The Game Mechanic

[Pontifex Maximus]

We have several options open to us right now. If we want to start sometime soon we need to determine which of these paths we want to take. This is an important decision we need to make first because it will affect how we redo some of the rules. I'll number them then throw a poll up.

1. Orient Hogwarts.

We devote a considerable amount of time in the beginning part of this game with ONLY Hogwarts RP, with perhaps minor Ministry involvement when there is overlap. RP can still exist for adult wizards outside the Hogwarts setting, but moderator actions will be kept to a minimum and will be a very much opt-in thing. It is perhaps a time for adults to get to now eachother and do minor RP and character development. We will need Hogwarts to be fully staffed of course, including the basic six positions. Depending on the interest of people wanting to teach, we may open up other elective classes for an opportunity to win more points.

2. Orient Ministry.

We devote our time to the adult wizarding world. The ones who recover characters can finish Hogwarts, but after they finish Hogwarts more or less ceases to exist as a viable part of the game. We may be able to have special times of high activity several times a year where Hogwarts opens again for school RP

3. Try to do both.

This is what we tried to do, and ultimately failed. We try to focus on both areas simultaneously, giving as much attention to the other.

[Narf]

Hogwarts start, and then we try both imo.

[Pontifex Maximus]

I very much dislike Option 3.

[Lucius Malfoy]

I very much dislike Option 3.

I second this. The problem was that many teachers continuously vanished...thus the mods had to continuously find new teachers. Hogwarts just lost its touch very quickly in 1.0...especially when the Death Eaters became more of a prominent threat and the focus shifted towards the Ministry more.

[Narf]

The thing is that there is players that want to play as teachers ect, there.

[Narf]

Not the settings fault. But the bad teachers' fault. Just have better judgement when choosing teachers.(Sounds more offensive than it is meant.)

[Lucius Malfoy]

I do agree with better judgment. Its just that we didn't have the player population to be able to find better suited teachers and have a good reserve of teachers. Many people were already students or had student alts...while quite a few Ministry people stayed with the Ministry. I mean within the first week, we had several players drop...and then a few teachers vanish. We found a couple new ones...then a few more vanished. By the second and third times, we just didn't have the population to continuously find new teachers without resorting to NPCs.

[Narf]

Then I propose we make class Uniforms. There is NPC teachers that are constant. All us mods can play them so if one don't have time another can take over.. The classes themselves will be Uniform and will be carried by the Students RP rather than the Teachers. Another mod than the one playing the NPC read over the class when X days have gone by and give each student individual points of score for their effort in the thread.

This way the whole school could be run by just two mods.

[Pontifex Maximus]

The thing is that there is players that want to play as teachers ect, there.

I'm one of them. I wanted to be potions master or DADA teacher.

Not the settings fault. But the bad teachers' fault. Just have better judgement when choosing teachers.(Sounds more offensive than it is meant.)

I did start to kick people out of positions and having them replaced.

Then I propose we make class Uniforms. There is NPC teachers that are constant. All us mods can play them so if one don't have time another can take over.. The classes themselves will be Uniform and will be carried by the Students RP rather than the Teachers. Another mod than the one playing the NPC read over the class when X days have gone by and give each student individual points of score for their effort in the thread.

This way the whole school could be run by just two mods.

I wouldn't want to be one of the mods doing that as its a lot of work for little benefit other than RP for RP's sake. The thing is that this won't solve the problem of there not being many students after the initial flood to even constitute a viable class large enough to justify the amount of time it will take to keep track of the RP. So I'm in favor of Option 1 with the caveat that we do another class through Hogwarts maybe every 2-3 months.

[Narf]

It must be open! We must find a solution for you so that you can be potions master! And all the other things people want with Hogwarts! Be it NPC students with maybe just two or three or none actual players or NPC teachers with little actual Students. We must find a solution. Maybe open these things be request?

I Severus Snape request the position as potion master of Hogwarts. Then A mod will play students and people playing students will of-course be able to join as-well. I'm sure there is a better solution than this. But the point is we need to look for solutions as to how to make it work rather than how it didn't work last time. WE have recognized that there was a problem. Now we need to solve it so that it is not repeated. We need to find out what better ingredients we can use instead of simply not baking the cake.

[Lucius Malfoy]

We really don't have the population to maintain it. Thats the first major problem. Cause we have to consider that some of our mods have rl commitments. I have college, Ponti has school as well...and other people have jobs. Thats a problem that comes later.

Another thing is: we need enough players to maintain it. Most of the new and old players might just vanish within the first week. And then we are stuck with huge open spaces that we need to close up somehow. Its better to keep things small and limited and build upon them if we get more players or it becomes necessary. Makes it easier for the mods AND the players.

[Pontifex Maximus]

Using NPCs to prop up either Ministry of Hogwarts is going to be a deal breaker. What I am considering as a solution to the problem is allowing players to play two main characters, the second of which must be a student, cannot directly attempt to aid the other main (such as a situation in the Black family, where some of them were evil and some were not). Then we open up a Hogwarts class every two months for people to jump into requiring a minimum amount of students (perhaps four) per class.

[M. Laveur]

Using NPCs to prop up either Ministry of Hogwarts is going to be a deal breaker. What I am considering as a solution to the problem is allowing players to play two main characters, the second of which must be a student, cannot directly attempt to aid the other main (such as a situation in the Black family, where some of them were evil and some were not). Then we open up a Hogwarts class every two months for people to jump into requiring a minimum amount of students (perhaps four) per class.

I think this could be the best alternative, though I think often people tend to favor a single character and therefore may have their least favorite one as a space filler rather than actually do anything with him. Still, I'd support it over the others.

[M D]

Narf, we have to be honest, focusing on two areas of the game will kill it. When GSTK had two kingdoms in 2009, it died and had to be restarted. I say we start with Hogwarts and then move on

[Gandalfus]

I don't have commitments. I'm a mindless machine.


Actually, I kinda do.

[Narf]

I think if people used hogwarts on a request a need of use basis and mainly focused on the ministry it could work but oh well. I see what you mean. I just.. Long for things to work. And real life commitments is a thing I'll not understand

[Pinkerton]

Hogwarts for life, homie

[Pyrrhus the Molossian]

Hogwarts oriented first vote from me.

[Pontifex Maximus]

I'd like to see more votes on this before I can safely assume option 1 is going to be the most popular

[m_1512]

I'd like to see more votes on this before I can safely assume option 1 is going to be the most popular

It's the right option as I realised just by experience. I gets hard to keep track and take care of bigger worlds. It's fun at first, but soon it's headache for the mods.