Rear Admiral
Simulation Officer
Pillar of the Community
Very Rare (100 Points)
Be a registered user for 10 years
Unlocked Mon 26 Aug, 2019 11:07 PM
36.01% have received this achievement
The Ghost Writer [Legacy]
Rare (50 Points)
Be the Commanding Officer of the Ares Division
Unlocked Wed 23 Jun, 2021 10:02 PM
0.04% have received this achievement
Commodore
Rare (50 Points)
Receive a promotion to the rank of Commodore
Unlocked Wed 23 Jun, 2021 9:11 PM
0.50% have received this achievement
Captain
Uncommon (25 Points)
Ascend the ranks to reach the Captains chair
Unlocked Tue 31 Jan, 2012 5:44 PM
0.67% have received this achievement
Paragon of Duty
Uncommon (25 Points)
Sign three roll calls in a row
Unlocked Mon 28 Sep, 2015 8:01 PM
9.60% have received this achievement
Highly Decorated
Very Rare (100 Points)
Receive every medal the UFP has to offer
Unlocked Sat 24 Sep, 2022 9:00 PM
0.18% have received this achievement
Posted Mon 18 Apr, 2022 9:14 AM
–
Last edited by Kiflin; Mon 20 Jun, 2022 9:59 AM.
A simple yea or Nay to this proposal. Comments are welcome.
Ares Roleplay Project
2021 REVAMP PROPOSALS
ARES Proposal
In light of the drop in players and recruitment here are some suggestions that have been created to stimulate growth in the ARES Project. When ARES began it was predicated on players using individual ships in an RP environment. However, the execution of this arrangement was not sustained for a number of reasons. Yes we could keep doing the single ship setup but we also have to look at just how many people we lost that were interested in the multi starship option. And that most of these players are still frequently logging into UFP.
Any of these Proposals could be used with the single ship current ARES system, or they could be used with a Multi starship system. Ultimately, that decision will rest with Josh. What these proposals do is point to the possiblity of how we could work either method, but also point to recruitment ultimately enticing people who do want to fly their own ship. Personally, I want my player to be promoted up and earn his stripes. But other players don't want that. We need to seriously consider changing our current format and bringing back the majority of players we lost due to the change to single ship.
Let's go over them first, and then you will see what I propose could be the answer.
1. Frequent Changing of Hands for CO
The biggest issue with ARES has been the frequent changing of hands for the CO position. From Three to Cayman, Asteropax, WelshAvenger, and now Josh. The longest tenure was Asteropax (on record). But when it first began most people came because of the option to be captain. It's simply not as enticing to new players to begin as crewman.
Trying too Much too Soon
While Cayman tried to introduce 6 ships in a joint story RL unfortunately took him away from sustaining it. I think if you are going to do this you need to have at least one other player helping the DM. with content. But I disagree with bringing all of the ships together so quickly. Each ship needed its own individual story to get started and establish themselves before a large collective story should have taken place. In my opinion Cayman set the bar high and even though Asteropax's tenure was longer, Cayman set the bar high when he left his position. But when you throw everyone individually into a story, it's tough to build chemistry so quickly.
3. Knowing What Happens Next
The real quintessential essence of STAR TREK is not knowing what happens next. The only person who should know is the GM or let's just say Q. This is because to truly build real player chemistry means to solve problems with your peers over time. Then each member will see each player's strengths and weaknesses. Real Episodic danger, and Risk. Even the possibility of Players being incapacitated or Death. This is real STAR TREK. Kirk asked McCoy, Spock, and sometimes Scotty to give him their collective opinions... then he would make the best determination or decision because in most cases his life or the lives of everyone on board where at stake. Challenges of varying degree could be created by the DM or Q and players could choose whether or not they would take the mission.
Proposition 1
Starfleet Command - Josh
Josh would be in charge of issuing orders to all players or captains from Starfleet. He would also approve any missions that were successfully completed. Josh would also dictate how severe in difficulty these missions would be.
Dungeon Master aka Q - Josh
The Q in this case is the DM, the person in charge of propelling the story. These elements would not be learned or known to the players so that they could be in total position to learn how to work together in real problem/scenario situations. Their success or failure would be totally upon their collective thoughts and actions. This is what they could be measured or promoted for. That is why no one should know ahead of time what is going to happen.
