Accel World RP: How (not) to make a RP

[Royal Duke]

Hello, Bunting Martel here. A few days ago I had posted that I would not return. However, that was not completely right. I still had some business here that had to be finished no matter what.

Said business is to give constructive criticism to the makers of this site as gratitude for all the experience I have gained during my stay here. After having obtained both first hand experiences and enough second hand accounts, I think the least I could do is to give my honest to god opinion.

First of all I will begin by listing the truly good points that this site has:

-It's domain.

That's all it has going. When someone types 'accel world rp' in a search engine, your webpage will pop up first. That's pretty neat. However, think about it. What good is finding it easily if the rest doesn't quite work? And hence into the bad part.

Let's face it. This project was half assed from the start, and everything that happened afterwards can be derived from the fact that at the time it was launched, it was not taken seriously enough.

This RP was initiated too early. The anime ended its run around September, which is roughly the time the site was fully running. Whenever you initiate a project, you make sure to always have at least a bare minimum of information available to make the best out of it. If you are aware it's based on a light novel, it could not hurt to at least ask for a second account of what happens to know how the setting you are using as the base for your RP works.

I mean, it's in your name. People come in expecting Accel World, not whatever half assed thing you come up with in the span of hours.

And then you will say 'But this was successful, no matter what you say and we had a proper RP going on'. Calm down. Here, my definition of 'proper RP' is one where at least an 80% of the original players stay active from beginning to end of the roleplay and stay loyal to it. A proper RP doesn't need to rely upon hype from a recent anime, or consistent additions from other settings.

So, what are the ingredients for a proper RP will you ask me.

1. Plot. Be it anything vague/inconclusive to something you've put over 2 years of thinking you need to give your players an idea of what is going on.
2. Setting. You need rules to make sure everyone is in the same train. Otherwise there will be nine year old supersoldiers and cannibals running around. I mean if this were a Valvrave the Liberator RP that would be allright, but again, people come here because they wrote 'accel world' in their search engines so that is what they expect.
3. NPC. Allright, we've got a world and rules. Now we need its inhabitants. A mistake that was made in this site was making players the only relevant beings in existence. NPC if done right can add a lot to the story, as the players' allies, comrades, enemies, as traitors, as their opponents... Hell. I have seen a GM pull NPC directly from other universes as they were, yet their personalities and backstories changed the setting. They gave a meaning to the PC's actions, a reason to drive them forward, support to create an even greater story of conquest and battle porn.
4. A GM. Let's assume players are the stars of a play. However, big names alone aren't enough to make a super hit. The GM is the one that makes everything 120% cooler. He is the special effects crew, the script writer, the one that hires the secondary actors, the one who points out inconsistencies, the manager that makes sure everything goes allright.

Players are what give life to a RP, each adding their unique ideas and playing around in the world they get thrown into. However, it's the GM the one that gives them a purpose to fight for, worthy enemies so that even if scarce, victory means something, makes sure that the players don't think of themselves as watchers from outside; makes them feel as if they were right there.

Being a GM is not easy. It requires crazy dedication to your work. If you are not willing to give it your all, at least at the start, don't even bother starting. Because then this is what happens.

With a halfassed setting and without a semblance of a plot, it is only natural that the character sheets would start without making sense. It's obvious that if the setting and the GM are halfassed, the sheets will be as well. This would be fine in the right circumstances, let us say a parody. However, let me refer to the name above: 'Accel World Roleplay'. You come in here expecting Silver Crow and Cyan Pile-like Duel Avatars and you find yourself seeing blue duel avatars with bows, red duel avatars with missiles so intelligent they could make sudokus in their free time and motherfreaking enoby shade.

Of course, the stat system was also half assed to extremes it sounds like a joke. By just leveling up, even though it had been said already and it was seen in the fight between Silver Crow and Cyan Pile that there isn't much of a numerical difference between levels alone, that if you don't use Level Up Bonus it's useless, yet by the time you reached level 4 a level 1 barely stood any chance to win.

But that did not even matter, because there wasn't any plot to follow or any NPC to battle or interact with, nor any purpose for the PC inside the Accelerated World. Thus the only thing left to do was wage battle in half assed scenarios that barely resembled those in the original setting, with half assed rules and half assed character sheets. And thus it was logical that instead of a highspeed shounen tournament with completely unique characters whose abilities are derived from their raw, innermost desires you'd get battles based on who could bullshit harder, with one liners everywhere and things like running backwards and firing not even a gun but a goddamned bow.

Then, how did such a system sustain itself? I point once again to the domain. Not so long ago, hype towards the 'Accel World' anime was pretty high and of course many hit in their search engine of choice 'accel world rp' and almost instantly they arrived here.

