Introduce an Animal Whitelist Application

[philbertman42]

IGN: Alimonino
DATE: 11/30/22

SUGGESTION: Have players apply for the ability to purchase an Animal Whitelist
I am NOT suggesting for the animal whitelist to be free, I am saying that you must first apply if you wish to use your purchased package.

---

Since the introduction of bears, there have been innumerable suggestions made to try and balance them out, and there has yet to be a solution which satisfies both sides of the playerbase. People want more realism with animals (in regards to FearRP and higher rolling for example), but concerns of pay-to-win elements being introduced to the server make the idea unappealing. I propose a new solution: We should remove the p2w aspect that the unique perks of animals introduce by enforcing applications for anyone looking to play an animal character.

If players needed to apply for the animal whitelist, pay to win would no longer be an issue. School faculty has FearRP authority and KPD has higher rolling amounts because they underwent an application process and proper training; similarly to any other role on the server, it would be the application for the whitelist which enables animals their advantages, not the purchase of the package itself. As a result of this addition, new perks could be introduced and certain restrictions could be lifted from animals, allowing the opportunity for players to roleplay more realistically.

In terms of quality, applications for certain animals should be held to higher standards than others. Some animals are simple enough that they shouldn't require much detail, but animals with distinct abilities and unique traits should require dedicated writing and research; for example, a frog application wouldn't need to be nearly as detailed as a bear application, since bears (an overwhelmingly powerful and dangerous animal) have significantly more potential than frogs (ribbit).

---

PROS:
Allows unique perks for certain animals, as it's no longer p2w
Filters out any player who doesn't understand the rules regarding their specific animal
Ensures players understand how they are meant to realistically roleplay as their animal
Drives players towards committing to developing a character before they have whitelist access

CONS:
Technically still has p2w elements as a monetary transaction is involved
Will require somebody to regularly check applications (maybe the character authorization team?)
May deter people from purchasing the package out of an unwillingness to write an application
A solution would need to be made for current whitelist holders (would they still need to apply, even though they already have established characters?)

 

[Toto]

+1
best alternative

 

[adalynoc]

Neutral leaning -1 for the sole reason of i feel like this would cause the issue of people either buying it without applying, or applying and buying before it was accepted., and will cause issues for the staff team.

 

[philbertman42]

Neutral leaning -1 for the sole reason of i feel like this would cause the issue of people either buying it without applying, or applying and buying before it was accepted., and will cause issues for the staff team.

This is pretty valid and honestly one of my concerns as well. It'd need to be VERY clearly specified on the store's page that it's a role you need to apply for, and not just something you can purchase and immediately have.

People not purchasing the whitelist after applying sounds scummy, but isn't actually as rare as you'd expect. People already do this with our existing factions, where they take up space on a roster for a few months, do nothing with their role, then eventually resign or get demoted for inactivity. It would be annoying for staff, but really nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

 

[DarkEclipic]

Neutral leaning to -1

Now, hear me out. As this is my own opinion, you are welcomed to disagree with it but keep it respectful. I understand where you are coming from, but looking at it from a overview perspective, it will only cause unnessassry stress on staff and players to it as an application process.

my biggest gripe is the P2W aspect of the situation, the whole reason the animal whitelist is how it is, is to avoid this type of situation. For example, the 'Bear' situation, it would be over the top for bears to have higher rolling count as they currently do. So, why restrict players even more and making an application process over it? Let people spend their own money on things and if they are caught not following the SRP animal rules(rules in general) then it's easier to just report them.

And plus, if this 'were' to be a thing. ALL people who currently have animals(and their lore) would either have to be paused or full out removed. What about those who applied to be a service dog while having the whitelist? Many, many people would have to completely void or remove months of roleplay due to 'this'.

