================================================================ Venus' Day, February 22nd Divination Web News New Builders Yahoogroup http://groups.yahoo.com/group/divweb-builders DivWeb Elist (contact owner-divweb@mit.edu to subscribe) Public areas completed; excepting Tree of Life, which we are planning to fill out with symbolism appropriate to the tradition being used to date. Possible Dream Commands whereok (@set so that a person can be located; default ON) interests +search and find others of like mind! TYPE 'news index' FOR MORE! & watch the Messages Of The Day! ================================================================ ~~~ Index Index Type 'news ' where is one of the words below. BldgPolicy Building Information Introduction Management Networking ~~~ Information|info Information Beyond Divination Web There are several sources of information (archives, elists, etc.) that lie beyond the realms of Divination Web. These are scattered throughout cyberspace. Some of the more popular magical forums include Usenet's alt.lucky.w, alt.magick, alt.magick.tyagi, alt.occult.methods, alt.paranormal.spells.hexes.magic, talk.religion.*, soc.religion.*, and alt.religion.*; IRC's #magick, #occult, #thelema, #spirituality, #ascension, #jesus, #buddhist, #islam and #taoism, & in email the HouseofFusion.com ARCANA List, Thelema93-L, many other Yahoogroups dedicated to spiritual topics, and various Western Esoteric elists. A diversity of congregated forums exist for the purpose of discussing religous and arcane subjects. Divination Web is the only MUD dedicated to such lofty aspirations. Many of these are listed in the Mage's Guide to the Internet at http://www.luckymojo.com/magi See also: 'news networking' and 'help interests'. ~~~ Introduction|intro Introduction Welcome to Divination Web, a TinyMuck dedicated to experiment and networking in the fields of spirituality and the occult. The Web started a few years ago as a project facilitating cyber ritual and setting the stage for unknown online developments. One database wipe and some managerial shuffling later, it is beginning a rejuvenation. Use the 'help' and 'news' fields to discover all of the tools available to Players. Speak with others in the Web regarding their favorite hangouts and activities. Join the DivWeb Elist for a more thorough connection to the community. We are exploring new technology and community, and your participation is encouraged. ~~~ Building|guide Building Guide All of the following can be referenced by 'help '. Reference EXamine - used to peruse construction in detail Look - to see desc fields on Objects @owned - used to view a list of owned Objects Construction @dig - make a Room @open - make an Exit @link - connect one Object to another (Thing/Player + Room => ; Exit + Room => ) For more, see 'news Building2'. ~~~ Building2|guide2 Textfields EDit = ;// changes the text of a field detail : [;tag2;tag3;...] = adds tags to an Object which may be seen with look @DESCribe - seen when a Player Looks @SUCCess - seen by a Player when an Object is used @OSUCCess - seen by other Players when an Object is used @fail - seen by a Player when failing to use an Object @ofail - seen by others when a Player fails to use an Object @drop - seen by a Player when an Object is drop'd @odrop - seen by other Players when an Thing is drop'd (or seen by Players in the destination of an Exit) @name - sets the name of an Object For more, see 'news Building3'. ~~~ Building3|guide3 Miscellaneous Commands @lock - keeps access to an Object limited to a designated key @project - designates or identifies the current construction project - an Exit @lock'd with fail and ofail fields designed to simulate an activity/action For more, see 'news Building4'. ~~~ Building4|guide4 Objects of Import me - the Builder here - the Room in which the Builder stands number (#) - the identifying number (PID) of any Object Other Topics Communication - various commands for talking Transportation - various commands for moving about Purpose - description of why DW is here (see also 'news introduction') Networking - ideas for how to make connections (see also 'news networking') For some building TIPS, see 'news bldgtips'. ~~~ bldgtips|tips TIPS FOR GOOD BUILDING (not rules, tips) 1. Work on rooms one at a time. Don't @dig twenty rooms and plan to get to them all 'some time soon'. If you don't have time to complete twenty rooms in one sitting, don't dig twenty rooms. Do each room completely before @dig'ing more. 2. Don't @dig a Room unless there's a reason to have that Room exist. If you want a Privy outside the Castle wall, frequently an adequate job can be done using 'details' (see 'help detail') or a 'bogus exit' (see 'help bogus') instead. For more tips on good building, see 'news tips2'. ~~~ bldgtips2|tips2 3. Use synonyms when naming Exits. If you have an Exit that goes north, name it 'North; n'. If this Exit is a door that goes north and there are no other doors in the Room, name it 'North; door; n; d'. If the door is the main route people would take to get out of your area, name it 'North; out; o; n; door; d'. If you already named an Exit 'North' and want to rename it 'North; out; o; n', type: '@name north = North; out; o; n'. 