___The New Official AVATAR_________________________________
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/ _____/ _____ ________ ____ _/ |_ _/ |_ ____
/ \ ___ \__ \ \____ /_/ __ \\ __\\ __\_/ __ \
\ \_\ \ / __ \_ / / \ ___/ | | | | \ ___/
\______ /(____ //_____ \ \___ \ |__| |__| \___ \
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______________________________________________August 2006__
The Anniversary Edition
____
/.--.\ The Avatar Gazette
|====| For subscription info,
== |`::`| read HELP GAZETTE
|| .-;`\..../`;_.-^-._
@/\@ / |...::..|` | | `| Edited by Ayanna with
|:'\ | /'''::''| | | | help from the Avatar
|\ /\;-,/\ :: |=========| Immortal Staff and Track
||\ <` / >._::_.|=========| Members
|| `""` / ^^ | | | |
|| | \ | | /
|| | | |\_|_|_/
___________________________________________________________
Gazette - Table of Contents
---------------------------
1) A Letter from Ayanna
2) We're Just In It For The Kicks by AsaMaro (1994,Farside)
3) Avatar Immortal Bio - Kariya (1996)
4) You might be addicted to Avatar if... by Tristin (1997)
5) Proof that high hr/dr is a status symbol by Septe (1998)
6) Goblin Thoughts by Jaromil (2000)
7) Helping Others by Lord Sourapple (2001)
8) A Lesson Learned from Krelian by Angel Kenji (2004)
9) How to HoG Like a Pro! by Angel Kenji (2005)
10) I'm new to Avatar and I love it! by Valdemar (2006)
11) Being Immortal by Dizzy (2006) (NEW, not a reprint)
12) Top 10 Hero Levelers for July 2006 by Daeron
13) Top 10 Lord Levelers July 2006 by Daeron
14) Quirky Help Highest Facts July 2006 by Daeron
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
A Letter from Ayanna
--------------------
Yay! Anniversary time! Enjoy the ride down memory lane..
All articles are in their original form. No further changes
have been made to articles.
Some of these articles may be a bit more personal and
sensitive than you may want to read. Please read with care.
-Ayanna
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
* Viewpoint: The Martial Artist *
WE'RE JUST IN IT FOR THE KICKS
by AsaMaro
At first glance, one would think that the Martial Artist class
in Farside is just a watered down warrior with a few spells
thrown in for effect. That's not really true, however. In my
opinion, the Artist can be one of the very best classes to play
in Farside.
It's often said that the Warrior class is the best class to
play in terms of power and advancing through the levels.
Warriors get skills such as enhanced damage, parry, and
disarm, that Artists don't get. But the fighting skills that
are available to the Artist (dual, different fighting styles)
help to compensate. When you throw in skills such as Medicine
(a low level healing spell that also cures plague and poison!),
invisibility, Iron Monk (basically Sanctuary) and,
at level 45, Quivering Palm (energy drain) you're more than
compensated. In fact, if you play your cards right, you can
wind up with a character that's a credible match for any
warrior out there.
Proof of this would be (ahem) AsaMaro, a Drow Martial Artist,
winning the middleweight division of Crom's Arena Wars. The
warriors involved gave him a good challenge but through
building his armor class to a respectable -303, high hit and
damage rolls, and creative use of his spells, (not to mention
a little luck!) the erstwhile Artist managed to win out.
For sheer power, the Warrior is probably still the best class
to play. But for what little they lose in raw force the artist
more than makes up for it in spells and other abilities.
Playing a Martial Artist combines the fighting ability of the
Warrior with the spell-casting abilities of the Mage and the
healing ability (Medicine) of the Cleric. You can't have it
all, but by playing a Martial Artist you can take a good shot
at it.
When all is said and done, however, remember that it's just a
game. Have fun. Martial Artists are possibly the funnest
class to play. After all, they're only in it for the kicks. :)
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
* Avatar Immortal Bio * circa 1996
Name: Kariya Age: (Game) 288 (RL) 21
Race: Human Class: Martial Artist Current level: 880 (Deity)
from: The Hague, The Netherlands
Real-Life Interests:
A confused look appears on Kariya's face. "Real Life? What is that?"
