[Deleted]

Alright, this thread is pretty informal, but who cares. 

So basically this is a giant thread of anything helpful for the swarm of Pokemon sites we always have, mine included. You can talk about what you've seen work on Poke Sites, what doesn't, what ideas are overdone and what have never been done. Maybe eventually I'll add in nice stuff, like a master list of Pokemon sites or something. 

I will also eventually post my own thoughts and experiences on here.

So basically share whatever you think would help Pokemon sites, your own personal experiences or what you look for, etc etc. This is basically going to be compiled and neatly put into a kind of thread where people going "I want to make a Poke RP" can look to see the cumulative successes and failures of others so we don't get more carbon copies when they aren't needed. 

Also, tag people who are Pokemon masters who would be able to weigh in. 

[Quixotic]

A very worrisome issue that I've stumbled upon when navigating Pokémon sites is that everyone I encounter is a nerd. What do you suggest I do, @murdoc2?

[REIT]

@murdoc2 A master list of pokemon sites would be pretty great - I have maybe 15 noted down that are still alive?

shula.proboards.com/
remoorregion.proboards.com/
mysste.proboards.com/
pokemonepoch.proboards.com/
harperregion.b1.jcink.com/
pokemonanrui.proboards.com/
torrenta.proboards.com/
acciopokeball.jcink.net/
livingthedream.icyboards.net/index.php
pkmn-calamity.boards.net/
divine-trinity.proboards.com/
predormitum.boards.net/
pokemonresurrection.proboards.com/
gandg.boards.net/
footnotes.boards.net/

And some smaller ones I'm not sure on the activity of:
aethra.b1.jcink.com/
w11.zetaboards.com/Viridis_Region/index/
pokeadvgame.proboards.com/

I'm sure I'm missing plenty, but those are the ones I know of. I'd love to see a mini-directory of pokemon sites with like a one line description of what kind it is (shifters, rangers, route based, etc).

[Dew]

Aha, cause my home is mentioned here, PR goes through changes very often :'D I try to change it to what I see work and what makes people happy while trying to keep our feel of "tiny family site".

I will admit, first PR was the biggest "DO NOT" in Poke sites. We had an "original" region with the stereotypical bad guy group. We still probably mess up a lot in that sense, I mean, we're no pretty picture.

One thing that I learned really worked was not difficult stat systems. We once tracked stats. HP upgrades, poison percentages, levels, then IV's and EV's. Once those were out of the picture everyone seemed happier o3o like, it was a lot smoother and easier on staff.

Now, PR has had many dead zones where only my co-admin Monogatari ilu and I rped together and during those times we would make a new url and remake the site from scratch using our general plot. One thing that we haven't done is full-out die. I mean, to me, as long as the admin or one person cares the site isn't dead. I always found stuff to do during the down time with the site like re-plan.


Currently, I think the problem with any Pokemon sites, except the huge ones like Epoch that really know what they are doing, is to keep people interested. Plots and events are helpful but sometimes people just lose interest. So I guess not a restricting plot? Leaving things open as to not stifle creativity?


Of course, PR is no success story :'D we've had a lot of trouble and still are, but that's what I noticed from modding on many dead Pokemon sites that people complained about. I would suggest people look to Epoch and other huge successes for how to do things, I admire them, also they scare me cause their size, but they are amazing with their systems.


EDIT: now that I look at this again, it seems like I'm bashing my home and that isn't the case. :'D I love PR, otherwise I would have given up years ago, but if you want to be a huge success like one of the top-notch Pokemon sites, I wouldn't look at us. I designed it to be small and tight-knit. Unless you want a small site then come by and see how we do stuff.

[Kuroya]

I will add something about route-based/original region sites since I just... IDK. I've seen far too many.

Like I get that it's supposed to be really original since you're doing your own region. Except that it doesn't really work out. Just about everyone does original region, and I've seen some that are really exceptionally well done. But on the whole, I think it's just expected that new regions themselves are interesting enough to draw people, and really, it's not. You need a different draw beyond that of Pokemon availability and all that... since it does not really stick out. It only gets worse if you do the traditional Trainer on a journey with *insert evil team here* and really just... I get that it's trying not to be too original, but it's getting to be really cookie cutter.

Sometimes existing regions work just fine - there are quite a few lesser-known regions if you really wanna go for somewhere cool. Orange Islands, Orre Region, Ransei, Fiore (and the Ranger regions) are barely known at all; the DP region (cannot remember the name) is probs about ready for a return since between BW and XYORAS, everyone's tried their hardest to forget gen4. There's just... so many options where you have lore and it's not entirely new, as well as the potential to have some fun with dethroning gym leaders and causing strife in existing regions (or just flat out having fun in the first handful).

