December thoughts

[Ungod]

I'd like to share some random thoughts; it's two years since I joined, a little retrospective on my part. Who knows, maybe some can connect to what I'm saying here.

   First off, I find that much of my first impression of MD is gone. You know what the say about the first impression. I personally felt ...mmm...an uneasy, eerie atmosphere. The story of Marind, the visual style (striking because it was different from what you usually see), the 'wtf am I supposed to do', it all created a thrill, a feeling that _something_ is broken. Now, it's more like 'what's happening new?', getting pissed off or laughing at stupid **** or cool stuff; so, it doesn't feel like a game, it's...something else.

 

  Another thing: people who return. I don't understand that. People who return are like people I see everyday in MD, but never talked to them. And it becomes weird when they suddenly say (some of them): 'I'm back and I'd like to do something cool, but there are people who prevent me from playing the way I want to.' You've heard that. What they mean, is that they have a history, with bad and good, the good is why they came back, the bad is why they don't dare do anything, 'cuz they know it will be rubbed in their face. Oh, you're back. Who cares? (i'm kidding, welcome back :) )

 

  But some make alts to come back. To such an extent I don't believe in new players anymore. All I see are alts, alts, alts. The moment one asks a question/says something that shows he/she understood something about the game, I get suspicious. Who the f are you? I think. That is the question - not that 'to be or not to be' lame ****. Who are you, I'm going to spy on you and mistrust everything you say, 'cuz you are OBVIOUSLY an alt. A new player wouldn't know _that_random_thing_. Newbs are a myth.

 

  But new players do arrive and I'm like 'where did these people come from?' And they come to you and start talking to you and stuff as if they're EQUAL. My thought is b*****, I got more AD than you, go sod off'. Then I think I used to be like that and I well up thinking how great some people are to actually help newbs. I wouldn't have the patience; I'd go like 'go read and then come back to me'. So, that kind of attitude is felt. I felt it, I wasn't told that (much), so I am in some kind of love-hate relationship with the vets here. I like them, they're great to actually not say 'f*** off', but I'd like to strangle them, because the attitude is there.

 

  Then I think I'm becoming like that and I get scared. I never thought I'd get to this point :( to actually think I'm better than other (new) players. Maybe there's a genius in there and I brush them off and wait for them to come ask me things (not that I know that much, don't ask me stuff). But I can't help it.

 

  And new people always come up with new ideas, don't they? Creature ideas, concepts, mechanics...Of course, I think 'Chill, we don't care about your little ideas'.

 

  On another note, I like how people can be untrustworthy assholes around here. Of course, being one means people will shun you, you will be ignored, isolated and your only hope will be in newbs who don't know you yet. But you can be one in MD and you won't get a 'no entry here' sign. Even more, you will be someone people can look at, examine, decide whether they want to be like you and stuff.

 

  I liked when Mur stood up for my name change, saying people are entitled to an opinion. It wasn't my intention to offend anyone (not in that manner, anyway), but the fact that I wasn't censored was cool.

 

  I like there are some annoying people in MD. Like, pissing me off. That makes me more focused. The fact that some will shake their heads, even if not saying anything, makes me want to show them.

 

  Also, I didn't really think about MD disappearing up until recently. Like, ending for me (personal issues), or for everyone. Now, I just accept that as a fact. Yes, it might end just like that. There were times when I thought about quitting, so that would've naturally ended it for me. But, you know, it can just go away and there's nothing you can do about it. That's not necessarily a bad thing. The thought gave me some kind of freedom, as if I'm not bound to, compelled to do anything.

 

  Too much freedom is dangerous, though. What if I just quit suddenly because I feel freeeeeeee!!? Idk, but I don't care that much. For now, I feel my MD experience will end with a ban. Why a ban? Because I can't think of another way.

Merry Xmas!

Edited December 9, 2015 by TheRichMerchant

[Aeoshattr]

I like the idea. I find your post a bit difficult to follow at times, so I hope I understood it correctly. Here are my own December thoughts, hopefully in a similar style:

 

Firstly my impression of MD as a game has been on a roller-coaster. While when I started ("ugh" - this will be how I will address the 15-year-old-me who thought playing MD was a good idea). I absolutely loved the game in the beginning, then ended up leaving and rejoining (multiple times); I never really grasped neither the 'lore' or the 'mechanics' of the game until recently, and even now my knowledge is incomplete.

