theearth: (Default)
Save the Earth Mods ([personal profile] theearth) wrote2013-02-22 11:50 pm

FAQ

WHAT SORTS OF CHARACTERS ARE ALLOWED IN GAME?

Canon Characters:
Goes without saying, but published characters.

Canon Alternate Universe (AU) Characters:
The game allows characters that deviate from the mainstream canon, but only those that are also published. For example, the Marvel Comics canon has a large number of alternate universes. Any and all of them are appable, but player created AUs are not permitted.

AU Duplicates:
The game does not allow duplicate characters in the most direct sense- i.e. the exact same character twice. However if they are notably different to a version already in game, they may be allowed to be applied alongside their alternates. The difference must be sufficient to justify this. The general rule of thumb is that if material aspects (appearance, history, powers etc.) are left out of the equation their personalities are different enough they might not be recognised to be the same person. A character that is no different between two universes even if the worlds are altered could be applied, but not alongside another version they are identical to. If in doubt, ask before starting on an app.

Original Characters:
Original characters can be applied for, but in general will require more detail in their applications.

Game Setting Originals:
Characters from the game world and therefore a completely ordinary human can be applied. This may not seem appealing in early gameplay, but will become more relevant in later seasons. There will also be chances in the future for players to apply for members of the enemy's army.

HOW MANY CHARACTERS CAN I PLAY?

Each player is presently allowed five character slots. This may actually be more than five characters, due to Combo Apps.

WHAT ARE COMBO APPS?

The simple answer is that they are apps for multiple characters that will count as one towards your character count. More information is on this page.

CAN I USE POSTS OR THREADS FROM OTHER GAMES AS SAMPLES FOR MY APP?

Yes, but we may ask for an original sample if it is felt it is needed. It shouldn't be a big deal, as long as you pick an example you are confident in. Note too that at least one of the samples must feature the reincarnated character rather than their canon counterpart.

CAN I CANON UPDATE?

Considering the nature of the game, that'd be unnecessary.

CAN MY CHARACTER LEAVE THE CITY?

Technically, yes. There is nothing physically preventing any character from hopping the next bus out of town. However, in gameplay terms a couple things are likely to keep them there. First and foremost, their ordinary life is still there. They'd be abandoning their home, job and family. Secondly, during the first few seasons travelling too far from the city will cause the traveller to temporarily lose all their Echoes and any Echo related memories, meaning if the decision to leave was related to the game's plot they will promptly forget why they are so distant from the city and probably just come back home anyway.

YOU KEEP MENTIONING SEASONS, WHAT'S THAT ABOUT?

A season is the term here for a period in which the game setting remains relatively stable. Once the player characters achieve (or fail) certain goals or certain plot points are completed, the setting will be changed.

THE SETTING WILL CHANGE?

Yes, in reaction to player character actions and the plot's advancement. Currently there are no plans to reveal future seasons, but please be aware that the game will change a lot as time goes on. This is not an exaggeration.

BUT I LIKE THE CURRENT/PAST SETTING MORE!

Whenever a season ends a dressing room will open indefinitely with the same setting as that season. Not quite the same thing but likely this is the best we can do, we're afraid. All players past, present and future will be able to play in the DRs even if they drop from the main game.

DOES THE GAME HAVE A PLANNED ENDING?

Short answer: yes. Long answer: sort of? The game will end whenever the conflict that is the crux of the game is over, either with the enemy or the player characters succeeding in their goal. No previously confirmed ending exists; whether it's a good ending or a bad ending is up to the players. It may take a year or it may take five or more. What happens then will be decided by the players.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A CHARACTER DIES?

They're dead, barring player character interference; there is no game mechanic to return the dead to life, and if the same character is re-applied, they will be a completely new 'version.'

WHAT HAPPENS TO A CHARACTER WHEN I GO ON HIATUS?

They temporarily lose all their memories, abilities and items from Echo related occurrences and once again become a completely normal person. Attempts to remind them fail and they then even forget those attempts. By default they are completely out of the loop regarding gameplay, although players can make other arrangements if they wish.

WHAT HAPPENS TO A CHARACTER WHEN I DROP?

Assuming you don't kill them? The same as above, but permanently. If applied for by another player, it will be new version. If a former player reapplies, they can choose to regain all memories and Echoes or start from scratch.

CAN I APP A CHARACTER SOMEONE ELSE PLAYED BEFORE?

Yes. In this case, the character is assumed to be from a parallel universe with an extremely minor difference that doesn't otherwise affect any major events. The reincarnated character must also be different from the previously-played character, with a different name, history, etc.

