ANNOUNCEMENT: Search Request Poll + Mod HMD

[glencolans]

Hi everyone! This post contains a very important poll that I would like all current players to weigh in on, so please make sure you at least read that part below and respond to this post, when able. I'll tally up responses and come to a final decision by Wednesday, 6/21. Implementation depends on what the decision is.

POLL: Search Request Changes

After a month of running this game, I think it's about time for me to admit that I'm having trouble keeping up with the volume of search requests on my plate, to the point where basically all characters are lagging several IC days behind in spite of the OOC/IC time dilation mechanic. Something definitely needs to be done about this. I've received a few ideas from the players and I have an idea or two of my own for possible solutions:

• Double the OOC/IC time difference. Instead of 1 IC day equaling 3 OOC days, simply increase the ratio to 1:6. Implementation would involve changing the calendars. Possible drawbacks would involve some plot elements that are time-based taking longer to resolve/occur from an OOC perspective.
• Simplify the search request mechanic. I've been playing around with ways to make the search requests faster/easier for me to write (the "general search results" one being I think the most successful), and I could roll that out on a wider scale to try and speed up this process as a whole. Implementation has already more or less been developed, unless anyone has suggestions for how to streamline them even further. Possible drawbacks would involve hiding the movement math, as well as...well, not making it any less complicated when it comes to actually filling out the map tiles, because that would still be done behind the scenes regardless of if I write it out.
• Get some helper mods. I see two immediately useful helper mod positions that I could open up:
  • General mod - To do things like AC, app processing, announcements, FAQ. I'd offer this to anyone in or out of the game, and it would take a lot of standard mod busywork off of my hands while I focus on plot.
  • Plot mod - To do things like search requests, NPC threads, map updates, event posts and story consolidation. This would be the most helpful for catching up on search requests, but I would also prefer it to be filled by someone who doesn't currently have a character in the game, to avoid the possibility of IC/OOC plot bleed. Exceptions can be made for someone that has modded a game before, that can make a strong case for keeping that separation.
  Implementation would involve opening up suggestions/nominations and possibly trawling outside the game for helpers; not sure how long it would take for the latter, but if I did internal mod applications, I estimate the process to take at least a month to choose the helper(s) and get them up-to-speed on my terrible coding and disorganized pile of plot documents everything their position entails.
• Everything is fine. There's an argument to be made that, as the map is explored further and characters settle into specific locations, search requests will become easier for me to do and for players to work out. We could keep the system as-is with the expectation that everything will work itself out in a few months.
• Player suggestions. Do you have an idea I haven't already listed? Please tell me about it, and +1 anything that sounds promising! Some combination of the above is also doable.

Please respond to this comment with your vote and any other input you have about this situation.

MOD/GAME HMD

Hey - it's been a whole month since the game opened!! This is the first DWRP game I have ever run and I am absolutely floored at the amount of enthusiasm and activity y'all have shown for it. I can't thank you enough for being a part of telling this story with me, and I hope it continues for a while yet!

I think now is probably a good time, then, to formally open the floor for any feedback/suggestions about how I'm doing things (keeping in mind the above search request poll - yes I know it's a problem, and yes I very much want to do something about it) and about how the game feels in general. If you have anything that you'd rather keep private, please PM the mod account directly; this is always available to existing and prospective players that have concerns, but I figure this is a good place to put a reminder. For anything else, please respond to this comment.

Thanks again everyone, and I look forward to reading your feedback!

Comments

SEARCH REQUEST VOTES

[glencolans]

1 (Double the OOC/IC time difference), 2 (Simplify the search request mechanic), 3 (Get some helper mods), 4 (Everything is fine), or 5 (Player suggestions/some combination of the above).

[trialbyliar]

Voting for 1, but also open to helper mods as well if it makes your life easier!

[hyakuoku]

I vote for 1 and/or 3

[salamanca]

I vote for 1 and/or 3! Or even a combination of 1 and 3. Whatever will help you the most.

[lonelynotforsaken]

5 - I think a combo of 1-3 would all be helpful!

Re: SEARCH REQUEST VOTES

[doomcame]

I vote 1 to help get everyone caught up for now*, and then 3 might not be a bad idea in the long run to keep the head mod from getting overwhelmed.

*Adding to say I agree with the others that said we can always go back to 3:1 in the future too.

5

[sharktrash]

I think all of the proposed suggestions are good and it's ultimately up to you how you want to have things run here, so I'll just throw in some commentary;

1) double the time difference - While this could make some plots drag out, I think it's probably the best and quickest solution at the moment.

2) this also sounds like a good idea, although I'm not entirely sure what it entails -- if I understand correctly, you wouldn't write out the squares that characters pass through, but it would still be reflected in the map? It does sound like you need to do the math anyway, but if it would be helpful for you, I'm all for it! Of course, things like structures/landmarks should probably still have their exact square mentioned.

3) this one is straightforward -- having help is always good! Especially general help shouldn't be too tricky to find, I think.

4) like I mentioned above, while I believe that IC:OOC ratio increase right now might be a necessary option, I do also think that once the map fog is cleared and players start moving to places with more purpose rather than just exploring every tile, it will probably get quicker and need less details (not to mention if you get mod help). (Just talking for myself here, but I would probably start writing more exact routes myself once the map is visible enough I know it doesn't go across a crocodile infested river haha.)

