ATA: Ask Them Anything

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  • Adrik said:
    If you hadn't chosen your current god, and all roles were open, who would you have picked?
    When I was a Demigod going through the selection of Divine I could play, I was heavily waffling between playing Sartan or Aegis. Both have the same intensity of character that I enjoy, a certain aloofness behind a steel purpose, and that Old Spice appearance.

    On the other end of the spectrum, I also did briefly consider picking up Prospero because there was not much on the God to begin with, and with a relatively open slate it would've been interesting to mold him into something fun. Scarlatti was also on my list, in that I am a very creative person to begin with, and Artistry is a realm that also holds boundless potential.

    Ultimately, I chose to go with Aegis for the militant outlook, and also because I wanted to explore a facet I never really had the chance to do so as a player.

  • If you have any follow-up questions from our answers, ask! We are all enjoying this, maybe a bit too much!
  • Which one of these are better? (spoilered for size)


    Yes that's banana.


    With pineapple, too.




    Disappearing from Achaea for now. See you, space cowboy.


    smileyface#8048 if you wanna chat.

  • Milabar said:
    Does the Garden as a whole believe the Bal'met age worked as they intended?

    I ask because I've heard it said that part of it's needed reason was a lack of volunteers to fill the roles, and possibly getting more player interaction into the remaining orders rather then dispersed as it was.

    Secondly, if you could bring back any of those lost since, who and why?

    Excellent thread, and great responses from all.  Thanks for talking the time to answer such!

    I'm not sure of the intent behind the original decisions, but in my own opinion, there were a lot of godroles that needed to go, for one reason or another. There were a bunch of gods that didn't really have a cohesive purpose in the setting, there were gods that overlapped far too much, or had been backed into a corner lorewise by a previous volunteer and had no way to really adapt to modern Achaea very well. The sheer number of dormant divine also did spread the playerbase thin a bit, and left a lot of very lackluster, very empty orders. Bal'met did the game good.

    If I had to pick one, I'd probably swap Aegis for Matsuhama though (the role, not the volunteer, Aegis is lovely).
    Eril said:
    And final question for now is going to the boss man!

    @Phaestus how would you like to see your religion and faith best represented, and what area of your faith do you think is least represented currently?
    Nice try.
    Atalkez said:
    I see several CoD mentions - do you guys okay the battle royale?

    I'm curious, how many wins do you each have? :D
    Enough wins to know that blackout was trash. Enough to know that warzone was a step in the right direction. Enough to know that neither will ever compare to PUBG in its heyday, before it went sideways.
  • Aegis said:
    Adrik said:
    If you hadn't chosen your current god, and all roles were open, who would you have picked?
    When I was a Demigod going through the selection of Divine I could play, I was heavily waffling between playing Sartan or Aegis. Both have the same intensity of character that I enjoy, a certain aloofness behind a steel purpose, and that Old Spice appearance.

    On the other end of the spectrum, I also did briefly consider picking up Prospero because there was not much on the God to begin with, and with a relatively open slate it would've been interesting to mold him into something fun. Scarlatti was also on my list, in that I am a very creative person to begin with, and Artistry is a realm that also holds boundless potential.

    Ultimately, I chose to go with Aegis for the militant outlook, and also because I wanted to explore a facet I never really had the chance to do so as a player.
    The Trial of the Guantlet (?) was pretty cool. Did you design that thing entirely by yourself ? Can you make forays?

    Why didn't you let us keep the sticks of dynamite?

    The Divine voice of Twilight echoes in your head, "See that it is. I espy a tithe of potential in your mortal soul, Astarod Blackstone. Let us hope that it flourishes and does not falter as so many do."

    Aegis, God of War says, "You are dismissed from My demense, Astarod. Go forth and fight well. Bleed fiercely, and climb the purpose you have sought to chase for."
  • edited June 2020
    Phaestus said:
    Atalkez said:
    I see several CoD mentions - do you guys okay the battle royale?

    I'm curious, how many wins do you each have? :D
    Enough wins to know that blackout was trash. Enough to know that warzone was a step in the right direction. Enough to know that neither will ever compare to PUBG in its heyday, before it went sideways.
    I definitely agree. It's a fun game, the new hardcore mode for the battle royale is so fun. Very difficult.

    Edit: If you could create your own class, either from skills available or new ones, what would you go for? Also, when are we getting a polearm class?




