Post by Admin on Sept 10, 2013 1:36:12 GMT
Can I use a Base or commission someone to draw my character?
In the past the answer was exclusively no, and you still cannot use someone else's art unless you got it from the Premade Avatars or commissioned it for your character. The use of art commissions is allowed as long as you can provide a link to the original artists work so we can verify the artwork is in fact your original character. We do not allow the use of celebrity, model, athlete, etc to avoid copyright images.
Though you do not have to, we still encourage you to use your own art even if you use bases and stock images, whether it be a drawing or photomanipulation. (Yes, photomanipulation is now an acceptable form of art for your Lodan characters, YAY!!!)
Please note: all photomanipulations must give proper credits to the stock/photo resources, whether used as avatars or submitted to the community graphics forum as group related art. This includes manips acquired through Premade Avatars. The stock resources will be listed on the forum with the image. If you are using a manip for your avatar, we ask that you please put your stock credits in your signature. --see my profile signature for example
What hasn't changed is that we will never judge applications by art style. We judge applications based on depth of character, details of character development, etc.
Are you accepting applications?
YES! As of Monday, 10-7-2013, we are open for new members! So please feel free to create an account and apply to your guild of choice!
Member limit?
To begin with there will be 10 members (members meaning primary character accounts) per guild, up to the first 50 members. Once there are ten characters per guild, we will eliminate the member limit. If you aren't sure which guilds still need members, check the guild banks - which also double as guild rosters. Primary character accounts are marked with a * at the start of their name.
What are AWOL Guild Members in the guild banks?
When a member has been offline for 2 months or more - and they didn't leave a notice in the "checkout line", then they are moved under AWOL in the guild banks. Inactive players under AWOL do not count against the member limit even though they are not removed from their guild.
I was not accepted, why?
We want a variety of different characters with varied backstories, not a group full of female orphaned half-breeds, etc. So if we decline your app, we will tell you why; and provide guidance to getting accepted which may involve changing quite a bit of your OC or perhaps making a new one.
How many characters can I have?
As of 1-26-2014 you are allowed up to alt 5 characters so long as you follow the Alt Account guidelines. You may also have npcs that are related to your character in some way (Doesn't have to be family relation, could be a teacher, boss, neighbor etc.) Although you do not need to create a profile for your NPCs you do have the option, provided that they meet the criteria for npcs in the Extra Account Guide. Just be sure to select "NPC" from the Guild drop down tab on the edit profile page, personal tab. Then view Profile and select "Groups" Tab (after friends). Scroll down, check NPC and that's all there is to it!
If I'm an Ander, can I get a human to make the weapon for me, and me still able to use it?
Technology has a habit of breaking in Andersweltler hands...or being defunct or malfunctioning. You could get someone to build it for you, but then it would be ineffective most of the time. It's like technology has this allergy or aversion to anders, and it won't function right for them. Characters are welcome to try and cross that threshold, but it will be in vain (fun perhaps, but in vain nonetheless).
I want to kill my current Character, can I have a new one?/Can I change guilds?
You are welcome to kill your character whenever you like, just please remember the only way to fully resurrect the dead is with magical Healing V, and it has to be very recently after death to work. In case the timeframe for Healing V cannot be met, partial revival can be achieved through Necromancy; however to regularly rp as a necromancied/undead person your character necessarily must rely on someone else who casts Necromancy to summon/maintain their body on a daily basis.
If you would like to change guilds, make sure to contact both the leader of the guild you wish to move to, and the leader of the guild you wish to move from. If there aren't any reasons for denying the move (for ex: one guild is at its 10 member capacity and cannot accept a new character yet), both will be responsible for getting you swapped in the guild banks. All EPM and skills you have earned will transfer with you.
What is Europium?
Europium (EPM) is a type of currency that members can earn from participating in events, contributing art to the Community Graphics forum, or submitting written stories to the appropiate tab. It is not the same as in-game currency (for example, if your character is a noble, they will have plenty of in-game EPM to splurge); it is a type of point system out-of-character (OOC) for purchasing new skills for your character. One exception to the rule, you cannot earn EPM for a graphic you had commissioned by someone else.
