Player Event

[Smoot]

Id like to host a personal event. What is the procedure for working with the EM to have your own personal event with EM spawned mobs? any input would be helpful. thanks. Or is this something that has to be gone thru @Mesanna ?

 

[whiterabbit]

E MAIL EM

 

[Dot_Warner]

EMs won't spawn mobs for players, its against the "rules."

 

[Larisa]

As far as I know they aren't supposed to...that could have changed because I've noticed at least one event in the recent past that this happened so maybe Mesanna changed the rules...only she knows Though it would be nice if there was a rulebook or something because I think for certain instances it would be a good idea but not just any old player -run event. She'd have to monitor things though and I'm sure she's way too busy to monitor every player-run event.

Best bet would be to ask her and get a definitive answer.

 

[whiterabbit]

wif rule book dey beees tied to rules. dey nos like dat

 

[TandaBSK]

The only work around we found as Governors on GL is to get a bunch of folks to take trade missions and meander about out of guards, generates some lower level mobs, with enough folks you can get quantity. Unless it's an EMs event we've been told such isn't possible.

 

[Smoot]

EMs won't spawn mobs for players, its against the "rules."

Pretty sure its not against any rules
http://uo2.stratics.com/posts/49526

https://stratics.com/community/thre...ion-ii-january-29th-at-8pm-est-jhelom.332073/

Im just wondering what the standard procedure is to get this type of thing done. Do you have to just be freinds with the EM or can anyone apply to host an event?

it would be a good thing for each shards EM to sticky the procedure so interested players can take advantage of using EM mobs for our events. I dont want anything complicated, just a bunch of crimson dragons and maybe a few lower level spawn.

 

[whiterabbit]

anyone

 

[Reeky Bugbutt]

EMs won't spawn mobs for players, its against the "rules."

Dats not troo. (contact the EM, at least on Baja Crys is happy to help out. She has spawned mobs of goblins in Governor held towns)

And mees no tinks anyone bees mees "friend" so dats nos it

 

[Scribbles]

@Smoot In my experience if you try to organize an player event far enough out, the EMs will help but i believe they have to get @Mesanna 's approval. However this not always the case. For the Fel House drop events I have run, ive requested an EM to spawn healers. When requested appropriately they had no problem with this. When not requested appropriately prepare to get trolled.

Good luck buddy, glad to see a player taking initiative and making a player event.

 

[Smoot]

@Smoot In my experience if you try to organize an player event far enough out, the EMs will help but i believe they have to get @Mesanna 's approval. However this not always the case. For the Fel House drop events I have run, ive requested an EM to spawn healers. When requested appropriately they had no problem with this. When not requested appropriately prepare to get trolled.

Good luck buddy, glad to see a player taking initiative and making a player event.

yes a few em mobs would definitely make an event easier. i was thinking months back about how to do it with yellow crystals and taming/releasing mobs but didnt realize this was an option.

 

[Speranza]

I've done several player events with and without EM help. Now this is my experience with my EMs and it's PAINFULLY obvious that your experience may very. I get really sad when I hear that some EMs won't help like this. Anyhow, here is the process on how they typically help out:

1. I email them, this email includes specifics on date/time, the storyline and objective of the event. For example: I am gathering a team of alchemists and miners in Minoc to help clear the bay on Sunday at 5pm.
   
2. I include in this the details that I need from them. For example: We are going to take care of all the decorations, but could you spawn some water elementals as a "tidal wave" after we blow everything to smithereens and maybe some strong "end boss" style monster? I'll leave those details up to you.
3. They reply back and say Yes or No based on their availability, validity of the request, how complex it is (they do have limited powers but rehueing/renaming a monster can be done), and if they need to contact a dev to help or not as some things need dev abilities. Also some objects only work in housing areas so they won't work for an event, think Deeded items.
4. If they can come they show up early, discuss the event and any last changes, then they can create standard monsters with no special loot. My EMs have been really cool about even adding and suggesting things to help out and make it fun. During my alchemist event I mentioned earlier they beefed up the explosions and even spawned some "pirates" to come spice up the fun.

We end up with cool events like this:
http://i.imgur.com/3IRIZ6N.png
That is OUR boat, OUR characters, but EM locked down fires and NPC pirates(now dead).

From what I understand they can spawn normal monsters with NO DROPS at all, just normal loot table. Some of the special summoned bosses, like Corgul, cannot be spawned by them. They can do some special effects like lock down fields or items for decoration and explosions and other graphics for ambiance. So just as long as you keep it simple, do most of the work yourself, they should be able to step in and spice it up a notch.

Now, how many events have I run that I requested, and got, EM help for could I have done on my own? 100% of them, and I design my events around that. We all have imaginations, you don't have to rely on the EMs.

 

[DreadLord Lestat]

Pretty sure its not against any rules
http://uo2.stratics.com/posts/49526

https://stratics.com/community/thre...ion-ii-january-29th-at-8pm-est-jhelom.332073/

Im just wondering what the standard procedure is to get this type of thing done. Do you have to just be freinds with the EM or can anyone apply to host an event?

it would be a good thing for each shards EM to sticky the procedure so interested players can take advantage of using EM mobs for our events. I dont want anything complicated, just a bunch of crimson dragons and maybe a few lower level spawn.

It was not a personal event, it was a player event for the city of Jhelom in which I am the governor. The event was available to the entire shard and was advertised ahead of time. There were no drops on the mobs and they were not uber level creatures. They are re-skinned and rehued mobs that already exist in game. I notified the EM's of what I was working on. This is an ongoing story and was approved by the EM's prior to advertising it. They cannot just spawn mobs for random things and they cannot include drops. This is also up to the EMa due to the fact that it is on their time, as it is a city event and not an EM event.

