This is a suggestion for DMs. I don't know how valid this suggestion is, because my experiences which cause me to offer it may be dubious.

Yes, I use the player list on the NWN client to find out if DMs are on if I want to contact one. Then I'll send a short, hopefully to-the-point message if I'd like to contact one. Sometimes they can help me right then and there, and sometimes they can't.

What I suggest is that if you can't, please please send me a response telling me that you're busy. You don't even need to promise me when you can get to me. Just tell me that you heard me. It just bothers me that if I make a few probing calls when DMs are actually logged on, I don't even get a "No, sorry, catch me tomorrow," in response.

Yes, sometimes DMs are AFK. That's the dubious factor is my experiences with unresponsive DMs. As a matter of fact, I feel like the DMs who I know at some interactive level would almost always respond unless they were indeed not at the computer. (As for the rest of you who I don't know, I don't know.)

None-the-less, it's just something to keep in mind. Please give me a sign that you heard me, even if you can't help me. It makes me feel cared for. I dislike neglect.

Well, you know how you get lost sometimes when people send you tells? DM client is exactly like that --- except it sends a lot of information issue...

for example, it displays if somebody picks something in the area they are, if they talk, - whatever...

It also gets spammed by administrative message : like x being subdued or kill at whatever.. and other stuff I dont know about.

So- I'd assume they want to respond they heard, they just dont see it or it goes by so fast or their attention gets driven elsewhere.

<.>

Secutor, spoken like someone who truely hasn't DM'ed a server.

When you're one of 2 DMs on a server of 20/30 people, getting all the party chat, a lot of numbers if combat is coming through too. Not to mention the number of scripts these guys have to keep an eye on. I dread to think of the maelstrom that must be their text window.

We do try, Secutor. Some nights are just crazier than others. <3

Agrael Lothor was killed by Escape from the Underdark! (YES PvP?) Agrael Lothor: [DM] Uh, little help?

Mmgh. Catch me tomorrow; some nights I log in just to watch the automated server messages.

The tides are rising. Sergeant Blackbeard set Grxl Kneegnawer to hostile! Lieutenant Mohave set Grxl Kneegnawer to hostile! Sanctuary Watch, Private set Grxl Kneegnawer to hostile! Agrael Lothor was killed by Grxl Kneegnawer! (YES PvP?) The tides are falling.

I hate those tide messages. CAWILA.

I know exactly how Sec feels, sometimes I feel the same way, but try to just remind myself I have no idea what it's like to DM a server in NWN, and just hope the next time I try I'll hit the jackpot.

The Tides Ebb.

We can -probably- -try- to do better at responding, but there really can be tons and tons of requests, and it just tires you out sometimes. You get done overseeing some pvp and sorting out a potential griefing issue, then you put your Azzam hat on and talk some desert badass, then you go to try to oversee some plotting while at the same time try to follow up on the recent events on that plot, then your port to lower to possess Winston and try to remember how the hell he talks, and it goes on and on an on.

We all do as good of a job as we can while still trying to enjoy it.

The Tides Come In.

Why don't you just change it so the "Tide ebbs/comes in" doesn't appear anymore? I know how often the tide changes and I'm sure it is annoying.

You just ignore it when it happens and don't think about it when you're working on updating an area or implementing a new script or system.

How about an IRC channel or a player widget that is only to be used for certain immediate in-game reasons, with heavy penalties for abuse? The only times I've had my day ruined by being unable to get a DM was when I couldn't get someone raised, but I imagine there are a few other situations like that where a DM's immediate attention is needed. Sort of like a meta-911 call.

If you went with a player widget, the player could simply select the reason for DM contact from a dialog list, and the DMs could prioritize their response accordingly.

DM Contact Device Do you need a DM to...

1. Resolve griefing? 2. Moderate PvP? 3. Possess an NPC? 4. Correct a bug? 5. Recover a lost character? 6. Settle a rules dispute? 7. Ban you for abusing your DM Contact Device?

I have DMed before. I do know that one-liners can sometimes get lost in DM chat window flood. I didn't know EfU has even more flood that normal from scripts. I'm too lazy to log onto IRC these days.

Anyway.

As to what Strife said is exactly what I mean. Sometimes you don't feel like answering. All I request is taking half a second to tell the player "not now". But yeah, I'll just use the ace in my pocket.

Whatever.

