FUTURE OF MUSTANG

[RED&BLACK !]

Splashs, I'm not offended at all, don't worry! I think that you're right in a way, but I also agree with Kezz. I am totally guilty of flaking out sometimes, so please don't take this as me trying to be saintly or anything. BUT I do think that the one person owning a land isn't so much of a problem as that one person being inactive is. I think as long as they are able to keep plots and herd meets going and generate some kind of activity from the land, they shouldn't have it taken away, and that has nothing to do with who owns it. I know I and many many others have worked hard and made lots of plots and connections to keep the herdlands alive, and though it gets quiet sometimes, I think it has nothing to do with how long its been owned and we shouldn't pin it on that.

About the good/bad stereotypes - I hesitate to say anything because other member's characters are really not my business, but even if characters fall into this, what can we do about it? I hate the idea of limiting people's creativity because of something like that, even if I do agree with it. So - it may be difficult for members but I don't think that it's something we can necessarily "fix" without hurting other members. :c

Agree with Splashs about the color of the skin. It's pretty and it doesn't bother members who are already here and know how great it is (like the restaurant and its food!) but brighter colors would definitely draw people in and make it pop more.

I know I'm just repeating some stuff, but that's basically what I think. Kezz, that list is super helpful, of course I'll help out with anything I can and I think the ideas you put down look really good to me.

[WICKED♪ ♫]

I am loving all this feedback! Thank you so much everyone!

I'm loving the idea of the post roulette. I'm thinking we could hold it once a month, and the time in between would give everyone time to finish up their old threads before looking to start anything new.

A new skin will be up soon! It may not be as bright as people are hoping, though. But if anyone has feedback on it once it's active, let me know!

Personally, I love site wide plots. They are a lot of work though. It takes dedication from staff to get it set up, and dedication from all of us to write through it and really get it rolling. But I am definitely interested in this!

I also like the quick/dialogue thread idea. I think I may put up a board in which all the threads will be rapid fire, dialogue heavy posts. That way you can really get interactions between characters without a whole lot of action in between. Love this!

That's my main feedback for now <3

[Deleted]

Just letting you guys know that I will be reading over and posting suggestions and feedback hopefully when I get done work tonight :)

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using proboards

[Splashs]

I like the new background and such.. The blue dots are hard on the eyes, though.

[WICKED♪ ♫]

Blue dots? Mine look gray! But I can try another bg and see how people like that. Splashs

[Splashs]

Oh maybe they are gray... lmao they look blue to me.

[Bandit]

Popping in just to say that just from looking on mobile (which is how I'm on the site about 80% of the time now) the skin is looking much better.

[Deleted]

I have read over all the comments so far and sat down and tried to think about when I originally joined mustang and what reeled me in.

C-box ;; I have to agree, most of the time the only reason I make my mind up to join a site is how others act towards me in the cbox. When I first joined and before proboards switched completely, I talked in a good old c-box that allowed guests and non members to post. Everyone was friendly and welcoming and helpful when I first joined. Most of the time I would just sit and talk in the c-box especially if my muse was low just because I wanted to talk to the other members. It is also a place for guests to ask questions and look for some guidance as far as working around the site. Personally all the sites I have made had a c-box. Some sites I've joined even had a special cbox for IC. I'm not real fond of Proboards shoutbox, but it's not something I couldn't get used to.

New Skin ;; I agree with this also, it is always great to have a fresh new look or give members several different skins to choose from. The most recent one was to bright for me and I prefer more darker skins because of my eyes. This current new one looks great Wicked!

Rapid Fire ;; I think I would rather enjoy this idea. It would be great to use when you have lack of muse. The rapid fire may even help kickstart your muse and get you back on track.

Roulette rping ;; I would be willing to try this. I have never done it before but it would be a great way to 'break the ice' with members I have never rped with before. I feel it will help the cliques expand to be rping with everyone and help members expand their comfort zone with rping. I think it would be a rather good idea!!

