Dacy

I want to make sure you are aware of the Halloween Base Contest. I am looking for one base to host the Halloween Event on Torchbearer, all treats provided; if your base is the one selected, you'll get a title and merits, along with all the visitors on Halloween! Please check out all of the details in Events: Torchbearer builders, it's up to you! If no bases from Torchbearer are entered, then people will have to visit other shards to get their treats (which are prizes worth 10-20+million each, and you can get multiple prizes). I'm sure people would rather just see a great base on their home shard! So please, enter your best Halloween themed base. -Dacy

Hi Jane! Thanks for the response! All that is required to join the fun is to let me know, and I'll give you an invite to my Discord, like this: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cw0Rzo8S0cQ/ and you click on the link, sign up for Discord (it's free) if you aren't there already, and come join my server. Shoutout that you're here to help with the Halloween event, and I will put you in the channel that is reserved for that. In that channel you will find much of the info you'll need, like a schedule to sign up on, and I will, later in September, be doing orientations where I show you the creatures, and backstage stuff in the Witch's House so you know where to go and how to get there, and what to do on each monster. You can also ask any and every question you might have in that channel. 🙂 So, come on over! Looking forward to seeing you! -Dacy

Hey, folks, I need people who want to have fun RPing as monsters (monsters supplied). Some of these are well scripted, if you like to know exactly what to say and do, and some are free form with lots of room to experiment and role play. This will be for the Witch's House, a well known and loved Halloween Event attraction. You can play as many hours or as few as you like. There are titles for doing at least 5 hours, and you even get to choose from a list if you are in the top 3 in hours that you have played characters. Please see this post for details: Thank you! I hope to hear from a good number of you! -Dacy

This will demonstrate the pieces and uses. -Dacy

if you'd like them to be part of the decor, please let us know that, so we can schedule a time at which they are there. (In the Witch's House, we have several afk characters on alt accounts that are there, but not really manned, to help with the atmosphere, and that is something that can be there every day.) If you want creatures that will move and interact with players, those will need to be scheduled. -Dacy

Addendum: If you are going to feature something in your base that requires character presence, like monsters operated by a player, let us know so we can schedule a time to judge when the character will be there, too. -Dacy

It's that time of year again! And this time, Homecoming is helping me get the word out, and also helping by providing permission for me to give out TITLES for some that choose to help with the event*! *Titles other than for the base contest will last one year Donation is simple. Send your donation of whatever amount to @Dacy through the in-game email system. If you wish, you may contact her and send a test email, if that gives you confidence. Make sure you note "Halloween" in the topic. Donors will also be mentioned on promotional posters (provided they donate before the posters are distributed). Once you've decided to donate, you'll learn what the surprise reward is! (This is so that the decision to donate is not influenced by anything other than the desire to help.) Recognition rewards start with donations of 999,999,999 influence/infamy. Scare Acting, now, that's different, and a whole lot of fun! Every RL haunted house has a crew that is helping to put on a show by donning costumes and scaring visitors, and the Witch's House is no different! We have created some amazing creatures, thanks to the talents of @Easter Bunny and @Ellyz. These monsters are designed with specific areas of the House in mind. All you do is let us know you'd like to participate by telling either @Dacy or @Easter Bunny, and we add you to a private channel in Dacy's Discord server with access to a sign up schedule so you can sign up for the hours you'd like for the character you want to play. You will also have access to a full description of the characters and what they do. Some are very simple, with binds that handle most everything, and some allow for more flexible and creative acting/RP. Choose a favorite, or have fun with the variety! Not only is it fun to play a monster, but you'll be "backstage" in the Witch's House, and if you choose, you can listen and/or participate in a voice channel while we're "live", where we all have a blast! We will be open on the weekends of October on Friday and Saturday evenings, and Sunday afternoons (EST). We will have more extended hours on the last weekend of October, and we will also be open much of Halloween. All players who work at least five total hours will earn a title. The three players who act for the most hours will get to choose their title from this list: Spine-Tingling Fright Tech Haunting Spirit Scarehouse Worker House Goblin Terror Technician Chaos Goblin Gore-geous Killing It Boo-tiful Embodiment of Fear Eerie-sistible Terror-ific Boo-dacious Boo Crew Phantasmic Master of the Haunt Fear Incarnate The rest of the workers that worked at least 5 hours will all get the same title, chosen from this same list after the leaders have made their selections. If you are unfamiliar with the House, talk to Dacy to get information and orientation. Orientations will happen later in September. If you'd like to participate by hosting, you'll have to check out the Halloween Base Contest! Your Base Community Reps, @Dacy and @Easter Bunny

