Author Topic: Community Council Update Thread  (Read 5294 times)

- carrion -

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Community Council Update Thread
« on: April 18, 2008, 09:48:19 AM »
Dear fellow Prisoners of the Mists,

the Community Council has decided to compile all of it's previous updates into one single
sticky thread for purposes of lucidity as well as to provide easier access to everything published
before.
This thread will just contain the various status updates that have been written by now by
variuos Council members, not the diverse threads that spawned from those. Individual threads
like RP hints, PrC application guidelines, monstrous and subrace resources will still be seperate
topics, stickified in their respective boards.

Shortly, our next update will be posted in addendum to the works of previous days below
this compilation.


Please feel free to approach a  Council member of your choice with whatever issues, ideas
and constructive criticism you might want to share.


Have fun out there everybody  :D

carrion






Compilation of older Council updates



September 05, 2006


News from the community council  # 1
_______________________________

Hello everyone,

Some of you have allready started to wonder what’s up with that council, or why there are
no news coming forth.
Tell you why. The community council and foremost the player representatives are here for
you to adress them should there be problems / issues with other players and / or DMs
that are bothering you.
The council members have been doing exactly that in the past months, and as you might
imagine those things are kept on a private basis and not spilled out for everyone to have a
piece of the cake.
Except for those people that are part of said issue of course.

So, apart from resolving (if possible) or discussing various conflicts the council has also
picked up and tented to certain issues that were brought forth by players directly on the forums.

What the council doesn’t do is making decisions or interfering with ones that fall into the
respective areas of the DMs or the development team.



Right away, here’s some news …

1.) Discussions on the council boards:

For one, the PvP rules where discussed a while back before they were officialy updated in
the POTM server rules (#6). The rules changes can be rewieved there.

Right now, the council members are making considerations on the current alterations
concerning the death system, taking into account what has been brought up by the playerbase
thus far in the respective threads.


2.) New areas in development:

Since the need for more areas seems to be the one thing almost everyone agrees upon,
there are several new ones in the making right now, this includes outdoor areas connecting
the northern shores of Lake Zarovich to it’s eastern counterparts, plus areas reaching into
the blasted wasteland that is the domain of Bluetspur.


3.) New council members:

As stated elsewhere the council has been expanded as of september 3rd 2006, and now includes five representatives for each ‘group’.



That’s it for now.
Please feel free to contact a council member with whatever bothers you, or you simply think they should know about.


carrion_flower





October, 29, 2006


News from the community council #2
______________________________


Here’s just a quick glance of what I’ve been up to the
last couple weeks:


 :arrow: Solving player issues, minor missunderstandings and OOC related problems.

Let me remind you though that where griefing etc. is concerned
we’re in dire need of actual screenshots.
Otherwise it’s just one voice against another.


 :arrow: Stressing important points made by players on the forums out to members of the DM and / or Dev teams.



As for what’s to come for the server, well, the new areas along the northen coast of lake Zarovich are implemented now,
and work continues on several others at the moment.
Also, the minor glitches and bugs that came with cep2.0 have to be taken care of.


Then, if you haven’t done this allready I’d like to redirect you to Ophy’s questionaire:
http://www.nwnravenloft.com/forum/index.php?topic=4408.0
I think it’s worth taking the time.


If you have issues of your own or anything else you want to see adressed by the council
Please drop me a PM anytime. I might be a little less online on the server at the moment, but
that’s real life calling I guess.

See you all there …


carrion_flower





February 19, 2007


Greetings fellow prisoners of the mists,

The transition from the first community council to the second has gone smoothly.  Your representatives have been actively reading up on important topics, theorizing how our role can best benefit the community, and have taken a proactive stance, rather than merely being reactive to problems as they arise.

The chief purpose with this update is to keep the community informed as to what the council has been up to, what we are currently working on, and what our vision of the future looks like. 

Below are listed topics or concepts of relevance:

The Role of Assessment

The council has taken the initiative to develop modes of assessment; polls and questionnaires.  While informal assessment always has a role, polls and questionnaires can provide data that can in return inform the developers, dm staff, and players as to what may need attention or revision. 

Monstrous Subraces

A questionnaire has just reached its final draft and is ready to be filled out by players of monstrous subraces.  The feedback provided by these players will be of great value towards reviewing the current system.  Feedback will help developers determine what, if any, changes should be made. 

Monstrous Characters at Night; (outskirts, frequency, pvp, ooc concerns)

Due to concerns brought to the council by both players and DMs, the council initiated a poll to assess the nature of any possible problems and the severity.  The discussion raised awareness and was productive towards the establishing of improved pvp guidelines.

PvP Guidelines

These guidelines are suggested, and are not rules.  They are the result of discussions that surrounded the issues of monstrous characters at night.  The council recommends that all players make use of the guidelines.  The guidelines, since then, have been put to practice, and have resulted in enriching the role playing quality of pvp, with less ooc problems arising. 