Surprise & Disasters ;; I enjoyed this when I first joined. It spiced things up a bit without a full blown site wide plot. It added more reality to the site with diseases and different weather disasters. I really think we should start this up again.

Monthly activity awards ;; I feel the same with this, once a month these popped up and if you were active you gained some sort of prize from the shop. I really enjoyed it especially when I was gifted with something. I would love to see it start up again!

Nature Account ;; Alright so this idea is to kind of add onto other ideas that have been suggested. I feel we should make a nature account either for the staff only or for it to be able to be used by any member (with some strict rules). This account could be used for other creature encounters (bears, skunks, ect.), it could be used to spice a thread up by adding a storm or overall changing the background or territory the thread is in, it could be used for cowboy roundups and t give the site that bit of old west flare, it could also be used to rp out a surprise or disaster for the month (such as a tornado and how whoevers horse will react to it) You kind of have some freedom with this idea, but mainly I wanted to suggest it because on more recent sites I have seen it being used for members characters to get interactions with other creatures. Recent sites I have also seen it being a general account that members and staff alike could use. I have also seen that you could be given prizes for using the nature account for threads. This account may also help with those open threads that never get replies to. I also feel that it would be more comfortable for members to use when rping with other members because they won't always know whose rping with them (an icebreaker if you will). It has quite a bit of potential and different uses.

Graphic rewards system ;; This is to help new members with little currency to get artwork done which in turn will give more reason for artists to do some work for them. Basically if you make art or color lineart for another member you can get a reward for your work from the Staff. There would have to be set prices for colored linearts, manipulations, and drawings, and such.


This is it so far, but sleep may bring some more thoughts to my mind.

[Laredo]

I am certainly with everyone when it comes to not wanting to see this place fold up. I love this placeway too much, and I have many characters I don't wanna see die off, or I have to end up moving elsewhere. I am really liking the ideas suggested. I am certainly all for them! I know I have been guilty of rping with just certain people, But I know I have tried to extend my circle to include those were new to the site, and hadn't gotten any replies yet. But, with the typical people I rped with not being on so much, because of life, and other things, I kind of ended up not being on so much, if really at all, because I got busy on old RPG sites, and my RL has not been very easy at all since the start of the new year. Been a very busy and stressful one! But I am really wanting to get back into the swing of things here, cause honestly my muse has just sucked not being active here!

[faizahpandora]

Reading through the recent comments and such, I felt I needed to add my thoughts again. Please, no one take offense if I say something seemingly rude or the like. I've been dealing with a bad sinus infection for the past week, and one bad migraine for the past two days. So I'm a little muddle-headed.

Thread Roulette. Never heard of it before now, and while a part of me is intimidated by the idea, it is a good one. Like many people, I find myself RPing with mostly the same people. Either because of post length, character development, character depth, or speedy replies, it doesn't matter. I like RPing with new people, expanding my horizons, and I'm fascinated to see how this will work.

A new Admin/Mod/Staff Member. I'm not really sure you need a new staff member, but I do agree there may need to be someone who does the odd jobs. Like clearing out old threads, looking over character applications for completeness (not for approval), answering questions for guests and new members. Less a Staff Member and more someone to run interference if a Staff Member isn't online.

A New Skin. I'm kinda late on this one, since the skin has been changed. Skin doesn't normally matter to me. But one site I was on previously did something interesting. They made several different skins, and made it possible for the members to choose what skin they preferred. It added a level of customization that was unique, and if there was a skin that didn't look right on your computer or laptop, or that was too bright or too dark for your liking, you could choose a different one. Not to mention, the only thing I am picky about with a skin is whether or not I can see the scroll bar.

Mare Fertility. Maybe its the D&D player in me, but I like this idea. It makes reproduction more realistic, instead of every breeding application being accepted, more or less. I also really love the genetics part of this site. I know this wasn't being discussed, but I thought I should mention it since its one of my more liked ideas.

Character Limits. I understand the need for this. I really do. But I personally hate limits on how many characters I can have. Muse for characters comes and goes, and I just don't see the personal point of limiting it. It limits the muse, and leads to creative stagnation. In my opinion, at least.

