What do I want in CBC?
Well, the thread title is "What do you want in CBC?" This is probably an important question to answer if we're going to make CBC more fun again. So here's what I want in CBC.
First, I want the main forum (and the forum in general) to be relevant again. The community needs to have a presence on the both the server and the forum. If I were to sum up my "vision" for CBC, it would be that we need to
get back to where we once belonged. And maybe make a few improvements on the old successful model along the way, as it was not without its flaws.
A few words about the server: I think as it stands now, it's mostly fine. However, the chat is often very out-there, which can definitely be fun, but (for me at least) it has stopped being edgy and it has certainly lost its appeal. I stopped going on for awhile not out of frustration or anything but because (along with a vacation thrown in) it just had stopped being enjoyable for me. The thing is, I feel like the server as it exists now wouldn't be a problem if the forum was also active, but since the server is the only game in town, you have to listen to some random conversation about protein or something like that or just not come on at all. In other words, the goofiness would be fine if there was a place to actually approach Pokemon in a more formal way—an alternative venue, if you will.
And that's where the forum comes in. A regular hasn't posted an RMT since March. That's really not good. And on the topic of RMTs, as much as I miss the madness of my first year or so here where regulars posted RMT after RMT, the truth is that a lot of us are good enough that we don't need to post RMTs often, if at all. But there are definitely regulars who could improve and who probably need some team help. I am one of these people myself. But if the question is what do I want in CBC, it's not that people post RMTs to promote some facade of activity but rather to post an RMT if they get stuck instead of scrapping the team and starting over, to post an RMT if they like their team but think it could be improved, or even to post an RMT just as a showcase because those can be good reads like battle logs.
Still, it takes two to tango. By that I mean that even if people post teams, they need to be rated or else "what's the point?" And here, I just want people not to pounce on every team that pops up like back in the day but rather to respond to a thread with zero replies that is waiting to be replied to. In other words, just chip in a little bit. And yeah, I know rating is a chore. I agree. Why do you think I stopped doing it myself? But I don't think in-depth rates are really necessary. I don't think it's realistic to ask raters to put more effort into their rates than the OPs put into their teams. But making a few quick fixes is easy and—I would argue—fun instead of the chore some of the longer ones are. Whether we want to admit it or not, regulars of the future are buried in the pool of randoms who post here and each one we ignore is a wasted opportunity. Karpman is right; it's time for a new generation of regulars to come to the rescue of the old.
So I definitely want the old school S&M elements to make something of a comeback, even if they won't dominate the forum like they once did. But that's the thing: if the foundation of activity from years ago cannot alone make the forum worthwhile for regulars, what can? Well, a few of us here sure seem to admire Smogon. Well, I remember Stark Mountain being a pretty chill discussion hub for topics like the ones Karpman recently posted. One thing Wolf has brought up would be to have a thread which is simply "Lucario" and then not only do we post and discuss movesets (as, after all, seasoned players know what they are and how they work) but also discuss some good combos for the Pokemon, teams that utilize the Pokemon particularly well, or even a "SDLuke brought me back from being down 1-5" type of story/log. Discussion really has no limit. What do I want in CBC? (Sorry if this refrain is getting annoying.) I want something for the everyone—but the veteran players especially—to discuss and have a good time with. Also, these kinds of threads used to exist, like right
here. Yeah, it's noobish. But what if we had that, only more intelligent and refined? It was fun before and it still can be. It worked in 2007 and it can now. The only difference is we're improving on a winning formula. What's not to like about that? And that's only scratching the surface of what discussion topics could be... (I do feel like finding exactly what is interesting/engaging for discussion topics will take a little trial and error but the key is that we actually try so that we see what we like and don't like etc., especially since the possibilities are indeed numerous.)
Also, for those of us who like battle logs, there are those too. Not a staple by any means, but a nice "every once and awhile thing" to add a little spice. And as Oppo showed us, when done well, they're pretty awesome.
So for me, the main forum would ideally be a blend of discussion and more traditional team help and discussion. Once upon a time, this was the bread and butter of the forum. Only we're not noobish flaming idiots now. We can make the forum engaging and active if we really want to.
And then there is T&E. Much like in S&M, the regulars are getting absolutely lapped by the "randoms" in activity. On one hand, I do kind of get it, as a lot of the things there that are active with WiFi players don't translate well in a simulator-based community like this one. But T&E is still good for—wait for it!—tournaments and events! I think casual tours are cool but ones with more competition would be great too. For example, why not do an official tour every two months or so? And as a little incentive, have the previous tour's winner in the title of the thread until he/she is unseated. And of course, casual tours with cute little themes are fun too. I know they haven't been successful, but this is "what do you want in CBC?" and not "assess the reality of inactivity and indifference in CBC." What do I want? A fairly active tour scene (both competitive and more casual) to supplement the main forum. In terms of events, the only one we've ever really done is ComNight (plus some Get-Together stuff). If I'm being honest, I think the potential for events is somewhat limited just because, well, I just can't think of what we could possibly do that tour wouldn't do better. But I've never had much imagination with T&E so I could very well be wrong here. But tours are a must, even if their quantity is a little limited.
In terms of the metagame preference, we need BW OU as the standard. The truth is that that's what new members and potential regulars will be playing, and the future belongs to them, not us. Still, I think having DPP OU as an alternative for people who either don't like BW OU or simply want a break from it sometimes would be a good idea. And by that I mean we would give it similar treatment to BW OU in tours and stuff though it still wouldn't be the main metagame like BW OU. Maybe we would even stop using Smogon's tiers in favor of ones we determine ourselves. It's definitely something to consider. Do I want that in CBC? Personally, I'm not too sure as even at the best of times this was a stretch, but it could be fun and shouldn't be ruled out, in my opinion.
The server would be where all of the battling and events I can't imagine (but could very well exist and succeed) happen...kind of like the way it is now! Yes, with an off-topic chat if that's what people want. But right now the community only has the off-topic section of itself functioning so it is hardly recognizable as a "Competitive Battling Center," and I think that with what is essentially my vision for CBC that I outlined in the above paragraphs/novella, we could return it to that and something resembling what it once was. Well, there's one other thing...
I want to cover if community. It's not terrible or anything, but it could be better. There is more conflict, more tension, and even a little more intrigue than there once was. Lord knows I've been in the middle of some of it. To put it simply, can't we all just be friends? Conflict is inevitable really, like in any family. It's just important that it doesn't linger past its expiration date or else things resemble a fragile middle school clique more than a family. And the latter being the case over the former is why I always found S&M so special, something that kinda differentiated itself from the rest of PC. Let's not forget to make sure CBC has that same special quality. And one thing I certainly want out of CBC is for action to be taken against people who don't value that, however light or severe is necessary.
There is one thing I want in CBC more than anything else I just mentioned: I want people to care. I just want people to care.
