'State of the RP' feedback thread

[Jabonicus]

The story this timeline is what you make it, it isn't something that is planned out thoroughly. You do things, they impact areas, and you help progress the story. You don't have to be recognized by the ENTIRE faction for helping, you did your job as a member of that faction. The story this timeline is the war, if you want to give context to that war explore what fuels it, religious zeal. Sitting here and saying the same thing over and over doesn't create a solution, we are aware of what you are trying to say, what everyone else is saying is that you are only limited by your own mind.

No one here has a central character unless they put the effort in to DESERVE that recognition. In other words, get out there and put your nose to the grindstone for a few months and then see where you end up!

The issue I'm speaking of is that it doesn't feel like your actions have any consequences, good or bad, outside the thread in question.

And did you completely ignore the reply where it was said that overarching plots are being worked out to include everyone? I feel like you're reading replies that agree with you and just ignoring everything everyone else is saying. This is exactly why we're running in circles at this point in this thread. Have a little patience and see what FLs and players are cooking up. It'll open up for everyone.

No, and I'd appreciate if you'd cool your tone. I'm not bringing malice to the table (knowingly), and I'd appreciate very much if you'd do the same. I've been told that threads and shit would open up for everyone for quite some time, but it's all done behind closed doors without the general population aware of what's going on.

I'm aware of your comment, but I found that it didn't change my argument.

 

[Green Ranger]

Keep in mind as well that FLs only have jurisdiction over their faction. It can be quite liberating to work outside of the faction system for story purposes.

Example: we had faction limits last timeline, and I needed a bad guy, so I created a self-proclaimed Darth for that purpose. Loophole achieved, problem solved, restrictions avoided,story: success. A bit of creative thinking can go a long way regarding some of the issues being raised here.

 

[TWD26]

No need to worry about territories, I'll be Nuking the Galaxy very soon, just letting you know. Come after me bwhahahaha

 

[Cheshire]

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[Sreeya]

The issue I'm speaking of is that it doesn't feel like your actions have any consequences, good or bad, outside the thread in question.



No, and I'd appreciate if you'd cool your tone. I'm not bringing malice to the table (knowingly), and I'd appreciate very much if you'd do the same. I've been told that threads and shit would open up for everyone for quite some time, but it's all done behind closed doors without the general population aware of what's going on.

I'm aware of your comment, but I found that it didn't change my argument.

Then I will politely tell you that repeating the same thing over and over again when it has already been addressed is not going to help anything. You can claim it hasn't been addressed, and then that starts its own back and forth argument. No one is being kept in the dark. Literally the backdrop is being laid out which has no meat in it until the players build the story. If everyone got involved at this point, it'd just lead to arguments/conflicting ideas and die just like the Dyson Sphere plot did. For some things, you can't have everyone and their cousin involved from the get-go.

I recommend stepping back for a moment as you're apparently getting very riled up and taking everything as an attack at this point. Again, if you think even this is a big impolite attack at you, it's not meant to come across as such.

 

[Jabonicus]

Then I will politely tell you that repeating the same thing over and over again when it has already been addressed is not going to help anything. You can claim it hasn't been addressed, and then that starts its own back and forth argument. No one is being kept in the dark. Literally the backdrop is being laid out which has no meat in it until the players build the story. If everyone got involved at this point, it'd just lead to arguments/conflicting ideas and die just like the Dyson Sphere plot did. For some things, you can't have everyone and their cousin involved from the get-go.

I recommend stepping back for a moment as you're apparently getting very riled up and taking everything as an attack at this point. Again, if you think even this is a big impolite attack at you, it's not meant to come across as such.

I'm perfectly calm, I'm just not willing to accept rude behaviour from anyone anymore.

The Dyson Sphere plot actually didn't have that many people involved. The general population had no clue about it until it practically fell apart. We aren't even given updates on how things are going for major plot arcs or anything similar.

And waiting for the meat of the story to be placed? I'm sorry, but for what? We honestly don't know what to build up to.

 

[Krajin]

and like, the 'Dawn of the Republic' bot posts, like the official map description stating no independent factions own grids.

Especially with the Republic @Krajin @Fyremage, the write-ups are an incoherent mess and have been for months. Simplify it, as clearly making the difference between 'Republic Command' and 'Grand Army of the Republic' is too complicated when the first constitutes the Navy (and thus GAR-personnel) and the latter has literally no active members aside from leadership players. @Prudence did a good job summarizing Sith rules in recent info threads, perhaps he might be willing to help.

Right now activity in the Republic is dead. This would be the moment to simplify the descriptions and roster and work on a strong IC-story that might bring activity back or establish a story-motive for a merger.

The Sith might lose every invasion when given opponents (lol), but if it wasn't for the Jedi even the Sith would conquer the Core without contest. That's a problem, because this inability to play the faction game causes more stress then we all dare to admit and at the end of the day its the stress that makes the drama-threads.

I'll do my best to simplify it and make it work.

