bravenewmeta | Feedback and Input! Round 2!

Entry tags:

Feedback and Input! Round 2!

Hey guys!

Since we've just come out of a major event, we'd like to take this opportunity to ask for another round of feedback and input similar to what we had a few months ago! We'd like input both on the event itself and on some game mechanics that we are wondering how to streamline right now.

The Event
Basically, we heard from a few people that it was difficult to know how to really jump in. Additionally, as mods, we noticed that people were reluctant to group up with each other; at the beginning, there were many solo threads waiting for a response. We can't respond to everyone's threads individually, so during events, we really do need for groups to be able to happen. Our response to this was to allow the event to go a few extra days, but we'd be open to hearing any suggestions about how to streamline future events.

Feel free to give any other comments about the event, too, positive or negative!

Wild Pokemon Bonding
First off, thank you to Nor for having helped us since our first round of Helper apps! She has asked to step down, so everyone thank her for helping us out so long!

This brings us to a question/concern we currently have:

What would you guys like to see from the wild Pokemon bonding in this game? Is having the option to have someone thread Pokemon with you someone you guys want to see continue? At the moment, there is a possibility that we will scrap this mechanic based on input received and on discussion with our Helpers, past and present. (Helpers, we'll initiate a conversation with you probably tomorrow!)

Anything Else
We're open to hearing feedback about anything else, too!

This post will be open to anonymous comments. However, we cannot screen the post as anon would then not be able to see our responses to them.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Firstly, I love this game! I think you guys are doing really great! I know a lot of people said it wouldn't last long but I think we'll go far.

As for the plot thing, it can be hard without solid teams for people to get into something. Like yeah you can tell people to PM/whatever their group and get together but for something like this maybe smaller groups put together by mods (RNG) would be better? Say 20 characters sign up, then the mods group them together and give them an assignment? It's more organized and less people are confused.

Also I know we're talking about it later but I really like the Pokemon bonding threads and wouldn't want to see them go!

My god I desperately do not want to see the bonding threads go. I think it is literally my favorite mechanic in this game, and I've used it to define the personalities of Melaka's team, had fun with it, and generally it's just added a lot to my experience.

In big events like this it might be better to have sign ups and then RNG the team ups. You could offer some groups to form on their own if they wish or others to opt for a roll. Not only does this keep groups in the 3-4 range but it can also open up fresh CR for people who might not otherwise thread together. I know other games use a method similar to this and I think someone else mentioned it already. Then once signups are over you can post the groupings (and maybe let others know if they miss these things they are still welcome to other aspects of plot or something idk).

I'll admit, I was a little confused about sign ups for this event vs. actual game play. I got lost in where my character could be or if a thread was already maxed out or not. I'm not very certain how to clear it up, I'll admit part of it was possibly my own fault for being out of the loop the past two weeks with my own stuff. But I think the above might help with that to some degree.

As for the Wild Pokemon threads. I don't do them quite as often as other people, but the ones I HAVE done have been pretty entertaining. I don't see why they can't continue. Although I do understand how they can be a lot of work for the mods. Maybe there are other ways to keep the mechanic without it being so troublesome? IDK, but I do like that the option is there. It's a unique part of this game that I would miss if it were gone.

For the groups, I think coming up with some kind of tagging order could help preempt that "I don't want to step in if someone is waiting..." feeling. This causes a delay problem if the person whose turn it is can't respond, but having something like, maybe you get skipped if you don't reply within a certain window? That could work. (Unfortunately, this might mean people with tighter schedules might not be as able to participate... every decision has its setbacks, so that's just one suggestion.)

Alternately, maybe players having a more open discussion within groups/teams about what each person wants (as a goal) to do in the group thread could help, too. Part of the reason why I didn't step up sooner with Hans, for example, was because I wasn't sure if I'd be stealing the limelight (oocly) from someone who wanted to perhaps have a bigger role. Then again, I'm naturally prone to avoiding stepping on anyone's toes, so maybe I could have asked people too... well, that sort of thing. Communication, even over plurk, could help smooth things along. Maybe the modplurk could set up a thing and ping people, or at least provide that shared space for players to ping each other when it's their turn...?

I agree that the pokemon bonding mechanic is really fun and adorable, but I can see how it can be very time consuming for you guys as mods too. Maybe if they're worth more trouble than you'd like, you could set up a queue? People could sign up once a week, and get them done over the course of that following week...? I dunno, really. It's not a mechanic I've used much recently, but it's super fun and I think it should stay in some way, shape or form.

