Rubi-Ka 2 Events

[___________Fadinaway]

Hi Everyone,

Lately there has been a lot of talk about events on Rubi-Ka 2.

Everything from "There are no events at all" to "Stop doing events, they are crashing the server!"

Well, I am here to get some feedback on this situation and tell you the hurdles we are facing.

One hurdle seems to be event interest. There is obviously a group that is very dedicated to getting events to Rubi-Ka 2, but on the flip side we have many that seem to detest events. They detest them to the point of disrupting events in a very negative way. "This sucks! Leave Rubi-Ka 2, we don't want events!”, etc.

Another hurdle is event coordination. We are finding it more and more difficult to get people participating in any events on Rubi-Ka 2. There have been instances of Events GMs trying to find interest for 30 minutes to an hour with no results.

These are two of the most basic hurdles we have encountered. They both sound very easy to solve, but there are always factors to be considered.

The easy answer to the first hurdle is; "Just get rid of them when you are running an event." Although this is easy enough for us to do, we have to remember they are there to enjoy a play experience as much as you are there to enjoy the play experience. If a person is being disruptive to the point of harassment, that is a different story and it then turns to a CS issue. We cannot force people to role-play, although if I had it my way I would smack them with the role-playing hammer during an event.

The easy answer to the second hurdle is; "Announce the events to the major guilds and well in advance." Again, this is easy enough, but once again we have to look at the whole picture, there are many players in Rubi-Ka and not all of them are part of guilds. Also, some events just can't be announced. "There is going to be a secret group of Cyborgs attacking Newland, Omni-Ent and Tir at 1900 GMT, be there!" just doesn't work out for the best.

One more solution, as suggested by a couple players, would be to allow the players run story with support from GMs. The incredible logistics of this will make this virtually impossible. It wouldn't be one guild or person creating story, it would be an entire server creating story minute by minute.

So, after this ramble, and after reading some of the basics, I would like to ask two questions.

1. As part of Rubi-Ka 2, do you want us to get rid of events and just let there be event mayhem without GM events?

2. What do you see as being a solution to creating more interest to the 'masses' in events?

Looking forward to any threads on this.

Regards,

[_________Deaddreamer]

I would move to RK-2 and be a level 1 peon just to be part of events. I think RK-2 should be made an RP Server and people who don't want to RP should be able to dimension hop to RK-1 where the majority of the players who DON'T want to RP are. Vice-versa for the RPers.

At least take this into consideration. I know you don't have the resources to make an RP server only.. but not everyone is into hack and slash.

1. As part of Rubi-Ka 2, do you want us to get rid of events and just let there be event mayhem without GM events?

Never get rid of events. If there are no events, what is part of the dynamic and constantly changing world?

2. What do you see as being a solution to creating more interest to the 'masses' in events?

XP as if it were a mission reward for those who play nice. Tokens for those who act valiantly for the good of Omni or Clan. Titles for the Leaders of teams organizing to assist. Mention on the website as the news reporter takes notice. A pat on the back. A t-shirt that says "I went to the Steps of Madness, and all I got was this Nanomage-only T-shirt."

[__________Stonefaced]

I am new AO and MMORPGS in general and I have not taken part in any events but I have role played for years. I can play any shooter powerup game I want, by my self but the thing i love about AO is I never know how my evening is really going to go when I hook up. I think i am going to do some single missions and I run into a friend and we form a group and go on missions or a trader is buying monster parts so I hunt monsters for half the night and lots of cash.

Although large crowds really do crash or slow my system sometimes, i would love to see and be a part of events I want to play a role-playing game as much as I want the action of fighting my enemies.

So please bring on more events in the 2nd dimension. I want to be a part of the game story and world events.

[Varfleet]

On Rubi-Ka 2, been to most of the events as they happen, however the major problem is Server Lag.

Yes I understand the implications of hundreds of players entering one city but, the Dev team needs to look at this in order to make the events that happen enjoyable/exciting.