I will give you a "not now", Sector : (

Thanks, Calc.

Aside from the feeling of "being cared for", the biggest reason why I can sympathize with Secutor's post is that you don't know if further inquiries are going to seem like impatient spam or not:

If the DM didn't see your line, you should of course try again soon.

If the DM did see it, but was too busy at the moment, trying again is only going to be an annoyance that further contributes to all the spam and feedback they're already receiving.

... but there's no way to tell which is the case unless the DM takes the few seconds necessary to tell the player to try again in X minutes! :(

It's such a small trouble that I'd even pause the game for those few seconds if I was so busy that I couldn't respond with a few words, were I in the DM's position. It's not going to hurt anyone and it'll prevent one player from agonizing over what they should be doing. Being ignored is probably one of the biggest reasons why there is always a group of players on any server who feel that the DMs are unapproachable. If it was standard policy for DMs to always respond to inquiries on the DM channel, you could always be sure that your line was just lost in the feedback spam if you didn't get a response. (Except for the DM being AFK while logged in, which I suppose can't be avoided from time to time -- but then, in that case trying again soon isn't going to hurt either!)

There have been times I have seen two dm's online, and despite repeated times of me saying on the DM channel, I didn't get a response. Now I know they were trying to kill a party on the Orog fort, but I would still of liked the, "Not Now," tell.

I think they were hiding from you.

Yes, we are all horrible people.

I've felt like that too, but tried to not assume it was personal. It's hard though because you are wondering, "Is this a stupid request?" Or if they are rolling their eyes in cyberspace because they have REAL stuff going on.

That sounds silly when you stop and think about it, but nonetheless it makes you wonder.

I think the simple solution, and I think the DMs have said this before is to keep hammering specific requests at them. Not having DM'ed, it seems that there is a shitload of stuff going through their channels. A year or so ago I can remember frequently DM's saying, "Stay off party chat please!"

So if we keep hammering specific requests like, "Possess Sir William Polter for a talk?" a "Busy" response would be great. Call us needy or what have you, but it streamlines the process.

Usually I get a super polite response like, "I'm sorry, but I've got a ton of stuff going on including a prelude and some PvP in Lower. Try back later." That takes a while to type, and while I appreciate it, an impersonal "Busy" is just as good to me.

I think there are quite a few that wonder what is going on when DM requests net no response, especially when it is day after day. This might prevent that, with just four letters.

If able usually, I'll respond. Sometimes AFK and I miss the request. I will honestly say though, that some requests I do not answer. They are usually ones like

"LOL, hey DMs. Possess NPC, huh? Is really funny, I promise"

or it's lost on the 8th jailed drow of the night with dm spam in the form of "Why not! Loosers"

Beggar, I'd suggest that instead of ignoring the Tell, that you instruct the person to send you a PM and set up a possession. If it looks like its stupid, then you can patiently explain that you usually don't have time for stuff like that.

As far as taking crap, if someone is being a prick, I don't know why you guys put up with it. Hatey stuff on the IRC channel should result in a temp ban at least.

I treat DM tells like asking for God-like intervention on the server. Sometimes the Gods help you out, sometimes they don't...and sometimes they ignore you altogether. ;)

Personally if I send a DM a tell I wait about 5 minutes and if I get no response I assume they are involved in bigger and better things and I direct my actions accordingly. People should stop and think about the DM to Player Ratio on the server at any given time and take no offense when a DM is simply too busy to talk to you. And always remember that just because a DM is "logged in" does not mean they are active. I would assume some login just to watch the action and ensure scripts and such are firing properly.

That's just my two cents.

-Kalos

I do understand what you mean, Anthee. I felt this way as a player on other servers, and I do make a conscious effort to try to deal with everyone that I can. Worry not! My hate for the radio silence I received in the past on other servers truly has effected my DM'ing - and I know the same is true for at least one other person. ;)

ATM non-player Jasede's Useful Tips, #1-

If you want DM attention, do this:

* Hostile someone next to you * Send DM tell that you "Need DM in [Area], PvP imminent, urgent!"" * If no DM responds, repeat. They usually treat PvP stuff rather urgently * Find an IC reason to declare the PvP unneccesary ("Not today, son of a one-eyed dog! But just you wait! Nu pagadi!"), THEN tell the DM that responded what you wanted from him subtly. ("Thanks [DM]! Oh, by the way, could you [X]?") * ? * Profit!

