EM Events discussion thread

Comments

• Uriah_Heep Posts: 915

  April 2019

  Two items of praise to insert here...
  
  Legends EM Erebus.   Always spawns a healer off to the side of wherever we are.
  
  He is also good about posting his schedule, for the month so we can plan accordingly and not have to rush to catch one that seems to have been setup spur of the moment.
  
  He is also good about opening gates to where we are going, and leaving them up for the occasional straggler to wander into, so latecomers aren't left out in the cold.
  
  Often times his boss appears on a mountain, top of building, wherever, right before it's time to kill him.  Gives us a chance to grab a bar.
  
  WE were lucky, we got another good one
  
  Ooops, guess that's more than two items...back to math class for me!
• WornOutYourTool Posts: 299

  April 2019

  Was going good until I read the MUST speak in English part, that went a bit off the crazy rails.
• Mariah Posts: 3,302Moderator

  April 2019

  Please keep this discussion to general terms, attacks on specific EMs are unacceptable and will be removed.
  
• Bilbo Posts: 2,834

  April 2019

  @Radst WOW ARE YOU KIDDING ME  How about you learn the language of the shard you are visiting.  I did 21 years in the Navy and visited many, many different countries and never once did I think that they should speak English.  That is about one of the most racist things I have heard and believe me I have heard a lot.
• Urge Posts: 1,291

  April 2019

  Events bring out the worst in everyone. I thought you could get banned for not speaking the native tongue?
• Luc_of_Legends Posts: 319

  April 2019

  @Radst ; Gaijin how about YOU learn JAPANESE???   Seriously would you go to Tokyo and expected the the whole bloody city to speak English?  No, and you should not!  Anymore than a Japanese person would expect the whole city of Houston to speak Japanese (Mexican yes, but that is an entirely different story!)    When you visit a Non-US UO Shard you need to realize they won't likely speak English and that is fine.  Here is a list and the primary language you need to expect on that/those shard/s:
  
  
  
  Drachenfels - Deutsch gesprochen (German)
  
  Europa - Numerous European languages including English
  
  
  Asuka
  Hokuto 
  Izumo
  Mizuho                                 All of these are Japanese speaking shards.
  Mugen (Siege Ruleset)
  Sakura
  Wakoku
  Yamato
  
  
  Arirang
  Balhae        These are Korean shards and Korean is spoken.
  
  
  
  Formosa  This is a Taiwanese shard and the language spoken is Mandarin
  
  
  Now please stop embarrassing everyone here in the US and stop acting like "an ugly American".
  
  Thank You 
  
• KHAN Posts: 510

  April 2019

  @Luc_of_Legends The Language you were referring is Spanish, NOT "Mexican". ROFL

  If you sell UO items for R.L. $$$, you need to quit playing UO , and get a BETTER R.L. JOB!
  
• Pawain Posts: 10,271

  April 2019 edited April 2019

  Luc_of_Legends said:

  @ Radst  Gaijin how about YOU learn JAPANESE???   Seriously would you go to Tokyo and expected the the whole bloody city to speak English?  No, and you should not!  Anymore than a Japanese person would expect the whole city of Houston to speak Japanese (Mexican yes, but that is an entirely different story!)    When you visit a Non-US UO Shard you need to realize they won't likely speak English and that is fine.  Here is a list and the primary language you need to expect on that/those shard/s:
  
  
  
  Drachenfels - Deutsch gesprochen (German)
  
  Europa - Numerous European languages including English
  
  
  Asuka
  Hokuto 
  Izumo
  Mizuho                                 All of these are Japanese speaking shards.
  Mugen (Siege Ruleset)
  Sakura
  Wakoku
  Yamato
  
  
  Arirang
  Balhae        These are Korean shards and Korean is spoken.
  
  
  
  Formosa  This is a Taiwanese shard and the language spoken is Mandarin
  
  
  Now please stop embarrassing everyone here in the US and stop acting like "an ugly American".
  
  Thank You 
  

  
  You also!  Houston is the MOST diverse city in the US.  Mexican is not a Language.  
  The invaders made all of the Native Americans speak their language.
  
