Curse

Blue Steel · Dec 02, 2005, 05:34 PM // 17:34

Miss Godblade and many others, I have sent you PMs. The tuition is 15 ecto and will remain at 15 ecto for the foreseeable future, regardless of fluctuations in ecto value. Applications can, and often are, made on the website before or while the applicant is still assembling the tuition.

Strider: We do not offer discounts to most Striders, but we can defiinitely work out something if your name happens to be striderkaaru, and if you have a reputation as a Glint slayer, a Fissure of Woe grandmaster, a dauntless Underworld explorer, and a record of beating the hardest bonuses and titan quests in the game with the Academy Founder . . .

gslavik · Dec 02, 2005, 08:05 PM // 20:05

To all applicants, I hope that whatever you get for your 15 Globs of Ectoplasm is worth it to you. Maybe I will start seeing advertisements for a run to Droknar's Forge that has "LBS student" in them. Maybe I'll even see an advertisement in Thirty River to beat the mission. Should give that "Elite guild group of 3" something to do besides the mission.

Vet · Dec 02, 2005, 08:48 PM // 20:48

If an LBS member gets tired of the guild and decides to leave would you still give him complete access to all your running info. including new updates even though he's not in the guild. Especially since he payed the 15 globs. And are all your listed graduation members still in LBS or have some of them moved on.

killer toast · Dec 02, 2005, 08:50 PM // 20:50

Yes they do i left the guild for a while to join HOz but i still got access to everything but i got kicked out and then rejoined lbs

Vet · Dec 02, 2005, 08:57 PM // 20:57

As protective as you'll guys are about your info, and the high price to getting in. Wouldn't you'll be scared that maybe a former LBS might give away all your builds and such if you still gave him access without being in the guild.

Toast guy, why did you leave LBS in the first place. Were you tired of them, or just looking to see what else was out there.

lord_shar · Dec 02, 2005, 09:17 PM // 21:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vet

As protective as you'll guys are about your info, and the high price to getting in. Wouldn't you'll be scared that maybe a former LBS might give away all your builds and such if you still gave him access without being in the guild.

...<SNIP>...

This actually happened recently. A "friend" of an LBS member got hold of the written text guide (old copy), then tried to extort LBSRA into paying him to avoid leaking the information. LBSRA refused to pay and eventually ended up booting the LBS member and his "friend." Many of the dated LBSRA text guides still float about, but given how dramatically Lornar's pass has changed, the bootlegged information is pretty much worthless. GW content does change, and as a result, so does LBSRA's in-house running build(s).

Vet · Dec 02, 2005, 09:32 PM // 21:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by lord_shar

This actually happened recently. A "friend" of an LBS member got hold of the written text guide (old copy), then tried to extort LBSRA into paying him to avoid leaking the information. LBSRA refused to pay and eventually ended up booting the LBS member and his "friend." Many of the dated LBSRA text guides still float about, but given how dramatically Lornar's pass has changed, the bootlegged information is pretty much worthless. GW content does change, and as a result, so does LBSRA's in-house running build(s).

You sure know a lot about this guild Shar. Are you a member of LBS. I was giving some thought of joining at one time, but have been giving it some extra thought here recently. Can someone also tell me if all the listed graduation members are still in the guild or have they moved on. Making gold is fun, but it would seem like running would get kind of boring after awhile.

Toast, can you please tell me why you decided to part with LBS, and join HoZ.

killer toast · Dec 02, 2005, 09:36 PM // 21:36

I decided to leave lbs to do some pvp(back then they didnt feel like pvping) so i decided to join HOz but right after i left they decided to do some pvp which i wanted to be in so i joined back with lbs

Blue Steel · Dec 02, 2005, 09:46 PM // 21:46

Great questions, Vet, let me try to answer them:

If a person is expelled from the Academy for (1) dishonesty, (2) fraud, (3) theft, or (4) giving away proprietary builds, videos, training manuals, and so forth then they are denied access to the website. As Shar has pointed out, that did happen once some time ago.

Shar is not a member of the Academy, but he is a solid runner, honest trader, and a friend.

About three times people have left the Academy's guild (which is different from the Academy itself) in order to pursue guilds with friends or that they thought might be more active in PvP. They are allowed to remain on the Academy forum and have access to Academy materials because they are still formally in the Academy. The guild is just an option that makes it a lot easier for us to communicate. A few Academy members never even joined the guild in the first place. Those who have joined the LBS guild and left have returned to the guild when they have discovered that this guild is far more active than the others that they got involved with temporarily. I believe Toast, Blurr, and one or two others fit in that category, but I won't speak for them.

