AC Results / HMD

[lucetimods]

The results for the Activity Check are in. Please note that the following characters were either inactive, didn't post to the activity check, or failed to speak to a moderator about their activity. Also added were characters who have dropped recently, for your convenience.

Copy-paste the following here:

manage_circle del_read inozpicious manage_circle del_read selfdoubt manage_circle del_read soracles manage_circle del_read stopbuggingme manage_circle del_read toujoursfluer manage_circle del_read upontheplains manage_circle del_read vanityunbecoming manage_circle del_read wishedmiracle manage_circle del_read jacqli manage_circle del_read fairly manage_circle del_read bemyused manage_circle del_read cutefiancee manage_circle del_read lastoftheredwings manage_circle del_read little_amber_angel manage_circle del_read sardines4power manage_circle del_read great_summoner_eiko manage_circle del_read flaring manage_circle del_read slaythemoon manage_circle del_read wario manage_circle del_read albioreiii manage_circle del_read monstrosities manage_circle del_read limits manage_circle del_read pyrotechnics manage_circle del_read coldsnaps manage_circle del_read blackmagicelady manage_circle del_read fujoshiqueen manage_circle del_read kicks_eggplant manage_circle del_read transitioned manage_circle del_read aintnoconvict manage_circle del_read loyalotter manage_circle del_read metalbends manage_circle del_read vervainsheriff manage_circle del_read soulboundhunter manage_circle del_read awakenedchaos manage_circle del_read mush_monarch manage_circle del_read loves_a_samurai manage_circle del_read gentleidealist manage_circle del_read dragmire manage_circle del_read rideslink manage_circle del_read andatoilet manage_circle del_read phantasmgap manage_circle del_read heronpecked manage_circle del_read keepsthelight manage_circle del_read aynnnn manage_circle del_read shinydeadaliens manage_circle del_read cry_camellia manage_circle del_read no_ice_please manage_circle del_read untrustworthy manage_circle del_read ozwell manage_circle del_read alexandrite manage_circle del_read pinned_ya manage_circle del_read pridefulfists manage_circle del_read fateofafencer manage_circle del_read ahardwiredheart manage_circle del_read evokings manage_circle del_read couragefighter manage_circle del_read patchworkallegiance manage_circle del_read straightatem manage_circle del_read reactions manage_circle del_read deadlydebutante manage_circle del_read consult_my_books manage_circle del_read lookinforlight manage_circle add_read bubblywishes manage_circle add_read liberatedliberator

A number of you passed the activity check, but barely. (You know who you are.) Try to pick things up, as it's no fun to character-squat.

If there are any mistakes here, please let us know! Additionally, if your character was removed and you're still active, feel free to appeal to one of us about keeping your character. However, please remember next time to stay active and post to the Activity Check. Thank you!

And as always:

HMD

How's My Driving?

This is a crit post for both the community and game and for your characters. If you have something you'd like to see us improve upon with the game, PLEASE TELL US HERE! Anon commenting is on, but if anything gets really nasty there will be warnings and thread-freezing. This isn't required but everyone is encouraged to take advantage of the advice of your fellow players!

Just some pointers: no taking cheap shots, no dragging personal issues into things and for the love of all that is wise and great, please double check your replies and comments before posting them. Sometimes a change in phrasing can make all the difference between a helpful tone and a condescending one.

ALSO ALSO: We'd like to clarify that HMD means HMD- which means it's okay to have both good and bad crit. Some people have expressed concerns about posting good/bad crit when a character already has bad/good crit posted. We'd like to encourage you guys to do it anyway! You can drive well or badly, and even good drivers make mistakes. So give it a try \o

Comments

Re: Luceti / Luceti Mods

[fortunefail]

This isn't really crit, as it's my opinion, but still something I'd like to bring up.

That is, for the past year or so, it seems that Luceti's 'plot' is being downplayed a lot. A few years ago, we had lots of fun stuff going on. Questions that everyone was eager to have answered and little details that added to the general mystery. I'm referring to things such as John, Rem, the ruins in the desert, renegade Malnosso kidnappers... It was like we were exploring the world of Luceti one step at a time, both geographically and by digging into the political workings.

I miss that. I really do. I miss the big plots that affect the entire village and have people work together to cope with major incidents. I miss the chance to explore new landscapes without being bound to drafts or missions, and I miss the mysterious vibe the NPCs used to give off.

Of course, again, this is my opinion. Other players are free to either second this or tell me to stop whining.

[spiritbruising]

I sort of agree; I really like all of the new stuff that's been added recently (missions especially!) and I think the recent events have been great as well, but I also would like to see the "plot" moving forward, as in learning more about the wider world beyond the barrier. It's a little jarring that although many characters are actually getting to go out there now and see things, our actual understanding of what's happening isn't changing.

I'd love to see some more interactive world-building; characters learning plot points while on the special missions, for instance, or another NPC that has a perspective different from the ones we've encountered so far, to give the characters more to think about. The things Charles suggested below could also be an interesting place to start.

[vulcanblazer]

Likewise, though in defense of the current way things have been going, I also like that we are actually finding out about more of the NPCs more directly, and them having the face time they do isn't a bad thing either. I also do like the creation of missions and the gradual shift in tone of the Malnosso from being outright evil to more results-driven and simply unscrupulous resulting from the desperation of a long-fought and difficult war. So all of that's pretty great.

Though I do miss the bigger, community-wide village things too. I understand they're a real bear to set up, just in prep work and writing and considering long-term consequences. But at the same time, they do often force groups who might not normally interact within the enclosure to do so.

Building off of that, it also feels like we have fewer experiments overall, in part because drafts frequently take their place. The experiments are, I find, the best way to shake up the status quo, and can generally spark all sorts of CR that you might not normally get. I feel as though for a long time this was a major draw to the setting. As well, there are months when experiments get supplanted by drafts, it leaves some people who didn't (either for IC reasons or not wanting to) or couldn't sign up their muses without a method of shaking things up.

And while I like drafts, they don't really provide a sense of chaos, as most fighting is assumed. Most crises happen when they're plotted between a handful of people, and it's harder to break into that. It's not a complaint directed to the mods, but rather the nature of the beast, which is understandable. From a CR building perspective, I just don't think drafts offer nearly as much potential as experiments do, and losing experiments in favor of drafts or missions is something that needs to be done more sparingly.

I understand from a plot perspective the massive, enclosure-wide experiments make less sense coming from the main Malnosso Organization as their policy has shifted toward more of working with the subjects than outright subjugation, but with that dangling plot thread of the rogue Malnosso, you still do have plot reason to implement village-wide experiments with some frequency and have the added bonus of giving us more of a reason to want to shut down the Rogue Malnosso faction.

Those are just thoughts, and I also second Zero's suggestion for Shift Sickness down below.