Guild of Archivists Feed New Topics from the Guild of Archivists Forum (Archive Article Discussion not included) http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php Thu, 09 Sep 2010 14:17:42 -0400 15 Calling all Remaining Archivists http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=6210
From an outside perspective, it would appear as if the majority of Archivists who were here during the Guild's heyday have fallen off or splintered into other groups and interests.

There have been a few things going on as of late, particularly the Guild Fair and All Guilds' Meetings taking place each month in Kirel (as Leonardo kindly posted here). However, that isn't all that's been happening. Recently, I've been working on a wide list of projects behind the scenes, many concerning on the Guild of Maintainers, and I wanted to stop by and see if anyone remains.

If anyone, any Archivists, from newer members to the old Guild Masters, still frequent these forums and are still active in MO:ULa, please, please post here or send me a PM. If only to keep in touch, it would be nice to see that some of the people of this massive Guild still exist and are around in the Cavern somewhere.

With all due respect,
~M. Wheeler
Member of the Guild of Maintainers]]> Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:59:47 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=6210 All Guilds Meeting http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=6125 on the MOUL forums I've just proposed to re-introduce the All Guilds Meeting in MOULa during the Guilds and Groups Interest Weekends.

I just wanted to let you know, since this would interest all the Guilds, and I'd like the hear your opinion on this]]> Mon, 05 Apr 2010 18:42:04 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=6125 Guilds and Groups Fair http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=6114 this thread, but if not check it out. The major guilds and all groups are having a weekend (bi-monthly?monthly?) where they will be hanging around in Kirel to talk with explorers about what they do. I don't think we have enough Archivists to make a schedule for someone to be there representing us all the time. Still, I encourage us to think about trying to be there as much as possible. This can be a good way for us to get in-game exposure for our very OOC guild.]]> Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:29:46 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=6114 Project of the Week http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=6109 guild projects page. The only thing there that might ever be urgent is FCAL if it gets going again. Everything else can be put off until we "feel like doing it" which of course means it won't get done. Adding to the problem is the fact that most of the things on the projects page are massive in scope (redo all people pages, redo all citations, redo all kings journals).

So, here is my idea. We set small weekly goals and invite anyone to help (with a dose of guilt and pressure on anyone who calls themselves an Archivist). I am thinking of calling for a focus on only 4-6 articles at a time. Hopefully this will help people see what needs to be done, give them an achievable goal, and give them a time frame for doing it. For example I think week one should be the Ages of Yeesha's Journey (Gahreesen, Teledahn, Kadish Tolesa, Eder Gira, Eder Kemo) with the goal of updating them if need be and implementing the new guidelines for Age articles.

The potential problems with this idea are that we might attracting people who won't follow the guidelines in their edits, and we might get too many cooks in the kitchen working at the same time on the same article and possibly also fighting with each other about details instead of working together. Still, those are risks that, compared with the current situation, I am willing to take.

So, is this a good idea? Do I need to change it in any way?]]> Sun, 07 Mar 2010 08:36:40 -0500 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=6109 We have a Hood http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=6089
Feel free to contact me if you want an invitation or if you want to join.]]> Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:58:15 -0500 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=6089 Seret http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=6018
QUOTE
Bevin - regular hood with hand lamps.

Seret - regular hood with moth lamps.

Kirel - Reverse hood, different colouring and tiling, with moth lamps.

The DJC hood has the moth lamps but is still called Bevin, which should be a Seret.


see this thread for a full discussion (it gets into instancing, but the early part about 'hood types).]]> Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:27:22 -0500 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=6018 University of MYST http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5960 this thread. I posted this:

QUOTE
This is an exciting idea. I would like to offer my personal services as an instructor. My specialty being "lore" especially regarding D'ni history, the historical Guilds and the Kings.

Also though, I would like to float the idea of having the Guild of Archivists support this. I don't know what that means exactly, and I haven't the authority to say it will be so if you agree to it, but this is the kind of thing I wish GoA would support. Just so no one thinks I or the GoA are on a power trip, I am not asking that anything be given to Guild or that GoA take over in any way. Rather I want to give to you in any way possible.


I want some feedback from you as to whether teaming with and supporting the University of MYST is a good idea. Again I don't know what that means specifically, but it is the kind of thing I wish we were doing. I was thinking early today about what the guild could do IC and my first thought was these teaching kinds of things. The last thing I want though is to act in anyway like an empire claiming dominion over other people projects which fall with in our "manifest destiny". "Partnering with" "affiliated with" "with the support of" these are good phrases I think. "annexed by" "vassel of" these are bad phrases biggrin.gif

I welcome your feedback.]]> Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:55:55 -0500 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5960 The Renewed Restored Guild http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5947
like the the archive we tend, our Guild is still here, if a bit dusty. As with other groups, the closing of the Cavern, followed by the dwindling progress on MORE had slowed activity here, but with explorers returning to the Cavern I hope that we will renew our vigor. Our ranks are yet thin, but our work is not. To those who have called yourselves archivists before, renew your activity. To those who are friends of the Guild, please join us. To those who are visitors and new explorers, we welcome you here.

You may wonder what we do, or what you would do if you joined us. I have just updated the projects page which should show you much of what we need help with. While there is not a lot of need for new articles (we've amassed a lot of those over the years) much needs to be done in "updating" the archive. Our role in MO:RE is still ambiguous, but we have a general mandate to help storytellers be consistent with the canon and not cross the boundaries that Cyan has set. Someday the hope, from RAWA, is that we are part of authorizing fan created ages/stories.

So don't hesitate to start helping. We maintain an open policy on editing the archive. Be sure to check the guides before editing, but have at it. You will likely do more good than harm by trying, and undoing edits is easy enough.

Do not hesitate to post here or PM me with any problems.

]]> Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:46:00 -0500 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5947 GoA and open source Uru http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5897
Anyway, is there still life here? If so, does anyone have any thoughts on how the GoA will come alive under Uru open source?]]> Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:18:00 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5897 Visual/Aesthetics project? http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5644

I think that a catalog of the visual motifs and aesthetics of the canon universe and/or the games would be a really useful resource for artists. I'd like to create something documenting "the way things look" in various areas of the game in an organized, analytic way so that artists can easily reference it when creating fan art, Ages, etc. Is this something that would fall partly under the GoA? And if so, is there anyone who'd like to collaborate on a project like this?]]> Sat, 27 Dec 2008 03:15:58 -0500 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5644 History of the Bahro http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5591 Not much is known about the Bahro. There are considered shy, afraid of reptiles. Much more information is needed in order to understand them Sun, 07 Dec 2008 04:06:59 -0500 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5591 GoA-GoMe Liaison http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5542
This is Leonardo from the GoMe.
You may know that our (your and our) Liaison, Blade Lakem, has just resigned for RL reasons.

