Friday SIM

[volchdusema 0]

Consider this: STSF creating a Friday Academy SIM in the evenings. If not, would anyone be interested in starting one? This would be during some later time, not like the earlier practice SIMs, and yet would be a practice SIM. Your thoughts?

 

I say yes to either one.

[Tachyon 0]

I'm up for it. Tuesday night Academies are the only ones at reasonable hours for my time zone, but Tuesday night is Dark Angel night. So I have to either find my remote and program a VCR (the horrors) or log on at midnight on Saturdays to get blown up by other cadets like me.

 

I understand right now the GMs don't have the time to start up a Friday night Academy. But maybe somebody else will think of doing a later unofficial one like the ones at five.

Edited May 29, 2004 by Tachyon

[FredM 0]

Hey there,

 

This is an issue which has been brought up numerous times...so you may find a more detailed response by doing a site search. ^_^

 

Friday nights are not the most reliable evenings. It is very difficult to run a sim at this slot due to the fact a large majority of the population is busy. Furthermore, as mentioned in the past, sims are created based on when we have GMs to host them. Since we are in the process of getting some new ones, one may have Friday evenings free and thus you might see a new addition to the schedule. :D

 

As for the unofficial sims, they're fine to a point...but I do know there have already been a few situations with folks not understanding they aren't sanctioned by STSF and don't count towards graduation. ;)

[volchdusema 0]

What if at the beginning of each they were told that it would not help them graduate, and the same when a new person joins?

 

Who would be interested in leading a Friday SIM?

-I would, but I would need someone else to help me as well as someone else to help come up with plots--and yet, like so many others, I do not have Fridays always free...

Who would be interested in participating?

[Tachyon 0]

I would. And Fridays are free for me sometimes. My life is basically the computer.

 

I'm also a writer, which means that plots somehow follow me around like a hungry dog. Occasionally they take over and force me to write.

 

But I don't know if I could do it every Friday. I'm hesitant on making committments right now because I've already got a lot on my plate. If I do decide to get involved the best time for me would be 7:00PM, 8:00 PM, or 10:00 PM, all Eastern Time. Remember, though, that there are sims at 5:00, and they aren't doing so well.

 

So maybe later in the night, around 10:00.

[Atragon9 0]

Consider this: STSF creating a Friday Academy SIM in the evenings. If not, would anyone be interested in starting one? This would be during some later time, not like the earlier practice SIMs, and yet would be a practice SIM. Your thoughts?

 

I say yes to either one.

::wrings out the excess water and wraps himself in the wet blanket (okay, a little heavy in the symbolism, but...) ::

 

The unofficial sims are not a problem when they are clearly taking place at a time of day that is not a standard time for STSF sims. However, it would become a problem if people start having unofficial sims running in the later evenings when Advanced sims take place along with the possibility of an Academy being scheduled.

 

This doesn't mean that you can't hang out in an empty room and chat or throw together something at a moment's notice, but the rooms cannot be used in the evenings for unofficial sims that have any sort of regular scheduling or planning or discussion on these boards, sorry.

[Tachyon 0]

Okay. Well, then I see no point in having a regular unofficial sim on Friday nights. Sorry, Volch. But I will see you all around for some spontaneous sims.

[Darrik 0]

I'm sure some kind, loving, MG could do it for you. ::nudges Tovan and Vosh::

Edited June 11, 2004 by Darrik

[Nemesis 0]

I don't know many friday sims with full rosters.

[Tovan 0]

I'm sure some kind, loving, MG could do it for you. ::nudges Tovan::

 

 

or do you want me to do it. ^_^

huh?

[Darrik 0]

Remember, though, that there are sims at 5:00, and they aren't doing so well.

 

 

 

 

So maybe later in the night, around 10:00.

First, Academies Afterhours (AA) is doing fine. In fact, they are gaining more members. (I think it was Spongebob that did it)

 

 

Second, most unofficial sims are started because people don't want to sim late at night. So, you may not get as many members as you wanted. Or, you might get more. Who knows?

Personally, I think the sim at 7 might be no good, because it might interfere with watching Enterprise for some people.

[Saek tr'Vosh 0]

I'm sure some kind, loving, MG could do it for you. ::nudges Tovan and Vosh::

au must be kidding...

 

kind and loving...this Rihannsu...BAAAAHHH!!

