bargemods: (Default)
TLV Mods ([personal profile] bargemods) wrote2010-02-01 06:31 pm
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TLV - Mod Contact

MOD CONTACT


If you have a question, comment, or complaint to raise to the mods, you can contact us directly by emailing us at any of our listed emails/Plurk addresses or by sending a PM to any of the listed character accounts. These will be forwarded to everyone else on the core mod team unless requested otherwise. If you have a general question about the game, you can also leave a comment over in the FAQ. The PM inbox of [personal profile] bargemods is not checked regularly.

GAME MODERATORS

Iddy || ZieglerFan719 (at) gmail (dot) com
Plurk: [plurk.com profile] ihdreniel
Journals: [personal profile] citizendetective [personal profile] cactusy


Isabelle || ilseinthemorning (at) gmail (dot) com
Plurk: [plurk.com profile] shipoftheseus
Journals: [personal profile] deuceoftears [personal profile] takestime


Kira || swordwithasmile (at) gmail (dot) com
Plurk: [plurk.com profile] tinwateringcan
Journals: [personal profile] reformedsinner [personal profile] wildguardian [personal profile] divingdeep




dog_eat_dog: (absolve your guilt and shake hands?)

[personal profile] dog_eat_dog 2021-05-29 09:16 pm (UTC)(link)
Hi mods! I just wanted to reach out with some thoughts on the recent events.

I've been in the game a year now and I feel like I came in on a bang with Mirror Barge. I really loved it! Mirror Barge felt incredible because characters had the ability to change what was happening and problem-solve their way out of the situation, and I was very impressed, especially as a new player, to see mods keep the ending open and not end the event until the characters made it happen themselves. Given the event was also started by characters, it felt particularly organic to the game's setting.

But it also feels like we haven't really had an event like that since. The vast majority of breaches and ports have been rooted in slice of life. Give or take an alien attack and some metal-based superpowers, the basic event set-up for most breaches and ports has been setting up characters in a relatively-modern-Earth-AU and then doing slice of life and interpersonal drama. Slice of life is good in moderation the same way extreme action is good in moderation, but the repetition feels like overkill. Most characters have no problem bonding with others and making their own found families and romantic relationships and close ties without frequent events making them think so.

What makes a lot of these slice of life events start to feel frustrating for me is that there's few game-wide plot beats built in for doing much else. The events are "slice of life in a setting", whether it's on a prison train or San Fran or now Admiralton, and then maybe some sort of action where characters don't have any particular agency to prevent it or work around it. They just endure. Snowpiercer had a bunch of characters planning an escape that was deemed impossible from the get-go; maybe it would have felt different if it was a planned event for interested characters to overthrow the train guards and escape or get to the front of the train. San Fran had a lot of "signs" that let characters try to warn the public about the impending attack, but their voices were suppressed by the government. Maybe the event would have felt different if it were plotted from the beginning to give characters the ability to circumvent the attack. Admiralton was slice of life in its purest form, and maybe it would have felt different if characters could "wake up" from their Hallmark state and push back against being Stepfordized to the setting, particularly given that we have so many characters who don't aspire to that kind of life –– but people disinterested in that kind of plot could still just play their slice of life, you know? The result for me is that many events just feel limited to their settings, which could be fine if it was an alien world or someplace with a radically different mode of being that characters could engage with, but when it's slice of life on a relatively modern Earth with little else to do, it feels restrictive. Event posts always seem to be written from the perspective of what you can't do, too, so it's hard to come into these events' plotting posts and be a person asking the scope of the event to change. By comparison, Mirror Barge felt like an open invitation to act.

The repeated lack of agency in events is not really what I expected of a full year in a game set on a space prison where characters are supposed to be making choices that impact their futures. I know that a lot of the game information reflects how the game culture IC might have been years ago, even ten years ago, but as it is, so much of the game information talks about violence, challenges, prison dynamics, etc –– what's on the tin isn't what is being set up as events here, and much of what I've found of that has been in player plots on an average day. The game description on the info page in particular is almost comedically out of touch with what playing in the game feels like.

