Post by Long Haul on Jul 13, 2007 9:46:57 GMT -5
We've come to the conclusion that it's time for this game to get a FAQ. This is not it. This is a first draft. It's not organized, and will not be organized until we get all the questions listed. This FAQ was originally posted to the staff board, but we've come to the conclusion that it would be helpful to get feedback from you, our players, before trying to finalize things. After all, you're the ones asking the questions! Everyone is encouraged to look it over and ask questions of their own. The finalized version will go up in the wiki.
We appreciate your help in this matter.
Which continuities do you allow? Is it just the ones you have timelines for on the wiki?
We allow almost every Transformers related continuity currently active, with only a few exceptions. We do not yet have timelines for them all, but we accept applications from them.
The list of currently accepted continuities:
G1 Cartoon - The original cartoon from the 80's as it appeared in the U.S. Includes the animated movie.
G1 Marvel - The Marvel comics series, including the U.K. stories.
G1 Movie Marvel - A prominent alternate universe that sometimes intersected with G1 Marvel. The events of the Animated movie occurred in this reality, but the timeline leading up to it had more in common with G1 Marvel than G1 Cartoon, and it diverges completely from any other continuity after 2005.
G1 Japanese - This is not merely a continuation of the U.S. cartoon, because S4 is radically different between the two. Also, G1 Japanese includes Scramble City. Characters from this reality tend to use the Japanese names for Transformers (for example, calling Optimus Prime, "Convoy").
Beast Wars/Beast Machines - This is treated as a seperate continuity, and not the future of any G1 series, because it introduces elements that contradicts the other G1 timelines.
Robots In Disguise - Uhm. Sky-Byte is from this continuity. The FAQ author is also assured that Scourge is made of squee. E X sez: This continuity is separate from all other continuities and is known as Car Robots in Japan. Here, the Autobots fight the Predacons in the quest for the O-Parts.
Armada/Energon/Cybertron - Mini-Con chasing, crystal weapons, and Cyber-Keys ahoy!
Movie - This refers to the 2007 movie rather than the animated movie, as the animated movie is a sub-component of at least three other continuities. The prequal comics and such are also included here.
Dreamwave G1 - It appears to be based largely on G1 cartoon with G1 Marvel elements worked in, although it diverges prior to the animated movie. War Within is included in this continuity, although it occurs in the distant past.
Dreamwave Armada - Uhm. Unicron possessed Spinister. E X sez: This was a very different continuity from the cartoon.
Dreamwave Beast Wars - We'd have to give very careful consideration as to why a character should be approved for this and not normal Beast Wars/Beast Machines. ((Luna, Becca: WAS there a Dreamwave Beast Wars?)) E X sez: There was. I never read it.
IDW G1 - G1 characters, elements from the G1 cartoon and G1 Marvel, but combined in sometimes vastly different ways. Their Bumblebee considers humans expendable.
IDW Beast Wars - The FAQ author does not know anyone who reads this, but hey, it's in there. Same note as Dreamwave Beast Wars.
Devil's Due WWII G.I.Joe Crossover - Uhm. Sure. You can never have too many iterations of G1, right?
Devil's Due regular G1/G.I.Joe Crossover - If you like playing characters from a universe where the Transformers are consistently getting pwned by humans, why not?
Hearts of Steel - G1 characters with steampunk alt modes. Because steampunk makes everything cooler.
We may have missed some. If something's not mentioned here, feel free to ask about it. Binaltechs and similar will probably be considered. The jury is still out on KissPlay. It would probably take a damned good app.
The following series are not included:
Star Wars Transformers - No. Just... no.
Animorphs - I am given to understand that this was a very excellent series of books, but we'd like to keep our Transformers just a bit roboty.
The G1 Novel Trilogy - This was not only just officially liscenced fanfiction, it wasn't even very good fanfiction. Still, present a good arguement and you may get us to change our minds.
Playskool Go-Bots - Unless you send in an app so good that it causes all three admin to orgasm on the spot.
Cartoon Network - It's not even out yet! We hope to add it once a full season has aired, but do not feel there would be enough to work with before then.
Do you accept toy-only characters from ____ series?
