So as many of you know I have big plans for events for the Moon Mage guild... and have had them for years. But the combination of having a lot development requirements, struggling to bring the events to guilds outside the Moon Mages (Which makes it harder to regularly leverage the rest of the events team), and working nights so my active hours rarely overlap the active hours of much of the player base has really stalled things.
I'm mulling over a potential solution... and I state this fully aware that this might be an awful idea and/or end up being impractical.
How would people feel about more events being narrated in the background in a way you could engage with at your leisure instead of GMNPC driven?
Right now I'm thinking this would mostly take the form of NPCs but other ideas might occur to me.
For example - instead of having a GMNPC like Tozu show up and chat about what's been going on lately, there might be a some NPC'ed students or goldcaps sitting around you could chat up. Or an NPC'd version of Tozu himself.
I could also set up some little vignettes that would either fire on their own or be triggered by players (Think how story quests work in many graphical MMORPGs).
I'm trying to think of ways to convey story and keep people engaged between major "set pieces" where more GMNPCs would be involved.
-Raesh
"The trouble with atheism, is that it offers a limited range of curses.” - Two Serpents Rise
DR-RAESH
SHADOWCHIEF2
Re: A thought on Events
12/12/2015 01:38 AM CST
That would be an interesting concept, honestly probably a lot better in most ways because most of the time these events take place a lot of folks aren't around, even if it is foreshadowed.
SLHUBBARD
Re: A thought on Events
12/12/2015 02:41 AM CST
These are all great ideas -- as someone who is interested in events, but not the best at actually getting to them (for a variety of reasons), I'd love to be able to catch up on things IG rather than on the boards.
If NPCs were involved, I would like to ask that it be somewhat clear how to obtain the information they were designed to provide. i.e., no syntax puzzles.
Thanks,
GENT
If NPCs were involved, I would like to ask that it be somewhat clear how to obtain the information they were designed to provide. i.e., no syntax puzzles.
Thanks,
GENT
THAYET
Re: A thought on Events
12/12/2015 02:59 AM CST
I like this idea as a supplement, yes, but not a replacement for actual engagement, because it does kind of relegate players to being spectators. Moonies have a long history by now as well of having pretty good community-driven access to GM-run events with things like the visions meetings and really the prediction system in general. I wouldn't want to see those supplanted by "well, okay, I could ask around or attend a player-run meeting, but why when I can just go get every piece of relevant information from this NPC instead, because the result is exactly the same."
Thayet
Twitter: @thayelf
Tumblr: thayette.tumblr.com
Thayet
Twitter: @thayelf
Tumblr: thayette.tumblr.com
BADGOPHER
Re: A thought on Events
12/12/2015 06:28 AM CST
>How would people feel about more events being narrated in the background in a way you could engage with at your leisure instead of GMNPC driven?
One of the reasons I avoid events is the massive swarm of people asking a billion questions, emoting a billion ways, using funny accents and in general being obnoxious.
So this sounds like a great idea to me. Especially if an event is going to be on guided rails anyway.
One of the reasons I avoid events is the massive swarm of people asking a billion questions, emoting a billion ways, using funny accents and in general being obnoxious.
So this sounds like a great idea to me. Especially if an event is going to be on guided rails anyway.
THAYET
Re: A thought on Events
12/12/2015 07:18 AM CST
>> One of the reasons I avoid events is the massive swarm of people asking a billion questions, emoting a billion ways, using funny accents and in general being obnoxious.
so you avoid events because people roleplay at them?
Thayet
Twitter: @thayelf
Tumblr: thayette.tumblr.com
so you avoid events because people roleplay at them?
Thayet
Twitter: @thayelf
Tumblr: thayette.tumblr.com
BADGOPHER
Re: A thought on Events
12/12/2015 09:54 AM CST
>so you avoid events because people roleplay at them?
Yes.
That's obviously what I meant.
Yes.
That's obviously what I meant.
DR-RAESH
Re: A thought on Events
12/12/2015 11:03 AM CST
My general idea is that these would be something that would connect key events where more characters were involved - and they wouldn't totally replace GMNPC events.
It's still very much an idea that may not pan out - the actual time investment in setting these things up, QCing them, etc vs just running an event might mean the idea is DOA. Either way, I appreciate the feedback before I decide if it should move beyond a thought experiment.
-Raesh
"The trouble with atheism, is that it offers a limited range of curses.” - Two Serpents Rise
It's still very much an idea that may not pan out - the actual time investment in setting these things up, QCing them, etc vs just running an event might mean the idea is DOA. Either way, I appreciate the feedback before I decide if it should move beyond a thought experiment.
-Raesh
"The trouble with atheism, is that it offers a limited range of curses.” - Two Serpents Rise
FAMEBRIGHT
Re: A thought on Events
12/12/2015 01:50 PM CST
More like...
