Category: Cavern Events

  • Saint Patrick’s Day

    Like every year, there will be parades for Saint Patrick’s Day on Thursday March 17:

    • The first parade will start in Ae’gura Plaza at 14:00 KIT, led by Eternal Seeker;
    • At 15:00 KIT there will be a show and dance party in the New Messengers Pub (to get there PM “link” to Mir-o-Bot, KI# 32319)
    • The second parade will start in Ae’gura Plaza at 17:00 KIT, led by Claidi Song.

    Seeker will provide the music stream. To get the art marker game, PM “sendme 7425176” to Mir-o-Bot.

    Keep in mind that the USA will begin daylight saving on March 13, while (most of) Europe on the 27, so between those dates 14:00 KIT will correspond to 21:00 CET.

  • March 2022 All Guilds Meeting Summary

    Here is the summary for the 143rd All Guilds Meeting, along with the raw and cleansed chatlogs!

    Contents

    1. A new era in D’ni
    2. Cavern Tours
    3. Fan Ages Touring Club
    4. D’ni Language Classes
    5. R’Tayrtahn’s Story Nights
    6. International Women’s Day
    7. Miscellanea

    A new era in D’ni

    Kelsei A.T. announced the III Deep City Lecture, about the D’ni legal system, held right after the Meeting 15:00 KIT in the Guild of Archivists’ Hood, and streamed over Twitch and Discord.

    Next, she announced the long-awaited public opening of the Gahreesen Wall, expected for the end of the month! After that, the pipeline includes a neighborhood area called Elonin (by Dulcamara) and a garden Age called Eder Naybree (by CalumTraveler). More info will come soon™.

    Patrick Dulebohn and CalumTraveler are working on restoring the Nexus podium in the Guild of Messengers Pub, so that getting there will be a little easier. They also plan to move the Chiso Preniv book there out of the kitchen.

    The issue with Tiam not showing in the Nexus seems to have been sorted out, the book should appear as expected for invites in the near future. They hope they will be able to avoid similar problems in the future.

    There is a quality of life update to the KI planned in the near future. This update should help folks who have a harder time hearing certain spoken word sources, like the Kirel podium or dialog.

    Tweek then announced they are working on opening an area of Fahets to the public. The area is called Highgarden, a small island off the western coast of Fahets ‘prime’. They are ensuring it is safe after the destablization event on Fahets several years ago.

    To keep updated on Tweek’s work, check his Facebook page.

    Patrick Dulebohn hinted at another Garden Age coming fairly soon. He will need to consult with the DRC, especially Dr. Richard Watson, since he reportedly visited it in the past.

    Cavern Tours

    The Cavern Tour will be held on Saturday 12 at 11:00 KIT, starting from the Cavern Tour’s Hood. The host, Larry LeDeay, will use his Twitch channel for the presentation, so you will need to keep a browser or the app open in the background. Videos will be available for two weeks after the tour. The stream will be simulcasted on Facebook and Youtube.

    This month the Tour will continue the exploration of the Myst V Ages.

    The tours occasionally visit hard to reach places. Mir-o-Bot (KI# 32319) is often employed for special effects and long-distance travel (and to avoid stairs). If you arrive late, you can PM Susa’n (KI# 9122427) to join the in-progress tour – but do try to arrive in time!

    Fan Ages Touring Club

    Korov’ev gave a quick update on the Fan Ages Expeditions he is hosting on the Deep Island shard, every Sunday at 11:00 KIT.

    In January they visited the entries of the first Rapid Age Development contest: Abysos, a couple of Ahra Pahts shells, and Zephyr Cove; then a few assorted ages: Aerie, TINA Testing Area, Kahntinoy, Fena Barel (the last two involved in fan-run ‘episodes’ held in 2008). They finished the month in Tunnel Demo, Soundgarden and Wianeroy.

    In February they visited the entries for the II RAD Contest, a group of Ahra Pahts shells; then a few works by Andy Legate and by Whilyam; the month finished with the III RAD Contest entries, including Tre’bivdil.

    For March, the plan is to visit the entries for the DAWN Contest, two of which also took part in the 3rd RAD; then they will visit SereneTiki’s creations, including the ever-changing Sprite Gallery; then they will tackle a non-trivial fan-made puzzle age, Oolbahnneea. If they can finish that in one session, they will round the month off with the collaborative project Rell-too.

    More about the Expeditions (click to expand)
    • The expeditions are streamed (without comments), and the videos will be available for two weeks after. Be careful if you PM Korov’ev, as messages will be visible in the videos 😉
    • After the tour, those who still have the energy are welcome to Korov’ev’s Gahreesehn for some Wall training (feel free to send a message to #194197 for an invite).
    • A gallery of fan ages with some details is available on the Writers’ wiki. Setting up a Deep Island client can be a bit tricky in some situations; a quick guide is available in our Troubleshooting section.

    D’ni Language Classes

    R’Tayrtahn gave two updates, one for the D’ni Language Classes and one for the Story Nights.

    More about the D’ni Language Classes (click to expand)
    • Those who would like to attend the lessons should contact Rehn via PM or KImail (KI# 58324); be sure to include your KI number in the message!
    • The Guild of Instructors’ Hood will be open and public unless a class is in session, currently on Monday–Friday starting at 12:00, 13:00 or 14:00 KIT, and on Wednesday–Friday starting at 20:00, 21:00 or 22:00 KIT, depending on the student’s schedule.
    • Last-minute changes to class times are posted on the left-hand imager in the hood.

    R’Tayrtahn’s Story Nights

    Story Night Europe and Original Story Night are in synch, and are telling the stories of the kings of D’ni, which will go on for the next 26 weeks.

    R’Tayrtahn has restarted upload recordings of the Nights to his YouTube channel, and is in the process of uploading the backlog of videos from previous sessions. Be careful if you PM r’Tay, as messages will be visible in the videos 😉

    More about the Story Nights (click to expand)
    • Story Nights are held in Tsahno’s Hood every Saturday, gathering at the fountain at around 23:00 KIT, with the story starting at about 23:30 KIT.
    • For Story Nights – Europe, the gatherings are on Saturday starting at 13:30 KIT, with the story starting at about 14:00 KIT. On All Guilds Meeting days, the event will begin at 14:00 KIT or 15 minutes after the AGM, whichever is later.
    • The stories are told using voice chat, so you will need to have your speakers, headphones or KI devices on. If you would like a reminder, please send r’Tayrtahn (KI# 58324) a KImail with your KI number included in the text, so that he can add you to his buddies list.
    • Last-minute changes to Story Night times are posted on the left-hand imager in the hood.
    • Recording of the Stories are available on r’Tayrtahn’s YouTube channel; however some hardware issues are preventing r’Tayrtahn from uploading the latest episodes.

    International Women’s Day

    Aurelias announced a few Cavern events for the International Women’s Day:

    • Monday, March 7
      • 12:30 KIT: From Dusk to Dawn in Mir-o-Bot’s Eder Gira, hosted by Aurelias (stream) (to get there PM “to gira” to Mir-o-Bot, KI# 32319)
    • Tuesday, March 8
      • 11:30 KIT: Long Shall Women Thrive in Ae’gura, hosted by Nosila (stream)
      • 13:00 KIT: Ambient Women in PodHopper’s Hood, hosted by PodHopper (stream)
      • 15:00 KIT: Music by Female Artist in Ae’gura Plaza, hosted by AlanDJ (stream)
    • Wednesday, March 9
      • 14:00 KIT: Escuta as Minas! / Listen to Gals! in Sutherland Point in Ae’gura, hosted by Dah’mpa (stream)
    • Friday, March 11
      • 14:00 KIT: Yeesha – The Broken Bird in Kirel, hosted by owly (stream)
      • 15:00 KIT: Wonky Talk in the Guild of Cookies’ Hood, hosted by IwonK (stream)

    Miscellanea

    • The deadline for the Mysterium T-shirt contest has passed; they will announce the winners in the next few days in the blog.
    • The February prompt “Glass” has concluded; the new prompt is “Stickers for the Mysterium Discord server”.
    • Patrick Dulebohn plans to put something together in the Pub for those that can’t get to Mysterium conventionally or for those that can’t afford it.
    • You can find more info and additional news in our dedicated post.

