GAME UPDATE.

[nextnightmods]

once more just to dream in the moonlight...

Hello, Beacon Bits! After a good few months of time together in The Next Night, we wanted to stop for a chance to chat about our progress as well as some changes we're considering. Please take the time to read this post thoroughly, and there will be place in the post to chat actively as a player base on the direction we want to take! Let's start with some changes:

You'll notice some changes on our mod page. A few of our team has stepped down, though we thank Margot, Laura, and Mawi for their help and support in getting Next Night off the ground! Considering the size of our playerbase, for now we are going to unite as a mod team and have the five of us do a mix of list and plot work. Yuul has really stepped up and agreed to jump in the deep end with some plot things as needed, so please recognize how hard she has been working! Additionally, Danielle is snooping around for occasional plot things through Diode. And of course, Daz has been an amazing resource for keeping pages updated and neat! Please show them a lot of gratitude and support for all the hard work they do.

As you've all seen (as both have already been introduced), we are branching into introducing a few NPC characters. Presently we have Weaver, a former Night Market member that is an expert in robotics and machinery. She would be a great resource for characters that want to create apps, repair tech around Beacon, or have interest in the Helix Station. Second we have Diode, a former Keeper that was restored after Haein repaired his lantern. He is a spunky spitfire child ingenue that is focused on communication with spirits and finding a way to resolve the situation in Beacon. Lastly, we all know Clara, an adorable friendly robot that was created by Dr. Solis as an assistant to her work. Sadly Clara doesn't have a lot of the technical details down, but she is happy to make friends and hand out torches. All of them have been added to the NPC contact page here! We feel it is important to note, while NPCs are being added as needed, we are not looking to reintegrate the faction mechanic.

Opening explores to 2 per character per month. Presently, explores are mostly run by Kitty and Lauren, which is why they have been limited to one per character per month. We tried introducing a 2nd explore via AC proofs, and we are still finding some players still have explores they want to do and can't fit into the month! We have a few more hands on deck for explores and thusly, we're going to try moving explores to 2 per character per month, while retaining the potential extra explore for anyone who manages to double AC. Of course, the old rules apply: if your character is currently in an explore, they'll have to finish one to start another. If explores are full, you'll need to wait until they reopen to post yours. With some additional exploration writers we hope this system will allow for more exploration of the world, and hope this helps players arrange more forays into the dark. We are starting this ASAP, so if you've already done an explore, then you're welcome to jump into another here in July!

Next, we want to address some things we've been considering behind the scenes and get player thoughts on it! As this is a GPSL, we want our players to be involved in our decision-making, and your perspective on how things are going! Here are some of the thoughts we've been having:

Changing from monthly apps to rolling apps. Instead of having a monthly TDM and a monthly intro, we are looking at apps being processed every week as needed. Considering the mechanics in place at the moment, it makes sense that characters might show up at random. Instead of mod focus landing on creating intros for everyone, new players would make their own intro for existing players to jump into. It would allow interested parties to jump in whenever they're ready, and it would reduce strain on mods to write a TDM every month so we can instead focus on events and explores for existing players. With this system we'd likely post a new TDM every other month or on an as-needed basis.

Activity Check. Right now, we are only requesting a monthly check-in, as was begun in March. However, COVID-19 is not likely to completely dissipate any time soon, and it's looking like Fall and Winter will remain pretty crazy. So, the question is, should we remain on a check-in basis for the forseeable future or try a small activity check? This would be one proof of 5 log or 10 network or a mix of the two. We don't want to put unfair pressure on players, but we also want to make sure that the hard work of the mod team behind the scenes gets engagement and interaction.

Last but not least, you'll find a comment below for comments and crit for the mods as to how things are going so far. We are still finding our footing and welcome your insight! We don't want to operate in a vacuum, and would love to hear what you think is working best and what might need a little more work. While we can't promise every suggestion or critique will result in an immediate change, we'll definitely keep in mind any thoughts and discuss them as a team.

And of course, there will also be a header for questions! We've been getting some great questions lately, and we know that we have a fair few new players that might not have the same whole game perspective as other players. If there's a burning inquiry bouncing around in your head, do not be afraid to ask! The mod team will answer, and another player might have an answer as well!

That's all we have for now. Thank you for your time and your patience, beacon bits! We hope you have been having fun in our Next Night. We can honestly say it has been an adventure, and maybe there's been a bump in the road here or there, but overall we're very happy with how things are going! We loved our last event and are so excited to see new Beaconites digging into the setting. Thanks for staying on this crazy ride with us and we hope you're game for the next adventure!

although we're apart, you're part of my heart.