Prestige Class Applications: processing, standards, improvements.

One of the responsibilities of the council is to receive applications for the PrC.  The process has ensured that players who are granted the PrC, understand the PrC, that their motives are not purely driven by ooc reasoning, and that their characters have had sufficient role playing development leading up to the PrC.  Though the council does have the role of aproving or disaproving, our focus is on ensuring that the player is supported throughout the process. 

The council has taken steps to improve the experience for all.  We are working towards providing models of applications, so that new applicants will have a better understanding of the process.  Relevant information, lore, has also been posted in the forum as a reliable ressource: Monstrous Roleplaying Ressources and Prestige Classes Roleplaying Ressources.

One of the benefits to the PrC application process, aside from improving the overall integrity of the setting, is that the council has brought applicant characters and dms together, resulting in plot development.

Communication, standards, rulings, norms

The council is reviewing current communicate systems, standards, and processes.  Suggestions are being offered to the dm staff towards making rulings and similar processes more effecient.  We are also looking for ways to optimize overall communication between the different segments of the community.  Also, the players' representatives will be making more regular updates, so as to keep the players better informed. 


In conclusion, the player’s representatives in the council would like to remind the players that we are here to represent your interests.  The dm staff has elected representatives within the council, as does the developers’ team.  The players’ representatives do not have the role of “policing” behavior in game.  If players do feel that a players’ representative is not conducting themselves properly, we do ask that you bring the issue to another representative so that the council can address it.  Any contribution to the betterment of the community is always encouraged. 

Sincerely,
The Community Council





April 11, 2007


Dear Prisoners of the Mists,

    Some time has passed since the last Community Council Update.  The time between then and now has been eventful; particularly the server itself going down.  We have good reason to be optimistic though.  The community held together despite the lack of a server due to everyone’s commitment.  Not only did the community hold together, it has also grown, gaining some excellent role players. 

    For those new to PoTm, a most hardy welcome.  For your information, the Community Council is a democratically elected body that consists of Developer representatives, Dungeon Master representatives, and Players’ representatives.  Our goals are multifaceted, but the primary purpose of the Council is to care for the general well being of the community: by keeping channels of communication open, being proactive in implementing and suggesting guidelines, gathering feedback on various systems and issues, and the processing of applications for Prestige Classes. 

    With this update, we would like to inform the community of current projects, topics, and issues, as well as to provide some feedback. 


Forum Moderation

Carrion_Flower and Garrison have accepted the roles of Forum Moderators.  This was in part due to the forums having become a rather embarrassing scene, as quiet a few players were chronically derailing topics, flaming others, or contributing in general to the growing discontent.  Ideally, we hope that everyone, including staff, will be mindful to self-monitor their own postings.  Nobody desires to play a paternal role in the sense of having to address poor behavior.  Effort was taken when the forums first started, to maintain a level of maturity and respect, thus contributing to a forum atmosphere that was conducive to Dm/Player/Dev improvement and healthy relations.  At the moment, it appears the forum is back on track. 

Prestige Class - Subrace Applications

For those new to the server, an application process is established.  Helpful links are:

 :arrow: Prestige Classes and Subraces Applications
 :arrow: Monsterous Applications
 :arrow: Subrace Roleplaying Ressources
 :arrow: Prestige Classes Roleplaying Ressources
 :arrow: Monsterous Roleplaying Ressources

Monster Subrace Questionnaire

We have received five filled out questionnaires.  The Developer’s appreciate this feedback.  If you have or are currently playing a monstrous subrace, and have not filled out the questionnaire, please do so.  If the Developers have taken the time to implement a system, a half hour of your time to provide feedback on that system is fair. 

 :arrow: Monstrous Subrace Questionnaire

Death System Questionnaire

We’ve received some wonderful feedback, and we thank you.  For those new to the setting, if you would like to participate in the development of the server, we would appreciate your feedback.

 :arrow: Death System Questionnaire

New Ruleset Questionnaire

As players know, the Development Team has implemented a new Ruleset, that changes how a character attains feats and skills.  Now that players have had some time to experience the new system, the Developer's would value your feedback. 

 :arrow: New Ruleset Questionnaire

Community Council Members

At the moment, three Players' Representatives are active.  Aldarris, due to life's other obligations, has temporarily stepped down.  Cornellius has been inactive for sometime.  Should players need to contact a Players' Representative, Eraldur, Nefensis, or Iconoclast are present.  If any player has sent a PrC application or some other concern to either of the two inactive Players' Representatives, we appologize, and ask that you resend the articles to an active Council Member.  Thank you. 


Setting Dynamics: Factions

In order to keep both old and new players informed, a resource page dedicated to the various factions, both secretive as well as the well known, will be posted as a sticky soon.  One of the goals at PoTm, is to achieve a dynamic role playing experience.  One means for achieving this, is to have players and DMs collaborating within factions.  For those new to the server, each faction has a DM assigned to it.  Since most factions are imbedded in the local culture, not all character races and classes will fit.  This future resource document will help players understand both the setting and the factions, so that players will make informed decisions regarding character creation and involvment. 

