Administration Newsletter 10/28/16
Oct 28, 2016 23:40:31 GMT -5
Post by Zercon on Oct 28, 2016 23:40:31 GMT -5
When members are on this forum, they log in, they post, they linger and chat, but as fun as that is, the forums as a whole don't appear to be going anywhere from an outsiders perspective. Things have slowed up, the Timeline is stalled, and there is no evident plot running as far as the populace is aware of. This is a result of multiple factors all feeding into one another, from key plotting events being held up by delayed posts, to what is effectively a new Administration team trying to sift out the path of the forum as a whole behind scenes ((which is a lengthy process)).
A lot is happening, but it isn't things that users see readily, and it isn't things that members can be privy to for the overarching plot of the forums. That said, leaving you all out to rot in limbo is not acceptable, and a happy middle ground of information, encouragement, and most of all communication needs to be found. Because of this, it has been decided that we are going to start a Newsletter such as this one, not only show you that we aren't lazy sitting on our asses up in Admin-Town, but to keep you up to date on events in some key threads you may not be lurking in on.
The frequency of this Newsletter is up in the air for now. We theorized doing it every other month, but for all we know not enough will have occurred to warrant an entire notice on it. Because of that, these are on an organic schedule to be posted when the forum needs it, and if we find a flow we will stick to it then. With this out of the way, let us cover some of the topics that we wish to address, starting with a fun new concept we wish to implement to the forums, and hope will be able to not only help users find plots, but help progress even smaller storylines that were often forgotten on the sidelines.
ADMINISTRATION
Bulletin Board
In the past when users or Administration wished to host an event they would have to post on the Plotting section, see who is interested, filter people if there were too many, change plans if there weren't enough ((or the individuals wouldn't mesh into the idea perfect)) etc etc... If users didn't jump on the plotline instantly, and not enough people joined up, it could be forgotten and lost behind player's regular posting, and that idea simply... doesn't go anywhere. Left to rot. Forgotten.
This will eliminate this.
This forum post will be an offshoot of the Episode Timeline, and a link will be added not only to the Resource Database, but to the Links Sidebar on the forums. This post will act as a Bulletin Board ((hence the name)) where Administration and Moderators can list up blurbs and dates of things that are happening for our characters to explore. An example may be an Autobot Listing with a blurb-
We then leave it there, and if users wish to explore this mystery? They get together a team to try to check it out, and choose HOW they intend to approach it. This not only takes some of the weight off of the Administration's back, but it will promote the community to interact and seek out what direction THEY want to go. If only social smaller scale events are sought out by the site? Then Administration knows to now lean in that direction. If you all crave big dramaz with MECH and other mysteries being brewed up and those things are sought out? Then we know THAT is what you want. Etc etc...
Speaking of this event listing and plotting in general, that leads into my second topic.
Members Can Make Plots Too
This has always been a sort of assumption that people knew this. We always supported that if a player had an idea, or wanted to seek out their own mini storyline, that they could do so with a few obvious concerns of course. If it is a small character arch storyline, then we seriously HOPE you know you can seek those out! But anything larger or more in depth for the forum as a whole? Well... that is where some minor guidelines come into play.
In the past we had some players try to push their own plots, that ended up very large and diving/meddling directly with the MECH storyline the Administrators had put together ((another story another day, needn't be repeated)). Obviously we can't allow this, and had to put the kabosh on it instantly. Perhaps call us a little gun-shy now, but any plotlines that have a sort of heft to it should be proposed to an Administrator first to get the clear.
