What Changes Would You Like To See [Important]

Age : 28 Posts : 488

RukaAyaka wrote:: We wouldn't really need to read every topic (theoretically)

The last Naruto RP site I was in had this little thing like a newstrip which posted interesting stuff as they happened 5-6 at a time. The responsibility was on the eval mods to do that, if a mod reads something about something in the village there's a small heads up about it. In this case there could be a topic for every village in the Administration category where interesting developments would go. For example after evaling a topic where the forest goes down the mod goes:

"This and this guy just burned down Konohagakure forest, somebody should like go kill them or capture them alive and get like 10 AF or something."

It would be up to Eval (or some new kind of mod) mod to decide over stuff like small rewards for participating in these small plots and they would eventually go away and be changed from the topic by other small plots.

Then again the site totally went down in flames so maybe it's not a great idea to copy it... :/

I strongly agree with this.

It could be one topic in the Announcements section, and each post would feature important events in each village. The announcements don't have to be long, either, just 2-3 sentences of what happened, as Ruka suggested. It's better if it is in one topic all together, so we don't have to run around the forum to read what's new in each village. Of course we would have to decide that if, for instance, something major in Konoha happened, would Ninja in Kumo know about it? (like burning down a forest Razz

) It would be easy to metagame knowledge with this, so maybe the Eval mod can add a tag or just say that everyone IC can know this, or only Ninjas of that particular village.

And only major events should be mentioned, like deaths of Kage, or coups, or destroying buildings, dangerous movements/actions of Nukenins; not Mark met Kyle over a bowl of ramen, yay.

I also agree with the giving of points, which Ruka suggested. Especially if it's in the same village, a Ninja could easily join that topic and stop (or help Razz

) the other person. Perhaps if that topic is featured in the "news" and is a private topic, it stops being a private topic? Otherwise no one could join the topic in order to prevent/help the other person.

Age : 29 Posts : 1688

Sort of stumbled upon this...
Why not...

I'll start off by saying that I agree with nearly everything proposed here; though I think that Izaya may have an incomplete idea, and one I don't fully agree with. But that's being addressed by others in full, so I'll not spend my time with that. Instead, I'll focus on what I think is the most important change to be made. In truth, I think Naruto is a dying breed, seeing as the anime is coming to a close, and the member base is thus also dwindling. That said, there's a way to keep this place going by doing what most here are asking for. Developing a more interactive IC world for the members to roleplay in. And that's all good and great to suggest, but I have yet to see many grand ideas on exactly how to do that - at least, that was the truth until I saw mention of the newsletter idea. Spreading news of IC events would be a great way to encourage more interactive play. Opening most all of the restrictions here would also help a lot. I mean a lot.

In my time away, I've been on numerous other RP sites of differing genres, and I was awe struck to find the level of trust on other sites. The more limitation you place, the more you find people grinding with the rules. Get rid of the current jutsu limitations; I mean, make people more able to use jutsu of various specs, make them more powerful, and easier to obtain. The best way to garner interest, now that the anime is coming to a close, is to really give back to the members. Honestly, this site has not really had much an issue with aggressive [IC] gamers. Deaths are rare, and real fights are as well. Even despite this, when you look at jutsu here, it's nothing but a joke. So many speculations, and misconstrued logic. If you raise the level of RP here, make it epic, adventurous, and out going, the member base will thrive that much more, I'd assume. All of a sudden, character options would become much more interesting, and the shackles would be removed.

Make NPC kages already, gosh darnit. This would solve two huge issues. One, the most obvious one, being that of inactivity. In an instant, you'd have "active" kages who can be controlled by staff [assuming the staff member has permission to do so, blah blah, etc]. In an instant, you release the stress of having to justify a kage's death, and another kage's appointment. That whole issue is removed entirely. Second, and just as vital, the staff would be able to create a much more interactive environment. Instantly, all of the country leaders are being RP'd be the same group, and thus synchronicity goes way up. Events become much more easy, and general plotting between the villages becomes easier with it. Chuunin exams, random events, missions, and RP in general between every area would be much more accessible. Lastly, it'd be easier to upkeep events, seeing as any member of staff could pick up and continue a kage's plot progression in an event after discussing the direction at which they'll take in their post. Easy peezy, lemon squeezey.

Hmmmmmm.
Yeah.

