SMR Newsletter #15

Newsletter #15

Hello Everyone!
That's right, coming straight from the heart of SMR and into your email box, chock full of game news and other nonsense, it's time for another Space Merchant Realms newsletter. Let's begin...

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Admin News:

Return of the Committee
The group known only as the Committee has been reformed. Originally created to offset what was viewed as admin biases and provide a voice for the player base, it had fallen into inactivity in the last year. But a new group of members, including the remaining original members plus web board moderators and a few others have begun discussions on policy and rules. This is a good omen for SMR players!

New Code
This round has several bug fixes and new features. The Hall of Fame statistics for planet and port deaths was corrected. Also the alliance rosters are now showing delayed experience gains/losses. New features include Cloaking Device behaviors, an adjusted Combat Drone formula, a Notes area for players to keep useful information, and changes to the current sector to show differences between players and forces more clearly.

Check out the details at:
viewtopic.php?t=6959

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Heard in the Community:
Many new voices have come on the scene. On the SMR web board, in the game, and in #smr and other chat rooms, new players on coming into the game all the time. New ideas, good ideas, bad ideas. 

Participation in SMR and in the community is what counts. The SMR team wants to thank everyone for their enthusiasm and their help in making Space Merchant Realms the best it can be.

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News from the Beerfest:

The new round has started and it could be a real kegger of a party. New and old alliances have formed up and are making a play for domination of the Beerfest universe. 

The Army of Cuda is making their sophomore attempt at glory. State Force and Rogue Squadron are back as well for another go. A revamped System Failure has returned under Jester, while the European hunting contingent of last round's New Dawn has broken off and started Illusion. The Crusaders are still around and have made some roster changes which could bode well for their success. A number of new alliances have also sprung up and are looking for action.

Most vets agree that the Beerfest universe layout is strong. Boasting two Combat Accessories shops and lots of galactic real estate, it won't be long before the stronger alliances start to grab up the unclaimed planets and make themselves a home. Will there be warfare on the scale of the days of yore? Could be...

The good news is that the Beerfest round has just started and it continues until 2/11/2007 so there is plenty of time to get in on the fun! Bring it!

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That's all, SMR folks. Remember to keep an eye out for the hunter slipping in at your stern as you make those docking maneuvers, but if things go south there is always an escape pod just a few steps away. Until next time, best wishes for pleasure and plunder from the best damned game on the Internet!

SMR Newsletter #14

Newsletter #14

Dear Gamer,

my name is Daniel Schultheiss. Hopefully you remember me and took part in my first survey.

For my final thesis at the Department of Media Management, University of Technology Ilmenau, Germany, I am carrying out an online survey on the usage of Space Merchant Realms. This questionnaire is the second part of my research project and like I told you, it is very important to me, that you and as many other Space Merchant Realms gamers as possible take part in both surveys.

As compensation for your effort, the admin of Space Merchant Realms has agreed to give you an ingame bonus after the completion of the second survey. For more information about the survey please take a look at the following link:
http://unipark.de/uc/ik_tu_fb_medienmanagement/795b/

Thanks a lot for your help in advance!

SMR Newsletter #13

Newsletter #13

Dear Space Merchant Realms Player, 


my name is Daniel Schultheiss. I am a dedicated user of browser-games such as Space Merchant Realms. As a student of Applied Media Studies I turned my interest into an academic project. 

For my final thesis at the Department of Media Management, University of Technology Ilmenau, Germany, I am carrying out an online survey on the usage of Space Merchant Realms. This questionnaire is the first step of my research project. 

Please support me by filling out this questionnaire. Your information will be kept strictly confidential and your identity will not be saved anywhere. The survey results will be used only for scientific purposes. Give your opinion as accurately as possible when completing the following questions, please. There are no true and false answers. Your personal evaluation as well as your everyday experience is of interest to us. 

