Illarion.org

Grimmwold, a roleplay encouraged UO shard has closed down. So there are some great roleplayers out there looking for a new home. To encourage some to join Illarion and add to our community, there are a few options for you, Illarion players, to consider in order to help the game as a whole. Which option, if any, do you think would be best?

Please keep in mind this is only a one time, limited time offer and only for this game. It will only affect the first character in a new account.
This offer will only be made if more than 50% of votes fall on options 1 and 2. We would then use (rounded) linear interpolation between those two values.

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Grimmwold, ein RP UO-Shard wurde geschlossen. Daher gibt es jetzt einige sehr gute Rollenspieler dort draußen, welche ein neues Zuhause suchen. Um diese zu ermutigen zu Illarion zu kommen und unsere Gemeinschaft zu bereichern, gibt es ein paar Möglichkeiten zwischen denen ihr als Illarion-Spieler wählen könnt um dem Spiel zu helfen. Welche Option ist eurer Meinung nach die Beste?

Bitte beachtet, dass dies ein einmaliges, zeitlich begrenztes Angebot ist, das auch nur für das genannte Spiel gilt. Es betrifft nur den ersten Charakter in einem neuen Account.
Dieses Angebot wird nur dann gemacht werden, wenn mehr als 50% aller Stimmen auf Option 1 und 2 entfallen. Wir würden dann zwischen den beiden Werten (gerundet) linear interpolieren.

give 'em the equivalent skill, but only on the first character they create

1 or 2?

It is equal for me. Option 2 is my choice. We should make this offer to them. Why? A maybe small but active community could join us. We have the same hobby - roleplaying. A good chance for them to play together in future too and a welcomed addition for our cummunity too - more players! For me it is like the arrive of a second Gobaith-community to the mainland of Illarion... Our chars should try to get informations about the strange but lost Grimmworld.

One little annotation:

Vilarion wrote: This offer will only be made if more than 50% of votes fall on options 1 and 2. We would then use (rounded) linear interpolation between those two values.

sounds not fair for every player voting option 3 to me. You should add them to the interpolation because 0 is a value, too.
Worst case at least consider the 0 votes as votes for giving them the lowest value what is possible for the interpolation, even if I think that 50% is too much.

Don't mind me saying so but we don't have to buy new players with skillpoints. Everyone interested in RP will find it without them too.

I am with Leomar's opinion. A skill bonus they get shouldn't be uber-high. For fairness reason!
It sure is a nice thing and a friendly thing to do, a little compensating for the loss of the former game. However, it would not be fair to all other newbies that also are good roleplayers if some others start with 50% full or even 100%-maxxed weapon, crafting and magic skills.
It should also be calculated which skills in Grimworld were easy to max there and are hard or impossible to max in illa.

as a new player I have had to learn every skill, and have sometimes been frustrated with all the skills - they know everything - of the older players. Part of the challenge for me has been to struggle to learn..50% is way to high... but as an incentive... maybe start with 10% all skills - so they can use basic weapons and do basic crafting. It would be hard to see these new people arrive with skill higher than I have, and I have been here 6 months. Most of my skills are not yet to the 50% level. Leena

I also supports Leomars idea.

I totally agree with Leomar. Even if new players would be nice, it would not be fair to any other newbie

i can understand how many energy a player put into a char and that is it very sad to lose it all because the server close.

I would be very glad tpo get such ogffer if illa would close and so i m for the option 2.

Anyway there are other ways as skills to give these former players a chance to find into the game e.g. a quest which introduce them as a guild with some flavors.

I agree with Leomar and Leena.
Think its the wrong way to "buy" new players over skill. And 50% or 100% Skill for a new player would be very frustrating for other normal Players.
Even it could go to the point, other new players are so frustrated about this and leave Illa again just because of this.
Another point is, working on skills at the beginn is an important thing. On the one side, for learning how everything works. On the other side skilling is a part of the long-term motivation to play such a game.

