates/teaches and Time passes.

The spiral nature of the sides is obviously where Time is represented. Their essentially circular nature reflects well on how Time is a moving thing in the small-scale but taken as a whole, is One. The circle-horns turn to track moments, but never truly "Move" beyond their spinning, but describe the local Time by looking at which fragment of the horn-circles is on "top", emerging from the support structure itself.

As the darkness starts to be brightened by the Light, representing how each visitor to MD grows in thickness of knowledge and details of the realm, the horn-circles shift from black materials to something lighter. Syntropy, and Elements now share equal places on top of the sundial, formed of glittering fine-grained Eucalyptus wood (which changes colour over time to a dark brown, and thus provides a somewhat even transition with the nearby ebony). Opposite the syntropic wood is the elemental section, with a core of heavy rock, wet sandstone around that, and light pumice exterior material.

The main and "longest" segment of the horn circles represents Cyclicity and Transposition. While the cycle is represented throughout by the spiraling horn-circles, this is ever more apparent as they grow in girth. The materials on the Cyclicity side change to blood-red metal on the outside of the spirals, and pure white on the interior, representing the training combat and rest periods of most people, and the outer Stats, and inner Enlightenment as they look deeper into the realm.

The Transposition side abruptly switches to an opposing spiral, and the movement of the overall "horn" slightly pauses so it falls slightly out of sync with the opposite "Cyclicity" side, it's movement becomes slightly random, so that it is alternately longer or shorter than the opposite "horn" over time, but the random speed tends to keep them -almost- even. (this may be an effect of the opposing spiral reacting to the Light pressure which drives the whole apparatus)
It is made of stuff similar to the Imagination support, but much more solid. If the imagination is primarily pink gas at a particular moment, the Transposition is rose coloured glass for example. If imagination is flowery or fiery, the coil takes itself to appear like hard-packed pollen and petals, or glowing orange metal for that moment. The Transposition segment also slowly becomes layers of materials, reflecting the Imagination support at each moment, and as it "turns" a small sliver of it is locked as that material. The overall effect is a shimmering vaguely striped spiral in a myriad of metallic rainbow hues.

As Time progresses, and the horns flatten out and the "spiral" cut in them becomes much shallower and the materials on both sides gradually fade to a not-quite-pure white ivory (if it were a screw, the threads get smaller trending towards a simple cylinder.) Balance is restored as in the movement of each side as the pointed Dark tips curl upwards and approach the shimmering support column of Imagination. The spiral is still reversed on the side that represented Transposition, but is now moving at the same rate as the Cyclicity side. Balance is once more restored and the the horn segments on top now glow faintly from reflected and absorbed Light. The spiral 'cuts' begin to fade away as they get more and more shallow, as combat training and other Roles even out over time, with diminishing returns. Periodic dark and light veins in the ivory symbolize the events of the realm that slightly interrupt the overall smoothness of the ivory(and our daily roles here that fall into a routine), or flashes of new learning.

Eventually, the pointed horns 'grow' into the support structure, and the horns themselves get less and less solid.
Our time in MD has either reached it's end, or we've become (like chewett and some other older vets) so established in our roles and learning that our personal growth ..... not really stops, for it never stops, but reaches a zenith of sorts.
Time ticks once more and the faded past of the horns is now curled and half suspended below the top of the support structure.
One day has passed.
Dark points begin to appear from our imagination again, as a new day starts.
The cycle repeats.

"There is time enough for all of it, and all of you."


As for a location of this strange little sundial, I almost think that either inside Sage's Keep, with it's varied Light-sources, or perhaps the Paper Cabin Roof, being above where the imagination support really starts here in this realm. However, overall, I think a Sundial in general runs a bit counter to the overall "timing" for this realm. It would be an interesting thing to ponder, but doesn't exactly "fit" here as I understand Sundials.

Enjoy!

[img]http://everthorn.net/Misc/images/Sundial2.png[/img][/log]

Ok, been a bit silent, work, sickness, vacation

ok ok, and perhaps a lot of guild wars 2 as well. However, I took up the pencil again to finish, or move towards finishing the previous image.
We're done shading.
Next step, sharpening, mucking with levels, contrasts, resize, curse as stuff looks bad when small, reshade, repeat the other steps, again and again!

