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melodiesooc2015-06-06 07:03 pm
melodiesmods) wrote in melodiesooc2015-06-06 07:03 pm
Entry tags:
OOC Discussion Post || 1 Year of Melodies
Hello dear players! Next month, we will have a succession of plot-heavy events for the Anniversary of this game. Indeed, on August 3rd, Melodies of Life will have been open for an entire year! The game has nearly tripled in size ever since it first opened and we may cross the milestone of one hundred characters anytime soon. So before we start Melodies of Life's second year, we would like to ask you for your opinions before we take any decisions, and we would also like to listen to any suggestions you may have!
I/ Application and Character Cap
Melodies of Life was designed to be a slow-paced and small game. Because the game is small, we have been able to cater the events specifically to characters (most noticeably in the Doppelganger event) and the NPCs can regularly interact with your characters and even develop CR with some of them. This would no longer be possible if MoL was a larger game. If we do cross the 100 characters milestone, MoL will no longer be a small game. So there are three solutions and we would like to know which one you think would work best:
1) Cap the game at 120 Characters. However, we would always accept a minimum of 10 application per App Round. Practically speaking, it means if the 120 character cap is reached before the app round, we would still accept 10 apps. If we had 107 characters, we could then accept 13, and so on.
Additionally, we could reduce the maximum number of characters per player to 3, with a bonus 4th one when you accomplish double Activity Check. This wouldn't be retroactive, so players with 4+ characters right now would be able to keep them all.
2) Leave apps open without any limitation. We'll see what happens and a bigger game may have its pro. However, should the game grow much bigger, this also means that events would have to become less personal and NPC interactions as a whole would be reduced.
3) Another option we haven't considered? If you have one, share it!
II/ Events
For this, we would like to have feedback on the events so far. Are there any types of events you particularly liked and would like to see more often? Types of events you think work very poorly? Or maybe events you like but think would work better if we did them less often? Would you like to have more breathing room between events? Do you like Boss Battles as we do them or would your rather we rework the system?
If you have any comments or suggestion regarding the plot or events, it's for here!
III/ Features
Over the course of the past year, we have introduced a number of new features to the game, such as the Doppelgangers, the Monster Arena, the possibility to take employments, etc. Do you like them or do you think Melodies of Life was better without them? Do you like how the Guilds for example are set up now? Anything you feel we can do to add to it or improve the systems we have set up? Again, if you have feedback you feel the need to share, please do it here!
IV/ Endgame
It will come as a surprise to no one, but Melodies of Life isn't meant to be eternal. While the endgame isn't planned to be anytime soon, it will inevitably come, for the better or the worst, complete with a final dungeon and final boss. We don't know when endgame will be, because both when and what sort of endgame will happen, is dependent on your characters' action. The Calamity consuming all of Crystallis will automatically mean Endgame, but the process can be slowed down-- Or accelerated. Likewise, the characters can reach an endgame long before the Calamity finishes its work.
Normally, endgame may happen at the earliest in one year, at the latest in two. So don't worry too much, you have time... For now. If you have comments to do on this or questions, please do ask them!
V/ Your Suggestions!
We've asked you for feedback regarding the key points of interest, but if you do see anything missing, would like to suggest a feature or anything? Then do it here! We'll listen, but we can't promise to follow all suggestions (ie, if you request we change Mognet for a Cellphone Network, our apologies but that'll be a no).
VI/ Native OCs
That's nothing more than an idea, and something we'd like to have your opinion on before delving more on it. The possibility for you to app characters native to Crystallis. That means app'ing characters who could have been born in Aqures Ixen, Esdham etc. But, they wouldn't be Heroes of Light. They would be normal people living in Crystallis, though their jobs may lead them to work in cooperation with Heroes of Light.
Not being Heroes of Light would change a lot. No Moogle following them, no Crystal, only one Job and a much slower rate to level it up (though it could be switched with an Imperial device), they wouldn't be included on the Hero of Light filter for Mognet and in the case some event, they'd be left out (think the Memory event for example). But, they could have advantage as they'd be more familiar with Crystallis, they wouldn't be affected by random Crystal Stasis, etc.