D&D get a lot of complaints but they are really helpful and do a lot for our shard.

 

[Smoot]

It was not a personal event, it was a player event for the city of Jhelom in which I am the governor. The event was available to the entire shard and was advertised ahead of time. There were no drops on the mobs and they were not uber level creatures. They are re-skinned and rehued mobs that already exist in game. I notified the EM's of what I was working on. This is an ongoing story and was approved by the EM's prior to advertising it. They cannot just spawn mobs for random things and they cannot include drops. This is also up to the EMa due to the fact that it is on their time, as it is a city event and not an EM event.

by personal event i just meant player event. Thanks for all the help so far, again i think each EM should sticky what is needed so anyone can do it. I'm assuming i dont actually need to be a governor, but if so suppose i can just win some town again.

 

[Larisa]

I agree if this is allowed it should be posted somewhere. I think it's an awesome idea that this is allowed as I was under the impression that EM's were not allowed to help players run events using EM powers.

If the EM's approve it, it means they had to have approval from Mesanna...which means that it's allowed, which is very cool!

As long as the rules are followed I think this is a great idea and would make player-run events more interesting..as long as the EM's aren't abused and asked to spawn things at every event lol, remember they are players too!

 

[DreadLord Lestat]

by personal event i just meant player event. Thanks for all the help so far, again i think each EM should sticky what is needed so anyone can do it. I'm assuming i dont actually need to be a governor, but if so suppose i can just win some town again.

You will have a better chance if you make it an advertised event open to the entire shard. As Vic pointed out, you should email them a minimum of one month in advance. The more time you give them, the better of a chance you will have. You need to clearly state why you are doing it and what you are hoping for them to do. Let them know that it is open to the entire shard and that you understand that there will be no special drops. D&D are great to work with so hopefully the EM's will be the same on your shard.

 

[Dot_Warner]

I am shocked, SHOCKED I SAY, that the "rules" are applied based on individual EM whims.

/sarcasm

@Mesanna @Kyronix

IMHO, this is one of the major problems with the EM system: the inexplicably inconsistent application of "rules" from one shard to another.

Despite RP plotlines, GL has continually been told "No" to requests for the spawning of anything and no to decoration requests, unless they are extremely temporary. Yet we've seen requests for these things granted on other shards. We were told these were Mesanna's edicts.

You either allow things equally across all shards, or you'd better expect to hear legitimate cries of favoritism.

 

[DreadLord Lestat]

I am shocked, SHOCKED I SAY, that the "rules" are applied based on individual EM whims.

/sarcasm

@Mesanna @Kyronix

IMHO, this is one of the major problems with the EM system: the inexplicably inconsistent application of "rules" from one shard to another.

Despite RP plotlines, GL has continually been told "No" to requests for the spawning of anything and no to decoration requests, unless they are extremely temporary. Yet we've seen requests for these things granted on other shards. We were told these were Mesanna's edicts.

You either allow things equally across all shards, or you'd better expect to hear legitimate cries of favoritism.

The UO website says nothing about not assisting in player events. http://uo.com/Game-Events

It specifically says:

Event Moderator and Shard Events

Event Moderators, EM(s), are on most shards and run unique events to bring community together, tell a story, and build interest in the game.

and:

Events

Arc Events: Story line events with a plot, uses RPCs to tell the story and help the players on their adventure. Often a character is used repeatedly and gains friendship, or grows hatred, of the people of the land; building depth and meaning to the story that is played out.

Mini Events: Just for fun events which often don’t last longer than an hour and serve almost no purpose but to entertain. RPCs or Robes can be seen at these types of events.

Meet and Greet: When the EMs of your shard get on their robes and just talk with you, the players. 100% not in character, very casual.

RP Events: These events are done only by an RPC. The EM will not break character. These events help build the storyline for Arc events.


Player run events, especially City Governor events fall under Mini Events and RP Events. The player run City Governor events are full RP, have a story line, the story usually takes place over multiple events, and the EM's only assist on a small portion of them. These events are open to everyone and have no drops nor anything special for any player including the player(s) who run the events. These events are to bring the community together and build an interest in game which is EXACTLY why there are EM's. I am sorry that your EM's do not participate and hope that they will change their mind and assist with events that fit the requirements of the EM's.

 

[whiterabbit]

reads story line on chessy forums under pirates

 

[MalagAste]

All I've ever heard is NO it's against the rules. But as stated we've spawned our own. Either through getting Trade Deals to spawn mobs about us... Used the crystals to pop a Harbringer.... Dug some TMaps near the locations we were passing to pop some larger level Mobs. Used a few T-Maps in part of the event...

Filled houses near with nasty things like dragons, Raptors etc we tamed and released to drop the house and release them... etc.

 

[Scribbles]

It seems like the Chessy EMs had no problem helping set up a player run event. https://stratics.com/community/threads/a-huge-thank-you-to-ems-d-d.332478/

 

[Riyana]

by personal event i just meant player event. Thanks for all the help so far, again i think each EM should sticky what is needed so anyone can do it. I'm assuming i dont actually need to be a governor, but if so suppose i can just win some town again.

Don't most EMs hold Halls of Commons or Meet and Greets or some kind of OOC meeting with players? Those are good sources of information. Could have sworn I saw you at a Chesapeake Hall of Commons not terribly long ago.

 

[Smoot]

EMs won't spawn mobs for players, its against the "rules."

apparently you were right. I spoke with a few EMs on shards where i might like to hold an event, and they told me basically the same thing. Now im honestly kinda frustrated that either this rule is only applied on a case by case basis, Or special treatment is given to specific cases, Or EMs are just ignoring the rules made by @Mesanna .

