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axiology2017-08-06 06:51 pm
futurologists) wrote in axiology2017-08-06 06:51 pm
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ANNOUNCEMENT.
ANNOUNCEMENT  Hello, everyone! As we near our second year (!) anniversary here at Futurology, we'd like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who has been with us past and present, no matter for how short or how long, as we look to the future with some upcoming changes. If you want to reminisce, you can view our brand-new mission histories or check out our mission dossiers and their respective epilogues. THE FUTURE(OLOGY) The modteam at Futurology has always tried our best to be transparent, so we'll start off by explaining our reasoning behind this announcement. Over the past several months, we have felt increasingly that we’ve strayed from our original vision for the game. The basic foundations of the game have always been (and will continue to be!) action, adventure, and teamwork. In our attempts to please everyone, we have lost sight of our original goal a bit, and we don’t want to give you a game that isn’t us giving 100%. Rest assured, this is not the end of Futurology! We’re still going strong, just making a few changes that will hopefully make us all happy. In the coming months, we will be winding up our current metaplot to a climax, leading to a conclusion of the struggle between ALASTAIR and Zymandis. If you’re curious to see our tentative scheduling, please see below! What does this mean for the game? Well, we'll be introducing a new metaplot and new game mechanics, as well as new ways for characters to get involved. We're still working out the kinks, but rest assured that we will continue to be a mission-based action/adventure game and characters will continue to travel to other worlds. Internally, the mods have been referring to this next phase as "Season 2," taking a cue from published media: the key to media longevity is to shake things up or there is a risk of getting complacent with the status quo. We're excited about the changes coming, and we hope you will be, too! WHAT TO EXPECT Since we're still in the planning stages, we can't share specific details about the meta, but we can talk about mechanic changes! We will be moving from a standard "jamjar" premise to a "volunteer" premise, which means that characters will have to willingly join up to partake in missions. We understand that this might not work for all characters, but in order to foster the concepts of teamwork and camaraderie we hope to see in Season 2, we decided this change is necessary. There will be incentive for characters to volunteer, however, so don't fear; the vast majority of characters will be appable. (There will be an option for current/former characters to volunteer, so don't worry! We will also have an option for characters to return home at the conclusion of the Season 1 metaplot.) Because our new meta will require volunteering, we will be updating our application form to include sections in relation to this feature. Due to these changes, we will also require all players who wish to continue on with Season 2 to resubmit apps; we are currently discussing how to handle a "reserve" system for returning/continuing characters so no one loses their chance to continue their character's arc in the Season 2 storyline. Please note that although we will of course welcome all our players past and present, it is still an application process, and applications will be judged by current rules even if they were previously accepted, so please make sure to read the application guidelines carefully. We will also be changing how characters are allowed to gain items and powers; we will be combining our bonus bank system with our bounty board in order for activity rewards to be more narratively satisfying and less like a form of OOC currency. We will allow Season 1 powers, pets, items, and weapons to cross over into Season 2, but the bonus bank system will be redone at the end of the current metaplot. This means you should spend all those coins you've been hoarding before the "season finale" gets here, because they won't cross over! APPLICATIONS As you all know, applications have been on hold for meta reasons. For the curious, this was unrelated to the game changes we are discussing here, but we’d now like to discuss what will be happening with apps going forward for the rest of “Season 1," from August to December 2017. We don’t want to have anyone in the queue who doesn’t end up getting in, so application submissions will be on hold for the latter part of 2017. However, we also want to give anyone who wants to apply a chance to do so. Currently, our plan is to open applications again, but for a limited amount of time in the hopes that, once we close submissions again, we’ll be able to make our way through the entire queue. Because we can't predict how many apps will be submitted, we don't have a definite date when we will close them again, but rest assured we will keep everyone notified! If a character doesn’t make it through the queue, don’t worry: the "season finale" mission will involve other teams of ALASTAIR! What does this mean for you, the players? It means that previous characters (who are not currently in game and were not perma-dropped) will be able to return, and any characters in the queue who have not been processed will be able to participate in the final mission. We understand that the idea of a finale might encourage some players to hold onto the game even if they aren’t feeling it, for the sake of closure. But we assure you that even if you drop now, you will absolutely be able to return for the finale and finish any character arc you want to. We want this to be satisfying for everyone, including players who might have dropped. TENTATIVE SCHEDULING SEPTEMBER 2017 ★ NEW MISSION START. After a break in Oska (starting August 12th), we'll be starting a new mission in mid-September, this time leading ALASTAIR recruits into enemy territory. QUESTIONS? While we are firm in our decision to move the game in this direction, please feel free to ask any questions you may have! However, please keep in mind that we cannot answer questions about the new metaplot itself, nor are we taking suggestions for the game direction at this time. |
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