I was wondering if any of you would like to be the GoA-GoMe Liaison.

What is a GoMe Liaison?

biggrin.gif Bye!!
Leo]]> Fri, 24 Oct 2008 10:27:12 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5542 FCAL Panel http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5479 here and here and the original proposal here.

I posted this morning this message:

QUOTE
Montgomery wrote:
QUOTE
Archivists: what's the best way to summarize the proposed storyline content so that it can be researched and evaluated for "legality"?



I will attempt to answer this question. And the answer is, to a large part, that the Writer needs to know where he or she could get in trouble. If the Writers is uncertain about it, he or she should include it in the proposal. Now to help Writers think about the most likely ways to get in trouble here is a list of things that should be included, if they are part of your Age:

Any reference to any Cyan created character
Any reference to any Cyan created Age
Any reference to D'ni History, D'ni Kings, historical D'ni Guilds, historical D'ni culture
-the Writer should demonstrate how "new" information revealed along these lines is limited in scope to a small group and does not effect the whole canon
Any reference to Cavern locations
Any linking processes or activities that do not confirm exactly to the patterns of traditional D'ni Writers

Writers could organize their proposal as answers to these questions if they wish. I will cross post this on the GoA forums to get further feedback on other questions that proposal should answers.



While I like to pretend that I speak for GoA, I welcome your input here or over there. I will try to keep this thread updated as things progress.]]> Sun, 28 Sep 2008 11:55:55 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5479 Welcome to DPWR http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5454 We are very glad you are here. DPWR is the home to several different activities and groups. Most prominent is the Guild of Archivists, often abbreviated GoA, but you will find several different things going here as well.

DPWR can be a big and confusing place at first and we want to help you understand what is here.


The Archive

This is the place most people who come to DPWR are looking for. All you need to do to reach the Archive is click on the "Archive" tab near the top of the page, below the DPWR logo. Once you are at the Archive you can use the sidebar to the left to reach articles of interest. You can use the "search" link under "browse" to search for exactly what you are looking for. The search tool offers a variety of filters if you wish to use them and is a very effective system for narrowing your search to exactly what you are looking for. Under "browse" are a number of other ways to browse the Archive, whether by "tag", "most viewed" or some other way. Tags are the primary way that the articles in the Archive are organized.

The Forums

This the place where you will find several different forums. As with most forums on the internet, you may view any the forums without registering, but in order to post you do have to register. All you need to do to reach the Forums is click on the "Forums" tab near the top of the page, below the DPWR logo.

At the top are the forums for the Guild of Archivists. Here the business of the Guild is discussed including managing and expanding the Archive. joining GoA is simple, but being a member of GoA is not required for participation in these forums or in other Guild activities.

Below that you will find the Writer's Ring Forum. This is the place for posting fiction, images or other creative output. This is also the place to discuss storytelling in-game or through making ages. GoA's role in approving the story aspects of ages that are shared with the community makes DPWR a great place to discuss story ideas.

Below those forums you will find the Community Forums. These forums are for general information and include most other kinds of forum activity not included in the other forums, including off-topic discussions.

Below those forums is the Community Projects Forums. Here you will find a variety of projects and groups which are hosted at DPWR.net but are not necessarily affiliated with DPWR or GoA.

Below these forums are the Forum Support & Feedback Forums. If you have a problem with the forums or want to give some feedback, this the place to go.


The Gallery

The gallery is where members of DPWR can upload images and create their own albums. All you need to do to reach the Gallery is click on the "Gallery" tab near the top of the page, below the DPWR logo.


Links

The links page where a variety of links to other important sites in the Uru community available. All you need to do to reach the Links is click on the "Links" tab near the top of the page, below the DPWR logo.


Library

The library is where fiction submitted by other members is stored. All you need to do to reach the Library is click on the "Library" tab near the top of the page. It is divided into Myst-related stories (MRED) and general fiction (General). The Library has not been in use for quite some time and its functionality may be limited.


Community

The community tab is the place to find out the latest news related to Myst, Uru and the player community. All you need to do to reach the community section is click on the "Community" tab near the top of the page.


Members

The members tab allows you to see all the members of DPWR and search for specific ones. You can also filter your searches. All you need to do to reach the members section is click on the "Members" tab near the top of the page.

Help

This is a great place to find specific details on how to use the features of DPWR. All you need to do to reach the help section is click on the "Help" tab near the top of the page. Some of this information may be old, so if you encounter a problem please send a PM to Alahmnat (if you do not know how to send a PM see below for further help in finding your inbox).


Golden KI

The Golden KI is a screenshot competition for in-game images taken during normal gameplay. All you need to do to reach the golden KI section is click on the "Golden KI" tab near the top of the page. As MOUL is shut down and what comes next has not yet started, this competition is not currently running.


There is also a Search Button at the far right that allows you to search the forums, the Archive or the gallery.



Your Profile, Control Panel and Inbox

Once you are registered, your profile can be accessed by clicking on your user name at the top left of the screen below the tabs (your user name is probably right below the "DPWR.NET" tab). Your user control panel can be accessed by clicking on "my controls" and then "my controls" on the drop down menu. Your inbox can be found to the far right of the screen, but in that same row at the top of your screen, right below the tabs. The link to your inbox probably is right below the "Search" tab.

Again welcome to DPWR. Feel free to look around, post in the forums, and join in the things that are happening here.


~The DPWR and Guild of Archivists Staff~]]> Fri, 19 Sep 2008 17:22:11 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5454 Duplicate Articles On Kings http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5453
I was searching for the article on King Loshemanesh, and I found two nearly identical ones:

Loshemanesh, King
King Loshemanesh

A search on "King" turns up many other duplicated articles.