For example, the last event I attended was the Dust Brigade attack that started at the VB camp and then moved to 20K. I was one of the first to show up, and as more people came, the choppier the game got.

This was the same at the gathering in Newland. Once everyone zoned into Newland city. The game literally froze, allowing only chat. And then disconnects happened to my friends including myself, and of course could not log back on!

By taking a look on how to handle literally hundreds of players showing up in one zone for an event with little to no lag will increase the interest in being part of/running an event imho.

[_____________Swavena]

In answer to your first question:

Please don't give up on events!! Especially events ran with real people not just NPCs/MOBs. I know events can be laggy and not everyone likes them. But they make for such fond memories. I feel they really add something to these MMORPGs.

And just a suggestion for the second question about getting the word out about events. Maybe something like a town crier. In another game I know of they had town criers and they would cry out if there was any breaking news. This way it could inform people of things happening that are not members of a guild or haven't read the latest "paper". Also a way of announcing those "unexpected events" that really can't me role played correctly if you know they are coming. For this futuristic world maybe just a loud speaker type thing or something would do, what with the level of technology.

Oh and just one more small suggestion that might help. Maybe if it were not too much of a "spoiler", in the players manual and on the website, you(Funcom) could just have a brief discription of the various "Story Updates, News Stories, ect...." The reason I suggest this is because many players think these are just fiction and have no impact on the game. They do not know that these may lead to an event or anything, so they never bother to read them. They figure they are just stories like reading a book. I am not sure how this would work if it would enlighten anyone or not. Just my thoughts on it.

[_______________Intra]

there has been a large group of us (now 222 and counting) trying to get noticed by the events team.
email after email, petitioning GMs to our meetings etc.

yes, Cosmik came along and joined in for a night. but that has been it. no interest shown. I assumed that events didnt happen on RK2 no matter how much the players asked for them.
I am yet to see one, even after all of the time I have spent trying to find one and get one to occur around a group of people that have put in alot of time and effort

but anyway...
if you want to find people who are willing to be part of an event, just get in contact with me. we have been trying for far too long and most of us got sick of trying

[____________keylight]

i think that there defineatly has to be GM ran events.

(i typed up a long defination about this, and lost it when i submitted, but i am going to try to give you the short version)

the best way to create conflict is to get the territory war that you have been talking about. and here are a few thoughts i have on that.

i think it would be fun to get 20-30 people together and take over a bunch of OP's. this gives people a sense of satisfaction in the game, and the real feeling of war and conflict.

there should be a terminal right outside the OP that lets you upgrade and purchase more guards. say X amount of creds, upgrades one guard 10 levels. X amount of creds, adds another guard with a max of 10 guards.

if you reclaim an OP in your territory, you start off with 3 or 4 guards. if you take one over in an another sides territory, you get 2 guards, and have to upgrade from there.

i think this would be really cool, and i could see some major conflict.

example: if a bunch of omni took over the OP by the flea pits, and spent 5 mil on upgrading the OP, so that there are good guards.. think about how much that will effect the game, since the low level char's will not be able to use the insurance term, to save their char by the flea pits, it will be up to the higher level players to take back the OP.

this will create user created events, for those of us that are not online when the GM events happen.

[____________Garamond]

I am a member of the clan Sea of Change. It is our primary goal right now to bring events into Rubi-ki 2. We may even be who you are refrenceing I do not know. I will answer your questions as best I can.

1. Should we have events?

Yes. Without events all we have is a boreing shoot'em up. I do not understand why anyone would be upset that something is going on.

2.What do you see as being a solution to creating more interest to the 'masses' in events?

