Ranking for FA?

[Henroo]

Thanks again everyone and one more question, if I may? Do you (archmages or mages or whoever's in charge of the FA in your fellowship) send out a message to all the members beforehand to try to gauge where the members are and how much they will be able or willing to participate before the FA starts?

Oh yes. It can really help to divide the workload among your players according to what they have going on outside of the game that week. If certain players have lots going on that week such as work, family, or school stuff then let them focus on making the long term stuff like Blacksmiths, Necklaces, and Statues. That way they don't have to log in the game as often. If you have players who don't have much going on that week, assign them to making short term stuff like Brewery, Bakers, Carpenters, and Flacons. They will be available to babysit their workshops and manufactories and keep them going.

 

[truelinor]

Oh yes. It can really help to divide the workload among your players according to what they have going on outside of the game that week. If certain players have lots going on that week such as work, family, or school stuff then let them focus on making the long term stuff like Blacksmiths, Necklaces, and Statues. That way they don't have to log in the game as often. If you have players who don't have much going on that week, assign them to making short term stuff like Brewery, Bakers, Carpenters, and Flacons. They will be available to babysit their workshops and manufactories and keep them going.

So, you would do the same in the FA, just have different people making things according to the time they have? You wouldn't change the way you play the FA?

 

[NightshadeCS]

So, you would do the same in the FA, just have different people making things according to the time they have? You wouldn't change the way you play the FA?

For us, that depends. Interest overall can wax and wane, so some FAs may need just a shift in what folks make, some will need a change in how many paths, etc.

I always send a message out once I hear about an FA here on the Forum and ask for input from my FS. Some input will help me make decisions, while other input just makes me aware of certain trends.

As an example, about a year ago, when most of our fellowship was in chapters 11-14, we really wanted those Black Lotus prizes for placing 11-20th. So we went all out. Now that most of our group is sitting near the end of the tech tree, we want our evolution prizes as cheaply as possible. : )

 

[truelinor]

As an example, about a year ago, when most of our fellowship was in chapters 11-14, we really wanted those Black Lotus prizes for placing 11-20th. So we went all out. Now that most of our group is sitting near the end of the tech tree, we want our evolution prizes as cheaply as possible. : )

OK, I understand the part about wanting the Black Lotus for, mana or whatever it is it produces when you are in those chapters, but why would you want to get the prizes as cheaply as possible when you are at the end of the tech tree? What happens there?

 

[NightshadeCS]

OK, I understand the part about wanting the Black Lotus for, mana or whatever it is it produces when you are in those chapters, but why would you want to get the prizes as cheaply as possible when you are at the end of the tech tree? What happens there?

Not every group is the same, and some fellowships will still be excited to do well in the FA all the way until the end. Most of us in my group have simply gotten burned out on the FA. It is a large investment of time and energy for very little return.

In the later chapters, Guest Race settlements are very large, chapters take a lot longer, so there is a better chance that we will not have room for extra buildings.

But, like I said, every group is different, and that is why it is a great idea to message the FS and get a gauge on how people feel about it.

 

[mucksterme]

In the later chapters, Guest Race settlements are very large, chapters take a lot longer, so there is a better chance that we will not have room for extra buildings.

On the other hand
If you are in an fs with predominately later chapters
There is a good chance people can arrange to be between chapters for the FA and then have a lot of space

 

[Henroo]

So, you would do the same in the FA, just have different people making things according to the time they have? You wouldn't change the way you play the FA?

So far the players in my fellowships tend to be enthusiastic about fellowship adventures. So I try to plan things to maximize our score. Mainly doing extra waypoints in stages 1 and 2. Particularly the multi-color waypoints which are worth the most points. Also, after reaching the flag in stage 3, we do not pull it immediately and enter the Pit. Instead we hang out in stage 3 till near the end and do waypoints there. You get a lot more points that way than you do from entering the Pit. As long as players continue to want to do FAs and be enthusiastic about them, this is how I will continue to manage them. Now if we reach a point in the future where there is less interest in doing FAs, I might switch to the strategy of just doing 1 path in each stage, get the goodies (meager though they are), and call it a day once you finish stage 3.

 

[Darielle]

I just joined the fellowship that was number one in the most recent FA. I wish I had been with them to see it; I've never been number one yet. I look forward to the next one even though the prizes do suck for such massive efforts. Still, it is fun just to see your fellowship's name in lights, so to speak, lol. I hope they fix the pit by then.

 

[stargatehorizon]

This is some great info about the FA. Am I to understand that when you're doing a path and you want to switch to a different path partway through which you haven't touched yet you can as long as you do the tricolor first? Is this what I'm hearing?

 

[samidodamage]

you can as long as you do the tricolor first?

Yes. The tricolors are switchpoints as well as waypoints. You'll also have to do the tricolor on the path you're switching to in order to unlock the next regular color waypoint in that path.

 

[mucksterme]

I just joined the fellowship that was number one in the most recent FA.

We were #2 on our world. #1 was way ahead but we had a great battle with the team that ended up #3. we kept fighting right to the ending bell and ended up very close.

although personally i was mostly pleased by the fs that ended in 4th because it has four former members of our fs who left because they wanted an fs that was "more competitive"

 

[Darielle]

We were #2 on our world. #1 was way ahead but we had a great battle with the team that ended up #3. we kept fighting right to the ending bell and ended up very close.

although personally i was mostly pleased by the fs that ended in 4th because it has four former members of our fs who left because they wanted an fs that was "more competitive"

hahaha .... that's funny. I wonder what they thought when they saw that.

 

[Lelanya]

Thanks again everyone and one more question, if I may? Do you (archmages or mages or whoever's in charge of the FA in your fellowship) send out a message to all the members beforehand to try to gauge where the members are and how much they will be able or willing to participate before the FA starts?

Oh yes.
My Fellowship that has a big batch of ranking points from FA, always votes on how much to do next time.

 

[ajqtrz]

When we know a FA is coming we ask our members to report how many workshops and T1 sets they will be building. About 70% respond, which is, in itself, a good measure of enthusiasm. Then we enter their numbers into our spreadsheet and and "enthusiasm" score (based upon the data of the last 3-4 FA's which tells us how many badges they produced and a bit more). From this the spreadsheet will tell us our probable minimum score, our possible maximum score, and our most likely score. AND then it tells us where we are likely to finish in the rankings for the FA given the general increase in scores across the last 4 FA's (we chart the top 30 fellowships). All of which gives us the ability to predict where we will end up and THAT becomes our goal. We then set the paths and the spreadsheet tells us how many of this or that we need. We know from our data where we "failed" the last 3 times (because we know the total of each type of badges we need before we start and the number of those actually made) and thus we can adjust the paths to cover those weaknesses. Thus we can shape our experience to our abilities and do pretty well.

In the end we find having a goal we can reach and advertising that goal before we start, along with knowing what will be needed, makes the whole thing much less stressful and fun. We even have "Pit Party's" where we try to make the whirlpool spin as fast as we can.

All of which is to say, in my opinion, planning is everything in the FA's.

AJ

 

[hvariidh gwendrot]

pfft 1 path 3 stages done get rewards no pit and we almost always rank for something without caring or trying

 

[ajqtrz]

pfft 1 path 3 stages done get rewards no pit and we almost always rank for something without caring or trying

Yep, you can do that. But what if you did plan? What kind of ranking would you have then? Better, or worse? My point is, if you want to get somewhere a good map beats wandering into the forest just to see what there, every time. Not all fellowships, of course, care to get very far, and that's okay. We just want to get as far as we can because it helps us work together and be a team.

AJ