[sharedmedia=gallery:images:1923]

How about incorporating a sort of stat damage for who deplete resources?
An example:
Every time I collect bones, my excavation stat is incremented by 0.05.
Every time I deplete bones, my excavation stat is lowered by, let's say, 1.

Or it could be a percentage of my current stat value.

In the end, it would be as if I gathered said resource irresponsibly.

lashtal

Seigheart has not been forgotten so he is, in a way, still alive. May his flesh be as his spirit.

How about incorporating a sort of stat damage for who deplete resources?
An example:
Every time I collect bones, my excavation stat is incremented by 0.05.
Every time I deplete bones, my excavation stat is lowered by, let's say, 1.

Or it could be a percentage of my current stat value.

In the end, it would be as if I gathered said resource irresponsibly.

lashtal

How about incorporating a sort of stat damage for who deplete resources?
An example:
Every time I collect bones, my excavation stat is incremented by 0.05.
Every time I deplete bones, my excavation stat is lowered by, let's say, 1.

Or it could be a percentage of my current stat value.

In the end, it would be as if I gathered said resource irresponsibly.

lashtal

just a thought..
why not make it that overharvesting and depleting doesnt give bad effect only to the resource but to the depletor too?

that might be interesting too, if someone wishes to deplete a resource they could suffer a penalty ..something liek a percentage of that sort of resources is taken out of their inventory.. if you wish to sabotage something there should be some sort of risk

Hello,

I just realised this morning that with the system we have at the moment to reach MP6 and with the limited amount of playing people its nearly impossible to have 2 active protectors 2 people trying to upgrade their crits and 1 trying to reach protector status again.

So I step back from my aim to reach MP6 as long as Manda or anyone new is trying it at the same time too. I don´t want that the protectors are losing their protectorship because this is much more improtant then upgrading my crits.

Anyone who help me until here is asked now to change to Manda so that he can finish his task as soon as possible. Once he updated the adepts can change one more time to myself if they wish and I will upgrade too. After taht we should be able to help sunfire to be the 3rd protector of the realm again.

I would like to ask anyone to start thinking of new ideas for the "upgrading process". I just realised it´s causing alot damaging atmosphere and for some unwanted trouble.

I thank all who supported me until now and ask you again to help finishing this as fast as possible.

Menhir

[quote name='Pipstickz' timestamp='1346798685' post='121444']
If you believe somebody is being subjected to extreme prejudice (ie. somebody going and giving reputation to every one of somebody's posts, old and new, regardless of content or location) then I will direct you to our friendly team of mods and administrators who I'm sure will do their very best to help figure out your concern.
[/quote]

Why must someone neg rep all posts old and new for it to be abuse? Systematic neg repping can affect someone even if it is only done on new posts as they appear. I know this is hard to police, but we can still often tell when a player is being treated unfairly. It is not uncommon for someone to gain a number of negative votes for doing nothing more than they are asked to. Simple replies that do not contain controversial opinions are often in seen in the red.

It is my opinion that even controversial opinions should not be downvoted on a general basis. I myself reserve downvotes for cursing, spoilers, inaccuracies or falsehoods, illegibility, and/or nastiness. If others were to follow these criteria, they'd still have a lot they could vote down. But I don't think it's constructive to express general disdain through anonymous down voting. It just hurts feelings and puts people on the defensive.

[quote name='Fang Archbane' timestamp='1346801323' post='121445']
Rep is useless. learn this, and your life will become that much easier.
[/quote]

If reputation is useless, why do we have it?

[size="3"][color="#000000"][font="Calibri"]I would very much like to see that neg-repping was restricted to the contents of a post and not was used as a weapon against people one doesn’t like. It is unbelievable childish to do so, especially since most of us here are adults.[/font][/color][/size]

[size="3"][color="#000000"][font="Calibri"]I would therefore ask the people who do so – and I’m sure they know for themselves – to stop this petty behaviour. [/font][/color][/size]

[font="Calibri"][size="3"][color="#000000"] [/color][/size][/font]

Dear sirs dear ladies,

Time has come for some clarification and for results to be published.
The whole quest was admittedly paradoxical. How to use a sundial in a realm where it's not clear what/where the Sun is?
Some of you would remember from the story mode that the Sun is almost motionless, some of you noticed places within the realm which seem to suggest multiple light sources; then we have the Soldiers of the Inner Sun… So, what is this all about?