    And that was it for this month. Please consider donating to keep the Cavern open!

    February ended with the CavFunding at 133% (CavCon 4.3) and the reserve at 555%, with no extra expenses. Population was at 43,973 (⇑332), with 1393 unique visits.

    The next All Guilds Meeting is planned for Saturday, April 2 (Leenovoo 15) at 13:00 KIT.

    The role of Moderator is currently vacant, with Kelsei A.T. filling in for the time being; if anyone would like to take the role, it is your chance to step up 😉

    Until then!

  • News roundup #17

    • Actor and runner John Keston, who played Gehn in Riven, passed away on February 13, due to complications from Covid-19.
    • Cyan’s 2nd Annual Cake Contest started on February 28 and will end on March 7. This year’s theme is “the artifacts of Riven”: choose your favorite artifact (e.g. a maglev, Gehn’s inkwell, the Moiety dagger, etc.), craft a cake, upload a picture of your creation and tag it with #CyanCake2.
    • A Firmament project update released on February 17 went into details about the use of “greyboxing” in game development.
    • A Myst Documentary project update released on February 26 noted they are ready to start “principal photography”, as they call in Hollywood.
    • The 3rd Deep City Lecture, about the D’ni legal system, will be held on March 5 at 15:00 KIT, in the Guild of Archivists’ Hood (Twitch, Discord).
    • There was another great set of submissions for Mysterium’s Prompt topic “glass”, with two short stories from calumTraveler and Talashar and two drawings from KellyC and laughingpineapple.
    • For March, the Prompt is about stickers for the Mysterium Discord server. The plan is to have multiple winner this time. The same rules as the normal submissions apply, so feel free to publicly discuss works in progress. Stickers can either be static or animated.

  • February 2022 All Guilds Meeting Summary

    Here is the summary for the 142nd All Guilds Meeting, along with the raw and cleansed chatlogs!

    Contents

    1. Events in the Cavern
    2. Cavern Tours
    3. Fan Ages Touring Club
    4. D’ni Language Classes
    5. R’Tayrtahn’s Story Nights
    6. Miscellanea

    Events in the Cavern

    Minasunda announced the start of MOULa’s XII Anniversary Week, and thanked Mirphak and Yoda for their support in organizing the events. She asked all visitors to respect the work of the hosts and do not use any bot commands that could affect the events.

    • Sunday, February 6
      • 9:00 KIT: Opening Ceremony in Chiso Preniv, hosted by Ghaelen (stream)
      • 11:00 KIT: Fan Age Expedition in Deep Island, hosted by Korov’ev (stream)
      • 13:00 KIT: Radio Free D’ni in Ae’gura Plaza, hosted by Radio Free D’ni (stream)
    • Monday, February 7
      • 13:30 KIT: Fashion Show in Eder Kemo, hosted by Minasunda (stream) (to get there please use “link”, not “to kemo” – you will end walled up in a Jalak column 😀 )
    • Tuesday, February 8
      • 11:00 KIT: Fire meets Water competition in Mir-o-Bot’s Ahnonay, hosted by Minasunda (stream) (to get there PM “to ahnonay” to Mir-o-Bot)
      • 13:00 KIT: Relaxing Session in Podhopper’s Hood, hosted by PodHopper (steam)
    • Wednesday, February 9
      • 13:00 KIT: Girastock in Eder Gira, hosted by Fil (steam) (PM “to gira” to Mir-o-Bot to get there – please do not use any bot commands while you are there)
    • Thursday, February 10
      • 13:00 KIT: Desert Rose in Minkata, hosted by Eternal Seeker (stream) (PM “to Minkata” to Mir-o-Bot to get there – please do not use any bot commands while you are there)
      • 15:00 KIT: Eddie Competition in PodHopper’s Hood, hosted by PodHopper (stream) (the task is to guide Eddie the beachball through a course in the Hood and beat the last record of 1′13″)
    • Friday, February 11
      • 13:00 KIT: Nulp Dance Show in Gahreesen, hosted by Minasunda (stream) (PM “link” to Mir-o-Bot to get there)
      • 14:15 KIT: Música Brasileira in Kadish’s Shadow Room, hosted by Dah’mpa (stream) (PM “link” to Mir-o-Bot to get there)
    • Saturday, February 12
      • 10:00 KIT: Fil Live, hosted by Fil (stream)
      • 11:00 KIT: Cavern Tour in Cavern Tour’s Hood, hosted by Larry LeDeay (stream)
      • 14:00 KIT: Story Night Europe in Tsahno’s Hood, hosted by r’Tayrtahn (uses audio chat)
      • 16:00 KIT: Karaoke Party in the New Messengers Pub, hosted by DonahooDJ (stream)
      • 23:00 KIT: Story Night in Tsahno’s Hood, hosted by r’Tayrtahn (uses audio chat)
    • Sunday, February 13
      • 9:00 KIT: Explorer Memorial in Veelay Tsahvahn, hosted by Ghaelen (stream) (PM “to veelay” to Mir-o-Bot to get there)
      • 11:00 KIT: Fan Age Expedition in Deep Island, hosted by Korov’ev (stream)
      • 13:00 KIT: Radio Free D’ni in Ae’gura Plaza, hosted by Radio Free D’ni (stream)
    • Monday, February 14
      • 13:00 KIT: Love Songs in Eder Tsogal (Guild of Greeters Hood), hosted by Eternal Seeker (stream)
    More about the Fire meets Water competition (click to expand)

    The task of the Fire meets Water competition is to bring 36 fire marbles sorted by color into the correspondingly marked bay. Players will need a marker game to see the field markings (to get it PM “sendme 6621621” to Mir-o-Bot).

    Throwing in the marbles is the first challenge: this will be done by the 3 referees with a complicated procedure designed to keep the marbles in the pool and prevent them from scattering through the whole age. Anyone who is not in Ahnonay at this time and misses the first throw-in will not be able to see the Firemarbles.

    Also, if someone leaves the Age it may cause a crash for others, especially the bot. Hence the very urgent request to players and spectators to stay in the Age until the event is over.

    After the end of the competition there will be an award ceremony. This is the first time this game is played since 2018 due to the above difficulties.

    There are 6 teams so far. Teams will start one after the other and consist of 2 players each. You have 5 minutes to place as many marbles as possible in the correct bay. Each correct marble earns one point, each incorrect one deducts a point. Maximum score is 36.

    The color change of the water indicates the end of the match. Players leave the pool immediately by PMing “w” to MinBot (KI 9292763).

    Mina posts the events every day on Facebook and on the MOULa Events Discord server #announcements channel and the Cyan Discord server #cavern-events channel. The posts also contain special notes for some events.

    If you need help with organising an event (not only for the festivities), or just want to spread the word about it, you can join Minasunda’s Discord server, Facebook group, or you can contact her via KImail (#5667000).

    Cavern Tours

    The Cavern Tour will be held on Saturday 12 at 11:00 KIT, starting from the Cavern Tour’s Hood. The host, Larry LeDeay, will use his Twitch channel for the presentation, so you will need to keep a browser or the app open in the background. Videos will be available for two weeks after the tour. The stream will be simulcasted on Facebook and Youtube.

    This month the Tour will continue the exploration of the Myst V Ages.

    The tours occasionally visit hard to reach places. Mir-o-Bot (KI# 32319) is often employed for special effects and long-distance travel (and to avoid stairs). If you arrive late, you can PM Susa’n (KI# 9122427) to join the in-progress tour – but do try to arrive in time!

