All We Are Sayyyying....

[prestonhunt]

Is give growth a chaaaaaance.

Listen, I'm going to keep this short, and probably never look at the post again because I am likely as jaded as anyone right now.

I once got spoken to by several DMs about my personal conduct on the server.  They had noticed that I was prone to building characters, and writing apps such that they were designed to oppose someone, or to tear down something that someone else has built up.  They told me that they would vastly prefer to see me build something of my own, and if it comes into conflict with something someone else had built up, so be it.  I considered it, and upon consultation with some players I respected, decided that they were right and took the advice to heart.

Now, in EFU we had lots of stuff.  Backstory, factions, an "establishment".  EFUA, when it began, really didnt have any of this, and has only grown significantly where it concerns NPC factions and whatnot.

What I want to ask people here is this.  Give characters and groups a chance to build something up, before you immediately start trying to tear them down.  Please?  We're in the figurative desert right now.  Some characters are struggling to try to get something going that will add to the server in some regard.  Why not give them a chance to do so before gunning for them and their work?  More to the point, why not try to build something of your own rather than focusing on tearing away at something someone else is trying to do?

This is not coming from any specific failure I have experienced IG.  Anyone that knows me will tell you that I just dont have the time to try to do much of anything right now.  This is simply the observation of a player who has been here since nearly the beginning, and who would like to see EFUA succeed beyond it's predecessor.

[Kiaring]

While I agree with your post in principle, Magister, I must say that certain areas of activity on the server (government, things that touch on heavy dogmas/prohibitions such as necromancy and nature, thievery, slavery etc.) will quickly garner strong support and opposition alike, the moment anything of any significance begins being built.

This is a nod to the extremely sensitive nature of some of these pursuits - basically, you can let other people 'build it before you tear it down', knowing that if they manage to build it, it'll be much, much harder to tear it down. Or you can organically find yourself at odds with them (not because you created your character specifically to oppose them, simply because your goals and theirs conflict naturally) and build the conflict between your character and theirs; While a strong, stable establishment may not arise from this type of conflict that quickly builds up beyond organizations and groups to become something very personal between certain characters, this is definitely the kind of conflict that pushes the story of EfU further, in my opinion.

That having been said, there is a great many things any new character can begin working on right now, that are literally untouched. I see no one who is seriously trying to get their hands on a ship, or trying to scout/gather resources, or maybe exploring the deep reaches of the jungle in search of treasures untold. What I mean by this is that 'building something' doesn't always mean building up the establishment. It can mean building a tribe of savages, a company of treasure-hunters or a cartel of merchants bent on getting their hands on a ship so they can engage in commerce. Creativity, as with so much on EfU:A is the driving force behind the 'building'.

[SpareChange]

If you build it (well), they will come.

[PanamaLane]

As crazy as this souds, a lot of growth of organizations can be attributed to one thing: living through the night. I'd be willing to bet that the most sucessful groups to come out of EFU:A will be that way because their leadership managed to live longer and be active for not just a few weeks, but a few months or more.

How you get to this lifespan is largely up to you. Its true that conflict often comes to you, but just as often, people tend to bring it to themselves.

I do say give growth a chance. In general, I think people are too quick to jump to the PvP answer of late. That being said, if they do, you still have to figure out how to be the one to survive it. Simms was a paranoid hologram for a reason, and that reason was because he was actually Melinda Bresley, and had managed to outlast them all.

[MisterPAIN]

That having been said, there is a great many things any new character can begin working on right now, that are literally untouched. I see no one who is seriously trying to get their hands on a ship, or trying to scout/gather resources, or maybe exploring

Just because you don't see them doesn't mean they are trying or actually in the process of doing despite being put down OOCly as a suck faction in irc and suffering from a few dry spells of activity if you are going the non-forum warrior route ;_;.

[Xorisai]

I see no one who is seriously trying to get their hands on a ship, or trying to scout/gather resources, or maybe exploring the deep reaches of the jungle in search of treasures untold.

I don't mean to be snippy, but if this is true you might just not be trying hard enough, as I know characters absolutely obsessed with at least two of these exact goals.

Not everyone works through the forums.

[Kiaring]

Just because you don't see them doesn't mean they are trying or actually in the process of doing despite being put down OOCly as a suck faction in irc and suffering from a few dry spells of activity if you are going the non-forum warrior route ;_;.

I don't mean to be snippy, but if this is true you might just not be trying hard enough, as I know characters absolutely obsessed with at least two of these exact goals.

Not everyone works through the forums.

I never claimed not being aware of your efforts means they don't exist, or places any judgment on their quality. Timezones and playtimes are a big issue. I just meant that as a point to explain how much space there is for characters who want to expand in those directions. It's funny that you say something like, "I don't see people doing this or that", and somehow it's taken to mean, "OMG NO ONE IS MOVING IN THIS VERY OBVIOUS DIRECTION". I don't believe I'm aware of everything that goes on in EfU:A, but I also believe I'm aware of enough things that if these sorts of initiatives haven't reached my ear yet, there is plenty of space for people to pursue 'growth' in those areas - i.e., there might be someone out there trying, but they're not grabbing everyone who's interested in it madly, or at least they haven't gotten to that point yet.


This being said, don't underestimate the forums as a tool to relay your message across more time than you can spend IG. For example, I was aware of your character's goals, Xorisai, but they became clearer and more outlined the moment you made that excellent post in the forums.

The forums are an excellent tool to further IC agendas - forum-warrioring is looking ridiculous trying not to expand, but create IC agenda on the forums - for example, announcing a certain organization is unlawful, when you have no way to enforce their disbandment.