Unveiling the new e-zine!

A long time ago, in the early days of OtherSpace, we had an e-zine in PDF format for our players.

Starting now, we renew that tradition with the introduction of the Spacers Landing e-zine. The first issue, available for free download, is at this link.

In this issue:

* New race: Ligerlings!
* Showcase roleplaying log: Name on the Bullet
* Sage advice from OS veterans
* Introduction to OS: Dominion!

Enjoy!

OtherSpace: Roleplayers of the Week – 3/26/10

Congratulations to the OtherSpace Roleplayers of the Week for 3/26/10:

Top Roleplayer: Kestrel

Superstars: Anshera

Stars: Razorback * Lucius * Naoi * Mern * Tiana Ryoleli * Grayback * Fauze * MacNamara * Sheppard * Miklos Gyrferen * Jaswinder * Kiterin * Garviel * Alaire * Eylohta * Majors * Lildrina * Bennatsuyu * Chaos * Sarenity * Lila * Medea * Andrew * Ribas Salek * Alexandra * Loken * Bri

Join our cast of talented characters at http://www.jointhesaga.com

Introducing – OtherSpace: Dominion

After about a year of playing social games on Facebook, I’ve taken the leap and developed a hybrid empire-building project called OtherSpace: Dominion.

The game empowers OtherSpace players to:

* Earn money based on the level of skills on their +sheet.
* Colonize new worlds.
* Invent new sentient alien races.
* Build empires.

The core of the game-within-the-game is our System 5.00 crafting system. Essentially, players spend Saga Points and Roleplaying Points to acquire permits, schematics, Action Cards, Event Cards, and other materials needed to make what they need. Then, they use Crafting Minutes to +craft items in the Dominion system.

Many craftable items in Dominion are meant to be sold by players to vendors who will reward them with cash. However, others are intended to be built up over time – such as planets, alien races, and player-driven empires.

Some items require Legendary skill to create. Because players are only allowed to have one Legendary per character, this should have the effect of creating some interdependencies between players.

Now, although the primary goal of this project is to provide around-the-clock fun for our players, it also comes with some secondary motives.

First, we’re hoping to see players use the game as inspiration for new lore through the worlds, races, and empires they create. Build your world, write about it in our Wiki, and if it’s accepted as official lore, you’ll get Saga Point and RPP rewards.

Second, we want the “metagame” jobs to inspire in-game roleplaying events. Score that dangerous smuggling gig and then run an event for your crew to bring the story to life.

Saga Points are earned by making contributions to jointhesaga@gmail.com via PayPal. For every $1 you give toward our marketing and server costs, you receive 100 Saga Points. Within the next month or so, we’ll also allow for passive acquisition of Saga Points as paychecks for players who are active, loyal, and committed to OtherSpace.

Roleplaying Points are earned by writing character biographies, earning +votes from other players, or just being online when we’re distributing freebie points.

Crafting Minutes are earned by typing +minutes once a day, yielding 100 minutes each time you do that. It’s also possible to convert Saga Points into Crafting Minutes, at a rate of 1,000 Crafting Minutes per 100 Saga Points.

We’ve got a few ground rules in mind for conflict between empires in Dominion:

* One player declares hostilities against another’s empire via +str, indicating the terms of the dispute.
* The staff notifies the other player via @mail and posts a news article. We’ll give the target a week to respond before the other player wins by default.
* The target can seek diplomatic resolution with their attacker. If that fails, the war goes forward.
* Both players select five conflict cards of their own to play against each other. Any allied empires can contribute one card each to the battle. The card values are totaled. The highest value wins. The dispute is then resolved according to the terms set out before the war began. A tie means the skirmish ended in a draw.
* One empire cannot initiate hostilities against the same foe more than once a month.
* Canonical worlds such as Hekayt Prime, B’hira, Kamsho, and Aukam are restricted from launching attacks on player-built empires. Any and all conflicts involving player-built empires should come from players. However, player-built empires are restricted from launching attacks against those worlds, for similar reasons.