    Penwize has cowardly forfeited the challenge to mortal combat issued by Atalkez.
  • Aegis said:
    Astarod said:
    Aegis said:
    Adrik said:
    If you hadn't chosen your current god, and all roles were open, who would you have picked?
    When I was a Demigod going through the selection of Divine I could play, I was heavily waffling between playing Sartan or Aegis. Both have the same intensity of character that I enjoy, a certain aloofness behind a steel purpose, and that Old Spice appearance.

    On the other end of the spectrum, I also did briefly consider picking up Prospero because there was not much on the God to begin with, and with a relatively open slate it would've been interesting to mold him into something fun. Scarlatti was also on my list, in that I am a very creative person to begin with, and Artistry is a realm that also holds boundless potential.

    Ultimately, I chose to go with Aegis for the militant outlook, and also because I wanted to explore a facet I never really had the chance to do so as a player.
    The Trial of the Guantlet (?) was pretty cool. Did you design that thing entirely by yourself ? Can you make forays?

    Why didn't you let us keep the sticks of dynamite?

    Fun fact. @Ictinus made me go through most of the Forays once to see if the mechanics work. I am not ashamed to admit I panicked with the Mummy Lord one. The stupid snake pit and the rolling boulder. THAT ROLLING BOULDER.

    Yes, I designed the entire Gauntlet trial myself. Someday, I'll try to expand it a little, because it's a nice peek into Vusevia. I'm sure a few of my Aegeans would like that. It's been on the backburner for a while!

    Dynamites in most players' hands are also a very bad idea. Please see this case study:


    Oh my god, please design a Vusevian foray.

    Also, now I'm thinking about Aegis in this LOTR gif: (spoiler bcz bad words)




    The Divine voice of Twilight echoes in your head, "See that it is. I espy a tithe of potential in your mortal soul, Astarod Blackstone. Let us hope that it flourishes and does not falter as so many do."

    Aegis, God of War says, "You are dismissed from My demense, Astarod. Go forth and fight well. Bleed fiercely, and climb the purpose you have sought to chase for."
  • Phaestus said:
    Eril said:
    And final question for now is going to the boss man!

    @Phaestus how would you like to see your religion and faith best represented, and what area of your faith do you think is least represented currently?
    Nice try.
    I thought so!
  • What's the last thing that made you straight-up cackle in Achaea? 
  • Favorite Soda?
    Most fun thing you've ever done that is common knowledge now?
    Favorite restaurant and why?
    If you could create one creature for us to hunt what would it be and why? (the crazier the better)
    (Blades of Valour): He just has that Synbios Swagger enough said.
    (Blades of Valour): Draekar says: "Synbios if sunbeams sparkle off that I'll kill you where you stand."

    (Party) Halos says, "Disbar?"
    (Party) Draekar says, "You know here we have disbar."
    (Party) Draekar says, "And over there we have datbar."
  • edited June 2020
    Astarod said:
    Aegis said:
    Astarod said:
    Aegis said:
    Adrik said:
    If you hadn't chosen your current god, and all roles were open, who would you have picked?
    When I was a Demigod going through the selection of Divine I could play, I was heavily waffling between playing Sartan or Aegis. Both have the same intensity of character that I enjoy, a certain aloofness behind a steel purpose, and that Old Spice appearance.

    On the other end of the spectrum, I also did briefly consider picking up Prospero because there was not much on the God to begin with, and with a relatively open slate it would've been interesting to mold him into something fun. Scarlatti was also on my list, in that I am a very creative person to begin with, and Artistry is a realm that also holds boundless potential.

    Ultimately, I chose to go with Aegis for the militant outlook, and also because I wanted to explore a facet I never really had the chance to do so as a player.
    The Trial of the Guantlet (?) was pretty cool. Did you design that thing entirely by yourself ? Can you make forays?

    Why didn't you let us keep the sticks of dynamite?

    Fun fact. @Ictinus made me go through most of the Forays once to see if the mechanics work. I am not ashamed to admit I panicked with the Mummy Lord one. The stupid snake pit and the rolling boulder. THAT ROLLING BOULDER.

    Yes, I designed the entire Gauntlet trial myself. Someday, I'll try to expand it a little, because it's a nice peek into Vusevia. I'm sure a few of my Aegeans would like that. It's been on the backburner for a while!

    Dynamites in most players' hands are also a very bad idea. Please see this case study:


    Oh my god, please design a Vusevian foray.

