| How bad has the JA gotten? | |
|
Gradius - ex-Student  |
Hey guys I was just reading Exar's goodbye speech and I noticed that aside from being stripped of his LK position, he doesn't like the way the Academy has turned out. I was just curious, how different is it now then from when Exar had first joined? How bad has it really gotten, if at all? _______________ - Proud padawan of Kueller. - We really are at the beginning of it all. The trick, of course, is to make sure we never find the end. - Bill Bryson, A Short History of Nearly Everything - <gen-e-sis-happy> Liek, you can train, liek, a n00b, but he'll just be a trained n00b... --> Wise words! - "daer SOE me likes your a company i am having your some money for letting me do stuff cos mes the best amd i do it all meself" - Slider |
| < Recent Comments | Login and add your comment! | Previous Comments > |
| Comments |
|
Lego[DEAD] - Ex-Student ![Lego[DEAD]](/image_thumbnail.php?f_type=users&f_width=70&f_height=48&f_image=../banned.png){kind=small}
|
I still play jk2, cough* instagib cough* and also basejk, but most of the good old jk2 players now play jk2 ..meh! _______________ AHH YOU ARE ALL NICE LADS |
|
DaRtH-MoBiLiTy - Student 
|
/me agrees with Jedi Prodizzle... -DM- _______________ One Day, it will all end. |
|
JP - Academy Pimp 
|
I miss the days of JK2 badly, not only because i think its a much better game, but the fact that there was more learning because there were things about the game no one knew about til near the release of JK3 _______________ Come on now, every Generation X boy wanted to be Luke Skywalker. Is it because he was a whiney farm boy from some backwater hack planet? No, it's because he was a FREAKING JEDI. He could block lasers with his lightsaber. He could levitate droids & rocks & crap with his mind. Come on, he choked two pig dudes with just a simple gesture. He cut off Darth Vader's hand and kicked him down a flight of stairs. He got his @$$ zapped by lightning from the geezer Emperor, stood up and said "s'at all you got b!tc#??" |
|
Rogue - Student 
|
I dont think I agree with you there SS bro, although you have the 1st hand knowlesge about the staff. Back in the old days there wasnt many classes where JAT's didnt show. _______________ I was a child when I joined the JA...scary. |
|
SS/ph00d - Student 
|
I miss the old JK2 days of the JA, but I think it has moved on to better days, not as many lamers/hackers/all around idiots. Much more dedication/honesty amongst the Staff as well. _______________ -ShadowSith: CTF/gunner specialist. |
|
Setementor - Jedi Master 
|
I think the academy is VERY WELL organized. You have to enroll in classes so that if they get full, no more are allowed to come unless the instructor says so and only a certain amountof people can fit on the servers. JAK+ (Who can only just handle some of the people who break rules) help keep the place peaceful. It may have changed. it may have been a wounderful place and experience in the past, but even though it has changed, it is still a very wounderful place. Thats my oppinion. This comment was edited by Setementor on Apr 20 2004 05:07pm. |
|
Tido - Student 
|
...sounds like we need a solvent to control the reaction |
|
Rogue - Student
|
Rogue ID :604 Yes, I have been here since near the beggining. The Academy had changed alot, in terms of numbers, the site, the ranks, the maps etc etc. I havnt read Exars post yet, but I do feel that the Academy is not the place it once was. With a small known group of students things were sweet. Now with 6000+ members things will obviously be different. Back in the old days you wouldnt have as many law breakers and asshole noobs as before, but its all part of growing and there is nothing you can do about it. In my experience I will add that in the past to the best of my knowledge things like admin abuse and the frequent law breaking and bad behaviour rarely happened if not at all. This reminds me of the Collision Theory in Physics. Its something like this, the more particles, the more collisions, the faster the reaction. In terms of the academy, there are bound to be more collisions becasue there are more particles (students). Tell me what you think.... _______________ I was a child when I joined the JA...scary. |
|
_cmad_ - Ex-Student 
|
I consider myself a newbie, that's cuz I haven't seen many thinga around here... From the time I joined (about a year ago, actually a year ago in one month) nothing big has changed. Only staff positions have changed. Nothing considering the way this academy is organised. So IMO for the previous year the JA has been a pretty cool place to be in  Of course the time I came here really seems to be better than now, but that's a way too personal feeling and the reasons are personal, not considering the Academy.Rock on JA! - cmad  _______________ Your friends of today, are your enemies of tomorrow. |
