Ask The Grand Master
Muz Ashen
23-09-2009 14:48:57
Hello there.
Having looked across the dc boards, I noticed that there wasn't one of these topics set up for the GM to answer questions for people. And in the vein of kicking up activity here on the message boards, I decided that it would be a good idea to have one.
So, here it is. Feel free to post your questions here and I'll post answers as I get them. Really good questions will probably be posted in the next GM report, possibly netting a medal for the asking member.
Thanks,
--muz
Windos
25-09-2009 01:38:42
I'll keep it short: possessions and money?
Muz Ashen
26-09-2009 10:53:52
In progress. The system is already plotted out, documentation is done, and about 95% of the graphics are done. It's sincerely a coder drought that's holding us up. The amount of code involved in this stuff is akin to generating our own video game, and you know how long those can take to be released...and those coders get paid to code on them 40+ hours a week...and there's not just a handful of them.
The coders did have a bit of a setback with the script-kiddies earlier, and that kept them from working on advancing the site. There's only one big project ahead of the possessions system on their to-do list, so it is coming.
We'll get it released as soon as we can. I'm as excited to use the system as you guys are. But hopefully, that should give you an idea of where we stand on it.
Raiju
02-10-2009 10:38:19
With the Old Republic going into Beta Testing, I'm sure this means that it'll be available within the next year or so (Personally, Im thinking or at least hoping next spring)
What does the DC have in mind in adding this game to our list of support platforms? I understand the difficuilty in predicting this as its hard to do so without full knowledge of how the game works but I'm just looking for info on anything you guys may have thought on or discussed.
Like:
Are we gonna see a new Tribune position or society leader for it?
Are you gonna try to get everyone on the same server, or do many servers guilds with selected leaders?
Will people recruited through it have to join the rest of the DB in full to get promoted, or will there Old Republic activies be the only basis for their promotions here.
Bascially, I want to know if I can trust in the fact that we won't have a repeat of the SWG [Expletive Deleted] up (not blaming anyone, as I don't think only 1 person is to blame, just stating how bad it was) and that there's gonna be extended discussion on this topic.
Raiju
02-10-2009 10:44:09
Oh, and how can I get Kir to stop hitting on me?
Muz Ashen
03-10-2009 11:16:19
As of right now, we're not planning on having a separate society leader for a guild/PA/whatever they call them in this game. It's ultimately a game, so it'll fall under the purview of the gaming tribune. Having said that, we have three retired grand masters (Sarin, Jac, and Firefox) that will be converting from WoW to play this star wars MMO, and they'll be spearheading the DBs presence ingame for me (as I don't generally play MMOs with any frequency). I have faith in their ability to keep things on the up and up for us, considering that they have all seen what happened with the last iteration of the DBs involvement with MMOs and know what pitfalls to avoid, in addition to being MMO junkies.
So, no, there probably will not be a separate guild leader.
We will, in all likelihood, attempt to coordinate so that everyone is on the same server. This only makes sense, so that we can have a more powerful presence in the game...and built-in raiding parties, etc.
and as far as getting promoted solely for activities in-game... well, we've never done that. Gaming is just a single facet of what we do here. What I envision happening is that the gaming component (I.E. clusters earned) will be given an MMO equivalent towards trials. We're not going to give MMO-only members any sort of advantage or easier time getting promoted compared to those members that do not play the game. That'd just trivialize the stuff that people have worked hard for already, and essentially convert us into a glorified gaming clan. That's simply not what we are.
We do, however, have plans to engage the MMO in our dossiers a bit more than we have in the past, but it will not replace anything that we already have. Kaek and I have been discussing, at length, new medals, etc for the SW MMO games. It's not the be-all-end-all, but it's a good start.
As far as getting Kir to stop hitting on you: tell him that you are a girl.
Scyrone
03-10-2009 18:38:00
I have a question about the possible character image creator thingy. I know it might still not be even close to ready yet, but when it is, will it include a diverse amount of species in it? Or is it purely going to be human? I am just wondering due to the fact I am Ithorian, but I am sure nobody else here is Ithorian.
Muz Ashen
04-10-2009 14:19:33
As of right now, there are plans for 16 species to be included in the headshot selector. These species have been selected to cover the most common species used by the brotherhood members.
Naturally, we don't believe or expect that every member will be one of these species, there's just far too many species in Star Wars to cover for that. However, we will be designing this in such a way that it will be expandable (like the saber or robes selectors) in the future, as well as building in some functionality for custom headshots.
Now, before people get too excited about the possibility of custom headshots, it's not going to be a huge part of what the headshot selector is about. It'll probably be treated similarly to custom robes in that they will be rarely awarded. I think that there will be some leeway for those folks who have been playing an uncommon species and have already shown that they're going to be around for a while. It takes us some time and effort to put these together, and we don't want to waste that effort on someone who changes species every few weeks.
In the interim, there will be a rather generic headshot in the selector for those people who are playing species not represented by the selector, so there'll be something available to use.
Traan Reith
04-10-2009 22:57:08
About the possession system,
How will possessions be calculated?
Are we looking at credits earned for time spent in leadership roles? Rank? Time in the DJB?
Also, wit regards to ships and other possessions on that scale, will there be a credit/loan system, gambling, other ways of earning credits beyond simply existing in certain capacities? Are there games or other facets that expand the functionality of the economy? A trading function?
Or is most of this just hush hush until the actual reveal?
Muz Ashen
05-10-2009 10:27:28
A lot of this will be hush-hush until the actual reveal. I can cast a little light on a few things, though. This is not a full economy system. There won't be loans or interest, there won't be gambling, there won't be trading between members. These are activities that dilute the intended purpose of this project, which can be boiled down into one statement: To promote activity in the club.
Looking at several other clubs where full economies were released shows us what happens when you get away from that goal. People find easier ways to amass enormous amounts of wealth, and then get bored and don't bother doing anything with the club anymore. The BHG is a prime example of this, with their borked card game. People just spammed the card game until they could buy everything that they wanted and then walked away. The BHG is dead now, and we're not going to risk that same fate.
Since we're not about to let a few thousand hours of work swirl the drain for just a few hours worth of activity out of the club, we'll be doing it differently than the other clubs have. Oursystem wil be far more involved and immersive than the others, sure....but that investment of time and energy demands that we administer it to get as much activity from the members as possible.
