October Events - Cost:Benefit

Versalean

I haven't given two hoots about most of what's happening in these November events. But I have absolutely fricking loved the feeling that stuff's happening. I've seen old friends. Older enemies. I've been outside of my manse talking to people ICly. I've sent care packages of curatives and artefacts to sworn enemies so that they could keep going during the Great Hunt, and done some very satisfying trashtalking to folks who got pwnt on Astral (sadly, I didn't get snubbed this year by any of the trashtalkees. Always next year).

In a nutshell, this month I have seen the Lusternia I remember as a newbie, and it really has reawakened some of the magic.

Yet I suspect that many other things have stopped happening. Has Team Godmin been able to work on fixing the economy? On balancing combat? On making that damned throbbing mote embeddable? I don't know.

So that's my question:  I think the benefits of Team Godmin doing these events has been clear to see. But how resource intensive has it been? I guess player debate and speculation on this would be interesting, but I'm more interested in hearing from Team Godmin.

EDIT: It's October. It is not November.

Vatul

I can agree that I feel the old magic of Lusternia back again. I get excited about coming home from work, just so I can log in and see people or talk to people - hoping that I come across something or can work towards something rewarding.

I'm interested in seeing your questions answered.

Czixi

It's been a very hard month in the Havens, but it's also been wonderful. Let's set aside what led to this point - it's not great, and we all know that. But what's come from it has been really, really good. Here are the parts of this month that you can't see, which I hope at least in part answers your questions.

We are all strongly committed to changing things, even if that change needs to be radical, to make things work now and in the future. This isn't to say that we weren't before, but what we have now that is different is that push of willpower and enthusiasm that can carry the team through hard times. We've had a lot of very long discussions about all manner of topics, from world events to org-specific things to our larger systems and beyond. Many of those discussions have been tough, but they've been necessary.

In terms of what this has actually meant:

We've been working hard on organising our workloads so that they are sustainable, realistic, and enjoyable. We've changed how we organise those workloads as a team as well as individually. Also, we've been making a point of helping one another out more, even if it's just a little boost here and there, and certainly for me it's made things feel a lot less overwhelming than working more in isolation.

This has meant that we've produced a lot more in a much shorter time (though much of it is things you won't see for a little bit - one of the things we're working to do is prepare work further in advance, so that it's less panicked). So yes, it's been resource intensive - but we're also prioritising improving how we manage those resources. It isn't glamorous, but it's really important!

This has been helped in no small part by our current crop of ephemerals (and our older ones too) being absolutely incredible - they are working so hard on both their own projects and on helping us produce many more things. They are the unsung heroes of our team and I can't wait to see them become gods that you can shower with love.

The question of course is whether this is something we can keep going. The next three months are very busy - we have a lot planned! - and we've got to work hard to keep up with all of those things as well as fixing problems and planning more for the future. 

I'm confident that we can, and I'm so proud to be part of this team right now. They are, every one, incredible people. I know exactly what you mean about the recent weeks feeling like the Lusternia you remember. Being in Havens is like being part of a family, and the past month has reminded me of that, more than ever.

I'll leave Estarra or Orael to comment on priorities regarding the economy, combat and so forth (as those fall more into their remit) - but I will say that we've helped them on projects related to those and we've been talking about both a lot. The honesty that you've all given us with regards to the problems present has really helped. I know it's often not easy to say, and we're very grateful for it.

This was super long, but I hope it answers your question!

Estarra

RP events shouldn't detract from disrupt coding projects for the simple fact that 90% (or more) of RP events is thanks to volunteers who love events and roleplay and working stories behind the scenes and running denizens, etc. The more positive feedback, the more volunteers are inspired to give more back so thank you for this thread!