Are academies woth it?

[FredM 0]

Thats not true many people learn many differant ways one may learn better by visual and some may learn by being hands on

Hey there,

 

No, it is a solid fact of life regardless of your learning method. You can watch someone drive a car your entire life. However, until your the person sitting behind the wheel who has to actually pay attention to 16 thousand things...all of a sudden it's a different ball game.

 

Can you learn to write or type just by watching someone else do it?

 

You'd be shocked to learn how many people have said "Well, I watched the Academy and I can do this. Why do I have to go thru it?" Then, thinking they'll ace it the first time, suddenly find it's a little harder than they thought. It's more difficult when your having to focus on one aspect of the game vs the entire thing. :)

[Nemesis 0]

Hey there,

 

No, it is a solid fact of life regardless of your learning method. You can watch someone drive a car your entire life. However, until your the person sitting behind the wheel who has to actually pay attention to 16 thousand things...all of a sudden it's a different ball game.

 

Can you learn to write or type just by watching someone else do it?

 

You'd be shocked to learn how many people have said "Well, I watched the Academy and I can do this. Why do I have to go thru it?" Then, thinking they'll ace it the first time, suddenly find it's a little harder than they thought. It's more difficult when your having to focus on one aspect of the game vs the entire thing. :)

There is a big difference between driving a car and simming and yes it is possible to learn how to sim by watching because the text is the whole thing about it you learn new tactics and skills by watching other people sim in the academy to begin with so yes it is very possible :)

[ens_tino 0]

There is a big difference between driving a car and simming and yes it is possible to learn how to sim by watching because the text is the whole thing about it you learn new tactics and skills by watching other people sim in the academy to begin with so yes it is very possible :)

You have a point. What I think Nem is trying to get at is you learn what to type. Like for your post you would know what to put down. Also a lot of other abbreviations and symbols. But what Fred said as well. You dont really know how to do it from watching. But you learn the symbols and stuff which is a start.

[Marris Krax 0]

Even as a graduate, and a 6 month veteran of STSF it is not uncommon for me to still learn a thing or two at academies either....

::looks at that::

 

Oh man, do I feel old.

 

Lursa, if you even read these boards any more, now I know what you were talking about oh those many years ago :)

[Dumbass 0]

.. it's our way of weeding out the spazballs before they get to our advanced sims.

Of course it's not 100% effective :)

[ens_tino 0]

Of course it's not 100% effective :)

Ive found that out when I had my first mission on an advanced ship.

[Dumbass 0]

Look at the first 5 Academy graduates - Precip, myself, Garnoopy, Cochese (not assigned to a sim), and Kroells. Given this distinguished list of alumni, do you still want to say the Academy weeds out wackiness? Heck, it looks to me like the Academy encourages it. :)

 

Scary thing is it won't be long before some of us qualify to be GMs. ::shudder:: :) :) :)

Edited December 2, 2003 by Dumbass

[Marris Krax 0]

Okey doke folks ::cracks knuckles:: time to get down and dirty about academy sims...

 

The question is, are they worth it?

 

And the answer is...it depends. Depends on the forum, depends on the people playing.

 

Take the example of ::prepares to be stoned:: Spacefleet.

 

Now, Spacefleet is set up very much like STSF. In fact, the systems are pretty much identical as far as what it takes for a cadet to become an ensign (at least last I checked). You attend an academy, you attend another, and so on and so forth, participating and following orders and generally not making an idiot of yourself until the GM/Host thinks you've got the right stuff and graduates you. But, while it works for STSF (and did for Spacefleet...I was introduced to simming through the academies there, and so were just about all of the veterans around here), it is no longer working for Spacefleet. Why is that, you ask? They don't have the support base from AOL anymore that STSF currently enjoys via ST.com. For them, academies are definitely not worth it (in my opinion) because cadets are so rare (due to a lack of exposure) that when they do get one, they lose the cadet because of a perceived barier to entry (the academy).

