@Everyone: This decision has been in the making for a while, as both Kadaeux and Tempest should be aware, but I've finally decided that due to a large combination of reasons, I'm going to be ordering a general hard reset on Legend of Renalta 2. That is, I'm going to be making a new thread in a few days and starting over, with the following changes in mind.
--Restructure to a more TLB-like system. This should only take a couple days to do, then a day or two more to test. Overall I will probably give it two weeks so as Tempest and Kadaeux can give it a proper look over. (The base work is mostly done, you can thank Tempest for that.) This has huge advantages, namely in simplifying things to an extreme for the GM's, and in making character progression simple and yet clearly visible over time.
--Lower the player cap to something a hell of a lot more reasonable than 40 people. I'm likely going to aim between 15 people, 20
characters, limiting it to two characters per person, up to a maximum of five people with duo characters.
--Take note of the actives and dedicated people. Give them special preference. Because y'all stuck with the torturous pacing this long.
--Restructure the plot to a smaller scale to start with so the players are all in the same general area doing different tasks. (ex: The Arian Village mission as the start off for everyone. Again, akin to how TLB has every mission in the same area, directly interconnected.) This means that if one mission is plagued with leavers, another mission can send people over to
help them. It also makes sending in reinforcements (new characters/players) easier.
--Simplify the traits system. Five traits in three trees. You can pick up to 2-3 of them to start with. This is initial though, there might be a couple more traits per tree, or you might be only allowed to start in one tree and can expand out to the others over time, and etc.
--Diplomacy, while it may be influenced by traits, will be up to you--not a dice roll--to decide. Ex: If you're built like a tank, you can intimidate better, but you--the person playing the character--still have to pull that off yourself.
--Delete stats. Direct numerical comparison is complex and led to humongous problems in calculating dice rolls in combination with the traits, and the traits are straight up better for a PbPRP environment.
--Leave uniques up to the players to decide on their own, entirely on their own. This includes traits like Soulwalker. Yes, this means no more clone-feelings with the stuff that defines your character most, because that's lame.
--Change the homelands system to a reasoning system. Homelands will remain entirely in your biography to decide for yourself. Reasoning is why you justify your character being there: Poor reasons will be declined for simply being ill thought out. (Note: "Greed" is a valid reason, so is a desire to "win" over one of the queens, and so on. It's a
personal motivation, a drive to see the plot completed, to be part of the Queen's Blades either to use them or because you believe in their cause, or so on. Should help some people with feeling like their characters don't belong, or in isolating characters that literally have no reason to be there.)
All the while, I'll be updating everyone using this thread when certain things are complete. "Sneak previews" and the like. I'm going to keep y'all in on the loop. Stay tuned.