To EMs, if you DO allow player events / spawned mobs could you please sticky that fact and the procedure on your page. Currently I only know of Chesapeake that has done EM spawned mobs for players, honestly not sure if this was allowed by @Mesanna or not, but it would be very helpful to know what shards do allow EM spawned mobs for player events so i dont have to PM each and every single EM.

 

[DJAd]

There was a mini event after the Europa auction the other week. It was run and hosted by the auction house and (I believe) used EM spawned mobs. The em even showed up at the end.

 

[Alexander of ATL.]

Seems the EM's on Chessy have gotten themselves in quite a mess

1) Lying to their own players regarding those even swords. Told the players that is was an accident and it was a mistake when in reality, they requested the swords to be unequipped. Thus, making more work on Mesanna.

2) Obviously showing favoritism at the last event when it was a stealing event. Only a select few got all the drops. They entertained the crowd for 2 hours while those select few went and stole all the items.

3) Now spawning event mobs at Player events when EM's are clearly told not to do such a thing.


When I was apart of Toad Town, we ran events for over 5 years. We have asked repeatedly for an EM spawned mob or for things to be locked down. And yes, this was for the whole shard of Atlantic. We got told no, no, no, no, no, AND NO. (Which is understandable. If it is against the rules, no way would we want our EM to break them) The only time we were able to get any help would be at the three Rares Festivals we held where Mesanna herself locked down 5 metal chests for an event of mine. Not once did we get a mob or anything like that. It really irritates me that some EM's either ignore or show direct favoritism when it comes to their powers.

Yes, they may be good at story line, but in my opinion, when an EM lies to their players, selects a few out from a crowd of 40+ to get the drop, and then shows favoritism regarding player events.... all in itself tells the true characteristics of that EM.

 

[MalagAste]

Yep... But things like this have been this way since the beginning ...... some shards deco all over and it's really nice... other won't do anything... Some spawn stuff .... others won't.

But it is indeed against the rules for all of it.

I guess to me I always thought that the EM's were meant to "enhance" the game for the players of the shard they are on. And to me that means doing things like enhancing player run events with spawned mobs, deco items that are only there "for the night of the event".... and then removed. etc.... Why can't players put on classy events for their shard with such things? I guess I thought the role of Governor meant that we could get things for our towns as well and be able to make our towns nicer. But that was not true either... Governors can't do much of anything at all but grant titles no one wants... and pay for trade deals few use.... can't even tell if anyone other than yourself is a citizen let alone if anyone actually "uses" the trade deal at all. Again if we want to run an event as a Governor we can't get them to spawn mobs for us or lock anything down either... Sometimes we can get something locked down but you have to prepare for that MONTHS in advance.

It's a shame really... I always thought it would mean something. But there are always those crying "favoritism" and all... is it really favoritism to reward folk for playing, participating and enjoying the game? Is it favoritism to give someone the ability to take care of the town they really care about? Honestly everyone knows who you are if you are elected Governor so if you were given the power to lock down a few items and it was "inappropriate" you'd risk not only losing your Governorship but getting your account banned. And who would want to do that???

And if we as Governors could put on an event that was fun and spawned a few mobs what would be so bad about that? Again... if things were "inappropriate" everyone knows who we are.

But like I said as Governors on GL's we have spawned our own mobs. Via the crystal to spawn a Harbringer or Via filling a house full of dragons and raptors and dropping the house to turn them loose. There are limitations to what you can do..... you can also work with local T-Hunters to see if you can't pop some well co-ordinated chests near-by. If you are going over sea's you can toss in some nets along the way. If you are in a swamp you can get a group to put a bunch of thorns into the swamp and spawn the vines... There are ways of doing things..... in the snow you can put the thorns in and spawn Ice Serpents.

I was pretty disillusioned by all of the things EM's and the Governorships... I am not alone. But perhaps you might change the thoughts of your event or do them to include things.

I once concidered doing a sort of D&D type style event that would include gating them to various dungeon rooms and having them kill whatever was in that particular room and gating them back... etc... but since they borked a bunch of dungeons making it so you can no longer mark runes in them and gate in and out it rather ruins that idea.

At any rate good luck.

 

[DreadLord Lestat]

2) Obviously showing favoritism at the last event when it was a stealing event. Only a select few got all the drops. They entertained the crowd for 2 hours while those select few went and stole all the items.

I don't know about #1 because I was not there for events at that time, and I do not know about #3 because I do not play Atlantic, but as far as the Chessy event, no one was told any secrets in advance. Everyone who was there was given the same information.People were out all night and early morning following the event getting the items. Some choose to listen while others do not. I do not know you, do know if you were there, and I did not get any drops. General chat was full of people talking about it as was the EM channel long after the event was over. D&D are always getting bitched at, not enough drops, events are too long, too much talking, events are weak, and I am tired of hearing it. Events are not mandatory, people are free to come and go as they please, if you leave early you might miss out. It is as simple as that.

Chessy has been helping player events for years so if it were not allowed, I am sure that they would have been replaced. I am sure that more active shards like Atlantic don't want to start working with player events due to the size of the shard. I am sure if they did it on Atlantic then it would become a full time job.

Show me somewhere official that it is not allowed. It does not say that on UO.com anywhere that I can find. This so called rule only seems to be told by EM's not spawning things. Maybe they are the ones being untruthful, or maybe, since it is on their time and not an official UO story ARC or EM Event, maybe it is their choice on whether to do it or not.

When Kyronix was known as EM Dudley on Chessy, he also assisted in player run events. I guess that he was punished for this direct act of defiance by being promoted to a developer.

