Hi all
I just wanted to apologise if I've been a little... overly short with some of you recently. I'm moving house right now, I have alot of stress with work and in private life, so I'm sure you can all appreciate that the proverbial has really hit the fan recently. We are all human
There was a time when you all <3'd me (lol), as a lowly counselor the "thanks" and "Thass for GM!" was what spurred me on to continue as staff. I guess I've kind of lost sight of that, but it is something that I hope all of you can remember.
What I do hope, as well, is that some of you may look at your own attitudes towards staff, and one another, and have a little think about how we can improve the general atmosphere on the shard.
It has disturbed me to think that we have to resort to alot of censorship/suspensions/bannings just to keep flames and rule-breaking to an acceptable level. Would you talk to people in real life in such an aggressive way? I don't think so.
I also didn't like to see the recent poll, which shows that you generally consider one another to not be nice! What is the point in playing a game if it isn't fun. We can and will make Obsidian a fun environment for everyone once more. Is it so hard to be nice to one another?
If you are concerned about a player that isn't nice, perhaps we should set by example and show them what Obsidian is all about? If they refuse to fall in line, then of course your Obsidian Staff are here to apply discipline where necessary - but we should hope it will rarely come to this.
It is easy for me to get frustrated when the forums that myself (and the other moderators) have worked so hard to keep in check get saturated with arguments and uncivil comments. I volunteered to assemble the moderator team at a time when the boards were close to being shut down due to sheer chaos.
Of course, there are many players that still are courteous towards others, and I praise them for that.
I am posting this because I would like to see the shard settle back into the sense of community and friendship that make Obsidian the greatest UO shard of all time. I made alot of friends as a player, and I like to think that I can still most (if not all of you) a friend, and that we have common interests for the good of this shard.
I am hoping that if I plant this seed then those of you that seek to destroy what has been created for you sit back and think, and perhaps use your time on Obsidian in a more constructive and fun-promoting way.
And as a final note, I understand that there are certain concerns about the staff team at the moment - but I assure you that nothing is more important to us than the players. We all strive to be fair and unbiased... but any complaints, concerns or suggestions are listened to and discussed by the team as a whole. Any problems with an individual will of course be rectified in due course.
Personally, I will often raise these issues on either the staff and/or moderator forums. Just because you do not see this, does not mean that your views fall upon deaf ears..
Go forth, and spread tidings of Obsidian. I hope that new moderators and perhaps some new staff (BB's decision of course) may also be something to look forward to in the near future.
Thankyou,
Thassius.
and remember just give the best you can because some time we cant deal with all at same time.