New Beginnings?

[Mask]

Hi folks,

Some news from the staff! A number of senior imms, including Dalvyn and Kelemvor, have recently decided to make their long term absences 'official' and retire permanently from the game. First of all, I'd just like to thank each of them for the vast amount of amount of work they have contributed to the game, in particular to Dalvyn whose contributions are too numerous to mention! Second of all, this raises a number of questions about 'where to from here'!

Any changing of the guard provides an opportunity for reflection about where we are, where we want to go, and what we want to do now. The priorities of the imm team change as the composition of the imm team changes, and the current size of the imm team provide something of a clean sheet on which we can come up with a plan for the future.

Some personal musings on the past:

1) I wonder if too much activity has been conducted behind restricted access forums, and should be brought out into the open for wider discussion.
2) I think we have about 500 more forums than we actually need and would find it easier to keep on top of a smaller number of more general forums.
3) I think that FK continues to lack an immsersive 'depth of experience', which might be provided by more imm-backed RP, or by empowering more people to do more 'kinds' of RP.
4) I wonder what a good method should be for allowing people to 'progress' through the game OOCly, in terms of 'promotions' to Staff or to running a diety?

This is a very exciting time for FK, and I am interested in hearing what you have to say. Imagine for a moment that you had unlimited OOC power on FK, what would you change? Why would you make those changes? How would those changes improve the game for you and more importantly, for others? How do you think the game should be run? How do you think game-affecting decisions should be made? How should someone progress to becoming an imm? How much discussion should take place publicly? Which forums should be removed? Which forums should be merged? How can FK provide a better gameplay experience? How can FK appeal to more people and increase the number of players currently playing, while also luring back old players and encouraging existing players to keep playing?

Thanks for reading, I look forward to hearing your thoughts - although reading them would probably freak me out a little less.

Cheers.

[Moloch]

My initial response to this, and always has been, RP RP RP. More IMMs, more dynamic plots, more RP. I always found the most exciting times were during Dalvyn's big RPs, centered around Ardeep, UM, or what have you.

Empower a select number of people to run plots (real plots, not just little day to day activities) with life-altering effects.

More inter and intra-faith events. (This can fall under those empowered to encourage RP)
More random interaction (small rps - the tavern guard holds a conversation with you, the merchant tells you about his new wares, etc)

I have more, but can't put them all into writing currently. Need some time to mull it over.

[Caelnai]

Wow, big changes indeed! Thanks to everyone, especially those two players. I've enjoyed years of interactions with you both and I'll miss you terribly. Best wishes!

Marty, I agree with 1-3 above and think implementing those might make 4 happen naturally. The more active imms we have (active in RP I mean, not just admin stuff) keeps the RP heart beating!

More than other muds I've been on I've seen some awful battles amongst various players and staff here over the years which I think are mostly due to poor communications. Opening the conversations and imm slots up would help everyone remember we are all here to have fun and contribute. Most just need a chance to show what they have to offer! I think this could breathe a lot of fresh blood and ideas into the mud.

We have a great base to build on and a lot of fun and talent here! I look forward to many fun years ahead with you all.

[Algon]

I would like to say first off that they will both be missed! It was an honor!

I completely agree with more IMM run rp. I also like that idea of kind of a "Plot" team to help keeps things lively. It would be wonderful to have a few people who would be able to sit around and just come up with ideas for great rp opportunity.
This entire game if full of talented and creative people. There is a vast amount of potential just waiting to be tapped.

[Gwain]

I will miss both of them too. May they do well in all their endeavors.

1) I wonder if too much activity has been conducted behind restricted access forums, and should be brought out into the open for wider discussion.
2) I think we have about 500 more forums than we actually need and would find it easier to keep on top of a smaller number of more general forums.
3) I think that FK continues to lack an immsersive 'depth of experience', which might be provided by more imm-backed RP, or by empowering more people to do more 'kinds' of RP.
4) I wonder what a good method should be for allowing people to 'progress' through the game OOCly, in terms of 'promotions' to Staff or to running a diety?

1. I'd open almost everything up for discussion and viewership for players registered for the forums. Two things I'd keep private for the imms and staff are complaints and sensitive information about quests and rewards. Its key to only allow registered viewers to view sensitive areas of the forums that way they have an attachment for viewership.

