Post by Citrine on Sept 25, 2015 16:16:26 GMT
This is a very unorthodox answer to this whole system of questions, as I will be reordering them in terms of what questions should have been asked first, and what questions have the biggest implications, and then in descending order of importance. Anyway, Here I go:
1. Should the Homeworld Diamonds remain as NPC or should the roles be able to be taken up by player gems (Think 'Diamond' is a title so any green gem in charge is then known as Green Diamond, a Red Gem is called Red Diamond, a blue one would be blue diamond,ect.)
This is an important question that needed to be asked. However, since the other half of it hasn't been asked, I'll dump that in here on my own. No, leading positions should not be delegated out to only NPC's, because then the players themselves don't have any agency in the plot of the site. Instead, the only people with any control over where plots can go and where they can't go are whomever the control of the NPC is delegated to. I feel that if you open up more freedoms, but also make them a bit more difficult to earn than say a gem artefact-which means requiring the character to not only focus on their role in their particular faction, but also to be able of convincing those around them of leadership qualities-then you'll find much more people genuinely getting interested in the site, and sticking around to see where this diverting plotline goes. We are essentially an Alternate Universe. We don't follow the events of the show. So, why treat the leadership roles as if they absolutely cannot be played out by someone who is genuinely committed to the role? Yes, this means that I truly believe that you shouldn't only open up leadership roles to the homeworld, but to the Crystal Gems as well. Currently, their leader is missing. Right now, we haven't seen any formal group topic for the Crystal Gems. But, if we really want to keep things going, then someone will need to prove their worthiness to the entire faction to be their leader until they can rescue Rose Quartz, Garnet, and Pearl. And for another thing: Don't only allow these three to be NPC's. Its for the same reasoning as opening up the leadership roles. Allow three of the biggest powers in the show to be played once their free, if they ever get freed and you'll find more and more people getting curious about the site itself.
2. Would having more leadership positions in the Factions to fulfil help engage you more in the site?: See my rant above. I don't really think I should reiterate what I said for the first question here.
3.Would having Homeworld or a Homeworld equivalent (Think spaceship above Earth that acts as a Homeworld Hub instead) help engage you more in the site.
This is a genuinely good idea. The Homeworld gems, while scattered, have only recently become trapped. Again, we are an alternative universe. Where Rebecca Sugar chose to do one thing, we have the freedom to do another. In fact, I can tie this in with the next question. Not only SHOULD a Homeworld base of operations be established, it should be a site wide event! That's got HUGE implications for the entire canon of the series as we know it. Most of what caused the canon of the show was the fact that the homeworld was actively and effectively pushed back from Earth. Depending on the way our members interact with each other, this could be different. Maybe the homeworld gems manage to push back the crystal gems, and they scatter? Maybe each faction whittles each other down to only a handful of members? Or maybe they just wipe each other out entirely? We won't know. That's what makes events in which the players have control and urgency exciting. Yes, I think the homeworld should gain a base of operations. But, at the same time, they need to work for it. If we knew how the temple came to be, I would say the same thing would need to be done for the Crystal Gems. But, we don't know, so I'm willing to just accept the situation as it is.
4. Would more Plot events like the Black Star Sapphire thing make you post more frequently on the site?
Plot events are a tricky business. If you have too little, it makes it look like you don't care about the site. Yet, too many makes it seem like your desperate for attention. Yes, plot events are awesome. Their fun, they give new experiences to the players, and they are usually greatly successful. But, at the same time, too many plot events takes away the wonder and excitement about them. For now, I would recommend just keeping an eye on the players and how the two factions interact, and potentially bring something that would have major implications to light through the use of an event. That's not to say that you can't have non-faction events. In fact, sometimes you should do those more than faction events. It's just a problem of finding the right balance. I leave that to you.
5. Would rewards such as post count and items for said even also help?: No, the only reward for being active should be that they become stronger as a character. Rewarding someone for doing something they should be doing anyway is a bad idea, it creates a sense of entitlement. Rewards should either strictly be event based, or should be things occasionally given out for doing something legitimately worthy of a reward.
6. Would having more Factions in general help? (Things like a sub faction of the Crystal Gems that targets corrupted gem specifically? Or a sub Homeworld Faction that focuses on Tech?)
Honestly? While two factions is plenty for some people, we have created a difference from the show that opens up the potential for a third faction: The Corrupted. Treating corruption as a Virus inherently opens up the potential for the Corrupted, who generally seem to still be sentient and..well..legitimate people still, to band together over the mutual goal of destruction. Again, I'm just spitballing ideas. But, if you want to add more factions, don't focus solely on the two that already exist, because that's just modifying existing factions.
