Minimum playtime requirement to join events

[Confused rock]

Many servers use "panic bunker" to stop people who've never joined before from joining the server at certain times, and I'm not sure if we do the same here. We've had events recently where people who don't know or care what's going on have stirred shit up when, frankly, there are enough people on the server already. Further than just a panic bunker, why don't we set a minimum playtime requirement of a few hours before you can join canon events? With some events we're already forcing people into a job slot (off duty...) so just make the job slot require playtime. People would still be able to watch, and the people in the event would have at least some experience with Aurora.

Edited February 20, 2023 by Confused rock
forgot detail on playtime requirement

[Kintsugi]

Some will call it elitist, but personally I think we have to do something to prevent pop from snowballing during events. The influx of players attracts more players on the hub, and more players means a LOT more lag - which is very noticeable during events. As a potential alternative to this, I would propose just taking the server off the hub for the duration of the event. That way, only those who would join in passing after seeing the high population count on the hub would be excluded, while everyone with an actual interest in the event will be able to participate.

[Carver]

Normally I would be against both of these due to preferring to prioritize server growth, but last event seemed to be a fucking mess so I can't really care to contest it. If I had to support anything though, going off the hub during events would be my choice since it's cleaner.

Edited February 20, 2023 by Carver

[Fluffy]

I think both those ideas are detrimental to the server, we want more people to play (we need more regular players), and the best way to try to hook them up (that isn't addressing general flaws or improvements) is with events.

What we could do, instead, is have an OOC message print out, in a popup, that explains what is going on and outline the HRP nature of the server, a condensed version of the rules, and to attach to some other player (possibly a staff player) for the duration of the event; likewise, notify the staff (and possibly everyone) that the player is new, attach a symbol right next to the character maybe, so that it can be recognized on sight, and helped out / kept an eye on while the event run.

[Sheeplets]

Going off the hub would probably be fine. Just be sure to include the server's address in an announcement on the main Discord a few hours beforehand so people are aware.

[Peppermint]

We already tend to go off the hub during events.

[Confused rock]

1 hour ago, Fluffy said:

I think both those ideas are detrimental to the server, we want more people to play (we need more regular players), and the best way to try to hook them up (that isn't addressing general flaws or improvements) is with events.

I think the people likely to join for events who wouldn't otherwise are unlikely to be long-term players.

[Fluffy]

13 minutes ago, Confused rock said:

I think the people likely to join for events who wouldn't otherwise are unlikely to be long-term players.

Possibly, even probably I'd grant, but any source of possible new players that we can find, I believe it's worth trying to take it.

[Dreamix]

I do not like panic bunkers, or playtime requirements, or similar restrictions, cause they are elitist and gatekeepy, yeah.

The last event was fun to watch and brought us some memes, but it was absolutely not representative of the general server atmosphere, and I do not think we'd want a repeat of that, ever again.

I'd rather lose the few players coming from the hub, than have another event go all messy and chaotic again.

 

1 hour ago, Peppermint said:

We already tend to go off the hub during events.

Did we go off the hub in saturday's event?

[Peppermint]

12 minutes ago, Dreamix said:

I do not like panic bunkers, or playtime requirements, or similar restrictions, cause they are elitist and gatekeepy, yeah.

The last event was fun to watch and brought us some memes, but it was absolutely not representative of the general server atmosphere, and I do not think we'd want a repeat of that, ever again.

I'd rather lose the few players coming from the hub, than have another event go all messy and chaotic again.

 

Did we go off the hub in saturday's event?

Yep

[Dreamix]

6 minutes ago, Peppermint said:

Yep

Well, that's interesting, I guess. Thanks for the answer.
So panic bunkering does not really help here.
If all these players did not just come straight from the hub, then chances are, playtime requirements would not work either.

Edited February 20, 2023 by Dreamix

[Kintsugi]

1 hour ago, Dreamix said:

The last event was fun to watch and brought us some memes, but it was absolutely not representative of the general server atmosphere, and I do not think we'd want a repeat of that, ever again.I'd rather 

To be fair, I think last event's lackluster roleplay situation was definitely in part perpetuated by Aurora regulars, and not something we can necessarily dump on the backs of hub players. 

[Garnascus]

I think the issue of "lag" is a very high priority one considering if you play during a canon event you have an explicit risk of losing your character. On principle I am against playtime requirements or taking us off the hub because I believe new players to be the lifeblood of our community. I think there exists a possibility in which i would be willing to compromise on the latter in service to the former. I am however ignorant as to the specific server causes of the lag and what if any solutions we can implement. I would appreciate @Arrow768's insight on the matter as he is our head developer.