The Almighty Marketplace Comment Card!

[upsilon]

Summon price is down! I must save 3,000 munneh and buy Omega MKXII!!!

[Heroic Bilby]

Or roleplay a nice, lengthy and developed role-play to acquire it instead of just buying it OOC and possibly get a 1500 munny discount.

[Shinn]

Alright I guess it's time I say what I think about this.

What the hell were you guys thinking? Really?

Ugh there are many thing I find wrong with this shop. Now I've never been a full supporter of the munny system but it was never that bad. But now I'm just looking at what it has come to and I can't believe that the forum has become this way. No longer is this place a forum to have fun and rp anymore, it's more like a place to work now. And thats just one of my problems I got with this shop.

Second is the fact that we now have a status system pretty much even though you all seemed to dislike the idea not that long ago.

Abilities and weapons have become so anal now that you have to buy an ability slot just to sit down it seems. You staff, whether you believe it or not, have created a system that no longer advocates real rping. It's all technical now, members either have to be in quests or arena matches just to have what you consider "character development" but what I consider useless trash to spend fake currency. The forum is no longer an rp forum in my eyes, it has become this tiny economy of sorts that seems to revolve around a hierarchy controlled capitalistic-esque system.

Take a look at the forum right now staff. More than half of active threads consists of quests or other munny grabbing threads. It won't be long from now before the entire forum consists of nothing but ridiculous quests or semi-quests or events or arena matches and we loose actual rping. Why is it this way? Because you have mangled this forum around and unintentionally brainwashed the members into believing that the only way their character will grow is to rp in your threads where they can possibly die or gain absolutely nothing. And for what, some weak item or ability? Where is the fun in that tell me please. This system could work if each member only had one character, but it doesn't. Members would have to have their characters be in separate multiple threads in order to have enough munny to split amongst their characters.

You guys may have had good intentions when you were coming up with this system, but I think it would have been alot easier and less time consuming if you had just asked the members their opinion first about all this stuff. This forums history concerning abilities and weapons and characters themselves continue to change and will for as long as the forum is alive. But rping doesn't change, it stays the same. But you guys are sucking the fun out of rping as well as member initiative to rp themselves.

Take a look at the number of members we have on here. Most of the newer ones were on for one or two days and never returned. The reason for this may be because they see that they will never get ahead here. This forum is now made to benefit veteran members, people who can post in fifty different rp threads at once, and people who can win multiple arena matches and quests and advertise crazy on the side. This forum has closed it's doors to regular guys and gals who want to have a good time but are ignored because everyone else is too preoccupied with being in quests, or gaining more munny for one or two new abilities that they may or may not use alot. This forum is around only because there are a decent number of faithful members who have been around for a while now. But that doesn't last long and people will move on to bigger things.

So I say this to you staff. Get rid of all of this useless garbage that takes away from creative thinking and rps where members are free to be as creative as they want without having to worry about the massive amounts of restrictions that pollute this forum.

And t you my fellow members I can only say this. Don't conform to this buying system. Forget about having to buy a paragraph so that you can use it once and a while cause it's a waste of time. Don't join quests with the chance of failure so you can gain a little extra cash and some "rare" item. Just ignore the shop all at once it will give you nothing but unsatisfying results. Just focus on rping for the sheer fun of it without having to limit your characters potential. Think about it, did Sora have to have an ability slot to perform all of those reaction commands? I think not. And neither do you. Just rp, thats what you are here for right?

[donald2]

That made me laugh, quite a lot. xD

RPing is a game and a system of writing. And if it isn't obvious, Shinn, Iris has said a billion times that you can have your abilities without any cost as long as they aren't used in battle.

People here to RP for the fun of it. Look at all of Akito's threads, for example. Just because we want to be able to spar in RP without having to make everything SUPA GODMOD doesn't mean it is unfair.

Besides, there are other things that make RPing different from actual writing. A system of shops and items is one of them. Ever played an MMO, Shinn? Well, I don't see those things letting you have everything you want at once. You have to play a little to get it. And damn if there aren't enough special discounts and opportunities to get munny around here. The only items that might be even a LITTLE unobtainable are the Keyblades and Summon slots.

Just because you hate the idea of earning powers for a fair fight doesn't mean everyone else does.

[Akito]

Everyone's entitled to their own opinion and quite honestly, we considered your point. However, Gravity mentioned the sole deciding factor, at least on my end.

Think, when did 'power' translate into the desire to RP? All the shop does is make your character stronger. How does that close the door to regular folk? It is a choice, an option, not compulsory.

To further that point, as DD said, you don't have to buy any of the crap. You can have your characters as powerful as you want them to be in normal RP threads. And if you absolutely must have a fight, you CAN make an arena match with a person who is WILLING to fight your 'not yet fully purchased for' powerful character. Iznan and Alexis' match was basically that.

You're right though. There ARE some circumstances where it is limiting. Take for example when I was a noob in KHRPF, I made a super awesome character called Devlin and ran around kicking ass in random open threads. You can't do that here. However, is that so bad a thing? Does not the lack of power for newbies hope to encourage more development RPs as opposed to "I'm arleady so uber lolololol,"

Now, don't get me wrong, you have some valid comments. We're clearly doing something wrong if some of the newer folk have disappeared on us. Perhaps it has become too complicated for an RP forum, becoming more akin to a game. But really, when it was less complicated than this, back in the days of Tempest, did FM do much better? It was because things weren't as great as they should be that the Staff tried to try this new change. You get me? We're trying something new to further ourselves instead of being stuck in the same old ditch, is that so wrong?