There's only one way to make credits in our system: DB activity. There will be a salary, based on position and rank. There will also be credit values associated with medals, meaning that when you get a medal, you also get a cash prize along with it.
What you do with that bank of credits will be up to you. We'll have an insane number of options vying for your credits. There's a reason it's taking so long to get this rolling, after all.
I hope that clears things up a bit for you, and whets your appetite for the eventual release.
Taigikori
05-10-2009 17:08:24
Will the upcoming RoS have an SA event? I thought the last one was pretty successful. Something like over 200 degrees awarded.
What happened to all of the other news items on the Main Page? All I see is the RPG sign up news and I set it for the last 21 days. Strange things are afoot at the Circle-K.
Muz Ashen
05-10-2009 19:16:47
Taigi: We probably will do some sort of SA event although i dont think that we'll overtax your EPs like we had to last time. After all, professors want to take part in the vendetta, too.
Tron: I don't know...it's working for me. try a restart on your PC?
Fremoc
05-10-2009 22:05:02
In response to Tron, I think it's got something to do with Eludajae's news post because if I make her post fold up it takes all the other news posts and makes them disappear.
Muz: I was just wondering two things, one is there a way to maybe get robes like the Jedi Knight robe without sleeves put in the robe selector?
Two, is there a way that in the relationship administration could we be able to edit a relationship with someone without having to delete the relationship completely?
Muz Ashen
06-10-2009 10:43:14
i'll take a look at her post, see if there are any open tags or anything.
As to the sleeveless robes: that's actually not terribly difficult to accomplish. We have some cool stuff launching in the next couple weeks/months that we may be able to slot that in with.
As to the relationship admin, I don't think so... that'd be a whole different set of code, and then there's the issue of reciprocity. On something like that, it's a cost-benefit analysis, and it doesn't really make sense to do all the work for only a minor upgrade, when the coders could be working on massive upgrades to the site.
Windos
07-10-2009 00:49:12
What coding languages does the DB need people/code monkeys to know? I'm on just about half way through a Diploma in Programming at the moment and next semester I need to choose another language for a paper so i figure I may as well pick something that might be beneficial to the Brotherhood.
Muz Ashen
07-10-2009 10:20:50
The DB site currently uses SQL, PHP and ASP, with Ajax and jQuery. We were talking about going to ruby on rails, but i think that was decided against. I'm pretty sure that these are languages that are used pretty widely across professional coding, so that works out nicely.
Orv Dessrx
07-10-2009 19:32:54
What coding languages does the DB need people/code monkeys to know? I'm on just about half way through a Diploma in Programming at the moment and next semester I need to choose another language for a paper so i figure I may as well pick something that might be beneficial to the Brotherhood.
We are doing away with ASP. The DJB codebase is in current migration to a full blown PHP site. If you were to choose another language, I'd highly suggest PHP
But then again, I'm pretty biased...PHP is a big portion of what I do for a living.
Windos
09-10-2009 02:45:14
... Con reports posted on the news page? Realy?
Muz Ashen
09-10-2009 10:19:18
Yes, indeed.
There's a number of reasons that I have asked the consuls to do this. One of the bigest reasons is ease of access to these reports. Many members don't do more than read the news page, and by them seeing what is happening in the clans, they may get more involved. It also serves as free advertising for those clans. As anyone who has been in the DB for any length of time knows, every clan has a different personality, and not everyone fits into that very well. this helps show the differences.
It also shows the club/clan/new members that they aren't the only ones doing stuff. I like to call this 'Top-Down Activity'. People see their leaders doing stuff, and they are more likely to do stuff themselves. Looking historically, we see that times when reporting was done more frequently , more activity also happened in the regular ranks. Conversely, when leaders grow slack in their reporting, activity slows. I'm as guilty as the rest, what with my 1 report a month, which is why i've started doing more, as well.
Sidarace
09-10-2009 17:38:33
Question for ya' Muz: Will Independent House Revan be required to post reports on the DB main page? Since they don't have a Clan to represent them, I am curious as to what will take place.
Windos
09-10-2009 17:46:59
And their own listing on the unit option for comps? I keep opening up ones marked as "other" only to be disappointed
Muz Ashen
09-10-2009 21:33:41
Sid: At this point I have not asked Quaestors to post reports on the news site, only Consuls. I don't think we need to drown the news page with reports from every quaestor, so i will likely leave it to just the Consuls + DC reports.
Windos: The 'Other' unit listing is a code issue. I'll fwd it up to orv to have a look at it. Thanks.
Orv Dessrx
10-10-2009 10:18:29
Sid: At this point I have not asked Quaestors to post reports on the news site, only Consuls. I don't think we need to drown the news page with reports from every quaestor, so i will likely leave it to just the Consuls + DC reports.
Windos: The 'Other' unit listing is a code issue. I'll fwd it up to orv to have a look at it. Thanks.
No need to send the request along, Muz. I just fixed it
House Revan is in the list for submitting and browsing.
Vivackus Kavon
10-10-2009 13:03:08
What's the deal with Clan Force Powers right now? I noticed that there's a section for them under the new CS administration, but it's blank. Are you planning on allowing them to be officially used or what?
Muz Ashen
11-10-2009 12:21:38
Clan powers, as you know them, are not going to exist in an official capacity. There' a couple reasons for that.
*Many of the clan powers are replicated in what we call the 'core powers' force powers that anyone can already choose on their character sheet (depending on rank, naturally). Clans like Plagueis and Naga Sadow have clan powers that fal into this category.
*Many of the clan powers are not canon, despite rather creative rationale for them, based on a single power exhibited as aberrant somewhere. As an example, you can't take Exar Kun's (the character, not the house) fireball and build 12 clan powers out of them... you're making too much with too little. In the Brotherhood's drive to be as close to canon as possible, these sorts of powers don't work. Taldryan, Tarentum, and Scholae Palatinae (with Scholae falling somewhat into the first category as well) have clan powers that fall into this category.
*Some of the Clan powers are crafted out of whole cloth, or ripped off from 'Vampire: The Masquerade' clan powers. While V:TM was tremendously popular back in the infancy of the DB, there are no vampires in star wars (use anzati instead), and these powers don't fit worth a darn into continuity. Arcona is the easiest example of this to point at, but to some extent, every clan does this.
So, what's going to be done?
