Community Journal: July By Serpentius

Greetings Elyrians!

Welcome to the July edition of our Community Journal.

A look back:

July was very busy. Let's examine and recap all that happened!

Our Discord community grew as we hit over 9000 registered players! Thank you to everyone for helping us achieve this milestone. Onward to 10k!

A multi-purpose weapon, the Great Brudvir Axe was shared, much to the delight and, sometimes consternation of, some of our weapons aficionados.

The Chronicles of Elyria website received some much-needed love. Bug fixes and backend improvements are a majority of what this update brought, as well as setup for future functionality and events.

3D Environment Artist Raevantiel hosted our very first solo-developer ChamberBot session where he answered questions about the work he does at the studio. He also shared some never-before-seen images from the Broadleaf forest and the Soul Chamber. If you missed it you can still review it in the #soul-chamber in our official Discord server

Here's an example:





Possibly the most intriguing and talked about item from our Tribe item explorations, the Kypiq Shieldguard got lots of community members talking and excited!

Caspian kicked off our next adventure with this introduction blog that provided many details on all that is planned for the current release. Read on to learn about the current status of the development of Chronicles of Elyria.

We hosted another Livestream Q&A session for our players where we answered your most desired questions, originally on our Twitch channel. In case you missed it, the YouTube video was uploaded here.

After sharing many weapons and armor from our launch tribes, Vye snuck in some animated concepts on the research that can be done to improve your Vardo! We anticipate many traveling merchants in Elyria, and we wanted to show them how they may one day hawk their goods in comfort and style!

The last shiny of the month showed something new, a leffit animation! See this cute Elyrian creature in action with this adorable animated GIF

The final item on this list is by far not the least important. The whole community has been abuzz as to what this upcoming Searing Plague event is all about, and we're just as excited as you for it to be underway. So keep aware, be vigilant, and prepare yourself... the Searing Plague is coming...

Surname reservations:

We consistently review surname reservations on a daily basis. Each month we like to share a few from the past period that caught our eye.

Favorite declines:

El Chupacabra

Dracula

Von Strangle

Nosferatu

Spankenstein

Molyneaux

Peachy-Pace

Most attempted: Berserker

Standouts:

Llajoraça

Raitrdealoughn

HjartaSeidr

Hainbraitye

Sulvrosa

Gun'thurth

Popular Memes

As a new feature to our Community Journal, each month we'll spotlight one or two of our favorite memes that were shared via the forums or Discord.

This first meme was posted by Capt., who best not be stalking the cars in the Soulbound parking lot! Here, he thinks he spotted Vye's mode of transportation:

Our 2nd favorite meme, shared by Bombastus, playfully shows "the creator" alongside his trusted lead designer; what a heavenly image!

Keep sharing everyone, especially if you'd like your meme to be displayed in a community journal!

Meet a Mod

Our volunteer moderators are not only bastions of peace in our community; they are a helpful hand whenever you need assistance. They are very knowledgeable about CoE and provide valuable feedback that helps keep our community amazing.

Each month we provide a little insight into who they are and what makes them tick.

This month we meet Xeyska, who has been a CoE mod for over 6 months now.

Q: Let’s start with a little about you. Where did you grow up?

A: "In the Midwest for most of my life, and let's leave it there. ;)"

Q: Anything interesting happen in your hometown?

A: "Nothing really interesting happens here, or at least, I don't seek it often. It is on quiet side, and it suits me just fine."

Q: Did you have pets growing up. If so, tell us about them?

A: "I did, and continued having them. Mainly dogs, but I've also had chickens, parakeets, lovebirds, and cockatiels as pets as well."

Q: Starting with your name “Xeyska” - it’s fairly unique, where did it come from?

A: "The name came about in my younger days for a role-play event about Kingdom Hearts, specifically as an original member from Organization XIII. The name grew on me, and I've used it ever since."

Q: Have you been playing games a long time?

A: "Yes, over twenty years now since I was little and first playing Super Mario Bros on the NES. Being a gamer was something always encouraged within my family."

Q: Current favorite game you are playing?

A: "Currently in the process of setting up another modded play through for Morrowind, a classic game. It never gets old to me."

