route_29 | BRING US YOUR FEEDBACK!

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BRING US YOUR FEEDBACK!

FEEDBACK POST: YEAR THREE EDITION

Hey, Routers! Things have been pretty eventful for the game over the past few months, and we've seen a fair number of changes along the way — the introduction of EV News, the extra-detailed badge acceptances, the experiment with making the Gym Leaders more interactive for the playerbase, and a handful of big plots, including our recent Glitch Plot, Fourth Wall, and of course, the game's big three-year anniversary! But with all of that excitement finally reaching something of a lull for the moment, we on the modteam would really like to check in with you, the players, and get your feedback on how the game experience has been for you so far, and what you'd like to see out of us in the future.

Beneath the cut, we've got a fairly detailed survey we'd like to ask you to fill out, to let us know how we've been doing on a handful of topics, and to get your input on what new things we might attempt, modify, or outright change in the future! When filling it out, please feel free to be as specific or general as you like; we'd prefer specifics, as those tend to be more helpful to us as a team, but please don't feel bound to strictly answer every question if a more general answer will do. Likewise, if there's something you'd like to tell us that isn't covered with the survey, please feel free! This post is here for your thoughts and feedback on Route, and to open up channels of communication with us to answer questions and discuss what might be in store for the game from here on out.

Once you've filled out the survey, please also feel free to make subsequent comments to this post with other topics you might like to discuss with us or with your fellow members of the playerbase! However, please keep in mind that this is NOT an HMD post, nor will we be tolerating any bickering in the comments. It's fine to disagree, but please keep any disagreements civil and discussion-focused; we reserve the right to step in and halt discussion if we feel the conversation is no longer productive, or dissolving into an argument as opposed to a healthy debate.

Also, please keep in mind that while we value your opinions and want to take them into consideration as we move the game forward, we must also as moderators exercise our own personal judgment in determining what will be best for the game. Some suggestions, however popular among the playerbase, simply may not be feasible from a moderator standpoint — and if we do feel that way, we'll try to explain why, but ultimately this discussion comes with the caveat that not everyone is going to get what they want. So please be patient and understanding with us as we try to do our best for the game and for you!

Note: ANONYMOUS COMMENTING IS ENABLED! (For real this time!) We want to encourage honesty here, so please feel free to go anon if it makes you more comfortable. Just please don't abuse the privilege!

FILL OUT THIS FORM FOR US, PLEASE

A BRIEF GUIDE TO WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

PLOTS:
• How many plots have you been in Route for (approximately)? None? One? Several?
• How have you generally felt about our plots so far?
• Of the two listed, which type of plot do you tend to prefer?

-- An objective-based plot, where participants are given a specific action to react to and/or a goal to achieve, possibly with the outcome of the plot dependent on the players' actions
-- An effect/condition plot, where participants are given a setting change, scenario, or other character condition and generally left to their own devices with what to do about it

For previous Route examples, our Spring Cleaning plot from last year was an "objective-based" plot, while this year's Prom and Glitch events were "effect/condition" ones.

• What would your ideal plot do? For example, "bring all the characters together in one place" the way that Prom did; "give my character Pokemon powers" the way that Outbreak did; "let me move my character freely around the map" the way that the Glitch plot did, etc.

GENERAL UPKEEP:
• Do our infopages generally do their job of providing you with all the information you need on a daily basis? Is anything confusing? Is anything missing?
• Is there anything you think we're in need of updating?
• Is there anything you think we need to change?

MODS:
• How have your experiences been with us as mods? Are you generally happy with us as a modteam? What do we do well? What can we improve upon?
• Please also feel free to address feedback to any of us individually!

FUTURE:
• If you could change any one aspect of Route, what would it be and why?
• Is there anything within the setting of the game itself you would like to see implemented, changed or removed? (I.E. open up a new region, GIVE US THE ELITE FOUR ALREADY, etc.)
• Is there any plot in particular you would like to see us do in the future? Be as general or specific as you like!

