First of all, I have to apologise to everyone for falling silent throughout May. Job-hunting woes and general muse loss rendered me mute, and I didn't want to say anything until I had something constructive to say, but somehow never did have anything.

Though There Was An Attempt (and, we hope, a good one while it lasted), it seems to me that, pre-May, the changes we made to Grid_Lined did not help those who'd wanted a faster and more controlled environment and did not suit those who preferred a less structured experience, and did not matter to those who were okay with either one. Attempts at managing several years' worth of continuity and frequently-interrupted CR have been bogging everyone down and rendering g_l inaccessible to casual and long-term players alike, and of the players who had been active at all in the past few months, many have been swamped by rl since then.

That includes me, and I have to reluctantly conclude that my responsibilities right now don't leave me the headspace for running a game with mod events and a complex continuity.


Therefore, after discussing this, Dawn and I have decided to roll the game down to a sandbox format.

*The game's original rules for characters, tagging, and rp etiquette will still apply.

*There will no longer be a schedule of events or a bimonthly check-in. Not sure about the plot-with-me posts; those seem to have pressured some people.

*The difference from the pre-big-game format is that while Free Grid posts will still absolutely be allowed, so will voicetest/meme-style posts and tagging outside of Free Grid continuity. If you want to have your Tron character pilot a Jaeger (you know who you are~~~~), or escape the system in the eighties and infiltrate ENCOM disguised as a User, or want to set a post during the Occupation or in the 2.0-verse and play without previous in-game continuity, such posts will now be allowed.

*We'll be creating some new tags with which to manage different continuities. For now, they don't need to be used; we'll go in and apply them retroactively when we figure them out. A Continuity: Free Grid (or ENCOM Era; Pre-Legacy; AU; whatever it is) note above the who/when/where information on new posts will be enough for now.

This is supposed to be A FREE SYSTEM FOR EVERYBODAAAYYYY -- I mean what.~ Hopefully these changes will dial down the pressure and make this place fun again.

Can't make an in-post poll right now, so please comment if you want to answer this one:


Should we:
(A) Place the comm as a whole on hiatus for a month, to give swamped players a genuine no-guilt break?
(B) Leave the comm open whether people are ready to post here or not?

Questions will be answered; comments are screened.

Preliminary to the game-status post (which will appear momentarily), I have to regretfully scale down my roster of characters.

I'm especially sorry to lose Ram, my first Tron character and, for a long time, my strongest muse here. Most of the others are going because even six was too many characters for me to hang onto at once.

For continuity purposes:

Ram and Wulf have been Portaled out. Wulf's clinic is left in the (usually) capable hands of his orderlies. Stats and Analysis will run smoothly in Ram's absence, as they try to keep plenty of backup programs on call.
Roy is back in his own world, trapped on his side of the Portal because of the vagaries of spacetime.
Ko has returned to the Outlands, working on recreating the Grid's network of weather stations.

Allon (overarch) and Eckert (electrifaction) will remain in g_l for the time being.


Thank you, everyone, for the amazing stories all our characters built together. It's been an honor to play these people with you.

Or am I the last program standing? Not an official check in post by any means, but... I've been kind of wondering.

I've been under the weather for the past week and there's a bunch of rl stuff going on, so I'm going to have to be offline for a few days. See you midweek!

This affects all my characters.

A decade ago, and with a different game, I once said that there's no way to do this without it sounding like some sort of bizarre suicide note. But my time here has run its course and I will be leaving the game.

I lost some of my enthusiasm for it after certain events transpired well over a year ago now, but I stuck around, because it was still a DR and I could use it to work out character ideas and the like, and there were (and still are!) people I genuinely like playing with.

But recent changes have made me realize that it's no longer the place for me, I'm glad, thrilled, that it's working so well for others still, but I was never cut out for a game with regular events and activity checks (yes, I know it's only every two months, but it's still enough to stress me out.)

This effects all of these jerks. That said! I won't simply be dropping the threads I have ongoing, I'll follow them through to wrap so that I'm not abandoning anyone mid-thread. I will also probably be throwing most of (if not all) of these guys on the odd meme now and again, so I'm not abandoning them either.

It's been a good run, and I'll see all of you around, I'm sure.

You are at the Park, or near the Park, when the siren sounds. A hatch has opened in the Park’s lowest level -- there’s a level below that no one has seen before.

