Hi gang! In case you don't know me: this week marks my 2 year anniversary on the Empire; for me the Empire is one of the best Minecraft servers you can find. And don't take my word for that either: if you use /p <name> (where 'name' is obviously a playername) you'll notice that many players have been on the Empire for at least one year (365+ days). And that's for a very good reason I'd say.... (because some got bored after one week, then 2 years later came back and started playing for real this time! sorry, sorry, sorry, a bit of a bad pun but it does hint at some truth as well). And because I also vented a little bit on my one year anniversary, and because I like traditions of some sort, I felt like repeating myself. Why not There are some topics I'd like to address and this seems like a good place for that. However, I'll mostly be reflecting on the past year and not so much 2 years because I've already shared plenty in my last post (one year ago). If you want to learn more about that: the search feature is but one click away Projects I like to participate in some projects but fact of the matter is that I'm a little chaotic when it comes to hobby based projects, and I'm a micro manager when it comes to work related projects. I'm pretty sure that I'm one of the few who utilizes UML diagrams not only for (software) development projects but also to work out ideas ('brainstorming') as well. Sometimes even with Minecraft structures and redstone circuit designs. Of course it helps to use a top-notch UML designer which can hook itself into main stream IDE's (NetBeans, Eclipse, IntelliJ, Visual Studio) as well be used stand alone. Anyway, this year has seen the rise and stall of one of my key projects: GRIP. You may not have heard of it before: it's a non-profit organization with the sole intent of helping griefed players get their items back. We've had many success stories, we've experienced quite some sad and frustrating situations and I like to think that we helped plenty. At one time we even had the honor of lending the SMP8 PWU a helping hand. But with the release of the Anti-Grief system our job became a little redundant. Of course this created a new problem: right now we still own a lot of materials & cash and in my opinion all that belongs to the community, not some individuals. But rest assured that I'm doing my best to ensure that those resources will find their way back into the community but without creating a situation where only a small amount of individuals get to profit from it. I'm taking my time, but things are going to happen (I've already set the stage by asking you guys for approval of some ideas). Controversy No, I'm not talking about the new forum section, even though I really wanted to mention it because it's also one of the new things of last year. I think it's great that the staff realized and acknowledged that for some players EMC is far more than a mere Minecraft server or a simple game. Some players really like to express themselves, or want to reach out to the community and sometimes... Sometimes the topics which occupy some players can be a little controversial. So instead of simply disallowing it (which is something staff could easily do, and I'm sure most of us would support it!) staff tried to find a middle ground. And I think that deserves some respect, because let's be fair here: in the end all this new forum does is create even more work for the staff. But the controversy I'd like to briefly address is regarding my persona. Some players clearly noticed how I recently started to out some very critical comments towards the staff, and my departure from the contribution team also didn't go unnoticed So I want to clear a few things up... Yes, there are definitely some things which I think could be done better and where I don't fully agree with the way things have worked out. Thing is: I'm not the kind of person who keeps quiet, I tend to speak up and share my opinion. Even if that opinion might not be a popular one. And it's also true that I left the contribs because of some friction. Whether that's a mutual friction or something between my ears... That's not important, but you can't rule either option out But the thing is: some people apparently seem to think that I might be growing bored of the Empire, or that there are things which I seriously dislike and which are eating away at me. Which could explain the sudden hostility (I know some players totally didn't expect me to be so critical), right? Well, if you think that way then you're very much mistaken. I never stopped caring for the Empire and I have no intention of turning my back on the Empire either. Yes, there were some things which irritated me and I'd like to think I got 'm out in the open. I'll also go on the record by saying that in some cases I dragged an issue on too much and should have left it alone after I had my say. Sometimes I can take things a little too far. In both good and maybe somewhat bad ways. Thing is: I realize as much as well, I always try to pause, step back and reflect on my actions. And when I'm wrong I'm wrong, and I'll also admit to that. Maybe this is a wake up call but seriously: If you never have a fight or argument in one of your relationships then I'd really start to worry. Also: if a relationship is so fragile that it cannot withstand a good fight or argument... Then how much was that relationship worth to begin with? So... Sorry guys but I'm afraid you'll be stuck with me for quite some time to come Because I have no intention, what so ever, on letting a few disagreements ruin things. FCC, guides, stuff.... Right now work is really bad. Well, bad is actually good, but there are some irl projects I'm currently involved with which eat up a lot of my time and as a result I more than often don't feel like doing things in-game other than maybe some small things to get my mind off work a bit. I know I've been slacking a bit on some projects, but that is going to change soon. ETA of some projects is next week, so that should make a change. And where to go from here? Who knows But trust me: next year we'll have another staff appreciation event, GripCEO is already trying to extort me into promising (in writing) that August will become another alt-appreciation month and who knows what we can think off next Though... I do need to point out that my developer appreciation last year somewhat failed. A lot of that was caused by my ISP which suddenly couldn't manage to fix my connection in 6 weeks time ( ) but yah. I really plan on re-doing that one. And there you have it! Thanks for reading my reflection on last year, onto the next year!
2 years! Congrats, and welcome to the club! Now to see who's older... AT TIME OF WRITING... ShelLuser: 732 days, 13 hours old. lottie1664: 747 days, 7 hours old. I feel old now.
Question: why? I don't have fights with any of my friends, and the person I'm closest to I do have my disagreements with sometimes (but me and her get along extremely well), but we've never had a true full scale argument. Sometimes I will be the one acting like an idiot to her, but she's never argued with me over it. Just a question Enjoyed your vent. I'd write more but I have to go to college in like 2 minutes so, I can't. I'll probably add more later. You are both but mere babies.
Well that's impressive. You've done a lot for the Empire and you're definitely the most helpful player around too! I've met lots of people in the many multiplayer games, but you Shell are one of the few I'm impressed by, I'm not impressed easily.
and no mention of me in there? (i just searched 4 my name, didnt read all of it ^.^) i think u didnt even mention the anniversary event which we're finally starting 2 build for real! u know: the one 4 next year where ppl can win 2 iron vouchers instead of one.
Two years!!! Bless my soul your old. Just over a year for me. Congrats on 2 years and here's to 2 more.
Well... Although I have 2 years under my belt my public acknowledged alt GripCEO recently turned one year old. So surely I should be allowed to add up our accumulated experiences and declare myself 3 years old?
