HOW'S THE GAME?

[paradisamods]

It's time for another round of Game Discussion, also known as

HOW'S THE GAME?

Here we come together to discuss the game, its plots, the settings, and just about anything we can think of that we'd like to talk about, expand upon, improve, change, etc.


This is not an HMD for players and their characters; this should be about the game's function as a whole and not the people in it. If there is something you feel is absolutely necessary to address that involves a specific person, please IM a mod first to discuss it. We can be reached at valawie (Valerie), fan of todd (TF), or never die ftw (Ashley).

Anonymous will be left off for this round. Sock journals are allowed, but you will have to request comm access to post with them.

Here are the sections that we've come up with. Add your own, and we'll edit it into the list. :)

➜ HOW ARE THE MODS DOING?
➜ HOW IS THE ONE-MONTH APP RULE WORKING?
➜ APPLICATION PROCESS CHANGES
➜ ACTIVITY CHECK
➜ HMD
➜ PARADISA BEYOND
➜ PRISON & PRISONERS

PLOTS
➜ ARE WE READY FOR DARKER PLOTS AGAIN?
➜ WORLD PLOT
➜ MINI EVENTS/PLOTS
➜ WHAT PLOTS DO YOU WANT TO SEE?
➜ WORLD PLOT HIATUS PLOT PROPOSAL

Comments

[custodismundi.livejournal.com]

1. - It's entirely possible that the change might not jive with some people, and they'll decide to kind of peter off or get frustrated waiting. I'm not sure I can see a way around that, as there's no doubt if this plot went off, it would take a hefty amount of time to cover the World Plot hiatus. Do you have any thoughts?

2. - I was thinking that we could set up an FAQ that can be relinked to provide information all condensed easy to read in one spot. It would take work to create, yes! I have no qualms helping out on this front.

The idea would be to shove people out of the norms. It's true they will eventually find THIS to be the norm, after months -- but things will eventually go back to the 'normal' it was before and render it moot, since it won't be sticking around. It -will- absolutely raise questions and change the way a lot of people think, which I think will change the way they treat each other and the castle and their handling of their lives -- which IS the goal.

[superheroine]

1. That's the thing; I don't think it's necessary to cover the entire World Plot hiatus. Keeping a large majority of people interested and enthusiastic about something like this for longer than a month basically seems unrealistic to me, if not impossible.

2. Totally fair.

If there's anything I've figured out running WP, it's that trying to force long-term change never works. It is entirely in the execution, which we can't know until it actually happens, and 5-6 months is a long, long time to wager on it. People were frustrated at Riful not wrapping up, and by time it was closing, a lot of people didn't want anything to do with it anymore; I'd worry that this would end up similarly, only people couldn't just opt out if they weren't interested.

When doing big "game changers", it has to be an idea that people will latch onto and run with IC. It just can't be forced because of OOC decisions/planning; it just ends up exhausting people when it doesn't pan out that way because characters are unpredictable and do things differently.

[custodismundi.livejournal.com]

To be fair, I don't think that this can be compared to the typical world plot-esque long-term planning or Riful at all. This isn't instigating an actual long-term change, it's a short-term (well, LONG short-term!) shift of things that boils down to a temporary change of setting, as when we return, everything will be as we left it -- except we've got some bonuses, now.

It is impossible to please everyone, and I know there will be some people that will probably view this with dislike. Every plot, event, character, and mechanism has its flaws -- no matter what we do. That's how it goes! We each have our own perspectives and opinions and preferences.

My concern is whether or not the majority will enjoy this and benefit from it, and if the people who DO dislike it have the means to continue playing happily enough til its conclusion. (I don't think I would go the full 6 months, if possible, but that decision is ultimately up to the mods. I would definitely talk to them about it.)

[superheroine]

So why not do something like a Harvest Moon plot where characters have to maintain a city/town/farmland without wishes, and when the return the castle has brought some of the fruits of their labour back with them, as well as added some Four Seasons rooms and stuff?

Obviously no plot will please everyone, but I just don't see the point in messing with the status quo for a long period of time only to reverse it with the dubious aim of "making characters think" or something. My biggest concern with this setting-up-the-town thing is that whenever given an opportunity to build or garden, muns have overwhelmingly implied it; the building of the Outposts was largely done by a handful of characters with the rest implied, and iirc Senri had a hell of a time getting people involved in setting up a garden at the Outposts. I feel like setting up in town without being able to wish up supplies would largely end up implied, or with another million "call to arms" posts.

That and I also think one of the important things about wishes is that it allows people to skip the mundane domestic stuff that we do in our everyday lives, like cooking or cleaning or getting groceries, while still providing the option for muns/characters to do it if they want to.

[custodismundi.livejournal.com]

I think you're misunderstanding. People aren't going to be "building" much of anything PHYSICALLY aside from their lives, here. Getting jobs, finding where to live and work and play and everything else without the benefits of the castle and infinite caisos in their pocket -- working together after being usurped, confused.

I enjoy the ability to wish away the mundane chores and trivialities, but I think taking a break from those things would push characters to move in new and different ways among each other.

The goal isn't "dubious [...]or something". I clearly stated some of the points and objectives in the above comments explaining the plot! It feels a little patronizing to boil it down that way. If you dislike it, that's totally cool -- but I don't think it need to be dismissed in whole because of that. I think it would create a lot of new CR, and generate a lot of interest in the castle, opening up communications and placing more value on things like what we wish for and what the castle wants from us. Maybe you don't see it the same way! That's okay.

The point isn't to change everything and twist it all on its head for the fuck of it. The point is to twist it and change it because everyone has gotten so settled and apathetic, that they need a reminder that the game can and will change at the drop of a dime, and maybe things aren't as simple as they think they are.

[superheroine]

I don't feel I'm misunderstanding anything. Building a structure like an outpost doesn't differ much from putting together a farm, or a store, or infrastructure. All of those things you listed I feel would also fall, very quickly, under "implied" after a week or two of calls-to-arms and list-making.

I apologize that you felt patronized. It's really not that I dislike the idea –– I like the idea just fine –– it's that I question its feasibility in a game like Paradisa. Were this a new game or a reboot with a completely fresh slate, I could see it as feasible, but as it is, I simply don't think it would pan out. Every plot has the potential to generate CR, or making people value the things they have or what the castle intends to do with them. The castle is the architect of just about everything that happens in Paradisa, even if it's just the tremors left over from previous shakes, like the First Gens.

I feel there are other ways to get the castle communicating with residents and residents thinking about "how the game can change at the drop of a dime" without resorting to a long-spanning plot that evicts everyone from the castle for too long. Characters get apathetic and settled when their players aren't excited, and personally, I don't feel like the game would gain much from a plot like this right now. Other players may disagree, of course, but I think Paradisa needs a lot of shorter, self-contained stories right now to get people moving, rather than another long, dwindling slow burn.

[custodismundi.livejournal.com]

There would be no building of farms or stores -- these things would already exist. The only thing being built is their relationships to these areas and structures, not the structures themselves. That was what I felt you misunderstood.

I'm going to agree to disagree with you on the rest.

To be honest, I see things much differently than you as far as the needs and wants of the playerbase. Your judgment and mine differ. Whatever happens, hopefully it'll be the best choice for everyone regardless our personal opinions.