You try to explain to him that is is the life he leads
when he is not on Avatar. "Ooh..that thingie..that other
dimension, that other plane..but I live on Avatar..perhaps you
want to know about my other incarnation; they say we look like
each other a lot, do we?"
He looks about him and continues: "That other me..he..he likes
to listen to music and make some himself as well..I think he
has a guitar and that he plays on it. He reads a lot as well I
believe..and not scrolls with sorcerous spells on them but books...
only for fun!!' A frown appears on Kariya's face as he
goes on, "And he likes to watch something he calls tv..yet
I do not know what tv is.. Also he likes a game he calls
hockey..he is a big fan of some sort of army, I think he calls
'The Mighty Ducks'" Kariya starts to grin and he says: " We do
have a lot of things in common though... he and I both are
hard-headed, short-tempered bastard dogs..who have a deep and
sincere love for Dyah Yuyun Utami..our immortal Goddess and
wife. Although in that other realm, "real life" you called it
just now, he lives together with her, not married like I am here!"
Proudly he shows you his wedding band and he smiles like a fool.
Advice for other Players:
-Join The Dark Side!
-Group and prosper.
-Take the time to explore things..not only is it more fun
that way, but you come across interesting things as well.
-Take the time to find potions and things like that so you
don't have to rely fully on groupmates. (What if you cannot
find a group??) I remember Swiftsword spending a whole day
to get about 100 orange potions so he could solo a bit!!!!
-Do not whine if misfortune happens..it won't get you
anywhere except on that little black list that we all have
with us with names of ppl we don't like! Take it like an
adventurer and try to solve the problem without crying for
aid right away! Even if you do need help be polite and
do not go crazy!
-Have fun...remember it is not only a game, or you wouldn't
be this addicted, but still you are here for entertainment,
socializing and fun..do not go ballistic!
Where my MUD name came from:
"What do you mean , where does this name come from? My parents
gave it to me! I was destined to be called like this, just as
I was destined to wield this sword." Kariya pats his dark
runeblade Bebahaya..and an evil light appears in his eyes. "
I do know however that this name was chosen for me after a
hockey player from that other realm.. I heard he is one of
the best.. but if this is true or not, I am not sure.. I do
know that I am here right now and will stay here...any more
questions?" His fingers play with the pommel of the sword
and once again evil light appears in his eyes. Also, this
time the blade of the sword seems to radiate a demonic red
glow. There is an exit to the north.....want to see if you
can make it?
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
You Might Be Addicted To Avatar If...
by Tristin
You might be addicted to avatar if...
...Snikt asks YOU for help
...Someone tells you a joke and you say LOL
...You watch TV with closed captioning on
...You beg your friends to get an account so you can hang out
...You've ever got on a plane to meet someone from Avatar face
to face
...Three words: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
...You have a second phone line so you can call Pizza Hut
...You have a car tag with your char-name on it
...You've met over 100 people
...When someone asks "What did you say?" you reply "scroll
back"
...If you say "hehe" instead of laughing
...If you find yourself sneaking to your computer while your
spouse is asleep
(this doesn't define Tanya now does it? :)
...You turn down the lights and close the blinds so people
won't know you're on again
...You know more about your Avatar friends' daily routines
than your own spouse's
...You find yourself lying to others about your time on, and
when they complain that your phone was busy you claim it
was off the hook
...You have an identity crisis if someone's char-name is close
to yours
...You would rather tell your friends your bloodshot eyes are
from partying too much instead of the truth (Up all night
on Avatar)
...You've got so many chars you have to use score to see who
you are (That one's for you Rodisian :)
...You won't work at a job unless a modem is involved (sounds
like Mendek to me :)
...Your DOG leaves you
...You write a letter like this "dear john, Hiyas! how r u
doin? well i gotta go bbl!"
