A serious discussion about the future of the game

[digitaldivemods]

Hey everyone. This is Raz-mod, and I'd like to talk to you all about the state of the game.

We're coming up on our fifth anniversary, and... well, suffice it to say, the game isn't in the best shape it's ever been. There are some serious issues, and we need to address them. That's why we're reaching out to you, the players, to help us figure out how we can fix these issues and make it so Dive can continue on into the future as long as it possibly can.

This will be no small undertaking. There may be massive, potentially even difficult changes as we go forward. It may change how we approach everything from here on out, as far as plot, characters, and management are concerned. However, when talking about this, I would like to make something clear.

This is not about pointing fingers. There have been areas where we've erred along the way, and areas where we've been lacking. I speak in that context as both a moderator and as a member of the community itself. Right now, it'd be best if we focused on what we can do to improve Dive and get it back on the right track, rather than being hung up on what could have been. That's not to say I want us to ignore areas where we can improve, but I don't want this to be about calling anyone out.

So, we're going to be doing this three different ways, depending on what makes you as individuals feel most comfortable. First off, there will be this thread, where you can post publicly, a thread where you can submit your thoughts on this matter privately to the mods, and a third venue where you can email us directly. I'm willing to receive the emails personally, so please send them to razorsawtf[at]gmail[dot]com. You may also feel free to directly PM the mod account.

Additionally, we have a poll in thise thread whose results will be entirely anonymous, where you can pick a result that best fits your thoughts about how Dive is doing.

In summation, I'd just like to say, Dive is very special to me, and I'd like to continue on as long as we can. I believe in this game, and I'm confident we can overcome these issues and make things work. We can't do it without you guys, and really... I believe in you all too.

- Raz

Poll #11208 How do you feel about Digital Dive?

This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 9

How do you feel about Digital Dive?

View Answers

The community is doing fine.
0 (0.0%)

There's some issues but I'm happy here.
1 (11.1%)

This game is in serious trouble and needs serious change if it's to have a future.
8 (88.9%)

The game is too far gone to be saved.
0 (0.0%)

Edit: The thread for screened comments can be found here.

Comments

[changelingdude]

I've been trying to figure out how to structure all of this but I think I'll just start throwing stuff out there.

We need ideas. Storyline ideas. Plot ideas. Random moments of wackiness. Have all of our muses completed the arc we intended for them? Have they all reached their happy or bad ending?

Perhaps that's the problem is we've played together for so long we feel like it's all been done?

If we ourselves are tapped out for ideas then we need to reach beyond ourselves. Steal plot concepts from comic books, TV shows, movies, video games, or even other DW RPs.

Or we need more new people. We STILL have PR issues after all this time and if we can overcome them and bring fresh blood and life into Dive then we might stand a chance.

We're still not that great at getting big gamewide events taken care of. Part of it comes from everyone's schedules being different but part of it comes from how complicated things can get. I think the red and green tagging system works to some degree but it needs fine tuning.

It could potentially be that we're just not a big game anymore and we need to stop trying to be that. Find some way to condense everything. Bring everyone together so their forced to interact more.

I don't think character limits are the problem, I always felt like those gave us more freedom to explore other ideas without having to sacrifice the characters we'd already brought in. So long as the person isn't squatting on a main character that someone else wants to play. So long as you don't have a character that is central and important to other characters but you let that character languish and stagnate for whatever reason.

A lack of Activity checks and character limits was one of the few things that made Dive stand out from all the other games. Do we really want to be just like all the other games out there? Do we really think that's what's going to help us?

Do we really even want to save Digital Dive? Sure we loved it, but are each of us as a community ready to take up shovels and pickaxes and dig ourselves out of this trench?

Or have we all just been waiting for someone else to fix it for us?

[blastiaobsessieanonymous]

I can name one thing I have thought of, in particular.