PvP Guidelines

These guidelines are suggested, and are not rules.  They are the result of discussions that surrounded the issues of monstrous characters at night.  The council recommends that all players make use of the guidelines.  The guidelines, since then, have been put to practice, and have resulted in enriching the role playing quality of pvp, with less ooc problems arising.


Sincerely,
The Community Council




« Last Edit: April 18, 2008, 10:07:16 AM by carrion_flower »

- carrion -

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Re: Community Council Update Thread
« Reply #1 on: April 18, 2008, 09:58:14 AM »
May 25, 2007






Greetings Fellow Prisoners of the Mists,

   To any new players to the server or forums, we welcome you.  PoTm is in a persistent state of development, and we are always happy to see new faces.  The Community Council is an experiment in democracy.  The chief purpose of the Council is to work as a bridge and vehicle for positive communication between the different segments: The DM Team, the Player Base, and the Development Team. 
   In this update, we would like to reemphasize previous topics, as well as highlight some current issues.  This update is divided into three major sections, bringing you news from the three parts of the Community Council; the Players' Reps, the DM Reps, and the Developers' Reps. 




Players' Representatives Update


The Issue of Inactive Player Representatives

The Community Council is in its second term of existence.  At the moment, terms are set to last the duration of six months.  As some players have heard by now, the Council has been debating and working towards an improvement of the system.  One of the problems we have faced is the occasional Player Representative who does not participate regularly on Council Boards.  The real problem is when the same Players’ Representative does not notify other members on the Council as to when or how long they will be absent.  This then becomes an issue of the Player Representative being held accountable to the voters by some means. 

It has been decided, that since Players’ Reps have been voted into office by the player base, that it would be undemocratic for the Council to remove the member from their position.  The problem then remains as to how to fill in the vacant spot, being that one of the basic needs of any democractic body is that the representative voices represent the diverse persepctives existing within the population.  This is less likely to be accomplished if only two or three Players' Reps are active at a time.   

What has been decided, at least on a personal level by some of your active Player Reps, is that we can at the end of each term, share with the player base each Player Rep’s posting history.  While a Players’ Rep posting history cannot demonstrate the quality of their involvement, the posting history can in the least indicate the level of involvement. 

If a Players’ Rep is running for another term, other members that served along side them, do have the right to post their personal opinion, providing an assessment of that Player Rep’s performance record.  This will hopefully prevent players from making unwise voiting decisions based on a lack of useful information.  If it can be demonstrated that a Players' Rep failed to perform at the lowest acceptable standard in one term, the voters should be aware, so that there is a weaker chance that the same Rep will be voted into a second term. 

One of the goals at the moment, is to hold Players’ Reps accountable to those who have voted for them.  If a Players’ Rep fails to perform at the minimum level of responsibility, such as in the participation of the PrC and subrace Application process, the player base has a right to know. 

Another idea at the moment is to shorten the term of service, to possibly four months, instead of six months.  Another idea is to continue having players vote five people into the Council, but then to keep track of the sixth and seventh runners-up.  In the event that we have one or more of the original five become inactive, we would then have replacements. 





Faction Feedback

Understanding and communication are the two key concepts and values to any healthy relationship.  In the hope of providing the DM team and the Development team with useful feedback on the current faction system, a questionnaire has been developed. 

 :arrow:Factions' Questionnaire




Native Gundarakite and Barovian Resource

For any DM or player who feels their knowledge on the setting is rusty or vague, please make use of this resource:

 :arrow: Native Barovian & Gundarakite Role Playing Guide




New Monstrous Subrace: Ghoul

Thanks to our Developmet Team, players now have the possibility of role playing a Ghoul.  For players interested in role playing a monstrous subrace character, check this thread out: Monstrous PC Application  For players interested in role playing a Ghoul, check this out: Ghouls




Monster Subrace Questionnaire

We have received some filled out questionnaires.  The Developer’s appreciate this feedback.  If you have or are currently playing a monstrous subrace, and have not filled out the questionnaire, please do so.  If the Developers have taken the time to implement a system, a half hour of your time to provide feedback on that system is fair. 

 :arrow: Monstrous Subrace Questionnaire




Death System Questionnaire

We’ve received some wonderful feedback, and we thank you.  For those new to the setting, if you would like to participate in the development of the server, we would appreciate your feedback.

 :arrow: Death System Questionnaire




New Ruleset Questionnaire

As players know, the Development Team has implemented a new Ruleset, that changes how a character attains feats and skills.  Now that players have had some time to experience the new system, the Developer's would value your feedback. 

