Lusternia's playerbase tends to be very spread out. Most of this is due to two things - there are too many organizations here, and planes. I'm not sure what can be done about the organization issue. However, I do have a small idea that could help the offplane problem. As it is now, QW, CW, GW, etc appear nearly empty because most players stay offplane. There is a listing that says how many players are in other planes, yet it still makes guilds and cities appear empty. My suggestion is to allow names of those players to appear in the appropriate who listing, though in another color as to indicate being offplane.

While I do understand the amount of work that goes into opening new organizations/classes, it can cause a negative impact on a game that does not have the numbers to support it.

In saying that, I think it would be nice to discuss players' opinions concerning what to do about the issue, if anything.

There's an arty that does this. I also kind of like the anonymity of being able to hide in a manse offplane and not have people bug me about stuff. Most of the time I'm around I'm at work and can't really do much in the way of anything that requires triggers. I stock the shop, listen to chatter, and play a Vengeance game occasionally.

Now if you want to talk about player base numbers, we got a whole 'nother thread about that in which Estarra tells us that we have a decent amount of people and there isn't much of a problem based on server records. Take that how you will.

Having lots of people and not being spread thin are two entirely different things, but no. I don't think we should make qw and all the other "w's" see across all planes.

I think there should be some sort of rise of prime plane housing/custom building options that aren't too expensive. Make them far less customizable then aethermanses, in that you can't shift stuff around or redesign things. Where most people are when they are off plane is bumming around their manse.On prime buildings would put a lot more people on prime, and be way more interesting RP potential then most of the stuff that goes on in manses.

I don't buy a manse, because: A) they don't matter, and nothing in it will really be unique/important as far as RP goes. This is because it changes on a whim and everyone knows it. I relaly thing that mechanical limits foster RP. If everything was as free and easy as manses, we'd be in a chatroom. Boring.

B ) I'd have to drag people out to my manse to participate in any sort of building based RP, and I really don't like pulling everyone way the hell away to participate in my little worldlet. It really feels like I've written my own little bit of fanfic, tailored exactly to my specifications with no bearing on what is appropriate for the realm or interesting, and am trying to drag other people into it. I face no challenges there because I can just reshape the entire thing on a whim (gold costs? Teehee, you are funny!) and everyone knows it.

C) With a and b taken into account, it costs too much gold to do something that won't see much use.

With some sort of building (pretty much guaranteed to be in commune/city territory), you can see that someone is hanging out on their porch and go interact with them! You know they are there and can intiate RP. This would also open up mini 'clanhalls' for the more opulent clans out there. You can design a building in the style of your respective org and have a headquarters that people may visit. Include the ability to buy manse dwellers, and you have players or orgs setting up real ministries of x,y, or z, and putting together cool player written RP mechanics.

The only limit I'd really advise on these would be to make it so that you can't enter one if you've recently been in a fight. If someone declares you or you declare them and the declaration is still active and they are in your area, you can't go in. Add that, and you've erased the problem of having hideyholes.

I think that extending the WHO lists to show people inside any manse you have access to would give the best of both worlds. People wanting to hide out in their manse can simply set it to only allow them for as long as they're trying to hide out and everyone else is shown normally, as if they were on prime. Maybe that's too complicated, though.

ForgotOldForumName:

Lusternia's playerbase tends to be very spread out. Most of this is due to two things - there are too many organizations here, and planes. I'm not sure what can be done about the organization issue. However, I do have a small idea that could help the offplane problem. As it is now, QW, CW, GW, etc appear nearly empty because most players stay offplane. There is a listing that says how many players are in other planes, yet it still makes guilds and cities appear empty. My suggestion is to allow names of those players to appear in the appropriate who listing, though in another color as to indicate being offplane.

While I do understand the amount of work that goes into opening new organizations/classes, it can cause a negative impact on a game that does not have the numbers to support it.

In saying that, I think it would be nice to discuss players' opinions concerning what to do about the issue, if anything.

Only if the gem of cloaking removes me from all of the above. Some of us intentionally
hide from cw and gw lists at certain points of the day.

I think cwho, owho, and gwho should show who is off plane excluding manses. Not WHO, QWHO, or anything else. It would make cities and guilds seem more alive, even if that's an illussion.


I also disagree that we have high levels of activiy (at least in so much as total minutes logged in is concerned). Just this week: 1 day, 2 hours. I can tell you that my active play is far less than that.

Evette, Jazris, Miciah, Naralis, Nymerya, Qoivhae, Ssaliss, Alisa, Arsalil,
Arunasapta, Avanika, Azureus, Cipher, Cradin, Eltorinus, Everiine, Glint, Iytha,
Junia, Kalegyne, Kriak, Kylsiu, Lavinya, Lekius, Miander, Ragak, Riluna, Romaan,
Sorcha, Talbert, Tarshishnavi, Toxus, Zyphora.
(*) Currently, there are 33 Lusternians on this Plane and 63 on other Planes.