It also makes it somewhat difficult to progress characters towards graduation ––slice of life can offer alternate perspectives, but I find myself running out of things for my character to observe about a relatively normal life compared to what she might observe about a life in a setting far-removed from her own experiences, particularly in a place where her actions could have higher stakes and greater consequences.

I know plots where characters can impact the flow of events are at times laborious to run, and I understand life is particularly stressful at the time for both players and mods, given the global situation. I'm in the same boat. But if the involvement requirements for running those kinds of events is the issue, I'm sure there are many players (including myself) who would be happy to step up to assist, as well. I also don't expect the game to bend to my personal preferences if these slice of life events are the kinds of events the majority of players love and enjoy, so my plan is to just hiatus next time an event like this happens. No hard feelings, I just don't have it in me to come up with another relatively-modern-Earth-AU for a while, and I don't like being a killjoy. :( And for my part, I'd like to pitch some plots in the near future, and maybe some regular barge event stuff that isn't game-wide! I don't want to be all complaint and no action! I just wanted to express myself on this because I care about this game, and TLV has been fun and I have had great CR here and love the premise.

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ukan: (Default)

[personal profile] ukan 2021-06-08 06:17 pm (UTC)(link)
No rush on this, just a question!

Lark is having Rags build up maps of the Barge (especially as the vents change) and keep track of any noises he hears. Lark's goal is to find out if this ship is living like the original was, especially if it has a "heart" like the one Arthas went after. (His goal is to protect it and make contact if possible.)

So my question is, is this a viable player plot to pursue in the long run? (Lark is seeing it go on for months so it is a very slow burn idea). And what could Rags and Lark learn?
laszlo: (Default)

[personal profile] laszlo 2021-09-04 04:57 pm (UTC)(link)
[And now for something completely serious.]

So... what are the chances the library has a pornography section? More like literature/history, not magazines so much.
sorrypardonyesthankyou: (Default)

[personal profile] sorrypardonyesthankyou 2021-09-09 12:50 am (UTC)(link)
Hi! This is a stupid question for y'all - I'm having trouble getting Ruth to gel for me, and I'm thinking another character would work better. (I made a bad choice, basically.) Is there a length of time I need to wait in order to app someone new, in this circumstance? I know with second characters, it's 30 days, but I wasn't sure if this would work the same way. Thank you for your help!
newpest: (Default)

[personal profile] newpest 2021-09-29 10:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Hey, just popping by to let you know I'm having serious problems with the game (even though I literally just apped a character, I know). I figured Kovacs being a depressive was the issue, and thus Bev, but it's looking to be a serious issue in both cases.

Basically: I apped both of these characters to this game specifically because it seemed to be a game based around morality, making moral judgement and helping others to do so. Instead, in game, whenever my character expresses distress with generally reviled topics such as murder and mass murder, they are told that's just how it is, you can't judge people, and to keep your head down.

The prospect of playing these characters, who have strong moral compasses, just kind of ignoring goings on in this game is not a very fun one. Have I misunderstood the premise of the game?

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bcpd: kovacs; work (Default)

[personal profile] bcpd 2021-10-19 12:31 am (UTC)(link)
Good evening! I realized after I posted this to the poll discussion post that you'd said you wanted to communicate only as players there. For that reason, I'm also copying it here, so we can discuss on a mod-player basis:

The poll results seemed to suggest a lot more interest in change than what you've proposed here, especially in the following areas:

• Over half the playerbase was interested in increased austerity, with another 30% neutral on it, which I don't see mentioned here outside of short bursts of plot
• Nearly half the playerbase wants to move away from the kind of luxury items that tend to show up among the character-added customizations, with another 30% neutral on the subject. Additionally, the actual poll results for removing those character-added items showed 90% of the game felt neutral-to-positive about the idea.
• The mistletoe plot actually seems astoundingly unpopular as an in-game canon thing - over 70% of players wanted to memeify it or remove it, not run it with increased opt-outs. Could you explain a little more why you're keeping it?

