Are we finished?

A simple question. It's more or less true that Olden spends more time "dead" than it does alive. It's been resurrected, experiences a brief time of activity, and then dies again, each time with less and less actual time spent flourishing.

There was another community that had this same problem. Many of you may not have any link to them, but Olden's sister community, Desertia, which I myself had a part in creating all those years ago before we split from it, had the same track record of repeated death and resurrection, each time with less recovery. The leaders, during one especially long death, decided to completely recreate the community over a period of a year. Recreating everything, getting rid of all the bad canon and missing plot threads, eliminating the idiotic parts that had gathered over the years. They started it back up, with a clear goal and a purpose. It had immense popularity - for a month. It died soon after, and was put permanently to rest by the wishes of the Administration.

So I wonder if we should not do the same. While I still love many parts of Olden, some other things have made me bitter and uninterested. And it's a proven fact that each time we get back up, we fall back down shortly after. Should it end here?

Won't lie, it's not an easy question to answer. I'll hold off on my replies rants and soforth 'till others have had the chance to speak their minds. I will say that I still love olden and a whole lot of the stuff it has going for it though.

I say we are not finished.

Before i start my rant, I'd like to state that people came before me,
I call veterans given their seniority and anyone after me either seasoned or new.

#1: People have lives, the admin board have lives, work, relations, family, other responsibility.
I don't look at this lack of activity as a sign of Terminal entropy but as a sign you guys just have human problems.
We can't hang people just for that, we'd be hypocritical given that we also have other shit.

#2: We get the Gmod server updated and things will get better,
the mud is just a bit unweildly for most of the community's members,
I can't lie, I haven't been on much but It doesn't mean I'm drifting apart.

#3: Keep a stable playerbase, we gotta work on getting new members as well as staying,
there is some of you guys who think its done but some are still holding out.

#4 Perhaps spread responsibility, we're shortstaffed,
I'm not trying to ruin shit but you guys have college,
work and women/men to deal with so distribute some of the load.
I know you've been at the helm for a long while,
perhaps handing it off would be good for you so
you can come back without the callused view and drive and get some other shit done.

#5 Learn to cooperate and bite the bullet,
We've had 4 out of 5 veterans that were banned
over things that i thought were petty and stupid.
To be frank, I think that we need to put drama and shit aside for the community's sake.
It may have been disrespectful and backhanded and you may think they did harm to the community,
they had their role and their positive points to other people.
We live in a small pool of potential members,
we need to put side grudges, grievances, past incidents and intentions aside.
I swear, its like the veterans can make the game "Jagged Alliance: I'll just drop my duty to the community to start a shitpost fight"

You may hate each other but you need each other for things to pan out.
I DON'T GIVE HALF A SINGLE SHIT OF
WHAT WAS SAID, DONE, IMPLIED OR INSULTED ABOUT,
THERE IS A REASON WHY QUANTITY IS A QUALITY OF ITS OWN.
IF WE HAD A BIG ASS COMMUNITY LIKE EGO THEN
WE COULD BAN SOME PEOPLE BUT
WE ARE LIVING IN A SMALL WORLD WITH SO FEW PEOPLE
WE NOW FACE UNCERTAINTY BECAUSE OF LACK OF ACTIVITY
WHICH WOULDN'T APPEAR SO WITH MORE MEMBERS.

I sometimes think I'm one of the only people in this community
who can put aside grudges and all that shit for the sake of this community despite my Japanese upbringing.

The only people i would ban are people who relentlessly shit on people and grind people out new or old.
For example, the impression and opinion of Mack was that he was an abrasive douche. To my experience he was a constant dick wad and he got banned for extreme elitism which was okay but there should have been a last chance to change that behavior.

#6 Olden has thus far kept us occupied from the stupid shit we could do in life.
It has kept me occupied to survive the last One and a half years.
The people here have helped teach me lessons and gives me something to come to and hope for, a reason to struggle for.

