Removal of Combat Ability

[Kaden]

Not to derail, and PM me if you want to avoid cluttering the thread, but I'm curious. What about AD's grading system didn't work? Things weren't always graded within a week, but everything did get graded whilst the site was still active.

It's entirely possible that I'm just remembering it incorrectly. The system was very sound on paper, but in execution it felt slow and labored when it came to getting people to actually get things graded, and that was with staff members who's only job, ostensibly, was to do the grading.

The small delays can be huge detractors. Think about the last time you went to have something graded and it too "too long." Its easy to lose interest in what your storyline was or what your character was doing and then, before you know it, it's a couple months later and, despite the fact that your grading was done, you don't feel that spark to keep writing. And, of course, I'm not speaking to Rose directly, but to everyone in general.

Having said the above, I understand and acknowledge that no system is, or ever will be, perfect. Everything has flaws. What we need to do is look at the current RPG and community and decide what flaws and strengths compliment the writers most effectively. A lot of the current system, for example, was predicated upon each writer having the ability to customize their character to a great degree, having a unique take on something that may seem very mundane (ie Trafford using drugs as a power-up, or Kaden's use of Ki Sense). That was the big focus at the time of the system's conception. Was that the best way to go? Maybe, maybe not, but it's important to think about what system would make the best of what we have, not what system would be perfect.

Personally, I consider general laziness and narcissism the biggest weaknesses of the community as a whole. Doing extra work to get something hasn't gone particularly well (again, I point to Professions and C&C threads) but players are generally very invested in their own characters. Things that acknowledge specific characters have usually gone over really well (remember those end-of-round DA awards?) and once someone's character develops a vested interest in someone else's character, they generally start to become excited about things that promote the other person (though the cynic in me says it's because they are being promoted by association).

Now I don't want anyone to think I'm trying to be mean or to bash people or anything like that. I am absolutely not exempt from anything stated above. Additionally, I can't say my perspective isn't skewed (it's very difficult for me to shift out of "staff" mode while on the forums) to the point that maybe I'm seeing things differently than they actually are. I'm sharing this because I think it's important to point out some of the things that I, knowing my voice usually carries a lot of weight when dealing with development decisions of this nature, keep in the back of my mind.

This thread has turned into much more of a meeting-of-the-minds than anyone had probably intended, but I think it's awesome and I'm trying to be as up-front about things as I can be.