[Calahan]

I would sign up to this, but to be honest, what I see outlined in the proposal is just an incredibly 'lite' version of the promise I made myself before I played even my first MP game. So if I signed up for this, I'd actually feel I was lowering my standards, which may lead me into bad habits. As to date I've never turned myself AI ever, and don't ever intend to either. But signing this might lead me towards thinking.......

"I'm not enjoying this game, and I'd never normally quit, but it's ok in this game because it's within the bounds of the pledge". Which to be honest is not a train of thought I even want to entertain.

And as has been pointed out already, having any sort of loose criteria for when you can set yourself AI just leaves everything open to an individuals interpretation, which can only lead to arguments if one player interprets it differently to other players.


But reading some of the comments here has made me think that not everyone has the same version of what the 'default' commitment to a game should be. My default is that I'll never set myself AI, while others have the 'default' of playing until they get bored, or they find something better to do with their time. With many choosing to play until they conclude they will eventually lose whatever war(s) they are fighting, and see no point in staying around for the inevitable. Which of course opens up another can of worms regarding when, and how early, a conclusion like that can, or should be made.

So maybe the solution is that every new game that starts up should be absolutely clear on whether it is a 'serious' type of game, which rightly brings with it all the associated commitments of fighting until the bitter end. Or if the game is designed more for just pure fun, and anyone signing up is free to play for just the enjoyment of playing, and isn't expected to stay committed long term if they don't want to for any reason. Not sure if this would solve the problem, but if during sign-up it was crystal clear to each potential player if that game was 'serious' or 'fun', then I think it can only help.


But then having said this, Baalz was pretty damn clear from the start about the level of commitment he expected from players signing-up for the Legends of Faerun game, but it didn't help one bit there. But if there is ever going to be a good 'vet' to 'new player' mix in future games, which I think is important for community health, then some sort of solution needs to be found I think. Since bailers and AI setters are easily my number one hate in MP games by some distance, and I haven't been playing anywhere near as long as most of the vets have. So I can only imagine what strong feelings and opinions they have on this matter.

So in light of this, it's easy for me to understand why the veteran players would want to severely limit their expose to new, unknown players. As who wants to take the risk of having potentially hundreds of hours of their time wasted by playing in games that could be ruined at any moment by unknown players bailing or going AI. Logic says it's safer to just stick with the small pool of players you know, even if it means that pool very rarely grows.


And for the record, my pledge is: Nothing in-game will ever cause me to set my nation AI. But of course I can not put any guarantee on events in Real Life.