theworldofdreams.com

Ok... now some of you, mostly the older crowd, you've come and rescued me on a few occasions, and I've done the same for you. But these new guys, thats another story. I've heard not one, but several members talking about how when they die, they have ask for help. Not like before where you got 900 messages of people asking if you need help!

What happened to all the player help player attitude that existed just a few short months ago? Ullalan was just saying he died earlier today, 25 other uses logged in and he had to login another one of his characters to rescue himself because no one bothered to even message him to see if he was ok!

If you die, and im in a spot where I can msg you strait away to see if your ok, I will. And I hope you would do the same for me! This place can get rough even for the most skilled at times, and we could all use a lil back-up once in a while!

I know that when I die, I usually get my other char and help myself. Unless it's a respawn at the bottom of some dungeon that I know I can't handle alone, at least not in a timely fashion. I don't like to bother others unless I absolutely have to.

If I truly am in trouble I will ask someone for help. Sometimes I get bombarded with help msgs sometimes I get none. I just figure they arent in a position to help, maybe they are on a boat, maybe they are in the middle of fighting, maybe they didn't see/hear the deathcry. It doesn't mean that list of people are cold-calculating and would not help if asked. All you have to do is ask.

Many times I'll see death cries and ask if they need help, and don't get a reply. Many times if they DO reply they usually say they don't need help. Some newer players may not know how to message either, so keep that in mind.

Like most people, if I *can* help I will offer it, if I *can't* help I wont offer it. If they specifically msg me, I will drop everything and log Tam in for the rescue. I'm sure others would do the same.

Any time I am on and a death cry rings I offer help. However, that doesn't mean that everyone else does the same. Asking for a hand is no big deal.

If I'm on my main char, I'll ask when I hear a deathcry. But if I'm logged in my crafter and there's plenty of others online, I'll continue what I was doing unless I'm asked to help. As long as I'm alive myself I wont refuse a request for help. Also I have no problem with someone msg'ing me on aim, msn, or icq to log in and help if they need it (which I've done a few times).

I haven't been on much lately the past few eeks cause I have 2 jobs for now (im on my hour in between jobs cause I got let off early right now so I should be sleeping but im not ) but normally when im on any char ill offer help and IF I get a reply saying yes ill switch to Kale and go help. Half the time I get no reply. When I die there is always at least 2 offers of help from people I haven't even had time to meet yet until then so some newbies do understand our ways a bit.

Don't misunderstand, I offer to help whenever I am on.

But rescuing someone is not "mandatory" of the people that are online at the time. Yes, it is courteous, nice, and all that. But not mandatory.

Maybe this is a flaw in the people that are currently dying, but when I am on. And die (which happens all too frequently) and I need help. I ask for it. Really, I message right up and ask someone if they can help me. I know it is kind of a foreign concept, but you know. It is very effective. Works almost everytime. Unless of course, the person you are messaging is busy doing something that they can't drop at the moment.

Another thing it does do, is it helps you to get to know other people on the shard. I know you don't need verification of this, but if you don't believe me, ask Ciara how many times I messaged her for help. Or Wings. Or Daalia. Man, I died a lot. But you know what? I met a lot of very nice people that way. I wasn't embarrassed. I was in need.

So to sum up: Help is greatly appreciated when you need it. Whether it is offered, or whether you actually have to ask someone for it.

Earlier, while I was playing on one of my characters, I died about 15 times in half an hour and got 0 messages. There were over 15 players on. This kind of stuff is frustrating. Asking others for help isn't a very good solution, as you never know if the player feels forced to help you or not. Either way, the former system of help showed much more care for other players.

Are you suggesting that it should be a 'requirement' to help people?

Just because someone rescues [a player] of their own volition, certainly doesn't mean they're doing it voluntarily. Countless times I've heard "Oh great, another death cry. I bet no one else will go, so I'd better. *sigh*"

<cue Buff routine>

Certainly, if you're out adventuring by yourself, it is assumed that you know full well the risks. WoD is a community-based game, and a natural extension of that is if you're going to go adventuring and you die a lot:

Take someone with you.

Let's have a little dialogue with all the questions and arguments I can anticipate, just to save time.

"But Marius, I love adventuring alone and no one ever wants to come with me. I feel like a burden!"

More so when you call upon a stranger to take time away from whatever they were doing to come out and rescue you?

"Well no, I suppose not. But I like getting all the loot myself and I hate other players. They're stupid! They should just help me when I need them and then go away, like a sentient wand of Ressurection or something."

So, you're saying that you expect others to be kind and charitable to you on your adventures, but expect nothing in return?

"But I rescue people all the time, and I don't ask anything for it!"

So, what you're saying is, because you rescue people 'for no reason' you *expect* that you are owed in kind.. that you really are doing it to justify others helping you, out of debt?

"Marius, you are so amazingly clever and well-spoken. I have seen the light. I am an ignorant fool and was mistaken to suggest what I did. In your supreme kindness, will you ever forgive me?"

What I see here, is the reliance upon the idea that "well, if I die, someone will help me". Dependance on others isn't a good thing, especially if those people are strangers. Sure, sometimes you get a fuzzy glow from saving a player from this or that dungeon, but I do believe that no one is consistently altruistic.

The other main point I see that is people are afraid to ask for help. "I feel bad when I ask for help", but you don't feel bad when someone comes, because you feel justified in not being a burden? I think that perspective is skewed. The death is the burden, the travel is the burden. The expenditure of resources on battling whatever it is that killed the player is a burden. *Asking* for it does nothing, except incite a person to answer a PM with "Ok," or "can't do that, sorry".

To demand charity is to defeat the very purpose of its nature. It is given, not asked for.

-M

Sure, sometimes you get a fuzzy glow from saving a player from this or that dungeon, but I do believe that no one is consistently altruistic.

pretty much anyone who stays in wod for any length of time is very altruistic and some are almost saintly in their devotion to the welfare of others.