Age : 32 Posts : 1178

Strawberry wrote:

RukaAyaka wrote:: We wouldn't really need to read every topic (theoretically)

The last Naruto RP site I was in had this little thing like a newstrip which posted interesting stuff as they happened 5-6 at a time. The responsibility was on the eval mods to do that, if a mod reads something about something in the village there's a small heads up about it. In this case there could be a topic for every village in the Administration category where interesting developments would go. For example after evaling a topic where the forest goes down the mod goes:

"This and this guy just burned down Konohagakure forest, somebody should like go kill them or capture them alive and get like 10 AF or something."

It would be up to Eval (or some new kind of mod) mod to decide over stuff like small rewards for participating in these small plots and they would eventually go away and be changed from the topic by other small plots.

Then again the site totally went down in flames so maybe it's not a great idea to copy it... :/

I strongly agree with this.

It could be one topic in the Announcements section, and each post would feature important events in each village. The announcements don't have to be long, either, just 2-3 sentences of what happened, as Ruka suggested. It's better if it is in one topic all together, so we don't have to run around the forum to read what's new in each village. Of course we would have to decide that if, for instance, something major in Konoha happened, would Ninja in Kumo know about it? (like burning down a forest Razz

) It would be easy to metagame knowledge with this, so maybe the Eval mod can add a tag or just say that everyone IC can know this, or only Ninjas of that particular village.

And only major events should be mentioned, like deaths of Kage, or coups, or destroying buildings, dangerous movements/actions of Nukenins; not Mark met Kyle over a bowl of ramen, yay.

I also agree with the giving of points, which Ruka suggested. Especially if it's in the same village, a Ninja could easily join that topic and stop (or help Razz

) the other person. Perhaps if that topic is featured in the "news" and is a private topic, it stops being a private topic? Otherwise no one could join the topic in order to prevent/help the other person.

I'm siding with these strong and confident women who don't need no man.

Age : 29 Posts : 1688

The issue with news, honestly, is that it'll require more staff work. And while I still think it'd be worth a shot, I can see it only adding to whatever inactivity is already going on. Random idea. Make another group called the "Section Leaders." Members, without any actual mod powers, who more or less cultivate these various things. Could be a totally shitty idea, wouldn't be my first, but it'd be a way to get these motivated members involved, should they wish, without having to go through the screening process of choosing staff members who actually have staff power. This way, even some of the more controversial members [because let's be honest, there are certainly members here with great potential yield, but who will never be made mods/admins for valid reasons] can help organize and run things!

Age : 32 Posts : 1178

It's not a completely shitty idea, seeing as various people could do that kind of work, including the Kage themselves.

Age : 29 Posts : 1797

Fix the economy, Obama.

Age : 28 Posts : 3145

Regarding Zack's ideas:

Naruto as a dying breed - fact is, there are many sites out there, active sites, which are based on shows (tv, anime) or even books, that are still very much going strong. There are still Bleach sites, despite the anime ending, Firefly sites, Heroes sites, Twilight sites (best roleplaying experience ever) and others. The end of the anime doesn't mean that people stop wanting to roleplay. The fact that quite a large chunk of the member-base on US hasn't even caught up with the manga, is proof of that.

Quote :: If you raise the level of RP here, make it epic, adventurous, and out going,

How does one achieve that?

NPC Kages - fact of the matter is, that if you have more than one person roleplaying the same character, you're going to see inconsistencies. Many inconsistencies. The Kage will no longer be a character you can interact with, but more so a general symbol of authority, run by someone from the staff. He/she will be a glorified approval stamp, a background to topics. What happens when someone wants to become the Kage? Is that not possible anymore? Also, what happens when the staff begin to disagree on how the Kage should be played? Or what happens, when the staff member who normally plays the Kage goes away? If you have 3 NPC Kages and 3 eval mods (eval mods being the people who tend to do this kind of stuff), then isn't it logical to assume that each mod will have a Kage each? On top of a character or two that they already own. On top of eval duties.

The problem isn't that the staff want to do an event and the person playing the Kage says no to that idea. The problem is that the staff have no events. I'm sure if the staff wanted to organise a Chuunin Exam or a festival etc., all the kages would all be happy to have it hosted in their village.

And anyway, the Kage is always someone from the staff, so it's not like they're not aware of what is expected of them or what the staff would like to do with their village.

