User:Kuu/DP

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 ATITD a few months into T1 with some friends and played about midway through T3. I was really intrigued by the large-scale puzzle solving (figuring out game mechanics of stuff like ore vein patterns, beer and wine, etc.), as well as the social experiment aspect in tests like DP. I've always enjoyed DP as a test because people can have such differing opinions on what a DP should be and how the powers should be used, and I think it's interesting to talk to people about their reasoning and how they see it working. Beyond the actual game though, I made a lot of good friends who I've met up with several times irl that I still talk to on a daily basis.

One thing I should mention that a lot of people know but some people might not be aware of is that earlier in this tale, I seized a bureau. I had just started playing T7 after having not played since midway through Tale 3, and honestly, I misremembered how bureaus worked. I had completely forgotten that opportunities were limited, and I thought that this bureau just had a couple of my guildmates in it, and thought I was just playing a prank on a friend that would have minimal consequences. In reality, I of course was completely wrong and it screwed over a bunch of people and I felt horrible. I immediately worked to get the bureau back to its rightful owner, Catote, but the damage had been done. I apologized profusely to Catote and he was extremely gracious in accepting my apology. I know that there are still some people who don't really forgive me for this, and maybe don't even believe my explanation, and that's their right and I respect that. Fortunately, most players I've talked to understand that it was a very stupid mistake and that I certainly would not have done it if I had understood how many people would be affected by it, and how severely.

In my rank 2 group, I explained the situation before any votes were cast, and thankfully people were understanding that it was a mistake and that I had done what little I could to make it right (which unfortunately wasn't a lot). I did set my info text to "Unquestionably the biggest idiot in Egypt" afterwards though.

Q2. As some specific examples, would you consider any of the following playstyles as worthy of DP intervention? Obelisk queue violation, bonfiring of a clay patches to prevent others from building, using large quantities of alts to rig elections, mentorship advancement, or other test passes?

I'd answer no to all of those. Generally speaking I think such conflicts should be resolved via discussion amongst the parties involved, or via use of the legal system. The one specific point I'd make though (and this might be unpopular) is with obelisk queue-jumping. It's definitely a jerk move that's going to make people mad and queue-jumpers have to deal with the consequences of that, but there's definitely a part of me that thinks it's sort of in the spirit of the test/discipline to just out-build other people. Ultimately it seems counter-productive for the person jumping the queue just because they'll get a reputation as a jerk and people will be less inclined to help them in the future.

Q3. If the general consensus of the rest of the DPs were that that person should not be banned, but you felt strongly that they should, what would you do?

This is unlikely to come up for me because I know I'm much less likely to advocate for ban usage than most people and the current DPs, but if such a situation arose, the most I would do would be to submit an Anti-Griefer Act petition to get the opinion of Egypt as a whole. One thing I feel very strongly about is that it is always preferable to allow Egypt as a whole to make a decision rather than relying on a single DP or group of DPs.

Q4. How's your progress in other Leadership tests?

I've passed Kingmaker and I think I'm not doing too badly in Retired Pirates though I haven't passed yet. I think there will almost always be Oracle candidates available at the end, and while I understand the motivation behind wanting a DP who actively pursues the whole discipline, I've always felt that the most important aspect of DP is responsible use of the powers, with general assistance in conflict resolution being the next most important aspect. Being an Oracle, organizing events, etc., all of these things are good, sure, but I think they're secondary to the two qualities I mentioned.

Q5. How are you providing leadership in the game and amongst the player base

I'm not a hugely active organizer of activities or anything like that, and while I understand people looking to DPs to be active leaders, I think it's not necessary for the test, and in some cases is misguided. People who lead already lead, whether or not they're DP, and the DP powers certainly don't make them more effective in general leadership, in my opinion.

Q6. What specifically have you done to further the growth of the community?

I've been an op on the (formerly) official IRC channel on irc.sorcery.net for a decade at this point, helping out when needed (though not always the most active chatter there).

Q7. How do you feel about sometimes heavy use of macros in this game by many players? and If there was a choice would you support complete ban of macros in the Tale?

I don't have particularly strong opinions on macros, I certainly wouldn't support banning them. I think that overall the game can be less fun for people who don't use them because requirements are set based on the playerbase as a whole, and that's unfortunate, but I don't think it's as cut and dry as "macros hurt the game" or anything like that. In a lot of cases, the macros exist because the gameplay isn't compelling, which isn't a fault of the players.

Q8. Spouselog allows access to ban powers. Do you know who have access to your spouse account?

I'm not married.

Q9. As DP do you think you should share your password? Do you think a DP should have access to other DP accounts?

No, and no.

Q10. What other powers would you like to see DPs hold, in the interests of improving game play?

None, the purpose of DP in my mind is for Egypt to select a player who will safeguard the ban powers and use (or not use) them responsibly.

Q11. What question would you like to be asked, and why?

"In what situation do you think a DP is justified in using the ban power directly rather than using the Anti-Griefer Act?"

The thing I feel most strongly about is that the DP bans should virtually never be used, as in, I find it nearly impossible to imagine a situation where using them directly and relying solely on one person's judgement would be preferable to getting the opinion of Egypt as a whole. Direct democratic representation isn't practical in real life but in this situation we have the rare opportunity to use it, and we should.

Q12. Closing statement.

I want to thank everyone for reading my thoughts on DP. I believe that DP is not a test of a player but a test of Egypt and its judgement, so I just hope that everyone carefully considers their options and votes for someone they believe will be a responsible DP.