Bamboo
Administrator
PL: 185,000
Fauna Princess (x13P) Fauna Queen (x18/x14T)
Tag: @bamboo
Posts: 250 
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Post by Bamboo on Dec 19, 2020 21:11:02 GMT -6
It is no secret that World of Dragonball has been quiet as of late.
While this certainly coincides with the global pandemic, which has hit all of us hard, activity has been slowing down for months. Staff have been discussing potential ways to breathe some life back into the forum, but we'd like to consult YOU, the players, for your input!
What are your current thoughts on World of Dragonball? Are there things you'd like to see changed? Issues you have with the current site? Leave your questions & concerns down below, and feel free to continue the discussion on Discord.
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Post by Okra on Dec 19, 2020 22:04:09 GMT -6
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Post by Glay on Dec 19, 2020 23:32:45 GMT -6
I am rather irrelevant, but I think one of the reasons I left was just how hard it was to find people to RP with. It slowly degrades your ability to be active and when you find someone to RP with it's already too late. By the time you RP with someone the motivation you had is slowly disappearing making you not want to RP anymore. This is probably just a me thing though.
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Post by Duran on Dec 20, 2020 8:15:06 GMT -6
As an old member of the community and someone who has seen WoD (Souls) during it's highest highs and lowest lows, I can pretty safely say this it something that has been weighing pretty heavy on my mind. WOD is where I learned how to be a proper writer after all, and I met a lot of people here that I still consider my friends to this day. I'm really passionate about this site and it's stories so sorry in advance if I come across as a blubbering mess.
My personal issues
Community
Not to sound like a doomsayer, but I believe that to a certain extent, WoD was kindof doomed from the start. The buildup to the site and the storm of activity following it was unlike anything I've (and probably everyone else) had ever seen. This lead to some questionable drama unfolding, both IC and OOC. I'm not going to point any fingers for how that came to be, though. The sheer size of the playerbase was way more than expected, so it makes complete sense that the site was off to a rough start. We as a community have had a lot to endure. Certain bad apples mixed into the lot, or however you want to call it. I've talked to numerous people who have said that the community (Or rather, the certain loud negative minority) were the biggest reason they lost interest in WoD. Again, I'm not going to name anyone, nor is this a personal slight against anyone.
''What does it matter?''Another glaring issue that I see is the unhealthy power balance currently within the characters. As someone just starting out, it is next to impossible to have any meaningful impact on the story due to the massive power cliff. While that makes sense, since it's Dragonball, it becomes a problem when you realize that even the heavy hitters are completely powerless whenever they want to accomplish anything. The site has advanced to the point where every large, galactic power has allied amongst themselves, weeding out the competition. While politically a smart move, it is less so from a narrative perspective. There is no tension.
I understand this is a difficult thing to monitor, since it's characters making their own decisions and building their own alliances, but you have to ask yourself if it's really worth it at the expense of the overarching storyline. The friendships between the factions leaves villains little options, as well as completely nullifying any and all tension between factions. In my opinion this is one of the most unhealthy developments, that leads to a lot of people simply asking themselves: ''What does it matter?''
Staffing approach
Again, this is not a personal slight against anyone and I really don't mean to insult. It's a less relevant point right now since ya'll are doing the exact thing I'm about to say, but it might be something to keep in mind for the future. WoD has always prided itself on the 'sandbox-y' aspect of it's setting. Basically nothing is pushed by staff, and all the important story beats are left up to the players to develop and push forward. I LOVE this about WoD, since it gives the characters and their actions real meaning. However, an approach like that will only work when the playerbase is healthy and large enough to be self-sufficient. It's pretty safe to say that the current WoD hasn't been that for a while now. My personal opinion is to maybe take a step back from the 100% mandatory 'sandbox' approach. Ofcourse, it's important and should definitely stay, but I'm simply saying that when the site is experiencing a drought...Maybe push an event of some sorts? A Tournament, perhaps? Idk. I know WoD:Souls has done events like that, so I don't see why it's not possible here. Official Titles/Roles
This one's a bit more specific, but something that has been on my mind for a while is the lack of significance for the official titles (Guru of Namek, Saiyan King/Queen, etc.). Back in WoD:Souls, gaining one of these titles would reward the character with a special technique of some sort. Whether that be the Power Ball for the Saiyan King/Queen, or Potential Unlock for the Guru of Namek, they all had their own little thing. Other characters could purchase 'emblems' that would allow them to officially train under these Officials, in order to learn their technique. I personally loved this system. It gave the official titles some real meaning, as well as sparking character interaction through the emblem items. Now, I'm not saying to bring back techiques like the Final Flash or Hellzone Grenade under these titles, since that's what the SIG system is for (Which is also fantastic, don't get me wrong). However, I would love to see something else be introduced for these titles. Perhaps the official roles gain a skill akin to something like an Assist Sig, that has some neat flavor for the role in question? For example, the Saiyan King could gain a skill like this:
[SKILL] Commanding Shout: The Saiyan King/Queen lets out a boisterous warcry, invigorating their allies. [Choose up to 3 allied Saiyan characters, and give them +x1 Offense for the rest of the thread.] Again, this is just an example that I pulled out of my rear in like 3 seconds. I'm not saying to do this exact idea, as I'm sure you guys would be able to come up with something much better. Personally, I just really want to see the Official Titles/Roles be brought back to their original glory. So Jules that's great and all, but now what?
