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Post by kazukikun on Jul 1, 2010 16:02:28 GMT -5
Decided to delete the old threads and create a new one in a more fitting board. Anyway, I believe we have the most basic parts of the site. Our character and jutsu templates are strong enough to the point where everyone is encouraged to make their profiles, apply for some jutsu and get back to RPing. For those of you that are too lazy to read the "Rules and Character/Jutsu Creation" board, I'll try to sum up the changes in those areas in this post, along with other changes: ~Your post count now only increases when you post in dedicated RP boards. Because a lot of the privileges you will acquire are associated with post count, we're doing this to insure that you earn these privileges solely through frequent role-playing (and hopefully improving your role-play skills while you're at it). ~You can only learn certain ranks of jutsu if you have a high enough ninja rank and/or a certain combat affinity. I can't shorten the explanation of how this works enough for this post, so go here for more information. ~You need a certain number of posts if you want to apply as a Jounin, as well as to be able to apply for more than one elemental affinity. Again, you can find more information regarding the subject in the link above. ~Everyone is now allowed to posses one character for every village, and one canon character. You also can't have more than one character in a single village (canon characters count towards the village limit). This means you can have 6 characters in total. As to potential changes we might make in the near future: ~Adopt our own, custom storyline. This would allow us to set our own regulations for the sake of power balancing (like removing overpowered clans, bringing back deceased ones, etc.), and we will be able to craft large story events for everyone on the site to take part in more easily, as we wouldn't have to worry about whether or not we have spots for key canon characters filled. ~User-created storylines. Since the staff won't be able to produce story events for people to take part in on a frequent basis, I think it would be fair to allow our users to craft their own story events for people to take part in. ~A limit on the number of times you can use a certain rank of jutsu in a single thread (Taijutsu won't count towards that limit, of course). Since it's practically impossible to determine whether a person is using more jutsu than their character should be able to handle, this makes things much easier. Plus, it will force people to use strategy, which will make for more interesting RPs. The way in which we limit jutsu is subject to change.
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Post by Hishirugi Maximillion on Jul 1, 2010 19:41:19 GMT -5
Wow, where was the Vote being held for these new, extreme actions? Or do the members of NE not get a say in anything that happens anymore?
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Post by kazukikun on Jul 1, 2010 20:05:08 GMT -5
People just ignored most of our threads where we were discussing the site, so we had to take action on our own. Regardless, the changes we've made up until know where pretty much going to happen regardless of site feedback, but everything else is still up in the air.
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Post by Hishirugi Maximillion on Jul 2, 2010 17:08:40 GMT -5
Look, I'm not usually the guy who stands up and shouts "INJUSTICE". Those are the guys that usually end up dead in a ditch somewhere or, on the internet, banned.
But I have been active on these boards for ages, and I don't recall any such threads. And I don't think the "Idealist Discussion" thread counts, since it pretty much spiraled into raw spam after such a short time.
I'm not saying it didn't happen. I'm asking that we work as a unit from hereon out, so that rather than trying to squash people with complaints, we can avoid them altogether.
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Post by kazukikun on Jul 2, 2010 18:11:31 GMT -5
I had a thread entitled "Change" that I deleted after about 8 pages that went over some of these ideas, but people either bitched without offering alternative solutions, or ignored the thread entirely. If we've learned anything at this point, it's that listening to the majority of our userbase is the least intelligent thing we could do, but I made this thread to give people one last shot to pitch in before we start doing whatever we want.
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Post by Hishirugi Maximillion on Jul 2, 2010 18:26:21 GMT -5
Look, I'm not going to argue ethics or protocol with you. You made this thread, which was a step in the right direction, especially after flipping NE over on it's head.
Remember, unless you and the other two Admin plan on being the only ones who RP here (which I guess is your call to make), the "majority userbase" as you call them are the ones who should be consulted before these changes are made. Second to B-Dawg himself, naturally.
You have an opportunity in your hands unavailable to the rest of the "majority userbase". You can either build up or destroy the site at this point, and there is a lot of improvement you can bring to NE, now that renovations are being allowed.
