Quote:I do have a question about your proposal, Rain. Here is what is what you made clear is happening in the game already (correct me if I am wrong): Friendships are being made, RP storylines are happening, Cross-LS RP is present, big events happen, in general there is RP to be found.You've got the bulk of it, yes. The way I see it, we have cliques or groups of people, whatever you want to call them. Circles of friends, really. That's great. More often than not, it seems (I say "seems" because it's not like I'm able to know what's going on 100% as an outside observer) like these groups sort of congregate together in numbers. I'm trying to think of a way to explain this without getting to confusing.
Your answer to increasing activity on the RPC seems to be to strengthen in-game community cohesion and increase RP between people who usually don't RP with each other.
Is that the general gist of it? If I got it wrong, correct me.
If community = RPC, how do you bring more activity to the RPC?
Given, that people are already making friends/RPing - how much more of that needs to happen to bring more activity here? What is the actual plan going forward? A general statement supporting community solidarity and cohesion is easy to make, but I really didn't see an actual proposal/course of action based on your stated beliefs.
Let's say we have group A, group B, and group C. Group A might RP a lot with group B. Group B might RP a lot with group A and C. But group C might specifically RP with group B. Now they might not RP with group A because of differences, but maybe they don't because they haven't really had a chance to get involved with them. What I'm proposing is that we encourage groups (and individuals. Definitely individuals, as a lot of RP goes in between individuals. I'm just using the group thing as an example) to branch out and start meeting other groups we have floating around that they haven't had a chance to meet yet. Actively searching out people they've yet to RP with in order to give an attempt to widen the overall social circle. Some might go smoothly, some might find out they weren't a match for the other groups of persons - but at least it would be occurring.
Now this already happens to an extent, but I guess my whole point is it'd be great to see it full-scale. Everyone coming together and doing what they can. I suppose it's sort of an eternal optimist outlook, but it would just be nice to see everyone come together - even if it's difficult. The only way I could propose this be accomplished is for a simple motto to be spread. "How many new friends have you made this week?" Obviously some people will be opposed to the idea and that's a-ok, but others might be welcoming to it and make it a goal to make a new friend every week that they wouldn't have previously known. Either way, it would by no means be and easy task - but one I think we could all benefit from.
But even then, this doesn't apply simply to RP. A big chunk of my point is OOC, too. OOC friendships are just as important, if not more important than RPing together. The more people that are friends and tolerate each other, the less chance we have of the "new" forums going the route the old did. People at each others necks for various reasons, dividing into camps. If we're all in one big camp, maybe things won't fall apart.
Quote:How do you get people to bond, who have completely different tastes in what they like/dislike or what they find fun/interesting? How do people like myself and Verence who would rather not bother with people who are known to have different preferences when it comes to RP (note: not people we've never RPed with, but people with whom we have and didn't find it rewarding) factor into this? Furthermore, if there is more bonding, how do you translate that over to activity here on the RPC?This one is much more difficult to answer. In reality, you can't. There's always going to be people who just don't click with each other. That's fine, and is going to happen no matter what. My proposal is more directed at people who haven't been introduced to each other yet.
What about the people who would love to RP with anyone, yet strongly dislike the RPC itself?
However, even if people don't get along OOCly, I think we should still at least be able to tolerate each other. Respect each other. I think a big part of this would come down to forum moderation. Moderators who would crack down hard on people berating others for their choices of RP style - and quell any arguments that might pop up. Keeping the atmosphere friendly and welcoming of all styles of roleplay would be key. It's something I think we sort of lost here in the big mess of things.
Naturally, some people won't want to be a part of the RPC. That's fine, and there's nothing we can really do about them.
As far as transferring the activity goes, I think it is something that would just occur naturally once the RPC is repaired. As social circles would widen, people might be less shy to post on the forums and open up to the community at large. I know there's a lot of shy roleplayers out there. I see them all the time.
Quote:Just to clarify, my idea was based around new LInkshells. I understand why Linkshells who already have websites wouldn't need this.Right. Even then, I wouldn't be surprised if a few current linkshells wouldn't mind having a hub over with the RPC as well. Really comes down to the group's preferences.
Quote:maybe a space somewhere on this website (outside the forum) where one can cycle through the 'profiles'.Maybe sort of like what we used to have with that little linkshell "journal"? The little book with descriptions and pictures for each linkshell that was linked on the RPC? It would be nice to see things like that return.
I'll hit on a point you mentioned a few posts back, as well. Giving the RPC A new look. I definitely think we should re-brand the entire site. Not just aesthetically, but content-wise as well.
As far as aesthetics go, a fresh new appearance and layout might be a nice and welcomed change. It's been the same for over a year now. A new background, some new colours. Maybe consolidate some forums - add new ones and remove ones that are never used.
Content-wise, I honestly think archiving all old posts would be a smart move. Locking them away in a hidden forum with access given to those who request it. The sooner we can put all our past behind us, the better. If it's out of sight, it's easier to be out of mind. However, it'd still be there for those who need access to it.
We could obviously transfer over important subjects. Topics detailing guides, lore tidbits, etc. All the other rabble could be set aside, though, and we'd have a fresh template for everyone to work with. I know some people might be opposed to that entire idea, but it's something to think about.
Once all those overhauls would be finished, we could simply "Re-launch". Ask for a story on the front page of the big community sites like ZAM and Gamer Escape. Could also have a mass e-mail sent out to all people registered with the RPC - showcasing both changes to the game, and our community.
Something hitting on the general idea of the forum and it's rebirth.
"With the PS3 launch growing closer each day, we decided it was time for the RPC to get an overhaul to accommodate new players. Feel free to check us out and join in on the conversation" etc, etc.