CyberSphere Recruitment Drive
-
This post is deleted! -
That's a pretty lame recruitment post.
-
This post is deleted! -
@Issac: I'm not @Admiral, but here's a few points I think could stand some expansion upon or improvement.
- WTF is a "CyberSphere"? I mean sure, it's a MU* of some kind, I get that. Presumably. I even get that it's probably some form of cyberpunk. But a bit more information is necessary if you want to get people interested. Information like: genre, setting, and theme, for example. As a simple guideline, think up a few W5 (Who What Where When Why) questions that a person who might be interested in your game might ask and answer them in your ad.
- WTF is a Tier 3 Character? What's the difference between a Tier 3 and a Tier 2 or a Tier 1 or a Tier 7,234,199? You might as well have said "And if you're looking at making a geflooglebarndle, let me know..."
- This leads to the broader question of what you mean by character tiers. Perhaps a brief overview of that might be in order?
There's a few more such ideas, but they're all variations on the theme of "WTF are you talking about?" And while I suspect that many of those questions are answered on the Wiki you linked to, what you've got here doesn't even give much of a reason to check out a Wiki. (Nor does it make it clear that you've even linked to the Wiki.
So here's an example of something, off the top of my head, that would be better than what you wrote (and is yet still largely inadequate; I'm just not writing copy for free here).
Hey, everybody. CyberSphere, an RPG MOO set in a dark, violent future, is looking for more players. The game is conflict-driven, in the main, with player conflict being at the heart of expected play, although there is also a large PvE factor. For more information, tap our Wiki or just log in at cs.netsville.com, port 7777.
Be aware that we have a tiered character generation system. You can check out what that means on our wiki, and if you're going to make a Tier 3 character, ping me in game; I'm willing to help!
Thanks for reading and we look forward to seeing you in CyberSphere!
Still not great, but a whole lot more effective than what you gave us to begin with. I'm sure you can see what I'm getting at now and make something even more compelling!
-
What is cybersphere?
What code base is it running?
What plots/events do you have upcoming/ongoing?
How big is the playbase?
Is it staff led stuff/plot/etc?
What kind of player/concept are you looking for? -
This post is deleted! -
If it's still the same place I remember from the 90s, it's a MOO. It has some mud-like random wandering monster things to smite if you're into that sort of thing, and is generally cyberpunk themed. There weren't really any staff run plots or PrPs like people think of them these days at that time, but it's entirely likely those things could have become a thing in the 20 years or so since I played there (and I'd be a little surprised if they hadn't).
It was always generally pretty neat.
-
A primer:
CS runs off Lambda. Though a heavily modified, largely bastardized version of Lambda. There are several generations of wiz bit coders involved in it at this point. I have no idea how it looks lately as a former wiz bit coder but much of the core game features are legacy from decades ago, so it seems to be okay?
It's a MOO, which you don't see much of anymore. Ghostwheel and Diversity University were also MOOs if anyone remember those places (I believe they are both long over). DU wasn't even a game. It was ... some weird collegiate sort of... I don't even know.
Functionally however, much of it appears to be MUD oriented in how automation commands must functions from combat to the economy to movement on grid using IC transportation and cyber implants.
There is RP. It's hit or miss, as has been always the case. Some staff groups required more of it, some staff groups cared way less so plot is also kind of hit or miss depending on the staff and their level of interest in running it. There are pockets of players who RP and run effectively PRPs for each other. Much of the RP is akin to Nordic style larp in that you put a bunch of competing factions in the game who are living in a slum walled off from the corporate paradise that San Diego in the future has become (now called New Carthage) and they tend to make trouble for each other.
There are always twinks and people who want to slash and hack. You can avoid them or engage them. It's generally easier to avoid them than you'd think.
Application Tiers: The more time and effort you put into a Tier, the more stuff you get to start with. Tier 1 is basically a non-CG, jump in and play situation. You get like a minimum of credits, a clone/no clone, and nothing. There is no application. Tier 2 is medium effort application, you write a BG of small length and/or answer a survey (I can't remember its been a while) and then you get a better clone/more creds/some gear/middling starting stuff . Tier 3 is effort required application that staff is obligated to read and approve or not and you get even better stuff, including sometimes an IG job and an apartment depending on what it is you're trying to play on Tier 3.
I was on the staff when Tiers were first introduced. I don't know if they've been modified since but it sounds pretty much the same.
Clones: It's hard to permanently die on CS. You do have to pay for the upkeep of a clone on the game. When you die, you wake up in your new clone body (as per Cyberpunk genre) having no memory of anything that happened to you between your last paid update to record your memories and the time of your death. The better the clone, the better your chances you'll keep coming back after you die which is why death isn't as big of a deal on the game and it tends to attract a less risk averse crowd. Your clone can fail based on a random roll and if that happens, you're kinda boned. The extent of the failure and the quality of your clone can make it so that your PC is a vegetable and its better to just have them killed off. Less unfortunate failures have permanent negative changes to your PC. A high quality clone failure is pretty rare. A cheap clone fails kind of a lot.