Q: You are known as the Xeyskapedia among the mod team; care to share the story of why?

A: "It is a nickname given due to my habit of recalling and providing CoE information when needed or asked about; I tend to the news/information channel in my Kingdom Discord. It can be time-consuming at times, but I enjoy doing it."

Q: You’ve been in the community a while. When did you join and what are your current plans?

A: "I joined the community back in June 2016. Before, I was skeptical about the game when I saw it on Kickstarter, then later read the developer/design journals, and I was sold ever since. My current plans are being a part of the Kingdom of Ashland and the community there."

Q: Naruto or One Piece?

A: "One Piece. There is a certain charm to the series which makes it more memorable in my eyes - also more fun to be a pirate. :)"

Q: What do you like about being a moderator?

A: "Definitely contributing to the community in whatever ways I can, interacting and working with the moderator team. They're an awesome group of folks."

Q: Least about it?

A: "Not having as much time as I like to devote to it, often due to a work schedule. The times where moderation is needed when a discussion turns into another direction or lines were crossed."

Q: Is your soul light or dark, or does it depend on which day you are asked?

A: "It depends on the day I am asked. On most days it would be light."

Q: If there was one thing you could say to the community, what would it be?

A: "Thank you for being a part of it in all ways, whether it is creating media, community projects, or simply hanging out. "It takes more than a village.""

It was great to learn more about you Xeyska, thanks so much for taking the time to share!

Meet an Organization

Each month we spotlight an organization from our community.

We have many creative members who are building amazing groups in Elyria, and this is one way we can make sure you know about them.

This month we hear from Rian Lodestone about the Order of the Blue Rook.

Official Org Name: The Order of the Blue Rook

Server: NA-West (Angelica)

Kingdom Affiliation: The Kingdom of Riftwood

How we formed: "When I first got into the game, I fell in love with the deep crafting system and decided that I wanted to be an architect. While developing my business plan, I realized that construction projects are harder to come by than most other work and decided that, in order to develop skills as quickly as possible, I'd need to figure out how to sustain orders. At this point, I came to the conclusion that working for the government would be the best way to get the jobs I would need to develop my skills. I began to approach the nobles; this is when Pteroguin stepped in and gave me some advice and helped me to develop a sense of identity for the organization. He poked holes in my ideas, asked where I'd get my supplies from, how I'd store and transport them. He helped me to quickly realize that my organization would need to be so much more than it was if I wanted to make my mark on the world of Elyria in a monumental way, pun intended. I needed partners."

"The Order of the Blue Rook began recruiting people, primarily mayors, and developed a baseline of civil needs. Our creed became "helping the community is the best path to helping ourselves" and people agreed with us. As more mayors joined, we developed our charter together, had meetings to debate ideas and eventually grew into an extremely close knit group that is welcoming and supports the community. We created a vision, shared between us and adopted by others, of a 10 year kingdom, lasting until the end of this game and beyond."

"Currently our leadership is composed of a group of five mayors, including a tri-count , each with a focus that supports the organization and our own desires. We have people who will develop trade skills to produce our tools and materials, breed and build transport, secure our resources, and push the boundaries of what our group is capable of through research and diplomacy. When we talk to candidates, we ask them what their goals are and we look for how we can use them in a mutually beneficial way to support the community and develop their skills. In this way, our gentry form the body of our organization, their desires forming the direction of the Order."

Leadership: "We have a council of mayors known as the council of Directors. Currently these individuals include: Master Rian Lodestone, Dean Hakeem, Dean Loclerr Keaton, Director Valdi Arquis, and Director Urban Miticlaithça."

Organization Purpose: "The Order is a private non-profit civic and military servant exclusively serving the Duchy of Atravia. Our goal is to enhance the living conditions and economic capabilities of the citizenry while offering opportunities for players to legally enhance their skills, financial status, and social class in sustainable ways. Our projects, although highly flexible, follow a structured procedure designed around Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, stated to be a behavioral concept coded into the NPC's of Elyria."

Motto: "Opere Et Veritate; Pro Patria et Grege"

"It is Latin and translates as: "Act with good will, for country and kin.""

