Reputation

[Letho]

That's a shame, because with Eltrian's history he'll basically be arrested on sight if he ever sets foot in Corone again... Makes it a bit more difficult to come up with viable reasons to RP there.

Personally, I don't think that it would be such a bad idea to semi-finalize the planet. One may argue that it limits the way in which a player can write their character's history, but on the contrary, I think it would help keep people creative. It's so easy to just say "so-and-so comes from such-and-such a village in a faraway land," and tailor the environment to match what they have in mind for their character. I can say this because I've done it myself plenty of times. It's an easy way out.

I don't think it's an easy way out. On the contrary; if you want to create a believable background not linked to the known info/continents, you have to work hard, almost as hard as a continent writer. It's an easy way out if you create some archetype background from which your character comes from, but if you want to be original, it's anything but easy. I would know; all of my characters come from the "unknown" lands of Althanas and I'm still rather uncertain that I succeeded in making something unique.

[ramble]But to limit people to at least vaguely defined continents and such would force them to be creative with their backstories. It forces you to be specific instead of generic, and ultimately provides for a more interesting experience later. Someone with no connection whatsoever to any of the existing countries won't have any interest in their politics, wars, daily goings-on, etc... But if you have someone born and raised in a certain country which is hostile towards another certain country, you can introduce things like prejudice that help flesh-out and humanize your character. Someone raised in Alerar will probably have an instant dislike of someone raised in Salvar; and the process of either overcoming that prejudice or even nourishing that prejudice to create an intense rivalry can really develop some character. That's just one example, of course.

Naturally, room should be left for creativity (allowing room for additions and expansion, kind of like Akashima) but some generalized guidelines would be, I think, a positive change.[/ramble]

Isn't that pretty much what we have now? People that want to use the info can, and those that don't want to or don't think it would fit their characters can make a background of their own. I agree that finalizing some things would contribute to one form of creativity, but only at expense of another. Besides, I don't think Other Regions are such an issue. Majority of people include the local info in one way or the other.

Besides, I think that finalizing is not doable ICly. Althanas is a fantasy land currently in some sort of hybrid medieval times. And during such times, the entire world physically cannot be fully discovered yet. So you either make it rather unbelievable and say that it is fully discovered, or you have to disallow people that come from the "unknown" regions of Althanas. It's a lose-lose situation.

Corone is the most active region because it's at the top. I know that may be hard to take, but it's true. Look at every other forum and you'll see that the topmost in character forum is always the most active. PP and Scara being under different playing conditions don't count. If you want the other regions to experience good activity put each of them at the top for about six months.

I think it's rather unfair to say that it's mostly so only because Corone is on top of the pile, and I'm not saying this because I'm the writer of the continent. All of the other regions are extreme in one way or the other. Raiaera with the elven flowery dominance and song magic, Alerar with early technology and dark elves, Fallien with its xenophobic desert folk, Haidia being an underground nation of demons... Corone, on the other hand, is a little bit of everything. There, people don't have to worry too much whether or not they can fit the story into the environment, it gives them more freedom, while on the other hand, they have enough details if they do want to include them. I reckon that has to have something with the activity as well.

[Talon]

People roleplay in Corone mainly because they are lazy. I admit that I am one of those people. People are too lazy to read through the posts of information in Raiaera and try to roleplay the region correctly. Corone requires no correctness. As long as you say that there is a large city with people, you pretty much can do whatever.

[Reiko]

People roleplay in Corone mainly because they are lazy. I admit that I am one of those people. People are too lazy to read through the posts of information in Raiaera and try to roleplay the region correctly. Corone requires no correctness. As long as you say that there is a large city with people, you pretty much can do whatever.

You're pretty much right but I think it's a flaw with the other regions. Corone is flexible so people can use it to what they like. I really don't want to worry about some things that have no part of my adventure. I'll use Fallien's Exit pass as an example. Player have to RP getting one or the consequences of not having one or they take a hit and some pointless complaints from the judge. That kind of thing could be ignored if I don't want to bother with the xenophobia side of the region and just concentrate on the Arabian Nights with a feminist twist. There's just too much of the my way or the highway attitude with these regions that makes them hard to want to play in them, reputation or no.

[Talon]

But that's life. If every region was as easy to roleplay in as Corone is, well we'd have 7 Corones. I'm not saying that it is a bad thing to roleplay within your comfort zone, but if you don't challenge yourself as a writer, by putting yourself in those places where you may have to do a bit of reading of what the writers have in order to get it all correct, then you will never get to experience all that Althanas has to offer. Which is a shame because there are a bunch of good regions out there.

[Rajani Aishwara]

You're pretty much right but I think it's a flaw with the other regions. Corone is flexible so people can use it to what they like. I really don't want to worry about some things that have no part of my adventure. I'll use Fallien's Exit pass as an example. Player have to RP getting one or the consequences of not having one or they take a hit and some pointless complaints from the judge. That kind of thing could be ignored if I don't want to bother with the xenophobia side of the region and just concentrate on the Arabian Nights with a feminist twist. There's just too much of the my way or the highway attitude with these regions that makes them hard to want to play in them, reputation or no.

That's a shame. I like the material. I see the cultural information of the other nations as inspiration. As I read all these tidbits about every region and its people thousands of quest ideas come to mind, which is in my opinion their sole purpose. Try reading the info threads the next time you're in the middle of a writer's block. It helps. For me it encourages creativity.

