Member Discussion: Activity "Check In-er"

Discussion: Activity "Checker"

Hello! As many of you know, Canis Major was created with the following values in mind: flexibility, creativity, and collaboration. When we set out to put the game together and establish what was important to us, stress was a constant conversation topic. A lot of stress can develop because of a roleplay game, especially when it comes to how active you "have" to be. We were unified in the desire to establish a supportive and engaging community that was accessible to its players, regardless of the time they could commit to it.

Initially it was planned to bring an activity checker into the game. I use the would "checker" loosely. The mechanics were as follows:



Even from the beginning, we didn't want something that automatically moved characters into an inactive status but we now realize that even this might deviate from our goal to uphold writing as a hobby we enjoy together rather than a chore. So we wanted to bring this to you, our members, to see what you think! Would you like an activity "check in-er" implemented on Canis or would you rather there not be a checker at all?
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Note: The Check In-er, if implemented, would not include characters set to Low Priority.
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I personally like a checker/check-in-er because I am at times very bad with calendars. There have definitely been times in the past where suddenly a full sweeper period has happened and then I'm like O DAM WHAT HAPPEN. The fact that it's based on user input to actually make a decision (with plenty of wiggle room time!) I think solves a lot of the issues that come with the cruel machine making decisions and insta-yanking your character for you. Because especially with stuff like finals/random life stuff, it at least on paper sounds way easier to say "no I want to stay active" than to scramble-post at 2am because o no don't wanna get removed. Then you can just post whenever you actually have time. Similarly it looks like you could probably delay it again if another 21 days pass or what would be the action there? If they can click that button forever, then honestly I don't care, heh. At least it means they're not totally MIA and that's enough for me, heh.

I do think some kind of sweeper is needed, if only so you can see who's still in the game for a few reasons. Like even though we can overlap names, I'm sure there's some people who would rather not overlap with active characters but might not care if the char is inactive. Or just so you know that it's safe to say a character disappeared in the case of "Players has fallen off the planet" because it's also super awkward to be in that weird realm of "uhhhh, are they here???" when you aren't one to nag too much about threads and the like. Like it needs a limit eventually, and the way it's been written sounds pretty nice.

Do note I'm writing this without thinking too super long and I also live a boring life where I'm not expecting too many crazy life-altering events coming up and I'm out of school so... It may just be easy for me to keep up as long as I just don't fail at time entirely, which I am most likely to do. I may have missed some important cases, and will happily edit/add on a new post if someone brings something else up that I am oblivious to. :P
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I really like the idea of this kind of activity checker tbh.

I'm pretty indifferent when it comes to activity checkers because it does cause some stress to build up in me from time to time, and I don't know if anyone else gets this too, but stress affects my muse/motivation to write as a whole (that's probably my anxiety talking, but who knows). Other than that, it would be fair to want a checker of some sort to assess characters who've been inactive for a while, though when the time frame is too short and placement into the inactivity group is automatic, there's not much room for discussion. That's why I like the complexity that's been put into this idea -- because the ability to confirm your own activity is more interactive. :D
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I'm fine with activity checks, but honestly, 21 days is really short and I'd prefer it to be a longer in-between time. Most of us are adults and things come up and take time.
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the staff team luvs u

Everyone has basically said what I was gonna say already, but I also appreciate not having to rush out a post just for fear of being set inactive when there’s a lot going on!

A checker like this still helps people see who is presently in-game without pressuring people to make x amount of posts a week and that kind of thing; the leniency on activity actually increases my muse personally :D
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also can't add anything profound to the conversation, but i do agree that i like this set up! i think 3 weeks is a solid time, and that it doesn't "punish" if it isn't enough time. (:
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I also agree that this option is the best at the moment.

Personally, I work a lot. 12hr shifts, with my long week only giving me roughly two days off, depending on how you look at time off with a night shift position. With that being said, I also get required a lot to do overtime. So sometimes being required to meet posts deadlines/requirements becomes stressful to the point that I just... don't. Which, often leaves me feeling guilty for leaving people hanging.

I feel like this would be a good option that gives a gentle reminder without that 'oh shit' moment when you realize it's the last few hours of an activity check, you haven't posted, and you simply don't have time to sling one out for sometimes a multitude of characters. It, I feel, allows us to keep the feeling of flexibility and laidbackness that I personally want out of my rp experience without making it feel like a chore to post, or even like a job in of itself.

It keeps it feeling like a fun hobby, and a way to relax, rather than something that becomes stressful.

That's just my incohesive, very unhelpful thoughts on it. Essentially, tl;dr, I like the idea.
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I believe this is the perfect middle to those who want it, and those who won't. Personally I like a lil reminder to give a heads up on, "hey! Haven't posted on this character," but instead of rushing to post like Jennifer stated, you can instead decide to keep active and post when you have free time. A month is a perfect amount of time, especially as there isn't repercussions- and at that point if someone hasn't really checked the site in a month (or discord), its a fair say they've lost interest (or very, very busy) - nothing wrong with it ; they can return!

Then those who want it gone completely can simply set their characters as a Low Priority.

I honestly really like it and think its a perfect blend on those who want and don't want.

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After taking a while to consider, I do think the proposed activity checker is the best present option.

As someone who is slow to begin with, the implementation of an activity checker does not personally appeal to me. That said, I also recognize that those who are heavily involved in plots, packs, or group threads might find the activity checker appealing as it is a universal form of accountability and time-management.

I believe these are fair time-frames and the checker itself provides room for both communication and interactivity.

I like the concept that I, or anyone, can essentially opt-out of this checker by putting all of my characters Low Priority. It’s a great option when life is too much.

I think the biggest take away here is that I love that this was asked and that these large decisions are being decided as a community. I think as the game ages the flexibility of Canis’ guidelines and mechanics should continue to remain breathable so we can assess later down the line if whatever solution is chosen is working!

I am going to echo Lyss' thoughts here as I share the same view. I think it is an excellent tool, and not one intended to punish as anyone can set themselves to low-priority to avoid worrying about it to begin with. 

Additionally, thank you for asking the community. It shows how much this is a shared experience for all of us. <3
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3 week checkin sounds good to me. Not to mention you technically have another 3 weeks to respond to that before anything happens and low priority characters are exempt from this all together. Pretty flexible to me.
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I like the flexibility in this. c:

I think it's important to have some kind of activity check, but also not make it too strict. The 3 weeks with an additional 3 weeks (as well as the option to set to low priority during stressful times in our personal lives) seems really fair, but also a good way to keep the site from getting too bogged down if people do decide to take unannounced leave. I wish I had something more productive to add, but everyone seems to have covered it!!

Thanks for keeping us all involved, staff! <3
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