Fun Fact: "We all play DnD or pathfinder, most of us together. Hit us up if you want to join our 5e game!"

Discord: https://discord.gg/YKKU8pb

Forum Thread: here

Meet a Kingdom

This month we meet a Kingdom from the Oceania server, thanks to Omicronus and team for their assistance!

Official Kingdom name: Kingdom of Lor Voskara

Server: Oceanus (Oceania)

Leader: Alerxius Xakorai

Kingdom Colors: White & Gold

"Goals of the Kingdom: LV's primary goal is to establish itself as the center of enlightenment on Oceanus: a place where all Elyrians can settle to master their own personal destiny and establish their dynasty within a mature, unified and collaborative community. Through solidarity comes strength, through strength comes prosperity and LV's ability to empower citizens to achieve what they want from their lives - in turn adding to the solidarity and prosperity of the Kingdom."

Fun fact: "A little known fact is that some within LV can't wait for the game to start and have created an LV group within their local Society of Creative Anachronism!"

Link to recruitment thread: here

Link to Discord: https://discord.gg/XHP2hyv

Community Spotlight

Keep your submissions coming! Submit them here

We'll need lots more of your creations throughout the remainder of 2018, so whatever you come up with that is CoE-related, we want to see it!

Remember, If your submission wasn't featured this month, we may still use it in the future.

Amlaith shared their drawing with us, it is quite nice! Here's what they had to say: "A Neran warrior (I have been inspired on Neran armor concept art) and adventurer (inspired on half-plate armour design) fighting in the ancient ruins, somewhere in the vast world of Chronicles of Elyria."

Elsy, the winner of our Tribemoji contest back in March, submitted this gem. Here's what she said: "Three friends relax in a cozy tavern in the Duchy of Thearyn, as the sun sets on a pleasant day. The off-duty guard recounts a tale from the day’s patrol." Full disclosure: This art piece was commissioned by Maulvorn, for his Duchy of Thearyn.

Marie4558 shared her drawing of a Monk scribing by candlelight.

Using Blender3D, Nico the Mad sent in this drawing describing it as "The Fehu Crest on a cloth dubbed viking round shield laying on the woodland floor."

Remember, if you'd like a chance to get your community content featured in these Community Journals, send your submissions here.

Meet a Dev

To celebrate our Community month and to continue to deliver content you desire, we've decided to add a new monthly piece to the Community Journals entitled "Meet a Dev".

(pic credit to Manuel Trujillo)

For our inaugural column we've chosen Snipehunter to interview. Here's what we found out!

Q: So Snipes, tell me, what first got you into gaming?

A: Wow, that happened an embarrassingly long time ago. :wink: But if we crawl all the way back in time to the time before fanny packs and parachute pants, when the Apple II was new, and the Sinclair was still a popular computing platform, we’ll find a cherubic little me, a lad of 6 years old, sitting in on a game of D&D that his mom’s coworker was running. It. Was. Magic. Totally changed my life. I was kind of a precocious kid, and so I surprised the folks at the table who were expecting that they were essentially babysitting. At first, I’m sure they just indulged me, but as they saw I was taking it seriously they pulled me deeper and deeper into the game. I’m still grateful to that part today: They had every reason to just humor me and play their game while I watched on, but they didn’t and, as a result, I got to do things for the first time that I’d never done before: roleplaying. It was like playing with toys, but on steroids. In a lot of ways D&D was my first computer, and it had the best renderer I’ve ever played games on: My imagination.

Q: Can you tell us more about how/where you grew up?

A: I sort of knocked around the globe a bit as a kid. My dad used to help foreign governments develop their oil reserves, helping them build and run oil rigs, so we moved a lot. I grew up in Singapore, Thailand, Kwajalein and finally settled back in the states when my dad left the business. All of that happened in the first five and a half years of my life. It was weird, in retrospect, but it was also cool. Despite it all happing so early in my life I have some vivid memories from those travels, from visiting temples in Thailand to watching fish swim in the water just offshore of Kwaj. I feel incredible lucky to have had that experience, especially so young. I never really grew up thinking there was just one way to live and that’s colored my writing and thinking ever since. I spoke Hokkein before I spoke English, though sadly I don’t remember any of it. After that though, we settled down into southern California, and I lived there pretty much for the rest of the 20th century. I mostly consider myself to have “Come from” Orange county, California. I lived in the shadow of the mouse for most of it, just a few blocks away from Disneyland. That was also a little weird, in retrospect. :wink:

Q: You've worked at a lot of studios in your career. What were your top 3 most memorable and why?

