___The Official AVATAR___________________________________
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________________________________________ 21 Aug, 1999 ___
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` ~ )Telnet to Avatar at: avatar.walrus.com 3000
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Table of Contents
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1. Editorial by Dizzy
2. (To the tune of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air by Aurelia
3. A Troll's Guide to Communication By Lord Gronolt
4. Yes, AVATAR, there IS a Snikt! by Roxy
5. New Heroes - READ THIS - By Phi
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1. Editorial by Darii (Cleaning the kitchen)
________________________________
[ED: I was all set to editorialize on broad, sweeping themes of "enjoying
the journey", and "personal responsibility", and how much fun a few
thousand little yellow hens can be when you spread 'em all around the mud
(beep me next time you see me and I'll pop a few chickens into your room
so that you can see for yourself). Yep, I had it all planned out....then
I read my mail, and found this article... I Really Really wanted you to
benefit from the wisdom and philosophy in it. IMHO, teaching with
analogies , metaphors, and similes is one of the most effective methods.
Read on, and tell Darii what you think. - Diz]
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Have you ever been the one in charge of cleaning the kitchen?
You know what you have to do... dig through the archeological site that is
the refrigerator and throw away all the unidentified fuzzy objects, wipe
away the scrunge, and disinfect the truly gross parts ....wash the dishes,
scour the sink, disinfect the sponges ... sweep the floor and then mop it
....move things on the counters, wipe under them, and move them back...put
the dirty dish and hand towels in the laundry and get clean ones... wipe
down the stove, possibly clean the oven or the burners (yuck!)...
disinfect the can opener blade... wipe and wax the table...
Then along comes an "interested party" to micro-manage your job. As you
are dealing with dishes, Micro-Manager says, "The burners are filthy!" As
you sweep the floor, MM is getting a drink from the refrigerator and says,
"Ew.. what is this in here?" As you scour the sink, MM says, "This towel
smells awful!" While you are on hands and knees, hauling penicillin-based
life forms out of the deepest recesses of the fridgedaire, MM says, "Have
you started dinner yet?"
At this point MM is mighty lucky if you do not force feed him/her the
moldy leftovers and throw in the proverbial sponge.
Avatar changes are a lot like cleaning the kitchen. Almost everyone likes
the results when the job is complete, but you can't do everything at once,
so some parts have to wait until other parts are finished.. and it DOES
look half-done for a while, with some parts sparkling clean, and others
looking less than pristine.
Dreamweaving... and looking at Better Homes and Gardens.. is easy, and
lots of fun.... coding those innovations and changes is a truckload of
hard, dirty work, and sometimes it's even more frustrating than a spewing
garbage disposal or that suddenly discovered mouse city under the sink.
Treat those coders with kindness and patience. They do the dirty work.
Micro-managing is terrifyingly easy to do AND to do with such vigor and
gusto that the person being micro-managed simply throws in the sponge and
walks away.
Feedback is good....sometimes. Take one moment to think about how you
would feel if you heard this feedback. Which makes you feel better? Which
statements make you want to tinker with and improve the change you just
effected, or move on to the next impossible task on your nearly-endless
list?
"Mmmm, the floor isn't sticky any more!" or "Mages stink!" "I like the
new Psi spell!" or "The sink is still scummy." "Aren't you EVER going to
clean these burners?" or "Bravo!!" "Thanks for fixing what was broken."
or "The BATHROOM is filthy!"
...and, once in a while, it's nice to just bask in the glow of a job well
done (and appreciated!) before you move on to the next.
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2. (To the tune of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air by Aurelia
________________________________
This is a story, all about how,
I got confused 'n lost in this town
So I'd like to take a minute,
Sit next to that guard,
And I'll tell ya how I came to be
in this town called Midgaard.
Near the West Tree of Knowledge
I was born 'n raised,
In mudschool is where I spent most of my days,
Hackin' 'n slashin', I was startin to drool,
Killin' those rabbits outside the school,
When a couple of trolls, about 10 feet tall,
Started kickin' butt (I had my armor on!)
I had one little death,
An angel got scared,
Gave me some spells,
And said 'Fight over there!'
