[Cspace]

This is entirely an idea, not a preview of something that is definitely coming.

So, I've been receiving some more questions about "SeeD Ranks" lately... What are they? How do you get them? Even before the rank page was taken down for updating, members have had trouble seeing a number as a leadership rank along the same exact lines as the ranks we've always had (commander, general, etc.). Many of our older members, even after hearing an explanation before, still consider "SeeD Rank" as a glorified karma system, not realizing that each number had specific leadership-related capabilities. They also didn't realize that the numbers correspond to a chain of leadership at events, should the need arise for them.

Another aspect that is really a bad thing alongside the karma misconception is the question of how ranks are gained.

I'm considering a change to something more logical for that field. Having inter-faction leadership ranks has proven to be unnecessary (at least when it comes to specific goals or capabilities), so maybe the field can be reworked to a point system in some way so everyone isn't always so confused about it. In Final Fantasy VIII, the "SeeD Rank" number didn't really correspond to leadership ranks anyway, they simply reflected a SeeD's capabilities.

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So what change am I considering?

To provide for a certain (very tangible) means of advancement, and to provide incentive for members to contribute to SeeD exactly where it's needed, I am thinking of linking SeeD Ranks to missions of some sort. Members come to me asking for ways to help anyway, and now they can receive something tangible as a direct result of their help. Members would be able to request missions (or I can provide optional ones when a need arises), and according to what is stated as part of the mission, one's SeeD Rank would be incremented upon success.

In our current situation we just don't really have much direction as a guild, and I'm looking for something to allow members to contribute independently, but at the same time allow the guild to work as a team at a collective goal. Seeing that we're named after SeeD from FFVIII, something along these lines may also reflect our origins more effectively. In the context of FFVIII, SeeD is a mercenary force, and it usually works by sending small teams to accomplish specific goals. One's "SeeD Rank" would be incremented through success and based on his/her conduct during these operations.

Ultimately, SeeD Ranks could be treated as ranks of contribution instead of as ranks of leadership. Save the specific positions laid out in event planning and factions themselves, such ranks can safely continue to be treated as inter-faction ranks of seniority at events when the need arises.


This is just one of a few things I'm considering to make SeeD feel like a guild instead of merely a community. Whether or not you like FFVIII, we can remove the system of SeeD from the story and can still have some fun with it. There are a lot of aspects that we can use, this being one of them, and maybe we can once again build something that members could be proud to be a part of.

Discussion?

[Nate]

I personally am happy with it just being a community over being a full-fledged guild.

[Aaron]

I see what Nate's saying. I enjoy the community of CurvedSpace, but it always good to have SeeD here. We need to have a way for everyone to have a chance to play common games together. That is SeeD.

Great idea though, Cspace. The SeeD Rank sounds like a great incentive to get things more active and making them successful.

[Cspace]

Well, we really need to find a way to grow, and we should find a solution for whatever direction we take. Members continue to discuss how factions are inactive, I assume desiring activity in them. Many also talk about how we should be more like a guild, yet don't really see a means to reach that goal.

To my understanding, we've always considered CurvedSpace to be the community and SeeD to be the guild. As such, this would affect those who want to be a part of the guild, as the community is a different (though related) entity. If SeeD succeeds as a guild, the community will grow. If the community grows without SeeD (which would be a much more difficult process), SeeD could become obsolete, but we'd still have activity. From my perspective we shouldn't leave SeeD in the dust... While not all would want to be a part of it, the community would grow and succeed alongside SeeD if it's successful. We would also be able to provide for either desire, for the community as well as the guild would be successful.

Some of our newer members haven't really seen it, and some of our older members have forgotten it... But SeeD hasn't always been another name for the community, SeeD was always intended to be its own entity. A direct part of the community, yes, but something else as well. For those who have goals that stretch into the games themselves, SeeD should be the focus. For those who just wish to talk about games, the community is here for you, and SeeD will be here to help provide for it.

[Nuu™™]

So you want to make it into a glorified karma system?

[Elvenblader]

I'm not going to comment on this. My primary concern is keeping the community and garden aspect of Seed/Curvedspace active. I have been inactive in runescape for a little over a year in a half now. But sadly my attempts to get the members in Balamb active has come to no avail. I might really have to put my foot down and offering more of an incentive for members to try and take a more proactive role in seeing the development of Seed. Me and Nate we're discussing about what we could do and he commented that if Balamb dies he would leave Seed. Balamb is the major reason why he has stayed.