2.I'd remove unneccessary and closed posts from the game, though I'd reccomend doing a back-up or archive of older forum posts for scrutiny in times of need.

3. I'd like more imm run rp its always appreciated for good or for bad.

4. I think that for advancement, you should still only take people you can trust and are willing and dedicated to put time and effort into the gameworld. They should be people that can get along with current staff and work well with the gamebase. People that have caused issues of ooc and poor ic results should be overlooked entirely based on their behaviors.

With me, mainly I've always beleived more is less, the more you do, the less time you have to enjoy things, try to find a happy medium, but as always keep things special and worthwhile. Some people suffer through your decisions, and you have no choice because of the way things are, this is fine, as long as you find other ways to alieviate their suffering, just as long as they earn it. In the end, its not about making everyone happy, just finding the balance.

[Cret]

I'm not so sure opening up all the discussions is a good idea. Perhaps open up the forums given time played or some other measurable factor.That way their words have more weight in experience and are not just an excuse to post an event/policy that suits their needs. However, open to view experience to post might be a solution.

What I see in F.K. is that it lacks a certain draw. This draw, that which keeps people motivated, goes beyond needing more quests, more areas, more loot. Is that of RP. F.K. is an expansive world with many varying degree of players. Driving global, group, or singular RP's is needed to sustain and grow the game as a whole. A solid team of IMMortal staff would help out a lot. Give immortals specific roles (or combine them if the skill/will is there):

1.Admin Head. Several people who keep watch over the IMMortals to keep them in line. Look through logs to keep other IMMs fair.
2.RP Enforcers. This would be a group that would go around and enforce policy as well as teach other IMMs the ropes of their skills. (Ie. Make sure LG people are not the first to try to kill someone. Enforce OOC rules)
3.RP Admins. This team would be the deities of FK, or other mobs, as needed. They would create RP's based off player goals. Keep notes of character and their interactions. (Ie. Load mobs with unique items, give out rewards, or punish for bad RP choices)
4. General staff. These would be people would be able to help reward or drive rps.
Builders/Coders....

Its going to take work, but make a structured command that flows both ways. Yet seems fair to the player base the biggest problem I see with a staff is the perceived favoritism. Friends suddenly having power and bestowing gifts upon their friends and negatively or ignoring everyone else. It may not actually exist, but it is perceived to. Not everyone will make a good IMMortal or staff member. For example, the thought of unlimited power or control makes the game boring for myself. I would never want to be a deity or the like. However, I would like to help drive RPs through helping restring items/ control mobs/ or anything else. Sorta like renting a car. I have it for a time. But i know its only a day or two and being limited in how far I can drive. Others will be better with plot intrigue but not so good at running it.

As much as its overworked.. FK needs a stronger evil faction. Not stronger in power wise. But something to make the goodies have fear. Fear is a good motivation in a game. Builds strong bonds and created opportunities for people to work together. This can have no player involvement what so ever.

As for recruiting a staff: Have the current staff invite people they see as good rp's. But put it up to vote amongst themselves first before offering. Hold interviews with people interested in being on the staff. Feel them out to see where their strong points and weak points are. Then make another IMM vote and offer from there.

To sum it all up: A strong staff will support and grow a strong player base. Challenge and enforcement is needed for the players.

[Nysan]

Always sad to see folks go over the years... oddly I miss the folks that put up a good argument most (bye Dalvyn!). Such is life, we come and we go.

On the other stuff...

1. Some things should be more open and others should remain closed off, forum-wise. I like knowing how bugs are progessing and what info I might be able to provide to help fix them. On the other side of the coin, I don't want everyone to know who I filed a complaint against or what applications I am submitting.

2. *shrug*

3. More RP is never a bad thing. I've enjoyed imm run RP and player run RP alike. I do think some folks are a bit gun-shy about organizing their own player-run events. No reason to be though. You can't go wrong really. Simple RPs are just as enjoyable as multiple week long events. I've been kicking around FK for over a decade (yep, that long) and in all that time I have never EVER been a part of a player run RP, simple or complicated, that I regretted or disliked being a part of... not one.