    Also, now I'm thinking about Aegis in this LOTR gif: (spoiler bcz bad words)




    OMG YES... And then make it so oathbreakers can't do it 

    ;-) 

    Seriously though, the Gauntlet was pretty cool even though I blew it out my ass.  It was the first "quest-like" thing I did when I came back (and Im not mych for quests to begin with) from dormancy and didn't realize some of the mechanics were possible so I wasn't expecting them. 

  • By the way this is the best forum thread I have seen in RL years. Thank you @Ictinus and all the gods who participated. This is something I've missed as a player for a while being able to interact with divine on any level.
    (Blades of Valour): He just has that Synbios Swagger enough said.
    (Blades of Valour): Draekar says: "Synbios if sunbeams sparkle off that I'll kill you where you stand."

    (Party) Halos says, "Disbar?"
    (Party) Draekar says, "You know here we have disbar."
    (Party) Draekar says, "And over there we have datbar."
  • Got another question after reading all this!

    As one who shapes lore and RP in the game, in your opinion how would you suggest one to help explore it more or to help establish new ones? (E.g.  Sartan saying that he wished his followers to explore the lore more for certain things)
  • 1. I'm curious about re/introduction events. Do you all design these to your preference or are they group decisions by everyone? I'm thinking about the difference between @Pandora who had us all come to a much-hyped funky party vs. @Aurora whose arrival was rather understated (that novice whose event you crashed was beside herself). I'm just curious about how that works!

    2. Are you all friends? I have always thought that being a God sounded a little isolating, since there's not a ton of you all and you don't get the same opportunity to just stand around and shoot the shit that mortals have. Am I wrong? What's it like? Are there times where there's only 1-2 people on godwho (or whatever)?

    3. How long till you got the hang of capitalising Me? Relatedly, do you ever accidentally capitalise Me when you aren't playing Achaea?

    4. What's your favourite area in the game? Either one you designed or just one you like. And what makes it stand out?

    5. What are your zodiac signs?

    6. @Aurora have you considered replacing the gates to Al Qalat? I really can't seem to work them out and it's just really embarrassing for all of us, I think. 

    Thank you for doing this! I try to remember you guys are just players behind a keyboard like the rest of us but it can be really hard to keep that perspective when you're all knowing/all powerful gods IC, etc.!
  • Caelan said:
    Astarod said:
    Aegis said:
    Astarod said:
    Aegis said:
    Adrik said:
    If you hadn't chosen your current god, and all roles were open, who would you have picked?
    When I was a Demigod going through the selection of Divine I could play, I was heavily waffling between playing Sartan or Aegis. Both have the same intensity of character that I enjoy, a certain aloofness behind a steel purpose, and that Old Spice appearance.

    On the other end of the spectrum, I also did briefly consider picking up Prospero because there was not much on the God to begin with, and with a relatively open slate it would've been interesting to mold him into something fun. Scarlatti was also on my list, in that I am a very creative person to begin with, and Artistry is a realm that also holds boundless potential.

    Ultimately, I chose to go with Aegis for the militant outlook, and also because I wanted to explore a facet I never really had the chance to do so as a player.
    The Trial of the Guantlet (?) was pretty cool. Did you design that thing entirely by yourself ? Can you make forays?

    Why didn't you let us keep the sticks of dynamite?

    Fun fact. @Ictinus made me go through most of the Forays once to see if the mechanics work. I am not ashamed to admit I panicked with the Mummy Lord one. The stupid snake pit and the rolling boulder. THAT ROLLING BOULDER.

    Yes, I designed the entire Gauntlet trial myself. Someday, I'll try to expand it a little, because it's a nice peek into Vusevia. I'm sure a few of my Aegeans would like that. It's been on the backburner for a while!

    Dynamites in most players' hands are also a very bad idea. Please see this case study:


    Oh my god, please design a Vusevian foray.

    Also, now I'm thinking about Aegis in this LOTR gif: (spoiler bcz bad words)




    OMG YES... And then make it so oathbreakers can't do it 

    ;-) 

    Seriously though, the Gauntlet was pretty cool even though I blew it out my ass.  It was the first "quest-like" thing I did when I came back (and Im not mych for quests to begin with) from dormancy and didn't realize some of the mechanics were possible so I wasn't expecting them. 
    pffffffffft. I'll force you to capitulate. 
    The Divine voice of Twilight echoes in your head, "See that it is. I espy a tithe of potential in your mortal soul, Astarod Blackstone. Let us hope that it flourishes and does not falter as so many do."

