Hydra Discussion

[Ircher]

Sure this has been brought up many times, but what's everyone's opinion on hydras?

[GuyInFreezer]

They are those nine-headed snake monsters that grows a pair when you chop off their heads.

I think a torch or any sort of burning items are required to effectively slay them.

[itlepip]

Hydras should always pretend to be the other member.

[Majiffy]

Not enough choices available on this poll.

[KuroiXHF]

I don't think there should be a site-wide policy. There's definitely no doubt that being in a Hydra won't completely change your play style, but at the same time, this post is addressing the required change of a system that I don't think is broken.

I personally sign all posts (or I try to) and I'd like to see others sign posts as well, but I don't know why this has to be required, unless a mod requires it.

[Ircher]

This is more for site opinion rather than changing the current policy.

I believe in post signing.

[Vampirate]

I don't understand the logic behind wanting hydras to act as one person.

[Majiffy]

So that cogdis can't be written off as two independent players.

But then you create an unnatural amount of restraint and stiffness in the play that could be equally troublesome if not moreso.

[Equinox]

I don't understand the logic behind wanting hydras to act as one person.

You and your hydra partner(s) are playing in one slot as one entity. It makes no sense that a single slot argues with itself about its reads or voices contradictory but simultaneous thoughts about the game. Having one voice for the hydra is healthier for the game, IMHO.

But I'm with GuyInFreezer that we should take torches to the whole lot.

[mhsmith0]

It might be fun to run an all hydras mini or micro though...

[Vampirate]

So that cogdis can't be written off as two independent players.

But then you create an unnatural amount of restraint and stiffness in the play that could be equally troublesome if not moreso.

The only way this would work is if Hydras were treated like Alts, basically all players do not know that there is a hydra in the game or they do not know who's in the hydra. If there is a player in the game and he/she knows there is a hydra and knows one of the the people in the hydra, naturally that player is going to be asking on who's talking because of meta and familiarity.

I don't understand the logic behind wanting hydras to act as one person.

You and your hydra partner(s) are playing in one slot as one entity. It makes no sense that a single slot argues with itself about its reads or voices contradictory but simultaneous thoughts about the game. Having one voice for the hydra is healthier for the game, IMHO.

But I'm with GuyInFreezer that we should take torches to the whole lot.

But that's impossible, Hydra's have 2 different people who will not always see eye to eye, unless there was some rule where the people have to come to a consensus to actually post, you'll naturally have this issue signed posts or not.

[callforjudgement]

It might be fun to run an all hydras mini or micro though...

It's been done before, but site policy is that such game are Larges. If you need 18 or 26 players to sign up for your game to work (even if it has fewer slots), then running it through the Large Theme queue makes a lot of sense.

If there's enough interest, I can moderate an all-hydra 18p (9 slots). I'm pretty confident with designing 9-slot setups at this point.

[Equinox]

The only way this would work is if Hydras were treated like Alts, basically all players do not know that there is a hydra in the game or they do not know who's in the hydra. If there is a player in the game and he/she knows there is a hydra and knows one of the the people in the hydra, naturally that player is going to be asking on who's talking because of meta and familiarity.

If you were open at the start about speaking in one voice and insisted upon it despite further questioning, most people won't continue to pursue it (e.g., Copper, which is probably before the time of most of the current active players). Whether or not you are playing individually or as one entity should not be related to alignment, anyway. If someone was familiar enough with one or more of the heads of the hydra, then that person should be able to figure out who's posting!

But that's impossible, Hydra's have 2 different people who will not always see eye to eye, unless there was some rule where the people have to come to a consensus to actually post, you'll naturally have this issue signed posts or not.

This is where your rapport with your hydra partner comes into play. Even in my hydras where we were posting (and signing) individually, we discussed our reads and our approaches to the game at length in private to ensure that we were on the same page. That gave each of us a way to double-check our assumptions and bounce ideas off each other, which improved our collective reads overall. Thus, we avoided most, if not all, of the potential cognitive dissonance that would have come about from having two different play styles.

[callforjudgement]

I think it's entirely reasonable to have a hydra where one head never posts (but just discusses reads in the PT), although admittedly such a hydra would have trouble with my hydra activity requirement which requires all heads to be active. (I'd be willing to relax it to allow posts in the hydra PT, if I were given access to the PT in question.)

[Raskolnikov]

I agree with the above. I think hydras do get a bad wrap because people abuse dissonance or cheese the hydra thing for confusion. Either intentionally or through just not bothering to work together at all.
Which kind of sucks because I think it lowers game quality and makes the experience less fun for others when it's done that way. It shouldn't be a separate mini game having to dealing with a slot right?

But strictly enforcing it on the other hand feels like it goes too far the other way. A little bit of difference isn't a problem, just when it's overboard and over the top I think? I don't know how you could encourage people to keep it in moderation though.

[Wisdom]

They should sign so i know who posted what so i can read them

Meta plays a huge part in how i read people so i cant function without knowing who im reading.

[TellTaleHeart]

If you can't distinguish the heads without signatures, you probably don't know them well enough to make a good meta read anyway.

[Firebringer]

If you can't distinguish the heads without signatures, you probably don't know them well enough to make a good meta read anyway.

not everyones posting is so unique that its pretty easy to tell them apart.

[BrainpanSonata]

(Taking notes as prepwork for my academy slot)

I think the expectation for hydras to be in complete sync is kind of unfair to newer hydra players. I feel like somebody's gonna jump down my throat now if I don't sheep my teacher.

[Faraday]

Thus, we avoided most, if not all, of the potential cognitive dissonance that would have come about from having two different play style

did we though

[Katsuki]

This is more for site opinion rather than changing the current policy.

I believe in post signing.

Post signing undermines the fact that given that the hydra operates under one slot, it should function as a singular entity.

[Katsuki]

If you can't distinguish the heads without signatures, you probably don't know them well enough to make a good meta read anyway.

^^^

There is nothing more entertaining than mistaken identity tho

[Ircher]

I agree with the above. I think hydras do get a bad wrap because people abuse dissonance or cheese the hydra thing for confusion. Either intentionally or through just not bothering to work together at all.
Which kind of sucks because I think it lowers game quality and makes the experience less fun for others when it's done that way. It shouldn't be a separate mini game having to dealing with a slot right?

But strictly enforcing it on the other hand feels like it goes too far the other way. A little bit of difference isn't a problem, just when it's overboard and over the top I think? I don't know how you could encourage people to keep it in moderation though.

They should sign so i know who posted what so i can read them

Meta plays a huge part in how i read people so i cant function without knowing who im reading.

If you can't distinguish the heads without signatures, you probably don't know them well enough to make a good meta read anyway.

If you can't distinguish the heads without signatures, you probably don't know them well enough to make a good meta read anyway.

not everyones posting is so unique that its pretty easy to tell them apart.

(Taking notes as prepwork for my academy slot)

I think the expectation for hydras to be in complete sync is kind of unfair to newer hydra players. I feel like somebody's gonna jump down my throat now if I don't sheep my teacher.

This is more for site opinion rather than changing the current policy.

I believe in post signing.

Post signing undermines the fact that given that the hydra operates under one slot, it should function as a singular entity.

All of these are decent points.

[LicketyQuickety]

I don't understand this because I almost always forget to sign. Like were you thinking consequences should be implemented? I don't get it :S

[Equinox]

did we though

I thought we did all right? Might be rose-tinted glasses.