Special Discussion [PLEASE READ]

[cityship]

It has come to the mods' attention that there is a signficant chunk of players that have concerns about the health of the game and think it's dying. Unfortunately, this means that everyone's in a holding pattern waiting to see what happens and the problem with this is if we collectively do this as a game, we might not make it past rebellion.

So the mods have decided to address the issue head on to discuss it.

For our part, the mods want to encourage people to send in plots, tag around, invite people for June, and put up posts. We'd also like to take suggestions and answer questions and want to try to reassure you that we will do whatever we can on our end to make things fun. Our response times for plots and answering questions about things people can do in the game are down to only a few days (usually 3-5 for complicated issues/questions). Sometimes we can even get a response back the same day or just 1-2 for simple issues. If players want to run plots, we can definitely get an answer back to you very quickly, and in the case of milk runs, you pretty much have free reign to do those whenever or however you want. So now's the time for us to ask the question: what do you need from the mod team to have fun? What things do you want? What things might you want to see?

What things would players like to see from other players? This is also a good place to discuss that. As of right now, close to thirty people have posted for and made AC, which means that there are a good chunk of players that have have at least some interest in continuing to play. (Hopefully that will be reassuring to those of you worried about mass drops.)

At this point, the game is really only what we make it, and while there were a lot of problems over the last year, we are very dedicated to working on the ones that were on the mod end. The game can be made fun again, but now that the backlog of work and mod duties have been caught up, it is definitely something we need to discuss and cooperatively work on and confront head on as a group.

So discuss away, and please plurk and replurk this to your heart's content, point other players you know to it via AIM, etc. It really is something we need as many eyes seeing as possible.

EDIT: Please keep commenting, even if the mods don't respond to each of your individual comments. We're incorporating all the player feedback into our discussions about this in modchat.

EDIT 2, EDITINING: The mods are going to have a big modchat on Friday the 25th to iron everything out and probably have communication go up then or over the weekend.

Comments

[morphitudinous]

Hey everyone! It's Zoki. I just thought I'd say something, because I'm the one who brought this all up and kicked off the internal discussion. I thought you should know. After talking with mods and friends, I've realized that the doubts and fears that caused me to drop might actually be fixable. Maybe I'm not leaving after all---I definitely don't think I can handle the stress of the mod thing, but maybe I was too hasty. I gave up hope too fast.

Here's the part where I confess: the main reason I dropped was because I got caught up in an anxiety feedback loop about Trans 9's imminent death. I saw drops, not a lot of posts, and ill feelings and I held back and feared...and I don't think I'm the only one. I think I got caught up in worrying about the death and losing all of you so much that I forgot to relax and play.

In a way, I sort of became the Harold Camping of the game. Remember a year ago today, May 21st, 2011? (My apologies if you're already in the 22nd in your time zone). The final judgment was coming, the world as we knew it was supposed to end, and he knew the date. He used numbers to predict doomsday and some people got caught up in it and stopped living, focused everything on preparing for the end. I did that and forgot to have fun.

But the truth is...deep down, I don't really think that we're a lost cause. Maybe the world's not ending. We have a great mission before us: saving the universe as friends, kicking some butt, having some laughs, and all topped off with a cool ending that I still love. And I really think it can still work with a smaller crew.

But I let my inertia convince myself that it was soon going to be no crew. And...maybe that's not so.

[punchedoutdestiny]

Wingus here - and well, it does look a little shaky now. I've had dropping thoughts now and then, but I've kicked them back. I'm sticking with this thing to the end - whether that's the actual end, or the death of the game.

However, I ain't gonna do it sitting down.

Come ATP, I am going on an enabling frenzy. For one, I'm putting up an ad to try and draw in more robot pilots and pilots in general for Starfighter Command. I know there's a number of people out there that have giant robot pilot characters that wish they had a place to take them where they'd be able to keep their mech and actually be able to use it. And with the apps going totally open alongside ATP, and the new character introduction system not locking players down for upwards of a month, enabling should be a lot easier.

And other than that, I am gonna barge through the player post and try to grab anyone who has fitting characters. I encourage others to do the same.

It looks bad, but it's gonna take a lot more than this to finish us.

[morphitudinous]

Agreed. I'd really like to. A crew of pilots and hot-blooded heroes? Not that I want us to be all of the game, of course, but having a squadron again would be pretty cool.

There's nothing we can really do about this directly, so I guess I'll just explain why I don't put much effort into enabling. We're an old game. The 4th anniversary is coming up in a few weeks, and it's even longer if you count the first incarnation.

