Patch Notes

[Omni]

"Edited by" messages will now always show, even for mods and administrators.

[Alex]

As an extra point of clarity with NPCs: Even if your character is an 'alternate universe' version of a character, that will not change or lower their "Lister" status. Super Saiyan 5 Goku would still be Goku and still be an A-List character. Much like versions of that character from fanfictions or alternate universes would still be *that* character.

Just aiming to close a potential loophole in this new setup.

[Alex]

Info Threads for verses have been edited.

Essentially, quests have been rolled back a little to clear away some excess and reduce some staff work.  The quests that remain are either Faction-based, Artefact/competition-based, or NPC-based.

All old quests have been stored in - http://omniverse-rpg.com/showthread.php?tid=5162 - The "Cry for Help" thread as 'writing prompts.'

Check out this thread for some more information on the topic as well as some of the rationale (and the initial heads up about these changes) from Omni - http://omniverse-rpg.com/showthread.php?tid=9075

[Alex]

http://omniverse-rpg.com/showthread.php?tid=17

Quests for Coruscant have been updated.

I have added a line to "Hand of the Empire" clarifying that you can hunt an NPC (which is what I'm pretty sure everyone has done at this point) or a PC who has ties to crime and/or is antagonistic to the Empire in an official capacity.

"Empire Justice" has been added to the Empire Faction Quest options. Empire Justice is an open-ended 'Join the Empire' quest that allows you, the writer, to craft your own means of joining the Empire in an official matter.

Rather than add an additional rebel quest, I've simply altered the wording for the quest "Imperial Disarray." Players were already able to craft their own unique 'rebel/terrorist/freedom fighter' group to join. I've simply reworded the quest to provide the writer of the quest with the freedom to design HOW they align with that group as well, while providing some ideas for those who may like to have prompts (the original quest concept of attacking a T7 factory remains an option, for those keeping score at home).

[Omni]

Please note that the '5 move' rule in move approval has been changed. 5 simple moves, or 1800 OM worth of variable moves (unless your entire move exceeds that) is the cap until you buy something.

[Alex]

Reminder #8393 that Coruscant, especially especially Tier 1, is a military-police state. Like, Gestapo-level police state. I mean, why you think they call them stormtroopers?

Coruscant's gates are all secure checkpoints. You will be stopped, scanned, and have questions asked of you when you come into Coruscant, whether it's from the Nexus or VD or Endless Dunes. The same on your way back. While it is not mandatory to write these interactions, people need to be aware of them, especially when people are on the run from authorities or committing crimes. We've had primes in the past get arrested and killed for trying to smuggle themselves into Coruscant. Hell, Samus had to explode her way through one of the gates to get out.

Staff aren't reading every single thread (as much as we wish we could), so please we aware of these things. We won't catch it every time, but just because we don't, doesn't mean it stops being a thing.

Edit - Forget to lead with this, but I editted the verse description to include this factoid to increase transparency.

[Omni]

Added the concepts of Fatigue and Focus to the stats page, as we understand them here on the Omniverse. These have always been "a thing", but never properly explained (aside from a small amount on the moves page), so I went ahead and did that. This doesn't really change anything we do, just explains it better. http://omniverse-rpg.com/omnistats.php#Fatigue

Fatigue
Fatigue isn't a stat, but an important concept that merits explaining.

The Omniverse aims to provide a storytelling environment, so of course, all characters fatigue. This is a nebulous concept, because we don't keep track of it in numbers, but running, jumping, and swinging a sword will all tire you out. Omniverse characters are assumed to be fairly superhuman in that respect (theoretically at peak human condition or better, unless you prefer to keep it lower for roleplaying reasons) and as your numbers go up your characters will be able to do more - run faster, in the case of SPD, swing a sword harder, in the case of ATK, etcetera - for the same fatigue cost. We think of fatigue both in the short term (getting puffed out) and the long-term (your muscles are tired from constant movement without rest). Robots and the like might use concepts of 'energy' or 'wear' instead, but the concept is the same. Fatigue cost can also be used as an extra downside in moves.

As mentioned, we never keep track of this in numbers, but going through an intense multi-round fight, or across a storyline, your characters should expect to slow down, feel the pain, or be able to do less as it gets harder and harder to move. Of course, since this is a storytelling environment, we want to hear about pushing your limits and going beyond - but striving to represent your character realistically will give you bonus points in aspects of judgement, and the converse is true: roleplaying your character as immune to the effects of fatigue can be considered godmoding, and won't score you any points in a fight or storyline judgement.


Focus
Similar to fatigue, focus isn't really a stat, but a concept. Doing things takes focus, concentration. Particularly difficult feats like hitting a bullseye, throwing a lasso over a distant jutting ledge, nailing a break in your enemy's armor with your sword, and so on. All martial skill is, of course, based on your TEC, but trying to do more than one thing at the same time is going to split your focus. Running and gunning is harder than standing still and taking aim, for example. This is just a concept, but it can be used in moves, for example to make moves more effective by requiring that you stand still and focus entirely on a move.

