MxO: The Player-Run Storyline

With the official storyline being left as-is, quite possibly indefinitely, the concept of the story being in "our hands" comes to mind.  I would like to know how the rest of the community feels about the idea of the story being player-run.  Would you like to see a team of players, like LESIG or Algorithm: Black step up, to carry on the story in some semi-official (by semi-official, I mean that the majority of the community more or less accepts it as cannon) way?

Would you like to see the story left alone, and claim everything posted for Chapters 12, 13 and 14 as the official "end?"  Or would you prefer, as a community, to see it continue in some way, run by players, for players?  Or would you just not care, either way?

If you know me at all, then you probably have a pretty good idea of why I'm asking these questions.  I'm looking forward to hearing your answers.

As diverse of a community we have, I see it hard for everyone to comply with a non-official continuation of the story.  However, I can't say that it wouldn't make me happy if we did come together and end this story properly.

Rarebit has given us a guide, it could be possible.

That's what I think: http://forums.station.sony.com/mxo/..._id=36300027582

I think we don't have to do any sharp moves before we know if SOE is gonna make some steps and what will they be. 

I just don't see it happening, with all the anti-player event attitude that's rampant in this place. Perhaps moreso these days now that most of the ones who cared about PE's aren't around much anymore.

That being said, if there were an element of RP going around, I might actually be around more. But as it stands, I just can't bring myself to jack in and sit around hoping someone might stop by Camon Central. And farming and mission grinding is something I've hated in this game even when we had a story.

deimoslvov wrote:

I think we don't have to do any sharp moves before we know if SOE is gonna make some steps and what will they be. 

I would agree with you, but at the same time, I don't think it would hurt to have something in place should worse come to worse.

If it were me, I'd start with where we are now, re-write the rest of Chapter 12, 13, 14, and execute them all differently, then press on from there.  I'd probably put together a believable end-game that could be implemented at any time, regardless of current storyline happenings, should the day ever come that the end really was nigh.

If nothing else, it would be some form of storyline, that the players would have the option of participating in and affecting.  If they wanted to take it as cannon, cool.  If not, that's cool too.

Since Rare has left us with the guide to the story we should do our best to follow it as far as we can in my opinion, so, player events for players, possibly cinematics? Seeing Odj remake them was nice and i'm sure we can do the same if they're required.

Don't know what you guys want though.

While I agree with what Phrack has proposed, I also agree with the idea of waiting to see what SOE does with us.

Though I would support an unofficial 'official' storyline devised by us, the community, I could also see it difficult to agree upon, as people from the different servers might want different outcomes, seeing as they are different RP parties, atmospheres, and sub-communities within each. A committee could probably be established on each server to oversee the course of their storylines, along with developing in different directions from the others. That's just something to throw out there as possibilities.

Masonna wrote:

...people from the different servers might want different outcomes...

That's certainly doable.  There's no reason why different servers "stories" couldn't deviate from each other's, depending on who did what in what event, either.

Masonna wrote:

While I agree with what Phrack has proposed, I also agree with the idea of waiting to see what SOE does with us.

Though I would support an unofficial 'official' storyline devised by us, the community, I could also see it difficult to agree upon, as people from the different servers might want different outcomes, seeing as they are different RP parties, atmospheres, and sub-communities within each. A committee could probably be established on each server to oversee the course of their storylines, along with developing in different directions from the others. That's just something to throw out there as possibilities.

Basically, that just means chaos. This game needs an official storyteller, it's the core principle of the RP and ADND games.

Having a player group as a contingency can't hurt. Time should be bided and see what may happen in terms of leadership by official powers. My qualm is how would a player group be elected; there are some rampant perceptions of "self" that are severely overinflated and there would be the risk of unqualification. I would think third-party for such a matter, but I'm just smothering a possibility.

I don't see the story continuing in any meaningful way. It would be nice, but there's no way you'd even get the majority of players to follow a central player-run story. Far more likely, I think, is a series of inter-faction stories and events, perhaps compiled somewhere but otherwise distinct from one another.

I think it'll go on in a meaningful way.

