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Feedback Guidelines; Akuma written... Bombtrack approved
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Topic Started: Nov 8 2012, 07:20 PM (343 Views)
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Akuma
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Nov 8 2012, 07:20 PM
Post #1
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Death to all but Metal!!!
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When providing feedback, don't be lazy and just say that "It's good." or "You're improving." or even the dreaded "It sucks." and just leave it at that. Make the effort to point out both the GOOD aspects of the RP, along with the BAD aspects of the RP. These are things that should be considered when providing feedback for someone who asks for it. I compiled this list of things to look for back in 2007 when I was part of a federation where I was a judge, though I've never written a guideline on judging or feedback before. This same list can be used for feedback on roleplays as well, along with some pointers as to how to avoid the pitfalls of a bad roleplay. In most areas, at least.
1.) Spelling & Grammar- This is pretty much straightforward. With the invention of Spell Check, most people are able to put up quality work when most of the time they would normally misspell words. There is no shame in that, for I have to use the Spell Check every once in awhile. However, some people are lazy and don't bother to utilize it, and it will show. A bit of warning on using Spell Check, though. Sometimes people will use the wrong spelling of the word that you are looking for, yet it will tell you that it is correct. The English language is fickle like that. Here's an example that most of you probably saw at some point in your life. I saw it for the first time in my freshman year of high school, and that was 1996. Yes, I'm getting old. Bite me. Anyways, on to the criteria...
Eye halve a spelling chequer It came with my pea sea It plainly marques four my revue Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.
Eye strike a key and type a word And weight four it two say Weather eye am wrong oar write It shows me strait a weigh.
As soon as a mist ache is maid It nose bee fore two long And eye can put the error rite Its rare lea ever wrong.
Eye have run this poem threw it I am shore your pleased two no Its letter perfect awl the weigh My chequer tolled me sew.
Utilize a back-up in order to avoid this very awkward poem in your roleplays. The back-up could be anything from a dictionary to utilizing a buddy to proofread your work. Use all your resources at your disposal.
2.) Roleplay Structure- This is also pretty straightforward. Are you able to tell the difference between the setting and the speech of the roleplay? This can be rectified by proofreading. If you feel uncomfortable or uncertain about your RP, ask someone you trust and/or is willing to proofread it for you to avoid this problem.
3.) Character Development- This is background information on your character and a staple in most roleplays. From this point forward, most of the judging and feedback will vary from person to person, as each person has certain things they will like or dislike. This is also where writing styles come into play. No two people ever write the exact same way. This needs to be taken into consideration. Things to also consider are dialogue and scene formations. Does it feel forced? Does the information conveyed from the characters in the scene make sense? Again, proofreading and friends can help out in this area.
4.) Match/Feud Promotion- Another important staple in a good RP is match and feud promotion. We are all well aware of what this is and how to go about it. However, this is also an area which people will differ in taste as far as judgement and feedback is concerned. It can also be broken down into two different types of promotion based on the alignment of your character. For example, a Face who berates and buries an opponent is generally frowned upon, while a Heel is basically expected to do just that. However, there should be balance in how you go about attacking your opponent in your next match. At this point in the roleplay, there should be some give and take between the opponents, the key is finding just the right amount of pressure and leverage. A good Heel will attack their opponents using their gimmick characteristics, whether it be a cocky, arrogant, evil, gimmicked bad guy (Iraqi Sympathizer, Rich Snob, ect.) or whatever type of character said Heel is running. However, it is in good taste and form as a Heel to give your opponent a measure of respect and not completely bury them. There are exceptions to this rule, however. Best example of this exception would be in the case of a blood feud, where both characters, regardless of alignment, hate each other so much that they can't help but try to bury each other. However, most matches a wrestler will compete in will NOT be part of a feud with said opponent, unless a match is put in place to promote the storyline. An example of this is when a character in a blood feud faces an opponent who is a well-known friend of your mortal enemy. Faces, on the other hand, are generally regarded as respectful of their opponent while utilizing their gimmick, such as a superhero, freedom fighter or a wrestler with a generally friendly disposition, just to name a few. Their issue is applying their force of personality without stepping over the line into Heel territory. These are things to consider when providing feedback for the match and feud promotion portion of a roleplay.