 

[Jinan B]

Ok so I totally just skipped here at about page 10 or so, but I read something about how the main battles are done. If I might make a suggestion regarding that.

The idea is basically making it so, for a time after the conquest of a grid square (the time maybe being in days/months, or maybe until the faction that conquered the grid square conquered another, at which point the vunarability transfers to the new one) opposing factions would only need a reduced number of missions to be able to contest (1 open/2 ask maybe) in order to reflect that the system was recently taken. I just thought that that might increase the importance of squares because it's not just taken and then done, the opposing forces are using the unrest and all that to their advantage. At the same time it wouldn't be a very complicated thing at all.

 

[Krajin]

Ok so I totally just skipped here at about page 10 or so, but I read something about how the main battles are done. If I might make a suggestion regarding that.

The idea is basically making it so, for a time after the conquest of a grid square (the time maybe being in days/months, or maybe until the faction that conquered the grid square conquered another, at which point the vunarability transfers to the new one) opposing factions would only need a reduced number of missions to be able to contest (1 open/2 ask maybe) in order to reflect that the system was recently taken. I just thought that that might increase the importance of squares because it's not just taken and then done, the opposing forces are using the unrest and all that to their advantage. At the same time it wouldn't be a very complicated thing at all.

The problem with that is, is that mobilisation of forces. From a tactical standpoint you'd not have the time to mobilise a fleet or invasion to retake a system or grid. As remember these battles happen over large swaths of space. Important installations and planets where battles rage. The size and scope it takes to wage such a conflict is incredible.

 

[Nor'baal]

I still run CNN, just nobody sends me articles.
Ever.

 

[saam]

...if you want to be the central character in a community of this size, then that's just not realistic. There are simply too many names, too many characters, too many players all doing their own thing for there to be like...RP character celebrities or whatever.

I mentioned earlier that maybe the story should revolve more around the characters who are in charge, so FL and AFL, since their characters are actually in charge of things. If the main story revolved more on their individual motives and history, it could give others (higher ranks like Masters) and even lower ranks a chance to have more meaning in their interactions with that FL/AFL and subsequent missions.
At the moment the general story seems like a generic war type scenario, but if it catered to those who have the power, the FL in charge, and made their characters pivotal to the purpose and interests of the factions, then everyone involved and who interacts with them have a greater meaning to the plot.

 

[soed]

Branch out and write with more people, eventually your character will run into other characters that are impressionable/think the same and end up passing it on, or you can just see your character's teachings having effects on other characters and the decisions they make. Teaching is one of the easiest and most accessible non-PvP story opportunities you can do to make a big difference if you're willing to do a lot of character-focused RPs, and I know a ton of people who are willing to join in (even with an asshole like myself).

That, and I know a lot of people still like the idea of going through the whole training and mentoring aspect of stuff. It's a great way to build character relationships and what-not, and it's a good way to have more of an impact than just PvP, if you want to focus on characterization and development and stuff rather than on the faction overall.

Extremely easy to say, when nobody is doing it. I made two seperate threads about wanting a Sith mentor/master for Torin, who is an acolyte, with literally zero response.

While it is still feasible for him to attain, I ended up taking him in a different direction than planned. I notice the same lack on the Jedi side.

EDIT: I don't know. I have several things in the works for my guy, and am quite happy where he is. My issue I have already stated, the extreme PvP focus of the main timeline. Non-PvP missions should be quite doable, including in regards to planetary conquest/defense, even if they wouldn't be "Main", so to speak - which would maybe help with some users feeling marginalized?

 

[Dmitri]

I don't have the time to read all 12 pages at this time; maybe I will later. For now I want to largely talk about personalizing and customizing threads, which I feel needs to happen more (and I apologize if it's already been addressed).

