-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
.. ..
.||. ||.. ...
|| || || ||.||
`|.. || || `|.. ..|'''.| '|| || '||
'|' ' .... . .... ..||.. ... ..., || ....
|| '' .|| || || || || .| ' || .|...||
'|. | .|' || || || || || || || ||
''|...'| '|..'|' ||. ||. '|..' .||. '|..| ||. '|...'
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volume 12.0 25 Stormmonth, 565 1 Coin
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome, our good readers, to a new issue of the Canticle. I will be off
for an undefined-length vacation in the famous holiday centre 'Studyland',
and there may be a somewhat longer than usual delay before the next paper
comes out.
I would like to thank Meg, Claire, Gilla, Methos, Oakram, Flint, Sylwen,
Ru and Raymond for their help with getting material for this issue.
-- Fir
Assistant Editor
The Canticle
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
<*> CANTICLE INDEX <*>
-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------
How Did You Die Today?.............2 This Just Flew In.................15
Interview with Methos..............3 Ranger's Best Friend..............16
Interview with Flint...............6 Mortal Council News...............17
Haiku Time.........................9 Kitty.............................19
Interview with Oakram.............10 Claire's Puzzle Page..............20
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volume 12.0 25 Stormmonth, 565 Page 2
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
How Did You Die Today?
I ran into a study by Ttt on ways people go to greet Lars. He had
gathered Mortus' recent deaths information for a year (2001-2002) and
published a collection of statistics. Only deaths of people between
level 15 and 19 are taken into account, and SK and failed bounty
hunting attempts were removed. So, what kills us?
1. Poison (21 visits to Lars)
2. A dwarven paladin (20)
3. Razar the Greater Demon (19)
4. King Philip, the brave (17)
Alton the master mage (17)
6. An unknown cause (16)
7. Prince Gilbert Trueheart the Pompous (14)
8. An old wise sage (13)
A trap (13)
10. An apprentice mage (12)
A frost giant housecarl (12)
The top seems quite even, and both nasty and goodly players seem to
find someone to lose fights to. Poison seems to be more effective than
one might think - maybe there would be use for a clerical emergency guard?
Other effective player-slayers have been Glock the massacrator and
an archpriest (11), the Chaos Warrior, Illarin, Blor, and a
restful-looking guard (10). Ogres of different sizes seem to be as
effective - both ogres and giant ogres have killed 10 players each,
while hill giants only managed 5. Winter, red and Harrke wolves as
well as hell hounds killed 6 players each, and mean-looking baby
dragons managed to catch 6 players by surprise.
-----------------------------------------------------------
| __,,--``\\ Maigyn's Magic Shop |
| _,,-''`` \\ , |
| '----------_.------'-.___|\__ Your source for that little |
| _.--''`` `)__ )__ @\__ touch of magic. |
| ( .. ''---/___,,E/__,E'------` |
| `-''`'' |
-----------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volume 12.0 25 Stormmonth, 565 Page 3
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This interview is with MethoS, a dwarven ranger who is a member of the Bear
Guild. MethoS is well-known on AA for his outspoken posts, and his
matter-of-fact opinions, and is very much a "take it or leave it" kind of
guy. In this interview I try to find out more about this blunt-spoken
person.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
MeG: Hi Methos. Thanks for taking the time to do this interview. To
start with, how long have you been playing AA?
MethoS: I've been playing since Feb of 1996.
MeG: Have you played all the classes/races?
MethoS: I've played most of them.. but there are still a few which I
haven't had the desire to try. :)
MeG: How about guilds? Have you been in each guild?
MethoS: Yes, I've spent some time in every guild :)
MeG: And you have a preference, I take it?
MethoS: On the races/class, I've played all races, and all classes, but not
all combinations of each.. ;) Preference to guilds? Currently, it's
Bears..
MeG: You were around when that guild came into being, weren't you?
MethoS: I was playing when it was founded, very late December of 1996.. I
didn't join until around mid Jan 1997.
MeG: Has the guild changed much since then?
Methos: *grin* Yes, it's changed quite a bit, but only because AA has..
the guild has become full of whiny newbies.. just like the rest of
AA.. ;)
MeG: What are the biggest changes you've seen occur on AA?
MethoS: Heh.. well, the biggest change is the playerbase of AA.. it has
gone from being mostly college students and former college
students, to being mostly high school students.. which makes the
players here more childish..
MeG: What about the gameplay itself? How has that changed?