Again, it's just an idea that may never be implemented, but we'd like to know what you think about it / how you think it could work or fail, etc.
VII/ How's My Driving?
Again, nothing more than an idea and something we'd like to ask everyone's input on: we are considering the possibility of having an open HMD meme. This would occur once every two months, between application rounds and participation would be optional. Thoughts? Suggestions? Anything we haven't considered, feel free to share it here. We're welcome to any input!
I/ Application and Character Cap
Melodies of Life was designed to be a slow-paced and small game. Because the game is small, we have been able to cater the events specifically to characters (most noticeably in the Doppelganger event) and the NPCs can regularly interact with your characters and even develop CR with some of them. This would no longer be possible if MoL was a larger game. If we do cross the 100 characters milestone, MoL will no longer be a small game. So there are three solutions and we would like to know which one you think would work best:
1) Cap the game at 120 Characters. However, we would always accept a minimum of 10 application per App Round. Practically speaking, it means if the 120 character cap is reached before the app round, we would still accept 10 apps. If we had 107 characters, we could then accept 13, and so on.
Additionally, we could reduce the maximum number of characters per player to 3, with a bonus 4th one when you accomplish double Activity Check. This wouldn't be retroactive, so players with 4+ characters right now would be able to keep them all.
2) Leave apps open without any limitation. We'll see what happens and a bigger game may have its pro. However, should the game grow much bigger, this also means that events would have to become less personal and NPC interactions as a whole would be reduced.
3) Another option we haven't considered? If you have one, share it!
II/ Events
For this, we would like to have feedback on the events so far. Are there any types of events you particularly liked and would like to see more often? Types of events you think work very poorly? Or maybe events you like but think would work better if we did them less often? Would you like to have more breathing room between events? Do you like Boss Battles as we do them or would your rather we rework the system?
If you have any comments or suggestion regarding the plot or events, it's for here!
III/ Features
Over the course of the past year, we have introduced a number of new features to the game, such as the Doppelgangers, the Monster Arena, the possibility to take employments, etc. Do you like them or do you think Melodies of Life was better without them? Do you like how the Guilds for example are set up now? Anything you feel we can do to add to it or improve the systems we have set up? Again, if you have feedback you feel the need to share, please do it here!
IV/ Endgame
It will come as a surprise to no one, but Melodies of Life isn't meant to be eternal. While the endgame isn't planned to be anytime soon, it will inevitably come, for the better or the worst, complete with a final dungeon and final boss. We don't know when endgame will be, because both when and what sort of endgame will happen, is dependent on your characters' action. The Calamity consuming all of Crystallis will automatically mean Endgame, but the process can be slowed down-- Or accelerated. Likewise, the characters can reach an endgame long before the Calamity finishes its work.
Normally, endgame may happen at the earliest in one year, at the latest in two. So don't worry too much, you have time... For now. If you have comments to do on this or questions, please do ask them!
V/ Your Suggestions!
We've asked you for feedback regarding the key points of interest, but if you do see anything missing, would like to suggest a feature or anything? Then do it here! We'll listen, but we can't promise to follow all suggestions (ie, if you request we change Mognet for a Cellphone Network, our apologies but that'll be a no).
VI/ Native OCs
That's nothing more than an idea, and something we'd like to have your opinion on before delving more on it. The possibility for you to app characters native to Crystallis. That means app'ing characters who could have been born in Aqures Ixen, Esdham etc. But, they wouldn't be Heroes of Light. They would be normal people living in Crystallis, though their jobs may lead them to work in cooperation with Heroes of Light.
Not being Heroes of Light would change a lot. No Moogle following them, no Crystal, only one Job and a much slower rate to level it up (though it could be switched with an Imperial device), they wouldn't be included on the Hero of Light filter for Mognet and in the case some event, they'd be left out (think the Memory event for example). But, they could have advantage as they'd be more familiar with Crystallis, they wouldn't be affected by random Crystal Stasis, etc.
Again, it's just an idea that may never be implemented, but we'd like to know what you think about it / how you think it could work or fail, etc.
VII/ How's My Driving?