 :arrow: New Ruleset Questionnaire




Prestige Class - Subrace Applications

For those new to the server, an application process is established.  Helpful links are:

 :arrow: Prestige Classes and Subraces Applications
 :arrow: Monsterous Applications
 :arrow: Subrace Roleplaying Ressources
 :arrow: Prestige Classes Roleplaying Ressources
 :arrow: Monsterous Roleplaying Ressources




PvP Guidelines

These guidelines are suggested, and are not rules.  They are the result of discussions that surrounded the issues of monstrous characters at night.  The council recommends that all players make use of the guidelines.  The guidelines, since then, have been put to practice, and have resulted in enriching the role playing quality of pvp, with less ooc problems arising.
 



Forum Conduct

The Community Council would like to thank the players for having made a noticeable improvement in the level of respect when posting on the forum boards.  If you wish to contact one of our two forum moderators, you will find their contact information here: Carrion_Flower & Garrison




PvP Violations or other Rule Violations

If making an official complaint towards another player, there is a strong need for screenshots, otherwise it is one player's word against another.  While it cannot hurt to inform the Council or the DM Team of your concerns, without evidence, there is little if anything to be done with regards to consequences.







DM Team News


The DM Team has been redrafting rules, as well as the consequences to rule violations.  The DM Team has made improvements, making their decisions more consistant as well as fair and efficient.  Three new dms have been added to the team:Tonan, Mephisto and Thestral, providing more coverage, on top of maintaining the quality role playing strived for here at PoTm.

Upcoming on the long term quest scene are:

 :arrow: Pirates! - The Beginning of the End
 :arrow: Nosferatu - Cold Case (part III) 
 :arrow: Concluding the Tale of Azazel.
 :arrow: The Cult of Kali.
 :arrow: Final Parts of the Blight.
 :arrow: Teachings of a Tengu.

Plans to bring a lot more action to the factions are also in the works. 






News from the Development Team


Development-wise, we're still working on our ongoing project to make all parts of the module updated to use our latest standards and systems. Right now, traps are the main subject of focus, so expect to see some replacement on that field soon. Our AI systems have also been revised to correct some problems in the default AI, helping to correct HIPS problems and influence check spamming, improving general combat responsiveness and several other new enhancements.

Further, we've lately worked on implementing faction areas for some of the more sinister, coldblooded groups we'll feature. The expanding goes deep beneath the surface soil of Strahd's Barovia, to ancient places that in some cases might even date back to before the realm itself was born. Something has made whatever rested down there awaken from its sleep, exposing the already troubled population of yet another threat, ready to creep up to them the next moment they let down their guard.

Projects for the coming time include implementing even more faction areas, perhaps new monstrous races as well as improving the current systems for them. The crafting system is also finally set to be expanded, implementing the long awaited  and more. And, finally, we're adding sink holes of evil, to those familiar to the concept, as part of the module and will work on setting up areas for it.


-----------------------------------------

If any player has any issue, suggestion, complaint to share with the Community Council, please do not hesitate. 

Sincerely,
The Community Council



- carrion -

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Re: Community Council Update Thread
« Reply #2 on: April 18, 2008, 09:59:54 AM »
November 20, 2007





Greetings Fellow Prisoners of the Mists,

   To any new players to the server or forums, we welcome you.  PoTm is in a persistent state of development, and we are always happy to see new faces.  The Community Council is an experiment in democracy.  By clicking on the link, you will be taken to a list of representatives, as well as an explanation of how the Council can work for you.  The chief purpose of the Council is to work as a bridge and vehicle for positive communication between the different segments: The DM Team, the Player Base, and the Development Team. 
   In this update, we would like to highlight some previous topics, as well as provide a window upon some current issues.  This update is divided into three major sections, bringing you news from the three parts of the Community Council; the Players' Reps, the DM Reps, and the Developers' Reps.  Each topic is also highlighted, so players can easily browse through and pick and choose which topics are of interest.  So there is no obligation to read this document from beginning to end.  It will cover some old ground for some readers.




Players' Representatives Update




Your Community Council; The Third Term

   The Community Council is in its third term of existence.  Terms had lasted for six months prior.  However, since it was a reoccurring problem with keeping seats filled for the duration of six months, we’ve now changed the terms to four months.  At the moment, all representatives are active.  Should a rep become inactive for an extended period of time, a runner-up from the elections may be asked to fill in. 

        Shadymerchant has accepted the position of a players' representative.  When Sadek made the transition into being DM Ravenous, Shadymerchant was the next in line, and is therefore supported by the elections and votes of the playerbase.  DM Ravenous is now representing the Dm Team on the Council.  So at the moment, all seats are filled and active.  At the same time, start thinking about the next election which is quickly approaching. 

