Route 29: ｍｏｄｓ (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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route_0062012-05-21 11:17 pm
these_balls) wrote in route_0062012-05-21 11:17 pm
Entry tags:
HMD: May 2012 response!
Hey, Route people!
So, we've assembled most of the stuff brought forth during the HMD. We know we've got our work cut out for us, but we've gathered some potential solutions that we hope will satisfy. That said, it's all a work in progress—it always is, and hopefully always will be as we continue to grow and learn—so we hope you'll give us your input!
Anonymous is enabled for this discussion, but we'll admit that we thought the HMD discussion got more than a little heated in places, so if we find things are getting out of hand, responses will be screened outright. Please keep discussion productive.
GENERAL MAINTENANCE
Availabilities definitely needs some doing. We're planning on getting together, possibly on Tuesday or Wednesday, and getting all of this done in one shot if we can. Since Sunny and I have so far been ineffective in getting this done, we're counting on our lovely techs. We'll be including more Gen 4s and 5s, especially in Kanto where we're hoping more people will roam to.
Unfortunately, starting in Kanto will not be possible at this time, nor will we be introducing any new regions. Two is already enough of a headache, haha.
Starters will be getting a complete overhaul, but we haven't decided how to go about this quite yet. It's likely that we're looking at a case-by-case basis, with every not-fully-evolved or single-phase pokemon available to every character (except Rockets, who will continue to have IC restrictions, and dragon-types and other powerhouses/rares will continue to be limited). We're just looking at a way for that to happen without a giant table or image(s) that will lag every computer that isn't running the newest hardware or doesn't have a high-speed connection.
Contests and Coordinators will not be an official, mod-run class for the time being, at least not until we get everything else looked at. However we'd be happy to allow players to coordinate [/rimshot] events if they'd like! We've gotten some suggestions (looking at you, Kev), so we're offering that as a stopgap for now.
We're working on a list of previously-asked Inquiries questions, but at six pages, we're asking for your patience.
We'll also be reinstating Police Bulletins, courtesy of Sunny. Thank you, Sunny! Which brings us to...
TEAM ROCKET
Firstly, PC rockets feeling like they're being treated as NPCs. That was wrong of us—of me, Ara, since it was my plot—and I apologize for anyone that felt like they were being used. Some Rockets enjoyed it, which I'm happy to hear, but we're not here to lead anyone around by the nose. With that in mind, what we'd like to propose is the creation of a Rocket Community to serve the interests of Rocket muns.
The way we'd run it would be thusly: while everyone would be asked to subscribe to the community, only Rocket players could become members. That way all players could be invited to plot with rockets, while Rocket muns (and the mods) could continue to organize nefarious things in secret, behind the scenes. This way, Rocket players could be forewarned about mod-run plots while keeping things a secret from the players at large for suspense. The missions post would become missions-only, not to mention we'd have a clear list of in-game Rockets at any given time. We already have a comm for breeders, so we figured, why not?
So, Route: ROCKET COMM, YES OR NO? Please let us know your opinions; unfortunately, DW doesn't allow polling from non-paid accounts, so we'll have to ask you to leave a comment. For the purpose of this exercise, only logged in votes will be counted as we would like a clear headcount as to what our current players want.
The theft requirement was another pressing concern: we had no idea people felt so strongly about it! When we introduced it, we were met with quite a bit of approval, so we were surprised to see so much ire. What we'd like to do is to make it A) biweekly, and B) less demanding. What we propose is that from now on, any pokemon above level 15, or even lower-leveled rare pokemon, can be brought in to the Team to make quota; however, extra monetary rewards (P5000 and +) will be offered for pokemon above lv 30 or of uncommon rarity. Like right now, larger, 'full-time' missions can replace the theft requirement (the FAQ has been edited to reflect this tidbit).
All Rockets will be required to have a mission as soon as their training is over. Speaking of which, we'd like to make Rocket training one week instead of two. (We'd also like to remind people that characters can post and interact with others during their training! They can use the network as anyone would, they just might be a little tired, haha.)
Rocket secondary starters will be expanded on to include Zubat, Woobat, Scraggy, Murkrow, Croagunk, Stunky, Vullaby, Drowzee, Vulpix, Houndour, Skorupi, Seviper, Trubbish and Spinarak. Any other suggestions are welcome!
Rockets of rank Beta or above can request transport by helicopter to any destination they require, provided they can claim 'Team business' (...this is flexible, cough) to do it.
We'd like to add that Rockets also have the bases in Goldenrod and Celadon, as well as Mahogany (emptied, but currently undergoing renovations and downsizing), with new facilities being built in Saffron and Lavender. The facilities are pretty swank, all things considered—TVs, leather couches, rec areas, showers 24/7—and you don't have to pay to sleep there.
Of course, cross the Team and you'll still get your butt handed to you, just saying. Failing to occupy oneself with a mission, or failing to bring in any pokemon, will result in punishment, with repeat offenders being punished more harshly. Scratch their back, they'll scratch yours, but the hand that feeds is also the one holding the rod.
