The Almeta Times 1.1 Galactic Standard Date February 3rd, 2225 THE METAVERSE COUNCIL OPENS FOR BUSINESS
For those of you who are unaware, a council has been formed to enhance overall participation on the Metaverse. They will attempt to do this in many ways, but in order for them to accomplish the goals they set for themselves, they will need help. Kryo is one such person who has volunteered his services. A while back, Kryo (A.K.A The Architect) created a program that drew information directly from the Metaverse in an attempt to give an alternate scoring system to those who post games. After much thought, and hours of work, the
"Altmeta" was born. Kryo has graciously donated his valuable time and use of the Altmeta so they, The Metaverse Council, can explore the different avenues available to them through this program, and achieve the goal of a more active Metaverse.
It all began innocently enough with a thread on the GalCiv2 forums entitled
"Is Anyone else out there?" Quickly the thread went from wondering about activity on the Metaverse, to how it could be improved so that it would appeal to all types of players. After dozens of ideas and multiple threads, some of which included
"Ideas for a Constitution" and
"Metaverse Council General Conversation Thread", a consensus was reached in the beginning of January by four of the most active and influential empires of the Metaverse. Thus, the Metaverse Council was forged.
The B.C. Space Orcas, The Galactic Diplomats, The High Command Hegemony, and The Arrakis Imperium each elected two candidates to represent their members on the Council. The goal of this council is to better the Metaverse by creating an environment more suitable for all types of GalCiv2 players and to generate a higher participation level within the Metaverse for overall game submissions. From the Novice player to the most advanced and skilled strategic warriors, form the largest empires to the smallest, the Metaverse Council hopes to improve this experience for all. The candidates elected understand the agenda put forth and have agreed to put the Metaverse, and those who submit games thereon, before all else, including their own empires.
Currently, council members are discussing adding new members to represent the
"At Large" Metaverse population. This would include everyone who has submitted a game, whether aligned with an Empire or currently unaligned. If you are interested in creating a better Metaverse experience for all, would like to be part of the council, or just want to run a few ideas past current elected members, you are welcomed and even encouraged do so. Just post in one of the current threads on the GalCiv2 forums concerning the council, or stop by
"The Galactic Core"" and visit the forum regarding the Metaverse Council. There are multiple threads in numerous areas, where your voice can, and will be heard.
The following people were nominated by their Empires to serve as representatives on the Metaverse Council.
"The Galactic Diplomats"Mumblefratz
DethAdder
]
"The Arrakis Imperium" TheGreatEmperor
Vukasika
"The High Command Hegemony"MarshallONiell
Quixen
"B.C. Space Orcas"Thagee
Syrrus K
The first few weeks the council has seen a flurry of activity, most of which surrounding the creation of the council and the laws which will govern it. The first vote was taken on the 26th day of January, 2225 G.S.D, and ended 3 days later with a unanimous vote. Eight votes for, and none against. Visit the
"Metaverse Council Voting Rules" poll to learn more about this topic.
Other small steps were taken as well.
An
"Offical Logo" was created for the Metaverse Council forums hosted by the Galactic Core and the Council adopted the slogan "It's so easy, even a caveman could do it". The slogan reflects a core belief of the council, which is to keep things as simple as possible while still making noticeable improvements.
The Galactic Core invited every empire who wishes to have its own forum, to stop by the core and register. The Core will be happy to host your Empires forum free of charge. Several Empires have taken them up on their generous offer and have found tons of game related information as well as forum contests, games and common areas. It is truly a wonderful site. At the very least, Visit the Galactic Core, they promise to leave the lights on for you.
The Altmeta Times is going to be the official player update. It will keep everyone informed of what is going on within the council. From things that are being discussed to things that have been implemented. It will hopefully become the one place where players will come to get a one page summary instead of having to browse through hundreds of posts. Remember, If you hear it here, It must be true...
The most noticeable accomplishment thus far are the new Altmeta banners. If you frequent the GalCiv2 forums you may have seen them at the bottom of some of the more recent posts. This is a colorful banner of your favorite Civ which shows your overall score, Altmeta ranking, games submitted and overall activity ranking. If you click on these banners they will take you to the Altmeta where you will be able to find your own name and empire. If you would like to display this information for yourself and help promote the Altmeta, you will find the appropriate links for your character at the bottom of the character page. Pick the link that best suits you and place it as an image link within the body of your post. Currently the best link to use on the GalCiv2 forums is the HTML link.
In the future the Metaverse Council hopes to create new medals to display, brackets for game play, introduce graphical mods as viable Metaverse submissions, start competitions with alternate settings, try and change scoring for the different victory conditions, add new council members, as well as refine the rules in which it is governed. They have a lot of work ahead of them and are looking forward to the challenge.
Above all, please remember, the Metaverse Council needs your support in order to make the Metaverse an even better place.
Quixen Windsong
Chief Editor
Member of the Metaverse Council
Member of the High Command Hegemony