To previous members of Chubbs and AD

[Omni]

I've seen a few instances of stuff like this now:

Guess I can highjack this thread as well. I wasn't paying attention and thought we had to post for the Weekly gains, after the Sunday of that week. (IE: After the 15th, post for the week previous) But I was wrong. I hadn't read it fully=/

I guess I fooled myself into thinking Attack was Strength and Technique was going to be the focus of ranged abilities.

It's obvious this stuff is coming from assuming things work the same as Chubbs, or Another Destiny, because there's no indication anywhere of these things being the case.

I wanna say right now, please don't do this. I've made a real effort to try and get people to read the rules and understand that Omniverse is a brand new site, but some folks are determined to skip the rules and assume things based on what other sites did. While I won't say that everything is different from AD, most things are completely different, if not at least somewhat different. Even things which are seemingly the same on the surface (like Powers) have subtle changes (ie Super Jumping now encompasses wall-jumping, whereas it used to come under Master Acrobat.). Due to this, it seems members of these old sites are getting more confused than new members, simply because of not reading stuff.

Buck up and read the rules. It doesn't take that long. It'll save you pain in the long run. More importantly, it'll save ME a pain in the ass.

GREG OUT

p.s. I know this hasn't been a problem for most folks. To the vast majority of people, thank you for reading

[PepsiWhirda]

Since I've never done any of this before (Chubbz, AD, this sort of roleplaying in general), I have a related question.

Why is it so important for everything to be so rigid and numerical? To the point of deducting OM and having a pretty oblique point system and all that, I mean. And especially tying OM gains into word count, when it's pretty generally accepted that brevity and concision are better indicators of good writing.

Maybe it's the writer in me that finds an issue with it. Any time I've done collaborative writing, like in college, with writer friends, or when I did a lot of freelance web developing and advertising, the focus has been on the writing being high quality and entertaining, rather than adhesion to a bunch of rules (many/most of which seem unnecessary anywhere but in a prime v. prime fight). I can see how this sort of roleplaying is only peripheral to that stuff. I like this site so much because it put a setting into play and let me create and explore a character with other writers, not because of the complicated OM spending and having to memorize dozens of rules threads (I took that in stride and always would, cause it's your show, obviously :pink: ).

I think maybe it's because it's like playing an RPG, like WoW or D&D, but giving you more creative freedom. Does anyone else feel that way?

[Sarah_Kerrigan]

I used to feel that way...but then I actually wanted progression as opposed to such openness. While freedom to write and explore and do virtually anything is great. Without structure, some rules and balance of power, it gets out of hand really quick; sometimes to the point where all purpose is lost and pretty much no character interaction is going on.

[PepsiWhirda]

I wonder if you could tie progression into the actual written stuff rather than the number of words, though. Like, what if the mods kept up with reading all the active threads (pretty easy on a site this small), and awarded points based on what actually happens in the story. Using Isolation as an example, if Nyx and I have a bunch of small posts in which we kill a bunch of goblins, we would level up based on time lapsed in game or how many enemies we killed, instead of being pressured to write big posts or fall behind in progression.

This would apply tangentially to knowledge gained, distance traveled, stuff like that. Maybe not for Omniverse, just curious on your thoughts in general.

[Omni]

Since I've never done any of this before (Chubbz, AD, this sort of roleplaying in general), I have a related question.

Why is it so important for everything to be so rigid and numerical? To the point of deducting OM and having a pretty oblique point system and all that, I mean. And especially tying OM gains into word count, when it's pretty generally accepted that brevity and concision are better indicators of good writing.

Maybe it's the writer in me that finds an issue with it. Any time I've done collaborative writing, like in college, with writer friends, or when I did a lot of freelance web developing and advertising, the focus has been on the writing being high quality and entertaining, rather than adhesion to a bunch of rules (many/most of which seem unnecessary anywhere but in a prime v. prime fight). I can see how this sort of roleplaying is only peripheral to that stuff. I like this site so much because it put a setting into play and let me create and explore a character with other writers, not because of the complicated OM spending and having to memorize dozens of rules threads (I took that in stride and always would, cause it's your show, obviously :pink: ).