...You name your pets after people you talk to
...You smile sideways :)
...You look at an annoying person in real life and wish you
could trans them to Tiamat
...You bring a bag lunch and a cooler to the computer room
(SCORE! 2pts for Mendek!) :)
...You use phrases from Avatar in everyday life (if you still
have one :)
...You take a spead reading course to keep up with the spam
(eg..when Spawn or Ynnad is on :)
...Your best comeback to someone is "I'll slap you with my
rubber chicken!" (yes, there is an item named "rubber
chicken")
...You have to inject no-doze into your butt to stay awake
when there might be a HoG
...You end a sentence with 3 or more periods at the end
(*innocent self*)
...You get up at 2am to go to the bathroom and get on Avatar
instead
...If you spell things aloud instead of saying them
...You don't even notice typos
...You sign on and enter with *hugs* or *thwap* (You know who
you are, *point Spawn and Munchkin*)
...You stop typing whole words and start using things like
"tho, lemme, dunno, or ppl"
...You type faster than you think (what was i thinking again
oh yea err wait i already typed it)
...You want to be buried with your computer when it dies or
vice versa
...When Mantra thinks you have no life ;)
...You enjoy the fact that your addicted
...You actually read all the names at the end of a movie
...People say "If it weren't for your super reflexes in your
eyes and fingers you would have long been classified as a
vegetable"
...Your dreams are in text (most likely affects Snikt, DaWiz,
Crom and Mega :)
...Being called a newbie is a major insult
...You double click your remote
...You can type 70wpm
...You think of starting a 12-step program to help Avatar
junkies
...You go into withdrawal at dinner
...You spend 30 minutes saying goodbye
...You have to be pried from your computer with the jaws of
life
...You meet people from Avatar in real life and call them by
their char-name
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Proof that high hr/dr is a status symbol by Septe
I recently lost my two base 12 Sapphire Rings which has +4
Damage modifiers. These can no longer be found in the game as
the area was removed. At first I was very upset as I knew I
couldn't replace them and I don't like the ice rings as they
are very fragile when breathed on. Then I remembered a comment
from an imm and a friend and got to thinking, what do those
numbers mean anyways. Well, I decided to do some suppositions
and very basically, figure out what the numbers mean. Now I
had to take liberties as there are hidden modifiers, AC
modification which I haven't a clue as to how it works, and of
course, the random variable.
I'm taking a mob that has 2000 hp with no AC, a weapon with an
average damage of 40, and three separate DR as you might find
on an average hero: 95, 105, 115. (I realize that 115 isn't
average but bear with me *grin*) I created a simple formula:
Mob new HP = Mob current hp - 3 times (avg dam + DR).
Why three times? This is an average number that a hero might
hit in any given round.
DR 95 DR 105 DR 115
----- ------ ------
Round 1 1595 1565 1535
Round 2 1190 1130 1070
Round 3 785 695 605
Round 4 380 260 140
Round 5 -25 -175 -325
Ok...so what does this mean? Well it means, that it takes the
same number of rounds to kill the mob. So, it really doesn't
matter if you have 1 or 2 dr more than the next person or even
a whopping 20! Now, it's only on the big mob is where the
extra dr makes a difference but not much of a difference and
if you're in an extended fight, that's not a good situation
as you're getting hurt for those rounds.
Why am I telling you this? I'm telling you that this is my
proof to you and to myself that having a better hr/dr than you
doesn't mean much in the fight. It only means that it's a
status symbol...see! I have higher hr/dr than you... *shrug*
Now that doesn' t mean anything to me any more...a friend
is telling me to use Ice Rings...I'll use them if given to
me, but I'm not going out of my way to get them...Now I'm
using Templar Rings...they have different stats that I'm happy
with and can live with. Now, I no longer worry about losing
gear as I make sure I can replace it easily. The only thing
that I'll worry about are the quest gears given by the Imms.
Disclaimer: this is a very simple look at the way hr/dr works.