Really guys, what will happen to Cakebread after Olden collaspes?
Go back to lower tier rps like SSTRP or FORP?
Olden has been the best thing to happen to me.
I won't quit on it, so should you.

Note:2am post so, my post might seem asshat backwards or rude, uncalled for or intense.
My formatting may be retarded, it looks much better in the small post box.

Also
Krug: olden needs to come back
Krug: even if I can't be joining :P
Krug: well I know how much I loved olden
Krug: and i know a lot of people do
Krug: i wouldn't wish bad upon them

Will respond ASAP after school. Gotta' go for now.

Asian and I have been in the community for nearly a year now and would hate to see it go because of a little lol with the updating of Garry's Mod. I share most of Asian's views and think the community can really get back on its feet with enough effort from dedicated people.

The MUD is great and all but I agree that having the server back up sounds like the better plan. This way we can get new people interested in the community rather than not recruit new players through the MUD. Dominator had told me and a few others of a gamemode that was released that can work with our server. If this is the case, I am glad to donate money if needed to revive the community.

Giving moderator and even custodian to trusted veterans could revive activity on the forums. Truth be told I've never seen Venom active on the MUD or even the server for a while and question how he actually contributes to being a moderator. I don't mean to bash, but this is the problem. Not enough of the administrator is active with their community and that plays a large part in the revival process.

Zaku wrote:

Ok, I'd like to point something out here.

Olden is a small, comfortable community. Admit it. We all like Olden because we all know each other, it's simple, and we can have fun with little to no bureaucracy. Olden has become a home to many of us.

Pointless threads that only spark wildfires this community was never meant to endure. We're all here to have fun and as far as I know we've had fun. If we're having fun then what's the problem?

As Zaku said the community is a small and manageable community where everyone knows everyone and can get along just fine. Veterans who passionately care about the community should be brought back. Such people, I endorse, is Krug. Yes, crude, but all in all a friend to most of us. His lore contributions were many before he requested them to be taken down when he was banned for silly reasons.

That's really what I have to say and in conclusion I wouldn't like to see Olden go because of laziness or problems elsewhere. I have met some nice people in here and we have almost become to be a family. Truth be told an extremely dysfunctional family but still a family.

All I have to say is... in the time I've been here before the server went down, regardless of some of the complaints I've had, it's one of the better roleplays I've played on in a long time, and it would suck some real big dicks to see it go like this. I think you guys should give it another shot, I'd back it 110%.

Do I want Olden to stay alive?: Most certainly yes.
Must everything in this mortal world end?: Most certainly yes.
Do I want Olden to end in the near future?: No.
Do things need to change?: Most certainly Yes.

I've asked myself this question a few times recently, and, in all honesty, I really don't know what can be done that will be a sure fire fix for the server.

I don't think a simple point-by-point plan is going to fix the community; while there is definitely hope for revival, I don't know how probable it is that it will come to fruition. I could be a grim realist, but from what I've seen there are key mechanics at play in the Aerian community that need to be seen to in order for a revival to take place, and something in me is saying that I might not get to see it happen.

I have little place to make such blunt claims here, being here only since last July, however, I will share my opinions in the case that it might help save this community.

There are functional issues with the socialization within the community, and they seem to extend years further back since my time in beginning here. There are old wounds, old systems, old ideals in place that hold the community both together, but prevent it from healing. An unusual combination between a conservative stance on player-made eventing, to a zealous deification of outdated and abandoned systems of power (DnD3.5 I believe is most relevant).

Furthering this is socialization between players, and how even within our 'family', we manage to hold the most vehement grudges I have ever seen in a roleplaying community; perhaps due to our passive-aggressive attempts to extract revenge or demean others in ways of self-gratification. I've seen Event-Coordinators bicker like elementary school children, and attempt to play the friend card on me to support the two; this gives me little hope for their growth into positions as Administrators, and for every person whose weakness could be played into a strength by another administrator, too often are they divided or distracted.

