Here are some staff answers to some of our most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). The subjects are those people seem to ask about and wonder about the most. It's by no means definitive and if there are answers you think should be added, let us know.

Contents

LAG

Lag and the Internet

Lag is simply a way of life on the internet. Everyone has lag no matter what it is they are doing. You know when you try to open a web page and it seems to take a lot longer than the last page you opened? That's lag. This is what happens...

Let's think of your computer as a warehouse. Your warehouse stores products (information) and ships the product according to the orders that come in from the head office (your keyboard). When you type in a command and hit enter to send it to Cosrin, the warehouse workers take your order, break it up into easy to handle boxes (called packets) and load them on the truck. The truck pulls out with a clipboard that has the address of the destination... in this case, the Cosrin server. The truck makes its way to the closest waypoint (sometimes called internet HOP or gateway) and shows the waypoint keeper the clipboard. The waypoint keeper then checks his list of addresses in his district for the one you need; if he doesn't have it, he sends you on to the next waypoint. This happens over and over until the address your truck is looking for is found. Once there, the truck is unloaded, the boxes unpacked and the product is reassembled. After that, your truck driver now knows the quickest route from your warehouse to Cosrin and can continue to take that route every time you want to send your product. Now, if there are a lot of trucks that need to travel through one waypoint to reach their various destinations, there will be a line waiting for the waypoint keeper to check his list of addresses and then wave the trucks through. It's a lot like waiting in a drive through line or waiting in a line at the grocer.

In technical terms, once you send a command, it is put into packets and routed through HOPS to the Cosrin server. If there are a lot of people going through a HOP, its bandwidth gets used up and there is lag.

Lag is unavoidable over the internet. It is always there whether you actually see it or not.

Lag and Cosrin

The Cosrin server rarely causes lag. That is not to say it never does, it certainly will occasionally. But it is rare. When you are connected to Cosrin and lag, it is almost always because there is internet lag. The best way to decipher between internet lag and server lag is this: If there is anyone who is connected to Cosrin and is not lagged... it is not the server.

FEE

Cosrin fee and what you are entitled to

OGC offers unlimited freeplay for all characters, though with restricted priviledges for unregistered characters.

Unregistered characters can play for free for an unlimited amount of time but
... cannot guild vote
... cannot show on any rank
... cannot receive or award roleplay points
... cannot be a Clanmaster, a Guild Lieutenant or a Guild Master
... cannot study skills

Unregistered characters above level 50 can still play for free for an unlimited amount of time but additionally
... cannot earn experience or levels
... cannot be targetted with spells (neither by other players nor by shops), etc. - but still can use their own spells.

If you want to play without these restrictions you will have to register and pay the regular monthly fee (see http://www.legendsofcosrin.com/registration.shtml).

No matter whether you pay the fee or not, it is your responsibility to read the User Agreement as well as the Acceptable Use Policy and abide by them.

As a  paying or not-paying "customer" of Cosrin, you are entitled to the following:

1. Having access to Cosrin when the server is not down (it is rarely down).
2. Privacy of your billing information if applicable, including your email address.

You are not entitled to the following:

1. Lag free connections.
2. Experience refunds.
3. Special treatment above and beyond what has always been in Cosrin.
4. Immediate response and reaction from staff members to your every whim.

Paying the fee to Cosrin does not automatically entitle you to anything. It only allows you to play the game without restrictions, as is. That's not to say that we on staff don't care about each and every player... we most certainly do. It is only to say that the fee is not a bill of rights, it is only your unrestricted way to get into the game... really nothing more.

Why does Cosrin charge a fee?

OGC has, since Cosrin moved from AOL, been carrying the cost of keeping Cosrin available to us to play. In the space between AOL and now, they housed the game on the servers of another service. When that service proved to be unstable and untrustworthy, the decision was made that the best way to make Cosrin as stable as any game can be over the internet was for OGC to buy and own their own servers to run the game on. With that done, and with the knowledge that they would have to not only carry the cost of the servers but also the internet connections and massive bandwidth, OGC decided that charging a fee was the best way to insure that Cosrin remains available for us. So, the fee that we pay in order to play Cosrin isn't going to make anyone any money, but it will insure that we continue to have a game to play.