I don't expect this game to conform to every poll answer I personally provided - and honestly, I'm not sure all of these questions I have relate specifically to my answers. But while we were told this wouldn't be a simple majority-rules situation, I think that some of these decisions are pretty surprising, given the clear mandates we've seen in the polls.

If y'all have time to give us a little more of a roadmap of what you're planning, beyond these initial changes, I think it would give a clearer picture of what the ultimate direction of the game is going to be. As it is, I have to admit that I'm a little confused by some of these choices. And while I have some other thoughts on some of the subjects raised in the poll, I want to make sure I'm not wasting your time by asking questions / making suggestions about changes y'all are simply planning to make in a few months' time.

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smugreport: (Default)

[personal profile] smugreport 2021-10-19 12:34 am (UTC)(link)
Posting this here as well because I'd like a mod answer as mods!

It doesn't make sense to me that there is a form needed to justify a character demotion but not graduation. Why??? I really think players should have to show their work with regards to graduation, otherwise it just (and has, from what I've seen as both a former player, lurker and current player) give plenty of room to handwave the reasoning which makes the mechanic completely unbalanced for players who want to actually put in the time. It doesn't have to be super intensive, but a clear trajectory of growth should be shown in the form of links, maybe with summaries of the thread and how it was a stepping stone, a solid list of clear examples. And then after that an approval process. I think it's the only way to keep the system relatively fair.

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classifieds: (Default)

[personal profile] classifieds 2021-10-19 05:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Hi, mods! I'm just bringing this here because I'm hoping for a little more input on how some of the changes will proceed. Please don't feel rushed to answer, I know you guys have a lot to respond to. I'm not saying anyone needs to stop playing what they like or are playing the wrong way, I'm just hoping to propose some things that would balance things out a little.

For me it isn't a problem that people can play more permissive and understanding wardens. All of my threads here have been great, and that includes threads with wardens whose philosophies are different than what Carol needs to graduate. Being exposed to a wide variety of viewpoints and being able to debate them makes things more interesting.

My issue is that the current overall tone is so far towards the 'acceptance/positive reinforcement' side that inmates who need punishment and consequences and the stricter wardens that would enforce them are stuck really going against the grain. Destructive actions by inmates are very easy to recover from (even death!) which means they also don't come with a lot of IC consequences, and while their warden (or any given warden if they're unpaired) can decide to enforce consequences, those consequences tend to come off as harsh due to the fact that inmates really aren't threats. I've only been here for a short while and have already seen multiple big network arguments about the fact that death and other destructive actions are treated so casually here and how that might do more harm to an inmate than good, but the end result always seems to be that that's just how it is because it's hard to get characters riled up about something that has almost no consequences.

A lot of the things we voted on would have, in my opinion, been great steps towards fixing this without changing the setting too much: making death and injury and damage to the barge have more lasting consequences, limiting inmate access to weapons, consequences for wardens that sit back and do nothing, and so on. The initial response to the feedback makes me feel like these changes got lost in the shuffle with the survival elements and shared rooming and the like, so I'm just putting this here to wonder if they are going to be addressed?

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iworry: (Default)

[personal profile] iworry 2021-10-20 12:25 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you for the reply, but I do not want to discuss this subject any longer, given the tone of the main post.

Wishing you the best with implementing these changes, even if they don't make sense to me.
no_innocents: (Default)

Drac Magic and Tech and Teaching

[personal profile] no_innocents 2021-11-28 07:30 pm (UTC)(link)
Heyo! I wanted to check in with you on something, since I didn't want to overreach. Specifically, about Drac potentially teaching 'true sciences' and/or magic to people. I just wanted to lay out what I've been doing and make sure you're good with it:

1. I'm trying to stick to what's available in the Castlevania games and/or visibly seen in the Castlevania Netflix show for the weird gothpunk tech he's got going on and this is (heavily) restricted by materials so as not to get out of hand. Mostly the tech/'true sciences' stuff is theoretical and if we were going to do anything more than that, I'd want to check with you guys. So far all he's done is very simple toy automatons and it would probably stick to really low-tier stuff like that given size limitations. Otherwise, a lot of what he teaches is just... modern day science. Like there's totally modern equipment in Lisa's office in canon so he probably knows weird gothpunk versions of what would be normal or a little advanced for our understanding of tech.

