+Mod, Update, Poll

[Amethyst]

Firstly! As many of you have by now surely noticed, and at the requests and recommendations of several of our members over the past few weeks- Ikaru has been promoted to a moderator. Congratulations to him. His position is to be welcomed with respect by all, especially considering a number of members had specifically said that he would fill the position well.

As a similar note, I want to remind the members and the moderators both of something regarding the automod- It is not intended to replace the job of a moderator. It was originally created just to be turned on when mods could not stay over night- so, there is no reason that it should be left on during the hours when staff is active. In this sense, the mods themselves should be more embraced, as members would no longer be suspect to the automod's unrelenting (though sometimes humorous) judgment. I realize that I am in part responsible for breaking this paradigm, and I apologize. It will be soon remedied.

On to more interesting things:

In regards to Reborn League-

We DO have Julia back. We also have her replacement to consider, and having introduced him to the behind-the-scenes of Reborn, I'm not entirely sure what to do with him now. We'll see how this turns out...

Many people have been worried about their previous registrations. Do not worry- All challengers will be allowed to re-register their teams completely, without penalty to their existing badges. Trainer cards and the like will be updated as well. HOWEVER, do NOT do this YET. I will make an announcement at some future time with instructions detailing when and how to do this.

One thing to keep in mind when you register your teams is that they need to be able to adapt to all kinds of battles. Gym leaders can and will challenge you to single, double, triple and rotation battles. Be ready for these. This may seem unfair, however consider that with each generation a multitype team's over all strength increases at a greater amount than any given monotype team can, by nature. The increased variety in styles is critical to allowing each type to make the most of its potential, thereby balancing the challenges.

Gym leader ranks will reshuffle before the league reopens. This seems intuitive due to the shifting power of the types. Oh- speaking of re-opening: The league will re-activate after Rotation battles are introduced to the client (provided they are not delayed for much longer) and triple battles and such glitches are further ironed out. I am seeking audience with Coyote to get an approximate date on this event- among other things- and will relay this as soon as I do.

One more thing- I'm looking for somebody to help Kitty with trainer cards, at least for the transition to 5th gen teams because a lot of cards will need to be changed. The ideal candidate has done spriting before, has some FTP experience, is open to learning to use a new program, active, mature, has Skype, and is willing to put up with a very tedious process, because as Kitty can attest to these cards are seldom a quick affair. I don't expect anyone to meet all of these conditions especially the first two, but if you are interested, please contact me through PM on the site or server. Both current staff and normal members will be considered for this job.

And my final point this evening is in three questions for your consideration and the benefit of the site. I was going to make this a poll, but then I realized that in a poll you need to already have possible answers- which I do not.

Anyway,

#1- What do you want to see from Reborn?

The question was raised by one of our staff last night that the only thing we have to offer people now is the leagues (and currently not even those!) SO, what ideas do you have of other things we might be able to offer? Note, in the past we have only also done regular themed tournaments, and those could be revived again, to a point. Or what else? I want ideas, people!

#2- Would you be interested in Reborn starting a Featured Pokemon column?

With 5th gen being fresh on the chopping block, now is the time to start articles relating to it before anyone else has marked their territory. Would this be interesting to people, and if so, what sort of things should we be sure to include?

#3- Note the side bar to the left. What do you want from this?

Aside from fixing its collapsibility- which I intend to have Hyperlisk help me with at some point. Given that the affiliate section must stay, what parts of it do you ignore? Which do you use? Is there something that needs to be put on there? I know I personally use the Reborn League links all the time, though that's just because I'm admin- and the log in is very nifty. Does anyone care about the "Go To" section?

Feed me your opinions. I will eat them and grow stronger. Rawr.

[Ninpen]

#1: A more dedicated tournament feature, as well as more outreach to the other forums; it's the only way we can grow. Obviously, this will be aided once the leagues start again, but a forum war (A legitimate one, not just the farce against TeamNeo) against one of the more popular servers would be a great way to get our names out there. Let the members propose tournament ideas, to get our community semi-revitalized. Also. IMPLEMENT THE ENGLISH ONLY RULE. NAO.

#2: I believe that the featured pokezeman idea is a pretty cool one, another way to distinguish us from other servers. (And I humbly submit my candidacy to write it. :3)

#3: 'Go to' is never used. Get rid of it. Beyond that, it's nice how it is. Maybe a link to +Infinitas would be nice, but I like how it is.

[Miss Kitty]

Doc, no matter what, we're always going to have people who don't speak english in the room. As annoying as that is, we can't really do anything about it... And we shouldn't be rude about it, either.

[Ninpen]

Noes. I refusez to agree.

