Posts made by Ganymede

@Arkandel said:

The scenario I can think of is the generic NSFW one where you open a browser tab in public to look at someone's PR logs or whatever and get surprise boobs instead.

The acronym "NSFW" suggests that one is at work. I can understand the concern there. I don't so much understand at Starbucks why it matters. So long as the image isn't pornographic, I'm unsure of the harm, except for one's delicate sensibilities.

In which case, fuck you. And, yes, I'm very self-aware, so I'm aware that adults need to buck the fuck up.

@Arkandel

Next time, tell them to fuck off and mind their business.

@JaySherman said:

I'm striving to overcome the knee-jerk reflex of appearing and being extremely above board after having survived some incredibly vindictive bad staffers on other games.

The best way to appear above the board is to be above the board.

There is no fine line between "airing dirty laundry" and "being forthright." If you and the player at issue are able to come to a mutually-agreeable resolution, then it can be handled without public notice. If you take action against that player over their objection, then you should make it public. This will demonstrate that you are willing to suffer the slings and arrows of public opinion.

The issue is whether others involved have the stomach to do the same. A player acting out may be less likely to do so if they know that staff will expose their activities should an issue arise, and that they will be named as having perpetrated such. On the other hand, a player raising a complaint may be less likely to do so knowing the same. There is risk reward to raising any sort of complaint seeking redress from authority.

In my experience, there are a lot of people who put up a stink, but are not willing to step out into the lime light to do so. In more cases than not, those players are the ones actually causing the problem.

@7Wonders said:

One of the things I think staffers get snared in is being overly obsessed with the concept of fairness.

I think staffers get too caught up in appearing to be fair. Fairness is judged by others. The only way you can appear fair is by publicly demonstrating your decisions. If you haven't the spirit to be judged by others over whom you have some semblance of authority and responsibility, you ought not be staff.

@Derp said:

Players will go where the fun is. If it's a half-baked idea that's having trouble getting speed because you can't get a foothold, they won't stay there long anyway. But if you pause it, and come up with something awesome, you can be sure they're gonna come back. That's the nature of the beast.

This.

If players leave and never come back because of an attempt to fix a huge problem, they are not the sort of players you want to keep around.

For each situation, different justice.

It's impossible to proscribe a procedure that will work for every case. There are two good analogies I like to turn to regarding discipline.

1. A MU is the game developer's bar. We want you to be here and enjoy yourself. We don't mind you being rowdy if everyone's having a good time. If you get too rowdy, we'll ask you to settle down . If you get belligerent, we'll toss you the fuck out. We have no obligation to set rules prior to taking action; we will take action based on what we know and what we believe will happen.

2. A MU is a corporation where the game developer is the Chair of the Board of Directors. We're all in it together: the more players play, and treat other players with respect, the better the game's reputation and the quicker it will grow and flourish. If you're going to be a problem, we'll pull you aside and try to get you to follow the plan. If you continue to be a problem, we'll buy you out, and show you the door.

In either case, there are two principles: (1) being reasonably courteous; and (2) acting reasonably professionally. So long as you follow those principles, I think you'll be fine.

@HelloRaptor

Unsurprisingly, I concur with both you and @Apollonius. Unfortunately, ME3 was the designated end to the series. The designers sought finality, and produced it, however unsatisfying it might have been.

I guess my point is that a "final reveal" is exactly that. Revealing the definition of something -- or even setting one -- is useful to show people where you are going with a story, but inappropriate, pointless, and misleading if you want people to determine where the story goes.

If I could have written the MR trilogy's ending, it would have been easier to decide: (1) suicide; or (2) obliterating the Citadel's control mechanism. If you pick the former, everyone dies; if you pick the latter, the Reapers power down and just sit there like ominous reminders that some fucked up idiot (Cerberus or otherwise) may find a way to reactivate them again.

Or, maybe, like the Geth, they just wake up some day.

Or, maybe, the Leviathans decide, fuck it, let's eliminate everyone.

