Alright, so you want more IMM?

[Behrens]

Well, people have been asking that there be more IMMs, and more interaction, to which my response, unfortunately, has been that I just don't have the time personally.

So, here is your chance to make the time. My boss just got fired (I did not), so my office is in flux. This is the perfect time for me to make a quiet exit from my job if I have something I prefer to do lined up.

I prefer writing code, building, and RPing with you guys, and I know you want to see me around a bit more. Therefore, I present you with the following challenge:

I make $3000 a month right now. Since I would be in a better job (FL), I am willing to take a pay cut if I could work as FL's coder/admin full time.

If you guys can raise on commitments over $2000 a month, I will be a full time coder, bring on new staff, and expand the MUD as my full time job.

I'll spend the money not only for my personal expenses, but advertising for the MUD, and to expand what we have here.

I can easily keep a job here, or get another in the engineering field. I am very well qualified in my field, and I like it. But I truly love the MUD, and if I can make it my job, I will.

If you have any questions, feel free to post them, if you want to make personal comments or commitments, my e-mail is, as always, corim.altierre@gmail.com, or you can reach me by PM here.

To clarify: I would ask for a commitment of the same payment over at least a 3 month period (I have financial commitments I need to keep), and I have a Paypal at corim.altierre@gmail.com.

This would NOT be transforming the MUD into a pay MUD, and would confer no in game benefits except the presence of a full time coder/admin.

Edit 2: I've gotten a couple of e-mails asking, and no, this is not a joke.

[Psycho Child]

I got $20. More when I get a new job after this semester.

[Deykari]

By commitments, do you mean something similar along the lines of player donations? As a MUD IMP I know I wouldn't be willing to place my finances in the hands of my MUD players because something like that would definately not be a guarantee...would you honestly be able to say that you can rely on the players of FL to provide that, regularly?

If that's not what you mean, I'm a little confused.

Dey

[Psycho Child]

I think he means player donations yes. Actualy if I cancel my EVE subscription I can afford $40 a month. You take paypal?

[Baby Hippo]

thats $40 out of $2000!

ONLY $1960 left to hire a professional :-P.

Yes we want a new imms to play with, but even if this does become your full time job you will lose the love of the mud. I just don't think that it is right for us to do that to you.

If you do play this game instead of a real job that's a a neg. $1000 dollars a month that can be useful in so many ways. Plus, even if you do get paid you are therefore kinda responsible for everything... if something is wrong you get blamed because we are paying you to do it.

It will take the fun out of your gaming, and the MUD.

What we honestly need is your love for Forsaken Lands put into so many other people. That is the answer.

This is my opinion, dog it if you want, but it's what i believe.

[Psycho Child]

Fifty people x Fourty dollars...

$2000...

EDIT: Idealy of course we would get him as close to his former pay as possible. So 75 people...

[Tom]

But we don't have fifty people, and many of the people we do have don't have forty dollars.

[Behrens]

thats $40 out of $2000!

ONLY $1960 left to hire a professional :-P.

Yes we want a new imms to play with, but even if this does become your full time job you will lose the love of the mud. I just don't think that it is right for us to do that to you.

If you do play this game instead of a real job that's a a neg. $1000 dollars a month that can be useful in so many ways. Plus, even if you do get paid you are therefore kinda responsible for everything... if something is wrong you get blamed because we are paying you to do it.

It will take the fun out of your gaming, and the MUD.

What we honestly need is your love for Forsaken Lands put into so many other people. That is the answer.

This is my opinion, dog it if you want, but it's what i believe.

I won't dog it at all, and I appreciate your sentiment. Let me just say that paying someone to do what they love is what we should all strive for. I love coding for you guys. It's the only reason I still do it, obviously. The hours are terrible, the PR can suck, and y'all can be a serious PITA sometimes.

But I still love doing it. If I can spend 40+ hours a week doing it and make a living, at least for a few months to a year? You guys will have fulfilled a dream, both for you and for me.

If you feel this way, any of you, consider that I wouldn't ask this if I didn't feel it would be a benefit to me and to you.

[Tom]

I absolutely feel it'd be a major benefit to us, if we could pull it off. I shouldn't weigh in until more folks can get their abilities up here, but I just don't know if we can pull it off.

[Psycho Child]

If we can get close I'll jump a few more people for thier lunch money and see if I can swing a bit more.

[Deykari]

I absolutely feel it'd be a major benefit to us' date=' if we could pull it off. I shouldn't weigh in until more folks can get their abilities up here, but I just don't know if we can pull it off.[/quote']

My thoughts exactly. I'd be up for it, I'd able to contribute around £20-£30 per month however. Not really sure what that equates to in dollars.

The only thing I see is, the long term. You'd be quitting what sounds like a very cushty job to work full time on the MUD. Even though a few months it might work, I can't see $2000 raised every month. It would be absolutely brilliant if it could be raised, of course, I don't doubt it.

Dey

[Teralis]

Cmon guys Ive seen some of your pictures on Wc site your not great to look at but if you hit the right places like say a retirement home surely you can make a few dollars pimpin it for the mud, and if your really good you can pay say 6 months. Cmon youuuu cannnnn dooooooiittttt.

