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An Analysis of Original Quests on SV (Draft, under discussion and revision)

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causticAccolade said:
There's actually a very simple way to keep yourself going as an original quest writer, and that's to be so desperate for any validation that getting even a single vote gives you the drive and inspiration you need to keep writing updates, indefinitely, forever. Tried and tested, by me, no requirements except too much free time and not enough self-esteem.
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That's not exclusive to original quests, frankly.
 
I'm actually somewhat of the opposite opinion.

To write you've got to ride your own hype train, especially if it's an original setting quest since you have to believe that your setting and characters are good enough to have people read and then care enough to post a vote on their fates.
 
Ridiculously Average Guy said:
Why would you possibly want these? You would die as soon as you walked...basically anywhere in the summer.
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Sendicard said:
.... You switch out the shoelaces of others. It's a prank. (A rather cruel one, but still a prank.)
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It's no prank. How else will you become the ant king?

causticAccolade said:
There's actually a very simple way to keep yourself going as an original quest writer, and that's to be so desperate for any validation that getting even a single vote gives you the drive and inspiration you need to keep writing updates, indefinitely, forever. Tried and tested, by me, no requirements except too much free time and not enough self-esteem.
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I don't think debasing your self-esteem is a wise strat...
 
I'd like to note that I was being somewhat tongue-in-cheek and a little facetious there, although my self-esteem is generally actually quite terrible, hah. I really do mean it, though, mostly.

In all seriousness, to me even one person being invested enough in my quest to vote in it is motivation to keep myself writing - I don't dislike writing by any means, and would do it for fun anyway, but knowing that people, even if those people are in the single digits, enjoy what I write makes pretty much any level of effort worth it. It helps that I like to write about unique ideas that hold my interest on a personal level, and that the nature of my first and main quest means that updates are quite short. I think if there's any real draw to my quest, it's the fact that there is a healthy amount of humour and it is almost aggressively novel and quirky.
 
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causticAccolade said:
There's actually a very simple way to keep yourself going as an original quest writer, and that's to be so desperate for any validation that getting even a single vote gives you the drive and inspiration you need to keep writing updates, indefinitely, forever. Tried and tested, by me, no requirements except too much free time and not enough self-esteem.
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Oh hey there me, good to see you around.

Anyway, it's not quite the same for me. At first, it was this, then it was the like train, then I ended one quest and started another and now it's...

Yeah, I'm not entirely sure why I'm still running Colony.

I guess it's just that I'd hate to leave my work unfinished. So even if I have no real identifiable reason, I'm going to finish it gosh darn it.
 
Okay so we're going to start this up again. But I'm just going to ask some very simple questions and I'd like for anyone with a quest to answer to me if they want. Squishy will set up a survey soon.

What quest(s) do you run?

What do you think is the hardest part of writing a quest?

What do you think is an optimal update speed for your quest(s) and why?

What do you think is the optimal length for an update for your quest? Why? If you don't have one, why?

How do you manage reader expectations? Do you have difficulty getting people to read your quests?

Do you use the ad system? If so, do you think it helps?

Have you ever gone on hiatus? How has it affected your voter turnout?

Do you have "name-brand"? If you do, how do you see that manifested? More voters? Do you ever advertise other quests with your seal of approval?

Do you use any special quest mechanics like weighting the vote? If so, elaborate. If not, why?


This is the beginning. I would like to start looking into the nitty gritty of quest mechanics over time. I think @Firnagzen did design me a datascrubber for indviidual quest votes which I can also grab but I can't remember.

EDIT: Don't PM me. Squishy will set up a survey of this soon.
 
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QUEST ANALYSIS SURVEY
  • Threadmarks
    • Alright! My quest analysis survey is LIVE!

    You can find it here.

    This will give me (and eventually SV, and all of us) better knowledge into what goes into producing and writing quests, so please be as verbose as you'd like.

    The main purpose is to get more understanding of what makes quests tick. This is part of a larger project to figure out how to help people make better quests and to figure out what makes some quests more successful than others. If it sounds simple, then it's probably because you haven't taken a look at it yourself. To some extent a number of fields intersect here, and the only way to clear the muddle is to get some data and input.

    From YOU! The People! So if you have a quest, or have ever had a quest, no matter how short, then come on down and fill out this survey.

    edit: fixed an issue with 5000 char limit being 500, feel free to go up against it
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • Cetashwayo said:
    Alright! My quest analysis survey is LIVE!

    You can find it here.

    This will give me (and eventually SV, and all of us) better knowledge into what goes into producing and writing quests, so please be as verbose as you'd like.

    The main purpose is to get more understanding of what makes quests tick. This is part of a larger project to figure out how to help people make better quests and to figure out what makes some quests more successful than others. If it sounds simple, then it's probably because you haven't taken a look at it yourself. To some extent a number of fields intersect here, and the only way to clear the muddle is to get some data and input.

    From YOU! The People! So if you have a quest, or have ever had a quest, no matter how short, then come on down and fill out this survey.
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    Do RPs count? Or just regular quests?
     
    Cetashwayo said:
    I may release choice responses, yes, as well as for some stuff overall agreement. I'll ask first.
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    Hmm. Maybe the survey can include a checkbox for whether the submitter is comfortable with making their full response public?

    For me, I'd be very curious to read the responses regarding quests that I have followed. I might find that more informative about QMing than a broader analysis.

    Or at the least, other SVers would be able to do their own analyses of the survey responses. It would seem suboptimal if QMs put in lots of time into answering the survey, with only a few staff members having the access to conduct full analyses. :)
     
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