   At the beginning of this third term, the newer representatives helped review previous and current practices towards offering suggestions of improvement.  Here are some of the concerns discussed at that time:

 :arrow: The public perception of the Community Council

   It had been brought to our attention, that some players perceived the Council as a malevolent institution that was largely ineffective in its role.  While it was no surprise that that such a perception did exist at least among some of the player base, we wanted to assess if the perception was prevalent.  To assess the potentially serious issues of players’ perception of the Council, we initiated a questionnaire.  Overall, based on data provided by players, most players are satisfied with their Community Council experience. 
        One possible explanation for some discontent or negative perceptions is that some players may not clearly understood the role of the Council.  The Dev Team creates the rules, The Dm team enforces the rules, while the Community Council is intended to work as a means of communication between players, dms, and devs.  In other words, the Community Council does not have the power to decide rulings and punishments.  That is the role of the dm team.  The Community Council does watch over dm proceedings though, to ensure that players are being fairly dealt with.  Players' Reps may share their thoughts on a dm matter with Dm reps, but it is up to the dm team in the end to enforce the rules and deal out appropriate consequences.  When players do bring issues or complaints to the Council, the Council looks for ways to resolve conflicts.  Some conflicts or misunderstandings have been resolved, while some conflicts remain as a challenge.  Regardless, your Community Council welcomes every players’ feedback at any time. 

 :arrow: Doing a better job in bringing closure to issues or complaints brought to us by players

   In reviewing case histories and from reading questionnaire feedback from players’ on their experience with the Council, we found that the Council could improve in bringing closure to particular types of cases.  We found that in cases where there was insufficient evidence for the Council or Dm team to act upon, the threads on those topics just died off, without any real closure, or informing involved players as to the end result.  Towards improving our communication on such issues, we have made a group effort to bring closure to each case, so that players are regularly informed as to the results, if any, of the issues or complaints brought to the Council.   



DM Interaction/harrassment


Your players' representatives have suggested that a new rule be implemented that protects both players and dungeon masters.  The purpose of the rule is to prevent ooc problems from spoiling the in-game enjoyment of both players and dungeon.  The rule is as follows:

Quote
- If you have a complaint or issue you want to resolve, do not complain to or argue with DMs or other players via tells in-game. It is simply too disruptive and takes up too much time for DMs who could otherwise be running events for other players. If you have a complaint or issue you need resolved, then send a Personal Message (or "PM") on the forums to either the Head DM or one of the Assistant Head DMs.

Anything that disrupts the current roleplay environment or personal roleplay enjoyment (such as grievers, getting stuck on an inaccessible tile, or bugged characters) will be dealt with immediately. If the issue is not urgent then it is to be left for a forum PM.

Those who continue to argue/complain via tells after being informed of this rule can expect the following punishments:

Rule Broken: Complaining to a DM via in game tells, despite being directed to forums PMs (Screen shots required)

Punishment: Verbal warning from Staff (first offense)
                  Written warning (Second offense)
                  2 Week Ban (Third offense)
                  2 Month Ban (Final offense)



Supported Factions

Players have serveral factions available to them.  We've recently updated the Faction Guide to include the Undead Faction.  The Developers are also considering making the Ezrites a supported faction.  A resource guide has been created for players and can be found here: :arrow: Faction Guide



Faction Feedback

Understanding and communication are the two key concepts and values to any healthy relationship.  In the hope of providing the DM team and the Development team with useful feedback on the current faction system, a questionnaire has been developed. 

 :arrow: Factions' Questionnaire




Native Gundarakite and Barovian Resource

For any DM or player who feels their knowledge on the setting is rusty or vague, please make use of this resource:

 :arrow: Native Barovian & Gundarakite Role Playing Guide

We'd also like to stress that players should not choose to be Barovian or Gundarakite as an afterthought in the character background script upon creating new characters.  Take the time to read up on what it means to be Barovian or Gundarakite before attempting to role play a character of either ethnic background.  Pay attention not only to the physical traits, such as skin tone and hair color, but also pay attention to the cultural traits that should influence their behavior as well as what classes are appropriate. 




New Monstrous Subrace: Ghoul

Thanks to our Developmet Team, players now have the possibility of role playing a Ghoul.  For players interested in role playing a monstrous subrace character, check this thread out: Monstrous PC Application  For players interested in role playing a Ghoul, check this out: Ghouls




Monster Subrace Questionnaire

We have received some filled out questionnaires.  The Developer’s appreciate this feedback.  If you have or are currently playing a monstrous subrace, and have not filled out the questionnaire, please do so.  If the Developers have taken the time to implement a system, a half hour of your time to provide feedback on that system is fair. 

 :arrow: Monstrous Subrace Questionnaire




Death System Questionnaire

We’ve received some wonderful feedback, and we thank you.  For those new to the setting, if you would like to participate in the development of the server, we would appreciate your feedback.

 :arrow: Death System Questionnaire





Prestige Class - Subrace Applications

   For those new to the server, an application process is established.  We have also collected data to assess what percentile of applications are approved or denied.  Including applications for both subraces and PrCs’ over all three terms, there is a 69% approval rating.  Roughly 7/10 applications are approved.  At the moment, including data from the second term to the present, the approval rate is at 73%. 

