Trial removal of some OOC Channels

[Kinaed]

Dear Players,

After many years of consideration, we are going to trial TI without guild channels or personal tells between players for six OOC months. We will implement the change in 24 hours and evaluate the results the week of September 28th, 2019. TI will retain the visnet, OOC, and osay channels.

The reasoning is multifold:

• We very consistently see people using OOC guild channels to replace conversations and planning they can and should do ICly. We have strong reason to believe tells are being used this way by default as well. No amount of asking people to stop this has actually stopped it.

• We consistently have problems with the OOC community using OOC social ties to affect IC situations. Whereas we love our OOC community, we feel participation should be optional rather than the expected default due to its omnipresence.

• Years ago, prior to TI being run by its current staff, TI removed tells. Some people really enjoyed the results, some did not. We are curious how it will work out if we try it out today.

We are aware that there are many potential downsides to this choice, which is why we have decided to do a six month trial. We are aware that some people would prefer to quit the game rather than play it without tells or guild channels, and we hope that they'll give the game a chance without that so we can actually prove to ourselves whether it's a good thing or a bad thing.

After consulting with many players over the years regarding this very issue and change, we feel that this change is one that many people will be against on principle. As a result, we believe it is the type of change that requires a bandaid rip, a period of emotional cooldown, then rational decision-making in hindsight. So, in six months, we will poll players to see how they view the game without tells and guild channels with direct first hand experience rather than a fear of what may or may not happen.

Thank you for your time and patience with this.

Kind regards,
Kinaed

[Taunya]

*grabs some popcorn*

This should be an interesting experience. I can for see both pros and cons to it, and I'll be curious to see how it balances out.
I've some concerns, but I'll keep them to myself for now.

[Dreams]

Alrighty.

With this implementation, is the RPXP penalty for using the osay command going to be removed? I have, legitimately, been in some scenes where clarification of RP or situations has been needed, and we have gone to tells as the osay command suggests. But if that is no longer an option...

I guess we could go to pboard instead, but that seems extreme.

[Kinaed]

No, we wish to discourage the private use of OOC channels. Osay is a necessary command for RP clarification, but should not replace tells.

[Starstarfish]

Perhaps there could be a consideration for osays in rooms with new characters/accounts?

Sometimes you've no choice but to explain something to a newer player/character but it's too private to happen on the visnet.

[Kuzco]

Hm. This will sting for some reasons, but will bring benefits.
This will increase the reliance on messengers; is staff open to considering lowering their cost? Perhaps for intra guild comms?

[Kinaed]

Yes, we're open to reviewing the cost of messengers and other IC tools for communication.

[Kuzco]

I'm curious, why is the trial 6 months? It does sound like a pretty long length of time. Why not 3? Or 1?

[Smithers]

Would you consider adding a way to ping people and check for AFK or IAW status and messages?

[Taunya]

There is the 'page' command. could 'page' back if you're there.