Also for route-based sites... you are sorta limiting yourself by drawing back where people can RP. You have five boards up, but when 90% of your base can only RP in the first two, it's hardly worth having the others at all. If you wanna do routes, let people go where they want. It will open up so many more options in the long run.

I also have a severe pet peeve with huge rare lists, since I just see it as not fair since the Pokemon's only rare until someone gets one and starts breeding it. And I get even more quietly exasperated if that list includes Eevees. Eevees are not rare anymore. They have not been rare since BW2, a Pokemon is not really rare when they're normally available to appear in the wild, kthxbai

[Deleted]

May 29, 2015 16:09:52 GMT -8 Quixotic said:

A very worrisome issue that I've stumbled upon when navigating Pokémon sites is that everyone I encounter is a nerd. What do you suggest I do, @murdoc2?

Get better friends.

May 29, 2015 16:52:34 GMT -8 Dew said:

I think the problem with any Pokemon sites, except the huge ones like Epoch that really know what they are doing, is to keep people interested.

The joke is on you, I never know what I'm doing.

---

I can list some things that I know work really well.

Sandbox: The Pokemon world is fucking huge. People have jobs all the way from chair commitee members to nurses, to the ten-year-old in shorts that battles for lunch money to elite trainers who get revenue from tournaments and probably have their faces on coke cans.

One of the reasons I think route-sites have limitations is the lack of sandbox, the lack of "my character starts at baseline X already", which is one of the things Epoch has - you don't even need a Pokemon on Epoch. If you want to RP a mayor of one of the cities, go for it, we support it.

I think route-based has strengths, of course - everyone has a pretty level playing field - but there is something about a more freeform start to Pokemon sites that seems to draw people in.

Minimal Modwork: This is something I'm still transitioning Epoch towards. I've seen some very, very complex Pokemon sites that require dedicated staff to even get to work.

With Epoch, most of the mod work is as follows: Roll 3 numbers, post the corresponding stuff, move on. Thats it. We try to keep it to simple RNG stuff for the baseline needs of wild pokemon, item rolls, etc etc. You can't, of course, avoid more extensive work like setting up NPCs or running behind the scenes admin stuff, but if you have simple mod work, you can keep an employed mod stuff and day-to-day stuff will run easy.

Set In Stone Battle Rules: You need these set up before the site opens. Even if your rules are no rules, you need this to be absolutely clear. You can add rules as the site grows and you learn of new problems - for example, we had to give Aerial Ace an errata due to how it translates into RP settings - but you need to make them clear, easy to find, and easy to read.

Being blunt, Epoch's battle system is a little weird. Its a patchwork system thats been added to over time, although my upcoming revamp helps alleviate that issue. However, we stick by a pretty firm approach if you use it - its optional to even look at except for Gym Battles and official site events. We even have special mods called Battle Coaches just to help people out if they need it and to help cover up any and all loopholes.

Stat Systems: You either need a simple one, or none. As a video game, Pokemon can deal with those complicated numbers and background variables; real life RPers do not want to do that, nor do you really want to lose a 3-month-long thread because your Pikachu has 1 less Speed IV.

Alt systems can be pretty encouraged - Epoch doesnt use levels, just thread experience to earn evolutions and you buy moves with the currency. A majority of members are pretty fair with this system and we find it to be a good balance of Earn It and Don't Fret. Speaking of...

The Grind: How long should it take a member to get four fully maxed out Pokemon? Can you assume this on a single daily post, or two posts a week?

A big turn off for a lot of level-based sites is that I could spend a full month on a thread and get 2-3 levels out of it. Nah, I'm not here for that - maybe some people like that, and i personally know a few who do, but I believe the average rper doesn't really want to deal with a huge grind when the life expectancy of most RP sites is roughly 6 months at best.

However, it also isn't too good to make it too easy if having a full team matters - make them Earn It, but not Stress over it.

Worldbuilding: You gunna make a custom region? Make it.

Don't just tell me that the Ice Gym is located in the snowy city. Talk to me about the weather there, tell me how there are gentle blizzards and light summers, tell me how the city makes most of its money off of off-shore fishing and drilling, tell me about how the Pokemon Center there has a special ward just for treating cold-related illness, talk about what you'd expect to see just visiting for a day. You've got to feed the player's imagination - Pokemon does a very good job of this even in its older games. Lavender Town feels very, very different from Cerulean City and you can tell from simple style changes - you can do the same in text, even in just a subboard description.

I'll post more later.

[OVERKILL]

seven years of rping pokemon has to equate to something right?

I suppose the real trouble with making a pokemon site is that there have been tons of takes on this. My first ever pokemon site was Cheyenne, and it has influenced my take on how pokemon rp's are done. I was very used to freeform battling, and whenever I saw a site that had like, actual stats I shied away from it because it was so scary and tons of numbers. As a result, I never went to sites that put emphasis on EVs and IVs, generally a more laid back system when it came to battling.