Copy/paste in this topic with your responses, for your entry. Entry Form: Global (in game): Forum Handle: Discord Handle (if applicable): Collaborators (if applicable): Are you the owner or builder? If not the owner, do you have the owner’s permission? Owner’s global, if different from above: Builder’s global, if different from above: Base Name: Base Code: Base Shard: **Additional information you want us to know: (This might include whether you have an interactive element, such as a monster, that needs to be there, so we can schedule a time)

Every year, Dacy has put together a Halloween Giveaway Event. She's gotten people from all the shards to join in for a night of showing off their bases while giving the community awesome treats, provided by the donations of generous donors. It's always a lot of fun, and this year, with the help and support of the HC team, CRs Dacy and Easter Bunny are able to give base hosts official recognition and rewards for their building skills! (There will also be one additional base award, see rules for details.) So, we're having a Halloween Base Contest! Bases should be Halloween themed or compatible with Halloween. They could be spooky, scary, mystical, monstrous, creepy, or set up for a Halloween party! Important Details: There are a good number of bases that are well done scary/spooky/creepy/dark sorts of bases. For host bases, we are specifically looking for bases that are thematic, but also ones that will handle trick or treaters well. We will be looking for: Good intuitive or directed flow. Where do people go to get the treats? Clear, even simple is good here. A theme compatible with Halloween Preferably, something that visitors can experience that gives an element of fun or a thrill! Slides, drops, mazes, places haunted by scary monsters (which can be played by players or created in the editor), all make it a real experience, not just a grab and go for the player. If there is no interactive element to the base, a simpler layout is better. Players who get lost or frustrated while searching for the giveaway will just leave. All the usual standards for a champion base apply: flicker/shimmer/glitching should be minimally present, and demonstrated higher level editing, artistic, and imaginative skills will always score better than entries without those features. We are looking for Host Bases, and the criteria for those are a little different than just "what's the 'best' base design". Since many, if not most, of the thematically appropriate bases out there do not include things specifically designed to involve visitors, or have a complicated layout, we included a category for a well designed base that, although not optimal for trick or treat visitors, is still a very well done and on point base design. This will be the Haunted Halloween Base Winner. There will only be 1 base hosting Halloween this year on each of the smaller shards of Reunion, Indomitable, and Torchbearer, and 2 on the larger shards of Excelsior and Everlasting. (One of bases on Everlasting is Dacy’s the Witch’s House, the base that started it all, so it gets to host, but no title or merits.) This means that there will be one winner from each shard, two from Excelsior, and the one that is not hosting can be from any of the shards. INDOMITABLE, TORCHBEARER, REUNION, we will need to see entries from you, please! There will be a winner from each shard, so you builders on the smaller shards, this is a great chance to shine! So, here's the fine print. Please read. Rules: 1. All entries must be completed by October 6, 2023. Judging will begin then. 2. Winners will be announced Friday, October 13, 2023! 3. All entries must commit to having someone in the base to hand out treats to trick or treaters on Saturday, October 28, and on Tuesday, October 31, for four hours in the evening on each date, at a minimum (evening should be EST, except for Reunion, which may be open for evening hours on UTC time). Being open for more hours and even for more days would be wonderful, but is optional. The person present can be someone other than the person who entered the base into the contest, but it is the entrant’s responsibility to have someone there. 4. Bases may be entered in the competition by their owners or builders, but if entered by the builder, they must have the owner’s permission. Exceptions will be made for owners who have been out of contact for more than a year. If a base was not built by the owner, the owner will only get the title and share in the merits if they are a host for at least half of time spent handing out treats. If you’re willing to put in the work and it's your base, you earned the title. Bases entered by the owner automatically include the builder in the awards, unless the builder has chosen to be represented by another base. 5. Bases that have won other contests are not eligible to enter this one. Builders who have won may enter a different base, however. 