A: I’m gonna skip talking about Soulbound, because candidly, I could spend hundreds of words on this place alone. But excluding Soulbound? Blizzard was my first, and completely unforgettable. From working on incredible games like the first two Warcraft games and Diablo, to the weird confluences of entertainment that happened there, like talking Necromunda and Warhammer 40k with Glen Danzig, teaching Gary Coleman how to file a bug report, or listening to Peter Cullen (the voice of Optimus Prime) trade witty banter with Clancy Brown (the Kurgan from Highlander), it was all an experience. That said? I dunno that Blizzard is my favorite. I loved it there and I still feel strongly about it and my friends there, but my favorite past studio? I think that honor goes to a little studio I bet most folks have never heard of: NetDevil, the makers of the old spaceflight MMO from the late 90s, Jumpgate.

It was just the perfect mix of personalities. As a team, we had the sort of chemistry that most folks in this industry will tell you just doesn’t exist. We were 20 people against the world, and we felt like we could do anything. We were wrong: it turns out you need resources too, but damn did we feel that way. A big part of my attraction to Soulbound is that it feels a lot like NetDevil did, but we actually have access to resources, thanks to the support of our community.

As for the third? Well, right before coming to Soulbound, I was one half of a power-duo that worked on a ton of games across the industry. We called ourselves Skyward*, and for eight years, my business partner and I contributed to console games, PC games, MMOs, mobile games, and web games as designers for hire. We also had the strangest opportunity ever: To collaborate with a company called IllFonic on a project that we at Soulbound would recognize as a multiplayer evolving online world, the fantasy-horror game Revival. IllFonic had to shut down production when their financial needs changed, but that work was why Soulbound caught my eye. Like a lot of our players, I’ve wanted to see a living online world for a long time, and losing Revival felt like losing a loved one and a life-long dream at the same time. If Caspian hadn’t been building CoE, I dunno what I’d have ended up doing. Crying myself to sleep every night as I came from a long day working on console games or something, I suppose. :wink:

Q: Hrothi or Kypiq?

A: Oof! That’s a tough choice! I think I’m gonna say Kypiq though. I love me the Shields of Virtue, but ziplining from skyscraper sized trees sounds like a hell of a lot of fun!

Q: What do you love most about your role at Soulbound Studios?

A: Hah, it would be easier to list what I don’t like than the one thing I like most. But I suppose what I appreciate most about my role here at Soulbound is that I get to make the Multiplayer Evolving Online World concept a reality. It’s a long-time dream of my own. It’s rare to find you share a vision with your studio so closely like that, but it makes everything I do on this project feel like a privilege.

Q:. How do you feel about trolls?

A: You know most people say don’t feed trolls, and I understand where that advice came from, but I don’t really think that works. On the other hand, I’ve found that if you engage them properly you can turn a troll into a clown, and then from there a clown into a community member…

Q: No, I meant the fantasy ones found in lore, children's books, and video games?

A: Oh. Uh, they’re pretty cool as foes. Especially the weak to fire regenerating flavor. Though in all fairness my favorite troll encounter game from a tabletop RPG session where trolls were for some reason marching on a village, as if to destroy it. The whole village prepared themselves, the heroes stepped outside of the town gate, which was locked and barred behind them and set to face the trolls… then the bard said, “Wait, can I talk to them?” So, he and I stepped forward and tried to talk to them… and they answered! It turned out they weren’t marching on us - they were fleeing something that had run them out of their homes. In exchange for safe passage through the village, they agreed not to fight us. We escorted them through town, let them out the other side, and off they went. You should have seen the DM’s face; he had to stop himself from laughing repeatedly. That was not how that encounter was supposed to go.

