Perspectives of Crystalline LS - Honest Feedback Sought

[Zizirimu Yayarimu]

I've not heard anything about your LS, but I do propose an anti-sh*t talking / rumor spreading campaign that goes something like this:

 

 

 

[align=center]Heard a Rumor? One question. . .[/align]

 

 

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[Spiritual Machine]

I expected a mature and reasonable response to my post and I was not disappointed. I agree with your points, Eva. You do strike me as someone who is interested in getting your points across clearly and concisely, which I believe is important in a roleplay community where communication is paramount. I can appreciate that level of consideration, to even go so far as correct your opening post in order to be better understood.

 

We don't often come off clearly the first time we express ourselves to someone. There are a lot of varying perspectives and ideas in communities like these after all. In order to foster the best possible community experience for oneself and others, I believe it's important to be receptive to feedback, willing to acknowledge and correct mistakes, and willing to give mistakes committed by others the benefit of the doubt--as they could have also expressed themselves the wrong way.

 

I'm increasingly impressed by the maturity of this community. I'd like to note that I'm not interested in joining Crystalline at this time, however if this thread is representative of the maturity of its members and of the "Legacy players" that earn so much scorn here and there on other forums, then I'd at the very least be interested in interacting with these people further.

[lady2beetle]

So, I'm new and I don't know the history, and while I've read some of the replies, I will only tell you the impression I've gotten on my own.

 

When I was reading through the Linkshells, I saw Crystalline, read that it was temporarily closed and I didnt' even glance at who is in it - even now that it's been brought to my attention that it is mostly the admin of RPC, I really don't care. If you are friends from 1.0 and want to be careful about your linkshell, that's your perogative, and I moved on through my perusement of linkshells looking for one that would fit me.

 

It wasn't until later when you updated your linkshell with: "It seemed like this could use a bump," then added that recruitment is still closed that I raised an eyebrow. It felt to me, like you were saying "Hey, look at us! We're not accepting new members, but we're important enough to be bumped on a list of linkshell recruitments anyway!" I don't know, I can't say it rubbed me the wrong way... but it might have if I had cared enough. I just thought, "Okay, that's a little odd..." and moved on with my life.

 

So... yeah. I'll just leave it at that. I don't have anything against you or Crystalline, but either you are closed and private (even temporarily) or you are public and open. And if you are closed/private (even temporarily), then my personal opinion is that you aren't of interest to me or anyone else who might be looking for a place to call home. You can't be both closed/private AND of interest to me. Just my $.02.

[Zizirimu Yayarimu]

So, I'm new and I don't know the history, and while I've read some of the replies, I will only tell you the impression I've gotten on my own.

 

When I was reading through the Linkshells, I saw Crystalline, read that it was temporarily closed and I didnt' even glance at who is in it - even now that it's been brought to my attention that it is mostly the admin of RPC, I really don't care. If you are friends from 1.0 and want to be careful about your linkshell, that's your perogative, and I moved on through my perusement of linkshells looking for one that would fit me.

 

It wasn't until later when you updated your linkshell with: "It seemed like this could use a bump," then added that recruitment is still closed that I raised an eyebrow. It felt to me, like you were saying "Hey, look at us! We're not accepting new members, but we're important enough to be bumped on a list of linkshell recruitments anyway!" I don't know, I can't say it rubbed me the wrong way... but it might have if I had cared enough. I just thought, "Okay, that's a little odd..." and moved on with my life.

 

So... yeah. I'll just leave it at that. I don't have anything against you or Crystalline, but either you are closed and private (even temporarily) or you are public and open. And if you are closed/private (even temporarily), then my personal opinion is that you aren't of interest to me or anyone else who might be looking for a place to call home. You can't be both closed/private AND of interest to me. Just my $.02.

 

I didn't feel it was useless, the bump. I guess it depends what you consider bump-worthy! Personally I find general updates to be OK, seeing as I am prospective member of Crystalline and possibly other communities. Sometimes edits in the main posts will go unnoticed because they aren't marked with "HEY THERE IS NEW INFO HERE" which is where bumps are useful, IMO. That bump did have a few points of info worth knowing, and considering they had no previous bumps... especially completely useless ones, I think it's okay

[Rhynka]

I have a simple question about how this thread seems to be going. How come an honest opinion was asked for and those who gave it appear to now be defending themselves?

[lady2beetle]

I didn't feel it was useless, the bump. I guess it depends what you consider bump-worthy! Personally I find general updates to be OK, seeing as I am prospective member of Crystalline and possibly other communities. Sometimes edits in the main posts will go unnoticed because they aren't marked with "HEY THERE IS NEW INFO HERE" which is where bumps are useful, IMO. That bump did have a few points of info worth knowing, and considering they had no previous bumps... especially completely useless ones, I think it's okay

 

That may be, and I appologize if I sounded hostile. It really didn't bother me too much, just sort of caused me to go, "okay, that's a little odd."