If you wish to propose a plot, type up a brief explanation to send to any one of us in Administration. If there are any questions on something that could interfere with things or introduce a larger element we don't want to approach at this time ((Predacons, Relics, etc)) then they will bring it up or work with you on skirting around it. To be fair, most plots you guys want will be approvals I think, this is just a small formality to sift a bit and we hope you are understanding <3
Human and Neutral Dilemma
When someone intends to apply as a Human or a Neutral... it is the Administrators first impulse to warn individuals just how DIFFICULT it is to play them on these forums. We want new people to know what they are diving head first into, and don't want them to get a nasty surprise when they come in and realize that many Cybertronian simply... don't want to interact with these factions... The Administrators have been terrified a new player can choose to apply as one of these, get in, NOT be able to find threads, and think it is THEIR fault or that our members DON'T want to RP with them. It isn't a reflection on them as people OOC! And is strictly a result of what they chose to apply as.
Perhaps we have been a bit too ham-fisted in our attempts to help players and discourage these applications. Users that have been around awhile are probably sick of hearing about it anyway. It is because of this we are going to bypass all of these interactions, and add a secondary Security Question for Neutral and Human Applications ONLY. This security question will be upon the Factions page, where we intend to put up our disclaimers and some explanation on how difficult these factions are, as well as a few seed ideas for people that want to take on this challenge. It will tell our warning clearly, and if players still wish to dive in head first? Then by all means! You attack this forum and make it your bitch! Just know a Neutral or Human applicant needs to be very aggressive and clever OOC to slip into stories and plots to find RP.
Activity Checks
Guess who dropped the ball and has continued to fumble like a doof? THIS GAL! ((AKA Zercon, since I am using this under the Administration NPC name since others helped write some of this)). Activity Checks... I don't even know anymore man. I dropped the ball and have not been able to catch up or find means to do so as I am so far behind it is overwhelming and I got my chart confused... It is because of this, we are going to do a hard cut and let there be these few weeks of grace where nothing has been catalogued and recorded. Lucky for those that have been slacking!
Consider this a fresh start for some, but not a complete clean slate. The accurately recorded activity pre-Zercon-fuckup is still visible, so if you continue to have bad habits after this? Well... that will still be taken into account and noted.
Activity will once again be recorded the week of Oct 29 - Nov 4, and then continue on weekly per normal. Remember, all players are expected to post at least once every two weeks. If you have a show canon character such as Bumblebee or Optimus, you are expected to post once a week. Be sure to also list when you will be out of town, or other events in the away forum, so you don't receive an unjust strike on the chart!
Let's use this as a bit of a boost to get people back in line, and try to catch up. If you haven't been the most ideal of players when it comes to posting? Let's work as a community to help and push this along back in the direction we know we all can walk.
Because Zercon will PM you if you fall inactive and that is scary. ;D
CURRENT EVENTS
Resource Struggle
As of Episode 2.5 for the Autobots onward, Energon is going to be scarce. The true brunt of how much they are struggling is going to start playing a role, and users should begin reflecting this in future posts. Hunger is going to be a key concern, as rations are going to be cut down to painful minimums. Everyone gets a fair share for their size requirements, which can cause conflict when someone twice the size of someone else, appears to get a 'heaping' amount, while smaller 'starve' when it is all relative and they are ALL going to go hungry.
Cruor
It's still going. It is still a thing. We understand for our minimal amount of Decepticons that well... You can't really go past that date and start filtering into 2.5, and for that we are sorry. The thread is trucking as fast as it can, and there is a lot to cover. There is a lot that intends to happen, and we just ask you be patient and understanding of this plight.
MECH and Downturn
This is under a little bit of the same trap as Cruor, but at the same time it can be fractioned out into smaller sub-plots in the meantime. These will be added to the Bulletin Board, and will be able to be discovered by players to advance things.
Other
Other plots, other stuff, more rambling about the Bulletin board, yada yada... look there for new things once it is posted.
OVERALL
We hope that if you have stuck through this wall of text, you are receptive to the ideas posted, and are happy with the direction we hope to go overall. This said, if there is a glaring flaw? By all means feel free to share your concerns. Administration can seem scary to some, but we don't bite, and we do take concerns seriously. We also may have just missed whatever thing you are unhappy with... so please, reply below, send a PM, scream in the C-Box like a banshee, whatever you are comfortable with.
