A post made in post-emotion. Or, a survey on what the vortigaunt faction can do to be more productive.

[Kena]

Ahoy friends,

Just want to question ye who have had the seemingly rare option of interacting with a Vortigaunt


How many of you can say you have been positively-or-negatively-or-generally impacted by the Vortigaunt faction, and that is to include you of the Citizen, CP, CCA, MCP, Ministries. I invite all of you here.

How many of you have had the privilege of interacting with something you either KNOW is rebelling, or is soon going to join that?

I ask these questions because I want to gauge the effect to which the Vortigaunt faction has had upon the whole of the server, as opposed to the few individuals we act with on a daily basis.

What can we do better?!

I ask you this in a challenge. Let me know what you think.

EDIT: I WANT TO INCLUDE OOC SHIT TOO. STAFF, GETCHO ASS IN HERE. IF YOU FEEL YOUR OPINIONS ARE POLARIZING YOU MAY DM ME DIRECTLY BY CONTACTING ME ON DISCORD kena8826

 

[Curbalas]

Good question, hoping to see actual answers.

 

[RedHotGinger]

*Language used in the post is very positively inclined, so I could be wrong assuming this is intended as a 'review' type thread. Posting thoughts anyway though, on risk of being incorrect.

---

Biotics are always good fun. Never really had an issue with them and they all seem to have at least some quirks that make them stand out if you interact with them enough. Their plights are obviously similar but still fresh despite that. I actually think the loyalty system was overall a good move, since it puts biotics in more isolated standings to further help them pop out, or safely get involved in deeper City RP.

Free Vorts are a bit more of a mixed bag.

My last interaction with a (openly) Free Vortigaunt resulted in them dropping a fairly 'power-gamey' action of stepping on my characters skull and slowly crushing it while they reminded me to stop talking while they went at it. To which they then dropped the same action almost word for word onto the character next to mine, all while rebel buddies /charsearched away at our still bleeding carcasses. This was followed still by them posting a picture in my DM's of said character some ten minutes later, being a bit chipper about being the one to do it.

Needless to say, this reduced my opinion and trust of not just free Vortigaunts, but rebels in general, but that's kinda to be expected. CvR scene in Willard is notoriously cut-throat and I was not readily prepared for just how bad it is on the field. So, to an extent, not entirely the Vortigaunts/rebels fault. I truly think that Willard CvR is just that bad, at least during that stage of the server, that it seemed necessary for them to do in general. I know this cause some CCR character shot a random outlander in the skull for basically no reason with just as little fanfare. Funniest part is, the fight started just as I was about to make a major scene over that action. Quite the metaphor for the state of CvR In my opinion.

I only go into detail to highlight that while I disagree with it, it wasn't entirely a black/white situation.

Outside of that, other interactions with them were fine or just outright good. There have been, even if going back years, multiple instances where I've had good and even non violent interactions with them. Lots of talking and character development you might expect. Some of which carries on even to this day, in an indirect sort of way. The only bad interaction I've had is the one listed above, but that was bad so it kind of sticks out in my mind despite that.

---Speculation below---

Though I do feel that Vortigaunts probably did overall abuse how broken they were during the previous CvR periods to basically direct the entire flow of the server. Course, I wouldn't know that first-hand, I don't do CvR. I only know what I heard as a player, or witnessed during my admin days.

So If I summed up how I felt about Free Vortigaunts in a word? Cautious.

Even assuming the player means well, which can sometimes not be the case in CvR factions in general (Particularly if you are in any way a 'rival' of that faction) Vortigaunts, thanks to the leads, are generally just overpowered creatures. They're stronger, faster and smarter than any human by default. Meaning they essentially control every situation they're in, almost without fail. This makes them extremely risky to ever oppose, since you're basically just hoping the player decides killing you/batting you aside isn't worth it. Or, if they do decide to do this, do so in a manner that isn't in poor taste and at least respectful.

Obviously, most Vort players are cool. Free or otherwise. But, if I am being brutally honest, one bad Vortigaunt has the influence of three bad rebels it feels just cause of how overpowered Faction leads have made them. (Or at least were) But perhaps even more than that, Free Vortigaunts are among those players who exist in the absolute cut-throat environment of Willard CvR, which is a hard mire to rise above.

 

[Lord Beckett]

Enslaved biotics are too arrogant. ICly, that is. You've been enslaved and shackled, utterly defeated. And yet, whenever you get the chance, you make snarky or insulting remarks to citizens and even Civil Protection units. Realistically, you should be killed for even speaking to a unit without being spoken to. Even more realistically, you should never be let out of sight of units because it's idiotic to let you go out on your own like a regular citizen lore-wise. The least you can do to maintain immersion is actually pretend you're enslaved and beaten. And Civil Protection units should be more willing to beat the shit out of you when you try to talk back or even speak like a normal person.

I know Willard likes giving people freedom, but this is a bit much. You're basically a citizen with a non-zero chance of becoming an insanely powerful killing machine. The fact you can roam without supervision (or even work in stores) is ridiculous.

