Waiting for the world to end is depressing.
Having the world ends team being defenders was a bad idea.
Not having a solid time frame makes people nervous.
The hope for a fight on the final day has people sketchy about doing any fighting, killing the idea of grand epic battles during these 2 weeks.
So, the alter was a lame idea, and should be scrapped, but I think we shouldn't toss the baby with the bathwater. Having an epic end of world everyone fighting event would kick ass, especially if it felt we had more input, no matter who we are.
My suggestion then is that you spawn in some sort of super troll, that symbolizes the end times. It's goal is to drive endlessly smashing everything in its way, killing everyone who distracts it on its way from special statue to special statue destroying them. Unimpeded and unaided, it should take 1 month to do. People who want to stall the world ending can hunt and fight the troll *killing* it causes it to rest for 10 min before respawning somewhere and setting back off on it's path. People would have to co operate on the forums, telling of the utter devastation it wrought upon them when it tracked on them and destroyed their whole settlement before they noticed that the crafter in the tower was utterly fucked, and then going out and hoping it caught onto you're scent and you can pull it away from the special statue locations. Every time the troll killed someone, it would get a tiny bit faster, and no one could inherent after the troll had spawned.
As soon as you die, you either un involve yourself, or you join the end the world team. People who want to encourage the world to end faster can battle to the death, against friends, foes, the troll, living out their dream of being eaten by a bear, so long as they die, even if they don't have the stats, they go to Valhalla. Because it's the end, gods have unleashed frost trolls upon the hearthlings, the favored warriors, and the spirits of all those who die in the ending remain on the world to aid in the destruction. Unlike the troll, they have infinite stamina, move at horse speeds, and have a preset armor and blade of the gods. (it would be pretty shitty
![Trollface ¦]](./images/smilies/troll.gif)
The idea is that powerful warriors might initially hunt and fight and slow the troll, then they might try setting up and staging defense at the statues, before finally the only living players live in caves cowering in their cellars from the 20 ghosts having a brutal group fight over who gets to tear your flesh off when you want to go out to try and scrape out a little more metal for armor cause these fucking ghosts keep breaking it, because you will be damned if you will let that troll win any faster.
It might be a little complex with all the constant shifting with new players and new deaths and new logins and new distractions for the troll to have a live countdown on the front page (no exuse not having that for the alter) you could give us twice daily updates on the front page for the date of reset. This would help to make it a tug of war, being able to actively see your effects on the frontpage.
Perhaps a fully powered ghost could go into a cellar, in order to prevent people from infinitely idling, but this is where the idea gets fuzzy in my mind, perhaps this is terrible, but if anyone would like to expand on it, go ahead.