However, being able to understand bits and pieces of MD and being able to solve puzzles is very satisfying. Yet... it does take away from the mysterious aura that MD had for me in the beginning. Sometimes it just feels like a common walnut that is a bit too hard to crack, rather than some mysterious new fruit that you gawk at like an idiot.

 

Secondly my impression of specific people has dramatically changed, while my impression of the population as a whole has changed less significantly. I could detail each specific person, however I feel that might take away some of the "Christmas" feeling of this. Overall though, my impression of MD's community as a whole has steadily declined from "Oh, look, a lot of new people to meet!" to "I don't want to talk to anyone, you are all exhausting to interact with." Don't get me wrong, I am enormously grateful to a small number of players in the game, and they should know exactly why and who they are. But looking at the population as a whole, I just lose more and more interest and desire to put effort into people other than a select few. 

 

Thirdly, to address the "newbs" problem. I think I'm on the same side as Richie - I feel newbs don't exist. In my case, the immediate issue is the one with the flags being displayed; if I see a "newb" from say Estonia, I immediately think "Oh, it must be Miq". Same for countries where we already have a fairly well-known player. I can't get out of this mindset, and whenever I see a MP3 I look at the flag and immediately start thinking who they might be an alt of. IMO, flags should be hidden to all other than admins. I don't see anything wrong with having alts (as long as they're used according to rules) and the flags can really expose alts very easily (which would naturally deprive the player of the different experience they're seeking by playing an alt). Thus making an alt is even more of a chore and a risk (considering you'll be missing a lot of features you purchased on your main, such as yellow blobs on your map, status bar, etc).

 

Fourthly (is this a word?) I actually feel sorry for genuine newbs in the game. Some are met with a vicious suspicion they are alts (which I'm guilty of doing), some are met with unyielding reluctance to change, and most just have to adapt and settle for the status quo - and MD sometimes needs to change. I'm worrying that I'm partly to blame for this, considering my general suspicion of newbs.. and I hope that I won't become one of those unapproachable, grumpy fossils (might be one already.)

 

Finally my worries and hopes. I worry, I very much worry about not giving a fudge anymore; whether about parts of MD, people, responsibilities or whatever else. There's a point where you feel like "I'm reaching the bottom of the sack with fudges to give" and it's really awful - because there are a few people in MD that I care dearly about, and me losing interest in the game might have a significant impact on my relationship with the said players. I worry that MD won't change where it needs to. I worry that MD will slowly dwindle away, and it would be a pity. And I worry that... I worry too much for my own good.

 

I hope? Surprisingly, there's room for hope.

I hope that this Christmas will be a lot of fun, and I hope that MD will shine and gleam, even if just for a few weeks. I hope to see new, exciting things happening. I hope that people other than me will also have a good time. And last... last but not least.

 

I hope that I'll be able to keep a well-founded faith in MD as time goes on. Gotta stay positive, in spite of the maybe slightly negative tone of the post :)

 

Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays all :)

[ignnus]

dude, i've never read that much text in my life are you crazy, all i can contribute is even if returning older players are just like shades u must not fear them, they are practically zero with hero attitude.

[Chewett]

>IMO, flags should be hidden to all other than admins.

 

This is something I have had planned to do a while ago. I just hadnt got around to taking the "plunge"

[Pipstickz]

Here's my December thoughts: Most of the recent activity I've seen has been caused by me, and I'm not just trying to inflate my ego or anything, I honestly believe there are too many leaders and specific groups for the public of MD to be effective and productive, and that's why I (personally) want the Crown so badly. I wanted to inspire the public of MD to do something, to create something interesting, but instead it ended in a forum war (as usual) because an unstoppable force met an immovable object, and both love their power, so both are (at least) as foolish as me.

 

Anybody can see I hold little power but my voice, and that should prove I don't covet power like some do. I think it's more interesting to have more options, which I know is what most people think, and I'm probably willing to trade my dedication for your options, again similar to most but inverse compared to some.