6. Cooperative builds are acceptable entries, and all involved builders will get titles, but the merits will be split according to how many people participated. 7. Please do not enter multiple accounts for the same player. You will be given the choice of what character on what account will wear the title if they win. It need not be the same character or account you used to build the base. 8. One entry per player. If you worked on another base that is also entered, you will not share in the rewards if that one wins. You must choose only one base to represent you. 9. Although the Haunted Base winner must be willing to host, as the entries are all entered and considered under the same rules, they will not be participating in the giveaway. Any base, whether in the contest or not, may of course choose to do a Halloween Giveaway of their own, but only winning Host Bases will be provided with materials and promotion. 10. All treats for the trick or treaters, as well as instructions on hosting and randomizing the giveaway, will be provided. 11. Although every effort to publicize the event will be made, it is helpful if Hosts will remind people on their shard about the giveway during the hours of operation, via general chat announcements. Spamming the announcements in quick succession, however, is discouraged. 12. The décor is, of course, important, but of equal importance is the layout, and this will be a big factor in judging. Layout needs to be clear to people unfamiliar with the base, who may even be unfamiliar with bases in general. 13. PARTIAL BASES MAY BE ENTERED. You may section off an area that is just for hosting, as long as it is clearly it's own area, separate from the rest of the base. Separation may be by being in a separate area, or by using surface tiles with collision to visually and physically cordon off the area, but entry to the area should be through the main entry portal, to avoid confusing participants. Entry to the rest of the base may be disabled for the event, or via secret portal. We will only judge the area that is visible and accessible to us, not the area the base covers on the map. 14. ADDENDUM: If your base includes something that requires player presence, such as monsters operated by characters, be sure to let us know that so we can schedule a time when they can be present. Disclaimer: Contest judging is subjective and everyone's tastes are different. Please be kind to our judges who volunteer their time for these community events. If you have any issues, please contact Dacy and Easter Bunny here or on Discord! Judges other than the CRs were chosen for specific skills, and because none of them were going to enter this contest. Rewards: Each winner will be awarded a golden title and 5,000 merits (divisible by the number of those involved). Host base builders will be awarded the title of “Halloween Base Winner & Host 2023”. The winner that is not also a host will be awarded the title of, “Haunted Halloween Base Winner 2023”. (The word “Haunted” may be added or subtracted from the applicable title upon request.) Accepting the reward for base hosting commits you to handing out treats on the specified days. Character title award is dependent upon honoring that commitment. In the event that a designated Host Base becomes unable to carry out their commitments, the next highest scoring base will be designated as the Host Base and rewarded accordingly. We know there are a lot of amazing bases out there, and we can’t wait to see them all! Your Community Reps, @Dacy and @Easter Bunny

I know we've not done classes in a long while! Sorry about that. But I am seeing a lot of otherwise wonderful bases with a lot of flicker, that's what I call the flashing you get when two flat planes share the same location, like overlapping grass plates. The fix for that is fairly simple, and will improve your build so much! I am also going to go into some ways to try and manage shift (Spoiler: there isn't anything to really get RID of it, but more like, how to deal with it as best we can), and tricky placement problems and their solutions around outer walls of bases. Plus, of course, room for your problems and questions! Troubleshooting Class Friday, Aug 4 7 PM EDT Repeat class Saturday, Aug 5 3 PM EDT This will be streamed on the Homecoming Discord in General Voice 2. You can listen without speaking, no mic required. If you don't like Discord, I'm sorry, it's the only way to do these classes; my advice would be, make an account, come, and delete it or put it away when you're done. You don't have to stay. 🙂 If you say you are interested via my Discord server, it will send you a reminder for the time slot. https://discord.gg/pxUNpzDc?event=1135668364426100818 I hope to see you there! -Dacy