CS isn't for everyone.
The learning curve can be really tough.
It's been around since 1994.--Former Wiz
-
This post is deleted! -
Cybersphere is home to my favorite memory of a bizarre IC name issue.
Since it's cyberpunk, most people used handles.
I was playing a chick who unfortunately was named 'Michael' after her father, because her mother was a sentimental idiot and he was dead, blah blah blah.
She meets and falls for a dude, and all the while, whirlwind romance, never knows the guy's actual name until they're trading vows, and she suddenly discovers she is now...
Michael Caine.
That will never stop being funny to me. Never.
-
This post is deleted! -
Here's the version for dummies:
CGen crap -
Basic CGen - Lower starting stats/skills, can be upgraded to regular in-game by writing up a background and public history. Requires no approval. Your first character should be a basic, just to explore the mechanics of the game and see if you like it. Then you should probably ditch this one to make a standard since you'll know more about what you want to play.
Standard CGen - Full starting stats/skills, requires background and at least an attempt at a description for your character. This is what you want to make for your 'first real character'.
Advanced CGen - Full starting stats/skills, but with more advantages to choose from such as 'simulant' or 'mutant' which are advanced roleplay concepts that require a great deal more effort on your part to play. There are benefits to playing these characters but also serious drawbacks. There is no reason to make this your first character.
Min/maxing is encouraged in CGen, however, you get plenty of skill points so you can easily have a number of skills 'soft capped'. Progression in the game is based on who you know/how good your gear is/how much fun you have. Anyone can kill anyone, potentially. I've seen day old characters get in a fight with a 10 year old character and win before. So there's never a need to feel like 'I will never be the biggest badass so why bother?' There's more to do than just fight, anyways.
Tips:
Always take 'Newbie Tutorial Job' advantage. It's free money for those who know the game and a short primer for those who don't.
@fp-list and then @fp <location here> is excellent for those using screen readers who have difficulty traversing a map or newbies just wanting an easier path somewhere.
You can also turn off the fluff descriptions on street rooms. Also good for screen readers. This game is fairly 'sight impaired' friendly.
Treat NPCs as people. Walking around murdering 'mobs' is... well. Allowed. But you're playing a murdering psychopath if you do that.
Remember that 'who' is an IC list. It isn't a list of 'everyone in the city', of course. Imagination the list is fully populated by a bunch of people and these are the ones who stand out. Some are NPCs. Some are PCs.
The game population isn't huge, so the game is best played with idles while in another window when you're not actively doing things and short bursts of activity when you are.
Cybersphere isn't for everyone. Or even for most people, to be honest. But if you enjoy code with your RP then I say go for it. The game allows and even encourages group apps so you can grab your friends and come in as a neat little clique right off the bat. Be a street gang. Circus performers. Wannabe corpies. It's fun to fail together.
-
This post is deleted! -
This post is deleted! -
I played there for about two months last year. The game is a little boring (or was at this point) because the playerbase was low, there wasn't a whole lot to do 'mechanics' wise and RP felt a little stiff from most of the characters I was meeting.
Not sure if this is still a thing but what made me leave was that several of the oldest players that probably didn't even play anymore, just trolled their website forums, were being general A-holes to the few new players that were discussing ways to bring the game back to popularity, or how certain things in the code might be changed to make the game feel more updated, or basically anytime two people that were not OG's were having a conversation one of these older players would come in and be a roving jackass for their own personal satisfaction (I think anyways).
Yes not an uplifting story, but that was my personal experience with the game.
-
This post is deleted! -
The forums are not indicative of the game as a whole. I liken them to WORA; the last vestige of a more negative part of the community that serves the purpose of allowing people to vent out their frustrations.
-
@Admiral said in CyberSphere Recruitment Drive:
The forums are not indicative of the game as a whole. I liken them to WORA; the last vestige of a more negative part of the community that serves the purpose of allowing people to vent out their frustrations.
Sure, if they kept it to the boards that were specifically about ranting and raving and what not, I wouldn't care either, but when you see that any productive discussion on the boards is taken over by assholes and eventually soured by it, and the Staff does nothing to mitigate that hostility because they're too afraid of 'bad press' from these "veteran" players (Yes, I spoke to one of the Staff at the time about it, and that is what they told me when I asked why they didn't moderate the older player's comments).
Now I'm not trying to shit talk the game, if you stay away from the boards you'll probably have an alright time, especially if the game population is up. If any of those veteran players played they never did any greifing or anything in-game, just royal asshats on the forum boards.
-
@Issac said in CyberSphere Recruitment Drive:
All the nudes of the character must be written...
Halp? Wuh?
-
- He who takes offense when not intended is a fool. He who takes offense when intended is a greater fool.
