Otaku Idol 2: Who Wants To Be An Event Master? [Member Feedback & Interviews]

[Aaryanna]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid]Well first of all I think it?s obvious that all of entries had a lot of thought and effort put into them. White?s because it?s so easy for anyone to play, Sandy?s because it has the secrecy of pitting fellow players against one another and Gavin?s because it gives you the chance to really compete on so many levels.

As for my input, I think White?s event does a good job of being open to pretty much everyone. So I don?t really have any advice, as it seems pretty flexible in how many members can play and such.

Sandy, the only thing I could see doing differently with yours is allowing more players. But then I didn?t construct the rules so I don?t know if that would be a problem or not. Perhaps having one group of seven start one week and then another group say the next week? That would make it more open in that more people could participate and it would potentially attract more people. Especially if you made the final decision as to who went into each group. It would add to the mystery of wondering just which group you would be in.

[QUOTE=Gavin][SIZE=1][b]How could the over-all application to Kumite be made more user-friendly while keeping the competitive nature of the competition intact ?[/b]

Any and all response to that would be most welcome.[/SIZE][/QUOTE]In my opinion I think your event is to complicated. Only in that people may not want to participate in part of it. Like the poetry section, I?m just as bad at that as my mom is. ^_~ So perhaps it might help to either remove the poetry section, or open up your event to allow people to apply to compete in only two of the areas instead of all of them. Then at the end if they wish it they can compete in all of the events for the master title.

I?m not sure how you would do that, but I thought I would at least present the idea. I have no interest in the poetry aspect, but sparring or role-playing or writing would be fun to attempt. ^_^
[/COLOR]

[Sandy]

[QUOTE=Aaryanna][COLOR=DarkOrchid]
Sandy, the only thing I could see doing differently with yours is allowing more players. But then I didn?t construct the rules so I don?t know if that would be a problem or not. Perhaps having one group of seven start one week and then another group say the next week? That would make it more open in that more people could participate and it would potentially attract more people. Especially if you made the final decision as to who went into each group. It would add to the mystery of wondering just which group you would be in.
[/COLOR][/QUOTE]

That would be great [I]if[/I] there were more people signing up. So far, I have the seven I asked for, and I'm satisfied with all of them. Together we'll make this event enjoyable to outside viewers as well, I'm sure of that. However, I'm not expecting any more sign ups for tomorrow, although they would be a nice surprise.

Thanks anyway, Aaryanna! ;D

[Shy]

[size=1]It's a little late to say this, but I have played 13 Dead End Drive before. Mafia is loosely based on an on old grade school game, and Kumite borrows the format from various Anthology threads and past events. None of them are completely original in any respect.

-Shy[/size]

[DeathKnight]

[quote name='Sandy]What are you even trying to do, get me to drop out of this contest? No matter how much resistance I get for my event, I'm going to pull it through with people who are actually interested in it, and in the end it's [I]Shy[/I']'s decision if it was good enough or not.[/quote]

[color=crimson]Yeah, it's you against the world man! Don't let them get you down, just GO for it! *inspiring music*

We can critique your event as much as we want to, no matter what Shy finally decides. If we think it's piss poor in some (or many) areas we will be telling you so that you have it in mind what our (aka the [i]Community's[/i]) misgivings are.

You keep trying to make the case that it's just individuals that don't like your Event and/or find it convoluted and uninteresting when all of us seem to be echoing each other's critiques, lol.

Drop out? No, I don't personally care about that. This isn't some kind of personal attack on you, it's just us (or me) bringing up the flaws of your Event and how you approached creating it.

You know, key issues if you're going to be the, oh I don't know, [b]Event Master[/b]?[/color]

[quote name='Sandy']Don't tell me it won't work before it has even started.[/quote]

[color=crimson]Personally I'm not saying that. If you want it to work and make the effort it will work, it might work so beautifully we're all awestruck and go "wow Sandy that was pretty cool I take everything back can I have your autograph homie".

Or it might just crash and burn and explode like a piece of ****.

