Just Being Curious

Home blog for the FFXIV Roleplay Index.

[where-is-the-rp]

Hello Everyone! It’s time for the RP Calendar Analysis II - Electric Boogaloo.

We have arrived in the future - Crystal has become a reality, and has existed for more than six months now. So of course, being how I am, I could not help but ask: How did it impact the RP?

The short answer: We have more RP than ever before, literally! Good job everyone, the future means that you can realistically go on an eight-hour event-rp binge if you are so inclined.

But what fun is statistics without additional observations?

Number of Recurring events (Minimum 1x a week): 116 Number of Recurring events that are still going as of October ‘19: 95 Average amount of event days before a recurring event terminates: 5.68 Amount of one-time events: 101 Total events from May 1st - October 31st: 1370 (up from 951 in 2018) Want to look at the data? Make a copy. Commentary below

Disclaimer: I’m not trained in doing statistics, this is a spare-time passion project. On the “Events over Time” graph, I would like to point out similarities between 2017 & 2019. Those dips are expansion launches. For the observation of events per server, which is now possible for the first time ever, I have set a threshold of minimum 10 events. This is purely to get a better flow in the pie-chart; it’s difficult to properly display smaller numbers. It will be interesting to see if the other servers start to boom a little more now that both Balmung and Mateus are congested (10/29/2019). We still have an intense abundance of Bar & Restaurant events, and these event types are by far the most vulnerable, when we look at the recurring-events-drop-off. We deem an event to have “ended” when it falls off it’s regular schedule.

All in all, this is a very positive turn for the community. With more people to roleplay with, more hands have turned up to take part in the event culture. No matter if you are new, or a veteran: Good job! You play an important part in keeping Crystal’s RP scene exciting and vibrant.

All of this being said; a big thanks to @erahsae-ffxiv​ for continuously working on the RP calendar making this insight possible. Big thanks also to my partner in statistics @athilthorne. See you all in May for the 1-year update! :)

[where-is-the-rp]

The FFXIV Roleplay Index

The Roleplay Index is a large Google Drive Spreadsheet containing information about the roleplay community in FFXIV, from all servers and datacenters.     Such as: - Free Companies, per theme. - Roleplay Locations - RP Discords - Character Advertisements The Index is updated via observational data from In-Game, Community Discords and Submissions. We strive to keep the information as up to date as possible.

You can find the Index here:

>>tinyurl.com/where-is-the-rp<<

Follow this blog if you want updates about what is being done to the spreadsheet.

Want to help out? The spreadsheet is periodically looking for new moderators. Send a message to #MeanderingMind#8375 if you are interested.

[where-is-the-rp]

Hello everyone.

Last year I wrote “A Word About Events” based on an analysis of The Balmung Calendar’s 2017 activity. I got so hooked on the idea of comparing the analysis to something that I decided to continue to do so for all of 2018. This post has these results.

You can review the data in your own copy of the spreadsheet with this link.

Please understand that this is a hobby project. I’m not trained in this shit, and so there may be errors, more things that could have been done etc.  Big shout outs to @athilthorne for helping me with the sheet & @erroch for managing the BalCal. Read on for results! 

Of the recurring events that ended, 45% were Taverns/Restaurant Themed.  Weekends have roughly the same amount of events as weekdays.  Seasons impact the One-Time Events. Balmung really likes halloween - There were 22 in October.  Spring & Summer is simultaneously when new recurring events are the most likely to appear, and to end. Balmung opening and closing almost always brings a spike of events; but other factors seem just as likely to play a role. Balmung was opened/closed 3 times in 2018. So what has changed in 2018?  Two new event-focused discords have emerged, greatly influencing cooperation between event creators, and improving lines of feedback about events. Even though there are more events than ever, clashing seems less intense as there is more planning and heads’upping taking place, before events are announced to the public.  Diversity of events has not really changed; with the exception of trade events and performance events swapping places a few times through the year, the themes are fairly solid in popularity. Bar, Tavern & Restaurant Themes knock the others right out of the water, and is also the type of event that is most likely to end after anywhere from 2-6 months. The bars that survive the 45% termination rate appear to be bars attached to a Free Company; which makes sense, as free companies are likely to survive & many use so-called tavern nights to further their internal slice-of-life RP.  Events per month has stabilized a lot. 2017 was a year of do or don’t, 2018 has been more of a year of there’s always something happening. 

