LadyCrimson
Wanderer
Official LC statement about "the infamous hammer" (epic length warning)
Well.... all I can say is "wow" right now - I had no idea there were so many passionate people who liked to keep so many items to themselves or even the chance of getting an item to themselves. Now, by items - I mean pixel crack... just to clarify that up front. And I'm not complaining, I like my pixel crack as much as the next person, but I am pretty sure I wouldn't go ninja on someone because they got an item that I hadn't gotten yet. BUT that seems to be the case. So, I've decided to just consolidate all the bitching and griping into one thread so you can all have your say (even though it doesn't change the fact what I did remains done). So, to do this effectively, I'll just type in the most common statements I've personally heard and go from there.
1. Staff give out hammers at events.
Yea - this is a pile of moose poo. "Staff" did not. I made that decision. You can reference me specifically without hurting my feelings. There is no need to blame the entirety of Demise Staff for a decision I made. "Give out hammers at events" makes it sound like it happens ever week. Another pile of moose poo. This is the first hammer that has ever been given away at an event and it had only 10 charges on it. Truthfully, I had thought of this before the event even started and thought it would be an interesting one time shot. It has definitely been interesting and no, I would not change what I did.
2. He did nothing and got a valorite hammer
Au contraire, mes amis! True, he did not do a great amount of physical effort to actually obtain the key; however, he ran around for hours upon hours looking and feeling frustrated and did not give up. He was tenacious, which says a lot about him and even more so than the people who don't want to put the time into the events but like to bitch about them.
BUT let's really look at the odds of the prize for the event. So, how many mobile animals that spawn and can be killed by players do you think exist on the server in total? Let's say 50,000 just for funsies. So, he had a 1 in 5,000 chance of even getting a key. Now, even tho he got the key, he had a 1 in 4 chance that the key was real and even more so, 1 in 25 that the real key opened the specific chest with the hammer. If you want to calculate the odds on that, its a hell of a lot worse than your chance of getting a BOD for a valorite hammer. And if those odds weren't worse enough, he only had 12 hours to do it in AND took the risk of going to Felucca (which he was PKd) and losing the key.
So - who has a better chance of getting a valorite hammer? A smith who uses 3 accounts full of BOD collectors getting a BOD every hour (18 BODs an hour) and filling those BODs afk in his hours OR some guy who happened upon a random series of events that actually led him to a hammer instead of a rose of trinsic? The smith who continues to gather, trade, fill, and turn in BODs can continue to do so and never change their odds; however, what are the odds that if I did this event again, he'd be able to do the same exact thing again and get the same exact outcome?
3. OMGZ the staff give away items and ruin *insert random profession here*
A big fat "whatever" to this one. Every time any event is ever held and any item is ever given away it will always, without a doubt, affect someone somewhere. The first two people who got fruit baskets haven't blown a gasket that I've given more away. The first group of people with roses of trinsic haven't committed themselves to the insane asylum because of my giving more away. I haven't heard of anyone having a mental breakdown because I gave away more ltots at some random event. Believe it or not, smithy won't change because of 10 charges on a valorite hammer. What in the world will you all ever do when the BOD changes that were implemented on OSI a while back make it to Demise? Will a clinic will need to be opened for the suicidal smiths of the world? I doubt it.
Now, one could say "well, staff should just hold events and not give items away - its all about having fun at the events" - Sure, in theory this is great. In a pure altruistic utopia this would be a prime statement; however, we aren't. People like to be rewarded for their time spent. So, the server is expected to reward people for their efforts with items that will affect people somewhere but do so without affecting people anywhere. That won't happen. It's staff's job to make sure that the great items don't flood the market and that bad items don't piss everyone off. Its a matter of looking for the equilibrium. I hadn't gone this big before and I'm glad I did. Doesn't mean that every event you can expect something uber like a valorite hammer, but one never knows. Maybe those who complain about being bored or having things ruined will get off their butts and do some events and be thankful when the give-away isn't l33t and be thankful when it is.
Do you realize there have been more reports of hate comments related to this one event prize than the entire instance with the "other" infamous valorite hammer that led to multiple people getting banned and a few hundred items deleted from game? At least this one is legal and only has 10 charges. Those 10 charges will do absolutely nothing to the server. The likelihood that all 10 charges yield an elite item are next to nill and even if they did, so what - its 10 items. The only impact the event prize has had is on your mental status of how elite you think something should be and the reality that anyone can get it (even noob smiths can get lucky).