Honestly, this is going to sound pretty ludicrous, but I think that this iteration of WOD has run it's course. I don't want to say it's unsalvageable, but it's pretty clear that something drastic has to happen for it to return to it's glory days. So what do I mean by that? Well, wipe the slate clean. Reset it all.''But what about my characters??!''Well, you can play them, you just have to start over. With revamped mechanics, and fixes for all the things we now see were extremely problematic. ''But I don't want to start from scratch...''None of us do, but think about it: Are we really going to bring this iteration of the site a meaningful conclusion? I really doubt it. And hey, just think about all the amazing stories that could unfold if we start fresh! Final thoughts
Let me just start off by saying that I really want this site to succeed. The memories I have here don't really compare to anything, and it's a shame to see it fizzle out. That doesn't mean that hope is lost, though. I really think that we can bring it back to it's glory days, all we need to do is make some drastic, huge and exciting changes! Anyway, thanks for coming to my TED talk, bye lol
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Post by Ticoga on Dec 21, 2020 1:28:42 GMT -6
For me, it's been about time. Having a kid, and then suddenly my job started giving us longer hours to make up for loss of workers who chose to leave, rather than work through the pandemic.
My sole focus for a while has been to make money for my family, since I am the sole income.
That said, I do plan to come back. I've played on sites that dropped to two or three players for a couple years, and still bounced back.
I'm not done with WOD, just very busy.
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Post by Lord Chill on Dec 21, 2020 16:55:03 GMT -6
I vote we reboot and allow archived characters to return. No bias or anything...
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Dorei
Archived
ARCHIVED - XP TRANSFERRED TO BORYOKU
PL: 185,000
Frustration (x2P) Anger (x10P) Rage (x20P)
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Post by Dorei on Dec 22, 2020 22:37:57 GMT -6
I'd be super on board with a reset, but what has been said before was super relevant. It said everything on my mind in one post. All of my problems with the site were mechanical and, I am not trying to pick a fight, abused. The DE system was easily abused, and the whole factions as a whole were to friendly with one another. But My past "issues" with what happened will be left behind. I just hope to see the DE system revamped, that is my biggest complaint. People getting wind of a DE from another planet, and then RUSHING to the open DE was a HUGE abuse.
Again, not picking fights or calling anyone out. I don't mean anything in a personal sense. I just feel that the DE system needs some serious help. It is what got me to leave and a lot of issues arose because of it. Hopefully, it gets fixed.
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Post by Garruk on Dec 26, 2020 13:12:42 GMT -6
I will honestly say I enjoyed most of my time on this site however most of the time it felt like I was simply fighting a uphill battle for no reason. This came form the interactions with the factions, with the moderation team ,and any attempt to advance any kind of plot. No one wants to fight every inch of the way to join a faction or to create a faction. And I am sure no one wants to join a role-play site where their plot means nothing and no chance in joining the top players with their own plot due to inactivity on their part. The only real time they become active is to team up to take down any new factions fully denying any advancement form happening.
This does not mean those at the top are doing this on purpose by any means or even doing with malice behind it. However it does create a very negative message for new players. The plot can only advance when we FEEL like it and in the mean time why don't you all just do some chats at the roadside, or something. I will repeat that I do no believe anyone of you are doing this intentionally or even with any kind of real malice. I can honestly say form personal experience that I tried for months to get even one scene done with most of the top players in the game and it kept being put off etc. I can understand being busy with life and also understand that they are by no means required to do a scene with anyone for any reason, however it does cause a lull in scenes. We cannot create or own stories and they will not progress theirs. In fact the only time it seemed these powerful players came alive was to kick the living shit out of any new groups forming.
What is the moderation team trying create with World of dragon ball? Are you looking to create a site that everyone has equal chances at create their own epic story? Are you trying to create site where players can enjoy it without worrying about some brand new rule barring their progress just because its there? Do you want the player base to look at you like your the enemy and the sole reason they can't progress is simply because you don't want them too?