ANYTHING ELSE:
• Please use this section to let us know anything else you feel is important!

We'll be doing our best to keep up with the discussion as it unfolds, but if you have a question or the need to get hold of us (or one of us specifically), feel free to use the PING-A-MOD thread included in the comments to flag us down!

Thanks again for all your input and cooperation, Route, and we're really looking forward to hearing from you!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

PLOTS:
Having been here since the beginning, I've been around for all the plots, even if I haven't done much for every single one. And I have to say, while Spring Cleaning was an interesting experiment, it was harder for characters who were in, say, Azalea to help out. Effect/condition is more suited to such a wide open land where not everyone is in one place, because even if most clump up in the big cities, a bunch of them are outliers. Things that effect the whole land are the ones I like best, things that everyone can just take and run with without having to worry about where they are.

GENERAL UPKEEP:
Like a few people have said already, the badge page could be updated more frequently. In general, correspondence can be a little slow at times, like how it took nearly a month to hear back from you guys about the possibility of Ryner and Sion finding a silver wing. I know it's a big job and you guys have busy lives. I totally get it. But hearing back a little sooner would be nice, you know?

MODS:
Personally, outside of the slowness I've mentioned above, I've never had a negative experience with you guys. :)

FUTURE:
Could we do another soul-exploration thing someday, like with the Shedinjas? I know you don't like repeating things, but it's been quite some time, and I have a lot of ideas... (Also in general I'm still curious about the hanging plot threads that are still dangling from that one, but that's just me.)

Aside from that, I like the idea other people have about opportunities for fossils. Seriously, there are no Omanyte or Lileep in Route. At all. I looked a few months back. It's kind of sad, really...

Generally, more ability to info gather would be greatly appreciated. While it makes sense that there wouldn't be much information available on further regions, when I have a character who is digging his butt off into research as he only does when he's actually fascinated by something and he's looking everywhere and coming up with nothing or only the same thing over and over... that's really frustrating, you know? Both ICly and OOCly, because I can't let his knowledge grow.

(...Oh, and an idea to run with: Manaphy's Heart Swap.)

ANYTHING ELSE:
...Okay I know that the Rocket Comm hasn't been used in a year, but I might as well state my case right now: as someone who doesn't play a Rocket and doesn't play the type of characters who ever would be good for Team Rocket, I don't really like the idea of plotting going on that's Team Rocket only? I mean, if it's setup stuff that's unscreened when the plot goes public, that's one thing maybe, but if it doesn't go public, it feels like I need to play a Rocket in order to get everything out of the game, and I don't like that. Maybe it's just me? And maybe I don't understand the point of the comm, I'm not sure. But Route 29 is not Sabra La Tau. I don't really see any necessity to keep large-scale plotting secret from half the game, at least not forever.

Aside from that, though, Route has been my RP home game for a good three years now, and I'm still having a blast here. Thanks for everything so far, and I'm looking forward to what moves forward from here!

Hello! I have taken a look at the badges and, for the most part, the usual wait is about 5-12 days. Now, that is a bit excessive but may/april was an extraordinarily busy month for me because I was graduating. I apologize for the delay and I'm definitely planning on being more timely in the future (or perhaps, doing them all on certain days: Monday, Friday, etc.)

However, like the post says, you are definitely welcome to poke me if it's been more than a week. My contact info is listed on the community, and I will not be offended being poked because I'm a slowpoke. It's certainly not my intention to forget about the badges but sometimes I just space out or burn myself out doing tags/etc. I'm also trying to find a way to make it more dynamic and giving gym leaders their own quirks - like how Falkner loves flying pokémon and will offer to train them, which is great! But Misty/Blaine/etc. have none and that's kinda sad.

Also, I apologize this is C+P'd but I feel like everyone deserves a response that brings up badges so it doesn't feel like it's being ignored, haha. I am in gratitude for your honesty and I will definitely do better to make sure your complaints haven't been ignored.