Again, nothing more than an idea and something we'd like to ask everyone's input on: we are considering the possibility of having an open HMD meme. This would occur once every two months, between application rounds and participation would be optional. Thoughts? Suggestions? Anything we haven't considered, feel free to share it here. We're welcome to any input!
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Applications/Character Cap: If y'all need to cap it to run the game you'd like to run, I think that is fine. I would advise against only doing 10 applications a round -- that sounds like it could get hectic, lead to a rush to post first, et cetera.
Lowering the character cap might be a good way to help manage it. Would people with 4 characters be grandfathered in and not need double activity?
If you leave it open, I have thoughts, but I'll share them below.
Events: I liked the Memory event a lot! It was fun and interactive. I've liked the events I've glanced at here, and the plot is definitely a big draw for the game for me. I've never participated in a boss battle, but I'd like to!
If the game getting bigger leads to you need help running stuff, I think a lot of us -- well, okay, I know I would -- would be willing to help there, too; I don't mean "more mods" as much as maybe have a system where players could help run NPCs. For example, let's say there's a big Imperial invasion event; the mods would obviously do some of the NPCs, but players could sign up to play a few lieutenants and such.
Features: These all look cool and they're fun. I would like options for building our own houses and stuff down the line? But that might tie into the Guilds.
Endgame: It sounds like it'll be awesome! But hopefully it's also a long way's off too, ahaha.
Native OCs: Sure! Could be cool. I'd consider it, at least.
Game-wide HMD: I'd prefer not; it's cool if it's optional, but it's not really something I'm interested in. I like to err on the side of keeping that kinda thing private, but that's also just a personal preference!
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We may explore the idea to have semi-relevant NPCs that players could play themselves as well, alongside the Native OCs.
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I would also suggest/like to see the pacing of the game posted somewhere other than the FAQ as recent events have shown that not every player realizes this game was meant to be a bit slower. I am hoping that this game remains small and at a steady pace rather than feeling like there is a huge rush (or feeling as if there are players instituting a need for rushed tags). I would also hope, and like to see, that while MoL remain a small game but that the game as a whole it not exclusive to certain groups of characters with events. The mods have not done this but I have seen it happen once or twice with players saying that larger events already tooled or plotted out by people get shoe-horned away from them and made exclusive to their newfound efforts.
While we have these ooc threads posted before events, and I don't think it is anyone's fault, but I've noticed that there has been a lot of assumptions rather than actual threading. It seems a lot of people will say one thing on plurk, things that seem super important that involve multiple characters, but then not have the threads to show that they have done such things. I realize people are busy, but it would make doing things a lot easier without stepping on toes if there was some where to keep people more accountable for this, if at all possible. I've seen a few people take credit for doing something when they weren't actually involved, only to see the players that were doing the threads and putting in the effort, time, and creativity get overshadowed. Plurk is a lot more convenient to get in touch with people, so I'm not sure what else could be done to help keep things in on place. Sorry if I'm rambling.
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We do hope to keep MoL as a relatively small and slow-paced game, which is why we're considering the possibility of putting a cap on applications. We are exploring other options to try and keep the pace of the game steady, and we are open to suggestions. Main events will always be open to the entirety of the player base. We cannot control players' behavior but we encourage players to try and communicate with each others and to expand their characters' CR, so we will see to keep events as open as possible.
Regarding the last issue, if you do see someone take credit for what someone else did, please do mention it and if necessary inform a moderator. There is little we can do to get players to thread out what they planned, but we will consider ways to make it easier for everyone to get into the events.
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I) I think capping the character limit would be a good idea. Although I didn't participate in the NPC talking post earlier last month (stupid vacation), if we're going to keep it that level, yes, I think have it smaller would be a good idea. We're at, I think, 88 ATM, so yeah, we are near 100. I think the highest maximum would be 125 (to really push it).
II) I find the idea of events with more player/player interaction is a good thing. Of course, that takes dedication and good ideas and, LOL, I don't have that with the wonders of work breathing down my neck.
