User:Snoerr/Elder Election

Q/A Elder Debate Tale VIII - 3rd Elder Election.

Year 1, Peret I-14

Q1. For those who have never had the opportunity to interact with you before can you share a little about yourself, what you enjoy about ATITD as well as how long you have been playing?

I started playing on the Bastet server during T4 around the middle of the tale. I missed T5, which started while Bastet server was still running, then came back for T7. I find myself drawn to the more skill-based quality crafts like the anvil, gem cutting, and glass blowing, as well as the complexity of the world. I run a guild with Afrah, Lens of Thoth, that is focused on the science of the world; which is to say understanding *why* things work the way they do instead of stopping at how to use them. We've been spending a lot of time exploring the updates to the ecology system. I also really enjoy a number of the Thought tests, especially a Venery that tells a good story, and difficult puzzles.

In the past I've been known to drag people in to crazy projects as well; on T4 Bastet, Afrah and I started building our own large pyramid (I think it was a 7x7 base). In T7, we built the first of the Fertile Land pyramids. That started with just the two of us wanting to build one, and ended up with several others helping out as they wandered through and saw what we were doing.

Q2. Factions, which Malard introduced in T8 are quite divisive, we have seen players complaining about them and even quitting. What are your thoughts regarding factions?

I've been skeptical of factions since they were announced, and I still think they have significant problems that are being addressed more slowly than most of us would like. They're a big change, and *any* change will drive away some players. The faction divisions haven't substantially impacted my enjoyment of the game; I'm still friends with people in the other factions who were my friends from past tales. There are so many different components of factions that it's a difficult question to answer. In some places they replace game systems that were stagnant and uninteresting with something that is at least *new* if not always *better*. In other places, they drive wedges between long-standing communities that have kept people returning to the game.

On a day-to-day basis, I don't really notice factions that much at this point. Sure, there are new tributes that have to be paid to maintain regional control and not lose faction-wide chat; but those aren't substantially different from university research outside of the competitive bidding aspect. I dislike that they don't encourage more participation from the average faction citizen, and instead fall back on the same players who can grind out large quantities of materials like they already were doing to advance research.

Q3. Elder is one of the Leadership Tests, do you want to just past the Test or you are running to help Hyksos faction prosper and grow?

I'd still be in this position even if this weren't a test. To me, the test component of the position is not at all important compared to helping all of Hyksos.

Q4. One of the Elder's powers is a power to Banish Apostates of Hyksos - people with negative stance/ red bar toward faction. At this time players can get negative stance only by teaching other factions. Would you consider using this power on people that teach other factions and if not, when hypothetically would you consider using Banish?

I would not. I don't view that as a reason to kick someone out of the faction. About the only situation I can see where it makes sense to use the Elder banish power without a greater consensus would be harassment through faction chat. It's an ineffective tool for most other purposes.

Q5. Developers hinted that once factions have 3 Elders we will be able to make a decisions which will apply to whole faction. What is your opinion on:

• a. Cross faction teaching

I have no issue with cross-faction teaching. I don't think that should come with any faction penalties.

• b. At which rank Hyksos citizens can build faction buildings like Banners or Chancery.

Associate seems appropriate for banners, though I'd like to see improvements to how the game gives credit for actions that benefit the faction. I see no reason for a rank restriction above Initiate on building a Chancery.

• c. Rewarding with faction points citizens which are not donating to Tribute Post or Research but helping us by for example organizing Events like Acro, Dig or Vigil.

I think this is absolutely necessary. The current mechanics frequently don't reward people for the efforts that benefit the faction. I would want to see some checks on this to prevent abuse - a limitation on the points that can be assigned based on the ones that are given out through automated systems, and possibly the need for more than one Elder to agree.

Q6. Beside Banish and Forgive what other powers, in your opinion, Elder should have?

This question forgot to include "Recruit" - which is an important power. Distribution of faction rank points, as in the previous question, is something I think Elders should be able to do. I could also see abilities like delegating control of faction compounds to a non-Elder, and distribution of any Tokens of Ra awarded from regional bonuses. I also recall early discussions about the faction system including a faction tech tree that would provide different additional bonuses on a monthly basis; directing that tech, if it is implemented, is something that would make sense for the Elders.

Q7. You are running for the Elder of the Hyksos Faction, please tell us what is your current faction rank and how you are helping with Hyksos research and weekly Tribute Post competition.

I'm currently at "Member" rank. I spent several weeks at "Initiate" with a full promotion bar. I both help with university research contributions, as well as tributes - manufacturing or gathering items needed for tributes, checking on the new tribute requirements after region changes, and running tributes and standing at a tribute post during one of the "sniping" windows waiting for the regional control change.

Q8. As Elder you will have powers to banish people, do you share your account with others?

The only other person with access to my account is Afrah, who can spouselog.

Q9. In other tales elected leaders (DP) at the beginning of the tale leave before the game end. This leaves a vacuum at the end game when they are needed the most. What is your commitment to the game and how will you manage to last the entire tale?

It's my intent to stick around for the entire tale. I'm a full-tale subscriber (despite my white name on Discord, which I haven't bothered to have fixed up). I enjoy a number of the large late-game projects. The stated 18-month duration of the tale will also reduce the chance that major out-of-game events might affect my ability to play.

Q10. What question would you like to be asked, and why?

Why did you choose Hyksos and not one of the other factions?

I think it's interesting to see the motivations that lead people to live where they do, and with as divisive as factions were from the start, what their reasoning was for that early choice. For me, a lot of that decision was because of the people that I knew who were also going to be a part of Hyksos.

Q11. Closing statement.

I think we have a really great slate of candidates in this election, and Hyksos will end up with a good new Elder no matter what the outcome of the election. I'm honored to have the support from those in my previous rounds.