So, which version of each king's article should be kept, and which should be removed?]]> Fri, 19 Sep 2008 10:31:41 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5453 Thread of Projects http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5451
Projects would be labeled with urgency and completeness and nature of help needed. I will give some examples:

Project Name, Project Phase, Completeness (5=finished), Urgency(1= very urgent), Help Needed
Timeline Project , active work , 2 , 3 , unlimited
Chatlog Project , planning , 0 , 3 , unlimited
UCC Tags , planning , 0 , 2 , none
Citations , planning complete , 0 , 5 , unlimited
New Ages format , planning complete , 0 , 5 , unlimited
New people format , planning complete , 0 , 5 , unlimited
FCAL panel , planning , 2 , 2 , small group
Duplicate kings , planning complete , 0 , 3 , unlimited
externally link articles , proposed , 0 , 4 , unlimited
groups add own pages , proposed , 0 , 4 , group members

we could also list ongoing activities such as add images, proof Archive edits, expand stubs etc.

Give me your feedback on this idea in general, as well as other relevant categories ( Lead Archivist on the project, link to thread, etc) . Also there may be some better way to use DPWR's technology to achieve this goal ( like an Archive article instead of a forum post? I don't know) (Clearly I don't know how to use the forum well enough to make a chart confused.gif )

9/18/08 - edited to include missing project and progress on timeline
9/20/-8 - edited to add propsed projects from this post]]> Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:45:27 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5451 Request For Comments: Age Creation Process http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5447
I've just completed a write-up on the entire age creation process on the Guild of Writers Wiki, starting from an idea and continuing on through multiple releases of the age. I mentioned how a created age (with FCAL approval) can be added to the archives here, but I'm unclear on the exact process for adding a page. Would someone mind explaining that part to me? I'd sure appreciate it!

Here's the link to the article:

http://guildofwriters.com/wiki/Turning_Ideas_Into_Ages]]> Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:18:11 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5447 FCA license panel: any GoA volunteers? http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5445

The leadership team at the Guild of Maintainers have been discussing how to get this process moving. We'll be trying to crystallise the process over the next few weeks and would like the first set of panel members to work on this. But for that, we need the panel!

To quote Montgomery, who is the GoMa Grand Master in charge of the process:
QUOTE
My proposal is (currently) to have 3 members from each of these guilds [GoMa, GoW and GoA] serve on the panel, giving a nice round 9 total. Eventually we will have a web-based FCA Application, and those submitted to the panel will be reviewed, commented on and voted on in one central location -- here in [the GoMa] forum. Probably there will be a FCA Panel subforum created just for this purpose, and it will be visible only to current members of the panel. I'm thinking just setting up a simple poll for each application, and each panelist can vote and comment, and the results and a summary of the comments can be returned to the applicant.

However, all of this -- the wording of the form, the process for accepting/rejecting an application, terms and length of panel membership, etc. -- will be discussed among the whole panel once it has been formed. So whoever is selected to be the first wave of FCA panelists will need to be willing to help invent the process.

So, please reply here if you are interested. ... The way I envision it, the panel will change fairly often -- maybe every few months or after a certain number of applications -- depending on how many are on the waiting list. So if you don't make it on the first wave, don't give up!
]]> Wed, 10 Sep 2008 03:57:32 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5445 Canon/Continuity in Star Wars http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5444
I came across an article in Wired regarding the very GoA-like role of Leland Chee, who maintains the canon of Star Wars for Lucasfilm. Here's the link:

http://www.wired.com/entertainment/hollywo...f_starwarscanon

I mentioned it here because it not only discusses the issues that Chee faces in maintaining canon, but also describes other such efforts beginning with Doyle's Sherlock Holmes novels. [They also used the term "apocryphal" to apply to non-canon items.]
]]> Tue, 09 Sep 2008 12:25:35 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5444 YOUR Guild and Genesis http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5433
As I am sure some of you are aware, the latest poll on Genesis progress is about the Guilds and their inclusion into the Age of Genesis, either in some small way (like a discreet plaque), or in a larger way (such as a library). However, as it would represent YOUR guild, the choice would be up to you. Designs would be up to designers, models would be left to the modellers, but the CONTENT is your choice. What do you feel would represent your Guild best?

Shevek]]> Tue, 02 Sep 2008 05:13:06 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5433 Story before MORE? http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5417 Thu, 21 Aug 2008 22:35:37 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5417 Covering the new Extended Universe http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5416
First and foremost, I don't want to treat UCC as a second-class citizen here. There won't be a separate section of the Archive where all of the UCC articles will be shelved; UCC Ages will be tagged as Ages, stories run in the Cavern will be cataloged as part of the Timeline/History Project, etc. However, for the sake of clarity, both Cyan content and UCC content (what might be termed "extended universe" material in the context of Star Wars' IP) needs to be identified in the Archive so that it can be easily searched for and explored.

To that end, I'd like to propose that a new base tag category be created titled "Canon", within which would be the child tags of "Official Canon", "Extended Universe", "Redacted", and "Apocrypha" (Apocrypha would be moved from its current position as a base tag). All of the articles in the Archive would need to be tagged with one of these four child tags (the "Canon" parent tag is just for organization in the tag listing, like "Sources: Games"). Official Canon would apply to anything that was developed by Cyan and is still considered to be proper canon. Extended Universe would apply to any UCC that makes it into MORE. Redacted would be reserved for information released by Cyan that is now considered inaccurate or otherwise invalid (Trap Books, for example); this tag should be avoided if the veracity of the subject is simply in question (i.e. Tadjinar), and such articles should be tagged with "Official Canon" instead until a final determination is made by Cyan as to the accuracy of the information. "Apocrypha" is reserved for material not developed by Cyan which has been introduced as part of the mythos of the Myst universe but is in fact completely inaccurate (The Riven Journals and the Myst comic books come to mind here).

As far as what can be put in the Archive, I'm trying to tread a fine line with this. On the one hand, I want to readily recognize the work put into the numerous fan-created Age projects that the GoW has undertaken and built an interface for in Uru:CC, because there really is a lot of spectacular work there. On the other hand, the Archive is intended to be a storehouse of information about the Myst universe, not the Myst fan community at large, and the only content that Cyan has said will be treated as extended canon is what makes it into MORE. As a result, a lot of the UCC for Uru:CC (that's confusing...) is not eligible, because it's essentially still fiction (really awesome fiction, but still fiction) built into one of Cyan's stand-alone products, and as a result carries the same canonical weight as, for example, a fanfic posted to MystCommunity (and again, I am in no way trying to disparage the work done to do any of this... I'm speaking strictly from the perspective of whether it's a sanctioned extension of canon).