But do not let yourself be fooled into thinking it's unwise to consult the "majority userbase" before suddenly wiping out the boards and changing everything to your own personal specifications. Right now, if NE is going to be anything more than "Kazuki's Post Storage", it's going to take teamwork on the part of both you AND the Non-Staff who are putting in as much (close to/more/near as much) time and effort into the site as you.
So, we've got this thread. Rather than arguing morals or ethics, let's decide what's gonna take place with the future of this site.
Since you seem to have a plan, let's hear it. And I don't mean the long-winded threads that suddenly sprouted up, TELLING everyone what they were going to be forced to conform to.
Discussion, compromise, etc etc etc. Let's do it.
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Post by kazukikun on Jul 2, 2010 18:36:12 GMT -5
As I've said, we've tried consulting our userbase several times. Discounting staff, you're pretty much the only one who cares enough to post in these threads. There are people posting who aren't even paying this thread any mind, despite its importance to the future of the site.
As for my plan, I want newcomers to start off as scrubs, and have them work their way up the ranks. There's a distinct pleasure in seeing your character go from rookie to legend, and I want to introduce that feeling to the site. As it is now, there's nothing to strive for.
That aside, if you have any thoughts or contributions to what I've already said in my first post, I'll be glad to here them. The changes made up until now have been discussed in private between staff, so it's unlikely that we'll change them. Any additions, however, we plan on discussing with everyone, assuming they care enough.
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Post by Hishirugi Maximillion on Jul 3, 2010 11:27:35 GMT -5
Well, I think a decision should perhaps be reached here and now. Vets who remain committed to the site get *ONE* character who is high-level (only a pre-existing Custom or a Canon). The rest have to be trained from ground zero. Anyone who doesn't feel it important to contribute to the site IC anymore can just raise ALL their characters from ground zero.
I think we have enough "high levels" between the four of us (if B-kun starts RPing again) to have a major storyline plot going. I personally think it would be awesome if Uchiha Itachi became the major antagonist for the series, seeing as how he would've been uber if not for his waning eyesight. Kagekami Arikado can play a role, as Anti-Hero or Anti-Villain (his favorite roles IC, and my easiest roles IC/OOC) and I'm certain Kakashi and Kazuki could have prominent roles as well.
I have no intention of ever abandoning NE, or neglecting it as others have done. As you have witnessed, I am all about this place and it's livelihood.
If you can get a thread going, ANY thread (it doesn't have to be a major plot development YET), I will contribute to it, and we can likely get something going in no time.
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Post by kazukikun on Jul 3, 2010 11:55:03 GMT -5
I already have it set so that vets can apply for high ranked characters, assuming they have a high enough post count (200 posts minimum for Jounin status). Most of this is pretty self-explanatory in the new templates. In the future, I'd like to change it to something more in-depth. Ultimately, I'd like to have it so that the kage of a particular village raises a person's rank once he/she feels their RP skill is high enough. Then, once they've achieved that rank through RP, they've gained permission to apply for that rank directly in future character applications.
Barry has pretty much confirmed that he has no intention of RPing again, as I've asked him about it on several occasions. He intends to keep Itachi, though, as it's a character he feels would be easily abused. Preferably, I'd like to go 100% non-canon, and create a completely original timeline. Following a canon backstory would require having all key canon characters applied for, which is pretty much impossible. Since Arikado is certainly an interesting character, we can probably put our heads together to come up with a story plot that centers around him, as you said.
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Post by Hishirugi Maximillion on Jul 3, 2010 12:22:38 GMT -5
Well, you know my idea. Each rank of mission can only be done by the appropriate rank of shinobi (different for each Village, obviously, each with their set of perks and benefits), and each Mission accomplished is a point towards that shinobi's overall "Shinobi Level".
That way, writing and activity is promoted, while allowing newbies who're working fifty times harder than us oldbies can overcome us if they dedicate enough time and energy towards the endeavor.
More posts + more activity + less godmodding + OP Moderation = Fun NE.
