Chat Log – Trolling

Unfortunately this is not a chat log about the under bridge dwelling variety of trolls, I like them. Instead it is about those people who find pleasure in causing nothing but misery for others, not such a fan of them. In a game where murder can affect the amount of playtime your money buys you we, quite rightly, want reassurance that trolls or griefers are not going to put us out of pocket.

Let’s start at what makes a troll in this game? If someone one incapacitates you, performs a coup de grace causing you to lose spirit, and when you return to your body half the contents of your backpack has gone, does that make them a troll? Perhaps. But, perhaps not. Perhaps, they have spent time and effort to learn that you are transporting a very valuable item in your backpack. That the safe house you are taking it is down a road that goes through several remote locations. That you are not taking guards to try to look inconspicuous. Being attacked then is just a part of the story. I think Miguel ‘Souzou’ Sierra, Community Manager for Chronicles of Elyria, has summed it up best:

Murder is as much a part of the game as many other things. Murderers are not by default “griefers”, because murder is an intentional mechanic in the game. … If your purpose of playing the game is simply to abuse other players and detract from their experience, you’re probably a griefer.

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Journal Discussed – Incapacitation, Spirit Walking, and Permadeath

If you have not read this week’s Chronicles of Elyria developer journal yet you can catch up with the abridged version here. In a nutshell it is about death, Death and DEATH. Basically, there is a lot of dying in this game but of different levels with different consequences. 

There were quite a few questions raised in the forums mainly by community member Ender who, rightly, wanted a bit more information about how this was all going to pan out. The disadvantage to the Developer Journal is the 2000 word limit, as I am sure we would get reams on each topic if Jeromy ‘Caspian’ Walsh had the chance! However, he was on the forums to answer some of the concerns raised especially with regards to Spirit Walking, griefing and going to the toilet.  Continue reading