To add another thing, due to SRP ToS, if someone were to buy the whitelist and didn't get their animal and charged back. 'ANYONE' who received a rank/custom/donation from that said email account would all be 'Banned' due to said person's chargeback. And to my knowledge of chargeback, until the money is paid back to the server, all accounts would remain banned(unless SRP has a different way on handling it)

It would be easier just to report them so staff can handle it.

TLDR; Just let staff handle failrp

 

[Ghostfire]

+1
I can't believe I'm agreeing with philbertman42, but PLEASE, PLEASE add a whitelist application. It'd solve so many of the issues with people incorrectly roleplaying out what an animal does

 

[philbertman42]

And plus, if this 'were' to be a thing. ALL people who currently have animals(and their lore) would either have to be paused or full out removed. What about those who applied to be a service dog while having the whitelist? Many, many people would have to completely void or remove months of roleplay due to 'this'.

This is something that I'm worried about as well, because there are dozens of players with the whitelist who have had established characters for months or years, yet might suddenly be barred from using their character until they can get an application accepted. I don't think that it would make sense to completely void an animal character's existence outright if their application was denied; it would make more sense for current whitelist holders to just have to re-apply until their application was eventually accepted. Still, it would likely be a hassle for both players and staff alike, since there are many, MANY players with the whitelist and only so many people who can mark applications.

Why restrict players even more and making an application process over it? Let people spend their own money on things and if they are caught not following the SRP animal rules(rules in general) then it's easier to just report them.

The reason I proposed the application is so that there would be less restrictions in roleplay, as then it would no longer be solely p2w. While yes, it may restrict players in the sense that they'll need to take an extra step before they can use a purchased package, it will later enable them to do many more things when they do eventually get their whitelist.

To add another thing, due to SRP ToS, if someone were to buy the whitelist and didn't get their animal and charged back. 'ANYONE' who received a rank/custom/donation from that said email account would all be 'Banned' due to said person's chargeback.

That would be their own fault for not reading the Terms and Conditions before making their purchase. If this were to be implemented, I feel like it should be made VERY clear that players need to first apply, THEN purchase the package, or they would be at risk of having donated for no reason.

---

I'm getting the impression that you think the primary reason I made this suggestion was to stop fail roleplay, and while an would definitely help with that, this isn't the case. More than anything else, I believe this a whitelist application would allow animals to have more unique perks, similarly to how other applied roles (teachers, KPD, etc) obtain their traits; because players would first apply for the role, p2w would no longer be a significant issue as users would need to prove their capability in handling the whitelist beforehand.

 

[Infi]

-1. My reason being as followed

Players pay money for this whitelist and are given all of the rules. Should these rules fail to be followed, those players can have their whitelist removed. That all comes down to players being responsible enough to report rule breakers. Regardless whether you apply for a whitelist or not, the fact will still remain that you will have people that fail to roleplay their whitelist properly. Anyone can say "yes I read the rules" in an application and still fail to follow said rules upon getting accepted. In my opinion it makes absolutely no difference whether or not someone applies for an animal whitelist. The way I see it, there will be absolutely no difference in the amount of whitelist abusers there are if they have to go one useless step further to apply for a whitelist. It's simply not worth the hassle for a title that isn't even crucial to the server.

Now you may ask, what about applying for factions? That is a different story. Animal whitelists are NOT a faction, they are an add on to the server. It's the equivalent to being able to change your age down to 14. You wouldn't want to have to apply to be age 14? Imagine explaining how your character came to be a... dog. That said, factions require an application to view the players desire to participate, their history, and their willingness to contribute to the server. Animal whitelists are essentially like a cosmetic you pay for. (I mean this as respectfully as possible and as someone who utilizes an animal whitelist) Animals serve no genuine importance to the server, though they are fun to have, they are merely a cosmetic with roleplay value.

Lastly, tying a purchased whitelist in with a block game character application can cause serious legal issues. (Refer to what DarkEclipic has stated)

(I apologize if the reply is a bit jumbled I'm on four hours of sleep)

 

[ImYourManMyles]

IGN: Alimonino
DATE: 11/30/22

SUGGESTION: Have players apply for the ability to purchase an Animal Whitelist
I am NOT suggesting for the animal whitelist to be free, I am saying that you must first apply if you wish to use your purchased package.