I would not have any problems, if this new players get a bit a bigger welcome gift. But i think getting skill is realy the wrong way.

Leomars point is not valid. Because everyone who chooses one of the first options wants to give the Grimmwold players something. The distribution determines how much. So if looking at it in the way "Give them something" or "give them nothing" the points of the first two questions would add together.

Handling it any other way then Vilarion suggested would be unfair to the voters who want to give the Grimmwold players some starting advantage to get easier into the game.

Nitram

I wouldn't be sure about that Nitram. Maybe some of the 50% voter would vote No if there would be a choice for 100% or nothing. When Vilarion would think like this he would have made a Yes or No vote here.

The prefernces of those who voted option three is very clear: 3 > 2 > 1

I don't see why we shouldn't use this knowledge.

Leomar wrote:I wouldn't be sure about that Nitram. Maybe some of the 50% voter would vote No if there would be a choice for 100% or nothing.

But this is not the case. All options are valid.

Merung wrote:The prefernces of those who voted option three is very clear: 3 > 2 > 1

I don't see why we shouldn't use this knowledge.

I have no clue what you are trying to say here.

Nitram wrote:I have no clue what you are trying to say here.

I am surprised, because it is quite clear: Those people who voted for option three would certainly prefer option two than option one being executed. Why waste their votes? Especially when the number of option three is higher than for option 1.
An other thing: Why not put it into numbers?
Option 3: 0 Skill
Option 2: 50% skill
Option 3: 100% skill

Use that to calculate.

I'm not getting into the finer aspects of poll discussion but simply to say Grimmwold has given concessions to every major group that joined the game including skills and at one time adding a new town. I see nothing wrong with encouraging a group of players from the game to join Illarion with any amount of skill gain. Either 1 or 2 is fine with me.

I would also add to Achae's very true points that when Illarion closed down for a little while some years ago, and many Illarionites went to Grimmwold (either temporarily or permanently) they essentially gave the Illarionites an entire town, and made an Illarion staff member a staff member there after only 3 days, to be able to give the incoming group a better voice and assistance.

I don't think that showing them a little reciprocal kindness is unreasonable or unfair.

give them something but not everything, I've worked my @$$ off for the skills my dumb orc has but we should give them something to encourage them to continue playing illa, we need more players and good rp'ers at that.

says me

Achae Eanstray wrote:I'm not getting into the finer aspects of poll discussion but simply to say Grimmwold has given concessions to every major group that joined the game including skills and at one time adding a new town. I see nothing wrong with encouraging a group of players from the game to join Illarion with any amount of skill gain. Either 1 or 2 is fine with me.

I tend to agree ,i think it would be great to have a new tide of refugees (with their skills mostly intact) join us,option 1 or 2 for the first character is fine by me.I would say this will add a new dimension and could even create new groups and politic's to contend with .To those who moan about others getting a free ride so what? what the heck are you trying to protect here? your skill gains are only a result of roleplaying and enjoying the game.New players entering on this one off basis will only impact in a positive way.
The cry of its unfair to other new players dont work with me either,thats just not what roleplayers will worry about , in fact starting from the begining has advantages.
This is a one off offer to a group that could add so much to the game so why not let it happen ? you wont lose anything and yet could gain so much more.

I played Grimmwold for 5 years. Can I have a castle?

You can have two, Fooser.

Talk with Sammy about it, he already plans one.

I think what might be more preferable is to give them X skills of there choice at lvl Y, regardless of their skills in grimmwold.

90% skill unlockable via receiving 10% bonus every 5%. ((There would be no complex, sliding functions or the like, just:
[craft reach 5 => +10 craft] and [craft reach 20 => +10 craft] , [craft reach 35 => +10 craft] , [craft reach 50 => +10 craft], [craft reach 65 => +10 craft] , [craft reach 80 => +10 craft]
Or any combination of var you see fit.
In this case there could even be added different messages, like:


"You manage to recall a little of your knowledge concerning [craft]."

