Chatrealms IC Forum Help

Chat Help: Chatrealms is a map-based system which means that you can click hot links on the main realm map in the Member's Forum to access individual chat rooms within the realm. Each chat room is called a region or shire and has a local map. The idea is simple; when you click the main map hot link a new window opens which displays a framed chat room containing all the links and features you might expect from a regular chat system.

The chat window is divided in to sub-windows. On opening you will see a Logon screen in the lower-left window where you must enter both an alias name and password to gain access. To the right of the Logon window you will find control buttons which change as you progress with your Logon. After entering your alias details and clicking the Enter button the right window buttons change and include one which says [CHAT]. Clicking chat will open the full chat window and you will see your alias has entered by reading the post thread in the upper-left window. You will also note that the thread window losses its view of the region at this point and the view is transferred to the upper-right window. At the same time the Logon form will be replaced with a Posting form.

The top field of the posting form is where you type in what you have to say and clicking the [POST] button will process the entry and add it to the thread in the upper-left window. Below the posting field you see a table of drop-menus and a message field which returns exclusive information to you and error reports when you do something wrong. On the first menu you find most of the keywords that can be used in this chat system and, for the most part, are easy to understand. Keywords always start with a forward slash like, "/think" or "/move". You can type keywords or select them which automatically places them in the posting field for you. If you use a keyword then it must go in first before you add anything else. Keywords have many functions and some require you to add precise functions after the keyword (see Basic Keywords and Extended Keywords for detailed information and help).

After the keyword menu you find a font color selection which changes the text color when you post your quoted comments. These quoted comments are the things you are saying as apposed to things you are doing. ie, action comments which always appear in cream color font. Next comes font style and again the style you choose always applies to quoted comments. So you can tell the difference between quoted and action comments you will find the word "says" separates the Alias_Name from the comment on the chat thread while actions are separated by a colon.

The next menu allows you to choose between standard "post" or "para" where para changes the posting field to a two level text box which is useful for typing long messages. All long messages are split by the system which posts the first 250 characters and terminates with "~C~". The rest of the post is returned to the posting field and can be used by clicking [POST] again, modified or discarded.

The remaining menus list the alias names currently chatting in the room and you will find that each name ends with an "@" divider. This divider means "at" and if an alias has moved to one of the 16 named areas of the local map then the area name will be shown after the "@" sign. The last menu on the bottom line lists each of the named areas and any one of these may be selected when moving (See EXTENDED KEYWORDS link above). Finally you see the personal message field which displays error messages and other information as you chat. No one else can see what is displayed in your personal message box.

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ICM POSTING HELP: View and post to the region message boards. The boards are organized so that message posts are displayed in local blocks for each region. When an alias posts to a board it goes to the region in which the character is located. Use the Alias Editor to change the alias location if you wish to post in a particular region. When a character moves an ARRIVE post also gets posted automatically to the Events board (see EVENTS link). Generally, players can use the boards, which are viewable both in chat rooms and the forum, to push along story lines and keep permanent records of events.

This text editor offers an expanded message feature (EXP MODE) which sends the first 180 characters to the ICM board in plain white/arial text. It sends the start of the message but it also sends the full post which is viewed by clicking the displayed posting on the board. So you can send short or long posts where long posts are contained in the background of the displayed posting. You can, in fact, type a long post with color fonts, etc. There is also the STD MODE (standard mode) in which the full-size posts are displayed as they are. As the EXP MODE is dependant upon the user viewing with Internet Explorer then STD MODE is all that is available to users with browsers such as Firefox and Netscape. These browsers also prevent the use of the message editor unfortunately so the only answer is to view with IE.

RULES: You may enter up to 1000 characters, including HTML tags (see Tag list below). However, there are important issues to remember - This is a simple editor and designed to display your message in a special way. When entering text maintain a continuous flow, inserting Tags where they are needed. DO NOT force line breaks or paragraphs with Returns. Use the tag to force a paragraph. To force a line break use the tag. Errors may cause the editor to return you back to the edit page with your message and an ERROR note both in red below the Input box. If errors occur then correct the problem and try again. Errors could refer to Tag issues or Flow issues. The Tag issue is explained above but the Flow issue refers to the flow of the text which generally means closing up offending text and avoiding extra spaces than are needed, especially at the start of the message. In any event the editor will display an error-free message for inspection prior to you clicking the ACCEPT button.

