In the past three months the Antei Combat Centre has seen improvements, adjustments and renovations that have set the stage for a better experience for the membership. However, the Centre's walls have stood for far longer than that; and in that time the Centre has seen the presence of a single individual, DA James Lucius Entar Arconae. The first 'public draft' of this entity was the Krath Combat Centre, birthed from a series of items, of similar format, that began somewhere in the old days of Arcona. Despite the grand history behind his tenure, I'd like to focus on the passed three months, my time as Combat Master.
Three months in the Dark Brotherhood can be a lifetime for a member and especially for a project. The club doesn't seem bound by a day as it may pertain to a 24 hour period, but the duration at which ideas are born, developed and brought to fruition. In the passed three months, the Adept has gone far above what I had anticipated (considering his predisposition to the 'rebirth' project) and I'd like to focus on three specific items:
Consider the ACC's Compendium, for example. What began as a ten chapter gaggle of information, ambiguous directions and rules has been transformed into a fourteen chapter work; clear in its established guidelines and packed with helpful information that can guide any Initiate, should they chose to use it. Obviously someone had to write it, but that task would be completely worthless without someone to code it and upload it and fix problems that arise - that's where James came in. As you may see through the course of this recommendation, he is more than a 'web monkey', but a willing instructor and brilliant in the art of compromise. Many steps through the compendium required slight adjustments to the rules, some could not be accomplished due to the present database, while others just needed a confident set of eyes. James could've easily been a 'yes' man and just loaded what I asked him to, or refused altogether. Instead, he directed my hand with poignant explanations of why things had to be a certain way (knowing that I am not a 'coder'), and offered 'options' instead of ultimatums. I have a far greater understanding than I had, simply because of the way he was able to see my shortfalls, come down to my level to explain them and flawlessly interpret my 'Dalthid-speak' as it applied to the terminology.
Moving ahead to the Championship Ladder, it wouldn't have gotten off the ground without James's assistance. A series of four ladders to determine four Champions who will attempt to attain the Supreme Champion title. It is a grand idea, and one that I was extremely excited about. I have been on staff in the Centre for quite some time, but was still green in the 'mechanics' of how to run a ladder. I asked around for some input, but all fingers pointed to James, as I knew they would. Again, his diplomatic nature shined through. Clearly explaining the procedures I should follow, the do's and don'ts that I was completely oblivious to and 'how' it would run from beginning to end. Though it must've been frustrating for him, not once did I get a hint of that in his communication. No matter how busy he seemed, he was prompt and clear with his responses and seemed to make sure that I knew exactly what he was talking about. I had intended to run the initial ladder with quite a lot of participation, but it was the Adept who weighed the pro's and con's for me, objectively, and let me choose. He went so far as to instruct me how to load NPC's, even though he knew I didn't want them, because he had enough foresight to see that I might be stuck in what I had wanted to do. The ability to see ahead, determine potential problems and offer solutions before they are needed is a skill that James possesses, and uses, with tact and compassion.
Finally, as a climax to this recommendation, ACCLive! Originally born with good intentions, ACCLive! never really saw the light of day. It was difficult to manage when compared to 'normal' battles and seemed thrown together to appease a specific need. The next 'version' was streamlined and redeveloped to use mIRC as a tool instead of the means to an end. However, it was still on the 'sensitive side of ease of use; and from testing to release, still had its ups and downs for the ACC staff. Then James came along, again. Not prodded, asked or even assigned to, the Adept took it upon himself to develop the latest asset to the Centre: A completely automated version of the ACCLive! script. Why is that such a big deal? Simple: The new program interfaces with the database, removing 90% of the previous tasks that were manual and making them fully automated. Until this program, it would take (on average) fifteen minutes just to set up a battle - with this new program, about two. Before this program, the staff member running the battle had to refresh his screen to see if the combatant had posted - now, being connected to the database, it is done automatically. Previously, one had to 'sit and watch' the battle because the timers had to be 'commanded' manually - now, it is completely automatic; freeing up staff members to run multiple battles at a time without the fear of forgetting commands to waiting fighters. The new program also posts intro's for the official and even tags the 'Judge Stats' with the points that the staff members get for administrating battles. I foresee this program as being THE biggest innovation to the ACCLive! system, ever - and forever...and he did it on his own, completely based on his own initiative.
We know that DA James Lucius Entar Arconae is an asset to the Brotherhood, that will always go without saying. However, he is an asset to new leadership as well. Proven by his diplomacy, quality of effort, quality of work, initiative and mentoring ability, James is an asset to more than merely Brotherhood, but the 'individuals' that make up its membership. Consider what the Ruby Scepter is awarded for: "Achievement and/or contributions in the area of instruction, invention, and mentorship to one's Clan or Order" I present to you that James has met and exceeded those requirements, repeatedly. I also submit that his efforts in the Combat Centre abound the Krath, Sith and Obelisk and are far more than Arcona, Talryan, Satal Keto, Exar Kun, Terentum, Scholae Palatinae and Naga Sadow as the Centre abounds those 'classifications' by it's existence. So, if you will allow me, I'd like to recommend DA James Lucius Entar Arconae for the Ruby Scepter (RS) along with my humble thanks for his service and dedication.
~KPN Dalthid
Combat Master
, 2005-04-03 22:00:00 UTC