Also thanks nor!!!!!!! \o/ ilu

Kinda repeating what people have said before, but:

I've not done it too much (yet!), but the threading with someone for bonding is really fun, and I've enjoyed reading through other's threads, as well! I'd be sad to see it go! Of course, if it takes up too much time then I understand, but I'd rather not have it be scrapped!

And as for the event: I like it! I think it's great how we can affect the plot and all, but like what's been said--there could be sign up for groups still, but the players who sign up can additionally list what sort of activities their character might want to do and how many other characters they would prefer to thread with. That way, if no one signs up for their group, they can be thrown in to thread with other characters who also don't have groups. And if the player does not feel comfortable/want to thread with lots of characters, that could be known, as well.

Perhaps there could also be a sign-up for the event for those who have no particular task or goal in mind, as well? Then said character could sign up there and a task could be given to them and others that sign up there. This would probably help with those who want to do something but don't have the first idea what to do, I think.

I support adding a "I want to be on a team but don't have specific people in mind so assign me randomly" pool.

Also supporting this.

I like the bonding threads, but I also understand if the mods wish to take on less of those themselves and ask the Help Staff to do more of them for less of a burden such as during an intensive event as this one.

I liked the event, felt it was handled well, just unfortunate a lot of people got very busy during it. I think as mentioned above, a "I don't mind teaming up but not sure how to ask can you RNG me" sign up would help in the future, and is a good excuse for CR that might not normally happen. As for group sign ups, I don't know what to say there, you did make it fairly clear that to be able to actually handle the volume of activity going on you'd need groups, but I suppose people were nervous about asking others? I know that's always my problem at least.

Finally, thank you for all the hardwork put into the game Nor!

Agreed on the confusion. I just wasn't sure what to do a lot of the time - partly because I was travelling and tired when a lot of the planning was going on, but when I went looking afterwards it was hard to tell who had plans, who wanted to do something... I'm the sort who's very shy about asking people out of the blue for stuff which doesn't help!

So, yeah, in general, "this".

I like the idea of RNG teams, both because it helps people coordinate ahead of time and it might get them new CR. That should also help things get moving faster during events!

I also like the bonding threads, but since that's a lot of work for the mods....what about a compromise? When you roll for a Pokémon you can specify whether you want it to come with a gender and/or personality assigned, as well as where specifically the Trainer found it. Something like (I'll use Haruka's first roll as an example):

"Congratulations, it's a male Murkrow! Murkrow will be level 8.

Haruka will encounter this Pokémon as it chases a Budew across her path. It's a bit of a bully, and thinks it's hot stuff."

That way, there's still an element of surprise to the Pokémon you roll. Or you can opt out if you have ideas for that Pokémon already. Would that work?

I like that idea a lot. The whole personality blurb thing.

You know while I'd prefer threads four times out of five being able to opt for a little blurb like that does sound pretty neat and maintain the idea.

That sounds like a fun way to keep the spirit of the bonding threads without overloading the mods. :D

I think a more general sign-up would be very useful for some characters, as would having people explain some of their characters' relevant skills/talents.

Hey guys! Thanks so much for the feedback! We're going to put a response to all of this right now, but you're welcome to still leave other input if you have any! Let's divide this into two sections:

Groups
We dropped the ball with this! For some reason, we forgot about the RNG option which we included in previous events; it must have slipped our minds this time to include it. We'll make sure we do this in the future to help with plotting and to help people who are shy about approaching others for groups. Additionally, what we're thinking we might do is allow a bit more time for discussion before we get into the meat of the event, and space things out a little more. To address issues of thread order, in general, we have a policy that we will respond every 24 hours regardless of whether or not everyone has had a chance to reply in order to keep threads going.

Pokemon Bonding
The issue at hand actually wasn't whether or not it's too much work for the mods, but whether the Helpers are a sustainable system. The mods run the unrevealed Pokemon and the Helpers run any other threads that people may want. After consultation with our Helpers, we feel like we have a better idea of how to make things more manageable. At this time, we're probably going to propose a queue. In other words, the Helpers will take threads whenever they are able to as opposed to jumping on them immediately. If the player is not willing to wait in the queue, they can simply ask for the blurb as proposed here, which we can provide.

For unrevealed Pokemon, we may also need to use a queue when new areas are revealed as that's when we have to run the most threads.

Feel free to still respond to this comment with any thoughts as this isn't an official policy change yet!

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Feedback and Input! Round 2!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Response!