We need more platforms for player interaction

[Constantine]

On several continents right now there is a movement for partitioning larger realms into smaller ones and promoting local conflict. At first I thought it was a great idea. But then I realized with horror that it would mean we will be trapped with only a handful of players to consistently interact with. And even now smaller realms are robbed of the luxury of reading lots of quality roleplay reportedly thriving in such leviathans as Luria.
We need means to involve more people in interaction and tournaments proved to be an insufficient platform for that.

I suggest creating more channels. Right now the largest circle you can reach out to is your realm (half a dozen people in many cases). Why not create alliance-wide channels? Continent-wide even for roleplay back-and-forth at least?
Of course we can make it optional, toggleable on and off.

Thoughts?

[vonGenf]

I fear alliance wide channels would be detrimental, as they could cement alliance blocks even more tightly than they are right now. Alliances that want to talk to each other already have options through guilds and religions; these are not perfects, but their imperfections are related to IC contingencies and are actually helpful to the feeling of the game.

A fully continent-wide channel however, with absolutely no way for anyone to hide anything posted there, would be interesting. It would be a great channel for RPs and might even foster additional conversation.

Care should be taken that this does not mean every noble is automatically added to everyone's contact list.

[Constantine]

Fair points.
And I agree that religions and guilds are a good alternative.
But whence religions no doubt should be spread by priests on region by region basis, guilds I believe should be made more easy to spread. I.E. having to travel all the way to say Thalmarkin to join a guild and then go back to say Trenton to open a local guildhouse is a mammoth of a chore. Not to mention I don't even know what guilds they have in Thalmarkin and have no real means or incentives to find out.

[Indirik]

A fully continent-wide channel however, with absolutely no way for anyone to hide anything posted there, would ...

...suck.

It's already hard enough to get away from the people you can't stand to play with. Now you're gong to give them a way to crap up my messages at will? Any mass message channel will instantly become the whine channel of choice for everyone with an axe to grind. We saw it with Sanguis Astroism on Dwilight. It's a disaster.

[De-Legro]

...suck.

It's already hard enough to get away from the people you can't stand to play with. Now you're gong to give them a way to crap up my messages at will? Any mass message channel will instantly become the whine channel of choice for everyone with an axe to grind. We saw it with Sanguis Astroism on Dwilight. It's a disaster.

Or the insult channel, witness region messages when ever armies on SI meet. Least when a battle is not about to/has just occurred I don't have to put up with the same few characters hurling the same old insults at each other.

[Constantine]

...suck.

It's already hard enough to get away from the people you can't stand to play with.

Aaand that's exactly why I specifically mentioned in OP such channels should be optional.
Don't want to hear a guy you don't like? There is ignore function intact already.
Don't want the channel altogether? Toggle it off.
Those who'd give it a shot might actually find likeminded people and form guilds/religions/societies everyone is talking about here but never mention how to make them feasible and inclusive.

[De-Legro]

Aaand that's exactly why I specifically mentioned in OP such channels should be optional.
Don't want to hear a guy you don't like? There is ignore function intact already.
Don't want the channel altogether? Toggle it off.
Those who'd give it a shot might actually find likeminded people and form guilds/religions/societies everyone is talking about here but never mention how to make them feasible and inclusive.

Work, lots and lots of work. You need to peddle your guild constantly, get guildhalls built all over the place. Helps if you have a purpose, for example BT used to have a guild based on fighting the invaders.

[Shizzle]

Why not make the continent-wide channel RP only?

[De-Legro]

Why not make the continent-wide channel RP only?

Because then we need to moderate it to stop people abusing it. It also needs to be a special case that doesn't provide contacts, so that everyone doesn't automatically get a contact for everyone else on the continent, in other words it is not just as simple as "making a continent wide channel"

[Constantine]

Because then we need to moderate it to stop people abusing it.

Every channel has a report button. How is this one different?

It also needs to be a special case that doesn't provide contacts, so that everyone doesn't automatically get a contact for everyone else on the continent, in other words it is not just as simple as "making a continent wide channel"

Valid concerns, why not to think how to circumvent them or make changes instead of just throwing the idea away?
I think it's solid overall and could really benefit the community overall.

[De-Legro]

Every channel has a report button. How is this one different?Valid concerns, why not to think how to circumvent them or make changes instead of just throwing the idea away?
I think it's solid overall and could really benefit the community overall.

No, I KNOW how to implement it. The issue is the time to implement the new code, test it, ensure it doesn't break the existing system etc. I'm not throwing away the idea, because frankly that is not my call within the dev team. I am stating that it probably isn't a priority given the work needed for it.

And we don't have a report button for every channel, We have a vulgarity button which has very specific usage. Deciding to send out random messages that don't comply with a OOC restriction on a continent wide channel would not currently meet the criteria of the peer review system, nor is it I think appropriate to make regulation of the channel dependent on randomly selected players on the island. It would either need a new moderation system, or to be made the purview of the titans.

[Constantine]

Okay, let's start over.
I present you the issue.
Currently each realm is almost an absolutely insulate entity dialog-wise. Rulers and top officials can have some fun in realm-wide channels with their peers. Knights only hang on what RP happens inside the realm. The more players in a realm, the more chance there is to have a few good roleplayers and the more interaction they can have between each other involving the more inert crowd.
As a result smaller realms shrink further because people get bored and larger realms get larger because people flock to them in search of fun.
This directly clashes with the idea of promoting smaller realms and local conflicts.

I came up with one solution for this problem. Feel free to present your ideas.
Until this issue is addressed we will never fix the main problem - realms tending to grow huge and never engaging in meaningful conflict.

[De-Legro]

Okay, let's start over.
I present you the issue.
Currently each realm is almost an absolutely insulate entity dialog-wise. Rulers and top officials can have some fun in realm-wide channels with their peers. Knights only hang on what RP happens inside the realm. The more players in a realm, the more chance there is to have a few good roleplayers and the more interaction they can have between each other involving the more inert crowd.
As a result smaller realms shrink further because people get bored and larger realms get larger because people flock to them in search of fun.
This directly clashes with the idea of promoting smaller realms and local conflicts.

I came up with one solution for this problem. Feel free to present your ideas.
Until this issue is addressed we will never fix the main problem - realms tending to grow huge and never engaging in meaningful conflict.

Define smaller realms? Personally I think realms < 30 players are simply untenable in the long run except when they contain several active players. With 30 players you should be able to find a few that are interested in RP's if that is your thing. Huge realms are actually not that likely to produce RP, since they do little thus resulting in a apathetic player base with little to actually RP about.

Further I reject your suggestion that RP/Activity is the main driving force towards large realms. The economic and military advantages are the main forces encouraging large realms. Which realms become large is affected by activity, success and often geography, but those factors don't drive the growth to the same extent pure and simple IG power do.

[Anaris]

Define smaller realms? Personally I think realms < 30 players are simply untenable in the long run except when they contain several active players.

Unfortunately, I believe these days 30+ players counts as a huge realm.

[De-Legro]

Unfortunately, I believe these days 30+ players counts as a huge realm.

Well then we have no problem, realms are tending to coalesce into a size that is both manageable and enjoyable, Well except for lacking enough players to have enough realms that size I guess,