Cooperative Plot Creation Project

[novacadian]

Character to Character Messaging

Characters can now communicate within the site to one another. When one gets a search listing returned users will now notice a [ Tell ] link after the [ View ] link of each character returned in the search. By following the [ Tell ] link one can send a message to the character from any of the characters on the user's character listing.

One can now read new and archived message by following the Message menu link on the left side of most site pages.

There are two options in the Message Center. After choosing for which character, one can either have only new messages returned (which will immediately mark them as old) or archived (old) messages; which is a listing of all sent and received message from newest to oldest.

This is pretty rough edged at the moment; yet at least characters can start to communicate on the site between one another. The entry sent in the tells provides full HTML capabilities.

Some flashing symbol will eventually be placed in the Your Character Listing output to let users know which of their characters has any new messages.

Edit 102910:  New tells are now displayed with a link, [New Tells], which will appear in the Your Character Listing menu link's output; if the character in the listing has new messages waiting.

Edit 110810: TODO: Offer Reply link when reading tells.

Edit 110910: Reply button now installed in the New Message Display page.

Edit 111010: The Message Center page now offers Inbox, Outbox and Full Archive Listings.

Edit 121210: TODO - Offer Message listings on sender or receiver name from both inbox, outbox and both.

Edit 112410: TODO: A Post button at the bottom of each Character Display Page to be able to readily send the character being viewed a message.

Edit 021411:: A Send Message link is now offered at the bottom of each Character Display page.

What comes to mind as this system gets more polished is a means by which to run RPs off map. That is on trips beyond the known worlds of PS. On lower levels or wherever; that a GM might run or the storyline style players may find as a useful tool.

Edit 111410: The off map RP idea has been scrapped.

Double post to say that the "Black Flame" options for religion isn't a smart idea... It's better (for everyone) if we don't know who is a black flamer or not: one because they should be secret, two because they should be secret.

They could always lie about it and who is to know.

Edit 102910: With the new Message system you could drop the character in question a message as to your opinion. If they read it and agree they could then edit the record.

- Nova

Edit 102910: Thinking more about running rpgs in the message system one technique immediately comes to mind. The style was played out years ago on an old BBS. It was a Star Wars Scenario so action filled. The GM had us post each of our characters' actions to a thread which he then rolled up the results and posted a message of what all happened. By creating a GM Character Record on the  site each character involved in the rpg could post their actions to the GM Character using the tells explained above. The GM could then simple cut and past the full story of what happened to each character involved in the actions. Mass Mailing/Messaging seems like a natural progression.

Edit 111410: The off map RP idea has been scrapped.

Edit 102910: One easy translation of stats may be at a 10:1 ratio. A strength of 100 would mean a 10 STR in translation. That is basing things on the concept that maxing most things, on PS, is 200 and in D&D around 21. Maybe it would be more in step to use the Open Game Licensed, d20.

Edit 111410: The off map RP idea has been scrapped.

[derula]

I think this is really awesome. Are PMs HTML-enabled? If so, I'd like to be able to view a preview of my message.

[Sangwa]

I have new critique. I think the database should be more player focused. Instead of asking GMT for each character we make, just ask once when the player creates the account. Also, make the player visible in the character's profile, so people can distinguish between alts (i.e. don't end up asking the same player to play two characters on a plot.)

There should also be a way of seeing all added characters in a list that can be organized by GMT, Traits, Class, Religion, etc. This would greatly improve navigation, making the character selection way more easy.

[derula]

I have new critique. I think the database should be more player focused. Instead of asking GMT for each character we make, just ask once when the player creates the account. Also, make the player visible in the character's profile, so people can distinguish between alts (i.e. don't end up asking the same player to play two characters on a plot.)

I do not agree.
1) Timezone issue: One player might want to play different characters at different times of the day, and could thus "fake" a time zone.
2) No. No. Simply no. That would mean if you want to create a secret alt you would not everyone to know that you're playing him, you would have to create a new account. That's stupid. If you WANT other players to know about your alts, you can say that in the description.

In both cases: IF such an option be added, AT LEAST make it optional. Thanks.

Edit: btw, why is none of the (even trivial) bugs I reported earlier fixed?

[novacadian]

Are PMs HTML-enabled? If so, I'd like to be able to view a preview of my message.

Wonderful idea. A little Javascript should do the job nicely. Thanks for that!

I think the database should be more player focused.

My goal would be to make the database as character centric as possible. This is particularly strong in feeling that the player should be used in the background only. If a consensus emerges wishing the database more player centric then my thoughts will be revisited.

There are a lot of plans on the drawing board which would suite better a character centric site. These include...

1. A D&D combat results script; which spits the output of a battle to the screen either as a complete battle or one swing at a time.