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Post by kazukikun on Jul 3, 2010 12:47:14 GMT -5
Missions are a bit of a touchy subject. In my first post, I mentioned the possibility of user-created storylines, where any random user can make their own sub-plot for people to take part in. A staff-regulated mission system, where we craft our own missions and guide people through them, is just not gonna happen anytime in the near future. We would need A LOT of mods, and it would be incredibly time consuming, as there would be multiple missions going on in each village simultaneously.
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Post by Hishirugi Maximillion on Jul 3, 2010 12:50:52 GMT -5
Why would you need multiple mods? That's only if your mods are third-rate. Even one mod can do it, if they've got the time and experience. If you really push it, even second-rate mods can handle 1-2 Villages each.
Fortunately for you, there are countless assets on this site you've yet to tap into. You've already taken one step towards making the system I suggested a worthwhile and effective one by making User Post counts on the IC Boards the only ones that count.
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Post by kazukikun on Jul 3, 2010 12:58:40 GMT -5
Yes, a single mod could do it, but you have to keep in mind how much of a mod's time would be taken up by this, not to mention any other duties they'd be expected to perform. On top of that, any complications in real life would cause a major stall on the site. Systems that rely on the activity of another are usually a recipe for disaster.
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Post by Hishirugi Maximillion on Jul 3, 2010 13:38:22 GMT -5
See, that's the problem with just assigning general "Mod" or "Admin" powers, and why it always ends up with people being overtaxed and unable to perform their duties.
I mean, I'm not trying to trash-talk or anything, but the hierarchical system here is in it's basest form. 2-3 "Admins". That's it. I mean, really?
Here is a system that works:
2 Admins 2-3 RP Mods 2-4 "Customer Service" Mods (call 'em whatever ya want. They answer questions, (un)lock threads, etc.
I mean, think of it like Martial Arts. You guys are performing these uber-powerful techniques that cause a 80% drain of your energy per use, while these other methods are MORE effective and drain less than 8% of your energy for five times the amount of work.
Remember! The invaluable advice of your Senpai is to be revered!
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Post by kazukikun on Jul 3, 2010 13:49:19 GMT -5
Having specialized mods has been under consideration for a long time, but it's kind of dependent on finding a large enough quantity of members trustworthy enough to handle all these different tasks. On top of that, Barry is VERY picky about who he gives any power whatsoever to; he only gives it to long-time veterans that he's become well acquainted with, and have proven themselves to be very competent. Getting him to greenlight any plan involving making more mods would be extremely difficult, which is why most of my ideas typically revolve around systems that don't require frequent moderation.
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Post by Hishirugi Maximillion on Jul 3, 2010 14:20:22 GMT -5
The hiring of new mods doesn't need to be instantaneous. It's well worth the wait to have a system that does most of the work by itself, and only requires the occasional guidance from mods.
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Post by kazukikun on Jul 3, 2010 15:12:16 GMT -5
Alright, I guess we could give it a shot. Assuming you're one of them, if you can get maybe 1-2 people that would be willing to accompany you, I think that would suffice in terms of people who will oversee missions and present the obstacles that the mission taker(s) must overcome. The total of completed missions would be tallied up by the kage of the village the mission taker(s) belongs to, and could then be used in determining whether someone is due for a rank increase.
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Post by Raven on Jul 4, 2010 10:02:03 GMT -5
I apologize for my extensive leave of absence I have been having huge RL issues and I am currently out of the country and had no internet access until today. I am back and ready and willing to aid you guys in anyway possible. I have been around since 07 and I've seen the site take so many directions but I also could have a say about a few things here and there and I am willing to assist where you guys see me best.
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Post by Hishirugi Maximillion on Jul 4, 2010 15:22:23 GMT -5
Alright. Yeah, I could get on this. And I know of one person offhand who wouldn't be bad for this, but I have to see how their schedule is and if they would be able to do it.
Personally, until school starts (which is still some months away), I can do the work of 3-4 mods, so you can count on me to get some done. Even during school, I will at least put a minimum of 1-3 hours a day into it, so we should be good.
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Post by kazukikun on Jul 4, 2010 15:42:19 GMT -5
One thing we have to be aware of is overall entertainment of the missions we create, especially for our low-ranked members. I highly doubt our future Genin audience would appreciate being subjected to tasks like gardening, shopping, etc.
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