You don't nesicerrily need to announce things ahead of time but it would be nice if you could tell people at least where to look for clues. For example I will use your cyborgs attack plot. You needn't tell anyone in advance but you might drop clues that it is going to happen before hand. Also this is a high tek world. I would imagine news of this would travel incredibly fast. I do not know how you do it on RK1. I frankly don't understand why it would be more or less difficult to do the same sort of things on Rubi-ki 2. I am somewhat new. MY main problem is I wouldn't know where to look for clues. If this where real I would have access to a news service and I would problably have some NPC contacts. There would also be a hundred or so Cyborgs gathering that peope would notice before hand. RP isn't something you put in a manual. How events work is also something you don't put in a manual. I do not see how you can expect new players to log in and instantly know how all of this works.

How was your GM trying to garner intrest? I know I didnt see anything. He didn't /tell me asking me. How is it done?

[______________Promoo]

Hi Fadinaway,
I will try to deal with each of the points in turn, however I may go off and ramble a bit …..

1. Event disturbers.
Given the RP value of event disturbers "This sucks! Leave Rubi-Ka 2, we don't want events!” then it is upto the RP players to make the most of it “How the hell am I going to get of this planet, do you have the creds to pay for my ticket?” and when things get a bit over the top “well I don’t care feck you all PvP rules!” then the GM have got to step in and take action (care to visit reclaim sir?).

2. Coordination.
How about adding a “News” channel to the chat interface that only GM / ARK can use in order to inform ppl of the latest happening on the planet (server specific)? While this may not be the longterm answer ppl who know that events (news) will be broadcast then they will monitor this channel when they are online.

3. Answering you questions
a) For the sake of our Lord run more event, don’t abandon us totally to the dark days of zero RP events.
b) Run more smaller events at the same time to allow for server lag and differing interests.

Onestbob – Independent Trader (full RP char)
Macmoo – Engineer, BLA http://www.bronto-army.com
Promoo – Agent, retired until 14.2

[_______FeloniousPunk]

IE ate my post.

Attempt #2:

Yes we should have events. Absolutely.

To your points:

1) Event disturbers. I think you are giving these people more credit than they deserve. You're right - not everyone wants to RP and be in events. A mature, respectful player who fits that description simply goes about his game and leaves other people to have fun the way the want to. An immature, disrespectful player is the sort who is disturb that others' idea of fun is different from his so he tries to wreck their play. That is not a valid "play experience" by any stretch of the imagination, even if they decide not to use the usual profanity. That sort of guy has no right to be left in peace if he can't do the same for others. And don't think it's just your official events that triggers that sort of rude, obnoxious behavior; I am in an RP guild that runs its own events and we've had jerks decide to disturb us before because they think role-playing is "gay." Don't make them out to be more than what they are. Their play experience is ruining that of others and it needs to stop. You, Funcom, need to start exercising a little more positive control over your gameworld.

So punish the jerks.

If you're afraid you'll lose revenue stream if you do, don't worry. If you read these boards you'll have met by now a certain fraction of the population who insult you, your work, your product in the worst possible terms and constantly they threaten to quit the game now if you don't immediately pander to their whims. Notice that most of these people never go away despite their threats. That should tell you something.

2) The guilds. You're never going to please everybody all the time, so the best policy is to try to make your efforts where they'll have the most effect. In the case of events, this means the guilds. Though I am sure there are a few people not in guilds who like to role play and participate in events, their numbers must be small - most players who want events are in guilds and they joined guilds in part to meet this need. If you want players to participate in events, you will have to involve the guilds. They can get the word out to the player population better than you can.

You raise a valid concern about the dangers of the plot line being dragged all over the place if you let players and their organizations make the story. Don't let them - Rubi-Ka is a big planet and there is plenty of room for stories and narratives that occur some levels below the big, overarching story. Cooperate with us and help us with out events, just with the condition that whatever is planned may not have great impact on the main plot line.

