The Suggestion Box

[Admin]

In just half a week, Dalibor will be celebrating its third anniversary and that means an entire new year is about to stretch out before us! Thus I'm wiping out this figurative suggestion box. It's suggestion time!

If you have any ideas or comments, feel free to post them here or PM them to a staff member of your choosing (Kila, Reky, or myself are suggested given current schedules). However, here are a few areas and questions that are specifically being asked:

1. The staff has a few major plots up our collective sleeve, along with threadfall and the ever present political drama that is Pern. Most of them are flexible in their timing, so we're wondering what are y'all interested in right now? What do you want to see in the future? What major/site-wide plot ideas do you have that you are interested in seeing? Given that major plots can often take months to set-up and run, now is a great time to get ideas out there so the site can work with them (or if you want to be secretive, they can be PMed and the staff can help work on them).

2. A revamp on lessons has been planned for a while. We tend to be fairly relaxed with ours and that has the appeal that merit tends to be largely placed on what is realistic to the character, but how would you like to see lessons done? This applies to candidates, weyrlings, and wherlings (keep in mind that wherlings are under very different terms than weyrlings).

3. Our shiny database and character system is still being developed, as coding it isn't an easy task. In the mean time, what would you like to see added to the library and records? Many of you have side projects you're done or things you've cataloged. What are things you'd like to contribute? What are you interested in doing and what would you like the staff to do?


THE STAFF'S CURRENT PLANNED WORK LIST:
- Complete rank stars and make sure account ranks are accurate.
- Update history/location ages and add a current plots section.
- Archive older IC posts and make sure ads are all up-to-date.
- Remake one missing season and clean-up current WIP timeline.
- Complete adding the dates provided to flights/hatchings.
- Double check and update records to make sure they're accurate.

[Cathaline]

Re: lessons, I really liked the ideas that were put forth about revamping lessons last time, i.e. that there was some sort of OOC puzzle and awesomeness.

Generally, I don't necessarily think lessons need to be played out much more than they are, but I think it would be really helpful for each weyrlingmaster (or staff!) to post each season which milestones the weyrlings/wherlings will be hitting, especially if there won't be a lesson for it. It gets a little confusing working out when dragons will be flying, flaming, etc., what the duties will be during Threadfall, and all of that, and it would be nice to have it simply stated somewhere that everyone can have easy access to. That way we could mention in our threads "oh, yes, we did harness work this season" without being unsure if we should be saying it.

THINGS THAT I HAVE DONE AND CAN CONTRIBUTE:

I am now keeping a list of IC post counts for every character ever accepted on the site. It's finished through December and Azzy helpfully put it into a beautiful spreadsheet for me! I did it for my own edification but I would be happy to, if I can figure out how, make it public and give the link to the site so everyone can access it. That would be purely for fun, of course!

I keep a list of PBs too (though admittedly most of them are currently marked "unknown"). Dali doesn't really have a PB policy, but I'm always happy to share with people if they want to know whether or not the person they want to use is already in use.

I'm also slowly working on a Delicious archive. I know Blue did one (AND IT IS AWESOME), but since she is on hiatus, I thought it could be useful! I am also working on/planning to have mine be in a slightly different order than the order presented in the IC archives - those are by last-posted-in date and I'm currently working to DECIPHER THE IC HINTS and put mine in actual chronological order. It is a grand and ultimately pointless undertaking, but that is what I do.

If you need any help with records accuracy/finding the dates and links to the flights and hatchings, um...I'm one of the archive ninjas (WE NEED A BANNER) and I live for this stuff. XD

[Admin]

Solution/thought: add a general weyrling and wherling schedule to the library, highlight the current period of each class as they progress through them? (Like Firefinders would be red.) Potentially also add a 'master bulletin board up in each barrack to then state needed modifications (like Kalenna's would have extra lessons, or this class is behind due to fire, etc.)

[Cathaline]

That would be awesome. And I really love the idea of a bulletin board!

[Azhdarchid]

My stuff:

1. Move the information about age of maturity and Flights-per-Turn on the On Dragons page to the On Draconic Colors page, aligned with each color appropriately, so for ex. under Gold it says they mature in 3 Turns and Fly every 1-5 Turns.

2. Move the Dragon Size Chart to the On Draconic Colors page.

3. Move the Wher Size Chart to the On Whers page.

4. Move the Firelizard Size Chart to the On Firelizards page.

Alternative to 3, 4. Change On Draconic Colors page into just an On Colors page. Under the dragon info for each color, either add the additional info/differences for whers and firelizards (ex. Gold dragons cannot chew firestone, but Gold whers are a-okay), or if there are no whers/firelizards of that color, say so. You can then move all 3 size charts to the same page.

5. Add recent history summary. I still don't really get why the Renegades did what they did, don't know much about the killer fish, etc. wut a noob! I know but...yea. People might be coming in thinking we're still leading up to the war rather than distant from its end.