 

[whiterabbit]

yay lestat

 

[Uriah Heep]

There's a lot of problems with the game. On all fronts. But it is still a great game for those of us who still have a couple of friends left ingame.

I won't post it here and get myself banned, but I'm fairly certain I could tell you exactly where the problem lies...

 

[Alexander of ATL.]

I don't know about #1 because I was not there for events at that time, and I do not know about #3 because I do not play Atlantic, but as far as the Chessy event, no one was told any secrets in advance. Everyone who was there was given the same information.People were out all night and early morning following the event getting the items. Some choose to listen while others do not. I do not know you, do know if you were there, and I did not get any drops. General chat was full of people talking about it as was the EM channel long after the event was over. D&D are always getting bitched at, not enough drops, events are too long, too much talking, events are weak, and I am tired of hearing it. Events are not mandatory, people are free to come and go as they please, if you leave early you might miss out. It is as simple as that.

Chessy has been helping player events for years so if it were not allowed, I am sure that they would have been replaced. I am sure that more active shards like Atlantic don't want to start working with player events due to the size of the shard. I am sure if they did it on Atlantic then it would become a full time job.

Show me somewhere official that it is not allowed. It does not say that on UO.com anywhere that I can find. This so called rule only seems to be told by EM's not spawning things. Maybe they are the ones being untruthful, or maybe, since it is on their time and not an official UO story ARC or EM Event, maybe it is their choice on whether to do it or not.

When Kyronix was known as EM Dudley on Chessy, he also assisted in player run events. I guess that he was punished for this direct act of defiance by being promoted to a developer.

It's the fact that Chessy is consistent with this type of stuff. An EM is there to support the shard they were assigned to - to make the players there happy. I will admit that i'm not a native to chessy, I have played there but I am not a native. However, I've heard from people who play that shard that they are disappointed by the many aspects listed already. D&D have great story fiction, they do. It's the fact that their flaws stand out and they take no action to prevent it to happen again. I mean, if the EM on my shard lied to me, than I would be pretty pissed.

Also, about that rule you wanted to be brought publicly. I can only say that I've heard from many EM's game wide that it is one of their rules as an EM. Weather that's true or not, I do not know. It's just what I have been told by many EM's. Now seeing Chessy gets to do this for their players isn't quite fair in the long run. I've held MANY events that I would have loved a special mob to enhance the story fiction. However, I was told no immediately because it broke their rules. So for the event, I used multiple harbingers. It wasn't as exciting, yet it got the job done. But when I see things like this happen on other servers, it really contradicts the whole 'by-law' system, therefore the word "Favoritism" will be thrown around quite a bit. I am sure you can see why...

1) If it is against the rules for an EM to help out with player events. That's fine. Enforce these rules. If you don't, it is a flaw and it a huge one. It will be called out when seen.

2) If EM's are allowed to help with player events, yet some EM's decide to take the easy way out and say it is against the rules. This make the other EM's look bad, as well as the dev team.

You see where I'm getting at? There are two sides. One side says it is perfectly fine for EM's to help player events by locking down items and spawning bosses, while the other side says it is against the rules for being an Event Moderator.

When things like this happens, it contradicts the system. Therefore, how can one place enough trust in this system that already has many flaws? If it is a rule.... then it needs to be enforced. If it isn't a rule... EM's need to quit lieing. Simple.

 

[Phoenix_DWxC]

I don't post often, but here it goes....before you start complaining about another shard...maybe you should find out what is what on your own! If we are looking at rules and regulations of EMs then let us say there was a lie told to all of us back in the beginning of the program when we were told there would be NO SPECIAL DROPS only drops would be given to all who attend. Something must have happened to change minds or maybe folks have to be FRIENDS.

 

[Capt. Lucky]

EMs won't spawn mobs for players, its against the "rules."

There's no rules anymore. Everyone does and says what ever they want.

 

[Dot_Warner]

There's no rules anymore. Everyone does and says what ever they want.

Anarchy? So... nothings changed then...

 

[DreadLord Lestat]

You see where I'm getting at? There are two sides. One side says it is perfectly fine for EM's to help player events by locking down items and spawning bosses, while the other side says it is against the rules for being an Event Moderator.

I agree with this 100% and I do feel sorry for the shards that do not have the EM support that we do. I know Chessy has been doing it since I moved to there in 2009. I believe that the EMs on LA did the same thing back in 2007 but that was long time ago and I cannot say that for sure. EMs are around to help bring the community together and I think D&D do a great job. I appreciate everything that they do.

If they were not allowed to help player events, I would think that it would be posted on the Event Moderator portions of uo.com. I looked all over when this hot topic started and I have found it stated on a couple of the EM webpages but nothing more than that. If it were a policy, I would think it would be posted on uo.com and every EM webpage.

I am not a favorite nor am I getting preferential treatment. This is my first event series and the first time that I have ever asked for EM support. I emailed them at the beginning of the year with my ideas for a city event for Jhelom and they turned down some ideas and offered suggestions in their place. They were extremely helpful and it was a great experience. Jhelom is a city that gets little traffic aside from the few city trade deals that people do and this was my way as Governor to get people to visit. The only things that have been locked down or decorated are in Jhelom and not in a player city.

 

[BrianFreud]

Alex and Smoot, I'm sorry, but you guys are simply out of line.

Simply put, the Chessie EMs have not lied to players.

"Obviously showing favoritism at the last event when it was a stealing event. Only a select few got all the drops. They entertained the crowd for 2 hours while those select few went and stole all the items."

