[.11] Player Blankets instead of Character Blankets

[Draven]

You know what would be cool?

If Players got XP instead of Characters.

While I realize that it’s an age-old relic that characters get XP to represent completed encounters, the XP system has gradually changed in LARPing to be more fun and versatile for players.

You could institute an XP cap that wouldn’t punish players, they’d still get XP towards non-capped characters. Sure, some people only want to play their single character, but maybe this would incentivize them to create a new persona in our game.

 

[Eldor]

Being able to, as a player decide where the XP I earn for a weekend goes, as in which character will get the build it generates, I feel would encourage slower single character progression and help the game in many ways without punishing anyone. It is a Win - Win situation in every way.

All you have to do, is decide which character will get the XP from a weekend when pre-registering or checking in and it does not even add much more work to the teams running logistics.

 

[Muir]

I like it, but given that I'm over a month out on getting an email reply from a chapter regarding a character update, I fear the logistical complexity it would add would lead to problems.

 

[Feldor]

I like it, but given that I'm over a month out on getting an email reply from a chapter regarding a character update, I fear the logistical complexity it would add would lead to problems.

Only a month? I think I have 2 or 3 chapters that are further behind than that...

With that said, part of what seems to be coming with the new system is a new database and website. And that database appears to have gobby tracking in it. As someone who has helped design/code/run multiple larp databases&websites, adding the hooks to where you can hand out XP/blankets (and let players allocate XP/blankets) online without having to engage with a human is vert doable. And the person working on the website has seemed to be pretty responsive on customization and has mentioned that his recent focus has been on writing tools to support the logistics side. Assuming you are having event attendance in the system and gobbies in the system, it feels like having the ability to spend gobbies to blanket an event should be a doable thing without requiring any staff interaction.

I guess what I'm saying is that once we are no longer running on 15+ year old website/database-tech, this should not be an issue.

 

[Muir]

I'd hope it wouldn't be, but I'd want that site up, tested, and good to go before we made it a rule.

We run on what seem to be shoestring budgets and mostly volunteer labor, so keeping churn down is probably for the best.

 

[Alkalin3]

Only a month? I think I have 2 or 3 chapters that are further behind than that...

With that said, part of what seems to be coming with the new system is a new database and website. And that database appears to have gobby tracking in it. As someone who has helped design/code/run multiple larp databases&websites, adding the hooks to where you can hand out XP/blankets (and let players allocate XP/blankets) online without having to engage with a human is vert doable. And the person working on the website has seemed to be pretty responsive on customization and has mentioned that his recent focus has been on writing tools to support the logistics side. Assuming you are having event attendance in the system and gobbies in the system, it feels like having the ability to spend gobbies to blanket an event should be a doable thing without requiring any staff interaction.

I guess what I'm saying is that once we are no longer running on 15+ year old website/database-tech, this should not be an issue.

That stuff is all done and with npc blankets going to whatever character you'd like, I more or less already have to build that system.
Right now you can blanket with out staff intervention. I just haven't built the hooks in to allow event buy backs but, will prior to the official launch. All of the logic is done, and the validation. Just need to hook up a cost and make an endpoint to actually do it.

My goal is so that logistics teams only need to add credit for events attended, add npc blankets, add spirit forges/race changes/deaths/etc and add goblin stamps.

Everything else should be self serve.

 

[Draven]

That stuff is all done and with npc blankets going to whatever character you'd like, I more or less already have to build that system.
Right now you can blanket with out staff intervention. I just haven't built the hooks in to allow event buy backs but, will prior to the official launch. All of the logic is done, and the validation. Just need to hook up a cost and make an endpoint to actually do it.

My goal is so that logistics teams only need to add credit for events attended, add npc blankets, add spirit forges/race changes/deaths/etc and add goblin stamps.

Everything else should be self serve.

I hope you got, like, a million Dragon Stamps, man. You’ve definitely earned them.

 

[Alkalin3]

I hope you got, like, a million Dragon Stamps, man. You’ve definitely earned them.

I've been uh doing it out of pocket for now. Yeah. I hope so too.

Mostly, this project started from logistics annoying me. It's not logistics people fault, they're all volunteers but, I really hate how slow turn around can be. I know a bunch of people who ended up one xp shy before an event for some skill they wanted and struggled to get a response in time. This isn't really a database thread so I don't want to swerve off topic but, my hope is concerns like "this is too hard for logistics" don't matter anymore because they don't.

 

[Alkalin3]

I'd hope it wouldn't be, but I'd want that site up, tested, and good to go before we made it a rule.

It's literally up and having been tested for the past 6 months.

 

[Inaryn]

I've been uh doing it out of pocket for now. Yeah. I hope so too.

Mostly, this project started from logistics annoying me. It's not logistics people fault, they're all volunteers but, I really hate how slow turn around can be. I know a bunch of people who ended up one xp shy before an event for some skill they wanted and struggled to get a response in time. This isn't really a database thread so I don't want to swerve off topic but, my hope is concerns like "this is too hard for logistics" don't matter anymore because they don't.

As someone who has been a logistics person multiple times...

You're very right.

And...

You, sir, are a hero.

 

[Kitaruen]

I will say the new database is a thing of beauty and is well tested. And still has a few more months of shake out. I have no doubt Alkalin can refine any issues or features needed.

Like all of the conversion to 2.0 some patience will be needed but I have no doubt it will be rewarded.

 

[Draven]

So...Player Blankets?

 

[Muir]

I will say the new database is a thing of beauty and is well tested. And still has a few more months of shake out. I have no doubt Alkalin can refine any issues or features needed.

Like all of the conversion to 2.0 some patience will be needed but I have no doubt it will be rewarded.

I am super happy to hear it, and vastly appreciative of how much work and good will has gone into improving our game.