So, here's what I'm proposing as a guideline for what can be added to the Archive. Any material being developed for MORE that has received a FCAL from either Cyan or the FCAL Panel can be added to the Archive. Further, anything that happens in MORE, be it story, the opening of a new Age/area, etc. can also be added to the Archive, because Cyan is going to be maintaining the "canon" label on the game to the greatest extent possible. Ages and other content being developed for MORE can be added to the Archive as soon as it has received FCAL approval; it doesn't need to be released in the game to have an entry. Such Ages should be listed as being unavailable and either under restoration (for "discovered" Ages) or still being Written (for new "explorer-Written" Ages). Screenshots should only be provided once the Age has reached a certain level of completeness, and must be taken in-game; no screenshots from Blender or other development environment.

Content that is not being released as part of MORE will only be added if it has been approved as a valid extension of canon by Cyan. For UCC for Uru:CC (that will not be part of MORE and/or does not have a FCAL for MORE), I think it would be better cataloged somewhere where it won't get lost amidst the increasing number of articles in the Archive, such as the GoW site.

Thoughts?]]> Thu, 21 Aug 2008 17:13:24 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5416 Fan Created Ages http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5415
At what point should the Archive contain pages about the fan created ages?
  1. When they can be downloaded and explored in Uru:CC
  2. When the Guild of Maintainers has inspected the age (in URU:CC)
  3. When the age is made available to the general public in MO:RE
If the feeling is that we must wait until MO:RE for it to be listed among the other ages, can they be located in the Apocrypha section for the time being?]]> Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:45:49 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5415 Genesis Collaboration http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5413 I think that this would be the best place to put in my couple 'o cents:

A couple of you may know about the Genesis concept that I have been swinging at people;
One of the aspects of it that I think would work nicely would be a collaborated collection of not only the Last few URU chapters, but also of the important events of D'ni history all wrapped up and made accessable in game - in, perhaps, a library of some sort?

Now, of course, I am no RAWA, and while I have played the games, read the books, and kept a wary eye on the upcoming movie, I think that something like this would help people (especially new-comers) to get to grips with the D'ni, their history, and the important story behind the worlds of Uru.

Comments? Suggestions? Should I post this elsewhere?]]> Mon, 18 Aug 2008 06:34:50 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5413 GoA Seeking Project Managers, Guild Liaisons http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5401
The Guild of Archivists is currently seeking assistance in a number of areas. We are looking for story-minded individuals who are interested in taking an active role in helping to develop the role of the GoA in MORE, as well as expanding the Archive on DPWR. As always, we are also looking for detail-oriented people interested in helping with the day-to-day operation of the Guild and maintenance of the Archive.

We currently have two project management positions open: a Chat Log Project Manager and a D'ni/Surface History Project Manager. The Chat Log manager will be responsible for coordinating with the Guild of Messengers through BladeLakem (our GoMe liaison), as well as through direct communication where appropriate, to establish the specific details of how this cross-Guild project should be executed. Ability to attend GoMe meetings where the chat log project is to be discussed is ideal. The Chat Log manager will also be responsible for overseeing the chat log section of the Archive once this project is underway, and may enlist the assistance of as many other individuals as necessary to ensure that it is properly maintained.

The D'ni/Surface History manager will be responsible for heading up a Guild of Archivists effort to create a comprehensive timeline of information stretching from the earliest recorded information about the D'ni to the most recent happenings in the Cavern in MOUL. When MORE launches, this person will be responsible for ensuring that events in the Cavern are properly recorded for future reference. As with the Chat Log manager, the D'ni/Surface History manager may enlist the assistance of as many other individuals as needed to ensure that their duties are properly carried out. Further details regarding the exact plan for executing this project is available in the Guild Projects section of the DPWR forums.

In the interests of ensuring open and steady communication with the other Guilds, the GoA is also looking for individuals to act as liaisons to the other community Guilds currently in operation. We are currently in need of liaisons to the Guild of Writers, the Guild of Cartographers, and the Guild of Greeters. Volunteers for D'ni Linguistic Fellowship and D'ni Zoological Society liaisons would also be appreciated. Liaisons would be responsible for relaying information between the GoA and the target Guild regarding policies, procedures, and project concepts that relate to both Guilds. Liaisons will need to stay in touch with the leadership at the Guild of Archivists to ensure that proper information is being relayed to other Guilds regarding our stance on projects in development, and are encouraged to seek the assistance of others in the completion of their duties should any interaction become too overwhelming for them to handle (for example, the Chat Log project is to be handled by a separate individual at the GoA, rather than laying everything on the shoulders of the GoMe liaison).

Those interested in taking on any of these roles should contact Alahmnat via Private Message on DPWR.net.]]> Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:59:11 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5401 question about guilds http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5392 shorah , I was wondering if it was possible to start a Guild of Linguists? Sat, 26 Jul 2008 12:50:40 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5392 The Chat Log Project http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5390
Back in the heady days of the Guild-building process in MOUL, I briefly discussed the idea of collaborating with the GoMe on a chat log project that would cross Guild lines and make it easier for people to get the information they wanted, where and when they wanted, when it came to the copious number of MOUL chat logs. The idea was this: chat logs in their raw form are virtually impossible to read and take for-blessed-ever to get through. There's a decidedly large signal-to-noise ratio, and a lot of people just don't want to bother reading all of the extraneous stuff that gets said in a conversation in Uru. Thus, the Messengers, as the relayers of information in the Cavern, would publish edited chat logs of events once they had occurred. These logs would be formatted to be human-readable, with the extra noise of the discussion cut out, and possibly edited to ensure that the discussion made sense (i.e. making sure questions don't flow over one another and fog up the answers given by the interrogatees interviewees).

To ensure that "the media" wasn't distorting facts or otherwise mishandling the presentation of the edited chat logs (not that I suspected they ever would be, but stranger things have happened), "raw" logs of the event would be posted in the Archive to compliment the edited logs. The raw logs would still strip out private text chat recorded by the person who supplied the logs (in the interest of privacy), but the exact order of each line of text would be maintained, complete with timestamps and emotive actions. The log in the Archive would link to the edited transcript posted by the Messengers, and vice versa.