If you wish to post a short message for quickness then enter up to 180 characters with no Tags and click POST. The message will go straight to the ICM board without review or an EXPAND link.

TAGS: Tags take the form seen in the list below. You may enter any from the list by typing them in but where a tag is shown to have a termination tag. ie, the same tag character/s preceded by a "/" then end the comment with the terminator. Example; to force italics begin the comment with the tag and end it with the tag. The editor does actually offer a set of buttons to enter the tags for you.

To generate font styles and colors pay special attention to the method. You have a number of choices and text styles and colors are limited to the "Action" and "Quote" menus above. Anything to be quoted such as your alias speaking will appear in the Quote style and color you have selected in all cases throughout the message provided you use the <Q> and </Q> tags to surround the comment. Outside of the Quote tags your comments will be edited as Action comments and will be displayed in the message in the Action text style and color selected on the menus.

TAG LIST:
 force a paragraph.
 force a new line.
 and use italics and end use of.
<Q> and </Q> use quote (selected text style and color with inserted quotes) and end quote.
 and use bold and end use of.

ADDING POST: Existing posts can be added to by selecting the post number from the drop-menu. There is a limit of 3 additions and, regardless of what you set your background, text styles and colors to, the editor will only accept your quote fonts. The background and action fonts will follow the original post settings. In the case of the originator of the post everything will follow the original settings.

AVATARS: The avatar is added to original posts only at the start of the text if the check box is ticked. The avatar used is, at present, the image matching the alias' title and, if not set, then the default Moon avatar is used.

NAMES: Original posts do not carry the alias name because the message window opens just below the board posting under title and name. However, additions to a posting carry the alias name of the author unless the author is the originator who has the option to include their name or leave it out.

POST SIZE: Short messages under 180 letters/spaces do not open in a window but are seen without fonts and colors on the main board. Short posts can be added to existing window postings provided the post number is selected. Original posts which are long enough to open in a window can be up to 1000 letters and spaces. This includes additions.

MOVEMENT: Adding a move post to the boards by this editor is invalid! Moves must be added by the Move link in the Members Editor for aliases. Valid movement posts always display as an ARRIVE post on the destination board.

VALIDATION: This board is for IC(In Character) messages which may contain both action and quotation commentary in any mixture. Additions to a post are just as valid as the original post and this is totally subject to the manager's rules and judgments. OOC (Out Of Character) comments are strictly forbidden and invalid as far as playing is concerned.

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IC Knowledge: The basic means of IC communication in the realms is the ICM Forum board which doubles as both a means of sending messages to other aliases and as a form of IC role play. IC communication takes the form of Headings which can be added to the start of a post. These include "CHRONICLE", "LETTER" and "DECREE", and serve to direct information to particular aliases or to all aliases. Your alias can only claim to know something if it can be proved they would know it. This principle is very important and, if breached, could lead to invalid actions which may be critical in some situations. The principle is "IC knowledge".

It is true the ICM board can be read by anyone and this is deliberate and meant to prove to everyone an alias might know something because the record can be checked but the IC knowledge principle controls what is actually known regardless of what can be read. This principle also applies to chat room activity. For Example, It is valid to know what is happening in a region only when your alias is located their on profile regardless of what may be read on a chat room scroll where s/he has entered. In contrast, all aliases will know what is published to the ICM Forum board if the message is headed "CHRONICLE" and published by the ruler or their Herald (Herald also = Scribe). Chronicles published by any other title are invalid. Thus, a CHRONICLE post to the ICM may not be added to and is good for the date of posting only. It may only carry general news items and no messages to other aliases. And it must NOT contain any form of IC action. So publishers should only Chronicle those things their alias knows and wishes others to know too. A chronicle post is therefore, public knowledge.

