Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Crafting system update!

It's been six months since we kicked off the new OtherSpace reboot. Time for an update on where I'm at with the new crafting system.

As of tonight, you can +consider everything listed under +craft/list weapons. By the weekend, it's my intention to have +craft/list armor, craft/list clothing, and +craft/list gadgets good to go. We'll also have NPC shopkeepers to sell basic tier schematics for credits and deedgivers to offer the same in exchange for crafted goods.

Improved and Fine/Advanced tier schematics will not be available from NPCs. Only players will be able to make these schematics. As a result, only players will be able to make the higher-end items.

Crafting minutes will come initially from the NPC deedgivers, but it has been suggested that we implement a sort of daily +earn command that gives some out to players and I'm cool with that plan.

How it'll work:

* Items are divvied up into three tiers: Basic, Improved, Fine/Advanced.
* More advanced items have a higher craftlevel prereq, so you'll need to make multiple low-tier items to skill up.
* Items have specific crafting skills that they skill up now. So, rather than a generic craftlevel letting you craft ANY category, you can improve your Gunsmithing craftlevel. This should allow more specialization. (Thanks, Loki!)
* Another tweak by Loki: Crafter tags. All items that are crafted will include an identifier for the character who made them.

Please understand a few things:

* This is just the foundation for the new crafting system. It's not everything we're going to have. More will come.
* We'll do everything we can to help match players from Chia and both OS games with the items and schematics they used to have.
* It's not all happening overnight. I expect to get a lot done this week, but my free time is liable to diminish sooner rather than later.

I'm looking forward to rolling the stuff out. Stay tuned!

Thursday, June 4, 2009

OtherSpace is closing...

...on an important date!

On June 28, the game celebrates its 11th anniversary. To celebrate, we've kicked off our Summer Celebration. All players are eligible to receive a Summer Celebrant badge and anyone who contributes at least $5 via PayPal to jointhesaga@gmail.com during the month of June is eligible for a Summer Celebration Contributor badge.

Other activities:

* This weekend, we hold our first RP expertise "belt" tests. Participants will be trying for their Green Belts.
* I'm also hoping to have my new Llivori character, Ribas Salek, active aboard Comorro.
* Work will continue on crafting and the grid of Hekayt Prime.
* We'll start holding our introductory sessions and bring-a-friend-days.
* We'll hold another OtherSpace Roleplaying Awards ceremony.
* And more to come!

Get into the action at jointhesaga.com 1790!

Saturday, May 30, 2009

New badge collecting badges

We've added four new badges. These badges are basically badges for collecting other badges. We'll probably offer more of these down the road. The current selection, found in +listbadges 12, is:

Badge #: 111 Elite Storyteller Value: 100
Description: Earned the following badges: Town Crier, Stephen King, Mark Twain, David Mamet, Shakespeare, Homerian Epic

Badge #: 112 Elite Recruiter Value: 100
Description: Earned the following badges: A Little Help From My Friends, OtherBuddy, Friend of the Saga, OtherVerse Reviewer, Tony Robbins, To Whom It May Concern, Saga Fansite

Badge #: 113 Elite OtherSpace MVP Value: 100
Description: Earned the following badges: Star, Superstar, Top Roleplayer, Glengarry, Headline News, OtherMentor, Soapbox, Team Player

Badge #: 114 Elite Saga Savior Value: 100
Description: Earned the following badges: Caffeine Fiend, Saga Supporter, Saga Patron, Saga Benefactor, Super Shopper, Red-Eye Flyer, Red-Eye Travel Agent, and any fundraiser-specific badges.

Think you qualify for any of these? Post an +str. Thanks!

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

New JTS Site

The social networking site at Ning.com is a good "check us out" sort of site for new people who might discover us. However, the general consensus I've gotten from feedback re: using it as our MAIN site has been as follows:

It's too laggy, too chaotic, too dark, too spammy, too spread out.

And I've tended to agree. A year or so ago, Marson first suggested that I give Drupal a look for our own content-management system. In the past few weeks, I finally did, and I liked what I saw. So, rather than invest more effort in developing the Ning.com site as our main hub, I've shifted the effort back to Jointhesaga.com and a new Drupal-based content center.

At the new site:

* We've got built-in forums
* We've got voting links
* We've got links to connect to our games via web browser
* Registered users can add content

The latest site announcements and IC news articles will appear on the main page. I'm also rebuilding our local roleplaying log archive and the Encyclopedia Intergalactica, including a comprehensive roster of characters.

Yes, it's another major change. Yes, it's understandably frustrating. But the new site will give us the flexibility of a Wiki, the interaction of the forums, and the freedom of self-ownership that Wikia and Ning.com don't offer.

Visit http://www.jointhesaga.com and it should automatically redirect to the Drupal-driven site.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

OtherSpace: Worlds as characters

Recent discussion led to some interesting plans that are now afoot at OtherSpace in the coming months. Specifically, we're going to introduce worlds, created by players, as characters in their own right.

Players will create characters using the name of their world. They'll take the world through a special creation system - gee, maybe we'll call it Genesis or something cute like that. During creation, they'll choose what kind of planet they are and they'll get some initial points to spend on planetary attributes, which will control resources, inhabitability, etc.

The player behind the world must submit a "biography" for the planet. Once the planet is approved by the staff, the world object gets some quota to spend on building a few starter rooms. Additional rooms, colonization kits, etc., will have to be earned through RPP rewards - people who apply for planets are going to be expected to run their worlds like theaters, putting on shows and earning points as they go.

Worlds are also going to have access to special action cards, similar to those used by normal players. Worlds can play those cards on their own behalf (if it's some kind of boon) or against other worlds (if it's a calamity).

Anyone, even someone fresh to OtherSpace, will be able to apply for a basic uninhabited planet once this system comes online. However, it will cost 10,000 RPP to app for a civilized planet.

Stay tuned!

Monday, April 20, 2009

OS: New worlds to conquer...

This summer, OtherSpace players will be able to claim their own worlds and build their own alien races and civilizations.

Starting with worlds: A basic uninhabited planet, ripe for colonization, will cost 7500 RPP and will require a threshold of at least 200 JTS Faction Points. (We've yet to determine an IC credit cost, but we'll have one.) An already civilized world will cost 10000 RPP and will require a threshold of at least 400 JTS Faction Points. Again, IC cost is yet to be determined.

All in all, they'll be damned expensive. On June 1, though, we're giving two uncolonized, uninhabited planets away for free.

Well, mostly free. You'll still need 200 JTS Faction Points, but those are EASY. The real kicker is that you have to recruit at least three new players (and get them through the approved bio process) by June 1. Three is the minimum - so, the two OS players who bring in the most new blood between now and June 1 (and that's at least three each) will get to build their own new worlds to add to the OtherSpace grid.

The worlds will be introduced to the winners through special RP events. After June 1, we shift to the RPP cost structure for new worlds.

Friday, April 17, 2009

OtherSpace: A Rift for Our Times

The Kamir time-space rifts have spread to 21st Century Earth, making it possible for people from the modern day to wind up aboard the living starship known as Comorro.

Until June 1, we're offering 10 slots for human characters who could come from anywhere on planet Earth. No need to be familiar with the OtherSpace theme. In fact, the less you know, the better your character might react to the strange new realm.

Join us at jointhesaga.com 1790!

Visit our social networking site at http://otherversers.ning.com

And keep up with the Stolen Warrior online novel at http://stolenwarrior.blogspot.com