    Fan Ages Touring Club

    Korov’ev gave a quick update on the Fan Ages Expeditions he is hosting on the Deep Island shard, every Sunday at 11:00 KIT.

    In January they visited the entries of the first Rapid Age Development contest: Abysos, a couple of Ahra Pahts shells, and Zephyr Cove; then a few assorted ages: Aerie, TINA Testing Area, Kahntinoy, Fena Barel (the last two involved in fan-run ‘episodes’ held in 2008). They finished the month in Tunnel Demo, Soundgarden and Wianeroy.

    For February, the plan is to visit the entries for the Second RAD contest: a group of Ahra Pahts shells. Then, a few works by Andy Legate and by Whilyam. They will finish the month with the Third RAD and DAWN contests entries, probably in two parts.

    More about the Expeditions (click to expand)
    • The expeditions are streamed (without comments), and the videos will be available for two weeks after. Be careful if you PM Korov’ev, as messages will be visible in the videos 😉
    • After the tour, those who still have the energy are welcome to Korov’ev’s Gahreesehn for some Wall training (feel free to send a message to #194197 for an invite).
    • A gallery of fan ages with some details is available on the Writers’ wiki. Setting up a Deep Island client can be a bit tricky in some situations; a quick guide is available in our Troubleshooting section.

    D’ni Language Classes

    R’Tayrtahn gave two announcements, one for the D’ni Language Classes and one for the Story Nights. Shokhootahn Ana has just finished teaching her first 101 class!

    More about the D’ni Language Classes (click to expand)
    • Those who would like to attend the lessons should contact Rehn via PM or KImail (KI# 58324); be sure to include your KI number in the message!
    • The Guild of Instructors’ Hood will be open and public unless a class is in session, currently on Monday–Friday starting at 12:00, 13:00 or 14:00 KIT, and on Wednesday–Friday starting at 20:00, 21:00 or 22:00 KIT, depending on the student’s schedule.
    • Last-minute changes to class times are posted on the left-hand imager in the hood.

    R’Tayrtahn’s Story Nights

    Story Night Europe and Original Story Night are in synch, and are starting the stories of the kings of D’ni, which will go on for the next 31 weeks.

    R’Tayrtahn has restarted upload recordings of the Nights to his YouTube channel, and is in the process of uploading the backlog of videos from previous sessions. Be careful if you PM r’Tay, as messages will be visible in the videos 😉

    More about the Story Nights (click to expand)
    • Story Nights are held in Tsahno’s Hood every Saturday, gathering at the fountain at around 23:00 KIT, with the story starting at about 23:30 KIT.
    • For Story Nights – Europe, the gatherings are on Saturday starting at 13:30 KIT, with the story starting at about 14:00 KIT. On All Guilds Meeting days, the event will begin at 14:00 KIT or 15 minutes after the end of the AGM, whichever is later.
    • The stories are told using voice chat, so you will need to have your speakers, headphones or KI devices on. If you would like a reminder, please send r’Tayrtahn (KI# 58324) a KImail with your KI number included in the text, so that he can add you to his buddies list.
    • Last-minute changes to Story Night times are posted on the left-hand imager in the hood.
    • Recording of the Stories are available on r’Tayrtahn’s YouTube channel; however some hardware issues are preventing r’Tayrtahn from uploading the latest episodes.

    Miscellanea

    • Some great updates are being cooked up behind the scenes for the next quarterly update, but the fan developers would like to keep them a surprise 😉 Not all updates will include new Age releases, they can be improvements for already existing items, places or gameplay.
    • One big update that is being worked on is the (re)opening of the Gahreesen Wall, with improvements to offer a better view of the competition to spectators.
    • February’s Mysterium prompt topic is “glass”: this can be window glass, drinking glasses, broken glass, anything involving glass. You can submit your works by February 28 at 21:00 KIT.
    • checkmarks recreated the Watcher’s Pub and Chiso Preniv in VRChat.

    And that was it for this month. Please consider donating to keep the Cavern open!

    January ended with the CavFunding at 94% (CavCon 2.9) and the reserve at 534%, with no extra expenses. Population was at 43,641 (⇑665), with 1582 unique visits. A normal good month, with above average for new accounts.

    The next All Guilds Meeting is planned for Saturday, March 5 (Leevotar 21) at 13:00 KIT.

    The role of Moderator is currently vacant; if anyone would like to take the role, it is your chance to step up 😉

    Until then!

  • January 2022 All Guilds Meeting Summary

    Here is the summary for the 141st All Guilds Meeting, along with the raw and cleansed chatlogs!

    Contents

    1. Mysterium news
    2. Events in the Cavern
    3. A new era in D’ni
    4. The Fall of D’ni Memorial
    5. D’ni Language Classes
    6. R’Tayrtahn’s Story Nights
    7. Cavern Tours
    8. Fan Ages Touring Club
    9. Miscellanea

    Mysterium news

    Calum Traveler reported some quick news about the convention:

    • early bird registration is available until May 15 at two different rates: Standard ($25) will provide admission to the event and any swag, such as pins; Premium ($40) includes everything from Standard as well as a Mysterium 2022 T-shirt;
    • the T-shirt design has not been chosen yet; if you are planning to submit a design (submissions are open until February 20), the Committee recommend holding off on registering, since your shirt will be free if your design is selected;
    • if you submitted an entry for the Writing & Artwork table for 2020 or 2021, you will need to re-submit it for this year;
    • attendees will likely be required to be up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations (the CDC’s definition of fully vaccinated); staff will provide more details on how to provide proof at a later time.

    Events in the Cavern

    Minasunda announced the start of MOULa’s XII anniversary week, on February 6, starting with Ghaelen’s opening ceremony. Special events are already planned, in addition to the regular ones, including a fantastic Nulp Dance Show in Gahreesen.

    More details will be announced at the February AGM. A preliminary schedule was posted in the #anniversary-planning channel of the MOULa Event Discord server.

    If you need help with organising an event (not only for the festivities), or just want to spread the word about it, you can join a Discord server, a Facebook group, or you can contact Minasunda via KImail (#5667000).

    A new era in D’ni

    Doobes announced he started working on the Myst V Ages: Tahgira, Todelmer, Noloben, Laki’ahn, and Direbo, which were originally meant for MOUL. He came up with a hopefully viable path to bypass the bahro magic and use traditional linking methods, to see all the sights and allow completion of the puzzles. The events of Myst V may be alluded to, but only lightly, so any spoiler should be minor.

    All this of course will hinge on Cyan’s approval; they will have an opportunity to see the converted content and give their thoughts. Descent will take a back seat for the time being, until the Myst V Ages are complete.

    Doobes also mentioned that the entries for Grandbad and Battlebotsboy, who sadly passed away at the end of 2021, will soon be added to the Veelay Tsahvahn journals, after some testing on the Minkata shard.

    Finally, he noted that, with the next MOULa update, Tiam hopefully will be given a linking panel in the Nexus, which will allow linking to Tiam via the Nexus and also allow for KI invites to work. For now, explorers will need to use the Share feature in the linking book in Chiso Preniv.

    To keep updated on Doobes’ work, check his blog and his Facebook page.

    The Fall of D’ni Memorial

    Christopher Therburg announced his Fall of D’ni Memorial project has been moved from its original planned location in the Kings Lookout to a separate small island in the Cavern, the reason being that some believes that Ae’gura is not the right place for it.

    The island is a small stalagmite that naturally fractured sometime after the Fall of D’ni; the remains of the upper part, partly underwater, can still be seen. It will be accessed via a boat ride, and there will also be a Nexus terminal.

    The Memorial is currently scheduled to be unveiled on the date of the Fall, Leesahn 8, or July 12. Updates will posted on the Beneath IC forums.

    D’ni Language Classes

    R’Tayrtahn gave two announcements, one for the D’ni Language Classes and one for the Story Nights.

