We are looking for 'major issues'. I keep hearing there are 'major issues' that have been around 'forever' that 'everyone' knows about.

I want one player to pinpoint those 'major issues' and be able to discuss them with the admin, defending why each issue is major and not addressable through an envoy report. If an envoy report can resolve it, then it certainly isn't a major issue, is it? I'd certainly rather not have a list of individual skills to address. Anyway, this is not an invite to collect every player's personal gripe and then submit a 100 page report! It's to sit back, sift through everyone's comments, and come up with what the 'major issues' which need not necessarily be (indeed preferably not) a list of individual skills.

So far, the applicants are: Sojiro, Revan, Sahmiam, Morbo, Tetra, Malarious, Kayte, Nymerya, Donovain. Let me know if I missed someone!

To be fair some "major issues" will likely be generic answers, for instance combat imbalance is a major issue, but that just means it would need several reports to fix which is unrealistic to try to get all in a row. So when someone says major issue, read it as "considerable effect on the game".

If said person submits 'combat balance' as what is a 'major issue', I'll zap him to dust.




Yes, I was under the assumption that the report would be about issues that have a "considerable effect on the game". I am not as dense as I look... I hope...

I suppose you wouldn't be thrilled if we put lag as a major issue?

We know you aren't as dense as you look, I mean come on, have you seen your pic? You are like Zorro if he were a super model!

I find it interesting that some people believe that just by adjusting some class skills, suddenly whole organizations will be reinvigorated. How's that actually supposed to happen?

Remember that this isn't to address your personal beefs, but to make orgs you're in more viable, populated.

I was not stating an opinion and I still dislike choke, brumetower, bonds, and such. That has not changed.



She actually said if its envoyable she does not want to hear it, any skill falls under that basically. Although I would examine skills in regard to raid mechanics if its agreed that is up for discussion. We envoyed choke prior and when asking for ideas Sior said discussion with envoys netted the current result if I recall from the stream.

I've moved several long posts about specific things to improve the game to the other thread, which has been made to host ideas. Please use this one to discuss/ask questions about the process and nominate yourself.

Other thread

Any guesses when you will be announcing your selection(s?)?

Read the first post in this thread.

Yeah I saw it, but was hoping for more a date. That is fine though, warning either way!

I echo all of the concerns about actually being able to find someone who is both unbiased and knowledgeable. I really hope that whatever suggestions this person comes up with comes under review by more than the admin (aka through the forums or through envoys) not with veto power or anything but just so that concerns can be addressed. I respect the views of people like Mala and Shuyin but I wouldn't trust anyone to be able to submit changes to the admin without any sort of additional player review to give the designers/coders more input.

I understand the whole concept of "One step at a time" and all. Yeah, we need a UberEnvoy that everyone can agree upon (or rather, the least unpalatable to the playerbase at large). But I feel that everyone is over-inflating the role of this Envoy. In re-reading Estarra's post, it seems this person would be held directly accountable to BOTH the Administration AND the forum... not to mention work under highly scrutinized constraints. I'm thinking of the position as more of a "Liaison" who is able to effectively communicate, compromise to consensus, think logically, and have a huge swath of "alternate" ideas. Most of all... adequately identify and define the problems.

If we could set aside our own judgement of the volunteers. I see the larger issue as picking the appropriate problems to be addressed, because I am currently stuck on what the specifics of the problems are. Not saying there aren't problems. There are plenty of issues. BUT what are the "Major Issues" that need to go beyond the scope of an "Envoy Report." Now, I didn't mire myself down in thoroughly reading through "The State of Lusternia" thread... so no doubt I am missing the specifics. Can anyone give me a list of the top three? I am partial to the whole mentality of the Policy Debate, and having one well defined problem is so very necessary.

Outside of combat? Racial rebalancing and constructs come to mind(though both of these things relate back to it). I don't consider defensibility of Planes a "Major" issue but it's one of them. I could list 100 small things but I'll refrain from derailing the thread.

Generally they boil down to a couple issues.

1. Fix Avenger
2. The Opacity of Combat -- More specifically combat is overwhelmingly complicated for someone new to muds and difficult to get into unless a substantial amount of time is spent learning the very nuanced combat system. The latter is aided by being a computer programmer. Together this situation leads to a very few combatants dominating the combat space and /or writing third party combat systems that others use. This is the primary component of org fatigue seen in the the State of Lusternia thread. Fixing this requires a design change. Theoretically there are ways to maintain the current combat design and make entry into combat faster.

Considering her (?) ability and reputation as an Envoy, I would nominate Janalon. But since this is about volunteering one's self and not others, I can't really do that.

