Destiny Strings Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
stringmods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
puppetsonstrings2013-04-08 09:14 pm
stringmods) wrote in puppetsonstrings2013-04-08 09:14 pm
Entry tags:
April Game Discussion
♞ Game Discussion
▼ Info
This is what will be a bi-monthly (every 2 months) post where players and moderators can discuss the game, issues that there might be and propose ideas about the game in general, including plot ideas or offering their aid.
Moderators are there to help, but we know we have our problems too. That's where you all come in! Sometimes we might have ideas for solutions, sometimes you may come up with ideas on how to solve those problems which allows an even better participation by everyone. You may also have ideas that we have missed. It is also an excellent way to discuss ideas and directions about where the game is going in general.
We want this game to be awesome and to succeed and for that we need your help! YEEEAH!
Moderators are there to help, but we know we have our problems too. That's where you all come in! Sometimes we might have ideas for solutions, sometimes you may come up with ideas on how to solve those problems which allows an even better participation by everyone. You may also have ideas that we have missed. It is also an excellent way to discuss ideas and directions about where the game is going in general.
We want this game to be awesome and to succeed and for that we need your help! YEEEAH!
▼ Important Rules (READ THESE)
▶ If you have issues with certain players, HMDS and moderators in general, please use the moderator crit post and leave a comment there instead. Anon is turned on and IP logging is turned off for that post as well. This discussion post is serving more as a general game discussion.
▶ Make sure to give constructive criticism in regards to problems you may have. We are not trying to find who to blame, but rather how to fix things. Also always, always always remember that moderators are only human as well, and we do also make mistakes.
▶ Feel free to suggest things not even in the game at all! We want to make this game experience as enjoyable and as fun as possible, so tell us your ideas so that the game may be fun not only for you, but everyone in the game as well.
▶ Make sure to give constructive criticism in regards to problems you may have. We are not trying to find who to blame, but rather how to fix things. Also always, always always remember that moderators are only human as well, and we do also make mistakes.
▶ Feel free to suggest things not even in the game at all! We want to make this game experience as enjoyable and as fun as possible, so tell us your ideas so that the game may be fun not only for you, but everyone in the game as well.
▼ Current Issues we are aware of and trying to fix
Before posting anything, and considering this is our first of such discussion, please read all of this as well before posting:
We are aware of many issues and have been trying to fix them. However, these do take some time and may not be fixed completely instantly. Ergo, these are the issues we are aware of and what we are doing to fix them:
▶ Lateness in Mod / Plot / NPC tagging: One of the biggest issues in the game right now, we are well aware that a lot of events tend to end in a stand-still with burn out from tagging. We have done the following to aid us:
▶ Lateness in General:
▶ Crossovers and little warning time:
▶Tone of the Game: I think this might have been an issue with a few of you, so I figured it would be good to explain the game's tone. Destiny Strings is both Persona and Shin Megami Tensei inspired. Which means while it is slice- of-adventure/life in the city, there is instances of mood-whiplash which means that for very happy things, there are also very dark events which may happen. We do plan on warning you ahead of time when those do happen as much as we can.
▶Factions: There also seems to be some confusion about this as well; YOU DO NOT HAVE TO JOIN EITHER SIDE. Part of the Visitor's advantage is that they are the Wildcards not only in terms of Persona power, but also in what they can do here, and it was never our intention for you to think that you HAVE to pick a side.
We are aware of many issues and have been trying to fix them. However, these do take some time and may not be fixed completely instantly. Ergo, these are the issues we are aware of and what we are doing to fix them:
▶ Lateness in Mod / Plot / NPC tagging: One of the biggest issues in the game right now, we are well aware that a lot of events tend to end in a stand-still with burn out from tagging. We have done the following to aid us:
▶ No more Velvet and Aramid Room logs, unless it is plot important (such as the Aramid Room's opening, and the Velvet Room being turned into a Train).
▶ Cut back on NPC-intensive game events; though NPCs will still be active and involved, we do not want players to feel like they are always absolutely necessary to progress (except where it was unfortunately necessary, like with the Shining Trapezohedron discovery). Game events will pan out more like the Scorpio event or the Grand Prix before the closing ceremonies, where progression will be completely up to the players.
▶ If it is necessary, we may recruit more players to assist with NPCing in the future like was done with the Grand Prix.
▶ Limiting boss fight logs to only 4-5 players at most, particularly during Zodiac Events.
▶ Cut back on NPC-intensive game events; though NPCs will still be active and involved, we do not want players to feel like they are always absolutely necessary to progress (except where it was unfortunately necessary, like with the Shining Trapezohedron discovery). Game events will pan out more like the Scorpio event or the Grand Prix before the closing ceremonies, where progression will be completely up to the players.
▶ If it is necessary, we may recruit more players to assist with NPCing in the future like was done with the Grand Prix.
▶ Limiting boss fight logs to only 4-5 players at most, particularly during Zodiac Events.
▶ Lateness in General:
▶ In regards to applications:
▶ In regards to forms:
▶ In regards to layouts and character forms:
▶ We are currently looking into getting a few people to help us with the administrative work if we continue struggling in the near future, but hopefully these changes will help steam-line some things.
▶ We have been working on this the last two review months by making sure that applications are reviewed before a week has passed at the maximum.
▶ We are also using a much more simplified accept post so that it is easier for us as well
▶ We now try to review applications as they arrive to us, for the fastest turn-around rate as possible. Obviously this may slow down if we need to ask for revisions / make a major review.
