I haven't seen this discussed in-depth for a while, so I thought I'd make a thread now.
What does everyone, both new users and old, think about where the site is now, the direction its taken over the time you've been here, and the direction it's taking now?
What do you think of the community and how it's changed? What do you think of Sandbox lobby itself, or any of the other lobbies for that matter? What do you think of the moderation of the website?
What about the game of Mafia? Does it still have replayability factor for you? Is it functional? Do you still come back for the website because of it or do you do it for something else?
The community is more positive than negative and I appreciate how much better people are in this lobby versus main. There were always EM "stars" that attracted a lot of attention, and that obviously hasn't gone away. The lobby itself honestly hasn't changed too much.
The lobby is largely for people that don't want to treat mafia like a decision tree game served with a side of 50/50 scumhunting. That is the biggest feature of sandbox, which makes us casual, but I'd say that is a good thing.
Moderation? Hasn't affected me that much really. It only seems to affect people that get sucked up into it.
It is definitely playable. If it wasn't obvious, I need my sleuthing games fix from other games like TTT, ToL, or LA Noire. EM is functional, but could use a few touch ups that others have mentioned. The main reason I come back is because of the people that are consistently friendly (not being sarcastic this time) and that I like the game of mafia.
Also, I want to add that the best thing about 12p is its variance. "Hardcore" EM players don't like closed roles because they think that less RNG = more skill. They are wrong, though; there are more exceptions to that relation than not. Open role mafia games already have RNG from who gets what role, and closed roles just adds another dimension to what you have to figure out. It's the best replay-ability feature of 12p: having billions of setups in one.
I've been here since late 2012 that's a little over 5 years (quickmaffs). I started in the training lobby and had a good time there, but quickly became a sandboxer after meeting some friendly people in the competitive lobby. I was born into non-stop 7/3/2 mafia, and I still don't hate it. That said, I take a hiatus from EM every few months because I'd have to be insane to be playing 12p mafia all year.
I would say EM is taking a turn for the worse, largely because its owner has neglected giving it any attention. Somehow I think we can live without any marketing, but no updates or quality of life stuff makes for a quickly stale experience. I also agree that there needs to be more setups, BUT, IMO, the root of the issue is that there is not enough people to support multiple setups being popular.
Another game I like to play is TTT. Their 12p mafia is the map minecraft_b5, like at least 50% of servers run it all the time. However, plenty of other maps get to see play because there's more than 30 people on at a time. 12p serves the greatest common denominator of people's interests, making it the only thing you ever see.
My friend (EM user Rufioh) got me into Epicmafia back in late 2015, and from the beginning I stuck around mainly in Sandbox, when Christopherzilla was owner. I’ve been a bit on and off with this site, but what reels me back in everytime is the fact that there is replayability value after all. And to me, what gives it its value is that there is a community with cliques, anti-this and pro-that, which are pretty entertaining.
But despite all the tension between users and toxicity spreading through the very fibers of our community, it somehow draws parallels between encountering people on the internet versus real life. It’s strange, but to me Epicmafia exists to explore a theme of what it’s like to have friends over the internet. I have a good amount of friends on this site, some are easy-come-easy-go, some stick around, and some will turn their back completely.
People on the internet have to take things at face value - there’s never an accurate display of the intended tone, let alone who they REALLY are, because all you get is whatever persona that they wish to portray themselves as. Because of this I make it a point to respect every user here... some I respect more than others. Everyone makes mistakes, but in our current generation it is in my understanding that it’s harder to forgive others because everything is archived on the internet, thus making those mistakes even more unforgettable. But if you ask me what’s the difference between what it means to make friends on the internet versus real life, I’d say it’s kind of the same, and that’s the beauty of it.
Some of my friends in positions of power who left said there was some disturbing stuff or something going on behind the scenes, which is why they quit this place. Makes me think something extremely sinister is happening behind the scenes, there are probably secret lobbies hidden far away only known to special users where they play forbidden setups.