4. No position really. I am content being a player that stumbles across trade bugs and helpfile errors. I'll leave the OOC stuff to more qualified minds.

[Briek]

First of all a thank you to both Kelemvor and Dalvyn for all the hard work over the years.

Personally I like the idea of opening up the forums, everyone may have an opinon which might help and it will make the general playerbase feel more involved with the direction the game is going.

I think the mud has been taking a step in the right direction by spreading out the workload and expanding the staff base/giving them more responsibility. As has already been suggested I think the role of a staffmember should be formalised further, spiliting each aspect of the game into departments and these department positions should be posted so that everyone can view them and knows exactly who is in charge of what.

As for players moving to staff, staff moving to dieties etc lets make everyone aware of what is required of these roles, then you can effectively control intake into them, and provide tutledge for the positions also we can specify a set of prerequisites.

Imm run RP has a depth to it like nothing else on the game because you get a real sense of progression within the gameworld so I think this is always good even if nothing goes according to plan. FR has a rich and detailed timeline and although we as FK won't follow it to the letter I am sure we can find plenty of ideas from it.

[Alaudrien]

Aww man Dalvyn Kelem. yall will be missed you guys made some fun times for me in the past.

I totally agree with what is being said above. The major-minor plot rps where you get to go out and do soemthing unique and new even long run ones does give a sense of progression. I like the few times I got to go on an adventure it's been awhile but I still think back and was like that was so much fun I wonder when something new will happen again? There are quite a few people in game that do alot of work for fk and I could see them run these rp's if they so choosed and do a great job at it really. Hah I'd never dream of doing it I'll stick to areas as I go, but anyway These are definately steps in the right direction thanks for all yalls hard work major or minor!

[Dovan]

I'll just shoot from the hip right now and give my initial thoughts.

1) I think that there really is things we don't need to know personally. If you feel like opening some things up, all the well, but on a personal note I'd rather not. I don't need to know about complaints, quests, people's applications, planning for events, etc etc.

2) Sure, shut a few of them down / merge them. No harm done I reckon.

3) More interaction would be nice, but you must work with what you got. There has been some great interaction of the last few months (a couple rp's come to mind, the holiday items / celebrations). Would more Immy's / staff change this, I don't know?

As for driving the rp and what not, here's one thing that sticks at me a little. There's not really much in the way of risk vs reward for faiths to fight. A lot of times, it's one sided when it comes to fighting (one faith picking on the other). So what if you kill another person, someone gets a chunk of favor (usually useless) and the other person gets raised to try again another day. Sure, you may lose an item in the process, but from what I've seen personally (personal view only expressed here) there's nothing really gained from either side.

Sure you might develop some small rp there and you might make an enemy. Usually after that though, each side knows who's the better and they don't ever fight again. I'm not saying there needs to be lots of PK in FK (I'm not much of a PK lover at all personally), but as it stands there's just not much reason to go through the effort for faiths / people to fight. Again, it's one sided and there's little risk / reward.

4) Here's the tricky one. I don't think there should be a set protocol on people getting promoted. It's actions and how a person conducts themselves that should be the determining factor. Feel people out, approach them if they are interested in become staff and let it go from there. It should be behind the scenes I think personally because not everyone wants to be known as staff I'm sure. Their IM would probably blow up the second there is a problem if it was known. Immy's, I don't know how you deal with having your IM known if you do. I'm sure you see a lot of requests oocly.

If a person is staffed and perhaps it's shown they're happy doing the job and won't show favoritism to one part or another, maybe then it's time to think of bumping them up along the way. Does more Immy's mean more rp? Maybe. I'd just hate to see the idea pushed along further and others made to that position just to fill a void. I'm to the thought it'd be easier to pick up the slack of someone missing than having to correct and conflict with someone who abuses the position.

If there's to be another Immy, two, or three; I'd like to know that all of the people on board at the top ranks are able to work with each other. Sure, not everyone has to think alike. If we all thought the same, it'd be boring. I'd rather not see FK torn from the top down though because of conflict and rushed decisions.

