Suggestion Major Faction Activity Checks; Sans Invasions

[Rynn Vizsla]

After having a few conversations with others, I know that this idea will be divisive like no tomorrow - but I believe it’s worth posting it up for consideration all the same. In the past, I’ve noted that several Major Factions have managed to persist on the map through Invasions alone, whether it be through launching them or being on the receiving end. I get it; they’re popular threads that shake up the status quo of the map. So, it’s only natural that they’d draw in droves of people to participate in some capacity. However, to me? I don’t think they’re a viable metric to determine if a faction’s active enough to retain its status as a Major Faction.

More often than not, those Major Factions that struggle to bring in activity elsewhere are effectively being carried along by their opposition. Which, at least to my perception, results in an exhausting IC and OOC slog for either side.

To cut to the chase, my idea and suggestion that I’m posing to the site and staff is to remove Invasions from the MF activity check requirements. I feel like a faction should not only be able to draw people in with Invasions, but they should be able to stand on their own two feet without them. I believe that excluding Invasions from the activity checks would see an increase in various internal faction threads to help flesh out the territories that Major Factions have acquired. While that’s just my optimistic viewpoint, as who knows what the effect could be if implemented, having a faction be active in fleshing out the territory it “owns” on the map seems like a win to me.

 

[Tefka]

There's no requirement for Invasions in Major Faction Activity checks....

 

[Darth Bellum]

I think what he means to say is that Invasions should not count as things to be presented for activity checks since I believe the requirement for a thread to be counted is something along the lines of 3-5 members from your own faction participating in a thread of any kind.

To which I do agree with the OP, Invasions should not be presented and used as something in order to determine whether they pass the activity checks or are put up to be recalled. If an Invasion comes out to be something like 30% one side and 70% the other side then as the OP said, yeah it's a slog that requires very minimal effort from one side to just slap it into an activity check and be like, 'Hey, we're counting this one invasion we did towards our activity check' or at least ensure that if you want to count an Invasion for activity checks it has to be relatively equal in the effort put in for it.

If Invasions are already not counted as part of activity checks, then just disregard this.

 

[Jsc]

This suggestion is silly and its timing is silly and it's implimentation is silly and it's effects would be silly.

You get a solid "silly/10". Nice!

 

[Aeson Keel]

There's no requirement for Invasions in Major Faction Activity checks....

He didn't say there was a requirement for major factions to include their invasions in activity checks.

He's saying that majors shouldn't be allowed to put them up as threads in said checks to begin with.

 

[Mellifluous Magenta]

I think the solution to this "problem" is already woven into the map game itself. If you want to "expose" a given faction for maintaining itself through a diet solely consisting of salt invasions, then your options are, A: Don't invade them or B: Don't write in any invasions they initiate against you.

Given that invasions and by extension, the map game itself, are optional experiences, I think that both are perfectly valid options under this context.

Alternatively, as Tefka already said, if you want to show that your own faction is healthy and salt invasion free the option exists to refrain from putting invasion threads in activity checks.

 

[Captain Jordan]

Factions don't invade each other, and Chaos is upset.

Factions invade each other, and Chaos is upset.

This isn't about invasions, this is about factions that are thought to be too damn big for their active population and are thought to be overstaying their welcome. Past examples include 2015-2018 GA, 2016-2019 FO, and ORC/OPA.

The real way to punish factions who sit on the map past their expiration is to make sure their upkeep matches what they're hoarding. If the mega-hex factions are judged by the same activity weight as a 2, 4, 5, 6 hex faction, then there's something very wrong.

 

[Rynn Vizsla]

A: Don't invade them or B: Don't write in any invasions they initiate against you.

The issue of not writing in any invasion they launch against you is that your faction's losing territory and giving the other faction a false sense of fulfillment. To me, there's nothing positive to be gained from such a choice. The same could be said of not launching invasions against said faction as they'll stew in their stagnation until the site staff decides enough's enough.

