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-   -   RPMUD Network 2009 Election Results (http://www.topmudsites.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5828)

prof1515 12-21-2009 10:45 PM

RPMUD Network 2009 Election Results
 
First, we'd like to apologize for the delay in the results. Internet outages and busy holiday schedules made it difficult for some members the Operating Committee, myself included, to meet these last two weeks. We did meet tonight though and verified the ballot counts.

The following candidates won election:

Milawe (Threshold)
Shadow (Shadows of Isildur)
Sparks (Accursed Lands)

Congratulations to the winners and thanks to everyone who participated either by running a candidate or by voting. We'd also like to extend a special thanks to those individuals who ran as candidates and hope you continue to express interest and participate in the site and the greater RP community as a whole.

Once again, congratulations to the winners and thank you to all on behalf of the RPMUD Network Operating Committee

Brody 12-22-2009 09:29 AM

Re: RPMUD Network 2009 Election Results
 
Congrats and good luck!

Milawe 12-22-2009 05:10 PM

Re: RPMUD Network 2009 Election Results
 
Thanks a ton!

Newworlds 12-25-2009 05:00 PM

Re: RPMUD Network 2009 Election Results
 
Congrats Milawe!

Always nice when a voice of reason is heard.

Auroness48 12-26-2009 12:04 PM

Re: RPMUD Network 2009 Election Results
 
I suppose congratulations are in order, to anyone who gets the most votes. But I am still very confused on the purpose of these elections. The site hasn't changed any since last year, and I have not seen any signs of activity by this committee. What are they supposed to do? Is it a game-owners only site for administrative discussions? I just don't get it.

prof1515 12-26-2009 02:50 PM

Re: RPMUD Network 2009 Election Results
 
It's possible that you haven't checked the site that often as it has changed over the year. Granted, it hasn't changed as much as we'd have liked but it's been a difficult year for most of the Committee members. But there have been changes and we hope to have more progress this coming year.

Quite the opposite. The goal is to make a site for independent, third-party collected information on all RP-enforced/mandatory MU*s and offering critical reviews and anaylsis of such games. In other words, not summaries by the games themselves and not reviews by fanbois or flamers. Rather the aim is provide a legitimate resource for players interested in finding a game that most meets their desires.

The process of collecting data is a slow one especially given the unreliability of nearly every bit of information some games make available including even simple yet critical things like telnet addresses. Aside from misleading information regarding role-play enforcement and codebases, some games don't even have the proper telnet addresses available. They'll list one address or port number on TMS, another on TMC and yet a third on their website. Nearly every game has lied about playerbase figures, quite a few of them list contact-email addresses which aren't valid and in some cases the name of the game isn't even the same as advertised on TMS, TMC or even their own website! Full data collection for our database will take years, especially since we'll have to annually go back over it and update what's already collected.

We're also still refining things like how we'll organize it as well as the format for review and analysis. Earlier this year, we abandoned a couple of projects that had taken up a considerable amount of the work that was completed in the first half of the year. Instead, we're focusing on the core features of the site alone.

With one exception (and she only recently returned to the staff of her old game), the permanent membership of the Operating Committee is not on the staff of any open-for-play game. The three elected members are there to ensure that there is diversity of thought and perspective on the Committee since there have been some persistent yet unfounded claims that the Committee membership harbors some sinister bias or ulterior motives or some such nonsense.

Our target is for a spring release of our first collection of articles and reviews. Several setbacks in recent weeks (as evidenced by the delay in the election results) will mean we'll have to step up our timetable if we hope to meet that deadline but we're hopeful we can do so.

Take care,

Jason

Newworlds 12-28-2009 12:46 AM

Re: RPMUD Network 2009 Election Results
 
I'd have to question this. I know and respect Milawe and it is easy to find her and her posts on these forums. I also know your position and major bias prof1515, which is also easy to find on these forums.

But who are Shadow and Sparks. Neither have a user name on TMS (unless you are talking about the shadow who hasn't posted since 2002). How do we know what biases they may have besides the knowledge of their home muds?

prof1515 12-28-2009 02:45 AM

Re: RPMUD Network 2009 Election Results
 
Everyone has biases. As for who they are, they're from Shadows of Isildur and Accursed Lands. They're the candidates those two games put forward. I don't know about Sparks but Shadow doesn't have an account on TMS nor does she need one. She avoids this site because of the way some members behave. But what difference would it make if they did have accounts here?