My own take away, and advice to any upcoming event-creators out there would be:  Focus on doing something really well and really fun a couple of great times.  If you want something that reoccurs, try to think 3-6 months ahead of yourself. Are you still going to find it to be fun? Are there others who can share the burden of spearheading it, and can you rely on them? Is your theme unique, or lesser seen?  I would argue there are a number of weekly bar/restaurant events that could afford to switch to bi-weekly or monthly schedules, which might be easier on the people running it too; both spearheads and supplying roles alike. 

Remember to support your event creators.

Say thank you when you’ve been at an event, and give feedback. It can make the difference. So here it comes from me:

Thank you for putting an event on in 2018. 

As a final note, I will be taking a break from running this analysis; it’s interesting, but we’re about to go from Balmung to Crystal, and it’s going to take a little something more than one single nerd to keep track of all of that. If there’s interest, a way might open up, but until then, I’m gonna sit right down and enjoy a cup of tea. 

[where-is-the-rp]

BalCal Analysis: Quarterly Update 

>>>Previous Post Here<<< >>>Review the data in your own copy here<<< *Disclaimer: This Analysis is done by amateurs. We are not experts, so take the values with a grain of salt. This Analysis only focuses on the Balmung RP Calendar, and does not take into account any events advertised outside of this. The Balmung RP Calender’s management is not involved in this project. Three months have passed since the last update. So here’s a new one! Total events so far, including recurring: 1706 Total events in this quarter: 493 | Same quarter, 2017: 432 Recurring events of the 2nd quarter: 56 Recurring events started: 17 - Ended: 5  One-Time Events of the 2nd quarter:  43

This time around, the biggest and most notable thing is definitely that we have already beat 2017′s total number of events, which means we’re headed for a new record as there is still 2~months left of 2018.  Secondly, October brought on a massive increase in one-time events, greatly helped along by All Saints wake. I think it’s amazing to see more and more people jumping on the seasonal-themed events, especially because they were all quite diverse.  A new trend has also started to crop up which is not per se measurable (reliably); collaboration events. Especially within the performance type. That is amazingly good news!  And last but not least: No summer dip this year! Whilst the monthly amount of events fluctuates (as it should, really) it’s very stable. 

Keep it up Event Organizers! You are the blood in our veins.

Got questions? Shoot this blog a message! We will try to respond to your queries as best as we can. See you all in the new year! 

[where-is-the-rp]

BalCal Analysis: Quarterly update.

>>>Previous Post Here<<< >>>Review the data in your own copy here<<<

*Disclaimer: This Analysis is done by amateurs. We are not experts, so take the values with a grain of salt. This Analysis only focuses on the Balmung RP Calendar, and does not take into account any events advertised outside of this. The Balmung RP Calender’s management was not involved in this project. 

Three months have passed since the last update. So here’s a new one!

Weekday events are gaining more ground over weekend events this time. Whilst Bar/Tavern/Restaurant events still dominate everything, performance events are now on the rise, climbing the popularity ladder by two slots. Total events so far, including recurring: 1048 Total events in this quarter: 540 | Same quarter, 2017: 506 Recurring events of the 2nd quarter: 80 Recurring events started: 14 - Ended: 8 One-Time Events of the 2nd quarter: 41 One-Time events are seeing a slow and steady increase, so much so that there in June 2018 was an average of 2 per week! That’s a great development, and provides a very memorable alternative to the flood of bar-etc events. Now we wait and see if the height of summer will bring a new dip, or if we’ll preservere with the good curve! Keep it up Event Organizers! You are the blood in our veins.

Got questions? Shoot this blog a message! We will try to respond to your queries as best as we can.