What happens is mostly in your hands and in the hands of the people you allow to sign up.[/color]


[quote name='Sandy]What is there to take, honestly? According to you as well as a number of others, my game sucks, so the only thing I could do is to change it completely, or just give up. And that is [I]not[/I'] an option. You can psyche and provoke me all you want, I'm not giving in.[/quote]

[color=crimson]Okay so let me just get this straight:

*There is a [b]group of us[/b] critiquing you.
*All of us, more or less, are [b]echoing each other[/b] with what we find flawed with your game.
*All of this, from [b]well-respected and knowledgeable members[/b], goes in one ear and out the other.
*Your responses, if not defensive, are increasingly melodramatic (if only you were so important that we'd all band together to destroy your Event).[/color]

[quote name='Sandy']I don't understand where everybody has gotten this sudden urge to give me a piece of their "constructive" advice. [/quote]

[color=crimson]There are flaws in your event, there are flaws in all three events. Shy has pointed out none of them are original and all three of them provide a pretty extensive list of rules/guidelines to enjoy them, some more extensive than the others.

Gavin in this thread has showed a respectable attitude about the flaws in his RP and openly changed aspects of it due to the responses he's been provided. Even if his Event isn't as universally appealing as White I think these are fine attributes to have if you are going to be an Event Master and I now think that he would do just as good as job as White would.

You, though. Completely different reaction to criticism. A poor reaction to it, really.[/color]

[quote name='Sandy]Come what may, Labyrinth is [I]my[/I'] event, and if it doesn't make me an Event Master, then so be it. But couldn't you people at least give me a chance?[/quote]

[color=crimson]Exactly why are we giving you criticism, Sandy?

Are you so misguided to think that we give it because you are you? Because we decided to target your Event as the one to just **** around with? That there was a secret meeting one day and we all said "Well, Sandy is going down dude"?

Or are we giving it because we have opinions on how to improve it and, in theory, improve your chances at winning OI2? And in the course of us giving our opinions you have responded so poorly, with such irritating and persistent defensiveness that this has spun out beyond that into a back-and-forth exchange that seems like it will never end?

Yeah. You have your chance. Do what you want with it, your Event can rock if you want it to.

But just in this thread, how you responded to us? It's not just the Event that's flawed, that can be forgiven. It's your attitude that's really grating.[/color]

[TheResplendent]

[font=tahoma]Actually, I own 13 Dead End Drive...I used to play it all the time (my personal favorite was the chandelier drop). I was actually under the belief that it was a fairly popular board game back when it came out so it surprises me that it hasen't been heard of.

But anyhow, back to the topic at hand. To Gavin's question I will post my opinions for later today since I have work in an hour. But since I'm the one who brought the issue up I feel it obligates me to give my input as well. I don't want to seem like someone who is just discouraging without trying to help out (if my help is accepted). [/font]

[Ellerby]

[COLOR=DimGray][FONT=Tahoma]Holy... Alright, I've finally read through all of this and while I would love to respond to every little post like Sandy has, I won't. Why? Because I don't want to. Mafia has gotten it's fair share of compliments, yeah, but it's not like it hasn't gotten any criticism either.

[quote name='Sandy]What are you even trying to do, get me to drop out of this contest? No matter how much resistance I get for my event, I'm going to pull it through with people who are actually interested in it, and in the end it's [I]Shy[/I']'s decision if it was good enough or not.[/quote]
Not entirely true. While it is Shy that ultimately decides who wins (if he chooses a winner, that is) he won't go picking someone that the majority of the community doesn't approve of. I mean, it's the [b]Community[/b] Event Master, after all.

Anyways, I appreciate all the compliments and constructive criticism Mafia has recieved. I'm actually trying to think of a way I could make Mafia a little bit more OtakuBoards-related, but it's turning out to be easier said than done, lol. I have, however, thought of a way to involve members of OB that won't be signing up for Mafia in the event. They won't have a huge influence on the event, but it will be enough to get rid of a few people (not directly). Something to look forward to, I guess. ;)[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Sandy]

[QUOTE=DeathKnight][color=crimson]
Or are we giving it because we have opinions on how to improve it and, in theory, improve your chances at winning OI2? And in the course of us giving our opinions you have responded so poorly, with such irritating and persistent defensiveness that this has spun out beyond that into a back-and-forth exchange that seems like it will never end?[/color][/QUOTE]

I see your (and Dead's and Papa Smurf's) criticism riddled with mockery and insults (which I haven't responded to until now), and I'm [I]supposed[/I] to listen to that?! What exactly do you take me for?

So far none of you three have given me anything concrete to improve on. [I]You[/I] say Labyrinth doesn't interest anyone, Dead doesn't like the fact that it's an RPG and that it involves PMs, and Papa Smurf thinks it's wrong that it's based on some "obscure" board game. So you don't like my event, [I]I get it[/I]. If I were to listen to you, I'd have to change [I]every single thing[/I] in it. And, like I said, it's not an option at this point.