Very meaningful, indeed.    http://forums.station.sony.com/mxo/..._id=36300027581

This is why the story was never really in our hands, even though the ads told us so.

Phrack, you got my suppost no matter what.

The only problem with a player run storyline, are the egos that the Matrix Online playerbase is famous for having.  Same reason why LESIG never really worked.  Everyone is going to have a different idea on what the storyline should be, and how to run it, and their idea is going to be the perfect one in their mind.

Player events are one thing, but actually trying to move the main storyline is another.  No matter how hard you try, there are going to be others who will try to undermine you and gain attention for themselves.

I'll try to be supportive, but in the end, I think most of the events and RP that I stick to will be the Trust's in-faction RP.  A lot less drama that way.

As much as I'd like to see the story being continued driven by players I have to agree that while the beginning may be very organised and the story respected by many, it won't be too long before various other elements get included, elements that would very likely cause much arguing and division. Player events were good because people knew they couldn't direct the main story with it and they were constrained to the story and what we knew of it at the time.

Allowing free reign with the 'official' story simply opens the door for god modding, organisational bias/misrepresentation etc..

Now I'm not claiming that the decent story writers that we have will be biased to one org over another or will skip details/facts that we know in order to continue their stories, but with players as the X factor, unless every single eventuality is thought of prior to a turn of events, even the strictest of story writer could have the story run away from them. Hence the tiny amount of player defined story directions in Rare's original story.

And this is without the inevitable griefers.

I'll support and respect a player driven story for as long as it's credible and not too fantasic outside the realms of the Matrix world. We have people capable of writing good, engaging stories, lets hope that the rest of us can aid them in their playing out.

Basically what Fen said.. but in more words.

I'm all for having some kind of semi-official player run storyline and I have more than a few ideas I'd like to work into it. Rare's outline gives us a definite roadmap and I'd would die happy to see it brought to life. But on a practical level, I'm seeing it hard to pull something like this off, considering the fact that there's some players who are outright hostile to RP and considering some of the power plays that a few individuals have made. And then there's the ones who came out with some suspension of disbelief-derailing ideas (e.g. Gothique claiming to be a vampire in the Real). Please don't think I'm bashing this idea: I love it and I'm excited about it. I'm just concerned how some elements in the player base will react to it...

Phrack wrote:

cannon

/bangbang

...You're still here?

Rarebit is giving us the rest of the story for a year, all the way to the end. Also, I think the suprise items are story character RSI Captures. If so, it could be done.

Phrack wrote:

...You're still here?

Yep, he isn't gone quite yet!

MatrixRefugee wrote:

I'm all for having some kind of semi-official player run storyline and I have more than a few ideas I'd like to work into it. Rare's outline gives us a definite roadmap and I'd would die happy to see it brought to life. But on a practical level, I'm seeing it hard to pull something like this off, considering the fact that there's some players who are outright hostile to RP and considering some of the power plays that a few individuals have made. And then there's the ones who came out with some suspension of disbelief-derailing ideas (e.g. Gothique claiming to be a vampire in the Real). Please don't think I'm bashing this idea: I love it and I'm excited about it. I'm just concerned how some elements in the player base will react to it...

Probably with multiple personalities.  Some of which, will be cannibals.

Rarebit wrote:

Phrack wrote:

cannon

/bangbang

He lives ^_^

Griffo wrote:

Rarebit wrote:

Phrack wrote:

cannon

/bangbang

He lives ^_^

Well he said he was leaving Friday 13th, so I'm still expecting an IR and a few Dev screenshots before that date.

I just wonder where people are gonna go with this RP wise.

Hard to roleplay the situation in the Matrix just "stopping", lol.

We taking Rare's story as already having played out and now we're continuing past that point? (I know he said not to, but I can't help but take all that outline stuff as official and would be inclined to RP myself post Chapter 14).

What about everyone else? You taking it as happened, us being stuck in time, us in a generic matrix setting with no bearing on the central plot, half way through at any point (be pretty lame to just leave the oracle dead and whatnot) or anywhere inbetween?

Croesis wrote:

Griffo wrote:

Rarebit wrote:

Phrack wrote:

cannon

/bangbang

He lives ^_^

Well he said he was leaving Friday 13th, so I'm still expecting an IR and a few Dev screenshots before that date.

I know that, it's just I hadn't seen him post since the announcement.

Phrack wrote:

MatrixRefugee wrote:

I'm all for having some kind of semi-official player run storyline and I have more than a few ideas I'd like to work into it. Rare's outline gives us a definite roadmap and I'd would die happy to see it brought to life. But on a practical level, I'm seeing it hard to pull something like this off, considering the fact that there's some players who are outright hostile to RP and considering some of the power plays that a few individuals have made. And then there's the ones who came out with some suspension of disbelief-derailing ideas (e.g. Gothique claiming to be a vampire in the Real). Please don't think I'm bashing this idea: I love it and I'm excited about it. I'm just concerned how some elements in the player base will react to it...

Probably with multiple personalities.  Some of which, will be cannibals.

Please, it's not as brain-breaking as some stuff I've seen -.- Case in point, the player characters claiming to Neo and Trinity's son... when the kid would, at the most, be only ten years old...

I say we wait a bit, I'm not so sure continuing the main story would be possible or agreeable to everyone but I'm definitly all for at the very least a new stream of events like AB or something if nothing mainstory wise pans out.

When it comes to player-events (in whatever context or game) I'm usually up for participating and I'm usually optimisitic.

However, MxO just seems to have very few people willing to participate.  Sure, I've seen many post on the forums.  But I've seen very few actually take part.  Many come and go for  the lulz.  Others won't go because it isn't canon.

Oh, I dunno.  I guess for once I'll have to be pesimistic.

I'll be with MxO until the bitter end, so you can count on my support, but right now I'm waiting to see how SOE reacts. 

GypsyJuggler wrote:

I'll be with MxO until the bitter end, so you can count on my support, but right now I'm waiting to see how SOE reacts. 

I couldn't say it better in so few words.

Fen wrote:

The only problem with a player run storyline, are the egos that the Matrix Online playerbase is famous for having.  Same reason why LESIG never really worked.  Everyone is going to have a different idea on what the storyline should be, and how to run it, and their idea is going to be the perfect one in their mind.

Player events are one thing, but actually trying to move the main storyline is another.  No matter how hard you try, there are going to be others who will try to undermine you and gain attention for themselves.

I'll try to be supportive, but in the end, I think most of the events and RP that I stick to will be the Trust's in-faction RP.  A lot less drama that way.

QFMFT

The story will continue regardless of whether there is an official outlet. This is our world (players) and we will continue to interact with it.

I feel that the first step to our future is to create an Mxo Story Bible. A one stop location that details everything that got us to this point and is debated until it is reasonable. We should decide what we chose to accept before we move along. I believe Cloudwolf and his summaries should be incorporated and clearly Othinn's logs (no pun intended) can be consulted.

ZaneZavin wrote:

The story will continue regardless of whether there is an official outlet. This is our world (players) and we will continue to interact with it.

I feel that the first step to our future is to create an Mxo Story Bible. A one stop location that details everything that got us to this point and is debated until it is reasonable. We should decide what we chose to accept before we move along. I believe Cloudwolf and his summaries should be incorporated and clearly Othinn's logs (no pun intended) can be consulted.

I was thinking the same thing. We need to have an official record from 1.1 to 12.1, with summaries as intricate as possible.

The main thing we need are summaries covering 1.1 - 5.1; those chapters what Rarebit's own posts didn't include.

Might have to dust off the ol' documents one of these days...

cloudwolf wrote:

The main thing we need are summaries covering 1.1 - 5.1; those chapters what Rarebit's own posts didn't include.

Might have to dust off the ol' documents one of these days...

Don't forget this; a start at least

I think player led storylines can work as long as they restrain themselves within the confines of the medium they can effect. Material changes and even smaller player understood changes cannot be communicated in the manner that 'one official' story can do (an official story can demand acceptance in the face of these but a personal story cannot), equally come what may, the Matrix as in the simulation has to remain persistent and relevent, mytery, danger, excitement and more all have to be elements that are brought to life here. 