Age : 28 Posts : 488

Kite wrote:: The other thing that could be changed is the three topic limit. Once again this is a policy that punishes active members by limiting them in the number of topics they can be in. As I stated above, if someone happens to end up in a topic with someone who vanishes or slows down considerably then they are pretty much locked in unless they abandon the topic. It's a needlessly strict policy, just like the traveling system and both should be done away with or adjusted to be more flexible.

Sooo, is this going to be a thing, or what?

Age : 28 Posts : 488

Strawberry wrote:

Kite wrote:: The other thing that could be changed is the three topic limit. Once again this is a policy that punishes active members by limiting them in the number of topics they can be in. As I stated above, if someone happens to end up in a topic with someone who vanishes or slows down considerably then they are pretty much locked in unless they abandon the topic. It's a needlessly strict policy, just like the traveling system and both should be done away with or adjusted to be more flexible.

Sooo, is this going to be a thing, or what?

I very much insist that this be addressed.

Posts : 123

As well as the topic limit, Traveling time could be reduced? I mean, waiting a whole day ooc? Is that necessary? A few hours at max, 4 or so, would be effective.

Posts : 757

On a site where topics can have massive time gaps before they are completed, (sometimes weeks or months!) the travel system is too harsh on people that want to write. 48 hours is an unreasonable amount of wait time to travel to any country, because all travel is 48 hours when going from Fire/Lightning/Water country.

Plus, why is OOC time taken into account when traveling? Why should OOC effect IC in this manner?

Why is there a penalty for wanting to travel and explore?

Age : 109 Posts : 179

Um... more site-wide events?

Age : 28 Posts : 56

The main problem this site faces is stagnation, a lack of stuff to do will cause inactivity and all around boredom. This can be fixed by having more active members and more stuff for said members to do.

I see something like 1, maybe 2 applications accepted a week, needless to say that's a lot of fresh blood, you just need to find a way to make them invested in the site and keep them that way.

I know that there is already a system for teams of genin, if you use a more effective means of putting new members into these teams and keeping them there then they have a more organized format for roleplaying. Having a group to do missions and social topics with encourages more frequent and regular rp'ing, and in doing so builds a larger investment in the site for the newbies.

You could encourage this by having some sort of panel on the portal detailing teams awaiting members and what village they are in, honestly I don't really care what village I'm in as long as I have something to do, so if you say to the newbies something like "Hey, there is a team that needs a third member over in Konoha, make your character in that village and go join them", chances are they'll listen. Then, through whatever means you want, make it official, join up 3 members and tell them to do missions together, it isn't even necessary to have a complete team or even a sensei, the commitment that is created to an official team will further invest new members into the site.

Another way to make the entire process of ranking up your character more exciting is the chuunin exams. Having an official event every couple of months or so where all eligible genin travel to one village and duke it out sounds like a heap of fun, it will facilitate meaningful roleplay between players who were previously separated by villages, just make sure that at the end of it, unless somebody dies or gets their ass completely handed to them, more or less everyone is allowed to rank up.

Finally, and most importantly, Worldwide events, seriously, they bring everyone together in a meaningful, interesting series of events, and the players get to influence the continued plot however they can. the sites previous Setting the stage group of missions is already a great method of doing it, just make the events more regular. The only thing I can really see stopping us from doing this would be a lack of interesting ideas for the plot, in that case, the staff need only ask the community for input, this is a site full of roleplayers, the amount of creative potential we have here is amazing.

One factor limiting all these systems would be inactive players, the solution for this is rather simple, if a member goes inactive they are given a time limit to resume activity, based on how important the topic is. If they fail to meet this deadline, rather then terminate the topic, a staff member intervenes and roleplays the character to the best of their ability, and then quietly has the characters throat slit by a random mugger. Problem solved.

So yeah that's my input, I hoper you guys can find something decent in there.

Age : 28 Posts : 488

Strawberry wrote:

Kite wrote:: The other thing that could be changed is the three topic limit. Once again this is a policy that punishes active members by limiting them in the number of topics they can be in. As I stated above, if someone happens to end up in a topic with someone who vanishes or slows down considerably then they are pretty much locked in unless they abandon the topic. It's a needlessly strict policy, just like the traveling system and both should be done away with or adjusted to be more flexible.

Sooo, is this going to be a thing, or what?

I very much insist that this be addressed.

I am going to be reposting this until someone from the Admins addresses this matter. I also add the request for the travel time to be reduced/done away with completely.