Well, right now, we have years and years of the Clans having used these powers, to the point of where it seems intrinsically tied to their clan identity. Which means that by taking away the clan powers, people will feel as though we are trying to cripple the clans, which is *not* what we are trying to do. As a result, while we contemplate and try to come up with a compromise and make things happen while reaching our stated goals of maintaining a level of canon, maintaining a clan power that doesn't 'destroy' clan identity and keeping things unique enough from the core powers (with the gameplay mechanics of each clan's powers being equally useful thrown in for good measure), we've been in a holding pattern.
It's simply put, an easy and low-stress temporary solution to leave them off the character sheets (and thus unofficial) until we get some other plan working.
There's a few solutions that we have worked out, and will be shopping to test audiences soon.
Severon V
15-10-2009 12:23:12
Hey Muz,
Will the Clans ever update their sites again? I thought it was nice to have our own little place in the Galaxy.
Muz Ashen
15-10-2009 15:58:20
That's really up to the individual clans.
That said, I can understand why most clans have moved away from having their own sites. By using the DB official boards and the wiki, it makes it far easier for members to find exactly what they are looking for. That and it's cheaper than buying hosting.
Windos
15-10-2009 17:16:49
Plus it is easier when everyone is able to edit the content. Saves having to fluff around sorting out FTP access to a subdomain on the DB site or where ever it is hosted externally.
Talos
15-10-2009 17:32:09
Greets, Grand Master
I was just wondering if we will ever see the resurrection of the Societies?
Muz Ashen
15-10-2009 19:35:08
Hi, Talos.
I'm not sure what you are talking about, as far as societies.
Traditionally, we had 4 'societies', the ACC (still active), the GMRG (Closed pending recode), the DBPA for SWG (closed, no plans to restore), and the Envoys (closed, no plans to restore). So that rather quickly addresses the old societies and our status on them. If you're talking about something else, let me know.
--muz
Talos
15-10-2009 19:59:44
Sorry for being unclear, Grand Master, but those were the Societies I was talking about, the GMRG and Envoy's mostly. Thank you
Sidarace
16-10-2009 01:06:34
Muz; In your latest report you mentioned about the Codex and Dark Side Compendium. I tend to view the Codex (for lack of better words) 'often', and have been wondering: Will the Codex be re-vamped/edited any time soon to fit the current DB structure? Many of the subjects that are in it are out-dated, such as the appointment of House Leaders, what various levels of leadership have to do (ie. House level Leadership, Battleteam Leaders) in terms of 'duties', Order Leaders, etc.
Thanks.
Windos
16-10-2009 05:00:20
I think, to an extent, that the wiki has pretty much superseded the info in the codex. Though I could see the codex becoming a table of contents of relevant wiki articles...
Muz Ashen
16-10-2009 07:34:04
While Windos is correct in saying that the codex is largely replaced by the wiki, we have found that older members generally use the codex as opposed to the wiki for administrative information. We will be updating it after the next spate of changes that we are planning on releasing soon.
Shardara
20-10-2009 23:55:19
Hey Muz,
I was just looking at the robe consrtuction tool on the DB site and I noticed that out of the seven options for the journeymen robes that I have access to only one of them is geared more towards a female.
I know that as I get promoted the choices of robes include more female designs but I think it would be cool if there was a more even choice between male and female robes from the beginning, and overall with all the robes that are available.
Muz Ashen
21-10-2009 02:08:40
Well, the simplest answer is to tell you to work harder and earn the other robes that are in there for higher ranks. But since I am sure you have already heard that from a dozen people already, I'll skip that part.
The robes selector is one of those things around here that we constantly add to and improve. At initial launch, there weren't terribly many lady-specific robes, and that was for several reasons. (there weren't *any* lady robes prior to that release, many female members preferred the masculine robes anyway, etc) Of course, at initial launch, we had like a third or so of what we have now. Journeymen had two choices, regardless of rank. But still, it blew the doors off of the old stuff. But a huge part of that project being done is how we structured it. We made it so that we could expand it, add more stuff to it, etc.
Since it is one of those things that we sporadically and randomly update, and there are ladies who have been asking for more stuff that is catered to them, we will take that into account as we expand the selector. Heck, earlier this year, we added three additional female robes just to bring it up some for the ladies. But we don't let people know when we are expanding it. It's like a nice little present from the Herald and I when we do.
If you would like to see what is in the current robes selector regardless of rank, order, clan, or society (yes, what order you choose, what clan you choose, and membership in specific societies in the brotherhood unlocks more robes), you can click
Here
Vivackus Kavon
23-10-2009 13:25:49
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe that the winners for Brotherhood wide competitions are posted anywhere (I'm specifically talking about things like fiction and graphics). Why can't we see the work done by the winners of competitions like these? More than once, I've entered what I thought was a decent piece of writing and didn't place, I'd like to see the entries that beat me out, for nothing else than to get an idea of how the best writers/graphic artists in the DB write/draw/whatever. Also, a piece of writing or art that gets first place in our largest scale competition deserves to be read by people other than the one person who's grading it, in my opinion anyway.
Muz Ashen
24-10-2009 12:23:14
We used to do this, a bunch of Wars ago, but I'm not sure why it stopped.
We'll seriously look at hosting the winning submissions going forward.
Sidarace
26-10-2009 17:34:50
Muz,
How will Independent House Revan compete in the RoS? As this will be my first RS, I am still a little foggy headed on how it will work anyways. Will they have to work at it like every House and try and get the top in the Brotherhood, just without the representation of a Clan?
Orv Dessrx
27-10-2009 20:18:28
We used to do this, a bunch of Wars ago, but I'm not sure why it stopped.
We'll seriously look at hosting the winning submissions going forward.
I will definitely make sure there is a location on the site for these winning submissions going forward.
Muz Ashen
27-10-2009 22:08:56
Independent House Revan will compete against the clans in the ROS as if it were in a clan by itself.
RianAslar
31-10-2009 14:03:12
Greetings Grandmaster,
I have 2 questions that you maybe can answer the first question is: In one of your grandmaster reports you said that one of the trainingsabers that are available before beeing dark jedi knight ( Armory saber hilt) is actually a real saber... did that mean it works like a regular saber instead like a trainingsaber? (asking that for a fictional story that will come). The second question is; while i was looking around in the wiki i saw that some members have personal ship (starfighter/shuttles/freighters) so i want to ask you if there are requirements for having the right to own such a small starship like there are several requirements for getting a real lightsaber?
