Or so I'm being accused of by the new server owner Alex (Duthight). (Origionaly founded and owned by Todd Stein, A.K.A. Fox)
[See Attached]
Note:
This is a long Rant. Don't waist your time reading it unless your bored.
Pre-Histroy:
Everyone who's ever played Graal knows the name Fox, he's a level and npc genious. When Classic started changing, Fox started a project he called Rudora, origionaly intended to be a part of Graal Classic, Fox decided to make it it's own playerworld. Rudoa was created with the 'Classic' feel of Graal (Back in the 1.2x days.) and though it was created slowly, everything was well thought out, and nicely designed. The few Quests that were on the server were bug-free (To our knowledge) and actualy had interesting story lines, and NPC's to help guide people along the way... not the "KILL 2000000000 BADIES AND GET THE HEART!" quests commonly seen today (you know, the ones that suck?). The entire world was tiled by hand, clearly an old-school labor of love. For those of us who keep saying "the good 'ol days..." Rudora was home. It was more "classic" than Classic.
History:
I had been checking in on Graal from time to time, I wasn't pleased when the AP system was added and stopped playing for a while. When playerworlds started poping up, I decided to give them a chance. Every one I tried was clealy the work of amatures. Rudora stood out, because it was so early in it's youth It actualy had a beter feel than anything I can remember. I popped on from time to time, but most of the time I was the only person online, or there were 3 others and they were staff. So a few more months passed until I stated puting some time into Rudora. I had decided, if there were any place on Graal I'd like to be, Rudora is it. So I started hanging out, even alone at times on the server, while chating with people. I started to get to know some of the people on Rudora and realized they were pretty cool. Within a month or so I was FAQ, within weeks after that, FAQ Captin, the week after I was offered FAQ Chief, but declined out of respect for my friend who was the current Chief. GP was offered aswell but I though Rudora would be best served with me directly helping people, in particular, new people. After I started FAQ I basicly made it my goal to make every new account that signed on give the server a chance, alot of them stuck aswell, within weeks the player count went from a high of 3 online, to an average high of 7 and shortly after nearly 14 online. For anyone who owns a playerworld or is staff on one, getting this to happen without level changes or advertisement is pretty good. (Once again I stress that FAQ need to take their job seriously, and not just treat it as a step to GP or a 'title') Although I was a huge fan of Fox's work, I rarely had the chance to speak with him. He was un-motivated to work hard on a server that was getting so little attention. About the time we started getting more players online, Fox popped his head in more and more. Duthight, co-owner at the time, also started poping up more on the server. When I sugested it was time to start looking for good LAT's Duthight jumped all over it and tried to find someone as quickly as possible. [Enter Kelly, A.K.A. Carramana] Kelly's work was new, innovative, and breath-taking. But it was not the work Rudora needed, this was a totaly different style. Pretty much the style used on 2001 and all the newer playerworlds, we all know it, the "CRAM AS MANY GRASS TILES INTO YOUR LEVELS AS YOU CAN!!!" style. Shortly after Duthight made her LAT, she started working on re-doing almost the entirity of Rudora, to satisfy her own interests. Completely re-creating levels that Fox had spent hours make "just right.". It was arround this time that Duthight started to claim that Carra was single-handedly responsible for the increase in Rudora's players and after just a week or so of being LAT, after just a week or so of knowing Carramana, Duthight made her Co-Owner. Was I sour? Yes. I know, thats wrong-- but not once, did I let that interfear with my thoughts about her or Rudora, I acted as if nothing happened. Finding Staff that arn't corrupt is very hard these days, and it makes or breaks the server. The Staff members (GP Chief Kirtis [I miss you Kirtis!!!] and Myself mainly.) actualy had 'joke' npc's or harmless npc's such as meditation, jumprope, and cactus. As soon as Carramana became co-owner, she took these NPC's away claiming if players can't have them neither can staff... somewhat makes sence... but then we see that SHE is constantly using NPC's, NPC's that we're not permited to have. Simpily to be eleetist. When it got to the point where she was using her RC to "update level" and PK players I had, had enough. I confronted her about abusing staff powers, as nicely as she could, and she thretened to fire me. I commented about her levels not fitting with Rudora and her responce was "Rudora is ugly! I'm going to need to re-do everything." Lately, Rudora was starting to look like every other BAD playerworld out there... Most of us were asking ourselfs "Why do we like this place so much..." Staff moral was getting lower, and Duthight took Carramanas word as law.