Anyway tl;dr Got doxxed when I first joined (14yo wow) Came back for rp Tried sandbox again Wow new people who like me Community is much better than before though it’s still mental Moderation could be better but like 100 reports in 24 hours more like props to the mods I’m here for friends & bc I go mad if I don’t do something bc I’m cheesy Probably more that I’ve forgotten sorry its long bye
That said, the direction the community is taking now I find is largely positive (I say this tentatively). People are more willing to talk outside of games, and I’ve made friends for the first time in years. I was awol for a few months last year because I started college and it was nice to see that they wanted me back and ran around trying to include me in things once I started playing again regularly. Though there is a cult skipping around pissing everyone off, it’s a better atmosphere, which, uh, says a lot considering racism, homophobia, and transphobia is still RIFE? I’m far more comfortable on em than I have ever been, which I think says a lot for the community considering the I dealt with when I first joined. I’m here mainly for the people, now. Though I still play games when I need something to do without going crazy, I’m here for friends I’ve made. Cheesy. There’s probably more I forgot but oh well.
digs this up bc i have lots of thoughts. I have been on em since I was 14. So that’s 7 years. I took a couple of long breaks in that time, and I changed username a couple of times too. When I first joined, I didn’t pay much attention to the community. I was on em to play em with user floris, and I made a couple of friends through the site. Then, at 15, I was doxxed. I don’t know why I’m still here after that but I guess em passes the time well, and I find I need something to do constantly or I go stir crazy. I took about nine months away from the site before friends I had made dragged me back for roleplay purposes. We used to spend hours in games lmao and it was fun so I thought OK I’ll try sandbox again. It was nice to see that the general atmosphere had changed, and people’s attitudes, by and large, towards the person who had doxxed me was very negative. It still is negative. A couple of users who have harassed me are still around. I host games more than I used to and so I kick them. I don’t stay in games they are in. Easy avoidance. Though they are still around despite reports is maybe questionable, that’s on the moderation team. I feel the moderation of the site could be better but you can look at the reports on any given day and there will be approx 100 so I do have respect for them.
Nani the did omae just iimasu about watashi, you chiisai desuka? Watashi’ll have anata know that watashi graduated top of watashino class in Nihongo 3, and watashi’ve been involved in iroirona Nihongo tutoring sessions, and watashi have over sanbyaku perfect test scores. Watashi am trained in kanji, and watashi is the ichiban letter writer in all of southern California. Anata are nanimonai to watashi but just another weeaboo. Watashi will korosu anata the out with vocabulary the likes of which has itsumonai been mimasu’d before on kono continent, mark watashino words. Anata thinks anata can get away with hanashimasing that kuso to watashi over the intaaneto? Omou again, . As bokutachi hanashimasu, watashi am contacting watashino secret netto of otakus across the USA, and anatano IP is being traced right now so anata better junbishimasu for the ame, ujimushi. The ame that korosu’s the pathetic chiisai thing anata calls anatano jinsei. You’re shinimashita’d, akachan.
guys i just played binding of isaac and it gave me gnawed leaf and midas touch and like i could just turn into stone and then when enemies touched me BOOM they turned into coins it was really OP
honestly, I literally had like 3 hours between classes so I played this and just coded my bot to Feel Cool and so yea me too but I really love the community
Wait, am i the only one here for the games D: personally i just like playing games to pass time when i have nothing to do and talking to nice new people is great as well. The site defo needs some improvements though to draw in and keep more people, idk lucid but he kinda should step it up a lil :/ also the fact is that the site kind of isnt super noob friendly?? But that's just how i feel and i dont know what the stats are like for people that try the game and site to people that stay.
i really like the site; it's helped me in ways i couldn't say, and it's given me friends that i am so grateful for. i like how the sandbox community is very tight knit and more focused on the community rather than playing mafia like its a ,,, idk, main is just a different world and very overwhelming for me. shout out to all the sweet users in sandbox who have always been kind to me and make sandbox the best it could be. in general, it'd be nice to see some new roles but honestly?? the game doesn't matter half as much as the community here and i'd come back to my friends even if it went to i love this site and the users and look forward to the growth of sandbox and this site!
the exact opposite also happens! people who would've complained about things if it was someone else doing it will usually support or turn the blind eye on that if its made by their friends
