AC Reminder AND Idea Suggestion

[hiddenbymods]

Hello again fellow workers of the Bathhouse. This is your mods giving you one more friendly reminder that AC is ending Tomorrow May 23rd at 11:59EST. If you have not posted to the AC yet, please go and do so here

The current list of passing characters can be found under this cut:


Allen Walker
Barnaby Brooks Jr.
Bayonetta
Elizabeth Midford
Flynn Scifo
Kaede Kaburagi
Kobato Hanato
Lelouch vi Britannia
Madara/Nyanko-sensei
Maron Kusakabe
Mizuno Ami/Mercury
Noel Vermillion
Pharos*
Roxy
Seishirou Sakurazuka
Subaru Sumeragi
Suzaku kururugi*
Xiaoqiao
Yuri Lowell
Yuusuke Urameshi

Those with * next to their names have requested a save and must present more activity in the next AC.


ALSO

Now with the AC out of the way, we would like to throw up a suggestion to our playerbase. Many of you at this point now have enough money to afford a ticket or a memory. As we don't have the trains setup yet, we're going to start running a special shop for people to purchase their possessions aka their memories back. How we would like to run this coincides with the Activity Check.

1) At the end of every Activity Check, we will draw out 4-5 names randomly. This only applies to people who have passed the AC, and do not have a Save.
2) The people listed will be given the option to either buy a memory back or pass.
3) If you decide to take a memory, you will not be in the next AC drawing. Should you choose to pass, your character will be put back into the drawing for the next AC.
4) Unless everyone chooses to pass, there will be no redraws.
5) Memories are worth the same amount as a ticket. 5 Gold pieces.
6) We find this gives a little challenge to get the memories back, rather than just have people have access to it at any time. It is also a motivator to meet AC, yea?

We would like to hear your thoughts on this idea, whether approve, disagree or offer suggestions. If there's enough approval for this system, we will start using it once this AC ends.

Comments

[bloodysakura]

I think this is an interesting idea!

[gracefall]

That sounds good? I was wondering how it'd work :|a

[geniustheveil]

I have mixed thoughts and opinions about the memory lottery, and a few questions, so this may get tldr.

I think it's an interesting idea in theory, but possibly too restrictive in practice. I remember seeing a few OOC notes about the salary system changing because it was felt that buying things back was too difficult. This may bring back those concerns by adding the further obstacle of luck. It also slightly changes the theme that hard work will let the characters make progress, since it's now also dependent on things outside their control at all. (If it's primarily an AC motivator, that's easily handled by simply not letting anyone who hasn't passed buy anything back.)

That said, buying these things back is supposed to be significant, so the challenge certainly makes sense and adds a bit of tension and excitement. Characters could still reasonably expect to buy a few things back once they've been here awhile, as it's likely their name would come up within several rounds and by then, they should have some money saved if they're careful.

I would like to suggest that if someone passes, a new name is drawn to replace it. This will keep things moving through the character list to give people a good chance of being named within a few or several months. Also, if the game becomes vastly larger, would more names be drawn each round at that point?

It wasn't specified, but I'd also suggest letting people buy back as much as they want when their name comes up, if they have the money to buy back two or three things or whatever it may be by then. What the character wins would be that opportunity to see Yubaba (who is a very busy person after all!) to ask for, pay for, and receive them back. This will make the "payoff" potentially greater, and the wait easier.

I also wondered how money is handled outside of salaries. For example, if characters make a deal 'I'll pay you a silver to do my work today' or in the current special event, if someone helped Fukurokujo. Do we keep track of that on our own as long as it's reasonable for the character, or is there somewhere to list money and where we get it or what we spend it on?

Edit: I also noticed this mentioned buying tickets or memories. Would personal possessions also be bought this way, or still be available to buy at any time?

[hiddenbymods]

Thank you for dropping your inputs on this!

We actually find the added obstacle can cause interesting IC developments between characters. Why are certain people getting memories back and some haven't yet? It adds to the mystery for the characters to muddle over. And technically the AC basically shows which characters are working hard, so they are still rewarded, just not on a mass scale.

We do plan to increase the number of people drawn when we have a bigger playerbase though. We simply find 4-5 is a good number to start with for now and see if we need to increase or decrease that number with our current playerbase.

We like to also mention that the shop system isn't the only option for people to get their memories back. As it was noted in the FAQ, memories can also be obtain back through events. So this isn't the only option for people to get their memories back.

Because of there being two options to obtain memories, we will not allow people to buy more than one item back per draw. At least for now. Perhaps in the future, we may do lucky draws, where one person in the set gets more than one item. We'll see.

As for the salary, we trust our playerbase to be able to keep track of how much they have earned or loss due to buying necessity items and such. We do apologize for not making this clear and working on an announcement to ask people to have their salary information placed somewhere on their journals for us to check on the character's validity when mod permission is required to buy say a memory or ticket.

