Post by Survivor Guy 886 on Oct 25, 2009 15:04:10 GMT -5
Ah, Online Survivor 2. I still remember the day this game began. I got up, refereed a youth basketball league at my school, came home, ate, left to have my senior portraits done, then worried I would not return home in time to start the game. In short, I did, but this game marked a pivotal point in my life. I would graduate High School between Days 30 and 31 of the game, and begin a painful transition into college life. But I digress...
Online Survivor 2 began only six days after season 1 ended. I put significantly more work into this game, and added numerous changes to ensure there wouldn't be a repeat in low quality. I knew there was one major change I had to make: More challenges. Season 1 had only Immunity Challenges, and it was time to up the ante a bit.
I still did not know how to hand out rewards online, so I began by adding a "Point" system (After this season, it would be changed to an "SP", or "Survivor Point", system due to the confusion about which "points" you were referring to in challenges). The point system awarded points to those who won Reward Challenges. Whoever possessed more points would receive small advantages in challenges and the absent juror votes at the end of the game, adding a brand new layer of strategy to consider.
However, I went a little overboard when it came to challenges. In addition to Immunity and Reward Challenges, "Point-Reward Challenges" (In future seasons, "SP-Reward Challenge" and then "SP Challenge"), were added. A point-reward challenge was played WITHIN a tribe, either cooperative or competitive, for a small amount of points (no more than 10), while a Reward Challenge was for a more substantial amount of points. These challenges were played on any non-Reward Challenge day, meaning that some days had TWO challenges. A little crazy.
Another major change this season was the addition of the alternate rule. It stated that, between Days 6-27, if at the end of a three-day cycle your attendance was below 50%, you would be ejected from the game and replaced with a new player. That new player would inherit all of your stats, and be given enough time to recover from your horrible attendance. Therefore, even though there were only 16 "slots" in the game, 22 people actually competed in all, making it the largest cast in Survivor history. After this experiment, it was determined that it was unfair for people to enter the game so late and still have an opportunity to win; so, with the exception of one alternate in OLS3, it was abandoned after this season.
As for the season itself, it was much better than the first. Although the attendance was still somewhat low (45%), it was still a major improvement over Online Survivor 1 (31%). The improved attendance, along with multiple interesting characters, made it actually resemble a game, as opposed to the "who can show up" contest of its predecessor.
This game took place during the game / reality show explosion of the early 00s. Therefore, a large majority of the challenges were based on these shows. You'll find a nostalgic mix of current greats, as well as failed game and reality shows you may have forgotten about. It's a fantastic trip down memory lane.
As far as the episodes themselves, Online Survivor 2 marked the start of a format used through season 8. You'll find new features like recaps and previews, as well as independent pages more dedicated to major events, as opposed to several things being thrown on one page.
If you're a video game fan, make sure your speakers are on and turned up. Although season 1 had one video game theme on the main page (Donkey Kong Country - Ice Caves), the majority of the episodes had no music, with the occasional bland Survivor sound effect. Starting with this season, I began adding background music for major events from a plethora of sources including video games, movies, and game shows. From the main page's mysterious Shevat Theme to the Last Words' incredibly sad Aeris Theme, you'll find plenty of tunes to take you back to your childhood, if you're not still there. Although I did not start doing "themes" until season 4, appropriate music has been pulled from all sorts of different genres. In case you're wondering, the key for the recurring pages is listed below...
Main Page = Xenogears - Shevat
Recap/Preview = Bomberman 64 - Opening
Theme = Mega Man X - Storm Eagle
Tribal Council = Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask - Final Night
Voting = Donkey Kong Country 2 - Hot Head Hop
Voteout = Mega Man X - Storm Eagle (Slow Version)
Last Words = Final Fantasy VII - Aeris' Theme
I admit some of the tunes will not make sense or be annoying, but at the time I tried to pick something as appropriate as possible. I must confess I've become much better at it over the years. I'd ask you at least attempt listening to each background music. If it becomes annoying, there's always the mute button, but at least try; I put a lot of work into selecting the tunes back then, lol.