By now, most people who've been in RP for a while have already decided whether they'd ever consider joining or not, and our rep, especially over the past year, has been bad. We're cliquey, we don't want anyone new, we're dying anyway so why bother? That's really hard to overcome when trying to sell a game to someone.

---so I've been discouraged by a lot of failures, is what I'm trying to say. But there has to be a better way to sell it without looking like a tryhard. Hmm.

[on_your_nerves]

On cellphone so cant talk at length or punctuate but would a water cooler cr meme help right now?

Also we should revisit idea of mod plurk plurking announcements and calling attention to open posts and events maybe.

[punchedoutdestiny]

Yeah, it's gonna be tricky with our age and rep, but it's still worth a try. Worst people can do is say no or ignore the comment when it comes to ATP. If anons wanna peg me a tryhard, let 'em - it ain't gonna bug me. Gotta show some enthusiasm if we want people to get enthused, after all.

To sorta spin off what you said in your post - gotta have fun with the enabling. Yeah, the enabling is to help get more players and crew for the game to work with - but it also needs to be about fun. That's why I'm giving a focus to the robot pilots. They're a fun lot to have around.

[moltenman]

Now speaking as a somewhat older player I have hope for this game that isn't a lost cause. My own personal problems regarding the game has more to do with my personal inaction than anything from the mods or players. I plan to look at myself to see what I can handle and maybe re-evaluate where I am in the game. I don't plan on leaving however. Some future things regarding the game have me very much intrigued like say the villain ship and do not want this game to die before it ends.

Okay. I've babbled enough.

[sawedoffgenius]

Hey, I just want to say that this is not necessarily true. I've been in LJ/DWRP for six and a half years, judging by the creation date of the oldest RP journal I have. Before Eileen invited me here I had only ever heard of T9 in passing. Which is to say, I only looked at it six months ago and obviously had not previously made a decision about it, as evidenced by the fact that I joined right up!

One of my previous games, Polychromatic, was once one of the biggest games in journal RP. I used to play exclusively CLAMP characters and, from hanging out on anon memes, ATP, and RP!S I thought that everyone had heard of my game and specifically my cast - it seems like such a small fandom, after all. Yet, even on ATP and RP!S I would run into people who had never even considered Poly and certainly didn't know about my cast. Hell, I would run into other CLAMP players who had never even heard about the wank in that fandom's thread on anon comm (which was seriously stressing me out back then). As I realized, journal-based RP is a lot bigger than I thought it was.

And, hell - Poly is older and bigger than T9. How many people here have ever seriously looked at it?

Whatever the case, anyone who has been in RP this long knows that entire games change drastically over the years through simple evolution - not just as a result of changes in management (although that happens a lot) but as different batches of players cycle in and out. I dropped Poly less than a year ago, but I couldn't tell you anything about the player experience now. I know it's changed - it changed before my eyes while I was there, and will continue to change.

Trans 9 has just been through a major transition, both in playerbase and in modship. We aren't the same game that I joined six months ago, and in another six months we will have changed still more. What has driven us through all of these transitions has been the unique personalities and playing styles of everyone here. Everyone here has a say in how this game is played - not just as far as written rules go, but as far as conventions and the OOC culture of this game. Often, whether or not players fit into that culture is ultimately what determines whether they stay or go. Those who have dropped - or never joined - have no bearing on that. This game is what its members make it, and will become what its future members create.

If anyone asks, that's why they should bother.

[morphitudinous]

That's true, yes. And I hope you're right and people start to see that.

It's just hard to accept that it's out of our control sometimes, that's all.

[morphitudinous]

I think one with an emphasis on ideas for open posts (especially milk runs) would help.

Most of our activity right now is in backtagged posts and closed plots, so to an outsider's glance, the game looks pretty dead.

[morphitudinous]

No, that's fine! We're hoping villainship and stuff will start to spice things up.

[quixotically]

This game is what its members make it, and will become what its future members create.

What Chi said above... pretty much sums up my thoughts on this. I know I'm new and haven't played witness to past behaviors in the game, but I think maybe what I have to say will be an... interesting perspective, at the very least? Just keep in mind my comments are based on just from what I've seen.

Honestly, I think the mods have been on top of what they needed to do. The mod-run plots were up and ready for people to post. They can't make people post, though. There are types of events the mods could use -- randomizing characters into groups, for example -- but, in my opinion, they're supposed to lay down the groundwork for people to have fun and then keep the plots moving. It's up to the players to actually play.

It seems as though there aren't a lot of people who are actually reaching out to tag people outside of their current CR, except for maybe during podpops. I haven't gotten any CR with people I haven't talked to since I joined the game. I know I haven't been all over the place, but of the posts I have made, the only tags I've gotten? Are from people I approached during the friending and plotting meme. Which I put up, and while I would gladly do it again, I think it's a little odd that a new player had to make it.