MethoS: The gameplay has improved considerably.. the addition of the
skill-based combat system and the rivers really added a lot to the
game itself, in terms of "realism".. I never did like being able
to run from north to south on AA through the rivers and lakes,
mysteriously, yet the sea wasn't even swimmable, let alone
walkable.
MeG: Yet you were able to walk on the sea somehow to make that fantastic
map, weren't you?
Interview with Methos continued on page 4 ...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volume 12.0 25 Stormmonth, 565 Page 4
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interview with Methos, continued from page 3 ...
MethoS: Well, yes and no.. most of the map I was able to do by rowing
around in a rowboat (including when we were able to row to
Greyson's island).. however, that left a pretty big gap in the
upper northeast of the map, which I had to wait and finish when
some divine intervention (bug) allowed me to walk on the ocean to
finish mapping that section. ;)
MeG: So you just waited for the bug to happen or did you EXPLOIT it? :)
MethoS: Does AA have a 5th Amendment? if so, I plead that. ;)
MeG: Anyway! Are there any other changes that you think were monumental?
MethoS: I don't recall much about the south, but the expansion toward the
north really opened up alot on AA.. I still remember when the
Ranger camp was 1 room away from being at the northern mists..
MeG: What about the change of admins here? You've been through quite a
few, haven't you?
MethoS: Yeah, there have been a few changes in the members of the admin,
but I really haven't noticed all that many differences,
personally.. about the only real difference, is that the rules are
a bit more strict now, because people took too much advantage of
the more lax rules which were enforced before.. (it used to be
possible to kill annoying newbies without Law finding out, but
people exploited that to pk people who didn't deserve it)..
MeG: So you'd say you're in favour of clearly defined rules or not?
MethoS: Well, with the current age-group of AA, the more defined rules of
AA are necessary.. it's sad, but most of these kids need to be
babysat..
MeG: When you were brand new, can you remember what impressed you or
overwhelmed you the most about this mud?
MethoS: I was introduced to AA by my college roommates, all 3 of them
played AA at the time.. I'd never played D&D or any other MUDs,
and really, the internet itself was still very new to me, so it all
amazed me.. I remember feeling that this was a place where I could
get away from the real world for a little while at a time
(although, it was never for a little while, and my grades reflected
that.. damn those roommates)..
MeG: So you mudded your way through college?
MethoS: Yeah.. I played quite a bit the first 3 years or so, but I lost
interest in actually killing stuff after that.. I guess I've been
idling for the last 3 years. ;)
MeG: (laughs) Weren't you voted one of the three best idlers? :)
Interview with Methos continued on page 5 ...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volume 12.0 25 Stormmonth, 565 Page 5
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interview with Methos, continued from page 4 ...
MethoS: Well, Levek just handed me the new edition of the Canticle before
your tell, so I haven't read it all the way through, but I did
manage to get to that page.. ;) I'm suprised that Levek didn't
make that list.
MeG: What keeps you coming back to a place where all you do is idle?
MethoS: I'm not really sure.. I do have some close friends here, but that's
probably the only thing.. well, that, and nothing better to do in
the real world to occupy my time.. (not that I've spent any effort
looking for something better)..
MeG: Would it be fair to say that even though this mud offers a lot in
terms of playing, killing, side games, etc., it's the interaction
with the players themselves that keeps you logging in?
MethoS: Definitely.
MeG: So even though the player base has changed, there are still
qualities that the people here have that interest you?
MethoS: It's not all of the players that keep me coming back, it's the
friends I have here which have been here pretty much since I've
started..
MeG: Have you made new friends, too?
MethoS: I've made new acquaintances, but not friends.
MeG: Ok, well, do you have anything to add that might be helpful to
brand new players? Any words of wisdom to remember based on your
experience?
MethoS: To new players: RTFM (reporter's note: RTFM = Read the F'in Manual
-- in other words, the help files.) Words of wisdom: remember that
this is just a game, and don't take it too seriously, but that
doesn't mean that what you do here doesn't matter..
MeG: Anything else you'd like to add?
MethoS: Well, in addition to the other that this is a game, players should
remember that wizards are volunteers here, and that the
administration are volunteers, and they do have lives outside of
AA, and certainly don't get paid to go through the hassles which
they go through to keep AA together and running smoothly.
MeG: Well said! Thanks for answering my questions, Methos.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volume 12.0 25 Stormmonth, 565 Page 6
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This interview is with Flint, legendary retired Arch of Law. I wanted to
find out what laws were like when the mud was smaller, and what might have
caused the changes. The interview proved to be very interesting!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
MeG: When did you begin playing on AA, and how did you initially hear of
it?
