Hey,

It's been a long time since I played Lusternia. Even when I did play, it wasn't for an extended amount of time or seriously. I've logged in maybe once per month or so just to keep up with news. Things seem rather quiet here in Lusternia, and I was wondering if it would be worth it to try and get back into it. If I did, I'd have to restock all my decayed supplies, which can be tedious if you don't already have gold on hand before leaving.

In saying all that, what is the conflict state of Lusternia currently? Are things as quiet as they seem? Which orgs are more involved in conflict/combat?

Thanks

Right now, Glomdoring/Gaudiguch/Celest are all together in a big alliance, and the other three nations are on their own.
Hallifax, Serenwilde, and Magnagora aren't allied to each other really, but also don't attack each other. No point in making it easier for Glom/Gaudi/CElest, after all.

As far as the combat scene looks, generally in any big scuffle (like wildnodes), the three who are allied work out some sort of method of deciding the victory, and the other three nations hope they can pick up the crumbs. If the Equinox side (that's Glom/Gaudi/Celest) brings their fighters to a battlefield, there isn't really much opposition. Generally, most of them get bored of no actual fighting going on, so raids and so on are at a low point right now. One side either doesn't care to or can't pull off meaningful raids, the other won't get any interesting battles out of it, so it doesn't happen.

There are plenty of other things going on in the realms, but most decent/fun combat (IMO) is really confined to events like Wargames.

EDIT: Every so often you'll get a few people from one nation (like Celest) looking for a fight against someone who only has online a few people (like Serenwilde). Then you'll sometimes get a good fight, but times when this happens when raiders don't bring an entire legion with them are rare. (And you can never blame defenders for defending with everything they have, naturally)

Is this generally seen as a problem here, or is it something that the current players enjoy?

Hallifax is not exactly empty, but their combat population is still tiny and in development. They're progressing, at least, and in the right direction. RP-wise, from what I hear and from what I've experienced while dabbling in alts, Hallifax is pretty solid in this department.

Serenwilde has a core of strong combatants, but in general Serenwilde does not have the 'fighter' ambiance - they have fighters, they just generally don't look for fights. Hence, most of their fighting experience is defensive. A large number of Serenwilders are also "pacifist" bordering on apathetic, so it gets difficult to motivate them to do anything.

Magnagora I can't speak of, since the last alt I had there was over a year ago. They have a fair number of combatants, but from observation they choose their fights (read: they don't fight much unless they can have an overwhelming victory).

Celest currently has a very active population of both combatants and non-combatants, which enables them to take villages and domoths and bubbles. They have a problem of conflicting egos at times, but they definitely have the drive to achieve something when they want it.

Glomdoring has, as always, a small population of very well-disciplined people. They hold their own in a fight, and the coordination that Glomdoring can display is, from experience, impressive and frightening.

Gaudiguch has a very small population of combatants, and the general population is more keen on doing what it wants. It's not unusual to have 10 people logged in during a revolt and only have 3 or 4 actually participate - but things are definitely improving in the motivation department, thanks to a handful of persuasive people. The 'do what you want' of Gaudiguch is fun, though, since you really can't know what can happen next. One minute there's a fishcake party and the next we're transplanting organs into a spix. :|


EDIT, @general atmosphere:

Right now, alliance Equinox definitely has the upper hand, even when team Seren-Mag-Hallifax work together (they're not officially allied, but they do help each other out when necessary). IMHO, it's not healthy for the game to stagnate (these teams have existed for over...two years?), but no one really wants to give up their advantage. Celest has experienced having virtually all of their planes under foreign control, Glomdoring has suffered through three years of being the punching bag, and Gaudiguch ... well, let's just say Gaudiguch is a party and had some pretty drunk ragers once upon a time. It can really suck to be the underdog here, and no one wants a repeat.

The current situation is fun for those who enjoy things beyond combat. For the latter, not so much fun to be had, which is probably why breaks in the form of other games / things to do exist.

For a quick test/highlight of the current state of conflict, I think that if Celeglomiguch have organised themselves again for it, the Death Challenge (which should be a fun PK event) later on tonight will be quite subdued and as one-sided (alliance-wise) as it was during the last Ascension death challenge.

Threads like this with people agreeing that current politics have made conflict relatively stagnant always make me hopeful that the status quo will be shaken up. :(

(Alacardael, you had/have a Halli-alt! :o)

Some of us are at least trying :|

Psh, didn't you quit? :P

Alliances aren't to blame for stagnation, I'd rather blame how the various conflict systems are set up that encourage it.

And the mentality of some players who have profited the most out of it.


Editted very slightly to agree with Shuyin above instead of coming off as disagreeing.

Sojiro:

Alliances aren't to blame for stagnation, I'd rather blame how the various conflict systems are set up that encourage it.

Is it time for me to root out my domoth conflict soapbox again?

(quick version: domoths can provide great outlet for regular conflict, but not when an alliance can establish a stranglehold and dictate when they can be contested)

Right, domoths is one. The nature of smob conflict and certain conflict quests like Hai'gloh etc. are another.