Re-Birth:
After talking with Fox for sometime, you could tell that he was distrot over what was happening to Rudora. But with Duthight telling him that Users were loving Carramanas work, Fox decided not to intervien. If only Fox could have seen the mass messages from the players when Carramana released new levels he would have know better. That's when I told Fox I thought it was time to step in, and take his server back. Me, aswell as the entire staff (excluding Duthight and Carramana.) signed a petition asking for Rudora to be deleted and restored from a backup Fox had before the changes were made. For 2 days Fox worked almost day and night until everything was not only fixed, but even beter than before, with improved staff tools, and the addition of a nopkzone for chating. 2 Minor bugs in a quest were also fixed, Rudora was simpily, perfect.
The End:
When Duthight came on, he was outraged. He basicaily *****ed at Fox saying "You have no right to do this to Rudora, you havent been on, I'm the one who's been putting my time into Rudora." Yet another lie. Duthight possibly put 3 or 4 hours a WEEK into Rudora, not much more than Fox was doing at the time, and at least when Fox was on he worked, instead of sitting arround taking credit for the increase in player. It was clear that Duthight wanted the server for himself. Fox, basicaly got streessed by it all and handed it over to Duthight as the new owner. Once Duthight found out that I'm the one who was talking with Fox he basacily started attacking me, I could sence getting fired was coming so I just quit and left for a few months (4).
Personal:
During my time at Rudora, I managed to get rid of the corrupted staff, we were all friends, and all worked togeather to make Rudora a beter place. It was actualy fun. I created a massive FAQ Guide that had detailed instructions on how to get each item, and policies on how FAQ should answer players questions. Towards the end of my time I also made a FAQ Application basicaily asking in detail how to do each Quest, many personality questions, and even some trick questions to help determine if the person would be corrupt. I was quite pleased, I had actualy created a new account and compleated all the quests in Rudora while creating the Guide, it had sinarios, and common mistakes made by players. The staff I built up was very good, Graal Classic or 2001 Quality. They were all devoted, and truely were there to help other players. I had also started work on a Guide and Application for GP working closely with Kirtis, the GP Chief, possibly my closest friend. I had worked with Fox to give the staff proper tools, and introduced concepts for a beter FAQ Tool NPC, as well as Senior Staff Tools (for Captains and Chiefs) like Ghost NPC, witch allowed us to become invisible to players and other staff so we could check up on things in secret. Things were going very well, and I was tempted to take off my FAQ hat for a LAT hat by Fox's influence. Unfortinately, it never happened. Shortly after, Everything fell apart because of a corrupt, power-hungry person becoming co-owner in a week. Congatz. You've turned Rudora into just another Playerworld. The new Quests are horribly designed, with the "KILL THE 2000000 BADIES!!!..." philosiphy, and the levels have all reverted to being stuffed with so many Grass Tiles it becomes cluttered. So much for a DIFERENT Playerworld. Thanks for driving Fox away from Graal.
Note:
Carramana isn't a bad person, she's actualy good at her style of levels. Very good. But she also wanted her own server, and thats what she got. Not caring what beauty she destroyed to get it.
I'm glad that I've now turned into Rudora's Public Ememy No.1, it's no wonder that when I left, most of the Staff left either with me, or shortly after. So this is how you treat people who put enough heart into something to make it turn arround?
Ok. That was a L-O-N-G Rant. I don't care if anyone reads it. I just needed to blow steam, so I can now laugh about all this. It's sad, but it's also funny at the same time. I'll always miss Rudora. When I get a hold of Fox maybe I'll try to get him involved in starting a "Rudora Classic" or something. I have the complete backup of the origional Rudora, it still amazes me to this day.
Kirtis and Fox, you are missed.
Time goes on, I get older, and things Change. Thats Life.
I'm Me.
Urizen
04-25-2002, 09:41 AM
I Tried to Kill Rudora?
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