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Max Dirks
01-17-2018, 01:11 PM
Hey everyone!

From time to time I like to post suggestion threads. In fact, there's one stickied somewhere in this forum. Since I've been a little aloof lately, at least with respect to Althanas, in lieu of a suggestion thread I'd prefer to have a straight dialouge with you guys to start 2018 off right. So, I want to know your concerns, questions, suggestions, etc. No topic is off limits, though I'd like it to remain Althanas related. I'll give you a response when I can, and with your public input, I'll be able to prioritize my work on Althanas. Someone told me that a good leader can't operate in the shadows. So here I am. Have at me and lets make Althanas better together.

The Huntsman
01-17-2018, 01:25 PM
I don't know if it's necessarily one thing I would want, but it's something I think might help draw newcomers to the site. I know we have Scara Brae/Stonevale as a kind of newbie area where they can get bonus exp for writing, but that's about as far as we go with introducing them. So my idea is this:

Have like an open thread area (maybe within Stonevale or maybe separate) where people can come to write short things with characters, to try to get a feel for writing in various styles, or with a character and their personality. Reduce or negate the word count thing in the posts done here, as it can be daunting at times if you're not sure of how a character would act, so you force the writing to come out even if you aren't really comfortable with it. Rewards might focus less on exp, maybe more on gp for these, or however you want to handle it.

So like, a beginner section, where they can come to play around with a character idea, maybe before committing to putting together a character sheet?

Max Dirks
01-17-2018, 01:32 PM
I don't know if it's necessarily one thing I would want, but it's something I think might help draw newcomers to the site. I know we have Scara Brae/Stonevale as a kind of newbie area where they can get bonus exp for writing, but that's about as far as we go with introducing them. So my idea is this:

Have like an open thread area (maybe within Stonevale or maybe separate) where people can come to write short things with characters, to try to get a feel for writing in various styles, or with a character and their personality. Reduce or negate the word count thing in the posts done here, as it can be daunting at times if you're not sure of how a character would act, so you force the writing to come out even if you aren't really comfortable with it. Rewards might focus less on exp, maybe more on gp for these, or however you want to handle it.

So like, a beginner section, where they can come to play around with a character idea, maybe before committing to putting together a character sheet?This is a good idea. Philomel literally like yesterday sent me some information about a Stovevale revive. I'll make sure she sees this thread. I would like to point out that technically you could play around with character concepts in the Althanaverse right now and still gain some EXP/GP (albeit half) to use on Althanas proper when the character is ready to be registered.

The Huntsman
01-17-2018, 01:33 PM
Mmm, you can, but at the same time that isn't really clear. I didn't know that until you said it and it clicked. The way it looks, you can play around with a max level version of a current character. Not with a non-approved character - but that's probably because I never actually opened up that forum to take a closer look.

Philomel
01-17-2018, 01:35 PM
I have been pointed in this direction!

There is an idea forming on the Stonevale about such a thing, where you can be anyone, whoever you want to be. Thank you for the idea, Nevin, these comments will certainly be useful.

Lye
01-17-2018, 01:51 PM
In the works for sure. Phi had a good idea for this exact reason. So keep the eyes peeled.

Paladin_Lorenor
01-17-2018, 01:57 PM
One of the ideas I always thought would make the site better is some sort of a newsfeed thing.

I personally believe (Always have believed this) that information and knowledge is power. We have to (On our own initiative) SEARCH for lore and stuff like that. That needs to change, I know of a few instances in the past where newbies didn't jump in right away cause they were still "reading the lore". One of the major things that needs to get implemented is the new wiki whenever that gets done and good oversight on that as well.

Insofar as newbies go, Nevin and Ailsa's ideas are a brilliant step in the right direction.

There is another suggestion I have which is to bring back the Mentorship program. Many of the other communities I am active on have said programs and they are successful. Mainly what I'm getting at is there needs to be MORE information and more easier ways to contact staff members (Not TROLLING or anything like that mind you) but to literally just contact like a dedicated set of threads for that purpose.

But yes to sum it up some sort a legitimate newsfeed would be good that gets updated VERY often. Also, more feedback from staff and other members in general would be brilliant as well. We need to make the site more exciting for newcomers and where we're doing pretty good I think a lot more can be done!!! That's the ideas I have so far I'll add more as I come up with it.

~Pav

Shinsou Vaan Osiris
01-17-2018, 02:11 PM
A well meaning question deserves a well meaning answer. Without wanting this to sound like something you post on youtube before blowing your brains out, I have thoughts. For those who don't want to hear the rants of an old man, scroll on. :)

What I want is what is good for Althanas. What is good for Althanas depends entirely on everyone's outlook and circumstances, so here is my "wish list":

1. The absolute abolition of auto-scoring 65 for workshops

I don't mind admitting publicly that I was the one who raised concerns in the staff forum about this, I don't mind admitting that I am sick to death of seeing empty workshop threads in the Writer's Workshop section and I don't care how many people jump on my back about it. I am absolutely adamant that in its current format of a hybrid writing workshop and roleplay site, Althanas is bleeding quality.

"But Shin, that's elitist, you pig. We're here to write and have fun, who are you to judge what quality is?" I hear you all screaming at your monitors.

I know I've come across as elitist before, and to anyone this offended I sincerely apologise, but I realised I never really properly explained myself. This is the problem. To understand where I am coing from, you need to understand my definition of quality. I'm talking not about someone getting a 75 on a thread instead of a 65, or getting a perfect score in mechanics, or pumping a JC out of their ass every day. I'm talking about participation. I'm talking people not wanting the feedback, not having the drive to improve and not utilising the resources we have gone to great lengths to design and upkeep properly. I'm talking about people submitting threads for a 65 because they know the EXP is better than a no judgment. I'm talking about some of those people being the benficiaries of six threads worth of those bonuses because their partners pay the AP. I'm talking about important Althanas tournaments barely having any entrants because people are afraid of being judged, leaving only the "good writers" (another phrase that pisses me off because that is creating a stereotype in itself; if you don't try you never get). I'm talking about people who want to make invincible characters who are going to end up very, very bland and boring.

"What does any of that have to do with the auto-scoring, you knob?" I hear you reply.

It's simple - It's a mentality. If we take away the auto-scoring, not only does it stop obvious gaming of the system but it actually forces people to get some sort of feedback. Not just a pile of shit "good job, well done" backslapping or "this is shit" shredding, but helpful, constructive feedback to actually help people, if they want it. You will all be AMAZED at how much of a difference it makes to your writing and confidence to get some nice comments, to get a "hey, that was fucking cool". That's what this site BADLY needs; and you can take that from a guy who was here before it and will be here long after it. It needs positivity flowing in both directions.

I'm not blind - I know to some people Althanas is a game, and to others a creative writing site, and to others both. We all have different wants and means. But, Althanas has an identity for a reason; it is THE reason why it has stuck around for 16, nearly 17 years whilst competing against the rise of the gaming industry. That reason is it had quality ideas, quality writing, quality gaming, quality staff, a quality community. It had people willing to help with writing, to take risks with writing. If the current leadership is happy with activity, posts, active members - which they should be - then that's fine, but when the identity changes from that evergreen, famous hybrid writing workshop to "just another RPG / hentai fanfic site", the castle is going to crumble.

2. If number one is impossible, then this:

More workshop feedback.

Seriously, guys. If we ARE going to maintain the status quo, then let's make a solid effort to give the people who submit there with good intentions some actual feedback. Dirks has wanted for some time a policy whereby one member of staff is required to post at least one piece of feedback on each workshop, whoever it is. Let's do it, me included. I have no valid excuse (other than time, but who has that anyway) to not do it either.