|
Roan Belouve - Retired 
|
ANYONE posting please ensure you take time out to read what has been written. There are so many good/heartfelt comments. I have no idea of when this place was better. To me it's always been a great place to be with many many great people/friends. Thats's all from me. May the force be with us all Always! _______________ *Bro to Vaxxla,Padawan of FiZZandOdan-Wei Part of the mighty Belouve Dynasty-Knight of Nippledom.Twin of Selphestal!**Proud Master to Kaelis and Acura Friend to anyone who would call me the same . Pic by the amazing Majno (merry)
|
|
Thomasooo - Student 
|
Nice speech, Katan! And Tido's idea sounds great! I've been with the Academy for over 10 months now (ID 3654), and I don't think it's gotten any worse! Sure, I'm not and oldbie, but I've been around long enough to know the good and the bad sides about this place. Like 331283719 people have said before me: it's the members who make the Academy as great as it is! Everyone I've met has had a great attitude, and I can't remember being really insulted on IRC, on the servers, or on TeamSpeak. We should all be happy that the Academy is as good as it is, and treat our fellow member like we would treat a beloved family member. For that's what I feel like we are; a family...  _______________ In the navy and LOVING it! 
Recipient of comment no. 1000 and heart-warming words from Ataris!
This comment was edited by Thomasooo on Apr 20 2004 12:34pm. |
|
Katan - Student 
|
I like Tido's idea Things are different from when I first joined. I mean, I'm not one of the oldest people around (ID: 2584) but I sure as hell am not new around here either  .But when I first joined... It was a really different experience. It was all JK2 first off all Second, when I joined.. I had never in my life done a duel. Not a one. I was the #1 CTF player in JK2 in my day. And I dont mean to brag or anything, but, I WAS the best, I mean, on the little site with the rankings for JK2? (cant remember it ) Yeah, I was #1. SO...When I firsted joined the JA, I was a bit high-strong. Y'know, if you were the very best of a certain gametype, well, its easy to let it go to your head. But, once I started dueling... I realized, this was a whole new thing, where my being a good CTF player, didnt mean sh*t So, I hung around here a lot, improved my dueling skills, etc. Then... I went back and played CTF again, and I sucked So, I stayed with the JA, improved my sabering skills... I'll tell ya, when I first joined, I was the true; Blue n00b. But Jello taught me, and, although I'm not the best of... anything, I can still hold my own  .Anyways, the point of my stupidly-long-rambling-story, is that, I had a choice of having fun at a place, where you didnt get laughed at if you got killed (in a duel or otherwise) but were givin' tips instead. THAT is why I stayed, instead of running back to the pubs This place WAS and IS great. Its a place where I can come, and let loose, and just take a break. When I come here, I'm no longer "Ben Weinstein, goes to school, plays clarinet, etc" but I'm "Katan, goes to school(at the JA) has fun" Maybe things arnt the exact same as they were, but they sure arnt worse. Of course, thats all a matter of opinion. </rant> _______________ |
|
Fizz of Belouve - Student 
|
sounds good to me Tido _______________ One of the Belouve boys, founder of the mighty FiZZsters Midbie council #20 - Fizz - #1933 - Jan '03 - Aug '04 "Renfield, you idiot!" |
|
3th - Retired 
|
i think the kind of posts that you're seeing here (like Tito's first one) should make anyone that has ever commited anything to the JA very proud. _______________ this is the internet, be serious damn it! |
|
Nomi D'Kana - Student 
|
Name: Davla Trilow ID: 6953 A real newbie I have been here for 6 days and I have to say this is probably the best thing/organisation I've experienced on the internet. Being a starwars nut i obviously am going to love the idea of a Jedi Academy and being enrolled in it as a student,well..woot. The thing that I have found here though is the real sense of respect that people have (or are in the process of learning). I have been helped inumerable times by complete strangers and treated with dignity and respect, and these strangers are no longer strangers..they are names I look out for next time I join; friends. With a community so large it would be impossible to know every one as well as the early guys know/knew their friends, But this is a community, one of the functions of that is we get to know people through shared experience: training together, taking classes together and talking toghther. There is no reason why these groups of friends should not be just as close. The more people the greater the chance to meet good people and at the academy I have met, on the whole good people. So no more rambling from me I want to thank you all for making this an environment of learning, respect and friendship ( see I still have the sense of wonder...well it has only been 6 days) _______________ "The crystal is the heart of the blade. The heart is the crystal of the Jedi. The Jedi is the crystal of the Force. The Force is the blade of the heart." Master Luminara |