Q: Carne Asada Tacos or Chicken Tikka Masala?

A: Damn you and your impossible choices, Serp! I think I’m gonna go with my SoCal roots though and say Carne Asada Tacos. Preferably from a street vendor so they taste like home. :)

Q: What kinds of music do you listen to?

A: I sort of alternate between swing/big band, reggae, punk, alt-rock, classic metal, prog and EDM. I sort of fall into grooves. I’ll get a song stuck in my head, go to play it, and then sort of live in that genre for a week or two before moving on. Right now, I’m mostly listening to modern alt-rock, for example. Last week, it was all 40’s and 50’s crooners.

Q: I understand you DM Dungeons and Dragons games livestreamed on the weekends sometimes. Any way the CoE community can get involved/watch/participate?

A: I do! I don’t stream them myself, sadly, since I can’t run the DM tools and my streaming software at the same time on my home comp, but two of our party members stream together from our gaming clan’s twitch channel, https://twitch.tv/dopcrew – we play every other Saturday, sort of late at night (Starting at 9pm pacific). The party is full since Souzou filled the last slot, but everyone is welcome to come watch! We’re playing next on the 28th of July, and then we’ll play again on the 11th of August. It’s a fun raucous party; I’m really enjoying it so far. :)

Q: Once CoE launches, what do you plan to be in the world of Elyria? (If you can share)

A: I actually want to live a sort of simple life. I don’t know where exactly I’ll end up, but I’m planning to find a nice settlement and open a scrivener’s shop selling supplies, writing contracts, and writing my own books to release into the wild and see where they end up. :)

Q: What is your favorite mechanic in CoE and why?

A: Crafting. I’ve always loved crafting as a concept, but the execution in most MMOs has always fell short of what I wanted. Our approach to crafting on CoE changes all that in ways I find particularly appealing. I’m looking forward to being able to “just be a crafter” in the game: something that is either normally impossible, or terribly tedious, in other MMOs!

Thanks for taking time out of your crazy busy schedule to answer these questions for us Snipehunter!

Reddit community

It has been a little quiet on the Reddit front this month, as Hellmoon, Mickdude, and ImbuedGreen take turns ensuring things are safe and interesting on this discussion platform.

One person did take our previously released "Skill Flower" and turned it into a spreadsheet for those who want to delve deeper into this information. Find it here

If you have any questions about our Reddit community feel free to contact me, or any of our COM MODs listed in above.

Community shows

The Chronicles of Elyria community is a busy one, and has been for a long time now. So active that there are many live shows hosted each month. To help you be aware and attend these enlightening and often revealing events, we've summarized those we know occur consistently each month. If you host a show on CoE and want to be included here, please contact us at [email protected]

With their first show yesterday, Cremoria News Network [CNN] "is a new weekly CoE talk show brought to you by the Duchy of Cremoria. They do deep dives on CoE mechanics, interviews, and community news. Tune in every Sunday at 6pm Eastern / 3pm Pacific for this classy and sassy stream."

Their Channel

Vendor Trash "is two guys with a laundry list of gaming street cred dating back to the 80’s. It was first a failed dumpster diving blog, then they failed at motivational speaking, and then finally found their calling talking about Chronicles of Elyria. They are excited the game they've always dreamed of is finally being made. Eight episodes strong and still going, come join their throbbing obsession."

Find past episodes on iTunes or your favorite podcast app.

Their Channel

Tavern Talk "airs every other week at 7pm CST/CDT with Jax and Gora. They talk about all manner of things Chronicles of Elyria. From deep dives of developer design journals to in-depth character profiles of prominent and notable players to hosting occasional guests on the show, we bring the Dance of Dynasties to you live!"

Show schedule is the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Saturday of the month at 5pm PDT / 7pm CDT/ 8pm EDT

Their Channel

TheoryForge. "This veteran team of streamers began a new show on Friday, May 10th, focusing on Chronicles of Elyria. The current hosts have all purchased packs with Alpha I access, and are excited to become more active members of the community. We are drawn to CoE because of its unique mechanics, and the migration of the Revival community."

Follow them at the link below, they are live every other Friday at 9pm EDT, 6pm PDT.