I may be irritating with all these responses, but you guys are flaming me with your "we know better"-crap. I heard you the first time, so can we just stop this nonsense already?

[Tekkaman]

[font=Century Gothic][size=1][color=gray]Wow...[/color][/size][/font]

[font=Century Gothic][size=1][color=gray]...I just got off of work and logged onto the Boards -[/color][/size][/font]

[font=Century Gothic][size=1][color=gray]- and let me tell you, I was not expecting to see so much constructive critiquing towards [color=indigo]Sandy[/color].[/color][/size][/font]

[font=Century Gothic][size=1][color=gray]I mean, yeah, there are flaws in everyone's work no matter how many times we double or triple check our work and there always will be. The only thing you can do about that is take what other people like and try to transmorgify your own styles; whether the opinion comes from members like [color=indigo]Dagger[/color] and [color=indigo]Retribution[/color] or members like [color=indigo]DeadSeraphim[/color] and [color=indigo]PapaSmurf[/color] - no offense to any of you four. I would've said to Sandy, '...just take the helpful posts of the other members here and decide what to do later.'; but since [color=indigo]Sandy[/color] has beaten me to the punch whilst I was away making money, i'll just leave the situation alone. The last thing I wanna do is play with an unstable nuclear missle during takeoff, vis a vis: Members trying to help [color=indigo]Sandy[/color] with opinions and facts concerning his upcoming event in [color=indigo]Otaku Idol 2[/color].[/color][/size][/font]

[Ellerby]

[quote name='Tekkaman][font=Century Gothic][size=1][color=gray]I mean, yeah, there are flaws in everyone's work no matter how many times we double or triple check our work and there always will be. The only thing you can do about that is take what other people like and try to transmorgify your own styles; whether the opinion comes from members like [color=indigo]Dagger[/color] and [color=indigo]Retribution[/color] or members like [color=indigo]DeadSeraphim[/color] and [color=indigo]PapaSmurf[/color] - no offense to any of you four. I would've said to Sandy, '...just take the helpful posts of the other members here and decide what to do later.'; but since [color=indigo]Sandy[/color] has beaten me to the punch whilst I was away making money, i'll just leave the situation alone. The last thing I wanna do is play with an unstable nuclear missle during takeoff, vis a vis: Members trying to help [color=indigo]Sandy[/color] with opinions and facts concerning his upcoming event in [color=indigo]Otaku Idol 2[/color].[/color][/size'][/font][/quote]
[COLOR=DimGray][FONT=Tahoma]Sandy wouldn't have gotten half the criticism he did if he hadn't reacted so defensively.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[DeadSeraphim]

[quote name='White][COLOR=DimGray][FONT=Tahoma]Sandy wouldn't have gotten half the criticism he did if he hadn't reacted so defensively.[/FONT'][/COLOR][/quote]
[size=1][color=indigo][font=arial]Truedat. Besides, I have no problems with the PMs, I just think Sandy hurt his own chances by being so mysterious about everything. Also, the RPG thing goes for everyone, including you, White (though you're is doing a better job of making his RPG community accessible than anyone else, so far). I don't hate Sandy, or have a vendetta against him, he'd just like to think so.[/font][/color][/size]

[SunfallE]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][quote name='Aaryanna][COLOR=DarkOrchid']Sandy, the only thing I could see doing differently with yours is allowing more players. But then I didn?t construct the rules so I don?t know if that would be a problem or not. Perhaps having one group of seven start one week and then another group say the next week? That would make it more open in that more people could participate and it would potentially attract more people. Especially if you made the final decision as to who went into each group. It would add to the mystery of wondering just which group you would be in. [/COLOR][/quote] [QUOTE=Sandy]That would be great [I]if[/I] there were more people signing up. So far, I have the seven I asked for, and I'm satisfied with all of them. Together we'll make this event enjoyable to outside viewers as well, I'm sure of that. However, I'm not expecting any more sign ups for tomorrow, although they would be a nice surprise.

Thanks anyway, Aaryanna! ;D[/QUOTE]Well since it?s so close to the deadline, perhaps an alteration that allowed a second set of sign ups? Thus making the deadline the 25th? That way you could still have a second round if you had enough interest. In all honesty I figured that like your previous events you already had a ton of sign ups. I?m sure that other people may have thought to themselves; ?[I]Sandy?s events/RPG?s are always popular so why bother when I probably won?t even be accepted[/I]?

By allowing more than one round it would make it more accessible to the members as you would no longer be limiting how many people can be a part of it. It wouldn?t matter that the sign ups are secret anymore as the potential player won?t be worrying about will I even get in.