>so you avoid events because people
...which I don't think I'd actually criticize.
Your search-fu is pig dung!
>so you avoid events because people
...which I don't think I'd actually criticize.
Your search-fu is pig dung!
BADGOPHER
Re: A thought on Events
12/12/2015 02:04 PM CST
>so you avoid events because people
>...which I don't think I'd actually criticize.
I find people doing 'precocious' accents in game annoying. I find the incessant playing of zills obnoxious. I find people covered head to foot in twilight-eque glitter and constantly moving objects (flowers wilting and blooming, head orbiters emoting, spiders cleaning themselves, snake charms being snake charms, and so on) distracting. I find people who can't be bothered to toggle their scripts and triggers off for 90 seconds worthless.
So yes. In general, I avoid events because people. The actual events, and interactions? Fun.
>...which I don't think I'd actually criticize.
I find people doing 'precocious' accents in game annoying. I find the incessant playing of zills obnoxious. I find people covered head to foot in twilight-eque glitter and constantly moving objects (flowers wilting and blooming, head orbiters emoting, spiders cleaning themselves, snake charms being snake charms, and so on) distracting. I find people who can't be bothered to toggle their scripts and triggers off for 90 seconds worthless.
So yes. In general, I avoid events because people. The actual events, and interactions? Fun.
FLINT-TIPPED
Re: A thought on Events
12/12/2015 10:16 PM CST
>atmo
Does your FE not have an Atmo window?
That sounds really interesting Raesh. At the very least it seems like once you got them coded up you could re-purpose them for many different events or quests.
Vote:
http://www.topmudsites.com/vote-DragonRealms.html
Does your FE not have an Atmo window?
That sounds really interesting Raesh. At the very least it seems like once you got them coded up you could re-purpose them for many different events or quests.
Vote:
http://www.topmudsites.com/vote-DragonRealms.html
BLADEDBUTTERFLY
Re: A thought on Events
12/13/2015 08:12 PM CST
I think this sounds like it could be fun.
"Moon Mages see stars when they do it."
"Moon Mages see stars when they do it."
CRYPTODYNAMIC
Re: A thought on Events
12/16/2015 05:36 PM CST
I certainly wouldn't say no to some NPCs that you can chat with about interesting topics. (Chatting up the guards on Taisgath was fun, on that note.) In the specific case of moon mage event stuff, something that you could interact with and it would trigger a vision might be appropriate.
- Miskton
- Miskton
FLINT-TIPPED
Re: A thought on Events
12/16/2015 10:59 PM CST
Unrelated to NPCs we probably need to change event predictions given the manpower needed for writing the event prediction visions. We had ~35 in 2014 and I think ~6 in 2015.
Vote:
http://www.topmudsites.com/vote-DragonRealms.html
Vote:
http://www.topmudsites.com/vote-DragonRealms.html
DR-RAESH
Re: A thought on Events
12/17/2015 09:43 AM CST
I'll see what I can do but the vast majority of visions in the system are written by a small handful of GMs (And mostly me), so as my involvement in events dropped in 2015 the number of visions dropped far more sharply than I would like.
I have some ideas for improving the event prediction system in general - but none of them solve the above problem.
My honest recommendation is to offer feedback to GMs other than me (Since I'm already on board). Write the events list, mention it to other GMs when you get a chance. I don't mean nag them to write them - no one wants that - but feedback on how much they add to events when they do happen, or a place where you felt an event could have had more impact had it included visions and that sort of thing. Engage them in a dialogue about it.
The vision meetings are a good example of this, including the logs, and I understand those are hard when events seem to be in limbo and the visions stagnate because of it.
I'll do what I can on my side to try and increase the number of visions out there as well.
-Raesh
"The trouble with atheism, is that it offers a limited range of curses.” - Two Serpents Rise
I have some ideas for improving the event prediction system in general - but none of them solve the above problem.
My honest recommendation is to offer feedback to GMs other than me (Since I'm already on board). Write the events list, mention it to other GMs when you get a chance. I don't mean nag them to write them - no one wants that - but feedback on how much they add to events when they do happen, or a place where you felt an event could have had more impact had it included visions and that sort of thing. Engage them in a dialogue about it.
The vision meetings are a good example of this, including the logs, and I understand those are hard when events seem to be in limbo and the visions stagnate because of it.
I'll do what I can on my side to try and increase the number of visions out there as well.
-Raesh
"The trouble with atheism, is that it offers a limited range of curses.” - Two Serpents Rise
CRYPTODYNAMIC
Re: A thought on Events
12/17/2015 03:25 PM CST
Not having new stuff to discuss does make the vision meetings a bit harder, but the drop in frequency of them is mostly because I've been pretty swamped with work. Lately it's been a struggle to even find time to play at all. I am hoping to put together another one for January sometime, though.
- Miskton
- Miskton
