La newsletter de A Tale in the Desert vient d'arriver dans les boîtes mails de tous ceux qui s'intéressent à ce MMORPG sans combats. Outre le fait qu'une septième discipline est annoncée (les disciplines sont les domaine de compétence), la Pensée, qu'on obtient en créant une "échelle de Set" que les autres joueurs jugeront en y jouant, c'est surtout le contact direct avec les joueurs qui est apprécié. On y trouve donc le rapport du grand repas qui a rassemblé une centaine de joueurs et les développeurs de eGenesis pendant l'E3, et surtout l'annonce pour dimanche d'un évènement in-game, un "microphone chat", qui permettra au président de la société de discuter avec les joueurs de vive voix sur le thème "l'excellence sans jouer suivant les règles", une magnifique preuve que les développeurs sont décidés à écouter les joueurs et à discuter avec eux.
Everyone,
Well, I and the rest of the eGenesis crew had a great time at the E3
Expo in Los Angeles last week. Getting to meet everyone at dinner was the
highlight of the trip. It was amazing how everyone's RL personality was so
much like their in-game character. By the end of the night we were all
identifying "Hazelnut Raspberry Lavender" in the wine. I know that *my*
gastronomy score went up by at *least* 5 pounds, er, points.
Anyway, I'm writing to announce the long-awaited opening of Egypt's
seventh Discipline, the Discipline of Thought. To initiate into Thought,
you must pass the Test of Set's Ladder.
A Set's Ladder is a mechanical gambling device, almost like a giant slot
machine where you get to invent the rules. Your goal is to design a Set's
Ladder which is popular. When you first build your Ladder, it will show
popularity 0. When someone plays your Ladder, the popularity will rise,
usually to 3 or 4. That same person can play additional games, but the
increase in popularity won't be as much as if many *different* people play
your Ladder. Once your Ladder reaches popularity 100, you can claim your
rights as an initiate of Thought, and give/sell/loan your rigged Pyramid
to someone else.
We're going to have an event – a "Microphone Chat" – on Sunday afternoon:
Sunday, 5/25/2003 from 4:00PM EST (GMT-0500) until about 6:00PM
The theme is "excellence in not playing by the rules." I want to
interview people who have found their own quirky niche in the game,
outside the normal set of goals that the game provides. For instance,
there's one player in Sinai who has a collection of over 50 Roses of Ra,
and probably knows more about Rose of Ra genetics than anyone else in the
game. Another player made it a goal to build nothing more than some brick
racks and then trade for everything else. I think that anyone who is
making a serious effort to start their own currency, or open a casino, or
open an insurance company (yes, someone really did this. Never heard what
became of it.) – they would all be perfect for this chat. And if
participating helps you to publicize your own pet project, that's even
better.
If you think you have an interesting story to tell, use the
"Special/Game Master/Call a Developer" menu option any time during the
event. All of Egypt is invited to tune in by typing "/join enn" – this
will open a chat window where you can listen in.
Next newsletter: The Test of the Demi-Pharaoh.
Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow...
On the Nile,
Teppy (Pharaoh)
Josh (Nekhmet)
James (AmenRa)
Dave (Orpheus)
Geoff (GeoffTut)
Ricardo (Potiphar)
Ed (EdTut)
Joe (SickJoe)
Samara
Brian