Revamp: for better not for worse
It was the first time I've put up a survey sheet here, and it seemed to have generated interest from our viewers. I was planning to collate all the opinions on the previous tribune and possibly build my own article.
And then comes zidlakan…
He gave an answer and it was near perfection. I was so impressed that instead of creating an article, I used his post as the article this week.
Q: Should Level Up! revamp their Volunteer Deity Program?
Not that i have anything against immortals. and I don't have heaps of praises for them, either. let's just say that (1) they are doing a function … (2) that function is supposed to help the game's overall performance … and that (3) their continued existence depends on their ability to perform that function or not. but if the "revamp" in the survey question means changing or improving the present volunteer deity program for the better, then absolutely I would be all out for it. sometimes, the answer to these questions become very obvious when we get to the bottom line and we think out of the box.
Let's look at the question a little bit closer, "… do you think LevelUp! should revamp their Volunteer Deity Program?" there's only two possible answer there - they should, or they should not. yes, you could add emphasis bu answering, "absolutely," or "no way" and add expletives for spice but they all amount to two things - they should or they should not. so if we were choose between the two, what would the more logical answer be?
One who is satisfied with what the immortals have done and are doing right now would choose that level up should not "revamp" the system. but we have to ask a few questions for reality check. have the "present" immortal system addressed all the issues and concerns that cropped up in the game as have not been addressed by the not-too-omnipresent GM's? we're all satisfied with their performance so far and live happily as we are, ever after? or were there certain issues and concerns, problems to be realistic about it, or even cataclysms that happened "in spite of the presence of the immortals? are we absolutely sure that the present system is so perfect (as in perfect world, he he) that there is no more room for improvement?
I guess the answer is a little too obvious. i think everybody agree there is still room (and lots of it) for improvement. the Japanese modestly perfected it with the concept of "kaizen," that Japanese philosophy that focuses on continuous improvement throughout all aspects of life. modern businesses and corporations have adopted this valuable lesson in achieving goals by acknowledging the reality that nothing is perfect - there is always a better way … and if you've mastered that better way - there will always be even better ways. the old school equivalent to this truth is the saying "the only constant in this world is change." of course, using "kaizen" is a trifle trendy, to say the least … at least we're speaking the corporate lingo.
You see … it's not that the immortals system is wrong or a mistake. it's not that it failed. because whether you agree or not, it has helped the game, and they performed that function expected of them. there might be some missing points like "responsibility" or "accountability" especially the scope or limitations of each, but these are some things that could be improved on. a lot of times I observed that immortals could not act on some things for the simple reason that there are no exact guiding principles on which specific concerns they have authority to act on and which are beyond their powers. and so issues remained hanging for a while. Unfortunately, this has caused a lot of frayed emotions because, while eventually these issues were resolved, it is the uncertainty and immediate reaction which acted as the vacuum. and you know the diversity of the players in this game - you could never please everybody. the best way to deal with such cacophony is to act fast and to be decisive when faced with a situation. people do actually appreciate fast decision makers …. even if they don't agree with the decisions.
Do we need to do away with them? No, that was not asked. what was asked was if the system should be revamped. and if revamp means changing, amending, repairing, revising, or otherwise improving the present system, then we should all be for it. the last time I visited the dictionary, those were still the definition … or synonyms … for me, it doesn't even matter how the present system is doing, good, bad, so-so … we should improve on it. there is always a better way. a lot of players of perfect world have their own ideas on how to improve the system. Level Up! Games should listen to those for they are the ones directly affected by changes. a lot of things could still be made better and we should welcome any opportunity of doing so.
So my answer to the question: they should!