A quick note on staffer-played characters: They’re allowed to play and encouraged particularly to take part in all aspects of OtherSpace: Dominion with one important exception. We’re not allowed to initiate attacks against player-built empires. It’s forbidden, simple as that. Our character-built empires are open to attack by players, though, and it is perfectly fine to defend your empire and retaliate if a player-built empire initiates hostilities.

I’m excited to see what this new feature of OtherSpace might mean for the game going forward. It’s my hope that we’ll see a lot of new blood drawn by the social and empire-building aspects of the project. If they come for that, maybe they’ll stick around for the awesome storytelling!

Thinking About: Empire +crafting

The next phase of crafting – besides expanding on the fundamental types of weapons (I’ve got to add projectile, edged, bombs, etc.) and continuing the replacement of items from the other games where practical – will take things in a new direction as we start rolling out the Saga Rewards system.

I’ve always been a proponent of the idea that OtherSpace needs around-the-clock activities for players. In the past, that amounted to the concept of a trade system, which saw players flying from Point A to Point B to pick up cargo to sell for a profit. This was always pretty easy to exploit to raise individual wealth to ridiculous levels.

Now, though, I’m leaning more toward a system that doesn’t require knowledge or use of HSpace but does require Roleplaying Point and Saga Point investment from players and expands on an existing coded system so that players don’t have to learn a whole new interface to participate: Crafting.

An offshoot of the new crafting system philosophy – where modified versions of basic weapons and armor are created using Action Cards as components – I’m planning a system that will use Event Cards as components, with starship and planet objects (acquired with Saga Points) serving as equipment for the crafting of goods that can be sold to NPC vendors.

With this system, players will have the opportunity to build their own worlds, using +craft/desc and the Wiki to flesh out their vision. They’ll also be able to amass fleets of freighters without having to clutter the grid with extra rooms or satisfying pre-requisite crew numbers to get an actual HSpace vessel. However, if someone gets at least one starship object with Saga Reward points or as a Veteran Reward, they’ll be eligible to have a starship on the grid if they want it.

The goals with this system will be as follows:

1) Provide an around-the-clock activity that’s profitable but requires an investment of RPP and Saga Points
2) Create another mode for players to build their own worlds and generate their own lore on OtherSpace
3) Expand the utility of the crafting system

Introducing OtherSpace Crafting System 5.00

The new and improved crafting system on OtherSpace is now active, with craftable gear in the categories of Clothing, Energy Weapons, Electronics, Synthsteel Armor, Energy Armor, Refraction Armor, Nanokev Armor, and Smartsuit Armor.

What’s new?

* Armor crafting includes the ability to make full suits. Those suits can be modified to be tougher, sleeker, or armed with shoulder-mounted lasers, wrist lasers, or jetpacks.
* There’s no single Armorcrafting skill. Tailoring handles most types of armor, while others are covered by Metalworking or Electronics.
* Higher-tier items require the investment of an action card acquired with RPP as a component.
* Different types of armor have distinct strengths and weaknesses. Some are useful against projectile and edged weapons, but not much better than cloth against an energy weapon.

What’s improved?

* We’ve done away with craftlevels. Instead, you must have a minimum amount of skill on your +sheet to craft certain items. Most base-level armor, for example, requires Tailoring of at least Good.
* We’ve eliminated a lot of intermediary gear and components that weren’t being used. Instead, the focus is on providing items that are worth having. Base-level armor might not be as appealing as higher-tier items, but that base-level armor is required as components to make those higher-tier items.

What’s next?

* We’re going to start taking the crafting system in some interesting directions, adding categories for lawyers, for example, to +craft a legal victory, which they can then turn around and sell as a means of gaining income. Our goal will be to set up methods for characters from many different walks of life to use the +crafting system to make money (and eventually wean everyone off of the Comorro welfare system).
* Besides expanding the existing catalog of craftable items, we’ll be adding a new library of armor, weapons, and gadgets that can be acquired with Saga Points. These points can be earned passively over time once that new system is installed, or can be more quickly acquired by contributing to the MUSH via PayPal at jointhesaga@gmail.com ($1 per 100 Saga Points).