In addition, I think AC is a little... lax? I know this game is slow, but considering you're only being asked to produce one post/thread per two months? I think if AC was raised, it would help motivate people to be more active, and thus get things moving more.

This game is what its members make it. It's true of any other game, regardless of age. If other old games can continue to flourish, I don't see why this one can't. It just takes everyone coming together and actually doing it, not just talking or voicing concerns.

tl;dr these are my suggestions:
> Schedule friending+plotting memes, at least once a month.
> Players need to reach out more and be willing to tag outside of their circles.
> Mod-run events involving randomized groups of characters.
> Increase AC.

[quixotically]

I really like the idea of there being a modplurk for replurking open posts.

[morphitudinous]

Oh, whoops! To clarify, I meant a CR meme with an emphasis on developing open posts. We're really lacking in them lately.

I kind of think plurking open posts is something players should do themselves, if that makes any sense?

[quixotically]

That is also a good idea! XD

That does make sense, since the mods can't be everywhere or babysitting it all -- The main concern I have is that plurking open posts doesn't help when you want new CR and don't have the entire game added. Which is just one of those things, but that's why I was like "yay!" when I thought that was what the idea was.

[morphitudinous]

Oh, that!

Well I think the mods were thinking of doing something similar. As an outgoing one I'm not in the loop as much as I used to be, but we were thinking of drawing up a roundup post in the OOC comm linking all the open posts every week. Maybe something like that could be plurked?

[sawedoffgenius]

I just have this to say:

I see you there.

You. Yes, you. Reading these words right now. We threaded together once.

I FUCKING LOVED IT.

(I also saw your thread with that other person, and that was good, too.)

People have said some bad things about you in the past, but I just want to let you know that you are appreciated. I like the direction you've taken your character, and I want to thread with you some more.

I can say all of this with confidence because I know that it's true for a lot of people here. In fact, the only thing that isn't true is perhaps that I've threaded with you - maybe I haven't. It doesn't matter, because I've seen everyone's tags floating around the comm, or posting around on Plurk or whatever and I can safely say that everyone in this game? Is good at what they do.

I can't promise to advertise on ATP or enable a bajillion people, but I'm actively making it my goal to play with everyone in this game. EVERYONE. I don't want T9 to die because players are too worried that they're being judged. I will not judge you. Ever. No, not even you, who think you're so unpopular that I can't possibly be talking about you. I'M TALKING ABOUT YOU.

Let's play together.

[quixotically]

Oh! Yes yes yes, this sounds like an excellent idea.

[flunkingspanish]

I'm a bit of a slow-tagger (okay, more than a bit...) but I think the game still has go in it.

As one of the longest-term players, my primary problem right is mostly time -- the end of the quarter's coming up, my work actually has work for me to do, I'm in a couple other games, and sometimes I just need to veg out on the internets rather than tag things.

Perhaps we could do something like the Support Group Meme that popped up on bakerstreet in our own crack comm? Rather than listing "my character is interested in X, Y, and Z", it could be a more organic way to tag out of comfort zones and figure out which characters should be thrown at each other IC.

+1

[morphitudinous]

I'm gonna pledge to involve myself in as many open posts that go up as well. You're worth having fun with.

[anwei]

Crack premise: we're supposed to have an AI Therapist now, right? Maybe it starts ambushing people and putting them into 'group therapy'!

[morphitudinous]

Huh! Now there's an idea. They'd be in categories like 'doesn't play nice with others', 'father issues', 'compulsive liar'...the kinds of stuff that characters have in common but we might not realize easily and might not think to throw them together?

[flunkingspanish]

It's not like we didn't have GLaDOS once put force fields around people until they kissed!

[governorkang]

...I like this. A lot.

[flunkingspanish]

Additional suggestion: Maybe we should have a page on the Wiki or something with suggestions for ideas for open posts? I know that I've defaulted more than once to "my character is wandering around the ship, what is YOOOOOOUR character doing when s/he finds them?", which puts the work on the other party, which isn't really fair. There are certainly things that everyone does in reasonably public places -- like eating, or cleaning things, or entertaining themselves by reading the graffiti in the Public Bathroom. It might be nice to have them all in one place for the "I wanna do something, what should I do?" brainfarts.

[soulinherfists]

Yeah, I know finding newbies is tough, but I think the rolling AC will give us a much better chance of getting some lasting new blood. I'm going to be trawling ATP too for people to fill in the spaces that need filling.