I posted this in the First Order Faction forums, but this kind of goes across the board, so I'll put it here too.
The Premise
Hello! I figured it was about time that we broach the issue of the Factory & Codex, and go over a few basic things to streamline your Submission experience. A major component of the actual submitting and approval process begins the moment the Judge replies to your submission. Lately, I've noticed an increasing number of submissions and the corresponding conversations regarding the submissions, contain a less than respectful tone to them. I understand that each submission will be different, and there will be times that you feel your submission is either being judged unfairly or edits requested by the judges may seem overbearing, but it's how those situations are handled that can mean the difference between not only getting it approved or denied, but also influence your overall experience on both Chaos and in the factory or codex. While variance may occur between submissions, there are a few key factors that should remain constant in each submission and interaction with the Judges.
1. Be Courteous
2. Be prepared to make changes
3. Wheaton's Law
1. Be courteous:- It should really go without saying, when you submit a piece of technology or a location submission, be courteous. It may be a cookie cutter response you get from the judge when they take on your submission, but remember that these people are volunteers and they take on submissions because they want to - not because they have to.
- After a judge responds, don't immediately assume they're trying to sink your submission - if it's a cool concept and one that seems technologically feasible there should be no reason to immediately assume that a judge is hostile towards your ideas or submissions as a whole.
- When suggestions or requests are made regarding changes, don't respond negatively. There's no reason to be hostile in your responses - as discussed above, these judges are volunteering to judge and read your submissions, you shouldn't be automatically defaulting to a hostile tone. This leads us into my second point.
- When a judge responds with either observations, requesting clarification, or even requesting changes be made to your submissions, there are a few key things to remember.
- 1. Don't take it Personally. The judges are doing their job, trying to clear up any inconsistencies, ensure there's less chance for abuse, and overall ensure that your submissions are not only easy to understand but also balanced in a way that isn't going to promote god-moding later on.
- 2. Be receptive to making changes. An easy way to do this, is to go into the entire process assuming you'll need to make some changes here or there, but as long as the heart of what your submission is attempting to do (Whether it be a weapon or an advanced piece of technology that allows you some cool ability) remains solid and is feasible, the judge will only be making suggestions that match the criteria of the factory and codex.
- 3. The judges don't have to approve anything. Don't get caught in the thought process that your submission must be accepted or has to be passed through as is. The judges have every right to ask questions and request changes. That being said - you as the submitter do have the ability to have a dialogue with the judge if you feel changes they've requested might not quite be fair in your eyes, but it's about how you do that which has a significant bearing on whether or not they listen to your explanation or simply deny it.
- 4. When a judge asks for changes that you might not wholly agree with or think are unreasonable, there are a number of ways in which you could respond. For example, you could respond with "Oi you, these are the ratings and I'm keeping them because X, Y, and Z." OR "Hi, thanks for reviewing my submission. I see you're asking me to lower the ratings on field A because of 'this, this or that'. When creating my submission, I think it would be reasonable to retain that rating due to the weaknesses listed here: (Include your reasoning). Does that seem reasonable?"
​​In the first example, the submitter comes across as pushy and entirely unwilling to make changes. While there are arguably situations where you might want to stand your ground in a submission, there's a way to do so respectfully. In the second example, there's a clear reasoning and a request to review the reasoning for a certain rating - in a much more respectful manner. If the judge comes back saying that they still require changes, then maybe it's time to take another look at your submission and attempt to determine if there's something else you can do to either 1. Justify the ratings by adding additional weaknesses, or 2. Come to a compromise somewhere in the submission that the judge finds acceptable, or 3. Accept the judges requests and make the changes.
- 5. Finally, when a Judge makes a determination. Accept it. Sometimes you may not always get 100 % what you want in your submission, but that's just the way it works. If you go into the entire process with this in mind, it's entirely possible to come out still feeling a winner and getting some cool tech or locations submitted. If you can't do everything you want with that one submission, think about creating a second submission to 'fill the gap' you had to leave in your first submission. The key here is being willing to make changes, and accept what the judges tell you. If you end up coming across something that's just not able to be resolved there's always the "Second Chance" option - but that should always be a last resort. Most judges are willing to work with you if you just show them a modicum of respect in your correspondence.
- ​Don't be a dick.
- This part really is this simple. No one owes you anything. The judges don't owe you anything. The judges are here to have fun just like anyone else, and to treat them disrespectfully is entirely unfair and uncalled for. If you feel your submission is being judged unfairly, there are other options than getting snarky and disrespectful with the staff, several which have been suggested above but also important to note is not only the pre-factory, but most factions will also have a Pre-Factory thread so that you can get feedback from other members of the faction as well as people who may be judges or have previous judging experience. Don't be afraid to use them. By utilizing these resources, you may be able to cut down on the number of changes that might need to be made once your submission hits the factory.
By no means does this suggest that we will get your submissions approved, but it does mean that we're willing to take a moment and see what kinds of solutions may be available to you should you be experiencing difficulty in getting a submission approved or feel you are being treated unfairly.