Thinking About: Breaking bad

It’s amusing that some people out there in the universe think that I’m some kind of devil.

I’m trying to grasp what it is about me that’s so evil. Maybe others can help guide me to the light.

Is it that I’ve changed web designs and upset the game theme so many times over the years?

Is it that I’m occasionally blunt to the point of rudeness in text communication?

Is it that Neidermeyer never quite seems to stay dead?

Is it that I taint the “pure” roleplayer’s habitat with MMO-style achievement opportunities, such as badges and belts?

Is it that I have the temerity to seek ways to get my game development hobby (job) to pay for itself?

Is it that there’s some perception that I play favorites with people?

Is it that people think I’m a snob? Or that I’m not snobby enough?

Or is it that I kick puppies, eat kittens, and steal candy from babies?

I’m not perfect. Far from it. I am flawed. I’m always looking for ways to improve and grow.

To those who like me: Hi.

To those who hate me: Hi.

To those who fear me: Boo!

To those who just don’t care: How did you manage to read this far? Good on you.

To everybody: No matter what differences we might have had in the past, know that I wish nothing but the best for you now and in the future. I can’t say I’ll forgive and forget every offense committed against me any more than I’d expect you to give me a pass on any slights, perceived or real, that I’ve committed against you. But, for what it’s worth, everybody’s got value.

One of the reasons I started this blog and initiated facets of it such as the Between-the-Lines posts was to give a more transparent view of how I work and what makes me tick. It’s my hope that this helps alleviate the idea that I’m some kind of monster. Or not. Like I said, it IS sort of amusing to hear that you’ve made that kind of impact – especially when you consider the source.

I leave you with this exchange from one of my favorite movies:

Norrington: You are without doubt the worst pirate I’ve ever heard of.
Jack Sparrow: But you have heard of me.

Between the Lines: “Rebirth/Day of the Dead”

Here’s a situation where we didn’t have a lot of necessary behind-the-scenes communication but, in my opinion, it ultimately worked out just fine and over time may serve the bigger story arc even better than my original plan.

Loki and I had talked earlier this year about allowing Necromundus characters to make the transition to OtherSpace – just like we did with Chiaroscuro – at the conclusion of an open-a-portal plot over on Necro. When we first talked about it, I had taken from it the understanding that the event would take place well into the Shattered Mirror arc and possibly as part of the finale. I wanted to take time to figure out how we would migrate various skills, what items might be transferable, how to deal with RPP – all the housekeeping stuff, which is already behind because I also need to do the same sort of thing for some former Chiaroscuro and OS:M players.

The night before Sunday’s crossover event, I got clued in that we were bringing people over NOW.

This was frustrating, of course, because it tossed a wrench in my long-term “plan.” I know Loki felt bad about it. She had meant to discuss the event concept with me, but RL had kept that from happening. So, here I was, with no real warning to speak of, expected to come up with an event on the OtherSpace side to help introduce the Necro folks.

It wasn’t frustrating for long. Ultimately, it was energizing. Loki ran a scene using a “medium” on Comorro Station while I prepared for the newcomers to materialize deep below the surface of Hekayt Prime. The dark matter-gathering facility, which I expect to play a significant role in the Shattered Mirror arc, so far had only existed as mentioned in a couple of news articles. This situation created an opportunity to introduce the place and some of the people who work there. So, now, the facility isn’t just some vague place in a news article – it’s starting to take on shape, color, sound, smell. It’s also a good spot for the newly transferred Necro characters to get familiar with the universe before they’re tossed out to fend for themselves.

So, it was a curve ball, but a good one.

Thinking About: I can’t hear your typing’s intent

There’s a nasty trap that people who interact in real-time text-based environments can fall into. Even on a MUSH, where people can spend multiple paragraphs setting the scene for what their character is doing and saying, we don’t always do the best job conveying meaning when we type. It’s particularly nettlesome when people are having an out-of-character, player-to-player conversation without any of the aural or visual cues that are normally available with real face-to-face communication.