III) I haven't had the chance to use these, so I'm in the dark ATM >_>;
IV) Endgame that soon?! To be quite honest, I think there should be a little more to do to help push it back (though I have no idea if there have been moments like this before I got here)
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As for the endgame, no worries it will not happen before a year at the earliest, possibly even later. The Doppelganger Event gave a few hints regarding means to slowly down or stop the Calamity. We can't divulge details just yet, but once the Anniversary Event over and the Enterprise repaired, the Heroes of Light will have a lot more freedom and possibilities offered to them and so it will depend on player-actions whether the Calamity will progress slowly or quickly.
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II - As I said, I've loved the events so far! Big events could have some breathing room in between, I think -- I recall wanting to take it easy after the Doppelganger event, only to see the Memory event come up and completely throw any regard for potential burnout to the winds. It hasn't backfired on me yet, but it can be a bit overwhelming at times.
III - I have no complaints about new features. The Doppelgangers were another great way to build on character development, and employments give characters something productive to do when we're not tagging into new things. Waiting to see how the guilds pan out before I comment more on them.
IV -
What do you mean it's not eternal!?But in all seriousness, I'm glad to hear there is some kind of an ending in the works, since that'll keep the plot tight. I'm hoping it'll be later rather than sooner though, because I'm enjoying myself too much here!no subject
As for endgame, no worries there are means to delay the Calamity or when endgame will happen! Though there are also means to quicken it...
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If we're capping applications per round, though, it might be good to go back to a once a month app cycle instead of once every two months. Only letting ten characters in every other month seems a little overboard. As far as character cap, I think 4 is fine - that's already lower than most other games. I don't see lowering it to 3 as necessary at this point.
Overall, though, I don't think we've been in the 'apps every other month' mode for long enough to really see the effect that's having on the growth of the game yet. It might be a good idea to wait things out a bit and see what happens with that.
Events: The events that I think have been very successful have been the ones in the style of the Doppelganger and Memory events, where we're given information by the mods and then can largely run things for ourselves. This is in contrast to the dungeon crawl style of the Imperial Research Facility rescue plot, which I felt got bogged down very quickly and had problems progressing at a decent pace due to the fact that nothing could progress without mod input.
A good compromise for events like that would be one where we have the information of what is in an area ahead of time so we can run it for ourselves, with the mods only needing to be involved at key important points. Pretty much exactly how the Stiltzkin's Castle expeditions are going to be handled. That will let players set their own pace, and since the resolution will be known ahead of time, it won't slow anything down with people not being able to tag anything that happened chronologically afterward due to not knowing how things turned out.
Features: The Doppelganger system is neat, but I don't see it getting a lot of use except to create a bit of roleplaying tension for players wanting to give their characters something to worry about. Which is fine, honestly - it doesn't need to be much more than that.
The Monster Arena hasn't been seeing any use beyond completing the quest for the Dancer Job, which seems like it's been taking a lot longer than it really should. I'm not sure how likely it is to be used once it's open - I think letting Blue Mages learn their abilities there might help with that a little. As it stands, there's not much incentive to work with it.
I'm obviously a fan of the Guilds system since it's opened the door for Levy to found a new chapter of Fairy Tail. I think it also gives characters a lot to do in terms of organizing themselves and creating dedicated groups to adventure and complete quests with.
Endgame: I can't say a whole lot here, because obviously I'm not privy to what you guys have planned in terms of plot between now and then. I'd like to see the game continue for at least another year because I really enjoy it, but I know that's going to depend on character actions and the timeline you've set.
One thing I would like to see happen, though, is characters being able to find out ways to slow down the progress of the Calamity or to study the phenomenon. The problem is, it's impossible to get down to where it's happening and the one NPC we have access to who knows about crystals - Jessie - stonewalls us at every opportunity when she's asked about it. Maybe there are other avenues that I haven't thought of yet, but if so, they haven't been made obvious enough to start tugging on that plot thread.
Native OCs: I don't really see myself using this option, but it doesn't hurt having it around just for the sake of some potential variety if people wanted to do it. It seems like it comes with a lot of limitations that might prevent people from giving it any real consideration, but understandable ones giving the game setting.
Game-Wide HMD: These tend to make me nervous, but as long as they're anon-disabled, not mandatory, and locked to members of the game communities, I don't really see the harm. Otherwise I can see the potential for abuse or grudgewanking.