We are hoping that the bases stay around for RPers to visit. They were all wonderful! I was wishing we could give out many more prizes. Our hope, tho, is that first of all, you had fun. Secondly, we'd hope that you would perhaps keep the base, improve it if possible, or maybe you found something inspiring and it spurs further ideas. Giving it or selling it is of course, an option. It's your base, you do what you will with it. 🙂 But I know the RP community is very happy to use any bases (tho that mostly applies to the RP community on Everlasting, experiences on other shards may vary or interest in using a base for RP might not be too evident). -Dacy

Yeah, it's gotta be really close to first room. This isn't something that makes you able to place it even a few feet away from the first room. This is for the things that are frustratingly close, or you want to scream at the editor, "It's IN THE ROOM! Why won't you let me place that? I mean, it's not in the room by MUCH..." So, yeah, it's unfortunately not something that will let you place outside a room by anything more than a tiny bit. Sorry it didn't work for you. -Dacy

See my space ship ONES-5030 on Excelsior or the video tour What makes this ship fairly unique is, the ship is wrapped around the base itself, so you don't see the walls or have a problem trying to disguise the base outside of the ship. That being said, there is a way to make a base under your ship somewhat invisible. Somewhat. I have a trick/technique for getting items to place successfully, if they're close to where the editor will allow them/should allow them. Basically, it takes advantage of the fact that we can now build in doorways, because the computer has to assign whatever we put into a doorway to a room, because only items with a sufficient piece of the item in a room (and vertically within the room bounds counts, of course) can be placed. You must not have a room that extends to the edge of the map to be able to do this, but my ship, since I built it around the base and I knew I was doing that, was built with several small rooms instead of a large room underneath or above. To place an item that's almost be not quite in the bounds of a room, add a room and doorways between the room where you're trying to place the object, and where the object will be, so that the object would be placed in the doorway between the rooms. Place the object. Delete the room. If the object was placed closely enough to the original room, the computer will assign it to that room, and it will stay! I had to do this with much of the rounded front end of the ship, some of the pieces that stick out to the sides, and the entire back end (otherwise, you could not have a piece that is totally upright and not showing thru the wall behind it at any point). If you want wings, you might have to place a small room out some distance from the body of the ship to help you span the distances. I hope that helps! -Dacy

I have a work in progress base (WIP) that you can look at, central to the theme is a garage, and I know there are others. The code is on Everlasting, it's CROSSROADS-18062. I also have put out a fairly extensive list of videos to help with learning to base build, and the other CR and I run a Discord, which you are welcome to join. https://discord.gg/GR4sx7Dbj . The link for the videos is https://www.youtube.com/c/DacysBaseBuilding/ . -Dacy

Sorry, Echo, there is not currently a reference for this. I advise going thru the editor (I do this every time I build, when I need to create something and I need to find what works the best; at this point I know the relative sizes of things, but it's very helpful to do this, pull things out and turn them around bc you can end up using the sides and bottoms and bits that you can't see from the pic in the editor). Sounds like something we should put together, tho; currently I'm a bit busy, but I do put out fairly regular videos to help you with building, and I have a discord that is base focused, and it's a great place to ask questions if you're looking for things to use to make whatever with. This link to my Discord is good for 30 days. You are welcome to come join the community! 🙂 https://discord.gg/GR4sx7Dbj -Dacy