I whistled for a cleric
And when he came near,
He had lots of money,
And a new set of gear!
If anything, I could say,
This guy was smart!
But I said, 'Nah forget it,
Let's go to Midgaard!'
I leveled a couple hundred times,
I yelled to my group, 'Thanks guys, group ya later!'
I looked at this place,
That I would soon call him,
Opened a portal,
To some man named Aelmon.
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3. A Troll's Guide to Communication By Lord Gronolt
________________________________
There are a variety of ways to say things. Sometimes you have to stop and
ask yourself 'Is this going to come out right ?' Often, sarcasm and jokes
are hard to identify. What you may see as 'fitting' others may see as
offensive. Although offense may not be intentional, it can sometimes seem
that way. Miscommunication is very often the way arguments start. Here
some good advice on communication from your friendly neighborhood troll.
1. Know the point you want to convey. If you are concerned that what you
say may be misinterpreted, offer a simple explanation, If all else fails,
follow the example of your favorite neighborhood troll drool on them.
2. There is a time and a place to share things. Sometimes it is best to
ask on chat, and other times to take it to notes. If the issue you are
dealing with is something within your control i.e. having problems with
help files, commands., it's OK to ask for help on chat. These requests
will usually receive an immediate response. If the Issue is something you
yourself cannot change, i.e. Abilities and suggestions on classes and
races, Its best to first note the original idea on the appropriate board
or mailing list. If the problem is something that is personal: i.e.
Problems with others or rules etc. and cannot be resolved through
discussion or drooling, then it is best to consult with an immortal for
assistance.
3. Consider others. Always consider other's ideas feelings. If something
could be offensive it might be a good idea to think of a better way of
saying it. Respect is the name of the game (drooling falls into a class of
it's own)
4. Stay calm, it's only a game. It is easy to forget that there are real
people on the other side of the keyboard. It is easy to over react to
situations. Cursing , flaming , and rude comments are not only against
the rules but can get you less then you bargain for. When in doubt, take
a deep breath and consider taking a break from (or drooling on) the
keyboard.
5. Sometimes it is okay to agree to disagree. Other times it can feel
good to let others be right. Perhaps they need to be right more than you
do.
As we trolls have discovered, there is a powerful weapon at everyone's
disposal. Good communication skills will make you popular among your
peers. Add in the ability to drool effectively and you will be able
manage your friends in a most efficient manner. Sometimes, just the
threat of a good drool will stop a problem before it can occur! Remember
spelling never counts, it's the message you convey that does.
________________________________
4. Yes, AVATAR, there IS a Snikt! by Roxy
________________________________
A recent discussion I overheard on the Chat Channel caught my attention.
A couple of 20 to 30ish level players were rehashing the same old question
that we've all heard before: Is Snikt Real? This started me to thinking
about my own beliefs on the subject, and after some soul-searching and
meditation, I have come to the conclusion that, as the title says, Yes,
there **IS** a Snikt. While I can not offer any "proof" to you, I CAN
give you my reasons behind my belief.
First off, I know that there is a mud called AVATAR. I log in to it
almost every day for at least a brief period, if just to check notes. And
while some would say the mud is merely an "accidental" byproduct of a
random assemblage of network cards and microprocessors, I see that the mud
is much more, that there is a pattern and an intelligence behind it. This
wonderful mud is 10 times more intricate than the watch I have on my
wrist, and I know NO one that could stumble across a wristwatch out in the
wilderness and think it just "accidentally" occurred there, naturally.
Well, other than a few goblins or ogres. No, our mud is a "creation."
And where there is a creation, there HAS to be a "creator." Snikt is that
creator.
Secondly, the immortal staff of Avatar, to a person, claims allegiance to
Snikt. If you ask any imm who's mud it is, they'll tell you it's Snikt's.
While each area might be credited to its author, the whole belongs to
Snikt. I know some of these immortals from when they were mortal. I used
to group with several of them. I trust them. When they tell me there is
a being at the top of the totem pole, I tend to believe them. I really
have no choice but to believe them, they've got no reason to lie to me
about it. At least, none that I know of. Anyway, these people, whom I
know and trust, tell me there's a Snikt.