Absolutely! We already have three Cybertron toy-only characters. It's a blast to watch a good role-player take a character defined only by their tech specs and give them life!
Why do you not allow G1 Optimus Prime or Megatron?
Because, more than any other characters in the Transformers continuity, G1 Optimus Primes and Megatrons warp the very landscape of character interaction simply by existing. The moment one of these two characters is introduced into an environment, certain things fall into predictable patterns around them. While we do keep some of the stronger themes from canon Transformer series (the Autobot/Decepticon conflict, for example), one of the distinctive features of Deadzone is the non-standard character interactions that develop from the mingling of different time periods and continuities. We feel that an Optimus Prime or Megatron would detract from that.
No other characters have the sort of impact on the landscape those two have. Not even Galvatron, not even Rodimus Prime. And, not only do we not allow G1 Optimus Prime or Megatron, we would be very careful before approving other Optimus Primes, as they tend to be very similar to each other. Megatrons tend to have more variance, but would still be looked at more closely than other apps.
Do my Cyber-Key powers work?
Yes, as do all powers that are described as "Primus granted." However, they feel... off. Any character using their Cyber-Key powers will get a distinct, uneasy feeling while they use it, although they will find themselves unable to describe what, exactly, is wrong. This does not interfere in the ability’s effectiveness, but should be role-played.
How much does the Cyber-Key boost my firepower?
Erm... when you applied for your character's stats, you were applying for his stats at their maximum levels available to you under normal circumstances. Since your character can use their Cyber-Key power pretty much anytime they want to, that includes that. It also includes Mini-Cons that are mentioned as "dependant characters" in the application. Thus, the Firepower listed on your application and in your wiki entry is the Firepower level with your Mini-Con, Cyber-key, or whatever else in place. Perhaps the Cyber-Key lets you use additional weapons from additional places, or perhaps it will let you use a more continuous stream, but it does not actually raise firepower over your Firepower stat.
As a note, while this rule only applies to Mini-Cons mentioned as "dependant characters" on your application, any attempts to try to get around this rule by taking an Armada character without a Mini-Con and then a seperate Mini-Con who, "coincidently," only gets used to boost your Armada character's Firepower will be viewed very dimly. Dimly in a "If we notice you doing this, we will talk to you about it first. If you continue to do this after being warned, expect one of your characters to be taken away from you, and it just might be the non-Mini-Con" sort of way.
I didn't know about this when I applied for my character!
Well, you'll know better next time, won't you?
But now my character sucks!
If the only thing you liked about your character was his firepower, you probably should consider a different character. One you like because they're interesting to play, not because they've got interesting weapons.
Why do we post in rounds?
To allow those who cannot spend as much time on the computer as others, or who are in unusual time zones, to keep up and to be given the chance to contribute to RP fairly.
Why aren't the radio threads in rounds?
To give those who can be at their computer more often something to do. Also, because some of the major threads, such as the broadband threads, would become virtually useless if a round-posting method was enforced. Finally, it allows for banter and private conversations better.
So I only have to post every other day, right? Because it takes 48 hours before I get skipped?
Actually, we prefer our players to be able to post once per day per character. We consider that to be a good posting rate. If a thread happens to move faster, great, but we're perfectly satisfied if it moves at about a round a day, which is what 'one post per day per character' leads to. The 48 hour time out is just there for those times when life unexpectedly kicks a player in the ass without pre-warning. If a player only occasionally nearly times out, it's no problem. Life happens to us all, and there's no need to apologize. If a single player is consistently holding up their threads for two days every time they're up, however, they can expect to be nudged by the admin. It's not fair to the other players. They still aren't breaking any rules, but it isn't very courteous.
One thing that consistently timing out does affect, however, is a player's chance of getting additional characters. There is currently no upper limit to the number of characters a single player may control in the game. However, if someone cannot post at least once per day per character on a regular basis, they are unlikely to get a new character approved.
Now, all of this does not take into account characters that spend fair amount of times outside of threads because they're on their own (such as Shrapnel), or people who give warning before they leave a few days. Because no one is waiting on these characters, it's not a problem.