Furthermore, I will launch a second survey in about eight weeks time. Here I will focus on your gaming experiences during the game. It is very important to me, that you and as many other Space Merchant Realms gamers as possible take part in both surveys as I can only use data from persons who have completed both questionnaires! 

The first questionnaire should take you less than 10 minutes, the second one about 5 minutes! As compensation for your effort, the admin of Space Merchant Realms has agreed to give you an ingame bonus after the completion of the second survey. 

Thanks a lot for your help in advance!

SMR Newsletter #12

Newsletter #12

Hello!

Another game down, another game up, and another Space Merchant Realms newsletter for your reading pleasure. Let's get started...


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Heard in the Community:

Lots of good suggestions are coming in from the players. Recent ideas posted on the Suggestions forum of the web board include a change to the way ships drop forces in a sector, suggested changes to the jump drive, and improvements to Alskant and other races. It's good to see so many eager players wanting to see the game progress and evolve.


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News from Last Game: Fungal Infection

The last round was productive and saw more general activity in the player base. By the end of the round there were nearly 1,000 players signed up. There was the early tear of hunters hitting the routes, and the usual lot of long term hunters who got fat on the hard working traders who live and die by their wits.

The top 5 players for total experience were:
1 Sir Galahad 
2 Sir Gawain 
3 Trader 
4 Sir Tristan 
5 Tha Snowman 


Alliances disturbed the peaceful void with their violence and terror. The top ten looked like this:

1 Veil of Avalon
2 Willowstrance
3 5/28/2006 9:26:53 PM 
4 State Force
5 Crusader's College
6 System Failure
7 Newbie Help Alliance
8 Orca Who?
9 Elves 
10 System Success 

The alliance 5/28/2006 9:26:53 PM aka Crusaders, was ranked top for kills this round, beating out the #2 contender Vail of Avalon by over 130 kills. System Failure came in 3rd.

5/28/2006 9:26:53 PM and System Failure were the only major alliances who chose to engage in fullout war for an extended period. While neither alliance can claim dominance in their conflict over territory, the 5/28/2006 9:26:53 PM alliance did come out on top for kills and was able to successfully take at least one level 70 planet from SF, something that SF was unable to do.

Smaller alliances also fought eachother. The Elves were in constant struggle against Crusaders College and System Success. Crimson and Clover also weighed in for a few attacks on either the Elves or the College. Some new alliances were out in numbers, <Go Die and State Force are but a couple of the new names seen flying out in the cosmos.

Well done everyone!


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News from the Current Game: Aurora


At last -- New Code!
It has been a long time coming, but the updated SMR coding has been completed and tested and this new game is the first live game to see it in play. Azool and Curufir have done alot of good work bringing a revised look and some very cool features. Here are just a few:

1. New Current Sector layout
2. Collectible bounties are now shown under Traderinfo.
3. Trader info now shows the points required to achieve the next experience level
4. New alliance banking features, including a banking report and transaction exemption
5. Customizable alliance roles
6. New port raid and planet attack code
7. New drone formula
8. Combat logs showing your attacks

And much more!


Alliances, New and Old
We're seeing some of the same groups hooking up again this time, and some new alliances have appeared as well. Crusaders have returned under their old original moniker. Most of the members of System Failure are back, now calling themselves New Dawn. Other alliances seen forming up are BLOW, Rabbit Hunting, Big Corporations, and Something Piratey. It will be exciting to see which teams can hold it together and take it to the end.


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From the Galactic Post:

Editor wanted.


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That's all for this time, SMR folks. Keep your eyes peeled for the next newsletter, chock full of news and info from the best damned game on the Internet!

SMR Newsletter #11

Newsletter #11

Hello Everyone!

That's right, it's another Space Merchant Realms newsletter to inform, entertain, and clutter up your email box. Let's begin... 

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Heard in the Community:

Recent days have seen the return of some long absent players to the web board and to the game. SilverX2, Hypno (Rat Fighter), and Elvon are among the ones sighted. Some players are coming over from the now defunked SM game. Some are just returned from a long and well deserved break. Whatever the reason, the SMR admin team wants to welcome these players back. Cheers!

