Ideas Moving Forward

jakeb1993 wrote:4)Standardised Wrestler Profiles
This more my Autistic brain taking over, but i think it would be a good idea if we all standardised our profiles so that they all had the same content. I.e we have a template sheet that went Name,Age, etc. While most profiles do that already, each person has their own variation of something, and some of them even have Alignment sent as jobber, even though it isn't an alignment. I think it would give new players a good grounding into the expectations of what we expect, as well as making it easier to find opponents. The reason i say this is because i have been working on a SQL system that would catalogue all our wrestlers and give you a searchable index, making finding opponents more easier.

I quite like this idea. While it's true that we wouldn't have so much space to be creative, i think it would be really helpful to have database of all wrestlers. I found myself pretty often in situation, when i wanted to simply filter up different charecteristic to get list of potentional opponents instead of manually browsing the rooster. The only problem i see is that it would display inactive users as well (or can that be eliminated?).

TripleHelix wrote:I don't think anyone (or at least not me) is saying that everyone should automatically get a chance to go after a belt as a newcomer. I'm just trying to highlight existing difficulties working within the system we have in place. It can be difficult to do as people suggest to build yourself up. These experiences may or may not be unique to my situation, but by putting them out there, perhaps we can work to better the whole?

I can relate to that as well. While i understand why veteran's roleplaying with eachother, it can be really discouraging for newcommers to take initiatives with more experienced role players after getting mostly negative responds.

TripleHelix wrote:You've been here since 2011 though Lunar, and I'm sure the atmosphere was different then than it was now. I could post a list of people, veterans and non-veterans alike, that I've PM'ed about creating storylines and setting up matches, only to be ignored and shut out without so much as a "No thanks/not interested/I'm busy right now, maybe later".

But to do so would create stupid and unnecessary drama. I don't think it's fair of you to dismiss out of hand what we are saying when you've been here for 5 years, and we're the ones just trying to get started.

You're absolutely right, it shouldn't be a problem, but for me and others, it has been. I think we can all agree that this particular point is being beaten into the ground, and we already have a possible solution.

Kelsea adopted the possibility of adding people's names to a list for those willing to do random match ups with people outside their friend groups.

As for the Tension belt discussion, it's my understanding that most commenters agree the 24/7 belt IS Tensions mid-card belt and that we don't need any new titles?

It was actually harder in the older days to get stuff going. Tension is super active now. Though I understand you probably still have trouble but You also have a mostly male roster which is often pretty hard to get things going for when you're new.

I built my rping credibility in Friction and established friendships which allowed me to use Clyde more often.

Edit: Sometimes its just getting lucky and being declined... A lot. But its very usually never personal.

TripleHelix wrote:You've been here since 2011 though Lunar, and I'm sure the atmosphere was different then than it was now. I could post a list of people, veterans and non-veterans alike, that I've PM'ed about creating storylines and setting up matches, only to be ignored and shut out without so much as a "No thanks/not interested/I'm busy right now, maybe later".

I cannot speak for Tension newcomers in 2011, but when I arrived in AFW at the end of 2011 and posted a thread to introduce myself, I felt that I was introducing myself as a fifth grader at a table full of high school jocks who already have beards from the responses that generated. It was definitely not a warm welcome, and had it not been for encouraging words from Alexandra and match requests from Dynamo44, MissingKeys and mnpinner I would have probably said no way, Jose.

Harrier wrote:

TripleHelix wrote:You've been here since 2011 though Lunar, and I'm sure the atmosphere was different then than it was now. I could post a list of people, veterans and non-veterans alike, that I've PM'ed about creating storylines and setting up matches, only to be ignored and shut out without so much as a "No thanks/not interested/I'm busy right now, maybe later".

I cannot speak for Tension newcomers in 2011, but when I arrived in AFW at the end of 2011 and posted a thread to introduce myself, I felt that I was introducing myself as a fifth grader at a table full of high school jocks who already have beards from the responses that generated. It was definitely not a warm welcome, and had it not been for encouraging words from Alexandra and match requests from Dynamo44, MissingKeys and mnpinner I would have probably said no way, Jose.

winter 2010 and early 2011 was the HUGE slump of the site. Sex Warswas three people and Friction was barely alive.

It was like spring 2011 that saw new blood (Kerf, Tief, Lunar. Off the top of my head...) after we lost Ryu, Luffy and Darius and a few others.