Also that grim reefer guy looks like hes selling a little more then music, cmob break off a peice. j/k

[Baby Hippo]

Honestly i can't.

I have less than $40 dollars to my name right now. I'm in college with no real way to feed myself. Sad but i have to stretch this $40 till the end of the year (5 weeks or so). In other words... One less player to pay.

[Malchaeius]

[Guest emp_newb]

Ill pick up some slack.

Ill put in 40 for every 5 people that throw in 40.

Ill start at 40.

[Anithraril]

Here is where the smilie with devil horns should be, but isn't because I don't know what the command is for it.

Oh and for conversions:

http://www.oanda.com/convert/classic?user=onlineconversion〈=en

1 British Pound = 1.74372 US Dollar

1 US Dollar (USD) = 0.57349 British Pound (GBP)

The webpage appear to be up to date.

[Psycho Child]

It used to be :twisted: or something, don't think they put it in this forum. I used it constantly. Now I'm stuck with It just don't quite cut it.

[Deravgner]

I know the feeling Behrens, I've been on this mud since It was in Beta....I think I was like 13 or 12, over nine years ago. Made a lot of friends and cool people. When I had to set out on my own, college, job...things change. Income is important especially for someone that is qualified to do what they do, I know because I too am an Engineer Major....but I own a restaurant.... I didn't like the work I did as an engineer, hated working under someone and for/with a ton of people that thought they were the best and knew everything(not downing engineers, but im sure you know what im talking about). Its why I quit that job and opened a restaurant. Couldn't be happier, I enjoy work, have a good time and make my own vacations. This MUD has had too much work put into it to let it just fade away, I will gladly help to keep a full time coder, Soon as I finish this month's budget, ill see what I can come up with.

[Icor]

This is honestly one of most selfless things I've ever seen anyone do. Behrens, you're the man.

[random_clown]

It would mean a great deal of progress if someone were coding and building full time, I agree. Let everyone keep in mind though, that we wouldn't just be 'fund raising' once for this $2000, but would need to come up with it every month. Do we have enough reliable players that will front this money every month? Answer is: not likely. The more real answer is, even if we could come up with 1 month...keeping Behrens paid every month would be a challenge. That puts him in a fairly sketchy financial position. As much as I would like to see more work put into FL, I wouldn't want it if it meant having someone depend on our, most likely sketchy, donations.

I'll be honest though, I like the idea. If I had the disposable income to support it, I would. In fact, I'd accept the same offer if I were in your position. If you ever need any helping hands with the coding / building, by all means I will put some work into it. I've coded for muds before and I know how there are always so many things in your head that you want to do, and yet the time required to pull it all off is crushing. Definitely creates an amazing work load where you have to balance getting out all your creative coding / building with reality.

Alternatives to going 'full time' on the mud are always available too. If by any means you could work on a more part-time basis and split the time, that may be gainful. Or really bite the bullet and bust *** at work all day, and come home and bust *** on coding FL.

Either way, 40+ hours a week of it being nothing but your job to work FL might actually be too much. As much as people don't think they will, it would get old hat and become the job.

I was once told...Do something you like for work, but save what you love for after work.

[Fīv]

Ah, ok. Just in case people are a bit lost on it. The man has the opportunity to withdraw from his current position/job right now. Behrens is telling us that for however long we can support him before his next job, we can keep him coding full time.

So from the time Behrens quits (if he does) that is the pbases window to support the guy and his family. Once our money runs out he goes off to find another job.

NOTE: 160 hours for 2000 dollars is quite cheap for a coder. Quite cheap.

Coding 40 or so hours a week on the mud, even for a month(160 hrs), can turn it into a demon of a game. I fully support the idea of supporting our coder for a month or more if people can manage it and I hope others seriously think about what they can get from it.

I'm willing to throw in $50 depending on how the pyramid stacks up.

[Goomf]

I don't like this idea. Maybe its me, but devoting your life, even a portion, to a single game getting paid a possible 2k a month is ****ty. I agree it is selfless, but do we seriously want to take that much away from Behrens? To take away all that opportunity cost? I guess if he wants to do it, we really have no choice to say no.

[Fīv]

He's not devoting his life to FL. He's donating maybe a month or more (depending on how much people can give) to the development of FL. Most games have develpment times of 4 years or so. I seriously doubt we could sustain that. My guess is a month before he seeks a new job. Try working for EA, they will **** all over you. Ever get calls every two hours asking if you have that cell port done? Probably not. That's a ****ty job. Not coding for FL, when he explicitly states he would love to do it.

[edit] as the above post was

[random_clown]

Ah, well if we are talking about purely supporting a 'transitional time' for Behrens...great. Let him focus on looking for a new jobs while he codes for FL full time(with leave for job hunting). But as I stated earlier, I'd only see a month of it working out very well.

[Anithraril]

Total is ~190 US dollars. From Fiv, Psycho Child, Deykari, Iyorvin and Emp_newb, just for your information.