I want to start off by saying that I have greatly enjoyed my time at Tabula Rasa, and I too would like to see it continue into the future. The players I have met and interacted with here have been fantastic, infusing the game with their creativity and with a unique cast of characters. I will also say that the mods have put a lot of work into constructing this malleable environment, crafting the various information pages, and supplying the regular updates and various events.
With that being said, I'm just going to go through the issues I've either seen or experienced in my time here in hopes that it might be of some help moving forward. ___
First and foremost: I don't think a lengthy hiatus would be good for momentum. I'm fairly confident I could remember where I left off cr wise but I'm not sure who would stick around awaiting a reopening, or would just take it as a chance to move on to other games. I was also hoping we would make it to the 1st year anniversary as expressed by others before me.
Communication: This is definitely something that I feel could use improvement. Personally, I know I don't utilize the Mod contact/Faq page enough, or even something like the organic imprints. Plurk just feels easier to interact with since it's not only in real time but I'm able to converse back and forth with other players and hear their opinions on various elements. Mostly it's just is about things we would like to see, or thoughts on current events. I do get why that would be less convenient for the mods however and I never expected them to follow everything on that platform. I'm never really sure what is enough to either suggest for organic imprints or to submit for the mods to look over and weigh in on. I'm not sure why but I guess I feel discouraged to use the provided avenues because it's all very impersonal. I don't know who I'm talking to and how casual to be, or not be. I respect that the mods want to be anonymous, however it's more of a challenge for me to initiate communication under those circumstances if that makes sense? I don't want to waste anyone's time, or make it feel like I'm just spamming the page with inane content. It's different when you know you have a connection to someone and when you're unsure. Plus I do think there is benefit in being able to openly discuss any issues among the whole of the playerbase, so we can compare notes and be on the same page.
Plot: I was never someone that specifically required a meta-plot. I was also just going with the flow to see what cropped up and how things transpired- however some characters do need something a little extra to motivate them other than "How can I get out of this place and go home". Honestly, I am playing a character that has strong inclinations and reasons why he wouldn't want to linger here (since he needs to be caretaker of his younger brother, best his rival, and run his business) however some of the cr he's built here has made it more difficult for him to straight up want to pull up stakes and completely leave the void behind him. Not every muse found something to ground them here, those characters would need something to better anchor them.
I also will admit that there have been times when I felt like there was little I could do to contribute to the adaptations of the world, but again- part of that was because my aversion to posting things to the organic imprint page. Also for guarding my points like a miser- since I was a lone canon warrior at the time I had this like self-imposed pressure to be careful with what I asked for or I could miss other opportunities later (I also had an obsession with points gathering). I overthought a lot of things like "ok I would want this" but "what would everyone else want?". I shouldn't have let it consume me but I did. That's on me, but I think it does highlight an issue. I'm not sure how to go about it, but the way the system is designed can look discouraging to smaller casts. Although I can accept that maybe that was just me?. See, this is one of the concerns I've had but I'm not sure if it's actually a non-issue. Maybe no one else perceived things in this manner or felt like they were unable to keep up with some representation from their character's previous experiences. I've since found my chill, but it took me til January to get there.
I do think letting us know what might be in the works will have a positive benefit. You can keep some mystery about it, but dropping some hints can assist in psyching people up for what they think might be coming. Admittedly, I didn't know we could come to the mods with plot ideas.
Something else I think the game could benefit from is maybe having some events that encourage players to go to a certain location. I know a lot of the time the 'event' is the implementation of the imprints however there's not always a reason for the characters to look into these new additions. My character tries to stay on top of investigating changes because he's a wouldbe control freak he likes to remain informed but there could be some untapped potential better utilizing resources we do have. These could also involve temporary conditions not all of them have to be serious, some could be more humorous. A healthy mix would keep it interesting.
This next issue I have might also be a me thing. I don't know: I recall in at least one or two updates where only specific groups were really affected, and I struggled to find something to work with in those periods. The species system is an interesting one, but for plain, average, humans- it can be rough sometimes when that's all there is in an update and you can't directly use it for anything.
Also, I would like to see events where players need to work together more, preferably with people outside their usual circles. It's been a long time since a randomizer has been employed. Sure, I'm not saying to use that gimmick for every event, but I would like to encourage some muses out of their comfort zone since some stubborn persons might stick to their usual circles when they can swing it. _______
I know I'm probably forgetting something, and I probably should have heavily edited what I did get written out but, here it is. Plus, I know I have some things to improve on myself. Communication needs to be a two-way street after all is said and done.
