Hello everyone,

I had the good fortune to review a log from the most recent player-run General Orders meeting and I find at this point it's really quite necessary that I address some topics that were discussed. Basically we need to separate fact from fiction and give you a realistic perspective on what we can expect regarding development. I believe some incorrect information is getting out that is going to lead to some bad assumptions.

Who is on the Orders Team?

The reality is (and has been for some time) that there is no true "team." This has been mentioned in the past and I'm not quite sure how it keeps getting put out there differently. Orders currently has ONE GM assigned to it, and that is Olarra. Naturally between this and her other duties, this makes for a pretty full plate. She provides support for Orders events, she is responsible for reading and responding to email sent to dr-orders@play.net, she reads these boards faithfully and is doing her best to try and get things together regarding the actual Orders system.

I personally think she's the cat's pajamas, but even she has her limitations and one of those issues has to do with coding. There are elements of the official in-game Orders that involve coding as I'm sure everyone realizes. Beyond that system we want to incorporate unique features into future Orders projects, including the Administration Buildings. HOWEVER ... without a dedicated coder, which we do not have at the moment, that places constraints on development that even Olarra's brilliant smile and herculean efforts cannot surmount.

Another thing that Olarra has yet to master, is the ability to be in several places at once. I'm sure if she could, she would of course. <g> In the meantime, we do occasionally have to ask for help when she cannot be available for one of your events. Lucky for us we can usually get another GM to step up and pinch-hit in these cases. The most recent assistance came from both Ariawen and Tsem. This has led to the incorrect assumption that Ariawen is somehow on the Orders Team. This is NOT the case. Anyone other than Olarra who is currently assisting with Orders is doing so out of the goodness of their GM hearts.

Does Olarra attend the General Orders meetings?

Those meetings are player-run. While she is informed of their time and location she is not under any type of onus to attend them if she is not available or willing to do so. Fortunately she does when she can and we both review what information and logs are sent our way. However please do not expect that she must appear at any meeting that she herself has not called or has stated in advance that she will attend.

When I write to DR-ORDERS@PLAY.NET, where does it go?

That email is specifically set up to handle any and all Orders-related correspondence. When you email that address it goes directly to both Olarra and myself. This means you should be sending any and all emails for Olarra or regarding Orders to that address and that address ONLY. Even when she replies a copy goes to dr-orders so that we stay together in the same loop. Please do not write her privately in regards to Orders and do NOT write other GMs regarding Orders issues. Also if you're already CC'ing dr-orders in a group correspondence, please remove separate GM addresses from it. If other GMs need to be included we will most assuredly see that they get involved.

When can we expect Orders to have their own titles?

Both Olarra and I are all for you guys having unique titles, it's relatively small in the grand scheme of things. That is, so we thought, until y'all went hog wild with the requests. The scope of titles we're seeing rivals the in-game system for all guilds and skills combined and I can tell you right now that it is just not going to happen as it is currently being requested. That should not stop you from putting the request together, I just want you all apprised up front that the system WILL have limitations and that those lists will be trimmed / edited as needed to get them down into whatever parameters Olarra and I agree upon within the limits of the system.

What's the status of the Administration Buildings and/or Orders housing areas?

I will mention the housing areas first, since there isn't much to say about them right now. They remain on the list to happen, however they are very low in priority compared to everything else. Only when the Admin buildings come out will I even start to consider housing areas. When that happens we can look at levels of involvement as far as development requests go -- Olarra and I will talk with the Provincial and World-building folks at that point regarding new neighborhoods.

Now as far as the actual Buildings go, let me explain something. You cannot go by what's been previously posted by former GM Raenek regarding the status of the Administration Buildings. They are at best incomplete as far as structures go and were essentially abandoned mechanics-wise upon his departure. This means that when we all made the switch over to DR II, those mechanics never got the necessary upgrades or changes. Just like every other system, they will need to be gutted and set up to function properly in DR II. Please see: I don't have a dedicated coder to handle this (yet). Now that does NOT mean we can't move forward with working on them for release, it just means it's not a simple matter of opening the doors and letting you come in and set up shop. The Administration Buildings were intended to have some features unique to the Orders system that will make all of our lives easier and give you a quasi-private area to yourselves in each province. Now whether or not I can do this in phases or not, will remain to be seen pending some discussion with Olarra and folks like Ssra. We may be able to allow the structures to open much earlier and then phase in the mechanics for them -- but I want to be certain we have all the wanted features in the structure first.

When those Administration Buildings are done and the mechanics don't scream us off the map, then and only then can we give consideration to actual Order Houses.

What's the status of the Orders Shop?

Due to a delay in waiting for some Orders turning in requested material, the designer of said shop has had to move it down on their project list. It's still being developed, but not for immediate release. We can ask again in a couple of weeks. This is pretty much a done deal, just a matter of dedicating some time to it.

When are you accepting new charters again?

Olarra's actually been in the process of combing through old documentation already. We want to see if we cannot pare down the original requirements, or at least make them easier to navigate. Because of the planned Administration mechanics, I'd like to wait for the buildings to come out before we take on new groups -- but I won't hold fast to that yet. If we can get the requirements overhauled in a timely fashion then we'll open it up.

We've heard a lot of this before, if you aren't giving actual timeframes then what is the priority list?

As far as I'm concerned my priority list for Orders is as follows: Getting a dedicated coder, upgrading the mechanics to work properly, getting the Administration Buildings released, opening up to new charters, Order Houses, Order housing. We can fit the titles and the shop in there whenever they're ready for release.

Miscellaneous:

We give as much GM support to the Orders Events as is possible, time and staff depending. So far we've had good luck between Olarra's availability and the assistance of others along the way, but that does not mean that it will always be that way. That is something to keep in mind when planning out your group's events, be flexible and leave room for negotiation. Just so there is no confusion, one thing we're not going to get in the habit of is using Wedding Areas for Order Events. If Olarra wants to allocate a feature (i.e. dunk tank, skating rink, etc) for an event that is fine -- however "borrowing" areas isn't going to happen. Even with advanced scheduling we cannot limit the availability of the Wedding Areas to customers so I'd rather we not get into the practice of trying to juggle that. Team Wedding has its own projects to focus on without worrying about Orders as well. For those of you planning future events this also means that I need to respectfully request that you do not contact anyone from Weddings privately and try to set something up. Everything needs to go through Olarra via dr-orders please.

The history of in-game Orders had been a long and spotty one. There were aspects that should never have been released when they were and things that were not completed when they should have been long ago. We've been unable to maintain a support staff for Orders for a variety of reasons, not the least of which includes the fact that sometimes it just got knocked down the priority list in light of other development issues. When your resources are few, you do what you can. Olarra has been an absolute gem and I trust in her guidance to help us finally get these things fully developed and released for good. But right now, she is your ONLY gem -- she is not your "customer point" or a single face fronting for a team dedicated to Orders development. I am doing what I can to get her some dedicated back up, especially for coding. In the meantime, try and keep in mind that she's all Orders has at the moment and she needs to balance things and does the best that she can.

I hope this helps clarify where we're at just a little bit and what we'd like to see happen in the next few months. Olarra and I will try to keep everyone apprised of what's going on. The Orders are a wonderful RP vehicle that by now is integrated into the fabric of Elanthia's society and I would love to see them come to their full potential.

Sincerely,

SGM Auriane

(re-posted, the formatting blips were irking me <g>)