As for your event Gavin, I?m in agreement with Aaryanna in that although it is a great idea for a very intense competition, the fact that there are so many areas to compete in is a bit of a turn off for me. I?m not really interested in sparring or poetry. So maybe simplifying it (by removing one of the competitions) or allowing partial enrollment would gather more attention.

As for White?s event, I don?t have any suggestions. It is a form of RPG, but in my opinion, I think that by not requiring detailed signups and being more open makes up for it. It?s flexible in that anywhere from eight to thirty players will work. Making it very open to the community as a whole. [/COLOR]

[Sandy]

[quote name='White][COLOR=DimGray][FONT=Tahoma]Sandy wouldn't have gotten half the criticism he did if he hadn't reacted so defensively.[/FONT'][/COLOR][/quote]

I don't get it. Should've I just crawled in front of everybody who gave me feedback, saying "yes yes, you're right, I'm sorry" instead of defending my views and decisions? I know I should've been more calm about it, but I didn't resort to namecalling like Papa Smurf or belittling like DeathKnight.

I may be overly sensitive, but that's only because DeadSeraphim, Papa Smurf and DeathKnight have all flamed me in the past. Somehow those three are always eager to "share their opinions" with me.

I have high faith in Labyrinth, but it does have it's flaws, I admit. However, so far the only [I]truly[/I] constructive criticism (which didn't have a taste of insult included) has come from Charles, Aaryanna and Aaryanna_Mom - they offered advice that could actually be used to change something. So I'm not the only one at fault here.

Now I'm tired of this foolish argument, and I'm honestly relieved that Labyrinth starts tomorrow so all of you can see how it [I]really[/I] works (if it works, that is). ;D

[quote name='Tekkaman][font=Century Gothic][size=1][color=gray]I would've said to Sandy, '...just take the helpful posts of the other members here and decide what to do later.'[/color][/size'][/font][/quote]

Wise words, Tekkaman. Unfortunately I don't have the patience for that, which I admit is a bad thing.

[TheResplendent]

[QUOTE=Gavin][SIZE=1]
The sparring section however was something I added simply because I considered it to have been a major part of the Arena at one stage. What I had originally hoped was that people would understand that the sign up for the spars was genuinely meant to be vague in that I had hoped to be able to give people the opportunity to create characters that really reflected their own skills and attributes. However I can see there was also a lot of room for god-modding so I'll have to go back and see how I can change that. Which I suppose leads on to the following question:

[b]How could the over-all application to Kumite be made more user-friendly while keeping the competitive nature of the competition intact ?[/b]

Any and all response to that would be most welcome.[/SIZE][/QUOTE]


[font=tahoma]Alright, on to this.

I just wanna say the last thing I want to do here is sound presumptuous, or make it seem like I'd rather run the event because it isn't true. It's simply meant to be a few suggestions which can be heeded or not.

Concerning the general sign up, it may appear very demanding as it's already been said...though I personally can deal with it. But perhaps it would be more productive to allow the members a choice between either a piece of poetry, an RP post, or a story from the anthology. With a keen eye, many aspects of someone's writing style can be told through a single piece of writing so long as it's wisely chosen by the members. After all, poetry is the flow of words together to convey a story in consolidated form where as a story is such in more detail. Concerning an RP post, that is pretty much conveying a part of a story as well...so if inclination can be seen through one of these, it's safe to assume that they are somewhat proficient in the other areas as well.

I can think of a few examples from my past RP posts i'd use as a single example to show off my talents which I think would cover all of the categories amply. This would serve to make choosing the examples for the sign-ups easier and quicker and it would make the selection all the more careful because it IS being chosen to represent an apparent knack for multiple categories of writing.

Concerning the character creation for the SPARs, it's good to give an element of freedom and i personally like the idea of an OB self as if "jacking in to the matrix" (just using an example since i think it portrays the concept the best, my apologies if i'm not doing it enough justice). But guidelines should be set, as you've already realized to prevent god-modding and such. Though i think the problem is more so about what i said previously, which is people not knowing what kind of character to create in order to fit in to the mix comfortably. The people who would sign up for Kumite i imagine would not go the "god-modding" path anyhow since that itself would take away from the feel of the competiton. It should be a competition, not a potential slaughter as portrayed through would-be convincing spars.

