M
Merlinsclaw
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- Thread Author
- #1
Preface
Willard has changed. Entering 2023, Willard's playerbase, RP quality, and the problems it has suffered have changed and shifted drastically. Compared to mid-2021, it seems like things have gotten worse. The playerbase, which was largely made up of former TN players, largely dropped from an average of 70-80 players a day (in 2021) to a peak of 50 on a good day. RP Quality, associated with the departure of the TN base, dropped rapidly. There's been a persistent bureaucracy that stalls change for months and months with pushed back deadlines of 'just wait after this (break, event, etc.) for things to get better.' Meanwhile when change does happen its often lackluster (see rebel whitelist, most events, storylines, and map changes). This isn't meant to be a doom and gloom post. Willard still pulls a consistent population and while it has problems, its still alright. Alot of people want to push for semi-serious RP, which may be the future of Willard, but it's not my cup of tea. The purpose of this thread is to outline some changes for willard, how it (may) be able to fix some of its problems, and ultimately what I'd see as a good future of Willard.
RP Quality on Willard is severely lacking and for some time has pushed the boundaries of semi-serious RP. This problem stems for a variety of sources. To name a few: unfitting and unserious themes for HL2RP (radio bob, bobsoda, bonk soda, etc.), poor RP quality within the playerbase itself, poor/wacky decision making from staff (especially in events), and a bit more.
RP 'Substance'
RP 'Substance' is a bit harder to define but it's an equally as serious of a problem as RP Quality in my opinion. To define the problem of RP 'substance' lacking, I'd put it in the most general terms possible: "RP on Willard is usually repetitive, has no major 'progression' (in story or otherwise), and is overall boring." How would this poor RP substance translate? It'd generally be (as a citizen), hopping on, attending repetitive workshifts, afking at a storefront, maybe attending the rare open store, then hopping off. As a cop it may translate as afking on a street corner or as a rebel it may be just circlejerking in your base. Its repetitive, there's 'no major progression' and its boring. Loyalists don't do anything. Rebels don't do anything. Citizens don't do anything.
Lore
Willard's Lore is all over the place. The lore spans back to 2019 writing and the quality ranges from good to outright dog shit. The lore has also resulted in crazy and wacky things that don't quite fit in HL2RP. I'll be frank, I don't give a fuck about the SRF, the wardens, clover, the ESIC, or super secret Combine research base/organization #1926731. What the fuck is the ESIC and why is it in HL2RP?
Faction Specific Issues
Faction specific issues range from problems with the CWU, to the CCA, to the Rebels. Alot of the time the issues that the server faces (specifically with factions) have been brushed off as "wait for (update, event, change, break)" [ala: wait for the enlightenment/economy update, the rebel whitelist will fix rebel rp, etc.]. I define the issues of factions as, but not limited to: the O.S.F in its entirety, rebels (and BMDs) circlejerking and doing nothing of substance (quote: "A 'Rebel' ceases to be a guerilla, a freedom fighter or a protestor. It's become a term for any moron who finds a weapon and goes around committing extortion or murder just because they think they're the male_07 stereotype. Groups become havens for these people and soon enough the insurgent underground is nothing more than thugs and merchants, characters who exist to justify wearing custom models and carrying enough weaponry to overthrow Cambodia."), the CCA being a relatively alright faction OOCly but lacking in what they should be doing: being antagonists of a genocidal regime, and alot lot more.
Wipe the server(!) This is a big jump, and is likely to be controversial, but don't slam it to hard yet. A hard reset is (maybe) what Willard needs. It'd put everyone back on equal footing, reset the circlejerks, and provide the mysticism of HL2RP again, especially if things fundamentally changed (see Gameplay changes). Get rid of things like radiobob, bob and bonk soda, and the other stupid shit. Put us on a new map, with new lore, and a new setting. Let everyone rebuild Willard again (this time with a few lessons of what not to do).
Lore Wipe
Wipe the lore. It's basically unfixable in its current state. Alongside a server wipe, you could redo the timeline, lore, and loremap to however you please. Personally, I'd recommend to utilize the method of 'show, don't tell.' Have lore be open to interpretation, myths, and rumors. We don't need to know what Sri Lanka is doing because (quite frankly), it'll never be updated and it'll never be shown. Write little, show alot, and write unique lore that fits in HL2RP!
