Discussion: What is it about Player Events that makes you not want to participate?

**NightTrace**

I don't like people.

SMILEY

**ZippyTheSquirrel** · 03/10/2008 18:30:41

Because nobody goes out of their way to make the event noticeable in-game. If I got so much as an email inviting me to a player event, I'd probably go.

I think that's the biggest reason behind Algorithm: Black getting such a big reception - the sheer amount of in-game advertising it put in, through those random Operatives and the lieutenants. Everything nowadays is too focused on forum participation, or it at least feels that way to me because that's all I do now is troll the forums. Maybe it's a feedback loop - y'know, forum use increase leading to forum use increase.

Edit: And then there's the people that discourage player events by being overly analytical or nitpicky about such events (like thrashing a player for misspelling a word -_-). You can save your criticisms for after the event, but don't water it down by placing a giant magnifying glass on every minor flaw.

**Roukan**

Because people have jobs, and Live Events IS Rarebit's job.

Planning for player events is usually *poop*, so they suck. People can't do what they want, like have enemies attack us while running objectives. We can't meet with big people or really be enticed towards a player event. Why? Because we all know each other and can figure out who's running the event in an instant.

What I'm trying to say is, player events aren't the best. Neither is Rarebit, but with Rarebit's events we can taunt and insult the LE characters.

**Pylat**

I agree with nearly all the comments here.

I think the problem with PE's is that they are more like Graphic Novels in MxO. The creator just divides it into chapters and then runs the story with no wiggle room for unexpected events or free flow RP. They want people to react/act how they expect them too and if they don't then the story comes to a halt. I've been to a few RP events where for the story to continue I HAD to do something that was intrinsically against what my character would have done, and when you get railroaded like that your interest wanes.

The events that I remember the best are the ones where the creator/creators acted more like the old LE team. Logging on at random moments and letting the RP just "Happen", of course there were planned things too but I felt far more involved in the story. PE's like "The FIRM" run by the Tetra's way back were pretty cool. Or someone who RP'd a bluepill cop called "John Tanner", him and I would just meet up and chat and RP often, and when PeterForee logged on he continued RPing throughout that. If you are reading this (Whoever did that) log on damnit!!!

@ Tenshi: You would have LOVED when Espi was around with The Blue Order and he gathered up a pack of Cypherites to have a throw down out the front of a club against New Dawn and The Omega Syndicate while Euphy gave a live commentary on SI radio. That RPvP was full of so much win your head probably would have exploded.

Rant time: God modders annoy the crap out of me, NO GOD MODDING! And I agree whole heartedly with Ballak's rant (Couldn't have summed it up better myself).

**Archangel** · 03/11/2008 01:51:46

Roukan wrote:

Because people have jobs, and Live Events IS Rarebit's job.

Planning for player events is usually *poop*, so they suck. People can't do what they want, like have enemies attack us while running objectives. We can't meet with big people or really be enticed towards a player event. Why? Because we all know each other and can figure out who's running the event in an instant.

What I'm trying to say is, player events aren't the best. Neither is Rarebit, but with Rarebit's events we can taunt and insult the LE characters.

Except the difference is that in a player event you won't get ignored for insulting the event character. I've seen that happen way too many times in the past. SMILEY

TheTaxidermist

I think the planners of player events think too big and It ends up either going nowhere or becoming incredibly tedious. Everyone should just be thinking up small errands and tasks and then giving them to other people. Things such as asking an allied player to assassinate a co-operating enemy player, or getting someone to procure or deliver an item for you. The times I feel the greatest sense of boredom is when I'm logged in for hours on end with nothing to do. Things like this would really help break up that monotony.

**Roukan**

Archangel wrote:

Roukan wrote:
Because people have jobs, and Live Events IS Rarebit's job.

Planning for player events is usually *poop*, so they suck. People can't do what they want, like have enemies attack us while running objectives. We can't meet with big people or really be enticed towards a player event. Why? Because we all know each other and can figure out who's running the event in an instant.

