Aryte

Meeting 2.

Contained here are the logs of the IS/VG meetings. In addition, letters between Christoph and I.

UHUH.

Yes.

>> All levels of command are cordially invited to attend a special group wide command meet, Sunday the 6th, 3:30 PM SLT. This is separate from the officer meeting, but . . officers are invited as well. Terra octets, centuries. Astra flights, etc.

>> The Ordo Imperialis >> Command Alignment Good tidings, Mr. Fermi Torok and Ms. Dascede Aluveaux have both signed a formal leave of absence to focus on clearing up offline concerns. The pair of them have opted to accept a stand-down to [E-7] in the duration of their time off. This will allow for replacements to be arranged, while removing the difficult time constraints enumerated from their officer positions. Both Fermi and Dascede are vetted members with an extensive history in the Ordo—to be sure, their inactivity will make them rather missed. But, they are hardly gone, just dialing back to ensure success with their school year. So good luck to both of them: don’t be strangers. PS: omg Dascede, who will take meticulous notes of our meetings now?

Oh god, the nostalgia from reading your post!

Rofl. IT's been a loooong time.

* Offline, not in the Ordo, I add. Thank you for your time, best wishes. Keep in touch.

ATR Vasser - [Combat Prowess MK1] Alexi Ayres - [E-5] Arken Soothsayer - [Architect of Unity] Bob McKinley - [E-6] Chase Quinnell - [Comrade Support] Crash Silverfall - [E-7] Czyrek Essel - [E-2]; [Combat Prowess MK1]; [Homeland Defense] Furry Thor - [E-3] Garion Lowenhardt - [E-6] Genesis Ronmark - [Ordo Achievement] Gulliver Carpool - [O-2] Icedphoenix Seferes - [Homeland Defense] Imperial Admiral - [E-4] Jaxx Loon - [E-6] Johann Wilberg - [indoctrination] Jordan Cannoli - [E-3]; [Homeland Defense] Joseph Hoxley - [Ordo Achievement] Karmyn Maurer - [E-5] Kaz Ceriano - [Homeland Defense] Melna Milos - [Ordo Achievement] Merk Thor - [E-3] Morten Hassanov - [E-3]; [Homeland Defense] Rageki Finesmith - [E-3]; [Homeland Defense] Ribbon Dye - [Homeland Defense] Streak Bender - [E-3]; [Marksman] Sykes Foxclaw - [Combat Prowess MK1] Thatguy Andel - [indoctrination] Vai Tyran - [E-7] Vex Naxos - [E-6] Vincent Lucerne - [E-7] Vinnie Lei - [E-7] Williamca Zenovka - [Custos] Wolfjoya Furse - [indoctrination] Wolfshaman Warrior - [E-6] Woofie Khandr - [E-3] Xayvien Rau - [Architect of Unity] Zanndor Aeon - [Homeland Defense] Zatuichi Bosatsu - [Good Conduct] Zerowinged Vasiliev - [O-1]

The Ordo Imperialis now participates in the Opposing Forces group, a public spawn set up specifically for Iron Symphony groups. As such, enemies who join the OP group may now set their homepoints in a hub spot NE of the Chronus entry. The hub is out of the way, as to avoid griefers TPing in and setting their home before the hub catches up with them. Any abuse of the spawn should be reported immediately. Otherwise, this should dramatically help latency!

The form will clarify that down to a very simple 't'.