6. Instead of a Character Rules page, or in addition to it, perhaps create some kind of character creation guide. One thing that has worked well for some of my games in the past is to have the application, then next to each potential entry a description of what it is and what you want. Right now we just have word counts for each section, but for example under Appearance a lot of people put "he's soooooooooooooooo sexy omg" and we don't want that, so say so and explain why. An example application for each character type might also be useful.

7. The Roleplaying Rules page seems a bit redundant alongside the General Rules page and having too many rules pages is scary - consider consolidating them.

8. Sticky the following in the Library or under their own forum in that Rules/Library/etc area: Dalibor's Dragons , Dalibor's Whers, Dalibor's Firelizards, Dalibor's Pillies. Possibly add a thread with some template art and sprites that are free for use (ex. khiitan's stuff) in their blank format so that people can make some images for their profiles if they want.

9. Remove sexuality qualifiers for each dragon color.

10. Add the following to the On Geography page: the Dalibor Weyr map, the Wherhandler Quarters map with notes on how to claim your own quarters for your wher.

11. Add/Sticky a thread in the Library for the patrol information[/b].

12. Add a "Prides" thread to the Records.

13. Add some of the info discussed here to the On Thread page.

14. Add some of this stuff somewhere, especially the Craft thresholds and the "your dragon dies if you sex" thing.

15. When adding stickies to the Weyrling/Candidate barracks, have the current Weyrling/Candidatemasters write up their IC rules and how strictly the Weyrlings/Candidates are monitored.

16. Whenever I finish prettifying the Growth Rate Charts add those to the On Colors or On Dragons page, or even to the Weyrling Barracks.

17. Add a sticky in the Weyrling Barracks about mentoring.

18. Consider including short hatchling profiles or background/development stories in the wake of future Hatchings so that people can learn where their dragon came from and some of the ideas involved, and how the hatching theme worked into it all if there was one.

19. Add the information and rewards pertaining to the creation of NPCs to the Character Registration forum.

20. Reconsider the maturity time for firelizards. I propose a flat 6-month rate for all firelizard colors, including queens (this does not mean that they have to Fly immediately at reaching 6 months, just that they are available when needed). Then, ban the purchase of firelizard eggs through the stall for existing characters (new characters can still come in with flits so no one's character concepts are messed up, though perhaps limit the number per so many characters/posts so that people know to save up). Thus, all new firelizards for existing characters come from Hatchings or special events. This would reduce the overall number of firelizards, allow people to get more than fighters, and allow them to get firelizards designed by others instead of just buying at the stall and making them themselves (which I, forever owner of 0 firelizards, think would be more fun).

21. I maintain that "Threads of the Month" (only 1on1 threads valid) should be added to the Star Stone.

I'm sure I'll think of more later. This is just off the top of my head in the early morning type junk. <.<

[Admin]

Most of the rest of that will simply take time to go over, but I need more opinions on the ban on firelizard eggs (if you are a person and read this, I'm talking about your opinion).

Also, the flat rate would most likely be a turn at the least if we did implement that. Quick question on TotM: why would only one-on-one threads be applicable?

[Azhdarchid]

Jan 6, 2012 13:34:56 GMT -5 Admin said:

Quick question on TotM: why would only one-on-one threads be applicable?

I think it would be difficult to use multi-person threads because none of those people can vote for their own thread, that's all. Maybe things like Hatchings and Flights can be an exception, though that might lead to only Hatchings and Flights winning.

[Admin]

There are a couple of ways it could be happen:

First, they simply follow the same rules used for the other categories. If you weren't involved, you can vote for it. That probably will keep hatchings out of it, but that still means group threads could win.

Second, rule is changed to you can vote for threads in which you posted where at least four other players were involved.

Third, TotMs could be nominated and then the winner picked by staff.

Or alternatively to a thread, we could do a post of the month.

I like logistics. OPINIONS ON THIS TOO.

[Lan]

Lan Opinion #1:
I'm sort of wary about altogether banning firelizards for existing characters... what if someone has a plot idea for their character to acquire a firelizard egg for their bestie or something? Maybe instead of an all-out ban change it to people could only buy firelizards for existing characters that don't belong to them? That way it's still a gift and the character is still getting a firelizard designed by someone else.

Lan Opinion #2:
I've always loved a Thread of the Month category idea, or at the very least a Quote of the Month (good idea, yes?)? Either one you want to do, I think the best way would be to just have people vote who weren't involved. That's fair and would give threads that aren't hatchings or flights a fair shot, no matter how many characters.

[Cathaline]

I kind of like the idea of them being nominated and then picked by staff!

Sorry, Azzy, but I am against a ban on firelizard eggs. It's been really nice being able to buy them and give them away as IC gifts, for example; leads to threads like Adventure Time where characters hunt for eggs (and have a chance of finding them); plus Chek and I have evil plots for L'kie to get back at Ni'on XD I don't think we're so overrun with flits right now that it's a serious problem.