    More about the D’ni Language Classes (click to expand)
    • Those who would like to attend the lessons should contact Rehn via PM or KImail (KI# 58324); be sure to include your KI number in the message!
    • The Guild of Instructors’ Hood will be open and public unless a class is in session, currently on Monday–Friday starting at 12:00, 13:00 or 14:00 KIT, and on Wednesday–Friday starting at 20:00, 21:00 or 22:00 KIT, depending on the student’s schedule.
    • Last-minute changes to class times are posted on the left-hand imager in the hood.

    R’Tayrtahn’s Story Nights

    Story Night Europe is starting from the beginning: the D’ni creation myth.

    Original Story Night is continuing the bi-annual Bahro Glyph Tour.

    R’Tayrtahn has restarted upload recordings of the Nights to his YouTube channel, and is in the process of uploading the backlog of videos from previous sessions. Be careful if you PM r’Tay, as messages will be visible in the videos 😉

    More about the Story Nights (click to expand)
    • Story Nights are held in Tsahno’s Hood every Saturday, gathering at the fountain at around 23:00 KIT, with the story starting at about 23:30 KIT.
    • For Story Nights – Europe, the gatherings are on Saturday starting at 13:30 KIT, with the story starting at about 14:00 KIT. On All Guilds Meeting days, the event will begin at 14:00 KIT or 15 minutes after the end of the AGM, whichever is later.
    • The stories are told using voice chat, so you will need to have your speakers, headphones or KI devices on. If you would like a reminder, please send r’Tayrtahn (KI# 58324) a KImail with your KI number included in the text, so that he can add you to his buddies list.
    • Last-minute changes to Story Night times are posted on the left-hand imager in the hood.
    • Recording of the Stories are available on r’Tayrtahn’s YouTube channel; however some hardware issues are preventing r’Tayrtahn from uploading the latest episodes.

    Cavern Tours

    The Cavern Tour was held on Saturday 8 at 11:00 KIT (just before the Meeting), starting from the Cavern Tour’s Hood. The host, Larry LeDeay, uses his Twitch channel for the presentation, so you will need to keep a browser or the app open in the background. Videos will be available for two weeks after the tour. The stream is simulcasted on Facebook and Youtube.

    The tours occasionally visit hard to reach places. Mir-o-Bot (KI# 32319) is often employed for special effects and long-distance travel (and to avoid stairs). If you arrive late, you can PM Susa’n (KI# 9122427) to join the in-progress tour – but do try to arrive in time!

    Fan Ages Touring Club

    Korov’ev gave a quick update on the Fan Ages Expeditions he is hosting on the Deep Island shard, every Sunday at 11:00 KIT.

    In December they visited some fairly complex ages like Jo’nae, Jo’nae Hood, Takla Ma’kan, and investigated the mysteries of Sonavio.

    In January, the plan is to visit the entries of the first Rapid Age Development contest: Abysos, a couple of Ahra Pahts shells and Zephyr Cove; then a few assorted ages like Aerie, TINA, Kahntinoy, Fena Barel (a summary of fan-run ‘episodes’ held in 2008); and conclude the month with a few works by Nadnerb and by Andy Legate.

    More about the Expeditions (click to expand)
    • The expeditions are streamed (without comments), and the videos will be available for two weeks after. Be careful if you PM Korov’ev, as messages will be visible in the videos 😉
    • After the tour, those who still have the energy are welcome to Korov’ev’s Gahreesehn for some Wall training (feel free to send a message to #194197 for an invite).
    • A gallery of fan ages with some details is available on the Writers’ wiki. Setting up a Deep Island client can be a bit tricky in some situations; a quick guide is available in our Troubleshooting section.

    Miscellanea

    • Minasunda filmed and edited a lovely year end wrap up video for 2021; Calum Traveler also made a video, with more focus on places.
    • A new Age was released in December: Tiam, by Ametist (more info in the dedicated post). New clothing items have also been added: some are immediately available in the Relto wardrobe, others can be found in thematically appropriate locations. There are some unexpected render issues that are being worked on. Note that the second backpack was released by mistake, and may have removed Zandi’s shirt and the field vest; these can be re-collected in their original locations.
    • A story book by Jules Lavisham was also released in Chiso Preniv: “The Painter”. The “Heritage Documents” and “Activity in the Cavern” books have been moved to a different shelf, grouped together, and given numbers on the spines for easier picking up of the correct volume.
    • Serene now has the snow storms from the original version, and a ‘special guest’ during the festivities 🙂
    • The Kirel podium has been enabled: the plan is to get new audio recordings out once every quarter to serve as a recap of recent events. For now there are two tracks: one covering the last few months of activity, recorded by Tyion, and a historical recording from Dr. Watson.
    • Initial testing for reactivating the Gahreesen Wall have begun; more info will be revealed Soon™.

    And that was it for this month. Please consider donating to keep the Cavern open!

    December ended with the CavFunding at 205% (CavCon 4.10) and the reserve at 546%, with 25% extra expenses. Population was at 42,976 (⇑426), with 1588 unique visits. Unbelievable month for donations and updates: two donations accounted for more than 50% of the total amount; the number of new accounts added per month also nearly doubled.

    The next All Guilds Meeting is planned for Saturday, February 5 (Leevosahn 28) at 13:00 KIT.

    The role of Moderator is currently vacant; if anyone would like to take the role, it is your chance to step up 😉

    Until then!

  • A New Era in D’ni: Tiam

    A New Era in D’ni: Tiam

    On Monday, December 20, 2021 (9677 Leevobro 20), in a ceremony held in Chiso Preniv that gathered over 150 explorers, Patrick Dulebohn and Ametist gave a speech (a transcript of which you can read below), then unveiled the linking book to Tiam, by Ametist. Rand Miller and Chogon also showed up at the event 🙂

    Originally made available on May 31, 2020, Tiam is an age that was created for a family to relax and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine; there you will be able to unlock and discover how this family spent their time there.

    Note than unlike the other Ages available in Chiso Preniv, Tiam is a personal instance. However visiting it will not save a link in your Nexus. This will be fixed in the future; in the meantime, you will need to always go through Chiso Preniv, using the share panel if you wish to visit Tiam with friends.

    All the doors will close when you link out, but you will need to reenter the code only for the first one. The ball is just for fun 🙂

    CalumTraveler dedicated a post to the event in his blog, along with the full chatlog, and filmed it (pre-show, release). Minasunda made a video summary. Jalind also posted a film of the event. Korov’ev streamed the event (recording of the ceremony, plus a walkthough – spoiler warning for the latter, of course).

    Massively Overpowered dedicated a post to the event.

    Patrick’s and Ametist’s speech (click to expand )

    Patrick Dulebohn:

    Welcome back to Chiso Preniv, everyone!

    Today, we come together once more as we celebrate another fine addition to the collection of Ages featured here as part of our ongoing restoration efforts.

    This one is particularly special as it’s the first contribution from an explorer not affiliated with my particular group and who is currently very active in our community.

    It goes to show that this is truly an interconnected, but not overly-centralized effort in which anyone can participate and contribute.

    I’ll save you all from hearing me get too long-winded yet again and turn things over to the person who is most responsible for bringing us this amazing Age.

    Ladies and gentlemen, please give a big round of applause for … ametist!

    Ametist:

    Ty Patrick!

    Thank you all for coming and welcome to Chiso Preniv, the Age that with the words of Patrick Dulebohn ‘will be the first gateway to a new gathering of Ages and points of interest here in the cavern that have been restored … or even Written … by us, the explorers of D’ni.’

    I would say though, that this Age, Chiso Preniv, isn’t just a ‘gateway’, where you go to chose a linking book, touch it and link. Chiso Preniv has much more to offer, the history of this Age and its restoration can be found in the Journal, there are more books to examine on the shelfs, and not to forget a lovely and calm atmosphere. Something we all need from time to time.