2. Magic: as magic is about as defined as Drac's backstory in canon (both in the games and in the show), I'm taking a somewhat-modified DnD model for what he can teach someone else. Starting with the idea that for someone who does not in canon have a magical bloodline/background/lineage/something, the only thing that could be possible is ritual casting available to arcane spellcaster (no cleric and paladin spells!) with the necessary verbal, somatic, and materials required. Most of these spells are more interesting than bombastic or allow for interesting plots and I wouldn't think that they'd be any more or less disruptive than what a character could feasibly get at a port or do through technology in one way or another.

Similarly, for those who do have magic in them, I'd probably still take the DnD approach, and again restrict his knowledge to the sort of arcane spells that he'd know (no divine, obviously, which also makes sense for why he'd prefer science for healing over something along those lines) and to give his magical abilities some structure.

For all involved, the progress would be reasonable and require RP mention and 'work', much as they would be in a DnD campaign, so no one's throwing around a Fireball (a lvl 3 spell) after one lesson. Generally, I'll also have him using 'magic' in a similar vein (using DnD spells as a framework) even if he'd probably be like 30th level and obviously without some of the more game-breaking spells or things that would make a character plot or his own plot useless (like Wish, etc.). I'd think of him as an artificer/wizard as classes go for that with the accompanying spell lists/specialties.

TLDR: here's how I'm structuring these things, I'm trying to do it to allow for interesting gameplay, something meaningful to his 'lessons', and not being an OP twinked out butthead in a shared space.
cephalopunk: (pic#15666700)

[personal profile] cephalopunk 2022-09-24 02:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Hi mods!

A suggestion re: the new jobs

I think it'd be beneficial to have two slots for the inmate monitor role. This would give the unpaired inmates a little more freedom, so to speak, with who they can turn to for any warden-related needs.

Since, right now, if an inmate has reasons for not wanting contact with the current monitor they're out of luck. At least with another warden there'd be a better chance of at least one being an okay option (from the inmate's perspective) to turn to.
Edited 2022-09-24 14:09 (UTC)

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anti_altruisms: (Meant to be a housewife.)

[personal profile] anti_altruisms 2023-01-10 01:02 pm (UTC)(link)
Hey, guys!

Just wondering, but would it be possible to add a segment to the Jobs page that lists Wardens who help in the kitchen?

I know there’s supposed to be one Warden in charge per shift and the rest of the slots filled by Inmates, but that very rarely seems to happen. I think having a list of Wardens who help on kitchen shifts would help us keep track of things oocly.

Thanks!
Edited 2023-01-10 13:03 (UTC)

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chaos_drifter: (Default)

Newbie Questions

[personal profile] chaos_drifter 2023-03-19 09:56 pm (UTC)(link)

This is kind of a silly question, but I can’t find any sort of page for activity checks or HMD posts. Are these just meant to be posted in personal journals, or is there a page that I can’t find?

notsoblackbeard: (Default)

[personal profile] notsoblackbeard 2023-04-08 06:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Hiya, Mods!

I'm considering canon-updating Ed here, which would make him an inmate rather than a warden. Do I understand correctly that I'd need to drop and re-app? And if so, would I need to completely fill out a new app, or would it be acceptable to tack a few paragraphs on the old one? Thanks!

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chaos_drifter: (Default)

Canon Updates???