MY CHARACTER HAS AN INHUMAN APPEARANCE, WHAT HAPPENS?

You have two choices. Have them start as a human who will transform into their inhuman form through Echoes or start as the closest terrestrial creature to their inhuman form and have their first Echo give them sentience (but speech is optional).

ANY LIMITS TO WHAT WE CAN GIVE OUR CHARACTERS IN THEIR REINCARNATED LIVES?

Not really, so long as you're reasonable. It's fine to make them extremely rich, so long as you don't make them the richest man in the world, for example. Some characters will have IC advantages over others, but that's all they are. IC advantages.

ANY POWER LIMITS?

Not in the traditional sense. It just happens that powers are recovered bit by bit.

WHAT ABOUT THE 4TH WALL?

Intact at present. For now please just don't bring it up that characters are from fiction which should rightfully exist in the game setting. It'll be subject to a player vote at a later date.

IS THIS EXTRA-DIMENSIONAL HORROR INSPIRED BY LOVECRAFT?

Nope. If anything it's more inspired by Earthbound.

MY CHARACTER RECEIVED THEIR FIRST ECHO A LONG TIME AGO, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR GAMEPLAY?

The network the characters use went live on April 1st, 2013. Any attempts to the number to connect to it before then simply didn't work and therefore its importance would likely be overlooked. At game start, a mysterious pink light in the sky reminded the characters of their number and a similar process, sans pink light, will awaken the number in the minds of characters when they join the game. This means that they can receive their Echo at any time, but be disconnected from the rest of players until the moment they join.

WHEN ARE EVENTS RUN?

Often, but chaotically. They will not occur at regular intervals to fit a routine. They will be no self resolving events. They will all require player involvement to end and may overlap with each other. Whenever an event is occurring a plotting post will go up to help OOC communication.


SEASON ONE SPECIFIC FAQ
WHAT'S DIFFERENT BETWEEN THIS EARTH AND NORMAL EARTH?

Only one noticeable difference so far, the existence of Locke City. The North American continent is a tiny bit bigger to fit it in.

CAN MY CHARACTER REVEAL THEIR SUPER NATURE TO THE PUBLIC?

Preferably not. The Season One dynamic is based around secrecy in the normal world, but there's no game mechanic to cause it. Characters will be pressured to remain in secret for their own safety by a number of in-character reasons brought about by plot circumstances. For that reason, please don't apply for characters that could not reasonably be persuaded to keep the secret. With permission, you'll be allowed to reveal the secret to a few ordinary citizens depending on circumstances. Additionally, they don't have to be particularly good at keeping the secret nor a willing participant.

WHAT NPCs CAN I USE?

Players have automatic right to use their character's direct relatives (siblings, parents, spouse etc) for any reasonable purpose. Similarly ordinary citizens can be used for anything reasonable, but people in positions of authority (politicians, military, police) require permission. If in doubt, ask.

WHAT ABOUT PLAYER PLOTS?

Outside of the guideline of keeping the secret and remaining IC, you basically have free rein to do as you wish. Particularly big stuff I'd appreciate being run by me first but otherwise I'm very open. Just be aware there may be consequences you didn't expect. I did say the setting will react based on player character actions, after all.

WHAT SORT OF EVENTS WILL RUN THIS SEASON?

The plots of season one will revolve around giving hints to the overarching plot that the players are already privy to by the characters are not. This will involve the enemy's forces trying to establish a foothold on Earth and the conflict beginning to escalate. Primarily they will be action and intrigue based, and relatively low profile in respect to how they effect the public. There will also be plots in relation to character actions.


We are currently approaching the END OF SEASON ONE.

If you are a potential new or considering player, please read up on what can be expected in the change in seasons here before you make plans on when and how to enter the game!

Reservations will remain OPEN until February 16th.
Applications for Season One will remain OPEN until February 23rd.
earnedmystripes: (Default)

[personal profile] earnedmystripes 2013-04-11 12:40 am (UTC)(link)
asking on behalf of a friend! can first echoes for characters just apping in be from a few months ago?

i think someone asked something similar before but just to be sure.
theguindo: (RARITY - let me think about this)

[personal profile] theguindo 2013-04-11 02:02 am (UTC)(link)
Is Locke City located in any specific state? My reason for asking is regarding differences in state laws, specifically:

- Is it a state where same-sex marriage has been legalized?

