While We Wait: Boredom Strikes Back

[Luckymoose]

Not intelligent enough? That's preposterous. Most of you seem to be pretty bright individuals.

Especially the Moose clan.

 

[alex994]

He isn't actually here, you don't need to suck up to him.

It's an opinion that I happen to possess.

 

[Birdjaguar]

He was very thorough in what he wanted cleaned up and Alex's idea does have a ring of truth to such a reason.

 

[Swissempire]

That sound very much like him, the getting of a government job.

OR it is always possible that he was at the center of a government conspiracy and left hints for us in those posts so we could solve it, but when Leon Panetta discovered his treachery he was labeled an enemy combatant and his hints were scrubbed. This is probably the most likely explanation, because I can't grow facial hair and have no need for Occam's Razor.

 

[Kentharu]

Does anyone remember a fellow named named nuclear winter

 

[Kraznaya]

I only wish I am half the NESer that Symphony was.

 

[Luckymoose]

I only wish I am half the NESer that Symphony was.

He wasn't that great. All his orders were just walls of unrelated text that could have been summed up to the mod in a couple lines. He just made his stuff look better.

 

[Masada]

I'd say the decline in activity is far too much due to the fact that experienced NESers don't join unexperienced mods' NESes.

I think you need to understand that there is a disconnect between what good players want and desire and what inexperienced mods can provide. Its not a terrible analogy to liken it to a meal. Most mods offer fast-food which is fine for some who like to wolf it down while its still good (and personally its never good). Some mods offer a more filling meal which might take time to prepare. I might not like the delays between meals but when I get them it tides me over till the next one. I was actually a proponent of a mentoring system for a while till I figured out that the vast majority of people at the 'inexperienced' level are always going to stay there. Some don't want to move up, others enjoy fast-food and still others can't.

Whatever the case, it isn't up to the 'experienced' (and a fair few of us sitting in that camp aren't all that experienced) to move people up. A few of us have transitioned from the bottom to the top and still others have moved straight to the top but by and large we've done it under our own steam when our tastes refine themselves sufficiently to warrant it. Its not like anyone has made it hard to move up either. But we can't force people to our level: it doesn't work like that. We can't read the books for you. And we can't make up for what isn't there in the first place notably a desire to improve.

they either lacked players or they are full of inexperienced ones.

Honestly, I don't want to rubbish any mods here (to each his own and all that) but it isn't that the scenarios are niche, the set-up are dull or that the experienced players are elitists who don't care. Like anyone we respond to incentives. If mods could offer us something we wanted then we would play. Nutranurse is a good example of a mod who was new who wrote a good first update and attracted the players because of it. Its not like his scenario was mainstream or his set-up was fantastically interesting. On the contrary I don't think there had ever been a fantasy Nesse analogue till that point although the whole Greco-Roman setup has been done to death. So on both counts it wasn't really on paper all that good of an idea. But his implementation was very pleasing and he's attracted some very experienced players. But its also important to remember that mods respond well to incentives as well. If 'experienced' players started to play in everything (regardless of skill) won't we be rewarding bad behaviour as well as good? Personally, even if I was legislatively required to participate in everything you would be able to tell by looking at my orders and stories what I was really interested in.

 

[Swissempire]

Nutranurse sounds like a slightly emo indie band. I wanna hear the story about his/her NES.

There is also a difference between experienced and good players. One can play for years and still not be very good at all (which is what you were getting at). I don't think we should conflate the terms. While its obvious who the experienced players are, merely by means of them being around for an awful long time, when we're talking about skill we should be talking about skill. In that vein, it also strikes me that good players are like hipsters, where everyone KNOWS they're good, but they'll dodge the question or deny it. A hipster can't acknowledge being a hipster...thats so...not hipster. Always be wary of someone who declares themselves a good player.

Finally, the phrase legislatively required is quite amusing, because it conjures up the image of a NES Senate, which would be the most dysfunctional body ever.

 

[~Darkening~]

You're all a bunch of twits. Quit the mass hating and just return to the specialty: me!

 

[Adrogans]

I am a permanent newb. I know I accept this.

 

[Masada]

There is also a difference between experienced and good players. One can play for years and still not be very good at all (which is what you were getting at).

Skill has nothing to do with it. I'm sure we have some skilled people who are comfortable eating fast-food. Amongst the 'skilled' we have people with some epic and seemingly persistent failures. So I'm willing to rule out skill as an operative factor. Really, it seems to have to do with what I suggested previously: a refinement of tastes.

I'll use another food (really, wine) analogy to demonstrate the difference. A noted wine critic is unlikely to drink the proles red of choice: simple, bland with just a hit of terrible. On the contrary the wine critic is far more likely to stick around with people who have the same refined tastes. A great many of the non-critics are just content with the basic red wine and won't ever devote the time to gain the awareness required to discern between a good critic friendly one and any other ol' wine. Some like simple wines and won't move up because of that. And still others don't drink wine they stick with a proper alcohol like Gin.

Those few who do move up either achieve it one of two ways. They might move up over time as they build up experience, attend higher education or read more (wine literature). Others might just start with all the necessary awareness and go straight to the top (taste savants). But the majority don't do either. They tend to stay at the simple: either they don't have the time, don't like what the critic has to offer or don't drink wine at all. That's fine. Nobody can force you to change your tastes.

 

[Kentharu]

And then there was Rum

 

[Abaddon]

I love edits like that.

Is there a better name for it? I'd love to google loads of images of that kinda "art"

 

[flyingchicken]

Let's all give Crow T Robot a cheery welcome!

 

[Angst]

It's amusing how discussions about Symphony D. seem to pop in and out once in a while, even after I left for 6 months. He really had an impact in here...

Anyways, I'm slightly planning possibly making a NES. Possibly. Because I miss NESing. I'm PMing Daft about some details at the moment, I might need his help with something. If I do it. Possibly.

 

[Immaculate]

from the map thread (because it belongs here, not there)

How many fantasy NES are there out there that have died prematurely?

i had a space-based fantasy NES die in about 2-3 updates.

orangelex44 had one that died prematurely.

thats what i can think of off the top of my head.

 

[Abaddon]

No, it belongs there cos I want to steal their map

Many, many fantasy maps have been made in the "Northern" style. They shouldn't be wasted when the nes dies after only 1 or two updates...

I propose they should be archived for people to use. Obviously there is a problem of the "black" being revealed.. perhaps i'll save them offsite, and anyone can PM for one (should they wish to start a NES)

 

[Immaculate]

what do you mean 'northern' style?

 

[Abaddon]

Roughly like this:

Fantasy world, with mountains and rivers shown. (this was from one of Luckymoose's stillborn NES)