In no way, am I saying that this is exactly how it works. I
don't have access to the code and even if I did, I wouldn't
tell you exactly how it works, only what you can see
working...
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Goblin Thoughts by Jaromil
I, Temujin the Goblin Shaman, have been pondering what AVATAR
would be like if we goblins were the only player race
available. This vision of our world would definitely be
different than what we are used to now. It would possibly be
something like this. ..
1. Groups would be overly large to compensate for those that
flee or die.
2. Most mobs would only get killed by the trampling feet of
the fleeing hordes of goblins.
3. The fleeing system would be changed so experience was
received instead of lost. Otherwise no one would level.
4. The new measure of status would not be your level or gear,
but rather the number of close encounters with death you
have avoided by fleeing.
5. Spellups would only be received from healers such as
Aelmon, goblins are hardly able to cast spells and when
they do they run out of mana.
6. Spell casting classes would be phased out due to goblins
taking too long to learn spells they can't even cast
successfully.
7. Sanctum and other "mob safe" areas would be expanded to
allow for the large population of timid goblins too scared
to venture forth.
8. No one would go to the arena since it is entirely too
confrontational for fearful goblins.
9. Mud marriages would no longer occur. Who would want to
marry an ugly goblin?
10. And finally, HOGs would no longer give massive hit and
damage, instead they would produce a "greased pig" effect,
allowing the goblins to flee from even the most deadly of
mobs.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Helping Others by Lord Sourapple
I have been on Avatar for 3.5 years. I have seen many things.
Some of them have made me laugh, smile, sad and frown. I can
remember a time that, as a new lord, I thought I was
invincible on the Midgaard plane. I was gathering useful
things. In the middle of acquiring nectars and wafers, just
west of Vapul, my computer and DSL line crashed. This is
something that has happened before, I had calmly rebooted my
computer and reset my DSL modem; nothing happened. 15 min
later I had to go back to work. I still had no connection and
no corpse. This also meant no gear of any kind.
I was gone for 3 hours before I got home. Although depressed,
I came back on looking to re-gear my alt, Sourapple. I thought
of all the work I had put in just to get all the gear that I
had. Still a little sad, I noticed a personal note. My second
one in 3 years. It was Nadreck. He just informed me that a
hero, who could have taken my gear for a friend or an alt,
notified him and Nadreck grabbed my gear and all my items for
me. Needless to say, I gave the hero a few levels that day to
let him know I appreciated all the effort and kindness that he
had shown.
Like every good story, it comes with a bad one.
I had made a new hero and wanted to group him for the first
time. I was lucky enough to find a group that I could join.
I did not reveal that I was a lord. I wanted to know if I
could get a group for myself, not for my alt. Finally after
doing a few little runs, I acquired a group with experienced
players and a very confident tank. This can be a good thing
and a bad thing. After stating the rules of the run, which
were very harsh and unfriendly, the tank proceeded to complain
all the way through the run and then threatened to ungroup who
ever they thought was not acting fast enough. He did not
realize that he could be playing with an experienced player.
Just appeared that he looked at my level and then shunned me.
If anyone knows my alts, I know what I am doing and pay
attention always.
I guess my point is this. Never assume that a player with low
levels is a new person. Never assume a person with a lord
knows all. Every person here needs to help all. I understand
there might be a few people looking to gain levels with as
little effort as possible, but I think that the majority of
the players are just looking to have a good time and escape
from real life. Please watch out for others and do what you
can to help..........no matter how redundant it is. See you
all on line.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
A Lesson Learned from Krelian
by Kenji
I leaned back in my chair, kind of taken aback. I had just
read the email from Snikt about Krelian's passing. I didn't
know Krelian as well as some of the other players on here,
but our conversations had always been pleasant. He seemed
like a nice guy.
My wife walked in, and could see the look on my face. She
asked what was wrong, and I told her. She said "Gee, it
seems like someone is always dying on AVATAR. First, that
Ronan guy you mentioned, now this guy." I didn't have the
inclination to tell her that Ronan passed away almost five
years ago. Besides, wives are never wrong.
