Is AR a cabal mud?

[Louis]

Cabal or Solo?

This poll is to ask whether newer players should be given more slack into cabals, so that there are effectively larger cabal sizes. For example, do you think it would be more fun and right for AR to let more people have the cabal they want and have larger scale wars? Or is it best that you must initially prove you are capable to live up to a cabal's expectations, making it through screening as we do now and keeping the cabal sizes controlled?

[Seryie]

cabals are something newbies strive for, keep it at a distance and they have something to work for..

But newbies aside, when dickheads stop getting into cabals it'll be alot better... Don't you agree louis?

[chakavak]

I don't know if I understood the question, but like...

I think it would be more fun if Cabals would be larger. Or alternatively, Cabals could remain as small, "elite" organisations, but some kind of other groups would exist...

[b00mslang]

I don't see the problem of having lots of newb underlings in legion, or in any other cabal. It gives higher ranked chars more cabal mates to interact with, and command.(punishments can include uninduction, demotion)

[Enskel]

Your poll question and your posted question don't quite line up. I think AR is fairly cabal-oriented, but newbies don't need more slack.

[xanthas]

dav wont let me be in a cabal...no pampering for xanthas

[Mendek]

I think cabal competition is out of whack right now because of our limited player base. If we had 100 players online on average and had 5-10 members of each cabal online on average, then cabals would work much better. As it stands, you're lucking to find 3 cabal members online at the same time.

[Solitare]

[Louis]

here's the question expanded and rephrased.

do you think the notion of working harder to get into a cabal to get nice skills (and failing to do so with your first few characters), or more lenient inductions given to lvl 35s so they can learn as they go (and having them stay at cabal rank 1 or kicked out eventually) is better for sparking interest in the newer player and retaining them? or do you think cabals really have much less to do with newer player retention because these newer players understand that non-caballed life can be just as rewarding?

also, do you fundamentally agree or disagree with the fact that AR is a cabal mud? if you agree, its probable that you believe it helps hold the new player's interest. if you disagree, you probably think newbies will feel the same way as you and that cabal affairs really don't affect the newer player's interest. if you disagree, you probably are a proponent of stricter cabal requirements.

anyhow the poll question is how the topic of cabals affects you personally. the posted question was my input on one interpretation of the poll's results.

[xanthas]

[Sebryn]

Here's the problem with cabals being viewed as "newbie retention tools":

1. Newbie finds AR, makes their first character.
2. Newbie takes a while to learn the basic commands, learn their way around Seringale, etc.
3. After gaining 10-15 ranks, newbie starts to feel like they "know AR."
4. Checking the 'who list', newbie continues to notice [JUSTICE], [WARLORD] and [HERALD] tags next to names.
5. After a little more exploring, newbie realizes that these are players, and not the Immortals he originally thought.
6. Newbie inquires about these titles, finding out about 'cabals'.
7. Newbie decides they too want a cool tag.
8. Newbie applies to cabal of their choice (or all cabals, as some have done).
9. Newbie gets no reply, or outright rejection.
10. Newbie loses interest in cabal, gets frustrated/PK'ed to death/quits.

In my opinion there's not enough coaching to the new players that cabals are "for experienced players". Anyone that argues that the cabals (with the exception of Heralds) are not exclusively for experienced players needs to have their head examined. Players IMHO should be encouraged to learn and explore with their first 2-3 characters, THEN apply for a cabal. Those that see cabals as the "be-all, end-all" of gameplay in AR are going to be lost, and probably won't progress very well at all.

Right now it seems like the impetus for most players is cabal life. Having a successful Legion/Knight/Justice/Warlord/Assassin is what most people view will make your character "stand out" and be remembered. Less and less emphasis is placed on the "fun" aspects of the mud, and more and more emphasis is placed on "become the ultimate uber-1337 pker and pwn everybody" angle.

Granted, that is what the game is designed for. But when you have some n00b that has never played a mud before joining AR and reaching their 35th or even 40th rank with their first character, only to get totally manhandled by a seasoned veteran with their Legion, their reaction isn't going to be "Hmm, what a great lesson. I've got a lot to learn still." It's going to be "Son of a bitch! What the hell just happened?!? Screw this, that guy was cheating! My fur jacket and fiery dagger should have kicked his ass!"

Right now AR is distilled. The majority of the playerbase right now consists of veteran players that have stuck it out through the years, and have honed their skills very sharply. When a new player comes into the game, there's no "magic halo" or asterisk next to their name in the who list; they're fair game just like everybody else. So when you throw them up against players that can run from the Illusionary Isles to Battlezone in their sleep (not to mention cabal skills and equipment differences), it's no wonder that the playerbase continues to struggle. New players aren't encouraged to "keep trying" when they're beaten like they stole someone's cookie over and over again.

Now that I've gotten off the subject slightly, I'll offer my opinion on Louis' question:

[Flying Hampster of Doom]

If we were to expand the cabals to encoumpass newer players we would probably have to make sure whoever heads up a cabal would have the will power and the authority to blast someone from a cabal or demote them as the need arises. If someone does something stupid one too many times, he would have to be removed or suddenly the cabal as a whole has its image destroyed and as it is like most political powers cabals are all about image.

[Enskel]

Knight is a perfectly good cabal for newbies to apply to. Knights reply to your application, give you tasks and try to help you out, since that's what goodies are supposed to do anyway. You might end up as an applicant permanently, but you'll at least learn something in the process.

Forget Legion where you write, they watch you, and possibly never get back to you. Justice requires too much realms knowledge. Warlords ought to be a good newbie cabal too, but I don't know if it is.

[Matthais]

warlord is a terrible cabal for newbies. They log on for about a week or maybe hit 50. Then all the other cabals make meat of them and the delete. warlords are a very powerful cabal if played right but the rules that make them powerful restrict them in a lot more ways than just no magic. Most exp players know this and expoit this. most new warlords die real fast.

cabals should be for the elite. It should be a level that newbs want to strive to achieve. Who wants to join a cabal where every member gets slapped back and forth? Cabals should strive to compete with eachother, not with some solitary lvl 50. The only thing a lone lvl 50 newb needs to worry about is getting uber equipt and getting raped for his wares.

[xanthas]

[Matthais]

har har

[Flying Hampster of Doom]

I think its time to dump the notion of cabals being for the elite to be honest, maybe the upper ranks of the cabals should be for the elite but I know for a fact more newbies get into cabals then anyone else and out of that experience they gain the knowledge to no longer suck as hard. As it stands cabals are held firmly in the grip of doing absolutely nothing but having a fancy title, cool skills and no one to kill save for Heralds.

[Vertas]

Okay, cabals (for the most part) are the only way that you can truely learn all the secrets of ar without having someone over your shoulder. Before I was in a cabal, I knew where none of the decent (high level) items were in the game, now I know all the decent equipment for a level fifty evil human warrior... Ah well, in any case, no one should be able to tell if your a newb if you play your cards right, if i can make a cabal, anyone can...

something else i've learned about newbs, they're either really polite, or complete trash.

[Kalist19]

Jesus. Vertas made it into a cabal? I didn't even think they let you out of your cage yet. Somebody sure dropped the ball on that one.

[Louis]

vertas just said he was a newbie without a clue until he joined a cabal.

i think vertas's post is the most revealing post on this thread... and its kind of strange for me to say that. it kind of reminds me of when i had my first caballed character. i think i too learned alot of the brutality of the AR pk scene after joining and it also hardened my resolve to get better ~ to a degree. i started off as a newbie to muds on AR so i didn't have the fundamental knowledge of how to succeed on a mud, as opposed to others who had been playing on CF and so on.