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Regarding endgame, we can't divulge details just yet, but next years the Heroes of Light will have a lot more freedom and possibilities offered to them and so it will depend on player-actions whether the Calamity will progress slowly or quickly. A few hints have been offered during the Doppelganger event, but more will come!
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I personally don't like the idea of capping the game. Getting new people in is always fun and remember that we just switched apps to be every two months. We haven't really allowed enough time to see the effects of that change. I think that alone will slow down game growth. (Already the last app cycle showed a significant reduction. From about 34 apps in February to 20 in April. And that's 20 for a two month period.)
And I think allowing 10 people every 2 months will lead to a huge rush to get apps in first and possibly be difficult on players in certain time zones.
I also think 4 characters is a good number for each player, so I'm very much against lowering that as well.
II
Events in this game have been amazing! It's been a very long time since I was in a game where I felt like my characters could impact the world and plot. My only note here is that the information posts for events seem to go up right before the event starts. A little more time to plan would be immensely helpful.
III
All of these features are great, no problems at all so far.
IV
I am actually excited that there's an endgame. It makes the plot feel more compelling. That said, I would like to slow it down a little, if only because I'm enjoying the game so much.
V
While I have absolutely loved all of the events in this game so far, I'd kind of like to see something that would give the heroes of light a chance to do something heroic. Or maybe just help people?
Specifically, maybe something like a quest board. Where minor side quests to help out various townspeople are posted and then players can form groups to complete them for minor rewards. This sort of thing could be entirely player run. And to keep it fair, you could say that the player who posted that quest can't be the one who takes it.
As far as examples, I had in mind things like 'village X is having trouble with goblins, go get rid of them' or 'Farmer O'malley's cow has wandered off into monster infested territory, go rescue it.' Anyway just something to add a little more rpg flavor to the setting.
VI
I wouldn't want to play that personally, but it's a neat idea.
VII
As long as it's not mandatory, I don't mind.
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Regarding the quest board, that is an excellent idea. We've been trying to expand the request system and may do something so that if we do put up a quest board it may tie into Job / Regains.
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VII: So long as it's optional, then groovy.
My only other comment would be about the pacing, don't worry about it? We've kind of settled into our own natural pacing, whether this game was designed to be fast or slow, the players do a good job of dictating the pace, and keeping people from being left out.
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II. I've loved the events so far. It might be nice to space them out a little bit, since they are so in depth and run so long. Instead of having a main event each month, maybe every other month to give you guys and us players a break.
III. I think the optional features are fine. They let characters who like those things add depth to their playing experience, but gives everyone else the freedom to work around them if it's not their cup of tea.
IV. I love that we're working toward an endgame (but OBVIOUSLY it should happen in 3 years when I've had a chance to max out freelancer XP). If we end up wrapping up plot, but still want to keep playing, there's always the possibility of using the world you've built and starting over/having a new crisis happen later within the world of Crystallis.
V. Can't think of anything at the moment.
VI. Native OCs sounds like a really fun idea to toy with. Would it be solely OCs, or could people potentially app a character who is a doppleganger(based on a character from a canon, but as if they had been born and raised as a Crystallian)?
VII. Seems like a good thing to offer, so long as it's not mandatory.
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As for Native OCs, them being Doppelgangers is a possibility we're exploring and would potentially open up new possibilities for events, as well as give them more importance to the overall plot.
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Basically, if one does an app cap per round, I'd rather it not be first come, first served. For one, it's not fair to folks in different timelines or who have work or other things that prevent submitting as soon as apps open.
Events/Native OCs: As others noted, drafting the player base to run natives might help with the modteam getting overwhelmed.
Events: I really like the personalized events because it feels like the characters are actually protagonists rather than generic characters in a MMO.
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I usually stick to small-ish games, so I'm really not sure what to say on this. If someone can handle up to 3-4 or more characters then more power to them. I think capping it around that is good, while still allowing new players and fresh-blood, so to speak.
2. Events
A break between big events would be nice. Or just a break between events that always twist the 'knife' so to speak. I played in a game like that years ago, where it was almost always about angst. To be fair, it was a horror game, but that's not what I came to Melodies for. I DO like how the events have been very personalized and the mods are eager to work with us and answer questions. The setting is indeed a world in 'peril' but the slice of life aspects are really good too, and I'd like some more events based on them.
