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Old 05-04-2002, 05:50 PM   #1
Shao_Long
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well,hmm..I actually myself have already met some people,who have actually ..changed ,somehow..And this is weird..A nice,really nice guy..Becomes an imm,and in a year. Heh,he's not the one I knew before..

Are you sure such stuff wont happen to you ?
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Old 05-04-2002, 06:33 PM   #2
Kyandra
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Lightbulb

Being an immortal brings with it power and responisibility. Hopefully, it also brings with it some form of caring about the mud.

I have seen the peter principal at work. I have seen young mud die purely because the choose the wrong immortal staff. And I have seen players who become immortals show their true selves.

That true self is not always a power-hungry, selfish player who provides their friends and their alts with super-twinks. Often you find out the person really has some serious depth to them and is a person worth knowing (bow Riviat who I have teased here and on other forums).

I think a lot of that comes from how immortals are selected. I think a good imp chooses them not by the fact that they are their friends, but because they have skills or traits that would be an asset to the game.

Those that make the mistake of imming their friends or immig for their friends, often find that the friendship was sadly not what it seems.

I could go on, and even tell a personal story, but that is nto for here I do not think.

I guess I will say -- don't do it unless you have the time and the energy to fully commit to your role and you are in agreement with the rules, regulations, and other factors that make your mud a place you love to play.
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Old 05-04-2002, 07:16 PM   #3
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I didn't vote on this, I refuse to...

I was all but dragged kicking and screaming into being an imm. Now that I've been one for a while I'm comfortable with it, the only thing I abuse is being able to make mobs say stuff over global channels when I'm bored and doing socials at people when i don't feel like going to them. I didn't ask for the "power" i have now, and at times I really don't like it, but there you go. I love the mud I'm on and I'm an imm so that I can help make it better than it already is.

So how would that be voted?
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Old 05-04-2002, 08:08 PM   #4
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Old 05-04-2002, 08:26 PM   #5
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Yeah. I thought I'd do that too when I applied. And I did, for six months.

And after those six months, I realized I hadn't actually done much real work.

Oh yes, I did answer tells. Dozens of them. After a time, most were about justifying or advocating a higher staff member's decision.
Or explaining why a domain lord working on completely different areas than mine had just made some minor spot more difficult.
Or listening to a single series of about a dozen different ideas for improvement, each deemed "original" but retold countless times by different people, and trying to justify why we wouldn't implement them (as if I had any say in the matter). Or arbitrating stupid name-calling fights on global channels. And zillions of other small and petty matters.

Well, after six months, I felt badly burnt out, and started spending most of my remaining year on that place's staff mostly invis, actually producing real work for the game. And oddly enough, the times when I was visible, all of a sudden the signal to noise rations of tells and mails was ten times higher than before.

Anyway, I'm not suited for player relationship positions, that's certainly clear.
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Old 05-04-2002, 08:32 PM   #6
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I've been an Imm for over seven years and after the first few months its not that exciting anymore. After seven years, sometimes I'd rather just play.
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Old 05-05-2002, 12:03 AM   #7
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Exclamation

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Old 05-05-2002, 03:00 AM   #8
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Question

I'm an administrator on Seasons of Almadyn and to tell you the truth, I'd rather be an apprentice. I have no power over people, only decisions that may or may not have an effect on them. I dislike the responsibility but I am very trustworthy. It's actually a MUD that was begun by a group of my friends b/c we were outcast elsewhere. The word "power" has never crossed my lips and I don't think it's power, it's more like privelage, no less than being an immortal of any level.
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Old 05-05-2002, 03:19 PM   #9
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I think what few players realise is that being a good imm primarily means work, not power. I also think very few players realise how much unpaid and unselfish work that goes into developing and maintaining a mud. If you are worth your salt as imm, the power you get is only important to you in the aspect that it enables you to carry out that work.

If you are only into it for the power, you shouldn't have an imm at all. It's as simple as that
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Old 05-06-2002, 04:33 PM   #10
Rjakegel
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Man Wenlin, I'd love for you to be an imm!
Personally, if I ever got the chance, I would be in it just for player relations. As far as the mud I play, there never seems to be enough visible immortals around.
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Old 05-06-2002, 04:50 PM   #11
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The problem with just being in it for the player relations is that you're gonna realize real fast while most older imms aren't real good about answering mort's notes, tells and ooc jabberings.

Even in a position of relative power, you can't possibly know everything that every other imm is doing. Half of the questions I get as an imm I'm not in a position to answer at all. The other half give me headaches, because I always wonder if I'm gonna give an answer and later be told by the imp that it was the wrong one (this happens a lot). Worse still is when morts ask you a question, you say something like "yeah, I think that's alright" with the usual disclaimers "don't take my word for it" and later some other imm doesn't like it and the mort says I told him it was ok to do so and so... argh.
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Old 05-06-2002, 06:41 PM   #12
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We should all be truly grateful for all of you who put these fantastic worlds together and make them work, dealing with all the BS and security and strange people and petty gripes.