 

^_^

[Saek tr'Vosh 0]

As for the unofficial sims, they're fine to a point...but I do know there have already been a few situations with folks not understanding they aren't sanctioned by STSF and don't count towards graduation. :lol:

What can I tell ya, FRED...could I BE any plainer...

 

=/\= Welcome to Academy Afterhours...a non-sanctioned Academy sim. The purpose of this sim is to HAVE FUN, while practicing and polishing general simming techniques. Please send MG_Tovan (one) PM now for a post. =/\=

 

=/\= This is a non-sactioned sim. That means while this is good practice, it will NOT count towards graduation from the STSF Academy so don't bother asking. This is for practicing and polishing simming skills. =/\=

 

Of course..I will take the confusion as a compliment to the calibre of AAs high simming standards... ^_^

[FredM 0]

Of course..I will take the confusion as a compliment to the calibre of AAs high simming standards... ^_^

Hey there,

 

Oh I know...but I also know what I've seen in some chat logs after the sims or just before the sims. I'm not in any way saying this is the fault of those running the "after hours" sims, rather the fault of people not reading the screen. :lol:

[Marris Krax 0]

::wrings out the excess water and wraps himself in the wet blanket (okay, a little heavy in the symbolism, but...) ::

::sticks the wet blanket in the drier::

 

People, people...it's called innovation and compromise ^_^

 

Admittedly, I haven't been to any of the offhours sims, but I think this is a great idea. I'm not a fan of "spontaneous" simming, as that leads to disorganization, confusion, and godmoding, but I'm loving this grassroots business here.

 

Now, apparently there's a bit of confusion on the part of cadets as to whether or not these academies are official or not. Also, folks who want to sim at certain times (Fridays) are having problems finding GMs who can fill the slots, and would like to try this method out. Y'all at the top think (and probably rightfully so) that allowing these folks to run their offhours sims will just add to the confusion.

 

However...

 

More sims are a good thing, official or not. More community participation is golden. Perhaps there is a way to work around the two seeming problems?

 

How about this: if you're worried about the cadets thinking these things are official, let's make them official. Stick 'em in the schedule as Bootcamp, and let the MGs run them how they want. Make it a club, guild, committee, whatever you want to call it. And (shocker!) make attendence count toward graduation. I'm not saying let the MGs graduate them, but if the MGs are seeing people who look like they have the right stuff, let them drop an e-mail or an IM to the GMs to let them know. It would still be unofficial in that the MGs would only be doing what they're doing now and they would clearly be distinguished by the different name (Bootcamp), but be "official" in that the forum is giving some sort of active sanction (meaning Friday nights would be okay) and the MGs can give GMs a heads up for potential recruits.

 

::hands A9 his blanket back::

[volchdusema 0]

That is a great idea!

And my starship SIM idea, the USS REAGAN, could work out in that sense, too...

Great work Marris!

[NDak 0]

::thinks he has heard this topic many many times....oh wait he has::

 

 

Well here is my two cents or so....

 

 

First: The GM's give their time to us pretty selflessly. And give what they can. And thats all we can ask of them.

 

Second: And I am going to be cheesy here, but I think its appropriate (that and I am Journalist and we love to be cheesy...right Marris?) JFK once said "...Ask what not your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country..."

 

Now I am not saying that we should treat STSF like a country ::snickers at the thought:: But I at least, adopt that Its not what STSF can do for me, but what can I do to help make STSF a better place to be...^_^

 

That's just my opinion. Like it or leave it :lol:

[Marris Krax 0]

::thinks he has heard this topic many many times....oh wait he has::

 

 

Well here is my two cents or so....

 

 

First: The GM's give their time to us pretty selflessly. And give what they can. And thats all we can ask of them.

 

Second: And I am going to be cheesy here, but I think its appropriate (that and I am Journalist and we love to be cheesy...right Marris?) JFK once said "...Ask what not your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country..."

 

Now I am not saying that we should treat STSF like a country ::snickers at the thought:: But I at least, adopt that Its not what STSF can do for me, but what can I do to help make STSF a better place to be...:lol:

 

That's just my opinion. Like it or leave it :lol:

Amen. (And cheesy is always good ^_^ )

 

This is exactly why I love what these guys are doing, taking it upon themselves to do this. I'm just saying that giving them some recogition for their efforts would go a long way in not only encouraging more of these kinds of sims, but also help ease some confusion and worries by making a clearer distinction :lol:

[Webmaster 20]

Hi guys...