I started to think about what she said. It does seem like
tragedies strike people here on AVATAR quite a bit. But
is this because of some cosmic force that draws tragedies
to AVATAR players?
I started to think about all the people I know in real
life who have passed away. Two grandfathers. An uncle. A
young girl in a car accident. That kid in high school. The
two guys I worked with. Many others.
When you compare the numbers, it works out pretty much the
same. Real life tragedies strike people here on AVATAR at
the same rate as they do the people I know in real life.
It occurred to me then. People here in AVATAR are real, in
real life. People that I see, logged in to AVATAR, are
real. Real feelings. Real experiences.
The people I have come to count as friends here, are more
than text. Asghan, HealerHawk, Jakkbam. People like Laucian,
Madgor and KoalaKnight. All the Angels, Staff, Imms and
players that I have come to know and love. They are all
real people sitting at their keyboards.
Just like Krelian was. A real, young man.
I learned then to stop taking my fellow Avatarians for
granted. I've noticed that I'm now taking the time to talk
to a few more people. More than just a passing greeting as
I log in. Because they are more than just text. They're
people.
Thanks for the reminder, Krelian. I'm sorry I didn't get to
talk with you more. I won't let the opportunity pass with
another.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
How to HoG Like a Pro! by Angel Kenji
Over my couple of years of Angeling, I have had the privilege
of working with some great Angels. One of those was Galen,
who was one of the best at teaching new things to players.
I recall one of the first HoGs that I worked as an Angel.
Galen posted a note on the boards about tricks and shortcuts
that players could do to help themselves out. It turned out
that first HoG was far easier to work than I ever expected.
I want to share a few of those shortcuts with you now.
Before the HoG starts, make sure you read up on the policies.
Read HELP HOG, HELP REIMB and Lords, make sure you read HELP
LORD HOGS.
Also, put all your good gear on a non-running alt. Most
everyone has a 'locker alt' to store gear anyways. Dump
your gear and just run nearly naked. All you need is a
couple of weapons and a light. (Maybe a displacer cloak for
sneak, move hidden and pass door).
Turn all the channels you possibly can off. Use DEAF mode,
config +brief, and have all battle-spam off. Turn off
AUTOLOOT, AUTOSAC, etc. (Unless you intend to loot). The less
spam you have on, the easier it will be to run. You can even
consider turning your prompt off, or limiting it to HP only.
HoGs are often multi-play, meaning 100 players may have up
to 500 characters logged on. Each one of those characters
is seeing every line of text, every chat, etc. The more
spam that is reduced, the easier the HoG will be on the
server.
Portal into an obscure area before the scheduled HoG start
time. Everyone already knows about 'Rot Cors', 'Hound Dog'
and Yakshas. Think about some of the areas that people don't
run that often. Many of the new Builder Quest areas come to
mind. Lair of Shyu'Yao, Obelische Caverns, Typhus and
Battleground are all good areas too.
Once the HoG starts, people will kill all the common 'portal
points' quickly, so plan on sticking to just one or two
areas. Use RECALL SET to get back into the area when you
do die.
If you don't need Angel or Imm assistance with corpse
retrievals, put "NO CR" in your title. If you die and do
need assistance, just wait patiently. We keep a list of
existing corpses and know you are on it. Chatting, praying
or sending us tells is more likely to get you put down at
the bottom of the list. We have so much spam going on that
the extra spam will just bog us down even more.
Remember when you gain a level, be sure to SAVE (in the
event of a crash) and then re-HOG your character.
Lastly, remember that HoGs are a gift from the Imms. Be
sure to thank them for the opportunity, and nice hug for
the Angels is always appreciated.
Thanks for reading, and happy HoGging!
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
I'm new to Avatar and I love it! by Valdemar
--------------------------------------------
I joined Avatar in December and I loved it. I had never
played a MUD, but I had always wanted to try. My brother
had introduced me to Avatar, and I was soon warmly welcomed
by many new characters. I loved the possibilities of the
game, and everyone was so friendly; if I ever needed help,
people were more than happy to help out.
