**State of the Game**

[highseasmods]

Hello, High Seas!

Well, fellow pirates, I believe we have hit the point where we need to decide where to go from here in the game. The amount of incoming applications has been dwindling for several months now, but this is the first time since the game opened that we actually had zero apps, and our total number of characters has now dropped below 40 after the last Activity Check.

Obviously, the comms haven't gone completely dead; we just had a pretty active summit log last month! But there's no denying that things have definitely slowed down, and we seem to only see the occasional burst of activity these days. If our numbers continue to drop, it's safe to assume there won't be much improvement on that front.

We love this game and all the players in it, so we wanted to make sure you guys get to have a say in what happens from here on out! There are several different options, so please leave a comment and tell us what you think is the best decision for the future of the game!


What do you want to see happen?

1) Leave things as they are. We'll continue to have apps, possibly leaving them open all the time and reviewing them on a rolling basis. AC will still be required, and the mods will still create plots for the players. Things will continue as they have been, though it's very likely you will all have to accept the slowing pace of the game because there are no guarantees it will pick up again. And that works for some people! But for others, it doesn't. So keep that in mind.

2) Move into endgame. This is nothing that would happen immediately, and we don't have a set date, but over the next several weeks we would begin to introduce the endgame plot and get ready to wrap things up. The game would probably officially end sometime during the summer. That's not set in stone as we don't have all the details worked out yet, but things would definitely come to a close in the near future.

3) Turn the game into more of a sandbox. Mod plots would become a thing of the past and things would have to be much more player driven. But you wouldn't have to meet Activity Check requirements anymore and anyone would be welcome to join the comms.

Please let us know what you think, and feel free to speak your mind and/or provide explanations for your choices or even offer thoughts of your own! Your comments will help us to decide what to do. This is not a "majority wins" sort of poll, we are just looking for player input and offering up a place for discussion to help us come to a hopefully satisfying decision.

Feel free to ask questions if you have them, as well!

Thank you!! ♥

Comments

[myfayevalentine]

:(

My choice would be 1. This is my only game, and I've been here since the start so... I'd be more inclined for this.

[song_princess]

If I have to make a choice, it would be 1 with 3. This is my only game and like Faye-mun, I have been here since the beginning. I love this game and all the plots I have been doing with everybody but at the same time I do understand your guys point of view which makes me sad.

I guess that I am forever hopeful that this is just being a dry spell.

[redcinemareel]

I'd go with 1 because while this isn't my only game, I have great cr and character development! I've been here since the opening, as well.

[crankyshark]

1is definitely my first choice. I love this game and would like to continue it. But if numbers and activity continue to fall, I'd accept 2. An epic endgame could be fun if the ship's gonna sink

[yourotherleft]

Discussion on plurk aside, my first choice is 2. And it always will be.

Everyone knows I'm a fast tagger, but I can slow down to a certain point. Not having any new logs or posts for 1-2 weeks at a time is a level of slow beyond my threshold. If it became a sandbox I'd drop because I can't do anything interesting with my guys in a sandbox with no conflict to resolve and no story to tell. For keeping it as it is...I don't think it could last. It would dwindle slowly until there were maybe two people in the game, and come to a completely unsatisfying end. Beaching itself on a shore, so to speak, and slowly suffocating to death.

If there was a way to encourage more people to join in, option 1 would be viable for a couple months at least. But we have no idea why people just aren't apping. It's a great game with an awesome setting and a fantastic overarching plot, NPCs with mysteries to solve, and so much to do if you put a little work into it. I wish I knew why that wasn't hooking people. I'd pitch in to help advertise if it was just a matter of letting people know this game exists. I don't think it is, so I don't know what to do.

So, I'd prefer closure. I'd prefer a real ending and a chance for the characters to make their own ending, rather than just deal with them being magically sent home as people drop. But I can see Mags' point with people dropping immediately rather than try to think of something to do, so I'm also okay with letting it truck on for a couple months before making the actual decision. Just in case there's something that'll rebuild interest.

But as soon as word gets out that we're even thinking endgame, I can almost guarantee we won't get anyone new interested. Not unless you do like Luceti and open it up to all past players to just drop in.

[willwork4sugar]

I kind of figured things were puttering out here. It's always sad to see games that you know have been big and busy and then suddenly...

As for the fate of this place, I'm more inclined to go with option 2. I'd rather see a place reach closure than just drift with no set direction, and given the momentum that things have had, I don't know how well it would continue if it were to remain as is without some fresh characters and things to keep them going. Option 1 and 3 have about the same outcome depending on those factors, and sandboxes never seem to have enough gas to keep chugging once you pull out all the stops.

If we go with an endgame decision, then I don't expect something immediate, and at least it will give time for planning, and while it may not be a pleasant direction game-wise, it would be something to work towards, and ultimately what characters might be seeking out...unless the whole place explodes and everyone dies of course.

[originaldragoon]

Like others, in an ideal world I would prefer option 1. But, if things keep going as they are, then I say go with option 2 and put everything into an epic endgame so that there is closure.

Not too crazy about the sandbox idea as those seem to lose steam very quickly. Every game that I go this route seem to completely die within several weeks.

[vanitas_veci]

After some thinking I'm going to have to cast my vote as option 2. Some awesome options were talked about on plurk, and they could be good ways to get people interested again, but those aren't guarantees.

[occupational_hazard]

Yeah, it's always hard when it comes down to it. Everyone has they're opinion, but I'd be fine with Option 2 myself. Closing it up sounds about right instead of letting it drag on, and we've all seen how things sort of just die when player motivation is easily tossed up and out a window.

[hollywood_bro]

Late to the party as usual, but I'm gonna have to cast my vote for Option 2. I love this game and I've had some great CR here, but it's been dying for awhile. We all know it has. Better to bow out gracefully and give everyone some closure than to drag it's rotting corpse through the streets.

[rebellions]

Took my time trying to put my thoughts on this into words, but let give this a shot.

My first choice would be option 1, because while it's hard not to notice we've shrunk down in size considerably, I've still got plans and ideas for things to do in this game, and from what I've gathered, so do other players. Slow pace doesn't bother me personally, and I'd hate to see player plots and character developments come to a premature end. That said, I believe making that work would require some effort from both mods and players, including improving communication (which, to makes things clear, is NOT meant to attack or blame anyone; just a conclusion I came to when thinking about how the thing with the Cat seems to have gone, but perhaps that's a story for another time). All hands on deck and stuff.

In worst case scenario (from my point of view, of course), if that solution was deemed impossible to execute and I was forced to pick from the remaining two, my vote would go to option 2, as I imagine option 3 would be more of a nail to the coffin than anything else.

In the end, I'll roll with what's determined as best for the game. My two cents.