[Admin]

In going with what Cath said, purely from a number standpoint, the current system works well. Contests and on-camera clutches result in higher ranks, but we can always use more fighters to have numbers be more realistic (hence why they're available). For those wondering, that's why the system is what it is right now. We also went this route because we weren't out to limit things too much. For a long while, we had it so anyone could make Sonias if they saved up a few thousand marks like me (now I'm bribing you to advertising with Queens and mutations; fully admit that).

I could recalculate the prices based on current numbers, if people are interested in that.

[larkwing]

I'm not sure if it was suggested already, but could we get a lesson tracker thread? One of my mods helped make one on Trelis and it's helped everyone a whole lot to understand what has happened to what class in each lesson and also provides a link to that lesson for quick and easy finding. Also, with weyrlings and wherlings, maybe we could get something that is changed frequently to show how old they are and maybe even the size they should be at?

[Admin]

I'm going to point out the fact that Dalibor is time fluid. Our smallest consistently recorded piece of time is a three month period and . . . people aren't constrained to RP in that period. And regularly don't. People do RP in the future (man, if we actually did have timing a lot, this would get confusing). Thus any tracking is going to be fairly broad. The proposed highlighting of a general lesson plan would have three month periods highlighted at any one time.

[larkwing]

Okay, I get that. I was mainly wondering if we could have a thread linking to lesson threads though. That way it's quick and easy to find them since they tend to get buried under other threads on the forum.

[Azhdarchid]

22. Add known/existing pillie noises to the Pillies list. : D

[Gray]

Jan 8, 2012 12:49:46 GMT -5 Azhdarchid said:

22. Add known/existing pillie noises to the Pillies list. : D

I second please! Also, do certain pillies make only one sound? Are there different sounds pertaining to different feelings? The press wants to know!

[Azhdarchid]

23. Animatora needs to be added back onto the Adoptables list.

[Admin]

Pillies have a very limited range of sounds. Their preferring little noise isn't the only one (happy whirs are probably common), but they don't have a complex range.

Nim was removed because someone has a request on her. We'll probably add her back up soon if there isn't an app, but that's why she isn't there.

[Chek]

Here's a teeny tiny one that occurred to me today. Could we get a little list somewhere of all the NPCs who are qualified to do Searches, and all the PCs as well? That way there is a quick go-to for people with Candidates.

Unless we go by "ANYONE CAN SEARCH" rules, of course.

[Admin]

Those would be the rules. If people would like to propose options for implementing an official search group, I'd be all ears, but we go more by the Dragonflight methodology that everyone simply goes out.

NOTE: will be clarifying Weyrwoman succession in the history rewrite I am doing.

[Azhdarchid]

24. Enable the purchasing of freakin' sweet home weyr positions (ex. north wall Rim) for various prices (OOC marks). If you don't want to pay you get put somewhere like the middle of the east or west wall so that your position is neither convenient nor scenic DEAL WITH IT.

-North and south wall weyrs cost more
-The very highest and the very lowest weyrs cost more
-If you have a rank like Weyrwoman/Jr or Weyrleader/Jr you are auto-placed on the north wall, unless we have like six queens in which case the last two get bumped somewhere else based on the map thread
-Once a position is "bought" by one person, it remains open for bids for an additional week and some system must be arranged so that if 2+ people want the same place, it can be chosen between them. First-come first-serve alone is not sufficient due to people's differing schedules, but I think a week or two once the first bid has been made would be alright.

[Cathaline]

Javyk of cyan Buscarth is missing from the deceased records - she died in the kitchen fire.

[Azhdarchid]

25. Perhaps we should add a guideline to distinguish between "OPEN" threads and "OPEN TO ALL" threads. I've seen the OTA tag used but rarely, but it seems like a good thing if you only want a certain thread to be open in a 1on1 sense (with others allowed to join by invitation or if they have a good plot or something) to be able to mark it just "OPEN" and not have more than 1 respondent unless it's "OTA." Just something I thought of today while negotiating a thread. In this case I had an open thread, Chek joined, then Boo wanted to join but wasn't sure if I/Chek were okay with it. If we just had an OTA tag in regular use (and perhaps something to indicate 2 respondents are possible?) then people could distinguish between those threads more easily.

If that makes sense? xD "Open" would mean you only want 1 responder, though it doesn't matter who that responder is since it's, y'know, open, "OTA" means an unlimited number of people can respond, and then ??? means you're okay with up to 2 responders.

[Chek]

Something like that might be easiest to just build a little reference glossary for ease of use. Something like...
{NAME} - only one pre-plotted responder
Open (NUMBER) - Open to anyone to respond, but only to (NUMBER) many people without request or invitation
OTA – Open to everyone, with as many people as want to join

posted on the thread/posting rules page.

[Rappu]

Some kind of a database with information on the Holds and Weyrs would be nice. Something that tells the sizes, general weather/average temperature/plant life in different regions and basic geography in various areas? It would help Pern noobs so, so very much, especially as Google doesn't tell all that much.