A message on the ICM Forum headed "LETTER" and noted that it has gone by pigeon, etc, can be sent to any alias within another region for their eyes only. The message must have the exact name of the one who may read it to be valid and it is then invalid for any other alias to claim they read it or know something it contains because they read it. A letter or missive message can be useful to Generals and Captains to send for help and give new orders when a unit is away on location. A letter may also be sent to a Herald or Ruler who could then publish a CHRONICLE with information from the LETTER, which then becomes public knowledge but the LETTER must be sent first and the CHRONICLE should not appear until the next day. WARNING! Messages headed "LETTER" or Missive, etc without the name of the alias it is intended for become IC knowledge to any alias who role plays the act of interception and gives details of the letter they have seen.

A message on the ICM Forum headed "DECREE" and noted that it is such-n-such law becomes the law of those regions which the ruler owns. The new law then becomes statute after 7 days. The law must clearly state what it is about and what the penalty is. The ruler can also make up to three amendments to the law but must be added to the same post number the entry must start with the present date. Again, amendments are not valid until 7 days after posting. Chatrealms will uphold all laws made in this way. If the penalty for breaking the law is a fine then the ruler or Judge can ask the manager to deduct the fine from the offending alias' profile account. If the law is imprisonment than the manager can block the alias' movement functions. If the penalty is death then the manager can delete the alias. However, the manager will only take these actions on request provided a trial before a local Judge has taken place in a chat room and the law it relates to does exist as a Decree on the ICM (a scroll may be called for).

In the posting editor you can use the quote tags and nest the bold tags within for the heading which must be upper-case.

IC ROLE PLAY: You can also use the ICM Forum board to role play which is useful when people can not be online at the same time. The same rules apply as in chat; actions must be headed with a colon and speaking within quotes. To conduct any form of combat only TB (Turn Based) style posts are allowed so you can post your attack but must wait for the response post before posting again. If you acknowledge an attack by responding, even once, then you are committed to seeing the Event out to it's end! If you engage and fail to respond with an action by the end of the day then your opponent can claim an auto-kill. However, that does not mean you can not post at all. You can but you must take care not to mention knowing about an opponent, refereeing to them by way of avoidance or taking any evasive action. Acknowledgement means you have responded to the opponent messages in some way however small.

You can mix your chat room role play with messages to the ICM Forum board too. You may post an ICM message referring to laying traps in a particular area of the chat region or setting up obstacles then, when you enter chat and come into conflict with an opponent, you can refer to your ICM posts as part of your chat room role play. It is up to your opponent to check the message board to be aware of what you have been doing. If they don't then they risk falling foul of what would have been found there. You are fully valid but must not refer to anything you have not done and it is important to clearly state the local area in which your ICM role play took place - the region is always known anyway. What would be invalid is to role play in one area on the ICM then enter a different area in chat and make reference to the ICM messages. It is now a rule that ICM role play must contain an area header or reference to an area within the chat dialogue to be valid. In general, IC role play on the message boards is known to those within the region (on profile) at the actual time of the post. Entering the region a day later and claiming to know what is in a role play message from the day before would be invalid.

What you can't do is use keywords on the ICM Forum boards. Keywords are reserved for the chat room system only.

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Events: The Chatrealms message board system has a message board which records events as they happen. This is a read-only board and the posts originate from functions in the system editors which aliases use to exercise their privileges. The main function is to record movements for anyone to check. An alias can go to any chat room and play but the rule is they must be in the chat room according to their profile for their actions and comments to be valid. Others may want to find proof that an alias is in the chat room location before they engage with your alias in role play and they will do this by checking in any of three places. The profile carries the alias location in its set of side links and any recent movement is also recoded to the MOVEMENT header of the profile. Additionally, all proper movements are recorded to the Events Forum board.

The Events board also records when a new division of an army is formed as well as the formation of it's units, their movements and some activities. Similarly, the formation of Naval Fleets, their crew units and their movements will be recorded. In both cases special events may be recorded like the commissioning of a new ship after it has been built or even the sinking of one. Attacks on castles may be recorded too, siege or its capture. Rulers may grant Charters to gain resources and make objects by aliases and these will be recorded as well together with such things as the building of properties and ships.

