Malaikat wrote:Kaivan wrote:
These special quest mechanics and items that sometimes had properties that couldn't be obtained in any other fashion were all specially designed for a special RP event or environment. This is a major difference between suggesting that we allow any and all type of player to have some sort of access to special mechanics (e.g. CTF mechanics)
So who got to own or request the mechanics/items, and how was their use regulated? Couldn't anyone interested become involved in the event or RP troupe? The fact that few people actually took advantage isn't to say that only few people were allowed. I'm guessing that anyone and everyone was, at the least, allowed to enjoy the presence or even use of the mechanics/items. Lest why should they exist in the first place?
The existence of special quest items/mechanics on OSI servers was purely based on whether a GM or Senior GM would approve the existence of these special items or mechanics, and they were only approved for RP style cases. Now, while it is true that a player could join the orcs or visit the orc fort and interact with the surroundings and the orc players, none of the mechanics were contingent on forcing players to interact with the modified mechanics in a particular manner.
Malaikat wrote:or allowing any player to suspend the mechanics for whatever reason they want (e.g. preventing players from being attacked by other players when they are dueling)
I don't see how a pvp event is any less an event than an RP related one. It's very sad that humans are naturally scumbags and so it's the minority who want to hold hands and talk about fictional adventures over a fictional goblet of ale. OSI was in the business of creating special incentives for niche players...because OSI was in business. There's no (good) reason for UOSA to pander (through rule bending) to a nonexistent RP base, but there is good reason to actually view events and special event mechanics fairly. Which is to say to treat pvp related events with the same logic that you seem to be applying to RP events.
OSI approved the creation of these types of things as a way of deepening the "game fiction", which is why they differentiated between RP and other playstyles. As for whether UOSA should pander to a small group or pander to the wishes of a larger group of players, we view it from the perspective of the types of restrictions it places on in-game interactions. The changes to mechanics that were afforded to RP groups on OSI servers and here were designed to promote deeper in-game interactions between players, whereas the suggestions put fourth for automated events do exactly the opposite of that, suspending the mechanics in a major way. It is for this exact reason we, and probably OSI, valued those types of interactions.
Malaikat wrote:particularly when those mechanics effect the game on a much larger scale (removing risk vs reward).
Several people have been discussing (for some pages now) ways in which events could be hosted while either maintaining an element of risk or removing all reward.
There is still the significant reward of enjoying a particular playstyle without the concern for outside interference (the exact point of many of these events), unlike with the modifications seen for RP purposes that did not prevent player interactions that the RP players did not approve.
the bazookas wrote:Yes I was going to say essentially the same thing as Malakait: let's not discriminate--it's the 2010's
...
Except that, as I stated before, the types of modifications of mechanics that players seek here aren't even in the same ballpark as the changes that were seen on OSI servers. Suggesting that we place an automatic tournament system in place, or an automatic raid system in place with kickbacks for those who start it isn't even close to the same thing as removing the spawn at an orc fort and allowing players to replace that exact spawn as an interactive RP based replacement.
the bazookas wrote:Though let's say we did have to put an RP twist on things just so it's Kosher... I can't see how, for example, the raid idea can't fit under that umbrella; even CTF can be couched in terms of some sort of RP event, you know.
Except that the major complaint that players have with such an event is the fact that it can be interfered with. Stopping player interactions is absolutely not on the table for any such event, nor is any automatic system for rewarding a player on the table either.
the bazookas wrote:There are some undisputable facts here:
1) Staff here is minimalistic so staff-run events are few and far between
This implies that GM assisted events were extremely common on OSI servers. They weren't.
the bazookas wrote:2) Events had special mechanics on OSI
True, but they certainly didn't suspend the mechanics as they were run.
the bazookas wrote:3) About a billion different potentially amazing events are out of player's reach because the system does not make it feasible (even simply large scale organized PvP simply does not exist outside of freak occurences)
Players on OSI servers had the same trouble with holding events, and the mechanics were rarely, if ever, modified (and never suspended) to help them. If they could manage, I'm sure that players here can manage as well.
the bazookas wrote:4) UO is old. New content (in the form of an event) helps keep it fresh and fun.
The age of UO has nothing to do with it, particularly on a server designed to replicate the T2A era.
the bazookas wrote:6)
Derrick wrote:For now, I'd like to say that yes, the events are a mechanic of the shard and yes, there was not an equivalent on OSI in 1999; however, they didn't have the capability of doing anything nearly as complex as these events during that time. I'd also like to add that I really did enjoy developing the events and actually have a few more in queue that I've been meaning to get out there, but completely lack any time to work on them.
This position has changed quite a lot since then. Derrick and I are both in agreement that automated events should not return.
the bazookas wrote:Again, I don't see the downside here of doing some new events (and it could even be infrequent--have the "CTF wagon" only appear once a week or even once per month where players can pay money to run a game) that involve some "new" mechanics specific to the event. And we're even couching it, like I've pointed out several times, in terms of a buy-in and/or bring your own gear (risk losing it if magic) scenario--vastly different from the former events that were so disgusting to certain people (even though most, I think, thought they were a ton of fun--including me).
A GM assisted event is perfectly fine, in so much as some mechanics may be modified (i.e. add spawn, change spawn frequency, play an NPC character, etc), and even activate certain special mechanics for the event. However, no mechanics will be suspended, nor should anyone expect some sort of regular event schedule of any kind (again, not something that happened on OSI servers).
[Uhh] Eo wrote:I just want a 1v1 tournament once a week! Pleeeeeeaaaasee
Not to single anyone out, but this is exactly what I'm talking about. There is no good reason why the mechanics should be suspended in favor of a particular group of players for their enjoyment at the expense of other players. There is no need for GM assistance when running this type of event.