Post by Ascanio Giovanni on Jan 5, 2014 10:30:59 GMT -8
THE FOLLOWING RANT IS MY OWN PERCEPTIONS AND MY OWN OPINIONS. I DO NOT STATE THEM AS GOSPEL, ONLY WHAT I HAVE OBSERVED PERSONALLY IN MY TIME AT THIS GAME. I CANNOT COMMENT ON WHAT OTHER PLAYERS MAY HAVE EXPERIENCED IN THE PAST, ONLY WHAT I HAVE AND DO SO NOW.
Do you know what is GOOD for this game?
Openness and trust
Do you know what is BAD for this game?
Constant whining and manipulation
Do you know what is GOOD for this game?
Player equality
Do you know what is BAD for this game?
Nepotism
Do you know what is GOOD for this game?
Player freedom to tell the story they want to
Do you know what is BAD for this game?
Elitist pricks who think they own it
Do you know what is GOOD for this game?
A game where everyone feels important, where every player is equal both in truth and in perception
Do you know what is BAD for this game?
A game where a small and VERY vocal minority continues to push every issue that had this game down to a player base of 30.
Seriously, can none of you remember that the last time we were playing the game you are all describing the game almost died? Allowing other people to play as well and not simply watch you get to play the plots you like means that they'll stay. And I'm sorry if you don't like that others might actually oppose you, but that's called story. Deal with it. Whether it's done in politics, combat, or an attempt to blow up the city, that is story. Story doesn't always mean you succeeding at everything and winning forever. Story doesn't mean you skip ahead to the end where you get to sit back in comfort in Elysium, sure and safe in your power and the biggest conflict that faces the city is a social scandal over whether or not the Ventrue primogen made a rude remark about the Toreador's dress. NO. You have to earn that luxury by dealing with the characters you've made enemies of IC. That part is the end. That is the reward at the end of the journey, not the story. If that's all the story is, you have a pretty fucking boring story.
I remember the game of limitations. I remember the game when everything was hyper-restricted. I remember the game when the Golden Children ruled. Yes I'll say it out loud, however taboo mention of that name has become. It used to be quite commonplace. Everyone knew who they were. You had to learn pretty quick if you wanted to get any attention or accomplish anything. And I do mean anything. You want plot? Good luck. Go hang around a Golden Child and maybe they'll throw you a table scrap. You want to tell an even slightly unusual story? Petition for induction into the Golden Children. They get to play what they want while the rest of us get to play simple characters that won't get in the way of THEIR story.
Oppose a Golden Child? That would be unthinkable! They are allowed to oppose each other but if any lesser player dared then their character was dead or exiled. It wasn't even a question. It was just understood. True there were a few outliers who managed it by being extremely clever or secretive in how they operated, but they were few and far between, and they had everyone turned against them for it.
Does that sound like a fun game? Well, it really wasn't particularly. That's why the game size dwindled to 30 players. Do you know what caused game to grow again? Openness. Fairness. Equality of players. A staff who was there to help each and every one of us tell the stories that we wanted to tell, not tell us what stories we were allowed to tell then bugger off to tell stories for the important players.
I just look at the track record. The game of limitations and restrictions went from a game of 100 when I joined in 2006 to a game of 30 by 2009. The game of openness that helped everyone to tell the stories they were interested in telling? That had the game size back up to 100 by 2013.
So everyone should beware of tales of "the way this game used to be". The way this game used to be almost killed it.
Now I'm deliberately not naming names in this rant. This is out of respect for some of the former Golden Children who I know have come a long way from the way things used to be and truly want to integrate into the game we have now. I'll even count some of them as friends, something I would never have imagined myself saying 5 years ago. To those I say bravo and thank you.
I'll reiterate once more at the end: I can only speak to my own experience at this game, not to that of any other player. I give my own past perceptions of the game I saw then and now and my opinions on the matter. I'm sure other people had different experiences and I don't claim truth of gospel.
