Tips From The Moose

[Cptn Moose 0]

When I was small, and my mother was frustrated, the neighbors would often hear her shout, "Do I have to spell it out for you?"  Well, yes ... as you can imagine, she did.  And now that I'm an adult I am no less demanding.  When simming, I expect things to be spelled out for me.

 

Too often during a game, a request for someone to invent a particle inverter or to equip a shuttlecraft with an anti-matter phase cannon is met with a single word in reply, "Done."  Done?  That's it?  Done?  If I ask this out loud, the answer I usually receive is, "Done, Sir?"

 

How can you install an anti-matter phase cannon using less words than there are in its name?  The question hangs like Marsha Mason's stockings in the shower.  The answer is that you can't, or at least shouldn't.

 

Our sim world is only as real as we build it to be.  The details we invent are what adds texture to our world and makes it come alive.  Pry off the access panel, crawl underneath the console into a cramped area where you can barely move your arms, remove the stellar navigation sensors, hot wire the anti-matter manifold to the impulse modulator and be careful not to touch the red wire because OUCH.  Too late.  Now, grab the med kit with your one good hand and wrap your burned fingers tightly together with gauze that you rip from the roll with your teeth.  And if you say a little prayer as your hand reaches out from under the console, and fumbles blindly for the green start button, then and only then can you say, "Done," as the phase cannon hums to life.

 

The more time you take to describe your actions, the better it is for everyone.  First of all, it's fun to make stuff up.  That's why you're here.  And it's fun to stay busy.  The players who call, "Done," too quickly are usually the same players who later say, "I had nothing to do," at the end of the night.

 

Descriptive actions benefit the other players as well.  It's difficult to catch everything typed to the room.  Even an action as wordy as ":: installs phase cannon ::" can be easily and innocently overlooked if it's only one line.  Breaking that action into multiple lines to the screen gives everyone multiple chances to see what you're doing.  Then they can either join in to help, or acknowledge the event in whatever scene they happen to be playing.

 

In Tip #2, I mentioned that you should advance the plot as a group, with each person contributing one detail in turn.  This is still the case.  Developing your actions as I'm suggesting does not railroad the other players into following your story.

 

When you play a scene with others, how long does it take them to reply to you?  Thirty seconds, one minute, two minutes?  It may be longer if the phone rings, or their dog knocks over their fishbowl, or a beer calls to them from the fridge.  Use that time to describe your character's actions in more detail, and flesh out the scene.    

 

Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words.  We don't have pictures.  "Done," leaves you 999 words short.

 

Tip From The Moose #3:  Spell It Out.

[spg 0]

Good tip Moose. This is also a good reminder that everyone here is a real person, and not some android you are playing a game with. Various things can happen in the "real" world that will take precidence, and it is always better to come back to see someone who has been "working" while you were away rather than their thoughts coming in every 30 seconds "Did he hear me?". Makes for a more enjoyable sim for everyone.

 

Of course you know one of these days we will be simming in one of those 3D avatar chat rooms, then you can really draw out a picture. :o Once again, good tip.

[Reese_Hawkins 0]

Excellent man, from now on in simming I will use these as my "Prime Directive".  You know why? No really I was hoping you would :-).

 

On a further note, I want to commend Ensign Frox on the Arcadia for doing a great job these past two weeks.  He didn't need a blatant reminder of these in his past two weeks.  Seeing how I have had considerable time to work with him these two weeks in Engineering, I felt I would point his work out.  Kudos Mordan. Lol. (inside joke).

 

**Reese**

[VileRomulan 0]

that's kinda odd, I always spelt out how my repairs were coming along, maybe a bit too much infact, lol

[Anari Erias 0]

Its not the destination its the journy, its not the result its the process, its not where you are its where you're going .... need I to continue?

[Farein 0]

wow Moose, I love your tips, I wouldn't have graduated without them :P

[Guest brad]

Thanks moose i will use those tips and hope it will help me graduate. Also what is required to graduate is there any set requirments?

[Tachyon 0]

You need to attend a minimum of three STSF academies. But usually it takes a little longer than that. Tip: GMs usually need to see you in action more than once or twice before considering you, so try and attend the same Academies. You also are expected to be ready to commit to Advanced simming and to be able to contribute to the Advanced sim. Somehow I graduated even though I tend to post long, run-on sentences. :lol:

[Farein 0]

Somehow I graduated even though I tend to post long, run-on sentences. :lol:

And I post the short, incomprehensible kind :lol:

[Dumbass 0]

Sometimes I don't even finish my

[Webmaster 20]

Sometimes I don't even finish my

dinner?

 

Then no desert for you!

[Travis Kroells 0]

Sometimes I don't even finish my

Education? That much is apparent...

 

I ususally attempt to have meaningless friendships with crewmates, even though I'll probably only see them once a month in sim.

 

:lol: ...I love that one... :lol: