On Member Plots and Structure
Nov 17, 2016 3:37:34 GMT
Post by Bonetrousled? on Nov 17, 2016 3:37:34 GMT
Now, I know there are probably a ton of people who want to do cool stuff with their characters, their settings, and their history. There are probably a lot of people who want a chance to do something more impactful and consequential than the usual. And as staff, we all want to encourage people making cool stuff and having a blast on the site. However, if there's a clash in expectations or just simply a big disagreement, what could be a fun addition to the site can instead just upset everyone involved. So to make sure things go smoothly and everyone's having a good time, I'm gonna set a few ground rules for future plot developments.
Firstly, please set up signups for major plot threads as if they were mission threads. I'm confident we can logically pick through which sorts of threads would need this decision. I'm not going to make people make a mission every time their characters want to talk with another about recent plot events, or every time they want to slap around an NPC with some friends. But if this is going to be serious plot business, it's only fair it's treated as serious plot business. This signup process is exactly like that of a mission, but with no reward and no mission slot taken up. Essentially, it just gates a plot thread so members know what they're getting into, threadrunners know who to expect showing up, and staff get a final nod of approval on everything plotwise going down in the Digital World.
Secondly, please try to be moderate with your reach. A plot's going to have more impact than an average thread, too, but at the same time nobody wants to feel obligated to participate just because it's too big to ignore. Please keep destruction localized moderately, avoid making ridiculously huge, sweeping changes, and don't completely flood the site in threads for it. To help with this, please keep an "activity log" so if new members are interested they can quickly be eased in by a summary and links to past threads.
Thirdly, for important or recurring NPCs, it is critical that you provide us information on their capabilities. I'd hope every minor minion wouldn't need an elaborate breakdown, and the attacks don't need to be nearly as sophisticated as a full member's, but records for particularly common or important NPCs will help ensure everyone has a fair understanding of what they are capable of. You can choose to open them to the public or keep them entirely to you and the staff, but it is essential that at the very least we know what's going on. Please be as clear and precise as possible with these as well. Outline exactly what you envision these guys being capable of.
We hope these guidelines are clear and helpful. Thanks for reading.
Firstly, please set up signups for major plot threads as if they were mission threads. I'm confident we can logically pick through which sorts of threads would need this decision. I'm not going to make people make a mission every time their characters want to talk with another about recent plot events, or every time they want to slap around an NPC with some friends. But if this is going to be serious plot business, it's only fair it's treated as serious plot business. This signup process is exactly like that of a mission, but with no reward and no mission slot taken up. Essentially, it just gates a plot thread so members know what they're getting into, threadrunners know who to expect showing up, and staff get a final nod of approval on everything plotwise going down in the Digital World.
Secondly, please try to be moderate with your reach. A plot's going to have more impact than an average thread, too, but at the same time nobody wants to feel obligated to participate just because it's too big to ignore. Please keep destruction localized moderately, avoid making ridiculously huge, sweeping changes, and don't completely flood the site in threads for it. To help with this, please keep an "activity log" so if new members are interested they can quickly be eased in by a summary and links to past threads.
Thirdly, for important or recurring NPCs, it is critical that you provide us information on their capabilities. I'd hope every minor minion wouldn't need an elaborate breakdown, and the attacks don't need to be nearly as sophisticated as a full member's, but records for particularly common or important NPCs will help ensure everyone has a fair understanding of what they are capable of. You can choose to open them to the public or keep them entirely to you and the staff, but it is essential that at the very least we know what's going on. Please be as clear and precise as possible with these as well. Outline exactly what you envision these guys being capable of.
We hope these guidelines are clear and helpful. Thanks for reading.