Queue Survey

[mith]

As I've hinted at in several other threads, there will be a Queue reorganization coming in the near future. Before that happens (and it likely won't happen all at once anyway), I wanted to get a bit of feedback on at least one thing (there might be a Queue Survey Part 2 at some point, we'll see).

What factors do you consider when choosing a game to join? How important are those factors relative to each other?

[Fritzler]

mod, other players, theme

in that order

[Kelly Chen]

I have to know enough about what the game is going to be. Otherwise I won't take the chance.

Mod is only important if I doubt they will do a good job.


Is that kind of what you mean? Or are you asking more what specific kinds of games we try to sign up for?

I think it would be nice if it were easier to play/mod 5-7 player games. I would like to play more repeatable setups.

[mith]

Yes, that's the sort of thing I'm looking for (both, the "know enough about" and mod bit, and the "this is the type of game I want to see" bit, whatever is a factor for you). The more detail, the better.

[LoudmouthLee]

Factors (in no order)

1. Game Size. I will very rarely, if ever, joing a game with more than 20 players.

2. Mod. It means a lot more than I initially thought.. especially with all of the weird unbalanced games coming out.

3. Other Players. I play to have fun and to be challenged logically. If neither of which happen, I get very angry.

4. Theme. If I don't know it, I don't play it.

5. Timeframe. If I know the mod is not one to deadline/replace stalled games, I won't sign up for it.

[MeMe]

Using Lee's numbers:

1.
3. Though this is more about avoiding problems than deliberately seeking certain players, for me
5.
4.
2.

[Macros]

theme, mod, other players.
but i havent played in a long time, now that uni is drawing to a close i may partake in a game in a few weeks time.
If you're all very lucky.

[Yosarian2]

1. A general idea of the game set-up. Is it a no-cops game? A all-townie game? A no-townie game? A game where everyone's a vig, or an experemental game with special rules? If this catches my attention, I'll probably sign up irregardles of other factors.

2. The other players. There are certain players who always tend to make the game more interesting, and if I see them signed up I'm more likely to join.

3. The theme. The theme the game is based on (In the traditional sense, if the game comes out of a certain movie or series of books or something) is less important then the first two, and I'll often sign up for a game where I don't know much about the theme, but it's nice to know.

4. The mod. Dosn't usually make much of a difference to me, honestly, although if it's a strange experemental set-up I feel better seeing an experenced mod running it.

[Dragon Phoenix]

0. Whether I have time to take on another game
1. Game Size. I will very rarely, if ever, joing a game with more than 20 players.
2. Mod. I'll avoid mods that I think will not do a good job, either based on experience or on a feeling.
3. Other players (positive and negative). There are a few I love to play with and a few I will avoid.
4. Theme - but willing to stretch here. I even played in Harry Potter.

[Mastermind of Sin]

1. Theme (i usually don't play themes I don't know, though I did play Killer7 mafia and others)
2. Mod
3. Other players
4. Size. I don't care what size a game is, but sometimes I think a certain theme or game type works better at a certain size

[Drummer]

1. The first thing that catches my eye is the theme.
2. Next the mod.
3. Lastly players. There's only three scummers that I don't play with anyway, so it's low on the priority list.

[Mr. Flay]

1) Theme - hence why I'm currently in 2.5 games, when I was trying to get down to 1...
2) Do I have time for more games/are my existing games winding down?
3) Game Mechanics/Mafia Mutations (different from themed games IMO).
4) Problem moderators/players.
5) Beneficial moderators/players. Not a really big deal.
6) Newbie Game Queue for ICs.
7) Size. Really huge games can take forever, but it's usually last on my list of considerations.

[ziliu]

1. Setup/Mechanics. If there are clues about what kind of setup it is, or what kind of mechanics the game uses, and it seems interesting, that's a big plus. If it doesn't, well, no big deal really, just skip to number 2. Interesting here usually means original and new.

2. Theme. I don't like to play game whose theme doesn't interest me in any way. Usually the slightest hint at something I'm interested in is enough though.

3. Do I have time for more games? A really interesting setup/theme can compensate for that.

4. Size. Don't like larger games as much, though, just as above an interesting setup/theme can compensate.

5. The mod. Just glancing at the name a little seeing if I think him/her is a good mod or a bad mod. Usually I have no way of determining that. But when I have played in or read a game modded by that person I'm going to weigh in what I think about the mod.