   Further more, we want to explain that when the Council considers character concepts in the application process, we are obligated to adhere to the rules on cheese that have been determined by the Development Team.  The rule is as follows:

Quote
- No "Cheesing": "Cheesing" an ability is the act of playing your character as if they have an ability which the NWN engine would not otherwise allow them to have.

Example 1: You should not be a giant-kin by picking half-orc and writing "Veerbeeg" in the subrace field.

Example 2: You should not say your character is a vampire with exceptional strength and the ability to make other characters into a vampire by biting them. ONLY abilities that are granted by your class, race, and level within NWN are in-game. Extra powers that you make up or pretend to have are unacceptable in Ravenloft: PotM.



    The Development Team has the power to establish the rules, the DM team has the responsibility of enforcing the rules, while your Community Council is obligated to apply the rules to the application process.  So if a character concept is presented to the Council that falls outside of the boundaries established by the Dev Team, the Council does not have the power to accept that application, unless if the Dev Team revises the acceptable boundaries, determined by the rule on cheesing.  The Council does however have the power to suggest revision to the rule on cheesing.  In the end though, the Council is obligated to process applications in compliance with the rules established by the Dev team.  Do not be detered though from sharing your character concepts.  In some cases, a slight revision to the character concept will make it eligable for acceptance and game play. 

Helpful links for applicants are:

 :arrow: Prestige Classes and Subraces Applications
 :arrow: Monsterous Applications
 :arrow: Subrace Roleplaying Ressources
 :arrow: Prestige Classes Roleplaying Ressources
 :arrow: Monsterous Roleplaying Ressources




PrC and Subrace Application Tips

We have added a page of tips to some of the resources linked above.  We hope these tips will decrease the chances that an application will be denied due to an applicant not clearly understanding what is being asked of them in the application.  The tips are as follows, and are included in the same format as an application appears:

Character Background (100 words or less):

 :arrow: While some experience in your background may be relevant to the training required to master your PrC, it is important to note that no training in your background at level two can justify mastering the PrC.  For example, arguing that your character was a drow weapon master before coming to PoTm, on another server, does not imply that the drow should automatically earn the PrC.  There are also established rules that determine what is cheesing and what isn’t.  If in doubt that something in your background is “cheese” or not, don’t hesitate to ask either the Council, the open forums, or the dm team ahead of time before you start playing your character. 

Describe your knowledge of this class (or subrace) (200 words or less):

 :arrow: Be sure to do exactly as this section asks of you.  Describe, preferably in your own words, your understanding of the PrC or subrace.  Telling us you understand the PrC or subrace, or that you read all there is to know, does not actually convey your knowledge of the PrC or subrace. 

How will your character roleplay mastering this new class? (150 words or less):

 :arrow: Some players have sent screenshots in with their application, showing their training, either self taught, or by learning from a master of the PrC.  Screenshots certaintly are not required, but they can certainly help.  Any interaction with a dm towards training and mastery of the PrC is also good to note.  If your character recieved any training from other player characters, go ahead and describe it, and list the characters.  Allow your character time to role play some prc progression before applying as well.  It easier to accept an application where the character has had plenty of role playing progression than an application for a level two character who is only planning on taking a prc down the road. 

Why does your character want this PrC? (100 words or less):

 :arrow: This section has rarely been a problem for applicants.


Why do you, as a player, want this PrC or subrace? (100 words or less):

 :arrow: Be honest.  There is nothing wrong with wanting a powerful build or subrace, however, one of the purposes of the application process to prevent players from taking a PrC or subrace only for power.  Dm reps do weigh in during the application process.  While some Reps firmly believe that only the application itself should be considered, other Reps do have the right to consider any possible ooc issues, such as a player having a long history of causing grief to other players due to bullying or violating pvp guidelines.   






PvP Guidelines

These guidelines are suggested, and are not rules.  They are the result of discussions that surrounded the issues of monstrous characters at night.  The council recommends that all players make use of the guidelines.  The guidelines, since then, have been put to practice, and have resulted in enriching the role playing quality of pvp, with less ooc problems arising.
 




Forum Conduct

The Community Council would like to thank the players for having made a noticeable improvement in the level of respect when posting on the forum boards.  If you wish to contact one of our two forum moderators, you will find their contact information here: Carrion_Flower & Garrison




PvP Violations or other Rule Violations

If making an official complaint towards another player, there is a strong need for screenshots, otherwise it is one player's word against another.  While it cannot hurt to inform the Council or the DM Team of your concerns, without evidence, there is little if anything to be done with regards to consequences.







DM Team News


DM Talek and the Rebel Faction are on the verge again of shaking things up. 

DM EO and DM Nightmare are looking for feedback from the Undead player characters, now that these two are working together to support the Undead Faction.  A Questionnaire will be developed for players, but nothing is stopping players from using the Undead Faction forum to post feedback. 