Again... this is all personal opinion and I don't aim it at a single person. I'm trying to open my mind up and show you my thoughts, hopefully to make FK a better place for us all. I devote a lot of time to FK and so I've got vested interest in the well being and the fun of people, not just my own. We're all here to have fun, we are. If we're not having fun, then we need to evaluate it. Is it us, it is the people around us, is it something we can suggest?

There's my suggestions to your questions. Sorry it's long and drawn out, but I'm just letting it flow as it comes to me. If I can refine my thoughts a bit, I'll post some more later. Hate my thoughts or love them, I can only be honest of my own.

[Mouat]

First off, Dalvyn and Kelemvor will be sorely missed.

Dalvyn, your quests and areas were and are great. Dalvyn, thanks for everything.

Kelemvor, thanks for giving Rynn the chance at being FM.

Most people have said most of what I wanted to say. New quests are great, IMM lead RPs are great also. In terms of more Imms, I think that will be needed to share the workload, but I would be hesistant on too many promotions too quickly.

Just my two cents.

[Gorwin]

Hmmm where to even begin, First let me start bye also wishing Dalvyn and Kelvemor the best and a big thank you. FK would not be the game it is today without either of your efforts. Cant even express how saddened I am at the news of your departures. As for some of these issues and questions posed., I think opening up some of the forums about roleplay and game changes could be a good thing. Leave discpline and personal nature stuff private. I have been round long time seen alot of changes to this game that we all love. There has always been the issue of percieved favortism. I understand why it exsists, least the notion that it does, but I also know most cases it is just percieved. New players come in all the time, Old players leave. New guy thinks the group of people who have rp together for five years and have honestly worked their butts off to get where they are are not giving them there fair due. I get it. Been there. Alot of the problem I think is miscommunication and preconcieved notions of how FK is currently run. I think if we set down and post basically what each postion currently does might help. I think their should be more open lines for the player base and staff team. But also we as players need to utizlize the tools already in place more. Use those faith boards. Stop always waiting for someone else to do something. I am guilty of it myself. Trust me I have set up events and made rolepays aplenty. Love it but can be stressful. Some roleplays that affect the world at large should be by application only. But little things like weddings or faith sales or meetings or running player made bands and fellowships should fall onto the fm and the players. We also all need to understand that Half the time our staff and Imm team are having to deal with pity issues and bickering and stupid rule breaking. We as players need to take a more active role in policing ourselves. Some issues between players can be worked out by simply talking about it. Most is just misunderstandings to begin with. Now of course alot is game bugs and glitches. I'll admit I have been frustrated a time or two myself with some quests or item not working right. I personally can't code, dont understand how it all works. I admire those they do and a big thank you for the efforts you all make fixing things. More Im led rp and interactions would be awsome. Been involved in several and have loved them. But just because an IM is not leadin a roleplay does not make it any less either. We as a whole of the community are some pretty special people. We have alot of people with very good skills at things. Some are writers some are programmers, some simply good at keeping people calm or explainging things. We have some really good organizers. I reccomend taking full advantage at what our community is good at. If you love working out bugs and technical things nothing says you cant offer to help out staff or with a coding team. And please don't take it as I am saying this doesnt happen to some degree. Just saying we could use it some more is all. As for prerequisites of being an Imm, i would like it to be based off of merit and intrest. Probally should be some folks been around a decent length of time, and that have certain abilities that would improve the game overall. Good base of Fk lore and FR lore should be there as well. All in all think they do a wonderful job so does the player staff and all deserve our gratitude for volunteering their energies. We need to realize how thankless of a job it can be at times and put ourselves in their shoes. Also we need things for when real life happening. It is always going to come first as it should. Sometimes it feels like we get so worried about offending people that we deal with each other with kid gloves. We all love FK. We can all contribute to its enviorment. Have an idea for a rp, should be able to submit it or in some cases just run with it. I am all for a player council who helps communicate with the staff. Sort of already do if I am not mistaken though. Thats why we have the lords, and also quite frankly the great folks who answer the question channel. Anyways nuff rambling I guess. Just want to say FK is one of the most special games I have ever played, Have made so many friends, and had so many wonderful times. Lets just rember we are all on the same team, and though we might not always agree we are all still one big happy FK Family.

[Mask]

Thank you for the responses to date - much appreciated. I have deleted or merged a number of forums to date, and opened others up to wider audiences. If there are any further suggestions for rationalisations of the sprawling forum morass, please let me know.