|
Ash - Eats Babies 
|
Aahhhhh that was perfect Tido I think what the problem is for some of us olbies is that we yearn for that great feeling that we had when we first joined. That feeling of awe and wonderment. Sort of a joyous feeling you get when you join the server. I remeber when I first joined I used to get starstruck that a JAT would duel me let alone talk to me. Everything seemed so inplace back then. Classes where on a regular schedule, there were very few lamers, and everyone knew everyone. I have such fond memories of those times. And now its a year and some months later. How do I feel now? Well I no longer get starstruck when dealing with JAK+ since they are all my peers now. Any given day of the week you may find a lamer on the server. And I can no longer keep track of all the new people joining. So does this mean the place has gone bad? HELL NO! I may have lost most of my awe and wonderment but that doesnt mean this place still doesnt have surprises. When I join the server now I still find what made this place great in the past, Community. I see new people helping each other. I see JAK+ working their asses off for this place. I see everything that made me fall in love with the JA in the first place. This place will always have its ups and downs. We are constantly changing and moving forward. If the JA already had its golden age then so what? We can't just live in the past. I'm having just as many good times now as I did a year ago. I know that this is the one community that will not just fall because of some dumb inside politics or yearning for the old. There's too much heart here. No matter what changes this place has I know I will still be here. _______________ "We keep odd hours...." ----------------------- They Live, We Sleep |
|
Tido - Student
|
Oh yeah, almost forgot: had an idea..... Ok bare with me now...I want to propose an idea that I think will help the academy continue to improve and fullfill its mission: "Provide a friendly and respectful setting in which to learn the game" [Holocron 1.1.1]. An Advisitory Committee This committee is made up of students and has NO POWER whatsoever. At a set interval (say every 2 months) a committee of 10 (for example) students is formed and submit a report to the Council. This report describes the students current perspective of the academy, successes, failures/problems, solutions, and foresight. The Council has no responsibilty to carry out the suggestions of the report. They make the ultimate decisions around here and the report is only a mere suggestion. However it would be an incredible tool to the Council in that it saves time in evaluating the Academy and provides other perspectives. It is important that the committee not be seen as a source of power. People who are serving on the committee should see their role with a sense of 'service', not 'status'. Think of it like jury duty . Orginization: Elected for a term (6 months?) by the Academy is a Committee Chairperson. He is the organizer of the committee and makes sure that the committee acomplishes it's goal. He is the only member of the committee that remains for more than one report. For each report he/she will select (10) members from a pool of active students. This ensures that fresh perspectives will be present in the report. This also removes the 'status' problem. Anyway thats all I've brainstormed so far...the details of what the reports will have I am still pondering. Gimme some feedback! |
|
Doran - Student 
|
Great comments 3th and Tido. I am a believer that life is all about choices, and I choose to be here to learn, make friends, and enjoy myself. I am a product of the environment I create, not someone else. That being said, I dislike drama as much as the next person, but weigh the positives and negatives... 1.) We can be a part of this community and learn from the teachers AND each other... 2.) Join a clan, watch the drama begin! (been down that road) As a VERY new member, I can honestly say that I have been made to feel more welcome than either clan I was in, and that counts for a lot in my book. I'm here to stay, and to rock! |
|
Tido - Student
|