Flint: I was looking for a new mud to play and went through the mudlists
from rec.games.mud.lp. The first time I popped onto AA no one was
around. It was a very new mud, this was its first week of existence.
After going through other muds on the list and being disappointed I
came back to AA. Sometimes when I would be online there would be no
one else around for hours. However, other players always left
equipment and gold laying around for other players to use. One of
the first people I talked to on AA was Jewel. Or rather her
alter-ego/test-wiz Jasmin. A friend of mine from my old mud,
Jasmina, was starting AA and I thought it might be her. Bardoz was
the second person I talked to. As the mud became more popular, more
people showed up. There was a core group of friends I used to party
with as the Funnie Bunnies. Fork, Gizmo, Viper, etc.
MeG: How long was it before you first wizzed?
Flint: Well, I was ready to wiz but got demoted to 1st level. :) It took me
about 3 weeks or so to be ready to wiz again, but I didn't want to
wiz quickly. (Back then if you were really keen you could wiz in 3
days.) I just wanted to kick back, talk, andventure and have fun. I
wasn't sure I wanted to be a wiz. One day Biko asked me why I hadn't
wizzed yet and sponsored me.
MeG: How long after wizzing was it until you became Arch of Law?
Flint: Quite a while. :) I became a Senior wizard in November or December
of 1992. Then I became Arch of Balance around January or February. I
think the position of Law Arch was created 3-4 months after that,
and I was the 1st Arch of Law. Paldin, one of my oldest and best
net-rl friends took over Balance.
MeG: What were the laws when you first took over Law?
Flint: Oh jeeze. There were only about 6 laws. One was a joke about no
Beavis and Butthead jokes. There weren't as many players back then,
so you didn't need to have everything codified. Most of the players
were European, with a smattering of Canadians and Americans thrown
in. People seemed to use more common sense back then. As AA grew,
problems grew. The greater the number of people in a group, the
greater the number of a--holes.
Interview with Flint continued on page 7 ...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volume 12.0 25 Stormmonth, 565 Page 7
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interview with Flint, continued from page 6 ...
MeG: How did the department of law change under your supervision?
Flint: Ummm... it went from non-existent to existing. :) Seriously, as the
mud grew I brought in helpers, law team members, to help with the
day to day BS. With a couple of exceptions I was lucky to get some
great people helping me. We had fun, and managed to do our jobs. As
the mud grew I revamped the rules. As much as I hate it, you have to
codify everything for some people. If it isn't in black and white
they think the rule doesn't exist, or rather they don't think they
have to use common sense, or courtesy.
MeG: Were there any changes in the law or in the implementation of the
law that you're responsible for?
Flint: See early copies of help law if they exist. :) I can't remember all
of the changes that came about while I was Arch. I was there for a
long time. Too long in some ways. The bounty system was implemented
while I was Arch. As was Dibbs. A lot of the credit for work on Law
tools goes out to some of my assistants, and to people who were
friends at the time. Paldin, Mantis, Hatamoto, Etu-Saerdan, and I am
probably missing a couple of other names here.
MeG: When did you first decide to conduct law storms?
Flint: It is hard to remember exactly when. Probably in 1995. When was OJ?
I got tired of people asking why someone got punished. So, I figured
I would try and come up with an entertaining way of letting everyone
know. It was also a kind of catharsis. When you deal with the dregs
of society, whether it is RL or VR, it can get to you. The law
storms were also a way of relieving some of the stress. It started
off just using Arah and the Wild Pack. Eventually it included
Chojin, after I watched Urotsukidoji, and for comic relief, Herbie
the Chicken.
MeG: When I was brand new, those law storms were the -coolest- thing I
had ever seen online. Were you aware of how totally awesome they
were? :)
Flint: Thanks. :) I always got a kick out of listening to people on the
guild lines while the storms took place.
Interview with Flint continued on page 8 ...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volume 12.0 25 Stormmonth, 565 Page 8
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interview with Flint, continued from page 7 ...
MeG: Ok, on to another subject. How big was AA when you first started
playing?
Flint: TINY. You could be the only person, player or wizard, logged on for
hours. At times it was lonely, but it could also be fun. Personally,
I preferred the smaller AA. Not as tiny as when I first came, but
back in the old 30-50 player days. You were able to get to know just
about everyone who played. While it was great to see AA expand, and
the numbers of players on at one time grow, it also changed the
atmosphere of the game.
MeG: What types of changes did you see while you were playing here?
