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Rubric

RUBRIC 1:
Staff Interaction

Last Updated: 2024-04-20
This rubric was previously called 'staff friendliness,' but over time we realized that not all venues have 'friendly' vibes and that is OK!

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  1. Are visitors acknowledged upon arrival?

    • This could be a macro or personalized greeting delivered public or in whisper

    • This could be an emote that acknowledges your presence even if there is no actual interaction

    • This can be a game emote such as a /wave

  2. Are staff clearly identified as staff?​

    • Is there a uniform?

    • Do they use in-game yellow or green tags?

  3. Is staff interaction in theme with the venue?

    • Not all interaction is equal or appropriate based on the venue's purpose or theme, so there is no blanket 'must be this way to get a good review'

    • For example, if it is a restaurant, are you provided with a menu? If it is a bookstore, are you guided to sections pertinent to your interest? 

  4. Do staff provide clear and easy access to out-of-game supports for the venue?

RUBRIC 2:
Clarity of Services

Last Updated: 2024-04-20
This rubric was previously called 'services,' but has been updated to be called 'Clarity of Services' as we wanted to clarify that we are not reviewing the services, but rather the clarity of the services offered, and the delivery experience surrounding those services.

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  1. Are services clearly explained to guests?

    • Does a venue serve drinks, food, activities, items, etc.

  2. Is in-game and role-play clearly defined?

    • Is it clear if items offered are role-play items or actual in-game items?

    • Is it clear if items and services are paid for by RP gil or actual gil?

  3. If staff tagging indicates a service provider, is it clearly explained?

    • i.e. yellow tagged staff are not for hire, but green-tagged staff are?

RUBRIC 3:
Atmosphere

Last Updated: 2024-04-16
This rubric has remained unchanged since the launch of VELP, and refers to the overall atmospheric feel of a venue as generated by decor, music choice, and staff interaction (though this category is weighted more toward decor and music choices). We are not judging a person's skill at decorating but rather commenting on the overall feel generated by the experience​.

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  1. Does the decor match the venue's theme?

    • For example, if it is a farmer's market, do you enter to find yourself in a fancy restaurant?

  2. Are there any jarring elements? Do those jarring elements make sense? Or are they a glitched item behaving odd?​

  3. Are camera sight lines impeded by lofts or other decor?

  4. ​Do guests attending the venue in a vanilla capacity have an experience equal or similar to those of guests who choose to use third-party addons?

RUBRIC 4:
Role-Play

Last Updated: 2024-04-20

We haven't changed this rubric's name but we have re-written it to provide better clarity. We realized, after visiting many different venues, that we couldn't apply our rubric uniformly. There are simply too many forms of role-play, from super immersive to super casual. Neither are better than the other, they simply are, and sometimes the rubric punished venues for being of a certain type. So here's the new one:

  1. Chat-scroll

    • This isn't a good or bad thing, just a comment on the experience so readers have an idea

  2. Does role-play appear to be open or private (in tells/party)?

  3. Is OOC present? If so, is it:

    • In brackets to separate it from the ongoing role-play?

    • Present, but separate and not factored in to role-play?

    • Woven into role-play?

  4. Are new and/or inexperienced role-players made to feel welcome?​

  5. Is roleplay lore-friendly?

    • We assume venues are lore friendly until we learn otherwise

    • Being lore-friendly isn't good or bad, but important information for role-players​

    • If the venue is not lore-friendly, is this clearly explained at any point?

RUBRIC 5:
Out of Game Elements

Last Updated: 2024-04-20

The name​ of this rubric remains unchanged but we've updated the rubric to clarify that out of game elements are not necessary, and having (or not having) out-of-game supports does not affect the review overall. If these elements are available, though, we will review them.

  1. Is there a website, and how AODA compliant is it?

    • Not being AODA compliant isn't going to make or break you​

    • We mostly comment on whether we can easily read the website

  2. ​Is there social media? If so, how active is it?

  3. Is there a discord? Does the link to the discord work?

  4. Do out of game elements respect the SFW/NSFW rating of the venue?

    • For example, if we go to a venue that is entirely SFW and then see NSFW content shared or promoted on a Twitter account, we feel it is important to share that information​

  5. Is participation in out of game elements necessary to a good role-play experience at this venue?

RUBRIC 6:
Venue Style

Last Updated: 2024-04-20

Renamed from 'Adult Tags' as we felt this rubric wasn't necessarily correct.

  1. We will list whether a venue defines itself as SFW or NSFW

  2. If a venue has gambling, combat, criminal elements, substance use (not including food venue alcohol use), it will be noted here.

  3. If the venue is a 'front,' meaning that for deep and ongoing interaction you have to join out of game services like discord, or have to join an FC, it will be noted here. This includes VIP sections.

© 2024 by VELP. The opinions reflected here are that of the authors only, and do not reflect those of Square Enix. All rights reserved.

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