Hello~! I am Arivess, the second organizer(?) of this place. Ish. Or something. I don't do much except sitting around looking cute. That aside, while Jami there does actual work, I tend to more… um. Think of ways to slack off. :D
One of these points of slackingoffery (okay, it's really to hopefully bolster membership and participation) is the implementation of minigames! (Which was… mentioned in the new features post. Which I hadn't read until now. But anyway.)
So, uh. Explanations below!
1. What are minigames?
Well, they're kinda like… Or maybe a bit like… Um, you know, like…
…like minigames?
The best way to explain them is just minigames, much like the ones present in most of the newer FF games. And some not. Okay, most not really. Some will be logic puzzles, some will be non-logic puzzles, some will be interactive games you can play with each other (think simplified versions of board games like Pictionary, Citadels, Gloom, Munchkin—what do you mean you've never heard of most of those), some will be contests (writing, icon-making, etc), and. Uh. More that I can't think of right now. All will be Final Fantasy themed.
For now, they'll take place here on the forums, about once a month. Once participation picks up, I'll up that to maybe bi-weekly, then weekly, and possibly even to twice a week.
Once FF14 ARR (ie, 2.0) hits, I'll be hosting some in-game as well, through our Free Company, like chocobo races, and… chocobo races, and… um, maybe that's all I've thought of so far. *coughs*
But they'll be fun! And entirely optional! But I'll make a sadface at anyone who doesn't participate, mmkay?
2. What do I get out of this?
OODLES AND OODLES OF SHINY THINGS.
Well, kinda, anyway.
What you get depends on the minigame, both the type, difficulty, and whether we're hosting it on the forums or in-game.
Typically speaking…
Forum Minigame: Participation points, which you can use to exchange for prizes. For the time being, the only prize I can think of is something along the lines of a drawing commission, but I'll see if I can scrounge up some better stuff. I'll come up with a tentative exchange prizes list soon, along with the first minigame.
Forum Contest: Better prizes, generally-speaking. I'll try to get something physical to give out, either a small officially-licensed product (keychain, phone charm, that kinda stuff) or an actual physical thing I can make (a small figurine, plush, keychain, buttons, etc).
Please keep in mind this is all coming out of my time/pocket, so don't expect anything too big. >.>; I'm both very poor and very busy.
In-Game Minigame: Generally speaking, gil or gear. The in-game minigames would be closer to contests, though. For example, for chocobo racing, the winning racer would get a piece of gear or some such thing, whereas non-racers can place bets and either win or lose gil.
3. Do I have to join to play?
The site/forums? Kind of. Would be hard otherwise. Or, well. You can participate, but we wouldn't track points for you unless you joined, and you wouldn't be able to enter contests.
The Linkshell or Free Company? Yes and no. There are some aspects of participation that doesn't require joining, especially if people want to meet us and see how we are, but some that do.
Taking the chocobo racing minigame as an example again, the racers need to be members of our Free Company, as setting up and learning the course takes time, and we'd need to make sure all the racers follow the rules; and really, it's a way of rewarding our own members and helping them get better at the game. However, anyone around can place bets and such, and we'll even try to make ways of letting people help or hinder the racers.
Generally, to get prize-y prizes, you do need to be a part of our group. However, just to participate and have fun (and maybe win some gil in the process), you do not.