To me, the best part about sex is engaging in it. When it's all over, I may be happy and satisfied, but I'm just going to want it again.

@Miss-Demeanor said:

DC made the right choice in their medium.

Well, anything is better than letting Zack Snyder direct another movie.

@Thenomain said:

Except that it's literally a machine.

Is it? What's a machine? Is it the bits and pieces, or the absence of consciousness? What is Ultron?

The best plot devices are the ones that end up with questions for which there are no answers.

@Cobaltasaurus said:

AS a note I'm playing a character currently investigating a murder of an NPC that was connected to the VII, and have been actively trying to bring people in. Currently I'm really looking for someone with computer skills.

Who're you playing again? I'll come and sexually harass you with Max.

I would go with the opposite. The God-Machine injects chaos into the world, in the form of meaningless destruction. This forces those with free will to organize in a hopeless attempt to avoid the inevitability of chaos, meaninglessness, and insanity. The only reason that it is referred to as a "machine" is because it is inevitable.

@Thenomain said:

Your work is commendable, your attention-span needs work. coughMassEffectcough.

Will you promise to code it up when I'm done with it?

@Misadventure said:

So look into the path of recovery or renewal, figure out how to add the missing 4 emotions into that framework and you have dealing with the past, opening to the future as an arc.

Already did that, actually. I have a 20-page draft waiting for my careful editing.

Geez, you didn't think I'd at least act on it? How long've we known each other?

@Eerie said:

The Changeling seasonal courts are essentially four of the five stages of grief/loss. Spring is denial, Summer is anger, Autumn is bargaining (expressed through their focus on magic) and Winter is sorrow/depression. They just leave out acceptance from the seasonal cycle, but I have always figured that its actually equivalent to being courtless.

This is the part I took exception to, if only because I think the game'd be richer with the 8 basic emotions.

In your travels, you have heard the rumors of a foul plague emerging out of Tortuga. It is carried by the sailors known to be a patron of the Bearded Clam, a well-known, seedy brothel on the east side of the island. Wise swabbies are warned to wash their planks thoroughly after spending their shore leave there -- and to make sure their fellows do the same before engaging in skullduggery below decks while at sea.

@Arkandel,

You're presuming an awful lot, but there's some truth in what you say. On a game like Reno, which has few spheres, it's more reasonable to have expansive staff coverage than on a game like The Reach, which has many spheres.

@Arkandel said:

What is the upside of a builder having access to more resources than their function requires?

Division of labor is great in an industrial sense, but it is terrible for customer service. That's why that model ought to be abandoned on a MU, save for particular issues regarding game mechanics.

On an ideal game, everyone should be assisting in processing XP jobs, build requests, and other administrative matters. Players should feel comfortable to going to anyone on staff to get something done. I would prefer any game where I knew that if I went to any staff member with a quick, mundane issue, they would help me without shunting me to another person. Wouldn't you?

@EmmahSue said:

1. How do we emphasize the characteristics above in order to keep our games fun and entertaining?

Communicate effectively.

2. What is our goal, really? Are we here to play? Are we here to tell a story? Are we here to explore a gritty urban-fantasy-scifi world? All of the above?

It depends on who you ask, but they should communicate effectively.

3. Are there any other characteristics worth adding to the list? Or any of the above that really don't apply to MU after all?

Many people who play MUs do not communicate effectively, and should not put themselves in a situation where they must, like, say, being staff.

I just bought FF VI on sale for my iPad. And I'm getting FFT: TWotL for it too. Hurray!

@HelloRaptor said:

MU*ing is a social experience. For a lot of people it's just as social as a tabletop group, and over long periods of time it's almost inevitable that OOC relationships form, outside of corner case robots like @Ganymede.

Fuck you. Robots have their place. I mean, where would the new Avengers movie be without Ultron or The Vision? And, please -- like anyone would watch ST:TNG without Lt. Cmdr. Data.

Fuck you and your robot hate, fucker.