Again, everything here is changeable if enough people want it. These aren't 100%-satisfaction-guaranteed-or-your-money-back solutions, and we're not trying to pretend they are. They're just the best we could come up with with regards to what was brought to us, so if anyone has any solution more viable than what we have here, please let us know.
So, we've assembled most of the stuff brought forth during the HMD. We know we've got our work cut out for us, but we've gathered some potential solutions that we hope will satisfy. That said, it's all a work in progress—it always is, and hopefully always will be as we continue to grow and learn—so we hope you'll give us your input!
Anonymous is enabled for this discussion, but we'll admit that we thought the HMD discussion got more than a little heated in places, so if we find things are getting out of hand, responses will be screened outright. Please keep discussion productive.
GENERAL MAINTENANCE
Availabilities definitely needs some doing. We're planning on getting together, possibly on Tuesday or Wednesday, and getting all of this done in one shot if we can. Since Sunny and I have so far been ineffective in getting this done, we're counting on our lovely techs. We'll be including more Gen 4s and 5s, especially in Kanto where we're hoping more people will roam to.
Unfortunately, starting in Kanto will not be possible at this time, nor will we be introducing any new regions. Two is already enough of a headache, haha.
Starters will be getting a complete overhaul, but we haven't decided how to go about this quite yet. It's likely that we're looking at a case-by-case basis, with every not-fully-evolved or single-phase pokemon available to every character (except Rockets, who will continue to have IC restrictions, and dragon-types and other powerhouses/rares will continue to be limited). We're just looking at a way for that to happen without a giant table or image(s) that will lag every computer that isn't running the newest hardware or doesn't have a high-speed connection.
Contests and Coordinators will not be an official, mod-run class for the time being, at least not until we get everything else looked at. However we'd be happy to allow players to coordinate [/rimshot] events if they'd like! We've gotten some suggestions (looking at you, Kev), so we're offering that as a stopgap for now.
We're working on a list of previously-asked Inquiries questions, but at six pages, we're asking for your patience.
We'll also be reinstating Police Bulletins, courtesy of Sunny. Thank you, Sunny! Which brings us to...
TEAM ROCKET
Firstly, PC rockets feeling like they're being treated as NPCs. That was wrong of us—of me, Ara, since it was my plot—and I apologize for anyone that felt like they were being used. Some Rockets enjoyed it, which I'm happy to hear, but we're not here to lead anyone around by the nose. With that in mind, what we'd like to propose is the creation of a Rocket Community to serve the interests of Rocket muns.
The way we'd run it would be thusly: while everyone would be asked to subscribe to the community, only Rocket players could become members. That way all players could be invited to plot with rockets, while Rocket muns (and the mods) could continue to organize nefarious things in secret, behind the scenes. This way, Rocket players could be forewarned about mod-run plots while keeping things a secret from the players at large for suspense. The missions post would become missions-only, not to mention we'd have a clear list of in-game Rockets at any given time. We already have a comm for breeders, so we figured, why not?
So, Route: ROCKET COMM, YES OR NO? Please let us know your opinions; unfortunately, DW doesn't allow polling from non-paid accounts, so we'll have to ask you to leave a comment. For the purpose of this exercise, only logged in votes will be counted as we would like a clear headcount as to what our current players want.
The theft requirement was another pressing concern: we had no idea people felt so strongly about it! When we introduced it, we were met with quite a bit of approval, so we were surprised to see so much ire. What we'd like to do is to make it A) biweekly, and B) less demanding. What we propose is that from now on, any pokemon above level 15, or even lower-leveled rare pokemon, can be brought in to the Team to make quota; however, extra monetary rewards (P5000 and +) will be offered for pokemon above lv 30 or of uncommon rarity. Like right now, larger, 'full-time' missions can replace the theft requirement (the FAQ has been edited to reflect this tidbit).
All Rockets will be required to have a mission as soon as their training is over. Speaking of which, we'd like to make Rocket training one week instead of two. (We'd also like to remind people that characters can post and interact with others during their training! They can use the network as anyone would, they just might be a little tired, haha.)
Rocket secondary starters will be expanded on to include Zubat, Woobat, Scraggy, Murkrow, Croagunk, Stunky, Vullaby, Drowzee, Vulpix, Houndour, Skorupi, Seviper, Trubbish and Spinarak. Any other suggestions are welcome!
Rockets of rank Beta or above can request transport by helicopter to any destination they require, provided they can claim 'Team business' (...this is flexible, cough) to do it.
We'd like to add that Rockets also have the bases in Goldenrod and Celadon, as well as Mahogany (emptied, but currently undergoing renovations and downsizing), with new facilities being built in Saffron and Lavender. The facilities are pretty swank, all things considered—TVs, leather couches, rec areas, showers 24/7—and you don't have to pay to sleep there.