Age : 32 Posts : 1178

Strawberry wrote:

Kite wrote:: The other thing that could be changed is the three topic limit. Once again this is a policy that punishes active members by limiting them in the number of topics they can be in. As I stated above, if someone happens to end up in a topic with someone who vanishes or slows down considerably then they are pretty much locked in unless they abandon the topic. It's a needlessly strict policy, just like the traveling system and both should be done away with or adjusted to be more flexible.

Sooo, is this going to be a thing, or what?

I very much insist that this be addressed.

I am going to be reposting this until someone from the Admins addresses this matter. I also add the request for the travel time to be reduced/done away with completely.

I agree that the travel time should just be one day, no matter if it's a neighboring country or not. I get how it doesn't make sense IC, but OOC wise, it makes traveling less of a drag. As for the three topic limit, I guess that could be made to be more flexible, though 3/4 threads should be enough.

Age : 28 Posts : 488

Why should there be ANY limit on topics? I really fail to see the point, it's ridiculous. This rule only serves to put restraints on the writers. So what if you have 10 topics? Better than being stuck in 3 you can't finish because the other person is too busy/lazy to reply. Or even when you're rping by yourself, you sometimes don't feel inspired anymore for that particular topic. With the 3 limit rule you HAVE to finish it, because then you can't RP something else, and then, as a result, you end up pressing out 2-3 shitty posts, which ruins the topic, which ruins the grade you'll get. Who cares about the grade, what's worse is you feel unsettled and disappointed in yourself because you know you can do better, but this stupid rule puts pressure on you to finish something you have no inspiration for anymore AT THE MOMENT. Okay so, then you're stuck with two choices: finish the topic under pressure, which will make it horrible and rushed, or just don't start a new topic to get inspiration flowing again? Dude, this is fucked up.

And the waiting rule on travelling is like telling writers that it's a BAD thing that they're travelling and INTERACTING WITH OTHER PEOPLE. Hello? Rping site?

Age : 31 Posts : 1495

Strawberry wrote:: Why should there be ANY limit on topics? I really fail to see the point, it's ridiculous. This rule only serves to put restraints on the writers. So what if you have 10 topics? Better than being stuck in 3 you can't finish because the other person is too busy/lazy to reply. Or even when you're rping by yourself, you sometimes don't feel inspired anymore for that particular topic. With the 3 limit rule you HAVE to finish it, because then you can't RP something else, and then, as a result, you end up pressing out 2-3 shitty posts, which ruins the topic, which ruins the grade you'll get. Who cares about the grade, what's worse is you feel unsettled and disappointed in yourself because you know you can do better, but this stupid rule puts pressure on you to finish something you have no inspiration for anymore AT THE MOMENT. Okay so, then you're stuck with two choices: finish the topic under pressure, which will make it horrible and rushed, or just don't start a new topic to get inspiration flowing again? Dude, this is fucked up.

And the waiting rule on travelling is like telling writers that it's a BAD thing that they're travelling and INTERACTING WITH OTHER PEOPLE. Hello? Rping site?

I agree with whatever Strawbs says.

Strawberry wrote:: Why should there be ANY limit on topics? I really fail to see the point, it's ridiculous. This rule only serves to put restraints on the writers. So what if you have 10 topics? Better than being stuck in 3 you can't finish because the other person is too busy/lazy to reply. Or even when you're rping by yourself, you sometimes don't feel inspired anymore for that particular topic. With the 3 limit rule you HAVE to finish it, because then you can't RP something else, and then, as a result, you end up pressing out 2-3 shitty posts, which ruins the topic, which ruins the grade you'll get. Who cares about the grade, what's worse is you feel unsettled and disappointed in yourself because you know you can do better, but this stupid rule puts pressure on you to finish something you have no inspiration for anymore AT THE MOMENT. Okay so, then you're stuck with two choices: finish the topic under pressure, which will make it horrible and rushed, or just don't start a new topic to get inspiration flowing again? Dude, this is fucked up.

Increasing the topic limit and your lack of interest in your own solo topics are 2 unrelated matters.