 

Everybody might have different specific goals, but we all want the same thing: A fun time in MD. Let's accept that, abolish King's Council and trust Pipstickz, because he knows how to have fun and he wants to share it with as many as possible, and if you don't believe me, you can ask him yourself: he owes nothing to any of you, he earned his "power" because it was given freely to him by everybody he spoke with, he never forced anybody to talk to him or intentionally tricked anybody, even if it was a really good trick that he's very proud of :cool:

 

Other than that, I really hope everybody has some happy holidays, we all deserve a little more happiness for being smart enough to play MD, and nobody should forget that :wub:

Edited December 10, 2015 by Pipstickz

[Myth]

 

>IMO, flags should be hidden to all other than admins.

 

This is something I have had planned to do a while ago. I just hadnt got around to taking the "plunge"

 

 

I don't even care about the flags, since proxies can hide your country. I see alts in everyone regardless of the flag... it's in the tone :p

[Kyphis the Bard]

It's a bit weird for me since I'm such an obsessive person. Within my first week of playing, I plotted out exactly what I wanted to achieve in MD, and somehow I have stayed dead on track for almost every goal, even as MD has changed around me. I've never really cared about things like combat or stats, but the sheer thrill of understanding made me want to do it anyway so I got pretty strong at MP3, back when that was possible. The thrill of doing new things or discovering new things has never really gone away for me, just... there is less out there to discover. So instead I work on creating new things for people to learn about, and encouraging people to look into new things that maybe they didn't know about (like the thing with the Empty Aramor).

 

Anyone who knew me from when I started, especially if they interacted with me during Burn's vampire quest, would know when I mean when I describe myself as "Politely Unhelpful", and I still behave like that nowadays. I love interacting with new people and hearing their questions, because its the questions that really make me think and figure things out myself - I'm almost out of my own questions, I need other people's to help me learn new things more quickly (thanks again, Nava, for that last one) - but I've always found it more fun to just give people a better idea of the shape of what they are looking for, than the actual answer itself.

Nowadays, I do spend a lot more time "sleeping", but that's not because I'm tired of MD. When I uprooted my life and moved over 1000km's away, it was still less than a month into any friendship before new friends would know about MD, and know exactly who people like dst, Chewett, Grido, or Rophs were (yes, I talk about you to my real friends, and yes even the ones who have never even seen MD suggest things for me to share with you guys). Mur's book has even been passed around, although only to people I trust not to damage it, and a few have added things of their own to it (like a really cool brown wrap). I spend more time "sleeping"... because most of what I do is behind the scenes stuff. Organizing quests, keeping tabs on what the MDA people are doing, brainstorming new ideas, writing quest text for people (damnit Eagle Eye, post the Christmas Quest already! If any of you see him tell him to get off his but, we put a lot of work into that one), judging quests, and all sorts of other things.

 

I *know* my time as an active MD force is coming to an end, but I can't imagine a time when the thought of missing an active day is not painful to me. And yet, when the time comes, I'm going to force myself to start missing them, because at some point someone else deserves a chance at the active vets list, not those of us to stay there to maintain the status quo.

 

And regarding alts, I think that's more a mindset issue. I know a lot of people's alts (I uh... keep a document... Archivist, sue me), but I treat them all as though they are truly new people. Like Keith Moon and his alts - I have completely separate opinions of each of them, and treat them differently. Someone has to have done something truly awful for me not to be willing to give them a clean slate, and all most people ever get is a healthy dose of caution and a swift response (as Aethon can attest as he has seen it happen). If people want to create alts and RP being a brand new player, I have no problems with it. I'll definetly try to figure out who you used to be (... for the lists >.>) but once I've done that... I don't care? If you want to be a new player again, fine, I'll treat you like a new player. Ask me a question about something your old character taught me in the first place and I'll be just as politely unhelpful as ever, even if I would talk frankly with your old character about it. THat's the choice you made, and I'm happy to go along with it.

But yeah, my list of goals is growing short. I only have what, three left to hit? I've got a few years left in me, but after that... well, the fun is in the discovery, after all ;)

[Kiley]

My random thoughts:

 

I love MD because of the people.  Simple really.  If not for this game I would not have met my husband (lol..yep true enough..for those that don't know, i'll let you ponder that one)...and so many others I can not list them.  I have grown because of MD.  In game and out, I have learned so much about culture and life.  In game MD allowed me to explore my mind.  In OOC I have learned what life is like beyond my own borders. 