Due to a lack of sufficient time and resources, as well as the later closure of MOUL, this project got shoved onto my back burner, which is almost as big as the one that Cyan has (there's a great place in Spokane that sells 'em, it's awesome!). However, I think now is the time to resurrect this project so that we can begin discussing specifically how we'd like to execute it. Since I'm still strapped for time at the moment, I'm putting out a call to the rest of the community, and the GoMe and GoA members specifically, to discuss the details of this project and who would like to head it up on each side of the fence. Whoever gets volunteered will get a promotion to Guild Master of Chat Log Preservation (title subject to revision when it's not the day before I leave for Mysterium), and will be responsible for making sure that whatever specifics get decided on are actually implemented and held to by the GoA members who participate in the project. They will also be the point man for collaborating with whoever the GoMe decides should head up their end of this project. Blade, since you've mentioned a wish to work with the GoMe in the past, I'll give you first dibs on heading this up on our end, assuming this is the sort of thing you had in mind wink.gif.

I will lend what assistance is required to make this project work, and will consult with the GoA and GoMe members who take on this project as requested, but for the most part, I'm leaving this one up to you guys... I have enough other snakes to charm at the moment wink.gif.]]> Thu, 24 Jul 2008 04:59:05 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5390 Moving my Archive to The Archive http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5389 my site created way back in 2003 has information not available here. I wanted to make sure y'all would be okay with the information being moved over completely? Here are some sections I've got that you don't (that I can see):
* Ae'gura and Bevin book
* Gahreesen Training Wall book
* Everything in the Website Part
* The Entire Area Approvals Section
* Most of my forum posts
* My Photos Section
* Some of my KI Messages
* Fax to Zandi
* Journey E-mail
* Most of my Transcripts

Now obviously some of that can be moved over no problem (such as the Training Wall book, although I'd think you have it somewhere), however some parts such as the Photo Section, Website Section, forum posts, etc, aren't as obvious. Do you want to have these things on your site?

If you do, how do we go about converting it? For example I've got my transcripts edited somewhat to get rid of extraneous chatter, and for formatting issues (I removed timestamps and colour coded people's names). Is this how you prefer it? Or would you want the raw chatlogs?]]> Sun, 20 Jul 2008 08:09:28 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5389 Adding new articles http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5387
Let me ask this another way.... Given that there is so little information about the Guild of Healers, our members are rather forced to either sit and do nothing or determine a course of action for the community in the present time. For example, we held a small gathering called "Circles in Tsogal," that I wouldn't consider archive-worthy. However, we are discussing building a Healing or Ceremonial Age, whichever fits with the new writing guidelines. We will "say" about the age only those things we can say that don't intrude on Cyan canon. For example, "it might have been an age the Healers visited." Of course, should Cyan change our "story" we will "say" something different. My question to the Archivists is this: Should we succeed in building this age, whether it is official or just another explorer age, would it be the sort of information that is appropriate for an addition to the archives? Of course, if we ever become official, that information would be appropriate (symbol, history, etc). My question is for information that becomes stable during the restoration project, but is not actually "official." I'm assuming, of course, that we are allowed to even work on "restoring" the guild.

I know this sounds a little convoluted, but there are so many eggshells to walk on, lol.]]> Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:50:00 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5387 <![CDATA[D'ni currency]]> http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5383 Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:13:33 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5383 Guild symbols/domains/etc http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5381 Should there be a guildofarchivists.com domain?
Archivist letterheads and t-shirts?
How about those tote-bags we were promised? wink.gif]]> Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:58:15 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5381 IC Guild? http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5380
So will the Guild have an IC presence at all? Is that important at all to what we'll be doing?]]> Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:51:22 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5380 Guidelines for Official Story/Age Creation http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5378
Quoting part of the post...

QUOTE
The Five Rules of Writing, in their most basic form:

1 - Writers must live within the D'ni limitations of Writing.

2 - Writers must not break continuity with previously released D'ni information.

3 - Writers must not reveal "new" information about characters, places, groups, etc. used by Cyan.

4 - Writers must limit "new" information about D'ni society to specific, smaller groups within D'ni.

5 - Writers must not use the intellectual property of others.


Notes:

1) Except for Rule #5, these rules mainly focus on attempting to minimize continuity issues, so, when an Age is submitted for approval, enforcing these rules will primarily be the responsibility of the Guild of Archivists. You can think of theses duties of the Guild of Archivists as providing "information quality control" for the Ages.
.
.
.
2 – The members of the Guild of Archivists need to have a decent grasp of released D'ni information, so that they can have working knowledge of what will contradict established D'ni information.

Note: Also included under "contradictions" are issues that have been intentionally left open for debate by Cyan. A Writer's storyline must not attempt to definitively confirm one side or the other of those issues.


LINK TO ORIGINAL POST ON MOUL FORUM.

edited to add #2 item.]]> Thu, 10 Jul 2008 20:27:34 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5378 Citation Guidlines http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5377
The guidelines need to be simple and effective. I don't know if DPWR can do linked footnotes like wikipedia, so I won't propose them. I freely admit to coming from an APA perspective. Feedback is welcome, especially the constructive kind. The goal is not to add more work to article creation, but help everyone know where information is coming from.


Here is what I propose:

we use both an in-text and an endnote system. In-text citations will appear in parenthesis, consisting of a minimum if information. Endnotes will be designed to allow readers to find the source easily without being labor intensive for the author. I am thinking the the endnotes will just have the title "Sources" and then the sources listed in a column underneath that. Articles that draw solely from a single source can have that information included in the text ("Channelwood is an Age that only appears in Myst and RealMyst, and so we know of it only from those sources.) or more simply, the source can just be listed in the endnotes.

Our sources will come primarily from four kinds of places:

Our direct experiences in the cavern or the games - Here you may use only the title of the game or its acronym in the in-text citation, i.e. (RIVEN). For the sake of uniformity there will still be an endnotes section, but it will consist only of the game title. A distinction will need to maintained between URU:ABM, URU:CC, MOUL, and MORE. Actual access dates will almost always be appropriate for MOUL and MORE content, but need only appear in the endnotes.

MOUL. October 3, 2007.


The novels - very similar to cavern and in-game experiences. In-text citations can consist of only the title of the book or its acronym i.e. (BOA). The endnote can be simply the full title of the book, no author, no year, no publisher.

Book of Atrus.


Websites within the Myst/URU community (I will cover forum posts as a different type of source next) - this where things get more interesting. In-text citations should consist of both the website, and the title of the sub page, i.e. (Guild of Messengers, "Guild of Archivists").

