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bria
Member
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2008 05:53
Reply
Why are we rebelling against Wedge, he hasn't done anything. 
Yet.
In fact, why are we already talking about rebellion when we only just started this new thing? Or haven't even started it properly except in word? Is that the spirit of this community? 
...if it is, it explains why I'm here. Carry on.
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fat_man
Member
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2008 05:57
Reply
*enters hand on blaster*
*wearing a dark robe which covers up my clothing and a wizards hat*
*i meditate and aly in waiting to cast rebellion spells*
See i'm in character i'm rebelling against wedge the former simming master.
And yes the blaster is a homage to Brio.
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ajcardall
Member
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2008 06:31
Reply
*also lays hands on Asim's blaster*
*casts spell of sexy +3*
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bria
Member
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2008 06:45
Reply
 An homage to me? Wow! *swoons etc*
...lord, I was innocent. "Does that make me a geek?" etc.
But seriously. I like the ideas of entry and exit lines being thrown about, I think it'd be cool to maybe make them a bit more random or something.
Keep the red text for those who get "special entry line" now, like, to set them apart. But maybe we can mix up the normal entry lines a little? Just a thought.
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sg8472
Member
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2008 06:57 · Edited by: sg8472
Reply
Yes, I like the idea of [s]warnings[/s] chat entry tag-lines. Just imagine... *cue the weird wavy visual effects and dreamy music*
When Andrew enters, "Warning: For indoor or outdoor use only." or, for Asim, " Safe to use around pets and children, although it is not recommended that either be permitted to drink from toilet." or, for Majin's pajamas, "Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly." or, for Iain's jigsaw puzzle, "500-piece puzzle: Some assembly required."
I think I've gone off topic.
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bria
Member
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2008 07:25
Reply
Or, for Shane's mind, "Lost Property, please return to owner as soon as he unwinds himself from the coat rack".
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ajcardall
Member
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2008 07:29
Reply
*LOL* I love mine
Now I do think Svenja's should be "Handle with Caution"
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polson
Member
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2008 07:34
Reply
I can't think of anything witty for myself.
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sg8472
Member
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2008 07:41
Reply
For Polson "Beware! To touch Polson results in instant death. Anyone found doing so will be prosecuted."
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sg8472
Member
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2008 07:42
Reply
PS. I love mine. I have no reason to argue with such a sound assessment. Well done, Svenja.
"Remember, objects in the mirror are actually behind you"
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fat_man
Member
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2008 07:48
Reply
i'm not safe to use infront of pets or children.
=(
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sg8472
Member
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2008 08:33
Reply
Alright then.... Asim's warning shall be "Not meant as substitute for human companionship."
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bria
Member
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2008 09:24
Reply
I am liking these ideas.
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polson
Member
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2008 10:46
Reply
Actually I just thought of one for me.
"Do not eat the Sandwich Polson sitting on the bar at whatevertimeithappenstobe"
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darth_balco
Member
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2008 11:25
Reply
Quoting: shakeycat I like how these changes are allowing us to dream again, as a team I call it the Dream Team. It's all part of the new thing! Everybody dance!!
Sweet! Which Dream Team though? The original with Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, etc? If so, I'm calling shotgun on Michael Jordan!
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majin_fett
Member
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2008 11:28
Reply
I'll be John Stockton!
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wedge
Member
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2008 13:29 · Edited by: wedge
Reply
Ahem,
Friends, comrades, patriots: It is with great reluctance that I have agreed
to this calling. I love democracy... I love the Outpost.
I am mild by nature, and I do not desire to see the
destruction of democracy. The power you give me I will lay
down when this crisis has abated, I promise you. And as my
first act with this new authority, I will create a grand
army of the Republic to counter the increasing threats of
the separatists.
Per Order of:
The Office of The Emperor, Wedge Antilles.
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polson
Member
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2008 13:37
Reply
Friends, comrades, patriots: I don't know what he's talking about either. Therefore I believe we should all break for cake!
As per order of Polson, who has recently redocrated the The Emperor's office with My Little Pony.
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demonvamp
Member
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2008 15:12
Reply
*steals the cake*
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majin_fett
Member
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2008 17:27
Reply
Can I just web Wedge to the wall of his [s]insane asylum cell[/s] office?
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shaker
Member
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2008 20:39
Reply
Good day.
Looking over all that has been written and all that has been done, I find myself reflecting back over the years at where OTF was, where it has moved to, and where it is now. I find myself torn, honestly, at the changes that are taking place; complete restructure, change from what we're used to, uncertainty at exactly where this will take us.