I just want to restate, I love the game and the people in it and I wish only for it's success!
no subject
With that being said, I'm just going to go through the issues I've either seen or experienced in my time here in hopes that it might be of some help moving forward.
___
First and foremost: I don't think a lengthy hiatus would be good for momentum. I'm fairly confident I could remember where I left off cr wise but I'm not sure who would stick around awaiting a reopening, or would just take it as a chance to move on to other games. I was also hoping we would make it to the 1st year anniversary as expressed by others before me.
Communication: This is definitely something that I feel could use improvement. Personally, I know I don't utilize the Mod contact/Faq page enough, or even something like the organic imprints. Plurk just feels easier to interact with since it's not only in real time but I'm able to converse back and forth with other players and hear their opinions on various elements. Mostly it's just is about things we would like to see, or thoughts on current events. I do get why that would be less convenient for the mods however and I never expected them to follow everything on that platform. I'm never really sure what is enough to either suggest for organic imprints or to submit for the mods to look over and weigh in on. I'm not sure why but I guess I feel discouraged to use the provided avenues because it's all very impersonal. I don't know who I'm talking to and how casual to be, or not be. I respect that the mods want to be anonymous, however it's more of a challenge for me to initiate communication under those circumstances if that makes sense? I don't want to waste anyone's time, or make it feel like I'm just spamming the page with inane content. It's different when you know you have a connection to someone and when you're unsure. Plus I do think there is benefit in being able to openly discuss any issues among the whole of the playerbase, so we can compare notes and be on the same page.
Plot: I was never someone that specifically required a meta-plot. I was also just going with the flow to see what cropped up and how things transpired- however some characters do need something a little extra to motivate them other than "How can I get out of this place and go home". Honestly, I am playing a character that has strong inclinations and reasons why he wouldn't want to linger here (since he needs to be caretaker of his younger brother, best his rival, and run his business) however some of the cr he's built here has made it more difficult for him to straight up want to pull up stakes and completely leave the void behind him. Not every muse found something to ground them here, those characters would need something to better anchor them.
I also will admit that there have been times when I felt like there was little I could do to contribute to the adaptations of the world, but again- part of that was because my aversion to posting things to the organic imprint page.
Also for guarding my points like a miser- since I was a lone canon warrior at the time I had this like self-imposed pressure to be careful with what I asked for or I could miss other opportunities later (I also had an obsession with points gathering). I overthought a lot of things like "ok I would want this" but "what would everyone else want?". I shouldn't have let it consume me but I did. That's on me, but I think it does highlight an issue. I'm not sure how to go about it, but the way the system is designed can look discouraging to smaller casts.Although I can accept that maybe that was just me?. See, this is one of the concerns I've had but I'm not sure if it's actually a non-issue. Maybe no one else perceived things in this manner or felt like they were unable to keep up with some representation from their character's previous experiences.I've since found my chill, but it took me til January to get there.I do think letting us know what might be in the works will have a positive benefit. You can keep some mystery about it, but dropping some hints can assist in psyching people up for what they think might be coming. Admittedly, I didn't know we could come to the mods with plot ideas.
Something else I think the game could benefit from is maybe having some events that encourage players to go to a certain location. I know a lot of the time the 'event' is the implementation of the imprints however there's not always a reason for the characters to look into these new additions. My character tries to stay on top of investigating changes because
he's a wouldbe control freakhe likes to remain informed but there could be some untapped potential better utilizing resources we do have. These could also involve temporary conditions not all of them have to be serious, some could be more humorous. A healthy mix would keep it interesting.This next issue I have might also be a me thing. I don't know: I recall in at least one or two updates where only specific groups were really affected, and I struggled to find something to work with in those periods. The species system is an interesting one, but for plain, average, humans- it can be rough sometimes when that's all there is in an update and you can't directly use it for anything.
Also, I would like to see events where players need to work together more, preferably with people outside their usual circles. It's been a long time since a randomizer has been employed. Sure, I'm not saying to use that gimmick for every event, but I would like to encourage some muses out of their comfort zone since some stubborn persons might stick to their usual circles when they can swing it.
_______
I know I'm probably forgetting something, and I probably should have heavily edited what I did get written out but, here it is. Plus, I know I have some things to improve on myself. Communication needs to be a two-way street after all is said and done.
I just want to restate, I love the game and the people in it and I wish only for it's success!