Ramblings...

[Vitoc]

I just cracked open a beer and I'm going to sit and types some thoughts until I get to the bottom of this beer, and then I'm going to go to bed (or maybe drink another).

I started playing MajorMUD when I was about 15 or so.  I left the Tradewars scene and started playing MajorMUD in 1.0 something or other on my 14.4k baud modem, well before mod 1 was released, and I know others have started even before then.  I was the first on the BBS I played on to discover scripting.  I wrote my own scripts and scripts for others.  I have no doubt in my mind those days of writing scripts planted the seeds for what would become my passion; software development.

I've played on many boards, met many friends and made many acquaintances.  I've also somehow managed to piss off a ton of people along the way.  It's funny... I used to join in with the criticism of Shannon and Izak and Metro in general and their complete and total mishandling of the game I loved.  How stupid and incompetent could they be, right?  Funny how things work I suppose, when over a decade later I'm being bashed and mocked on my own forums and in my own game.

This started out as a hobby for me with GOTA and eventually KeyserMUD, an in-game MajorMUD Explorer where people would be able to see the stats of every mob, test out scenarios and what not.  However, the core of the realm came together rather quickly, it felt like a MajorMUD realm, and soon I found myself surrounded by others who saw the potential after years of neglect by the owners of MajorMUD.

Years ago I promised I would never let what happened to MajorMUD happen to GreaterMUD, and I stand by that promise.  Fast forward several years... I was down to my last $100 last month with over a week to go until my next payday.  I turned to you guys and asked, for the first time since starting, for monetary donations from those who could spare it.  Many people graciously donated and I never thanked them properly.  To those who have donated, a sincere, humble, and genuine thank you.  I will do my best to repay it when I'm back on my feet, in one way or another.  That being said, donations do not buy favors or special treatment in-game.  Please do not donate unless you have the extra cash and are willingly donating it without any expectations.

To those who have recently been punished for bug abuse in game.  What to say...  I've abused many bugs in my online gaming career.  I was first on my board to discover the FAT bug in Tradewars, and man did I abuse the shit out of it.  I was the first to discover both the set split and serpentkin bugs in MajorMUD on my board, and man did I abuse the shit out of those.  In each case, I pretty much ruined each game instance with my cheating and they had to be reset, because of me.  I didn't win, I cheated.  I like finding unique ways to gain advantages in games, but there has to be a line.  No matter how you dice it, the current iteration of the PVP realm was completely unbalanced and ruined by the abuse of this bug.  It was either force those who cheated to start over or reset the whole realm.  Either way we would have taken flak and people would have quit.  I feel we made the right decision by not punishing those who have played by the rules and not resorted to bug-abuse.

I won't say that Shannon, Izak, and Metro weren't negligent with MajorMUD.  I will say it's sick how quickly a group of people will turn on people with genuinely good intentions when development slows down.  It's been what, two and a half months or so since our last build?  As I stated in a previous post, I started a new job about 4 or 5 months ago at a startup company, where I'm in charge of all things technology related.  I'm working 50-55+ hour weeks and my eyes / eyelashes are fighting me all week long.  Please cut me some slack.

I'm getting close to the end of my beer, so let me start ending this post.  If you all honestly feel like I'm not capable of finishing this project and releasing version 1.0 in some reasonable time schedule, please just tell me right now and I'll pass the torch to someone more capable.  Point me to someone we can trust that's more capable than I am and has more time than I do who can spend their days working on a text-game for a niche group of people.  This economy fucking blows, there's no way around that.  I wish I could spend my days developing GreaterMUD, I would do it in a heartbeat if I could make any sort of living off of it, but such it not the case.

My beer is empty, so on to my final thoughts...

To those who have given Gardner grief over his decision to punish those who have cheated, what did you think was going to happen?

To those who have taken this way beyond the game and to a personal level with Gardner and/or myself, and I say this with conviction, go fuck yourself.  How old are you?  I might have resorted to this kind of juvenile behavior when I was a teenager, but at your age, shame on you.  Grow the fuck up.  This is a game.  "Boohoo, I cheated and they punished me for it.  It's not fair."  Really? GMAFB

Stop.  Reset.  Drink a beer (or some non-alcoholic beverage if you are so inclined), sleep on it, and come back when you realize this is a game we're all trying to get some enjoyment out of.  Cheating is going to happen, but those who have cheated have no right to complain when punishment is doled out.

This is a 3 day weekend for me, all seems well with our project at work, so I'm hoping to get in some much-needed development time this weekend.  To everyone, I hope you all enjoy the weekend.  I know I will.  Time for another beer.  ;D

[Fuxsiloh]

To those who have given Gardner grief over his decision to punish those who have cheated, what did you think was going to happen?