Due to how high hype was, almost everyone had their own (halfassed in most cases, of course) idea for a DA, which got approved fast. And soon a pyramid-scheme like system established itself. People mindlessly rose in level because there was a high supply of newbies arriving, ready to be crushed in battles of bs, and those newbies crushed the others and then moved on to the NPC-Burst Point dispenser.

Then there was the shop as well. I think the most memorable case is the Cyber Sword/Dagger/whatever. This is a typical case of what not to do ever unless you want to segregate your players. It's an item that cuts down anything, costs a lot of BP and can only be stopped by the same item. You were forced to either have one or be cannon fodder to those who already had one, and yet this that should have never existed stayed for longer than they should have.

Then came more half assed attempts to make players stay. Ridiculous events, additions at random from other verses that did not do anything at all (Arcana, Brain Burst IRL!?), even going as far as to bribe people with more experience points as long as they bring friends and shamelessly advertising. This worked for a while, however, you can only keep things the same for so long.

Kuroyukihime herself complained about how the Accelerated World had become stagnant, and this applies to this RP as well. There was literally no change. There was literally nothing to oppose players except other players, no aim other than endlessly fighting as there was nothing else that could go on, so it's only natural people would progressively grow bored, isn't it?

You can only keep the same carrot ahead of a player for so long. NPC give life to the world, they give players motivation, they give them a reason to seek revenge, a reason to fight. Imagine Haruyuki without a Kuroyukihime to protect, without a Cyan Pile to fight in a life and death duel to protect his beloved, without an Ash Roller to duel against. This is exactly what the average AWRP eventually ends up like.

Can this be even called a RP anymore? Are the players really taking a role, or is it more like a group of guys and girls hang out and every once in a while they decide to write something that resembles a fight? Is that what you'd call a 'proper' RP?

I think I've covered most, if not all of the points, good and bad, of this website. This should not be taken as an offence. In fact I am quite fond of some if not most of you guys.

I do this because in the end I care. I must say that this site as it is isn't even worth my attention, so that it will finally be closed off after a good run or a new one will grow in its place, but there is no turning back, as this site was doomed from the very start to fail, and anything derived from it will be as well.

Truly over and out
Bunting Martel.

[Destination]

Huh.

Well, I have to agree that his points are valid, seeing as some of the things have been staring me in the face as well. I wasn't up-to-date with the Cyber weapons saga, but I agree with the arguments against it.

I won't really say it was doomed to fail, but the changes that would have made it succeed came too slowly. The movelist system, stats system: that they needed redesigning acknowledges their shortfalls.

And on the administrative side, at first I saw Plat, Vixen, Addy, and Miale working hard, but then it dropped...dropped...and eventually all the work was piled on Miale, herself facing RL time constraints. I say, part of the fault also lies on the other administrators for eventually putting in less effort due to their simple loss of interest.

I guess I could go on to say more, but Bunting has more or less covered the points that need covering the most. I'm moving on to another AWRP as well.

To the members of this site, past and present, I wish you luck in your future endeavours.

Tusjecht out.

[Guest]

Well words of wisdom from our two experts of the Accel World and of Roleplaying.

Sheesh you two are made from the same mold. It's people like you that ruin roleplays why? Because you're a pair of egoistical perfectionist who can't stand imperfection and freedom to have fun and in my opinion having fun is what roleplaying is supposed to be about.

Until people like you all showed up I was having a great time, making a story with characters of my own design, play through it like I would a RPG. Sure maybe it wasn't completely to canon standards but hell canon standards did not even exist because the source material hasn't been officially translated except for what was subbed in the anime which only covers some basics.

This site goals was to allow people to have fun in the accelerated world without having to worry about canon material or strange gameplay mechanics of canon design (I mean we all know that IS is nothing but cheating, it says so right in the third + fourth novels,)

Not once did I see you make two any characters with a back story nor did I see you build on that story through roleplaying all you two and others did was bitch and complain that our system was flawed and yes it was but you want to know something that's what makes it fun.

So if you two are bailing because this site is bad, goodbye and good riddance signed Diamond Edge, a guy who just wanted to have fun.

[Destination]

I beg to differ.

>Source material has not been officially translated.

So I take this to mean that you do not acknowledge fan translations as accurate? That despite two or more rounds of editing by experienced volunteer translators, as well as English editors carefully looking out for errors, you believe that they are not to be depended upon?

Well I have some good news for you, the NA company Yen Press has licensed the light novels for Accel World. Perhaps you can finally be at ease knowing that someone paid to do something for a second time is more likely to do just as good a job.

>Not once did I see you make two any characters with a back story nor did I see you build on that story through roleplaying

Bunting's works:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

My work:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Either the long descriptions are not enough for our Forum Moderator, or you are refusing to acknowledge their existence. There's even your approval on Bunting Martel.