    Aegis, God of War says, "You are dismissed from My demense, Astarod. Go forth and fight well. Bleed fiercely, and climb the purpose you have sought to chase for."
  • As a player that somewhat struggles with the creative side of this game (I've never been all that creative and lol I still sort of struggle with figuring out my character sometimes), what sort of things do you guys suggest getting into to start becoming better with it all, especially faith-based things? 
  • edited June 2020
    Aegis said:
    Astarod said:
    Aegis said:
    Adrik said:
    If you hadn't chosen your current god, and all roles were open, who would you have picked?
    When I was a Demigod going through the selection of Divine I could play, I was heavily waffling between playing Sartan or Aegis. Both have the same intensity of character that I enjoy, a certain aloofness behind a steel purpose, and that Old Spice appearance.

    On the other end of the spectrum, I also did briefly consider picking up Prospero because there was not much on the God to begin with, and with a relatively open slate it would've been interesting to mold him into something fun. Scarlatti was also on my list, in that I am a very creative person to begin with, and Artistry is a realm that also holds boundless potential.

    Ultimately, I chose to go with Aegis for the militant outlook, and also because I wanted to explore a facet I never really had the chance to do so as a player.
    The Trial of the Guantlet (?) was pretty cool. Did you design that thing entirely by yourself ? Can you make forays?

    Why didn't you let us keep the sticks of dynamite?

    Fun fact. @Ictinus made me go through most of the Forays once to see if the mechanics work. I am not ashamed to admit I panicked with the Mummy Lord one. The stupid snake pit and the rolling boulder. THAT ROLLING BOULDER.

    Yes, I designed the entire Gauntlet trial myself. Someday, I'll try to expand it a little, because it's a nice peek into Vusevia. I'm sure a few of my Aegeans would like that. It's been on the backburner for a while!

    Dynamites in most players' hands are also a very bad idea. Please see this case study:

      this case study is more appropriate
  • Aurora said:

    Due to how long Aurora and Deucalion had been gone, it's safe to say that Targossas was used to being without a patron, especially one who held them accountable for their actions - no matter whether those actions were seen to be positive or negative.

    This may sound harsh, but if the only interactions you're party to are negative ones, then I promise you that it brings me no pleasure to have them. In fact, my consumption of tea and toblerones dramatically increases. It is simply the case that Targossas has sworn to defend and protect Creation, and if they are putting personal agendas above that responsibility then they will certainly know of Aurora's disapproval.

    Generally speaking, this approach applies to any theocracy. We have the privilege of having clout behind what we say, but we also have the burden of condemning those who do not take the responsibility of their charge seriously.

    Fair enough that is understandable. I suppose my confusion lies in the statement Sartan mentioned earlier, "it's all about the RP." Sometimes I have a lot difficulty understanding what role play reasoning there is for something that appears to be done arbitrarily most of the time. Killing someone who asked how they may serve you for example, or not allowing someone the privilege of earning their way to returning to the city because they "broke their oaths" for the purposes of avoiding something mechanically. A lot of these decisions seem entirely frivolous or based on ever-changing criteria and it makes me hesitant to interact with any God because of the completely random response you can get based on their mood at the time.

    I guess my question is, why does playing a role and enjoying oneself have to be mutually exclusive things? In my opinion we should be able to have both, but the simple fact for me is that if I am not enjoying the time I spend doing something I'll go do something else and no amount of role play would change that feeling for me, nor do I feel it would change for anyone else. Don't misunderstand me though, I can handle loss and I'm willing to forgo my enjoyment for a time so that someone else may have their own, but I think there is truly a lack of appreciation regarding how much a new player actually has to learn about all of this stuff especially considering there is 10,000 scrolls of information to read through.

    I don't understand why there is such a need to dole out punishment only for the sake of it. I have noticed that there is a huge focus on "consequences" around here but majority of the time it does not seem to me like the consequences are ever actually equal to the act that got someone punished in the first place.
  • Lyndee said:
    1. I'm curious about re/introduction events. Do you all design these to your preference or are they group decisions by everyone? I'm thinking about the difference between @Pandora who had us all come to a much-hyped funky party vs. @Aurora whose arrival was rather understated (that novice whose event you crashed was beside herself). I'm just curious about how that works!

    It's a bit of both. Usually we come up with an idea for our release/introduction events and unleash it on the team where it then morphs into something else entirely. The Garden is very collaborative in nature and we spend a large amount of time kicking around ideas to refine them into something better. 