At the same time, however, I find myself quite relieved. Sonata put it quite bluntly when he stated that the reason he left the Outpost was the politics. Online or offline, it's there, and when you're a lowly CL1/2 getting the hang of the site, figuring out what all the buttons mean, with your jaw on the floor about the ever-elusive "spycam" and "armoury", you don't really see it. It's not until you start getting into the area of "management" that you start seeing it, hearing it, and for some believing it.
With regards to the chats and downsizing them, that's something that a number of us, myself included, have mentioned a number of times. It's good to see that is becoming a reality, and with the variable chattop based on affiliation, it puts the icing on the cake. As far as Departments go, I've got mixed feelings there. Will it bring about a lack of organization, or allow for more directed organization; will it get things done quicker and with less micro-managing, or will it result in more micro-managing but from a different viewpoint? Even so, it will do wonders for the duplicity and overlapping, and hopefully help the "trickle down effect" of the decisions made that much easier.
Believe it or not folks, but this consolidation and "fixing" will take more than just those of the EC writing it down and stating "This shall be done". It's going to take a concerted effort from each and every one of us, to be patient, to be attentive, and to be helpful. I've said it in the past, and I'll say it again: Put forth constructive criticisms, ideas and suggestions, don't lambast things that go wrong (and past experience and common sense tells us that no good deed goes unpunished  ). None of us are perfect (well, save myself, Tex, and Dmitri... and a few others... Hi Amanda )... Seriously though, we all have something to bring to the table, and I hope that with this will come good leadership, better fellowship, and excellent opportunities for us all to make a positive difference in the Outpost that we've all come to love over the years.
There's a number of questions still left to be answered I'm sure, but one thing's for certain: the decision to finally sit down, get out the explosives and battering rams, pens and pencils and tablesaws, and start getting back to the basics is definately one thing that I'm eager to see and as ecstatic as a Jack Russell on crack about.
Shaker
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jpicard
Member
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2008 22:14 · Edited by: jpicard
Reply
Hello!
Well one can only imagine my surprise when I did one of my regular checkups to see what the latest news was at OTF since I'd left and discovered that there had been major personnel changes and talk of a v3!
I've looked over all of the changes that have been made and those proposed. I think most of these changes are or have the potential to be really good things.
I didn't know OTF before we had MT, D'D, etc, making it hard for me to comment on how it compares to the way things used to be, but I can say I think at least going to 2-3 will be a good idea. The only catch being that those rooms are (or at least were) used for different events (trivia, etc), in order to have people who want to chat in one place, and those who want to participate in another. Perhaps consolidating all the rooms past CC into one event room of some sort? Just a thought. Either way, I think this is definitely positive.
As for departments, I was around at what I perceive to be the end of the departmental "golden age," as it were. We had enough activity and participation to make the system we have now work. It's undeniable that OTF simply doesn't have that anymore, causing serious inefficiencies. I held every position in a department between team member and AM2, so I know the kinds of problems the system creates. TLs and AMs don't have the kind of clearance to do routine things without the SM there, and things of that nature. This downsizing/consolidation I think will solve many of those problems.
It's impossible to please everyone. Daecrist, Iain, Andrew Maxwell, and others are trying to do what is the most efficient for the most people. That's what progress is. Without said progress, many parts of OTF will become stagnant. Keep in mind that no changes made are permanent. Some of the changes made will need to be altered slightly, that's a given. You can't make major changes and expect to get it right on the first try. Iain can, with merely a wave of his hand/magic wand/beating club, do what is needed to make things work as well as possible. Patience is always a virtue.
While I decided more than a year ago that my I simply didn't have enough time anymore to devote to the Outpost, I do check on the hustle and bustle on a regular basis, and I'm very excited to see how this turns out. Outpost has a special place in my heart as well, and I would love to see it flourish again.
So with that, I bid you all adieu.
Owen/JP/Hey you with the shoes!
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buck_murray
Member
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# Posted: 21 Jan 2008 08:46
Reply
I just have to say. It is wonderful to hear back from Sonata, we go way back to '97 and have always respected the guy. And it is good to hear his words on the subject, they are all correct in my mind. This place does need the change and I agree a lot of what has happened within the Outpost has driven a lot of the old-timers away. I as well wish Andrew and Iain the best of luck.
Take out the CCC, MT, and Rotarran... Re-design the Departments into smaller teams focusing on certain projects... if Maxwell, Andrew and Iain believe it will work and it's for the best.. you know what? It probably is.
