Spirit Lake - Discussion

Roz · Jan 10, 2019, 6:02 AM

@tinuviel said in Spirit Lake: An Original Modern Fantasy Game:

You should also probably tell people when your game is open. That's a thing too.

The original post did say when it was opening.

Caryatid · Jan 10, 2019, 6:03 AM

@tinuviel I love you, man, but quoted from the first post:

"Log-in and character creation will be turned on Wednesday, January 9. We hope to see you there!"

They told people when the game was going to be open.

Staff clearly underestimated the response and they had to make a hard choice. I didn't think I'd make it in because of my schedule and had I missed it, I'd have been pretty damn disappointed too. But I will never fault people for recognizing what they can and cannot handle, and sticking to that line. My respect grows for people capable of doing that, it doesn't diminish.

Tinuviel · Jan 10, 2019, 6:05 AM

@caryatid said in Spirit Lake: An Original Modern Fantasy Game:

"Log-in and character creation will be turned on Wednesday, January 9. We hope to see you there!"

Yeah. Because we all expect deadlines to be met.

@caryatid said in Spirit Lake: An Original Modern Fantasy Game:

Staff clearly underestimated the response and they had to make a hard choice.

Apparently not! Apparently restrictions were the idea all along, if @Noodle-McDoodle is to be believed.

I don't care that it is how it is, I care that it wasn't mentioned.

Caryatid · Jan 10, 2019, 6:07 AM

@tinuviel That is rank pedantry. Your complaint was that they did not tell people when they would be opening. They declared the game would be open today. The game did open today.

Tinuviel · Jan 10, 2019, 6:08 AM

@caryatid said in Spirit Lake: An Original Modern Fantasy Game:

Your complaint was that they did not tell people when they would be opening.

No, an exceptionally small part of my complaint was that they didn't announce when it did open, not when it is expected to open. It's also an important one, I think, if they intended to limit things from the beginning. You don't start a race by saying the day it's on and leaving it at that.

peasoupling · Jan 10, 2019, 6:10 AM

I can't believe I went to all the trouble of writing a two-line post and had a tiny fraction of my mental real estate occupied thinking of character concepts for a day and a half, nearly two. And also, I fretted about nudging someone to maybe play there or do characters together or something, for a whole 15 minutes on account of anxiety. Shame on staff.

I mean, if this post had been up and people had been hyping it for more than 3 WHOLE DAYS, some of the tut-tutting might actually make sense, but really?

Caryatid · Jan 10, 2019, 6:11 AM

They announced when they would be open. It's not on them that you didn't trust that they would be open then. They said they would. They did. This is pedantry.

Meg · Jan 10, 2019, 6:12 AM

That is a fair complaint. I can understand your point of view, Tinuviel.

One could argue though that if they had announced that there'd be limited spots, that people who were undecided about apping would take one just because they wouldn't want to miss out. Which would leave people who really wanted to play not being able to get a spot too, but because of people who just wanted to grab a spot because they were limited.

There's no real right or wrong, I'd argue. Different choices could be made, but it's hard to have foresight to tell which is the correct one.

Kanye Qwest · Jan 10, 2019, 6:14 AM

@meg There usually isn't one. Someone will end up feeling slighted one way or the other, just gotta do the best you can.

Tinuviel · Jan 10, 2019, 6:16 AM

@caryatid said in Spirit Lake: An Original Modern Fantasy Game:

This is pedantry.

If that one line is all you take of the complaint, yes. But it wasn't the entirety of my complaint, so it stands.

@meg said in Spirit Lake: An Original Modern Fantasy Game:

There's no real right or wrong, I'd argue.

I think the only real "right" thing in situations like this is to make a decision - any decision - and then tell people you've made that decision.

Auspice · Jan 10, 2019, 6:17 AM

I think part of @Tinuviel's frustration may come from the fact that being Aussie, he's also set back by being in a wholly different timezone since the apps were closed in less than 24 hours. (I would be, were I in his shoes.)

