As a new player. And as someone who has attempted at NTSE, namely the android tech submission named the
Drakon Unit that got approved by Wes. I'll add in my two cents. Maybe just because I'm a relatively new player, I can give some of my views during this submission. Though I'd like to add that, what I've seen from this discussion, that I'm starting to reconsider writing the race I had in mind as well day one of joining the site. I've gotten into it somewhat, but that's the furthest I'm going to go into this.
Regardless, onto my two cents.
The submission and approval process of this tech was...
mixed. I'd like to give a poisoned compliment to Meta here, but I think Wes already adressed it to him as well in private. He helped me a lot during the submission and was very friendly, right up until the last push. Where I was pretty demotivated by his general attitude towards the submission and the work he didn't want to put into it, as well as failing to notice the added subsection of the Drakon Company that wasn't, and is still not conform, to the company template. This change was over several weeks old and yet he only noticed after Ametheliana stated. And seeing the trend where I'd have to wait a week or longer for just a response, it started to drag out. I became disheartened and wanted to give the submission up. I contacted Wes and explained why. Told him my side of the story and left it at that. He approved it a split second later and apologized. We had a proper conversation.
What I'm trying to say is... There are issues, yes. Something I've come to notice is that the mods are lazy or innacurate at times. Which is alright, we're all human and you have to slog through entire walls in those submissions. It's a trend I've seen both Ame and Meta do, respectively with my Uberreik location and the Drakon. But I'd also like to attest that the sympathy and enthusiasm I was met with was very motivating (bar at the end, sorry Meta, I still love you md, no hard feelings).
I hope I haven't offended
@META_mahn with this, much love and appreciation, I just couldn't bring myself to face you regarding this. Same for
@Ametheliana, who I actually was able to tell in person. Just try to be as critical and inclusive as you can. I'm not in the NTSE to have my feelings spared. I'm in the NTSE to get stuff on site I think would be interesting additions, either for my own characters, like the Uberreik. Or for a plot, like the Drakon Units.
I will also tag
@Wes so he can call me out on any stupid mistakes I made in telling this, it's all a bit fussy but I think this is the full extent.
Furthermore, admire the people that do this, the NTSE mods regardless. For one simple reason, I know how tough it can get. And when you make mistakes, it hurts the players. I've been at both sides, believe it or not. I was staff of a roleplay site at one point. And while the lore was not as expansive as SA is right now. The combat system was a nightmare to judge. An attack had various types, classes, tiers. Based upon these three parameters, you had the correct defensive stat, which was one of three, and through that, you calculate advantages that decide how much damage you deal. To level up characters, you could grind out threads, which us staff had to read and judge. Or buy them with points in a needlessly complicated way. I loved the site, but working as such a staff member had burned me out completely and I left.
So yeah. There are issues, stuff that the NTSE moderators need to watch. The accuaracy and their laziness. Though at the same time, I completely understand where the slack comes from at times.
But there's also a recurring trend I've seen in this mess of a discussion thread. And here comes the somewhat more direct and brusque side. I want everyone to take a long hard look here. Yeah, I've just been complaining about the NTSE and how important feelings are to it. But Meta sat down with me and discussed stuff. I was open to the changes he proposed and the criticism he offered. And yeah, I had to make sacrifice and had to make changes, other parts I just had to clarify myself a bit more.
I wasn't submitting the Drakon because I wanted to snowflake and have my tender feelings saved. I was submitting the Drakon because they seemed like a cool idea. And I think that's the issue some people have, they go into he NTSE, having made their mind up already. With tunnel vision and refusing any changes the NTSE moderator puts. I went in with the Drakon open minded, knowing full well there'd be changes requested. You just can't have such a big submission right from the get go.
So can we all just stop playing the goddamn blame game and actually use this thread what it was made for? Discussing how the NTSE process might be better? Can we stop pointing fingers, admit our own shortcomings and handle this like adults? Because from what I'm seeing, only a bare minimum are doing this right now in the thread.
No one is perfect, buttercup. So I'll tell you once that you're delusional.
If you feel personally attacked by the remark above, well, it says more about you than it does about me. If you don't, you're probably fine.
That's all I have to say. I will proceed to unwatch this thread because I won't go on to continue following it and get even more demotivated at working for getting my peeps in. If you have retorts, feel free to write them. I will read them, but I refuse to respond any further. And this isn't because this is the case of "I'm right and no one else is." No, it's because I just don't have the energy to actually put more effort into this thread than I already have. Nor am I experienced enough to step beyond this.
I'll part with this; Please talk this over in a civilized way. Don't cause drama, don't point fingers, don't shift blames. Everyone screws up. And yeah, some people have somewhat malicious or destructive intents at time. But this place is not the place to remind them. This place is to help the site. Not have another toxic outlet that will cause yet another cataclysm.
~<3 IQ