A NEW RULE APPEARS

[these_balls]

Hey, Route!

Yes, more new stuff. Everything chaaanges, chaaaanges, it's evolutionary~

1) New apps rule!:
In the interest of clarity and app processing speed, we now ask that potential applicants post their application in comments rather than linking. If the app contains explicit references to 'hard' spoilers (think big reveals, like 'Dumbledore dies', I SEE DEAD PEOPLE, I am your father etc), players should put the application in their own journal or their character's journal and link it, making sure to mention the presence of spoilers within.

We've always gotten linked apps (goodness knows I'm guilty of linking an app or five that was spoiler-free!), but having them all on the page means the mods don't have to open a million tabs while processing, and spoiler links keep fellow players from stumbling onto things that might ruin a canon for them.

This is a rule; as of today (the 11th of October), if your app is linked but not marked for spoilers, it will not be processed that week. We trust all our players will read and abide by the rules list, which has not changed besides this.

2) Polling about the passwords:
RELAX, we're not changing anything concerning passwords...yet. But we're thinking it's about time this thing got an overhaul, don't you think?

Our proposed fix: What we'd like to do is remove the passwords altogether and replace them with something of a task system: on the rules and FAQ pages, tasks such as 'explain in one sentence how your character feels about strawberries in their personality section' or 'include a link to your favorite youtube video in the canon links section'.

The goal here is to make sure people have at least given a cursory visit to both pages. These tasks would change arbitrarily and be located arbitrarily within the FAQ and rules. Yes, these would be more work for you, and for us, but the current password system feels outdated and obvious.

Your turn: How do you feel, Route? Hate this idea? Love passwords? Have a better idea? Let us know!

[Poll #1785767]


If you have grievances, comments, suggestions or ideas concerning either the new app rule or the password system, you can: PM the mod account, PM any of us individually, catch us on AIM, or post (anonymously or not) to our (screened) Suggestions post.

Looking forward to hear from you!

Comments

[crimsondirge]

Honestly, I'm siding in with the "do away with the password system entirely" group. I don't like it, I've never liked it, and honestly, usually? If a game has a system like that, I don't join, because I hate having to go back to an FAQ and look for it when I've already read it, it feels weighted down and condescending. People that don't want to read the rules/FAQ are generally quickly obvious, and it's an easy system to cheat; people that DO obey the rules tend to be the ones that get in trouble, and I admit to pre-writing my apps on occasion and having to go back and doublecheck that the words haven't changed is a pain in the rear. So-- yeah, I do not like them. :(

As for applications, I support making them in one place and not linked, in part because then if there's ever a problematic player, their app is THERE and POSTED and you know they didn't go back and edit it to suit their needs or anything. Plus it's easier on prospective appers, I think, when they want to just look over apps to see what they should expect, if they can just hit expand instead of following links to different journals and occasionally eye-searing layouts.

Am I making sense? I just woke up.

[these_balls]

On passwords: like I outlined to Yosuke-mun above, Route is simply too big, with way too much information to take in, to expect all our new players will have read the FAQ without prompting. That's why we'd rather change the password system instead of doing away with it entirely; we're aware how flawed it is. I hope that clarifies our reasoning on the issue a bit better? Would something like a 'FAQ quiz', as others have suggested--quizzing applicants on parts of the FAQ, such that a veteran player would know and a new player would have to look up--be acceptable to you? Do you think veteran players should be exempt?

You're making plenty of sense, no worries.