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Ramblin' Man

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abstractdream View Drop Down
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    Posted: 22 Mar 2014 at 04:17
Ramblin' Man

"Lord, I was born a ramblin' man,
Tryin' to make a livin' and doin' the best I can.
And when it's time for leavin',
I hope you'll understand,
That I was born a ramblin' man."

-THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND



Following are replies to some common statements intermingled with some declaratives of my own. This may ramble a touch.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED


CONSEQUENCES
War in Illy is multifaceted and emotionally draining and often demoralizing. Some who get entangled in war seem to enter into it unaware of the possibilities. Loss is the first, most distressing possibility but there are others. Emotions ranging from anger to guilt to joy to greed and many others can arise. Regardless of the outcome, conflict stirs the senses.

THE FORUM
Using the forum to defend yourself and your side while attacking and defaming the other side is another "game" that a few choose to play. Often, the discourse becomes rancorous and libelous. With so many examples of heated arguments in the forums, who can say with a straight face that they are surprised when it happens? That is not to say that it should be greeted with the emotionless logic of a Vulcan, but to post herein is to accept the "rules of the game". That seems, to me at least to be a given. I suggest you take a breath before clicking "post".

SPYING
Spies, wherever they may be, for whatever side they do their work are a fact of war. There is no way to stop them and if you feel indignation at their use, you should reconsider your membership in a warlike alliance. I'm sure there are dozens of alliances without any spies whatsoever, but they seem to stay out of conflict altogether.

POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT
As far I'm concerned, expressing some sort of affection towards ones former enemies, now that they are on the right track (toeing the line, renouncing their former ways, repenting or what have you) is a form of positive reinforcement. Even when done without the sarcastic tendency I've read into it, it appears that it comes across to many readers as self righteousness.

LAND CLAIMS
Some folks believe they should be able to claim large areas of the map and other folks believe they should stop that action. Claiming exclusive rights to the area around ones city is nearly universal among larger players. The "10 square rule" is generally the most accepted interpretation. Many feel that specific area is justified (often based on the teleport/settle limitations within the game) while others disagree, insisting on more or less area (but certainly claiming some for themselves). This "community rule" often causes friction. Scale that up to a group of cities that have allied themselves to one another and the community in general suddenly takes notice. Somewhere there will come a challenge and the friction begins anew. It will never end.

LESSONS
On a personal note, I can say that I have learned much from the war and continue to weigh lessons and interpret others' actions as well as my own. When I began this game I brought certain assumptions with me that have been turned on their heads and others that have been fortified and proven right again and again.

I believe I have made mistakes. Those who judge me have their own ideas of what those mistakes may be but I feel that my path continues to be the correct one. Inaction failed me. Action never failed me. What is there to loose by taking action that has not already been lost by failing to do so?
Bonfyr Verboo
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Angrim View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Angrim Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Mar 2014 at 20:01
to add to your section on POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT...it also comes across as patronising. after all, this is a technique used on children and dogs.
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Miklabjarnir View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Miklabjarnir Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Mar 2014 at 03:38
Originally posted by abstractdream abstractdream wrote:

... Somewhere there will come a challenge and the friction begins anew. It will never end.

...

This is, indeed, the important point to keep in mind. A game without friction gets boring. When the "new" resources were announced, it was explicitly stated that one intention was to create more friction.

One thing which has struck me as I watched this war unfold in GC and fora, is the generally low level of immersive role playing. Usually GC is too full of silly chattering to be worth reading, but whenever war participants appeared there it did not get much better. It looked to me like many were viewing this as a game to "win" (whatever that may mean in a game without an end) rather than a game where the playing is the reward in itself. I could see no attempts at consistently representing the views of the lord of a small bunch of cities. Such lords can be peaceful or violent, greedy or generous, consolidating or expansionistic. The important thing is that they could have a totally different character from the payer running them.

Poor role playing tends to damage this distinction, and can make the in-game activities more personal than they should be. Alas, a moderated GC to keep all off-topic and personal posts out is not realistic because of the manpower (= expense) needed, but it might have helped making both peace and war more enjoyable.
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Kumomoto View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Kumomoto Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Mar 2014 at 06:41
Pretty on point, Abstract, imo...
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KillerPoodle View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote KillerPoodle Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Mar 2014 at 15:48
Originally posted by Miklabjarnir Miklabjarnir wrote:

Such lords can be peaceful or violent, greedy or generous, consolidating or expansionistic. The important thing is that they could have a totally different character from the payer running them.


When you have one of GC's loudest mouthpieces stridently and judgmentally claiming that the way people play a game reflects directly on them in real life it's understandable that few choose to do it and then be vilified.

"This is a bad idea and we shouldn't do it." - endorsement by HM

"a little name-calling is a positive thing." - Rill
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