3. Streamlining of setting info and game mechanics. One of the biggest issues I think most folks have with the game as potential players is that there's just so much info to dig through. Obviously a degree of this is unavoidable since it's a game based on an existing canon, there's stuff that's gotta be explained and directing people at a wiki is never really a good solution. This is something that's been touched on in the past, so we've already made a lot of progress there compared to back in the game's earlier years! The updates to the FAQ and the god/shinki info pages are super helpful. That said, I do think there's still plenty of room for improvement here.
Right now I feel the issue with the game's setting information is 1) there's actually too much of it, and 2) it's scattered between three different pages (the FAQ, shinki 101 and god 101). Having too much information means that players might get intimidated by the sheer amount of it when much of that info isn't truly necessary to understand the game. Most of the important bits were moved to the FAQ, which is great, though there are a still a couple answers on the god/shinki 101 pages. Simple setting info like "do characters need to eat/sleep?" should probably be on the FAQ rather than split between those two 101 pages.
Speaking of splitting into between the 101 pages! That is my main issue with the current way the two pages are set up. Both god and shinki 101 are HUGE dumps of setting info, but a lot of that info is shared between both. It doesn't really make a ton of sense to double up on that info and keep the two separate since, for starters, lots of players play both a god and a shinki, or have dropped and apped a character of the other type even if they're not playing both simultaneously. I also think it's important to understand how both gods and shinki work regardless of which you're playing. Maybe someone hasn't made up their mind yet on which they want to play, so they end up reading both 101 pages and skimming the same info twice. It's just kind of silly, really.
I think it'd be much easier to combine the shinki 101 and god 101 pages into a single page, split into categories similar to how the FAQ is. It would be pretty easy to split up since there are already headers to both sections, all you'd really need to do is combine some of the sections that cover the same info (ayakashi/blight, nora, interactions with the near shore, physical form, god/shinki bonds...) and rewrite some bits so it flows better. This could even incorporate the setting info currently on the FAQ and be repurposed into an all-around Noragami 101 page of sorts, covering everything beyond the basic questions that a potential applicant might have. Keeping all this setting info in one place would make it way easier to find the answers to any setting-related questions one might have, as well as make it easier for players trying to decide between god/shinki for their character. No more hopping between two pages and playing Spot The Difference!
3. Consolidation of game info/form pages. I've said this before and I'm bringing it up again because I still feel it's relevant. Tying into the previous point, there's a LOT of info and pages players have to dig through and mods have to keep track of. Combining some of these pages would make it easier on everyone and make the game look a lot less intimidating from a new player's perspective. I've already given my thoughts on this before tho so I'm just going to link to it here.
The only difference I'd make to this is the combining of suggestions and prayer suggestions, since if my previous suggestion of a change to the prayer system is used then this wouldn't be necessary. To slide back into that point again for a moment: the current prayers suggestion page could be revamped to be a general suggestions/reference page for prayer ideas, with comments set to public and unscreened since there wouldn't be a need to make them into "official" prayers anymore. All the current prayers could be throw in there as suggestions and players would be able to throw in their own ideas at their leisure, and anyone who needed prayer ideas could just look there. Easy peasy!
4. More options/benefits for Nora'd shinki. This is another thing that's been suggested previously already but I found it while looking for my other comment and I feel it's worth bring up again. Here is the original suggestion. We haven't had any changes like these implemented yet, so I'm wondering if there's a chance these ideas could be reconsidered? I still think there should be more incentive to play a Nora'd shinki, since a lack of shinki characters to god characters is still an issue as far as I'm aware. I'd still really like to see special missions for Noras and possibly the option to have character Nora for NPC native gods in exchange for rewards. Future events involving antagonistic shinki that would be less effective against Noras would also be super cool, since that's absolutely an in-canon mechanic that doesn't come up much in the game. The suggestion of a workshop for plotting out god/shinki pairings alongside the monthly TDM is also still a good one! There's lots of good stuff here that could be used to make shinki characters and Noras more appealing to make it easier for god characters to get a partner.
