Once again, I am moved to organize a Card Brigade, just because it is fun to get random stuff in the mail!
"A WHAT?" You ask? A Card Brigade.
Send to me** by Sept 23rd
~your lj/Uru/forum/nickname name
~your real name (or the one that snailmail can be addressed to)
~Your snailmail address
~your preferred email address
On Oct 1, you will get a list of 5 names and addresses. Your job is to mail one card to each person, before Oct 31st. Cards can be funny, general, sweet, handmade, commercial, postcards, or whatever. Just remember to keep them fairly clean (unless you know the recipient well). Send a little bit of random cheer to 5 people, and you'll get 5 bits in the mail too!
**(cardbrigade at gmail dot com)
Monday, September 17, 2007
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Reclaiming the Living Myth of Uru
imported from the discussion on MOUL
...people played the game, in most part, like it was real, like they were there. They bought into the "D'ni Exists" mythos as part of the experience.
Now, when Uru came again, people expected the same rush that Prologue had given, and it didn't happen, because the content was, because of the new technical needs, primarily the same. Uru had to get back to the square one of prologue, before anything new could really happen.
Because of that, and because of the large influx of new people who are not used to dynamic, changing, *living* enviroments in their MMOS, the overall mood of the cavern has reverted back to 3d chat room.
...how do we get that back? Well, yes, some of it depends on Cyan providing new dynamic content (tech and story) to interact with. But some of it is attitude. How do we interact with the world? Are we a part of it, or just observing it on the computer screen. Are we gaming enviromentally?
Being immersive doesn't mean roleplaying a character, doesn't mean having to be someone other than yourself. It means accepting the virtual world as your own.
Things as simple as the new KI fix that's been mentioned by Cyan. Standing around in Ae'gura, you wouldn't be talking about "the new KI patch with the next build". What does some game company in Washington know about fixing the KI? But Laxman, on the other hand... rumor has it that Laxman has finally come up with a fix for those KI problems, and those should come through the Lattice soon!
See what I mean? Sometimes, technical discussions are unavoidable. But even things like the 'season finale' and the coming break can be discussed in an virtual reality way.
"Sounds like the DRC is going to be haded to the surface for a few months. Wonder what they expect us explorers to do? Wonder what they're planning" sounds a whole lot more real in D'ni than "Cyan isn't going to put out any new content for months! *CRY*"
Give it a try... I think you'll be pleasantly supprised at how the atmosphere of the game changes.
~~~
First impressions are vital... and if we, the Explorers, are just standing around twiddling our thumbs, what impression are we giving?
Yes, much of our interaction hinges on Cyan's release of things to interact with. I maintain that the are NOT hamstrung when Cyan isn't handing us content.
Set aside, for a moment, your dependency on Cyan. Clear out the thought that only Cyan can build sandcastles. Let yourself see possibilities
If you could make Uru a more vibrant, living place, with just the tools (your brain, and your friends!) you have right now, what would you do?
If you could change one thing about how you play Uru to make it a more dynamic place, what would it be?
If you could play enviromentally in Uru, without worrying about the IC/OOC debate, what would that look like for you?
Take some deep breaths and dig deeper into this, really feel D'ni. You're an explorer... somehow you've ended up miles below the surface, in a vast lost civilization. What does that feel like? What does it make you think? What does it make you do?
Every day you come to D'ni you hop through time and space, to places that defy imagination. How does that change you? Your beliefs about how the universe works? Do linking books still awe you, or have they become normal to you?
There's a group down here...the DRC... they've got a tight grip on what we see and do. How does that make you feel? Are you content to wait?
And then there's the Bahro...completely alien, not even humanoid. They are everywhere down here. We hear them daily. And they may be at war with each other. They link without books, and they can kill.
Feel how you react to that. Big, alien creatures that may have a grudge against you, just for being in D'ni. What does that knowledge do to you? How does that change how you move through D'ni? How you gather with others?
We are on the verge of a new episode. I'd like the invite each and every one of you to spend just one day playing the game enviromentally, and being immersive. Don't worry about if you're doing it 'right'. Don't worry about other people's reactions or opinions. Respect people's expressed boundaries, be polite, and spend one day just being yourself...but be yourself IN D'ni, not at your computer.