---

Since the introduction of bears, there have been innumerable suggestions made to try and balance them out, and there has yet to be a solution which satisfies both sides of the playerbase. People want more realism with animals (in regards to FearRP and higher rolling for example), but concerns of pay-to-win elements being introduced to the server make the idea unappealing. I propose a new solution: We should remove the p2w aspect that the unique perks of animals introduce by enforcing applications for anyone looking to play an animal character.

If players needed to apply for the animal whitelist, pay to win would no longer be an issue. School faculty has FearRP authority and KPD has higher rolling amounts because they underwent an application process and proper training; similarly to any other role on the server, it would be the application for the whitelist which enables animals their advantages, not the purchase of the package itself. As a result of this addition, new perks could be introduced and certain restrictions could be lifted from animals, allowing the opportunity for players to roleplay more realistically.

In terms of quality, applications for certain animals should be held to higher standards than others. Some animals are simple enough that they shouldn't require much detail, but animals with distinct abilities and unique traits should require dedicated writing and research; for example, a frog application wouldn't need to be nearly as detailed as a bear application, since bears (an overwhelmingly powerful and dangerous animal) have significantly more potential than frogs (ribbit).

---

PROS:
Filters out any player who doesn't understand the rules regarding their specific animal
Ensures players understand how they are meant to realistically roleplay as their animal
Allows unique perks for certain animals, as it's no longer p2w
Drives players towards committing to developing a character before they have whitelist access

CONS:
Technically still has p2w elements as a monetary transaction is involved
Will require somebody to regularly check applications (maybe the character authorization team?)
May deter people from purchasing the package out of an unwillingness to write an application
A solution would need to be made for current whitelist holders (would they still need to apply, even though they already have established characters?)

+ 1 W

 

[si10k]

-1/+1

It really depends on the animal to be honest. For bears it would be reasonable for whitelist such as applying. But at that point Dogs and cat's are also there. For some animals such as Bee's, animals, and some minor animals nobody uses such as a duck it would be inconvenient and just annoying for them. Bee's die rather quickly since they're insects and it would be annoying as someone to rps one to make a bee character almost every week and have them die from old age. You can't have people age up once a year if they like their character beings young so why force that? It would also not make sense for aging up quickly with grades also.

 

[NoZinth]

-1 pointless extra steps to limit those who want to roleplay as an animal & have fun, the authorization team have enough to deal with. The players purchasing the whitelists can learn as they go.

 

[philbertman42]

It really depends on the animal to be honest. For bears it would be reasonable for whitelist such as applying. But at that point Dogs and cat's are also there. For some animals such as Bee's, animals, and some minor animals nobody uses such as a duck it would be inconvenient and just annoying for them.

That's honestly a pretty good point, with some of the less significant animals that have no inherent benefits, a detailed application would be more of a nuisance than anything else. I did briefly mention that in the main post, but honestly I feel like it would be reasonable to only have to apply for permission to purchase animals with actual perks that could have a significant influence on roleplay.

Now you may ask, what about applying for factions? That is a different story. Animal whitelists are NOT a faction, they are an add on to the server.

---

Factions require an application to view the players desire to participate, their history, and their willingness to contribute to the server. Animal whitelists are essentially like a cosmetic you pay for. (I mean this as respectfully as possible and as someone who utilizes an animal whitelist) Animals serve no genuine importance to the server, though they are fun to have, they are merely a cosmetic with roleplay value.

I agree with the sentiment that the animal whitelist isn't really that comparable to factions, and mostly serve as a side-feature more than anything else. The reason I brought up several factions was as an example, to show how different positions that players can apply for grant them specific perks that are unique to their respective roles, such as the FearRP authority within school for faculty members, or higher rolling for KPD officers. My argument was that it would be the application they made which would enable users those special perks, and not the money they were spending on the package.