Event posts are automatic and not posted directly by aliases but they can add short messages in some cases but only to add extra information. Event messages are NOT IC Knowledge! They exist as proof of action only so may not be refereed to in a chat room to claim something the messages contains is known by the alias. The alias must always look to the ICM Forum message board to gain IC Knowledge. The Events board and profile movement information is for OOC proof information only.

To further clarify things consider this; A captain takes his unit into another region not owned by his ruler. The Events board and profile record this for all to see but this is not a reason for any IC claim that the intruding captain has trespassed upon another rulers land. However, as soon as the captain enters the chat room for the region and begins to post actions then the ruler can claim to know the intruder is present provided the ruler is actually in his own region on profile of course (he could be informed by others who are though). As well as this, if the captain posts role play actions to the local ICM board then the ruler and those in the region can claim to know the intruder is present. Similarly, no one can claim they know how many npc troops or weapons the intruder has even though this is published on several Forum boards and profiles but, again, should the captain enter the chat region or post role play to the local ICM board then those within the region can claim to know the captain's strength simply by saying they have seen the trespassers.

The example above can now be interpreted across many situations and the principle of IC Knowledge is maintained. Events and profile movement information is not the same as Chat interaction and ICM Forum role play. You can know of one for proof but can speak of the other and react to it.

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Profiles: Depending upon the alias status, management links displayed under the "Management" header will open one or more pages to edit functions particular to status. Rulers control their realm and regions. Military and Naval titles control the defence of the realm and the economic life of the realm is the preserve of the Nobility.

Objects: Objects/weapons in possession means they are actually to hand or on person. Other Objects which are stored are NOT in possession so their use is invalid. You must take objects you want to use back into possession and possibly put others in store to maintain limits. The limit is 5 objects in possession.

Objects can be any of the officially listed items used in role play. There are many things that are needed and Chatrealms lists them under classes of object. ie, Single objects such as swords, shields, etc which can be owned by aliases must be in possession, as noted above, to be used in role play. Any item in possession will appear on profile for all to see so be sure you fight with valid weapons!

Other objects can be stored at Castles and these are not classed as in possession because they do not appear on profile. However, whatever is stored can be brought into use by using the Castle editor to recover them. Your alias must be located in the region in which the Castle stands to use its editor.

A horse is classed as a single object (see notes on single and multi objects). If your alias owns a horse and includes it in the possession list then it offers a special advantage when changing location. Without a horse your alias can only move one region per day (real time), while if they own a horse then movement is twice a day (see notes in LOCATION editor via main Alias editor).

Property: Property can exist in the form of Castles, etc, and any status above plain Citizen or Slave may own them. If a property is owned by your alias then its management link will appear under the Management header. From the link you can store objects at a property, gold and open and close the gate (chat room). More functions for property are planned including uploading a floor plan map and configuring areas to form rooms and other parts of the property. Property also has a defence value based on building and maintenance which counts if an army should attack the castle to gain control of it. If an enemy ever did take the Castle then they would gain all its contents as well.

Shipping: Ships take the form of three classes, Man-O-war, Friget and Merchantman. All ships are managed and operated by the titles of Admiral and Sea_Captain. However, unlike Armies which remain under the control of a ruler, ships may also be owned by Nobility. In particular, Merchantmen class ships used for carrying cargo. Man-O-war class remain under the control of a ruler but Friget class can be owned by Nobility but not built by them. Its not available yet but Nobility or mutinous Sea_Captains will, in the future, be able to take control of a Friget class for piracy.

Army: To start the process of forming a Division a one-off link appears for a General within the region. All Generals have this link in the region but loose it once one of the Generals creates a Division. Thus, only one General is needed for each region because only one Division can be created. Up to 10 Army_Captains are needed for the Units of the Division and these must be citizens of the region too.

