How's My Driving?

[animusmods]

SEPTEMBER HMD

(a little early because there wasn't an August one)

1) Comment to this post with a list of your characters! This meme, by the way, is voluntary but recommended.

2) Give and receive constructive criticism! We'll be watching and we will intervene if flames are being thrown about. Additionally, this is for commenting on the characters, and not the people playing them.

3) This meme is more for concrit than compliments--there will be a compliments meme for straight-out love, don't worry.

Comments

[sky_child]

The defense of the plot based on Animus's genre has no bearing on how well executed it was. Yes, it makes total sense for a horror game, but there are plenty of things that make total sense in a horror story that fall flat due to execution--nevermind that "things don't go as planned" isn't exclusive to the concept of horror itself.

Yeah, arguing over it is moot right now, but I just wanted to get that in. I've seen it brought up elsewhere and it honestly baffles me as to why people leave their defense at "well it's a horror game". It's one thing if you were personally fine with it, but going "it's a horror game" suggests everyone has to be okay with it and if they aren't then they don't understand the concept of the game. So it's...kind of insulting and condescending? Speaking for myself, I understand quite well what the game is about, and the nature of horror. That doesn't mean I can't consider the plot to be poorly executed even within an appropriate genre.

Again, think of all the horror films you've seen, or all the horror stories you've read, where something happens that makes perfect sense in theory, but falls flat in execution. Would you tell yourself that you didn't understand the nature of the genre if the event didn't have its intended effect, or would you just say that was poorly executed?

[thisclinchesit]

I can try and explain it - from where I was sitting, it seemed like complaining about something that could be expected given the setting. We had no reason to specifically expect a space whale attack, but break it down to the base thing: "drastic, sudden bad stuff happens to all the characters". Knowing the NPCs and the game's history, this is within the grasp of what we could expect of things.

So to me, this seemed a reasonable thing to happen. And people complaining over their personal plots being overrun by this, that befuddled me. What happened fit the context of the game itself, so what I felt was a reasonable response is to adapt. I don't intend to be insulting or condescending and apologize for things coming off like that, I just honestly don't see any problems with what happened. And because I felt it fit the genre, that's why I kept leaning on the "it's a horror game" defense.

As for your question, if I felt something fails in execution, then I would say so. However, like I said, I didn't see a problem with the event in question.

[reversedestiny]

As for your question, if I felt something fails in execution, then I would say so. However, like I said, I didn't see a problem with the event in question.

But other people did, Wingus. Apparently lots of people judging by the complaints both here and on anoncomm and plurk during the event. I admit I was confused by what was going on and where and who was doing what at times, and I was there from the start. That you got it does not negate my experience (or anyone else's), and it is coming across like you think it should.

As well, there is more than one day to do horror, and in an RP it shouldn't all be one type of horror. What you are describing--jump scares, relying on surprise--works some of the time. Animus is good for relying on all types of horror. And settings do change a bit. This isn't outside the realm of horror, either. No one is asking it to stop being horror--they're asking for a bit of leeway in knowing when plots are so the mun doesn't feel helpless when it comes to plots. They can know when plots will go down now, so not only can they plan when to watch the comms and when they'll be busiest here, they can schedule player plots around it.

And it's not just this plot interfering with personal plots--I have seen multiple people from Animus having trouble coordinating small plots that don't require mod approval--sometimes having to push this back for months, it seems. To continue like that would discourage people from doing player plots that don't require mod approval, and I think you see why that is bad. Is it not better to nip this in the bud and come to a compromise early on before it becomes a big problem?

[thisclinchesit]

Yeah, I've got all that after reading all the discussion now - was just trying to explain where I came from initially. Should've worded that intent a little better, d'oh. Today is a day of communication fumbles on my part.

[irritum]

Hey, no problem! Communication flubs and talking it out to a point of mutual understanding is one of the things I like about this place. :3