Aleyster Crowley, Mur and other heretics out there seem to suggest to "behold within and not above", for within each of us there's "one star in sight".
If we consider a star as the central source of light, life… (once transposed within, even ideas), if we consider it a purpose, a direction we're aimed to, I think we may try to scratch the surface of what's all about.
If everybody holds a Sun within, if everybody "casts a Shade"... We could consider Time as something entirely subjective, an expression of our own consciousness.
How to measure it, anyway, is a completely different matter, of which I have honestly no idea...
Of course, that's why I created this quest!

Unluckily I didn't receive that many submissions, but all of them were really interesting thus very difficult to judge.
For this reason, they've been rated with the help of two persons, whose names I won't disclose.
Thank you very much, you know who you are.

So, here are the winners!!

1st place - Tom Pouce (motto: "in MD yur always at yur same lucky time")
2nd place - Plix Plox (motto: "A shade’s shadow and an elemental’s glow are the primary basis for time to be told")
3rd place - Maebius (motto: "There is time enough for all of it, and all of you.")
4th place - ignnus (motto: "An aramor with a sundial is better than a morp with a broomstick.")
5th place - Shadowseeker (motto: "The sundial only works as well as the one who reads it.")

And the rewards!!

[s]A Swordshade[/s] (picked by Tom Pouce)
[s]An Angien's egg[/s] (picked by Plix Plox)
[s]A heavily aged Blood Pact Archer (sponsored by TKs)[/s] (picked by Shadowseeker)
2 BMMO enchanted stones (Toadspeak and Attacklock)
[s]2 Protector's enchanted stones (Movelock and Freeze)[/s] (picked by ignnus)

Based on the place in the graduatory, winners can choose the reward they prefer.
Tom Pouce picks first, then Plix Plox, then Maebius and so on.
Just state here what you wish or send me a message, I'll keep this topic up to date.

Thanks a lot to all who participated!!!

Edit: My bad, I forgot to mention a wonderful hand made drawing by Maebius... You're AWESOME!

So, say another war starts. Do I, as a loyal fighter for my land, care whether the enemy soldiers are MP4 or MP5?

There should be a natural progression to MP5, especially now that MP4s have the opportunity to train their stats before advancing by lowering EXP.

If one MP4 advances alone, yes it's going to be difficult for them to get on their feet, but if two MP4s advance together, they've got training partners of somewhat equal level, and if three or four advance together, they've got a whole group. Then, when another group comes once that group gets stronger, they can attack these new MP5s while they train themselves for the next group.

There are so many reasons to disagree with this, the least of which is "Hurr durr I want to attack you".

Something important to note is that while yes, you can get to MP5 in no time at all, you do that because of players that have already spent months - or even years - to get there.

Newer players will always get further at a faster rate because they have the groundwork done by the previous players. It this same principle by which humans have been able to develop so much.

"If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants" - Isaac Newton

I haven't counted myself, but I'll take your word on it. Now..while I'd prefer to have the people actually present at the revival ceremony (I think wind's sanc sounds good enough, maybe something like 23:00 servertime on a date we set)- please each of you prepare one simple line (that fits into one line in MD chat) as to why Seigheart should be revived. If possible, please try to avoid multiple mentions of the same reason.

E.g: Because he is my friend. Because he does his job for the community. Because nobody should stay dead for that long.

Or something along those lines. Just have Seig (or whoever else he wants his spokesperson to be) tell these lines during the ceremony. I'd appreciate a copy as well so I can create my own challenges better for the responses in return, for I will play the devil's advocate part in it.

There has been a lot of concern recently over regular killing of players, mostly resulting in discussion of resurrection practices.

Is it feasible that we could increase the risk of killing? One idea I have is make a kill attempt a roll of the dice. A good roll results in success, a bad roll results in failure, and there should also be a chance for the killer to die. Imagine I try to kill Seigheart with a stone dagger and he fights back and I perish by my own weapon.

Another possibility would be to incorporate spells or items that could cause the same effect. Seigheart tries to kill me but I have cast a mirror enchantment which causes his kill spell to target himself. This could possibly even be added to mirror ritual spell as an added effect.

Possibly I could have an item in my inventory that improves my chance of reversing a kill spell.

It seems that an inherent risk of death would make me think twice before attempting to kill someone else.

Your thoughts?

(Thanks for being my dummy, Seigheart)