- The scope of practice for different levels of nursing license vary from state to state. (Such as whether an LPN is allowed to start an IV or if it needs to be done by a supervising RN.) I'm considering apping a nurse, so I'd like to know which set of laws I should be drawing from, or if I should just handwave it and assume the scope of practice is whatever works best for me (within reason)?
formermagicalgirl: (Default)

[personal profile] formermagicalgirl 2013-04-11 04:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Have a few questions for a character I'm considering apping later on

1. Is it all right if a canon character is from a canon that is mostly in Japanese still? It's a game series, has currently 5 games, my character is in 3 of them and of those only one game is localized so far. I know enough Japanese to understand the plot for the non-localized parts that apply and can provide a very detailed history section.

2. If the character has some sort of a power that actually does affect the personality, is it all right if we go with the personality the character had at another time for their reincarnation? This particular character has a curse with the drawback of a major personality shift. To make things more simple for me in writing a background for his reincarnation (and also so he's a bit more emotionally stable than in canon until getting some more echoes, in canon he's highly depressed and bordering towards suicidal), I was thinking of going with a less naive version of him 10 years before the canon started. I have canon basis for what he was like at that time via flashback scenes and a side manga about him, but want to play him at his canon age of about 27. Would this be all right to do?
ebi: (Default)

[personal profile] ebi 2013-04-11 08:25 pm (UTC)(link)
If we wanted to say, app a character who has a canon AU where they grow up in a normal life, would it be kosher to use a tweaked version of it for the reincarnation history? Or would it have to be changed significantly in case of somebody wanting to apping from that AU?

An example would be like, somebody apping a character from Gurren Lagann's anime but taking from Gurren Gakuen Hen for the reincarnation history.

I hope this makes sense.
lastalian: (℥ fell from your heart)

[personal profile] lastalian 2013-04-15 02:16 am (UTC)(link)
how similar does a character's human reincarnation have to be to their original form?

specifically, Lambda here is an ages-old creature from the core of a planet, and only has a human appearance when possessing a body of some sort. His true form is an amorphous ball of energy, so I think it's pretty safe to say he's sexless as well. Would it be okay to app him in a female human form?

[personal profile] hisou 2013-04-16 12:31 am (UTC)(link)
I have a quick question: Does the reincarnated character have to start in Locke City, or can their first echo sort of summon them there? My headcanon for this guy is that he's the wanderer/traveler sort.
threadspell: (Default)

[personal profile] threadspell 2013-04-16 03:46 am (UTC)(link)
A few questions regarding the numbers!

1. When on the network, are the numbers of other characters visible at all?

2. I know that another character's number can be used to PM them, but what happens if a character disconnects from the network, and then tries to use that other number? (Sandry is essentially going to try and see if she can find out whether other people can use their numbers by testing it out this way)
comparative_insanity: (Take this waltz)

[personal profile] comparative_insanity 2013-04-16 08:00 am (UTC)(link)
...soooo, item/creature echoes. Can they be of something that was destroyed/killed before their owner/whatever in canon?
littlelion: (Default)

[personal profile] littlelion 2013-04-16 10:39 pm (UTC)(link)
Just a question on the app! It states:

"Any differences: Remember that only a normal human appearance will be acceptable"

By normal what do you mean? Tyrion here was born with Achondroplasia (dwarfism) so I just wanted to make sure he'd still be a dwarf, as it's a pretty important part of his character.

Thanks! :)

[personal profile] gisaeng 2013-04-17 07:36 am (UTC)(link)
I have a question about OCs. Do you want fully original world based OCs, or are fandom OCs without any links to major canon characters also okay?
formermagicalgirl: (Default)

[personal profile] formermagicalgirl 2013-04-18 01:37 am (UTC)(link)
Have a question that came up via a thread. Does the university maintain any sort of a directory on how to contact students available either to the public or to students with a login? Mostly just wondering if students want to find a way to get a hold of each other, and also if that is something that should be a security concern.
seabeast: (Default)

[personal profile] seabeast 2013-04-19 06:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Ok, Romsca is illiterate and will be until Lyall gets a move on getting her literate. However, I'm pretty sure that makes her unable to access the network at all until she understands the arabic number system. However, she does understand the concept of numbers - she can make tallies and differentiate the difference between 20 apples and 21 apples, and so on, so I don't think she'd have any trouble using the numbers in alternative ways.

If/when she gets a marking tool she can use reliably, would she be able to use tallies instead of arabic numbers? So, instead of (5 - 2 - 6 - 4), could she put that down as (||||| - || - |||||| - ||||)? Alternatively, if she had access to a computer with an open browser window, could she use the same method to get to the network? I don't know if it'd have to be tallymarks either, would something like (ccccc - dd - eeeeee - ffff) work?

