In the beginning was a zone that needed many improvements.

One of them’s been done now. Newly created characters will run into two more shops, making a total of six there to explore now. The four that have existed for quite some time now are in the Sayaki, Tir, Aartiran, and Skrel’eth rooms (for those of you that have still not seen them) and allow you to pick and choose more specialized gear for your characters before you enter the world.

Newly added are a shop in the Harvesting room that sells harvesting permits of all sorts: woodcutting, forest gathering, marsh gathering, field gathering, beach gathering, and hunting. In the combat tutorial room is a shop that sells all weapons permits needed: small (daggers and short swords), medium (swords, axes, long swords), and large (bastard swords, two handed swords, staves, polearms, etc)

I strongly recommend spending your money on them in the tutorial if you plan on using them. You’ll save yourself close to 40% of the cost.

I’ve not got a lot done with helpfiles in the last few days, though there is now a HELP RANK to peek at if you’ve not yet.

However, I’ve added a few more posts to the library section of the forums.

How To ICly Address a Grievance or Have Your Point Of View Heard

Things To Double Check Before Leaving Creation

There’s also an update on shops and all such information here.

For our crafters, or would be crafters, here’s some statistical information about just how many people we have in the varied professions.

I should have a few quiet hours this afternoon. If so, expect a detailed post and helpfile how how to obtain citizenship.

Really, not a lot got done today. I unexpectedly had family over and was cooking for most of it. But anyway, I did put together a lot of information for the Rangers, finalize wages for Watch members and Rangers, and create a board for the Justicar and his men.

Since all that was tidied up, I decided to play around with creating another advertisement. Demos is the one to thank for the pretty words, though!

You can find further information right here.

Help files are currently updated with:

help rank
help donation
help talents
help professions
help information
help defense/defence/defend
help healing
help calendar
help location

And of course, we can’t forget:
help BIOM

I’m insanely busy. My mother had surgery on her foot on Wednesday, my dad took ill last night, and I’m raising a seven-year-old. I’m effectively the caretaker of three now, while looking for a job and trying to keep things functioning on Dark Isles. Patience would really, really be appreciated.

Those of you who know my PCs know they’ve not been around much at all. I’m trying desperately (ICly) to find managers for businesses and most of that is coming along nicely now. If you work for one of my PCs, you might not see them, but you’ll still get paid, you’ll still have work to do.

There are several min-plot style things in the works, some of which have been player developed, some of which have been developed by me. However, whenever I can squeeze things in over the next couple of weeks, you can expect some of the following:

1. Something snake-related
2. More reconstruction
3. Potentially something for those of the underground

Along with those, I’m working on redefining the magic system into something that’ll work. No, it won’t be the best, yes it will need staff help, but it’s something that will let those of you who are ALREADY channelers try it out and make use of the skills you’ve been developing.

Right here, let me stop and say something. It has to be said.

THERE WILL BE NO CODE UPDATES UNTIL CARMINE IS
SETTLED IN AUSTRALIA AND HAS TIME TO COME BACK.

It’s unfortunate, but it’s true. None of the rest of the staff can access or develop the code (we just don’t have that particular talent.) So please, please please stop whining about this not working the way X game has it. The incessent ‘Why can’t I do this? When will this be implemented?’ etc needs to stop, because the answer will always be the same: When Carmine is back and has time in her far too busy life.

HOWEVER, with that said, here’s your alternative, on our pretty, newly-reorganized forums.

There, you can post your ideas and suggestions and we as a staff can pass them on to Carmine when she’s able to look for new coding ideas. Some things are super-simple and might only take her a few minutes, while some would take weeks of work, so do keep that in mind. Also, please understand that you must, MUST, word things in a constructive, polite manner on the suggestions board. I will delete anything that sounds like “Skinning sux. Fix it.”

I’m sure I sound bitchy. I’m worn out. Life’s more to handle than I can, right now and I’m still trying to put in my time to make Dark Isles a better game.

My DI To Do List:

1. Finish plot area
2. Work on reconstruction areas
3. Work on magic
4. Fix up help files for things that truly need added (woo! Done)
5. Work with our new Regis’s player to redefine the laws,
establishments, and structures in the way he wants them.  (Woo! Done)
6. Discuss applications for special characters with other staff. (Woo! Done)
7. Work on pottery and cobblery assemblies
8. Adjust smuggling lists

Done This Week:

1. Advanced snake plot
2. Worked on HELP LOCATIONS and its offshoots
3. Completed a few other help files
4. Worked heavily on channeling
5. Began building area for continued plot
6. Wrote up smuggling information
7. Worked on specific faction information for existing and soon-to-be implemented groups.
8. Fix up help files for things that truly need added
9.  Work with our new Regis’s player to redefine the laws,
establishments, and structures in the way he wants them.
10. Discuss applications for special characters with other staff.

DI’s back up and running.