The help files take care of most of my questions, and this
game has many interesting things. I wanted to see if every
MUD was as good as Avatar so I tried others, not one was as
fun or as good an environment as Avatar. This game is fun
any time and I play it a lot. It is a perfect game to take
me away from real life. People are so friendly and I hardly
ever have problems. I love to get on the game and just lose
myself. If I can't level after so long it's just as fun to
have conversations with everyone in the game.
It's awesome when I get into a tight spot there is always
someone there to help me. The Angels and Immortals are a
tremendous help whenever it's needed.
I think that Avatar is a great game for all ages and believe
that many more people should try it. I love Avatar because
of the friendly people, the awesome help for the game, and
because of how fun everyone helps make it.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
BEING IMMORTAL by Dizzy
Anniversaries are important. Every year on October 14th my
wife and I celebrate the anniversary of our first kiss, and
this year is the 32nd anniversary of that watershed event.
And who doesn't love a birthday party... just another type of
anniversary. As we prepare to celebrate Avatar's 11th
birthday, I thought it might be appropriate to share some
perspective in a camp fire story format about MUD Immortality
since that's what I've been off and on since Avatar's birth.
Everyone that plays Massively Multi-user Online Role Playing
(MMORP) games like Avatar fantasizes about what it would be
like to run things as an Immortal. Don't be shy about
admitting your secret shame: you want to be the boss, design
new worlds and cultures, create the magic, be admired, or just
do "cool stuff". This article will scratch the surface of
what I've learned about being an Immortal over the past almost
20 years (obviously not all of it spent on Avatar). In some
ways it's a spoiler, so if you don't want to be disabused of
some cherished misconceptions... now would be a good time to
skip to the next article :).
In 1988 it was amazingly simple to become an Immortal on any
MUD. In the original Diku codebase there were 20 mortal
levels total, one race (human) and four classes (mage,
warrior, cleric, and thief) When your exp reached the cap for
level 20, you AutoIMM'd. When that happened, the "playing"
part of the game was over for that character (you could no
longer HIT anything, and nothing could attack you) and it
became primarily a social game with each in-game channel
becoming in effect a chat room. There was usually a small
cadre of Working Immortals who actually had the power to do
things other than chat, and it was practically unheard of for
a social Imm to be promoted into the ranks of Working
Immortals.
The first day as an Immortal was glorious, you'd plan a party
for your ascension to Immortality and there was much virtual
celebrating with imaginary drunkenness and socially
unacceptable comments about your ancestry, sexual preference,
and choice of party costume (togas were all the rage).
Numbers were relatively small in those days with 30 players
online at any give time being a gianormous amount, and
everyone knew everyone else, so the party would go on for
hours with everyone recounting embarrassingly humorous stories
of how you managed to kill off your group 25 consecutive times
trying to defeat The Hydra for 50 gold coins (not that I'd have
any personal experiences along those lines. *cough*).
When the party ended and you'd fully experimented with your
new WIZ channel that only Immortals could see, you would bamf
around the MUD visiting friends and memorable places/mobs.
Then, incredibly, you found that you were bored, missed the
thrill of the hunt, and started all over again with a new
character.
As an interesting aside, almost all MUDs back then restricted
the number of alts you could have. The game usually recorded
your IP address and would only allow one character per day to
be created from your IP. New character stats were rolled by
the game, and it may take you weeks to roll a playable
character. The max stat for any attribute was 18 with a
modifier of up to 100, so a warrior with 18(100) STR hit like
fully-loaded dump truck. BTW, you had to be an Immortal to
see the modifier...players could only make educated guesses
based on, for instance, how much they could pick up.
We've come a long way baby. Avatar is many many orders of
magnitude more interesting, complex, and engaging than Grimne
and AlexMUD were (the first two MUDs, and both were created at
the University of Stockholm I believe, in Sweden). I had
memorized the entire AlexMUD world and could walk it without a
mud client, end to end. Avatar has 16,570 rooms and I doubt
seriously if anyone can claim to have walked or planed to
every single one of them, let alone memorized the paths to
them all. We have 274 areas, AlexMUD had 24. We have
thousands of unique NPCs and many many thousands of players.