DonathinFrye 12-29-2009 05:54 PM

Re: RPMUD Network 2009 Election Results
 
I hope that Shadow, in particular, will do more this year than she did last year in an effort to build bridges between the RPI Community and the "RPE/RPO/RPwhatever" and TMS communities. I feel very strongly that the way forward for the MUDing community as a whole is a re-commitment to the joint interest of our favorite niche, as well as more of an effort to share ideas between games and designers; the latter, in particular, I think could go far to help stabilize newer games and re-energize older games with new ideas.

I think that the concept of the Network is a good one. I've staffed with Shadow on Shadows of Isildur and am not optimistic that she will accomplish much to create a less 'exclusive' image for the RPI genre. However, I do appreciate Accursed Lands and have had little, but enjoyable communication with Milawe.

Best luck to you guys. Things like this are always an opportunity for the pro-active to make strong impacts. Don't let the opportunity slip through your fingers. : )

Newworlds 12-29-2009 06:31 PM

Re: RPMUD Network 2009 Election Results
 
Sorry to say that just bringing up the term RPI on any thread seems to leave a negative connotation. RPI/RPE/RPwhatever is exactly right, redundant. Keeping the term and reference to RPI completely out of the RPMUD Network would probably be a good idea. Just an opinion.

As for building bridges? Milawe is likely the only hope for that. I would think that the bridges were so cataclysmically destroyed in the scorching flames of previous threads I don't see anything left of the foundation much less a smoldering framework to build upon.

ShadowsDawn 12-30-2009 01:33 AM

Re: RPMUD Network 2009 Election Results
 
New Worlds, do not forget that Prof is not the only one behind this. He is merely the most vocal of our number on here. One member is a MUSHer.. one member thinks the RPI engine code is a train wreck and dislikes the RPI style in general... We all have differing opinions, but we work together to try to come up with a game plan that we can agree on and we work with it.

There have been some larger disagreements, but we work through them... and for the most part Prof stays out of it.
We are not all his mindless puppets as you have tried to make it sound before.

In fact.. I'm a rather active player on your own game for the past two months or so and quite enjoy it. I also tend to spend a fair time with Thresh when I have the time, and have been doing so for the past ten years. Heck I even enjoy some IRE games.

So truthfully, I'd appreciate it if you got off our backs and stopped taking your dislike of Prof out on the group as a whole. Prof is not us.. we are not Prof. Just because we don't speak up much does not mean we agree with everything he says. I know I stay out of things because the threads are the same old crap rehashed over and over and over. I'd wager many of the others share the same sentiment on it.

Oh, and if you want, I can even send you a tell in game to prove I'm not lying about being a rather active player in your game.

Auroness48 12-30-2009 06:24 PM

Re: RPMUD Network 2009 Election Results
 
Well it is obvious that I am missing something then, if Prof says there have been updates. This is what I found today, and it was the same content I saw in early December. Other than the Election Notice from November, I haven't seen any changes since March, and I have checked the site out at least once a month, hoping it was up. Perhaps this is a browser issue with some sort of fancy coding by Joomla?

I never have found a listing of the RPMUD Network Charter anywhere. I can get more information about the site from reading TMS. I have registered several times and have never received any email response or the activation code, no matter which email account I use. So, I guess I still don't understand the purpose of charters, elections and postings, for something that doesn't work.

Home
1 article updated 22 February, 2009
1 article updated 13 October, 2009
Election Noticed updated 11 November, 2009

About RPMUD network
5 articles, all of them updated March 11 or March 19, 2009

News
No content beyond section title and one warning.
"Cache directory unwritable"

Journal
no information at all, just the section title

Resources
no information at all, just the section title

Community
no information at all, just the section title


All pages have the following message in the right-hand column

"Feed Display
Please make the Cache directory writable."

Newworlds 12-31-2009 10:32 AM

Re: RPMUD Network 2009 Election Results
 
Fear not. I do understand the one person isn't the only one behind the network, nor do I group everyone together, however, it is hard to seperate that person from the design, creation, and focus of the network as it is his creation. I will simply watch and see how your group proceeds.

No need to send me a tell, anyone can do that. Just send me a PM here indicating who your character is. It is easy for the staff to determine how active you are.

DonathinFrye 01-01-2010 01:57 AM

Re: RPMUD Network 2009 Election Results
 
I think that some fresh perspective would be best for everyone, personally. I understand the term "RPI" to refer to a genre of games built by, or resembling, a specific codebase (the RPI Engine). To me, it isn't a superiority thing - it's just the same reasoning to call my game an RPI as it is for Realms of Despair to call their game SMAUG. I don't overly have a huge problem with other games calling themselves RPIs, though if the gameplay is significantly different than most RPIs it could be confusing for new players.

