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Post by Nola on Jun 27, 2018 19:52:42 GMT
How to PlayWe've reached the part where we talk about how to actually play the game! If you're new to IRC-based Roleplaying, you might find it to be a bit of an adjustment. There's a lot of shorthand we use to help indicated what's going on, who's talking to who, where exactly the crazy thing is happening, and so on. Worry not! Not only will we be providing you with a handy explainer, but we're also pretty patient and will happily walk it through with you in-game! Player NicknameChat ProtocolsJoining the Chat Server
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Post by Nola on Jul 29, 2018 2:29:23 GMT
Player NicknameFirst and foremost, you'll need to have a nickname that properly indicates who you are (note: you can change your nickname with the /nick command in-mission). We have a strict formula for this nickname, so please be sure to follow it! The formula is: POS_Rank_Surname As you can see, there are three distinct portions to the nickname. The first is POS (Position), which is an abbreviation for the position your character plays. The abbreviations are as follows: COMMAND CO - Commanding Officer XO - Executive Officer ENGINEERING CEO - Chief Engineering Officer ENG - Engineering Officer TACTICAL CTO - Chief Tactical Officer TAC - Tactical Officer SCIENCE CSO - Chief Science Officer SCI - Science Officer MEDICAL CMO - Chief Medical Officer MED - Medical Officer MISC OPS - Chief of Operations NAV - Navigation/Flight Control Officer AUX - Auxiliary Officer (Note: this can change depending on the role your character fills. For example, if you're playing a ship's counselor, you would use CNS instead of AUX.) The second part of your nickname is an abbreviation for your character's rank. Those abbreviations are: Cdt - Cadet Ens - Ensign LtJG - Lieutenant Junior Grade Lt - Lieutenant LtCmdr - Lieutenant Commander Cmdr - Commander Capt - Captain (Note: You might see other ranks used in game, such as ADM or Admiral or MCPO for Master Chief Petty Officer. These are NPC ranks, so don't worry about them for your own nickname.) Finally, finish your nickname off with your character's surname or family name. For instance, if your character was named Jessica Smith, you would use Smith. If she was an Executive Officer with a rank of Commander, her full nickname would be XO_Cmdr_Smith Other Examples: CO_Cmdr_Foyle CMO_LtCmdr_Rousseau CSO_Lt_Hamlet NAV_Ens_Tallush Final note: Please input each Position and Rank abbreviation exactly as shown, e.g. ENG_Ens_Sulak, not ENG_ENS_Sulak or Eng_Ens_Sulak.
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Post by Nola on Jul 29, 2018 3:54:30 GMT
Chat Protocols
Here we'll be going over the different protocols to use in-mission. These are the things you'll use to indicate what your character tries to do, who they're talking to, and where the person they're talking to is, among other things. If you have any questions, or if something isn't clear, don't hesitate to ask your GD!
Actions
The most important protocol is the one used to indicate player action. Thus, it's fairly simple: just enclose the action between :: tags.
Examples:
::sprints down the corridor:: ::tries to reroute power to shields:: ::facepalms::
See? Easy!
Dialogue
Dialogue makes heavy use of Position Tags to indicate who you're speaking to. For basic face-to-face communication, you would write POS: <Dialogue>.
Examples
ENG: Hey, what's the rush? CO: I'm giving her all she's got, Captain! CSO: How's that survey coming, Commander?
Of course, sometimes to the person you need to speak to isn't in the same location as your character. For dialogue using comms (Combadges, internal/external comm systems), you would do the same as above, except enclose the POS in * tags, like so: *POS*: <Dialogue>.
Examples
*ENG*: We need warp power ASAP! *CO*: We'll check it out and report back to you, sir. *CSO*: Is... is that a lifeform?
Some species are capable of special kinds of communication, such as telepathy. This is rare, but we do have a protocol for it! You write it as basic dialogue, except you wrap the whole line in ~ tags: ~POS: <Dialogue>~
Examples
~ENG: The core's becoming unstable!~ ~CO: He's lying, Captain.~ ~CSO: Our species finds mental connection preferable to verbal communication.~
That covers the majority of dialogue that will be in game, but there are a few special instances that don't necessarily follow the above rules.
