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Hi TK. How's lockdown treating you?
IOT Developmental Thread
- Thread starter Joecoolyo
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Yeah I feel you. I will never forgive New South Wales ('specially her government).
Gelion
Retired Captain
So, even this place is becoming abandoned? 
JohannaK
Heroically Clueless
It is what it is. The age gap between IOT and NES wasn't so great after all.
Gelion
Retired Captain
I think its good that you are on a watch
Ring the bell if you see any sprouts in either forum? 
True. I thought about starting a discussion about reviving NES and IOT in general. Can it succeed and should it be done at all? Going down gentle into that night or not? Should this be a new thread?
Tani Coyote
Son of Huehuecoyotl
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True. I thought about starting a discussion about reviving NES and IOT in general. Can it succeed and should it be done at all? Going down gentle into that night or not? Should this be a new thread?
You'd most likely need a perfect storm of factors to succeed.
A game simple enough that the GM does not tire of it and which can update regularly enough players do not lose interest, yet also complex enough it draws people in. Somewhere between the lawlessness of the original games and the structure of later games, without becoming so complicated you are better off playing a Paradox game.
Personally, I think the RPG/character-focused gameplay some IOTs played with is a good direction. It emphasizes a tabletop element, you know, that genre that has endured for decades. It emphasizes a human element, which is the fun of playing these versus games that are masses of automated code. Time is finite, and games are inherently in a competitive market - what does your game offer that others do not?
And... there's also the elephant in the room here. The likely need for a new community. Without going into detail, a lot of people have left this community for non-game reasons. That is without getting into how this subforum has been slowly losing activity.
To my knowledge, the closest thing to this that is active would be the NationStates boards, which have the annoying feature of being tied to your country account, which is deleted after a few weeks of inactivity.
Gelion
Retired Captain
Yes, yes, yes. People who used to play with texts and those who grew up with an understanding that writing to another person via the internet is a great idea are gone. They have grown up and retain fond memories of this place (if any). So the question is whether the new generations could potentially be interested in this experience? I think, forums give two things which no other new media can give. Static texts are unexciting to some degree, but they provide a sandbox freedom that no other game can provide (the creative experience) and they are an opportunity to learn something from similar minded people not in real time (community based on information, not a media). Is that enough for the new generation? If not, I suppose that the nostalgic get together games are also fun, no problem with that.
Build it and they will come! A thread 400+ pages long is a little intimidating for a newbie though!
Speaking of NationStates, I've gotten back into it lately (I don't touch the forums though). If I ever make another IOT, it would be based on something like that. That would be keeping with the spirit of the very first IOT, before people started trying to create text-based imitations of Paradox games. As much as I would love to keep track of 10,000 provinces and all their stats, I don't think I have the time.
gay_Aleks
from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!
IOTs are dead. Run a TTRPG today. Greater reward, less effort compared to an IOT. Abandon nationstate-based games good lord
I thinking about something that could be broken down to be more story based, with less stat tracking involved.
I'll also message all the old guard and hopefully pull some of them back in, even if it is for one last ride!
I'll also message all the old guard and hopefully pull some of them back in, even if it is for one last ride!
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The one advantage that IOT had over TTRPGs is its asynchronous nature. I could play an IOT without having to be in sync with countless timezones. This has become less and less of an issue as I have grown more independent and I suspect that this is true for others as well.
From my limited understanding the NationStates metagame its very different from IOT or NES. The only other community.
Aiken has hit the nail on the head. The only true way to know if people would be interested in a new IOT or NES would be to make a new thread. You can't complain about the lack of fish in the lake unless you actually go out fishing.
Or just take Aleks' exceedingly good advice. Running TTRPGs will be far more rewarding outside of scratching a nostalgia itch, but unfortunately nostalgia cravings are often impossible to truly achieve.
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Sorry what is a TTRPG?
I recognise the other acronyms.
I recognise the other acronyms.
JohannaK
Heroically Clueless
TableTop Role-Playing Game.
D&D and the like
D&D and the like
Ah thanks.
I think I will start developing a traditional NES soon, but need to build a finite sandbox first. I think NES usually failed as each turn built complexity on top of more divergence until it was unmanageable.
I think I will start developing a traditional NES soon, but need to build a finite sandbox first. I think NES usually failed as each turn built complexity on top of more divergence until it was unmanageable.