PRT RianAslar (Sith)/Ektrosis of Taldryan [ACC: INI]
Cr-3E / LS
{SA: DMF}
Muz Ashen
01-11-2009 21:00:34
Hello, RianAslar.
1.) The 'Armory' lightsaber is a real lightsaber. It cuts through stuff and everything. It is mass-produced by the Herald's office, and uses lower grade crystals because of the number of them needed. The quality of the construction is such that it can not be upgraded fictionally. You'll have to build your own for that (which is a common fiction requirement for DJK)
2.) A lot of members have 'personal starfighters' on the wiki. You'll notice that most, if not all of the articles, also have a tag that explains that I am working on a project that will make all of those articles obsolete.
What does that mean? It means that you can feel free to create a ship for yourself on the wiki. But realize that when my project is released, you're going to lose that ship in all likelihood. Most members overestimate how many credits that they have to spend, and it shows in their ships. when it comes time to pay for the ship or lose it, most members won't be able to afford what they wrote themselves as having...and no amount of whining, crying, or gnashing of teeth will convince me to let them slide on it, especially with how every ship article has been getting tagged and warning them.
A more realistic course of action is to write your character as flying one of the various fighter craft from your clan's OOB (order of battle). Talk to your consul, ask them what they can let you use.
RianAslar
03-11-2009 15:21:21
hello grandmaster,
thanks for your answers for the armory-saber i was only a little bit unsure of words, for that thing with the personal starship, yes i noticed that tag and i can understand and agree with you and your point that if anybody wants a personal ship, the backgrounds have to be realised. for that i have no problem; that if there is the possibility of purchasing ships or anything else; to wait until i have enough credits to buy ( i hope such a thing will come), or is there any existing way to safe such a ship for example a relationship with a pilot or something like that?
greetz
PRT RianAslar (Sith)/Ektrosis of Taldryan
Muz Ashen
03-11-2009 21:32:12
The program to buy ships is coming. When exactly it is coming is a secret.
Bu like i said before, there's not going to be any 'grandfathering' or saving of old stuff...if you want it, you have to buy it.
Kah Manet
03-11-2009 22:04:39
A question I have, Muz, is when the actual economy comes out, are we gonna be given the credits our characters should've received since their inception?
Like, say, I joined a year, 3 months, and 21 days ago, and we get a daily or weekly wage, would my character be reimbursed for that 1 year, 3 months, and 21 days? Also, what goes into the amount of pay? Rank? Positions? Degrees held? SA Courses taken? All of the above?
Muz Ashen
04-11-2009 18:22:48
Sorry, Jaredi, but those are secrets for now.
Talos
08-11-2009 17:23:08
Hey Grand Master,
Here's a quick question; with the Day of the Fox having come and gone (grats to all those who got SoLs) does that mean our fictional year changes to 32 ABY? I always thought that our fictional year changed twice, on the two holidays of the Brotherhood.
~Thanks,
Arack
Windos
08-11-2009 18:30:42
There is a thing at the top of the news page that shows our current fictional year and it has been showing 32 ABY for a wee while now.
Edit: Erm, or it *did* show 32 ABY a few days ago, it's back to 31 ABY >.<
Raiju
15-11-2009 10:01:59
Alright, so I have a question about Dark Fury.
I get why it was brought into existence (equal distribution of new members and blah blah blah), but with the recent update to the clan powers and their official use now I wondered if there could be an option available to new recruits to pick where they could go?
The way I see it, the DB prides itself on trying to offer the greatest member experience possible. And I believe this is why the clan powers were developed, and recently revamped. But with the Dark Fury project, recruits have no choice in where they get placed and have the potential to end up in a place they don't like (and I'm not just saying clan powers here either). Sure, you can certainly ask for a transfer to another clan at any point, but the inital negative impression is likely to force many to not consider this an option and look elsewhere for some sort of immediate gradification - potentially the reason why we lose so many recruits at APP-PRT, I don't know its something I've been trying to figure out for awhile.
If we are to offer the best possible experience here, I believe so sort of choice such be made available to new recruits in terms of the place they end up in the DB and with the recent clan order changes I thought it was possible to use them as a starting point. Have an option on the join form for which clan they want to join listing clan powers, maybe their fictional structure, stuff like that followed by an option for a "random" clan (I have no idea if theres a way with the coding to set it to favour the clans who are low on recruit picks)
Anyways, its just something I've been thinking of and I wondered if there was a possiblity to look into it or not.
Muz Ashen
15-11-2009 12:30:12
There are a couple reasons why we don't leave new members outside of clans when they first join.
1.) New members need to interact with people in the brotherhood as quickly as possible in order to get them to stick around in the club. Very few of our new joins utilize IRC right off the bat, so the first communications that the new join receives are a form letter from me, and an email from their house/clan leadership. Robbing them of the house/clan emails would drastically and negatively impact their retention rate.
2.) Encouraging early IRC activity is good, for the most part, but as we have seen, our members aren't terribly interested in policing their own actions on IRC. We have rather vulgar and grotesque conversations on irc channels and this is not new-member friendly. It's more akin to something you'd see out of /b/ or encyclopedia dramatica. Attempts to police the channels has been poorly received and met with negative results...so we're not going to officially push IRC earlier than we already do. I personally have had to explain to anxious parents what their little kids were being exposed to in our channels, and I am NOT a fan of that.
3.) Letting the new members choose when they are too new to be well informed is just going to open things up to abuse. I know that clans would get aggressive, trying to snap up the new members as much as possible by emailing every new join and trying to convince them to come to their clan. While this capitalist kind of approach looks good on paper, it fails in reality because it can make the new members feel swamped and pressured to make a choice... new members need to be eased into the brotherhood, not immediately thrown into things and stressed out. We want them to enjoy their experience, after all.
Traan Reith
16-11-2009 19:07:56
Work hard, play hard, and earn the right to be among the top. We'll just have to prove that we can make it on our own.
Tra'an Reith
Raiju
19-11-2009 17:17:52
Thanks for the answer Muz, but I wasn't really meaning we keep them in some sort of neutral body before admission to the clans (from what I understand, the DB used to do this with the SA).
What I meant was why not offer the choice to pick clans right from the join form before you are officially in. Sort of show the differences between the clans and then let them pick their clan like you do with the orders.
