Guide to a Good Fixture
Posted: Sun May 02, 2021 3:03 pm
Greetings!
Good Fixture and Good Fixture Ettiquite can be broken down into several different categories and values that give the world it's flare. I've seen talk recently about how "some fixtures don't fit" or "Don't make sense", others who will willfully vandalize and deface things, or simply just put down crap.
As far as a fixture goes, There are a few criteria to making good, long lasting, or heavily impactful items that become part of server lore.
Starting with:
Originality
Is it an original piece? Did you make it yourself and if so, what do you want that piece to represent? Or did you just do some copy-paste bullcrap and paste another page and a half of Forgotten Realms Wiki-lore into a fixture and insert it.
The Originality and origin of a piece is it's heart and soul A fixture with no description is almost always worth more than a fixture that just blatantly tells you EVERYTHING you needed to know straight from a wiki (which may not even be the gospel truth, by the way). Your fixtures should tell a story, or make the observer ask a question. You should never see a fixture that just... rattles off an encyclopedia entry and if you want it to have a description, own it! Make it yours. If you are going to put it down, make sure that it tells a story or invokes intrigue in someone. Not everyone is going to appreciate it, but at the same time It will be seen by many, many people over it's existence and one day it may even incorperate into lore somehow.
Purpose
Does this fixture serve a purpose? Is it a Local Purpose, or does it have the makings of standing a test of time. IF you put down a fixture, please be courteous to your neighbors and when you're done with it, pick it back up. Noone likes seeing a row of unnamed, base description tents lining a road and be told "Oh, thats 'X,Y,Z"'s camp, don't disturb!!!". And Just renaming a set of fixtures to impose a camp does not a camp make.
Case in point, the difference between Camp Young and Camp Solarheart in the Heartwood Forest. Both camps were firmly established with an elaborate point to their creation, however when it came time to... Do... something with the camps, one camp was used and people visited frequently, the other... was pretty much just a set of flagposts. If you set up an RP hub, ensure it is used. Otherwise, it becomes a blight. When you're finished, break it down and take care of your temporary fixtures.
Other great examples of excellent Purpose would be Festival fixtures like the Myonian Festivals, or the Cordor Art Exhibits. Great examples of long standing, purpose RP fixtures to leave in place would be alot of the old lore Druid Menhirs, Statues (where tasteful), Altars in special locations.
Creative Community
However, following having Originality and Purpose, fixtures need creativity. Especially items that are meant to be left behind and you want to design them to remain. Y ou have to give people a reason to let them stay. Placing what in your mind is a 'permenant' fixture and being upset because someone tore down your work of art isn't fair to you or them. You can't expect that just because you put it there, doesn't mean others won't see it the same way and tear it back down.
Be creative and Involve People. Don't just slap down a bunch of random bookshelves and call it a library. Make a Fixture farm of 30 potted plants and call it a garden. Ask for help, express interest, hell Create a faction and hire people! Get people involved and use your and their creativity to make something. Express that creativity through clever wordings, riddles and phrases, or historic value.
Did a character (not only your own) fight a great battle here and need to be recognized? Did a plague happen? Did Wharftown really deserve to get map-wiped? Referring back to originality, don't just copy and paste something into a description. Take the time to make it beautiful, make it ugly. Hell, make it the most disgusting and wretching fixture out there (thank you burin). Creativity makes for great outlets, and can make your fixture stand out, from 10 tents called a camp.
Good Fixture and Good Fixture Ettiquite can be broken down into several different categories and values that give the world it's flare. I've seen talk recently about how "some fixtures don't fit" or "Don't make sense", others who will willfully vandalize and deface things, or simply just put down crap.
As far as a fixture goes, There are a few criteria to making good, long lasting, or heavily impactful items that become part of server lore.
Starting with:
Originality
Is it an original piece? Did you make it yourself and if so, what do you want that piece to represent? Or did you just do some copy-paste bullcrap and paste another page and a half of Forgotten Realms Wiki-lore into a fixture and insert it.
The Originality and origin of a piece is it's heart and soul A fixture with no description is almost always worth more than a fixture that just blatantly tells you EVERYTHING you needed to know straight from a wiki (which may not even be the gospel truth, by the way). Your fixtures should tell a story, or make the observer ask a question. You should never see a fixture that just... rattles off an encyclopedia entry and if you want it to have a description, own it! Make it yours. If you are going to put it down, make sure that it tells a story or invokes intrigue in someone. Not everyone is going to appreciate it, but at the same time It will be seen by many, many people over it's existence and one day it may even incorperate into lore somehow.
Purpose
Does this fixture serve a purpose? Is it a Local Purpose, or does it have the makings of standing a test of time. IF you put down a fixture, please be courteous to your neighbors and when you're done with it, pick it back up. Noone likes seeing a row of unnamed, base description tents lining a road and be told "Oh, thats 'X,Y,Z"'s camp, don't disturb!!!". And Just renaming a set of fixtures to impose a camp does not a camp make.
Case in point, the difference between Camp Young and Camp Solarheart in the Heartwood Forest. Both camps were firmly established with an elaborate point to their creation, however when it came time to... Do... something with the camps, one camp was used and people visited frequently, the other... was pretty much just a set of flagposts. If you set up an RP hub, ensure it is used. Otherwise, it becomes a blight. When you're finished, break it down and take care of your temporary fixtures.
Other great examples of excellent Purpose would be Festival fixtures like the Myonian Festivals, or the Cordor Art Exhibits. Great examples of long standing, purpose RP fixtures to leave in place would be alot of the old lore Druid Menhirs, Statues (where tasteful), Altars in special locations.
Creative Community
However, following having Originality and Purpose, fixtures need creativity. Especially items that are meant to be left behind and you want to design them to remain. Y ou have to give people a reason to let them stay. Placing what in your mind is a 'permenant' fixture and being upset because someone tore down your work of art isn't fair to you or them. You can't expect that just because you put it there, doesn't mean others won't see it the same way and tear it back down.
Be creative and Involve People. Don't just slap down a bunch of random bookshelves and call it a library. Make a Fixture farm of 30 potted plants and call it a garden. Ask for help, express interest, hell Create a faction and hire people! Get people involved and use your and their creativity to make something. Express that creativity through clever wordings, riddles and phrases, or historic value.
Did a character (not only your own) fight a great battle here and need to be recognized? Did a plague happen? Did Wharftown really deserve to get map-wiped? Referring back to originality, don't just copy and paste something into a description. Take the time to make it beautiful, make it ugly. Hell, make it the most disgusting and wretching fixture out there (thank you burin). Creativity makes for great outlets, and can make your fixture stand out, from 10 tents called a camp.