Also, I'm assuming that the numbers themselves would have to be made in a more or less semipermanent form? Like, if you were at a riverbank and wanted to use the water as a medium, you'd have to scratch the numbers into the sand or write it on a piece of paper and float it in the water or something? What if you have nothing like that to work with, and you're working with, like... a puddle at the side of a road? I'm arguing against the topic and asking if you could like... tap out your numbers in morse code against the street or something. Since there's no way for the numbers to catch onto anything physical, as it were, I'd suspect that'd only get you a second's glimpse at the network, if anything at all.
toshinebrighter: (ring my bell)

[personal profile] toshinebrighter 2013-04-19 11:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Potential apper-in with a question here:

My character's canon (a video game) has a built-in what-if-AU storyline, the one-sentence summary being that the story didn't end where it did canonically, but progressed and went into a Bad End, culminating with the final death of the character I wish to app in. Would it be acceptable to app the character with this history/background, as while it is AU and not the "real" ending, it is an AU created and promulgated by the original game creators?
reckless_fire: (Default)

[personal profile] reckless_fire 2013-04-23 12:16 am (UTC)(link)
Silly question, but...I know Locke City is somewhere on the east coast, but is it right on the coast or a bit inland? Basically, I'm wanting to know if there's a beach.

I told you it was a silly question.
iaijutsu: (Default)

[personal profile] iaijutsu 2013-04-26 02:53 am (UTC)(link)
There's a character I'm considering, but because of the way their powers work, I just wanted to check if getting them back was even viable before I let myself think too hard about this.

The canon is Ar Tonelico, if that helps, but if none of the mods are familiar - song magic works because the people who can use it have a link to these three towers around the world and are kind of channeling power from them. It's not like the user is their own power source. They create the form of the magic themselves, but they have to get the energy to actually make it real from the towers. Thus, I'm wondering about the viability of regaining those powers in a setting where the towers don't exist, since being unable to get back any of their powers would mean I'd probably just be better off apping something else entirely.

What I was wondering if it would be possible to do is to assume they just draw off the earth itself or something, even maybe spending one of their Echoes to establish the same kind of link to the planet that they had back home to the towers, before they could use their magic. (And then each spell/song would be an Echo in itself, but without spending one to link themselves to a power source, the songs are just songs - but I'd assume the link Echo would be a one time thing that would affect all their past and future Echoes.) Would that be an acceptable way of making their powers work without the towers needing to be present?

(Alternately, if there's a different way you think would be better to handle this, I'm flexible! This is just the simplest thing I was able to think up myself.)
misgives: (# CAN YOU NOT EAT CANDY FOR TWO SECONDS)

[personal profile] misgives 2013-04-29 05:46 am (UTC)(link)
Hello! I just had a question about the logistics of demons from Blue Exorcist as applied to the game's setting!

Basically, in Blue Exorcists demons are invisible to normal humans. The only way for a normal human to see a demon is for them to first suffer what the canon calls a 'spirit wound.' This essentially entails being attacked/wounded by a demon in some way, which in turn leaves a permanent stain on that person's soul. Only then can that person see demons, but once it happens they can see any and all demons.

My question is, would the general population of the game be able to see these demons like normal creatures, or would canon law hold? I'm hoping to get one or two little minion demons back for Amaimon eventually, and this would be very useful to know.

Thank you for your time!
mythril: (Tiger Girls)

[personal profile] mythril 2013-04-29 03:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Hello! Thiiis might be a stupid question and hopefully I didn't miss something obvious, but how many changes is mandatory for a canon work character's background and personality ? Would it be okay to keep the personality intact as well with similar event history/background + nuances depending on changes rather than making large changes to the personality?

Also, since the characters would be remembering more of their past selves eventually, would they be eventually be expected to act more like their canon source or not?

More character-specific, but if your character is high-impact or high-profile in his own version of earth, is it alright to keep that element of their character? For the record, I think I'd be fine rerolling the die with my potential character's socioeconomic class and background, but I just wanted to explore options. :)

For reference, I'm considering apping Tony Stark (Iron Man), and a lot of his surface personality actually does stem from being well... a billionaire-quasi-celebrity lifestyle. Which also helps feed his science habit at least.
Edited 2013-04-29 15:47 (UTC)
doalim: (and the freeways sigh)

[personal profile] doalim 2013-05-03 12:56 am (UTC)(link)
Yet another...Echo question...in terms of items, it says "as long as it belonged to them". How flexible is this? Does an item that they got on temporary loan from someone else count? (temporary in this specific case being several months.)
wordsgate: Smiling, his eyes scrunched up in amusement. (♪ Deserved that)

[personal profile] wordsgate 2013-05-03 01:02 am (UTC)(link)
[personal profile] doalim's question made me remember this thing that I've been wondering about--for Echoes, can characters get back items that were stolen from someone else, too? If it was something they had for a while and claimed ownership of?

