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Originally posted by Japheth:
Reading through the past newses... I don't like that word... anyway, reading through the ones from the past, I run accross interviews being conducted on officers. Here's one for Kad, Daishi, Atrus, Cosmic, Sithspawn... Perhaps we could look foward to more of these in the future?

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Yes, you may. The reason the domain interviews temporarily ceased was because of Atrus' untimely death. It was with Atrus that I conducted the last official VE news interview. Immediately afterwards, he was killed and I had to edit/reformat our conversation. I had asked him, "How would you like to be remembered if/when you must leave the Vast Empire?" and  had no idea the meaning it would later assume. As required, I had to format the interview again, and again, and again; eventually memorizing the thoughts and sentiment. It affected me greatly, and that was something I never wanted to experience again. I haven't read that piece since. Regardless, time is the wounded bosom's balm. The domain interviews will resume very soon.

Here are my suggestions: Modify the comnet so that at least the story net is visible to people who are just looking around to see what we have, there is no reason to keep our good stories hidden until after they become members, I'd say that applies with the DJO stories as well. If I went by just what I can see on the domain if I wanted to join the VE I'd pass this place by in a heart beat.  Sure there's some news and maybe some interesting tidbits but nothing that tells me what actually happens in this place I can't do at the zone unless I get clearance to the comnet. Just like my real life role playing expieriences I prefer a little more then just mindless slaughtering but unfortunately that seems to be all I can do. I'd say a casino would be a priority for the domain since I'll find a way to resurect my black market project(what you expect me to be occupied by writting Varneck Inheritor Nergal to the point I can't do something else?). I'll support Argon's idea for a black ops group. I'll direct my further comments to Fury in private.
 
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RA(U) Daishi COSOS
"If we had all knowladge then why would we seek what we already know and if we had no knowladge then how could we even ask the question?"  Plato
"Indeceant exposure is fun." Sonatina
"There are at least three sides to any situation." Me

Casino is gonna be a bit, The current way of doing the casino is not possible atm, that and we're still coming up with fixing security holes.  The house is supposed to cheat, not you. 3
 
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::Salute::
FM Threeof4
Field Marshal - Vast Empire
Notepad
Email
I'm in hell.

Well just let people read the stories ou guys have in the DJO, what possible reason can there be to keep that under lock and key, I fail to see one? Sure somethings should be kept private and accessible to members only but we gotta at least have something out there to provide a little insight to what happens here that people can't do at the zone. Something visibly happening and not hidden under the cover of secrecy would be a great benifit overall, but as most RPG Games Master Guides say, "Don't show them everything." For something until the casino can be figured out then perhaps a stock market again would be good.  Also there used to be this crazy idea for a lottery game, but nothing seems to have come of it(I used to be included in somethings around here). Food for thought, thought for food.  On that note I need to grab some lunch.
 
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RA(U) Daishi COSOS
"If we had all knowladge then why would we seek what we already know and if we had no knowladge then how could we even ask the question?"  Plato
"Indeceant exposure is fun." Sonatina
"There are at least three sides to any situation." Me

heth, how bout u ive us a taste of the DJO, it doesnt appeal to me that mcuh bause I know almost absolutely nothing about it
 
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SM/PFC Swomz/Dread Knight 2/Storm Platoon/1Company/1Battalion/Lorn IV/VEA
Private First Class Swomz
Dread Knights Squad Member
Former FS I:A and Venom 3FL Leader

Did the FA once have a month-long victimization class?  If so, I think only Geist managed to miss that one (must have had a mission to Planet Acapulco). Anyway, it is not as if you guys have never come up with good ideas.  Look around, many things are of your creation.  Quit trying to appeal to a sense of guilt you know almost no member of the VE has.  Merely state your points in a non-inflammatory manner with very simple and to the point language, and be done with it. Quick opinions: 1. The DJO is secret for a reason.  If I cared to know more, I'd join.  We pander to them, not the other way around. 2.  Do we actually have enough fiction writers to constitute a codified group?  Maybe we could have some guidelines and an unofficial structure, but I doubt we have enough hardcore authors to justify a division-type group of it's own. Not a judgement, but where do people want this to go: I'd like to hear more on it. 3. I know the focus is on the Casino, but if a move towards a stock market is being considered, I would definitely like to have a yes vote on that too. 4. Black ops group: I still have not heard a convincing argument as to why we need this or as to what safeguards there would be to mitigating any potential harm to others (e.g. swaggering, insulting, ripping on the new members, inflated egos, etc.).  5. Think of the kittens.
 