Incoming anecdote: Personally, I think combat in Lusternia is far more convoluted than in other IRE MUDs, for the simple fact that Lusternia has so much more to keep track of (ego for some instakills, wounds, vessels, momentum for monks, many more skills, etc.) I feel like I can actually contribute to group combat without needing to be omni-trans or even tri-trans in Imperian or Aetolia and, consequently, actually do PvP somewhat in those two games. And when I say "contribute," I mean actually do something that does not involve spamming web or limb breaks while text flies by at 60mph because Imperian's CombatFocus, their equivalent to Obliviousness, doesn't actually drain mana. I can get away with using Nexus in Imperian and Aetolia. It's not ideal, but I can actually be useful. For Lusternia, I'd have to either pay for a system (or support contract, in Treant's case) or build my own from scratch and programming will forever confound me. And, no, this isn't meant to be a complaint. I'm satisfied with all the other non-combatant stuff I can do in Lusternia that's not in the other IRE MUDs. It's just that if I want to PvP, it won't ever be here.

EDIT: I know it's been mentioned before, and I know Estarra will refute it again, but it seems like the cost of entry, skill-wise, is higher in Lusternia. There's Combat at least to TrueShield but ShieldParry or WeaponParry are better and having most of the stances is ideal, Discipline for the Focus skills, Resilience, Highmagic/Lowmagic for Hod/Green, Planar to Conglutination, Discernment at the very least to ThirdEye BodyScan Diagnose (PotionList/MagicList are useful but can be replicated with scripting; however, I would think Contemplation is necessary for mana instakills), Environment for Tumbling, on top of two or three guildskills which need to be raised to varying degrees depending on archetype, and then your tradeskill and Beastmastery for additional perks. I'll set aside the last two in fairness, but even disregarding them, that is quite a hefty chunk of lessons. And that is just the basics, as far as I can tell.

If you're going to go that broad and unspecific (exactly contrary to Estarra's wishes) I'd say the bigger one is "winning org momentum" (as it's known on the forum) or "positive feedback". Whoever is winning gets a lot of boosts to make them win more, the biggest ones being "morale" and "people quitting other orgs to join them" (via alts, orghop, etc.). On top of those, the game piles on a lot of additional "rewards for winning" (buffs and bonuses) while giving almost nothing by way of additional vulnerabilities or liabilities or obligations.

While "things change" is usually the bromide refutation, we are currently in a configuration that is coming up on having lasted fully half of Lusternia's existence without a change, and if we're still parroting "things change" it's only because the only time we'll admit otherwise is when the game has closed down and we can finally dispense with the idea that a change was just about to happen all that time. In fact, the only time things have changed was due to exceptions, player-inducted upheavals, and never due to any kind of inevitable, organic process we can count on happening again.

Note: I don't know if this is really stopping people from playing. It's certainly not my reason for withdrawing. If all it took to be happy was to be on the winning side again, I'd've made my alt in Celest instead of Hallifax. But since this discussion is all within the assumption that combat isn't just the biggest part of Lusternia but the only part that matters, that's the biggest broad-strokes, no-solution-presented issue that affects it.

I'll throw my name in the hat. I know a lot of my opinions don't agree with others, but I like to think that I'm being objective when discussing things. I'm not perfect no, but I think I could do a great job.

Just don't have this turn into the report that was done as a final straw for Great Britain before the creation of Canada where a report was submitted of all the grievances of the colony. The name of this report is eluding me at the moment, but for those unfamiliar: it was absolutely and completely ignored, thus the creation of Canada.



Does this mean we just can't be general, but we can tear apart and address the real balancing issues?


^ Some time should be spent optimizing the game, though all of these bug fixes have been AWESOME.

Applicants so far: Sojiro, Revan, Sahmiam, Morbo, Tetra, Malarious, Kayte, Nymerya, Donovain, Sidd.

I'll keep applications open another day or two. I know some of you have suggested people. Make sure to ask them to apply if they're interested!

I was going to suggest some things I would like this individual to address...until I saw the other thread made >.> . Anyway I admit I like this idea and I like that the Admin are showing that they are listening to us . I think I will have to agree with Nymerya's post that perhaps someone who is not involved in combat and Org conflicts (such as Nymerya or Tully) might be best for this, since they would be acting as a liaison for everyone else issues without org hatreds getting in the way. HOWEVER I still also believe that someone experienced may also be best for this, as their input might in fact be exactly what this whole fix-up is looking for. So I think perhaps (and I know I will somehow regret this in the future) Malarious may the best choice there as well. He also seems to have a knack for this type of thing in general.

My two cents >.>