As it stands the moderation team hold nearly all the cards form the leaders of every faction to dragon balls and even King Kais training. In your defense some of this can be explained away with the fact your most likely going to recruit the active players for the mod team and for the all normal players leaving as they become disillusioned by the site making your options limited it does not look good form any outsider trying to get into the site. This is only made worse when you couple in the silly rules that serve no purpose except to straight up hold onto those cards. Examples include
Balance issues
For a month or so when I first started I questioned a balance issue and was told I had no idea what I was talking about. I even pulled out the math to prove it which I did without a shadow of a doubt and the response I got? Well then I guess players can just choose to be weak if they want to use it(to point out it was a 80 percent power level nerf compared to equal fighters.). I finally accepted it when the moderator finally said they simply did not have time to double check everything and that made sense. Up until they did make time for it right when a mod wanted to use said ability and the 5 players who wanted to use it had already archived their characters. The Reason? The exact same reasons I pointed out at the time but now the mod was the only one who had it.
Gravity training~
During my active period I started to make good use of the gravity device until the mod team moved heaven and hell to prevent me form getting any gains. The reason they cited was in the rp I did not say what I turned the gravity chamber up too and I do not meant in notes following the solo rp. No they meant inside the rp it self despite nearly half the role play with my character with it about my character overcoming gravity and actually training for combat.
Honestly this ruling made no sense form a mechanical perspective or even form a storyline reason. I could understand not getting the gravity gains if say I was drinking tea and filling out paper work, however I was training against gravity but due to me not adding <I flipped a switch for 150 gravity> I was told no. There is no words anyone can say to defend this behavior.
Even further on another character I even went so far as to ask permission to be allowed to use Ink markings to create the same effects as a gravity chamber in Question chat. I was given permission and then latter denied since in character I did not say the markings worked like 10 times gravity or thirty times gravity etc.
The reason they gave me when I questioned it? Well its a rule we recently added.....
I honestly even months latter cannot figure out why this was done for any reason and no logical reason exists for such a rule. The only logical reason for this was to hold players back. It did not help that shortly after you nerfed the gravity chamber to less then 30 percent of its past usefulness(in their defense I will say 20k+ exp a month was way to good and needed a nerf even if I do not agree on the extreme amount they nerfed it).
Creating a faction
For a time me and a group of players planed on creating a some what neutral fraction and had the numbers to do so. We asked about it and they put it on hold just long enough to increase the amount of players needed so we no longer meet the required numbers. It did not matter no faction in the game had enough Active players to meet the same requirement and only stopped any new rivals form showing up.
I will repeat again I do not think all this is on purpose for the most part but it does not change what it looks like for all the players. Its already hard enough to catch up but even if they do fight though the bullshit to grind it out when they reach the top what then? They won't get king kais training as they will be killed in the first DE by the top and they cannot create their own faction, or even join with a current one. Why play at all then? Honestly all this looks extremely sinister when you look at all this on paper and only due to me talking to most of you at length makes me think most of you guys did not do this on purpose. To a new player however it will look extremely different as most of them will not have had time to get to know you.
I really hope you don't look at this as a personal attack and understand this form the players perspective. Why join the site if their is nothing to look forward to?
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Post by Ashis on Dec 27, 2020 8:39:33 GMT -6
Heyo It's me, Ashis/Pip- I saw this swaggy-looking thread and figured I'd put in my two cents.
So, World of Dragonball is something that I really enjoy a lot- it's probably the roleplaying forum that I've spent the most time on. I've been around since a little before the multiverse tournament back on Souls and have gone through dozens of characters, famous ones including rickybeaver, the hilarious comedic foil to Tetsuo Ebonyblade.
[Death Enabled Threads]
In my time here on Turbo though, there have always been some issues. My best memories of Turbo come from the first year, back when most of the huge player base was on equal terms. I recall a lot of really good stories from back then, one of them being the "Crown of Rubble" DE. This DE was pretty good, It was the first step in the Saiyan VS Arcosian plotline and established a lot of characters. I enjoyed it and was really excited to see how that particular plotline progressed. A lot of De's weren't like that though, most have a case of "Super Saiyan Decibel ∞" in which they emit a sound so loud that every known creature in the galaxy travels across lightyears just to see what's going down there. Jokes aside though, I agree that DE's as they are now need to be fixed.
Back when I first left on a mini hiatus, it was mainly because of frustration from being too weak to contribute to any meaningful site stories- a frustration that wasn't aided by the way that high tier characters would go around from DE to DE. I remember thinking that because of the way DE rewards worked, I would never be able to catch up to the top since if I ever joined a DE, my entire character arc could be over the second some evil dude decided I looked like a scrumptious little bit of XP. Right now DE's are very much a "strong character only" thing, and this blows because I think that DE's are important for characters and their plotlines (Crown of Rubble comes to mind again).
