Frozen Messiah
New Member
Thanks for the clarification, will be changing my character shortly
X-COM THINK TANK (Out of Character Discussion about X-COM and the Series)
- Thread starter ChristopherOdd
- Start date
- Status
Thanks for the clarification, will be changing my character shortly
Frostlich1228
Well-Known Member
Well what if you're one of the first people to post after the video goes up? Now you can't have your character react to things that happen in the RP Until the Next Video goes up, And now you have to choose, " Do I want to give my reaction to what happened to my Character's friend last week, or do I want to Write about the Person that died in the latest video? ".
Also, I'm not completely against a post Limit, but 1 post a week is Far too low, Give us at least two posts a week, We don't want to turn our post into a Gigantic Wall of text just to get some Development out of our characters
Also, I'm not completely against a post Limit, but 1 post a week is Far too low, Give us at least two posts a week, We don't want to turn our post into a Gigantic Wall of text just to get some Development out of our characters
Last edited:
Adrammalech
Well-Known Member
I hope no one minds me chiming in here as I've been a silent observer until now, but I think I understand both sides of the coin here, and I agree with Suryce's breakdown of why the posting limit would be good. When a small number of people are creating a large density of the content - even if it's good content - it tends to kind of push away the other members of the story (through no intended fault of their own, of course) because not everyone might be as free to read so much text and formulate a reaction to it in a timely fashion.
I think two posts per episode is a good compromise. It allows people to do their mission log and then a collaboration, interaction, or reaction, which is a decent chunk of content while still being digestible for the average reader. Alternatively, a Farixen-esque scaling system could work to alleviate concerns for people who see the most action (i.e. 3:2:2 or even 3:2:1 for active soldiers : inactive soldiers and pilots : non-combat crew members, active soldiers being anyone on a combat squad in that episode).
On the character limit, I agree it should be one, but I wouldn't be opposed to writers with early episode deaths assuming another crew member in a different sector (officer, scientist, engineer, or pilot if available). Just my two cents of course.
I think two posts per episode is a good compromise. It allows people to do their mission log and then a collaboration, interaction, or reaction, which is a decent chunk of content while still being digestible for the average reader. Alternatively, a Farixen-esque scaling system could work to alleviate concerns for people who see the most action (i.e. 3:2:2 or even 3:2:1 for active soldiers : inactive soldiers and pilots : non-combat crew members, active soldiers being anyone on a combat squad in that episode).
On the character limit, I agree it should be one, but I wouldn't be opposed to writers with early episode deaths assuming another crew member in a different sector (officer, scientist, engineer, or pilot if available). Just my two cents of course.
AugurOfRuin
Member
On the character limit, I agree it should be one, but I wouldn't be opposed to writers with early episode deaths assuming another crew member in a different sector (officer, scientist, engineer, or pilot if available). Just my two cents of course.
This is what I was trying to suggest. I just ended up choosing to apply for a scientists position be safe about it, I'l sit back from active soldier duty this season and see how chris handles his soldiers. I kinda lost a part of my trust when he left the entire squad on ironman impossible in front of a robot with lasers....
Meaningofbread
Well-Known Member
Alright. Lets not shine our pitchforks and burn down Chris's castle before this thread turns into a massive flame train.
Lets lay out what we have now, and what we want to change, and whether this may be good, or bad.
Lets lay out what we have now, and what we want to change, and whether this may be good, or bad.
- One post per week - This by far seems to be the most controversial choice, and a for a good reason. There was plenty (and by plenty, I mean plenty) of posts in the previous season that were just 'fluff" in a manner of speaking. They didn't seem to add much to the characters and were boring and dis-interesting to read. They may even had turned some people away from the journals. So now we know why this is has been put into place. Creativity. I'm not saying it will stay at one post, and the limit will probably scale up to two-three posts eventually. Another thing is, that we are just the vocal minority. How many people do you think want one post per week, and are just too shy/embarrassed to say so? Who were the major proportion of writers in the last season? Four? Five? How many views does the journals page have? 48,000. I'm willing to secede the fact that these aren't unique views, but still. 48,000. We just have to sit tight, now that our voices have been heard, and wait for the ending judgement.
- The second (and by far the less controversial one) is the one character limit. I don't know about you, but I had a VERY hard time keeping track of all these random side characters people came up with. Oh Dr.Whatshisface? Who's he? I don't know, I'm pretty sure I couldn't give a shit (sorry for the foul language). He's important? Eh, whatever. The feeling I got to while reading these was just and endless stream of confusion, as though there seemed to be enough post space for 2-3 characters, but more were usually worked in, making each sentence feel incredibly cramped.
Last edited:
I appreciate all of the passion you guys have for RPing. I really do. Part of RPing could and SHOULD include death. Let's face it. Soldiers will die, and people will mourn. If you are able to create an interesting character, and you've created some solid journals, the legacy will live on forever.
Sure you can.
AugurOfRuin
Member
Well we can't really judge what we can't know can we? My hopes are up for chris to let us make atleast two posts per week, its the majoritys opinion from what I can see.
Suryce
Game Master
There is something I have realized: what you are asking for is basically to be able to play Season 4 the exact same way Season 3 was played, and you present it as the only way possible or interesting.
Thing is, it isn't.
The way the RP was played changed with each season and their new rules. The only difference this season is that the jump between the old and new rules is bigger than usual. Whether the limit is set to one or two posts per week, it will most certainly make the RP evolve into a new form again, different from Season 3, and that's a good thing. Most notably because the RP still need a lot of improvements, and will probably still do for several seasons again.
Hi everyone! I wanted to take a few moments to cover some of the discussion points that have been brought up. I'm going to list the controversial topics that have come up and I'll follow that by some of my reasons for those ideas.