Little Red
01-17-2018, 02:30 PM
Maybe a "Training" area can be implemented. You know, a place where people can try out their abilities (Old & New) and get help when trying to describe the ability. They can also be told what is classified as power gaming and what is not. Have a few "Trainers" be set aside specifically for the training area. It is all up to the trainee on what they want.



Example 1: Little Red
Little Red's abilities and skills are straight forward so I don't need to know how to describe them, but I need to know how to not have it classified as power gaming, any Trainer willing to help me out?

Example 2: Kitsune
I want to try out a few ways on how Aoimoku's transformation ability works. Anyone willing to help me with this? I also want to have a spar with somebody.

Example 3: Hydra
Hydragon has an ability that is continuously active, would someone like to work with me on making sure that I let the trail be noticed when but not constantly refer to it?

Example 4: Child Detective
Need help with writing mystery stories with Sylvester. anyone want to help walk me through it?

Each person has a different request but they don't have a place for it, sure there is the Role Player's corner, but they can get lost in there. we need a place specifically for these types of requests.

Paladin_Lorenor
01-17-2018, 02:49 PM
Chris-

Just a point I want to make. You bring up some valid ideas and suggestions but end of the day you cannot FORCE someone to participate which is what I am getting out of your suggestions. I am someone who firmly believes in choice and free will if someone wants to participate in a workshop, for example, they should be ALLOWED to participate on their own NOT FORCED TO participate. I personally was not comfortable (And I'm still not comfortable) with the whole AP system. At least the way it is currently MAINLY gotten is through participation in the workshop system and certain site events/etc. I didn't like the idea of something forced on us which is the way it basically worked out.

I personally understand your concerns about site activity in certain regards but we don't NEED to start forcing people to do x, y, z. I read your entire talking points and I am concerned about some of the suggestions. However, it is not my place to say aye or naye about it here. Ultimately it's up to Tony and other folks to implement those changes or not. But yeah I digress. End of the day freedom of choice is where it should be, not forced participation. I think we're treading a dangerous line right there if people are gonna have to be FORCED to participate. Anyway that's how I feel about it. Either way keep up the good work suggesting things everyone!

Philomel
01-17-2018, 02:56 PM
The one thing that would be an area to look into maybe is more opportunities to gain AP. Right now the only operable ones are taking part in a vignette and workshop replies. As the wiki is still in progress, as is the canon submission, for 4.0, which is perfectly understandable as these things take time (and if memory serves these were other ways to gain AP) perhaps thoughts could come from this.

Paladin_Lorenor
01-17-2018, 03:11 PM
I agree AIlsa that would be a neat idea.

More AP gaining opportunities I think would help alleviate some of the concerns I had with the system in the first place. But yes those types of ideas would be a welcome change for sure!

Shinsou Vaan Osiris
01-17-2018, 03:16 PM
Chris-

Just a point I want to make. You bring up some valid ideas and suggestions but end of the day you cannot FORCE someone to participate which is what I am getting out of your suggestions. I am someone who firmly believes in choice and free will if someone wants to participate in a workshop, for example, they should be ALLOWED to participate on their own NOT FORCED TO participate. I personally was not comfortable (And I'm still not comfortable) with the whole AP system. At least the way it is currently MAINLY gotten is through participation in the workshop system and certain site events/etc. I didn't like the idea of something forced on us which is the way it basically worked out.

I personally understand your concerns about site activity in certain regards but we don't NEED to start forcing people to do x, y, z. I read your entire talking points and I am concerned about some of the suggestions. However, it is not my place to say aye or naye about it here. Ultimately it's up to Tony and other folks to implement those changes or not. But yeah I digress. End of the day freedom of choice is where it should be, not forced participation. I think we're treading a dangerous line right there if people are gonna have to be FORCED to participate. Anyway that's how I feel about it. Either way keep up the good work suggesting things everyone!

:confused:

I think you've been "whooshed" here, pal.

My point is focused on trying to get the community talking to each other about their writing, sharing positivity and constructive feedback to maintain a quality environment. I am not suggesting we force anything on anyone; it is my opinion alone that we should stop auto scoring. I also suggest that in the event we can't, we provide more feedback to help writers who submit. You may have noticed it's looking pretty barren for feedback.

Tl;dr version is "if we can't stop the auto scoring at least give people feedback"

I think a quick re-read of my post might clear up a huge misunderstanding.

Arden
01-17-2018, 03:30 PM
Is there an app that tracks wherever or not you actually read other people's threads? Perhaps some sort of tick box system or ability to add commentary to individual posts like in a google doc? People who read other work can then add notes up until the thread is 'closed', i.e submitted. There are plenty of ways to encourage community writing without adding currency or role playing elements to it.

Paladin_Lorenor
01-17-2018, 03:53 PM
Due to vested interest in this thread, i'm stepping out of any further discussions. But hopefully you guys get a lot done with this thread keep up the good work everyone so far.

loves.blessing.
01-17-2018, 04:05 PM
I really did love the idea of the mentor thing. I feel like if we could retry that and it be successful we would get a lot more writing. For example, I don’t know how to do sparring threads properly and could really use help on my writing mechanics. I feel if more experienced writers reached out took one or two people under their wing we would se a surplus of more writing. Also people writing with different people, reach out do more open threads more people will get involved.

Also if someone goes over how to score a workshop with me and I understand it more I would be more then happy to bust out a bunch of reviews I read almost every thread that is posted here. I just don’t understand the expectations that are wanted from someone when writing a review.

TaintedBushido
01-17-2018, 04:10 PM
A well meaning question deserves a well meaning answer. Without wanting this to sound like something you post on youtube before blowing your brains out, I have thoughts. For those who don't want to hear the rants of an old man, scroll on. :)

What I want is what is good for Althanas. What is good for Althanas depends entirely on everyone's outlook and circumstances, so here is my "wish list":

1. The absolute abolition of auto-scoring 65 for workshops

I don't mind admitting publicly that I was the one who raised concerns in the staff forum about this, I don't mind admitting that I am sick to death of seeing empty workshop threads in the Writer's Workshop section and I don't care how many people jump on my back about it. I am absolutely adamant that in its current format of a hybrid writing workshop and roleplay site, Althanas is bleeding quality.

"But Shin, that's elitist, you pig. We're here to write and have fun, who are you to judge what quality is?" I hear you all screaming at your monitors.

I know I've come across as elitist before, and to anyone this offened I sincerely apologise, but I realised I never really properly explained myself. This is the problem. To understand where I am coing from, you need to understand my definition of quality. I'm talking not about someone getting a 75 on a thread instead of a 65, or getting a perfect score in mechanics, or pumping a JC out of their ass every day. I'm talking about participation. I'm talking people not wanting the feedback, not having the drive to improve and not utilising the resources we have gone to great lengths to design and upkeep properly. I'm talking about people submitting threads for a 65 because they know the EXP is better than a no judgment. I'm talking about some of those people being the benficiaries of six threads worth of those bonuses because their partners pay the AP. I'm talking about important Althanas tournaments barely having any entrants because people are afraid of being judged, leaving only the "good writers" (another phrase that pisses me off because that is creating a stereotype in itself; if you don't try you never get). I'm talking about people who want to make invincible characters who are going to end up very, very bland and boring.

"What does any of that have to do with the auto-scoring, you knob?" I hear you reply.