Anyhow, the guidelines can be general and still allow for a good amount of freedom. Such as merely stating the overall theme a character should follow, such as "Think medieval mages and warriors" or "Strong monstruous mutations" or "Martial arts experts with typical japanese or chinese styled weapons". Something that gives us an idea on how we should elaborate on our personal skills so not to overpower (of underpower) our characters too much. Even my aforementioned examples may seem a bit more specific than what you could make them, but the point i'm trying to get across is that we simply need a spectrum of how our characters should be created so we don't have people differing so much that it just appears unconvincing for certain characters to match up to others, regardless of how much control each person has in writing a spar. Like an example I used earlier, someone with menial skills in comparison to such powerful ones like creating powerful blasts and some types of invulnerability wouldn't really flow as well. For an example taken from anime, something like Byakuya from Bleach vs Ryoko from Tenchi. Both have powers and skills, but one clearly outmatches the other.

So again I hope you don't take all of this the wrong way, Gavin. I'm not trying to tell you how to run your event. Apologies if anything i've said seems offensive.[/font]

[DeathKnight]

[quote name='Sandy']Somehow those three are always eager to "share their opinions" with me.[/quote]

[color=crimson]We're all keenly interested in your continued success and happiness.[/color]

[SunfallE]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][quote name='Sandy']I don't get it. Should've I just crawled in front of everybody who gave me feedback, saying "yes yes, you're right, I'm sorry" instead of defending my views and decisions? I know I should've been more calm about it, but I didn't resort to namecalling like Papa Smurf or belittling like DeathKnight.[/quote]I don?t think that any of the people were deliberately trying to give you a hard time Sandy. Boo was explaining to you why your event didn?t catch their attention. Both BKstyles and Aaryanna_Mom explained how your event seems to be more geared towards RPG players instead of the community at large.

Aaryanna pointed out how including more members would be a good idea.

Charles pointed out that they felt the effort to be impressive overcomplicated things. DeathKnight pointed out that the differences you mentioned in your event vs. a true RPG didn?t make it more appealing to them.

DeadSeraphim pointed out that previous events that weren?t RPG?s were successful. And that the current entries were just more of a showcase your RPG?s instead of a more community-based event.

Papa Smurf pointed out that they felt that a game converted to an event/RPG with rules was really better suited to the game board format where you play it out face to face.

Overall I didn?t really see any attempts to tell you your idea sucked or that you should remake it. I can see that it frustrates you so you?ve been defending your idea. But I honestly don?t think they were looking for you to defend it. I think they were just trying to say that if you are going to be the next Event Master, you need to keep this sort of thing in mind so that all of your events don?t end up being just another RPG.

DeadSeraphim even pointed out that they felt this way about [I]all of the events.[/I] [QUOTE=Sandy]I may be overly sensitive, but that's only because DeadSeraphim, Papa Smurf and DeathKnight have all flamed me in the past. Somehow those three are always eager to "share their opinions" with me.

I have high faith in Labyrinth, but it does have it's flaws, I admit. However, so far the only [I]truly[/I] constructive criticism (which didn't have a taste of insult included) has come from Charles, Aaryanna and Aaryanna_Mom - they offered advice that could actually be used to change something. So I'm not the only one at fault here.[/QUOTE]Don?t let the past interfere or overshadow their current comments. I think the problem here is you took the input too personally (perhaps because of past experience) and perceived it as an attack instead of constructive criticism on what they would like to see in a future event master.

I know I for one would like to see more than just RPG?s as the other events like the quiz and nifty fifty were lots of fun. So I really think that this entire debate has been about not relying on past experience with RPG?s, because in the end it doesn?t really include the entire community very well. [/COLOR]

[Sandy]

[QUOTE=SunfallE][COLOR=RoyalBlue]
I know I for one would like to see more than just RPG?s as the other events like the quiz and nifty fifty were lots of fun. So I really think that this entire debate has been about not relying on past experience with RPG?s, because in the end it doesn?t really include the entire community very well. [/COLOR][/QUOTE]

Heh, you're really making me look like I can't take any feedback from anybody, Sunfall. XP

I actually did address all of the people who gave me their opinions, but only a selected few went on with how I'm not listening to them even though I should (and how I overdramatize everything and generally act like a retard etc.). I just didn't know what people wanted me to do when they said that the PMs were a bad idea or it shouldn't be based on a board game. Say "okay, I won't do that ever again" or "you're absolutely right and I was wrong"? They're just opinions, not the objective truth.

I know my event isn't meant for everybody, and I have admitted that several times before, but if you look at the very beginning of this thread, and all the limitations Shy gave us, then you'll understand that it's not an easy task at all to create a game suitable for the whole community.