[ArmachiA]

As for the top dog linkshell thing, you're not gonna like it, but it is because Crystalline ha Kylin, Ellie, Garik, and other popular members in its ranks [This includes Eva]. I feel pretty bad for Kylin in general, as anywhere he goes Ls wise will probably get a ton of free advertising both good and bad. Tryriont said it best really, better than I could.

 

Fact is, a fair amount of the more active posters in the more popular threads tend to be affiliated with Crystalline in some way. Gerik's fantastic art thread naturally involves a lot of Crystalline members, for example, while I constantly see Aysun posting all over the place and generally being awesome. This is a FANTASTIC thing and while I don't remember those two from FFXI days (unless names changed) they both seem to be great RPers that I'm hopeful to get to play with once the game launches proper.

 

There ya go. That's why. I once talked about how people just want to be part of the in crowd and coming into a "new school" as it were can be intimidating because they just want to be accepted.

 

You are the in crowd, yall.

 

Love it! It's not a bad thing! Many other Linkshells would kill for the same title. Just you know, it comes with certain responsibilities if you aren't planning on using that power for evil. You know that ol' spiderman saying.

 

My FC is certainly willing to work with Crystalline in any way we are able and we haven't been put off by rumors to at least TRY. I can't guarantee your RP and our RP will mesh [i'm not even 80percent on that yet], but I do know we are very willing to drag your members into Primal fights and Raid Dungeons to help gear them up [if you need it/want it].

 

[Don't think this offer is just for Crystalline either folks]

[Eva]

@Seohyun: Thank you for the feedback. I'm glad your experience has been positive so far and I'm looking forward to RPing in ARR!

 

@Spiritual Machine: I'm glad we have not disappointed. Most of the community here I have found to be very sensible and mature and I'm glad that shows through to you as well.

 

@lady2beetle: I understand how the bump might have been somewhat confusing. With all the talk of Balmung/Gilgamesh I felt it was important to note that we were going to be RPing on the Balmung server. Moreover we've begun RPing events that will eventually lead to the founding of the company and I figured I was able to place an educated guess on the timeframe of that and an approximation of when the LS will be fully open for recruitment, for those who may be interested in joining or may have been waiting patiently. I have gone back to both the bump and the linkshell post and made a few corrections. From all the feedback I've been getting from this thread I think it makes more sense to change our status from 'Closed' to 'Invitation' - as we have gradually brought a few friendly folks in who showed interest in what we're building. I apologize that the message was somewhat unclear. The only three options are 'Closed', 'Open', and 'Invitation' - and none of them really perfectly fit our recruitment policy right now, but I think Invitation seems to make a bit more sense. I will need to change around some of the phrasing around on our own forums later this evening to better mesh with this change as well.

 

@Zizirimu: Thanks for the clarification. I like the sheep image too about rumors. There are many good real-world applications for that as well!

 

@Rhynka: I don't really see where anyone is defending themselves. The way I see this thread going, an honest opinion was asked for and a number of people have given it. I suppose a number of the posts have been prefaced with something akin to "please don't be offended but..." which I think may just be a courtesy and while perhaps it may not really necessary there is nothing inherantly wrong with stating that intentions are to express an opinion and not to hurt anyone's feelings. But we as a LS have been able to glean a lot from the responses so far and have already enacted some changes and may be considering some additional changes in the near future as well which we hope will help improve our overall image.

 

@Armi: I guess as flattering as that may be I still don't like the perception that any one RPLS is somehow superior to another. I view them all as different but on equal footing, each usually catering to a different sort of RPer. I do think our members are awesome, but I admit I'm totally biased. I've interacted with a ton of characters outside of our membership who are also awesome! It sounds like we'll have to look for ways to be less intimidating and more open to interaction. From all I've read so far, this seems to be the biggest recurring point. I think most of us are up to the challenge though, and looking forward to demonstrating that in-game rather than just writing words on a forum. We will look forward to fighting the primals and raiding the dungeons (be it IC or OOC) together with Night Blades and any other LS groups. It was always fun when this sort of stuff happened in 1.0 and the more all-encompassing pearls like Intermission/Backstage were great for putting raids and runs together if you didn't have a full lineup!

 

 

Thank you all for the comments so far. It has been really valuable to us!

[Averis]

As someone that's been around this forum towards the beginning, I can say that I have heard "things", but to be honest, I don't remember what they were. I know that people have had some issues and have singled out some members of Crystalline, but the truth is, from my perspective, this is really pretty normal. We can be a dramatic bunch, many of which are either OCD(like myself) and/or very passionate. As such I try to take things people say with a grain of salt and go at it from what I personally experience.

 

I don't think there is anything wrong with holding off on accepting new members right now. If people look at that as elitist then they will likely have thought that for another reason anyway and are probably not the type of people you want to deal with either because once in the LS what would be the next thing to happen that they would call elitist.