Due (partially) to the complexity of the game, its no surprise
that becoming an Immortal is a tad more involved that it was
in the old days.
Without revealing the mysteries of exactly how Immortality
works on Avatar, let me share a few observations that will
help you better understand what it will take to satisfy that
Immortal itch of yours. The big question always is, "How can
I become an Immortal?".
1. First you have to want to be one. That's the easy one.
2. Keep your nose clean. The folks that invest their energy
into creating and maintaining this game aren't interested in
being distracted by a new Immortal who has proven to be a
problem child as a mortal. A good rule of thumb is that if
you're a "high maintenance" player, then you'll probably also
be a high maintenance Immortal.
3. Get involved. Volunteer. Be helpful. Adopt the attitude
that, "someone has to do it, it may as well be ME!". One of
the best ways to get recognized is to be an Idea Hamster
(that's a Sniktism) with well thought out ideas that are
easily linked to game mechanics, in theme, enhance fun and
playability, and lead to a tangible end goal.
4. Become a UNIX guru. I know, I know, everyone isn't suited
to this one, but its a definite PLUS. UNIX guys and gals have
to learn scripting and that is a logical introduction to
coding, and THAT ladies and gentlemen makes the world go
round. This one is far from a requirement, but its a door
opener for you. Linux distributions are *free*, so start
downloading an ISO image and get cracking!
5. Differentiate yourself from the crowd. If you want to get
the attention of the Immortals, then learn to Diplomatically
Disagree. If someone proposes an idea, then jump in with
three better alternatives that fit better and are more
complete. Do it in a way that WINS the other to your point of
view instead of bullying them, calling names, or arm wrestling
for dominance. I WANT to have someone disagree with me and
argue the merits of their stance, but I don't want to be
bullyragged or demeaned. Strike a balance in being Politely
Persistent and if you're fun to be around, hey!... everybody
wins.
6. Be patient. We have an enormous gene pool to fish in for
new Immortals. Think about it from our perspective... if you
were me, why should I choose you? Find what you excel at and
magnify it... what comes easily to you that others find to be
difficult? ...then settle down and develop that
knowledge/skill/ability. That will amplify your visibility,
and you'll naturally rise to the top of our short list.
So. What can you expect if you are finally chosen to become
an Immortal? A lot of the mystique will have to remain a
surprise. I won't give you a list of abilities that you
acquire with every stage of Immortal development, and specific
responsibilities vary according to individual strengths and
seniority. However, freshly minted Immortals are always
assigned a mentor to help them with the transition. Your
mentor will give you assignments, review your work, answer
your questions, and likely become a close friend for life.
You can also expect a fairly lengthy probationary period where
you have an opportunity to see if Immortality suits you and we
have time to evaluate how you fit with the team. Initially
you'll have lots of player interaction and find that you're
doing lots of repetitive things that more senior Immortals are
no longer doing because of their increased responsibilities.
Frankly, Immortality is a LOT of work. Oh yeah, its fun...
just like you thought it would be. BUT! Many who are elevated
to Immortal become frustrated because they do not instantly
get ALL of the power to do everything they've ever dreamed of
doing. Some people do not have the time required (especially
as a more junior Immortal) for the job. Others find that they
miss the excitement of grinding levels with their friends.