In my honest opinion, I feel that threads should have more a personal feel, regardless of missions or battles. There is so many missed story opportunities and future potential missed. PvP in battles largely focuses on the story of the war and the factions, but it can tell a personal tale too, even if not directly, or place threads for later. I'll largely talk about the Trials of Heroes (S-9 Campaign), due to my involvement in it. In the sign-ups, the descriptions were given. However, they aren't set in stone. Details could be changed to make the story more impactful to the characters. We don't need all threads to be "a Sith and a Jedi walked into a bar, they fought" with another thread taking place in the streets. Battle threads, in my opinion, should differ in more than environment. Objectives should be different, so that people feel they're fighting for a difference. And that threads should be somewhat connected. In the Trials of Heroes, all threads take place on different planets, yet are tied into one another. The Brotherhood ICly would have plowed through Kafane's planetary shields, but was unable to do so due to separating part of its firepower to deal with a gambit initiated by @Calixis' character at Dirha, necessitating the need for @Danee's character to engage @saam's character at Kafane, to disable the shields that originally wouldn't have been a problem. Furthermore I tied in the character's backstories and personalities in the threads where I could. For example, in Vontor, @Jinan B's character's backstory has him getting revenge on a NPC named Lord Ravana. I wrote the thread to have it that Ravana had been a boy-toy of a NPC Moff. Jinan's character is at Vontor to investigate the Moff, and to uncover dirt on the Moff has to steal from the Moff's latest boy-toy, @soed's Sith who had been detailed as a lady's man in his profile. This allows Jinan to expand on his character's arc regarding revenge for his friend's death, and could be continued as, if he wins, uses the blackmail to destabilize the Moff or if he loses motivates him to strike at the Moff directly. Heck, a future prerequisite thread could involve him taking out the Moff. If the Moff gets taken out, soed's character arc can expand as well, dealing with the aftermath of losing the Moff's influence and choosing to get revenge or moving on. In the Kafane story, the prologue details how @Swamp Witch's character killed @saam's NPC master from the Jedi's profile. If both saam and Swamp Witch win their fights, they could potentially fight each other at Boz Pity, Klatooine, or Danuta, the future threads. This makes their potential thread that more impactful to their characters' arcs, as saam's character tries to avenge her master's death. Or, if one or both lose before they engage each other, they can form a rivalry from just the simple prologue in Battle of Kafane. If Swamp Witch loses to Calixis, the two characters could become friends, or saam could be bitter that Calixis had taken vengeance from her. If Swamp Witch wins, saam and Calixis' characters could bond over the losses they suffered from Swamp Witch, and could potential begin an arc to go after her, sparking future stories. Heck, saam's character could grow bitter and hate Jinan's Jedi because the reason her character and her NPC master had been in the area was because they were searching or Jinan's Jedi (who had been off the radar investigating the Moff); or she could choose to help Jinan in his efforts to take down the Moff, to try to make up for her master's death.

In short, threads need to be more than just "Sith are here because they want to fight". They're there because of x. Torin was on the planet primarily as a favor to his ladyfriend. Braeden was on the planet investigating Torin's girlfriend. Caileach was at Dirha in order to stop Skahl's ploy at Dirha. Liith had ICly not been intended to be part of the invasion, and had been instead had just been the recon prior to the campaign; with Skahl's ploy rerouting Caileach to Dirha rather than attacking Kafane, resulting in her need to disable the planetary shields. Ikora had been in the grid looking for Braeden, and had not ICly intended to be fighting, but had it forced on her on Nimia and fled with the survivors to Kafane, where she sensed the Sith and went after her, with the writer capable of forging her own story, of one of redemption (to make up for her failure in saving her master and Nimia) or vengeance (a Sith killed her master, so now she'll get revenge by attacking another Sith).

The threads yet to be written, Klatooine, Boz Pity, and Danuta, will be based on the outcomes of the preliminaries. When I put people together, I'll look at who has done what and how they could interact with each other, and build future stories. In short, I feel part of the reason much of the war has felt mundane and laborous is that battles have been done for the sake of battles, not really telling a story other than a game of Risk. It needs more personal feel, a connect between threads. PvP threads may not always be the best place for personal character development, but the aftermath certainly can be.

 

[Swamp Witch]

For those that have the misfortune to write with me know that I advance the story quite often, whilst adding flavor and meat to it. I don't have the patience to read posts containing the same thing the previous person(s) wrote. Creativity is free. Use it, embrace it, enjoy it.

With my Trials of Heroes thread, for example, will move along in a quick pace to keep the story fresh and ongoing (unless my fellow writer needs me to slow down). Stagnation is also free, but nobody is lining up to claim it.

And there is such a tragedy known as "to many hands in the pot" when it comes to threads. Not every thread should appeal to you, if it does, then one needs to sit back and rethink their choices. I choose what threads I want to do, as to not over extend my free creativity. And I know not all threads appeal to me.

That's all I have.

 

[Green Ranger]

Alrighy, Im gonna see if i can compile a list of suggestions for the staff to look over or something, so if anyone else has anything theyd like to add now would be the time. I think theres some pretty clear patterns in what members want though - more story opportunities to interconnect with one another, more lasting, meaningful impact on the story, some serious work put into the current pvp mechanics, and more collaberation between fls rather than a purely competetive approach seem to be the major trends so far.

 

[Roen]

I'm willing to waive my retainer fee for consultation.

 

[Marf]

I would like to the see the amount of risk reduced, if only just outside of PvP. Many people do find the idea of their character dying very distressing for legitimate reasons and try their best to avoid risk, but there is still a certain lack of respect against the decision to avoid PvP. At the very least I think luring somebody into a thread to kill their character should be against the rules.

 

[Malon]

At the very least I think luring somebody into a thread to kill their character should be against the rules.

I completely agree with this.

 

[Kori Buor]

At the very least I think luring somebody into a thread to kill their character should be against the rules.

I completely disagree with this.

 

[Outlander]

I completely disagree with this.

Why should it be wrong to lure someone into a thread with the intent to kill their character? It's already against the rules to bring someone into a thread under false pretenses.