InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Why are you winking at me?"

Kain Highwind (holylance) wrote in chaosu_ooc,
@ 2009-03-01 16:34:00

Current mood:	mellow
Current music:	Disturbed: Prayer
Entry tags:	important discussions, player talk

Heads up and Other Stuff
I meant to do a post about this before I went on hiatus, but didn't get the chance. So now that I'm back, here it is!

I've noticed that, for quite a while now, Niflheim has had trouble doing anything.

It seems that whenever someone from Niflheim tries to do something it either doesn't pan out or is very difficult to get rolling. This is partially due to the Asgardians being pretty much impossible to touch, both mentally and physically. I understand that due to past events, the Asgardians are very wary, and rightly so. But the villains are not getting the chance to be villains.

Now I'm not asking anyone to sacrifice what is IC for their character. I just want you to ask, when you see a post by someone in Niflheim (or someone in Asgard, for that matter) if your character has a real IC reason to ignore their post, or if your OOC knowledge is unconsciously coloring your actions. This isn't aimed at anyone in particular, it's just a general observation. Hell, I'm guilty of it myself. My own busyness has caused me to get tunnel vision when it comes to replying to journal entries, and that is something that I need to change. Because it is not necessarily IC for my characters.

This goes for the villains of Niflheim, as well. If your villain can see something that Asgard has written, why not take that opportunity to jump on it? Many of you do and that's awesome, but some others don't (myself included!).

Another thing that I myself am guilty of: communication. We're all reasonable, nice, and friendly people here. So if you have any plot ideas, why not bring them up with your fellow players? I know that many of us do not want our characters to be too hurt by Niflheim's plots, and many Niflheimers would enjoy it if they didn't lose all the time. I'm sure that if such things were discussed more openly, compromises could be reached, and everyone could enjoy themselves.

This wouldn't even really be an issue if it weren't for the fact that in this game it's good against evil, and both teams need to be active in order for the plot to make any sense. It is painfully obvious that Asgard is far more active than Niflheim, and while some of that is due to the fact that Asgard has more characters, the amount of difference is astonishing. And that difference is communication. Far more Asgardian characters actually talk to each other, get into each other's business, and have players that are actively forming plots.

So pretty much what I'm getting at here is: we all need to talk to each other more, and we all need to relax a little when it comes to interacting with other characters and players.

--

As I was writing this, our lovely Secretary, Mary, made a very good point. It seems to be a trend in this game that threads either get dropped or float around forever. This is another area where communication comes in. Don't be afraid to nudge your partners if they haven't posted in quite a while, and in the same vein don't be afraid to let people know if you don't have time or interest in a thread. It may also help if you have a bit of an idea what is going to happen in your thread ahead of time and keep it moving along the right track, though there is certainly nothing wrong with spontaneous threads.

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My Two Cents

blind_oracle
2009-03-01 06:47 pm UTC (link)

Back last year, I started a lot of plots and threads using Sal as a villain and using Blythe and Dorian as prey to help get people involved. This year, I've been much more hands off because I want other people to start doing things themselves.

I feel a fair amount of guilt of selfishness on my part, because when I did a lot of these threads, having my characters in them made them very central - and my intent was never to rally people into plots so that my characters could get spotlight. Every single character deserves attention and respect and activity. And I have decided that, aside from this Brandy plot, my characters will only become active when they are needed and when it is necessary, because I want to see other people step up and take charge. This is a game with endless possibilities. If people are afraid to put their characters out there, that fear is irrational. Games only progress when there is action. If you feel like your characters aren't getting enough action, then please make an effort to communicate with the other players.

This isn't me attacking anyone. This is me just saying, if you want to do something - if you want to make something out of a plot or a plan or whatever - you have my support. Go for it! We can't rely on the same handful of people to bring about the action. We are all equally responsible for the progression of this rpg and for the development of our characters.

Thanks, luvs.