Finally, on boredom: my experience is that running has much more lasting appeal than farming and even PvE and PvP. There are a lot of reasons, from the variety of running locations to the kinds of people you meet, to the challenges and the updates. Most everyone in the Academy does some of everything: running, farming, PvE, PvP, trading, etc. Many exceptionally experienced traders are in the Academy, which is convenient for price checks and so forth. I personally have never done any farming, but I do all the rest of those things (running, PvE, PvP, trading). All of it can get old (no game lasts forever) but I find it most fun to do a little of all four of those things rather than burn out on PvP, which can get really old, too.

Vet · Dec 02, 2005, 10:21 PM // 22:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by killer toast

I decided to leave lbs to do some pvp(back then they didnt feel like pvping) so i decided to join HOz but right after i left they decided to do some pvp which i wanted to be in so i joined back with lbs

Ahh, so they just recently took up pvp then. I would have figured with all the members you'll guys have you could have found a couple of pvper's easy. I thought maybe getting kicked out of HoZ might have had something to do with you going back.

The reason I ask about the graduation members being in the academy or academy guild, is because one of them i have fought against in arenas recently tag doesn't say LBS. So, I assume that he isn't in either.

I guess the academy is just for people wanting to learn, and the academys guild is for people wanting to do a little of both.

Hockster · Dec 02, 2005, 11:13 PM // 23:13

Almost every member has more than one account. There's a few that have other accouts still in other guilds as well.

There are also three or four dedicated hard core PvPers among us. The biggest hurdle is trying to get everyone online at the same time, and with free time in game.

Feng Leung · Dec 02, 2005, 11:33 PM // 23:33

I've always wondered...why exactly would you have to learn from someone else to run? I mean seriously, running isn't that hard, you just have to use your head.
wait..nvm

Blue Steel · Dec 02, 2005, 11:46 PM // 23:46

Feng, it is about so much more than running: it is about builds and strategies and videos for the hardest runs, it is about connections, it is about certification, it is about community, it is about additional challenges in the game when you have beaten everything else, it is about marketing, it is about name recognition, it is about professionalism, it is about having fun. It is The Academy. Why go to college if you can learn all the same stuff searching on the internet?

gslavik · Dec 03, 2005, 12:05 AM // 00:05

YES!!! Act not before the fee goes up to 30 ecto!!!

LBS, you should pursue a career in marketing. I am sure you can sell ice to eskimos for much more than what it is worth.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blue Steel

Feng, it is about so much more than running: it is about builds and strategies and videos for the hardest runs, it is about connections, it is about certification, it is about community, it is about additional challenges in the game when you have beaten everything else, it is about marketing, it is about name recognition, it is about professionalism, it is about having fun. It is The Academy. Why go to college if you can learn all the same stuff searching on the internet?

lord_shar · Dec 03, 2005, 12:39 AM // 00:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by gslavik

YES!!! Act not before the fee goes up to 30 ecto!!!

LBS, you should pursue a career in marketing. I am sure you can sell ice to eskimos for much more than what it is worth.

...and you, gslavik, might want to consider something other than computer science as a major. Your argument posts read like sphagetti code, having neither clear direction nor purpose.

Glass houses + rocks just don't mix.

gslavik · Dec 03, 2005, 02:08 AM // 02:08

I like writing unmaintainable code, better job security. I like Perl.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lord_shar

...and you, gslavik, might want to consider something other than computer science as a major. Your argument posts read like sphagetti code, having neither clear direction nor purpose.

Glass houses + rocks just don't mix.

killer toast · Dec 03, 2005, 02:14 AM // 02:14

I think gsavik has finally broke and hes going insane now o.o

lord_shar · Dec 03, 2005, 02:15 AM // 02:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by gslavik

I like writing unmaintainable code, better job security. I like Perl.

This works for mom+pop IT services, but not big enterprise level projects. It's fine to voice your opinions and objections provided you keep the snide remarks in check.

gslavik · Dec 03, 2005, 03:17 AM // 03:17

I least I don't eat things that smile back at me ...

Quote:

Originally Posted by killer toast

I think gsavik has finally broke and hes going insane now o.o

killer toast · Dec 03, 2005, 03:23 AM // 03:23

at least you mean n00b i r teh gramzor king