Flint: How much time do you have? :) The biggest change was the number of
people playing at one time. I wonder how many people remember the
time we had a player limit of 30? :)
MeG: What do you think were the best changes?
Flint: Expanding the map size of AA. Several people, arches, assistants,
wizards, put a lot of time and energy into that project. The growth
in the number of guilds and classes. When I started there were no
guilds and the only class was adventurer followed by fighter. While
it can be a pain in the derriere to make sure things are all
balanced, AA has a good mix of classes and guilds. Free newbie gear
was a good addition, too.
MeG: What do you think were the worst changes?
Flint: The Senate system. While it has had some good people on it, it also
tended to slow things down at times. Quests. I hate quests, even
though some of them are fun and very well done. :) Zor stepping down
as god. He and I didn't see head to head on everything, and we
butted heads several times. However, he is one of the nicest people
I met on the net. While "Gods" on other muds let the title go to
their head, he never did. Whether you were a player, a wizard, or an
admin he always tried to make time to talk to you. He also had a
good sense of humour. While it is nice to have a council of
advisors, I think you need to have one ultimate authority. Zor was
good at that job.
Interview with Flint continued on page 9 ...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volume 12.0 25 Stormmonth, 565 Page 9
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interview with Flint, continued from page 8 ...
MeG: What do you think is the best thing AA has to offer people, or what
do you think is the reason it's still around after 10 years?
Flint: The quality of the mud and of most people on it. I have seen some
muds with craptastic quality. 1 sentence rooms and objects. It
looks shoddy. The quality of the descriptions and coding on AA is
very good. It lends more of an air of realism to a text game, and
most people notice and like that extra effort. The quality of
people also helps. I have made some fantastic friends on AA. Some
were just net friends, some were friends in RL. Some have moved on
in life, or drifted in different directions, while others remain
very good friends. Players on AA tended to be the friendliest
towards newbies that I have seen. I have experienced muds where
newbies were ignored, or abused. That doesn't make people feel good
about a place, or make them want to return.
MeG: If you could change anything about the mud, what would it be?
Flint: Hard question to answer. I haven't been around much since I retired
a few years ago. So, I am more than a bit out of touch with recent
changes. In the past? I wouldn't have had a Senate. Zor would not
have been allowed to retire. He would have to have devoted his life
to VR and AA instead of having a real life. If he did, Greyson would
have replaced him. ;)
MeG: Do you have any advice for someone who might be brand new to playing
AA?
Flint: Try not to take Virtual Reality too seriously, or too lightly. While
it isn't reality, there are real people behind every keyboard.
Sometimes it is hard, but if we take things too seriously it creates
more problems. Conversely, if we treat everything as a joke it
causes problems. Use common sense, and common courtesy, and have fun.
MeG: Well, thanks very much for the interview, Flint! It's been really
interesting. :)
****************************H*A*I*K*U***T*I*M*E*****************************
*
Spear Frustration Haiku, by Ru *
Haiku, by Raymond
*
A lot of spell points * I should get out more
For a great two-handed staff * and see the outside world.
And it just burns up. * Instead, I kill orcs.
*
****************************************************************************
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volume 12.0 25 Stormmonth, 565 Page 10
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I interview Oakram, the Arch of Education, hoping to get a clearer
understanding of what Education, the first part of the process that an
Apprentice wizard is exposed to, is all about.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
MeG: Hi, Oakram. Thanks for doing this interview. How long have you been
logging on to AA?
Oakram: I first started this character in May of 1997.
MeG: Where did you hear of this mud?
Oakram: I actually got started on AA because of work. I was the fourth
person at a small startup developing virtual environments for
businesses. We wanted to know what attributes of such places make
them compelling to users. The topic of MUDs came up during a
brainstorming session, so I went to the MUD Connector and started
with the A's.
MeG: What were you initially looking for? Were you looking for the thing
that made places like this a community?
Oakram: I wanted to find a relatively large, relatively old MUD and try to
determine some reasons for its popularity and longevity.
MeG: Did you determine what the reasons are?
Oakram: A major factor seems to be the availability of a range of rewards
for participation. In AA, for example, levels are an obvious
reward, but there are also stats, skills, abilities, spells,
prayers, rituals, and other increases in power that come more
frequently. It's possible to work towards at least one goal in
every playing session.
MeG: So, it's the gameplay itself?
Oakram: Well, the other major factor is communication. The sense of
community on AA is strongly related to the availability of chat
lines and boards. Neither factor explains the deeper allure of AA,
at least not completely. Ultimately, defining the attributes of
successful virtual communities is not equivalent to explaining how
to create them.
