Halloween 2010 brainstorming
Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2010 11:10 pm
As many of you already know, I like to collect ideas for new holiday items at GSP parties and write them up as submissions to feedback@anarchy-online.com. This is something I started doing years before becoming a Dancer and I have no special inside access with FunCom, either. Anyone can do it. The email address is right there on the first sentence of this post. I just got motivated to sit down and write up my ideas and get them to FC. Then I mentioned them at some parties and started adding other suggestions that came up.
It does have to be done quite a bit in advance, since the writing takes some time, and then they have to read it and pass it on to the creative folks who might draw some inspiration from it when they're designing the new items. Then come the modeling, texturing, coding, writing, and other implementation details before they can be shipped off to RK0 for testing in time to be debugged before the event.
So, that means it's time for Halloween 2010 ideas already. I started collecting ideas at some parties already, thinking that at the rate it has gone in the past, it would take three, maybe four weeks to collect enough for a good selection of ideas. At the time I'm writing this, there are already 82 ideas in the list, and it's been less than two weeks. I'll still be collecting ideas at every party I can until July 17. At least that's the current plan. It's already had to change a couple times and is still subject to change. I've asked the other Dancers to help collect ideas too, when I'm not there, or you can just come here yourself and post your idea. That's what this thread is for.
I prefer that you say your ideas in vicinity, so it might spark other ideas, but if you can't get to the party, go ahead and send a tell. Vicinity does get pretty busy too, so if I don't respond reasonably soon, I may have missed it. I do my best to keep up, but it happens. If you think I missed it, ask or try a tell, but please don't just keep repeating the idea. That just slows everything down.
Usable ideas:
1) do not infringe on anyone else's Intellectual Property, but references are okay,
2) are specific enough that I have a good idea what you mean to write up, and I'll ask for clarification if necessary,
3) aren't already on the list, but if I know it already is, I'll just ask you to add some new detail to make it different,
4) fit within AO's "Teen" rating - no naughtier than the Midnight Pumpkin Bikini I'll be dancing in as an example, although that really doesn't leave a whole lot out.
And yes, DJs, Dancers, and even ARKs can contribute ideas. If a GM or Dev wants to throw in an idea, just for kicks, well, they're the ones making and enforcing the rules anyway, so that's up to them.
At some parties, I've tried giving away a Christmas Gift for each usable idea, but occasionally that encouraged some people to go on a brainstorming spree and list as many ideas as they could think of as fast as they could, to get lots of gifts. While brainstorming isn't necessarily bad, this list is growing too fast already. Just our best ideas will be plentiful enough for FC to consider "brainstorming", so I'm changing the rules there.
We're done with rewards for ideas for this event. If you have a good idea that you'd really like to have posted, by all means throw it in anyway. You can bring it up at a party, post it here, or send it in yourself. Ideas brought up at a show can be discussed, which is usually pretty fun, and inspires more ideas. They will be put on this list.
In the past, I've sent in every idea that came up. There are just too many already this time, and it's still early. Instead, I'll send in our favorites along with a link back to this thread, so FC can see how much enthusiasm came up and, if they have time to go through the whole list, it'll be right here. That's what brainstorming is about, generating a big pile of ideas and then picking out the best ones for more consideration. Keeping the whole pile around will still be pretty impressive.
From July 18 to July 31, the GSP DJs, Staff, and Dancers will vote on their favorites. Yes, two weeks, because some will be on vacation for half of it and others are just so busy that finding the free time to read over and make choices from the whole list might take that long. Then I'll write those up in full sentences and such, with reference links and stuff if necessary, and get them off to FunCom by mid-August, which should be in plenty of time to land on the right desktops shortly before it's time to start designing goodies.
So keep your thinking caps on, even if it makes your brain start to heat up. You can always take something else off to cool down. And remember, the real grand prize isn't some gift box from last year. It's having FunCom actually put something in the game that bears a striking resemblance to an idea YOU came up with!
It does have to be done quite a bit in advance, since the writing takes some time, and then they have to read it and pass it on to the creative folks who might draw some inspiration from it when they're designing the new items. Then come the modeling, texturing, coding, writing, and other implementation details before they can be shipped off to RK0 for testing in time to be debugged before the event.
So, that means it's time for Halloween 2010 ideas already. I started collecting ideas at some parties already, thinking that at the rate it has gone in the past, it would take three, maybe four weeks to collect enough for a good selection of ideas. At the time I'm writing this, there are already 82 ideas in the list, and it's been less than two weeks. I'll still be collecting ideas at every party I can until July 17. At least that's the current plan. It's already had to change a couple times and is still subject to change. I've asked the other Dancers to help collect ideas too, when I'm not there, or you can just come here yourself and post your idea. That's what this thread is for.
I prefer that you say your ideas in vicinity, so it might spark other ideas, but if you can't get to the party, go ahead and send a tell. Vicinity does get pretty busy too, so if I don't respond reasonably soon, I may have missed it. I do my best to keep up, but it happens. If you think I missed it, ask or try a tell, but please don't just keep repeating the idea. That just slows everything down.
Usable ideas:
1) do not infringe on anyone else's Intellectual Property, but references are okay,
2) are specific enough that I have a good idea what you mean to write up, and I'll ask for clarification if necessary,
3) aren't already on the list, but if I know it already is, I'll just ask you to add some new detail to make it different,
4) fit within AO's "Teen" rating - no naughtier than the Midnight Pumpkin Bikini I'll be dancing in as an example, although that really doesn't leave a whole lot out.
And yes, DJs, Dancers, and even ARKs can contribute ideas. If a GM or Dev wants to throw in an idea, just for kicks, well, they're the ones making and enforcing the rules anyway, so that's up to them.
At some parties, I've tried giving away a Christmas Gift for each usable idea, but occasionally that encouraged some people to go on a brainstorming spree and list as many ideas as they could think of as fast as they could, to get lots of gifts. While brainstorming isn't necessarily bad, this list is growing too fast already. Just our best ideas will be plentiful enough for FC to consider "brainstorming", so I'm changing the rules there.
We're done with rewards for ideas for this event. If you have a good idea that you'd really like to have posted, by all means throw it in anyway. You can bring it up at a party, post it here, or send it in yourself. Ideas brought up at a show can be discussed, which is usually pretty fun, and inspires more ideas. They will be put on this list.
In the past, I've sent in every idea that came up. There are just too many already this time, and it's still early. Instead, I'll send in our favorites along with a link back to this thread, so FC can see how much enthusiasm came up and, if they have time to go through the whole list, it'll be right here. That's what brainstorming is about, generating a big pile of ideas and then picking out the best ones for more consideration. Keeping the whole pile around will still be pretty impressive.
From July 18 to July 31, the GSP DJs, Staff, and Dancers will vote on their favorites. Yes, two weeks, because some will be on vacation for half of it and others are just so busy that finding the free time to read over and make choices from the whole list might take that long. Then I'll write those up in full sentences and such, with reference links and stuff if necessary, and get them off to FunCom by mid-August, which should be in plenty of time to land on the right desktops shortly before it's time to start designing goodies.
So keep your thinking caps on, even if it makes your brain start to heat up. You can always take something else off to cool down. And remember, the real grand prize isn't some gift box from last year. It's having FunCom actually put something in the game that bears a striking resemblance to an idea YOU came up with!