Pardon, but I found/stole the first of the items, and that was a bit after midnight, and was *after* the event had ended. The last one was not stolen until 3 days later. Best as I could, I kept track of who had managed to find one of the crystals, and pretty much noone found more than 1. The only exception to that was someone who basically spent a straight 72 hours searching for them, who did find a small few of them. *Noone* had any information which was not provided during the event. *Noone* was given any special access or private information. During the event, the EMs gave blatent hints that there were items hidden around the shards, and those of us who were actually paying attention too the hint, and began searching.

With regards to EMs helping with player events, and with regards to "We have asked repeatedly for an EM spawned mob or for things to be locked down. And yes, this was for the whole shard of Atlantic. We got told no, no, no, no, no, AND NO.", I've personally seen EM Bennu do this, or simply generate his own unannounced events on Atlantic (an attack of Crimson Dragons at Luna bank a few months ago springs to mind...) [I can't find that screenshot at the moment.]

"Now spawning event mobs at Player events when EM's are clearly told not to do such a thing." First, it's been stated above how exactly this is not correct. It actually is stated pretty clearly at http://uo.com/Game-Events that EMs can indeed do this.

I've seen EM Falcon taking part at Red Cow auctions quite frequently, along with body-type changes (and occasionally spawn). Screenshots from just one such appearance:


I've personally seen the EMs on Europa, Pacific, Formosa, Catskills, Asuka, Wakoku, Izumo, Arirang, and others which perhaps I'm forgetting, also doing such minor spawn/deco to help add to player events.

What exactly is your complaint? That the devs / EMs / etc did something having to do with an event without you knowing? Guess what, it happens - witness every single Mesanna pop-up event, none of which are announced in advance. The events on Chessie you're talking about were well and repeatedly advertised by the players hosting them.

As for decoration, in cities or otherwise, I believe Mesanna herself not only has okayed this, but she has said that Broadsword is slowly developing a "cookbook" of deco from such efforts, so they can more easily be replicated in the future by all the EMs.

So, can we please stop it with the continued attempted hatchet job on the Chessie EMs?

 

[Riyana]

1) Lying to their own players regarding those even swords. Told the players that is was an accident and it was a mistake when in reality, they requested the swords to be unequipped. Thus, making more work on Mesanna.

I love how you have all decided that this was dishonesty on the Chesapeake EMs' part and not a miscommunication or mistake. Mesanna herself has said she gets something like 300+ emails per day. I'm sure even EM emails slip through the cracks sometimes. Your bias is showing.

Dross and Dram came by the auction house after the event in question to inspect my sword. And before anyone cries favoritism, let me point out that all the cross sharders were gone by this time, and they knew I had a sword because I said so during the event. Were they supposed to follow you to Atlantic? When Dross later said that he'd been told by a player that it didn't matter if it was equippable--that was me. It didn't matter. It doesn't matter. Talk about a mountain out of a mole hill.

They didn't make more Mesanna work. The people who threw a fit because their precious pixel wasn't perfectly to their liking did.

2) Obviously showing favoritism at the last event when it was a stealing event. Only a select few got all the drops. They entertained the crowd for 2 hours while those select few went and stole all the items.

I'm tired of seeing this repeated, as it is completely false. First off, no one had any more information than anyone else. If you weren't paying attention, you didn't get the clues that there was possibly more to be done. If you took off after the combat part was over, that's on you. If you weren't paying attention to what the EMs were saying (and the hints were pretty heavy by the end), then that's on you.

And no, no one was told to leave--we were told, when someone asked the inevitable "is it over"--that the combat part was over and that there was more RP. THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED. The clues were in the RP. Pay attention.

The fact that so many people interpreted "no more combat" as "nothing more to see here" is very telling. No one knew it was a "stealing event"--which really, it wasn't. The stealing all took place afterward. I had to go change characters do to it, and I was there until the absolute end. The way you worded this suggests that the "select few" players who got these items did so during the event. That's just not true either. The overwhelming majority were found after the EM gated out of the event area back to Britain--the true end of the event. People were out looking all night and they weren't all found until a couple days later. People were talking about it in the EM chat channel all night. You had the same chance as everyone else.

I'd like to contrast this event with one that actually was advertised as a stealing event beforehand. It started in Buc's Den with Scarlett Von Trinsic. She said a few things... then half the crowd TOOK OFF. She'd given just enough hint to let people know where to go for the next phase, and even though the EMs had blocked off the usual entrance, certain people managed to break in anyway and get a jump on the items before the people following instructions could even get there. Funny how cross sharders didn't cry about that one. Why was that...? Oh yeah, because that's who was jumping ahead and getting everything.

One time, ONE TIME, the RPers who actually listened to the whole story got an advantage simply by virtue of paying attention, and you all cry foul. And you all wonder why none of the Chesapeake players who caught on tracked you back to Atlantic or wherever to let you know about the stealables.

I'd also like to contrast this with every time home sharders have complained about drops only to be told "build better characters" or "get better gear" or "learn to play" or "it's not that hard" or whatever variation thereof. Learn to pay attention.

3) Now spawning event mobs at Player events when EM's are clearly told not to do such a thing.

And I love how once again, you've all decided that the Chesapeake EMs are in the wrong... even though the Chesapeake EMs aren't the only ones who do this. Yet they are the only ones that get complained about constantly. It's almost as if this entire post was really yet another passive aggressive axe grind about them...

Every event the Ches EMs have helped with has been a public event. If I'm not mistaken, that is actually a requirement. If you ask for mobs for a private event for you and your friends, you're going to get turned down. If you ask for mobs with special drops, you're going to get turned down. (They absolutely will not and have never made special items that end up in player hands.) If you don't have an event with some story planned out, with you doing most of the work, you're going to get turned down--they don't just build events for you to your specifications. If you ask for something that has jack all to do with the shard lore, you're probably going to get turned down.