Name: Tido UserID: 6809 Yes, I am very very new. And I know my perspective is of a much narrower scale than most of you. Having said that, let me share with you my feelings on this Academy. I came to the Academy out of anger, frustration, and hurt pride. Having been pwn3d to the point of senselessnes on a particular pub server, I began to research ways to improve my playing. It was #2 on Google's return: The Jedi Academy. I was elated; it was exactly what I was looking for. I would join this academy, learn how to be awesome, and pwn everyone. Fast forward 3 weeks later... It felt funny looking at the list of pub servers..I had been 100% JA since joining. Soon I found myself in a situation that seemed distantly familiar, like catching a scent of something that toggles your memory. There was good reason for this feeling, as I discovered I had joined the exact pub server I left to find the JA. But something was different.....I was different. I couldn't put my finger on it though. I began dueling and did very well. The changes in my skill suddenly became obvious. I hadn't really noticed over the short period of time in the JA, but here my results were vastly different. Yet still something different.... It was the way I felt about the game and the other players. If I died, I didn't care. If I won, I could only praise my oppenent on the things he did well. If I was lamed, I could only laugh. Anger and frustration were nonexistant.. What had happend? Was it possible...that the JA didn't just change the kind of figher I was, but changed the kind of person I was as well?? I didn't take any classes on such a matter. My master never meet me once a week for a lesson on how to interact with other people. But it was taught to me! It was included in every lesson, every class, every duel. It was the people of this community, and the example they set was slowly absorbed. I left the pub and returned to the JA server with a sense of comfort one experiences returning home after a long trip. It was then I realized what a great place the academy really is. I have no idea if the academy used to be an even better place. I'm sure it can be understood with the rate of growth it has. But lets not be misunderstood: we can all agree that the Academy is an amazing online community. -to see the beauty of a painting, you must observe it from a distance and see the image as a whole. Stand to close to the detail and only the imperfections become apparent to you- sorry for preaching and all my spelling errors, Faded hasn't taught that class yet |
|
3th - Retired
|
well here's to a second golden age of the JA i'd have to agree with Kenyon, things seem to be on a great upswing these days compared to 6 months ago (although i wouldn't trade my friends here that came in around that same time for anything!). but i think the JA will always be what you make of it. if you want to feel connected then you get to know the new people coming in. with people like Sauce, Guterbni, Tito, Doran, Selphestal, and a few others here and there that slip my mind at the moment, i see the JA going nowhere but up. there will always be new faces coming in and hopefully the ones that are good people will stick around a while. sure there will be growing pains here and there, but as long as there are still people willing to put time and effort into this place it will continue to thrive. when we all stop caring...well, that's when this place isn't the JA anymore. viva la JA! _______________ this is the internet, be serious damn it! |
|
 - Student |
Ay yi yi! Not this again... jeesh. Well, i'm speaking from a very broad perspective, as i'm kind of in the same boat as Exar, but kind of not. See, there's alot of people here talking about how they knew what the JA was like in '02... when people like myself, Exar, Eclipse were new, and people like Huxley, Virtue, and Luke Skywalker weren't even here. The JA was in a state of growth, as it always is... but it was early stages, and many things needed to be ironed out. For example... Trainers didn't have any kind of tangible power on the servers... if they found a troublemaker, they'd have to fetch a JAC, and have them deal with it with basic RCON powers. We had NO mods at the time... it was basejk. Normally, in a civilized environment, that wouldn't be a problem. Back then, however, troublemakers, lamers, whatever you want to call them, were VERY common. In fact, you'd be hard pressed to find a well-conducted person. Hell, even alot of our JAT's were acting like fools on the servers. Back then, I was without a doubt one of the biggest assholes under the sun... I can't apologise enough for things i've done, but I was certainly not alone. Hell, I remember when Exar was one of the biggest pains in the public ass. However... shortly after (early '03), things were alot better. We had more respectable people in our staff, the JAT's had administrative power, and students were well behaved. Things were kept simple, and worked very well. This time period was, in my opinion, the JA's "Golden age". What i'm getting at here, is that the JA has taken the good from the past, and has mixed it with the new things we have. We now have knights, more advanced classes, our own, ever developing server mod, plenty of servers, close to 7000 members, and basically things are running really smoothly. The JA is trimming the fat... I can't honestly see why someone would want to retire when things are going so well. You're probably thinking, "why is he saying this when HE retired?"