I think maybe it's because it's like playing an RPG, like WoW or D&D, but giving you more creative freedom. Does anyone else feel that way?

I get your point about brevity being a good thing. But at the end of the day it's basically about simplicity. I've successfully implemented systems where people get judged on writing 'quality' and then given rewards. The problem with that is that it requires someone to 'judge' every piece of writing. Obviously a major problem is that opinions differ. I still want to reward people for really trying, hence why I put in bonuses for Exceptional Writing. Obviously, judging also comes into play in competitive situations.

Honestly, there's lots of sites out there which are totally freeform, and you basically just do whatever. And that's fine. I made this site because I wanted an alternative. Because I love RPGs, I love earning stuff for my character, I love the competitive element. I made it to fill what I saw as a gap, a niche, not necessarily to appeal to everyone who doesn't like the RPG stuff.

[Sarah_Kerrigan]

Theoretically, that sounds awesome. Realistically, not enough mods and the constant workload would be overbearing for something like that.

Although, I don't really feel 'pressured' to write big posts. My character for example, cannot even fight at the moment.

I would also agree with Omni. I joined this because I like writing AND I like roleplaying games as well. But again, I do not feel pressured in the least by the system that is really only there for an easy way to track progress and have some sense that we have accomplished something, or, affected the world in some way. Which, i believe, is what Omni is striving for anyways.

[PepsiWhirda]

Yeah, that makes sense. I haven't seen any other RP sites (found you guys on Reddit by chance), so that's probably what it is. I like this system too, feels a lot like a video game except I get to tell the story, which has always been my goal. The only thing that bums me out is how limiting the point system is by cost.

Like, if you've read Isolation up to today's post, I killed a goblin mage and it dropped a wand. To use that wand with any efficacy, despite the fact that it's an artifact and it was dropped right in front of me (and I speak the language, from my back story, in order to activate it), wouldn't I need to pay for ranged proficiency and design a move explaining what the wand does? It doesn't limit the writing actively, but passively it shackles a lot of stuff I feel.

[Omni]

I wonder if you could tie progression into the actual written stuff rather than the number of words, though. Like, what if the mods kept up with reading all the active threads (pretty easy on a site this small), and awarded points based on what actually happens in the story. Using Isolation as an example, if Nyx and I have a bunch of small posts in which we kill a bunch of goblins, we would level up based on time lapsed in game or how many enemies we killed, instead of being pressured to write big posts or fall behind in progression.

This would apply tangentially to knowledge gained, distance traveled, stuff like that. Maybe not for Omniverse, just curious on your thoughts in general.

A problem with that is that you'd have to define what's worth points. Not everyone likes killing/fighting. We'd have to define every possible thing a member could do, and it could easily be cheesed for OM. Not to mention it'd make the system even more complicated. Just giving people OM based on words typed keeps things fair, and simple. And then of course, we give extra rewards for going above and beyond, to encourage people to participate and make awesome stories.

[PepsiWhirda]

Theoretically, that sounds awesome. Realistically, not enough mods and the constant workload would be overbearing for something like that.

Although, I don't really feel 'pressured' to write big posts. My character for example, cannot even fight at the moment.

I would also agree with Omni. I joined this because I like writing AND I like roleplaying games as well. But again, I do not feel pressured in the least by the system that is really only there for an easy way to track progress and have some sense that we have accomplished something, or, affected the world in some way. Which, i believe, is what Omni is striving for anyways.

Yeah, I feel ya. It just seems to lack parity, because it's possible for a prime to end up thousands of OM ahead of a prime who's been here just as long, simply because they write longer or more frequent posts (which doesn't add up to more experience or time in the Omniverse). It would bother me to run into, say, a Ganondorf with 20,000 OM when I have 10,000, despite both of us starting in The Scramble.

[Sarah_Kerrigan]

Part of what your describing Whirda comes down to trust:

Trusting that people WILL roleplay their characters responsibly and adhere to their own storylines. Just because someone has earned power, does not mean that power will always be implemented in their posts. For any number of reasons someone might limit themselves, but, the most common one is because it simply would not make sense in their character's story, or, timeline wise.