Their Channel

The BBC "(Bordweall Broadcasting Company) livestream deep dives into the latest developments from Soulbound Studios. Watch and discover what has them so excited about CoE, then join them and their guests in the CoE Discord voice after party and find out why they believe CoE is going to define a whole new genre in online gaming!"

They stream live every other Thursday at 8pm Eastern/5pm Pacific. Watch the CoE forums for their announcements!

Their Channel

The Town Crier "is a live informational show/podcast featuring Morbis (Duke of Vornair), Adam (King of Vornair) and Mickdude (Count from Alésia). The topic is typically the latest goings on with the game or in the CoE community, theorycrafting about things Caspian says, or watching them blunder around with recurring technical difficulties with all the grace of a three legged giraffe. Super entertainment!"

You can catch them live every Wednesday at 3pm (PT)/6pm (ET)/10 pm (UTC).

Their Channel

Community contests

We love running contests, promotions, and events for our players, but it turns out our players love running them as well!

To aid you in keeping track of all of the different contests and events at any given time, we've summarized them into one directory and stickied it in our General Discussion forum.

Ambassadors

Each month we'll get to know one of our esteemed Ambassadors a la the "Meet a Mod" section, as well as let you know the status of current nominations and votes!

Meet an Ambassador

This month we meet MoonChaser, let’s see what he has to say about being an Ambassador.

Q: You’ve been a CoE member since practically the start, which partially explains how you know so much about it and are one of the most senior ambassadors in terms of tenure. How did your CoE journey begin?

A: "The first MMORPG where you age and die” - that was along the lines of what the ad read - my first contact with CoE back in 2015; and while I was looking for an MMO to dive into and be excited about, I wasn't keen on ageing nor was I looking forward to die."

"That's why it took about a year for me to see of it again - when explained in more details - it finally sparked my interest."

"What followed was an intensive time of reading and watching everything I could find out there. We've had small round tables among community members and developers in IRC where but about five to a few dozen people were logged in at a time. The welcoming atmosphere (shout-out to Polite), excitement for and realization of what CoE could become had caught on to me."

Q: Have you always been a gamer?

A: "They have always been an formative and enriching part of my life since adolescence. The RPG genre in particular is well suited to get to know yourself a little bit better and to stimulate creativity in an active engaging way; it is also the genre I love the most as there is a different connection and perception to the happenings within the game than compared to for example most RTS or shooters."

"Unfortunately - as far as MMORPGs are concerned – there's been not that many true innovations that change the game feel on a fundamental level to be actually part of a world, which is why they are difficult to enjoy for me at the moment (I partially blame SbS for making me more aware of the repetitiveness and lack of meaningful actions/existence in contemporary game 'worlds')."

Q: Apple or Android?

A: "Android."

Q: You are quite the repository of information and often provide really detailed answers to our newcomers all over our community. What drives you do volunteer with such excellence?

A: "I'm happy I can help and it has got to do with the nature of CoE in relation to contemporary games, the phase of development we're in as well as my personal disposition, principles and preferences."

"For massive worlds such as Elyria a high player population is desirable, even though it's more resilient with lower populations than most MMORPGs. We can directly influence at this very moment how well the community grows; it's a collaborative effort."

"Explaining the game to many people made me realize some obvious and not so obvious aspects, and the way I explain has changed over the years:"

"Anyone who's looked into CoE for some time will tell you that there's a lot of information about the game to take in like a jigsaw puzzle. Actually, by now there is too much for a newcomer to consume if he wanted to know everything that has been said by the developers, as they've been very open to us."

"It's unreasonable to assume that the majority of newcomers would spend months of their free time in order to become sure enough of themselves to know if a piece of information has been mentioned by the devs and to tell apart relevant from outdated information. It's somewhat like mixing several jigsaw puzzles where all but one of them have got way too few sufficient pieces, but the pieces look very similar in design such as average size and shape."

"However, knowledge is important to minimize confusion and misinformation and allows to create a setting where relevant and constructive discussion can be had. Figuratively speaking it is to make sure everyone uses the same pieces that belong to the actual puzzle that could be completed and everyone is interested in. And fortunately - although the dynamic nature of development and the early stage we're in make it more difficult - the situation for following the game has been and will further improve through e.g. the gradual updates of the game guide section."