1. The General forms a Division from a one-off link found in the Editor for His/her name.
2. The General forms the Units of the Division once it has been formed.
3. The Ruler supplies Objects/Weapons to the General who then Assigns them to Units (not the captain).
4. The General Assigns Troops to the Units which come from the region.
5. The General must be the one to Move a Unit by one region per day real time.
6. A Division is under the command of a General but a Ruler can change the General.
7. A Ruler can take back weapons from the General if they are not Assigned to Units.
8. A Captain can also command his Unit independently in role play but can not move the Unit or supply it.
9. A Captain can build up points by using the keyword "/train" in chat and role playing a training event until the points are returned by AI.

There is no limit to the number of Generals so the ruler can change the General of a Division at any time they wish. Using the edit links under the Management header the General can form up to ten units and add NPC troops, Supplies and weapons, change captains and move units around. Army_Captains role play the unit events such as training and fighting in times of war but they remain dependant upon the General for movement and supply.

Navy: Fleets are formed by Admirals which are similar to Army Divisions in that they are made up of 10 units which are described as crews for ships. Any number of Admirals may exist in a region but only one Fleet may exist provided the region has a coastline or river to open sea. Once a Fleet has been formed all other local Admirals will loose the option. Once a Fleet is formed the Admiral controls it, adds crews, supplies and moves crews around including boarding them on ships but the ruler can change the Admiral at any time. Sea_Captains role play the unit events such as training and fighting in times of war. However, unlike armies, Admirals do more than move crews, they also set a course for ships under their command and the voyage is controlled by the system automatically. New ships are supplied by the ruler who engages the Charter holder of Ship Builder to construct each ship. The ship is then transferred by the ruler to the fleet. Ships have no cannon. These are supplies to the crew units who train for their use and, when boarded to a particular ship, can use them in an engagement under certain situations. In general though, cannon are fired automatically under the Admirals instructions. This is an automatic process generated by the system. Ships lost at sea cause the deletion of the ship, its crew, cargo, objects and Sea_Captain.

Ruler: Status is conferred by Title which needs to be given in order to activate certain trades and military options. Charters may then be granted to those with titles such as "Lord". ie, Nobility. Then, as Charter holders, they may engage in trade, mining and land produce. Collectively, all production is classed as Resources which may be turned into Property, Objects, Weapons and Ships. Thus, you need to grant Tiles, and then Charters, to develop your realm. To build an army you must first grant the title of General. Only a General can form an Army Division so a character has to be raised in status to that of General first by the Ruler. Only one Division can exist per region but it may be divided in to as many as 10 Units with up to 200 troops assigned to each. Weapons may then be bought by the ruler and given to the General of the Division who Assigns them to Units. When the General forms a Unit S/he must choose an Army_Captain to head the Unit. Troops are Assigned from the local region.

Nobility: This can be any title other than the low titles of Slave or Citizen. High level titles like King, Queen or higher are also excluded from the Nobility list. Nobles enjoy the economic features of the system and this works through a system of Charters granted by Rulers. Top levels Charters include all Land and mine resources and the output from these is dependent upon either or both slave workers and NPC workers from the region. An automatic process delivers output of resources three times a month based on the worker levels. These resources may then be sold to second level charter holders who make objects such as weapons. The second level of Charters include a number of trades including weapons makers, horse traders and iron smiths, etc. They buy resources and sell objects of their trade. The third level of Charter currently includes a ship builder, stone mason and store Trader. As the name suggests, the ship builder must role play the act of building a ship and find the resources requires. Similarly, a stone mason must role play the act of building a castle, etc and find the resources required. The Store Trader is different. They buy objects and can list them on the region's store front Forum which any alias can buy from regardless of the local realm they belong to.

Profiles provide basic information about an alias but none of it should be treated as IC Knowledge persay. A News item can be IC Knowledge if your alias is in the same chat region but general information is just that. It lays proof of something that one does not necessarily know IC but can be refereed to in the case of OOC disputes (see Events section). The sure way to know something is to read the ICM Forum board or enter a chat region and look to see if the aliases is role playing where your alias happens to be. You can then claim to know something about them but take care not to over step the mark. IC Knowledge is a serious matter and can lead to heated OOC arguments.