>> The Ordo Imperialis >> Unlock System: Reviews and Set-Up Thank you to everyone who weighed in and assisted with the shaping of this system restructure. I want to be sure that everyone who was involved gets the due credit. This has been a very long process, but it will be one that dramatically increases our overall standards—no longer will rank = gear. Instead, rank will be reflective of someone’s actual desire and ability to handle responsibility. Xayvien Rau: your first design and concepts are the underlying basis of this whole restructure, without you we’d have never gotten this far. Thank you so much—even though the full idea wasn’t used, you provided the actual working model and proof this system has merit. Inoue Katsu and Sam Troell: your assistance with the technological and hardware elements put this into motion. Thank you, both of you, for putting so much effort into making it effective. Everyone else: thank you for your patience, input, opinions, and understanding! Now, on to the details! > How do I earn an unlock? I. Unlock points are no longer awarded based upon rank, instead, they will be awarded in two major ways: a. reviews and b. special commendation. Ia. Reviews: the mainstay of unlocks will be awarded based upon a review system, in which an individual opts-in and requests a personnel review from their immediate superior. Said commanding officer or command sergeant is then responsible for completing a provided review form. Based upon that review, the individual receives a number of ‘quality points.’ After accruing X amount (based upon tier—explained below), of quality points, he or she receives an unlock. There will be a limit of [2] reviews permissible per month: thus allowing for a total number of [100] quality points monthly to be earned this way. The beauty of reviews is: not only does it provide the opportunity for gear, but it provides feedback to the group’s personnel and streamlines communication. Reviews may be requested anywhere from the 1st to the 25th, allowing for ample time and opportunity for the command personnel member to process and file it—from the time of requesting a review, a command NCO or officer has [4] days to complete it. There must be at least [7] days elapsed between each review request: for example, if you request a review on the [23rd], and it is your first review for the month . . . unfortunately, you’ve forfeit your second review for that month! In the event that the direct superior of an individual is unavailable (ex; an octet lead is on vacation), the responsibility is passed up to the next level of command (in that example, the century leader). Reviews have no negative repercussions: you can only benefit by requesting them, so there’s no reason not to take advantage of the [2] a month limit! The worst case scenario from requesting a review would simply be not receiving the maximum [50] quality points from the review. Why only [2] a month? Logistics and numeric reasons—we don’t want to overburden or turn this into a “review grind” for quality points. After a review is completed, the officer/nco sends a copy in with his weekly report. Quality points will be totaled weekly and unlocks issued every Saturday. Ib. Special commendation: reviews may not be everyone’s forte—so they’re not specifically mandatory to receive quality points/unlocks. A special commendation is a rather blanket term, quality points/unlocks may be attached to: merits, accomplishments (ex; the shooting range), or even stand alone—like if your officer witnesses an exemplary feat of valor and wishes to reward you with a quality point payout. These circumstances will be more of the exception than the norm, but will still provide a respectable number of opportunities. > What are the tiers of unlock points? Why, I am sure glad you asked. As you progress and earn quality points, at certain thresholds you receive an ‘unlock point.’ Quality points are sort of like exp, whereas an unlock point is an actual negotiable instrument—as in, you can use it to get gear. Tiers, feasibly, have no roof, so as additional gear is added we will simply increase the number of tiers. The formula is simple. Tier 1 begins at 100 points. Tier two is 250 points. Tier three 450 points. Tier four is 700 points. Don’t be confused, however, when you reach tier one . . . you keep that 100 points, it doesn’t just vanish. So you do not need 250 additional quality points to reach the next level, just 150 more! Make sense? As point tiers increase, the significance of each unlock equally increases. There are three types of unlock points: primary, secondary, and special. Primary points unlock basic weapons, like shotguns and assault rifles. Secondary points unlock heavier weapons, like the Adjudicator or a rocket launcher . . in addition to anything the primary point could unlock. And special unlock points are able to unlock any general/special weapon within the armory—for example, non-squad members could potentially get a hold of squad only gear. The tiers, currently, will be: Tier I (100 points): Primary unlock. Tier II (250 points): Secondary unlock. Tier III (450 points): Secondary unlock. Tier IV (700 points): Special unlock. > Can unlock points/quality points be taken away? The potential for a “negative” quality point reward is something that has been considered for addition to the potential repercussions in punishment. At this time, tentatively, I would say yes, yes quality points and unlock points could potentially be taken away for bad behavior. They cannot, however, be taken away during the reviews—as in, if you get a “bad review,” it wouldn’t give you anything less than 0 points. > How will unlock points and quality points be tracked? Easy! Mercury will be utilized to keep track—since quality points are primarily based on reviews, it’ll be easy to total and add the number of quality reports into the notes field on Mercury. Unlocks will be, also, tracked by Mercury. In actuality, all we have to do is tell the server you have an unlock point and then you click on a locker to pick what you want. Simple, effective, no hassle. > When will this go into effect? The new unlock system, review expectations, etc . . . will begin promptly as of Sunday, August 30th. New Schola material will be released before then—be sure that any classes instruct that unlocks are currently being revamped before then. Do not teach the old system any longer. > What does this mean for me, as an officer/unit commander? Primarily, the individuals with the most impact will be the octet and flight leads—the century, cohors, and overall Astra officers will be more responsible for ensuring no holes are left and time constraints are fulfilled. It is the explicit responsibility of every officer to ensure their command is functioning within the review performance. An octet leader must: I. Be certain all reviews are processed in a timely manner; II. Be certain their members are aware of the review and unlock changes. III. Ensure that all reviews are included in their weekly report, to ensure proper credit is filed for the individual who is reviewed; IV. Properly inform any commander above them of absence or inability to complete requirements on time; V. Keep track of how many reviews have been completed for any given individual within a month; if an individual has more than [2] reviews in any given month, something went wrong! A century and cohors leader must: I. Routinely ensure that all reviews are properly filed, denoted, and completed in timely manners; II. Ensure that a flow of reviews continues up channel, properly ensuring that all members of the octets beneath them are aware and being treated fairly/given opportunity; III. Mitigate disputes in review; ex: an octet lead gives a poor point review, but the individual in question wishes to receive feedback on why. Failure to perform any of the aforementioned will be treated as a dereliction of duty: command is directly responsible for their subordinates. The first week of September will be a leeway period, in which commanders will not be held accountable too strenuously. After which, it will look pretty damn curious if their weekly report doesn’t have at least one completed review. If members aren’t coming to you to ask for reviews: go to them! Ask if they’d like one. > What if I have not yet spent an unlock point from the old system? If you currently have an unspent unlock point, it is your responsibility to send Aryte Vesperia a note card by August 31st, detailing your name, rank, and how many points you should have left over. Be sure to include an audit list, explaining where each point came from. For example: Name: Sosarin Demar Rank: E-4 Total # of unspent unlocks: 3 Unlock 1: E-3 unlock; unspent. Unlock 2: E-4 unlock; unspent. Unlock 3: Range unlock; Marskman score 99/100; unspent. > What’s next? After the unlock system we will be producing a comprehensive promotion requirement list to correspond with this. In tandem with Armatura and Schola adjustments, the promotionary system will greatly increase the quality and education for all levels of ranks. > What can I do to help? Be sure to bring up any questions you have. Any issues need to be clarified before we launch this program. In addition, please be sure to report any dated material you find—such as handbook listings. But wait until August 30th to do so: we may have already found it, new materials will be released. > Sooo . . when can we see the review form? Soon. Almost done with it.