"Another challenge is that most generic MMOs game mechanics aren't as intricately connected with one another as in CoE. And this is very important when answering questions, because the process is fundamentally different.

The standard approach for getting to know a new game is to ask for a jigsaw piece in a specific location of the puzzle – one at a time. You then put the piece into place at that location and go on collecting pieces until the puzzle is complete showing you enough of a picture you can enjoy looking at.

However, in many cases for CoE an answer is of the type “yes, but it depends”: Where the question was asking for one jigsaw piece, you hand over a couple of them that go into different places of the puzzle."

"I enjoy all the moments when other players notice the potential of CoE and get excited. I love it when misunderstandings can be kept in check before they even emerge, and all the critical discussions. Listening to what players plan on doing in Elyria given the tools the devs provide to us never gets old either."

"In my opinion, the best way to have those types of exchanges is to answer questions as comprehensive as possible, with the terminology and background people from outside the community are familiar with – while at the same time not boring them with irrelevant details."

"Well … that and I personally enjoy explaining/teaching in other context such as martial arts IRL anyway."

Q: Great answer, thanks! Switching gears, can you tell me where your username came from, did you play too much moon patrol as a kid?

A: "Maybe if moon patrol wasn't way before my time."

"In fact, the first decision on 'moon' was somewhat subconscious as a child, but over the years it had gained some meaning for me. Essentially the moon is subject of many myths and legends; it often symbolizes the mystical, calmness, serene and hidden. It doesn't shine by itself, and depends on other celestial bodies. There's something soothing and romantic about it that speaks to me."

"As for the second part, the idea for my characters is to look for and chase after the unknown, idealistic values and narratives that evolve as opposed to being after material goods or giving in to opportunistic allure."

Q: What about CoE is your favorite, if you are able to specify one area you like best?

A: "Ah, that's a difficult one. But it probably is the persistent and dynamic world, because it enables a whole new experience at that scale and is the requirement for many other features that make CoE feel different."

"No matter how many alts you roll or how detailed you write a guide for 'success' in CoE, no character will ever be the same, nor will they experience the same. Actions matter and there's true history created by game play and anticipation for surprises what situation or location to find yourself in thanks to that design."

"It's a requirement for truly dynamic worlds. Noting that information and relationships between characters will be a lot less black&white than what we're used to and that already makes for a very compelling world I'll enjoy being a part of."

Q: What are your plans in game?

A: "It's still quite early to say as the more we get to know about specifics of professions and possibilities in game in general, the more I want to give multiple character ideas a go. However, I’m a pledged mayor/baron and want to provide as much of support for the area I’ll keep peace in as I can – especially at launch to see what craftsmen and builders come up with."

Q: Are you reading any good books right now?

A: "I'm half way through the fourth book of The Wheel of Time series. Highly recommended for anyone who's interested in fantasy with good world building."

Q: I know you love getting the word out about Chronicles of Elyria, what can you say about the game that will help everyone reading share and promote it easily as you do?

A: "Explaining CoE well is different from explaining most MMORPGs, and while it's not too complex to do, it's somewhat difficult to adjust one's way of thinking."

"Unfortunately, many websites struggle with providing a consistent image of CoE, and the design isn't to blame; it's merely unfamiliar and different."

"Generally speaking, I would advise to always keep in mind the person and the position he's in first. From there on it's important to not try to explain everything CoE has got to offer at once; the depth of how game mechanics can interact with one another for individual game experience is too great for trying to rush everything in one go. Without prior interest, there will be no time investment made."

"So instead ask the other person about what they've always wanted to do given they'd be in the world of a fantasy novel. Listen to their ideas and look for what really seems to be the exciting part of it. Then ask yourself if that's something possible in CoE or if that would be a different game. Usually you see the game mechanic behind it and can they expand on their idea."

"In case there is no motivation for any action as is sometimes true when burned out about games, have a look at and explain the key elements that SbS has found in other games that CoE handles differently to improve the experience."

