Alright, if it's just a misunderstanding then no harm no foul.
Everybody brace yourselves, it's an old school Illy explanation incoming....
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Yes, complaints can be discouraging, however, they are an immutable fact. People need a voice and they especially need it when they are not having fun. I promise that the negativity that you find irksome has been irking the person that said the negative thing for far longer than it's been irking you. That's why they are saying something. They feel the same way about it, but they can't just walk away from the feeling.
Complaining a sign that there's a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. It's usually the last warning before people just give up entirely. The reason people hang on is because there is something they loved about the thing that is now irksome. So, everybody loses when someone gives up rather than drifts away. Further, losing people is super bad when you aren't getting new people at the same rate. PS does not get enough new people to be picky but I'll get to the numbers issue in a moment. To cope with complaints, one has to learn how to either address the complaint, learn how to walk away from it or ignore it, or learn how to take it on with thick skin. There will never be enough positivity to eliminate complaints. The next best option is management.
Actually, your post was in essence a good idea though maybe not executed the way you intended. Trying to help people find a solution may help them overcome the thing that makes them complain. It is a good idea.
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For example, for those of you who are struggling to find RP. I waited until I saw Jessamine online today and logged in to see how it goes asking for RP in gossip. It normally doesn't work but I tried it anyway. I logged in around 00:30 (12:30 A.M.) GMT. https://greenwichmeantime.com/gmt-converter/ and Jessamine, Fesara, and Loxxi responded. It did work this time and I even found RP aside from the group Jessamine was RPing with. I can't say those people are always on about this time, but if you can make that time on Saturday/Sunday, give it a try. It wasn't my most favorite kind of RP, but it was way better than "How's You Mother RP", and it's leaps and bounds better than the pitiful affair that had been going on the last several years.___________________
Notice, how I make a suggestion but I'm not taking a potshot at someone for complaining, though I am acknowledging complaints. Whether or not people have a legitimate reason to complain, complaining about the complaining is usually going to shift the attention away from your valid point and put it onto a controversy, possibly an imagined controversy at that. This is not good. Once the flame war starts, you can usually kiss a constructive ending goodbye. This is why most game forums are absolutely toxic. PS at it's worse has never devolved to death threats, as far as I've ever seen, but it's happened elsewhere. If you have a suggestion, make a suggestion. If you complain about a complaint, hit the deck because there will usually be a rebuttal.
Another side issue, just to toss this out there, is that a complaint isn't inherently a personal attack, so there isn't necessarily a reason to take it personal. Yes negativity can be a bummer but so can getting shot down when you are complaining to make a point. Always remember that your actions can have the exact same effect on the other side of the coin. No one's reaction is inherently more right even when there is negativity involved. However, it is admittedly more helpful to stick to the topic or issue rather than give a laundry list of every grievance ever held.
Now here's the thing about numbers. RPers are always a small percentage of any player base, even in a RP game. While quality is good, you simply need quantity to give you a high enough chance to get the people you
need. It's like trying to get 1000 red skittles. How many bags will you have to buy just to get enough red ones? Those bots may not have been RPing but they were representative of people still caring enough about the game to bot it. That's the kind of interest you need to get a large enough flow of players. You really need lots of incoming players, people caring enough to stay, and and overall higher numbers just to find those that will really embrace RP. This is also how you overcome not having time, I might add. More people means more people who are available at a given time and more chances to get someone with a lot of time to invest.
Now I concede that time is a very real constraint, but RP doesn't actually require loads of time at once, especially if one learns to be flexible and break it up when they can't finish in one sitting. It's way easier to do here than in other places. We have full chat logging here. You don't know how hard it is to log RPs and to break them up until you have to take 50 screenshots of a tiny chat window to try to catch everything before the game eats it.
Never again.... However, you will need to have clear in mind what you want from RP so you can pursue it efficiently in the time given.
For me, I like my RPs to be character studies not events or specific incidents. I will zero in a character's backstory or personality because I want to see what makes them tick. I want to see interesting personalities bouncing off of each other. I can do other RPs but this is what I really want to see to enjoy the RP. This is what makes me RP. I realistically accept that I won't always get that, and some attempts won't go anywhere, but I can at least make the most of my RPs by going straight for what I want.
*takes a breath* Almost done, I promise. While doing your best is great and has helped. It really isn't enough without a goal of forming a community. People have been trying to do it haphazardly for years. Haphazard attempts have not been staunching the flow from the game. There really needs to be a community to glomp on to. Yes, that may take time because people can't commit for now, but believe me, there's no way around this community thing. Community will always be necessary to build up the numbers. Remember, PS is like a pearl. It's first gotta have something to build around however small.
This is why haphazardly catching people is still important but also why the forum is important. The forum allows people to connect and stay in the flow even when they can't be in game.
*gives out and goes to bed*