- Opt in . . [14:29] Scientific Waffle: Vexillarius Frank IMs his commander and asks for a review over the next week or so, and his commander does so, rewarding Frank at the end of the period if Frank has proven his worth. [14:29] Scientific Waffle: Rather than having commanders attempt to rate those who almost never log in on a biweekly basis. [14:29] Sam Troell is Offline [14:29] Aryte Vesperia: Well, inactive personnel would easily be handled. [14:30] Aryte Vesperia: "not active, 0 pts." [14:30] Merk Thor whispers "reply" [14:30] WyldChild Raven is Offline [14:30] Aryte Vesperia: Hm . . I do like the idea of opt-in chances, but how would you, as an octet leader, handle that? [14:30] Striker Dryke is Offline [14:30] Scientific Waffle: Well there could be a maximum number of opt-ins one could have, like 1 or 2 a month... [14:31] Scientific Waffle: And it would provide focus for browsing through combat reports, talking to people in contact with them... [14:31] Scientific Waffle: Rather than making this more of a biweekly grind. [14:31] Merk Thor: I as a lower ranking would never "dare" saying "Hi! Look at me and give me points" [14:31] Kale Rexen is Offline [14:32] Garion Lowenhardt: Sorry to interrupt, but why not make the opt in a chance for bonus XP? That way everyone would be able to get a base XP every 2 weeks, plus a bit extra if they opted for closer scrutiny. [14:32] Kraa String feels like this is turning into WoW [14:32] Aryte Vesperia: Exactly my worry, Merk. People would be reluctant. [14:32] Anlysia Gregoire: You want the review and assessment, the points are just a sideffect of it. [14:32] Kale Rexen is Online [14:32] Aryte Vesperia: Hm.. [14:32] Vai Tyran: Aryte, I don't think so. If you're confident you're doing your duty, there should be no shame in havig yourself reviewed. [14:32] Merk Thor: Not sure what that meens aryte but sounds cool. [14:33] Vai Tyran: having* [14:33] Sam Troell is Online [14:33] Aryte Vesperia: I like the idea of opt in, Waffle. [14:33] Aryte Vesperia: I do like that. [14:33] Aryte Vesperia: But how do we handle ensuring members are taking advantage of it? [14:33] Scientific Waffle: I would prefer it much over a mandated grind every two weeks, which I feel would REDUCE personal communication. [14:33] Merk Thor: Well instead of me saying "look at me" every week as i wan´t points, my octect leader could just check for me every week [14:34] Scientific Waffle: And perhaps we could keep track of "last review" in the spreadsheets we maintain. [14:34] Smulet Back is Offline [14:34] Scientific Waffle: And remind active members with no reviews that they can ask for one. > reminders, spreadsheet, max of 2 a month. > promotion req. worksheet. - Merits . . points bonus? [14:37] Garion Lowenhardt: I think it'd be a good idea. It'd give newer members opportunity to gain many points quickly and become more adaptive in combat, whereas Officers, who've got more experience and gear by that point anyway, wouldn't need the few points Merits would give them. > Graduated levels of points. [14:58] Anlysia Gregoire: As in, how long should it take someone at maximum gain-rate to achieve them? And does it scale upward after each? [14:58] Ordo Utility HUD v1.4: New contact: Cyphre Iredell [14:58] Aryte Vesperia: Mmmm. [14:59] Lupus Mielziner is Offline [14:59] Aryte Vesperia: I honestly haven't worked out the point values. The probability is it'll be graduated. [14:59] Aryte Vesperia: For example . . [14:59] jordan Cannoli is Online [14:59] Aryte Vesperia: 100-250-450, etc. [14:59] Karlhockey Forte is Offline [15:00] Ordo - Sniper Rifle Locker: 200 [15:00] Ordo - Sniper Rifle Locker: 0;Sniper Rifle;1;1;1;0;0;0 [15:00] Lupus Mielziner is Online [15:00] Aryte Vesperia: (Assuming that every tier grants you a more valuable unlock-- to remind everyone, there are three levels of unlock points: standard, secondary, special. Standards are used for light weapons, secondary can grab light/explosives, and special is anything." [15:00] Bizcut Vanbrugh is Offline [15:01] Karlhockey Forte is Online [15:01] Ordo Utility HUD v1.4: New contact: Crash Silverfall [15:02] Zatuichi Bosatsu is Offline [15:02] Aryte Vesperia: Dependant upon whether or not there'll be other avenues of gaining 'experience points,' feasibly . . 25 a report? I am really not sure yet. [15:02] Aryte Vesperia: I'd have to sit down and crunch digits. [15:02] Miles05 Reitveld is Offline [15:03] Aryte Vesperia: I want it to be reflective of people's actual efforts, so someone who's going "omg this is so awesoooomme" and puts a billion hours of effort would receive fair compensation.