... I retired because of personal issues I need to deal with, although i'll admit, I have harshly criticised the JA lately, but I can now see that these changes are going to make an awesome difference. Oh, and as for LoW - That's what happens when a bunch of wankers try to run something that's beyond their intelligence. |
|
Cyb - Student 
|
Mmm well in LoW it were other things too but that was one of em indeed. I knew the academy way before I actually joined it, mostly because I heared Aeth (and Damage) talk about it so much in LAMM and from what I heared and from what I know myself (I joined some later though id 1700 or something) it was better at those times yes. But I don't think you can get back to that, there are so many members now that it just can't be the same. For what the situation is now I think the Council and all the others managed very great on keeping the community cool. I don't think they could have done much better. You can't do anything about that it is becoming a bit less fun, from my experience you always have that if youre become too big. But the academy is meant to be big. So the academy has changed, yes, but imo not so bad as some people say. I think for them it has also got to do with boredom as they are around for so long already, and other reasons (for me eg it is that jk3 sucks ;0) _______________ ~~ Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none! ~~ |
|
Mreoton - Student |
yea LoW died because of the people instead of solving things deleted them  |
|
Aron - Retired 
|
My point is just that a lot of people are complaining (im not pointing any fingers), but being all vague about it. "The academy has become such a crappy place since i first joined it" ...then leaving, or just going on with what they were doing. Some specific arguements would actually help, instead of dragging the masses with you. I am not saying that the Academy hasn't changed, I am also not saying if it was for the better or worse, but frankly, the academy has been negative enough already, lately. This should be a fun place. It might be just me, but I haven't seen any good arguements, or points that are bothering you (you, meaning all the students). Please, send your emails to fixtheja@hotmail.com . We really want to know WHAT is bothering you; not THAT you are bothered. Good post though, Angel |
|
AngelD'Kana - Ex-Student 
|
Quote: Seriously, we need to cut all this negative crap out. Okay I really hate doing this because your a really great guy Aron but i have to respond to this comment you made. Take a look at it and then take a look at the very first line of your post, this subject is exactly that, A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE. We have to stop looking at it as people being negative and start taking it as insight. Just saying to cut the negativity wont solve anything. If people are leaving because they FEEL it is a bad change then something is obviously up. If it were exar and aexar alone mabey i would chalk this one up to over reacting but you and I both know that several knights and trainers have left for similar if not the same reasons. Im not saying we have entered bad times, because i dont think we have. but obviously there is something causing the perception of a bad time atm. That needs to be looked into and solved before we truly do enter a bad time in which everyone leaves due to the bad changes. You cant just tell people to cut the negativity crap as u so plainly put it. you have to ask them whats wrong and work it out from there. please Aron by no means take this as a personal attack because its not meant to be i am simply trying to point out why this situation is much more then people seeing things negatively. _______________ SMILY RULES ALL AND SHE CANT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT Quote: Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone you may still exist, but you have ceased to live. - Mark Twain <Jedi_Prodigy> BOOOO angel! SEE SMILY? JP EVEN THINKS IM RIGHT I WIN 12:15:30(AM)] * DJ_Sith gives Jacen_Solo a golden shower }{ [01:33:00(AM)] * DJ_Sith give `orion a wonderful golden shower! }{ [01:35:41(AM)] * DJ_Sith gives doobie|broke a wonderful golden shower!
|
| < Recent Comments | Login and add your comment! | Previous Comments > |