VERY IMPORTANT. PLEASE READ.

[passingmod.livejournal.com]

So, I've been thinking! I've gotten very busy IRL, and you might have noticed that I'm not around nearly as much as I was in March. I simply don't have the time and energy to devote to making this game all that it can be, but I don't want to give up on it, and I've always wanted to do something I've never seen done before...

Which is to make applications by player, instead of by character, and turn the game into something of a "dressing room with standards". This would mean that applications would be on a more general writing style / characterization grasp standard, and once accepted, players could bring in whoever they wanted. It would eliminate the need for V#'s, and would erase all character limits. Current players would not need to re-apply under this system, as it's assumed you already meet our standards.

Tags would be reformatted to be done by journal name, and the taken list would be a comment directory, with a comment for each letter, a comment for each series under that letter, and a comment for each character under the series. This would be almost totally player maintained, and people could comment and delete their comments from the list at their own discretion. A separate post would be to request journals to be let into the communities. Monthly themes would still be run as they are, and I would likely take on a mod helper specifically to do the voting and announcing each month (since I'm so terrible at remembering to do it, l-lol).

However! I don't want to do such a dramatic shift to the game without asking you, the players, whether you'd support this. :) Please, please please vote and leave any commentary below! ♥

[Poll #1738355]

Comments

[abaratian-soul.livejournal.com]

We all know I'm on board with this!

[abaratian-soul.livejournal.com]

OH YEAH how would this effect activity limits and the like? Eliminate activity checks all together or....?

[passingmod.livejournal.com]

GOOD QUESTION, I assumed it'd eliminate them altogether! :O Since activity checks are really to make sure that the character limits are enforced fairly across the board.

--Vivi

[abaratian-soul.livejournal.com]

I'M COOL WITH THAT. I assumed so too so. This works for me :)

[traptinacoffin.livejournal.com]

I think the A/C and apps are so extremely easy there's no reason to make it a ~dressing room~. I actually like the game better for /not/ being a dressing room so, there's my two cents. I think it has a better chance staying the way it is.

[dormition]

What about it makes it better to you for not being a dressing room, out of curiosity? My intention here was to let people have flexibility in who they play without having to app each character - if this changed, the apps themselves would change completely and I'd probably try to be a bit stricter on them.

[traptinacoffin.livejournal.com]

The apps are already ridiculously easy, and I like apping for each character I intend to play. I think dressing rooms invite people to pick up and drop characters at random and I would be much less interested in forging CR if I'm not sure it'll be there tomorrow. I did my time in dressing rooms and they just don't hold my interest anymore. I like that this has a DR/private game feel without actually being either. It's unique and intimate and I apped it because of how it is, tbh I would probably drop out completely if it were changed. If everyone else likes the idea though you should go through with it, it's just not what I was looking for when I apped this game, personally.

[dormition]

Yeah, you do have a good point, and I don't dislike the way that it is at all... I'm just concerned that because I won't have a lot of time to run this, it might wither and die out. I think this other format would help prevent that.

If everyone disagrees with me, I don't intend to force it, though. I really want this to be a group consensus either way, so we'll see how it goes.

[traptinacoffin.livejournal.com]

I think it would be more likely to die out in DR format myself, but if you don't have time to give it attention maybe take on another mod to replace me? Idk.

[dormition]

Hmmm yeah it might, LOL. Either way I definitely intend to take on another mod - it seems like we all up and had real life attack us at the same time.

[agkelikos.livejournal.com]

I love the idea of eliminating character apps, though that might be because I'm lazy haha. However I would feel more inclined to try out new characters knowing I could do a player app and that's it. ^^; I would be scared that a dressing room type format might make the quality of the game go downhill and CR to die quickly with characters being picked up and dropped everywhere but it depends... it might not happen after all! It's a risk but it might be worth trying?

I'm not sure if I'd like the new taken characters format, but that might just be because I wouldn't find it pretty lmao. ;~; Also if you're eliminating versions would there just be one of each character? Or could there be like a million of the same character in the game 'cause I don't really like it when that happens. ):

[dormition]

Yeah, the fact that CR might become transient is a concern, but I'm not sure we could predict what would happen with that in any way that wasn't trying it out in practice... I do intend to try to control pretty strongly on player apps, and to make HMDs mandatory if we went that route. But I feel like these are both things that happen in regular games anyway - people disappear or their playing quality diminishes, even if they passed the app process.

lol I know I would be sad that it wasn't pretty anymore ;; but it'd be a lot of work to update it constantly. :( And there could be a million of the same character, simply because it's so hard to stop that in a more DR type setting. We could try to keep the "one canon, two AU" set up that we have going on right now, if everyone preferred that, though. I would be open to that.

[agkelikos.livejournal.com]

*nodnod* So, really, I wouldn't be adverse to it being tried out. :)

Haha yeah I understand that XD I think I'd prefer it if it was kept as one canon/two AU, just because while it was novel meeting the same character in DRs at first, I don't like the idea of having loads of the same popular character. ;; Especially if they're all active...

That's just my opinion though! I say yes for trying the new format but maybe keeping the canon and AU cap on.

[guiltapalooza]

We'll have to see which way the poll runs. XD So far it's in the no, but only eight people have voted, so who knows. o/

That's a really sound idea! :3 If it goes through I think I'll keep it that way. I'm glad you thought of it!

[vacationisalie.livejournal.com]

I'm behind it all the way, and despite my general lack of being here most of this week, I'd love to help moderate, as this place is generally absolutely fantastic.

Really, its up to you guys, and making somewhere more open and hospitable to general styles of gameplay would be great. I think the one thing that really separates this from being a game is a lack of a hub and generalized plot... it'd be nice to see what would happen if the players here wanted to add something of that style, and work on an over arching plot together. One that people can easily jump in and out of.

Also I'll work on the description for this event soon; did you want me to post it or PM it to you? ^^;

[guiltapalooza]

OH I'm so glad you volunteered, LOL. I'd love to bring you on to the mod team! :DD When I get back from work today I'll PM you with the sitch - I have to scuttle out the door right now, unfortunately.

I've had some plans to bring in an opt-in ongoing plot, actually, but they're only vague plans at best at the moment. XD If you or anyone else has a more specific idea on it, I'd love to hear it. Whatever way the game structure goes, I intend to follow through on that.

Oh, go ahead and post it! I probably should've done a better job describing it on the announcement post, l-lol as;dlkjouihra I've just been so busy and out of it lately. I had to go on full hiatus in my other game. Things should settle down in June or July, fortunately, I just have to get there. *__*;;

[vacationisalie.livejournal.com]

Ah, well thank you! Glad to help out with whatever's needed, take your time since, weekend. Tons of time to cover all of it.

Oh, that'd be wonderful! I have to admit, I'd be really excited for the potential of adding an ongoing plot. As far as game structure goes...we'll see? I'm honestly of the opinion that at the moment its in a styling that those here love, and whilst I'd still stay here it'd be sad to lose it all to a dressing room. I know CR has been something constantly cropping up as the main concern.

Aha, just relax. Your player base is here to help, you just need to ask. ;D

[passingmod.livejournal.com]

I ended up getting overwhelmed with work and holiday plans (as per usual) but here I am! LOL I'll send you a PM after I go through these comments here. :)

It looks like I've been outvoted anyway, unless there's some kind of drastic turn around in the next few days... I'm not upset, though, it was an idea and I wanted to pose it, and if people are really happy with the way things are then far be it from me to change it. XD It does make me want to get my butt in gear and get some things done, though. I'll post a privated thing to the mod journal later tonight for us all to powwow on. WE NEED A TO DO LIST. I CAN'T FUNCTION WITHOUT A TO DO LIST.

LOL you're so right. ;;; shame on me for getting that, seriously!

--Vivi

[vacationisalie.livejournal.com]

It's all cool, you've been a busy bee! I'll keep an eye out for it and see what to do from there.

Ah, I think part of the problem may be the time constrictions for yourself. Modding is a huge job, so add on RL and I can completely understand the suggestion, really. A powwow sounds fantastic- I'm looking forward to that!

Easy to forget sometimes, you know? ;3 Just relax and don't stress.

--Daine

[dormition]

Thank you ♥♥ I feel much better now that I'm getting everything in order. :) I'm just... a neat/tidy person, lol, I feel out of sorts when things aren't in place and running smoothly.

Yeah, you're absolutely right again. xD;; I'm sure I seem like a crazy person who's always running around hither and tither, but actually when I'm at work I'm very mellow and calm. Since I'm doing massage I have to like... foster an atmosphere of total peace and relaxation for my clients, and it transfers over to my mentality a lot. It's only once I leave work that the running around like a chicken without a head comes in. lollll

<33

[auncyenhalig.livejournal.com]

I'd LOVE to see some kind of plot, especially if it was easy to opt-in or out so people can decide whether they want just dream antics or other things too. So that sounds awesome.

The biggest issue I see with player-app to judge characterization grasp is there's no one-size-fits-all for characterization. I could play a derp, you know? That doesn't mean I can play a laconic intellectual, or a fast-talking smartass. Different character types just require different skills, whether that's an eloquent grasp of vocabulary or an inventive knack for insults!

/tossing two cents in from hiatusville

[passingmod.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'd never make a plot that wasn't opt in - that goes against my "free creativity" philosophy XD - but I would love for us to have some direction, so expect to see something moving on this in the next week. :)

That's a really good point and I'm glad you peeked out from hiatusville to say it! I got kind of overexcited with this idea that I had, LOL, but that's why I put up polls before I put anything into action. xD It looks like my idea will remain just an idea~

--Vivi

[reverse-destiny.livejournal.com]

Mm. I'm gonna have to disagree on just player apps, because I think it's inviting trouble. Especially on the AUs since they're allowed. Right now, with a character-by-character basis, there's some form of standards for the AU. They have to at least partially resemble the character and be thought out. And if we go player apps, then... Well, I know some of my AUs are at least decent if not really great. I also know some of them probably won't stand up to current standards and would never get in. This is good! It makes less friction amongst players, because the ones that do get in tend to be interesting and make sense! But... If we just let in players who meet the standards and not just characters, then... Things can go south real fast. You can get extremely bad AUs--quality wise, not as in "Character A is now a bad guy." And right now, because we actually have standards, it's nice. Easy-going. Everything fits together into a nice, pretty and interesting puzzle and the IC friction is the good kind that spurs development.

[traptinacoffin.livejournal.com]

+1

[passingmod.livejournal.com]

Yeah, you all brought up great points. XD I got overly excited and wanted to see if other people would get as excited as I was, but it's good that you've all brought me back to sense. lol. If people are happy with the way things are, I'm not someone to tamper with what works. :)

So, it looks like things will be changing in the more regular game type format! There should be an opt in plot forming and a couple minor shiftings around, and a push for trying to bring in more new players... that should all happen within the week. <:

--Vivi