NOW PLEASE IGNORE THIS RANT. THIS IS TO HELP ME GET EVERYTHING OFF MY CHEST SO HOPEFULLY I CAN STOP BEING SO VITRIOLIC ON THE OTHER THREADS.
Do you know what is GOOD for this game?
Openness and trust
Do you know what is BAD for this game?
Constant whining and manipulation
Do you know what is GOOD for this game?
Player equality
Do you know what is BAD for this game?
Nepotism
Do you know what is GOOD for this game?
Player freedom to tell the story they want to
Do you know what is BAD for this game?
Elitist pricks who think they own it
Do you know what is GOOD for this game?
A game where everyone feels important, where every player is equal both in truth and in perception
Do you know what is BAD for this game?
A game where a small and VERY vocal minority continues to push every issue that had this game down to a player base of 30.
Seriously, can none of you remember that the last time we were playing the game you are all describing the game almost died? Allowing other people to play as well and not simply watch you get to play the plots you like means that they'll stay. And I'm sorry if you don't like that others might actually oppose you, but that's called story. Deal with it. Whether it's done in politics, combat, or an attempt to blow up the city, that is story. Story doesn't always mean you succeeding at everything and winning forever. Story doesn't mean you skip ahead to the end where you get to sit back in comfort in Elysium, sure and safe in your power and the biggest conflict that faces the city is a social scandal over whether or not the Ventrue primogen made a rude remark about the Toreador's dress. NO. You have to earn that luxury by dealing with the characters you've made enemies of IC. That part is the end. That is the reward at the end of the journey, not the story. If that's all the story is, you have a pretty fucking boring story.
I remember the game of limitations. I remember the game when everything was hyper-restricted. I remember the game when the Golden Children ruled. Yes I'll say it out loud, however taboo mention of that name has become. It used to be quite commonplace. Everyone knew who they were. You had to learn pretty quick if you wanted to get any attention or accomplish anything. And I do mean anything. You want plot? Good luck. Go hang around a Golden Child and maybe they'll throw you a table scrap. You want to tell an even slightly unusual story? Petition for induction into the Golden Children. They get to play what they want while the rest of us get to play simple characters that won't get in the way of THEIR story.
Oppose a Golden Child? That would be unthinkable! They are allowed to oppose each other but if any lesser player dared then their character was dead or exiled. It wasn't even a question. It was just understood. True there were a few outliers who managed it by being extremely clever or secretive in how they operated, but they were few and far between, and they had everyone turned against them for it.
Does that sound like a fun game? Well, it really wasn't particularly. That's why the game size dwindled to 30 players. Do you know what caused game to grow again? Openness. Fairness. Equality of players. A staff who was there to help each and every one of us tell the stories that we wanted to tell, not tell us what stories we were allowed to tell then bugger off to tell stories for the important players.
I just look at the track record. The game of limitations and restrictions went from a game of 100 when I joined in 2006 to a game of 30 by 2009. The game of openness that helped everyone to tell the stories they were interested in telling? That had the game size back up to 100 by 2013.
So everyone should beware of tales of "the way this game used to be". The way this game used to be almost killed it.
Now I'm deliberately not naming names in this rant. This is out of respect for some of the former Golden Children who I know have come a long way from the way things used to be and truly want to integrate into the game we have now. I'll even count some of them as friends, something I would never have imagined myself saying 5 years ago. To those I say bravo and thank you.
I'll reiterate once more at the end: I can only speak to my own experience at this game, not to that of any other player. I give my own past perceptions of the game I saw then and now and my opinions on the matter. I'm sure other people had different experiences and I don't claim truth of gospel.
NOW PLEASE IGNORE THIS RANT. THIS IS TO HELP ME GET EVERYTHING OFF MY CHEST SO HOPEFULLY I CAN STOP BEING SO VITRIOLIC ON THE OTHER THREADS.