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XO/LTC Fury/VEA/TADATH/VE [PoC][SotE:HC][SotE:VEA][IOC]
Company Commander
Shopkeeper - Imperial Center

1)I refuse to join the DJO on the moral reasons Master stated(light jedi only, I won't turn).  However, Daishi's idea is a good one.  The only place I hear about the DJO is in passing references that come up as part of Army stories.  If I saw some of their stories and they were better, I(assuming I was not me) might consider joining a lot more.  Curiosity should not be the only qualification for membership. 2)Geist, count me in on that  3)Hehehe, more ways to use up my growing cash  4)Wait, wait....  You're telling me the DJO has no ego?  What I'm looking at is a group that likes to blow up things.  Heck, we could even draft something that cuts down on "shameless bragging" and "excessive taunting".  All we want to do is make pretty explosions and kill people quietly. 5)I'm a dog person myself...
 
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Argon Viper
IW COL Argon Viper{ret}
"History is on the move, those who cannot keep up will watch from a distance, and those who get in our way will not watch at all" - Grand Admiral Thrawn
"In combat, second place is only the last to die."- Anonymous
"Condemnation does not liberate, it oppresses" - Carl G Jung
"The only thing that will never change is that everything will change" - Argon Viper

Yes, Lonewolf understands what I'm saying, why does no one else, am I inexplicbly speaking huttesse all of a sudden? Victimization, bah.  I just state the truth because I find that when I submit something for thought it gets dismissed without consideration nine times out of ten, admitidly I've not submitted much stuff for thought but that still doesn't change what happens. Can we finally stop bickering for once?
 
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RA(U) Daishi COSOS
"If we had all knowladge then why would we seek what we already know and if we had no knowladge then how could we even ask the question?"  Plato
"Indeceant exposure is fun." Sonatina
"There are at least three sides to any situation." Me

i'd like to see a subscribe to feature on the comnet, so that you could be notified by email or such when someone replies to your topic...
 
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ADJ:NTO/IA/EFL/WO1 Liquid/Aegis 3-1 (Aegis Nine)/Phoenix Wing/mSSD Atrus/DEF/VEN/VE/(=A=)(=SA=)

TRN/JRN Liquid/TBA/TBA/VEDJ/(VP)

I am the TO's Adjutant, and the FS's instructor's assistant. Any questions? please direct them to: Me

Aegis ||| Naval Academy ||| Flight School

Liquid, that would just slow down the domain/comnet even more.  We used to have that on the old comnet, and it was just filled with bugs and didn't work half the time.  The other reason that it isn't done, is that for some reason (our host is a crack child that was beaten at an early age) we can only send out so many emails in a given time period.  Seeing as how the ComNet is probably the most used feature on the domain, this would just fill up the sending queue and make it so that the people that have email address not able to use them. You still have to come to the ComNet to read the reply to the message, the email just says that someone posted on it, so why send out the email if you still have to com here... Casino - Requires additional services to be placed on this server, something that violates the TOS of this hosting company, we're working on a work around/new server/nuclear weapon. Stock Market - Have to talk to Kadann about this, as far as I know he's still gathering information on how to make this more realistic and actually tie into the Bank/Divisions/Store etc. Special Forces Division of old was turned into the DJO, yes.  The DJO is kept secret because, in keeping in line with the Dark Jedi of the books and movies, the Dark Jedi has always prided itself on secrecy.  In the Prequels it was not even known that a dark jedi element existed until they made themselves known.  In the original movies the emperor and vader always had this cloud of secrecy about what was really going on.  Granted they were known about, but not everybody knew everything.  In the books, Mara Jade was kept secret from the Entire universe as a dark jedi of the empire.  (Granted she had limited training, but still).  The secrecy of the Dark Jedi is part of being the Dark Jedi.  Hell the secret order in the Tie Fighter game....  Not that you had a choice of wether you wanted to be in or not.... but still. Special Ops division - Every special ops division in either the navy or the army has been tried and failed....  Was either closed down because of lack of activity, or pure lack of motivation of people to do things with it once they got there.  And yes Argon, if it is created, there will be things in it that people will have to deal with.  Like actually being a contributing member of the VE.... Fiction Writing groups - This will stay informal.  I have no need/want to sit down and add more formal side projects to the VE.  If you want to go off and form a clique of fiction writers, the story comnet is linked from the main comnet page, have at it.  Am I gonna pay you extra for it? Prolly not.  It's up to the division leaders to decide wether or not to award your activity.  If you're really interested in making money off your fiction works, then submit them to the VE Today and maybe Bear will pay you. Now as to the Vicitimization crap...  While this reputation maybe unwanted by the people that have it, this is not the place for it, granted i don't think you'd have it if some people didn't think that you deserved it.  That being said, you want to continue this vicitimization crap, go and post it on the lounge, but be prepared to take your medicine either way you post.  * checks to make sure he hasn't missed anything * I think that's it.  Any more suggestions?
 
