Kos Update, Thu 31 December

KINGDOM OF SAND
SIM Update
2009-12-31


First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010!


ABOUT SL GROUPS

We added a new group (SGS Info & Help).
You may post here your questions about the game at Kingdom of Sand, Nomos,
and Golgothica.

This group is monitored by Baal Zobel and Kora Zenovka, and include all SGS users
looking for info or help.

Keep it in topic. No chatting. No promotional messages.
Only SGS users are allowed here.

You may use this group chat to report the presence of griefers in any SGS sims.

So to summarize, the main SL groups for us are:

SGS Info & Help
Questions & Answers about the Socionex Game System
Kingdom of Sand, Nomos, Golgothica
secondlife:///app/group/ea0e70af-81c8-9ed0-81b9-4d84aac612e5/about

Kingdom of Sand
General Group Chat IC/OOC
secondlife:///app/group/32df9ef2-5f1f-c131-cf77-ca6861c88d4a/about

Nomos
General Group Chat IC/OOC
secondlife:///app/group/091f9e1c-be0d-a928-f981-45e0636b59af/about

Golgothica
General Group Chat IC/OOC
secondlife:///app/group/1362345e-3ef4-4ced-f21f-3bf147c3da6e/about

All the groups are hidden from search (to avoid spammers to join our groups)
but they are open enrollment. So simply copy & paste the SURL in
local chat and click on it. It will popup the group window, and
you will be able to join.



BACKSTORY - EARN AN EXTRA SOCIAL STATUS STAR

If you have written or updated your backstory in your profile in the last 2 weeks,
you will earn one extra point as Social Status.
You don't need to be an English literature major and we don't ask you to write a novel.
Just write something about your character to start with, with your own words,
and you can edit and perfect it with time, while the character grow and develop.

How can you edit your profile?
Click on "PROFILE" on your HUD. It will redirect to your Account page.
Click on a link to 'Edit your Profile".



(TIP) HOW TO DISPLAY YOUR PICTURE ON THE WEB and THE HUD

When you are in-world, on Second Life, click on your Avatar and 'Profile'.
First, make sure that you have a picture in your profile.
And if you have one , make sure that the checkbox 'Show in Search' is checked
in the same 2ndLife Tab of your Profile.


Kora

Changes to Clan Rules

- Animals MAY now join any clan of any group.

- Slaves or Prisoners MAY now join a clan of their group OR the clan of their OWNER.

- Besides these exceptions, clans stay mono-racial.

Subscriptions

Just as a reminder that all the KOS notices are being sent out via in-house subscription system.
Unfortunately when the SL groups have too many members, the notices never get delivered unless you are on-line at the time (SL bug since 2007).
If you currently have a SGS HUD, you are automatically subscribed to it. If you don't , you can still check on the KOS blog - http://kingdomofsand.blogspot.com
The Chronicles will also use the same subscription system soon.

Explorer Tags

Now we have our own Explorer Tags.
- They are available at the Game Room.
- Explorers are asked to agree to basic SIM rules to be able to get one.
- They expire after 3 days (but they are renewable).
- You need to wear either a SGS HUD or an Explorer Tag to use the teleport.
- We welcome visitors, but we can live without griefers, and hopefully this is a small deterrent for griefers ;-)

RP Limits and Abuse

Just a reminder to respect RP Limits.
If you didn't do the due diligence and read them beforehands, ALWAYS ALWAYS respect the right of your game partner to withdraw their consent at any time.
This is a SIM rule, and should be respected.
Thank you
Kora

Kos Update, Fri 25 December

KINGDOM OF SAND
SIM Update
2009-12-25


RELEASE VERSION 0.41

- Social Status gives 8 extra points of physical health for each star above the default one. For example:
1 Star (Social Level = 1) : your max physical health is 100;
2 Stars (Social Level = 2): your max physical health is 108;
3 Stars (Social Level = 3): your max physical health is 116;
Max Number of Stars is 5.
You get 1 star from being a clan leader (1 leader and 3 clan members).
You get 1 star for each skill that you master.
Check your web profile or meter to see how many stars you currently have.

- Upgraded SGS HUDs are available at the Game Room, up in the sky entrance. There is a sign on the wall.


MERRY CHRISTMAS!


Kora

KOS Update, Wednesday 23 December

KINGDOM OF SAND
SIM Update
2009-12-23


RELEASE VERSION 0.40

- Fixed an exploit of the safezones - who only affected Preys.
- Within a week all previous releases of SGS will become obsolete, so please update it.
(At the moment I am keeping backward compatibility with 30 previous mini-versions -- and I need to move forward)
- If you don't upgrade it, you won't lose your data, but your HUD/meter won't be able to initialize and it won't work.
- Upgraded SGS HUDs are available at the Game Room, up in the sky entrance. There is a sign on the wall.