  BTW America is the Continent name.  You probably write American (or Merican) when asked what country you are a citizen of.
  
  We have a great EM on LS. http://lakesuperior.uoem.net/
  
  Sometimes RL takes priority over a game.

  Focus on what you can do, not what you can't.
• Luc_of_Legends Posts: 319

  April 2019

  KHAN said:

  @ Luc_of_Legends The Language you were referring is Spanish, NOT "Mexican". ROFL

  Actually, according my college Spanish professor who is a native Peruvian, "THAT's NOT SPANISH!"  She called it  at best "redneck" Spanish at worst it's Mexican border Spanish.  
  I've heard it referred to as "Tejano".   Its weird.  I learned my Spanish from my Mexican-Americans friends growing up in Texas. I heard a linguist say that while being primarily Spanish, there are strong elements of French and Indigenous languages.   Long story short nobody knows what the heck it is...LOL 
  
  
• Bilbo Posts: 2,834

  April 2019

  Off subject:  If you visit Tokyo go to the university there and you will find a lot of students that want to practice their English, with a little patients you will get one of the BEST tours of Japan and the most it costs you is cab fair and food.
• Radst Posts: 110

  May 2019

  People love to mis-read on Internet and get smar about it. I did not say EMs should use full English in every sentence. I'm sure they are required to know some level of English, and therefore they should just be able to say "Go to Minoc gate", for example. That's it.
  
• Bilbo Posts: 2,834

  May 2019

  Radst said:

  People love to mis-read on Internet and get smar about it. I did not say EMs should use full English in every sentence. I'm sure they are required to know some level of English, and therefore they should just be able to say "Go to Minoc gate", for example. That's it.
  

  EMs must also use English
  
• Pawain Posts: 10,271

  May 2019

  Radst said:

  People love to mis-read on Internet and get smar about it. I did not say EMs should use full English in every sentence. I'm sure they are required to know some level of English, and therefore they should just be able to say "Go to Minoc gate", for example. That's it.
  

  
  I do not know the intent for all the servers.  If they were made for a specific geographic region then I would say they should be able to communicate with that region.  
  
  Some EMs drop symbols that take you to an area or make gates to lead the party around. So, if you are just there to kill stuff and get a drop chance then the Lore does not matter.

  Focus on what you can do, not what you can't.
• Garth_Grey Posts: 1,459

  May 2019

  Luc_of_Legends said:

  @ Radst  Gaijin how about YOU learn JAPANESE???   Seriously would you go to Tokyo and expected the the whole bloody city to speak English?  No, and you should not!  Anymore than a Japanese person would expect the whole city of Houston to speak Japanese (Mexican yes, but that is an entirely different story!)    When you visit a Non-US UO Shard you need to realize they won't likely speak English and that is fine.  Here is a list and the primary language you need to expect on that/those shard/s:
  
  
  
  Drachenfels - Deutsch gesprochen (German)
  
  Europa - Numerous European languages including English
  
  
  Asuka
  Hokuto 
  Izumo
  Mizuho                                 All of these are Japanese speaking shards.
  Mugen (Siege Ruleset)
  Sakura
  Wakoku
  Yamato
  
  
  Arirang
  Balhae        These are Korean shards and Korean is spoken.
  
  
  
  Formosa  This is a Taiwanese shard and the language spoken is Mandarin
  
  
  Now please stop embarrassing everyone here in the US and stop acting like "an ugly American".
  
  Thank You 
  

  You embarrassed yourself enough with the Mexican language reference..ibtl.

  You and Several Others like this.
  
  
  Please make the Grizzled Mare a 5 slot mount, it's incredibly rare and deserves it. Some of us have been waiting a long time for this simple addition.
  
• EM Erebus Posts: 7Event Moderator

  May 2019

  Hello. Just wanted to comment (or ramble, as my post is turning out to be) on this part:

  In the past I've seen bosses spawned with very high resist and high regen, and this made the boss un-killable because the crowd spent an hour to just take down half its HP, and the EM had to abort. This was rare but happened a couple times in the past 2 years. 