 

I've never seen elitism in this community as much as I've seen people throwing that word around just to label people that didn't agree with them.

 

Oh and as far as being temp closed and insular goes... I remember Balthazar's Favor back then... Taking only 2-3 members at a time to make sure it's all friendly and close-knit rather than take a ton of people and nobody knows each other. Wonder what people would say about it now.

 

I would still stand by that way of doing things today. It should never be about numbers and if people can't wait for things to happen slowly then they really probably weren't that invested in the first place. It's not about being elite, it's about being fair to all involved. Rushing people into the door only to have them feel like another number is really not fair to anyone.

 

I also remember BF from 1.0 and it sounded like a good group!

 

It was, sadly, short lived. The other co-leaders are now playing something else. It would have been interesting to start it up again.

[Aysun]

I have a simple question about how this thread seems to be going. How come an honest opinion was asked for and those who gave it appear to now be defending themselves?

I don't really see that myself at all. What I do see is people who are giving opinions, exactly like Eva asked for, but some of them are (understandably) nervous to do so, so they are providing disclaimers. That's exactly what I did when I replied to Everwatch's thread like this. Disclaimer: this is my own experience/opinion, not meant to be bashing, etc. At least, that's what I'm seeing. I hope that no one here feels the need to defend what they're saying. The purpose of this thread for us is to listen to what people are saying, not to make them feel they need to argue points.

 

For those who are concerned or confused about the purpose of this thread.. In the past, when Everwatch sought feedback like this, it did provide information they needed to adjust some policies and methods they used. That's why I encouraged Eva to make this post.

 

So far, the feedback provided has shown us that the wording in our Linkshell post can use some work, because it is giving the wrong impression about us. It has also brought to light the misconception about the leadership of the RPC's involvement in Crystalline, and hopefully cleared it up since only two of our members are also involved in the moderation team, and it's just coincidence like the Blue Skies members.

 

The fact that many of Crystalline's members are heavily involved in the RPC I figured would be a good thing for the shell and encouraging to people to see if they would be interested, but it's surprising to see the perceptions of the "in crowd" and such.. That definitely means there is this air of a clique, which while many of us are friends OOCly, is not something we want to be. While actual recruitment is temporarily closed due to IC, we have kept our website up and encouraged people to join it if they are interested in the pearl. We have a special "Hopeful" status on the website for just that reason. It allows people more access to the forums and the OOC Chatterbox on the site so we can all start to get to know each other even if no one can actually join due to the shell being in this state of development. I'm not sure that many people knew about this option.

 

While I can't agree more with Zizirimu's response to the idea of rumors.. they are what they are. They exist, and they trickle back to people. While making a thread like this isn't about to somehow magically change everyone's opinions or erase rumors, nor is that its purpose, it will help us adjust things such as the text on our LS page and the like so we are more clear in our goals. Hopefully this will help us in future, in organizing inter-LS relationships, our recruitment and events! I for one appreciate everyone's honesty fully thus far!

[Zeah Loraire]

Well, for a bit of background of my experiences.. I was in Crystalline in FFXI for a long time, and eventually left during a big split due to some drama. It's a bit unfair to hold grudges and things of that sort, so I don't really feel much of anything as far as Crystalline in FFXIV, if that makes sense.

 

I just remember I didn't really find the leadership quality of Crystalline back then very favorable--and reading through people's opinions here it seems pretty clear that maybe some of that has stuck? It's hard to tell--I don't really like forming opinions based on other's opinions and all that.

 

To sort of go with Nox..As far as FFXIV goes--I haven't heard anything about Crystalline, good or bad thus far, just that it exists and a few people I know and were close with in FFXI are joining back up into it. I personally will probably not be joining, the story of it from the looks doesn't really fit well with any of my characters..Plus recruitment is closed anyway ^^. I have a few other LSes in my sights, but yeah.. From what I've heard? Pretty much nothing. From my older experiences? Eeeh..I'd rather pass..

[Rhynka]

I know you say it wouldn't, but I feel if I said anything there would be a negative slant whenever you looked in me and mines direction if I did.

 

One more edit for good measure: It's no one in my guild saying anything, just want to make that clear.

 

This last reason is why I was quite reluctant to post anything on this thread and, when I did, why I put the big disclaimer in the second paragraph. I share ArmachiA's fear of receiving retribution for offering some honest feedback. Even as I type this, I'm concerned that someone's going to look at it and say, "AHA! FreelanceWizard is the guilty one! He's been stabbing us in the back this whole time and is foolish enough to admit it in public! Prepare the pitchforks and torches!" I obviously don't think that's the case or I wouldn't say anything at all (hey, I play political LARPs, I know how to keep my mouth shut ).

Because these two don't seem uneasy or afraid to voice their opinions.

 

So far people have gone back at these two to defend Crystalline. Weather it was polite or not, if this is supposed to be a thread to let people express their opinions. Let them express these opinions and not be met with any defense unless the thread is about to be closed and all is being clarified by the original poster. Not doing this will just result in a huge debate over LS/RPC politics which I don't think you intended, Eva.