4. OMG the same people are always winning!!!! It's not fair!!!!!11!!1!1
Well, I have one real reply for those people: get off your arse and try. You can't win if you don't try and even if you don't get anything the first time, try again. The people I see constantly getting items are the same people I see constantly failing at getting items. But... if you don't try you can't win. Consequently, if you don't try, your opinion holds no weight in any decision that I may make about events. I'm going to listen to the people who actively participate and can actually give constructive feedback. I wouldn't listen to my insurance agent if he was giving me medical advice because he wouldn't know his ass from a hole in the ground when it comes to medicine. If you don't know what you are talking about, I surely won't be listening to you. Harsh reality, but that's how I roll, home fry.
5. You ruined the economy!
1 hammer.... 10 charges.... and a crap ass chance those charges will yield anything of grandeur value. To those who say I ruined the economy.... no, I didn't. Set your irrational anger aside for 10 seconds and think about the true likelihood of him getting anything great from it? Now, before you say "well, the hammer is worth xyz millions" - no, its not... its just a blue hammer unless you actually use it.... only when its used does its true value shine through. Besides, I'm pretty sure he blew all his luck in actually obtaining the hammer
6. You gave the rarest item away on the server!
Uh.... how can it be the "rarest item on the server" if there is a possibility to get it? Yea, its a low chance ratio, but it still exists. The rarest items are those that only exist because staff placed them in game and they cannot be obtained any other way. A person can get a valorite hammer by simply having a little luck, a little patience, and some kick ass trading skills.
The rarest items are the unique items on the server. And... there are seriously on a couple of those anyway. They aren't something Demise gives away like candy as opposed to other servers.
7. You ruined blacksmithy - I quit, you biatch!
Seriously? If having a valorite hammer on the server ruined the entire skill, then that must have happened a long long LONG time ago when the first valorite hammer was obtained. Seriously..... need a xanax?
8. OMG the irony!!11!!1 LC started the Blacksmith trade thread and she ruined blacksmithy....
Uh... starting those threads is part of my job. You see, I have this beautiful ability to separate professional from personal. Consequently, I can also identify between my forum duties and my game duties AND assess (and tolerate) people with ability to empathize frustration and anger. This is why a few of the people who have apparently crossed a line aren't banned and why I'm not angry. People have a right to how they feel; however, they should learn to respect how others feel as well. I suppose these same people should be happy that I'm the one that made the decision to add the hammer because, as history has proven, I'm probably the most tolerable staff member and none of what is said has upset me or made me want to go ban-happy on people.
So, back to point #8, those BOD trade threads have nothing to do with events or event prizes... If someone chooses to not participate in the trade forums because I happen to be the person that posts it, well - I'm sure there are a lot of other happy folks out there because that's one more spot open to the first page and higher exposure. At least that silent protest is more constructive than yelling and screaming at staff and other players.... from the staff and other players' perspectives at least.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Ok, so... I'm not placing a cushion up or trying to be PR friendly right now.
I made a clear and conscious decision to put that hammer in the event. I teetered back and forth but ultimately decided to go forward with it. BUT I knew it was not something that would happen often.... if it happens in the next couple years I'd be surprised (and it wouldn't be from me). Remember, this was a decision I made long before the event was ever started and long before the babies got their diapers in a knot.
Remember, these are decisions that I make for every event that I host. I am not a moron. I am not a bitch. I am not out to "get ya" and I surely am not unfamiliar with the woes of UO.
All the kicking, screaming, and crying has done nothing more but to solidify that I made a good decision. There is an obvious imbalance with the runics and I will be doing some research and testing to figure out the algorithms for the BOD system as it exists on OSI. That information, of course, will be passed on to Asayre in hopes to correct what seems to be wrong.
To sum this up, as I said earlier, I'll listen to constructive criticism that comes from the people that actually participate in the events and/or have some base from which to speak. I am always open to improvement because the events are for the players; however, for those people who just want to sit around and do nothing but criticize and harrass - don't both complaining since it falls on deaf ears.
My final words are this: if individuals who are disgruntled continue to take out their anger on other staff members or players, I will step in and I will exercise the rights I have as staff. I am a very tolerable person but other people will not be harrassed for a decision that I made.
LC
PS: now, if you want to rage on me - do it here or PM me. Don't take it to vent. Don't take it to IRC. Don't be a jerk in game. I'm offering you the open door to kick and scream and rant in this message (which will eventually be lich lorded once it gets old/repetitive) or take it to PMs.