If life really catches a player by surprise, and they're forced to spend an extended time away from the internet with no warning, well... we understand. Things happen. When they time out, they will be removed from their thread. It is assumed that they become 'crowd filler' at this point. When the player can return, they are welcome to decide what they were up to on the fringes of events, and work their way back into their thread.
We appreciate your help in this matter.
Which continuities do you allow? Is it just the ones you have timelines for on the wiki?
We allow almost every Transformers related continuity currently active, with only a few exceptions. We do not yet have timelines for them all, but we accept applications from them.
The list of currently accepted continuities:
G1 Cartoon - The original cartoon from the 80's as it appeared in the U.S. Includes the animated movie.
G1 Marvel - The Marvel comics series, including the U.K. stories.
G1 Movie Marvel - A prominent alternate universe that sometimes intersected with G1 Marvel. The events of the Animated movie occurred in this reality, but the timeline leading up to it had more in common with G1 Marvel than G1 Cartoon, and it diverges completely from any other continuity after 2005.
G1 Japanese - This is not merely a continuation of the U.S. cartoon, because S4 is radically different between the two. Also, G1 Japanese includes Scramble City. Characters from this reality tend to use the Japanese names for Transformers (for example, calling Optimus Prime, "Convoy").
Beast Wars/Beast Machines - This is treated as a seperate continuity, and not the future of any G1 series, because it introduces elements that contradicts the other G1 timelines.
Robots In Disguise - Uhm. Sky-Byte is from this continuity. The FAQ author is also assured that Scourge is made of squee. E X sez: This continuity is separate from all other continuities and is known as Car Robots in Japan. Here, the Autobots fight the Predacons in the quest for the O-Parts.
Armada/Energon/Cybertron - Mini-Con chasing, crystal weapons, and Cyber-Keys ahoy!
Movie - This refers to the 2007 movie rather than the animated movie, as the animated movie is a sub-component of at least three other continuities. The prequal comics and such are also included here.
Dreamwave G1 - It appears to be based largely on G1 cartoon with G1 Marvel elements worked in, although it diverges prior to the animated movie. War Within is included in this continuity, although it occurs in the distant past.
Dreamwave Armada - Uhm. Unicron possessed Spinister. E X sez: This was a very different continuity from the cartoon.
Dreamwave Beast Wars - We'd have to give very careful consideration as to why a character should be approved for this and not normal Beast Wars/Beast Machines. ((Luna, Becca: WAS there a Dreamwave Beast Wars?)) E X sez: There was. I never read it.
IDW G1 - G1 characters, elements from the G1 cartoon and G1 Marvel, but combined in sometimes vastly different ways. Their Bumblebee considers humans expendable.
IDW Beast Wars - The FAQ author does not know anyone who reads this, but hey, it's in there. Same note as Dreamwave Beast Wars.
Devil's Due WWII G.I.Joe Crossover - Uhm. Sure. You can never have too many iterations of G1, right?
Devil's Due regular G1/G.I.Joe Crossover - If you like playing characters from a universe where the Transformers are consistently getting pwned by humans, why not?
Hearts of Steel - G1 characters with steampunk alt modes. Because steampunk makes everything cooler.
We may have missed some. If something's not mentioned here, feel free to ask about it. Binaltechs and similar will probably be considered. The jury is still out on KissPlay. It would probably take a damned good app.
The following series are not included:
Star Wars Transformers - No. Just... no.
Animorphs - I am given to understand that this was a very excellent series of books, but we'd like to keep our Transformers just a bit roboty.
The G1 Novel Trilogy - This was not only just officially liscenced fanfiction, it wasn't even very good fanfiction. Still, present a good arguement and you may get us to change our minds.
Playskool Go-Bots - Unless you send in an app so good that it causes all three admin to orgasm on the spot.
Cartoon Network - It's not even out yet! We hope to add it once a full season has aired, but do not feel there would be enough to work with before then.
Do you accept toy-only characters from ____ series?
Absolutely! We already have three Cybertron toy-only characters. It's a blast to watch a good role-player take a character defined only by their tech specs and give them life!
Why do you not allow G1 Optimus Prime or Megatron?