 

[Kena]

Enslaved biotics are too arrogant. ICly, that is. You've been enslaved and shackled, utterly defeated. And yet, whenever you get the chance, you make snarky or insulting remarks to citizens and even Civil Protection units. Realistically, you should be killed for even speaking to a unit without being spoken to. Even more realistically, you should never be let out of sight of units because it's idiotic to let you go out on your own like a regular citizen lore-wise. The least you can do to maintain immersion is actually pretend you're enslaved and beaten. And Civil Protection units should be more willing to beat the shit out of you when you try to talk back or even speak like a normal person.

I know Willard likes giving people freedom, but this is a bit much. You're basically a citizen with a non-zero chance of becoming an insanely powerful killing machine. The fact you can roam without supervision (or even work in stores) is ridiculous.

Thank you my friend, and thank you Ginger for your replies. I will be using all of this and further information to attempt to deepen our rather degraded reputation with the rest of the server.

Please. Keep the responses rolling in!

 

[Divine]

Enslaved biotics are too arrogant. ICly, that is. You've been enslaved and shackled, utterly defeated. And yet, whenever you get the chance, you make snarky or insulting remarks to citizens and even Civil Protection units. Realistically, you should be killed for even speaking to a unit without being spoken to. Even more realistically, you should never be let out of sight of units because it's idiotic to let you go out on your own like a regular citizen lore-wise. The least you can do to maintain immersion is actually pretend you're enslaved and beaten. And Civil Protection units should be more willing to beat the shit out of you when you try to talk back or even speak like a normal person.

I know Willard likes giving people freedom, but this is a bit much. You're basically a citizen with a non-zero chance of becoming an insanely powerful killing machine. The fact you can roam without supervision (or even work in stores) is ridiculous.

This is in their lore, and with reason. Vortigaunts do not fear death much, let alone simple beatings. They know they are degraded, but they also know their value to the Combine (energy siphoning, being unshackled for shifts). They are arrogant; however, it's clear they won't be killed for just mouthing off unless they've already received multiple violations.

Yes. Me trolling cops who want to beat my vortigaunt is backed up by the lore.

 

[RedHotGinger]

Vortigaunts do not fear death much, let alone simple beatings.

Okay...I have a small to moderate issue with this

Firstly, while yes Vortigaunts definitely approach the concept of life and death differently - they absolutely value life and the ability to interact with the 'material' world. Not fearing death implies a much deeper detachment from the current stakes and happenings of the setting than I think should ever be suggested. Not to mention their own lives. It almost starts flirting with the logic that, honestly, why do Vortigaunts even care they're nearing extinction anyway?

If death supposedly means so utterly little to them, why have they undergone centuries of hardship and even torment to resist extinction? If death and even pain resonate so distantly with these creatures, why does their past even bother them? Combine nearly wiped them out, well who cares? Death is meaningless. They've been enslaved and beaten for millennia? Well, not really a big deal, they've got a better deal down the road.

This obviously could just not be what you meant, but even a pious faithful has a pretty decent stake in death, even if not as an absolute fear. Only the most insane and undriven madmen could truly say 'I don't care about dying' and really mean it. By itself, this statement wouldn't implore me to make this point, but applying it as the primary justification as to why they don't take threats seriously makes it seem significantly more charged.

Which leads me to #2

As a Roleplay thing, this kinda sucks. Human characters who approach situations with the mindset of 'Fuck you, I dont care' are typically made fun of for pretty good reason. Even if we set aside death itself, pain is absolutely an equal motivator to Vortigaunts. There is no reason Vortigaunts would disregard pain, in fact, Half Life would suggest the opposite. The Vortigaunt saved in Half Life Alyx looks just shy of completely traumatized upon his release. They react to it just like humans do throughout the entire series. I mean, shit, In Half Life 1 Vortigaunt AI is programmed to potentially run away in fear if you've slaughtered all of his allies.

Which also leads to the fact fates such as energy siphoning are absolutely miserable even for a brief period, so if anything the threat of that you would think, creates a more docile Vortigaunt. Just as it would any human.

Now, I've personally never seen Vortigaunts act with a total disregard to life/pain, but this kind of post makes me fear that could be normalized, which absolutely should not happen.

 

[Eviction Notice]

Terminal-7 arc has been swath with players who have shown they're willing to make their characters vulnerable for the sake of others enjoyment- especially vortigaunt players when interacting with civil-protection. I respect it immensly. If you know you know.

 

[Kena]

Terminal-7 arc has been swath with players who have shown they're willing to make their characters vulnerable for the sake of others enjoyment- especially vortigaunt players when interacting with civil-protection. I respect it immensly. If you know you know.

I do know..... >

 

[Rio]

In my opinion, the Vortigaunts do a great job, especially when compared to other factions.

 

[Purple Knight]

I'll throw my 2 cents in here and attempt to summarise as best I can:

Vortigaunts are, in general - A mixed bag, and they shouldn't be.