"If you know he's got little time to play per week, bring systems to his attention that will improve his game experience such as OPCs, bolstering and uneven seasonal and day cycle changes."

"If he's the person to like game mechanics and game design, it'll be easier, but in my experience most people are interested in being presented with a picture of what they day-to-day game experience could be like. If you notice that the reaction about numbers and details isn't well-received, drop the numbers while still keeping the context true."

"As this subject is of general interest and importance, I'll make a post about how to easily adapt a good way to explain CoE and what pitfalls to look out for in the future."

Q: Do you have any pets? Anything you’d like to share about them?

A: "My sister does and he's crazy about massages."

Q: What are your thoughts on the 10-year story, do you feel it is achievable from what we’ve learned thus far?

A: "As a software engineer myself I often see confusion about what is novel or technically difficult and what isn't. The systems for dynamic narratives hasn't been implemented in that way in AAA titles you'd be familiar with for various reasons:"

"The traditional way that has worked so far is less risky despite lacking innovations. Few games are designed in a way that they really require dynamic narratives. Game engines studios use usually grow over the years and making hard turns in design is more complicated than starting from scratch with other requirements in mind. Not every game studio has got programmers who've got enough experience and expertise in diving into more complex designs for engines. Using higher abstractions that are already provided is easier."

"For a 10 year story you define a setting where the story begins, a state, which is the “chapter” or milestone within the story. For each you introduce a metric to track progress towards one state vs all different states. Numbers the metric is composed of could be indicators of the existence of great evil or a character of certain alignment, skill or object in a location of importance, the number of rallied soldiers etc."

"Whatever state the progress of the metric is most advanced to, the engine can try to push for the remaining flags or objectives to be cleared. The engine could make use of NPCs, objects or introduce incentives for players that benefit the progression towards that state."

"To account for unexpected turns in how players handle the plot, the engine needs to introduce new states on the fly without server downtime – some software uses data-driven design in those cases - introducing new states as defined by the author of the story who inputs the numbers

*"Finally you balance it to make players involved feel like there's steady progress using e.g. clues."

Q: If you could say something to the entire community (and you essentially are), what would it be?

A: "In life and with CoE alike: Never be afraid of coming forth with seemingly tough questions. Often you'll notice that with sound principles and systems you haven't been the first person to wonder about something. Many times there's a satisfying answer to be found – even if it is: “There's no definite answer, but listen to what has helped me when I had the same question.” or “It's too soon to tell, but we're definitely keeping an eye on it.”. Hard questions asked with good intention and respectful phrasing help communities as a whole."

Thanks so much for the super informative answers!!

New Ambassador!

He's been patient, caring, kind, and helpful to many in our community. He's in the forums, in Discord, assisting new players with official quotes and links, and also spends time illuminating the public as an audio guest on the Town Crier. Some may know him from back in our IRC days as "WelshLP", and the community was practically unanimous in their decision to elevate him. So please join me in saying well done to:

SirApetus

Congratulations and we look forward to seeing you in green!

Subject Matter Experts

This program is still moving forward. The latest stage is where we evaluated and did investigations into all of those who submitted applications.

I'm pleased to say we've concluded our reviews, and the very first SME's that were accepted into this new program will be hearing from us during August.

If you attempted to participate, but for whatever reason were not accepted during this period, we'll be sure to inform you so you aren't left wondering what occurred.

To all of those who were accepted, we look forward to collaborating with you!

We are still and will continue to accept SME applications, if you want to learn more about this program or are interested in applying, check out the announcement here.

What’s next?

August is sure to be a very exciting time to be an Elyrian.

Vye will update you all on our progress with Adventure 0.4.0, as we continue to prepare for the upcoming stages of pre-Alpha experiences.

will update you all on our progress with Adventure 0.4.0, as we continue to prepare for the upcoming stages of pre-Alpha experiences. The Searing Plague event will go through the month of August and into September.

We're planning to host another ChamberBot session in the very near future! Pay attention to official updates to keep informed!

Map Voting is closer than ever as we finalize our plans for this exciting event.

Stay laser-focused on our forums & Discord server so you don't miss out any late-breaking news and info about CoE!

Until next time,

More to come...