I would love to have ARKs and GMs help our guild out in our events. We work with a clan guild to generate our own story line and plan events accordingly. We are improving and learning at every step. There is a lot we'd like to do though but can't without your help, or if we did it alone the experience would less than engaging and interesting. Here are some examples of how GM/ARKs could work with us or a guild like us:

* We come up with an event that requires some of our members to locate an informant in the wilds or enemy territory, retrieve info from that person and then make it back alive and intact. We can do all that now save place a convincing informant character there. If you all worked with us, an ARK or GM could roleplay that character.
* Spawn certain mobs in a specific place at a specific time. Let's say some of our clan nemesis have sprung some mutants from a lab and we get called in to destroy the mutants before they can get loose into the wild. You spawn the mutants, we do the rest.
* Give us some background information and do some small things to make a static place a little more alive for RPing. I've run events in Poole/Galway County before, but it's just so limited. The area has great potential though - there's this weird colony of Manteze, close to OT holdings, and right by it a small OT outpost with an agent who has a few cryptic thigns to say but nothing more. We schedule an event there - find out more about the Manteze - and the participants must fight through the Manteze to meet the agent, which one of you could roleplay.


Work with us, Funcom!

[______________Promoo]

FeloniousPunk,

"* We come up with an event that requires some of our members to locate an informant in the wilds or enemy territory, retrieve info from that person and then make it back alive and intact. We can do all that now save place a convincing informant character there. If you all worked with us, an ARK or GM could roleplay that character. "

OK so you need a clanner that is honest but will play a informer for your event ...

Onestbob ere guvner indipendent Trader and friend to all that have a job for him.
Need informatioin delivered or items held just give me a call.

[solitaire]

There is nothing that i want more than to be able to partake in events on RK-2.

Ill try to address your points one by one

Lack of participation.
I am part of a guild Vox populi that along with Division 3 that were created as part of project revenant (www.projectrevenant.com).. The guild is only about events.
So i think if we at least knew there were events going on you would have most of us showing up.

Interest.
See above if most of the active members dont show up id be very suprised

1. NO do not get rid of events. we desperately want them

2. Creating Interest . You mean beyond being part of the Official storyline and getting your name or name of guild on the Anarchy web page.
hmm well for the indivituals i suggest xp or a token reward.. Perhaps a medal? or a campaign ribbon something like that.

As for Player/guild run storys those dont neccisarily need Gm-ark intervention altough such would be nice.
But being allowed to submit an event to the Gm's would be great.

Wouldnt mean you'd have to run it but it would make those intersted in Rp and events a feeling of being part of things...

[solitaire]

Feloniouspunk has a whole guild of Clanners willing to help him out with events

Vox populi

See www.projectrevenant.com

and if you really have a need to play Corporate Goons i suggest you go join Feloniouspunk In DIV3

[______________Katsue]

Yep, I agree with Feloniouspunk that we absolutely should have events on RK2. If immature little monkeys are gonna disrupt them, start by insta-killing 'em, then do something worse if they keep it up. It's not hard. Yeah, I agree with most of the pro-event stuff here, keep up the guild events but let Funcom run the main story, GM/ARK help with events would be awesome but not completely neccessary; an event submission system might be a good idea, though I can see some problems that might occur. So, get off your behind and get with the events, Funcom!

[___________xenomorph]

Fadinaway LIVES!!!!!!!

Long time no see Fad, I remeber along time ago you were very active on the boards and I saw you 4-5 times on rbk2. So hows it been?

Well onto the topic, I would like to see more events. alot of friends have left because rbk2 didn't get any events until 2 months after rbk1 and it was the same event. So we all kind of felt like the redheaded stepchild of funcom. The game has just gotten boreing.

What I beleave will make events have better outcomes is 1st to make threads in advance to let people know when and were (or at least hint) a event will be. And don't always have it at the same time, since rbk2 has alot euro players. Nothing is more anoying than to login and have everyone talk about a event that just ended.

On a side note, next time you have somone disrupting a event warp them to DAV

[________________Asal]

1 Please please do not get rid of events. My favorite event is still the ghost story, last Halloween. I suggest that u hold event is locations (playfields) where there is a low population, not in the big cities like Tir, Newland etc. If you have events in accessable but out of the way places, (easier after the whompa changes) there would be less crashes and only people who want to be there would go. There are many empty cities in RB2.