[Commodore Amazing]

I don't think I can really put an order on things. If I really like the mod, theme, or set-up (I prefer open set-ups), I'll be in right away.

For games I don't join on impulse, I'll look at the queue thread and look at:

1 - Mechanics
2 - Theme
3 - Size
4 - Other players (I've never been deterred form joining a game because of a player, but if I see one of my scum-crushes, I might join a game if I see them)
5 - Mod (I'm willing to give any mod a chance; I've never really had any issue with a mod)

[Coron]

1- mechanics
2- theme
3- mod
4- player
5- timeframe
6- game size

[Adele]

Usually, it's:

1. If I'm free to join it; I'm only in 3 minis right now but that'll probably change soon.

2. Size. I like minis best. It takes something remarkable for me to want to join a large game; I get confused, I forget stuff, I mix players up (and there's more chance of 2 players with similar names or something)

3. Theme/mechanics. I like themes, and I best like games with a theme I'm a fan of (I'd've probably joined firefly mafia if I'd heard of it before signups filled ) or that just plain sounds wacky and fun.

4. Players... a very little. For a while, I avoided Seol (because he couldn't mentor me if we were in a game together). Now, players are more likely to draw me to a game... there's only one person I'm now trying to avoid, while if I saw mith or MeMe or Jeep or any of the other really huge names in a signup, I think I'd join on the basis of that alone (I've gone toe-to-toe with MeMe once, and for the record, it rocked).
I'd also sign up if it had a few "cool kids" - you know, the omnipresents that you get to know real quick, but would be unlikely to hold in any particular awe (which is what distinguishes them from the likes of yourself, mith); Fritz and MoS and all that lot. Bread and butter of the site, they are.

5. Mod... well, I'm still too new to really know which mods I do and don't like, although of course there are many players on the site who have very admirable reps, whose game I'd join on that basis. Again, mith, MeMe, Jeep, DP.

Although any can potentially overrule any others (for example Verbose had great players and an extraordinary mod

[/suckup]

, so I applied even though it was large - once I saw it, since I don't usually even look at large game signups).

[Ameliaslay]

I usually look at the care that the mod has put into his first page, how far he or she elaborates the theme, how much detail has gone into it, which is a clue that the roles might be more complex or interesting. If I see a theme I like, but I don't feel the mod has taken enough care to flesh it out, I might not join it.

I also look at who is playing-- to see if there is a balance of different styles of players signed up-- the fun ones that make it interesting, the analytical ones... otherwise discussion might fall flat.

I'm finding I like mini's best because they're easier to keep up with and to stay interested in.

[petroleumjelly]

0.) Time: How much time do I have on my hands/how many other games am I playing? I am less likely to sign up for large games if I know I am bogged down, but I may still sign up for smaller games (minis or C9s).

1.) Size, which is directly correlated to #0. I am trying to stay away from being in too many large games at once because they stress me out more than I would like to admit.

2.) Mechanics: if the basis behind a game just sounds cool, I'll probably join just to be there for it.

3.) Other Players: There are no players I am avoiding on MafiaScum, but the more recognizable the player list is (or if there is somebody I would just

really

like to play with), the more likely I will be to sign up.

4.) Theme: As far as themed games go, if something catches my eye, I'll be in. Themes I know nothing about I will avoid.

5.) Mod: I don't believe there are any Mods I would ever avoid, although there are certainly some I will be more likely to take notice of if I see their name on the Moderating List.

6.) A new criterion for me might be forced deadlines... I personally just don't like deadlines, so if I see games revolving around that aspect, I will probably try to avoid them.

[Iammars]

Well, after my diaster and dissapearance for a couple months, my priorities kinda changed:
1) Can the game fit into the limit of games I'm imposing on myself? If no, I'll have to pass. It's fun to be in every game, but it's a lot of work, and some games are then just a lost cause.
2) The mod. I'll join some first mod games to help them get started, especially if I know them from other games I've played. (Because of this, I'm excited whenever GreenLiquid starts a game. He'll probably be one of the games I'll play in when I come back fully.)
3) The theme. I'm not as good with basic games as I am with exploiting themes,
4) The other players. MeMe, DragonPheonix, mith, JEEP, Seol, Vesuvan, Mr. Flay, Pheobus, Cad and Pooky? I'll pass. I'll probably get crushed in the first day. MeMe, Seol, Mr.Flay, rajrhcpfreak, Pooky, inHim, MoS, Fritz, AniX, EmpTyger, Glork, Adele? Yeah. Sure.

