Eventru:


I'm pretty ambivalent about the penalty for non-org-aligned people, I'm just not sure it would add anything - only make things more laden with penalties. Order Affinity is always such a sore subject I'm rather of the opinion of not touching it at all, than doing anything. And if doing anything, I feel like we'd just get more complaints about an already unpopular (but necessary) feature.

The problem is that I feel it was implemented in such a way as to exacerbate its unpopularity; it unfairly singles out individuals instead of applying fairly (and logically) to all.

That's what the 2 posted solutions are intended to address. First, make it fair by making the 'penalty' end of it affect everyone (it would be nice if it was less draconian, it can still be a significant penalty without halving), and second add incentive to stay in-house with bonuses (which, when done right, still keeps the gulf between penalty and bonus at a very nice gap to encourage exactly what you want).

Affinity is, right now, all negatives. Tweaks can be made to make it more palatable while still keeping the intent behind it in full force.

Xenthos:

The problem is that I feel it was implemented in such a way as to exacerbate its unpopularity; it unfairly singles out individuals instead of applying fairly (and logically) to all.

That's what the 2 posted solutions are intended to address. First, make it fair by making the 'penalty' end of it affect everyone (it would be nice if it was less draconian, it can still be a significant penalty without halving), and second add incentive to stay in-house with bonuses (which, when done right, still keeps the gulf between penalty and bonus at a very nice gap to encourage exactly what you want).

Affinity is, right now, all negatives. Tweaks can be made to make it more palatable while still keeping the intent behind it in full force.

Sure, I'm not disagreeing with that. Like I said, I really don't have any strong feelings one way or another about extending it - I feel like there's reasons not to, but I can't put my finger on them. I'm somewhat surprised no one's dissented, and everyone seems to agree with you on this point.

Though I doubt the reduction would see a reduction of its own.

I'd feel bad for anyone who has to make offerings to get unenemied to an order though, heh.

Eventru:

I'd feel bad for anyone who has to make offerings to get unenemied to an order though, heh.

In which case, fines can be reduced to reflect the same effort made. It's not like they're set in stone! Fines are fines.

So, slight tangent: Eventru, what was the problem Glomdoring once had that prompted Affinity? Or, more generally, what type of problem is it meant to avoid? I always figured it was just a flavour thing - org loyalty and such. If I knew there was a specific problem that Order Affinity avoided, I'd probably be a lot less frustrated with it!

It is referenced in my initial post; Fain sent his order members into Glomdoring when it opened to try to get a foothold / sway it to his way of thinking, etc. In the end, it just caused a lot of headaches and bad feelings, more than the 'fun' generated from the roleplay aspect.

See, I thought it was from the new cities opening, and the new goddess coming at the same time (Kalikai). I figured that everyone just moved there and neglected to take her order, and her essence was hurting, so... affinity, making people in Gaudi want to consider her order?

Affinity is older than Halli/Gaudi, isn't it?

don't think so, prior to halli Elostian was like... neutral and had members from every org from memory

It's totally after Gaudi/Halli! I'm pretty sure, at least.

Xenthos:
It is referenced in my initial post; Fain sent his order members into Glomdoring when it opened to try to get a foothold / sway it to his way of thinking, etc. In the end, it just caused a lot of headaches and bad feelings, more than the 'fun' generated from the roleplay aspect.

Hmm... I can see how that was a problem which needed a solution. Affinity seems like overkill, I guess, but I'm much happier now that I know there was a reasonable backstory.

Enyalida:

It's totally after Gaudi/Halli! I'm pretty sure, at least.

It was after. Affinity didn't exist when I started playing, and I started playing about a month after Hallifax and Gaudiguch were released. It came into play pretty soon after I got here, though. One of the first things I remember. :P

It came into play because we started to see some things that looked uncomfortably like what happened with Glomdoring. Affinity, while draconian, addressed the problem efficiently, and ensured it will likely not occur again.

Seems like a guy with a spreadsheet could just eject some players from the order, send them out to proselytize, and then re induct em after the business was completed. I'ma assume there were some upper-havens policy changes/tongue lashings to accompany affinity though.

Affinity was right after Gaudiguch/Hallifax, because of 'firemags' (transfers to Gaudiguch while still playing in Mag Orders).