Another defining issue I've noticed within the world of Aeria is simply thus, we're living in the permanent shadows of those who will always be our betters. We have no hope of ascending, or descending, for we are always reminded and put into proper stance before those who are entrenched in the canon, and in the actual roleplay, as being our eternal benefactors. Attempts to roleplay with these characters are scorned, and I have been subjected to this, as have others. Claims that players have been given the freedom to work with these characters, or that they exist solely to support; false. Events concerning the primary forces of Aeria, or the elder characters, are engineered entirely towards these players, and even if the administrators consciously try to bring the new blood in, I must say, they are subconsciously throwing us out. I cannot count on one hand the times I was shunned from roleplay in an attempt to game with players who were older than myself, and berated my IC with simple ignorance, or IC scoffing.

Of course an equally large issue is the lack of administrative guidance to continue onwards the flame of Aeria, and this is a most serious matter indeed. Aeria is going to need a guiding force, perhaps not an aristocracy, but something that will allow players to advance in a fluent, entertaining world where there is both a range in power, but also equal playability. There are vehement signs of needing more guidance from an administrative position, but understandably, the administration is busy, and perhaps unable to comply with these needs as much as needs done, understandably. HOWEVER, I believe it would be an even GREATER evil to advance some of the Event Coordinators to the position of Administrator. I apologize to these people, as almost all of them are my friends, but I have noticed heavy issues within their ranks; if not personal, than with each other. It might not be a hidden fact, but basically every single Event Coordinator either hates two of his peers, or is hated by two or more. This, in addition with personal difference in desired direction, and required collaboration, will result in a Sure Fire Disaster. I apologize if these words are harsh, but I have seen no evidence to contradict this. Again, I offer my apologies if that statement may have offended anyone, but I do not believe that administration should accept these people immediately. Power does not imply a solution to all problems, just an exacerbation of the means by which the prior circumstances came to exist.

It is also obvious to note that we need a means of being public enough to those who would be attracted to what the Aeria ideals promise; a small, pleasant, close-knit world united by a DnD-based mythos with a colorful culture supplied by players, writers, and eventers. The MUD will not be able to provide this, it is sad to say, so we either need to return to GMod, or find another medium of becoming public, or Aeria WILL wither and die. We need new players to add new life to our ranks, and hopefully foster them into veterans of the future; such is the lifeblood of a community.

Well, in short, those are some of the major issues I've noticed with Aeria. I may be able to conjecture solutions to them, but that is all they would be, conjecture. Until I can see these problems addressed either through debate or through acknowledgement, I do not see a bright future for Aeria on the horizon. We should not have to implore players to get on, as if so, then it is likely that some will get on only because they feel it is a proclivity, and give false hope to a community that cannot withstand such.

Such concludes my longwinded rant. If I'm out of line, disregard or delete this entire post; if you see some over-exaggeration on my part, bring it to my attention; if you think I may have some truth in my words, perhaps think about what we can do as a whole to fix Aeria so we can continue playing here for time to come.

I have some conjectures to make, but I shall make those at a later date, perhaps where more appropriate.

Honestly, Dom and Asian bring up some really good points, there isnt much that can be said that hasn't been covered by these two. One thing I would think would really boost the lore would be more active staff, We have a staff of what? 5 people? Who all have very busy lives and can't really be bothered with the burden of running a community like this, I hate to say it, but I think it's time we passed down the torch, gave custodian and moderator status to some of the people who have been extremely active for the last couple of years. BooM, Dom, Asian, and myself included.

This post may seem like me asking for a promotion, but it truly isn't, we need the active people to moderate our forums and the server.


It would be a big help to us who look for ways to improve the lore if the current staff made public their plans and what they're working on, because I've been told a few times that something in my lore in inconstant with the lore that the staff have been keeping under sheets.

Lol Desertia. I miss that place. Then again, I miss Olden. It's very difficult for me to devote any time towards RP at the moment due to being in Japan, but I can stay and shitpost the fuck outta the forums, ya know?