[where-is-the-rp]

Event Creator Interview #1  - Tuft Ananke

Tuft Ananke ( @tuftananke ) has accepted the call for an interview. They act as Director and Storyteller of the Free Company <Fantasia Players> on Balmung, a year-old company which already has a whole host of events behind them. Most recently, the Glass Phial Circus and The Show That Never Happened. 

Let us go to the core of every event creator; Inspiration. What inspired you to pick up creating events for the performance genre?

“It was an accident, actually. I applied for Keeper's Kiss almost two and a half years ago, and they had slots for performers. I was like: I don't know what this is, but okay. I had to audition, and that's when I wrote my first story. Then I got addicted, and wanted to do something like that on my own. So I went out and started up the troupe -- I was working on the foundation of it for ages before I finally made the leap. ” 

What are some of the challenges you face when you run your events? 

With a performance FC, the hardest part of putting everything together is getting the acts. We have a good space, I've MCed a thousand times, we have a good strong core of members -- it's a matter of getting enough acts. A lot of times, performers need to drop out and that means constant adjustment to the line-up. Once the event starts, if you have a good line-up, the event just rolls right on through, it has its own momentum. We had the circus yesterday, and our line-up was so great that two hours passed really really fast.

Have you ever been concerned about competition from events in the same time-slot? 

Not particularly - performance RP isn't everyone's cup of tea, and variety is what makes Balmung what it is. I find it stressful enough to worry about my own shows and getting them all set up and put together. We also have one of the more unique performance FCs, in that we're always trying to push ourselves a little further with what the game can handle and how we can make that into a better act. 

When you run events so often, something we’ve come to wonder is feedback- Arguably, some of the most difficult thing to get your hands on. Have people ever whispered you and thanked you? Have you ever received critique? 

I get thanked by the performers more than those who attend the audience. The shows run smoothly, the actors are all making friends really easily, it's really a fun and supportive environment for them. I've gotten told we put on a good show, but I've never gotten thanked. Once, I had someone get upset that our acts weren't cohesive enough for them and they told me off, though. 

Advertising is everything! Where do you advertise, and how often? 

We advertise through multiple discords and tumblr, mostly - we have an officer to post the RPC stuff, but they haven't been on in a while. We see a lot more recruits through the RPC than through anything else, though. I post across the discords two hours before a show, and we always release our posters two weeks before the events. I reblog it as often as I see it, or about three or four times per show onto my personal blog. I should probably pay more attention to WHEN other than that -- but I don't. XD

Who do you admire in the event creator landscape community? What have you learned from attending other people's events?

I really have come to admire people who can plan the events that span two, three, four different FCs. I want to do more of those, the coordination they take is amazing.  From attending other events, I've come to learn a lot about keeping the momentum of a show going, and what audiences are looking for in terms of how long, how fast, how venue and decor sets the theme of the show

What advice would you give to a brand new event running personer?

Don't be afraid to delegate and ask for help. You can't run an event alone, and the people you surround yourself with when you're working will help make it amazing.

Do you have a big dream event you hope to pull off in your career?  What is your next event?

WELL our dream event is a full on opera. One of my officers is a composer for a day job. And he's been working on writing a full-on opera, with original music, for the Fantasia Players to perform. And the next show we are doing is a summer festival, which we are going to start collaborating with other people for - one of those nice big outdoor events!

Are there any other thoughts you’d like to share with the rest of the community? 

Housing is not the beginning and the end of an FC. When I started, we didn't have a house. We performed at other venues and we had our 'home base' in another FC's basement.  A lot of people tried to tell me that without a house, my FC would never be legitimate, but those early shows were some of our best.

We here at Curious-Balmung definitely agree with that! Once upon a time, all events were open-world. Just because we now have housing, does not mean you can’t run good events - or a good FC for that matter - without a house. Don’t let the housing war get you down!

Thank you for reading the first installation of Event Creator Interviews. We’ll be back with more in 1-2 weeks! If you would like to be interviewed, please reach out to this blog or MeanderingMind#8375 on discord. 