But these kinds of sites normally do require a lot of staff modding, for wild pokemon, for maintenance of certain systems. I really do salute people who pour in so much time to keep their sites going, and keep it organized enough for their members to remain interested. Plots every now and then help, though I think most people who join these sort of sites just resign themselves for the slow grind.

Systems are great, but they do vary from site to site so members do have to find it in themselves to read. Sometimes I get irked when people in the cbox keep asking the same questions but the answers differ depending on who is asked. It's either the system isn't very clear, or there's misinformation going on.

I've also been to sites where you're allowed to start with six pokemon or more, choose between sides, be neutral or just not give a fuck about the plot in general. And that's cool too. I ran a similar operation, but then these are very plot sensitive, and I suppose the stern term is easily replaceable. If your plot is as generic as the rest, there aren't a lot of people who will stick to your site when a newer shinier chromier version pops out.

Then there are also the ones that stray from the norm, say shifters and monarchy themes. Again, very plot sensitive, and it kind of plays to the niche, for people who don't want the happy simple pokemon plot and want to go for a bit more real world (i use the term loosely). It's not for everybody, but if the plot is original, interesting and easy to understand the possibility of success very much exists.

It helps to have good staff and loyal members, as with any other kind of site. :')

[zerohour]

I was gonna not post because who am I and then I realized that it's been six years since I first started on Pokemon sites. So. Ahha. Guess I have some stuff to say, after all. (This might get kinda long. Sorry not sorry, I guess.)

There's all sorts of stuff you can say about routes and stats and rarities and stuff, but I've seen successful sites on both ends of any extreme so none of those are set in stone. Want no stats? Go for it, as long as you have some system in place for when the inevitable godmodders pop up. Want heavy stats? I'd say go for it- just make sure that how you calculate things is clear. Honestly I'd recommend using stat calculators from the games, while setting all EVs and IVs to zero. Tada! Clear, concise, and easy for a newbie to wrap their head around.

And that's... kind of the key, I think, no matter what kind of site you're going for. Have all the lore and stats and bonus systems you want, just have some way that makes it easy for newbies to jump straight in. Have a starting guide with just the bare-bones need-to-knows- maybe leave out all of that information about the million status effects and save it for a later thread, because that isn't going to effect them much at level five when they're just tackling stuff to death. Let them ease themselves into it and look up that information later, when it applies to them. 

No matter how great your site and members are, stuff comes up and they're gonna leave eventually. You need new blood, and pokemon sites are fortunate in that there's a wide pool of potentials out there. But you're going to turn them off if you try to force a ton of stuff down their throat right away. (This applies especially to older/larger sites, where it's easy for newcomers to feel left out because there's a lot of little details they're missing. Writing a tldr of everything and slapping a "NEWBIES READ THIS FIRST" on it goes a long way. Remoor, for example, has this super awesome list of major IC events since they opened way back when. I just... think that's really cool, and I kind of wish that was a more popular thing. //end side rant)

The pokemon fandom is in this really interesting place where there's a huge pool of potential members out there. Just slap pokemon in the title and you're bound to get a few hits on your ads- and, guys, use that to your advantage. I've seen some pretty run of the mill route sites do spectacular, and there's nothing wrong with that, but know your audience. Find a niche. Play on the nostalgia that so many of us have in common, or explore some of the darker 'realistic' themes, or play around with shapeshifters or gijinka- there's a ton of subgenres out there. Mess around with them! Add Pokemon to different genres- it meshes well with academies, with dystopias, with superheroes and civil wars and zombies and pretty much any other rp site stereotype out there. (Except maybe romance. Don't think I've seen a pokemon romance rp. Might be neat.) It also makes for some pretty cool crossovers- I've seen more than one Pokemon x His Dark Materials, seen a Hunger Games, stuff like that. People dig those! World build, be creative!

so tldr; find your niche! If you really want a route site, by all means go ahead, but try something different. Have everyone start out before the fourth gym instead of the first, and skip all that irritating level five tackle stuff. Have everyone join Team Rocket, and instead of collecting badges you try to work your way up from a grunt. Document the lives of the famous battlers, all the drama between the elite four. Make a site filled entirely with breeders. Do something. Have a vision. Build a good world and, odds are, other people will want to build it with you.

...that was a long tldr. and a long everything. ahem. I could still talk about specifics of stuff, but frankly by then it's all down to personal taste anyway, and- yeah. //back to lurking it is

[renni]

To be honest. I find the whole trainer thing to be over done.
I'd personally LOVE to see more sites where the actual pokemon themselves are the focus, like a pokemon mystery dungeon themed site where your characters are actual pokemon. I've only seen two successful sites so far. Both are barely tipping OVER the active posting rate and are in my opinion on the verge of dying due to lack of popularity and not advertising enough.

I've love to make a feral pokemon RP, but I don't seem to know where to start with systems etc.