All that being said, I realize that it is hard to come up with a good system that isn't overly complicated or unfair, you can do things such as implement different power level requirements but then that creates issues like, say, a city being taken over but the president being unable to intervene due to his huge power level. I don't have a concrete answer myself, but I have a few ideas I can spitball. One thing that can be done is to limit DE's based on their scale- a starter DE means that only those below a certain power level can join, but the DE can't be all that impactful. A regular DE means that anybody on the planet can join and it could be something like taking over a city, and a Saga would just be anybody can join and they can travel to do so because of its scale. That's just a small, dumb spitball, I'm sure it has its issues but generally, something like that would be better than the way it is now.
[The Great Reset?/The Site's Plot]
Now, I don't know if a reset is actually in the cards or not, but I wholeheartedly agree that we should do it. A reset would quickly fix a lot of issues with the site, and bring about a new fresh start for many of us and our old characters. There also seems to be some excitement regarding that topic among members I've noticed, but if a reset isn't in the cards then just kindof ignore this portion since that's probably all I'll be talking about.
Now, onto the plot at the start of Turbo. Personally, I really liked it- The Arcosians beating the Saiyans and exiling them was a nice plotline and I feel it really added to the site's beginnings- however, I do also feel that this plot inadvertently caused a lot of issues. By making two large factions for players to join and not giving them leaders, it really paved the way for some drama. Many people would make characters for the sole purpose of leading these factions and then be disappointed when someone else ended up doing it instead. The Saiyans avoided this sortof due to in character interactions, and they managed to stay together and focus on their IC threats. The Arcosians never figured out their leadership until after Boreal came around many months later (and then he was immediately killed). The drama surrounding the WTF doomed them to irrelevancy from day 1.
At some points, I really wanted the staff to just say "The WTF has dissolved from infighting" just to be done with them. I feel like the site's plot suffered alot due to how important the WTF was made out to be, compared to how "important" they actually were in the end (which was not at all). There was a lull in major site activity because of this.
I was sorta just stating history there, but IF there is a reset, and IF the same plotline is used (which it totally can be, it was a pretty cool setup after all) then I think a way to decide faction leadership should be set up beforehand in order to avoid another situation like that (for example, a thread in which WTF members can post to establish their characters and vote for one of their members to become ruler in an election, presumably after the last leader was killed on Vegeta or something). After that initial leadership dispute is settled, let the players have at it. Again, just spitballing a lot of dumb stuff in this post, but I really would like this place to be better than it was before.
[Other Stuff]
The BIG main grievance that I can recall was with the DE's, so this portion is moreso to agree with what others have said and stuff or talk about relatively minor things.
A change that I never really liked was making official titles just that, titles. Before, they had a certain oomph to them, importance due to the abilities they granted their user. I think Jules's idea is a good one, it would help give flavor to these stale name only titles.
Somethings I thought was extremely cool and think should come back were the "Special Items" (The Tree of Might, etc). These types of items helped push the plot progress along on Souls, so I don't see why they wouldn't help here (Though obviously, a lot of thought would have to go into how they'd work here and how players would get them). This sorta ties into Jules's "not 100% mandatory sandbox" approach. Some events would definitely help to spice up things every once in a while when there's a lull.
[Conclusion]
That's really about it yall, regardless of what ends up happening I'll definitely start roleplaying again on here soon. I do hope that we can all eventually make this place as cool as it once was, and regardless of past events, I hope we can all get along. Ok now here's a meme- |
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Post by Topaeo on Dec 27, 2020 20:45:51 GMT -6
There were two main reasons I left WoD.
1) As others have mentioned, the sheer wall of power. The massive difference in power between characters is a massive put off, because the weaker characters can't do anything at all. Specific example: Three members of staff decided to get a 'Evil Guys Attack!' thread going, in the hopes that the 'good' guys would come stop them. Problem was they loaded up with three characters between 50k and 60k PL. The three most powerful characters on the site. The strongest Good guy was 26k. And after we did some maths, we worked out that even if every good guy on the site attacked even the weakest one in a round, they would take no damage. We literally couldn't win, so nobody joined. And when the staff asked why no one joined and we explained, we were met with, 'Well thats not our fault, just get stronger.' But we couldn't because of point number 2.