Captain - Josh
Josh would continue playing the Captain however all other characters/bridge Officers would be played by players. This would be basically the same format we have now however every role or responsibility of Josh is clearly laid out.
XO - Josh
Josh would play the 2nd in command and would have to do the bidding of whatever player is ultimately the Captain. This in my opinion is a great balance because Josh would not have overall control and he could be in the story still. He would still be Starfleet Command and Q so ultimately it would still be his show. His test would be being in a story that he dictates but his character does not. This would be the good test for Josh in my opinion in terms of showing him taking orders but also pushing the story.
NPCS - Josh
Josh would play as NPCS players could exchange in dialogue but Josh would have the final say on whether or not the NPC was successful. This ensures that Players do not have full control over NPC's and in tern have perfect crews who always execute correctly and there are no Lt. Barkley's. Just not realistic. All ships should have a number of NPC's who just aren't great or good at their jobs, and cause accidents. Players could in time once the person is discovered run simulations in holosuite or flat out reassign or dismiss NPC from the ship. Josh would decide. This is the position of real mischief or business as usual.
Proposition 2
Starfleet Command - Josh
Josh would be in charge of issuing orders to all players or captains from Starfleet. He would also approve any missions that were successfully completed.
Dungeon Master aka Q - Josh
The Q in this case is the DM, the person in charge of propelling the story. These elements would not be learned or known to the players so that they could be in total position to learn how to work together in real problem/scenario situations. Their success or failure would be totally upon their collective thoughts and actions. This is what they could be measured or promoted for. That is why no one should know ahead of time what is going to happen.
Captain - Player
In this proposition Josh would not be the captain as he is already both Starfleet Command and Q. This would ensure that the story would not overall be about his character or Captain, it would be focused on the player characters and would give Josh more concentration on the story and allow for full player development.
XO - Josh
Josh would play the 2nd in command and would have to do the bidding of whatever player is ultimately the Captain. This in my opinion is a great balance because Josh would not have overall control and he could be in the story still. He would still be Starfleet Command and Q so ultimately it would still be his show. His test would be being in a story that he dictates but his character does not. This would be the good test for Josh in my opinion in terms of showing him taking orders but also pushing the story.
NPCS - Josh
Josh would play as NPCS players could exchange in dialogue but Josh would have the final say on whether or not the NPC was successful. This ensures that Players do not have full control over NPC's and in tern have perfect crews who always execute correctly and there are no Lt. Barkley's. Just not realistic. All ships should have a number of NPC's who just aren't great or good at their jobs, and cause accidents. Players could in time once the person is discovered run simulations in holosuite or flat out reassign or dismiss NPC from the ship. Josh would decide. This is the position of real mischief or business as usual.
Proposition 3
Starfleet Command - Josh
Josh would be in charge of issuing orders to all players or captains from Starfleet. He would also approve any missions that were successfully completed.
Dungeon Master aka Q - Josh, DeuZige, Logical Leopard, (ROTATING)
The Q in this case is the DM, the person in charge of propelling the story. It would be a rotating format so that whoever is Q would not have a player in the story and thus cannot control the story and be biased as a player. This allows the player that is Q to just concentrate on the story and challenges and not have to post as a player as well. Players that are Q's can be voted to receive ranks in how good their stories are and even be asked more frequently to be Q's then others. They should still earn xp that should be used to develop their personal characters.
Captain - Player
In this proposition Josh would not be the captain as he is already both Starfleet Command and Q. This would ensure that the story would not overall be about his character or Captain, it would be focused on the player characters and would give Josh more concentration on the story and allow for full player development
XO - Player
In this instance both Captain and XO are played by Players. This would be ideal for a multiple ship concept. This ensures that again the players themselves are responsible for their own triumphs or failures and that either Josh or another player would control the story.