[Omni]

I'm aware that writing moves can be a headache, and it can also be a headache to get them approved! In an attempt to make this easier both for members and staff, I've added some stuff to the Writing Moves part of the moves page. Basically assumptions such as:

"Unless otherwise stated, we assume ranged moves are neither easier nor harder to aim than an average projectile of its type, or a thrown object for spells and the like."

and

"Unless the move requires you to keep your focus, we assume it's fire-and-forget."

This means you shouldn't have to painstakingly include every detail on the list, and it should be clearer what is required. For example:

"Length is required for all melee weapons, width should be included for axe-heads, greatsword blades or other very large weapons."

and

"Once activated, how fast does it travel? Fast as a thrown ball or slower? Arrow? Bullet? Required for original attacks and spells, but not for bullets and arrows unless they are different from the assumed speed."

Hopefully these changes are good? If you have any feedback, please put it in this Feedback topic. Thanks!

[Omni]

Further updated the writing moves checklist with examples to make it easier to copy+paste for writers. I've set "can they move while using/charging?" back to required for anything that's not a real-life weapon.

[Omni]

We used to have guidelines for Super Move damage that were basically "it's fixed damage, Tier 1s always do 2 damage, Tier 2s always do 4 damage, Tier 3s always do 6 damage", but then we decided to smudge the numbers a bit to allow for stats to matter and so that guaranteed kills were never a thing. However I just kind of REMOVED THE GUIDELINES AND REPLACED THEM WITH NOTHING. This was dumb and lazy, so today realising this, I updated the Fight rules to give some proper guidelines. Excerpt of the rewritten part:

If a Super Attack goes through, it is down to the targeted character to write out their characters attempt to mitigate the damage and the resulting injury. It is generally assumed that damage is dealt despite an attempt to block or dodge a Super Attack, as most characters aren't going to stand and take a giant beam to the face. The intention is that, if the attacker's ATK is similar to the defender's DEF, a Tier 1 Super Attack should deal around 2 damage (Minor Injury), a Tier 2 Super Attack should deal around 4 damage (Moderate Injury), and a Tier 3 Super Attack should deal around 6 damage (Serious Injury). If the defender's DEF is double or highter than the attacker's ATK, take away about 1 damage PER TIER. If the attacker's ATK is double or higher than the defender's DEF, add about 1 damage PER TIER.

These numbers are rough guidelines, and we might smudge them when it comes to allocating damage at the end of a fight for various reasons, including but not limited to: numbers not being exactly double or half, transformations used, how well we feel players wrote their attacks and defense, and managing a large level difference between characters. It's not an exact science, the judge uses their best discretion to come up with a believable, but fair number. We'll never allow guaranteed kills by spending SP (for example if one player is vastly higher in level than another), so if we feel the low-level player deserves to win despite the level difference, they might scrape through a fight with 19 damage even if they should have died "according to the numbers" after being hit with a bunch of Super Attacks. For more information on our judging criteria for winning and losing fights, see the FAQ at the bottom of the page.

I also realised that in past updates, I hadn't properly rewritten the fight example. For example, Tier 1 Super Moves costed 2 SP back in the day, and we had different random results instead of the more simplified coin flip we use now. So I rewrote that.

Then I rewrote the final fight FAQ about fight judgement, because the old version was a bit vague and shit. Here's the new version (which is about half old, half new):

A: The short answer is that it comes down to who the judge feels wrote better. However, a significant level difference can give an advantage to one player. A level difference of say, 3, isn't that big of a deal, but if you're level 1 and your opponent is level 11, you'll have to be the definitively superior writer (in the judge's opinion) to win. Other advantages include, if your opponent had an injury or used most of their SP before the fight, or if they choose not to use SP whereas you do (for example, if they're in an ongoing storyline and saving their SP for later).

In terms of writing, what matters most is creativity in using the situation. We want to be surprised, we want to be interested, we want to be engaged with the characters. We want to enjoy the read. That also includes having a good writing style (a typo or an awkward sentence here and there isn't a big deal, but if it's to the point that it distracts the reader, it won't help) and representing characters fairly and realistically in your writing. We want to reward those who put the effort in, both in the long and short-term, and we want to read epic stories.

Just remember that at the end of the day, losing a fight is just a chapter in your character's story. It's not meant to be a punishment, and it doesn't mean you're a bad writer. For many of us, the competitive aspect of the site is part of the fun, but if you don't enjoy it, there's plenty of non-competitive fun to be had on the Omniverse.

[Omni]

The power "Life Burn" has been added! In the distance, I can hear a white-haired berserker screaming for joy.

This has been finished for about 3 months, but it was still mid-saga. So I'ma just say: you can't buy this yet if you're still participating in DD, especially because of the 30 damage limit increase.

Life Burn
Some characters use their own body as fuel for their attacks, allowing them to transcend their bodies' limits at the cost of their vitality. Life Burn allows a user to inflict damage on themselves in order to replenish SP, or to instantly power a Transformation or Super Move (if you're already capped on SP). This should be noted in quotes at the end of the post in which you use it. This is a very risky power for highly offensive-minded characters, that can be as perilous to the user as it can be to their opponents. Buy it at your own risk!

Basic Life Burn – 1000 OM
Allows you to take 5 damage in order to gain 1 SP.