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IC Movement: The system used in Chatrealms is known as "Real-time Simulation" which means role playing events are controlled by the system. Each alias has a Location on their profile which can be any region within the play world of their citizenship. This location is where the alias is at and can be checked by other aliases in the event of a dispute.

How does this affect your alias? Well, you can enter any chat room and role play as usual but if you mean to get into a fight or do something nasty like blowing up a castle or something then such actions can only be valid if your profile confirms you where/are at the region. You will also find other things don't work for you if you are not at the location. Some keywords wont work and, if you try to post to the ICM message board for the region that wont work either - you message will still get posted but it will go to the board for your profile location which may not be the region in which you are chatting.

To change location or move you must open the Alias editor for your character and find the "LOCATION" link which states where your alias currently is at. Click the link and, at the bottom of the page, find the movement window and change location. Your alias will then be moved to the region where you want them to be and their actions will become valid as well as finding that those unworkable keywords now function together with your ICM posts going to the region's message board properly.

The system allows one movement per day to any region bordering your current location provided an exit permission is available on that border. For aliases that own a valid horse or wagon (recorded on profile in the Objects owned section) can make two moves per day so they could cover two regions from the present location. This rule applies to most aliases but those with high life force may be permitted to move to any region once per day. Such un-natural movements apply in different ways to different types of characters. Fae, Mythical and Animal with high life force may be able to "Fly" and Undead, Mortal and Changeling may be able to "Walk" the astral planes. If your alias is eligible then the options will be found in the Movement edit window.

The reasoning behind the movement system is designed to meet the rules of real-time simulation where, just as in real life, you can't just happen upon some place - you have to travel which takes time! Other chat systems leave all this to imagination and the scope for cheating is wide which leads to heated OOC arguments that floods the room and spoils the role play for everyone. Here in Chatrealms this can be avoided and those who play here soon grasp the logic and play within its rules knowing it is a fair system that greatly improves their role playing experience.

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Basic keywords: All keywords in chat begin with a forward slash like so, "/me" and a list is available on the posting form at the first drop-menu on the second line down. Some keywords have basic functions like turning your post into a thought if you post /think or turning your post into an action if you post /me. However, each of the basic keywords which include "/think", "/shout", "/call", "/me" and "/com" also have short cuts so if you avoid posting with "/me" and start your post with a colon ":" then this has the same effect as /me. It takes your comments and posts them to the chat thread as the act of doing something as apposed to saying something.

For example, you may want to post "visits and smiles" after you enter the chat room so you are posting an action and can post with either the keyword "/me " or simply start with a colon...

With keyword...

/me visits and smiles

or with a colon..

: visits and smiles

In either case your post will appear on the chat thread like this...

Title Alias_Name : visits and smiles

If you leave out the keyword or its shortcut then the post will appear on the chat thread like this...

Title Alias_Name says, visits and smiles

Here you see the word "says" in white font which makes it clear that the Alias is speaking rather than doing something and the font style an color are those which you have set from the other drop-menus. In other words the system differentiates between 'speaking' and 'doing' according to the keyword or shortcut used at the start of a post.

The case above is an IC (In Character) example but you may want to speak OOC (Out Of Character). For this you use a different shortcut, a semi-colon ";" which changes your post as follows...

using a semi-colon..

; visits and smiles

The post will appear on the chat thread like this...

Title Alias_Name (says, visits and smiles )

There is no keyword for OOC posting - you always use a semi-colon. But there are other basic keywords with shortcuts. See "/think" next...

With keyword...

/think visits and smiles

or with a # sign..

# visits and smiles

A "/think" post uses your color and font and will appear on the chat thread like this...

Title Alias_Name thinks, oO( visits and smiles )

And next there is "/call"...

With keyword...

/call visits and smiles

or with a % sign..

% visits and smiles

A "/call" post uses your color and font in bold for emphasis and will appear on the chat thread like this...

Title Alias_Name calls, visits and smiles

And then there is "/shout"...

With keyword...

/shout visits and smiles

or with a ! sign..

! visits and smiles

A "/shout" post uses your color and font in bold upper-case for emphasis and exclamation. It appears on the chat thread like this...