Gameplay/Setting Changes
This part is likely to be a bit controversial. Change the setting or at least the gameplay of the server. Personally, I recommend this: A Post-Occupation server (post-fall of the Citadel) in a Combine occupied City as the war of liberation rages on. Change from the hard occupation setting that we all know! This setting change would likely shift out how events go down, how lore would happen, and would solve alot of the problems with lore and gameplay that Willard currently has (ala: can't overthrow a city or the city, can't have hard rebels, etc.). Furthermore, it'd allow a fundamental difference in how factions and players operate compared to what we know today, which will be defined in faction changes.
Faction Changes
Change how factions operate. I could (but wont) go into heavy detail on each faction but I'll leave you with a few examples.
CCA/Loyalists:
Turn them into proper antagonists of a genocidal regime. Allow some plurality and variety in loyalism and the CCA aside from just circlejerking the C.A (ala: transhumanism, extinctionism, w/e). Make loyalists actual loyalists instead of workshift grinders, etc. Try to avoid the loyalist that sits in a bar and does nothing or goes around and snitches on every desk and slightly interesting thing thats put on the street without a CWU permit
Citizens:
Give the citizens a proper gameplay change and a setting thats interesting and provides a fun gameplay loop. (I always think of the I17 raves and how the city operated in the first little while).
Rebels:
Give them 'RP Substance', have them actually be able to do things aside from sitting in the slums, turn them away from 'merchants and circlejerks' and into 'protesters, guerillas, and freedom fighters.'
Civil Protection:
willard.network
OSF:
Change them into conscripts. No more weird 'marching' and short-stories base circlejerking. Have them conscripted (applied and ICly conscripted) or a few select volunteers. Shift them away from the weird circlejerk that they currently are.
Anyways, that's it. See you all on page 11.
Willard has changed. Entering 2023, Willard's playerbase, RP quality, and the problems it has suffered have changed and shifted drastically. Compared to mid-2021, it seems like things have gotten worse. The playerbase, which was largely made up of former TN players, largely dropped from an average of 70-80 players a day (in 2021) to a peak of 50 on a good day. RP Quality, associated with the departure of the TN base, dropped rapidly. There's been a persistent bureaucracy that stalls change for months and months with pushed back deadlines of 'just wait after this (break, event, etc.) for things to get better.' Meanwhile when change does happen its often lackluster (see rebel whitelist, most events, storylines, and map changes). This isn't meant to be a doom and gloom post. Willard still pulls a consistent population and while it has problems, its still alright. Alot of people want to push for semi-serious RP, which may be the future of Willard, but it's not my cup of tea. The purpose of this thread is to outline some changes for willard, how it (may) be able to fix some of its problems, and ultimately what I'd see as a good future of Willard.
Willard's Current Problems
RP QualityRP Quality on Willard is severely lacking and for some time has pushed the boundaries of semi-serious RP. This problem stems for a variety of sources. To name a few: unfitting and unserious themes for HL2RP (radio bob, bobsoda, bonk soda, etc.), poor RP quality within the playerbase itself, poor/wacky decision making from staff (especially in events), and a bit more.
RP 'Substance'
RP 'Substance' is a bit harder to define but it's an equally as serious of a problem as RP Quality in my opinion. To define the problem of RP 'substance' lacking, I'd put it in the most general terms possible: "RP on Willard is usually repetitive, has no major 'progression' (in story or otherwise), and is overall boring." How would this poor RP substance translate? It'd generally be (as a citizen), hopping on, attending repetitive workshifts, afking at a storefront, maybe attending the rare open store, then hopping off. As a cop it may translate as afking on a street corner or as a rebel it may be just circlejerking in your base. Its repetitive, there's 'no major progression' and its boring. Loyalists don't do anything. Rebels don't do anything. Citizens don't do anything.
Lore
Willard's Lore is all over the place. The lore spans back to 2019 writing and the quality ranges from good to outright dog shit. The lore has also resulted in crazy and wacky things that don't quite fit in HL2RP. I'll be frank, I don't give a fuck about the SRF, the wardens, clover, the ESIC, or super secret Combine research base/organization #1926731. What the fuck is the ESIC and why is it in HL2RP?