▶ Depending on how many applications we get that month, we either make an arrival log, or let the players do it on their own.
▶ We are also using a much more simplified accept post so that it is easier for us as well
▶ We now try to review applications as they arrive to us, for the fastest turn-around rate as possible. Obviously this may slow down if we need to ask for revisions / make a major review.
▶ Depending on how many applications we get that month, we either make an arrival log, or let the players do it on their own.
▶ In regards to forms:
▶ This was a major issue in the past, since we had all the forms scattered in many pages. Now with all of them in a single page, it makes it much easier to keep track of them. We hope you noticed an increase in speed in that regard!
▶ We try to review them as we get them for the most part now, with that Friday as a general day where all the mods looks at the forms and makes sure nothing is unanswered.
▶ Jobs will no longer require mod approval anymore unless they are government/npc/working with another player jobs. As long as the jobs make sense for the character and within the city, it's fine.
▶ Persona taken from the Velvet and Aramid room that come from the accepted Public Persona database no longer require mod approval. Just leave a note in the form with "X character took out this persona today," just so we know that they did. If you do create a new Persona, however, you will still need to pass it through us for approval.
▶ Buildings imported from another universe will be limited to two a week. This means that while you can submit a building from your character's universe whenever you want, it will not necessarily be accepted immediately. This has the added IC benefit of not causing too much overcrowding in the city. However, Native buildings do not have a limit; these can be submitted and accepted in any number or amount per week, and is independent from the number of imported-universe buildings accepted.
▶ We try to review them as we get them for the most part now, with that Friday as a general day where all the mods looks at the forms and makes sure nothing is unanswered.
▶ Jobs will no longer require mod approval anymore unless they are government/npc/working with another player jobs. As long as the jobs make sense for the character and within the city, it's fine.
▶ Persona taken from the Velvet and Aramid room that come from the accepted Public Persona database no longer require mod approval. Just leave a note in the form with "X character took out this persona today," just so we know that they did. If you do create a new Persona, however, you will still need to pass it through us for approval.
▶ Buildings imported from another universe will be limited to two a week. This means that while you can submit a building from your character's universe whenever you want, it will not necessarily be accepted immediately. This has the added IC benefit of not causing too much overcrowding in the city. However, Native buildings do not have a limit; these can be submitted and accepted in any number or amount per week, and is independent from the number of imported-universe buildings accepted.
▶ In regards to layouts and character forms:
▶The last update was the very last one. (Honest to goodness promise, or Pixle has to eat a hat and film it.)
▶ There will not be any major layout changes nor character forms to fill out again barring a major issue that would come up in the unforeseeable future. Otherwise, everything is staying the same for a very, very, very long time.
▶ There will not be any major layout changes nor character forms to fill out again barring a major issue that would come up in the unforeseeable future. Otherwise, everything is staying the same for a very, very, very long time.
▶ We are currently looking into getting a few people to help us with the administrative work if we continue struggling in the near future, but hopefully these changes will help steam-line some things.
▶ Crossovers and little warning time:
▶ The Crossover with Animus was unique and not something that we will be repeating.
▶ The surprise part and last-minute event were also a one-time only thing that we will not be repeating.
▶ If we do have other game crossovers in the future, you will be warned at the very least a month ahead of time, and any events taking place in that crossover will also get warning ahead of time.
▶ The crossover event was largely to introduce the potential of the Shining Trapezohedron; for the most part, it is meant for player plots and will mostly be up to the discretion of the players to use. It may be used for events in the future, but fully coordinated out-of-the-city plots are unlikely.
▶ The surprise part and last-minute event were also a one-time only thing that we will not be repeating.
▶ If we do have other game crossovers in the future, you will be warned at the very least a month ahead of time, and any events taking place in that crossover will also get warning ahead of time.
▶ The crossover event was largely to introduce the potential of the Shining Trapezohedron; for the most part, it is meant for player plots and will mostly be up to the discretion of the players to use. It may be used for events in the future, but fully coordinated out-of-the-city plots are unlikely.
▶Tone of the Game: I think this might have been an issue with a few of you, so I figured it would be good to explain the game's tone. Destiny Strings is both Persona and Shin Megami Tensei inspired. Which means while it is slice- of-adventure/life in the city, there is instances of mood-whiplash which means that for very happy things, there are also very dark events which may happen. We do plan on warning you ahead of time when those do happen as much as we can.
▶Factions: There also seems to be some confusion about this as well; YOU DO NOT HAVE TO JOIN EITHER SIDE. Part of the Visitor's advantage is that they are the Wildcards not only in terms of Persona power, but also in what they can do here, and it was never our intention for you to think that you HAVE to pick a side.
▼ Discuss!
We've outlined some things we're doing behind the scenes to make the game better, but please use this post to discuss any problems, concerns, or suggestions you have. And remember to keep it civil. We will not be afraid to step in if things get out of hand.
no subject
Also, that's reassuring to hear, regarding trying to make a more community feel, and I thank you for that, and will try to do my own part as well. And thank you for the clarification regarding the factions. My apologies for the misunderstanding.
no subject
Again, while we can encourage players to talk with each other, we also understand that not everyone will want to be friends or get together. In that instance, we expect that the IC/OOC barrier is respected, and even if you may not want to play with someone, that you do so in a polite and respectful manner.
However it is when the issue becomes repeated or overheated that we can try to step in and do the best we can.