NPCS - Josh
Josh would play as NPCS players could exchange in dialogue but Josh would have the final say on whether or not the NPC was successful. This ensures that Players do not have full control over NPC's and in tern have perfect crews who always execute correctly and there are no Lt. Barkley's. Just not realistic. All ships should have a number of NPC's who just aren't great or good at their jobs, and cause accidents. Players could in time once the person is discovered run simulations in holosuite or flat out reassign or dismiss NPC from the ship. Josh would decide.
Subject of Recruitment and Keeping things the Same
Due to the departure of Silynn we will be down to 4 people in total playing ARES. I think this is a real problem as we seem to be losing members. So because of the definition of insanity being to continue doing the same thing and expecting different results, I propose that we consider the aforementioned proposals because of the fact that a number of members who used to be in ARES departed due to the single ship decision. I know this because I looked back at old posts and attempted to conversate with past members of ARES who still come to UFP regularly.
I have spoken to both EagleG, and Cayman who were both former CO's of ARES. Both of them approve 3 of these Proposals. And they all agree that changing from a single ship will definitely entice more players to come and be a part of ARES. Cayman even spoke of possibly returning himself if we make the change. I think our current trend of exiting players is not on any one person's fault. I believe that it is the current system we have that is not enticing. It really comes down to how do we market ARES? One answer is telling players they can work their way up, while the other is take to the stars as a captain yourself.
The answer doesn't take a Cochrine Scientist. So lets look at some hard facts.
Here are our current list of members:
1. Josh
2. DeuZige
3. LogicalLeopard
4. Kif
Here are the members who at some point pre 2018 that were heavily involved in ARES but left due to the change in ship structure. Again this isn't the only way we can get members, but it is logical to go after members first that we used to have instead of not trying and only going after fresh members or off site players. All of these members visit the site regularly.
1. Caymen Greener - Created the Ship Allotment for each Player
2. Adster94 - Had as ship and expressed interest in individual ships returning
3. Kraijin - Enthusiastic about the Ares Deck Overview
4. Keenan - Originally had a ship
5. Zairu - Originally had his own ship and is a Gold Contributor
6. Aceman67 - Had a ship and posted in individual story
Incentivize Players to Recruit for Themselves/Us
I believe that we have a better shot at getting all these members back if we look at bringing back the multiple ship structure. But we need to add an element to it. We should allow people to have their own ships, but handicap them if they don't have one player for tactical, science, and engineering. Now of course they could play as the tactical Captain or use them as a place holder but the issue here is to incentivize players to have FULL CREWED ships. So if you dont have two other players for your ship, you are short staffed and your ship doesn't operate at full strength. This is how we keep it balanced.
Example of Fully Staffed Ship
Captain - Josh
XO - Logicalleopard
Science - DeuZige
Engineering - Kif
= Ship 100% staffed means ship operates fully in Engineering, Science, and Tactical Divisions
Captain - Josh
XO -
Science -
Engineering -
= Ship 25% Staffed means ship only operates at 25% Optimization (All systems are at 25% throughout the ship)
Think of Enterprise during the search for Spock when they stole the ship and didn't have a crew. The next project for proposal will be introducing a progression system for player captains and Bridge Officers. Any help with this would greatly be appreciated. Please try to have an open mind and examine my propositions with an open mind, objectively. I am prepared to create all of the ships if we decide on going multi - ship, and I will also volunteer to begin a recruitment taskforce whether or not my proposals are accepted. Of course I believe recruitment hinges on multi ship scenarios, so I am hoping you don't choose to make my work harder
Commodore
Pillar of the Community
Very Rare (100 Points)
Be a registered user for 10 years
Unlocked Wed 03 Jun, 2020 6:09 AM
36.01% have received this achievement
Scribe
Rare (50 Points)
Be the Roleplay Division Commanding Officer
Unlocked 4 Weeks Ago
0.04% have received this achievement
The Fool
Rare (50 Points)
Got pranked on April 1st
Unlocked Fri 01 Apr, 2022 12:27 PM
0.45% have received this achievement
The Ghost Writer [Legacy]
Rare (50 Points)
Be the Commanding Officer of the Ares Division
Unlocked Sat 29 Sep, 2018 1:05 PM
0.04% have received this achievement
Starfleet's Finest [Legacy]
Common (10 Points)
Be a member of Starfleet Operations
Grandfathered
27.38% have received this achievement
Old School Gamer [Legacy]
Common (10 Points)
Be a member of Starfleet Tactical
Grandfathered
6.84% have received this achievement
Posted Mon 18 Apr, 2022 12:58 PM
2021?