  Also, no boss should be killed in one or two minute or five. By now, shouldn't EM's already know how to design a proper boss stat that last at least 10 minutes? Currently, if you die once and get res'd, you might just miss the kill, not to mention sometimes there are no fking HEALERS.

  This can be a bit tricky sometimes. With the increasingly immense damage output being put out by the large crowds of players (the size of which varies from time to time), sometimes it's not always possible to predict just how quickly a boss will go down. Too little damage mitigation, and the boss goes down disappointingly fast. Too much and you find a situation as you described, where the boss is unkillable. So it's a bit of a balancing act sometimes. In my view, 5 minutes should typically be enough time to get to get enough of damage/healing to get looting rights, generally speaking. I'm not saying it's impossible to produce generally consistent results, but my main point is that there will likely be some funky bosses from time to time due to varying factors (and in such cases, do tell the EM what you think!). But this leads me to another matter altogether, concerning difficulty...
  

  
  

  Bear in mind, this part is just my personal view. In my view bosses should be very tough, very challenging, and even a little bit frustrating sometimes. I know that last bit seems counter-intuitive but hear me out! If the bosses are merely served up in a simplistic, methodical way every time to fulfill some sense of "fair play", a few things happen: they lose their air of formidability and dread, the game world itself becomes a little bit less interesting, and the game begins to feel less like an adventure and more like Elmo getting his wish for Christmas to happen every day (my god I am invoking muppets for my analogy, what the hell is wrong with me (how about this for an analogy: playing Monopoly and circling the board for the millionth time)). Like bosses, a game, in an abstract sense, requires its own particular kind of balance - between challenge and reward. Too much challenge for a pitiful or common reward, and the game becomes arbitrary. Too little challenge and it doesn't matter what the presumed value of the reward is - the reward will not be as thrilling to win and the game will not mean quite as much. The value of a reward and the thrill of achievement is defined in part by the challenge that must be overcome to acquire it. This is why I am somewhat hesitant about some of the suggestions I have seen in the past that rewards should just be clickies or 'everyone' rewards because - and again, this is just me personally - when I get a drop at an event after a couple months of not getting one, it's kind of cool. It wouldn't really feel quite as cool the same way if I got a reward every single time. Losing from time to time, or coming up empty handed, makes the eventual victory so much sweeter.
  

  
  

  This will go a little beyond the scope of events. I am reminded of an event from many years ago, during the original EM program. I don't quite recall what the event was about, but what I do recall was that a ridiculously powerful demon was unleashed in Luna that would eat the bodies of dead players and spit out body parts (some of these body parts obstructed movement, too). It was so powerful we were unable to kill it. There was some trick to killing it that a few players figured out the next day, but for the rest of the day Luna was a complete hell hole.

  
  

  

  
  

  For many, the idea of an unstoppable boss that a smaller group of players take down later might at first seem like a terrible idea from where we stand presently (and for reasons that are, at this time, certainly valid). But to me, however, this was awesome. I have no idea if there was even a reward at that event, and I never cared. For me the experience was a thousand times more valuable than any reward I could have acquired at it (although a reward from that event would certainly have a particular value all its own). So what made the value of this event, for me? Not just the challenge posed by the all-powerful demon, but an idea that in this living, breathing virtual world there are monsters to be feared, and that I, rather than being a hero of Britannia, am just a mere mortal trying to survive it, and endure. Also, that the event wasn't simply an EM dancing on stage neatly packaged into a tidy, 1 hour event with a boss destined to die within minutes being pulled methodically at the end, but a threat of indeterminate power and duration with an open and unknown ending and possessing the quality of being persistent - a persistent threat in a persistent world. Lastly, it had a sense of unpredictability - the idea that anything could happen. Now don't get me wrong. I am not suggesting that the game, or events, should only ever be nightmarish hellscapes where EM Erebus res-kills everyone for 2 solid hours. As enjoyable as that would be, I wish to stress the value of the game itself over my own personal entertainment. :P
  

  
  

  I am not really here to make any specific suggestions. What I do wish, however, is to share my own feelings on the subject and offer a perspective that is slightly different than what I normally see to my fellow players, for your consideration, so that discussions about events aren't limited to bosses and rewards.
  