 

Magic:)  Merry Murmas all!!!!  Love ya.  Even if ya'll are a bunch of weirdos:P

Edited December 13, 2015 by Kiley

[Syrian]

"Magic:)  Merry Murmas all!!!!  Love ya.  Even if ya'll are a bunch of weirdos:P"

 

look whos talking, lady

[Kiley]

Are you pondering what I am pondering Pinky:P

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_mPrhwpZ-8

 

Narfff:P

[Ungod]

It's far from december, but I am a fan of recycling,so...Actually, I can get us a bit closer to that season by talking about an experience I had (it is such traumatic events which made me be who I am today...)

It was back in school, and we had a 'fun' song to learn in the english class. It was called 'Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer'. I was shocked, simply shocked, when we started to read the lyrics. I just couldn't understand how and why something so awful was presented as being hip, and cool, and joyous. Now, you probably never paid attention to the song, or we'd all be horrified and cancel Xmas for ever. But I'll reveal the horror today, 'cuz I care enough to share.

First, this song is about a drunk animal, k? Of course, the red nose reference could mean Rudolph (I don't even want to start about the name) has a skin disease, but it's highly unlikely.

This drunkard was excluded from all the reindeer games, by his companions of sleigh-dragging.
It makes sense. You play house, and Rudolph decides to puke into your mud soup because he doesn't understand how to _fake_ being a problem child. So far, so good.

Only that one night this fat guy that you see smirking in all adverts, this poster child called Santa Claus, decides to entrust the steering of the sleigh to the drunkest, unfittest, dumbest of them all. Why? Who knows...Maybe he doesn't care, maybe he got tired, maybe he hopes he'll be dragged into a bar and rest there forever. Maybe he hates kids. In any case, this irresponsible being entrusted the happiness of all children to a drunk reindeer. OK.

So far, we learned that we have idiot leaders and scum that end up in leading positions. And what happens next, what do the others do? Well, they start kissing Rudolph's ass. I'm sorry, but that's how it is. They start praising him. They start composing odes for hi, ffs! Why? Because the boss said he's OK. All that time when they shunned him, all their sense of superiority - gone. Because, you see, they never were superior. If they were, they'd kick the fat guy in the nuts, throw him and Rudolph into the shithouse and go on with their pathetic lives at the North Pole. But they're not better than their incapable leader and their immoral laughing stock.

So, with no ifs or buts, this song shows us on what our society is built upon, showing that individuals are easy to maneuver, easily accepting decisions that compromise everything, including their reputation, their well-being and even their lives. We are presented all that in a joyous manner, as if that's how it's supposed to be; it's all fun and games...until someone gets hurt, right? Somewhere, from the dark steppes, where ass kissing is not a way of life, the 'savages' are going to emerge and trample down this meek society of reindeer... Trust me, it's been like that forever.

Well, it's not as tragic as that. I mean, if I get some free days from work because of a drunk reindeer and a fat poster child, I'll take it. It could be worse. I could be working on Christmas instead of wasting a salary on gifts and pretending I'm happy. Wait, no, that is worse. Worse than...huh? I'm confused now...
In aaany case, stay tuned for my next analysis of 'When Santa got stuck up the chimney'. There's another gem...

Jokes aside, it's been some interesting three years. Years in which I agreed with MD's precepts, which is not the case anymore. That's not to say MD is a waste of time - on the contrary. So, I will continue to log in daily, but I will do things differently. While acting the same (hope that makes sense). I think that's ok, I like the game, and I can play it even if I don't agree with stuff...or not? Who the hell knows what's the next checkpoint... This is a race towards death, I'll see you at the finish line

 

Edited October 15, 2016 by Ungod

[Guest]

I would very much like to read your analysis of "I saw mommy kissing santa clause".

[Ungod]

First time I hear that...

*reads stuff on Google*

ok, listen, now...I can't post such an analysis on a public forum...just...no

[Guest]

Ungod, I am disappoint. 

What about "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth?"