2) Thread invasions. Having an open thread means anyone can just join the thread, that's fine and not what this is about. CLosed and invite only threads are suppose to be that, closed and invite only. Yet I never managed to finish a thread because every single one of them was invaded by some powerful character who just wanted to kick us into next week. We're having a nice chat and drinking tea, why did mr 30k just drop in and threaten a couple of 6k's? And when we explained to Mr 30k that this was a closed thread please leave, 'If you dont like it, complain to staff.' So we did, 'Well, he's not breaking any rules.', 'Yes he is. He is invading a closed thread for no reason. That's against rule (whatever the number was, link to the rulepage was included).', 'Oh, well, we'll discuss it and decide what to do.' A month later (I have actively left the site now) I get a message, 'We've decided he did nothing wrong.' 'But he broke rule (number)', 'Yes but that doesn't mean he was in the wrong'
I havent been here for a long time, so these glaringly massive issues may have been sorted already. But for point 1 at least, it doesnt seem so.
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Post by Kalaboo on Dec 29, 2020 17:58:07 GMT -6
Hi, I'm Nuno and I have taken up 'mushroom' 'farming' since my roleplay sabbatical. I clocked over 500 posts on WoD and maybe four times as many hours over an unstandardized thesaurus, a trauma I've been impinging on others through roleplay ever since. I had a lot of fun in this forum but eventually left it without much thought, until the other day when I was reached out on Discord and asked for feedback on the site. I brainblasted 200 odd words, but as I am very scatterbrained, I didn't feel like I had explained myself well. I think a more organized post here will be better, since I can compare and contrast with other people's opinions and brazenly plagiarize like I have been doing since post one. Jokes aside, I don't understand the first thing about mechanics and so I'm tackling this from a roleplayer's perspective.
Issues, Grievances, Ill-Taken Offences, Charges, Criticism et al.
1. No, it's Not Reductionism, you Fuck
Why is WoD's community so cursed? A common issue I recall were complaints about unfairness. They were varied, from DEs to faction imbalances and goodie-goodie supremacy, dealing mostly with what I think stemmed from the distribution of power among players. Put simply, people weren't reaping the experiences they felt deserved to because they had the impression they weren't given the means to. Was this because of the autograder, rather than mod abuse and saiyan popularity? Turgid brains such as myself think so. The bigger your word count (whether on a single post or many), the higher the xp you would reap. Regardless of content or context, you could make bank even on a 0.7 average, beyond people with even a 0.9 to 1 per word average. Essentially, this rewarded a sort of writing most of everyone doesn't have the time or inclination to achieve: I remember some of the peeps who tried long-posting and/or spreading themselves on as many threads as possible burning out and taking breaks or just plain leaving. Meanwhile Mr. Anthony Gapplace over here holds a good chunk of the top 10 and is still booking threads, and his uniqueness only strengthens the case.
What's a way that could feasibly be fair to as many as possible, and reward activity, character development and wider-site impact? Souls-style mod reviews, I think. The time cost of it could be made lighter by a wider mod team, or a specialized mod role, or having it as a job rotation. Whatever the way it's sorted, it'd be better than the current unaccountable, inflexible system. It worked for similarly-styled sites like this one and Souls itself. The current hands-off approach has only lead to frustration, whereas this one could lead the way to open discussion if not a compromise. If something arises, and becomes as big a deal as raising LMB or malus, why not hold a vote among the mods and regulars?
Also mod term limits, mod elections, mod banishment to the wilderness. If the Greeks could do it so can we.
2. Character Divergence & Earth/Namek is/are boring and should be blown up
A strong suit of WoD is the freedom there is when creating and developing a character. The plots, settings and themes allowed won't stop you from blowing up planets on a whim or killing kiddies with a more personal flair, which is unheard of in my experience. You're free to jive in whatever direction you want, but that isn't reflected as well on the mechanics. Signature building is fun, so was choosing traits for an alien, but that customization isn't seen on the techs people will most often use. Compare with the ruleset used in WoD's Naruto sister site which juggles ranks and effects similar WoD's but stacks it with a more complex rank system, more effects and ties all of them neatly with traits pertaining to character clan. This last bit, I think, could be adapted to a setting like Dragon Ball with things like social class, sub-specie, fighting style, so as to justify a character having access to abilities most don't or couldn't.
Enticing players to venture out of Dragon Ball hunting territory with other mechanical boons would be best. Maybe Vegeta grows a nasty Big Gete Star tumour or Arcose fucking melts, mod-led events like these used as a means to spread power and turmoil whatever status settles.
22/01/2021 edit: I just want to make a bigger, better himbo
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Post by Saizomaru on Dec 29, 2020 18:53:40 GMT -6
I cannot say anything that hasn't already been stated in this thread. My opinions on matters are no longer relevant in any case.
But I will say this much: problems always start at the top. Make of and do with this information however you please.