Advanced Life Burn – 2000 OM (requires level 5) (1000 OM if replacing Basic Life Burn)
Allows you to take 4 damage in order to gain 1 SP.

Master Life Burn – 3000 OM (requires level 10) (1000 OM if replacing Advanced Life Burn)
Allows you to take 3 damage in order to gain 1 SP.

[Omni]

A large update, we are moving the Earned OM goalposts for levels and increasing the OM curve on several endgame purchases such as Stat increases, Power-Up Boost increases and the Powers Cap. All the detail on the intent and design choices are explained in this thread.

Most players will gain a level, or move closer towards their next level milestone as a result. Some higher level players will move a bit further away. Gildarts stands to lose a level, but will still be able to use 12 SP as though he were level 12 until he actually reaches it.

Two players - Guu and Gildarts - will be affected by the price increase to Tier 3 Powers Cap, of 1000 OM, and that will be updated on their rosters.

If you have Stat Upgrade IV (I don't know of anyone who does), then the price is dropped by 1000 OM, so you stand to gain that back and may self-update to lower your Spent OM by 1000.

Three characters - Gildarts, Proto Man, and Guu - may now purchase Tier 3 Transformations and Assists, the unlock level for which has been lowered to 10. The unlock level for Tier 3 Super Moves has been lowered, and any player at level 8 may now purchase them.

The criteria for Tier 2 Transformations and Assists has been raised slightly from level 5 in the old system to level 6 in the new one (22,000 OM to 25,000 OM). Anyone who already has one of these who no longer meets the criteria may still use it. You may also purchase one if you were over 22,000 OM before the update. As a result of these changes, NPC Primes may now be created at level 6 instead of level 5.

I'm making these changes now so we can get on ahead with some other positive changes to the alternate character system, which will be updated shortly, but I will still listen to any concerns in the above thread and it's still possible for me to change things in the future. But, pretty much everyone stands to gain here whether it's in levels or being able to use Tier 3s, so hope you all enjoy the new power, and I look forward to seeing some exciting fights in the future!

[Omni]

I have changed the alternate character requirements for third characters to make it easier to unlock them, though it now requires having been on the site for eight months. You need level 5 with characters one and two, and 44,000 Earned OM total.

These requirements are planned to be lowered further. But since it's quite a big drop with the new level goalposts, and I'm worried about everyone rushing to make a third character all at once, I'm going to slowly drop the requirements over the next couple of weeks to stagger it. Ultimately it will require level 4 in two characters, and 40,000 Earned OM total.

Fourth character unlock requirements have been added.

[Omni]

Forgot to mention how this changes the switching rules.

The switch cooldown has been put back to 6 weeks by default. 12 weeks if you have two characters. 18 weeks if you have three. 24 weeks if you have four. This is to prevent folks using their alt slot as a merry-go-round slot and increasing our workload drastically.

[Omni]

Rather than having a weird note in the logs that states "Please also include the total OM spent in-category if applicable. For example, "Total Powers Spent: 5700/8000" or "New Consumed OM: 500"." which ... everyone seems to have forgotten or ignored, I'm updating the logs to include a new category: "Spent OM in Category", so that the new logs look like this:

Current post count: (your current post count, viewable below your avatar)
Current Earned OM: (your current Earned OM, viewable next to your posts)
Current Spent OM: (total, viewable on your roster)
Buying: (whatever it is you want to buy. If purchasing a move you MUST link to the approval). Cost: (the cost) OM
New Spent OM in category: (your new total spent on Moves, Powers or whatever it was you bought)
New Overall Spent OM: (your total Spent OM after the purchase)

We'll be going through updating the active logs to reflect this, please try to use the new template, thanks!

[Omni]

A railway connects Carrefore to the Town With No Name in the Endless Dunes (as referenced here). This was never added to the verse's info thread, but it has been now.

[Omni]

I have changed the alternate character requirements for third characters to make it easier to unlock them, though it now requires having been on the site for eight months. You need level 5 with characters one and two, and 44,000 Earned OM total.

These requirements are planned to be lowered further. But since it's quite a big drop with the new level goalposts, and I'm worried about everyone rushing to make a third character all at once, I'm going to slowly drop the requirements over the next couple of weeks to stagger it. Ultimately it will require level 4 in two characters, and 40,000 Earned OM total.

Fourth character unlock requirements have been added.

Ok, gonna go ahead and lower these to the new requirements as listed above. Let's form an orderly queue (after Meruem, I MUST BE FIRST FNFINSE)

[Omni]

Bonus rewards for Great have been increased from 25% to 50%. Bonus rewards for Exemplary have been increased from 50% to 100%. Enjoy.

Unfortunately, we won't be backdating these all the way, because with four years under our belt, it would be a bit nightmarish for us at this point - including things like DA as well. So we'll only be backdating these the last two weeks. I'll update those myself.

[Omni]

Archived a few rosters from new folks who signed up and then never posted or vanished pretty quick, and a few from older members who haven't posted in six months or so, just to make it easier to find other active members on the roster to RP with.

[Omni]

Just a heads up that Zack/Spur has stepped down from Cherubery for now.