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Amaltea
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Rumors

Post by Amaltea »

I have heard rumors -- after everyone else has heard of them, of course.

1. RoH is merging with the RDI.
False. RoH is not merging with the RDI. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not any other day.

2. The RDI is not doing anything for the Duels.
False. I have already answered this question, but I will refresh your memory. The RDI has been working for months now with RoH to promote the Duels. We have access to their announcements board to advertise special RoH events. There is a section devoted to the Duels in The Oracle, including a spotlight interview with a duelist. Next issue includes two RoH storyline news articles. Last month it had a nice article covering Cory and Anjolie's wedding. RDI Hosts promote the Duels by talking to players about it, something that is not in their job description; Panther did not ask them to do this. Work with the RDI, do not slap the helping hand that's offered without asking nothing in return.

3. They are moving shifts permanently to the RDI.
False. Panther offered this for a two month trial period. The DoF Monday night shift will continue being hosted in the RDI for the remainder of the year.

4. RoH is moving to FlashChat.
True. We started work in the summer of 2005 to customize FlashChat for the Duels. The project was put on hold.

When will we make the switch? We have not set a launch date.

Why FlashChat? Because it is cheap.

What's wrong with AIM? It cannot be integrated with the forum.

When the Duels moved to the Web, we had player resistance. Players said they would not move, or wouldn't post because they didn't want the duels to move. I know a few that said they wouldn't move and are currently playing and posting. I can understand that change is scary. It scares everyone, myself included. No, I am not immune.

What we are working on is a full integration of the chat, the forum, and the user database. One login for everything. With the FlashChat, we can have an application to help Callers with the duels. This will make training in any sport easier and hopefully lead to more cross-training.

Duels can be saved directly to the database through this tool, helping with the standings automation -- another project currently underway. By having this information already there, a player's profile can be linked to the standings and can show things like rank and wins over losses.

Chat logs and room counts can be automated and made available to staff and players. New players will easily find the chat rooms without the need for another application. Anyone can see who is in the chat at a glance. Yes, FlashChat may be clunky at times, but there is much to gain from it.

Of all the free or low-priced applications out there, FlashChat is the only one we have found that works well to combine with the database. Most other chat applications cannot not work with the database or are not customizable; those that can work are expensive. The forum budget cannot afford to spend $800 here. Donations, anyone?

Why did you move the Monday DoF shift to the RDI?
A few weeks ago, Matt said he wanted to close the three hour Monday night DoF shift for lack of participation. I asked him to please wait a bit longer and give the Tour de RhyDin a chance. Let's take October, for example: Des called 3 duels, one per night. One of those was me because I went to the room to keep her company; she was sitting alone in the room. In September, she called 3 duels with one night having no duels at all. August was not much better. It is not a secret that DoF has been hurting badly from lack of participation. I do not blame Matt for jumping in and accepting Panther's offer to host a shift in the RDI. Picking the Monday shift--a shift he wanted to close just weeks ago, and which is hosted by someone well known in the RDI--was a smart idea.

Getting people to play on the regular duels takes more than just having a group there once a month. Converting players takes time and effort from the Caller that's hosting the shift and our own players. Turning your back on an RDI hosted event is the same as saying you don't care if we recruit new players or not. Why? Because what's the point of having our shift hosted there if our own players won't take a hand to recruit new players? Having the shift in the RDI will, hopefully, hook the new duelists we need. They will have a record, get a desire to hold an Opal, and stay long-term. This will not happen overnight. It will take time and dedication.

If you have a better idea to promote the duels and help, please step forward and share these ideas. Random did and now we have Tour de Rhydin, a major event that we have high hopes for participation and success. We have been doing what we can within our resources. The RoH staff is human, and cannot come up with everything. In the end is up to the players to help the forum grow by coming up with constructive ideas and suggestions--or help kill it with conspiracy theories. Ask yourself, which one are you?
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