Time to Make a Change

[Lye]

"It's time to make a change."

Over the years, I have watched Althanas peak and valley in activity and members. Over those years, we have hit several road bumps and sometimes massive sink holes. Sometimes, players whisper ideas to one another on what we did wrong or what would make this place more fun.

Well, I think it's time to make a change.

With the approval of Sir Dirks himself (that's right folks, this is totally sanctioned by "The Man"), we are opening the doors to the public. We want all of your ideas on how to make Althanas more fun. We're not talking about free levels, or improving certain rules... We are talking fun.

What does that mean? That means we are willing to break a few rules. Maybe temporarily, maybe permanently and we're not joking.

In fact, out of all the suggestions we get here, we guarantee that at least three of them will be chosen and implemented. Depending on how good the idea is, we may even sweeten the deal with EXP, GP, and/or AP.

So that's it. Plain and simple. I want to know what you think will make Althanas a better place to write and what you think your friends might enjoy if they started writing here.

Have at it!

-- Banhammer Lye

[redford]

Annual easter egg hunt.
More public events like the golden autumn inn.

[redford]

Mini vignettes, little short two paragraph scenes.

[Ellie]

I personally believe that we need more settings for people to write in. As a person who has made so many different accounts: Ellie, Alice/Zevit, Cerock, Etc... I've had a lot of issues trying to fit myself into the world here and i've noticed several friends who try to play also have this issues. It's very intimidating coming onto this site where you all have built so much lore and trying to just jump in it. We dont want to feel out of place and i'm sure some people are afraid of writing something misleading or that doesn't line up correctly with the world. Just giving my input on the situation because I really do like this site; as little as I join in on it I do like it. CardsofFate had mentioned this thread popping up to me so I had to jump in and give my input

[Lye]

More deets, red. Those are just event titles. How would they work, what are the rewards?

[Bard]

The opportunity to branch off the wiki and describe worlds associated with the "nexus" as well as other "uncharted lands.

Making the Nexus a thread that isn't barried and thus more excessable to all writers.

[Mordelain]

Remove the chat feature. It's responsible for more drops in activity than any other event, player, or set of circumstance since I joined in 2009.

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

I think the site needs more good versus evil conflict.

I often prattle on about this as the main example, but a long time ago in the Interactive Village a clan called the Castigars (headed by our very own Visla Eclaire / ISOS as he was known then and also participated in by our very own Cyrus the Virus / Izvilvin) rose up to try and unite the world under their banner. What followed was a succession of smaller clans all banding together to fight this absolute monster of an army.

It was really fun, everyone was active and everyone wanted to get at the throats of these guys. I think there might have been genuine anomosity at the time too which drove everything forward. It wasn't the most skilled bunch of writing we have ever seen but it was fun and left lasting impressions on characters you even see today.

How cool would it be to have a site sponsored army of evil or even chaotic neutral warriors taking on the members of the forums in all out war across parts of actual Althanas realms? A whole world at war? Everyone banding together to fight a common enemy, or even betraying their own sides for personal gain?

The practicality of it is one thing but I guarantee you it would attract interest. If that doesn't work, maybe even turn it into a bit of a Final Fantasy Dissidia type thing where two generals on opposing sides pick an army and summon the characters of Althanas as avatars to battle on a new area of Althanas, some sort of ethereal plain?

In either of these ideas you could incentivise the threads. If it is some sort of world war, missions for each side that are completed get an exp or AP bonus for participation. Special rewards for outstanding threads. That sort of thing?

I'm purely spitballing but the idea of an Althanian World War against not other countries but an alliance of characters makes me want to start writing already.

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Remove the chat feature. It's responsible for more drops in activity than any other event, player, or set of circumstance since I joined in 2009.

Not true. I spend 99% of my time in chat and the people who go in, bar BlackandBlueEyes, are all active writers. Fez, myself, Gnarl, Storm Veritas, Karuka, darkest.desires, JDD and redford being examples of chat regulars.

[BlackAndBlueEyes]

Remove the chat feature. It's responsible for more drops in activity than any other event, player, or set of circumstance since I joined in 2009.

I'm giving you my 2015 Villain of the Year award, Cyd. You truly deserve it.

Also, nuking the chat room wouldn't make Althanas more fun, it would make it infinitely more boring and a horrible place to hang out, as you're unable to shoot the breeze with your fellow writers.

As far as my suggestion goes, start holding modded quests and events in the Nexus, and give people actual, tangible incentive to write there. I imagine that some people wouldn't mind the break from bar fight after bar fight, and dragon after bigger dragon after even bigger dragon than the previous two combined. Variety is the spice of life, and that includes variety in genre and characters.