I’m assuming the age on your profile is accurate so I can say what I’m about to with at least some confidence that you will understand: if the other person fails to post in the topic, there are such things as contacting that member directly (PMs, Skype, etc.) to find out exactly what situation they are currently in. With their go-ahead, you are more than able to go on with or even finish the topic without them, and role-play the necessary scenes to explain that member’s absence. If that member denies your attempt at contacting them directly or fails to give an appropriate explanation for his/her absence, then you can contact the evaluation moderators, explain the issue and we’ll be able to come up with some sort of solution. If you have questions about how certain specific scenarios will be dealt with and approached, contact me directly and I’ll be happy to give you our answers.

Last time I checked, your lack of inspiration is not my problem. You, allegedly aware of the 3-topic limit, willingly decided to start said solo topic, so continuing on/finishing the topic is completely your responsibility. We’re not forcing you to finish topics – a clear indication of this can be found in the evaluation system, where it states you are allowed to request evaluations of topics with less than 3 posts (up to a certain limit). Points will be deducted accordingly, but in the end, you will end up receiving some EXP/MP.

If you do reach that limit, however, and still can’t conjure up enough inspiration to conclude the topic, then we can just void the thread and its contents. Because realistically, if you did have a brilliant idea for a solo thread, you wouldn’t be losing interest that easily. If we do reach that point where the nullification of the topic is required but you yourself are against the idea because you don’t want to void that single (or maybe 2) post(s), then we can work something out. If you do ever find yourself in that scenario, contact an evaluation moderator.

Age : 28 Posts : 3145

O_O If you started a solo topic, and can't think of a way to finish it, copy it all up into a word document, delete all the posts, and then come back to it when inspiration strikes.

That said, I'm not a fan of the topic limit.

Age : 30 Posts : 1012

Yeah the topic limit is just as it says: limiting. I'm not a fan of waiting weeks when the other person/persons won't even respond to a Skype or pm. It only shows down progress. Of you get in 5 threads and can handle it, good for you. If not, you got yourself in the situation so there is no one else to blame but yourself. No reason to be a bit harsh about the whole thing.

People are clearly against it, it's a bit up there to Stat stuff like that post( can't quote on mobile e.e) no offense or anything, but it could have be answered a bit more respectfully. As for the evaluation system, people are all voiced their opinion about change from the new one we have set as well lol.

Posts : 757

How about "If your role play partner does not post for X amount of time, X thread does not count against your limit."

I don't really think the topic limit needs to be completely lifted, it just needs to allow you to do something else if you're waiting, because that seems to be the issue. I bet the mods can easily point out the amount of people that actually need a lifted topic limit vs people who just agree that it needs to be gone entirely.

Plus, I think if you consistently role-play the mods may allow you to temporarily ignore it, or give you another thread. I've had all good experiences asking for fourth topics, which were rare though. (I do admit that I don't always seek out other people to role-play with)

"Hey, can I have a fourth topic?"
"Ya, lemme see your last one"
*links*
"Kay"

The mods want you to role-play. They want to grade your shit and tell you how sexy you are at writing.

The only thing I think that really needs to be fixed is the travel system, but it's still not that bad. And trust me, I had an argument with someone over it because I didn't understand it at first. But soon, it'll be clarified and it'll be a lot easier to use.

Plus, I bet if you started an extra topic right now and you were technically over three, no one would notice and you'd still get full points. The three topic limit is only really there to stop people from abusing the system and metagaming etc etc. It's not really there to say you can't role-play. If you're beyond three and you have a social topic or mission you wanna do with someone, I doubt anyone would care if you went over, as long as you aren't always doing it just because someone took 3 or 4 days to handle real life issues.

Age : 32 Posts : 1178

While we are on this, I would also like to bring up the whole "If someone leaves you hanging in the middle of a thread and gets skipped after almost twee weeks, you don't get punished for it".

I am bringing this up because I was also in three topics, one moving slowly because I was aware of it at the start of the thread, one moving slowly because someone left in the middle of a thread for reasons of their own.

I believe that when stuff like that happens, we should be allowed to just skip a post and continue and, if after the first skipped post, no attempt is made to post, you can make another post and end the thread. I've been stuck in so many threads here on US that it is really starting to bother me, especially when you get punished every single time for wanting to continue.

When activity and the urge to write is being punished, something is wrong.

I do however believe that we should stick to a certain amount of threads at the same time, simply because you can never really create a solid timeline if you are in 10 threads without getting conflicted. Whether people care about a personal timeline or not, it's something I personally care about quite a bit. Roleplaying gets chaotic without it.

Edit: I also think someone needs to stop the bitchy behavior right about now.