5.) Dialogue- This has already been covered a little bit earlier, but it's a crucial part of your roleplays and deserves its own section of consideration. Unless your character is deaf and/or mute, speaks no English, or otherwise cannot express themselves verbally for the fans, dialogue from your character will be considered significant in how a character interacts with the world they are in. And in the case of the examples above where a character cannot vocally express themselves, a second party, such as a manager/agent/valet/second/interpreter or whatever you wish to call your mouthpiece, should be utilized in order to convey the information and feelings of your character to the fans. Questions to ask when providing feedback on a roleplay are as such.
-Does the dialogue flow well? -Does the character have a speech impediment that is portrayed? -Does the character have an accent that is portrayed? -Is the volume and tone of speech (yelling, whispering, vocal tones such as baritone, soprano, ect.) represented properly with punctuation, Caps Lock, bolding, font size or even a written out description of how said character speaks properly conveyed?
These are things to consider when reading dialogue.
6.) Scene/Setting Description- This final category can be separated into two sections, which I will call the static and the active. Examples of a static setting would be a room, and a description of what is inside of that room that is considered significant. The thing to keep in mind is being descriptive to where you feel yourself there, but not so detail oriented that it kills the whole feel of the setting. Such examples would include my living room. Inside it is a brown suede couch and loveseat, a large, knee-high coffee table with various newspapers and mail scattered on its surface, a 60" high definition television which rests on top of an entertainment center, which also houses a DVD player, a modest stereo system and multiple gaming systems. The walls lack drywall, as you can plainly see the studs in the wall and the floor is uncovered concrete. I could go into great detail as to the state of everything that I had just told you about my living room, such as "The Godfather" is playing on the DVD player and is being shown on my TV, or that the coffee table has several editions of the Baltimore Sun that are up to a month old and a pile of unpaid water, electric and gas bills from Chesapeake Utilities. Hell, I never even mentioned lighting! Is it bright or dark in my living room? Is it important to know what my lighting situation is? You don't know because I didn't say anything about that at all! It all boils down to what is too much and what is not enough. This can be considered subjective and up to interpretation. Finding the balance is key in writing out a static display in your roleplays.
Active scene, on the other hand, covers the people and/or animals involved within the static setting. Things to consider when writing an active scene is pretty much the same as a static setting. Its all about figuring out what is significant to add to the scene. To add to the setting that I already wrote, I can now add that inside of that room, sitting on the couch is an average sized man of obvious Asian descent typing away on an old, beat-up Apple laptop. He is dressed in a sweat-stained grey wife-beater, a pair of black Everlast shorts and a pair of socks. Upon further observation of this man's right foot, you can clearly see that it is significantly smaller, almost half the size of his left foot, indicating that this man is a partial foot amputee. I'm sure I could've added or subtracted things from that description. Do you really need to know that the man is typing away on an Apple computer? Should you know that the man has red hair? Or how about the half-sleeves and visible upper chest tattoos that this man possesses? Is the fact that part of his foot is gone signifigant to the scene? Again, its figuring out what is important and what isn't, and it is up to you to figure it out in order to give good and positive feedback. Also note in the active scene that this is where actions are performed by the character. Do NOT take these lightly! Remember the age-old saying, "Actions speak louder than words."
Final Thoughts To Keep In Mind- When providing feedback for another person, please keep in mind that not everybody writes in a style that is similar to yours. I've seen the gambit of styles of writing, from a scripted format to paragraph. From bare-bones and gritty to light and bright scenery and everything in between in the 14 years I've been doing this. Also keep in mind that you do not have to give feedback to EVERY roleplay that comes into the feedback forum. You should feel comfortable when giving feedback to others. Also note that when conveying criticism, especially for what you personally consider a subpar roleplay, be respectful when pointing out errors and how to fix them. Disrespect, whether it is actual or implied, can damage a writers self-esteem and could potentially lead to several other issues, to include online fights on the boards, in the IM sites, or even on the phone. Its happened to me before, and it fucking sucks when it comes from a so-called "friend". The final thing I want to say is that at the end of the day, we're all here to have fun. Plain and simple. Please be respectful but informative when giving feedback to others.
Gary M. Bennett a.k.a Akuma
Edited by Akuma, Nov 11 2012, 11:22 PM.
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Bragging Rights:
Promos of the Moment: -Leaving Japan/Coming to America: Debut Promo. -Contempt
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Bombtrack
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Nov 8 2012, 07:22 PM
Post #2
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I completely endorse this post.
Read it... then read it again... then read it once more and retain the knowledge within.
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