I stand by my decision to make an RPG, it's what I do best and I know how to make it interesting. It would've been downright foolish for me to try something completely different in a [I]competition[/I]. However, if people are worried that I won't do anything else besides RPGs if I get chosen to be an Event Master, then I can tell you to relax, because I already have several ideas how to involve the majority of the community to the Event Forum.

For [I]this[/I] particular event, I didn't see it necessary or even possible, due to the restrictions in time and duration, amount of threads and the fact that there's three events going on at the same time (which seriously divides peoples' interests). I got an idea that I thought was great, it passed Shy's judgment and tomorrow it'll launch. There's no going back now. ;D

[SunfallE]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][quote name='Sandy] Heh, you're really making me look like I can't take any feedback from anybody, Sunfall. XP[/quote]That certainly is not my intent. ^_~ I just think you got frustrated and seeing how demanding coming up with an event that will please a lot of members is, I can understand that. [quote=Sandy] I just didn't know what people wanted me to do when they said that the PMs were a bad idea or it shouldn't be based on a board game. Say "okay, I won't do that ever again" or "you're absolutely right and I was wrong"? They're just opinions, not the objective truth.[/quote]True, they are just opinions and your statement that you just didn?t know what people wanted you to do is an excellent response. I think this is where the thread derailed a bit. You didn?t say, [I]okay, do you have any suggestions[/I]; you instead immediately defended your event, so I think it got everyone off on the wrong tangent here since it wasn?t really necessary to defend your event. So it got the others coming back telling you that you were overreacting. Like a chain reaction. It just kept going.[quote=Sandy] However, if people are worried that I won't do anything else besides RPGs if I get chosen to be an Event Master, then I can tell you to relax, because I already have several ideas how to involve the majority of the community to the Event Forum.[/quote]That?s good to know because unless you tell us, we have no way of knowing this and you are rather well known for your RPG?s so it was an assumption on my part to think that since you entered the contest with a modified RPG that as an event master you would most likely continue with the same type of events. So it was a valid concern as I truly didn?t know what you have in mind; and I nor anyone else can tell what you have in mind just by seeing what your first event is. [quote=Sandy'] For this particular event, I didn't see it necessary or even possible, due to the restrictions in time and duration, amount of threads and the fact that there's three events going on at the same time (which seriously divides peoples' interests). I got an idea that I thought was great, it passed Shy's judgment and tomorrow it'll launch. There's no going back now. ;D[/quote]I agree, having more than one event running at a time does divide people?s interests and thus makes it harder as you are competing with the other two to get members to be a part of your event. I don?t have a problem with your initial idea, nor do I think you should go back and start over. But if you are going to be an event master, I would imagine that this won?t be the first time you?ll have to deal with people not agreeing with the event you?ve chosen. And as a potential event master, dealing with such differences of opinion is going to be essential to your job.

So in that respect I think this whole thing can also be a learning experience on how to address members concerns in relation to any current event. I?m not saying one side is right and the other is wrong. Only that I think an initial reaction to be defensive got everyone going in the wrong direction. ^_~
[/COLOR]

[Sandy]

[QUOTE=SunfallE][COLOR=RoyalBlue]
So in that respect I think this whole thing can also be a learning experience on how to address members concerns in relation to any current event. I?m not saying one side is right and the other is wrong. Only that I think an initial reaction to be defensive got everyone going in the wrong direction. ^_~
[/COLOR][/QUOTE]

You can bet I've learned my lesson about this incident. ;D

But if you look back at this thread, you'll see that there's nothing in my previous post I hadn't already said earlier. I got frustrated because I felt I was constantly repeating my words, which lead me to think that I was being provoked.

Whatever the truth about that was, I think this issue has now reached it's conclusion.

[Gavin]

[QUOTE=BKstyles][font=tahoma]Concerning the general sign up, it may appear very demanding as it's already been said...though I personally can deal with it. But perhaps it would be more productive to allow the members a choice between either a piece of poetry, an RP post, or a story from the anthology. With a keen eye, many aspects of someone's writing style can be told through a single piece of writing so long as it's wisely chosen by the members. After all, poetry is the flow of words together to convey a story in consolidated form where as a story is such in more detail. Concerning an RP post, that is pretty much conveying a part of a story as well...so if inclination can be seen through one of these, it's safe to assume that they are somewhat proficient in the other areas as well.