Title Alias_Name shouts, VISITS AND SMILES!

Of all the basic keywords the most helpful is "/com". Com means combination, where the keyword needs a function to follow as a separator between action words and spoken words. In effect, /com combines the /me keyword with a straight forward spoken comment. /com at the start of a post, or its shortcut + sign, must always be followed by and action post which must end with an * sign. After the asterisk you can then add your spoken words which will appear on the thread in quotes. See the example "walks in the room and says hello everyone" next...

With keyword...

/com walks in the room and says * hello everyone

or with a + sign..

+ walks in the room and says * hello everyone

A "/com" post uses the standard cream "action" color for the "doing" part and your color and font for the "spoken" part. The full post will appear on the chat thread like this...

Title Alias_Name : walks in the room and says "hello everyone"

Keywords are more sensitive than shortcuts and the typist should take care to make sure all words have just a single space between them. Shortcuts make it quicker to post and do not fail if too many spaces are added in the post. One other thing to remember is that keywords/shortcuts are not designed to work with para, or long posts but can be used provided you remember to add the shortcut when the over spill of the long post is returned to the posting field.

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Extended Keywords: Unlike the basic keywords there is another set which carry out complex functions and can update the databases in real-time. The simplest of these is a keyword that, when used correctly, will allow an alias to give gold from their profile account to another alias provided both are in the same chat room, and that means both are at the same location on profile too. The keyword is "/give $".

The "/give $" is a keyword that has a function rather than doing something basic like arranging how a post is shown on the chat thread. The function relates to the "$" dollar sign and what follows it. In this case a value is required and a name to whom the sum will be given in the form "/give $123 Alias_Name". Careful attention must be paid to the construction of the post so, after selecting "/give $" from the drop-menu a value is added right after the $ sign without any space. A whole number must be used from 1 to 999. One space exactly should then separate the value from the alias name which must also be typed exactly as registered including any upper-case capitals and underscores where the name has more than one part. The alias name is the one who gets the gold. Example...

Enter...

/give $123 Alias_Name

The system will then process the post and, if there are no mistakes and the your alias does have the sum being given, then a return post will appear on the chat thread like this...

Title Alias_Name : has given Alias_Name $123 in gold

A quick check of the alias profiles will confirm the gold has been transferred. However, a number of things can go wrong which might include, but is not limited to, badly formed posting, not enough gold in account or the alias receiving the gold is either not in the chat room or not officially in the chat room according to their profile. In any event the system will post a report or error message to the typist's personal message box in the chat room. Quite often you may just see some remark posted for your alias like "dithers" or "looks forgetful" on the thread when some error arises while an error report appears on the personal message box. This way only you will know what went wrong rather than the whole chat room.

Some keywords are restricted to use only when two aliases are in the same area of the chat region. Areas are the places you see on the local map. Within the chat room a drop-menu lists all the areas from the map and aliases can move to any of them using the keyword "/move". As this is a function keyword, once again, you need to understand how the function is constructed and typed to the posting field. From the keywords menu select "/move" then either type the exact name of the area you want to move to or, better still, select an area from the menu below the keywords menu. The area menu will place the name in the posting box for you and you need then only click the POST button or press enter.

The system will then check the validity of the post and all being well it will return a post to the chat thread to say your alias is moving to the named area. But the system requires this same post to be made three times and each event will see your alias getting closer until they arrive on the third post. With each post a report message in your personal message box will keep you informed of progress. On the final post you will find you have arrived and, looking at the room list menu you will see your alias name appears with a @ followed by the area to prove you are there to everyone (see also IC Movement). Local area movements are limited to three arrivals per day real-time on foot and five if a horse or wagon is owned.

Its a very simple function and easy to do but remember that each /move post must be made three times if you don't own a horse or wagon and twice if you do before an arrival can be achieved. See next example...

Enter...

/move Scarlet Mountain

Each of the following return posts follows the alias progress...

