Guidelines for Official Story/Age Creation

Gandhar · **Posted:** Fri Jul 11, 2008 8:05 am

Are we allowed to create something like a Bahro tablet for linking?

Someone asked this earlier....This falls into the Yeesha category.....Linking (directly) is impossible by anyone (without a linking book) other than them (the Bahro), (including Cyan, of course) or her or Atrus (now that Escher has been dealt with).

A Bahro tablet is exactly what it was....Created by the Bahro for the Bahro...We just happen across them from time to time....

Erik · **Posted:** Fri Jul 11, 2008 8:17 am

Gandhar wrote:

Since the 'Moiety' are part of the "Storyline" but still a part of the English language i.e. Anthropology.

The Moiety don't speak English, but Rivenese.

Will certain Cyan objects be available to Writers? Someone already touched upon Nexus terminals, but I'm also thinking of objects like firemarbles and Maintainer's marks. If someone "finds" an Age the D'ni have visited, there should be a Maintainer's mark somewhere (unless it was an illicit Age), and of course it would look best if that Mark was the same as in the other D'ni Ages.
So will certain Cyan objects be available to make Ages seem 'part of the whole'?

(I've just realised this isn't really a story question, so if you can't answer it, so be it

)

zander_nyrond · **Posted:** Fri Jul 11, 2008 8:22 am

Best thread EVER, as they say these days. I'm starting to get excited about Age Writing again. And it's nice to know I can do what I've been wanting to do.

JKla · **Posted:** Fri Jul 11, 2008 9:28 am

I had to go the PM route so a post here is just a heads up for RAWA.

Ian Atrus · **Posted:** Fri Jul 11, 2008 11:11 am

Possibly dumb question - is there going to be a common library of items that the content makers can use for D'ni Ages/areas (like linking books, firemarbles, Nexus stands etc.)? Or will each Age maker group have to recreate their own?

Also, what about other sections of the underground outside the main cavern? Would it be acceptable to make a cave like the one found by Aitrus in BoT, or a node somewhere in the tunnel system, or an old mansion in Irrat (or another nearby cavern)?

Justintime9 · **Joined:** Tue Aug 08, 2006 10:40 pm **Posts:** 131

If we're not allowed to create relto pages, will we be allowed to create something that works as a relto page? (I.E clicking on a sculpture in a player created age, would make that sculpture appear in your relto)

Kerryth · **Posted:** Fri Jul 11, 2008 1:56 pm

Whoa! I haven't even finished reading RAWA's opening post yet, let alone the whole thread, but I just had to pipe up and say that this is a very exciting thing to wake up to this morning. That we're even talking about this! Out loud!

I feel like I've landed on the shores of a whole new continent.

Jennifer_P · **Posted:** Fri Jul 11, 2008 2:01 pm

Quote:

5 - Writers must not use the intellectual property of others.

A quick question on this...

Does this rule effectively mean, "Writers must not use the intellectual property of other under any circumstances, even if the holders of the intellectual property have licensed their property for commercial use by the public"?

There are, for example, many texture websites in which the textures themselves are still copyrighted by their creators, but the textures are nevertheless licensed to be used for commercial purposes by anyone. Here's a snippet from CGTextures that shows a pretty typical license agreement: http://www.cgtextures.com/

Quote:

Intellectual Property

All materials including the organization and presentation of these materials on the CGTextures website are the property of CGTextures or it's Contributors and are protected by intellectual property laws. Some images contain graphic materials like wallpaper patterns, logos, names or signs. The use of these kind of images is at your own discretion. The rights for the photo lie with CGTextures and the photo has been taken in a public space, but using the pattern/logo/name in your work might not be allowed.

Conditions of Use

Use of the Textures is only allowed under one or more of the following conditions:
- Private or commercial use
- Use in 2D or 3D computer graphics, movies and printed media
- Incorporation in computer games, 3D models
- Selling 3D models bundled with modified versions of the textures, when the texture is customized for the 3D model

These sorts of restrictions often apply to materials such as sounds, free models, etc., and many at the GoW have been relying on these sorts of licenses to create their Ages. Which means that so far the GoW has already used lots of "the intellectual property of others" in the strictest sense...but is this alright, as long as the intellectual property was licensed by the copyright holder to be used by the GoW? Does the wording of #5 really mean, "Writers must not use the intellectual property of others, unless they have permission."?