In other news, all members of staff have each been given the responsibility and ability to run RPs for a given number of faiths. Each member of staff will be running at least one small-scale RP a month, and as they gain experience, the scope of these RPs will hopefully increase. If anyone feels they could contribute to this by helping to run RPs, please start a new thread in General Discussion with some description of why you think you would be good at it. Members of staff will contact you if they think you can assist them in the running of an RP. People who show talent for this will obviously be candidates for the Story Council.

People tended to focus on the 4 numbered points that I made in the posts above, and no-one had a go at tackling the mass of questions at the end of my post, so I'll repost it in the hope that you might be inspired!

This is a very exciting time for FK, and I am interested in hearing what you have to say. Imagine for a moment that you had unlimited OOC power on FK, what would you change? Why would you make those changes? How would those changes improve the game for you and more importantly, for others? How do you think the game should be run? How do you think game-affecting decisions should be made? How should someone progress to becoming an imm? How much discussion should take place publicly? Which forums should be removed? Which forums should be merged? How can FK provide a better gameplay experience? How can FK appeal to more people and increase the number of players currently playing, while also luring back old players and encouraging existing players to keep playing?

[Algon]

Ok here goes....
Imagine for a moment that you had unlimited OOC power on FK, what would you change?
There are very few OOC things that I can think of off the top of my head that I would change drastically. I reserve the right to edit this after I have thought about it a bit lol.

How do you think the game should be run?
I have been around here for a long time and I have honestly never had a really bad experience with this game. I have known a few people who want to gripe and moan about something they thought was unfair. But when take a step back and look at the situation from the outside it always seemed to be pretty fair to me. So I think as far as running of this place, I am sure a few things could be fixed a little, but as the old saying goes. If it aint broke don't fix it.

How do you think game-affecting decisions should be made?
Well I would say that this depends on what you mean by game-affecting. Will it affect the entire player base? Will it just affect a certain class or race? I have always been a big fan of forum poles. It is a good way to gauge what the player base is feeling about something. Of course the main decision is left up to the game admins, but it gives them some info to think about when making the decision.

How should someone progress to becoming an imm?
I am not really sure how it is done now honestly. But everyone who has played knows the players who would likely make the best IMMs. They would of course need to have a good bit of game experience. They should be excellent Rpers (This should be the biggest factor IMO). Of course they should not be problem players. Everyone is going to screw up every now and then, but I am talking of multiple offense players. Then I think the current IMM team should put it to a vote. I would imagine that nobody on that team would want to feel they have no say in the new IMMs. Like I said this could be exactly what happens now I have no idea lol

How much discussion should take place publicly?
I of course think the personal things should be kept personal. Such as, complaints, applications things like that. I like being part of discussion for issues. Makes me feel important lol and I am sure others feel the same way. Most of us have been here a while and I personally feel like the people here are kind of family. I have spent a lot of time with people here! So I enjoy hearing their very and outlooks on things. So I am all for making as much public as can be. There are a bunch of people here who have wonderful ideas and you never know what small comment made on a post about something could start a thought that could one day change the game completely.

Which forums should be removed? Which forums should be merged?
I personally had no problems with how that forum was before. I am part of a few forums that have a ton of different sections so this one never bothered me. It was always laid out great and was easy to find things.

How can FK provide a better game-play experience?
One of the big things I have always wanted was to give a little more help to newbies. I was gone for about three years and just recently came back. My first few days back I basically had to learn a few things all over and it was tough! I mean who forgets you have to hold a token to get into your own house without getting stomped on by their house protector? Lol So I can just imagine that the new players coming in are overwhelmed.
I was lucky and started playing with a group of 3 people from work at the same time so we all learned and played together. But if it were just me I would have been completely lost. I know there are several things in place to help them, but I would not mind seeing a council put together that could be given info about newbies. Perhaps when a new account is created someone in the council could pop in and check on them and see if they had any questions or something along those lines. I honestly wonder how many people give the game a try and leave before getting to the good stuff because they have some issue they cannot figure out.