Title Alias_Name : has turned towards Scarlet Mountain -

Title Alias_Name : heads to Scarlet Mountain on foot -

Title Alias_Name : has arrived at Scarlet Mountain -

When both your alias and the alias with which you need to interact with has arrived then any of the keywords that require this condition will now work. This function also tells the processing system that your alias is in a given area. If the area has a castle icon on the local map then this icon becomes a link to the castle chat room. Note, you can, if you wish, add comments and actions after the area name in your posts and these will be added to the chat thread as well. But the keyword and area name must come first.

Assuming your alias has moved to an area you will see that, provided you don't change location via the Alias editor, you can move around other chat rooms but the system will still remember the area the alias was at in their profile location. It will make no difference if you move to other areas in other chat rooms. These will be forgotten when you leave but your home location area will not.

Once you understand how to move to an area and also how to give gold away then you are ready to start giving resources away too and, if your alias has a craft charter, may even make and sell weapons and other objects using additional keyword functions.

Lets assume your alias is a land Owner. The alias must move to the area they own which came with the charter and when another alias, say one who has a weapons craft charter, also moves to the area, your alias will be able to use the keyword function "/give #". Notice the similarity with "/give $" you used to give gold away? The hash "#" sign denotes resource so you add a value after # and this value will be the amount of resources in land out put your alias is about to give away. In order for the processor to know what resource to give away you must type in "land" or "mine" after the value then either select an alias name from the menu list or type one in. The post should look like this...

Enter...

/give #50 land Alias_Name

If there are no mistakes and the post proves valid then the chat thread should look like this...

Title Alias_Name : sells #50 in land forest resources to Alias_Name, the Weapons Maker.

Things can go wrong if, for example, one of the aliases is not actually at the region on profile or not in the right area. You may try to give too much to the alias (the limit is #50 without a horse or wagon and #200 with a horse and #500 with a wagon). Note; It is important to remember that areas and alias names have exact spelling including upper-case capitals and any underscores. One space only must be left between words as well.

Assuming your alias now has #50 units of land resources in possession the load has to be moved back to the area the charter holder owns before it can be put to use making weapons. You have seen how to use the keyword /move and so you move your alias back to your land area. You can now use the keyword "/drop" to deposit the load on your land. Select "/drop" from the menu or type it in and follow this with "load". See example...

Enter...

/drop load

If there are no mistakes and the post proves valid then the chat thread should look like this...

Title Alias_Name : unloads #50 in land forest resources at area name.

This is a very simple function and will only fail if your alias is at the wrong area. The load that was in possession will be recorded as being at the area and the system will remember this so the load is stored and can be added to with further drops. Once there is enough resources stored then buyers can come to the area and your alias can sell them any of the objects or weapons your charter permits.

Stone Mason alias
Some craft charters such as Stone Mason and Ship Builder can drop resources at areas other than the one they own. For example, a Stone Mason might be engaged to build a castle and the area in which the castle will stand would have been named. The system will know about this and permit the Stone Mason to drop loads there and record them as materials for the construction of the castle. The Stone Mason is a builder and his/her charter permits them to build castles, taverns, other buildings and even a port for ships.

The keyword /drop (see above) is used to drop loads of resources that have been collected from one area and taken to another. Normally, the charter holder can only drop the load at the area they own but, as mentioned above, if they have been named as the builder of a new property then they will find they can go to the area where the property is to be built and drop their load there. A new building requires both Mine (quarry stone) and Land (forest timber) for its construction and until enough resources have been dropped at the site the building can not be used, and that includes its new chat room.

So the Stone Mason and Mine/Land owners must log into the region after making sure they are all in the region on profile too. In the chat room they /move first to the area of the mine or land resources. The Mine/Land owner then uses the /give # keyword to give resources to the Stone Mason who then moves to the building site area and uses the /drop load keyword to deposit the materials which the system records. There are no new keywords involved other than those mentioned here and fully described above. To learn more about building see the Buildings link above.

Ship Builder alias
Still to come; Similarly to the Stone Mason a Ship Builder might be engaged to build a ship in the area of a port. Again, the system will know about the area and the name of the ship, and will permit the Ship Builder to drop loads which it records. The Ship Builder can then go off and find more materials for the job in hand.

More still being prepared. Please try another time. Thank you.

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