6. A Writer may not injure Cyan's canon or, through inaction, allow the canon to come to harm.
7. A Writer must obey orders given to them by the Guild of Maintainers and the Guild of Archivists, except where such orders would conflict with the Sixth Rule.
8. A Writer must protect their own existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the Sixth or Seventh Rule.

CrisGer · **Posted:** Fri Jul 11, 2008 2:26 pm

Modder's resources are very often shared in modding communities, and a standard of shared content creation. And many textures and other resources are also often shared in the same way very generously as a resource, I would hesitate over the word "commerical' for this is NOT going to be a "for financial gain" situation I deeply hope and pray. Great thread, much being proposed and shared, very exciting.

zander_nyrond · **Posted:** Fri Jul 11, 2008 2:39 pm

Justintime9 wrote:

If we're not allowed to create relto pages, will we be allowed to create something that works as a relto page? (I.E clicking on a sculpture in a player created age, would make that sculpture appear in your relto)

That would probably count as modifying Relto. I don't know for certain, though.

Chogon · **Joined:** Wed Aug 02, 2006 7:13 pm **Posts:** 1071

RAWA wrote:

SeanMc74 wrote:

I know the rules of writing state that you can’t change the descriptive book once you link to it, does that mean we will not be allowed to modify an age once it’s approved and incorporated into MORE? Does it have to be the final version before we can submit the age? Thanks for answering our questions RAWA.

This will likely be dependent on the Guilds doing the approvals. If you make changes to your Age, it will have to go through the approval process again.

It depends on what level of approval the creation was at (BTW, all the levels haven't been completely defined yet). For the FCAL (the initial license to just make something), you do not have to get re-approval for that when you make changes. If you creation was approved for general release (but not on the Cyan servers) then it would depend on how drastic the change was. And if your creation was approved to be on the Cyan servers then *all* changes will have to be approved (i.e. beta tested) before the changes can be updated on the server.

So, just like any kind of work, try to make all your big changes early and just refinements later but that is just MHO

Thanks,
Chogon

Chogon · **Joined:** Wed Aug 02, 2006 7:13 pm **Posts:** 1071

Erik wrote:

So will certain Cyan objects be available to make Ages seem 'part of the whole'?

(I've just realised this isn't really a story question, so if you can't answer it, so be it

)

Right, this is a broader question... we are not sure about that yet. Obviously we will have to consider making some objects available otherwise things like fan created emotes would not be impossible without having access to the avatar rigging.
Yet to be determined...

Thanks,
Chogon

Reelah · **Posted:** Fri Jul 11, 2008 5:05 pm

Oh wow, a ton of new information!

I'm so happy to see MORE alive

Thank you so much RAWA and Chogon for answering our relentless questions :wink:

TomahnaGuy · **Posted:** Fri Jul 11, 2008 5:22 pm

Wow, that's a lot of info. Thanks for th clarification guys.

A couple of questions:

1) You mentioned that we couldn't make our own Relto pages as they would be using "Yeesha's Powers" but will there, sooner or later , still b a process for us to create our own items?

2) What's the policy on finding something inside an already existing age - other than D'ni:-

For example: I write a link to a place in Minkata that hadn't been previously discovered. Would Cyan update that on the Minkata map or would that be overriding what you'd want to do?

3) Would it be possible to eventually open up the avatar rigging code to us?

TG

Gadren · **Joined:** Tue May 09, 2006 12:35 am **Posts:** 747

TomahnaGuy wrote:

1) You mentioned that we couldn't make our own Relto pages as they would be using "Yeesha's Powers" but will there, sooner or later , still b a process for us to create our own items?

Since adding Relto pages or some sort of collectible to Relto requires editing the Relto Age itself, I doubt that Cyan would let us do this. However, you could probably set up a system of collectibles for a fan-made Age.

TomahnaGuy wrote:

2) What's the policy on finding something inside an already existing age - other than D'ni:-

For example: I write a link to a place in Minkata that hadn't been previously discovered. Would Cyan update that on the Minkata map or would that be overriding what you'd want to do?

I'm pretty sure that would violate Rule #3: Writers must not reveal "new" information about characters, places, groups, etc. used by Cyan.

Guidelines for Official Story/Age Creation

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