Go check out the contest in Events and Contests! Community Challenges are a new, short, fun contest brought to you by your community reps, who accept a proposal from a challenger and make it into a one of a kind contest. The first contest has already (just) started, so join the fun! -Dacy

How to Submit A Community Challenge Copy the form below and submit to either @Easter Bunny or @Dacy on the forums or on Discord in a DM. Posts on the forums are not considered to be submissions. Submit ONE idea. Yes, we know you probably have many, but please select the one closest to your heart. Please consider, when choosing your idea and time frame, the amount of effort and time the build will probably take most people. The idea needs to be focused and specific enough so that it will not stress most people to complete it in the amount of time given. The CR team will work with you on time frame and project scope if they feel it needs to be adjusted to work. When you issue a challenge, you agree to help judge the challenge, and you can’t enter the challenge yourself. Criteria for selection: CRs will evaluate ideas for approval, and this is admittedly subjective. Challenges need to inspire participation and creativity, but still be possible for most people to build within the time parameter. Challenges that fit this description will be approved in the order in which they are received. Challenges should be a focused idea, such as “build an Egyptian themed room”, or “create a motorcycle”, not “build a moon base” or “create a castle”. The second examples would be too big. Parameters for challenge should be limiting in scope, but encourage creativity. Our first challenge is to build something that serves or sells food that’s tasty, but not high-end. That could be anything from a hot dog stand to an ice cream store to a diner. So, the project could be quite small, but the options to use to meet the criteria are nearly unlimited. Limits could be the room size, the object size, the topic, or item count, to name a few examples. Submission Form Global in-game: Forums handle: Discord handle (if applicable): Challenge: Parameters: (limiting factors to the challenge)

All About Community Challenges These contests are meant to be short and low stress. We hope that people will challenge themselves and have fun with this! If it’s something you’re not sure how to do, there are people you can ask for help, and we hope you’ll give it a shot even if you’re not sure. Concept: Community Challenges will be short contests with one winner Challenges will be created by members of the community Challenges are judged by the CRs and the Challenger Winner will get a title and 2,000 reward merits Contests will be 2 weeks to a maximum of 30 days in duration Valid entries must be made in a base created after the start of the contest Post your challenge entry on the forum thread for that contest by the deadline to enter Fine Print: CRs will publish the current base number for each shard for the day of the contest, upon the announcement of the contest. All bases used for the contest must have a number higher than that number to be eligible for the contest. Entries may be solo work, or collaborations. Merits will be divided among collaborators, all builders who win will be awarded the applicable title. The Challenger establishes the parameters of the contest (subject to CR approval), and so each contest may have somewhat different criteria for winning. Watch the announcements for each challenge to understand what is wanted for each. The winner of each challenge will be the entry that the majority of the judges agree on, and entries will be evaluated according to how well they implement the theme, creativity, and technical and artistic merit. (Flicker/shimmer/glitching is very distracting; if your entry is having problems with this, it will definitely impact the score! Ask a CR for help with this.) CRs can help you with technical knowledge, but should not be called upon for creative or artistic consultations for contest entries. You do not need to submit your base at the start of the contest in order to enter. You enter by submitting your finished product by the deadline; that way, if you didn’t get the project to the point you wanted to, you don’t have to enter it. *Disclaimer: Contest judging is subjective and everyone's tastes are different. Please be kind to our judges who volunteer their time to run these community events. If you have any issues, please contact Dacy and Easter Bunny here or on Discord! Please see How to Submit a Community Challenge for details on submitting your idea.