(Reply to this)

rice_ball
2009-03-01 07:50 pm UTC (link)

Maybe it would help if we established a CU chatroom or something of that sort to help in with plotting things with other players? It would probably help increase communication with other players and make it easier and quicker to establish plots and work out ideas together. And Email tends to be a bit slow in this sense (at least with my experience with it), especially when it comes to addressing a larger number of people.

Also, on a plot related note; I have been kind of trying to build Tohru up to talking to those in Niflheim. She is curious about them and wants to ask them something. Although she has been warned against speaking to them, she wants to give them a chance. I just need another instant where she gets to thinking about it, either by another Asgardian talking about taking action against them, or by her just talking to a Niflheimer learning a little bit about them. So if you have any character that would be willing to help give her a little push in that direction, let me know. I would really appreciate it.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	holylance 2009-03-02 09:18 pm UTC (link)
	That's an excellent idea! What medium would you suggest this chat be in? (AIM or something else--?) It's true, email can be very slow to work with. Ooh, I would be more than willing to give her that little push! Banru, my Niflheim character, loves to "befriend" the Asgardians and gain their trust. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	rice_ball 2009-03-02 10:08 pm UTC (link)
	AIM appears to be what most of us have listed in our contact list, so that might be best. Oooh! Banru was the first Niflheimer to talk to her so that would be great! (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	holylance 2009-03-04 09:55 pm UTC (link)
	Sounds good, there's further discussions about that waaay down at the bottom of the comments. 83 Oh, wonderful! He will definitely drop her a line, next journal entry she makes! (Reply to this) (Parent)

silverknight
2009-03-03 10:52 am UTC (link)

Just my two cents about the chatroom idea.

We have players in different time zones, some of us are something like 12 hours away from the others. That would make a chat room very difficult. Personally, because I have been in rpgs which used chatrooms and that only managed to make the game run away from those who don't have the time/are not in the same time zone, I do think it is really necessary to chat in real time with the players.

What's so bad about waiting a day for an e-mail reply?

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

my_private_life
2009-03-03 11:55 am UTC (link)

I know for me, where I get upwards of 30 emails a day, it's really easy for me to miss/overlook emails, or think I've replied when I haven't, or just plain take forever to get to them.

For me, personally at least, email can be a really, really bad way to get a hold of me. I know that there have been a few cases where people have been waiting on responses for me for about a week or so. :/ It's much easier for me to get things done in real time.

Only speaking for myself here, of course, but e-mail is definitely on the problematic side for me.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

sith_supreme
2009-03-03 12:17 pm UTC (link)

These upto 30 emails per day are the reason why I find the non-real time responses better. Then I can bookmark and automatically filter those messages I haven't responded to and make sure I don't forget anyone.

Would I get the stuff via chat, I wouldn't be able to do anything. It's too fast for me, especially as the Europeans are still (as far as I remember) a minority in the game. Everything would be forced to follow to follow American time zones.

Though I definitely can understand why you see the many emails as a problem.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

born_of_a_wish
2009-03-03 12:22 pm UTC (link)

I've never been able to get the hang of filtering and tagging my emails. :/ I'm still getting used to Gmail at this point.

I can totally understand that. I don't really use AIM, honestly, I stick with Y!M and Gchat, but I've been in RP chats that were just overwhelming. I don't think it would be too bad with a smaller game like this, but there is definitely the timezone thing. (My own online schedule is a little weird, even though I'm in the US. I'm on mostly early in the morning, and not too many other people are.)

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

sith_supreme
2009-03-03 12:29 pm UTC (link)

Gmail is a great invention, though I prefer to tag my mails in del.icio.us. If the link's private I know I haven't replied to it, and after the reply I delete the link.