When communicating to more than one player, separate their POS tags with a / like so:
ENG/OPS: Work together to find us the power we need to escape this gravity well! *CSO/MED*: Great work tackling that outbreak!
Or you can use the All tag when speaking to everyone or just thinking out loud:
All: Great job, everyone! *All*: Alright guys, pack it in.
When speaking to another ship or planet, if you know that name of the ship or planet, use part or all of the name in the dialogue tag, like *Ship* or *Planet*.
*Chiron*: God speed, Chiron. *Bolarus*: Tempest to Bolarus. We're here to help!
If you don't know the person, planet, or ship you're speaking to, just use Unknown!
Unknown: I don't know who you are, but you better stop! *Unknown*: Zorya to unknown vessel. Identify yourselves.
That should cover just about everything! If your GD wants you to use a specific tag for dealing with an NPC, they'll let you know!
Playing in Different Locations
It's pretty easy for a crew of Starfleet officers to get spread out. Whether it's an away mission to the surface of a planet, a derelict ship, or you get teleported off your vessel against your will, sometimes you'll have to play in a location that's different from the rest of the crew (note: this doesn't apply if you're just in another part of the ship). We use special tags to indicate this at the start of your line. Most of the time, this will be the @ symbol, like so:
@::wakes up in a strange, dark place:: All: Uh, hello? @*CO*: The ship looks completely abandoned, Captain.
Some missions might find the players in more than two locations, at which point a second symbol will be used, most likely #, like so:
*XO/CTO*: Away teams, report! @*CO*: We're alright, Captain. #*CO*: We're, uh, not as alright.
GD Actions
Sometimes you'll see your GD use special tags in order to facilitate the mission. The three primary tags are <NPC> tags, ACTION tags, and SCENE tags.
NPC tags are used to indicated the actions or dialogue of an NPC the GD is playing. They consist of a name in <> brackets. The name may or may not follow the POS_Ens_Name formula.
Examples <EO_Ens_Tanith> ::tries to bypass the damaged EPS conduit:: <ADM_Walker> *CO*: Keep up the good work, Captain. <Flint> ::gives the strange aliens a dubious look::
Of the GD tags, the NPC tags are the only ones you might use as a player, likely if you're a Department Head NPCing an underling.
ACTION tags are used to indicate something important that's happening in-mission.
ACTION: Three Klingon Birds of Prey decloak off the starboard bow and lock weapons! ACTION: The warp core lights up as it turns back on, just in time for the ship to try and flee! ACTION: The alien vessel doesn't respond.
SCENE tags are used to provide information about where the players are.
SCENE: Citizens of Bolarus go about their day, politely acknowledging the Away Team. SCENE: The ship drops out of warp to see a beautiful expanse of blues and purples, the nebula branching out before them. SCENE: The city has been reduced to smouldering rubble, only a few broken girders where towering buildings once stood.
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Post by Nola on Jul 30, 2018 7:48:50 GMT
Joining the Chat ServerNow that you have an idea how the game is played, it's time to go over how to actually join us for a mission. Mibbit/RizonIf you've never used a dedicated IRC client before, it might be easier for you to use a web-based client. There are a couple different sites you can use: Mibbit and Rizon. You can find instructions on how to use those sites here. IRC ClientsSome players prefer to use dedicated IRC clients, of which there are several, including HydraIRC, mIRC, HexChat, and so on. There are also a number of IRC clients for mobile platforms, like AndroIRC (Android) or Mutter (iPad/iPhone). It shouldn't be too difficult to figure out how to install one of these clients, but if you're unsure about anything, feel free to ask an Admin for help, and we'll figure it out together! Once you have a client installed and ready, you'll need the following server address: rizon.mibbit.org After you've connected to the server, you might a prompt to 'populate list' or 'show rooms.' DO NOT PRESS THAT BUTTON! Rizon hosts a lot of different rooms, and trying to load them all could crash the program or give you extreme lag. Instead, in the server chat box, type '/join' followed by the room name. Those room names are: '#STABLounge' - The OOC room for all STAB ships. '#USSChiron' - The IC room for the Chiron '#USSTempest' - The IC room for Odyssey Station and the Tempest '#USSZorya' - The IC room for the USS Zorya Once you're in the rooms, you're ready to start playing!
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