Happy Birfday.

It is not a team effort. It's individual. Hm. Training for specific weapons has not been widely looked at.

>> The Ordo Imperialis >> Unlock System: What counts? As we prepare to make the shift to the new unlock system, the question on everyone’s mind is: so, how do we get points now? What counts toward our unlock acquisition? Originally, the plan was to be rather insane and keep track of participation elements—like defense, offense, etc. But the logistical element and accuracy of that would be, frankly, rather insane. There is no way to reliably do such: there is not any way to determine who is actually participating and who is just idling. In addition, tracking offensive maneuvers stacks an unfair competition for a practice that is rewarding within itself. In other words, I want to avoid forcing people to squeeze in to the limited offensive opportunities for unlocks. Participation rating in general is a tricky question: how do you value an action greater than another? Is building a tank the same worth as designing a training program? Is exemplary combat conduct equivalent to good behavior? The second idea I had was rating time in service. But again . . . how do we go about differentiating active time vs. inactive time? Veterans in service definitely are deserving of some sort of compensation, but does it make sense to stack points dependant on that element? To be effective, unlock points must be able to be distributed based upon reliably rated attributes with a fair level of accuracy. In addition, the process and maintenance of these points must be able to be performed without an unusually extended amount of effort. So. What counts? What do we use? Many hours of deliberation with my alter ego Ruin, and many cups of Starbucks later . . . a viable solution came to mind! Rate individuals for unlocks based upon weekly or bi-weekly personnel reviews, conducted by command leads. In short, it would be the responsibility of command positions—Terra octet, century, cohors leads; Astra flight leads, etc—to perform an at-large review bi-weekly on the individuals under their command. Forms will be provided, detailing elements of activity, participating, progressive contribution, attitude, presence, etc, etc. Not only will this allow all levels of individuals to receive points, regardless of their individual talents, it will reinforce the extreme necessity of command staff to know their personnel. There will be a threshold of maximum “experience points” (the stuff you need to reach up to an unlock) per week, so an individual could feasibly only be proficient in a few areas and still reach maximum “exp” per period. For example, someone may not have tons of time to contribute to defense, but they may have a knack at developing proactive elements for the group. So both of them could, in theory, still receive the maximum number of experience points per review. In addition, these reviews could be handed back to the individuals who are . . being reviewed. This would allow them to get constant feedback on request, with direct accountability with their officers. For those officers and unit commanders suddenly going “fuuuuuck;” shame, shame! The expectation of communication and unit reviews has been in place for months and months. At least, for Terra it sure has been. Now, you’re simply going to have no way to weasel out of it. <3 Thoughts, questions? If this is something people like, I can get it hammered out and in place in just a couple days.