And then I'd like to invite you to carry that beyond the episode. Allow yourself one or two days day a month, or even a week, to explore immersively. Try some of the simple examples given in the first post, and then expand from there.
...people played the game, in most part, like it was real, like they were there. They bought into the "D'ni Exists" mythos as part of the experience.
Now, when Uru came again, people expected the same rush that Prologue had given, and it didn't happen, because the content was, because of the new technical needs, primarily the same. Uru had to get back to the square one of prologue, before anything new could really happen.
Because of that, and because of the large influx of new people who are not used to dynamic, changing, *living* enviroments in their MMOS, the overall mood of the cavern has reverted back to 3d chat room.
...how do we get that back? Well, yes, some of it depends on Cyan providing new dynamic content (tech and story) to interact with. But some of it is attitude. How do we interact with the world? Are we a part of it, or just observing it on the computer screen. Are we gaming enviromentally?
Being immersive doesn't mean roleplaying a character, doesn't mean having to be someone other than yourself. It means accepting the virtual world as your own.
Things as simple as the new KI fix that's been mentioned by Cyan. Standing around in Ae'gura, you wouldn't be talking about "the new KI patch with the next build". What does some game company in Washington know about fixing the KI? But Laxman, on the other hand... rumor has it that Laxman has finally come up with a fix for those KI problems, and those should come through the Lattice soon!
See what I mean? Sometimes, technical discussions are unavoidable. But even things like the 'season finale' and the coming break can be discussed in an virtual reality way.
"Sounds like the DRC is going to be haded to the surface for a few months. Wonder what they expect us explorers to do? Wonder what they're planning" sounds a whole lot more real in D'ni than "Cyan isn't going to put out any new content for months! *CRY*"
Give it a try... I think you'll be pleasantly supprised at how the atmosphere of the game changes.
~~~
First impressions are vital... and if we, the Explorers, are just standing around twiddling our thumbs, what impression are we giving?
Yes, much of our interaction hinges on Cyan's release of things to interact with. I maintain that the are NOT hamstrung when Cyan isn't handing us content.
Set aside, for a moment, your dependency on Cyan. Clear out the thought that only Cyan can build sandcastles. Let yourself see possibilities
If you could make Uru a more vibrant, living place, with just the tools (your brain, and your friends!) you have right now, what would you do?
If you could change one thing about how you play Uru to make it a more dynamic place, what would it be?
If you could play enviromentally in Uru, without worrying about the IC/OOC debate, what would that look like for you?
Take some deep breaths and dig deeper into this, really feel D'ni. You're an explorer... somehow you've ended up miles below the surface, in a vast lost civilization. What does that feel like? What does it make you think? What does it make you do?
Every day you come to D'ni you hop through time and space, to places that defy imagination. How does that change you? Your beliefs about how the universe works? Do linking books still awe you, or have they become normal to you?
There's a group down here...the DRC... they've got a tight grip on what we see and do. How does that make you feel? Are you content to wait?
And then there's the Bahro...completely alien, not even humanoid. They are everywhere down here. We hear them daily. And they may be at war with each other. They link without books, and they can kill.
Feel how you react to that. Big, alien creatures that may have a grudge against you, just for being in D'ni. What does that knowledge do to you? How does that change how you move through D'ni? How you gather with others?
We are on the verge of a new episode. I'd like the invite each and every one of you to spend just one day playing the game enviromentally, and being immersive. Don't worry about if you're doing it 'right'. Don't worry about other people's reactions or opinions. Respect people's expressed boundaries, be polite, and spend one day just being yourself...but be yourself IN D'ni, not at your computer.
And then I'd like to invite you to carry that beyond the episode. Allow yourself one or two days day a month, or even a week, to explore immersively. Try some of the simple examples given in the first post, and then expand from there.
Sunday, September 02, 2007
What really bitter, painful lives some people must have, when they have the energy to hold and sustain grudges for so long. They cling to it with such a drive and a tenacity that would be admirable in almost every other case. But to see clever, intelligent people reduced to snarling irrationality is kinda sad.
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