Questions about proposed changes

[Jarka]

Read it, hated it, re-read it, liked it for the most part.

Here are my main thoughts of dissent (warning: I have been existing on a diet of Nyquil and Dayquil, so this might not be as coherent as I would like):

1) CL should have a weighted balance of PL and Purchases if we're doing a unified currency. If somebody wants to spend their prestige on, like, a spaceship, it doesn't make sense that they would be more powerful in a fight. I like that CL gives the underdog a chance, but I think as it has been proposed it gives the underdog a little too much of a chance. If CL was weighted, like, 67% PL and 33% purchases, I think it would keep a little more DBZ flavor while still not discouraging them from buying techs and items.

2) Community grading - could work, but here's the issues I've thought of.

[INDENT]
ISSUE 1: I'm sure this will be fleshed out, but I'm going to bring this up now so it's not forgotten: It will need to be clarified to the community what prestige should be expected from a good post. I'll assume it'll be out of 10. How much will length vs. quality determine the prestige awarded? Assuming a point cap, what happens when somebody makes a fucking awesome 30 post thread and they get the same 10 bonus prestige that an awesome 5 page post gets. If there is not a cap, what's to stop members from giving their friends/allies spam awesome prestige? Will staff examine when a person receives grossly differing scores (I know the averaging is supposed to stop that, but what if a person gets, say, three 9s and a 1? That will knock down their score to a 7 all because of one person's grudge)? You mentioned a time period, will there be a minimum of grades before the prestige is awarded as well? It seems strange that some schmuck might have to rely on one score when a more popular writer might get an averaged score from 10 graders.

SOLUTION: Clarify the standards of a good post (duh) out of, say, 10. Have the graders focus on the overall quality of the thread. Once a thread has hit at least x grades over a period of n days, average the grades times the number of posts. This seems fair, since it rewards for the effort of length (since 30000 crappy words are still 30000 words of effort) while still allowing people who write well and long to be rewarded. Staff are able and encouraged to weigh in on a seemingly unfair grading (if they think somebody is being spammed up or down, they can read and grade themselves to be considered with the other grades in the average).

ISSUE 2: The whole "you can't ask until you've graded somebody else" won't last long or will create more work for the staff. Otherwise, how long will grading somebody else cover your ass? What quality of C&C/grading counts before you can ask? Will the staff be in charge of notifying people when they haven't graded in a while? If there's no C&C given, how will you know the person actually read the thread?

SOLUTION: Reward the graders (similar to the points Sig and I brought up in some other thread). Good critique (one pro, one con, and suggested prestige) gives the grader 2 prestige. Okay critique (one pro or con and suggested prestige) gives the grader 1 prestige. Just the suggested prestige or an unhelpful comment ("Good job. 8 pts") gives the grader no bonus prestige. Eliminate the "You can't ask until you've graded rule". This encourages people to grade without adding yet another burden to staff.
[/INDENT]

Since the community grading seems to be the main way that people will gain prestige, it's important that these issues get addressed and the rules clarified before an unfair dynamic can occur and currencies get solidified.

3) Static-World events won't work well if the worlds are not embellished in between these events. I know there's that paragraph on each forum, but I feel like sagas and static-world events are just staples that occasionally catch totally unrelated stories, not that we're all part of the same world. Again, this might be one of those that just hasn't been elaborated yet.

4) Man, professions are getting cut? That sucks considering that was the driving force behind Jarka. I know I can just RP it, but now it will feel like I'm writing about Goku's unknown hobby of stamp collecting. It makes more sense when it can hinge it on a mechanic, even if it's not commonly used. But, that's just my design philosophy. Not really asking for them to be kept, just wanted to complain while I had a soapbox.

Okay, again, sorry for rambling.