How can FK appeal to more people and increase the number of players currently playing, while also luring back old players and encouraging existing players to keep playing?
There is a HUGE Forgotten Realms fan base out there. We need to figure out how to advertise on other websites to draw them in. Once we get them I promise you they will be hooked. I know advertising costs money, so maybe we could take pay pal donations or something. Have raffle drawings in game. Buy a $2 ticket IRL and enter for a chance to win some kind of personal super mount or something lol. The ideas for this are limitless.
As far as old players. Some of us (namely me lol) have over 200 names on our IM lists. We should take it on ourselves to go and find someone we have not heard from in a while and send them and email or im and see how they are and tell them we miss playing with them. You never know, one email to someone who thought they were not wanted here could bring them back.

Ok I think that is enough I have droned on long enough. Thanks for listening!

[Alaudrien]

Hmm one thing I would do is find and locate the more truly newbie's in game and do some small scale, but adventurous rp's for them. When in the past some of the larger rp's where about they where designed for more well established pc's that where for more epic sided adventures. Something less dangerous but still a challenge for some newbie players with a couple experienced ones to go along to help them if need be would be nice. I know there's at least two or three new ones about of late which is grand! I would hope they would have the fun I know the most of us in the past have had on one of our 'adventures'

Hmm now what else? Not much I'd change oocly truly. I would love to see thieves looked at maybe traps fixed or what have you or some way to give them more of a place in the game again. Other than picking locks or stealing that is all they can do that is unique to them. And warriors and mages can open doors and stealing well some people can just beat the snot out of someone to take something if they truly wanted. I have a well established thief I barely touch except only to trot out and rp in the market because when there is something to go along with others he is basically a spongy guy that gets his butt kicked and has nothing truly useful to offer to the whole of a group. I would love to see barbarians come in or even a sorcerer class hah! Other than that the game is pretty much awesome and I loves it! I've only been playing here for over ten years now I think it's been awhile I just turned 27 and i was like 17 18 when i started and it has held me ever since.

[Melusine]

I've been musing these ideas for a bit before I came to post anything in this thread here... but this will be my two cents

On the original post...
1) Perhaps some should be brought out, but its good to keep certain things away from the general public... Open communication is good when it comes to making sure everyone is on the same page. I think the main question to ask if anything may be revealed is whether or not it would contribute beneficially to gameplay.
2) Maybe... but the various forums did keep everything nicely organized. It does make it a bit more difficult to find exactly what you're finding for, even when we have a search function. Its easy to bring up too many possible posts and none that you're looking for.
3) More kinds of rp and interaction with Imms would improve this, I agree. I also think that it would help to have more people behind scenes, as we've recently lost some. To add to depth there could be more to do, or possibly encouraging healthy confrontation between faith enemies/good vrs. evil/cities. I do think that the recent additions of all the FMs has been incredible though, it has helped different faiths flourish and increase their numbers... I've found that new experiences help the depth and quality of rp. For example, I have a PC that was a kid of PCs. When she was just starting out, I was lucky enough to adventure and travel about with others who were also PC's kids. It felt like roleplaying had been reinvented. So mainly.. bringing new things and elements to the game. I really do like the idea of having occasional mini-plots, maybe even one or two that go on for a bit longer now and then. If there are more people behind the scenes, that would be easier to manage, as I know they would take quite a bit of effort and planning.
4)This one I thought upon maybe more than the others. I think this may be a combination of recruiting those that seem promising and giving opportunities for others to show what they can do. They would have to be players who haven't caused problems, and those who have been about long enough to have a strong familiarity and 'feel' for the game. Those who are on it often, and would have time to contribute. Those who seem promising, ask them if they'd have any such interest in moving up. If there's an opening or an opportunity for new responsibilities, perhaps post notice to get applications, just like would be done for a job. Then you can choose through interested parties. The possibility of being able to contribute to a game you love does wonders for dedication.