5. oh god i can't believe i wrote so much anyway again these are all just my thoughts/stuff that's come up on plurk, so if anyone wants to throw in their own input/+1s/concerns/whatever please do!! I am just here to ramble and start some kind of discussion.
im sorry i talk so much foRGIVE ME (2/2)
Right now I feel the issue with the game's setting information is 1) there's actually too much of it, and 2) it's scattered between three different pages (the FAQ, shinki 101 and god 101). Having too much information means that players might get intimidated by the sheer amount of it when much of that info isn't truly necessary to understand the game. Most of the important bits were moved to the FAQ, which is great, though there are a still a couple answers on the god/shinki 101 pages. Simple setting info like "do characters need to eat/sleep?" should probably be on the FAQ rather than split between those two 101 pages.
Speaking of splitting into between the 101 pages! That is my main issue with the current way the two pages are set up. Both god and shinki 101 are HUGE dumps of setting info, but a lot of that info is shared between both. It doesn't really make a ton of sense to double up on that info and keep the two separate since, for starters, lots of players play both a god and a shinki, or have dropped and apped a character of the other type even if they're not playing both simultaneously. I also think it's important to understand how both gods and shinki work regardless of which you're playing. Maybe someone hasn't made up their mind yet on which they want to play, so they end up reading both 101 pages and skimming the same info twice. It's just kind of silly, really.
I think it'd be much easier to combine the shinki 101 and god 101 pages into a single page, split into categories similar to how the FAQ is. It would be pretty easy to split up since there are already headers to both sections, all you'd really need to do is combine some of the sections that cover the same info (ayakashi/blight, nora, interactions with the near shore, physical form, god/shinki bonds...) and rewrite some bits so it flows better. This could even incorporate the setting info currently on the FAQ and be repurposed into an all-around Noragami 101 page of sorts, covering everything beyond the basic questions that a potential applicant might have. Keeping all this setting info in one place would make it way easier to find the answers to any setting-related questions one might have, as well as make it easier for players trying to decide between god/shinki for their character. No more hopping between two pages and playing Spot The Difference!
3. Consolidation of game info/form pages. I've said this before and I'm bringing it up again because I still feel it's relevant. Tying into the previous point, there's a LOT of info and pages players have to dig through and mods have to keep track of. Combining some of these pages would make it easier on everyone and make the game look a lot less intimidating from a new player's perspective. I've already given my thoughts on this before tho so I'm just going to link to it here.
The only difference I'd make to this is the combining of suggestions and prayer suggestions, since if my previous suggestion of a change to the prayer system is used then this wouldn't be necessary. To slide back into that point again for a moment: the current prayers suggestion page could be revamped to be a general suggestions/reference page for prayer ideas, with comments set to public and unscreened since there wouldn't be a need to make them into "official" prayers anymore. All the current prayers could be throw in there as suggestions and players would be able to throw in their own ideas at their leisure, and anyone who needed prayer ideas could just look there. Easy peasy!
4. More options/benefits for Nora'd shinki. This is another thing that's been suggested previously already but I found it while looking for my other comment and I feel it's worth bring up again. Here is the original suggestion. We haven't had any changes like these implemented yet, so I'm wondering if there's a chance these ideas could be reconsidered? I still think there should be more incentive to play a Nora'd shinki, since a lack of shinki characters to god characters is still an issue as far as I'm aware. I'd still really like to see special missions for Noras and possibly the option to have character Nora for NPC native gods in exchange for rewards. Future events involving antagonistic shinki that would be less effective against Noras would also be super cool, since that's absolutely an in-canon mechanic that doesn't come up much in the game. The suggestion of a workshop for plotting out god/shinki pairings alongside the monthly TDM is also still a good one! There's lots of good stuff here that could be used to make shinki characters and Noras more appealing to make it easier for god characters to get a partner.
5. oh god i can't believe i wrote so much anyway again these are all just my thoughts/stuff that's come up on plurk, so if anyone wants to throw in their own input/+1s/concerns/whatever please do!! I am just here to ramble and start some kind of discussion.