But for those who of you who are truly suited to it,
Immortality is a singular opportunity to give back to the
community and is fulfilling, endlessly interesting, and fun
beyond measure. One last piece of advice: it's considered
bad form to approach an Immortal and present yourself as a
candidate for Immortality. Let us find you. We're always
watching. --Diz
Top 10 Hero Levelers for July 2006 by Daeron
1 .) Yrth (542)
2 .) Vickie (485)
3 .) Cyzarine (449)
4 .) KungMing (410)
5 .) Sarnimir (374)
6 .) Mendus (334)
7 .) Amaterasu (333)
8 .) Driw (331)
9 .) Hwel (293)
10.) Ygnia (285)
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Top 10 Lord Levelers July 2006 by Daeron
1 .) Evenfall (209)
2 .) Laventish (102)
3 .) Ponomariov (82)
4 .) NightHawk (77)
5 .) Blackout (69)
6 .) Vyper (68)
7 .) Kalide (65)
8 .) Nemesys (64)
Xaolin (64)
9 .) TLara (60)
10.) Sticks (57)
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Quirky Help Highest Facts July 2006 by Daeron
TOP 5 Ent
#1:Avendesora (Mage)
#2:Kithryl (Warrior)
#3:Beech (Bodyguard)
#4:Herring (Warrior)
#5:Huldra (Warrior)
TOP 5 Paladin
#1:Tarzan (Orc)
#2:GoodKnight (Human)
#3:Mentar (Giant)
#4:Hokusai (Elf)
#5:Monty (Human)
TOP 5 Drow Sorcerer
#1:Rapid (Lord 457)
#2:Delvin (Lord 315)
#3:Respect (Lord 150)
#4:Rosetta (Lord 40)
#5:Tern (Lord 15)
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Submission and Publication Schedule by Ayanna
---------------------------------------------
The publication schedule for the Gazette will be as follows,
barring RL interference.
Submission dates: Last day of the month, 2nd Friday of the
month
Publication dates: Middle of the month, and end of the month
Articles submitted by the will either be published or returned
for edits by the following publication, respectfully.
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What We Are Looking for in the Gazette by Ayanna
------------------------------------------------
WE WANT YOU...to submit Gazette articles!
You may think that you cannot write...but, you never know.
What types of articles do we want? Creative ones! For some
ideas to get you started, review the list below.
Newbie help info - do you have any tips or stories that
Helped you learn a valuable lesson when you were new to
Avatar? If so, you can share them and they could be
published and henceforth known as part of Avatar's history!
Area help info - Are there areas that are just inherently
difficult to run? Do you have a trick that has helped you?
to overcome these difficulties? Again, share them and they
could become part of Avatar's history! (No quest spoilers,
please)
In-theme fiction - Short stories, poetry, recipes, etc.
Keep it MUD or Fantasy related please!
Reviews - Areas, quests, movies, books, music, etc. Again,
Be sure to keep in-theme, a review of 'I, Robot' wouldn't
exactly be appropriate on a MUD that's fantasy based, would
it?
ASCII Artwork - If you aren't too good with words, how about
pictures? We'll gladly accept new submissions of ASCII art
for both the MOTD and the Gazette. To see what past ASCII
has been for the MOTD, please read help history. To view
past ASCII for the Gazette, please visit our online archive
located in the design section of our website www.outland.org
(After our webhost move is completed!)
Note:
Send submissions to gazinput@outland.org. Prizes/Rewards will
be given dependent upon the quality of the article submitted
and whether it gets published.
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============================================================
This is the new Avatar Gazette. It is published with the
permission and cooperation of the Avatar staff and edited by
Ayanna. (Original concept by Asamaro and Dizzy.)
The Gazette is written in plain vanilla ASCII text to ensure
that everyone can enjoy it regardless of computer type.
To subscribe to the Gazette, send internet e-mail to
majordomo@outland.org. In the body of your email put:
subscribe gazette username@hostname (MudName - RealName)
e.g.subscribe gazette snikt@outland.org (Snikt - Kevin Jagh)
If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, criticisms,
compliments, or (best of all) articles that you've written
for the Gazette, please send them to via email to the
address: gazinput@outland.org Please use 'Gazette' as your
subject.
You can also view the latest issue of the Gazette while
playing Avatar by typing 'help newgaz' anywhere in the game,
or on the design web site at
http://www.outland.org/design/gazette.php
Original credit for Ascii art or other submissions is given
if known.
============================================================
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