Let's get this site back on track.
A lot is happening, but it isn't things that users see readily, and it isn't things that members can be privy to for the overarching plot of the forums. That said, leaving you all out to rot in limbo is not acceptable, and a happy middle ground of information, encouragement, and most of all communication needs to be found. Because of this, it has been decided that we are going to start a Newsletter such as this one, not only show you that we aren't lazy sitting on our asses up in Admin-Town, but to keep you up to date on events in some key threads you may not be lurking in on.
The frequency of this Newsletter is up in the air for now. We theorized doing it every other month, but for all we know not enough will have occurred to warrant an entire notice on it. Because of that, these are on an organic schedule to be posted when the forum needs it, and if we find a flow we will stick to it then. With this out of the way, let us cover some of the topics that we wish to address, starting with a fun new concept we wish to implement to the forums, and hope will be able to not only help users find plots, but help progress even smaller storylines that were often forgotten on the sidelines.
ADMINISTRATION
Bulletin Board
In the past when users or Administration wished to host an event they would have to post on the Plotting section, see who is interested, filter people if there were too many, change plans if there weren't enough ((or the individuals wouldn't mesh into the idea perfect)) etc etc... If users didn't jump on the plotline instantly, and not enough people joined up, it could be forgotten and lost behind player's regular posting, and that idea simply... doesn't go anywhere. Left to rot. Forgotten.
This will eliminate this.
This forum post will be an offshoot of the Episode Timeline, and a link will be added not only to the Resource Database, but to the Links Sidebar on the forums. This post will act as a Bulletin Board ((hence the name)) where Administration and Moderators can list up blurbs and dates of things that are happening for our characters to explore. An example may be an Autobot Listing with a blurb-
AUTOBOT
Mountainside Confrontation - E0|W0|D0 <-- ((Timeline Date))
Fowler has managed to track down a lead on a possible MECH facility. Satellite photos show a compound nestled at the northern edge of the ___ mountain range. A tactical frontal assault or a spy mission are both applicable options for whatever team picks up the role.
Suggested Players 2+
We then leave it there, and if users wish to explore this mystery? They get together a team to try to check it out, and choose HOW they intend to approach it. This not only takes some of the weight off of the Administration's back, but it will promote the community to interact and seek out what direction THEY want to go. If only social smaller scale events are sought out by the site? Then Administration knows to now lean in that direction. If you all crave big dramaz with MECH and other mysteries being brewed up and those things are sought out? Then we know THAT is what you want. Etc etc...
Speaking of this event listing and plotting in general, that leads into my second topic.
Members Can Make Plots Too
This has always been a sort of assumption that people knew this. We always supported that if a player had an idea, or wanted to seek out their own mini storyline, that they could do so with a few obvious concerns of course. If it is a small character arch storyline, then we seriously HOPE you know you can seek those out! But anything larger or more in depth for the forum as a whole? Well... that is where some minor guidelines come into play.
In the past we had some players try to push their own plots, that ended up very large and diving/meddling directly with the MECH storyline the Administrators had put together ((another story another day, needn't be repeated)). Obviously we can't allow this, and had to put the kabosh on it instantly. Perhaps call us a little gun-shy now, but any plotlines that have a sort of heft to it should be proposed to an Administrator first to get the clear.
If you wish to propose a plot, type up a brief explanation to send to any one of us in Administration. If there are any questions on something that could interfere with things or introduce a larger element we don't want to approach at this time ((Predacons, Relics, etc)) then they will bring it up or work with you on skirting around it. To be fair, most plots you guys want will be approvals I think, this is just a small formality to sift a bit and we hope you are understanding <3
Human and Neutral Dilemma
When someone intends to apply as a Human or a Neutral... it is the Administrators first impulse to warn individuals just how DIFFICULT it is to play them on these forums. We want new people to know what they are diving head first into, and don't want them to get a nasty surprise when they come in and realize that many Cybertronian simply... don't want to interact with these factions... The Administrators have been terrified a new player can choose to apply as one of these, get in, NOT be able to find threads, and think it is THEIR fault or that our members DON'T want to RP with them. It isn't a reflection on them as people OOC! And is strictly a result of what they chose to apply as.