 

As Fred pointed out, a lot of folks say, "Why the heck do I need to do this? I see what you're doing, I've got it." And when a veteran and/or GM insists that they in fact *do* need to do this, they say screw it and go blow something up on their XBox. Consider: how many potential players does STSF weed out through the academies? My guess is that it's a larger percent than those who graduate. Look at that fellow who posted on the boards a week or so ago wondering about the game. My guess is he's gone, never to return. In a small forum like Spacefleet, this sort of screening process kills the forum. However, in a forum like STSF, it serves as a quality control. And STSF can afford to do it because, hey, you guys have got some of the best exposure a Trek Simming forum can have.

 

Now, what Spacefleet should do, and what STSF might want to consider for supplimenting academies (if you don't already) is a sort of mentoring program. Have all those advanced players hanging out in the academies take the cadets under their wing, invite them to watch an advanced sim, talk to them about bios and logs and such, give them examples...all that fun stuff. We just got a fresh newbie on Excalibur who didn't even have a character for his first sim. I know I wasn't exactly prepared for my first advanced sim (though coming in right at the end of a plot didn't help much either). And my first log...yuck. Someone should have shot me for that one. If I'd had a mentor, I think I would have integrated a whole heck of a lot faster than I did. And a mentor program might keep a hold of those cadets who just don't think it's worth the effort...they don't know what a blast it is until they've seen it through the eyes of us insane, rabbid people :)

 

So are academies worth it? Here they are. But there is always room for improvement :)

[ens_tino 0]

Scary thing is it won't be long before some of us qualify to be GMs. ::shudder:: :) :) :)

I could see it now. Kroells holding planets hostage and you his first officer.

 

Well that would be pretty cool though.

[Dumbass 0]

I could see it now. Kroells holding planets hostage and you his first officer.

I'M THE FIRST OFFICER?!?!? :)

[Nemesis 0]

I'M THE FIRST OFFICER?!?!? :)

Dumbass is in his 50's or something like that and Travis is in his teens so who do you really think would be Captain Travis is younger then me and can;t be a GM :)

[Dumbass 0]

Dumbass is in his 50's or something like that

50s? Jesus H. Christ, man, I'm 34!!! :)

Edited December 2, 2003 by Dumbass

[Nemesis 0]

50s? Jesus H. Christ, man, I'm 34!! :)

They're all the same to me Dumbass you're over the hill :)

[Dumbass 0]

They're all the same to me Dumbass you're over the hill :)

Oh, come on. I'm not even at the halfway point of my life expectancy yet. I mean it's not like I'm as old as A9 or something.

 

Now one more word out of you and I'll take my bottle of Geritol and go home!

 

::mutters incoherently::

Young whipper-snappers...

[Nemesis 0]

Oh, come on. I'm not even at the halfway point of my life expectancy yet. I mean it's not like I'm as old as A9 or something.

 

Now one more word out of you and I'll take my bottle of Geritol and go home!

 

::mutters incoherently::

Young whipper-snappers...

True enough A9 is pretty old he's like an elderly El'Aurien or a Q or something but thats really over the hill :)

[Ruca NEtani 0]

No, it is a solid fact of life regardless of your learning method. You can watch someone drive a car your entire life. However, until your the person sitting behind the wheel who has to actually pay attention to 16 thousand things...all of a sudden it's a different ball game.

I can vouch for the driving thing... I've failed my road test twice. I killed a cone the last time.. ::sobs::

[FredM 0]

Look at the first 5 Academy graduates - Precip, myself, Garnoopy, Cochese (not assigned to a sim), and Kroells. Given this distinguished list of alumni, do you still want to say the Academy weeds out wackiness?

Hey there,

 

Well, we hadn't gotten the finer details of the wedding out system in place in the beginning. Since then though, since we haven't had Garnoopy's brother go thru the Academy, seems the filter's doing an alright job. :)

[ens_tino 0]

I wouldnt be suprised if there are more Garnoopys. Just out there waiting to torcher us in the Academy :)