The Lust Boat

[Fission]

Not over yet, but it's close enough... what I want to know is whose bright idea it was to have the merchants dating on the Wavedancer.

I actually had a merchant last night forget they had worked on my item and then ignore me the first few times I asked for it back because someone was too busy going on about bedding them.

Other merchants spent literal hours flirting with and/or dating their characters of choice, teleported them to their rooms, made certain they got work, etc.

Granted, this sort of thing has always been there, but it was pretty blatant this time.

If this sort of favoritism becomes the norm, I hate to think what it suggests for further events.

:moon:

[Alfster]

So you're complaining that they were actually attempting to roleplay while they were working?

Hrm. I thought it was entertaining as hell.

[Fission]

The rp is a good thing, but it's pretty annoying when everything grinds to a halt in a crowded room because the merchant decides they have to flirt or go out on a date yet again.

Even Sproink managed to keep working at a pretty good clip despite his murder sprees. Mavikia would talk to most of the customers in her room, instead of just one to the exclusion of everyone else. Others did a pretty good job of talking and rping while they were working as well.

[Alfster]

I guess I don't see what you're complaining about as you, yourself say that they did a good job.

It sounds like you're a bit bitter because one of the merchants forgot about you while they had your item, which would be frustrating. For the most part, however, from what I saw almost every merchant did their best to work, as well as roleplay. To me, I'd rather have them talking while they're working as the lines can get long and boring if there is no interaction.

And as far as the flirting and such, just because a merchant is logged in does not mean that they are working. It was probably a GM that was stressed out from a room full of people screaming, "ALTER ALTER ALTER" and wanted some time to not deal with that. I don't blame them at all...I'd go nuts too with the stupid questions that people are constantly asking them.

[Praefection]

I think I know what merchant you were talking about, Siolan? If she's the one I know exactly what you meant. I saw several times where she'd ignore other people to RP with one, which ended with her asking to be brought elsewhere to avoid the crowd.

I'm all for merchant interaction but ignoring the rest of us for one didn't sit well so I left.

[Fowl]

If there's one merchant attitude I don't want to see, is Siolan's. Sorry, but saying that you are going to work and have everything sitting/standing, doing NOTHING just waiting, and then to walk out with Turinrond is extremely disrespectful to people. Not only is leaving us to go "dance", but also Turinrond being as selfish as he was to drag her off regardless of who else was there.

Merchants and GMs having fun is one thing, but ignoring people while engaging specifically with one is another issue. There were loads of times when GMs and GHs decided that they weren't on work and it was time to party, but at least they had the common decency to actually try to let everyone on the boat have fun, rather than just a select few.

edit: Hell, even Staide the woodworker let all the females that wanted to have fun with him. Granted it does exclude the male population and it is a little bit creepy, but his targetted audience wasn't just a select individual.

edit 2: As an example of what a good "fun" was is when the scent merchant was flirting with the weapons merchant. Can't remember the names, but people thought it was actually cute, because they were both coming from the some place and you knew none of them were being selfish while having that fun.

The only deal with this situation is.. we know there's favoritism. We see it when the same person is always at the right spot in front of the line, or wins the spin when they aren't at the front. It's blatant enough without having to watch GM characters engage this sort of interaction with players that they will have to be moderating after the cruise is over.
[Edited on 6-9-2005 by Fowl]

[Edited on 6-9-2005 by Fowl]

[hectomaner]

Originally posted by Fowl
doing NOTHING just waiting, and then to walk out with Turinrond is extremely disrespectful to people. Not only is leaving us to go "dance", but also Turinrond being as selfish as he was to drag her off regardless of who else was there.


they had their dancing 'date' planned for a few days, so it wasnt like he came in and dragged her off. get over it

[Kitsun]

We see it when the same person is always at the right spot in front of the line, or wins the spin when they aren't at the front.

That mentality is so very very silly.

If a GM wanted to hook a friend up, he could just sneak up to the PC in the middle of the night, or any time of the freaking day for that matter, and perform whatever services they want.

Nobody in their right mind would try to pull it off in front of a crowd like at pay events.

The reason you see the same people at the front of lines is because they're good at being merchant hounds. There's tons of threads on how to hit merchants early if you want pointers.

[Fowl]

"
they had their dancing 'date' planned for a few days, so it wasnt like he came in and dragged her off. get over it"

Congratulations on trying to seem knowledgeable but failing. If you were actually there, or even know when I am talking about, you'd notice a difference of opinion from everyone there compared to yours. Maybe you are his friend or you are him yourself, but keep the bull to yourself, please.

"That mentality is so very very silly.

If a GM wanted to hook a friend up, he could just sneak up to the PC in the middle of the night, or any time of the freaking day for that matter, and perform whatever services they want.

Nobody in their right mind would try to pull it off in front of a crowd like at pay events.

The reason you see the same people at the front of lines is because they're good at being merchant hounds. There's tons of threads on how to hit merchants early if you want pointers."

By saying the above you are basically saying you don't attend many merchants. If a GM were to alter someone's equipment off-hours, it'd be suspicious, compared to doing it at a time when other people's work was being done. GM Favoritism is completely different from GM corruption. I guarantee you, there are a select few people (whose names do not need to be brought up) that win every merchant they attend. Considering the fact that most people never win a spot at a merchant, it's safe to say that raises a little suspicion.

Also, there's a big difference of what you replied to compared to what I said. Knowing where the merchant is by getting first spot, and also winning at other merchants that they weren't at first with spinners, is completely different than reading up information on where merchants are at the Wavedancer.

Notice: Merchant work does not indicate favoritism. The rate at which one attends merchants compared to if they receive work, especially when most merchants spin, does.


[Edited on 6-10-2005 by Fowl]

[Edited on 6-10-2005 by Fowl]

[DCSL]

While the merchant flirtation thing irritated the bejeezus outta me, I don't think it was overt favoritism. More like.. sluttiness! Whoever threw themselves at the merchant, got the merchant. Especially in Staide's case. That man-slut!

Ahem, more seriously... just 'cause someone's at the head of most lines, or they get a lot of alterations, doesn't mean it's favoritism. I mean, I can give myself as an example.

I've had nearly five hundred merchant services in my years playing. Of course, I've never had a character higher than level 32, but hey, we make our choices. I talk to one GM semi-regularly and one other GM barely tolerates me, maybe. Of my outrageous number of services, those two GMs have done seven or so. And although I try my hardest, they never give me inside information either. Those bastards.

So I don't know where this favoritism thing is coming from, just because someone gets a lot of work. There may be favoritism for all I know, but basing it on the observation of someone getting lots of merchant work is just silly. It's luck and hard work. And, in my case, an absolute loathing of hunting.

[Kitsun]

Actually I've attended virtually every major pay-event besides EGs since the tail end of 2000.

At most events, I'm usually the guy at the head of the line and out the door before the crowd gathers.

I only know one GM outside the game and she isn't the kind of Gm that controls merchants. I guarantee you I get no information besides what I can see from who fulls and finds.

It seems like the same people get picked repeatedly because they're the ones that focus on getting services done. They're in the habit of being at the merchant either for the spins, lists or room order. The rule of large numbers works in their favor because they're there for all the selections.

Most people that never have had a merchant select them tend not to care or run around like chickens with their heads lopped off.

I've made friends during events that have had minimal services done, but when I started directing them or dragging them around, they started having more work than they had ideas to complete.

I've been to enough merchants to see the trend in how they pick. Different GMs do different things based on how quick their room fills up. Some will hurry and slam the door shut, while others will spin if too many people flood in at once.

[Fowl]

"It seems like the same people get picked repeatedly because they're the ones that focus on getting services done. They're in the habit of being at the merchant either for the spins, lists or room order. The rule of large numbers works in their favor because they're there for all the selections. "

You keep saying the same thing over and over, but you state it using probability reasons that don't match compared to what I am actually saying (if you are even reading it). A person that goes from merchant to merchant, and wins at every single won with room order (when they are first), or spin (when they aren't) means that probability is no longer at work. The chances that the same person is chosen via different means at each different merchant means that your rule of large numbers doesn't work, because we aren't looking at a large sample. We are looking at a consecutive series of alters in which when a certain person attends, they get an alter.


Like I said, I'd rather leave the names out, but don't assume that you know exactly what I'm talking about -- because from what I've read you don't. Every single one of your statements are your imposition that nothing I've stated could happen, when, infact, it does, and it has been noticed by several people when it has occured. So either you aren't paying attention to those certain people when they do show up to a particular merchant, or you are choosing to turn a blind eye for reasons I cannot comprehend. I know the chances are I've already reached the target audience that does keep an eye out fot these things, and for that I consider this thread to have already served its purpose. I have no doubt you will keep your innocent tone about you, and if that somehow makes ya enjoy the game then have fun. It's really too bad that GMs blurred the line between staff and players so much since long ago, because at least back then everyone was on equal ground where it mattered (and I'm no longer just speaking about alters, not hardly).

[Alfster]

A Gemstone altar conspiracy theory!!!

This is the dumbest thread I've read in a long time.

[Amaron]

Acually if you had been there..

We watched someone get poofed into a locked room so he could be flirted with somemore while the rest of us waiting outside said locked room were kinda put out.

And NO he wasn' in the locked room and got booted he came late and was let in so the merchant could flirt.


I walked out of a few merchants.

It was annoying at staides one night cause I was trying to work with him on an item and every two seconds the same two folks would start flirting and being gross with him.

I finally was finished and made a comment about stepping in pools of drool and left.

During all this folks in the room were whispering to me about what idiots the others were and how they were tired of it.

I guess to each his own.


J who managed to avoid all the puddles of drool on her way out.

After looking over the items sold on the WD, I've concluded that two types of people go on the WaveDancer,

Women