The endnote may or may not include an author depending on the source. Some information comes from an organization or a website as a whole and some comes from an individual on a website. Here you will need to use common sense to determine which is occurring in your source. If you determine that there is not a specific author, then your citation will start with the title of the article/webpage. Next should come the title of the article or specific webpage. After that should come the title for the overall website. The posting date or access date should come next. Finally the URL should be provided. For the reference list the following format will be used:

Author. "Title of article or webpage". Website title. date. <URL>
"Title of article or webpage". Website title. date. <URL>

"Guild of Archivists". Guild of Messengers. July 7, 2008. http://messengers.sixpencemedia.com/newsev...hp?thisItem=272


Forum posts - similar to website sources, but with an emphasis on the date. The following format for in-text citations will be used (author, date of post) i.e. (Chogun, July 2, 2008) . For the reference list the following format will be used:

author. date of post. "Title of thread". Website or board. URL

Chogun. July 2, 2008. "MORE - letter to MystOnline fans". MOUL Forums. http://www.mystonline.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=15804



Okay, that is what I am thinking about citation formats. Let me know what you are thinking. Once we are all happy with a set of citation guidelines we can start thinking about implementation, so hold your thoughts on that topic.

Horatio]]> Thu, 10 Jul 2008 17:54:24 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5377 <![CDATA[MORE questions about RAWA's Disclaimers]]> http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5376 absolutely out of the question details, but my first question has to do with red herrings and "continuity." I thought I would run it by this esteemed group, before I put myself in the line of fire. In other words I am trying to find a way to word my question, so that I won't get an answer I don't like eyebrow.gif If any of you could be of help, I would appreciate your input.

2. (Not sure why I am numbering these, but RAWA did so I will). One of my storytelling wishes was to write branches that take explorers on wild goose chases willingly. They would not know if my characters were charlatans or know something no one else does. In other cases my stories might be seeded by the grandest storyteller RAWA. These stores he (or other) seeded me would be perfectly legitimate short meanders. Of course the fledgling writer Ruby does not expect to carry any part of core story anywhere. I would be happy revealing some little tidbit of something that fits into all the rest.

3. In fact I already have such a branch in mind. It includes a good bit of silliness and humor, but there is documentation in some cavern offices that it could be true (with a bit of elaboration & convincing). Now, I am not sure that it is not canon. Zardoz reminded me of an important fact: the checkerboard is barely revealed. My impending story is a far fetcher, but its possible I guess. W can talk about this later, but any writer worth h/her salt doesn't get to far off the beaten roadmap or canon. If that happens all connections are lost.

4. I don't want to encroach on the checkerboard, because I've been waiting for such a long time to find out in the due course what the rest of the story is...My plan was to write, share, be a part of the process, and continued to be surprised like everybody else.

5. Because I can't find a way to discuss this any other way, I put my stories into categories. Please see chart below, and add or comment as you like. On the one hand I am breathlessly excited by this whole process. On the other hand, I have only seen this process at work once in the past. It worked beautifully, but amazing things happened, and the game/story never got off the tarmac.

6. I agree with RAWA this is whole new ballgame. Or at least I think that he was getting @ blankstare.gif

Short List Chart of Ways to Tell and Branch the Story:

Adds to Lore and/and Possibly to Canon, if deemed appropriate by TPTB
A. Create/write an age that tells the story environmentally.

B. Create/write an age that tells the story environmentally, and uses characters, script, dialog, 2D counterpart (one or all).

C. Outline a story that uses characters, scripts, dialog, 2D counterpart (one or all), and illustrates an age to
tell the story.

D. Tell a story using allusions to canon, but not infringing on canon (as I interpreted what RAWA disclaimed). Uses
characters, script, dialog, and 2D counterpart (one or all + audio/video/whatever). This kind of storytelling could use actors, but does not require a set. No age is created/written.

Now for the Red Herrings

A. A red herring could allude to canon, but the character(s) involved in the caper are generally found out, before eternal damage is done. Red herrings do not require age creation/writing. Red Herrings use existing story and landscapes to mess with a person's mind caffeine.gif Now I do sound mean and diabolical.

This what I have so far. Anything else I would say at this point might negate my chances of living until tomorrow. Its just that conflict and consequences is what makes reading/playing worth it. I like my A/R life to be full of intrigue, so that my RL life can be as dull as dirt.


Ruby

PS. See what I mean, Al. It is a good thing Ruby landed when she did. Otherwise no telling where she will stir pots. Imagine the groans when Madge returns. Deafening...]]> Thu, 10 Jul 2008 16:46:02 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5376 Guild of Archivists Membership Process http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5374
The Guild of Archivists is officially open for new members! Membership is open to anyone, regardless of prior participation or knowledge about D'ni history. Because DPWR is a home to more than just the Guild of Archivists, your forum membership is not automatically tied to Guild membership. To become a member of the GoA, you will need to contact a Guild Captain to request that you be added to the Guild Member usergroup. Enrollment will not be denied to anyone, and if your request is not handled within two days, please contact me directly, and I will complete your enrollment. (For the time being, until we actually have a Guild Captain or two on the list linked above, please go ahead and contact me to get enrolled.)

Membership in the Guild of Archivists grants some small additional oversight permissions in the Archive itself, as well as an opportunity for promotion within the Guild (everybody has to start somewhere). Specific details on promotion processes are still being worked out, so be sure to head over to the Guild Discussion forum to join in the discussion. Aside from that, the GoA is open to everyone, and especially during this formative time, all of our proceedings are open to public input and review.

Welcome aboard!]]> Tue, 08 Jul 2008 21:00:14 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5374 Guild of Archivists Planning http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5312
First off, let's talk about responsibilities. Up until now, the GoA - such as it's been - has simply tasked itself with recording every possible piece of information pertaining to the Myst universe in the Archive. In MOUL, that responsibility expanded to include recording chat logs for posterity, and updating the Archive as new information, Ages, and history came out in the game. In that regard, there is still a lot of work to be done, and hopefully with an increased membership, we can get some of the backlog of existing work out of the way before MORE really takes off.

From here we start moving into fuzzier territory. Based on comments made by Rand and RAWA when they gave me the MORE roadmap, which I've taken to the GoMa and GoW, the two Guilds have agreed that the GoA should be included in the upcoming Fan Created Age Licensing (FCAL) panel as an equal partner for the review and approval of story-related content. This panel would be responsible for giving an initial approval to FCA requests, and would be staffed by an equal number of representatives from each Guild (Writers, Maintainers, and Archivists), who would serve limited terms and be chosen by a process that is still in development. In the event that elections or some other form of public selection is chosen, DPWR will need a public forum in which the selection process would take place, and the GoA would need enough members to be able to place people on the panel without compromising the rest of the Guild's operations due to potential conflicts of interest.