Have you read anything that has been posted? RFLOL. I am going to have to assume you haven't, since if you had, you would have realised that no one was banned for "cheating" - FACT. Just because Gardner says we cheated doesn't make it so, as the various posts show. If you have read everything and still claim we cheated you are just as deluded as Gardner.

I can't be fucked explaining it all in detail again, I will try and give you a "in a nutshell" account.

Gardner knew what we were doing. He knew before, during and after. He at NO STAGE told us it was a bug/cheating. He had countless opportunities to tell us to stop. We even went as far as to ASK HIM if we should leave/stop doing what we were doing. He did and said NOTHING... waited 3 days and then permanently banned all of us. Now you tell me how you think this is in anyway fair? (for full details see MSN discussion here: http://www.greatermud.com/forums/index.php?topic=3321.msg15700#new)

I should also point out that for the preceding month or so Gardner has not been enforcing ANY BUG ABUSE on the PVP Realm. Players from various camps were abusing a whole variety of bugs with no repercussions. Again, all this information is readily available on YOUR forums... I suggest you fucking read a bit of it before you go off on a beer induced rant endorsing the reckless decision of your MudOP.

To those who have taken this way beyond the game and to a personal level with Gardner and/or myself, and I say this with conviction, go fuck yourself.  How old are you?  I might have resorted to this kind of juvenile behavior when I was a teenager, but at your age, shame on you.  Grow the fuck up.  This is a game.  "Boohoo, I cheated and they punished me for it.  It's not fair."  Really? GMAFB

What the fuck are you talking about? If you think us disclosing his fuckup on the forums as "personal" then stop crying and harden the fuck up. He made a stupid decision and we've disclosed it. Grow a pair.

Cheating is going to happen, but those who have cheated have no right to complain when punishment is doled out.

Here, read this quote from a post from Prescience and attempt to understand the essence of what transpired:

Appreciate the explanation of the bans, but as previously stated I wholeheartedly disagree with the severity of the punishment given the following:

1. Tupac explicitly asked if we could continue to script Oz

[04:49] Gardner: I'm not going to put a stop to it yet, but ya'll can't use this to stack up a bunch of lvls and grief the entire realm.  I'll put a stop to that quick if it starts.

this explicitly means 'Yes, you can continue as long as a bunch of levels are not stacked and griefing is not done.' Neither of the conditions for a 'quick stop' were met.

The actions which we were banned for WERE CLEARED with Gardner - FACT.

The realm has been cheating/abusing bugs in one way or another for the last month or so - FACT.

Gardner made the wrong decision - FACT.

I don't want you to re-instate my character. I don't want you to reset the PVP Realm. I just want you to cage Gardner and ensure he doesn't fuck with any other characters in the same reckless manner he dealt with ours.

Then again, do you really care? You pop up once in a blue moon, blast a bunch of characters without even reading up on what transpired and now, presumably, will go back to your tea party and wait for the next round of donation money to stream in.

You put this question to Ptery:
"Are you seriously going to sit there and defend Thesifer when he's stooped to this level?"

Change Thesifer to Gardner and now you answer (this time, try reading some of the material before giving a knee-jerk response).

[Vitoc]

Enjoy your vacation douchebag

[GreatMe]

As this will be my last post after this account gets banned Vitoc -

 I figured I would post and just clear up a few things for you.

     First and foremost -   I was banned from GreaterMUD completely for what I did two pushes ago, and then when I came back - I told you I was back and you accepted that knowledge.  You knew I was playing, as well as Gardner knowing I was playing.  It wasn't any big secret.  And sure I was pissed when our accounts got banned for what you call cheating (we won't even get into the fact that it was allowed to happen)  besides that,  Anyways, I was arguing that point when Gardner decided he now needed to ban me from Greatermud computer for being "Thesifer" -  Which again, is his choice whether I agree or not.

   So I came to forums, and I complained - but never said anything worse than anyone else has said here.   Except that I had donated for a game that was obviously stagnant, which I guess he took offense too.   So he banned me completely from here.

   I assume he thinks I was the one that 'contacted his daughter on facebook', and while I do know that happened as I heard about it from Padre, that wasn't me.  As I have no reason to contact Gardners family.

   The one thing I did do - After being banned from the forums - and game - Was submit his email to a porn newsletter.  Which if he were intelligent enough to realize was obviously a joke - as I did it UNDER MY IP - And it was one that clearly stated that it would sent out a 'Verification Email' - hence it wouldn't go anywhere.  