I keep seeing all these tears about how cross sharders aren't getting everything they want on every shard every time... but the same people tell home sharders to STFU and "this is your chosen playstyle" and "this is how the game is now" and "deal with it". You guys need to take a long, hard look in the mirror.

There are plenty of Chesapeake players who like and appreciate our EMs. Do I love every event? No. But I think they do a great job overall and do a lot for our shard, and I'm tired of seeing the bashing and flat out lying about them I keep seeing.

 

[Dot_Warner]

"Now spawning event mobs at Player events when EM's are clearly told not to do such a thing." First, it's been stated above how exactly this is not correct. It actually is stated pretty clearly at http://uo.com/Game-Events that EMs can indeed do this.

The event types listed are either game wide fiction arcs or events the EMs run themselves. Nowhere on that page does it say EMs can spawn things or lock down deco for player events. In fact, the page avoids the topic of player-run events, and any potential EM involvement therein, completely.

I've seen EM Falcon taking part at Red Cow auctions quite frequently, along with body-type changes (and occasionally spawn). Screenshots from just one such appearance: View attachment 28730 View attachment 28731 View attachment 28732 View attachment 28733

I've personally seen the EMs on Europa, Pacific, Formosa, Catskills, Asuka, Wakoku, Izumo, Arirang, and others which perhaps I'm forgetting, also doing such minor spawn/deco to help add to player events.

It appears to be "okay" if the EMs take their own initiative to spawn stuff during a player event either as a just for fun thing, or to further the EM's on ongoing plotlines. (The EMs on GL spawned executioners at High Council meetings during the end of Casca's reign. The HC didn't ask for it, but they had openly opposed Casca regime and it fit in with the EM's story.)

But when you ask for spawns and such, most people are told no and that its "against the rules." Yet, its happened for some events on some shards. Herein lies the problem. Capriciously applied rules make the whole system look bad, if not downright corrupt.

Every shard has to have the exact same rules, no exceptions.

 

[Alexander of ATL.]

I admit that I have faults in my argument, those I will attest to.

My one and only actual complaint was the sheer fact that for over 5 years I have been turned down for EM help regarding a very well detailed story fiction event have hosted. I was told that it was against the rules of an EM to do any of these. I left it at that.

I admit, maybe I am wrong regarding the other issues, and if I am wrong, there is still truth in the matter.

@Riyana when I go to events, I give my full undivided attention to the story. I love story fiction. That is what is keeping me to this game are the events. So when I go to events, in which case I do go to a lot of them, I do pay attention to the storyline. My complaint regarding the stealing items was that it was vaguely hinted at. I'll admit, I'm good at giving out riddles, but I'm horrible at solving them. I feel that if you have to do a full on deciphering frenzy, then it just isn't as fun. Yes, it is fun to do a little code breaking here and there, but at the level at that event?

I don't go to events for the drops. Yes, I do get quite a few of them. All of which I try to sell to home sharders at a reasonable price. Even a discount. I got to events because of the story fiction. I love the story fiction, in which Chesapeake has very good story fiction.

I feel the reason why Chesapeake is being targeted right now is because it is the most recent. Yes, they do good at making stories. They have that down for sure. It's just, they are doing things that other shards aren't allowed to do. Such as helping at player events. Like I said, I was told by MANY EM's that is against the rules, given to them by Mesanna herself, for EM's to participate in player events in the aspect of creating monsters for them and locking down items. I've been told this by my Atlantic EM as well, for years and years.

I see where you are coming from regarding the 'x-sharders' that always cause a problem at events when they spew out phrases such as "give me the drop already,".. I am sorry for their actions. However, because of a few bad eggs, xsharders have been labeled as such. When in reality, most xsharders go for the enjoyment of the RP style. Which Is why I believe EM's or Advisors should be able to squelch a player if needed. Ie: they are disrupting a player or EM event with their nonsense.

If I offended anyone, it wasn't my intention to do so. Today has been rough for me in the aspect of dealing with real life. I am sorry.

 

[DreadLord Lestat]

Every shard has to have the exact same rules, no exceptions.

No one is disputing this, the problem is that people are blaming D&D. Chessy and other shards have been doing this for years. EM Dudley (Kyronix) did it on Chessy as well before being promoted to a developer. If helping player events was not allowed, then he and the current Chessy EMs would have been dismissed long ago.

The fact is that it seems to be the EMs on higher populated shards that are ones saying that it is not allowed though there is no mention anywhere official by UO/Broadsword. My take on that is that should they start assisting any player events, then they will be bombarded with requests due to the population of the shard. They are not full time employees and I believe that they only have to spend so many hours in game so anything over that is essentially them on their own time. I have heard (no proof, just repeating what was told to me) that they are required to spend about 20 hours a month which includes setting up for events so 1/2 the time is in game at EM Sponsored events and the remainder setting up and planning for. I can imagine that trying to assist player run events would end up becoming a full time job even though they are being paid very little for a part time job.

 

[Riyana]

I admit that I have faults in my argument, those I will attest to.

My one and only actual complaint was the sheer fact that for over 5 years I have been turned down for EM help regarding a very well detailed story fiction event have hosted. I was told that it was against the rules of an EM to do any of these. I left it at that.

I admit, maybe I am wrong regarding the other issues, and if I am wrong, there is still truth in the matter.

@Riyana when I go to events, I give my full undivided attention to the story. I love story fiction. That is what is keeping me to this game are the events. So when I go to events, in which case I do go to a lot of them, I do pay attention to the storyline. My complaint regarding the stealing items was that it was vaguely hinted at. I'll admit, I'm good at giving out riddles, but I'm horrible at solving them. I feel that if you have to do a full on deciphering frenzy, then it just isn't as fun. Yes, it is fun to do a little code breaking here and there, but at the level at that event?