I can think of a few examples from my past RP posts I'd use as a single example to show off my talents which I think would cover all of the categories amply. This would serve to make choosing the examples for the sign-ups easier and quicker and it would make the selection all the more careful because it IS being chosen to represent an apparent knack for multiple categories of writing.[/font][/QUOTE]

[SIZE=1]I definitely understand where you're coming from BK, and honestly I think it's probably my own overall lack of experience when it comes to both poetry and sparring that prompted me to look for samples off people. The only problem I could perceive with a single sample piece would be that it might not reflect the person's overall ability, but then this competition is about overall writing ability so I guess a person wouldn't sign up unless they were confident they could win. I think I probably will trim it down to only a single required sample and the spar sign-up sheet, although that will be reworked. [/SIZE]

[QUOTE=BKstyles][font=tahoma]Concerning the character creation for the Spars, it's good to give an element of freedom and I personally like the idea of an OB self as if "jacking in to the matrix" (just using an example since i think it portrays the concept the best, my apologies if I'm not doing it enough justice). But guidelines should be set, as you've already realized to prevent god-modding and such. Though i think the problem is more so about what i said previously, which is people not knowing what kind of character to create in order to fit in to the mix comfortably. The people who would sign up for Kumite i imagine would not go the "god-modding" path anyhow since that itself would take away from the feel of the competition. It should be a competition, not a potential slaughter as portrayed through would-be convincing spars.

Anyhow, the guidelines can be general and still allow for a good amount of freedom. Such as merely stating the overall theme a character should follow, such as "Think medieval mages and warriors" or "Strong monstrous mutations" or "Martial arts experts with typical Japanese or Chinese styled weapons". Something that gives us an idea on how we should elaborate on our personal skills so not to overpower (of underpower) our characters too much. Even my aforementioned examples may seem a bit more specific than what you could make them, but the point I'm trying to get across is that we simply need a spectrum of how our characters should be created so we don't have people differing so much that it just appears unconvincing for certain characters to match up to others, regardless of how much control each person has in writing a spar. Like an example I used earlier, someone with menial skills in comparison to such powerful ones like creating powerful blasts and some types of invulnerability wouldn't really flow as well. For an example taken from anime, something like Byakuya from Bleach vs Ryoko from Tenchi. Both have powers and skills, but one clearly outmatches the other.[/font][/QUOTE]

[SIZE=1]The "Jacking into the Matrix" quote is exactly what I've been getting at BK, as while keeping a degree of realism to the event, I would also like to give people a chance to be able to exercise their skills over a greater environment of competition. Originally I wanted people to be able to craft whatever character they pleased and then have them spar against someone else, but as you and others have correctly pointed out that could be very unfair for one of the parties involved i.e. a cowboy against a Jedi would be a rather short fight.

After speaking with a few friends, I think what I'll do instead is provide a short back story to which the characters will be tied to in some way, no whether that will be a medieval setting or somewhere in the distant future is something I'll have to decide quickly on though I would like to do something somewhere between modern and near future.[/SIZE]

[quote name='BKstyles][font=tahoma']So again I hope you don't take all of this the wrong way, Gavin. I'm not trying to tell you how to run your event. Apologies if anything I've said seems offensive.[/font][/quote]

[SIZE=1]On the contrary BK, I'm very appreciative you took the time to answer my question and give me some suggestions on how I might improve my event. I think seeing as we're [Sandy, White and myself] are all trying to take over one of the most important positions on OB, we need to be able to take criticism of our work without it becoming personal, so long as that criticism is constructive of course.[/SIZE]

[James]

[font=arial]I haven't read through all of the various lines of discussion in this thread so far, but I did want to offer three points of advice as the person who actually runs OtakuBoards - it may very well be too late for this information to be useful for current contestants, but these points do seem to have been brought up by others in this thread on some level.

[b]Event Complexity[/b]

Events with multiple rounds and requirements are fine, but it's important to remember that OB events are designed to be [i]fun[/i]. Requiring members to submit extremely detailed applications is generally a no-no, because it will turn away most "casual" members (and some people simply don't want to invest that kind of time in one event, especially if they are spending time on other parts of the boards).

So while it's worth having an event with twists, turns and varying levels to it...I would suggest that event creators attempt to keep their events as simple and easy to follow as possible. This will help to attract maximum interest and user feedback.

[b]Event Flexibility[/b]

Some events are extremely dependent on a specific number of members, while others are far more open. An RPG-type event, for instance, is usually highly-reliant on some fairly specific factors, whereas a more free-form event (like Otaku Awards or Nifty Fifty) are extremely flexible and can work no matter how many members participate.

