The Indigo League (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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the_plateau2019-10-15 11:34 pm
indigo_league) wrote in the_plateau2019-10-15 11:34 pm
Entry tags:
Mod Announcement!
Hey there trainers! We hope you're all having fun with Ultra October so far!
Unrelated to the event, we've got a few announcements to share with you, so head under the cut!
MOD APPLICATIONS
For the first order of business, a bittersweet announcement: Head Mod Ieva will be stepping down as moderator and going back to being a regular player. Time restrictions and increasing IRL responsibilities have made this a necessary choice, although she will stay on through the current month’s event and the new mod application period/transition phase. Some words from Ieva herself:
While the rest of us are staying on for the foreseeable future, real life has been steadily amping up on our ends as well and this has made it difficult to keep up with everything that keeps the game running smoothly.
To help us get back up to speed, we will be opening up Moderator Applications with the aim to bring on people for four (4) positions: a new Head Mod, an Event Mod, and at least two additional List Mods. Each app will have a general section and sections tailored to these different positions.
Please fill out as many of the position-specific sections as you like, although we don't plan on assigning anyone more than one role. To see more details on what those positions will entail and to fill out an application, go HERE!
Applications will be open through November 7th, at which time we will take one week to go over them.
If you love Victory Road and want to take up the mantle of mod, we'd love to hear from you!
POTENTIAL POLICY CHANGES
With a game as mechanically-complex as Victory Road, it's not unusual for players to bring issues to our attention that hadn't originally occurred to anybody when the mechanics were originally implemented. While there are certainly plenty of possible changes down the road as the game continues being updated, here are a few items we'd like to get the playerbase's feedback on before deciding what, if any, changes should be made.
Activity Check
This is what we've heard the most about! Issues encountered by players include the rules being difficult to understand, and the requirements difficult to meet due to the relatively slow speed of the game. While we don't have any immediate plans to change the system, we're interested in hearing ideas re: making AC a simpler and less stressful experience all around.
While conversation certainly doesn't need to be limited to these, please feel free to discuss the following options:
Type: Null
Concerns have been brought to us about the current Type: Null requirements (namely the badge requirement) resulting in certain character types being locked out of obtaining a Null, even if they want one. These requirements were implemented when Nulls were originally introduced, primarily to address players' concerns about the Nulls' potential unbalancing effect on the game-- for this reason, we feel it's especially necessary to seek player feedback before making any changes to them.
REGARDLESS of whether or not the requirements are changed, we have no intention of allowing characters to obtain a Type: Null without significant, moderated effort.
Here are the two most likely options:
Reminder to anyone offering feedback on these topics that we have NOT made a decision to change these mechanics one way or another-- we just want to find out how you, the players, feel about how they're working and whether or not improvements could be made!
MISCELLANEOUS HOUSEKEEPING CHANGES
To wrap up this announcement, here are a couple of small changes/tune-ups from the last few months that we wanted to put in an announcement for anyone who doesn't stalk the FAQ page!
Unrelated to the event, we've got a few announcements to share with you, so head under the cut!
MOD APPLICATIONS
For the first order of business, a bittersweet announcement: Head Mod Ieva will be stepping down as moderator and going back to being a regular player. Time restrictions and increasing IRL responsibilities have made this a necessary choice, although she will stay on through the current month’s event and the new mod application period/transition phase. Some words from Ieva herself:
Hey everyone, this is Ieva! I just wanted to say that it’s been incredibly rewarding to moderate for this game over the past few years! I’ve always loved this game and wanted to do the best job I could to help run it, and it’s been great designing events and working hard to make the game a fun place to be. Realizing that I wouldn’t be able to keep trying to juggle moderating with IRL responsibilities or staying active was tough, but I’m looking forward to being able to devote more time to being an active player! You’re all just a stellar group of RPers, and thank you all so, so much for your dedication and passion for this game.
While the rest of us are staying on for the foreseeable future, real life has been steadily amping up on our ends as well and this has made it difficult to keep up with everything that keeps the game running smoothly.
To help us get back up to speed, we will be opening up Moderator Applications with the aim to bring on people for four (4) positions: a new Head Mod, an Event Mod, and at least two additional List Mods. Each app will have a general section and sections tailored to these different positions.
Please fill out as many of the position-specific sections as you like, although we don't plan on assigning anyone more than one role. To see more details on what those positions will entail and to fill out an application, go HERE!
Applications will be open through November 7th, at which time we will take one week to go over them.
If you love Victory Road and want to take up the mantle of mod, we'd love to hear from you!
POTENTIAL POLICY CHANGES
With a game as mechanically-complex as Victory Road, it's not unusual for players to bring issues to our attention that hadn't originally occurred to anybody when the mechanics were originally implemented. While there are certainly plenty of possible changes down the road as the game continues being updated, here are a few items we'd like to get the playerbase's feedback on before deciding what, if any, changes should be made.
This is what we've heard the most about! Issues encountered by players include the rules being difficult to understand, and the requirements difficult to meet due to the relatively slow speed of the game. While we don't have any immediate plans to change the system, we're interested in hearing ideas re: making AC a simpler and less stressful experience all around.
While conversation certainly doesn't need to be limited to these, please feel free to discuss the following options:
Activity Check comment count requirements are too high for the game's current speed and should be lowered. Activity Check comment count requirements are fine, but should be able to include backtags for at least one of the proofs. Activity Check requirements have too many rules and need to be simplified in some way (please have a solid suggestion in mind if this is your position!)
Concerns have been brought to us about the current Type: Null requirements (namely the badge requirement) resulting in certain character types being locked out of obtaining a Null, even if they want one. These requirements were implemented when Nulls were originally introduced, primarily to address players' concerns about the Nulls' potential unbalancing effect on the game-- for this reason, we feel it's especially necessary to seek player feedback before making any changes to them.
REGARDLESS of whether or not the requirements are changed, we have no intention of allowing characters to obtain a Type: Null without significant, moderated effort.
Here are the two most likely options:
Leave the requirements as they are, at 6 badges to obtain a Null. If your character would like a Null, they will have to get the badges. Introduce another game mechanic that would measure a character's progress in some other, equal way for players who do not want their characters to win badges. For example, a sort of "badge system" of achievements for breeder characters. If this is your position, please provide a solid example that would require a reasonable amount of work to implement and moderate.
Reminder to anyone offering feedback on these topics that we have NOT made a decision to change these mechanics one way or another-- we just want to find out how you, the players, feel about how they're working and whether or not improvements could be made!
MISCELLANEOUS HOUSEKEEPING CHANGES
To wrap up this announcement, here are a couple of small changes/tune-ups from the last few months that we wanted to put in an announcement for anyone who doesn't stalk the FAQ page!
The Rocket Missions Page has been updated slightly! There are now dedicated threads for both mission signups as well as requesting Rocket Rewards! Concerning the use of inherited Pokemon in badge challenges, we've updated the Badge Page to make the rule clearer! Previously, the wording implied that using inherited Pokemon was forbidden altogether-- what's actually discouraged in a challenge is a character using recently-inherited Pokemon who massively outlevel their own to steamroll gyms that would otherwise be out of their range (ie, Trainer Zim just joined the game last week, but somehow inherited a Lv. 100 Dragonite from a dropping character. Zim proceeds to go mad with power and breeze through the gyms).
But regardless of where they originated, Pokemon who have been thoroughly integrated into your characters and are the same level range as your own are fine to use, and any Pokemon is fine to use in a regular, non-gym battle! (NOTE: Aurora League gyms may also have their own individual rules about this, as those decisions are up to the player of the Gym Leader).