Which is to say, even if we go to 1 IC day: 6 OOC days now, it doesn't have to stay that way indefinitely -- if in the future the searches go quicker and we see things starting to lag plotwise, we can always do a vote for returning to the original 1:3 schedule or something else/new (time speeding up for particular events, etc).

[2199]

I vote for 1 with a side of 4, if that makes sense. I think 1 is most expedient for now, to lighten the mod workload and get everyone up to speed in roughly the same day, so new players aren't locked out of backdated plots, etc. That said, once more of the map is explored and it's easier to do search requests, it might be worthwhile to revisit this and see if 6:1 day is feasible long-term.

tl;dr 1 for now, but it might be good to do a pulse check in a few months and see if switching back to the 3:1 day ratio is a good idea, to move things forward and strengthen the pace of the game.

[meadqueen]

I think 1 is a good idea especially now when the island is less explored and we’re more likely to be getting batches of new characters. If it feels like it's dragging we can always switch back.

I don't mind the general search results at all - especially with team science right now where Randvi is covering the same route on a lot of days. It's a lot less typing and we all know the route already.

Also think at least an AC etc helper mod will be important in the future.

So all of them I guess lol

[ichoosefight]

I like 2 and 3, but I'm not sure about 1. I know right now I would appreciate the extra time, but I feel like at some point I'm going to get impatient about moving forward. And it just sounds big, 1:6 as a day ratio. Maybe that's less unusual than I think it is, idk. I'm not really against it, just unsure moving forward. But I think that 2 and 3 would definitely help in the long run, and keep you from burning out too fast.

[littlemissfutility]

2 and 3 make the most sense to me, personally, with the caveat that I obviously haven't been here long enough to have a 'real' opinion. A 6:1 day ratio seems really long - that means every OOC calendar year is just 2 months in the game.

[bigfootfetish]

Additional thought (apologies for the wrong journal, I'm being lazy) - what if we just made the next IC day or two a 6:1 day? If it's for the extremely short term while figuring out longer-term solutions, I think it'd make sense.

[aluminumandash]

I like the sound of this--or even doubling the ratio just until the game hits cap. One of my biggest struggles has been interacting with new characters when I wasn't sure what my char would be up to during their arrival, but once the game's full, new arrivals should be a lot more staggered.

(On the other hand, there will be a lot more search requests.)

[hyakuoku]

Yeah I'm having trouble keeping chronology straight, or I wait until I know what happened on day x to respond to something on day y.
I think that's the nature of the beast for me, though. So maybe a temporary decrease of time for a few days is better than a permanent one.

Re: SEARCH REQUEST VOTES

[obeir]

1: It would be a good catch up method for new characters but I think could create more issues than it solves if it's implemented long-term, for reasons others have already covered. Would it be feasible to simply choose the timeframe any given character enters the game on even if it doesn't match the current in-game calendar date? E.g. it's currently day 20 in-game but most players are still doing things on day 16, new character is accepted, you decide to have them enter the game on day 16 so they won't be so far ahead of the rest of the game.

3: Some helper mods are a good idea to help lighten your load.

4: There's an argument to be made that, as the map is explored further and characters settle into specific locations, search requests will become easier for me to do and for players to work out.
I think that's entirely valid too. Things should become easier and more streamlined in the future, especially once more of the map is filled out. We've already seen this happening with Team Science. I think your general search results work fine for us, because our characters travel the same routes a lot while they're establishing their airfield camp.

[aluminumandash]

For tallying purposes: 1 (ideally short-term) and 3.

Additional blather: I agree with a lot of what's already been said re: time ratio—I think it'd be a good idea to extend it while characters are potentially making new discoveries with every search request and a lot of new characters are showing up. But in the long run, I'd prefer 1:3—I could see 1:6 getting tiresome when characters are just camping out or working on a construction project or what have you.

If you're up for it, it might also help to try to coordinate with players who have nitty-gritty search requests going on (I'm thinking Rust being trapped or Dirk talking to the locals) to see if you can find a block of time to essentially boomerang search requests. But I totally understand if that's too demanding for you, you're already doing a ton. (And I just want to throw some props your way for all the plotting and search requests, it's such a fun mechanic and I've been having a fantastic time with it. I also love how you've kept puzzles and obstacles challenging but not impossible!)

I really appreciate how you always check in on Discord to give a heads up about being busy/being away, but I think that's also a good reason to bring on another mod—you should be able to take time off without warning if something comes up! Or if you feel like it! I'm definitely pro-spreading the work around to prevent burnout.

Oh and one last thing—I'm very glad you'd potentially look outside the game for plot mods. I've been in plenty of games with mod characters that have been great! But it gives the game a unique feel when the mod's just raining chaos down on us.

late reply, sorry; i was traveling!

[cactusy]

My vote goes for some combo of 1-3!

1: I really love this idea, and would personally be fine with it for any length of time (including indefinitely/long-term)! Adjusting it temporarily or on an as-needed basis sounds good to me, too; honestly, I'm a fan of non-1:1 gameplay of any stripe, and am really not picky about how it's implemented.

2: I think my thoughts on this would depend on how it was implemented, which I know is not a very useful response at this stage! I'm up for experimenting, though.

3. This is definitely a good idea imo, but I admittedly won't be able to volunteer myself.

4. Personally, I haven't had any issues with the speed of search requests, and I think you've done an awesome job so far! I'm not voting for this option purely because if you're feeling overwhelmed/dissatisfied with how behind stuff is, that's the most important thing imo, but I did want to note that I'm really impressed with how well you've been doing so far.