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jj
Member
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# Posted: 21 Jan 2008 09:32 · Edited by: jj
Reply
Quoting: wedge Friends, comrades, patriots: It is with great reluctance that I have agreed to this calling. I love democracy... I love the Outpost. I am mild by nature, and I do not desire to see the destruction of democracy. The power you give me I will lay down when this crisis has abated, I promise you. And as my first act with this new authority, I will create a grand army of the Republic to counter the increasing threats of the separatists. Per Order of: The Office of The Emperor, Wedge Antilles.
That's nice Wedge, dear. Just relax, take a few deep breaths, it's going to be okay... the nice men in white coats are coming shortly and if you behave they will give you presents! Possibly something shiny or a special white coat of your own.
*pats Wedge on the head and gives him a cookie*
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amandasp
Member
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# Posted: 21 Jan 2008 11:38
Reply
Quoting: shaker None of us are perfect (well, save myself, Tex, and Dmitri... and a few others... Hi Amanda
I knew he couldn't make a post without at least mentioning my name. If we aren't really related, I'd be surprised, because it sure feels like a brother that I can't get rid of like Iain's spam.  I mean... the spam I get... you know... goes in the junk folder. Shaker loves me. He knows he does.
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jedimkypd
Member
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# Posted: 22 Jan 2008 11:53 · Edited by: jedimkypd
Reply
I really don't know what to say on this topic...only that I noticed 2 words, and those are "cake" and "cookie"
-KypD
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kaela_donos
Member
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# Posted: 7 Feb 2008 02:40 · Edited by: kaela_donos
Reply
Before I begin I would like to thank Hal for opening this up for comment and I also want to stress that I am writing this to express my honest opinion on the topic of chat consolidation and to foster continued discussion on the future of this wonderful community.
It is ill-advised to only have one room and it would be permanently detrimental to Outpost10f.
By radical diminishing the number of chat rooms you will decrees patronage and undermine the Outpost’s uniqueness. I am not arguing that all of the rooms should be kept, this would be a continued miss use of resources, but I do believe that it is very unwise to remove all but one.
The plan initially appears positive, it would funnel every one to one central room. On the surface it appears that this would consolidate chatters and rase numbers but it will not. Having one room will interfere with trivia, simming, and it will make it so people can not ovoid conflict. It will also would be a bad PR move because it will give the false appearance that OTF is not a large community.
Trivia, is a long standing main stay of OTF, is one of the cornerstones of the Outpost and it contributes to the uniqueness of the Outpost. Simming is also a unique feature of our community and helps make it inviting. If someone comes in who was wanting just to chat and they find that the only room occupied by, say a trivia event then what? They leave the Outpost. If they are new to the room, this might be permanently. OTF needs options. To get rid of all the rooms is to remove peoples options. It is unwise to stop having trivia or simming because people might leave because they still attract many others. With only one room it is an either/or, but if you have more then one room you can keep both groups!
Overflow has been a popular means in which a secondary chat room has been filled. There has often been times where people will start out talking in the larger, more crowded room, and after talking in the large room they will have found it difficult to communicate because of the busy environment. In the past they have moved to a quieter chat room within the Outpost. Patrons who do this often do not have an IM service up or do not desire to have an IM service up. If you do not have an overflow chat room they will find an alternative chat room away from OTF. This will cause them to have less loyalty to our community. By taking away the secondary room you are also taking away a service that they have come to expect OTF to provide and again, you will loose patrons.
Another point is, that by having more than one room you can help to avoid conflict. There have been occasions were an chatter will be annoying many other patrons in a room. They will not be violating the rules but they will be talking about subject that others do not care to talk about. Having more then one chat room gives the patrons who do not want to talk to this individual a chance to leave the room but not the outpost. If they do not want to leave the outpost but they do not have other options they may start an argument with the person that is annoying them and brake chat rules, and cause even more disruption.
By implementing this plan unchanged we are losing a major draw to Outpost10f and undermining aspects of it’s growth. You limit the options of chatters as well as alienate potential new members of OTF. If you only have one room you make Outpost10f significantly less desirable and less unique.
There are ways that you can still optimism occupancy that are less dramatic. By changing the format of the personal roster I think you can highlight what is full, rather then what is empty. You can eliminate a few of the rooms that are not used and you can make some of the other proposed enhancements. There are many viable solutions but eliminating all but one chat room is not one of them.
The core of the Outpost is the chat and the chat itself needs to be dynamic, able to adapt to many different needs as well as user-friendly and fun to come back to. By keeping or creating a few key rooms for people to go into you are keeping the features that are most important to Outpost10f.
