Post by Majin Bloom on Jun 24, 2020 8:25:34 GMT -6
Hi everyone! So, I know this can be an uncomfortable or frustrating topic for a lot of people, but please know that I love everyone and really don’t want to ruffle any feathers or hurt feelings. There’s been a lot of talk about heroes, villains and DEs. Usually, it’ll sometimes seem like players are pointing the finger at one side or another. I want you all to know that is NOT my intention. This isn’t about how many heroes vs villains go into a DE. This isn’t about winning or losing DEs. This is about making DEs better and more fun for everyone involved. That’s the aim here. That’s the game. As such, I’ll be doing my best to leave out the hero/villain terminology from here on out as well as win/lose stuff!
So, as a player who’s been in like… 10+ DEs, I feel like I can speak from experience that not all DEs are created equal, especially when the number of players in a DE gets past around ten. Things get a little crazy and unfocused. And, it’s hard to make a plan for that when - because you’ve joined - you’re on a pretty tight timer.
Honestly, I think the TRUE solution here. The one that’ll actually really help is to be OPEN about planned DEs. I’ve been in a few private discussions that go something like “oh why don’t I/we attack this place while so and so is occupied in this DE.” And… I really don’t think avoiding opposition is the way to go. It’s just feeding back into the problem. Opposition is FUN, but not when things are one sided. Most of the time, anyway. Because, that’s the thing, it could be really fun for some but really not fun for others.
Which is why… I think a DE Planning thread or discord channel even could be helpful. People could announce their intent before even starting the DE, kind of plot and plan some things out! Get a feel for it. Communicate, basically, to make it an awesome and engaging story for everyone involved. This could be like… match-ups, what kind of fight you’re hoping for, or plot points you wanna hit like “oh, we have this connection and this DE will strain/test it.” Basically a who’s who of who’s joining, wants to join, and a hashing out of how it can work for everyone. Not really going so far as to script it out or even roadmap the beats, but just a general idea. Surprise is part of the fun, but it sucks to join a DE and not have anything to really do in it. You’re part of this site-altering event, you wanna have a cool and meaningful and really fun part of that action! Joining DEs spontaneously can sometimes lead to that, which is no fun for anyone! I know I really want everyone to enjoy the threads I’m in and wanna help them to that end. What’s the point if you’re not having fun, right? Roleplay, I think, at its core, is cooperative, so why not cooperate to have the best time for everyone? Hero or Villain, win or lose. Those things don’t really matter so long as you had fun with it. I really do believe a DE planning something or other and being open about DEs before they go live will really, truly, help the overall forum culture and future!
A DE planning thing could even be used during the DE too! Especially with coordinating splits. Because more than once, I’ve seen one split go at lightning speed while the other split only just got there after splitting off and have hardly thrown a punch yet. There was a concession in the rules to wait a full rotation before joining a split, but I don’t really think that solves the problem. Buuuut, I do think that communication will! Maybe a mechanical solution would be to have a “hold” action? Like once people have more or less finished up in their split, if they want, they can just sit in it without penalty until the split catches up. Something like that. I dunno. The communication solution is figuring something out with the person joining the split by just chatting with them. Of course, there’s some pressure again with the whole timing thing, so maybe it could be extended to 72hrs between posts or something? Again, not sure with mechanical suggestions. I really think my mechanical suggestions are just duct tape on the gushing water tank though, haha.
But yes. Ultimate solution: communication. Something to help that along: DE Planning thread or Discord Channel. Woot-woot.
Anyway, I think that’s it! Thanks for sticking with my spiel! I know I went a liiiiiittle long with it. I hope that I really got across that I just wanna have fun with everyone here. No sides, no factions, no two ways about it. This is coming from a super genuine place because, I’ll be real, I’ve been a little sad and frustrated with the current culture, and I just so deeply care about this place and everyone in it. I want everyone to have a fun time. So, let’s open the discussion! Lemme know your thoughts and feedback.
So, as a player who’s been in like… 10+ DEs, I feel like I can speak from experience that not all DEs are created equal, especially when the number of players in a DE gets past around ten. Things get a little crazy and unfocused. And, it’s hard to make a plan for that when - because you’ve joined - you’re on a pretty tight timer.
Honestly, I think the TRUE solution here. The one that’ll actually really help is to be OPEN about planned DEs. I’ve been in a few private discussions that go something like “oh why don’t I/we attack this place while so and so is occupied in this DE.” And… I really don’t think avoiding opposition is the way to go. It’s just feeding back into the problem. Opposition is FUN, but not when things are one sided. Most of the time, anyway. Because, that’s the thing, it could be really fun for some but really not fun for others.
Which is why… I think a DE Planning thread or discord channel even could be helpful. People could announce their intent before even starting the DE, kind of plot and plan some things out! Get a feel for it. Communicate, basically, to make it an awesome and engaging story for everyone involved. This could be like… match-ups, what kind of fight you’re hoping for, or plot points you wanna hit like “oh, we have this connection and this DE will strain/test it.” Basically a who’s who of who’s joining, wants to join, and a hashing out of how it can work for everyone. Not really going so far as to script it out or even roadmap the beats, but just a general idea. Surprise is part of the fun, but it sucks to join a DE and not have anything to really do in it. You’re part of this site-altering event, you wanna have a cool and meaningful and really fun part of that action! Joining DEs spontaneously can sometimes lead to that, which is no fun for anyone! I know I really want everyone to enjoy the threads I’m in and wanna help them to that end. What’s the point if you’re not having fun, right? Roleplay, I think, at its core, is cooperative, so why not cooperate to have the best time for everyone? Hero or Villain, win or lose. Those things don’t really matter so long as you had fun with it. I really do believe a DE planning something or other and being open about DEs before they go live will really, truly, help the overall forum culture and future!
A DE planning thing could even be used during the DE too! Especially with coordinating splits. Because more than once, I’ve seen one split go at lightning speed while the other split only just got there after splitting off and have hardly thrown a punch yet. There was a concession in the rules to wait a full rotation before joining a split, but I don’t really think that solves the problem. Buuuut, I do think that communication will! Maybe a mechanical solution would be to have a “hold” action? Like once people have more or less finished up in their split, if they want, they can just sit in it without penalty until the split catches up. Something like that. I dunno. The communication solution is figuring something out with the person joining the split by just chatting with them. Of course, there’s some pressure again with the whole timing thing, so maybe it could be extended to 72hrs between posts or something? Again, not sure with mechanical suggestions. I really think my mechanical suggestions are just duct tape on the gushing water tank though, haha.
But yes. Ultimate solution: communication. Something to help that along: DE Planning thread or Discord Channel. Woot-woot.
Anyway, I think that’s it! Thanks for sticking with my spiel! I know I went a liiiiiittle long with it. I hope that I really got across that I just wanna have fun with everyone here. No sides, no factions, no two ways about it. This is coming from a super genuine place because, I’ll be real, I’ve been a little sad and frustrated with the current culture, and I just so deeply care about this place and everyone in it. I want everyone to have a fun time. So, let’s open the discussion! Lemme know your thoughts and feedback.
RAMEN