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Post by Saizomaru on Jan 4, 2021 17:02:04 GMT -6
Ah, I'm sorry. For two things. Sorry for the double post, and sorry for the short reply to this thread. I'm not gonna lie to you (not that I've ever lied to anyone here), I rolled my eyes when I saw some of the things in this thread and it got me agitated. So I'm gonna give an actual reply.
Revitalization Introduction
A revitalization is always a good thing to have. Spice things up a little, or work on one or two more systems, or even as simple as something as just doing an advertisement campaign/spree to bring in some fresh blood. This is where the staff team need to understand and focus on, because revitalization boils down to two things: bringing in newer players, and bringing back the older ones. In the next section, I will be talking about both of these.
Gathering Your Players
Gathering players is, as explained above, consists of bringing in newer players and/or bringing back your older ones. Bringing in newer players is not difficult for a forum of this size and magnitude. At the time of writing this, we are currently on the first page of Google search for 'Dragonball RP Forum'. The hits we've generated because of activity, member count and page views already puts us in the spotlight. This already offers us a steady stream of fresh blood. The deal afterwards is how to retain them. The steps are easy and simple: - Welcome them on the Discord. Be respectful, be helpful, offer advice. Make the atmosphere of the chat one of respect and mutual comeraderie.
- Staff should be willing to step on hot coals for the newer people if they need an issue addressed or are waiting for something. If their character sheet or BP takes a week to approve, they will not be inclined to stick around after day 3.
- Be willing to roleplay with newer people. Do not stick to the same 4-5 regulars, or your roleplay clique, or whatever. New players may not be good, but they will learn, as we all have. You just need patience and, perhaps, a drive to help others get better. If new players are getting zero roleplay activity, they will leave.
Bringing back older players is a lot more nuanced than that. These people will have left for a variety of reasons: they got burnt out, they're not interested in roleplaying anymore, they dislike someone, they don't have anyone to RP with, they think the races are imbalanced, they've been told they can't do something for X reason---whatever the reason is, this is on an individual basis. There is no blanket fix. Staff need to address concerns one at a time.
The Community
Honestly, this isn't a sleight against anyone. The community as a whole is one of the better ones I've had the privilege to socialize with. I don't think I've ever had any real issues with any particular person that was just a regular member (This distinction will become clear in the next section). From what I know since 2019 (cuz, ay, got a Discord ban so I dunno what's been going on), a lot of people are helpful and have been respectful towards each other and whatever new faces we had coming through the door at the time. All I can say is this: keep being cordial, help each other if you can, and don't be scared to roleplay with people that you've rarely, or even never, roleplayed with before. This kind of socialism and inclusion is a part of the sum that holds a community, and by extension a roleplay, together.
The Top
Now this is where I feel strongly about things. It is also the area of my roleplay expertise. Strong words may or may not be applied or come across in this section. I ask that no one take things personally or be offended by what will be said. I don't think it's any secret that there have been people both past and present that have some sort of issue with the staff and, admittedly, I am one of them for the most part. People need to understand, rather quickly, that the only reason why a roleplay keeps on rolling is because the staff should be active. The staff are the motor of the forum and the players are the cogs---without the motor, the cogs don't turn. I also don't think it's any secret or even wrong in saying that staff tend to take quite a long time to grade things, whether they be character sheets, beginner's posts, or training threads (especially training threads). If we are to take the Member List at face value, we have ten admins. Yes, TEN. So I'm sitting here wondering why anything takes so long the grade when we have double the amount of staff that we actually require, and that's being generous. In fact, from what I've been keeping track of, it's Sketch and Nashua that do the brunt of the work (and, yes, I did the numbers). So, to put it bluntly, other staff members need to start carrying their weight. Now, personally, I am of the mindset that the staff also like to hold on to grudges of specific members, which, while not fine in of itself, is a human thing. It happens. People get irritated. But I am concerned that these grudges spew over from personal feelings into their admin work. This is, with no room for debate, unacceptable behaviour. More to the point, the staff do not communicate to the players when they're stepping out of line. This has personally happened to me, so I know it's a recurring thing. To sum up, the staff need to work on these things: - Be active. Get involved. Start designating areas of work for other members of staff if you have to. Yes, we know no one likes grading training threads, but someone has to do it. If you don't like reading them, them I question why you joined a roleplay forum in the first place.
- Enforce the rules if you have to. There is no point in sitting back, watching from a far, letting the situation grow and not weeding it out by the roots from the start. As part of staff, it is your duty to get your hands dirty if need be. No one said this was going to be an easy and clean gig.