Even if I had say 20,000 Om right this second, I would be at a loss to use it, because, it would literally make no sense character-wise to do so at the moment.

[PepsiWhirda]

Part of what your describing Whirda comes down to trust:

Trusting that people WILL roleplay their characters responsibly and adhere to their own storylines. Just because someone has earned power, does not mean that power will always be implemented in their posts. For any number of reasons someone might limit themselves, but, the most common one is because it simply would not make sense in their character's story, or, timeline wise.

Even if I had say 20,000 Om right this second, I would be at a loss to use it, because, it would literally make no sense character-wise to do so at the moment.

Sure, but earning OM in a "meta" way is fundamentally imbalanced. If I've been diametrically opposed to Ganondorf's philosophy and rise to power from post one, and I only run into him two months down the road based on how the story developed, he could have triple my OM for a (in character) completely abstract reason not actually rooted in the Omniverse. I definitely get that a 10k OM prime could "outwrite" a 20k OM prime and win a fight, but the odds would be stacked heavily in Ganondorf's favor in that case for a reason outside my control. Or rather, within my control, but I can't bring myself to write 600-800 word posts when I can express the same meaning in half that.

It's not really a complaint about how things are run here. I totes like the way things are going and my story is really cool. I just wonder if there could be a way added to earn OM in a more tangible in-game way, outside of just "going above and beyond," which doesn't give me a great idea of how I might go about achieving that. I might think my story is the bee's knees and want some extra OM for putting so much work into it, just to see no results, whereas I could have copped out and doubled my word counts with fluff and known for sure what I was getting.

Edit: Maybe I should just start harvesting corpses for OM. :lol: Doesn't make the most sense in character, though.

[Omni]

If I add other ways to get OM 'in-game', you can bet everyone else will be going after those rewards too (which, in some ways, I feel might harm the quality of writing by everyone trying to shoehorn these things in as opposed to just writing what they want to). At the end of the day, there's always gonna be someone with more OM than you. What I've done is try to limit that to not be the be-all end-all. Someone with double your OM isn't double your power, because of diminishing returns. And obviously writing always plays into fights. And winning/losing isn't everything, especially given that this is a writing site. I want people to lose, to come back, and then to get revenge, because that stuff makes for great reading.

In a perfect RPG, we'd have writing fairies watching everyone as they work, judging the amount of time everyone put into their posts, proofreading it and all the other things which aren't as obvious as wordcount, and then converting into OM. In the situation, all I can do is look at writing where someone obviously took time and effort on the story and crafting, and say "I know it ain't much ... but here's some OM for being awesome".

[PepsiWhirda]

Deal. I think I'm just a wonky idealist who assumes stuff will work out and people will put a good story before a lot of OM. :yay:

[Omni]

Well yeah, hopefully! I don't think anyone deliberately goes out and is like "I'm gonna write as much bullshit as possible for dat sweet OM", because at the end of the day we're a roleplaying community, and if you don't enjoy what you're doing then there's no point. I take a lot of time putting in little references to upcoming bits of story, and other little details which a lot of folks probably don't pick up on. I do it just because I can, and because I take pride in my writing. And I know I'm not the only one.

[Sarah_Kerrigan]

I would just like to add (maybe because my posts tend to be on the longer side based on your amounts), that I am not writing for the OM. That's just the way I write. I like flowery prose as opposed to the simple, and, I really like getting vested in my character to the point where I know what my character is thinking at any one time. In turn I try my best to convert those feelings I think she is having into my writing, and, express them so other people understand too.

So, uh, yeah~

Of course what Omni said as well, most people write the way they do because they enjoy it. That's not to say there won't be those whom exploit the word count system in the future and do not actually care, but, most of the time that is not the case xD.

[Raze]

Sooo... I am described in a few ways here... and mentioned in some others.

If you can say what you need to say in 300 words, then in 600 words, then you are pretty good and that's your style. So Take the time and write another 300 words to it in a second post.

No one likes HUGE post that drag out any ways. And an average 300 + post nets you 50+ OM. OM isn't hard to get. Personally.... I was in Chubbs from one of the oldest systems. I had either the most moves, or close to it. Why? Because I focused on more ideas of writing. Retane... I still believe had the most moves and alterations and I had unlimited combo's. So much writing potential.