Well.... all I can say is "wow" right now - I had no idea there were so many passionate people who liked to keep so many items to themselves or even the chance of getting an item to themselves. Now, by items - I mean pixel crack... just to clarify that up front. And I'm not complaining, I like my pixel crack as much as the next person, but I am pretty sure I wouldn't go ninja on someone because they got an item that I hadn't gotten yet. BUT that seems to be the case. So, I've decided to just consolidate all the bitching and griping into one thread so you can all have your say (even though it doesn't change the fact what I did remains done). So, to do this effectively, I'll just type in the most common statements I've personally heard and go from there.
1. Staff give out hammers at events.
Yea - this is a pile of moose poo. "Staff" did not. I made that decision. You can reference me specifically without hurting my feelings. There is no need to blame the entirety of Demise Staff for a decision I made. "Give out hammers at events" makes it sound like it happens ever week. Another pile of moose poo. This is the first hammer that has ever been given away at an event and it had only 10 charges on it. Truthfully, I had thought of this before the event even started and thought it would be an interesting one time shot. It has definitely been interesting and no, I would not change what I did.
2. He did nothing and got a valorite hammer
Au contraire, mes amis! True, he did not do a great amount of physical effort to actually obtain the key; however, he ran around for hours upon hours looking and feeling frustrated and did not give up. He was tenacious, which says a lot about him and even more so than the people who don't want to put the time into the events but like to bitch about them.
BUT let's really look at the odds of the prize for the event. So, how many mobile animals that spawn and can be killed by players do you think exist on the server in total? Let's say 50,000 just for funsies. So, he had a 1 in 5,000 chance of even getting a key. Now, even tho he got the key, he had a 1 in 4 chance that the key was real and even more so, 1 in 25 that the real key opened the specific chest with the hammer. If you want to calculate the odds on that, its a hell of a lot worse than your chance of getting a BOD for a valorite hammer. And if those odds weren't worse enough, he only had 12 hours to do it in AND took the risk of going to Felucca (which he was PKd) and losing the key.
So - who has a better chance of getting a valorite hammer? A smith who uses 3 accounts full of BOD collectors getting a BOD every hour (18 BODs an hour) and filling those BODs afk in his hours OR some guy who happened upon a random series of events that actually led him to a hammer instead of a rose of trinsic? The smith who continues to gather, trade, fill, and turn in BODs can continue to do so and never change their odds; however, what are the odds that if I did this event again, he'd be able to do the same exact thing again and get the same exact outcome?
3. OMGZ the staff give away items and ruin *insert random profession here*
A big fat "whatever" to this one. Every time any event is ever held and any item is ever given away it will always, without a doubt, affect someone somewhere. The first two people who got fruit baskets haven't blown a gasket that I've given more away. The first group of people with roses of trinsic haven't committed themselves to the insane asylum because of my giving more away. I haven't heard of anyone having a mental breakdown because I gave away more ltots at some random event. Believe it or not, smithy won't change because of 10 charges on a valorite hammer. What in the world will you all ever do when the BOD changes that were implemented on OSI a while back make it to Demise? Will a clinic will need to be opened for the suicidal smiths of the world? I doubt it.
Now, one could say "well, staff should just hold events and not give items away - its all about having fun at the events" - Sure, in theory this is great. In a pure altruistic utopia this would be a prime statement; however, we aren't. People like to be rewarded for their time spent. So, the server is expected to reward people for their efforts with items that will affect people somewhere but do so without affecting people anywhere. That won't happen. It's staff's job to make sure that the great items don't flood the market and that bad items don't piss everyone off. Its a matter of looking for the equilibrium. I hadn't gone this big before and I'm glad I did. Doesn't mean that every event you can expect something uber like a valorite hammer, but one never knows. Maybe those who complain about being bored or having things ruined will get off their butts and do some events and be thankful when the give-away isn't l33t and be thankful when it is.
Do you realize there have been more reports of hate comments related to this one event prize than the entire instance with the "other" infamous valorite hammer that led to multiple people getting banned and a few hundred items deleted from game? At least this one is legal and only has 10 charges. Those 10 charges will do absolutely nothing to the server. The likelihood that all 10 charges yield an elite item are next to nill and even if they did, so what - its 10 items. The only impact the event prize has had is on your mental status of how elite you think something should be and the reality that anyone can get it (even noob smiths can get lucky).