Thirdly, and finally, I've actually seen him. And I don't mean on Who Imm
either. Sure we've ALL seen Snikt on Who Imm, [AFK] usually, and on rare
occasions he's spoken on the various chat channels. I've heard some say
that just seeing him on Who Imm means nothing, and that when you hear him
speaking on channels it's actually Mega or Mendek impersonating Snikt just
to further the illusion that he exists. I'm not talking about any of
that.
One day, I stopped in at a little restaurant in Midgaard to catch a quick
lunch. I was in the process of exploring some new areas, and was hungry.
I didn't realize at the time that I sat down in one of the booths that the
bright light shining in the other end of the restaurant was none other
than the Immortal Copycat, who was trying desperately to order some coffee
(least I think he wanted coffee). The waitress, however, was so frantic
and in awe from having an Immortal at one of her tables, she wasn't able
to do her job. Being the helpful person that I am (I *AM* a cleric after
all) I went over and cast a calming spell on the waitress, and spoke a few
words of peace to her. That seemed to do the trick, and Copycat thanked
me profusely for helping. He said he was ready to sic her if she didn't
straighten up. Anyway, we got to talking, and CC mentioned some quest
that he was working on for the Lords of the Realm to undertake, one which
he couldn't tell me of too specifically since I'm a Lord. Just as the
waitress had refilled my glass of iced tea, this huge hole gets ripped in
reality, it seemed like the roof of the building had been torn off, and
Snikt himself stepped through into the restaurant.
In my best Ladylike manner, I curtsied to the creator of our mud, but he
merely spoke a few words to Copycat regarding the quest, ignoring me
entirely, and stepped back through the hole in time and space as it closed
behind him. That was when I noticed the poor waitress that had collapsed
on the floor, and as I bent to help her, Copycat thanked me again, and
disappeared to tend to some aspect of the quest he was working on.
I've been asked by some if I thought it might have been another imm
playing a trick on me. I'd have to say I think the imms have better
things to do with their time than to go to that extreme. And if one of
them had, I rather expect the imm "impersonating" Snikt would have said
something to me in an attempt to "convince" me. It was the fact that I
was totally ignored that makes me know it was the real Snikt I saw that
day.
So, that's my two coppers worth. Don't believe? You can always type Beep
Snikt next time you see him [AFK] on Who Imm. Then you'll know.
________________________________
5. New Heroes - READ THIS - By Phi
________________________________
When you come up the ranks of lowbie, and into the real of heroes, you
always think 'Oh no, I need new gear'. You never need gear, however
upgrades never hurt. The easiest, and most efficient set imo is hit gear.
Most tanks like group members to run in hit, I know that I do. As a new
hero, to find out what to get and how, simply ask on hero chat. There will
normally be at least one person willing to help. When getting gear, some
people will say there's better, and you'll want it. However, think
back...at level 1 did you have the best gear for that level? Did you ask
for it? No, of course not, you learned the new realm in front of you.
Hero is very similar, it's a new realm which you are opened up to. Not too
many new heroes have the 'best' gear out there, it takes time, just as it
always has regardless of your level. Just go with the flow of things and
learn. You'll eventually be able to get all the gear you need yourself,
then you can think back to the day of 'I'm never gonna be able to get
that'.
(Side note: Polling people is generally looked down upon. Polling is when
you ask people for something and go down the hero/lord list of who's
online. If someone is polling, people generally know.)
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The Avatar Gazette is what you've just been reading, and it is the
official newsletter of Avatar, it is published weekly by Dizzy, in
conjunction with The Avatar Staff.(Original concept by Asamaro).
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
gazette-request@avatar.walrus.com. In the body of your
email put:
subscribe username@hostname (MudName - RealName)
eg subscribe snikt@walrus.com (Snikt - Kevin Jagh)
Your real name is optional for the Gazette list.
eg subscribe snikt@walrus.com (Snikt)
You can FTP back issues of the gazette from ftp.walrus.com in
/pub/avatar/gazette.
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 Dizzy via my e-mail address:
dizzy@avatar.walrus.com.
You can also view the latest issue of the Gazette while playing
Avatar by typing 'help newgaz' anywhere in the game, or by surfing
our web site!
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