Bleh.

[Bullet]

1- Meh, what really can we have?

2- Sounds like a pretty good idea(I'd do it =D)

3- There's a sidebar? O_o

[Amethyst]

...Bullet the side-bar is the thing... to the left side... That says "Go To: Download Reborn PO, Member Info, Member Links, Reborn League, etc..."

[N8theGr8]

1. Especially with the League not being on, more tourneys is always a good thing. I understand that we were taking a break, but it's been like 1.5 months now. Restart them, and also, I'd be willing to just throw together some unofficial ones with no prizes, aka just for fun, that are themed.

2. Featured Pokemon sounds great, a link to it can be the topic, or even a channel on Reborn to discuss it. It would need to include...

-Analysis

-Movesets

-Synergy with other Pokemon

-Some others I can't think of

Also, we could pick Pokes that appeal to us, instead of the ones that Smogon feels are most important.

3. Pffffft, I use "My Controls" to edit my signature and avatar, and rarely the PM checker. But really, PMs aren't that necessary. But yeah, the rest of it is next to NU for me.

Also, I'd be more than willing to help make cards (I've brought this up multiple times before). I have all of the "perfect candidate" qualities you listed except some FTP experience, but I have a lot of spare time (usually), and I'm sure I'd have no trouble learning. Also, I'm not sure that I'd fit as mature. :3

[AZKnight]

#1: I agree with bringing back the tournaments as they are a great way for everyone battle, which after all is the entire point of Pokemon. Definitely not as frequent as they were before because that was part of what killed it. When we had them every week, there was nothing special to them. If they were to be every 2-4 weeks, depending on the type of tournaments, that would be great. More time for the intricate and in-depth ones, short time frame for quick, fun tournaments. On the forums I would like to see more discussion of Pokemon with the metagame, the games themselves, strategies, etc. Just more talking with depth to it. The Featured Pokemon Column would fill this. The other thing would be some sort of character development. Not necessarily RP, but something where people can chronicle their Pokemon Persona. Design a Poke Ranch, writing stories, competition between characters, really create the fictional world of Reborn.

#2: All for this idea. Just make sure to keep things mixed up, like not focusing purely on OU Pokemon. Then once in a while doing specials like "Gimmick Pokemon" and "In-Game Builds." I don't know if this should be individual where people rotate writing the articles to keep it fresh, or if it should be a group or committee deal. Either way, would love to see this happen as it would give us more credibility as a site and group.

#3: I can't think of anything. I only use a few of the features like "Mark all posts 'read'", My Controls and sometimes the Leader schedule. Don't know what should be added to it as I don't really use it for convenience.

I'll also throw my hat into the ring about helping with the trainer cards. Ame has seen the cards I've done and while they are different from what Kitty does, I have experience in the field. Besides, doing tedious sprite work is how I used to unwind at night.

[Stein]

I'd like to help Kitty in anyway possible! I know art programs and can easily do things like trainer cards, I would just need the specifications and snuff <3

[Mashew]

#1- What do you want to see from Reborn?

Well.. More Tourneys would be nice they were fun cause we had one every weekend with different themes and prizes. We could also set up some sort of tutor thingie for newbies that come to Reborn looking for help.

#2- Would you be interested in Reborn starting a Featured Pokemon column?

With this I say dooo eeet!!! it should include original characters and situations.

#3- Note the side bar to the left. What do you want from this?

>> didn't we get asked this? I use most of everything. and Will seems to use all of it at least thats what he said last time you asked lol

[Ikaru]

First off, thanks everyone for the apparent recommendations and such; I really had no idea it was coming o.o

After meeting all the leaders that I have, I actually can decide on which ones I like and which ones I don't; that said, I'm excited for the league to restart now <3

#1- What do you want to see from Reborn?

I for one have no real complaints, but, more big tournaments like Doc's would definitely be interesting as well as a few unofficial ones in between; I wasn't around for any of the older ones, so, that opinion might be a little skewed... In regards to all the drama and "trolling" and whatnot, I don't quite think it can really be stopped entirely, but, it would be nice to have less people leaving because "things have changed"...

Oh and, see above.

#2- Would you be interested in Reborn starting a Featured Pokemon column?

I'd be able to write about the Pokes I always use, so sure. Granted Smogon's already way ahead of us; I for one expected that anyway, so meh.

#3- Note the side bar to the left. What do you want from this?

Well... it's not bad as is, but, more stuff is used by some than others; I know I used it to get the Reborn PO downloaded...couldn't find it normally. Also, I dunno where to check PMs other than using the link there, so, if anything I say keep it as is.