New Online Game Ranking:
Space Merchant Realms has been added to the Mutiplayer Online Game ranking site where players vote for their favorite games. With the help of our growing community and their constant votes, SMR can easily make the top of this list. Vote for SMR here:
http://www.moglist.com/index.php?do=votes&id=33

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From the Galactic Post:

You Know Your A Hard Core SMR player when... 

When you can't stand up cause you been sitting for 10 hours straight hitting the current sector button. 

When during math class your figuring out how much xp your gonna make and planning a build schedule for your planet. 

When you can tell if your alive or not just by looking at your turn count. 

When you've been late for (insert event here) because the stupid PB took longer than it should. 

When you gotta go to the bathroom bad but are in the middle of a PB 

When you start using SMR language to people that don't even play the game. 

You have calculated the exact turn, time, and cash cost to build your planet to level 70. 

You can talk about all the people you've killed and aren't afraid of being arrested. 

When you say you have an important meeting to your girlfreind but really it's a PB 

You decline social invitations explaining, "I'm attacking a planet."


The Incursion, part II 
He awoke to the sound of thunder. But no thunder shook the ground....he rose from his bed and rushed to the window. Looking out, Jeremy could see thin colored beams dancing along the ground, as well as great green fireballs falling from space and pounding the surface below. The distant town of Outlook was under an orbital siege, and in no time at all the fierce storm of the Creonti fleet would reach his hometown of New Roma.
When he walked into the kitchen, his mother Martha was on the phone talking to her friend. Apparently they were discussing the idea of fleeing the planet, running from their home and leaving this alien danger behind. At the onset of the war, Jeremy had had similar thoughts, yet as it progressed, he became more and more sure that a different course of action was required.
He had taken hundreds of space flight classes, far more than his peers, in constant preparation to become the Chief Pilot upon an Imperial Class Destroyer. After witnessing the fear in his mother, which was most certainly not limited to her, he took a shower and prepared for the day. Grabbing his few belongings, Jeremy left the house and began to slow walk towards City Center.

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News from the Current Game:


Fungal Infection
The new round started on 5/28/2006 and is called Fungal Infection. Players picked the map this time, voting on the web board for their favorite among several different choices. Prince Valiant, Ardbeg, XDemonX, Grey, and DragonLancer all submitted ideas. A run-off vote was held for the favorites: Grey's and Ardbeg's. Finally, the players got their choice going with Ardbeg's and with some modifications by B.O.B. it was put into play. 
Hunters have gotten off to an unusually early start and despite the usual spate of port raids, there is still alot of money to be made out there. 
On the alliance front, some old alliances like System Failure, System Success, and Crusaders College are continuing this round. A few brand new ones are coming to life, such as State Force, ERA, >Go Die, and some alliances like The Elves are returning after a hiatus. Still others like Veil of Avalon and 5/28/2006 9:26:53 PM are long time alliances taking on themed names this time around. 
As for head-to-head battles, the only real fight to be found amongst the galaxies has been between System Failure and 5/28/2006 9:26:53 PM. These two alliances have fought steadily throughout the game and now as the round's end approaches, it appears that 5/28/2006 is getting the upper hand. That could easily change however in the constant shifting of the tides of war. 
The current game ends on 8/13/2006, so there's still lots of time to join in the fun!


New Code Delayed
Because of problems found in the Race Wars and a desire to get a new game up and running, the Admins decided to hold off on putting the revised code into the main game. The good news is that Azool has continued to work on the code. Once the issues are corrected and the changes are fully tested, the new code will be put in place for everyone to enjoy. 

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That's all for this time, SMR folks. Keep your eyes
peeled for the next newsletter, chock full of news and
info from the best damned game on the Internet!

Thank you,
SMR Support Team

SMR Newsletter #10

 Newsletter #10

Hello everyone!