    But the restoration of Ages is continuing and the bookstands before you is being occupied by linking books, one after the other.

    Today yet another book will be placed on one of them. The linking book to Tiam.

    Uncle Rebus once told me the golden rule of Age restoration, or rather the three golden rules:

    1. Is the Age stable?
    2. Is the Age stable over time?
    3. Is the Age stable over a prolonged period of time?

    We can now assure you that Tiam is stable and secure to visit. It has been thoroughly tested for safety. Restoring Tiam to what it is today wouldn’t have been possible without assistance, and for that I thank all of you that have given your time and expertise to this restoration project.

    I wont tell you much more about the Age itself, you have to go there and see what you find. I will just give you the same advice that uncle Rebus always give me – have the words of Anna – ‘what do you see?’ – in your mind and you will do just fine.

    So enjoy!

    Patrick Dulebohn:

    Please form an orderly line now. No shoving!

  • The December 2021 update

    The December 2021 update

    On December 15, 2021 MOULa got a big update, with lots of interesting additions; a full list is available at the bottom of this post. Let’s go over some highlights and answer some questions that may have arised:

    A new Age

    The most anticipated addition is probably the Age of Tiam, designed by Ametist. As announced by a post on Cyan’s own Twitter channel, an opening ceremony will be held at the Chiso Preniv library on Monday December 20, 2021 at 13:00 KIT: there will be a short presentation and the new linking book will be made available.

    Tiam is an Age that was created for a family to relax and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine; there, you will be able to unlock and discover how this family spent their time there. To get there, the direction is going to the Nexus, then the Watcher’ Pub, then to Chiso Preniv using the book in an alcove.

    It will be a good idea to have the client fully updated before the ceremony; to do so, one way is to open the game’s folder and delete TOS.txt; this will enforce a re-check of all the game files.

    New clothing

    Next, if you visit your wardrobe you will find some new items have been added, including some that have been available in the offline game for years. Some of the additions are rewards for completing the Journeys, while others require visiting logically related places 😉

    A special note about the second backpack: it was enabled by accident, as it has a visual bug that was still being worked on; if you have it and lost the old one, you can re-acquire it where you first got it.

    Serene

    The snowfall is back, and an indigenous ‘person’ has appeared for the holiday season 🙂 Both are original to Andy Legate’s design: the snowfall (a type of particle system) could not be handled by the Guild of Writers’ Age building tool Korman until recently, and the ‘indigenous’ was hidden in the Age files.

    A bit of code makes the latter appear automatically in the PotS version, but on MOULa the code interferes with multiplay and can have the opposite effect of hiding it, so the code was disabled.

    A journal that actually gives some background about the Age has replaced the previous one, hidden somewhere close to the gazebo.

    Graphics and sound improvements

    The Kirel podium has been given a new recording. More may come in the future! A story book (not a Linking Book) has been added to Chiso Preniv, while the Heritage Document and Activity in the Cavern have been moved to another shelf, close together. Various improvements to textures were made in Baron City Office, Teledahn, K’veer, Chiso Preniv and more.

    A note on bugs

    When an update, especially one as large as this one, hits MOULa it is almost inevitable that unexpected bugs will show up; for all the testing that can be done, Minkata never sees as many concurrent players as the official server, and not all issues can be catched. No addition from Cyan is to be expected for the foreseeable future, apart from server updates, so all improvements and additions will come from fan developers, who dedicate their limited free time to at least try to let MOULa be the best it could potentially be.

    So the best way to deal with bugs is to have patience and report them, mentioning where you were and what you were doing, be it on Cyan’s Discord, OpenUru’s Discord or OpenUru forums. If you fancy contributing your work and/or helping with bug fixing, those places are also excellent starting points to be part of the Restoration Team 🙂

    OpenUru Build #200a Build Update (click to expand)

    Known Issues (that will be fixed in a hotfix):
    – There is a crash when linking to Myst full screen without alt-tabbing while linking.
    – If you wear Catherine’s robes, and then change while another player is in the Age, they will see through your body.
    – Serene Xmas decorations are intermittent
    Client changes:
    – [Fixed]: A lot of under the hood fixes for stability {11}
    – [Fixed]: Fix client audio caching {10}
    – [Fixed]: Fix stack trace popup on error to provide meaningful information {10}
    – [Fixed]: Graphics cleanup for modern graphics cards {11}
    Content changes:
    – [New]: A new age! {1} (Stay tuned for the opening ceremonies!)
    – [New]: Add audio player back to Kirel Auditorium Podium, new recordings {9}
    – [New]: Clothing additions (and updates from CC) {7}
    – [Updated]: Improvements and additions to Chiso Preniv, Guild of Messengers Pub and Veelay Tsahvan {2}
    – [Updated]: Serene journal enhancements {3}
    – [Updated]: SpyRoom updates {5}
    – [Updated]: Upscaled fabric textures in Baron City Office and Teledahn {8}
    – [Fixed]: Ayoheek messages reference Garrison rather than Gahreesen {6}
    – [Fixed]: Er’cana Graphical Fixes {6}
    – [Fixed]: Fix view through telescopes on ultra-wide displays {6}
    – [Fixed]: Graphical updates to K’veer {2}
    – [Fixed]: Improve bad text resolution in Baron City Office Marie note {12}
    – [Fixed]: Prevent Kirel Egg Room Bahro Stones from being active {6}
    – [Fixed]: Repair formatting in many journals and book text {12}
    – [Fixed]: Repair getting stuck in Great Zero Mission GUI {6}
    – [Fixed]: Serene Snowfall Effects {4}
    – [Fixed]: Use correct cover for Negilahn journal {6}
    Attributions:
    {1} Ametist
    {2} Doobes
    {3} Doobes, Dot, CTraveler, Adam{Hoikas}
    {4} Doobes, EhrenCG
    {5} Doobes, Hazado
    {6} Hazado
    {7} Hazado, Adam{Hoikas}, CTraveler, Larry LeDeay
    {8} Hazado, CTraveler, Tweek, Yali
    {9} Hazado, DapperAndy, Tyion, Skyisblu, Neurovac, CP-Dimensions
    {10} Adam {Hoikas}
    {11} Adam {Hoikas}, rarified
    {12} dgelessus

  • December 2021 All Guilds Meeting Summary

    Here is the summary for the 140th All Guilds Meeting, along with the raw and cleansed chatlogs!

    Contents

    1. Events in the Cavern
    2. Door Run Competition
    3. The Fall of D’ni Memorial
    4. Minkata
    5. Cavern Tours
    6. Fan Ages Touring Club
    7. D’ni Language Classes
    8. R’Tayrtahn’s Story Nights
    9. Miscellanea

    Events in the Cavern

    Minasunda announced a few events for the coming festivities:

    • on December 17 at 13:00 KIT there will be a Christmas Show by the Nulp Dance Group, in Serene: to get there, PM “link” to Mir-o-Bot (#32319). The link-in platform will be the stage, so please leave the platform as soon as you arrive. Pictures will be published on Facebook and Discord. Seeker will provide the music stream, that will start at about 12:30 KIT and continue until around 15:00 KIT.
    • on December 18 at 11:30 KIT there will be a Door Run Competition; the meeting point is in Nosi La’s Hood. If you have any questions, you can contact her on Discord (Nosila#5296) or in the Cavern (#9902277).
    • on December 24 at 13:00 KIT there will be a Magic Christmas Show by Yoda, in a surprise location: to get there, PM “link” to Mir-o-Bot. Seeker will provide the music stream.
    • on December 31 at 13:00 KIT there will be a Magic New Year’s Eve Show by Yoda, in Magic Kadish Tolesa: to get there, PM “link” to Mir-o-Bot. The fireworks will start at 16:00 KI! Seeker will provide the music stream, that will start at 12:45:54 KIT and continue until after 18:00 KIT.
    • Like every years, there is an Uru advent calendar: PM “sendme 8833282” to Mir-o-Bot to get a marker game (you will need to have completed the red and green marker missions). With the marker game you can find 24 numbers hidden all around Ae’gura. In each of these numbers there are two YouTube links, one in English and one in German, filmed in MOULa and Deep Island by Minasunda, Mabe and Eternal Seeker.