It's simple - It's a mentality. If we take away the auto-scoring, not only does it stop obvious gaming of the system but it actually forces people to get some sort of feedback. Not just a pile of shit "good job, well done" backslapping or "this is shit" shredding, but helpful, constructive feedback to actually help people, if they want it. You will all be AMAZED at how much of a difference it makes to your writing and confidence to get some nice comments, to get a "hey, that was fucking cool". That's what this site BADLY needs; and you can take that from a guy who was here before it and will be here long after it. It needs positivity flowing in both directions.

I'm not blind - I know to some people Althanas is a game, and to others a creative writing site, and to others both. We all have different wants and means. But, Althanas has an identity for a reason; it is THE reason why it has stuck around for 16, nearly 17 years whilst competing against the rise of the gaming industry. That reason is it had quality ideas, quality writing, quality gaming, quality staff, a quality community. It had people willing to help with writing, to take risks with writing. If the current leadership is happy with activity, posts, active members - which they should be - then that's fine, but when the identity changes from that evergreen, famous hybrid writing workshop to "just another RPG / hentai fanfic site", the castle is going to crumble.

Maybe if you didn't hide feedback behind a paywall people would be more inclined to seek it out. We had someone who was doing shit posts in the Workshop threads for AP so he could buy a boat. He even freely admitted to it, when it was painfully clear he wasn't following along with the threads in question and asked questions that could have been answered if he had read them. The quality of feedback is greatly diminished by such acts it makes the entire workshop principal a joke and not a particularly funny one at that.



2. If number one is impossible, then this:

More workshop feedback.

Seriously, guys. If we ARE going to maintain the status quo, then let's make a solid effort to give the people who submit there with good intentions some actual feedback. Dirks has wanted for some time a policy whereby one member of staff is required to post at least one piece of feedback on each workshop, whoever it is. Let's do it, me included. I have no valid excuse (other than time, but who has that anyway) to not do it either.

This argument only feeds into my initial concern. Asking for more feedback encourages bad feedback, the kind of feedback that helps no one and forces the situation to degrade even further. Perhaps you should ask yourself what the system itself encourages because I've seen both kinds of abuse in there. As of right now? It only encourages abuse and spamming on both sides of the equation.

Also bitching about someone getting a free ride because others pay for them is not a problem on that person. Its more of a problem of other people always paying for them. If those people don't care then its just you being salty, and that's on YOU not on the system.

Max Dirks
01-17-2018, 04:21 PM
One of the ideas I always thought would make the site better is some sort of a newsfeed thing.Pav, I currently have the core link to the forum pointing to the activity stream. It is located at http://www.althanas.com/world/activity.php. Is this the type of activity feed you mean, or are you meaning a feed like on Facebook that would show sign ups, log ons, comments, etc?
I personally believe (Always have believed this) that information and knowledge is power. We have to (On our own initiative) SEARCH for lore and stuff like that. That needs to change, I know of a few instances in the past where newbies didn't jump in right away cause they were still "reading the lore". One of the major things that needs to get implemented is the new wiki whenever that gets done and good oversight on that as well.Well aware of this one, and it's something I intend to address eventually. The problem, per usual, is coding.
There is another suggestion I have which is to bring back the Mentorship program. Many of the other communities I am active on have said programs and they are successful. Mainly what I'm getting at is there needs to be MORE information and more easier ways to contact staff members (Not TROLLING or anything like that mind you) but to literally just contact like a dedicated set of threads for that purpose. I believe the mentorship program will be brought back. As for staff contacts, I'll direct you here for now: www.althanas.com/world/showgroups.php. Do I need to make this page more prominent? My concern with putting our personal contact information out there is that in the past year I've had two admin quit (in part) due to the fact they were constantly being berated by requests to do Althanas related tasks on social media. One even did Althanas work on her wedding day. That's not kosher, so I'm firmly going to say no on personal contact information. PM us. I gave staffers bigger PM boxes for that reason!
Also, more feedback from staff and other members in general would be brilliant as well. We need to make the site more exciting for newcomers and where we're doing pretty good I think a lot more can be done!!! That's the ideas I have so far I'll add more as I come up with it. Feel free to use the actual suggestion thread anytime you want, bud. That way it's written down and not lost to the eons in the chat room.

In any event, good stuff.

Chelley
01-17-2018, 04:22 PM
Maybe if you didn't hide feedback behind a paywall people would be more inclined to seek it out.

This. Should I ever manage to finish the things I've got planned/started, I will be taking the no judgement route for each and every single thing, unless someone I wrote with wants to pay for it. Simply because I don't think there should be a cost for getting the feedback to improve writing on a site that is supposedly dedicated to improving writing.

The whole AP system is kinda pointless IMO. The only thing to use it on really is judgements and the only way to get it is to write a vignette (the topic for which a person might not be all that interested in, and thus don't participate in it) or workshops (which someone may not feel inclined to do for whatever reasons). It might be worth it if there were more ways to earn it and more interesting ways to spend it. But as it stands right now? Nah.

Shinsou Vaan Osiris
01-17-2018, 04:27 PM
Maybe if you didn't hide feedback behind a paywall people would be more inclined to seek it out. We had someone who was doing shit posts in the Workshop threads for AP so he could buy a boat. He even freely admitted to it, when it was painfully clear he wasn't following along with the threads in question and asked questions that could have been answered if he had read them. The quality of feedback is greatly diminished by such acts it makes the entire workshop principal a joke and not a particularly funny one at that.

Yes, I remember this, and typically we have a situation where in hundreds of posts of actual solid feedback you've cherrypicked the one guy who was abusing it. You're right about it, by the way, it was a joke. But the other 200+ posts of meaningful commentary by other people weren't. If we are going down that road, I could pick every single one of Amari's thirty smut thread submissions out and say "what's the point of the workshops when this shit is happening" but then I'm being disrespectful to those who actually tried to write and use the workshop for what it was intended.


This argument only feeds into my initial concern. Asking for more feedback encourages bad feedback, the kind of feedback that helps no one and forces the situation to degrade even further.

Well, better off if we just pack it in then and all go no-judgment instead.

Come on man, this is just a crock of shit. You get the odd person farming AP in the same way you get the authors farming EXP. Back on 3.1 when we had people who gave a shit, the majority of feedback was well done. Revenant, Flames of Hyperion (go and talk to him about feedback) Boris...the list goes on. But, oh wait? Where are they now? Not here. So the feedback has gone too. Shock horror. Now we're left with smut and turboposting with no feedback at all.

You've embarrassed yourself here Pat. I expected better from a guy like you.

Max Dirks
01-17-2018, 04:29 PM
1. The absolute abolition of auto-scoring 65 for workshopsAlthanas means a lot of things to different people. I'll tell you right now, from an ownership perspective, all I care about is activity. The trend of writing right now is for fun. Indeed, Lorenor showed me Valucre today and they have over 100 active members with no judgment system. We are cooler than them, offer more draws, yet are far behind in activity. Flexibility in writing is paramount to any choice I make for Althanas. You all might disagree, but that's why I see things how I do. Auto scoring of 65 in workshops was designed to get more people to use them, and it seems to have worked.
2. If number one is impossible, then this:

More workshop feedback.

Seriously, guys. If we ARE going to maintain the status quo, then let's make a solid effort to give the people who submit there with good intentions some actual feedback. Dirks has wanted for some time a policy whereby one member of staff is required to post at least one piece of feedback on each workshop, whoever it is. Let's do it, me included. I have no valid excuse (other than time, but who has that anyway) to not do it either.I totally agree. We made workshop prizes ridiculous, yet no one (save a select few contribute). What can I do to change this. From a staffing end, I'll admit that it is still a goal to have at least one judge comment on a workshop, but resources are thin. If people aren't jumping at the bit to contribute to the workshop, I don't really find it suprising that no one is jumping at the bit to be a judge.