MeG: In your investigations, what did you find personally attractive
about this environment?
Oakram: Now that's the tough question. I started out by trying a few MUDs
during work, expecting to spend a couple of days to get the answers
I was looking for. After spending only an hour or so on AA, I had
encountered several very helpful people, including a couple of
Eldar who, upon my asking about their headbands, had me in the
guild and fully equipped in five minutes.
Interview with Oakram continued on page 11 ...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volume 12.0 25 Stormmonth, 565 Page 11
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interview with Oakram, continued from page 10 ...
MeG: And that impressed you? Intriqued you?
Oakram: AA was the most interesting, full-featured, and friendly of the
MUDs I tried and was the only one I logged on to from home that
night.
MeG: What compelled you to log on to AA from home, if you weren't still
investigating it for work?
Oakram: The easy answer is that there are ways to improve your character in
nearly every playing session. Experience, quests, abilities, stats,
karma, coins, etc. all encourage players to return. The feedback is
very important. That's not a complete answer, though.
MeG: What's the not-so-easy answer?
Oakram: What makes AA compelling for me is the high quality gameplay
coupled with the social aspects. The QC and Balance teams do a
remarkable job at making the game enjoyable and the players
themselves, with some notable exceptions, provide a reason to
return even if you don't happen to feel like exploring. The first
thing I noticed when comparing AA to a few other MUDs is the
incredible level of detail. This is a "describe all" MUD, in
contrast to many others where the players' suspension of disbelief
is frequently violated by incomplete descriptions and limited
actions.
MeG: Would you consider yourself to be a powerplayer or an explorer?
Oakram: I'm definitely not a powerplayer. You should interview Defarge for
that perspective. I fall more into the explorer camp.
MeG: Well, I'll tell you why I ask that. Today I was talking with
someone who IS a powerplayer, and his belief is that this mud has
ignored that type of player, that areas coded now frequently fall
more into the exploring category. Would you agree?
Oakram: Hmm. I've worked on the Balance team for some time and I can say
that there is no deliberate attempt to eliminate powerplayers. On
the other hand, good gameplayability (yes, I made up that word)
does require that more difficult NPCs be more difficult to reach.
That could make powerplaying more challenging. On the third hand,
I've seen some amazing experience point runs that make it clear
that powerplaying is alive and well on AA.
MeG: How long after you started playing here did it take you to wiz?
Oakram: About fifteen months. I told you I wasn't a powerplayer.
Interview with Oakram continued on page 12 ...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volume 12.0 25 Stormmonth, 565 Page 12
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interview with Oakram, continued from page 11 ...
MeG: What made you decide to wiz at all?
Oakram: Two things: First, in RL I'm a software developer and I wanted to
learn how the MUD works. Second, my RL wife started playing and
between us we came up with a lot of ideas for additions to AA.
MeG: Have any of those ideas been implemented so far?
Oakram: Graddam is my area; my wife gave me a lot of input on that. I've
also added a couple of spells to the Mages and have a handful of
other small projects approved. More is in the pipeline.
MeG: Didn't you also code the recent rogue changes?
Oakram: Yes, those are mine. Everyone can stop sending hate mail to Paldin
now -- he toned down the original concept quite a bit. I actually
think the changes have worked well so far.
MeG: Have you gotten or seen many complaints?
Oakram: Certainly. I've also gotten a few complimentary MUDmails as well.
I find it interesting that the compliments as a rule have much
better spelling and grammar than the flames.
MeG: How long after you wizzed did it take for you to become Arch of
Education?
Oakram: About four years. Jerusulum did a great job -- I was surprised when
she retired.
MeG: As an arch, do you find it to be more work and responsibility or is
it still fun? :)
Oakram: It's a lot of fun, still. This is a hobby, of course, so I wouldn't
do it if I didn't enjoy it. Working with committed, intelligent,
creative people to add to AA is a real pleasure, especially on
those days when I've been dealing with recalcitrant developers in
real life. That's not to say that there aren't some less-than-
pleasant aspects.
MeG: What about being on the Senate? What's that like?
Oakram: Contrary to popular belief, every member of the Senate that I've
had the pleasure of working with is deeply committed to constantly
improving AA. They are very bright, interesting people who simply
suffer from the same compulsion as the rest of us who have
discovered AA. They are to be appreciated and pitied.
MeG: I would never want the job, I know that.
Oakram: You may also note that there are some strong personalities on the
Senate.
MeG: (agrees) I'd never want to go head-to-head with Paldin, that's for
sure.
