"Things were bad before and things are bad now, therefore, nothing good can ever come of anything."
I look upon some of the threads started in this forum and, taken in total, I come away with that general consensus. This bothers me, as such statements tend to imply that the individuals involved with running the game and forwarding a general sense of roleplaying, aren't. It makes the efforts of the Admins and the Faction leaders seem useless, or even non-existent, if this 'unsatisfied majority' is to be believed. From what I've experienced so far, I cannot agree with such a statement.
So now, I state in response, the following:
Any good thing created by a group of individuals working in concert will only come of good if those same individuals, or later individuals of a similar mind, work to maintain that level of positive consistency, period.
This must be exemplified in any large project aimed towards a positive goal. That goal can only be reached and maintained if the individuals involved wish it to be so. I do not speak of merely Admins, Mods or Faction leaders, but of all individuals involved in a concerted effort to maintain solid roleplaying, and a general underlying acceptance in regards to strict RP rules, characterization and respect of subsequent moderation.
While I fail to see why it would be impossible to create a strictly RP-based universe, with structured, easy-to-understand rules, focused around individuals who wish to take part in those wide endeavors which are allowed in such an area of free choice, I do understand that, while not impossible at all to accomplish, it is exceedingly hard to start and maintain.
The hardest aspect to enforce are the rules that need to be devised in order to allow nothing but consistent RP, as well as finding responsible individuals who can be assigned to adjudicate over those rulings, while simultaneously maintaining flexibility for those individuals who wish to roleplay but do not wish to join in a group storyline (such as via Faction play.)
If all of the rules are followed, then regardless of whether you are a member of one of these groups or not, you are still taking part in cooperative roleplaying, and are thusly a positive addition to the system. However, this accounting takes place only along those lines, and only if you follow those strict rules and the judging of those individuals who are posted as moderators/administrators, the physical representatives of those rules.
Allow me to be somewhat personal.
If I sensed that this place would prove a useless area for me to express my particular talent, I wouldn't have joined. It's just that simple. Was I enticed by the fact that there are capships in this game? Of course! But I started my own LAN server and checked them out myself before I jumped into Disco RP proper, and THEN decided on my course of action (Hence: Ammi Pierce and her religious stance on the usefulness of the Border Worlds Scimitar!) I would only grab a ship of such type if it fit into character (as I predict it may in the future.)
Even outside of my Faction, I have come across nothing but excellent people and characters, most of whom show very interesting reactions and responses when they see who I'm aligned with! How else would that be possible except in an area of specific RP, surrounded by individuals focused on the same goal as I, those goals being character development and the freedom to express that character via experience?
But I am just one person, and my feelings and experiences in the matters of this specific game are decidedly individual, and especially limited, since I am rather new, after all.
The real questions everyone needs to ask, including our moderators and Admins, are these:
Where do we want this game to go and do we care?
Really?
There will always be non-adopters who care as little for the ideas of the individual(s) running the game and server as one stranger would for another. That is an accepted fact that must be taken into account, as the near-constant stream of cheat-bans can attest to. There are, simply put, people who won't care one way or another whether Disco strictly follows RP or goes the way of so many other FL servers with their 'lol pwned' and 'wtf noobs'.
My own experiences here have been exceptionally positive. I happened to join a great Faction with people who have never failed to assist me or answer my questions, not to mention the jovial and downright amusing responses to my first Welcome post. I've only been attacked in-game by another player on one occasion since I joined, and I was able to trust myself enough to know that it was in the fullest sense an RP-based encounter (Liberty Navy sights a single roving Outcast? Of course they'd fire on me...) - and I survived. Not only that, I was able to use it as an example for RP, by posting a report of it in the BLS Dumps.
The rules of my Faction are clearly defined. I know my role and the responsibilities I need to maintain in order to best suit the RP style of my Faction and the depth and ranking of my characters. My attentions are engaged whenever I'm online, and that is something that takes great effort for a person like me. I jump from game to game, and it takes something really worthwhile to keep me sticking around.
Considering my habits of 'to-and-fro'ing' through various games at random times, I really had to ask myself if making my feelings known on these matters was worth it at all. I don't expect people to listen to me, or to appreciate anything I write. I was grabbed by this game because of what it offered, not merely in literal terms (hey, capships!) but in terms of fiction, as well (hey, coherent storyline!)
So, you've got me engaged, Discovery. Now how can we do that for other people?