What I'm trying to say is, player events aren't the best. Neither is Rarebit, but with Rarebit's events we can taunt and insult the LE characters.
Except the difference is that in a player event you won't get ignored for insulting the event character. I've seen that happen way too many times in the past. " />

You get ignored for participating like you're supposed to also =P

stewartdaniels1986

I hate to be the one to say this, because any responses will be predictable, but the reason player events are generally lame and lack participation is because they're based on this game, period. Put another way, a kinder, gentler way perhaps, everything that prevents MxO from attracting players prevents player events from attracting players even moreso. I'll not bother to elaborate on any specifics either way, but they should all be obvious by now.

Danger_Frog1471

stewartdaniels1986 wrote:

I hate to be the one to say this, because any responses will be predictable, but the reason player events are generally lame and lack participation is because they're based on this game, period. Put another way, a kinder, gentler way perhaps, everything that prevents MxO from attracting players prevents player events from attracting players even moreso. I'll not bother to elaborate on any specifics either way, but they should all be obvious by now.

Why does your mame and pessimistic posting style ring a bell o.O

Anyway lol i think (proc's?) reason about the size of events is quite true, detailed stories and plot twists are hard to create without serious planning and pre-production. Small generic tasks work better than long confusing stories with hidding plot twists and multi-layered meanings >.< minaly because as you said everyone is trying to do something at once or a group are involved when people are trying to work out puzzles and RP (talk) towards a particular senario the creator is looking for people get bored. I feel like i want to create an event... maybe i will for kinds return ^^ SMILEY

**Procurator**

Danger_Frog1471 wrote:

Anyway lol i think (proc's?) reason about the size of events is quite true, detailed stories and plot twists are hard to create without serious planning and pre-production.

I'm afraid I can stake no claim to this observation. SMILEY

**Canbus**

Davo wrote:

my view on this is jaded.
it comes from the early days of live. Many pe's were just self serving events to further a specific group,faction, person, etc. rather than to tell an intriguing story and help the community/game. just my opinion but one i feel was backed well. eventually it got to where i didnt even care to look at what was going on.
the leg10n vs prophet of the martyrs pe was a lot of fun because it was kept quiet and simple. few outside factions knew of or were involved in it. it easily kept 25 or so of us occuppied for an evening and it led to my eventual fall from zion and re-birth in leg10n. the problem being, it could not have been done as well or been so easily adaptable on the fly if it had been org wide or involved massive amounts of people. and roleplaying a zion spy caught invading a machine meeting was just too much fun
the other side of it:
i still remember when player actions did change the storyline. small events could happen at any time of the day or night on more than one server at a time. maybe frag collecting during big events sucked but at least an org had a chance to change things and maybe the shapers event didnt matter as much in the long run but at least some org had to take the win. maybe neurophyte was a LET creation but at least it came from the top and was open ended enough to feel like it mattered. once things like that were left behind, for good, the entirety of the story lost some meaning for me. now it was just any other game
over time, i have come to enjoy the story again and even tried to get back in to the roleplay circles but the final problem with the rp is elitism. wear the wrong tag for a few months/years and people will not work with you. not jumping into "their style of rp" and they will ignore you or push you off. and then lesig is and will always have corruption tied to this elitism. yes, i did benefit from such things as well. leg10n got to be the first to say anome was a villian and i jumped at the chance to share that with the community. and maybe leg10n used some insider info to get back at some elitist machines, talk about player events gone wrong woooha, but it just goes to show that any player event can be suspect while a live event is by design to be the story.
it just an issue that cant be resolved without financial investment from sony to bring in more LET and give the players back the game and let the professionals entertain us. player events would actually gain more meaning with a larger scale story evolving before our eyes again and not just coming up like messages in a fax machine. it would provide a sturdier backdrop to build pes within and help eliminate two years of rp going down the drain over a technicality. it would also give more options for let at pe's. which in the early days was truly amazing to have a random party and someone "famous" walk in. especially when it happened to more than just the large favorite factions.

Did not mean to necro the topic, but I completely forgot to mention the elitism into my list of problems, and you pretty much said it for me, Davo. "RP my way, or it's the highway" mentality already made me stop participating in player-made RP altogether unless I was asked by friends to show up for their event. Other than B3AR, who was cool with the RP /tells he sent me, none of the Tetra members were welcoming when it came to players from other organizations attempting to RP with the Tetragrammation faction. To be more specific, Beachhead was notorious for doing this repeatedly, which made me disgusted.