Summer 2011 saw the birth of Summer Splash and Sex Wars becoming Tension and along came the titles.

(Edited a little)

It's a hard thing to compare how it was to be a newbie back then and how it is to be one now. So I can't really say, I'm just gonna point out that for me things went pretty well. Maybe I was just lucky ? I got a few matches going, at the start I didn't care so much about storylines, my first few matches was just fun stuff...

Then I decided to join in the tension stuff and made two chars there to have some fun. Though looking at where they are now things look pretty damn funny xD

It seems that 2011 was no easy-going time, so that comment of mine is off-base. I had no idea and I made an assumption. Fair enough, you got me there :p

But what Lobo was hitting on, it's different getting set up in Friction versus Tension, and especially using mostly male characters. The very nature of a mixed league on what started out as a f/f site has its own challenges. All I would like is for people to acknowledge that it's not as simple to build your storylines as PMing till you get a yes. I've tried that, and while it does work, you just end up where I am in that you start to only work with people who A) said yes, or B) actually gave you the time of day and courtesy to respond No. Why should I continue to reach out to people who have ignored me in the past?

Edit: maybe I'm just being silly at this point and you all already recognize what I'm saying. I don't know anymore, there are so many different topics going on throughout this thread.

Sometimes you get the best storylines from a random match that snowballs into something much bigger.

If someone ignores your PM, unless they're having emotional issues (it happens). Then I guess don't try to reach them anymore? I've only been ignored maybe like 1-2 times on PMs and it sucks but you just keep moving on until you get something.

I mean, I'm tied up as hell but would like to work with S.E.M.E.

TripleHelix wrote:Kelsea adopted the possibility of adding people's names to a list for those willing to do random match ups with people outside their friend groups.

Not totally sure a list like that would work. People's moods change (that's why the active directory roster has a tonne of inactive characters).

acuya wrote:With an RPG like this, with this many people, the sad fact is that not everyone is going to have a title shot, not everyone is going to wear a belt. A lot of it comes down to who you know, who knows you, who has the time to work with you, compatible characters, et cetera.

And I think that's how it has to be, and how it should be. Just like with 'real' wrestling, not everyone can hold a belt or even get a shot. You can still have plenty of good storylines without it, though. Some of the best stories i've read  on this board had nothing to do with a belt. Hell, I'd say the vast majority of them didn't.

Totally agree about the belts not being necessary for storylines, they're just macguffins to generate conflict. Plenty of ways to do that without throwing more belts into the mix.

Personally I think the biannual PPV system is a bit flawed and leads to the undue emphasis on belts, by basically restricting the "high profile" matches to a twice-yearly card of title matches and seasonal gimmicks.

For newbies, or people who don't read a lot of the other matches, it can be a little bewildering as to how the PPVs are even set up... I don't think they even represent the best storytelling on the site, as they come together a little randomly sometimes. Certainly, the two or three times I got involved with title matches, it wasn't always my best stuff. I had been pushing my characters in other ways before unexpectedly being approached by a mod to do a title match out of nowhere.

I think if there were other ways of recognizing and supporting "high profile" matches and storylines, outside of the PPV, then you wouldn't have such a steep cliff in character development. Rather than slogging away in the background for years, before suddenly being shoved into one of the annual title exchanges, it would be better if there was a more gentle slope in getting established and getting more people to read / engage with your RPs. I know not everyone agrees though.

Well, I can't comment too much on Tension as I haven't been very active there. Though the easiest way to get anything started in AFW in my experience is just ask for a match then build up from there.

That's how I've done with most of my things through my time here xD Very rarely have I gone in from the get go and asked for a full out Storyline from the start. Though it has happened once or twice.

I think the way that things have worked out for most of us veterans here is just that we've never really given up ? Storylines fall apart, things happen and sometimes stuff just doesn't work out. I can be hard to find things and often that can be cause people are full with matches and stuff or cause they just don't want to rp with you. It's happened to all of us, I can guarantee everyone that.

But beyond all that there is a wonderful time to be had her, with a whole lot of fun.

I only have one tension char but like I said, I'm up for helping out if people need something done or want to do something there with her

Maybe it also comforts you that I sometimes sit here and stare at the members list to see whom I could sell an idea for a match or something backstage. Especially the last one is hard to sell.^^