Over the years, Space Merchant Realms newsletter have been few and far between. That is about to change. The SMR staff is actively working to make the game better for its players and make the small but lively SMR community grow. Regular newsletter will be a part of that effort, so this is the first of many regular newsletter that will be sent out to players. Expect 2-3 newsletter in your email box every game, filled with news and information about the world of Space Merchant Realms.

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Admin News:

The New Coder is Active and the Changes are Good!
Curufir has been working steadily since being brought on board by Mr. Spock last year. In that short space of time, the game has seen a number of long standing problems resolved and some very interesting new features added. The combat code was updated and then restored to its old self, there have been CPL changes, single scout lifespans have doubled, to name only a few. Currently there are more changes in the works, including a new current sector layout and new bug-free combat code. With some luck these will be ready for the next round. 

Jester is Named Admin
Long time player and alliance leader Jester has been given full admin status. Congratulations!

New Web Board Moderators
Head web board mod B.O.B. has named a new lineup of web board moderators for the current round. Piratedan, Jett Jackson, and Shady_FA have been tapped to replace Ardbeg, Trigek, and Kahless. These moderators will cycled frequently, probably game to game, so as to limit the burnout that moderators sometimes experience and also to liven up and vary the style of moderation. Congrats to these moderators and on the good job they are doing.

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Heard in the Community:

Too Much Money???
Z-money asked the question, and 8 pages later the discussion is still going on...is there too much money in the game? The major alliances are rumored to have billions of credits in the bank, and at the same time small alliances struggle to raise enough money for a few warbirds. Some see it as the natural order of activity and experience, while others see it as unfair. Check out what all the fuss is about: viewtopic.php?t=6264

Game Manual Updated
The Manual has long been known as useless for helping new SMR players understand the game. Many of the sections were poorly written and containted incomplete or incorrect information. Most of these have been revised to provide more and better information to new SMR players. The manual now has updated and sortable ships and weapons lists, a SMR glossary, and more. Thanks to B.O.B., Harry Krishna, LotuS, Ardbeg, OmegaRenegade, Page, Rosebud, and Shady_FA who continue to put in their time on this much needed update. 

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Galactic Post:
The newest editor Waif has done a fantastic job of publishing fresh, funny, interesting, and balanced reading for GP readers. Here are a couple of samples:

Chaos Reigns in Salzik as Alliances Wrestle for Control Salzik (Galactic Reuters)
Officials in the Salzik galaxy are at an impasse in their attempts to restore order in their beleaguered systems. Several alliances have moved into the area in recent weeks and are now clashing openly for trade routes, planets, territory, and power. Major outfits like System Failure, Crusaders, and Beyond Divinity have all staked their place in one of the many outlying galaxies and are putting pressure on local ports to pay inflated payment to their traders. Smaller but well organized alliances like the Legitimate Businessmen, the Green Skulls, Omega Factor, and Crusaders College are also carving out a place for themselves. Ships are being destroyed every day in this struggle for power and place. Repeated requests for federal assistance and protection have fallen on deaf ears, 

One political observer told the Galactic Post that there is currently a three-way battle going on now between System Failure, Crusaders, and Beyond Divinity. Based on estimated ship losses, BD and SF are engaged in a major war with eachother. Both teams are also fighting Crusaders, who can claim an advantage against both in enemy ships destroyed. Beyond these major conflicts, the Green Skulls are making some noise as they brutalize the local Salzik economy with their port raiding and fleet fight with whoever they can find. This has led to several confrontations with other alliances which have ended both well and badly for GS. Most recently, a fleet of 5 GS ships were destroyed by a larger fleet of Crusaders who were returning from a raid into BD territory. There have also been reports of fighting between the Crusaders training alliance Crusaders College and GS , with significant losses to the College. 