And not sure this accurately portrays my feelings at this point.
Rear Admiral
Scribe
Rare (50 Points)
Be the Roleplay Division Commanding Officer
Unlocked 4 Weeks Ago
0.04% have received this achievement
The Ghost Writer [Legacy]
Rare (50 Points)
Be the Commanding Officer of the Ares Division
Unlocked Sat 26 Sep, 2020 1:02 AM
0.04% have received this achievement
Dedicated
Rare (50 Points)
Volunteer for 1+ year
Unlocked Sat 26 Sep, 2020 1:02 AM
0.54% have received this achievement
To Boldly Go On and On
Rare (50 Points)
Reach one-thousand posts on the forums
Unlocked Thu 02 Apr, 2020 8:01 PM
0.69% have received this achievement
Rear Admiral
Rare (50 Points)
Receive a promotion to the rank of Rear Admiral
Unlocked Sat 26 Sep, 2020 12:16 AM
0.48% have received this achievement
Starfleet's Finest [Legacy]
Common (10 Points)
Be a member of Starfleet Operations
Unlocked Mon 09 Apr, 2018 8:05 AM
27.38% have received this achievement
2
- Users who liked
- Kiflin
- LogicalLeopard
Post ID: 462003
#3
Posted Tue 19 Apr, 2022 5:01 AM
There's a lot to unpack here and, as I've been away from things for a while, forgive me if I'm not up to date with current events.
There's a lot of mentioning of players leaving due to the single ship decision and that introducing multi ship is a catalyst for new members but my understanding was that Task Force Phoenix was designed to address that. Is TFP no longer a thing?
I am prepared to create all of the ships if we decide on going multi - ship
Don't create a load of extra ships before there are enough players to crew them. Introduce them if and when players express an interest and possibly have a wait list until there are enough crew. A roster full of empty ships doesn't look great and isn't an incentive.
Captain - Josh
XO -
Science -
Engineering -
Having a ship with only one player isn't realistic. Someone, (probably the player), would have to create an entire roster of senior officer NPCs in order to get the ship going, only to have to abandon them or find a convincing reason for them to be reassigned when other players arrive to take part. There's only so many times officers can be recalled back for academy duty or research assignments to make way for new players.
All systems are at 25% throughout the ship
Please never implement this. A ship in that state should not be allowed out of spacedock. If there aren't enough players for a ship, you have to question if there should be a ship or should there be a wait until more players arrive.
Please take a look at Proposal 1 as the XO description doesn't make sense in that scenario as Josh would already be the captain.
Assigning control of NPCs to Josh doesn't give much credit to the player's ability to write crewmen that aren't paragons. It also places an extreme workload onto Josh and the Simulation Officers to create a metric tonne of crewmen and junior officers for each department and keep track of their characteristics. Each and every crewman on a starship is expected to be competent at their job and Barclay was no different. He was a good engineer but was overlooked because of his anxiety and hypochondria. Taking away the ability to write NPC's as they wish is creatively hobbling a player. Support the players in creating NPCs of their own and guide them to create interesting ones not cookie cutter Mary Sues.
I'm struggling to understand why you have two roles for essentially the same thing, SF Command and Q? Allow me to illustrate, in a D&D campaign the DM is responsible for running the adventure, including acting as the local lord/king/crotchety old wizard that sends the adventurers on their way. SF Command involvement is such a small part that there's really no need for it to reside anywhere other than with the DM/Q.
Perhaps I'm missing a lot of information on the current state of things or perhaps I'm just too tired but, as far as I can see, there's a lot more retooling of the propositions needed.
Flectere si nequeo superos, Acheronta movebo.