However, to an extent you're very much right, Reiko. Fallien's Exit pass is tedious because it hinders creativity.

I think it's rather unfair to say that it's mostly so only because Corone is on top of the pile, and I'm not saying this because I'm the writer of the continent.

I'm sorry if I offend, Letho. I didn't mean to imply that it's the only reason Corone is active, but it is a large factor. When people read things, they do it from top to bottom. Not from the middle where Salvar is, not from the bottom where Istraloth is. Naturally they start playing from the top, and when new arrivals see that, they start from the top. It's a horrid cycle.

Another large factor, it seems here, is the region writer, and I don't say this for flattery or redemption. These boards and employment koisks make me feel like I have a lasting effect on the cannon around me, as opposed to a distant High Bard Council and an incommunicado Dark Elf Queen. Thus I am encouraged to stay in Corone. From what I've read and heard it seemed like the Tular Plains were going to be quite active, and then the region's writer retired. I bet if you give a region a dedicated writer who is involved and makes the players feel like they have power, it will be rewarded with activity.

[Atzar]

I think it's rather unfair to say that it's mostly so only because Corone is on top of the pile, and I'm not saying this because I'm the writer of the continent. All of the other regions are extreme in one way or the other. Raiaera with the elven flowery dominance and song magic, Alerar with early technology and dark elves, Fallien with its xenophobic desert folk, Haidia being an underground nation of demons... Corone, on the other hand, is a little bit of everything. There, people don't have to worry too much whether or not they can fit the story into the environment, it gives them more freedom, while on the other hand, they have enough details if they do want to include them. I reckon that has to have something with the activity as well.

You're right, saying 'only' is a bit much.

That being said, a new player will likely read through the continents in order to find out where he/she wants to place his character. The fact that Corone is the place where nearly any character concept/microcosm can exist without conflict and is the first one that people will read kind of diverts needed attention from other continents.

EDIT: In more recent news...

The Exit Pass draws a mixed reaction from me. For one thing, it's one more color on the realism palette, so to speak. On the other hand, it's been mentioned that it's just tedious having to get around/through it somehow.

[Séreméla]

All I asked for was the reputation lol...anyway, I don't think it would limit people. I myself have never used the Other Region with any of my characters, although I mainly RP in Salvar because well I love the cold in real life so I want to RP in a place like it. I think if we finalize it will make people more creative because then we would have people coming from the same region...but what would make your new character you unique? You would have to do something to make them stand out in their profile. I think we could get rid of the other regions and then just have a small subforum in each of the regions we already have that would be called something like unmapped so that way people could still make up their own little areas but it would be more or less like their own area within the region.

[Letho]

I'm sorry if I offend, Letho. I didn't mean to imply that it's the only reason Corone is active, but it is a large factor. When people read things, they do it from top to bottom. Not from the middle where Salvar is, not from the bottom where Istraloth is. Naturally they start playing from the top, and when new arrivals see that, they start from the top. It's a horrid cycle.

Don't worry; no offense taken. I agree it may be a factor, but I figure that most new players read the short descriptions before they look for further info. So already they have a good grasp what each region is about without reading all the info that the continent writers put up. So if somebody made an elf, chances are he would start of in Raiaera regardless of the fact that Corone is on the top spot.

Another large factor, it seems here, is the region writer, and I don't say this for flattery or redemption. These boards and employment kiosks make me feel like I have a lasting effect on the cannon around me, as opposed to a distant High Bard Council and an incommunicado Dark Elf Queen. Thus I am encouraged to stay in Corone. From what I've read and heard it seemed like the Tular Plains were going to be quite active, and then the region's writer retired. I bet if you give a region a dedicated writer who is involved and makes the players feel like they have power, it will be rewarded with activity.

I'm glad to hear that. I tried to make the missions board somehow closer to the player ICly and OOCly. They need refreshment though, now that I think about it. A lot of quests were claimed and were never even started.

EDIT: In more recent news...

The Exit Pass draws a mixed reaction from me. For one thing, it's one more color on the realism palette, so to speak. On the other hand, it's been mentioned that it's just tedious having to get around/through it somehow.

Well, you don't have to exactly write an essay on how you got an Exit Pass. What I usually do is just mention in my intro that my character had to go through the tribulation of getting the Exit Pass and moving on with the story, spending no more then a paragraph on it. It's a detail that incorporates the story into the background a little bit, but doesn't make a big deal out of it. Of course, you can make it a big deal if you want to, especially if it can enhance the story.


Bottom line is, you can't satisfy everybody. Some people like absolute freedom, some like a more finalized setting, some like to focus on details, some prefer to tell a story with less details and more emotional development, the list goes on. I just think that Althanas as it is now is able to satisfy the majority of people without significantly hindering the creativity of anybody.

[Doppelganger]

Bottom line is, you can't satisfy everybody. Some people like absolute freedom, some like a more finalized setting, some like to focus on details, some prefer to tell a story with less details and more emotional development, the list goes on. I just think that Althanas as it is now is able to satisfy the majority of people without significantly hindering the creativity of anybody.

I think you hit the nail on the head with that one.

I respectfully bow out, my arguments having been soundly defeated.

[Rajani Aishwara]

They need refreshment though, now that I think about it. A lot of quests were claimed and were never even started.

o_0 Awsome!