Post by nicholas on Oct 30, 2011 4:22:37 GMT -5
I realize that I'm completely new here and that you guys have your own way of doing things that seems to work out pretty well, but I just thought I'd mention this suggestion since I've seen it work extremely well elsewhere.
Basically, I was thinking that you guys might want to consider making an NPC/ Event account? So far the system you guys have going right now seems to work pretty well, except there are a couple of drawbacks that might result from it later down the line, first and foremost that any NPCing is more or less done exclusively by the players themselves, and that can allow for a bunch of very messy situations if poorly handled (player spawning an enemy that should not be there, and enemy too strong or too weak for the given situation, or only to more or less draw attention to their characters). The players here do seem to know what they're doing in regards to that, but if the site intends to grow I feel that you should take into account that not all role players show restraint or common sense in regards to this.
Enter the NPC or Event account. While it would more or less perform the function of the admin accounts in the capacity they're filling in certain threads at the moment (namely the Deadspace/Necromorph thread), it would allow for a far more varied, flexible RP environment, whether it was required for NPC encounters or merely something to be requested as needed. On every site I have seen it implemented it has encouraged much more diverse player interaction as well as character development - plus it's a lot more fun! It's one thing for the players to be controlling the NPCs in a thread, but what happens when they're beyond player control? As far as my experience goes it forces characters to actually work together when they aren't sure how much mercy (if any) they will get from an enemy, and dramatically increases the chances for further character development - I have personally found that the most satisfying, defining character moments have more often that not came from such threads when the players were forced to improvise or work together to meet a challenge that proved to be an actual threat, rather than having planned every detail out in advance. This will also allow for random events that aren't necessarily character based to take place during certain threads, be it during combat situations or just social interactions.
Again, though, I know it might not suit some people, but it doesn't have to be mandatory for all NPCs - it can be used only when requested. Thoughts?
Basically, I was thinking that you guys might want to consider making an NPC/ Event account? So far the system you guys have going right now seems to work pretty well, except there are a couple of drawbacks that might result from it later down the line, first and foremost that any NPCing is more or less done exclusively by the players themselves, and that can allow for a bunch of very messy situations if poorly handled (player spawning an enemy that should not be there, and enemy too strong or too weak for the given situation, or only to more or less draw attention to their characters). The players here do seem to know what they're doing in regards to that, but if the site intends to grow I feel that you should take into account that not all role players show restraint or common sense in regards to this.
Enter the NPC or Event account. While it would more or less perform the function of the admin accounts in the capacity they're filling in certain threads at the moment (namely the Deadspace/Necromorph thread), it would allow for a far more varied, flexible RP environment, whether it was required for NPC encounters or merely something to be requested as needed. On every site I have seen it implemented it has encouraged much more diverse player interaction as well as character development - plus it's a lot more fun! It's one thing for the players to be controlling the NPCs in a thread, but what happens when they're beyond player control? As far as my experience goes it forces characters to actually work together when they aren't sure how much mercy (if any) they will get from an enemy, and dramatically increases the chances for further character development - I have personally found that the most satisfying, defining character moments have more often that not came from such threads when the players were forced to improvise or work together to meet a challenge that proved to be an actual threat, rather than having planned every detail out in advance. This will also allow for random events that aren't necessarily character based to take place during certain threads, be it during combat situations or just social interactions.
Again, though, I know it might not suit some people, but it doesn't have to be mandatory for all NPCs - it can be used only when requested. Thoughts?