Muz Ashen
19-11-2009 19:21:04
Raiju: well, we don't want to inundate them with too many choices right off the bat. As it is, they pick between the orders, and that can confuse the eck out of the new joins as it is. Putting clans into it is another step that could complicate tings...and complicated decisions often convince new members to just go to another activity and never activate their dossier to begin with.
Windos
20-11-2009 00:44:12
I have a question: Muz, are you t3h awesome?
Kschamehellan
21-11-2009 08:37:23
I have a question or maybe more of a suggestion as well. I was on another website and they had what would be the equivalent of medals for terms of service. A person was awarded a specific graphic after every year since they had registered as a member.
I wanted to know does the DB have anything like that (if we do I'd be surprised I never heard of it) and if not would there be a way to start something like that since it seems it might be just another thing to motivate older members.
Thanks much
Muz Ashen
21-11-2009 18:56:11
Windos: Yes.
Kschmahellan: We don't have any sort of time-in-service medals. That's because we are entirely merit-based and competition-based. Time-in-service medals don't do anything to motivate activity, because... well, a person would be able to 'earn' those just by dint of having joined. There's nothing else needed to be done. But if they were active and working on stuff, they'd get medals for that work, which is really what we do want to encourage, activity.
Eludajae
23-11-2009 14:50:59
On the question of ToR my question is are we actually going to peruse creating a PA/Guild? I know there will be no special guild master position within the DB, but the MMO does have the ability to serve as a great recruiting device for the DB as a whole. With that in mind are we going to be a bit more organized about a presence?
Muz Ashen
25-11-2009 12:20:35
Yes, we are. The Guild will be led by a few retired Grand Masters that have become addicted to the various MMOs and will, no doubt, be spending a lot of time in TOR. As far as being more organized, I think we can trust Sarin, Jac and Firefox to keep us on the up-and-up on this project. I would be more involved, but honestly, I am not an MMO guy...and I am a firm believer in letting experts handle things, rather than try to micromanage stuff I am not familiar with. We, as a brotherhood, will be supporting TOR in ways that we haven't done with SWG, but more on that as it develops.
Fremoc
30-11-2009 10:02:42
I don't remember if this has been asked in the past or something, but Muz why aren't there any Blasters/Pistols Sacramental Weapons?
Muz Ashen
30-11-2009 15:37:11
Probably because Dark Jedi in general see themselves as above the use of such base weapons as blasters, much like Obi-Wan did. Even though there are a LOT of mando-fanboys out in the club now, we're still ultimately the dark jedi brotherhood. ANd while there are plenty of examples of sith using non-lightsabers (sith swords are common and there are strange daggers in the new books), generally, blasters seem to be used in a 'last ditch' sort of way, as opposed to a treasured possession.
Ekeia Iclo
30-11-2009 22:04:39
Whatever happened to the ACCLive? And if it's dead atm, will we ever see a revival of it?
~DJK Ekeia Iclo
HMR of CNS
Windos
01-12-2009 00:23:18
I for one would be keen to see it return, I always used to do a few matches on gaming nights
Muz Ashen
01-12-2009 00:42:05
I was a big fan of ACCLive, and was sad to see it go. There was an issue with maintaining enough staff to keep matches going, as it required having a judge present to do everything on the fly. There were a few discussions about format as well, but I do know that the CM is still thinking about how to return ACCLive to our list of activities.
Severon V
02-12-2009 12:38:37
Why is there just a golden lightsaber sacramental award? I personally think that it would be cool to have a silver blade.
Windos
02-12-2009 15:49:51
Or black
what are they ultra violet or something?
Malik
02-12-2009 16:18:35
UV sabers are for DJM+, it's even on your precious wiki, windos
Muz Ashen
03-12-2009 00:27:07
Golden lightsabers are the prize because of the way the old medals were arranged, gold being more rare than silver (sash) and more rare than diamonds (sword), etc.
Blackbladed lightsabers are weakness, although canon due to TFU. We did do UV sabers in the past for DJM+ members, but that's fallen out of fashion, to be honest, and the pictures were a fair bit deceptive. Technically, UV Sabers would be invisible to the naked eye. We just put them up with a faint violet corona, and the black background that all sabers have showed through the transparent core... leading people to erroneously believe that they were black-bladed.
Sidarace
03-12-2009 00:27:54
Muz, will the option for participating for your home Clan be only applicable for DC members, or will the Tribunes and other society leaders (ACC) be able to compete on behalf of their home Clan(s) come RoS time?
Muz Ashen
03-12-2009 00:31:29
Sid: anyone who is currently unclanned because of obligations to the Iron Throne will be permitted to return to their home clan for the RoS, with the exception of Paladin and I.
This also will allow those same members a chance to indulge in the awesome clan powers as a side effect.
Macron Sadow
05-12-2009 15:28:21
Muz is right on about the UV sabers. I helped him flesh that out if I remember right. They would be basically invisible unless you are a race that sees in UV light like Killiks or Verpine. Also would take one hell of a powerplant even by SW standards and be incredibly dangerous to wield. Thus, the high rank needed to have them.
Ekeia Iclo
08-12-2009 17:31:01
Is it possible to add a "Show Preview" button for when we're posting in the ACC to make sure we've spaced right, closed any tags we might use, etc.?
~Ekeia Iclo
HMR of CNS
Muz Ashen
13-12-2009 11:56:03
Ekeia, That's something that may be possible, but it'd be an advancement that we incorporate into a new recode of the ACC, which means it would take a while.
Aesir
16-12-2009 16:50:49
Hello,
I'm not sure if this has been asked, but i didn't see it yet so: With the face selector thing, will it, too, be based off rank or position, or will everyone have the same options regardless of rank. Like "Only DJM+ may have a beard" and whatnot.
Driftan Housan
16-12-2009 21:50:11
Is it right and reasonable to expect regular reports from senior leaders (I'm thinking DC-level people) in the DB? I know that there are differing philosophies and opinions about reports, where some think that reports should only come out when there are substantial things to report, while others think that regular reports are good because it gets people excited and keeps people up-to-date on what is going on.
I know that there is a lot of stuff that goes on behind the scenes that regular membership isn't privy to (nor should they be), but I was looking at the report listings and noticed that they last DGM report was on 1/31/2009 and the last MAA report was on 7/10/2009. Right or wrong, I think a lot of us sometimes feel when we don't hear from our leaders that nothing is going on. Can you correct that assumption and give some guidance? Thank you.