Also, it seems like the lore is being rewritten every other month. :X

I have role-played in Gmod since the days before Gmod 10, and it is my opinion that Garry's Mod as an RP medium is dying. The large, "untouchable" communities like Taco & Banana are waning in members. Veterans are losing interest and leaving, making good RPers increasingly hard to come by. I haven't been an Olden player since the beginning, but I have RPed here during its best times, and I'm sorry to say that nothing I have seen since even comes close to that level. While it's likely that nostalgia is skewing my perspective, I still can't help but feel extremely disappointed by this community failing to live up to its full potential. A dwindling population, admins who can't seem to find any time to administrate, and caustic players who alienate newer members and disrespect older ones.

And some players can't grasp the concept of RPing with other people. They spend maybe 10 minutes on a page with a pisspoor biography that makes no sense, just to jump into the RP with no knowledge of the lore or the setting, actually making up anything that they don't know on the fly and causing terrible confusion and arguments over lore contradictions. Or, if they've actually put effort into the character itself, they become way too attached to it, trying to make their character the biggest, most badass hero/villain and avoiding death/injury/loss of power at all costs. It's a very selfish way to RP, and I really wish people like this would either learn some respect or just leave. My standards may seem high to some people, but they're the same standards I hold myself to - I fall right into this category of player.

I am a control freak. It took me a long, painful time to realize this, but it's the truth. In every community I have been involved in, including this one, I've done nothing but attempt to steer it towards my own vision, going so far as to alter canon to suit my wishes. The things I couldn't control drove me a little crazy (perhaps more than a little), and eventually I grew to dislike who I had become. And that's why I disappeared.

Olden's fate is up to you. If you think it's worth it to keep this community running, go for it. If not, then it's been interesting.

you have to change things up. i tried to advance the plot with some stuff but i was pretty much alone in that respect. no one was doing anything to give olden the grandiose arcing plotlines it used to have and i also think "surna" has ran its course after these many years. none of the factions were active, no one really wanted to do anything besides tavernRP, and when i tried to do my own little events with my event character/my small plotline revolving around the corrupt pychekans i usually got a breadth of complaints from butthurt nerds who didn't make the event accessible to characters of all ages races and creeds.

olden isn't like tnb where admins can't really do anything to create roleplay. admins have a lot of power to spark large over arching events that can wrap up the server in RP for a month or two. so yeah. while no one is blaming the admins for olden's death, leaving olden on autopilot doesn't solve anything.

the reason it was so hard to get new members and to have them stay in the first place is because the lore is too fucking chock-full of things people do not care for and do not want to read--so they dont. it automatically went from 'fun medieval-fantasy action' to 'homework', since if you wanted any sort of decent characters and skills that wasnt regular old john smith, you had to read and read and read, and make sure everything was perfectly good and dandy and workworkwork not fun.
unappealing and annoying.

the admin thing munroe said is also a reason. since geo and drak were banned, ruta and pat (sorry guys) have seemed to steadily declined into disinterest about doing most things related to their deemed admin titles. not to mention most mods never lasted long, or they ended up doing something wrong (you know what i mean :\ ).

i think you guys should just let olden go. if you wish so hard for a fun, medieval-fantasy rp community make one yourselves. if anything, olden will give you a fucking great example of what to do and not to do with the new community.
or you could just keep fighting about keeping olden alive.
like many have done before you.
even many more times.
over
and
over.

I still have hope, as long as we have the community who is willing to improve Aeria, and get it back on track, then we haven't heard the fat lady sing yet. Besides, it's not like we have anything to lose.

Well, except for someone who might be paying for the server.

