ACEDL FAQ
Version 1.0
9/29/00
1 -- Philosophical Ranting
1.1 Are you serious?
Far and away, this is the most common question we receive. Yes, the Asheron's Call Environmental Defense League is an actual, honest-to-goodness organization. We are not a joke, we are role players involved in a grass roots environmental organization. We have meetings and stage protests, we raise our voice in and out of the game to further our cause. If you cannot handle satire and tongue-in-cheek parodies of environmental rhetoric, I suggest you look elsewhere for AC related infotainment on the web.
1.2 Are you insane?
Far and away, this is the second most common question I receive. I wish I could give you a solid answer.
1.3 Why do I have to put up with hippy, tree-hugging freaks in Dereth?
Or, "It's already bad enough you people are in the real world, AC is supposed to be an escape from reality."
First of all, you and I obviously disagree about the importance of protecting the real world's environment. There's nothing we can do about that.
Concerning our presence in Dereth, however, consider this. Dereth is indeed an escape from reality, but it is a model of a real world. As an example, the forces that drive urban sprawl work much the same. Large cities along travel routes or with strategic locations grow larger. Imagine an Arwic where every armor trader had his or her own building, and you can picture the type of growth ACEDL struggles to prevent. If Dereth was not so realistic, would we even exist?
1.4 Why must you impede on other's gameplay?
How have we impeded on your gameplay? We have a minimal presence on Darktide, and even there we certainly haven't killed anyone. We cannot enforce our goals or policies on you; nor will Turbine change the rules of the game at our behest. If we put you on our Bunny Killer Black List, and you don't read it, where is the harm?
If reading our site or our press releases upsets you, and that is the impedance to which you are referring, I can only reiterate that you find another AC related web page to peruse. Nobody is forcing you to read our rhetoric.
2 -- Membership in ACEDL
2.1 Can I sign up for ACEDL if I already belong to another allegiance?
Absolutely. We are an organization, not an allegiance. We have members from many different allegiances. You do not have to swear to anyone to join ACEDL.
2.2 How do I join?
Send Anaboo an email at anaboo@dereth.net. It's that easy.
2.3 What's expected of a new member?
We do not collect dues, nor do we require your presence at in-game meetings. (Most of our meetings are on Frostfell, so you might want to make a character there if Frostfell is not your home.) We expect nothing but welcome your active participation in the listserv. We're always looking for new ideas and new projects, so coming up with stuff for us to do is a big plus!
2.4 I'm a new member, but I never get any ACEDL email.
Make sure you're signed up on the ACEDL listserv. There is a form on the ACEDL home page. If you're not sure your request went through or if you need any help, send Anaboo an email at anaboo@dereth.net.
3 -- The Bunny Killer Black List
3.1 I told you I kill rabbits, how come you didn't post my name on your list?
It became very apparent that some players would do anything just to see their character's name in lights (even the harsh light of the Bunny Killer Black List). In effect, the Black List was encouraging killing by immature players in an effort to make our list.
In response, we decided to stop posting the names of self-reported bunny killers and instead only post those incidents where an outside witness reported the atrocity. I use a highly subjective evaluation process, and I reserve all rights with respect to posting to the list.
3.2 Rabbits respawn like everything else, why do you care about something so stupid?
Of course we realize the rabbits respawn. We're not so much trying to save their lives as we are trying to influence a societal change. We don't want you to stop killing rabbits to save their lives. We want you to stop killing rabbits because it's morally wrong. (For a more detailed response, read the transcript of the AC Stratics interview with Anaboo LINK.)
3.3 What about cooking? Where else can you get rabbit carcasses?
Unfortunately, we have been unable to locate a single grocer in all of Dereth that sells rabbit meat. And in my personal experience, rabbit meat does not turn up as loot on any other creature. Until this changes, we support the hunting of rabbits by chefs.
4 -- Donations
4.1 What do you do with all this money you've taken in?
While our treasury reports are far from complete, we have collected over 3 million pyreals donated by those who find our cause worthy. We have spent less than five thousand pyreals on official ACEDL meetings and activities (such as the homeless shelter in Lin during Sudden Season and the more recent March on Nanto). We are still planning on using the lion's share of the treasury to purchase environmentally sensitive land should land ownership ever become part of AC.
4.2 How do I donate?
Send Anaboo an email at anaboo@dereth.net (or send an /tell to Anaboo on Frostfell) and let me know what server you are on and a good time to meet you.
5 -- Contact
5.1 Why didn't you respond to my email?
There are always time constraints, but I do try to respond to every email I receive. This sometimes takes awhile. Have patience, or send me a reminder email if it's been a couple of weeks. Also, I use dereth.net, which is usually reliable but occasionally has fits.
6 -- The White Rabbit
6.1 Why does your web page show the rabbit to be level 126?
At the time, screenshots of the white rabbit showed its level to be 126. There was a bug, or a monster identification check failure by the character taking the screenshot, or some other problem. I don't care enough to update the picture, as the actual level isn't really the point.
Besides, if some have their way, the current level won't be staying put, either.
6.2 Does ACEDL support the "Buffing the Bunny" campaign?
Absolutely not. Here's why.
The original white rabbit spawned infrequently and randomly in typical rabbit locations, i.e., near towns, as a joke and warning to newbies about ID'ing stuff before attacking it. I'd like to think that our early bunny killer black list efforts at least helped get the white rabbit created, by focusing attention on the issue.
But the unintended side-effect (even back then) was to make the white rabbit a test of manhood, and instead of discouraging rabbit killing actually encouraged it. "I killed the white rabbit, see how uber I am!" The rabbit fled from inhabited areas, and tracking it down and killing it became a pastime. Until the game lost it's luster as those type of players surpassed the rabbit in power.
So you see, raising the bar again won't help. I understand Wi wants to make the thing so powerful that nobody can solo it, and so that it can take out groups of 70+ characters, etc. Doing so would just make the rabbit a bigger target. For months, we'll have people gathering in an effort to kill the thing. Screenshots of the battles, displaying of rabbit carcasses, and tales posted to the message boards.
Sooner or later, high-level players will be able to kill it. And the tougher the bunny is, the longer it will take and the more energy and effort will be focused on the attempt. Thus, the result will be more and not less hunting of rabbits.
|