Imperial Saga has benefitted massively from the ability to run logs via AOL IM sessions when it's at a certain scale - 4 to 8 people (more if you split it to multiple groups akin to the Dark Area scenario going on now). The sessions aren't the sole format - if someone can't make it, we use regular logs - but it does allow for Getting Major Plot Stuff Done to a significant extent.

There's always going to be controversy attached to the IM-based log format, but in terms of ability to actually kick stuff into gear and advance stories, there's little better, in my opinion.

[changelingdude]

A good suggestion in my opinion. So long as a chat can be scheduled. It makes the process more engaging. You're less likely to let your tags slow to a crawl if it's something you've set aside a night to do with everyone else. It's like making a promise to your fellow players.

[readmyback]

Personally, my problem with that is that I usually need to think about how a muse will respond for a few minutes if I want to stay in character, longer if it's a complicated situation. It's the main reason I don't play D&D anymore, since it's not fair to keep everyone else waiting. Also I'm a slow typist. -_-;

I do see the benefits though, even if I can't enjoy them directly.

[blastiaobsessieanonymous]

This is a fair and recurring concern. AIM will not be usable for all logs, and that's OK.

The other trick is to use a controlled pacing and flow so that you have those few minutes - a good log format can help there.

[amadmansshadow]

Except no one has been on AIM for weeks now. Chat is deader than shit and no one seems to be logging on it, or if they are they're invis and thus impossible to get a hold of.

That and we'd be alienation anyone who doesn't have AIM at all.

[blastiaobsessieanonymous]

Imperial Saga's chat has precisely One (1) person on it right now - me. Quite a lot of the time, it has Two (2) people on it - me and AoB.

The trick is that you organize the log's date/time ahead of time via a post in, say, dive_ooc - a few days to a week ahead, so everyone has the time agreed upon in advance.

However, using AIM chat to organize is, you are correct, a SERIOUS alienation issue - to the point where Imperial Saga's chat has a policy that the mods will not talk about anything serious there - for one-on-one, you can IM them (just like you can IM players to chat with them), otherwise it's either Plurk or the OOC comm.

[piyomonpinked]

I know the modtypes have already had an earful of my own grievances regarding the game, but I feel like I need to reiterate some of them here for the sake of contributing to the improvement of the game. I'll try to keep it short and sweet. I feel like a lot of this may not even be taken into consideration at all, given circumstances, but I would still like to get my thoughts in because I do love this game and I want to see it improve and continue going for another five years.

1. Activity Checks - We actually were sort of on the road toward having a regular one, and I would like to see it continue.

2. Character Limits - After being in other games and seeing how they operate, I really do think we need one. It isn't even a matter of us being different from other games; it's a matter of making sure that we, the players, don't bite off more than we can reasonably chew. I used to think the idea of a game without character limits or activity checks was a revolutionary thing, but after nearly five years of being in the game, and seeing how well other games are doing because they have put the necessary limitations in themselves, I've come to realize that yeah, we probably need this. It'd be difficult to really input it, but yeah.

3. Events - We really do need more than 2 weeks when planning a huge event. With viruses, usually we can give a description, a week's notice, and then let everyone go wild with the idea; but with huge, plot-changing events, we really need a lot of planning. I'm still convinced that Omegamon came out of nowhere, because that's how it felt to me. Even as a moderator at the time, I really had no idea if that plot was being planned for weeks or not; it felt like it had just come up out of the blue for me. I won't speak for how it affected others in the comm, even though I do know for a fact that there were others affected by sudden giant game-changing event. I'm really only listing my own grievances and issues and ideas on how to make things better, here.

4. Viruses - I like how the viruses for the next several months were planned out. If that sort of planning could be kept up, I think it would be beneficial to the comm in the long run.

These are the things I've noticed most about the game that I wanted to sort of elaborate on and make known publicly. I know you guys have heard it all and more before from me, but I felt that I needed to reiterate these points in particular here.

[piyomonpinked]

.... so much for keeping it short. Derp.