Security will quickly cordon off the main entrance, but that doesn't mean you haven't been in there already or found a secondary hatch at the outskirts of the action.

Things you may find in various rooms in there:

A bank of unlabeled controls (if someone touches them, there will be consequences)
A very large chamber full of discs left over from the Occupation (whose were they? is one of them yours? the Archive programs are going to have a field day with this)
A hall of mirrors (really, Flynn)
A whole load of abandoned schematics and layout plans

All or any of this might interest your character, or they may wander off into the mirror-maze and get lost for half an hour. But just as importantly, when the hatch opens, the first thing to emerge will be a ton of Bits. Thousands of Bits. Big Bits and baby Bits. Inquisitive, unsocialized, badly behaved Bits, and they are very, very interested in you. Maybe they need you to help a beta or new rerezz out of a hole, maybe they get mad at you for not letting them “dance” with everyone in the club; maybe you’re looking particularly winsome today; who knows? Whatever the reason, Bits suddenly love you, and there is a flock of them following you wherever you go, providing binary commentary on your activities and getting into your business. This may be inconvenient, or it may be the best thing ever. Enjoy!

The tag for this event will be: event: The Chamber of Bits

At least one IC mod-character post will go up tomorrow, but you're free to make posts for your characters before that!

I've decided to retire Roy (heyalanhey) and Sati (neverminder); seven characters is too much.

Roy: was on the other side of the Portal when the storm cut the connection between his world and the Free Grid. He'll keep trying to restore contact, and might succeed someday, but till then, he wishes everyone well.

Sati: was visiting Gallium during the storm, and vanished with the city. The Portal team can confirm to whomever asks that she went wherever Gallium did.

As noted on the check-in post, Ram, Ko, Wulf, Allon, and Eckert are staying.

Last month was a quiet month on the Free Grid, aside from a brief and (so far) unexplained glitch in transportation. Inhabitants were recovering from the storm, exploring changes to the Grid's architecture, and missing those whom the storm removed from the Grid. (As it was a difficult month for a lot of us, much of this ended up happening offscreen.)

This month starts out just as quiet, though the Thing That Will Happen in a couple of days is likely to turn heads. Feel free plot non-event-related activities and/or to wait for Thursday's event post to decide what your characters might do.

Don't forget to use the Jobfair/Tasksets and Locations posts for ideas on what your character can do for others and they for you.

Plot away!

Happy April, y'all! How's everyone doing on backtags?

Here is the bimonthly character check-in post. Grid_lined does not have an activity requirement, but does ask that you're honest with yourself about how many characters you want to have active.

The plot-with-me post will go up momentarily. We also have an April event coming up. As discussed previously, there will be an IC mod-character post during the first week of the month to announce the start of the event. Dawn and I will be looking at the check-in post as we finish planning the event to see who we're plotting for.<3 As a reminder, major events will be bimonthly (once every two months) after this, unless the game's demographics drastically change in the interim.


Please check in with:
Active characters, i.e. characters who have been active during the past two months and whom you intend to keep around;
New or returning characters whom you plan to reactivate or introduce into the game during the the upcoming two weeks. (You can always introduce a character later, but if you believe it won't be within the first two weeks, don't check in with the character on the check-in post yet.)

You only need one comment for all your characters.

If you're retiring a character and want them to exit the game some other way, please specify in your comment. Aside from that, characters not specified as active and characters who have not been played at all during the previous two months will be assumed to have been exported to their worlds of origin, with the usual wide-open option for return to the Free Grid at such time as their players want to pick them up again.

I'll be commenting with my characters when I get home from work. Thanks for sticking with us as we work out how to keep the game fun!



[EDIT: Due to unforeseen Thursdayness and time getting away from us, the event post will go up tomorrow.]

Of those who responded to the locked poll about the event, all but one checked the first two options (avalanched by rl/backtagging), while half added "waiting for everyone else". (There was only one vote for "cheese" and "ticky box". I'm surprised at all of you.~)

Given that most people who are currently in the game seem to have a lot of rl and/or threads from last month that they’re still working on resolving, we'll be ending this event early; people can use the next two weeks to backtag, catch up, and play out things that were plotted but they'd had no time for. There’ll still be optional mid-month mini-events posted next week for those seeking something to do. The main thing is to get the pressure off so everyone can finish their backlog of threads comfortably.