Quick version: conflict systems need a more reliable way to discourage ganging up together.

We could remove every conflict system in the game except those at open - when alliances were fluid - and they still wouldn't shift. People are simply comfortable - a lot of older Celestians feels Serenwilde is flighty and difficult, prone to being "shady" (for lack of a better word), Hallifax shifted on them for what they feel was no apparent reason beyond "change", and Glomdoring has been fairly consistently "even" with them.

Glomdoring probably shares feelings about Hallifax/Magnagora, and feels that they've always gotten along with Celest and so stick with it.

Gaudiguch may be slightly more complicated, but I'm not so sure. Probably their biggest influence is they're comfortable with people they've been with for a while (a fair number of ex-gloms and celestians in Gaudi, the ex-Magnagorans have mostly faded away or blended in), but above all I think it's the comfort of fighting alongside familiar people and being friends with the two "strong" orgs in the game.

I think Serenwilde and Hallifax want shifts to occur because they are tired of being on the "bad" end of things, but I'm not sure they've given anyone any reason to switch, nor have they had a positive history to some of the "opposing" orgs.

Ultimately though, I think it boils down to the lower left corner of the Basin (Celest/Gaudi/Glom) are comfortable with each other, and the only reason other orgs want a shake up isn't because they want to ally with any of those three orgs, but rather they're just tired of them working so well together.

It's up to players, really, to initiate that change. I've seen a dozen events that threaten preexisting alliances - and every time we get vociferous complaints about "forcing" alliances or "admin interference". I think the quantity and volume of conplaining, in that regard, has lead to a shift away from conflict events and towards events that are less likely to pit orgs against each other, but instead against a malevolent baddy NPC.

Indeed, players seem to even encourage that. How many times have you heard your organization dismiss any association with the Kephera/Illithoid, generally because it's inconvenient to their current alliances? I hear it a fair amount, on both sides. If tomorrow an event occurred that lead to a shift that brought Seren-Hallifax-Celest together against the other three, over under vault conflict, I think the complaints would be loud and very unhappy.

(Edit: By no means do I want to say any of those orgs are things, merely how Celest talks about them and seems to feel about them. It's the org I'm closest with on a daily basis, so it's what I feel most comfortable speaking to.)

Ushaara:

(Alacardael, you had/have a Halli-alt! :o)

A teensy Researcher, yes. I also have a Serenguard, a Celestine, and a Harbinger. I had a Geomancer, too, but I haven't used him in a long time.

Oh goodness, Domoths. Since anyone can be a Demigod these days (seriously, 16-year old Demigods?), I think Domothing should be made easier for Demigods (and thus broaden even more the people who can actually 'enjoy' Domothing). Ascendants already have a mass of other perks, anyway. Right now, most holders are TA/VA, and Demigods only really do Domoths only if there's no other option.

Eventru:

It's up to players, really, to initiate that change.

Specifically it's up to players in said orgs :P .


Yeah, the ascendant advantages in domoths are super-duper overwhelming.

Yeah, if you are looking for conflict you aren't going to get much right now. The game has settled into its current position. Many players from the alliance don't want to shake things up because 'why fix something that isn't broken?' It's also tough to RP breaking up an alliance because you want pvplulz. You have to make up a reason to be mad at each other. It has to be believable. You have to convince the 2/3 or more of every org that doesn't care about PvP that this is somehow in their interest as well.

The divine do their fair share of keeping things the same as well. Stunned to learn when I joined Mysrai's order that there is such hatred about the taint. Not going to see anyone from that order suddenly jump up and say they want to go help Mag out.

I'm bored to tears right now. Having a hard time bringing myself to login because I think: What am I going to do? I hate just mansesitting. There is no reason for me to bash if I'm not PvPing. Without the good conflict so many side activities lose their purpose.

It's bad for the game and player activity. I personally feel the admin are a little too sensitive to those who get vocal on the extremely rare occasion that the admin force hands on shakeups. Sometimes you have to give the kids medicine, kicking and screaming be damned.

Just my personal opinion though.

We've had that argument in the past where admin intervention, much as you described was very rapidly shot down and discredited by a small minority of players. (Claims of forced RP, etc.)

My personal opinion is certainly one of: If it will ultimately benefit the game as a whole, then do what is necessary.

That age old saying, "You can't please all of the people all of the time" comes to mind.

And there definitely are good ways to go about doing it!

I don't mind a shakeup. Though playing the devil's advocate, it is true that people prefer to play alongside their friends and many people have settled into some strong ties over the years. So it might not actually be so easy for them to break up right now and might even affect some people's playing experience if they suddenly had to fight the people they call friends.

Shikha:

The divine do their fair share of keeping things the same as well. Stunned to learn when I joined Mysrai's order that there is such hatred about the taint.

I don't think this is entirely true. The Divine have opinions on everything, just like the players do. Mysrai was one of the three Elder Gods who sentenced the Traitors to exile in the Void, so I'm not at all surprised that she hates the Taint. This goes both ways as well, such as Hoaracle's similar outlook on the Taint even though Serenwilde and Magnagora were allies at one point.