Also good stuff.

The Rambler
01-17-2018, 04:30 PM
I think what Pav was actually meaning and what I think might be useful, is more along the lines of 'notable events in the world' news feed. Like, Raeria (I can never spell it) how is the reconstruction going there? How is the civil war in Corone simmering? Is it done? Major events that can can impact the threads people want to do maybe. Like "Current State of Affairs" for the world. Who the big players that are canon are to be aware of, things like that.

Max Dirks
01-17-2018, 04:34 PM
Maybe a "Training" area can be implemented. You know, a place where people can try out their abilities (Old & New) and get help when trying to describe the ability. They can also be told what is classified as power gaming and what is not. Have a few "Trainers" be set aside specifically for the training area. It is all up to the trainee on what they want. I'll pass this along to Philomel for Stonevail, but I figure a new post in the RPC might actually be a good thing. High profile (not buried in a subforum) in a commonly traveled forum. Moreover, I think that most people right now get character ideas and breakdowns in the chat room, does that sound right?

Max Dirks
01-17-2018, 04:37 PM
The one thing that would be an area to look into maybe is more opportunities to gain AP. Right now the only operable ones are taking part in a vignette and workshop replies. As the wiki is still in progress, as is the canon submission, for 4.0, which is perfectly understandable as these things take time (and if memory serves these were other ways to gain AP) perhaps thoughts could come from this.The original plan was to allow it for participation in guided quests, canon quests, canon submissions, and for general Althanas related purposes (say someone posts a good article on articles (pun intended) in the RPC and helps players practice their writing therein. That's still my plan, but with my current kabash on canon while I get the wiki functional, a lot of these things aren't possible.

Max Dirks
01-17-2018, 04:38 PM
Is there an app that tracks wherever or not you actually read other people's threads? Perhaps some sort of tick box system or ability to add commentary to individual posts like in a google doc? People who read other work can then add notes up until the thread is 'closed', i.e submitted. There are plenty of ways to encourage community writing without adding currency or role playing elements to it.Yes, I currently only have it active for administrators. Would others be interested in this, and if so, why?

Philomel
01-17-2018, 04:43 PM
In that light then, Dirks, having such things as making it compulsory for things such as the Gisela to have an entrance fee of 5 AP might need to be altered possibly? Or make temporary measures for a while until the wiki gets up, for more AP to be made? Is there a way for Gold to be transferred to AP?

Thanks for taking the time to do this.

Max Dirks
01-17-2018, 04:43 PM
Maybe if you didn't hide feedback behind a paywall people would be more inclined to seek it out. We had someone who was doing shit posts in the Workshop threads for AP so he could buy a boat. He even freely admitted to it, when it was painfully clear he wasn't following along with the threads in question and asked questions that could have been answered if he had read them. The quality of feedback is greatly diminished by such acts it makes the entire workshop principal a joke and not a particularly funny one at that. That particular situation is being handled. We're drafting very clear expectations for feedback to get certain awards. As to the so-called "paywall," the reality is even with our diminished forces and the so-called decreased in quality of writing at the site (which is patently false, Mr. Shinsou), I simply do not have the staff resources to offer "free" judgments. Yes, that's what makes Althanas unique, but like I said before I don't really have people jumping at the bit to join staff and judge. For the foreseeable future, I plan to keep things in the realm of you get out what you put in.

Max Dirks
01-17-2018, 04:48 PM
I think what Pav was actually meaning and what I think might be useful, is more along the lines of 'notable events in the world' news feed. Like, Raeria (I can never spell it) how is the reconstruction going there? How is the civil war in Corone simmering? Is it done? Major events that can can impact the threads people want to do maybe. Like "Current State of Affairs" for the world. Who the big players that are canon are to be aware of, things like that.The ultimate goal is to have an active timeline of Althanas where players can have their role in canon recognized. It would be very easy to add this to the stream. Of course, I need to get to that point in the canon system.

Would anyone be interested in taking up the canon mantle, assuming I can get coding for it, who isn't overly protective of it?

TaintedBushido
01-17-2018, 04:50 PM
That particular situation is being handled. We're drafting very clear expectations for feedback to get certain awards. As to the so-called "paywall," the reality is even with our diminished forces and the so-called decreased in quality of writing at the site (which is patently false, Mr. Shinsou), I simply do not have the staff resources to offer "free" judgments. Yes, that's what makes Althanas unique, but like I said before I don't really have people jumping at the bit to join staff and judge. For the foreseeable future, I plan to keep things in the realm of you get out what you put in.

Oh no, I totally agree we don't have the resources for it. However, I also think that the system as is currently encoruages spamming on both ends, and that the rewards for meaningful contribution don't equate to much beyond those of merely participating. Especially when the costs of things are so high.

loves.blessing.
01-17-2018, 04:51 PM
. If we are going down that road, I could pick every single one of Amari's thirty smut thread submissions out and say "what's the point of the workshops when this shit is happening" but then I'm being disrespectful to those who actually tried to write and use the workshop for what it was intended.

I don’t find it fair that you are picking on Amari because of the smut threads she does. As someone that is staff of the site I feel like you should encourage writing no matter the type. Activity is activity, no need to be crass and down someone because they write a lot of smut...

Max Dirks
01-17-2018, 04:53 PM
In that light then, Dirks, having such things as making it compulsory for things such as the Gisela to have an entrance fee of 5 AP might need to be altered possibly? Or make temporary measures for a while until the wiki gets up, for more AP to be made? Is there a way for Gold to be transferred to AP?

Thanks for taking the time to do this.No, and since I'm being frank in this thread, I'll throw it out here. Judging tournaments is the most time consuming staff activity on the site, and for the last 2-3 years the responsibility has basically fallen on me to judge them (even if someone else started). All players start out with 5 AP, so if they've literally done nothing they can apply. If you've spent AP without earning it, you've done nothing to help the site and don't deserve to participate. If you've contributed, then you will EASILY have enough to participate. After the first round, I'm basically giving out full judgments for free on my time. Nope, no how, no will.

TaintedBushido
01-17-2018, 04:55 PM
Its no use calling it out. Chris has his ingrained biases about it. In the end, all he has done is made his anger known and words forgotten. We get it; he's pissed at Nevin and Amari.

But that's really all his posts have told us, the rest of it is in direct relation to those two points.

Max Dirks
01-17-2018, 04:56 PM
I don’t find it fair that you are picking on Amari because of the smut threads she does. As someone that is staff of the site I feel like you should encourage writing no matter the type. Activity is activity, no need to be crass and down someone because they write a lot of smut...This is generally my thought. In the future I might add site tags for you to tag the threads as mature, but frankly I don't care what you're writing if you're writing. EL James made millions off a Twilight fan fic on a site like Althanas. I refuse to turn away future EL James' from our site because they're writing questionable content. It's very easy to regulate who reads what by giving fair warning of contents.

Max Dirks
01-17-2018, 04:58 PM
Oh no, I totally agree we don't have the resources for it. However, I also think that the system as is currently encoruages spamming on both ends, and that the rewards for meaningful contribution don't equate to much beyond those of merely participating. Especially when the costs of things are so high.On the flip side, if they care enough to cheat the system, it means they care for the site. As long as there are systems and Althanas remains partially a game, there will be ways to exploit it. I'll close off the most one sided loopholes, but I intentionally leave a lot of them open, particularly w/ spoils and the bazaar (that no one yet has picked up on, but I like giving competitive advantage to those willing to look for it).

Philomel
01-17-2018, 05:00 PM
Fair enough, it was just a suggestion of maybe dropping it, but I get your point entirely.

