User:LionsPhil/SemiAutoCatThoughts

All of these states are intended to be mutually exclusive (but that doesn't hold rigorously). Recycles board moderator decisions where possible. Exceptional cases are a given.

NB: This is just me thinking aloud about what perhaps could be done. It is not documentation on how the current categories work.

Running

Intent

Quests which are actively updating.

Purpose

If you want to get in on a quest and suggest, pick something from this category.

Heuristic

Has at least one thread on the /quest/ board.

Paused

Intent

Quests which cannot be said to be running right now, but which the author intends to continue.

Purpose

Distinct from Running or Abandoned; a limbo state which doesn't assert either.

Heuristic

Has no threads on /quest/, has at least one thread in /questarch/.

The most recent thread may have been archived and a new one has not yet started, or it may have been paused so long that it got graveyarded. This would end up catching quests while they are between threads, but that is perhaps correct. People don't tend to be obsessive enough to track this so it basically depends on automated tooling.

Abandoned

Intent

Quests which got somewhere but are not expected to ever pick up again and be finished.

Purpose

May still be of interest to read what exists of them, especially as characters may have appeared in fanart/ITQ.

Heuristic

As for Paused, with manual intervention (e.g. the author has either explicitly said the quest is abandoned, or has left the site).

Stillborn

Intent

Quests someone started on a bored rainy afternoon and got quickly bored of.

Purpose

Keep all the "chaff" out of the way of quests people might actually care about, so that the latter may be found.

Heuristic

All threads are in /graveyard/.

Intended to be omitted from so they don't dilute the list into uselessness. If a stillborn quest had notable impact (e.g. DMC Quest), probably call it "abandoned" instead. A wrinkle for automated tools.

Completed

Intent

Quests that followed through to a narrative ending.

Purpose

Complete stories to read.

Heuristic

All threads are in /questarch/ (arguably if it has any in /graveyard/ they should probably be moved), author has said it's finished (e.g. by posting a "The End" update).