RPG-like events (and events that require sign-ups in general) often build to a certain point and then they are no longer able to include members (you might have a ceiling of 20 and no more - everyone after that point can only comment or watch the event). Such a situation can be avoided if additional members can get involved in some way (ie: if they can help with judging, or voting, etc).

The free-form style events usually have low barrier to entry and can accommodate 100 or more members with ease - these events are [i]usually[/i] far more popular and inclusive.

Also, no matter what the event...I always recommend having a back-up plan. Is the RPG so particular with its rules that it can't change or adapt if people drop out, or if fewer members sign-up than hoped for? This has to be a consideration with every single OB event.

[b]Event Variety[/b]

Poetry, art competitions and RPG-like events are wonderful and within these categories there can be some extremely varied situations.

But I encourage people to look outside what's been done before and try something entirely new. What about a photography competition, or a scavenger hunt that involves scanning newspaper articles? Those may not be great ideas, but they're just examples of things we can do. Remember what OB is capable of on a technological level (HTML, displaying images, sounds, music, etc) and use all of these features to your advantage. OB is text-centric but it's a site capable of rich multimedia - this is something that can be used where appropriate.

Anyway, that's my two cents...just some general words that may or may not spark some ideas.[/font]

[Gavin]

[SIZE=1]Due to a rather nasty bout of the flu in recent days I haven't been able to do any revamping work with Kumite. However seeing as I hope to be over the worst of it, the renovated version of the thread, along with a new sign up should be ready by Sunday evening at the latest.

As a lot of people have been saying, I'm going to try and make this event as simple and fun as possible, while still retaining the competitive edge of writing that I had hoped to achieve with this event. So don't count me out just yet.[/SIZE]

[Shy]

[size=1][b]Interview Two - Dealing With Members[/b]

In your brief time as Jr. Event Masters you have come under attack in a variety of ways. Some have been pointed towards your events, while others towards you as a member. The way you handle these comments defines the way others view you on the boards, and is one of the most important things you need to understand as an OtakuBoards staff member.

Two of you are currently OB staff members, so your difficulty in dealing with criticism (constructive or otherwise) already reflects poorly on the boards. You should be aware that these members who speak so poorly of you have rich histories on the boards as well, and many speak from their own experience as former (or current) staff members.

With the creation of Otakupedia I think we have a ripe opportunity to look back and learn about these rich histories, so this week that is exactly what we're going to go.

Rather than just a straightforward interview, you have a small research assignment as well.

[b]Research and write an [url=http://otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=55821]Otakupedia[/url] entry about one of the members who tried to provide you constructive criticism in this very thread. Choose any member you'd like except for Papa Smurf, since he's banned and I'd like the subjects to be able to post their thoughts here. Feel free to speak to them directly to get more information. In fact, I encourage it.

Make sure this entry is both accurate and fair by sending the suject matter a copy of it to review. Post your entry in the Otakupedia thread when it is completed, then answer the following questions here...

1: What bothered you so much about their criticism towards you and your event?

2: What did you learn in your research that surprised you the most? How did learning about them effect your opinion of this member?

3: Do you feel their criticism is more justified after learning more about their experience on the boards? Please elaborate.

4: If any, what steps have you made to address member criticism towards your event

5: Why is member feedback so important to Community Events?[/b]

If this sounds like a high school report, you're right. Grow up and show some respect around here, kids.

-Shy[/size]

[Sandy]

I accept your assignment, Shy, but at the same time I feel it's directed towards me only. I don't feel White or Gavin felt attacked by the criticism they received, and their responses were nothing but civil and respecting, so isn't it quite unfair to give them the same task? :/

[Shy]

[size=1]Both Gavin and White have demonstrated a failure to deal with member criticism effectively in the past. As current and prospective staff, I feel this is an important skill to master. Although your... failure was the most public of the three, this assignment wasn't just geared towards you specifically.

You know I love ya Sandy. I want you all to suffer equally.

-Shy[/size]

[Gavin]

[SIZE=1]I find it more than a bit ironic that only yesterday I posted in the actual Otakupedia thread that I was rubbish at writing articles, but what the hell I'll give it my best shot.

Also Sandy, Josh is correct when he says that I have failed to deal with criticism properly before, and though I won't bring up the particulars, rest assured Sandy you are not the only one.

As some of you may have seen, Kumite's revamp is now [b]finished[/b] and I would hope that in it's new form I'll be able to join the others in getting my event to the active stage.[/SIZE]