Just to check, is that a no also on not being able to come up with temporary ways to get AP and being able to transfer Gold into AP too?

Thanks.

loves.blessing.
01-17-2018, 05:00 PM
This is generally my thought. In the future I might add site tags for you to tag the threads as mature, but frankly I don't care what you're writing if you're writing. EL James made millions off a Twilight fan fic on a site like Althanas. I refuse to turn away future EL James' from our site because they're writing questionable content. It's very easy to regulate who reads what by giving fair warning of contents.

I feel like that is a great idea, if it offends a lot of people that there is a lot of smut then maybe we should do that. Also for the record Dirks I think you are doing an amazing job at keeping this site running. Obviously with some help but good for you, also thank you for giving me a place to write with such amazin people!

Max Dirks
01-17-2018, 05:03 PM
In any event, this is a dialogue between us, members. Let's not call out other members in here. Free feel to call me out, or staff out as a whole, though.

Nevin
01-17-2018, 05:07 PM
Not what this is for.

So
New member help. AP system worked on.
I'll help mentor if that gets off the ground!

TaintedBushido
01-17-2018, 05:23 PM
I also have concerned that the RoG is stifling maybe its just with how many hoops I had to jump through to try and fit characters through, but I find that some people are overly conservative. It becomes a draining chore to actually manage going through RoG which makes leveling up not fun, which is supposed to be the reward for writing. Also is there plans to let us see what abilities are what level? Or is that still behind closed doors?

Black Shadow
01-17-2018, 06:02 PM
okay okay okay lets get into it.

AP system, never liked it from the start, BUT with the lack of staff I see its needs. Who cares if people are spamming Workshops, they want that extra exp and Gp then so be it, it is their AP to spend. If they are like me, and do not like judging and do not partake in Vignettes often and therefore don't have the AP, they go for no judgement. Think of it this way, they are rewarding themselves with extra exp/gp by contributing to the site, and thats their choice. You don't like what they do with it, that's your problem, but don't try to take away the little bit of pre-AP we have left.

As for the Newsfeed idea, what happened to the months chronicle? I loved reading those and finding out what's going on, reading the highlighted thread, and having seeing what is coming up on the site.

mentor system was awesome, I was a part of that with Skie when she was a judge, and I went from a 30 score because I sucked back then horribly, to a 43 in about one thread due to her suggestions.

loopholes and exploits exist, oh so many exist, I just don't feel like using them.

Rated AUR guys, rated AUR lol

ex-RoGmod here, its tough being a mod there, because people don't know what they can and cannot do, and then they make overpowered characters, and have to fight to get every drop of power in the end. I don't think we need to open the PL system to the public, but there needs to be maybe examples of different PL abilities, just a few, to judge yours off of, it would make the system go much smoother.

Jethro
01-17-2018, 07:35 PM
Ok this is coming from a guy who, when he first started here had 3 main goals 1 EXP, 2 GP, and 3 Items. They give me catharsis, and a sense of accomplishment so take this for what it's worth.

Stop the EXP and GP, abolish leveling, and get rid of the Bazzar. I have participated on numerous RPG's where you created a character, and gaining new abilities was either a pain in the ass, or impossible, and they were a lot of fun.

Eventually a player is going to level up so hard where his character is going to have to fight gods to make any meaningful stakes in a thread. Or say a level 4 player/character is threading with a level 15 character. The challenges for the level 15 character will likely wipe the floor with the level 4 character, and the challenge for the level 4 character will be nothing for the level 15. Neither way is fun, or a compelling story.

So get rid of it, that will alleviate almost all of the arguments that I have read so far in this thread. The people who want to RP for fun still can, the people who want serious feedback can get it, and the people who have spammed shit for AP/EXP/GP/Items including me will no longer have incentive to do so. With out incentive to get more AP/EXP/GP/Items people will be less inclined to want feedback except for those who really, and truly want to improve their writing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6UV2gXwFPw

FennWenn
01-17-2018, 08:17 PM
*raises hand*

May we have the wiki back? I miss the wiki.

I also think we just kind of maybe need a way to reach new people? We need to actively seek out fresh blood for the forums. Sorry, but, it's laughable to talk about activity with how few members we have and how rarely we get newbies in the first place. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this before, but I think it's worth repeating. For what it's worth, I also second making RoG slightly less intimidating to go through. I tried introducing someone to the site only for them to balk when trying to build their profile because they worried about getting it approved.

Flamebird
01-17-2018, 08:30 PM
1.) I thought I was the only one who despised smut... This is a relief.

But yeah, I've noticed an extreme drop in quality writing since things like the AP system and those cool badges happened. I remember power groups and epic story lines that affected all characters like the Eiskalt War. I was too oblivious to get some of it back then, but now I wish we had that again instead of farming GP and AP - which is crazy, because I'm too guilty of this myself. Althanas has helped me grow so much as a writer, but I've slacked off. Solo a, b, and c aren't that good so I give up trying and submit it for a no judgement. Why give up precious AP when it's not worth a poor 65 score I've regularly gotten anyways? Althanas has changed, in a bad way.

I get exactly where Shin is coming from.

However, you can't force anyone to do anything. I get that. I dearly appreciate all the RPers willing to put an M rating warning on their threads. I don't know what needs to be done or what path to take at this point. Maybe I'm too stuck in the past? I'm confused...

2.) Please bring Power Groups back? Please?? They were probably the best way to collaborate, at least for me. I remember the great power groups clashing, everyone finding some way into an epic grand storyline. It felt big, and awesome. Of course, there's more ways to collaborate than that (bless Nev for being as active as he is!). However, Power Groups just had this magic to them, y'know?

3.) LOOOOOOOOOOOORRE! I need more lore! Let's host an event where we make a new region! Spark a grand war between Raiaera and Alerar! Start a whole dang world war! Something massive about the Tap is descoverd and everyone gets sucked into it? Something involving the great, beautiful, awesome LOOOOOORE of this site! And more lore! :D

4.) More site-wide collaboration in general.

Anyone can write with anyone at one point. Nevin has proven that. But we need a something, some kind of big event, to bring us all together to craft the story of the century. More massive than the regular events? Oh, I dunno... World War of Althanas sounds lovely. xD

Blargh, I dunno xD :P

[[[Edit]]]
5.) I personally never felt intimidated by site lore or the RoG. Of course, I had my cousins to help me settle in too. Making the RoG system less intimidating sounds good, but I've always loved how flexible it can be for structuring way out there abilities. Making it stricter or enforcing more rules may be a wrong move. Releasing more info of how to structure profiles and stuff would rock!

Re-adding the basic lore guides per region and sub-region again would probably help. Adding very basic guides to the overall lore would be neat too. Trying to simplify the lore for newcomers would be good. It should also be known that learning the lore can be an ongoing process, studying it day and night (unless you're a lore nerd and love doing that) shouldn't be required or encouraged. :)

FennWenn
01-17-2018, 08:55 PM
let fae invade Salvar

this is the solution to all problems

i have no bias whatsoever

Amari
01-17-2018, 09:17 PM
Fae can have salvar as long as they bring Amari shiniest

Also not gonna lie, incredibly hurt for being called out when my threads haven't been read clearly, as much of the time Ira not pure smut ita violence or themes that may make others uncomfortable ie; suicide. Tension, drug use


So my suggestion is what I suggested before. If people want pure Smut threads either make a tag that says 'this is pure smut'

I know a few threads contain sexual content but Ira not the main point of the thrwad too

So maybe jusy a guide, heck I will wrire one up after my family leaves today. One on like tagging your posts

And in the first thread elaborate in quote box (I used to do this)

Like rated m: contains mention of suicide. Drug use, violence, mild sexual scenes

Or stuff like that. That way on a quick glance peiple can know if it's something they want to read

Black Shadow
01-17-2018, 09:36 PM
again, we forgot about the rated AURE, it's the Althanas way of saying "mature" or "may contain topics that will cause some to be uncomfortable"

Flamebird
01-17-2018, 09:46 PM
Rated AURE is the best Althanas meme ever. xD

I'm sorry if I caused hurt feelings, 'Mari. Maybe I was too blunt...