[personal profile] chaos_drifter 2023-04-16 05:36 pm (UTC)(link)

So, this could be a very on-the-surface answer, or it could go deeper. But the basic question is, how do I handle canon updates for an OC? The update in question is a change to the magic system. It wouldn’t affect Avalon’s abilities, but it would affect how they contextualize magic. I can comment with my notes about the actual magic system if that would help. It definitely hasn’t been a month since I developed this part of the magic system, so I can definitely wait, but I’m curious about how I would handle this if/when I decide to do it. Thanks!

Re: Canon Updates???

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chaos_drifter: (Default)

Memories of arrival

[personal profile] chaos_drifter 2023-06-01 05:30 pm (UTC)(link)

Could something like this allow characters to remember details of their death and arrival if they were brought to the Barge against their will?

Re: Memories of arrival

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ukan: (Default)

[personal profile] ukan 2023-07-07 03:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Warden apps are closed right now but could I swap a warden character for the one I have right now? That way it wouldn't be adding to the warden population...
pitofguilt: (Default)

[personal profile] pitofguilt 2023-08-24 01:20 am (UTC)(link)
Hiya, the graduations/demotions post says to give y'all a poke if it's been 48 hrs since a comment is posted to it. I commented for Natalie's graduation on Monday night. No rush, just checking in. Thank you!
lachtara: (vg05)

[personal profile] lachtara 2023-11-05 06:04 am (UTC)(link)
Hey! I wanted to toss an idea at you and see if it could be something that could be done in-game.

I wanted to know if there was any way that Emet could make a new little area on the Barge. Since he and Hyth have creation magic, this area could be for creating weird monsters that people of the Barge could interact with, adopt, (eat?) fight, whathaveyou. It could become a regular thing to have a little boss monster for people to fight to get their aggression out. Also maybe for potential plots in the future.

Just a thought! Wanted to see if it was potentially possible.
sanityinruins: (Default)

[personal profile] sanityinruins 2023-11-09 02:43 am (UTC)(link)
So over the course of the time frame where he is handling all the bugs that Taylor had on board ( and is still handling since she is still limiting her ability over them because of reasons ) Ye Zun has been teleporting and handling dark energy in various tasks while some of the bugs - most notably the bees - are riding along with him. Since it is his own energy ( and the weird space time energy of his portals ) would be ok for him have created a hybrid insect group this way? It would take longer than actual magic but radiation has made some changes in bugs so figured it would be okay if the hybrid is about after a while.

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una_persson: (Harlequin)

[personal profile] una_persson 2023-12-13 03:05 pm (UTC)(link)

Due diligence here: following on to this post of Una's, I'm thinking of putting up a log for the Barge Holiday Variety Show on the 18th or 19th, with an OOC post in advance so that anyone who might want to can sign up with a description of the act their character plans to put on, plus any other plotting stuff they might want to put in. Sound okay?

themostfun: (Default)

[personal profile] themostfun 2024-01-19 04:16 pm (UTC)(link)
Hi. So i am on hiatus this month for health and travel reasons, and in early February i will be having surgery. Would it be okay to have my hiatus cover both months? I have no idea how long I'm going to be out of commission post op, so the February hiatus would help a lot. I'm happy to work out something else if you'd prefer.

Thank you!
cobbledtogetherenvy: (Default)

[personal profile] cobbledtogetherenvy 2024-02-10 01:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Poke for the graduation/demotions page. Envy's has been up for a few days.
greatoldjohn: (Default)

[personal profile] greatoldjohn 2024-02-16 03:23 am (UTC)(link)
Just dropping a line to let you know that John Doe's username, which was previously 'appreciatesforboth' has been switched to 'greatoldjohn'. I took the 'forwarding' option for his username so hopefully everything should switch over nicely, but I figured I'd drop a line here!
no_kyouken: yakuza (pic#15594494)

[personal profile] no_kyouken 2024-03-05 05:17 pm (UTC)(link)
Hello guys!

I've come to ask for another month of hiatus. I have successfully gotten medical leave from work and just need to focus on myself for the moment. I expect to be around, and maybe even enjoy some tags, but need to do it without thinking about how many.

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