 

One of the things that has made STSF actually work is avoiding getting overly complicated. There is no real way for the GMs to know when someone is ready to graduate unless THEY see them. I personally won't ever graduate someone unless *I* have seen them in action regardless what I have heard. Usually multiple times.

 

Having these events count for graduation would not really work because there is no way for GMs to measure the progress of a person and acurately document/monitor. If some of the people running unofficial games want to run games officially, then apply to be a GM. ^_^ Go through the training and we can start working from there.

 

But to have members be able to start they're own sim randomally in the rooms and then have it count for graduation opens a big can of worms. lol.

 

I encourage folks to be active in the forum, by all means. Feel free to use the rooms when they're not in use. But I think we start getting away from simplicity if we start expanding it too far.

[STSF_BluRox 0]

Hi guys... 

 

One of the things that has made STSF actually work is avoiding getting overly complicated.  There is no real way for the GMs to know when someone is ready to graduate unless THEY see them.  I personally won't ever graduate someone unless *I* have seen them in action regardless what I have heard.  Usually multiple times.

 

Having these events count for graduation would not really work because there is no way for GMs to measure the progress of a person and acurately document/monitor.  If some of the people running unofficial games want to run games officially, then apply to be a GM.  ^_^  Go through the training and we can start working from there.

 

But to have members be able to start they're own sim randomally in the rooms and then have it count for graduation opens a big can of worms.  lol. 

 

I encourage folks to be active in the forum, by all means.  Feel free to use the rooms when they're not in use.  But I think we start getting away from simplicity if we start expanding it too far.

Echoing what Randy said, personally, I like to see someone myself for at least several sessions before I will ever graduate someone. I have no way of knowing how someone will react to certain situations if I don't set them up to see how that one person will react to it. If I see someone that's a little gung-ho, I'll purposely run a slower based academy that next night, just to see how the person will handle the slower based game. And honestly, those that are already on an advanced sim, can tell you...slow is the key word. I've seen people take 2 sims, just to get from the bridge to launching a shuttle. If a player can't handle slow in an acadmey, then there's no way they're ready for an advanced sim. And vice versa with a plot that running rapidly.

 

And...I can't believe I'm doing this twice in the same post....

 

Echoing Randy yet again.... and I feel this way, as those that are GM's currently, have put in the time and effort to qualify to run the games here...and that if you want to run sims here and host, fill out the STSF Game Master Application and apply. Simple enough, follow the rules that everyone else has had to follow, including the current GM's in training, that had to wait to put in their time.

 

It's also of note, that some of those wanting to "run" sims, are the same people, that have not yet been able to graduate from an acadmey, and it seems as if this is their 'easy way around the rules'. I'm a stickler for rules...and feel if others had to do it, then everyone should have to do it. Anyway....

 

Below are the minimum qualifications for the Game Master position, but also keep in mind, that other things come to bear..such as cooperation in the forum, board behavior, what color you like, ect......

 

STSF Game Master Application

 

Description of Position: The Star Trek™ Simulation Forum is a role-playing gaming organization and community. Our goals as GMs, are to provide a quality gaming environment, provide fair leadership over gaming activities, promote a friendly sense of community and establish conditions where all these can take place. An STSF GM is a leader of sims and simmers as well as an ambassador for the entire forum to the rest of the Internet community.

 

Qualifications and Skills Sought:

 

Must be an STSF advanced sim player with a minimum tenure of one year, six months of that at the rank of Lt. Commander or higher. All applicants must also be at least 18 years of age or older.

 

Ability to GM a minimum of one to two games each week

 

Ability to multitask

 

Interest and knowledge of Star Trek shows, movies (or both)!

 

Interest and knowledge of Role-Playing games

 

Friendly on-screen personality

 

Detail-oriented and excellent spelling and grammatical skills

 

Basic computer skills such as copy/paste and saving files

Please note: Incomplete applications will not be processed and cannot be accepted. STSF is not able to respond to every submission received. Individuals will be contacted if their application is being considered.

 

The application may be found at the bottom of the About Us link listed above. Follow the link, and fill out the information. So, if you feel you've met the qualifications and are up to it, then fill out the application, and send it to me.

Edited June 11, 2004 by STSF_BluRox

[Vex Xiang 0]

I agree...if those who are running the early academy-type sims, sign up to be a GM (if you qualify). Not only would that give you the opportunity to make your unofficial academy official, but it would allow for earlier sim times since many seem to be available at an early hour.