4. OMG the same people are always winning!!!! It's not fair!!!!!11!!1!1
Well, I have one real reply for those people: get off your arse and try. You can't win if you don't try and even if you don't get anything the first time, try again. The people I see constantly getting items are the same people I see constantly failing at getting items. But... if you don't try you can't win. Consequently, if you don't try, your opinion holds no weight in any decision that I may make about events. I'm going to listen to the people who actively participate and can actually give constructive feedback. I wouldn't listen to my insurance agent if he was giving me medical advice because he wouldn't know his ass from a hole in the ground when it comes to medicine. If you don't know what you are talking about, I surely won't be listening to you. Harsh reality, but that's how I roll, home fry.
5. You ruined the economy!
1 hammer.... 10 charges.... and a crap ass chance those charges will yield anything of grandeur value. To those who say I ruined the economy.... no, I didn't. Set your irrational anger aside for 10 seconds and think about the true likelihood of him getting anything great from it? Now, before you say "well, the hammer is worth xyz millions" - no, its not... its just a blue hammer unless you actually use it.... only when its used does its true value shine through. Besides, I'm pretty sure he blew all his luck in actually obtaining the hammer
6. You gave the rarest item away on the server!
Uh.... how can it be the "rarest item on the server" if there is a possibility to get it? Yea, its a low chance ratio, but it still exists. The rarest items are those that only exist because staff placed them in game and they cannot be obtained any other way. A person can get a valorite hammer by simply having a little luck, a little patience, and some kick ass trading skills.
The rarest items are the unique items on the server. And... there are seriously on a couple of those anyway. They aren't something Demise gives away like candy as opposed to other servers.
7. You ruined blacksmithy - I quit, you biatch!
Seriously? If having a valorite hammer on the server ruined the entire skill, then that must have happened a long long LONG time ago when the first valorite hammer was obtained. Seriously..... need a xanax?
8. OMG the irony!!11!!1 LC started the Blacksmith trade thread and she ruined blacksmithy....
Uh... starting those threads is part of my job. You see, I have this beautiful ability to separate professional from personal. Consequently, I can also identify between my forum duties and my game duties AND assess (and tolerate) people with ability to empathize frustration and anger. This is why a few of the people who have apparently crossed a line aren't banned and why I'm not angry. People have a right to how they feel; however, they should learn to respect how others feel as well. I suppose these same people should be happy that I'm the one that made the decision to add the hammer because, as history has proven, I'm probably the most tolerable staff member and none of what is said has upset me or made me want to go ban-happy on people.
So, back to point #8, those BOD trade threads have nothing to do with events or event prizes... If someone chooses to not participate in the trade forums because I happen to be the person that posts it, well - I'm sure there are a lot of other happy folks out there because that's one more spot open to the first page and higher exposure. At least that silent protest is more constructive than yelling and screaming at staff and other players.... from the staff and other players' perspectives at least.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Ok, so... I'm not placing a cushion up or trying to be PR friendly right now.
I made a clear and conscious decision to put that hammer in the event. I teetered back and forth but ultimately decided to go forward with it. BUT I knew it was not something that would happen often.... if it happens in the next couple years I'd be surprised (and it wouldn't be from me). Remember, this was a decision I made long before the event was ever started and long before the babies got their diapers in a knot.
Remember, these are decisions that I make for every event that I host. I am not a moron. I am not a bitch. I am not out to "get ya" and I surely am not unfamiliar with the woes of UO.
All the kicking, screaming, and crying has done nothing more but to solidify that I made a good decision. There is an obvious imbalance with the runics and I will be doing some research and testing to figure out the algorithms for the BOD system as it exists on OSI. That information, of course, will be passed on to Asayre in hopes to correct what seems to be wrong.
To sum this up, as I said earlier, I'll listen to constructive criticism that comes from the people that actually participate in the events and/or have some base from which to speak. I am always open to improvement because the events are for the players; however, for those people who just want to sit around and do nothing but criticize and harrass - don't both complaining since it falls on deaf ears.
My final words are this: if individuals who are disgruntled continue to take out their anger on other staff members or players, I will step in and I will exercise the rights I have as staff. I am a very tolerable person but other people will not be harrassed for a decision that I made.
LC
PS: now, if you want to rage on me - do it here or PM me. Don't take it to vent. Don't take it to IRC. Don't be a jerk in game. I'm offering you the open door to kick and scream and rant in this message (which will eventually be lich lorded once it gets old/repetitive) or take it to PMs.