CLAN MANAGEMENT

If you are a clan leader, you may now edit the clan information in your account, such as:
- Information & Rules
- Rename your clan (if you wish)
- URL (if you have an external blog or site for it)
- Password (if you wish to restrict the access to your clan)

If there are at least 2 clan leaders who wish to restrict the access to their clan, I will also add a way for you to eject members
from the clan.
If you don't pick any password, the clan will stay open enrollment.

To access your account, click on "PROFILE" on your HUD.
- OR - If you have already created an account on socionex.com, you may also login from the web at:
http://www.socionex.com


GROUP KINGDOM OF SAND

If you are a new player and need help or information, please join the Kingdom of Sand group.
This is the SURL:

secondlife:///app/group/32df9ef2-5f1f-c131-cf77-ca6861c88d4a/about

Just copy and paste it in Local Chat, and then click on it. The group is open enrollment but not visible in Search
(to avoid spammers to join us).


HOLIDAY SEASON GAMES 1-2 JANUARY

Dinky is organizing 2 days full of fun and games on 1 and 2 Jan.
If you wish to partecipate, please IM Dinky Wingtips and signup now (or before Dec 26). More info on the Chronicles:
http://ireemchronicles.blogspot.com/



Kora

KOS Update, Monday 21 Dec 2009

KINGDOM OF SAND
SIM Update
2009-12-21


RELEASE VERSION 0.39

- Performance optimization (reduced load on the external server)
- Upgraded SGS HUDs are available at the Game Room, up in the sky entrance. There is a sign on the wall.


HOLIDAY SEASON GAMES 1-2 JANUARY

Dinky is organizing 2 days full of fun and games.
If you wish to partecipate, please IM Dinky and signup now (or before Dec 26). More info on the Chronicles:
http://ireemchronicles.blogspot.com/


XMAS PARTY

Thank YOU everybody to come to the party and share the Xmas with us!
And especially thank to Damien who was our Undead DJ and to our Sultana Zanlu who organized the party!
And of course to Baal to make the island snowy and all decorated for Christmas...


Kora

Socionex website

The socionex website is now open. http://www.socionex.com/

Kos Update, Sat 19 December

KINGDOM OF SAND
SIM Update
2009-12-19


RELEASE VERSION 0.38

This is mostly for preys. I have accidentally found out that free preys get damage from weapons, and it was never meant to
be like that. So if you are a prey, you should get this update.
Upgrades are available at the game room up in the sky. There is an upgrade sign on the wall.


CLAN UPDATE

The clan board of the top 8 clans is up in the game room.
It is web enabled, so you will need to play the Media Player in your SL viewer, if ir doesn't play it automatically.
If you click on it, it will redirect to the clan profile.


XMAS PARTY

SUNDAY TOMORROW AT NOON (12PM)
Santa clothes are welcome!


SIM BUGFIXES
- Hospital Beds Script has been fixed, so it won't break anymore
- Employment Registers -I need to do a little rewriting of the code and it takes longer than I thought.

Kora

Kos Update, Fri 18 December

KINGDOM OF SAND
SIM Update
2009-12-18


TOP ACTIVE CLANS

The most active clans are now on the Web Page here:
http://kos.socionex.com/sgs/clanTop20.jsp

We will have an in-world board to show the same result.
On the Web there is also an explanation of the criteria we use to show the chart.


WEAPONS

If you bought a Great Sword (Dark), or the KOS Spear, please go back to the game room and get a copy from the dispenser.
You will receive version 0.20 for those weapons.
The sword had an extra prim, and the spear was attached to the wrong attachment point. Minor bugfixes, but important.


XMAS PARTY on THIS SUNDAY 12PM - 2PM

Get ready for the Xmas Party organized by the Sultana and the Palace!
DJ is our OOC beloved Damien Sack
You may dress in Santa clothes.
Where: Xmas Island at Kingdom of Sand. Take the boat to the event island.


EMPLOYMENT REGISTER BOOKS

Employment for new Ireem residents has been denied since yesterday. We are working on it.
If you are a new resident, please take an unskilled job for today
Floors of the stores needs some washing and sweeping. $75 for a day (10 minute job). Or gardening at the Palace!
Maybe slightly depressing, but a real bargain ;-)


Kora

Clans, Salaries, Skills

SIM RULE VOTE: CLANS WINS

Players have been expressed their vote over the SIM rule for the last 12 days. This is the result:

a) Individual Clan leaders and a possible Clan council: 57 VOTES
b) The election of one overall Group leader: 41 VOTES

We will setup a board for the most active clans in the game room, next to the clan register book.
Activity is based on number of members and overall presence at Kingdom of Sand.

Clan leaders will be able to post their rules and info on the web.
Some have requested to restrict the access to their clans....so we will probably take care of this too.


SALARIES UPDATE

The current daily salaries for skill training are:
70 SG$ for Level 1 Skill
85 SG$ for Level 2 Skill
100 SG$ for Level 3 Skill


TIP) SKILL: WHEN DO I COMPLETE THE TRAINING?