How do I earn EPM to upgrade my skills?
There are many ways EMP is earned: through in-game RP, RP related artwork, filling out memes, Lodan fan-fictions, producing animations (2D & 3D), activity tracking (Gears, referrals, and through Monthly Spotlights.
-Threads that are marked with this are RP events that earn EMP for participation. How much you earn will be decided after the thread is officially closed. Examples of RP events are Epics, Mini-Epics, and Guild Games. Examples: Epic Events are like the Post-Century War. Mini-Epics are like the Queen's Garden Party. Guild Games are competitions to see which guild finishes a challenge first! Guild games can be relays, scavenger hunts, puzzles, trivia etc.
-For each gear you get on your profile (excluding the first at registration) you will receive 5EMP points, rewarding your activity on the forum. Your number of posts determines when the gears pop up; the first being free at zero posts. The numbers for the rest of the gears are as follows: Second gear comes at 75 posts, third gear at 250, fourth at 500, the fifth at 1000, etc. You can see how close or not you are to receiving your next Gear by checking the Gear Meter that appears above your badges in each of your posts.
-General artwork done for the group will be evaluated at your guild leaders discretion to determine whether or not to reward EPM - NOT based on skill, but based on effort (ex: sketch vs. flat colors vs. fully shaded). Those submissions (i.e. RP event related Art, Lodan's memes, animations, etc) are automatically worth a set amount of EPM. The scale determining value can be found Here and is kept consistent by the Admins. Of note: your Avatar does not count for EPM unless it is put on the "Deviantart Application" MEME. Likewise prompts, fanfics and canon stories are graded on a preset scale, though the amounts are flexible and regarded based on a range of points.
-There is a place to submit written stories (Lodan fanfictions in the Fanfiction area of the forum, and challenge prompts in the Periodic Prompts area). These options offer players the chance to share their headcanons with the rest of the community, bend and break some of the rules of the Lodan-universe that they otherwise cannot do in regular threads, and to adopt some of the other players characters for a bit of fun. There's also a section of canon stories, to allow players to tell and describe moments that actually happened to their characters, be it sometime off-screen that was never rped in an actual forum thread or that is being told from a different perspective. The Admin team may reward these posts with EMP if they meet the outline requirements in the Earning EPM Guide.
-Monthly Spotlights (Member and Character of the Month) are rewarded with a feature on the right sidebar for a month and receive an EMP award for being outstanding.
What if I still have questions?
Double check the Introductory forum to see if you may have overlooked the answer to your question. If that doesn't help, send a message to a member of the admin team. To find an admin member, you can either check the Groups tab on the characters profile, or contact a Guild Leader. All Guild Leaders are Admin members.
One more for the road:
What are Clockwork Dolls, and how do I get one?
Clockwork dolls are *Always* NPC's. These are highly technical and extremely expensive personal aids for the upper crust of Lodan society. Generally favored by humans, since Anders tend to avoid anything involving this many mechanics, clockwork dolls can serve a variety of purposes. Some are used as personal valets, others as chambermaids, and even kitchen staff. Despite how expensive they are, Clockwork dolls have a short operational life expectancy and getting one fixed is nearly as pricey as replacing it entirely.
Most families, even the wealthy ones, cannot afford more than one Clockwork doll, so often times they find ways to work around the kinks and quirks of a broken doll than pay to fix, replace, or scrap it entirely. For the proud owner of a clockwork doll, it pays to know someone in the Merchants District who makes a handy mechanic and is willing to cut a repair deal for a friend. A compendium of Clockwork History can be found HERE.
To possess a clockwork doll, one must either be an Upper Class citizen, or have connections with someone who either repairs them, or is wealthy enough to spare you one. Clockwork Dolls and Skills: In order for a clockwork doll to possess skills other than domestic utility (meaning skills on the skills trees other than magic) these skills must be purchased separately just for the doll being "programmed" to perform that skill. The owner can not pass on or share their own skills with their doll.
*NEW* You can now also get a clockwork doll by possessing the "Clockwork Robotics Rank V" skill. Visit the Technology skill tree to learn about the details.
image by Mrakobulka