Of course, cross the Team and you'll still get your butt handed to you, just saying. Failing to occupy oneself with a mission, or failing to bring in any pokemon, will result in punishment, with repeat offenders being punished more harshly. Scratch their back, they'll scratch yours, but the hand that feeds is also the one holding the rod.
Again, everything here is changeable if enough people want it. These aren't 100%-satisfaction-guaranteed-or-your-money-back solutions, and we're not trying to pretend they are. They're just the best we could come up with with regards to what was brought to us, so if anyone has any solution more viable than what we have here, please let us know.
ROCKETS, GET IN HERE
What do you think?
no subject
(I'd also like to propose, with all the new improvements and additions to the way Rockets are set up here, that Route run a specifically Rocket-based ad in the next ATP. I'd be happy to type something up myself, but I'd also love to see Rocket muns chatting with potential applicants. There's a lot of different jobs to fill, now - let's try and find more teammates to fill them!)
no subject
Why are thefts/Pokémon acquisitions a set number in the first place? Yes, it's a criminal organization, it makes sense to have a quota - but even if a Rocket wanted to use the requirement to run a theft plot, I doubt anybody'd want to do that every two weeks. And handwaving doesn't create RP opportunities.
Instead, why not make the focus more on "everyone has to have an individual mission"? That's already the case for people with a "full-time" mission, but why not expand things so everybody has something they do full-time? "Steal as many as possible" can be a job for those who'd like to play out the kind of plots making quota would entail, but either way, Rockets would be involved in activities that involve other players, instead of happening behind the scenes.
I do understand this could create an issue of "too many people all looking for victims/heroes at the same time", but wouldn't constant Pokémon thefts even among NPCs be causing that kind of unrest? If people have longer-term plots that don't necessarily involve continuous payoff, interactions and plans can build over time.
tl;dr - The quota, to me, doesn't seem like a practical way of creating potential for RP. Instead, why not give everybody long-term plots?
no subject
I like the sound of that idea. It makes sense organizationally, too, to have certain people focusing on "Pokemon Acquisition" if that's what their talents entail, while others can focus on research or experimentation, and what not. Under that particular setup, though, I think it'd be a little unfair to keep the rewards for stealing/capturing certain pokemon in place, since there aren't similarly achievable rewards for those in the science or administrative positions, and the job would be (sort of) a voluntary act anyway.
Unless, TR members can volunteer for two or more positions, with the potential for monetary rewards acting as an impetus for science and administrative staff to sign up and get out of the lab once in awhile.
Anyway, I second it.
no subject
Pokemon-theft is sort of the default mission, ie. if you don't want your character to be involved in anything else listed/don't have any ideas yourself, you're free to have your character steal/catch Pokemon as their given duty, instead! They just have to be doing something. The idea, more or less, IS that everyone has to have an individual mission, and that can either be the default Pokemon-theft OR one of the missions, OR they can run a plot themselves (if they have an idea they want to go with!)
No, a basic theft requirement doesn't create many CR opportunities, but we as mods would feel uncomfortable trying to force everyone to do missions if they don't want to (although we agree, that sort of thing is encouraged and it would be great if everyone utilized CR-building missions instead of just handwaving!), which is why the thefts are still an option, handwavable or no. But they are just that: an option. The 'quota' does not exist for anyone who has their characters involved in other missions or mission-related plots-- it is there to give the players who just want their character to do the biweekly thefts instead an idea of how much they are expected to do.
We are happy to give everybody a mission should they choose or think of one, but we feel it would be unfair of us to force it upon players. Nobody HAS to play or handwave the theft mission if they'd rather have their character do something else, be it a listed mission or a mission idea of their own. It is flexible.
Ultimately, it is up to you as individual players to play with each other and choose missions that would be fun and productive for you! We can't make those choices for you as mods. What we CAN do is provide mission prompts and be here to run ideas for player-generated missions past!
I hope that makes sense, please feel free to ask any questions if I was unclear (I just rolled out of bed so I might be a little fuzzy, haha).
no subject
In that case, maybe streamline the wording? Make "Pokémon catching/stealing" a mission on the missions post that you're automatically signed up for, unless something else appeals more? That might make things clearer for new players, organization-wise.
Directing everyone to the missions post also shows the game's focus on player flexibility, too: new Rockets start out looking at everything they can do and can pick from there or invent their own.
no subject
And yes, I think the current wording must be the source of at least SOME of the confusion-- those are all great ideas and I'll see about getting them implemented as soon as possible, they'll probably help a lot!
Thank you! :)
no subject
Dr Kato-mun here!
no subject
Also can Archer just have the helicopter, come on that would be awesome!!!no subject
Would there be a chart or something working out how the bonuses are handed out for thefts?
And, YAY POLICE ALERTS.
Helicopter access, whoa. Cobra’s going to be so jealous when he finds out about that.no subject
no subject
/watches and waits
no subject
But I do fully support the idea of ROCKETCOMM.