   Of which he reported me to my ISP for so no harm no foul.

   He obviously doesn't want his Email secure, or he wouldn't post it openly in plain text in the forums - or on his website.  But that's his choice.

  So while I don't condone what someone else did with the contacting his daughter or whatever they did (That's how I heard it at least)  You can think I 'totally crossed the line' but pulling a prank all you want.

  As for the rest of it, you're welcome to think whatever you want about cheating or what not.. In the end its your game and your choice.

  I might add that Gardner seems so worried about privacy yet openly posts my IP for all to see.  Sounds pretty childish for a 46 year old man.

  Also I'm not sure if you remember when you were piss drunk and offered to give me 'anything on Greatermud because i'm feeling generous tonight!' you said..  And I said no, as I had no intention of fucking up your game because you were drunk.   Which sadly does bring me to the cheating thing - none of us saw it as cheating since Padre had asked Gardner about it.  Also I talked to you on more than one occasion on AIM / MSN you never mentioned it.  

 So whatever - I'm done.  You're welcome to ban this account now.  And delete this post - Hopefully you get to read it first before Gardner deletes it.   Whether you like what it says or not, at least I said my piece.

[Fuxsiloh]

Enjoy your vacation douchebag

What a mature response... didn't someone say something about growing up...?

How old are you?  I might have resorted to this kind of juvenile behavior when I was a teenager, but at your age, shame on you.  Grow the fuck up.

RFLOL... you don't even read your own words!

[Vitoc]

As this will be my last post after this account gets banned Vitoc -

 I figured I would post and just clear up a few things for you.

     First and foremost -   I was banned from GreaterMUD completely for what I did two pushes ago, and then when I came back - I told you I was back and you accepted that knowledge.  You knew I was playing, as well as Gardner knowing I was playing.  It wasn't any big secret.  And sure I was pissed when our accounts got banned for what you call cheating (we won't even get into the fact that it was allowed to happen)  besides that,  Anyways, I was arguing that point when Gardner decided he now needed to ban me from Greatermud computer for being "Thesifer" -  Which again, is his choice whether I agree or not.

   So I came to forums, and I complained - but never said anything worse than anyone else has said here.   Except that I had donated for a game that was obviously stagnant, which I guess he took offense too.   So he banned me completely from here.

   I assume he thinks I was the one that 'contacted his daughter on facebook', and while I do know that happened as I heard about it from Padre, that wasn't me.  As I have no reason to contact Gardners family.

   The one thing I did do - After being banned from the forums - and game - Was submit his email to a porn newsletter.  Which if he were intelligent enough to realize was obviously a joke - as I did it UNDER MY IP - And it was one that clearly stated that it would sent out a 'Verification Email' - hence it wouldn't go anywhere.  

   Of which he reported me to my ISP for so no harm no foul.

   He obviously doesn't want his Email secure, or he wouldn't post it openly in plain text in the forums - or on his website.  But that's his choice.

  So while I don't condone what someone else did with the contacting his daughter or whatever they did (That's how I heard it at least)  You can think I 'totally crossed the line' but pulling a prank all you want.

  As for the rest of it, you're welcome to think whatever you want about cheating or what not.. In the end its your game and your choice.

  I might add that Gardner seems so worried about privacy yet openly posts my IP for all to see.  Sounds pretty childish for a 46 year old man.

  Also I'm not sure if you remember when you were piss drunk and offered to give me 'anything on Greatermud because i'm feeling generous tonight!' you said..  And I said no, as I had no intention of fucking up your game because you were drunk.   Which sadly does bring me to the cheating thing - none of us saw it as cheating since Padre had asked Gardner about it.  Also I talked to you on more than one occasion on AIM / MSN you never mentioned it.  

 So whatever - I'm done.  You're welcome to ban this account now.  And delete this post - Hopefully you get to read it first before Gardner deletes it.   Whether you like what it says or not, at least I said my piece.

Yeah, I read it...

It's unfortunate someone who also runs an online game can't empathize with the challenges of handling in-game drama and bug abuse.  There's no book on how to run things and handle these situations.  We make decisions based on what we see and what we're told.  No matter what you do, you'll never please everybody.  I genuinely wish you luck on your online game.  I don't "hope it fails catastrophically."  :-\

[Rhinehold]

For what it's worth, I doubt anyone will be able to pick up where you would leave off with the development.  At least not with any real success.  This is your brain child, I for one and good with you finishing it.  Society today is more about instant gratification and no one likes waiting long periods of time.  But it is what it is.  I appreciate all your hard work Vitoc.