Most importantly, does anybody here even want to do that for other people?
I've read that some sort of shocking and universe-altering RP needs to occur in order for Disco to evolve out of the 'lol noob' syndrome. I agreed with this at first, but now I wonder. Even if such a thing did occur, there's no indication that it would change things. You would still have non-adopters and 'griefing capwhores'.
Add to that the examples of individuals who enforce the 'RP Only' rule to extreme levels, which is just as bad. These individuals end up reducing themselves to the exact same level as the 'PVP-whoring noob killers', because they refuse to be open minded about new players, those new players' education in regards to Discovery RP, and their effect on the growth of the RP system as a whole.
The player-base with the highest amount of input on the general milieu of the game and the individuals who moderate and assist those players on a higher level are the ones who will ultimately decide the direction of Discovery. Only the open, free acceptance of individuals who want to adhere to the Discovery RP format, as well as the strictest enforcement of those rules that emphasize RP and the following of those rules by individuals so inclined will allow Disco to evolve in that direction.
Whether the majority of Discovery wants that to occur is something that can only be answered by those individuals.
Very well written post, Lovecraft. I'd recommend reiterating your thesis at the bottom though, as it gets lost as one reads it.
That aside, I found myself agreeing with you throughout the entire post. Once again, a new player has spoken the truth in a worthy manner. My hat comes off to you. *bows*
Zealot Wrote:Just go play the game and have fun dammit.
Treewyrm Wrote:all in all the conclusion is that disco doesn't need antagonist factions, it doesn't need phantoms, it doesn't need nomads, it doesn't need coalition and it doesn't need many other things, no AIs, the game is hijacked by morons to confuse the game with their dickwaving generic competition games mixed up with troll-of-the-day.
' Wrote:Very well written post, Lovecraft. I'd recommend reiterating your thesis at the bottom though, as it gets lost as one reads it.
That aside, I found myself agreeing with you throughout the entire post. Once again, a new player has spoken the truth in a worthy manner. My hat comes off to you. *bows*
Lovecraft, you've hit a nerve with this one I feel, this community is polarising and we need to decide whether we want that or whether we want to encourage new playes to innovate and help make Discovery even better. Innovation and evolution is down to the existing player base as much as any new followers however.
When seeking to change something we should all ask ourselves one question before we think to make our desire public, "Am I doing this for the community or myself?"
Saint Del is considered a holy healer of diseases of children, but also as a protector of cattle.
' Wrote:Add to that the examples of individuals who enforce the 'RP Only' rule to extreme levels, which is just as bad. These individuals end up reducing themselves to the exact same level as the 'PVP-whoring noob killers', because they refuse to be open minded about new players, those new players' education in regards to Discovery RP, and their effect on the growth of the RP system as a whole.
The issue I have with this post is that it offers nothing beyond a "why can't we all get along" type of emote.
It doesn't actually address the issue, the factions at one end wanting to control the indies in order to keep as much power as possible, and the indies not really wanting to be forced under the thumb of some faction that they have no interest in joining.
All that is required to RP by the rules is a matching set of equipment and tag, and if you are an indie to not shoot someone oorp (factions are allowed to do this)
The friction comes from additional rules that aren't real rules, enforced by pvp whoring, rp whoring and sanction whoring by the factions, which basically are tactics that remove any legitimacy they had as protectors of rp.
Address those issues in some meaningful way and I'll applaud your post.
' Wrote:Lovecraft, you've hit a nerve with this one I feel, this community is polarising and we need to decide whether we want that or whether we want to encourage new playes to innovate and help make Discovery even better. Innovation and evolution is down to the existing player base as much as any new followers however.
When seeking to change something we should all ask ourselves one question before we think to make our desire public, "Am I doing this for the community or myself?"
Definetly noted. I should have made more mention of the existing player base in a support role, as there is certainly quite a lot of that if you ask nicely! :)
Thanks for your insight, Del.
And everyone else, too! I'm very humbled by your commentaries.
Oh, and Zapp, I wouldn't even BE in the BLS if you hadn't given me such a helping hand. Thank you! :)
' Wrote:The friction comes from additional rules that aren't real rules, enforced by pvp whoring, rp whoring and sanction whoring by the factions, which basically are tactics that remove any legitimacy they had as protectors of rp.
When were they protectors of RP? You've seen situations where factions have blatantly been OORP.