Because, more than any other characters in the Transformers continuity, G1 Optimus Primes and Megatrons warp the very landscape of character interaction simply by existing. The moment one of these two characters is introduced into an environment, certain things fall into predictable patterns around them. While we do keep some of the stronger themes from canon Transformer series (the Autobot/Decepticon conflict, for example), one of the distinctive features of Deadzone is the non-standard character interactions that develop from the mingling of different time periods and continuities. We feel that an Optimus Prime or Megatron would detract from that.
No other characters have the sort of impact on the landscape those two have. Not even Galvatron, not even Rodimus Prime. And, not only do we not allow G1 Optimus Prime or Megatron, we would be very careful before approving other Optimus Primes, as they tend to be very similar to each other. Megatrons tend to have more variance, but would still be looked at more closely than other apps.
Do my Cyber-Key powers work?
Yes, as do all powers that are described as "Primus granted." However, they feel... off. Any character using their Cyber-Key powers will get a distinct, uneasy feeling while they use it, although they will find themselves unable to describe what, exactly, is wrong. This does not interfere in the ability’s effectiveness, but should be role-played.
How much does the Cyber-Key boost my firepower?
Erm... when you applied for your character's stats, you were applying for his stats at their maximum levels available to you under normal circumstances. Since your character can use their Cyber-Key power pretty much anytime they want to, that includes that. It also includes Mini-Cons that are mentioned as "dependant characters" in the application. Thus, the Firepower listed on your application and in your wiki entry is the Firepower level with your Mini-Con, Cyber-key, or whatever else in place. Perhaps the Cyber-Key lets you use additional weapons from additional places, or perhaps it will let you use a more continuous stream, but it does not actually raise firepower over your Firepower stat.
As a note, while this rule only applies to Mini-Cons mentioned as "dependant characters" on your application, any attempts to try to get around this rule by taking an Armada character without a Mini-Con and then a seperate Mini-Con who, "coincidently," only gets used to boost your Armada character's Firepower will be viewed very dimly. Dimly in a "If we notice you doing this, we will talk to you about it first. If you continue to do this after being warned, expect one of your characters to be taken away from you, and it just might be the non-Mini-Con" sort of way.
I didn't know about this when I applied for my character!
Well, you'll know better next time, won't you?
But now my character sucks!
If the only thing you liked about your character was his firepower, you probably should consider a different character. One you like because they're interesting to play, not because they've got interesting weapons.
Why do we post in rounds?
To allow those who cannot spend as much time on the computer as others, or who are in unusual time zones, to keep up and to be given the chance to contribute to RP fairly.
Why aren't the radio threads in rounds?
To give those who can be at their computer more often something to do.
Also, because some of the major threads, such as the broadband threads, would become virtually useless if a round-posting method was enforced. Finally, it allows for banter and private conversations better.So I only have to post every other day, right? Because it takes 48 hours before I get skipped?
Actually, we prefer our players to be able to post once per day per character. We consider that to be a good posting rate. If a thread happens to move faster, great, but we're perfectly satisfied if it moves at about a round a day, which is what 'one post per day per character' leads to. The 48 hour time out is just there for those times when life unexpectedly kicks a player in the ass without pre-warning. If a player only occasionally nearly times out, it's no problem. Life happens to us all, and there's no need to apologize. If a single player is consistently holding up their threads for two days every time they're up, however, they can expect to be nudged by the admin. It's not fair to the other players. They still aren't breaking any rules, but it isn't very courteous.
One thing that consistently timing out does affect, however, is a player's chance of getting additional characters. There is currently no upper limit to the number of characters a single player may control in the game. However, if someone cannot post at least once per day per character on a regular basis, they are unlikely to get a new character approved.
Now, all of this does not take into account characters that spend fair amount of times outside of threads because they're on their own (such as Shrapnel), or people who give warning before they leave a few days. Because no one is waiting on these characters, it's not a problem.
If life really catches a player by surprise, and they're forced to spend an extended time away from the internet with no warning, well... we understand. Things happen. When they time out, they will be removed from their thread. It is assumed that they become 'crowd filler' at this point. When the player can return, they are welcome to decide what they were up to on the fringes of events, and work their way back into their thread.