Interview with Oakram continued on page 13 ...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volume 12.0 25 Stormmonth, 565 Page 13
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interview with Oakram, continued from page 12 ...
Oakram: That is a necessary prerequisite for the job. There is constant
pressure from both mortals and wizards for changes to various
aspects of the MUD. The Arches, in particular, need to have a clear
vision of what is good for AA and the ability to politely but
firmly work toward that vision. Paldin is great to work with. He
knows the MUD thoroughly and can bury you in facts and figures if
your project isn't Balanced.
MeG: What is your particular vision of what's good for AA or can you put
it into words?
Oakram: With so many options for online gaming, it is important for us to
maintain our playerbase. Maintaining the standards set by QC and
Balance is essential for that. From the Education perspective, I
want to encourage any of AA's many creative players to give
Wizardhood a try if they are at all interested in adding to the
world.
MeG: What about the people who think that balance is ruining the game?
What's your answer to them?
Oakram: Ruining? Balance and QC are the reasons so many people are here!
MeG: But you've heard the complaints about balance, I'm sure.
Oakram: In great detail. Given the size of AA and the number of new
projects constantly in the approval queues, it is simply not
possible for all the interactions between the various components to
be understood up front. Paldin does an amazing job at identifying
potential problems early in the process and the Mortal Council is a
huge help, but sometimes changes must be made after an item or
class is in the game. These changes are always carefully considered
and typically the players get benefits that outweigh the costs.
MeG: When a person wizzes, you're the first part of the process they're
exposed to, isn't that right?
Oakram: Yes, immediately upon becoming an Apprentice, the new immortal is
deluged with Education information. In addition to the Education
team there are a number of very helpful wizards here. An Apprentice
can almost always find someone to answer questions.
MeG: Do you think that's overwhelming for people at first?
Oakram: It is a little overwhelming at first, certainly. Most people seem
to enjoy the sensation, though.
MeG: What do you, as Education Arch, have as your primary
responsibilities?
Interview with Oakram continued on page 14 ...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volume 12.0 25 Stormmonth, 565 Page 14
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interview with Oakram, continued from page 13 ...
Oakram: The goal of Education is to ensure that, by the time an Apprentice
is promoted to Wizard, he or she has a basic understanding of how
to create rooms, NPCs, and objects, can work within the approval
process, and is on track to becoming a Creator. All that is
required of the Apprentice is willingness to learn and a strong
interest in improving AA.
MeG: Do you approve or reject any ideas of any sort?
Oakram: The ideas proposed by Apprentices must go through World approval.
The Education team usually does a preliminary review so that the
person submitting doesn't get an unpleasant surprise.
(mumbles something about laser-wielding Care Bears)
MeG: (giggles) What's the average stay of an apprentice within
Education?
Oakram: It depends on the level of coding knowledge they have coming in.
Someone with a background in programming (not necessarily at an
expert level) might become a full wizard within four weeks. Someone
just learning would typically be ready within three to four months
of dedicated effort.
MeG: (nods)
Oakram: To follow up.... The Apprentice period is supposed to be a time to
evaluate whether or not you are interested in continuing on as a
Wizard. It shouldn't be seen as a hurdle to clear but as an
extended interview process. The value is in determining if there is
a good match between everyone's expectations before either side
invests too much in the relationship.
That sounds scarily like dating.
MeG: (agrees amusedly) Do most people find that wizardhood is what they
thought it would be, in your estimation?
Oakram: A lot of people, even experienced programmers, are surprised by the
rigor of the process. Apprentices without a background in
programming find the volume of material to be daunting at first.
Fortunately, it is possible to become productive very quickly and
learn as you go. The immortal environment is usually a pleasant
surprise -- it can be very social.
Interview with Oakram continued on page 15 ...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volume 12.0 25 Stormmonth, 565 Page 15
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interview with Oakram, continued from page 14 ...
MeG: Do you have any parting words of wisdom you'd like to leave the
readers with before this interview is ended?
Oakram: If I had wisdom, I'd have shown it off by now!
MeG: (falls down laughing) Oh, come on, don't be so modest!
Oakram: I would like to encourage anyone interested in becoming a Wizard to
feel free to contact me or any of the Education team if he or she
has questions. We're always looking for creative people and we can
provide the support if you can provide the passion.
MeG: Thanks for doing this interview with me, Oakram. It's been fun. :)
Oakram: Okay, time for RL work. Thanks -- this was fun.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This Just Flew In
as reported by Gilla
According to a researcher at the Nepeth Department of Health, low levels of
radiation are released into the air every time a tell is sent. This results
in slight hormone changes which cause an increase in violent impulses,
lower levels of cognitive reasoning and new Scythe members.