2. A two dimensional hex map, which could be used to give a visual layout for a GM running an online table rpg through the site's mechanics.

Edit 111410: The off map RP idea has been scrapped.

3. Also on the drawing board is the beginning concepts of an rpg scenario using PS Settings. It would be something that takes place outside the Bronze Doors for low level characters. It would be a means that more than one character can arrive on PS with a previously existing back story (or stories as more are written) which is common to more than one character.

Edit 111410: The off map RP idea has been scrapped.

Just some examples of why my vision for the site is a character centric one.

Edit: btw, why is none of the (even trivial) bugs I reported earlier fixed?

Overworked and underpaid?  

Edit 103010: Checking back through the thread, there seemed only one post which alluded to bugs. Please correct me if wrong.

- Nova

[Sangwa]

Hey, wait a minute. I thought these Cooperative Plot thingy was meant to focus on PlaneShift. Now you're talking of boards and whatnot?

[novacadian]

Hey, wait a minute. I thought these Cooperative Plot thingy was meant to focus on PlaneShift. Now you're talking of boards and whatnot?

Edit 111410: The off map RP idea has been scrapped.

My thoughts were to approach the Powers that Be to put all the content of the Scenario(s) under the Atomic Blue copyright. In that way they may be able to market them because of their PS Settings.

As mentioned in my thread the original goal of any traditional rpg play using PS Settings on the site would be to be able to give new (mentioned as low level above) characters common background stories. Like you and your friends do one of the low level scenarios at around the time one creates a PS character; or before; and then all those characters would have a shared back story. It could also be a means to introduce players to more traditional rpg as opposed to the all meaning RP which one finds mention on the forum.

Edit: It could also lead to RP spilling out into PS, and continuing and growing there.

It would also offer the Settings Team some imaginative ideas of what may be going on beyond the Bronze Doors. It would be assumed that only their approval would make distribution available for Atomic Blue Approved Scenarios. The rule set used would be d20 so there would be only the settings and perhaps some graphics that Atomic Blue need consider. None of the character mechanics would come into play. My intention would not be to develop the PCs. They may get some prizes like weapons and armour purchased for them on PS to match those they may have won through the scenario. Or perhaps some tria, gems, gold, what-hev-you. The goal would be back story and fun reads of completed quests. Anything of that nature in the forums; using PS Settings; by my way of thinking would be a good thing for PS.

- Nova

Edit 103010: One approach may be to have a maze aspect a big part of the scenario. The map layout could be 4 or 5 mazes linked together. In that way it could be used in module form by future GMs; who could arrange the map in unique ways to add the element of surprise and avoid huge spoilers. The modules could be designed in such a way as to be altered according to their placement in the over all scenario map. That is their level. May want each module to have the ability to raise a character one d20 level. Completing the full module set would therefore allow a nice variance of how the module feels according to what level it is assigned by its positioning.

Edit 103010: Just a footnote after a chat in game with one of my guild mates. First and foremost the site is intended to foster RP in PS. The Scenario play is just one use of the site that it would interest me to try out. Any web tools scripted for that use would be done with the intention that they would, also, aid in some styles of RP found in PS. Such things as the combat results come readily to mind.

[Sangwa]

The most important part here is not creating backgrounds or stories in places we currently have no access to. The important part is creating plots that can be played out in this game, in order to increase the amount of material we have.

PS has its own rules, so why bother with using D&D's? I mean, anyone who wants is free to do it, but I think that's only a niche thing. You won't ever get as little as  15% of PS's population engaging in that kind of wackiness.

I'm still making the Cooperative Plot Creation HOW TO, but it doesn't include leaning on external sources for rules and whatnot.

[verden]

so why bother with using D&D's?

Because there are few, if any, mechanisms in PS that support roleplay between characters.

[novacadian]

PS has its own rules, so why bother with using D&D's?

Because PS combat handling; and most other dice rolled mechanics; are under Atomic Blue copyright and not allowed for public use.

I'm still making the Cooperative Plot Creation HOW TO

Glad to hear. It will be a welcome addition.

- Nova

[Sangwa]

*sighs* I still don't get it why we can't just focus in in-game roleplay... But I'm just being exhaustive, I get it.

Hum, this week I had some evaluations and such... This week I'll have some too, but I have half of the HOW TO done. I think you'll like the outcome.

[Illysia]

*sighs* I still don't get it why we can't just focus in in-game roleplay...

Because most other people haven't been gone 3 or 4 years and so the grievances are still fresh. You've walked away from the battle for quite awhile, there is a reason you aren't as tired of it as others.

[novacadian]

*sighs* I still don't get it why we can't just focus in in-game roleplay... But I'm just being exhaustive, I get it.