Age : 31 Posts : 1900

Since none of you can see the staff lounge, a topic has been posted by yours truly to discuss the "three post limit" rule. Please be patient.

In the meantime, can everyone stop the hostility style posting or at least bare in mind that posts may not be as hostile as some may think because text truly lacks emotions?

Text hostility almost always results in everyone getting pissed off, people pointing fingers at others (which always creates this mysterious void between members and staff), and some one almost always ends up rage quitting and leaving for about a week or two before slowly coming back ... which, by then, everyone is over it and acts like nothing happened.

Lets be realistic.
Maybe not using curse words, not coming off as hostile, and not expressing powerful emotions... would actually help you gain more attention with your point. Truthfully when I see people get all agitated, I like to ignore what they have to say. Not because I enjoy ignoring people but because I see no reason in expressing emotions as strongly as some do vs simply stating a point. The later is more... well... civilized.

On the flip side, try to show more tolerance to other folks that may come off as hostile and don't feed into their emotions. That too creates more agitation.

Now... please continue with your suggestions... with what I said in mind. I swear I am not "threatening" anyone or "telling you what to do". I'm honestly just offering a suggestion that can help everyone out here in the long run. Staff and Members both.

Age : 48 Posts : 1036

Lexi wrote:

Strawberry wrote:: Why should there be ANY limit on topics? I really fail to see the point, it's ridiculous. This rule only serves to put restraints on the writers. So what if you have 10 topics? Better than being stuck in 3 you can't finish because the other person is too busy/lazy to reply. Or even when you're rping by yourself, you sometimes don't feel inspired anymore for that particular topic. With the 3 limit rule you HAVE to finish it, because then you can't RP something else, and then, as a result, you end up pressing out 2-3 shitty posts, which ruins the topic, which ruins the grade you'll get. Who cares about the grade, what's worse is you feel unsettled and disappointed in yourself because you know you can do better, but this stupid rule puts pressure on you to finish something you have no inspiration for anymore AT THE MOMENT. Okay so, then you're stuck with two choices: finish the topic under pressure, which will make it horrible and rushed, or just don't start a new topic to get inspiration flowing again? Dude, this is fucked up.

Increasing the topic limit and your lack of interest in your own solo topics are 2 unrelated matters.

I’m assuming the age on your profile is accurate so I can say what I’m about to with at least some confidence that you will understand: if the other person fails to post in the topic, there are such things as contacting that member directly (PMs, Skype, etc.) to find out exactly what situation they are currently in. With their go-ahead, you are more than able to go on with or even finish the topic without them, and role-play the necessary scenes to explain that member’s absence. If that member denies your attempt at contacting them directly or fails to give an appropriate explanation for his/her absence, then you can contact the evaluation moderators, explain the issue and we’ll be able to come up with some sort of solution. If you have questions about how certain specific scenarios will be dealt with and approached, contact me directly and I’ll be happy to give you our answers.

Last time I checked, your lack of inspiration is not my problem. You, allegedly aware of the 3-topic limit, willingly decided to start said solo topic, so continuing on/finishing the topic is completely your responsibility. We’re not forcing you to finish topics – a clear indication of this can be found in the evaluation system, where it states you are allowed to request evaluations of topics with less than 3 posts (up to a certain limit). Points will be deducted accordingly, but in the end, you will end up receiving some EXP/MP.

If you do reach that limit, however, and still can’t conjure up enough inspiration to conclude the topic, then we can just void the thread and its contents. Because realistically, if you did have a brilliant idea for a solo thread, you wouldn’t be losing interest that easily. If we do reach that point where the nullification of the topic is required but you yourself are against the idea because you don’t want to void that single (or maybe 2) post(s), then we can work something out. If you do ever find yourself in that scenario, contact an evaluation moderator.

First, and I speak from long experience here, people who leave others hanging in the middle of a thread do NOT respond to PMs in at all a timely manner. Second, on the occasions when they do its full of promises to post which rarely are put into action.

That said the rules, which the staff seem only enforce when they feel like it or its their buddies who benefit, do say that after 3 days such a person can be skipped. Its just that the staff are too worried about being seen as "bad people" that one still has to wait weeks before an evaluator finally says "oh guess they other people aren't going to post" before you get any response.

Frankly it shouldn't be hard. If someone fails to met the deadline they get one warning and if they still don't met it then they get written out, zero points, and no way back into the thread.