Dominator046 wrote:

Well, except for someone who might be paying for the server.

that was another problem for pretty much everytime olden died out, usually because of lack of server / server activity. the community as a whole relied on the server too much, even if they weren't using it in the first place, and could almost always find some sort of excuse to NOT be roleplaying on the server.

personally sfrp was the best way to go, seeing as you could actually rp without people just listening in through the walls of buildings and commenting on it in LOOC chat, then badly trying to act as if they didnt know IC. also that you could rp without fucking constant drama over the map, other players, events, and other stupid shit to complain about over OOC, all of which was basically reserved for server rp. im pretty sure some quests were even done in group chatrooms, and they went over pretty fucking well.

tldr; relying on a server for rp is fucking stupid and nonconstructive

says the person with the stupid and nonconstructive characters

Blitz wrote:

says the person with the stupid and nonconstructive characters

my one character? whom was given personal impairments and plenty of room to develop with other characters in roleplay, instead of being some automatically strong/badass/magic-using character like most people choose to create? sorry for trying to make someone myself and other rpers would be able to work with and manipulate if they wished, instead of a generic mary sue character.

attacking people personally isn't really proving your point, blitz

Hell, at least maybe the MUD would be a safer option then. Saves money, and we don't really NEED the visuals of Garry's Mod to RP. It ends up just being a group of people staring at eachother while they rattle off attacks at eachother or whatever the situation may be.

LawnJesus wrote:

Hell, at least maybe the MUD would be a safer option then. Saves money, and we don't really NEED the visuals of Garry's Mod to RP. It ends up just being a group of people staring at eachother while they rattle off attacks at eachother or whatever the situation may be.

good points^

also i couldnt connect to the MUD anytime i tried, but then again everything about my computer is shit so its probably my own problem.

citricalComborginator wrote:

also i couldnt connect to the MUD anytime i tried, but then again everything about my computer is shit so its probably my own problem.

I've had this issue, as has Noodle, for quite awhile.

Oh, and might I say, despite the seriousness of this post, and the sentiments therein: Happy Holidays and a Good New Year to you all. = )

We really need to figure something out. I dunno about you guys, but my imagination is starving. I can't really hack forum RP because I'm not that good of a writer to handle it.

Hi everyone, um, we have a MUD? And I miss Desertia to hell and I stopped by here today out of the blue. I hope you're not finished.

Warning: I will use little to no punctuation. I will be expressing my thoughts and feelings about this in vivid thought all coming out at once.

BooM has urged me to make a post in this section about it all ending and stuff I don't want it to end what I have noticed with the recent change from GMOD 12 to 13 RP quality has gone into a hole and died it turns out Aeria was the last good RP. I enjoyed it for a few reasons one was that you can basically have complete control to your character and nearly infinite customization another reason was the community is great I haven't found a person I have any problems with which is amazing for me because you're all great people and I enjoyed every second of RP on the server even if it was pelting kids with rocks and going to jail to playing carnival games. I also noticed the quality of RP in this community is the best I have EVER seen and with a person that has been RPing for years on gmod and has 4,600+ hours of gmod that should mean something because I don't say that just to anyone. I fear that if this community/gmod server whatever goes down there will be a loss of something greater then just a server it will be a loss of a great unique experience that you can't get from any old 'serious' HL2RP in gmod 13. I really haven't been able to enjoy gmod much at all anymore due to the terrible servers so I don't even know what to do with myself anymore. I have seen no other RP with this deep of a lore base either I just found it amazing and that is what got me hooked on it not to mention the dedicated players. The thing I noticed was even after rping for years you will never come across something as unique and original as this and as a closing statement to this crazy rant if this does 'go' I it will be a great loss to not only gmod but to the people that enjoyed the RP and for people that will never be able to experience the amazing quality and originality of this incredible lore that was made into a RP for all gmod players to enjoy

Also, I really do agree with some of the people saying "why isn't BooM Admin" he should've been Admin a long time ago he is the person that got me into this and I really don't want to see it go over silly reasons

I hate to sound like a dick, but I think the community should make more decisions on Aeria's future before adding more admins.

LawnJesus wrote:

I hate to sound like a dick, but I think the community should make more decisions on Aeria's future before adding more admins.

I'd assume you have not yet talked to BooM, I suggest you do that