    2. Are you all friends? I have always thought that being a God sounded a little isolating, since there's not a ton of you all and you don't get the same opportunity to just stand around and shoot the shit that mortals have. Am I wrong? What's it like? Are there times where there's only 1-2 people on godwho (or whatever)?

    We are all friends and we all tend to hang out in the same location so that does give plenty of opportunity to stand around shooting the shit! There are occasions where there may only be one or two others around to talk to, but in practice this is rare and not something that we really notice. One of the major advantages of playing a God role is that all of Achaea can be your social circle if you feel the urge to go and interact!

    3. How long till you got the hang of capitalising Me? Relatedly, do you ever accidentally capitalise Me when you aren't playing Achaea?

    It takes a while to get used to, and on a personal level I hate doing it. I am very careful not to do it accidentally outside of Achaea though.

    4. What's your favourite area in the game? Either one you designed or just one you like. And what makes it stand out?

    Nur is a strong contender for most beautifully written area in the game, but my personal favourite is Istarion because of the Tolkien themes and inspiration woven throughout it.

    5. What are your zodiac signs?

    I am a Scorpio.

    6. @Aurora have you considered replacing the gates to Al Qalat? I really can't seem to work them out and it's just really embarrassing for all of us, I think. 

    Thank you for doing this! I try to remember you guys are just players behind a keyboard like the rest of us but it can be really hard to keep that perspective when you're all knowing/all powerful gods IC, etc.!

    image
  • Reyson said:
    What's the last thing that made you straight-up cackle in Achaea? 

    I have been enjoying the market ads for the war betting book. 
    image
  • Twilight said:
    Reyson said:
    What's the last thing that made you straight-up cackle in Achaea? 

    I have been enjoying the market ads for the war betting book. 
    You're welcome 

    (Party): Mezghar says, "Stop."
  • What's the perfect breakfast meal in your eyes and why
    image
  • @Twilight when the decision for Hashan and by extension (to some extent) you to ally with the Tsol’teth happened, did you have any concerns about how it would play out?  Or was the feeling mostly of excitement?
  • Kakotas said:
    Favorite Soda?
    Most fun thing you've ever done that is common knowledge now?
    Favorite restaurant and why?
    If you could create one creature for us to hunt what would it be and why? (the crazier the better)

    1. I do not really drink the stuff, but when I do it is usually ginger ale or orange pop.
    2. Nothing comes to mind that is not overly revealing
    3. Japanese Steakhouse - Love the fried rice and soup
    4. Just off the top of my head, I will use Warcraft bosses for reference - It would be some mixture of Archimonde, Ragnaros 2.0, and Hakkar.
  • Exivus said:
    What's the perfect breakfast meal in your eyes and why

    A turkey sausage omelette with cheese and hashbrown inside. Second only to a good corned beef skillet of some type. Why? They are both amazing, filling and somewhat healthy.
  • Eril said:
    @Aurora as a divinity in charge of a city that worships two Gods, what would you say is the biggest struggle you will or have faced in Targossas, and what do you foresee as being the biggest struggle likely?

    The only struggle I can foresee is if a player ever said, "Well, Deucalion said I could!" This would only be in the sense that I would have such a difficult time deciding which way to kill the person - of the many that I have - would be the most satisfying. 

    On a serious note, I don't foresee any struggles from this side of things. We're a team, through and through, and that is reflected in the decisions and choices that we make - especially in a city like Targossas!
  • Sartan said:

    1. Just off the top of my head, I will use Warcraft bosses for reference - It would be some mixture of Archimonde, Ragnaros 2.0, and Hakkar.
    Not gonna lie, an Archimonde-inspired (Mythic version) foray boss (mechanics-wise) would be amazing. No doubt incredibly infuriating for anyone who's not played/done the raid, but amazing. Throw in a Gul'dan miniboss and you got something glorious.

    Disappearing from Achaea for now. See you, space cowboy.


    smileyface#8048 if you wanna chat.

  • Saonji said:
    Sartan said:

    1. Just off the top of my head, I will use Warcraft bosses for reference - It would be some mixture of Archimonde, Ragnaros 2.0, and Hakkar.
    Not gonna lie, an Archimonde-inspired (Mythic version) foray boss (mechanics-wise) would be amazing. No doubt incredibly infuriating for anyone who's not played/done the raid, but amazing. Throw in a Gul'dan miniboss and you got something glorious.


    I forgot about Gul'dan. Probably due to the amount of rage that fight created for me.
This discussion has been closed.