This is ridiculous. Over half the total number of players does not show on QW.

********************************************
Commune Member Rank Position CT
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sidd Shadow Warden Commune Aide On
Vadi Shadow Warden Minister of Power On
Miander Shade On
Kylsiu Ravenwood Custodian On
Ragniliff Dark Regent Shadow Court On
Ragak Shade On
Ssaliss Shadow Warden Chancellor On
*******************************************************************************
Currently, there are 7 Commune Members on this Plane and 7 on other Planes.

Half of an entire org is not listed because they are offplane. Can you imagine the impression this gives to newer players? It gives the impression of remoteness, little interaction, among other things.

Achaea has an artefact that allows players to remove themselves from the who lists. I'm not sure if you have it here or not. If not, perhaps that would give those of you who want to be removed from who lists while afk-ish an option.

The playerbase is spread too thin as it is. It would be wise to display what players you do have here, instead of hiding them all. :)

Yeah, well. Usually we in Seren have twice the numbers off plane as on plane.

I don't support making qw and so on ignore planes though. At all really.

Gem of cloaking, 500 (?) credits.

EDIT: Seriously, we probably have 1/3rd of our population in an aethermanse at any given time, doing who knows what, or afk-ing.

Gem of cloaking doesn't remove from org versions of the who. Hince why I suggested what I did, only limiting it to the who-lists that mattered.

I also support lowering the cost of gems and giving purchasers the difference :D.

I wrote a script that does this already. Works for cwho, gwho, and owho.

**********************************************
Citizen Rank Position CT
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phoebus Countess Board of Directors On
Ushaara Count Board of Directors On
Raeri Supervisor On
Azureus Laborer Librarian On
Shedrin Magistrate Board of Directors On
Saleo Laborer On
Xirwyn Serf On
Lilija Supervisor On
Tulemrah Marquessa Minister of Power On
********************************************************************************
Currently, there are 9 Citizens on this Plane and 6 on other Planes.
Citizens off plane: Okuke, Maellio, Orventa, Aeden, Zyphora, Aldani

I've got one too, hee. It also works for all clans!

Doesn't get gemmed people on clans, but mine can work for that too.

I do really think it would be awesome to additionally have more Aetolian style housing, still. I'd have major raves for a reasonably affordable way to do so! (I mean, no 1k credits per room, please.)

Maybe changing the look of who (again) we could make it look better to new people?

Instead of:

You sense the following people:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qistrel - before the Cathedral of Trees
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(*) Currently, there is 1 Lusternian on this Plane and 31 on other Planes.

Have:

There are 32 people in Lusternia.
You sense the following people:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qistrel - before the Cathedral of Trees
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(*) Currently, there is 1 Lusternian on this Plane.

Check the plugins thread. I wrote a script that kind of does what you are asking for here. Only for Mudlet though, I am afraid.

I've been noticing more people off-plane whenever I've been logging in too, and it's like a disincentive to want to stick around long.

Honestly, I think seeing more people yet a majority of them being afk mansing could be even more confusing for newbies. Also, with planar needed to be heard across planes, they may conclude they are being ignored rather than their voice not reaching that far.

That said, I agree there is this absolute apathy avalanche going on, and it's pretty hard to break away at it. And while I disagree with "manse up until it blows over", it's pretty hard to not do that at times. Or well, I just log off and go do other stuff, really. Admins seem to feel things are ok though, which possibly makes it more disheartening, because imho things are far from ok. Just hoping it'll blow over by way everyone doing little bits until we get out of this rut.

It doesn't take planar skill to reach to manses? They count as being on whatever plane they are on!

And yeah. I remember a few events where there was so much unavoidable stuff blowing around and no way to mitigate it or cure it, when the prevailing advice became "Just don't log on/Just don't leave Manse/Nexus world". I think during the dominator event, they actually had to teleport some dominators off the prime plane because it was so impossible to keep them out, everyone just said "screw it" and migrated away from their city/commune.

I like Enyalida's idea of planed houses (sorry if that's wrong, it's how I took it), especially as mini guildhalls. Why wouldn't Tremula's unofficial clan hang out in one of the old abandoned factories in Magnagora, in a secret room you have to swing from chains to get to, open a hidden wall, and take a hidden elevator to get to? (btw, Code Lyoke ftw!!)

I agree with the RP crisis that goes on in manses. Why should I go force myself to acquiesce to YOUR world, when I can build my own little world in my manse? Doesn't make much sense, does it?

Thought: Allow manse owners to set a permission if presence in said manse makes you visible on CT / GT ect. yes or no. Default would be no. Problem solved? :D