Faction Specific Issues
Faction specific issues range from problems with the CWU, to the CCA, to the Rebels. Alot of the time the issues that the server faces (specifically with factions) have been brushed off as "wait for (update, event, change, break)" [ala: wait for the enlightenment/economy update, the rebel whitelist will fix rebel rp, etc.]. I define the issues of factions as, but not limited to: the O.S.F in its entirety, rebels (and BMDs) circlejerking and doing nothing of substance (quote: "A 'Rebel' ceases to be a guerilla, a freedom fighter or a protestor. It's become a term for any moron who finds a weapon and goes around committing extortion or murder just because they think they're the male_07 stereotype. Groups become havens for these people and soon enough the insurgent underground is nothing more than thugs and merchants, characters who exist to justify wearing custom models and carrying enough weaponry to overthrow Cambodia."), the CCA being a relatively alright faction OOCly but lacking in what they should be doing: being antagonists of a genocidal regime, and alot lot more.
Solutions?
Server WipeWipe the server(!) This is a big jump, and is likely to be controversial, but don't slam it to hard yet. A hard reset is (maybe) what Willard needs. It'd put everyone back on equal footing, reset the circlejerks, and provide the mysticism of HL2RP again, especially if things fundamentally changed (see Gameplay changes). Get rid of things like radiobob, bob and bonk soda, and the other stupid shit. Put us on a new map, with new lore, and a new setting. Let everyone rebuild Willard again (this time with a few lessons of what not to do).
Lore Wipe
Wipe the lore. It's basically unfixable in its current state. Alongside a server wipe, you could redo the timeline, lore, and loremap to however you please. Personally, I'd recommend to utilize the method of 'show, don't tell.' Have lore be open to interpretation, myths, and rumors. We don't need to know what Sri Lanka is doing because (quite frankly), it'll never be updated and it'll never be shown. Write little, show alot, and write unique lore that fits in HL2RP!
Gameplay/Setting Changes
This part is likely to be a bit controversial. Change the setting or at least the gameplay of the server. Personally, I recommend this: A Post-Occupation server (post-fall of the Citadel) in a Combine occupied City as the war of liberation rages on. Change from the hard occupation setting that we all know! This setting change would likely shift out how events go down, how lore would happen, and would solve alot of the problems with lore and gameplay that Willard currently has (ala: can't overthrow a city or the city, can't have hard rebels, etc.). Furthermore, it'd allow a fundamental difference in how factions and players operate compared to what we know today, which will be defined in faction changes.
Faction Changes
Change how factions operate. I could (but wont) go into heavy detail on each faction but I'll leave you with a few examples.
CCA/Loyalists:
Turn them into proper antagonists of a genocidal regime. Allow some plurality and variety in loyalism and the CCA aside from just circlejerking the C.A (ala: transhumanism, extinctionism, w/e). Make loyalists actual loyalists instead of workshift grinders, etc. Try to avoid the loyalist that sits in a bar and does nothing or goes around and snitches on every desk and slightly interesting thing thats put on the street without a CWU permit
Citizens:
Give the citizens a proper gameplay change and a setting thats interesting and provides a fun gameplay loop. (I always think of the I17 raves and how the city operated in the first little while).
Rebels:
Give them 'RP Substance', have them actually be able to do things aside from sitting in the slums, turn them away from 'merchants and circlejerks' and into 'protesters, guerillas, and freedom fighters.'
Civil Protection:
the actual working structure of the civil protection as defined by me, who am i?
THE OFFICER A beat cop, dime a dozen slucker without any other employable skills than a hatred for humankind. Nothing keeps them in line, some follow the rules as written and do the job the almighty benefactors defined for them and they end up dead two weeks later because their partner didn't...
willard.network
OSF:
Change them into conscripts. No more weird 'marching' and short-stories base circlejerking. Have them conscripted (applied and ICly conscripted) or a few select volunteers. Shift them away from the weird circlejerk that they currently are.
Anyways, that's it. See you all on page 11.