Windos
16-12-2009 22:31:59
I think the lack of reports is what made the news page look so light that the Consuls were asked to put theirs up there. Personally I have been trying to put mine up weekly and people seem to be responding positively to it. Though weekly *may* be too much
Muz Ashen
16-12-2009 22:49:08
Aesir: as of this writing, everyone, regardless of rank and position will have the same options in the face selector. There will be a rank which allows for a 'custom headshot', similar to the way we allow custom lightsabers after you get Equite 2.
Driftan: Reporting is a strange creature. There are positions which don't really have much to say in reports, like the MAA. No one would care about MAA reports unless there's a major change, because all they would have to report is the promotions and medals that every other house and clan level leader reports on, and that's just bordering on spam.
The reason I asked that consuls put their reports on the news site is multiple: firstly it does create movement on the news page, which increases our page ranking in search engines and the like, helping us to draw down new members. It also opens the doors and helps bring us together as a club, by being transparent about things that happen in the clans. It also helps establish clan personality. It is a rare member that stays in the clan that they are assigned first, and by giving members a chance to see what the other clans are doing, it can help them make an informed decision as to where they would want to go. I didn't ask them to do it because of a lack of DC-level reports. As a matter of fact, when i Increased my own rate of reporting to two per month, I have seen less comments on those reports than i did when i just did one a month. I don't think that a weekly report would be that interesting for people to read, as there'd not be much content in there that i can send out.
Windos
17-12-2009 01:31:42
With the possession system being worked on as we speak I was wondering if the Prestige and XP (Operation: Infinite Depth) aspects will be carried over from the original Rebirth: The Awakening from a few years ago?
Muz Ashen
17-12-2009 01:49:49
There's some discussion back and forth on the idea of prestige. While the original rebirth-era program had it, that project essentially was scrapped when those aspects never materialized.
People get confused when they say 'Rebirth'. 'Infinite Depth' and Kaiann's items project were two facets that never really got off the ground, but everything else did, so Rebirth was essentially closed out when everything else happened. The Projects I am working on now bear little, if any resemblance to the old stuff...and from what my secret beta-guys tell me, that's a good thing.
The possessions project that I am working on does not include a prestige/XP component, but there are benefits for higher ranks and positions by way of credit income and access to better goods... but overall, it is far simpler and less confusing than the prestige program format. With everything else that we are doing with possessions (holy upgradeability and customization, batman), we tried to trim complexity off of this beast where we could.
Anubis
17-12-2009 11:20:50
Is the new possessions system going to be released before or AFTER the completetion of the PHP recode?
Orv Dessrx
17-12-2009 19:45:03
Is the new possessions system going to be released before or AFTER the completetion of the PHP recode?
I'll actually answer this one. I am working on it in parallel with the recode. As I hear bug reports and/or requests for new features on the main site, I steer towards attacking those knowing that the work I am doing on the back end is actually contributing to the forward progress of the possession system (which relies heavily facets of the existing logic that still exists only in ASP).
I'm a fairly ADHD developer and jump around. I made some great progress with the Possession system and then realized there were pieces that needed to be migrated from ASP to PHP for a core component, so I turned my focus on the conversion and I've actually focused on that for a week and a half. I'm starting to weigh how I'm going to allocate my time in the upcoming week...most likely with the RoS.
Short answer: I've got a lot on my plate and I'm pecking away at them all. The Phase 1 of the Possession system WILL be released before the full recode is complete.
Driftan Housan
19-12-2009 11:33:16
If you had it to do all over again, would you take a different path to GM? Do you feel like your extended time on the DC prepared you well for the position of GM, or would you have wanted to serve as a CON for a while to earn more on-the-job leadership experience?
Windos
19-12-2009 13:23:54
Oh, now someone is aiming for a DC
Muz Ashen
20-12-2009 01:18:23
Well, to be honest, I didn't choose my path based on what would get me to be GM... I went where I was needed, where my skills were most needed. Having said that, the extended time on the DC did help prepare me some for the big chair. Some time as Consul would have been nice, but I don't think that it would have given me any more or better experience than my time as deputy grand.
Talos
24-12-2009 10:03:19
Hey Grandmaster,
I read on the wiki that, as long as there is work for them, Councillors can employ Magistrates at their discretion. I did not however see a cap on the number of Magistrates that one DCer may have. Is there a limit to that or is it pretty much as many as a DCer needs to get his job done?
Another question is, how does one become a Magistrate? I know for the Seneschal and Herald, you'd need coding and gfx skills respectively, but for the others, does the DCer approach the person or would you e-mail that respective Councillor to see if there is a spot open? Thanks, Grandmaster, and happy holidays!
Muz Ashen
24-12-2009 12:55:09
Talos:
While there is no cap on the number of magistrates that a Dark Councilor has, they do have to justify (to me) a reason for having them. So it comes down to 'Is there enough work to warrant hiring another magistrate?'
As far as becoming a magistrate, generally, positions will be advertised, or the Dark Councilor will come to someone that they feel has the necessary skills to do the work that they need done. I would generally advise against asking DCers if they have positions open, because they will generally fill position by applications or directly. If you are interested in working for a specific office, You can always offer to help them, without specifically asking for a position...if your work is good and they need more staff, they will keep you in mind.
Orv Dessrx
07-01-2010 01:08:54
Is it possible to add a "Show Preview" button for when we're posting in the ACC to make sure we've spaced right, closed any tags we might use, etc.?
~Ekeia Iclo
HMR of CNS
This has now been done!
Sanguinius
12-01-2010 12:18:20
I was reworking my CS for the upcoming RoS and i've discovered that even though i can technically take the Clan powers of Arcona on my CS, it refuses to give me points in them, despite having the spare points to do so. Everytime i save changes, they show as 0/5. I am wondering why they are doing so as i am looking forward to actually having the chance to use them.
I ask Muz, but i'm sure Orv or Erin could answer my question just as well, thanks.
Malik
12-01-2010 12:23:12
you need to make a new CS, not just edit an existing one.
Sanguinius
12-01-2010 12:28:27
Thanks Malik, i owe you one.
Fremoc
24-01-2010 21:53:25
Hey Muz,
I noticed that with the Sith battle teams, there is an option to have the Sith Flight leader named basically as an XO of the battle team. I was wondering, is there going to be any time in the near future where for Krath and Obelisk battle teams have an XO type person as well.
Thanks.