Don't let my side project distract you. Think of it as a means to test ideas out that will aid in dice style RPs in PS.

Edit 111410: The off map RP idea has been scrapped.

Hum, this week I had some evaluations and such... This week I'll have some too, but I have half of the HOW TO done. I think you'll like the outcome.

That will be a great addition. Looking forward to it!

- Nova

Edit 110110: Additional HTML (including an image) has been added to Venorel Weruno's Character Display. The trick, at the moment, of adding HTML to the Character Display is to make all quote marks (") literal. This is so that it is not interpreted during it's saving. This can be done by preceding any quote marks with a backward slash (\). So all quote marks should be entered as \" .

Edit 110110: HTML (including quote marks) should now be fully functional in the Character Display. The quotes are now made literal during submission for you.

Edit 110210: Users will now find a new link in the Useful Links of the site's main page called Characters Presently on PS. It scrapes derula's PS status script. Once the needed fields are added to the site's characters' table the registered characters on the site will be marked as to the last date the character was seen on PS.

Edit 110310: Users will now find a new link in the site's menu, which is a link called Registered Characters on PS. This link will display all characters registered on the site which are presently being played on PS. There is a 10 minute delay so do not expect it to be instantaneous.

[derula]

Ahem. All these bugs are still present, some of them trivial to fix:

- Can't remove characters
- No option to view all characters
- No option for character gender
- No option for "follows no god" (as has been discussed is different from atheist)
- "Athiest" typo
- Line breaks in descriptions aren't converted to HTML linebreaks
- Description field contains a tab character by default
- Search result are ordered by ID instead of name (an "ORDER BY `name`" or something should do)
- All "home" links lead away from the site to the main blog. In order to get back to the welcome page, you need to manually edit the address.

And I add to the list the following: On the character submission screen, there is a guild rank "High-ranked member". This value is called "Leader" everywhere else. I like the former better. Or, if you insist to differentiate between "Leader" and "Head Leader", consider adding "High-ranked member" as a new option.

[novacadian]

@derula...

- Can't remove characters

While still awaiting a Stonebreaker to shuffle thier little legs to the site, so as to stand out as an example of their noble race in the chronicles of the BoT's Census Project; there was no intention of loosing any records which had been submitted.  

Edit 110910: With the recently newly registered Stonebreaker all races now return a match in the search of the database.

There is an exception. That is any characters with no name. They catch my eye when checking the database for something and will probably become a nightly cull. That is, one flags a character to be deleted by removing the name in the Edit link from the Character List page.

Nova places it on the features/bug list.

- No option to view all characters

Not at the moment. One thing holding it up is the ability to display listing keyed on most active to least active on PS; as well as the reverse. It is simply awaiting the Last seen on PS field's addition to the character schema.

- No option for character gender

That is awaiting the new fields installation hack-a-thon. The Gender field will be added at the same time as adding the Last seen on PS field to the character schema.

Edit 111010: The gender and Last seen on PS fields have been added to the character schema

Edit 111010: Character Gender is now installed.

- No option for "follows no god" (as has been discussed is different from atheist)

It would be my preference to introduce a Spirituality field which contained an integer value of 100 and one could rank their spirituality. Having it set at zero (0) would display Following No God in the character's Religion field display on the Character Display page.

- "Athiest" typo

One the TODO list ( Thank you! )

Edit 110710: Changed to Atheism

- Line breaks in descriptions aren't converted to HTML linebreaks

feature/bug list

Edit 102110: Line breaks now turned to HTML line breaks during the Character Edit submission.

Edit 120410: Line breaks now turned to HTML line breaks during the Character Display Page generation.
 
- Description field contains a tab character by default

On TODO list

Edit 110711: Tab removed.

- Search result are ordered by ID instead of name (an "ORDER BY `name`" or something should do)

On TODO list

Edit 110711: Done.

- All "home" links lead away from the site to the main blog. In order to get back to the welcome page, you need to manually edit the address.

On TODO list

Edit 110710: The Home link; found at the bottom of all site pages beside the Join and Terms links; now sends the user back the the main page of the site. The Brotherhood of Talad logo still takes users to the Guild's forum.

add to the list the following:

On the character submission screen, there is a guild rank "High-ranked member". This value is called "Leader" everywhere else. I like the former better. Or, if you insist to differentiate between "Leader" and "Head Leader", consider adding "High-ranked member" as a new option.

It appealed to me that a player makes a submission which is really an integer value and the software displays it with a slightly different light. Yet your suggestion, Derula, is certainly open for debate and consideration.

Edit 112510: TODO: Rename guild membership display choices to match the editing display choices.

Edit 021311: : Guild membership display choices now match the editing display choices.

- Nova