Because you have mangled this forum around and unintentionally brainwashed the members into believing that the only way their character will grow is to rp in your threads where they can possibly die or gain absolutely nothing.

I'm sorry, I had a problem with this. You do remember that...posts = +5 munny, yes? And with the new rule, posting in normal RP threads has a benefit all on its own.

I could say more, but I hope you see some validity in my words. You raise a natural objection, but we've already put that into consideration. And frankly, it's worthwhile. We either try and fall or don't try at all and regret we took no action.

[kempff]

So to make some points clear all parties look to agree on...

• New members may be finding themselves lost in the sea of rules and expectations coming into FM.
  
• How to get ahead on FM is not clear and any kind of goal seems out of reach.
  
• Final Mix has become too much like a game instead of a online written Role-playing forum.
  

Do we agree on this? Switch the wording some to fit The Marketplace, and I think it still stands.

[Heroic Bilby]

Man and here I thought my big over-the-top pushing of the marketplace to the munny system's logical conclusion short of a stats system wasn't going to get any real negative reaction there for a while. Thanks for not letting me down, Shinn(You already know how I feel about munny, haha)

But its still not a total member revolt. Guess that won't convince Iris that it needs to be completely removed form the forum. lol. But then its one of the things that at least makes FM slightly different than every single other of the huge mass of KH RP forums out there so I didn't really expect THAT to happen(I'd never intentionally antagonize people after all).

But I was hoping we could have enough common sentiment to put the shop where it really belongs: In the same place as the pirate code. Just a set of "guidelines" to be used under certain circumstances, like true competitive sparring between agreeing members or to be held up by QMs during Quests to keep things interesting with characters under certain limits. Whereas true free RP could be just that and just as I like it: True and free. Free to follow the guidelines yourself if you really wanted or free to bend them for the sake of fun as desired.

Because even though that's technically how the forum is allowed to function even at present, it really isn't explicit right now. Which I find sad.

[servant]

We need a complete collapse of the marketplace in favour of a new stats system that will involve every character having an equal opportunity chance to be awesomeplusplus.

I suggest the SPECIAL system: Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, Luck.

NO SERIOUS GUYS STATS ARE GODLY, BOW DOWN BEFORE THEM AND WORSHIP THEM.

Alternatively I think that it should be made more explicit that you can also just forego the entire shop. It's... really presented as being the one true system that you must use.

[Heroic Bilby]

Yes but what's the way to make that more explicit?

A giant header at the top of the main rules thread?

[servant]

That's one way, or you could just put less emphasis on using this system. The rules are construed as such that it seems almost logical that the system is overbearing.

[Heroic Bilby]

If the system exists the rules for it have to be there somewhere.

Would it be less emphasized if it were just split from the main rules thread to one of its own?

[servant]

It would be more emphasised. It'd be less emphasised if you stripped it out of the profile and add it as a "second" post to make after your profile, detailing that it is an optional section for those who want to make use of the system.

[Heroic Bilby]

Then we wouldn't have any idea what a created character is supposedly capable of, even in a remote sense.

You'd have to replace the character abilities/etc sections with just some sort of brief description/summary of what the avatar can do, at least? Don't you think?

[Shinn]

Look Grav I don't hate the idea of earning powers as you so blindly assumed. But the munny system at the moment does not allow honest to god earnings for members and their characters. This place could be compared to Final Fantasy XI [which is an MMORPG Twi] and that became a big failure. If the munny system can be used correctly to buy stuff it needs to be done without a number of post system. First for obvious reasons, most people here have at the most three characters. The munny system tends to work less for those who wish to have all of their characters grow. Even with the discounts you have it's still a very incomplete system. It just needs to be scrapped because I fail to see it being worthwhile since members don't really need it.

And even if you are the type to favor competition that would require a basic understanding of each others strengths and skills, the shop is not needed. A character can be given basic set of stats upon creating these battle or Quest threads so they can decide on what types of strengths and weaknesses they want for their character. The competitors give their choices to a staff member or some type of judge and from there they can fight. Sure they won't know just how strong their opponent is, but that's the fun out of it. Plus with that in affect it gives a more level playing field compared to the AP and weapon strength stats we have.

[High's .Valentine.]

Heh, I've always hated these kind of threads, but it's gotta happen sooner or later.

I don't have much to say, seeing as how most of the logical points have been tossed out there for you folks to mull over, but I just want to say one thing.

The shop will not be taken down unless the thing actually collapses, or if there is an overwhelming amount of negative view towards the thing. Otherwise, it will remain where it is. I'm assuming most of you folks [and hopefully new members] will be able to see that there are choices given to them on this forum. If they want to focus on the shop, then they have a myriad of things to choose from. If they want to ignore the shop, then they can live without it. And yes, perhaps we are emphasizing on the shop a bit too much at the moment. But it is a new addition to the forum. The hubbub over new additions usually die down over time.

Also, staff's not there 24/7 to hold your hand and tell you what you should or should not do. We're not out to brainwash people.

And Shinn, you brought up the idea that we should get the member's approval before making big decisions like this. While it would be a good idea, I wanna bring up something either Mem or Tempest said before about the members on this forum and decision making.

We NEVER get stuffs done if we ask for opinions.

And finally, about the stats...

Both Iris and I have agreed that if you want STATS, then play the GAME. This is an RP forum based on text based RP. And we would like to keep it that way. Unless total chaos ensues and stats is the only thing that will save this forum from potential doom, we will try and keep away from stats.