    Next February will be the 12th anniversary of MOULa. The Nulp Dance Group is already working on a show, but if anyone has ideas for the occasion, let Mina know!

    If you need help with organising an event (not only for the festivities), or just want to spread the word about it, you can join a Discord server, a Facebook group, or you can contact Minasunda via KImail (#5667000).

    Door Run Competition

    PodHopper talked about the Door Run, which will involve teams of 5 players (including the Caller), each running in a different Delin (to avoid bugs). There will also be an oppportunity for teams of 2 if people feel brave enough.

    PodHopper also announced his ‘Spiral Door Simulator’, an online tool for learning the symbols on the Garden Age doors and a training tool for those who want to know how to do a Door Run. It has a help section containing information about the tool itself, as well as information and tips about what to do during a Door Run.

    The simulator combines 2 independent projects: PodHopper’s own about learning how exactly the timing on the Spiral Door works, and Mabe’s Jalak project that led to Mabe’s Rebus event a few months ago. The pictures from Mabe’s Rebus are the reward for opening the Spiral Door in the simulator.

    The Fall of D’ni Memorial

    Christopher Therburg announced his Fall of D’ni Memorial project, to erect a memorial that fits the style of the D’ni City, in a visible location, to honor the D’ni who died at the hands of Veovis and A’gaeris.

    The plan is to place the memorial at the Kings Lookout, between the Palace and the stairs to the Canyon Mall. There will be a few benches, with vases as decorations, and there will also be a book to summarize the events of the Fall of D’ni.

    The Memorial is currently scheduled to be unveiled on the date of the Fall, Leesahn 8, or July 12. Updates will posted on the Beneath IC forums.

    Minkata

    Rarified gave the quarterly update about the open source client and content development. They are coming to the conclusion of the cycle: the upcoming update is intended to emphasize content and fixes; it is a big one that touches existing areas in D’ni as well as something new.

    Testing is still undergoing on the Minkata shard. Almost all of the changes have been assembled; after that, only fixes to the updates will appear on Minkata. A list of fixes and changes is available on the OpenUru forums. The hope is to deliver the updates to Cyan in a couple of weeks; then, after a period on the Cyan beta server for a last check, it will be released to the public.

    This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Minkata shard; Rarified thanked all the volunteers and contributors who over the years have gone through ups, downs, and a lot of strong feelings to get where we are now.

    How to be a tester (click to expand)

    To be a tester, you will need to open an account on the Minkata shard; it is highly recommended to read the Tester’s Guide to understand what is expected. To test the cutting edge additions, you can sign up for the Minkata alpha shard.
    To report bugs, you can post on the OpenUru Discord server (channels #hood or #dev); on Discord you can ask to be added to the Testers role to be notified of testing requests, which sometimes need quick response in terms of hours, not days.

    Cavern Tours

    The Cavern Tour will be held on Saturday 11 at 11:00 KIT, starting from the Cavern Tour’s Hood. The host, Larry LeDeay, will use his Twitch channel for the presentation, so you will need to keep a browser or the app open in the background. Videos will be available for two weeks after the tour. The stream will be simulcasted on Facebook and Youtube.

    The tours occasionally visit hard to reach places. Mir-o-Bot (KI# 32319) is often employed for special effects and long-distance travel (and to avoid stairs). If you arrive late, you can PM Susa’n (KI# 9122427) to join the in-progress tour – but do try to arrive in time!

    Fan Ages Touring Club

    Korov’ev gave a quick update on the Fan Ages Expeditions he is hosting on the Deep Island shard, every Sunday at 11:00 KIT.

    In November they visited the rest of the early Ages made available at the end of 2005: Second Age of Dustin, Kato’s Lab, Setal Gahmarin, Vaiskor Area 1 & 2, Terrati Lab. Then they skated in Pre-Swaltu, explored Tyndior, Prad, the Maze, and outlined the concept behind the Ahra Pahts project. Finally they explored the buildings in Janga, and found their way to its nighttime version, Janga Lela.

    In December, the plan is to explore some more complex Ages, like Jo’nae and Jo’nae Hood, Takla Ma’kan, and uncover the secrets of The Company, in Sonavio. They may even manage to visit the entries of the first Rapid Age Development contest.

    More about the Expeditions (click to expand)
    • The expeditions are streamed (without comments), and the videos will be available for two weeks after. Be careful if you PM Korov’ev, as messages will be visible in the videos 😉
    • After the tour, those who still have the energy are welcome to Korov’ev’s Gahreesehn for some Wall training (send a message to #194197 for an invite).
    • A gallery of fan ages with some details is available on the Writers’ wiki. Setting up a Deep Island client can be a bit tricky in some situations; a quick guide is available in our Troubleshooting section.

    D’ni Language Classes

    R’Tayrtahn gave two announcements, one for the D’ni Language Classes and one for the Story Nights.

    More about the D’ni Language Classes (click to expand)
    • Those who would like to attend the lessons should contact Rehn via PM or KImail (KI# 58324); be sure to include your KI number in the message!
    • The Guild of Instructors’ Hood will be open and public unless a class is in session, currently on Monday–Friday starting at 12:00, 13:00 or 14:00 KIT, and on Wednesday–Friday starting at 20:00, 21:00 or 22:00 KIT, depending on the student’s schedule.
    • Last-minute changes to class times are posted on the left-hand imager in the hood.

    R’Tayrtahn’s Story Nights

    Story Night Europe is starting the bi-annual Bahro Glyph Tour, visiting all the ages that contain bahro glyphs; some have explanations while others just generate more questions. The first part of the Tour will start in Mir-o-Bot’s Hood (#32319). The tour will take three parts until December 18; after that, SNE will be on hiatus until after the holidays, returning on January 8, 2022.

    Original Story Night is continuing with the fan fiction written by Janai, originally posted on the MOUL forums back in 2009. The bi-annual Bahro Glyph Tour will begin on December 18.

    After the Tour, Story Night will restart from the very beginning, the D’ni story of creation. R’Tayrtahn can once again upload recordings of the Nights to his YouTube channel, and is in the process of uploading the backlog of videos from previous sessions. Be careful if you PM r’Tay, as messages will be visible in the videos 😉

    More about the Story Nights (click to expand)
    • Story Nights are held in Tsahno’s Hood every Saturday, gathering at the fountain at around 23:00 KIT, with the story starting at about 23:30 KIT.
    • For Story Nights – Europe, the gatherings are on Saturday starting at 13:30 KIT, with the story starting at about 14:00 KIT. On All Guilds Meeting days, the event will begin at 14:00 KIT or 15 minutes after the end of the AGM, whichever is later.
    • The stories are told using voice chat, so you will need to have your speakers, headphones or KI devices on. If you would like a reminder, please send r’Tayrtahn (KI# 58324) a KImail with your KI number included in the text, so that he can add you to his buddies list.
    • Last-minute changes to Story Night times are posted on the left-hand imager in the hood.
    • Recording of the Stories are available on r’Tayrtahn’s YouTube channel; however some hardware issues are preventing r’Tayrtahn from uploading the latest episodes.

    Miscellanea

    • A new IC forums for story progression – in the vein of the DRC forums – opened, hosted by Tweek’s Beneath website.
    • Cyan has new items in its store, including notebooks that look like the Myst, Haven, and Spire books. Note that at the time of this writing they already sold out, but they will likely come back at some point.
    • Mysterium’s second Creative Prompt is “Gift Giving”: it can be related to one of the season’s holidays, or just gifts in general; gifts do not even have to be positive ones. The deadline for this prompt is New Year’s Eve, December 31 at 21:00 KIT.
    • Another round of D’ni words will be released this month for Lexember, on Cyan’s Twitter.
    • December 10 is the anniversary of the discovery of the Lost Book of Birenni; the 11 is the anniversary of the Minkata Shard; the 22 is the anniversary of Starry Expanse, now an official Cyan project.