STAFF

Cosrin Staff

Cosrin staff is made up of volunteers. That's right, we get ZERO money to do what we do. Our responsibilities include:

• coding everything you see in Cosrin
• helping new players and old players with any and all problems
• attempting to spark roleplays as well as help players administer their roleplays
• enforcing the rules and preventing disruptive players from ruining the game for others

Basically, Cosrin staffers are your direct link to getting what you need, complaining about things, reporting bugs and problems, reporting cheating and violations of AUP and just about everything else.

Dealing with Cosrin Staff

Dealing with staff is easy. They are just folks like you and your friends. Speak to them with the same respect you give those you speak to everyday in Cosrin and you'll have no problems. Here are some basic DOs and DON'Ts:

DO

• Speak to staff respectfully
• Understand that there are things staffers either cannot do or are not allowed to do
• Be realistic with your requests for help
• Feel free to speak to staff about whatever it is that you need
• Comply with the requests that staff makes in game

DON'T

• Argue
• Demand
• Make accusations about staff that you can't prove 100%
• Expect your every whim to be met

What should I do if I get in trouble?

If you find yourself in trouble with staff, it is probably for one of the following reasons:

A) You have broken AUP

In these cases, it's a simple matter of accepting whatever the staff member speaking to you decides is appropriate. Be aware, every single staff member logs every single second they are in game and will not take action unless they have a log to show Admin and Sysop what you've done wrong. So the old stand by "I didn't do it" won't work.

B) There have been complaints about you

There have been times when a person hasn't broken AUP, yet, we receive so many complaints from other players about them that we feel the need to speak to the person and ask them to not do whatever it is that people are complaining about. However, if the complaints are about things that we have a clear policy on (like someone stealing your gold that you left laying on the ground) then nothing will be done. This is perhaps the most rare of all the reasons staff will have to speak with someone.

C) You are a habitual pest

It is true. If we have had to deal with an individual on multiple occasions, we'll keep a closer eye on them than on someone we've never had a problem with. Likewise, we'll be more judgmental with people who we have to deal with on a regular basis. We have had some say "they are targeting me" or "staff hates me"... well, if you find yourself saying this, you will also find yourself being a pest on a regular basis. We do not target individuals. And we don't watch one more closely than another without good reason.

D) You have purposely ignored what staff has asked you to do

If a staff member asks you to do something or stop doing something, you are expected to comply immediately. Staff doesn't go around asking things for the fun of it. Everything has a reason.

Arguing your case

It is human nature to defend ourselves. The problems set in when we decide we have to defend ourselves against things we are actually guilty of. If you decide that you are going to argue with a staff member, you should begin by asking yourself a few questions...

First: Did I do it?

If the answer is yes, give up. You've been caught. Take it like an adult. Arguing will only make it worse.

Second: Do I have concrete proof of my contention?

Meaning, do you have a log that can prove what you say is true. Everyone should keep a log at all times. You never know when it'll come in handy. If you don't have a log, you have no proof of anything and your word won't be good enough. Rest assured, the staff member you are speaking to DOES have a log. So it's a simple matter from there. If you do not have a log, the person with a log wins. If both have logs and they say two different things, one person tried to doctor their log and detecting doctored logs is very easy. If you don't have a log... you as good as did it.

Third: Did I ask myself the first question?

It is important to keep in mind that if you argue with staff, staff will not argue back. We are required to ban anyone who is being overly argumentative immediately and refer them to Admin and Sysop along with our log, who will then handle the case from there. This is a device that has been set up to avoid the obvious problems that arise when people get overly emotional in their arguments and prevents people from saying and doing things they shouldn't and will later regret.