What I believe in, even more, is that entrenched battles between various games' admins are counter-productive for everyone. Once again, I think that a fresh point-of-view and some renewed energy could do a lot to bring the roleplaying-focused members of the MUDing community together more for the purpose of sharing and forming new ideas.

The future of MUDs is innovation. That is always how it will have to be. Innovation can mean more than gameplay, though. It can be sociological, too. It can be marketing. Innovation can come in many spheres and there is more to learn in a co-operative environment than on top of a "smoldering framework" as you say, NewWorlds.

I ran for a place on the RPMUD Council and lost my election; so a year from now, by the time that the next election rolls around, I am challenging you (Shadow) and the rest of you (RPMUD) to show how much of a positive impact you have made on the community in the grand year of 2010.

Happy New Years.

ShadowsDawn 01-01-2010 11:47 AM

Re: RPMUD Network 2009 Election Results
 
Just as a note since this has come up already... I am not Shadow. ShadowsDawn is just the nick I am using on TMS and TMC rather than just using my usual character nick.

Newworlds 01-01-2010 12:14 PM

Re: RPMUD Network 2009 Election Results
 
I do think you have a good perspective on coordination and how MUD's should work together. Perhaps, people will note this and you will win a spot next year.;)

DonathinFrye 01-01-2010 12:36 PM

Re: RPMUD Network 2009 Election Results
 
Tricky. :D I was a bit confused, because I know Shadow, and you weren't making any typos or miss-placing any commas. Obviously, my best wishes to your efforts this year, whomever you are mystery person.

prof1515 01-01-2010 07:45 PM

Re: RPMUD Network 2009 Election Results
 
There have been changes though not as many as we'd like. Scheduling conflicts and other issues have made meeting a bit difficult at times. Additionally, the Committee voted earlier this year to discard some of the work that had already been done on some features, electing to concentrate on the core of the site instead.

The Charter was up earlier this year but for some reason every upload of it scrambled the tabs which made for a very messy document. I tinkered with it for a while before finally removing it. I'm not that familiar with Joomla so I don't know if there's a way to correct it or if I have to change the way in which indentations are handled in the document prior to uploading.

Since taking down the Charter, I suppose the mission statement of the site hasn't been up. I'm off for Chicago for a couple weeks starting tomorrow but I'll try to find time to put something up, probably during the OC's weekly meeting.

We're still uncertain what, if any, role registration will have on the site. At present you can register but in the future we may opt to remove it entirely depending upon what use it may or may not have.

The charter is to lay out the way that the site is managed from its purpose to decision-making processes. The elections are to ensure a balanced perspective in regard to the diversity of RP-enforced/mandatory games out there by providing direct input from different games. Obviously, having someone from every game would make for an unmanageable situation so instead we have three representatives representing three different perspectives of RP gaming (though there have been suggestions by some on the Operating Committee to expand that to four; the fact that all three seats are finally filled this year may give creedance to such a move).

Just as a side note, October 2009 would be AFTER March. ;)

There were additional articles including the Charter but for some reason the indenting would not resolve properly and thus I took it down since it was very messy. It will go back up.

This is a tentative section since we're not certain how, or even if, we'll be utilizing it. Odds are that we won't but it's there just in case.

The first edition of the journal is scheduled for a Spring 2010 debut and we're hoping we can get caught up after the recent scheduling conflicts in order to meet that deadline.

That's presently in the works but has been delayed by the impact of real life on the staff working on it. It won't be fully completed for some while as part of it involves data collection of the hundreds of RP MU*s out there and that takes time. It will be completed piece by piece probably over a period of years since we also have to review and update it annually.

The work that was done for this section was discarded earlier this year. We're still not certain whether or not we'll retain the remainder of what was planned for this section.

That seems to be the result of a bug in the version of Joomla we're using. It's hoped that using a new version of Joomla may resolve that but I'm not handling that so I don't know the progress or specifics of that decision as the two working on it were going to decide the best course of action. I'll bring it up at the next meeting.

Jason aka Falco

prof1515 01-01-2010 09:06 PM

Re: RPMUD Network 2009 Election Results
 
I've put the Charter back up on the About Page. There are still problems with some of the tabs and indentations but I spent a while trying to fix as many of them as well as I could. I couldn't get all of them to come out properly so it's a bit odd-looking in spots.


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