Hey Star Army,
Due to recent events, it's clear we need to come up with a smoother process for integrating people's ideas into the setting. I will be working on new rules for how to submit a new faction that are aimed to avoid confusion and negativity. In the meantime, I am temporarily placing a hold on all member-submitted playable factions; we will not accept any more until further notice. When we start accepting them again there's going to be clear requirements for them. I will also be looking at how to continue to make the submissions process friendlier.
Now there's only so much I can do by updating the submission rules, because when it comes to the emotional experience people have when submitting stuff, it's about the people interacting with each other more than the rules. The guide to reviewing submissions literally tells people to be friendly and helpful but it can't make people be those things. So we need to deal with the people situation too.
@Alex Hart (mecha meme): You've been super rude both to submitters and to the staff (Ame in particular) and seem to be a constant source of complaints sent to me by submitters, my staffers, and even the guy who just left last night...these have piled up for months while I've been busy, and I've tried to talk to you privately about this on Discord but it hasn't worked out. So I'm just going to put it here so everyone can see it's being addressed. Your services as reviewer are no longer required. You are also restricted from holding any FM position. I can't have people represent my site who are acting like this to people. We'll talk more privately.
@ everyone else: If you think you can do a better job of reviewing submissions, I'm accepting applications.
Due to recent events, it's clear we need to come up with a smoother process for integrating people's ideas into the setting. I will be working on new rules for how to submit a new faction that are aimed to avoid confusion and negativity. In the meantime, I am temporarily placing a hold on all member-submitted playable factions; we will not accept any more until further notice. When we start accepting them again there's going to be clear requirements for them. I will also be looking at how to continue to make the submissions process friendlier.
I'm gonna be real with you, people are leaving the site because of the submissions forum is a toxic dogpile of rude people shitting on other people's imaginations, and it's not cool and makes me sad, and we need to fix it to keeping Star Army growing. We need to unfuck the situation.
Now there's only so much I can do by updating the submission rules, because when it comes to the emotional experience people have when submitting stuff, it's about the people interacting with each other more than the rules. The guide to reviewing submissions literally tells people to be friendly and helpful but it can't make people be those things. So we need to deal with the people situation too.
@Alex Hart (mecha meme): You've been super rude both to submitters and to the staff (Ame in particular) and seem to be a constant source of complaints sent to me by submitters, my staffers, and even the guy who just left last night...these have piled up for months while I've been busy, and I've tried to talk to you privately about this on Discord but it hasn't worked out. So I'm just going to put it here so everyone can see it's being addressed. Your services as reviewer are no longer required. You are also restricted from holding any FM position. I can't have people represent my site who are acting like this to people. We'll talk more privately.
@ everyone else: If you think you can do a better job of reviewing submissions, I'm accepting applications.