[where-is-the-rp]

BalCal Analysis: Trimester update. 

>>>Previous Post Here<<< >>>Review the data in your own copy here<<<

*Disclaimer:  This Analysis is done by amateurs. We are not experts, so take the values with a grain of salt. This Analysis only focuses on the Balmung RP Calendar, and does not take into account any events advertised outside of this. The Balmung RP Calender’s management was not involved in this project.

Four months have gone by since we first did the BalCal Analysis, and as we have just exited the first trimester of 2018, we thought it was an appropriate time to do an update on the data. 

Some things have changed: 

Weekday events now slightly outnumber weekend events - but given that the weekend has fewer days, it is still more popular than weekdays. 

Service events now has a lead over “Other Events” & Trade events are now slightly more popular than performance events. 

Bar/Tavern/Restaurant events still dominate everything else. 

No adventuring events so far! 

Total events so far, including recurring: 561*  2017′s 1st trimester: 382  *Including the 1st week of April 

Recurring events, end-2017: 60  Total loss of recurring events in 2017: 40  Recurring events, 1st Trimester 2018: 60  Total loss of recurrent events between November-March: 10 

Total amount of One-time events in 2017: 99  Total amount of One-time events in 2018, so far: 41 

Overall, I would say this is a positive update to the previous! We have fully recovered from the slump of Summer ‘17, and appear to be holding the level.  Keep it up Event Organizers! You are the blood in our veins. 

Got questions? Shoot this blog a message! We will try to respond to your queries as best as we can. 

[where-is-the-rp]

How many RP houses are there?

Balmung has been the battleground of many a housing war through time. From the slow dawn of the housing system, to the additions of the wards, people - and especially roleplayers - have been up early to battle the queues, roll the dice and get a house. So it is no wonder that someone, at some point, would ask - How many have succeeded? How many houses do roleplayers own?  That is a question not easily answered; but it is not impossible either.  A new spreadsheet has appeared. You can make a copy with this link, if you are interested. 

Conclusion: Roleplay Housing takes up 33% of all available housing on Balmung.

Please expand and read along if you’d like to know how we did.  * None of us are especially trained to do statistics. This is a fun nerdy project. 

A little bit about the method:  With some very ambitious courage, we have gone to the residential overview of each ward and meticulously clicked on each and every house. We have read descriptions of houses and FC’s, and with the information provided, categorized them in the following way:  Roleplay FC’s: Houses belonging to FC’s that have a focus on RP, meaning they either mention it in their description or have -RP in their tag. Or both. Many have both.  Roleplay Personals: Probably the most tricky one to count. Some have tagged their property with [RP], some have elaborate descriptions - for example of venues, some have been counted in simply because we knew they were a roleplayer.  PvE FC’s: Free Companies that have a focus on raiding. The FC profile tags, FC size and description was taken into account here.  Social FC’s: Or what one might call casual guilds, levelling guilds, and suchlike. Again, the FC profile tags and the description was taken into account. Any FC where roleplay wasn’t the main focus, but a sub-focus, have been placed here.  Other Personals: The biggest category. A lot of plots owned by people who don’t appear, through looking at the description, to roleplay there. Some of them were jumping puzzles. Very interesting.  Other FC’s: This category is mostly full of solo-fc’s where there is no focus on or mention of roleplay. A few other cases where the purpose of an FC wasn’t really all that clear.  Unknown: For personal houses with no description, no title, they have been locked too. What do people do in there? Summon gods? Play scrabble? Play with fire? Run with scissors? We just don’t know. 

There are undoubtedly mistakes in this. Short of asking people if they roleplay or not, which with a total of 4320 houses would only be possible if equipped with a small army, there is no way we can have placed everyone completely correctly. Especially I expect the categories of “Unknown” and “Other Personals” to have a number of roleplayers sitting in them. Please do not get angry if we misplaced your lot. Additionally, people may have moved since the data collection started, especially because the data collection started before the addition of the most recent wards. Secondly also because of the 45 day inactivity boot.