The training is complete when you have gained 42 days of training.
Before switching to a different skill, BE SURE you have completed it, by doing the following:
- Check your web Profile to see if your skill is now listed as 'Mastered Skill'
- Check your meter to see if you gained another star (social level)
- If not, your web profile will show how many training skills you have accruited.

KOS Update 16 Dec 2009

SGS RELEASE 0.37
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Various Updates:

* Version 0.37 is out! You may pick it up at the game room up at the entrance.
* Busines Rental Prices have now increased (to reflect the new economy growth)
* Taxes at Ireem will return soon
* Safezone information has been copied on the web (http://kos.socionex.com/sgs/safezone.jsp)
* Added safezone at the auction (suggested by Anya and Mirna)
* Added a 15 seconds timeout to all safezone script - to avoid using safezone to escape capture (based on a feedback from Kylara)
* Added Last Seen On dates on web profiles (suggested by Zoya)
* The vote about the SIM rule over Group Leader election is ending tonight. Hurry up if you haven't voted yet.
* Small change in Setup, so "race/group" is replacing "group" only (This is mostly for Nomos and Golgothica, where races are more relevant)

Bugfixes:

* If you rent a business, any other store you are currently renting will NOW become available to other Ireem citizens.
Double renting is not allowed.
* Safezones didn't work for Preys who were also setup as IC/Non-Combatant. (Fixed with v 0.37)

More Safezones..

Safezones are also installed at the Arabesque Cafe, House of Pleasure and Physician Office.
These are for all group, not just citizens.
Enable them if / when you need them...
THanks
K.

Safezones are enabled...

Safezones for undead, dark knight, bedu, magi, knights, dungeon keepers, slavers and djinns are enabled and in place. Please let me know if you find any problem with them.
The other ones will be placed in the next 1-2 days
Thanks
K.

Version 0.36 is out!

Next time you pass by the entrance, pick up the upgrade 0.36.
This will allow you to use the safezones at KOS.
Upgrades are at the red jar in the game room.

KoS Safezones

Safezones are returning to Kingdom of Sand, as planned.
However, there are some differences from the old ones, so please read here below:

1) Safezone is now a special plugin at KOS. It was actually not meant to use in all SGS sims
2) To save on performance, thery are not built inside the HUD, so the clicking of a prim is required.
3) The safezone objects are special balls that you will find in all the group camps and in other key areas.
4) Once you click on it, everybody within 15meters from it that qualify for safezone will also be tagged as "Safe".
5) If you are in a safezone, your meter will display "Safe".
6) If you are safe, then you don't get damage within safezones - but you will still be able to combat (if you are enabled for it). If you are a prey, you won't get captured.
7) So in practice, if you want to hold a meeting in your camp or have a little privacy with your slaves, then safezone is highly recommended. If someone from another group come and mess with you, then you can easily kill him.
8) Because you have to click on something, they may not work so well if you are trying to escape from losing at a fight. Well, we surely hope so.
9) You will need version 0.36 (coming out today) to be able to use safezones.
10) If you are OOC or Non-Combatant, your status won't change. You won't get damage if someone attacks you anyway.

Vote on a SIM rule - Group Leader Election

First we would just like to thank you for all your recent suggestions, sent through the new system. There are some great ideas there and many of them will eventually find their way into the system.

This note is about the many suggestions and complaints we have had about the method of choosing leaders in Groups.

When we first planned out the SGS game we were aware of how all voting systems are open to cheating no matter what you do to guard against it. So we simply decided to do away with overall group leaders, and instead work out a Clan system where each individual Clan leader is responsible for their own group. If these Clan leaders wanted to form some sort of council to determine general group matters, then that would be fine. And even if eventually the council decided that they trusted some individual enough to make them overall leader then that would also be good. But this leader would arise through time spent working in the group, and not imposed from outside by us or elected by some controversial election system.

At Kingdom of Sand we intended to keep group leader system by electing the clan leader with the most members. However, no matter what kind of election we run, it is impossible to guarantee that the election will be completely fair. It is hard to decide who is elegible to vote, and who is an ALT or not. One vote IN or OUT, and a different leader may win.

So we are tempted to apply the clan system to KOS as well, but we -Baal and Kora- feel that *YOU* should decide what you want and express a vote on this matter.

You will be voting for either

a. Individual Clan leaders and a possible Clan council, as explained above

or

b. The election of one overall Group leader

How to vote?

Get the most recent version of the HUD (0.35). Click on HELP -> VOTE where you will be prompted to express your vote.
-OR-
Login to http://www.socionex.com/account/account.jsp
(if you have already picked a password)

Version 0.34 is out!

FYI, This is just an improvement of the registration back-end code for new players, so it is an optional upgrade, if you already have a copy of it.