In response to this threat, King Drin has commissioned Trent the Petshop
owner to train hundreds of messenger doves. The doves have been specially
trained to come when called and deliver written messeges to players safely
and without any dangerous radiation.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hanza's Map Shop - The Best since Drake! __________________
\ooo . |^ ^ ^\
Tired of getting lost in the world? Well, we \ooo . \ ^ ^ \
have the answer for you! Buy one of our fine \ooo_ . _ |_^ ^\
line of maps of the realm. They range in size /ooo . /^ ^ /
from our smallest, the pocket map, to our /ooo . / ^ ^/
largest, the sorcerer's map. We guarantee you /.._..x _ /^_ ^^ /
will find one to suit your need and budget. \ _ . | ^ ^\
Hanza's can be found south in Trader Lane, in \ |\ . \ ^ ^ \
the western end of the Market place. If you are \ N . | ^ ^\
low on funds you can use our demonstration map \__________|______\
in the shop to plan your expedition.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volume 12.0 25 Stormmonth, 565 Page 16
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
| /\ /\ |
| | \\_..._// \ R a n g e r ' s |
| \ _ _ <' |
| ( o} {o ) b e s t | Do you have ideas for rangerly
| \ \ \ ! | things you would like to read
| \ (^^)/ f r i e n d | about here? Write to Fir!
| '.;--; |
| '' |
*------------------------------------------*
Dedicated to all things woodly, this feature has been launched to bring
the Canticle closer to You, dear rangers. Let us show any doubters that
newspapers are not for town-dwellers only - and if it does not include
the things you would like to read about, fix it by letting us know!
-- Fir
- * - * - * - * -
Present tip: Berry brandy Bolas are The Thing these
days - but like all fun
Liven up your or someone else's day toys, they have a tendency
with a bottleful of berry brandy! to end up broken all too
Leaves an exquisite aftertaste of soon. But with a little bit
wildberries, and mmm, the smell... of warming up your braiding
All you need is a handful of berries skills and some sinew, it
and distillation gear! will be as good as new!
_____________________________________________________________
/ \
\ Salty John's Bait and Tackle /
/ \
\ Going fishing, mate? Get your gear from a professional, /
/ I've been fishin' since 'fore you were born! I sell \
\ poles and the finest bait, or seines if you prefer /
/ net-fishing, and do not forget grandpa's lucky fishing \
\ hat... /
/ \
\ /
/ My shop is just north of the Tantallon harbour. \
\_____________________________________________________________/
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volume 12.0 25 Stormmonth, 565 Page 17
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
M O R T A L C O U N C I L N E W S
The mortal council elected in Moonset 565 looks like this:
Mage: Riko, Radditz
Rogue: Bleys, Silentdeath, Akapokas
Fighter: (none)
Necromancer: Lunger, Heucuva
Cleric: Meg, Slinkee
Paladin: Druenarrii
Ranger: Thorn, Levek, Quita
Shapeshifter: Ashes, Erithywen
About a third of the representatives are new compared to the previous
term. The fighters had three nominees, but none got the minimum number of
votes. The mortal council held a meeting on Virrsmonth 564. Here is an
overview of the things discussed there. The end third of the
meeting was
somewhat hard to follow, with people talking over each others, so some
valid suggestions probably have not made it here.
Rangers (Levek, Thorn):
More available trail mark symbols were suggested, which Sudian would
look into, and someone brought up setting a maximum number on markings
per room. Separating a number of sinews from a pile was suggested. It
would seem to be most useful in the sense of buying only a few
feathers/sinews from a shop, which would not be trivial to implement.
Adinos and Sudian would look into it in their respective traders, but made
no promises yet. Sudian would look into some tropical rooms not giving
tropical forageables, with no promises. More ranger-made weapons were
suggested, as well as being able to extract bones from corpses. Sudian
volunteered to brainstorm a bit with World and Paldin. A project for
ranger-made bandages was brought up, but it remained unclear if there was
anyone working on it or if it had been accepted.
Fighters (Morpheus):
Adinos and Pris would look into being able to evaluate weapons in shops, at
least to some degree.
Mortal Council News continued on page 18 ...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volume 12.0 25 Stormmonth, 565 Page 18
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mortal Council News, continued from page 17 ...