Some days I wonder why I have accounts for near to all IM services when I never use them. I never got into the habit of real time conversations via the internet. I'm probably too old-fashioned to chat; it's too much like using a telephone, which makes it sort of impractical to use for detailed conversations.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	hornfreak 2009-03-01 09:32 pm UTC (link)
	I've had some ideas for plots for Midvalley that just never got off the ground. In one case that was my fault, and in another I guess it was just a bad idea. But I had trouble getting other people involved -- but maybe because they were lousy plot ideas; I don't know. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	hornfreak 2009-03-01 09:34 pm UTC (link)
	Uh, I'm sorry if the above comment sounds like I'm taking other people to task; I really don't mean to. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	holylance 2009-03-02 09:30 pm UTC (link)
	Oh no, I doubt your plot ideas were lousy. I think we've all had plots that didn't get off the ground. If you had any other ideas it would be great for you to bring them forward so that we could all work together to make them happen! <3 (Reply to this) (Parent)

	silverknight 2009-03-03 10:52 am UTC (link)
	Are you talking about the possibility of Midvalley maybe changing sides? I remember you mentioning that idea some time ago. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

hornfreak
2009-03-03 11:43 am UTC (link)

Yeah, that was one idea I had. I didn't really necessarily want him to go through with it (after all, I have two on Asgard side already and we don't have enough Niflheimers, and anyway I don't think it would be allowed) but I wanted him to try. Not sure that would still work anymore, though he is still pretty pissed at Sal.

I also wanted him to get in a fight. He hasn't really used his sax powers except against the zombies.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

sith_supreme
2009-03-03 12:21 pm UTC (link)

Why wouldn't it work? A double agent, or whatever you might call it, could be always worked into the overall game plot.

Now that you mention fight, I have realized that Jazz didn't get into any 'real' fights as well. I don't think he has used his cannons for anything but the zombies, as far as I can remember.

If nothing can be worked out we could create a duelling club, so that all characters that need to get off some steam can go at each other. Could be quite liberating for them.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

hornfreak
2009-03-03 01:20 pm UTC (link)

I wasn't picturing him as a double agent exactly, though that's an interesting thought too. I'm definitely trying to avoid having him betray Niflheim while still living there, though it is IC for him to try to escape/fight from something he finds oppressive.

I could make a trade and send Frank to Niflheim! Just kidding.

Oh, a dueling club sounds excellent. That's a great idea.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

silverknight
2009-03-03 01:28 pm UTC (link)

Trying to escape/fight something he finds oppressive doesn't mean he's going to betray Niflheim. It only says he's thinking about it.

You know what, that doesn't even sound too far fetched. Frank seems to have enough 'darkness' in him to be not on the bottom of Niflheim's pack order.

Cool. Though now I have those Harry Potter references in my head, and I don't even like Potter. *grummel*

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	hornfreak 2009-03-03 01:43 pm UTC (link)
	Actually, I can think of one reason Frank would go over there: to try to protect Walter. However, that might get him killed... It does sound Potterish. But since we have no HP characters (yet anyway) I doubt we'll have to deal with Gilderoy Lockhart. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	silverknight 2009-03-06 02:11 pm UTC (link)
	winces I have seen to many overly... cute cliches written about Lockhart. Wouldn't a nice does of Inigo Montoya be better? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	hornfreak 2009-03-06 02:12 pm UTC (link)
	Much better, yes. Especially if we can make it book!Inigo. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	silverknight 2009-03-06 02:23 pm UTC (link)
	And now I have to re-read the book because I only have Mandy Patinkin playing him in my head. Thanks for giving me the idea. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	silverknight 2009-03-03 10:56 am UTC (link)
	Has it really become that bad with the Niflheim plottings? I've seen that the average 'action thread' per character has gone down, but didn't connect it with any kind of communication problem. That said, thanks for reminding me to check if all the threads I'm in are still open/already finished. (Reply to this)

As a thought?

pyro_madness
2009-03-04 08:32 am UTC (link)

As a suggestion to ease the concerns about email and chat, perhaps it's time to think about a third board - it would be much like the ooc_board, except made specifically for plot-requesting and plot-building. This community has been working very well, of course, but it seems to fill up with hiatus-notices very quickly while all the plot updates keep getting pushed down. I've also noticed that most large rpg's tend to have three boards.