I'll now go through some of the previous posts and address them specifically if I can.
I hope this sheds some additional light on the topics. A lot of people have expressed that I don't need to share the motives/reasons behind my proposed ideas, but I believe transparency is best when working with a large group of people with a vested interest.
- Odd.
Edit: I just realized there are 158 replies to the Recruitment Centre as it stands right now. I hope people that are not chosen for the squad understood that possibility going into the season. That will be the vast majority.
- The Post Limit
- As many people have referenced, it was very difficult trying to sort through the journals last season. As somebody with a vested interest in the RP, it was very hard to keep track of who was doing what. The journals were dominated by a small handful of dedicated RP'ers, and, while I don't want to come across as unappreciative, I also want this to be accessible to more people. As someone who is admittedly not very strong at RPing, it's intimidating to try and make a post when the thread is dominated by a small group of people posting multiple journals per day/week.
- Some math, if you will: Let's say that we have 12 active squad (showing in the game videos as recruits), a couple scientists and engineers (we'll argue 3), some pilots (let's say 2). Assuming everybody posts something every week, that's 17 posts per video. Let's say only 3/4 of the people post, that's still upwards of 12 per video. This doesn't account for the other people that are in the base, waiting to be named to the "active squad". From past experience, some of the most frequent posts came from people who weren't "activated." If we include journals from those people, the number of posts goes up dramatically. If we go with a two post limit, that's still a potential of 24 + posts / week. Perhaps I'm underestimating the amount of free time people have, but I would have a very difficult time keeping up with that.
- Creativity. It's been expressed by numerous people that they want to be able to have dialogue between themselves and other characters. I think you can cover off much more character development in journals instead of dialogue streams. Having some type of limit will encourage people to "trim the fat" on their posts. I think it makes for a more engaged experience for all people involved.
- Inclusion of RP elements in the video. Ideally, I'd like to incorporate some of the important events taking place at the base in the videos. For those that aren't aware, YouTube is not my full time job. On top of YouTube, I have my regular job, a wife, a house, a dog, friends, other hobbies, etc. I simply could not keep up last season, and it's unfortunate because there were some real gems in there. I got lost in the dialogue posts.
- Avoids domination by small groups. I've referenced this in the past examples, but it may need to stand as it's own point. I say this hesitantly because I really appreciate the passion people have demonstrated for this project. Personally, I'd like to learn about more soldiers. You get really invested in a few of them and it's exciting to see where they go. It levels the playing field a bit more.
- Multiple Characters
- One thing that I feel strongly about is that when you're RPing in this world, death is a real concern for your character. If they die, it's over. They don't get to "assume" another body/life. I think the RPing should reflect that. Do you have control over whether your character lives or dies? Nope, that's in your pledge. I think that should light a fire under you to make every post count.
I'll now go through some of the previous posts and address them specifically if I can.
I hope this sheds some additional light on the topics. A lot of people have expressed that I don't need to share the motives/reasons behind my proposed ideas, but I believe transparency is best when working with a large group of people with a vested interest.
- Odd.
Edit: I just realized there are 158 replies to the Recruitment Centre as it stands right now. I hope people that are not chosen for the squad understood that possibility going into the season. That will be the vast majority.
Last edited:
I haven't considered the scaling of posts as the season goes on. That's definitely something to think about.
Vlakvark
New Member
Hey Chris, I had a question about the RP, specifically about having sizable bits of it (although never the main narrative of the journal) in a different language. While I feel it'd be in character, assuming I'm chosen, I didn't know whether it would be appropriate or not to include my native Afrikaans for flavor.
We had a soldier do something similar to this in the past. Go for it!
Frozen Messiah
New Member
Thanks for the heads up, I have changed my soldier into a scientist.
Sypher.Anthem
Member
I see what you mean especially with the math word problem to illustrate things. With those type of numbers I can see how anyone who didn't monitor posts constantly could be left behind or feel overwhelmed if they came back to see a stream of posts from one or a particular group of people. One thing I can pull from just having my own rp experience is timing. Some posts especially responses and those who are trying to strike up collaborations off a particular event usually have the biggest effect inspiration wise for the reader if done in a timely manner to what its responding to. I feel like in light of how Chris felt while trying to sort through previous seasons the hesitation of making one post count, like others said, might just be enough time for maybe a slower writer to get a post out a looked at before anyone settles on something especially if its a reaction from a particular person who hasn't posted yet. I like collaborations because it takes a certain amount of trust for some one to say a character other than their own did/said something without the risk of stepping on peoples toes. I like how easy it is to just add multiple people to a conversation and plan, but some of the best posts in rp's come from spur of the moment write ups off the authors initial reaction.
AugurOfRuin
Member
I have to ask: is the pledge reguired for a scientist? I mean the pledge is meant more for the soldiers, as the scientists aren't really at a risk to lose their life. The pledge doesn't really make sence for a scientist so thats my reasoning for leaving it out of my entry. I hope thats totally fine?
Frozen Messiah
New Member
In the game there was an attack on the base that was sure to have killed some of the engineers and scientist. It would make sense that a scientist should be ready to help out wherever he could, whether that means grabbing a gun or helping in the med bay.
Just something I consider, I mean when stuff hits the fan everyone in XCOM needs to be willing to lay down their life for the cause.
AugurOfRuin
Member
What if I want you to melt in a science lab fire?
I have added the pledge with a couple of edits to make it more like a pledge for the scientists. I mean I'm pretty sure scientists don't enlist themselves as elite soldiers, I mean the amount of shooting experience the scientists have is probably testing prototype guns, hardly soldier levels of skill. And I don't think scientists count as a part of the "special forces".
- Status