Jasede's Useful Tips is copyright @Jasede, provided free of charge. Jasede takes NO responsibility for bans resulting from this questionable method.

Jasede... consider your PvP ignored by DMs for the rest of eternity...

Lmfao...

:lol:

I am guilty of doing this when I am busy, usually because I can get frazzled when trying to do a bajillion things at once.

But I'll make you a deal! I will try to respond by saying I am busy when I'm busy, if you will not respond to that tell by saying, "Okay, but when you're free please come to Lower where I will need you to possess every single NPC in a row for me to try to get them to sign my petition."

It's stuff like that which started me ignoring DM tells when I was busy. If I'm busy, it means I can't chat through tells with folks about what they need, either.

But yeah, sorry guys. I'm sorry that sometimes I'm mean.

During my own DMing experience elsewhere, I remember how nice it was when I was new to the game. I was so patient and polite to the other DMs while they taught me, and took my duties very seriously.

After awhile, the faces that made up the playerbase started changing. I no longer saw the close friends I had made as a player, or even some of the people that I had loved to hate. All these 'new' people came, and it sucked.

Fewer and fewer players merited my attention or time. I stopped looking at the server as fun and considered it to be more like a job. After two years, I was no longer recognizable as the DM I once was. I spent my time wandering the empty areas of the world instead of interacting with players. There were other events involved that detered my love of the game, but the real reason I eventually walked away was because the playerbase and staff had changed around me, and I did not want to change to suit them but expected them to change to suit me. I detested them because their characters had it easier than ours, or I didn't like their RP, or just because I thought they were retarded. Dropping monsters on them as divine punishment for their imagined crimes was more rewarding than creating interesting storylines or providing exciting challenges.

I debated with people on the forums as well, to the point where I looked at nearly every post as a challenge to be overcome. Posts such as this were easier to look at as personal attacks on not only myself, but the few people on the server I actually associated with (my fellow DMs). I would simply get mad, quickly find ways to make that person wrong, and then ignore them entirely.

Perhaps I am a horrible person for assuming that the DMs on EfU aren't going to be 100% commited to each player throughout their course of their duty, or listen to every suggestion and criticism and consider it fairly, but I'm willing to say that, when put in a similar position, I was not 100% commited to everyone as I should have been, and I am assuming that another human being, in a similar situation, will share that experience.

The best advice I can offer DMs who start feeling like the game is a job rather than fun is to step away from the computer. Try staying off the server and forums for a week, or even a month. You will hopefully go outside, gain some perspective, come up with a fresh idea or two, and hit the server hard with much needed DM awesome upon your return!

Pup's lame-ass boot-licking for the day:

<3 the DMs. :wink:

Yes I mean alot of times the dms are busy. Way busy in game. Just a side thought though, if you know you will need a npc soon. Like say next week sometime you need npc x possed, try sending them a pm or catch them on mirc.

I know sometimes you need dms for spur of moment stuff but generally (not always) they respond more to pms or mirc tells. From what I know........maybe i'm totally off here.

I do understand the wanting some acknowledgement though.

Ick... I can't say I would want those extra scripts firing off on me while DM side. The client is already crazy and buggy enough... anyway you can move those to the combat window like you can with party chat? I know the first thing I do when I go DM side is move party caht to the combat window and turn combat off.

Oh the best thing I was ever told to do when I became a DM on another server was to paste this into my nwn player file. I about flew out to meet the other DM on the other side of the country just to give him a hug and a kiss for making my life that much easier.

TalkColor=240,240,240 ShoutColor=255,239,80 WhisperColor=128,128,128 TellColor=32,255,32 ServerColor=176,176,176 PartyColor=255,102,255 DMColor=16,223,255

It does get hectic up there on the DM client... a few things will always get missed. My recommendation to players is when you are needing something from the DMs ... put as much information as you can to what you need done by a DM. Don't do the... anyone up there, or the can I ask a question. That way they can see the request and know right away how to respond... whether it is a I can't help you right now, but I'll grab you in 15, a quick answer to your questions, or a busy but look at our forums the answer should be there.

It does get a bit frustrating as a player too though... sending a complete message up there stating what all you need and getting no response when you know someone is up there. It is defiantly a polite thing to let the players know you can't help them at that very moment.. but not always possible at times. I think the percentage of responses from DMs on this server has been 60/40 with me so far.