3. Features
Nothing I want to add here. It's great for adding depth if you want, but it's not required which is really nice.
4. End Game
I like that there IS a planned story. I do think there should be more ways to help slow the calamity. Some of this might be on our end as players as we really aren't putting pieces together properly and working together, IC or OOC. Some of it might also be that we just don't KNOW enough about the world and what goes on, and it can be difficult for us to get that information. For example—there was talk of exploring the Heran Prison. It requires a submarine to get to. What options are viable to us as PCs? Build a submarine? Do we have that tech? Infiltrate/steal one from the Empire? Maybe we just have to ask the mods more for hints.
5. Hmmm Player suggestions...I'll try and think on this a bit. I know someone suggested minor quests/things that can help the Heroes of Light be more...heroic. Like the farmers missing their cow that wandered off, or the village being terrorized by monsters, and so on. (Their suggestions, not mine.)
6. No opinion on Native Ocs. It's like the features—I feel it's neat for people who want it, but not my cup of tea.
7. I've had HMD used both positively and negatively before. I'd suggest keeping it locked to the game only, not open to the public. I also admit—I'm someone who can be sensitive. Which isn't to say I don't listen, and I don't try and look and see if something is legitimately a problem. I know I'm far from perfect. But it means I DO panic, and worry, any time I mess up even in small ways. HMD is a source of stress for me that way, even as it's meant to be helpful. My one concern with even having it be 'optional' is the pressure/appearance of “Well so and so didn't post, they must be too sensitive/full-of-themselves/etc”. I like to think we're all way more mature—and MoL peeps have been NOTHING but friendly. It is a concern though.
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If we do implement the HMD, stay assured that it will be locked to the game and completely optional. We do understand your concern though, and will consider it when taking the decision.
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Character cap: I've never been in a game that had app/character limits, so I can't really speak from experience. BUT I do agree with the above suggestion that we could hold off on any caps for the time being to try and get an idea of just if/when we might need to install one, and then revisit the possibility if we start to near that 120 mark.
If it does come to that, I think that new players should be given priority over a current player apping for a new character, and that something should be worked out regarding timezones to be fair for everyone.
Events: Of the couple I've been a part of so far, I've enjoyed them immensely! <3 No feedback in that regard just yet.
Features: I love them! I like that there's a lot of variety but none of them feel obligatory beyond what the players want to/have time to dedicate themselves to.
Native OCs: Ahhhh I like this idea a lot, actually! Especially if they're along doppelganger lines of being canon characters born in Crystallis; it does give a unique angle to play, and I personally like the idea of having a character who isn't a Hero (since just keeping up with one character's exp progress and event threads is already a bit daunting, lol).
HMD: As long as it's optional and moderated, I think it'd be fine! I know a lot of players don't (or simply forget to) put HMDs in their journals, so that opportunity could be handy.
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As for Native OCs, we are exploring the possibility of them being Doppelgangers! It may be a bit tricky to get working, but this would open a lot of possibilities for native OCs to get involved and be relevant to the plot.
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I personally don't have a preference (since at the moment I'm not considering any more characters), so I'd say to go with whatever is easier for the mods to handle. That said, if a larger game requires more mods, that would be something you would need to consider. If you do have a total character cap, I think raising it a larger amount than what you currently have might be better, like at 150 or 200 - that gives you wiggle room from your starting point now to make any changes if need be without being restrictive to newcomers and old-timers alike.
II.
From the events I participated in, I've really enjoyed and think you're doing a fantastic job with them.
III.
Features are always fun, but the main issue is making the game accessible to everyone - the easiest way is to make a navigation page explaining what is mandatory and isn't, to keep the table of contents all in one place so that the main profiles/menus don't appear cluttered or overwhelming.
VI.
It sounds like a fun idea! If someone can pull it off and if we can have fun with it, I'm all for it.
VII.
Sounds good to me, as long as participation isn't mandatory. It also depends what it entails, like anonymous commenting or things like that.
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