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::Salute::
FM Threeof4
Field Marshal - Vast Empire
Notepad
Email
I'm in hell.

I've seen it.  I've checked it out.  All Master and I managed to do was get into a verbal war over letting real(light) jedi in.  It didn't turn out to well for us.  Besides, do people who haven't joined us even have access to the comnet for that type of stuff? 'Nyways, there seems to be some interest in the black ops group from plenty of members I could count on to be active, so why not?  BTW, I can back up what Daishi's saying on victimization.  It's not that we want to be victims, it doesn't help what we say or do.  But you guys still ignore us whenever we come up with pretty much any idea whatsoever. Actually, I'd much prefer it if my ideas were defeated by a coherent and well thought out argument than a simple "no"...    ----------------------- Argon Viper IW COL Argon Viper{ret} "History is on the move, those who cannot keep up will watch from a distance, and those who get in our way will not watch at all" - Grand Admiral Thrawn "In combat, second place is only the last to die."- Anonymous "Condemnation does not liberate, it oppresses" - Carl G Jung "The only thing that will never change is that everything will change" - Argon Viper

Anyone want to prove my point more for me? The idea I've been trying to argue for is almost exactly like Lonewolf said, a promotional story every now and again to let people know what goes on in the DJO, it doesn't have to give out any great secrets, it just has to spread the message.  I'm a firm believer in people's ability to keep what they know seperate from what thier character knows. And Argon, no.  You cannot get access to any of the comnet at all unles syou are a member which is part of the other thing I'm trying to push for.  Letting just some promotional stuff onto the domain to let people know that they can do stuff here that they can't do at the zone would be a good thing. Just because we fight for unpopular ideas doesn't mean they are bad ideas.  Perhaps we do deserve our reputation, but I for one am willing to call a truce and put an end to this pointless bickering.  I'm tired of it.
 
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RA(U) Daishi COSOS
"If we had all knowladge then why would we seek what we already know and if we had no knowladge then how could we even ask the question?"  Plato
"Indeceant exposure is fun." Sonatina
"There are at least three sides to any situation." Me

Allrighty, let's recap the ideas that I know will work: Putting something on the domain from either the lounge comnet or storynet to prove that there is something to do here that one can't do at the zone.  I'll let the DJO have thier secrets. The economic improvement ideas are sound but it looks like it'll take a lot of work and time before we get them up and running(casino and stock market). A Black Ops group if we can get enough people interested in it over time would work, the problems with all the ones I've been in in the past is that there is no infusion of fresh blood into them after they are established, as such they fail due to stagnation.  The other problem I have seen is lack of support from the HC.  To make this really successfull the loyalty of the people in it is going to have to be earned not demanded. If I have to write a collum for the VE Today, I'll write a collum for the VE Today so that I can get paid for my writting as well. The lottery idea was once brought up but nothing seems to have come of it one way or the other. Perhaps we should also encourage a bounty system to get members to play against other on-line organizations more often? I know things like the ORW don't happen too often and thus often times our members go without playing against those that are not of the VE. Perhaps another recruitment drive? Vote Daishi for union rep!
 
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RA(U) Daishi COSOS
"If we had all knowladge then why would we seek what we already know and if we had no knowladge then how could we even ask the question?"  Plato
"Indeceant exposure is fun." Sonatina
"There are at least three sides to any situation." Me

I give up.
 
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::Salute::
FM Threeof4
Field Marshal - Vast Empire
Notepad
Email
I'm in hell.