  
  

  In any case, thank you @Radst for the thread. I always enjoy reading these types of threads to see what everyone's thoughts are about events.

  
  

  One last note. A question for my fellow players. No doubt many of you have attended a great many events. Out of the many events that you have attended over the years, how many do you remember? What specific events do you remember - which ones stand out in your mind?
  

  
  

  What made them memorable?
  
• Dixie_of_Chessy_01 Posts: 11

  May 2019

  would be nice if UO would have an auto translator in game,  I love Asuka and the people but there are so few who speak English and I just don't have enough brain cells left to learn another one lol, would be nice if UO itself could help close that gap
• Pawain Posts: 10,271

  May 2019

  EM Erebus said:

  
  

  One last note. A question for my fellow players. No doubt many of you have attended a great many events. Out of the many events that you have attended over the years, how many do you remember? What specific events do you remember - which ones stand out in your mind?
  

  
  

  What made them memorable?
  

  I dont like the insta deaths.  Or poison that cant be cured and you die.  I like the ones where you need healing but there is not a pile of bodies.
  
  Our EM makes some bosses that need adjustment. We give helpful feedback during the fights if the mob is a wrong fit for the group size or templates.
  
  The EM made a Pet Eater for this event:
  
  

  temp.bmp 849.3K

  Focus on what you can do, not what you can't.
• EM Erebus Posts: 7Event Moderator

  May 2019

  Pawain said:

  I dont like the insta deaths.  Or poison that cant be cured and you die.  I like the ones where you need healing but there is not a pile of bodies.
  

  I share a similar sentiment. Sometimes, I'll admit, I enjoy some of the chaotic, death-filled events (as a player!). But there are also times where the difficulty makes something feel pointless. I'll give you an example: tormented minotaurs. I may have used one of these during one of my events at some point, but I tend to avoid them because, when one of these appear at an event I am at as a player, I pretty much sit out the fight due to the fact that consecutive stomps (which is much more likely to happen with a crowd hitting it) is insta-death. No point in even bothering with it. They're not really a proper challenge.
• Tim Posts: 826

  May 2019

  I'll limit myself to one point.
  
  How easy is it to set the power of the Boss when you don't know how many players are going to show up? 
  
  OK two points isn't the EM position a volunteer rather than a full time employee?
• Margrette Posts: 549

  May 2019

  Tim said:

  OK two points isn't the EM position a volunteer rather than a full time employee?

  I believe they are paid contractors.
• Radst Posts: 110

  May 2019

  Hello EM Erebus, thanks for the input. I appreciated it! I agree on the 5 minute duration in general. I'm just surprised from time to time to see a boss that can get killed in like 30 seconds. While the number of players may vary, I think the number should not vary too much, say close to 100 each event, as far as I've observed. So, I'm just curious, is there a global rule set for these events; for example: boss stats, boss abilities.

  
  

  On boss abilities: the worst possible template is probably the Slasher. The white-out effect can easily crash CC/EC on a new desktop. And the constant Fear/Freeze adds the impossibility to do anything at all, therefore even 5-min wont be enough in this scenario especially if you died and there is no healer. The slasher can spam Fear as often as it wants with no cooldown control; it's crazy. That's the worst possible case that still occurs.
  

  
  

  I'm sure everyone doesn't mind dying N times or not getting a reward at times, as long as the process is reasonable and makes sense.
  
• Uriah_Heep Posts: 915

  May 2019

  I wouldn't want the job.  Really.  Never know what to plan for, one event there are 5 people there, next event 50.  Even with it being drop night the numbers (and strengths) of the players vary.
  
  The only constant is that someone at the end will be bitching about something.  Even me *blush*  Sorry bout that Erebus.  
  
  We have been blessed with a few good EMs, try to support them.  If there is a language barrier, well so be it.  It should be expected when on foreign soil, so to speak.
• WornOutYourTool Posts: 299

  May 2019

  I don't go to many events because of that... 
  
