Do You Like The New Al First Page?

[Muratus del Mur]

Please state your opinions about the Adventure Log and the recent modifications.

Edited March 3, 2010 by Muratus del Mur
I added one more wuestion ..i hope it won't delete current votes :-s

[SageWoman]

I like how you brought the last few pages of the Story in before adding the new chapter in Red. New players will get an idea of what the AL is and the red color alerts the reader that this is the new addition. It is my hope that the AL will be a bit longer than the short ones of old.

[Muratus del Mur]

Red AL entries mean higher importance , key elements described or checkpoints.
Gray entries mean less important entries, notes that are not essential, remarks.

Most entries are normal importance, in black.

It happend this last one was red because it was a checkpoint. lifeline escaped necrovion and story takes a new path. There are just a few more pages that will describe what happend in those days. After that, new story starts...of course related to the previous, one way or an other, even if its not always obvious.

[Shadowseeker]

Well, I find it interesting that finally AL continues again, the only issue I have is that it's really tough to put what you think should happen into that short sentence you are allowed.

I remember Bootes' riddles in the AL at times, perhaps that could be integrated as well, also giving points for that AL counter thing.

[Muratus del Mur]

In fact i was planning to make it shorter. I tried several long and complicated ideas and they can be written there if you keep it short. Its so short to prevent players from showing off with roleplay events or with entire action suggestions. Its also so short to be easy to review, think i will have to read hundreds of such entries each time! The shorter it is the more it will focus on the idea and not on how you express it. Hopefully this will make more players and non english native speakers to interact with the story or get rewarded for good ideas that match the next page.

But this topic is not about the lenght of that so thanks for the remark but lets keep on topic for now.

[Grido]

Do you like that the new AL page takes over the interface to display the latest page of the AL?
NO, leave AL only on the AL side panel and top menu link
[indent]It forces you to read it when you log in, and as much as i enjoy reading it, i like to do it in my own time
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Would you like AL pages to be longer or shorter?
Yes make them longer than they are now
[indent]I like reading in longer sections
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Can you follow the AL story or you simply click continue?
Yes I follow it
[indent]Self explanatory
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Do you agree with the idea of making AL story to force players into a situation, considering this will be done by Mur and in the spirit of MD , to continue its legends?
Yes, i am excited to see it happen
[indent]
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Edited March 2, 2010 by Grido

[Muratus del Mur]

Just to clarify this, it will never be removed from the side panel or top menu link! Just added or not added on the first page after login.

By longer sections i mean expanding the one page wiht more details, BUT NOT WITH MORE EVENTS. So instead of wrtiting it short, i could make it more detailed and better presented. The order of events and how they are split into pages wont change. (the poins IS that you should want know more events, its what keep you curious and excited about what the next page might hold)

[Chewett]

Do you agree with the idea of making AL story to force players into a situation, considering this will be done by Mur and in the spirit of MD , to continue its legends?

Isnt the AL about things people do? or at least that was the initial premise of the AL

Currently i see it as merely a fanciful story that things that we do dont really currently have any effect on it because Mur will write it as you want it written. If you are forcing Situations that makes it even less about what we do to "change the world" as you have always said we could.

Personally i was annoyed when you posted on the previous AL "[This adventure is presented with a few days offset to allow it to develop without outside influences and spoiling] " Because since you always said we can influence and help the Adventure log along then post something saying completely the opposite. Im going to drag some history up But when BigC was in necro, people came and influenced the story, But in the AL before the pause you explicitly told us you didnt want us to "interfere".

So what i wonder, What is the Adventure log? Is it a story woven around the players in MD, who are picked by Mur to continue the story? or is it a story about what we do ourselves in MD?

[vampir]

1) Yes, keep it in the 'headlines' form. It is as reading the most important news articles from all the morning papers, or just glancing over them, or reaching straight for the coffee.

2) Keep it anyway you wish actually since it is about accuracy and being straight to the point. Number of lines shouldn't change that.

3) I've read the story always, skipped the commenting once so far,reason being not having anything to say at the time.

4) Would it apply to active players or 'legend' players? I would agree in both cases, first would immerse deeper and test their wits on beautiful playgrounds roleplay is; the latter - if they return to active status, would find a way to live with even the worst possible scenarios. Anyway, Mur would be held responsible for any and all unfortunate events

5) By and by increase my interest in itself, if i had none until. Keep the 'continue' button as an option to those who enjoy exclusively the whole bunch of other features of the game.

[Burns]

I couldn't find the 'keep the lenght it has now' option... a little more than before, but still not so clear as to stop all speculations about how and what exactly happened, me likes =))

Apart from that, I don't really like the 'Mur forces his story upon us' idea...
It's one thing to pick somebody, hint him/her in the right direction and watch them doing or not doing things to an uncertain end whenever you think another part of MD is ready to be discovered, but something entirely different to pick somebody, put them in cage and have the road shown to them, but with you making the decisions -.-

I see why you do it, but i don't really like it, sorry

[apophys]

I agree with Burns.

If actions are forced, the names may as well be random.


I hope the empty aramor incident makes it into the AL.

[Muratus del Mur]

First of all , AL was never something where anyone could jump in at any time. It was/is influenced by what players did but it keeps focus on a certain channel of the events. If it was just a mixture of what anyone did , well, imagine that...

Actualy it was such a mixture when i was not the one to write it. I try to avoid salads if possible. Even with the current one, i tried to make them with suspense , even if the events were done long ago and most knew the outcome.

I am starting to believe there is a need or some sort of journal where anyone can add its own events. The AL can keep track only of 1% of the things , leaving 99% of the people out of it, if you want it to be interesting and not just a boring report of news. Actualy thats 99,99%.

I think what you are talking about its the NEWSPAPER.


Its a huge difference between random and decided by me, if you don't see it i am sorry. I will have to consider realy well how such "forcing into story" will take place. I guess thats where the issue is, because you probably imagine something else than i imagine.

Some type of events are realy impossible to actualy do, like the temporal trap in the last pages. Thats an addon based on the fact that lifeline ran away escaping necrovion followed indeed by the shade sentinel. The tiredness and temporal trap are added by me to increase suspense, AND TO ADD KEY ELEMENTS TO THE STORY. All i want to do it move further with this kind of modifications.

Its also very difficult to follow any influences. Think of it, i have to pick from 300 suggestions for one checkpoint (first test showed so), now, some will repeat but there will still be over 100 different pathes the story could go. What are you suggesting? To follow the events? How? Its anyway my pick which one from the suggestions to follow. The soubtle difference is that i might follow my own suggestions more often.

I am not trying to argue with any of you, i am just trying to figure out myself what is the best thing to do, with your help.

The voting shows clearly what most of you want, yet i must consider also the negative comments on the "forced story" issue.

I think my own words naming it "forced" made it all sound bad, when in fact its slightly different situation if you consider what i said above.