As for the Rocket Only Community, the plots and the setups are intended to be used for ways to plot and kick off events/cause havoc during the events. Not being a rocket will not exclude you from any plot (as, massive team rocket operations that call on most individuals in team rocket invariably affect the game itself - see the operation to kidnap the sacred beasts/lugia), and unscreening after the plot has been initiated is something that could be implemented. General overviews of plots/specific details for others to react to will still be posted! It's just specifics/things that only team rocket will try to do (like trying to easily organize a plot to kidnap Lugia)

I understand that. It's mostly that I like knowing what's going on in the game even if it's not plotting that I'm involved in. Using another game I'm currently in - Decollage - as an example, that is a heavily plot-based game where the characters are affecting the setting on a near-daily basis. There was a recent plot where a thread involving one team was conducted in private before the plot happened, but then afterward it was unlocked for all to see. That was a thing that needed to be kept secret for the sake of dramatic tension. But Route is a much more laid-back environment, so I don't really see any need to keep major plotting secret from those of us who have little interest in having a character in Team Rocket. It's not like the entire mission is going to be swayed just because people off the team OOCly know that this is going down, after all (or if it does, there are bigger problems).

Again, though, I could just be making a big deal over nothing ^^;

Well, sometimes the plots here are a little dramatic (shedinja, etc.). It's really no different from how we plot, except on a more massive scale to give the rockets something exclusive to do. It will most likely be opened after the event is done, but sometimes it's a little more fun to toss a curve ball at you guys because that tends to generate interest as things are changing immediately. This is just ensuring that Team Rocket, as a whole, is coordinating and planning/laying out their events, like the secret villainous team they are. You will still be given briefings on each event as it happens, so there's no exclusion. Of course, if rockets are plotting for one side, you guys will be able plot on the other side.

It's also treated as an IC network for administrators to post secret messages to Team Rocket/etc. It's just a way of coordinating/communicating amongst rockets to give them more to do and generate activity. It's nothing something exclusive or meant to be used often. It's just used to make sure rockets are tight together and well coordinated when the event hits as a secret villainous team and give non-rockets a little exciting jolt to their game play.

Makes sense.

One last question, then. The IC network you mention. Is that screened to Rockets only?

Yes, but those posts are only from administrators and it's, again, rarely used. As several people, even in rockets, have commented, the executives rarely make an appearance.

...See, my problem with that is that there is IC stuff happening that I can't see. Rarely used or not. If it gets unscreened eventually, that's fine. But I think we're all mature enough to know that if a character isn't in Team Rocket they won't get that message, and OOCly I'd personally like to not feel like there's IC stuff I'm missing out on reading. Even if it's something small.

Sorry, a clarification here — as of this moment, the Rocket community has never been used for IC gameplay or threading, so as of right now, the only plotting that has ever taken place there has been in an OOC capacity. One of the things we're hoping to do in the future is to look at the Rocket community and see how we can utilize it to create an engaging playing experience for our Rockets, but as of right now, you haven't missed anything ICly.

That said, while we'll absolutely take your concerns into consideration, we also have to keep in mind that the Rockets deserve to have some perks to playing a character of that class, and strike the best balance we can between those two interests. But we appreciate the input, and as we approach the question of the Rocket comm in the future, we'll definitely try to come up with something that works for as big a percentage of our playerbase as possible.

All right, that makes me feel better about it. Thanks.

I totally agree. The Rockets deserve to have some reason to play a Rocket. The other classes get perks, they should get some too. And it's way better than it was at the start. There have just been times when I've wondered if maybe you took it a little too far in the other direction, but as long as you're looking out to try and keep the balance right, that's all I ask for. :)

Of course! We'd never try to slant it to a point where it'd be one party holding an advantage over another.

My apologies for my conduct in this thread. I was not very clear or well communicative of these things and I will do better (and hopefully work with you) for outside input on our rocket community. If you ever do feel it's too exclusive, please do let one of us know and we will definitely take it into account and try to find a way to return to a balance that's desirable by the community.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

BRING US YOUR FEEDBACK!

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Re: Also re: Rockets

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