7. Would factions having unique items,effects and buff help?
Unique Items, yes. Effects? How? As we've seen, the only real differences between the homeworld gems and the crystal gems are their goals-Conquering the Earth for the Homeworld and Defending it for the Crystal Gems-and their own weaponry. In my mind, the struggle between the Homeworld and Crystal Gems is very similar to the american Revolutionary War. We have the highly armed, potent, and powerful homeworld gems, and the less armed, but much more invested crystal gems, who potentially have more knowledge of earth and its layout than the homeworld gems. So, yes, each of the factions should be allowed Items unique to the faction. But no, these factions shouldn't have effects and buffs. This isn't like running Dungeons and Dragons, where you can give everything an effect and buffs to compliment them. We're working with a cohesive story, and certain rules that exist to it. Could the items have special effects? Of course! Could some items have buffing effects? You bet. But, they should not be treated as three separate things, and if someone manages to take one of these items from a member of the opposing faction? They shouldn't be forced to have a useless item. If you can manage to take the equipment of
an opposing faction member, then you've freaking earned that!
8.What is the biggest thing that reduces your enjoyment of the site?
Honestly, the biggest detractor to the site as a whole to me right now is that-and I mean absolutely no offense to the staff members, as someone who has tried to champion dozens of sites, I KNOW from experience how hard this is-the staff just..seems clueless with what to do. I don't mean that you guys seem like idiots. Far from it! NJ, you have an IMMENSE amount of knowledge about the various themes and ideas surrounding the show. Don't tie yourself down to following the preset path of it, because that ties down the members, even if you can't see that it does. You talk a lot about how many members make something and then leave. While this is always going to be a problem due to the nature of the show and the fandom itself-which is always a problem with AU sites or sites set in a show or movie universe or book or whatever-you can stem the tide by simply being creative, and letting the members interact however they please, even if that results in permanent damage to an explorable area in the universe. I write on a Kingdom Hearts AU that-due to my own stupidity-no longer has Disney Town as an explorable world. That didn't turn any members off of the site at all, because they know that, should they desire to go there again, they can go attempt to take it back from the end of the world via fighting its ruler, an immensely powerful PLAYER. The player actions need to have consequence. But, before that, the players need to be FREE to make changes to the world surrounding us.
9: Should i also do another members activity check, this time though making it so that only members who have been active for the past month or longer are allowed to post in it?
This..really shouldn't be a question. Activity Checks don't need to be done a ton of the time. Maybe every few months, sure. But, from what I can see, everyone is using the current one from APRIL. It's September. Lock the topic so people don't keep posting in it. Every two months you could do an activity check. But, generally I don't really see much importance in activity checks, outside of knowing who to archive and who to not.
1. Should the Homeworld Diamonds remain as NPC or should the roles be able to be taken up by player gems (Think 'Diamond' is a title so any green gem in charge is then known as Green Diamond, a Red Gem is called Red Diamond, a blue one would be blue diamond,ect.)
This is an important question that needed to be asked. However, since the other half of it hasn't been asked, I'll dump that in here on my own. No, leading positions should not be delegated out to only NPC's, because then the players themselves don't have any agency in the plot of the site. Instead, the only people with any control over where plots can go and where they can't go are whomever the control of the NPC is delegated to. I feel that if you open up more freedoms, but also make them a bit more difficult to earn than say a gem artefact-which means requiring the character to not only focus on their role in their particular faction, but also to be able of convincing those around them of leadership qualities-then you'll find much more people genuinely getting interested in the site, and sticking around to see where this diverting plotline goes. We are essentially an Alternate Universe. We don't follow the events of the show. So, why treat the leadership roles as if they absolutely cannot be played out by someone who is genuinely committed to the role? Yes, this means that I truly believe that you shouldn't only open up leadership roles to the homeworld, but to the Crystal Gems as well. Currently, their leader is missing. Right now, we haven't seen any formal group topic for the Crystal Gems. But, if we really want to keep things going, then someone will need to prove their worthiness to the entire faction to be their leader until they can rescue Rose Quartz, Garnet, and Pearl. And for another thing: Don't only allow these three to be NPC's. Its for the same reasoning as opening up the leadership roles. Allow three of the biggest powers in the show to be played once their free, if they ever get freed and you'll find more and more people getting curious about the site itself.
2. Would having more leadership positions in the Factions to fulfil help engage you more in the site?: See my rant above. I don't really think I should reiterate what I said for the first question here.
3.Would having Homeworld or a Homeworld equivalent (Think spaceship above Earth that acts as a Homeworld Hub instead) help engage you more in the site.