  What's the quest?  "We're going to go to a place, kill some stuff then a bigger stuff, hand out participation trophies then go home."
  
  I much prefer the confusing meat grinders.  The example of the Luna demon was perfect.  Something to actually be afraid of and think about.  There not really any content experienced players look at and think they're in peril if they go up against it.  Peerless to shadowguard, mightiest in the land, farmed like vegetables.  Funny how the scariest and biggest obstacle left in the game is a creature with 150 HP.
• Radst Posts: 110

  May 2019

  This thread is about consolidating feedback on the events. If you have nothing to add, please refrain from sidetracking. I'd ask the mods to remove ones that keep talking to themselves.
  

  
  

  =====================
  

  
  

  Now continuing with the main topic: Rewards

  
  

  "Rock around the clock":
  

  

  Nice color, tells time and you can sit on it. Awesome deco, so I bought one for myself and another for a friend. And they STACKED, which caused them to lose the ability to tell time. GM wasn't able to fix it for me. So there goes my gold.
  

  
  

  Another inconsistency with instruments:
  

  
  

  This nice looking cello plays a tune as expected. Solid.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  On the other hand, this harp does not play any music at all.
  

  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  ss_ 512.png 1.5K

  ss_ 514.png 8.9K

  ss_ 515.png 14.2K
• The_Higgs_1 Posts: 420

  May 2019

  I don't do any events due to many reasons, but the most obvious reason is long ago I found out how corrupt the whole thing is.  Lets just say I was in a voice chat back in like 2011 where 4 of the 7 people in it were EM's on different shards and would share information on what monsters they were using and what type chars were best to kill it so you would get a drop.   This has been going on forever, maybe it got cleaned up but I doubt it.  
• Kirthag Posts: 541

  May 2019 edited May 2019

  OH! I remember the Luna Daemon! Wasn't that on Napa (if it was on multiple shards, I dunno - I was a Napa player then)? The carnage was immense and the event - although frustrating - memorable. The satisfaction after slaying the daemon was placating enough to where some players (myself included) wished there would be MORE events with a boss that ...
  

  • would frustrate the gathered players immensely
  • would last for more than a day (multi-day-bosses are rare, but gives a reason to go back again and again for the gathering of death shrouds)
  • loot drop that would equate the level of frustration for this "uber-boss" (and i'm not talking about just a rarity or a shard-bound, more like items and gold and such)

  Luna players begged other players to come and help kill the thing - "... for the sake of the Luna Mall!" was a battle cry for a bit. The community came together to thwart a common foe, THAT is what I enjoyed about events... COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT - not just players running amok to kill a spawn and get loots and drops.
  
  Of what I can recall, I had more fun healing/ressing/gathering during this event and periodically screaming out loud as I ran willy-nilly through blocking body parts whenever the immortal daemon would come near. I'd get a few hits in, but the two-hit-kill-move that monster had (Ba'al was its name if I remember) was more than enough to make me reconsider my tactics. Even Tal'keesh was a wimp in comparison.
  
  THAT was an event! Yes, if a player remembers it, then it was a good event. 
  
  An EM from the early days once said, "The event IS the reward!"
  Aediwulf.... (salute), your words are so true - if it is a well planned and executed event.
  
  Most of what happens now are show up, blah blah, battle, loot, complain fests which I avoid now. I've not been interested in any events for some time as they are boring, repetitive, and frankly do nothing to pique my interest by way of story line, involvement, or even booty.
  
  I have more fun dancing a tango with PKers in Fel than I do with an EM event. Sorry but that is the brutal truth.
  
  
  ((final edit, promise))
  
  I want to add, what helps make a memorable event.
  
  Get everyone involved. Not everyone plays a tamer; they might have a tamer on their account(s), but is that their main toon? Does everyone diversify their playtime and schedule this day tamer, this day crafter, this day mage, this day melee? No - we all have our faves and the toons we play the most because we enjoy it. Figure out how to cater to the "favored toons" of the players.
  
  A sort of multi-stage event where all sorts of characters/toons could get involved. Not just those with certain skill sets (typically tamers with uber-pet or some other tweaked template), but how about crafters? Or maybe an event for mages based in Wind? 
  