- Professionalism. I have seen this countless times from many members of staff on the Discord server, where they come across as pedantic, conescending and abrasive. I will admin that some of the staff have been working on this, to which I applaud and congratulate them. regardless, keep vigilant about how you conduct yourselves towards other members, regardless if they're complete pains in the asses or not.
The Flaws
If you've been following this thread, you've probably come to the conclusion that there is not one single thing that will revitalize a forum, or even a mixture of things that will help. Ultimately you need to understand where those fundamental flaws are. Off the top of my head, I can list a few: - The faction imbalance. This is not something that is going to be solved by throwing something new at the wall and hoping it sticks. People will pick the faction they like best, or in which they believe their character aligns with most. Most of the time it is based on one's race---a saiyan will join a saiyan faction, namekians will join a namekian faction, earthlings will join with whatever the top earth faction is because people just wanna keep invading the place. This is down to player agency.
- Alignment imbalance. It's no secret that there are currently a hell of a lot more heroes than their are villains. Again, this is really not something you can fix by telling people what they can or can't play. Player agency is what you have to rely on and hope that every single hero on Earth doesn't attack this random villain in a DE because he spat on someone's sainted grandmother.
- The power imbalance. Right now, player power levels are what I would consider "okay" at face value because we have things like catch-up mechanics and malus. However, the issue is that our combat mechanics are calculate multiplicitively. In lamen's terms, numbers will get progressively higher and higher and multipliers get higher and higher, to the point where even a simple small number like 1,000 gets a ridiculous boost from a x25 multiplier.
These are things that you either have to accept that they will be a thing, or that you're going to have to make the hard decision to limit these is some unobtrusive way or another. Below is a list of one idea for each above point:- The faction imbalance. Probably the best way for me to put some sort of fix on this is to introduce introduce a new system for guilds and faction. A faction starts off with 5 slots, with one taken by the faction's creator/leader. Through some other proprietry system, like the shop, members can contibute EXP to unlock additional guild member slots and maybe some other goodies (Guild-wide grav chamber maybe). Not only does this limit faction rosters so they don't grow stupid quick in a short period of time, but it also provides a mechanically organic growth to factions becoming more numerous as well as provide something else that players can spend EXP on in the shop.
- Alignment imbalance. This cannot be enforced in a headstrong manner, but we can break this flaw down further: this imbalance is a problem with DE threads. So, an idea is to limit how many people can partake. Players lock in their alignment when they join, starting with the villains. After 72 hours, then the heroes lock in. Balance can be determined one of two ways: 1) The number of heroes cannot exceed the number of villains, or 2) the combined PL of the heroes cann't exceed the combined PL of the villains. Seeing as the villains and heroes are lumped together in post order, this also makes combination attacks way easier to use and manage.
- Power imbalance. Probably the only fix for this, as I have seen on many other DB sites, is having a hard PL cap that increases over time. For example, starting hard cap is 20k. Every month, it goes up by another 10k-20k. This does three things: 1) it solves people bursting ahead in progression because they roleplay so much, 2) people don't feel the need to grind to catch up and can just take their time, if not just outright stop grinding as a whole, 3) it allows people to redirect that EXP towards something else, like items.
The Reboot
Just gonna come out and say it now that a reboot is just dumb. A reboot is not going to fix most of your problems. You can do a reboot to bring out essentially a new 'edition' of WoD if you're doing a complete mechanics overhaul, but that's about it. You need to stop, sit, and think about what a reboot is going to solve at the foundation level: - Is a reboot going to suddenly bring in new players? No, because you would have lost all of that free publicity from Google Hits because you are starting on a fresh new forum. You'd have to work from the ground up again, starting with advertisement sprees and word of mouth.
- Is a reboot going to bring back older players? With any luck you will retain all of your current players, but a brand new forum skin and reworked mechanics are only going to bring back members who left because they had issues with the mechanics in the first place. Players who are burnt out or left for personal reasons might come and ehck out what it's about, but the best you can hope for is that a new forum will spark renewed interest.
- is a reboot going to make people want to roleplay with different/newer people? No, people will still roleplay with those they are familiar with. If they were going to start roleplaying with newer people, they'd have been doing that before the reboot.
- Is a reboot suddenly going to change people's attitudes? Again, no, because people will have their personalities and attitudes regardless of forum. A new banner isn't going to suddenly make people more civil.
- Is a reboot going to make the staff more active? I would certainly like to see that happen, but if a member of staff has no inclination to be active now, then I highly doubt they'll be active after the fact.
- Is a reboot suddenly going to bring awareness to player agency? No, because faction imbalance, alignment imbalance, and power imbalance will still be a thing unless the reboot includes proprietry mechanics that are going to specifically address these issues.
