When I first entered the world of mudding, I had no idea of the dynamic nature of the system; the fact that the entire premise can change on the turn of a dime, and that equipment could have diffrent effects a week apart was like having a rapid slap to the face to bring me to on a cold day, and a far cry from games i was used to, where everything had a certain preset value.

While the sudden changes can be disconcerting at first, there comes a time when they keep the whole thing fresh, and keep you from getting violently bored by the time a year or so has passed. Also, you have the knowlege that you can, if need be, make a change in the system; a change to make everyone's life better(?).

The thing is, none of this would be possible without the Coders; and none of it would work properly if they were not good coders. Few people have impressed me as much as Corloth has, in regards of being an excellent coder, and supurb individual.

Most people whom program computers for a living, come to aquire an "above and beyond" understanding of the hardware; this results in a sort of arrogance, at people whom just can't understand the heart of the beast. This is no diffrent in my mind then a doctor or lawyer, chuckling politely as you try and explain some medical fact or legal tidbit. Corloth hasn't ever had that attitude or arrogance, at least that I've seen. Case in point: I was once writing the mailing list about some idea or other i was responding to (i believe it was having a "reputation" in certain areas). I suggested a method of coding this, which seemed a good idea to me. Corloth knew a better way - a much more eloquent and smooth and pat way. Instead of lording it over me, he simply explained it on the list, then moved on. Never once did he say that i was wrong, or mistaken; just that there was a better way to do it, and here's how that way would be. It truely impressed me.

Though Corloth hasn't (to my knowlege) done an area, we see his work more then any builder's; every thing we do, very nearly, is governed by rules that we the players helped create, to a point (anyone remember when you could carry a players corpse, have no immunity to death, and when tainted touch knocked off hit/dam instead of STR?) - rules that, i think we can all agree, make the world a better place for everyone. Alot of the things we take for advantage - alot of trivial (and non-trivial) things just in every day life on NS - are Corloth's handy work.

So, write the guy a note, saying "thanks, man."; he's a busy busy guy, and we should be honored that he spends a good chunk of it on us, especially when he rarely talks to us - it's much harder to help out people and to be dedicated to them, when you dont speak with them on a daily basis for hours at a time. So, like i say - drop the guy a line to say thanks, and that you appreciate his work, cause you know you do, or you'd not be on NS right now.