I could say something about your personal bias here, but I'll leave it as that. What is apparent though is that you are merely retaliating with invalid arguments and glaring lack of respect for the fan-translated material. Seriously. All you have to do is google 'accel world light novel' and Baka Tsuki comes out right in the front. How hard is it to read a light novel of AW's length when you can write stories thousands of words long?

[Guest]

Counter Attack

The fact is the fan translated stuff wasn't even around when the anime was finished and the site first started. How do you expect people who can't read foreign languages to read something outside of their language and understand it. It's taken you all this long just to even get to 5.8 and a ton of pieces from other chapters and in truth I've been reading the light novel. I just have to read it in English because that's my first language.

Combo Counter

Your characters applications are nice and all but can you show me where you all actually tried to play the game? No? oh gee I guess you didn't try or you're too busy in real life to even care. Why don't you just go back to it. You're not needed here.

[Destination]

Sure, the V1-4 may not have been fully translated by the time the season finished, but spoilers were aplenty on the Internet already. Please look at the timestamp on this thread (http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?t=98675)and tell me again with a straight face that the information wasn't around. We translators might work slowly with our RL commitments, and yet we still worked hard to bring to you whatever we could.

And you're a veteran on this forum, quite clearly. 821 posts and counting. Surely you know where we played. Must evidence from your own backyard be spoonfed to you, forum moderator? If you're too lazy to know where material on your own forum is, forum moderator, either you are the one who is too busy with other things to care, or as per your typical 'argumentative' style, you cherry pick and misrepresent information to suit your argument, leaving the contradicting parts out. This is even reflected in your fanfiction, of which I read every word while reviewing it. I have nothing more to say.

Look at yourself. Labelling your points 'counter attack' and 'combo counter' as though this is Phoenix Wright or Danganronpa. It's nice to know you actually to spell out that we're not needed here. This sends just as clear a message to other players out there who might be reading this thread: disagree with our forum moderator, his ideas, or styles, and you'll also be 'not needed.' Interest is waning, the posting rate is dropping, and fewer new members are joining. If someone had to be needed, it would be new players willing to step up and admin coherently and efficiently, or just play like gentlemen and be willing to make mistakes. I find it telling too at your responses to the Cyber Dream Sword and Cyber Dagger threads, that again, you argue 'you're just trying to have fun.' Clearly your idea of fun excludes others from enjoying it just as well either.

Have a nice day, forum moderator. It's been lots of fun playing with you, reviewing Accel World: Unlimited (http://goo.gl/BwoaXG), and otherwise getting to know the person who calls himself Diamond Edge, SMARTAgentKC, and coolcatKC.

[Guest]

I wished I had the same feeling but I don't.

[Platinum Blader]

I agree with what Bunt and Tus said. What they listed are indded problems. On the note of administration going absent, it is indeed true. But I didn't leave just because I lost interest (Yes, part of it.), I had real-world issues too, work to do.

Also, regarding Fan Translation stuff at the start of this forum. Remember who was leading this website at that time? Regan. I believe just the mention of his name gives a good enough reason as to why stuff didn't fall in place correctly.

As for the implication of Bunt and Tus in the RP... They did a lot of backstage work. True, Tus didn't rp much, but Bunt was the NPC GM for quite a while, he rped with people (He even fought you Diamond). And yet, you come and say they are not needed? Sadly, it's people that jump at other's throat so fast with no peculiar reasons like you Diamond that would not be needed, but that's another issue.

These guys helped me and Mia a lot in our works. We learned more about AW with them in a few weeks then we did on this forum and the anime in 3 months. If they could stay and run the forum, I'd be certain it'd be a nice place to RP, but with more restrictions then what we got currently. Of course, i'm not against freedom and such, that's what I aimed for too. But sticking to canon for AT LEAST character creation and having standards for battles and such is needed.

Now, the final thing: Diamond, i'm removing your moderator rank. Reason? You've showed it right now. Bashing two players who said their point of view on the forum and tried to help us. There were other issues in the past which almost made me remove your post, but I kept you cause you were a good worker. But sadly, i'm removing you now. If Mia wants you in the team, she'll add you back. It's her forum anyway. But for until she decides, your powers are removed.

[Edit: it seems you were removed from the moderation before I did my move. I believe that means you lost your position for good ^^']

[Guest]

that's fine by me Platinum, if you think I did wrong by bashing these two and wish to punish me by revoking power, that's okay.

I do not believe I am wrong in speaking my mind against them. They come off as very rude people who have nothing better to do then make crude jokes, whine and complain, and bash the hard work people put into this site.

if you want to defend their actions that's your choice

[Destination]

It took me awhile to understand the reference to Regan...

Plat, what did he do? I must have had joined after most of the dust had settled, I think. I don't remember very much about him.

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