You may be the most well-intentioned person in the world, but sometimes what you type might be read a totally different way by someone else. Or, you might read something someone else types, make a joke about how it offends you, and then offend them with your behavior. Or, you might be someone like me: You’ve got a reputation for being snarky and cranky, so any time you type ANYTHING on an out-of-character channel, some people will immediately infer a certain tone from it.

And, no, I’m sorry, but 🙂 and 😉 and 😛 don’t help. In fact, they will just make it worse, adding new layers of potential offense for people to puzzle over. Is that a snotty wink? Is the poking tongue dismissing me as irrelevant? Is that regular smiley like the kind you see on the face of the fellow with the knife hidden behind his back and ready to strike?

So, the next time you’re thinking about typing something in a text outlet – MSN, Facebook, Twitter, the MUSH – you might do yourself a favor and think about the words you’re using and the intent behind them, and be sure to make that intent abundantly clear.

I’m not saying you should always be nice and polite, though. Fact is, if you muddy the waters too much when you’re TRYING to be a sarcastic son of a bitch, you might miss the mark entirely. Subtle nuances of tone rarely work in real-time text interactions.

Between the Lines: “Cold Dead Hands”

I’m struggling to figure out what was going on with this event, but I’ll go ahead and accept the blame for somehow failing to make it engaging enough.

First, it was a follow-up event to “Name on the Bullet.” So, I can see that it wouldn’t be quite as exciting as the initial event, but it took us about four hours to go from “People entering the Forgotten Quarter and noticing two Gankri and a Lotorian hanging out” to “People trying to apprehend the Gankri.” That’s not good, considering we had a much more action-packed sequence in a similar timeframe during “The Lost Missionaries.”

Unlike previous events in recent weeks, I definitely had a plan for this adventure. The intent, if things seemed to be flowing all right, was to have the Gankri lead our heroes on a chase through ancient twisty passages in the depths of Comorro until they could reach a long-forgotten hatch that would grant access to a waiting getaway ship. However, the poses just to get the activity started came in fits and starts. It felt at times like people were phasing in and out of paying attention. Maybe they were playing characters in another window. Maybe they were watching the Olympics. Maybe they were farming on Facebook. Whatever they were doing, they weren’t thinking a lot about the event. As the poses slowed down, I know that I started multitasking. It took me out of the moment and that led to me doing a poor job of keeping other people in the moment.

As a result, I ended up abbreviating the event. It became more of a quick-burst action. Someone shot the Lotorian. The two Gankri made a run for it. One of the Ganrki got his head blown off. The other was injured and taken away for treatment and (eventually) questioning, so that Marisa could try getting to the bottom of her near-murder. Ironically, things actually sped up when the combat started.

Looking back, I was trying to let player actions drive the beginning of the event. I wanted to see what they would do. When they didn’t do much, I tried to engage them. Things just didn’t pick up much until the guns and knives came into play.

I won’t call the event a failure – it has succeeded in moving the story forward, so that’s great. But it didn’t feel as fun as I had hoped it would be.

Between the Lines: The Lost Missionaries, Part II

Part II of The Lost Missionaries picked up just minutes after the showdown between Jaswinder and Thayndor, with the group setting aside their differences for the time being and delving into the jungle in search of the missing Opodians and the lost rescue party.

In my original vision of this adventure, I had anticipated a more extended period of jungle exploration. However, knowing how some folks felt about each other behind the scenes, I decided it probably wouldn’t be a great idea to prolong the situation any more than necessary. Besides: Encountering trash mobs in the middle of the jungle would just dilute the story that I wanted to craft. Instead, it didn’t take more than a round of poses for the group to come upon a cave entrance flanked by two of the newly discovered “Aukampires.” Razorback also detected noise coming from the direction of the shuttle landing site.

This was soon followed by the first reveal of the evening: The two Aukampires killed the other night? They were back, cranky, and rather persistent about wanting their crystals returned.