For other questions of the first post...
1) Unlimited power? I'd turn back some code changes that made the mechanical part of playing more difficult.... Change leveling back to the old way where 10 wasn't as hard, change flying back to the way it was before. I'd also fix the things that have been buggy or messed up for a while, especially lapidary. My jeweler has been out of work for a while Why? Because sometimes working on the mechanical can take away the fun of working on the social part of a character... and its in the little things that can make a game outright magical, like being able to create your own jewelry.
2) I personally think the game should be run by a group of individuals who can work well together, who can bounce ideas off of each other, and work together towards a single contribution. I run a LARP game, and a long time ago I used to run it with another person. I noticed it was more dynamic and interesting when we both ran it together. Our ideas would build off of each others to be better than what we first came up with. Its too easy for stagnation if there's only one person behind the scenes. Not a perfect example, by how many are needed to run this game, but helps!
3) Game-affecting decisions should be made by the Imms.. They're the ones in charge, but votes could be used within the group of Imms. Perhaps even pass it down to allowing the player base to vote on such things. But it would depend on the kind of decision. Some shouldn't be in player hands.
4) I liked the way the forums were before, honestly. Organization and all that, to make it easier.
5) We can make it better by allowing ourselves to adapt to change (Hard for me to say, I tend to prefer things to stay the same, but it is true none the less). Allow new things to come while keeping the old parts that makes the game so great. Keep at the current version, but expand on what we have. New areas, look into new races, new classes even. I can just imagine the Chult, more in the far east, Calimshan, and filling in the cities that are empty ?'s on the map. The races that are listed as possibly playable but not used could be brought in with time. I believe this was intended, but not yet implemented? A long-term plan towards that would be required due to the work necessary but it would keep things new. I get excited just thinking about it.

[Lathander]

If I could wave a magic wand and change ONE thing, I'd instantly increase the player base to the point that there were 50 to 75 people playing simultaneously at any given hour.

[Selveem]

In a way, I agree with Lathander.

One of the greatest blessing of FK is also a curse: FK hasn't been about quantity, rather favoring quantity. However, we've lost a LOT of great people!

Here's my suggestions about how to make the MUD more sticky for both newbies and us FK-Geezers (many of which are from a thriving list of suggestions already made; thank you to all those who made them before me):

Not just "RP" ones like the High Magi Competitions, but things like the Winterfest.

ESPECIALLY builders! Even if we have to put a 'recommend' command in game! I've seen some _awesome_ character descriptions that made me wish I could suggest them for a builder position. New areas, quests, mobs, items.. these things keep us entertained, curious, and thus coming back for more.

• Naming Weapons
  • A semi-automated rename system for simple names.

    I want to rename my "a plain mace" to be "Plate Thrasher, a plain mace" I would go to the required mob and type: customize name "a plain mace" {D0}P{90}l{B0}a{90}t{D0}e {D0}Th{90}r{B0}as{90}h{D0}er

    
    The MUD would echo to ensure the intended item to be renamed is accurate. From there, if changes are accepted, the MOB will take the item and automatically insert the requested changes, add the color reset, comma, and re-attach the current name (including existing colors?). A log would also be created with all the information to ensure there is no abuse.
  
  Armorsmithing/Weaponsmithing Choices
  • What if I don't want a halfplate helm, but a 'bascinet?' Work with resident armor/weapon experts to compile a list of all types and their intended D&D stats to add more options for smithing weapons and armors.
    
    Additionally, allow the choice as to whether you wish your crafted piece to be of a specific quality! If I'm commissioned to make something for a Non-Dwarf, why should I make it masterwork quality if you're not paying for it?
  
  Lapidary Trade
  • Bring it back; it has so much customization potential that it's self-explanitory.
  
  Enchantments Trade (Only to Priests and Wizards)
  • I don't just mean a +1 bonus to the chance to hit and damage your enemy, but also to add special affects such as 'flaming' flags and the like. Compile a list and determine skill levels for each. These shouldn't be cheap, of course, but not impossible to create either. I would suggest using the same methodology as suggested by D&D handbooks.
  
  Pets/Mercenaries
  • More visibility as to how good armor is helping them, stats, things like that.

I'm sure there's plenty more I could think of, but these are what come to mind.

[Shabanna]

Very sad to see Dalvyn go... having worked with him some, but not nearly as much as I should have... I was inspired by his wonderful areas. Thanks so much for your patience Christolph... you will be missed.

As for MOST of the other stuff... I think I will have to mull it over as I certainly do not want to give a knee jerk answer but here are a couple of things that pop into my mind.

