Removal of Combat Ability

[Alexander Trafford]

I just don't think that it will make any difference. Even if we make a pure canon DBZ RPG, I just don't think the demand for a PbP DBZ rpg is there anymore. We'll get what we used to get all the time, a bunch of applications, then very, very few, probably none, that stick. So instead of focusing on a draw for a group that I don't believe exists, I think we should focus on those members who have already bought in. If we focus on what the community that we have now wants, then that'll be enough. I wouldn't want to risk alienating the members we have in order to create a draw that I don't think will actually draw in any real, solid members.

[Sigfried Hunin]

secondeddddd

[Piper Juunanagou]

How much longer are we going to sustain this community? Over the last year, we've lost a chunk of old veterans to the horrors of RL, and even more only crop up every now and again but don't actually write. If we don't try to make the site appealing to new people, then what's the point of any of this if we've just content to waiting around for the last veteran to get too bogged down with his marriage/college/children/job to bother?

[Jesper]

We can't completely cater to newcomers because there's too much history to preserve, so we might as well start with who we know we can please, and that's us. That said, I really don't think any of these changes would hurt us any.

Besides, we pretty much don't advertise as far as I'm aware, and relying on Google is probably doomed to fail anyway. There's a chance that what we have will attract someone somewhere, we just have to find them. I don't think we need to make more or different changes than the ones we've been talking about.

[Piper Juunanagou]

But we don't use the history as it is! It sits there in a bunch of archived forums that no one reads. =/

[Kaden]

One of the things on the table is using the history we have to create something more immersive.

[Jonathan Meer]

'Immersive?'

[Sigfried Hunin]

Yes, as in, preexisting universe. Something to work with and from.

[Jonathan Meer]

(It's worth pointing out that reinforcing our existing user base and drawing in new players is by no means mutually exclusive)

[Kaden]

'Immersive?'

o.0

Did I, like, misspell it or something?

[Jesper]

He doesn't know what you mean. It was fairly ambiguous.

[Jonathan Meer]

No, I'm just not sure what you mean.

[Kaden]

Using the history we have to create a world where players feel like their characters are connected. Having enough background to reference things that have already happened, things that are going on, things that may happen later, etc., etc..

[Jonathan Meer]

oh

yeah

[Belle Hibiki]

If this is just going to be things like 'this city has blah blah blah Raditzu statue b/c Raditzu is awesome'... :|

[Jonathan Meer]

Yeah, that's probably what Mario has in mind.

[Celena]

It should be like how the characters are connected in heroes. “Save the cheerleader, save the world.”

[Jonathan Meer]

That requires a significant degree of administration of the storyline.

And Heroes sucked.

[Kaden]

If this is just going to be things like 'this city has blah blah blah Raditzu statue b/c Raditzu is awesome'... :|

Some characters would indeed be referenced more than others. That's just kind of how it goes.

The idea, though, would be to make things as accessible as possible. I don't really know how to interpret that as something other than "there's too much Raditzu in the Chubbs history."

[Tamsin]

Ok, time to contribute my own opinion on this matter. Although, to be honest, this discussion alone seems to be bringing back some life into the RPG. Who knows? Maybe we won't even need to do any active changes in order to get this place running.

Personally, I have to agree with those that said that the removal of CA will not have any impact on activity. Infact, in the long run, it might even turn out to be harmful. While I don't think we need to strictly be either a writing or RPG website (afterall, Dungeons & Dragons can be described as a hybrid between a game and acting/writing), the fact that we are partially an RPG means that it is crucial that we have some sort of progression system in place that would make the roleplayer feel like he is advancing and growing stronger. While one could say that a roleplayer could "progress" entirely through writing, the subjective nature of writing means that it is hard to measure progress. So while I do encourage that there be a sort of "writing rating" system, I do think there should be some way of measuring character power level.

Also, one of the biggest advantages of removing CA (making an even playing field) is arguably one of its greatest weaknesses as well. While it is undeniable that (major) differences in power level can result in negative feelings, it is also a source of admiration. Back in the day, people like Raditzu, Android 18, Reijin, Goku, Brolly, Trunks, Burter etc. were widely admired both beacuse of their writing prowess as well as their enormous power levels. While I am sure it caused jealousy in some, there was never a doubt that they earned that place. As a result, it gave people role models...something they could aspire to be. In addition, it also added weight to every roleplay they were involved in. For example, the DA finals between Goku and Brolly felt momentous not just beacuse it was a conclusion to a major saga and two excellent writers were having a go at each other; the fact that such high power levels were involved really made the fight feel titanic in proportions. Lastly, as Victoria's example shows, it also encourages competition.

Overall, I don't think that the presence of Combat Ability is really the reason behind the recent inactivity. When it comes to any sort of entertainment, the general reason behind a lack of interest is beacuse of the content...or rather, the lack thereof.

I think the primary reason why there is little activity on the RPG is simply beacuse there is nothing to do. Yes, this is in great part due to the lack of activity, but it's more then that. Sure, the system as it stands gives roleplayers a tremendous amount of freedom...but perhaps that is precisely the problem. When you can have everything, you just can't think of anything. Imagination usually works best when it is given a certain context or limitations. Even in (good) games where players have a lot of freedom, the game still provides objectives or quests which the players can pursue. Simply put, even if the roleplayer himself/herself has no clue as to what he/she wants to do next, he/she should still be able to find something to do.

Speaking of quests, I think one thing that would help resolve the content problem is if we brought back the Quest system. The great thing about quests is that they provided the roleplayer with a certain objective and context in which to work in, thus spurring their imagination and creativity. They can also challenge the roleplayer by putting them out of their comfort zone, thus demanding a degree of ingenuity in order to resolve them. I can't speak for others, but I at the very least remember quests quite fondly and I loved doing them. Group quests in particular were something special in that they could develop into mini-sagas in their own right. A nice thing about them is that they are not as demanding as a full-blown saga, but a bit more challenging and involved than a completely personal roleplay. Overall, they provided content on a intermediate level...something which I think is sorely lacking in the current system.

That said, if we do decide to bring back Quests, I think it would be nice if we had a few that had techniques or even abilities tied to them. Another way games usually encourage gameplay and make the player feel empowered is by providing him "tools" with which he/she can tackle future challenges in new and interesting ways. However, the games also make it difficult to obtain these items, thus making the "tools" feel like a reward when obtained. While the current system we have in place does provide the roleplayer with the freedom to choose when and how his character obtains the technique/ability, it also ends up feeling much less of an achievement (a problem which power ups also share).

Considering how much I have been waxing on about the "good old days", you probably think I would agree with Jonathan about canon characters. But actually, I do not. While I enjoyed having canons back then, I do not think they would help spur activity at this point in time. Yes, some people join a DBZ RPG beacuse they want to play as canon characters...but it's important to note that they want to play as certain canon characters, most notable of which are Goku, Vegeta, Trunks...essentially, any major Saiyan character. Yes, there are those of us who would gladly play less notable characters, but anyone who remembers the time of cannons also remembers that most applications were something along the lines of SSJ4 Vegeta, Chibi Trunks (I can't recall the number of times staff needed to explain that both Trunkses fused into one) and so on. Of course, the problem of a canon system is that there can be only one certain character, not to mention the other problems that such a system suffers (such as that a switch of writers completely ruins established relationships and ties necessitated by the cannon). Overall, a custom character system at least allows players to get the second best thing, a look-alike. While having a bunch of Saiyan characters running around isn't exactly favourable, it is still better than having people be driven away by canon character limits.

Well, those are my thoughts. If I can think of anything else, I will add it later.