Additionally, we have not accounted for apartments. This was already too big of a task and has taken ~1 month of on/off chipping away. 

Once again there’s a potential for diving deeper into the data, one could figure out how much of the RP population has what type of house etc. We might do a follow up with that, we might not. You can do anything you like with the copy of the data, however please credit this blog if you use it for anything. 

Additionally the submission feature is on, here. Share what you find! 

This project has been undertaken and completed by  Maril Hawker & Athil Thorne of Balmung. 

[meandering-mind]

A Word About Events * Please read the disclaimer at the bottom.

Recently I have heard much talk about the Balmung Lock, what effects it might be having on the roleplay and so on. One of my own concerns has been about the event culture, if it was being hurt or not - I love the event culture on Balmung. My estimation was that it had probably suffered - But what one thinks and what is going on can be very different things. Therefore I decided to sit down with the Balmung Calendar, and so an attempt at an analysis of the events that have occurred since January 2017 and until (and including) November 2017.

As you study the charts, you should keep in mind two dates: The Balmung lock on the 17th of May The Stormblood Launch on the 20th of June.

In the past year (not counting December), we have had a staggering 1516 events scheduled up on the Balmung Calendar. When these are spread out, what I note is that for what it comes to creating events, there isn’t a notable effect until the launch of Stormblood, at which point it looks.. Rather dramatic. We are however fully bounced back from the Expansion Effect - Something I would consider not to be so notable had the Balmung Lock been a larger culprit. Does this mean that in the long run, the Balmung Lock wont cause a problem? No, but right now, things are fine. And we can help each other keep things like this. Here’s Top 3 of things I’d love for people to keep in mind for the future:  1. More event diversity.  There isn’t a month where bar & restaurant events aren’t thoroughly drowning out every other of the types that I managed to categorize. Whilst I personally adore going out to a bar with my character and it’s friends, I can’t help but wonder if having this many is truly needed. Bar events are typically recurring, either once a week or once every 2 weeks - and whilst some have been around literally all year, a lot have come and quickly gone again. This can also end up spreading the event-visiting population too thin- and that possibly has a bad effect on other types of events. 

2. One-time events are great, more please.  Through the year there has been 93 recurring events, of where around 31 are no longer active/ongoing. To compare, we have had “just” 86 one-time events. This is usually in the shape of festivals, balls and date auctions. Instead of more bars, it might be a better idea to focus on crafting one time, typically more memorable events. One-Time events also go up anytime there’s an in-game seasonal event, such as All Saints Wake.  3. Support your event creators  Not every roleplayer out there has the desire to make events, and I find that the amount of people creating content is vastly outnumbered by those who aren’t. This isn’t inherently a bad thing, but I would simply remind people to say thanks or give some constructive feedback on the events you attend. A little bit goes a long way, and an event creator may be kept from the ominous burnout simply because they feel appreciated. With Balmung being locked, the people we have are the people we’ve got. Perhaps consider giving creating an event a go, if not server-wide, then for your local linkshell or guild. Consider what it might take for you to make the leap - More support? A discord full of advice? Ideas?

I hope that this can contribute to the debate about the lockout, and otherwise give the community something to think about. I’ll be reading along in the reblogs.  If you would like to see the spreadsheet behind the charts, you can create your own (Google Drive) Copy with this link. I cannot assist you with anything, but there are many more things that could be done with this data, and I want to make sure you have the opportunity to use it.  Disclaimer:  The Balmung Calendar management has not been involved in this project, I have approached the calendar with that in mind that it is public information. That is also why I am freely sharing the spreadsheet. The data and it’s calculations may have some happy accidents on board - There’s no way to guarantee that a listed event had any attendance or even ran for that night, but I consider the BalCal to be the most reliable and approachable source. Please do not see this as a total of everything that has happened on Balmung - There are events who do not advertise via the calendar. I am not a mathematician in real life, and I am not especially trained to do statistics.  Huge thank you to @athilthorne for proof reading and nerd assistance. As well as all of those who were subjected by the somewhat deranged rabbles of this spreadsheet-loving human. Love y’all.