4. Don't assume that visitors will think just like you do. Include enough alternative exit names that they will be able to move around freely. A good rule of thumb is: Full Doorname; fd; Full; f; Doorname; fdn; dn; do in which complete words, their first syllables and initials are usable as movement commands, as well as possible abbreviations such as first initials of words and syllables. For more tips on good building, see 'news tips3'. ~~~ bldgtips3|tips3 5. Don't give Exits silly or unlikely names unless the intent is to keep people from finding their way through your area. 6. Never make Exitnames like 'Right; r; door' or 'Left; l; out'. Not only are these names traps for people who use 'l' to Look at a Room again, but when Players come back into the Room after having gone through one of these Exits, their facings will have changed but the Room will still be referring to 'right' and 'left'. Get more creative. Compass directions are old too. Try to find new ways of looking at traditional things, such as by using 'Widdershins' and 'Deosil' or 'this way' and 'that way'. 7. If you north from Room A to Room B, you should be able to go south from Room B to Room A, and so forth, unless there is some very good reason otherwise. For more tips on good building, see 'news tips4'. ~~~ bldgtips4|tips4 8. From anywhere in your construction typing 'out' or 'o' should eventually get the Player back to a recognizable public area. You may also wish to designate one route as 'in' so as to facilitate the sights 'not to be missed'. 9. Give *every* Exit a: DESC, SUCC, OSUCC and ODROP. It is very annonying to some to be standing in a Room and have someone just 'arrive' rather than 'bounding in from the Spring Picnic'. Without the OSUCC and ODROP being defined, it will seem as though Players simply vanish from the area. 10. Examine your Rooms and Exits and Things carefully. Many of us have built extra Exits because we've @open'd an Exit, forgot its number (#), and then @open'd another Exit with the same exitname. If we'd EXamined the Room, we'd have seen the original and saved ourselves future headaches. For more tips on good building, see 'news tips5'. ~~~ bldtips5|tips5 11. Spell everything correctly unless you have good reason to do otherwise. If you can spellcheck your work, do! Misspelled words in the DESC-field and in Exitnames are maddening to people trying to explore your area. 12. Be thorough and painstaking. Make sure that every Room has a DESC; make sure all Exits have the appropriate messages in their Object fields; and be sure that you don't leave any @unlink'd Exits lying around (people can steal/move them). See also: 'news building' and 'news bldgpolicy'. ~~~ bldgpolicy|bldg|bpol THE CURRENT DIVWEB Building Policy may be found by typing 'info new-web-prop'. Eventually this document will be expanded into a very short and curt Policy Nonstatement. ;> If you want a look at the defunct, old policy, you can get it in bulk with 'news oldpol'. Good reading! Happy building! See also: news. ~~~ oldpol Divination Web Building Policy 0.0 Introduction In order to maintain the quality and focus of Divination Web, a policy for Builder-bit (B-bit) dispensation and project construction has been instituted. This includes specific quotas and processes of Proposal and Review. 1.0 Quotas So as to minimize impact upon the DW database and preserve prompt response-time, a quota system has been installed with the following limitations: General Players: 0 Objects Muckers and Builders without a project: 6 Objects Default Builders with projects: 150 Objects 'Coins', the currency whereby building may proceed, are effectively useless and we may find some way of allowing people to increase their own cache. Type 'news bpolicy2' for more. bpolicy2|bldg2|bpol2 1.1 Quota Increase Request If a Builder desires a greater quota, they can contact a B-Manager familiar with their project. At that time they should provide an explanation for their request. Generally the 150-Object maximum will remain firm except under unusual circumstances. 