A tag system would be great. Rated M/ AURE maybe would not be the only available tag though? See, once upon a time, I was on a Star Wars RP site (not anymore) that had a massive tag ruleset. There were tags ranging from Open (open RP for all, like tavern threads), Private (we call them "Closed" threads here), Faction Only (Called Power Groups here), Farming (trying to get a spoil), and so on and so forth. They were all colorful little stickers or pins put next to thread titles. We could really be onto something with this tag idea! It would probably be more organized, or at least clarifying. :D

Amari
01-17-2018, 09:47 PM
See I used thay but someone ans I can't remember who asked me to switch to M as Aure wasore of an inside joke and new people wouldn't know it

Amari
01-18-2018, 12:50 AM
Mo flamers itwasn't you. I know peiple don't like smut. That's fine, but being villianised for writing a lot and for enjoying it isn't something I like.

I digress I wanna move past rhat.

It was mentioned someone would need to work on lore/wiki stuff my hand has always been up for that. I'm impartial I don't know a lot of old lore and am happy to work on whay is in previous lore etc

Also aa for judgements another idea;

I know I've been learning and practising judgements for staff by using workshops. I think having some of that info available for public would help others write workshops too.

Gosh knows I've learned a lot from it, and If others have thay resource they coukd contribute more effectively too

Iknow witjc workshops people often say they aren't sure on how to properly provide feedback. If we show people jow then that could prove to be incentive yo do so

Breaker
01-18-2018, 05:52 AM
I really really want these damn bots to stop creating accounts on our site :S I hate looking at who's online and seeing it full of people that aren't... people.

Definitely some good suggestions here from what I saw skimming. I think getting our wiki live should be a big priority, it feels like a wasted resource right now.

Amari
01-18-2018, 06:42 AM
I'm happy to work on it and I know Fenn would be too, but as Dirks said I believe its a like; coding issue right now? (unless I am wrong?)

Flamebird
01-18-2018, 09:06 AM
Yes, bringing the wiki back would be awesome.

I've noticed in the ye old wiki that there is a template (http://www.althanas.com/oldworld/showwiki.php?title=Template) for regions. Back when I worked on the Eiskalt wiki, I had to copy a the entire massive wiki from another region's page to get the coding "right" and it took a lot of work to sort and organize it. Thus, I was ecstatic when I saw a template, thinking this meant we had blank templates to copy/ paste for our own wikis... Alas, when you click on it it's not a template, but a filled wiki for Raiaera.

Would I be able to suggest that when we get a wiki for 4.0, we add a list of blank templates for regions, races, etc. so everyone's new pages can look "professional" too?

EDIT: Yes, please get rid of the bots! :P

Amari
01-18-2018, 09:59 AM
Ill delete them as fast as i can catch them and prove that they are bots raaaaaaa

Briarheart
01-18-2018, 10:30 AM
Darkthanas

:(

Max Dirks
01-18-2018, 11:36 AM
I'll get to everyone's posts eventually, but I just wanted to jump in and comment on the Wiki.

So the coding issue was actually a relatively easy fix. I've gone ahead and given every user access to edit and add pages. I don't really have a solid guide or knowledge of how the Wiki function changes with the update (I updated VaultWiki completely, so it looks totally different). Consider this a beta on the Wiki. Feel free to transfer things over, build your own content, develop themes, etc. and we'll go from there. I appreciate so many people showing interest in this. I've also opened up discussion, so you can chat about content & stylist choices. As always, edits can be tracked so don't go fooling around!

Link is here: http://www.althanas.com/world/wiki_index.php

Flamebird
01-18-2018, 11:47 AM
Dirks, I do appreciate all the effort you and the other moderators have put into the new forum and entire site. I know you've been working hard, but the link says:


Flamebird, you do not have permission to access this page. This could be due to one of several reasons:

Your user account may not have sufficient privileges to access this page. Are you trying to edit someone else's post, access administrative features or some other privileged system?
If you are trying to post, the administrator may have disabled your account, or it may be awaiting activation.

Max Dirks
01-18-2018, 11:51 AM
Dirks, I do appreciate all the effort you and the other moderators have put into the nee forum and entire site. I know you've been working hard, but the link says:Try now.

Flamebird
01-18-2018, 11:53 AM
Thank you! :)

The wiki is so beautiful... *sparkly eyes*

Philomel
01-18-2018, 12:03 PM
Really sorry, Tony, but I have it too.

As before, thanks.

The Rambler
01-18-2018, 12:49 PM
The test page just takes me to the forum page, Dirks my man. Don't know if that's what it is supposed to do.

redford
01-18-2018, 12:56 PM
First off, big thanks to Dirks for bringing the forum up and all, especially having a good dialogue where we can bring concerns and ideas right to el presidente.


The ultimate goal is to have an active timeline of Althanas where players can have their role in canon recognized. It would be very easy to add this to the stream. Of course, I need to get to that point in the canon system.

Would anyone be interested in taking up the canon mantle, assuming I can get coding for it, who isn't overly protective of it?

I am a really big fan of this idea. Making the world more dynamic is, I think, a great way to get players to invest, and to help foster story ideas. I know myself, I've been having John putter about Corone for pretty much ever. I'm pretty sure if I saw a cool thing going on across the world, then I'd be down for doing it but I don't really hear about those most times. Maybe that's just me being foolish and not reading up on other threads, but that's for another time. I would be interested in doing canon stuff, I'll put that out there now. As I recall, There was a position way back that required canon knowledge, would that be the position?


*raises hand*

May we have the wiki back? I miss the wiki.

I also think we just kind of maybe need a way to reach new people? We need to actively seek out fresh blood for the forums. Sorry, but, it's laughable to talk about activity with how few members we have and how rarely we get newbies in the first place. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this before, but I think it's worth repeating. For what it's worth, I also second making RoG slightly less intimidating to go through. I tried introducing someone to the site only for them to balk when trying to build their profile because they worried about getting it approved.

Also this I think is a good idea. I've had a friend not really write since creating a character because the creation process was a bit of a pain. Then again, the abilities were specific.


let fae invade Salvar

this is the solution to all problems

i have no bias whatsoever

Make Salvar great again, dirks pls.

The Rambler
01-18-2018, 12:57 PM
Second verse same as the first good sir, 'What' just takes me to the central forum index. Maybe it's different for administrators?

Max Dirks
01-18-2018, 01:00 PM
The test page just takes me to the forum page, Dirks my man. Don't know if that's what it is supposed to do.I put up a support request for this. I honestly have no idea what's going on.

The Rambler
01-18-2018, 01:05 PM
That edit seems to have done something. New page is now showing up.

The Rambler
01-18-2018, 01:08 PM
I put up a support request for this. I honestly have no idea what's going on.

Yes. Seems like actually trying to click the wiki pages link just refers us back to the forum index. But I can see your test page now when I follow the 'see more' option on the thing you edited. this is bizarre.

