Game culture themes

[Dr Rush]

Lately we've seen alot of RP customizations & almost without fail. They use RL things as their defaults & available options. Which is cool for the people RPing RL places like russia etc. But not so much for groups with their own sub cultures. It would be more interesting if we could throw in references to things in game. Say a Dioist steamroller as a tank option, a ayylien spacecraft for a plane option, a rose for the peace offered symbol, maybe a currency for the dragon gods of boc? Little things that reference the game & are relevant to it, not the constant stream of RL references.

 

tl;dr It's a game not a real world simulator. The theme options should reflect that.

[Charles Bolivar]

I like this. 

[Lyrositor]

I think this is a good point. I'm not sure how it would be implemented, but I would like to see more options that make Orbis its own distinct world.

[Saruman]

Dr Rush, I actually really like the idea. I'm just not sure how it would be implemented? Would donate option expand to peace signs and stuff?

[Crust]

I like this idea. Maybe like with forum pips you could buy game pip that are global? Say there's set timelimit on when it can be changed. Example: An alliance or player uses a credit to change so that there's a reference to NAC when a nation is on vacation mode. If NAC wants to change that they have to wait say... a week or two, and pay up a credit for it.

[Fox Fire]

So we can argue about who's relevant enough for what reference and why?

[Dr Rush]

So we can argue about who's relevant enough for what reference and why?

That is the primary issue, though its little different from bickering over RL thing x to be included.

[fistofdoom]

Maybe make it alliance-specific. Wars declared by mensa have their steam roller image etc. It'd be fun for increased immersion.

It probably should require a credit a month, or a few credits as a one-off payment. Potentially have it included with VIP, I dunno.

[----]

Lately we've seen alot of RP customizations & almost without fail. They use RL things as their defaults & available options. Which is cool for the people RPing RL places like russia etc. But not so much for groups with their own sub cultures. It would be more interesting if we could throw in references to things in game. Say a Dioist steamroller as a tank option, a ayylien spacecraft for a plane option, a rose for the peace offered symbol, maybe a currency for the dragon gods of boc? Little things that reference the game & are relevant to it, not the constant stream of RL references.

 

tl;dr It's a game not a real world simulator. The theme options should reflect that.

 

(How do you know it isn't a real-world simulator?)

 

Reference the game? The alliances and nations themselves are temporary and changeable. In short, they are meaningless. Why should these 'cultural' (or rather uncultured) expressions usurp the neutral symbolism of Orbis? 

 

This point leads to the suggestion's general flaw. How are we to decide what is and what is not an Orbis symbol/representation? The choice of one alliance's 'tank' or 'aeroplane' would be little more than an unfair display of administrative favouritism to certain alliances. 

 

Has this game become another mere meme generator? Whatever happened to nation simulation (the founding purpose of this game, I might add).

 

The game is already saturated with the alliance 'subculture' (or lack of culture) that you speak of. I won't be the one to start that thread, but it would be a relief to see more real-life in this game rather than the reverse.

[fistofdoom]

snip

go away, you're trying to devolve this whole thing into a fight

[Licorice]

Maybe making the symbols for nations in a specific alliance like the flag (Mensa steamroller for Mensa mems, Ayylien ships for BK mems, etc)

[Hereno]

just make it an unlock option for people to upload their own images there

 

mandate them at a specific size, let alliances hand out their images as they please. there could be a forum thread with a stock of them for quick access.

[Dr Rush]

I think a few of you are missing the point, I'm not suggesting new VIP additions or new custmizations. I'm suggesting we stop making the free default options references to the RL world. 

[----]

I think a few of you are missing the point, I'm not suggesting new VIP additions or new custmizations. I'm suggesting we stop making the free default options references to the RL world. 

That is exactly what I understood by the original post. 

 

The game is a 'neutral' free space. Anybody can create a nation to their liking (I decline to comment on the tastefulness of certain nations). The game does not need a 'theme' because that would, by definition, put certain other 'themes' at a disadvantage. 

What you suggest effectively constitutes an immortalisation of 'mortal'/temporary entities, namely the alliances. Alliances are great, no mistake here, but they can be dissolved/disbanded. I am certain that in 5 years, the alliance roster will be quite different from its today's lists.  

 

The point is that the real-life references keep the game neutral to newcomers and avoid favouring a specified theme. Do you want this game to simply become 'Mensa & War', 'Rose & War', etc.?

This is not so much a question of real-life vs 'in-game' as much as a question of game's thematic neutrality. 

 

By the way, the VIP suggestions are a good compromise for alliances. 

Edited February 17, 2016 by Klemens Hawicki

[Crust]

I think the suggestion I made is a decent compromise. It means Sheepy doesn't have to waste time and effort figuring out what's relevant enough and not, it keeps most stuff relevant since nobodies gonna pay to keep references to alliances that no longer exist etc.