Also, would they be able to get as physical Echoes, uh...say...a body part they sort of took from someone else and grafted onto themselves?

And if said body part gave them personality changes and powers that they wouldn't naturally have on their own, could they get echoes from that, too?

(Just in case you'd want to look it up to get the context of whatever I'm going for, I've been considering apping Joshua Christopher from Chrono Crusade. I'm mostly asking about him having Chrono's horns for the bulk of the manga, although he also steals a gun from his sister at one point and uses it as his own weapon, too.)
espigeonage: (ѦSomeone to steal me)

[personal profile] espigeonage 2013-05-03 03:53 am (UTC)(link)
Numbers question! I decided Julien's network number is one that, translated
phone-style into letters, is "pain is part of me", something important to Yuuya - though without the context Jules would think it's just an emo thing.

It's fun as an injoke, but is it possible to have a network number like that which can get ICly translated?
wastingtime: 30 Seconds to Mars - "From Yesterday" (Default)

[personal profile] wastingtime 2013-05-03 07:23 pm (UTC)(link)
So, you can access the Network through almost any device, almost any manner- does that include morse code?

The specific example(s) I have in mind is tapping on a surface and getting taps back (well, feeling them - unless the surface is reflective and could portray visual that way), OR using a radio device and either getting dits/audio back.
sacrifice_everything: (Smile ★ These hands are meant to hold)

[personal profile] sacrifice_everything 2013-05-05 02:58 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm not sure if anyone's asked this already, but what's the deal with animals that don't have a number system or any ability to write? Like, Bluestar is sentient enough to communicate and, since her canon treats meowing as a language, could gain the ability to speak. But can she get into the network without any means to write the numbers down? Can she meow the numbers, clump specific numbers of objects (toys, food, etc) together to make them, or magically type them on her human's computer? Or would she just have to rely on other people accessing the network for her?
memoryreprieved: (Default)

[personal profile] memoryreprieved 2013-05-07 08:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Just a few questions regarding activity.

First off, when you say "four threads of moderate length", what is your definition of "moderate"? That's something pretty subjective. Does that mean they all have to be around the same length? Or can the length of each thread vary (like five comments from your character in one and fifteen in another etcetc.)?

Another matter I was curious about is how many plots are planned per month? I understand that this is a plot-heavy game from what I've been reading, but say there's only one major plot per month and a player happens to not be interested in getting involved in that one for whatever the reason. Are they required to play it out anyway?
Edited (Rewording. Hurp durp.) 2013-05-07 20:11 (UTC)
chatty_swan: (...)

[personal profile] chatty_swan 2013-05-07 08:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Canon Characters:
Goes without saying, but published characters.

Canon Alternate Universe (AU) Characters:
The game allows characters that deviate from the mainstream canon, but only those that are also published. For example, the Marvel Comics canon has a large number of alternate universes. Any and all of them are appable, but player created AUs are not permitted.


I have questions regarding those two.

Does "published characters" mean that they have shown up in print/movies/etc, or that they are from a canon that has shown up in print/etc? Like, for example, there have been published comics of the webcomic Scandinavia and the World which has a character called sister Sweden in it, but the only appearances of sister Sweden in print have to my knowledge only been on official postcards/posters so far. In a similar line, Floweregg from Hetalia has shown up in print, but the only instance of her being able to speak and thus show personality beyond that of an ordinary dog happened in an event that to my knowledge hasn't been printed/animated yet.

Secondly, what about AUs of canons that exist in print, but the AU has only been published online with very little details? For example Sweden from the Hetalia-canon-AU Nyotalia (basically a gender-and-sex-switched Hetalia with partly different personalities), who has an official and moderately detailed design, but unlike some other Nyotalia characters received no comic appearances or profile descriptions.

tl;dr do webcomics count, do they count when parts of them have also been published in print/etc or do only the published-in-print parts count, and how much canon does a canon AU need to be appable?

I apologize if this has been answered elsewhere.
seriallylucky: (family)

[personal profile] seriallylucky 2013-05-07 10:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Some questions about Thunder Corporation, which may be relevant to an app that's building itself in the back of my head:

1) What does Thunder do? Or at least, what do they encourage the public to think they do?

2) Do they have ordinary people working for them? People who aren't in on the secret, who think whatever front there is is all there is to Thunder? People who might, in some cases, be reincarnates?

2a) If a reincarnate is working for Thunder, is there likelihood of them being found out once they start getting Echoes? If so, what action is likely to be taken?

3) How long have they been in business?

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