And I have been known to not give a care. I could be up against Alex... Kaden... I would try my hardest. I wouldnt back down. I would try. ANd I never did bad. I lost alot. But I never did bad.

FOr the record Alex is known as the best writer =P

[Nanoha Takamachi]

I figure I might as well chip in RE: post length etc etc

I write here as a sort of 'test bed' or practice ground for my actual, more professionally oriented writing. So it's a bit rough and I try not to stress about editing it too much and the like. What that means, though, is that I am writing here much like I do in my books or novellas- so I am going to be aiming for more prose and a lot of detail. I've already had some people here comment that I have a high attention to detail (which makes me happy because that's typically my main stylistic element). It also means I avoid rewriting much, and that tends towards longer posts because I don't spend time working out the kinks and going for brevity.

But at the end of the day I'm writing what I am writing, and how I end up writing it, because I am trying my best to tell a story. The OM isn't even on my mind until I've hit the submit button and the forum tells me how much I got from the post. I've been pretty surprised a few times so far about how long a post ended up. It's just how it goes, really.

I pretty much assume everyone else here has a similar mindset. Write to tell the story, worry about the OM later when you're not actually writing.

[Magus]

I've been trying Nanoha's approach. The Omniverse is, to me, two things.

One, I stopped writing since the death of Chubbs. That's about 2 years. This was, for me, an opportunity to start writing again in a fun environment, and one I am incredibly thankful for.

Two, I'm trying very hard with a new style that I'm not incredibly familiar with, and it involves much more focus on characters and their motivations than 'splosions and ACTION! Although that stuff's interesting; it'll definitely be there, too.

I, ah, I've written literally millions of words over my writing career and never tried to get anything published. I've never actually been very confident in my writing. Part of this is to get the rust off and get to a level I'm happy with to start 'writing for real,' if that makes any sense.

Confidence is a huge issue for me with writing, and this competitive atmosphere pushes me a lot. I like that. The rules aren't particularly necessary to me personally but they do frame the RPG in a tangible way, and, let's be honest, they don't get in my way. So I don't care if they're there or not. I like the setting Greg's come up with and I intend to have a good time with it.

[Nanoha Takamachi]

Yeah I can be pretty damn critical of my own writing, which is why I avoid going over my stuff here too much. I just write it, proof it, maybe reword some bits and post it. That does result in some shitty typos though, yay.

But the other option is I edit it properly and then oh wait I've spent two weeks on this one post. Woops.

[Illidan Stormrage]

It would bother me to run into, say, a Ganondorf with 20,000 OM when I have 10,000, despite both of us starting in The Scramble.

Why should that bother you? At least from an IC perspective, someone being stronger than you is a good thing. I know that sounds weird, because this is also a game, but the only reason people read books and stories is because they want to see someone overcome something. If there's nothing in their way, there's no tension, there's no reason to improve, there's no drama, and there's no reward. That makes a story very bland.

The best writing comes from characters constantly under the pump, dealing with one bad turn after another. Because that's what makes them interesting and sympathetic; we all have troubles, and we all want to overcome them, and seeing how they do (or try to) is the excitement of reading.

However, if you're looking at this from a purely game perspective, then yes, but that could be said for WoW, for example. If you started playing today with someone else and they ended up further in level than you because they were playing more than you, you'd accept that they'll kick your arse in PvP. I don't see how that should be any different here.

I've always found this position unusual and it bothered me a shit tonne being staff on Chubbs. People wanted to have sagas (ie. story run competitions run by the staff) but they wouldn't often join (especially towards the end) because there were people who had been on the site longer and therefore stronger than them, so they had no chance of winning. Because a writing based site is all about winning, amirite?

So there'd be no saga (or a weakly populated one) and activity would go out the window.

I hope I go up against Ganondorf at some stage and he smashes the shit out of me. Because that would make fantastic writing fodder and a great opportunity for character development.

I apologise if this sounds snarky (because I can't tell), doubly because you're new to this sort of thing and you're entitled to that opinion, but coming from the position of someone who's been casually writing for the past ten years on similar sites, it bothers me.