Keep truckin, and know that you DO have people that support you.

Regards,

-Rhinehold

[Prescience]

Where to begin?

First, I think that in game arguments should remain in game. The whispers and rumors I have heard regarding the invasion of Gardner's personal life are completely inappropriate and in his position I would also be upset.

By and large I feel that Gardner has been a fair mudop and that he has done a good job moderating the vast number and types of personalities in the pvp realm. One disagreement should not discount years (months in my case) of enjoyable game play.

However, he knows as does anyone who has read my forum posts, that I strongly disagree with the Oz bans. I wish he had communicated his unconditional disapproval and the consequences of continuing to script the mist rather than leaving it highly ambiguous (I would argue he tacitly agreed we could continue scripting there).

Nevertheless, the personal attacks have left Gardner unwilling to negotiate with any of us because he feels we are all guilty by association -- which is very unfortunate. Most of us are good people (despite the profanity laced tirades you read on forums) and it is a shame the majority of us are being punished for something someone else did.

I understand both sides and I wish both sides had acted differently.

~Cornellian

[Thesifer]

Yeah, I read it...

It's unfortunate someone who also runs an online game can't empathize with the challenges of handling in-game drama and bug abuse.  There's no book on how to run things and handle these situations.  We make decisions based on what we see and what we're told.  No matter what you do, you'll never please everybody.  I genuinely wish you luck on your online game.  I don't "hope it fails catastrophically."  :-\

Oh believe me I've dealt with many people a lot worse than anyone around here has been.  

Although in this situation as a game Administrator myself, I would most likely have put everyone into the Bank Vault, and asked them if they wanted to continue playing - they would need to Reroll to remove the experience.  

Now of course I personally would have never let something I disapproved of continue for days on end, especially after it's brought to my attention.  But that's neither here nor there.  After it happened, there is a right way and a wrong way to handle it.  Permanent Bans of Characters that some people have spent months / years on should always be the last option.

At least with the reroll, players would have started with characters in the 20-30 range and not back at Level 1.  

[Thesifer]

On that same note: Since you brought up the fact that I am as well a Game Administrator and Developer -

My first course of action if someone came to me and said - "Hey I'm think about Banning 14 characters from your game permanently.  Is that cool?" 

I would first say "Hold off on that, and let me look into it, because 14 people is a pretty big deal." (Of course I look into ALL banning even the non-permanent ones but maybe that's just me.)

I CARE about my game, and how it runs, and even though I have staff and operators that I do trust, they will never make game changing decisions on a permanent basis that I haven't at least looked into and in some cases talked with the affected people about. I've dealt with many people that have 'cheated' or 'exploited bugs' or 'got ahead because I overlooked something'  - in every case I worked with them / staff to figure out a proper solution. 

I know spending time on a game can be daunting, but that's why I took up the mantle of Game Development / Administration.  If I wasn't willing to put in the time, I would shut my game down.

My first course of action for people that generally have played a legit game and then did something that is either A> against the rules or B> I feel unbalanced the game unfairly - if they have been legit players - would be to remove the offending data.
ALWAYS. 

I would MUCH Rather spend the 20 minutes to an hour or so cleaning up a mess, then causing a large disaster.

[Jigga]

I'm very familiar with the grief of an operator trying to make everyone happy. Especially running a MajorMUD BBS where I only have so much control of the game. I can't fix bugs. Yeah I can remove items and block commands so things can't b e exploited but I dont have the freedom of the source code GMUD has.

It's impossible to please everyone. And when people complain about being banned for whatever reasons, it's often how they go about doing what they did. On my board over the years there have been plenty of times that I would kindly ask someone not to do something, not  because I wanted them to slow down, but for the good of the realm.

A player's goal is to get the most items and have the biggest character.

An operator's goal is (usually) to have the most amount of users playing their game as possible. So sometimes decisions need to be made that are in the benefit of the majority.

I say play the game with maturity. If you find a bug, fucking report it and don't use it. It's only slowing down progress by not doing so.


As far as "passing the torch" - No way. I think Vitoc is doing a great job with the time he has. What I do think should be done, is allow some help. Allow people to create dats and areas and monsters and submit them. Doesnt mean you have to accept them all, but imagine the growth the game could get if tons of people could submit their addons, and then the ones Vitoc (or the community) likes the best will get implemented into the game.

[Thergin]

Nothing I cant stand more then when someone says "its just a game", Vitoc if all your code was lost for greatermud, would you have a beer and say "its just a game who cares". Time, people, respect. It does not matter the context, its not for someone else to decide they should not care and sleep it off its just txt.