This is a genuinely good idea. The Homeworld gems, while scattered, have only recently become trapped. Again, we are an alternative universe. Where Rebecca Sugar chose to do one thing, we have the freedom to do another. In fact, I can tie this in with the next question. Not only SHOULD a Homeworld base of operations be established, it should be a site wide event! That's got HUGE implications for the entire canon of the series as we know it. Most of what caused the canon of the show was the fact that the homeworld was actively and effectively pushed back from Earth. Depending on the way our members interact with each other, this could be different. Maybe the homeworld gems manage to push back the crystal gems, and they scatter? Maybe each faction whittles each other down to only a handful of members? Or maybe they just wipe each other out entirely? We won't know. That's what makes events in which the players have control and urgency exciting. Yes, I think the homeworld should gain a base of operations. But, at the same time, they need to work for it. If we knew how the temple came to be, I would say the same thing would need to be done for the Crystal Gems. But, we don't know, so I'm willing to just accept the situation as it is.
4. Would more Plot events like the Black Star Sapphire thing make you post more frequently on the site?
Plot events are a tricky business. If you have too little, it makes it look like you don't care about the site. Yet, too many makes it seem like your desperate for attention. Yes, plot events are awesome. Their fun, they give new experiences to the players, and they are usually greatly successful. But, at the same time, too many plot events takes away the wonder and excitement about them. For now, I would recommend just keeping an eye on the players and how the two factions interact, and potentially bring something that would have major implications to light through the use of an event. That's not to say that you can't have non-faction events. In fact, sometimes you should do those more than faction events. It's just a problem of finding the right balance. I leave that to you.
5. Would rewards such as post count and items for said even also help?: No, the only reward for being active should be that they become stronger as a character. Rewarding someone for doing something they should be doing anyway is a bad idea, it creates a sense of entitlement. Rewards should either strictly be event based, or should be things occasionally given out for doing something legitimately worthy of a reward.
6. Would having more Factions in general help? (Things like a sub faction of the Crystal Gems that targets corrupted gem specifically? Or a sub Homeworld Faction that focuses on Tech?)
Honestly? While two factions is plenty for some people, we have created a difference from the show that opens up the potential for a third faction: The Corrupted. Treating corruption as a Virus inherently opens up the potential for the Corrupted, who generally seem to still be sentient and..well..legitimate people still, to band together over the mutual goal of destruction. Again, I'm just spitballing ideas. But, if you want to add more factions, don't focus solely on the two that already exist, because that's just modifying existing factions.
7. Would factions having unique items,effects and buff help?
Unique Items, yes. Effects? How? As we've seen, the only real differences between the homeworld gems and the crystal gems are their goals-Conquering the Earth for the Homeworld and Defending it for the Crystal Gems-and their own weaponry. In my mind, the struggle between the Homeworld and Crystal Gems is very similar to the american Revolutionary War. We have the highly armed, potent, and powerful homeworld gems, and the less armed, but much more invested crystal gems, who potentially have more knowledge of earth and its layout than the homeworld gems. So, yes, each of the factions should be allowed Items unique to the faction. But no, these factions shouldn't have effects and buffs. This isn't like running Dungeons and Dragons, where you can give everything an effect and buffs to compliment them. We're working with a cohesive story, and certain rules that exist to it. Could the items have special effects? Of course! Could some items have buffing effects? You bet. But, they should not be treated as three separate things, and if someone manages to take one of these items from a member of the opposing faction? They shouldn't be forced to have a useless item. If you can manage to take the equipment of
an opposing faction member, then you've freaking earned that!
8.What is the biggest thing that reduces your enjoyment of the site?
Honestly, the biggest detractor to the site as a whole to me right now is that-and I mean absolutely no offense to the staff members, as someone who has tried to champion dozens of sites, I KNOW from experience how hard this is-the staff just..seems clueless with what to do. I don't mean that you guys seem like idiots. Far from it! NJ, you have an IMMENSE amount of knowledge about the various themes and ideas surrounding the show. Don't tie yourself down to following the preset path of it, because that ties down the members, even if you can't see that it does. You talk a lot about how many members make something and then leave. While this is always going to be a problem due to the nature of the show and the fandom itself-which is always a problem with AU sites or sites set in a show or movie universe or book or whatever-you can stem the tide by simply being creative, and letting the members interact however they please, even if that results in permanent damage to an explorable area in the universe. I write on a Kingdom Hearts AU that-due to my own stupidity-no longer has Disney Town as an explorable world. That didn't turn any members off of the site at all, because they know that, should they desire to go there again, they can go attempt to take it back from the end of the world via fighting its ruler, an immensely powerful PLAYER. The player actions need to have consequence. But, before that, the players need to be FREE to make changes to the world surrounding us.
9: Should i also do another members activity check, this time though making it so that only members who have been active for the past month or longer are allowed to post in it?
This..really shouldn't be a question. Activity Checks don't need to be done a ton of the time. Maybe every few months, sure. But, from what I can see, everyone is using the current one from APRIL. It's September. Lock the topic so people don't keep posting in it. Every two months you could do an activity check. But, generally I don't really see much importance in activity checks, outside of knowing who to archive and who to not.