Edited June 11, 2004 by Vex Xiang

[Saek tr'Vosh 0]

Ok..I leave for ONE night..and suddenly folks are trying to make me...official?? :lol:

 

Seriously, though...since this discussion is about my "baby" I guess I should pipe in. First of all, I must say that I REALLY appreciate Randys help and approval on getting the Academy Afterhours set up and running relatively smoothly. It has not, is not, nor ever will be some maquis movement to splinter off from STSF. I do believe, that when you create a site such as this, a certain degree of evolution can occur...just like in our sim characters lives...change begets change. Some is good...some not so much... But I applaud him for his willingnes to embrace it for what it was...a genuine effort on the part of myself and the nametag wearing Vulcan to not only offer an additional (possibly more convenient) time to sim...but to help improve the overall quality of STSF by helping new people develop simming skills. We have had some really good sims with some talented writers..and we have had a couple stinkers ;) The point being, we have learned A LOT! Perhaps, since I am a bit older than our regular cadets, I take a little more pride in what I do (this from the man who let Patrick and Spongebob take over Qo'nos with the sword of Kahless) but I really enjoy teaching these guys how to sim. I am beginning to understand what Blu meant now...especially when I get complaints about sims dragging or being boring...they dont understand that the advanced sims will require a degree of patience on their part.

 

Now as to the matter of the MG's applying to be GM's...while I cannot speak for Tov', I do not meet ONE small requirement...tenure. If they want to make an exception for someone as exceptional as myself, well ^_^ I have not asked for official status, though...so the comment comes as a bit of a shock. :lol: I have MG'd roughly 25 sims...I have mastered the macro rifle with the greatest of ease :lol: My english skills while southern to be sure, are adequate...my people skills, likewise, are fairly good..(Im a Picard rather than a Kirk...if you have to ask, you shouldnt be on this site... :lol: )

 

IF and WHEN Randy and the rest of the council decides the -AA- would Officially be a benefit to STSF, I will gladly apply...in triplicate...but until such time...I think we are fine where we are...

 

As to the belief that starting a sim be taking the easy way around..that may be true with that individual...but as for Myself ..and Tov...we paid our dues ;) ::thinking back to Blu stabbing the boy 6 times in one academy:: some more than others...

 

ANYWAY...Academy Afterhours is STSF's first, only, best, unofficial sim... B)

Grassroots movement...maybe..but Im just following in Randys big 'ol footprints ;)

Im glad you guys like what we are doing...and as I said before...I am open to any GM advice available...seriously...

 

::Tosses a couple bucks in the jar and waits to see what comes up next...::

Edited June 11, 2004 by Saek tr'Vosh

[Tovan 0]

::bluntly::

 

enough .... please .... its only for fun .... no need to think too big about it ....

 

ok ... one ... last ... time

 

1) AA is unofficial and its staying that way

2) its for fun and it will NOT be boring

3) like the regular ones, it doesn't have to be canon

4) yes we have our shares of good simmers and bad

5) Darrik, stop throwing pencils at my view screen!

6) I do not qualify for Gm status and not will for 2 more years

7) like all good things AA will perish .. not today, not tommorw but sumdey

8) I will DEFINITLY NOT allow our sims to become a political jungle

9) THE ACTUAL CREATOR was cheatle ... who has become missing ...

 

Food for thought

- Tov'

Edited June 11, 2004 by Tovan

[volchdusema 0]

Okay, I do NOT want to get this one locked, but I have to say something:

The USS REAGAN IS A NAME HONORING A NEWLY DECEASED PRESIDENT. NO POLITICS IS INTENDED. And a question: WHY CAN'T A STARSHIP BE NAMED AFTER AN AMERICAN PRESIDENT (without making everything political) FOR CRIPE'S SAKE!!!

[Nemesis 0]

because a lot of people here are not American. How would you feel of ship being named the USS Pierre Elliot Trudeau? It's not a good idea because it's not fair to name a ship honourig a ship over a deceased individual.

 

What if someone wanted an USS Osama Bin Laden after they discovered he had died? Osama Bin Laden could have been a hero to them. This is why we need to realize that STSF is a global community and we should not treat a world leader over another. It is political, because STSF is a global community. STSF's hand may only reach so far right now, but it is growing and we may one day have members who are Al Queda sympathizers and so on.

Edited June 11, 2004 by Nemesis