"You manage to recall some more of your abilities in [craft]."

"You have climbed another step to your former mastership in [craft]."

"In a dream [/daydream/vision/etc] you remember a golden secret of your skill in [craft]. Might this be a sign of [god]?"

Only in case the transfer of data content is done correctly OR done by a single hand.
A well constructed bonus solution might be an attractive idea to work on for the future...
For similiar cases.
Or any kind of character migration. ((I suppose there are some players out there who swap worlds, and maybe even a number of multiversal Unitologists. Always good to have some explicite answers for the future.))


This idea leaves the learning curve untouched.
Also the migration of forum titles or honours is not mentioned.

I ((would have)) voted full.

The poll is closed? If not I vote 100%. We need all the role-players we can get. Greet your brothers with open arms!

keep on voting until vilarion says its closed

The vote is over since I had to make the offer within a reasonable time. However, you are still welcome to express your opinion.

Its been a while since I played but reaching 50% isn't much of a big deal, so its a nice 'welcome' present to them, and doesn't break the game or anything.

I personally would have offered them 50%, as Grim players would have been a great match for Illarion, similar role play ethos and similar world styling. It was an opportunity to encourage a strong role playing community to perhaps bring some of their talent to Illa, instead of just moving onto different UO shards.

With that in mind, I do not think any new character should start at 0 skills. Role playing is all about back stories and creating new stories, if you want to play Joe the 16 year old, unskilled, inexperienced bumpkin and take that journey great. However most characters have been a crafter, a warrior, banker or such before coming into our game world. Starting a new game is hard enough without being completely helpless within the game world.

At the end of the day what are we losing by offering new players a start at 40%? In fact are we losing anything by letting players decide if they want to start at 40% or 0 if they wish?
I just do not think any of us look back at the good old days when we could kill a pig in 10 hits! Then I had to pg for hours before I could attend low level hunts, and this one time a gm spawned a skeleton and it got me in two hits! That was the best time in game....

Sarcasm aside I really feel the low levels of Illarion are the lowest point and likely cost us a lot of players. So really unless the player base can tell me they largely love the 0 skill start, why are we still using it? The game has far surpassed a stage where we need to motivate players to stay in game to pg?

I may be of base though.

Pendar wrote:I personally would have offered them 50%, as Grim players would have been a great match for Illarion, similar role play ethos and similar world styling. It was an opportunity to encourage a strong role playing community to perhaps bring some of their talent to Illa, instead of just moving onto different UO shards.

With that in mind, I do not think any new character should start at 0 skills. Role playing is all about back stories and creating new stories, if you want to play Joe the 16 year old, unskilled, inexperienced bumpkin and take that journey great. However most characters have been a crafter, a warrior, banker or such before coming into our game world. Starting a new game is hard enough without being completely helpless within the game world.

At the end of the day what are we losing by offering new players a start at 40%? In fact are we losing anything by letting players decide if they want to start at 40% or 0 if they wish?
I just do not think any of us look back at the good old days when we could kill a pig in 10 hits! Then I had to pg for hours before I could attend low level hunts, and this one time a gm spawned a skeleton and it got me in two hits! That was the best time in game....

Sarcasm aside I really feel the low levels of Illarion are the lowest point and likely cost us a lot of players. So really unless the player base can tell me they largely love the 0 skill start, why are we still using it? The game has far surpassed a stage where we need to motivate players to stay in game to pg?

I may be of base though.

Speaking personally my happiest memories playing Illarion was as a lower level character hanging around other lower level characters. Of course, if you're alone it totally sucks. But if there are others at your level around it shouldn't be a problem.

At the end of the day its up to the gms/owners to decide what they want the game to be about. At its best skilling mixed with roleplay is awesome, at its worst its quite unfriendly and challenging to get into.