Ultimately I think there is a need to avoid storylines 'about the matrix' and instead focus on storylines 'within the matrix'. The scale of aims and objectives has to reduce to the scale of the player, make them feel the value/worth of getting involved, the nature of the different organisations has to be realised in a more generic or even sterotypical manner so that players can easily get on board, everyday life for the player has to become something consistent and sympthetic with what the over arcing story would expect; in other words welcome players into a story by making the story a part of their world and there's then an automatic opt in. Like gravity, gather enough material/players/factions and you could hit the critical mass that leads everything else.

The key then becomes the mechanism by which you translate the story and communicate it to a wider audience.

Villemar_MxO wrote:

cloudwolf wrote:

The main thing we need are summaries covering 1.1 - 5.1; those chapters what Rarebit's own posts didn't include.

Might have to dust off the ol' documents one of these days...

Don't forget this; a start at least

I think this is as accuracte as anything. We have his Story Notes for everything else.

I think its do-able butttttt we need to change things around a little bit?



First of all any storyline that the players decide on should stay clear of past and what was meant to be storylines. Like starting a fresh, all the new MxO Characters should  disappear, a few controller type characters from the movie that will send messages to us should stay. People like Niobe and Morpheus would be mentioned that there doing stuff just as we are in the first few weeks and then slowly forgotten about.

We should have an elected player committee to steer us in the right direction, say they get 6 weeks of controlling the story's direction. Any player interested in RP could run. This would allow a flexible storyline and ever changing look at it, and also gets rid of the problem of a players solution being perfect.


As long they are few people willing to do it alone, willing to keep the storyline alive for people as they wish to come and join. Then it is doable for sure.

How's about a random storyline rendering system, pick by community vote, 5 players from each org that are by far the best rpers around, have them write the stories, then number them randomly, put a list of the said numbers on the forums, have a vote over say a week as to which of the 15 different stories gets to be acted out this month, and the top ones from each org would be acted out for said orgs, and also there should be a overall storyline for the matrix, which could be done the sameway, random vote, random outcome to the story, = cannon storyline run by players for players.

Just my two pennies.

I am going to be honost, I stopped caring about the storyline once the pew pew lazer eyes came out. We know SOE isnt going to hire anyone else to take over, so whatever chapter 14 was going to be thats it, in my opinion. To keep it going is a noble effort to be sure, but I doubt the majority of the players who are currently subbed are going to regard it as cannon.

Ic3b3rg wrote:

I am going to be honost, I stopped caring about the storyline once the pew pew lazer eyes came out. We know SOE isnt going to hire anyone else to take over, so whatever chapter 14 was going to be thats it, in my opinion. To keep it going is a noble effort to be sure, but I doubt the majority of the players who are currently subbed are going to regard it as cannon.

Maybe you are right. The only storyline I'll be seeing as cannon will be a storyline run by an official storyteller. It's not to offend the players that'll try to do their own thing, not at all - it's just the way I see it. And as I am a big fan of the Matrix story, I still hope we will get a replacement for Rare.

It's canon if it's accepted by the Wachowskis.

But, oh no! We have absolutely no means of contacting them. Oh, woe, is us, to be in this day and age of technology where we cannae instantaneously locate and dispatch a message to someone in a faraway land, O! *swoon*

ZippyTheSquirrel wrote:

It's canon if it's accepted by the Wachowskis.

Well, contrarily to the question of a new storyteller, that is one thing we can really say we are 100% sure not to get.

deimoslvov wrote:

ZippyTheSquirrel wrote:

It's canon if it's accepted by the Wachowskis.

Well, contrarily to the question of a new storyteller, that is one thing we can really say we are 100% sure not to get.

To heck with naysayers, I think Zippy just volunteered himself for the position of 'Speaker to the Wachowskis'.  Hop to it!

GypsyJuggler wrote:

deimoslvov wrote:

ZippyTheSquirrel wrote:

It's canon if it's accepted by the Wachowskis.

Well, contrarily to the question of a new storyteller, that is one thing we can really say we are 100% sure not to get.

To heck with naysayers, I think Zippy just volunteered himself for the position of 'Speaker to the Wachowskis'.  Hop to it!