He's long gone, Johann. ;P

(Thank people like Agares, 90% of that is his idea.)

>> The Ordo Imperialis >> Primary Structural Changes: Praetorian Guard – At a Glimpse The Praetorian Guard operational structure will be taking a dramatic shift. As per the suggestions of the Guard itself, the notable additions and revisions to the existing set up are thus far (subject to change): I. Praetorian Guard members will no longer be considered ‘unranked;’ the internal positions within the Guard will have rank equivalency. Praetorian Cadets will be equivalent to [E-7]; Praetorian Guardsmen/Guardswoman will be equivalent to [W-1]; Praetorian Evocati will be equivalent to [O-2]; Praetorian Praefectus will be equivalent to [O-3]. II. The Praetorian Guard will be separated into separate individual units (lodges/camps—name not yet determined), consisting of [1] Evocati and [2] Guardsmen per. Each unit will have an overlapping goal, but with specific areas of focus. The currently proposed fields are: a. Servitus: combat/administrative focus; b. Aquilas: material and structural design focus; c. Mundus: personal protectorate/adjutant focus. III. Overall standards of expectations for the Guard will be dramatically increased. Training routines will be quasi-rp based, with emphasis on indoctrination and procedural instruction. The Guard will have a lengthy academy/classroom course. IV. Appearance standards will be implemented: the Guard will have unusual regulations—some of which would be considered overbearing and unreasonable for other units. V. Recruitment for the Guard will remain selective, but the principle of ‘you are asked’ may disappear. Selection will be based more on minimum qualifications, application, and strenuous review. Think the SEAL Team: anyone who meets the qualification may apply, about 1/100 make it. This will remove any sentiments of the Guard selection being restricted to builders and Aryte’s best friends. VI. The Guard will adopt the expectation of a stoic personality. In Agares’ words: “In short, stoics do not complain, they do not get angry, they do not blame others. They achieve. They work to fix problems, rather than wait for others to tell them what to do (generally). This ideal, to it's core carried by the Romans, has a strong place inside of the guard” VII. There is a strive to determine what “special” niche the Guard can fulfill, rather than simply overlapping with existing departments of authority.

Hahaha. I was wondering what was with this forum title.

Morality is a curious, sometimes difficult topic to approach. Sometimes, downright selfish and intrinsically defined. To what morality do I confide? Simply. "Begin the morning by saying to thyself, I shall meet with the busybody, the ungrateful, arrogant, deceitful, envious, unsocial. All these things happen to them by reason of their ignorance of what is good and evil. But I who have seen the nature of the good that it is beautiful and of the bad that it is ugly, and the nature of him who does wrong, that it is akin to me, not [only] of the same blood or seed, but that it participates in [the same] intelligence and [the same] portion of the divinity, I can neither be injured by any of the, for no one can fix on me what is ugly, nor can I be angry with my kinsman, nor hate him. For we are made for cooperation, like feet, like hands, like eyelids, like the rows of upper and lower teeth. To act against one another then is contrary to nature; and it is acting against one another to be vexed and to turn away." Marcus Aurelius - Meditations, Chapter II, Verse 1.

Johann Wilberg is awesome. I am on medication and can't think. In short, ex-Ordo Praetorian, rejoined, now reinstated as Astra. Welcome baaaack. SORRY FOR BEING RETARDED AT THE MOMENT. Yaaaaaaaaay.

ORDO PLUMBER EH