Once something has been referred to Admin and Sysop, staff members will no longer be involved and will have no further information for you. Shouting or chatting or posting about your problem is inappropriate and will not make Admin or Sysop respond more quickly. This is a good time to exercise patience and calm.

Is Staff held accountable for their actions?

Yes. For every punishment we hand out, we have to send a log of the infraction as well as a log of us speaking to the player that includes the punishment we decided on to Admin AND Sysop. Since we are only human, there are times when we are too harsh for various reasons; in those cases, Admin and Sysop will almost always over rule our decisions.

Additionally, if there are other staff members online (which there almost always is) we will discuss it among each other so that we know that we are being as fair and just as possible.

So, not only are we held accountable, we have a few different things we go through to ensure that the players are treated fairly.

PLAYERS

What are a player's responsibilities?

As a player of Cosrin, you are required to do the following:

1. Stay in character at all times while in game.
2. Report and not abuse bugs you may find in the game.
3. Not infringe on the enjoyment of other players.
4. Report cheating.
5. Familiarize yourself with the rules and follow them.

Easy huh? Follow those simple things and you'll never have a problem in Cosrin.

What are the rules, specifically?

Please read our Acceptable Use Policy. That's HELP AUP in the game, or Policy.

What about my password?

Your password is sacred. Do not share your password or your character with anyone. That includes your best friend, your brother, sister, mom and your aunt Sarah.

Your password should be changed at least once a week in ensure total security. Failure to change your password regularly could result in someone else getting ahold of it and doing things with your character that gets your character in trouble.

**IMPORTANT NOTE**
Staff has no command that will show us what OOC is playing a character. Therefore, if a character violates AUP, the character will be punished no matter who was playing the character. The age old excuse of "it wasn't me, someone must have gotten my password" will not work. In severe cases, your character could be banned. It is always good to keep that in mind as a reason NOT to share your character.

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CHANGING YOUR PASSWORD REGULARLY.

• A secure password consists of letters, numbers and symbols (example: tyu83$%s)
• Change your password at least once a week.

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR CHARACTERS ACTIONS NO MATTER WHO IS PLAYING YOUR CHARACTER.

• "I didn't do it" and "It wasn't me" are not acceptable excuses. Fact is, it was your character and that is who is being punished.

CHANGES

I have a great idea for a change to Cosrin. Can it be done?

Cosrin can be changed in three ways: Content changes, engine changes, and wizard changes.

The engine is the software that actually runs the game. It determines what is possible - what can be done with content. Engine changes include things like:

• the basic character statistics
• whether you lose experience when you get disconnected
• the combat system
• what methods of communication are available (shouts, chats, guildshouts, tells, whispers, messages, etc.).
• what skills and spells exist and what they do
• how the RP/BP/EXP/HP/SP systems work

Everything that falls under "how things work" is controlled by the engine.

The content is what the engine runs. It determines what the engine shows you:

• the layout of the rooms
• what you see in the rooms
• what shops are in the rooms
• what items, spells, and skills are in the shops
• what items exist (armor, weapons, clothing, etc.)
• what monsters exist
• what rooms the monsters appear in
• who can get into a particular room
• what quests or events or examinable items exist in a room

The wizard is your interface to the game. It can't actually change anything in the game, but it can change how it looks to you. It can also add all sorts of features that make the game easier or more fun to play. Some examples of this include:

• Color codes that let you include different colors in your description (and let staff include colors in room descriptions, items, etc.)
• Highlight strings that let you make it so certain strings always appear to you in the colors you prefer
• Macros so that repetitive tasks can be assigned to particular keystrokes

Cosrin staff has no control over the engine. They can't fix bugs in it, they can't add features, they can't re-design how parts of it work. What they can do is create or change new items, create or tweak new areas and monsters. There's actually quite a lot they can change, but they're limited by the engine. If the engine doesn't allow it, they can't do it.