Never send a squirrel to....oh never mind.

deimoslvov wrote:

ZippyTheSquirrel wrote:

It's canon if it's accepted by the Wachowskis.

Well, contrarily to the question of a new storyteller, that is one thing we can really say we are 100% sure not to get.

Uh, says you. Never know until you ask.

GypsyJuggler wrote:

To heck with naysayers, I think Zippy just volunteered himself for the position of 'Speaker to the Wachowskis'.  Hop to it!

Wait, I didn't.. aw crap.

Coming Soon: Zippy the Squirrel and the Mystery of the Unknown Email Address.

RetroX wrote:

We should have an elected player committee to steer us in the right direction, say they get 6 weeks of controlling the story's direction. Any player interested in RP could run. This would allow a flexible storyline and ever changing look at it, and also gets rid of the problem of a players solution being perfect.


As long they are few people willing to do it alone, willing to keep the storyline alive for people as they wish to come and join. Then it is doable for sure.

Skull101 wrote:

How's about a random storyline rendering system, pick by community vote, 5 players from each org that are by far the best rpers around, have them write the stories, then number them randomly, put a list of the said numbers on the forums, have a vote over say a week as to which of the 15 different stories gets to be acted out this month, and the top ones from each org would be acted out for said orgs, and also there should be a overall storyline for the matrix, which could be done the sameway, random vote, random outcome to the story, = cannon storyline run by players for players.

Just my two pennies.

You might be on to something somewhat...

Skull the only problem with your vote system is spoilers.  So, you'd have to trust people to be creative and try to  pleasantly surprise us.

The problem with the "Canon" MxO storyline is that we need to wait on that and see what the final word is on the state of the game.  I'd say at least wait things out a month until things get sorted.  I know its unlikely that we'll get another official storyteller but I'd like some finality / closure on that point before I trust anyone to move forward in that regard.

I feel very ambivalent aboout Rare's storyline dump.  While it was nice to know, it closed A LOT of doors for us. 

In the meantime, small scale "Animatrix" style side stories might be ideal.  Or after we get the "Official" word that the canon stoyline is finished.  Then maybe we can look into a select few players that the community trusts create little side missions?  Who knows.

Its a bit premature to run off half cocked at this point so I suggest we take a breather and wait a bit then proceed from there.

In the meantime as others have pointed out it might be a good idea to maybe consolidate & refine the "Canon" storyline thus far.

Personally, I think the "Official" story should be left well enough alone. Its clear that some people didn't like it, including the author of this topic, but Rare did make it clear that the Bro's approved the basic storyline we have been playing, and were going to play up through the planned Chapter 14. As far as I'm concerned, that approval is the closest thing to an official story that we have.

Further, I have to agree with others who have noted that you will not get much agreement on what else the story SHOULD be. This thread alone shows how little concensus there is. Besides that, have any of you ever seen an old Dilbert strip where a team tries to make a sentence by commitee? They can't even agree on the word "the". Stories by commitee are DOOMED to suck, that is just my opinion, but show me an example otherwise. Having people "vote" on the story would just become an ego trip/power struggle/general tear up the community kind of deal.

So, yeah, guess I'm saying I'll pass on having a player run "Official" story. IF someone gets brought in to fill Rare's role, and IF the ideas they have are in some way approved by the Bro's, that will be the new official story to me. Otherwise, I consider it done.

This does not mean I don't think there shouldn't be PE's and RP's, but I think those things are better left as explorations of the Matrix concept, than official storyline.

psilody wrote:

Further, I have to agree with others who have noted that you will not get much agreement on what else the story SHOULD be. This thread alone shows how little concensus there is. Besides that, have any of you ever seen an old Dilbert strip where a team tries to make a sentence by commitee? They can't even agree on the word "the". Stories by commitee are DOOMED to suck, that is just my opinion, but show me an example otherwise. Having people "vote" on the story would just become an ego trip/power struggle/general tear up the community kind of deal.

Well said. Another point where it fails is the reason why LESIG 2.0 failed. People know people and those people will use it to alter the story to their "advantage" or call in favours.