    And that was it for this month. Please consider donating to keep the Cavern open!

    November ended with the CavFunding at 163% (CavCon 4.6) and the reserve at 395%, with no extra expenses. Population was at 42,550 (⇑277), with 1185 unique visits. A very good month with a fan update on the horizon!

    The next All Guilds Meeting is planned for Saturday, January 8 (Leevosahn 6) at 13:00 KIT.

    The role of Moderator is currently vacant; if anyone would like to take the role, it is your chance to step up 😉

    Until then!

  • November 2021 All Guilds Meeting Summary

    Here is the summary for November’s Meeting, along with the raw and cleansed chatlogs!

    Contents

    1. Fan Ages Touring Club
    2. Mysterium news
    3. Deep City Lecture
    4. D’ni Language Classes
    5. R’Tayrtahn’s Story Nights
    6. The Waterlogged Relto Book
    7. Minkata
    8. Miscellanea

    Fan Ages Touring Club

    Korov’ev gave a quick update on the Fan Ages Expeditions he is hosting on the Deep Island shard, every Sunday at 11:00 KIT.

    In October they started a new cycle, visiting the very first ages (at least those still around) released in 2005: First Age of Dustin, Eder Rilteh Inaltahv, Galamay, Atlantis Outpost, Niveerah.

    In November, the plan is to visit more of these early ages, then Pre-Swaltu, Janga, and outline the concept behind Ahra Pahts.

    More about the Expeditions (click to expand)
    • The expeditions are streamed (without comments), and the videos will be available for two weeks after.
    • After the tour, those who still have the energy are welcome to Korov’ev’s Gahreesehn for some Wall training (send a message to #194197 for an invite).
    • A gallery of fan ages with some details is available on the Writers’ wiki. Setting up a Deep Island client can be a bit tricky in some situations; a quick guide is available in our Troubleshooting section.

    Mysterium News

    Event submissions are now open: T-shirt designs until February 20, Events until May 22, Writing & Artworks until July 31. There will not be Pins submissions, because the Committee still has those submitted for 2020 and will use those.

    They also launched a new section in the Mysterium Discord server called Creativity Prompts: periodically they will post a topic and invite everyone to submit any creative works you can come up with. Music, fanfics, costume designs, etc. are all welcome.

    The only requirements are that it must incorporate the posted topic, and somehow be related to Cyan’s games (including Obduction, and Cyan Ventures like Zed).

    The inaugural topic is Giving Thanks – not necessarily related to Thanksgiving, any expression of gratitude fits the requirements. The deadline for this Prompt is November 30 at 21:00 KIT.

    Deep City Lecture

    Former ResEng G.Buddell announced a lecture he and J.D. Barnes will hold on Sunday 7 at 15:00 KIT, to share with the Community some new historical information they have found combing through the DRC archives, about the Mee-Dis War.

    The lecture will be streamed on Twitch and on CyanChat, and will be uploaded to the Guild of Archivists’ YouTube channel at a later time. They plan to hold a lecture every couple of weeks, taking a break in December to help with Lexember.

    D’ni Language Classes

    R’Tayrtahn gave two announcements, one for the D’ni Language Classes and one for the Story Nights. There are now three more instructors in the Guild of Instructors: shokhootahn Ana, shokhootahn Jo, and shokhootahn phoenixRisen.

    More about the D’ni Language Classes (click to expand)
    • Those who would like to attend the lessons should contact Rehn via PM or KImail (KI# 58324); be sure to include your KI number in the message!
    • The Guild of Instructors’ Hood will be open and public unless a class is in session, currently on Monday–Friday starting at 12:00, 13:00 or 14:00 KIT, and on Wednesday–Friday starting at 20:00, 21:00 or 22:00 KIT, depending on the student’s schedule.
    • Last-minute changes to class times are posted on the left-hand imager in the hood.

    R’Tayrtahn’s Story Nights

    Story Night has started a special, five-part story of fan fiction written by Janai. After the Meeting, Story Night Europe began chapter 3, while Original Story Night began chapter 1.

    Then it will be time for the bi-annual Bahro Glyph Tour, visiting all the ages that contain bahro glyphs; some have explanations while others just generate more questions.

    After that, the Stories will restart from the very beginning, the D’ni story of creation.

    More about the Story Nights (click to expand)
    • Story Nights are held in Tsahno’s Hood every Saturday, gathering at the fountain at around 23:00 KIT, with the story starting at about 23:30 KIT.
    • For Story Nights – Europe, the gatherings are on Saturday starting at 13:30 KIT, with the story starting at about 14:00 KIT. On All Guilds Meeting days, the event will begin at 14:00 KIT or 15 minutes after the end of the AGM, whichever is later.
    • The stories are told using voice chat, so you will need to have your speakers, headphones or KI devices on. If you would like a reminder, please send r’Tayrtahn (KI# 58324) a KImail with your KI number included in the text, so that he can add you to his buddies list.
    • Last-minute changes to Story Night times are posted on the left-hand imager in the hood.
    • Recording of the Stories are available on r’Tayrtahn’s YouTube channel; however some hardware issues are preventing r’Tayrtahn from uploading the latest episodes.

    The Waterlogged Relto Book

    Calum Traveler gave an update on the saga of the waterlogged Relto book, found mangled by the Docks in late October. The book belonged to an explorer named Wayne Todd, who went ‘camping’ in an industrial area of the Cavern. He is fine, but did not tell anyone where he was going.

    Wayne discovered a facility that appears to be part of one of the D’ni’s ‘safety measures’ to prevent spikes of overfeeding the lake. The feasibility of restoring this particular facility to functionality is currently being debated.

    It was also confirmed that lake water samples taken at the area are matching the composition found at the Docks and elsewhere: oxygen and carbon dioxide levels are becoming more consistent, and the lake algae are definitely beginning to glow in sync.

    Tis means that the lake light may begin to cycle again quite soon, possibly around December or January, if explorers continue feeding the lake as consistently as they have been.

    Minkata

    Rarified gave an update about the OpenUru testing shards. Between bug fixes, client improvements and fan ages testing, they will probably release the next set of changes on MOULa in late November or mid December.

    A lot of work is still in the pipeline; during the next month, they will need as many visitors as possible on Minkata to help make sure things are safe for release.

    The KI bug is next on the list of bugs being worked on from Cyan’s end, but that too appears to be difficult to debug.

    How to be a tester (click to expand)

    To be a tester, you will need to open an account on the Minkata shard; it is highly recommended to read the Tester’s Guide to understand what is expected. To test the cutting edge additions, you can sign up for the Minkata alpha shard.
    To report bugs, you can post on the OpenUru Discord server (channels #hood or #dev); on Discord you can ask to be added to the Testers role to be notified of testing requests, which sometimes need quick response in terms of hours, not days.

    Miscellanea

    • A new IC forums for story progression, in the vein of the DRC forums, opened; it is hosted by Tweek’s Beneath website.
    • Forecast says Serene will be getting its snowfall again, likely by December.
    • November 11 is the Third Feast of the Maker, and the anniversary of Uru ABM; the 17 is
    • the anniversary of Prologue; the 22 is the anniversary of the coronation of King Kerath.

    And that was it for this month. Please consider donating to keep the Cavern open!

    October ended with the CavFunding at 107% (CavCon 4.1) and the reserve at 346%, with no extra expenses. Population was at 42,273 (⇑284), with 1142 unique visits. Donations are back to normal.