So, both of those options don't really solve the "problem," but rather perpetuates them through a communal cold shoulder. I get not wanting to write with certain people because of past transgressions, RP styles, or boring prose - but when it comes to Major Factions and the map? Ignorance isn't the best choice to approach things with. To me, that's more suited to Minor Faction territory, where you're given that freedom to operate in ignorance without affecting the map in any capacity, or having to worry about activity checks.

 

[Tefka]

He didn't say there was a requirement for major factions to include their invasions in activity checks.

To cut to the chase, my idea and suggestion that I’m posing to the site and staff is to remove Invasions from the MF activity check requirements.

 

[Rynn Vizsla]

Outside of the three faction members to a thread being eligible to count for activity, I'm not too sure what the judging metrics are or any additional "requirements." I never had to submit any activity checks when I was apart of a few Major Factions, be it as owner or admin. So, I took a chance and chose to word my OP poorly, lol.

That being said, though, Darth Bellum 's interpretation of my intent is something I'd like to see implemented in some fashion. I'd like for Invasions not to be counted when they're submitted for MF activity checks, as they're not a fair representation of how active a faction is. Ala, the example he gave, with one side pouring in a higher percentage of posts and the other being carried along.

 

[Mellifluous Magenta]

Then well...let the invasion diet factions "stew in their stagnation", fail activity checks, bleed members, and go Minor? That seems like a good option to me, especially since this kind of thing already happens like 3-5 times times a year when factions go Minor.

Rynn Vizsla

 

[Tefka]

I'm not punishing factions for pushing Invasions.

I'm not exempting factions from submitting Invasions. It's a silly thing to request and feels underhanded, like there's a ulterior motive. There's certainly no ulterior motive behind Activity checks.

We try like hell to keep every faction alive without Staff leaning in on the debate. Some of our most intense debates happen around that time, and usually because Valiens or I decide to try and intervene to save a faction that is performing poorly on an Activity check.

Some of you have been on the recieving end of those conversations. "We don't want you to go, but you're not leaving us much choice."

Activity checks were invented literally to wipe out the inactives that just sat and ate up space. It is NOT FAIR, ABSOLUTELY not fair, to other newcomers on the map that you just sit there and waste our time while providing us NOTHING in terms of activity, support, story or roleplay.

That is one of the most unfair things I see happen on the forums. I do not care what you have going on. You are leading people. Step down if IRL intervenes, we'll take care of the situation. But if you drag your faction down with you, Staff will move to remove you so others can step in and have the fun you're so willfully not having.

Invasions, regardless of their place in the activity checks, have very little to do with any factions that have been removed from the map due to activity checks.

 

[Rynn Vizsla]

It's a silly thing to request and feels underhanded, like there's a ulterior motive.

The only ulterior move that I have, is to see more world-building and threads other than dominions and invasions populate a Major Faction's roster of active threads. I'm a fan of variety, and that's ultimately formed the core of this suggestion. It saddens me to see that you think otherwise, but alas.

Stagnant Major Factions have always been a constant in my time on Chaos, and I doubt they'll ever go away. It's just the nature of the beast, lol.

In a way, I had a feeling it wasn't really going to go anywhere - but if I didn't take that chance? I wouldn't know for certain.

 

[Tefka]

The only ulterior move that I have, is to see more world-building and threads other than dominions and invasions populate a Major Faction's roster of active threads. I'm a fan of variety, and that's ultimately formed the core of this suggestion. It saddens me to see that you think otherwise, but alas.

This is a very biased point of view. Forcing factions to do what you want them to do (world build) is not da wei.

It is a sandbox. They have a multitude of options. Worldbuilding is one, yes.

Invasions/Dominions is another.

So long as they stick to the rules as written, I will not force them to do otherwise, nor will Chaos impede on the actions they want to take. If you want to see more world building on Chaos, be the change - but don't ask Staff to force it to happen.