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abraxasooc2021-10-17 09:23 am
abraxasmods) wrote in abraxasooc2021-10-17 09:23 am
NETWORK
NETWORK
As of this post from Julie, the network is officially open! However, the network function in Abraxas is a bit different from other forms of network you may have seen before.
Posts onto the network appear in the receiving character's vision. The words are projected onto any nearby surface: a tabletop, the cobblestones on the ground, in the margins of the book being read. We encourage you to be creative with this aspect! When a message or post is received, whatever surface it's being displayed on will sparkle for a moment, and the message will be visible for roughly 10 minutes. If the message is not acknowledged, or your character doesn't see it, there will be a second attempt about 30 minutes later (sort of like an automatic resend of a failed text message). This should be sufficient, as characters do not need to make a physical effort to find the messages. After all, if you're not sleeping, you can see. Even blind characters will be able to "see" the messages.
Posts and messages can be sent in three ways: to everyone, to a specific person, or to a described group. For instance, say Spongebob wants to send a message to all of his friends from home. He would concentrate on his message and direct it to "EVERYONE FROM BIKINI BOTTOM". Patrick, Squidward, Sandy and Mr. Krabs will all see the following message:
HI EVERYONE! HAPPY LEIF ERIKSON DAY! HINGA DINGA DURGEN - SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS
Please note that you do not need to do sparkle code or any font modifications. This is just a visual!
QUESTIONS
Can NPCs see this text?
NPCs cannot see the text.
Can players choose where their text appears, as in actively posting their words on a mirror or traced in sand?
The PCs cannot currently choose where the message appears, since much like in real life, they may not know where the other person they're trying to message actually is! However, as characters strengthen their connection to the Singularity over time, they may begin to get more precise in situations where they do happen to know where the other person is.
Do messages have an actual physical presence, so characters can erase it?
Nope. All magic. Once the character either reads the message or ignores it for both appearance periods, it's gone.
Does a character automatically know who a message came from?
All messages have an "autosignature", if you will, but can be sent anonymously through concentrated effort.
Can messages be seen by another player character who isn't the intended recipient?
Only if it's an open message. For a "DM" style message, only the intended person can see it.
Can the messages display emotion/intonation? Other non-word displays, such as emoji/emoticons/images? Or is it purely text-based?
Purely text-based, although options such as italics or bolding can be done.
What does the writing look like - handwriting, or a print font or just whatever?
The default would be handwriting, but in cases where a character is incapable of writing, or else wants to, there is a more standardized default font (think of a DWRP text post).
And a final shout-out to our volunteers! Thank you for helping us introduce this mechanic to the game.
QUESTIONS
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This is a neat take on a network, so kudos for originality and unique flavor that suits this setting.
Just a small ask, though, for the sake of some characters who might find this distressing to the point of it being counterproductive: is there a way we could make it more opt-in/opt-out in practice, so that characters aren't getting this intrusive text at all times? I know I'm not the only one with a character whose sanity might take a hit from this, and it puts a great deal of pressure on us to know everything that's happening, even things we might oocly choose not to engage with.
A simple fix would be to make it something characters have to deliberately access via concentration or meditation, maybe?
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Is there an IC reason for this new ability suddenly becoming available, especially as it's available to any of the Summoned even if they haven't awakened their connection to the Singularity?
Can characters opt-out of the default real-time mode, or otherwise manage their connection to the network rather than it being all or nothing on or off (as you guys mentioned above)? I guess I'm wondering if there's a way to make it so characters can selectively access these messages, rather than them behaving like radio broadcasts they receive in real time unless they're blocking the signal.
(Perhaps there's a way to mute/mute except for direct @ mentions like on Discord, for example? Not sure about what might work for messages sent while user is 'offline', maybe just like text messages that get redelivered once you're back in range of a tower...?)
Thanks!
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It's all or nothing, at least until characters have grown strong enough in their power to properly manage it. The Singularity is not an entity that is particularly discerning, and it does not behave in ways that are rational to us.
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Just a wee question about language, because one must overthink everything all the time:
If a message is intended to be written in, let's say, Fantasy Russian, would it come through as Fantasy Russian? Or would it be filtered and translated to the common/trade language (or whatever)? OR, does the Horizon's mystical get-along shirt extend to this as well, so all PCs can understand all messages in any writing system?
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Re: QUESTIONS
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