Thank you for reading
- Elysia
Kaela L. Donos
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stoth
Member
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# Posted: 7 Feb 2008 05:03
Reply
Ok, since everyone else has had their 2 bob's worth, I'd like to give mine.
For those that dont know me, my name is Sean. I've been coming to Outpost10f on and off since the middle part of 1999. Though not an original member, I have seen the rise and rise (and occassional fall) of some very impressive people at OTF. I remember some people that no one else can, and have made some friendships here that have truely changed me. This includes my current partner whom I met here years ago before meeting in real life and falling desperatly in love with.
Now what this has to do with the current topic may seem vague, but please bear with me for a moment.
I have seen all the politics of OTF, and I've seen changes come and be tried and fade away (can you say Counselling). And I've seen the chat rooms where due to the number restrictions you couldnt get into Tenforward or CCC.
I love this place with passion that I cannot discribe properly.
So believe me when I say that about 5 months ago I decided that due to the direction I saw OTF heading I had to leave here. I've made that decision before, but this time it was going to be permanent.
We needed change, and we needed it bad. We needed to cut the dead weight and, not start again, but have a new begining. Think of a Phoenix.
I would love to applaude HAL and Iain for giving otf a possible rebirth. But I wonder about only having a single chat room.
I can truely see both sides of the coin here - Come to OTF during the night Australian time. It looks shocking having 5 rooms (plus 7 offices I might add) completly empty. How is that a good look? It looks like roman ruins, possibly complete with a spycam ghost or 2.
But the other side of the coin is that when trivia, or sims or other special events (Aniversary celebrations) are on, what options do we have? Be silent and out of the way? I dont think that will work.
Do we need 5 rooms? No way on planet earth (or the mighty cosmos either).
Do we need multi theme rooms like we do now? Again, probably not.
What we need is to have an option on how we chat at OTF, and from there incorperate the chatters into the wider comunity.
How this is best achieved I have a few ideas, but I will not be yelling them at the top of my lungs as I have too much respect for the people giving otf a chance.
As for the departments, I say yay - may they never come back in the form they were.
Bravo to Iain and HAL for giving OTF a chance, and now whats best is to support the outpost is put up or shut up.
Either chat here, support otf by bringing people here, by trying to be positive, or dont.
Either way, heres to the Outpost10f Phoenix, and to those guiding her.
I for one support you all the way.
The Not so official OTF Chef
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stoth
Member
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# Posted: 7 Feb 2008 05:04
Reply
Also, I didnt realise that was so long, sorry - you may go back to your lives now
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kaela_donos
Member
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# Posted: 7 Feb 2008 12:04 · Edited by: kaela_donos
Reply
This is not a direct comment on any one idea, but rather I a comment on the way things are planed and implemented.
This comment is not meant to undermine what I have already said, it is merely a critique of other aspect of the system, which you are seeking to change, and that needs improvement.
I still have many other comments on how things could be improved, as do allot of other people. These comments take time to write and present. I am writing this to insure that we will all have time to make these comments.
I hope that all these changes haven’t already been set into motion. (I see some of them have been) and we are still given an opportunity to put in input. It has been a tradition here that once major changes have been publicly announced that they do not deviate, or at lest deviate very little, from what was purposed to what is enacted. Many problems that were pointed out in the forum threads latter became came realty. These problems that were mentioned in the forums could have been addressed if they were taken care of in planning phases. In V2 there was also talk of changes taken place soon after things were set into place, these changes never took place. I am not saying that it was poorly done, I am saying there were pitfalls and improvements that could have been made if different methods were used.
You say that our voices count, but yet all to often in the past the forms threads have been treated as a formality rather then as an honest open dialog with the member of the community at large. Many people are not commenting because they feel once these changes have been announced they are inevitable, these people could have valuable options that are not being heard.
I know things have been changing, I was pleased to see that you have outlined plans and proposals for us, and I want to thank you for that. That is a positive step towards making this place better. And I hope you are intending to take these comments in Ernest and that there is still plenty of time for edit and input.
If this is not the case then I urge you to break this detrimental tradition and give some of the more radical changes an opportunity to be re thought and recalculated many times before implementation. You ask for our options, please make this a starting step not a formality as you finish. I did not intend this to be taken as an attack or an insult and it should not have been taken as such.
My goal in writing this was that this came out to be an open and honest critique. If I were to have butter this up or not have said anything it would have been a disservice to the community.
I did not set out to make this a long post, but this is imported so I wanted to be make sure I said all the most relevant parts.
Again, Thank you for taking this time to read this
-Elysia
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