The Dreamwidth Move: Part the 2nd
Hey guys- I hope everyone had a happy holiday, whatever that holiday may be. Got a few things to announce:
This is a reminder- for those unaware, by the way, we are currently taking a vote of whether or not to move over to Dreamwidth, due to Livejournal's recent changes and lack of support. If you have not yet read and voted in the poll OVER HERE, please do so! Or think about doing so. There's a few days yet and well over than half of the game has voted thus far, but we've still a ways to go.
As a sidenote, if you've voted already and you want to change it, please manually do so by logging into the journal you voted with and go here! This is so my numbers are accurate.
Speaking of which, the numbers are as of 6AM EST this morning: 62% of total players voted, 33% in favour of moving, 11% against. 9% don't care, and 6% have yet to decide. IDEK what's up with the "Other" category and am kicking myself for even creating it, but whatever. D|
There have been a number of concerns in regards to this potential move, so I'll try to address as much as I can here. Please note that most of these are going by the hypothetical, "if we move" scenario, so don't nitpick the wording, okay?
1: What about paid accounts on LJ?
May as well get the ugly one out of the way first. It's unfortunate but there's really no way to salvage this; it is the one major downside to moving, really. Paid accounts would be a loss, though so far many of us are willing to accept this.
However, some players have brought up the idea of having a fundraiser to help the players with less income (or have significantly paid-up LJ accounts and a lack of funds to do it again on DW as well) get their accounts started over on DW if we move. We think this is a fabulous idea, so you guys give it some thought and tell us what you think. :|b
Ideas for this that have been brought forth are:
a) The Open, Self-Motivated Version: Devote an entry to the fundraiser and have users who need points/paid time/etc. post with the journal(s) they need paid time for; other users willing to donate can reply (either anon or logged in, their choice) and send points or time to the first user.
b) The Private, Trust-Driven Version: Players in need of points can post screened comments to a fundraising entry with DW journals that need paid time. Players wishing to donate can submit points to a single account (we're suggesting the DW mod account, since this would require a degree of trust, and those points would be maintained by the five of us) and we distribute the points evenly to users who need it. Donations could be made anonymously or publicly, depending on the preference of those donating.
c) The ??? Version: Make a goddamn suggestion 8|
2: How are we going to make accounts once the free journal creation closes?
I have spoken with DW support - who have been extremely helpful and informative, by the way - and a mass community invite code can be granted to the mod account if we decide to go ahead with it. This invite code would be included in the acceptance copy-pasta. If you want an invite code to try voice-testing first, you'd just have to let us know ahead of time and we could help you with that.
3: All of our past RPing and activity is on LJ!
Dreamwidth has an import system for journals, which is very effective at keeping track of post dates and whatnot. Just recently (for Christmas!) they announced that communities can be imported as well, and will be available sometime next week, if all goes according to plan. We've tested out the import process and haven't experienced any problems, regardless of how little or much the DW journal is used prior to import. No conflicts, no overwrites, no errors. You can import everything to Dreamwidth, icons and keywords included, if you have enough space for them all, so your new journals could essentially be carbon copies of the current LJ ones. Also, you can import the old journal to Dreamwidth whenever you want without worrying about it writing over anything.
4: Exactly how long is this going to take?
None of us are suggesting that a game of this size and significance should move overnight. If it happens, it can most certainly be a gradual process, moving only as quickly as players themselves are willing and able to. This move can be plotted- see below for details on that one, too. Timeline-wise, it could really take anywhere between a few days to a few weeks for the whole game to move.
5: Will Luceti be journal-based or community-based? How will friends lists work?
Luceti will stay the same! All we plan to do is switch web hosts. There is a friend add/remove system, but on DW it works by subscribing to journals as well as granting access, so each character would have two "friend add" codes, essentially, instead of one. Not too complex, really, just an extra line for everyone.
6: What about the people who are on hiatus/unavailable right now? How will they be included?
Good question! I'm going to do my best to contact everyone who hasn't voted via e-mail or some other method hopefully by the end of today/early tomorrow, particularly those on hiatus. Also, if we move, I'll be keeping a close eye on Luceti itself for a month or two to make sure that even those who I can't contact can be made aware of the shift over to Dreamwidth. Characters who don't move to DW will likely be swept up in the next AC unless their hiatus is valid past the date, but if there's a miscommunication issue and a swept player wants to rejoin, assuming their character hasn't been apped by someone else, we might be able to work something out. It'll be one of those case-by-case things.
7: How will applications be handled?
Since not everyone will have a Dreamwidth journal, this first cycle will have applications still posted to the LJ community. The application page will explain the Dreamwidth situation clearly so that newcomers will be well aware of what's happening with Luceti, so they can decide whether or not they still want to app. I've tossed around the idea of contacting the people who have reserved, but that would be lot of work and there's already a lot to potentially) be done, so if you feel like warning the people you know about this situation, it would probably help us a lot.
8: Why are you guys in such a hurry to finish the poll and/or move?