Sidarace
26-01-2010 00:57:45
(Not trying to answer the question here for you Demonic, just adding)
I myself have wondered the same thing Demonic, as being a QUA I have added/removed members from the House's Battleteam( in some cases, teams) there is no such XO position for either the Krath or Obelisk. But it got me to thinking: Do we really need an XO for battle teams? I mean, what can it hold in terms of leadership ability, if any at all? Most Houses already have an AED/QUA, with some having ENV/RM's in addition to a normal BTL. So, even in the event of reports there would be 4 reports for each House, would there be a need for a 5th report from an even smaller unit?
And what would the duties of an XO consist of? I find it hard enough to consider BTL even a substantial leadership position within a House, let alone one version below the CMDR/SGT/TET.
As I'm sure by now it is clear that personally I don't see a need for XO's in a BT other than a fictional roll, which by all means use for that purpose. But as far as OOC, I don't see any use/reason for there to be a second in command of a Battleteam.
Just my take on it... Take it away Muz!
Driftan Housan
26-01-2010 22:21:07
...
Muz Ashen
23-02-2010 01:33:07
Hey Muz,
I noticed that with the Sith battle teams, there is an option to have the Sith Flight leader named basically as an XO of the battle team. I was wondering, is there going to be any time in the near future where for Krath and Obelisk battle teams have an XO type person as well.
Thanks.
Honestly, that stuff is a throwback...we just never got around to deleting it off of the Sith ones yet. Eventually we will. There's no reason that those 'positions' should hold any real merit or authority in the modern brotherhood.
Can I have some of your hair to sell on ebay?
Or for cloning?
Or for a series of tests?
Or for something I don't think I'm allowed to say on the forums? Or in a public place?
Muz Ashen
01-03-2010 16:39:26
No.
Anubis
05-03-2010 09:12:10
Have you DC folks established what credit gain each rank/position will get?
Muz Ashen
05-03-2010 22:43:59
Yes, but it is subject to change or refinement. Beta testing will have to be done to suss out any issues there.
Windos
06-03-2010 02:22:51
Can I be a beta tester?
Scyrone
24-03-2010 16:56:08
Can I be a beta tester?
What Vexx said lol
But I also have other questions regarding the Voice of the Brotherhood and the Wiki Tribune.
It didn't mention it directly in either the GM Report or the VOICE wiki page, but what would become of the Wiki Tribune? I assume it would be absorbed into the VOICE, but it wasn't specific in the report. And would Vexxtal be the person in charge of the Wiki still?
Windos
24-03-2010 23:58:30
Wiki Tribune doesn't really direct any fiction of any sort. It's sort of more a technical role, fixing problems with the wiki code and the like, but Muz would have to make a call on it.
Muz Ashen
28-03-2010 00:58:04
Vexxtal (and the T:Wiki) will still be in charge of the wiki, I'm not folding it into the Voice.
Ekeia Iclo
31-03-2010 22:01:20
Why does the site keep logging me off everytime I try to request a competition. As it is, today it happened 3 times, and on the 4th it finally went through and didn't kick me.
Muz Ashen
03-04-2010 08:49:28
Sometimes, the site gets a bit overzealous in defending the database and logs people out. This is the result of the script we use to keep things like what happened a yea and a half ago from happening (where the scriptkiddie hackers infected our site a couple of times). It's a pain, I know, but we're working on better solutions...and it's still better than having the site go down for weeks at a time.
Taigikori
17-04-2010 11:45:04
Muz, how strictly do you enforce DC reporting? I've noticed that some CONs release reports monthly, others haven't released one in nearly a year.
RianAslar
17-04-2010 16:14:42
One Question to the existing Saber Styles. Why is there no advanced/ancient Form that requiere a combination of Shii-CHo and Makashi? All Forms above Form 3 needed either a combination of Form 1 and 3 or Form 2 and 3... Maybe a character wants to be a pure offensive character. I know for the ability to block blaster bolts anyone needs Form 3 but there are otherways to block/evade them if someone is more skilled using the Force (Speed, Dodge, Dissipate Energy)
greetz RianAslar
#10701
Muz Ashen
19-04-2010 02:25:52
Taigi: I'm about to start getting much more strict on consular reporting. I expect (and it's reasonable to expect) at least monthly reports.
Rian: There isn't a purely offensive martial style for sabers among those left... as a matter of fact, neither Makashi or Shii-Cho are purely offensive either. Shii Cho has a more aggressive way of blocking, and Makashi relies more on parries, but both have prominent defensive capabilities. Another thing to consider is that the versatility afforded by the defensiveness of Soresu helps to broaden the skill-set necessary to learn the more advanced forms, even if they aren't used to full advantage. The exception being Dun Moch and Trakata, naturally, which requires only Makashi.
Further, there is a bit of a complication with taking a brute strength form (Shii-Cho) and a finesse form (Makashi) and blending it together. While it could be done on a case by case basis by individuals skilled in both styles and able to decide in the moment what is more appropriate, building it together and fabricating a form out of it would be complex and paradoxical...and none of the canon forms are written in such a way that they could reasonably be described like that.
I hope that helps,
Ruluk
19-04-2010 22:41:56
Why don't we (leaders of BTs) receive a mail when someone new arrives?
At least, BTLs don't. And I wonder, if you don't decide to check or somebody tells you, you wouldn't know that someone has arrived to your BT...
Halcyon
20-04-2010 08:08:51
I think I can answer this one...
Members are placed in Battleteams by your individual House or Clan Summit, and not automatically from the DB site. As such, they should be informing their BTL's if/when they move a new members into a battleteam.
Sith Bloodfyre
20-04-2010 20:22:16
Not entirely an "I have to have an answer/ETA!" question, but are we getting closer to finding out who will be named to the Fist and Voice positions?
Muz Ashen
23-04-2010 17:55:54
Fist applications are still open for a short while, but Halcster is the Voice.
Also, halc was exactly correct on the BTL email issue.
Driftan Housan
02-05-2010 04:20:33
Any news on RPG stuff? When should we expect to see more stuff become public or go active?
Heya Muz,
Just wondering if the Voice and Fist of the Brotherhood will be allowed a Praetor and/or Magistrate since they're full Council positions?
Thanks
Halcyon
03-05-2010 22:20:11
I'll let Muz speak directly to the RP-stuff. However, concerning the two new DC positions, yes they would be able to have Praetor's and Magistrates just like any other position. In the case of the Voice, the Combat Master would be akin to a Praetor.