Federation Citizen
Illustrator
Uncommon (25 Points)
Be the Roleplay Division Executive Officer
Unlocked 4 Weeks Ago
0.05% have received this achievement
Commander
Uncommon (25 Points)
Receive a promotion to the rank of Commander
Unlocked Sat 24 Sep, 2022 8:47 PM
0.63% have received this achievement
Captain
Uncommon (25 Points)
Ascend the ranks to reach the Captains chair
Unlocked Fri 04 Nov, 2022 1:05 PM
0.67% have received this achievement
Paragon of Duty
Uncommon (25 Points)
Sign three roll calls in a row
Unlocked Fri 01 Mar, 2019 1:01 AM
9.60% have received this achievement
Eternal Servitude!
Uncommon (25 Points)
Be a registered user for five years
Unlocked Mon 07 Aug, 2023 1:06 AM
80.40% have received this achievement
Well Respected
Uncommon (25 Points)
Reach reputation tier 6
Unlocked Sun 31 Mar, 2019 3:00 PM
0.70% have received this achievement
3
- Users who liked
- WelshAvenger
- Kiflin
- Silek
Post ID: 462021
#4
Posted Tue 19 Apr, 2022 4:53 PM
Just throwing something up against the walll, here, but......maybe the big issue not our structure but an engaging story?
Maybe if we changed the setting to the Dominion War, people would be more interested. Ragtag crew of Starfleet personnel, trying to stay alive. If you take the current story and shift it back a to 2373, people would be a bit more interested. It would give a better excuse for captain losses, at any regard.
Vice Admiral
RPD Commanding Officer
Commendation
Commendation (150 Points)
Awarded during the UFP Award Ceremony to those who go above and beyond for the community
Unlocked Sat 25 Sep, 2021 9:23 PM
0.24% have received this achievement
Pillar of the Community
Very Rare (100 Points)
Be a registered user for 10 years
Unlocked Tue 27 Aug, 2019 10:03 AM
36.01% have received this achievement
Scribe
Rare (50 Points)
Be the Roleplay Division Commanding Officer
Unlocked 4 Weeks Ago
0.04% have received this achievement
Vice Admiral
Rare (50 Points)
Receive a promotion to the rank of Vice Admiral
Unlocked Sat 14 Oct, 2023 3:01 PM
0.29% have received this achievement
Starfleet's Finest [Legacy]
Common (10 Points)
Be a member of Starfleet Operations
Unlocked Wed 01 Sep, 2021 8:02 AM
27.38% have received this achievement
Old School Gamer [Legacy]
Common (10 Points)
Be a member of Starfleet Tactical
Unlocked Tue 13 Jul, 2021 10:03 AM
6.84% have received this achievement
Posted Wed 20 Apr, 2022 12:01 AM
Just wanted to provide some context. This proposal was done on Sept 15th of last year. It was before everyone came back to Ares. So the actual recent posting for stories was never taken into account because they had not happened during the time this submission was made.
Thanks for the feedback guys.
Command Master Chief Petty Officer
Commendation
Commendation (150 Points)
Awarded during the UFP Award Ceremony to those who go above and beyond for the community
Unlocked Sat 24 Dec, 2022 10:15 PM
0.24% have received this achievement
Paragon of Duty
Uncommon (25 Points)
Sign three roll calls in a row
Unlocked Mon 02 Mar, 2020 12:01 AM
9.60% have received this achievement
Eternal Servitude!
Uncommon (25 Points)
Be a registered user for five years
Unlocked Wed 10 Jul, 2024 3:03 PM
80.40% have received this achievement
Command Master Chief Petty Officer
Uncommon (25 Points)
Receive the rank of Command Master Chief Petty Officer
Unlocked Sat 30 Mar, 2024 9:51 PM
0.03% have received this achievement
Starfleet's Finest [Legacy]
Common (10 Points)
Be a member of Starfleet Operations
Unlocked Thu 11 Jul, 2019 10:03 AM
27.38% have received this achievement
tlhIngan SuvwI' [Legacy]
Common (10 Points)
Be a member of the House of Kular
Unlocked Thu 11 Jul, 2019 10:03 AM
12.74% have received this achievement
3
- Users who liked
- Silek
- LogicalLeopard
- Kiflin
Post ID: 462144
#6
Posted Fri 22 Apr, 2022 11:30 AM
I am still present and a player here! Don't count me out! Now.. to read fully.