I just don't see how a person can do this stuff and still play the game!   Any time spent admining has to come out of play time.  I am already short on play time.  Imms have decided that they would rather spend the time admining than playing.  Guess we don't have that in common.

Then there is this unselfishness thing.  I want to do the right thing.  Sometimes that means devoting energy or money to someone else's benefit.  Yep, occasionally I do something unselfish.  But about the time that I get to feeling that someone else owes me for it, well that just kind of sucks the "unselfishness" right out of it, doesn't it?  It'd be healthy to expect about the same level of respect as an imm as you have as a player.

A person would have to be insane to imm on some muds out there.  The game is a gas, but the policies and player base are crazy.  So, before giving-in to that urge to wield power I'd have to take a hard look at the chances of success.  If the chances for success are out of my control, then where's the power?  Bummer to feel responsible for getting something done and not have the chance to do it.

Take no prisoners
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Old 05-06-2002, 08:38 PM   #13
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I agree with what Molly says. The reason I imm is because I get a kick out of designing game systems, mechanics, environments, challenges.
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Old 05-10-2002, 09:39 AM   #14
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Arrow

I've been the Head Adminstrator and sole Coder for my own mud for about 4 years now. I can honestly tell you that some days I don't even want to log on, and other days it is unbelievably rewarding.

I think most players take for granted that Immortals have all the answers and can solve all their problems. When i hire a new staff member i fully expect them to quit within 3 months.

Of all the staff members i have hired over the years only about 15% have stuck around longterm. You get brief spats of productivity from these imms, and then nothing for months.
It is a high stress, high maintenance job.

The only people i know who actually enjoy this job(myself included) are either power hungry twinks, or people that derive their enjoyment from implementing a something that works and is liked. There is nothing better than having dozens of players come to you and say, "Cain, i really love the new crafting system." Of course, to get these few and far between complements you have to endure the endless, "I hate this..." comments:P

Anyway, this post rambled on way too long.
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Old 06-04-2002, 10:38 AM   #15
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Old 06-04-2002, 02:02 PM   #16
Shao_Long
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Old 06-09-2002, 01:19 PM   #17
Brianna
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Exclamation

I enjoy both playing and imm'ing but in some cases I would rather just play at times. I work on two muds and play on another. I recently joined the staff on another game as well. I am like Molly and Nass, I enjoy building. I love creating places for people to explore and when someone notices a small nuance to the zone that most people overlook its make it all worthwhile.

I think its all based on how the person considers ethics. I personally have a high ethical standard and will do what I feel is best for the game. Its just the way I am. Others may not.

Just my piece.
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Old 06-10-2002, 12:53 AM   #18
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Yeah, for the longest time, I wanted to be an imm on the MUD that I primarily play for (I'd plug them, but I'm not sure how much they deserve it). Anyway, they repetitively turned me down, because that mud is very cliquish. We have all kinds of bureacracy and immortals that can't do their jobs because they have the hook-ups with the higher level. So anyway, I'm imming with a friend, and before that, with his brother. I've coded and built, and I like coding more. I could care less about all the immortal commands, I use basically only these:

switch/return (for when I get bored)
copyover
set
goto

There are days when I log on with great gung-ho eagerness, and get a bunch done. But then there are the days when the crap hits the fan, and I want to scream, or log off. The other three immortals (we're a developing mud) are rarely on (two imps and a head guild), and I usually go through all the junk. I get forced into all kinds of roles I'm not prepared for and do a bad job at (most coders have no people skills, which is why I code and not handle policy). In fact, I got the following series of mails in my box:
"emotes can be done by typing emote .............................
And you get points for them, i tried it with a new char so you wouldnt vape
this one. Just wanted to tell you."

"well, maybe you should start logging all of the emotes. Some people like
myself doesn't like ppl abusing commands like that for exp to level on.
(last sentence)(Not to be a smart arse heh) Make it where you can't have
over so many ............... Only 3 at the most in one role. If I had done
a bad emote just for exp so I could level, I would probley put alot of .....
In it.

Well, If you need a imm to help you out with police things for this mud just
tell me. I'll make and alt and help you out. "

Right, I'm a coder and I'm being forced to deal with all the idiots who want us to police emotes. Sometimes it's not worth the intangible benefits of seeing my ideas come to live.

Break of Dawn MUD
the-edge.dynip.com:3345
Anusien: Coder/Builder
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