In closing, Online Survivor 2 wasn't great, but it wasn't that bad either. If you didn't like season 1, give this one a try to see just how much it improved. If you're still waiting for Online Survivor 3 and the true start of the series, then fine, I'll see you in a month. But for those of you watching OLS2 with me, please start posting your thoughts to get this forum rolling. I look forward to your comments.
Online Survivor 2 began only six days after season 1 ended. I put significantly more work into this game, and added numerous changes to ensure there wouldn't be a repeat in low quality. I knew there was one major change I had to make: More challenges. Season 1 had only Immunity Challenges, and it was time to up the ante a bit.
I still did not know how to hand out rewards online, so I began by adding a "Point" system (After this season, it would be changed to an "SP", or "Survivor Point", system due to the confusion about which "points" you were referring to in challenges). The point system awarded points to those who won Reward Challenges. Whoever possessed more points would receive small advantages in challenges and the absent juror votes at the end of the game, adding a brand new layer of strategy to consider.
However, I went a little overboard when it came to challenges. In addition to Immunity and Reward Challenges, "Point-Reward Challenges" (In future seasons, "SP-Reward Challenge" and then "SP Challenge"), were added. A point-reward challenge was played WITHIN a tribe, either cooperative or competitive, for a small amount of points (no more than 10), while a Reward Challenge was for a more substantial amount of points. These challenges were played on any non-Reward Challenge day, meaning that some days had TWO challenges. A little crazy.
Another major change this season was the addition of the alternate rule. It stated that, between Days 6-27, if at the end of a three-day cycle your attendance was below 50%, you would be ejected from the game and replaced with a new player. That new player would inherit all of your stats, and be given enough time to recover from your horrible attendance. Therefore, even though there were only 16 "slots" in the game, 22 people actually competed in all, making it the largest cast in Survivor history. After this experiment, it was determined that it was unfair for people to enter the game so late and still have an opportunity to win; so, with the exception of one alternate in OLS3, it was abandoned after this season.
As for the season itself, it was much better than the first. Although the attendance was still somewhat low (45%), it was still a major improvement over Online Survivor 1 (31%). The improved attendance, along with multiple interesting characters, made it actually resemble a game, as opposed to the "who can show up" contest of its predecessor.
This game took place during the game / reality show explosion of the early 00s. Therefore, a large majority of the challenges were based on these shows. You'll find a nostalgic mix of current greats, as well as failed game and reality shows you may have forgotten about. It's a fantastic trip down memory lane.
As far as the episodes themselves, Online Survivor 2 marked the start of a format used through season 8. You'll find new features like recaps and previews, as well as independent pages more dedicated to major events, as opposed to several things being thrown on one page.
If you're a video game fan, make sure your speakers are on and turned up. Although season 1 had one video game theme on the main page (Donkey Kong Country - Ice Caves), the majority of the episodes had no music, with the occasional bland Survivor sound effect. Starting with this season, I began adding background music for major events from a plethora of sources including video games, movies, and game shows. From the main page's mysterious Shevat Theme to the Last Words' incredibly sad Aeris Theme, you'll find plenty of tunes to take you back to your childhood, if you're not still there. Although I did not start doing "themes" until season 4, appropriate music has been pulled from all sorts of different genres. In case you're wondering, the key for the recurring pages is listed below...
Main Page = Xenogears - Shevat
Recap/Preview = Bomberman 64 - Opening
Theme = Mega Man X - Storm Eagle
Tribal Council = Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask - Final Night
Voting = Donkey Kong Country 2 - Hot Head Hop
Voteout = Mega Man X - Storm Eagle (Slow Version)
Last Words = Final Fantasy VII - Aeris' Theme
I admit some of the tunes will not make sense or be annoying, but at the time I tried to pick something as appropriate as possible. I must confess I've become much better at it over the years. I'd ask you at least attempt listening to each background music. If it becomes annoying, there's always the mute button, but at least try; I put a lot of work into selecting the tunes back then, lol.
In closing, Online Survivor 2 wasn't great, but it wasn't that bad either. If you didn't like season 1, give this one a try to see just how much it improved. If you're still waiting for Online Survivor 3 and the true start of the series, then fine, I'll see you in a month. But for those of you watching OLS2 with me, please start posting your thoughts to get this forum rolling. I look forward to your comments.