Thanks to Carmine as always <3

I’m working at getting the MUD back up, but this time at least it’s not a coding issue, just a matter of needing to get the hosting bill paid. I don’t have access to the account information, so I can’t do this, but I’m trying to get ahold of Carmine.

On that note, we could really use a few donations guys. These bills do get expensive.

If you think you could handle donating a few $$ to keep the game up and running, there’s a donations link on the main forum page.

<3

I love the characters that are developing right now. We’ve got so many new, so many old, but there’s always room for something to change, right?

I really am nosy. I want to know all about the characters out there!

Seriously, I’d love it if you guys would email me with information about your characters and what you want for them. The staff are always looking for new ways to push RP and promote players who are making a concerted effort with their characters. Though they may not come true, I can promise that these goals will never be used AGAINST you or against your character. I might even have suggestions on ways you can go about reaching them.

You never know and I never will, unless you tell me!

Lately, I’ve been noticing that I’m putting in 10+ and sometimes over 13 hours a day in working here. Between building requests, handling petitions, writing up information for those of you who are curious, RP plots and even creating RP situations with my PCs to help out you guys, I’m busy busy busy. Unfortunately, with that and my RL circumstances of being out of work and desperately needing a job, dealing with a friend in very bad circumstances, and trying to raise a child, I’m burning out fast.

I’m handing a lot of that over to our builders and other staff. You may have noticed a few old (but newly returned) faces in Farseer and Minion along with our tried and true Alazair, Bycin, Demos, and Marduk (in alphabetical order so as to not put anyone over the others ). The easiest way you can help this transition is to send all requests and forward any unanswered petitions to:

darkislesrequests@gmail.com

If they aren’t responded to within a week, you are well within your rights to re-email or petition us about them! I’m hoping for only a day or two in turnover with this extra help.

Have I mentioned, I love you guys?

I have to admit, I’ve been dying for a reason to just celebrate with plain, all out goofiness for a LONG time in an event and finally, it’s come to pass. I love you guys. The Harvest Festival Week of events has probably been the most I’ve laughed since I’ve come on staff here and it’s only day two! For those of you that missed it, here’s a little clip from the beginning. Giggle with me.

A chiseled Aartiran male smirks at a fair skinned woman’s comment as he says, “(Human) I’ll show you youngin’s how it’s done properly. Don’t discount me just becuase I’m in my third decade.” He winks at her than then hearing a dusky haired woman’s call he props his foot on the post to rise up and call back to her, “(Human) Hey! What about me?! You dared me to do this. Don’t I get a cheer?”

A thin man wanders over to a dusky haired woman and smiles at her in greeting. He leans in and quips, “(Human) Interesting to see the women chasing the pigs, instead of the other way around. There any wagers going on?” He waves to a fair skinned woman and gives her a thumbs up, “(Human) Good luck!”

“(Human) A safe bet would be the Captain,” a dusky haired woman tells a thin man with a smirk. “(Human) I hear he wrestles pigs daily to help him capture criminals. Slippery things, they are.” Laughing, she shrugs and gestures to the boar. “(Human) Safer bet’s on that old fellow.”

A curly-haired brunette looks over the crowd again as she sets down her things to one side, out of the way. Her eyes then go to the pig itself, staring at it with a slight smile to her lips. After a few moments, she calls over to a lean old woman, “(Human) Is it ladies first?”

“(Human) No!” a dusky haired woman calls back to a chiseled Aartiran male. “(Human) You’re the safe bet. The boring one!” Still laughing, she ducks her head away from his sight.

A fair skinned woman searches the crowd with her eyes, leaning left and right as she tries to look behind and beyond people. Spying a thin man, her entire demeanor changes as she eagerly waves in his direction before answering a dainty lass, “(Human) I’m as ready as I will be. To be honest, I’ve.. well, I’ve never done this before.” Her attention turns to the a large brown boar with a tattered left ear, “(Human) Looks easy enough. Looks like he’d rather be rolled in mud and dozing.”

A lean old woman stands quietly for the moment, giving her participants a chance to prepare themselves. Then, without any preamble, she whacks a large brown boar with a tattered left ear across the rump, sending him in a snorting, lumbering dash to the far end of the fenced in arena. “(Human) Go on and get him! You wanted in together. Get him. First to pin wins!”

Ahh, if you want more, I’ll post it on the forums once I’ve got it all cleaned up and pretty for you. But that’s about the looks of things. Very, very fun all around, I think.

***********************************************************
Here’s the list of events for the next few days. All times, unless otherwise announced, will just occur whenever we have the numbers on to make them worthwhile.

Saturday:
1. Pie eating contest. (Yes. I’m serious).
2. Foot races.

Sunday:
1. Strength contests.
2. Wrestling, knife throwing contests, and combat sparring displays.

Monday:
Closing ceremonies. I will note now that this is going to be a more sober time of prayer, reflection, sacrifice, all followed up by another rip-roarer of a party. It’s also probably your last chance to get drunk off your ass for free, for awhile.