It wasn't a deciphering frenzy. As I said, the hints got pretty heavy by the end. I wish I had a transcript, but I don't. I'm going to have to figure out how to log chat I guess.

I feel the reason why Chesapeake is being targeted right now is because it is the most recent.

Chesapeake is a FREQUENT target for excessive and often unfounded complaints. It's not always explicitly stated that complaints are about Chesapeake, but it's pretty obvious. It's getting really old.

Like I said, I was told by MANY EM's that is against the rules, given to them by Mesanna herself, for EM's to participate in player events in the aspect of creating monsters for them and locking down items. I've been told this by my Atlantic EM as well, for years and years.

Perhaps this is true on Atlantic... with the population size I imagine it would be almost impossible for the EM(s) to keep up with demand. Great Lakes as well probably. Maybe we need a couple of extra EMs or floater EMs to help out instead of tearing down EMs who are engaging with their shards' communities.

I see where you are coming from regarding the 'x-sharders' that always cause a problem at events when they spew out phrases such as "give me the drop already,".. I am sorry for their actions. However, because of a few bad eggs, xsharders have been labeled as such.

It's been so bad on Chesapeake that whole events have had to stop and restart partway through. Many Chesapeake players have had way more than enough.

When in reality, most xsharders go for the enjoyment of the RP style.

Yet many of the complaints are about length of the RP taking place...

If you enjoy the RP style on Chesapeake, check out some of our player events! We have multiple long-running RP player event arcs, including pirates, goblins, orcs, poisoners, mushroom... stuff, and inappropriate foodstuffs in a certain city.

Which Is why I believe EM's or Advisors should be able to squelch a player if needed. Ie: they are disrupting a player or EM event with their nonsense.

On that much we agree!

 

[BrianFreud]

Hint, unless you like dog meat, don't anything from Trinsic...

 

[Smoot]

Alex and Smoot, I'm sorry, but you guys are simply out of line.

Simply put, the Chessie EMs have not lied to players.

if you are really interested email mesanna and nails about the situation with the pirate swords.

 

[Smoot]

The fact is that it seems to be the EMs on higher populated shards that are ones saying that it is not allowed though there is no mention anywhere official by UO/Broadsword.

its not just the high pop shards. my first choice was catskills, which actually has a lower population than Chesapeake.

 

[Smoot]

And no, no one was told to leave--we were told, when someone asked the inevitable "is it over"--that the combat part was over and that there was more RP. THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED. The clues were in the RP. Pay attention.

The fact that so many people interpreted "no more combat" as "nothing more to see here" is very telling. No one knew it was a "stealing event"--which really, it wasn't. The stealing all took place afterward.

in general, if an EM holds an event, tells everyone its over and that theres only RP left, and then gives out items afterward its easily mistaken for corruption whether that was the EM's intention or not. There have been so many cases of "oops i forgot to lock this down" said by an EM and then the items showing up in the hands of players that running an event like this just doesnt put a good image in the minds of the majority of UOers.

I only ask the EMs, THINK before you decide how to run / announce an event. Because on the internet appearance is everything.

 

[Riyana]

in general, if an EM holds an event, tells everyone its over and that theres only RP left, and then gives out items afterward its easily mistaken for corruption whether that was the EM's intention or not. There have been so many cases of "oops i forgot to lock this down" said by an EM and then the items showing up in the hands of players that running an event like this just doesnt put a good image in the minds of the majority of UOers.

I only ask the EMs, THINK before you decide how to run / announce an event. Because on the internet appearance is everything.

Funny how no one was angry until word traveled that there was an item. The event was not advertised as any particular type of event. All anyone knew going in was the name.

They DID NOT say it was over. They said the combat was over (and they only said it when asked the inevitable "is it over?").

You chose to interpret "no more combat" as "no item" and therefore "no reason to pay much further attention". You chose to interpret "RP" as "irrelevant". The Chesapeake EMs don't use whatever cookie cutter many of the other EMs seem to be passing around, and surely this is common knowledge among eventers by now.

As I stated in my reply to Alexander, in previous "stealing events" (and, well, many events really), a certain crowd has run ahead, ignored the actual event, and gotten everything. The EMs cleverly avoided that this time. I thought it was brilliant. For once, patience was rewarded over mad stampeding. For once, the content of the event made a difference in the acquisition of the item.

If you think this was a case of "oops I forgot to lock this down" then you are sorely and seriously mistaken... the hints were pretty heavy by the end. The only advantage anyone had was from paying attention. It is no fault of the Chesapeake EMs if you didn't, and the accusations of favoritism and misconduct are unfounded.

 

[Dot_Warner]

No one is disputing this, the problem is that people are blaming D&D. Chessy and other shards have been doing this for years. EM Dudley (Kyronix) did it on Chessy as well before being promoted to a developer. If helping player events was not allowed, then he and the current Chessy EMs would have been dismissed long ago.

I don't know what happened at the Chessy event that's being crosstalked about, I don't really care who did or didn't say what. I'm not interested in singling out specific EMs for a public egging. Unless many EMs are just outright lying, there must be some sort of rules floating around, though I'm willing to bet Mesanna doesn't enforce them evenly. Capricious enforcement is just as bad as no enforcement.

The fact is that it seems to be the EMs on higher populated shards that are ones saying that it is not allowed though there is no mention anywhere official by UO/Broadsword. My take on that is that should they start assisting any player events, then they will be bombarded with requests due to the population of the shard.