While I can't help you with the different looking items, I can help you with disguising them! They can all be completely and I mean COMPLETELY hidden and represented however you would like. -Dacy

New, very short tour of The Chapel, a new community base, free to use. Contact me to reserve a date! -Dacy

Oh, I didn't feel you were taking anything away from them; indeed, it's something of a compliment for someone to think that maybe that base just wasn't possible within the current system! 🙂 I'm just here to tell you, it's very possible, and I think anyone can get there with enough vision, determination, information, and practice. If you're looking to give it a go, feel free to join my Discord, and sing out if you want any help! (Link expires in 30 days, apparently they've changed the ability to have a permanent link for Discord...) https://discord.gg/tjqvx8EvG -Dacy

All of the bases were done using the tools available to everyone. No mods, no other coding. Just pure determination, skill, practice, and patience. Afaik, there is no coding one can add to a base to do things to it, and any mods would require people coming into the base to have the same mod. Mods were never even brought up by anyone, so, no mods were seen or used, and if any were present, they wouldn't have been seen because we did not have those mods. This is a fallacy I'd like to see die. I prefer to build inside the base, myself; there are several advantages you lose once you build outside of the base, things like tintable lighting, and base shift is much worse outside of the base. Of the winners in the original contest, 3 of 6 were built completely inside the base, and one (mine) was both inside and outside the base (I actually built around the base to use it as my space ship, using inside for three decks). Of the 7 winners from this contest, one was built entirely inside the base (The Station), but only one was built entirely outside of the base (Super Nation); the rest were a combination, with the bulk of what they did, inside of the base. This base, Chapel-24315 on Everlasting, was going to be built entirely inside of the base, but lag considerations made me put the prep room insides, outside of the base so they'd place in the small rooms at the end of the plot, instead of the one big room. However, the bulk of the base, again, is inside the base. My favorite Easter Bunny base, SleighBelles-7920 on Indomitable, is entirely inside the base. Having said that, none of the bases that are inside of a base, FEEL like they're inside a base. That's where the skill comes in. Skilled base builders can make bases that don't immediately remind visitors that they are in a base; visitors, instead, are transported mentally to another place. The only way to "level the playing field" is to work on whatever skills need polishing to bring you up to where you want to be. Other than the plain knowledge of how the controls work and (very important) knowledge of how to correct things like flicker (I CANNOT overemphasize how important controlling flicker is) and shift, and attention to detail, I think the most impactful skill you can work on is learning what's in the editor and use this knowledge to learn how to create things that are NOT in the editor. Don't settle for what the editor shows you for different materials: This is a wall, this is a floor, this is art. If you stick with just what the editor offers for materials, you will be very limited. Spread your wings of creativity and experiment with making things look the way you want them to look, not how the editor tells you they will look. If you take a look at the contest winners, this is what they all have in common: they took what's in the editor and made it do what they wanted it to do, instead of just taking it as it was, and they did with technical precision and artistic creativity and skill. Runners up, as well; we did not have enough awards for all of the crazy great bases in the contest. Concept, creativity (especially in use of materials), technical skill, and consistency in the application of all of these, this is what separates and elevates. Typically, the people who are doing this sort of work have worked on it for a while, or been working and learning about base editing either for a while, or in a fairly focused way. They talk to others, they experiment with techniques and items, they research. They tour other bases and images for inspiration. Having a clear mental image of what you want to do, and then working to get what you're doing as close to that as is possible, that's key. Where you build, not so much. 🙂 @Easter Bunny and I are always happy to help, give tips, be a second set of eyes to help you see if you got the effect you wanted, give tips on how to get there if not, and there are a lot of other really skilled builders around who are more than happy to help in this way, as well. 🙂 Sometimes, admittedly, it's nearly impossible to get to exactly what you are imagining, but no matter where you're aiming for, having someone to give input or feedback is incredibly helpful. EB and I bounce things off of each other all the time. There actually have been contests for these, that's what the awards that show up next to the missions are about. I have nothing to do with that, however. 🙂 We probably need an AE CR to do more of those! -Dacy

I was told there are lots of weddings; but it's also great for just contemplation. I'll put a podium with a cross on it if you want to use it for mass. -Dacy

That is good to hear! So far, several likes but no one seems to have immediate plans that need a venue. 🙂 I'm looking forward to seeing who will be first! -Dacy