I personally don't care for AIM (sorry to be so lame xD), but I do tend to get to my email within a day or two. Hmm. But yes, this is a lot to think about, and I'm glad that you've brought it up, Brandi. ^^

(Reply to this)

	Second Thought blind_oracle 2009-03-04 07:15 pm UTC (link)
	I don't like AIM either, but if it works for most people, it's the majority vote. We have to do what's most efficient, (unfortunately?), and AIM does get the job done. Email works too, but we can't afford to be picky if such things are there for our convenience. I don't think a third board is necessary. We're not an active enough community for that. (Reply to this) (Thread)

Re: Second Thought

very_bad_advice
2009-03-04 07:53 pm UTC (link)

Personally I use Trillian, if only because using AIM and MSN at the same time takes up too much memory; however I'm still trying to figure out if the thing has a chat room function.

I think one of the best things to do would be to try and figure out a good time to hold these chats, so that way those of us who don't like AIM wouldn't have to log onto it, every single night in case we have a spontanious chat.

Or, if that doesn't seem feasible, have the person who's sitting up the chat, e-mail players on the day of the chat with the set time.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

Re: Second Thought

blind_oracle
2009-03-04 08:00 pm UTC (link)

See, I use AIM and MSN, but I would still find a way to talk with you, you know? We'd sort something out. I think the one thing we don't need is an extra board. Everything else, I'm totally up for debate/compromise, but the one thing I absolutely don't think we need is that third board.

Making a schedule for the chats would be a good idea. People could post the best times to catch them online and that could be a good start. Luckily, there's not often in the game that everyone needs to be in the same place at the same time, so it wouldn't be as complicated as I think everyone fears it will be.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: Second Thought holylance 2009-03-04 08:08 pm UTC (link)
	You both make good points there, and I'm sure it's something that, as Tori said, could be worked so that most everyone could be able to be on at the same time. I don't have much else to say other than this is sounding like a better idea than I had previously thought. xD (Reply to this) (Parent)

Re: Second Thought

very_bad_advice
2009-03-04 08:46 pm UTC (link)

Huh, didn't know you used either one.

I agree, we don't need a third board. Often times when an RP has a three boards it's set up as either

A: One 'community board' (All posts go here, and characters do not use journals.)

Board for Logs

Board for OOC.

B: Board for Mod Announcements

Board for Logs

Board for OOC

As you can see we don't need a third one.

*nod nod* Well, just for the record I'm usually always on from 6pm my time to 2am (sometimes 4am, depending on if it's my day off or not.)

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

Re: Second Thought

blind_oracle
2009-03-04 09:00 pm UTC (link)

Yep! I prefer MSN, though. AIM I use only if absolutely necessary.

Yeah, and, I mean, it's not a bad idea. But for a larger game, I would think. It would be a good idea if this game doubled in size, but I think for now it's not the top choice. And that's just my personal opinion.

Whoo, good to know! I'm on at least a couple hours each night, unless something else comes up, and usually on Sunday afternoons.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: Second Thought very_bad_advice 2009-03-04 09:28 pm UTC (link)
	I love Trillian, because I can talk to people on AIM and MSN with that one program. nods nods again (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: Second Thought blind_oracle 2009-03-04 09:38 pm UTC (link)
	Dude, that's actually pretty cool! I didn't know there were such programs like that. We should MSN chat sometime then, dude. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: Second Thought very_bad_advice 2009-03-04 10:29 pm UTC (link)
	Most definitely! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	holy_assumption 2009-03-05 05:50 pm UTC (link)
	I know I need to be poked and prodded, but my grandmothers in the hospital with some mass on her brain but she isn't getting better although her appetite has (thank God) :[ (Reply to this) (Thread)

	shabby_doll 2009-03-06 02:14 pm UTC (link)
	Oh no... I'm really sorry to hear that. (Reply to this) (Parent)