2 I am not sure that trying to get the masses involved is a good idea. That is what cause crashes. If you make an event and only take 20-30 people it would not be laggy if they travel to a under populated playfield. I have never seen anyone on my trips thru Andromeda. It is fairly easy to get there for people under lvl 100 and safe for most over lvl 50. I suppect that there are similar conditions for over 100 in SAV, EFP etc. I think it would be okay to not set up events for under lvl 30 as they have enough fun learning the game. If you did combat oreinted events targeted at lvl groups and RP events open to anybody interested I would like this. I do not know how FC system functions but if after a event was set up all a GM had to do was pick a event from a list and spend a few hours running and a single GM (or you could rotate the job if it was fun) was running it as his work day there would be lots of interesting events.

[forney]

1: Events are needed to keep the things going on on Rubi Ka 2. I am also a member of Division 3 and we do our own events. People who dont want to play an event can go their way, but there are a lot of players who want to roleplay and participate in events.

2. Dont do it for the masses. The first event i was in, was a guild one and due to a lot of players, in Newland i believe, i was watching a slideshow.

And about the people who try to ruin an event there is a simple solution, ignore them let them shout all they want. As long as no one gives an answer back they will stop very quick. Another more heavy solution would be that we get the change to wack the player out of the town like the good old days.

But all in all please keep the events, thanks to the events and the roleplaying my life on Rubi Ka 2 is fun, without it he would quickly die of boredom.

[Zarrot]

1. As part of Rubi-Ka 2, do you want us to get rid of events and just let there be event mayhem without GM events?

No, I want GM events. There just needs to be a better way of knowing about them. I guess there was one the other day I was on someone looking for Robot Sensors. I had no idea anything was happening and I was in Trade. It's a bummer because I could have easily handled this as it matched the level of the character I had on. I think the problem is that the events take place in areas that already lag like Trade. Rome on the other hand is never crowded and a event could be held there without much chance of lag.

2. What do you see as being a solution to creating more interest to the 'masses' in events?

Send out something over the chat or looking for team channel. Make it cryptic...Need Players in their 40's for a special mission. Or not Cryptic...Rome under attach by Mutants all able bodied employess of OMNI-TEK please respond. The problem for me is I log on and start going about my business because events are so rare or at least it seems they are. If I had even a clue that one may happen on a specific day I might hang around and look for it. Maybe start a back story on the RP boards and use that to draw interested players to a location at a certain time. We need hints it's a big world and it's tough to find you when you are looking for us

[_______________Bunny]

1. As part of Rubi-Ka 2 do you want us to get rid of events and just let there be event mayhem without GM events?

HELL NO! Keep the GM events. I thought that there was supposed to be a 4 year story line for this game. How are we supposed to be part of it then? If I had known that RK2 was not going to be part of it, I would have chose RK1. But as a newbie, I didn't know and did eenie-meenie-miney-mo to decide my server. If you are going to discontinue them, then let other newbies be aware when choosing. Say "choose RK1 to be part of the story" and "choose RK2 if you want to play a boring game with no events". I want events! I love to role-play and this game is sooooo easy to do that. There should be GM and player events.



2.What do you see as being a solution to creating more interest to the 'masses' in events? Well, you stated that GMs have been to RK2 to get things going, but what did they do? I have only seen one GM person named Sharknoid or something close to that and he just sat there and did nothing. He said something about a clanner named Jeanne that was after him, that's it. After sitting there an hour waiting for something to happen, he logs! I think you need better GMs on RK2 and have them shout in the zone what's going on or something to get attention, and have some personality!

KEEP THE EVENTS!

[______________Mandor]

Basically, I don't see why guys on Rubi Ka 2 wouldn't be allowed to have events ?

Did they had a pop up window when creating their char warning them that this server was a "No GM land" ?

In these conditions, I think they *should* have same amount of events as guys on Dim 1 (even if I know that you are under staffed for that ).

Thats my personnal opinion.