FAQs

[luministimods]

Questions about Luministi
Updated July 10th, 2011.

❧ What belongings do I have in Luministi? Where can I get more?

Residents arrive in Luminsti with only the items they had on their person at the time of their departure from their homes. However, Luministi's shops include a large array of items for purchase. These items are from many different places and times, so it is possible to buy, for example, a kimono from feudal Japan, T-shirts and jeans from the 21st century United States, and synthetic comfort suits from Jupiter in the 41st century. Items for entertainment and useful items such as tools are also readily available. See the Town Description for more information.

❧ What if my character has another character on their person (i.e. Ash has Pikachu, Link has Navi)?

Generally speaking, other characters who might be on your person will not come with you. However, feel free to leave a comment or contact a mod about any special situations.

❧ How do I buy things in Luministi?

All residents of Luministi have credits on their CATs. To purchase items, simply present your CAT for a price scan. At this time, residents have an apparently endless amount of credits on their CATs. Unfortunately, there is currently no way for a resident to check the overall balance of their CAT.

❧ So what exactly are the vidscreens and CATs? How do they work?

The vidscreens are, essentially, flatscreen TVs that can be found in all residential bedrooms and living rooms, as well as common town areas such as the pub. They can be activated using buttons along their side, operable by anyone. They serve as a video-phone option to either send out a message to the CATs belonging to the general public or to contact specific people.

The CATs, or Communications Audiovisual Transmitters, are personalized communication devices about the size of your palm. They are carried by all residents at all times, either within a pocket or converted into a pin that will adhere to clothing, whether the citizen wishes it or not. If you try to leave your CAT behind for any reason, you will find that it has mysteriously reappeared on your person. You can put it down on a table and walk around without it so long as you stay in the same room. This way, there is no need for you to sleep on your CAT.

The CAT can be used for communication just like the vidscreens, except CATs release holographic projections up into the air and can be used by anyone, anywhere. CATs transmit via a network of satelites, so rather than being limited by what is near the device itself, CATs always project an image of the person sending the transmission as well as everything around them, so that you feel like you are seeing them through a nearby vidscreen. If person A has the CAT in his pocket while talking to person B, both will still see each other and their surroundings. If person A instead has the CAT attached to a lapel, the same would be true. The location of the CAT itself does not affect its transmission.

Both vidscreens and CATs include a text option, and they can be set to confine transmissions to text, sound, or video only.

It is quite possible for both vidscreens and CATs to activate without warning or notification. A complaint has already been lodged with the mayor.

All first-person posts are by default assumed to be transmitted over the CATs using audio and visual together and, unless specified otherwise, available to all CATs and vidscreens for viewing. As noted above, vidscreens and CATs can be set to transmit messages to particular residents, which should be indicated in the relevant post or comment thread with a "filtered to" note. It is possible for open transmissions over CATs to be overheard by others transmitting to the same person (i.e. both holograms are near each other, allowing them to eavesdrop--or threadhop), but it does not happen frequently. Typically, each CAT conversation is only between two people.

The CATs also function as automatic translation units, translating all spoken and written speech immediately and imperceptibly into the bearer's native language. While differences in accents are frequently distinguishable even through CAT translations, all characters are able to understand each other. There are no linguistic barriers.

❧ My character has special powers (magical, psychic, etc.). Will these work like usual in Luministi?

Special powers do work like usual to a certain extent, but anything that could alter the town itself or allow a character to leave will not work. For example, Sophie Hatter could convince the walls of her townhome to keep a private conversation silent, but she could not convince the floor to bring her past Miss Osculia and into the mayor's office. Basically, if you can use telekinesis to pull coffee cups off the table, great. If you can read minds, it will work fine on the other trapped residents (depending on their own abilities), but you will find that the NPCs and permanent residents are immune. And if you can teleport, travel through time, or walk through walls, you'd better get used to being stuck within the town limits in the same timeline as the other residents.

Also, abilities that require others to function will not work in Luministi. Summoning spells cannot be cast. Fusion between characters can only occur if both characters are present in the town. Examples of this would be Trunks and Goten, who could fuse if both were being played here by different people (remember, self-playing is discouraged). Also, Midna could only shift Link between a human and a wolf if both were in the town.

If you have any questions about particular abilities, leave a comment here or contact a mod.

❧ How are injuries and death treated at Luministi?

Dr. Resarci's clinic is equipped with the universe's latest and greatest medical technology and can deal with most any injury, so character injuries are very much permitted. It should be noted that major in-fighting (i.e. a full-out fight resulting in major injury to one or both parties, not just a thrown punch or two) between characters will result in both characters being put under house arrest in their townhomes for the subsequent 24 hours. No means will allow a character under house arrest to leave the premises. The Doctor's sonic screwdriver would not work on the lock, Danny Phantom could not change into a ghost and walk through the walls, and Axel could not create a portal of darkness to move through them, etc.

Character death is also permitted. However, dead characters will disappear for 24 hours before they wake up in their townhomes, mysteriously restored. If a character kills another character, the killer(s) will also face the repercussion of being thrown in the jail for that 24-hour period.

Plot-related in-fighting or deaths may be possible at times, and any special circumstances related to these fights or deaths will be noted in the plot explanation.

❧ Do I have to contact a mod to interact with any of the town's NPCs?

For some characters, no, you do not. The general employees of the town will only be interested in performing the normal functions of their jobs and are not particularly chatty. Players are free to write brief, minimal interactions with them, related to their jobs, without needing to talk to a mod. These characters include Andre, who sometimes works at the pub, and Hope, the nurse at the clinic. We do ask that players do not hurt or kill the employees. They are only there to help and mean no harm. If a character does desire to attack or harm any of the town's residents, you must contact a mod first in order to find out how the town would respond to such an attempt.

On the other hand, if a player wishes to interact with one of the official NPCs (Mayor Caligin, his secretary Miss Osculia, the town crier Verita, Sheriff Iussus, or Audrey the barlady), you must contact a mod through e-mail or AIM and direct them to the relevant thread. Also, for plot purposes, there will occasionally be open posts in which characters can interact with the official NPCs.

Update (starting 05/14/11): As of the start of the game and until further notice, the official NPCs will not be available for general in-game interaction unless otherwise stated.

❧ You said this game runs in real-time. What if I miss posting an entry at the right time?

Yes, we did! The official game time is American Eastern Standard Time (GMT -4 during Daylight Savings). Backdated and future-dated entries will be permitted and welcomed! Just indicate the timing of your entry at the beginning of it so that other players will know.

❧ What do you mean when you say the players will determine the outcome of the game?

Exactly that! Some of the plots in the game, as well as its ultimate outcome, will be dependent on character actions. Luministi is not a game that runs on a completely pre-set course. What you do during different plots and puzzles can very much change what will happen next--and how everyone's stay will end!

❧ Can I canon update my character during the game?

Unfortunately, due to the short run of the game, there is not a method for in-game canon updating. Characters cannot leave the town during the duration of the game. Between seasons, however, characters can be canon updated.

❧ Does this game have a chat room of any kind on AIM?

Yes it does! Go to TownOfLuministi and we'll see you there! Also, the game has an official mod/game Plurk--completely public--that can be found here.

❧ Are applications open?

Yes! Applications are now OPEN! However, applications will close July 23rd.

If you have further questions, please comment here or contact a mod.

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