 

To stay on topic I'll give my opinion. I judge individuals based on how they represent themselves but do not judge the LS they come from based on their actions alone. (Several from the same shell giving bad impressions can make me wary of an LS though!) Many will judge individuals on their impressions of them and it can also carry over to the linkshell they represent. Wanting to or not, every pearl holder you have represents the LS. It is the leader's job to make sure they aren't letting people have false assumptions or are poorly representing your linkshell.

 

I think instead of trying to weed out who is saying what or whatever people go on about rumors you need to turn your ear inward and see if such rumors are true or not. If they are true, hand out discipline as is necessary to involved members. If they're not, shrug it off because when you're big people will spread rumors no matter what if no one in your shell is doing this then don't worry and let the rumors die.

 

Personally I've yet to really hear rumors about Crystalline. But I don't care for hen house chatter anyway, so maybe I'm deaf to them.

---

I have a simple question about how this thread seems to be going. How come an honest opinion was asked for and those who gave it appear to now be defending themselves?

I don't really see that myself at all. What I do see is people who are giving opinions, exactly like Eva asked for, but some of them are (understandably) nervous to do so, so they are providing disclaimers. That's exactly what I did when I replied to Everwatch's thread like this. Disclaimer: this is my own experience/opinion, not meant to be bashing, etc. At least, that's what I'm seeing. I hope that no one here feels the need to defend what they're saying. The purpose of this thread for us is to listen to what people are saying, not to make them feel they need to argue points.

 

For those who are concerned or confused about the purpose of this thread.. In the past, when Everwatch sought feedback like this, it did provide information they needed to adjust some policies and methods they used. That's why I encouraged Eva to make this post.

 

So far, the feedback provided has shown us that the wording in our Linkshell post can use some work, because it is giving the wrong impression about us. It has also brought to light the misconception about the leadership of the RPC's involvement in Crystalline, and hopefully cleared it up since only two of our members are also involved in the moderation team, and it's just coincidence like the Blue Skies members.

 

The fact that many of Crystalline's members are heavily involved in the RPC I figured would be a good thing for the shell and encouraging to people to see if they would be interested, but it's surprising to see the perceptions of the "in crowd" and such.. That definitely means there is this air of a clique, which while many of us are friends OOCly, is not something we want to be. While actual recruitment is temporarily closed due to IC, we have kept our website up and encouraged people to join it if they are interested in the pearl. We have a special "Hopeful" status on the website for just that reason. It allows people more access to the forums and the OOC Chatterbox on the site so we can all start to get to know each other even if no one can actually join due to the shell being in this state of development. I'm not sure that many people knew about this option.

 

While I can't agree more with  Zizirimu's response to the idea of rumors.. they are what they are. They exist, and they trickle back to people. While making a thread like this isn't about to somehow magically change everyone's opinions or erase rumors, nor is that its purpose, it will help us adjust things such as the text on our LS page and the like so we are more clear in our goals. Hopefully this will help us in future, in organizing inter-LS relationships, our recruitment and events! I for one appreciate everyone's honesty fully thus far!

I just worry that a thread made with good intentions is going to go wrong! People are going to defend the shell because they have found friends there and care about it, it's human nature. Just as it's human nature for people to feel edgy about expressing things they've heard or feel if it may have a negative impact on those who understandably care about it. Hell I didn't even notice till now that you were part of Crystalline cause LS controversy and who is in what never usually comes to my attention unless I tend to notice there are many under the same banner exhibiting the same behavior good or bad. (This happens to be a thread about an LS so-yeah I noticed!)

 

I just know that if people have the option to argue or debate opinions it's gonna flood over what really needs to be heard, hence I'm not gonna respond in here again so as not to clutter things up worse!

[Spiritual Machine]

I believe Rhynka has a point. Folks from Crystalline have been swooping into the thread to offer their opinions and to offer counterpoints to the honest critiques being given by others.

 

I know it's probably not the intention, but that does come off as a bit defensive. If nothing else, it seems unnecessary. If it's just Eva responding to concerns in her style of making one post addressing each individual, that's pretty okay, helpful and positive.

 

The presence of Crystalline members responding with "I don't think that that's the case" and such will if anything only discourage discussion, and undermine the purpose of this thread: to clarify any misconceptions about Crystalline and present it as an open, friendly and inclusive community.

 

And yes, I know the Crystalline members have been friendly and nice so far. It still looks weird, though.

[Averis]

To be fair, you also can't expect Crystalline to not explain their view on things that people are saying, especially if they are incorrect. It wouldn't do them any favors to let something go unexplained.

[John Spiegel]

@Tyriont – I saw you skulking around. Had to make sure mycloset full of rum and virgins was untouched. Anyways, I think us over at Crystalline really downplayed having a few of the popular or admin folk. Like severely. So I can kinda see now from others’ perspective on the subject. 