    The next All Guilds Meeting is planned for Saturday, December 4 (Leevobro 7) at 13:00 KIT.

    Until then!

  • October 2021 All Guilds Meeting Summary

    Here is the summary for October’s Meeting, along with the raw and cleansed chatlogs!

    Contents

    1. Events in the Cavern
    2. Lake pellets
    3. Net2 errors
    4. From the Surface to D’ni
    5. Fan Ages Touring Club
    6. D’ni Language Classes
    7. R’Tayrtahn’s Story Nights
    8. Mysterium news

    Events in the Cavern

    Minasunda announced two upcoming events:

    • on Friday 8 at 13:00 KIT Karel will host a party onboard the Argosy, a beautiful ship built by Jaruku; sea shanties will be played on the music stream. The party will be held on the Deep Island shard; to get to Argosy, use the “Puzzle Ages Volume II” book in your Relto and link to Laki’anay. From the link-in point, take the ferry then head to the lighthouse, where you will find the linking book. You can find a video guide here.
    • On October 31 at 14:00 KIT there will be a Halloween Party, in Mir-o-Bot’s Teledahn. To get there, PM “to teledahn” or “link” to Mir-o-Bot (#32319). As this year Halloween is on a Sunday, Radio Free D’ni will take over the music stream. Yoda will provide the creepy ambience with his special effects and the Nulp Dance Group will conjure the ghosts!

    Additionally, the Cavern Tour will as usual be held on Saturday 9 at 11:00 KIT, starting from the Cavern Tour’s Hood. The host, Larry LeDeay, will use his Twitch channel for the presentation, so you will need to keep a browser or the app open in the background. The stream will be simulcasted on Facebook and Youtube.

    Lake pellets

    Calum Traveler first asked age builders to test new ages on dedicated shards like Destiny or Minkata Alpha.

    Next, he mentioned that tests are being held to restart the Cavern lake light cycle. Time to warm up the Er’cana factory ovens! If you plan to contribute pellets, keep in mind that consistency if preferable over quantity.

    Net2 errors

    Rarified gave an update about the “Net2 error” crashes. A possible fix has been found (there was a transcription error in some code that was adopted from H’uru during the last update). If the testing goes well, it will be handed to Chogon for testing on Staging and ultimately on MOULa.

    The Net2 error is particularly insidious to debug, because it originates from the server software; fan shards, including Minkata, use alternatives (MOSS or DirtSand) where the problem does not show up, and only the live MOULa server has a population sizable enough to produce mega-neighborhoods.

    The next scheduled MOULa update will happen late November or early December and will focus on (a lot of) fan content.

    How to be a tester (click to expand)

    To be a tester, you will need to open an account on the Minkata shard; it is highly recommended to read the Tester’s Guide to understand what is expected. To test the cutting edge additions, you can sign up for the Minkata alpha shard.
    To report bugs, you can post on the OpenUru Discord server (channels #hood or #dev); on Discord you can ask to be added to the Testers role to be notified of testing requests, which sometimes need quick response in terms of hours, not days.

    From the Surface to D’ni

    Doobes announced that Descent is nearing the Phase 1 final checks, and Phase 2 will start soon. Once they will be sure the content from Myst V is properly converted, they will start building the rest of the path to D’ni.

    All interested age builders are welcome to help with the process, assembling a section of the path that lies past Descent. Calum Traveler already submitted a section between the caldera and the first cave, to make the first locations fit better under the volcano.

    Once Phase 2 nears completion, the results will be hosted on Minkata Alpha so that testers can examine and pick it apart. After that will come phase 3, wiring everything so that the entire path will be navigable without spawning.

    To keep updated on Doobes’ work, check his blog and his Facebook page.

    Fan Ages Touring Club

    Korov’ev gave a quick update on the Fan Ages Expeditions he is hosting on the Deep Island shard, every Sunday at 11:00 KIT.

    Recently, they explored Kohdalan and Tyldalan, by Corvus, Wodan, Itep Edor and other creators; the rest of the month they took the Path of the Lost Ages, by Melvin, starting in Palamary bay.

    In October, they will investigate the mysteries of Alabaster’s Depths, by Dulcamara. After that, the main plan is to start again from the very beginning, a few ages from 2005, but they may also dedicate a few weeks to the most popular ones, either guided or free-for-all.

    More about the Expeditions (click to expand)
    • After the expeditions, the participants will be able to share their observations in dedicated threads in the Guild of Writers’ forums (listed in the index). The expeditions are streamed (without comments), and the videos will be available for two weeks after.
    • After the tour, those who still have the energy are welcome to Korov’ev’s Gahreesehn for some Wall training (send a message to #194197 for an invite).
    • A gallery of fan ages with some details is available on the Writers’ wiki. Setting up a Deep Island client can be a bit tricky in some situations; a quick guide is available in our Troubleshooting section.

    D’ni Language Classes

    R’Tayrtahn gave two announcements, one for the D’ni Language Classes and one for the Story Nights. Students are taking the classes at various stages of completion.

    More about the D’ni Language Classes (click to expand)
    • Those who would like to attend the lessons should contact Rehn via PM or KImail (KI# 58324); be sure to include your KI number in the message!
    • The Guild of Instructors’ Hood will be open and public unless a class is in session, currently on Monday–Friday starting at 12:00, 13:00 or 14:00 KIT, and on Wednesday–Friday starting at 20:00, 21:00 or 22:00 KIT, depending on the student’s schedule.
    • Last-minute changes to class times are posted on the left-hand imager in the hood.

    R’Tayrtahn’s Story Nights

    Story Night has started the stories of the Restoration. After that, there will be a special, five-part story of fan fiction written by Janai, planned to start on October 23; r’Tayrtahn will be assisted by Axenna.

    Then it will be time for the bi-annual Bahro Glyph Tour, visiting all the ages that contain bahro glyphs; some have explanations while others just generate more questions.

    After that, the Stories will restart from the very beginning, the D’ni story of creation.

    More about the Story Nights (click to expand)
    • Story Nights are held in Tsahno’s Hood every Saturday, gathering at the fountain at around 23:00 KIT, with the story starting at about 23:30 KIT.
    • For Story Nights – Europe, the gatherings are on Saturday starting at 13:30 KIT, with the story starting at about 14:00 KIT. On All Guilds Meeting days, the event will begin at 14:00 KIT or 15 minutes after the end of the AGM, whichever is later.
    • The stories are told using voice chat, so you will need to have your speakers, headphones or KI devices on. If you would like a reminder, please send r’Tayrtahn (KI# 58324) a KImail with your KI number included in the text, so that he can add you to his buddies list.
    • Last-minute changes to Story Night times are posted on the left-hand imager in the hood.
    • Recording of the Stories are available on r’Tayrtahn’s YouTube channel; however some hardware issues are preventing r’Tayrtahn from uploading the latest episodes.

    Mysterium news

    The date for the XXIII Mysterium in Denver will be August 12–14, 2022. The theme will be Myst III: Exile, celebrating its 21st birthday, with a particular emphasis on Voltaic.

    Submissions for t-shirt designs are open. Favoured design will be those incorporating Blucifer, Denver International Airport’s demon horse sculpture.

    No announcements are expected at the moment about Starry Expanse. All we know is that the project has not been cancelled.

    Rand’s Let’s play was really popular, hopefully he will be up for something similar, along with Robyn. The committee will look into hybrid events held both in-person and online; panels in the future will have short breaks between them.

    And that was it for this month. Please consider donating to keep the Cavern open!

    September ended with the CavFunding at 58% (CavCon 2.6) and the reserve at 330%, with 24% extra expenses. Population was at 41,989 (⇑340), with 1284 unique visits. Donations were down but reserves are still healthy; the extra expenses were due to the Net2 errors/backend crashes.

    The next All Guilds Meeting is planned for Saturday, November 6 (Leevofo 14) at 13:00 KIT.

    Until then!