Member Base. I agree that it needs to be expanded. Advertising is one way to do that, though in my personal experience that only brings people in if the site is alive and active already. Otherwise it just doesn't work.

Horses from New Places. I like this idea. Not sure the details of how it will be executed, but that is something no doubt the staff will figure out. I'm a stickler for details, though. If needed, I could throw a few idea around for the staff and members. Usually I'm pretty good at random and quick plots to incorporate new ideas or events.

Version 3. This has both pros and cons to it. It would give the site a new start, a fresh look, an uncluttered look. People might be more interested because it would be a fresh slate. However, like someone mentioned earlier, this isn't going to fix the existing problems. If we don't expand our member base then in a few months or years, we are going to be right back here.

Humans, Natural Disasters and Predators. I like this idea, which is conceited to say since I seem to have brought it up. Introducing humans doesn't have to be a constant or permanent idea. We have proof in the site already that humans once inhabited the land here, so it wouldn't be that big a stretch to bring them back. But if we did add the human aspect in a permanent or year round setting, then it would add another layer of depth to the site. Members could make human characters, who could save and protect or capture and harm the horses. All dependent on mutual member agreement, of course. It would give us the options of eventing, round-ups, rodeos, and other such possibilities. Natural Disasters and Predators are another great way to add flavor fluff and drama. The next reasonable question would be this. Would members be able to make the predators or would they be staff controlled only? Would it eventually be something that members could do? Would having a predator character be a perk you would have to purchase or acheive through posting or activity or even a reward for winning a contest?

I think I've pretty much covered everything for now. I will be lurking in the thread to see how this conversation unfolds. I'm very interested in the future of Mustang. When I first came here my muse was overflowing, and it still is. So I really want this place to pick back up so I can continue with my wonderful characters.

[horsedreamer]

I love Mustang and don't want it to die! I should be better at logging on, but it seems those I RP with have gone away and I don't know what to do with my characters. I hope I can be better at participating and hopefully get my characters back in the game. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.....from anyone. I understand how some things can pull you away from the site because I have times where I can't get on as well. I'm going to stick it through even if it means I have to RP by myself to keep the site going!

[ℳissParadox]

Hi all! Like Txep this place feels like home. No matter how far I stray I always long for this place. Considering that compared to most members I haven't been here for half as long that is a huge thing!

However I did notice the last few times I have attempted to return activity has been low. I appreciate people are hesitant to RP with someone who comes and goes / maybe I am just not up to the standard I used to be. It has seen me walk away time and time again. This isn't from lack of peoples enthusiasm, everyone here is fantastic at plotting and starting things. But I feel that's as far as we go, our plots and plans are so big that it is easier to plan it all out. There is no time or muse left for playing it out. The history of this place is huge! Dense, it is what makes it so fantastic! But it is incredibly hard to break into.

This isn't an attack of any sort! Simply an observation. I want to do my part, any part I can to bring back some old life. We have many regular members, our support base is huge, our history spans years of our own lives. We need to find a way to bring back our own muse.

[time]

I'm lurking through and know to some/most I'm new, but I was here a few months ago and adored the site.

But maybe we could do some sort of advertisement contest to rake in some new members? I know when I was looking for a site recently I was dying for a natural horse rp, but found none in the ads ;-; we could do some sort of gift for new members and a reward per ad, then maybe the person to post the most ads in, oh, a month or so could get a big reward of some kind?

My two cents on a site wide plot- they are a blast, when properly executed. But it seems that people stray from them due to lack of a description on the plot, or they have lots of loose ends and wind up down the drain.

I really really really like the idea of a separate nature account, I think that would be a lot of fun. The only I thing I could see is maybe being able to put a note to not have them in certain threads among players, as sometimes people are working big plots out in the thread and would rather not have a detour. Surprises and disasters are fun too, but they can be a bit messy when people don't see that they were part of it for the month or whatever.

I love this skin, I wouldn't touch it, lol. It's clean and gorgeous and most templates work on it.