A new event will start during the first week of April; Dawn or I will make an IC event-starting post to kick things off. April’s event will be unrelated to this one. The bimonthly character check-in post will also be that week.

After that, unless something changes, the next mod-run Grid-wide event will take place in June, although lesser events and character-driven plots will take place as usual. Since last month's event went really well, and then activity suddenly slowed, Dawn and I have decided to tool the game to its current demographic; after April's event, events will be bimonthly (every two months) instead of monthly. Right now, we're mostly casual players with a lot of rl on our backs. Staying slow for now will allow us all to catch our breath, which seems to be what's needed.


END OF THE EVENT:

The event will end by itself, having taken two days ICly instead of four days. Without warning, every vehicle affected by it will suddenly return to normal (for now). Let's hope they're all in park! If you still want to make an event post, you can until midnight on Saturday night, when I'll post an IC event-end post.

This was not the original plan for resolving the event; it was going to be more character-driven. But with the resolution unknown, it may recur someday when we've revisited its parameters and made it work better.


If any of this is unclear, or if there are any questions, comments are open!

After due consideration, I'm dropping. This applies to both Trons and Hartley. Haven't been too happy here since December, and I'm tired of trying to drag people into threading when it seems like most of the people I was here to tag with don't wanna.

Hi everyone. I've been thinking long and hard about things and my place and role in this game, and I think it's time for me to step down (or at least back) as an active mod here.

It's been a wonderful couple of years at the helm, but at this time, I feel like it's best to leave the game in more capable hands. Vik and Dawn have been doing a great job with promoting new events and getting things moving, and I feel like I'm dragging at the moment.

Hopefully, this will free up some stress on me and allow me to tag more freely as a player and not as a mod.

Last month, the Free Grid’s shape and demographics were drastically changed by a severe storm. Some lost their homes, and some lost friends, but the storm also imported a patch of clean Sea (with some unexpected passengers) and put an end to death on the Grid. (Has... anybody actually tested this yet? Because this is a thing.)

This month, transportation across the Grid is stalling as a compatibility error makes most vehicles nonfunctional. Is your vehicle one of them? Are you frantically trying to get somewhere, or is this forcing you to slow down and smell the virtual roses for once? Are you interested in investigating the cause of the error, possibly via ancient Archive records or by exploring self-maintaining system utility facilities that have gone unvisited since before the Reintegration? Do you desperately need to get somewhere or else DISASTER? Are you part of a relief or rescue mission, or do you need one? Could you not care less about transportation because there are more important things going on in your life? Did you just rezz in and is this the worst system ever of all time?

Don't forget to use the Jobfair/Tasksets and Locations posts for ideas on what your character can do for others and they for you during this event.

Now get in here and plot! \o/

HAPPY MARCH, EVERYONE! This month's plot-with-me post will be going up momentarily, but first, here’s the March event!

WHO: everyone who uses Tron City’s public transportation system or any vehicle written for most versions of Flynn’s Grid.
WHAT: A minor system error renders standard transportation incompatible with the Free Grid.
WHERE: All over the Grid, but especially Tron City.
HOW LONG: This plot will last approximately four days (twelve millicycles) in gametime and ideally one to two weeks in realtime. (The previous event was scheduled for one week and took three, so let's give this one two weeks and see how it goes.)
TAG: The tag for this event is event: gridlocked.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN:

Midway into morning shift as of right about now, most transportation all over the Grid will just... stop. Ground vehicles will error out and slow, skid, or crash; pilots will have only a few micros (about fifteen minutes) to land or bail before Recognizers, helicopters, lightships, and lightjets will fall out of the sky; Solar Sailers and Light Rails will pause on their tracks and refuse to budge, even if they’re upside down, halfway between stations, or suspended over a chasm in the Outlands.

Some vehicles will not be affected. Anything not originally written for a mirror of Flynn’s Grid (say, a lightcycle imported from the ENCOM system, or a four-wheeler that rezzed in with someone from the Internet), or anything custom-built or modified to exclude the compatibility code causing the error (whether anyone knows this is why it still works or not -- keen-eyed mechanics or people who really know their vehicle code might be able to extrapolate the source of the problem from this), will be fine. Vehicles of this type will doubtless rapidly be pressed into service to transport programs and vital supplies to all corners of Tron City, since the regular supply vehicles don’t work. Reports, repairs, missions, and updates will be delayed; programs might find it difficult to get energy or complete their daily tasksets; worker absence due to commute interruptions will affect most departments, causing further delays in things like map updates and utility repairs. Moving walkways, escalators, elevators, transportation relays, and the like will still operate, but anything built for the Grid with wheels, wings, rotors, or ~magnetic drive~ (thank you SO much, Evolution) will not be able to operate until the source of the problem is found.