It's pretty simple: with applications opening so soon, we're in a tight spot. New players will be joining the game soon, and asking them to create, set-up, and introduce themselves with a new journal on LJ seems a bit silly if we happen to move a week or so later. Considering the majority of players have already voted, delaying too much would cause problems for the application cycle, and delaying applications themselves seems counter-productive since it'll screw up our schedule entirely. Which is a possibility, of course, but we'd all rather avoid that if we can.
Do we think that this move can happen even with such a short time period? Yes. Do we understand that it's going to be a hell of a lot of work? Holy hell yes. Are we willing to get it done to make this as smooth a process as possible? Most definitely.
9: You mentioned a plot event if we move. Let's have the details!
Details are still being worked out, but here's the concept we've been discussing, step-by-step, if we do move:
Alternately, we could have a less dramatic plot by simply shifting everyone over to the new location without the big fuss of manual move. The application process would likely stay the same as above, but LJ players wouldn't have to do much more than start playing on DW as their characters arrive.
Double-alternately, we could delay applications, lose the plot idea altogether, and have the game continue on the DW server without changing anything.
....So guess what? We're having another vote. :| Since we're getting down to the applications-are-opening crunch time, this one has to be finished by the end of the year. Once again, please just vote with one journal!
Poll
...I think that's it >_>; holy hell you guys, I am so sorry for being so TL;DR lately. Once again, if you have any questions, concerns, comments, let 'em loose.
Edit #1:
10: Going back to the friend add/remove thing...
Since usernames are aplenty on Dreamwidth, some people might want to rename. You're not required to use the same username on DW as you're using on LJ! If a move happens, we will create a new friend add/remove page where players can post their new username(s), mentioning the old one(s) at the same time so we'll know who's who. Same goes for the Taken Characters page; it'll all have to be refilled by you guys. Hopefully this will allow for some tidying up in the process. Moving to DW doesn't allow for a friends-list transfer, so that'll be one thing that has to be manually redone.
This is a reminder- for those unaware, by the way, we are currently taking a vote of whether or not to move over to Dreamwidth, due to Livejournal's recent changes and lack of support. If you have not yet read and voted in the poll OVER HERE, please do so! Or think about doing so. There's a few days yet and well over than half of the game has voted thus far, but we've still a ways to go.
As a sidenote, if you've voted already and you want to change it, please manually do so by logging into the journal you voted with and go here! This is so my numbers are accurate.
Speaking of which, the numbers are as of 6AM EST this morning: 62% of total players voted, 33% in favour of moving, 11% against. 9% don't care, and 6% have yet to decide. IDEK what's up with the "Other" category and am kicking myself for even creating it, but whatever. D|
There have been a number of concerns in regards to this potential move, so I'll try to address as much as I can here. Please note that most of these are going by the hypothetical, "if we move" scenario, so don't nitpick the wording, okay?
1: What about paid accounts on LJ?
May as well get the ugly one out of the way first. It's unfortunate but there's really no way to salvage this; it is the one major downside to moving, really. Paid accounts would be a loss, though so far many of us are willing to accept this.
However, some players have brought up the idea of having a fundraiser to help the players with less income (or have significantly paid-up LJ accounts and a lack of funds to do it again on DW as well) get their accounts started over on DW if we move. We think this is a fabulous idea, so you guys give it some thought and tell us what you think. :|b
Ideas for this that have been brought forth are:
a) The Open, Self-Motivated Version: Devote an entry to the fundraiser and have users who need points/paid time/etc. post with the journal(s) they need paid time for; other users willing to donate can reply (either anon or logged in, their choice) and send points or time to the first user.
b) The Private, Trust-Driven Version: Players in need of points can post screened comments to a fundraising entry with DW journals that need paid time. Players wishing to donate can submit points to a single account (we're suggesting the DW mod account, since this would require a degree of trust, and those points would be maintained by the five of us) and we distribute the points evenly to users who need it. Donations could be made anonymously or publicly, depending on the preference of those donating.
c) The ??? Version: Make a goddamn suggestion 8|
2: How are we going to make accounts once the free journal creation closes?
I have spoken with DW support - who have been extremely helpful and informative, by the way - and a mass community invite code can be granted to the mod account if we decide to go ahead with it. This invite code would be included in the acceptance copy-pasta. If you want an invite code to try voice-testing first, you'd just have to let us know ahead of time and we could help you with that.
3: All of our past RPing and activity is on LJ!
Dreamwidth has an import system for journals, which is very effective at keeping track of post dates and whatnot. Just recently (for Christmas!) they announced that communities can be imported as well, and will be available sometime next week, if all goes according to plan. We've tested out the import process and haven't experienced any problems, regardless of how little or much the DW journal is used prior to import. No conflicts, no overwrites, no errors. You can import everything to Dreamwidth, icons and keywords included, if you have enough space for them all, so your new journals could essentially be carbon copies of the current LJ ones. Also, you can import the old journal to Dreamwidth whenever you want without worrying about it writing over anything.