According to one local tavern owner, the situation is bound to continue to destabilize. Alskant citizen Artie Krkuar owned a tavern in Salzik for the last 78 years. He's seen his share of outlaws and ugly turf wars. "Yes, I've seen it all...the retreat of the Federation has meant a lot more free-for-all in this area," said Krkuar on a recent stop into his establishment where business is suprisingly good. "People at war like to drink!" notes Krkuar. "They like to play the lotto, gamble, and take chances. And always they drink." As he talked, three Crusaders warships blasted a Green Skull ship into floating debris in the sector outside the tavern. A shockwave shook the tavern and his customers ran to the observation windows to see. Krkuar smiles grimly, "War is maybe not good for them, But it is good for me." 

Beyond Divinity Steals 1.2 Billion
System Failure faced heartbreak after losing what was rumored to be the majority of their warchest. Insiders say that members of Beyond Divinity busted into Groagan, the hallowed System Failure planet galaxy, and broke into a bonding planet on 2686 owned by Bouncer. The planet also hosted a lively nightclub and sources have pointed out that the thiefs might have claimed they were just there for dancing. Those sources claim that as Beyond Divinity arrived at just the right time, a spy inside System Failure is likely. 

This reporter wonder if such a painful loss might turn the tides in the lately one sided war with Beyond Divinity on one side, and the Crusaders and System Failure on the other. Only time will tell if System Failure can recover. 

It's the simple things...
I stopped off at the local tavern after a long day of trading. Slightly muffed by the fact that most of the major trade routes no longer existed. Due to several recent pirate attacks on the sector, most traders have either moved on or. like myself, traveled to the remaining ports in the area and set up new trade routes to keep the flow of goods moving. Was the money as good as it was before...no, but the people were honest and i was still turning a profit so i couldn't complain. 

The tavern that night was a little to busy for my taste, so i ordered the usual to go. At this hour the space port was winding down, with the exeption of a lot of people scurring about the empty dock next to mine. Now i'll admit i'm never one to pry into the business of others but there was a sense of urgency on their faces, so much that i decided to watch for a bit, if for nothing else, to see what was up. 

I did not have to wait long. There was a loud bang signally a ship jumping just outside Fed HQ. A severly damage Federal Warrant slowly drifted into positon and was secured by several docking arms that seemed to stop it from drifting into the Federal HQ located across the way. A short human, sporting a huge smile, exited the badly damaged ship and serveyed the damage. "Huh, it doesn't look as bad from out here!...How long till i can head back out?" 

"Shouldn't take to long, you at least left me more to work with this time," aswered one of the mechanics and began his work. Taken back by the fact that this was by far the worst looking ship i'd ever seen, I started to make my way to the human that had just exited the ship, for this is something you just don't see everyday. "Excuse me," I asked, "did the pirates do that?" "Not exactly," he said with a chuckle,"I decided to pay their mine field a little visit." Being a little confused i asked "What mine field?" To which he replied..." exactly." 

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News for Next Game:

Code Changes
A number of code changes are working their way through
the development process and are being tested now. 
These may make it into the next game, if coding and
testing are complete by then. Future changes include:
- a new current sector layout
- new combat code
- combat logs showing attack screens
- faster script times, less lag
- trader info shows bounties and next experience level to gain
- and much more!

Look for the next SMR newsletter to hit right at the start of the new game, with more announcements and news from the best damned game on the Internet.

Thank you,
SMR Support Team

SMR Newsletter #9

In a last desperate bid, what remained of the Federation council convinced the leaders of each race that it was time to flee the galaxy cluster and search for new homes. Each race went their own way, with old feelings hard to put down for the sake of survival.

It is here where we find ourselves now. The Humans and Nijarins fled together and have each found their own corners in a new galactic cluster and have begun to spread throughout the galaxies once more. The current races were helpful in the beginning, setting aside their own squabbles to help settle the newcomers. But peace is a fragile thing and never lasts long, and the Galactic Council has troubles of its own...

A new Space Merchant Realms Game is beginning November 21st, 2005. "Seize the Day" will be an exciting challenge to returning and new players. Join us at www.smrealms.de and enjoy the challenge of strategy, role-playing, negotiating, and fighting.

Thank you,
SMR Support Team