Regarding the rank, I think maybe you can have one rank for general community and another rank for game related things. Possibly keep the Seed rank the way it is, but solidifying and make Seed just a guild doesnt sound like a great idea. You could possibly make the ranks related and offer some kind of reward for taking a more proactive role in Seed/Curvedspace. The factions are a very vital part of our community and I honestly must say that Throughout the 2 years I have been here, I have seen the forums transform more from just a runescape guild to a gaming community. But at the same time we need to push for more activity, more events, and overall more proactive attempts at strengthening and pushing for expansion in Seed. So altogether we need to get back to our roots and at the same time push for more activity in various factions. I'm going to further push for the first person shooter and try to close that rift that is noticeable between MMORPG Players and FPS players. My point is, we're all gamers, we're here to play and should respect each other's differences. It wont be easy, but its not impossible.

So thats my opinion on Seed Ranks.

[Cspace]

So you want to make it into a glorified karma system?

If you want to call it that, but one with a very tangible means to improve. As it is now, it's often viewed as a karma system, but no one really knows how to increase one's rank (because there is no specific way to do it). As a direct result of that there existed many complaints regarding favoritism, and still very few knew of the exact purpose of the ranks even when they were told.

As part of my idea, though, the ranks can continue to be used as ranks of seniority at events (if necessary) if the faction or event is otherwise lacking them. They can also potentially be linked to other aspects of SeeD as we expand.

I'm not going to comment on this. My primary concern is keeping the community and garden aspect of Seed/Curvedspace active. I have been inactive in runescape for a little over a year in a half now. But sadly my attempts to get the members in Balamb active has come to no avail. I might really have to put my foot down and offering more of an incentive for members to try and take a more proactive role in seeing the development of Seed. Me and Nate we're discussing about what we could do and he commented that if Balamb dies he would leave Seed. Balamb is the major reason why he has stayed.

Regarding the rank, I think maybe you can have one rank for general community and another rank for game related things. Possibly keep the Seed rank the way it is, but solidifying and make Seed just a guild doesnt sound like a great idea. You could possibly make the ranks related and offer some kind of reward for taking a more proactive role in Seed/Curvedspace. The factions are a very vital part of our community and I honestly must say that Throughout the 2 years I have been here, I have seen the forums transform more from just a runescape guild to a gaming community. But at the same time we need to push for more activity, more events, and overall more proactive attempts at strengthening and pushing for expansion in Seed. So altogether we need to get back to our roots and at the same time push for more activity in various factions. I'm going to further push for the first person shooter and try to close that rift that is noticeable between MMORPG Players and FPS players. My point is, we're all gamers, we're here to play and should respect each other's differences. It wont be easy, but its not impossible.

So thats my opinion on Seed Ranks.

Many of our members who haven't seen SeeD truly as SeeD (or haven't thought about it in a while) have a very blurry line between the concept of a guild and community. SeeD was never intended to be a community... SeeD is not a community, but a guild, despite the fact that it was neglected and became synonymous with "CurvedSpace".

CurvedSpace is the site, the forums, the chats, the blogs, the arcade, and everything else physically in front of us in the browser window. CurvedSpace is technically the "community", it transcends SeeD just as well as it includes SeeD. As a gaming community, members of CurvedSpace can freely discuss games or anything else within reason.

SeeD, on the other hand, is a guild. As a guild, SeeD is intended to do things in games and pursue common goals within them. If SeeD isn't treated as a guild it will be lost, for we don't have two communities here. We have one community and one guild. Everyone here belongs to the community (CurvedSpace), while only some technically belong to the guild (SeeD). They are directly related but separate entities.

To allow the community to succeed without the guild is a task we've never really pursued. It's more difficult to promote the community alone, and it requires actual work from those who want to help. For SeeD to be successful, though, will make the community more successful as a direct result. To promote SeeD is to recruit, something that is easy and can be done while playing a game. Almost everything we have right now, community included, came from SeeD. That can be evident even today with so many calling themselves SeeDs, but who are seeing SeeD as a community instead of a guild. What they're seeing is SeeD pushed into the background of the community, not SeeD becoming a community.

Events and Gardens are directly related to SeeD, even while they are also a direct part of CurvedSpace as it harbors SeeD. Having more in-game activity and recruitment will make the events more successful. Having more interaction between factions (also directly a part of SeeD) will make the Gardens more successful. Both events as well as Gardens can be creatively woven together, but without activity in a game, neither will work. To boost in-game activity we need to recruit, and SeeD needs to feel like a guild. I can't stress the importance of recruitment enough, and we also need a goal and a guild feel to allow the guild to actually live.

Also, when it comes to Gardens, there is a blurry area because in-game activity isn't required to join one. For them to really work as intended, though, they should try to bring the factions together and do things in multiple games.

It's far from lost, let's not get defeatist when there are only a few pieces missing in the puzzle.