Perhaps we have been a bit too ham-fisted in our attempts to help players and discourage these applications. Users that have been around awhile are probably sick of hearing about it anyway. It is because of this we are going to bypass all of these interactions, and add a secondary Security Question for Neutral and Human Applications ONLY. This security question will be upon the Factions page, where we intend to put up our disclaimers and some explanation on how difficult these factions are, as well as a few seed ideas for people that want to take on this challenge. It will tell our warning clearly, and if players still wish to dive in head first? Then by all means! You attack this forum and make it your bitch! Just know a Neutral or Human applicant needs to be very aggressive and clever OOC to slip into stories and plots to find RP.
Activity Checks
Guess who dropped the ball and has continued to fumble like a doof? THIS GAL! ((AKA Zercon, since I am using this under the Administration NPC name since others helped write some of this)). Activity Checks... I don't even know anymore man. I dropped the ball and have not been able to catch up or find means to do so as I am so far behind it is overwhelming and I got my chart confused... It is because of this, we are going to do a hard cut and let there be these few weeks of grace where nothing has been catalogued and recorded. Lucky for those that have been slacking!
Consider this a fresh start for some, but not a complete clean slate. The accurately recorded activity pre-Zercon-fuckup is still visible, so if you continue to have bad habits after this? Well... that will still be taken into account and noted.
Activity will once again be recorded the week of Oct 29 - Nov 4, and then continue on weekly per normal. Remember, all players are expected to post at least once every two weeks. If you have a show canon character such as Bumblebee or Optimus, you are expected to post once a week. Be sure to also list when you will be out of town, or other events in the away forum, so you don't receive an unjust strike on the chart!
Let's use this as a bit of a boost to get people back in line, and try to catch up. If you haven't been the most ideal of players when it comes to posting? Let's work as a community to help and push this along back in the direction we know we all can walk.
Because Zercon will PM you if you fall inactive and that is scary. ;D
CURRENT EVENTS
Resource Struggle
As of Episode 2.5 for the Autobots onward, Energon is going to be scarce. The true brunt of how much they are struggling is going to start playing a role, and users should begin reflecting this in future posts. Hunger is going to be a key concern, as rations are going to be cut down to painful minimums. Everyone gets a fair share for their size requirements, which can cause conflict when someone twice the size of someone else, appears to get a 'heaping' amount, while smaller 'starve' when it is all relative and they are ALL going to go hungry.
Cruor
It's still going. It is still a thing. We understand for our minimal amount of Decepticons that well... You can't really go past that date and start filtering into 2.5, and for that we are sorry. The thread is trucking as fast as it can, and there is a lot to cover. There is a lot that intends to happen, and we just ask you be patient and understanding of this plight.
MECH and Downturn
This is under a little bit of the same trap as Cruor, but at the same time it can be fractioned out into smaller sub-plots in the meantime. These will be added to the Bulletin Board, and will be able to be discovered by players to advance things.
Other
Other plots, other stuff, more rambling about the Bulletin board, yada yada... look there for new things once it is posted.
OVERALL
We hope that if you have stuck through this wall of text, you are receptive to the ideas posted, and are happy with the direction we hope to go overall. This said, if there is a glaring flaw? By all means feel free to share your concerns. Administration can seem scary to some, but we don't bite, and we do take concerns seriously. We also may have just missed whatever thing you are unhappy with... so please, reply below, send a PM, scream in the C-Box like a banshee, whatever you are comfortable with.
Let's get this site back on track.