4: Exactly how long is this going to take?
None of us are suggesting that a game of this size and significance should move overnight. If it happens, it can most certainly be a gradual process, moving only as quickly as players themselves are willing and able to. This move can be plotted- see below for details on that one, too. Timeline-wise, it could really take anywhere between a few days to a few weeks for the whole game to move.
5: Will Luceti be journal-based or community-based? How will friends lists work?
Luceti will stay the same! All we plan to do is switch web hosts. There is a friend add/remove system, but on DW it works by subscribing to journals as well as granting access, so each character would have two "friend add" codes, essentially, instead of one. Not too complex, really, just an extra line for everyone.
6: What about the people who are on hiatus/unavailable right now? How will they be included?
Good question! I'm going to do my best to contact everyone who hasn't voted via e-mail or some other method hopefully by the end of today/early tomorrow, particularly those on hiatus. Also, if we move, I'll be keeping a close eye on Luceti itself for a month or two to make sure that even those who I can't contact can be made aware of the shift over to Dreamwidth. Characters who don't move to DW will likely be swept up in the next AC unless their hiatus is valid past the date, but if there's a miscommunication issue and a swept player wants to rejoin, assuming their character hasn't been apped by someone else, we might be able to work something out. It'll be one of those case-by-case things.
7: How will applications be handled?
Since not everyone will have a Dreamwidth journal, this first cycle will have applications still posted to the LJ community. The application page will explain the Dreamwidth situation clearly so that newcomers will be well aware of what's happening with Luceti, so they can decide whether or not they still want to app. I've tossed around the idea of contacting the people who have reserved, but that would be lot of work and there's already a lot to potentially) be done, so if you feel like warning the people you know about this situation, it would probably help us a lot.
8: Why are you guys in such a hurry to finish the poll and/or move?
It's pretty simple: with applications opening so soon, we're in a tight spot. New players will be joining the game soon, and asking them to create, set-up, and introduce themselves with a new journal on LJ seems a bit silly if we happen to move a week or so later. Considering the majority of players have already voted, delaying too much would cause problems for the application cycle, and delaying applications themselves seems counter-productive since it'll screw up our schedule entirely. Which is a possibility, of course, but we'd all rather avoid that if we can.
Do we think that this move can happen even with such a short time period? Yes. Do we understand that it's going to be a hell of a lot of work? Holy hell yes. Are we willing to get it done to make this as smooth a process as possible? Most definitely.
9: You mentioned a plot event if we move. Let's have the details!
Details are still being worked out, but here's the concept we've been discussing, step-by-step, if we do move:
- Applications are accepted and new players are asked to create journals on Dreamwidth. New characters enter a secondary enclosure on DW (a mirror image of the current Luceti, for simplicity's sake), being the first arrivals with no established characters already present- no guides, no explanations, nothing. Just a bunch of clueless winged people and a village to explore, as if Luceti is a new game.
- The LJ-Luceti cast is informed that the Third Party is invading and that a mass exodus must occur. Everyone is instructed to basically pack whatever they can carry and use the teleporters to be taken to the new enclosure.
- Shifting causes a time distortion between leaving LJ Luceti and entering DW Luceti; characters may disappear for days or appear instantly, depending on the preference of the players themselves. This distortion can be explained ahead of time if people would prefer to avoid too much drama.
- Players who choose not to follow Luceti to DW can either be sent home normally or their absence can be explained ICly as being taken mid-teleport. Characters currently on hiatus and/or kidnapped can have their absences explained or handwaved, once again depending on player preference. We're hoping that offering freedom to you guys as far as how the minor details are going to work will help to make this smooth for everyone.
- Old players join the new on Dreamwidth and the game carries on as normal.
Alternately, we could have a less dramatic plot by simply shifting everyone over to the new location without the big fuss of manual move. The application process would likely stay the same as above, but LJ players wouldn't have to do much more than start playing on DW as their characters arrive.
Double-alternately, we could delay applications, lose the plot idea altogether, and have the game continue on the DW server without changing anything.
....So guess what? We're having another vote. :| Since we're getting down to the applications-are-opening crunch time, this one has to be finished by the end of the year. Once again, please just vote with one journal!
Poll
...I think that's it >_>; holy hell you guys, I am so sorry for being so TL;DR lately. Once again, if you have any questions, concerns, comments, let 'em loose.
Edit #1:
10: Going back to the friend add/remove thing...
Since usernames are aplenty on Dreamwidth, some people might want to rename. You're not required to use the same username on DW as you're using on LJ! If a move happens, we will create a new friend add/remove page where players can post their new username(s), mentioning the old one(s) at the same time so we'll know who's who. Same goes for the Taken Characters page; it'll all have to be refilled by you guys. Hopefully this will allow for some tidying up in the process. Moving to DW doesn't allow for a friends-list transfer, so that'll be one thing that has to be manually redone.