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EACHDRAIDH RP ([personal profile] fairyfoes) wrote2014-06-25 09:29 am
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( 22 ) FEEDBACK



∞ . . . GAMEPLAY SUGGESTIONS

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Interested in making ED better for one and all? All for one? Here's where you can help your Awkward Tree-house! The Locations & Bestiary suggestion post is for what it says on the tin, and the FAQ deals with any general fly-by questions, with any long-term suggestions popped here for consideration by at least four-to-six of the main gameplay-orientated mods.

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You're all our fairybros and we love to help! Post as many suggestions as you like, but please do number them clearly so we can respond in kind and keep from muddling up replies once everything has been processed.

Have at thee, EDwardians!
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raavashing: (Default)

[personal profile] raavashing 2015-05-20 02:09 pm (UTC)(link)
NAME: KCH
CHARACTER(S) PLAYED: Wan
GAMEPLAY SUGGESTION(S):

I'm going to preface this with the fact that I really enjoyed the Verla plot, had a great time with it, am very happy with my personal involvement. And I actually don't mind RNG at all. I was very happy with the odds and method we worked out for determining if Mount Verla was successfully moved. For a personal/small group plot, I think what we agreed to was more than fair to all involved.

However, with how much was actually at stake, I do think that involving RNG could have been done differently in this case. And potentially in future cases where the results effect more than just a few characters. And been done in a way that included a means of allowing the playerbase as a whole to have a say, while still limiting most of the influence to those actively participating. I think there can be a balance between 'blindsiding everyone because RNG screwed us' and 'infomod to munchkin the odds!' when it comes to those variables.

Using the Mount Verla plot as an example:
You took away fire magic, okay. It was going to happen if no one did anything.

Hindsight being 20/20, I think giving a heads up or foreshadowing that things were going weird with it on an IC level would have helped make it clear that more was at stake after people were actively trying to save it.

As a quick thought:
On the 11th: The main participants all make their roles and we have the power boost bonus figured in. The mods have those numbers and hold onto them until the 15th to give 4 OOC days for the rest of the playerbase to influence the outcome in minor ways.

Also on the 11th: A global announcement that those sensitive to fire spirits/gods who are not at Mount Verla can tell that they're agitated. Some are afraid. Many are angry. Others are just restless. Those with intimate connections to fire (like Johnny) can feel their power wavering every so often, going into more fits of 'on and off' as the mountain is actively picked up and moved.

ICy, this would give people a chance after the first day of the move attempt to get there and either help to move the mountain, or stop the effort and let Verla be swallowed (potentially whole and intact). Or find another way to effect the effort (maybe via prayers and sacrifices to Verla? If they're creative, let them have a chance!)

OOCly, it would give people an OOC chance to effect the RNG outcome after the main rolls (and thus main participation) is made. Either to help or hinder the effort with it being made clear on an IC level that messing with Verla has some effect on the fire magic of the Drabwurld (for good or ill) without actually saying what that effect is. There's enough vagueness that it could be 'verla dies, magic goes poof' OR 'pyrii are mad and taking it out on everyone' OR 'Verla is a goddess and she doesn't like where you're touching her Wan.'

The OOC influence could be a 0.5 plus or minus to the average (depending on what the goal range is and if the person is trying to help or hinder the effort).

And if no one in the greater playerbase does anything to help or hinder, then the roll remains as it was and the fallout is the fallout.

End result: It was obvious something was happening and being effected, no one was blindsided by the changes, player participation and initiative was rewarded with the knowledge that the Pyrii's fate had larger consequences than just their life or death even if they didn't know the specifics.


And having had some time to think about this and figure out exactly what's been giving me some dis-ease over this, I think that's really what's at the heart of the "blindsiding/discouraging on an OOC level" feelings that have been expressed lately. It feels like taking initiative to do something potentially cool and interesting is being actively punished because the same result would occur if nothing was done. That it doesn't matter that the playerbase is getting involved (or trying to) and working hard and putting their efforts towards doing things. We still aren't getting told what our efforts may or may not effect.

I'm not saying you should tell us the exact consequences of action or inaction, but giving us a heads up (in my example, the IC post about fire spirits and gods acting weird) that it may involve large, sweeping, and sudden changes to the game as a whole should we actively take initiative would be something I'd hope you will consider in the future. Give us a reason to go investigate this or that: if we don't, we won't find out anything; if we do, we get small hints about their connection to the greater whole regardless of failure, with success giving us a lot more.

Reward initiative OOCly even if it ICly fails. Reward taking chances OOCly even if it ICly fails. Reward active participation OOCly even if it ICly fails.

Because right now it just feels like we're going to get 'punished' whether we attempt to do things or not. So what's the point of doing them at all? And I know that's not the intention, it's just how it's unfortunately come across.

But small rewards like that, just hints and clues that we're going in the right direction (or not) for participation regardless of IC outcome would go a long way towards alleviating the discouraging aspect of plots or efforts that are still determined by RNG.
falconkick: (Default)

[personal profile] falconkick 2015-05-20 06:23 pm (UTC)(link)
it's me again I am so sorry

But I just want to chime in with extreme support for this comment! It is a perfect example of what I meant in my last comment when I said that letting us in on the machinations behind your plotting will help ease the process of moving forward.

I know I keep using my old game as an example, and I do apologize for that, I don't want it to seem like I'm saying you should adopt my modding practices, but I think it serves as an example of what has worked in the past. When we were leading up to our own endgame cataclysm of doom and gloom mass destruction with severe consequences, we dropped several IC hints and clues along the way with things like visions or certain powers doing weird stuff or natural disasters in places they've never happened before, things like that. OOCly, the players could only guess as to what it all added up to, but it at least gave them the chance to speculate and prepare themselves for possible outcomes; ICly, it gave the characters a chance to take notice and make efforts to fight back against their impending fate. We did all of this without ever outright revealing that it meant the apocalypse was going to happen within the year or any of our other big plot reveals. It was just small teases to let characters start preparing themselves for it.

KCH's example here is a perfect example of how this could've been done with the Mt Verla plot. Without giving away the exact result of the plot, it would OOCly clue the players in to something being wrong and ICly give the characters a chance to try and do something about it. This is the best way to implement a plot like this so that it doesn't blindside everyone when something drastic happens. It's not meta-gaming or god-modding information if it's all based on speculation and the hope that maybe what we're doing will help the plot. Instead of feeling like a suckerpunch we never had a chance to dodge, it would be more of a "Ohhh, so that's why fire magic was going wonky." Which is a lot more satisfying of a curveball than suddenly slamming straight into a brick wall.

I think this is awesome. If we could have just a few more hints dropped along the way, nothing concrete or 100% revealing, it would give us a lot more of that hope for the future rather than bleakly accepting we can't do anything to change the outcome of a game's plot. This would give us a fighting chance, and I think we could really use that right now!
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