 

To pick up where I cut myself off this morning, I don’t see Ellie/Kylin as an “ace in the hole” or “our ticket to the top”, I see them as Derpina and Derp RPers first and admins like third. But from y’alls point of view, yeah, I can see how it might look. But I toooootaly don’t think that way and I don’t think the majority of Crystalline thinks that way either.

 

@Seo – I mean to poke around with you and Gerik more than I did, but I got all washed up in “OMG! I’m BETA TESTING NEW GAMEZ”. Ain’t got anything else to add here.

 

@Spiritual Machine – Making first, second or fifteenth impressions suck! Our biggest foul-up was labeling ourselves “Closed” and clouting we are awesome. Not such an inviting thing really. What we should have said was something more like “Hey guys, we’re kind of keeping new member influx tight as we come up with a rough blueprint of what we want Crystalline to go towards, but shaped by its people over time” or something like that. Because that better reflects what’s going on over yonder. ^^

Of course we’re going to come off defensive, but we’retrying to improve ourselves and explain or try to clarify misconceptions. I’m sorry if all my post seems “NO YOU’RE WRONG”-ish, but so far I’ve gained a bit of understanding of Crystalline as some see it. I really have!

 

 

@lady2beetle – Yeah, better for us to have said “We’re working on it and might allow a few to slip through the cracks but… we’re working on it.” As Eva says below, she felt since the RPC now clearly hosts a primary and secondary servers, she should define which one Crystalline was going to make home.

 

 

 

 

To just have a separate section that’s probably going to echo everything I have said (plus an adorable analogy)~

 

A lot of us in Crystalline, like most others on the RPC, are pretty invested and just all up in our linkshell’s stuff like it’s a mama bear and linkpearl-shaped-cub. I can only truly speak for myself, but I think Crystalline as a whole just wants to improve in the communication wing. A whole bunch. And despite how weird our friendliness seems, we’re honestly trying to take criticism in along with offering how –we- saw a particular situation or thing. Believe me when I say we’re taking any criticism and re-examining stuff!

[FreelanceWizard]

With respect, Rhynka, I don't feel that I've been attacked by Crystalline or anyone else in this thread. Of course, that may be because I was just offering some educated opinions and guesses about what some people felt about the LS and they happened to be correct -- curse my GL intuition, I suppose. Like I said, this is far from the first time I've seen or heard of this sort of "an old guild is an evil clique" perception. Hell, sometimes I've been on the receiving end of it, so I know how much it can hurt and how much it can drive one up the wall trying to figure out how to "fix it."

 

The purpose for my disclaimer was really to make it clear that I'm not against the LS. I want to see them succeed along with every other RP LS. Despite my registration date, I'm still "new" to the community (certainly relative to Crystalline members) and wanted to make it clear that I'm not some "damned noob who knows nothing trying to start a fight," so to speak, nor am I an evil mastermind phrasing things as if I were an outsider to distance myself from knives I've thrown at their back.

 

The reason I recommend ignoring the rumours is two-fold. First, acknowledging them grants them power. Those who enjoy seeing conspiracies will assume that this attempt to "get ahead of the scandal" is proof of said scandal's existence. "Why would Crystalline's members come out to defend it unless there were something that needed a defense?" they'll say. Second, they're almost assuredly coming from a group of people who will never be mollified. So, the LS members coming in to defend it in a thread whose ostensible purpose is the collection of feedback is just going to harden them further in their views.

 

That's not to say that this thread hasn't produced some positive results. To be honest, I felt the Crystalline LS thread was somewhat off-putting at best and quite premature at worst; IMO, until a guild has a concrete concept, charter, and application policy, it shouldn't be advertising itself at all. However, it seems that's being addressed, so that's a net positive, and to be honest, I didn't read it and say, "Ooh, those Crystalline people are total jerks!" I read it and thought, "Classic GL mistake that'll produce some blowback and probably complicate recruitment in the future. Also, the inevitable perceived CoI with the site administration will probably make that blowback worse." Thus, my first post on this thread.

[Versillis Capulet]

I may be new to RPC but I am a 1.0 player and actually did see y'all milling about from time to time. It you have some concerns regarding your "image" as a LS or RPers the best thing to do it try to be as interactive with everyone, not just your friends, LS mates or forum buddies. 

 

When I did see a member of Crystalline running around or RPing I kind of shrunk into the background, mainly because I was a tiny little Lalafell who was easy to ignore anyways and secondly because y'all were a bit frightening. Like looking at a huge stone wall you may or may not be able to climb and thinking if you fall you would die. 

 

Perceptions and rumors are hard to outrun but what everyone needs to think is that FFXIV:ARR is technically a re-release, therefore any bad blood, perceptions and rumors should be thrown out; allowing Crystalline and any other LS to come into ARR with a clean slate. 