In addition to this panel, the GoA will need to develop a system by which Ages that have passed the initial FCAL process will be reviewed to ensure that they comply with the terms of the FCAL they were given. This review system would likely be a general Guild function, wherein a small team would likely give the Age a once-over in conjunction with the Guild of Maintainers inspection team before approving it for public release.

Finally, there will likely need to be some approval method in place for fan-created storylines that don't require the creation of new content for their execution (to use the popular examples, consider J.D. Barnes or Echo McKenzie's roleplaying in MOUL). It is currently unclear whether these stories will need to be submitted to the FCAL panel as with any other request, or whether there would be a more specific Archivist-only (or Archivist-led) approval process for them. I am currently awaiting further information from Cyan regarding their opinion on the matter, and it has been posed to Andy at GoMa and the GoW in general to get their opinions as well.

With these new found responsibilities comes a need for more organized membership criteria. I first want to make one thing very clear: the ability to contribute to the Archive will not be restricted to Archivists only as part of these new policies and responsibilities. The Archive was built on the concept of being open to contributions from anyone in the community, and I would very much like to keep it that way. Beyond that, we're going to need some rules for how people get brought into the Guild itself, and how we decide who will be in charge of individual projects.

My initial thoughts are that anyone who wants to join the Guild can do so. This will afford them marginally increased permissions in the Archive to assist in its maintenance (the ability to protect or remove articles from the Archive, for example), as well as a voice in any open election proceedings to be performed by the Guild, but little else. Guild membership will still be kept separate from forum membership, as I'm sure there are folks here who have no desire to participate in the Guild, but would still like to participate in the forums, and I have no problem with that. For the sake of terminology, let's refer to these entry-level Guild members as Guildsmen (terms subject to change).

The next "level" of Guild membership (this is starting to sound like a PBS pledge drive, but without the awesome tote bags) would be in charge of adding prospective Guild members to the appropriate forum group, as a way to take some of the load off of the Guild Masters in this regard. They would be given extremely limited access to the forum's administration panel for this task, and for this reason, will likely be hand-selected by the Guild Masters for their trustworthiness. Again for the sake of argument, let's call these people Guild Captains.

Thirdly, there would be Guild Masters, who would be in charge of various specific projects within the Archive, or heading up the Archivist arm of a joint GoMa/GoA Age inspection team. These would be go-to people who would help handle the larger operations of the Guild. For example, there might be a Guild Master for the Archive's Timeline project, a Guild Master for the Archive's Chat Log project, and a small handful of additional Masters to help handle inspections, taking assignments on a rotating basis (so if there were 3 Inspection Masters, a Master would get every 3rd Age to come down the pipe). The selection method for these positions would likely vary... Archive Masters could be self-appointing with approval from the rest of the Guild (and/or approval from the other Guild Masters and Grand Master), or elected (though I'm not a fan of electing someone into a position they might not want). Inspection Masters are more likely to be elected through some Guild-wide process given the somewhat more delicate nature of their duties, but in either case, I'm open to suggestions.

Finally, there'd be the Grand Master who, barring any usurpation or abdication of power, would probably be me. Because I hate myself wink.gif. The Grand Master would be in charge of establishing general policies to be approved by the rest of the Guild (things like how to format Archive articles and such), coordinating the efforts of the Guild Masters, and making sure that the website was properly maintained. Ideally, it would be more of a hands-off role, though I reserve the right to go on an Archive update spree from time to time wink.gif.

Now, because the Archivists will be operating out of this forum, there's going to need to be some reorganization of this place to accommodate them. I'm also planning on doing some additional forum clean-up, because this place looks pretty dead most of the time due to forums that get used maybe once every few months. Anyway, I'd like to put forth my ideas for a revised forum structure, and get everyone's thoughts on it. This structure won't include hidden forums needed strictly for the operation of the forum itself (like the moderator forum), but any and all Guild-related forums are included in the structure below:
  • Guild of Archivists
    • Guild Announcements (with feed to DPWR home page)
    • Guild Discussion (for discussing organization, new ideas, etc.)
    • Guild Projects (initially to discuss Archive-specific projects, but can later be adapted to service FCA review projects after the initial FCAL is given by the approval panel)
    • Archive Requests (pulled from existing D'niPedia Forums section)
    • Archive Article Discussion (also pulled from existing D'niPedia Forums section)
    • Speculation & Theory (from the D'niPedia Forums section)
  • Writers Ring Forums
    • Image Submissions
    • Studio Floor
  • Community Forums
    • The Lounge (off-topic; Other Games would be merged into this forum)
    • Myst Series Discussion (consolidated forum for all Myst/Uru game discussion, since the individual forums are pretty much dead as a doornail 90% of the time)
  • Community Projects
    • SAPS
    • Aveara (might remove or archive elsewhere, since this project is decidedly not going anywhere)
    • Sehv Tsahno (might remove or archive elsewhere, since this one seems to be dead as well)
  • Forum Support & Feedback
    • Site / Forum Support & Feedback
    • Testing Forum
If the Aveara and Sehv Tsahno forum categories get archived, they'll probably be put in a locked section underneath the Testing forum for reference purposes. Also, the Official Communications forum will be merged into the Archive under a new tag, since it doesn't make much sense to keep the two separate if you're looking for information.

I'm more than willing to accept feedback and additional thoughts about anything I've outlined here, because none of it is absolutely, irrevocably set in stone at this point. So, all of you interested in helping out with the GoA, please make your voices heard!]]> Mon, 07 Jul 2008 03:46:09 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5312 GoC Update http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5298 OK - I figured it out. I'll move this info to the article in archive...

In April Grand Master Aiden disappeared. Along with him the GoC web site he created, UruMaps.com.

Currently handling Guild affairs is Grand Master Nalates.

The original web site Made by Guild Master Ricka and Grand Master Futographer (ret.) is still operational: http://home.att.net/~cartographyguild/about.htm

The Guild's Tech Data site is still up at: GoC Technical Data

Information you may want to include.
Grand Master Pa'trick (Futographer on some forums) and founder directed from 2003 to late 2005. While he remained the Grand Master, due to health he was inactive during the last part of his term. Pa'trick did set much of the intent and flavour of the Guild. The Guild as an association of free peoples was some what leaderless through 2006. Guild Master Nalates and others handled issues as needed.