Then again, I could be entirely wrong.

GangOfDolls · Jan 10, 2019, 6:18 AM

I was actually really excited to play but being one of those players who has a full time job where I can't login from work, my plan was to work on my application as soon as I got home.

I feel kind of weirdly ... punished or something that I can't be online all day. I already struggle with this or have on other games where the light speed nature of those games leaves players struggling to balance and keep up. There will be other games and its not the end of the world and this does suggest that I'm a poor fit for a game that seems to move too fast even at opening.

I was just digging the theme and legit excited. So yeah. I'm bummed.

Tinuviel · Jan 10, 2019, 6:18 AM

@auspice That's part of it. I could be really pedantic and say "it didn't open on the day it said, for me."

My only real issue is that decisions were made and the hopeful and expectant people weren't told. It's an advertisement, communication is the entire point.

Meg · Jan 10, 2019, 6:26 AM

@gangofdolls I am sorry you feel that way. It's definitely not a good feeling to feel punished for working, or feel punished for living in a different timezone, or anything like that. I know I've had the same feelings before, but on a different game. It's Not Fun. Sorry you are bummed

GangOfDolls · Jan 10, 2019, 6:32 AM

@meg Thanks I appreciate you saying so. I know its a weird and irrational feeling to have but those are the nature of feelings. I think its rooted in feeling like there's not much out there in Mu* land lately that feels like a vibrant game and is also a theme or system I enjoy playing. I think if there were more games operating lately, it wouldn't feel so 'privileged by conditions that allow you to be online at certain times' vs. 'you can't have nice things for arbitrary reasons'.

I guess I'll just watch and wait and hope that of the initial surge, the population levels out and they start accepting applications.

Meg · Jan 10, 2019, 6:42 AM

@gangofdolls Yeah. You don't think feelings be like that, but they do. No one set out to put anyone into a gotcha situation. I think it is inevitable that people will fall off; I don't think I've seen any game where all of the people ever hooked in. And the game will get settled and hopefully yeah, apps open. If you're still interested then, it'll be fun to play with you!

I do honestly hope that a game that is good for you does open too, though. The lack of games is definitely I think something we are all feeling. I'd put it to like, our hobby just getting older. Not a lot of people having free time to run the games.

faraday · Jan 10, 2019, 6:50 AM

@tinuviel said in Spirit Lake: An Original Modern Fantasy Game:

Apparently not! Apparently restrictions were the idea all along, if @Noodle-McDoodle is to be believed.

I think that's assuming an awful lot of ill will based on a random comment from one person who isn't even on staff.

There's absolutely no indication that there was some unadvertised population cap, and every indication that it's just a case of staff dramatically underestimating how popular the game would be.

"oh this is going to be pretty niche, let's advertise so it's not a ghost town"
"ZOMG ALL THE PEOPLE CAME"

Disappointment is perfectly understandable. I was bummed I didn't get tickets to a show recently because I didn't find out about it in time. It happens.

But giving staff grief for making a tough call to try to make a quality game? That's not cool. That's the sort of attitude that makes people reluctant to run games in the first place.

Flitcraft · Jan 10, 2019, 6:48 AM

I wasn't actually going to look at this place until a friend convinced me to make a bit this morning. Then the place closed like an hour before she got home from work, so she didn't get to make one.

(

Meg · Jan 10, 2019, 6:52 AM

@flitcraft aw man, that sucks. i feel bad for you guys. the image has me cracking up though. It is a very confusing time to be me right now.

Too Old For This · Jan 10, 2019, 6:58 AM

@faraday I'm rather surprised that anyone opening a game right now would think that they won't get a ton of people. We are, and have been, starved for new games for some time now. Arx has been the only real 'major' player in the game for at least a year, maybe longer. Why wouldn't anyone expect a flood of interest in something new and different?