 

FYI: I will still be a tiny little Lalafell and this time I will make her more mouthy should I run into one of y'all's members

[Asyria]

I'm popular.

I'm not in Crystalline.

Gasp!

 

Seriously though, and even if I'm repeating myself here... this kinda thing is perfectly natural. I understand wanting to clarify, but I doubt it's going to change much.

 

Those who have a neutral or good opinion of Crystalline will simply be puzzled or unaffected, while those who have a bad opinions will see this as an attempt to "defend" the LS or FC or whatever it is, therefore "proving" their opinion.

 

Only a minority might change their mind. A little.

Human nature, folks!

 

 

P.S. I never understood the whole "insular is bad" thing. People have been forming guilds in mmo since it's ben possible to do so, just as people have been getting together in groups of friends since friendship was a thing. Again, human nature. We're social creatures, but we're also picky and prefer to stick with people who are like us in some ways. Why ELSE would we bother with LS in the first place? Yes, there is value in RPing outside etc. but not all the time, otherwise might as well go solo and just RP with whoever is around at any time.

[Ellion Goto]

Snipped

 

For being generous to ArmachiA Eva I will also grant you the same privilege on our forums should you be interested. In my opinion it is only fair.

[Spiritual Machine]

To be fair, you also can't expect Crystalline to not explain their view on things that people are saying, especially if they are incorrect. It wouldn't do them any favors to let something go unexplained.

For my part, I think that there's nothing wrong with Crystalline responding to these concerns in this thread. Quite the contrary.

 

My agreement with Rhynka has to do with the fact that a good number of Crystalline members have been responding. I doubt that there are any bad intentions, mind, but it makes the thread seem kinda crowded with all these people saying "now wait, that's not the case" and some of them simply repeating Eva's explanations, and it can be intimidating.

 

Again, I don't think y'all mean to be. Of course you have a right to be defensive, given that some folks out there are clearly saying bad stuff about Crystalline, and many people do have these misconceptions about the guild.

 

However, when I say you're coming off as defensive, I mean that in a very particular way. People just coming into this thread could get the impression that it's a thread asking for feedback, but when people give their feedback, a bunch of folks jump in and say "But you're wrong about that!"

 

I just think that having one person respond on behalf of Crystalline might make things neater and less cluttered, and more effectively convey the desired attitude. It's just a suggestion though--it's possible that that sort of misconception isn't happening at all in this thread.

[C'io Behkt]

I just think that having one person respond on behalf of Crystalline might make things neater and less cluttered' date=' and more effectively convey the desired attitude. It's just a suggestion though--it's possible that that sort of misconception isn't happening at all in this thread.[/quote']

 

I was just about to suggest this very thing, but SM beat me to it, . It would just make organization much easier and give everyone commenting a single username to look out for for responses/explanations/discussions on how to whether a policy shift would help this or that/etc.

 

Hehe, there's so much PR involved here! I'm admittedly taking notes in case I'm ever in a similar position.

 

My first exposure to Crystalline was noticing it in the user-sidebar beneath Aysun's name. When I looked at it in the Linkshell registry, I read the blurb about its IC purpose and also saw that it was closed membership. It wasn't really anything I thought of at the time, but it made Crystalline something curious to me. When I asked Aysun about it, I was surprised to learn that it... wasn't an IC linkshell to begin with and was only now gaining its IC purpose? (Is that correct?) In which case I thought that was pretty cool how an OOC friend linkshell was transforming into one with an IC goal and mission, since that transformation would also give to and enrich the community at large. About a day after I asked Aysun, this thread popped up and the timing was amusing, .

[Azelle]

For what it's worth, I offer my perception as someone new to the forum but a veteran in the RP genre.

 

I totally understand why a linkshell, no matter how old or new they are, would want to carefully examine their applications. I don't see it as an elitist action but as a measure to make sure their members really fit within their theme and get along well with each others. We all saw at one time or another drama caused by people not sharing at least the basics. Over the years that made many of us more cautious.

 

It of course has nothing to do with new or experienced role players. Both can be a good fit. A new Rper open to learning is a breath of fresh air and very welcomed.

 

But... there is always a but eh? the negative side of this is that the linkshell might miss many good postulants. Many, me included, will turn back if they see a closed to new members even if temporary. Something like: applications will be considered and IC interview needed for membership, calls more for a selective but still open attitude. Also, some, me included, would prefer to make friends and get to know the linkshell members before release to really start as a whole and not that new recruit.

 

There  you go, from a new member of this fofo

[Asyria]

People in any given LS can have different opinions and point of views. I think only one person from the LS posting for all of them is unrealistic and restrictive.

[Eva]

I'm sorry for the delay since my last post.  It's been a busier week than I anticipated and I haven't been able to read/post as much as I would like.  This post is going to be rather lengthy as a result and I'm sorry about that because I try to avoid wall'o'texts whenever possible but there were a lot of great points made and I don't want to leave anything out.