Muz Ashen
04-05-2010 14:17:20
Well, there's a very basic RPG guide in place right now. There's some work being done on creating a better RPG guide, and hopefully that will get done sometime in the near future here. We're also looking at expanding the character sheet so that it isn't 100% ACC stuff on it, like we have it now.
As it sits, we can run RPGs right now, but i think that many people would prefer to have a bit more infrastructure in play before they dive too deep into it, and we are working on supplying that.
Malisane
04-05-2010 16:20:51
If the Voice and the Fist are full DC positions does that mean they get votes in choosing/condeming a GM?
Taigikori
06-05-2010 08:52:51
(Halc is the VOICE. Who sort of runs the CM. But he's P:CM. Mind f***).
Muz: Are there going to be any individual Heroes for the RoS?
Halcyon
06-05-2010 11:39:33
Just an explanation for Taig: I am "in charge" of the ACC, but I took on some of the other ranks hoping to gain access to certain e-mails/ACC access that is given to certain staff. Not all of the access that I need has been coded in as of yet, so I'm just trying to use what's already available to help me out.
Taigikori
07-05-2010 08:29:40
Straight up Kaek move right there.
RianAslar
24-05-2010 09:48:12
Hey Muz,
time for a new question about the hopefully soon coming posession system... Will all canon things be available for buying (especially the ships)? Or will there be things unavailable?
greetz Rian Aslar
Dossier #10701
Muz Ashen
25-05-2010 13:48:04
Well, considering how much stuff is available in the canon, i am sure that not everything will be immediately available for purchase. The video games that are professionally produced and maintained don't even have *all* of the canon items available.
However, we will have a pretty comprehensive system. We will have 110 different ships available for purchase (and 140 different modifications for customization), for example. Now, I don't believe that most folks will be able to afford the really expensive ships, but the vast majority of the ships will be available to the average member who is active and works toward it.
RianAslar
25-05-2010 15:31:35
Thanks for the answer, hopefully my two favourites under them were available too...
Greetz Rian Aslar
Dossier #10701
Fremoc
25-05-2010 17:08:42
Hey Muz,
Do we have an estimated rough date on when the GMRG might be officially coming out?
Thanks
Muz Ashen
28-05-2010 23:13:28
Rian, Send me an email, and i'll check for you.
Fremoc, We don't have a date set in stone yet. Soon, hopefully.
Kant Lavar
07-07-2011 01:59:09
Speaking of the possession system, has there been any more recent thought on grandfathered items? Wiki pages for folks' personal starships have all been tagged since the development of Operation Rebirth that they would be affected, and I was wondering if there had been any further forward motion as to what may happen there - especially if I have to come up with a good way to dispose of my E-wing - and by good I mean awesome.
Halcyon
07-07-2011 08:02:44
I do not believe anything will be "grandfathered". Basically, if you want to keep the possessions you have on your wiki now you will have to buy it. Otherwise it will be removed from the wiki.
If you do not believe you will have the cash to buy back items you may as well start getting rid of them now. Remember, you generally start off from scratch in the DB, so unless you're able to acquire possessions from the time you enter the DB, then it won't make sense to have it hanging around anyway
Muz Ashen
04-08-2011 01:10:30
Halc is absolutely correct. There will be absolutely no grandfathering of personal effects when possessions come out. There will be back-pay for medals earned and ranks achieved, but that is a separate matter.
Roberts-Brannigan
06-08-2011 22:37:16
Whats the GM's favorite breakfast in the morning?
Muz Ashen
16-08-2011 23:24:10
In character, I'd imagine he eats a decent breakfast: something filling and high in protein...eggs, sausage, bacon, whatever.
Out of character, I don't eat breakfast very often. If I get a protein bar, I'm lucky. I love me some bacon, though it's not very good for me. Ashia will make pancakes on occassion, and those are good. Eggs Benedict are awesome, done properly.
ARC-Talos
05-09-2011 14:31:14
Hey GM,
I apologize if this question has been asked previously (but this topic has so numerous pages so I don't want to look through them all lol) but here's a question relating to Possessions:
What will be the policy about Battleteam possessions, such as armor? I know that not all BTs have 'canon' armor (like standard Stormtrooper armor) and therefore they can't be found on wookiepedia or a similar source. When Possessions goes live, will a BT member have to buy their BT armor from a 'DB section' or will BTs have to find something 'standard' (I hope it isn't the latter)? Hope this makes sense!
Drodik
03-10-2011 09:50:29
Hi I was just curious as to the future status of the Jedi Orders: Guardian, Sentinel, and Consular. Are they going to be integrated into the Brotherhood much like the Obelisk, Krath, and Sith are? Or is it pretty hush-hush depending on the war right now?
Tarax Kor
15-11-2011 17:11:09
Hey Muz, I have a question:
Where do babies come from?
RianAslar
27-06-2012 15:45:10
Hey Muz,
just a quick question, everytime I am accessing my dossier from my mobile phone and especially the character sheet there is a more or less big picture of a Raptor filling my screen. Is this a regular issue or just a joke from one of the DB's Coders?
The full source of the raptor image is:
http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/dbjedi/js/raptorize/raptor.png
Malik
27-06-2012 18:02:54
Coder joke from april 1st I think, it'll show up if you use the konami code if you watch the site on a computer, phone browsers are silly which is probably why it just shows up when you access it there
So i have a question and figured this would be the best place to ask. In ToR some characters have Shield generators that either Block all damage for a few brief seconds or reduce damage taken for a longer period of time (both measured in Seconds). Would it be possible to use something similar in general use such as having the ability to activate it and it absorb blaster fire for 3 seconds or some such. Naturally i would write it so that it has a limited time frame and a high recharge rate or even a one time use before i have to recharge it or install a new power pack. Thanks
Solari
14-01-2013 22:56:38
Could be worth putting to the new Combat Master as well... would have some pretty serious implications there.
Hades
23-01-2014 20:38:58
So how is the possessions program coming along now? We have all heard whispers here and there but the last time on this board you mentioned it was 2009. Anything new?
Muz Ashen
23-01-2014 21:19:59
Hades, It was august 2011, but yeah, it's been a long time coming.
We've had a lot of work going into the system lately, due to the nice and shiny new site actually having the capability to pull off possessions, whereas the old site simply didn't have the infrastructure for it, hence the renewed discussion/interest, i think.
Also, thread necromancy, ftw!