[EmpTyger]

Theme
How hellish my schedule will be seeming to be
How many/what others I'm playing at the moment
---
What the last one I played was
---
Relevant setup variations (if applicable and different from theme)


Relative importance? The first 3 are more important than the last 2, though it varies on which individual factor is more significant. The 4th over the 5th; all things being equal I like variety. The last I tossed in because I could see it being relevant, but can't think up any time it has been off the top of my head.


I'm actually quite surprised at how much of a minority I'm in for not considering who the other players are. Honestly, I've never even looked at who else has queued until after I've decided to sign up for a game.

<snip> 4) The other players. MeMe, DragonPheonix, mith, JEEP, Seol, Vesuvan, Mr. Flay, Pheobus, Cad and Pooky? I'll pass. I'll probably get crushed in the first day. MeMe, Seol, Mr.Flay, rajrhcpfreak, Pooky, inHim, MoS, Fritz, AniX, EmpTyger, Glork, Adele? Yeah. Sure.

lol I'm trying to work out whether I should feel insulted or flattered.

[Fiasco]

Except for Verbose, I signed up for all the games I signed up for because they happened to be opening (or seeking replacements) when I wanted to start playing a game. My current plan is not to sign up for any new games and to leave the site for a (possibly infinite) number of months when Verbose is over; I like Mafia, but it just tends to suck up more time and energy than I should be spending on it. That said, here are the factors (other than time) that make games more or less enjoyable for me and that I will consider for any future signups:

1. Other players. I'm surprised no one else put this at the top. In my opinion nothing is as important in making a game (not) fun as whether or not it has interesting/intelligent/skilled players. There's no one I'd particularly avoid, though.

2. Theme and mechanics. I like flavorless open setups and games with novel mechanics that I think will work. I signed up for Verbose mostly because games tend to be too slow and lurky for my tastes (though it also has good players, mod and theme). I like theme games with themes I find interesting. I dislike theme games with themes I don't find interesting (which is a lot of them).

3. Mod. If the mod has a good record, that's good to know, but once you know the theme, knowing the mod doesn't give you much additional information.

4. Size. I think I'd enjoy large games at least as well as small games. They give you more to do.

[Fritzler]

I'd also sign up if it had a few "cool kids" - you know, the omnipresents that you get to know real quick, but would be unlikely to hold in any particular awe (which is what distinguishes them from the likes of yourself, mith); Fritz and MoS and all that lot. Bread and butter of the site, they are.

I don't know if you know this, but uh, we're kind of a big deal. people know us. Our cupboards smell of rich mahogany and we have many leather bound books.

[GreenLiquid]

1. Theme and Mechanics. If the game has cool theme or mechanics, I'm more likely to join.

2. # of players, other players. I try to stay around a preferred number of players, and there's more incentive for me to join in experienced players are in.

3. How many games I'm already in. I try to stay around 1-3 minis, perferably two. And maybe 1 (maybe 2) themes.

4. Mod. This is last on my list of considerations, and this has very little weight in my overall decision.

[Glork]

1) Mod. Some people I think would just make and moderate really fun games. Occasionally a mod hints/suggests/asks that I sign up for a game, and I'm never really one to decline, unless...

2)...Time/Limit issues. Some games (particularly larger ones) just require more time for the commitment I generally like to provide. Right now my ceiling is relatively high (I'm currently in 11 games, and only feel behind on one or two of them), but depending on the number/types of games I'm in, I may or may not be able to play.

3) Theme. Some games really appeal to me, and other themes I just can't relate to. Take LOST Mafia, for example. Didn't sign up, because I know absolutely nothing about the show. I also like to have a few normal games.

4) Other players. I'm not too concerned about this... I don't particularly dislike anyone, and I don't know of anyone who particularly dislikes me. If anything, some players tend to draw me into games -- but I've never avoided a game because I didn't want to play with someone. (The same thing has applied to the "Mod" aspect; I don't avoid games b/c of Mods, but I'll go out of my way to play in a game for a Mod I think I'd like.)

5) Game size is starting to become a factor, but it's not high on my list. Really large games (more than 30 players or so) can lend themselves towards inactivity sometimes. With the exception of c9 games, any game with less than about 12 people is one I'd rather play in ScumChat or something.

[ibaesha]

mod, other players, theme

in that order

Same