When suggestions come in that require engine changes, staff may not respond or may simply respond with "That would be an engine change." This should not be taken to mean that they think it's a bad idea, or that they're too lazy to do it, or that they have something against you. It simply means that they, the people who answer your questions, have no power to make that change.

If your suggestion changes the basic way things work, it's unlikely that staff can do it. Asking for divine damage to be removed, asking for four lines instead of two in your character description, asking for more space in your backpack, asking for a different RP system... all of these change the way things work.

Wizard changes have, in the past, fallen into the same category. However, as of this writing the author of the "new" wizard seems quite responsive to suggestions and requests. Post your thoughts and they may appear in one of the next versions.

If your suggestion changes what's IN the land, rather than how things work, staff could probably do it. Asking for a new subguild, or a new item, or a different room description... these are things staff can do. That doesn't mean they WILL, of course - but at least it's possible.

I made a suggestion that is not an engine change. Why hasn't it been done?

A very large percentage of all the changes that are made in Cosrin are the result of player requests or suggestions. However, not every suggestion makes it into the game. There are many reasons for this, including:

• A suggestion may appear to be a content change but would actually require an engine change.
• A suggestion may be a really dumb idea.
• A suggestion may be a good idea that nobody on staff likes enough to implement.
• A suggestion may be a good idea but not fit into the atmosphere staff is trying to create and maintain in Cosrin.
• The engine allows only a finite amount of each resource in Cosrin. The game can only have so many items, quests, events, rooms, etc. For some of those resource, the number is so high we needn't worry. For others, the limit is a definite factor. For example, the number of items there can be in the entire game is low enough that staff has to keep it in mind when adding new items.
• Staff operates along certain guidelines dictating how we want Cosrin to work. A few examples might include:
  • We don't like hunting areas that allow people to make more than 5-10% experience per hour (less at higher levels)
  • In general we don't like to make one class or guild "self-sufficient," but rather try to create interdependencies to encourage teamwork.
  • We've made the choice to avoid creating extensive temples, or to have immortals give items to their followers.
  A suggestion may counteract some of the many such guidelines we operate under.

When will the change we were promised happen?

When the moon is right. <g> This is a nice way of saying, don't ask when.

There are many factors that go into when a change will appear in the game. Far too many to list here, really. Bottom line: the answer to any question of "when" is simply, "we don't know."

CONTACTS

Who do I contact about getting an experience refund?
I feel I've been unjustly punished, how do I complain?
I've lost my password, can you reset it?

In these cases, you should contact Admin and Sysop at admin@legendsofcosrin.com.

I want to start a clan.
We need to change our clanleader.
How do I build my clanhall?

Start with HELP CLANS. If that doesn't answer your question, Contact clans@legendsofcosrin.com.

I want to leave my guild or subguild.
I want more items to choose from in my guild.
I have a general question about guilds.

Start with HELP GUILDS. Then, speak to your guildmaster (GM). If necessary, the GM will contact Guilds. If for some reason this doesn't resolve the problem or answer your question, contact guilds@legendsofcosrin.com.

I want hero help for an upcoming roleplay.

Some things to keep in mind here are that you're not going to find many staff members willing to follow an exact script. Furthermore, you won't get much help with roleplays that tend to make you look like the most powerful mortal ever born. Also keep in mind that hero help with roleplays is never necessary. You have all the tools you need to roleplay anything that you like. Hero help is always icing on the cake.

However, we do enjoy helping out and we have people who help coordinate events like this. Contact events@legendsofcosrin.com.

Be sure to give at least a couple weeks of advance notice.

I have a question about billing.

Any and all questions about billing should be directed to billing@theonlinegamescompany.com.

I wrote to one of the above and haven't received an answer. What should I do?

Be patient. Staffers are busy people, and have to prioritize. Some emails do get lost or fall through the cracks. If you haven't gotten a response of any kind in four weeks, try again.

I have a question this FAQ doesn't answer.

As always, feel free to approach a hero in the game. If they can't answer your question, they'll at least look into it. Alternatively, you can email a hero or post your question on the boards.

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