1. We certainly need more people who can effect the game from the pantheon. IMHO the less people we have with powers in the pantheon... the more overworked the ones we have are... and opinion and rp becomes less diverse. It also allows for a more balanced situation with players. Not every player and every staff member work well together... the more diverse the staff the better reach and communication they have with the player base. With only a few there we start having less support for FMs and faiths and we end up with one sided battles because it is too much on the few that are in the Pantheon. X deity is there for FM or faith member but, their faith enemy is not supported by an imm player physically and suddenly we have a huge imbalance... some fm's are by default getting a reasonable amount of deity support while other faiths are not... that trickle-down makes it sort of difficult on the FMs who have limited power to put an rp into play. ( And I do not mean this as a dig to the staff we currently have who are doing the best they can in the current situation) The more support the deity staff can offer on a wide scale I think the better. There are lots of creative FMs out there who are sort of held back I think from sallying forth with ideas because there is little way to get support without over-extending the peeps in the pantheon ( Not a complaint just an opinion based on my observations.)
As for the process of choosing them? I think there is a reasonably sized base of players that have been around for a good amount of time who have been on staff in one capacity or another... I am sure there is a method in place. Having run a business I would say... to fill a position maybe you should/ could allow players to submit an application( like any other job) If you know who would like to take on the task.. it might make it easier to select who you think is qualified. Make a list of the duties and post the job opening? Then you can fit the person to the job more effectively? Just a thought.


2. I would really love to see... some sort of town hall sort of meetings take place perhaps in the chat room? maybe once a quarter or once bi-monthly. something with some sort of order perhaps a chosen topic that is a buzz on the forums... so that people can freely discuss the idea? or maybe a place where we could come and toss in rp ideas and bounce them around without the wait of forum time but in real time? I just think sometimes people like that sort of exchange better than a forum post. It could be staff run to keep things polite and so forth, but sometimes it helps to have that instant interaction? Brainstorming sometimes works better this way. Just a thought. Also it might give the staff a better feel for the interaction between the players oocly and might be a way to develop a better sense of community? I think when people feel very welcome and can share with the staff and other players openly, they tend to want to do more and stay around more.

The Banna

[Kirkus]

To Dal and Christolph, Good luck in the future, you will be missed.

4. I thought I should put the new idea first.... We have held on to our 'Darlings', our hero's of legend, for too long. Characters such as Elminster, Halaster, Szass Tam, Drizzt, Fzoul and Manshoon... We need to kill them off. Let real characters, our characters, take their places of glory and power. I was happy to see Waterdeep having elections, but I thought it would have been easier if we had simply eliminated the 'masked lords' and replaced them with pc masked lords. The fun and atmosphere of 'who are the masked lords' would actually become part of the game.

Along with this goes the idea of nobility, I have always cherished the idea that it would be awesome if we as characters could replace the nobility. Both with our own newly created families joining the ranks of nobility and as new members of the existing, established noble families. The noble families are sources for rp that we barely even touch.

5. We need to bring back the boat system. Well from what I remember we need to establish a system and implement it. But boats. Lets get 'em back!

1. I like Banna's suggestion of Town hall meetings. I have never really used the chat feature of the boards so i don't know how that goes, I think that would be a good option for issues that span all alignments, issues that affect. For more Evil/Good issues we could even do this in the game. Perhaps split meetings to Waterdeep/Zhentil Keep. These could be used to organized more alignment specific rp or address specific issues.

2. One thing that has always struck me as odd is the continued absence of Balder's Gate and Calimport. (This is assuming neither one has been added since the last time I checked.) My thought on this is that perhaps we can create some sort of priority list and support group for the builders pages. Or at least find some way to help hurry these sorts of delays along. It would be cool if builders could post up requests for help on their areas. It would also be a good way for people who are interested in learning how to design/build areas.

3. On the idea of more Immortals... I like the idea. I don't know, perhaps the current immortals are overworked. If that is the case then they should find some players they trust to flesh out their ranks. This reminds me of a rumor I heard from a few players long gone, they said that there were imms who were playing multiple gods. Simply because they hadn't found anyone they trusted to hand the account over to. I would assume that having to balance the duties of two gods would take a bit of time.