 

I'll address the point about some of our members posting here first since that seems the most recent/pressing issue.  As I was busy for much of the day yesterday and this thread was/is still taking its course, I had encouraged any member who wanted to speak up on behalf of the linkshell to discretely do so.  As we are a community I thought it might be a good thing to let some of the other members have their say as well.  That and I was busy and didn't want to leave any points left unaddressed for too long.  While I personally don't view any of their posts as being particularly defensive, I do see where some points that have already been made were reiterated and I apologize for this misunderstanding.  I've since requested that no further posts be made on this thread by our members and will take it upon myself to funnel their thoughts here if any of them feel compelled to share anything.  Going forward it should just be me addressing these concerns, but I may not be able to reply as promptly as I would like, so please take that into consideration.

 

 

 

@Averis:  I've heard the phrase "RP Elite" - or variants of such - tossed around a bit, usually with a negative connotation.  I've never really minded the implication that some of us take our RP interactions and experiences more seriously than others.  It was explained to me in a Skype channel once as being less about being immersive in RP and more about being condescending or having certain expectations placed upon others.  I admit we strive for realistic and believable experiences and interactions, and have certain rules in place about expectations for godmode/meta/etc. for our own members.  I don't think any of us really have any sort of expectations of folks outside of our group who may RP different styles or exhibit more deviation from the game's lore.  Instead we try to find common ground to make interactions work between our characters, even when our methods may differ somewhat.  I hope this makes sense.

 

@Zeah:  I can appreciate that the LS would not fit with your character, or many others.  While we were hoping to create a company with a theme that would sort of cast a wide net regarding character types, it quickly became clear to us that not all would fit well with this theme.  It felt important to find and fill a niche like this and it's not as all-encompassing as it was in FFXI, and we understand not everyone will be drawn to it, and may even stand to lose a few members (but hopefully not friends!) that we had in 1.0 as a result.  Since FFXI was mentioned, I just wanted to be clear that the LS is entirely different in structure and purpose from what it was in FFXI.  I asked around and figured out who your FFXI character was.  Knowing that now, I can appreciate how you might feel some disenchantment with regard to your experience with us for the couple of months you were with us in XI, particularly given what happened with one of the officers at that time.  Even though this is XIV and even though you probably will likely not be joining us, I would like to apologize for any bad feelings from back then.  If you would like to talk more about the XI stuff, I invite you to send me a PM.  All I can really say is that things are much different now and I hope we may still get a chance to RP at some point.

 

@Rhynka & Spiritual Machine:  I hope the opening paragraph of this post addresses those concerns brought up on the last page.  I don't think it wasn't really anyone's intent to leave anyone feeling they couldn't speak their mind freely here but I can understand that perception when a number of our members start posting and certain points that were already made have been reiterated.  This was my fault as I encouraged it with our membership and I'm sorry for any confusion that may have resulted.

 

@L'yhta:  I agree with the point you made of ignoring rumors.  I generally base my own opinions of things on facts and observation. Someone recently related to me a paraphrased conversation that went something like:

Person1: "What do you think about Crystalline?"

Person2: "I've heard bad/negative things about that LS."

Person1: "What sort of things or why?"

Prior to this thread I don't know that there was really any sort of concrete answer to that, at least none that I've heard or been able to figure out.  I have no such dillusions that everyone would like the LS, myself, or its members.  People are always going to favor different things based on their own preferences and experiences, and I totally understand that Crystalline is not going to appeal to everyone.  What I was hoping to discern by creating this thread was not so much what the rumors are.  Admittedly I'm curious, particularly since a couple of posts now have indicated that they've heard things but haven't been much more specific than that.  But the rumors themselves aren't the major concern here.  The reasons for them and the reasons our LS may be seen in a more unfavorable light is my concern.  So far the responses have been illuminating for us and we're using this information to try and make some adjustments so that we can integrate better with other linkshells and the RP community.

 

@Femgame:  I can't think of a way to respond to your remark without it being regarded as somewhat defensive.  So I'm sorry if it gives that vibe, but I don't want to sound like I'm disagreeing with your point.  I generally tend to think we're pretty open to RPing with all RPers and not just our own members - and yes even little lalafell folk too!  I'm not sure which member you may have bumped into or what happened there, so I can only speculate, but is it possible that he or she didn't realize you were a RPer or trying to engage in RP?  I think it's fine if your character isn't a proactive sort, but if you would like to RP with us - or really with anyone - please feel free to send an OOC /tell to communicate that.  If you did this and I'm off base here than I apologize, and I'm sorry if it left you with a negative view of us.  We really don't want to be looked at as big, imposing, or frightening.  We just want to have fun with everyone!