2.0 Proposal Process (Getting B-bits) In order to be able to build on DivWeb one must first procure a B-bit, and these are dispensed by the B-Managers: Xiwangmu (nagasiva@yronwode.com) Shawn (knightster+@cmu.edu) Email a Proposal to one of the B-Managers and await a response. Type 'news bpolicy3' for more. bpolicy3|bldg3|bpol3 2.1 Proposal Contents This Muck has very specific goals and purposes and in order to serve these, a loose restraint has been placed upon building projects. In general, a proposal should contain thematic orientation and at least a vague concept of structure. Estimates on the number of Objects to be used and a building schedule are also valuable. Ultimately it is up to the B-Managers whether or not they wish to sponsor a proposed project, for to do so indicates their assumed responsibility for the review and expedition. 2.3 Proposal Review Each proposal will be reviewed by B-Managers and should any of them desire to sponsor the project, they will coordinate with the new Builder on a quota and review schedule. Should such sponsorship not be forthcoming, then suggestions for revision or a request for additional information will be returned. Type 'news bpolicy4' for more. bpolicy4|bldg4|bpol4 3.0 Review Process In order to facilitate efficient use of database resources and to preserve the enjoyment of Players, periodic reviews will be scheduled on all building projects currently underway. 3.1 General Review Guideline The following is intended as a guideline rather than a strict standard, and a review schedule may be conducted differently by a B-Manager based on specific project complexity and/or character. 3.2 Suggested Timing Suggested Initial Review: 2 weeks Periodic Update Reviews: every 2 months Type 'news bpolicy5' for more. bpolicy5|bldg5|bpol5 3.3 Review Criteria B-Managers will be looking at internal consistency (where appropriate), in comparison with the projected construction schedule. It is suggested that projects be broken into sectors, with regular completion of a specified sector prior to each review. The size of each sector is left to the discretion of the Builder to be based upon available time and expertise. 3.4 Review Results A B-Manager sponsor or another B-Manager who is familiar with the proposal, quota and schedule for the project will review the whole with careful scrutiny of any sector designated as 'completed'. Results from this review will be sent to the Builder and to other interested B-Managers. Exits to reviewed and completed sectors will be made visible to the public. In this way the projects will emerge gradually and the review process will be kept to a minimum of effort. Type 'news bpolicy6' for more. bpolicy6|bldg6|bpol6 3.5 Corrections If there are problems within a sector which was planned to have been completed, then the Builder and their sponsor B-Manager can work together to resolve these problems and get the sector open to the public. An acceptable means of dealing with these problems would be to revise the time-schedule and set a new review date. 3.6 Warnings Given severe delays and the lack of logging in (e.g. 180+ days), Builders may receive a warning that their project and properties are to be recycled unless management is contacted within one week. If no such communication is received within that week, then their unfinished project is subject to recycling by the management. ~~~ Management|mgmt Divination Web is managed by the following individuals: Builder Bits and Construction Projects: xiwangmu (nagasiva@yronwode.com) and Shawn (shawn@andrew.cmu.edu) Mucker Bits and MUF Programming Projects: Shawn (shawn@andrew.cmu.edu) Owner and Operator Daneel (dgarcia@silentnoise.org) If you can't find the Manager you're looking for, contact another. ~~~ Networking|ntwkg|net Networking Divination Web is set up to be more than just a fun playground for building, programming and ritual experimentation. It is also a crucible and centerpiece for networking regarding spiritual and occult topics. Just look at all the ways you can connect with your fellow Webmates: ':' - an action others in the same Room can see. SAy or " - Talk to another Player in the same Room. Page or p - Send a message to someone who is logged on. (For more information type 'help communication'.) For more networking suggestions, type 'news net2'. ~~~ Networking2|ntwkg2|net2 Page #MAil - Send a message to someone who isn't logged on. (For more information type 'page #help'.) mail - Send MUFmail to someone. (For more information type 'help mail'.) interests - Find those who have interests or list your own! (For more information type 'help interests'.) For more networking suggestions, type 'news net3'. ~~~ Networking3|ntwkg3|net3 DivWeb Elist - Talk to Webmates via email (divweb@hollyfeld.org)! For more information email owner-divweb@hollyfeld.org Divweb Website - Get helpfiles, newsfiles and faqs! http://www.hollyfeld.org/heaven/Telnet/Divweb/reference or email xiwangmu (nagasiva@yronwode.com) If you have other suggestions regarding networking, contact the management! We're doing what we're able to make this a very wonderful experiment. ~~~