How Not to be Ignored

Written by: Lt. Commander Justyn Morgan, USS StarWind

Many people tend to slip into the role of being ignored on their vessel. Whether it is on a new vessel or one you have been on for a long time, it is easy to slip into a dark corner and not be seen by the rest of the crew, making SIMming both boring and a time consuming chore. These tips are designed to minimize this problem. Be sure to read it carefully and apply it to your own SIMming style.

SIM as often as possible. While this is a game, it is also one that involves other people, and therefore carries a certain obligation to maintain your end of things so that you do not stand in the way of other people's enjoyment. The less you SIM, the more people are going to view you as a part-timer and make contact with those that they know will SIM.
Be sure to read all SIMs before writing your own, and respond to those who have spoken to you. It is advisable to keep all of the SIMs you send and receive in one mailbox so that you may refer back to them should you need to remember what someone asked you or what something was named. It is not necessary to keep these SIMs past the current plot, and often not more than a month or two, even if the plot extends longer. Cut and paste those items you need to respond to into a fresh message where you are able to rework the perspective and respond to them while you can see them. If you use a mail account such as hotmail, or another web-mail account, it is suggested that you use a word processor, or notepad to write your SIMs. This allows you to cut, paste and save your work while you write, in case your computer or program crashes.
Talk to other player characters. Give them time to respond. Not everyone can SIM the moment they read their mail, so allow for a day, maybe two, before continuing on.
Civilians have it worse, since they will not have duties given to them. Nor will they be in the centre of the action during plots. But they are still free to interact with crew left over, or be creative at working themselves into the plot. Get yourself captured, allow yourself to overhear something that needs to be reported, etc. Civilians also have the freedom to create subplots that run alongside the main plot. Talk to other players who don't appear to be very busy on the ship at the moment, create a new holodeck program, etc.