Shapeshifters (Erithywen):
Adding more third clan form advancement messages was brought up, as
well as enabling nelitos and panther forms to eat hunks of ranger-carved
meat off the ground, which Paldin would look into. Shifter looks changing
a la body shop was also brought up (Sylwen was looking into it at some
point), as was being able to show something for when they have learned
all forms. Paldin noted that drakon eye colour effects are intentionally
as they are. Trees being able to 'fall' in battle for extra damage was
brought up, but it had been considered and dropped already before Shifters
got into the game.
Mages (Riko):
Being able to put things into Deeppockets without picking them up first
was suggested, but the idea did not catch. A new stunning spell was
suggested, and expectedly rated a balance problem.
Necromancers (Lunger):
Adinos mentioned as a side note that the combining necro components
discussed in an earlier meeting would require a major code change. Oliver
is still working on the ritual component pouch. Adinos noted there were
some undead changes in final approval. A suggestion for undead to be able
to "get/drop all x" was accepted but it is not clear if anyone picked up
the project, which was estimated small. Liches and revenants were discussed,
as the formers seem to be no proper option for the latters.
Clerics (Meg, Slinkee):
The clerical major overhaul has turned out to be major enough that
Oliver reported it was not getting anywhere at the moment. Godly
history and getting it to fit the world seems to consist most of the
problem, and Venture noted that the early history of AA is in need of
some sorting out once the World team has time to work on it. The good
news is that beyond changing the theme of clerics, fixes and suggestions
about how to make the class more playable or better are accepted again.
Mortal Council news continued on page 19 ...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volume 12.0 25 Stormmonth, 565 Page 19
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mortal Council news, continued from page 18 ...
General:
A 'who mc' command to see the MC members currently logged in was
suggested. To avoid mudlib, the idea changed into a sort of MC-member
black scroll, and Oliver reports it has been coded and submitted. Some
blatant ripoffs from other worlds were discussed as well, and some
exploration points would be looked at.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kitty, by Sylwen
|\_/| Mid-afternoon nap |\_/|
.-.--(^Y^) Kitty is the first to wake (^Y^)--.-.
(__))__w-w Let me lick your face w-w__((__) (ldb)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------
| ___ __ __ |
| / __|\ \/ / The |
| | <__ > < Commodities W A N T S Y O U ! |
| \___|/_/\_\ Exchange |
| |
| Are you an orphan between the ages 15 and 20 (humans), |
| 24 and 30 (half-elves), 75 and 145 (elves), 12 and 18 |
| (orcs) or 35 and 50 (dwarves)? Do you crave adventure? |
| Excitement? A daily chance of death? |
| |
| If so, you can be one of our couriers! You can deliver |
| packages in your spare time and earn up to 300 gold |
| coins an hour! You can have your own choice of Dangerous, |
| Hazardous, Deadly, Fatal or **NEW** Definitely Lethal |
| delivery routes! |
| |
| We are located just west of the south harbour in |
| Tantallon - ask for Lou, he'll fill you in on all the |
| details and give you a copy of our release form... |
| |
----------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volume 12.0 25 Stormmonth, 565 Page 20
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
C L A I R E ' S _ _
**** * * ***** ***** * ***** \'\ /'/
* * * * * * * * \ V /
**** * * * * * *** /, ,\
* * * * * * * \ Y /
* *** ***** ***** ***** ***** / ' \
P A G E _( ( ) )_
(___/^\___)
Unscramble the following NPC names and find them hidden in the grid below.
Look horizontally, vertically, diagonally, forward and backward to see how
many you can find! :) (See the answer key in the index ('read index') to
find a list of all the names unscrambled.)
KBAE RCEEKD
TONAL TRTMEOD
QHSAIT SLAAHI
NAVAI RLNHAA
IALNMR LLEIAY
YGIMNA WEAIN
Q A T H S I M L O J L P S Q Z Z Y A O
I D V F O S I G S I M A L I S H A A P
W U O I I B N T P H S J T D N S H E P
Z E N E N U C T A A I A B E O O H N N
C N Z H N A M R I L T O F T T A E A T
N Y N L E E K K J T W I N B I O I I S
T G I G P O O T U O L L E K T T H Y R
O I T I F I R O N N I O C T A U E L D
T A K E B A N T S K N L O Y L O S E A
S M E M D F H A B E I M O T G H A L N
E O O R M A R E W N R N N E R M R T L
A M B U O W O I U E U V A T E R W A I
D S T R E K C E D N E B O Y S U O T K
A R E T N U W A O N E D N N A W I H L
E H Z A E I N A O N A L R A H W I N L