 

@Asyria:  I agree that keeping a group to a certain size and RPing within can be perceived as insular or restrictive, and I can understand where some people might see that as a negative thing.  For ourselves what we're going for is that sort of closeness but we also want to have open channels with the rest of the RP world.  But you are correct that people do segment into these linkshell groups because they may favor a particular style or a particular sort of guild to another, and preserving that sort of uniqueness that makes us who we are is also important to us.  Thank you for your first response.  Regarding the second one just above this post, I'm inclined to agree that our members all do have varying opinions and not all of us are in agreement on every point.  That said, I understand the point made by others where it may be regarded as a bit confusing with multiple members of our group coming here and in some cases reiterating certain points that have already been made.  I've offered to be a sort of mouthpiece for them as well and will be bringing any concerns they have to the table on their behalf as well.  I hope that this is a suitable compromise.

 

@Ellion:  Thank you for welcoming me to your forums as well.  I look forward to future cooperation both IC and OOC between our two guilds, and the other RP guilds as well.

 

@C'io:  Thank you for your feedback.  As a result of your post and others we've decided that I'll communicate on behalf of the LS solely as to avoid any further confusion.  Also Aysun asked me to help clear up one point from your last paragraph.  Crystalline as a LS was actually an IC linkshell to begin with.  Prior to ARR (and presently) it was sort of a subnetwork.  In 1.0 I belonged to a number of guilds over a period of time and either left some for one reason or another or in most cases they disbanded and this started out just as an IC way to keep in touch with friends who wound up joining a bunch of different guilds.  Its purpose back then was to be a secondary linkpearl and it didn't see much use, but it was conducted in-character and at the end of 1.0 when Everwatch disbanded most of us kind of migrated over to that for the final weeks of 1.0 since the world was ending and all.  So I guess in 1.0 you could say Crystalline was "Eva's Friend Network", and in ARR we're looking to sort of morph that into an actual company as you noted in your post.  I hope this helps explain our history a little bit better.

 

@Azelle:  I agree with everything your post says!  We are hoping to maintain a certain atmosphere in the LS and want to make sure applicants/members are a good fit.  This will mean that we may have to unfortunately reject some applicants, but in doing so we're hoping to be delicate about it and are also hoping to be able to make recommendations for other community LS's that might be an even better fit for them.  But you are right in that level of experience is not a requirement.  We have a few RPers in our group now that came to us brand new and are valuable members of our community.  We're also hoping that the change of our recruitment status from Closed to Invitation may help us be seen as a bit more open to the possibility of trickling in some new members as time goes on.  Moreover, I agree with your point about preferring to get to know the LS members before release and we have an avenue for this on our forums right now for anyone who is interested and registers, they need only communicate to us that they wish to be considered for membership and we can tag them on the forums which then opens up most of our threads so we can establish a dialogue - get to know the recruit and allow them to get to know us and make sure it's a good fit.  I know this has been very poorly communicated in our LS posts and we're going to be making some changes to the phrasing of those in order to spell that out more clearly.  Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us!

 

 

Again, I'm sorry this became a massive wall'o'text but I have been somewhat busy this week and I'm trying to address all the posts made at least once a day.

 

EDIT: Reworded one sentence at the request of one of the participants of this discussion.

[C'io Behkt]

People in any given LS can have different opinions and point of views. I think only one person from the LS posting for all of them is unrealistic and restrictive.

 

That's a fair point. That said, my argument comes more from the side of thread purpose than intimidation. Personally, I don't mind seeing everyone chiming in because I like discussion; however, it eventually becomes difficult to tell which is the Crystalline response and which is a personal response and then even harder to know what the balance of Crystalline to non-Crystalline responses should be before people start feeling uneasy about responding, which would defeat the point of the thread. Since the thread's purpose is to receive outside community feedback, the restriction isn't about silencing the voices of Crystalline members, but rather about receiving more of what the thread intends to collect: non-member opinions. I hope that makes sense, . I want this thread to do well because I think any organization willing to put itself out there for the sake of progress, community, and understanding deserves that chance.

 

@C'io: Thank you for your feedback. As a result of your post and others we've decided that I'll communicate on behalf of the LS solely as to avoid any further confusion. Also Aysun asked me to help clear up one point from your last paragraph. Crystalline as a LS was actually an IC linkshell to begin with. Prior to ARR (and presently) it was sort of a subnetwork. In 1.0 I belonged to a number of guilds over a period of time and either left some for one reason or another or in most cases they disbanded and this started out just as an IC way to keep in touch with friends who wound up joining a bunch of different guilds. Its purpose back then was to be a secondary linkpearl and it didn't see much use, but it was conducted in-character and at the end of 1.0 when Everwatch disbanded most of us kind of migrated over to that for the final weeks of 1.0 since the world was ending and all. So I guess in 1.0 you could say Crystalline was "Eva's Friend Network", and in ARR we're looking to sort of morph that into an actual company as you noted in your post. I hope this helps explain our history a little bit better.

 

Oh, oops! I'm sorry for that misunderstanding. When it was explained to me that Crystalline began on FFXI, I assumed that "group of friends" was meant in the OOC sense, but I see that it was meant in the IC sense instead, hehe. I got it now!