As for your last question. Personal possessions that a character has a strong attachment to would, at least in Spirited Away universe carry your memories. So they would not be available for purchase at any time. Note that you don't need to think up ten personal items for each memory. The items are just an added bonus to getting a memory.

Minor personal items can be purchase at any time, which will be making a section for once we setup the shop.

[geniustheveil]

Thanks for clarifying everything; it definitely does make sense. One more related question very specific to myself: What about Ami's senshi items? They'd obviously be strong attachment since they carry ties to her senshi fate. Would they be reclaimable with purchasing senshi-related memories, or how would it work?

[jayokuhotenjin]

Yes they would be and likely the only way to obtain those particular items. Basically one memory gets you one senshii item and so forth. You can mix-match what item gives you what memory.

[geniustheveil]

Awesome. Thanks for the reply!

[hiddenbymods]

Also, I'm gonna answer that Yubaba question to the person below you, since they asked the same thing lol

/tl;dr

[beardedveteran]

A random monthly draw with the AC would work quite well-- or at least be a lot of fun, I think. One of my previous games had a similar event every month and it was brilliant. I think the only difference was that once your character's name was drawn, you were struck off the list for the next few rounds to give others a chance to be drawn! 5 is a lot!

Also, seconding the question above; would personal possessions be available to buy back along with this? Characters' memories may be linked to an item of theirs which could trigger regaining a memory. I mean, obviously the prices would vary depending on what the item is (clothing or a cellphone or a piece of jewellery, for example) and since it wouldn't be readily available in the shop, and Yubaba seems to be holding onto the items anyway, it would be more character-specific compared to buying back a memory or a ticket (maybe a list could be compiled with everyone's help of items which can be bought back?). But it would be interesting to have the option to request something back from Yubaba that way, whether it's actually played out with an NPC or not.

[beardedveteran]

ALSO REALISING PERSON ABOVE ME MENTIONED THE CHANCE TO SEE YUBABA yes this basically but it does have to be taken into consideration how much your character has potentially saved? I guess? That's probably an individual decision (for example, I'd say Kotetsu's been buying stuff in town like snacks and things for his daughter and whatnot so he wouldn't have more than just enough to buy one ticket or a memory) . . .

I guess my question is, how often these chances to see Yubaba would come about. If it's solely based on money (compared to "YOU'VE BEEN SLACKING OFF EXPLAIN YOURSELF OR YOU'LL BE A PIG TOMORROW" or getting a good reputation for working hard in the bathhouse or pleasing an important guest or... /possibilities) then potentially it would be pretty easy to get an audience with her if your character saved up enough and wasn't drawn in the lottery.

O- Otherwise if this all seems too complicated I think just the draw by luck for memories and tickets (and possibly items!) sounds just dandy! Maybe the game needs a little momentum first.

[hiddenbymods]

If the personal item doesn't have a very strong attachment to the character, they can be bought back at anytime. As mentioned above we're gonna set up a shop for that so people can fill a form out with whatever item they're asking for and a reason why you believe it's minor to the character. Something like that.

What would you and the person above you think about just allowing people who were drawn to meet Yubaba? Perhaps ICly, they were drawn because SHE thought they were doing good. That's what we think you were both going for...? And we think it's actually a good idea. Though we're not sure if we'll look into implementing the Yubaba aspect of it by this AC, but definitely the next.

She'll probably only hold onto items with strong attachments to the character and setup a separate shop for the minor items. Sound good?

[beardedveteran]

Ohhh, cool! A form system would work just fine, as with picking jobs for characters and such, and it sounds like it might be easier to organise for you guys. ♥

Personally I think that'd be a good aspect of the monthly draw, being able to meet Yubaba-- depending on the mods' availability for actual threading, of course. I'm assuming if this does happen it would be up to Yubaba-mun/the mods in charge of the relevant NPCs and the players themselves to figure out which memory/item/etc they're buying back.

On the note of items with strong attachments, would it theoretically be possible to-- upon being drawn/summoned to meet Yubaba-- request her for one on negotiated terms, as opposed to the shop system for minor items? Not immediately, of course (it wouldn't be any fun if everyone got their most important items back now!) but as a possibility of ever actually obtaining said items.

[jayokuhotenjin]

Well, I think what we will probably do with the encounter with Yubaba is to just create a log post after the drawing, specifically for the people chosen to talk to her accordingly in separate threads that way. It will be there and we would tag it when we can.

Unless you actually want us to choose what memories you want back, we'll probably leave it to the players to decide which memory and items they want from Yubaba...for now.

Ah, that last question confused me. Are you asking about negotiating with Yubaba for minor items? I got confused halfway through the question.

[kobatonotdobato]

I think that this is an interesting idea.

[nyanko_jyanai]

I think it's a good idea!