Though, I would like to argue that regardless of whether animals are a solely cosmetic feature in the current state of SRP, they have the potential to be more than that. Most people would agree that the primary focus of the server is the school; however, there are many non-academic aspects of SRP with their own demographics which come together to make Karakura feel more dynamic and immersive as a setting. To write off animal characters as an "unimportant cosmetic" is somewhat silly, seeing as though animals contribute to make the server more diverse (even if only slightly).

 

[Infi]

I agree with the sentiment that the animal whitelist isn't really that comparable to factions, and mostly serve as a side-feature more than anything else. The reason I brought up several factions was as an example, to show how different positions that players can apply for grant them specific perks that are unique to their respective roles, such as the FearRP authority within school for faculty members, or higher rolling for KPD officers. My argument was that it would be the application they made which would enable users those special perks, and not the money they were spending on the package.

Though, I would like to argue that regardless of whether animals are a solely cosmetic feature in the current state of SRP, they have the potential to be more than that. Most people would agree that the primary focus of the server is the school; however, there are many non-academic aspects of SRP with their own demographics which come together to make Karakura feel more dynamic and immersive as a setting. To write off animal characters as an "unimportant cosmetic" is somewhat silly, seeing as though animals contribute to make the server more diverse (even if only slightly).

I highly suggest reading the quote again as nowhere did I state that animal whitelists were "unimportant". Of course they serve roleplay value hence why they're on the server. I merely was stating they're not crucial enough to the server to be heavily monitored as you want them to be with having to apply for them.

 

[philbertman42]

nowhere did I state that animal whitelists were "unimportant"

Animals serve no genuine importance to the server

(last sentence of par 2)

 

[Infi]

(last sentence of par 2)

Once again, I said they serve no GENUINE importance. That doesn't mean they're useless. I explained why I thought they aren't as crucial as other roles. As I said, "I merely was stating they're not crucial enough to the server to be heavily monitored as you want them to be".

 

[philbertman42]

They're not crucial enough to the server to be heavily monitored as you want them to be

My idea wasn't so much the fact that a whitelist would allow us to monitor them better, though that is an additional (and somewhat unintentional) product of it. The main takeaway is that an application would allow the animal whitelist users to be given more benefits with their animals, because they'd be applying for their perks, not just purchasing them outright.

 

[NoZinth]

My idea wasn't so much the fact that a whitelist would allow us to monitor them better, though that is an additional (and somewhat unintentional) product of it. The main takeaway is that an application would allow the animal whitelist users to be given more benefits with their animals, because they'd be applying for their perks, not just purchasing them outright.

This would still be pay to win as the people are purchasing the animal whitelist with IRL money. If that's the idea unfortunately this isn't allowed by Mojang themselves.

 

[Nylu]

This would still be pay to win as the people are purchasing the animal whitelist with IRL money. If that's the idea unfortunately this isn't allowed by Mojang themselves.

^^^^^^^^

and if kimi/duckings were to remove the option to purchase a whitelist and make people have to apply would be unfair to those who have previously purchased it

-1

 

[Prizebox]

-1
I would prefer for those who have gotten their animal whitelist taken 2 or more times to get blacklisted from purchasing it again.

 

[ethxx.ltd]

-1
I think this is a ok idea but what about those with multiple whitelists as I have 3 a raccoon, dolphin, and frog. Would I have to apply for all 3 of those whitelist to continue using them? and would I have stricter rules to follow if i don’t go thru the application? It already is hard to play as a animal on srp like with a dolphin, all i do is squeak and i’m limited to when i can play it. by adding this it would just make it harder and less people would want to become a animal therefore limiting the diversity of animals to humans on srp.

another point is if they just pick to do applications causing it to be free, i’d find that unfair as many people have already spent money on this and if like some money back if this were to happen