So: why is this happening? During the first millicycle of the event, a system report from Administration will explain that there is a compatibility issue and that they’re trying their best to locate the problem. But what is the issue? Is there anyone left on the Grid who actually knows how that works? Can instructions be found? Can it be fixed, and if so, how and by whom? Plot away in the plotting post; further information will be posted near the end of the first realtime week of the event, but until then, have fun exploring the possibilities... and getting around the vastness of Tron City without your usual ride.

Hey guys, Copper here calling a little hiatus until after the first of the month. Work is picking up after the long slow winter, and returning to twenty-seven - thirty hour work weeks after two and a half months of working fifteen hour weeks is wearing me out. Rather than stressing out over tags and staying up later than I should trying to get said tags done I am going to take a little break and recharge my batteries. I might get a tag or two done before my full return if inspiration hits but can make no promises.

This hiatus affects Eden, Echo, the whales and anything related to the Waves.

Not exactly a hiatus -- will still be online during work hours -- but my modem is dying a horrible protracted death and I may be offline more than usual for a bit. Hopefully the situation will resolve by the end of the week. I'll still be tagging during the day.

Behind the scenes, we're working on a rule page, an information post describing the environment and new geography of the Free Grid, and a couple of other things. Those will probably be up next week, but first here's the rundown on what's going to happen with events!

It looks like we’re going to run with one event on the first week of every month. They won't all be massive Grid-changing events (otherwise "what new disaster are we getting this month?" would be an IC thing and that's just silly), but each monthly event will affect all or most characters in some way.

In between, to keep things interesting, we’re introducing optional mini-events. Each month, in between larger-scale events, we’ll post three suggestions as to things your character could get up to in that open post you were meaning to make. Mini-events will not affect the population at large; it will be up to each individual player which, if any, of their characters are affected, and how. Players can take the suggestions and work them into an open post, creating some action, tying it in (or not) with recent events, and potentially forwarding any plotline their character has. (Closed posts and posts unconnected with either main events or mini-events are, of course, still allowed as well.)


So without further ado: here are the mini-events for this month! Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to put your character through any one or combination of the following scenarios:

( Vehicular incident )
( Only a dream )
( You are so very late )

Take ‘em and run with ‘em! That’s what they’re for.

Hi I am Re and I can't seem to quit this game or team orange. Only this time the orange doesn't mean bad things really.

This is Clu.exe a NetNavi who manage to avoid Bad End and comes from a universe that is one part Tron canon and one part Megaman Battle Network canon. This post pretty much breaks down the Megaman part of the verse, as well as outline Clu's world a bit.

So yeah, anyone want a Clu that doesn't want to take your system over and purge it of imperfections? He builds shiny things that go boom and likes to share them with security programs.

Hi I'm Kat and I have a jerk medic problem.

This is Hartley. Hartley is a security medic. Hartley might have a sliiiiight snarking problem.

You get those dealing with crazy monitors.

Here’s a post to answer the burning question that you’ve all been waiting for: what do your characters DO all day?? Or, to be more precise: YAY FREE GRID JOB FAIR!

This will be the place to post details about your character’s job, how it brings them into contact with other characters, and whether other characters can work there too. Use it to develop CR and come up with reasons for your characters to interact!


First of all, the context: how does work actually work on the Grid?


Rundown of the departments your character can work for in a System or other job:


There can be and often is cross-pollination between the various departments and/or independents.

How to use this post:

There will be four threads in this post -- one each for the three main system management departments, and one for independents. A program whose job serves more than one branch (such as a Comms program assigned to Security as a dispatcher) should go under the thread they directly work for.

*Comment once for each of your characters, under the appropriate thread (each character gets a separate comment).
*If in Utilities, put the subgroup in the subject line of your comment.
*Copy and paste the following form into your comment:


<b>Name:</b><br /><b>Department:</b><br /><b>Work environment:</b><br /><b>What my character can do for you:</b><br /><b>Are they hiring over there?:</b><br /><b>Any other cool details?</b>

And there you have it. Fire away!