Chelley
01-18-2018, 04:34 PM
Monthly Region spotlights like we were having just recently with the EXP/GP boost for threads completed within the month or themed months like the monster hunting would be good to have again. I know for myself I really wanted to get in on those, I was just too swamped with school to set aside time for any writing that wasn't related to school.

Lye
01-18-2018, 05:59 PM
I like to have those run between events. Right now we have Gisela and the Althies for January. Should be seeing a regional or themed event in February. But good to know someone likes them!

Philomel
01-18-2018, 06:49 PM
I really enjoyed them too. They were a great idea, Lye.

Amari
01-19-2018, 12:28 AM
I too loved them.

Flamebird
01-20-2018, 12:36 PM
Yeah, whenever I click the links for wiki's, it takes me to the main Althanas page too. :/

Philomel
01-20-2018, 04:07 PM
Oh dang

Plight and Pyre
01-22-2018, 01:46 PM
I really loved reading the Althanas Lore. I think its my favorite part of this site. I know I'm new here and haven't created my character (been working on him for months), but I would definitely be open to helping craft and/or organize Althanas Lore. I just want to do whatever is possible to help get it up and running. So Dirks, please...if there is anything I can do (along with the other people that have volunteered) to work on the Lore, please let me know.

Nevin
01-23-2018, 12:39 PM
Big boss - I don't know if you already posted a thing about this issue on the tech support end or just where you linked us too, but I'll drop this link here for you in case you need it. https://www.vaultwiki.org/support/4X/

Max Dirks
01-24-2018, 03:39 PM
The Wiki is operational. Please use this (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?1015-Wiki-Development-Open-Beta) thread to discuss system related issues. I'll address the rest of the concerns in this thread when I can. Feel free to post here if there is anything you'd like to add.

Breaker
01-25-2018, 07:36 AM
This is more an issue I've recently noticed than something I want, but... recently I've had a problem with quotation marks in my posts being converted into weird characters. The worst example is found here (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?870-Concise-AF-(Mature)). A couple days ago that post looked normal... now for some reason it has morphed into something hideous.

Amari
01-25-2018, 11:10 AM
I was literally about to write that too.

Breaker
01-27-2018, 10:24 AM
I'm just gonna say it: I think we should bring back and promote Archon's Vault. It may not have gotten much use before, but that was partially the staff's fault because we frequently forgot to post summary requests. At the end of the day it was a feature which encouraged people to read each others work and allowed people to gain AP. Those are both things we could really use more of. I say we bring back Archon's Vault and give double rewards for summaries submitted in the first month or two.

Philomel
01-27-2018, 10:49 AM
I found archon's vault never really got used even when I posted something. But it might be worth trying it again if you think we could promote it better.

Storm Veritas
01-27-2018, 06:55 PM
As a normal member and non-mod during the time where Archon's Vault was "active", I never had any earthly idea what it was or how I was contributing, nor were the rules very clear. There was the item on the submission to option to submit the thread there; perhaps some language afterwards explaining what it was, what was being submitted, and what the rules governing what type of submissions were eligible would have been helpful.

FennWenn
01-27-2018, 07:03 PM
I agree with Storm. I remember my first time submitting a thread, and getting worried because I didn't know what the heck the Vault was or whether it would be beneficial to select it.

Dissinger
01-27-2018, 07:22 PM
I honestly thought the vault was a way to submit things for Canon, so others could see a summary of what happened while the wiki was being updated...I was sorely disappointed. But it COULD be that, and that could help make it more useful.

Black Shadow
01-27-2018, 08:38 PM
my comment was lost in the sea of posts after it, so I'll go ahead and re mention it

We need the monthly Chronicle back. it had a lot of information regarding the site such as events, updates in content, new staff, and even a highlight of a thread. It was a great way to get news as well as see what threads are out there that are a good read.

Also, about Archon's Vault, it would be very difficult for anything to get into the fault with the AP system (as it had to score above a certain score and whatever else) and need of full judgements. But with updates It could easily be a feature that is well utilized. Maybe make it a goal to have at least one thread per say 3 months? So there's constant new additions to the vault

Max Dirks
01-30-2018, 10:05 AM
This is more an issue I've recently noticed than something I want, but... recently I've had a problem with quotation marks in my posts being converted into weird characters. The worst example is found here (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?870-Concise-AF-(Mature)). A couple days ago that post looked normal... now for some reason it has morphed into something hideous.I just switched the forum language to UTF-8, which should resolve the issue. It was caused by smart quotes. Let me know if you still see it after a few days (so the server cache has time to reset).

Max Dirks
01-30-2018, 10:08 AM
I'm just gonna say it: I think we should bring back and promote Archon's Vault. It may not have gotten much use before, but that was partially the staff's fault because we frequently forgot to post summary requests. At the end of the day it was a feature which encouraged people to read each others work and allowed people to gain AP. Those are both things we could really use more of. I say we bring back Archon's Vault and give double rewards for summaries submitted in the first month or two.For those who are confused, Archon's Vault was supposed to be an archive of all the completed threads on Althanas. Users would post summaries in exchange for rewards to encourage others to read threads (essentially book reports). There was nothing canon about it. It was simply a way to permanently highlight your writing and encouarge others to read your work. It wasn't very popular, so I axed it. Given Workshop feedback is so rare (which frankly should be our focus), I have no intention of bringing this back at our current activity levels.

Max Dirks
01-30-2018, 10:12 AM
my comment was lost in the sea of posts after it, so I'll go ahead and re mention it

We need the monthly Chronicle back. it had a lot of information regarding the site such as events, updates in content, new staff, and even a highlight of a thread. It was a great way to get news as well as see what threads are out there that are a good read.I'll make sure someone gets on it monthly.


Also, about Archon's Vault, it would be very difficult for anything to get into the fault with the AP system (as it had to score above a certain score and whatever else) and need of full judgements. But with updates It could easily be a feature that is well utilized. Maybe make it a goal to have at least one thread per say 3 months? So there's constant new additions to the vault Archon's Vault was a player run resource so there was never any AP cost for submissions. The author/submitter picked the best summary after two weeks and that's what was listed.

Breaker
01-30-2018, 10:43 AM
I just switched the forum language to UTF-8, which should resolve the issue. It was caused by smart quotes. Let me know if you still see it after a few days (so the server cache has time to reset).

Nice, that appears to have fixed it.

Philomel
01-30-2018, 01:24 PM
Getting the canon submission forms back up to working seems a popular idea. It would be good to see it coming back onto effect for 4.0 in the next few months. Obviously when you have time.

Having the wiki up and almost back is great :) thank you

Shinsou Vaan Osiris
02-06-2018, 08:19 AM
For those who are confused, Archon's Vault was supposed to be an archive of all the completed threads on Althanas. Users would post summaries in exchange for rewards to encourage others to read threads (essentially book reports). There was nothing canon about it. It was simply a way to permanently highlight your writing and encouarge others to read your work. It wasn't very popular, so I axed it. Given Workshop feedback is so rare (which frankly should be our focus), I have no intention of bringing this back at our current activity levels.

This.

By the way, if I hear one more person moan about not having enough ways to earn AP to pay into tournaments, I'll thumb my eyes out. Go do this.

Eteri
02-06-2018, 09:48 AM
I got all my AP and Mari's AP from mostly workshops

Breaker
02-06-2018, 10:43 AM
Sorry to use this as a place just to complain about stuff, but it appears that tables currently don't work on Althanas.

Max Dirks
02-06-2018, 12:58 PM
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Sorry to use this as a place just to complain about stuff, but it appears that tables currently don't work on Althanas.

Max Dirks
02-06-2018, 01:03 PM
Hmm. Seems like they're working for me. TD/TR code appears to have been replaced with |'s and -'s.