DM Corvus is doing some development work as a result of recent story development between Zeklos Keep and the Church of Ezra.  The war with Invidia rages on.

DM Doom is putting the finishing touches on a plot that highlights the Cult of the Morninglord and the Ezrites.







News from the Development Team




News from our Server Admin (Axel):

Due to a previous server crash I've started porting my homemade watchdog (the program that monitors the nwn-server, and makes sure it is restarted if it becomes non-responsive, i.e., if it crashes) from shell-script to python, to make it more transparent. The new watchdog will be able to restart the nwn-server, even if the machine crashes due to e.g. thunderstorms.


Half-Drow Template

The Dev Team may have this template coming soon.




-----------------------------------------

If any player has any issue, suggestion, complaint to share with the Community Council, please do not hesitate. 

Sincerely,
The Community Council

Iconoclast

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Re: Community Council Update Thread
« Reply #3 on: April 18, 2008, 11:18:17 AM »
April 18, 2008



Community Council Update




Greetings Fellow Prisoners of the Mists,

   To any new players to the server or forums, we welcome you.  PoTm is in a persistent state of development, and we are always happy to see new faces.  The Community Council is an experiment in democracy.  By clicking on the link, you will be taken to a list of representatives, as well as an explanation of how the Council can work for you.  The chief purpose of the Council is to work as a bridge and vehicle for positive communication between the different segments: The DM Team, the Player Base, and the Development Team. 
   In this update, we would like to highlight some previous topics, as well as provide a window upon some current issues.  This update is divided into three major sections, bringing you news from the three parts of the Community Council; the Players' Reps, the DM Reps, and the Developers' Reps.  Each topic is also highlighted, so players can easily browse through and pick and choose which topics are of interest.  So there is no obligation to read this document from beginning to end.  It will cover some old ground for some readers.




Players' Representatives Update








A Player’s Multiple Characters, the Role of Antagonist, and Perception



   As we all know, every good story has conflict, ideally a conflict of mutual quality that contributes positively to plot development.  Unlike a story written by one author, the stories being role played within PoTm are collaborative in nature, malleable, and not under any single person’s full control.  Each player has a responsibility to one another since each of us has a degree of power and influence over our shared environment and collaborative story.
    In a tabletop game, you sit across the table and you can see the players and dungeon master.  You might have a degree of trust and friendship with those at a table top game.  The degrees of separation between a character and its player may be more pronounced and apparent in a table top community.  In a PW though, we have dozens of participants from diverse backgrounds and points-of-view partaking in one grand story.  It isn’t always possible to develop a sense of trust between participants.  We log in, and we don’t see the people behind the screen.  We just see their characters, and in some cases, multiple characters.  This brings us to the heart of the matter. 
         If a player has a tendency to roll up multiple characters, and each of these characters leans towards being antagonistic, it can create the perception that the player themselves is being antagonist via their characters’ actions.  This perception becomes amplified if one player’s multiple characters behaves antagonistically towards another player’s single character.  It can even begin to feel like harassment.  One may begin to feel that the player themselves doesn’t like the other player, and is then using their multiple antagonistic characters to bully them, perhaps masking things with “role play.”
   Even if it might be true that each of your characters are antagonists without you the player being antagonistic, it would still be wise to consider how it looks from other points of view.  In either case, it is also important for a player not to use their multiple characters to influence events that directly effect the same plot or another player's character.  It may be percieved that you are using multiple characters in a self-serving manner to orchestrate another player character's suffering. 
   For those players who enjoy role playing the antagonist, and if every one of your characters has a tendency of engaging in pvp as a result, please consider trying a different concept, a character concept that is not outright aggressive.  Once a player has earned the respect and trust from many members within the PoTm community, you’ll find that players may be more willing to engage with one of your antagonistic characters, because they’ll trust the player's intentions behind the conflict are not malicous nor self-serving.