Generally speaking, I find biotics (or at least the current ones) to be the most pleasing in terms of roleplay, while free / liberated vorts - though not all of them, have bad actors in their midst, which seriously drag the faction into disrepute.

Vortigaunts - due to their inherently INCREDIBLY powerful abilities, especially conterminous vorts must be held to the absolutely HIGHEST standards of RP, and conduct, both ICly and OOCly, similar to how OSA - or synth players are.

You might question, how are they related? Synths don't really "RP", they do. They have a role to play, to portray the character effectively, make others feel immersed in their presence, and they must execute this flawlessly, or the immersion is instantly ruined. A similar thing needs to be said for vortigaunts.

I have the pleasure, or rather displeasure, of being able to see various times vortigaunts are mentioned around the server and discords, and as an ex-vortigaunt player myself, I'm disappointed with some of the conduct displayed by some of the players in the faction.

Being a vortigaunt is not an excuse to have a high powered rebel with magic abilities, which is what it's seemed like from my perspective since the map change.

To summarise:

Quality control on vortigaunts needs to improve - Particularly with freed vorts.
In my honest opinion, vortigaunts activity is too heavily monitored, priorities need to shift from constantly doing activity checks, to doing quality control checks.
Complaints were made about lack of (conterminous vort) direction. FLs need to rectify this, if they haven't already.

 

[Kena]

Quality control on vortigaunts needs to improve - Particularly with freed vorts.
In my honest opinion, vortigaunts activity is too heavily monitored, priorities need to shift from constantly doing activity checks, to doing quality control checks.
Complaints were made about lack of (conterminous vort) direction. FLs need to rectify this, if they haven't already.

I agree with each and every point here! But-- I do see the merit as well in consistent activity checks as well. Especially for the freed vortigaunt side... limited slots means we gotta get our asses in gear and roleplay and engage the server constructively as opposed to a week into the server opening, shutting down major traffic paths to the rest of the map and thereby cutting off potential roleplay opportunities.

 

[albertossic]

I'll throw my 2 cents in here and attempt to summarise as best I can:

To add to this, I think we would benefit from having fewer vorts. The vort faction should be small enough that the playerbase can coherently agree on actual ideas on how to portray vorts, their culture, etc.
This is a belief that is principally shared among most of the most capable vort roleplayers I have seen.

 

[Wraygun]

Beckett's post pretty much summarizes everything I think is wrong with vorts. There's one thing missing from here: vorts being able to receive tier four collaboration status is attrocious on its own. I don't buy the impression that vorts are oppressed, especially when underclass citizens are treated worse. Both of them should be on the same level in the hierarchy. Rarerly have I had good roleplay with vorts, but recent IC interactions were great. Here's a really old excerpt from a while ago, which left me with a pretty bad impression for a long time.


Then, there's also the fact that I saw some vort excise a tumor, a vort welding a 10 ton gate shut, and a vort healing a hunter. There's probably IC reasoning for everything mentioned above, but looking at this without context makes the vort faction look silly imo.

 

[Curbalas]

WHAT THE FUUUCK?? WHO IS THIS LOOL

 

[Kena]

Beckett's post pretty much summarizes everything I think is wrong with vorts. There's one thing missing from here: vorts being able to receive tier four collaboration status is attrocious on its own. I don't buy the impression that vorts are oppressed, especially when underclass citizens are treated worse. Both of them should be on the same level in the hierarchy. Rarerly have I had good roleplay with vorts, but recent IC interactions were great. Here's a really old excerpt from a while ago, which left me with a pretty bad impression for a long time.
View attachment 38736

Then, there's also the fact that I saw some vort excise a tumor, a vort welding a 10 ton gate shut, and a vort healing a hunter. There's probably IC reasoning for everything mentioned above, but looking at this without context makes the vort faction look silly imo.

That is.... a rather extreme example of bad vort RP, IMO. Doubtless they're long gone besides.


I do, however, believe that vorts being able to achieve citizen-status opens up more doorways for more RP. The hunter thing was my own fault, just as a byproduct of it following normal civilians around rather peacefully- it was injured, and I put myself in the firing line when I wanted to heal it.

It's all about how a roleplay scenario is handled! And that one, while outlandish... it is clearly not the most wild thing to happen, referring to that vortigaunt talking about skin color in the least-vortigaunt-way possible. The way the server temperature about vorts right now are, "holy shit space wizard alien I should treat it nicely because its so downtrodden."

I think a fix for that aspect for it would be to crack down on CP's interactions with vorts, make them what they should be through roleplay.

 

[The Dinkster]

mfw when i get vortstunned by a shackled vort during roleplay

 

[Divine]

mfw when i get vortstunned by a shackled vort during roleplay

@Eski

 

[Eski]

@Eski

View attachment blast.mp4

 

[MBGhost]

as a new player -- haven't interacted with any rebel vorts, enjoy sitting around the unlit barrel with the vort lads though.