So all in all, unless you're going to do a complete system overhaul to the point that this new system will not be compatible with current existing characters and such, there is absolutely no reason to even consider a reboot, because those underlying root flaws, problems and issues will still continue to exist. And if you believe otherwise, then I've got a really big, pretty bridge to sell you.
However, those are my thoughts and opinions on this. Take it as you will. Feel free to agree, disagree, ignore or argue with what I have just written.
Thank you, Happy New Year, and stay safe. |
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Piezo
Newcomer
PL: 10,500
Overdrive (x3T)
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Post by Piezo on Jan 8, 2021 22:20:27 GMT -6
Short and sweet:
- When I came into the discord multiple people were quick to greet me - My app being graded, my beginner post being graded, and my conversion to power level from xp was all within around 48 hours so pretty fast. Been sitting on my minion a while but that's of course a less pressing matter that doesn't stop me from roleplaying - I've seen no issues with the actual staff - Most of the members have been welcoming outside of a few odd occurrences
The Less short and sweet:
I am absolutely up for a reboot, take it as biased or not given a fresh character just jumping in, but my opinion isn't just from a biased place. I see this site has been going on for four years, and that's a long time to expect people to stick around so anyone that has clearly would have an upper hand in the story and the power level. I think anyone coming in will have a hard time getting their foot in the door in a meaningful way with something going that long, and if the site is in fact trying to revitalize in some fashion, it would seem natural to do so. Trying to gain more new members alone might be hard if the story and strength stays at the status quo.
Most new members are going to come in and look for two things: How active is the site/discord and what chance will they have standing a chance in the landscape of the roleplay. Think about joining a game of D&D, would you rather join into a fresh adventure, or try to start as a level 1 character with a bunch of people who had been playing the same campaign for a long while. It's always intimidating going in as fresh meat into something that has been going for years. I believe giving it a reboot could give things a new coat of paint, start fresh stories with existing characters if people want to start them over, and points that others have already said in the thread.
That's my two cents. I believe a reboot would be healthy and while I get what Saizomaru is saying that simply reboot with no change could lead to the same problems he mentioned if they do in fact exist to that degree, but trying to revitalize without rebooting or making drastic similar changes could be equally unhealthy.
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Surge
Newcomer
PL: 47,748
Rage (x2T)
Tag: @yengcong
Posts: 34 
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Post by Surge on Jan 8, 2021 22:56:37 GMT -6
// Events // I was thinking that we add more events to the mix rather than just dragon balls. The dragon balls are the main story, yes, but that particular event isn't fair at all. When staff have told me, "anyone can get the dragon balls and get there wish" That is true, ANYONE can work hard and get the dragon balls. but if you aren't in the clique of people who are strong. your adventures that you wanted with those dragon balls can easily be stolen by the strong. I have seen many wishes where it revives people or grants them power. The point i'm trying to make is. If you are that one person or ten group of new players who want to go on an adventure and get dragon balls. You won't be able to set your desires, specially if its for evil purposes and not good. Which is why I want the community and the site to change how events are made and done. I have a few examples about some events that can take place.
Event 01 Example 1) A planet appears (Name) That said planet is placed onto the board for lets say a month. 2)It involves an ancient race of aliens who is throwing a tournament. 3) There are two different set of tiers for this said tournament.
First tier The first tier is the NON DE Tier. where those who dont want to risk death can enter. The tournament slots will be random and grouped based on the tier level of your power level. After its done, the top two people which is the winner and runner up place receive perhaps zeni or a unique item that is only granted through that tournament. Perhaps from the alien themselves idk.
Second Tier The DE tier and your fighting against players. the same concept only that those who get first or second place receive more than what the non DE tier gets.
Event 02 Example 1) Takes place on a current planet that last one month 2) A new sub board is added to planet. 3) Unlike the pvp aspect of an event they could also be COOP event. 4) The event would have players work together to beat a goal such as defeating an npc boss and his goons. 5) Two tier systems. One DE and One NON De 6) Same scenario for the rewards like the pvp aspect. Even though it could be said. (Players can come up with that and just do threads like that.) That is true, players can but when you involve an entire community of people who are outgoing or those who are introverts and shy and don't want to seem like a bother. They can also get involve and may want to work together to achieve a common goal.
Now when it comes to these events, a lot of factors have to be considered. This may last for weeks upon weeks like typical DEs. however, to cut the load it will be every 48 hours until that person is skipped. The only reason I did bring up these types of events in the first place also have to do with the typical DEAD threads that people tend to abandon not on purpose but maybe pure boredom? idk. but i hope this will be able to fix those problems and hopefully everyone here will enjoy what i have written down. o/ |
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