Zack Blaze
02-06-2018, 03:37 PM
....Any time table on when PGs will return?

Max Dirks
02-06-2018, 06:00 PM
That's a Lye question. He started a thread somewhere.

Zack Blaze
02-06-2018, 09:13 PM
Then what about the Auction House?

Flamebird
02-06-2018, 09:27 PM
Then what about the Auction House?

I second this request!

Black Shadow
02-06-2018, 11:03 PM
Auction house yes please yes!

Philomel
02-07-2018, 02:04 AM
Ohhh good idea! *Raises hand to help run it*

Max Dirks
02-07-2018, 09:42 AM
Then what about the Auction House?I'm not opposed, but a moderator run auction house would be a bit more complicated this go around. While you were gone, we loosened restrictions on items influencing power level in the ROG to make it the preferred manner of "level breaking." You can still technically buy level breaks, but we wanted to make it easier and less cost prohibitive to engage in end game activities. As such, any special items sold (or rewarded in tournaments) require much more scrutiny for balancing than they once did. I have other priorities at the moment, but won't let this slide to the backburner.

Lye
02-07-2018, 12:13 PM
I take small issue with Auction house. There were some great deals out of there. Too great. It almost became the bargain channel where you call now and get a bonus enchanted sword free. Maybe if the Auction house was private run? Players want to sell gear and test their luck on getting more than the bazaar? Something like that?

Garron
02-07-2018, 05:58 PM
I agree with Lye on the Auction House deal. I'm left to wonder if 4.0 isn't visually attractive, and the absence of the awards badges may be hurting us. I know these things take time and cash, but the potential new and current writers of Althanas may feel Althanas is lacking in this somehow? Achievements reached to show off is a motivator, as is visual stimulation .

Ashla
02-07-2018, 06:12 PM
I agree with Lye on the Auction House deal. I'm left to wonder if 4.0 isn't visually attractive, and the absence of the awards badges may be hurting us. I know these things take time and cash, but the potential new and current writers of Althanas may feel Althanas is lacking in this somehow? Achievements reached to show off is a motivator, as is visual stimulation .

*Points to profile color and font customization options*

Just saying. That exists. And it's beautiful. :D



That aside, it would be kinda neat to see badges back. Additionally, the different site skins were also great.

Of course, those do take time, resources and energy. Please remember not to run yourselves out over the site, admins!

FennWenn
02-07-2018, 08:54 PM
4.0 looks pretty nice to me, ^_^

Garron
02-07-2018, 09:29 PM
Those are just some things I wonder about. It's easy for us that have been around for years to love Althanas, but what about those just stumbling upon Althanas, or those that joined due to how Althanas 3.1 was? I was just trying to step outside my own love for Althanas and try to see things from other perspectives. What hooks a newcomer to Althanas just newly stumbling upon the site and drive them to further explore? What does Althanas offer their, or those whom joined 3.1 and reluctant to return, their desires? Not everyone out there is automatically hooked for the lore, people and writing improvement aspects right off. Those things normally come with further exploration. I dunno. Just wonder spitballing on ways to get ass's in, or back in, the seats, so to speak.

Philomel
02-08-2018, 04:11 AM
The profile changing colour thing was an amazing addition to 4.0, I will definitely agree with you there Ashla.

Max Dirks
02-26-2018, 10:44 AM
Everyone, I'll be doing a GDADS sometime soon to make good on some of my promises made in here. Namely, a completion of some coding issues and Darkthanas. I'll also try to work badges back in. While doing this, I'll be in the voice Discord making silly noises and being generally entertaining. What day/time works best for everyone? I'll try to be available across multiple timezones for our froggie friends (across the pond, lol, get it?).

Amari
02-26-2018, 10:50 AM
I'm a night owl, I have erratic hours;
Help me what is a decent schedule

II should pop into it more often then

Max Dirks
03-13-2018, 06:56 PM
GDADS will be Thursday! Hope to see everyone there!

Shinsou Vaan Osiris
03-16-2018, 03:51 PM
Amazing work on the skins bro.

Garron
03-23-2018, 11:25 AM
The skins are awesome! Thank you, Dirks!!!

Arden
03-23-2018, 12:16 PM
Darkthanas is back, thus so am I!

Arden
03-23-2018, 12:57 PM
Actually, can we change the banner to 'Morbid Dirks?'

Max Dirks
03-23-2018, 02:02 PM
I have A few banners I’ll add eventually. Winter theme spacing has been my Bain.

Paladin_Lorenor
05-21-2018, 05:10 PM
Now that I've had some time to simmer down a little I think we can continue to toss ideas around.

I think, going forward a lot of my own things that I have been working on is interaction with other players. Namely I want to write with other people I have not written with before. Some of us prefer to write our own lore, our own stories and that's fine. But in my honest opinion it does not reflect what Althanas should be about. To whom it may concern, (Tony or Jack) I have a proposition for you guys. Keep experience rates normal for solo stuff, etc, but I propose that we add an exp modifier when a thread involves two+ writers. A bonus of some sort for threads that include newer partners.

I think the Stonevale exp bonus is brilliant and I'd like to see waaay more of that sort of stuff going on.

Maybe not on a region per region basis, but at least for Moderated Quests for example (Already a thing as I understand it) have an extra exp modifier when writers write together and create an amazing work. But yes I'm getting a little pumped up here. I'm thinking that the Stonevale exp modifier could even be increased for applicable writers who complete threads there. I for one, intend to use Stonevale a lot more in my own stories.

But basically where I'm coming from is I'd like to see waaaay more exp multipliers. As I mentioned before I'm aware that this is already in play on site policy. I just wanna see it occur more often. I think it would most def help bolster site activity.

I'll chime in once I have more ideas to contribute.

~Pav

Yvonne
05-21-2018, 05:55 PM
Maybe a modifier for when an experienced player takes a new player under their wing would be good Pav, which encourages growth, diversity and retention of new people. ;)

Shinsou Vaan Osiris
05-21-2018, 07:05 PM
Maybe a modifier for when an experienced player takes a new player under their wing would be good Pav, which encourages growth, diversity and retention of new people. ;)

We used to have such a system in place, called the mentor system, but few people used it and it went quiet. I would be up for looking at re-instating it, if it's done properly.

Philomel
05-22-2018, 02:14 AM
The mentor/mentee system has some idea to be brought back in with the new ideas for Stonevale.

Elthas
05-22-2018, 01:04 PM
Yeah I think bringing back the mentor system would be brilliant.

But what I was also suggesting was a reward system in place (Some sort of small incentive doesn't have to even be a HUGE thing lol) for when writers work with new writers for the first time. (I know we have a thing in place for when writers complete a series of threads that are continuing off one another) That's what I was trying to get at. Sorry if I was not clear enough in my post.

But what I am suggesting is more rewards for people who do group/team threads. (For example) I often make it a point to write with many people I've never written with before. I just think it is a fun practice especially on a community site like ours. My idea is simply to provide more incentives for people to work together and complete long and interesting stories together. (Keep in mind I'm not even saying JC quality saga's but just saga's in general) But yeah that's my thoughts on the matter so far.

Keep up the great work everyone so far!!!

Yvonne
05-22-2018, 11:53 PM
Yeah, I can definitely see where you're coming from Pav. I'm really interested in story arcs, the big overall picture and writing threads as though they were chapters in a book. These ideas might encourage some others to think along similar lines, helping them develop their characters in greater detail and giving them more direction and goals.

There's also a probability people write for longer and enjoy their time more if they have writing partners or a group to interact with, especially if they're travelling the unfolding road of a grand epic.