  
  Also, a story line which involves the community of the shard (uh oh.. treading that path again) as it acknowledges the uniqueness of the shard, the efforts of the players on that shard, and the community that gathers on that shard. I believe EMs are not allowed to play on the shard they manage, but it wouldn't be hard to be around and learn the people upon a shard. That, I think, is the biggest fault of the EM program. Not knowing their assigned shard(s) communities. Some of the longer-run EMs do, but a newbie-EM.... highly doubtful.
  
  Yes, an EM must be impartial (do they  sign a non-disclosure? If not, then its a shame) but without knowledge of the local community, I think it would be hard for an EM to cater to the players. Overall story arcs for the worldset is only part of the job - getting into the details and knowing their community should be another. Without know if an EM is full- or part-time on the job and other such what not business things, all I can say is if there is to be improvement, bring back the RP. Make the content of an EM event relevant to the shard, and get to know the community of a shard (not just the governors and their special interests).

  
  kirthag.blogspot.com
• Luc_of_Legends Posts: 319

  May 2019 edited May 2019

  The_Higgs_1 said:

  I don't do any events due to many reasons, but the most obvious reason is long ago I found out how corrupt the whole thing is.  Lets just say I was in a voice chat back in like 2011 where 4 of the 7 people in it were EM's on different shards and would share information on what monsters they were using and what type chars were best to kill it so you would get a drop.   This has been going on forever, maybe it got cleaned up but I doubt it.  

  I have had issues for a long time with EM events.  On Legends back around the time you speak a certain guild that I used to be involved with had the EM's direct ICQ number.  The EM had an event that was basically for that guild because they run everyone off but their members.    That was way back.  Fast forward to 2013 and several EMs later, Legends got a new EM and this one didn't even try to hide their favoritism to another specific guild.  This EM was helping with a player run event.  The player had done all the proper "paperwork" to get EM help. This was before the PEC program.   This certain guild showed up started fights, harassed players, trashed and generally ruined the player run event. This EM did nothing to intervene.  Nor did the EM do anything when this same guild basically destroy the elections by "paying" players for or trading votes on other shards for votes on Legends.  I do not know if Mesanna ever cleaned up the voting mess or not as I stopped participating in the elections stuff.   It resulted in the player who held the event closing his four accounts and quitting UO.  I know of several players that just quit participating in EM events until the arrival of EM Erberus. Me and my sister being two of them.  Many have gone back to doing events, but we have not.   It has nothing do with EM Erberus, everything I hear about him is positive.  It just that due to RL issues I don't want to be in the middle of an event and have to leave suddenly.  Its easier to leave a dungeon or stop decorating.   
• TimSt Posts: 1,875

  May 2019

  EM events in Felucca should have a temporary Trammel rule set around the area the event is taking place at so PKer's can not show up and ruin the event by killing other players.  They can still show up and participate in the event but they can not kill other players.
• Bilbo Posts: 2,834

  May 2019

  TimSt said:

  EM events in Felucca should have a temporary Trammel rule set around the area the event is taking place at so PKer's can not show up and ruin the event by killing other players.  They can still show up and participate in the event but they can not kill other players.

  Then why have it in Fel to begin with and this is coming from a Trammie
• Uriah_Heep Posts: 915

  May 2019 edited May 2019

  TimSt said:

  EM events in Felucca should have a temporary Trammel rule set around the area the event is taking place at so PKer's can not show up and ruin the event by killing other players.  They can still show up and participate in the event but they can not kill other players.

  
  The memorable Fel event I attended, that might be the one Luc is speaking of, was wild.
  !O! ran in and wiped out everyone and everything but the EM lol.  Wherever it was, it was a no recall zone, and the only way out was down a short tunnel to his gate.  !O! had a good time I reckon.
  
  At that time, we had several PvP/spawn raider groups on the shard.  I always thought it woulda been cool, and fun, had he hired one of them to protect the event from just such happenings.  Then we would have had the event, it would have included everyone, and wouolda been a good show .