Ninja Looting



   As your players’ representatives within the Council, we are hoping we can reassure the player base that ninja looting is not as frequent, pervasive, or effortless as it may be perceived to be.  There is often a difference between perception and reality.  It is also not uncommon for entire groups of people to share a perception on an issue, such as ‘ninja looting,’ and have that perception not match up with the reality of the matter.  Players’ representatives have brought the issue to the Council, to discuss ‘ninja looting’ with the Development Team.  We’d like to share the salient points in the discussion and the outcome.
   The idea of creating a rule to forbid ninja looting was considered, but after consideration, creating a rule isn’t the route most think we should go.  The truth of the matter is that the Dev Team has good scripts and thought-out areas that are meant to either deter ninja looting or in the least make it an appropriate challenge.  A rule that forbids ninja looting, while perhaps stopping some players from exploiting certain treasure locations, would also be placing ooc limitations on perfectly legitimate role playing attempts of a rogue to loot a dungeon.  It is believable and understandable if a rogue wishes to take the risk to plunder a dungeon without engaging in a fight.  What is not acceptable though is anyone who makes a practice of logging in their rogue to loot, then logging out, and then waiting for the treasure to respawn then logs back in, and repeats again and again.  That is an exploit, that the Dev Team has scripts that do a pretty good job in preventing.  However, there are some improvements that the Dev Team is working towards implementing. 
   The Dev Team could give an explicit breakdown of how the scripts work to deter or make ninja looting a real challenge, but then that information could then be used by some to exploit the systems in place.  As your players’ representatives within the Council, we are hoping we can reassure the player base that ninja looting is not as frequent, pervasive, or effortless as it may be perceived to be.  But at the same time, the Dev Team is continuing to brain storm and revise the systems in place.  The Development Team has recognized that there are some treasure areas that are too easy.  So players can help in the process of making improvements.  If you perceive an area that you feel is too easily exploited by a ‘ninja looter,’ please send your concerns to the Council or straight to the Dev Team.  They do take this issue seriously, and your player representatives have stood witness to their continued effort to improve those areas still being too easily exploited.




Revised PvP Rule

Quote
The PvP rules have been revised for some time now, but deserve some attention.  We’d like to highlight the following:

C - NON-HOSTILE AND/OR SAME FACTION PVP
- Players who kill other player characters without an overriding in-character reason (see below), or that aren't opposed in faction, may be banned.

- Valid overriding in-character reasons may encompass many things such as faction conflicts, open confrontation (words or actions by the victim), refusal to withdraw or surrender by the victim (to the extent where this is possible), retaliation. Don't engage random characters if they do all within their power to avoid conflict - but on the other hand, don't expect to be safe of PvP if your character is acting confrontational, intimidating, taunting or otherwise participating to build the conflict. In doubt, both parties should take screenshots of the situation and contact a DM about it.

- If any of the parties involved feel that their roleplay has been violated, or the PvP did not serve the IC roleplay experience, you may be held accountable of violating the first server rule and punished accordingly - which may result in ban. Killing each other seldom creates more roleplay; often, it ends it. Try alternate methods than killing in playing out IC conflicts first (for example, fist fights are more common than all out murders, and they allow for more RP after the fight), before giving the final coup de grace.


It is important that some quality story development is built up to contextualize and give pvp some meaning.  When there is no story built up leading up to the pvp, there is a greater chance that the pvp was premature, and that ooc conflict may result. 




DM Interaction/Player Interaction & Harassment


Your players' representatives have suggested that a new rule be implemented that protects both players and dungeon masters.  The purpose of the rule is to prevent ooc problems from spoiling the in-game enjoyment of both players and dungeon masters.  The rule is as follows:

Quote
- If you have a complaint or issue you want to resolve, do not complain to or argue with DMs or other players via tells in-game. It is simply too disruptive and takes up too much time for DMs who could otherwise be running events for other players. If you have a complaint or issue you need resolved, then send a Personal Message (or "PM") on the forums to either the Head DM or one of the Assistant Head DMs.

Anything that disrupts the roleplay environment or personal roleplay enjoyment (such as grievers, getting stuck on an inaccessible tile, or bugged characters) will be dealt with immediately. If the issue is not urgent then it is to be left for a forum PM.

Those who continue to argue/complain via tells after being informed of this rule can expect the following punishments:

Rule Broken: Complaining to a DM via in game tells, despite being directed to forums PMs (Screen shots required)

Punishment: Verbal warning from Staff (first offense)
                  Written warning (Second offense)
                  2 Week Ban (Third offense)
                  2 Month Ban (Final offense)


Here is how to make this rule work for you to protect your enjoyment of the game:

1)   Inform the player or DM that you are starting to feel harassed, and for them to stop.  Screenshot this interaction, because it      can prove to the dm team that you did ask the player to stop. 
2)   If the player or dm does not cease in the harassment or inappropriate behavior, then screenshot that as well.
3)   If you are prepared now to make an official complaint against the player or dm, send all your screenshots and explanation to an active member of the dm team.  If you are making a complain against a dm, do not worry, because your players’ representative has the responsibility of overseeing your case to ensure that the dm team handles it fairly.  Informing a player rep that you’ve filed a complaint might also be a good idea.
4)   Your screenshots and complaint will then be studied by the dm team, and they will determine if the harassment rule has been violated.
5)   Another option some players have taken advantage of, is to contact a Community Council players’ representative, and see if the conflict can be resolved without the dm team having to become involved.  The Community Council’s goal is to resolve conflict peacefully, while the DM Team is in a position to actually determine if rules have been broken, and then to enact consequences if warranted.  If trying to resolve ooc conflicts civilly fails, then the player or dm can always then turn to the DM team.






More updates will be following before long.  Should any clarification be needed on any issues within any update, please don't hesistate to contact the Council.

Rock on,
Your Community Council

« Last Edit: April 18, 2008, 11:21:31 AM by Iconoclast »