Were this true, it would be from whence the cries of favoritism stem. And they'd be valid. You can't have variable standards/restrictions for EM involvement based on shard population. If an EM on one shard says yes, they ALL have to (based on the same criterion). Could the larger shards see an influx of requests? Sure. It doesn't mean they all have to be granted, but some certainly could be. This is where managing expectations becomes critical, and where Mesanna has completely lost the ball.

The easiest way to start a system like this would be to utilize the governors. The Gov system is supposed to be completely RP-based, thus it is a logical starting point. Players can give event ideas to the govs to help flesh out and turn into city events, then the govs can pass it onto their shard's EMs in a standardized format. Expectations can be managed at every point of contact. This could give govs actual interaction with their shard's population, beyond holding repetitive events or meetings.

EM involvement should be limited to minimal deco/prop setup and a mob spawn egg or two. Again, manage expectations.

 

[BrianFreud]

in general, if an EM holds an event, tells everyone its over and that theres only RP left,

You're now misquoting the EM saying "no more fighting" as "its over". Two very different things... and it's kind of telling that you interpreted it that way.

Anyhow, the EM in question didn't just volunteer and tell everyone the fighting was over. As I recall, during the RP after the boss died, there were a small number of people repeatedly yelling and sending via chat to ask if that was the end, what was the drop, etc, etc, and one who kept asking the EMs to pause the event so she could go and use the bathroom. The EM finally responded via chat, so as to not break character, that the fighting was over, but there was more RP to come. Notably, his character was also talking, in character, at the same time - this was a quick chat message sent off to quiet down the noise from the bathroom/is it over crowd who cared less about the RP.

So now the EM is trying to both be in-character (being an EM) AND out of character (to quiet down rude behaviour), at the same time, right at what I can only imagine was intended to be the most suspenseful part of the event's story... and you're now chosing to interpret his well-intentioned and short chat message as instead being corruption?

Get real.

The moment the EM said that in chat, guess what? Two thirds of the attendees left. If I recall correctly, that was just about when the Sonoma event began?

Anyhow, I've pulled out the screenshots I have from the end; here is the actual text, and the only hints anyone got (couple lines missing on the edges; this wasn't the intended use for these):

 

[Smoot]

Im not seeing these "heavy hints" anywhere. my point is, in todays game players shouldnt need a degree in UO to even know there is a stealing event. Never did i see the words theif or stealing, or anything having to do with stealing. There was all kinds of talk of the red crystal things even before the boss. Basically, the EMs didnt announce it was a stealing event, RPed for 3hours, and threw in very light references to the crystals (which could mean anything) when they knew the majority of the players (except the 6 in my poll who prefer 2hour plus events) would be weary eyed from a 3 hour long RP session. In my opinion the EMs did a very bad job at communicating, which was interpreted by many as favoritism and corruption. (especially since there have been many many times of "bending the event rules" to influence who wins before) Thats just a fact. In public relations it doesnt matter if something is actually true or not, and this instance had a very bad appearance to the whole thing.

 

[Speranza]

Im not seeing these "heavy hints" anywhere. my point is, in todays game players shouldnt need a degree in UO to even know there is a stealing event. Never did i see the words theif or stealing, or anything having to do with stealing. There was all kinds of talk of the red crystal things even before the boss. Basically, the EMs didnt announce it was a stealing event, RPed for 3hours, and threw in very light references to the crystals (which could mean anything) when they knew the majority of the players (except the 6 in my poll who prefer 2hour plus events) would be weary eyed from a 3 hour long RP session. In my opinion the EMs did a very bad job at communicating, which was interpreted by many as favoritism and corruption. (especially since there have been many many times of "bending the event rules" to influence who wins before) Thats just a fact. In public relations it doesnt matter if something is actually true or not, and this instance had a very bad appearance to the whole thing.

So leaving stealables around on the shard for people to find is favoritism? You know they announced this mechanic in several HOCs last year and said that any event, not RBG related, could very well contain stealables, or items, to be picked up so other play styles can hae a chance to have an item. In fact there were several events that afterwards we were informed (In PUBLIC CHAT) that shoot nobody found the bonus loot and it's been removed.

HEY GUYS I'M GIVING YOU FAVORITISM RIGHT NOW by posting this information in a public place! To quote one of my favorite UO poets, "omg omg omg omg omg"

 

[Smoot]

So leaving stealables around on the shard for people to find is favoritism? You know they announced this mechanic in several HOCs last year and said that any event, not RBG related, could very well contain stealables, or items, to be picked up so other play styles can hae a chance to have an item. In fact there were several events that afterwards we were informed (In PUBLIC CHAT) that shoot nobody found the bonus loot and it's been removed.

HEY GUYS I'M GIVING YOU FAVORITISM RIGHT NOW by posting this information in a public place! To quote one of my favorite UO poets, "omg omg omg omg omg"

its just not like the other shards, if you read the bulk of my thread, i think one of the biggest fallacies of the EM program is lack of consistency and non-existent standards for basic player expectations.

Since the program is now supposed to be geared towards casual players, yes i think some standards and reasonable method of notifying the public of what style of event is taking place is a good requirement for the game as a whole.

Comparatively, the massive disparity between shards in event scheduling, style, and announcement just doesnt make the EM program appear very professional.

Again, im not running the program. Im sure i care about it more than many, but its not my place to judge. the best i can do is make suggestions on these forums.


In regards to Chesapeake specifically, i would think they would take extra steps to ensure there was absolutely no room for appearence of favoritism. I mean, we're talking about the shard whos best known "event" was the EM gating players to Green Acres to run around and pick up 100s of 1of1 EM created items just off the ground.