Aiden, then soon to become Grand Master Aiden, was first on scene in Feb 2007 (oldest post at UO). That year he was 'elected' to the office. He created a new web site and chased down members of the GoC rekindling interest in the GoC. He worked to get the D'ni translation of the Guild name correct (Reference) amoung other achivements. After the closing of the Cavern in April 2008 Aiden disappeared and the web sites in his name went offline. He has yet to be heard from. There is no support for the rumors that he was taken by the bahro.

There is no current Grand Master. Affairs of the GoC are being handled by Nalates as of late June 2008. Both MOUL and UO are good contact points.

Guild Master Nalates is presently questing to find former and wannabe members of the GoC. She can be contacted at UO and MOUL for a quick response.]]> Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:39:23 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5298 Moiety, anyone? http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5285 Mon, 02 Jun 2008 21:15:01 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5285 Is there anything more on the Narayani? http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5255
Best regards

Ty
]]> Mon, 11 Feb 2008 19:28:58 -0500 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5255 The Great Tree http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5234 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 17:46:19 -0500 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5234 standardized guild article form http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5212 (items in bold should be listed as headers (even if that information is missing). Items with a dash should be paragraphs with no heading):

Guild Name
Guild Symbol
Guild Color

Historical Guild
-Responsibilities/duties
-Locations (ages, buildings)
-Founding and major historical events
-Important people and known members
-Other information

Current Guild / Restored Guild
-Responsibilities/duties
-Locations (hoods, websites)
-Major events (past or recurring)
-Important people (who are its current and former leaders)
-Other information


Let me know what you think. My first sweep will primarily be to implement the shell of whatever format we decide on. We can fill in gaps in a second revision.]]> Sat, 05 Jan 2008 21:12:58 -0500 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5212 The Timeline Project http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5317
Now, to move on to the nitty gritty, I'd like to deprecate this massive one-entry-to-rule-them-all format in favor of something a lot more flexible. Ideally, I'd like to put together something like Wikipedia's entries for time, with articles for each year and each individual date, linking to various entries on specific events as necessary.

For example, the entry for 1323 DE would have a note in it regarding the beginning of the Pento War, and additional notes detailing specific events from the war as dated in the timeline above. The Pento War reference would link to its own article where the conflict would be described in detail, linking back to various dated events as necessary. Additionally, there would be an entry on Leevot 12, which would contain a reference to the beginning of the Pento War in 1323 DE, linking to the entry on the year and the entry on the war. It would also contain references to anything else (of importance) that ever happened on that date in any year.

This works pretty well if we continue the tradition of keeping D'ni history chronicled strictly in D'ni time, and the Restoration effort chronicled strictly in surface time. While I can certainly understand the move made to separate these two timelines on Cyan's behalf, creating something of a clean break from the rest of the mythology from which to tell this new story, it's something of a thorn in my side when it comes to trying to keep everything consistent for the Archive. Even making yearly entries titled with the D'ni year and surface year side-by-side is of questionable accuracy since D'ni years don't overlap completely with surface years despite being virtually the same length (someone remind me to "thank" RAWA for that one next time I see him wink.gif), to say nothing of the fact that each D'ni day could line up with about 5 or 6 surface days depending on the year you're looking at, so doing "D'ni Month & day / Surface Month & day" entries would be completely impossible.

The simplest solution, but also the one that would generate the most work, would be to just set up two matching timelines, one using surface time, and the other using D'ni time, tagging them with separate child tags of "D'ni History": "Timeline: D'ni" and "Timeline: Surface". Beyond that, I can't think of anything that would be terribly intuitive to save us the trouble of having to duplicate this whole mess for those who prefer to see when things happened in any given calendar.

Given the amount of work this is going to entail, I want to turn this out to the rest of the Archivists and company to provide some feedback. Should we even bother deprecating this monolithic entry? If not, how can we make it more user-friendly? If so, how can we optimize the workload to make restructuring this mess as easy as possible?]]> Thu, 27 Dec 2007 18:12:29 -0500 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5317 How to categorize Uru http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5205
Since the entirety of the game we had in Complete Chronicles (minus the Great Tree access in the Watcher's Pub) is now in Uru Live, I personally don't think it's necessary to distinguish between these versions of the game when it comes to classifying its contents; an "Uru" tag in the Sources: Games group should be sufficient, with discrepancies between versions and various release dates enumerated within the articles themselves.

I think it would be prudent to create a separate group for Uru's episodes/content releases, utilizing Cyan's numbering system, so that Scars is Episode V. The major content releases that lacked an episode moniker could be simply titled "Release #", and ideally Prologue would also be a tag within this section, since it can pretty much be boiled down into a 3-month-long episode. So, for example, we'd have:

Uru Live Prologue
Uru Live Episode II (Launch)
Uru Live Episode III (The Pods)
Uru Live Episode IV (Pods Continued)
Uru Live Episode V: Scars
Uru Live Episode VI: A New Light
Uru Live Episode VII: Familiar Voices
Uru Live Episode VIII: Deception
Uru Live Episode IX: Exodus

Numbers can be substituted for the numerals, I'm not picky. wink.gif

I think something else that would help is an OOC tag, into which we can pile things like descriptions of the episodes themselves, as well as summaries of the offline content releases of To D'ni and Path of the Shell, outside of the bullet-point format of the D'ni Timeline (which also needs a massive overhaul... more on that in a future post wink.gif).

Thoughts?]]> Thu, 27 Dec 2007 17:38:55 -0500 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5205 Tomahna Telescope http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5198 Just thought I'd mention that.
-Kordan]]> Tue, 18 Dec 2007 17:10:55 -0500 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5198 Jalak Dador http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=4063 Tue, 23 Oct 2007 12:39:06 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=4063 Rime Crystals http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=4057 Fri, 28 Sep 2007 11:28:56 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=4057 Eder Gira http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=4006 Delete Fri, 27 Jul 2007 04:25:17 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=4006 Uru Ages http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=3991 Tue, 10 Jul 2007 18:27:31 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=3991 Organization http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=3990 -Kordan smile.gif]]> Mon, 09 Jul 2007 12:57:40 -0400 http://www.dpwr.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=3990